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RUNSCRIPT(1)		     General Commands Manual		    RUNSCRIPT(1)

NAME
     runscript - script interpreter for minicom

SYNOPSIS
     runscript scriptname [logfile [homedir]]

DESCRIPTION
     runscript is a simple script interpreter that can be called from within the
     minicom  communications program to automate tasks like logging in to a Unix
     system or your favorite BBS.

INVOCATION
     The program expects a script name and optionally a filename and the  user's
     home  directory as arguments, and it expects that it's input and output are
     connected to the "remote end", the system you are connecting to.  All  mes-
     sages  from runscript meant for the local screen are directed to the stderr
     output. All this is automatically taken care of if you run it from minicom.
     The logfile and home directory parameters are only used  to  tell	the  log
     command  the  name  of the logfile and where to write it. If the homedir is
     omitted, runscript uses the directory found in the $HOME environment  vari-
     able. If also the logfile name is omitted, the log commands are ignored.

KEYWORDS
     Runscript recognizes the following commands:

	  expect   send     goto     gosub    return   !<   !
	  exit	   print    set      inc      dec      if   timeout
	  verbose  sleep    break    call     log

OVERVIEW OF KEYWORDS
     send <string>
	  <string> is sent to the modem. It is followed by a '\r'.  <string> can
	  be:
	    - regular text, e.g. 'send hello'
	    - text enclosed in quotes, e.g. 'send "hello world"'

	  Within <string> the following sequences are recognized:
	      \n - newline
	      \r - carriage return
	      \a - bell
	      \b - backspace
	      \c - don't send the default '\r'.
	      \f - formfeed
	      \^ - the ^ character
	      \o - send character o (o is an octal number)

	  Control  characters can be used in the string with the ^ prefix (^A to
	  ^Z, ^[, ^ ^], ^^ and ^_). If you need to send  the  ^  character,  you
	  must prefix it with the \ escape character.
	  Octal  characters  are  either  four-digit or delimited by a non-digit
	  character, e.g. the null character may be sent with  \0000  and  'send
	  1234' is equivalent to 'send \0061234'.
	  Also	$(environment_variable) can be used, for example $(TERM).  Mini-
	  com passes three special environment variables: $(LOGIN), which is the
	  username, $(PASS), which is the password, as defined in the proper en-
	  try of the dialing directory, and $(TERMLIN) which is  the  number  of
	  actual  terminal  lines  on  your  screen (that is, the statusline ex-
	  cluded).

     print <string>
	  Prints <string> to the local screen. Default followed by '\r\n'.   See
	  the description of 'send' above.

     label:
	  Declares a label (with the name 'label') to use with goto or gosub.

     goto <label>
	  Jump to another place in the program.

     gosub <label>
	  Jumps  to another place in the program. When the statement 'return' is
	  encountered, control returns to the statement after  the  gosub.   Go-
	  sub's can be nested.

     return
	  Return from a gosub.

     ! <command>
	  Runs	a  shell  for you in which 'command' is executed. On return, the
	  variable '$?' is set to the exit status of this command,  so	you  can
	  subsequently test it using 'if'.

     !< <command>
	  Runs a shell for you in which 'command' is executed. The stdout output
	  of  the  command  execution  will be sent to the modem. On return, the
	  variable '$?' is set to the exit status of this command,  so	you  can
	  subsequently test it using 'if'.

     exit [value]
	  Exit from "runscript" with an optional exit status. (default 1)

     set <variable> <value>
	  Sets	the  value  of	<variable> (which is a single letter a-z) to the
	  value <value>. If <variable> does  not  exist,  it  will  be	created.
	  <value> can be a integer value or another variable.

     inc <variable>
	  Increments the value of <variable> by one.

     dec <variable>
	  Decrements the value of <variable> by one.

     if <value> <operator> <value> <statement>
	  Conditional execution of <statement>. <operator> can be <, >, != or =.
	  Eg, 'if a > 3 goto exitlabel'.

     timeout <value>
	  Sets	the  global timeout. By default, 'runscript' will exit after 120
	  seconds. This can be changed with this command. Warning: this  command
	  acts	differently  within  an  'expect' statement, but more about that
	  later.

     verbose <on|off>
	  By default, this is 'on'. That means that anything that is being  read
	  from	the modem by 'runscript', gets echoed to the screen.  This is so
	  that you can see what 'runscript' is doing.

     sleep <value>
	  Suspend execution for <value> seconds.

     expect
	    expect {
	      pattern  [statement]
	      pattern  [statement]
	      [timeout <value> [statement] ]
	      ....
	    }
	  The most important command of all. Expect keeps reading from the input
	  until it reads a pattern that matches one of the specified  ones.   If
	  expect  encounters  an  optional statement after that pattern, it will
	  execute it. Otherwise the default is to just break out of the  expect.
	  'pattern'  is  a string, just as in 'send' (see above).  Normally, ex-
	  pect will timeout in 60 seconds and just exit, but this can be changed
	  with the timeout command.

     break
	  Break out of an 'expect' statement. This is normally	only  useful  as
	  argument  to 'timeout' within an expect, because the default action of
	  timeout is to exit immediately.

     call <scriptname>
	  Transfers control to another script file. When that script  file  fin-
	  ishes without errors, the original script will continue.

     log <text>
	  Write text to the logfile.

NOTES
     If  you  want to make your script to exit minicom (for example when you use
     minicom to dial up your ISP, and then start a PPP or SLIP	session  from  a
     script), try the command "! killall -9 minicom" as the last script command.
     The -9 option should prevent minicom from hanging up the line and resetting
     the modem before exiting.
     Well,  I  don't think this is enough information to make you an experienced
     'programmer' in 'runscript', but together with the examples it shouldn't be
     too hard to write some useful script files. Things will be  easier  if  you
     have  experience  with  BASIC.  The minicom source code comes together with
     two example scripts, scriptdemo and unixlogin. Especially the last one is a
     good base to build on for your own scripts.

SEE ALSO
     minicom(1)

BUGS
     Runscript should be built in to minicom.

AUTHOR
     Miquel   van   Smoorenburg,   <miquels@drinkel.ow.org>   Jukka    Lahtinen,
     <walker@netsonic.fi>

User's Manual		  $Date: 2007-10-07 18:13:51 $		    RUNSCRIPT(1)

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