[Info-vax] That's the way it worked in 26 bits! [was Re: Suggested DCL enhancement]

[Rich Alderson]

Simon Clubley <clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> writes:

> 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.
> 
> For example, typing:
> 
> 	$ show device <Ctrl-P>
> 
> where <Ctrl-P> is the control character, would result in a list of all
> the qualifiers (along with any optional arguments to the qualifiers)
> that can be used at that point. The CLD format could also be enhanced
> with a single-line help text per qualifier that would also be displayed
> as part of the output.
> 
> The output would also show that a parameter, labeled as (for example)
> "Device_Name", could be supplied at this point as well.
> 
> Likewise, typing:
> 
> 	$ show d<Ctrl-P>
> 
> (with no space between the "d" and the Ctrl-P) would show all the valid
> options beginning with "d" at that point.
> 
> Any comments ?

VMS Engineering will never go for it, because that's the way it works in the
TOPS-20 EXEC:  Type a ? to get possible follow-ons at any point in the command
line.  And what's more, any user mode program which uses the COMND% JSYS
("system call") gets exactly the same behavior.

But Bell's scions will never go for it...

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

(Hi, Clair!)

-- 
Rich Alderson					  news at alderson.users.panix.com
      Audendum est, et veritas investiganda; quam etiamsi non assequamur,
	  omnino tamen proprius, quam nunc sumus, ad eam perveniemus.
									--Galen