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TERMINAL File

The TERMINAL file is an operating system file. It contains a list of the port names, operating system window names, or network node names for each task that can execute Thoroughbred Basic. The names specified in this list are names used and assigned by the operating system. For example, in UNIX, console may be the port name for the system console and tty05a may specify an operating system window. On Microsoft Windows, CON is the name of the Windows console.

Thoroughbred Basic then assigns a unique name, called a task ID or a terminal ID, to each name in the TERMINAL file. Each task ID is unique within the Thoroughbred Basic system and the operating system.

Thoroughbred Basic assigns the T0 task ID to the first name in the TERMINAL list, T1 to the second name, and so on. The naming sequence runs from T0 through T9, then TA through TZ, then Ta through Tz, then U0 through Uz, and so on. Valid values for the first letter are T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, A, B, E, H, I, J, K, and M. Thoroughbred Basic can assign up 930 task IDs.

The letters not listed above are used to form name for special classes of system tasks or devices. For example:

D is used to name logical disk directories.

G is used to name ghost tasks.

L is used to name printers.

P is used to name printers.

Because Thoroughbred Basic uses 2-character names to specify tasks, devices, and operating system services, programmers should not specify 2-character names for files created under Thoroughbred Basic. In some cases, Thoroughbred Basic can confuse 2-character file names with 2-character task IDs. For example, on a system with a floppy disk drive specified as F0 and a file named F0, a request for information issued from Thoroughbred Basic may not retrieve the information the programmer requires.

The Thoroughbred Basic system uses the information in the TERMINAL file when a user starts Thoroughbred Basic:

./b [taskID] [IPLfile]

./
tells the operating system to search the current directory, in this case the Thoroughbred Basic home directory.
b
is the command to start Thoroughbred Basic under UNIX.
taskID
is the name of the task ID, which is also called the terminal ID. In a multi-user environment, all of the users at your site must agree to start Thoroughbred Basic in just one of the following ways:

  • Allow Thoroughbred Basic to assign task IDs, in which case no user specifies a value for taskID. A task ID is automatically assigned to a terminal depending on the position of the terminal device name in the TERMINAL file.

  • Use a unique task ID, in which case every user specifies a value for taskID. Because task IDs are associated with terminals, a user who works at several terminals may have to remember several task IDs.

    Site procedures must specify just one of these ways to start Thoroughbred Basic. If both methods are used, more than one user may use the same task ID, which can cause problems such as file corruption or display problems.

IPLfile
is the name of the initial program load (IPL) file, which contains specifications that are automatically implemented and commands that are automatically executed when a user starts Thoroughbred Basic. The default is IPLINPUT, a file in the Thoroughbred Basic home directory.

For more information on the IPLINPUT file, please refer to the section on IPLINPUT File in this manual.

If you plan to modify the TERMINAL file, you can use a text editor such as vi, ed, or edlin. For more information on valid system names, please refer to your operating system documentation.

From the Customization and Tuning Guide: System Files, version 8.9.1. Open this page in the PDF