UNIX

ashell {-switches}

Windows

ashw32.exe {-switches}

This command is used to enter the A-Shell environment, and responds with the default A-Shell prompt "." (period).

All Command Line Switches are optional, and all begin with "-" (hyphen) followed by the switch. If the switch takes a parameter, that follows the switch and a single space. For example:

ashell -min -j job99

In addition to the pre-defined switches, you may optionally append a standard command to the end of the command line, which would be automatically executed on entering A-Shell. This command may be any of the standard system (.LIT) commands, or a .DO or .CMD command file, for example:

ashell run dsk0:menu[7,6]

or:

ashell menu

where menu could be any AMOS-format command file loaded into the path corresponding to DSK0:[2,2]. Note that the first format would only work if the user was pre-logged into an A-Shell mapped directory; otherwise the run command will fail due to not being logged in. Use of a command file (as in the second example) can eliminate this problem if the command file starts with a LOG command.

A-Shell remembers the previous command line that launched it, on a user-by-user basis. This means that if you launch it without any arguments, it will use same command line as it used last time it was launched. Also, if no previous command line known, and no command line passed, and no MIAME environment variable defined, it will default to looking for miame.ini in the path above the executable. Both of these are mainly intended to be useful in conjunction with auto-update routines, as well as possibly with ShellExecute and HOSTEX.

The A-Shell application can terminate the session by simply chaining to the program HOST.LIT, or by just returning to the A-Shell Command Prompt if the –e switch was specified on the startup command line.