[Info-vax] DIR/DATE_FORMAT=DELTA ?

[Simon Clubley]

On 2012-01-09, Marc Van Dyck <marc.gr.vandyck at invalid.skynet.be> wrote:
> JF Mezei brought next idea :
>>
>> If <delta time> greater than X, then take some action.
>>
>> File not modified for X time, then archive it.
>> File not backed up for X time, then do a backup.
>>
>> However, since such activities are more likely done in a command
>> procedure, and command procedures can use f$file_attributes and then
>> F$CVTIME, that functionality is already there.
>
> I was about to say that.
>
> The output of the DIRECTORY command is basically the result of a
> F$SEARCH loop.
>
> Asking for times in delta format probably means that this output
> would get parsed afterwards for some kind of processing.
>
> This is a bad habit and should not be done unless unavoidable. Over
> the years, many lexical functions have been added to DCL in order
> to avoid output parsing in most situations. Parsing output files in
> DCL brings man back to Unix programming levels, a thing of the past ;-)
>

Of course, in Unix-land, you could just use find to get a list of matching
files. :-)

DCL has some nice capabilities, but so do Unix style shells. It would be
nice to see a CLI which mixed the best of both worlds.

(And as a bonus, in a Unix shell, you can also edit your long wrapped
command line while you are working on your one-line masterpiece. :-))

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Microsoft: Bringing you 1980s technology to a 21st century world