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A-Shell Consolidated Reference

The following table alphabetically lists A-Shell’s most generally useful routines. Most of these routines are embedded in A-Shell, but some are written in BASIC and are provided as separate files. In the "Origin" column abbreviations are used for Alpha Accounting ("AA"), Alpha Accounting UK ("AA UK") and MicroSabio ("MS"). Most of these routines, including all of the commonly-used ones, are described in significant detail in the body of this documentation.

Routine

Origin

Function

ABOX

Unknown

Draw a box.

ACCEPN

A-BASIC

Input single character with no echo.

ACCEPT

A-BASIC

Input single character with echo.

ACCESS

Misc

Display one-line menu, accept one-character input.

AMBTOA

AM Belgium

Miscellaneous functions including timed input.

AMOS

MS

Execute AMOS command.

ANYCN

AA / MS

Input "Any change?" number.

ASCEBC

Unknown

ASCII-EBCDIC conversion.

ASFLAG

MS

Set A-Shell runtime flags: read-only, sync-write, etc.

ASQL

MS

Provides direct access to SQL databases.

ATEAPX

MS

Transfers a file from application server to ATE client PC.

ATEGFK

MS

Retrieves a file from the PC via the ATE terminal connection.

ATEGLI

MS

Creates a customized ATE login script.

ATSYNC

MS

Synchronize directories between server and PC. See ATSYNC.LIT.

ATHTTP

MS

A variant of HTTP, which see for details.

AUI

MS

A-Shell's GUI interface and toolkit.

AUTLOG

Soft Machines

Interface to AutoLog.

B64ENC

A-Shell

Base 64 encoding (for email attachments).

BASORT

A-BASIC

Sort sequential and random data files.

BITOPS

HMOpro

Bit field operations.

BLOCKS

AA UK

Return number of free disk blocks.

BLOFSH

MS

Implements the Blowfish encryption algorithm.

BOX1C

Debug plc

Various box drawing functions.

BUTTED

Unknown

xcall butted, string removes all but 0-9 and A-Z.

CCOFF

AA UK

Disable Ctrl+C interrupts.

CCON

AA UK

Enable Ctrl+C interrupts.

CGIUTL

A-Shell

CGI programming utilities.

CHKKBD

Misc

Check keyboard; optionally input char if available: xcall chkkbd, flag (B,1) {,char (S,1)}.

CHKONE

Unknown

Check keyboard to see if character is available.

CHKSPL

Unknown

Checks if spooler exists; must use ALIAS=CHKSPL:PRTCHK; similar to PRTCHK.

CISAM

MS

Interface to CISAM file system.

CMDR

Debug plc

Put command file in :R mode.

COMIO

MS

Serial port I/O under Windows.

COMMON

A-BASIC

Inter-program communication; configurable.

CONDEV

A-Shell

Get IP address, console device or machine name.

CRC16

ERS

Calculate 16 bit CRC on block of data.

CREMLX

ADGAP

Build multi-level index used by SEARCH.

CRYPTO

MS

Provides a collection of cryptographic-related functions.

DATES

Unknown

Many date conversions, Julian, etc.

DELCHR

A-Shell

xcall DELCHR, chrlst, string   removes all the characters that are specified in chrlst from string. See the BASICplus function EDIT$() for related functionality.

DERR

A-Shell

See ERRMSG.

DEVCHK

AA UK

xcall DEVCHK, dev, status  checks whether an AMOS logical device is defined to A-Shell. The dev parameter should contain the name of the device (e.g. DSK0); on return the status parameter (F,6) will be set to 1 if the device exists or 0 if it does not.

DIGEST

A-Shell

Returns various cryptographic digests of strings or files.

DSKCOM

A-Shell

Disk-based equivalent of COMMON.

DSKPPN

Unknown

Return disk and ppn.

DSPLY

AA

Display variables with various formats.

DSTOI

A-Shell

Convert separated date to Julian.

DYNLIB

A-Shell

Loads, unloads, calls routines in external function libraries.

EBCASC

Unknown

ASCII-EBCDIC conversion.

ECHO

A-BASIC

Enter line mode. Turn on terminal echo.

EFS

ERS

Encrypted file service.

EMAILP

MS

Email a report.

EMAILX

MS

Send email.

ERRMSG

MS

Error trap reporting routine; must alias to DERR.

EVTWIN

MS

Event tracing; see Event Tracing.

EZSPL

MS

Send file to printer with enhanced options.

EZTYP

MS

Display file with paging, 80/132 switching.

EXTRAI

Celibec

 

F2HOST

A-Shell

Convert F,6 to IEEE format.

FIFO

MS

Named pipe communications under Unix.

FILL

Unknown

Variation of BASICplus FILL$() function: xcall fill, var, pattern {,length}.

FILNAM

Unknown

Returns file name for the specified channel.

