This is rluserman.info, produced by makeinfo version 6.8 from
rluserman.texi.
This manual describes the end user interface of the GNU Readline Library
(version 8.2, 19 September 2022), a library which aids in the
consistency of user interface across discrete programs which provide a
command line interface.
Copyright (C) 1988-2022 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software
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no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the
section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
INFO-DIR-SECTION Libraries
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* RLuserman: (rluserman). The GNU readline library User's Manual.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
File: rluserman.info, Node: Top, Next: Command Line Editing, Up: (dir)
GNU Readline Library
********************
This document describes the end user interface of the GNU Readline
Library, a utility which aids in the consistency of user interface
across discrete programs which provide a command line interface. The
Readline home page is .
* Menu:
* Command Line Editing:: GNU Readline User's Manual.
* GNU Free Documentation License:: License for copying this manual.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Command Line Editing, Next: GNU Free Documentation License, Prev: Top, Up: Top
1 Command Line Editing
**********************
This chapter describes the basic features of the GNU command line
editing interface.
* Menu:
* Introduction and Notation:: Notation used in this text.
* Readline Interaction:: The minimum set of commands for editing a line.
* Readline Init File:: Customizing Readline from a user's view.
* Bindable Readline Commands:: A description of most of the Readline commands
available for binding
* Readline vi Mode:: A short description of how to make Readline
behave like the vi editor.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Introduction and Notation, Next: Readline Interaction, Up: Command Line Editing
1.1 Introduction to Line Editing
================================
The following paragraphs describe the notation used to represent
keystrokes.
The text 'C-k' is read as 'Control-K' and describes the character
produced when the key is pressed while the Control key is depressed.
The text 'M-k' is read as 'Meta-K' and describes the character
produced when the Meta key (if you have one) is depressed, and the
key is pressed. The Meta key is labeled on many keyboards. On
keyboards with two keys labeled (usually to either side of the
space bar), the on the left side is generally set to work as a
Meta key. The key on the right may also be configured to work as
a Meta key or may be configured as some other modifier, such as a
Compose key for typing accented characters.
If you do not have a Meta or key, or another key working as a
Meta key, the identical keystroke can be generated by typing
_first_, and then typing . Either process is known as "metafying"
the key.
The text 'M-C-k' is read as 'Meta-Control-k' and describes the
character produced by "metafying" 'C-k'.
In addition, several keys have their own names. Specifically, ,
, , , , and all stand for themselves when seen
in this text, or in an init file (*note Readline Init File::). If your
keyboard lacks a key, typing will produce the desired
character. The key may be labeled or on some
keyboards.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Readline Interaction, Next: Readline Init File, Prev: Introduction and Notation, Up: Command Line Editing
1.2 Readline Interaction
========================
Often during an interactive session you type in a long line of text,
only to notice that the first word on the line is misspelled. The
Readline library gives you a set of commands for manipulating the text
as you type it in, allowing you to just fix your typo, and not forcing
you to retype the majority of the line. Using these editing commands,
you move the cursor to the place that needs correction, and delete or
insert the text of the corrections. Then, when you are satisfied with
the line, you simply press . You do not have to be at the end of
the line to press ; the entire line is accepted regardless of the
location of the cursor within the line.
* Menu:
* Readline Bare Essentials:: The least you need to know about Readline.
* Readline Movement Commands:: Moving about the input line.
* Readline Killing Commands:: How to delete text, and how to get it back!
* Readline Arguments:: Giving numeric arguments to commands.
* Searching:: Searching through previous lines.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Readline Bare Essentials, Next: Readline Movement Commands, Up: Readline Interaction
1.2.1 Readline Bare Essentials
------------------------------
In order to enter characters into the line, simply type them. The typed
character appears where the cursor was, and then the cursor moves one
space to the right. If you mistype a character, you can use your erase
character to back up and delete the mistyped character.
Sometimes you may mistype a character, and not notice the error until
you have typed several other characters. In that case, you can type
'C-b' to move the cursor to the left, and then correct your mistake.
Afterwards, you can move the cursor to the right with 'C-f'.
When you add text in the middle of a line, you will notice that
characters to the right of the cursor are 'pushed over' to make room for
the text that you have inserted. Likewise, when you delete text behind
the cursor, characters to the right of the cursor are 'pulled back' to
fill in the blank space created by the removal of the text. A list of
the bare essentials for editing the text of an input line follows.
'C-b'
Move back one character.
'C-f'
Move forward one character.
or
Delete the character to the left of the cursor.
'C-d'
Delete the character underneath the cursor.
Printing characters
Insert the character into the line at the cursor.
'C-_' or 'C-x C-u'
Undo the last editing command. You can undo all the way back to an
empty line.
(Depending on your configuration, the key might be set to
delete the character to the left of the cursor and the key set to
delete the character underneath the cursor, like 'C-d', rather than the
character to the left of the cursor.)
File: rluserman.info, Node: Readline Movement Commands, Next: Readline Killing Commands, Prev: Readline Bare Essentials, Up: Readline Interaction
1.2.2 Readline Movement Commands
--------------------------------
The above table describes the most basic keystrokes that you need in
order to do editing of the input line. For your convenience, many other
commands have been added in addition to 'C-b', 'C-f', 'C-d', and .
Here are some commands for moving more rapidly about the line.
'C-a'
Move to the start of the line.
'C-e'
Move to the end of the line.
'M-f'
Move forward a word, where a word is composed of letters and
digits.
'M-b'
Move backward a word.
'C-l'
Clear the screen, reprinting the current line at the top.
Notice how 'C-f' moves forward a character, while 'M-f' moves forward
a word. It is a loose convention that control keystrokes operate on
characters while meta keystrokes operate on words.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Readline Killing Commands, Next: Readline Arguments, Prev: Readline Movement Commands, Up: Readline Interaction
1.2.3 Readline Killing Commands
-------------------------------
"Killing" text means to delete the text from the line, but to save it
away for later use, usually by "yanking" (re-inserting) it back into the
line. ('Cut' and 'paste' are more recent jargon for 'kill' and 'yank'.)
If the description for a command says that it 'kills' text, then you
can be sure that you can get the text back in a different (or the same)
place later.
When you use a kill command, the text is saved in a "kill-ring". Any
number of consecutive kills save all of the killed text together, so
that when you yank it back, you get it all. The kill ring is not line
specific; the text that you killed on a previously typed line is
available to be yanked back later, when you are typing another line.
Here is the list of commands for killing text.
'C-k'
Kill the text from the current cursor position to the end of the
line.
'M-d'
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 'M-f'.
'M-'
Kill from the cursor to the start of the current word, or, if
between words, to the start of the previous word. Word boundaries
are the same as those used by 'M-b'.
'C-w'
Kill from the cursor to the previous whitespace. This is different
than 'M-' because the word boundaries differ.
Here is how to "yank" the text back into the line. Yanking means to
copy the most-recently-killed text from the kill buffer.
'C-y'
Yank the most recently killed text back into the buffer at the
cursor.
'M-y'
Rotate the kill-ring, and yank the new top. You can only do this
if the prior command is 'C-y' or 'M-y'.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Readline Arguments, Next: Searching, Prev: Readline Killing Commands, Up: Readline Interaction
1.2.4 Readline Arguments
------------------------
You can pass numeric arguments to Readline commands. Sometimes the
argument acts as a repeat count, other times it is the sign of the
argument that is significant. If you pass a negative argument to a
command which normally acts in a forward direction, that command will
act in a backward direction. For example, to kill text back to the
start of the line, you might type 'M-- C-k'.
The general way to pass numeric arguments to a command is to type
meta digits before the command. If the first 'digit' typed is a minus
sign ('-'), then the sign of the argument will be negative. Once you
have typed one meta digit to get the argument started, you can type the
remainder of the digits, and then the command. For example, to give the
'C-d' command an argument of 10, you could type 'M-1 0 C-d', which will
delete the next ten characters on the input line.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Searching, Prev: Readline Arguments, Up: Readline Interaction
1.2.5 Searching for Commands in the History
-------------------------------------------
Readline provides commands for searching through the command history for
lines containing a specified string. There are two search modes:
"incremental" and "non-incremental".
