PathCompletionChar

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor

Description

Specifies a character that activates the directory name completion feature in the command processor (Cmd.exe).

To specify a character, enter the hexadecimal value of an ASCII control character other than 0x20 (space). For example, 0x4 represents Ctrl+D, and 0x6 represents Ctrl+F.

Change method

To change the completion character in Windows 2000, use a registry editor. You can also change the value of this entry by using Command Processor (Cmd.exe), but only for the duration of that Cmd.exe's execution.

Note

CompletionChar and PathCompletionChar can appear in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER. If both appear in the registry, the value of the entry in HKEY_CURRENT_USER takes precedence over the value in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

For the original release of Windows 2000, the default value for this entry is 0x20. For Service Pack 1, the default is 0x9.

Assigning the values 0x0, 0xD, or 0x20 to this entry disables file name completion rather than assigning a completion character.

The command-line switches take precedence over the registry settings while using Command Processor (Cmd.exe).

Tip

To enable or disable directory name completion for one use of the command processor, at the command prompt, type CMD /F:ON (enable) or CMD /F:OFF (disable). This command sets the completion character to CTRL+D (0x4).

For more information about the path completion feature, at the command prompt, type CMD /?.

Related Entries

CompletionChar

PathCompletionChar in HKLM