by words, or the same inside double quotes, which makes the entire con-
tent of the file a single string.
The following illustrates the rules for nested parameter expansions.
Suppose that $$ffoooo contains the array ((bbaarr bbaazz)):
""$${{((@@))$${{ffoooo}}[[11]]}}""
This produces the result bb. First, the inner substitution
""$${{ffoooo}}"", which has no array (@@) flag, produces a single word
result ""bbaarr bbaazz"". The outer substitution ""$${{((@@))......[[11]]}}"" detects
that this is a scalar, so that (despite the `((@@))' flag) the sub-
script picks the first character.
""$${{$${{((@@))ffoooo}}[[11]]}}""
This produces the result `bbaarr'. In this case, the inner substi-
tution ""$${{((@@))ffoooo}}"" produces the array `((bbaarr bbaazz))'. The outer
substitution ""$${{......[[11]]}}"" detects that this is an array and picks
the first word. This is similar to the simple case ""$${{ffoooo[[11]]}}"".
As an example of the rules for word splitting and joining, suppose $$ffoooo
contains the array `((aaxx11 bbxx11))'. Then
$${{((ss//xx//))ffoooo}}
produces the words `aa', `11 bb' and `11'.
$${{((jj//xx//ss//xx//))ffoooo}}
produces `aa', `11', `bb' and `11'.
$${{((ss//xx//))ffoooo%%%%11**}}
produces `aa' and ` bb' (note the extra space). As substitution
occurs before either joining or splitting, the operation first
generates the modified array ((aaxx bbxx)), which is joined to give
""aaxx bbxx"", and then split to give `aa', ` bb' and `'. The final
empty string will then be elided, as it is not in double quotes.
CCOOMMMMAANNDD SSUUBBSSTTIITTUUTTIIOONN
A command enclosed in parentheses preceded by a dollar sign, like
`$$((...))', or quoted with grave accents, like ```...``', is replaced with
its standard output, with any trailing newlines deleted. If the sub-
stitution is not enclosed in double quotes, the output is broken into
words using the IIFFSS parameter. The substitution `$$((ccaatt foo))' may be
replaced by the equivalent but faster `$$((< the option GGLLOOBBSSUUBBSSTT is set, the output is eligible for filename gen-
eration.
AARRIITTHHMMEETTIICC EEXXPPAANNSSIIOONN
A string of the form `$$[[exp]]' or `$$((((exp))))' is substituted with the
value of the arithmetic expression exp. exp is subjected to parameter
expansion, command substitution and arithmetic expansion before it is
evaluated. See the section `Arithmetic Evaluation'.
BBRRAACCEE EEXXPPAANNSSIIOONN
A string of the form `foo{{xx,,yy,,zz}}bar' is expanded to the individual
words `fooxxbar', `fooyybar' and `foozzbar'. Left-to-right order is
preserved. This construct may be nested. Commas may be quoted in
order to include them literally in a word.
An expression of the form `{{n1....n2}}', where n1 and n2 are integers, is
expanded to every number between n1 and n2 inclusive. If either number
begins with a zero, all the resulting numbers will be padded with lead-
ing zeroes to that minimum width. If the numbers are in decreasing
order the resulting sequence will also be in decreasing order.
If a brace expression matches none of the above forms, it is left
unchanged, unless the BBRRAACCEECCCCLL option is set. In that case, it is
expanded to a sorted list of the individual characters between the
braces, in the manner of a search set. `-' is treated specially as in
a search set, but `^^' or `!!' as the first character is treated nor-
mally.
Note that brace expansion is not part of filename generation (glob-
bing); an expression such as **//{{ffoooo,,bbaarr}} is split into two separate
words **//ffoooo and **//bbaarr before filename generation takes place. In par-
ticular, note that this is liable to produce a `no match' error if
either of the two expressions does not match; this is to be contrasted
with **//((ffoooo||bbaarr)), which is treated as a single pattern but otherwise
has similar effects.
FILENAME EXPANSION
Each word is checked to see if it begins with an unquoted `~~'. If it
does, then the word up to a `//', or the end of the word if there is no
`//', is checked to see if it can be substituted in one of the ways
described here. If so, then the `~~' and the checked portion are
replaced with the appropriate substitute value.
A `~~' by itself is replaced by the value of $$HHOOMMEE. A `~~' followed by a
`++' or a `-' is replaced by the value of $$PPWWDD or $$OOLLDDPPWWDD, respectively.
A `~~' followed by a number is replaced by the directory at that posi-
tion in the directory stack. `~~00' is equivalent to `~~++', and `~~11' is
the top of the stack. `~~++' followed by a number is replaced by the
directory at that position in the directory stack. `~~++00' is equivalent
to `~~++', and `~~++11' is the top of the stack. `~~-' followed by a number
is replaced by the directory that many positions from the bottom of the
stack. `~~-00' is the bottom of the stack. The PPUUSSHHDDMMIINNUUSS option
exchanges the effects of `~~++' and `~~-' where they are followed by a
number.
A `~~' followed by anything not already covered is looked up as a named
directory, and replaced by the value of that named directory if found.
Named directories are typically home directories for users on the sys-
tem. They may also be defined if the text after the `~~' is the name of
a string shell parameter whose value begins with a `//'. It is also
possible to define directory names using the -dd option to the hhaasshh
builtin.
In certain circumstances (in prompts, for instance), when the shell
prints a path, the path is checked to see if it has a named directory
as its prefix. If so, then the prefix portion is replaced with a `~~'
followed by the name of the directory. The shortest way of referring
to the directory is used, with ties broken in favour of using a named
directory, except when the directory is // itself. The parameters $$PPWWDD
and $$OOLLDDPPWWDD are never abbreviated in this fashion.
If a word begins with an unquoted `==' and the EEQQUUAALLSS option is set, the
remainder of the word is taken as the name of a command. If a command
exists by that name, the word is replaced by the full pathname of the
command.
Filename expansion is performed on the right hand side of a parameter
assignment, including those appearing after commands of the ttyyppeesseett
family. In this case, the right hand side will be treated as a
colon-separated list in the manner of the PPAATTHH parameter, so that a `~~'
or an `==' following a `::' is eligible for expansion. All such behav-
iour can be disabled by quoting the `~~', the `==', or the whole expres-
sion (but not simply the colon); the EEQQUUAALLSS option is also respected.
If the option MMAAGGIICCEEQQUUAALLSSUUBBSSTT is set, any unquoted shell argument in
the form `identifier==expression' becomes eligible for file expansion as
described in the previous paragraph. Quoting the first `==' also
inhibits this.
FILENAME GENERATION
If a word contains an unquoted instance of one of the characters `**',
`((', `||', `<<', `[[', or `??', it is regarded as a pattern for filename
generation, unless the GGLLOOBB option is unset. If the EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB
option is set, the `^^' and `##' characters also denote a pattern; other-
wise they are not treated specially by the shell.
The word is replaced with a list of sorted filenames that match the
pattern. If no matching pattern is found, the shell gives an error
message, unless the NNUULLLLGGLLOOBB option is set, in which case the word is
deleted; or unless the NNOOMMAATTCCHH option is unset, in which case the word
is left unchanged.
In filename generation, the character `//' must be matched explicitly;
also, a `..' must be matched explicitly at the beginning of a pattern or
after a `//', unless the GGLLOOBBDDOOTTSS option is set. No filename genera-
tion pattern matches the files `..' or `....'. In other instances of pat-
tern matching, the `//' and `..' are not treated specially.
GGlloobb OOppeerraattoorrss
** Matches any string, including the null string.
?? Matches any character.
[[...]] Matches any of the enclosed characters. Ranges of characters
can be specified by separating two characters by a `-'. A `-'
or `]]' may be matched by including it as the first character in
the list. There are also several named classes of characters,
in the form `[[::name::]]' with the following meanings: `[[::aallnnuumm::]]'
alphanumeric, `[[::aallpphhaa::]]' alphabetic, `[[::aasscciiii::]]' 7-bit,
`[[::bbllaannkk::]]' space or tab, `[[::ccnnttrrll::]]' control character,
`[[::ddiiggiitt::]]' decimal digit, `[[::ggrraapphh::]]' printable character
except whitespace, `[[::lloowweerr::]]' lowercase letter, `[[::pprriinntt::]]'
printable character, `[[::ppuunncctt::]]' printable character neither
alphanumeric nor whitespace, `[[::ssppaaccee::]]' whitespace character,
`[[::uuppppeerr::]]' uppercase letter, `[[::xxddiiggiitt::]]' hexadecimal digit.
These use the macros provided by the operating system to test
for the given character combinations, including any modifica-
tions due to local language settings: see ctype(3). Note that
the square brackets are additional to those enclosing the whole
set of characters, so to test for a single alphanumeric charac-
ter you need `[[[[::aallnnuumm::]]]]'. Named character sets can be used
alongside other types, e.g. `[[[[::aallpphhaa::]]00-99]]'.
[[^^...]]
[[!!...]] Like [[...]], except that it matches any character which is not in
the given set.
<<[x]-[y]>>
Matches any number in the range x to y, inclusive. Either of
the numbers may be omitted to make the range open-ended; hence
`<<->>' matches any number. To match individual digits, the [[...]]
form is more efficient.
Be careful when using other wildcards adjacent to patterns of
this form; for example, <<00-99>>** will actually match any number
whatsoever at the start of the string, since the `<<00-99>>' will
match the first digit, and the `**' will match any others. This
is a trap for the unwary, but is in fact an inevitable conse-
quence of the rule that the longest possible match always suc-
ceeds. Expressions such as `<<00-99>>[[^^[[::ddiiggiitt::]]]]**' can be used
instead.
((...)) Matches the enclosed pattern. This is used for grouping. If
the KKSSHHGGLLOOBB option is set, then a `@@', `**', `++', `??' or `!!'
immediately preceding the `((' is treated specially, as detailed
below. The option SSHHGGLLOOBB prevents bare parentheses from being
used in this way, though the KKSSHHGGLLOOBB option is still available.
Note that grouping cannot extend over multiple directories: it
is an error to have a `//' within a group (this only applies for
patterns used in filename generation). There is one exception:
a group of the form ((pat//))## appearing as a complete path segment
can match a sequence of directories. For example, ffoooo//((aa**//))##bbaarr
matches ffoooo//bbaarr, ffoooo//aannyy//bbaarr, ffoooo//aannyy//aannyyootthheerr//bbaarr, and so on.
x||y Matches either x or y. This operator has lower precedence than
any other. The `||' character must be within parentheses, to
avoid interpretation as a pipeline.
^^x (Requires EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB to be set.) Matches anything except the
pattern x. This has a higher precedence than `//', so `^^ffoooo//bbaarr'
will search directories in `..' except `..//ffoooo' for a file named
`bbaarr'.
x~~y (Requires EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB to be set.) Match anything that matches
the pattern x but does not match y. This has lower precedence
than any operator except `||', so `**//**~~ffoooo//bbaarr' will search for
all files in all directories in `..' and then exclude `ffoooo//bbaarr'
if there was such a match. Multiple patterns can be excluded by
`foo~~bar~~baz'. In the exclusion pattern (y), `//' and `..' are
not treated specially the way they usually are in globbing.
x## (Requires EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB to be set.) Matches zero or more occur-
rences of the pattern x. This operator has high precedence;
`1122##' is equivalent to `11((22##))', rather than `((1122))##'. It is an
error for an unquoted `##' to follow something which cannot be
repeated; this includes an empty string, a pattern already fol-
lowed by `####', or parentheses when part of a KKSSHHGGLLOOBB pattern
(for example, `!!((foo))##' is invalid and must be replaced by
`**((!!((foo))))').
x#### (Requires EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB to be set.) Matches one or more occur-
rences of the pattern x. This operator has high precedence;
`1122####' is equivalent to `11((22####))', rather than `((1122))####'. No more
than two active `##' characters may appear together.
kksshh-lliikkee GGlloobb OOppeerraattoorrss
If the KKSSHHGGLLOOBB option is set, the effects of parentheses can be modi-
fied by a preceding `@@', `**', `++', `??' or `!!'. This character need not
be unquoted to have special effects, but the `((' must be.
@@((...)) Match the pattern in the parentheses. (Like `((...))'.)
**((...)) Match any number of occurrences. (Like `((...))##'.)
++((...)) Match at least one occurrence. (Like `((...))####'.)
??((...)) Match zero or one occurrence. (Like `((||...))'.)
!!((...)) Match anything but the expression in parentheses. (Like
`((^^((...))))'.)
PPrreecceeddeennccee
The precedence of the operators given above is (highest) `^^', `//', `~~',
`||' (lowest); the remaining operators are simply treated from left to
right as part of a string, with `##' and `####' applying to the shortest
possible preceding unit (i.e. a character, `??', `[[...]]', `<<...>>', or a
parenthesised expression). As mentioned above, a `//' used as a direc-
tory separator may not appear inside parentheses, while a `||' must do
so; in patterns used in other contexts than filename generation (for
example, in ccaassee statements and tests within `[[[[...]]]]'), a `//' is not
special; and `//' is also not special after a `~~' appearing outside
parentheses in a filename pattern.
GGlloobbbbiinngg FFllaaggss
There are various flags which affect any text to their right up to the
end of the enclosing group or to the end of the pattern; they require
the EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB option. All take the form ((##X)) where X may have one
of the following forms:
i Case insensitive: upper or lower case characters in the pattern
match upper or lower case characters.
l Lower case characters in the pattern match upper or lower case
characters; upper case characters in the pattern still only
match upper case characters.
I Case sensitive: locally negates the effect of ii or ll from that
point on.
b Activate backreferences for parenthesised groups in the pattern;
this does not work in filename generation. When a pattern with
a set of active parentheses is matched, the strings matched by
the groups are stored in the array $$mmaattcchh, the indices of the
beginning of the matched parentheses in the array $$mmbbeeggiinn, and
the indices of the end in the array $$mmeenndd, with the first ele-
ment of each array corresponding to the first parenthesised
group, and so on. These arrays are not otherwise special to the
shell. The indices use the same convention as does parameter
substitution, so that elements of $$mmeenndd and $$mmbbeeggiinn may be used
in subscripts; the KKSSHHAARRRRAAYYSS option is respected. Sets of
globbing flags are not considered parenthesised groups; only the
first nine active parentheses can be referenced.
For example,
ffoooo==""aa ssttrriinngg wwiitthh aa mmeessssaaggee""
iiff [[[[ $$ffoooo == ((aa||aann))'' ''((##bb))((**))'' ''** ]]]];; tthheenn
pprriinntt $${{ffoooo[[$$mmbbeeggiinn[[11]],,$$mmeenndd[[11]]]]}}
ffii
prints `ssttrriinngg wwiitthh aa'. Note that the first parenthesis is
before the ((##bb)) and does not create a backreference.
Backreferences work with all forms of pattern matching other
than filename generation, but note that when performing matches
on an entire array, such as $${{array##pattern}}, or a global sub-
stitution, such as $${{param////pat//repl}}, only the data for the
last match remains available. In the case of global replace-
ments this may still be useful. See the example for the mm flag
below.
The numbering of backreferences strictly follows the order of
the opening parentheses from left to right in the pattern
string, although sets of parentheses may be nested. There are
special rules for parentheses followed by `##' or `####'. Only the
last match of the parenthesis is remembered: for example, in `[[[[
aabbaabb == ((##bb))(([[aabb]]))## ]]]]', only the final `bb' is stored in
mmaattcchh[[11]]. Thus extra parentheses may be necessary to match the
complete segment: for example, use `XX((((aabb||ccdd))##))YY' to match a
whole string of either `aabb' or `ccdd' between `XX' and `YY', using
the value of $$mmaattcchh[[11]] rather than $$mmaattcchh[[22]].
If the match fails none of the parameters is altered, so in some
cases it may be necessary to initialise them beforehand. If
some of the backreferences fail to match -- which happens if
they are in an alternate branch which fails to match, or if they
are followed by ## and matched zero times -- then the matched
string is set to the empty string, and the start and end indices
are set to -1.
Pattern matching with backreferences is slightly slower than
without.
B Deactivate backreferences, negating the effect of the bb flag
from that point on.
m Set references to the match data for the entire string matched;
this is similar to backreferencing and does not work in filename
generation. The flag must be in effect at the end of the pat-
tern, i.e. not local to a group. The parameters $$MMAATTCCHH, $$MMBBEEGGIINN
and $$MMEENNDD will be set to the string matched and to the indices
of the beginning and end of the string, respectively. This is
most useful in parameter substitutions, as otherwise the string
matched is obvious.
For example,
aarrrr==((vveellddtt jjyynnxx ggrriimmppss wwaaqqff zzhhoo bbuucckk))
pprriinntt $${{aarrrr////((##mm))[[aaeeiioouu]]//$${{((UU))MMAATTCCHH}}}}
forces all the matches (i.e. all vowels) into uppercase, print-
ing `vvEEllddtt jjyynnxx ggrrIImmppss wwAAqqff zzhhOO bbUUcckk'.
Unlike backreferences, there is no speed penalty for using match
references, other than the extra substitutions required for the
replacement strings in cases such as the example shown.
M Deactivate the mm flag, hence no references to match data will be
created.
aanum Approximate matching: num errors are allowed in the string
matched by the pattern. The rules for this are described in the
next subsection.
ss, ee Unlike the other flags, these have only a local effect, and each
must appear on its own: `((##ss))' and `((##ee))' are the only valid
forms. The `((##ss))' flag succeeds only at the start of the test
string, and the `((##ee))' flag succeeds only at the end of the test
string; they correspond to `^^' and `$$' in standard regular
expressions. They are useful for matching path segments in pat-
terns other than those in filename generation (where path seg-
ments are in any case treated separately). For example,
`**((((##ss))||//))tteesstt((((##ee))||//))**' matches a path segment `tteesstt' in any of
the following strings: tteesstt, tteesstt//aatt//ssttaarrtt, aatt//eenndd//tteesstt,
iinn//tteesstt//mmiiddddllee.
Another use is in parameter substitution; for example
`$${{aarrrraayy//((##ss))AA**ZZ((##ee))}}' will remove only elements of an array
which match the complete pattern `AA**ZZ'. There are other ways of
performing many operations of this type, however the combination
of the substitution operations `//' and `////' with the `((##ss))' and
`((##ee))' flags provides a single simple and memorable method.
Note that assertions of the form `((^^((##ss))))' also work, i.e. match
anywhere except at the start of the string, although this actu-
ally means `anything except a zero-length portion at the start
of the string'; you need to use `((""""~~((##ss))))' to match a
zero-length portion of the string not at the start.
qq A `qq' and everything up to the closing parenthesis of the glob-
bing flags are ignored by the pattern matching code. This is
intended to support the use of glob qualifiers, see below. The
result is that the pattern `((##bb))((**))..cc((##qq..))' can be used both for
globbing and for matching against a string. In the former case,
the `((##qq..))' will be treated as a glob qualifier and the `((##bb))'
will not be useful, while in the latter case the `((##bb))' is use-
ful for backreferences and the `((##qq..))' will be ignored. Note
that colon modifiers in the glob qualifiers are also not applied
in ordinary pattern matching.
For example, the test string ffooooxxxx can be matched by the pattern
((##ii))FFOOOOXXXX, but not by ((##ll))FFOOOOXXXX, ((##ii))FFOOOO((##II))XXXX or ((((##ii))FFOOOOXX))XX. The
string ((##iiaa22))rreeaaddmmee specifies case-insensitive matching of rreeaaddmmee with
up to two errors.
When using the ksh syntax for grouping both KKSSHHGGLLOOBB and EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB
must be set and the left parenthesis should be preceded by @@. Note
also that the flags do not affect letters inside [[......]] groups, in other
words ((##ii))[[aa-zz]] still matches only lowercase letters. Finally, note
that when examining whole paths case-insensitively every directory must
be searched for all files which match, so that a pattern of the form
((##ii))//ffoooo//bbaarr//...... is potentially slow.
AApppprrooxxiimmaattee MMaattcchhiinngg
When matching approximately, the shell keeps a count of the errors
found, which cannot exceed the number specified in the ((##aanum)) flags.
Four types of error are recognised:
1. Different characters, as in ffooooxxbbaarr and ffooooyybbaarr.
2. Transposition of characters, as in bbaannaannaa and aabbnnaannaa.
3. A character missing in the target string, as with the pattern
rrooaadd and target string rroodd.
4. An extra character appearing in the target string, as with ssttoovvee
and ssttrroovvee.
Thus, the pattern ((##aa33))aabbccdd matches ddccbbaa, with the errors occurring by
using the first rule twice and the second once, grouping the string as
[[dd]][[ccbb]][[aa]] and [[aa]][[bbcc]][[dd]].
Non-literal parts of the pattern must match exactly, including charac-
ters in character ranges: hence ((##aa11))?????? matches strings of length
four, by applying rule 4 to an empty part of the pattern, but not
strings of length two, since all the ?? must match. Other characters
which must match exactly are initial dots in filenames (unless the
GGLLOOBBDDOOTTSS option is set), and all slashes in filenames, so that aa//bbcc is
two errors from aabb//cc (the slash cannot be transposed with another char-
acter). Similarly, errors are counted separately for non-contiguous
strings in the pattern, so that ((aabb||ccdd))eeff is two errors from aaeebbff.
When using exclusion via the ~~ operator, approximate matching is
treated entirely separately for the excluded part and must be activated
separately. Thus, ((##aa11))RREEAADDMMEE~~RREEAADDMMEE matches RREEAADD..MMEE but not RREEAADDMMEE,
as the trailing RREEAADDMMEE is matched without approximation. However,
((##aa11))RREEAADDMMEE~~((##aa11))RREEAADDMMEE does not match any pattern of the form RREEAADD?MMEE
as all such forms are now excluded.
Apart from exclusions, there is only one overall error count; however,
the maximum errors allowed may be altered locally, and this can be
delimited by grouping. For example, ((##aa11))ccaatt((((##aa00))ddoogg))ffooxx allows one
error in total, which may not occur in the ddoogg section, and the pattern
((##aa11))ccaatt((##aa00))ddoogg((##aa11))ffooxx is equivalent. Note that the point at which
an error is first found is the crucial one for establishing whether to
use approximation; for example, ((##aa11))aabbcc((##aa00))xxyyzz will not match
aabbccddxxyyzz, because the error occurs at the `xx', where approximation is
turned off.
Entire path segments may be matched approximately, so that
`((##aa11))//ffoooo//dd//iiss//aavvaaiillaabbllee//aatt//tthhee//bbaarr' allows one error in any path seg-
ment. This is much less efficient than without the ((##aa11)), however,
since every directory in the path must be scanned for a possible
approximate match. It is best to place the ((##aa11)) after any path seg-
ments which are known to be correct.
RReeccuurrssiivvee GGlloobbbbiinngg
A pathname component of the form `((foo//))##' matches a path consisting of
zero or more directories matching the pattern foo.
As a shorthand, `****//' is equivalent to `((**//))##'; note that this there-
fore matches files in the current directory as well as subdirectories.
Thus:
llss ((**//))##bbaarr
or
llss ****//bbaarr
does a recursive directory search for files named `bbaarr' (potentially
including the file `bbaarr' in the current directory). This form does not
follow symbolic links; the alternative form `******//' does, but is other-
wise identical. Neither of these can be combined with other forms of
globbing within the same path segment; in that case, the `**' operators
revert to their usual effect.
GGlloobb QQuuaalliiffiieerrss
Patterns used for filename generation may end in a list of qualifiers
enclosed in parentheses. The qualifiers specify which filenames that
otherwise match the given pattern will be inserted in the argument
list.
If the option BBAARREEGGLLOOBBQQUUAALL is set, then a trailing set of parentheses
containing no `||' or `((' characters (or `~~' if it is special) is taken
as a set of glob qualifiers. A glob subexpression that would normally
be taken as glob qualifiers, for example `((^^xx))', can be forced to be
treated as part of the glob pattern by doubling the parentheses, in
this case producing `((((^^xx))))'.
If the option EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB is set, a different syntax for glob quali-
fiers is available, namely `((##qqxx))' where xx is any of the same glob
qualifiers used in the other format. The qualifiers must still appear
at the end of the pattern. However, with this syntax multiple glob
qualifiers may be chained together. They are treated as a logical AND
of the individual sets of flags. Also, as the syntax is unambiguous,
the expression will be treated as glob qualifiers just as long any
parentheses contained within it are balanced; appearance of `||', `((' or
`~~' does not negate the effect. Note that qualifiers will be recog-
nised in this form even if a bare glob qualifier exists at the end of
the pattern, for example `**((##qq**))((..))' will recognise executable regular
files if both options are set; however, mixed syntax should probably be
avoided for the sake of clarity.
A qualifier may be any one of the following:
// directories
FF `full' (i.e. non-empty) directories. Note that the opposite
sense ((^^FF)) expands to empty directories and all non-directories.
Use ((//^^FF)) for empty directories
.. plain files
@@ symbolic links
== sockets
pp named pipes (FIFOs)
** executable plain files (0100)
%% device files (character or block special)
%%bb block special files
%%cc character special files
rr owner-readable files (0400)
ww owner-writable files (0200)
xx owner-executable files (0100)
AA group-readable files (0040)
II group-writable files (0020)
EE group-executable files (0010)
RR world-readable files (0004)
WW world-writable files (0002)
XX world-executable files (0001)
ss setuid files (04000)
SS setgid files (02000)
tt files with the sticky bit (01000)
ffspec files with access rights matching spec. This spec may be a octal
number optionally preceded by a `==', a `++', or a `-'. If none of
these characters is given, the behavior is the same as for `=='.
The octal number describes the mode bits to be expected, if com-
bined with a `==', the value given must match the file-modes
exactly, with a `++', at least the bits in the given number must
be set in the file-modes, and with a `-', the bits in the number
must not be set. Giving a `??' instead of a octal digit anywhere
in the number ensures that the corresponding bits in the
file-modes are not checked, this is only useful in combination
with `=='.
If the qualifier `ff' is followed by any other character anything
up to the next matching character (`[[', `{{', and `<<' match `]]',
`}}', and `>>' respectively, any other character matches itself)
is taken as a list of comma-separated sub-specs. Each sub-spec
may be either an octal number as described above or a list of
any of the characters `uu', `gg', `oo', and `aa', followed by a `==',
a `++', or a `-', followed by a list of any of the characters
`rr', `ww', `xx', `ss', and `tt', or an octal digit. The first list
of characters specify which access rights are to be checked. If
a `uu' is given, those for the owner of the file are used, if a
`gg' is given, those of the group are checked, a `oo' means to
test those of other users, and the `aa' says to test all three
groups. The `==', `++', and `-' again says how the modes are to be
checked and have the same meaning as described for the first
form above. The second list of characters finally says which
access rights are to be expected: `rr' for read access, `ww' for
write access, `xx' for the right to execute the file (or to
search a directory), `ss' for the setuid and setgid bits, and `tt'
for the sticky bit.
Thus, `**((ff7700??))' gives the files for which the owner has read,
write, and execute permission, and for which other group members
have no rights, independent of the permissions for other users.
The pattern `**((ff-110000))' gives all files for which the owner does
not have execute permission, and `**((ff::gguu++ww,,oo-rrxx::))' gives the
files for which the owner and the other members of the group
have at least write permission, and for which other users don't
have read or execute permission.
eestring
++cmd The string will be executed as shell code. The filename will be
included in the list if and only if the code returns a zero sta-
tus (usually the status of the last command). The first charac-
ter after the `ee' will be used as a separator and anything up to
the next matching separator will be taken as the string; `[[',
`{{', and `<<' match `]]', `}}', and `>>', respectively, while any
other character matches itself. Note that expansions must be
quoted in the string to prevent them from being expanded before
globbing is done.
During the execution of string the filename currently being
tested is available in the parameter RREEPPLLYY; the parameter may be
altered to a string to be inserted into the list instead of the
original filename. In addition, the parameter rreeppllyy may be set
to an array or a string, which overrides the value of RREEPPLLYY. If
set to an array, the latter is inserted into the command line
word by word.
For example, suppose a directory contains a single file
`lloonneellyy'. Then the expression `**((ee::''rreeppllyy==(($${{RREEPPLLYY}}{{11,,22}}))''::))'
will cause the words `lloonneellyy11 lloonneellyy22' to be inserted into the
command line. Note the quotation marks.
The form ++cmd has the same effect, but no delimiters appear
around cmd. Instead, cmd is taken as the longest sequence of
characters following the ++ that are alphanumeric or underscore.
Typically cmd will be the name of a shell function that contains
the appropriate test. For example,
nntt(()) {{ [[[[ $$RREEPPLLYY -nntt $$NNTTRREEFF ]]]] }}
NNTTRREEFF==rreeffffiillee
llss -ll **((++nntt))
lists all files in the directory that have been modified more
recently than rreeffffiillee.
dddev files on the device dev
ll[-|++]ct
files having a link count less than ct (-), greater than ct (++),
or equal to ct
UU files owned by the effective user ID
GG files owned by the effective group ID
uuid files owned by user ID id if it is a number, if not, than the
character after the `uu' will be used as a separator and the
string between it and the next matching separator (`[[', `{{', and
`<<' match `]]', `}}', and `>>' respectively, any other character
matches itself) will be taken as a user name, and the user ID of
this user will be taken (e.g. `uu::ffoooo::' or `uu[[ffoooo]]' for user
`ffoooo')
ggid like uuid but with group IDs or names
aa[MMwwhhmmss][-|++]n
files accessed exactly n days ago. Files accessed within the
last n days are selected using a negative value for n (-n).
Files accessed more than n days ago are selected by a positive n
value (++n). Optional unit specifiers `MM', `ww', `hh', `mm' or `ss'
(e.g. `aahh55') cause the check to be performed with months (of 30
days), weeks, hours, minutes or seconds instead of days, respec-
tively. For instance, `eecchhoo **((aahh-55))' would echo files accessed
within the last five hours.
mm[MMwwhhmmss][-|++]n
like the file access qualifier, except that it uses the file
modification time.
cc[MMwwhhmmss][-|++]n
like the file access qualifier, except that it uses the file
inode change time.
LL[++|-]n
files less than n bytes (-), more than n bytes (++), or exactly n
bytes in length. If this flag is directly followed by a `kk'
(`KK'), `mm' (`MM'), or `pp' (`PP') (e.g. `LLkk-5500') the check is per-
formed with kilobytes, megabytes, or blocks (of 512 bytes)
instead.
^^ negates all qualifiers following it
- toggles between making the qualifiers work on symbolic links
(the default) and the files they point to
MM sets the MMAARRKKDDIIRRSS option for the current pattern
TT appends a trailing qualifier mark to the filenames, analogous to
the LLIISSTTTTYYPPEESS option, for the current pattern (overrides MM)
NN sets the NNUULLLLGGLLOOBB option for the current pattern
DD sets the GGLLOOBBDDOOTTSS option for the current pattern
nn sets the NNUUMMEERRIICCGGLLOOBBSSOORRTT option for the current pattern
ooc specifies how the names of the files should be sorted. If c is nn
they are sorted by name (the default); if it is LL they are
sorted depending on the size (length) of the files; if ll they
are sorted by the number of links; if aa, mm, or cc they are sorted
by the time of the last access, modification, or inode change
respectively; if dd, files in subdirectories appear before those
in the current directory at each level of the search -- this is
best combined with other criteria, for example `ooddoonn' to sort on
names for files within the same directory. Note that aa, mm, and
cc compare the age against the current time, hence the first name
in the list is the youngest file. Also note that the modifiers ^^
and - are used, so `**((^^-ooLL))' gives a list of all files sorted by
file size in descending order, following any symbolic links.
OOc like `oo', but sorts in descending order; i.e. `**((^^oocc))' is the
same as `**((OOcc))' and `**((^^OOcc))' is the same as `**((oocc))'; `OOdd' puts
files in the current directory before those in subdirectories at
each level of the search.
[[beg[,,end]]]
specifies which of the matched filenames should be included in
the returned list. The syntax is the same as for array sub-
scripts. beg and the optional end may be mathematical expres-
sions. As in parameter subscripting they may be negative to make
them count from the last match backward. E.g.: `**((-OOLL[[11,,33]]))'
gives a list of the names of the three largest files.
More than one of these lists can be combined, separated by commas. The
whole list matches if at least one of the sublists matches (they are
`or'ed, the qualifiers in the sublists are `and'ed). Some qualifiers,
however, affect all matches generated, independent of the sublist in
which they are given. These are the qualifiers `MM', `TT', `NN', `DD',
`nn', `oo', `OO' and the subscripts given in brackets (`[[......]]').
If a `::' appears in a qualifier list, the remainder of the expression
in parenthesis is interpreted as a modifier (see the section `Modi-
fiers' in the section `History Expansion'). Note that each modifier
must be introduced by a separate `::'. Note also that the result after
modification does not have to be an existing file. The name of any
existing file can be followed by a modifier of the form `((::....))' even if
no actual filename generation is performed. Thus:
llss **((-//))
lists all directories and symbolic links that point to directories, and
llss **((%%WW))
lists all world-writable device files in the current directory, and
llss **((WW,,XX))
lists all files in the current directory that are world-writable or
world-executable, and
eecchhoo //ttmmpp//ffoooo**((uu00^^@@::tt))
outputs the basename of all root-owned files beginning with the string
`ffoooo' in //ttmmpp, ignoring symlinks, and
llss **..**~~((lleexx||ppaarrssee))..[[cchh]]((^^DD^^ll11))
lists all files having a link count of one whose names contain a dot
(but not those starting with a dot, since GGLLOOBBDDOOTTSS is explicitly
switched off) except for lleexx..cc, lleexx..hh, ppaarrssee..cc and ppaarrssee..hh.
pprriinntt bb**..pprroo((##qq::ss//pprroo//sshhmmoo//))((##qq..::ss//bbuuiillttiinn//sshhmmiillttiinn//))
demonstrates how colon modifiers and other qualifiers may be chained
together. The ordinary qualifier `..' is applied first, then the colon
modifiers in order from left to right. So if EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB is set and
the base pattern matches the regular file bbuuiillttiinn..pprroo, the shell will
print `sshhmmiillttiinn..sshhmmoo'.
ZSHPARAM(1) ZSHPARAM(1)
NAME
zshparam - zsh parameters
DESCRIPTION
A parameter has a name, a value, and a number of attributes. A name
may be any sequence of alphanumeric characters and underscores, or the
single characters `**', `@@', `##', `??', `-', `$$', or `!!'. The value may
be a scalar (a string), an integer, an array (indexed numerically), or
an associative array (an unordered set of name-value pairs, indexed by
name). To declare the type of a parameter, or to assign a scalar or
integer value to a parameter, use the ttyyppeesseett builtin.
The value of a scalar or integer parameter may also be assigned by
writing:
name==value
If the integer attribute, -ii, is set for name, the value is subject to
arithmetic evaluation. Furthermore, by replacing `==' with `++==', a
parameter can be added or appended to. See the section `Array Parame-
ters' for additional forms of assignment.
To refer to the value of a parameter, write `$$name' or `$${{name}}'. See
Parameter Expansion in zshexpn(1) for complete details.
In the parameter lists that follow, the mark `' indicates that the
parameter is special. Special parameters cannot have their type
changed or their readonly attribute turned off, and if a special param-
eter is unset, then later recreated, the special properties will be
retained. `' indicates that the parameter does not exist when the
shell initializes in sshh or kksshh emulation mode.
AARRRRAAYY PPAARRAAMMEETTEERRSS
To assign an array value, write one of:
sseett -AA name value ...
name==((value ...))
If no parameter name exists, an ordinary array parameter is created.
If the parameter name exists and is a scalar, it is replaced by a new
array. Ordinary array parameters may also be explicitly declared with:
ttyyppeesseett -aa name
Associative arrays must be declared before assignment, by using:
ttyyppeesseett -AA name
When name refers to an associative array, the list in an assignment is
interpreted as alternating keys and values:
set -A name key value ...
name==((key value ...))
Every key must have a value in this case. Note that this assigns to
the entire array, deleting any elements that do not appear in the list.
To create an empty array (including associative arrays), use one of:
sseett -AA name
name==(())
AArrrraayy SSuubbssccrriippttss
Individual elements of an array may be selected using a subscript. A
subscript of the form `[[exp]]' selects the single element exp, where exp
is an arithmetic expression which will be subject to arithmetic expan-
sion as if it were surrounded by `$$((((...))))'. The elements are numbered
beginning with 1, unless the KKSSHHAARRRRAAYYSS option is set in which case
they are numbered from zero.
Subscripts may be used inside braces used to delimit a parameter name,
thus `$${{ffoooo[[22]]}}' is equivalent to `$$ffoooo[[22]]'. If the KKSSHHAARRRRAAYYSS option
is set, the braced form is the only one that works, as bracketed
expressions otherwise are not treated as subscripts.
The same subscripting syntax is used for associative arrays, except
that no arithmetic expansion is applied to exp. However, the parsing
rules for arithmetic expressions still apply, which affects the way
that certain special characters must be protected from interpretation.
See Subscript Parsing below for details.
A subscript of the form `[[**]]' or `[[@@]]' evaluates to all elements of an
array; there is no difference between the two except when they appear
within double quotes. `""$$ffoooo[[**]]""' evaluates to `""$$ffoooo[[11]] $$ffoooo[[22]]
...""', whereas `""$$ffoooo[[@@]]""' evaluates to `""$$ffoooo[[11]]"" ""$$ffoooo[[22]]"" ...'. For
associative arrays, `[[**]]' or `[[@@]]' evaluate to all the values, in no
particular order. Note that this does not substitute the keys; see the
documentation for the `kk' flag under Parameter Expansion Flags in zsh-
expn(1) for complete details. When an array parameter is referenced as
`$$name' (with no subscript) it evaluates to `$$name[[**]]', unless the
KKSSHHAARRRRAAYYSS option is set in which case it evaluates to `$${{name[[00]]}}'
(for an associative array, this means the value of the key `00', which
may not exist even if there are values for other keys).
A subscript of the form `[[exp1,,exp2]]' selects all elements in the range
exp1 to exp2, inclusive. (Associative arrays are unordered, and so do
not support ranges.) If one of the subscripts evaluates to a negative
number, say -n, then the nth element from the end of the array is used.
Thus `$$ffoooo[[-33]]' is the third element from the end of the array ffoooo, and
`$$ffoooo[[11,,-11]]' is the same as `$$ffoooo[[**]]'.
Subscripting may also be performed on non-array values, in which case
the subscripts specify a substring to be extracted. For example, if
FFOOOO is set to `ffoooobbaarr', then `eecchhoo $$FFOOOO[[22,,55]]' prints `oooobbaa'.
AArrrraayy EElleemmeenntt AAssssiiggnnmmeenntt
A subscript may be used on the left side of an assignment like so:
name[[exp]]==value
In this form of assignment the element or range specified by exp is
replaced by the expression on the right side. An array (but not an
associative array) may be created by assignment to a range or element.
Arrays do not nest, so assigning a parenthesized list of values to an
element or range changes the number of elements in the array, shifting
the other elements to accommodate the new values. (This is not sup-
ported for associative arrays.)
This syntax also works as an argument to the ttyyppeesseett command:
ttyyppeesseett ""name[[exp]]""==value
The value may not be a parenthesized list in this case; only sin-
gle-element assignments may be made with ttyyppeesseett. Note that quotes are
necessary in this case to prevent the brackets from being interpreted
as filename generation operators. The nnoogglloobb precommand modifier could
be used instead.
To delete an element of an ordinary array, assign `(())' to that element.
To delete an element of an associative array, use the uunnsseett command:
uunnsseett ""name[[exp]]""
SSuubbssccrriipptt FFllaaggss
If the opening bracket, or the comma in a range, in any subscript
expression is directly followed by an opening parenthesis, the string
up to the matching closing one is considered to be a list of flags, as
in `name[[((flags))exp]]'. The flags currently understood are:
ww If the parameter subscripted is a scalar than this flag makes
subscripting work on words instead of characters. The default
word separator is whitespace.
ss::string::
This gives the string that separates words (for use with the ww
flag).
pp Recognize the same escape sequences as the pprriinntt builtin in the
string argument of a subsequent `ss' flag.
ff If the parameter subscripted is a scalar than this flag makes
subscripting work on lines instead of characters, i.e. with ele-
ments separated by newlines. This is a shorthand for `ppwwss::\\nn::'.
rr Reverse subscripting: if this flag is given, the exp is taken as
a pattern and the result is the first matching array element,
substring or word (if the parameter is an array, if it is a
scalar, or if it is a scalar and the `ww' flag is given, respec-
tively). The subscript used is the number of the matching ele-
ment, so that pairs of subscripts such as `$$ffoooo[[((rr))??,,33]]' and
`$$ffoooo[[((rr))??,,((rr))ff**]]' are possible if the parameter is not an
associative array. If the parameter is an associative array,
only the value part of each pair is compared to the pattern, and
the result is that value.
RR Like `rr', but gives the last match. For associative arrays,
gives all possible matches. May be used for assigning to ordi-
nary array elements, but not for assigning to associative
arrays.
ii Like `rr', but gives the index of the match instead; this may not
be combined with a second argument. On the left side of an
assignment, behaves like `rr'. For associative arrays, the key
part of each pair is compared to the pattern, and the first
matching key found is the result.
II Like `ii', but gives the index of the last match, or all possible
matching keys in an associative array.
kk If used in a subscript on an associative array, this flag causes
the keys to be interpreted as patterns, and returns the value
for the first key found where exp is matched by the key. This
flag does not work on the left side of an assignment to an asso-
ciative array element. If used on another type of parameter,
this behaves like `rr'.
KK On an associative array this is like `kk' but returns all values
where exp is matched by the keys. On other types of parameters
this has the same effect as `RR'.
nn::expr::
If combined with `rr', `RR', `ii' or `II', makes them give the nth
or nth last match (if expr evaluates to n). This flag is
ignored when the array is associative.
bb::expr::
If combined with `rr', `RR', `ii' or `II', makes them begin at the
nth or nth last element, word, or character (if expr evaluates
to n). This flag is ignored when the array is associative.
ee This flag has no effect and for ordinary arrays is retained for
backward compatibility only. For associative arrays, this flag
can be used to force ** or @@ to be interpreted as a single key
rather than as a reference to all values. This flag may be used
on the left side of an assignment.
See Parameter Expansion Flags (zshexpn(1)) for additional ways to
manipulate the results of array subscripting.
SSuubbssccrriipptt PPaarrssiinngg
This discussion applies mainly to associative array key strings and to
patterns used for reverse subscripting (the `rr', `RR', `ii', etc. flags),
but it may also affect parameter substitutions that appear as part of
an arithmetic expression in an ordinary subscript.
It is possible to avoid the use of subscripts in assignments to asso-
ciative array elements by using the syntax:
aaaa++==((''kkeeyy wwiitthh ""**ssttrraannggee**"" cchhaarraacctteerrss'' ''vvaalluuee ssttrriinngg''))
This adds a new key/value pair if the key is not already present, and
replaces the value for the existing key if it is.
The basic rule to remember when writing a subscript expression is that
all text between the opening `[[' and the closing `]]' is interpreted as
if it were in double quotes (see zshmisc(1)). However, unlike double
quotes which normally cannot nest, subscript expressions may appear
inside double-quoted strings or inside other subscript expressions (or
both!), so the rules have two important differences.
The first difference is that brackets (`[[' and `]]') must appear as bal-
anced pairs in a subscript expression unless they are preceded by a
backslash (`\\'). Therefore, within a subscript expression (and unlike
true double-quoting) the sequence `\\[[' becomes `[[', and similarly `\\]]'
becomes `]]'. This applies even in cases where a backslash is not nor-
mally required; for example, the pattern `[[^^[[]]' (to match any character
other than an open bracket) should be written `[[^^\\[[]]' in a reverse-sub-
script pattern. However, note that `\\[[^^\\[[\\]]' and even `\\[[^^[[]]' mean the
same thing, because backslashes are always stripped when they appear
before brackets!
The same rule applies to parentheses (`((' and `))') and braces (`{{' and
`}}'): they must appear either in balanced pairs or preceded by a back-
slash, and backslashes that protect parentheses or braces are removed
during parsing. This is because parameter expansions may be surrounded
balanced braces, and subscript flags are introduced by balanced paren-
thesis.
The second difference is that a double-quote (`""') may appear as part
of a subscript expression without being preceded by a backslash, and
therefore that the two characters `\\""' remain as two characters in the
subscript (in true double-quoting, `\\""' becomes `""'). However, because
of the standard shell quoting rules, any double-quotes that appear must
occur in balanced pairs unless preceded by a backslash. This makes it
more difficult to write a subscript expression that contains an odd
number of double-quote characters, but the reason for this difference
is so that when a subscript expression appears inside true dou-
ble-quotes, one can still write `\\""' (rather than `\\\\\\""') for `""'.
To use an odd number of double quotes as a key in an assignment, use
the ttyyppeesseett builtin and an enclosing pair of double quotes; to refer to
the value of that key, again use double quotes:
ttyyppeesseett -AA aaaa
ttyyppeesseett ""aaaa[[oonnee\\""ttwwoo\\""tthhrreeee\\""qquuootteess]]""==QQQQQQ
pprriinntt ""$$aaaa[[oonnee\\""ttwwoo\\""tthhrreeee\\""qquuootteess]]""
It is important to note that the quoting rules do not change when a
parameter expansion with a subscript is nested inside another subscript
expression. That is, it is not necessary to use additional backslashes
within the inner subscript expression; they are removed only once, from
the innermost subscript outwards. Parameters are also expanded from
the innermost subscript first, as each expansion is encountered left to
right in the outer expression.
A further complication arises from a way in which subscript parsing is
not different from double quote parsing. As in true double-quoting,
the sequences `\\**', and `\\@@' remain as two characters when they appear
in a subscript expression. To use a literal `**' or `@@' as an associa-
tive array key, the `ee' flag must be used:
ttyyppeesseett -AA aaaa
aaaa[[((ee))**]]==ssttaarr
pprriinntt $$aaaa[[((ee))**]]
A last detail must be considered when reverse subscripting is per-
formed. Parameters appearing in the subscript expression are first
expanded and then the complete expression is interpreted as a pattern.
This has two effects: first, parameters behave as if GGLLOOBBSSUUBBSSTT were on
(and it cannot be turned off); second, backslashes are interpreted
twice, once when parsing the array subscript and again when parsing the
pattern. In a reverse subscript, it's necessary to use four back-
slashes to cause a single backslash to match literally in the pattern.
For complex patterns, it is often easiest to assign the desired pattern
to a parameter and then refer to that parameter in the subscript,
because then the backslashes, brackets, parentheses, etc., are seen
only when the complete expression is converted to a pattern. To match
the value of a parameter literally in a reverse subscript, rather than
as a pattern, use `$${{((qq))name}}' (see zshexpn(1)) to quote the expanded
value.
Note that the `kk' and `KK' flags are reverse subscripting for an ordi-
nary array, but are not reverse subscripting for an associative array!
(For an associative array, the keys in the array itself are interpreted
as patterns by those flags; the subscript is a plain string in that
case.)
One final note, not directly related to subscripting: the numeric names
of positional parameters (described below) are parsed specially, so for
example `$$22ffoooo' is equivalent to `$${{22}}ffoooo'. Therefore, to use sub-
script syntax to extract a substring from a positional parameter, the
expansion must be surrounded by braces; for example, `$${{22[[33,,55]]}}' evalu-
ates to the third through fifth characters of the second positional
parameter, but `$$22[[33,,55]]' is the entire second parameter concatenated
with the filename generation pattern `[[33,,55]]'.
PPOOSSIITTIIOONNAALL PPAARRAAMMEETTEERRSS
The positional parameters provide access to the command-line arguments
of a shell function, shell script, or the shell itself; see the section
`Invocation', and also the section `Functions'. The parameter n, where
n is a number, is the nth positional parameter. The parameters **, @@
and aarrggvv are arrays containing all the positional parameters; thus
`$$aarrggvv[[n]]', etc., is equivalent to simply `$$n'.
Positional parameters may be changed after the shell or function starts
by using the sseett builtin, by assigning to the aarrggvv array, or by direct
assignment of the form `n==value' where n is the number of the posi-
tional parameter to be changed. This also creates (with empty values)
any of the positions from 1 to n that do not already have values. Note
that, because the positional parameters form an array, an array assign-
ment of the form `n==((value ...))' is allowed, and has the effect of
shifting all the values at positions greater than n by as many posi-
tions as necessary to accommodate the new values.
LLOOCCAALL PPAARRAAMMEETTEERRSS
Shell function executions delimit scopes for shell parameters. (Param-
eters are dynamically scoped.) The ttyyppeesseett builtin, and its alterna-
tive forms ddeeccllaarree, iinntteeggeerr, llooccaall and rreeaaddoonnllyy (but not eexxppoorrtt), can
be used to declare a parameter as being local to the innermost scope.
When a parameter is read or assigned to, the innermost existing parame-
ter of that name is used. (That is, the local parameter hides any
less-local parameter.) However, assigning to a non-existent parameter,
or declaring a new parameter with eexxppoorrtt, causes it to be created in
the outermost scope.
Local parameters disappear when their scope ends. uunnsseett can be used to
delete a parameter while it is still in scope; any outer parameter of
the same name remains hidden.
Special parameters may also be made local; they retain their special
attributes unless either the existing or the newly-created parameter
has the -hh (hide) attribute. This may have unexpected effects: there
is no default value, so if there is no assignment at the point the
variable is made local, it will be set to an empty value (or zero in
the case of integers). The following:
ttyyppeesseett PPAATTHH==//nneeww//ddiirreeccttoorryy::$$PPAATTHH
is valid for temporarily allowing the shell or programmes called from
it to find the programs in //nneeww//ddiirreeccttoorryy inside a function.
Note that the restriction in older versions of zsh that local parame-
ters were never exported has been removed.
PPAARRAAMMEETTEERRSS SSEETT BBYY TTHHEE SSHHEELLLL
The following parameters are automatically set by the shell:
!! The process ID of the last background command invoked.
## The number of positional parameters in decimal. Note that some
confusion may occur with the syntax $$##param which substitutes
the length of param. Use $${{##}} to resolve ambiguities. In par-
ticular, the sequence `$$##-...' in an arithmetic expression is
interpreted as the length of the parameter -, q.v.
AARRGGCC
Same as ##.
$$ The process ID of this shell.
- Flags supplied to the shell on invocation or by the sseett or
sseettoopptt commands.
** An array containing the positional parameters.
aarrggvv
Same as **. Assigning to aarrggvv changes the local positional
parameters, but aarrggvv is not itself a local parameter. Deleting
aarrggvv with uunnsseett in any function deletes it everywhere, although
only the innermost positional parameter array is deleted (so **
and @@ in other scopes are not affected).
@@ Same as aarrggvv[[@@]], even when aarrggvv is not set.
?? The exit value returned by the last command.
00 The name used to invoke the current shell. If the FFUUNNCC-
TTIIOONNAARRGGZZEERROO option is set, this is set temporarily within a
shell function to the name of the function, and within a sourced
script to the name of the script.
ssttaattuuss
Same as ??.
ppiippeessttaattuuss
An array containing the exit values returned by all commands in
the last pipeline.
The last argument of the previous command. Also, this parameter
is set in the environment of every command executed to the full
pathname of the command.
CCPPUUTTYYPPEE
The machine type (microprocessor class or machine model), as
determined at run time.
EEGGIIDD
The effective group ID of the shell process. If you have suffi-
cient privileges, you may change the effective group ID of the
shell process by assigning to this parameter. Also (assuming
sufficient privileges), you may start a single command with a
different effective group ID by `((EEGGIIDD==gid;; ccoommmmaanndd))'
EEUUIIDD
The effective user ID of the shell process. If you have suffi-
cient privileges, you may change the effective user ID of the
shell process by assigning to this parameter. Also (assuming
sufficient privileges), you may start a single command with a
different effective user ID by `((EEUUIIDD==uid;; ccoommmmaanndd))'
EERRRRNNOO
The value of errno (see errno(3)) as set by the most recently
failed system call. This value is system dependent and is
intended for debugging purposes. It is also useful with the
zzsshh//ssyysstteemm module which allows the number to be turned into a
name or message.
GGIIDD
The real group ID of the shell process. If you have sufficient
privileges, you may change the group ID of the shell process by
assigning to this parameter. Also (assuming sufficient privi-
leges), you may start a single command under a different group
ID by `((GGIIDD==gid;; ccoommmmaanndd))'
HHIISSTTCCMMDD
The current history line number in an interactive shell, in
other words the line number for the command that caused $$HHIISSTTCCMMDD
to be read.
HHOOSSTT The current hostname.
LLIINNEENNOO
The line number of the current line within the current script,
sourced file, or shell function being executed, whichever was
started most recently. Note that in the case of shell functions
the line number refers to the function as it appeared in the
original definition, not necessarily as displayed by the ffuunncc-
ttiioonnss builtin.
LOGNAME
If the corresponding variable is not set in the environment of
the shell, it is initialized to the login name corresponding to
the current login session. This parameter is exported by default
but this can be disabled using the ttyyppeesseett builtin.
MMAACCHHTTYYPPEE
The machine type (microprocessor class or machine model), as
determined at compile time.
OOLLDDPPWWDD The previous working directory. This is set when the shell ini-
tializes and whenever the directory changes.
OOPPTTAARRGG
The value of the last option argument processed by the ggeettooppttss
command.
OOPPTTIINNDD
The index of the last option argument processed by the ggeettooppttss
command.
OOSSTTYYPPEE The operating system, as determined at compile time.
PPPPIIDD
The process ID of the parent of the shell.
PPWWDD The present working directory. This is set when the shell ini-
tializes and whenever the directory changes.
RRAANNDDOOMM
A pseudo-random integer from 0 to 32767, newly generated each
time this parameter is referenced. The random number generator
can be seeded by assigning a numeric value to RRAANNDDOOMM.
The values of RRAANNDDOOMM form an intentionally-repeatable
pseudo-random sequence; subshells that reference RRAANNDDOOMM will
result in identical pseudo-random values unless the value of
RRAANNDDOOMM is referenced or seeded in the parent shell in between
subshell invocations.
SSEECCOONNDDSS
The number of seconds since shell invocation. If this parameter
is assigned a value, then the value returned upon reference will
be the value that was assigned plus the number of seconds since
the assignment.
Unlike other special parameters, the type of the SSEECCOONNDDSS parame-
ter can be changed using the ttyyppeesseett command. Only integer and
one of the floating point types are allowed. For example,
`ttyyppeesseett -FF SSEECCOONNDDSS' causes the value to be reported as a float-
ing point number. The precision is six decimal places, although
not all places may be useful.
SSHHLLVVLL
Incremented by one each time a new shell is started.
ssiiggnnaallss
An array containing the names of the signals.
TTRRYYBBLLOOCCKKEERRRROORR
In an aallwwaayyss block, indicates whether the preceding list of code
caused an error. The value is 1 to indicate an error, 0 other-
wise. It may be reset, clearing the error condition. See Com-
plex Commands in zshmisc(1)
TTTTYY The name of the tty associated with the shell, if any.
TTTTYYIIDDLLEE
The idle time of the tty associated with the shell in seconds or
-1 if there is no such tty.
UUIIDD
The real user ID of the shell process. If you have sufficient
privileges, you may change the user ID of the shell by assigning
to this parameter. Also (assuming sufficient privileges), you
may start a single command under a different user ID by
`((UUIIDD==uid;; ccoommmmaanndd))'
USERNAME S
The username corresponding to the real user ID of the shell
process. If you have sufficient privileges, you may change the
username (and also the user ID and group ID) of the shell by
assigning to this parameter. Also (assuming sufficient privi-
leges), you may start a single command under a different user-
ae ad sr D n gop D b `(USERNAME=srae; com
mmaanndd))'
VVEENNDDOORR The vendor, as determined at compile time.
ZSHNAME
Expands to the basename of the command used to invoke this
instance of zsh.
ZZSSHHVVEERRSSIIOONN
The version number of this zsh.
PPAARRAAMMEETTEERRSS UUSSEEDD BBYY TTHHEE SSHHEELLLL
The following parameters are used by the shell.
In cases where there are two parameters with an upper- and lowercase
form of the same name, such as ppaatthh and PPAATTHH, the lowercase form is an
array and the uppercase form is a scalar with the elements of the array
joined together by colons. These are similar to tied parameters cre-
ated via `ttyyppeesseett -TT'. The normal use for the colon-separated form is
for exporting to the environment, while the array form is easier to
manipulate within the shell. Note that unsetting either of the pair
will unset the other; they retain their special properties when recre-
ated, and recreating one of the pair will recreate the other.
AARRGGVV00 If exported, its value is used as the aarrggvv[[00]] of external com-
mands. Usually used in constructs like `AARRGGVV00==eemmaaccss nneetthhaacckk'.
BBAAUUDD The baud rate of the current connection. Used by the line edi-
tor update mechanism to compensate for a slow terminal by delay-
ing updates until necessary. This may be profitably set to a
lower value in some circumstances, e.g. for slow modems dialing
into a communications server which is connected to a host via a
fast link; in this case, this variable would be set by default
to the speed of the fast link, and not the modem. This parame-
ter should be set to the baud rate of the slowest part of the
link for best performance. The compensation mechanism can be
turned off by setting the variable to zero.
ccddppaatthh (CCDDPPAATTHH )
An array (colon-separated list) of directories specifying the
search path for the ccdd command.
CCOOLLUUMMNNSS
The number of columns for this terminal session. Used for
printing select lists and for the line editor.
DDIIRRSSTTAACCKKSSIIZZEE
The maximum size of the directory stack. If the stack gets
larger than this, it will be truncated automatically. This is
useful with the AAUUTTOOPPUUSSHHDD option.
EENNVV If the EENNVV environment variable is set when zsh is invoked as sshh
or kksshh, $$EENNVV is sourced after the profile scripts. The value of
EENNVV is subjected to parameter expansion, command substitution,
and arithmetic expansion before being interpreted as a pathname.
Note that EENNVV is not used unless zsh is emulating sshh or kksshh.
FFCCEEDDIITT The default editor for the ffcc builtin.
ffiiggnnoorree (FFIIGGNNOORREE )
An array (colon separated list) containing the suffixes of files
to be ignored during filename completion. However, if comple-
tion only generates files with suffixes in this list, then these
files are completed anyway.
ffppaatthh (FFPPAATTHH )
An array (colon separated list) of directories specifying the
search path for function definitions. This path is searched
when a function with the -uu attribute is referenced. If an exe-
cutable file is found, then it is read and executed in the cur-
rent environment.
hhiissttcchhaarrss
Three characters used by the shell's history and lexical analy-
sis mechanism. The first character signals the start of a his-
tory expansion (default `!!'). The second character signals the
start of a quick history substitution (default `^^'). The third
character is the comment character (default `##').
HHIISSTTCCHHAARRSS
Same as hhiissttcchhaarrss. (Deprecated.)
HHIISSTTFFIILLEE
The file to save the history in when an interactive shell exits.
If unset, the history is not saved.
HHIISSTTSSIIZZEE
The maximum number of events stored in the internal history
list. If you use the HHIISSTTEEXXPPIIRREEDDUUPPSSFFIIRRSSTT option, setting
this value larger than the SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT size will give you the dif-
ference as a cushion for saving duplicated history events.
HHOOMMEE
The default argument for the ccdd command.
IIFFSS
Internal field separators (by default space, tab, newline and
NUL), that are used to separate words which result from command
or parameter expansion and words read by the rreeaadd builtin. Any
characters from the set space, tab and newline that appear in
the IFS are called IFS white space. One or more IFS white space
characters or one non-IFS white space character together with
any adjacent IFS white space character delimit a field. If an
IFS white space character appears twice consecutively in the
IFS, this character is treated as if it were not an IFS white
space character.
KKEEYYTTIIMMEEOOUUTT
The time the shell waits, in hundredths of seconds, for another
key to be pressed when reading bound multi-character sequences.
LLAANNGG
This variable determines the locale category for any category
not specifically selected via a variable starting with `LLCC'.
LLCCAALLLL
This variable overrides the value of the `LLAANNGG' variable and the
value of any of the other variables starting with `LLCC'.
LLCCCCOOLLLLAATTEE
This variable determines the locale category for character col-
lation information within ranges in glob brackets and for sort-
ing.
LLCCCCTTYYPPEE
This variable determines the locale category for character han-
dling functions.
LLCCMMEESSSSAAGGEESS
This variable determines the language in which messages should
be written. Note that zsh does not use message catalogs.
LLCCNNUUMMEERRIICC
This variable affects the decimal point character and thousands
separator character for the formatted input/output functions and
string conversion functions. Note that zsh ignores this setting
when parsing floating point mathematical expressions.
LLCCTTIIMMEE
This variable determines the locale category for date and time
formatting in prompt escape sequences.
LLIINNEESS
The number of lines for this terminal session. Used for print-
ing select lists and for the line editor.
LLIISSTTMMAAXX
In the line editor, the number of matches to list without asking
first. If the value is negative, the list will be shown if it
spans at most as many lines as given by the absolute value. If
set to zero, the shell asks only if the top of the listing would
scroll off the screen.
LLOOGGCCHHEECCKK
The interval in seconds between checks for login/logout activity
using the wwaattcchh parameter.
MMAAIILL If this parameter is set and mmaaiillppaatthh is not set, the shell
looks for mail in the specified file.
MMAAIILLCCHHEECCKK
The interval in seconds between checks for new mail.
mmaaiillppaatthh (MMAAIILLPPAATTHH )
An array (colon-separated list) of filenames to check for new
mail. Each filename can be followed by a `??' and a message that
will be printed. The message will undergo parameter expansion,
command substitution and arithmetic expansion with the variable
$$ defined as the name of the file that has changed. The
default message is `YYoouu hhaavvee nneeww mmaaiill'. If an element is a
directory instead of a file the shell will recursively check
every file in every subdirectory of the element.
mmaannppaatthh (MMAANNPPAATTHH )
An array (colon-separated list) whose value is not used by the
shell. The mmaannppaatthh array can be useful, however, since setting
it also sets MMAANNPPAATTHH, and vice versa.
mmoodduulleeppaatthh (MMOODDUULLEEPPAATTHH )
An array (colon-separated list) of directories that zzmmooddllooaadd
searches for dynamically loadable modules. This is initialized
to a standard pathname, usually `//uussrr//llooccaall//lliibb//zzsshh//$$ZZSSHHVVEERR-
SSIIOONN'. (The `//uussrr//llooccaall//lliibb' part varies from installation to
installation.) For security reasons, any value set in the envi-
ronment when the shell is started will be ignored.
These parameters only exist if the installation supports dynamic
module loading.
NNUULLLLCCMMDD
The command name to assume if a redirection is specified with no
command. Defaults to ccaatt. For sshh/kksshh behavior, change this to
::. For ccsshh-like behavior, unset this parameter; the shell will
print an error message if null commands are entered.
ppaatthh (PPAATTHH )
An array (colon-separated list) of directories to search for
commands. When this parameter is set, each directory is scanned
and all files found are put in a hash table.
PPOOSSTTEEDDIITT
This string is output whenever the line editor exits. It usu-
ally contains termcap strings to reset the terminal.
PPRROOMMPPTT
PPRROOMMPPTT22
PPRROOMMPPTT33
PPRROOMMPPTT44
Same as PPSS11, PPSS22, PPSS33 and PPSS44, respectively.
pprroommpptt
Same as PPSS11.
PPSS11
The primary prompt string, printed before a command is read.
the default is `%%mm%%## '. It undergoes a special form of expan-
sion before being displayed; see the section `Prompt Expansion'.
PPSS22
The secondary prompt, printed when the shell needs more informa-
tion to complete a command. It is expanded in the same way as
PPSS11. The default is `%%>> ', which displays any shell constructs
or quotation marks which are currently being processed.
PPSS33
Selection prompt used within a sseelleecctt loop. It is expanded in
the same way as PPSS11. The default is `??## '.
PPSS44
The execution trace prompt. Default is `++%%NN::%%ii>> ', which dis-
plays the name of the current shell structure and the line num-
ber within it. In sh or ksh emulation, the default is `++ '.
ppssvvaarr (PPSSVVAARR )
An array (colon-separated list) whose first nine values can be
used in PPRROOMMPPTT strings. Setting ppssvvaarr also sets PPSSVVAARR, and vice
versa.
RREEAADDNNUULLLLCCMMDD
The command name to assume if a single input redirection is
specified with no command. Defaults to mmoorree.
RREEPPOORRTTTTIIMMEE
If nonnegative, commands whose combined user and system execu-
tion times (measured in seconds) are greater than this value
have timing statistics printed for them.
RREEPPLLYY This parameter is reserved by convention to pass string values
between shell scripts and shell builtins in situations where a
function call or redirection are impossible or undesirable. The
rreeaadd builtin and the sseelleecctt complex command may set RREEPPLLYY, and
filename generation both sets and examines its value when evalu-
ating certain expressions. Some modules also employ RREEPPLLYY for
similar purposes.
rreeppllyy As RREEPPLLYY, but for array values rather than strings.
RRPPRROOMMPPTT
RRPPSS11
This prompt is displayed on the right-hand side of the screen
when the primary prompt is being displayed on the left. This
does not work if the SSIINNGGLLEELLIINNEEZZLLEE option is set. It is
expanded in the same way as PPSS11.
RRPPRROOMMPPTT22
RRPPSS22
This prompt is displayed on the right-hand side of the screen
when the secondary prompt is being displayed on the left. This
does not work if the SSIINNGGLLEELLIINNEEZZLLEE option is set. It is
expanded in the same way as PPSS22.
SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT
The maximum number of history events to save in the history
file.
SSPPRROOMMPPTT
The prompt used for spelling correction. The sequence `%%RR'
expands to the string which presumably needs spelling correc-
tion, and `%%rr' expands to the proposed correction. All other
prompt escapes are also allowed.
SSTTTTYY If this parameter is set in a command's environment, the shell
runs the ssttttyy command with the value of this parameter as argu-
ments in order to set up the terminal before executing the com-
mand. The modes apply only to the command, and are reset when it
finishes or is suspended. If the command is suspended and con-
tinued later with the ffgg or wwaaiitt builtins it will see the modes
specified by SSTTTTYY, as if it were not suspended. This (inten-
tionally) does not apply if the command is continued via `kkiillll
-CCOONNTT'. SSTTTTYY is ignored if the command is run in the back-
ground, or if it is in the environment of the shell but not
explicitly assigned to in the input line. This avoids running
stty at every external command by accidentally exporting it.
Also note that SSTTTTYY should not be used for window size specifi-
cations; these will not be local to the command.
TTEERRMM
The type of terminal in use. This is used when looking up term-
cap sequences. An assignment to TTEERRMM causes zsh to re-initial-
ize the terminal, even if the value does not change (e.g.,
`TTEERRMM==$$TTEERRMM'). It is necessary to make such an assignment upon
any change to the terminal definition database or terminal type
in order for the new settings to take effect.
TTIIMMEEFFMMTT
The format of process time reports with the ttiimmee keyword. The
default is `%%EE rreeaall %%UU uusseerr %%SS ssyysstteemm %%PP %%JJ'. Recognizes the
following escape sequences, although not all may be available on
all systems, and some that are available may not be useful:
%%%% A `%%'.
%%UU CPU seconds spent in user mode.
%%SS CPU seconds spent in kernel mode.
%%EE Elapsed time in seconds.
%%PP The CPU percentage, computed as (100*%%UU+%%SS)/%%EE.
%%WW Number of times the process was swapped.
%%XX The average amount in (shared) text space used in Kbytes.
%%DD The average amount in (unshared) data/stack space used in
Kbytes.
%%KK The total space used (%X+%D) in Kbytes.
%%MM The maximum memory the process had in use at any time in
Kbytes.
