Ubuntu Manpage: d.ask - Prompts the user to select a GRASS data base file from among files displayed in a menu on the

NAME

       d.ask   -  Prompts  the user to select a GRASS data base file from among files displayed in a menu on the
       graphics monitor.

KEYWORDS

       display, map management

SYNOPSIS

       d.ask
       d.ask help
       d.ask element=name,description  [prompt=message]   [--verbose]  [--quiet]

   Parameters:
       element=name,description
           Database element, one word description

       prompt=message
           Short user prompt message

DESCRIPTION

d.ask is designed for shell scripts that need to prompt the user for the name of a data base file in the
user's current GRASS mapset search path. After d.ask is invoked with needed parameters, the mouse
becomes active and a menu containing files of the specified element type is displayed on the user's
graphics monitor. The user is prompted by the prompt "message" to select one of the listed file names
with the mouse. Specifically, the query that appears to the user takes the form:

Double click on the prompt "message"
Double click here to cancel

(A list of files of the specified element type from each of the mapsets listed in the user's mapset
search path is also displayed.)

After the user responds, the mouse is deactivated and the displayed menu is erased from the screen
(leaving any underlying materials on display intact). Three lines are written to standard output (the
user's terminal screen):

name=file_name
mapset=mapset_name
fullname=file_name@mapset_name

Parameters:
element=name,description
Name of a GRASS data base element, followed by a one word description of the element. GRASS data
base elements are mapset subdirectories; these include: bdlg, cats, cell, cell_misc, cellhd, colr,
colr2, dig, dig_ascii, dig_att, dig_cats, dig_plus, dlg, group, hist, icons, noise, paint,
site_lists, and windows. The description will be used to display an error message to the screen
if no files of the named element type exist in the user's mapset search path. The prompt
"message" will appear in the pop-up menu displayed on the user's graphics monitor. The files
listed in the menu will be of the specified element type, and exist in mapsets listed in the
user's current mapset search path.

prompt=
A brief message with which the user will be prompted. If this message contains more than one
word, it should be enclosed within double quotes (""). It is a non-selectable message displayed
in the menu bar of a pop-up menu. Selectable items in the displayed menu include a cancel option
and any of the files in the mapset subdirectory name in the user's mapset search path.

EXAMPLE

       Given the following input,

       d.ask element=cell,raster prompt="raster map layer to be used"

       d.ask will prompt the user to select a  raster  (cell)  file  from  among  those  listed  in  the  "cell"
       directories  of  the mapsets listed in his current mapset search path. A pop-up menu will be displayed on
       the user's graphics monitor, containing the prompt:

        Double click on the raster map layer to be used
        Double click here to cancel

OUTPUT

       If the user selects a file name from the displayed menu, d.ask writes three lines to standard output:

        name=file_name
        mapset=mapset_name
        fullname=file_name@mapset_name

       The output is in the form of /bin/sh commands to set the variable name to the file name specified by  the
       user (of the element type requested by d.ask), mapset to the GRASS mapset in which this file resides, and
       fullname to the name of the file and its mapset.

       If the user elects not to select a file but instead chooses the "Double click here to cancel" option, the
       mouse will be deactivated and no variable assignments will be returned to standard output.

       If  no  files of the specified element type are found in the user's current mapset search path, the mouse
       is activated and the following message is displayed on the user's graphics monitor:

        No element description files found
        Click here to continue

NOTES

       Parameter values (the element name and description, and prompt  message)  cannot  be  supplied  to  d.ask
       interactively; they must be supplied on the command line or from a file.

BUGS

       This  program  calls  other GRASS programs which may generate confusing error messages. Example: an error
       message from the program d.menu will appear if a nonexistent map element is chosen.

AUTHOR

       Michael Shapiro, U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

       Last changed: $Date: 2011-11-08 03:29:50 -0800 (Tue, 08 Nov 2011) $

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       © 2003-2013 GRASS Development Team

GRASS 6.4.3                                                                                        d.ask(1grass)