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<head><title>getSymbol -- make a global symbol from a string</title>
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<div><h1>getSymbol -- make a global symbol from a string</h1>
<div class="single"><h2>Synopsis</h2>
<ul><li><div class="list"><dl class="element"><dt class="heading">Usage: </dt><dd class="value"><div><tt>getSymbol s</tt></div>
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<li><div class="single">Inputs:<ul><li><span><tt>s</tt>, <span>a <a href="___String.html">string</a></span>, the name of the global symbol</span></li>
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<li><div class="single">Outputs:<ul><li><span><span>a <a href="___Symbol.html">symbol</a></span>, a previously existing global symbol whose name is contained in the string <tt>s</tt>, if one exists and is visible in one of the dictionaries in <a href="_dictionary__Path.html" title="">dictionaryPath</a>, or, a new global symbol with that name, created in the first mutable dictionary in <a href="_dictionary__Path.html" title="">dictionaryPath</a>.</span></li>
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<div class="single"><h2>Description</h2>
<div><p>This function mimics what the interpreter does when it encounters and parses the name of a global symbol, and can be used when the name of the symbol is not known at the time the code is written.</p>
<table class="examples"><tr><td><pre>i1 : x = "aaaa"
o1 = aaaa</pre>
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<tr><td><pre>i2 : getSymbol x
o2 = aaaa
o2 : Symbol</pre>
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<tr><td><pre>i3 : dictionary oo
o3 = User#"private dictionary"
o3 : GlobalDictionary</pre>
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<tr><td><pre>i4 : ooo === getSymbol x
o4 = true</pre>
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<div class="single"><h2>See also</h2>
<ul><li><span><a href="_get__Global__Symbol.html" title="create a global symbol in a global dictionary">getGlobalSymbol</a> -- create a global symbol in a global dictionary</span></li>
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