To get the answerback, you'll need to send a 'control-E' to the terminal, and read back the answer. For example in DCL:
$ e="e"
$ e[0,8]=5
$ read/prompt=&e sys$command test
$ show symbol test
This assumes that the answerback is terminated.
If it is not, it get's more tricky and you may need to use a timeout on a QIO (can no longer use DCL, as the read will fail).
Or you can follow the answerback question with an other escape-sequence-answer question such that the answer will terminate the read.
Something like:
$control_e[0,8] = 5
$csi[0,8] = 155
$write sys$output control_e,csi,"5n" !Ask for answerback + indentification
$read/prompt="" sys$command test
$ read sys$command test
Btw, a similar technique can be used to read things like terminal Id and cursor position.
Example below. But reall you should use SMG or a direct call to SYS$QIOW and examine the terminator to do that properly.
What language/tool/script did you intent to use?
hth,
Hein,
$csi[0,8] = 155
$set term/noecho/noesc !Any escape will become terminator.
$write sys$output csi,"5n",csi,"5n" !Ask identification twice
$read/prompt="" sys$command escape !Terminate with escape part of first
$set term/esc !Full escape sequences are terminators
$read/prompt="" sys$command ident !Read body of first escape sequence
$ ! terminated by second escape sequence.
$set term/echo !Reset terminal.
$write sys$output ident
