Abstract. In this note we present some ideas on when Lie symmetries, both point and generalized, can depend on arbitrary functions. We show a few examples, both in partial differential and partial difference equations where this happens. Moreover we show that the infinitesimal generators of generalized symmetries depending on arbitrary functions, both for continuous and discrete equations, effectively play the role of master symmetries.

In this paper we construct the autonomous quad-equations which admit as symmetries the five-point differential-difference equations belonging to known lists found by Garifullin, Yamilov and Levi. The obtained equations are classified up to autonomous point transformations and some simple non-autonomous transformations. We discuss our results in the framework of the known literature. There are among them a few new examples of both sine-Gordon and Liouville type equations.

In this paper we prove that the trapezoidal and the families of quad-equations are Darboux integrable by constructing their first integrals. This result explains why the rate of growth of the degrees of the iterates of these equations is linear (Gubbiotti et al 2016 J. Nonlinear Math. Phys. 23 507–43), which according to the algebraic entropy conjecture implies linearizability. We conclude by showing how first integrals can be used to obtain general solutions.

In this paper we present an algorithm to find the discrete Lagrangian for an autonomous recurrence relation of arbitrary even order 2k with k > 1. The method is based on the existence of a set of differential operators called annihilation operators which can be used to convert a functional equation into a system of linear partial differential equations. This completely solves the inverse problem of the calculus of variations in this setting.

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