[thirdparty/binutils-gdb.git] / readline / doc / inc-hist.texi

@ignore
This file is completely identical to hsuser.texinfo, except that it has the
reference to the programming manual removed.  There are definately better ways
to do this!

This file documents the user interface to the GNU History library.

Copyright (C) 1988, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Authored by Brian Fox.

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

Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
results, provided the printed document carries copying permission notice
identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph (this
paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).

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

Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
@end ignore

@node Using History Interactively
@chapter Using History Interactively

This chapter describes how to use the GNU History Library interactively,
from a user's standpoint.

@menu
* History Interaction::		What it feels like using History as a user.
@end menu

@node History Interaction
@section History Interaction
@cindex expansion

The History library provides a history expansion feature that is similar
to the history expansion in Csh.  The following text describes the sytax
that you use to manipulate the history information.

History expansion takes place in two parts.  The first is to determine
which line from the previous history should be used during substitution.
The second is to select portions of that line for inclusion into the
current one.  The line selected from the previous history is called the
@dfn{event}, and the portions of that line that are acted upon are
called @dfn{words}.  The line is broken into words in the same fashion
that the Bash shell does, so that several English (or Unix) words
surrounded by quotes are considered as one word.

@menu
* Event Designators::	How to specify which history line to use.
* Word Designators::	Specifying which words are of interest.
* Modifiers::		Modifying the results of susbstitution.
@end menu

@node Event Designators
@subsection Event Designators
@cindex event designators

An event designator is a reference to a command line entry in the
history list.

@table @asis

@item @code{!}
Start a history subsititution, except when followed by a space, tab, or
the end of the line... @key{=} or @key{(}.

@item @code{!!}
Refer to the previous command.  This is a synonym for @code{!-1}.

@item @code{!n}
Refer to command line @var{n}.

@item @code{!-n}
Refer to the command line @var{n} lines back.

@item @code{!string}
Refer to the most recent command starting with @var{string}.

@item @code{!?string}[@code{?}]
Refer to the most recent command containing @var{string}.

@end table

@node Word Designators
@subsection Word Designators

A @key{:} separates the event specification from the word designator.  It
can be omitted if the word designator begins with a @key{^}, @key{$},
@key{*} or @key{%}.  Words are numbered from the beginning of the line,
with the first word being denoted by a 0 (zero).

@table @code

@item 0 (zero)
The zero'th word.  For many applications, this is the command word.

@item n
The @var{n}'th word.

@item ^
The first argument.  that is, word 1.

@item $
The last argument.

@item %
The word matched by the most recent @code{?string?} search.

@item x-y
A range of words; @code{-@var{y}} Abbreviates @code{0-@var{y}}.

@item *
All of the words, excepting the zero'th.  This is a synonym for @code{1-$}.
It is not an error to use @key{*} if there is just one word in the event.
The empty string is returned in that case.

@end table

@node Modifiers
@subsection Modifiers

After the optional word designator, you can add a sequence of one or more
of the following modifiers, each preceded by a @key{:}.

@table @code

@item #
The entire command line typed so far.  This means the current command,
not the previous command, so it really isn't a word designator, and doesn't
belong in this section.

@item h
Remove a trailing pathname component, leaving only the head.

@item r
Remove a trailing suffix of the form @samp{.}@var{suffix}, leaving the basename.

@item e
Remove all but the suffix.

@item t
Remove all leading  pathname  components, leaving the tail.

