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ZBasic Language Reference 5 ZX Microcontroller Family Here is an example that uses these conventions: [Private] Const <name> As <type> = <value> The idea being conveyed is that this program element may begin with the Private keyword or it may be omitted, i.e. it is optional. The keywords Const and As are specified literally as is the equal sign. The name of the constant to be defined, its type and value are all specified using a descriptive word or phrase enclosed in angle brackets. These placeholder components will be explicitly described in the discussion of the program element. In some instances, there may be more than one optional element that may appear in a given position. In these cases, the vertical bar character is used to indicate that any one element may be used, but not more than one, of course. [Public | Private] Const <name> As <type> = <value> This conveys the idea that the either the keyword Public or the keyword Private may be present but it is also permissible for neither to be present. In other cases, there may be a set of elements from which exactly one must be chosen. {Public | Private | Dim} <name> As <type> The curly braces indicate that one of the keywords Public, Private or Dim must precede the <name> element. In various places in this document you will find a text box with information about BasicX compatibility. Most often, the text will describe how some particular feature is different when the BasicX compatibility mode is enabled. In a few instances, the text will describe how ZBasic is fundamentally different from BasicX. This information is most useful to those who are upgrading to ZBasic from BasicX. If that is not the case for you, you may safely ignore such information.