Current version

The current release of VMSARG is 2.2. To find out what version you currently have click here.

VMSARG - Add VMS-style command line parsing to your program

This utility allows you to add VMS style command line parsing to an existing C program. It is designed so that it can be done even by someone with little or no programming experience, and requires minimal change to the original C source program.

For example, you have a program that accepts Unix style hieroglyphics like:

        $ myprog -l -o foo.txt -d 251223 fooble.in

This utility allows the same program to work with input like

        $ myprog /list /output=foo.txt /date=25-dec-2023 fooble.in

It works as follows:

Create a .CLD file to define the VMS command line syntax.
Create a .MAP file which describes how the VMS commands map onto the Unix equivalents.
Run the .MAP file through the Generator program which creates a .C file.
Compile this .C file.
Add two lines to the main program (one to declare the function Parse_VMS_Args and one to call it).
recompile and relink the application, including the new .OBJ files.

The call to Parse_VMS_Args translates the VMS style command line into the Unix equivalent, which the rest of the program has been written to deal with.

Other features:

Converts VMS Date format into various numeric forms.
Can call an interactive HELP session using a .HLB file.
Can replace fixed keywords in VMS style by corresponding Unix equivalents.
Can map negated qualifiers (e.g. /NOLOG) into unix keywords (e.q. -q).
Optionally detects Unix style qualifiers, and if found, leaves the line unchanged.

No C coding required.

No need for any more horrible single-case-dependent qualifiers to appear in a program running on OpenVMS !

May be used as part of any package, whether freeware, shareware or commercial. No license fees or royalties required.