                                    ASK 
 


Description:   Using ASK, you can display a prompt message and then await
               single-key input in a batch file. You can supply a list of
               keys that defines the key response that ASK will accept. If
               you provide (keylist), the command returns a DOS ERRORLEVEL,
               which you can test with an IF batch command to control the
               flow of commands in a batch command file. 
 
Syntax:        Version 4.0  ) ASK (prompt)[,(keylist)] 
 
                                Parameters: 
 
(prompt)       A character string ASK displays while waiting for input. You
               do not need to enclose the prompt in quote marks unless it
               contains either a comma or a single-quote or double-quote
               mark. 
 
(keylist)      A list of the keys (character, number, or symbol) that ASK
               will accept as a response. The list must be a single string of
               characters with no intervening spaces. 




               When you supply (keylist), ASK returns ERRORLEVEL based on the
               position in the list of the key you chose. Pressing the first
               key in the list sets ERRORLEVEL equal to 1, pressing the
               second key sets ERRORLEVEL equal to 2, and so on. If you do
               not specify (keylist), pressing any key completes execution of
               the utility with  ERRORLEVEL set to 0. 
 
                                   Notes:

The DOS batch command IF ERRORLEVEL (n) evaluates to true whenever (n) is
*less than* or equal to the  current ERRORLEVEL. What this means is that for
the statement, " if ERRORLEVEL 4 goto :START," ERRORLEVEL will evaluate to
true if ERRORLEVEL is 3, 2, or 1.  To obtain the results you want from a set
of IF ERRORLEVEL commands, test for the highest possible ERRORLEVEL first.
See the example below. 
 
The ASK command is available only in version 4.0. ASK is incorporated into
the BE (Batch Enhancer) utility in version 4.5.  
 








Example:       To prompt the user with a choice either to continue in a batch
               file or to quit, enter: 
 
               ASK Enter C to continue or Q to quit: ,CQ 
               IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO QUIT 
               :CONTINUE 
                    . additional commands 
                    . 
                    . additional commands 
               :QUIT 
               REM Last line in the batch file 
 

See:           <NUBE>, <NUSAMP>
