AmigaDos script help

[liviux76]

Hello all!
Inspired by this thread where Retrofan adds a nice "tool" for RealAmikit users, I decided to create a small script to do the same (pick a game randomly and execute it through WHDLoad) for a "standard" Workbench.

Once obtained the list of my games (to be precise the list of my .slave files) and "formatted" it the way I needed (actually Retrofan did the difficult part ) I had to find some programs able to execute randomly a line from a file.

I found two programs that do this quiet efficiently: pickfile and randome .

So the script was quite easy (please, keep in mind that I am a beginner in AmigaDos scripting) and it works very well when launched from CLI:

; Play Random Game
.KEY PRG
IF NOT EXISTS RAM:prg.list
list Data:WHDLoad/#?/#?/#?.slave >RAM:prg.list lformat="cd *"%p*" && WHDLoad *"%n*" PRELOAD"
C:pickfile F=RAM:prg.list
;C:RandomE RAM:prg.list Times=1
ELSE
C:pickfile F=RAM:prg.list
;C:RandomE RAM:prg.list Times=1
ENDIF

It creates the file "prg.list" on my "RAM:" that contains a lot of lines as follows:

(...)
cd "Data:WHDLoad/R/RevengeOfDefender/" && WHDLoad "RevengeOfDefender.slave" PRELOAD
cd "Data:WHDLoad/R/RickDangerous2/" && WHDLoad "RickDangerous2.slave" PRELOAD
cd "Data:WHDLoad/R/RiseOfTheDragon/" && WHDLoad "RiseOfTheDragon.Slave" PRELOAD
cd "Data:WHDLoad/R/RiskyWoods/" && WHDLoad "RiskyWoods.Slave" PRELOAD
cd "Data:WHDLoad/R/Rockford/" && WHDLoad "Rockford.slave" PRELOAD
cd "Data:WHDLoad/R/RainbowWarrior/" && WHDLoad "RainbowWarrior.Slave" PRELOAD
cd "Data:WHDLoad/R/RickDangerous/" && WHDLoad "RickDangerous.Slave" PRELOAD
(...)

Then, either pickfile or randome executes a line randomly.

The problem arises when I want to execute this script from Workbench. I created a .info file for the script and modified it in order to execute the script with "C:IconX" but I always receive an error.

The creation of the list works well but when the script tries to execute a line it gives me the following errors:

Using randome

Error executing
cd "Data:WHDLoad/R/Rockford/" && WHDLoad "Rockford.slave" PRELOAD

Using pickfile

cd "Data:WHDLoad/R/Rockford/" && WHDLoad "Rockford.slave" PRELOAD
Wrong Number of Arguments
cd failed return code 20

It seems that those two programs cannot execute two commands in the same line but I can't think of a different solution. I tried to separate those two commands in the list with "[CTRL J]" or with "+" instead of with "&&" but, that way, the script doesn't work even when launched by CLI...

Any help would be very appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

PS:
This is the original script from Retrofan:

list >ram:startgame "`randomfile Work:Games/#?/#?/#?.slave Sys:Utilities/EXPANSION/Opus5/Sounds/BootSounds/Trackingfile2`" lformat="cd *"%p*"*nWHDLOAD *"%n*" PRELOAD"
execute ram:startgame

I can't use it since I don't have Opus5.

[Arnie]

Can you drop the 'lformat="cd' from the scrpt?

[liviux76]

Originally Posted by Arnie

Can you drop the 'lformat="cd' from the scrpt?

Do you mean modify the output of "list" in order to have a line like this?

C:WHDLoad Data:WHDLoad/R/RiseOfTheDragon/RiseOfTheDragon.Slave PRELOAD

I could try...

[liviux76]

No luck...

I modified the script this way:

list Data:WHDLoad/#?/#?/#?.slave >RAM:prg.list lformat="C:WHDLoad %p*%n* PRELOAD"

in order to obtain the lines in the list as follows:

C:WHDLoad Data:WHDLoad/R/RiseOfTheDragon/RiseOfTheDragon.Slave PRELOAD

but now I receive an error from WHDLoad:

WHDLoad 18.1
DOS ERROR 205
Object Not Found:

I think that the "cd" command is necessary. This way the script doesn't work even if run from CLI...

[thomas]

Check your s:shell-startup file, it probably contains something like

set _mchar "&&"

You have to put this at the beginning of your script, too. Otherwise it is not possible to execute two commands from one line.

And if you want to share your script with others, you have to tell them that they need the Pipe command. http://aminet.net/package/util/shell/Pipe-1.5

[liviux76]

@thomas

hey man! You did it!

Yes, I did install pipe a few days ago but I didn't know that the "&&" was working in the shell for that reason.

Adding the string you suggested at the top of the script (just after .KEY PRG) did the trick and now it works even when run through iconx.

I haven't decide yet if using randome or pickfile, both seem to work well.

[volvo_0ne]

Help!!!

Rather than open a new thread, can someone please remind me how to use the CONTENTS of a file as a pointer...

To explain

I have a file located at RAM:somedata.dat

That file contains the following string DH0:PROJECTS/someproject.prj

In my script I want to do something like...

IF EXISTS RAM:somedata.dat
someapp.exe (the contents of)RAM:somedata.dat
EndIF

with the end result being ..

someapp.exe DH0:PROJECTS/someproject.prj

someapp.exe is an application which needs someproject.prj to work with.

In the 90's I would have sorted this in seconds, but time & alcohol has taken it's toll on my grey matter.

TIA for any help

[thomas]

If you put the file into ENV: rather than RAM: you could use

someapp.exe ${somedata.dat}

For a general file containing just one line you could use Type:

someapp.exe `type RAM:somedata.dat`

`is a left-directed accent (French "accent grave").

[kolla]

Also known as "back-tick".

I have been wanting to ask ThoR if he may consider an alternative to back-ticking, since it so often is confusion with the trio of `'´. Posix shells has since long now used $(command), which is so much easier to communicate