Maxima Help -- Command Prompt Input & Output, not GUI interface

On 8/23/2011 7:54 PM, -Henry Hom wrote:
>
> How can I use Maxima under *Command Prompt* but *not in GUI interface*? I'm going to write a nicer and more helpful GUI interface that uses *free language*.First the user inputs "solve x^2+5x+6=0 for x"Then my program translates "solve x^2+5x+6=0 for x" to "solve([x^2+5*x+6=0],[x])"Now I have a big problem. how can I use Maxima in Command Prompt? like:maxima solve([x^2+5x+6=0],[x])>  output.tmpThen Maxima will output the result to output.tmpThen I can load output.tmp. If you know how to use Maxima in Command Prompt, please send a mail to henryhom(at)live.cn .
>                      Thanks a lot                   Henry Hom (China)
>   		 	   		
> _______________________________________________
> Maxima mailing list
> Maxima at math.utexas.edu
> http://www.math.utexas.edu/mailman/listinfo/maxima
Here's a suggestion.
Write your interface program in lisp and load it in to Maxima.  You can 
use the existing parser as
a model.  That way your "gui" has full access to maxima and does not 
have to squeeze everything
into a stream of characters that are then RE-parsed by maxima.

For example, solve x^2.... for x  can result in the lisp expression

(($SOLVE) ((MEQUAL) ((MPLUS) ((MEXPT) $X 2) ((MTIMES) 5 $X) 6) 0) $X)

which is then evaluated by maxima.

This way you could use existing technology for 95% of the initial work 
and concentrate on your new ideas in what
I assume is some kind of free-form natural language input for 
mathematical commands.

You might also check up on the previous technology here:
Bobrow's STUDENT program
Handwritten input (stylus or mouse)
Palette-driven input(keyboard or mouse)
speech input
   and see how they compare to keyboard only input.