[erlang-questions] shell question - import commands from external file

[Scott Lystig Fritchie]

John Hughes <john.hughes@REDACTED> wrote:

jh> Cut-and-paste?

Actually, I do that quite a bit.  It isn't a tremendously pleasing thing
to do, but it does have a number of benefits that can add up to
something worthwhile.  Not always, but enough that I keep doing it.

During initial development, I have 1-line or 2-line test cases that I
need use in the shell.  I don't always follow test-driven-design
doctrine exactly, especially when the API of the function(s)/module that
I'm working on is still in flux.

I keep yet another "xterm" window open with either:
    * cat > /dev/null
    * a text editor (for more permanent notes).

If I have a command at the Erlang CLI that I believe I'll need again, I
cut-and-paste from the CLI to the cat/editor window.

The text editor flavor ends up being useful because I can save the stuff
to a file.  (Power failures have a tendency to screw up "xterm" and
"cat", go figure.)  I have such scribble notes from over 12 months ago
on one project.  It forms extra history and documentation of how I was
using the functions back then, which has been a big help for writing
extra documentation now.(*)

On another method, a colleague of mine uses "rlwrap -a erl [args...]"
and swears that it's the best thing since the ball point pen.(**)

-Scott

(*) Never mind that I should have written the documentation at the same
time I wrote the code.

(**) Or sliced bread, I forget exactly.
See http://freshmeat.net/projects/rlwrap/