CN.RNA@STANFORD.BITNET (Richard Anderson) (01/12/90)
----------------------------Original message---------------------------- A few months back, as part of a discussion about useful batch file techniques for MS-DOS computers, I mentioned a program called INPUT, written by William C. Parke, which I had found useful. A brief excerpt from the documentation follows: > The syntax for INPUT is the following: > > INPUT prompting string [/b/nn] > > Output of this program is placed in the Environment Variable > called ANS. If there is no space left in the Environment, the > ERRORLEVEL is set to 1. If a previous ANS is found, it is > removed and the new ANS is placed at the end of the Environment > Variable list. If there is no response to the INPUT prompt, > ERRORLEVEL is set to 1. The prompting string may contain any > standard ASCII characters except the dollar sign and the slash > '/' character. This string is displayed on the console as soon > as INPUT is evoked. If no string is present, a help display for > the use of INPUT is displayed. The brackets above enclose two > optional parameters. Either or both may be used. They are > defined as: > > b = bare input > > nn= a truncation number from 1 to 72 > > If the 'b' switch is used, then the console response string is > left as typed and inserted into the Environment as the variable > ANS. Without the 'b' option, a response string is converted to > upper case, and any preceding or trailing spaces are removed. If > the 'nn' truncation number is used, the console response string > will be truncated to length nn before being used to define ANS. > This option is useful for insuring that a 'yes-no' answer is > properly handled. By using 'nn'=1, all of the following > responses will give an ANS=Y : 'yes', 'y', ' yes', ' y', ' yes ', > ' y ', 'YES', 'Y', ' YES', ' Y', ' Y ', etc. In my previous message I mentioned that I would be attempting to contact the author to verify that I had his permission to distribute copies of the program. I wrote him c/o the Capitol Heath User's Group over 3 months ago (enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope), but have received no response from either him or the User's Group. Since the documentation contains no prohibition against free distribution, I consider myself free to do so, having waited, I believe a reasonable period to hear otherwise from him. Besides, I have since discovered that the program is available for FTP downloading from SIMTEL20, so the question was probably moot, anyway. If you have Internet access to SIMTEL20, you can obtain a copy of the program (in ARC format) by issuing the following commands: FTP WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL (or FTP 26.2.0.74) (login as username anonymous, any password) cd pd1:<msdos.batutl> tenex get input.arc bye Because SIMTEL20 is very busy, you will have better luck getting in if you try at night or on the weekend. If you get a password request and error message wheh you do the CD command, don't worry, you will put in the correct subdirectory anyway. If you don't have an Internet connection, I will be happy to send a copy of the program to anyone sending me a stamped, self-addressed diskette mailer along with a formatted diskette (any size). -- Richard Anderson Systems Deparmtent Green Library 6004 Stanford, CA 94305