AmigaOS 3.1 Command Reference

NEWSHELL


Format:
NEWSHELL [<window specification>] [FROM <filename>]

Template:
WINDOW,F ROM

Purpose:
To open a new interactive Shell window.

Path:
Internal

Specifications:


NEWSHELL invokes a new, interactive Shell. The new window becomes the
currently-selected window and process. The new window has the same current
directory, prompt string, path, and stack size as the one from which it was
invoked. However, each Shell window is independent, allowing separate input,
output, and program execution.

The window can be sized, dragged, zoomed, and depth-adjusted just like most
other Amiga windows.

To create a custom window, you can include the WINDOW argument. You may
specify the initial dimensions, location, and title of the window with this
<window specification> syntax:

CON:x/y/width/height/title/options

Where:


x


Is the number of pixels from the left edge of the screen to the left border
of the Shell window.


y


Is the number of pixels from the top of the screen to the top of the Shell
window.


width


Is the width of the Shell window, in pixels.


height


Is the height of the Shell window, in pixels.


title


Is the text that appears in the Shell window title bar.

The permissible options are:


AUTO


The window automatically appears when the program needs input or produces
output. With the Shell window, it will open for input immediately. The
window can only be closed with the ENDSHELL command. Selecting the Shell's
close gadget will close the window, but it will re-open immediately since it
is expecting input.


CLOSE


The window has all the standard gadgets, including a close gadget.


BACKDROP


The window appears on the backdrop, behind all the Workbench windows. The
only gadget in the window border is the zoom gadget. This Shell window
cannot be brought to the front of the screen; you have to resize the
Workbench windows to see it.


NOBORDER


The window opens without any left or bottom window border. Only the zoom,
depth, and sizing gadgets are available.


NODRAG


The window cannot be dragged. It has a zoom, depth and sizing gadget, but no
close gadget.


NOSIZE


The window only has a depth gadget.


SCREEN


The window will open on a public screen. The screen must already exist. You
must specify the name of the screen after the SCREEN keyword.


SIMPLE


If you enlarge the window, the text will expand to fill the newly available
space, allowing you to see text that had been scrolled out of the window.


SMART


If you enlarge the window, the text does not expand to fill the newly
available space.


WAIT


The window can only be closed by selecting the close gadget. (An example of
this is the Execute Command Workbench Output Window.) NEWSHELL uses the
default startup file S:Shell-startup, unless a FROM filename is specifed.
S:Shell-startup is a standard AmigaDOS script file. You might have several
different Shell-startup files, each having different command aliases, for
example. You can call such customized Shell environments with FROM.

The NEWCLI command has the same effect as NEWSHELL; it invokes a new Shell
process.

Example 1:

1> NEWSHELL

A new Shell window will open.

Example 2:

1> NEWSHELL CON:0/0/640/200/My5hell/CLOSE

A window starting in the upper left corner of the screen and measuring 640
pixels wide and 200 pixels high will open. The window will be titled MyShell,
and it will have a close gadget. If you add the command to your User-startup
file, a Shell window will open automatically when your Amiga is booted.

Example 3:

1> NEWSHELL FROM S:Programming.startup

Opens a new Shell, but instead of executing the Shell-startup file, the
Programming.startup file is executed. You could have aliases and prompt
commands in the Programming.startup file that you only use when you are
programming.


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