can't set filename completion character for cmd.exe

[perl coder]

Hello, I've got an account (with admin privs) on a Win2000 Server box,
and wish to set the filename completion character to the Tab key. I
made a shortcut on the desktop to cmd.exe and set the parameters to
/fn /k doskey /macrofile=c:\doskey.mac, and the completion does work
but only with the Ctrl-F or Ctrl-D default sequence. I read the "help
cmd" page and saw that you can edit a registry key to set a custom
completion character, so I changed
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Command Processor\CompletionChar
to 9 intead of the default 40. I used 9 since that's the decimal (and
hexadecimal as well) value for the ASCII Tab character. But alas, no
cigar! :-( I even rebooted the machine and logged in again but still no
luck. Does anyone know what must be changed to be able to use the Tab
key? BTW, I'm connecting to the box with a Terminal Services Client,
if that makes any difference...

 

[Gary Smith]

Hello, I've got an account (with admin privs) on a Win2000 Server box,
and wish to set the filename completion character to the Tab key. I
made a shortcut on the desktop to cmd.exe and set the parameters to
/fn /k doskey /macrofile=c:\doskey.mac, and the completion does work
but only with the Ctrl-F or Ctrl-D default sequence. I read the "help
cmd" page and saw that you can edit a registry key to set a custom
completion character, so I changed
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Command Processor\CompletionChar
to 9 intead of the default 40. I used 9 since that's the decimal (and
hexadecimal as well) value for the ASCII Tab character. But alas, no
cigar! :-( I even rebooted the machine and logged in again but still no
luck. Does anyone know what must be changed to be able to use the Tab
key? BTW, I'm connecting to the box with a Terminal Services Client,
if that makes any difference...

From the help text for cmd.exe: "If completion is enabled with the /F:ON
switch, the two control characters used are Ctrl-D for directory name
completion and Ctrl-F for file name completion." This applies no matter
what the registry settings. If you want to enable your own choice for the
completion character, do NOT specify the /F option when invoking cmd.exe.