Fixed multi-line alias issue

[TimButterfield]

My alias file has some that are multi-line. Here is one example:

 clearrecent= & ^
    iff %@len[%RecentPath] GT 0 then & ^
       del /q "%RecentPath\*.lnk" & ^
       cls & ^
    endiff

All my my aliases in the file that start with ...= & ^ are no longer being loaded by alias /r. Other aliases in the file, even after these, are loaded as expected.

ver /r
TCC 16.00.30 Windows 7 [Version 6.1.7601]

 

[vefatica]

I can comfirm this. With v15, all's well.

v:\> ver

TCC  15.01.58  Windows 7 [Version 6.1.7601]

v:\> tail /n2 h:\ShrDump\alias.sav
zz=echo foo & ^
echo bar

v:\> alias /r h:\ShrDump\alias.sav

v:\> alias | tail /n1
zz=echo foo & echo bar

v:\> zz
foo
bar

v:\> unalias zz

With v16 ...

v:\> ver

TCC  16.00.30  Windows 7 [Version 6.1.7601]

v:\> tail /n2 h:\ShrDump\alias.sav
zz=echo foo & ^
echo bar

v:\> alias /r h:\ShrDump\alias.sav

v:\> alias | tail /n1
echo=bar

v:\> alias zz
TCC: Not an alias "zz"

 

[vefatica]

And "FUNCTION /R" exhibits similar behavior. Comparing v16 to v15 ...

v:\> ver

TCC  16.00.30  Windows 7 [Version 6.1.7601]

v:\> type h:\ShrDump\Function.sav
zz=%@right[^
3,foobar]

v:\> function /r h:\ShrDump\Function.sav

v:\> function
TCC: No functions defined

v:\> ver

TCC  15.01.58  Windows 7 [Version 6.1.7601]

v:\> type h:\ShrDump\Function.sav
zz=%@right[^
3,foobar]

v:\> function /r h:\ShrDump\Function.sav

v:\> function
zz=%@right[3,foobar]

v:\> echo %@zz[]
bar

 

[keithg1964]

Why not just put the alias on a single line:

clearrecent=iff %@len[%RecentPath] GT 0 then & del /q "%RecentPath\*.lnk" & cls & endiff

 

[TimButterfield]

Why not just put the alias on a single line:

clearrecent=iff %@len[%RecentPath] GT 0 then & del /q "%RecentPath\*.lnk" & cls & endiff

I do combine the lines sometimes. For my OP, I used a relatively simple 'real' example. There are much longer aliases with multiple nested blocks. The more lines there are, the easier it is to read/edit when those lines are separated.

 

[vefatica]

Tim, what is the point of starting the alias with '&'?

 

[TimButterfield]

Tim, what is the point of starting the alias with '&'?

It's just visual, allowing the iff/endiff to align. I started doing that when I began nesting blocks and liked the extra readability.

 

[rconn]

And "FUNCTION /R" exhibits similar behavior.

Not surprising, since ALIAS /R and FUNCTION /R are the same routine.

 

[vefatica]

Not surprising, since ALIAS /R and FUNCTION /R are the same routine.

I thought that might be the case and that's why I tested FUNCTION. ... just trying to be helpful.

 

[Steve Fabian]

Yes, multiline may be more readable, but I always* figured that overly complex aliases ought to be batch files. Furthermore, when there is neither elseiff nor else branch I normally use a simple if and - if needed - a command group in parentheses, which are easily discernible by the eye.
"Always*" - not in 4DOS days, just since drives became very fast and very efficiently buffered, or when I could use a virtual disk in internal storage.

Rex, what about the issue of multiline aliases not loading with alias /r without /z?

 

[TimButterfield]

"Always*" - not in 4DOS days, just since drives became very fast and very efficiently buffered, or when I could use a virtual disk in internal storage.

Some of these date back to 4DOS and, when a pattern is set, the next variation may follow that pattern. I typically use an alias if it does not set any internal environment variables or if any nested commands are not also externally used and might work better as a gosub.

 

[Stefano Piccardi]

Rex, you marked this issue fixed. I tested v. 16.00.32 but I'm still having problems. The following fragment from my alias file ends up redefining ECHO

file.p2clip=^
*echo %@full[%@if[0 == %@len[%@path[%1]],%_cwd\]%@filename[%1]] >clip:

 

[rconn]

Rex, you marked this issue fixed. I tested v. 16.00.32 but I'm still having problems. The following fragment from my alias file ends up redefining ECHO

file.p2clip=^
*echo %@full[%@if[0 == %@len[%@path[%1]],%_cwd\]%@filename[%1]] >clip:

That works fine here. Do you have any trailing whitespace on the first line?

 

[Stefano Piccardi]

Meanwhile I have switched to another PC and it is working now. So, maybe earlier today I had not properly reset the environment after upgrading from build 30 to build 32. I'll let you know if it happens again. Thanks.