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. To search backward in the
history for a particular string, type 'C-r'. Typing 'C-s' searches
forward through the history. The characters present in the value of the
'isearch-terminators' variable are used to terminate an incremental
search. If that variable has not been assigned a value, the and
'C-J' characters will terminate an incremental search. 'C-g' will abort
an incremental search and restore the original line. When the search is
terminated, the history entry containing the search string becomes the
current line.
To find other matching entries in the history list, type 'C-r' or
'C-s' as appropriate. This will search backward or forward in the
history for the next entry matching the search string typed so far. Any
other key sequence bound to a Readline command will terminate the search
and execute that command. For instance, a will terminate the
search and accept the line, thereby executing the command from the
history list. A movement command will terminate the search, make the
last line found the current line, and begin editing.
Readline remembers the last incremental search string. If two 'C-r's
are typed without any intervening characters defining a new search
string, any remembered search string is used.
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.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Readline Init File, Next: Bindable Readline Commands, Prev: Readline Interaction, Up: Command Line Editing
1.3 Readline Init File
======================
Although the Readline library comes with a set of Emacs-like keybindings
installed by default, it is possible to use a different set of
keybindings. Any user can customize programs that use Readline by
putting commands in an "inputrc" file, conventionally in their home
directory. The name of this file is taken from the value of the
environment variable 'INPUTRC'. If that variable is unset, the default
is '~/.inputrc'. If that file does not exist or cannot be read, the
ultimate default is '/etc/inputrc'.
When a program which uses the Readline library starts up, the init
file is read, and the key bindings are set.
In addition, the 'C-x C-r' command re-reads this init file, thus
incorporating any changes that you might have made to it.
* Menu:
* Readline Init File Syntax:: Syntax for the commands in the inputrc file.
* Conditional Init Constructs:: Conditional key bindings in the inputrc file.
* Sample Init File:: An example inputrc file.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Readline Init File Syntax, Next: Conditional Init Constructs, Up: Readline Init File
1.3.1 Readline Init File Syntax
-------------------------------
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 (*note
Conditional Init Constructs::). Other lines denote variable settings
and key bindings.
Variable Settings
You can modify the run-time behavior of Readline by altering the
values of variables in Readline using the 'set' command within the
init file. The syntax is simple:
set VARIABLE VALUE
Here, for example, is how to change from the default Emacs-like key
binding to use 'vi' line editing commands:
set editing-mode vi
Variable names and values, where appropriate, are recognized
without regard to case. Unrecognized variable names are ignored.
Boolean variables (those that can be set to on or off) are set to
on if the value is null or empty, ON (case-insensitive), or 1. Any
other value results in the variable being set to off.
A great deal of run-time behavior is changeable with the following
variables.
'active-region-start-color'
A string variable that controls the text color and background
when displaying the text in the active region (see the
description of 'enable-active-region' below). This string
must not take up any physical character positions on the
display, so it should consist only of terminal escape
sequences. It is output to the terminal before displaying the
text in the active region. This variable is reset to the
default value whenever the terminal type changes. The default
value is the string that puts the terminal in standout mode,
as obtained from the terminal's terminfo description. A
sample value might be '\e[01;33m'.
'active-region-end-color'
A string variable that "undoes" the effects of
'active-region-start-color' and restores "normal" terminal
display appearance after displaying text in the active region.
This string must not take up any physical character positions
on the display, so it should consist only of terminal escape
sequences. It is output to the terminal after displaying the
text in the active region. This variable is reset to the
default value whenever the terminal type changes. The default
value is the string that restores the terminal from standout
mode, as obtained from the terminal's terminfo description. A
sample value might be '\e[0m'.
'bell-style'
Controls what happens when Readline wants to ring the terminal
bell. If set to 'none', Readline never rings the bell. If
set to 'visible', Readline uses a visible bell if one is
available. If set to 'audible' (the default), Readline
attempts to ring the terminal's bell.
'bind-tty-special-chars'
If set to 'on' (the default), Readline attempts to bind the
control characters treated specially by the kernel's terminal
driver to their Readline equivalents.
'blink-matching-paren'
If set to 'on', Readline attempts to briefly move the cursor
to an opening parenthesis when a closing parenthesis is
inserted. The default is 'off'.
'colored-completion-prefix'
If set to 'on', when listing completions, Readline displays
the common prefix of the set of possible completions using a
different color. The color definitions are taken from the
value of the 'LS_COLORS' environment variable. If there is a
color definition in 'LS_COLORS' for the custom suffix
'readline-colored-completion-prefix', Readline uses this color
for the common prefix instead of its default. The default is
'off'.
'colored-stats'
If set to 'on', Readline displays possible completions using
different colors to indicate their file type. The color
definitions are taken from the value of the 'LS_COLORS'
environment variable. The default is 'off'.
'comment-begin'
The string to insert at the beginning of the line when the
'insert-comment' command is executed. The default value is
'"#"'.
'completion-display-width'
The number of screen columns used to display possible matches
when performing completion. The value is ignored if it is
less than 0 or greater than the terminal screen width. A
value of 0 will cause matches to be displayed one per line.
The default value is -1.
'completion-ignore-case'
If set to 'on', Readline performs filename matching and
completion in a case-insensitive fashion. The default value
is 'off'.
'completion-map-case'
If set to 'on', and COMPLETION-IGNORE-CASE is enabled,
Readline treats hyphens ('-') and underscores ('_') as
equivalent when performing case-insensitive filename matching
and completion. The default value is 'off'.
'completion-prefix-display-length'
The length in characters of the common prefix of a list of
possible completions that is displayed without modification.
When set to a value greater than zero, common prefixes longer
than this value are replaced with an ellipsis when displaying
possible completions.
'completion-query-items'
The number of possible completions that determines when the
user is asked whether the list of possibilities should be
displayed. If the number of possible completions is greater
than or equal to this value, Readline will ask whether or not
the user wishes to view them; otherwise, they are simply
listed. This variable must be set to an integer value greater
than or equal to zero. A zero value means Readline should
never ask; negative values are treated as zero. The default
limit is '100'.
'convert-meta'
If set to 'on', Readline will convert characters with the
eighth bit set to an ASCII key sequence by stripping the
eighth bit and prefixing an character, converting them
to a meta-prefixed key sequence. The default value is 'on',
but will be set to 'off' if the locale is one that contains
eight-bit characters. This variable is dependent on the
'LC_CTYPE' locale category, and may change if the locale is
changed.
'disable-completion'
If set to 'On', Readline will inhibit word completion.
Completion characters will be inserted into the line as if
they had been mapped to 'self-insert'. The default is 'off'.
'echo-control-characters'
When set to 'on', on operating systems that indicate they
support it, Readline echoes a character corresponding to a
signal generated from the keyboard. The default is 'on'.
'editing-mode'
The 'editing-mode' variable controls which default set of key
bindings is used. By default, Readline starts up in Emacs
editing mode, where the keystrokes are most similar to Emacs.
This variable can be set to either 'emacs' or 'vi'.
'emacs-mode-string'
If the SHOW-MODE-IN-PROMPT variable is enabled, this string is
displayed immediately before the last line of the primary
prompt when emacs editing mode is active. The value is
expanded like a key binding, so the standard set of meta- and
control prefixes and backslash escape sequences is available.
Use the '\1' and '\2' escapes to begin and end sequences of
non-printing characters, which can be used to embed a terminal
control sequence into the mode string. The default is '@'.
'enable-active-region'
The "point" is the current cursor position, and "mark" refers
to a saved cursor position (*note Commands For Moving::). The
text between the point and mark is referred to as the
"region". When this variable is set to 'On', Readline allows
certain commands to designate the region as "active". When
the region is active, Readline highlights the text in the
region using the value of the 'active-region-start-color',
which defaults to the string that enables the terminal's
standout mode. The active region shows the text inserted by
bracketed-paste and any matching text found by incremental and
non-incremental history searches. The default is 'On'.
'enable-bracketed-paste'
When set to 'On', Readline configures the terminal to insert
each paste into the editing buffer as a single string of
characters, instead of treating each character as if it had
been read from the keyboard. This is called putting the
terminal into "bracketed paste mode"; it prevents Readline
from executing any editing commands bound to key sequences
appearing in the pasted text. The default is 'On'.
'enable-keypad'
When set to 'on', Readline will try to enable the application
keypad when it is called. Some systems need this to enable
the arrow keys. The default is 'off'.
'enable-meta-key'
When set to 'on', Readline will try to enable any meta
modifier key the terminal claims to support when it is called.
