Announcing a prototype search list logical name manipulation utility:

SLMOD (aka SLDEFINE or LNMMOD)

This command has the capability of creating, inserting, or  removing one or
more elements from a search list.  If removing leaves the list empty and the
/EMPTY_DELETE qualifier is present, then the logical name will be deleted.

I have coded a prototype that implements all of the functionality 
described below.  I am soliciting BETA testers based on the  following
specification.  The code that I've generated includes:

 SLMOD.FOR	! Main source file (about 1K lines)
 SLMOD_STRUCTURES.INC ! Include file (common definitions)
 CLIMSGDEF.INC	!(not needed if you have $CLIMSGDEF module in FORSYSDEF.TLB)
 SLMOD.CLD	! Command Definition file (about 100 lines)
 SLMOD_LINKABLE.CLD	! Command Definition for linkable module
 SLMOD_BUILD.COM	! Procedure to build SLMOD
 SLMOD_KIT.COM	! Procedure to build the distribution kits
 SLMOD_TEST.COM	! Verification procedure (about 230 lines)
 SLMOD.SPEC	! This text file
 SLMOD.HLP	! Help text to create a help library or include in 
		! your system-wide utility help library
 SLMOD_UTILS.FOR! Utility procedures /subroutine functions for SLMOD
 CLI_FRONT_END.FOR	! Front end routines for CLI$ routines so that 
			! SLMOD can be invoked without doing SET COMMAND
 MAKEFILE.	! Makefile that should work with Todd Aven's MAKE 

Please send any comments/suggestions/questions to rlboyd@rock.concert.net

SLMOD	logical_name equivalence_string(s)
 
 Qualifiers:

In order to insert, prepend, or append additional values to a search list
or to create a search list from scratch, the following qualifier must
be specified.

 	/INSERT (Default)

The next 2 qualifiers are equivalent.  They specify that the elements in
the search list that match the listed equivalence string(s) or specified
item numbers are to be removed from the search list.  In the case of 
specifying item numbers the equivalence string(s) will not be required.
When using the /BEFORE or /AFTER qualifiers, the search list is scanned
for the equivalence strings starting with the position in the list specified
by the position qualifier used.  If the ALL keyword value is supplied,
then the entire logical name is deleted from the output table.

	/DELETE[=ALL]
 	/REMOVE[=ALL]

In order to control the insertion or deletion of equivalence strings the
following qualifiers provide 3 different forms of control.  When inserting
/BEFORE without a numeric value tells the utility to insert the equivalence
string(s) before the existing list (pre-pend).  When /AFTER is used without
a numeric value, the new strings are appended to the list.  /AFTER=0 is the
same as /BEFORE.  If /BEFORE=n specifies a number that is greater than the
number of items in the translation it is the same as /AFTER.

/ITEM may only be used with the /DELETE or /REMOVE qualifier.  It picks a
specific item or list of items to be deleted by their position in the
list without regard for the equivalence strings at those positions.
 
 	/BEFORE[=position]
 	/AFTER[=position]	! Default
	/ITEM=position	! only valid with DELETE or REMOVE
		m-n	! range of positions
		(list of positions and/or ranges)
		*	! Equivalent to /DELETE=ALL
 
/LOG tells the utility that it is to send a log message to SYS$OUTPUT to
indicate the action performed.

 	/[NO]LOG

In the event that a /DELETE or /REMOVE causes the resulting list to
be empty, the utility will by default delete the specified logical name.
If /NOEMPTY_DELETE is specified, no change will be made to the search
list logical name -- it will be left unchanged.

 	/[NO]EMPTY_DELETE
 
The input and output logical name tables may be selected by the use of
these qualifiers.  Use of the MODE entry for the OUTPUT_TABLE overrides the
global qualifiers that specify access mode.  There is no default access 
mode on the INPUT_TABLE, you must specify it if you want to force the
translation to that mode.  The default for OUTPUT_TABLE is SUPERVISOR mode.
If you specify /USER/OUTPUT=(NAME=LNM$JOB) the mode used for the output
table definition will be SUPERVISOR since it is defaulted in by specifying
the table name.  If you specify /USER/JOB the mode used will be USER mode.

 	/INPUT_TABLE=(NAME=lnmtable[,MODE=<access_mode>])
 	/OUTPUT_TABLE=(NAME=lnmtable[,MODE=<access_mode>])

Using any of the following qualifiers will set both the input and
output tables to the same value unless specifically overriden with
one of the qualifiers above.

	/PROCESS	! Default
	/JOB
	/GROUP
	/SYSTEM

You may select which access mode you wish to use for accessing the logical
name you are affecting.  If specified, the selected mode will be used in
translating the existing logical name(if any) as well as creating the new
definition.  If one of these qualifiers is specified it will only apply to
the output table, unless explicitly overridden by a MODE entry in the
/OUTPUT_TABLE  value list.

	/USER
	/SUPERVISOR	! Default, applies to output only/
	/EXECUTIVE
	/KERNEL
 
The name attributes for the logical name may be controlled by the use
of the the following qualifier.  Currently supported keywords are
NO_ALIAS and CONFINE.  These are identical to the ones supported by
the DEFINE command.

 	/NAME_ATTRIBUTES=(attributes allowed by DEFINE)

Sometimes it is nice to get the values of a search list logical back in
a DCL symbol for other purposes -- not the least of which is debugging!
So the following qualifier will help those who need this capability.

	/SYMBOL=dclsymbol  Symbol name to receive a string copy of the old
			   value of the search list
 
 Positional qualifier(s)
 
 	/TRANSLATION_ATTRIBUTES=(translation_keyword(s))
 
 Name attributes apply to the whole search list.  The Translation attributes
 apply to the elements individually.  This qualifier may be used at a global
 level.  If used globally, any attribute(s) specified globally will be
 applied to all elements of the search list except where explicitly overridden.
 
 In order to maintain compatibility with the DEFINE command, if the 
 equivalence string is a list of values, the list is inserted or removed
 as appropriate.
 
 A DELETE/REMOVE can do it either by position or equivalence name or deleting
 the entire logical name.  Also, if there would be no elements left in the 
 list and the EMPTY_DELETE is specified it will DEASSIGN the logical name.