diff --git a/readline/inc-history.texinfo b/readline/inc-history.texinfo new file mode 100755 index 0000000000..4e87c04966 --- /dev/null +++ b/readline/inc-history.texinfo @@ -0,0 +1,187 @@ +@ifinfo +This file documents the GNU History library. + +Copyright (C) 1988 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. +@end ifinfo + +@ignore +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 History Top +@ifinfo +This file is meant to be an inclusion in the documentation of programs +that use the history library features. There is also a standalone +document, entitled @file{history.texinfo}. +@end ifinfo + +This chapter describes the GNU History library, a programming tool that +provides a consistent user interface for recalling lines of previously +typed input. + +@menu +* Introduction to History:: What is the GNU History library for? +* History Interaction:: What it feels like using History as a user. +@end menu + +@node Introduction to History, History Interaction, History Top, Top +@appendixsec Introduction to History + +Many programs read input from the user a line at a time. The GNU history +library is able to keep track of those lines, associate arbitrary data with +each line, and utilize information from previous lines in making up new +ones. + +The programmer using the History library has available to him functions +for remembering lines on a history stack, associating arbitrary data +with a line, removing lines from the stack, searching through the stack +for a line containing an arbitrary text string, and referencing any line +on the stack directly. In addition, a history @dfn{expansion} function +is available which provides for a consistent user interface across many +different programs. + +The end-user using programs written with the History library has the +benifit of a consistent user interface, with a set of well-known +commands for manipulating the text of previous lines and using that text +in new commands. The basic history manipulation commands are similar to +the history substitution used by Csh. + +If the programmer desires, he can use the Readline library, which +includes history manipulation by default, and has the added advantage of +Emacs style command line editing. + +@node History Interaction, , Introduction to History, Top +@appendixsec 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 what +syntax features are available. + +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, Word Designators, , History Interaction +@appendixsubsec 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, Modifiers, Event Designators, History Interaction +@appendixsubsec 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, , Word Designators, History Interaction +@appendixsubsec 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. This takes effect +immediately, so it should be the last specifier on the line. + +@end table