PTrace Reference Manual

Using PTrace

PTrace Reference Manual—526393-001

2-5

Entering Multiple Commands on a Line

You can enter multiple PTrace commands in response to a single prompt as long as

each command is separated from the next by a semicolon. For example, the command

line

?ENV; FROM X25TRACE; COUNT

is equivalent to the following series of commands:

?ENV

?FROM X25TRACE

?COUNT

When processing a command line that contains more than one command, PTrace

executes the commands one at a time from left to right. If an error occurs, PTrace

displays the appropriate error message and ignores the rest of the command line. If

PTrace is being run interactively and the BREAK key is pressed before all commands

are processed, the remainder of the input line is ignored.

Entering a Command on More Than One Line

A single input line can be up to 132 characters long. You can continue a command

started on one line onto a second line by terminating the first line with an ampersand

(&). PTrace then prompts for more input before executing the command. When using

continuation lines, the maximum input record length is 528 characters.

The following command lines specifies the file X25TRACE, starts logging to the file

SAVEIT, displays records five through ten, and resets the session parameters.

?FROM X25TRACE; LOG TO SAVEIT; RECORD &

?5/10; RESET

PTrace begins to execute the first command when it receives a command line that

does not have an ampersand at the end.

Entering Comments

The PTrace comment character is the exclamation point (!). You can enter a comment

line interactively by beginning the line with the comment character.

To enter a comment on a command line, enter the comment character, followed by the

comment, after the command.

Comments are recorded in the log file if one has been specified. When you create an

IN file or an command file containing a series of PTrace commands, you can include a

comment either by typing an exclamation point in the first column of the line or by

typing a command followed by the comment character.

You can use comments to describe the actions of a command input file and to keep

track of the file's update history. The following file displays current parameter settings,