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INFO-DIR-SECTION Libraries
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* RLuserman: (rluserman). The GNU readline library User's Manual.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

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 that need to provide a command line interface.

Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice pare
preserved on all copies.

Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that
the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
permission notice identical to this one.

Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a
translation approved by the Free Software Foundation.

File: rluserman.info, Node: Top, Next: Command Line Editing, Up: (dir)

GNU Readline Library
********************

* Menu:

* Command Line Editing:: GNU Readline User's Manual.

File: rluserman.info, Node: Command Line Editing, Prev: Top, Up: Top

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

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 <k> 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 <k>
key is pressed. The Meta key is labeled <ALT> on many keyboards. On
keyboards with two keys labeled <ALT> (usually to either side of the
space bar), the <ALT> on the left side is generally set to work as a
Meta key. The <ALT> 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 <ALT> key, or another key working as a
Meta key, the identical keystroke can be generated by typing <ESC>
_first_, and then typing <k>. Either process is known as "metafying"
the <k> 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,
<DEL>, <ESC>, <LFD>, <SPC>, <RET>, and <TAB> all stand for themselves
when seen in this text, or in an init file (*note Readline Init File::).
If your keyboard lacks a <LFD> key, typing <C-j> will produce the
desired character. The <RET> key may be labeled <Return> or <Enter> on
some keyboards.

File: rluserman.info, Node: Readline Interaction, Next: Readline Init File, Prev: Introduction and Notation, Up: Command Line Editing

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 <RET>. You do not have to be at the end of
the line to press <RET>; 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

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.

<DEL> or <Backspace>
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 <Backspace> key be set to delete
the character to the left of the cursor and the <DEL> 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

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
<DEL>. 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

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-<DEL>'
Kill from the cursor 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-<DEL>' 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

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

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 <ESC> 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 <RET> 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

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 his 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'.

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

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.

A great deal of run-time behavior is changeable with the following
variables.

`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.

`comment-begin'
The string to insert at the beginning of the line when the
`insert-comment' command is executed. The default value is
`"#"'.

`completion-ignore-case'
If set to `on', Readline performs filename matching and
completion in a case-insensitive fashion. The default value
is `off'.

`completion-query-items'
The number of possible completions that determines when the
user is asked whether he wants to see the list of
possibilities. If the number of possible completions is
greater than this value, Readline will ask the user whether
or not he wishes to view them; otherwise, they are simply
listed. This variable must be set to an integer value
greater than or equal to 0. 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 <ESC> character, converting them
to a meta-prefixed key sequence. The default value is `on'.

`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'.

`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'.

`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'.

`expand-tilde'
If set to `on', tilde expansion is performed when Readline
attempts word completion. The default is `off'.

If set to `on', the history code attempts to place point at
the same location on each history line retrived with
`previous-history' or `next-history'.

`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. 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'. The name `meta-flag' is a synonym
for this variable.

`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 <ESC> and `C-J' will terminate
an incremental search.

`keymap'
Sets Readline's idea of the current keymap for key binding
commands. Acceptable `keymap' names are `emacs',
`emacs-standard', `emacs-meta', `emacs-ctlx', `vi', `vi-move',
`vi-command', and `vi-insert'. `vi' is equivalent to
`vi-command'; `emacs' is equivalent to `emacs-standard'. The
default value is `emacs'. The value of the `editing-mode'
variable also affects the default keymap.

`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, unless the leading `.' is
supplied by the user in the filename to be completed. This
variable is `on' by default.

`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'.

`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'.

`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'.

`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. 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 above example, `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
`<ESC> <[> <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

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 extends to the end of the line; 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.

`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

`$endif'
This command, as seen in the previous example, terminates an `$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

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 systemwide 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 more than 150 possible completions for
# a word, ask the user if he 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

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

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.

`clear-screen (C-l)'
Clear the screen and 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

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.

`forward-search-history (C-s)'
Search forward starting at the current line and moving `down'
through the the history as necessary. This is an incremental
search.

`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.

`non-incremental-forward-search-history (M-n)'
Search forward starting at the current line and moving `down'
through the the history as necessary using a non-incremental search
for a string supplied by the user.

`history-search-forward ()'
Search forward through the history for the string of characters
between the start of the current line and the point. 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. 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.

`yank-last-arg (M-. or M-_)'
Insert last argument to the previous command (the last word of the
previous history entry). With an argument, behave exactly like
`yank-nth-arg'. Successive calls to `yank-last-arg' move back
through the history list, inserting the last argument of each line
in turn.

File: rluserman.info, Node: Commands For Text, Next: Commands For Killing, Prev: Commands For History, Up: Bindable Readline Commands

Commands For Changing Text
--------------------------

`delete-char (C-d)'
Delete the character at point. If point is at the beginning of
the line, there are no characters in the line, and the last
character typed was not bound to `delete-char', then return EOF.

`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-<TAB>)'
Insert a tab character.

`self-insert (a, b, A, 1, !, ...)'
Insert yourself.

`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

Killing And Yanking
-------------------

`kill-line (C-k)'
Kill the text from point to the end of the line.

`backward-kill-line (C-x Rubout)'
Kill backward to the beginning of the 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-<DEL>)'
Kill the word behind point. Word boundaries are the same as
`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.

`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

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 or 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

Letting Readline Type For You
-----------------------------

`complete (<TAB>)'
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.

`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 <TAB>, but is unbound by
default.

`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

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.

File: rluserman.info, Node: Miscellaneous Commands, Prev: Keyboard Macros, Up: Bindable Readline Commands

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-uppercase-version (M-a, M-b, M-X, ...)'
If the metafied character X is lowercase, run the command that is
bound to the corresponding uppercase character.

`prefix-meta (<ESC>)'
Metafy the next character typed. This is for keyboards without a
meta key. Typing `<ESC> 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 count 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 count searches for subsequent
occurrences.

`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

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 1003.2
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 <ESC> 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.

Tag Table:
Node: Top1208
Node: Command Line Editing1604
Node: Introduction and Notation2218
Node: Readline Interaction3837
Node: Readline Bare Essentials5025
Node: Readline Movement Commands6807
Node: Readline Killing Commands7765
Node: Readline Arguments9675
Node: Searching10712
Node: Readline Init File12856
Node: Readline Init File Syntax13918
Node: Conditional Init Constructs24802
Node: Sample Init File27328
Node: Bindable Readline Commands30513
Node: Commands For Moving31564
Node: Commands For History32414
Node: Commands For Text35273
Node: Commands For Killing37988
Node: Numeric Arguments39940
Node: Commands For Completion41069
Node: Keyboard Macros42602
Node: Miscellaneous Commands43162
Node: Readline vi Mode46512

End Tag Table