RUN(OPCS)                Optical Printer Control System          RUN(OPCS)

    NAME
        run - execute a command script

    USAGE
        run [filename] {optional linenumber}

    EXAMPLES
        run test.run          # start executing commands from TEST.RUN
        run test.run 5        # execute test.run starting at line #5
        do 12 run test.run    # execute test.run 12 times

    DESCRIPTION
    Tells the OPCS software to execute commands from a 'run' file.

    Whatever commands you can type interactively can appear in a RUN 
    file. Several commands can appear on a line, and comments can be 
    used through-out. NEWLINES, SPACES and TABS can be used as necessary 
    to separate lines or blocks of code.

        Usually RUN(OPCS) executes the entire file, however you may tell
        RUN to start execution at a certain LINE NUMBER, which is an optional
        argument that should appear after the filename. If the argument isn't
        supplied, '1' is always the default.

    The file should be an ASCII text file, and can be created by:

        1) The LOG(OPCS) command
        2) A text editor
        3) Your own software tools

    DISABLING ECHOING
    Following the DOS standard, any lines in a run script file can start
    with '@' to prevent the line from echoing to the screen while the script 
    executes. This is useful for preventing commands echoing to the screen
    that do not need to be seen by the operator. For example, the 'pse' 
    command in the example below:

         # INSERT ND FILTER
         @pse           # wait for the operator to hit a key

    In this case, '@' in front of 'pse' prevents the entire line from echoing
    to the screen. When the above is executed, one sees:

         #  INSERT ND FILTER
         Hit RETURN to continue, or ALLSTOP to abort:

    If the '@' were removed, one would see the following more confusing
    output when executed:
         
         # INSERT ND FILTER
         pse         # wait for the operator to hit a key
         Hit RETURN to continue, or ALLSTOP to abort:
         
    RECURSIVE RUN COMMANDS
    If the LOG(OPCS) command is in effect and a RUN command is executed,
    only the RUN command will appear in the log file (the LOG file will 
    not start filling with the contents of the script that was called).

    You can have run scripts call other run scripts. Keep in mind that
    you must adjust FILES in your DOS 'CONFIG.SYS' file to be 20 or 
    more, depending on how many levels deep you want run scripts to 
    call one another. These are recommended commands for your CONFIG.SYS
    file:

            FILES=20
            BUFFERS=40
            DEVICE=ANSI.SYS

    Scripts that call themselves, or that call parenting scripts will 
    cause 'recursion' errors. This protects the user from creating 
    a situation that calls itself infinitely, which would inevitably
    bomb out when the operating system runs out of open file handles.

    LIMITS
        You can nest RUN(OPCS) commands up to 20 levels deep.

    BUGS
        none yet.

    SEE ALSO
        DO(OPCS)                - repeat a string of commands several times
        RUNCMD(OPCSDEFS)        - define built in OPCS commands as run scripts
        LOG(OPCS)               - log all commands entered by the user
        RUN(OPCS)               - run a log file
        LOGCOUNTERS(OPCSDEFS)   - enable/disable logging counters to logfiles
        LOGFORMAT(OPCSDEFS)     - formats how values are printed to logfile

    ORIGIN
        Gregory Ercolano, Los Feliz California 12/16/89