Specify a Named Group of Channels
$channel_group groupname rangespec[,rangespec...]
$line_group groupname rangespec[,rangespec...]
This command is used to specify a named group of channels. The two command names are synonymous. The group name may be then be used in any CopiaFacts command which expects a channel reference. For more details and additional examples, see the Channel Groups entry in the Features section. Currently there is a limit of 40 named channel groups, and since one is reserved for the * group and the 'nodename' channel-group (which are pre-defined), there are 38 available for definition. A channel may be included in more than one group, and a group can include channels in more than one node.
The parameters on this command are used as follows:
| groupname | The name you wish to assign to the group. Case is not significant. If you wish to use a name with embedded spaces (permitted, but not recommended) it must be enclosed in double-quotes. |
| rangespec | One or more range specifications for channels, comma-separated. A range must consist of one of the following: |
| chan | An individual channel number, e.g. 7 |
| range | A pair of channel numbers separated by a hyphen, e.g. 8-12 |
| exclusion | A channel or range preceded by a tilde, e.g. ~3 or ~1-2 |
| * | The asterisk symbol indicates 'all channels' |
| lessthan | A special code above 10000, e.g. 10006 to mean "channels with channel number smaller than 6" (deprecated) |
| morethan | A special code above 20000, e.g. 20004 to mean "channels with channel number larger than 4" (deprecated) |
In a range, the first number must not be larger than the second. A group may not contain a channel which is only 'excluded', so that you must include a channel in another range if you specify it as an exclusion. The special lessthan and morethan codes may not be excluded. The order in which rangespec parameters appear on the command is not significant, as all 'wanted' ranges are processed before all 'not wanted' ranges. If any embedded blanks are used, the whole set of range specifications must be enclosed in one pair of double-quotes.
If you define more than one channel group with the same name, a warning will be issued and only the first such command will be used.
Position Requirements: a range must be specified before it is used in the configuration file.
Examples:
$channel_group DIGITAL 1-30
$channel_group Broadcast 1-8,~7
$channel_group "test lines" "1 - 2, 9"
See also: Channel Groups
