READLINE(3)                Library Functions Manual                READLINE(3)



[1mNAME[0m
       readline - get a line from a user with editing

[1mSYNOPSIS[0m
       [1m#include <stdio.h>[0m
       [1m#include <readline/readline.h>[0m
       [1m#include <readline/history.h>[0m

       [4mchar[24m [4m*[0m
       [1mreadline [22m([4mconst[24m [4mchar[24m [4m*prompt[24m);

[1mCOPYRIGHT[0m
       Readline is Copyright (C) 1989-2014 Free Software Foundation,  Inc.

[1mDESCRIPTION[0m
       [1mreadline [22mwill read a line from the terminal and return it, using [1mprompt[0m
       as a prompt.  If [1mprompt [22mis [1mNULL [22mor  the  empty  string,  no  prompt  is
       issued.  The line returned is allocated with [4mmalloc[24m(3); the caller must
       free it when  finished.   The  line  returned  has  the  final  newline
       removed, so only the text of the line remains.

       [1mreadline  [22moffers  editing  capabilities  while the user is entering the
       line.  By default, the line editing commands are similar  to  those  of
       emacs.  A vi-style line editing interface is also available.

       This  manual  page describes only the most basic use of [1mreadline[22m.  Much
       more functionality is available; see [4mThe[24m [4mGNU[24m [4mReadline[24m [4mLibrary[24m  and  [4mThe[0m
       [4mGNU[24m [4mHistory[24m [4mLibrary[24m for additional information.

[1mRETURN VALUE[0m
       [1mreadline  [22mreturns  the text of the line read.  A blank line returns the
       empty string.  If [1mEOF [22mis encountered while reading a line, and the line
       is  empty,  [1mNULL [22mis returned.  If an [1mEOF [22mis read with a non-empty line,
       it is treated as a newline.

[1mNOTATION[0m
       An Emacs-style notation is used to denote keystrokes.  Control keys are
       denoted  by C-[4mkey[24m, e.g., C-n means Control-N.  Similarly, [4mmeta[24m keys are
       denoted by M-[4mkey[24m, so M-x means Meta-X.  (On keyboards  without  a  [4mmeta[0m
       key,  M-[4mx[24m means ESC [4mx[24m, i.e., press the Escape key then the [4mx[24m key.  This
       makes ESC the [4mmeta[24m [4mprefix[24m.  The combination M-C-[4mx[24m means  ESC-Control-[4mx[24m,
       or  press the Escape key then hold the Control key while pressing the [4mx[0m
       key.)

       Readline commands may be given numeric [4marguments[24m, which normally act as
       a  repeat  count.   Sometimes,  however, it is the sign of the argument
       that is significant.  Passing a negative argument  to  a  command  that
       acts  in the forward direction (e.g., [1mkill-line[22m) causes that command to
       act in a backward direction.  Commands whose  behavior  with  arguments
       deviates from this are noted below.

       When  a command is described as [4mkilling[24m text, the text deleted is saved
       for possible future retrieval ([4myanking[24m).  The killed text is saved in a
       [4mkill[24m [4mring[24m.  Consecutive kills cause the text to be accumulated into one
       unit, which can be yanked all at once.  Commands which do not kill text
       separate the chunks of text on the kill ring.

[1mINITIALIZATION FILE[0m
       Readline  is  customized  by putting commands in an initialization file
       (the [4minputrc[24m file).  The name of this file is taken from the  value  of
       the  [1mINPUTRC  [22menvironment  variable.   If  that  variable is unset, the
       default is [4m~/.inputrc[24m.  If that file  does not exist or cannot be read,
       the  ultimate  default  is [4m/etc/inputrc[24m.  When a program which uses the
       readline library starts up, the init file is read, and the key bindings
       and  variables  are set.  There are only a few basic constructs allowed
       in the readline init file.  Blank lines are ignored.   Lines  beginning
       with  a  [1m# [22mare comments.  Lines beginning with a [1m$ [22mindicate conditional
       constructs.  Other lines denote key  bindings  and  variable  settings.
       Each program using this library may add its own commands and bindings.

       For example, placing

              M-Control-u: universal-argument
       or
              C-Meta-u: universal-argument

       into  the [4minputrc[24m would make M-C-u execute the readline command [4muniver-[0m
       [4msal-argument[24m.

       The following symbolic character names are recognized while  processing
       key  bindings:  [4mDEL[24m,  [4mESC[24m,  [4mESCAPE[24m,  [4mLFD[24m, [4mNEWLINE[24m, [4mRET[24m, [4mRETURN[24m, [4mRUBOUT[24m,
       [4mSPACE[24m, [4mSPC[24m, and [4mTAB[24m.

       In addition to command names, readline allows keys to  be  bound  to  a
       string that is inserted when the key is pressed (a [4mmacro[24m).

   [1mKey Bindings[0m
       The  syntax for controlling key bindings in the [4minputrc[24m file is simple.
       All that is required is the name of the command or the text of a  macro
       and a key sequence to which it should be bound.  The name may be speci-
       fied in one of two ways: as a symbolic key name, possibly with [4mMeta-[24m or
       [4mControl-[24m prefixes, or as a key sequence.  The name and key sequence are
       separated by a colon.  There can be no whitespace between the name  and
       the colon.

       When using the form [1mkeyname[22m:[4mfunction-name[24m or [4mmacro[24m, [4mkeyname[24m 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, [4mC-u[24m is bound to the function  [1muniversal-argument[22m,
       [4mM-DEL[24m  is bound to the function [1mbackward-kill-word[22m, and [4mC-o[24m is bound to
       run the macro expressed on the right hand side (that is, to insert  the
       text ``> output'' into the line).