On many terminals, the meta key is used to send eight-bit
characters. The default is 'on'.
'expand-tilde'
If set to 'on', tilde expansion is performed when Readline
attempts word completion. The default is 'off'.
'history-preserve-point'
If set to 'on', the history code attempts to place the point
(the current cursor position) at the same location on each
history line retrieved with 'previous-history' or
'next-history'. The default is 'off'.
'history-size'
Set the maximum number of history entries saved in the history
list. If set to zero, any existing history entries are
deleted and no new entries are saved. If set to a value less
than zero, the number of history entries is not limited. By
default, the number of history entries is not limited. If an
attempt is made to set HISTORY-SIZE to a non-numeric value,
the maximum number of history entries will be set to 500.
'horizontal-scroll-mode'
This variable can be set to either 'on' or 'off'. Setting it
to 'on' means that the text of the lines being edited will
scroll horizontally on a single screen line when they are
longer than the width of the screen, instead of wrapping onto
a new screen line. This variable is automatically set to 'on'
for terminals of height 1. By default, this variable is set
to 'off'.
'input-meta'
If set to 'on', Readline will enable eight-bit input (it will
not clear the eighth bit in the characters it reads),
regardless of what the terminal claims it can support. The
default value is 'off', but Readline will set it to 'on' if
the locale contains eight-bit characters. The name
'meta-flag' is a synonym for this variable. This variable is
dependent on the 'LC_CTYPE' locale category, and may change if
the locale is changed.
'isearch-terminators'
The string of characters that should terminate an incremental
search without subsequently executing the character as a
command (*note Searching::). If this variable has not been
given a value, the characters and 'C-J' will terminate
an incremental search.
'keymap'
Sets Readline's idea of the current keymap for key binding
commands. Built-in 'keymap' names are 'emacs',
'emacs-standard', 'emacs-meta', 'emacs-ctlx', 'vi', 'vi-move',
'vi-command', and 'vi-insert'. 'vi' is equivalent to
'vi-command' ('vi-move' is also a synonym); 'emacs' is
equivalent to 'emacs-standard'. Applications may add
additional names. The default value is 'emacs'. The value of
the 'editing-mode' variable also affects the default keymap.
'keyseq-timeout'
Specifies the duration Readline will wait for a character when
reading an ambiguous key sequence (one that can form a
complete key sequence using the input read so far, or can take
additional input to complete a longer key sequence). If no
input is received within the timeout, Readline will use the
shorter but complete key sequence. Readline uses this value
to determine whether or not input is available on the current
input source ('rl_instream' by default). The value is
specified in milliseconds, so a value of 1000 means that
Readline will wait one second for additional input. If this
variable is set to a value less than or equal to zero, or to a
non-numeric value, Readline will wait until another key is
pressed to decide which key sequence to complete. The default
value is '500'.
'mark-directories'
If set to 'on', completed directory names have a slash
appended. The default is 'on'.
'mark-modified-lines'
This variable, when set to 'on', causes Readline to display an
asterisk ('*') at the start of history lines which have been
modified. This variable is 'off' by default.
'mark-symlinked-directories'
If set to 'on', completed names which are symbolic links to
directories have a slash appended (subject to the value of
'mark-directories'). The default is 'off'.
'match-hidden-files'
This variable, when set to 'on', causes Readline to match
files whose names begin with a '.' (hidden files) when
performing filename completion. If set to 'off', the leading
'.' must be supplied by the user in the filename to be
completed. This variable is 'on' by default.
'menu-complete-display-prefix'
If set to 'on', menu completion displays the common prefix of
the list of possible completions (which may be empty) before
cycling through the list. The default is 'off'.
'output-meta'
If set to 'on', Readline will display characters with the
eighth bit set directly rather than as a meta-prefixed escape
sequence. The default is 'off', but Readline will set it to
'on' if the locale contains eight-bit characters. This
variable is dependent on the 'LC_CTYPE' locale category, and
may change if the locale is changed.
'page-completions'
If set to 'on', Readline uses an internal 'more'-like pager to
display a screenful of possible completions at a time. This
variable is 'on' by default.
'print-completions-horizontally'
If set to 'on', Readline will display completions with matches
sorted horizontally in alphabetical order, rather than down
the screen. The default is 'off'.
'revert-all-at-newline'
If set to 'on', Readline will undo all changes to history
lines before returning when 'accept-line' is executed. By
default, history lines may be modified and retain individual
undo lists across calls to 'readline()'. The default is
'off'.
'show-all-if-ambiguous'
This alters the default behavior of the completion functions.
If set to 'on', words which have more than one possible
completion cause the matches to be listed immediately instead
of ringing the bell. The default value is 'off'.
'show-all-if-unmodified'
This alters the default behavior of the completion functions
in a fashion similar to SHOW-ALL-IF-AMBIGUOUS. If set to
'on', words which have more than one possible completion
without any possible partial completion (the possible
completions don't share a common prefix) cause the matches to
be listed immediately instead of ringing the bell. The
default value is 'off'.
'show-mode-in-prompt'
If set to 'on', add a string to the beginning of the prompt
indicating the editing mode: emacs, vi command, or vi
insertion. The mode strings are user-settable (e.g.,
EMACS-MODE-STRING). The default value is 'off'.
'skip-completed-text'
If set to 'on', this alters the default completion behavior
when inserting a single match into the line. It's only active
when performing completion in the middle of a word. If
enabled, Readline does not insert characters from the
completion that match characters after point in the word being
completed, so portions of the word following the cursor are
not duplicated. For instance, if this is enabled, attempting
completion when the cursor is after the 'e' in 'Makefile' will
result in 'Makefile' rather than 'Makefilefile', assuming
there is a single possible completion. The default value is
'off'.
'vi-cmd-mode-string'
If the SHOW-MODE-IN-PROMPT variable is enabled, this string is
displayed immediately before the last line of the primary
prompt when vi editing mode is active and in command mode.
The value is expanded like a key binding, so the standard set
of meta- and control prefixes and backslash escape sequences
is available. Use the '\1' and '\2' escapes to begin and end
sequences of non-printing characters, which can be used to
embed a terminal control sequence into the mode string. The
default is '(cmd)'.
'vi-ins-mode-string'
If the SHOW-MODE-IN-PROMPT variable is enabled, this string is
displayed immediately before the last line of the primary
prompt when vi editing mode is active and in insertion mode.
The value is expanded like a key binding, so the standard set
of meta- and control prefixes and backslash escape sequences
is available. Use the '\1' and '\2' escapes to begin and end
sequences of non-printing characters, which can be used to
embed a terminal control sequence into the mode string. The
default is '(ins)'.
'visible-stats'
If set to 'on', a character denoting a file's type is appended
to the filename when listing possible completions. The
default is 'off'.
Key Bindings
The syntax for controlling key bindings in the init file is simple.
First you need to find the name of the command that you want to
change. The following sections contain tables of the command name,
the default keybinding, if any, and a short description of what the
command does.
Once you know the name of the command, simply place on a line in
the init file the name of the key you wish to bind the command to,
a colon, and then the name of the command. There can be no space
between the key name and the colon - that will be interpreted as
part of the key name. The name of the key can be expressed in
different ways, depending on what you find most comfortable.
In addition to command names, Readline allows keys to be bound to a
string that is inserted when the key is pressed (a MACRO).
KEYNAME: FUNCTION-NAME or MACRO
KEYNAME 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 example above, 'C-u' is bound to the function
'universal-argument', 'M-DEL' is bound to the function
'backward-kill-word', and 'C-o' is bound to run the macro
expressed on the right hand side (that is, to insert the text
'> output' into the line).
A number of symbolic character names are recognized while
processing this key binding syntax: DEL, ESC, ESCAPE, LFD,
NEWLINE, RET, RETURN, RUBOUT, SPACE, SPC, and TAB.
"KEYSEQ": FUNCTION-NAME or MACRO
KEYSEQ differs from KEYNAME above in that strings denoting an
entire key sequence can be specified, by placing the key
sequence in double quotes. Some GNU Emacs style key escapes
can be used, as in the following example, but the special
character names are not recognized.
"\C-u": universal-argument
"\C-x\C-r": re-read-init-file
"\e[11~": "Function Key 1"
In the above example, 'C-u' is again bound to the function
'universal-argument' (just as it was in the first example),
''C-x' 'C-r'' is bound to the function 're-read-init-file',
and ' <[> <1> <1> <~>' is bound to insert the text
'Function Key 1'.
