\section{Command Loops}
\label{Command Loops}

     You can cause a command string to be executed any number of times
     by placing the command string within angle brackets and preceding
     the brackets with a numeric argument designating  the  number  of
     iterations.   Iterated  command strings are called command loops.
     Loops may be nested so that one  command  loop  contains  another
     command  loop,  which, in turn, contains other command loops, and
     so on.  The maximum depth to which command loops may be nested is
     determined   by   the  size  of  TECO's  push-down  list  (system
     dependent), but is always greater than 10.

     The general form of the command loop is:

\centerline{\tt n<command string>}

     where {\tt command string} is the sequence of commands to be iterated
     and  {\tt n} is the number of iterations.  If {\tt n} is not supplied then no
     limit is placed on the number of iterations.  If {\tt n} is 0  or  less
     than  0  then  the  iteration  is  not  executed at all;  command
     control skips to the closing angle bracket.  If {\tt n} is greater than
     0, then the iteration is performed {\tt n} times.

     Search commands inside command loops are treated specially.  If a
     search  command  which  is  not  preceded  by a colon modifier is
     executed within a command loop and the search  fails,  a  warning
     message  is  printed  [on  TECO-11],  the  command loop is exited
     immediately and the command following the right angle bracket  of
     the  loop  is  the next command to be executed.  If an unmodified
     search command in a command loop is  immediately  followed  by  a
     semicolon,  it  is  treated as if it were a colon-modified search
     (see section~\ref{Branching Commands}).