%%FF The number of major page faults (page needed to be
brought from disk).
%%RR The number of minor page faults.
%%II The number of input operations.
%%OO The number of output operations.
%%rr The number of socket messages received.
%%ss The number of socket messages sent.
%%kk The number of signals received.
%%ww Number of voluntary context switches (waits).
%%cc Number of involuntary context switches.
%%JJ The name of this job.
A star may be inserted between the percent sign and flags print-
ing time. This cause the time to be printed in `hh::mm::ss..ttt'
format (hours and minutes are only printed if they are not
zero).
TTMMOOUUTT If this parameter is nonzero, the shell will receive an AALLRRMM
signal if a command is not entered within the specified number
of seconds after issuing a prompt. If there is a trap on
SSIIGGAALLRRMM, it will be executed and a new alarm is scheduled using
the value of the TTMMOOUUTT parameter after executing the trap. If
no trap is set, and the idle time of the terminal is not less
than the value of the TTMMOOUUTT parameter, zsh terminates. Other-
wise a new alarm is scheduled to TTMMOOUUTT seconds after the last
keypress.
TTMMPPPPRREEFFIIXX
A pathname prefix which the shell will use for all temporary
files. Note that this should include an initial part for the
file name as well as any directory names. The default is
`//ttmmpp//zzsshh'.
wwaattcchh (WWAATTCCHH )
An array (colon-separated list) of login/logout events to
report. If it contains the single word `aallll', then all
login/logout events are reported. If it contains the single
word `nnoottmmee', then all events are reported as with `aallll' except
$USERNAME A ety n hs it a cnit f uenm, n
`@@' followed by a remote hostname, and a `%%' followed by a line
(tty). Any or all of these components may be present in an
entry; if a login/logout event matches all of them, it is
reported.
WWAATTCCHHFFMMTT
The format of login/logout reports if the wwaattcchh parameter is
set. Default is `%%nn hhaass %%aa %%ll ffrroomm %%mm'. Recognizes the follow-
ing escape sequences:
%%nn The name of the user that logged in/out.
%%aa The observed action, i.e. "logged on" or "logged off".
%%ll The line (tty) the user is logged in on.
%%MM The full hostname of the remote host.
%%mm The hostname up to the first `..'. If only the IP address
is available or the utmp field contains the name of an
X-windows display, the whole name is printed.
NOTE: The `%%mm' and `%%MM' escapes will work only if there
is a host name field in the utmp on your machine. Other-
wise they are treated as ordinary strings.
%%SS (%%ss)
Start (stop) standout mode.
%%UU (%%uu)
Start (stop) underline mode.
%%BB (%%bb)
Start (stop) boldface mode.
%%tt
%%@@ The time, in 12-hour, am/pm format.
%%TT The time, in 24-hour format.
%%ww The date in `day-dd' format.
%%WW The date in `mm//dd//yy' format.
%%DD The date in `yy-mm-dd' format.
%%((x::true-text::false-text))
Specifies a ternary expression. The character following
the x is arbitrary; the same character is used to sepa-
rate the text for the "true" result from that for the
"false" result. Both the separator and the right paren-
thesis may be escaped with a backslash. Ternary expres-
sions may be nested.
The test character x may be any one of `ll', `nn', `mm' or
`MM', which indicate a `true' result if the corresponding
escape sequence would return a non-empty value; or it may
be `aa', which indicates a `true' result if the watched
user has logged in, or `false' if he has logged out.
Other characters evaluate to neither true nor false; the
entire expression is omitted in this case.
If the result is `true', then the true-text is formatted
according to the rules above and printed, and the
false-text is skipped. If `false', the true-text is
skipped and the false-text is formatted and printed.
Either or both of the branches may be empty, but both
separators must be present in any case.
WWOORRDDCCHHAARRSS
A list of non-alphanumeric characters considered part of a word
by the line editor.
ZZBBEEEEPP If set, this gives a string of characters, which can use all the
same codes as the bbiinnddkkeeyy command as described in the zsh/zle
module entry in zshmodules(1), that will be output to the termi-
nal instead of beeping. This may have a visible instead of an
audible effect; for example, the string `\\ee[[??55hh\\ee[[??55ll' on a
vt100 or xterm will have the effect of flashing reverse video on
and off (if you usually use reverse video, you should use the
string `\\ee[[??55ll\\ee[[??55hh' instead). This takes precedence over the
NNOOBBEEEEPP option.
ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR
The directory to search for shell startup files (.zshrc, etc),
if not $$HHOOMMEE.
ZSHOPTIONS(1) ZSHOPTIONS(1)
NAME
zshoptions - zsh options
SSPPEECCIIFFYYIINNGG OOPPTTIIOONNSS
Options are primarily referred to by name. These names are case insen-
sitive and underscores are ignored. For example, `aalllleexxppoorrtt' is equiv-
alent to `AAlllleeXXPPoorrtt'.
The sense of an option name may be inverted by preceding it with `nnoo',
so `sseettoopptt NNooBBeeeepp' is equivalent to `uunnsseettoopptt bbeeeepp'. This inversion
can only be done once, so `nnoonnoobbeeeepp' is not a synonym for `bbeeeepp'. Sim-
ilarly, `ttiiffyy' is not a synonym for `nnoonnoottiiffyy' (the inversion of
`nnoottiiffyy').
Some options also have one or more single letter names. There are two
sets of single letter options: one used by default, and another used to
emulate sshh/kksshh (used when the SSHHOOPPTTIIOONNLLEETTTTEERRSS option is set). The
single letter options can be used on the shell command line, or with
the sseett, sseettoopptt and uunnsseettoopptt builtins, as normal Unix options preceded
by `-'.
The sense of the single letter options may be inverted by using `++'
instead of `-'. Some of the single letter option names refer to an
option being off, in which case the inversion of that name refers to
the option being on. For example, `++nn' is the short name of `eexxeecc',
and `-nn' is the short name of its inversion, `nnooeexxeecc'.
In strings of single letter options supplied to the shell at startup,
trailing whitespace will be ignored; for example the string `-ff '
will be treated just as `-ff', but the string `-ff ii' is an error. This
is because many systems which implement the `##!!' mechanism for calling
scripts do not strip trailing whitespace.
DESCRIPTION OF OPTIONS
In the following list, options set by default in all emulations are
marked ; those set by default only in csh, ksh, sh, or zsh emula-
tions are marked , , , as appropriate. When listing
options (by `sseettoopptt', `uunnsseettoopptt', `sseett -oo' or `sseett ++oo'), those turned
on by default appear in the list prefixed with `nnoo'. Hence (unless
KKSSHHOOPPTTIIOONNPPRRIINNTT is set), `sseettoopptt' shows all options whose settings are
changed from the default.
CChhaannggiinngg DDiirreeccttoorriieess
AAUUTTOOCCDD (-JJ)
If a command is issued that can't be executed as a normal com-
mand, and the command is the name of a directory, perform the ccdd
command to that directory.
AAUUTTOOPPUUSSHHDD (-NN)
Make ccdd push the old directory onto the directory stack.
CCDDAABBLLEEVVAARRSS (-TT)
If the argument to a ccdd command (or an implied ccdd with the
AAUUTTOOCCDD option set) is not a directory, and does not begin with
a slash, try to expand the expression as if it were preceded by
a `~~' (see the section `Filename Expansion').
CCHHAASSEEDDOOTTSS
When changing to a directory containing a path segment `....'
which would otherwise be treated as canceling the previous seg-
ment in the path (in other words, `ffoooo//....' would be removed from
the path, or if `....' is the first part of the path, the last
part of $$PPWWDD would be deleted), instead resolve the path to the
physical directory. This option is overridden by CCHHAASSEELLIINNKKSS.
For example, suppose //ffoooo//bbaarr is a link to the directory
//aalltt//rroodd. Without this option set, `ccdd //ffoooo//bbaarr//....' changes to
//ffoooo; with it set, it changes to //aalltt. The same applies if the
current directory is //ffoooo//bbaarr and `ccdd ....' is used. Note that
all other symbolic links in the path will also be resolved.
CCHHAASSEELLIINNKKSS (-ww)
Resolve symbolic links to their true values when changing direc-
tory. This also has the effect of CCHHAASSEEDDOOTTSS, i.e. a `....' path
segment will be treated as referring to the physical parent,
even if the preceding path segment is a symbolic link.
PPUUSSHHDDIIGGNNOORREEDDUUPPSS
Don't push multiple copies of the same directory onto the direc-
tory stack.
PPUUSSHHDDMMIINNUUSS
Exchanges the meanings of `++' and `-' when used with a number to
specify a directory in the stack.
PPUUSSHHDDSSIILLEENNTT (-EE)
Do not print the directory stack after ppuusshhdd or ppooppdd.
PPUUSSHHDDTTOOHHOOMMEE (-DD)
Have ppuusshhdd with no arguments act like `ppuusshhdd $$HHOOMMEE'.
CCoommpplleettiioonn
AALLWWAAYYSSLLAASSTTPPRROOMMPPTT
If unset, key functions that list completions try to return to
the last prompt if given a numeric argument. If set these func-
tions try to return to the last prompt if given no numeric argu-
ment.
AALLWWAAYYSSTTOOEENNDD
If a completion is performed with the cursor within a word, and
a full completion is inserted, the cursor is moved to the end of
the word. That is, the cursor is moved to the end of the word
if either a single match is inserted or menu completion is per-
formed.
AAUUTTOOLLIISSTT (-99)
Automatically list choices on an ambiguous completion.
AAUUTTOOMMEENNUU
Automatically use menu completion after the second consecutive
request for completion, for example by pressing the tab key
repeatedly. This option is overridden by MMEENNUUCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE.
AUTONAMEDIRS
Any parameter that is set to the absolute name of a directory
immediately becomes a name for that directory, that will be used
by the `%%~~' and related prompt sequences, and will be available
when completion is performed on a word starting with `~~'. (Oth-
erwise, the parameter must be used in the form `~~param' first.)
AAUUTTOOPPAARRAAMMKKEEYYSS
If a parameter name was completed and a following character
(normally a space) automatically inserted, and the next charac-
ter typed is one of those that have to come directly after the
name (like `}}', `::', etc.), the automatically added character is
deleted, so that the character typed comes immediately after the
parameter name. Completion in a brace expansion is affected
similarly: the added character is a `,,', which will be removed
if `}}' is typed next.
AAUUTTOOPPAARRAAMMSSLLAASSHH
If a parameter is completed whose content is the name of a
directory, then add a trailing slash instead of a space.
AAUUTTOORREEMMOOVVEESSLLAASSHH
When the last character resulting from a completion is a slash
and the next character typed is a word delimiter, a slash, or a
character that ends a command (such as a semicolon or an amper-
sand), remove the slash.
BBAASSHHAAUUTTOOLLIISSTT
On an ambiguous completion, automatically list choices when the
completion function is called twice in succession. This takes
precedence over AAUUTTOOLLIISSTT. The setting of LLIISSTTAAMMBBIIGGUUOOUUSS is
respected. If AAUUTTOOMMEENNUU is set, the menu behaviour will then
start with the third press. Note that this will not work with
MMEENNUUCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE, since repeated completion calls immediately cycle
through the list in that case.
CCOOMMPPLLEETTEEAALLIIAASSEESS
Prevents aliases on the command line from being internally sub-
stituted before completion is attempted. The effect is to make
the alias a distinct command for completion purposes.
CCOOMMPPLLEETTEEIINNWWOORRDD
If unset, the cursor is set to the end of the word if completion
is started. Otherwise it stays there and completion is done from
both ends.
GGLLOOBBCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE
When the current word has a glob pattern, do not insert all the
words resulting from the expansion but generate matches as for
completion and cycle through them like MMEENNUUCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE. The
matches are generated as if a `**' was added to the end of the
word, or inserted at the cursor when CCOOMMPPLLEETTEEIINNWWOORRDD is set.
This actually uses pattern matching, not globbing, so it works
not only for files but for any completion, such as options, user
names, etc.
Note that when the pattern matcher is used, matching control
(for example, case-insensitive or anchored matching) cannot be
used. This limitation only applies when the current word con-
tains a pattern; simply turning on the GGLLOOBBCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE option does
not have this effect.
HHAASSHHLLIISSTTAALLLL
Whenever a command completion is attempted, make sure the entire
command path is hashed first. This makes the first completion
slower.
LLIISSTTAAMMBBIIGGUUOOUUSS
This option works when AAUUTTOOLLIISSTT or BBAASSHHAAUUTTOOLLIISSTT is also set.
If there is an unambiguous prefix to insert on the command line,
that is done without a completion list being displayed; in other
words, auto-listing behaviour only takes place when nothing
would be inserted. In the case of BBAASSHHAAUUTTOOLLIISSTT, this means
that the list will be delayed to the third call of the function.
LLIISSTTBBEEEEPP
Beep on an ambiguous completion. More accurately, this forces
the completion widgets to return status 1 on an ambiguous com-
pletion, which causes the shell to beep if the option BBEEEEPP is
also set; this may be modified if completion is called from a
user-defined widget.
LLIISSTTPPAACCKKEEDD
Try to make the completion list smaller (occupying less lines)
by printing the matches in columns with different widths.
LLIISSTTRROOWWSSFFIIRRSSTT
Lay out the matches in completion lists sorted horizontally,
that is, the second match is to the right of the first one, not
under it as usual.
LLIISSTTTTYYPPEESS (-XX)
When listing files that are possible completions, show the type
of each file with a trailing identifying mark.
MMEENNUUCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE (-YY)
On an ambiguous completion, instead of listing possibilities or
beeping, insert the first match immediately. Then when comple-
tion is requested again, remove the first match and insert the
second match, etc. When there are no more matches, go back to
the first one again. rreevveerrssee-mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee may be used to loop
through the list in the other direction. This option overrides
AAUUTTOOMMEENNUU.
RREECCEEXXAACCTT (-SS)
In completion, recognize exact matches even if they are ambigu-
ous.
EExxppaannssiioonn aanndd GGlloobbbbiinngg
BBAADDPPAATTTTEERRNN (++22)
If a pattern for filename generation is badly formed, print an
error message. (If this option is unset, the pattern will be
left unchanged.)
BBAARREEGGLLOOBBQQUUAALL
In a glob pattern, treat a trailing set of parentheses as a
qualifier list, if it contains no `||', `((' or (if special) `~~'
characters. See the section `Filename Generation'.
BBRRAACCEECCCCLL
Expand expressions in braces which would not otherwise undergo
brace expansion to a lexically ordered list of all the charac-
ters. See the section `Brace Expansion'.
CCAASSEEGGLLOOBB
Make globbing (filename generation) sensitive to case. Note
that other uses of patterns are always sensitive to case. If
the option is unset, the presence of any character which is spe-
cial to filename generation will cause case-insensitive match-
ing. For example, ccvvss((//)) can match the directory CCVVSS owing to
the presence of the globbing flag (unless the option
BBAARREEGGLLOOBBQQUUAALL is unset).
CCSSHHNNUULLLLGGLLOOBB
If a pattern for filename generation has no matches, delete the
pattern from the argument list; do not report an error unless
all the patterns in a command have no matches. Overrides
NNOOMMAATTCCHH.
EEQQUUAALLSS
Perform == filename expansion. (See the section `Filename Expan-
sion'.)
EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB
Treat the `##', `~~' and `^^' characters as part of patterns for
filename generation, etc. (An initial unquoted `~~' always pro-
duces named directory expansion.)
GGLLOOBB (++FF, ksh: ++ff)
Perform filename generation (globbing). (See the section `File-
name Generation'.)
GGLLOOBBAASSSSIIGGNN
If this option is set, filename generation (globbing) is per-
formed on the right hand side of scalar parameter assignments of
the form `name==pattern (e.g. `ffoooo==**'). If the result has more
than one word the parameter will become an array with those
words as arguments. This option is provided for backwards com-
patibility only: globbing is always performed on the right hand
side of array assignments of the form `name==((value))' (e.g.
`ffoooo==((**))') and this form is recommended for clarity; with this
option set, it is not possible to predict whether the result
will be an array or a scalar.
GGLLOOBBDDOOTTSS (-44)
Do not require a leading `..' in a filename to be matched explic-
itly.
GGLLOOBBSSUUBBSSTT
Treat any characters resulting from parameter expansion as being
eligible for file expansion and filename generation, and any
characters resulting from command substitution as being eligible
for filename generation. Braces (and commas in between) do not
become eligible for expansion.
IIGGNNOORREEBBRRAACCEESS (-II)
Do not perform brace expansion.
KKSSHHGGLLOOBB
In pattern matching, the interpretation of parentheses is
affected by a preceding `@@', `**', `++', `??' or `!!'. See the sec-
tion `Filename Generation'.
MMAAGGIICCEEQQUUAALLSSUUBBSSTT
All unquoted arguments of the form `anything==expression' appear-
ing after the command name have filename expansion (that is,
where expression has a leading `~~' or `==') performed on expres-
sion as if it were a parameter assignment. The argument is not
otherwise treated specially; it is passed to the command as a
single argument, and not used as an actual parameter assignment.
For example, in eecchhoo ffoooo==~~//bbaarr::~~//rroodd, both occurrences of ~~
would be replaced. Note that this happens anyway with ttyyppeesseett
and similar statements.
This option respects the setting of the KKSSHHTTYYPPEESSEETT option. In
other words, if both options are in effect, arguments looking
like assignments will not undergo wordsplitting.
MMAARRKKDDIIRRSS (-88, ksh: -XX)
Append a trailing `//' to all directory names resulting from
filename generation (globbing).
NNOOMMAATTCCHH (++33)
If a pattern for filename generation has no matches, print an
error, instead of leaving it unchanged in the argument list.
This also applies to file expansion of an initial `~~' or `=='.
NNUULLLLGGLLOOBB (-GG)
If a pattern for filename generation has no matches, delete the
pattern from the argument list instead of reporting an error.
Overrides NNOOMMAATTCCHH.
NNUUMMEERRIICCGGLLOOBBSSOORRTT
If numeric filenames are matched by a filename generation pat-
tern, sort the filenames numerically rather than lexicographi-
cally.
RRCCEEXXPPAANNDDPPAARRAAMM (-PP)
Array expansions of the form `foo$${{xx}}bar', where the parameter
xx is set to ((a b c)), are substituted with `fooabar foobbar
foocbar' instead of the default `fooa b cbar'.
SSHHGGLLOOBB
Disables the special meaning of `((', `||', `))' and '<<' for glob-
bing the result of parameter and command substitutions, and in
some other places where the shell accepts patterns. This option
is set by default if zsh is invoked as sshh or kksshh.
UUNNSSEETT (++uu, ksh: ++uu)
Treat unset parameters as if they were empty when substituting.
Otherwise they are treated as an error.
HHiissttoorryy
APPENDHISTORY D
If this is set, zsh sessions will append their history list to
the history file, rather than overwrite it. Thus, multiple par-
allel zsh sessions will all have their history lists added to
the history file, in the order they are killed.
BBAANNGGHHIISSTT (++KK)
Perform textual history expansion, ccsshh-style, treating the char-
acter `!!' specially.
EXTENDEDHISTORY C
Save each command's beginning timestamp (in seconds since the
epoch) and the duration (in seconds) to the history file. The
format of this prefixed data is:
`::::::'.
HHIISSTTAALLLLOOWWCCLLOOBBBBEERR
Add `||' to output redirections in the history. This allows his-
tory references to clobber files even when CCLLOOBBBBEERR is unset.
HHIISSTTBBEEEEPP
Beep when an attempt is made to access a history entry which
isn't there.
HHIISSTTEEXXPPIIRREEDDUUPPSSFFIIRRSSTT
If the internal history needs to be trimmed to add the current
command line, setting this option will cause the oldest history
event that has a duplicate to be lost before losing a unique
event from the list. You should be sure to set the value of
HHIISSTTSSIIZZEE to a larger number than SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT in order to give you
some room for the duplicated events, otherwise this option will
behave just like HHIISSTTIIGGNNOORREEAALLLLDDUUPPSS once the history fills up
with unique events.
HHIISSTTFFIINNDDNNOODDUUPPSS
When searching for history entries in the line editor, do not
display duplicates of a line previously found, even if the
duplicates are not contiguous.
HHIISSTTIIGGNNOORREEAALLLLDDUUPPSS
If a new command line being added to the history list duplicates
an older one, the older command is removed from the list (even
if it is not the previous event).
HHIISSTTIIGGNNOORREEDDUUPPSS (-hh)
Do not enter command lines into the history list if they are
duplicates of the previous event.
HHIISSTTIIGGNNOORREESSPPAACCEE (-gg)
Remove command lines from the history list when the first char-
acter on the line is a space, or when one of the expanded
aliases contains a leading space. Note that the command lingers
in the internal history until the next command is entered before
it vanishes, allowing you to briefly reuse or edit the line. If
you want to make it vanish right away without entering another
command, type a space and press return.
HHIISSTTNNOOFFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS
Remove function definitions from the history list. Note that
the function lingers in the internal history until the next com-
mand is entered before it vanishes, allowing you to briefly re-
use or edit the definition.
HHIISSTTNNOOSSTTOORREE
Remove the hhiissttoorryy (ffcc -ll) command from the history list when
invoked. Note that the command lingers in the internal history
until the next command is entered before it vanishes, allowing
you to briefly reuse or edit the line.
HHIISSTTRREEDDUUCCEEBBLLAANNKKSS
Remove superfluous blanks from each command line being added to
the history list.
HHIISSTTSSAAVVEENNOODDUUPPSS
When writing out the history file, older commands that duplicate
newer ones are omitted.
HHIISSTTVVEERRIIFFYY
Whenever the user enters a line with history expansion, don't
execute the line directly; instead, perform history expansion
and reload the line into the editing buffer.
INCAPPENDHISTORY hs pin wrs ie APPENDHISTORY xet ht e hsoy lines are added to the $$HHIISSTTFFIILLEE incrementally (as soon as they
are entered), rather than waiting until the shell is killed.
The file is periodically trimmed to the number of lines speci-
fied by $$SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT, but can exceed this value between trimmings.
SHAREHISTORY K
This option both imports new commands from the history file, and
also causes your typed commands to be appended to the history
ie te atr s ie pcfig INCAPPENDHISTORY. h
history lines are also output with timestamps ala EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDHHIISS-
TTOORRYY (which makes it easier to find the spot where we left off
reading the file after it gets re-written).
By default, history movement commands visit the imported lines
as well as the local lines, but you can toggle this on and off
with the set-local-history zle binding. It is also possible to
create a zle widget that will make some commands ignore imported
commands, and some include them.
If you find that you want more control over when commands get
motd yu a ws t tr SHAREHISTORY of
INCAPPENDHISTORY n ad hn auly mot omns hn
ever you need them using `ffcc -RRII'.
IInniittiiaalliissaattiioonn
AALLLLEEXXPPOORRTT (-aa, ksh: -aa)
All parameters subsequently defined are automatically exported.
GGLLOOBBAALLEEXXPPOORRTT (<>)
If this option is set, passing the -xx flag to the builtins
ddeeccllaarree, ffllooaatt, iinntteeggeerr, rreeaaddoonnllyy and ttyyppeesseett (but not llooccaall)
will also set the -gg flag; hence parameters exported to the
environment will not be made local to the enclosing function,
unless they were already or the flag ++gg is given explicitly. If
the option is unset, exported parameters will be made local in
just the same way as any other parameter.
This option is set by default for backward compatibility; it is
not recommended that its behaviour be relied upon. Note that
the builtin eexxppoorrtt always sets both the -xx and -gg flags, and
hence its effect extends beyond the scope of the enclosing func-
tion; this is the most portable way to achieve this behaviour.
GGLLOOBBAALLRRCCSS (-dd)
If this option is unset, the startup files //eettcc//zzpprrooffiillee,
//eettcc//zzsshhrrcc, //eettcc//zzllooggiinn and //eettcc//zzllooggoouutt will not be run. It
can be disabled and re-enabled at any time, including inside
local startup files (..zzsshhrrcc, etc.).
RRCCSS (++ff)
After //eettcc//zzsshheennvv is sourced on startup, source the ..zzsshheennvv,
//eettcc//zzpprrooffiillee, ..zzpprrooffiillee, //eettcc//zzsshhrrcc, ..zzsshhrrcc, //eettcc//zzllooggiinn, ..zzlloo-
ggiinn, and ..zzllooggoouutt files, as described in the section `Files'.
If this option is unset, the //eettcc//zzsshheennvv file is still sourced,
but any of the others will not be; it can be set at any time to
prevent the remaining startup files after the currently execut-
ing one from being sourced.
IInnppuutt//OOuuttppuutt
AALLIIAASSEESS
Expand aliases.
CCLLOOBBBBEERR (++CC, ksh: ++CC)
Allows `>>' redirection to truncate existing files, and `>>>>' to
create files. Otherwise `>>!!' or `>>||' must be used to truncate a
file, and `>>>>!!' or `>>>>||' to create a file.
CCOORRRREECCTT (-00)
Try to correct the spelling of commands. Note that, when the
HHAASSHHLLIISSTTAALLLL option is not set or when some directories in the
path are not readable, this may falsely report spelling errors
the first time some commands are used.
CCOORRRREECCTTAALLLL (-OO)
Try to correct the spelling of all arguments in a line.
DDVVOORRAAKK Use the Dvorak keyboard instead of the standard qwerty keyboard
as a basis for examining spelling mistakes for the CCOORRRREECCTT and
CCOORRRREECCTTAALLLL options and the ssppeellll-wwoorrdd editor command.
FFLLOOWWCCOONNTTRROOLL
If this option is unset, output flow control via start/stop
characters (usually assigned to ^S/^Q) is disabled in the
shell's editor.
IIGGNNOORREEEEOOFF (-77)
Do not exit on end-of-file. Require the use of eexxiitt or llooggoouutt
instead. However, ten consecutive EOFs will cause the shell to
exit anyway, to avoid the shell hanging if its tty goes away.
Also, if this option is set and the Zsh Line Editor is used,
widgets implemented by shell functions can be bound to EOF (nor-
mally Control-D) without printing the normal warning message.
This works only for normal widgets, not for completion widgets.
IINNTTEERRAACCTTIIVVEECCOOMMMMEENNTTSS (-kk)
Allow comments even in interactive shells.
HHAASSHHCCMMDDSS
Note the location of each command the first time it is executed.
Subsequent invocations of the same command will use the saved
location, avoiding a path search. If this option is unset, no
path hashing is done at all. However, when CCOORRRREECCTT is set, com-
mands whose names do not appear in the functions or aliases hash
tables are hashed in order to avoid reporting them as spelling
errors.
HHAASSHHDDIIRRSS
Whenever a command name is hashed, hash the directory containing
it, as well as all directories that occur earlier in the path.
Has no effect if neither HHAASSHHCCMMDDSS nor CCOORRRREECCTT is set.
MMAAIILLWWAARRNNIINNGG (-UU)
Print a warning message if a mail file has been accessed since
the shell last checked.
PPAATTHHDDIIRRSS (-QQ)
Perform a path search even on command names with slashes in
them. Thus if `//uussrr//llooccaall//bbiinn' is in the user's path, and he or
she types `XX1111//xxiinniitt', the command `//uussrr//llooccaall//bbiinn//XX1111//xxiinniitt'
will be executed (assuming it exists). Commands explicitly
beginning with `//', `..//' or `....//' are not subject to the path
search. This also applies to the .. builtin.
Note that subdirectories of the current directory are always
searched for executables specified in this form. This takes
place before any search indicated by this option, and regardless
of whether `..' or the current directory appear in the command
search path.
PPRRIINNTTEEIIGGHHTTBBIITT
Print eight bit characters literally in completion lists, etc.
This option is not necessary if your system correctly returns
the printability of eight bit characters (see ctype(3)).
PPRRIINNTTEEXXIITTVVAALLUUEE (-11)
Print the exit value of programs with non-zero exit status.
RRCCQQUUOOTTEESS
Allow the character sequence `''''' to signify a single quote
within singly quoted strings. Note this does not apply in
quoted strings using the format $$''...'', where a backslashed sin-
gle quote can be used.
RRMMSSTTAARRSSIILLEENNTT (-HH)
Do not query the user before executing `rrmm **' or `rrmm ppaatthh//**'.
RRMMSSTTAARRWWAAIITT
If querying the user before executing `rrmm **' or `rrmm ppaatthh//**',
first wait ten seconds and ignore anything typed in that time.
This avoids the problem of reflexively answering `yes' to the
query when one didn't really mean it. The wait and query can
always be avoided by expanding the `**' in ZLE (with tab).
SSHHOORRTTLLOOOOPPSS
Allow the short forms of ffoorr, rreeppeeaatt, sseelleecctt, iiff, and ffuunnccttiioonn
constructs.
SSUUNNKKEEYYBBOOAARRDDHHAACCKK (-LL)
If a line ends with a backquote, and there are an odd number of
backquotes on the line, ignore the trailing backquote. This is
useful on some keyboards where the return key is too small, and
the backquote key lies annoyingly close to it.
JJoobb CCoonnttrrooll
AAUUTTOOCCOONNTTIINNUUEE
With this option set, stopped jobs that are removed from the job
table with the ddiissoowwnn builtin command are automatically sent a
CCOONNTT signal to make them running.
AAUUTTOORREESSUUMMEE (-WW)
Treat single word simple commands without redirection as candi-
dates for resumption of an existing job.
BBGGNNIICCEE (-66)
Run all background jobs at a lower priority. This option is set
by default.
CCHHEECCKKJJOOBBSS
Report the status of background and suspended jobs before exit-
ing a shell with job control; a second attempt to exit the shell
will succeed. NNOOCCHHEECCKKJJOOBBSS is best used only in combination
with NNOOHHUUPP, else such jobs will be killed automatically.
The check is omitted if the commands run from the previous com-
mand line included a `jjoobbss' command, since it is assumed the
user is aware that there are background or suspended jobs. A
`jjoobbss' command run from the pprreeccmmdd function is not counted for
this purpose.
HHUUPP
Send the HHUUPP signal to running jobs when the shell exits.
LLOONNGGLLIISSTTJJOOBBSS (-RR)
List jobs in the long format by default.
MMOONNIITTOORR (-mm, ksh: -mm)
Allow job control. Set by default in interactive shells.
NNOOTTIIFFYY (-55, ksh: -bb)
Report the status of background jobs immediately, rather than
waiting until just before printing a prompt.
PPrroommppttiinngg
PPRROOMMPPTTBBAANNGG
If set, `!!' is treated specially in prompt expansion. See the
section `Prompt Expansion'.
PPRROOMMPPTTCCRR (++VV)
Print a carriage return just before printing a prompt in the
line editor. This is on by default as multi-line editing is
only possible if the editor knows where the start of the line
appears.
PPRROOMMPPTTPPEERRCCEENNTT
If set, `%%' is treated specially in prompt expansion. See the
section `Prompt Expansion'.
PPRROOMMPPTTSSUUBBSSTT
If set, parameter expansion, command substitution and arithmetic
expansion are performed in prompts. Substitutions within
prompts do not affect the command status.
TTRRAANNSSIIEENNTTRRPPRROOMMPPTT
Remove any right prompt from display when accepting a command
line. This may be useful with terminals with other cut/paste
methods.
SSccrriippttss aanndd FFuunnccttiioonnss
CCBBAASSEESS
Output hexadecimal numbers in the standard C format, for example
`00xxFFFF' instead of the usual `1166##FFFF'. If the option OOCCTTAALLZZEERROOEESS
is also set (it is not by default), octal numbers will be
treated similarly and hence appear as `007777' instead of `88##7777'.
This option has no effect on the choice of the output base, nor
on the output of bases other than hexadecimal and octal. Note
that these formats will be understood on input irrespective of
the setting of CCBBAASSEESS.
EERRRREEXXIITT (-ee, ksh: -ee)
If a command has a non-zero exit status, execute the ZZEERRRR trap,
if set, and exit. This is disabled while running initialization
scripts.
EERRRRRREETTUURRNN
If a command has a non-zero exit status, return immediately from
the enclosing function. The logic is identical to that for
EERRRREEXXIITT, except that an implicit rreettuurrnn statement is executed
instead of an eexxiitt. This will trigger an exit at the outermost
level of a non-interactive script.
EEVVAALLLLIINNEENNOO
If set, line numbers of expressions evaluated using the builtin
eevvaall are tracked separately of the enclosing environment. This
applies both to the parameter LLIINNEENNOO and the line number output
by the prompt escape %%ii. If the option is set, the prompt
escape %%NN will output the string `((eevvaall))' instead of the script
or function name as an indication. (The two prompt escapes are
typically used in the parameter PPSS44 to be output when the option
XXTTRRAACCEE is set.) If EEVVAALLLLIINNEENNOO is unset, the line number of the
surrounding script or function is retained during the evalua-
tion.
EEXXEECC (++nn, ksh: ++nn)
Do execute commands. Without this option, commands are read and
checked for syntax errors, but not executed. This option cannot
be turned off in an interactive shell, except when `-nn' is sup-
plied to the shell at startup.
FFUUNNCCTTIIOONNAARRGGZZEERROO
When executing a shell function or sourcing a script, set $$00
temporarily to the name of the function/script.
LLOOCCAALLOOPPTTIIOONNSS
If this option is set at the point of return from a shell func-
tion, all the options (including this one) which were in force
upon entry to the function are restored. Otherwise, only this
option and the XXTTRRAACCEE and PPRRIINNTTEEXXIITTVVAALLUUEE options are restored.
Hence if this is explicitly unset by a shell function the other
options in force at the point of return will remain so. A shell
function can also guarantee itself a known shell configuration
with a formulation like `eemmuullaattee -LL zzsshh'; the -LL activates
LLOOCCAALLOOPPTTIIOONNSS.
LLOOCCAALLTTRRAAPPSS
If this option is set when a signal trap is set inside a func-
tion, then the previous status of the trap for that signal will
be restored when the function exits. Note that this option must
be set prior to altering the trap behaviour in a function;
unlike LLOOCCAALLOOPPTTIIOONNSS, the value on exit from the function is
irrelevant. However, it does not need to be set before any
global trap for that to be correctly restored by a function.
For example,
uunnsseettoopptt llooccaallttrraappss
ttrraapp - IINNTT
ffnn(()) {{ sseettoopptt llooccaallttrraappss;; ttrraapp '''' IINNTT;; sslleeeepp 33;; }}
will restore normally handling of SSIIGGIINNTT after the function
exits.
MMUULLTTIIOOSS
Perform implicit tteeees or ccaatts when multiple redirections are
attempted (see the section `Redirection').
OOCCTTAALLZZEERROOEESS
Interpret any integer constant beginning with a 0 as octal, per
IEEE Std 1003.2-1992 (ISO 9945-2:1993). This is not enabled by
default as it causes problems with parsing of, for example, date
and time strings with leading zeroes.
TTYYPPEESSEETTSSIILLEENNTT
If this is unset, executing any of the `ttyyppeesseett' family of com-
mands with no options and a list of parameters that have no val-
ues to be assigned but already exist will display the value of
the parameter. If the option is set, they will only be shown
when parameters are selected with the `-mm' option. The option
`-pp' is available whether or not the option is set.
VVEERRBBOOSSEE (-vv, ksh: -vv)
Print shell input lines as they are read.
XXTTRRAACCEE (-xx, ksh: -xx)
Print commands and their arguments as they are executed.
SShheellll EEmmuullaattiioonn
BBSSDDEECCHHOO
Make the eecchhoo builtin compatible with the BSD echo(1) command.
This disables backslashed escape sequences in echo strings
unless the -ee option is specified.
CSHJUNKIEHISTORY C
A history reference without an event specifier will always refer
to the previous command. Without this option, such a history
reference refers to the same event as the previous history ref-
erence, defaulting to the previous command.
CCSSHHJJUUNNKKIIEELLOOOOPPSS
Allow loop bodies to take the form `list; eenndd' instead of `ddoo
list; ddoonnee'.
CCSSHHJJUUNNKKIIEEQQUUOOTTEESS
Changes the rules for single- and double-quoted text to match
that of ccsshh. These require that embedded newlines be preceded
by a backslash; unescaped newlines will cause an error message.
In double-quoted strings, it is made impossible to escape `$$',
```' or `""' (and `\\' itself no longer needs escaping). Command
substitutions are only expanded once, and cannot be nested.
CCSSHHNNUULLLLCCMMDD
Do not use the values of NNUULLLLCCMMDD and RREEAADDNNUULLLLCCMMDD when running
redirections with no command. This make such redirections fail
(see the section `Redirection').
KKSSHHAARRRRAAYYSS
Emulate kksshh array handling as closely as possible. If this
option is set, array elements are numbered from zero, an array
parameter without subscript refers to the first element instead
of the whole array, and braces are required to delimit a sub-
script (`$${{ppaatthh[[22]]}}' rather than just `$$ppaatthh[[22]]').
KKSSHHAAUUTTOOLLOOAADD
Emulate kksshh function autoloading. This means that when a func-
tion is autoloaded, the corresponding file is merely executed,
and must define the function itself. (By default, the function
is defined to the contents of the file. However, the most com-
mon kksshh-style case - of the file containing only a simple defi-
nition of the function - is always handled in the kksshh-compatible
manner.)
KKSSHHOOPPTTIIOONNPPRRIINNTT
Alters the way options settings are printed: instead of separate
lists of set and unset options, all options are shown, marked
`on' if they are in the non-default state, `off' otherwise.
KKSSHHTTYYPPEESSEETT
Alters the way arguments to the ttyyppeesseett family of commands,
including ddeeccllaarree, eexxppoorrtt, ffllooaatt, iinntteeggeerr, llooccaall and rreeaaddoonnllyy,
are processed. Without this option, zsh will perform normal
word splitting after command and parameter expansion in argu-
ments of an assignment; with it, word splitting does not take
place in those cases.
PPOOSSIIXXBBUUIILLTTIINNSS
When this option is set the ccoommmmaanndd builtin can be used to exe-
cute shell builtin commands. Parameter assignments specified
before shell functions and special builtins are kept after the
command completes unless the special builtin is prefixed with
the ccoommmmaanndd builtin. Special builtins are .., ::, bbrreeaakk, ccoonn-
ttiinnuuee, ddeeccllaarree, eevvaall, eexxiitt, eexxppoorrtt, iinntteeggeerr, llooccaall, rreeaaddoonnllyy,
rreettuurrnn, sseett, sshhiifftt, ssoouurrccee, ttiimmeess, ttrraapp and uunnsseett.
SSHHFFIILLEEEEXXPPAANNSSIIOONN
Perform filename expansion (e.g., ~ expansion) before parameter
expansion, command substitution, arithmetic expansion and brace
expansion. If this option is unset, it is performed after brace
xaso, o hns ie ~$USERNAME' n `~{pfalstad,rc} wl
work.
SSHHNNUULLLLCCMMDD
Do not use the values of NNUULLLLCCMMDD and RREEAADDNNUULLLLCCMMDD when doing
redirections, use `::' instead (see the section `Redirection').
SSHHOOPPTTIIOONNLLEETTTTEERRSS
If this option is set the shell tries to interpret single letter
options (which are used with sseett and sseettoopptt) like kksshh does.
This also affects the value of the - special parameter.
SSHHWWOORRDDSSPPLLIITT (-yy)
Causes field splitting to be performed on unquoted parameter
expansions. Note that this option has nothing to do with word
splitting. (See the section `Parameter Expansion'.)
TTRRAAPPSSAASSYYNNCC
While waiting for a program to exit, handle signals and run
traps immediately. Otherwise the trap is run after a child
process has exited. Note this does not affect the point at
which traps are run for any case other than when the shell is
waiting for a child process.
SShheellll SSttaattee
IINNTTEERRAACCTTIIVVEE (-ii, ksh: -ii)
This is an interactive shell. This option is set upon initiali-
sation if the standard input is a tty and commands are being
read from standard input. (See the discussion of SSHHIINNSSTTDDIINN.)
This heuristic may be overridden by specifying a state for this
option on the command line. The value of this option cannot be
changed anywhere other than the command line.
LLOOGGIINN (-ll, ksh: -ll)
This is a login shell. If this option is not explicitly set,
the shell is a login shell if the first character of the aarrggvv[[00]]
passed to the shell is a `-'.
PPRRIIVVIILLEEGGEEDD (-pp, ksh: -pp)
Turn on privileged mode. This is enabled automatically on
startup if the effective user (group) ID is not equal to the
real user (group) ID. Turning this option off causes the effec-
tive user and group IDs to be set to the real user and group
IDs. This option disables sourcing user startup files. If zsh
is invoked as `sshh' or `kksshh' with this option set, //eettcc//ssuuiiddpprroo-
ffiillee is sourced (after //eettcc//pprrooffiillee on interactive shells).
Sourcing ~~//..pprrooffiillee is disabled and the contents of the EENNVV
variable is ignored. This option cannot be changed using the -mm
option of sseettoopptt and uunnsseettoopptt, and changing it inside a function
always changes it globally regardless of the LLOOCCAALLOOPPTTIIOONNSS
option.
RREESSTTRRIICCTTEEDD (-rr)
Enables restricted mode. This option cannot be changed using
uunnsseettoopptt, and setting it inside a function always changes it
globally regardless of the LLOOCCAALLOOPPTTIIOONNSS option. See the sec-
tion `Restricted Shell'.
SSHHIINNSSTTDDIINN (-ss, ksh: -ss)
Commands are being read from the standard input. Commands are
read from standard input if no command is specified with -cc and
no file of commands is specified. If SSHHIINNSSTTDDIINN is set explic-
itly on the command line, any argument that would otherwise have
been taken as a file to run will instead be treated as a normal
positional parameter. Note that setting or unsetting this
option on the command line does not necessarily affect the state
the option will have while the shell is running - that is purely
an indicator of whether on not commands are actually being read
from standard input. The value of this option cannot be changed
anywhere other than the command line.
SSIINNGGLLEECCOOMMMMAANNDD (-tt, ksh: -tt)
If the shell is reading from standard input, it exits after a
single command has been executed. This also makes the shell
non-interactive, unless the IINNTTEERRAACCTTIIVVEE option is explicitly set
on the command line. The value of this option cannot be changed
anywhere other than the command line.
ZZllee
BBEEEEPP (++BB)
Beep on error in ZLE.
EEMMAACCSS If ZLE is loaded, turning on this option has the equivalent
effect of `bbiinnddkkeeyy -ee'. In addition, the VI option is unset.
Turning it off has no effect. The option setting is not guaran-
teed to reflect the current keymap. This option is provided for
compatibility; bbiinnddkkeeyy is the recommended interface.
OOVVEERRSSTTRRIIKKEE
Start up the line editor in overstrike mode.
SSIINNGGLLEELLIINNEEZZLLEE (-MM)
Use single-line command line editing instead of multi-line.
VVII If ZLE is loaded, turning on this option has the equivalent
effect of `bbiinnddkkeeyy -vv'. In addition, the EMACS option is unset.
Turning it off has no effect. The option setting is not guaran-
teed to reflect the current keymap. This option is provided for
compatibility; bbiinnddkkeeyy is the recommended interface.
ZZLLEE (-ZZ)
Use the zsh line editor. Set by default in interactive shells
connected to a terminal.
OOPPTTIIOONN AALLIIAASSEESS
Some options have alternative names. These aliases are never used for
output, but can be used just like normal option names when specifying
options to the shell.
BBRRAACCEEEEXXPPAANNDD
NOIIGGNNOORREEBBRRAACCEESS (ksh and bash compatibility)
DDOOTTGGLLOOBB
GGLLOOBBDDOOTTSS (bash compatibility)
HHAASSHHAALLLL
HHAASSHHCCMMDDSS (bash compatibility)
HHIISSTTAAPPPPEENNDD
APPENDHISTORY bs cmaiiiy
HHIISSTTEEXXPPAANNDD
BBAANNGGHHIISSTT (bash compatibility)
LLOOGG NOHHIISSTTNNOOFFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS (ksh compatibility)
MMAAIILLWWAARRNN
MMAAIILLWWAARRNNIINNGG (bash compatibility)
OONNEECCMMDD
SSIINNGGLLEECCOOMMMMAANNDD (bash compatibility)
PPHHYYSSIICCAALL
CCHHAASSEELLIINNKKSS (ksh and bash compatibility)
PPRROOMMPPTTVVAARRSS
PPRROOMMPPTTSSUUBBSSTT (bash compatibility)
SSTTDDIINN SSHHIINNSSTTDDIINN (ksh compatibility)
TTRRAACCKKAALLLL
HHAASSHHCCMMDDSS (ksh compatibility)
SSIINNGGLLEE LLEETTTTEERR OOPPTTIIOONNSS
DDeeffaauulltt sseett
-00 CORRECT
-11 PRINTEXITVALUE
-22 NOBADPATTERN
-33 NONOMATCH
-44 GLOBDOTS
-55 NOTIFY
-66 BGNICE
-77 IGNOREEOF
-88 MARKDIRS
-99 AUTOLIST
-BB NOBEEP
-CC NOCLOBBER
-DD PUSHDTOHOME
-EE PUSHDSILENT
-FF NOGLOB
-GG NULLGLOB
-HH RMSTARSILENT
-II IGNOREBRACES
-JJ AUTOCD
-KK NOBANGHIST
-LL SUNKEYBOARDHACK
-MM SINGLELINEZLE
-NN AUTOPUSHD
-OO CORRECTALL
-PP RCEXPANDPARAM
-QQ PATHDIRS
-RR LONGLISTJOBS
-SS RECEXACT
-TT CDABLEVARS
-UU MAILWARNING
-VV NOPROMPTCR
-WW AUTORESUME
-XX LISTTYPES
-YY MENUCOMPLETE
-ZZ ZLE
-aa ALLEXPORT
-ee ERREXIT
-ff NORCS
-gg HISTIGNORESPACE
-hh HISTIGNOREDUPS
-ii INTERACTIVE
-kk INTERACTIVECOMMENTS
-ll LOGIN
-mm MONITOR
-nn NOEXEC
-pp PRIVILEGED
-rr RESTRICTED
-ss SHINSTDIN
-tt SINGLECOMMAND
-uu NOUNSET
-vv VERBOSE
-ww CHASELINKS
-xx XTRACE
-yy SHWORDSPLIT
sshh//kksshh eemmuullaattiioonn sseett
-CC NOCLOBBER
-TT TRAPSASYNC
-XX MARKDIRS
-aa ALLEXPORT
-bb NOTIFY
-ee ERREXIT
-ff NOGLOB
-ii INTERACTIVE
-ll LOGIN
-mm MONITOR
-nn NOEXEC
-pp PRIVILEGED
-rr RESTRICTED
-ss SHINSTDIN
-tt SINGLECOMMAND
-uu NOUNSET
-vv VERBOSE
-xx XTRACE
AAllssoo nnoottee
-AA Used by sseett for setting arrays
-bb Used on the command line to specify end of option processing
-cc Used on the command line to specify a single command
-mm Used by sseettoopptt for pattern-matching option setting
-oo Used in all places to allow use of long option names
-ss Used by sseett to sort positional parameters
ZSHBUILTINS(1) ZSHBUILTINS(1)
NAME
zshbuiltins - zsh built-in commands
SSHHEELLLL BBUUIILLTTIINN CCOOMMMMAANNDDSS
- simple command
See the section `Precommand Modifiers'.
.. file [ arg ... ]
Read commands from file and execute them in the current shell
environment.
If file does not contain a slash, or if PPAATTHHDDIIRRSS is set, the
shell looks in the components of $$ppaatthh to find the directory
containing file. Files in the current directory are not read
unless `..' appears somewhere in $$ppaatthh. If a file named
`file..zzwwcc' is found, is newer than file, and is the compiled
form (created with the zzccoommppiillee builtin) of file, then commands
are read from that file instead of file.
If any arguments arg are given, they become the positional
parameters; the old positional parameters are restored when the
file is done executing. The exit status is the exit status of
the last command executed.
:: [ arg ... ]
This command does nothing, although normal argument expansions
is performed which may have effects on shell parameters. A zero
exit code is returned.
aalliiaass [ {++||-}}ggmmrrssLL ]] [[ name[[==value]] ...... ]]
For each name with a corresponding value, define an alias with
that value. A trailing space in value causes the next word to
be checked for alias expansion. If the -gg flag is present,
define a global alias; global aliases are expanded even if they
do not occur in command position.
If the -ss flags is present, define a suffix alias: if the com-
mand word on a command line is in the form `text..name', where
text is any non-empty string, it is replaced by the text `value
text..name'. Note that name is treated as a literal string, not
a pattern. A trailing space in value is not special in this
case. For example,
aalliiaass -ss ppss==ggvv
will cause the command `**..ppss' to be expanded to `ggvv **..ppss'. As
alias expansion is carried out earlier than globbing, the `**..ppss'
will then be expanded. Suffix aliases constitute a different
name space from other aliases (so in the above example it is
still possible to create an alias for the command ppss) and the
two sets are never listed together.
For each name with no value, print the value of name, if any.
With no arguments, print all currently defined aliases other
than suffix aliases. If the -mm flag is given the arguments are
taken as patterns (they should be quoted to preserve them from
being interpreted as glob patterns), and the aliases matching
these patterns are printed. When printing aliases and one of
the -gg, -rr or -ss flags is present, restrict the printing to
global, regular or suffix aliases, respectively; a regular alias
is one which is neither a global nor a suffix alias. Using `++'
instead of `-', or ending the option list with a single `++',
prevents the values of the aliases from being printed.
If the -LL flag is present, then print each alias in a manner
suitable for putting in a startup script. The exit status is
nonzero if a name (with no value) is given for which no alias
has been defined.
aauuttoollooaadd [ {++|-}UUXXkkttzz ] [ -ww ] [ name ... ]
Equivalent to ffuunnccttiioonnss -uu, with the exception of -XX/++XX and -ww.
The flag -XX may be used only inside a shell function, and may
not be followed by a name. It causes the calling function to be
marked for autoloading and then immediately loaded and executed,
with the current array of positional parameters as arguments.
This replaces the previous definition of the function. If no
function definition is found, an error is printed and the func-
tion remains undefined and marked for autoloading.
The flag ++XX attempts to load each name as an autoloaded func-
tion, but does not execute it. The exit status is zero (suc-
cess) if the function was not previously defined and a defini-
tion for it was found. This does not replace any existing defi-
nition of the function. The exit status is nonzero (failure) if
the function was already defined or when no definition was
found. In the latter case the function remains undefined and
marked for autoloading. If ksh-style autoloading is enabled,
the function created will contain the contents of the file plus
a call to the function itself appended to it, thus giving normal
ksh autoloading behaviour on the first call to the function.
With the -ww flag, the names are taken as names of files compiled
with the zzccoommppiillee builtin, and all functions defined in them are
marked for autoloading.
bbgg [ job ... ]
job ... &&
Put each specified job in the background, or the current job if
none is specified.
bbiinnddkkeeyy
See the section `Zle Builtins' in zshzle(1).
bbrreeaakk [ n ]
Exit from an enclosing ffoorr, wwhhiillee, uunnttiill, sseelleecctt or rreeppeeaatt loop.
If n is specified, then break n levels instead of just one.
bbuuiillttiinn name [ args ... ]
Executes the builtin name, with the given args.
bbyyee Same as eexxiitt.
ccaapp See the section `The zsh/cap Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccdd [ -ssLLPP ] [ arg ]
ccdd [ -ssLLPP ] old new
ccdd [ -ssLLPP ] {++|-}n
Change the current directory. In the first form, change the
current directory to arg, or to the value of $$HHOOMMEE if arg is not
specified. If arg is `-', change to the value of $$OOLLDDPPWWDD, the
previous directory. Otherwise, if a directory named arg is not
found in the current directory and arg does not begin with a
slash, search each component of the shell parameter ccddppaatthh. If
no directory is found and the option CCDDAABBLLEEVVAARRSS is set, and a
parameter named arg exists whose value begins with a slash,
treat its value as the directory. In that case, the parameter
is added to the named directory hash table.
The second form of ccdd substitutes the string new for the string
old in the name of the current directory, and tries to change to
this new directory.
The third form of ccdd extracts an entry from the directory stack,
and changes to that directory. An argument of the form `++n'
identifies a stack entry by counting from the left of the list
shown by the ddiirrss command, starting with zero. An argument of
the form `-n' counts from the right. If the PPUUSSHHDDMMIINNUUSS option
is set, the meanings of `++' and `-' in this context are swapped.
If the -ss option is specified, ccdd refuses to change the current
directory if the given pathname contains symlinks. If the -PP
option is given or the CCHHAASSEELLIINNKKSS option is set, symbolic links
are resolved to their true values. If the -LL option is given
symbolic links are followed regardless of the state of the
CCHHAASSEELLIINNKKSS option.
cchhddiirr Same as ccdd.
cclloonnee See the section `The zsh/clone Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoommmmaanndd [ -ppvvVV ] simple command
The simple command argument is taken as an external command
instead of a function or builtin and is executed. If the
PPOOSSIIXXBBUUIILLTTIINNSS option is set, builtins will also be executed but
certain special properties of them are suppressed. The -pp flag
causes a default path to be searched instead of that in $$ppaatthh.
With the -vv flag, ccoommmmaanndd is similar to wwhheennccee and with -VV, it
is equivalent to wwhheennccee -vv.
See also the section `Precommand Modifiers'.
ccoommppaarrgguummeennttss
See the section `The zsh/computil Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoommppccaallll
See the section `The zsh/compctl Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoommppccttll
See the section `The zsh/compctl Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoommppddeessccrriibbee
See the section `The zsh/computil Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoommppffiilleess
See the section `The zsh/computil Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoommppggrroouuppss
See the section `The zsh/computil Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoommppqquuoottee
See the section `The zsh/computil Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoommppttaaggss
See the section `The zsh/computil Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoommppttrryy
See the section `The zsh/computil Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoommppvvaalluueess
See the section `The zsh/computil Module' in zshmodules(1).
ccoonnttiinnuuee [ n ]
Resume the next iteration of the enclosing ffoorr, wwhhiillee, uunnttiill,
sseelleecctt or rreeppeeaatt loop. If n is specified, break out of n-1
loops and resume at the nth enclosing loop.
ddeeccllaarree
Same as ttyyppeesseett.
ddiirrss [ -cc ] [ arg ... ]
ddiirrss [ -llppvv ]
With no arguments, print the contents of the directory stack.
Directories are added to this stack with the ppuusshhdd command, and
removed with the ccdd or ppooppdd commands. If arguments are speci-
fied, load them onto the directory stack, replacing anything
that was there, and push the current directory onto the stack.
-cc clear the directory stack.
-ll print directory names in full instead of using of using ~~
expressions.
-pp print directory entries one per line.
-vv number the directories in the stack when printing.
ddiissaabbllee [ -aaffmmrrss ] name ...
Temporarily disable the named hash table elements. The default
is to disable builtin commands. This allows you to use an
external command with the same name as a builtin command. The
-aa option causes ddiissaabbllee to act on regular or global aliases.
The -ss option causes ddiissaabbllee to act on suffix aliases. The -ff
option causes ddiissaabbllee to act on shell functions. The -rr options
causes ddiissaabbllee to act on reserved words. Without arguments all
disabled hash table elements from the corresponding hash table
are printed. With the -mm flag the arguments are taken as pat-
terns (which should be quoted to prevent them from undergoing
filename expansion), and all hash table elements from the corre-
sponding hash table matching these patterns are disabled. Dis-
abled objects can be enabled with the eennaabbllee command.
ddiissoowwnn [ job ... ]
job ... &&||
job ... &&!!
Remove the specified jobs from the job table; the shell will no
longer report their status, and will not complain if you try to
exit an interactive shell with them running or stopped. If no
job is specified, disown the current job.
If the jobs are currently stopped and the AAUUTTOOCCOONNTTIINNUUEE option
is not set, a warning is printed containing information about
how to make them running after they have been disowned. If one
of the latter two forms is used, the jobs will automatically be
made running, independent of the setting of the AAUUTTOOCCOONNTTIINNUUEE
option.
eecchhoo [ -nneeEE ] [ arg ... ]
Write each arg on the standard output, with a space separating
each one. If the -nn flag is not present, print a newline at the
end. eecchhoo recognizes the following escape sequences:
\\aa bell character
\\bb backspace
\\cc suppress final newline
\\ee escape
\\ff form feed
\\nn linefeed (newline)
\\rr carriage return
\\tt horizontal tab
\\vv vertical tab
\\\\ backslash
\\00NNN character code in octal
\\xxNN character code in hexadecimal
\\uuNNNN unicode character code in hexadecimal
\\UUNNNNNNNN
unicode character code in hexadecimal
The -EE flag, or the BBSSDDEECCHHOO option, can be used to disable
these escape sequences. In the latter case, -ee flag can be used
to enable them.
eecchhoottcc See the section `The zsh/termcap Module' in zshmodules(1).
eecchhoottii See the section `The zsh/terminfo Module' in zshmodules(1).
eemmuullaattee [ -LLRR ] {zzsshh|sshh|kksshh|ccsshh}
Set up zsh options to emulate the specified shell as much as
possible. ccsshh will never be fully emulated. If the argument is
not one of the shells listed above, zzsshh will be used as a
default; more precisely, the tests performed on the argument are
the same as those used to determine the emulation at startup
based on the shell name, see the section `Compatibility' in zsh-
misc(1) . If the -RR option is given, all options are reset to
their default value corresponding to the specified emulation
mode, except for certain options describing the interactive
environment; otherwise, only those options likely to cause
portability problems in scripts and functions are altered. If
the -LL option is given, the options LLOOCCAALLOOPPTTIIOONNSS and
LLOOCCAALLTTRRAAPPSS will be set as well, causing the effects of the eemmuu-
llaattee command and any sseettoopptt and ttrraapp commands to be local to the
immediately surrounding shell function, if any; normally these
options are turned off in all emulation modes except kksshh.
eennaabbllee [ -aaffmmrrss ] name ...
Enable the named hash table elements, presumably disabled ear-
lier with ddiissaabbllee. The default is to enable builtin commands.
The -aa option causes eennaabbllee to act on regular or global aliases.
The -ss option causes eennaabbllee to act on suffix aliases. The -ff
option causes eennaabbllee to act on shell functions. The -rr option
causes eennaabbllee to act on reserved words. Without arguments all
enabled hash table elements from the corresponding hash table
are printed. With the -mm flag the arguments are taken as pat-
terns (should be quoted) and all hash table elements from the
corresponding hash table matching these patterns are enabled.
Enabled objects can be disabled with the ddiissaabbllee builtin com-
mand.
eevvaall [ arg ... ]
Read the arguments as input to the shell and execute the result-
ing command in the current shell process.
eexxeecc simple command
See the section `Precommand Modifiers'.
eexxiitt [ n ]
Exit the shell with the exit code specified by n; if none is
specified, use the exit code from the last command executed. An
EOF condition will also cause the shell to exit, unless the
IIGGNNOORREEEEOOFF option is set.
eexxppoorrtt [ name[==value] ... ]
The specified names are marked for automatic export to the envi-
ronment of subsequently executed commands. Equivalent to ttyyppee-
sseett -ggxx. If a parameter specified does not already exist, it is
created in the global scope.
ffaallssee [ arg ... ]
Do nothing and return an exit code of 1.
ffcc [ -ee ename ] [ -nnllrrddDDffEEiimm ] [ old==new ... ] [ first [ last ] ]
ffcc -pp [ -aa ] [ filename [ histsize [ savehistsize ] ] ]
ffcc -PP
ffcc -AARRWWII [ filename ]
Select a range of commands from first to last from the history
list. The arguments first and last may be specified as a number
or as a string. A negative number is used as an offset to the
current history event number. A string specifies the most
recent event beginning with the given string. All substitutions
old==new, if any, are then performed on the commands.
If the -ll flag is given, the resulting commands are listed on
standard output. If the -mm flag is also given the first argu-
ment is taken as a pattern (should be quoted) and only the his-
tory events matching this pattern will be shown. Otherwise the
editor program ename is invoked on a file containing these his-
tory events. If ename is not given, the value of the parameter
FFCCEEDDIITT is used. If ename is `-', no editor is invoked. When
editing is complete, the edited command is executed.
If first is not specified, it will be set to -1 (the most recent
event), or to -16 if the -ll flag is given. If last is not spec-
ified, it will be set to first, or to -1 if the -ll flag is
given.
The flag -rr reverses the order of the commands and the flag -nn
suppresses command numbers when listing. Also when listing, -dd
prints timestamps for each command, and -ff prints full time-date
stamps. Adding the -EE flag causes the dates to be printed as
`dd..mm..yyyy', instead of the default `mm//dd//yyyy'. Adding the
-ii flag causes the dates to be printed in ISO8601 `yyyy-mm-dd'
format. With the -DD flag, ffcc prints elapsed times.
`ffcc -pp' pushes the current history list onto a stack and
switches to a new history list. If the -aa option is also speci-
fied, this history list will be automatically popped when the
current function scope is exited, which is a much better solu-
tion than creating a trap function to call `ffcc -PP' manually. If
no arguments are specified, the history list is left empty,
$$HHIISSTTFFIILLEE is unset, and $$HHIISSTTSSIIZZEE & $$SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT are set to their
default values. If one argument is given, $$HHIISSTTFFIILLEE is set to
that filename, $$HHIISSTTSSIIZZEE & $$SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT are left unchanged, and the
history file is read in (if it exists) to initialize the new
list. If a second argument is specified, $$HHIISSTTSSIIZZEE & $$SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT
are instead set to the single specified numeric value. Finally,
if a third argument is specified, $$SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT is set to a separate
value from $$HHIISSTTSSIIZZEE. You are free to change these environment
values for the new history list however you desire in order to
manipulate the new history list.
`ffcc -PP' pops the history list back to an older list saved by `ffcc
-pp'. The current list is saved to its $$HHIISSTTFFIILLEE before it is
destroyed (assuming that $$HHIISSTTFFIILLEE and $$SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT are set appro-
priately, of course). The values of $$HHIISSTTFFIILLEE, $$HHIISSTTSSIIZZEE, and
$$SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT are restored to the values they had when `ffcc -pp' was
called. Note that this restoration can conflict with making
these variables "local", so your best bet is to avoid local dec-
larations for these variables in functions that use `ffcc -pp'.
The one other guaranteed-safe combination is declaring these
variables to be local at the top of your function and using the
automatic option (-aa) with `ffcc -pp'. Finally, note that it is
legal to manually pop a push marked for automatic popping if you
need to do so before the function exits.
`ffcc -RR' reads the history from the given file, `ffcc -WW' writes
the history out to the given file, and `ffcc -AA' appends the his-
tory out to the given file. If no filename is specified, the
$$HHIISSTTFFIILLEE is assumed. If the -II option is added to -RR, only
those events that are not already contained within the internal
history list are added. If the -II option is added to -AA or -WW,
only those events that are new since last incremental
append/write to the history file are appended/written. In any
case, the created file will have no more than $$SSAAVVEEHHIISSTT entries.
ffgg [ job ... ]
job ...
Bring each specified job in turn to the foreground. If no job
is specified, resume the current job.
ffllooaatt [ {++|-}EEFFHHgghhllpprrttuuxx ] [ -LLRRZZ [ n ]] [ name[==value] ... ]
Equivalent to ttyyppeesseett -EE, except that options irrelevant to
floating point numbers are not permitted.
ffuunnccttiioonnss [ {++|-}UUXXkkmmttuuzz ] [ name ... ]
Equivalent to ttyyppeesseett -ff.
ggeettccaapp See the section `The zsh/cap Module' in zshmodules(1).
ggeettllnn [ -AAccllnneeEE ] name ...
Read the top value from the buffer stack and put it in the shell
parameter nnaammee. Equivalent to rreeaadd -zzrr.
ggeettooppttss optstring name [ arg ... ]
Checks the args for legal options. If the args are omitted, use
the positional parameters. A valid option argument begins with
a `++' or a `-'. An argument not beginning with a `++' or a `-',
or the argument `--', ends the options. Note that a single `-'
is not considered a valid option argument. optstring contains
the letters that ggeettooppttss recognizes. If a letter is followed by
a `::', that option is expected to have an argument. The options
can be separated from the argument by blanks.
Each time it is invoked, ggeettooppttss places the option letter it
finds in the shell parameter name, prepended with a `++' when arg
begins with a `++'. The index of the next arg is stored in
OOPPTTIINNDD. The option argument, if any, is stored in OOPPTTAARRGG.
The first option to be examined may be changed by explicitly
assigning to OOPPTTIINNDD. OOPPTTIINNDD has an initial value of 11, and is
normally reset to 11 upon exit from a shell function. OOPPTTAARRGG is
not reset and retains its value from the most recent call to
ggeettooppttss. If either of OOPPTTIINNDD or OOPPTTAARRGG is explicitly unset, it
remains unset, and the index or option argument is not stored.
The option itself is still stored in name in this case.
A leading `::' in optstring causes ggeettooppttss to store the letter of
any invalid option in OOPPTTAARRGG, and to set name to `??' for an
unknown option and to `::' when a required option is missing.
Otherwise, ggeettooppttss sets name to `??' and prints an error message
when an option is invalid. The exit status is nonzero when
there are no more options.
hhaasshh [ -LLddffmmrrvv ] [ name[==value] ] ...
hhaasshh can be used to directly modify the contents of the command
hash table, and the named directory hash table. Normally one
would modify these tables by modifying one's PPAATTHH (for the com-
mand hash table) or by creating appropriate shell parameters
(for the named directory hash table). The choice of hash table
to work on is determined by the -dd option; without the option
the command hash table is used, and with the option the named
directory hash table is used.
Given no arguments, and neither the -rr or -ff options, the
selected hash table will be listed in full.
The -rr option causes the selected hash table to be emptied. It
will be subsequently rebuilt in the normal fashion. The -ff
option causes the selected hash table to be fully rebuilt imme-
diately. For the command hash table this hashes all the abso-
lute directories in the PPAATTHH, and for the named directory hash
table this adds all users' home directories. These two options
cannot be used with any arguments.
The -mm option causes the arguments to be taken as patterns
(which should be quoted) and the elements of the hash table
matching those patterns are printed. This is the only way to
display a limited selection of hash table elements.
For each name with a corresponding value, put `name' in the
selected hash table, associating it with the pathname `value'.
In the command hash table, this means that whenever `name' is
used as a command argument, the shell will try to execute the
file given by `value'. In the named directory hash table, this
means that `value' may be referred to as `~~name'.
For each name with no corresponding value, attempt to add name
to the hash table, checking what the appropriate vvaalluuee is in the
normal manner for that hash table. If an appropriate vvaalluuee
can't be found, then the hash table will be unchanged.
The -vv option causes hash table entries to be listed as they are
added by explicit specification. If has no effect if used with
-ff.
If the -LL flag is present, then each hash table entry is printed
in the form of a call to hash.
hhiissttoorryy
Same as ffcc -ll.
iinntteeggeerr [ {++|-}HHgghhiillpprrttuuxx ] [ -LLRRZZ [ n ]] [ name[==value] ... ]
Equivalent to ttyyppeesseett -ii, except that options irrelevant to
integers are not permitted.
jjoobbss [ -ddllpprrss ] [ job ... ]
jjoobbss -ZZ string
Lists information about each given job, or all jobs if job is
omitted. The -ll flag lists process IDs, and the -pp flag lists
process groups. If the -rr flag is specified only running jobs
will be listed and if the -ss flag is given only stopped jobs are
shown. If the -dd flag is given, the directory from which the
job was started (which may not be the current directory of the
job) will also be shown.
The -ZZ option replaces the shell's argument and environment
space with the given string, truncated if necessary to fit.
This will normally be visible in ppss (ps(1)) listings. This fea-
ture is typically used by daemons, to indicate their state.
kkiillll [ -ss signalname | -nn signalnumber | -sig ] job ...
kkiillll -ll [ sig ... ]
Sends either SSIIGGTTEERRMM or the specified signal to the given jobs
or processes. Signals are given by number or by names, with or
without the `SSIIGG' prefix. If the signal being sent is not
`KKIILLLL' or `CCOONNTT', then the job will be sent a `CCOONNTT' signal if
it is stopped. The argument job can be the process ID of a job
not in the job list. In the second form, kkiillll -ll, if sig is not
specified the signal names are listed. Otherwise, for each sig
that is a name, the corresponding signal number is listed. For
each sig that is a signal number or a number representing the
exit status of a process which was terminated or stopped by a
signal the name of the signal is printed.
On some systems, alternative signal names are allowed for a few
signals. Typical examples are SSIIGGCCHHLLDD and SSIIGGCCLLDD or SSIIGGPPOOLLLL and
SSIIGGIIOO, assuming they correspond to the same signal number. kkiillll
-ll will only list the preferred form, however kkiillll -ll alt will
show if the alternative form corresponds to a signal number.
For example, under Linux kkiillll -ll IIOO and kkiillll -ll PPOOLLLL both output
29, hence kkiillll -IIOO and kkiillll -PPOOLLLL have the same effect.
lleett arg ...
Evaluate each arg as an arithmetic expression. See the section
`Arithmetic Evaluation' for a description of arithmetic expres-
sions. The exit status is 0 if the value of the last expression
is nonzero, and 1 otherwise.
lliimmiitt [ -hhss ] [ resource [ limit ] ] ...
Set or display resource limits. Unless the -ss flag is given,
the limit applies only the children of the shell. If -ss is
given without other arguments, the resource limits of the cur-
rent shell is set to the previously set resource limits of the
children.
If limit is not specified, print the current limit placed on
resource, otherwise set the limit to the specified value. If
the -hh flag is given, use hard limits instead of soft limits.
If no resource is given, print all limits.
When looping over multiple resources, the shell will abort imme-
diately if it detects a badly formed argument. However, if it
fails to set a limit for some other reason it will continue try-
ing to set the remaining limits.
resource can be one of:
aaddddrreessssssppaaccee
Maximum amount of address space used.
aaiioommeemmoorryylloocckkeedd
Maximum amount of memory locked in RAM for AIO opera-
tions.
aaiiooooppeerraattiioonnss
Maximum number of AIO operations.
ccaacchheeddtthhrreeaaddss
Maximum number of cached threads.
ccoorreedduummppssiizzee
Maximum size of a core dump.
ccppuuttiimmee
Maximum CPU seconds per process.
ddaattaassiizzee
Maximum data size (including stack) for each process.
ddeessccrriippttoorrss
Maximum value for a file descriptor.
ffiilleessiizzee
Largest single file allowed.
mmaaxxpprroocc
Maximum number of processes.
mmaaxxpptthhrreeaaddss
Maximum number of threads per process.
mmeemmoorryylloocckkeedd
Maximum amount of memory locked in RAM.
mmeemmoorryyuussee
Maximum resident set size.
rreessiiddeenntt
Maximum resident set size.
ssoocckkbbuuffssiizzee
Maximum size of all socket buffers.
ssttaacckkssiizzee
Maximum stack size for each process.
vvmmeemmoorryyssiizzee
Maximum amount of virtual memory.
Which of these resource limits are available depends on the sys-
tem. resource can be abbreviated to any unambiguous prefix. It
can also be an integer, which corresponds to the integer defined
for the resource by the operating system.
If argument corresponds to a number which is out of the range of
the resources configured into the shell, the shell will try to
read or write the limit anyway, and will report an error if this
fails. As the shell does not store such resources internally,
an attempt to set the limit will fail unless the -ss option is
present.
limit is a number, with an optional scaling factor, as follows:
nhh hours
nkk kilobytes (default)
nmm megabytes or minutes
[mm::]ss
minutes and seconds
llooccaall [ {++|-}AAEEFFHHUUaahhllpprrttuuxx ] [ -LLRRZZii [ n ]] [ name[==value] ] ...
Same as ttyyppeesseett, except that the options -gg, and -ff are not per-
mitted. In this case the -xx option does not force the use of
-gg, i.e. exported variables will be local to functions.
lloogg List all users currently logged in who are affected by the cur-
rent setting of the wwaattcchh parameter.
llooggoouutt [ n ]
Same as eexxiitt, except that it only works in a login shell.
nnoogglloobb simple command
See the section `Precommand Modifiers'.
ppooppdd [ {++|-}n ]
Remove an entry from the directory stack, and perform a ccdd to
the new top directory. With no argument, the current top entry
is removed. An argument of the form `++n' identifies a stack
entry by counting from the left of the list shown by the ddiirrss
command, starting with zero. An argument of the form -nn counts
from the right. If the PPUUSSHHDDMMIINNUUSS option is set, the meanings
of `++' and `-' in this context are swapped.
pprriinntt [ -aabbccDDiillmmnnNNooOOppPPrrsszz ] [ -uu n ] [ -ff format ] [ -CC cols ]
[ -RR [ -eenn ]] [ arg ... ]
With the `-ff' option the arguments are printed as described by
pprriinnttff. With no flags or with the flag `-', the arguments are
printed on the standard output as described by eecchhoo, with the
following differences: the escape sequence `\\MM-x' metafies the
character x (sets the highest bit), `\\CC-x' produces a control
character (`\\CC-@@' and `\\CC-??' give the characters NUL and
delete), and `\\EE' is a synonym for `\\ee'. Finally, if not in an
escape sequence, `\\' escapes the following character and is not
printed.
-aa Print arguments with the column incrementing first. Only
useful with the -cc and -CC options.
-bb Recognize all the escape sequences defined for the bbiinndd-
kkeeyy command, see zshzle(1).
-cc Print the arguments in columns. Unless -aa is also given,
arguments are printed with the row incrementing first.
-CC cols
Print the arguments in cols columns. Unless -aa is also
given, arguments are printed with the row incrementing
first.
-DD Treat the arguments as directory names, replacing pre-
fixes with ~~ expressions, as appropriate.
-ii If given together with -oo or -OO, sorting is performed
case-independently.
-ll Print the arguments separated by newlines instead of spa-
ces.
-mm Take the first argument as a pattern (should be quoted),
and remove it from the argument list together with subse-
quent arguments that do not match this pattern.
-nn Do not add a newline to the output.
-NN Print the arguments separated and terminated by nulls.
-oo Print the arguments sorted in ascending order.
-OO Print the arguments sorted in descending order.
-pp Print the arguments to the input of the coprocess.
-PP Perform prompt expansion (see zshmisc(1)).
-rr Ignore the escape conventions of eecchhoo.
-RR Emulate the BSD eecchhoo command, which does not process
escape sequences unless the -ee flag is given. The -nn
flag suppresses the trailing newline. Only the -ee and -nn
flags are recognized after -RR; all other arguments and
options are printed.
-ss Place the results in the history list instead of on the
standard output.
-uu n Print the arguments to file descriptor n.
-zz Push the arguments onto the editing buffer stack, sepa-
rated by spaces.
If any of `-mm', `-oo' or `-OO' are used in combination with `-ff'
and there are no arguments (after the removal process in the
case of `-mm') then nothing is printed.
pprriinnttff format [ arg ... ]
Print the arguments according to the format specification. For-
matting rules are the same as used in C. The same escape
sequences as for eecchhoo are recognised in the format. All C con-
version specifications ending in one of csdiouxXeEfgGn are han-
dled. In addition to this, `%%bb' can be used instead of `%%ss' to
cause escape sequences in the argument to be recognised and `%%qq'
can be used to quote the argument in such a way that allows it
to be reused as shell input. With the numeric format specifiers,
if the corresponding argument starts with a quote character, the
numeric value of the following character is used as the number
to print otherwise the argument is evaluated as an arithmetic
expression. See the section `Arithmetic Evaluation' for a
description of arithmetic expressions. With `%%nn', the corre-
sponding argument is taken as an identifier which is created as
an integer parameter.
Normally, conversion specifications are applied to each argument
in order but they can explicitly specify the nth argument is to
be used by replacing `%%' by `%%n$$' and `**' by `**n$$'. It is rec-
ommended that you do not mix references of this explicit style
with the normal style and the handling of such mixed styles may
be subject to future change.
If arguments remain unused after formatting, the format string
is reused until all arguments have been consumed. With the pprriinntt
builtin, this can be suppressed by using the -rr option. If more
arguments are required by the format than have been specified,
the behaviour is as if zero or an empty string had been speci-
fied as the argument.
ppuusshhdd [ -ssLLPP ] [ arg ]
ppuusshhdd [ -ssLLPP ] old new
ppuusshhdd [ -ssLLPP ] {++|-}n
Change the current directory, and push the old current directory
onto the directory stack. In the first form, change the current
directory to arg. If arg is not specified, change to the second
directory on the stack (that is, exchange the top two entries),
or change to $$HHOOMMEE if the PPUUSSHHDDTTOOHHOOMMEE option is set or if
there is only one entry on the stack. Otherwise, arg is inter-
preted as it would be by ccdd. The meaning of old and new in the
second form is also the same as for ccdd.
The third form of ppuusshhdd changes directory by rotating the direc-
tory list. An argument of the form `++n' identifies a stack
entry by counting from the left of the list shown by the ddiirrss
command, starting with zero. An argument of the form `-n'
counts from the right. If the PPUUSSHHDDMMIINNUUSS option is set, the
meanings of `++' and `-' in this context are swapped.
If the option PPUUSSHHDDSSIILLEENNTT is not set, the directory stack will
be printed after a ppuusshhdd is performed.
The options -ss, -LL and -PP have the same meanings as for the ccdd
builtin.
ppuusshhllnn [ arg ... ]
Equivalent to pprriinntt -nnzz.
ppwwdd [ -rrLLPP ]
Print the absolute pathname of the current working directory.
If the -rr or the -PP flag is specified, or the CCHHAASSEELLIINNKKSS option
is set and the -LL flag is not given, the printed path will not
contain symbolic links.
rr Same as ffcc -ee -.
rreeaadd [ -rrsszzppqqAAccllnneeEE ] [ -tt [ num ] ] [ -kk [ num ] ] [ -dd delim ]
[ -uu n ] [ name[??prompt] ] [ name ... ]
Read one line and break it into fields using the characters in
$$IIFFSS as separators, except as noted below. The first field is
assigned to the first name, the second field to the second name,
etc., with leftover fields assigned to the last name. If name
is omitted then RREEPPLLYY is used for scalars and rreeppllyy for arrays.
-rr Raw mode: a `\\' at the end of a line does not signify
line continuation and backslashes in the line don't quote
the following character and are not removed.
-ss Don't echo back characters if reading from the terminal.
Currently does not work with the -qq option.
-qq Read only one character from the terminal and set name to
`yy' if this character was `yy' or `YY' and to `nn' other-
wise. With this flag set the return value is zero only
if the character was `yy' or `YY'. Note that this always
reads from the terminal, even if used with the -pp or -uu
or -zz flags or with redirected input. This option may
also be used within zle widgets.
-kk [ num ]
Read only one (or num) characters. All are assigned to
the first name, without word splitting. This flag is
ignored when -qq is present. Input is read from the ter-
minal unless one of -uu or -pp is present. This option may
also be used within zle widgets.
-zz Read one entry from the editor buffer stack and assign it
to the first name, without word splitting. Text is
pushed onto the stack with `pprriinntt -zz' or with ppuusshh-lliinnee
from the line editor (see zshzle(1)). This flag is
ignored when the -kk or -qq flags are present.
-ee
-EE The input read is printed (echoed) to the standard out-
put. If the -ee flag is used, no input is assigned to the
parameters.
-AA The first name is taken as the name of an array and all
words are assigned to it.
-cc
-ll These flags are allowed only if called inside a function
used for completion (specified with the -KK flag to ccoomm-
ppccttll). If the -cc flag is given, the words of the current
command are read. If the -ll flag is given, the whole line
is assigned as a scalar. If both flags are present, -ll
is used and -cc is ignored.
-nn Together with -cc, the number of the word the cursor is on
is read. With -ll, the index of the character the cursor
is on is read. Note that the command name is word number
1, not word 0, and that when the cursor is at the end of
the line, its character index is the length of the line
plus one.
-uu n Input is read from file descriptor n.
-pp Input is read from the coprocess.
-dd delim
Input is terminated by the first character of delim
instead of by newline.
-tt [ num ]
Test if input is available before attempting to read. If
num is present, it must begin with a digit and will be
evaluated to give a number of seconds, which may be a
floating point number; in this case the read times out if
input is not available within this time. If num is not
present, it is taken to be zero, so that rreeaadd returns
immediately if no input is available. If no input is
available, return status 1 and do not set any variables.
This option is not available when reading from the editor
buffer with -zz, when called from within completion with
-cc or -ll, with -qq which clears the input queue before
reading, or within zle where other mechanisms should be
used to test for input.
Note that read does not attempt to alter the input pro-
cessing mode. The default mode is canonical input, in
which an entire line is read at a time, so usually `rreeaadd
-tt' will not read anything until an entire line has been
typed. However, when reading from the terminal with -kk
input is processed one key at a time; in this case, only
availability of the first character is tested, so that
e.g. `rreeaadd -tt -kk 22' can still block on the second charac-
ter. Use two instances of `rreeaadd -tt -kk' if this is not
what is wanted. If the first argument contains a `??',
the remainder of this word is used as a prompt on stan-
dard error when the shell is interactive.
The value (exit status) of rreeaadd is 1 when an end-of-file is
encountered, or when -cc or -ll is present and the command is not
called from a ccoommppccttll function, or as described for -qq. Other-
wise the value is 0.
The behavior of some combinations of the -kk, -pp, -qq, -uu and -zz
flags is undefined. Presently -qq cancels all the others, -pp
cancels -uu, -kk cancels -zz, and otherwise -zz cancels both -pp and
-uu.
The -cc or -ll flags cancel any and all of -kkppqquuzz.
rreeaaddoonnllyy
Same as ttyyppeesseett -rr.
rreehhaasshh Same as hhaasshh -rr.
rreettuurrnn [ n ]
Causes a shell function or .. script to return to the invoking
script with the return status specified by n. If n is omitted,
the return status is that of the last command executed.
If rreettuurrnn was executed from a trap in a TTRRAAPPNAL function, the
effect is different for zero and non-zero return status. With
zero status (or after an implicit return at the end of the
trap), the shell will return to whatever it was previously pro-
cessing; with a non-zero status, the shell will behave as inter-
rupted except that the return status of the trap is retained.
Note that the numeric value of the signal which caused the trap
is passed as the first argument, so the statement `rreettuurrnn
$$((((112288++$$11))))' will return the same status as if the signal had
not been trapped.
sscchheedd See the section `The zsh/sched Module' in zshmodules(1).
sseett [ {++|-}options | {++|-}oo [ optionname ] ] ... [ {++|-}AA [ name ] ] [
arg ... ]
Set the options for the shell and/or set the positional parame-
ters, or declare and set an array. If the -ss option is given,
it causes the specified arguments to be sorted before assigning
them to the positional parameters (or to the array name if -AA is
used). With ++ss sort arguments in descending order. For the
meaning of the other flags, see zshoptions(1). Flags may be
specified by name using the -oo option. If no option name is sup-
plied with -oo, the current option states are printed. With ++oo
they are printed in a form that can be used as input to the
shell.
If the -AA flag is specified, name is set to an array containing
the given args; if no name is specified, all arrays are printed
together with their values.
If ++AA is used and name is an array, the given arguments will
replace the initial elements of that array; if no name is speci-
fied, all arrays are printed without their values.
The behaviour of arguments after -AA name or ++AA name depends on
whether the option KKSSHHAARRRRAAYYSS is set. If it is not set, all
arguments following name are treated as values for the array,
regardless of their form. If the option is set, normal option
processing continues at that point; only regular arguments are
treated as values for the array. This means that
sseett -AA aarrrraayy -xx -- ffoooo
sets aarrrraayy to `-xx -- ffoooo' if KKSSHHAARRRRAAYYSS is not set, but sets the
array to ffoooo and turns on the option `-xx' if it is set.
If the -AA flag is not present, but there are arguments beyond
the options, the positional parameters are set. If the option
list (if any) is terminated by `--', and there are no further
arguments, the positional parameters will be unset.
If no arguments and no `--' are given, then the names and values
of all parameters are printed on the standard output. If the
only argument is `++', the names of all parameters are printed.
sseettccaapp See the section `The zsh/cap Module' in zshmodules(1).
sseettoopptt [ {++|-}options | {++|-}oo optionname ] [ name ... ]
Set the options for the shell. All options specified either
with flags or by name are set. If no arguments are supplied,
the names of all options currently set are printed. If the -mm
flag is given the arguments are taken as patterns (which should
be quoted to protect them from filename expansion), and all
options with names matching these patterns are set.
sshhiifftt [ n ] [ name ... ]
The positional parameters $${{n+1}} ... are renamed to $$11 ...,
where n is an arithmetic expression that defaults to 1. If any
names are given then the arrays with these names are shifted
instead of the positional parameters.
ssoouurrccee file [ arg ... ]
Same as .., except that the current directory is always searched
and is always searched first, before directories in $$ppaatthh.
ssttaatt See the section `The zsh/stat Module' in zshmodules(1).
ssuussppeenndd [ -ff ]
Suspend the execution of the shell (send it a SSIIGGTTSSTTPP) until it
receives a SSIIGGCCOONNTT. Unless the -ff option is given, this will
refuse to suspend a login shell.
tteesstt [ arg ... ]
[[ [ arg ... ] ]]
Like the system version of tteesstt. Added for compatibility; use
conditional expressions instead (see the section `Conditional
Expressions'). The main differences between the conditional
expression syntax and the tteesstt and [[ builtins are: these com-
mands are not handled syntactically, so for example an empty
variable expansion may cause an argument to be omitted; syntax
errors cause status 2 to be returned instead of a shell error;
and arithmetic operators expect integer arguments rather than
arithemetic expressions.
ttiimmeess Print the accumulated user and system times for the shell and
for processes run from the shell.
ttrraapp [ arg [ sig ... ] ]
arg is a series of commands (usually quoted to protect it from
immediate evaluation by the shell) to be read and executed when
the shell receives sig. Each sig can be given as a number or as
the name of a signal. If arg is `-', then all traps sig are
reset to their default values. If arg is the empty string, then
this signal is ignored by the shell and by the commands it
invokes.
If sig is ZZEERRRR then arg will be executed after each command with
a nonzero exit status. If sig is DDEEBBUUGG then arg will be exe-
cuted after each command. If sig is 00 or EEXXIITT and the ttrraapp
statement is executed inside the body of a function, then the
command arg is executed after the function completes. If sig is
00 or EEXXIITT and the ttrraapp statement is not executed inside the body
of a function, then the command arg is executed when the shell
terminates.
ZZEERRRR, DDEEBBUUGG and EEXXIITT traps are not executed inside other traps.
The ttrraapp command with no arguments prints a list of commands
associated with each signal.
Note that traps defined with the ttrraapp builtin are slightly dif-
ferent from those defined as `TTRRAAPPNAL () { ... }', as the latter
have their own function environment (line numbers, local vari-
ables, etc.) while the former use the environment of the command
in which they were called. For example,
ttrraapp ''pprriinntt $$LLIINNEENNOO'' DDEEBBUUGG
will print the line number of a command executed after it has
run, while
TTRRAAPPDDEEBBUUGG(()) {{ pprriinntt $$LLIINNEENNOO;; }}
will always print the number zero.
Alternative signal names are allowed as described under kkiillll
above. Defining a trap under either name causes any trap under
an alternative name to be removed. However, it is recommended
that for consistency users stick exclusively to one name or
another.
ttrruuee [ arg ... ]
Do nothing and return an exit code of 0.
ttttyyccttll -ffuu
The -ff option freezes the tty, and -uu unfreezes it. When the
tty is frozen, no changes made to the tty settings by external
programs will be honored by the shell, except for changes in the
size of the screen; the shell will simply reset the settings to
their previous values as soon as each command exits or is sus-
pended. Thus, ssttttyy and similar programs have no effect when the
tty is frozen. Without options it reports whether the terminal
is frozen or not.
ttyyppee [ -wwffppaammss ] name ...
Equivalent to wwhheennccee -vv.
ttyyppeesseett [ {++|-}AAEEFFHHUUaaffgghhkkllpprrttuuxxmmzz ] [ -LLRRZZii [ n ]] [ name[==value] ... ]
ttyyppeesseett -T [ {++||-}}UUrruuxx ]] [[ -LLRRZZ [[ n ]]]] SCALAR[[==value]] array [[ sep ]]
Set or display attributes and values for shell parameters.
A parameter is created for each name that does not already refer
to one. When inside a function, a new parameter is created for
every name (even those that already exist), and is unset again
when the function completes. See `Local Parameters' in zsh-
param(1). The same rules apply to special shell parameters,
which retain their special attributes when made local.
For each name==value assignment, the parameter name is set to
value. Note that arrays currently cannot be assigned in ttyyppeesseett
expressions, only scalars and integers.
If the shell option TTYYPPEESSEETTSSIILLEENNTT is not set, for each remain-
ing name that refers to a parameter that is set, the name and
value of the parameter are printed in the form of an assignment.
Nothing is printed for newly-created parameters, or when any
attribute flags listed below are given along with the name.
Using `++' instead of minus to introduce an attribute turns it
off.
If the -pp option is given, parameters and values are printed in
the form of a typeset comand and an assignment (which will be
printed separately for arrays and associative arrays), regard-
less of other flags and options. Note that the -hh flag on
parameters is respected; no value will be shown for these param-
eters.
If the -TT option is given, two or three arguments must be
present (an exception is that zero arguments are allowed to show
the list of parameters created in this fashion). The first two
are the name of a scalar and an array parameter (in that order)
that will be tied together in the manner of $$PPAATTHH and $$ppaatthh.
The optional third argument is a single-character separator
which will be used to join the elements of the array to form the
scalar; if absent, a colon is used, as with $$PPAATTHH. Only the
first character of the separator is significant; any remaining
characters are ignored. Only the scalar parameter may be
assigned an initial value. Both the scalar and the array may
otherwise be manipulated as normal. If one is unset, the other
will automatically be unset too. There is no way of untying the
variables without unsetting them, or converting the type of one
of them with another ttyyppeesseett command; ++TT does not work, assign-
ing an array to SCALAR is an error, and assigning a scalar to
array sets it to be a single-element array. Note that both
`ttyyppeesseett -xxTT ......' and `eexxppoorrtt -TT ......' work, but only the scalar
will be marked for export. Setting the value using the scalar
version causes a split on all separators (which cannot be
quoted).
The -gg (global) flag is treated specially: it means that any
resulting parameter will not be restricted to local scope. Note
that this does not necessarily mean that the parameter will be
global, as the flag will apply to any existing parameter (even
if unset) from an enclosing function. This flag does not affect
the parameter after creation, hence it has no effect when list-
ing existing parameters, nor does the flag ++gg have any effect
except in combination with -mm (see below).
If no name is present, the names and values of all parameters
are printed. In this case the attribute flags restrict the dis-
play to only those parameters that have the specified
attributes, and using `++' rather than `-' to introduce the flag
suppresses printing of the values of parameters when there is no
parameter name. Also, if the last option is the word `++', then
names are printed but values are not.
If the -mm flag is given the name arguments are taken as patterns
(which should be quoted). With no attribute flags, all parame-
ters (or functions with the -ff flag) with matching names are
printed (the shell option TTYYPPEESSEETTSSIILLEENNTT is not used in this
case). Note that -mm is ignored if no patterns are given. If
the ++gg flag is combined with -mm, a new local parameter is cre-
ated for every matching parameter that is not already local.
Otherwise -mm applies all other flags or assignments to the
existing parameters. Except when assignments are made with
name==value, using ++mm forces the matching parameters to be
printed, even inside a function.
If no attribute flags are given and either no -mm flag is present
or the ++mm form was used, each parameter name printed is preceded
by a list of the attributes of that parameter (aarrrraayy, aassssoocciiaa-
ttiioonn, eexxppoorrtteedd, iinntteeggeerr, rreeaaddoonnllyy). If ++mm is used with
attribute flags, and all those flags are introduced with ++, the
matching parameter names are printed but their values are not.
The following attribute flags may be specified:
-AA The names refer to associative array parameters; see
`Array Parameters' in zshparam(1).
-LL Left justify and remove leading blanks from value. If n
is nonzero, it defines the width of the field. If n is
zero, the width is determined by the width of the value
of the first assignment. In the case of numeric parame-
ters, the length of the complete value assigned to the
parameter is used to determine the width, not the value
that would be output. When the parameter is expanded, it
is filled on the right with blanks or truncated if neces-
sary to fit the field. Note truncation can lead to unex-
pected results with numeric parameters. Leading zeros
are removed if the -ZZ flag is also set.
-RR Similar to -LL, except that right justification is used;
when the parameter is expanded, the field is left filled
with blanks or truncated from the end. May not be com-
bined with the -ZZ flag.
-UU For arrays (but not for associative arrays), keep only
the first occurrence of each duplicated value. This may
also be set for colon-separated special parameters like
PPAATTHH or FFIIGGNNOORREE, etc. This flag has a different meaning
when used with -ff; see below.
-ZZ Specially handled if set along with the -LL flag. Other-
wise, similar to -RR, except that leading zeros are used
for padding instead of blanks if the first non-blank
character is a digit. Numeric parameters are specially
handled: they are always eligible for padding with
zeroes, and the zeroes are inserted at an appropriate
place in the output.
-aa The names refer to array parameters. An array parameter
may be created this way, but it may not be assigned to in
the ttyyppeesseett statement. When displaying, both normal and
associative arrays are shown.
-ff The names refer to functions rather than parameters. No
assignments can be made, and the only other valid flags
are -tt, -kk, -uu, -UU and -zz. The flag -tt turns on execu-
tion tracing for this function. The -uu and -UU flags
cause the function to be marked for autoloading; -UU also
causes alias expansion to be suppressed when the function
is loaded. The ffppaatthh parameter will be searched to find
the function definition when the function is first refer-
enced; see the section `Functions'. The -kk and -zz flags
make the function be loaded using ksh-style or zsh-style
autoloading respectively. If neither is given, the set-
ting of the KSHAUTOLOAD option determines how the func-
tion is loaded.
-hh Hide: only useful for special parameters (those marked
`' in the table in zshparams(1)), and for local param-
eters with the same name as a special parameter, though
harmless for others. A special parameter with this
attribute will not retain its special effect when made
local. Thus after `ttyyppeesseett -hh PPAATTHH', a function contain-
ing `ttyyppeesseett PPAATTHH' will create an ordinary local parame-
ter without the usual behaviour of PPAATTHH. Alternatively,
the local parameter may itself be given this attribute;
hence inside a function `ttyyppeesseett -hh PPAATTHH' creates an
ordinary local parameter and the special PPAATTHH parameter
is not altered in any way. It is also possible to create
a local parameter using `ttyyppeesseett ++hh special', where the
local copy of special will retain its special properties
regardless of having the -hh attribute. Global special
parameters loaded from shell modules (currently those in
zzsshh//mmaappffiillee and zzsshh//ppaarraammeetteerr) are automatically given
the -hh attribute to avoid name clashes.
-HH Hide value: specifies that ttyyppeesseett will not display the
value of the parameter when listing parameters; the dis-
play for such parameters is always as if the `++' flag had
been given. Use of the parameter is in other respects
normal, and the option does not apply if the parameter is
specified by name, or by pattern with the -mm option.
This is on by default for the parameters in the
zzsshh//ppaarraammeetteerr and zzsshh//mmaappffiillee modules. Note, however,
that unlike the -hh flag this is also useful for non-spe-
cial parameters.
-ii Use an internal integer representation. If n is nonzero
it defines the output arithmetic base, otherwise it is
determined by the first assignment.
-EE Use an internal double-precision floating point represen-
tation. On output the variable will be converted to sci-
entific notation. If n is nonzero it defines the number
of significant figures to display; the default is ten.
-FF Use an internal double-precision floating point represen-
tation. On output the variable will be converted to
fixed-point decimal notation. If n is nonzero it defines
the number of digits to display after the decimal point;
the default is ten.
-ll Convert the result to lower case whenever the parameter
is expanded. The value is not converted when assigned.
-rr The given names are marked readonly. Note that if name
is a special parameter, the readonly attribute can be
turned on, but cannot then be turned off.
-tt Tags the named parameters. Tags have no special meaning
to the shell. This flag has a different meaning when
used with -ff; see above.
-uu Convert the result to upper case whenever the parameter
is expanded. The value is not converted when assigned.
This flag has a different meaning when used with -ff; see
above.
-xx Mark for automatic export to the environment of subse-
quently executed commands. If the option GGLLOOBBAALLEEXXPPOORRTT
is set, this implies the option -gg, unless ++gg is also
explicitly given; in other words the parameter is not
made local to the enclosing function. This is for com-
patibility with previous versions of zsh.
uulliimmiitt [ [ -SSHHaaccddffllmmnnppssttvv | -NN resource [ limit ] ... ]
Set or display resource limits of the shell and the processes
started by the shell. The value of limit can be a number in the
unit specified below or the value `uunnlliimmiitteedd'. By default, only
soft limits are manipulated. If the -HH flag is given use hard
limits instead of soft limits. If the -SS flag is given together
with the -HH flag set both hard and soft limits. If no options
are used, the file size limit (-ff) is assumed. If limit is
omitted the current value of the specified resources are
printed. When more than one resource values are printed the
limit name and unit is printed before each value.
When looping over multiple resources, the shell will abort imme-
diately if it detects a badly formed argument. However, if it
fails to set a limit for some other reson it will continue try-
ing to set the remaining limits.
-aa Lists all of the current resource limits.
-cc 512-byte blocks on the size of core dumps.
-dd K-bytes on the size of the data segment.
-ff 512-byte blocks on the size of files written.
-ll K-bytes on the size of locked-in memory.
-mm K-bytes on the size of physical memory.
-nn open file descriptors.
-ss K-bytes on the size of the stack.
-tt CPU seconds to be used.
-uu processes available to the user.
-vv K-bytes on the size of virtual memory. On some systems
this refers to the limit called `address space'.
A resource may also be specified by integer in the form `-NN
resource', where resource corresponds to the integer defined for
the resource by the operating system. This may be used to set
the limits for resources known to the shell which do not corre-
spond to option letters. Such limits will be shown by number in
the output of `uulliimmiitt -aa'.
The number may alternatively be out of the range of limits com-
piled into the shell. The shell will try to read or write the
limit anyway, and will report an error if this fails.
uummaasskk [ -SS ] [ mask ]
The umask is set to mask. mask can be either an octal number or
a symbolic value as described in chmod(1). If mask is omitted,
the current value is printed. The -SS option causes the mask to
be printed as a symbolic value. Otherwise, the mask is printed
as an octal number. Note that in the symbolic form the permis-
sions you specify are those which are to be allowed (not denied)
to the users specified.
uunnaalliiaass
Same as uunnhhaasshh -aa.
uunnffuunnccttiioonn
Same as uunnhhaasshh -ff.
uunnhhaasshh [ -aaddffmmss ] name ...
Remove the element named name from an internal hash table. The
default is remove elements from the command hash table. The -aa
option causes uunnhhaasshh to remove regular or global aliases. The
-ss option causes uunnhhaasshh to remove suffix aliases. The -ff option
causes uunnhhaasshh to remove shell functions. The -dd options causes
uunnhhaasshh to remove named directories. If the -mm flag is given the
arguments are taken as patterns (should be quoted) and all ele-
ments of the corresponding hash table with matching names will
be removed.
uunnlliimmiitt [ -hhss ] resource ...
The resource limit for each resource is set to the hard limit.
If the -hh flag is given and the shell has appropriate privi-
leges, the hard resource limit for each resource is removed.
The resources of the shell process are only changed if the -ss
flag is given.
uunnsseett [ -ffmmvv ] name ...
Each named parameter is unset. Local parameters remain local
even if unset; they appear unset within scope, but the previous
value will still reappear when the scope ends.
Individual elements of associative array parameters may be unset
by using subscript syntax on name, which should be quoted (or
the entire command prefixed with nnoogglloobb) to protect the sub-
script from filename generation.
If the -mm flag is specified the arguments are taken as patterns
(should be quoted) and all parameters with matching names are
unset. Note that this cannot be used when unsetting associative
array elements, as the subscript will be treated as part of the
pattern.
The -vv flag specifies that name refers to parameters. This is
the default behaviour.
uunnsseett -ff is equivalent to uunnffuunnccttiioonn.
uunnsseettoopptt [ {++|-}options | {++|-}oo optionname ] [ name ... ]
Unset the options for the shell. All options specified either
with flags or by name are unset. If no arguments are supplied,
the names of all options currently unset are printed. If the -mm
flag is given the arguments are taken as patterns (which should
be quoted to preserve them from being interpreted as glob pat-
terns), and all options with names matching these patterns are
unset.
vvaarreedd See the section `Zle Builtins' in zshzle(1).
wwaaiitt [ job ... ]
Wait for the specified jobs or processes. If job is not given
then all currently active child processes are waited for. Each
job can be either a job specification or the process ID of a job
in the job table. The exit status from this command is that of
the job waited for.
wwhheennccee [ -vvccwwffppaammss ] name ...
For each name, indicate how it would be interpreted if used as a
command name.
-vv Produce a more verbose report.
-cc Print the results in a ccsshh-like format. This takes
precedence over -vv.
-ww For each name, print `name:: word' where word is one of
aalliiaass, bbuuiillttiinn, ccoommmmaanndd, ffuunnccttiioonn, hhaasshheedd, rreesseerrvveedd or
nnoonnee, according as name corresponds to an alias, a
built-in command, an external command, a shell function,
a command defined with the hhaasshh builtin, a reserved word,
or is not recognised. This takes precedence over -vv and
-cc.
-ff Causes the contents of a shell function to be displayed,
which would otherwise not happen unless the -cc flag were
used.
-pp Do a path search for name even if it is an alias,
reserved word, shell function or builtin.
-aa Do a search for all occurrences of name throughout the
command path. Normally only the first occurrence is
printed.
-mm The arguments are taken as patterns (should be quoted),
and the information is displayed for each command match-
ing one of these patterns.
-ss If a pathname contains symlinks, print the symlink-free
pathname as well.
wwhheerree [ -wwppmmss ] name ...
Equivalent to wwhheennccee -ccaa.
wwhhiicchh [ -wwppaammss ] name ...
Equivalent to wwhheennccee -cc.
zzccoommppiillee [ -UU ] [ -zz | -kk ] [ -RR | -MM ] file [ name ... ]
zzccoommppiillee -ccaa [ -mm ] [ -RR | -MM ] file [ name ... ]
zzccoommppiillee -tt file [ name ... ]
This builtin command can be used to compile functions or
scripts, storing the compiled form in a file, and to examine
files containing the compiled form. This allows faster
autoloading of functions and execution of scripts by avoiding
parsing of the text when the files are read.
The first form (without the -cc, -aa or -tt options) creates a com-
piled file. If only the file argument is given, the output file
has the name `file..zzwwcc' and will be placed in the same directory
as the file. The shell will load the compiled file instead of
the normal function file when the function is autoloaded; see
the section `Autoloading Functions' in zshfunc(1) for a descrip-
tion of how autoloaded functions are searched. The extension
..zzwwcc stands for `zsh word code'.
If there is at least one name argument, all the named files are
compiled into the output file given as the first argument. If
file does not end in ..zzwwcc, this extension is automatically
appended. Files containing multiple compiled functions are
called `digest' files, and are intended to be used as elements
of the FFPPAATTHH/ffppaatthh special array.
The second form, with the -cc or -aa options, writes the compiled
definitions for all the named functions into file. For -cc, the
names must be functions currently defined in the shell, not
those marked for autoloading. Undefined functions that are
marked for autoloading may be written by using the -aa option, in
which case the ffppaatthh is searched and the contents of the defini-
tion files for those functions, if found, are compiled into
file. If both -cc and -aa are given, names of both defined func-
tions and functions marked for autoloading may be given. In
either case, the functions in files written with the -cc or -aa
option will be autoloaded as if the KKSSHHAAUUTTOOLLOOAADD option were
unset.
The reason for handling loaded and not-yet-loaded functions with
different options is that some definition files for autoloading
define multiple functions, including the function with the same
name as the file, and, at the end, call that function. In such
cases the output of `zzccoommppiillee -cc' does not include the addi-
tional functions defined in the file, and any other initializa-
tion code in the file is lost. Using `zzccoommppiillee -aa' captures all
this extra information.
If the -mm option is combined with -cc or -aa, the names are used
as patterns and all functions whose names match one of these
patterns will be written. If no name is given, the definitions
of all functions currently defined or marked as autoloaded will
be written.
The third form, with the -tt option, examines an existing com-
piled file. Without further arguments, the names of the origi-
nal files compiled into it are listed. The first line of output
shows the version of the shell which compiled the file and how
the file will be used (i.e. by reading it directly or by mapping
it into memory). With arguments, nothing is output and the
return value is set to zero if definitions for all names were
found in the compiled file, and non-zero if the definition for
at least one name was not found.
Other options:
-UU Aliases are not expanded when compiling the named files.
-RR When the compiled file is read, its contents are copied
into the shell's memory, rather than memory-mapped (see
-MM). This happens automatically on systems that do not
support memory mapping.
When compiling scripts instead of autoloadable functions,
it is often desirable to use this option; otherwise the
whole file, including the code to define functions which
have already been defined, will remain mapped, conse-
quently wasting memory.
-MM The compiled file is mapped into the shell's memory when
read. This is done in such a way that multiple instances
of the shell running on the same host will share this
mapped file. If neither -RR nor -MM is given, the zzccoommppiillee
builtin decides what to do based on the size of the com-
piled file.
-kk
-zz These options are used when the compiled file contains
functions which are to be autoloaded. If -zz is given, the
function will be autoloaded as if the KKSSHHAAUUTTOOLLOOAADD option
is not set, even if it is set at the time the compiled
file is read, while if the -kk is given, the function will
be loaded as if KKSSHHAAUUTTOOLLOOAADD is set. These options also
take precedence over any -kk or -zz options specified to
the aauuttoollooaadd builtin. If neither of these options is
given, the function will be loaded as determined by the
setting of the KKSSHHAAUUTTOOLLOOAADD option at the time the com-
piled file is read.
These options may also appear as many times as necessary
between the listed names to specify the loading style of
all following functions, up to the next -kk or -zz.
The created file always contains two versions of the com-
piled format, one for big-endian machines and one for
small-endian machines. The upshot of this is that the
compiled file is machine independent and if it is read or
mapped, only one half of the file is actually used (and
mapped).
zzffoorrmmaatt
See the section `The zsh/zutil Module' in zshmodules(1).
zzffttpp See the section `The zsh/zftp Module' in zshmodules(1).
zzllee See the section `Zle Builtins' in zshzle(1).
zzmmooddllooaadd [ -ddLL ] [ ... ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -ee [ -AA ] [ ... ]
zzmmooddllooaadd [ -aa [ -bbccppff [ -II ] ] ] [ -iiLL ] ...
zzmmooddllooaadd -uu [ -aabbccddppff [ -II ] ] [ -iiLL ] ...
zzmmooddllooaadd -AA [ -LL ] [ modalias[==module] ... ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -RR modalias ...
Performs operations relating to zsh's loadable modules. Loading
of modules while the shell is running (`dynamical loading') is
not available on all operating systems, or on all installations
on a particular operating system, although the zzmmooddllooaadd command
itself is always available and can be used to manipulate modules
built into versions of the shell executable without dynamical
loading.
Without arguments the names of all currently loaded binary mod-
ules are printed. The -LL option causes this list to be in the
form of a series of zzmmooddllooaadd commands. Forms with arguments
are:
zzmmooddllooaadd [ -ii ] name ...
zzmmooddllooaadd -uu [ -ii ] name ...
In the simplest case, zzmmooddllooaadd loads a binary module.
The module must be in a file with a name consisting of
the specified name followed by a standard suffix, usually
`..ssoo' (`..ssll' on HPUX). If the module to be loaded is
already loaded and the -ii option is given, the duplicate
module is ignored. Otherwise zzmmooddllooaadd prints an error
message.
The named module is searched for in the same way a com-
mand is, using $$mmoodduulleeppaatthh instead of $$ppaatthh. However,
the path search is performed even when the module name
contains a `//', which it usually does. There is no way
to prevent the path search.
With -uu, zzmmooddllooaadd unloads modules. The same name must be
given that was given when the module was loaded, but it
is not necessary for the module to exist in the filesys-
tem. The -ii option suppresses the error if the module is
already unloaded (or was never loaded).
Each module has a boot and a cleanup function. The mod-
ule will not be loaded if its boot function fails. Simi-
larly a module can only be unloaded if its cleanup func-
tion runs successfully.
zzmmooddllooaadd -dd [ -LL ] [ name ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -dd name dep ...
zzmmooddllooaadd -uudd name [ dep ... ]
The -dd option can be used to specify module dependencies.
The modules named in the second and subsequent arguments
will be loaded before the module named in the first argu-
ment.
With -dd and one argument, all dependencies for that mod-
ule are listed. With -dd and no arguments, all module
dependencies are listed. This listing is by default in a
Makefile-like format. The -LL option changes this format
to a list of zzmmooddllooaadd -dd commands.
If -dd and -uu are both used, dependencies are removed. If
only one argument is given, all dependencies for that
module are removed.
zzmmooddllooaadd -aabb [ -LL ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -aabb [ -ii ] name [ builtin ... ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -uubb [ -ii ] builtin ...
The -aabb option defines autoloaded builtins. It defines
the specified builtins. When any of those builtins is
called, the module specified in the first argument is
loaded. If only the name is given, one builtin is
defined, with the same name as the module. -ii suppresses
the error if the builtin is already defined or
autoloaded, regardless of which module it came from.
With -aabb and no arguments, all autoloaded builtins are
listed, with the module name (if different) shown in
parentheses after the builtin name. The -LL option
changes this format to a list of zzmmooddllooaadd -aa commands.
If -bb is used together with the -uu option, it removes
builtins previously defined with -aabb. This is only pos-
sible if the builtin is not yet loaded. -ii suppresses
the error if the builtin is already removed (or never
existed).
zzmmooddllooaadd -aacc [ -IILL ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -aacc [ -iiII ] name [ cond ... ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -uucc [ -iiII ] cond ...
The -aacc option is used to define autoloaded condition
codes. The cond strings give the names of the conditions
defined by the module. The optional -II option is used to
define infix condition names. Without this option prefix
condition names are defined.
If given no condition names, all defined names are listed
(as a series of zzmmooddllooaadd commands if the -LL option is
given).
The -uucc option removes definitions for autoloaded condi-
tions.
zzmmooddllooaadd -aapp [ -LL ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -aapp [ -ii ] name [ parameter ... ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -uupp [ -ii ] parameter ...
The -pp option is like the -bb and -cc options, but makes
zzmmooddllooaadd work on autoloaded parameters instead.
zzmmooddllooaadd -aaff [ -LL ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -aaff [ -ii ] name [ function ... ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -uuff [ -ii ] function ...
The -ff option is like the -bb, -pp, and -cc options, but
makes zzmmooddllooaadd work on autoloaded math functions instead.
zzmmooddllooaadd -aa [ -LL ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -aa [ -ii ] name [ builtin ... ]
zzmmooddllooaadd -uuaa [ -ii ] builtin ...
Equivalent to -aabb and -uubb.
zzmmooddllooaadd -ee [ -AA ] [ string ... ]
The -ee option without arguments lists all loaded modules;
if the -AA option is also given, module aliases corre-
sponding to loaded modules are also shown. With argu-
ments only the return status is set to zero if all
strings given as arguments are names of loaded modules
and to one if at least on string is not the name of a
loaded module. This can be used to test for the avail-
ability of things implemented by modules. In this case,
any aliases are automatically resolved and the -AA flag is
not used.
zzmmooddllooaadd -AA [ -LL ] [ modalias[==module] ... ]
For each argument, if both modalias and module are given,
define modalias to be an alias for the module module. If
the module modalias is ever subsequently requested,
either via a call to zzmmooddllooaadd or implicitly, the shell
will attempt to load module instead. If module is not
given, show the definition of modalias. If no arguments
are given, list all defined module aliases. When list-
ing, if the -LL flag was also given, list the definition
as a zzmmooddllooaadd command to recreate the alias.
The existence of aliases for modules is completely inde-
pendent of whether the name resolved is actually loaded
as a module: while the alias exists, loading and unload-
ing the module under any alias has exactly the same
effect as using the resolved name, and does not affect
the connection between the alias and the resolved name
which can be removed either by zzmmooddllooaadd -RR or by redefin-
ing the alias. Chains of aliases (i.e. where the first
resolved name is itself an alias) are valid so long as
these are not circular. As the aliases take the same
format as module names, they may include path separators:
in this case, there is no requirement for any part of the
path named to exist as the alias will be resolved first.
For example, `aannyy//oolldd//aalliiaass' is always a valid alias.
Dependencies added to aliased modules are actually added
to the resolved module; these remain if the alias is
removed. It is valid to create an alias whose name is
one of the standard shell modules and which resolves to a
different module. However, if a module has dependencies,
it will not be possible to use the module name as an
alias as the module will already be marked as a loadable
module in its own right.
Apart from the above, aliases can be used in the zzmmooddllooaadd
command anywhere module names are required. However,
aliases will not be shown in lists of loaded modules with
a bare `zzmmooddllooaadd'.
zzmmooddllooaadd -RR modalias ...
For each modalias argument that was previously defined as
a module alias via zzmmooddllooaadd -AA, delete the alias. If any
was not defined, an error is caused and the remainder of
the line is ignored.
Note that zzsshh makes no distinction between modules that were
linked into the shell and modules that are loaded dynamically.
In both cases this builtin command has to be used to make avail-
able the builtins and other things defined by modules (unless
the module is autoloaded on these definitions). This is true
even for systems that don't support dynamic loading of modules.
zzppaarrsseeooppttss
See the section `The zsh/zutil Module' in zshmodules(1).
zzpprrooff See the section `The zsh/zprof Module' in zshmodules(1).
zzppttyy See the section `The zsh/zpty Module' in zshmodules(1).
zzrreeggeexxppaarrssee
See the section `The zsh/zutil Module' in zshmodules(1).
zzssoocckkeett
See the section `The zsh/net/socket Module' in zshmodules(1).
zzssttyyllee See the section `The zsh/zutil Module' in zshmodules(1).
zzttccpp See the section `The zsh/net/tcp Module' in zshmodules(1).
ZSHZLE(1) ZSHZLE(1)
NAME
zshzle - zsh command line editor
DESCRIPTION
If the ZZLLEE option is set (which it is by default in interactive shells)
and the shell input is attached to the terminal, the user is able to
edit command lines.
There are two display modes. The first, multiline mode, is the
default. It only works if the TTEERRMM parameter is set to a valid termi-
nal type that can move the cursor up. The second, single line mode, is
used if TTEERRMM is invalid or incapable of moving the cursor up, or if the
SSIINNGGLLEELLIINNEEZZLLEE option is set. This mode is similar to kksshh, and uses
no termcap sequences. If TTEERRMM is "emacs", the ZZLLEE option will be unset
by default.
The parameters BBAAUUDD, CCOOLLUUMMNNSS, and LLIINNEESS are also used by the line edi-
tor. See Parameters Used By The Shell in zshparam(1).
KKEEYYMMAAPPSS
A keymap in ZLE contains a set of bindings between key sequences and
ZLE commands. The empty key sequence cannot be bound.
There can be any number of keymaps at any time, and each keymap has one
or more names. If all of a keymap's names are deleted, it disappears.
bbiinnddkkeeyy can be used to manipulate keymap names.
Initially, there are four keymaps:
eemmaaccss EMACS emulation
vviiiinnss vi emulation - insert mode
vviiccmmdd vi emulation - command mode
..ssaaffee fallback keymap
The `..ssaaffee' keymap is special. It can never be altered, and the name
can never be removed. However, it can be linked to other names, which
can be removed. In the future other special keymaps may be added;
users should avoid using names beginning with `..' for their own
keymaps.
In addition to these four names, either `eemmaaccss' or `vviiiinnss' is also
linked to the name `mmaaiinn'. If one of the VVIISSUUAALL or EEDDIITTOORR environment
variables contain the string `vvii' when the shell starts up then it will
be `vviiiinnss', otherwise it will be `eemmaaccss'. bbiinnddkkeeyy's -ee and -vv options
provide a convenient way to override this default choice.
When the editor starts up, it will select the `mmaaiinn' keymap. If that
keymap doesn't exist, it will use `..ssaaffee' instead.
In the `..ssaaffee' keymap, each single key is bound to sseellff-iinnsseerrtt, except
for ^J (line feed) and ^M (return) which are bound to aacccceepptt-lliinnee.
This is deliberately not pleasant to use; if you are using it, it means
you deleted the main keymap, and you should put it back.
RReeaaddiinngg CCoommmmaannddss
When ZLE is reading a command from the terminal, it may read a sequence
that is bound to some command and is also a prefix of a longer bound
string. In this case ZLE will wait a certain time to see if more char-
acters are typed, and if not (or they don't match any longer string) it
will execute the binding. This timeout is defined by the KKEEYYTTIIMMEEOOUUTT
parameter; its default is 0.4 sec. There is no timeout if the prefix
string is not itself bound to a command.
As well as ZLE commands, key sequences can be bound to other strings,
by using `bbiinnddkkeeyy -ss'. When such a sequence is read, the replacement
string is pushed back as input, and the command reading process starts
again using these fake keystrokes. This input can itself invoke fur-
ther replacement strings, but in order to detect loops the process will
be stopped if there are twenty such replacements without a real command
being read.
ZZLLEE BBUUIILLTTIINNSS
The ZLE module contains three related builtin commands. The bbiinnddkkeeyy
command manipulates keymaps and key bindings; the vvaarreedd command invokes
ZLE on the value of a shell parameter; and the zzllee command manipulates
editing widgets and allows command line access to ZLE commands from
within shell functions.
bbiinnddkkeeyy [ options ] -ll
bbiinnddkkeeyy [ options ] -dd
bbiinnddkkeeyy [ options ] -DD keymap ...
bbiinnddkkeeyy [ options ] -AA old-keymap new-keymap
bbiinnddkkeeyy [ options ] -NN new-keymap [ old-keymap ]
bbiinnddkkeeyy [ options ] -mm
bbiinnddkkeeyy [ options ] -rr in-string ...
bbiinnddkkeeyy [ options ] -ss in-string out-string ...
bbiinnddkkeeyy [ options ] in-string command ...
bbiinnddkkeeyy [ options ] [ in-string ]
bbiinnddkkeeyy's options can be divided into three categories: keymap
selection, operation selection, and others. The keymap selec-
tion options are:
-ee Selects keymap `eemmaaccss', and also links it to `mmaaiinn'.
-vv Selects keymap `vviiiinnss', and also links it to `mmaaiinn'.
-aa Selects keymap `vviiccmmdd'.
-MM keymap
The keymap specifies a keymap name.
If a keymap selection is required and none of the options above
are used, the `mmaaiinn' keymap is used. Some operations do not
permit a keymap to be selected, namely:
-ll List all existing keymap names. If the -LL option is also
used, list in the form of bbiinnddkkeeyy commands to create the
keymaps.
-dd Delete all existing keymaps and reset to the default
state.
-DD keymap ...
Delete the named keymaps.
-AA old-keymap new-keymap
Make the new-keymap name an alias for old-keymap, so that
both names refer to the same keymap. The names have
equal standing; if either is deleted, the other remains.
If there is already a keymap with the new-keymap name, it
is deleted.
-NN new-keymap [ old-keymap ]
Create a new keymap, named new-keymap. If a keymap
already has that name, it is deleted. If an old-keymap
name is given, the new keymap is initialized to be a
duplicate of it, otherwise the new keymap will be empty.
To use a newly created keymap, it should be linked to mmaaiinn.
Hence the sequence of commands to create and use a new keymap
`mmyymmaapp' initialized from the eemmaaccss keymap (which remains
unchanged) is:
bbiinnddkkeeyy -NN mmyymmaapp eemmaaccss
bbiinnddkkeeyy -AA mmyymmaapp mmaaiinn
Note that while `bbiinnddkkeeyy -AA newmap mmaaiinn' will work when newmap
is eemmaaccss or vviiiinnss, it will not work for vviiccmmdd, as switching from
vi insert to command mode becomes impossible.
The following operations act on the `mmaaiinn' keymap if no keymap
selection option was given:
-mm Add the built-in set of meta-key bindings to the selected
keymap. Only keys that are unbound or bound to
sseellff-iinnsseerrtt are affected.
-rr in-string ...
Unbind the specified in-strings in the selected keymap.
This is exactly equivalent to binding the strings to
uunnddeeffiinneedd-kkeeyy.
When -RR is also used, interpret the in-strings as ranges.
When -pp is also used, the in-strings specify prefixes.
Any binding that has the given in-string as a prefix, not
including the binding for the in-string itself, if any,
will be removed. For example,
bbiinnddkkeeyy -rrppMM vviiiinnss ''^^[[''
will remove all bindings in the vi-insert keymap begin-
ning with an escape character (probably cursor keys), but
leave the binding for the escape character itself (proba-
bly vvii-ccmmdd-mmooddee). This is incompatible with the option
-RR.
-ss in-string out-string ...
Bind each in-string to each out-string. When in-string
is typed, out-string will be pushed back and treated as
input to the line editor. When -RR is also used, inter-
pret the in-strings as ranges.
in-string command ...
Bind each in-string to each command. When -RR is used,
interpret the in-strings as ranges.
[ in-string ]
List key bindings. If an in-string is specified, the
binding of that string in the selected keymap is dis-
played. Otherwise, all key bindings in the selected
keymap are displayed. (As a special case, if the -ee or
-vv option is used alone, the keymap is not displayed -
the implicit linking of keymaps is the only thing that
happens.)
When the option -pp is used, the in-string must be
present. The listing shows all bindings which have the
given key sequence as a prefix, not including any bind-
ings for the key sequence itself.
When the -LL option is used, the list is in the form of
bbiinnddkkeeyy commands to create the key bindings.
When the -RR option is used as noted above, a valid range consists of
two characters, with an optional `-' between them. All characters
between the two specified, inclusive, are bound as specified.
For either in-string or out-string, the following escape sequences are
recognised:
\\aa bell character
\\bb backspace
\\ee, \\EE escape
\\ff form feed
\\nn linefeed (newline)
\\rr carriage return
\\tt horizontal tab
\\vv vertical tab
\\NNN character code in octal
\\xxNN character code in hexadecimal
\\MM[-]X character with meta bit set
\\CC[-]X control character
^^X control character
In all other cases, `\\' escapes the following character. Delete is
written as `^^??'. Note that `\\MM^^??' and `^^\\MM??' are not the same, and
that (unlike emacs), the bindings `\\MM-X' and `\\eeX' are entirely dis-
tinct, although they are initialized to the same bindings by `bbiinnddkkeeyy
-mm'.
vvaarreedd [ -AAaacchhee ] [ -pp prompt ] [ -rr rprompt ]
[ -M main-keymap ] [ -m vicmd-keymap ] name
The value of the parameter name is loaded into the edit buffer,
and the line editor is invoked. When the editor exits, name is
set to the string value returned by the editor. When the -cc
flag is given, the parameter is created if it doesn't already
exist. The -aa flag may be given with -cc to create an array
parameter, or the -AA flag to create an associative array. If
the type of an existing parameter does not match the type to be
created, the parameter is unset and recreated.
If an array or array slice is being edited, separator characters
as defined in $$IIFFSS will be shown quoted with a backslash, as
will backslashes themselves. Conversely, when the edited text
is split into an array, a backslash quotes an immediately fol-
lowing separator character or backslash; no other special han-
dling of backslashes, or any handling of quotes, is performed.
Individual elements of existing array or associative array
parameters may be edited by using subscript syntax on name. New
elements are created automatically, even without -cc.
If the -pp flag is given, the following string will be taken as
the prompt to display at the left. If the -rr flag is given, the
following string gives the prompt to display at the right. If
the -hh flag is specified, the history can be accessed from ZLE.
If the -ee flag is given, typing ^^DD (Control-D) on an empty line
causes vvaarreedd to exit immediately with a non-zero return value.
The -MM option gives a keymap to link to the mmaaiinn keymap during
editing, and the -mm option gives a keymap to link to the vviiccmmdd
keymap during editing. For vi-style editing, this allows a pair
of keymaps to override vviiiinnss and vviiccmmdd. For emacs-style edit-
ing, only -MM is normally needed but the -mm option may still be
used. On exit, the previous keymaps will be restored.
zzllee
zzllee -ll [ -LL | -aa ] [ string ... ]
zzllee -DD widget ...
zzllee -AA old-widget new-widget
zzllee -NN widget [ function ]
zzllee -CC widget completion-widget function
zzllee -RR [ -cc ] [ display-string ] [ string ... ]
zzllee -MM string
zzllee -UU string
zzllee -KK keymap
zzllee -FF [ -LL ] [ fd [ handler ] ]
zzllee -II
zzllee widget [[ -nn num ]] [[ -NN ]] args ...
The zzllee builtin performs a number of different actions concern-
ing ZLE.
With no options and no arguments, only the return status will be
set. It is zero if ZLE is currently active and widgets could be
invoked using this builtin command and non-zero otherwise. Note
that even if non-zero status is returned, zle may still be
active as part of the completion system; this does not allow
direct calls to ZLE widgets.
Otherwise, which operation it performs depends on its options:
-ll [ -LL | -aa ]
List all existing user-defined widgets. If the -LL option
is used, list in the form of zzllee commands to create the
widgets.
When combined with the -aa option, all widget names are
listed, including the builtin ones. In this case the -LL
option is ignored.
If at least one string is given, nothing will be printed
but the return status will be zero if all strings are
names of existing widgets (or of user-defined widgets if
the -aa flag is not given) and non-zero if at least one
string is not a name of an defined widget.
-DD widget ...
Delete the named widgets.
-AA old-widget new-widget
Make the new-widget name an alias for old-widget, so that
both names refer to the same widget. The names have
equal standing; if either is deleted, the other remains.
If there is already a widget with the new-widget name, it
is deleted.
-NN widget [ function ]
Create a user-defined widget. If there is already a wid-
get with the specified name, it is overwritten. When the
new widget is invoked from within the editor, the speci-
fied shell function is called. If no function name is
specified, it defaults to the same name as the widget.
For further information, see the section Widgets in zsh-
zle(1).
-CC widget completion-widget function
Create a user-defined completion widget named widget. The
completion widget will behave like the built-in comple-
tion-widget whose name is given as completion-widget. To
generate the completions, the shell function function
will be called. For further information, see zshcomp-
wid(1).
-RR [ -cc ] [ display-string ] [ string ... ]
Redisplay the command line; this is to be called from
within a user-defined widget to allow changes to become
visible. If a display-string is given and not empty,
this is shown in the status line (immediately below the
line being edited).
If the optional strings are given they are listed below
the prompt in the same way as completion lists are
printed. If no strings are given but the -cc option is
used such a list is cleared.
Note that this option is only useful for widgets that do
not exit immediately after using it because the strings
displayed will be erased immediately after return from
the widget.
This command can safely be called outside user defined
widgets; if zle is active, the display will be refreshed,
while if zle is not active, the command has no effect.
In this case there will usually be no other arguments.
The status is zero if zle was active, else one.
-MM string
As with the -RR option, the string will be displayed below
the command line; unlike the -RR option, the string will
not be put into the status line but will instead be
printed normally below the prompt. This means that the
string will still be displayed after the widget returns
(until it is overwritten by subsequent commands).
-UU string
This pushes the characters in the string onto the input
stack of ZLE. After the widget currently executed fin-
ishes ZLE will behave as if the characters in the string
were typed by the user.
As ZLE uses a stack, if this option is used repeatedly
the last string pushed onto the stack will be processed
first. However, the characters in each string will be
processed in the order in which they appear in the
string.
-KK keymap
Selects the keymap named keymap. An error message will
be displayed if there is no such keymap.
This keymap selection affects the interpretation of fol-
lowing keystrokes within this invocation of ZLE. Any
following invocation (e.g., the next command line) will
start as usual with the `mmaaiinn' keymap selected.
-FF [ -LL ] [ fd [ handler ] ]
Only available if your system supports one of the `poll'
or `select' system calls; most modern systems do.
Installs handler (the name of a shell function) to handle
input from file descriptor fd. When zle is attempting to
read data, it will examine both the terminal and the list
of handled fd's. If data becomes available on a handled
fd, zle will call handler with the fd which is ready for
reading as the only argument. If the handler produces
output to the terminal, it should call `zzllee -II' before
doing so (see below). The handler should not attempt to
read from the terminal. Note that zle makes no attempt
to check whether this fd is actually readable when
installing the handler. The user must make their own
arrangements for handling the file descriptor when zle is
not active.
Any number of handlers for any number of readable file
descriptors may be installed. Installing a handler for
an fd which is already handled causes the existing han-
dler to be replaced.
If no handler is given, but an fd is present, any handler
for that fd is removed. If there is none, an error mes-
sage is printed and status 1 is returned.
If no arguments are given, or the -LL option is supplied,
a list of handlers is printed in a form which can be
stored for later execution.
An fd (but not a handler) may optionally be given with
the -LL option; in this case, the function will list the
handler if any, else silently return status 1.
Note that this feature should be used with care. Activ-
ity on one of the fd's which is not properly handled can
cause the terminal to become unusable.
Here is a simple example of using this feature. A con-
nection to a remote TCP port is created using the ztcp
command; see the description of the zzsshh//nneett//ttccpp module in
zshmodules(1). Then a handler is installed which simply
prints out any data which arrives on this connection.
Note that `select' will indicate that the file descriptor
needs handling if the remote side has closed the connec-
tion; we handle that by testing for a failed read.
iiff zzttccpp ppwwssppcc 22881111;; tthheenn
ttccppffdd==$$RREEPPLLYY
hhaannddlleerr(()) {{
zzllee -II
llooccaall lliinnee
iiff !! rreeaadd -rr lliinnee <<&&$$11;; tthheenn
## sseelleecctt mmaarrkkss tthhiiss ffdd iiff wwee rreeaacchh EEOOFF,,
## ssoo hhaannddllee tthhiiss ssppeecciiaallllyy..
pprriinntt ""[[RReeaadd oonn ffdd $$11 ffaaiilleedd,, rreemmoovviinngg..]]"" >>&&22
zzllee -FF $$11
rreettuurrnn 11
ffii
pprriinntt -rr - $$lliinnee
}}
zzllee -FF $$ttccppffdd hhaannddlleerr
ffii
-II Unusually, this option is most useful outside ordinary
widget functions, though it may be used within if normal
output to the terminal is required. It invalidates the
current zle display in preparation for output; typically
this will be from a trap function. It has no effect if
zle is not active. When a trap exits, the shell checks
to see if the display needs restoring, hence the follow-
ing will print output in such a way as not to disturb the
line being edited:
TTRRAAPPUUSSRR11(()) {{
## IInnvvaalliiddaattee zzllee ddiissppllaayy
[[[[ -oo zzllee ]]]] &&&& zzllee -II
## SShhooww oouuttppuutt
pprriinntt HHeelllloo
}}
In general, the trap function may need to test whether
zle is active before using this method (as shown in the
example), since the zzsshh//zzllee module may not even be
loaded; if it is not, the command can be skipped.
It is possible to call `zzllee -II' several times before con-
trol is returned to the editor; the display will only be
invalidated the first time to minimise disruption.
Note that there are normally better ways of manipulating
the display from within zle widgets; see, for example,
`zzllee -RR' above.
The returned status is zero if zle was invalidated, even
though this may have been by a previous call to `zzllee -II'
or by a system notification. To test if a zle widget may
be called at this point, execute zzllee with no arguments
and examine the return status.
widget [[ -nn num ]] [[ -NN ]] args ...
Invoke the specified widget. This can only be done when
ZLE is active; normally this will be within a
user-defined widget.
With the options -nn and -NN, the current numerical argu-
ment will be saved and then restored after the call to
wwiiddggeett; `-nn num' sets the numerical argument temporarily
to num, while `-NN' sets it to the default, i.e. as if
there were none.
Any further arguments will be passed to the widget. If
it is a shell function, these are passed down as posi-
tional parameters; for builtin widgets it is up to the
widget in question what it does with them. Currently
arguments are only handled by the incremental-search com-
mands, the hhiissttoorryy-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorrwwaarrdd and -bbaacckkwwaarrdd and the
corresponding functions prefixed by vvii-, and by uunniivveerr-
ssaall-aarrgguummeenntt. No error is flagged if the command does
not use the arguments, or only uses some of them.
The return status reflects the success or failure of the
operation carried out by the widget, or if it is a
user-defined widget the return status of the shell func-
tion.
A non-zero return status causes the shell to beep when
the widget exits, unless the BBEEEEPP options was unset or
the widget was called via the zzllee command. Thus if a
user defined widget requires an immediate beep, it should
call the bbeeeepp widget directly.
WWIIDDGGEETTSS
All actions in the editor are performed by `widgets'. A widget's job
is simply to perform some small action. The ZLE commands that key
sequences in keymaps are bound to are in fact widgets. Widgets can be
user-defined or built in.
The standard widgets built in to ZLE are listed in Standard Widgets
below. Other built-in widgets can be defined by other modules (see
zshmodules(1)). Each built-in widget has two names: its normal canoni-
cal name, and the same name preceded by a `..'. The `..' name is spe-
cial: it can't be rebound to a different widget. This makes the widget
available even when its usual name has been redefined.
User-defined widgets are defined using `zzllee -NN', and implemented as
shell functions. When the widget is executed, the corresponding shell
function is executed, and can perform editing (or other) actions. It
is recommended that user-defined widgets should not have names starting
with `..'.
UUSSEERR-DDEEFFIINNEEDD WWIIDDGGEETTSS
User-defined widgets, being implemented as shell functions, can execute
any normal shell command. They can also run other widgets (whether
built-in or user-defined) using the zzllee builtin command. The standard
input of the function is closed to prevent external commands from unin-
tentionally blocking ZLE by reading from the terminal, but rreeaadd -kk or
rreeaadd -qq can be used to read characters. Finally, they can examine and
edit the ZLE buffer being edited by reading and setting the special
parameters described below.
These special parameters are always available in widget functions, but
are not in any way special outside ZLE. If they have some normal value
outside ZLE, that value is temporarily inaccessible, but will return
when the widget function exits. These special parameters in fact have
local scope, like parameters created in a function using llooccaall.
Inside completion widgets and traps called while ZLE is active, these
parameters are available read-only.
BBUUFFFFEERR (scalar)
The entire contents of the edit buffer. If it is written to,
the cursor remains at the same offset, unless that would put it
outside the buffer.
BBUUFFFFEERRLLIINNEESS (integer)
The number of screen lines needed for the edit buffer currently
displayed on screen (i.e. without any changes to the preceding
parameters done after the last redisplay); read-only.
CCOONNTTEEXXTT (scalar)
The context in which zle was called to read a line; read-only.
One of the values:
start The start of a command line (at prompt PPSS11).
cont A continuation to a command line (at prompt PPSS22).
select In a sseelleecctt loop.
vared Editing a variable in vvaarreedd.
CCUURRSSOORR (integer)
The offset of the cursor, within the edit buffer. This is in
the range 0 to $$##BBUUFFFFEERR, and is by definition equal to
$$##LLBBUUFFFFEERR. Attempts to move the cursor outside the buffer will
result in the cursor being moved to the appropriate end of the
buffer.
