info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (02/14/85)
From: ulysses!osu-eddie!pritch@BERKELEY (Norman Pritchett) This is a very strange I happened upon while trying to define a logical name for a mail distribution file in DCL (VMS v3.7). Take a given command line, if you specify one of the arguments to be @command_file , it will take the first line of the command file, substitute it into the DCL command line, execute the DCL command then execute the rest of the file as a command procedure. for example: DIRECTORY @FOO where FOO.COM contains: SYS$SYSTEM,SYS$HELP,SYS$LIBRARY $ WRITE SYS$OUTPUT "-------------------" $ SHOW USER This will take a directory fo SYS$SYSTEM,SYS$HELP,SYS$LIBRARY, write a bunch of dashes then do a show user. Now I wouldn't be surprised if this were documented but I've been through the manuals many times before in my lifetime and I'm certain I would have noticed this. What's really wierd is you can say something like: FORTRAN @TT: and it will give you the $_ prompt like it does for line continuations. When you give the files you want compiled and hit return then it will give you another $_. Now, its asking for DCL commands (they have to be preceded by $'s just like command procedures though). I've mentioned this discovery to some DCL wizard's and none have even heard of this. Has anyone else out there? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Norm Pritchett - The Generic Hacker UUCP: ...!cbosgd!osu-eddie!pritch BITNET: TS0017@OHSTVMA