The INPUT CTRL statement allows the programmer to toggle the acceptance of control characters in terminal input.
The SLEEP and RQM statements suspend program execution for a number of seconds, or until a specified time of day.
The ECHO statement toggles the echo feature for the attached process.
The REM, *, and ! statements allow comment lines to be placed in the source code. This statement allows the programmer to document code and make it more accessible to future modification.
The PROCREAD and PROCWRITE statements allow the program to read to and write from the primary input buffer of the calling Proc.
The LINESTATUS function returns information on the DTR and RTS signals on a specified line. This information is important for communication programs that need to know if a device (such as a modem) is properly connected.
The USER_DEFINED function allows the programmer to create mvBASIC functions that may be used in any expression in the mvBASIC program. This function accepts any number of input expressions and always returns a single value.
The ICONV function translates a string from external to internal format, according to the INFO/ACCESS conversion codes. The conversion codes supported are those for dates, time, hexadecimal, and table translation. The OCONV function translates back from internal to external format. See INFO/ACCESS for more information on conversion codes.
The SENTENCE( ) function returns the TCL or Proc statement used to invoke the mvBASIC program that contains the function.
The SYSTEM function returns significant information about the system. Some information made available by SYSTEM follows:
The command-line options used to the RUN command.
The error code for a failed tape or floppy disk I/O statement, or the tape or floppy disk record length.
Whether the program was called by a Proc, whether the external select-list variable has been set, whether the data stack is empty, or whether the program is cataloged.
Whether output is being sent to the printer, the number of lines left on the current page, the current page number, and current open Spooler files.
The operator’s terminal type, or the number of lines or columns on the operator’s terminal.
The user’s account number, process number, or line number.
The system identification number.
If the BREAK key is pressed during program execution, the user will be placed in the mvBASIC Debugger. This feature can be disabled and reinstated with the BREAK statement. The BREAK statement does not simply toggle the break feature, it also increments and decrements the Break Inhibit Counter.
Alternative ways of entering the Debugger are to use the D option to the RUN command or to place a DEBUG statement directly in the source code.
See Using the mvBASIC Debugger for a full description of Debugger commands and how they are used.
See Also
Overview of mvBASIC Statements and Functions
Sending Output to the Screen and Printer
Reading and Updating File Items