CCUUTTBBUUFFFFEERR (scalar)
The last item to be cut using one of the `kkiillll-' commands; the
string which the next yank would insert in the line.
HHIISSTTNNOO (integer)
The current history number. Setting this has the same effect as
moving up or down in the history to the corresponding history
line. An attempt to set it is ignored if the line is not stored
in the history. Note this is not the same as the parameter
HHIISSTTCCMMDD, which always gives the number of the history line being
added to the main shell's history. HHIISSTTNNOO refers to the line
being retrieved within zle.
KKEEYYMMAAPP (scalar)
The name of the currently selected keymap; read-only.
KKEEYYSS (scalar)
The keys typed to invoke this widget, as a literal string;
read-only.
kkiillllrriinngg (array)
The array of previously killed items, with the most recently
killed first. This gives the items that would be retrieved by a
yyaannkk-ppoopp in the same order.
The default size for the kill ring is eight, however the length
may be changed by normal array operations. Any empty string in
the kill ring is ignored by the yyaannkk-ppoopp command, hence the size
of the array effectively sets the maximum length of the kill
ring, while the number of non-zero strings gives the current
length, both as seen by the user at the command line.
LLAASSTTSSEEAARRCCHH (scalar)
The last search string used by an interactive search ;
read-only.
LLAASSTTWWIIDDGGEETT (scalar)
The name of the last widget that was executed; read-only.
LLBBUUFFFFEERR (scalar)
The part of the buffer that lies to the left of the cursor posi-
tion. If it is assigned to, only that part of the buffer is
replaced, and the cursor remains between the new $$LLBBUUFFFFEERR and
the old $$RRBBUUFFFFEERR.
MMAARRKK (integer)
Like CCUURRSSOORR, but for the mark.
NNUUMMEERRIICC (integer)
The numeric argument. If no numeric argument was given, this
parameter is unset. When this is set inside a widget function,
builtin widgets called with the zzllee builtin command will use the
value assigned. If it is unset inside a widget function, builtin
widgets called behave as if no numeric argument was given.
PPEENNDDIINNGG (integer)
The number of bytes pending for input, i.e. the number of bytes
which have already been typed and can immediately be read. On
systems where the shell is not able to get this information,
this parameter will always have a value of zero. Read-only.
PPRREEBBUUFFFFEERR (scalar)
In a multi-line input at the secondary prompt, this read-only
parameter contains the contents of the lines before the one the
cursor is currently in.
PPRREEDDIISSPPLLAAYY (scalar)
Text to be displayed before the start of the editable text
buffer. This does not have to be a complete line; to display a
complete line, a newline must be appended explicitly. The
text is reset on each new invocation (but not recursive invoca-
tion) of zle.
PPOOSSTTDDIISSPPLLAAYY (scalar)
Text to be displayed after the end of the editable text buffer.
This does not have to be a complete line; to display a complete
line, a newline must be prepended explicitly. The text is reset
on each new invocation (but not recursive invocation) of zle.
RRBBUUFFFFEERR (scalar)
The part of the buffer that lies to the right of the cursor
position. If it is assigned to, only that part of the buffer is
replaced, and the cursor remains between the old $$LLBBUUFFFFEERR and
the new $$RRBBUUFFFFEERR.
WWIIDDGGEETT (scalar)
The name of the widget currently being executed; read-only.
WWIIDDGGEETTFFUUNNCC (scalar)
The name of the shell function that implements a widget defined
with either zzllee -NN or zzllee -CC. In the former case, this is the
second argument to the zzllee -NN command that defined the widget,
or the first argument if there was no second argument. In the
latter case this is the the third argument to the zzllee -CC command
that defined the widget. Read-only.
WWIIDDGGEETTSSTTYYLLEE (scalar)
Describes the implementation behind the completion widget cur-
rently being executed; the second argument that followed zzllee -CC
when the widget was defined. This is the name of a builtin com-
pletion widget. For widgets defined with zzllee -NN this is set to
the empty string. Read-only.
SSppeecciiaall WWiiddggeett
There is one user-defined widget which is special to the shell. If it
does not exist, no special action is taken. The environment provided
is identical to that for any other editing widget.
zzllee-lliinnee-iinniitt
Executed every time the line editor is started to read a new
line of input. The following example puts the line editor into
vi command mode when it starts up.
zzllee-lliinnee-iinniitt(()) {{ zzllee -KK vviiccmmdd;; }}
zzllee -NN zzllee-lliinnee-iinniitt
(The command inside the function sets the keymap directly; it is
equivalent to zzllee vvii-ccmmdd-mmooddee.)
SSTTAANNDDAARRDD WWIIDDGGEETTSS
The following is a list of all the standard widgets, and their default
bindings in emacs mode, vi command mode and vi insert mode (the
`eemmaaccss', `vviiccmmdd' and `vviiiinnss' keymaps, respectively).
Note that cursor keys are bound to movement keys in all three keymaps;
the shell assumes that the cursor keys send the key sequences reported
by the terminal-handling library (termcap or terminfo). The key
sequences shown in the list are those based on the VT100, common on
many modern terminals, but in fact these are not necessarily bound. In
the case of the vviiiinnss keymap, the initial escape character of the
sequences serves also to return to the vviiccmmdd keymap: whether this hap-
pens is determined by the KKEEYYTTIIMMEEOOUUTT parameter, see zshparam(1).
MMoovveemmeenntt
vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-bbllaannkk-wwoorrdd (unbound) (B) (unbound)
Move backward one word, where a word is defined as a series of
non-blank characters.
bbaacckkwwaarrdd-cchhaarr (^B ESC-[D) (unbound) (unbound)
Move backward one character.
vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-cchhaarr (unbound) (^H h ^?) (ESC-[D)
Move backward one character, without changing lines.
bbaacckkwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd (ESC-B ESC-b) (unbound) (unbound)
Move to the beginning of the previous word.
eemmaaccss-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd
Move to the beginning of the previous word.
vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd (unbound) (b) (unbound)
Move to the beginning of the previous word, vi-style.
bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-lliinnee (^A) (unbound) (unbound)
Move to the beginning of the line. If already at the beginning
of the line, move to the beginning of the previous line, if any.
vvii-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-lliinnee
Move to the beginning of the line, without changing lines.
eenndd-ooff-lliinnee (^E) (unbound) (unbound)
Move to the end of the line. If already at the end of the line,
move to the end of the next line, if any.
vvii-eenndd-ooff-lliinnee (unbound) ($) (unbound)
Move to the end of the line. If an argument is given to this
command, the cursor will be moved to the end of the line (argu-
ment - 1) lines down.
vvii-ffoorrwwaarrdd-bbllaannkk-wwoorrdd (unbound) (W) (unbound)
Move forward one word, where a word is defined as a series of
non-blank characters.
vvii-ffoorrwwaarrdd-bbllaannkk-wwoorrdd-eenndd (unbound) (E) (unbound)
Move to the end of the current word, or, if at the end of the
current word, to the end of the next word, where a word is
defined as a series of non-blank characters.
ffoorrwwaarrdd-cchhaarr (^F ESC-[C) (unbound) (unbound)
Move forward one character.
vvii-ffoorrwwaarrdd-cchhaarr (unbound) (space l) (ESC-[C)
Move forward one character.
vvii-ffiinndd-nneexxtt-cchhaarr (^X^F) (f) (unbound)
Read a character from the keyboard, and move to the next occur-
rence of it in the line.
vvii-ffiinndd-nneexxtt-cchhaarr-sskkiipp (unbound) (t) (unbound)
Read a character from the keyboard, and move to the position
just before the next occurrence of it in the line.
vvii-ffiinndd-pprreevv-cchhaarr (unbound) (F) (unbound)
Read a character from the keyboard, and move to the previous
occurrence of it in the line.
vvii-ffiinndd-pprreevv-cchhaarr-sskkiipp (unbound) (T) (unbound)
Read a character from the keyboard, and move to the position
just after the previous occurrence of it in the line.
vvii-ffiirrsstt-nnoonn-bbllaannkk (unbound) (^) (unbound)
Move to the first non-blank character in the line.
vvii-ffoorrwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd (unbound) (w) (unbound)
Move forward one word, vi-style.
ffoorrwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd (ESC-F ESC-f) (unbound) (unbound)
Move to the beginning of the next word. The editor's idea of a
word is specified with the WWOORRDDCCHHAARRSS parameter.
eemmaaccss-ffoorrwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd
Move to the end of the next word.
vvii-ffoorrwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd-eenndd (unbound) (e) (unbound)
Move to the end of the next word.
vvii-ggoottoo-ccoolluummnn (ESC-|) (|) (unbound)
Move to the column specified by the numeric argument.
vvii-ggoottoo-mmaarrkk (unbound) (`) (unbound)
Move to the specified mark.
vvii-ggoottoo-mmaarrkk-lliinnee (unbound) (') (unbound)
Move to beginning of the line containing the specified mark.
vvii-rreeppeeaatt-ffiinndd (unbound) (;) (unbound)
Repeat the last vvii-ffiinndd command.
vvii-rreevv-rreeppeeaatt-ffiinndd (unbound) (,) (unbound)
Repeat the last vvii-ffiinndd command in the opposite direction.
HHiissttoorryy CCoonnttrrooll
bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-bbuuffffeerr-oorr-hhiissttoorryy (ESC-<) (unbound) (unbound)
Move to the beginning of the buffer, or if already there, move
to the first event in the history list.
bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-lliinnee-hhiisstt
Move to the beginning of the line. If already at the beginning
of the buffer, move to the previous history line.
bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-hhiissttoorryy
Move to the first event in the history list.
ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-hhiissttoorryy (^N ESC-[B) (j) (ESC-[B)
Move down a line in the buffer, or if already at the bottom
line, move to the next event in the history list.
vvii-ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-hhiissttoorryy (unbound) (+) (unbound)
Move down a line in the buffer, or if already at the bottom
line, move to the next event in the history list. Then move to
the first non-blank character on the line.
ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-sseeaarrcchh
Move down a line in the buffer, or if already at the bottom
line, search forward in the history for a line beginning with
the first word in the buffer.
If called from a function by the zzllee command with arguments, the
first argument is taken as the string for which to search,
rather than the first word in the buffer.
ddoowwnn-hhiissttoorryy (unbound) (^N) (unbound)
Move to the next event in the history list.
hhiissttoorryy-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd
Search backward in the history for a line beginning with the
current line up to the cursor. This leaves the cursor in its
original position.
eenndd-ooff-bbuuffffeerr-oorr-hhiissttoorryy (ESC->) (unbound) (unbound)
Move to the end of the buffer, or if already there, move to the
last event in the history list.
eenndd-ooff-lliinnee-hhiisstt
Move to the end of the line. If already at the end of the
buffer, move to the next history line.
eenndd-ooff-hhiissttoorryy
Move to the last event in the history list.
vvii-ffeettcchh-hhiissttoorryy (unbound) (G) (unbound)
Fetch the history line specified by the numeric argument. This
defaults to the current history line (i.e. the one that isn't
history yet).
hhiissttoorryy-iinnccrreemmeennttaall-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd (^R ^Xr) (unbound) (unbound)
Search backward incrementally for a specified string. The
search is case-insensitive if the search string does not have
uppercase letters and no numeric argument was given. The string
may begin with `^^' to anchor the search to the beginning of the
line.
A restricted set of editing functions is available in the
mini-buffer. An interrupt signal, as defined by the stty set-
ting, will stop the search and go back to the original line. An
undefined key will have the same effect. The supported functions
are: bbaacckkwwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr, vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr,
cclleeaarr-ssccrreeeenn, rreeddiissppllaayy, qquuootteedd-iinnsseerrtt, vvii-qquuootteedd-iinnsseerrtt,
aacccceepptt-aanndd-hhoolldd, aacccceepptt-aanndd-iinnffeerr-nneexxtt-hhiissttoorryy, aacccceepptt-lliinnee and
aacccceepptt-lliinnee-aanndd-ddoowwnn-hhiissttoorryy.
mmaaggiicc-ssppaaccee just inserts a space. vvii-ccmmdd-mmooddee toggles between
the `mmaaiinn' and `vviiccmmdd' keymaps; the `mmaaiinn' keymap (insert mode)
will be selected initially. hhiissttoorryy-iinnccrreemmeennttaall-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd
will get the next occurrence of the contents of the mini-buffer.
hhiissttoorryy-iinnccrreemmeennttaall-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorrwwaarrdd inverts the sense of the
search. vvii-rreeppeeaatt-sseeaarrcchh and vvii-rreevv-rreeppeeaatt-sseeaarrcchh are similarly
supported. The direction of the search is indicated in the
mini-buffer.
Any multi-character string that is not bound to one of the above
functions will beep and interrupt the search, leaving the last
found line in the buffer. Any single character that is not bound
to one of the above functions, or sseellff-iinnsseerrtt or
sseellff-iinnsseerrtt-uunnmmeettaa, will have the same effect but the function
will be executed.
When called from a widget function by the zzllee command, the
incremental search commands can take a string argument. This
will be treated as a string of keys, as for arguments to the
bbiinnddkkeeyy command, and used as initial input for the command. Any
characters in the string which are unused by the incremental
search will be silently ignored. For example,
zzllee hhiissttoorryy-iinnccrreemmeennttaall-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd ffoorrcceeppss
will search backwards for ffoorrcceeppss, leaving the minibuffer con-
taining the string `ffoorrcceeppss'.
hhiissttoorryy-iinnccrreemmeennttaall-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorrwwaarrdd (^S ^Xs) (unbound) (unbound)
Search forward incrementally for a specified string. The search
is case-insensitive if the search string does not have uppercase
letters and no numeric argument was given. The string may begin
with `^^' to anchor the search to the beginning of the line. The
functions available in the mini-buffer are the same as for hhiiss-
ttoorryy-iinnccrreemmeennttaall-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd.
hhiissttoorryy-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd (ESC-P ESC-p) (unbound) (unbound)
Search backward in the history for a line beginning with the
first word in the buffer.
If called from a function by the zzllee command with arguments, the
first argument is taken as the string for which to search,
rather than the first word in the buffer.
vvii-hhiissttoorryy-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd (unbound) (/) (unbound)
Search backward in the history for a specified string. The
string may begin with `^^' to anchor the search to the beginning
of the line.
A restricted set of editing functions is available in the
mini-buffer. An interrupt signal, as defined by the stty set-
ting, will stop the search. The functions available in the
mini-buffer are: aacccceepptt-lliinnee, bbaacckkwwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr, vvii-bbaacckk-
wwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr, bbaacckkwwaarrdd-kkiillll-wwoorrdd, vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-kkiillll-wwoorrdd,
cclleeaarr-ssccrreeeenn, rreeddiissppllaayy, qquuootteedd-iinnsseerrtt and vvii-qquuootteedd-iinnsseerrtt.
vvii-ccmmdd-mmooddee is treated the same as accept-line, and mmaaggiicc-ssppaaccee
is treated as a space. Any other character that is not bound to
self-insert or self-insert-unmeta will beep and be ignored. If
the function is called from vi command mode, the bindings of the
current insert mode will be used.
If called from a function by the zzllee command with arguments, the
first argument is taken as the string for which to search,
rather than the first word in the buffer.
hhiissttoorryy-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorrwwaarrdd (ESC-N ESC-n) (unbound) (unbound)
Search forward in the history for a line beginning with the
first word in the buffer.
If called from a function by the zzllee command with arguments, the
first argument is taken as the string for which to search,
rather than the first word in the buffer.
vvii-hhiissttoorryy-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorrwwaarrdd (unbound) (?) (unbound)
Search forward in the history for a specified string. The
string may begin with `^^' to anchor the search to the beginning
of the line. The functions available in the mini-buffer are the
same as for vvii-hhiissttoorryy-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd. Argument handling is
also the same as for that command.
iinnffeerr-nneexxtt-hhiissttoorryy (^X^N) (unbound) (unbound)
Search in the history list for a line matching the current one
and fetch the event following it.
iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd (ESC- ESC-.) (unbound) (unbound)
Insert the last word from the previous history event at the cur-
sor position. If a positive numeric argument is given, insert
that word from the end of the previous history event. If the
argument is zero or negative insert that word from the left
(zero inserts the previous command word). Repeating this com-
mand replaces the word just inserted with the last word from the
history event prior to the one just used; numeric arguments can
be used in the same way to pick a word from that event.
When called from a shell function invoked from a user-defined
widget, the command can take one to three arguments. The first
argument specifies a history offset which applies to successive
calls to this widget: if is -1, the default behaviour is used,
while if it is 1, successive calls will move forwards through
the history. The value 0 can be used to indicate that the his-
tory line examined by the previous execution of the command will
be reexamined. Note that negative numbers should be preceded
with a `--' argument to avoid confusing them with options.
If two arguments are given, the second specifies the word on the
command line in normal array index notation (as a more natural
alternative to the prefix argument). Hence 1 is the first word,
and -1 (the default) is the last word.
If a third argument is given, its value is ignored, but it is
used to signify that the history offset is relative to the cur-
rent history line, rather than the one remembered after the pre-
vious invocations of iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd.
For example, the default behaviour of the command corresponds to
zzllee iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd -- -11 -11
while the command
zzllee iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd -- -11 11 -
always copies the first word of the line in the history immedi-
ately before the line being edited. This has the side effect
that later invocations of the widget will be relative to that
line.
vvii-rreeppeeaatt-sseeaarrcchh (unbound) (n) (unbound)
Repeat the last vi history search.
vvii-rreevv-rreeppeeaatt-sseeaarrcchh (unbound) (N) (unbound)
Repeat the last vi history search, but in reverse.
uupp-lliinnee-oorr-hhiissttoorryy (^P ESC-[A) (k) (ESC-[A)
Move up a line in the buffer, or if already at the top line,
move to the previous event in the history list.
vvii-uupp-lliinnee-oorr-hhiissttoorryy (unbound) (-) (unbound)
Move up a line in the buffer, or if already at the top line,
move to the previous event in the history list. Then move to
the first non-blank character on the line.
uupp-lliinnee-oorr-sseeaarrcchh
Move up a line in the buffer, or if already at the top line,
search backward in the history for a line beginning with the
first word in the buffer.
If called from a function by the zzllee command with arguments, the
first argument is taken as the string for which to search,
rather than the first word in the buffer.
uupp-hhiissttoorryy (unbound) (^P) (unbound)
Move to the previous event in the history list.
hhiissttoorryy-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorrwwaarrdd
Search forward in the history for a line beginning with the cur-
rent line up to the cursor. This leaves the cursor in its orig-
inal position.
MMooddiiffyyiinngg TTeexxtt
vvii-aadddd-eeooll (unbound) (A) (unbound)
Move to the end of the line and enter insert mode.
vvii-aadddd-nneexxtt (unbound) (a) (unbound)
Enter insert mode after the current cursor position, without
changing lines.
bbaacckkwwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr (^H ^?) (unbound) (unbound)
Delete the character behind the cursor.
vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr (unbound) (X) (^H)
Delete the character behind the cursor, without changing lines.
If in insert mode, this won't delete past the point where insert
mode was last entered.
bbaacckkwwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-wwoorrdd
Delete the word behind the cursor.
bbaacckkwwaarrdd-kkiillll-lliinnee
Kill from the beginning of the line to the cursor position.
bbaacckkwwaarrdd-kkiillll-wwoorrdd (^W ESC-^H ESC-^?) (unbound) (unbound)
Kill the word behind the cursor.
vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-kkiillll-wwoorrdd (unbound) (unbound) (^W)
Kill the word behind the cursor, without going past the point
where insert mode was last entered.
ccaappiittaalliizzee-wwoorrdd (ESC-C ESC-c) (unbound) (unbound)
Capitalize the current word and move past it.
vvii-cchhaannggee (unbound) (c) (unbound)
Read a movement command from the keyboard, and kill from the
cursor position to the endpoint of the movement. Then enter
insert mode. If the command is vvii-cchhaannggee, change the current
line.
vvii-cchhaannggee-eeooll (unbound) (C) (unbound)
Kill to the end of the line and enter insert mode.
vvii-cchhaannggee-wwhhoollee-lliinnee (unbound) (S) (unbound)
Kill the current line and enter insert mode.
ccooppyy-rreeggiioonn-aass-kkiillll (ESC-W ESC-w) (unbound) (unbound)
Copy the area from the cursor to the mark to the kill buffer.
ccooppyy-pprreevv-wwoorrdd (ESC-^) (unbound) (unbound)
Duplicate the word to the left of the cursor.
ccooppyy-pprreevv-sshheellll-wwoorrdd
Like ccooppyy-pprreevv-wwoorrdd, but the word is found by using shell pars-
ing, whereas ccooppyy-pprreevv-wwoorrdd looks for blanks. This makes a dif-
ference when the word is quoted and contains spaces.
vvii-ddeelleettee (unbound) (d) (unbound)
Read a movement command from the keyboard, and kill from the
cursor position to the endpoint of the movement. If the command
is vvii-ddeelleettee, kill the current line.
ddeelleettee-cchhaarr
Delete the character under the cursor.
vvii-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr (unbound) (x) (unbound)
Delete the character under the cursor, without going past the
end of the line.
ddeelleettee-wwoorrdd
Delete the current word.
ddoowwnn-ccaassee-wwoorrdd (ESC-L ESC-l) (unbound) (unbound)
Convert the current word to all lowercase and move past it.
kkiillll-wwoorrdd (ESC-D ESC-d) (unbound) (unbound)
Kill the current word.
ggoossmmaaccss-ttrraannssppoossee-cchhaarrss
Exchange the two characters behind the cursor.
vvii-iinnddeenntt (unbound) (>) (unbound)
Indent a number of lines.
vvii-iinnsseerrtt (unbound) (i) (unbound)
Enter insert mode.
vvii-iinnsseerrtt-bbooll (unbound) (I) (unbound)
Move to the first non-blank character on the line and enter
insert mode.
vvii-jjooiinn (^X^J) (J) (unbound)
Join the current line with the next one.
kkiillll-lliinnee (^K) (unbound) (unbound)
Kill from the cursor to the end of the line. If already on the
end of the line, kill the newline character.
vvii-kkiillll-lliinnee (unbound) (unbound) (^U)
Kill from the cursor back to wherever insert mode was last
entered.
vvii-kkiillll-eeooll (unbound) (D) (unbound)
Kill from the cursor to the end of the line.
kkiillll-rreeggiioonn
Kill from the cursor to the mark.
kkiillll-bbuuffffeerr (^X^K) (unbound) (unbound)
Kill the entire buffer.
kkiillll-wwhhoollee-lliinnee (^U) (unbound) (unbound)
Kill the current line.
vvii-mmaattcchh-bbrraacckkeett (^X^B) (%) (unbound)
Move to the bracket character (one of {{}}, (()) or [[]]) that matches
the one under the cursor. If the cursor is not on a bracket
character, move forward without going past the end of the line
to find one, and then go to the matching bracket.
vvii-ooppeenn-lliinnee-aabboovvee (unbound) (O) (unbound)
Open a line above the cursor and enter insert mode.
vvii-ooppeenn-lliinnee-bbeellooww (unbound) (o) (unbound)
Open a line below the cursor and enter insert mode.
vvii-ooppeerr-sswwaapp-ccaassee
Read a movement command from the keyboard, and swap the case of
all characters from the cursor position to the endpoint of the
movement. If the movement command is vvii-ooppeerr-sswwaapp-ccaassee, swap
the case of all characters on the current line.
oovveerrwwrriittee-mmooddee (^X^O) (unbound) (unbound)
Toggle between overwrite mode and insert mode.
vvii-ppuutt-bbeeffoorree (unbound) (P) (unbound)
Insert the contents of the kill buffer before the cursor. If
the kill buffer contains a sequence of lines (as opposed to
characters), paste it above the current line.
vvii-ppuutt-aafftteerr (unbound) (p) (unbound)
Insert the contents of the kill buffer after the cursor. If the
kill buffer contains a sequence of lines (as opposed to charac-
ters), paste it below the current line.
qquuootteedd-iinnsseerrtt (^V) (unbound) (unbound)
Insert the next character typed into the buffer literally. An
interrupt character will not be inserted.
vvii-qquuootteedd-iinnsseerrtt (unbound) (unbound) (^Q ^V)
Display a `^^' at the cursor position, and insert the next char-
acter typed into the buffer literally. An interrupt character
will not be inserted.
qquuoottee-lliinnee (ESC-') (unbound) (unbound)
Quote the current line; that is, put a `''' character at the
beginning and the end, and convert all `''' characters to `''\\'''''.
qquuoottee-rreeggiioonn (ESC-") (unbound) (unbound)
Quote the region from the cursor to the mark.
vvii-rreeppllaaccee (unbound) (R) (unbound)
Enter overwrite mode.
vvii-rreeppeeaatt-cchhaannggee (unbound) (.) (unbound)
Repeat the last vi mode text modification. If a count was used
with the modification, it is remembered. If a count is given to
this command, it overrides the remembered count, and is remem-
bered for future uses of this command. The cut buffer specifi-
cation is similarly remembered.
vvii-rreeppllaaccee-cchhaarrss (unbound) (r) (unbound)
Replace the character under the cursor with a character read
from the keyboard.
sseellff-iinnsseerrtt (printable characters) (unbound) (printable characters and
some control characters)
Insert a character into the buffer at the cursor position.
sseellff-iinnsseerrtt-uunnmmeettaa (ESC-^I ESC-^J ESC-^M) (unbound) (unbound)
Insert a character into the buffer after stripping the meta bit
and converting ^M to ^J.
vvii-ssuubbssttiittuuttee (unbound) (s) (unbound)
Substitute the next character(s).
vvii-sswwaapp-ccaassee (unbound) (~) (unbound)
Swap the case of the character under the cursor and move past
it.
ttrraannssppoossee-cchhaarrss (^T) (unbound) (unbound)
Exchange the two characters to the left of the cursor if at end
of line, else exchange the character under the cursor with the
character to the left.
ttrraannssppoossee-wwoorrddss (ESC-T ESC-t) (unbound) (unbound)
Exchange the current word with the one before it.
vvii-uunniinnddeenntt (unbound) (<) (unbound)
Unindent a number of lines.
uupp-ccaassee-wwoorrdd (ESC-U ESC-u) (unbound) (unbound)
Convert the current word to all caps and move past it.
yyaannkk (^Y) (unbound) (unbound)
Insert the contents of the kill buffer at the cursor position.
yyaannkk-ppoopp (ESC-y) (unbound) (unbound)
Remove the text just yanked, rotate the kill-ring, and yank the
new top. Only works following yyaannkk or yyaannkk-ppoopp.
vvii-yyaannkk (unbound) (y) (unbound)
Read a movement command from the keyboard, and copy the region
from the cursor position to the endpoint of the movement into
the kill buffer. If the command is vvii-yyaannkk, copy the current
line.
vvii-yyaannkk-wwhhoollee-lliinnee (unbound) (Y) (unbound)
Copy the current line into the kill buffer.
vvii-yyaannkk-eeooll
Copy the region from the cursor position to the end of the line
into the kill buffer. Arguably, this is what Y should do in vi,
but it isn't what it actually does.
AArrgguummeennttss
ddiiggiitt-aarrgguummeenntt (ESC-0..ESC-9) (1-9) (unbound)
Start a new numeric argument, or add to the current one. See
also vvii-ddiiggiitt-oorr-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-lliinnee. This only works if bound to
a key sequence ending in a decimal digit.
Inside a widget function, a call to this function treats the
last key of the key sequence which called the widget as the
digit.
nneegg-aarrgguummeenntt (ESC-) (unbound) (unbound)
Changes the sign of the following argument.
uunniivveerrssaall-aarrgguummeenntt
Multiply the argument of the next command by 4. Alternatively,
if this command is followed by an integer (positive or nega-
tive), use that as the argument for the next command. Thus dig-
its cannot be repeated using this command. For example, if this
command occurs twice, followed immediately by ffoorrwwaarrdd-cchhaarr, move
forward sixteen spaces; if instead it is followed by -22, then
ffoorrwwaarrdd-cchhaarr, move backward two spaces.
Inside a widget function, if passed an argument, i.e. `zzllee uunnii-
vveerrssaall-aarrgguummeenntt num', the numerical argument will be set to num;
this is equivalent to `NNUUMMEERRIICC==num'.
CCoommpplleettiioonn
aacccceepptt-aanndd-mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee
In a menu completion, insert the current completion into the
buffer, and advance to the next possible completion.
ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd
Attempt completion on the current word.
ddeelleettee-cchhaarr-oorr-lliisstt (^D) (unbound) (unbound)
Delete the character under the cursor. If the cursor is at the
end of the line, list possible completions for the current word.
eexxppaanndd-ccmmdd-ppaatthh
Expand the current command to its full pathname.
eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee (TAB) (unbound) (TAB)
Attempt shell expansion on the current word. If that fails,
attempt completion.
eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee-pprreeffiixx
Attempt shell expansion on the current word up to cursor.
eexxppaanndd-hhiissttoorryy (ESC-space ESC-!) (unbound) (unbound)
Perform history expansion on the edit buffer.
eexxppaanndd-wwoorrdd (^X*) (unbound) (unbound)
Attempt shell expansion on the current word.
lliisstt-cchhooiicceess (ESC-^D) (^D =) (^D)
List possible completions for the current word.
lliisstt-eexxppaanndd (^Xg ^XG) (^G) (^G)
List the expansion of the current word.
mmaaggiicc-ssppaaccee
Perform history expansion and insert a space into the buffer.
This is intended to be bound to space.
mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee
Like ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd, except that menu completion is used. See
the MMEENNUUCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE option.
mmeennuu-eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee
Like eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee, except that menu completion is used.
rreevveerrssee-mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee
Perform menu completion, like mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee, except that if a
menu completion is already in progress, move to the previous
completion rather than the next.
eenndd-ooff-lliisstt
When a previous completion displayed a list below the prompt,
this widget can be used to move the prompt below the list.
MMiisscceellllaanneeoouuss
aacccceepptt-aanndd-hhoolldd (ESC-A ESC-a) (unbound) (unbound)
Push the contents of the buffer on the buffer stack and execute
it.
aacccceepptt-aanndd-iinnffeerr-nneexxtt-hhiissttoorryy
Execute the contents of the buffer. Then search the history
list for a line matching the current one and push the event fol-
lowing onto the buffer stack.
aacccceepptt-lliinnee (^J ^M) (^J ^M) (^J ^M)
Finish editing the buffer. Normally this causes the buffer to
be executed as a shell command.
aacccceepptt-lliinnee-aanndd-ddoowwnn-hhiissttoorryy (^O) (unbound) (unbound)
Execute the current line, and push the next history event on the
the buffer stack.
bbeeeepp Beep, unless the BBEEEEPP option is unset.
vvii-ccmmdd-mmooddee (^X^V) (unbound) (^[)
Enter command mode; that is, select the `vviiccmmdd' keymap. Yes,
this is bound by default in emacs mode.
vvii-ccaappss-lloocckk-ppaanniicc
Hang until any lowercase key is pressed. This is for vi users
without the mental capacity to keep track of their caps lock key
(like the author).
cclleeaarr-ssccrreeeenn (^L ESC-^L) (^L) (^L)
Clear the screen and redraw the prompt.
ddeessccrriibbee-kkeeyy-bbrriieeffllyy
Reads a key sequence, then prints the function bound to that
sequence.
eexxcchhaannggee-ppooiinntt-aanndd-mmaarrkk (^X^X) (unbound) (unbound)
Exchange the cursor position with the position of the mark.
eexxeeccuuttee-nnaammeedd-ccmmdd (ESC-x) (unbound) (unbound)
Read the name of an editor command and execute it. A restricted
set of editing functions is available in the mini-buffer. An
interrupt signal, as defined by the stty setting, will abort the
function. The allowed functions are: bbaacckkwwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr,
vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr, cclleeaarr-ssccrreeeenn, rreeddiissppllaayy, qquuootteedd-iinnsseerrtt,
vvii-qquuootteedd-iinnsseerrtt, bbaacckkwwaarrdd-kkiillll-wwoorrdd, vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-kkiillll-wwoorrdd,
kkiillll-wwhhoollee-lliinnee, vvii-kkiillll-lliinnee, bbaacckkwwaarrdd-kkiillll-lliinnee, lliisstt-cchhooiicceess,
ddeelleettee-cchhaarr-oorr-lliisstt, ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd, aacccceepptt-lliinnee, eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoomm-
pplleettee and eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee-pprreeffiixx.
kkiillll-rreeggiioonn kills the last word, and vi-cmd-mode is treated the
same as accept-line. The space and tab characters, if not bound
to one of these functions, will complete the name and then list
the possibilities if the AAUUTTOOLLIISSTT option is set. Any other
character that is not bound to sseellff-iinnsseerrtt or sseellff-iinnsseerrtt-uunnmmeettaa
will beep and be ignored. The bindings of the current insert
mode will be used.
eexxeeccuuttee-llaasstt-nnaammeedd-ccmmdd (ESC-z) (unbound) (unbound)
Redo the last function executed with eexxeeccuuttee-nnaammeedd-ccmmdd.
ggeett-lliinnee (ESC-G ESC-g) (unbound) (unbound)
Pop the top line off the buffer stack and insert it at the cur-
sor position.
ppoouunndd-iinnsseerrtt (unbound) (#) (unbound)
If there is no # character at the beginning of the buffer, add
one to the beginning of each line. If there is one, remove a #
from each line that has one. In either case, accept the current
line. The IINNTTEERRAACCTTIIVVEECCOOMMMMEENNTTSS option must be set for this to
have any usefulness.
vvii-ppoouunndd-iinnsseerrtt
If there is no # character at the beginning of the current line,
add one. If there is one, remove it. The IINNTTEERRAACCTTIIVVEECCOOMMMMEENNTTSS
option must be set for this to have any usefulness.
ppuusshh-iinnppuutt
Push the entire current multiline construct onto the buffer
stack and return to the top-level (PPSS11) prompt. If the current
parser construct is only a single line, this is exactly like
ppuusshh-lliinnee. Next time the editor starts up or is popped with
ggeett-lliinnee, the construct will be popped off the top of the buffer
stack and loaded into the editing buffer.
ppuusshh-lliinnee (^Q ESC-Q ESC-q) (unbound) (unbound)
Push the current buffer onto the buffer stack and clear the
buffer. Next time the editor starts up, the buffer will be
popped off the top of the buffer stack and loaded into the edit-
ing buffer.
ppuusshh-lliinnee-oorr-eeddiitt
At the top-level (PPSS11) prompt, equivalent to ppuusshh-lliinnee. At a
secondary (PPSS22) prompt, move the entire current multiline con-
struct into the editor buffer. The latter is equivalent to
ppuusshh-iinnppuutt followed by ggeett-lliinnee.
rreeccuurrssiivvee-eeddiitt
Only useful from a user-defined widget. At this point in the
function, the editor regains control until one of the standard
widgets which would normally cause zle to exit (typically an
aacccceepptt-lliinnee caused by hitting the return key) is executed.
Instead, control returns to the user-defined widget. The status
returned is non-zero if the return was caused by an error, but
the function still continues executing and hence may tidy up.
This makes it safe for the user-defined widget to alter the com-
mand line or key bindings temporarily.
The following widget, ccaappss-lloocckk, serves as an example.
sseellff-iinnsseerrtt-uuccaassee(()) {{
LLBBUUFFFFEERR++==$${{((UU))KKEEYYSS[[-11]]}}
}}
integer stat
zle -N self-insert self-insert-ucase
zle -A caps-lock save-caps-lock
zle -A accept-line caps-lock
zle recursive-edit
stat=$?
zle -A .self-insert self-insert
zle -A save-caps-lock caps-lock
zle -D save-caps-lock
(( stat )) && zle send-break
return $stat
This causes typed letters to be inserted capitalised until
either aacccceepptt-lliinnee (i.e. typically the return key) is typed or
the ccaappss-lloocckk widget is invoked again; the later is handled by
saving the old definition of ccaappss-lloocckk as ssaavvee-ccaappss-lloocckk and
then rebinding it to invoke aacccceepptt-lliinnee. Note that an error
from the recursive edit is detected as a non-zero return status
and propagated by using the sseenndd-bbrreeaakk widget.
rreeddiissppllaayy (unbound) (^R) (^R)
Redisplays the edit buffer.
rreesseett-pprroommpptt (unbound) (unbound) (unbound)
Force the prompts on both the left and right of the screen to be
re-expanded, then redisplay the edit buffer. This reflects
changes both to the prompt variables themselves and changes in
the expansion of the values (for example, changes in time or
directory, or changes to the value of variables referred to by
the prompt).
Otherwise, the prompt is only expanded each time zle starts, and
when the display as been interrupted by output from another part
of the shell (such as a job notification) which causes the com-
mand line to be reprinted.
sseenndd-bbrreeaakk (^G ESC-^G) (unbound) (unbound)
Abort the current editor function, e.g. eexxeeccuuttee-nnaammeedd-ccoommmmaanndd,
or the editor itself, e.g. if you are in vvaarreedd. Otherwise abort
the parsing of the current line.
rruunn-hheellpp (ESC-H ESC-h) (unbound) (unbound)
Push the buffer onto the buffer stack, and execute the command
`rruunn-hheellpp cmd', where cmd is the current command. rruunn-hheellpp is
normally aliased to mmaann.
vvii-sseett-bbuuffffeerr (unbound) (") (unbound)
Specify a buffer to be used in the following command. There are
35 buffers that can be specified: the 26 `named' buffers ""aa to
""zz and the nine `queued' buffers ""11 to ""99. The named buffers
can also be specified as ""AA to ""ZZ.
When a buffer is specified for a cut command, the text being cut
replaces the previous contents of the specified buffer. If a
named buffer is specified using a capital, the newly cut text is
appended to the buffer instead of overwriting it.
If no buffer is specified for a cut command, ""11 is used, and the
contents of ""11 to ""88 are each shifted along one buffer; the con-
tents of ""99 is lost.
vvii-sseett-mmaarrkk (unbound) (m) (unbound)
Set the specified mark at the cursor position.
sseett-mmaarrkk-ccoommmmaanndd (^@) (unbound) (unbound)
Set the mark at the cursor position.
ssppeellll-wwoorrdd (ESC-$ ESC-S ESC-s) (unbound) (unbound)
Attempt spelling correction on the current word.
uunnddeeffiinneedd-kkeeyy
This command is executed when a key sequence that is not bound
to any command is typed. By default it beeps.
uunnddoo (^ ^Xu ^X^U) (unbound) (unbound)
Incrementally undo the last text modification.
rreeddoo Incrementally redo undone text modifications.
vvii-uunnddoo-cchhaannggee (unbound) (u) (unbound)
Undo the last text modification. If repeated, redo the modifi-
cation.
wwhhaatt-ccuurrssoorr-ppoossiittiioonn (^X=) (unbound) (unbound)
Print the character under the cursor, its code as an octal, dec-
imal and hexadecimal number, the current cursor position within
the buffer and the column of the cursor in the current line.
wwhheerree-iiss
Read the name of an editor command and and print the listing of
key sequences that invoke the specified command.
wwhhiicchh-ccoommmmaanndd (ESC-?) (unbound) (unbound)
Push the buffer onto the buffer stack, and execute the command
`wwhhiicchh-ccoommmmaanndd cmd'. where cmd is the current command.
wwhhiicchh-ccoommmmaanndd is normally aliased to whence.
vvii-ddiiggiitt-oorr-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-lliinnee (unbound) (0) (unbound)
If the last command executed was a digit as part of an argument,
continue the argument. Otherwise, execute vi-beginning-of-line.
ZSHCOMPWID(1) ZSHCOMPWID(1)
NAME
zshcompwid - zsh completion widgets
DESCRIPTION
The shell's programmable completion mechanism can be manipulated in two
ways; here the low-level features supporting the newer, function-based
mechanism are defined. A complete set of shell functions based on
these features is described in zshcompsys(1), and users with no inter-
est in adding to that system (or, potentially, writing their own --
see dictionary entry for `hubris') should skip this section. The older
system based on the ccoommppccttll builtin command is described in zshcom-
pctl(1).
Completion widgets are defined by the -CC option to the zzllee builtin com-
mand provided by the zzsshh//zzllee module (see zshzle(1)). For example,
zzllee -CC ccoommpplleettee eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee ccoommpplleetteerr
defines a widget named `ccoommpplleettee'. The second argument is the name of
any of the builtin widgets that handle completions: ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd,
eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee, eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee-pprreeffiixx, mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee,
mmeennuu-eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee, rreevveerrssee-mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee, lliisstt-cchhooiicceess, or
ddeelleettee-cchhaarr-oorr-lliisstt. Note that this will still work even if the widget
in question has been re-bound.
When this newly defined widget is bound to a key using the bbiinnddkkeeyy
builtin command defined in the zzsshh//zzllee module (see zshzle(1)), typing
that key will call the shell function `ccoommpplleetteerr'. This function is
responsible for generating the possible matches using the builtins
described below. As with other ZLE widgets, the function is called
with its standard input closed.
Once the function returns, the completion code takes over control again
and treats the matches in the same manner as the specified builtin wid-
get, in this case eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee.
SSPPEECCIIAALL PPAARRAAMMEETTEERRSS
Inside completion widgets, and any functions called from them, some
parameters have special meaning; outside these functions they are not
special to the shell in any way. These parameters are used to pass
information between the completion code and the completion widget. Some
of the builtin commands and the condition codes use or change the cur-
rent values of these parameters. Any existing values will be hidden
during execution of completion widgets; except for ccoommppssttaattee, the
parameters are reset on each function exit (including nested function
calls from within the completion widget) to the values they had when
the function was entered.
CCUURRRREENNTT
This is the number of the current word, i.e. the word the cursor
is currently on in the wwoorrddss array. Note that this value is
only correct if the kksshhaarrrraayyss option is not set.
IIPPRREEFFIIXX
Initially this will be set to the empty string. This parameter
functions like PPRREEFFIIXX; it contains a string which precedes the
one in PPRREEFFIIXX and is not considered part of the list of matches.
Typically, a string is transferred from the beginning of PPRREEFFIIXX
to the end of IIPPRREEFFIIXX, for example:
IIPPRREEFFIIXX==$${{PPRREEFFIIXX%%%%\\==**}}==
PPRREEFFIIXX==$${{PPRREEFFIIXX##**==}}
causes the part of the prefix up to and including the first
equal sign not to be treated as part of a matched string. This
can be done automatically by the ccoommppsseett builtin, see below.
IISSUUFFFFIIXX
As IIPPRREEFFIIXX, but for a suffix that should not be considered part
of the matches; note that the IISSUUFFFFIIXX string follows the SSUUFFFFIIXX
string.
PPRREEFFIIXX Initially this will be set to the part of the current word from
the beginning of the word up to the position of the cursor; it
may be altered to give a common prefix for all matches.
QQIIPPRREEFFIIXX
This parameter is read-only and contains the quoted string up to
the word being completed. E.g. when completing `""ffoooo', this
parameter contains the double quote. If the -qq option of ccoommppsseett
is used (see below), and the original string was `""ffoooo bbaarr' with
the cursor on the `bbaarr', this parameter contains `""ffoooo '.
QQIISSUUFFFFIIXX
Like QQIIPPRREEFFIIXX, but containing the suffix.
SSUUFFFFIIXX Initially this will be set to the part of the current word from
the cursor position to the end; it may be altered to give a com-
mon suffix for all matches. It is most useful when the option
CCOOMMPPLLEETTEEIINNWWOORRDD is set, as otherwise the whole word on the com-
mand line is treated as a prefix.
ccoommppssttaattee
This is an associative array with various keys and values that
the completion code uses to exchange information with the com-
pletion widget. The keys are:
aallllqquuootteess
The -qq option of the ccoommppsseett builtin command (see below)
allows a quoted string to be broken into separate words;
if the cursor is on one of those words, that word will be
completed, possibly invoking `ccoommppsseett -qq' recursively.
With this key it is possible to test the types of quoted
strings which are currently broken into parts in this
fashion. Its value contains one character for each quot-
ing level. The characters are a single quote or a double
quote for strings quoted with these characters and a
backslash for strings not starting with a quote charac-
ter. The first character in the value always corresponds
to the innermost quoting level.
ccoonntteexxtt
This will be set by the completion code to the overall
context in which completion is attempted. Possible values
are:
aarrrraayyvvaalluuee
when completing inside the value of an array
parameter assignment; in this case the wwoorrddss array
contains the words inside the parentheses.
bbrraacceeppaarraammeetteerr
when completing the name of a parameter in a
parameter expansion beginning with $${{.
aassssiiggnnppaarraammeetteerr
when completing the name of a parameter in a
parameter assignment.
ccoommmmaanndd
when completing for a normal command (either in
command position or for an argument of the com-
mand).
ccoonnddiittiioonn
when completing inside a `[[[[...]]]]' conditional
expression; in this case the wwoorrddss array contains
only the words inside the conditional expression.
mmaatthh when completing in a mathematical environment such
as a `((((...))))' construct.
ppaarraammeetteerr
when completing the name of a parameter in a
parameter expansion beginning with $$ but not $${{.
rreeddiirreecctt
when completing after a redirection operator.
ssuubbssccrriipptt
when completing inside a parameter subscript.
vvaalluuee when completing the value of a parameter assign-
ment.
eexxaacctt Controls the behaviour when the RREECCEEXXAACCTT option is set.
It will be set to aacccceepptt if an exact match would be
accepted, and will be unset otherwise.
If it was set when at least one match equal to the string
on the line was generated, the match is accepted.
eexxaaccttssttrriinngg
The string of an exact match if one was found, otherwise
unset.
iiggnnoorreedd
The number of words that were ignored because they
matched one of the patterns given with the -FF option to
the ccoommppaadddd builtin command.
iinnsseerrtt This controls the manner in which a match is inserted
into the command line. On entry to the widget function,
if it is unset the command line is not to be changed; if
set to uunnaammbbiigguuoouuss, any prefix common to all matches is
to be inserted; if set to aauuttoommeennuu-uunnaammbbiigguuoouuss, the com-
mon prefix is to be inserted and the next invocation of
the completion code may start menu completion (due to the
AAUUTTOOMMEENNUU option being set); if set to mmeennuu or aauuttoommeennuu
menu completion will be started for the matches currently
generated (in the latter case this will happen because
the AAUUTTOOMMEENNUU is set). The value may also contain the
string `ttaabb' when the completion code would normally not
really do completion, but only insert the TAB character.
On exit it may be set to any of the values above (where
setting it to the empty string is the same as unsetting
it), or to a number, in which case the match whose number
is given will be inserted into the command line. Nega-
tive numbers count backward from the last match (with
`-11' selecting the last match) and out-of-range values
are wrapped around, so that a value of zero selects the
last match and a value one more than the maximum selects
the first. Unless the value of this key ends in a space,
the match is inserted as in a menu completion, i.e. with-
out automatically appending a space.
Both mmeennuu and aauuttoommeennuu may also specify the the number of
the match to insert, given after a colon. For example,
`mmeennuu::22' says to start menu completion, beginning with
the second match.
Note that a value containing the substring `ttaabb' makes
the matches generated be ignored and only the TAB be
inserted.
Finally, it may also be set to aallll, which makes all
matches generated be inserted into the line.
iinnsseerrttppoossiittiioonnss
When the completion system inserts an unambiguous string
into the line, there may be multiple places where charac-
ters are missing or where the character inserted differs
from at least one match. The value of this key contains
a colon separated list of all these positions, as indexes
into the command line.
llaassttpprroommpptt
If this is set to a non-empty string for every match
added, the completion code will move the cursor back to
the previous prompt after the list of completions has
been displayed. Initially this is set or unset according
to the AALLWWAAYYSSLLAASSTTPPRROOMMPPTT option.
lliisstt This controls whether or how the list of matches will be
displayed. If it is unset or empty they will never be
listed; if its value begins with lliisstt, they will always
be listed; if it begins with aauuttoolliisstt or aammbbiigguuoouuss, they
will be listed when the AAUUTTOOLLIISSTT or LLIISSTTAAMMBBIIGGUUOOUUSS
options respectively would normally cause them to be.
If the substring ffoorrccee appears in the value, this makes
the list be shown even if there is only one match. Nor-
mally, the list would be shown only if there are at least
two matches.
The value contains the substring ppaacckkeedd if the
LLIISSTTPPAACCKKEEDD option is set. If this substring is given for
all matches added to a group, this group will show the
LLIISSTTPPAACCKKEEDD behavior. The same is done for the
LLIISSTTRROOWWSSFFIIRRSSTT option with the substring rroowwss.
Finally, if the value contains the string eexxppllaannaattiioonnss,
only the explanation strings, if any, will be listed and
if it contains mmeessssaaggeess, only the messages (added with
the -xx option of ccoommppaadddd) will be listed. If it contains
both eexxppllaannaattiioonnss and mmeessssaaggeess both kinds of explanation
strings will be listed. It will be set appropriately on
entry to a completion widget and may be changed there.
lliissttlliinneess
This gives the number of lines that are needed to display
the full list of completions. Note that to calculate the
total number of lines to display you need to add the num-
ber of lines needed for the command line to this value,
this is available as the value of the BBUUFFFFEERRLLIINNEESS special
parameter.
lliissttmmaaxx
Initially this is set to the value of the LLIISSTTMMAAXX parame-
ter. It may be set to any other value; when the widget
exits this value will be used in the same way as the
value of LLIISSTTMMAAXX.
nnmmaattcchheess
The number of matches generated and accepted by the com-
pletion code so far.
oollddiinnsseerrtt
On entry to the widget this will be set to the number of
the match of an old list of completions that is currently
inserted into the command line. If no match has been
inserted, this is unset.
As with oollddlliisstt, the value of this key will only be used
if it is the string kkeeeepp. If it was set to this value by
the widget and there was an old match inserted into the
command line, this match will be kept and if the value of
the iinnsseerrtt key specifies that another match should be
inserted, this will be inserted after the old one.
oollddlliisstt
This is set to yyeess if there is still a valid list of com-
pletions from a previous completion at the time the wid-
get is invoked. This will usually be the case if and
only if the previous editing operation was a completion
widget or one of the builtin completion functions. If
there is a valid list and it is also currently shown on
the screen, the value of this key is sshhoowwnn.
After the widget has exited the value of this key is only
used if it was set to kkeeeepp. In this case the completion
code will continue to use this old list. If the widget
generated new matches, they will not be used.
ppaarraammeetteerr
The name of the parameter when completing in a subscript
or in the value of a parameter assignment.
ppaatttteerrnniinnsseerrtt
Normally this is set to mmeennuu, which specifies that menu
completion will be used whenever a set of matches was
generated using pattern matching. If it is set to any
other non-empty string by the user and menu completion is
not selected by other option settings, the code will
instead insert any common prefix for the generated
matches as with normal completion.
ppaatttteerrnnmmaattcchh
Locally controls the behaviour given by the GGLLOOBBCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE
option. Initially it is set to `**' if and only if the
option is set. The completion widget may set it to this
value, to an empty string (which has the same effect as
unsetting it), or to any other non-empty string. If it
is non-empty, unquoted metacharacters on the command line
will be treated as patterns; if it is `**', then addition-
ally a wildcard `**' is assumed at the cursor position; if
it is empty or unset, metacharacters will be treated lit-
erally.
Note that the matcher specifications given to the ccoommppaadddd
builtin command are not used if this is set to a
non-empty string.
qquuoottee When completing inside quotes, this contains the quota-
tion character (i.e. either a single quote, a double
quote, or a backtick). Otherwise it is unset.
qquuoottiinngg
When completing inside single quotes, this is set to the
string ssiinnggllee; inside double quotes, the string ddoouubbllee;
inside backticks, the string bbaacckkttiicckk. Otherwise it is
unset.
rreeddiirreecctt
The redirection operator when completing in a redirection
position, i.e. one of <<, >>, etc.
rreessttoorree
This is set to aauuttoo before a function is entered, which
forces the special parameters mentioned above (wwoorrddss,
CCUURRRREENNTT, PPRREEFFIIXX, IIPPRREEFFIIXX, SSUUFFFFIIXX, and IISSUUFFFFIIXX) to be
restored to their previous values when the function
exits. If a function unsets it or sets it to any other
string, they will not be restored.
ttooeenndd Specifies the occasions on which the cursor is moved to
the end of a string when a match is inserted. On entry
to a widget function, it may be ssiinnggllee if this will hap-
pen when a single unambiguous match was inserted or mmaattcchh
if it will happen any time a match is inserted (for exam-
ple, by menu completion; this is likely to be the effect
of the AALLWWAAYYSSTTOOEENNDD option).
On exit, it may be set to ssiinnggllee as above. It may also
be set to aallwwaayyss, or to the empty string or unset; in
those cases the cursor will be moved to the end of the
string always or never respectively. Any other string is
treated as mmaattcchh.
uunnaammbbiigguuoouuss
This key is read-only and will always be set to the com-
mon (unambiguous) prefix the completion code has gener-
ated for all matches added so far.
uunnaammbbiigguuoouussccuurrssoorr
This gives the position the cursor would be placed at if
the common prefix in the uunnaammbbiigguuoouuss key were inserted,
relative to the value of that key. The cursor would be
placed before the character whose index is given by this
key.
uunnaammbbiigguuoouussppoossiittiioonnss
This contains all positions where characters in the unam-
biguous string are missing or where the character
inserted differs from at least one of the matches. The
positions are given as indexes into the string given by
the value of the uunnaammbbiigguuoouuss key.
vvaarreedd If completion is called while editing a line using the
vvaarreedd builtin, the value of this key is set to the name
of the parameter given as an argument to vvaarreedd. This key
is only set while a vvaarreedd command is active.
wwoorrddss This array contains the words present on the command line cur-
rently being edited.
BBUUIILLTTIINN CCOOMMMMAANNDDSS
ccoommppaadddd [ -aakkqqQQffeennUUll1122CC ] [ -FF array ]
[ -PP prefix ] [ -SS suffix ]
[ -pp hidden-prefix ] [ -ss hidden-suffix ]
[ -ii ignored-prefix ] [ -II ignored-suffix ]
[ -WW file-prefix ] [ -dd array ]
[ -JJ name ] [ -VV name ] [ -XX explanation ] [ -xx message ]
[ -rr remove-chars ] [ -RR remove-func ]
[ -DD array ] [ -OO array ] [ -AA array ]
[ -EE number ]
[ -MM match-spec ] [ -- ] [ words ... ]
This builtin command can be used to add matches directly and
control all the information the completion code stores with each
possible match. The return value is zero if at least one match
was added and non-zero if no matches were added.
The completion code breaks the string to complete into seven
fields in the order:
The first field is an ignored prefix taken from the command
line, the contents of the IIPPRREEFFIIXX parameter plus the string
given with the -ii option. With the -UU option, only the string
from the -ii option is used. The field is an optional pre-
fix string given with the -PP option. The field is a
string that is considered part of the match but that should not
be shown when listing completions, given with the -pp option; for
example, functions that do filename generation might specify a
common path prefix this way. is the part of the match
that should appear in the list of completions, i.e. one of the
words given at the end of the ccoommppaadddd command line. The suffixes
, and correspond to the prefixes ,
and and are given by the options -ss, -SS and -II,
respectively.
The supported flags are:
-PP prefix
This gives a string to be inserted before the given
words. The string given is not considered as part of the
match and any shell metacharacters in it will not be
quoted when the string is inserted.
-SS suffix
Like -PP, but gives a string to be inserted after the
match.
-pp hidden-prefix
This gives a string that should be inserted into the com-
mand line before the match but that should not appear in
the list of matches. Unless the -UU option is given, this
string must be matched as part of the string on the com-
mand line.
-ss hidden-suffix
Like `-pp', but gives a string to insert after the match.
-ii ignored-prefix
This gives a string to insert into the command line just
before any string given with the `-PP' option. Without
`-PP' the string is inserted before the string given with
`-pp' or directly before the match.
-II ignored-suffix
Like -ii, but gives an ignored suffix.
-aa With this flag the words are taken as names of arrays and
the possible matches are their values. If only some ele-
ments of the arrays are needed, the words may also con-
tain subscripts, as in `ffoooo[[22,,-11]]'.
-kk With this flag the words are taken as names of associa-
tive arrays and the possible matches are their keys. As
for -aa, the words may also contain subscripts, as in
`ffoooo[[((RR))**bbaarr**]]'.
-dd array
This adds per-match display strings. The array should
contain one element per word given. The completion code
will then display the first element instead of the first
word, and so on. The array may be given as the name of an
array parameter or directly as a space-separated list of
words in parentheses.
If there are fewer display strings than words, the left-
over words will be displayed unchanged and if there are
more display strings than words, the leftover display
strings will be silently ignored.
-ll This option only has an effect if used together with the
-dd option. If it is given, the display strings are listed
one per line, not arrayed in columns.
-JJ name
Gives the name of the group of matches the words should
be stored in.
-VV name
Like -JJ but naming a unsorted group. These are in a dif-
ferent name space than groups created with the -JJ flag.
-11 If given together with the -VV option, makes only consecu-
tive duplicates in the group be removed. If combined with
the -JJ option, this has no visible effect. Note that
groups with and without this flag are in different name
spaces.
-22 If given together with the -JJ or -VV option, makes all
duplicates be kept. Again, groups with and without this
flag are in different name spaces.
-XX explanation
The explanation string will be printed with the list of
matches, above the group currently selected.
-xx message
Like -XX, but the message will be printed even if there
are no matches in the group.
-qq The suffix given with -SS will be automatically removed if
the next character typed is a blank or does not insert
anything, or if the suffix consists of only one character
and the next character typed is the same character.
-rr remove-chars
This is a more versatile form of the -qq option. The suf-
fix given with -SS or the slash automatically added after
completing directories will be automatically removed if
the next character typed inserts one of the characters
given in the remove-chars. This string is parsed as a
characters class and understands the backslash sequences
used by the pprriinntt command. For example, `-rr ""aa-zz\\tt""'
removes the suffix if the next character typed inserts a
lowercase character or a TAB, and `-rr ""^^00-99""' removes the
suffix if the next character typed inserts anything but a
digit. One extra backslash sequence is understood in this
string: `\\-' stands for all characters that insert noth-
ing. Thus `-SS ""=="" -qq' is the same as `-SS ""=="" -rr ""==
\\tt\\nn\\-""'.
This option may also be used without the -SS option; then
any automatically added space will be removed when one of
the characters in the list is typed.
-RR remove-func
This is another form of the -rr option. When a suffix has
been inserted and the completion accepted, the function
remove-func will be called after the next character
typed. It is passed the length of the suffix as an argu-
ment and can use the special parameters available in
ordinary (non-completion) zle widgets (see zshzle(1)) to
analyse and modify the command line.
-ff If this flag is given, all of the matches built from
words are marked as being the names of files. They are
not required to be actual filenames, but if they are, and
the option LLIISSTTTTYYPPEESS is set, the characters describing
the types of the files in the completion lists will be
shown. This also forces a slash to be added when the name
of a directory is completed.
-ee This flag can be used to tell the completion code that
the matches added are parameter names for a parameter
expansion. This will make the AAUUTTOOPPAARRAAMMSSLLAASSHH and
AAUUTTOOPPAARRAAMMKKEEYYSS options be used for the matches.
-WW file-prefix
This string is a pathname that will be prepended to each
of the matches formed by the given words together with
any prefix specified by the -pp option to form a complete
filename for testing. Hence it is only useful if com-
bined with the -ff flag, as the tests will not otherwise
be performed.
-FF array
Specifies an array containing patterns. Words matching
one of these patterns are ignored, i.e. not considered to
be possible matches.
The array may be the name of an array parameter or a list
of literal patterns enclosed in parentheses and quoted,
as in `-FF ""((**??..oo **??..hh))""'. If the name of an array is
given, the elements of the array are taken as the pat-
terns.
-QQ This flag instructs the completion code not to quote any
metacharacters in the words when inserting them into the
command line.
-MM match-spec
This gives local match specifications as described below
in the section `Matching Control'. This option may be
given more than once. In this case all match-specs given
are concatenated with spaces between them to form the
specification string to use. Note that they will only be
used if the -UU option is not given.
-nn Specifies that the words added are to be used as possible
matches, but are not to appear in the completion listing.
-UU If this flag is given, all words given will be accepted
and no matching will be done by the completion code. Nor-
mally this is used in functions that do the matching
themselves.
-OO array
If this option is given, the words are not added to the
set of possible completions. Instead, matching is done
as usual and all of the words given as arguments that
match the string on the command line will be stored in
the array parameter whose name is given as array.
-AA array
As the -OO option, except that instead of those of the
words which match being stored in array, the strings gen-
erated internally by the completion code are stored. For
example, with a matching specification of `-MM ""LL::||nnoo==""',
the string `nnooff' on the command line and the string `ffoooo'
as one of the words, this option stores the string
`nnooffoooo' in the array, whereas the -OO option stores the
`ffoooo' originally given.
-DD array
As with -OO, the words are not added to the set of possi-
ble completions. Instead, the completion code tests
whether each word in turn matches what is on the line.
If the n'th word does not match, the n'th element of the
array is removed. Elements for which the corresponding
word is matched are retained.
-CC This option adds a special match which expands to all
other matches when inserted into the line, even those
that are added after this option is used. Together with
the -dd option it is possible to specify a string that
should be displayed in the list for this special match.
If no string is given, it will be shown as a string con-
taining the strings that would be inserted for the other
matches, truncated to the width of the screen.
-EE This option adds number empty matches after the words
have been added. An empty match takes up space in com-
pletion listings but will never be inserted in the line
and can't be selected with menu completion or menu selec-
tion. This makes empty matches only useful to format
completion lists and to make explanatory string be shown
in completion lists (since empty matches can be given
display strings with the -dd option). And because all but
one empty string would otherwise be removed, this option
implies the -VV and -22 options (even if an explicit -JJ
option is given).
-
-- This flag ends the list of flags and options. All argu-
ments after it will be taken as the words to use as
matches even if they begin with hyphens.
Except for the -MM flag, if any of these flags is given more than
once, the first one (and its argument) will be used.
ccoommppsseett -pp number
ccoommppsseett -PP [ number ] pattern
ccoommppsseett -ss number
ccoommppsseett -SS [ number ] pattern
ccoommppsseett -nn begin [ end ]
ccoommppsseett -NN beg-pat [ end-pat ]
ccoommppsseett -qq
This command simplifies modification of the special parameters,
while its return value allows tests on them to be carried out.
The options are:
-pp number
If the contents of the PPRREEFFIIXX parameter is longer than
number characters, the first number characters are
removed from it and appended to the contents of the
IIPPRREEFFIIXX parameter.
-PP [ number ] pattern
If the value of the PPRREEFFIIXX parameter begins with anything
that matches the pattern, the matched portion is removed
from PPRREEFFIIXX and appended to IIPPRREEFFIIXX.
Without the optional number, the longest match is taken,
but if number is given, anything up to the number'th
match is moved. If the number is negative, the number'th
longest match is moved. For example, if PPRREEFFIIXX contains
the string `aa==bb==cc', then ccoommppsseett -PP ''**\\=='' will move the
string `aa==bb==' into the IIPPRREEFFIIXX parameter, but ccoommppsseett -PP
11 ''**\\=='' will move only the string `aa=='.
-ss number
As -pp, but transfer the last number characters from the
value of SSUUFFFFIIXX to the front of the value of IISSUUFFFFIIXX.
-SS [ number ] pattern
As -PP, but match the last portion of SSUUFFFFIIXX and transfer
the matched portion to the front of the value of IISSUUFFFFIIXX.
-nn begin [ end ]
If the current word position as specified by the parame-
ter CCUURRRREENNTT is greater than or equal to begin, anything
up to the begin'th word is removed from the wwoorrddss array
and the value of the parameter CCUURRRREENNTT is decremented by
begin.
If the optional end is given, the modification is done
only if the current word position is also less than or
equal to end. In this case, the words from position end
onwards are also removed from the wwoorrddss array.
Both begin and end may be negative to count backwards
from the last element of the wwoorrddss array.
-NN beg-pat [ end-pat ]
If one of the elements of the wwoorrddss array before the one
at the index given by the value of the parameter CCUURRRREENNTT
matches the pattern beg-pat, all elements up to and
including the matching one are removed from the wwoorrddss
array and the value of CCUURRRREENNTT is changed to point to the
same word in the changed array.
If the optional pattern end-pat is also given, and there
is an element in the wwoorrddss array matching this pattern,
the parameters are modified only if the index of this
word is higher than the one given by the CCUURRRREENNTT parame-
ter (so that the matching word has to be after the cur-
sor). In this case, the words starting with the one
matching eenndd-ppaatt are also removed from the wwoorrddss array.
If wwoorrddss contains no word matching end-pat, the testing
and modification is performed as if it were not given.
-qq The word currently being completed is split on spaces
into separate words, respecting the usual shell quoting
conventions. The resulting words are stored in the wwoorrddss
array, and CCUURRRREENNTT, PPRREEFFIIXX, SSUUFFFFIIXX, QQIIPPRREEFFIIXX, and QQIISSUUFF-
FFIIXX are modified to reflect the word part that is com-
pleted.
In all the above cases the return value is zero if the test suc-
ceeded and the parameters were modified and non-zero otherwise.
This allows one to use this builtin in tests such as:
iiff ccoommppsseett -PP ''**\\=='';; tthheenn ......
This forces anything up to and including the last equal sign to
be ignored by the completion code.
ccoommppccaallll [ -TTDD ]
This allows the use of completions defined with the ccoommppccttll
builtin from within completion widgets. The list of matches
will be generated as if one of the non-widget completion func-
tion (ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd, etc.) had been called, except that only
ccoommppccttlls given for specific commands are used. To force the code
to try completions defined with the -TT option of ccoommppccttll and/or
the default completion (whether defined by ccoommppccttll -DD or the
builtin default) in the appropriate places, the -TT and/or -DD
flags can be passed to ccoommppccaallll.
The return value can be used to test if a matching ccoommppccttll defi-
nition was found. It is non-zero if a ccoommppccttll was found and zero
otherwise.
Note that this builtin is defined by the zzsshh//ccoommppccttll module.
CCOONNDDIITTIIOONN CCOODDEESS
The following additional condition codes for use within the [[[[ ...... ]]]]
construct are available in completion widgets. These work on the spe-
cial parameters. All of these tests can also be performed by the
ccoommppsseett builtin, but in the case of the condition codes the contents of
the special parameters are not modified.
-pprreeffiixx [ number ] pattern
true if the test for the -PP option of ccoommppsseett would succeed.
-ssuuffffiixx [ number ] pattern
true if the test for the -SS option of ccoommppsseett would succeed.
-aafftteerr beg-pat
true if the test of the -NN option with only the beg-pat given
would succeed.
-bbeettwweeeenn beg-pat end-pat
true if the test for the -NN option with both patterns would suc-
ceed.
MMAATTCCHHIINNGG CCOONNTTRROOLL
It is possible by use of the -MM option of the ccoommppaadddd builtin command
to specify how the characters in the string to be completed (referred
to here as the command line) map onto the characters in the list of
matches produced by the completion code (referred to here as the trial
completions). Note that this is not used if the command line contains a
glob pattern and the GGLLOOBBCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE option is set or the ppaatttteerrnnmmaattcchh
of the ccoommppssttaattee special association is set to a non-empty string.
The match-spec given as the argument to the -MM option (see `Builtin
Commands' above) consists of one or more matching descriptions sepa-
rated by whitespace. Each description consists of a letter followed by
a colon and then the patterns describing which character sequences on
the line match which character sequences in the trial completion. Any
sequence of characters not handled in this fashion must match exactly,
as usual.