FILOCK

AA UK

Front-end to FLOCK.

FINB

Debug plc

Input 1 byte from file: xcall finb, chan, byte, status.

FLOCK

A-BASIC

File/record locking control.

FNDUSR

AMOS

Retrieves information about the current (or another) user from the database.

FORCE

A-Shell

Force characters into another job’s input.

FTPDLX

A-Shell

FTP file transfer, standard version.

FTP2

A-Shell

FTP file transfer, modified version.

FUNKEY

MS

Display function key line message.

GDIPRT

MS

Send report to AshLite client for printing.

GET

AlphaSoft

Get single character from keyboard or file.

GETADR

MS

Return address and size of variable.

GETBYT

Unknown

Read raw bytes from a sequential file.

GETDEV

AA UK

Get current device.

GETDSK

AA UK

Get current device.

GETJOB

AA UK

Get job name, program, ppn, job number.

GETJTB

Debug plc

Get job table information.

GETLOG

Unknown

Get jobname, number, and ppn; must use ALIAS=GETLOG:GETJOB.

GETMAC

MS

Get MAC (hardware) address of Ethernet controller.

GETPPN

AA UK

Get current PPN.

GETPRG

MS

Get current program or SBX name.

GETTRM

MS

Get current terminal name: xcall gettrm, trmdef$.

GETUSN

Custom

Get user login name.

GETVER

MS

Get current program version.

GETX

A-Shell

Get single character with function key translation.

GRECNV

SSCI

Various Julian date manipulations.

GTJBNO

A-Shell

xcall gtjbno, jobnam, jobno returns job number for specified job name (0 for error).

GTLANG

A-BASIC

Return current language information.

HASH

A-Shell

Generate a hash code from a string of characters.

HOST2F

A-Shell

Convert IEEE 4 or 8 byte float to BASIC 6 byte.

HOSTEX

A-Shell

Execute host operating system cmd as a subroutine.

HTMLP

MS

View report in browser.

HTTP

MS

Handle various kinds of HTTP requests.

IDTIM

A-BASIC

Input date.

IMAGE

A-Shell

Display images of common image file types.

INCOM

MS

Variation of COMMON.

INFLD

MS

Extended Alpha Accounting input routine.

INIX

Steve Evans

Read and write to ini files.

INMEMO

MS

Memo/Jotter editing/handling routine.

INPUT

UK

Identical to INFLD.

INPUTC

AA UK

Input variation used in the UK.

INVUE

Foxware

Requires ALIAS=INVUE:INFLD.

ISMBLD

MS

Create ISAM 1.0 file.

ISMPAR

MS

Return information from the ISAM "rock" about filespec.

ISMROK

DMSI

Return information from the ISAM "rock" about currently open ISAM file.

ITC

MegaSoft

Send message to another process (Unix only).

JSON

MS

Performs various JSON-related utility functions.

JOBCMD

MS

Set command to be executed whenever at command level (dot prompt).

JOBDAT

inSight

Get information about your job.

JOBNAM

Unknown

Equivalent to GETJOB.

JOBNUM

AA UK

Return unique job number.

JOBTRM

Unknown

Return jobnam, trmdef, tdvnam.

JULCVT

Unknown

Julian date conversions.

KDAY

AA UK

Calculate elapsed days to given date (b,2).

LAPSED

AA UK

Calculate elapsed days to given date (F,6).

LOKOUT

MS

Lock users out of A-Shell.

LOG

MS

Log to a new PPN or retrieve PPN info.

LOGRIO

MS

Logical record i/o (any size records).

LSTLIN

A-Shell

Return last command line.

MATCH

HMOpro

Compares a data field to a list of values or ranges.

MESAG

AA

Display message on bottom line of screen.

MIAMEX

A-Shell

Large library of A-Shell interface functions.

MMENU

AA

Display file maintenance menu.

MOUNT

AA

Display device mount message.

MPSCOM

Custom

Interface to MacDonald PartSelect catalog.

MSBOXX

MS

Box and window utility.

MSGBOX

MS

Displays a message in a dialog box format.

MSGLOG

A-BASIC

Output coded message to SYSLOG.SYS.

NFIND

AA UK

Perform string search forwards or backwards.

NOECHO

A-BASIC

Enter image mode. Turn off terminal echo.

NOEKO

MS

Same as NOECHO.

NUMCHK

MS

Checks a string for numeric only characters.

OAUTH2

MS

Provides the means to obtain an OAUTH2 access token.

ODTIM

A-BASIC

Output formatted time and date.

PACK

A-Shell

Pack three character string to B,2 RAD50: xcall pack, str, rad.

PCKLST

HMOpro

Display a pop-up pick list.

PGMID

MS

Display screen header with program name, time, etc.

PGMND

AA

Display end of program message.

PLYJOB

MS

Return detailed job info about current or other job.

