Had some problems with my blog, hence no entries for a while..... here we got with another quick tip.
I still find people who aren't using this. If you aren't a quick typist, are a master of efficiency or simply don't like to type (such as me..) Then using the completion character is one of those things you have to enable! I'm not a windows registry expert by any means, this is just something that I find that makes life a whole lot easier, especially if you spent time in the command prompt.
So what does it do?
It's really two parts: Filename completion & Directory name completion
- When you type a path and filename and then press the filename completion character, the command processor searches for all files whose path and file name match your entry.
- When you type a path and then press the directory name completion character, the command processor searches for all files whose path (but not necessarily the file name) matches your entry.
The command processor displays one of the matching filenames each time you type a completion character (thus scrolling through matching entries). To go backward through the list of file names, press SHIFT + <completion-character>.
HIGH LEVEL - SAMPLE USE: When you are within the command processor (cmd.exe), this feature allows you to hit a completion character to cycle through the matching files/directories that match what you've started to type.
EXAMPLE:
I need to type “CD PROGRAM FILES” to change directories, but it's such a waste to type it all out. Instead, do the following (From now on, bold indicates what I actually typed in).
1. At the command prompt (C:\>), type CD pro
2. Then press the tab key.....
3. And it will show C:\> “program files”
4. Press Enter and you'll see.
C:\Program Files>
There you go.... I just shaved hours off your life of administration :-)
To set this manually, lauch Regedit (REMINDER - Backup the registry before doing anything)
322756 HOW TO: Back Up, Edit, and Restore the Registry in Windows XP and
After you've done that.....Here are two KB's that highlight the steps......
310530 HOW TO: Use Automatic Completion with a Command Prompt in Windows XP
244407 How to Enable Automatic Complete for the Command Prompt (Cmd.exe)
NEED Additional Information?
From the command prompt, type CMD /? and you'll get loads of information on how this works.
