To: opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net
Subject: Re: [opendos] Wishlist v2.0 
Message-ID: <19970315.211912.7879.6.chambersb@juno.com>
References: <Pine DOT GSO DOT 3 DOT 95 DOT 970315152917 DOT 15593E-100000 AT sparkie DOT gnofn DOT org>
From: chambersb AT juno DOT com (Benjamin D Chambers)
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 1997 00:14:42 EST
Sender: owner-opendos AT mail DOT tacoma DOT net
Precedence: bulk


On Sat, 15 Mar 1997 15:34:32 -0600 (CST) "Colin W. Glenn"
<cwg01 AT gnofn DOT org> writes:
>On Sat, 15 Mar 1997, Evan Dickinson wrote:
>> I'd imagine this would probably break compatibility with older 
>programs
>> that search the path.  The easiest fix would be a batch file like 
>this:
>> set oldpath=path
>> set path=something without wildcards
>> oldprgram
>> set path=oldpath
>> set oldpath=
>> 
>> But I would prefer to see a more elegant solution.  Ideas anyone?
>
>set syspath=(path with wildcards)
>
>And automatically, the OS would also make a PATH environment, either 
>with
>full expansion, or first match expansion.  Optionally, NOT have the OS 
>do
>anything, and you use the commands:
>
>setex path=syspath   \\ blows up every match
>setnx path=syspath   \\ only includes first match.
>
>Of course you realize that this would still be a buster, there'll soon
>crop up people crying, 'I have a 2k environment and it won't hold my 
>full
>path!' thanks to full processing of wildcards, ie syspath=c:*;

Idea: (OMIGOSH, HE HAS A MIND!!!)
Let the path be stored something like:
set  syspath=c:\dos\utils\*;
set->syspath=c:\dos\utils\system;

If the call is made the standard DOS way, it returns the second one
(could be used for default), but if a flag is set (or something) it'll
expand the first one and return that.

Can't you increase the environment to any size you want? (I think it's
/e:??? on the shell=c.c line).

...Chambers