[comp.os.vms] File selection capability for DCL commands

siegel@SCIVAX.STSCI.EDU ("HOWARD SIEGEL") (04/15/88)

I am writing some commands/programs to manipulate files and would like to
be able to perform the same selection functions that many VMS commands have
such as /BEFORE, /SINCE, /MODIFIED, /CREATED, /CONFIRM, etc.  I looked into
the fiche to see how these functions are implemented for some VMS commands
(DELETE, DIRECTORY, etc.) and came across the the following routines are used
to perform the file selection operation:

	LIB$QUAL_FILE_PARSE	Checks the command line for the file selection
				qualifiers and builds an internal database of
				the selection criteria.

	LIB$QUAL_FILE_MATCH	Compares a file specification against the
				stored selection criteria.

	LIB$QUAL_FILE_END	Cleans up and deallocates the memory for the
				internal selection criteria database.

These routines were in the fiche in the VMSLIB section (under the title
LIBCQUAL "Common File Qualifiers"), NOT in the LIBRTL section (as the names
imply).  They are not documented in the Run-Time Library Manual, nor are they
in SYS$LIBRARY:STARLET.OLB (nor any other library I could find).  Link maps
in the fiche show they came from a library called SYS$LIBRARY:SYSBLDLIB which
which implies (at least to me) that they are only available internally to DEC
for building VMS.

So my questions are:

	1) Are these routines available to the common user and where/how
	   can I make use of them so I don't have to reinvent the wheel?

	2) If they are truely not available at this time, when will they
	   be available for general consumption via the run-time library?
	   (DEC are you listnening???)

	3) Has anyone already reinvented this wheel?  Could the code be
	   made public domain?

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