The forms of match-spec understood are as follows. In each case, the
form with an uppercase initial character retains the string already
typed on the command line as the final result of completion, while with
a lowercase initial character the string on the command line is changed
into the corresponding part of the trial completion.
mm::lpat==tpat
MM::lpat==tpat
Here, lpat is a pattern that matches on the command line, corre-
sponding to tpat which matches in the trial completion.
ll::lanchor||lpat==tpat
LL::lanchor||lpat==tpat
ll::lanchor||||ranchor==tpat
LL::lanchor||||ranchor==tpat
bb::lpat==tpat
BB::lpat==tpat
These letters are for patterns that are anchored by another pat-
tern on the left side. Matching for lpat and tpat is as for mm
and MM, but the pattern lpat matched on the command line must be
preceded by the pattern lanchor. The lanchor can be blank to
anchor the match to the start of the command line string; other-
wise the anchor can occur anywhere, but must match in both the
command line and trial completion strings.
If no lpat is given but a ranchor is, this matches the gap
between substrings matched by lanchor and ranchor. Unlike lan-
chor, the ranchor only needs to match the trial completion
string.
The bb and BB forms are similar to ll and LL with an empty anchor,
but need to match only the beginning of the trial completion or
the word on the command line, respectively.
rr::lpat||ranchor==tpat
RR::lpat||ranchor==tpat
rr::lanchor||||ranchor==tpat
RR::lanchor||||ranchor==tpat
ee::lpat==tpat
EE::lpat==tpat
As ll, LL, bb and BB, with the difference that the command line and
trial completion patterns are anchored on the right side. Here
an empty ranchor and the ee and EE forms force the match to the
end of the trial completion or command line string.
Each lpat, tpat or anchor is either an empty string or consists of a
sequence of literal characters (which may be quoted with a backslash),
question marks, character classes, and correspondence classes; ordinary
shell patterns are not used. Literal characters match only themselves,
question marks match any character, and character classes are formed as
for globbing and match any character in the given set.
Correspondence classes are defined like character classes, but with two
differences: they are delimited by a pair of braces, and negated
classes are not allowed, so the characters !! and ^^ have no special
meaning directly after the opening brace. They indicate that a range
of characters on the line match a range of characters in the trial com-
pletion, but (unlike ordinary character classes) paired according to
the corresponding position in the sequence. For example, to make any
lowercase letter on the line match the corresponding uppercase letter
in the trial completion, you can use `mm::{{aa-zz}}=={{AA-ZZ}}'. More than one
pair of classes can occur, in which case the first class before the ==
corresponds to the first after it, and so on. If one side has more
such classes than the other side, the superfluous classes behave like
normal character classes. In anchor patterns correspondence classes
also behave like normal character classes.
The pattern tpat may also be one or two stars, `**' or `****'. This means
that the pattern on the command line can match any number of characters
in the trial completion. In this case the pattern must be anchored (on
either side); in the case of a single star, the anchor then determines
how much of the trial completion is to be included -- only the charac-
ters up to the next appearance of the anchor will be matched. With two
stars, substrings matched by the anchor can be matched, too.
Examples:
The keys of the ooppttiioonnss association defined by the ppaarraammeetteerr module are
the option names in all-lowercase form, without underscores, and with-
out the optional nnoo at the beginning even though the builtins sseettoopptt
and uunnsseettoopptt understand option names with uppercase letters, under-
scores, and the optional nnoo. The following alters the matching rules
so that the prefix nnoo and any underscore are ignored when trying to
match the trial completions generated and uppercase letters on the line
match the corresponding lowercase letters in the words:
ccoommppaadddd -MM ''LL::||[[nnNN]][[ooOO]]== MM::== MM::{{AA-ZZ}}=={{aa-zz}}'' - \\
$${{((kk))ooppttiioonnss}}
The first part says that the pattern `[[nnNN]][[ooOO]]' at the beginning (the
empty anchor before the pipe symbol) of the string on the line matches
the empty string in the list of words generated by completion, so it
will be ignored if present. The second part does the same for an under-
score anywhere in the command line string, and the third part uses cor-
respondence classes so that any uppercase letter on the line matches
the corresponding lowercase letter in the word. The use of the upper-
case forms of the specification characters (LL and MM) guarantees that
what has already been typed on the command line (in particular the pre-
fix nnoo) will not be deleted.
Note that the use of LL in the first part means that it matches only
when at the beginning of both the command line string and the trial
completion. I.e., the string `NNOOff' would not be completed to
`NNOOffoooo', nor would `NNOONNOOff' be completed to `NNOONNOOffoooo' because of the
leading underscore or the second `NNOO' on the line which makes the pat-
tern fail even though they are otherwise ignored. To fix this, one
would use `BB::[[nnNN]][[ooOO]]==' instead of the first part. As described above,
this matches at the beginning of the trial completion, independent of
other characters or substrings at the beginning of the command line
word which are ignored by the same or other match-specs.
The second example makes completion case insensitive. This is just the
same as in the option example, except here we wish to retain the char-
acters in the list of completions:
ccoommppaadddd -MM ''mm::{{aa-zz}}=={{AA-ZZ}}'' ......
This makes lowercase letters match their uppercase counterparts. To
make uppercase letters match the lowercase forms as well:
ccoommppaadddd -MM ''mm::{{aa-zzAA-ZZ}}=={{AA-ZZaa-zz}}'' ......
A nice example for the use of ** patterns is partial word completion.
Sometimes you would like to make strings like `cc..ss..uu' complete to
strings like `ccoommpp..ssoouurrccee..uunniixx', i.e. the word on the command line con-
sists of multiple parts, separated by a dot in this example, where each
part should be completed separately -- note, however, that the case
where each part of the word, i.e. `ccoommpp', `ssoouurrccee' and `uunniixx' in this
example, is to be completed from separate sets of matches is a differ-
ent problem to be solved by the implementation of the completion wid-
get. The example can be handled by:
ccoommppaadddd -MM ''rr::||..==** rr::||==**'' \\
- ccoommpp..ssoouurrcceess..uunniixx ccoommpp..ssoouurrcceess..mmiisscc ......
The first specification says that lpat is the empty string, while
anchor is a dot; tpat is **, so this can match anything except for the
`..' from the anchor in the trial completion word. So in `cc..ss..uu', the
matcher sees `cc', followed by the empty string, followed by the anchor
`..', and likewise for the second dot, and replaces the empty strings
before the anchors, giving `cc[oommpp]..ss[oouurrcceess]..uu[nniixx]', where the last
part of the completion is just as normal.
With the pattern shown above, the string `cc..uu' could not be completed
to `ccoommpp..ssoouurrcceess..uunniixx' because the single star means that no dot
(matched by the anchor) can be skipped. By using two stars as in
`rr::||..==****', however, `cc..uu' could be completed to `ccoommpp..ssoouurrcceess..uunniixx'.
This also shows that in some cases, especially if the anchor is a real
pattern, like a character class, the form with two stars may result in
more matches than one would like.
The second specification is needed to make this work when the cursor is
in the middle of the string on the command line and the option CCOOMM-
PPLLEETTEEIINNWWOORRDD is set. In this case the completion code would normally
try to match trial completions that end with the string as typed so
far, i.e. it will only insert new characters at the cursor position
rather then at the end. However in our example we would like the code
to recognise matches which contain extra characters after the string on
the line (the `nniixx' in the example). Hence we say that the empty
string at the end of the string on the line matches any characters at
the end of the trial completion.
More generally, the specification
ccoommppaadddd -MM ''rr::||[[..,,-]]==** rr::||==**'' ......
allows one to complete words with abbreviations before any of the char-
acters in the square brackets. For example, to complete vveerryyvveerryylloonngg-
ffiillee..cc rather than vveerryyvveerryylloonngghheeaaddeerr..hh with the above in effect, you
can just type vveerryy..cc before attempting completion.
The specifications with both a left and a right anchor are useful to
complete partial words whose parts are not separated by some special
character. For example, in some places strings have to be completed
that are formed `LLiikkeeTThhiiss' (i.e. the separate parts are determined by a
leading uppercase letter) or maybe one has to complete strings with
trailing numbers. Here one could use the simple form with only one
anchor as in:
ccoommppaadddd -MM ''rr::||[[AA-ZZ00-99]]==** rr::||==**'' LLiikkeeTTHHIISS FFooooHHoooo 55ffoooo112233 55bbaarr223344
But with this, the string `HH' would neither complete to `FFooooHHoooo' nor to
`LLiikkeeTTHHIISS' because in each case there is an uppercase letter before the
`HH' and that is matched by the anchor. Likewise, a `22' would not be
completed. In both cases this could be changed by using
`rr::||[[AA-ZZ00-99]]==****', but then `HH' completes to both `LLiikkeeTTHHIISS' and
`FFooooHHoooo' and a `22' matches the other strings because characters can be
inserted before every uppercase letter and digit. To avoid this one
would use:
ccoommppaadddd -MM ''rr::[[^^AA-ZZ00-99]]||||[[AA-ZZ00-99]]==**** rr::||==**'' \\
LLiikkeeTTHHIISS FFooooHHoooo ffoooo112233 bbaarr223344
By using these two anchors, a `HH' matches only uppercase `HH's that are
immediately preceded by something matching the left anchor `[[^^AA-ZZ00-99]]'.
The effect is, of course, that `HH' matches only the string `FFooooHHoooo', a
`22' matches only `bbaarr223344' and so on.
When using the completion system (see zshcompsys(1)), users can define
match specifications that are to be used for specific contexts by using
the mmaattcchheerr and mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt styles. The values for the latter will be
used everywhere.
CCOOMMPPLLEETTIIOONN WWIIDDGGEETT EEXXAAMMPPLLEE
The first step is to define the widget:
zzllee -CC ccoommpplleettee ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd ccoommpplleettee-ffiilleess
Then the widget can be bound to a key using the bbiinnddkkeeyy builtin com-
mand:
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''^^XX\\tt'' ccoommpplleettee
After that the shell function ccoommpplleettee-ffiilleess will be invoked after typ-
ing control-X and TAB. The function should then generate the matches,
e.g.:
ccoommpplleettee-ffiilleess (()) {{ ccoommppaadddd - ** }}
This function will complete files in the current directory matching the
current word.
ZSHCOMPSYS(1) ZSHCOMPSYS(1)
NAME
zshcompsys - zsh completion system
DESCRIPTION
This describes the shell code for the new completion system. It con-
sists of various shell functions; those beginning `ccoommpp' are to be
called directly, while those beginning `' are called by the completion
code. The shell functions of the second set, which implement comple-
tion behaviour and may be bound to keystrokes, are referred to as `wid-
gets'.
IINNIITTIIAALLIIZZAATTIIOONN
If the system was installed completely, it should be enough to call the
shell function ccoommppiinniitt from your initialization file; see the next
section. However, the function ccoommppiinnssttaallll can be run by a user to
configure various aspects of the completion system.
Usually, ccoommppiinnssttaallll will insert code into ..zzsshhrrcc, although if that is
not writable it will save it in another file and tell you that file's
location. Note that it is up to you to make sure that the lines added
to ..zzsshhrrcc are actually run; you may, for example, need to move them to
an earlier place in the file if ..zzsshhrrcc usually returns early. So long
as you keep them all together (including the comment lines at the start
and finish), you can rerun ccoommppiinnssttaallll and it will correctly locate and
modify these lines. Note, however, that any code you add to this sec-
tion by hand is likely to be lost if you rerun ccoommppiinnssttaallll, although
lines using the command `zzssttyyllee' should be gracefully handled.
The new code will take effect next time you start the shell, or run
..zzsshhrrcc by hand; there is also an option to make them take effect imme-
diately. However, if ccoommppiinnssttaallll has removed definitions, you will
need to restart the shell to see the changes.
To run ccoommppiinnssttaallll you will need to make sure it is in a directory men-
tioned in your ffppaatthh parameter, which should already be the case if zsh
was properly configured as long as your startup files do not remove the
appropriate directories from ffppaatthh. Then it must be autoloaded
(`aauuttoollooaadd -UU ccoommppiinnssttaallll' is recommended). You can abort the instal-
lation any time you are being prompted for information, and your ..zzsshhrrcc
will not be altered at all; changes only take place right at the end,
where you are specifically asked for confirmation.
UUssee ooff ccoommppiinniitt
This section describes the use of ccoommppiinniitt to initialize completion for
the current session when called directly; if you have run ccoommppiinnssttaallll
it will be called automatically from your ..zzsshhrrcc.
To initialize the system, the function ccoommppiinniitt should be in a direc-
tory mentioned in the ffppaatthh parameter, and should be autoloaded
(`aauuttoollooaadd -UU ccoommppiinniitt' is recommended), and then run simply as
`ccoommppiinniitt'. This will define a few utility functions, arrange for all
the necessary shell functions to be autoloaded, and will then re-define
all widgets that do completion to use the new system. If you use the
mmeennuu-sseelleecctt widget, which is part of the zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module, you
should make sure that that module is loaded before the call to ccoommppiinniitt
so that that widget is also re-defined. If completion styles (see
below) are set up to perform expansion as well as completion by
default, and the TAB key is bound to eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee, ccoommppiinniitt will
rebind it to ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd; this is necessary to use the correct form
of expansion.
Should you need to use the original completion commands, you can still
bind keys to the old widgets by putting a `..' in front of the widget
name, e.g. `..eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee'.
To speed up the running of ccoommppiinniitt, it can be made to produce a dumped
configuration that will be read in on future invocations; this is the
default, but can be turned off by calling ccoommppiinniitt with the option -DD.
The dumped file is ..zzccoommppdduummpp in the same directory as the startup
files (i.e. $$ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR or $$HHOOMMEE); alternatively, an explicit file name
can be given by `ccoommppiinniitt -dd dumpfile'. The next invocation of
ccoommppiinniitt will read the dumped file instead of performing a full ini-
tialization.
If the number of completion files changes, ccoommppiinniitt will recognise this
and produce a new dump file. However, if the name of a function or the
arguments in the first line of a ##ccoommppddeeff function (as described below)
change, it is easiest to delete the dump file by hand so that ccoommppiinniitt
will re-create it the next time it is run. The check performed to see
if there are new functions can be omitted by giving the option -CC. In
this case the dump file will only be created if there isn't one
already.
The dumping is actually done by another function, ccoommppdduummpp, but you
will only need to run this yourself if you change the configuration
(e.g. using ccoommppddeeff) and then want to dump the new one. The name of
the old dumped file will be remembered for this purpose.
If the parameter ccoommppddiirr is set, ccoommppiinniitt uses it as a directory where
completion functions can be found; this is only necessary if they are
not already in the function search path.
For security reasons ccoommppiinniitt also checks if the completion system
would use files not owned by root or by the current user, or files in
directories that are world- or group-writable or that are not owned by
root or by the current user. If such files or directories are found,
ccoommppiinniitt will ask if the completion system should really be used. To
avoid these tests and make all files found be used without asking, use
the option -uu, and to make ccoommppiinniitt silently ignore all insecure files
and directories use the option -ii. This security check is skipped
entirely when the -CC option is given.
The security check can be retried at any time by running the function
ccoommppaauuddiitt. This is the same check used by ccoommppiinniitt, but when it is
executed directly any changes to ffppaatthh are made local to the function
so they do not persist. The directories to be checked may be passed as
arguments; if none are given, ccoommppaauuddiitt uses ffppaatthh and ccoommppddiirr to find
completion system directories, adding missing ones to ffppaatthh as neces-
sary. To force a check of exactly the directories currently named in
ffppaatthh, set ccoommppddiirr to an empty string before calling ccoommppaauuddiitt or
ccoommppiinniitt.
AAuuttoollooaaddeedd ffiilleess
The convention for autoloaded functions used in completion is that they
start with an underscore; as already mentioned, the ffppaatthh//FFPPAATTHH parame-
ter must contain the directory in which they are stored. If zzsshh was
properly installed on your system, then ffppaatthh//FFPPAATTHH automatically con-
tains the required directories for the standard functions.
For incomplete installations, if ccoommppiinniitt does not find enough files
beginning with an underscore (fewer than twenty) in the search path, it
will try to find more by adding the directory ccoommppddiirr to the search
path. If that directory has a subdirectory named BBaassee, all subdirecto-
ries will be added to the path. Furthermore, if the subdirectory BBaassee
has a subdirectory named CCoorree, ccoommppiinniitt will add all subdirectories of
the subdirectories is to the path: this allows the functions to be in
the same format as in the zzsshh source distribution.
When ccoommppiinniitt is run, it searches all such files accessible via
ffppaatthh//FFPPAATTHH and reads the first line of each of them. This line should
contain one of the tags described below. Files whose first line does
not start with one of these tags are not considered to be part of the
completion system and will not be treated specially.
The tags are:
##ccoommppddeeff names... [ -[[ppPP]] patterns... [ -NN names... ] ]
The file will be made autoloadable and the function defined in
it will be called when completing names, each of which is either
the name of a command whose arguments are to be completed or one
of a number of special contexts in the form -context- described
below.
Each name may also be of the form `cmd==service'. When complet-
ing the command cmd, the function typically behaves as if the
command (or special context) service was being completed
instead. This provides a way of altering the behaviour of func-
tions that can perform many different completions. It is imple-
mented by setting the parameter $$sseerrvviiccee when calling the func-
tion; the function may choose to interpret this how it wishes,
and simpler functions will probably ignore it.
If the ##ccoommppddeeff line contains one of the options -pp or -PP, the
words following are taken to be patterns. The function will be
called when completion is attempted for a command or context
that matches one of the patterns. The options -pp and -PP are
used to specify patterns to be tried before or after other com-
pletions respectively. Hence -PP may be used to specify default
actions.
The option -NN is used after a list following -pp or -PP; it speci-
fies that remaining words no longer define patterns. It is pos-
sible to toggle between the three options as many times as nec-
essary.
##ccoommppddeeff -kk style key-sequences...
This option creates a widget behaving like the builtin widget
style and binds it to the given key-sequences, if any. The
style must be one of the builtin widgets that perform comple-
tion, namely ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd, ddeelleettee-cchhaarr-oorr-lliisstt, eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoomm-
pplleettee, eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee-pprreeffiixx, lliisstt-cchhooiicceess, mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee,
mmeennuu-eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee, or rreevveerrssee-mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee. If the
zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module is loaded (see zshmodules(1)) the widget
mmeennuu-sseelleecctt is also available.
When one of the key-sequences is typed, the function in the file
will be invoked to generate the matches. Note that a key will
not be re-bound if if it already was (that is, was bound to
something other than uunnddeeffiinneedd-kkeeyy). The widget created has the
same name as the file and can be bound to any other keys using
bbiinnddkkeeyy as usual.
##ccoommppddeeff -KK widget-name style key-sequences ...
This is similar to -kk except that only one key-sequences argu-
ment may be given for each widget-name style pair. However, the
entire set of three arguments may be repeated with a different
set of arguments. Note in particular that the widget-name must
be distinct in each set. If it does not begin with `' this
will be added. The widget-name should not clash with the name
of any existing widget: names based on the name of the function
are most useful. For example,
##ccoommppddeeff -KK ffooooccoommpplleettee ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd ""^^XX^^CC"" \\
ffoooolliisstt lliisstt-cchhooiicceess ""^^XX^^DD""
(all on one line) defines a widget ffooooccoommpplleettee for completion,
bound to `^^XX^^CC', and a widget ffoooolliisstt for listing, bound to
`^^XX^^DD'.
##aauuttoollooaadd [ options ]
Functions with the ##aauuttoollooaadd tag are marked for autoloading but
are not otherwise treated specially. Typically they are to be
called from within one of the completion functions. Any options
supplied will be passed to the aauuttoollooaadd builtin; a typical use
is ++XX to force the function to be loaded immediately. Note that
the -UU and -zz flags are always added implicitly.
The ## is part of the tag name and no white space is allowed after it.
The ##ccoommppddeeff tags use the ccoommppddeeff function described below; the main
difference is that the name of the function is supplied implicitly.
The special contexts for which completion functions can be defined are:
-aarrrraayy-vvaalluuee-
The right hand side of an array-assignment (`ffoooo==((......))')
-bbrraaccee-ppaarraammeetteerr-
The name of a parameter expansion within braces (`$${{......}}')
-aassssiiggnn-ppaarraammeetteerr-
The name of a parameter in an assignment, i.e. on the left hand
side of an `=='
-ccoommmmaanndd-
A word in command position
-ccoonnddiittiioonn-
A word inside a condition (`[[[[......]]]]')
-ddeeffaauulltt-
Any word for which no other completion is defined
-eeqquuaall-
A word beginning with an equals sign
-ffiirrsstt-
This is tried before any other completion function. The func-
tion called may set the ccoommppsskkiipp parameter to one of various
values: aallll: no further completion is attempted; a string con-
taining the substring ppaatttteerrnnss: no pattern completion functions
will be called; a string containing ddeeffaauulltt: the function for
the `-ddeeffaauulltt-' context will not be called, but functions
defined for commands will
-mmaatthh- Inside mathematical contexts, such as `((((...))))'
-ppaarraammeetteerr-
The name of a parameter expansion (`$$......')
-rreeddiirreecctt-
The word after a redirection operator.
-ssuubbssccrriipptt-
The contents of a parameter subscript.
-ttiillddee-
After an initial tilde (`~~'), but before the first slash in the
word.
-vvaalluuee-
On the right hand side of an assignment.
Default implementations are supplied for each of these contexts. In
most cases the context -context- is implemented by a corresponding
function context, for example the context `-ttiillddee-' and the function
`ttiillddee').
The contexts -rreeddiirreecctt- and -vvaalluuee- allow extra context-specific infor-
mation. (Internally, this is handled by the functions for each context
calling the function ddiissppaattcchh.) The extra information is added sepa-
rated by commas.
For the -rreeddiirreecctt- context, the extra information is in the form `-rree-
ddiirreecctt-,,op,,command', where op is the redirection operator and command
is the name of the command on the line. If there is no command on the
line yet, the command field will be empty.
For the -vvaalluuee- context, the form is `-vvaalluuee-,,name,,command', where name
is the name of the parameter. In the case of elements of an associa-
tive array, for example `aassssoocc==((kkeeyy <>', name is expanded to
`name-key'. In certain special contexts, such as completing after
`mmaakkee CCFFLLAAGGSS==', the command part gives the name of the command, here
mmaakkee; otherwise it is empty.
It is not necessary to define fully specific completions as the func-
tions provided will try to generate completions by progressively
replacing the elements with `-ddeeffaauulltt-'. For example, when completing
after `ffoooo==<>', vvaalluuee will try the names `-vvaalluuee-,,ffoooo,,' (note the
empty command part), `-vvaalluuee-,,ffoooo,,-ddeeffaauulltt-'
and`-vvaalluuee-,,-ddeeffaauulltt-,,-ddeeffaauulltt-', in that order, until it finds a func-
tion to handle the context.
As an example:
ccoommppddeeff ''ffiilleess -gg ""**..lloogg""'' ''-rreeddiirreecctt-,,22>>,,-ddeeffaauulltt-''
completes files matching `**..lloogg' after `22>> <>' for any command with
no more specific handler defined.
Also:
ccoommppddeeff ffoooo -vvaalluuee-,,-ddeeffaauulltt-,,-ddeeffaauulltt-
specifies that ffoooo provides completions for the values of parameters
for which no special function has been defined. This is usually han-
dled by the function vvaalluuee itself.
The same lookup rules are used when looking up styles (as described
below); for example
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::**::-rreeddiirreecctt-,,22>>,,**::**'' ffiillee-ppaatttteerrnnss ''**..lloogg''
is another way to make completion after `22>> <>' complete files
matching `**..lloogg'.
FFuunnccttiioonnss
The following function is defined by ccoommppiinniitt and may be called
directly.
ccoommppddeeff [ -aann ] function names... [ -[[ppPP]] patterns... [ -NN names... ] ]
ccoommppddeeff -dd names...
ccoommppddeeff -kk [ -aann ] function style key-sequences...
ccoommppddeeff -KK [ -aann ] function name style key-sequences ...
The first form defines the function to call for completion in
the given contexts as described for the ##ccoommppddeeff tag above.
Alternatively, all the arguments may have the form `cmd==ser-
vice'. Here service should already have been defined by
`cmd1==service' lines in ##ccoommppddeeff files, as described above. The
argument for cmd will be completed in the same way as service.
The function argument may alternatively be a string containing
any shell code. The string will be executed using the eevvaall
builtin command to generate completions. This provides a way of
avoiding having to define a new completion function. For exam-
ple, to complete files ending in `..hh' as arguments to the com-
mand ffoooo:
ccoommppddeeff ''ffiilleess -gg ""**..hh""'' ffoooo
The option -nn prevents any completions already defined for the
command or context from being overwritten.
The option -dd deletes any completion defined for the command or
contexts listed.
The names may also contain -pp, -PP and -NN options as described
for the ##ccoommppddeeff tag. The effect on the argument list is iden-
tical, switching between definitions of patterns tried ini-
tially, patterns tried finally, and normal commands and con-
texts.
The parameter $$ccoommppsskkiipp may be set by any function defined for
a pattern context. If it is set to a value containing the sub-
string `ppaatttteerrnnss' none of the pattern-functions will be called;
if it is set to a value containing the substring `aallll', no other
function will be called.
The form with -kk defines a widget with the same name as the
function that will be called for each of the key-sequences; this
is like the ##ccoommppddeeff -kk tag. The function should generate the
completions needed and will otherwise behave like the builtin
widget whose name is given as the style argument. The widgets
usable for this are: ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd, ddeelleettee-cchhaarr-oorr-lliisstt,
eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee, eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee-pprreeffiixx, lliisstt-cchhooiicceess,
mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee, mmeennuu-eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee, and rreevveerrssee-mmeennuu-ccoomm-
pplleettee, as well as mmeennuu-sseelleecctt if the zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module is
loaded. The option -nn prevents the key being bound if it is
already to bound to something other than uunnddeeffiinneedd-kkeeyy.
The form with -KK is similar and defines multiple widgets based
on the same function, each of which requires the set of three
arguments name, style and key-sequences, where the latter two
are as for -kk and the first must be a unique widget name begin-
ning with an underscore.
Wherever applicable, the -aa option makes the function autoload-
able, equivalent to aauuttoollooaadd -UU function.
The function ccoommppddeeff can be used to associate existing completion func-
tions with new commands. For example,
ccoommppddeeff ppiiddss ffoooo
uses the function ppiiddss to complete process IDs for the command ffoooo.
Note also the ggnnuuggeenneerriicc function described below, which can be used
to complete options for commands that understand the `--hheellpp' option.
CCOOMMPPLLEETTIIOONN SSYYSSTTEEMM CCOONNFFIIGGUURRAATTIIOONN
This section gives a short overview of how the completion system works,
and then more detail on how users can configure how and when matches
are generated.
OOvveerrvviieeww
When completion is attempted somewhere on the command line the comple-
tion system first works out the context. This takes account of a num-
ber of things including the command word (such as `ggrreepp' or `zzsshh') and
options to which the current word may be an argument (such as the `-oo'
option to zzsshh which takes a shell option as an argument).
This context information is condensed into a string consisting of mul-
tiple fields separated by colons, referred to simply as `the context'
in the remainder of the documentation. This is used to look up styles,
context-sensitive options that can be used to configure the completion
system. The context used for lookup may vary during the same call to
the completion system.
The context string always consists of the following fields, separated
by colons and with a leading colon before the first:
+o The literal string ccoommpplleettiioonn, saying that this style is used by
the completion system. This distinguishes the context from
those used by, for example, zle widgets and ZFTP functions.
+o The function, if completion is called from a named widget rather
than through the normal completion system. Typically this is
blank, but it is set by special widgets such as pprreeddiicctt-oonn and
the various functions in the WWiiddggeett directory of the distribu-
tion to the name of that function, often in an abbreviated form.
+o The completer currently active, the name of the function without
the leading underscore. A `completer' is in overall control of
how completion is to be performed; `ccoommpplleettee' is the simplest,
but other completers exist to perform related tasks such as cor-
rection, or to modify the behaviour of a later completer. See
the section `Control Functions' below for more information.
+o The command or a special -context-, just at it appears following
the ##ccoommppddeeff tag or the ccoommppddeeff function. Completion functions
for commands that have sub-commands usually modify this field to
contain the name of the command followed by a minus sign and the
sub-command. For example, the completion function for the ccvvss
command sets this field to ccvvss-aadddd when completing arguments to
the aadddd subcommand.
+o The argument; this indicates which command line or option argu-
ment we are completing. For command arguments this generally
takes the form aarrgguummeenntt-n, where n is the number of the argu-
ment, and for arguments to options the form ooppttiioonn-opt-n where n
is the number of the argument to option opt. However, this is
only the case if the command line is parsed with standard
UNIX-style options and arguments, so many completions do not set
this.
+o The tag. Tags are used to discriminate between the types of
matches a completion function can generate in a certain context
and are described further below.
As an example, the context name
::ccoommpplleettiioonn::::ccoommpplleettee::ddvviippss::ooppttiioonn-oo-11::ffiilleess
says that normal completion was attempted as the first argument to the
option -oo of the command ddvviippss:
ddvviippss -oo ......
and the completion function will generate filenames.
Each type of completion the system can perform in a given context is
described by a `tag', a short descriptive string such as ffiilleess in the
example above. Any completion function may use any tag name it likes,
but a list of the more common ones is given below.
Usually completion will be tried by all possible tags in an order given
by the completion function. However, this can be altered by using the
ttaagg-oorrddeerr style. Completion is then restricted to the list of given
tags in the given order.
The ccoommpplleetteehheellpp bindable command shows all the contexts and tags
available for completion at a particular point. This provides an easy
way of finding information for ttaagg-oorrddeerr and other styles. It is
described in the section `Bindable Commands' below.
Styles determine such things as how the matches are generated, simi-
larly to shell options but with much more control. They can have any
number of strings as their value. They are defined with the zzssttyyllee
builtin command (see zshmodules(1)).
When looking up styles the completion system uses full context names,
including the tag. Looking up the value of a style therefore consists
of two things: the context, which may be matched as a pattern, and the
name of the style itself, which must be given exactly.
For example, many completion functions can generate matches in a simple
and a verbose form and use the vveerrbboossee style to decide which form
should be used. To make all such functions use the verbose form, put
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' vveerrbboossee yyeess
in a startup file (probably ..zzsshhrrcc). This gives the vveerrbboossee style the
value yyeess in every context inside the completion system, unless that
context has a more specific definition. It is best to avoid giving the
context as `**' in case the style has some meaning outside the comple-
tion system.
Many such general purpose styles can be configured simply by using the
ccoommppiinnssttaallll function.
A more specific example of the use of the vveerrbboossee style is by the com-
pletion for the kkiillll builtin. If the style is set, the builtin lists
full job texts and process command lines; otherwise it shows the bare
job numbers and PIDs. To turn the style off for this use only:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::**::kkiillll::**'' vveerrbboossee nnoo
For even more control, the style can use one of the tags `jjoobbss' or
`pprroocceesssseess'. To turn off verbose display only for jobs:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::**::kkiillll::**::jjoobbss'' vveerrbboossee nnoo
The -ee option to zzssttyyllee even allows completion function code to appear
as the argument to a style; this requires some understanding of the
internals of completion functions (see see zshcompwid(1))). For exam-
ple:
zzssttyyllee -ee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr ''
iiff [[[[ $$wwoorrddss[[11]] == ccvvss ]]]];; tthheenn
rreeppllyy==((ccoommpplleettee))
eellssee
rreeppllyy==((ccoommpplleettee aapppprrooxxiimmaattee))
ffii''
uses the value `ccoommpplleettee' for the ccoommpplleetteerr style in most contexts,
but the value `ccoommpplleettee aapppprrooxxiimmaattee' when the first word on the com-
mand line is `ccvvss'. This is probably more conveniently done by speci-
fying the style for two different contexts. This form can be slow and
should be avoided for commonly examined styles such as mmeennuu and
lliisstt-rroowwss-ffiirrsstt.
Note that the order in which styles are defined does not matter; the
style mechanism uses the most specific possible match for a particular
style to determine the set of values. More precisely, strings are pre-
ferred over patterns (for example, `::ccoommpplleettiioonn::::ccoommpplleettee::ffoooo' is more
specific than `::ccoommpplleettiioonn::::ccoommpplleettee::**''), and longer patterns are pre-
ferred over shorter patterns.
Style names like those of tags are arbitrary and depend on the comple-
tion function. However, the following two sections list some of the
most common tags and styles.
SSttaannddaarrdd TTaaggss
Some of the following are only used when looking up particular styles
and do not refer to a type of match.
aaccccoouunnttss
used to look up the uusseerrss-hhoossttss style
aallll-eexxppaannssiioonnss
used by the eexxppaanndd completer when adding the single string con-
taining all possible expansions
aallll-ffiilleess
for the names of all files (as distinct from a particular sub-
set, see the gglloobbbbeedd-ffiilleess tag).
aarrgguummeennttss
for arguments to a command
aarrrraayyss for names of array parameters
aassssoocciiaattiioonn-kkeeyyss
for keys of associative arrays; used when completing inside a
subscript to a parameter of this type
bbooookkmmaarrkkss
when completing bookmarks (e.g. for URLs and the zzffttpp function
suite)
bbuuiillttiinnss
for names of builtin commands
cchhaarraacctteerrss
for single characters in arguments of commands such as ssttttyy.
Also used when completing character classes after an opening
bracket
ccoolloorrmmaappiiddss
for X colormap ids
ccoolloorrss for color names
ccoommmmaannddss
for names of external commands. Also used by complex commands
such as ccvvss when completing names subcommands.
ccoonntteexxttss
for contexts in arguments to the zzssttyyllee builtin command
ccoorrrreeccttiioonnss
used by the aapppprrooxxiimmaattee and ccoorrrreecctt completers for possible
corrections
ccuurrssoorrss
for cursor names used by X programs
ddeeffaauulltt
used in some contexts to provide a way of supplying a default
when more specific tags are also valid. Note that this tag is
used when only the function field of the context name is set
ddeessccrriippttiioonnss
used when looking up the value of the ffoorrmmaatt style to generate
descriptions for types of matches
ddeevviicceess
for names of device special files
ddiirreeccttoorriieess
for names of directories
ddiirreeccttoorryy-ssttaacckk
for entries in the directory stack
ddiissppllaayyss
for X display names
ddoommaaiinnss
for network domains
eexxppaannssiioonnss
used by the eexxppaanndd completer for individual words (as opposed
to the complete set of expansions) resulting from the expansion
of a word on the command line
eexxtteennssiioonnss
for X server extensions
ffiillee-ddeessccrriippttoorrss
for numbers of open file descriptors
ffiilleess the generic file-matching tag used by functions completing file-
names
ffoonnttss for X font names
ffssttyyppeess
for file system types (e.g. for the mmoouunntt command)
ffuunnccttiioonnss
names of functions -- normally shell functions, although cer-
tain commands may understand other kinds of function
gglloobbbbeedd-ffiilleess
for filenames when the name has been generated by pattern match-
ing
ggrroouuppss for names of user groups
hhiissttoorryy-wwoorrddss
for words from the history
hhoossttss for hostnames
iinnddeexxeess
for array indexes
jjoobbss for jobs (as listed by the `jjoobbss' builtin)
iinntteerrffaacceess
for network interfaces
kkeeyymmaappss
for names of zsh keymaps
kkeeyyssyymmss
for names of X keysyms
lliibbrraarriieess
for names of system libraries
lliimmiittss for system limits
llooccaall-ddiirreeccttoorriieess
for names of directories that are subdirectories of the current
working directory when completing arguments of ccdd and related
builtin commands (compare ppaatthh-ddiirreeccttoorriieess)
mmaannuuaallss
for names of manual pages
mmaaiillbbooxxeess
for e-mail folders
mmaappss for map names (e.g. NIS maps)
mmeessssaaggeess
used to look up the ffoorrmmaatt style for messages
mmooddiiffiieerrss
for names of X modifiers
mmoodduulleess
for modules (e.g. zzsshh modules)
mmyy-aaccccoouunnttss
used to look up the uusseerrss-hhoossttss style
nnaammeedd-ddiirreeccttoorriieess
for named directories (you wouldn't have guessed that, would
you?)
nnaammeess for all kinds of names
nneewwssggrroouuppss
for USENET groups
nniicckknnaammeess
for nicknames of NIS maps
ooppttiioonnss
for command options
oorriiggiinnaall
used by the aapppprrooxxiimmaattee, ccoorrrreecctt and eexxppaanndd completers when
offering the original string as a match
ootthheerr-aaccccoouunnttss
used to look up the uusseerrss-hhoossttss style
ppaacckkaaggeess
for packages (e.g. rrppmm or installed DDeebbiiaann packages)
ppaarraammeetteerrss
for names of parameters
ppaatthh-ddiirreeccttoorriieess
for names of directories found by searching the ccddppaatthh array
when completing arguments of ccdd and related builtin commands
(compare llooccaall-ddiirreeccttoorriieess)
ppaatthhss used to look up the values of the eexxppaanndd, aammbbiigguuoouuss and ssppee-
cciiaall-ddiirrss styles
ppooddss for perl pods (documentation files)
ppoorrttss for communication ports
pprreeffiixxeess
for prefixes (like those of a URL)
pprriinntteerrss
for print queue names
pprroocceesssseess
for process identifiers
pprroocceesssseess-nnaammeess
used to look up the ccoommmmaanndd style when generating the names of
processes for kkiillllaallll
sseeqquueenncceess
for sequences (e.g. mmhh sequences)
sseessssiioonnss
for sessions in the zzffttpp function suite
ssiiggnnaallss
for signal names
ssttrriinnggss
for strings (e.g. the replacement strings for the ccdd builtin
command)
ssttyylleess for styles used by the zstyle builtin command
ssuuffffiixxeess
for filename extensions
ttaaggss for tags (e.g. rrppmm tags)
ttaarrggeettss
for makefile targets
ttiimmee-zzoonneess
for time zones (e.g. when setting the TTZZ parameter)
ttyyppeess for types of whatever (e.g. address types for the xxhhoosstt command)
uurrllss used to look up the uurrllss and llooccaall styles when completing URLs
uusseerrss for usernames
vvaalluueess for one of a set of values in certain lists
vvaarriiaanntt
used by ppiicckkvvaarriiaanntt to look up the command to run when deter-
mining what program is installed for a particular command name.
vviissuuaallss
for X visuals
wwaarrnniinnggss
used to look up the ffoorrmmaatt style for warnings
wwiiddggeettss
for zsh widget names
wwiinnddoowwss
for IDs of X windows
zzsshh-ooppttiioonnss
for shell options
SSttaannddaarrdd SSttyylleess
Note that the values of several of these styles represent boolean val-
ues. Any of the strings `ttrruuee', `oonn', `yyeess', and `11' can be used for
the value `true' and any of the strings `ffaallssee', `ooffff', `nnoo', and `00'
for the value `false'. The behavior for any other value is undefined
except where explicitly mentioned. The default value may be either
true or false if the style is not set.
Some of these styles are tested first for every possible tag corre-
sponding to a type of match, and if no style was found, for the ddeeffaauulltt
tag. The most notable styles of this type are mmeennuu, lliisstt-ccoolloorrss and
styles controlling completion listing such as lliisstt-ppaacckkeedd and
llaasstt-pprroommpptt). When tested for the ddeeffaauulltt tag, only the function field
of the context will be set so that a style using the default tag will
normally be defined along the lines of:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::ddeeffaauulltt'' mmeennuu ......
aacccceepptt-eexxaacctt
This is tested for the default tag in addition to the tags valid
for the current context. If it is set to `true' and any of the
trial matches is the same as the string on the command line,
this match will immediately be accepted (even if it would other-
wise be considered ambiguous).
When completing pathnames (where the tag used is `ppaatthhss') this
style accepts any number of patterns as the value in addition to
the boolean values. Pathnames matching one of these patterns
will be accepted immediately even if the command line contains
some more partially typed pathname components and these match no
file under the directory accepted.
This style is also used by the eexxppaanndd completer to decide if
words beginning with a tilde or parameter expansion should be
expanded. For example, if there are parameters ffoooo and ffoooobbaarr,
the string `$$ffoooo' will only be expanded if aacccceepptt-eexxaacctt is set
to `true'; otherwise the completion system will be allowed to
complete $$ffoooo to $$ffoooobbaarr. If the style is set to `continue',
expand will add the expansion as a match and the completion
system will also be allowed to continue.
aadddd-ssppaaccee
This style is used by the eexxppaanndd completer. If it is true (the
default), a space will be inserted after all words resulting
from the expansion, or a slash in the case of directory names.
If the value is `ffiillee', the completer will only add a space to
names of existing files. Either a boolean true or the value
`ffiillee' may be combined with `ssuubbsstt', in which case the completer
will not add a space to words generated from the expansion of a
substitution of the form `$$((......))' or `$${{......}}'.
The pprreeffiixx completer uses this style as a simple boolean value
to decide if a space should be inserted before the suffix.
aammbbiigguuoouuss
This applies when completing non-final components of filename
paths, in other words those with a trailing slash. If it is
set, the cursor is left after the first ambiguous component,
even if menu completion is in use. The style is always tested
with the ppaatthhss tag.
aassssiiggnn-lliisstt
When completing after an equals sign that is being treated as an
assignment, the completion system normally completes only one
filename. In some cases the value may be a list of filenames
separated by colons, as with PPAATTHH and similar parameters. This
style can be set to a list of patterns matching the names of
such parameters.
The default is to complete lists when the word on the line
already contains a colon.
aauuttoo-ddeessccrriippttiioonn
If set, this style's value will be used as the description for
options that are not described by the completion functions, but
that have exactly one argument. The sequence `%%dd' in the value
will be replaced by the description for this argument. Depend-
ing on personal preferences, it may be useful to set this style
to something like `ssppeecciiffyy:: %%dd'. Note that this may not work
for some commands.
aavvooiidd-ccoommpplleetteerr
This is used by the aallllmmaattcchheess completer to decide if the
string consisting of all matches should be added to the list
currently being generated. Its value is a list of names of com-
pleters. If any of these is the name of the completer that gen-
erated the matches in this completion, the string will not be
added.
The default value for this style is `eexxppaanndd oollddlliisstt ccoorrrreecctt
aapppprrooxxiimmaattee', i.e. it contains the completers for which a
string with all matches will almost never be wanted.
ccaacchhee-ppaatthh
This style defines the path where any cache files containing
dumped completion data are stored. It defaults to `$$ZZDDOOTT-
DDIIRR//..zzccoommppccaacchhee', or `$$HHOOMMEE//..zzccoommppccaacchhee' if $$ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR is not
defined. The completion cache will not be used unless the
uussee-ccaacchhee style is set.
ccaacchhee-ppoolliiccyy
This style defines the function that will be used to determine
whether a cache needs rebuilding. See the section on the
ccaacchheeiinnvvaalliidd function below.
ccaallll-ccoommmmaanndd
This style is used in the function for commands such as mmaakkee and
aanntt where calling the command directly to generate matches suf-
fers problems such as being slow or, as in the case of mmaakkee can
potentially causes actions in the makefile to be executed. If it
is set to `true' the command is called to generate matches. The
default value of this style is `false'.
ccoommmmaanndd
In many places, completion functions need to call external com-
mands to generate the list of completions. This style can be
used to override the command that is called in some such cases.
The elements of the value are joined with spaces to form a com-
mand line to execute. The value can also start with a hyphen,
in which case the usual command will be added to the end; this
is most useful for putting `bbuuiillttiinn' or `ccoommmmaanndd' in front to
make sure the appropriate version of a command is called, for
example to avoid calling a shell function with the same name as
an external command.
As an example, the completion function for process IDs uses this
style with the pprroocceesssseess tag to generate the IDs to complete and
the list of processes to display (if the vveerrbboossee style is
`true'). The list produced by the command should look like the
output of the ppss command. The first line is not displayed, but
is searched for the string `PPIIDD' (or `ppiidd') to find the position
of the process IDs in the following lines. If the line does not
contain `PPIIDD', the first numbers in each of the other lines are
taken as the process IDs to complete.
Note that the completion function generally has to call the
specified command for each attempt to generate the completion
list. Hence care should be taken to specify only commands that
take a short time to run, and in particular to avoid any that
may never terminate.
ccoommmmaanndd-ppaatthh
This is a list of directories to search for commands to com-
plete. The default for this style is the value of the special
parameter ppaatthh.
ccoommmmaannddss
This is used by the function completing sub-commands for the
system initialisation scripts (residing in //eettcc//iinniitt..dd or some-
where not too far away from that). Its values give the default
commands to complete for those commands for which the completion
function isn't able to find them out automatically. The default
for this style are the two strings `ssttaarrtt' and `ssttoopp'.
ccoommpplleettee
This is used by the eexxppaannddaalliiaass function when invoked as a
bindable command. If it set to `true' and the word on the com-
mand line is not the name of an alias, matching alias names will
be completed.
ccoommpplleetteerr
The strings given as the value of this style provide the names
of the completer functions to use. The available completer func-
tions are described in the section `Control Functions' below.
Each string may be either the name of a completer function or a
string of the form `function::name'. In the first case the com-
pleter field of the context will contain the name of the com-
pleter without the leading underscore and with all other under-
scores replaced by hyphens. In the second case the function is
the name of the completer to call, but the context will contain
the user-defined name in the completer field of the context. If
the name starts with a hyphen, the string for the context will
be build from the name of the completer function as in the first
case with the name appended to it. For example:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr ccoommpplleettee ccoommpplleettee::-ffoooo
Here, completion will call the ccoommpplleettee completer twice, once
using `ccoommpplleettee' and once using `ccoommpplleettee-ffoooo' in the completer
field of the context. Normally, using the same completer more
than once only makes sense when used with the `functions::name'
form, because otherwise the context name will be the same in all
calls to the completer; possible exceptions to this rule are the
iiggnnoorreedd and pprreeffiixx completers.
The default value for this style is `ccoommpplleettee iiggnnoorreedd': only
completion will be done, first using the iiggnnoorreedd-ppaatttteerrnnss style
and the $$ffiiggnnoorree array and then without ignoring matches.
ccoonnddiittiioonn
This style is used by the lliisstt completer function to decide if
insertion of matches should be delayed unconditionally. The
default is `true'.
ddiissaabblleedd
If this is set to `true', the eexxppaannddaalliiaass completer and bind-
able command will try to expand disabled aliases, too. The
default is `ffaallssee'.
ddiissaabbllee-ssttaatt
This is used with an empty tag by the ccvvss function to decide
whether the zzsshh//ssttaatt module should be used to generate names of
modified files in the appropriate places (this is its only use).
If the style is set, completion will use the llss command.
ddoommaaiinnss
A list of names of network domains for completion. If this is
not set, domain names will be taken from the file
//eettcc//rreessoollvv..ccoonnff.
eexxppaanndd This style is used when completing strings consisting of multi-
ple parts, such as path names.
If one of its values is the string `pprreeffiixx', the partially typed
word from the line will be expanded as far as possible even if
trailing parts cannot be completed.
If one of its values is the string `ssuuffffiixx', matching names for
components after the first ambiguous one will also be added.
This means that the resulting string is the longest unambiguous
string possible. However, menu completion can be used to cycle
through all matches.
ffaakkee This style may be set for any completion context. It specifies
additional strings that will always be completed in that con-
text. The form of each string is `value::description'; the colon
and description may be omitted, but any literal colons in value
must be quoted with a backslash. Any description provided is
shown alongside the value in completion listings.
It is important to use a sufficiently restrictive context when
specifying fake strings. Note that the styles ffaakkee-ffiilleess and
ffaakkee-ppaarraammeetteerrss provide additional features when completing
files or parameters.
ffaakkee-ffiilleess
This style is used when completing files and looked up without a
tag. Its values are of the form `dir::names...'. This will add
the names (strings separated by spaces) as possible matches when
completing in the directory dir, even if no such files really
exist.
This can be useful on systems that support special filesystems
whose top-level pathnames can not be listed or generated with
glob patterns. It can also be used for directories for which
one does not have read permission.
ffaakkee-ppaarraammeetteerrss
This is used by the completion function for parameter names.
Its values are names of parameters that might not yet be set but
should be completed nonetheless. Each name may also be followed
by a colon and a string specifying the type of the parameter
(like `ssccaallaarr', `aarrrraayy' or `iinntteeggeerr'). If the type is given,
the name will only be completed if parameters of that type are
required in the particular context. Names for which no type is
specified will always be completed.
ffiillee-ppaatttteerrnnss
This is used by the standard function for completing filenames,
ffiilleess. If the style is unset up to three tags are offered,
`gglloobbbbeedd-ffiilleess',`ddiirreeccttoorriieess' and `aallll-ffiilleess', depending on the
types of files expected by the caller of ffiilleess. The first two
(`gglloobbbbeedd-ffiilleess' and `ddiirreeccttoorriieess') are normally offered
together to make it easier to complete files in sub-directories.
The ffiillee-ppaatttteerrnnss style provides alternatives to the default
tags, which are not used. Its value consists of elements of the
form `pattern::tag'; each string may contain any number of such
specifications separated by spaces.
The pattern is a pattern that is to be used to generate file-
names. Any occurrence of the sequence `%%pp' is replaced by any
pattern(s) passed by the function calling ffiilleess. Colons in the
pattern must be preceded by a backslash to make them distin-
guishable from the colon before the tag. If more than one pat-
tern is needed, the patterns can be given inside braces, sepa-
rated by commas.
The tags of all strings in the value will be offered by ffiilleess
and used when looking up other styles. Any tags in the same
word will be offered at the same time and before later words.
If no `::tag' is given the `ffiilleess' tag will be used.
The tag may also be followed by an optional second colon and a
description, which will be used for the `%%dd' in the value of the
ffoorrmmaatt style (if that is set) instead of the default description
supplied by the completion function. If the description given
here contains itself a `%%dd', that is replaced with the descrip-
tion supplied by the completion function.
For example, to make the rrmm command first complete only names of
object files and then the names of all files if there is no
matching object file:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::**::rrmm::**'' ffiillee-ppaatttteerrnnss \\
''**..oo::oobbjjeecctt-ffiilleess'' ''%%pp::aallll-ffiilleess''
To alter the default behaviour of file completion -- offer
files matching a pattern and directories on the first attempt,
then all files -- to offer only matching files on the first
attempt, then directories, and finally all files:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ffiillee-ppaatttteerrnnss \\
''%%pp::gglloobbbbeedd-ffiilleess'' ''**((-//))::ddiirreeccttoorriieess'' ''**::aallll-ffiilleess''
This works even where there is no special pattern: ffiilleess
matches all files using the pattern `**' at the first step and
stops when it sees this pattern. Note also it will never try a
pattern more than once for a single completion attempt.
During the execution of completion functions, the EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB
option is in effect, so the characters `##', `~~' and `^^' have
special meanings in the patterns.
ffiillee-ssoorrtt
The standard filename completion function uses this style with-
out a tag to determine in which order the names should be
listed; menu completion will cycle through them in the same
order. The possible values are: `ssiizzee' to sort by the size of
the file; `lliinnkkss' to sort by the number of links to the file;
`mmooddiiffiiccaattiioonn' (or `ttiimmee' or `ddaattee') to sort by the last modifi-
cation time; `aacccceessss' to sort by the last access time; and
`iinnooddee' (or `cchhaannggee') to sort by the last inode change time. If
the style is set to any other value, or is unset, files will be
sorted alphabetically by name. If the value contains the string
`rreevveerrssee', sorting is done in the opposite order.
ffiilltteerr This is used by the LDAP plugin for e-mail address completion to
specify the attributes to match against when filtering entries.
So for example, if the style is set to `ssnn', matching is done
against surnames. Standard LDAP filtering is used so normal
completion matching is bypassed. If this style is not set, the
LDAP plugin is skipped. You may also need to set the ccoommmmaanndd
style to specify how to connect to your LDAP server.
ffoorrccee-lliisstt
This forces a list of completions to be shown at any point where
listing is done, even in cases where the list would usually be
suppressed. For example, normally the list is only shown if
there are at least two different matches. By setting this style
to `aallwwaayyss', the list will always be shown, even if there is
only a single match that will immediately be accepted. The
style may also be set to a number. In this case the list will
be shown if there are at least that many matches, even if they
would all insert the same string.
This style is tested for the default tag as well as for each tag
valid for the current completion. Hence the listing can be
forced only for certain types of match.
ffoorrmmaatt If this is set for the ddeessccrriippttiioonnss tag, its value is used as a
string to display above matches in completion lists. The
sequence `%%dd' in this string will be replaced with a short
description of what these matches are. This string may also
contain the sequences to specify output attributes, such as
`%%BB', `%%SS' and `%%{{...%%}}'.
The style is tested with each tag valid for the current comple-
tion before it is tested for the ddeessccrriippttiioonnss tag. Hence dif-
ferent format strings can be defined for different types of
match.
Note also that some completer functions define additional
`%%'-sequences. These are described for the completer functions
that make use of them.
Some completion functions display messages that may be cus-
tomised by setting this style for the mmeessssaaggeess tag. Here, the
`%%dd' is replaced with a message given by the completion func-
tion.
Finally, the format string is looked up with the wwaarrnniinnggss tag,
for use when no matches could be generated at all. In this case
the `%%dd' is replaced with the descriptions for the matches that
were expected separated by spaces. The sequence `%%DD' is
replaced with the same descriptions separated by newlines.
It is possible to use printf-style field width specifiers with
`%%dd' and similar escape sequences. This is handled by the zzffoorr-
mmaatt builtin command from the zzsshh//zzuuttiill module, see zshmod-
ules(1).
gglloobb This is used by the eexxppaanndd completer. If it is set to `true'
(the default), globbing will be attempted on the words resulting
from a previous substitution (see the ssuubbssttiittuuttee style) or else
the original string from the line.
gglloobbaall If this is set to `true' (the default), the eexxppaannddaalliiaass com-
pleter and bindable command will try to expand global aliases.
ggrroouupp-nnaammee
The completion system can group different types of matches,
which appear in separate lists. This style can be used to give
the names of groups for particular tags. For example, in com-
mand position the completion system generates names of builtin
and external commands, names of aliases, shell functions and
parameters and reserved words as possible completions. To have
the external commands and shell functions listed separately:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::**::-ccoommmmaanndd-::**::ccoommmmaannddss'' ggrroouupp-nnaammee ccoommmmaannddss
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::**::-ccoommmmaanndd-::**::ffuunnccttiioonnss'' ggrroouupp-nnaammee ffuunnccttiioonnss
As a consequence, any match with the same tag will be displayed
in the same group.
If the name given is the empty string the name of the tag for
the matches will be used as the name of the group. So, to have
all different types of matches displayed separately, one can
just set:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ggrroouupp-nnaammee ''''
All matches for which no group name is defined will be put in a
group named -ddeeffaauulltt-.
ggrroouupp-oorrddeerr
This style is additional to the ggrroouupp-nnaammee style to specify the
order for display of the groups defined by that style (compare
ttaagg-oorrddeerr, which determines which completions appear at all).
The groups named are shown in the given order; any other groups
are shown in the order defined by the completion function.
For example, to have names of builtin commands, shell functions
and external commands appear in that order when completing in
command position:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::**::-ccoommmmaanndd-::**'' ggrroouupp-oorrddeerr \\
bbuuiillttiinnss ffuunnccttiioonnss ccoommmmaannddss
ggrroouuppss A list of names of UNIX groups. If this is not set, group names
are taken from the YP database or the file `//eettcc//ggrroouupp'.
hhiiddddeenn If this is set to true, matches for the given context will not
be listed, although any description for the matches set with the
ffoorrmmaatt style will be shown. If it is set to `aallll', not even the
description will be displayed.
Note that the matches will still be completed; they are just not
shown in the list. To avoid having matches considered as possi-
ble completions at all, the ttaagg-oorrddeerr style can be modified as
described below.
hhoossttss A list of names of hosts that should be completed. If this is
not set, hostnames are taken from the file `//eettcc//hhoossttss'.
hhoossttss-ppoorrttss
This style is used by commands that need or accept hostnames and
network ports. The strings in the value should be of the form
`host::port'. Valid ports are determined by the presence of
hostnames; multiple ports for the same host may appear.
iiggnnoorree-lliinnee
This is tested for each tag valid for the current completion.
If it is set to `ttrruuee', none of the words that are already on
the line will be considered as possible completions. If it is
set to `ccuurrrreenntt', the word the cursor is on will not be consid-
ered as a possible completion. The value `ccuurrrreenntt-sshhoowwnn' is
similar but only applies if the list of completions is currently
shown on the screen. Finally, if the style is set to `ootthheerr',
no word apart from the current one will be considered as a pos-
sible completion.
The values `ccuurrrreenntt' and `ccuurrrreenntt-sshhoowwnn' are a bit like the
opposite of the aacccceepptt-eexxaacctt style: only strings with missing
characters will be completed.
Note that you almost certainly don't want to set this to `true'
or `ootthheerr' for a general context such as `::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'. This
is because it would disallow completion of, for example, options
multiple times even if the command in question accepts the
option more than once.
iiggnnoorree-ppaarreennttss
The style is tested without a tag by the function completing
pathnames in order to determine whether to ignore the names of
directories already mentioned in the current word, or the name
of the current working directory. The value must include one or
both of the following strings:
ppaarreenntt The name of any directory whose path is already contained
in the word on the line is ignored. For example, when
completing after ffoooo//....//, the directory ffoooo will not be
considered a valid completion.
ppwwdd The name of the current working directory will not be
completed; hence, for example, completion after ....// will
not use the name of the current directory.
In addition, the value may include one or both of:
.... Ignore the specified directories only when the word on
the line contains the substring `....//'.
ddiirreeccttoorryy
Ignore the specified directories only when names of
directories are completed, not when completing names of
files.
Excluded values act in a similar fashion to values of the
iiggnnoorreedd-ppaatttteerrnnss style, so they can be restored to consideration
by the iiggnnoorreedd completer.
iiggnnoorreedd-ppaatttteerrnnss
A list of patterns; any trial completion matching one of the
patterns will be excluded from consideration. The iiggnnoorreedd com-
pleter can appear in the list of completers to restore the
ignored matches. This is a more configurable version of the
shell parameter $$ffiiggnnoorree.
Note that the EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB option is set during the execution
of completion functions, so the characters `##', `~~' and `^^' have
special meanings in the patterns.
iinnsseerrtt This style is used by the aallllmmaattcchheess completer to decide
whether to insert the list of all matches unconditionally
instead of adding the list as another match.
iinnsseerrtt-iiddss
When completing process IDs, for example as arguments to the
kkiillll and wwaaiitt builtins the name of a command may be converted to
the appropriate process ID. A problem arises when the process
name typed is not unique. By default (or if this style is set
explicitly to `mmeennuu') the name will be converted immediately to
a set of possible IDs, and menu completion will be started to
cycle through them.
If the value of the style is `ssiinnggllee', the shell will wait until
the user has typed enough to make the command unique before con-
verting the name to an ID; attempts at completion will be unsuc-
cessful until that point. If the value is any other string,
menu completion will be started when the string typed by the
user is longer than the common prefix to the corresponding IDs.
iinnsseerrtt-ttaabb
If this is set to `true', the completion system will insert a
TAB character (assuming that was used to start completion)
instead of performing completion when there is no non-blank
character to the left of the cursor. If it is set to `false',
completion will be done even there.
The value may also contain the substrings `ppeennddiinngg' or `ppeenndd-
iinngg==val'. In this case, the typed character will be inserted
instead of staring completion when there is unprocessed input
pending. If a val is given, completion will not be done if
there are at least that many characters of unprocessed input.
This is often useful when pasting characters into a terminal.
Note however, that it relies on the $$PPEENNDDIINNGG special parameter
from the zzsshh//zzllee module being set properly which is not guaran-
teed on all platforms.
The default value of this style is `true' except for completion
within vvaarreedd builtin command where it is `false'.
iinnsseerrtt-uunnaammbbiigguuoouuss
This is used by the mmaattcchh and aapppprrooxxiimmaattee completers. These
completers are often used with menu completion since the word
typed may bear little resemblance to the final completion. How-
ever, if this style is `true', the completer will start menu
completion only if it could find no unambiguous initial string
at least as long as the original string typed by the user.
In the case of the aapppprrooxxiimmaattee completer, the completer field
in the context will already have been set to one of ccoorrrreecctt-num
or aapppprrooxxiimmaattee-num, where num is the number of errors that were
accepted.
In the case of the mmaattcchh completer, the style may also be set
to the string `ppaatttteerrnn'. Then the pattern on the line is left
unchanged if it does not match unambiguously.
kkeeeepp-pprreeffiixx
This style is used by the eexxppaanndd completer. If it is `true',
the completer will try to keep a prefix containing a tilde or
parameter expansion. Hence, for example, the string `~~//ff**'
would be expanded to `~~//ffoooo' instead of `//hhoommee//uusseerr//ffoooo'. If
the style is set to `cchhaannggeedd' (the default), the prefix will
only be left unchanged if there were other changes between the
expanded words and the original word from the command line. Any
other value forces the prefix to be expanded unconditionally.
The behaviour of expand when this style is true is to cause
eexxppaanndd to give up when a single expansion with the restored
prefix is the same as the original; hence any remaining com-
pleters may be called.
llaasstt-pprroommpptt
This is a more flexible form of the AALLWWAAYYSSLLAASSTTPPRROOMMPPTT option.
If it is true, the completion system will try to return the cur-
sor to the previous command line after displaying a completion
list. It is tested for all tags valid for the current comple-
tion, then the ddeeffaauulltt tag. The cursor will be moved back to
the previous line if this style is `true' for all types of
match. Note that unlike the AALLWWAAYYSSLLAASSTTPPRROOMMPPTT option this is
independent of the numeric prefix argument.
lliisstt This style is used by the hhiissttoorryyccoommpplleetteewwoorrdd bindable com-
mand. If it is set to `true' it has no effect. If it is set to
`false' matches will not be listed. This overrides the setting
of the options controlling listing behaviour, in particular
AAUUTTOOLLIISSTT. The context always starts with `::ccoommpplleettiioonn::hhiiss-
ttoorryy-wwoorrddss'.
lliisstt-ccoolloorrss
If the zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module is loaded, this style can be used to
set color specifications. This mechanism replaces the use of
the ZZLLSSCCOOLLOORRSS and ZZLLSSCCOOLLOOUURRSS parameters described in the sec-
tion `The zsh/complist Module' in zshmodules(1), but the syntax
is the same.
If this style is set for the ddeeffaauulltt tag, the strings in the
value are taken as specifications that are to be used every-
where. If it is set for other tags, the specifications are used
only for matches of the type described by the tag. For this to
work best, the ggrroouupp-nnaammee style must be set to an empty string.
In addition to setting styles for specific tags, it is also pos-
sible to use group names specified explicitly by the ggrroouupp-nnaammee
tag together with the `((ggrroouupp))' syntax allowed by the ZZLLSSCCOOLLOORRSS
and ZZLLSSCCOOLLOOUURRSS parameters and simply using the ddeeffaauulltt tag.
It is possible to use any color specifications already set up
for the GNU version of the llss command:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::ddeeffaauulltt'' lliisstt-ccoolloorrss $${{((ss..::..))LLSSCCOOLLOORRSS}}
The default colors are the same as for the GNU llss command and
can be obtained by setting the style to an empty string (i.e.
'''').
lliisstt-ggrroouuppeedd
If this style is `true' (the default), the completion system
will try to make certain completion listings more compact by
grouping matches. For example, options for commands that have
the same description (shown when the vveerrbboossee style is set to
`true') will appear as a single entry. However, menu selection
can be used to cycle through all the matches.
lliisstt-ppaacckkeedd
This is tested for each tag valid in the current context as well
as the ddeeffaauulltt tag. If it is set to `true', the corresponding
matches appear in listings as if the LLIISSTTPPAACCKKEEDD option were
set. If it is set to `false', they are listed normally.
lliisstt-pprroommpptt
If this style is set for the ddeeffaauulltt tag, completion lists that
don't fit on the screen can be scrolled (see the description of
the zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module in zshmodules(1)). The value, if not
the empty string, will be displayed after every screenful and
the shell will prompt for a key press; if the style is set to
the empty string, a default prompt will be used.
The value may contain the escape sequences: `%%ll' or `%%LL', which
will be replaced by the number of the last line displayed and
the total number of lines; `%%mm' or `%%MM', the number of the last
match shown and the total number of matches; and `%%pp' and `%%PP',
`TToopp' when at the beginning of the list, `BBoottttoomm' when at the
end and the position shown as a percentage of the total length
otherwise. In each case the form with the uppercase letter will
be replaced by a string of fixed width, padded to the right
with spaces, while the lowercase form will be replaced by a
variable width string. As in other prompt strings, the escape
sequences `%%SS', `%%ss', `%%BB', `%%bb', `%%UU', `%%uu' for entering and
leaving the display modes standout, bold and underline are also
available, as is the form `%%{{...%%}}' for enclosing escape
sequences which display with zero width.
lliisstt-rroowwss-ffiirrsstt
This style is tested in the same way as the lliisstt-ppaacckkeedd style
and determines whether matches are to be listed in a rows-first
fashion as if the LLIISSTTRROOWWSSFFIIRRSSTT option were set.
lliisstt-ssuuffffiixxeess
This style is used by the function that completes filenames. If
it is true, and completion is attempted on a string containing
multiple partially typed pathname components, all ambiguous com-
ponents will be shown. Otherwise, completion stops at the first
ambiguous component.
lliisstt-sseeppaarraattoorr
The value of this style is used in completion listing to sepa-
rate the string to complete from a description when possible
(e.g. when completing options). It defaults to `--' (two
hyphens).
llooccaall This is for use with functions that complete URLs for which the
corresponding files are available directly from the filing sys-
tem. Its value should consist of three strings: a hostname, the
path to the default web pages for the server, and the directory
name used by a user placing web pages within their home area.
For example:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' llooccaall ttooaasstt \\
//vvaarr//hhttttpp//ppuubblliicc//ttooaasstt ppuubblliicchhttmmll
Completion after `hhttttpp::////ttooaasstt//ssttuuffff//' will look for files in
the directory //vvaarr//hhttttpp//ppuubblliicc//ttooaasstt//ssttuuffff, while completion
after `hhttttpp::////ttooaasstt//~~yyoouussiirr//' will look for files in the direc-
tory ~~yyoouussiirr//ppuubblliicchhttmmll.
mmaaiill-ddiirreeccttoorryy
If set, zsh will assume that mailbox files can be found in the
directory specified. It defaults to `~~//MMaaiill'.
mmaattcchh-oorriiggiinnaall
This is used by the mmaattcchh completer. If it is set to oonnllyy,
mmaattcchh will try to generate matches without inserting a `**' at
the cursor position. If set to any other non-empty value, it
will first try to generate matches without inserting the `**' and
if that yields no matches, it will try again with the `**'
inserted. If it is unset or set to the empty string, matching
will only be performed with the `**' inserted.
mmaattcchheerr
This style is tested separately for each tag valid in the cur-
rent context. Its value is added to any match specifications
given by the mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt style. It should be in the form
described in the section `Matching Control' in zshcompwid(1).
mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt
This style can be set to a list of match specifications that are
to be applied everywhere. Match specifications are described in
the section `Matching Control' in zshcompwid(1). The completion
system will try them one after another for each completer
selected. For example, to try first simple completion and, if
that generates no matches, case-insensitive completion:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt '''' ''mm::{{aa-zzAA-ZZ}}=={{AA-ZZaa-zz}}''
By default each specification replaces the previous one; how-
ever, if a specification is prefixed with ++, it is added to the
existing list. Hence it is possible to create increasingly gen-
eral specifications without repetition:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt '''' ''++mm{{aa-ZZ}}=={{AA-ZZ}}'' ''++mm{{AA-ZZ}}=={{aa-zz}}''
It is possible to create match specifications valid for particu-
lar completers by using the third field of the context. For
example, to use the completers ccoommpplleettee and pprreeffiixx but only
allow case-insensitive completion with ccoommpplleettee:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr ccoommpplleettee pprreeffiixx
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::ccoommpplleettee::**'' mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt \\
'''' ''mm::{{aa-zzAA-ZZ}}=={{AA-ZZaa-zz}}''
User-defined names, as explained for the ccoommpplleetteerr style, are
available. This makes it possible to try the same completer
more than once with different match specifications each time.
