completion in NT windows shell

[BROWN,NIALL (A-Scotland,ex1)]

In GNU Emacs 20.7.1 (i386-*-nt4.0.1381)
 of Tue Jun 13 2000 on buffy
configured using `configure NT'

I am trying to move from XEmacs on HP-UX to GnuEmacs on Windows NT. Overall
I have been very impressed and will be recommending this change across our
division. There are several areas I have had difficulty with, but so far
only one I can definitely call a bug. At least I can't find any other way
round it.

The problem occurs when trying to complete a directory name in a shell
within emacs. (This is a marvellous feature which helps old Unix users feel
at home on NT.) At the moment the completion engine uses / instead of \.
This is fine if you only traverse one directory, e.g.:
        
        D:\>cd designs/
        cd designs/

        D:\Designs>

The NT shell ignores the final / and changes the directory successfully.
However if you go any further, e.g.:

        D:\>cd designs/fec/
        cd designs/fec/

        D:\Designs>

Here NT has just changed into the designs directory and not into fec as
expected. This is where the problem gets worse because Emacs thinks we have
changed directory so typing:

        D:\Designs>cd f<tab>

returns "No completions of f". At this point M-x dirs might be appropriate,
but this does not work under NT. The problem is further complicated if we
start to change drives. If I type:

        D:\Designs>c:
        c:

        C:\>cd \designs/fec/
        cd \designs/fec/
        The system cannot find the path specified.

Here I have used the normal c: command to change to the c drive, but emacs
has not followed me, instead it completes as if I was still on d:. There is
a way round this, as follows:

        D:\>c:
        c:

        C:\>cd c:\
        cd c:\

        C:\>cd \tEMP/
        cd \tEMP/

        C:\TEMP>

Here, after telling NT to change drives, I tell emacs to change as well.

As it stands at the moment it is useable, but irritating. It would be great
to know its been fixed or will be fixed soon. My task of helping people
change over will be a lot easier.

If there are any vital facts I have missed out, please get back to me.


Niall Brown
Agilent Technologies
Edinburgh, Scotland.