Related Syntax
Command-line syntax

You write an OmniMark command line to be run from the Command Prompt in Windows NT or from your favorite shell in UNIX.

There are three types of command-line options you can include:

• -foo : one of OmniMark's own command-line options
• --foo: one of your own command-line options
• foo: one of your own command-line arguments

Command-line options, are OmniMark options you can use but not change.

Your own command-line options are explained in this topic in "Defining your own command-line options".

Your own command-line arguments are explained in this topic in "Specifying your own command-line arguments".

Information on external function libraries and include files (how to identify your OmniMark libraries) and on running OmniMark programs can be found in Developing and running OmniMark programs.

Specifying your own command-line arguments

When you use your own command-line arguments, there are two ways you can choose to use them in your programs:

1. By using #main-input, in which case they will all be interpreted as input filenames and their contents concatenated.
2. By using #args, in which case they can be read one by one and you can sort out values from filenames.

Using #args gives you more flexibility, as this code shows:

  ; my-args-4.xom
  ; command line: "omnimark -s my-args-4.xom  one.txt two.txt three.txt foo"
  process
    repeat for integer i from 1 to 3
         output file #args[i]
    again
    output #args[4]
  ; Output: "one is the contents of one.txt
  ;          two is the contents of two.txt
  ;          three is the contents of three.txt
  ;          foo"

Defining your own command-line options

You can set values on the OmniMark command line by using the double-dash option. Using the double dash lets you define your own command-line options, in this case the name of a stream shelf followed by the stream index and then the value of the stream shelf item.

  ; cl-args.xom  
    ; How to set arbitrary items of a stream shelf from the command line
    ;
    ; Sample command line:
    ; omnimark -s cl-args.xom  --file-list 3 "blah" --file-list 7 "another"

  global stream file-list variable initial-size 10

    process-start
      local integer i initial {1}
      repeat
         exit when i > number of #args
         do when #args[i] = "--file-list"
            set file-list[#args[i + 1]] to #args[i + 2]
            increment i by 3
         done
         catch #program-error message msg
            ; handle out-of-range entries
            put #error msg || "%n"
      again

    ; now test the command line
      repeat over file-list
        do when file-list is attached
          output "file-list[%d(#item)] = '%g(file-list)'%n"
        done
      again
  ;
  ; Output: " file-list[3] = 'blah'
  ;           file-list[7] = 'another' "

You loop over the command-line arguments (the number of command-line arguments is given by #args), incrementing integer i by 3 because your file-list items come in groups of three:

1. the double-dash and the stream shelf name: --file-list
2. the index of the stream shelf: 3
3. the value of the item at file-list[index]: blah

The heart of this program lies in setting up the do when loop and in filling in the values in the stream shelf from what's passed to you on the command line. You do this by setting the index for file-list item to one beyond the word "file-list", and setting the value of that item to 2 beyond the word "file-list":

    set file-list[#args[i + 1]] to #args[i + 2]

Related Syntax    #args    #main-input

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