Issuing Commands Through Command Files [ Command Interpreter Access and Variables Programmer's Guide ] MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation
Command Interpreter Access and Variables Programmer's Guide
Issuing Commands Through Command Files
Command files, like UDCs, can be created to execute single or multiple
commands. Unlike UDCs, only one routine can be included in a command
file.
Creating a Command File
Any editor can be used to create a command file and to modify or delete a
portion of it. The file name is used to invoke the command file. There
is no cataloging procedure for a command file.
Command files are often used to test a new user command before
establishing it as a UDC. Because they are easier to create and modify
than UDCs, command files are also used to execute user commands that
change frequently. Command files are not as secure as UDC files because
they can be deleted inadvertently with the PURGE command (unless it is
protected with a lockword, program security, or access rights).
[REV BEG]
The PURGE command permits you to delete files using wildcard
specifications, with levels of confirmation. Refer to MPE/iX Commands
Reference Manual (32650-90003).[REV END]
[REV BEG]
For information on HFS (hierarchical file system) security provisions,
refer to New Features of MPE/iX: Using The Hierarchical File System
(32650-90351).[REV END]
Executing a Command File
To execute a command file, enter the command file name at the CI prompt.
In processing any command, the CI first checks the UDC files and MPE/iX
built-in commands. If no match is found, the CI automatically searches
for a program file or command file of the same name. The CI uses the
following sequence to identify the command input it has received:
1. User-, account-, and system-level UDCs.
2. Built-in MPE/iX commands.
3. Program and command files.
If no group or account is specified for the command file name, a search
pathway determines the group and account sequence for the search. By
default, the current group is checked first, followed by the PUB group of
the logon account, followed by PUB.SYS. This search pathway can be
altered by modifying the predefined variable HPPATH. (Modifying
predefined variables is described in the following chapter.)
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NOTE To change the HPPATH variable to contain your current working
directory--in HFS (hierarchical file system) syntax--execute this
command:
SETVAR HPPATH "!!HPCWD:"
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Specifying Options for Command Files
The RECURSION and LOGON options specified for UDCs are not applicable to
command files. Other options available with UDCs can be used in command
files.
If a command, UDC, or another command file is called from a command file,
the standard search path is used: UDCs, built-in MPE/iX commands,
command or program files. The RECURSION option, therefore, is
unnecessary for command files.
Command files cannot be invoked automatically when a user logs on to the
system. A command file can be executed at logon, however, by calling the
command file through a logon UDC.
MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation