Abstract: A command line interface for a data processing system includes an output facility that displays outputs to an operator, a parser that validates inputs entered a command line, a command processor that processes commands validated by the parser. The command line interface preferably supports a prompt mode in which the output facility displays an editable prompt that may be modified by the user to construct a command. In addition, the parser preferably defines separate validation and execution point inputs including at least one validation-only point input, so that inputs are permitted to span multiple input lines and so that atomic sets of commands can be constructed by entering multiple commands on a single input line.

Abstract: A command line interface for a network management platform includes a parser that parses and validates inputs entered at a command line, a command processor that, responsive to validation of a command, causes an operation specified by the command to be performed, and an output facility that presents outputs of the command line interface. The parser preferably enforces a syntax addressing a plurality of attributes of a network device as a tree-like hierarchy including at least two containers. The parser permits network device attributes, which are each contained in at least one container, to be contained by multiple containers of the same type so that such attributes are addressable via a plurality of different access paths. The output facility preferably provides one or more outputs for operations specified by processed input commands, and the one or more outputs preferably include at least one output command specifying a network management operation to be performed.