title: What exactly does the {} argument reference do?
body: <p>I am a new with progress-4gl (OpenEdge) and I have run into some code that for the life of my I can't understand exactly what it does. Below is an example of the code I am trying to dissect and all the material I have found on the situation.</p>
  
  <p>I realize that my answer is in the material however I can't really understand it as well as I want to. Hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge than me can help me. Thanks for anyone who has spent on this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Function functionName RETURNS CHAR ( integerName AS INT ) {1}:
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>This function is stored in an include file and is being called by a different procedure in the following way:</p>
  
  <pre><code>charName = GetCommSecType ( intName )
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>What I don't completely understand is why the {1} is there and what exactly is it doing. If I don't put the {1} everything seems to work the same. I have looked in the help file pasted its information below:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>{ } Argument reference:<br>
    References the value of an argument that a procedure passes to a called external procedure file or to an include file.
    ABL converts each argument to a character format. This conversion removes the surrounding double-quotes if the parameter was specified as a character string constant in the RUN statement or include file reference.
    When one procedure is called from another and arguments are used, ABL recompiles the called procedure, substituting the arguments that the calling procedure passes, and then runs the called procedure.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>I believe the purpose of this is to allow the include files function to be run on a command line RUN command. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks</p>