The following GNU Emacs style escape sequences are available when
specifying key sequences:
'\C-'
control prefix
'\M-'
meta prefix
'\e'
an escape character
'\\'
backslash
'\"'
<">, a double quotation mark
'\''
<'>, a single quote or apostrophe
In addition to the GNU Emacs style escape sequences, a second set
of backslash escapes is available:
'\a'
alert (bell)
'\b'
backspace
'\d'
delete
'\f'
form feed
'\n'
newline
'\r'
carriage return
'\t'
horizontal tab
'\v'
vertical tab
'\NNN'
the eight-bit character whose value is the octal value NNN
(one to three digits)
'\xHH'
the eight-bit character whose value is the hexadecimal value
HH (one or two hex digits)
When entering the text of a macro, single or double quotes must 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. Backslash will quote any other
character in the macro text, including '"' and '''. For example,
the following binding will make ''C-x' \' insert a single '\' into
the line:
"\C-x\\": "\\"
File: rluserman.info, Node: Conditional Init Constructs, Next: Sample Init File, Prev: Readline Init File Syntax, Up: Readline Init File
1.3.2 Conditional Init Constructs
---------------------------------
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 performed as the result of tests. There are
four parser directives used.
'$if'
The '$if' construct allows bindings to be made based on the editing
mode, the terminal being used, or the application using Readline.
The text of the test, after any comparison operator, extends to the
end of the line; unless otherwise noted, no characters are required
to isolate it.
'mode'
The 'mode=' form of the '$if' directive is used to test
whether Readline is in 'emacs' or 'vi' mode. This may be used
in conjunction with the 'set keymap' command, for instance, to
set bindings in the 'emacs-standard' and 'emacs-ctlx' keymaps
only if Readline is starting out in 'emacs' mode.
'term'
The 'term=' form may be used to include terminal-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 both the full name of the terminal and
the portion of the terminal name before the first '-'. This
allows 'sun' to match both 'sun' and 'sun-cmd', for instance.
'version'
The 'version' test may be used to perform comparisons against
specific Readline versions. The 'version' expands to the
current Readline version. The set of comparison operators
includes '=' (and '=='), '!=', '<=', '>=', '<', and '>'. The
version number supplied on the right side of the operator
consists of a major version number, an optional decimal point,
and an optional minor version (e.g., '7.1'). If the minor
version is omitted, it is assumed to be '0'. The operator may
be separated from the string 'version' and from the version
number argument by whitespace. The following example sets a
variable if the Readline version being used is 7.0 or newer:
$if version >= 7.0
set show-mode-in-prompt on
$endif
'application'
The APPLICATION construct is used to include
application-specific settings. Each program using the
Readline library sets the APPLICATION NAME, and you can test
for a particular value. This could be used to bind key
sequences to functions useful for a specific program. For
instance, the following command adds a key sequence that
quotes the current or previous word in Bash:
$if Bash
# Quote the current or previous word
"\C-xq": "\eb\"\ef\""
$endif
'variable'
The VARIABLE construct provides simple equality tests for
Readline variables and values. The permitted comparison
operators are '=', '==', and '!='. The variable name must be
separated from the comparison operator by whitespace; the
operator may be separated from the value on the right hand
side by whitespace. Both string and boolean variables may be
tested. Boolean variables must be tested against the values
ON and OFF. The following example is equivalent to the
'mode=emacs' test described above:
$if editing-mode == emacs
set show-mode-in-prompt on
$endif
'$endif'
This command, as seen in the previous example, terminates an '$if'
command.
'$else'
Commands in this branch of the '$if' directive are executed if the
test fails.
'$include'
This directive takes a single filename as an argument and reads
commands and bindings from that file. For example, the following
directive reads from '/etc/inputrc':
$include /etc/inputrc
File: rluserman.info, Node: Sample Init File, Prev: Conditional Init Constructs, Up: Readline Init File
1.3.3 Sample Init File
----------------------
Here is an example of an INPUTRC file. This illustrates key binding,
variable assignment, and conditional syntax.
# This file controls the behaviour of line input editing for
# programs that use the GNU Readline library. Existing
# programs include FTP, Bash, and GDB.
#
# You can re-read the inputrc file with C-x C-r.
# Lines beginning with '#' are comments.
#
# First, include any system-wide bindings and variable
# assignments from /etc/Inputrc
$include /etc/Inputrc
#
# Set various bindings for emacs mode.
set editing-mode emacs
$if mode=emacs
Meta-Control-h: backward-kill-word Text after the function name is ignored
#
# Arrow keys in keypad mode
#
#"\M-OD": backward-char
#"\M-OC": forward-char
#"\M-OA": previous-history
#"\M-OB": next-history
#
# Arrow keys in ANSI mode
#
"\M-[D": backward-char
"\M-[C": forward-char
"\M-[A": previous-history
"\M-[B": next-history
#
# Arrow keys in 8 bit keypad mode
#
#"\M-\C-OD": backward-char
#"\M-\C-OC": forward-char
#"\M-\C-OA": previous-history
#"\M-\C-OB": next-history
#
# Arrow keys in 8 bit ANSI mode
#
#"\M-\C-[D": backward-char
#"\M-\C-[C": forward-char
#"\M-\C-[A": previous-history
#"\M-\C-[B": next-history
C-q: quoted-insert
$endif
# An old-style binding. This happens to be the default.
TAB: complete
# Macros that are convenient for shell interaction
$if Bash
# edit the path
"\C-xp": "PATH=${PATH}\e\C-e\C-a\ef\C-f"
# prepare to type a quoted word --
# insert open and close double quotes
# and move to just after the open quote
"\C-x\"": "\"\"\C-b"
# insert a backslash (testing backslash escapes
# in sequences and macros)
"\C-x\\": "\\"
# Quote the current or previous word
"\C-xq": "\eb\"\ef\""
# Add a binding to refresh the line, which is unbound
"\C-xr": redraw-current-line
# Edit variable on current line.
"\M-\C-v": "\C-a\C-k$\C-y\M-\C-e\C-a\C-y="
$endif
# use a visible bell if one is available
set bell-style visible
# don't strip characters to 7 bits when reading
set input-meta on
# allow iso-latin1 characters to be inserted rather
# than converted to prefix-meta sequences
set convert-meta off
# display characters with the eighth bit set directly
# rather than as meta-prefixed characters
set output-meta on
# if there are 150 or more possible completions for a word,
# ask whether or not the user wants to see all of them
set completion-query-items 150
# For FTP
$if Ftp
"\C-xg": "get \M-?"
"\C-xt": "put \M-?"
"\M-.": yank-last-arg
$endif
File: rluserman.info, Node: Bindable Readline Commands, Next: Readline vi Mode, Prev: Readline Init File, Up: Command Line Editing
1.4 Bindable Readline Commands
==============================
* Menu:
* Commands For Moving:: Moving about the line.
* Commands For History:: Getting at previous lines.
* Commands For Text:: Commands for changing text.
* Commands For Killing:: Commands for killing and yanking.
* Numeric Arguments:: Specifying numeric arguments, repeat counts.
* Commands For Completion:: Getting Readline to do the typing for you.
* Keyboard Macros:: Saving and re-executing typed characters
* Miscellaneous Commands:: Other miscellaneous commands.
This section describes Readline commands that may be bound to key
sequences. Command names without an accompanying key sequence are
unbound by default.
In the following descriptions, "point" refers to the current cursor
position, and "mark" refers to a cursor position saved by the 'set-mark'
command. The text between the point and mark is referred to as the
"region".
File: rluserman.info, Node: Commands For Moving, Next: Commands For History, Up: Bindable Readline Commands
1.4.1 Commands For Moving
-------------------------
'beginning-of-line (C-a)'
Move to the start of the current line.
'end-of-line (C-e)'
Move to the end of the line.
'forward-char (C-f)'
Move forward a character.
'backward-char (C-b)'
Move back a character.
'forward-word (M-f)'
Move forward to the end of the next word. Words are composed of
letters and digits.
'backward-word (M-b)'
Move back to the start of the current or previous word. Words are
composed of letters and digits.
'previous-screen-line ()'
Attempt to move point to the same physical screen column on the
previous physical screen line. This will not have the desired
effect if the current Readline line does not take up more than one
physical line or if point is not greater than the length of the
prompt plus the screen width.
'next-screen-line ()'
Attempt to move point to the same physical screen column on the
next physical screen line. This will not have the desired effect
if the current Readline line does not take up more than one
physical line or if the length of the current Readline line is not
greater than the length of the prompt plus the screen width.
'clear-display (M-C-l)'
Clear the screen and, if possible, the terminal's scrollback
buffer, then redraw the current line, leaving the current line at
the top of the screen.
'clear-screen (C-l)'
Clear the screen, then redraw the current line, leaving the current
line at the top of the screen.
'redraw-current-line ()'
Refresh the current line. By default, this is unbound.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Commands For History, Next: Commands For Text, Prev: Commands For Moving, Up: Bindable Readline Commands
1.4.2 Commands For Manipulating The History
-------------------------------------------
'accept-line (Newline or Return)'
Accept the line regardless of where the cursor is. If this line is
non-empty, it may be added to the history list for future recall
with 'add_history()'. If this line is a modified history line, the
history line is restored to its original state.
'previous-history (C-p)'
Move 'back' through the history list, fetching the previous
command.
'next-history (C-n)'
Move 'forward' through the history list, fetching the next command.
'beginning-of-history (M-<)'
Move to the first line in the history.
'end-of-history (M->)'
Move to the end of the input history, i.e., the line currently
being entered.
'reverse-search-history (C-r)'
Search backward starting at the current line and moving 'up'
through the history as necessary. This is an incremental search.
This command sets the region to the matched text and activates the
mark.
'forward-search-history (C-s)'
Search forward starting at the current line and moving 'down'
through the history as necessary. This is an incremental search.
This command sets the region to the matched text and activates the
mark.
'non-incremental-reverse-search-history (M-p)'
Search backward starting at the current line and moving 'up'
through the history as necessary using a non-incremental search for
a string supplied by the user. The search string may match
anywhere in a history line.
'non-incremental-forward-search-history (M-n)'
Search forward starting at the current line and moving 'down'
through the history as necessary using a non-incremental search for
a string supplied by the user. The search string may match
anywhere in a history line.
'history-search-forward ()'
Search forward through the history for the string of characters
between the start of the current line and the point. The search
string must match at the beginning of a history line. This is a
non-incremental search. By default, this command is unbound.
'history-search-backward ()'
Search backward through the history for the string of characters
between the start of the current line and the point. The search
string must match at the beginning of a history line. This is a
non-incremental search. By default, this command is unbound.
'history-substring-search-forward ()'
Search forward through the history for the string of characters
between the start of the current line and the point. The search
string may match anywhere in a history line. This is a
non-incremental search. By default, this command is unbound.
'history-substring-search-backward ()'
Search backward through the history for the string of characters
between the start of the current line and the point. The search
string may match anywhere in a history line. This is a
non-incremental search. By default, this command is unbound.
'yank-nth-arg (M-C-y)'
Insert the first argument to the previous command (usually the
second word on the previous line) at point. With an argument N,
insert the Nth word from the previous command (the words in the
previous command begin with word 0). A negative argument inserts
the Nth word from the end of the previous command. Once the
argument N is computed, the argument is extracted as if the '!N'
history expansion had been specified.
'yank-last-arg (M-. or M-_)'
Insert last argument to the previous command (the last word of the
previous history entry). With a numeric argument, behave exactly
like 'yank-nth-arg'. Successive calls to 'yank-last-arg' move back
through the history list, inserting the last word (or the word
specified by the argument to the first call) of each line in turn.
Any numeric argument supplied to these successive calls determines
the direction to move through the history. A negative argument
switches the direction through the history (back or forward). The
history expansion facilities are used to extract the last argument,
as if the '!$' history expansion had been specified.
'operate-and-get-next (C-o)'
Accept the current line for return to the calling application as if
a newline had been entered, and fetch the next line relative to the
current line from the history for editing. A numeric argument, if
supplied, specifies the history entry to use instead of the current
line.
'fetch-history ()'
With a numeric argument, fetch that entry from the history list and
make it the current line. Without an argument, move back to the
first entry in the history list.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Commands For Text, Next: Commands For Killing, Prev: Commands For History, Up: Bindable Readline Commands
1.4.3 Commands For Changing Text
--------------------------------
'end-of-file (usually C-d)'
The character indicating end-of-file as set, for example, by
'stty'. If this character is read when there are no characters on
the line, and point is at the beginning of the line, Readline
interprets it as the end of input and returns EOF.
'delete-char (C-d)'
Delete the character at point. If this function is bound to the
same character as the tty EOF character, as 'C-d' commonly is, see
above for the effects.
'backward-delete-char (Rubout)'
Delete the character behind the cursor. A numeric argument means
to kill the characters instead of deleting them.
'forward-backward-delete-char ()'
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.
'quoted-insert (C-q or C-v)'
Add the next character typed to the line verbatim. This is how to
insert key sequences like 'C-q', for example.
'tab-insert (M-)'
Insert a tab character.
'self-insert (a, b, A, 1, !, ...)'
Insert yourself.
'bracketed-paste-begin ()'
This function is intended to be bound to the "bracketed paste"
escape sequence sent by some terminals, and such a binding is
assigned by default. It allows Readline to insert the pasted text
as a single unit without treating each character as if it had been
read from the keyboard. The characters are inserted as if each one
was bound to 'self-insert' instead of executing any editing
commands.
Bracketed paste sets the region (the characters between point and
the mark) to the inserted text. It uses the concept of an _active
mark_: when the mark is active, Readline redisplay uses the
terminal's standout mode to denote the region.
'transpose-chars (C-t)'
Drag the character before the cursor forward over the character at
the cursor, moving the cursor forward as well. If the insertion
point is at the end of the line, then this transposes the last two
characters of the line. Negative arguments have no effect.
'transpose-words (M-t)'
Drag the word before point past the word after point, moving point
past that word as well. If the insertion point is at the end of
the line, this transposes the last two words on the line.
'upcase-word (M-u)'
Uppercase the current (or following) word. With a negative
argument, uppercase the previous word, but do not move the cursor.
'downcase-word (M-l)'
Lowercase the current (or following) word. With a negative
argument, lowercase the previous word, but do not move the cursor.
'capitalize-word (M-c)'
Capitalize the current (or following) word. With a negative
argument, capitalize the previous word, but do not move the cursor.
'overwrite-mode ()'
Toggle overwrite mode. With an explicit positive numeric argument,
switches to overwrite mode. With an explicit non-positive numeric
argument, switches to insert mode. This command affects only
'emacs' mode; 'vi' mode does overwrite differently. Each call to
'readline()' starts in insert mode.
In overwrite mode, characters bound to 'self-insert' replace the
text at point rather than pushing the text to the right.
Characters bound to 'backward-delete-char' replace the character
before point with a space.
By default, this command is unbound.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Commands For Killing, Next: Numeric Arguments, Prev: Commands For Text, Up: Bindable Readline Commands
1.4.4 Killing And Yanking
-------------------------
'kill-line (C-k)'
Kill the text from point to the end of the line. With a negative
numeric argument, kill backward from the cursor to the beginning of
the current line.
'backward-kill-line (C-x Rubout)'
Kill backward from the cursor to the beginning of the current line.
With a negative numeric argument, kill forward from the cursor to
the end of the current line.
'unix-line-discard (C-u)'
Kill backward from the cursor to the beginning of the current line.
'kill-whole-line ()'
Kill all characters on the current line, no matter where point is.
By default, this is unbound.
'kill-word (M-d)'
Kill from point to the end of the current word, or if between
words, to the end of the next word. Word boundaries are the same
as 'forward-word'.
'backward-kill-word (M-)'
Kill the word behind point. Word boundaries are the same as
'backward-word'.
'shell-transpose-words (M-C-t)'
Drag the word before point past the word after point, moving point
past that word as well. If the insertion point is at the end of
the line, this transposes the last two words on the line. Word
boundaries are the same as 'shell-forward-word' and
'shell-backward-word'.
'unix-word-rubout (C-w)'
Kill the word behind point, using white space as a word boundary.
The killed text is saved on the kill-ring.
'unix-filename-rubout ()'
Kill the word behind point, using white space and the slash
character as the word boundaries. The killed text is saved on the
kill-ring.
