jdpeek@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Jerry Peek) (10/22/89)
I'm writing a program and I've got a question about the command line syntax for invoking it. The program, "zrefile", moves MH Mail messages in and out of an archive file. The user has to give the archive filename on the command line. Other MH programs use "+foldername" and "@foldername" on the command line. I'd like to use the same style, but a different marker character for the archive file than "+" or "@". I want this program to work from as many shells as possible, and not conflict with some upcoming standard. So, for instance, I can't use "!archivename" on the command line because csh treats !xxx as a history event. So, I'm looking for marker characters to use that don't confuse ANY shell. They should not need quoting. I've got four ideas: % : _ = For example, if the archive is named "archivename", a user might type: zrefile 1 3 5 %archivename or zrefile 1 3 5 :archivename I'd rather not use a "required flag" like "-a archivename". Opinions, anybody? Thanks a lot. --Jerry Peek; Syracuse University Academic Computing Services; Syracuse, NY jdpeek@rodan.acs.syr.edu///JDPEEK@SUVM.BITNET///GEnie: J.PEEK1 +1 315 443-3995