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Lauren wrote (in part):> Generally, in my experience, "command line" as a term is not hyphenated, so
> when it is used as a modifier, I don't see why it would need to be
> hyphenated.
The punctuation convention for a noun phrase has very little to do with
the rules for punctuation of a compound modifier, so I don't buy your
logic here.
Both of the sites you cite are pretty clear about about the basic rule:
Hyphenate a compound modifier when it appears before a noun.
Do not hyphenate a compound modifier when it appears in the predicate.
So unless you are arguing that "command line" used as a modifier is not
a compound modifier, it seems like the hyphen would be prescribed by
both sites.
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