# x3270if Manual Page

## Contents

> Name
> Synopsis
> Description
> Options
> Exit Status
> Environment
> See Also
> Copyright

## Name

x3270if - command interface to x3270, c3270 and s3270

## Synopsis

x3270if [ -v ] action [ ( param [ ,... ] ) ]
x3270if [ -v ] -s field
x3270if -i

## Description

x3270if provides an interface between scripts and the 3270 emulators x3270, c3270, and s3270. .LP x3270if performs one of three functions. In action mode (the default), it passes a single action and optional parameters to the emulator for execution; the result of the command is written to standard output. In status mode, it reports to standard output the value of one of the emulator's status fields. In iterative mode, it forms a continuous conduit between a script and the emulator.

## Options

-v
  Turns on verbose debug messages, showing the literal data that is passed between the emulator and x3270if.
-s field
  Puts x3270if in status mode: it outputs the value of an emulator status field. Field is an integer in the range 0 through 11. The value 0 is a no-op and is used only to return exit status indicating the state of the emulator. The indices 1-11 and meanings of each field are documented on the x3270-script(1) manual page.
-i
  Puts x3270if in iterative mode. Data from x3270if's standard input is copied to the emulator's script input; data from the emulator's script output is copied to x3270if's standard output. x3270if runs until it detects end-of-file on its standard input or on the output from the emulator. (This mode exists primarily to give expect(1) a process to run, on systems which do not support bidirectional pipes.)

## Exit Status

In action mode, if the requested action succeeds, x3270if exits with status 0. If the action fails, x3270if exits with status 1. In iterative mode, x3270if exits with status 0 when it encounters end-of-file. If there is an operational error within x3270if itself, such as a command-line syntax error, missing environment variable, or an unexpectedly closed pipe, x3270if exits with status 2.

## Environment

x3270, c3270, and s3270 use a pair of pipes for communication with each child process. The values of the file descriptors for these pipes are encoded as text in two environment variables, which are required by x3270if:

X3270OUTPUT
  Output from the emulator, input to the child process.
X3270INPUT
  Input to the emulator, output from the child process.

## See Also

x3270(1), c3270(1), s3270(1), x3270-script(1)

## Copyright

Copyright © 1999, 2000 by Paul Mattes.

> Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation.