GETHELP function -- where can I find it? [message #4077] |
Tue, 25 April 1995 00:00  |
Russ Welti
Messages: 27 Registered: October 1994
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Junior Member |
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Last week I posted asking about a way to get HELP info on a
variable returned as a string array:
> Does anyone know if I can get the normal HELP info on
> just a simple variable back similarly, as in:
> help,var=var or maybe help,/stru,struct=some_struct
I found my own answer, in the GETHELP function, in 3.6.1.
HOWEVER, it won't run. Does anyone have a working GETHELP
function?
The documentation says I can do this, but:
IDL> a=gethelp()
a=gethelp()
^
% Syntax error.
IDL> print,filepath('gethelp')
% Compiled module: FILEPATH.
/opt/idl/gethelp
IDL> $ls /opt/idl/gethelp*
/opt/idl/gethelp*: No such file or directory
The 4.0 beta help system says the file is in "the lib subdirectory
of the IDL distribution". I can find no source file for GETHELP
*anywhere* on my machine.
Does anyone have a copy of it I can get?
Thanks much,
Russ Welti
UW -- Seattle, WA
rwelti@u.washington.edu
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Re: GETHELP function -- where can I find it? [message #4111 is a reply to message #4077] |
Thu, 04 May 1995 00:00  |
Fergus Gallagher
Messages: 41 Registered: January 1995
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Member |
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Russ Welti <rwelti@u.washington.edu> wrote:
> Last week I posted asking about a way to get HELP info on a
> variable returned as a string array:
>
>> Does anyone know if I can get the normal HELP info on
>> just a simple variable back similarly, as in:
>
>> help,var=var or maybe help,/stru,struct=some_struct
>
> I found my own answer, in the GETHELP function, in 3.6.1.
>
> HOWEVER, it won't run. Does anyone have a working GETHELP
> function?
>
> The documentation says I can do this, but:
>
> IDL> a=gethelp()
>
> a=gethelp()
> ^
> % Syntax error.
> IDL> print,filepath('gethelp')
> % Compiled module: FILEPATH.
> /opt/idl/gethelp
> IDL> $ls /opt/idl/gethelp*
> /opt/idl/gethelp*: No such file or directory
>
> The 4.0 beta help system says the file is in "the lib subdirectory
> of the IDL distribution". I can find no source file for GETHELP
> *anywhere* on my machine.
>
> Does anyone have a copy of it I can get?
>
> Thanks much,
>
Firstly, FILEPATH('xxxx') returns $IDL_DIR/xxxx even if xxxx doesn't
exist.
Secondly, GETHELP could be a IDL primitive, and hence it need not have a
file associated with it.
Lastly, I said that I was TOLD that GETHELP would be included in IDL 4.0.
In the meantime, try the following:
function gethelp,x
if breakdown(x)='imminent' then begin
print,'Please do not rely on beta versions'
end
return,string(randomu(seed,100))
end
You're welcome much.
Fergus
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| Fergus Gallagher |
| Remote Sensing Applications Development Unit |
| British National Space Centre |
| Monks Wood |
| Huntingdon PE17 2LS / UK |
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| F.Gallagher@nerc.ac.uk |
| http://uh.nmt.ac.uk/bnsc/fgg.html |
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