ckitem(1) (Essential Utilities) ckitem(1)
NAME
ckitem - build a menu; prompt for and return a menu item
SYNOPSIS
ckitem [-Q] [-W width] [-uno] [-f file] [-l label] [[-i invis] [,
...]] [-m max]
[-d default] [-h help] [-e error] [-p prompt] [-k pid [-s signal]]
[choice [...]]
erritem [-W] [-e error] [choice [...]]
helpint [-W] [-h help] [choice [...]]
DESCRIPTION
ckitem builds a menu and prompts the user to choose one item from a
menu of items. It then verifies the response. Options for this
command define, among other things, a prompt message whose response
will be a menu item, text for help and error messages, and a default
value (which will be returned if the user responds with a carriage
return).
By default, the menu is formatted so that each item is prepended by a
number and is printed in columns across the terminal. Column length
is determined by the longest choice. Items are alphabetized.
All messages are limited in length to 70 characters and are formatted
automatically. Any white space used in the definition (including
newline) is stripped. The -W option cancels the automatic
formatting. When a tilde is placed at the beginning or end of a
message definition, the default text will be inserted at that point,
allowing both custom text and the default text to be displayed.
If the prompt, help or error message is not defined, the default
message (as defined under NOTES) will be displayed.
Two visual tool modules are linked to the ckitem command. They are
erritem (which formats and displays an error message) and helpitem
(which formats and displays a help message). These modules should be
used in conjunction with FML objects. In this instance, the FML
object defines the prompt. When choice is defined in these modules,
the messages will describe the available menu choice (or choices).
The options and arguments for this command are:
-Q Specifies that quit will not be allowed as a valid response.
-W Specifies that prompt, help and error messages will be
formatted to a line length of width.
-u Specifies that menu items should be displayed as an unnumbered
list.
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ckitem(1) (Essential Utilities) ckitem(1)
-n Specifies that menu items should not be displayed in
alphabetical order.
-o Specifies that only one menu token will be returned.
-f Defines a file, file. which contains a list of menu items to be
displayed. [The format of this file is: token<tab>description.
Lines beginning with a pound sign (#) are designated as
comments and ignored.]
-l Defines a label, label, to print above the menu.
-i Defines invisible menu choices (those which will not be printed
in the menu). (For example, "all" used as an invisible choice
would mean it is a legal option but does not appear in the
menu. Any number of invisible choices may be defined.)
Invisible choices should be made known to a user either in the
prompt or in a help message.
-m Defines the maximum number of menu choices allowed.
-d Defines the default value as default. The default is not
validated and so does not have to meet any criteria.
-h Defines the help messages as help.
-e Defines the error message as error.
-p Defines the prompt message as prompt.
-k Specifies that the process ID pid is to be sent a signal if the
user chooses to abort.
-s Specifies that process ID pid defined with the -k option is to
be sent signal signal when quit is chosen. If no signal is
specified, SIGTERM is used.
choice
Defines menu items. Items should be separated by white space
or newline.
SEE ALSO
allocmenu(3X)
printmenu(3X)
setinvis(3X)
setitems(3X)
EXIT CODES
0 = Successful execution
1 = EOF on input
2 = Usage error
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ckitem(1) (Essential Utilities) ckitem(1)
3 = User termination (quit)
4 = No choices from which to choose
NOTES
The user may input the number of the menu item if choices are
numbered or as much of the string required for a unique
identification of the item. Long menus are paged with 10 items per
page.
When menu entries are defined both in a file (by using the -f option)
and also on the command line, they are usually combined
alphabetically. However, if the -n option is used to suppress
alphabetical ordering, then the entries defined in the file are shown
first, followed by the options defined on the command line.
The default prompt for ckitem is:
Enter selection [?,??,q]:
One question mark will give a help message and then redisplay the
prompt. Two question marks will give a help message and then
redisplay the menu label, the menu and the prompt.
The default error message is:
ERROR - Does not match an available menu selection.
Enter one of the following:
- the number of the menu item you wish to select
- the token associated withe the menu item,
- partial string which uniquely identifies the token for the menu
item
- ?? to reprint the menu
The default help message is:
Enter one of the following:
- the number of the menu item you wish to select
- the token associated with the menu item,
- partial string which uniquely identifies the token for the menu
item
- ?? to reprint the menu
When the quit option is chosen (and allowed), q is returned along
with the return code 3.
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