Partial difference equations in m1?m2???mn?0 and their applications to combinatorics

Various discrete functions encountered in Combinatorics are solutions of Partial Difference Equations in the subset of Nⁿ given by m₁?m₂???m_n?0. Given a partial difference equation, it is described how to pass from the standard “easy” solution of an equation in Nⁿ to a solution of the same equation subject to certain “Dirichlet” or “Neumann” boundary conditions in the domain m₁?m₂???m_n?0 and related domains. Applications include a rather quick derivation of MacMahon's generating function for plane partitions, a generalization and q-analog of the Ballot problem, and a joint analog of the Ballot problem and Simon Newcomb's problem.