'delete-horizontal-space ()'
Delete all spaces and tabs around point. By default, this is
unbound.
'kill-region ()'
Kill the text in the current region. By default, this command is
unbound.
'copy-region-as-kill ()'
Copy the text in the region to the kill buffer, so it can be yanked
right away. By default, this command is unbound.
'copy-backward-word ()'
Copy the word before point to the kill buffer. The word boundaries
are the same as 'backward-word'. By default, this command is
unbound.
'copy-forward-word ()'
Copy the word following point to the kill buffer. The word
boundaries are the same as 'forward-word'. By default, this
command is unbound.
'yank (C-y)'
Yank the top of the kill ring into the buffer at point.
'yank-pop (M-y)'
Rotate the kill-ring, and yank the new top. You can only do this
if the prior command is 'yank' or 'yank-pop'.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Numeric Arguments, Next: Commands For Completion, Prev: Commands For Killing, Up: Bindable Readline Commands
1.4.5 Specifying Numeric Arguments
----------------------------------
'digit-argument (M-0, M-1, ... M--)'
Add this digit to the argument already accumulating, or start a new
argument. 'M--' starts a negative argument.
'universal-argument ()'
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 'universal-argument' again ends the numeric
argument, but is otherwise ignored. As a special case, if this
command is immediately followed by a character that is neither a
digit nor minus sign, the argument count for the next command is
multiplied by four. The argument count is initially one, so
executing this function the first time makes the argument count
four, a second time makes the argument count sixteen, and so on.
By default, this is not bound to a key.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Commands For Completion, Next: Keyboard Macros, Prev: Numeric Arguments, Up: Bindable Readline Commands
1.4.6 Letting Readline Type For You
-----------------------------------
'complete ()'
Attempt to perform completion on the text before point. The actual
completion performed is application-specific. The default is
filename completion.
'possible-completions (M-?)'
List the possible completions of the text before point. When
displaying completions, Readline sets the number of columns used
for display to the value of 'completion-display-width', the value
of the environment variable 'COLUMNS', or the screen width, in that
order.
'insert-completions (M-*)'
Insert all completions of the text before point that would have
been generated by 'possible-completions'.
'menu-complete ()'
Similar to 'complete', but replaces the word to be completed with a
single match from the list of possible completions. Repeated
execution of 'menu-complete' steps through the list of possible
completions, inserting each match in turn. At the end of the list
of completions, the bell is rung (subject to the setting of
'bell-style') and the original text is restored. An argument of N
moves N positions forward in the list of matches; a negative
argument may be used to move backward through the list. This
command is intended to be bound to , but is unbound by
default.
'menu-complete-backward ()'
Identical to 'menu-complete', but moves backward through the list
of possible completions, as if 'menu-complete' had been given a
negative argument.
'delete-char-or-list ()'
Deletes the character under the cursor if not at the beginning or
end of the line (like 'delete-char'). If at the end of the line,
behaves identically to 'possible-completions'. This command is
unbound by default.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Keyboard Macros, Next: Miscellaneous Commands, Prev: Commands For Completion, Up: Bindable Readline Commands
1.4.7 Keyboard Macros
---------------------
'start-kbd-macro (C-x ()'
Begin saving the characters typed into the current keyboard macro.
'end-kbd-macro (C-x ))'
Stop saving the characters typed into the current keyboard macro
and save the definition.
'call-last-kbd-macro (C-x e)'
Re-execute the last keyboard macro defined, by making the
characters in the macro appear as if typed at the keyboard.
'print-last-kbd-macro ()'
Print the last keyboard macro defined in a format suitable for the
INPUTRC file.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Miscellaneous Commands, Prev: Keyboard Macros, Up: Bindable Readline Commands
1.4.8 Some Miscellaneous Commands
---------------------------------
're-read-init-file (C-x C-r)'
Read in the contents of the INPUTRC file, and incorporate any
bindings or variable assignments found there.
'abort (C-g)'
Abort the current editing command and ring the terminal's bell
(subject to the setting of 'bell-style').
'do-lowercase-version (M-A, M-B, M-X, ...)'
If the metafied character X is upper case, run the command that is
bound to the corresponding metafied lower case character. The
behavior is undefined if X is already lower case.
'prefix-meta ()'
Metafy the next character typed. This is for keyboards without a
meta key. Typing ' f' is equivalent to typing 'M-f'.
'undo (C-_ or C-x C-u)'
Incremental undo, separately remembered for each line.
'revert-line (M-r)'
Undo all changes made to this line. This is like executing the
'undo' command enough times to get back to the beginning.
'tilde-expand (M-~)'
Perform tilde expansion on the current word.
'set-mark (C-@)'
Set the mark to the point. If a numeric argument is supplied, the
mark is set to that position.
'exchange-point-and-mark (C-x C-x)'
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.
'character-search (C-])'
A character is read and point is moved to the next occurrence of
that character. A negative argument searches for previous
occurrences.
'character-search-backward (M-C-])'
A character is read and point is moved to the previous occurrence
of that character. A negative argument searches for subsequent
occurrences.
'skip-csi-sequence ()'
Read enough characters to consume a multi-key sequence such as
those defined for keys like Home and End. Such sequences begin
with a Control Sequence Indicator (CSI), usually ESC-[. If this
sequence is bound to "\e[", keys producing such sequences will have
no effect unless explicitly bound to a Readline command, instead of
inserting stray characters into the editing buffer. This is
unbound by default, but usually bound to ESC-[.
'insert-comment (M-#)'
Without a numeric argument, the value of the 'comment-begin'
variable is inserted at the beginning of the current line. If a
numeric argument is supplied, this command acts as a toggle: if the
characters at the beginning of the line do not match the value of
'comment-begin', the value is inserted, otherwise the characters in
'comment-begin' are deleted from the beginning of the line. In
either case, the line is accepted as if a newline had been typed.
'dump-functions ()'
Print all of the functions and their key bindings 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 INPUTRC
file. This command is unbound by default.
'dump-variables ()'
Print all of the settable variables and their values 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
INPUTRC file. This command is unbound by default.
'dump-macros ()'
Print all of the Readline key sequences bound to macros and the
strings they output. If a numeric argument is supplied, the output
is formatted in such a way that it can be made part of an INPUTRC
file. This command is unbound by default.
'emacs-editing-mode (C-e)'
When in 'vi' command mode, this causes a switch to 'emacs' editing
mode.
'vi-editing-mode (M-C-j)'
When in 'emacs' editing mode, this causes a switch to 'vi' editing
mode.
File: rluserman.info, Node: Readline vi Mode, Prev: Bindable Readline Commands, Up: Command Line Editing
1.5 Readline vi Mode
====================
While the Readline library does not have a full set of 'vi' editing
functions, it does contain enough to allow simple editing of the line.
The Readline 'vi' mode behaves as specified in the POSIX standard.
In order to switch interactively between 'emacs' and 'vi' editing
modes, use the command 'M-C-j' (bound to emacs-editing-mode when in 'vi'
mode and to vi-editing-mode in 'emacs' mode). The Readline default is
'emacs' mode.
When you enter a line in 'vi' mode, you are already placed in
'insertion' mode, as if you had typed an 'i'. Pressing switches
you into 'command' mode, where you can edit the text of the line with
the standard 'vi' movement keys, move to previous history lines with 'k'
and subsequent lines with 'j', and so forth.
File: rluserman.info, Node: GNU Free Documentation License, Prev: Command Line Editing, Up: Top
Appendix A GNU Free Documentation License
*****************************************
Version 1.3, 3 November 2008
Copyright (C) 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
0. PREAMBLE
The purpose of this License is to make a manual, textbook, or other
functional and useful document "free" in the sense of freedom: to
assure everyone the effective freedom to copy and redistribute it,
with or without modifying it, either commercially or
noncommercially. Secondarily, this License preserves for the
author and publisher a way to get credit for their work, while not
being considered responsible for modifications made by others.
This License is a kind of "copyleft", which means that derivative
works of the document must themselves be free in the same sense.
It complements the GNU General Public License, which is a copyleft
license designed for free software.
We have designed this License in order to use it for manuals for
free software, because free software needs free documentation: a
free program should come with manuals providing the same freedoms
that the software does. But this License is not limited to
software manuals; it can be used for any textual work, regardless
of subject matter or whether it is published as a printed book. We
recommend this License principally for works whose purpose is
instruction or reference.
