i have a simple DO file named ABC.DO that execute a command and uses the 'FORCE' command to send keyboard action to the session to get me to the screen that i want and then ready for input. it looks like this
{
LOG DSK0:[61,1]
FORCE $NJ
RUN OEMENU
4
11
}

from UNIX, when i run the command 'ashell abc' it execute perfectly.

now, i want to add 1 more feature: to exit the session upon hitting the "ashell prompt".

so, like usual, i simply add a "-e" to my ashell command line, it looks like this:
' ashell -e abc'
this should execute my command, and then when the session hits the "ashell prompt" it will close the session.

unfortunately, it does not do this.
it instead, closes the session immediately upon executing the ABC.DO

if i were to remove the line "FORCE $NJ" from the ABC.DO command, then the keyboard calls are not sent, but it does exit upon hitting the "ashell prompt".

so i think there's a snag between using the "-e" switch to execute ashell and the 'FORCE' command within the DO file.

i've tried adding "-hp" to the ashell command. i've also tried to add a 'HOST' to the end of the ABC.DO command file, but that just puts the word "HOST" at my input field because of the 'FORCE' that i'm using.

any help or ideas to try to figure this out would be great

jason

You're too clever for your own good. Working around the fact that the program OEMENU doesn't read from command files by forcing the characters into its (i.e. your own) input buffer instead is a good trick. And your thinking about adding -e seems logical.

Unfortunately, it conflicts with some other logical reasoning in A-Shell, i.e. that -e should initiate the exit as soon as we return to the dot prompt (i.e. command file is empty), without regard to characters in the keyboard buffer. An argument could certainly be made, in this case, that we waiting until the keyboard buffer was empty would make sense.

But, the counterargument is this: it would allow a fast-typing user to effectively out-run your scheme to force an exit at the completion of the command you specified, by typing-ahead additional commands.

In order to prevent that but allow what you want to do, we'd need some way of distinguishing characters forced into your keyboard buffer by FORCE (running from a command file) and characters you just typed-ahead. (But if you were really fast and clever, you could always type ahead a FORCE command...)

So before adding a new feature or switch (perhaps a variation of -e that does wait for typeahead characters to get processed), take a look at SET CMDINP . If it works as intended, you should be able to change your ABC.DO to:

Jack, you are a genius.

please add another token to the 'i owe you' column