Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site redwood.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hpda!fortune!rhino!redwood!rpw3 From: rpw3@redwood.UUCP (Rob Warnock) Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: Re: use PS1 to give naive users a menu Message-ID: <129@redwood.UUCP> Date: Wed, 16-Jan-85 23:22:56 EST Article-I.D.: redwood.129 Posted: Wed Jan 16 23:22:56 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 21-Jan-85 03:36:08 EST References: <293@lsuc.UUCP> Organization: [Consultant], Foster City, CA Lines: 36 +--------------- | I've found that using the shell's prompt string (PS1) can be | a really easy way of giving computer-naive users a menu of | available commands, if the command set they need is very limited. | ... | PS1='Type "mail", "notes", "learntax" or "bye": ' | ...!lsuc!dave | ...!utcsrgv!lsuc!dave +--------------- (All of this set up in the poor user's ".profile", of course, or in /etc/profile for post-Sys-III.) You can go one farther: Many terminals have programmable function keys or at least function keys that can emit a legal UNIX filename with a, such as the Fortune System's <^A> ("letter" is "a" for f1, etc.), which is also the default for the Televideo terminals. You can make UNIX commands whose names are (say) "<^A>c" which can be run by hitting function key 3. ("Hey, don't be mean...") Then PS1 can have a clear-screen sequence in it, and cursor positioning stuff, and you can REALLY get a "menu" from a plain Bourne shell!!! And the function-key-commands can be shell scripts that do "read"s and interpret more function keys as sub-commands... And the user "escapes" to UNIX by typing UNIX commands! Amazing! (Try it... you'll gag! You may even use it!) Rob Warnock Systems Architecture Consultant UUCP: {ihnp4,ucbvax!dual}!fortune!redwood!rpw3 DDD: (415)572-2607 USPS: 510 Trinidad Lane, Foster City, CA 94404