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READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
NNAAMMEE
readline - get a line from a user with editing
SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
##iinncclluuddee <<ssttddiioo..hh>>
##iinncclluuddee <<rreeaaddlliinnee..hh>>
##iinncclluuddee <<hhiissttoorryy..hh>>
cchhaarr **rreeaaddlliinnee ((pprroommpptt))
cchhaarr **pprroommpptt;;
CCOOPPYYRRIIGGHHTT
Readline is Copyright (C) 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996 by
the Free Software Foundation, Inc.
DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
rreeaaddlliinnee will read a line from the terminal and return it,
using pprroommpptt as a prompt. If pprroommpptt is null, no prompt is
issued. The line returned is allocated with _m_a_l_l_o_c(3), so
the caller must free it when finished. The line returned
has the final newline removed, so only the text of the
line remains.
rreeaaddlliinnee offers editing capabilities while the user is
entering the line. By default, the line editing commands
are similar to those of emacs. A vi-style line editing
interface is also available.
RREETTUURRNN VVAALLUUEE
rreeaaddlliinnee returns the text of the line read. A blank line
returns the empty string. If EEOOFF is encountered while
reading a line, and the line is empty, NNUULLLL is returned.
If an EEOOFF is read with a non-empty line, it is treated as
a newline.
NNOOTTAATTIIOONN
An emacs-style notation is used to denote keystrokes.
Control keys are denoted by C-_k_e_y, e.g., C-n means Con-
trol-N. Similarly, _m_e_t_a keys are denoted by M-_k_e_y, so M-x
means Meta-X. (On keyboards without a _m_e_t_a key, M-_x means
ESC _x, i.e., press the Escape key then the _x key. This
makes ESC the _m_e_t_a _p_r_e_f_i_x. The combination M-C-_x means
ESC-Control-_x, or press the Escape key then hold the Con-
trol key while pressing the _x key.)
Readline commands may be given numeric _a_r_g_u_m_e_n_t_s, which
normally act as a repeat count. Sometimes, however, it is
the sign of the argument that is significant. Passing a
negative argument to a command that acts in the forward
direction (e.g., kkiillll--lliinnee) causes that command to act in
a backward direction. Commands whose behavior with argu-
ments deviates from this are noted.
When a command is described as _k_i_l_l_i_n_g text, the text
GNU 1998 Dec 31 1
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
deleted is saved for possible future retrieval (_y_a_n_k_i_n_g).
The killed text is saved in a _k_i_l_l _r_i_n_g. Consecutive
kills cause the text to be accumulated into one unit,
which can be yanked all at once. Commands which do not
kill text separate the chunks of text on the kill ring.
IINNIITTIIAALLIIZZAATTIIOONN FFIILLEE
Readline is customized by putting commands in an initial-
ization file (the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file). The name of this file is
taken from the value of the IINNPPUUTTRRCC environment variable.
If that variable is unset, the default is _~_/_._i_n_p_u_t_r_c.
When a program which uses the readline library starts up,
the init file is read, and the key bindings and variables
are set. There are only a few basic constructs allowed in
the readline init file. Blank lines are ignored. Lines
beginning with a ## are comments. Lines beginning with a $$
indicate conditional constructs. Other lines denote key
bindings and variable settings. Each program using this
library may add its own commands and bindings.
For example, placing
M-Control-u: universal-argument
or
C-Meta-u: universal-argument
into the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c would make M-C-u execute the readline
command _u_n_i_v_e_r_s_a_l_-_a_r_g_u_m_e_n_t.
The following symbolic character names are recognized
while processing key bindings: _R_U_B_O_U_T, _D_E_L, _E_S_C, _L_F_D, _N_E_W_-
_L_I_N_E, _R_E_T, _R_E_T_U_R_N, _S_P_C, _S_P_A_C_E, and _T_A_B. In addition to
command names, readline allows keys to be bound to a
string that is inserted when the key is pressed (a _m_a_c_r_o).
KKeeyy BBiinnddiinnggss
The syntax for controlling key bindings in the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c
file is simple. All that is required is the name of the
command or the text of a macro and a key sequence to which
it should be bound. The name may be specified in one of
two ways: as a symbolic key name, possibly with _M_e_t_a_- or
_C_o_n_t_r_o_l_- prefixes, or as a key sequence. When using the
form kkeeyynnaammee:_f_u_n_c_t_i_o_n_-_n_a_m_e or _m_a_c_r_o, _k_e_y_n_a_m_e is the name
of a key spelled out in English. For example:
Control-u: universal-argument
Meta-Rubout: backward-kill-word
Control-o: ">&output"
In the above example, _C_-_u is bound to the function uunniivveerr--
ssaall--aarrgguummeenntt, _M_-_D_E_L is bound to the function bbaacckk--
wwaarrdd--kkiillll--wwoorrdd, and _C_-_o is bound to run the macro
expressed on the right hand side (that is, to insert the
text _>_&_o_u_t_p_u_t into the line).
