From: ebachalo AT cygnus DOT com (Eric Bachalo)
Subject: -@file
31 Mar 1998 00:26:08 -0800
Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19980327165646.009cc180.cygnus.cygwin32.developers@pop.cygnus.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
To: cygwin32-developers AT cygnus DOT com
Cc: fgeers AT cygnus DOT com


I checked in my -@file implementation.  I thought I should explain the
functionality.  (Frederick, this functionality will be in 98R1).

-@file is a general command option that will work with all programs that
are dependent on the cywin32.dll.  Simply stated the file named after the
-@ symbol is inserted into the command line.

The command 'echo -@foo' will echo the contents of the file foo to the screen.

If for some reason you wish the echo the text -@foo to the screen you can
execute the command 'echo \-@foo'.  The \ acts as an escape character.

This option is mainly to get around the 127 character limit on the dos
prompt in Win95.  In a UNIX shell you could use `cat foo`.   However one
advantage of the -@file command is that if the file you name can have
another -@file command in its contents and that file will also be inserted
into the command line.


Some Examples:

FILES: content

foo1: Hi from foo1.

foo2: Hi from foo2.

foo3: Hi from foo3. -@foo2 -@foo1

bad:  -@bad

fast_bad: (a lot of text) -@fast_bad


> echo -@foo1
Hi from foo1.

> echo \-@foo1
-@foo1

> echo -a AT foo1
-a AT foo1

> echo -a -@foo1
-a Hi from foo1.

> echo -@foo3
Hi from foo3. Hi from foo2. Hi from foo1.

> echo -@bad
-@file: file access ERROR - bad

> echo -@fast_bad
-@file : out of memory ERROR



Best Regards,

Eric Bachalo