indeed, you can of course pass extra information to the alias, here's an interesting example:

Code:
alias filteralias {
  if ($prop == recursive($1-)) {
    ; stuff
  }
  else {
    filter -fk a.txt filteralias($1).recursive
  }
}


it lends some insight into how /filter sets up the alias: by appending ($1-) to the given parameter, prefixing it with $ and evaluating the result in an environment where $1 is each line in turn. as such, you can pass extra parameters (if this $prop approach is a bit ugly) and whatever else to identify the calling routine.

that said, a $calias would be lovely!

"The only excuse for making a useless script is that one admires it intensely" - Oscar Wilde