For example, to try normal completion without a match specifica-
tion, then normal completion with case-insensitive matching,
then correction, and finally partial-word completion:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr ccoommpplleettee ccoorrrreecctt ccoommpplleettee::ffoooo
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::ccoommpplleettee::**'' mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt \\
'''' ''mm::{{aa-zzAA-ZZ}}=={{AA-ZZaa-zz}}''
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::ffoooo::**'' mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt \\
''mm::{{aa-zzAA-ZZ}}=={{AA-ZZaa-zz}} rr::||[[-..//]]==** rr::||==**''
If the style is unset in any context no match specification is
applied. Note also that some completers such as ccoorrrreecctt and
aapppprrooxxiimmaattee do not use the match specifications at all, though
these completers will only ever called once even if the
mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt contains more than one element.
Where multiple specifications are useful, note that the entire
completion is done for each element of mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt, which can
quickly reduce the shell's performance. As a rough rule of
thumb, one to three strings will give acceptable performance.
On the other hand, putting multiple space-separated values into
the same string does not have an appreciable impact on perfor-
mance.
mmaaxx-eerrrroorrss
This is used by the aapppprrooxxiimmaattee and ccoorrrreecctt completer func-
tions to determine the maximum number of errors to allow. The
completer will try to generate completions by first allowing one
error, then two errors, and so on, until either a match or
matches were found or the maximum number of errors given by this
style has been reached.
If the value for this style contains the string `nnuummeerriicc', the
completer function will take any numeric argument as the maximum
number of errors allowed. For example, with
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::aapppprrooxxiimmaattee::::::'' mmaaxx-eerrrroorrss 22 nnuummeerriicc
two errors are allowed if no numeric argument is given, but with
a numeric argument of six (as in `EESSCC-66 TTAABB'), up to six errors
are accepted. Hence with a value of `00 nnuummeerriicc', no correcting
completion will be attempted unless a numeric argument is given.
If the value contains the string `nnoott-nnuummeerriicc', the completer
will not try to generate corrected completions when given a
numeric argument, so in this case the number given should be
greater than zero. For example, `22 nnoott-nnuummeerriicc' specifies that
correcting completion with two errors will usually be performed,
but if a numeric argument is given, correcting completion will
not be performed.
The default value for this style is `22 nnuummeerriicc'.
mmaaxx-mmaattcchheess-wwiiddtthh
This style is used to determine the trade off between the width
of the display used for matches and the width used for their
descriptions when the vveerrbboossee style is in effect. The value
gives the number of display columns to reserve for the matches.
The default is half the width of the screen.
This has the most impact when several matches have the same
description and so will be grouped together. Increasing the
style will allow more matches to be grouped together; decreasing
it will allow more of the description to be visible.
mmeennuu If this is true in the context of any of the tags defined for
the current completion menu completion will be used. The value
for a specific tag will take precedence over that for the
`ddeeffaauulltt' tag.
If none of the values found in this way is true but at least one
is set to `aauuttoo', the shell behaves as if the AAUUTTOOMMEENNUU option
is set.
If one of the values is explicitly set to false, menu completion
will be explicitly turned off, overriding the MMEENNUUCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE
option and other settings.
In the form `yyeess==num', where `yyeess' may be any of the true values
(`yyeess', `ttrruuee', `oonn' and `11'), menu completion will be turned on
if there are at least num matches. In the form `yyeess==lloonngg', menu
completion will be turned on if the list does not fit on the
screen. This does not activate menu completion if the widget
normally only lists completions, but menu completion can be
activated in that case with the value `yyeess==lloonngg-lliisstt' (Typi-
cally, the value `sseelleecctt==lloonngg-lliisstt' described later is more use-
ful as it provides control over scrolling.)
Similarly, with any of the `false' values (as in `nnoo==1100'), menu
completion will not be used if there are num or more matches.
The value of this widget also controls menu selection, as imple-
mented by the zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module. The following values may
appear either alongside or instead of the values above.
If the value contains the string `sseelleecctt', menu selection will
be started unconditionally.
In the form `sseelleecctt==num', menu selection will only be started if
there are at least num matches. If the values for more than one
tag provide a number, the smallest number is taken.
Menu selection can be turned off explicitly by defining a value
containing the string`nnoo-sseelleecctt'.
It is also possible to start menu selection only if the list of
matches does not fit on the screen by using the value
`sseelleecctt==lloonngg'. To start menu selection even if the current wid-
get only performs listing, use the value `sseelleecctt==lloonngg-lliisstt'.
To turn on menu completion or menu selection when a there are a
certain number of matches or the list of matches does not fit on
the screen, both of `yyeess==' and `sseelleecctt==' may be given twice,
once with a number and once with `lloonngg' or `lloonngg-lliisstt'.
Finally, it is possible to activate two special modes of menu
selection. The word `iinntteerraaccttiivvee' in the value causes interac-
tive mode to be entered immediately when menu selection is
started; see the description of the zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module in zsh-
modules(1).RE for a description of interactive mode. Including
the string `sseeaarrcchh' does the same for incremental search mode.
To select backward incremental search, include the string
`sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd'. )
mmuuttttrrcc If set, gives the location of the mutt configuration
file. It defaults to `~~//..mmuuttttrrcc'.
nnuummbbeerrss
This is used with the jjoobbss tag. If it is `true', the
shell will complete job numbers instead of the shortest
unambiguous prefix of the job command text. If the value
is a number, job numbers will only be used if that many
words from the job descriptions are required to resolve
ambiguities. For example, if the value is `11', strings
will only be used if all jobs differ in the first word on
their command lines.
oolldd-lliisstt
This is used by the oollddlliisstt completer. If it is set to
`aallwwaayyss', then standard widgets which perform listing
will retain the current list of matches, however they
were generated; this can be turned off explicitly with
the value `nneevveerr', giving the behaviour without the
oollddlliisstt completer. If the style is unset, or any other
value, then the existing list of completions is displayed
if it is not already; otherwise, the standard completion
list is generated; this is the default behaviour of
oollddlliisstt. However, if there is an old list and this
style contains the name of the completer function that
generated the list, then the old list will be used even
if it was generated by a widget which does not do list-
ing.
For example, suppose you type ^^XXcc to use the ccoorr-
rreeccttwwoorrdd widget, which generates a list of corrections
for the word under the cursor. Usually, typing ^^DD would
generate a standard list of completions for the word on
the command line, and show that. With oollddlliisstt, it will
instead show the list of corrections already generated.
As another example consider the mmaattcchh completer: with
the iinnsseerrtt-uunnaammbbiigguuoouuss style set to `true' it inserts
only a common prefix string, if there is any. However,
this may remove parts of the original pattern, so that
further completion could produce more matches than on the
first attempt. By using the oollddlliisstt completer and set-
ting this style to mmaattcchh, the list of matches generated
on the first attempt will be used again.
oolldd-mmaattcchheess
This is used by the aallllmmaattcchheess completer to decide if
an old list of matches should be used if one exists.
This is selected by one of the `true' values or by the
string `oonnllyy'. If the value is `oonnllyy', aallllmmaattcchheess will
only use an old list and won't have any effect on the
list of matches currently being generated.
If this style is set it is generally unwise to call the
aallllmmaattcchheess completer unconditionally. One possible use
is for either this style or the ccoommpplleetteerr style to be
defined with the -ee option to zzssttyyllee to make the style
conditional.
oolldd-mmeennuu
This is used by the oollddlliisstt completer. It controls how
menu completion behaves when a completion has already
been inserted and the user types a standard completion
key such as TTAABB. The default behaviour of oollddlliisstt is
that menu completion always continues with the existing
list of completions. If this style is set to `false',
however, a new completion is started if the old list was
generated by a different completion command; this is the
behaviour without the oollddlliisstt completer.
For example, suppose you type ^^XXcc to generate a list of
corrections, and menu completion is started in one of the
usual ways. Usually, or with this style set to ffaallssee,
typing TTAABB at this point would start trying to complete
the line as it now appears. With oollddlliisstt, it instead
continues to cycle through the list of corrections.
oorriiggiinnaall
This is used by the aapppprrooxxiimmaattee and ccoorrrreecctt completers
to decide if the original string should be added as a
possible completion. Normally, this is done only if
there are at least two possible corrections, but if this
style is set to `true', it is always added. Note that
the style will be examined with the completer field in
the context name set to ccoorrrreecctt-num or aapppprrooxxiimmaattee-num,
where num is the number of errors that were accepted.
ppaacckkaaggeesseett
This style is used when completing arguments of the
Debian `ddppkkgg' program. It contains an override for the
default package set for a given context. For example,
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::ccoommpplleettee::ddppkkgg::ooppttiioonn--ssttaattuuss-11::**'' \\
ppaacckkaaggeesseett aavvaaiill
causes available packages, rather than only installed
packages, to be completed for `dpkg -status'.
ppaatthh The function that completes color names uses this style
with the ccoolloorrss tag. The value should be the pathname of
a file containing color names in the format of an X11
rrggbb..ttxxtt file. If the style is not set but this file is
found in one of various standard locations it will be
used as the default.
ppiinnee-ddiirreeccttoorryy
If set, specifies the directory containing PINE mailbox
files. It defaults to `~~//mmaaiill'.
ppoorrttss A list of Internet service names (network ports) to com-
plete. If this is not set, service names are taken from
the file `//eettcc//sseerrvviicceess'.
pprreeffiixx-hhiiddddeenn
This is used for certain completions which share a common
prefix, for example command options beginning with
dashes. If it is `true', the prefix will not be shown in
the list of matches.
The default value for this style is `false'.
pprreeffiixx-nneeeeddeedd
This, too, is used for matches with a common prefix. If
it is set to `true' this common prefix must be typed by
the user to generate the matches. In the case of command
options, this means that the initial `-', `++', or `--'
must be typed explicitly before option names will be com-
pleted.
The default value for this style is `true'.
pprreesseerrvvee-pprreeffiixx
This style is used when completing path names. Its value
should be a pattern matching an initial prefix of the
word to complete that should be left unchanged under all
circumstances. For example, on some Unices an initial
`////' (double slash) has a special meaning; setting this
style to the string `////' will preserve it. As another
example, setting this style to `??:://' under Cygwin would
allow completion after `aa:://......' and so on.
rraannggee This is used by the hhiissttoorryy completer and the hhiiss-
ttoorryyccoommpplleetteewwoorrdd bindable command to decide which words
should be completed.
If it is a singe number, only the last N words from the
history will be completed.
If it is a range of the form `max::slice', the last slice
words will be completed; then if that yields no matches,
the slice words before those will be tried and so on.
This process stops either when at least one match was
been found, or max words have been tried.
The default is to complete all words from the history at
once.
rreegguullaarr
This style is used by the eexxppaannddaalliiaass completer and
bindable command. If set to `ttrruuee' (the default), regu-
lar aliases will be expanded but only in command posi-
tion. If it is set to `ffaallssee', regular aliases will
never be expanded. If it is set to `aallwwaayyss', regular
aliases will be expanded even if not in command position.
rreemmoottee-aacccceessss
If set to ffaallssee, certain commands will be prevented from
making Internet connections to retrieve remote informa-
tion. This includes the completion for the CCVVSS command.
It is not always possible to know if connections are in
fact to a remote site, so some may be prevented unneces-
sarily.
rreemmoovvee-aallll-dduuppss
The hhiissttoorryyccoommpplleetteewwoorrdd bindable command and the hhiiss-
ttoorryy completer use this to decide if all duplicate
matches should be removed, rather than just consecutive
duplicates.
sseelleecctt-pprroommpptt
If this is set for the ddeeffaauulltt tag, its value will be
displayed during menu selection (see the mmeennuu style
above) when the completion list does not fit on the
screen as a whole. The same escapes as for the
lliisstt-pprroommpptt style are understood, except that the numbers
refer to the match or line the mark is on. A default
prompt is used when the value is the empty string.
sseelleecctt-ssccrroollll
This style is tested for the ddeeffaauulltt tag and determines
how a completion list is scrolled during a menu selection
(see the mmeennuu style above) when the completion list does
not fit on the screen as a whole. If the value is `00'
(zero), the list is scrolled by half-screenfuls; if it is
a positive integer, the list is scrolled by the given
number of lines; if it is a negative number, the list is
scrolled by a screenful minus the absolute value of the
given number of lines. The default is to scroll by sin-
gle lines.
sseeppaarraattee-sseeccttiioonnss
This style is used with the mmaannuuaallss tag when completing
names of manual pages. If it is `true', entries for dif-
ferent sections are added separately using tag names of
the form `mmaannuuaall..X', where X is the section number. When
the ggrroouupp-nnaammee style is also in effect, pages from dif-
ferent sections will appear separately. This style is
also used similarly with the wwoorrddss style when completing
words for the dict command. It allows words from differ-
ent dictionary databases to be added separately. The
default for this style is `false'.
sshhooww-ccoommpplleetteerr
Tested whenever a new completer is tried. If it is true,
the completion system outputs a progress message in the
listing area showing what completer is being tried. The
message will be overwritten by any output when comple-
tions are found and is removed after completion is fin-
ished.
ssiinnggllee-iiggnnoorreedd
This is used by the iiggnnoorreedd completer when there is only
one match. If its value is `sshhooww', the single match will
be displayed but not inserted. If the value is `mmeennuu',
then the single match and the original string are both
added as matches and menu completion is started, making
it easy to select either of them.
ssoorrtt Many completion widgets call ddeessccrriippttiioonn at some point
which decides whether the matches are added sorted or
unsorted (often indirectly via wwaanntteedd or rreeqquueesstteedd).
This style can be set explicitly to one of the usual true
or false values as an override. If it is not set for the
context, the standard behaviour of the calling widget is
used.
The style is tested first against the full context
including the tag, and if that fails to produce a value
against the context without the tag.
If the calling widget explicitly requests unsorted
matches, this is usually honoured. However, the default
(unsorted) behaviour of completion for the command his-
tory may be overridden by setting the style to ttrruuee.
In the eexxppaanndd completer, if it is set to `true', the
expansions generated will always be sorted. If it is set
to `mmeennuu', then the expansions are only sorted when they
are offered as single strings but not in the string con-
taining all possible expansions.
ssppeecciiaall-ddiirrss
Normally, the completion code will not produce the direc-
tory names `..' and `....' as possible completions. If this
style is set to `true', it will add both `..' and `....' as
possible completions; if it is set to `....', only `....'
will be added.
The following example sets ssppeecciiaall-ddiirrss to `....' when the
current prefix is empty, is a single `..', or consists
only of a path beginning with `....//'. Otherwise the value
is `false'.
zzssttyyllee -ee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ssppeecciiaall-ddiirrss \\
''[[[[ $$PPRREEFFIIXX == ((....//))##((||..||....)) ]]]] &&&& rreeppllyy==((....))''
ssqquueeeezzee-ssllaasshheess
If set to `true', sequences of slashes in filename paths
(for example in `ffoooo////bbaarr') will be treated as a single
slash. This is the usual behaviour of UNIX paths. How-
ever, by default the file completion function behaves as
if there were a `**' between the slashes.
ssttoopp If set to `true', the hhiissttoorryyccoommpplleetteewwoorrdd bindable
command will stop once when reaching the beginning or end
of the history. Invoking hhiissttoorryyccoommpplleetteewwoorrdd will
then wrap around to the opposite end of the history. If
this style is set to `false' (the default), hhiissttoorryyccoomm-
pplleetteewwoorrdd will loop immediately as in a menu completion.
ssttrriipp-ccoommmmeennttss
If set to `true', this style causes non-essential comment
text to be removed from completion matches. Currently it
is only used when completing e-mail addresses where it
removes any display name from the addresses, cutting them
down to plain user@host form.
ssuubbsstt-gglloobbss-oonnllyy
This is used by the eexxppaanndd completer. If it is set to
`true', the expansion will only be used if it resulted
from globbing; hence, if expansions resulted from the use
of the ssuubbssttiittuuttee style described below, but these were
not further changed by globbing, the expansions will be
rejected.
The default for this style is `false'.
ssuubbssttiittuuttee
This boolean style controls whether the eexxppaanndd completer
will first try to expand all substitutions in the string
(such as `$$((......))' and `$${{......}}').
The default is `true'.
ssuuffffiixx This is used by the eexxppaanndd completer if the word starts
with a tilde or contains a parameter expansion. If it is
set to `true', the word will only be expanded if it
doesn't have a suffix, i.e. if it is something like
`~~ffoooo' or `$$ffoooo' rather than `~~ffoooo//' or `$$ffoooo//bbaarr',
unless that suffix itself contains characters eligible
for expansion. The default for this style is `true'.
ttaagg-oorrddeerr
This provides a mechanism for sorting how the tags avail-
able in a particular context will be used.
The values for the style are sets of space-separated
lists of tags. The tags in each value will be tried at
the same time; if no match is found, the next value is
used. (See the ffiillee-ppaatttteerrnnss style for an exception to
this behavior.)
For example:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::ccoommpplleettee::-ccoommmmaanndd-::**'' ttaagg-oorrddeerr \\
''ccoommmmaannddss ffuunnccttiioonnss''
specifies that completion in command position first
offers external commands and shell functions. Remaining
tags will be tried if no completions are found.
In addition to tag names, each string in the value may
take one of the following forms:
- If any value consists of only a hyphen, then only
the tags specified in the other values are gener-
ated. Normally all tags not explicitly selected
are tried last if the specified tags fail to gen-
erate any matches. This means that a single value
consisting only of a single hyphen turns off com-
pletion.
!! tags...
A string starting with an exclamation mark speci-
fies names of tags that are not to be used. The
effect is the same as if all other possible tags
for the context had been listed.
tag::label ...
Here, tag is one of the standard tags and label is
an arbitrary name. Matches are generated as nor-
mal but the name label is used in contexts instead
of tag. This is not useful in words starting with
!!.
If the label starts with a hyphen, the tag is
prepended to the label to form the name used for
lookup. This can be used to make the completion
system try a certain tag more than once, supplying
different style settings for each attempt; see
below for an example.
tag::label::description
As before, but ddeessccrriippttiioonn will replace the `%%dd'
in the value of the ffoorrmmaatt style instead of the
default description supplied by the completion
function. Spaces in the description must be
quoted with a backslash. A `%%dd' appearing in
description is replaced with the description given
by the completion function.
In any of the forms above the tag may be a pattern or
several patterns in the form `{{pat1,,pat2...}}'. In this
case all matching tags will be used except for any given
explicitly in the same string.
One use of these features is to try one tag more than
once, setting other styles differently on each attempt,
but still to use all the other tags without having to
repeat them all. For example, to make completion of
function names in command position ignore all the comple-
tion functions starting with an underscore the first time
completion is tried:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::**::-ccoommmmaanndd-::**'' ttaagg-oorrddeerr \\
''ffuunnccttiioonnss::-nnoonn-ccoommpp **'' ffuunnccttiioonnss
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::ffuunnccttiioonnss-nnoonn-ccoommpp'' iiggnnoorreedd-ppaatttteerrnnss ''**''
On the first attempt, all tags will be offered but the
ffuunnccttiioonnss tag will be replaced by ffuunnccttiioonnss-nnoonn-ccoommpp.
The iiggnnoorreedd-ppaatttteerrnnss style is set for this tag to exclude
functions starting with an underscore. If there are no
matches, the second value of the ttaagg-oorrddeerr style is used
which completes functions using the default tag, this
time presumably including all function names.
The matches for one tag can be split into different
groups. For example:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ttaagg-oorrddeerr \\
''ooppttiioonnss::-lloonngg::lloonngg\\ ooppttiioonnss
ooppttiioonnss::-sshhoorrtt::sshhoorrtt\\ ooppttiioonnss
ooppttiioonnss::-ssiinnggllee-lleetttteerr::ssiinnggllee\\ lleetttteerr\\ ooppttiioonnss''
zstyle ':completion:*:options-long' ignored-patterns '[-+](|-|[^-]*)'
zstyle ':completion:*:options-short' ignored-patterns '-*' '[-+]?'
zstyle ':completion:*:options-single-letter' ignored-patterns '???*'
With the ggrroouupp-nnaammeess style set, options beginning with
`--', options beginning with a single `-' or `++' but con-
taining multiple characters, and single-letter options
will be displayed in separate groups with different
descriptions.
Another use of patterns is to try multiple match specifi-
cations one after another. The mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt style offers
something similar, but it is tested very early in the
completion system and hence can't be set for single com-
mands nor for more specific contexts. Here is how to try
normal completion without any match specification and, if
that generates no matches, try again with case-insensi-
tive matching, restricting the effect to arguments of the
command ffoooo:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::**::ffoooo::**'' ttaagg-oorrddeerr ''**'' ''**::-ccaassee''
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**-ccaassee'' mmaattcchheerr ''mm::{{aa-zz}}=={{AA-ZZ}}''
First, all the tags offered when completing after ffoooo are
tried using the normal tag name. If that generates no
matches, the second value of ttaagg-oorrddeerr is used, which
tries all tags again except that this time each has -ccaassee
appended to its name for lookup of styles. Hence this
time the value for the mmaattcchheerr style from the second call
to zzssttyyllee in the example is used to make completion
case-insensitive.
It is possible to use the -ee option of the zzssttyyllee builtin
command to specify conditions for the use of particular
tags. For example:
zzssttyyllee -ee ''**::-ccoommmmaanndd-::**'' ttaagg-oorrddeerr ''
iiff [[[[ -nn $$PPRREEFFIIXX$$SSUUFFFFIIXX ]]]];; tthheenn
rreeppllyy==(( ))
eellssee
rreeppllyy==(( - ))
ffii''
Completion in command position will be attempted only if
the string typed so far is not empty. This is tested
using the PPRREEFFIIXX special parameter; see zshcompwid for a
description of parameters which are special inside com-
pletion widgets. Setting rreeppllyy to an empty array pro-
vides the default behaviour of trying all tags at once;
setting it to an array containing only a hyphen disables
the use of all tags and hence of all completions.
If no ttaagg-oorrddeerr style has been defined for a context, the
strings `((||**-))aarrgguummeenntt-** ((||**-))ooppttiioonn-** vvaalluueess' and
`ooppttiioonnss' plus all tags offered by the completion func-
tion will be used to provide a sensible default behavior
that causes arguments (whether normal command arguments
or arguments of options) to be completed before option
names for most commands.
uurrllss This is used together with the the uurrllss tag by functions
completing URLs.
If the value consists of more than one string, or if the
only string does not name a file or directory, the
strings are used as the URLs to complete.
If the value contains only one string which is the name
of a normal file the URLs are taken from that file (where
the URLs may be separated by white space or newlines).
Finally, if the only string in the value names a direc-
tory, the directory hierarchy rooted at this directory
gives the completions. The top level directory should be
the file access method, such as `hhttttpp', `ffttpp', `bbooookkmmaarrkk'
and so on. In many cases the next level of directories
will be a filename. The directory hierarchy can descend
as deep as necessary.
For example,
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' uurrllss ~~//..uurrllss
mmkkddiirr -pp ~~//..uurrllss//ffttpp//ffttpp..zzsshh..oorrgg//ppuubb//ddeevveellooppmmeenntt
allows completion of all the components of the URL
ffttpp::////ffttpp..zzsshh..oorrgg//ppuubb//ddeevveellooppmmeenntt after suitable commands
such as `nneettssccaappee' or `llyynnxx'. Note, however, that access
methods and files are completed separately, so if the
hhoossttss style is set hosts can be completed without refer-
ence to the uurrllss style.
See the description in the function uurrllss itself for more
information (e.g. `mmoorree $$^^ffppaatthh//uurrllss((NN))').
uussee-ccaacchhee
If this is set, the completion caching layer is activated
for any completions which use it (via the ssttoorreeccaacchhee,
rreettrriieevveeccaacchhee, and ccaacchheeiinnvvaalliidd functions). The
directory containing the cache files can be changed with
the ccaacchhee-ppaatthh style.
uussee-ccoommppccttll
If this style is set to a string not equal to ffaallssee, 00,
nnoo, and ooffff, the completion system may use any completion
specifications defined with the ccoommppccttll builtin command.
If the style is unset, this is done only if the zzsshh//ccoomm-
ppccttll module is loaded. The string may also contain the
substring `ffiirrsstt' to use completions defined with `ccoomm-
ppccttll -TT', and the substring `ddeeffaauulltt' to use the comple-
tion defined with `ccoommppccttll -DD'.
Note that this is only intended to smooth the transition
from ccoommppccttll to the new completion system and may disap-
pear in the future.
Note also that the definitions from ccoommppccttll will only be
used if there is no specific completion function for the
command in question. For example, if there is a function
ffoooo to complete arguments to the command ffoooo, ccoommppccttll
will never be invoked for ffoooo. However, the ccoommppccttll ver-
sion will be tried if ffoooo only uses default completion.
uussee-ppeerrll
Various parts of the function system use awk to extract
words from files or command output as this universally
available. However, many versions of awk have arbitrary
limits on the size of input. If this style is set, perl
will be used instead. This is almost always preferable
if perl is available on your system.
Currently this is only used in completions for `make',
but it may be extended depending on authorial frustra-
tion.
uusseerrss This may be set to a list of usernames to be completed.
If it is not set or the string on the line doesn't match
any of the strings in this list, all usernames will be
completed.
uusseerrss-hhoossttss
The values of this style should be of the form
`user@@host' or `user::host'. It is used for commands that
need pairs of user- and hostnames. These commands will
complete usernames from this style (only), and will
restrict subsequent hostname completion to hosts paired
with that user in one of the values of the style.
It is possible to group values for sets of commands which
allow a remote login, such as rrllooggiinn and sssshh, by using
the mmyy-aaccccoouunnttss tag. Similarly, values for sets of com-
mands which usually refer to the accounts of other peo-
ple, such as ttaallkk and ffiinnggeerr, can be grouped by using the
ootthheerr-aaccccoouunnttss tag. More ambivalent commands may use the
aaccccoouunnttss tag.
uusseerrss-hhoossttss-ppoorrttss
Like uusseerrss-hhoossttss but used for commands like tteellnneett and
containing strings of the form `user@@host::port'.
vveerrbboossee
If set, as it is by default, the completion listing is
more verbose. In particular many commands show descrip-
tions for options if this style is `true'.
wwoorrdd This is used by the lliisstt completer, which prevents the
insertion of completions until a second completion
attempt when the line has not changed. The normal way of
finding out if the line has changed is to compare its
entire contents between the two occasions. If this style
is true, the comparison is instead performed only on the
current word. Hence if completion is performed on
another word with the same contents, completion will not
be delayed.
CCOONNTTRROOLL FFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS
The initialization script ccoommppiinniitt redefines all the widgets which per-
form completion to call the supplied widget function mmaaiinnccoommpplleettee.
This function acts as a wrapper calling the so-called `completer' func-
tions that generate matches. If mmaaiinnccoommpplleettee is called with argu-
ments, these are taken as the names of completer functions to be called
in the order given. If no arguments are given, the set of functions to
try is taken from the ccoommpplleetteerr style. For example, to use normal com-
pletion and correction if that doesn't generate any matches:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr ccoommpplleettee ccoorrrreecctt
after calling ccoommppiinniitt. The default value for this style is `ccoommpplleettee
iiggnnoorreedd', i.e. normally only ordinary completion is tried, first with
the effect of the iiggnnoorreedd-ppaatttteerrnnss style and then without it. The
mmaaiinnccoommpplleettee function uses the return value of the completer func-
tions to decide if other completers should be called. If the return
value is zero, no other completers are tried and the mmaaiinnccoommpplleettee
function returns.
If the first argument to mmaaiinnccoommpplleettee is a single hyphen, the argu-
ments will not be taken as names of completers. Instead, the second
argument gives a name to use in the completer field of the context and
the other arguments give a command name and arguments to call to gener-
ate the matches.
The following completer functions are contained in the distribution,
although users may write their own. Note that in contexts the leading
underscore is stripped, for example basic completion is performed in
the context `::ccoommpplleettiioonn::::ccoommpplleettee::...'.
aallllmmaattcchheess
This completer can be used to add a string consisting of all
other matches. As it influences later completers it must appear
as the first completer in the list. The list of all matches is
affected by the aavvooiidd-ccoommpplleetteerr and oolldd-mmaattcchheess styles described
above.
It may be useful to use the ggeenneerriicc function described below to
bind aallllmmaattcchheess to its own keystroke, for example:
zzllee -CC aallll-mmaattcchheess ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd ggeenneerriicc
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''^^XXaa'' aallll-mmaattcchheess
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::aallll-mmaattcchheess::**'' oolldd-mmaattcchheess oonnllyy
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::aallll-mmaattcchheess::::::::'' ccoommpplleetteerr aallllmmaattcchheess
aapppprrooxxiimmaattee
This is similar to the basic ccoommpplleettee completer but allows the
completions to undergo corrections. The maximum number of
errors can be specified by the mmaaxx-eerrrroorrss style; see the
description of approximate matching in zshexpn(1) for how errors
are counted. Normally this completer will only be tried after
the normal ccoommpplleettee completer:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr ccoommpplleettee aapppprrooxxiimmaattee
This will give correcting completion if and only if normal com-
pletion yields no possible completions. When corrected comple-
tions are found, the completer will normally start menu comple-
tion allowing you to cycle through these strings.
This completer uses the tags ccoorrrreeccttiioonnss and oorriiggiinnaall when gen-
erating the possible corrections and the original string. The
ffoorrmmaatt style for the former may contain the additional sequences
`%%ee' and `%%oo' which will be replaced by the number of errors
accepted to generate the corrections and the original string,
respectively.
The completer progressively increases the number of errors
allowed up to the limit by the mmaaxx-eerrrroorrss style, hence if a com-
pletion is found with one error, no completions with two errors
will be shown, and so on. It modifies the completer name in the
context to indicate the number of errors being tried: on the
first try the completer field contains `aapppprrooxxiimmaattee-11', on the
second try `aapppprrooxxiimmaattee-22', and so on.
When aapppprrooxxiimmaattee is called from another function, the number of
errors to accept may be passed with the -aa option. The argument
is in the same format as the mmaaxx-eerrrroorrss style, all in one
string.
Note that this completer (and the ccoorrrreecctt completer mentioned
below) can be quite expensive to call, especially when a large
number of errors are allowed. One way to avoid this is to set
up the ccoommpplleetteerr style using the -ee option to zstyle so that
some completers are only used when completion is attempted a
second time on the same string, e.g.:
zzssttyyllee -ee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr ''
iiff [[[[ $$llaassttttrryy !!== ""$$HHIISSTTNNOO$$BBUUFFFFEERR$$CCUURRSSOORR"" ]]]];; tthheenn
llaassttttrryy==""$$HHIISSTTNNOO$$BBUUFFFFEERR$$CCUURRSSOORR""
rreeppllyy==((ccoommpplleettee mmaattcchh pprreeffiixx))
eellssee
rreeppllyy==((iiggnnoorreedd ccoorrrreecctt aapppprrooxxiimmaattee))
ffii''
This uses the HHIISSTTNNOO parameter and the BBUUFFFFEERR and CCUURRSSOORR special
parameters that are available inside zle and completion widgets
to find out if the command line hasn't changed since the last
time completion was tried. Only then are the iiggnnoorreedd, ccoorrrreecctt
and aapppprrooxxiimmaattee completers called.
ccoommpplleettee
This completer generates all possible completions in a con-
text-sensitive manner, i.e. using the settings defined with the
ccoommppddeeff function explained above and the current settings of all
special parameters. This gives the normal completion behaviour.
To complete arguments of commands, ccoommpplleettee uses the utility
function nnoorrmmaall, which is in turn responsible for finding the
particular function; it is described below. Various contexts of
the form -context- are handled specifically. These are all men-
tioned above as possible arguments to the ##ccoommppddeeff tag.
Before trying to find a function for a specific context, ccoomm-
pplleettee checks if the parameter `ccoommppccoonntteexxtt' is set. Setting
`ccoommppccoonntteexxtt' allows the usual completion dispatching to be
overridden which is useful in places such as a function that
uses vvaarreedd for input. If it is set to an array, the elements are
taken to be the possible matches which will be completed using
the tag `vvaalluueess' and the description `vvaalluuee'. If it is set to an
associative array, the keys are used as the possible completions
and the values (if non-empty) are used as descriptions for the
matches. If `ccoommppccoonntteexxtt' is set to a string containing colons,
it should be of the form `tag::descr::action'. In this case the
tag and descr give the tag and description to use and the action
indicates what should be completed in one of the forms accepted
by the aarrgguummeennttss utility function described below.
Finally, if `ccoommppccoonntteexxtt' is set to a string without colons, the
value is taken as the name of the context to use and the func-
tion defined for that context will be called. For this purpose,
there is a special context named -ccoommmmaanndd-lliinnee- that completes
whole command lines (commands and their arguments). This is not
used by the completion system itself but is nonetheless handled
when explicitly called.
ccoorrrreecctt
Generate corrections, but not completions, for the current word;
this is similar to aapppprrooxxiimmaattee but will not allow any number of
extra characters at the cursor as that completer does. The
effect is similar to spell-checking. It is based on aapppprrooxxii-
mmaattee, but the completer field in the context name is ccoorrrreecctt.
For example, with:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::::::::::'' ccoommpplleetteerr ccoommpplleettee ccoorrrreecctt aapppprrooxxiimmaattee
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::ccoorrrreecctt::::::'' mmaaxx-eerrrroorrss 22 nnoott-nnuummeerriicc
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**::aapppprrooxxiimmaattee::::::'' mmaaxx-eerrrroorrss 33 nnuummeerriicc
correction will accept up to two errors. If a numeric argument
is given, correction will not be performed, but correcting com-
pletion will be, and will accept as many errors as given by the
numeric argument. Without a numeric argument, first correction
and then correcting completion will be tried, with the first one
accepting two errors and the second one accepting three errors.
When ccoorrrreecctt is called as a function, the number of errors to
accept may be given following the -aa option. The argument is in
the same form a values to the aacccceepptt style, all in one string.
This completer function is intended to be used without the
aapppprrooxxiimmaattee completer or, as in the example, just before it.
Using it after the aapppprrooxxiimmaattee completer is useless since
aapppprrooxxiimmaattee will at least generate the corrected strings gener-
ated by the ccoorrrreecctt completer - and probably more.
eexxppaanndd
This completer function does not really perform completion, but
instead checks if the word on the command line is eligible for
expansion and, if it is, gives detailed control over how this
expansion is done. For this to happen, the completion system
needs to be invoked with ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd, not eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee
(the default binding for TTAABB), as otherwise the string will be
expanded by the shell's internal mechanism before the completion
system is started. Note also this completer should be called
before the ccoommpplleettee completer function.
The tags used when generating expansions are aallll-eexxppaannssiioonnss for
the string containing all possible expansions, eexxppaannssiioonnss when
adding the possible expansions as single matches and oorriiggiinnaall
when adding the original string from the line. The order in
which these strings are generated, if at all, can be controlled
by the ggrroouupp-oorrddeerr and ttaagg-oorrddeerr styles, as usual.
The format string for aallll-eexxppaannssiioonnss and for eexxppaannssiioonnss may con-
tain the sequence `%%oo' which will be replaced by the original
string from the line.
The kind of expansion to be tried is controlled by the ssuubbssttii-
ttuuttee, gglloobb and ssuubbsstt-gglloobbss-oonnllyy styles.
It is also possible to call eexxppaanndd as a function, in which case
the different modes may be selected with options: -ss for ssuubbssttii-
ttuuttee, -gg for gglloobb and -oo for ssuubbsstt-gglloobbss-oonnllyy.
eexxppaannddaalliiaass
If the word the cursor is on is an alias, it is expanded and no
other completers are called. The types of aliases which are to
be expanded can be controlled with the styles rreegguullaarr, gglloobbaall
and ddiissaabblleedd.
This function is also a bindable command, see the section `Bind-
able Commands' below.
hhiissttoorryy
Complete words from the shell's command history. This com-
pleter can be controlled by the rreemmoovvee-aallll-dduuppss, and ssoorrtt styles
as for the hhiissttoorryyccoommpplleetteewwoorrdd bindable command, see the sec-
tion `Bindable Commands' below and the section `Completion Sys-
tem Configuration' above.
iiggnnoorreedd
The iiggnnoorreedd-ppaatttteerrnnss style can be set to a list of patterns
which are compared against possible completions; matching ones
are removed. With this completer those matches can be rein-
stated, as if no iiggnnoorreedd-ppaatttteerrnnss style were set. The completer
actually generates its own list of matches; which completers are
invoked is determined in the same way as for the pprreeffiixx com-
pleter. The ssiinnggllee-iiggnnoorreedd style is also available as described
above.
lliisstt This completer allows the insertion of matches to be delayed
until completion is attempted a second time without the word on
the line being changed. On the first attempt, only the list of
matches will be shown. It is affected by the styles ccoonnddiittiioonn
and wwoorrdd, see the section `Completion System Configuration'
above.
mmaattcchh This completer is intended to be used after the ccoommpplleettee com-
pleter. It behaves similarly but the string on the command line
may be a pattern to match against trial completions. This gives
the effect of the GGLLOOBBCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE option.
Normally completion will be performed by taking the pattern from
the line, inserting a `**' at the cursor position and comparing
the resulting pattern with the possible completions generated.
This can be modified with the mmaattcchh-oorriiggiinnaall style described
above.
The generated matches will be offered in a menu completion
unless the iinnsseerrtt-uunnaammbbiigguuoouuss style is set to `true'; see the
description above for other options for this style.
Note that matcher specifications defined globally or used by the
completion functions (the styles mmaattcchheerr-lliisstt and mmaattcchheerr) will
not be used.
mmeennuu This completer was written as simple example function to show
how menu completion can be enabled in shell code. However, it
has the notable effect of disabling menu selection which can be
useful with ggeenneerriicc based widgets. It should be used as the
first completer in the list. Note that this is independent of
the setting of the MMEENNUUCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE option and does not work with
the other menu completion widgets such as rreevveerrssee-mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee,
or aacccceepptt-aanndd-mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee.
oollddlliisstt
This completer controls how the standard completion widgets
behave when there is an existing list of completions which may
have been generated by a special completion (i.e. a sepa-
rately-bound completion command). It allows the ordinary com-
pletion keys to continue to use the list of completions thus
generated, instead of producing a new list of ordinary contex-
tual completions. It should appear in the list of completers
before any of the widgets which generate matches. It uses two
styles: oolldd-lliisstt and oolldd-mmeennuu, see the section `Completion Sys-
tem Configuration' above.
pprreeffiixx
This completer can be used to try completion with the suffix
(everything after the cursor) ignored. In other words, the suf-
fix will not be considered to be part of the word to complete.
The effect is similar to the eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee-pprreeffiixx command.
The ccoommpplleetteerr style is used to decide which other completers are
to be called to generate matches. If this style is unset, the
list of completers set for the current context is used -
except, of course, the pprreeffiixx completer itself. Furthermore,
if this completer appears more than once in the list of com-
pleters only those completers not already tried by the last
invocation of pprreeffiixx will be called.
For example, consider this global ccoommpplleetteerr style:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr \\
ccoommpplleettee pprreeffiixx ccoorrrreecctt pprreeffiixx::ffoooo
Here, the pprreeffiixx completer tries normal completion but ignoring
the suffix. If that doesn't generate any matches, and neither
does the call to the ccoorrrreecctt completer after it, pprreeffiixx will
be called a second time and, now only trying correction with the
suffix ignored. On the second invocation the completer part of
the context appears as `ffoooo'.
To use pprreeffiixx as the last resort and try only normal completion
when it is invoked:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr ccoommpplleettee ...... pprreeffiixx
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::::pprreeffiixx::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr ccoommpplleettee
The aadddd-ssppaaccee style is also respected. If it is set to `true'
then pprreeffiixx will insert a space between the matches generated
(if any) and the suffix.
Note that this completer is only useful if the CCOOMMPPLLEETTEEIINNWWOORRDD
option is set; otherwise, the cursor will be moved to the end of
the current word before the completion code is called and hence
there will be no suffix.
bbaasshhccoommppiinniitt
This function provides compatibility with bash's programmable
completion system. When run it will define the functions, ccoommpp-
ggeenn and ccoommpplleettee which correspond to the bash builtins with the
same names. It will then be possible to use completion specifi-
cations and functions written for bash.
BBIINNDDAABBLLEE CCOOMMMMAANNDDSS
In addition to the context-dependent completions provided, which are
expected to work in an intuitively obvious way, there are a few widgets
implementing special behaviour which can be bound separately to keys.
The following is a list of these and their default bindings.
bbaasshhccoommpplleettiioonnss
This function is used by two widgets, bbaasshhccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd and
bbaasshhlliisstt-cchhooiicceess. It exists to provide compatibility with
completion bindings in bash. The last character of the binding
determines what is completed: `!!', command names; `$$', environ-
ment variables; `@@', host names; `//', file names; `~~' user
names. In bash, the binding preceded by `\\ee' gives completion,
and preceded by `^^XX' lists options. As some of these bindings
clash with standard zsh bindings, only `\\ee~~' and `^^XX~~' are bound
by default. To add the rest, the following should be added to
..zzsshhrrcc after ccoommppiinniitt has been run:
ffoorr kkeeyy iinn ''!!'' ''$$'' ''@@'' ''//'' ''~~'';; ddoo
bbiinnddkkeeyy ""\\ee$$kkeeyy"" bbaasshhccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd
bbiinnddkkeeyy ""^^XX$$kkeeyy"" bbaasshhlliisstt-cchhooiicceess
ddoonnee
This includes the bindings for `~~' in case they were already
bound to something else; the completion code does not override
user bindings.
ccoorrrreeccttffiilleennaammee ((^^XXCC))
Correct the filename path at the cursor position. Allows up to
six errors in the name. Can also be called with an argument to
correct a filename path, independently of zle; the correction is
printed on standard output.
ccoorrrreeccttwwoorrdd (^Xc)
Performs correction of the current argument using the usual con-
textual completions as possible choices. This stores the string
`ccoorrrreecctt-wwoorrdd' in the function field of the context name and
then calls the ccoorrrreecctt completer.
eexxppaannddaalliiaass ((^^XXaa))
This function can be used as a completer and as a bindable com-
mand. It expands the word the cursor is on if it is an alias.
The types of alias expanded can be controlled with the styles
rreegguullaarr, gglloobbaall and ddiissaabblleedd.
When used as a bindable command there is one additional feature
that can be selected by setting the ccoommpplleettee style to `true'.
In this case, if the word is not the name of an alias,
eexxppaannddaalliiaass tries to complete the word to a full alias name
without expanding it. It leaves the cursor directly after the
completed word so that invoking eexxppaannddaalliiaass once more will
expand the now-complete alias name.
eexxppaannddwwoorrdd ((^^XXee))
Performs expansion on the current word: equivalent to the stan-
dard eexxppaanndd-wwoorrdd command, but using the eexxppaanndd completer.
Before calling it, the function field of the context is set to
`eexxppaanndd-wwoorrdd'.
ggeenneerriicc
This function is not defined as a widget and not bound by
default. However, it can be used to define a widget and will
then store the name of the widget in the function field of the
context and call the completion system. This allows custom com-
pletion widgets with their own set of style settings to be
defined easily. For example, to define a widget that performs
normal completion and starts menu selection:
zzllee -CC ffoooo ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd ggeenneerriicc
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''......'' ffoooo
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::ffoooo::**'' mmeennuu yyeess sseelleecctt==11
hhiissttoorryyccoommpplleetteewwoorrdd (\e/)
Complete words from the shell's command history. This uses the
lliisstt, rreemmoovvee-aallll-dduuppss, ssoorrtt, and ssttoopp styles.
mmoossttrreecceennttffiillee ((^^XXmm))
Complete the name of the most recently modified file matching
the pattern on the command line (which may be blank). If given
a numeric argument N, complete the Nth most recently modified
file. Note the completion, if any, is always unique.
nneexxttttaaggss (^Xn)
This command alters the set of matches used to that for the next
tag, or set of tags, either as given by the ttaagg-oorrddeerr style or
as set by default; these matches would otherwise not be avail-
able. Successive invocations of the command cycle through all
possible sets of tags.
rreeaaddccoommpp ((^^XX^^RR))
Prompt the user for a string, and use that to perform completion
on the current word. There are two possibilities for the
string. First, it can be a set of words beginning `', for
example `ffiilleess -//', in which case the function with any argu-
ments will be called to generate the completions. Unambiguous
parts of the function name will be completed automatically (nor-
mal completion is not available at this point) until a space is
typed.
Second, any other string will be passed as a set of arguments to
ccoommppaadddd and should hence be an expression specifying what should
be completed.
A very restricted set of editing commands is available when
reading the string: `DDEELL' and `^^HH' delete the last character;
`^^UU' deletes the line, and `^^CC' and `^^GG' abort the function,
while `RREETT' accepts the completion. Note the string is used
verbatim as a command line, so arguments must be quoted in
accordance with standard shell rules.
Once a string has been read, the next call to rreeaaddccoommpp will
use the existing string instead of reading a new one. To force
a new string to be read, call rreeaaddccoommpp with a numeric argu-
ment.
ccoommpplleetteeddeebbuugg ((^^XX??))
This widget performs ordinary completion, but captures in a tem-
porary file a trace of the shell commands executed by the com-
pletion system. Each completion attempt gets its own file. A
command to view each of these files is pushed onto the editor
buffer stack.
ccoommpplleetteehheellpp ((^^XXhh))
This widget displays information about the context names, the
tags, and the completion functions used when completing at the
current cursor position. If given a numeric argument other than
11 (as in `EESSCC-22 ^^XXhh'), then the styles used and the contexts for
which they are used will be shown, too.
Note that the information about styles may be incomplete; it
depends on the information available from the completion func-
tions called, which in turn is determined by the user's own
styles and other settings.
ccoommpplleetteettaagg ((^^XXtt))
This widget completes symbol tags created by the eettaaggss or ccttaaggss
programmes (note there is no connection with the completion sys-
tem's tags) stored in a file TTAAGGSS, in the format used by eettaaggss,
or ttaaggss, in the format created by ccttaaggss. It will look back up
the path hierarchy for the first occurrence of either file; if
both exist, the file TTAAGGSS is preferred. You can specify the
full path to a TTAAGGSS or ttaaggss file by setting the parameter $$TTAAGGSS-
FFIILLEE or $$ttaaggssffiillee respectively. The corresponding completion
tags used are eettaaggss and vvttaaggss, after emacs and vi respectively.
UUTTIILLIITTYY FFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS
Descriptions follow for utility functions that may be useful when writ-
ing completion functions. If functions are installed in subdirecto-
ries, most of these reside in the BBaassee subdirectory. Like the example
functions for commands in the distribution, the utility functions gen-
erating matches all follow the convention of returning zero if they
generated completions and non-zero if no matching completions could be
added.
Two more features are offered by the mmaaiinnccoommpplleettee function. The
arrays ccoommpppprreeffuunnccss and ccoommppppoossttffuunnccss may contain names of functions
that are to be called immediately before or after completion has been
tried. A function will only be called once unless it explicitly rein-
serts itself into the array.
aallllllaabbeellss [ -xx ] [ -1122VVJJ ] tag name descr [ command args ... ]
This is a convenient interface to the nneexxttllaabbeell function
below, implementing the loop shown in the nneexxttllaabbeell example.
The command and its arguments are called to generate the
matches. The options stored in the parameter name will automat-
ically be inserted into the args passed to the command. Nor-
mally, they are put directly after the command, but if one of
the args is a single hyphen, they are inserted directly before
that. If the hyphen is the last argument, it will be removed
from the argument list before the command is called. This
allows aallllllaabbeellss to be used in almost all cases where the
matches can be generated by a single call to the ccoommppaadddd builtin
command or by a call to one of the utility functions.
For example:
llooccaall eexxppll
......
iiff rreeqquueesstteedd ffoooo;; tthheenn
......
aallllllaabbeellss ffoooo eexxppll ''......'' ccoommppaadddd ...... - $$mmaattcchheess
ffii
Will complete the strings from the mmaattcchheess parameter, using ccoomm-
ppaadddd with additional options which will take precedence over
those generated by aallllllaabbeellss.
aalltteerrnnaattiivvee [ -CC name ] spec ...
This function is useful in simple cases where multiple tags are
available. Essentially it implements a loop like the one
described for the ttaaggss function below.
The tags to use and the action to perform if a tag is requested
are described using the specs which are of the form:
`tag::descr::action'. The tags are offered using ttaaggss and if the
tag is requested, the action is executed with the given descrip-
tion descr. The actions are those accepted by the aarrgguummeennttss
function (described below), excluding the `->>state' and `==...'
forms.
For example, the action may be a simple function call:
aalltteerrnnaattiivvee \\
''uusseerrss::uusseerr::uusseerrss'' \\
''hhoossttss::hhoosstt::hhoossttss''
offers usernames and hostnames as possible matches, generated by
the uusseerrss and hhoossttss functions respectively.
Like aarrgguummeennttss, this functions uses aallllllaabbeellss to execute the
actions, which will loop over all sets of tags. Special han-
dling is only required if there is an additional valid tag, for
example inside a function called from aalltteerrnnaattiivvee.
Like ttaaggss this function supports the -CC option to give a dif-
ferent name for the argument context field.
aarrgguummeennttss [ -sswwWWAACCRRSS ] [ -OO name ] [ -MM matchspec ] [ :: ] spec ...
This function can be used to give a complete specification for
completion for a command whose arguments follow standard UNIX
option and argument conventions. The following forms specify
individual sets of options and arguments; to avoid ambiguity,
these may be separated from the options to aarrgguummeennttss itself by
a single colon.
n::message::action
n::::message::action
This describes the n'th normal argument. The message
will be printed above the matches generated and the
action indicates what can be completed in this position
(see below). If there are two colons before the message
the argument is optional. If the message contains only
white space, nothing will be printed above the matches
unless the action adds an explanation string itself.
::message::action
::::message::action
Similar, but describes the next argument, whatever number
that happens to be. If all arguments are specified in
this form in the correct order the numbers are unneces-
sary.
**::message::action
**::::message::action
**::::::message::action
This describes how arguments (usually non-option argu-
ments, those not beginning with - or ++) are to be com-
pleted when neither of the first two forms was provided.
Any number of arguments can be completed in this fashion.
With two colons before the message, the wwoorrddss special
array and the CCUURRRREENNTT special parameter are modified to
refer only to the normal arguments when the action is
executed or evaluated. With three colons before the mes-
sage they are modified to refer only to the normal argu-
ments covered by this description.
optspec
optspec:...
This describes an option. The colon indicates handling
for one or more arguments to the option; if it is not
present, the option is assumed to take no arguments.
By default, options are multi-character name, one `-word'
per option. With -ss, options may be single characters,
with more than one option per word, although words start-
ing with two hyphens, such as `--pprreeffiixx', are still con-
sidered complete option names. This is suitable for
standard GNU options.
The combination of -ss with -ww allows single-letter
options to be combined in a single word even if one or
more of the options take arguments. For example, if -aa
takes an argument, with no -ss `-aabb' is considered as a
single (unhandled) option; with -ss -aabb is an option with
the argument `bb'; with both -ss and -ww, -aabb may be the
option -aa and the option(-b) with arguments still to
come.
The option -WW takes this a stage further: it is possible
to complete single-letter options even after an argument
that occurs in the same word. However, it depends on the
action performed whether options will really be completed
at this point. For more control, use a utility function
like gguuaarrdd as part of the action.
The following forms are available for the initial opt-
spec, whether or not the option has arguments.
**optspec
Here optspec is one of the remaining forms below.
This indicates the following optspec may be
repeated. Otherwise if the corresponding option
is already present on the command line to the left
of the cursor it will not be offered again.
-optname
++optname
In the simplest form the optspec is just the
option name beginning with a minus or a plus sign,
such as `-ffoooo'. The first argument for the option
(if any) must follow as a separate word directly
after the option.
Either of `-++optname' and `++-optname' can be used
to specify that -optname and ++optname are both
valid.
In all the remaining forms, the leading `-' may be
replaced by or paired with `++' in this way.
-optname-
The first argument of the option must come
directly after the option name in the same word.
For example, `-ffoooo-::...' specifies that the com-
pleted option and argument will look like
`-ffooooarg'.
-optname++
The first argument may appear immediately after
optname in the same word, or may appear as a sepa-
rate word after the option. For example,
`-ffoooo++::...' specifies that the completed option
and argument will look like either `-ffooooarg' or
`-ffoooo arg'.
-optname==
The argument may appear as the next word, or in
same word as the option name provided that it is
separated from it by an equals sign, for example
`-ffoooo==arg' or `-ffoooo arg'.
-optname==-
The argument to the option must appear after an
equals sign in the same word, and may not be given
in the next argument.
optspec[[explanation]]
An explanation string may be appended to any of
the preceding forms of optspec by enclosing it in
brackets, as in `-qq[[qquueerryy ooppeerraattiioonn]]'.
The vveerrbboossee style is used to decide whether the
explanation strings are displayed with the option
in a completion listing.
If no bracketed explanation string is given but
the aauuttoo-ddeessccrriippttiioonn style is set and only one
argument is described for this optspec, the value
of the style is displayed, with any appearance of
the sequence `%%dd' in it replaced by the message of
the first optarg that follows the optspec; see
below.
It is possible for options with a literal `+' or `==' to appear,
but that character must be quoted, for example `-\\++'.
Each optarg following an optspec must take one of the following
forms:
::message::action
::::message::action
An argument to the option; message and action are treated
as for ordinary arguments. In the first form, the argu-
ment is mandatory, and in the second form it is optional.
This group may be repeated for options which take multi-
ple arguments. In other words, ::message1::action1::mes-
sage2::action2 specifies that the option takes two argu-
ments.
::**pattern::message::action
::**pattern::::message::action
::**pattern::::::message::action
This describes multiple arguments. Only the last optarg
for an option taking multiple arguments may be given in
this form. If the pattern is empty (i.e., ::**::), all the
remaining words on the line are to be completed as
described by the action; otherwise, all the words up to a
word matching the pattern are to be completed using the
action.
Multiple colons are treated as for the `**::...' forms for
ordinary arguments: when the message is preceded by two
colons, the wwoorrddss special array and the CCUURRRREENNTT special
parameter are modified during the execution or evaluation
of the action to refer only to the words after the
option. When preceded by three colons, they are modified
to refer only to the words covered by this description.
Any literal colon in an optname, message, or action must be preceded by
a backslash, `\\::'.
Each of the forms above may be preceded by a list in parentheses of
option names and argument numbers. If the given option is on the com-
mand line, the options and arguments indicated in parentheses will not
be offered. For example, `((-ttwwoo -tthhrreeee 11))-oonnee::......' completes the
option `-oonnee'; if this appears on the command line, the options -ttwwoo
and -tthhrreeee and the first ordinary argument will not be completed after
it. `((-ffoooo))::...' specifies an ordinary argument completion; -ffoooo will
not be completed if that argument is already present.
Other items may appear in the list of excluded options to indicate var-
ious other items that should not be applied when the current specifica-
tion is matched: a single star (**) for the rest arguments (i.e. a spec-
ification of the form `**::......'); a colon (::) for all normal
(non-option-) arguments; and a hyphen (-) for all options. For exam-
ple, if `((**))' appears before an option and the option appears on the
command line, the list of remaining arguments (those shown in the above
table beginning with `**::') will not be completed.
To aid in reuse of specifications, it is possible to precede any of the
forms above with `!!'; then the form will no longer be completed,
although if the option or argument appears on the command line they
will be skipped as normal. The main use for this is when the arguments
are given by an array, and aarrgguummeennttss is called repeatedly for more
specific contexts: on the first call `aarrgguummeennttss $$gglloobbaallooppttiioonnss' is
used, and on subsequent calls `aarrgguummeennttss !!$$^^gglloobbaallooppttiioonnss'.
In each of the forms above the action determines how completions should
be generated. Except for the `->>string' form below, the action will be
executed by calling the aallllllaabbeellss function to process all tag labels.
No special handling of tags is needed unless a function call introduces
a new one.
The forms for action are as follows.
(single unquoted space)
This is useful where an argument is required but it is not pos-
sible or desirable to generate matches for it. The message will
be displayed but no completions listed. Note that even in this
case the colon at the end of the message is needed; it may only
be omitted when neither a message nor an action is given.
((item1 item2 ...))
One of a list of possible matches, for example:
::ffoooo::((ffoooo bbaarr bbaazz))
((((item1\\::desc1 ...))))
Similar to the above, but with descriptions for each possible
match. Note the backslash before the colon. For example,
::ffoooo::((((aa\\::bbaarr bb\\::bbaazz))))
The matches will be listed together with their descriptions if
the ddeessccrriippttiioonn style is set with the vvaalluueess tag in the context.
->>string
In this form, aarrgguummeennttss processes the arguments and options and
then returns control to the calling function with parameters set
to indicate the state of processing; the calling function then
makes its own arrangements for generating completions. For
example, functions that implement a state machine can use this
type of action.
Where aarrgguummeennttss encounters a `->>string', it will strip all
leading and trailing whitespace from string and set the array
ssttaattee to the set of all stringss for which an action is to be
performed.
By default and in common with all other well behaved completion
functions, arguments returns zero if it was able to add matches
and non-zero otherwise. However, if the -RR option is given,
aarrgguummeennttss will instead return a status of 300 to indicate that
$$ssttaattee is to be handled.
In addition to $$ssttaattee, aarrgguummeennttss also sets the global parame-
ters `ccoonntteexxtt', `lliinnee' and `ooppttaarrggss' as described below, and
does not reset any changes made to the special parameters such
as PPRREEFFIIXX and wwoorrddss. This gives the calling function the choice
of resetting these parameters or propagating changes in them.
A function calling aarrgguummeennttss with at least one action contain-
ing a `->>string' therefore must declare appropriate local param-
eters:
llooccaall ccoonntteexxtt ssttaattee lliinnee
ttyyppeesseett -AA ooppttaarrggss
to avoid aarrgguummeennttss from altering the global environment.
{{eval-string}}
A string in braces is evaluated as shell code to generate
matches. If the eval-string itself does not begin with an open-
ing parenthesis or brace it is split into separate words before
execution.
== action
If the action starts with `== ' (an equals sign followed by a
space), aarrgguummeennttss will insert the contents of the argument
field of the current context as the new first element in the
wwoorrddss special array and increment the value of the CCUURRRREENNTT spe-
cial parameter. This has the effect of inserting a dummy word
onto the completion command line while not changing the point at
which completion is taking place.
This is most useful with one of the specifiers that restrict the
words on the command line on which the action is to operate (the
two- and three-colon forms above). One particular use is when
an action itself causes aarrgguummeennttss on a restricted range; it is
necessary to use this trick to insert an appropriate command
name into the range for the second call to aarrgguummeennttss to be able
to parse the line.
word...
word...
This covers all forms other than those above. If the action
starts with a space, the remaining list of words will be invoked
unchanged.
Otherwise it will be invoked with some extra strings placed
after the first word; these are to be passed down as options to
the ccoommppaadddd builtin. They ensure that the state specified by
aarrgguummeennttss, in particular the descriptions of options and argu-
ments, is correctly passed to the completion command. These
additional arguments are taken from the array parameter `eexxppll';
this will be set up before executing the action and hence may be
referred to inside it, typically in an expansion of the form
`$$eexxppll[[@@]]' which preserves empty elements of the array.
During the performance of the action the array `lliinnee' will be set to
the command name and normal arguments from the command line, i.e. the
words from the command line excluding all options and their arguments.
Options are stored in the associative array `ooppttaarrggss' with option
names as keys and their arguments as the values. For options that have
more than one argument these are given as one string, separated by
colons. All colons in the original arguments are preceded with back-
slashes.
The parameter `ccoonntteexxtt' is set when returning to the calling function
to perform an action of the form `->>string'. It is set to an array of
elements corresponding to the elements of $$ssttaattee. Each element is a
suitable name for the argument field of the context: either a string of
the form `ooppttiioonn-opt-n' for the n'th argument of the option -opt, or a
string of the form `aarrgguummeenntt-n' for the n'th argument. For `rest'
arguments, that is those in the list at the end not handled by posi-
tion, n is the string `rreesstt'. For example, when completing the argu-
ment of the -oo option, the name is `ooppttiioonn-oo-11', while for the second
normal (non-option-) argument it is `aarrgguummeenntt-22'.
Furthermore, during the evaluation of the action the context name in
the ccuurrccoonntteexxtt parameter is altered to append the same string that is
stored in the ccoonntteexxtt parameter.
It is possible to specify multiple sets of options and arguments with
the sets separated by single hyphens. The specifications before the
first hyphen (if any) are shared by all the remaining sets. The first
word in every other set provides a name for the set which may appear in
exclusion lists in specifications, either alone or before one of the
possible values described above. In the second case a `-' should
appear between this name and the remainder.
For example:
aarrgguummeennttss \\
-aa \\
- sseett11 \\
-cc \\
- sseett22 \\
-dd \\
''::aarrgg::((xx22 yy22))''
This defines two sets. When the command line contains the option `-cc',
the `-dd' option and the argument will not be considered possible com-
pletions. When it contains `-dd' or an argument, the option `-cc' will
not be considered. However, after `-aa' both sets will still be consid-
ered valid.
If the name given for one of the mutually exclusive sets is of the form
`((name))' then only one value from each set will ever be completed; more
formally, all specifications are mutually exclusive to all other speci-
fications in the same set. This is useful for defining multiple sets
of options which are mutually exclusive and in which the options are
aliases for each other. For example:
aarrgguummeennttss \\
-aa -bb \\
- ''((ccoommpprreessss))'' \\
{{-cc,,--ccoommpprreessss}}''[[ccoommpprreessss]]'' \\
- ''((uunnccoommpprreessss))'' \\
{{-dd,,--ddeeccoommpprreessss}}''[[ddeeccoommpprreessss]]''
As the completion code has to parse the command line separately for
each set this form of argument is slow and should only be used when
necessary. A useful alternative is often an option specification with
rest-arguments (as in `-ffoooo::**::......'); here the option -ffoooo swallows up
all remaining arguments as described by the optarg definitions.
The options -SS and -AA are available to simplify the specifications for
commands with standard option parsing. With -SS, no option will be com-
pleted after a `--' appearing on its own on the line; this argument
will otherwise be ignored; hence in the line
ffoooobbaarr -aa -- -bb
the `-aa' is considered an option but the `-bb' is considered an argu-
ment, while the `--' is considered to be neither.
With -AA, no options will be completed after the first non-option argu-
ment on the line. The -AA must be followed by a pattern matching all
strings which are not to be taken as arguments. For example, to make
aarrgguummeennttss stop completing options after the first normal argument, but
ignoring all strings starting with a hyphen even if they are not
described by one of the optspecs, the form is `-AA ""-**""'.
The option `-OO name' specifies the name of an array whose elements will
be passed as arguments to functions called to execute actions. For
example, this can be used to pass the same set of options for the ccoomm-
ppaadddd builtin to all actions.
The option `-MM spec' sets a match specification to use to completion
option names and values. It must appear before the first argument
specification. The default is `rr::||[[-]]==** rr::||==**': this allows partial
word completion after `' and `-', for example `-f-b' can be completed
to `-ffoooo-bbaarr'.
The option -CC tells aarrgguummeennttss to modify the ccuurrccoonntteexxtt parameter for
an action of the form `->>state'. This is the standard parameter used
to keep track of the current context. Here it (and not the ccoonntteexxtt
array) should be made local to the calling function to avoid passing
back the modified value and should be initialised to the current value
at the start of the function:
llooccaall ccuurrccoonntteexxtt==""$$ccuurrccoonntteexxtt""
This is useful where it is not possible for multiple states to be valid
together.
The option `--' allows aarrgguummeennttss to work out the names of long options
that support the `--hheellpp' option which is standard in many GNU com-
mands. The command word is called with the argument `--hheellpp' and the
output examined for option names. Clearly, it can be dangerous to pass
this to commands which may not support this option as the behaviour of
the command is unspecified.
In addition to options, `aarrgguummeennttss --' will try to deduce the types of
arguments available for options when the form `--opt=val' is valid. It
is also possible to provide hints by examining the help text of the
command and adding specifiers of the form `pattern::message::action';
note that normal aarrgguummeennttss specifiers are not used. The pattern is
matched against the help text for an option, and if it matches the mes-
sage and action are used as for other argument specifiers. For exam-
ple:
aarrgguummeennttss -- ''**\\**::ttooggggllee::((yyeess nnoo))'' \\
''**==FFIILLEE**::ffiillee::ffiilleess'' \\
''**==DDIIRR**::ddiirreeccttoorryy::ffiilleess -//'' \\
''**==PPAATTHH**::ddiirreeccttoorryy::ffiilleess -//''
Here, `yyeess' and `nnoo' will be completed as the argument of options whose
description ends in a star; file names will be completed for options
that contain the substring `==FFIILLEE' in the description; and directories
will be completed for options whose description contains `==DDIIRR' or
`==PPAATTHH'. The last three are in fact the default and so need not be
given explicitly, although it is possible to override the use of these
patterns. A typical help text which uses this feature is:
-CC,, --ddiirreeccttoorryy==DDIIRR cchhaannggee ttoo ddiirreeccttoorryy DDIIRR
so that the above specifications will cause directories to be completed
after `--ddiirreeccttoorryy', though not after `-CC'.
Note also that aarrgguummeennttss tries to find out automatically if the argu-
ment for an option is optional. This can be specified explicitly by
doubling the colon before the message.
If the pattern ends in `((-))', this will removed from the pattern and
the action will be used only directly after the `==', not in the next
word. This is the behaviour of a normal specification defined with the
form `==-'.
The `aarrgguummeennttss --' can be followed by the option `-ii patterns' to give
patterns for options which are not to be completed. The patterns can
be given as the name of an array parameter or as a literal list in
parentheses. For example,
aarrgguummeennttss -- -ii \\
""((--((eenn||ddiiss))aabbllee-FFEEAATTUURREE**))""
will cause completion to ignore the options `--eennaabbllee-FFEEAATTUURREE' and
`--ddiissaabbllee-FFEEAATTUURREE' (this example is useful with GNU ccoonnffiigguurree).
The `aarrgguummeennttss --' form can also be followed by the option `-ss pair'
to describe option aliases. Each pair consists of a pattern and a
replacement. For example, some ccoonnffiigguurree-scripts describe options only
as `--eennaabbllee-ffoooo', but also accept `--ddiissaabbllee-ffoooo'. To allow comple-
tion of the second form:
aarrgguummeennttss -- -ss ""((##--eennaabbllee- --ddiissaabbllee-))""
Here is a more general example of the use of aarrgguummeennttss:
aarrgguummeennttss ''-ll++::lleefftt bboorrddeerr::'' \\
''-ffoorrmmaatt::ppaappeerr ssiizzee::((lleetttteerr AA44))'' \\
''**-ccooppyy::oouuttppuutt ffiillee::ffiilleess::::rreessoolluuttiioonn::((330000 660000))'' \\
''::ppoossttssccrriipptt ffiillee::ffiilleess -gg \\**..\\((ppss\\||eeppss\\))'' \\
''**::ppaaggee nnuummbbeerr::''
This describes three options: `-ll', `-ffoorrmmaatt', and `-ccooppyy'. The first
takes one argument described as `left border' for which no completion
will be offered because of the empty action. Its argument may come
directly after the `-ll' or it may be given as the next word on the
line.
