Re: [PATCH] Add nofirstword completion option

[Chet Ramey]

On 5/18/18 7:06 AM, Luca Boccassi wrote:
> Network operating systems traditionally have provided a command
> line interface with "operation mode" and "configuration mode", with
> different auto-completion behaviour - specifically, with a small set
> of supported commands that are printed using the auto-completion
> shortcut key, depending on the mode.
> In order to be able to implement such modes using Bash, Linux and Free
> Software, it's necessary to be able to optionally disable
> auto-completion on the first word, so that the relevant help text
> (depending on the mode) can be printed on the console instead.
> Add and document a nofirstword completion option to implement this
> feature.

I don't like this, and don't see it as having much general use. If this
functionality is required, I would rather see it implemented as a
programmable completion mode (and a new option to `complete') that can be
used to auto-complete command names.

Chet

-- 
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
                 ``Ars longa, vita brevis'' - Hippocrates
Chet Ramey, UTech, CWRU    chet@case.edu    http://tiswww.cwru.edu/~chet/