<compile-time variable declaration>

           ┌◄──────────────────── , ────────────────────┐
── NUMBER ─┴─<identifier>─┬───────────────────────────┬─┴──────────────┤
                          ├─ := ──<starting value>────┤
                          └─ [ ──<vector length>── ] ─┘

<number identifier>

An <identifier> that is associated with a compile-time variable in a compile-time variable declaration.

<starting value>

──<compile-time arithmetic expression>─────────────────────────────────┤

<compile-time arithmetic expression>

Any <arithmetic expression> that can be fully evaluated at compile time. A compile-time arithmetic expression consists of constants and <compile-time variable>s.

<vector length>

──<compile-time arithmetic expression>─────────────────────────────────┤

<compile-time variable>

──<number identifier>──────────────────────────────────────────────────►
►─┬────────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────┤
  └─ [ ──<compile-time arithmetic expression>── ] ─┘

An identifier declared in a compile-time variable declaration is a number variable, or an arithmetic compile-time variable. A compile-time variable represents a single-precision arithmetic value. It can be used wherever an arithmetic value is allowed and represents the value most recently assigned to it. The value of a compile-time variable can be changed at any time during compilation by using the compile-time 'LET statement. A compile-time variable can be declared with a starting value; if a starting value is not explicitly declared, the starting value is zero.

If a compile-time variable is declared with a vector length, a vector, or array, of compile-time variables is created. When an identifier declared in this way is used, it must be subscripted by a compile-time arithmetic expression with a value in the range 0 through (vector length - 1). The value of the vector length must be in the range 1 to 65535.

<compile-time identifier>

──<identifier>── ̍ ──<number identifier>───────────────────────────────┤

A compile-time identifier can appear anywhere an identifier can be used, including declarations. No blank characters can appear between the identifier and the apostrophe ('). The created identifier consists of the identifier, followed by an apostrophe, followed by numeric characters corresponding to the value of the number identifier with leading zeros suppressed.

When a DEFINE declaration contains another DEFINE declaration, the formal parameters to the outer DEFINE cannot be used as <identifier> or <number identifier> components of the compile-time identifier.