Arguments

 

command_string

   OpenVMS usage:char_string
   type:         character string
   access:       read only
   mechanism:    by descriptor-fixed length
   Character string containing the command to be parsed. The
   command_string argument is the address of a descriptor specifying
   the command string to be parsed. If the command string includes
   a comment (delimited by an exclamation mark), DCL ignores the
   comment.

   If the command string contains a hyphen to indicate that the
   string is being continued, DCL uses the routine specified in
   the prompt_routine argument to obtain the rest of the string.
   The command string is limited to 256 characters. However, if the
   string is continued with a hyphen, CLI$DCL_PARSE can prompt for
   additional input until the total number of characters is 1024.

   If you specify the command_string argument as zero and specify a
   prompt routine, then DCL prompts for the entire command string.
   However, if you specify the command_string argument as zero and
   also specify the prompt_routine argument as zero, DCL restores
   the parse state of the command string that originally invoked the
   image.

   CLI$DCL_PARSE does not perform DCL-style symbol substitution on
   the command string.
 

table

   OpenVMS usage:address
   type:         address
   access:       read only
   mechanism:    by value
   Address of the compiled command tables to be used for command
   parsing. The command tables are compiled separately by
   the Command Definition Utility using the DCL command SET
   COMMAND/OBJECT and are then linked with your program. A global
   symbol is defined by the Command Definition Utility that provides
   the address of the tables. The global symbol's name is taken
   from the module name given on the MODULE statement in the command
   definition file, or from the file name if no MODULE statement is
   present.
 

param_routine

   OpenVMS usage:procedure
   type:         procedure value
   access:       read only
   mechanism:    by reference
   Name of a routine to obtain a required parameter not supplied in
   the command text. The param_routine argument is the address of a
   routine containing a required parameter that was not specified in
   the command_string argument.

   To specify the parameter routine, use the address of LIB$GET_
   INPUT or the address of a routine of your own that has the
   same three-argument calling format as LIB$GET_INPUT. See the
   description of LIB$GET_INPUT in the VSI OpenVMS RTL Library (LIB$)
   Manual for information about the calling format.

   If LIB$GET_INPUT returns error status, CLI$DCL_PARSE propagates
   the error status outward or signals RMS$_EOF in the cases listed
   in the Description help topic.

   You can obtain the prompt string for a required parameter from
   the command table specified in the table argument.
 

prompt_routine

   OpenVMS usage:procedure
   type:         procedure value
   access:       read only
   mechanism:    by reference
   Name of a routine to obtain all or part of the text of a command.
   The prompt_routine argument is the address of a routine to obtain
   the text or the remaining text of the command depending on the
   command_string argument. If you specify a zero in the command_
   string argument, DCL uses this routine to obtain an entire
   command line. DCL uses this routine to obtain a continued command
   line if the command string (obtained from the command_string
   argument) contains a hyphen to indicate that the string is being
   continued.

   To specify the prompt routine, use the address of LIB$GET_INPUT
   or the address of a routine of your own that has the same three-
   argument calling format as LIB$GET_INPUT. See the description
   of LIB$GET_INPUT in the VSI OpenVMS RTL Library (LIB$) Manual for
   information about the calling format.

   If LIB$GET_INPUT returns error status, CLI$DCL_PARSE propagates
   the error status outward or signals RMS$_EOF in the cases listed
   in the Description help topic.
 

prompt_string

   OpenVMS usage:char_string
   type:         character string
   access:       read only
   mechanism:    by descriptor
   Character string containing a prompt. The prompt_string argument
   is the address of a string descriptor pointing to the prompt
   string to be passed as the second argument to the prompt_routine
   argument.

   If DCL is using the prompt routine to obtain a continuation line,
   DCL inserts an underscore character before the first character
   of the prompt string to create the continuation prompt. If DCL is
   using the prompt routine to obtain an entire command line (that
   is, a zero was specified as the command_string argument), DCL
   uses the prompt string exactly as specified.

   The prompt string is limited to 32 characters. The string
   COMMAND> is the default prompt string.