Using "Command Files" and Macros

Using "Command Files" and Macros

As well as typing in commands you can run pre-built files of commands, referred to as command files.

These are invoked using the " -cf=< filename > " option on the command line, and they operate as follows:

• The commands in < filename > are executed in sequence, exactly as if they had been typed in.
• At the end of < filename > one of two things happens:
  • If " -exit " was also specified on the command line then PRIMER terminates normally
  • Otherwise it reverts to interactive input at the command prompt

Therefore a typical batch invocation for PRIMER (in Unix) might be something like:

$<pathname>/primer 22_x64.exe -d=batch -cf=my_command_file -exit

This will run in text-only mode, execute the commands in file "my_command_file" and terminate normally at the end of that file.

It is also possible to run "macro files" of stored commands from the command line. Macros are described in section MACROS , and running them from the command line via the " -macro=< filename > " command is described in Appendix M