GNU 1998 Dec 31 2
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
In the second form, ""kkeeyysseeqq"":_f_u_n_c_t_i_o_n_-_n_a_m_e or _m_a_c_r_o, kkeeyy--
sseeqq differs from kkeeyynnaammee above in that strings denoting an
entire key sequence may be specified by placing the
sequence within double quotes. Some GNU Emacs style key
escapes can be used, as in the following example.
"\C-u": universal-argument
"\C-x\C-r": re-read-init-file
"\e[11~": "Function Key 1"
In this example, _C_-_u is again bound to the function uunnii--
vveerrssaall--aarrgguummeenntt. _C_-_x _C_-_r is bound to the function
rree--rreeaadd--iinniitt--ffiillee, and _E_S_C _[ _1 _1 _~ is bound to insert the
text FFuunnccttiioonn KKeeyy 11. The full set of GNU Emacs style
escape sequences is
\\CC-- control prefix
\\MM-- meta prefix
\\ee an escape character
\\\\ backslash
\\"" literal "
\\'' literal '
In addition to the GNU Emacs style escape sequences, a
second set of backslash escapes is available:
\\aa alert (bell)
\\bb backspace
\\dd delete
\\ff form feed
\\nn newline
\\rr carriage return
\\tt horizontal tab
\\vv vertical tab
\\_n_n_n the character whose ASCII code is the octal
value _n_n_n (one to three digits)
\\xx_n_n_n the character whose ASCII code is the hex-
adecimal value _n_n_n (one to three digits)
When entering the text of a macro, single or double quotes
should be used to indicate a macro definition. Unquoted
text is assumed to be a function name. In the macro body,
the backslash escapes described above are expanded. Back-
slash will quote any other character in the macro text,
including " and '.
BBaasshh allows the current readline key bindings to be dis-
played or modified with the bbiinndd builtin command. The
editing mode may be switched during interactive use by
using the --oo option to the sseett builtin command. Other
programs using this library provide similar mechanisms.
The _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file may be edited and re-read if a program
does not provide any other means to incorporate new bind-
ings.
GNU 1998 Dec 31 3
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
VVaarriiaabblleess
Readline has variables that can be used to further cus-
tomize its behavior. A variable may be set in the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c
file with a statement of the form
sseett _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e_-_n_a_m_e _v_a_l_u_e
Except where noted, readline variables can take the values
OOnn or OOffff. The variables and their default values are:
bbeellll--ssttyyllee ((aauuddiibbllee))
Controls what happens when readline wants to ring
the terminal bell. If set to nnoonnee, readline never
rings the bell. If set to vviissiibbllee, readline uses a
visible bell if one is available. If set to aauuddii--
bbllee, readline attempts to ring the terminal's bell.
ccoommmmeenntt--bbeeggiinn ((````##''''))
The string that is inserted in vvii mode when the
iinnsseerrtt--ccoommmmeenntt command is executed. This command
is bound to MM--## in emacs mode and to ## in vi com-
mand mode.
ccoommpplleettiioonn--iiggnnoorree--ccaassee ((OOffff))
If set to OOnn, readline performs filename matching
and completion in a case-insensitive fashion.
ccoommpplleettiioonn--qquueerryy--iitteemmss ((110000))
This determines when the user is queried about
viewing the number of possible completions gener-
ated by the ppoossssiibbllee--ccoommpplleettiioonnss command. It may
be set to any integer value greater than or equal
to zero. If the number of possible completions is
greater than or equal to the value of this vari-
able, the user is asked whether or not he wishes to
view them; otherwise they are simply listed on the
terminal.
ccoonnvveerrtt--mmeettaa ((OOnn))
If set to OOnn, readline will convert characters with
the eighth bit set to an ASCII key sequence by
stripping the eighth bit and prepending an escape
character (in effect, using escape as the _m_e_t_a _p_r_e_-
_f_i_x).
ddiissaabbllee--ccoommpplleettiioonn ((OOffff))
If set to OOnn, readline will inhibit word comple-
tion. Completion characters will be inserted into
the line as if they had been mapped to sseellff--iinnsseerrtt.
eeddiittiinngg--mmooddee ((eemmaaccss))
Controls whether readline begins with a set of key
bindings similar to _e_m_a_c_s or _v_i. eeddiittiinngg--mmooddee can
be set to either eemmaaccss or vvii.
eennaabbllee--kkeeyyppaadd ((OOffff))
When set to OOnn, readline will try to enable the
application keypad when it is called. Some systems
need this to enable the arrow keys.
eexxppaanndd--ttiillddee ((OOffff))
If set to oonn, tilde expansion is performed when
GNU 1998 Dec 31 4
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
readline attempts word completion.
hhoorriizzoonnttaall--ssccrroollll--mmooddee ((OOffff))
When set to OOnn, makes readline use a single line
for display, scrolling the input horizontally on a
single screen line when it becomes longer than the
screen width rather than wrapping to a new line.
iinnppuutt--mmeettaa ((OOffff))
If set to OOnn, readline will enable eight-bit input
(that is, it will not strip the high bit from the
characters it reads), regardless of what the termi-
nal claims it can support. The name mmeettaa--ffllaagg is a
synonym for this variable.
iisseeaarrcchh--tteerrmmiinnaattoorrss ((````CC--[[CC--JJ''''))
The string of characters that should terminate an
incremental search without subsequently executing
the character as a command. If this variable has
not been given a value, the characters _E_S_C and _C_-_J
will terminate an incremental search.
kkeeyymmaapp ((eemmaaccss))
Set the current readline keymap. The set of legal
keymap names is _e_m_a_c_s_, _e_m_a_c_s_-_s_t_a_n_d_a_r_d_, _e_m_a_c_s_-_m_e_t_a_,
_e_m_a_c_s_-_c_t_l_x_, _v_i_, _v_i_-_m_o_v_e_, _v_i_-_c_o_m_m_a_n_d, and _v_i_-_i_n_s_e_r_t.
_v_i is equivalent to _v_i_-_c_o_m_m_a_n_d; _e_m_a_c_s is equivalent
to _e_m_a_c_s_-_s_t_a_n_d_a_r_d. The default value is _e_m_a_c_s; the
value of eeddiittiinngg--mmooddee also affects the default
keymap.
mmaarrkk--ddiirreeccttoorriieess ((OOnn))
If set to OOnn, complete<d directory names have a
slash appended.
mmaarrkk--mmooddiiffiieedd--lliinneess ((OOffff))
If set to OOnn, history lines that have been modified
are displayed with a preceding asterisk (**).
oouuttppuutt--mmeettaa ((OOffff))
If set to OOnn, readline will display characters with
the eighth bit set directly rather than as a meta-
prefixed escape sequence.
pprriinntt--ccoommpplleettiioonnss--hhoorriizzoonnttaallllyy ((OOffff))
If set to OOnn, readline will display completions
with matches sorted horizontally in alphabetical
order, rather than down the screen.
sshhooww--aallll--iiff--aammbbiigguuoouuss ((OOffff))
This alters the default behavior of the completion
functions. If set to oonn, words which have more
than one possible completion cause the matches to
be listed immediately instead of ringing the bell.
vviissiibbllee--ssttaattss ((OOffff))
If set to OOnn, a character denoting a file's type as
reported by ssttaatt(2) is appended to the filename
when listing possible completions.
CCoonnddiittiioonnaall CCoonnssttrruuccttss
Readline implements a facility similar in spirit to the
conditional compilation features of the C preprocessor
which allows key bindings and variable settings to be
GNU 1998 Dec 31 5
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
performed as the result of tests. There are four parser
directives used.
$$iiff The $$iiff construct allows bindings to be made based
on the editing mode, the terminal being used, or
the application using readline. The text of the
test extends to the end of the line; no characters
are required to isolate it.
mmooddee The mmooddee== form of the $$iiff directive is used
to test whether readline is in emacs or vi
mode. This may be used in conjunction with
the sseett kkeeyymmaapp command, for instance, to set
bindings in the _e_m_a_c_s_-_s_t_a_n_d_a_r_d and _e_m_a_c_s_-
_c_t_l_x keymaps only if readline is starting
out in emacs mode.
tteerrmm The tteerrmm== form may be used to include termi-
nal-specific key bindings, perhaps to bind
the key sequences output by the terminal's
function keys. The word on the right side
of the == is tested against the full name of
the terminal and the portion of the terminal
name before the first --. This allows _s_u_n to
match both _s_u_n and _s_u_n_-_c_m_d, for instance.
aapppplliiccaattiioonn
The aapppplliiccaattiioonn construct is used to include
application-specific settings. Each program
using the readline library sets the _a_p_p_l_i_c_a_-
_t_i_o_n _n_a_m_e, and an initialization file can
test for a particular value. This could be
used to bind key sequences to functions use-
ful for a specific program. For instance,
the following command adds a key sequence
that quotes the current or previous word in
Bash:
$$iiff bash
# Quote the current or previous word
"\C-xq": "\eb\"\ef\""
$$eennddiiff
$$eennddiiff This command, as seen in the previous example, ter-
minates an $$iiff command.
$$eellssee Commands in this branch of the $$iiff directive are
executed if the test fails.
$$iinncclluuddee
This directive takes a single filename as an argu-
ment and reads commands and bindings from that
file. For example, the following directive would
read _/_e_t_c_/_i_n_p_u_t_r_c:
GNU 1998 Dec 31 6
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
$$iinncclluuddee _/_e_t_c_/_i_n_p_u_t_r_c
SSEEAARRCCHHIINNGG
Readline provides commands for searching through the com-
mand history for lines containing a specified string.
There are two search modes: _i_n_c_r_e_m_e_n_t_a_l and _n_o_n_-_i_n_c_r_e_m_e_n_-
_t_a_l.
Incremental searches begin before the user has finished
typing the search string. As each character of the search
string is typed, readline displays the next entry from the
history matching the string typed so far. An incremental
search requires only as many characters as needed to find
the desired history entry. The characters present in the
value of the _i_s_e_a_r_c_h_-_t_e_r_m_i_n_a_t_o_r_s variable are used to ter-
minate an incremental search. If that variable has not
been assigned a value the Escape and Control-J characters
will terminate an incremental search. Control-G will
abort an incremental search and restore the original line.
When the search is terminated, the history entry contain-
ing the search string becomes the current line. To find
other matching entries in the history list, type Control-S
or Control-R as appropriate. This will search backward or
forward in the history for the next line matching the
search string typed so far. Any other key sequence bound
to a readline command will terminate the search and exe-
cute that command. For instance, a _n_e_w_l_i_n_e will terminate
the search and accept the line, thereby executing the com-
mand from the history list.
Non-incremental searches read the entire search string
before starting to search for matching history lines. The
search string may be typed by the user or be part of the
contents of the current line.
EEDDIITTIINNGG CCOOMMMMAANNDDSS
The following is a list of the names of the commands and
the default key sequences to which they are bound. Com-
mand names without an accompanying key sequence are
unbound by default.
CCoommmmaannddss ffoorr MMoovviinngg
bbeeggiinnnniinngg--ooff--lliinnee ((CC--aa))
Move to the start of the current line.
eenndd--ooff--lliinnee ((CC--ee))
Move to the end of the line.
ffoorrwwaarrdd--cchhaarr ((CC--ff))
Move forward a character.
bbaacckkwwaarrdd--cchhaarr ((CC--bb))
Move back a character.
ffoorrwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd ((MM--ff))
Move forward to the end of the next word. Words
are composed of alphanumeric characters (letters
and digits).
GNU 1998 Dec 31 7
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
bbaacckkwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd ((MM--bb))
Move back to the start of this, or the previous,
word. Words are composed of alphanumeric charac-
ters (letters and digits).
cclleeaarr--ssccrreeeenn ((CC--ll))
Clear the screen leaving the current line at the
top of the screen. With an argument, refresh the
current line without clearing the screen.
rreeddrraaww--ccuurrrreenntt--lliinnee
Refresh the current line.
CCoommmmaannddss ffoorr MMaanniippuullaattiinngg tthhee HHiissttoorryy
aacccceepptt--lliinnee ((NNeewwlliinnee,, RReettuurrnn))
Accept the line regardless of where the cursor is.
If this line is non-empty, add it to the history
list. If the line is a modified history line, then
restore the history line to its original state.
pprreevviioouuss--hhiissttoorryy ((CC--pp))
Fetch the previous command from the history list,
moving back in the list.
nneexxtt--hhiissttoorryy ((CC--nn))
Fetch the next command from the history list, mov-
ing forward in the list.
bbeeggiinnnniinngg--ooff--hhiissttoorryy ((MM--<<))
Move to the first line in the history.
eenndd--ooff--hhiissttoorryy ((MM-->>))
Move to the end of the input history, i.e., the
line currently being entered.
rreevveerrssee--sseeaarrcchh--hhiissttoorryy ((CC--rr))
Search backward starting at the current line and
moving `up' through the history as necessary. This
is an incremental search.
ffoorrwwaarrdd--sseeaarrcchh--hhiissttoorryy ((CC--ss))
Search forward starting at the current line and
moving `down' through the history as necessary.
This is an incremental search.
nnoonn--iinnccrreemmeennttaall--rreevveerrssee--sseeaarrcchh--hhiissttoorryy ((MM--pp))
Search backward through the history starting at the
current line using a non-incremental search for a
string supplied by the user.
nnoonn--iinnccrreemmeennttaall--ffoorrwwaarrdd--sseeaarrcchh--hhiissttoorryy ((MM--nn))
Search forward through the history using a non-
incremental search for a string supplied by the
user.
hhiissttoorryy--sseeaarrcchh--ffoorrwwaarrdd
Search forward through the history for the string
of characters between the start of the current line
and the current cursor position (the _p_o_i_n_t). This
is a non-incremental search.
hhiissttoorryy--sseeaarrcchh--bbaacckkwwaarrdd
Search backward through the history for the string
of characters between the start of the current line
and the point. This is a non-incremental search.
GNU 1998 Dec 31 8
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
yyaannkk--nntthh--aarrgg ((MM--CC--yy))
Insert the first argument to the previous command
(usually the second word on the previous line) at
point (the current cursor position). With an argu-
ment _n, insert the _nth word from the previous com-
mand (the words in the previous command begin with
word 0). A negative argument inserts the _nth word
from the end of the previous command.
yyaannkk--llaasstt--aarrgg ((MM--..,, MM--__))
Insert the last argument to the previous command
(the last word of the previous history entry).
With an argument, behave exactly like yyaannkk--nntthh--aarrgg.
Successive calls to yyaannkk--llaasstt--aarrgg move back through
the history list, inserting the last argument of
each line in turn.
CCoommmmaannddss ffoorr CChhaannggiinngg TTeexxtt
ddeelleettee--cchhaarr ((CC--dd))
Delete the character under the cursor. If point is
at the beginning of the line, there are no charac-
ters in the line, and the last character typed was
not bound to BBddeelleettee--cchhaarr, then return EEOOFF.
bbaacckkwwaarrdd--ddeelleettee--cchhaarr ((RRuubboouutt))
Delete the character behind the cursor. When given
a numeric argument, save the deleted text on the
kill ring.
ffoorrwwaarrdd--bbaacckkwwaarrdd--ddeelleettee--cchhaarr
Delete the character under the cursor, unless the
cursor is at the end of the line, in which case the
character behind the cursor is deleted. By
default, this is not bound to a key.
qquuootteedd--iinnsseerrtt ((CC--qq,, CC--vv))
Add the next character that you type to the line
verbatim. This is how to insert characters like
CC--qq, for example.
ttaabb--iinnsseerrtt ((MM--TTAABB))
Insert a tab character.
sseellff--iinnsseerrtt ((aa,, bb,, AA,, 11,, !!,, ......))
Insert the character typed.
ttrraannssppoossee--cchhaarrss ((CC--tt))
Drag the character before point forward over the
character at point. Point moves forward as well.
If point is at the end of the line, then transpose
the two characters before point. Negative argu-
ments don't work.
ttrraannssppoossee--wwoorrddss ((MM--tt))
Drag the word behind the cursor past the word in
front of the cursor moving the cursor over that
word as well.
uuppccaassee--wwoorrdd ((MM--uu))
Uppercase the current (or following) word. With a
negative argument, uppercase the previous word, but
do not move point.
GNU 1998 Dec 31 9
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
ddoowwnnccaassee--wwoorrdd ((MM--ll))
Lowercase the current (or following) word. With a
negative argument, lowercase the previous word, but
do not move point.
ccaappiittaalliizzee--wwoorrdd ((MM--cc))
Capitalize the current (or following) word. With a
negative argument, capitalize the previous word,
but do not move point.
KKiilllliinngg aanndd YYaannkkiinngg
kkiillll--lliinnee ((CC--kk))
Kill the text from the current cursor position to
the end of the line.
bbaacckkwwaarrdd--kkiillll--lliinnee ((CC--xx RRuubboouutt))
Kill backward to the beginning of the line.
uunniixx--lliinnee--ddiissccaarrdd ((CC--uu))
Kill backward from point to the beginning of the
line. The killed text is saved on the kill-ring.
kkiillll--wwhhoollee--lliinnee
Kill all characters on the current line, no matter
where the cursor is.
kkiillll--wwoorrdd ((MM--dd))
Kill from the cursor to the end of the current
word, or if between words, to the end of the next
word. Word boundaries are the same as those used
by ffoorrwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd.
bbaacckkwwaarrdd--kkiillll--wwoorrdd ((MM--RRuubboouutt))
Kill the word behind the cursor. Word boundaries
are the same as those used by bbaacckkwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd.
uunniixx--wwoorrdd--rruubboouutt ((CC--ww))
Kill the word behind the cursor, using white space
as a word boundary. The word boundaries are dif-
ferent from bbaacckkwwaarrdd--kkiillll--wwoorrdd.
ddeelleettee--hhoorriizzoonnttaall--ssppaaccee ((MM--\\))
Delete all spaces and tabs around point.
kkiillll--rreeggiioonn
Kill the text between the point and _m_a_r_k (saved
cursor position). This text is referred to as the
_r_e_g_i_o_n.
ccooppyy--rreeggiioonn--aass--kkiillll
Copy the text in the region to the kill buffer.
ccooppyy--bbaacckkwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd
Copy the word before point to the kill buffer. The
word boundaries are the same as bbaacckkwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd.
ccooppyy--ffoorrwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd
Copy the word following point to the kill buffer.
The word boundaries are the same as ffoorrwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd.
yyaannkk ((CC--yy))
Yank the top of the kill ring into the buffer at
the cursor.
yyaannkk--ppoopp ((MM--yy))
Rotate the kill ring, and yank the new top. Only
works following yyaannkk or yyaannkk--ppoopp.
GNU 1998 Dec 31 10
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
NNuummeerriicc AArrgguummeennttss
ddiiggiitt--aarrgguummeenntt ((MM--00,, MM--11,, ......,, MM----))
Add this digit to the argument already accumulat-
ing, or start a new argument. M-- starts a nega-
tive argument.
uunniivveerrssaall--aarrgguummeenntt
This is another way to specify an argument. If
this command is followed by one or more digits,
optionally with a leading minus sign, those digits
define the argument. If the command is followed by
digits, executing uunniivveerrssaall--aarrgguummeenntt again ends the
numeric argument, but is otherwise ignored. As a
special case, if this command is immediately fol-
lowed by a character that is neither a digit or
minus sign, the argument count for the next command
is multiplied by four. The argument count is ini-
tially one, so executing this function the first
time makes the argument count four, a second time
makes the argument count sixteen, and so on.
CCoommpplleettiinngg
ccoommpplleettee ((TTAABB))
Attempt to perform completion on the text before
point. The actual completion performed is applica-
tion-specific. BBaasshh, for instance, attempts com-
pletion treating the text as a variable (if the
text begins with $$), username (if the text begins
with ~~), hostname (if the text begins with @@), or
command (including aliases and functions) in turn.
If none of these produces a match, filename comple-
tion is attempted. GGddbb, on the other hand, allows
completion of program functions and variables, and
only attempts filename completion under certain
circumstances.
ppoossssiibbllee--ccoommpplleettiioonnss ((MM--??))
List the possible completions of the text before
point.
iinnsseerrtt--ccoommpplleettiioonnss ((MM--**))
Insert all completions of the text before point
that would have been generated by ppoossssiibbllee--ccoommppllee--
ttiioonnss.
mmeennuu--ccoommpplleettee
Similar to ccoommpplleettee, but replaces the word to be
completed with a single match from the list of pos-
sible completions. Repeated execution of mmeennuu--ccoomm--
pplleettee steps through the list of possible comple-
tions, inserting each match in turn. At the end of
the list of completions, the bell is rung and the
original text is restored. An argument of _n moves
_n positions forward in the list of matches; a nega-
tive argument may be used to move backward through
the list. This command is intended to be bound to
TTAABB, but is unbound by default.
GNU 1998 Dec 31 11
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
ddeelleettee--cchhaarr--oorr--lliisstt
Deletes the character under the cursor if not at
the beginning or end of the line (like ddeelleettee--
cchhaarr). If at the end of the line, behaves identi-
cally to ppoossssiibbllee--ccoommpplleettiioonnss. This command is
unbound by default.
KKeeyybbooaarrdd MMaaccrrooss
ssttaarrtt--kkbbdd--mmaaccrroo ((CC--xx (())
Begin saving the characters typed into the current
keyboard macro.
eenndd--kkbbdd--mmaaccrroo ((CC--xx ))))
Stop saving the characters typed into the current
keyboard macro and store the definition.
ccaallll--llaasstt--kkbbdd--mmaaccrroo ((CC--xx ee))
Re-execute the last keyboard macro defined, by mak-
ing the characters in the macro appear as if typed
at the keyboard.
MMiisscceellllaanneeoouuss
rree--rreeaadd--iinniitt--ffiillee ((CC--xx CC--rr))
Read in the contents of the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file, and
incorporate any bindings or variable assignments
found there.
aabboorrtt ((CC--gg))
Abort the current editing command and ring the ter-
minal's bell (subject to the setting of
bbeellll--ssttyyllee).
ddoo--uuppppeerrccaassee--vveerrssiioonn ((MM--aa,, MM--bb,, MM--_x,, ......))
If the metafied character _x is lowercase, run the
command that is bound to the corresponding upper-
case character.
pprreeffiixx--mmeettaa ((EESSCC))
Metafy the next character typed. EESSCC ff is equiva-
lent to MMeettaa--ff.
uunnddoo ((CC--__,, CC--xx CC--uu))
Incremental undo, separately remembered for each
line.
rreevveerrtt--lliinnee ((MM--rr))
Undo all changes made to this line. This is like
executing the uunnddoo command enough times to return
the line to its initial state.
ttiillddee--eexxppaanndd ((MM--&&))
Perform tilde expansion on the current word.
sseett--mmaarrkk ((CC--@@,, MM--<<ssppaaccee>>))
Set the mark to the current point. If a numeric
argument is supplied, the mark is set to that posi-
tion.
eexxcchhaannggee--ppooiinntt--aanndd--mmaarrkk ((CC--xx CC--xx))
Swap the point with the mark. The current cursor
position is set to the saved position, and the old
cursor position is saved as the mark.
cchhaarraacctteerr--sseeaarrcchh ((CC--]]))
A character is read and point is moved to the next
GNU 1998 Dec 31 12
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
occurrence of that character. A negative count
searches for previous occurrences.
cchhaarraacctteerr--sseeaarrcchh--bbaacckkwwaarrdd ((MM--CC--]]))
A character is read and point is moved to the pre-
vious occurrence of that character. A negative
count searches for subsequent occurrences.
iinnsseerrtt--ccoommmmeenntt ((MM--##))
The value of the readline ccoommmmeenntt--bbeeggiinn variable is
inserted at the beginning of the current line, and
the line is accepted as if a newline had been
typed. This makes the current line a shell com-
ment.
dduummpp--ffuunnccttiioonnss
Print all of the functions and their key bindings
to the readline output stream. If a numeric argu-
ment is supplied, the output is formatted in such a
way that it can be made part of an _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file.
dduummpp--vvaarriiaabblleess
Print all of the settable variables and their val-
ues to the readline output stream. If a numeric
argument is supplied, the output is formatted in
such a way that it can be made part of an _i_n_p_u_t_r_c
file.
dduummpp--mmaaccrrooss
Print all of the readline key sequences bound to
macros and the strings they ouput. If a numeric
argument is supplied, the output is formatted in
such a way that it can be made part of an _i_n_p_u_t_r_c
file.
eemmaaccss--eeddiittiinngg--mmooddee ((CC--ee))
When in vvii editing mode, this causes a switch to
eemmaaccss editing mode.
vvii--eeddiittiinngg--mmooddee ((MM--CC--jj))
When in eemmaaccss editing mode, this causes a switch to
vvii editing mode.
DDEEFFAAUULLTT KKEEYY BBIINNDDIINNGGSS
The following is a list of the default emacs and vi bind-
ings. Characters with the 8th bit set are written as
M-<character>, and are referred to as _m_e_t_a_f_i_e_d characters.
The printable ASCII characters not mentioned in the list
of emacs standard bindings are bound to the _s_e_l_f_-_i_n_s_e_r_t
function, which just inserts the given character into the
input line. In vi insertion mode, all characters not
specifically mentioned are bound to _s_e_l_f_-_i_n_s_e_r_t. Charac-
ters assigned to signal generation by _s_t_t_y(1) or the ter-
minal driver, such as C-Z or C-C, retain that function.
Upper and lower case _m_e_t_a_f_i_e_d characters are bound to the
same function in the emacs mode meta keymap. The remain-
ing characters are unbound, which causes readline to ring
the bell (subject to the setting of the bbeellll--ssttyyllee vari-
able).
GNU 1998 Dec 31 13
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
EEmmaaccss MMooddee
Emacs Standard bindings
"C-@" set-mark
"C-A" beginning-of-line
"C-B" backward-char
"C-D" delete-char
"C-E" end-of-line
"C-F" forward-char
"C-G" abort
"C-H" backward-delete-char
"C-I" complete
"C-J" accept-line
"C-K" kill-line
"C-L" clear-screen
"C-M" accept-line
"C-N" next-history
"C-P" previous-history
"C-Q" quoted-insert
"C-R" reverse-search-history
"C-S" forward-search-history
"C-T" transpose-chars
"C-U" unix-line-discard
"C-V" quoted-insert
"C-W" unix-word-rubout
"C-Y" yank
"C-]" character-search
"C-_" undo
" " to "/" self-insert
"0" to "9" self-insert
":" to "~" self-insert
"C-?" backward-delete-char
Emacs Meta bindings
"M-C-G" abort
"M-C-H" backward-kill-word
"M-C-I" tab-insert
"M-C-J" vi-editing-mode
"M-C-M" vi-editing-mode
"M-C-R" revert-line
"M-C-Y" yank-nth-arg
"M-C-[" complete
"M-C-]" character-search-backward
"M-space" set-mark
"M-#" insert-comment
"M-&" tilde-expand
"M-*" insert-completions
"M--" digit-argument
"M-." yank-last-arg
"M-0" digit-argument
"M-1" digit-argument
"M-2" digit-argument
"M-3" digit-argument
GNU 1998 Dec 31 14
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
"M-4" digit-argument
"M-5" digit-argument
"M-6" digit-argument
