Topic: Too Much Typing - Hotkeys?

[Black]

cp /etc/e-smith/templates/etc//etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/ over and over..


mkdir -p /etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/smb.conf
/sbin/e-smith/expand-template /etc/smb.conf

Has anyone made any hotkeys for these? Does it seem like with version 7 it's even getting worse?

example:

standard in linux is service XXXX restart

Now their making it: /etc/rc7.d/S85httpd-e-smith restart OR runsvctrl t /service/httpd-e-smith.

How in the world this makes it any more "easy" is beyond me. I fear their taking this system down a more complex road then it should be.

[gordonr]

cp /etc/e-smith/templates/etc//etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/ over and over..

mkdir -p /etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/smb.conf
/sbin/e-smith/expand-template /etc/smb.conf

Well...you are playing under the covers. If you need to do this, please document the changes so that someone can merge it back into the main stream and it can be built into RPMs which means nobody needs to type this.

Has anyone made any hotkeys for these?

TAB completion works nicely for me from the shell.

Does it seem like with version 7 it's even getting worse?

No, I believe it's much cleaner, with far less magic and far less code.

example:

standard in linux is service XXXX restart

Now their making it: /etc/rc7.d/S85httpd-e-smith restart OR runsvctrl t /service/httpd-e-smith.

The "service" command works in 7.0alpha. In any case, the services are automatically started/restarted by the events called from the manager without resorting to shell access.

How in the world this makes it any more "easy" is beyond me. I fear their taking this system down a more complex road then it should be.

I disagree - we've made the system much cleaner under the covers in 7.0alpha. Anyway, the developer's list is the place to discuss this sort of thing.

P.S. Would you be able to phrase your questions without the attack?

[MSmith]

ANNOYING GRAMMARIAN SPEAKS!

Black, you are contributing to the degeneration of written English by confusing "their" with "they're" (the contraction of "they are").  This is the same error that leads to "your" when "you're" is intended.

Now back to your regularly scheduled technical discussion.

[raem]

Black

> Has anyone made any hotkeys for these?

You could make series of script shortcuts with the commonly used commands in them. Then you only need to type 2 or 3 letters as appropriate eg . smb or similar.

[raem]

gordonr

> TAB completion works nicely for me from the shell.

Gordon, could you please elaborate a little on how that works for those of us who don't know

Thanks
Ray

[Black]

gordonr once again on behalf of the forum thanks for all your help.

[duncan]

Whats wrong with "cut & paste"? Works fine in putty.

[warren]

People always ask / say when mentioning Linux / Unix ect : All those commands to type ......
after about 8 years i've become quite proficient at touch typing    You've gotta love the command line!
Warren

[Black]

Hey man i love the command line just as much as you do but mkdir -p /etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/smb.conf
/sbin/e-smith/expand-template /etc/smb.conf

is zzz I like the "Panel" but even that is not as feature rich as just going to the program you want and editing the config files.

I dont know, I guess the whole "copy files from linux /etc directory, make them fragments, place them in /etc templates directory, make user create fragments in /templates-custom dir, expand said template to update configuration file that changes said linux /etc files is getting to me because the documentation is scattered all over the place and i'm used to going step by step.. unlike a linux "howto" that leaves you scratching yer head like this does..arrgg.....

[gordonr]

Hey man i love the command line just as much as you do but mkdir -p /etc/e-smith/templates-custom/etc/smb.conf
/sbin/e-smith/expand-template /etc/smb.conf

is zzz I like the "Panel" but even that is not as feature rich as just going to the program you want and editing the config files.

So, improve the panels to add the features. However, keep in mind that the panels are there to simplify the server management for the typical untrained local admin - there are intentionally less knobs available in the manager than in the raw configuration files.

The design underneath allows us the hide the complexity of the configuration files and services, while allowing for the complex custom changes for those who need them.

I dont know, I guess the whole "copy files from linux /etc directory, make them fragments, place them in /etc templates directory, make user create fragments in /templates-custom dir, expand said template to update configuration file that changes said linux /etc files is getting to me because the documentation is scattered all over the place and i'm used to going step by step.. unlike a linux "howto" that leaves you scratching yer head like this does..arrgg.....

I think you're missing the point that this is the system design - we want a guaranteed configuration and it's much easier to generate a configuration file from templates than it is to attempt to parse and modify in-place a huge number of varied format configuration files. In that direction lies madness.

The regular (and deep) directory structure is designed to make the code simpler and make customisation possible in a regular manner.

If you need to do it more than once, roll the changes into an RPM. Then you never have to do it again and everyone can benefit.

Yes, the developer documentation is lacking and needs to be improved. It is a matter of time and there aren't enough hours in the day. Feel like pulling the developer documentation together?

[gordonr]

gordonr once again on behalf of the forum thanks for all your help.

No worries - happy to help. Thanks for taking the time to say thanks. Don't get exasperated, ask why. There's usually a reason.

[gordonr]

gordonr

> TAB completion works nicely for me from the shell.

Gordon, could you please elaborate a little on how that works for those of us who don't know

Try this:

Code: [Select]

cd /etc/e-smith/te<TAB>

They type an 'm', press <TAB> again

Then type a '-', press <TAB> again

Then type a 'c', press <TAB> again

Now try this one:

Code: [Select]

cd /e<TAB>e-<TAB>/t<TAB>m<TAB>/e<TAB>sm.<TAB>

The completion set is configured to handle the SME Server directories, including /sbin/e-smith and the templates directories.

Also worth reading is some good documentation on shell metacharacters and variables, for example !$. "man bash" is a reasonable, though somewhat cryptic, start. "info bash" is much more complete (though I hate the info format).

[Boris]

You can configure the bash shell with aliases of often used commands. It let you to type short alias instead of long commands. Read up on bash configuration.

[Black]

Yes, the developer documentation is lacking and needs to be improved. It is a matter of time and there aren't enough hours in the day. Feel like pulling the developer documentation together?

Sure I wouldn't mind at all as long as I got the ear of someone who can explain "matter of fact" and why A =B etc...questions. I dont document things to make people question it like you would those linux "howto's that most dont get"

IMO there are gaps in the docs on this site that need correcting.

[gordonr]

Sure I wouldn't mind at all as long as I got the ear of someone who can explain "matter of fact" and why A =B etc...questions. I dont document things to make people question it like you would those linux "howto's that most dont get"

I am happy to explain as long as someone can pull it together into documentation. But mailing lists are far more efficient than web forums for this sort of thing.

Start off by joining the docteam and devinfo and putting your hand up to collate the developers doco:

http://no.longer.valid/phpwiki/index.php?Mailing%20Lists

The best place to ask the questions is the devinfo list - then all of the developers have a chance to answer and see the responses. If you could collate them, that would be great. Put them up on the Wiki so it can be kept fresh.

Please try to send one question per mail so that it is a simple question/answer which can be collated without having to disentangle intertwined threads.

IMO there are gaps in the docs on this site that need correcting.

Not just your opinion, I'm sure. Many of the documents are now very old and describe the system a few years back. It has become a whole lot cleaner and more regular since then.

Thanks for offering to pull this together.

[kruhm]

Also, if you are using the same commands in a row frequently, you could just press the up arrow key (or down arrow key if you've gone too far).

It remembers the last 100 or so command lines.

especially good when you have to 'cp' a template then 'cd' to it.

[raem]

gordonr

> The completion set is configured to handle the SME > Server directories, including /sbin/e-smith and
> the templates directories.

Thanks Gordon, that's neat and useful