[Info-vax] Radical command line suggestion

[Matthew H McKenzie]

The AWS CLI also does this so other great minds agree.

"David Froble" <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote in message 
news:me8gks$mgn$1 at dont-email.me...
> JF Mezei wrote:
>> Since I have never been accused of being normal, I am allowed wacky
>> ideas from time to time...
>
> One doesn't necessarily allow the other ...
>
>> In ios (the cisco one), typing ? on the command line gives you list of
>> options at this point of entering command:
>>
>> router1(config)#ip access ?
>>   extended    Extended Access List
>>   log-update  Control access list log updates
>>   logging     Control access list logging
>>   resequence  Resequence Access List
>>   standard    Standard Access List
>>
>> router1(config)#ip access
>>
>> so you can then continue to enter command .
>>
>> Imagine if DCLTABLES.EXE had a short description for each qualifier, it
>> should theoretically be possible for DCL to give you a list of valid
>> arguments and qualifiers along with short explanation  based on what you
>> have entered so far.
>>
>> And say you are on a decterm, pressing some special key could pop up a
>> window where the command's full pedigree would be available and you
>> could click on whaver options you wanted with the display adapting as
>> you go along. ( so "delele" followed by the key would pop up a DELETE
>> window along with options such as  file, /QUEUE, /ENTRY, etc. You click
>> on file, and you then get a place to enter text for filename(s), as well
>> as qualifiers for command and for each file (if applicable)
>>
>>
>> This would be a really great tool for command you don't use often, and
>> especially for newbies.
>>
>> For all the discussions about DCL needing a rework, one thing VMS has
>> that unix doesn't is that the DCL command line knows about commands due
>> to DCLTABLES.exe and can help you enter such commands.
>>
>> You have this very long command and hate the terminal driver's inability
>> to wrap properly ? press that key and you get the pop up window where
>> the command is all there and you can then easily modify infividual
>> items/qualifiers in the command because they are all broken  out on
>> their own fields/lines.
>>
>>
>>
>
> Visual Basic has something like this.  Enter the name of a control, and a 
> dot, and start on a property, enter tab, and it will complete the 
> property, or, you can also get a list of valid properties, use the arrows 
> to traverse the list, and hit <CR> (or maybe Tab) to select an item. 
> Can't remember details, it's been a while ....
>
> But, the proper thing for VMS would be to use the help library.  This 
> would do several things.  For one, there would be only one place the help 
> comes from, avoiding the possibility of mis-matched help.  Also, it's 
> already there.
>
> Of course, this means that the CLI knows what you're typing before you hit 
> <CR>.  You might want this on a development system, but, do you want to 
> eat valuable CPU cycles on a production system?  Should not be doing much 
> weird stuff on a production system, it should be tested elsewhere, and 
> anything not normal is "weird stuff" on a production system.
>