1. APPLICABILITY AND DEFINITIONS
This License applies to any manual or other work, in any medium,
that contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it can
be distributed under the terms of this License. Such a notice
grants a world-wide, royalty-free license, unlimited in duration,
to use that work under the conditions stated herein. The
"Document", below, refers to any such manual or work. Any member
of the public is a licensee, and is addressed as "you". You accept
the license if you copy, modify or distribute the work in a way
requiring permission under copyright law.
A "Modified Version" of the Document means any work containing the
Document or a portion of it, either copied verbatim, or with
modifications and/or translated into another language.
A "Secondary Section" is a named appendix or a front-matter section
of the Document that deals exclusively with the relationship of the
publishers or authors of the Document to the Document's overall
subject (or to related matters) and contains nothing that could
fall directly within that overall subject. (Thus, if the Document
is in part a textbook of mathematics, a Secondary Section may not
explain any mathematics.) The relationship could be a matter of
historical connection with the subject or with related matters, or
of legal, commercial, philosophical, ethical or political position
regarding them.
The "Invariant Sections" are certain Secondary Sections whose
titles are designated, as being those of Invariant Sections, in the
notice that says that the Document is released under this License.
If a section does not fit the above definition of Secondary then it
is not allowed to be designated as Invariant. The Document may
contain zero Invariant Sections. If the Document does not identify
any Invariant Sections then there are none.
The "Cover Texts" are certain short passages of text that are
listed, as Front-Cover Texts or Back-Cover Texts, in the notice
that says that the Document is released under this License. A
Front-Cover Text may be at most 5 words, and a Back-Cover Text may
be at most 25 words.
A "Transparent" copy of the Document means a machine-readable copy,
represented in a format whose specification is available to the
general public, that is suitable for revising the document
straightforwardly with generic text editors or (for images composed
of pixels) generic paint programs or (for drawings) some widely
available drawing editor, and that is suitable for input to text
formatters or for automatic translation to a variety of formats
suitable for input to text formatters. A copy made in an otherwise
Transparent file format whose markup, or absence of markup, has
been arranged to thwart or discourage subsequent modification by
readers is not Transparent. An image format is not Transparent if
used for any substantial amount of text. A copy that is not
"Transparent" is called "Opaque".
Examples of suitable formats for Transparent copies include plain
ASCII without markup, Texinfo input format, LaTeX input format,
SGML or XML using a publicly available DTD, and standard-conforming
simple HTML, PostScript or PDF designed for human modification.
Examples of transparent image formats include PNG, XCF and JPG.
Opaque formats include proprietary formats that can be read and
edited only by proprietary word processors, SGML or XML for which
the DTD and/or processing tools are not generally available, and
the machine-generated HTML, PostScript or PDF produced by some word
processors for output purposes only.
The "Title Page" means, for a printed book, the title page itself,
plus such following pages as are needed to hold, legibly, the
material this License requires to appear in the title page. For
works in formats which do not have any title page as such, "Title
Page" means the text near the most prominent appearance of the
work's title, preceding the beginning of the body of the text.
The "publisher" means any person or entity that distributes copies
of the Document to the public.
A section "Entitled XYZ" means a named subunit of the Document
whose title either is precisely XYZ or contains XYZ in parentheses
following text that translates XYZ in another language. (Here XYZ
stands for a specific section name mentioned below, such as
"Acknowledgements", "Dedications", "Endorsements", or "History".)
To "Preserve the Title" of such a section when you modify the
Document means that it remains a section "Entitled XYZ" according
to this definition.
The Document may include Warranty Disclaimers next to the notice
which states that this License applies to the Document. These
Warranty Disclaimers are considered to be included by reference in
this License, but only as regards disclaiming warranties: any other
implication that these Warranty Disclaimers may have is void and
has no effect on the meaning of this License.
2. VERBATIM COPYING
You may copy and distribute the Document in any medium, either
commercially or noncommercially, provided that this License, the
copyright notices, and the license notice saying this License
applies to the Document are reproduced in all copies, and that you
add no other conditions whatsoever to those of this License. You
may not use technical measures to obstruct or control the reading
or further copying of the copies you make or distribute. However,
you may accept compensation in exchange for copies. If you
distribute a large enough number of copies you must also follow the
conditions in section 3.
You may also lend copies, under the same conditions stated above,
and you may publicly display copies.
3. COPYING IN QUANTITY
If you publish printed copies (or copies in media that commonly
have printed covers) of the Document, numbering more than 100, and
the Document's license notice requires Cover Texts, you must
enclose the copies in covers that carry, clearly and legibly, all
these Cover Texts: Front-Cover Texts on the front cover, and
Back-Cover Texts on the back cover. Both covers must also clearly
and legibly identify you as the publisher of these copies. The
front cover must present the full title with all words of the title
equally prominent and visible. You may add other material on the
covers in addition. Copying with changes limited to the covers, as
long as they preserve the title of the Document and satisfy these
conditions, can be treated as verbatim copying in other respects.
If the required texts for either cover are too voluminous to fit
legibly, you should put the first ones listed (as many as fit
reasonably) on the actual cover, and continue the rest onto
adjacent pages.
If you publish or distribute Opaque copies of the Document
numbering more than 100, you must either include a machine-readable
Transparent copy along with each Opaque copy, or state in or with
each Opaque copy a computer-network location from which the general
network-using public has access to download using public-standard
network protocols a complete Transparent copy of the Document, free
of added material. If you use the latter option, you must take
reasonably prudent steps, when you begin distribution of Opaque
copies in quantity, to ensure that this Transparent copy will
remain thus accessible at the stated location until at least one
year after the last time you distribute an Opaque copy (directly or
through your agents or retailers) of that edition to the public.
It is requested, but not required, that you contact the authors of
the Document well before redistributing any large number of copies,
to give them a chance to provide you with an updated version of the
Document.
4. MODIFICATIONS
You may copy and distribute a Modified Version of the Document
under the conditions of sections 2 and 3 above, provided that you
release the Modified Version under precisely this License, with the
Modified Version filling the role of the Document, thus licensing
distribution and modification of the Modified Version to whoever
possesses a copy of it. In addition, you must do these things in
the Modified Version:
A. Use in the Title Page (and on the covers, if any) a title
distinct from that of the Document, and from those of previous
versions (which should, if there were any, be listed in the
History section of the Document). You may use the same title
as a previous version if the original publisher of that
version gives permission.
B. List on the Title Page, as authors, one or more persons or
entities responsible for authorship of the modifications in
the Modified Version, together with at least five of the
principal authors of the Document (all of its principal
authors, if it has fewer than five), unless they release you
from this requirement.
C. State on the Title page the name of the publisher of the
Modified Version, as the publisher.
D. Preserve all the copyright notices of the Document.
E. Add an appropriate copyright notice for your modifications
adjacent to the other copyright notices.
F. Include, immediately after the copyright notices, a license
notice giving the public permission to use the Modified
Version under the terms of this License, in the form shown in
the Addendum below.
G. Preserve in that license notice the full lists of Invariant
Sections and required Cover Texts given in the Document's
license notice.
H. Include an unaltered copy of this License.
I. Preserve the section Entitled "History", Preserve its Title,
and add to it an item stating at least the title, year, new
authors, and publisher of the Modified Version as given on the
Title Page. If there is no section Entitled "History" in the
Document, create one stating the title, year, authors, and
publisher of the Document as given on its Title Page, then add
an item describing the Modified Version as stated in the
previous sentence.
J. Preserve the network location, if any, given in the Document
for public access to a Transparent copy of the Document, and
likewise the network locations given in the Document for
previous versions it was based on. These may be placed in the
"History" section. You may omit a network location for a work
that was published at least four years before the Document
itself, or if the original publisher of the version it refers
to gives permission.
K. For any section Entitled "Acknowledgements" or "Dedications",
Preserve the Title of the section, and preserve in the section
all the substance and tone of each of the contributor
acknowledgements and/or dedications given therein.
L. Preserve all the Invariant Sections of the Document, unaltered
in their text and in their titles. Section numbers or the
equivalent are not considered part of the section titles.
M. Delete any section Entitled "Endorsements". Such a section
may not be included in the Modified Version.
