NAME

fetch - grab a parameter from the command line or history file


SYNOPSIS

int fetch(name, format, variable)


INPUT PARAMETERS

char* - name
      parameter name
char* - format
      format of variable (d,f,s)


OUTPUT PARAMETERS

variable - void*
       variable value of variable


RETURN VALUE

x = number of matches found


DESCRIPTION

This function extracts values from input history file and command line expressions of the form `name=value'.


COMMENTS

More than one name may be searched by separating the alternatives by blanks or commas. Possible format conversions are ``d'' (or ``i''), ``f'' (or ``r''), ``g'', ``s'' and ``1'' for integer, floating point, double precision, strings, and boolean respectively. (For boolean, y, Y, or 1 are returned as integer 1 and n, N, or 0 are returned as integer 0.) If no match is found, the variable is not altered.

When a keyword `par=filename' is encountered on the command line, that file (and any that it might in turn point to) is scanned as well. Fetch returns a count of the number of matches it found. It also copies the input history file to the output history file if this has not already been done.

Search and copy of the input history file can be supressed using the command line parameter `noheader=y'.


EXAMPLES

Some examples of how this routine works:
CommandInputResult

fetch("nx","d",&nx)nx=100 nx is set to 100, 1 argument found

fetch("nx","d",&nx)nx= 0 arguments found

fetch("nx nxx","d",&nx)nxx=30 nx is set to 30, 1 argument found

fetch("nx","d",&nx)nx=50 nx=60 nx is set to 60, 2 arguments found

fetch("nt","d",&nx) nx=80 0 arguments found

fetch("nt ntt","d", &nt) ntt=30 nt=40 nt is set to 40, 2 arguments found

fetch("nt ntt","d", &nt) nt=30 ntt=40 nt is set to 40, 2 arguments found


SEE ALSO

the getch manpage, the hetch manpage, the putch manpage, the auxpar manpage


DIAGNOSTICS

Program execution is terminated with extreme prejudice if a par file cannot be opened or the command argument list cannot be found.


BUGS

It should be possible to limit the length of retrieved strings and to extract individual characters. It is also not presently possible to redirect search to an internal argument list.


KEYWORDS

parameter input fetch


LIBRARY

sep