d.ask(1) - f14

1d.ask(1)                      Grass User's Manual                     d.ask(1)
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NAME

6       d.ask   -  Prompts the user to select a GRASS data base file from among
7       files displayed in a menu on the graphics monitor.
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KEYWORDS

10       display
11

SYNOPSIS

13       d.ask
14       d.ask help
15       d.ask   element=name,description    [prompt="message"]      [--verbose]
16       [--quiet]
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18   Parameters:
19       element=name,description
20           Database element , one word description
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22       prompt=
23           Short user prompt message
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DESCRIPTION

26       d.ask  is  designed  for shell scripts that need to prompt the user for
27       the name of a data base file in the user's current GRASS mapset  search
28       path.  After d.ask is invoked with needed parameters, the mouse becomes
29       active and a menu containing files of the  specified  element  type  is
30       displayed  on the user's graphics monitor.  The user is prompted by the
31       prompt "message" to select one of the listed file names with the mouse.
32       Specifically, the query that appears to the user takes the form:
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34        Double click on the prompt "message"
35        Double click here to cancel
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37        (A  list  of  files  of  the  specified  element type from each of the
38       mapsets listed in the user's mapset search path is also displayed.)
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40       After the user responds, the mouse is  deactivated  and  the  displayed
41       menu  is  erased  from  the screen (leaving any underlying materials on
42       display intact).  Three lines  are  written  to  standard  output  (the
43       user's terminal screen):
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45       name=file_name
46       mapset=mapset_name
47       fullname=file_name@mapset_name
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49   Parameters:
50       element=name,description
51              Name  of  a  GRASS  data  base  element,  followed by a one word
52              description of the element. GRASS data base elements are  mapset
53              subdirectories;  these  include:  bdlg,  cats,  cell, cell_misc,
54              cellhd,  colr,  colr2,  dig,   dig_ascii,   dig_att,   dig_cats,
55              dig_plus, dlg, group, hist, icons, noise, paint, site_lists, and
56              windows.  The description will be used to display an error  mes‐
57              sage  to  the screen if no files of the named element type exist
58              in the user's mapset search path.   The  prompt  "message"  will
59              appear in the pop-up menu displayed on the user's graphics moni‐
60              tor. The files listed in the menu will be of the specified  ele‐
61              ment  type,  and  exist  in mapsets listed in the user's current
62              mapset search path.
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64       prompt=
65              A brief message with which the user will be prompted.   If  this
66              message  contains  more  than  one  word,  it should be enclosed
67              within double quotes ("").  It is a non-selectable message  dis‐
68              played  in  the  menu bar of a pop-up menu.  Selectable items in
69              the displayed menu include a cancel option and any of the  files
70              in  the  mapset  subdirectory  name  in the user's mapset search
71              path.
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EXAMPLE

74       Given the following input,
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76       d.ask element=cell,raster prompt="raster map layer to be used"
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78       d.ask will prompt the user to select a raster (cell)  file  from  among
79       those  listed  in  the  "cell" directories of the mapsets listed in his
80       current mapset search path. A pop-up menu  will  be  displayed  on  the
81       user's graphics monitor, containing the prompt:
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83        Double click on the raster map layer to be used
84        Double click here to cancel
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OUTPUT

87       If  the  user selects a file name from the displayed menu, d.ask writes
88       three lines to standard output:
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90        name=file_name
91        mapset=mapset_name
92        fullname=file_name@mapset_name
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94       The output is in the form of /bin/sh commands to set the variable  name
95       to  the  file name specified by the user (of the element type requested
96       by d.ask), mapset to the GRASS mapset in which this file  resides,  and
97       fullname to the name of the file and its mapset.
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99       If the user elects not to select a file but instead chooses the "Double
100       click here to cancel" option, the mouse  will  be  deactivated  and  no
101       variable assignments will be returned to standard output.
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103       If  no files of the specified element type are found in the user's cur‐
104       rent mapset search path, the mouse is activated and the following  mes‐
105       sage is displayed on the user's graphics monitor:
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107        No element description files found
108        Click here to continue
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NOTES

111       Parameter values (the element name and description, and prompt message)
112       cannot be supplied to d.ask interactively; they must be supplied on the
113       command line or from a file.
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BUGS

123       This  program  calls  other GRASS programs which may generate confusing
124       error messages. Example: an error message from the program d.menu  will
125       appear if a nonexistent map element is chosen.
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AUTHOR

128       Michael Shapiro, U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
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130       Last changed: $Date: 2007-06-04 12:36:33 +0200 (Mon, 04 Jun 2007) $
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132       Full index
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134       © 2003-2008 GRASS Development Team
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138GRASS 6.3.0                                                           d.ask(1)