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From: btb@ncoast.UUCP (Brad Banko)
Newsgroups: comp.org.decus
Subject: Re: making VMS better... filelist specification generalization
Message-ID: <1823@ncoast.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 14-Dec-86 23:48:56 EST
Article-I.D.: ncoast.1823
Posted: Sun Dec 14 23:48:56 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Dec-86 05:24:17 EST
References: <1784@ncoast.UUCP> <873@aicchi.UUCP>
Reply-To: btb@ncoast.UUCP (Brad Banko)
Organization: Cleveland Public Access UNIX, Cleveland, OH
Lines: 35

Since posting the original question/suggestion, I have learned that
@filespec is acceptable to some commands, but the file format is not
compatible with the output of :

	dir/nohead/notail/output=file ...

or 	search/window=0/output=file ...

which each produce a list of filespecs, each on a separate line (i.e.,

		filspec1
		filespec2...

	which, as far as I know, is not compatible with the @filespec
that some commands already accept... what these commands expect is a
@file that has exactly what you would type yourself, e.g.,

	search @file, where file=

	searchfilespec1,searchfilespec2,... pattern list

	or:

	searchfilespec1, searchfilespec2,... -
	pattern list...

	The file indirection doesn't supplement the command parameter
list, it replaces it.  (sigh! DEC!)



-- 
			Brad Banko
			...!decvax!cwruecmp!ncoast!btb
			Cleveland, Ohio