IP menu

[Joe Mabel]

& for that matter there is nothing that stops us from making shell script 
files such as one with the name "copy" that prompts you appropriately, gets 
the arguments, then calls cp, etc.  You can add "friendly" commands to a 
unix shell.

-----Original Message-----
From:	Rod Clark [SMTP:bb615 at scn.org]
Sent:	Friday, May 28, 1999 12:36 PM
To:	Seattle Public Theater
Cc:	scn at scn.org; webmasters at scn.org
Subject:	Re: IP menu

Barb,

   Using the IP Menu is frustrating enough that something should
be done about it. The IP Menu was supposed to help with several
things, when the Information Providers didn't have access to the
Unix shell. (They all do, now.)

   First, display a handy menu to remind people of what
functions are available, and what the names of the commands are
to do them. Second, substitute some friendlier command names for
some of the Unix command names. Third, limit people to using a
basic set of commands that probably wouldn't mess things up too
badly when used from the menu (which does a little error
checking, etc.).

   All of the IPs can use the shell directly now. (Type "shell"
at the Your Choice --> prompt, and then type "exit" to go back
to the menus.) I wonder whether it might be better to make a
help screen that you could call up from the shell if and when
you need it (say, by typing "help") that would remind you of the
basic commands, but otherwise wouldn't be obtrusive.

   Maybe the IP Menu should be more of an introduction to using
the real Unix commands than it is now, instead of a complete
replacement for access to the Unix prompt. Generally speaking,
the real commands also work when you type them in on the IP
menu, even though they're not listed on the screen along with
the nicer English equivalents.

   So it might be better to add the underlying "cp", "mv", "rm",
"ls" syntax of the Unix commands onto the IP menu, instead of
using only the "copy", "move", "delete", "list" equivalents and
other made-up stuff that doesn't carry over when you go to the
shell.

   Would you be comfortable using the shell directly, if a
reasonable help screen, or set of help screens, were made
available? You'd have to type things like

   cp some.file /web/arts/spt

   instead of typing "copy" and then following the prompts that
come up asking for the file name and the destination.

Rod

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