Re: [Suggestion] LILO-like direct menu item access && scripting

[Marc-Jano Knopp]

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 at 18:13 (+0100), Serbinenko Vladimir wrote:
> Marc-Jano Knopp wrote:
> >On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 at 15:34 (+0100), Serbinenko Vladimir wrote:
> >>Marc-Jano Knopp wrote:
> >>>On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 at 10:38 (+0100), Yoshinori K. Okuji wrote:
> >>>>On Thursday 10 February 2005 22:51, Marc-Jano Knopp wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>>But as your mail left a few things open (Select or execute? Normal
> >>>>>keys or keys with modifier? Single-letter-keys or strings?), the
> >>>>>discussion about this would have had to be continued anyway. :-)
> >>>>>
> >>>>I prefer to execute it when a shortcut key is pressed. Why not?
> >>>>       
> >>>Because then it would not be possible to edit menu items blindly.
> >>>For example, I could not blindly add boot parameters to the Linux
> >>>kernel (runlevel, root=<whatever>, etc.) to override the default
> >>>settings (which I do, indeed, e.g. for my SCSI testing machine
> >>>which varying disks with varying partition layout connected, so that
> >>>fixed menu items don't help).
> >>>
> >>I think the best choice to do it is to bind a key like C-p to add 
> >>parameters to the entry. Then theese parameters will be accessible as 
> >>$1, $2, ... ($0 is a label of menu entry)
> >
> >Accessible to whom or what?
> >
> To the scripts

Hm. What would that be good for?


> >My scenario would be something like this:
> >
> >1. Hit 's' to enter select-menu-entry-by-name mode (optional)
> >2. Type "linux" and hit [Return] to select (not execute) menu item
> >  "Linux 2.4"
> >3. Hit 'e' to edit. Now the cursor could be at the end of the line
> >  by default, so that I just need to type for example:
> >4. " root=/dev/sdf" [Return]
> >5. Hit [Return] again (or 'b') to boot.
> >
> The problem with this scenario is the determination of line by default 
> especially for scripts. You can have a script that launches different 
> kernels depending on condition or it can use function. Which line is the 
> default one?

Honestly: I don't understand what you mean. How would a script be
employed in the above scenario?

And why is it so difficult to determine the default line? Both the
index of the default line (i.e. e.g. menu item number 3) and its
initial value (like "kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda3") are known
to GRUB, and so should be known to the scripting engine, too.


Best regards

  Marc-Jano