The `-ffoorrmmaatt' option takes one argument in the next word, described as
`paper size' for which only the strings `lleetttteerr' and `AA44' will be com-
pleted.
The `-ccooppyy' option may appear more than once on the command line and
takes two arguments. The first is mandatory and will be completed as a
filename. The second is optional (because of the second colon before
the description `resolution') and will be completed from the strings
`330000' and `660000'.
The last two descriptions say what should be completed as arguments.
The first describes the first argument as a `postscript file' and makes
files ending in `ppss' or `eeppss' be completed. The last description gives
all other arguments the description `page numbers' but does not offer
completions.
ccaacchheeiinnvvaalliidd cacheidentifier
This function returns status zero if the completions cache cor-
responding to the given cache identifier needs rebuilding. It
determines this by looking up the ccaacchhee-ppoolliiccyy style for the
current context. This should provide a function name which is
run with the full path to the relevant cache file as the only
argument.
Example:
eexxaammpplleeccaacchhiinnggppoolliiccyy (()) {{
## rreebbuuiilldd iiff ccaacchhee iiss mmoorree tthhaann aa wweeeekk oolldd
oollddpp==(( ""$$11""((NNmmww++11)) ))
(((( $$##oollddpp ))))
}}
ccaallllffuunnccttiioonn return name [ args ... ]
If a function name exists, it is called with the arguments args.
The return argument gives the name of a parameter in which the
return status from the function name; if return is empty or a
single hyphen it is ignored.
The return value of ccaallllffuunnccttiioonn itself is zero if the func-
tion name exists and was called and non-zero otherwise.
ccaallllpprrooggrraamm tag string ...
This function provides a mechanism for the user to override the
use of an external command. It looks up the ccoommmmaanndd style with
the supplied tag. If the style is set, its value is used as the
command to execute. The strings from the call to ccaallllpprrooggrraamm,
or from the style if set, are concatenated with spaces between
them and the resulting string is evaluated. The return value is
the return value of the command called.
ccoommbbiinnaattiioonn [ -ss pattern ] tag style spec ... field opts ...
This function is used to complete combinations of values, for
example pairs of hostnames and usernames. The style argument
gives the style which defines the pairs; it is looked up in a
context with the tag specified.
The style name consists of field names separated by hyphens, for
example `uusseerrss-hhoossttss-ppoorrttss'. For each field for a value is
already known, a spec of the form `field==pattern' is given. For
example, if the command line so far specifies a user `ppwwss', the
argument `uusseerrss==ppwwss' should appear.
The next argument with no equals sign is taken as the name of
the field for which completions should be generated (presumably
not one of the fields for which the value is known).
The matches generated will be taken from the value of the style.
These should contain the possible values for the combinations in
the appropriate order (users, hosts, ports in the example
above). The different fields the values for the different
fields are separated by colons. This can be altered with the
option -ss to ccoommbbiinnaattiioonn which specifies a pattern. Typically
this is a character class, as for example `-ss ""[[::@@]]""' in the
case of the uusseerrss-hhoossttss style. Each `field==pattern' specifi-
cation restricts the completions which apply to elements of the
style with appropriately matching fields.
If no style with the given name is defined for the given tag, or
if none of the strings in style's value match, but a function
name of the required field preceded by an underscore is defined,
that function will be called to generate the matches. For exam-
ple, if there is no `uusseerrss-hhoossttss-ppoorrttss' or no matching hostname
when a host is required, the function `hhoossttss' will automati-
cally be called.
If the same name is used for more than one field, in both the
`field==pattern' and the argument that gives the name of the
field to be completed, the number of the field (starting with
one) may be given after the fieldname, separated from it by a
colon.
All arguments after the required field name are passed to ccoomm-
ppaadddd when generating matches from the style value, or to the
functions for the fields if they are called.
ddeessccrriibbee [ -ooOO | -tt tag ] descr name1 [ name2 ] opts ... -- ...
This function associates completions with descriptions. Multi-
ple groups separated by -- can be supplied, potentially with
different completion options opts.
The descr is taken as a string to display above the matches if
the ffoorrmmaatt style for the ddeessccrriippttiioonnss tag is set. This is fol-
lowed by one or two names of arrays followed by options to pass
to ccoommppaadddd. The first array contains the possible completions
with their descriptions in the form `completion::description'.
If a second array is given, it should have the same number of
elements as the first; in this case the corresponding elements
are added as possible completions instead of the completion
strings from the first array. The completion list will retain
the descriptions from the first array. Finally, a set of com-
pletion options can appear.
If the option `-oo' appears before the first argument, the
matches added will be treated as names of command options (N.B.
not shell options), typically following a `-', `--' or `++' on
the command line. In this case ddeessccrriibbee uses the pprreeffiixx-hhiidd-
ddeenn, pprreeffiixx-nneeeeddeedd and vveerrbboossee styles to find out if the strings
should be added as completions and if the descriptions should be
shown. Without the `-oo' option, only the vveerrbboossee style is used
to decide how descriptions are shown. If `-OO' is used instead
of `-OO', command options are completed as above but ddeessccrriibbee
will not handle the pprreeffiixx-nneeeeddeedd style.
With the -tt option a tag can be specified. The default is `vvaall-
uueess' or, if the -oo option is given, `ooppttiioonnss'.
If selected by the lliisstt-ggrroouuppeedd style, strings with the same
description will appear together in the list.
ddeessccrriibbee uses the aallllllaabbeellss function to generate the matches,
so it does not need to appear inside a loop over tag labels.
ddeessccrriippttiioonn [ -xx ] [ -1122VVJJ ] tag name descr [ spec ... ]
This function is not to be confused with the previous one; it is
used as a helper function for creating options to ccoommppaadddd. It
is buried inside many of the higher level completion functions
and so often does not need to be called directly.
The styles listed below are tested in the current context using
the given tag. The resulting options for ccoommppaadddd are put into
the array named name (this is traditionally `eexxppll', but this
convention is not enforced). The description for the corre-
sponding set of matches is passed to the function in descr.
The styles tested are: ffoorrmmaatt, hhiiddddeenn, mmaattcchheerr, iiggnnoorreedd-ppaatttteerrnnss
and ggrroouupp-nnaammee. The ffoorrmmaatt style is first tested for the given
tag and then for the ddeessccrriippttiioonnss tag if no value was found,
while the remainder are only tested for the tag given as the
first argument. The function also calls sseettuupp which tests some
more styles.
The string returned by the ffoorrmmaatt style (if any) will be modi-
fied so that the sequence `%%dd' is replaced by the descr given as
the third argument without any leading or trailing white space.
If, after removing the white space, the descr is the empty
string, the format style will not be used and the options put
into the name array will not contain an explanation string to be
displayed above the matches.
If ddeessccrriippttiioonn is called with more than three arguments, the
additional specs should be of the form `char::str'. These supply
escape sequence replacements for the ffoorrmmaatt style: every appear-
ance of `%%char' will be replaced by string.
If the -xx option is given, the description will be passed to
ccoommppaadddd using the -xx option instead of the default -XX. This
means that the description will be displayed even if there are
no corresponding matches.
The options placed in the array name take account of the
ggrroouupp-nnaammee style, so matches are placed in a separate group
where necessary. The group normally has its elements sorted (by
passing the option -JJ to ccoommppaadddd), but if an option starting
with `-VV', `-JJ', `-11', or `-22' is passed to ddeessccrriippttiioonn, that
option will be included in the array. Hence it is possible for
the completion group to be unsorted by giving the option `-VV',
`-11VV', or `-22VV'.
In most cases, the function will be used like this:
llooccaall eexxppll
ddeessccrriippttiioonn ffiilleess eexxppll ffiillee
ccoommppaadddd ""$$eexxppll[[@@]]"" - ""$$ffiilleess[[@@]]""
Note the use of the parameter eexxppll, the hyphen, and the list of
matches. Almost all calls to ccoommppaadddd within the completion sys-
tem use a similar format; this ensures that user-specified
styles are correctly passed down to the builtins which implement
the internals of completion.
ddiissppaattcchh context string ...
This sets the current context to context and looks for comple-
tion functions to handle this context by hunting through the
list of command names or special contexts (as described above
for ccoommppddeeff) given as string .... The first completion function
to be defined for one of the contexts in the list is used to
generate matches. Typically, the last string is -ddeeffaauulltt- to
cause the function for default completion to be used as a fall-
back.
The function sets the parameter $$sseerrvviiccee to the string being
tried, and sets the context/command field (the fourth) of the
$$ccuurrccoonntteexxtt parameter to the context given as the first argu-
ment.
ffiilleess The function ffiilleess calls ppaatthhffiilleess with all the arguments it
was passed except for -gg and -//. The use of these two options
depends on the setting of the ffiillee-ppaatttteerrnnss style.
This function accepts the full set of options allowed by
ppaatthhffiilleess, described below.
ggnnuuggeenneerriicc
This function is a simple wrapper around the aarrgguummeennttss function
described above. It can be used to determine automatically the
long options understood by commands that produce a list when
passed the option `--hheellpp'. It is intended to be used as a
top-level completion function in its own right. For example, to
enable option completion for the commands ffoooo and bbaarr, use
ccoommppddeeff ggnnuuggeenneerriicc ffoooo bbaarr
after the call to ccoommppiinniitt.
The completion system as supplied is conservative in its use of
this function, since it is important to be sure the command
understands the option `-'-hheellpp'.
gguuaarrdd [ options ] pattern descr
This function is intended to be used in the action for the spec-
ifications passed to aarrgguummeennttss and similar functions. It
returns immediately with a non-zero return value if the string
to be completed does not match the pattern. If the pattern
matches, the descr is displayed; the function then returns zero
if the word to complete is not empty, non-zero otherwise.
The pattern may be preceded by any of the options understood by
ccoommppaadddd that are passed down from ddeessccrriippttiioonn, namely -MM, -JJ,
-VV, -11, -22, -nn, -FF and -XX. All of these options will be
ignored. This fits in conveniently with the argument-passing
conventions of actions for aarrgguummeennttss.
As an example, consider a command taking the options -nn and
-nnoonnee, where -nn must be followed by a numeric value in the same
word. By using:
aarrgguummeennttss ''-nn-:: ::gguuaarrdd ""[[00-99]]##"" ""nnuummeerriicc vvaalluuee""'' ''-nnoonnee''
aarrgguummeennttss can be made to both display the message `nnuummeerriicc
vvaalluuee' and complete options after `-nn<>'. If the `-nn' is
already followed by one or more digits (the pattern passed to
gguuaarrdd) only the message will be displayed; if the `-nn' is fol-
lowed by another character, only options are completed.
mmeessssaaggee [ -rr1122 ] [ -VVJJ group ] descr
mmeessssaaggee -ee [ tag ] descr
The descr is used in the same way as the third argument to the
ddeessccrriippttiioonn function, except that the resulting string will
always be shown whether or not matches were generated. This is
useful for displaying a help message in places where no comple-
tions can be generated.
The ffoorrmmaatt style is examined with the mmeessssaaggeess tag to find a
message; the usual tag, ddeessccrriippttiioonnss, is used only if the style
is not set with the former.
If the -rr option is given, no style is used; the descr is taken
literally as the string to display. This is most useful when
the descr comes from a pre-processed argument list which already
contains an expanded description.
The -1122VVJJ options and the group are passed to ccoommppaadddd and hence
determine the group the message string is added to.
The second form gives a description for completions with the tag
tag to be shown even if there are no matches for that tag. The
tag can be omitted and if so the tag is taken from the parameter
$$ccuurrttaagg; this is maintained by the completion system and so is
usually correct.
mmuullttiippaarrttss sep array
The argument sep is a separator character. The array may be
either the name of an array parameter or a literal array in the
form `((ffoooo bbaarr))', a parenthesised list of words separated by
whitespace. The possible completions are the strings from the
array. However, each chunk delimited by sep will be completed
separately. For example, the ttaarr function uses `mmuullttiippaarrttss //
patharray' to complete partial file paths from the given array
of complete file paths.
The -ii option causes mmuullttiippaarrttss to insert a unique match even
if that requires multiple separators to be inserted. This is
not usually the expected behaviour with filenames, but certain
other types of completion, for example those with a fixed set of
possibilities, may be more suited to this form.
Like other utility functions, this function accepts the `-VV',
`-JJ', `-11', `-22', `-nn', `-ff', `-XX', `-MM', `-PP', `-SS', `-rr',
`-RR', and `-qq' options and passes them to the ccoommppaadddd builtin.
nneexxttllaabbeell [ -xx ] [ -1122VVJJ ] tag name descr [ options ... ]
This function is used to implement the loop over different tag
labels for a particular tag as described above for the ttaagg-oorrddeerr
style. On each call it checks to see if there are any more tag
labels; if there is it returns status zero, otherwise non-zero.
As this function requires a current tag to be set, it must
always follow a call to ttaaggss or rreeqquueesstteedd.
The -xx1122VVJJ options and the first three arguments are passed to
the ddeessccrriippttiioonn function. Where appropriate the tag will be
replaced by a tag label in this call. Any description given in
the ttaagg-oorrddeerr style is preferred to the descr passed to
nneexxttllaabbeell.
The options given after the descr are set in the parameter given
by name, and hence are to be passed to ccoommppaadddd or whatever func-
tion is called to add the matches.
Here is a typical use of this function for the tag ffoooo. The
call to rreeqquueesstteedd determines if tag ffoooo is required at all; the
loop over nneexxttllaabbeell handles any labels defined for the tag in
the ttaagg-oorrddeerr style.
llooccaall eexxppll rreett==11
......
iiff rreeqquueesstteedd ffoooo;; tthheenn
......
wwhhiillee nneexxttllaabbeell ffoooo eexxppll ''......'';; ddoo
ccoommppaadddd ""$$eexxppll[[@@]]"" ...... &&&& rreett==00
ddoonnee
......
ffii
rreettuurrnn rreett
nnoorrmmaall
This is the standard function called to handle completion out-
side any special -context-. It is called both to complete the
command word and also the arguments for a command. In the sec-
ond case, nnoorrmmaall looks for a special completion for that com-
mand, and if there is none it uses the completion for the
-ddeeffaauulltt- context.
A second use is to reexamine the command line specified by the
$$wwoorrddss array and the $$CCUURRRREENNTT parameter after those have been
modified. For example, the function pprreeccoommmmaanndd, which com-
pletes after pre-command specifiers such as nnoohhuupp, removes the
first word from the wwoorrddss array, decrements the CCUURRRREENNTT parame-
ter, then calls nnoorrmmaall again. The effect is that `nnoohhuupp cmd
...' is treated in the same way as `cmd ...'.
If the command name matches one of the patterns given by one of
the options -pp or -PP to ccoommppddeeff, the corresponding completion
function is called and then the parameter ccoommppsskkiipp is checked.
If it is set completion is terminated at that point even if no
matches have been found. This is the same effect as in the
-ffiirrsstt- context.
ooppttiioonnss
This can be used to complete the names of shell options. It
provides a matcher specification that ignores a leading `nnoo',
ignores underscores and allows upper-case letters to match their
lower-case counterparts (for example, `gglloobb', `nnoogglloobb',
`NNOOGGLLOOBB' are all completed). Any arguments are propagated to
the ccoommppaadddd builtin.
ooppttiioonnsssseett and ooppttiioonnssuunnsseett
These functions complete only set or unset options, with the
same matching specification used in the ooppttiioonnss function.
Note that you need to uncomment a few lines in the mmaaiinnccoomm-
pplleettee function for these functions to work properly. The lines
in question are used to store the option settings in effect
before the completion widget locally sets the options it needs.
Hence these functions are not generally used by the completion
system.
ppaarraammeetteerrss
This is used to complete the names of shell parameters.
The option `-gg pattern' limits the completion to parameters
whose type matches the pattern. The type of a parameter is that
shown by `pprriinntt $${{((tt))param}}', hence judicious use of `**' in pat-
tern is probably necessary.
All other arguments are passed to the ccoommppaadddd builtin.
ppaatthhffiilleess
This function is used throughout the completion system to com-
plete filenames. It allows completion of partial paths. For
example, the string `//uu//ii//ss//ssiigg' may be completed to
`//uussrr//iinncclluuddee//ssyyss//ssiiggnnaall..hh'.
The options accepted by both ppaatthhffiilleess and ffiilleess are:
-ff Complete all filenames. This is the default.
-// Specifies that only directories should be completed.
-gg pattern
Specifies that only files matching the pattern should be
completed.
-WW paths
Specifies path prefixes that are to be prepended to the
string from the command line to generate the filenames
but that should not be inserted as completions nor shown
in completion listings. Here, paths may be the name of
an array parameter, a literal list of paths enclosed in
parentheses or an absolute pathname.
-FF ignored-files
This behaves as for the corresponding option to the ccoomm-
ppaadddd builtin. It gives direct control over which file-
names should be ignored. If the option is not present,
the iiggnnoorreedd-ppaatttteerrnnss style is used.
Both ppaatthhffiilleess and ffiilleess also accept the following options
which are passed to ccoommppaadddd: `-JJ', `-VV', `-11', `-22', `-nn', `-XX',
`-MM', `-PP', `-SS', `-qq', `-rr', and `-RR'.
Finally, the ppaatthhffiilleess function uses the styles eexxppaanndd,
aammbbiigguuoouuss, ssppeecciiaall-ddiirrss, lliisstt-ssuuffffiixxeess and ffiillee-ssoorrtt described
above.
ppiicckkvvaarriiaanntt [[ -cc command ]] [[ -rr name ]] label==pattern ...... label [[ args
...... ]]
This function is used to resolve situations where a single com-
mand name requires more than one type of handling, either
because it has more than one variant or because there is a name
clash between two different commands.
The command to run is taken from the first element of the array
wwoorrddss unless this is overridden by the option -cc. This command
is run and its output is compared with a series of patterns.
Arguments to be passed to the command can be specified at the
end after all the other arguments. The patterns to try in order
are given by the arguments label==pattern; if the output of `com-
mand args ......' contains pattern, then llaabbeell is selected as the
label for the command variant. If none of the patterns match,
the final command label is selected and status 1 is returned.
If the `-rr name' is given, the label picked is stored in the
parameter named name.
The results are also cached in the cmdvariant associative
array indexed by the name of the command run.
rreeggeexxaarrgguummeennttss name spec ...
This function generates a completion function name which matches
the specifications spec ......, a set of regular expressions as
described below. After running rreeggeexxaarrgguummeennttss, the function
name should be called at the appropriate point. The pattern to
be matched is given by the contents of the wwoorrddss array up to the
current cursor position joined together with null characters; no
quotation is applied.
The arguments are grouped as sets of alternatives separated by
`||', which are tried one after the other until one matches.
Each alternative consists of a one or more specifications which
are tried left to right, with each pattern matched being
stripped in turn from the command line being tested, until all
of the group succeeds or until one fails; in the latter case,
the next alternative is tried. This structure can be repeated
to arbitrary depth by using parentheses; matching proceeds from
inside to outside.
A special procedure is applied if no test succeeds but the
remaining command line string contains no null character (imply-
ing the remaining word is the one for which completions are to
be generated). The completion target is restricted to the
remaining word and any actions for the corresponding patterns
are executed. In this case, nothing is stripped from the com-
mand line string. The order of evaluation of the actions can be
determined by the ttaagg-oorrddeerr style; the various formats supported
by aalltteerrnnaattiivvee can be used in action. The descr is used for
setting up the array parameter eexxppll.
Specification arguments take one of following forms, in which
metacharacters such as `((', `))', `##' and `||' should be quoted.
//pattern// [%%lookahead%%] [-guard] [::tag::descr::action]
This is a single primitive component. The function tests
whether the combined pattern `((##bb))((((##BB))pattern))looka-
head**' matches the command line string. If so, `guard'
is evaluated and its return status is examined to deter-
mine if the test has succeeded. The pattern string `[[]]'
is guaranteed never to match. The lookahead is not
stripped from the command line before the next pattern is
examined.
//pattern//++ [%%lookahead%%] [-guard] [::tag::descr::action]
This is similar to `//pattern// ...' but the left part of
the command line string (i.e. the part already matched by
previous patterns) is also considered part of the comple-
tion target.
//pattern//- [%%lookahead%%] [-guard] [::tag::descr::action]
This is similar to `//pattern// ...' but the actions of the
current and previously matched patterns are ignored even
if the following `pattern' matches the empty string.
(( spec ))
Parentheses may be used to groups specs; note each paren-
thesis is a single argument to rreeggeexxaarrgguummeennttss.
spec ## This allows any number of repetitions of spec.
spec spec
The two specs are to be matched one after the other as
described above.
spec || spec
Either of the two specs can be matched.
rreeqquueesstteedd [ -xx ] [ -1122VVJJ ] tag [ name descr [ command args ... ] ]
This function is called to decide whether a tag already regis-
tered by a call to ttaaggss (see below) has been requested by the
user and hence completion should be performed for it. It
returns status zero if the tag is requested and non-zero other-
wise. The function is typically used as part of a loop over
different tags as follows:
ttaaggss ffoooo bbaarr bbaazz
wwhhiillee ttaaggss;; ddoo
iiff rreeqquueesstteedd ffoooo;; tthheenn
...... ## ppeerrffoorrmm ccoommpplleettiioonn ffoorr ffoooo
ffii
...... ## tteesstt tthhee ttaaggss bbaarr aanndd bbaazz iinn tthhee ssaammee wwaayy
...... ## eexxiitt lloooopp iiff mmaattcchheess wweerree ggeenneerraatteedd
ddoonnee
Note that the test for whether matches were generated is not
performed until the end of the ttaaggss loop. This is so that the
user can set the ttaagg-oorrddeerr style to specify a set of tags to be
completed at the same time.
If name and descr are given, rreeqquueesstteedd calls the ddeessccrriippttiioonn
function with these arguments together with the options passed
to rreeqquueesstteedd.
If command is given, the aallllllaabbeellss function will be called
immediately with the same arguments. In simple cases this makes
it possible to perform the test for the tag and the matching in
one go. For example:
llooccaall eexxppll rreett==11
ttaaggss ffoooo bbaarr bbaazz
wwhhiillee ttaaggss;; ddoo
rreeqquueesstteedd ffoooo eexxppll ''ddeessccrriippttiioonn'' \\
ccoommppaadddd ffoooobbaarr ffoooobbaazz &&&& rreett==00
......
(((( rreett )))) |||| bbrreeaakk
ddoonnee
If the command is not ccoommppaadddd, it must nevertheless be prepared
to handle the same options.
rreettrriieevveeccaacchhee cacheidentifier
This function retrieves completion information from the file
given by cacheidentifier, stored in a directory specified by
the ccaacchhee-ppaatthh style which defaults to ~~//..zzccoommppccaacchhee. The
return value is zero if retrieval was successful. It will only
attempt retrieval if the uussee-ccaacchhee style is set, so you can call
this function without worrying about whether the user wanted to
use the caching layer.
See ssttoorreeccaacchhee below for more details.
sseeppppaarrttss
This function is passed alternating arrays and separators as
arguments. The arrays specify completions for parts of strings
to be separated by the separators. The arrays may be the names
of array parameters or a quoted list of words in parentheses.
For example, with the array `hhoossttss==((ffttpp nneewwss))' the call
`sseeppppaarrttss ''((ffoooo bbaarr))'' @@ hhoossttss' will complete the string `ff'
to `ffoooo' and the string `bb@@nn' to `bbaarr@@nneewwss'.
This function accepts the ccoommppaadddd options `-VV', `-JJ', `-11',
`-22', `-nn', `-XX', `-MM', `-PP', `-SS', `-rr', `-RR', and `-qq' and
passes them on to the ccoommppaadddd builtin used to add the matches.
sseettuupp tag [ group ]
This function sets up the special parameters used by the comple-
tion system appropriately for the tag given as the first argu-
ment. It uses the styles lliisstt-ccoolloorrss, lliisstt-ppaacckkeedd,
lliisstt-rroowwss-ffiirrsstt, llaasstt-pprroommpptt, aacccceepptt-eexxaacctt, mmeennuu and ffoorrccee-lliisstt.
The optional group supplies the name of the group in which the
matches will be placed. If it is not given, the tag is used as
the group name.
This function is called automatically from ddeessccrriippttiioonn and
hence is not normally called explicitly.
ssttoorreeccaacchhee cacheidentifier params ...
This function, together with rreettrriieevveeccaacchhee and ccaacchheeiinnvvaalliidd,
implements a caching layer which can be used in any completion
function. Data obtained by costly operations are stored in
parameters; this function then dumps the values of those parame-
ters to a file. The data can then be retrieved quickly from
that file via rreettrriieevveeccaacchhee, even in different instances of
the shell.
The cacheidentifier specifies the file which the data should be
dumped to. The file is stored in a directory specified by the
ccaacchhee-ppaatthh style which defaults to ~~//..zzccoommppccaacchhee. The remaining
params arguments are the parameters to dump to the file.
The return value is zero if storage was successful. The func-
tion will only attempt storage if the uussee-ccaacchhee style is set, so
you can call this function without worrying about whether the
user wanted to use the caching layer.
The completion function may avoid calling rreettrriieevveeccaacchhee when
it already has the completion data available as parameters.
However, in that case it should call ccaacchheeiinnvvaalliidd to check
whether the data in the parameters and in the cache are still
valid.
See the perlmodules completion function for a simple example
of the usage of the caching layer.
ttaaggss [ [ -CC name ] tags ... ]
If called with arguments, these are taken to be the names of
tags valid for completions in the current context. These tags
are stored internally and sorted by using the ttaagg-oorrddeerr style.
Next, ttaaggss is called repeatedly without arguments from the same
completion function. This successively selects the first, sec-
ond, etc. set of tags requested by the user. The return value
is zero if at least one of the tags is requested and non-zero
otherwise. To test if a particular tag is to be tried, the
rreeqquueesstteedd function should be called (see above).
If `-CC name' is given, name is temporarily stored in the argu-
ment field (the fifth) of the context in the ccuurrccoonntteexxtt parame-
ter during the call to ttaaggss; the field is restored on exit.
This allows ttaaggss to use a more specific context without having
to change and reset the ccuurrccoonntteexxtt parameter (which has the same
effect).
vvaalluueess [ -OO name ] [ -ss sep ] [ -SS sep ] [ -wwCC ] desc spec ...
This is used to complete arbitrary keywords (values) and their
arguments, or lists of such combinations.
If the first argument is the option `-OO name', it will be used
in the same way as by the aarrgguummeennttss function. In other words,
the elements of the name array will be passed to ccoommppaadddd when
executing an action.
If the first argument (or the first argument after `-OO name') is
`-ss', the next argument is used as the character that separates
multiple values. This character is automatically added after
each value in an auto-removable fashion (see below); all values
completed by `vvaalluueess -ss' appear in the same word on the command
line, unlike completion using aarrgguummeennttss. If this option is not
present, only a single value will be completed per word.
Normally, vvaalluueess will only use the current word to determine
which values are already present on the command line and hence
are not to be completed again. If the -ww option is given, other
arguments are examined as well.
The first non-option argument is used as a string to print as a
description before listing the values.
All other arguments describe the possible values and their argu-
ments in the same format used for the description of options by
the aarrgguummeennttss function (see above). The only differences are
that no minus or plus sign is required at the beginning, values
can have only one argument, and the forms of action beginning
with an equal sign are not supported.
The character separating a value from its argument can be set
using the option -SS (like -ss, followed by the character to use
as the separator in the next argument). By default the equals
sign will be used as the separator between values and arguments.
Example:
vvaalluueess -ss ,, ''ddeessccrriippttiioonn'' \\
''**ffoooo[[bbaarr]]'' \\
''((ttwwoo))**oonnee[[nnuummbbeerr]]::ffiirrsstt ccoouunntt::'' \\
''ttwwoo[[aannootthheerr nnuummbbeerr]]::::sseeccoonndd ccoouunntt::((11 22 33))''
This describes three possible values: `ffoooo', `oonnee', and `ttwwoo'.
The first is described as `bbaarr', takes no argument and may
appear more than once. The second is described as `nnuummbbeerr', may
appear more than once, and takes one mandatory argument
described as `ffiirrsstt ccoouunntt'; no action is specified, so it will
not be completed. The `((ttwwoo))' at the beginning says that if the
value `oonnee' is on the line, the value `ttwwoo' will no longer be
considered a possible completion. Finally, the last value
(`ttwwoo') is described as `aannootthheerr nnuummbbeerr' and takes an optional
argument described as `sseeccoonndd ccoouunntt' for which the completions
(to appear after an `==') are `11', `22', and `33'. The vvaalluueess
function will complete lists of these values separated by com-
mas.
Like aarrgguummeennttss, this function temporarily adds another context
name component to the arguments element (the fifth) of the cur-
rent context while executing the action. Here this name is just
the name of the value for which the argument is completed.
The style vveerrbboossee is used to decide if the descriptions for the
values (but not those for the arguments) should be printed.
The associative array vvaallaarrggss is used to report values and
their arguments; this works similarly to the ooppttaarrggss associa-
tive array used by aarrgguummeennttss. Hence the function calling vvaall-
uueess should declare the local parameters ssttaattee, lliinnee, ccoonntteexxtt and
vvaallaarrggss:
llooccaall ccoonntteexxtt ssttaattee lliinnee
ttyyppeesseett -AA vvaallaarrggss
when using an action of the form `->>string'. With this function
the ccoonntteexxtt parameter will be set to the name of the value whose
argument is to be completed.
Note also that vvaalluueess normally adds the character used as the
separator between values as an auto-removable suffix (similar to
a `//' after a directory). However, this is not possible for a
`->>string' action as the matches for the argument are generated
by the calling function. To get the usual behaviour, the the
calling function can add the separator x as a suffix by passing
the options `-qqSS x' either directly or indirectly to ccoommppaadddd.
The option -CC is treated in the same way as it is by aarrgguummeennttss.
In that case the parameter ccuurrccoonntteexxtt should be made local
instead of ccoonntteexxtt (as described above).
wwaanntteedd [ -xx ] [ -CC name ] [ -1122VVJJ ] tag name descr command args ...
In many contexts, completion can only generate one particular
set of matches, usually corresponding to a single tag. However,
it is still necessary to decide whether the user requires
matches of this type. This function is useful in such a case.
The arguments to wwaanntteedd are the same as those to rreeqquueesstteedd,
i.e. arguments to be passed to ddeessccrriippttiioonn. However, in this
case the command is not optional; all the processing of tags,
including the loop over both tags and tag labels and the genera-
tion of matches, is carried out automatically by wwaanntteedd.
Hence to offer only one tag and immediately add the correspond-
ing matches with the given description:
wwaanntteedd ttaagg eexxppll ''ddeessccrriippttiioonn'' \\
ccoommppaadddd mmaattcchheess......
Note that, as for rreeqquueesstteedd, the command must be able to accept
options to be passed down to ccoommppaadddd.
Like ttaaggss this function supports the -CC option to give a dif-
ferent name for the argument context field. The -xx option has
the same meaning as for ddeessccrriippttiioonn.
CCOOMMPPLLEETTIIOONN DDIIRREECCTTOORRIIEESS
In the source distribution, the files are contained in various subdi-
rectories of the CCoommpplleettiioonn directory. They may have been installed in
the same structure, or into one single function directory. The follow-
ing is a description of the files found in the original directory
structure. If you wish to alter an installed file, you will need to
copy it to some directory which appears earlier in your ffppaatthh than the
standard directory where it appears.
BBaassee The core functions and special completion widgets automatically
bound to keys. You will certainly need most of these, though
will probably not need to alter them. Many of these are docu-
mented above.
ZZsshh Functions for completing arguments of shell builtin commands and
utility functions for this. Some of these are also used by
functions from the UUnniixx directory.
UUnniixx Functions for completing arguments of external commands and
suites of commands. They may need modifying for your system,
although in many cases some attempt is made to decide which ver-
sion of a command is present. For example, completion for the
mmoouunntt command tries to determine the system it is running on,
while completion for many other utilities try to decide whether
the GNU version of the command is in use, and hence whether the
--hheellpp option is supported.
XX, AAIIXX, BBSSDD, ...
Completion and utility function for commands available only on
some systems. These are not arranged hierarchically, so, for
example, both the LLiinnuuxx and DDeebbiiaann directories, as well as the XX
directory, may be useful on your system.
ZSHCOMPCTL(1) ZSHCOMPCTL(1)
NAME
zshcompctl - zsh programmable completion
DESCRIPTION
This version of zsh has two ways of performing completion of words on
the command line. New users of the shell may prefer to use the newer
and more powerful system based on shell functions; this is described in
zshcompsys(1), and the basic shell mechanisms which support it are
described in zshcompwid(1). This manual entry describes the older ccoomm-
ppccttll command.
ccoommppccttll [ -CCDDTT ] options [ command ... ]
ccoommppccttll [ -CCDDTT ] options [ -xx pattern options - ... -- ] [ ++ options [
-xx ... -- ] ... [++] ] [ command ... ]
ccoommppccttll -MM match-specs ...
ccoommppccttll -LL [ -CCDDTTMM ] [ command ... ]
ccoommppccttll ++ command ...
Control the editor's completion behavior according to the supplied set
of options. Various editing commands, notably eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd,
usually bound to tab, will attempt to complete a word typed by the
user, while others, notably ddeelleettee-cchhaarr-oorr-lliisstt, usually bound to ^D in
EMACS editing mode, list the possibilities; ccoommppccttll controls what those
possibilities are. They may for example be filenames (the most common
case, and hence the default), shell variables, or words from a
user-specified list.
CCOOMMMMAANNDD FFLLAAGGSS
Completion of the arguments of a command may be different for each com-
mand or may use the default. The behavior when completing the command
word itself may also be separately specified. These correspond to the
following flags and arguments, all of which (except for -LL) may be com-
bined with any combination of the options described subsequently in the
section `Option Flags':
command ...
controls completion for the named commands, which must be listed
last on the command line. If completion is attempted for a com-
mand with a pathname containing slashes and no completion defi-
nition is found, the search is retried with the last pathname
component. If the command starts with a ==, completion is tried
with the pathname of the command.
Any of the command strings may be patterns of the form normally
used for filename generation. These should be be quoted to pro-
tect them from immediate expansion; for example the command
string ''ffoooo**'' arranges for completion of the words of any com-
mand beginning with ffoooo. When completion is attempted, all pat-
tern completions are tried in the reverse order of their defini-
tion until one matches. By default, completion then proceeds as
normal, i.e. the shell will try to generate more matches for the
specific command on the command line; this can be overridden by
including -ttnn in the flags for the pattern completion.
Note that aliases are expanded before the command name is deter-
mined unless the CCOOMMPPLLEETTEEAALLIIAASSEESS option is set. Commands may
not be combined with the -CC, -DD or -TT flags.
-CC controls completion when the command word itself is being com-
pleted. If no ccoommppccttll -CC command has been issued, the names of
any executable command (whether in the path or specific to the
shell, such as aliases or functions) are completed.
-DD controls default completion behavior for the arguments of com-
mands not assigned any special behavior. If no ccoommppccttll -DD com-
mand has been issued, filenames are completed.
-TT supplies completion flags to be used before any other processing
is done, even before processing for ccoommppccttlls defined for spe-
cific commands. This is especially useful when combined with
extended completion (the -xx flag, see the section `Extended Com-
pletion' below). Using this flag you can define default behav-
ior which will apply to all commands without exception, or you
can alter the standard behavior for all commands. For example,
if your access to the user database is too slow and/or it con-
tains too many users (so that completion after `~~' is too slow
to be usable), you can use
ccoommppccttll -TT -xx ''ss[[~~]] CC[[00,,[[^^//]]##]]'' -kk ffrriieennddss -SS// -ttnn
to complete the strings in the array ffrriieennddss after a `~~'. The
CC[[......]] argument is necessary so that this form of ~-completion
is not tried after the directory name is finished.
-LL lists the existing completion behavior in a manner suitable for
putting into a start-up script; the existing behavior is not
changed. Any combination of the above forms, or the -MM flag
(which must follow the -LL flag), may be specified, otherwise all
defined completions are listed. Any other flags supplied are
ignored.
no argument
If no argument is given, ccoommppccttll lists all defined completions
in an abbreviated form; with a list of options, all completions
with those flags set (not counting extended completion) are
listed.
If the ++ flag is alone and followed immediately by the command list,
the completion behavior for all the commands in the list is reset to
the default. In other words, completion will subsequently use the
options specified by the -DD flag.
The form with -MM as the first and only option defines global matching
specifications (see zshcompwid). The match specifications given will be
used for every completion attempt (only when using ccoommppccttll, not with
the new completion system) and are tried in the order in which they are
defined until one generates at least one match. E.g.:
ccoommppccttll -MM '''' ''mm::{{aa-zzAA-ZZ}}=={{AA-ZZaa-zz}}''
This will first try completion without any global match specifications
(the empty string) and, if that generates no matches, will try case
insensitive completion.
OOPPTTIIOONN FFLLAAGGSS
[ -ffccFFBBddeeaaRRGGoovvNNAAIIOOPPZZEEnnbbjjrrzzuu//1122 ]
[ -kk array ] [ -gg globstring ] [ -ss subststring ]
[ -KK function ]
[ -QQ ] [ -PP prefix ] [ -SS suffix ]
[ -WW file-prefix ] [ -HH num pattern ]
[ -qq ] [ -XX explanation ] [ -YY explanation ]
[ -yy func-or-var ] [ -ll cmd ] [ -hh cmd ] [ -UU ]
[ -tt continue ] [ -JJ name ] [ -VV name ]
[ -MM match-spec ]
The remaining options specify the type of command arguments to look for
during completion. Any combination of these flags may be specified;
the result is a sorted list of all the possibilities. The options are
as follows.
SSiimmppllee FFllaaggss
These produce completion lists made up by the shell itself:
-ff Filenames and filesystem paths.
-// Just filesystem paths.
-cc Command names, including aliases, shell functions, builtins and
reserved words.
-FF Function names.
-BB Names of builtin commands.
-mm Names of external commands.
-ww Reserved words.
-aa Alias names.
-RR Names of regular (non-global) aliases.
-GG Names of global aliases.
-dd This can be combined with -FF, -BB, -ww, -aa, -RR and -GG to get names
of disabled functions, builtins, reserved words or aliases.
-ee This option (to show enabled commands) is in effect by default,
but may be combined with -dd; -ddee in combination with -FF, -BB, -ww,
-aa, -RR and -GG will complete names of functions, builtins,
reserved words or aliases whether or not they are disabled.
-oo Names of shell options (see zshoptions(1)).
-vv Names of any variable defined in the shell.
-NN Names of scalar (non-array) parameters.
-AA Array names.
-II Names of integer variables.
-OO Names of read-only variables.
-pp Names of parameters used by the shell (including special parame-
ters).
-ZZ Names of shell special parameters.
-EE Names of environment variables.
-nn Named directories.
-bb Key binding names.
-jj Job names: the first word of the job leader's command line.
This is useful with the kkiillll builtin.
-rr Names of running jobs.
-zz Names of suspended jobs.
-uu User names.
FFllaaggss wwiitthh AArrgguummeennttss
These have user supplied arguments to determine how the list of comple-
tions is to be made up:
-kk array
Names taken from the elements of $$array (note that the `$$' does
not appear on the command line). Alternatively, the argument
array itself may be a set of space- or comma-separated values in
parentheses, in which any delimiter may be escaped with a back-
slash; in this case the argument should be quoted. For example,
ccoommppccttll -kk ""((ccppuuttiimmee ffiilleessiizzee ddaattaassiizzee ssttaacckkssiizzee
ccoorreedduummppssiizzee rreessiiddeenntt ddeessccrriippttoorrss))"" lliimmiitt
-gg globstring
The globstring is expanded using filename globbing; it should be
quoted to protect it from immediate expansion. The resulting
filenames are taken as the possible completions. Use `**((//))'
instead of `**//' for directories. The ffiiggnnoorree special parameter
is not applied to the resulting files. More than one pattern
may be given separated by blanks. (Note that brace expansion is
not part of globbing. Use the syntax `((eeiitthheerr||oorr))' to match
alternatives.)
-ss subststring
The subststring is split into words and these words are than
expanded using all shell expansion mechanisms (see zshexpn(1)).
The resulting words are taken as possible completions. The ffiigg-
nnoorree special parameter is not applied to the resulting files.
Note that -gg is faster for filenames.
-KK function
Call the given function to get the completions. Unless the name
starts with an underscore, the function is passed two arguments:
the prefix and the suffix of the word on which completion is to
be attempted, in other words those characters before the cursor
position, and those from the cursor position onwards. The whole
command line can be accessed with the -cc and -ll flags of the
rreeaadd builtin. The function should set the variable rreeppllyy to an
array containing the completions (one completion per element);
note that rreeppllyy should not be made local to the function. From
such a function the command line can be accessed with the -cc and
-ll flags to the rreeaadd builtin. For example,
ffuunnccttiioonn wwhhoossoonn {{ rreeppllyy==((``uusseerrss``));; }}
ccoommppccttll -KK wwhhoossoonn ttaallkk
completes only logged-on users after `ttaallkk'. Note that `wwhhoossoonn'
must return an array, so `rreeppllyy==``uusseerrss``' would be incorrect.
-HH num pattern
The possible completions are taken from the last num history
lines. Only words matching pattern are taken. If num is zero
or negative the whole history is searched and if pattern is the
empty string all words are taken (as with `**'). A typical use
is
ccoommppccttll -DD -ff ++ -HH 00 ''''
which forces completion to look back in the history list for a
word if no filename matches.
CCoonnttrrooll FFllaaggss
These do not directly specify types of name to be completed, but manip-
ulate the options that do:
-QQ This instructs the shell not to quote any metacharacters in the
possible completions. Normally the results of a completion are
inserted into the command line with any metacharacters quoted so
that they are interpreted as normal characters. This is appro-
priate for filenames and ordinary strings. However, for special
effects, such as inserting a backquoted expression from a com-
pletion array (-kk) so that the expression will not be evaluated
until the complete line is executed, this option must be used.
-PP prefix
The prefix is inserted just before the completed string; any
initial part already typed will be completed and the whole pre-
fix ignored for completion purposes. For example,
ccoommppccttll -jj -PP ""%%"" kkiillll
inserts a `%' after the kill command and then completes job
names.
-SS suffix
When a completion is found the suffix is inserted after the com-
pleted string. In the case of menu completion the suffix is
inserted immediately, but it is still possible to cycle through
the list of completions by repeatedly hitting the same key.
-WW file-prefix
With directory file-prefix: for command, file, directory and
globbing completion (options -cc, -ff, -//, -gg), the file prefix is
implicitly added in front of the completion. For example,
ccoommppccttll -// -WW ~~//MMaaiill mmaaiillddiirrss
completes any subdirectories to any depth beneath the directory
~~//MMaaiill, although that prefix does not appear on the command
line. The file-prefix may also be of the form accepted by the
-kk flag, i.e. the name of an array or a literal list in paren-
thesis. In this case all the directories in the list will be
searched for possible completions.
-qq If used with a suffix as specified by the -SS option, this causes
the suffix to be removed if the next character typed is a blank
or does not insert anything or if the suffix consists of only
one character and the next character typed is the same charac-
ter; this the same rule used for the AAUUTTOORREEMMOOVVEESSLLAASSHH option.
The option is most useful for list separators (comma, colon,
etc.).
-ll cmd This option restricts the range of command line words that are
considered to be arguments. If combined with one of the
extended completion patterns `pp[[...]]', `rr[[...]]', or `RR[[...]]'
(see the section `Extended Completion' below) the range is
restricted to the range of arguments specified in the brackets.
Completion is then performed as if these had been given as argu-
ments to the cmd supplied with the option. If the cmd string is
empty the first word in the range is instead taken as the com-
mand name, and command name completion performed on the first
word in the range. For example,
ccoommppccttll -xx ''rr[[-eexxeecc,,;;]]'' -ll '''' -- ffiinndd
completes arguments between `-eexxeecc' and the following `;;' (or
the end of the command line if there is no such string) as if
they were a separate command line.
-hh cmd Normally zsh completes quoted strings as a whole. With this
option, completion can be done separately on different parts of
such strings. It works like the -ll option but makes the comple-
tion code work on the parts of the current word that are sepa-
rated by spaces. These parts are completed as if they were argu-
ments to the given cmd. If cmd is the empty string, the first
part is completed as a command name, as with -ll.
-UU Use the whole list of possible completions, whether or not they
actually match the word on the command line. The word typed so
far will be deleted. This is most useful with a function (given
by the -KK option) which can examine the word components passed
to it (or via the rreeaadd builtin's -cc and -ll flags) and use its
own criteria to decide what matches. If there is no completion,
the original word is retained. Since the produced possible com-
pletions seldom have interesting common prefixes and suffixes,
menu completion is started immediately if AAUUTTOOMMEENNUU is set and
this flag is used.
-yy func-or-var
The list provided by func-or-var is displayed instead of the
list of completions whenever a listing is required; the actual
completions to be inserted are not affected. It can be provided
in two ways. Firstly, if func-or-var begins with a $$ it defines
a variable, or if it begins with a left parenthesis a literal
array, which contains the list. A variable may have been set by
a call to a function using the -KK option. Otherwise it contains
the name of a function which will be executed to create the
list. The function will be passed as an argument list all
matching completions, including prefixes and suffixes expanded
in full, and should set the array rreeppllyy to the result. In both
cases, the display list will only be retrieved after a complete
list of matches has been created.
Note that the returned list does not have to correspond, even in
length, to the original set of matches, and may be passed as a
scalar instead of an array. No special formatting of characters
is performed on the output in this case; in particular, newlines
are printed literally and if they appear output in columns is
suppressed.
-XX explanation
Print explanation when trying completion on the current set of
options. A `%%nn' in this string is replaced by the number of
matches that were added for this explanation string. The expla-
nation only appears if completion was tried and there was no
unique match, or when listing completions. Explanation strings
will be listed together with the matches of the group specified
together with the -XX option (using the -JJ or -VV option). If the
same explanation string is given to multiple -XX options, the
string appears only once (for each group) and the number of
matches shown for the `%%nn' is the total number of all matches
for each of these uses. In any case, the explanation string will
only be shown if there was at least one match added for the
explanation string.
The sequences %%BB, %%bb, %%SS, %%ss, %%UU, and %%uu specify output
attributes (bold, standout, and underline) and %%{{......%%}} can be
used to include literal escape sequences as in prompts.
-YY explanation
Identical to -XX, except that the explanation first undergoes
expansion following the usual rules for strings in double
quotes. The expansion will be carried out after any functions
are called for the -KK or -yy options, allowing them to set vari-
ables.
-tt continue
The continue-string contains a character that specifies which
set of completion flags should be used next. It is useful:
(i) With -TT, or when trying a list of pattern completions, when
ccoommppccttll would usually continue with ordinary processing after
finding matches; this can be suppressed with `-ttnn'.
(ii) With a list of alternatives separated by ++, when ccoommppccttll
would normally stop when one of the alternatives generates
matches. It can be forced to consider the next set of comple-
tions by adding `-tt++' to the flags of the alternative before the
`++'.
(iii) In an extended completion list (see below), when ccoommppccttll
would normally continue until a set of conditions succeeded,
then use only the immediately following flags. With `-tt-', ccoomm-
ppccttll will continue trying extended completions after the next
`-'; with `-ttxx' it will attempt completion with the default
flags, in other words those before the `-xx'.
-JJ name
This gives the name of the group the matches should be placed
in. Groups are listed and sorted separately; likewise, menu com-
pletion will offer the matches in the groups in the order in
which the groups were defined. If no group name is explicitly
given, the matches are stored in a group named default. The
first time a group name is encountered, a group with that name
is created. After that all matches with the same group name are
stored in that group.
This can be useful with non-exclusive alternative completions.
For example, in
ccoommppccttll -ff -JJ ffiilleess -tt++ ++ -vv -JJ vvaarriiaabblleess ffoooo
both files and variables are possible completions, as the -tt++
forces both sets of alternatives before and after the ++ to be
considered at once. Because of the -JJ options, however, all
files are listed before all variables.
-VV name
Like -JJ, but matches within the group will not be sorted in
listings nor in menu completion. These unsorted groups are in a
different name space from the sorted ones, so groups defined as
-JJ ffiilleess and -VV ffiilleess are distinct.
-11 If given together with the -VV option, makes only consecutive
duplicates in the group be removed. Note that groups with and
without this flag are in different name spaces.
-22 If given together with the -JJ or -VV option, makes all duplicates
be kept. Again, groups with and without this flag are in differ-
ent name spaces.
-MM match-spec
This defines additional matching control specifications that
should be used only when testing words for the list of flags
this flag appears in. The format of the match-spec string is
described in zshcompwid.
AALLTTEERRNNAATTIIVVEE CCOOMMPPLLEETTIIOONN
ccoommppccttll [ -CCDDTT ] options ++ options [ ++ ... ] [ ++ ] command ...
The form with `++' specifies alternative options. Completion is tried
with the options before the first `++'. If this produces no matches com-
pletion is tried with the flags after the `++' and so on. If there are
no flags after the last `++' and a match has not been found up to that
point, default completion is tried. If the list of flags contains a -tt
with a ++ character, the next list of flags is used even if the current
list produced matches.
EEXXTTEENNDDEEDD CCOOMMPPLLEETTIIOONN
ccoommppccttll [ -CCDDTT ] options -xx pattern options - ... --
[ command ... ]
ccoommppccttll [ -CCDDTT ] options [ -xx pattern options - ... -- ]
[ ++ options [ -xx ... -- ] ... [++] ] [ command ... ]
The form with `-xx' specifies extended completion for the commands
given; as shown, it may be combined with alternative completion using
`++'. Each pattern is examined in turn; when a match is found, the cor-
responding options, as described in the section `Option Flags' above,
are used to generate possible completions. If no pattern matches, the
options given before the -xx are used.
Note that each pattern should be supplied as a single argument and
should be quoted to prevent expansion of metacharacters by the shell.
A pattern is built of sub-patterns separated by commas; it matches if
at least one of these sub-patterns matches (they are `or'ed). These
sub-patterns are in turn composed of other sub-patterns separated by
white spaces which match if all of the sub-patterns match (they are
`and'ed). An element of the sub-patterns is of the form `c[[...]][[...]]',
where the pairs of brackets may be repeated as often as necessary, and
matches if any of the sets of brackets match (an `or'). The example
below makes this clearer.
The elements may be any of the following:
ss[[string]]...
Matches if the current word on the command line starts with one
of the strings given in brackets. The string is not removed and
is not part of the completion.
SS[[string]]...
Like ss[[string]] except that the string is part of the completion.
pp[[from,,to]]...
Matches if the number of the current word is between one of the
from and to pairs inclusive. The comma and to are optional; to
defaults to the same value as from. The numbers may be nega-
tive: -n refers to the n'th last word on the line.
cc[[offset,,string]]...
Matches if the string matches the word offset by offset from the
current word position. Usually offset will be negative.
CC[[offset,,pattern]]...
Like cc but using pattern matching instead.
ww[[index,,string]]...
Matches if the word in position index is equal to the corre-
sponding string. Note that the word count is made after any
alias expansion.
WW[[index,,pattern]]...
Like ww but using pattern matching instead.
nn[[index,,string]]...
Matches if the current word contains string. Anything up to and
including the indexth occurrence of this string will not be con-
sidered part of the completion, but the rest will. index may be
negative to count from the end: in most cases, index will be 1
or -1. For example,
ccoommppccttll -ss ''``uusseerrss``'' -xx ''nn[[11,,@@]]'' -kk hhoossttss -- ttaallkk
will usually complete usernames, but if you insert an @@ after
the name, names from the array hosts (assumed to contain host-
names, though you must make the array yourself) will be com-
pleted. Other commands such as rrccpp can be handled similarly.
NN[[index,,string]]...
Like nn except that the string will be taken as a character
class. Anything up to and including the indexth occurrence of
any of the characters in string will not be considered part of
the completion.
mm[[min,,max]]...
Matches if the total number of words lies between min and max
inclusive.
rr[[str1,,str2]]...
Matches if the cursor is after a word with prefix str1. If
there is also a word with prefix str2 on the command line after
the one matched by str1 it matches only if the cursor is before
this word. If the comma and str2 are omitted, it matches if the
cursor is after a word with prefix str1.
RR[[str1,,str2]]...
Like rr but using pattern matching instead.
qq[[str]]...
Matches the word currently being completed is in single quotes
and the str begins with the letter `s', or if completion is done
in double quotes and str starts with the letter `d', or if com-
pletion is done in backticks and str starts with a `b'.
EEXXAAMMPPLLEE
ccoommppccttll -uu -xx ''ss[[++]] cc[[-11,,-ff]],,ss[[-ff++]]'' \\
-gg ''~~//MMaaiill//**((::tt))'' - ''ss[[-ff]],,cc[[-11,,-ff]]'' -ff -- mmaaiill
This is to be interpreted as follows:
If the current command is mmaaiill, then
if ((the current word begins with ++ and the previous word is -ff)
or (the current word begins with -ff++)), then complete the
non-directory part (the `::tt' glob modifier) of files in the directory
~~//MMaaiill; else
if the current word begins with -ff or the previous word was -ff, then
complete any file; else
complete user names.
ZSHMODULES(1) ZSHMODULES(1)
NAME
zshmodules - zsh loadable modules
DESCRIPTION
Some optional parts of zsh are in modules, separate from the core of
the shell. Each of these modules may be linked in to the shell at
build time, or can be dynamically linked while the shell is running if
the installation supports this feature. The modules that are bundled
with the zsh distribution are:
zzsshh//ccaapp
Builtins for manipulating POSIX.1e (POSIX.6) capability (privi-
lege) sets.
zzsshh//cclloonnee
A builtin that can clone a running shell onto another terminal.
zzsshh//ccoommppccttll
The ccoommppccttll builtin for controlling completion.
zzsshh//ccoommpplleettee
The basic completion code.
zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt
Completion listing extensions.
zzsshh//ccoommppuuttiill
A module with utility builtins needed for the shell function
based completion system.
zzsshh//ddaatteettiimmee
Some date/time commands and parameters.
zzsshh//ddeellttoocchhaarr
A ZLE function duplicating EMACS' zzaapp-ttoo-cchhaarr.
zzsshh//eexxaammppllee
An example of how to write a module.
zzsshh//ffiilleess
Some basic file manipulation commands as builtins.
zzsshh//mmaappffiillee
Access to external files via a special associative array.
zzsshh//mmaatthhffuunncc
Standard scientific functions for use in mathematical evalua-
tions.
zzsshh//ppaarraammeetteerr
Access to internal hash tables via special associative arrays.
zzsshh//ppccrree
Interface to the PCRE library.
zzsshh//sscchheedd
A builtin that provides a timed execution facility within the
shell.
zzsshh//nneett//ssoocckkeett
Manipulation of Unix domain sockets
zzsshh//ssttaatt
A builtin command interface to the ssttaatt system call.
zzsshh//ssyysstteemm
A builtin interface to various low-level system features.
zzsshh//nneett//ttccpp
Manipulation of TCP sockets
zzsshh//tteerrmmccaapp
Interface to the termcap database.
zzsshh//tteerrmmiinnffoo
Interface to the terminfo database.
zzsshh//zzffttpp
A builtin FTP client.
zzsshh//zzllee
The Zsh Line Editor, including the bbiinnddkkeeyy and vvaarreedd builtins.
zzsshh//zzlleeppaarraammeetteerr
Access to internals of the Zsh Line Editor via parameters.
zzsshh//zzpprrooff
A module allowing profiling for shell functions.
zzsshh//zzppttyy
A builtin for starting a command in a pseudo-terminal.
zzsshh//zzsseelleecctt
Block and return when file descriptors are ready.
zzsshh//zzuuttiill
Some utility builtins, e.g. the one for supporting configuration
via styles.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//CCAAPP MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ccaapp module is used for manipulating POSIX.1e (POSIX.6) capabil-
ity sets. If the operating system does not support this interface, the
builtins defined by this module will do nothing. The builtins in this
module are:
ccaapp [ capabilities ]
Change the shell's process capability sets to the specified
capabilities, otherwise display the shell's current capabili-
ties.
ggeettccaapp filename ...
This is a built-in implementation of the POSIX standard utility.
It displays the capability sets on each specified filename.
sseettccaapp capabilities filename ...
This is a built-in implementation of the POSIX standard utility.
It sets the capability sets on each specified filename to the
specified capabilities.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//CCLLOONNEE MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//cclloonnee module makes available one builtin command:
cclloonnee tty
Creates a forked instance of the current shell, attached to the
specified tty. In the new shell, the PPIIDD, PPPPIIDD and TTTTYY special
parameters are changed appropriately. $$!! is set to zero in the
new shell, and to the new shell's PID in the original shell.
The return value of the builtin is zero in both shells if suc-
cessful, and non-zero on error.
The target of cclloonnee should be an unused terminal, such as an
unused virtual console or a virtual terminal created by
xterm -e sh -c 'trap : INT QUIT TSTP; tty; while :; do sleep
100000000; done'
Some words of explanation are warranted about this long xterm
command line: when doing clone on a pseudo-terminal, some other
session ("session" meant as a unix session group, or SID) is
already owning the terminal. Hence the cloned zsh cannot acquire
the pseudo-terminal as a controlling tty. That means two things:
the job control signals will go to the sh-started-by-xterm
process
group (that's why we disable INT QUIT and TSTP with trap;
otherwise
the while loop could get suspended or killed)
the cloned shell will have job control disabled, and the job
control keys (control-C, control-\ and control-Z) will not
work.
This does not apply when cloning to an uunnuusseedd vc.
Cloning to an used (and unprepared) terminal will result in two
processes reading simultaneously from the same terminal, with
input bytes going randomly to either process.
cclloonnee is mostly useful as a shell built-in replacement for
openvt.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//CCOOMMPPCCTTLL MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ccoommppccttll module makes available two builtin commands. ccoommppccttll,
is the old, deprecated way to control completions for ZLE. See zshcom-
pctl(1). The other builtin command, ccoommppccaallll can be used in
user-defined completion widgets, see zshcompwid(1).
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//CCOOMMPPLLEETTEE MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ccoommpplleettee module makes available several builtin commands which
can be used in user-defined completion widgets, see zshcompwid(1).
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//CCOOMMPPLLIISSTT MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module offers three extensions to completion listings:
the ability to highlight matches in such a list, the ability to scroll
through long lists and a different style of menu completion.
CCoolloorreedd ccoommpplleettiioonn lliissttiinnggss
Whenever one of the parameters ZZLLSSCCOOLLOORRSS or ZZLLSSCCOOLLOOUURRSS is set and the
zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module is loaded or linked into the shell, completion
lists will be colored. Note, however, that ccoommpplliisstt will not automati-
cally be loaded if it is not linked in: on systems with dynamic load-
ing, `zzmmooddllooaadd zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt' is required.
The parameters ZZLLSSCCOOLLOORRSS and ZZLLSSCCOOLLOOUURRSS describe how matches are
highlighted. To turn on highlighting an empty value suffices, in which
case all the default values given below will be used. The format of
the value of these parameters is the same as used by the GNU version of
the llss command: a colon-separated list of specifications of the form
`name=value'. The name may be one of the following strings, most of
which specify file types for which the value will be used. The strings
and their default values are:
nnoo 00 for normal text (i.e. when displaying something other than a
matched file)
ffii 00 for regular files
ddii 3322 for directories
llnn 3366 for symbolic links
ppii 3311 for named pipes (FIFOs)
ssoo 3333 for sockets
bbdd 4444;;3377
for block devices
ccdd 4444;;3377
for character devices
eexx 3355 for executable files
mmii none
for a non-existent file (default is the value defined for ffii)
llcc \\ee[[ for the left code (see below)
rrcc mm for the right code
ttcc 00 for the character indicating the file type printed after file-
names if the LLIISSTTTTYYPPEESS option is set
sspp 00 for the spaces printed after matches to align the next column
eecc none
for the end code
Apart from these strings, the name may also be an asterisk (`**') fol-
lowed by any string. The value given for such a string will be used for
all files whose name ends with the string. The name may also be an
equals sign (`==') followed by a pattern. The value given for this pat-
tern will be used for all matches (not just filenames) whose display
string are matched by the pattern. Definitions for both of these take
precedence over the values defined for file types and the form with the
leading asterisk takes precedence over the form with the leading equal
sign.
The last form also allows different parts of the displayed strings to
be colored differently. For this, the pattern has to use the `((##bb))'
globbing flag and pairs of parentheses surrounding the parts of the
strings that are to be colored differently. In this case the value may
consist of more than one color code separated by equal signs. The
first code will be used for all parts for which no explicit code is
specified and the following codes will be used for the parts matched by
the sub-patterns in parentheses. For example, the specification
`==((##bb))((??))**((??))==00==33==77' will be used for all matches which are at least
two characters long and will use the code `33' for the first character,
`77' for the last character and `00' for the rest.
All three forms of name may be preceded by a pattern in parentheses.
If this is given, the value will be used only for matches in groups
whose names are matched by the pattern given in the parentheses. For
example, `((gg**))mm**==4433' highlights all matches beginning with `mm' in
groups whose names begin with `gg' using the color code `4433'. In case
of the `llcc', `rrcc', and `eecc' codes, the group pattern is ignored.
Note also that all patterns are tried in the order in which they appear
in the parameter value until the first one matches which is then used.
When printing a match, the code prints the value of llcc, the value for
the file-type or the last matching specification with a `**', the value
of rrcc, the string to display for the match itself, and then the value
of eecc if that is defined or the values of llcc, nnoo, and rrcc if eecc is not
defined.
The default values are ISO 6429 (ANSI) compliant and can be used on
vt100 compatible terminals such as xxtteerrmms. On monochrome terminals the
default values will have no visible effect. The ccoolloorrss function from
the contribution can be used to get associative arrays containing the
codes for ANSI terminals (see the section `Other Functions' in zshcon-
trib(1)). For example, after loading ccoolloorrss, one could use `$$ccooll-
oorrss[[rreedd]]' to get the code for foreground color red and `$$ccooll-
oorrss[[bbgg-ggrreeeenn]]' for the code for background color green.
If the completion system invoked by compinit is used, these parameters
should not be set directly because the system controls them itself.
Instead, the lliisstt-ccoolloorrss style should be used (see the section `Comple-
tion System Configuration' in zshcompsys(1)).
SSccrroolllliinngg iinn ccoommpplleettiioonn lliissttiinnggss
To enable scrolling through a completion list, the LLIISSTTPPRROOMMPPTT parameter
must be set. Its value will be used as the prompt; if it is the empty
string, a default prompt will be used. The value may contain escapes
of the form `%%xx'. It supports the escapes `%%BB', `%%bb', `%%SS', `%%ss',
`%%UU', `%%uu' and `%%{{......%%}}' used also in shell prompts as well as three
pairs of additional sequences: a `%%ll' or `%%LL' is replaced by the number
of the last line shown and the total number of lines in the form `num-
ber//total'; a `%%mm' or `%%MM' is replaced with the number of the last
match shown and the total number of matches; and `%%pp' or `%%PP' is
replaced with `TToopp', `BBoottttoomm' or the position of the first line shown
in percent of the total number of lines, respectively. In each of
these cases the form with the uppercase letter will be replaced with a
string of fixed width, padded to the right with spaces, while the low-
ercase form will not be padded.
If the parameter LLIISSTTPPRROOMMPPTT is set, the completion code will not ask if
the list should be shown. Instead it immediately starts displaying the
list, stopping after the first screenful, showing the prompt at the
bottom, waiting for a keypress after temporarily switching to the
lliissttssccrroollll keymap. Some of the zle functions have a special meaning
while scrolling lists:
sseenndd-bbrreeaakk
stops listing discarding the key pressed
aacccceepptt-lliinnee, ddoowwnn-hhiissttoorryy, ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-hhiissttoorryy
ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-sseeaarrcchh, vvii-ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-hhiissttoorryy
scrolls forward one line
ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd, mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee, eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee
eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee-pprreeffiixx, mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee-oorr-eexxppaanndd
scrolls forward one screenful
Every other character stops listing and immediately processes the key
as usual. Any key that is not bound in the lliissttssccrroollll keymap or that
is bound to uunnddeeffiinneedd-kkeeyy is looked up in the keymap currently
selected.
As for the ZZLLSSCCOOLLOORRSS and ZZLLSSCCOOLLOOUURRSS parameters, LLIISSTTPPRROOMMPPTT should not
be set directly when using the shell function based completion system.
Instead, the lliisstt-pprroommpptt style should be used.
MMeennuu sseelleeccttiioonn
The zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module also offers an alternative style of selecting
matches from a list, called menu selection, which can be used if the
shell is set up to return to the last prompt after showing a completion
list (see the AALLWWAAYYSSLLAASSTTPPRROOMMPPTT option in zshoptions(1)). It can be
invoked directly by the widget mmeennuu-sseelleecctt defined by the module.
Alternatively, the parameter MMEENNUUSSEELLEECCTT can be set to an integer, which
gives the minimum number of matches that must be present before menu
selection is automatically turned on. This second method requires that
menu completion be started, either directly from a widget such as
mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee, or due to one of the options MMEENNUUCCOOMMPPLLEETTEE or AAUUTTOOMMEENNUU
being set. If MMEENNUUSSEELLEECCTT is set, but is 0, 1 or empty, menu selection
will always be started during an ambiguous menu completion.
When using the completion system based on shell functions, the MMEENNUUSSEE-
LLEECCTT parameter should not be used (like the ZZLLSSCCOOLLOORRSS and ZZLLSSCCOOLLOOUURRSS
parameters described above). Instead, the mmeennuu style should be used
with the sseelleecctt==... keyword.
After menu selection is started, the matches will be listed. If there
are more matches than fit on the screen, only the first screenful is
shown. The matches to insert into the command line can be selected
from this list. In the list one match is highlighted using the value
for mmaa from the ZZLLSSCCOOLLOORRSS or ZZLLSSCCOOLLOOUURRSS parameter. The default value
for this is `77' which forces the selected match to be highlighted using
standout mode on a vt100-compatible terminal. If neither ZZLLSSCCOOLLOORRSS
nor ZZLLSSCCOOLLOOUURRSS is set, the same terminal control sequence as for the
`%%SS' escape in prompts is used.
If there are more matches than fit on the screen and the parameter
MMEENNUUPPRROOMMPPTT is set, its value will be shown below the matches. It sup-
ports the same escape sequences as LLIISSTTPPRROOMMPPTT, but the number of the
match or line shown will be that of the one where the mark is placed.
If its value is the empty string, a default prompt will be used.
The MMEENNUUSSCCRROOLLLL parameter can be used to specify how the list is
scrolled. If the parameter is unset, this is done line by line, if it
is set to `00' (zero), the list will scroll half the number of lines of
the screen. If the value is positive, it gives the number of lines to
scroll and if it is negative, the list will be scrolled the number of
lines of the screen minus the (absolute) value.
As for the ZZLLSSCCOOLLOORRSS, ZZLLSSCCOOLLOOUURRSS and LLIISSTTPPRROOMMPPTT parameters, neither
MMEENNUUPPRROOMMPPTT nor MMEENNUUSSCCRROOLLLL should be set directly when using the shell
function based completion system. Instead, the sseelleecctt-pprroommpptt and
sseelleecctt-ssccrroollll styles should be used.
The completion code sometimes decides not to show all of the matches in
the list. These hidden matches are either matches for which the com-
pletion function which added them explicitly requested that they not
appear in the list (using the -nn option of the ccoommppaadddd builtin command)
or they are matches which duplicate a string already in the list
(because they differ only in things like prefixes or suffixes that are
not displayed). In the list used for menu selection, however, even
these matches are shown so that it is possible to select them. To
highlight such matches the hhii and dduu capabilities in the ZZLLSSCCOOLLOORRSS and
ZZLLSSCCOOLLOOUURRSS parameters are supported for hidden matches of the first
and second kind, respectively.
