ASCII Parameter Reading

Program parameters may be examined and changed without executing the program or using an editor. Thus programs using this parameter system may be used effectively in shell programs, eliminating the need for a separate command language.

For example,

	skymap [-par parameter file name] parameter1_name parameter2_name (...)

prints the value(S) of parameters from the parameter file skymap.par. If PARVAL=n, the default, one line will be printed for each parameter on the command line:

	parameter1_name = value1 [comment1]
	parameter2_name = value2 [comment2]
	...

Any number of parameters may be requested on the same command line. If a parameter is not found, the following message appears:

	parameter1_name = not assigned [default]

If parval=y, only the value will be returned; if the parmameter is not found in the parameter file, a ? is returned. The value can then be used in a shell script, for example, in a loop termination test.