       In  the  second  form,  [1m"keyseq"[22m:[4mfunction-name[24m or [4mmacro[24m, [1mkeyseq [22mdiffers
       from [1mkeyname [22mabove in that strings denoting an entire key sequence  may
       be  specified  by  placing the sequence within double quotes.  Some GNU
       Emacs style key escapes can be used, as in the following  example,  but
       the symbolic character names are not recognized.

              "\C-u": universal-argument
              "\C-x\C-r": re-read-init-file
              "\e[11~": "Function Key 1"

       In this example, [4mC-u[24m is again bound to the function [1muniversal-argument[22m.
       [4mC-x[24m [4mC-r[24m is bound to the function [1mre-read-init-file[22m, and [4mESC[24m [4m[[24m [4m1[24m [4m1[24m [4m~[24m  is
       bound to insert the text ``Function Key 1''.

       The  full set of GNU Emacs style escape sequences available when speci-
       fying key sequences is
              [1m\C-    [22mcontrol prefix
              [1m\M-    [22mmeta prefix
              [1m\e     [22man escape character
              [1m\\     [22mbackslash
              [1m\"     [22mliteral ", a double quote
              [1m\'     [22mliteral ', a single quote

       In addition to the GNU Emacs style escape sequences, a  second  set  of
       backslash escapes is available:
              [1m\a     [22malert (bell)
              [1m\b     [22mbackspace
              [1m\d     [22mdelete
              [1m\f     [22mform feed
              [1m\n     [22mnewline
              [1m\r     [22mcarriage return
              [1m\t     [22mhorizontal tab
              [1m\v     [22mvertical tab
              [1m\[4m[22mnnn[24m   the  eight-bit  character  whose value is the octal value
                     [4mnnn[24m (one to three digits)
              [1m\x[4m[22mHH[24m   the eight-bit character whose value  is  the  hexadecimal
                     value [4mHH[24m (one or two hex digits)

       When  entering  the  text of a macro, single or double quotes should be
       used to indicate a macro definition.  Unquoted text is assumed to be  a
       function  name.   In  the  macro  body, the backslash escapes described
       above are expanded.  Backslash will quote any other  character  in  the
       macro text, including " and '.

       [1mBash  [22mallows the current readline key bindings to be displayed or modi-
       fied with the [1mbind [22mbuiltin command.  The editing mode may  be  switched
       during  interactive  use by using the [1m-o [22moption to the [1mset [22mbuiltin com-
       mand.  Other programs using this library  provide  similar  mechanisms.
       The  [4minputrc[24m  file may be edited and re-read if a program does not pro-
       vide any other means to incorporate new bindings.

   [1mVariables[0m
       Readline has variables that can be used to further customize its behav-
       ior.  A variable may be set in the [4minputrc[24m file with a statement of the
       form

              [1mset [4m[22mvariable-name[24m [4mvalue[0m

       Except where noted, readline variables can take the values  [1mOn  [22mor  [1mOff[0m
       (without  regard  to  case).   Unrecognized variable names are ignored.
       When a variable value is read, empty or null values, "on"  (case-insen-
       sitive), and "1" are equivalent to [1mOn[22m.  All other values are equivalent
       to [1mOff[22m.  The variables and their default values are:

       [1mbell-style (audible)[0m
              Controls what happens when readline wants to ring  the  terminal
              bell.  If set to [1mnone[22m, readline never rings the bell.  If set to
              [1mvisible[22m, readline uses a visible bell if one is  available.   If
              set to [1maudible[22m, readline attempts to ring the terminal's bell.
       [1mbind-tty-special-chars (On)[0m
              If  set  to [1mOn [22m(the default), readline attempts to bind the con-
              trol characters   treated specially  by  the  kernel's  terminal
              driver to their readline equivalents.
       [1mblink-matching-paren (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, readline attempts to briefly move the cursor to an
              opening parenthesis when a closing parenthesis is inserted.
       [1mcolored-completion-prefix (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, when listing completions,  readline  displays  the
              common prefix of the set of possible completions using a differ-
              ent color.  The color definitions are taken from  the  value  of
              the [1mLS_COLORS [22menvironment variable.
       [1mcolored-stats (Off)[0m
              If  set to [1mOn[22m, readline displays possible completions using dif-
              ferent colors to indicate their file type.   The  color  defini-
              tions  are  taken  from  the  value of the [1mLS_COLORS [22menvironment
              variable.
       [1mcomment-begin (``#'')[0m
              The string that is inserted in [1mvi [22mmode when  the  [1minsert-comment[0m
              command is executed.  This command is bound to [1mM-# [22min emacs mode
              and to [1m# [22min vi command mode.
       [1mcompletion-display-width (-1)[0m
              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.
       [1mcompletion-ignore-case (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, readline performs filename matching and completion
              in a case-insensitive fashion.
       [1mcompletion-map-case (Off)[0m
              If  set  to  [1mOn[22m, and [1mcompletion-ignore-case [22mis enabled, readline
              treats hyphens ([4m-[24m) and underscores ([4m_[24m) as equivalent  when  per-
              forming case-insensitive filename matching and completion.
       [1mcompletion-prefix-display-length (0)[0m
              The  length in characters of the common prefix of a list of pos-
              sible 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  possi-
              ble completions.
       [1mcompletion-query-items (100)[0m
              This  determines when the user is queried about viewing the num-
              ber of possible completions generated  by  the  [1mpossible-comple-[0m
              [1mtions  [22mcommand.  It may be set to any integer value greater than
              or equal to zero.  If the  number  of  possible  completions  is
              greater than or equal to the value of this variable, the user is
              asked whether or not he wishes to view them; otherwise they  are
              simply listed on the terminal.  A negative value causes readline
              to never ask.
       [1mconvert-meta (On)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, readline will convert characters with  the  eighth
              bit set to an ASCII key sequence by stripping the eighth bit and
              prefixing it with an escape character (in effect,  using  escape
              as  the  [4mmeta[24m [4mprefix[24m).  The default is [4mOn[24m, but readline will set
              it to [4mOff[24m if the locale contains eight-bit characters.
       [1mdisable-completion (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, readline will inhibit word completion.  Completion
              characters  will  be  inserted into the line as if they had been
              mapped to [1mself-insert[22m.
       [1mecho-control-characters (On)[0m
              When set to [1mOn[22m, on operating systems that indicate they  support
              it, readline echoes a character corresponding to a signal gener-
              ated from the keyboard.
       [1mediting-mode (emacs)[0m
              Controls whether readline begins with a set of key bindings sim-
              ilar to [4mEmacs[24m or [4mvi[24m.  [1mediting-mode [22mcan be set to either [1memacs [22mor
              [1mvi[22m.
       [1menable-bracketed-paste (Off)[0m
              When set to [1mOn[22m, readline will configure the terminal  in  a  way
              that will enable it to insert each paste into the editing buffer
              as a single string of characters, instead of treating each char-
              acter  as  if it had been read from the keyboard.  This can pre-
              vent pasted characters from being interpreted  as  editing  com-
              mands.
       [1menable-keypad (Off)[0m
              When set to [1mOn[22m, readline will try to enable the application key-
              pad when it is called.  Some systems need  this  to  enable  the
              arrow keys.
       [1menable-meta-key (On)[0m
              When  set  to  [1mOn[22m, 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.
       [1mexpand-tilde (Off)[0m
              If  set  to  [1mOn[22m,  tilde  expansion  is  performed  when readline
              attempts word completion.
       [1mhistory-preserve-point (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, the history code attempts to place  point  at  the
              same  location on each history line retrieved with [1mprevious-his-[0m
              [1mtory [22mor [1mnext-history[22m.
       [1mhistory-size (unset)[0m
              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  [4mhistory-size[24m to a non-numeric value, the maximum number
              of history entries will be set to 500.
       [1mhorizontal-scroll-mode (Off)[0m
              When set to [1mOn[22m, makes readline use a single  line  for  display,
              scrolling the input horizontally on a single screen line when it
              becomes longer than the screen width rather than wrapping  to  a
              new line.
       [1minput-meta (Off)[0m
              If  set to [1mOn[22m, readline will enable eight-bit input (that is, it
              will not clear the eighth  bit  in  the  characters  it  reads),
              regardless of what the terminal claims it can support.  The name
              [1mmeta-flag [22mis a synonym for this variable.  The default  is  [4mOff[24m,
              but  readline will set it to [4mOn[24m if the locale contains eight-bit
              characters.
       [1misearch-terminators (``C-[ C-J'')[0m
              The string of characters that should  terminate  an  incremental
              search  without  subsequently  executing the character as a com-
              mand.  If this variable has not been given a value, the  charac-
              ters [4mESC[24m and [4mC-J[24m will terminate an incremental search.
       [1mkeymap (emacs)[0m
              Set  the current readline keymap.  The set of legal keymap names
              is [4memacs,[24m [4memacs-standard,[24m [4memacs-meta,[24m [4memacs-ctlx,[24m  [4mvi,[24m  [4mvi-move,[0m
              [4mvi-command[24m,  and  [4mvi-insert[24m.   [4mvi[24m  is  equivalent to [4mvi-command[24m;
              [4memacs[24m is equivalent to [4memacs-standard[24m.   The  default  value  is
              [4memacs[24m.   The  value  of  [1mediting-mode  [22malso  affects the default
              keymap.
       [1memacs-mode-string (@)[0m
              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 con-
              trol sequence into the mode string.
       [1mkeyseq-timeout (500)[0m
              Specifies the duration [4mreadline[24m 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, [4mreadline[24m will use the  shorter  but
              complete  key sequence.  The value is specified in milliseconds,
              so a value of 1000 means that [4mreadline[24m 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, [4mreadline[24m will  wait
              until  another  key  is  pressed to decide which key sequence to
              complete.
       [1mmark-directories (On)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, completed directory names have a slash appended.
       [1mmark-modified-lines (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, history lines that have  been  modified  are  dis-
              played with a preceding asterisk ([1m*[22m).
       [1mmark-symlinked-directories (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, completed names which are symbolic links to direc-
              tories  have  a  slash  appended  (subject  to  the   value   of
              [1mmark-directories[22m).
       [1mmatch-hidden-files (On)[0m
              This  variable,  when  set to [1mOn[22m, causes readline to match files
              whose names begin with a  `.'  (hidden  files)  when  performing
              filename  completion.   If  set  to [1mOff[22m, the leading `.' must be
              supplied by the user in the filename to be completed.
       [1mmenu-complete-display-prefix (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, menu completion displays the common prefix of  the
              list of possible completions (which may be empty) before cycling
              through the list.
       [1moutput-meta (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, readline will display characters with  the  eighth
              bit set directly rather than as a meta-prefixed escape sequence.
              The default is [4mOff[24m, but readline will set it to [4mOn[24m if the locale
              contains eight-bit characters.
       [1mpage-completions (On)[0m
              If  set to [1mOn[22m, readline uses an internal [4mmore[24m-like pager to dis-
              play a screenful of possible completions at a time.
       [1mprint-completions-horizontally (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, readline will  display  completions  with  matches
              sorted  horizontally in alphabetical order, rather than down the
              screen.
       [1mrevert-all-at-newline (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, readline will undo all changes  to  history  lines
              before returning when [1maccept-line [22mis executed.  By default, his-
              tory lines may be modified  and  retain  individual  undo  lists
              across calls to [1mreadline[22m.
       [1mshow-all-if-ambiguous (Off)[0m
              This  alters  the  default behavior of the completion functions.
              If set to [1mOn[22m, words which have more than one possible completion
              cause  the  matches  to be listed immediately instead of ringing
              the bell.
       [1mshow-all-if-unmodified (Off)[0m
              This alters the default behavior of the completion functions  in
              a fashion similar to [1mshow-all-if-ambiguous[22m.  If set to [1mOn[22m, words
              which have more than one possible completion without any  possi-
              ble  partial  completion (the possible completions don't share a
              common prefix)  cause  the  matches  to  be  listed  immediately
              instead of ringing the bell.
       [1mshow-mode-in-prompt (Off)[0m
              If  set  to  [1mOn[22m,  add a character to the beginning of the prompt
              indicating the editing mode: emacs, vi command, or vi insertion.
              The mode strings are user-settable.
       [1mskip-completed-text (Off)[0m
              If  set  to [1mOn[22m, 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.
       [1mvi-cmd-mode-string ((cmd))[0m
              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.
       [1mvi-ins-mode-string ((ins))[0m
              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.
       [1mvisible-stats (Off)[0m
              If set to [1mOn[22m, a character denoting a file's type as reported  by
              [4mstat[24m(2)  is  appended to the filename when listing possible com-
              pletions.

   [1mConditional Constructs[0m
       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.

       [1m$if    [22mThe  [1m$if [22mconstruct allows bindings to be made based on the edit-
              ing 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.

              [1mmode   [22mThe [1mmode= [22mform of the  [1m$if  [22mdirective  is  used  to  test
                     whether  readline  is  in  emacs or vi mode.  This may be
                     used in conjunction with  the  [1mset  keymap  [22mcommand,  for
                     instance,  to  set  bindings  in  the  [4memacs-standard[24m and
                     [4memacs-ctlx[24m keymaps only if readline is  starting  out  in
                     emacs mode.

              [1mterm   [22mThe  [1mterm=  [22mform 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 [1m= [22mis tested against the full name of the  terminal
                     and  the portion of the terminal name before the first [1m-[22m.
                     This allows [4msun[24m  to  match  both  [4msun[24m  and  [4msun-cmd[24m,  for
                     instance.

              [1mapplication[0m
                     The [1mapplication [22mconstruct is used to include application-
                     specific  settings.   Each  program  using  the  readline
                     library  sets the [4mapplication[24m [4mname[24m, and an initialization
                     file 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
                     [1mbash[22m:

                     [1m$if [22mBash
                     # Quote the current or previous word
                     "\C-xq": "\eb\"\ef\""
                     [1m$endif[0m

       [1m$endif [22mThis command, as seen in the previous example, terminates an [1m$if[0m
              command.

       [1m$else  [22mCommands in this branch of the [1m$if [22mdirective are executed if the
              test fails.

       [1m$include[0m
              This directive takes a single filename as an argument and  reads
              commands  and bindings from that file.  For example, the follow-
              ing directive would read [4m/etc/inputrc[24m:

              [1m$include  [4m[22m/etc/inputrc[0m

[1mSEARCHING[0m
       Readline provides commands for searching through  the  command  history
       for  lines  containing a specified string.  There are two search modes:
       [4mincremental[24m and [4mnon-incremental[24m.

       Incremental searches begin before the  user  has  finished  typing  the
       search  string.  As each character of the search string is typed, read-
       line 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 [1mC-r[22m.  Typing [1mC-s [22msearches forward
       through the history.  The  characters  present  in  the  value  of  the
       [1misearch-terminators  [22mvariable  are  used  to  terminate  an incremental
       search.  If that variable has not been assigned a value the [4mEscape[24m  and
       [1mC-J [22mcharacters will terminate an incremental search.  [1mC-G [22mwill 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 [1mC-s [22mor [1mC-r  [22mas
       appropriate.   This  will search backward or forward in the history for
       the next line matching the search string typed so far.  Any  other  key
       sequence bound to a readline command will terminate the search and exe-
       cute that command.  For instance, a newline 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.

       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.

[1mEDITING COMMANDS[0m
       The  following  is  a list of the names of the commands and the default
       key sequences to which they are bound.  Command names without an accom-
       panying key sequence are unbound by default.

       In the following descriptions, [4mpoint[24m refers to the current cursor posi-
       tion, and [4mmark[24m refers to a cursor position saved by the  [1mset-mark  [22mcom-
       mand.   The  text  between  the  point  and  mark is referred to as the
       [4mregion[24m.

   [1mCommands for Moving[0m
       [1mbeginning-of-line (C-a)[0m
              Move to the start of the current line.
       [1mend-of-line (C-e)[0m
              Move to the end of the line.
       [1mforward-char (C-f)[0m
              Move forward a character.
       [1mbackward-char (C-b)[0m
              Move back a character.
       [1mforward-word (M-f)[0m
              Move forward to the end of the next word.  Words are composed of
              alphanumeric characters (letters and digits).
       [1mbackward-word (M-b)[0m
              Move  back  to the start of the current or previous word.  Words
              are composed of alphanumeric characters (letters and digits).
       [1mclear-screen (C-l)[0m
              Clear the screen leaving the current line  at  the  top  of  the
              screen.   With  an  argument,  refresh  the current line without
              clearing the screen.
       [1mredraw-current-line[0m
              Refresh the current line.

   [1mCommands for Manipulating the History[0m
       [1maccept-line (Newline, Return)[0m
              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 [1madd_history()[22m.  If the line is  a  modified  history
              line, the history line is restored to its original state.
       [1mprevious-history (C-p)[0m
              Fetch the previous command from the history list, moving back in
              the list.
       [1mnext-history (C-n)[0m
              Fetch the next command from the history list, moving forward  in
              the list.
       [1mbeginning-of-history (M-<)[0m
              Move to the first line in the history.
       [1mend-of-history (M->)[0m
              Move  to  the end of the input history, i.e., the line currently
              being entered.
       [1mreverse-search-history (C-r)[0m
              Search backward starting at the current  line  and  moving  `up'
              through  the  history  as  necessary.   This  is  an incremental
              search.
       [1mforward-search-history (C-s)[0m
              Search forward starting at the current line  and  moving  `down'
              through  the  history  as  necessary.   This  is  an incremental
              search.
       [1mnon-incremental-reverse-search-history (M-p)[0m
              Search backward through the history starting at the current line
              using  a  non-incremental  search  for  a string supplied by the
              user.
       [1mnon-incremental-forward-search-history (M-n)[0m
              Search forward  through  the  history  using  a  non-incremental
              search for a string supplied by the user.
       [1mhistory-search-backward[0m
              Search backward through the history for the string of characters
              between the start of the current line  and  the  current  cursor
              position  (the  [4mpoint[24m).   The  search  string  must match at the
              beginning of a history line.  This is a non-incremental search.
       [1mhistory-search-forward[0m
              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.
       [1mhistory-substring-search-backward[0m
              Search backward through the history for the string of characters
              between the start of the current line  and  the  current  cursor
              position (the [4mpoint[24m).  The search string may match anywhere in a
              history line.  This is a non-incremental search.
       [1mhistory-substring-search-forward[0m
              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.
       [1myank-nth-arg (M-C-y)[0m
              Insert  the  first argument to the previous command (usually the
              second word on the previous line) at point.  With an argument [4mn[24m,
              insert  the [4mn[24mth word from the previous command (the words in the
              previous command  begin  with  word  0).   A  negative  argument
              inserts the [4mn[24mth word from the end of the previous command.  Once
              the argument [4mn[24m is computed, the argument is extracted as if  the
              "![4mn[24m" history expansion had been specified.
       [1myank-last-arg (M-., M-_)[0m
              Insert  the last argument to the previous command (the last word
              of the previous history entry).  With a numeric argument, behave
              exactly  like  [1myank-nth-arg[22m.   Successive calls to [1myank-last-arg[0m
              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.

   [1mCommands for Changing Text[0m
       [4mend-of-file[24m [1m(usually C-d)[0m
              The  character  indicating  end-of-file  as set, for example, by
              ``stty''.  If this character is read when there are  no  charac-
              ters  on  the  line,  and point is at the beginning of the line,
              Readline interprets it as the end of input and returns [1mEOF[22m.
       [1mdelete-char (C-d)[0m
              Delete the character at point.  If this function is bound to the
              same character as the tty [1mEOF [22mcharacter, as [1mC-d [22mcommonly is, see
              above for the effects.
       [1mbackward-delete-char (Rubout)[0m
              Delete the character behind the cursor.  When  given  a  numeric
              argument, save the deleted text on the kill ring.
       [1mforward-backward-delete-char[0m
              Delete  the  character under the cursor, unless the cursor is at
              the end of the line, in which case the character behind the cur-
              sor is deleted.
       [1mquoted-insert (C-q, C-v)[0m
              Add the next character that you type to the line verbatim.  This
              is how to insert characters like [1mC-q[22m, for example.
       [1mtab-insert (M-TAB)[0m
              Insert a tab character.
       [1mself-insert (a, b, A, 1, !, ...)[0m
              Insert the character typed.
       [1mtranspose-chars (C-t)[0m
              Drag the character before point forward over  the  character  at
              point,  moving point forward as well.  If point is at the end of
              the line, then this transposes the two characters before  point.
              Negative arguments have no effect.
       [1mtranspose-words (M-t)[0m
              Drag  the  word  before  point past the word after point, moving
              point over that word as well.  If point is at  the  end  of  the
              line, this transposes the last two words on the line.
       [1mupcase-word (M-u)[0m
              Uppercase  the  current  (or  following)  word.  With a negative
              argument, uppercase the previous word, but do not move point.
       [1mdowncase-word (M-l)[0m
              Lowercase the current (or  following)  word.   With  a  negative
              argument, lowercase the previous word, but do not move point.
       [1mcapitalize-word (M-c)[0m
              Capitalize  the  current  (or  following) word.  With a negative
              argument, capitalize the previous word, but do not move point.
       [1moverwrite-mode[0m
              Toggle overwrite mode.  With an explicit positive numeric  argu-
              ment, switches to overwrite mode.  With an explicit non-positive
              numeric argument, switches to insert mode.  This command affects
              only  [1memacs [22mmode; [1mvi [22mmode does overwrite differently.  Each call
              to [4mreadline()[24m starts in insert mode.  In overwrite mode, charac-
              ters  bound to [1mself-insert [22mreplace the text at point rather than
              pushing the text  to  the  right.   Characters  bound  to  [1mback-[0m
              [1mward-delete-char  [22mreplace  the  character  before  point  with a
              space.  By default, this command is unbound.

   [1mKilling and Yanking[0m
       [1mkill-line (C-k)[0m
              Kill the text from point to the end of the line.
       [1mbackward-kill-line (C-x Rubout)[0m
              Kill backward to the beginning of the line.
       [1munix-line-discard (C-u)[0m
              Kill backward from point to the  beginning  of  the  line.   The
              killed text is saved on the kill-ring.
       [1mkill-whole-line[0m
              Kill  all  characters on the current line, no matter where point
              is.
       [1mkill-word (M-d)[0m
              Kill from point 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 [1mforward-word[22m.
       [1mbackward-kill-word (M-Rubout)[0m
              Kill the word behind point.  Word boundaries  are  the  same  as
              those used by [1mbackward-word[22m.
       [1munix-word-rubout (C-w)[0m
              Kill  the  word behind point, using white space as a word bound-
              ary.  The killed text is saved on the kill-ring.
       [1munix-filename-rubout[0m
              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.
       [1mdelete-horizontal-space (M-\)[0m
              Delete all spaces and tabs around point.
       [1mkill-region[0m
              Kill the text between the point and  [4mmark[24m  (saved  cursor  posi-
              tion).  This text is referred to as the [4mregion[24m.
       [1mcopy-region-as-kill[0m
              Copy the text in the region to the kill buffer.
       [1mcopy-backward-word[0m
              Copy  the word before point to the kill buffer.  The word bound-
              aries are the same as [1mbackward-word[22m.
       [1mcopy-forward-word[0m
              Copy the word following point to  the  kill  buffer.   The  word
              boundaries are the same as [1mforward-word[22m.
       [1myank (C-y)[0m
              Yank the top of the kill ring into the buffer at point.
       [1myank-pop (M-y)[0m
              Rotate  the kill ring, and yank the new top.  Only works follow-
              ing [1myank [22mor [1myank-pop[22m.

   [1mNumeric Arguments[0m
       [1mdigit-argument (M-0, M-1, ..., M--)[0m
              Add this digit to the argument already accumulating, or start  a
              new argument.  M-- starts a negative argument.
       [1muniversal-argument[0m
              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 fol-
              lowed by digits, executing  [1muniversal-argument  [22magain  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 argu-
              ment count four, a second time makes the argument count sixteen,
              and so on.

   [1mCompleting[0m
       [1mcomplete (TAB)[0m
              Attempt  to  perform  completion  on the text before point.  The
              actual completion performed is application-specific.  [1mBash[22m,  for
              instance,  attempts  completion  treating the text as a variable
              (if the text begins with [1m$[22m), username (if the text  begins  with
              [1m~[22m),  hostname (if the text begins with [1m@[22m), or command (including
              aliases and functions) in turn.  If none  of  these  produces  a
              match,  filename  completion  is  attempted.   [1mGdb[22m, on the other
              hand, allows completion of program functions and variables,  and
              only attempts filename completion under certain circumstances.
       [1mpossible-completions (M-?)[0m
              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 [1mcompletion-display-width[22m, the value
              of the environment variable [1mCOLUMNS[22m, or  the  screen  width,  in
              that order.
       [1minsert-completions (M-*)[0m
              Insert  all completions of the text before point that would have
              been generated by [1mpossible-completions[22m.
       [1mmenu-complete[0m
              Similar to [1mcomplete[22m, but replaces the word to be completed  with
              a  single match from the list of possible completions.  Repeated
              execution of [1mmenu-complete [22msteps 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
              [1mbell-style[22m) and the original text is restored.  An argument of [4mn[0m
              moves [4mn[24m 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  [1mTAB[22m,  but  is  unbound  by
              default.
       [1mmenu-complete-backward[0m
              Identical  to [1mmenu-complete[22m, but moves backward through the list
              of possible completions, as if [1mmenu-complete [22mhad  been  given  a
              negative argument.  This command is unbound by default.
       [1mdelete-char-or-list[0m
              Deletes  the  character under the cursor if not at the beginning
              or end of the line (like [1mdelete-char[22m).  If at  the  end  of  the
              line, behaves identically to [1mpossible-completions[22m.

   [1mKeyboard Macros[0m
       [1mstart-kbd-macro (C-x ()[0m
              Begin  saving  the  characters  typed  into the current keyboard
              macro.
       [1mend-kbd-macro (C-x ))[0m
              Stop saving the characters typed into the current keyboard macro
              and store the definition.
       [1mcall-last-kbd-macro (C-x e)[0m
              Re-execute  the last keyboard macro defined, by making the char-
              acters in  the  macro  appear  as  if  typed  at  the  keyboard.
              [1mprint-last-kbd-macro () [22mPrint the last keyboard macro defined in
              a format suitable for the [4minputrc[24m file.

   [1mMiscellaneous[0m
       [1mre-read-init-file (C-x C-r)[0m
              Read in the contents of the [4minputrc[24m file,  and  incorporate  any
              bindings or variable assignments found there.
       [1mabort (C-g)[0m
              Abort  the  current editing command and ring the terminal's bell
              (subject to the setting of [1mbell-style[22m).
       [1mdo-uppercase-version (M-a, M-b, M-[4m[22mx[24m[1m, ...)[0m
              If the metafied character [4mx[24m is lowercase, run the  command  that
              is bound to the corresponding uppercase character.
       [1mprefix-meta (ESC)[0m
              Metafy the next character typed.  [1mESC f [22mis equivalent to [1mMeta-f[22m.
       [1mundo (C-_, C-x C-u)[0m
              Incremental undo, separately remembered for each line.
       [1mrevert-line (M-r)[0m
              Undo  all changes made to this line.  This is like executing the
              [1mundo [22mcommand enough times to return  the  line  to  its  initial
              state.
       [1mtilde-expand (M-&)[0m
              Perform tilde expansion on the current word.
       [1mset-mark (C-@, M-<space>)[0m
              Set  the  mark to the point.  If a numeric argument is supplied,
              the mark is set to that position.
       [1mexchange-point-and-mark (C-x C-x)[0m
              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.
       [1mcharacter-search (C-])[0m
              A character is read and point is moved to the next occurrence of
              that  character.   A negative count searches for previous occur-
              rences.
       [1mcharacter-search-backward (M-C-])[0m
              A character is read and point is moved to  the  previous  occur-
              rence  of  that character.  A negative count searches for subse-
              quent occurrences.
       [1mskip-csi-sequence[0m
              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 "\[", 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-[.
       [1minsert-comment (M-#)[0m
              Without a numeric argument,  the  value  of  the  readline  [1mcom-[0m
              [1mment-begin  [22mvariable 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 [1mcomment-begin[22m, the value is inserted,  other-
              wise the characters in [1mcomment-begin [22mare deleted from the begin-
              ning of the line.  In either case, the line is accepted as if  a
              newline  had  been  typed.   The  default value of [1mcomment-begin[0m
              makes the current line a shell comment.  If a  numeric  argument
              causes  the  comment  character  to be removed, the line will be
              executed by the shell.
       [1mdump-functions[0m
              Print all of the functions and their key bindings to  the  read-
              line output stream.  If a numeric argument is supplied, the out-
              put is formatted in such a way that it can be made  part  of  an
              [4minputrc[24m file.
       [1mdump-variables[0m
              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
              [4minputrc[24m file.
       [1mdump-macros[0m
              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
              [4minputrc[24m file.
       [1memacs-editing-mode (C-e)[0m
              When  in  [1mvi [22mcommand mode, this causes a switch to [1memacs [22mediting
              mode.
       [1mvi-editing-mode (M-C-j)[0m
              When in [1memacs [22mediting mode, this causes a switch to  [1mvi  [22mediting
              mode.

[1mDEFAULT KEY BINDINGS[0m
       The  following is a list of the default emacs and vi bindings.  Charac-
       ters with the eighth bit set are  written  as  M-<character>,  and  are
       referred to as [4mmetafied[24m characters.  The printable ASCII characters not
       mentioned in the list of emacs  standard  bindings  are  bound  to  the
       [1mself-insert  [22mfunction,  which just inserts the given character into the
       input line.  In vi insertion mode, all characters not specifically men-
       tioned are bound to [1mself-insert[22m.  Characters assigned to signal genera-
       tion by [4mstty[24m(1) or the terminal driver, such as C-Z or C-C, retain that
       function.   Upper  and  lower case metafied characters are bound to the
       same function in the emacs mode meta keymap.  The remaining  characters
       are  unbound,  which  causes  readline to ring the bell (subject to the
       setting of the [1mbell-style [22mvariable).

   [1mEmacs Mode[0m
             Emacs Standard bindings

             "C-@"  set-mark
             "C-A"  beginning-of-line
             "C-B"  backward-char
             "C-D"  delete-char
             "C-E"  end-of-line
             "C-F"  forward-char
             "C-G"  abort
             "C-H"  backward-delete-char
             "C-I"  complete
             "C-J"  accept-line
             "C-K"  kill-line
             "C-L"  clear-screen
             "C-M"  accept-line
             "C-N"  next-history
             "C-P"  previous-history
             "C-Q"  quoted-insert
             "C-R"  reverse-search-history
             "C-S"  forward-search-history
             "C-T"  transpose-chars
             "C-U"  unix-line-discard
             "C-V"  quoted-insert
             "C-W"  unix-word-rubout
             "C-Y"  yank
             "C-]"  character-search
             "C-_"  undo
             " " to "/"  self-insert
             "0"  to "9"  self-insert
             ":"  to "~"  self-insert
             "C-?"  backward-delete-char

             Emacs Meta bindings

             "M-C-G"  abort
             "M-C-H"  backward-kill-word
             "M-C-I"  tab-insert
             "M-C-J"  vi-editing-mode
             "M-C-M"  vi-editing-mode
             "M-C-R"  revert-line
             "M-C-Y"  yank-nth-arg
             "M-C-["  complete
             "M-C-]"  character-search-backward
             "M-space"  set-mark
             "M-#"  insert-comment
             "M-&"  tilde-expand
             "M-*"  insert-completions
             "M--"  digit-argument
             "M-."  yank-last-arg
             "M-0"  digit-argument
             "M-1"  digit-argument
             "M-2"  digit-argument
             "M-3"  digit-argument
             "M-4"  digit-argument
             "M-5"  digit-argument
             "M-6"  digit-argument
             "M-7"  digit-argument
             "M-8"  digit-argument
             "M-9"  digit-argument
             "M-<"  beginning-of-history
             "M-="  possible-completions
             "M->"  end-of-history
             "M-?"  possible-completions
             "M-B"  backward-word
             "M-C"  capitalize-word
             "M-D"  kill-word
             "M-F"  forward-word
             "M-L"  downcase-word
             "M-N"  non-incremental-forward-search-history
             "M-P"  non-incremental-reverse-search-history
             "M-R"  revert-line
             "M-T"  transpose-words
             "M-U"  upcase-word
             "M-Y"  yank-pop
             "M-\"  delete-horizontal-space
             "M-~"  tilde-expand
             "M-C-?"  backward-kill-word
             "M-_"  yank-last-arg

