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NBS_GET -- Routines that read information from a noticeboard

Normally this is a very straightforward operation, but when reading shape information and data it is necessary to check that the owner of the information has not altered it whilst it is being read.

There are three global parameters which can be altered using the NBS_TUNE_NOTICEBOARD routine and which affect the behaviour of the shape and data reading routines:

1. CHECK_MODIFY is TRUE by default and this means that the item's modified count is checked both before and after reading the data. The data is read repeatedly until the value of this count is even and unchanging or until a timeout occurs. If set FALSE, no such checks are made and no timeout can occur.

2. TIMEOUT_COUNT is 100 by default and is the maximum number of times that the data reading will be tried.

3. TIMEOUT_INTERVAL is 100 by default and is the delay in milliseconds between tries.

NBS_GET_VALUE:
Get a byte array from a slice of a primitive item associated with the specified identifier
NBS_GET_CVALUE:
Get a byte array from a slice of a primitive item associated with the specified identifier and store in a character string
NBS_GET_SHAPE:
Get the shape of a primitive item associated with the specified identifier
NBS_GET_MODIFIED:
Get the noticeboard modified count or an item modified count depending on whether this is a structured or primitive item
NBS_GET_MODIFIED_POINTER:
Get a pointer to the noticeboard modified count or an item modified count depending on whether this is a structured or primitive item
NBS_GET_UPDATED:
Determine whether a primitive item or the noticeboard has been updated since the noticeboard was found or this routine was last called.
NBS_GET_POINTER:
Return a pointer to the first byte of the data of a primitive item associated with the specified identifier
NBS_GET_NAME:
Get the name of an item associated with the specified identifier
NBS_GET_TYPE:
Get the type of an item associated with the specified identifier
NBS_GET_SIZE:
Get the maximum and actual sizes of a primitive item associated with the specified identifier
NBS_GET_PRIMITIVE:
Determine whether or not an item is primitive
NBS_GET_PARENT:
Get the identifier of an item's parent structure
NBS_GET_CHILDREN:
Get the number of children of a structured item
NBS_GET_INFO:
Get general non-character information on a given noticeboard
NBS_GET_CINFO:
Get general character information on a given noticeboard


next up previous 372
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NBS The Noticeboard System
Starlink User Note 77
D.J. Allan
11 September 1995
E-mail:ussc@star.rl.ac.uk