d.ask(1)

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
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SYNOPSIS

13       d.ask
14       d.ask help
15       d.ask element=name,description  [prompt="message"]
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17   Parameters:
18       element=name,description
19           Database element , one word description
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21       prompt=
22           Short user prompt message
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DESCRIPTION

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

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

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

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

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

121       Michael Shapiro, U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
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123       Last changed: $Date: 2005/11/04 16:39:21 $
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125       Full index
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129GRASS 6.2.2                                                           d.ask(1)