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Re: Running the kernel command line with additional input files

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg61732] Re: Running the kernel command line with additional input files
• From: fiaminamor at gmail.com
• Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 05:02:18 -0400 (EDT)
• References: <djhsok$shl$1@smc.vnet.net>
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

kalymereau at yahoo.fr wrote:
> Hi MathGroup
>
> I have a package myPack.m that reads input from two text files
> file1.txt file2.txt
>
> The names of the files will change from job to job and thus have to be
> given by the user.


Yes, you can read arguments from the command line like you want.
Here are two useful facts about Mathematica's math.exe kernel.

First, all the command-line arguments are available as a list in the
Mathematica variable $CommandLine.

Second, Mathematica accepts any command-line argument, even ones that
it doesn't understand.

These two facts mean that you can supply your own arguments and they'll
appear in $CommandLine.

C:\Mathematica\5.2> math -argumentstomypackage file1.txt file2.txt

Mathematica 5.2 for Microsoft Windows
Copyright 1988-2004 Wolfram Research, Inc.
 -- Terminal graphics initialized --

In[1]:= $CommandLine

Out[1]= {math, -argumentstopackage, file1.txt, file2.txt}

Now you can write a function that finds your -argumentstomypackage flag
in the $CommandLine list, and then pulls out the next 2 arguments.

To run a Mathematica .m file from the command line, use the -run option
to math.exe.

  math.exe -run mypackage.m -argumentstomypackage file1.txt file2.txt

Now it is up to you to write the function in "mypackage.m" that pulls
"file1.txt" and "file2.txt" from the $CommandLine variable.

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: Re: Running the kernel command line with additional input files
    • From: Chris Chiasson <chris.chiasson@gmail.com>