how do I create a named subdiagram?

Question

I'm just learning how to use Asymptote. I've rendered a somewhat complex diagram including several paths and circles, simply using commands like draw((1,2)..(3,4)), but now I'd like to repeat that diagram several times at different centerpoints. So either I need to assign the list of commands to a subroutine, or somehow assign them to a variable which I can call the draw method on. The documentation is inexplicably mute on this question.

Answer 1

In asymptote you may accomplish this by drawing on a picture other than currentpicture. Here I create and draw on picture p. picture p is then drawn on currentpicture using the add command, with transformations applied. The asymptote manual has a section on the use of pictures.

unitsize(1cm);
picture p;
draw(p, scale(1,2)*unitsquare);
label(p, "$A$", (1,0), NW);
fill(p, scale(0.3,0.3)*unitcircle, red);
add(p);
add(shift(2,1)*p);
add(shift(2,-1)*rotate(-90)*scale(2)*p);