.th GATH I 5/31/77 .sh NAME gath \*- gather real and virtual files .sh SYNOPSIS .bd gath [\fB\-ih\fR] file ... .sh DESCRIPTION .it Gath concatenates the named files and writes them to standard output. Tabs are expanded into spaces according to the format specification for each file (see .it fspec\^\c (V)). The size limit and margin parameters of a format specification are also respected. Non-graphic characters other than tabs are identified by a diagnostic message and excised. The output of .it gath contains no tabs unless the .bd \-h flag is set, in which case it is written with standard tabs (every eighth column). .s3 Any line of any of the files which begins with `~' is interpreted by .it gath as a control line. A line beginning `~ ' (tilde,space) specifies a sequence of files to be included at that point. A line beginning `~!' specifies a UNIX command; that command is executed, and its output replaces the `~!' line in the .it gath output. .s3 Setting the .bd \-i flag prevents control lines from being interpreted and causes them to be output literally. .s3 A file name of `\-' at any point refers to standard input, and a control line consisting of `~.' is a software end-of-file. Keywords may be defined by specifying a replacement string which is to be substituted for each occurrence of the keyword. Input may be collected directly from the terminal, with several alternatives for prompting. .s3 In fact, all of the special arguments and flags recognized by the .it send command are also recognized and treated identically by .it gath. Several of them are only useful, however, in the context where an RJE job is being submitted. The same program implements the two commands, so .it gath has a potential which is not apparent from its name. Refer to the description of .it send for definitive information about .it gath. .sh "SEE ALSO" send(I), fspec(V)