@item p
Print the new command but do not execute it.
@end table
Commit	Line	Data
320cd423 SG	1	@ignore
	2	This file is completely identical to hsuser.texinfo, except that it has the
	3	reference to the programming manual removed. There are definately better ways
	4	to do this!
	5
	6	This file documents the user interface to the GNU History library.
	7
	8	Copyright (C) 1988, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
	9	Authored by Brian Fox.
	10
	11	Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual
	12	provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on
	13	all copies.
	14
	15	Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
	16	results, provided the printed document carries copying permission notice
	17	identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph (this
	18	paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
	19
	20	Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
	21	manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
	22	GNU Copyright statement is available to the distributee, and provided that
	23	the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
	24	permission notice identical to this one.
	25
	26	Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
	27	into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
	28	@end ignore
	29
	30	@node Using History Interactively
	31	@chapter Using History Interactively
	32
	33	This chapter describes how to use the GNU History Library interactively,
	34	from a user's standpoint.
	35
	36	@menu
	37	* History Interaction:: What it feels like using History as a user.
	38	@end menu
	39
	40	@node History Interaction
	41	@section History Interaction
	42	@cindex expansion
	43
	44	The History library provides a history expansion feature that is similar
	45	to the history expansion in Csh. The following text describes the sytax
	46	that you use to manipulate the history information.
	47
	48	History expansion takes place in two parts. The first is to determine
	49	which line from the previous history should be used during substitution.
	50	The second is to select portions of that line for inclusion into the
	51	current one. The line selected from the previous history is called the
	52	@dfn{event}, and the portions of that line that are acted upon are
	53	called @dfn{words}. The line is broken into words in the same fashion
	54	that the Bash shell does, so that several English (or Unix) words
	55	surrounded by quotes are considered as one word.
	56
	57	@menu
	58	* Event Designators:: How to specify which history line to use.
	59	* Word Designators:: Specifying which words are of interest.
	60	* Modifiers:: Modifying the results of susbstitution.
	61	@end menu
	62
	63	@node Event Designators
	64	@subsection Event Designators
65	@cindex event designators
66
67	An event designator is a reference to a command line entry in the
68	history list.
69
70	@table @asis
71
72	@item @code{!}
73	Start a history subsititution, except when followed by a space, tab, or
74	the end of the line... @key{=} or @key{(}.
75
76	@item @code{!!}
77	Refer to the previous command. This is a synonym for @code{!-1}.
78
79	@item @code{!n}
80	Refer to command line @var{n}.
81
82	@item @code{!-n}
83	Refer to the command line @var{n} lines back.
84
85	@item @code{!string}
86	Refer to the most recent command starting with @var{string}.
87
88	@item @code{!?string}[@code{?}]
89	Refer to the most recent command containing @var{string}.
90
91	@end table
92
93	@node Word Designators
94	@subsection Word Designators
95
96	A @key{:} separates the event specification from the word designator. It
97	can be omitted if the word designator begins with a @key{^}, @key{$},
98	@key{*} or @key{%}. Words are numbered from the beginning of the line,
99	with the first word being denoted by a 0 (zero).
100
101	@table @code
102
103	@item 0 (zero)
104	The zero'th word. For many applications, this is the command word.
105
106	@item n
107	The @var{n}'th word.
108
109	@item ^
110	The first argument. that is, word 1.
111
112	@item $
113	The last argument.
114
115	@item %
116	The word matched by the most recent @code{?string?} search.
117
118	@item x-y
119	A range of words; @code{-@var{y}} Abbreviates @code{0-@var{y}}.
120
121	@item *
122	All of the words, excepting the zero'th. This is a synonym for @code{1-$}.
123	It is not an error to use @key{*} if there is just one word in the event.
124	The empty string is returned in that case.
125
126	@end table
127
128	@node Modifiers
129	@subsection Modifiers
130
131	After the optional word designator, you can add a sequence of one or more
132	of the following modifiers, each preceded by a @key{:}.
133
134	@table @code
135
136	@item #
137	The entire command line typed so far. This means the current command,
138	not the previous command, so it really isn't a word designator, and doesn't
139	belong in this section.
140
141	@item h
142	Remove a trailing pathname component, leaving only the head.
143
144	@item r
145	Remove a trailing suffix of the form @samp{.}@var{suffix}, leaving the basename.
146
147	@item e
148	Remove all but the suffix.
149
150	@item t
151	Remove all leading pathname components, leaving the tail.
152
153	@item p
154	Print the new command but do not execute it.
155	@end table