Bad HELP for CREATE /SYMLINK

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sms
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Bad HELP for CREATE /SYMLINK

Post by sms » Tue Apr 05, 2022 6:07 pm

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   I wanted to create a symlink on my main VMS system, but couldn't
remember the syntax, so I tried to find it in HELP, without success. 

   CREATE seemed plausible, but HELP CREATE doesn't mention it:

ITS $ help create

CREATE

     The CREATE command performs the following functions:

     o  Creates a sequential disk file or files (see subtopic "file").
        Included under the CREATE subtopic, file, is information on
        the following qualifiers: /LOG, /OWNER_UIC, /PROTECTION, and
        /VOLUME.

     o  Creates one or more new directories or subdirectories (see
        /DIRECTORY).

     o  Creates a new, empty data file using the specifications of an
        FDL file (see /FDL).

     o  Creates a virtual mailbox named MBAn and assigns an I/O
        channel number to it (see /MAILBOX). (Alpha/Integrity servers
        only)
     o  Creates a new logical name table (see /NAME_TABLE).

     o  Creates a window that emulates another terminal type (see
        /TERMINAL).


  Additional information available:

  file       /DIRECTORY /FDL       /MAILBOX   /NAME_TABLE           /TERMINAL

CREATE Subtopic? 

   So, /SYMLINK is not one of the basic CREATE qualifiers, like
/DIRECTORY, /FDL, and so on, and it's not one of the qualifiers for
"CREATE file", according to this misinformation:

        Included under the CREATE subtopic, file, is information on
        the following qualifiers: /LOG, /OWNER_UIC, /PROTECTION, and
        /VOLUME.

   In fact, "HELP CREATE file" includes information on the following
qualifiers: /LOG, /OWNER_UIC, /PROTECTION, /SYMLINK, and /VOLUME.

   But if you don't already know that, then HELP CREATE isn't much help.

   I'm confident that I've run into this before, but eventually stumbled
into the desired info.  Now I know what led to the stumbling.  This
time, eventually, a Web search led to the cause of my bewilderment.


ITS $ tcpip show version

  HP TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS Industry Standard 64 Version V5.7 - ECO 5
  on an HP rx2600  (1.50GHz/6.0MB) running OpenVMS V8.4-2L3
Last edited by sms on Tue Apr 05, 2022 6:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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Re: Bad HELP for CREATE /SYMLINK

Post by sms » Wed Jul 26, 2023 4:46 pm

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   Note: Unimproved in V9.2-1.


doxidad
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Re: Bad HELP for CREATE /SYMLINK

Post by doxidad » Wed Jul 26, 2023 5:22 pm

It's there.

$ help create file/symlink

OpenVMS V9.2-1


Topic author
sms
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Re: Bad HELP for CREATE /SYMLINK

Post by sms » Wed Jul 26, 2023 11:18 pm

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> It's there.
> 
> $ help create file/symlink

   Read it again?

   Yes, it's there, for some values of "there".  Just as it was in
earlier versions.  The problem is not in finding the information if you
know what to ask, it's in finding the information if you do _not_ know
what to ask.  I'll try again:

      help create   ! I see many qualifiers there, but not /SYMLINK.

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