Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!munnari!murdu!u3369429
From: u3369429@murdu.OZ (Michael Bednarek)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Getting DCL prompt within program
Message-ID: <1337@murdu.OZ>
Date: 18 Jan 88 23:56:15 GMT
References: <248*l_andenes@avh.unit.uninett> <1223@nmtsun.nmt.edu>
Followup-To: comp.os.vms
Organization: I.A.E.S.R., Melbourne University
Lines: 60
Summary: why?

In article <1223@nmtsun.nmt.edu> hydrovax@nmtsun.nmt.edu (M. Warner Losh) writes:
>In article <248*l_andenes@avh.unit.uninett>, l_andenes%avh.unit.uninett@TOR.NTA.NO (Leiv Arild Andenes) writes:
>> I wonder if anyone out there could tell me if there exists a system
>> (or Run Time Library) routine to get the DCL prompt string.
>I would also like to know if there is a sanktioned interface to go
>through.  Later in this article I give a method to "get the job done".
>I posted a request just before Christmas, and haven't seen a single
>responce.

In article <8801110532.AA06010@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
WEIRAUCH@iravcl.ira.UKa.de ("Stefan Weirauch, IRA, Uni Karlsruhe")
gave a response.

:Maybe, this little goody is of general interest...
:GET_PROMPT.MAR and DO_CMD.PAS
: [...]
:The example pascal program reads a line with that DCL prompt, and executes it
:with lib$do_command - may be, you want to write a program, which takes that
:line as password and if it is not correct makes the user think, the program
:did nothing ? ;-)
:
:Have fun.

??? I can't see anything funny about the suggested use of these routines.

> [Explains the MACRO code to get/set the prompt. It needs CMKRNL to set,
>  and may break under future VMS releases.]
>
>so I could use it for a "SD" command that was written in 'C', that
>intelligently set your prompt to the current directory.

I know I'm a bit thick at times, and I'm biased towards DCL, but can
somebody explain why a program would want to change the prompt?
If God wanted programs to change prompts, He had given us `$SET_PROMPT', no?
As it is, we have `SET PROMPT'/ `F$ENVIRONMENT("PROMPT")'.
Why not use the tools He provided?
Why write a `SD' program when the same can be done in DCL?

>                             There don't appear to be (at least to my
>eye) any trojan activity going on.  If you find any, LET ME KNOW ASAP.

Well, think about Weirauch's comment:
:                      may be, you want to write a program, which takes that
:line as password and if it is not correct makes the user think, the program
:did nothing ? ;-)

Sounds pretty trojan to me.
However, remember that there are several ways to find out whether DCL or
a (simple) Trojan Horse is running:
    o The most obvious: press CTRL/T
    o Try up-arrow (command recall) more than once.
    o Try keys which were defined with `DEFINE/KEY'

Michael Bednarek		
Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research (IAESR)
Melbourne University, Parkville 3052, AUSTRALIA, Phone : +61 3 344 5744
Domain: u3369429@{murdu.oz.au | ucsvc.dn.mu.oz.au}  or  mb@munnari.oz.au
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