1 BATCH
  Provides a quick, easy-to-use, one-step interface for submitting 
  DCL commands as batch jobs.

  Format:


    BATCH  command
2 Parameters

 command

  Specifies the DCL command that is to be executed by the batch job.
  This command should be one that does not require any type of 
  interaction with the user, and does not need a terminal as an output 
  device.  Otherwise, any command that can be specified at the "$" 
  prompt can be used here.  (Be careful to specify any required 
  command parameters in full, since the batch job will not be able to 
  prompt for additional input!)  Note that the current process context
  (i.e. logical names, symbols, default directory, privileges) WILL be 
  duplicated in the batch job as much as possible -- however, 
  user-mode logical names defined (using DEFINE/USER or ASSIGN/USER) 
  before the BATCH command will NOT be passed to the batch job.

  Limited additional data input (or additional commands) may be 
  entered separately by specifying the /INPUT qualifier on the BATCH 
  command.  See the /INPUT qualifier for details.
2 Command_Qualifiers

/LOG
 /LOG[=file-spec]
 /NOLOG

  By default, output from the user command executed in the batch job 
  is examined, and if there was any output, it is sent to the user as 
  a MAIL message.  If you would prefer that the output go into a 
  regular batch log file, specify the name of the log file with 
  /LOG=filename.  If you want no log file and no mail message, specify
  /NOLOG.  If you specify /LOG without giving a filename, the default
  action (i.e. mailing any output) will be taken.

/LOW
 /LOW

  Specifies that the job should run at a "low" priority.
  By default, the submitted batch job will run at a "medium" priority,
  below that of interactive jobs.  You can raise or lower the priority 
  by specifying the /HIGH or /LOW qualifier.

/MEDIUM
 /MEDIUM  (default)

  Specifies that the job should run at a "medium" priority, the default.
  You can raise or lower the priority by specifying the /HIGH or 
  /LOW qualifier.

/HIGH
 /HIGH

  Specifies that the job should run at a "high" priority.
  By default, the submitted batch job will run at a "medium" priority,
  below that of interactive jobs.  You can raise or lower the priority 
  by specifying the /HIGH or /LOW qualifier.

/INPUT
 /INPUT

  The BATCH command is intended to submit single non-interactive 
  commands.  However, some programs that aren't truly interactive 
  still require one or more lines of data input from the "input 
  device" -- data that would be typed by the user when running the 
  program from the terminal, or would be included in a command 
  procedure that would run the command automatically (or in a batch 
  job).  If the command you are submitting using BATCH will require 
  additional input, specify the /INPUT qualifier.  The BATCH 
  submission program will prompt you (with "BATCH>") for additional
  lines of input, which should be terminated with a control-Z.

  You can also use /INPUT to make BATCH submit multiple commands in 
  one job.  However, remember that any DCL commands input at the 
  "BATCH>" prompt will need to begin with a "$" character, to 
  distinguish them from data lines.  Thus, for example, to submit a 
  job that compiles and links a Fortran program, you might type the
  following input (user input is in lowercase below):

        $ batch/input for/noopt/debug myprogram
        BATCH> $ link/debug myprogram
        BATCH> *EXIT*      <=== (user typed a control-Z on this line)

  Obviously, if you find yourself typing a lot of lines in the BATCH 
  input mode, you should probably go to the trouble of creating a 
  command procedure file instead.

/VERIFY
 /VERIFY
 /NOVERIFY  (default)

  This qualifier controls whether the command is executed in the batch  
  job in "verify" mode (i.e. whether commands and data are echoed to 
  the output).  The default is /NOVERIFY, which does not echo either 
  commands or data.  Note that, if you specify /VERIFY, the batch job 
  will ALWAYS produce some output, and that output will be mailed to you.

/NOTIFY
 /NOTIFY  (default)
 /NONOTIFY

  This qualifier controls whether the system sends you a message when 
  the batch job finishes executing.  This message contains the name 
  and number of the batch job, and says that it "completed"; it may 
  also give an error message if the batch job aborted due to an error, 
  but it will not give any of the output of the job -- that's what the 
  log file (and /LOG qualifier) is for.  Since it is generally useful 
  to know when a command finishes executing, the default is /NOTIFY.
2 Advanced_Concepts

3 Queues

  BATCH selects a queue for submitting the batch job it creates by 
  looking at two things:  the priority specified through the /PRIORITY
  qualifier (or the default, MIDDLE); and three logical names that
  specify the queues to be used for HIGH, MEDIUM, and LOW priority.
  These logical names are DCL_HIGH_BATCHQUE, DCL_MEDIUM_BATCHQUE, and
  DCL_LOW_BATCHQUE.
  If you wish to use queues other than those specified as system 
  defaults, you can define any or all of these logical names in your
  own process or job, and BATCH will use your definitions instead.

3 Submitter's_context

  BATCH attempts to copy as much of the submitting process context as
  it can.  This includes copying most logical names from the process 
  and job tables; global symbol definitions; current default directory;
  current costcode, UIC, and process privileges.  There are some 
  restrictions on what can be copied, however.  These include:

  (1) User and exec mode logical names, along with logical names marked
      "confine" or "crelog", are not copied.

  (2) Very long equivalence names or symbol values may not be copied
      correctly.

  (3) The current default directory, if it is on a privately mounted disk
      or on another DECnet node, may not be duplicatable.

  (4) User account privileges may affect the ability to duplicate the UIC
      and process privileges currently in effect.

  (5) Symbols or logical names that reflect the interactive nature of the
      submitting process may cause the submitted batch job to produce
      errors.  For example, any logical name or symbol that refers to
      the login terminal of the submitting process cannot be referenced
      by the batch job without producing an error.  Most of the standard
      ones (e.g. SYS$COMMAND or TT) aren't propagated to the batch job,
      but other user-created ones may be.  Be careful not to refer to them
      in the batch command.

  These restrictions should affect very few cases of BATCH command use.

3 Suggestions

  If there are features you would like to see added or changed in the
  BATCH command, or if you have any comments, please send them using VMS
  MAIL to the system manager account (username SYSTEM); they will be
  forwarded to the author of the BATCH software.
