ML>> ===== sched.dif =====
 ML>> Comparing files SCHED.ORG and sched.btm
 ML>> ****** SCHED.ORG
 ML>> :! SCHED.BTM                             VERSION 1.0  dec-2003
 ML>> :!
 ML>> ****** sched.btm
 ML>> {at}echo off
 ML>> :! SCHED.BTM                             VERSION 1.0  dec-2003
 ML>> :!
 ML>> ******

 GM> Hmmmm.  Take a look in your 4DOS.INI file...  You can insert
 GM> the following directive (makes the need for "{at}echo off" in
 GM> batch files totally unnecessary):

yes but i mostly write BAT files not BTM files... i prefer to keep it in
there out of habit and for those times that i'm running in barefoot dos


 GM> [snip]

 ML>> ===== end =====

 GM> Sorry for snipping your code Mark...  (My editor wrapped
 GM> everything so badly that it was not very pretty to look at.)  

that's ok... in a reply, that is to be expected... in what i sent, there
were only one or two lines that wrapped...

 ML>> i hope its not too far off from what else may have already been
 ML>> altered... the spacing on the logfile entries is critical... here's a
 ML>> sample of what it looks like...

 ML>> ----------  Fri 5 Dec 03, SCHED Process
 ML>>   01:06:09  SCHED: Executing STEP_0.BTM...
 ML>>   01:06:09  SCHED: Executing STEP_1.BTM...
 ML>>   01:06:09  SCHED: Executing STEP_3.BTM...
 ML>>   01:06:09  SCHED: Executing BIRTHDAY.BTM /MARK...
 ML>>   01:06:11  SCHED: Executing MIDNIGHT.BTM...

 ML>> ----------  Wed 10 Dec 03, SCHED Process
 ML>>   08:24:12  SCHED: Executing STEP_0.BTM...
 ML>>   08:24:12  SCHED: Executing STEP_1.BTM...
 ML>>   08:24:12  SCHED: Executing MIDNIGHT.BTM...

 ML>> ----------  Thu 11 Dec 03, SCHED Process
 ML>>   13:07:44  SCHED: Executing STEP_0.BTM...
 ML>>   13:07:45  SCHED: Executing STEP_1.BTM...
 ML>>   13:07:45  SCHED: Executing STEP_2.BTM...
 ML>>   13:07:45  SCHED: Executing MIDNIGHT.BTM...

 ML>> ----------  Thu 11 Dec 03, SCHED Process
 ML>> ! 13:34:07  SCHED: Nothing to do because it's all been done!

 ML>> there should possibly be a log entry for the A rule and how it was
 ML>> answered for the program being asked about running... i haven't dug
 ML>> that far into it, though... still trying to figure out some of the
 ML>> syntax...

 GM> That's pretty good.  I got similar results in my log.

 GM> Now, a challenge for you...  Put it in the form of a RULE and
 GM> modify the batch accordingly.

put what in a rule? the logging? that's quite ok... i prefer to have all
runs logged... my bbs, mailer, mail handler, file handler, etc all log
everything >

 GM> Or, (this will probably be easier to do) use some IFF ... ELSE
 GM> ... ENDIFF statements for your logging with #something# such as:<<

 GM> :: logging addition by mfl
 GM> ::  Next command establishes the location of the variable
 GM> "LOGFILE"
 GM> ::  (btm_name.LOG) [should be in the same directory as this
 GM> BTM file...]
 GM> ::    LOGGING=N  means that logging is off
 GM> ::    LOGGING=Y  means that logging is on
 GM>   set logging=Y
 GM>   set logfile=%{at}path[%{at}search[%0]]%{at}upper[%{at}name[%0]].LOG
 GM>   set dd=   JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
 GM>   set dy=%_dow %_day %{at}substr[%dd%,%{at}eval[%_month * 3],3]%=
 GM>  %{at}substr[%_year,2,2]

 GM> and every place where you have logging statements, it could be
 GM> in the form:

 GM> :: logging addition by mfl
 GM> :: start logging...
 GM>     iff "logging" eq "Y" then
 GM>     echo. >> %logfile
 GM>     echo ----------  %dy, %{at}UPPER[%{at}FILENAME[%0]] Process >>
 GM> %logfile
 GM>     else
 GM>     endiff

that's true... it could be done like that using one of those option
settings i guess...

 GM> (BTW, you really don't need the trailing "%" at the end of
 GM> your %logfile variable...)

true again... habit from older 4DOS/4OS2/4NT stuffs... i do try to write my
stuff to run in both DOS vdms and os/2 native tasks...

 GM> My reasoning for this suggestion is that once the batch file
 GM> is fully debugged and functional, you are likely not going
 GM> to need or require your log file any further.

nah... it is a record of what was done when... i have log files going all
the way back to 1985 or so OB-)

 GM> When you reach that point, it's just a simple matter to
 GM> change "set logging=y" to "set logging=n" and you won't
 GM> have to go through the batch to comment out a bunch of
 GM> code that you're not going to use.  If, at a later point,
 GM> you require the log file again, then you only have to
 GM> change the "set logging" variable...

understand the thought but its not something that i will likely be doing...

 GM> Also, in regards to the ASK query:

 GM> I haven't received confirmation from Jasen, but in my batch, I
 GM> looked for the following line:

 GM>    if not "%X" ne "Y" .and. "%X" ne
"{at}28" return

 GM> commented it out and replaced it with the following:

 GM>    iff "%X" eq "Y" .or. "%X" eq
"{at}28" then
 GM>       set item=%{at}inc[%item]
 GM>       set run%item=%prog
 GM>       set last=%RUNDATE
 GM>    else
 GM>       set last=%last
 GM>    endiff
 GM>    return

 GM> and this *_seems_* to be working for me.  Please give it a try
 GM> and report any problems here.  I'm going to run with this
 GM> until I hear otherwise.

i'll see what i can do... it may also be that it needs to UPPER the
keystroke so that Y and y are both checked for... i noticed that it did run
when i just hit enter...

i also notice that the Y is in yellow one character from the end of the
question whereas the cursor is right beside the end of the question... this
leaves me with two y's on the screen when i hit Y instead of enter...
cosmetic thing, ya know...

)\/(ark