Problem with aliases

[Jim Cook]

TCC 10.00.60 Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
TCC Build 60 Windows XP Build 2600 Service Pack 3

Empty tcmd.ini and tcstart.btm

When I make an alias that contains multiple commands and "the rest" of
the parameters and try to redirect the output, the redirected output
is just part of the alias.

How can I redirect everything that the alias outputs?

[D:\]alias foo `(echo all="%1$" %+ echo first="%1")`

[D:\]foo a b
all="a b"
first="a"

[D:\]foo a b > test.txt
all="a b > test.txt"
first="a"

[D:\]dir /k /m test.txt
TCC: (Sys) The system cannot find the file specified.
"D:\test.txt"

[D:\]foo > test.txt
all="> test.txt"
first=">"

[D:\]foo
all=""
first=""

--
Jim Cook
2009 Saturdays: 4/4, 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12 and 5/9, 9/5, 7/11, 11/7.
Next year they're Sunday.

 

[samintz]

If you know ahead of time how many arguments you will have you could
append the magical %n$ to the end of the alias.

Otherwise, make the alias a script file instead. You probably won't
notice a speed difference.

-Scott

Jim Cook <> wrote on 03/17/2009 12:35:13 PM:

> TCC 10.00.60 Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
> TCC Build 60 Windows XP Build 2600 Service Pack 3
>
> Empty tcmd.ini and tcstart.btm
>
> When I make an alias that contains multiple commands and "the rest" of
> the parameters and try to redirect the output, the redirected output
> is just part of the alias.
>
> How can I redirect everything that the alias outputs?
>
> [D:\]alias foo `(echo all="%1$" %+ echo first="%1")`
>
> [D:\]foo a b
> all="a b"
> first="a"
>
> [D:\]foo a b > test.txt
> all="a b > test.txt"
> first="a"
>
> [D:\]dir /k /m test.txt
> TCC: (Sys) The system cannot find the file specified.
> "D:\test.txt"
>
> [D:\]foo > test.txt
> all="> test.txt"
> first=">"
>
> [D:\]foo
> all=""
> first=""
>
> --
> Jim Cook
> 2009 Saturdays: 4/4, 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12 and 5/9, 9/5, 7/11, 11/7.
> Next year they're Sunday.
>
>
>
>
>
>

 

[Jim Cook]

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 10:10 AM, samintz <> wrote:

> If you know ahead of time how many arguments you will have you could
> append the magical %n$ to the end of the alias.

I do not know how many arguments, hence the %n$ syntax is exactly my
problem when used as %2$ the way I need. My alias uses the first
argument for one thing, and anything else, if specified, as optional
arguments to another command.

I may have to convert to a .BTM file -- thanks for the suggestion.

--
Jim Cook
2009 Saturdays: 4/4, 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12 and 5/9, 9/5, 7/11, 11/7.
Next year they're Sunday.

 

[dcantor]

TCC 10.00.60 Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
TCC Build 60 Windows XP Build 2600 Service Pack 3

Empty tcmd.ini and tcstart.btm

When I make an alias that contains multiple commands and "the rest" of
the parameters and try to redirect the output, the redirected output
is just part of the alias.

How can I redirect everything that the alias outputs?

[D:\]alias foo `(echo all="%1$" %+ echo first="%1")`

[D:\]foo a b
all="a b"
first="a"

[D:\]foo a b > test.txt
all="a b > test.txt"
first="a"

[D:\]dir /k /m test.txt
TCC: (Sys) The system cannot find the file specified.
"D:\test.txt"

[D:\]foo > test.txt
all="> test.txt"
first=">"

[D:\]foo
all=""
first=""

This looks strange to me, but I found that an extra pair of parentheses works:

> (foo a b) > test.txt

> type test.txt
all="a b"
first="a"

Also, it works the same way whether there are parentheses as part of the alias or not.

 

[Jim Cook]

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 10:44 AM, dcantor <> wrote:

> This looks strange to me, but I found that an extra pair of parentheses works:
>
>> (foo a b) > test.txt

That's at least a reasonable work-around.

It really looks like a bug in the alias expansion, though. I don't
think that %1 (etc.) ever ought to match the redirection symbol or
filename.

--
Jim Cook
2009 Saturdays: 4/4, 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12 and 5/9, 9/5, 7/11, 11/7.
Next year they're Sunday.

 

[samintz]

Oh yeah... I remember doing that once...

It's a pain the butt to remember though, especially if you don't use it
often and/or your fingers type on auto-pilot like mine tend to do at
times.

-Scott


dcantor <> wrote on 03/17/2009 01:44:52 PM:

> ---Quote (Originally by Jim Cook)---
> TCC 10.00.60 Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
> TCC Build 60 Windows XP Build 2600 Service Pack 3
>
> Empty tcmd.ini and tcstart.btm
>
> When I make an alias that contains multiple commands and "the rest" of
> the parameters and try to redirect the output, the redirected output
> is just part of the alias.
>
> How can I redirect everything that the alias outputs?
>
> [D:\]alias foo `(echo all="%1$" %+ echo first="%1")`
>
> [D:\]foo a b
> all="a b"
> first="a"
>
> [D:\]foo a b > test.txt
> all="a b > test.txt"
> first="a"
>
> [D:\]dir /k /m test.txt
> TCC: (Sys) The system cannot find the file specified.
> "D:\test.txt"
>
> [D:\]foo > test.txt
> all="> test.txt"
> first=">"
>
> [D:\]foo
> all=""
> first=""
> ---End Quote---
>
> This looks strange to me, but I found that an extra pair of parentheses

works:

>
> > (foo a b) > test.txt
>
> > type test.txt
> all="a b"
> first="a"
>
> Also, it works the same way whether there are parentheses as part of
> the alias or not.
>
>
>
>

 

[Steve Fabian]

samintz wrote:
| Oh yeah... I remember doing that once...
|
| It's a pain the butt to remember though, especially if you don't use
| it often and/or your fingers type on auto-pilot like mine tend to do
| at
| times.

I often redirect the output of FOR and GLOBAL, thus I had learned long ago
that it works properly only if the whole command to be redirected is
parenthesized, e.g.:

( GLOBAL work-command ) > target

( FOR %xxx IN (*) DO command ) > target

which is documented in these commands' respective help topics. It is not a
surprise that some complicated aliases require the same approach.
--
Steve