[Info-vax] Filename completion, was: Re: VMS Features I Wish Linux Had

[Jan-Erik Soderholm]

Den 2016-06-10 kl. 22:14, skrev Paul Sture:
> On 2016-06-10,
> Simon Clubley <clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> wrote:
>> On 2016-06-10, John E. Malmberg <wb8tyw at qsl.net_work> wrote:
>>>
>>> One issue with the VMS terminal line editing is because it is handled in
>>> the driver, it does not have access to the filesystem to allow it to do
>>> filename completion.
>>>
>>
>> That's easy enough to fix with some enhancements. Assume you want to
>> emulate the bash tab completion model which is the most elegant way
>> I've come across so far. One suggestion (which would have to be turned
>> on by the caller (ie: the shell/CLI) as required):
>>
>> Make the Tab an input termination character and pass back to the caller
>> the fact that Tab was pressed _and_ the position in the input line it
>> was pressed at. This position is basically a one-dimensional cursor.
>>
>> The shell/CLI calls a lib$expand_filenames with the line and cursor
>> position within the line. It fills in whatever unique characters it
>> can, modifies the cursor position in the line as required and passes
>> back to the caller a list of matching filenames so the caller can
>> display them to the user.
>>
>> The shell/CLI then issues a new read to VMS with the modified line and
>> cursor position within the line and the user then carries on typing.
>>
>> For this to work properly, the VMS terminal driver needs the ability
>> to edit across lines, including the ability to move back up a line on
>> the screen so that when there's only one matching filename the visual
>> effect is that the full filename is inserted and any text to the right
>> of the line cursor is scrolled to the right, including across any line
>> boundaries as required.
>>
>> Don't forget that you may type in a command line (or recall it) and
>> then go and change a filename within the middle of the command line.
>> The above scheme handles that and gives you terminal driver editing
>> _and_ filename completion.
>>
>
> In addition to your well thought out reply...
>
>  UUIDs are also a candidate for command completion:
>
> <https://marclop.svbtle.com/smartos#vmadmd_2>
>
> "Most commands operate on VMs by UUID. In SmartOS, there are included
> bash tab-completion rules so that you can tab-complete UUIDs rather than
> having to type them out for every command."
>
> Demo:
>
> # vmadm list
> UUID                                  TYPE  RAM STATE    ALIAS
> 8ae7996e-1f9b-49ee-b0af-1650b2ecdd6f  OS    256 running  datasets1
> 6bca0a13-b994-4946-bcf0-477da87396fc  OS    512 running  pysci
> ...
>
>
> # vmadm stop 8a<TAB>
>
> autocompletes to give:
>
> # vmadm stop 8ae7996e-1f9b-49ee-b0af-1650b2ecdd6f
>
> It's invaluable when working on a physical console without copy
> and paste functionality.
>

What kind of console is/was that? LA120? Why would one *not* use
a console through a terminal emulator of some kind *today*?

In PuTTY it is just a double-click + right-click and the UUID is
copied into the command line. Same with filenames, it is very easy
to point to a filename and get it into the command line.