Using Watch Files to create Arcplot AMLs

Basically, any time you want to create an AML to do something based upon an interactive session, a watch file is a handy solution. Opening a watch file causes anything you type in, even withing arcplot or arcedit, to be saved in the file. You can then convert that watch file into an AML with the &cwta (&ConvertWatchToAml) command.

Usage: &WATCH  {&APPEND} {&COMMANDS} {&COORDINATES}
Usage: &WATCH <&OFF | &DISPLAY>

Use the &COORDINATES option to have xy coordinates displayed. If you also use &COORDINATES as an option with &cwta, the coordinates will follow commands that produce them, such as MOVE * in Arcplot. For some reason, these are not combined into one command as you would use them, so you have to do a bit of editing to make it work as an AML.

The following simple example illustrates. We'll just use the move command to position the cursor somewhere (maybe for a subsequent TEXT command):

Arcplot: &watch fred &coordinates
Arcplot: move *
Enter point 
Arcplot: &watch &off

If you look at the watch file, it will look like this:

Arcplot: |> move * <|
Enter point|>* 2.571358203887 2.460629940033 *<|
Arcplot: |> &watch &off <|

Then you'd use the &cwta command to make an aml:

Arcplot: &cwta
Usage: &CONV_WATCH_TO_AML   {&COORDINATES}
Arcplot: &cwta fred fred.aml &coordinates

The file would look like this:

move *
2.571358203887 2.460629940033

Note that you'd have to do a bit of editing to replace the * with the two numbers and make it look like:

move 2.571358203887 2.460629940033

Perhaps you can see how you could build a nice AML from Arcplot commands including interactive information captured in a watch file.