Windows Server 2008 Server Core : Creating a Friendlier Interface with PromptPal

Figure 1. PromptPal supports an interface that makes working at the command prompt fun.

The utility sports a two-pane interface. The upper pane is where you type your commands; the lower pane shows the results. Using this approach means that you can always see the command you typed and the result it produced with equal ease. However, that's only where the extended functionality starts. Whenever you start typing a command, PromptPal displays a list of matching commands, eliminating most typing errors. In addition, it displays the longer versions of that command that you typed in the past as shown directly below the DIR entry in Figure 1. The full command syntax appears in the bar directly below the menu as shown in the figure. Consequently, you don't have to try to remember all of those command line switches. When you type a command line switch, PromptPal displays the entire list, along with the meaning behind each command line switch, as shown in Figure 2 (the figure shows the explanation list, truncated for space considerations in the book).

PromptPal includes a wealth of configuration choices. You can change the appearance of the display in a number of ways. Any display change you can make with a regular command prompt is also available in PromptPal (which means you can display a green background with red letters if you want). However, the most important configuration option appears in Figure 3. This configuration option lets you add new commands to PromptPal, edit existing definitions, and remove commands you don't want to use from the list. Consequently, the help you receive from PromptPal is completely configurable.

Figure 2. PromptPal helps you remember all of those command line switches and their meanings.

Figure 3. Add, edit, or delete commands as needed in PromptPal.