N. Do not retitle any existing section to be Entitled
"Endorsements" or to conflict in title with any Invariant
Section.
O. Preserve any Warranty Disclaimers.
If the Modified Version includes new front-matter sections or
appendices that qualify as Secondary Sections and contain no
material copied from the Document, you may at your option designate
some or all of these sections as invariant. To do this, add their
titles to the list of Invariant Sections in the Modified Version's
license notice. These titles must be distinct from any other
section titles.
You may add a section Entitled "Endorsements", provided it contains
nothing but endorsements of your Modified Version by various
parties--for example, statements of peer review or that the text
has been approved by an organization as the authoritative
definition of a standard.
You may add a passage of up to five words as a Front-Cover Text,
and a passage of up to 25 words as a Back-Cover Text, to the end of
the list of Cover Texts in the Modified Version. Only one passage
of Front-Cover Text and one of Back-Cover Text may be added by (or
through arrangements made by) any one entity. If the Document
already includes a cover text for the same cover, previously added
by you or by arrangement made by the same entity you are acting on
behalf of, you may not add another; but you may replace the old
one, on explicit permission from the previous publisher that added
the old one.
The author(s) and publisher(s) of the Document do not by this
License give permission to use their names for publicity for or to
assert or imply endorsement of any Modified Version.
5. COMBINING DOCUMENTS
You may combine the Document with other documents released under
this License, under the terms defined in section 4 above for
modified versions, provided that you include in the combination all
of the Invariant Sections of all of the original documents,
unmodified, and list them all as Invariant Sections of your
combined work in its license notice, and that you preserve all
their Warranty Disclaimers.
The combined work need only contain one copy of this License, and
multiple identical Invariant Sections may be replaced with a single
copy. If there are multiple Invariant Sections with the same name
but different contents, make the title of each such section unique
by adding at the end of it, in parentheses, the name of the
original author or publisher of that section if known, or else a
unique number. Make the same adjustment to the section titles in
the list of Invariant Sections in the license notice of the
combined work.
In the combination, you must combine any sections Entitled
"History" in the various original documents, forming one section
Entitled "History"; likewise combine any sections Entitled
"Acknowledgements", and any sections Entitled "Dedications". You
must delete all sections Entitled "Endorsements."
6. COLLECTIONS OF DOCUMENTS
You may make a collection consisting of the Document and other
documents released under this License, and replace the individual
copies of this License in the various documents with a single copy
that is included in the collection, provided that you follow the
rules of this License for verbatim copying of each of the documents
in all other respects.
You may extract a single document from such a collection, and
distribute it individually under this License, provided you insert
a copy of this License into the extracted document, and follow this
License in all other respects regarding verbatim copying of that
document.
7. AGGREGATION WITH INDEPENDENT WORKS
A compilation of the Document or its derivatives with other
separate and independent documents or works, in or on a volume of a
storage or distribution medium, is called an "aggregate" if the
copyright resulting from the compilation is not used to limit the
legal rights of the compilation's users beyond what the individual
works permit. When the Document is included in an aggregate, this
License does not apply to the other works in the aggregate which
are not themselves derivative works of the Document.
If the Cover Text requirement of section 3 is applicable to these
copies of the Document, then if the Document is less than one half
of the entire aggregate, the Document's Cover Texts may be placed
on covers that bracket the Document within the aggregate, or the
electronic equivalent of covers if the Document is in electronic
form. Otherwise they must appear on printed covers that bracket
the whole aggregate.
8. TRANSLATION
Translation is considered a kind of modification, so you may
distribute translations of the Document under the terms of section
4. Replacing Invariant Sections with translations requires special
permission from their copyright holders, but you may include
translations of some or all Invariant Sections in addition to the
original versions of these Invariant Sections. You may include a
translation of this License, and all the license notices in the
Document, and any Warranty Disclaimers, provided that you also
include the original English version of this License and the
original versions of those notices and disclaimers. In case of a
disagreement between the translation and the original version of
this License or a notice or disclaimer, the original version will
prevail.
If a section in the Document is Entitled "Acknowledgements",
"Dedications", or "History", the requirement (section 4) to
Preserve its Title (section 1) will typically require changing the
actual title.
9. TERMINATION
You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Document
except as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt
otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute it is void,
and will automatically terminate your rights under this License.
However, if you cease all violation of this License, then your
license from a particular copyright holder is reinstated (a)
provisionally, unless and until the copyright holder explicitly and
finally terminates your license, and (b) permanently, if the
copyright holder fails to notify you of the violation by some
reasonable means prior to 60 days after the cessation.
Moreover, your license from a particular copyright holder is
reinstated permanently if the copyright holder notifies you of the
violation by some reasonable means, this is the first time you have
received notice of violation of this License (for any work) from
that copyright holder, and you cure the violation prior to 30 days
after your receipt of the notice.
Termination of your rights under this section does not terminate
the licenses of parties who have received copies or rights from you
under this License. If your rights have been terminated and not
permanently reinstated, receipt of a copy of some or all of the
same material does not give you any rights to use it.
10. FUTURE REVISIONS OF THIS LICENSE
The Free Software Foundation may publish new, revised versions of
the GNU Free Documentation License from time to time. Such new
versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may
differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. See
.
Each version of the License is given a distinguishing version
number. If the Document specifies that a particular numbered
version of this License "or any later version" applies to it, you
have the option of following the terms and conditions either of
that specified version or of any later version that has been
published (not as a draft) by the Free Software Foundation. If the
Document does not specify a version number of this License, you may
choose any version ever published (not as a draft) by the Free
Software Foundation. If the Document specifies that a proxy can
decide which future versions of this License can be used, that
proxy's public statement of acceptance of a version permanently
authorizes you to choose that version for the Document.
11. RELICENSING
"Massive Multiauthor Collaboration Site" (or "MMC Site") means any
World Wide Web server that publishes copyrightable works and also
provides prominent facilities for anybody to edit those works. A
public wiki that anybody can edit is an example of such a server.
A "Massive Multiauthor Collaboration" (or "MMC") contained in the
site means any set of copyrightable works thus published on the MMC
site.
"CC-BY-SA" means the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
license published by Creative Commons Corporation, a not-for-profit
corporation with a principal place of business in San Francisco,
California, as well as future copyleft versions of that license
published by that same organization.
"Incorporate" means to publish or republish a Document, in whole or
in part, as part of another Document.
An MMC is "eligible for relicensing" if it is licensed under this
License, and if all works that were first published under this
License somewhere other than this MMC, and subsequently
incorporated in whole or in part into the MMC, (1) had no cover
texts or invariant sections, and (2) were thus incorporated prior
to November 1, 2008.
The operator of an MMC Site may republish an MMC contained in the
site under CC-BY-SA on the same site at any time before August 1,
2009, provided the MMC is eligible for relicensing.
ADDENDUM: How to use this License for your documents
====================================================
To use this License in a document you have written, include a copy of
the License in the document and put the following copyright and license
notices just after the title page:
Copyright (C) YEAR YOUR NAME.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover
Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled ``GNU
Free Documentation License''.
If you have Invariant Sections, Front-Cover Texts and Back-Cover
Texts, replace the "with...Texts." line with this:
with the Invariant Sections being LIST THEIR TITLES, with
the Front-Cover Texts being LIST, and with the Back-Cover Texts
being LIST.
If you have Invariant Sections without Cover Texts, or some other
combination of the three, merge those two alternatives to suit the
situation.
If your document contains nontrivial examples of program code, we
recommend releasing these examples in parallel under your choice of free
software license, such as the GNU General Public License, to permit
their use in free software.
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Node: Command Line Editing1431
Node: Introduction and Notation2085
Node: Readline Interaction3710
Node: Readline Bare Essentials4903
Node: Readline Movement Commands6694
Node: Readline Killing Commands7656
Node: Readline Arguments9579
Node: Searching10625
Node: Readline Init File12779
Node: Readline Init File Syntax13936
Node: Conditional Init Constructs37240
Node: Sample Init File41438
Node: Bindable Readline Commands44564
Node: Commands For Moving45620
Node: Commands For History47380
Node: Commands For Text52345
Node: Commands For Killing56049
Node: Numeric Arguments58764
Node: Commands For Completion59905
Node: Keyboard Macros61875
Node: Miscellaneous Commands62565
Node: Readline vi Mode66494
Node: GNU Free Documentation License67408
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