             Emacs Control-X bindings

             "C-XC-G"  abort
             "C-XC-R"  re-read-init-file
             "C-XC-U"  undo
             "C-XC-X"  exchange-point-and-mark
             "C-X("  start-kbd-macro
             "C-X)"  end-kbd-macro
             "C-XE"  call-last-kbd-macro
             "C-XC-?"  backward-kill-line


   [1mVI Mode bindings[0m
             VI Insert Mode functions

             "C-D"  vi-eof-maybe
             "C-H"  backward-delete-char
             "C-I"  complete
             "C-J"  accept-line
             "C-M"  accept-line
             "C-R"  reverse-search-history
             "C-S"  forward-search-history
             "C-T"  transpose-chars
             "C-U"  unix-line-discard
             "C-V"  quoted-insert
             "C-W"  unix-word-rubout
             "C-Y"  yank
             "C-["  vi-movement-mode
             "C-_"  undo
             " " to "~"  self-insert
             "C-?"  backward-delete-char

             VI Command Mode functions

             "C-D"  vi-eof-maybe
             "C-E"  emacs-editing-mode
             "C-G"  abort
             "C-H"  backward-char
             "C-J"  accept-line
             "C-K"  kill-line
             "C-L"  clear-screen
             "C-M"  accept-line
             "C-N"  next-history
             "C-P"  previous-history
             "C-Q"  quoted-insert
             "C-R"  reverse-search-history
             "C-S"  forward-search-history
             "C-T"  transpose-chars
             "C-U"  unix-line-discard
             "C-V"  quoted-insert
             "C-W"  unix-word-rubout
             "C-Y"  yank
             "C-_"  vi-undo
             " "  forward-char
             "#"  insert-comment
             "$"  end-of-line
             "%"  vi-match
             "&"  vi-tilde-expand
             "*"  vi-complete
             "+"  next-history
             ","  vi-char-search
             "-"  previous-history
             "."  vi-redo
             "/"  vi-search
             "0"  beginning-of-line
             "1" to "9"  vi-arg-digit
             ";"  vi-char-search
             "="  vi-complete
             "?"  vi-search
             "A"  vi-append-eol
             "B"  vi-prev-word
             "C"  vi-change-to
             "D"  vi-delete-to
             "E"  vi-end-word
             "F"  vi-char-search
             "G"  vi-fetch-history
             "I"  vi-insert-beg
             "N"  vi-search-again
             "P"  vi-put
             "R"  vi-replace
             "S"  vi-subst
             "T"  vi-char-search
             "U"  revert-line
             "W"  vi-next-word
             "X"  backward-delete-char
             "Y"  vi-yank-to
             "\"  vi-complete
             "^"  vi-first-print
             "_"  vi-yank-arg
             "`"  vi-goto-mark
             "a"  vi-append-mode
             "b"  vi-prev-word
             "c"  vi-change-to
             "d"  vi-delete-to
             "e"  vi-end-word
             "f"  vi-char-search
             "h"  backward-char
             "i"  vi-insertion-mode
             "j"  next-history
             "k"  prev-history
             "l"  forward-char
             "m"  vi-set-mark
             "n"  vi-search-again
             "p"  vi-put
             "r"  vi-change-char
             "s"  vi-subst
             "t"  vi-char-search
             "u"  vi-undo
             "w"  vi-next-word
             "x"  vi-delete
             "y"  vi-yank-to
             "|"  vi-column
             "~"  vi-change-case

[1mSEE ALSO[0m
       [4mThe[24m [4mGnu[24m [4mReadline[24m [4mLibrary[24m, Brian Fox and Chet Ramey
       [4mThe[24m [4mGnu[24m [4mHistory[24m [4mLibrary[24m, Brian Fox and Chet Ramey
       [4mbash[24m(1)

[1mFILES[0m
       [4m~/.inputrc[0m
              Individual [1mreadline [22minitialization file

[1mAUTHORS[0m
       Brian Fox, Free Software Foundation
       bfox@gnu.org

       Chet Ramey, Case Western Reserve University
       chet.ramey@case.edu

[1mBUG REPORTS[0m
       If you find a bug in [1mreadline, [22myou should report it.   But  first,  you
       should  make  sure  that it really is a bug, and that it appears in the
       latest version of the [1mreadline [22mlibrary that you have.

       Once you have determined that a bug actually exists, mail a bug  report
       to  [4mbug-readline[24m@[4mgnu.org[24m.   If  you have a fix, you are welcome to mail
       that as well!  Suggestions  and  `philosophical'  bug  reports  may  be
       mailed  to  [4mbug-readline[24m@[4mgnu.org[24m  or  posted  to  the  Usenet newsgroup
       [1mgnu.bash.bug[22m.

       Comments and bug reports concerning this manual page should be directed
       to [4mchet.ramey@case.edu[24m.

[1mBUGS[0m
       It's too big and too slow.



GNU Readline 7.0               2016 February 28                    READLINE(3)
