From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Received: from euclid.skiles.gatech.edu (list@euclid.skiles.gatech.edu [130.207.146.50]) by coral.primenet.com.au (8.7.5/8.7.3) with ESMTP id HAA02620 for <mason@primenet.com.au>; Mon, 19 Aug 1996 07:03:15 +1000 (EST)
Received: (from list@localhost) by euclid.skiles.gatech.edu (8.7.3/8.7.3) id RAA12581; Sun, 18 Aug 1996 17:05:25 -0400 (EDT)
Resent-Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 17:00:43 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Bart Schaefer" <schaefer@candle.brasslantern.com>
Message-Id: <960818140140.ZM24453@candle.brasslantern.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 14:01:39 -0700
In-Reply-To: "Timothy J. Luoma" <luomat@nerc.com>
        "using 'fc' to backup 'zhistory  (was Re: saving history file based on # of commands)" (Aug 15, 11:11pm)
References: <199608160311.XAA14070@nerc.com>
Reply-To: schaefer@nbn.com
X-Mailer: Z-Mail (4.0b.729 29jul96)
To: luomat@nerc.com, zsh-users@math.gatech.edu
Subject: Re: using 'fc' to backup 'zhistory  (was Re: saving history file based on # of commands)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Resent-Message-ID: <"O-uv-3.0.I33.wHu5o"@euclid>
Resent-From: zsh-users@math.gatech.edu
X-Mailing-List: <zsh-users@math.gatech.edu> archive/latest/363
X-Loop: zsh-users@math.gatech.edu
X-Loop: zsh-workers@math.gatech.edu
Precedence: list
Resent-Sender: zsh-workers-request@math.gatech.edu

On Aug 15, 11:11pm, Timothy J. Luoma wrote:
} Subject: using 'fc' to backup 'zhistory  (was Re: saving history file base
}
} Someone suggested that I use 'fc' and precmd to call a function to  
} backup my zhistory file.

What's wrong with:

function precmd {
    fc -AI $HISTFILE
}

This adds every command to your histfile as you type it, and lops off
everything before the last $SAVEHIST entries.  Or is that what you say
takes too long?

} However, I cannot figure out how to do this (I keep ending up with  
} a size=0 file).

fc -W and fc -A always truncate to SAVEHIST entries, so if you don't
have SAVEHIST set to something greater than zero, nothing will be
written.  Could that be what's happening?

} backup the _last_50 commands I have entered (otherwise it gets very  
} slow waiting for the entire history file to be backed up, and once  
} I have it, I'd rather just add to it than start all over each 50  
} commands).

Try this in 3.0.0:

function precmd {
    SAVEHIST=50 fc -AI $HISTFILE	# Use -WI if this doesn't seem right
}

-- 
Bart Schaefer                             Brass Lantern Enterprises
http://www.well.com/user/barts            http://www.nbn.com/people/lantern

New male in /home/schaefer:
>N  2 Justin William Schaefer  Sat May 11 03:43  53/4040  "Happy Birthday"