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The PPATH Field

This field specifies a path used for searching for a suggested value 6. The suggested value will be displayed as part of the prompt string and used as the parameter value if the user responds to the prompt by hitting the carriage return key. Hitting the TAB key will make the suggested value available in the terminal input buffer where it can be edited with the normal line editing commands.

The field is of the form:

PPATH  value-resolution-path
where value-resolution-path is a character string consisting of a set of path specifiers. If there are two or more path specifiers, they must be separated by commas and the string must be enclosed in single quotes.

The valid specifiers are:

CURRENT
Use the current value of the parameter. (See Section [*] for more information on the current value.)
DYNAMIC
Use the dynamic default value specified by the program. Dynamic defaults are set by the program calling a subroutine such as PAR_DEFnx or DAT_DEF specifying the required values.
DEFAULT
Use the static default value specified in the Interface Module (see Section [*]).
GLOBAL
Use the value of the associated global parameter (see Section [*], The ASSOCIATION Field).
If the suggested value for a parameter is required, the system looks at the PPATH specification, picks out the first path specifier and tries to find a value from this source. If a value is not found, the next path specifier is extracted and another search is made. This process continues until a value is found, or until the path specification runs out. The value is then passed, together with the prompt string, in a parameter request message to the user interface.

If the PPATH field is omitted, or fails to give a value, 'DYNAMIC,DEFAULT' is used. If this fails to give a value, there is no suggested value.




next up previous 63
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ADAM Interface Module Reference Manual
Starlink User Note 115
A J Chipperfield, B D Kelly, S L Wright
3 September 2002
E-mail:ussc@star.rl.ac.uk

Copyright © 2002 Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils