2 .\" MAN PAGE COMMENTS to
5 .\" Information Network Services
6 .\" Case Western Reserve University
7 .\" chet.ramey@case.edu
9 .\" Last Change: Thu Dec 28 14:49:51 EST 2017
11 .TH READLINE 3 "2017 December 28" "GNU Readline 7.0"
13 .\" File Name macro. This used to be `.PN', for Path Name,
14 .\" but Sun doesn't seem to like that very much.
20 readline \- get a line from a user with editing
26 #include <readline/readline.h>
27 #include <readline/history.h>
34 \fBreadline\fP (\fIconst char *prompt\fP);
37 .if n Readline is Copyright (C) 1989\-2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
38 .if t Readline is Copyright \(co 1989\-2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
42 will read a line from the terminal
47 is \fBNULL\fP or the empty string, no prompt is issued.
48 The line returned is allocated with
50 the caller must free it when finished. The line returned
51 has the final newline removed, so only the text of the line
55 offers editing capabilities while the user is entering the
57 By default, the line editing commands
58 are similar to those of emacs.
59 A vi\-style line editing interface is also available.
61 This manual page describes only the most basic use of \fBreadline\fP.
62 Much more functionality is available; see
63 \fIThe GNU Readline Library\fP and \fIThe GNU History Library\fP
64 for additional information.
68 returns the text of the line read. A blank line
69 returns the empty string. If
71 is encountered while reading a line, and the line is empty,
75 is read with a non\-empty line, it is
79 An Emacs-style notation is used to denote
80 keystrokes. Control keys are denoted by C\-\fIkey\fR, e.g., C\-n
81 means Control\-N. Similarly,
83 keys are denoted by M\-\fIkey\fR, so M\-x means Meta\-X. (On keyboards
86 key, M\-\fIx\fP means ESC \fIx\fP, i.e., press the Escape key
89 key. This makes ESC the \fImeta prefix\fP.
90 The combination M\-C\-\fIx\fP means ESC\-Control\-\fIx\fP,
91 or press the Escape key
92 then hold the Control key while pressing the
96 Readline commands may be given numeric
98 which normally act as a repeat count. Sometimes, however, it is the
99 sign of the argument that is significant. Passing a negative argument
100 to a command that acts in the forward direction (e.g., \fBkill\-line\fP)
101 causes that command to act in a backward direction.
102 Commands whose behavior with arguments deviates from this are noted
105 When a command is described as \fIkilling\fP text, the text
106 deleted is saved for possible future retrieval
107 (\fIyanking\fP). The killed text is saved in a
108 \fIkill ring\fP. Consecutive kills cause the text to be
109 accumulated into one unit, which can be yanked all at once.
110 Commands which do not kill text separate the chunks of text
112 .SH INITIALIZATION FILE
114 Readline is customized by putting commands in an initialization
115 file (the \fIinputrc\fP file).
116 The name of this file is taken from the value of the
118 environment variable. If that variable is unset, the default is
120 If that file does not exist or cannot be read, the ultimate default is
122 When a program which uses the readline library starts up, the
123 init file is read, and the key bindings and variables are set.
124 There are only a few basic constructs allowed in the
125 readline init file. Blank lines are ignored.
126 Lines beginning with a \fB#\fP are comments.
127 Lines beginning with a \fB$\fP indicate conditional constructs.
128 Other lines denote key bindings and variable settings.
129 Each program using this library may add its own commands
135 M\-Control\-u: universal\-argument
139 C\-Meta\-u: universal\-argument
144 would make M\-C\-u execute the readline command
145 .IR universal\-argument .
147 The following symbolic character names are recognized while
148 processing key bindings:
162 In addition to command names, readline allows keys to be bound
163 to a string that is inserted when the key is pressed (a \fImacro\fP).
167 The syntax for controlling key bindings in the
169 file is simple. All that is required is the name of the
170 command or the text of a macro and a key sequence to which
171 it should be bound. The name may be specified in one of two ways:
172 as a symbolic key name, possibly with \fIMeta\-\fP or \fIControl\-\fP
173 prefixes, or as a key sequence.
174 The name and key sequence are separated by a colon. There can be no
175 whitespace between the name and the colon.
177 When using the form \fBkeyname\fP:\^\fIfunction-name\fP or \fImacro\fP,
179 is the name of a key spelled out in English. For example:
182 Control\-u: universal\-argument
184 Meta\-Rubout: backward\-kill\-word
186 Control\-o: "> output"
189 In the above example,
191 is bound to the function
192 .BR universal\-argument ,
194 is bound to the function
195 .BR backward\-kill\-word ,
198 is bound to run the macro
199 expressed on the right hand side (that is, to insert the text
200 .if t \f(CW> output\fP
204 In the second form, \fB"keyseq"\fP:\^\fIfunction\-name\fP or \fImacro\fP,
208 above in that strings denoting
209 an entire key sequence may be specified by placing the sequence
210 within double quotes. Some GNU Emacs style key escapes can be
211 used, as in the following example, but the symbolic character names
215 "\eC\-u": universal\-argument
217 "\eC\-x\eC\-r": re\-read\-init\-file
219 "\ee[11~": "Function Key 1"
224 is again bound to the function
225 .BR universal\-argument .
227 is bound to the function
228 .BR re\-read\-init\-file ,
231 is bound to insert the text
232 .if t \f(CWFunction Key 1\fP.
233 .if n ``Function Key 1''.
235 The full set of GNU Emacs style escape sequences available when specifying
253 literal ", a double quote
256 literal ', a single quote
260 In addition to the GNU Emacs style escape sequences, a second
261 set of backslash escapes is available:
290 the eight-bit character whose value is the octal value \fInnn\fP
291 (one to three digits)
294 the eight-bit character whose value is the hexadecimal value \fIHH\fP
295 (one or two hex digits)
299 When entering the text of a macro, single or double quotes should
300 be used to indicate a macro definition. Unquoted text
301 is assumed to be a function name.
302 In the macro body, the backslash escapes described above are expanded.
303 Backslash will quote any other character in the macro text,
307 allows the current readline key bindings to be displayed or modified
310 builtin command. The editing mode may be switched during interactive
315 builtin command. Other programs using this library provide
316 similar mechanisms. The
318 file may be edited and re-read if a program does not provide
319 any other means to incorporate new bindings.
322 Readline has variables that can be used to further customize its
323 behavior. A variable may be set in the
325 file with a statement of the form
328 \fBset\fP \fIvariable\-name\fP \fIvalue\fP
331 Except where noted, readline variables can take the values
335 (without regard to case).
336 Unrecognized variable names are ignored.
337 When a variable value is read, empty or null values, "on" (case-insensitive),
338 and "1" are equivalent to \fBOn\fP. All other values are equivalent to
340 The variables and their default values are:
344 .B bell\-style (audible)
345 Controls what happens when readline wants to ring the terminal bell.
346 If set to \fBnone\fP, readline never rings the bell. If set to
347 \fBvisible\fP, readline uses a visible bell if one is available.
348 If set to \fBaudible\fP, readline attempts to ring the terminal's bell.
350 .B bind\-tty\-special\-chars (On)
351 If set to \fBOn\fP (the default), readline attempts to bind the control
352 characters treated specially by the kernel's terminal driver to their
353 readline equivalents.
355 .B blink\-matching\-paren (Off)
356 If set to \fBOn\fP, readline attempts to briefly move the cursor to an
357 opening parenthesis when a closing parenthesis is inserted.
359 .B colored\-completion\-prefix (Off)
360 If set to \fBOn\fP, when listing completions, readline displays the
361 common prefix of the set of possible completions using a different color.
362 The color definitions are taken from the value of the \fBLS_COLORS\fP
363 environment variable.
365 .B colored\-stats (Off)
366 If set to \fBOn\fP, readline displays possible completions using different
367 colors to indicate their file type.
368 The color definitions are taken from the value of the \fBLS_COLORS\fP
369 environment variable.
371 .B comment\-begin (``#'')
372 The string that is inserted in \fBvi\fP mode when the
375 This command is bound to
381 .B completion\-display\-width (\-1)
382 The number of screen columns used to display possible matches
383 when performing completion.
384 The value is ignored if it is less than 0 or greater than the terminal
386 A value of 0 will cause matches to be displayed one per line.
387 The default value is \-1.
389 .B completion\-ignore\-case (Off)
390 If set to \fBOn\fP, readline performs filename matching and completion
391 in a case\-insensitive fashion.
393 .B completion\-map\-case (Off)
394 If set to \fBOn\fP, and \fBcompletion\-ignore\-case\fP is enabled, readline
395 treats hyphens (\fI\-\fP) and underscores (\fI_\fP) as equivalent when
396 performing case\-insensitive filename matching and completion.
398 .B completion\-prefix\-display\-length (0)
399 The length in characters of the common prefix of a list of possible
400 completions that is displayed without modification. When set to a
401 value greater than zero, common prefixes longer than this value are
402 replaced with an ellipsis when displaying possible completions.
404 .B completion\-query\-items (100)
405 This determines when the user is queried about viewing
406 the number of possible completions
407 generated by the \fBpossible\-completions\fP command.
408 It may be set to any integer value greater than or equal to
409 zero. If the number of possible completions is greater than
410 or equal to the value of this variable, the user is asked whether
411 or not he wishes to view them; otherwise they are simply listed
412 on the terminal. A negative value causes readline to never ask.
414 .B convert\-meta (On)
415 If set to \fBOn\fP, readline will convert characters with the
416 eighth bit set to an ASCII key sequence
417 by stripping the eighth bit and prefixing it with an
418 escape character (in effect, using escape as the \fImeta prefix\fP).
419 The default is \fIOn\fP, but readline will set it to \fIOff\fP if the
420 locale contains eight-bit characters.
422 .B disable\-completion (Off)
423 If set to \fBOn\fP, readline will inhibit word completion. Completion
424 characters will be inserted into the line as if they had been
425 mapped to \fBself-insert\fP.
427 .B echo\-control\-characters (On)
428 When set to \fBOn\fP, on operating systems that indicate they support it,
429 readline echoes a character corresponding to a signal generated from the
432 .B editing\-mode (emacs)
433 Controls whether readline begins with a set of key bindings similar
434 to \fIEmacs\fP or \fIvi\fP.
441 .B emacs\-mode\-string (@)
442 If the \fIshow\-mode\-in\-prompt\fP variable is enabled,
443 this string is displayed immediately before the last line of the primary
444 prompt when emacs editing mode is active. The value is expanded like a
445 key binding, so the standard set of meta- and control prefixes and
446 backslash escape sequences is available.
447 Use the \e1 and \e2 escapes to begin and end sequences of
448 non-printing characters, which can be used to embed a terminal control
449 sequence into the mode string.
451 .B enable\-bracketed\-paste (Off)
452 When set to \fBOn\fP, readline will configure the terminal in a way
453 that will enable it to insert each paste into the editing buffer as a
454 single string of characters, instead of treating each character as if
455 it had been read from the keyboard. This can prevent pasted characters
456 from being interpreted as editing commands.
458 .B enable\-keypad (Off)
459 When set to \fBOn\fP, readline will try to enable the application
460 keypad when it is called. Some systems need this to enable the
463 .B enable\-meta\-key (On)
464 When set to \fBOn\fP, readline will try to enable any meta modifier
465 key the terminal claims to support when it is called. On many terminals,
466 the meta key is used to send eight-bit characters.
468 .B expand\-tilde (Off)
469 If set to \fBOn\fP, tilde expansion is performed when readline
470 attempts word completion.
472 .B history\-preserve\-point (Off)
473 If set to \fBOn\fP, the history code attempts to place point at the
474 same location on each history line retrieved with \fBprevious-history\fP
475 or \fBnext-history\fP.
477 .B history\-size (unset)
478 Set the maximum number of history entries saved in the history list.
479 If set to zero, any existing history entries are deleted and no new entries
481 If set to a value less than zero, the number of history entries is not
483 By default, the number of history entries is not limited.
484 If an attempt is made to set \fIhistory\-size\fP to a non-numeric value,
485 the maximum number of history entries will be set to 500.
487 .B horizontal\-scroll\-mode (Off)
488 When set to \fBOn\fP, makes readline use a single line for display,
489 scrolling the input horizontally on a single screen line when it
490 becomes longer than the screen width rather than wrapping to a new line.
493 If set to \fBOn\fP, readline will enable eight-bit input (that is,
494 it will not clear the eighth bit in the characters it reads),
495 regardless of what the terminal claims it can support. The name
497 is a synonym for this variable.
498 The default is \fIOff\fP, but readline will set it to \fIOn\fP if the
499 locale contains eight-bit characters.
501 .B isearch\-terminators (``C\-[ C\-J'')
502 The string of characters that should terminate an incremental
503 search without subsequently executing the character as a command.
504 If this variable has not been given a value, the characters
505 \fIESC\fP and \fIC\-J\fP will terminate an incremental search.
508 Set the current readline keymap. The set of legal keymap names is
509 \fIemacs, emacs-standard, emacs-meta, emacs-ctlx, vi, vi-move,
512 \fIvi\fP is equivalent to \fIvi-command\fP; \fIemacs\fP is
513 equivalent to \fIemacs-standard\fP. The default value is
517 also affects the default keymap.
519 .B keyseq\-timeout (500)
520 Specifies the duration \fIreadline\fP will wait for a character when reading an
521 ambiguous key sequence (one that can form a complete key sequence using
522 the input read so far, or can take additional input to complete a longer
524 If no input is received within the timeout, \fIreadline\fP will use the shorter
525 but complete key sequence.
526 The value is specified in milliseconds, so a value of 1000 means that
527 \fIreadline\fP will wait one second for additional input.
528 If this variable is set to a value less than or equal to zero, or to a
529 non-numeric value, \fIreadline\fP will wait until another key is pressed to
530 decide which key sequence to complete.
532 .B mark\-directories (On)
533 If set to \fBOn\fP, completed directory names have a slash
536 .B mark\-modified\-lines (Off)
537 If set to \fBOn\fP, history lines that have been modified are displayed
538 with a preceding asterisk (\fB*\fP).
540 .B mark\-symlinked\-directories (Off)
541 If set to \fBOn\fP, completed names which are symbolic links to directories
542 have a slash appended (subject to the value of
543 \fBmark\-directories\fP).
545 .B match\-hidden\-files (On)
546 This variable, when set to \fBOn\fP, causes readline to match files whose
547 names begin with a `.' (hidden files) when performing filename
549 If set to \fBOff\fP, the leading `.' must be
550 supplied by the user in the filename to be completed.
552 .B menu\-complete\-display\-prefix (Off)
553 If set to \fBOn\fP, menu completion displays the common prefix of the
554 list of possible completions (which may be empty) before cycling through
557 .B output\-meta (Off)
558 If set to \fBOn\fP, readline will display characters with the
559 eighth bit set directly rather than as a meta-prefixed escape
561 The default is \fIOff\fP, but readline will set it to \fIOn\fP if the
562 locale contains eight-bit characters.
564 .B page\-completions (On)
565 If set to \fBOn\fP, readline uses an internal \fImore\fP-like pager
566 to display a screenful of possible completions at a time.
568 .B print\-completions\-horizontally (Off)
569 If set to \fBOn\fP, readline will display completions with matches
570 sorted horizontally in alphabetical order, rather than down the screen.
572 .B revert\-all\-at\-newline (Off)
573 If set to \fBOn\fP, readline will undo all changes to history lines
574 before returning when \fBaccept\-line\fP is executed. By default,
575 history lines may be modified and retain individual undo lists across
576 calls to \fBreadline\fP.
578 .B show\-all\-if\-ambiguous (Off)
579 This alters the default behavior of the completion functions. If
582 words which have more than one possible completion cause the
583 matches to be listed immediately instead of ringing the bell.
585 .B show\-all\-if\-unmodified (Off)
586 This alters the default behavior of the completion functions in
587 a fashion similar to \fBshow\-all\-if\-ambiguous\fP.
590 words which have more than one possible completion without any
591 possible partial completion (the possible completions don't share
592 a common prefix) cause the matches to be listed immediately instead
595 .B show\-mode\-in\-prompt (Off)
596 If set to \fBOn\fP, add a string to the beginning of the prompt
597 indicating the editing mode: emacs, vi command, or vi insertion.
598 The mode strings are user-settable (e.g., \fIemacs\-mode\-string\fP).
600 .B skip\-completed\-text (Off)
601 If set to \fBOn\fP, this alters the default completion behavior when
602 inserting a single match into the line. It's only active when
603 performing completion in the middle of a word. If enabled, readline
604 does not insert characters from the completion that match characters
605 after point in the word being completed, so portions of the word
606 following the cursor are not duplicated.
608 .B vi\-cmd\-mode\-string ((cmd))
609 If the \fIshow\-mode\-in\-prompt\fP variable is enabled,
610 this string is displayed immediately before the last line of the primary
611 prompt when vi editing mode is active and in command mode.
612 The value is expanded like a
613 key binding, so the standard set of meta- and control prefixes and
614 backslash escape sequences is available.
615 Use the \e1 and \e2 escapes to begin and end sequences of
616 non-printing characters, which can be used to embed a terminal control
617 sequence into the mode string.
619 .B vi\-ins\-mode\-string ((ins))
620 If the \fIshow\-mode\-in\-prompt\fP variable is enabled,
621 this string is displayed immediately before the last line of the primary
622 prompt when vi editing mode is active and in insertion mode.
623 The value is expanded like a
624 key binding, so the standard set of meta- and control prefixes and
625 backslash escape sequences is available.
626 Use the \e1 and \e2 escapes to begin and end sequences of
627 non-printing characters, which can be used to embed a terminal control
628 sequence into the mode string.
630 .B visible\-stats (Off)
631 If set to \fBOn\fP, a character denoting a file's type as reported
632 by \fIstat\fP(2) is appended to the filename when listing possible
635 .SS Conditional Constructs
637 Readline implements a facility similar in spirit to the conditional
638 compilation features of the C preprocessor which allows key
639 bindings and variable settings to be performed as the result
640 of tests. There are four parser directives used.
644 construct allows bindings to be made based on the
645 editing mode, the terminal being used, or the application using
646 readline. The text of the test, after any comparison operator,
647 extends to the end of the line;
648 unless otherwise noted, no characters are required to isolate it.
651 The \fBmode=\fP form of the \fB$if\fP directive is used to test
652 whether readline is in emacs or vi mode.
653 This may be used in conjunction
654 with the \fBset keymap\fP command, for instance, to set bindings in
655 the \fIemacs-standard\fP and \fIemacs-ctlx\fP keymaps only if
656 readline is starting out in emacs mode.
658 The \fBterm=\fP form may be used to include terminal-specific
659 key bindings, perhaps to bind the key sequences output by the
660 terminal's function keys. The word on the right side of the
662 is tested against the full name of the terminal and the portion
663 of the terminal name before the first \fB\-\fP. This allows
671 The \fBversion\fP test may be used to perform comparisons against
672 specific readline versions.
673 The \fBversion\fP expands to the current readline version.
674 The set of comparison operators includes
684 The version number supplied on the right side of the operator consists
685 of a major version number, an optional decimal point, and an optional
686 minor version (e.g., \fB7.1\fP). If the minor version is omitted, it
687 is assumed to be \fB0\fP.
688 The operator may be separated from the string \fBversion\fP
689 and from the version number argument by whitespace.
690 .IP \fBapplication\fP
691 The \fBapplication\fP construct is used to include
692 application-specific settings. Each program using the readline
693 library sets the \fIapplication name\fP, and an initialization
694 file can test for a particular value.
695 This could be used to bind key sequences to functions useful for
696 a specific program. For instance, the following command adds a
697 key sequence that quotes the current or previous word in \fBbash\fP:
702 # Quote the current or previous word
703 "\eC-xq": "\eeb\e"\eef\e""
708 The \fIvariable\fP construct provides simple equality tests for readline
709 variables and values.
710 The permitted comparison operators are \fI=\fP, \fI==\fP, and \fI!=\fP.
711 The variable name must be separated from the comparison operator by
712 whitespace; the operator may be separated from the value on the right hand
714 Both string and boolean variables may be tested. Boolean variables must be
715 tested against the values \fIon\fP and \fIoff\fP.
718 This command, as seen in the previous example, terminates an
721 Commands in this branch of the \fB$if\fP directive are executed if
724 This directive takes a single filename as an argument and reads commands
725 and bindings from that file. For example, the following directive
726 would read \fI/etc/inputrc\fP:
730 \fB$include\fP \^ \fI/etc/inputrc\fP
735 Readline provides commands for searching through the command history
736 for lines containing a specified string.
737 There are two search modes:
740 .IR non-incremental .
742 Incremental searches begin before the user has finished typing the
744 As each character of the search string is typed, readline displays
745 the next entry from the history matching the string typed so far.
746 An incremental search requires only as many characters as needed to
747 find the desired history entry.
748 To search backward in the history for a particular string, type
749 \fBC\-r\fP. Typing \fBC\-s\fP searches forward through the history.
750 The characters present in the value of the \fBisearch-terminators\fP
751 variable are used to terminate an incremental search.
752 If that variable has not been assigned a value the \fIEscape\fP and
753 \fBC\-J\fP characters will terminate an incremental search.
754 \fBC\-G\fP will abort an incremental search and restore the original
756 When the search is terminated, the history entry containing the
757 search string becomes the current line.
759 To find other matching entries in the history list, type \fBC\-s\fP or
760 \fBC\-r\fP as appropriate.
761 This will search backward or forward in the history for the next
762 line matching the search string typed so far.
763 Any other key sequence bound to a readline command will terminate
764 the search and execute that command.
765 For instance, a newline will terminate the search and accept
766 the line, thereby executing the command from the history list.
767 A movement command will terminate the search, make the last line found
768 the current line, and begin editing.
770 Non-incremental searches read the entire search string before starting
771 to search for matching history lines. The search string may be
772 typed by the user or be part of the contents of the current line.
775 The following is a list of the names of the commands and the default
776 key sequences to which they are bound.
777 Command names without an accompanying key sequence are unbound by default.
779 In the following descriptions, \fIpoint\fP refers to the current cursor
780 position, and \fImark\fP refers to a cursor position saved by the
781 \fBset\-mark\fP command.
782 The text between the point and mark is referred to as the \fIregion\fP.
783 .SS Commands for Moving
787 .B beginning\-of\-line (C\-a)
788 Move to the start of the current line.
790 .B end\-of\-line (C\-e)
791 Move to the end of the line.
793 .B forward\-char (C\-f)
794 Move forward a character.
796 .B backward\-char (C\-b)
797 Move back a character.
799 .B forward\-word (M\-f)
800 Move forward to the end of the next word. Words are composed of
801 alphanumeric characters (letters and digits).
803 .B backward\-word (M\-b)
804 Move back to the start of the current or previous word. Words are
805 composed of alphanumeric characters (letters and digits).
807 .B previous\-screen\-line
808 Attempt to move point to the same physical screen column on the previous
809 physical screen line. This will not have the desired effect if the current
810 Readline line does not take up more than one physical line or if point is not
811 greater than the length of the prompt plus the screen width.
813 .B next\-screen\-line
814 Attempt to move point to the same physical screen column on the next
815 physical screen line. This will not have the desired effect if the current
816 Readline line does not take up more than one physical line or if the length
817 of the current Readline line is not greater than the length of the prompt
818 plus the screen width.
820 .B clear\-screen (C\-l)
821 Clear the screen leaving the current line at the top of the screen.
822 With an argument, refresh the current line without clearing the
825 .B redraw\-current\-line
826 Refresh the current line.
828 .SS Commands for Manipulating the History
832 .B accept\-line (Newline, Return)
833 Accept the line regardless of where the cursor is.
835 non-empty, it may be added to the history list for future recall with
837 If the line is a modified history line, the history line is restored to its original state.
839 .B previous\-history (C\-p)
840 Fetch the previous command from the history list, moving back in
843 .B next\-history (C\-n)
844 Fetch the next command from the history list, moving forward in the
847 .B beginning\-of\-history (M\-<)
848 Move to the first line in the history.
850 .B end\-of\-history (M\->)
851 Move to the end of the input history, i.e., the line currently being
854 .B reverse\-search\-history (C\-r)
855 Search backward starting at the current line and moving `up' through
856 the history as necessary. This is an incremental search.
858 .B forward\-search\-history (C\-s)
859 Search forward starting at the current line and moving `down' through
860 the history as necessary. This is an incremental search.
862 .B non\-incremental\-reverse\-search\-history (M\-p)
863 Search backward through the history starting at the current line
864 using a non-incremental search for a string supplied by the user.
866 .B non\-incremental\-forward\-search\-history (M\-n)
867 Search forward through the history using a non-incremental search
868 for a string supplied by the user.
870 .B history\-search\-backward
871 Search backward through the history for the string of characters
872 between the start of the current line and the current cursor
873 position (the \fIpoint\fP).
874 The search string must match at the beginning of a history line.
875 This is a non-incremental search.
877 .B history\-search\-forward
878 Search forward through the history for the string of characters
879 between the start of the current line and the point.
880 The search string must match at the beginning of a history line.
881 This is a non-incremental search.
883 .B history\-substring\-search\-backward
884 Search backward through the history for the string of characters
885 between the start of the current line and the current cursor
886 position (the \fIpoint\fP).
887 The search string may match anywhere in a history line.
888 This is a non-incremental search.
890 .B history\-substring\-search\-forward
891 Search forward through the history for the string of characters
892 between the start of the current line and the point.
893 The search string may match anywhere in a history line.
894 This is a non-incremental search.
896 .B yank\-nth\-arg (M\-C\-y)
897 Insert the first argument to the previous command (usually
898 the second word on the previous line) at point.
901 insert the \fIn\fPth word from the previous command (the words
902 in the previous command begin with word 0). A negative argument
903 inserts the \fIn\fPth word from the end of the previous command.
904 Once the argument \fIn\fP is computed, the argument is extracted
905 as if the "!\fIn\fP" history expansion had been specified.
908 yank\-last\-arg (M\-.\^, M\-_\^)
909 Insert the last argument to the previous command (the last word of
910 the previous history entry).
911 With a numeric argument, behave exactly like \fByank\-nth\-arg\fP.
912 Successive calls to \fByank\-last\-arg\fP move back through the history
913 list, inserting the last word (or the word specified by the argument to
914 the first call) of each line in turn.
915 Any numeric argument supplied to these successive calls determines
916 the direction to move through the history. A negative argument switches
917 the direction through the history (back or forward).
918 The history expansion facilities are used to extract the last argument,
919 as if the "!$" history expansion had been specified.
921 .SS Commands for Changing Text
925 .B \fIend\-of\-file\fP (usually C\-d)
926 The character indicating end-of-file as set, for example, by
929 If this character is read when there are no characters
930 on the line, and point is at the beginning of the line, Readline
931 interprets it as the end of input and returns
935 .B delete\-char (C\-d)
936 Delete the character at point.
937 If this function is bound to the
938 same character as the tty \fBEOF\fP character, as \fBC\-d\fP
939 commonly is, see above for the effects.
941 .B backward\-delete\-char (Rubout)
942 Delete the character behind the cursor. When given a numeric argument,
943 save the deleted text on the kill ring.
945 .B forward\-backward\-delete\-char
946 Delete the character under the cursor, unless the cursor is at the
947 end of the line, in which case the character behind the cursor is
950 .B quoted\-insert (C\-q, C\-v)
951 Add the next character that you type to the line verbatim. This is
952 how to insert characters like \fBC\-q\fP, for example.
954 .B tab\-insert (M-TAB)
955 Insert a tab character.
957 .B self\-insert (a,\ b,\ A,\ 1,\ !,\ ...)
958 Insert the character typed.
960 .B transpose\-chars (C\-t)
961 Drag the character before point forward over the character at point,
962 moving point forward as well.
963 If point is at the end of the line, then this transposes
964 the two characters before point.
965 Negative arguments have no effect.
967 .B transpose\-words (M\-t)
968 Drag the word before point past the word after point,
969 moving point over that word as well.
970 If point is at the end of the line, this transposes
971 the last two words on the line.
973 .B upcase\-word (M\-u)
974 Uppercase the current (or following) word. With a negative argument,
975 uppercase the previous word, but do not move point.
977 .B downcase\-word (M\-l)
978 Lowercase the current (or following) word. With a negative argument,
979 lowercase the previous word, but do not move point.
981 .B capitalize\-word (M\-c)
982 Capitalize the current (or following) word. With a negative argument,
983 capitalize the previous word, but do not move point.
986 Toggle overwrite mode. With an explicit positive numeric argument,
987 switches to overwrite mode. With an explicit non-positive numeric
988 argument, switches to insert mode. This command affects only
989 \fBemacs\fP mode; \fBvi\fP mode does overwrite differently.
990 Each call to \fIreadline()\fP starts in insert mode.
991 In overwrite mode, characters bound to \fBself\-insert\fP replace
992 the text at point rather than pushing the text to the right.
993 Characters bound to \fBbackward\-delete\-char\fP replace the character
994 before point with a space. By default, this command is unbound.
996 .SS Killing and Yanking
1000 .B kill\-line (C\-k)
1001 Kill the text from point to the end of the line.
1003 .B backward\-kill\-line (C\-x Rubout)
1004 Kill backward to the beginning of the line.
1006 .B unix\-line\-discard (C\-u)
1007 Kill backward from point to the beginning of the line.
1008 The killed text is saved on the kill-ring.
1009 .\" There is no real difference between this and backward-kill-line
1011 .B kill\-whole\-line
1012 Kill all characters on the current line, no matter where point is.
1014 .B kill\-word (M\-d)
1015 Kill from point the end of the current word, or if between
1016 words, to the end of the next word. Word boundaries are the same as
1017 those used by \fBforward\-word\fP.
1019 .B backward\-kill\-word (M\-Rubout)
1020 Kill the word behind point.
1021 Word boundaries are the same as those used by \fBbackward\-word\fP.
1023 .B unix\-word\-rubout (C\-w)
1024 Kill the word behind point, using white space as a word boundary.
1025 The killed text is saved on the kill-ring.
1027 .B unix\-filename\-rubout
1028 Kill the word behind point, using white space and the slash character
1029 as the word boundaries.
1030 The killed text is saved on the kill-ring.
1032 .B delete\-horizontal\-space (M\-\e)
1033 Delete all spaces and tabs around point.
1036 Kill the text between the point and \fImark\fP (saved cursor position).
1037 This text is referred to as the \fIregion\fP.
1039 .B copy\-region\-as\-kill
1040 Copy the text in the region to the kill buffer.
1042 .B copy\-backward\-word
1043 Copy the word before point to the kill buffer.
1044 The word boundaries are the same as \fBbackward\-word\fP.
1046 .B copy\-forward\-word
1047 Copy the word following point to the kill buffer.
1048 The word boundaries are the same as \fBforward\-word\fP.
1051 Yank the top of the kill ring into the buffer at point.
1054 Rotate the kill ring, and yank the new top. Only works following
1059 .SS Numeric Arguments
1063 .B digit\-argument (M\-0, M\-1, ..., M\-\-)
1064 Add this digit to the argument already accumulating, or start a new
1065 argument. M\-\- starts a negative argument.
1067 .B universal\-argument
1068 This is another way to specify an argument.
1069 If this command is followed by one or more digits, optionally with a
1070 leading minus sign, those digits define the argument.
1071 If the command is followed by digits, executing
1072 .B universal\-argument
1073 again ends the numeric argument, but is otherwise ignored.
1074 As a special case, if this command is immediately followed by a
1075 character that is neither a digit or minus sign, the argument count
1076 for the next command is multiplied by four.
1077 The argument count is initially one, so executing this function the
1078 first time makes the argument count four, a second time makes the
1079 argument count sixteen, and so on.
1086 Attempt to perform completion on the text before point.
1087 The actual completion performed is application-specific.
1089 for instance, attempts completion treating the text as a variable
1090 (if the text begins with \fB$\fP), username (if the text begins with
1091 \fB~\fP), hostname (if the text begins with \fB@\fP), or
1092 command (including aliases and functions) in turn. If none
1093 of these produces a match, filename completion is attempted.
1096 allows completion of program functions and variables, and
1097 only attempts filename completion under certain circumstances.
1099 .B possible\-completions (M\-?)
1100 List the possible completions of the text before point.
1101 When displaying completions, readline sets the number of columns used
1102 for display to the value of \fBcompletion-display-width\fP, the value of
1103 the environment variable
1106 or the screen width, in that order.
1108 .B insert\-completions (M\-*)
1109 Insert all completions of the text before point
1110 that would have been generated by
1111 \fBpossible\-completions\fP.
1114 Similar to \fBcomplete\fP, but replaces the word to be completed
1115 with a single match from the list of possible completions.
1116 Repeated execution of \fBmenu\-complete\fP steps through the list
1117 of possible completions, inserting each match in turn.
1118 At the end of the list of completions, the bell is rung
1119 (subject to the setting of \fBbell\-style\fP)
1120 and the original text is restored.
1121 An argument of \fIn\fP moves \fIn\fP positions forward in the list
1122 of matches; a negative argument may be used to move backward
1124 This command is intended to be bound to \fBTAB\fP, but is unbound
1127 .B menu\-complete\-backward
1128 Identical to \fBmenu\-complete\fP, but moves backward through the list
1129 of possible completions, as if \fBmenu\-complete\fP had been given a
1130 negative argument. This command is unbound by default.
1132 .B delete\-char\-or\-list
1133 Deletes the character under the cursor if not at the beginning or
1134 end of the line (like \fBdelete-char\fP).
1135 If at the end of the line, behaves identically to
1136 \fBpossible-completions\fP.
1142 .B start\-kbd\-macro (C\-x (\^)
1143 Begin saving the characters typed into the current keyboard macro.
1145 .B end\-kbd\-macro (C\-x )\^)
1146 Stop saving the characters typed into the current keyboard macro
1147 and store the definition.
1149 .B call\-last\-kbd\-macro (C\-x e)
1150 Re-execute the last keyboard macro defined, by making the characters
1151 in the macro appear as if typed at the keyboard.
1153 .B print\-last\-kbd\-macro ()
1154 Print the last keyboard macro defined in a format suitable for the
1161 .B re\-read\-init\-file (C\-x C\-r)
1162 Read in the contents of the \fIinputrc\fP file, and incorporate
1163 any bindings or variable assignments found there.
1166 Abort the current editing command and
1167 ring the terminal's bell (subject to the setting of
1170 .B do\-lowercase\-version (M\-A, M\-B, M\-\fIx\fP, ...)
1171 If the metafied character \fIx\fP is uppercase, run the command
1172 that is bound to the corresponding metafied lowercase character.
1173 The behavior is undefined if \fIx\fP is already lowercase.
1175 .B prefix\-meta (ESC)
1176 Metafy the next character typed.
1183 .B undo (C\-_, C\-x C\-u)
1184 Incremental undo, separately remembered for each line.
1186 .B revert\-line (M\-r)
1187 Undo all changes made to this line. This is like executing the
1189 command enough times to return the line to its initial state.
1191 .B tilde\-expand (M\-&)
1192 Perform tilde expansion on the current word.
1194 .B set\-mark (C\-@, M\-<space>)
1195 Set the mark to the point. If a
1196 numeric argument is supplied, the mark is set to that position.
1198 .B exchange\-point\-and\-mark (C\-x C\-x)
1199 Swap the point with the mark. The current cursor position is set to
1200 the saved position, and the old cursor position is saved as the mark.
1202 .B character\-search (C\-])
1203 A character is read and point is moved to the next occurrence of that
1204 character. A negative count searches for previous occurrences.
1206 .B character\-search\-backward (M\-C\-])
1207 A character is read and point is moved to the previous occurrence of that
1208 character. A negative count searches for subsequent occurrences.
1210 .B skip\-csi\-sequence
1211 Read enough characters to consume a multi-key sequence such as those
1212 defined for keys like Home and End. Such sequences begin with a
1213 Control Sequence Indicator (CSI), usually ESC\-[. If this sequence is
1214 bound to "\e[", keys producing such sequences will have no effect
1215 unless explicitly bound to a readline command, instead of inserting
1216 stray characters into the editing buffer. This is unbound by default,
1217 but usually bound to ESC\-[.
1219 .B insert\-comment (M\-#)
1220 Without a numeric argument, the value of the readline
1222 variable is inserted at the beginning of the current line.
1223 If a numeric argument is supplied, this command acts as a toggle: if
1224 the characters at the beginning of the line do not match the value
1225 of \fBcomment\-begin\fP, the value is inserted, otherwise
1226 the characters in \fBcomment-begin\fP are deleted from the beginning of
1228 In either case, the line is accepted as if a newline had been typed.
1229 The default value of
1231 makes the current line a shell comment.
1232 If a numeric argument causes the comment character to be removed, the line
1233 will be executed by the shell.
1236 Print all of the functions and their key bindings to the
1237 readline output stream. If a numeric argument is supplied,
1238 the output is formatted in such a way that it can be made part
1239 of an \fIinputrc\fP file.
1242 Print all of the settable variables and their values to the
1243 readline output stream. If a numeric argument is supplied,
1244 the output is formatted in such a way that it can be made part
1245 of an \fIinputrc\fP file.
1248 Print all of the readline key sequences bound to macros and the
1249 strings they output. If a numeric argument is supplied,
1250 the output is formatted in such a way that it can be made part
1251 of an \fIinputrc\fP file.
1253 .B emacs\-editing\-mode (C\-e)
1256 command mode, this causes a switch to
1260 .B vi\-editing\-mode (M\-C\-j)
1263 editing mode, this causes a switch to
1267 .SH DEFAULT KEY BINDINGS
1269 The following is a list of the default emacs and vi bindings.
1270 Characters with the eighth bit set are written as M\-<character>, and
1274 The printable ASCII characters not mentioned in the list of emacs
1275 standard bindings are bound to the
1277 function, which just inserts the given character into the input line.
1278 In vi insertion mode, all characters not specifically mentioned are
1281 Characters assigned to signal generation by
1283 or the terminal driver, such as C-Z or C-C,
1284 retain that function.
1285 Upper and lower case metafied characters are bound to the same function in
1286 the emacs mode meta keymap.
1287 The remaining characters are unbound, which causes readline
1288 to ring the bell (subject to the setting of the
1296 Emacs Standard bindings
1299 "C-A" beginning-of-line
1305 "C-H" backward-delete-char
1312 "C-P" previous-history
1314 "C-R" reverse-search-history
1315 "C-S" forward-search-history
1316 "C-T" transpose-chars
1317 "C-U" unix-line-discard
1319 "C-W" unix-word-rubout
1321 "C-]" character-search
1323 "\^ " to "/" self-insert
1324 "0" to "9" self-insert
1325 ":" to "~" self-insert
1326 "C-?" backward-delete-char
1331 "M-C-H" backward-kill-word
1333 "M-C-J" vi-editing-mode
1334 "M-C-M" vi-editing-mode
1336 "M-C-Y" yank-nth-arg
1338 "M-C-]" character-search-backward
1340 "M-#" insert-comment
1342 "M-*" insert-completions
1343 "M--" digit-argument
1345 "M-0" digit-argument
1346 "M-1" digit-argument
1347 "M-2" digit-argument
1348 "M-3" digit-argument
1349 "M-4" digit-argument
1350 "M-5" digit-argument
1351 "M-6" digit-argument
1352 "M-7" digit-argument
1353 "M-8" digit-argument
1354 "M-9" digit-argument
1355 "M-<" beginning-of-history
1356 "M-=" possible-completions
1357 "M->" end-of-history
1358 "M-?" possible-completions
1360 "M-C" capitalize-word
1364 "M-N" non-incremental-forward-search-history
1365 "M-P" non-incremental-reverse-search-history
1367 "M-T" transpose-words
1370 "M-\e" delete-horizontal-space
1372 "M-C-?" backward-kill-word
1375 Emacs Control-X bindings
1378 "C-XC-R" re-read-init-file
1380 "C-XC-X" exchange-point-and-mark
1381 "C-X(" start-kbd-macro
1382 "C-X)" end-kbd-macro
1383 "C-XE" call-last-kbd-macro
1384 "C-XC-?" backward-kill-line
1387 .SS VI Mode bindings
1393 VI Insert Mode functions
1396 "C-H" backward-delete-char
1400 "C-R" reverse-search-history
1401 "C-S" forward-search-history
1402 "C-T" transpose-chars
1403 "C-U" unix-line-discard
1405 "C-W" unix-word-rubout
1407 "C-[" vi-movement-mode
1409 "\^ " to "~" self-insert
1410 "C-?" backward-delete-char
1412 VI Command Mode functions
1415 "C-E" emacs-editing-mode
1423 "C-P" previous-history
1425 "C-R" reverse-search-history
1426 "C-S" forward-search-history
1427 "C-T" transpose-chars
1428 "C-U" unix-line-discard
1430 "C-W" unix-word-rubout
1441 "-" previous-history
1444 "0" beginning-of-line
1445 "1" to "9" vi-arg-digit
1455 "G" vi-fetch-history
1464 "X" backward-delete-char
1477 "i" vi-insertion-mode
1497 \fIThe Gnu Readline Library\fP, Brian Fox and Chet Ramey
1499 \fIThe Gnu History Library\fP, Brian Fox and Chet Ramey
1507 Individual \fBreadline\fP initialization file
1510 Brian Fox, Free Software Foundation
1514 Chet Ramey, Case Western Reserve University
1518 If you find a bug in
1520 you should report it. But first, you should
1521 make sure that it really is a bug, and that it appears in the latest
1524 library that you have.
1526 Once you have determined that a bug actually exists, mail a
1527 bug report to \fIbug\-readline\fP@\fIgnu.org\fP.
1528 If you have a fix, you are welcome to mail that
1529 as well! Suggestions and `philosophical' bug reports may be mailed
1530 to \fPbug-readline\fP@\fIgnu.org\fP or posted to the Usenet
1534 Comments and bug reports concerning
1535 this manual page should be directed to
1536 .IR chet.ramey@case.edu .
1539 It's too big and too slow.
projects / deliverable / binutils-gdb.git / blob