"M-7" digit-argument
"M-8" digit-argument
"M-9" digit-argument
"M-<" beginning-of-history
"M-=" possible-completions
"M->" end-of-history
"M-?" possible-completions
"M-B" backward-word
"M-C" capitalize-word
"M-D" kill-word
"M-F" forward-word
"M-L" downcase-word
"M-N" non-incremental-forward-search-history
"M-P" non-incremental-reverse-search-history
"M-R" revert-line
"M-T" transpose-words
"M-U" upcase-word
"M-Y" yank-pop
"M-\" delete-horizontal-space
"M-~" tilde-expand
"M-C-?" backward-delete-word
"M-_" yank-last-arg
Emacs Control-X bindings
"C-XC-G" abort
"C-XC-R" re-read-init-file
"C-XC-U" undo
"C-XC-X" exchange-point-and-mark
"C-X(" start-kbd-macro
"C-X)" end-kbd-macro
"C-XE" call-last-kbd-macro
"C-XC-?" backward-kill-line
VVII MMooddee bbiinnddiinnggss
VI Insert Mode functions
"C-D" vi-eof-maybe
"C-H" backward-delete-char
"C-I" complete
"C-J" accept-line
"C-M" accept-line
"C-R" reverse-search-history
"C-S" forward-search-history
"C-T" transpose-chars
"C-U" unix-line-discard
"C-V" quoted-insert
"C-W" unix-word-rubout
"C-Y" yank
"C-[" vi-movement-mode
GNU 1998 Dec 31 15
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
"C-_" undo
" " to "~" self-insert
"C-?" backward-delete-char
VI Command Mode functions
"C-D" vi-eof-maybe
"C-E" emacs-editing-mode
"C-G" abort
"C-H" backward-char
"C-J" accept-line
"C-K" kill-line
"C-L" clear-screen
"C-M" accept-line
"C-N" next-history
"C-P" previous-history
"C-Q" quoted-insert
"C-R" reverse-search-history
"C-S" forward-search-history
"C-T" transpose-chars
"C-U" unix-line-discard
"C-V" quoted-insert
"C-W" unix-word-rubout
"C-Y" yank
" " forward-char
"#" insert-comment
"$" end-of-line
"%" vi-match
"&" vi-tilde-expand
"*" vi-complete
"+" next-history
"," vi-char-search
"-" previous-history
"." vi-redo
"/" vi-search
"0" beginning-of-line
"1" to "9" vi-arg-digit
";" vi-char-search
"=" vi-complete
"?" vi-search
"A" vi-append-eol
"B" vi-prev-word
"C" vi-change-to
"D" vi-delete-to
"E" vi-end-word
"F" vi-char-search
"G" vi-fetch-history
"I" vi-insert-beg
"N" vi-search-again
"P" vi-put
"R" vi-replace
"S" vi-subst
"T" vi-char-search
"U" revert-line
GNU 1998 Dec 31 16
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
"W" vi-next-word
"X" backward-delete-char
"Y" vi-yank-to
"\" vi-complete
"^" vi-first-print
"_" vi-yank-arg
"`" vi-goto-mark
"a" vi-append-mode
"b" vi-prev-word
"c" vi-change-to
"d" vi-delete-to
"e" vi-end-word
"f" vi-char-search
"h" backward-char
"i" vi-insertion-mode
"j" next-history
"k" prev-history
"l" forward-char
"m" vi-set-mark
"n" vi-search-again
"p" vi-put
"r" vi-change-char
"s" vi-subst
"t" vi-char-search
"u" undo
"w" vi-next-word
"x" vi-delete
"y" vi-yank-to
"|" vi-column
"~" vi-change-case
SSEEEE AALLSSOO
_T_h_e _G_n_u _R_e_a_d_l_i_n_e _L_i_b_r_a_r_y, Brian Fox and Chet Ramey
_T_h_e _G_n_u _H_i_s_t_o_r_y _L_i_b_r_a_r_y, Brian Fox and Chet Ramey
_b_a_s_h(1)
FFIILLEESS
_~_/_._i_n_p_u_t_r_c
Individual rreeaaddlliinnee initialization file
AAUUTTHHOORRSS
Brian Fox, Free Software Foundation (primary author)
bfox@ai.MIT.Edu
Chet Ramey, Case Western Reserve University
chet@ins.CWRU.Edu
BBUUGG RREEPPOORRTTSS
If you find a bug in rreeaaddlliinnee,, you should report it. But
first, you should make sure that it really is a bug, and
that it appears in the latest version of the rreeaaddlliinnee
library that you have.
Once you have determined that a bug actually exists, mail
GNU 1998 Dec 31 17
READLINE(3) READLINE(3)
a bug report to _b_u_g_-_r_e_a_d_l_i_n_e@_g_n_u_._o_r_g. If you have a fix,
you are welcome to mail that as well! Suggestions and
`philosophical' bug reports may be mailed to _b_u_g_-_r_e_a_d_-
_l_i_n_e@_g_n_u_._o_r_g or posted to the Usenet newsgroup
ggnnuu..bbaasshh..bbuugg.
Comments and bug reports concerning this manual page
should be directed to _c_h_e_t_@_i_n_s_._C_W_R_U_._E_d_u.
BBUUGGSS
It's too big and too slow.
GNU 1998 Dec 31 18