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From: cjp@vax135.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Democracy in Action (for K keys: more pattern matching flames)
Message-ID: <1710@vax135.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Dec-86 18:46:06 EST
Article-I.D.: vax135.1710
Posted: Mon Dec 29 18:46:06 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Dec-86 04:38:44 EST
References: <1108@spice.cs.cmu.edu> <1696@vax135.UUCP> <1966@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> <1702@vax135.UUCP> <2062@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: cjp@vax135.UUCP (Charles Poirier)
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 55
Summary: Glob confirmation

In article <2062@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> mwm@eris.BERKELEY.EDU (Mike (Don't have strength to leave) Meyer) writes:
>Sure. I've been bouncing some ideas for a new shell around (it'll do
>the filename expansion - but only so the user can control it!
...
>instance, I type an argument, possibly incomplete, possible with
>patterns in it. Not sure what to do next, so I hit the HELP key (for
>example only - other keys may apply here!). The shell then pattern
>matches what I've typed against the correct universe to generate a
>list of names. It opens a requestor with all the names displayed, plus
>an "OK" gadget. I select the files I want with the mouse (or via other
>technics; something like the Dpaint II stencil requester comes to
>mind...), then hit OK. The shell subs in all my selections, and we go
>on to the next argument.

I like the idea of feedback and confirmation of the expansion.  I'd
prefer something besides a requester.  How about expanding the glob
right into the command line, which could then be edited a' la ksh?  Or
for mouser types, make the expanded command line mouse-sensitive per
word, say maybe click to delete?  Also -- for those times when the
globbing turned out really wrong, you might want an "unglob" key to
give you back the unexpanded form.  Then you edit the glob and
re-expand.

I use globbing for completion as much as for multiple filenames, for
the sake of speed.  Having to switch from keyboard to mouse and back to
handle a requester is a minus.

A related point -- the "expand" option should be a character that you
can put into a text file, so that globbing is available from inside
shell scripts.  (I don't know whether HELP is mapped into ascii --
probably not.)

>Likewise, the history mechanism could be run through the shell (I've
>actually seen a demo of this!).

Not sure what you mean here.  Are you familiar with history under ksh?

>In summary, it's not the question of pattern matching, or filename
>expansion, or whatever. It's the design philosophy of the shell.
>[Not to insult CBM/Amiga, but the Workbench is *NOT* a shell. It's
>something else again....]
>
>