Command Prompt: File and Directory name completion

[Jack Crane]

My Dell desktop came with Windows XP Pro installed. I found to my
surprise that File and Directory name completion both were there for me
to use in the Command Prompt without having to configure anything. The
help for CMD (CMD /?) has the line, "File and Directory name completion
is NOT enabled by default".

To quote some more:
===================================================
File and Directory name completion is NOT enabled by default. You can
enable or disable file name completion for a particular invocation of
CMD.EXE with the /F:ON or /F:OFF switch. You can enable or disable
completion for all invocations of CMD.EXE on a machine and/or user logon
session by setting either or both of the following REG_DWORD values in
the registry using REGEDT32.EXE:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor
\CompletionChar
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor
\PathCompletionChar

and/or

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\CompletionChar
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor
\PathCompletionChar

with the hex value of a control character to use for a particular
function (e.g. 0x4 is Ctrl-D and 0x6 is Ctrl-F). The user specific
settings take precedence over the machine settings. The command line
switches take precedence over the registry settings.
====================================================

I took a look at
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\CompletionChar
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\PathCompletionChar

and found them set at 9 (Tab) and 1 (enabled), respectively.

It seems this could only be done by Dell, because I didn't know until
today how to do this. Is this deduction correct?

Thanks,

Jack Crane

 

[Wesley Vogel]

That's the way mine are and I do not remember changing those settings.
Because I don't use those options anyway, I wouldn't have bothered to change
them. Unless TweakUI did it for me without me actually doing anything other
than installing and using TweakUI. I honestly don't know if those setting
were on none or what.

Do you have TweakUI?

Can be done with TweakUI also.
Command Prompt
Filename completion
Directory completion

[[This allows specifying the keyboard function for “filename completion”,
“directory completion and word separators. This also allows enabling
selection coloring.]]

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console
WordDelimiters

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor
CompletionChar
DefaultColor
EnableExtensions

I fiddled around with TweakUI and this Value Name was added:
PathCompletionChar
---

[[NOTE: Automatic complete for CMD.exe is not enabled by default in Windows
2000 and later.]]
But it's dated: 5/14/2003 (2.0)

How to Enable Automatic Complete for the Command Prompt (Cmd.exe)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q244407

I have cmd.exe version: 5.1.2600.0

A SWAG here....

The Help file and KB article may be referring to earlier versions:
5.0.2195.6656, 5.0.2195.4803, 5.0.2195.2104, 5.0.2195.1600 or 5.0.2144.1

That help entry (cmd /?) also refers to REGEDT32.EXE.

[[Regedt32.exe is the configuration editor for Windows NT 4.0 and Windows
2000.]]

[[In Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, Regedt32.exe is a small program
that just runs Regedit.exe.]]

Differences Between Regedit.exe and Regedt32.exe
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;141377

 

[Jack Crane]

Do you have TweakUI?

I found I had it on my hard disk, but hadn't installed it. I'm glad you
reminded me.

I used it to easily set up a seperate key (^F) for Folder Name Completion,
which is better than having Tab do both File Name Completion and Folder
Name Completion.

Jack

 

[Wesley Vogel]

;-)

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In

I found I had it on my hard disk, but hadn't installed it. I'm glad
you reminded me.

I used it to easily set up a seperate key (^F) for Folder Name
Completion, which is better than having Tab do both File Name
Completion and Folder Name Completion.

Jack