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Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 16:42:31 -0600
From: Sean Kelly <kelly@fsl.noaa.gov>
To: terry@lambert.org
Cc: terry@lambert.org, gpalmer@FreeBSD.ORG, ron@infi.net,
        freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
In-Reply-To: <199607052215.PAA15685@phaeton.artisoft.com> (message from Terry
	Lambert on Fri, 5 Jul 1996 15:15:31 -0700 (MST))
Subject: Re: SysAdmin Tools - ideas wanted
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>>>>> "Terry" == Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> writes:

    Terry> Keep the scripting away from the tools proper, please.  I
    Terry> don't want to *have* to run Tcl to administer my system,
    Terry> but I can understand that other people may want to run it
    Terry> to administer theirs.

What, you haven't made tclsh your login shell?  ;-)

Seriously, I agree that the administrative commands should be typeable
just from the command line.  And Tcl can still provide such a ``user
interface.''

Consider the primitives lock_passwd_file, append_pwent, lookup_pwent,
etc., added to a Tcl interpreter (either compiled in or dynamically
loaded).  Then, make two scripts that use those primitives.  You would
then use those as follows:

csh> add_user -login lambert -name "Terry Lambert" -homedir "/u/lambert"

or

csh> xuseradmin &

where add_user is

	#!/usr/local/bin/tclsh
	...check command line args, set defaults...
	if {[lock_passwd_file]} {
		append_pwent ...
	}

and xuseradmin is

	#!/usr/local/bin/wish
	...do it!...

-- 
Sean Kelly                          
NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory    kelly@fsl.noaa.gov
Boulder Colorado USA                http://www-sdd.fsl.noaa.gov/~kelly/