PAUSE

Syntax

PAUSE [pause-code]

pause-code

(Optional) Is an optional message. It can be either of the following: A scalar character constant of type default character. A string of up to six digits; leading zeros are ignored. (Fortran 90 and FORTRAN 77 limit digits to five.)

If you specify pause-code, the PAUSE statement displays the specified message and then displays the default prompt.

If you do not specify pause-code, the system displays the following default message:
FORTRAN PAUSE

The following prompt is then displayed:

• On Windows* systems:
  Fortran Pause - Enter command<CR> or <CR> to continue.
  

• On Linux* and Mac OS* X systems:
  PAUSE prompt>
  

Effect on Windows* Systems

The program waits for input on stdin. If you enter a blank line, execution resumes at the next executable statement.

Anything else is treated as a DOS command and is executed by a system( ) call. The program loops, letting you execute multiple DOS commands, until a blank line is entered. Execution then resumes at the next executable statement.

Effect on Linux* and Mac OS* Systems

The effect of PAUSE differs depending on whether the program is a foreground or background process, as follows:

• If a program is a foreground process, the program is suspended until you enter the CONTINUE command. Execution then resumes at the next executable statement.

  Any other command terminates execution.

• If a program is a background process, the behavior depends on stdin, as follows:

  • If stdinis redirected from a file, the system displays the following (after the pause code and prompt):
    To continue from background, execute 'kill -15 n'
    

    In this message, nis the process id of the program.

  • If stdinis not redirected from a file, the program becomes a suspended background job, and you must specify fgto bring the job into the foreground. You can then enter a command to resume or terminate processing.

Example

The following examples show valid PAUSE statements:

PAUSE 701

PAUSE 'ERRONEOUS RESULT DETECTED'

The following shows another example:

CHARACTER*24 filename

PAUSE 'Enter DIR to see available files or press RETURN' &

&' if you already know filename.'

READ(*,'(A\)') filename

OPEN(1, FILE=filename)

. . .