[Info-vax] Suggested DCL enhancement

[Tony Nicholson]

On Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 10:39:23 AM UTC+11, Jonathan wrote:
> On Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 8:40:53 AM UTC-5, Simon Clubley wrote: 
> > Here's an idea for a DCL enhancement: implement a control character that 
> > when typed causes DCL to dump all the valid options or keywords available 
> > at that point by reading from the CLD. 

[snip]

> TOPS had this forty years ago. Not bitter. Anymore.

Indeed it did.  Everything old is new again!!!

Remnants still exist and can be seen if you have Innosoft's
(now Process Software's) PMDF email system on OpenVMS
just type a '?' anywhere to see it - e.g.

$ pmdf mail
EMAIL> send ?
files to send
Optional group of input filenames, possibly containing wildcards.
-or-
Optional qualifier, must be chosen from:
 (1) /abort                Abort on any error
 (2) /bcc_list             Specify Bcc: (blind copy) recipients
 (3) /bcc_prompt           Prompt for Bcc: (blind copy) recipients
 (4) /block                Process input files in block mode
 (5) /cc_list              Specify Cc: (copy) recipients
 (6) /cc_prompt            Prompt for Cc: (copy) recipients
 (7) /comments             Set Comments: header to specified string
 (8) /confirm              Request confirmation before acting
 (9) /delay_warnings       Ask that delay notifications be returned
(10) /delivery_receipt     Request delivery receipt
(11) /digest               Include digest of selected messages
(12) /edit                 Invoke editor prior to sending
(13) /eightbit             Control use of eightbit in text files
(14) /encapsulate          Encapsulate input files as message parts
(15) /encoding             Apply specified encoding to input file
(16) /filename             Include file names as Content-Type parameters
(17) /foreign              Process input files in block mode
More?

etc...

Tony