Re: Daytime Iridium seen / Automating Iridflar

Willie Koorts (wpk@saao.ac.za)
Tue, 2 Dec 1997 13:54:03 +0200 (GMT+0200)

On Mon, 1 Dec 1997, Craig Cholar wrote:

> To make it easier to run batches of predictions, I use an MS-DOS BAT
> file and a text editor to do all of the following in a WIN 95 DOS
> session in background:
> 
> 1) Edit each Iridflar config file (one for each location) using
>    an automated macro to insert today's date and time.
> 2) Invoke a DOS TSR program to 'stuff' the keyboard with the
>    appropriate number of carriage returns, and an 'n' to supply
>    the 'Another calculation?' prompt.
> 3) Run Iridflar, after stuffing the keyboard buffer.
> 4) Repeat steps 1-3 for each location.  I do predictions for six
>    locations, and the BAT file does all of them for me each time it's
>    run.


Hi Graig and others

Instead of the keyboard stuffer program, you can just use the DOS "get your
input from this program" command line switch which is simply " < filename". 

Let me explain by means of a worked example:  

I just ran IRIDFLAR and noticed that (with my particular setup and version) I
had to give it 18 "Enters" followed by one "y(Enter)" (to tell it to
overwrite the existing report file) one more "Enter" and one final "n(Enter)"
(to tell it I'm done). 

I next created a text file called "ip.txt" (any name will do) just using 
the DOS "EDIT IP.TXT" command and did exactly the above, ie. typed enter 
18 times, y enter once, enter again and finally, n enter.  Then saved it 
in the same directory as IRIDFLAR.

Now, using the command line "IRIDFLAR XXXXXXX.CFG < IP.TXT" it ran and 
finished,  without me having to type in anything else, ideal for a DOS 
batch application.

Hope this makes sence.

Regards
Willie
                        Willie Koorts   wpk@saao.ac.za   

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