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 is to protect the user from creating a calling hierarchy 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