Re: [MSH] MSH Not So Great For Interactive Users

Neville Bagnall wrote:

Any app in windows that opens a console (a tty) and uses the high level IO functions gets basic commandline editing features. They don't have to implement it themselves. The functionality is implemented within the Win32 API itself, not in an add on library or in the application. The keystrokes involved date back to the earliest versions of DOS in some cases, but primarily aim for compatibility with DOSKEY, which dates from DOS 5.0 iirc. 

I was aware of all this. I should have made it clear that
I wasn't talking about arrow key editing but rather command
line editing and substitution done via syntactic operators.

There is nothing to stop an app implementing vi, emacs or CUA keystrokes, and in fact some (such as *sh ports) do. http://www.coldie.net/project/jamsh is a MSH host that uses the GNU readline library and is probably a lot closer to what you are looking for - MSH with vi or emacs keystrokes. 

You're right. I wasn't aware of this project. I need to study
it to see how it works. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

The Monad Team had to make a choice, integrate and ship in Exchange 12 with the current cmdline UI, or improve the cmdline UI and hope for another ship vehicle. I think they made the right choice. 

I have no problem with this - having been a developer before
I understand, and sympathize, with issues like this.

Its my personal hope that when they do improve things for V2, that they will actually improve the Console (tty) itself, rather than just the MSH application. That way other console applications can benefit from the improvements. 

I agree 100%. It's funny that console mode hasn't changed very
much since NT 3.1 days (with a few exceptions, such as filename
completion). One big step in the right direction was the commitment
that everything that can be done from a GUI can now be done
from the command line.

I very much appreciate everyone's contributions to this
topic.

Cordially,

--
Jon Forrest
forrest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Computer Resources Manager
Civil and Environmental Engineering Dept.
305 Davis Hall
Univ. of Calif., Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1710
510-642-0904
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: [MSH] Bug: cut & paste with tabs
    ... implemented in Windows by a subsystem instead of in a user mode library like ... automatically gets essentially the same command line editing behaviour. ... > So this means that MSH actually invokes the cmd.exe shell? ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.scripting)
  • Re: [MSH] MSH Not So Great For Interactive Users
    ... console apps get command line editing for free when they read ... integrated the GNU readline stuff into an msh host. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.scripting)
  • Re: [MSH] Tab Completion
    ... using MSH and find it very silly that to lookup a command I ... Hopefully a future version will greatly enhance the command line editing ... there in the community that provide additional features like better ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.scripting)
  • RE: Insert a Record?
    ... Use the old INSERT command. ... VFP 3.0 Help file: ... The new record is then displayed for editing. ... In Visual FoxPro, INSERT cannot be used on a table in a database that has ...
    (microsoft.public.fox.helpwanted)
  • Re: Question about write a simple shell : how to output resoult to tty correctly
    ... std::cout to do your command I/O. ... "raw" mode to allow you to override the built-in editing. ... may be just too lazy to study "tty" it self. ...
    (comp.unix.programmer)