PPNSWP

Unknown

Log to a new device:[p,pn]. Must use ALIAS=PPNSWP:SETPPN.

PRINT

AA

Build formatted print file.

PRIV

AA

Dummy routine (not necessary to log to 1,2 here).

PRTCHK

AA UK

Check printer name and printer queue.

PUTBYT

Unknown

Write raw bytes to a sequential file.

RDATE

AA

Get system date.

REGEX

MS

Regular expression processor.

REGEX2

MS

Regular expression processor that acts on a single string subject, pattern and replacement specification

RENAM

MS

Same as RENAME.

RENAME

A-BASIC

Rename a file.

ROUND

Custom

Round argument to nearest integer.

RVCOMN

Custom

Like COMMON with one 1024 byte packet.

RXPCHK

MS

Checks a string for unprintable characters.

RXTERM

MS

Check input buffer for function key (Windows only).

SBRC

UK

Misc functions used by the R/W and P/G packages.

SBXINP

Firmaware

INFLD wrapper that simplifies some INFLD operations.

SCGINP

Unknown

Variation of INPUT.

SCRN

Willowtree

Willowtree Screen Handler.

SCRSTS

MS

Scrolling status window handler.

SEARCH

ADGAP

Enhanced (disk optimized) variation of SERCH.

SEND

A-Shell

Send a message to another terminal.

SERCH

AA

Search random data file.

SETDEV

AA UK

Change current device: xcall setdev, « dsk2 ».

SETJTB

Debug plc

Set job table information.

SETPPN

AA UK

Change current PPN: xcall setppn,b2.

SIZE

A-Shell

Returns size of specified file in bytes.

SLEEP

A-BASIC

Stall processing for number of seconds.

SORTIT

MegaSoft

Sort array in memory.

SPOOL

A-BASIC

Send file to printer. See EZSPL.

SQUEEZ

MS

Implements the data "squeeze" algorithm used by MX_FILEHOOK.

SQL

MS

Provides access to SQL databases.

SRCH2

AA

Search random data file.

STALL

AA

Stall processing for number of seconds.

STENO

AA

Input starting/ending numbers.

STIME

Dalcon

Return current time in formatted string.

STRIP

A-BASIC

Strip trailing spaces from string.

STRTOK

MS

Parse strings.

SUBMIT

Custom

Launch a background task (Unix only).

SWPSBR

Swap

Various Swap-related functions.

SYS000

Misc

Like COMMON (one packet, passive read): xcall sys000, sr (b,1), packet (x,100).

TBOX

Misc

Draw box around specified SR,SC,ER,EC.

TCKI

MS

Check to see if an input char is available without inputting it; xcall tcki, flag; flag (String) returns 0 if no char is available, 1 if one or more chars are available.

TCPCLI

MS

Socket communications (client interface).

TCPSRV

MS

Socket communications (server interface).

TCPX

MS

Socket communications.

TIMES

MS

Returns high-precision time information.

TINKEY

AlphaSoft

Check for terminal input.

TMENU

AA

Display full transaction menu.

TMEN2

AA

Display partial transaction menu.

TRIM

Debug plc

Strip trailing and leading spaces from string.

TRMCHR

A-BASIC

Return terminal characteristics.

UNIQUE

Unknown

Generate unique temp filename.

UNPACK

AA UK

Unpack RAD50 word, e.g. xcall unpack,b2,s3.

USPSBS

MS

Creates an encoded bar string for the US Post Office intelligent bar codes.

USRCNT

MS

Get current user count and number of nodes licensed.

USRTBL

Custom

xcall usrtbl, name, code, opcode.

VUESCR

Swap

Edit a rectangular array of text.

WAIT

AA

Output "Please wait...." message.

WAKNO

MS

Wake up a sleeping job (Unix only).

WHOAMI

AA UK

Get job name.

WINFLG

inSight

Get inSight information about your job.

XCALEN

MS

XTREE-based enhanced calendar control

XDEFLT

MS

Insert text into the type-ahead buffer.

XFOLD

HMOpro

Intelligent folding of names.

XFRMMO

MS

Move or copy an INMEMO logical memo.

XLOCK

A-BASIC

Shared resource control.

XLSUTL

MS

Used internally by APEX, not suitable or intended for use in programs. Do not use!

XMOUNT

A-BASIC

Mount a device. Dummy routine.

XMPP

MS

Ennables the sending of instant messages using the XMPP protocol.

XPAINT

MS

Execute an AlphaPAINT 2.0 screen display.

XPPN

Unknown

Get ppn, device, job, term.

XRUNLOG

MS

Enables customized activity tracking.

XSHLEX

MS

Platform-independent "Shell Execute."

XSTRIP

MS

Perform various string manipulations.

XTEXT

MS

Windows text control.

XTREE

MS

Windows tree control.