Using the tab key at Windows command line to auto-fill file/directory names
If you ever find yourself on the Windows/DOS command line, typing commands that name files or directories, here's a real gem: while typing the command and then the file/dirname, use the TAB key to auto-fill the first file or directory name that matches what you've typed. And you can hit the tab key again to find the next file/dirname that matches.
So if you type: : cd \windows\sys and then hit the tab key, you'll be presented first with cd \windows\system then if you hit the tab key you'll be offered : cd \windows\system32. Nifty. And you can use it to build up the command so you could have started with just cd \win, and hit the tab key to get cd \windows, then you could add on the \sys to the end of that and hit tab again to proceed as above.
Further, consider that if you type: cd \doc and then hit the tab key, it will fill it in with cd "\Documents and Settings" (assuming you have no other directory starting with that name). Note that Windows has also detected that the dirname has spaces and therefore has put quotes around it.
I said in the first paragraph that the feature works for file or directory names, and that's true, but note that the feature is smart enough to detect that the CD command (as an example) accepts only directories as its argument, so it does not show a file name that would match what you typed.
Still, the feature's not limited to DOS commands at all. You can use it with any command or command-line program you might use. Indeed, typing foo \windows\win and tab will create foo \windows\win.ini.
This may seem a trivial tip, but if you work at the command line a lot and can keep it in mind, I think you'll find it becomes indespensable. Linux and Unix fans have known and loved a simlar capability for a long time. Watch them at the keyboard. Man, they fly! :-) Finally, I'm not sure what release of Windows introduced this. I know it works on XP and 2003. Try it, and enjoy.
I remember this one! Doesn't work on Win 2000, but I remember there was a
registry key one could set to turn it on. Unfortunately Navy systems are
locked down, but it works fine on my XP laptop! Anyway thanks for the
tip...
Glad to have helped, Jeff. (Is the Jeff Davis I've met before?) I just did
some digging and found this one reference to a registry tweak that may be
what you mean: http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/sampchap/6232a.asp#152. If you have Win2k and want to try it, let me know how it goes. If
anyone knows a better way to enable it in Win2k, please do share.
I've also just found a tool that can enable it (free but not the registry
tweak approach), at http://www.morearty.com/filec/.
To enable file and directory name completion under Windows, open regedit,
navigate to the key, and change the values for CompletionChar and
PathCompletionChar to 9.
Chandra, you don't need to do that, at least on Windows XP. The feature is
already enabled, and the other comment pointed out a tweak for Win2k. In
fact, reviewing the info above I do see that the URL pointed to no longer
works, but fortunately the Google cache page for another vbersion of that
document does work: http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:BM62bezkC74J:theso
urce.ofallevil.com/mspress/books/sampchap/6232a.asp+sample+chapter+from+win
dows+xp+registry+guide&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1&lr=lang_en. I see that it
basically points ou tthe same info you have now. Just clarifying, lest
anyone think there's new info in what you're sharing. Thanks for offering
it, though.