[Info-vax] Suggestion: Adding a /SORT option to DIRECTORY and F$SEARCH ?

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 1/27/2022 3:39 AM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 1/26/2022 9:51 PM, dthi... at gmail.com wrote:
>>
>>> It would be nice to be able to see the output from a DIRECTORY command
>>> optionally sorted by one of largest size, smallest size, oldest date,
>>> newest date, etc.
>>
>> This sounds like a good opportunity for some community-contributed 
>> software (like the old DECUS Library).  :-))
>> IIRC, there have been modified directory-like program submissions in 
>> the past.
> 
> Nah, today's users want the vendor to do all the work ...

Not todays users in general.

But sometimes it seems like VMS users do.

>> Write a new program, DIRECTORY2 and a CLD file to do what you'd like 
>> the modified DIRECTORY to do, either using:
>>   1) Existing DIRECTORY source code from VSI, in whatever language 
>> it's written in, and enhance it the way you want, OR
>>   2) Create new program code in C, calling system routines to do the 
>> work.
> 
> Why C, when there are better languages?

RMS calls work in any native language.

But most below 40 only know C and/or C++ in that category.

:-(

>> Submit the new code to VSI.
>>
>> They can either use it as part of their new DIRECTORY baseline, or it 
>> can be put into the community source program.
> 
> I have a subroutine that acquires file information.  Limited at this 
> time, but easily modified to acquire additional information.  Such could 
> be a good beginning to a more general utility.  Available to all who ask.

For getting info about a file then many languages comes with
functionality for that including C, Python, Java etc..

Arne