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).
       [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.
       [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.
       [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.
       [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.
       [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.
       [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.
       [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 6.3               2014 November 19                    READLINE(3)
