A program may write the SPICE input to the console. This output is redirected to ngspice via `|'. ngspice called with the -s option writes its output to the console, which again is redirected to a receiving program by `|'. In the following simple example cat reads the input file and prints it content to the console, which is redirected to ngspice by a first pipe, ngspice transfers its output (similar to a raw file, see below) to less via another pipe.

Example command line:

cat input.cir|ngspice -s|less

Under MS Windows you will need to compile ngspice as a console application (see Chapt. 32.2.5) for this server mode usage.

Example input file:

test -s
v1 1 0 1
r1 1 0 2k
.options filetype=ascii
.save i(v1)
.dc v1 -1 1 0.5
.end

If you start ngspice console with

ngspice -s

you may type in the above circuit line by line (not to forget the first line, which is a title and will be ignored). If you close your input with ctrl Z, and return, you will get the following output (this is valid for MINGW only) on the console, like a raw file:

Circuit: test -s

Doing analysis at TEMP = 27.000000 and TNOM = 27.000000

Title: test -s

Date: Sun Jan 15 18:57:13 2012

Plotname: DC transfer characteristic

Flags: real

No. Variables: 2

No. Points: 0

Variables:

No. of Data Columns : 2

0 v(v-sweep) voltage

1 i(v1) current

Values:

0 -1.000000000000000e+000

5.000000000000000e-004

1 -5.000000000000000e-001

2.500000000000000e-004

2 0.000000000000000e+000

0.000000000000000e+000

3 5.000000000000000e-001

-2.500000000000000e-004

4 1.000000000000000e+000

-5.000000000000000e-004

@@@ 122 5

The number 5 of the last line @@@ 122 5 shows the number of data points, which is missing in the above line No. Points: 0 because at the time of writing to the console it has not yet been available.

ctrl Z is not usable here in Linux, a patch to install ctrl D instead is being evaluated.