Re: screen-users Digest, Vol 1212, Issue 1

[Edward Peschko]

>
> It could certainly be done with an external script, using features
> from 4.1.0. For example, pipe the output of screen_hardcopy.sh to a
> script, which queries Screen for the current window number and provides
> a customised interface for searching.
>

I guess I'm unclear as to why one would want to make users to do this in an
external script. Searching through all windows for a string - and then
switching to the window where that string is found - is a commonly enough
used metaphor to warrant being integrated into screen itself, the usage that
I suggested was simple and easily enough remembered.

Also, searching through a file with buffer contents is not the same as
using search to
switch contexts - I often don't know the name of the screen I want to
switch to; I just
know that it has a certain string in it. Being able to switch based on
its content is an
incredibly useful way to manage a large quantity of screens.

And even if a script equivalent to the features that I want could be
written, such a script would
only give a small subset of screen users the multi-windowsearch
functionality; integrating
it into screen itself would make everybody benefit.

There are other features that screen should support natively which
have been irksome:
multiple, named, buffers for one. (why force only one buffer to be
set/accessed (key combo ctrl-a ]?
why not supplement this with ctrl - a \ <letter> to get 52?)

I understand the problem with maintainer's time.. but it is
frustrating not having new features
to play around with. Is there at least a packaged alpha release to
play around with? I don't
see any new files in the gnu download directory, and I'm hesitant to
use the git cutting edge branch..

Ed