LYNX-DEV Config file comments (was: fotemods.zip update)

[Klaus Weide]

On Wed, 23 Jul 1997, T.E.Dickey wrote:

> > 1997-07-22
> > * Mods of LYReadCFG.c to include the bad string in the error message when
> >   processing of COLOR: entries fails (based on a patch from FMG), and to
> >   handle "trailing comments" (designated by a '#' token) for otherwise
> >   valid entries in lynx.cfg. - FM
> Is the '#' character not allowed in _any_ configuration-file string?

Yes indeed, something like the following should be possible in lynx.cfg:

STARTFILE:file://localhost/home/kweide/lynx_help/Lynx_users_guide.html#10

The fotemods code now strips the presumed comment from the end, so the
URL fragment is ignored.

At the top of lynx.cfg the only rules given about the format are:
#
# Items may be commented out by putting a '#' as the FIRST char of the line
#
# All definitions must be flush left and have NO spaces.!!!

If end-of-line comments should be allowed (or at least tolerated),
the following may be a better rule:

   A '#' character starts a comment if it as at the beginning of a line
   or immediately preceded by at least one space (or TAB) character.

Several shells (bash, csh) act like that (for unquoted strings, of
course):

~$ ls a b# c
ls: b#: No such file or directory
a  c
~$ ls a b #c
a  b
~$

But maybe it's best to just not allow any more forms of comments than
already recognized.  

    Klaus

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