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Format of Definition File

The format of a UIPACK Definition File may best be shown through use of the following example:-

!       Description:-
!       =============
!       This is an example UIPACK Definition File. 
!
!       Define Group Number for all subsequent Verbs, 
!       Qualifiers and Menus. 

Group 1         ! This is a Comment

Help HelpFile   ! Define Help File for this Group

!       Define Verbs within this Group.
!
!       BEGIN has two Qualifiers, RUNS and EVENTS, both of 
!       which accept Integer Lists of Values. 
!       PRINT also has several qualifiers, COPIES (which takes 
!       an Integer value), FONT (which takes a text value) and
!       QUEUE (which takes a text value). QUEUE is only
!       associated with the Verb, whereas COPIES and FONT may
!       also be associated with the Parameter.

Verb BEGIN/RUNS=IntList/EVENTS=IntList

Verb PRINT/Copies=Integer/Font=Text/Queue=Text

Parameter FILENAME/Copies=Integer/Font=Text

!       Define a Menu to which subsequent Buttons will be 
!       attached. The Title of the Menu is "Sample Menu" 
!       (which is in quotes to retain the case - mixed upper 
!       and lower - and because it includes an embedded space). 
!       The Menu Prompt is "silly:" which will be converted 
!       into upper case.

Menu 1/Title="Sample Menu"/Prompt=silly:


!       Define Buttons for current Menu
!       Note that this Menu is assumed to be used as an
!       Action Menu since responses are defined, and that
!       Button 3 is therefore a Comment Button since it
!       has no Response Text.

Button 1/Description="Begin Data-taking Run" -
         /Response=Begin

Button 3/Description="Comment Button"

Button 4/Description="Print (using defaults)" -
         /Response=PRINT

Button 5/Description="Print (LONDON Font)" -
         /Response="PRINT/FONT=LONDON"


!       Define Viewport Parameters for a Viewport

Viewport  /TEXT -
         /XLow=1/XHigh=80/YLow=1/YHigh=10
                    
Modify Menu/YHigh=15
Endfile                ! Terminate scan of file


         Anything here will be ignored

  --------------- END OF EXAMPLE -------------------

Notes:

Definition Files have the default file extension ``.UID".
Comments are denoted by ``!". The remainder of the line is ignored.
Continuations to the next line are denoted by a ``-" as the last non-space (or tab) character in the line (before any comments).
Each Command Line (formed by stripping off comments and concatenating continuation lines) may be a maximum of 512 characters long. Further characters are ignored.
All commands and qualifiers may be either in upper or lower case and may be truncated.
All text will be converted into upper case unless it is enclosed within quotes (either single or double). The string delimiter character may not appear within a quoted string (thus 'David's umbrella' is illegal, but ``David's umbrella" is legal).
Any text associated with a Qualifier must be enclosed in quotes if it includes embedded space, tab, comma, equals sign (``=") or slash (``/") characters.
Valid Commands (in alphabetical order) are described in the following Section.
Definition Files may be nested up to a maximum of 4 deep. The syntax for referencing another Definition File is the same as that for referencing Indirect Command Files. The detection of any command prefixed by ``@" is taken as being a reference to a nested Definition File, from which further Definition Input will be taken until the end of file is detected, at which point input will be redirected to the original Definition File. Note that this indication may be made anywhere within a command line (except the comment section) but it is recommended that a complete Command Line be used for such purposes. Since the default file extension is .UID, the command:-
@Filename
is taken as referring to Filename.UID, while the command
@
is taken as referring to UIPACK.UID by default.

Next: ALIAS Up: Contents Previous: UIPACK Definition Files

Liz Buckle
Fri Jan 13 17:29:41 CST 1995