Post question, prompting user

[nickz]

Hi, this is my first question to this forum, I'm new.

Question regarding prompting the user using the post-processor for a part description. I know it is capable of prompting for a part number utilizing a string variable, but a part description would be a "string literal"? That would mean capable of outputting any character? An example of what I would like to see output...header of .nc file

%

O1234(D1000.NC)

(G:MCHG40098500)

(BLOCK, COOLANT UPPER O3.1) <this line

G21

etc.

Has anyone tried anything like this?

[Allan Brown]

Initialize a string variable:

scomment "" # Initialize fq 1 string

Format a question:

fq 1 scomment Enter part description

Ask the question before you need the results:

q1

Output your string variable:

"(", *scomment, ")"

Of course, you'll have to figure out where to put everything

[nickz]

Thank you Dave, we're on the right track. It's the formatting that is giving me the problem. If you take a look at the line which I am trying to work with, it looks like general text format. I haven't figured out how to achieve this with a post yet.

I'll keep hammering.

[This message has been edited by nickz (edited 10-16-2000).]

[Allan Brown]

Make your variable a 'string variable' by using an 's' as the first character in your string variable name.

'sdesc' or 'scomment' for example.

[nickz]

Yes, I am using an "s" before the variable. It is the way it is being defined or formatted that is the problem. When the question prompts the user "Enter part description" and the entry is.. BLOCK, COOLANT UPPER O3.1 , the return result in the .nc file is the number zero.

[Allan Brown]

Initialize the variable as a string

scomment

or

scomment ""

or

scomment "This will appear as the default string"

*not*

scomment : 0

 

[nickz]

Thanks again Dave, I was assigning a numeric format to it (dumb).