Command Syntax

CUPLOT command syntax and typing conventions are terse. You can do a lot with very few keystrokes. CUPLOT is driven by commands (verbs), most followed by one or more arguments. This example reads and plots the beam power for shot 55806:

 
	$ CUPLOT

	Command[ ]? SH 55806

	Command[SH]? DE NB-BP-SL ;

	Command[DE]? GO

SH means ``shot'' and requires one argument, the shot number. DE means ``data arguments,'' and requires a list of one or more arguments, the element names, separated by spaces or tabs and terminated by a semi-colon or the two character sequence ``/B''. (The semicolon is compatible with other VAX utilities; ``/B'' is the SEL convention.) GO means ``read and plot'' and has no arguments. Only the first 1 or 2 characters of a command are examined; thus ``goteamgo'' is identical to ``go''.

All input is converted to upper case unless it is enclosed in quotes; thus you can type in upper or lower case, or any mix. Quotes permit you to enter labels with upper/lower case preserved; they also allow you to embed blanks in labels and titles. Any text after a ``!'' is treated as a comment.

If you type ahead (type multiple items on a line), no prompts are output. If you type a CR after each item, you are prompted for the next item. The above example, entered one item at a time, would be:

 
	$ CUPLOT

	Command[ ]? SH

	Shot number[ ]? 55806

	Command[SH]? DE

	Device list[ ]? NB-BP-SL

	Next device (; to end)[ ]? ;

	Command[DE]? GO

The existing value of the item is shown in brackets. To keep the existing value, type a comma. In this manual, when the existing value is irrelevant, it is shown as ``[ ]'' with nothing inside the brackets. When you actually run CUPLOT there will always be an existing value. You must enter a value or a comma for each item; if you just type a carriage return CUPLOT repeats the prompt.

 
	Command[ ]? D1

	Device list[NB-BP-SL]? ,			!keep this data element

	Next device [ ]? NE-SP-SL ;			!add a second

Any text after a `!'' is treated as a comment. Imbedded comments are used throughout this manual, as in the above example, to describe what a given command does. Comments are particularly helpful in command procedures (next section).

To spawn a sub-job type the two character sequence /S''; to return to CUPLOT do a LOGOUT.  

 
	Command[ ]? /S			!spawn

	spawning a subprocess

	BIRCH$ MAIL				!check your mail

	. . .

	BIRCH$ LOG				!end the sub-job

	Process THOMPSON_1 logged out at  4-OCT-1991 13:56:53.60

	Command[ ]?