Selecting matches is done by moving the mark around using the zle move-
ment functions. When not all matches can be shown on the screen at the
same time, the list will scroll up and down when crossing the top or
bottom line. The following zle functions have special meaning during
menu selection:
aacccceepptt-lliinnee
accepts the current match and leaves menu selection
sseenndd-bbrreeaakk
leaves menu selection and restores the previous contents of the
command line
rreeddiissppllaayy, cclleeaarr-ssccrreeeenn
execute their normal function without leaving menu selection
aacccceepptt-aanndd-hhoolldd, aacccceepptt-aanndd-mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee
accept the currently inserted match and continue selection
allowing to select the next match to insert into the line
aacccceepptt-aanndd-iinnffeerr-nneexxtt-hhiissttoorryy
accepts the current match and then tries completion with menu
selection again; in the case of files this allows one to select
a directory and immediately attempt to complete files in it; if
there are no matches, a message is shown and one can use uunnddoo to
go back to completion on the previous level, every other key
leaves menu selection (including the other zle functions which
are otherwise special during menu selection)
uunnddoo removes matches inserted during the menu selection by one of the
three functions before
ddoowwnn-hhiissttoorryy, ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-hhiissttoorryy
vvii-ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-hhiissttoorryy, ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-sseeaarrcchh
moves the mark one line down
uupp-hhiissttoorryy, uupp-lliinnee-oorr-hhiissttoorryy
vvii-uupp-lliinnee-oorr-hhiissttoorryy, uupp-lliinnee-oorr-sseeaarrcchh
moves the mark one line up
ffoorrwwaarrdd-cchhaarr, vvii-ffoorrwwaarrdd-cchhaarr
moves the mark one column right
bbaacckkwwaarrdd-cchhaarr, vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-cchhaarr
moves the mark one column left
ffoorrwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd, vvii-ffoorrwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd
vvii-ffoorrwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd-eenndd, eemmaaccss-ffoorrwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd
moves the mark one screenful down
bbaacckkwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd, vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd, eemmaaccss-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd
moves the mark one screenful up
vvii-ffoorrwwaarrdd-bbllaannkk-wwoorrdd, vvii-ffoorrwwaarrdd-bbllaannkk-wwoorrdd-eenndd
moves the mark to the first line of the next group of matches
vvii-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-bbllaannkk-wwoorrdd
moves the mark to the last line of the previous group of matches
bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-hhiissttoorryy
moves the mark to the first line
eenndd-ooff-hhiissttoorryy
moves the mark to the last line
bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-bbuuffffeerr-oorr-hhiissttoorryy, bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-lliinnee
bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-lliinnee-hhiisstt, vvii-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-ooff-lliinnee
moves the mark to the leftmost column
eenndd-ooff-bbuuffffeerr-oorr-hhiissttoorryy, eenndd-ooff-lliinnee
eenndd-ooff-lliinnee-hhiisstt, vvii-eenndd-ooff-lliinnee
moves the mark to the rightmost column
ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd, mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee, eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee
eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee-pprreeffiixx, mmeennuu-eexxppaanndd-oorr-ccoommpplleettee
moves the mark to the next match
rreevveerrssee-mmeennuu-ccoommpplleettee
moves the mark to the previous match
vvii-iinnsseerrtt
this toggles between normal and interactive mode; in interactive
mode the keys bound to sseellff-iinnsseerrtt and sseellff-iinnsseerrtt-uunnmmeettaa insert
into the command line as in normal editing mode but without
leaving menu selection; after each character completion is tried
again and the list changes to contain only the new matches; the
completion widgets make the longest unambiguous string be
inserted in the command line and uunnddoo and bbaacckkwwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr
go back to the previous set of matches
hhiissttoorryy-iinnccrreemmeennttaall-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorrwwaarrdd,
hhiissttoorryy-iinnccrreemmeennttaall-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd this starts incremental
searches in the list of completions displayed; in this mode,
aacccceepptt-lliinnee only leaves incremental search, going back to the
normal menu selection mode
All movement functions wrap around at the edges; any other zle function
not listed leaves menu selection and executes that function. It is
possible to make widgets in the above list do the same by using the
form of the widget with a `..' in front. For example, the widget
`..aacccceepptt-lliinnee' has the effect of leaving menu selection and accepting
the entire command line.
During this selection the widget uses the keymap mmeennuusseelleecctt. Any key
that is not defined in this keymap or that is bound to uunnddeeffiinneedd-kkeeyy is
looked up in the keymap currently selected. This is used to ensure
that the most important keys used during selection (namely the cursor
keys, return, and TAB) have sensible defaults. However, keys in the
mmeennuusseelleecctt keymap can be modified directly using the bbiinnddkkeeyy builtin
command (see zshmodules(1)). For example, to make the return key leave
menu selection without accepting the match currently selected one could
call
bbiinnddkkeeyy -MM mmeennuusseelleecctt ''^^MM'' sseenndd-bbrreeaakk
after loading the zzsshh//ccoommpplliisstt module.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//CCOOMMPPUUTTIILL MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ccoommppuuttiill module adds several builtin commands that are used by
some of the completion functions in the completion system based on
shell functions (see zshcompsys(1) ). Except for ccoommppqquuoottee these
builtin commands are very specialised and thus not very interesting
when writing your own completion functions. In summary, these builtin
commands are:
ccoommppaarrgguummeennttss
This is used by the aarrgguummeennttss function to do the argument and
command line parsing. Like ccoommppddeessccrriibbee it has an option -ii to
do the parsing and initialize some internal state and various
options to access the state information to decide what should be
completed.
ccoommppddeessccrriibbee
This is used by the ddeessccrriibbee function to build the displays for
the matches and to get the strings to add as matches with their
options. On the first call one of the options -ii or -II should
be supplied as the first argument. In the first case, display
strings without the descriptions will be generated, in the sec-
ond case, the string used to separate the matches from their
descriptions must be given as the second argument and the
descriptions (if any) will be shown. All other arguments are
like the definition arguments to ddeessccrriibbee itself.
Once ccoommppddeessccrriibbee has been called with either the -ii or the -II
option, it can be repeatedly called with the -gg option and the
names of five arrays as its arguments. This will step through
the different sets of matches and store the options in the first
array, the strings with descriptions in the second, the matches
for these in the third, the strings without descriptions in the
fourth, and the matches for them in the fifth array. These are
then directly given to ccoommppaadddd to register the matches with the
completion code.
ccoommppffiilleess
Used by the ppaatthhffiilleess function to optimize complex recursive
filename generation (globbing). It does three things. With the
-pp and -PP options it builds the glob patterns to use, including
the paths already handled and trying to optimize the patterns
with respect to the prefix and suffix from the line and the
match specification currently used. The -ii option does the
directory tests for the iiggnnoorree-ppaarreennttss style and the -rr option
tests if a component for some of the matches are equal to the
string on the line and removes all other matches if that is
true.
ccoommppggrroouuppss
Used by the ttaaggss function to implement the internals of the
ggrroouupp-oorrddeerr style. This only takes its arguments as names of
completion groups and creates the groups for it (all six types:
sorted and unsorted, both without removing duplicates, with
removing all duplicates and with removing consecutive dupli-
cates).
ccoommppqquuoottee [ -pp ] names ...
There may be reasons to write completion functions that have to
add the matches using the -QQ option to ccoommppaadddd and perform quot-
ing themselves. Instead of interpreting the first character of
the aallllqquuootteess key of the ccoommppssttaattee special association and
using the qq flag for parameter expansions, one can use this
builtin command. The arguments are the names of scalar or array
parameters and the values of these parameters are quoted as
needed for the innermost quoting level. If the -pp option is
given, quoting is done as if there is some prefix before the
values of the parameters, so that a leading equal sign will not
be quoted.
The return value is non-zero in case of an error and zero other-
wise.
ccoommppttaaggss
ccoommppttrryy
These implement the internals of the tags mechanism.
ccoommppvvaalluueess
Like ccoommppaarrgguummeennttss, but for the vvaalluueess function.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//DDAATTEETTIIMMEE MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ddaatteettiimmee module makes available one builtin command:
ssttrrffttiimmee [ -ss scalar ] format epochtime
Output the date denoted by epochtime in the format specified.
If -ss scalar is given, assign the date to scalar instead of
printing it.
The zzsshh//ddaatteettiimmee module makes available one parameter:
EEPPOOCCHHSSEECCOONNDDSS
An integer value representing the number of seconds since the
epoch.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//DDEELLTTOOCCHHAARR MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ddeellttoocchhaarr module makes available two ZLE functions:
ddeelleettee-ttoo-cchhaarr
Read a character from the keyboard, and delete from the cursor
position up to and including the next (or, with repeat count n,
the nth) instance of that character. Negative repeat counts
mean delete backwards.
zzaapp-ttoo-cchhaarr
This behaves like ddeelleettee-ttoo-cchhaarr, except that the final occur-
rence of the character itself is not deleted.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//EEXXAAMMPPLLEE MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//eexxaammppllee module makes available one builtin command:
eexxaammppllee [ -ffllaaggss ] [ args ... ]
Displays the flags and arguments it is invoked with.
The purpose of the module is to serve as an example of how to write a
module.
THE ZSH/FILES MODULE The zzsshh//ffiilleess module makes some standard commands available as
builtins:
cchhggrrpp [ -RRss ] group filename ...
Changes group of files specified. This is equivalent to cchhoowwnn
with a user-spec argument of `::group'.
cchhoowwnn [ -RRss ] user-spec filename ...
Changes ownership and group of files specified.
The user-spec can be in four forms:
user change owner to user; do not change group
user:::: change owner to user; do not change group
user:: change owner to user; change group to user's primary
group
user::group
change owner to user; change group to group
::group do not change owner; change group to group
In each case, the `::' may instead be a `..'. The rule is that if
there is a `::' then the separator is `::', otherwise if there is
a `..' then the separator is `..', otherwise there is no separa-
tor.
Each of user and group may be either a username (or group name,
as appropriate) or a decimal user ID (group ID). Interpretation
as a name takes precedence, if there is an all-numeric username
(or group name).
The -RR option causes cchhoowwnn to recursively descend into directo-
ries, changing the ownership of all files in the directory after
changing the ownership of the directory itself.
The -ss option is a zsh extension to cchhoowwnn functionality. It
enables paranoid behaviour, intended to avoid security problems
involving a cchhoowwnn being tricked into affecting files other than
the ones intended. It will refuse to follow symbolic links, so
that (for example) ``cchhoowwnn lluusseerr //ttmmpp//ffoooo//ppaasssswwdd'' can't acci-
dentally chown //eettcc//ppaasssswwdd if //ttmmpp//ffoooo happens to be a link to
//eettcc. It will also check where it is after leaving directories,
so that a recursive chown of a deep directory tree can't end up
recursively chowning //uussrr as a result of directories being moved
up the tree.
llnn [ -ddffiiss ] filename dest
llnn [ -ddffiiss ] filename ... dir
Creates hard (or, with -ss, symbolic) links. In the first form,
the specified destination is created, as a link to the specified
filename. In the second form, each of the filenames is taken in
turn, and linked to a pathname in the specified directory that
has the same last pathname component.
Normally, llnn will not attempt to create hard links to directo-
ries. This check can be overridden using the -dd option. Typi-
cally only the super-user can actually succeed in creating hard
links to directories. This does not apply to symbolic links in
any case.
By default, existing files cannot be replaced by links. The -ii
option causes the user to be queried about replacing existing
files. The -ff option causes existing files to be silently
deleted, without querying. -ff takes precedence.
mmkkddiirr [ -pp ] [ -mm mode ] dir ...
Creates directories. With the -pp option, non-existing parent
directories are first created if necessary, and there will be no
complaint if the directory already exists. The -mm option can be
used to specify (in octal) a set of file permissions for the
created directories, otherwise mode 777 modified by the current
uummaasskk (see umask(2)) is used.
mmvv [ -ffii ] filename dest
mmvv [ -ffii ] filename ... dir
Moves files. In the first form, the specified filename is moved
to the specified destination. In the second form, each of the
filenames is taken in turn, and moved to a pathname in the spec-
ified directory that has the same last pathname component.
By default, the user will be queried before replacing any file
that the user cannot write to, but writable files will be
silently removed. The -ii option causes the user to be queried
about replacing any existing files. The -ff option causes any
existing files to be silently deleted, without querying. -ff
takes precedence.
Note that this mmvv will not move files across devices. Histori-
cal versions of mmvv, when actual renaming is impossible, fall
back on copying and removing files; if this behaviour is
desired, use ccpp and rrmm manually. This may change in a future
version.
rrmm [ -ddffiirrss ] filename ...
Removes files and directories specified.
Normally, rrmm will not remove directories (except with the -rr
option). The -dd option causes rrmm to try removing directories
with uunnlliinnkk (see unlink(2)), the same method used for files.
Typically only the super-user can actually succeed in unlinking
directories in this way. -dd takes precedence over -rr.
By default, the user will be queried before removing any file
that the user cannot write to, but writable files will be
silently removed. The -ii option causes the user to be queried
about removing any files. The -ff option causes files to be
silently deleted, without querying, and suppresses all error
indications. -ff takes precedence.
The -rr option causes rrmm to recursively descend into directories,
deleting all files in the directory before removing the direc-
tory with the rrmmddiirr system call (see rmdir(2)).
The -ss option is a zsh extension to rrmm functionality. It
enables paranoid behaviour, intended to avoid common security
problems involving a root-run rrmm being tricked into removing
files other than the ones intended. It will refuse to follow
symbolic links, so that (for example) ``rrmm //ttmmpp//ffoooo//ppaasssswwdd''
can't accidentally remove //eettcc//ppaasssswwdd if //ttmmpp//ffoooo happens to be
a link to //eettcc. It will also check where it is after leaving
directories, so that a recursive removal of a deep directory
tree can't end up recursively removing //uussrr as a result of
directories being moved up the tree.
rrmmddiirr dir ...
Removes empty directories specified.
ssyynncc Calls the system call of the same name (see sync(2)), which
flushes dirty buffers to disk. It might return before the I/O
has actually been completed.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//MMAAPPFFIILLEE MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//mmaappffiillee module provides one special associative array parameter
of the same name.
mmaappffiillee
This associative array takes as keys the names of files; the
resulting value is the content of the file. The value is
treated identically to any other text coming from a parameter.
The value may also be assigned to, in which case the file in
question is written (whether or not it originally existed); or
an element may be unset, which will delete the file in question.
For example, `vvaarreedd mmaappffiillee[[mmyyffiillee]]' works as expected, editing
the file `mmyyffiillee'.
When the array is accessed as a whole, the keys are the names of
files in the current directory, and the values are empty (to
save a huge overhead in memory). Thus $${{((kk))mmaappffiillee}} has the
same affect as the glob operator **((DD)), since files beginning
with a dot are not special. Care must be taken with expressions
such as rrmm $${{((kk))mmaappffiillee}}, which will delete every file in the
current directory without the usual `rrmm **' test.
The parameter mmaappffiillee may be made read-only; in that case, files
referenced may not be written or deleted.
LLiimmiittaattiioonnss
Although reading and writing of the file in question is efficiently
handled, zsh's internal memory management may be arbitrarily baroque.
Thus it should not automatically be assumed that use of mmaappffiillee repre-
sents a gain in efficiency over use of other mechanisms. Note in par-
ticular that the whole contents of the file will always reside physi-
cally in memory when accessed (possibly multiple times, due to standard
parameter substitution operations). In particular, this means handling
of sufficiently long files (greater than the machine's swap space, or
than the range of the pointer type) will be incorrect.
No errors are printed or flagged for non-existent, unreadable, or
unwritable files, as the parameter mechanism is too low in the shell
execution hierarchy to make this convenient.
It is unfortunate that the mechanism for loading modules does not yet
allow the user to specify the name of the shell parameter to be given
the special behaviour.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//MMAATTHHFFUUNNCC MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//mmaatthhffuunncc module provides standard mathematical functions for
use when evaluating mathematical formulae. The syntax agrees with nor-
mal C and FORTRAN conventions, for example,
(((( ff == ssiinn((00..33)) ))))
assigns the sine of 0.3 to the parameter f.
Most functions take floating point arguments and return a floating
point value. However, any necessary conversions from or to integer
type will be performed automatically by the shell. Apart from aattaann
with a second argument and the aabbss, iinntt and ffllooaatt functions, all func-
tions behave as noted in the manual page for the corresponding C func-
tion, except that any arguments out of range for the function in ques-
tion will be detected by the shell and an error reported.
The following functions take a single floating point argument: aaccooss,
aaccoosshh, aassiinn, aassiinnhh, aattaann, aattaannhh, ccbbrrtt, cceeiill, ccooss, ccoosshh, eerrff, eerrffcc, eexxpp,
eexxppmm11, ffaabbss, fflloooorr, ggaammmmaa, jj00, jj11, llggaammmmaa, lloogg, lloogg1100, lloogg11pp, llooggbb,
ssiinn, ssiinnhh, ssqqrrtt, ttaann, ttaannhh, yy00, yy11. The aattaann function can optionally
take a second argument, in which case it behaves like the C function
aattaann22. The iillooggbb function takes a single floating point argument, but
returns an integer.
The function ssiiggnnggaamm takes no arguments, and returns an integer, which
is the C variable of the same name, as described in gamma(3). Note
that it is therefore only useful immediately after a call to ggaammmmaa or
llggaammmmaa. Note also that `ssiiggnnggaamm(())' and `ssiiggnnggaamm' are distinct expres-
sions.
The following functions take two floating point arguments: ccooppyyssiiggnn,
ffmmoodd, hhyyppoott, nneexxttaafftteerr.
The following take an integer first argument and a floating point sec-
ond argument: jjnn, yynn.
The following take a floating point first argument and an integer sec-
ond argument: llddeexxpp, ssccaallbb.
The function aabbss does not convert the type of its single argument; it
returns the absolute value of either a floating point number or an
integer. The functions ffllooaatt and iinntt convert their arguments into a
floating point or integer value (by truncation) respectively.
Note that the C ppooww function is available in ordinary math evaluation
as the `****' operator and is not provided here.
The function rraanndd4488 is available if your system's mathematical library
has the function eerraanndd4488((33)). It returns a pseudo-random floating point
number between 0 and 1. It takes a single string optional argument.
If the argument is not present, the random number seed is initialised
by three calls to the rraanndd((33)) function -- this produces the same ran-
dom numbers as the next three values of $$RRAANNDDOOMM.
If the argument is present, it gives the name of a scalar parameter
where the current random number seed will be stored. On the first
call, the value must contain at least twelve hexadecimal digits (the
remainder of the string is ignored), or the seed will be initialised in
the same manner as for a call to rraanndd4488 with no argument. Subsequent
calls to rraanndd4488(param) will then maintain the seed in the parameter
param as a string of twelve hexadecimal digits, with no base signifier.
The random number sequences for different parameters are completely
independent, and are also independent from that used by calls to rraanndd4488
with no argument.
For example, consider
pprriinntt $$(((( rraanndd4488((sseeeedd)) ))))
pprriinntt $$(((( rraanndd4488(()) ))))
pprriinntt $$(((( rraanndd4488((sseeeedd)) ))))
Assuming $$sseeeedd does not exist, it will be initialised by the first
call. In the second call, the default seed is initialised; note, how-
ever, that because of the properties of rraanndd(()) there is a correlation
between the seeds used for the two initialisations, so for more secure
uses, you should generate your own 12-byte seed. The third call
returns to the same sequence of random numbers used in the first call,
unaffected by the intervening rraanndd4488(()).
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//PPAARRAAMMEETTEERR MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ppaarraammeetteerr module gives access to some of the internal hash
tables used by the shell by defining some special parameters.
ooppttiioonnss
The keys for this associative array are the names of the options
that can be set and unset using the sseettoopptt and uunnsseettoopptt
builtins. The value of each key is either the string oonn if the
option is currently set, or the string ooffff if the option is
unset. Setting a key to one of these strings is like setting or
unsetting the option, respectively. Unsetting a key in this
array is like setting it to the value ooffff.
ccoommmmaannddss
This array gives access to the command hash table. The keys are
the names of external commands, the values are the pathnames of
the files that would be executed when the command would be
invoked. Setting a key in this array defines a new entry in this
table in the same way as with the hhaasshh builtin. Unsetting a key
as in `uunnsseett ""ccoommmmaannddss[[ffoooo]]""' removes the entry for the given
key from the command hash table.
ffuunnccttiioonnss
This associative array maps names of enabled functions to their
definitions. Setting a key in it is like defining a function
with the name given by the key and the body given by the value.
Unsetting a key removes the definition for the function named by
the key.
ddiissffuunnccttiioonnss
Like ffuunnccttiioonnss but for disabled functions.
bbuuiillttiinnss
This associative array gives information about the builtin com-
mands currently enabled. The keys are the names of the builtin
commands and the values are either `uunnddeeffiinneedd' for builtin com-
mands that will automatically be loaded from a module if invoked
or `ddeeffiinneedd' for builtin commands that are already loaded.
ddiissbbuuiillttiinnss
Like bbuuiillttiinnss but for disabled builtin commands.
rreesswwoorrddss
This array contains the enabled reserved words.
ddiissrreesswwoorrddss
Like rreesswwoorrddss but for disabled reserved words.
aalliiaasseess
This maps the names of the regular aliases currently enabled to
their expansions.
ddiissaalliiaasseess
Like aalliiaasseess but for disabled regular aliases.
ggaalliiaasseess
Like aalliiaasseess, but for global aliases.
ddiissggaalliiaasseess
Like ggaalliiaasseess but for disabled global aliases.
ssaalliiaasseess
Like rraalliiaasseess, but for suffix aliases.
ddiissssaalliiaasseess
Like ssaalliiaasseess but for disabled suffix aliases.
ppaarraammeetteerrss
The keys in this associative array are the names of the parame-
ters currently defined. The values are strings describing the
type of the parameter, in the same format used by the tt parame-
ter flag, see zshexpn(1) . Setting or unsetting keys in this
array is not possible.
mmoodduulleess
An associative array giving information about modules. The keys
are the names of the modules loaded, registered to be
autoloaded, or aliased. The value says which state the named
module is in and is one of the strings `llooaaddeedd', `aauuttoollooaaddeedd',
or `aalliiaass::name', where name is the name the module is aliased
to.
Setting or unsetting keys in this array is not possible.
ddiirrssttaacckk
A normal array holding the elements of the directory stack. Note
that the output of the ddiirrss builtin command includes one more
directory, the current working directory.
hhiissttoorryy
This associative array maps history event numbers to the full
history lines.
hhiissttoorryywwoorrddss
A special array containing the words stored in the history.
jjoobbddiirrss
This associative array maps job numbers to the directories from
which the job was started (which may not be the current direc-
tory of the job).
jjoobbtteexxttss
This associative array maps job numbers to the texts of the com-
mand lines that were used to start the jobs.
jjoobbssttaatteess
This associative array gives information about the states of the
jobs currently known. The keys are the job numbers and the val-
ues are strings of the form `job-state:mark:pid==state......'. The
job-state gives the state the whole job is currently in, one of
`rruunnnniinngg', `ssuussppeennddeedd', or `ddoonnee'. The mark is `++' for the cur-
rent job, `-' for the previous job and empty otherwise. This is
followed by one `pid==state' for every process in the job. The
pids are, of course, the process IDs and the state describes the
state of that process.
nnaammeeddddiirrss
This associative array maps the names of named directories to
the pathnames they stand for.
uusseerrddiirrss
This associative array maps user names to the pathnames of their
home directories.
ffuunnccssttaacckk
This array contains the names of the functions currently being
executed. The first element is the name of the function using
the parameter.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//PPCCRREE MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ppccrree module makes some commands available as builtins:
ppccrreeccoommppiillee [ -aaiimmxx ] PCRE
Compiles a perl-compatible regular expression.
Option -aa will force the pattern to be anchored. Option -ii will
compile a case-insensitive pattern. Option -mm will compile a
multi-line pattern; that is, ^^ and $$ will match newlines within
the pattern. Option -xx will compile an extended pattern,
wherein whitespace and ## comments are ignored.
ppccrreessttuuddyy
Studies the previously-compiled PCRE which may result in faster
matching.
ppccrreemmaattcchh [ -aa arr ] string
Returns successfully if ssttrriinngg matches the previously-compiled
PCRE.
If the expression captures substrings within parentheses,
ppccrreemmaattcchh will set the array $match to those substrings, unless
the -aa option is given, in which case it will set the array arr.
The zzsshh//ppccrree module makes available the following test condition:
expr -ppccrree-mmaattcchh pcre
Matches a string against a perl-compatible regular expression.
For example,
[[ "$text" -pcre-match ^d+$ ]] && print text variable contains
only "d's".
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//SSCCHHEEDD MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//sscchheedd module makes available one builtin command:
sscchheedd [++]hh::mm command ...
sscchheedd [ -item ]
Make an entry in the scheduled list of commands to execute. The
time may be specified in either absolute or relative time. With
no arguments, prints the list of scheduled commands. With the
argument `-item', removes the given item from the list.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//NNEETT//SSOOCCKKEETT MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//nneett//ssoocckkeett module makes available one builtin command:
zzssoocckkeett [ -aallttvv ] [ -dd fd ] [ args ]
zzssoocckkeett is implemented as a builtin to allow full use of shell
command line editing, file I/O, and job control mechanisms.
OOuuttbboouunndd CCoonnnneeccttiioonnss
zzssoocckkeett [ -vv ] [ -dd fd ] filename
Open a new Unix domain connection to filename. The shell param-
eter RREEPPLLYY will be set to the file descriptor associated with
that connection. Currently, only stream connections are sup-
ported.
If -dd is specified, its argument will be taken as the target
file descriptor for the connection.
In order to elicit more verbose output, use -vv.
IInnbboouunndd CCoonnnneeccttiioonnss
zzssoocckkeett -ll [ -vv ] [ -dd fd ] filename
zzssoocckkeett -ll will open a socket listening on filename. The shell
parameter RREEPPLLYY will be set to the file descriptor associated
with that listener.
If -dd is specified, its argument will be taken as the target
file descriptor for the connection.
In order to elicit more verbose output, use -vv.
zzssoocckkeett -aa [ -ttvv ] [ -dd targetfd ] listenfd
zzssoocckkeett -aa will accept an incoming connection to the socket
associated with listenfd. The shell parameter RREEPPLLYY will be set
to the file descriptor associated with the inbound connection.
If -dd is specified, its argument will be taken as the target
file descriptor for the connection.
If -tt is specified, zzssoocckkeett will return if no incoming connec-
tion is pending. Otherwise it will wait for one.
In order to elicit more verbose output, use -vv.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//SSTTAATT MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ssttaatt module makes available one builtin command:
ssttaatt [ -ggnnNNoollLLttTTrrss ] [ -ff fd ] [ -HH hash ] [ -AA array ] [ -FF fmt ] [
++element ] [ file ... ]
The command acts as a front end to the ssttaatt system call (see
stat(2)). If the ssttaatt call fails, the appropriate system error
message printed and status 1 is returned. The fields of ssttrruucctt
ssttaatt give information about the files provided as arguments to
the command. In addition to those available from the ssttaatt call,
an extra element `lliinnkk' is provided. These elements are:
ddeevviiccee The number of the device on which the file resides.
iinnooddee The unique number of the file on this device (`inode'
number).
mmooddee The mode of the file; that is, the file's type and access
permissions. With the -ss option, this will be returned
as a string corresponding to the first column in the dis-
play of the llss -ll command.
nnlliinnkk The number of hard links to the file.
uuiidd The user ID of the owner of the file. With the -ss
option, this is displayed as a user name.
ggiidd The group ID of the file. With the -ss option, this is
displayed as a group name.
rrddeevv The raw device number. This is only useful for special
devices.
ssiizzee The size of the file in bytes.
aattiimmee
mmttiimmee
ccttiimmee The last access, modification and inode change times of
the file, respectively, as the number of seconds since
midnight GMT on 1st January, 1970. With the -ss option,
these are printed as strings for the local time zone; the
format can be altered with the -FF option, and with the -gg
option the times are in GMT.
bbllkkssiizzee
The number of bytes in one allocation block on the device
on which the file resides.
bblloocckk The number of disk blocks used by the file.
lliinnkk If the file is a link and the -LL option is in effect,
this contains the name of the file linked to, otherwise
it is empty. Note that if this element is selected
(``ssttaatt ++lliinnkk'') then the -LL option is automatically
used.
A particular element may be selected by including its name pre-
ceded by a `++' in the option list; only one element is allowed.
The element may be shortened to any unique set of leading char-
acters. Otherwise, all elements will be shown for all files.
Options:
-AA array
Instead of displaying the results on standard output,
assign them to an array, one ssttrruucctt ssttaatt element per
array element for each file in order. In this case nei-
ther the name of the element nor the name of the files
appears in array unless the -tt or -nn options were given,
respectively. If -tt is given, the element name appears
as a prefix to the appropriate array element; if -nn is
given, the file name appears as a separate array element
preceding all the others. Other formatting options are
respected.
-HH hash
Similar to -AA, but instead assign the values to hash.
The keys are the elements listed above. If the -nn option
is provided then the name of the file is included in the
hash with key nnaammee.
-ff fd Use the file on file descriptor fd instead of named
files; no list of file names is allowed in this case.
-FF fmt Supplies a ssttrrffttiimmee (see strftime(3)) string for the for-
matting of the time elements. The -ss option is implied.
-gg Show the time elements in the GMT time zone. The -ss
option is implied.
-ll List the names of the type elements (to standard output
or an array as appropriate) and return immediately;
options other than -AA and arguments are ignored.
-LL Perform an llssttaatt (see lstat(2)) rather than a ssttaatt system
call. In this case, if the file is a link, information
about the link itself rather than the target file is
returned. This option is required to make the lliinnkk ele-
ment useful.
-nn Always show the names of files. Usually these are only
shown when output is to standard output and there is more
than one file in the list.
-NN Never show the names of files.
-oo If a raw file mode is printed, show it in octal, which is
more useful for human consumption than the default of
decimal. A leading zero will be printed in this case.
Note that this does not affect whether a raw or formatted
file mode is shown, which is controlled by the -rr and -ss
options, nor whether a mode is shown at all.
-rr Print raw data (the default format) alongside string data
(the -ss format); the string data appears in parentheses
after the raw data.
-ss Print mmooddee, uuiidd, ggiidd and the three time elements as
strings instead of numbers. In each case the format is
like that of llss -ll.
-tt Always show the type names for the elements of ssttrruucctt
ssttaatt. Usually these are only shown when output is to
standard output and no individual element has been
selected.
-TT Never show the type names of the ssttrruucctt ssttaatt elements.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//SSYYSSTTEEMM MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//ssyysstteemm module makes available three builtin commands and a
parameter.
BBUUIILLTTIINNSS
ssyysseerrrroorr [[ -ee errvar ]] [[ -pp prefix ]] [[ errno || errname ]]
This command prints out the error message associated with errno,
a system error number, followed by a newline to standard error.
Instead of the error number, a name errname, for example EENNOOEENNTT,
may be used. The set of names is the same as the contents of
the array eerrrrnnooss, see below.
If the string prefix is given, it is printed in front of the
error message, with no intervening space.
If errvar is supplied, the entire message, without a newline, is
assigned to the parameter names errvar and nothing is output.
A return value of 0 indicates the message was successfully
printed (although it may not be useful if the error number was
out of the system's range), a return value of 1 indicates an
error in the parameters, and a return value of 2 indicates the
error name was not recognised (no message is printed for this).
ssyyssrreeaadd [[ -cc countvar ]] [[ -ii infd ]] [[ -oo outfd ]]
[[ -ss bufsize ]] [[ -tt timeout ]] [[ param ]]
Perform a single system read from file descriptor infd, or zero
if that is not given. The result of the read is stored in param
or REPLY if that is not given. If countvar is given, the number
of bytes read is assigned to the parameter named by countvar.
The maximum number of bytes read is bufsize or 8192 if that is
not given, however the command returns as soon as any number of
bytes was successfully read.
If timeout is given, it specifies a timeout in seconds, which
may be zero to poll the file descriptor. This is handled by the
ppoollll system call if available, otherwise the sseelleecctt system call
if available.
If outfd is given, an attempt is made to write all the bytes
just read to the file descriptor outfd. If this fails, because
of a system error other than EEIINNTTRR or because of an internal zsh
error during an interrupt, the bytes read but not written are
stored in the parameter named by param if supplied (no default
is used in this case), and the number of bytes read but not
written is stored in the parameter named by countvar if that is
supplied. If it was successful, countvar contains the full num-
ber of bytes transferred, as usual, and param is not set.
The error EEIINNTTRR (interrupted system call) is handled internally
so that shell interrupts are transparent to the caller. Any
other error causes a return.
The possible return values are
0 At least one byte of data was successfully read and, if
appropriate, written.
1 There was an error in the parameters to the command.
This is the only error for which a message is printed to
standard error.
2 There was an error on the read, or on polling the input
file descriptor for a timeout. The parameter EERRRRNNOO gives
the error.
3 Data were successfully read, but there was an error writ-
ing them to outfd. The parameter EERRRRNNOO gives the error.
4 The attempt to read timed out. Note this does not set
EERRRRNNOO as this is not a system error.
5 No system error occurred, but zero bytes were read. This
usually indicates end of file. The parameters are set
according to the usual rules; no write to outfd is
attempted.
ssyysswwrriittee [[ -cc countvar ]] [[ -oo outfd ]] data
The data (a single string of bytes) are written to the file
descriptor outfd, or 1 if that is not given, using the wwrriittee
system call. Multiple write operations may be used if the first
does not write all the data.
If countvar is given, the number of byte written is stored in
the parameter named by countvar; this may not be the full length
of data if an error occurred.
The error EEIINNTTRR (interrupted system call) is handled internally
by retrying; otherwise an error causes the command to return.
For example, if the file descriptor is set to non-blocking out-
put, an error EEAAGGAAIINN (on some systems, EEWWOOUULLDDBBLLOOCCKK) may result
in the command returning early.
The return status may be 0 for success, 1 for an error in the
parameters to the command, or 2 for an error on the write; no
error message is printed in the last case, but the parameter
EERRRRNNOO will reflect the error that occurred.
PPAARRAAMMEETTEERRSS
eerrrrnnooss A readonly array of the names of errors defined on the system.
These are typically macros defined in C by including the system
header file eerrrrnnoo..hh. The index of each name (assuming the
option KKSSHHAARRRRAAYYSS is unset) corresponds to the error number.
Error numbers num before the last known error which have no name
are given the name EEnum in the array.
Note that aliases for errors are not handled; only the canonical
name is used.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//NNEETT//TTCCPP MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//nneett//ttccpp module makes available one builtin command:
zzttccpp [ -aaccffllLLttvv ] [ -dd fd ] [ args ]
zzttccpp is implemented as a builtin to allow full use of shell com-
mand line editing, file I/O, and job control mechanisms.
If zzttccpp is run with no options, it will output the contents of
its session table.
If it is run with only the option -LL, it will output the con-
tents of the session table in a format suitable for automatic
parsing. The option is ignored if given with a command to open
or close a session. The output consists of a set of lines, one
per session, each containing the following elements separated by
spaces:
File descriptor
The file descriptor in use for the connection. For nor-
mal inbound (II) and outbound (OO) connections this may be
read and written by the usual shell mechanisms. However,
it should only be close with `zzttccpp -cc'.
Connection type
A letter indicating how the session was created:
ZZ A session created with the zzffttpp command.
LL A connection opened for listening with `zzttccpp -ll'.
II An inbound connection accepted with `zzttccpp -aa'.
OO An outbound connection created with `zzttccpp host
...'.
The local host
This is usually set to an all-zero IP address as the
address of the localhost is irrelevant.
The local port
This is likely to be zero unless the connection is for
listening.
The remote host
This is the fully qualified domain name of the peer, if
available, else an IP address. It is an all-zero IP
address for a session opened for listening.
The remote port
This is zero for a connection opened for listening.
OOuuttbboouunndd CCoonnnneeccttiioonnss
zzttccpp [ -vv ] [ -dd fd ] host [ port ]
Open a new TCP connection to host. If the port is omitted, it
will default to port 23. The connection will be added to the
session table and the shell parameter RREEPPLLYY will be set to the
file descriptor associated with that connection.
If -dd is specified, its argument will be taken as the target
file descriptor for the connection.
In order to elicit more verbose output, use -vv.
IInnbboouunndd CCoonnnneeccttiioonnss
zzttccpp -ll [ -vv ] [ -dd fd ] port
zzttccpp -ll will open a socket listening on TCP port. The socket
will be added to the session table and the shell parameter RREEPPLLYY
will be set to the file descriptor associated with that lis-
tener.
If -dd is specified, its argument will be taken as the target
file descriptor for the connection.
In order to elicit more verbose output, use -vv.
zzttccpp -aa [ -ttvv ] [ -dd targetfd ] listenfd
zzttccpp -aa will accept an incoming connection to the port associ-
ated with listenfd. The connection will be added to the session
table and the shell parameter RREEPPLLYY will be set to the file
descriptor associated with the inbound connection.
If -dd is specified, its argument will be taken as the target
file descriptor for the connection.
If -tt is specified, zzttccpp will return if no incoming connection
is pending. Otherwise it will wait for one.
In order to elicit more verbose output, use -vv.
CClloossiinngg CCoonnnneeccttiioonnss
zzttccpp -ccff [ -vv ] [ fd ]
zzttccpp -cc [ -vv ] [ fd ]
zzttccpp -cc will close the socket associated with fd. The socket
will be removed from the session table. If fd is not specified,
zzttccpp will close everything in the session table.
Normally, sockets registered by zftp (see zshmodules(1) ) cannot
be closed this way. In order to force such a socket closed, use
-ff.
In order to elicit more verbose output, use -vv.
EExxaammppllee
Here is how to create a TCP connection between two instances of zsh.
We need to pick an unassigned port; here we use the randomly chosen
5123.
On hhoosstt11,
zzmmooddllooaadd zzsshh//nneett//ttccpp
zzttccpp -ll 55112233
lliisstteennffdd==$$RREEPPLLYY
zzttccpp -aa $$lliisstteennffdd
ffdd==$$RREEPPLLYY
The second from last command blocks until there is an incoming connec-
tion.
Now create a connection from hhoosstt22 (which may, of course, be the same
machine):
zzmmooddllooaadd zzsshh//nneett//ttccpp
zzttccpp hhoosstt11 55112233
ffdd==$$RREEPPLLYY
Now on each host, $$ffdd contains a file descriptor for talking to the
other. For example, on hhoosstt11:
pprriinntt TThhiiss iiss aa mmeessssaaggee >>&&$$ffdd
and on hhoosstt22:
rreeaadd -rr lliinnee <<&&$$ffdd;; pprriinntt -rr - $$lliinnee
prints `TThhiiss iiss aa mmeessssaaggee'.
To tidy up, on hhoosstt11:
zzttccpp -cc $$lliisstteennffdd
zzttccpp -cc $$ffdd
and on hhoosstt22
zzttccpp -cc $$ffdd
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//TTEERRMMCCAAPP MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//tteerrmmccaapp module makes available one builtin command:
eecchhoottcc cap [ arg ... ]
Output the termcap value corresponding to the capability cap,
with optional arguments.
The zzsshh//tteerrmmccaapp module makes available one parameter:
tteerrmmccaapp
An associative array that maps termcap capability codes to their
values.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//TTEERRMMIINNFFOO MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//tteerrmmiinnffoo module makes available one builtin command:
eecchhoottii cap [ arg ]
Output the terminfo value corresponding to the capability cap,
instantiated with arg if applicable.
The zzsshh//tteerrmmiinnffoo module makes available one parameter:
tteerrmmiinnffoo
An associative array that maps terminfo capability names to
their values.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//ZZFFTTPP MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//zzffttpp module makes available one builtin command:
zzffttpp subcommand [ args ]
The zzsshh//zzffttpp module is a client for FTP (file transfer proto-
col). It is implemented as a builtin to allow full use of shell
command line editing, file I/O, and job control mechanisms.
Often, users will access it via shell functions providing a more
powerful interface; a set is provided with the zzsshh distribution
and is described in zshzftpsys(1). However, the zzffttpp command is
entirely usable in its own right.
All commands consist of the command name zzffttpp followed by the
name of a subcommand. These are listed below. The return sta-
tus of each subcommand is supposed to reflect the success or
failure of the remote operation. See a description of the vari-
able ZZFFTTPPVVEERRBBOOSSEE for more information on how responses from the
server may be printed.
SSuubbccoommmmaannddss
ooppeenn host[::port] [ user [ password [ account ] ] ]
Open a new FTP session to host, which may be the name of a
TCP/IP connected host or an IP number in the standard dot nota-
tion. If the argument is in the form host::port, open a connec-
tion to TCP port port instead of the standard FTP port 21. This
may be the name of a TCP service or a number: see the descrip-
tion of ZZFFTTPPPPOORRTT below for more information.
If IPv6 addresses in colon format are used, the host should be
surrounded by quoted square brackets to distinguish it from the
port, for example ''[[ffee8800::::220033::bbaaffff::ffee0022::88bb5566]]''. For consistency
this is allowed with all forms of host.
Remaining arguments are passed to the llooggiinn subcommand. Note
that if no arguments beyond host are supplied, ooppeenn will not
automatically call llooggiinn. If no arguments at all are supplied,
ooppeenn will use the parameters set by the ppaarraammss subcommand.
After a successful open, the shell variables ZZFFTTPPHHOOSSTT,
ZZFFTTPPPPOORRTT, ZZFFTTPPIIPP and ZZFFTTPPSSYYSSTTEEMM are available; see `Vari-
ables' below.
llooggiinn [ name [ password [ account ] ] ]
uusseerr [ name [ password [ account ] ] ]
Login the user name with parameters password and account. Any
of the parameters can be omitted, and will be read from standard
input if needed (name is always needed). If standard input is a
terminal, a prompt for each one will be printed on standard
error and password will not be echoed. If any of the parameters
are not used, a warning message is printed.
After a successful login, the shell variables ZZFFTTPPUUSSEERR,
ZZFFTTPPAACCCCOOUUNNTT and ZZFFTTPPPPWWDD are available; see `Variables' below.
This command may be re-issued when a user is already logged in,
and the server will first be reinitialized for a new user.
ppaarraammss [ host [ user [ password [ account ] ] ] ]
ppaarraammss -
Store the given parameters for a later ooppeenn command with no
arguments. Only those given on the command line will be remem-
bered. If no arguments are given, the parameters currently set
are printed, although the password will appear as a line of
stars; the return value is one if no parameters were set, zero
otherwise.
Any of the parameters may be specified as a `??', which may need
to be quoted to protect it from shell expansion. In this case,
the appropriate parameter will be read from stdin as with the
llooggiinn subcommand, including special handling of password. If
the `??' is followed by a string, that is used as the prompt for
reading the parameter instead of the default message (any neces-
sary punctuation and whitespace should be included at the end of
the prompt). The first letter of the parameter (only) may be
quoted with a `\\'; hence an argument ""\\\\$$wwoorrdd"" guarantees that
the string from the shell parameter $$wwoorrdd will be treated liter-
ally, whether or not it begins with a `??'.
If instead a single `-' is given, the existing parameters, if
any, are deleted. In that case, calling ooppeenn with no arguments
will cause an error.
The list of parameters is not deleted after a cclloossee, however it
will be deleted if the zzsshh//zzffttpp module is unloaded.
For example,
zzffttpp ppaarraammss ffttpp..eellsseewwhheerree..xxxx jjuusseerr ''??PPaasssswwoorrdd ffoorr jjuusseerr:: ''
will store the host ffttpp..eellsseewwhheerree..xxxx and the user jjuusseerr and then
prompt the user for the corresponding password with the given
prompt.
tteesstt Test the connection; if the server has reported that it has
closed the connection (maybe due to a timeout), return status 2;
if no connection was open anyway, return status 1; else return
status 0. The tteesstt subcommand is silent, apart from messages
printed by the $$ZZFFTTPPVVEERRBBOOSSEE mechanism, or error messages if the
connection closes. There is no network overhead for this test.
The test is only supported on systems with either the sseelleecctt((22))
or ppoollll((22)) system calls; otherwise the message `nnoott ssuuppppoorrtteedd oonn
tthhiiss ssyysstteemm' is printed instead.
The tteesstt subcommand will automatically be called at the start of
any other subcommand for the current session when a connection
is open.
ccdd directory
Change the remote directory to directory. Also alters the shell
variable ZZFFTTPPPPWWDD.
ccdduupp Change the remote directory to the one higher in the directory
tree. Note that ccdd .... will also work correctly on non-UNIX sys-
tems.
ddiirr [ args... ]
Give a (verbose) listing of the remote directory. The args are
passed directly to the server. The command's behaviour is imple-
mentation dependent, but a UNIX server will typically interpret
args as arguments to the llss command and with no arguments return
the result of `llss -ll'. The directory is listed to standard out-
put.
llss [ args ]
Give a (short) listing of the remote directory. With no args,
produces a raw list of the files in the directory, one per line.
Otherwise, up to vagaries of the server implementation, behaves
similar to ddiirr.
ttyyppee [ type ]
Change the type for the transfer to type, or print the current
type if type is absent. The allowed values are `AA' (ASCII), `II'
(Image, i.e. binary), or `BB' (a synonym for `II').
The FTP default for a transfer is ASCII. However, if zzffttpp finds
that the remote host is a UNIX machine with 8-bit byes, it will
automatically switch to using binary for file transfers upon
ooppeenn. This can subsequently be overridden.
The transfer type is only passed to the remote host when a data
connection is established; this command involves no network
overhead.
aasscciiii The same as ttyyppee AA.
bbiinnaarryy The same as ttyyppee II.
mmooddee [ SS | BB ]
Set the mode type to stream (SS) or block (BB). Stream mode is
the default; block mode is not widely supported.
rreemmoottee files...
llooccaall [ files... ]
Print the size and last modification time of the remote or local
files. If there is more than one item on the list, the name of
the file is printed first. The first number is the file size,
the second is the last modification time of the file in the for-
mat CCCCYYYYMMMMDDDDhhhhmmmmSSSS consisting of year, month, date, hour, min-
utes and seconds in GMT. Note that this format, including the
length, is guaranteed, so that time strings can be directly com-
pared via the [[[[ builtin's << and >> operators, even if they are
too long to be represented as integers.
Not all servers support the commands for retrieving this infor-
mation. In that case, the rreemmoottee command will print nothing and
return status 2, compared with status 1 for a file not found.
The llooccaall command (but not rreemmoottee) may be used with no argu-
ments, in which case the information comes from examining file
descriptor zero. This is the same file as seen by a ppuutt command
with no further redirection.
ggeett file [...]
Retrieve all files from the server, concatenating them and send-
ing them to standard output.
ppuutt file [...]
For each file, read a file from standard input and send that to
the remote host with the given name.
aappppeenndd file [...]
As ppuutt, but if the remote file already exists, data is appended
to it instead of overwriting it.
ggeettaatt file point
ppuuttaatt file point
aappppeennddaatt file point
Versions of ggeett, ppuutt and aappppeenndd which will start the transfer at
the given point in the remote file. This is useful for append-
ing to an incomplete local file. However, note that this abil-
ity is not universally supported by servers (and is not quite
the behaviour specified by the standard).
ddeelleettee file [...]
Delete the list of files on the server.
mmkkddiirr directory
Create a new directory directory on the server.
rrmmddiirr directory
Delete the directory directory on the server.
rreennaammee old-name new-name
Rename file old-name to new-name on the server.
ssiittee args...
Send a host-specific command to the server. You will probably
only need this if instructed by the server to use it.
qquuoottee args...
Send the raw FTP command sequence to the server. You should be
familiar with the FTP command set as defined in RFC959 before
doing this. Useful commands may include SSTTAATT and HHEELLPP. Note
also the mechanism for returning messages as described for the
variable ZZFFTTPPVVEERRBBOOSSEE below, in particular that all messages
from the control connection are sent to standard error.
cclloossee
qquuiitt Close the current data connection. This unsets the shell param-
eters ZZFFTTPPHHOOSSTT, ZZFFTTPPPPOORRTT, ZZFFTTPPIIPP, ZZFFTTPPSSYYSSTTEEMM, ZZFFTTPPUUSSEERR,
ZZFFTTPPAACCCCOOUUNNTT, ZZFFTTPPPPWWDD, ZZFFTTPPTTYYPPEE and ZZFFTTPPMMOODDEE.
sseessssiioonn [ sessname ]
Allows multiple FTP sessions to be used at once. The name of
the session is an arbitrary string of characters; the default
session is called `ddeeffaauulltt'. If this command is called without
an argument, it will list all the current sessions; with an
argument, it will either switch to the existing session called
sessname, or create a new session of that name.
Each session remembers the status of the connection, the set of
connection-specific shell parameters (the same set as are unset
when a connection closes, as given in the description of cclloossee),
and any user parameters specified with the ppaarraammss subcommand.
Changing to a previous session restores those values; changing
to a new session initialises them in the same way as if zzffttpp had
just been loaded. The name of the current session is given by
the parameter ZZFFTTPPSSEESSSSIIOONN.
rrmmsseessssiioonn [ sessname ]
Delete a session; if a name is not given, the current session is
deleted. If the current session is deleted, the earliest exist-
ing session becomes the new current session, otherwise the cur-
rent session is not changed. If the session being deleted is
the only one, a new session called `ddeeffaauulltt' is created and
becomes the current session; note that this is a new session
even if the session being deleted is also called `ddeeffaauulltt'. It
is recommended that sessions not be deleted while background
commands which use zzffttpp are still active.
PPaarraammeetteerrss
The following shell parameters are used by zzffttpp. Currently none of
them are special.
ZZFFTTPPTTMMOOUUTT
Integer. The time in seconds to wait for a network operation to
complete before returning an error. If this is not set when the
module is loaded, it will be given the default value 60. A
value of zero turns off timeouts. If a timeout occurs on the
control connection it will be closed. Use a larger value if
this occurs too frequently.
ZZFFTTPPIIPP
Readonly. The IP address of the current connection in dot nota-
tion.
ZZFFTTPPHHOOSSTT
Readonly. The hostname of the current remote server. If the
host was opened as an IP number, ZZFFTTPPHHOOSSTT contains that
instead; this saves the overhead for a name lookup, as IP num-
bers are most commonly used when a nameserver is unavailable.
ZZFFTTPPPPOORRTT
Readonly. The number of the remote TCP port to which the con-
nection is open (even if the port was originally specified as a
named service). Usually this is the standard FTP port, 21.
In the unlikely event that your system does not have the appro-
priate conversion functions, this appears in network byte order.
If your system is little-endian, the port then consists of two
swapped bytes and the standard port will be reported as 5376.
In that case, numeric ports passed to zzffttpp ooppeenn will also need
to be in this format.
ZZFFTTPPSSYYSSTTEEMM
Readonly. The system type string returned by the server in
response to an FTP SSYYSSTT request. The most interesting case is a
string beginning ""UUNNIIXX TTyyppee:: LL88"", which ensures maximum compati-
bility with a local UNIX host.
ZZFFTTPPTTYYPPEE
Readonly. The type to be used for data transfers , either `AA'
or `II'. Use the ttyyppee subcommand to change this.
ZZFFTTPPUUSSEERR
Readonly. The username currently logged in, if any.
ZZFFTTPPAACCCCOOUUNNTT
Readonly. The account name of the current user, if any. Most
servers do not require an account name.
ZZFFTTPPPPWWDD
Readonly. The current directory on the server.
ZZFFTTPPCCOODDEE
Readonly. The three digit code of the last FTP reply from the
server as a string. This can still be read after the connection
is closed, and is not changed when the current session changes.
ZZFFTTPPRREEPPLLYY
Readonly. The last line of the last reply sent by the server.
This can still be read after the connection is closed, and is
not changed when the current session changes.
ZZFFTTPPSSEESSSSIIOONN
Readonly. The name of the current FTP session; see the descrip-
tion of the sseessssiioonn subcommand.
ZZFFTTPPPPRREEFFSS
A string of preferences for altering aspects of zzffttpp's behav-
iour. Each preference is a single character. The following are
defined:
PP Passive: attempt to make the remote server initiate data
transfers. This is slightly more efficient than sendport
mode. If the letter SS occurs later in the string, zzffttpp
will use sendport mode if passive mode is not available.
SS Sendport: initiate transfers by the FTP PPOORRTT command.
If this occurs before any PP in the string, passive mode
will never be attempted.
DD Dumb: use only the bare minimum of FTP commands. This
prevents the variables ZZFFTTPPSSYYSSTTEEMM and ZZFFTTPPPPWWDD from
being set, and will mean all connections default to ASCII
type. It may prevent ZZFFTTPPSSIIZZEE from being set during a
transfer if the server does not send it anyway (many
servers do).
If ZZFFTTPPPPRREEFFSS is not set when zzffttpp is loaded, it will be set to
a default of `PPSS', i.e. use passive mode if available, otherwise
fall back to sendport mode.
ZZFFTTPPVVEERRBBOOSSEE
A string of digits between 0 and 5 inclusive, specifying which
responses from the server should be printed. All responses go
to standard error. If any of the numbers 1 to 5 appear in the
string, raw responses from the server with reply codes beginning
with that digit will be printed to standard error. The first
digit of the three digit reply code is defined by RFC959 to cor-
respond to:
1. A positive preliminary reply.
2. A positive completion reply.
3. A positive intermediate reply.
4. A transient negative completion reply.
5. A permanent negative completion reply.
It should be noted that, for unknown reasons, the reply `Service
not available', which forces termination of a connection, is
classified as 421, i.e. `transient negative', an interesting
interpretation of the word `transient'.
The code 0 is special: it indicates that all but the last line
of multiline replies read from the server will be printed to
standard error in a processed format. By convention, servers
use this mechanism for sending information for the user to read.
The appropriate reply code, if it matches the same response,
takes priority.
If ZZFFTTPPVVEERRBBOOSSEE is not set when zzffttpp is loaded, it will be set
to the default value 445500, i.e., messages destined for the user
and all errors will be printed. A null string is valid and
specifies that no messages should be printed.
FFuunnccttiioonnss
zzffttppcchhppwwdd
If this function is set by the user, it is called every time the
directory changes on the server, including when a user is logged
in, or when a connection is closed. In the last case, $$ZZFFTTPPPPWWDD
will be unset; otherwise it will reflect the new directory.
zzffttpppprrooggrreessss
If this function is set by the user, it will be called during a
ggeett, ppuutt or aappppeenndd operation each time sufficient data has been
received from the host. During a ggeett, the data is sent to stan-
dard output, so it is vital that this function should write to
standard error or directly to the terminal, not to standard out-
put.
When it is called with a transfer in progress, the following
additional shell parameters are set:
ZZFFTTPPFFIILLEE
The name of the remote file being transferred from or to.
ZZFFTTPPTTRRAANNSSFFEERR
A GG for a ggeett operation and a PP for a ppuutt operation.
ZZFFTTPPSSIIZZEE
The total size of the complete file being transferred:
the same as the first value provided by the rreemmoottee and
llooccaall subcommands for a particular file. If the server
cannot supply this value for a remote file being
retrieved, it will not be set. If input is from a pipe
the value may be incorrect and correspond simply to a
full pipe buffer.
ZZFFTTPPCCOOUUNNTT
The amount of data so far transferred; a number between
zero and $$ZZFFTTPPSSIIZZEE, if that is set. This number is
always available.
The function is initially called with ZZFFTTPPTTRRAANNSSFFEERR set appro-
priately and ZZFFTTPPCCOOUUNNTT set to zero. After the transfer is fin-
ished, the function will be called one more time with
ZZFFTTPPTTRRAANNSSFFEERR set to GGFF or PPFF, in case it wishes to tidy up. It
is otherwise never called twice with the same value of
ZZFFTTPPCCOOUUNNTT.
Sometimes the progress meter may cause disruption. It is up to
the user to decide whether the function should be defined and to
use uunnffuunnccttiioonn when necessary.
PPrroobblleemmss
A connection may not be opened in the left hand side of a pipe as this
occurs in a subshell and the file information is not updated in the
main shell. In the case of type or mode changes or closing the connec-
tion in a subshell, the information is returned but variables are not
updated until the next call to zzffttpp. Other status changes in subshells
will not be reflected by changes to the variables (but should be other-
wise harmless).
Deleting sessions while a zzffttpp command is active in the background can
have unexpected effects, even if it does not use the session being
deleted. This is because all shell subprocesses share information on
the state of all connections, and deleting a session changes the order-
ing of that information.
On some operating systems, the control connection is not valid after a
fork(), so that operations in subshells, on the left hand side of a
pipeline, or in the background are not possible, as they should be.
This is presumably a bug in the operating system.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//ZZLLEE MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//zzllee module contains the Zsh Line Editor. See zshzle(1).
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//ZZLLEEPPAARRAAMMEETTEERR MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//zzlleeppaarraammeetteerr module defines two special parameters that can be
used to access internal information of the Zsh Line Editor (see zsh-
zle(1)).
kkeeyymmaappss
This array contains the names of the keymaps currently defined.
wwiiddggeettss
This associative array contains one entry per widget defined.
The name of the widget is the key and the value gives informa-
tion about the widget. It is either the string `bbuuiillttiinn' for
builtin widgets, a string of the form `uusseerr::name' for
user-defined widgets, where name is the name of the shell func-
tion implementing the widget, or it is a string of the form
`ccoommpplleettiioonn::type::name', for completion widgets. In the last case
type is the name of the builtin widgets the completion widget
imitates in its behavior and name is the name of the shell func-
tion implementing the completion widget.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//ZZPPRROOFF MMOODDUULLEE
When loaded, the zzsshh//zzpprrooff causes shell functions to be profiled. The
profiling results can be obtained with the zzpprrooff builtin command made
available by this module. There is no way to turn profiling off other
than unloading the module.
zzpprrooff [ -cc ]
Without the -cc option, zzpprrooff lists profiling results to standard
output. The format is comparable to that of commands like
ggpprrooff.
At the top there is a summary listing all functions that were
called at least once. This summary is sorted in decreasing
order of the amount of time spent in each. The lines contain
the number of the function in order, which is used in other
parts of the list in suffixes of the form `[[num]]'.RE, then the
number of calls made to the function. The next three columns
list the time in milliseconds spent in the function and its
descendents, the average time in milliseconds spent in the func-
tion and its descendents per call and the percentage of time
spent in all shell functions used in this function and its
descendents. The following three columns give the same informa-
tion, but counting only the time spent in the function itself.
The final column shows the name of the function.
After the summary, detailed information about every function
that was invoked is listed, sorted in decreasing order of the
amount of time spent in each function and its descendents. Each
of these entries consists of descriptions for the functions that
called the function described, the function itself, and the
functions that were called from it. The description for the
function itself has the same format as in the summary (and shows
the same information). The other lines don't show the number of
the function at the beginning and have their function named
indented to make it easier to distinguish the line showing the
function described in the section from the surrounding lines.
The information shown in this case is almost the same as in the
summary, but only refers to the call hierarchy being displayed.
For example, for a calling function the column showing the total
running time lists the time spent in the described function and
its descendents only for the times when it was called from that
particular calling function. Likewise, for a called function,
this columns lists the total time spent in the called function
and its descendents only for the times when it was called from
the function described.
Also in this case, the column showing the number of calls to a
function also shows a slash and then the total number of invoca-
tions made to the called function.
As long as the zzsshh//zzpprrooff module is loaded, profiling will be
done and multiple invocations of the zzpprrooff builtin command will
show the times and numbers of calls since the module was loaded.
With the -cc option, the zzpprrooff builtin command will reset its
internal counters and will not show the listing. )
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//ZZPPTTYY MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//zzppttyy module offers one builtin:
zzppttyy [ -ee ] [ -bb ] name [ arg ... ]
The arguments following name are concatenated with spaces
between, then executed as a command, as if passed to the eevvaall
builtin. The command runs under a newly assigned pseudo-termi-
nal; this is useful for running commands non-interactively which
expect an interactive environment. The name is not part of the
command, but is used to refer to this command in later calls to
zzppttyy.
With the -ee option, the pseudo-terminal is set up so that input
characters are echoed.
With the -bb option, input to and output from the pseudo-terminal
are made non-blocking.
zzppttyy -dd [ names ... ]
The second form, with the -dd option, is used to delete commands
previously started, by supplying a list of their names. If no
names are given, all commands are deleted. Deleting a command
causes the HUP signal to be sent to the corresponding process.
zzppttyy -ww [ -nn ] name [ strings ... ]
The -ww option can be used to send the to command name the given
strings as input (separated by spaces). If the -nn option is not
given, a newline is added at the end.
If no strings are provided, the standard input is copied to the
pseudo-terminal; this may stop before copying the full input if
the pseudo-terminal is non-blocking.
Note that the command under the pseudo-terminal sees this input
as if it were typed, so beware when sending special tty driver
characters such as word-erase, line-kill, and end-of-file.
zzppttyy -rr [ -tt ] name [ param [ pattern ] ]
The -rr option can be used to read the output of the command
name. With only a name argument, the output read is copied to
the standard output. Unless the pseudo-terminal is non-block-
ing, copying continues until the command under the pseudo-termi-
nal exits; when non-blocking, only as much output as is immedi-
ately available is copied. The return value is zero if any out-
put is copied.
When also given a param argument, at most one line is read and
stored in the parameter named param. Less than a full line may
be read if the pseudo-terminal is non-blocking. The return
value is zero if at least one character is stored in param.
If a pattern is given as well, output is read until the whole
string read matches the pattern, even in the non-blocking case.
The return value is zero if the string read matches the pattern,
or if the command has exited but at least one character could
still be read. As of this writing, a maximum of one megabyte of
output can be consumed this way; if a full megabyte is read
without matching the pattern, the return value is non-zero.
In all cases, the return value is non-zero if nothing could be
read, and is 22 if this is because the command has finished.
If the -rr option is combined with the -tt option, zzppttyy tests
whether output is available before trying to read. If no output
is available, zzppttyy immediately returns the value 11.
zzppttyy -tt name
The -tt option without the -rr option can be used to test whether
the command name is still running. It returns a zero value if
the command is running and a non-zero value otherwise.
zzppttyy [ -LL ]
The last form, without any arguments, is used to list the com-
mands currently defined. If the -LL option is given, this is
done in the form of calls to the zzppttyy builtin.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//ZZSSEELLEECCTT MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//zzsseelleecctt module makes available one builtin command:
zzsseelleecctt [ -rrwwee -tt timeout -aa array ] [ fd ... ]
The zzsseelleecctt builtin is a front-end to the `select' system call,
which blocks until a file descriptor is ready for reading or
writing, or has an error condition, with an optional timeout.
If this is not available on your system, the command prints an
error message and returns status 2 (normal errors return status
1). For more information, see your systems documentation for
select(3). Note there is no connection with the shell builtin
of the same name.
Arguments and options may be intermingled in any order.
Non-option arguments are file descriptors, which must be decimal
integers. By default, file descriptors are to be tested for
reading, i.e. zzsseelleecctt will return when data is available to be
read from the file descriptor, or more precisely, when a read
operation from the file descriptor will not block. After a -rr,
-ww and -ee, the given file descriptors are to be tested for read-
ing, writing, or error conditions. These options and an arbi-
trary list of file descriptors may be given in any order.
(The presence of an `error condition' is not well defined in the
documentation for many implementations of the select system
call. According to recent versions of the POSIX specification,
it is really an exception condition, of which the only standard
example is out-of-band data received on a socket. So zsh users
are unlikely to find the -ee option useful.)
The option `-tt timeout' specifies a timeout in hundredths of a
second. This may be zero, in which case the file descriptors
will simply be polled and zzsseelleecctt will return immediately. It
is possible to call zselect with no file descriptors and a
non-zero timeout for use as a finer-grained replacement for
`sleep'; not, however, the return status is always 1 for a time-
out.
The option `-aa array' indicates that aarrrraayy should be set to
indicate the file descriptor(s) which are ready. If the option
is not given, the array rreeppllyy will be used for this purpose.
The array will contain a string similar to the arguments for
zzsseelleecctt. For example,
zzsseelleecctt -tt 00 -rr 00 -ww 11
might return immediately with status 0 and $$rreeppllyy containing `-rr
00 -ww 11' to show that both file descriptors are ready for the
requested operations.
The option `-AA assoc' indicates that the associative array aassssoocc
should be set to indicate the file descriptor(s) which are
ready. This option overrides the option -aa, nor will rreeppllyy be
modified. The keys of aassssoocc are the file descriptors, and the
corresponding values are any of the characters `rrwwee' to indicate
the condition.
The command returns 0 if some file descriptors are ready for
reading. If the operation timed out, or a timeout of 0 was
given and no file descriptors were ready, or there was an error,
it returns status 1 and the array will not be set (nor modified
in any way). If there was an error in the select operation the
appropriate error message is printed.
TTHHEE ZZSSHH//ZZUUTTIILL MMOODDUULLEE
The zzsshh//zzuuttiill module only adds some builtins:
zzssttyyllee [ -LL ]
zzssttyyllee [ -ee | - | -- ] pattern style strings ...
zzssttyyllee -dd [ pattern [ styles ... ] ]
zzssttyyllee -gg name [ pattern [ style ] ]
zzssttyyllee -aabbss context style name [ sep ]
zzssttyyllee -TTtt context style [ strings ...]
zzssttyyllee -mm context style pattern
This builtin command is used to define and lookup styles.
Styles are pairs of names and values, where the values consist
of any number of strings. They are stored together with pat-
terns and lookup is done by giving a string, called the `con-
text', which is compared to the patterns. The definition stored
for the first matching pattern will be returned.
For ordering of comparisons, patterns are searched from most
specific to least specific, and patterns that are equally spe-
cific keep the order in which they were defined. A pattern is
considered to be more specific than another if it contains more
components (substrings separated by colons) or if the patterns
for the components are more specific, where simple strings are
considered to be more specific than patterns and complex pat-
terns are considered to be more specific than the pattern `**'.
The first form (without arguments) lists the definitions in the
order zzssttyyllee will test them. If the -LL option is given, listing
is done in the form of calls to zzssttyyllee. Forms with arguments:
zzssttyyllee [ - | -- | -ee ] pattern style strings ...
Defines the given style for the pattern with the strings
as the value. If the -ee option is given, the strings
will be concatenated (separated by spaces) and the
resulting string will be evaluated (in the same way as it
is done by the eevvaall builtin command) when the style is
looked up. In this case the parameter `rreeppllyy' must be
assigned to set the strings returned after the evalua-
tion. Before evaluating the value, rreeppllyy is unset, and
if it is still unset after the evaluation, the style is
treated as if it were not set.
zzssttyyllee -dd [ pattern [ styles ... ] ]
Delete style definitions. Without arguments all defini-
tions are deleted, with a pattern all definitions for
that pattern are deleted and if any styles are given,
then only those styles are deleted for the pattern.
zzssttyyllee -gg name [ pattern [ style ] ]
Retrieve a style definition. The name is used as the name
of an array in which the results are stored. Without any
further arguments, all patterns defined are returned.
With a pattern the styles defined for that pattern are
returned and with both a pattern and a style, the value
strings of that combination is returned.
The other forms can be used to look up or test patterns.
zzssttyyllee -ss context style name [ sep ]
The parameter name is set to the value of the style
interpreted as a string. If the value contains several
strings they are concatenated with spaces (or with the
sep string if that is given) between them.
zzssttyyllee -bb context style name
The value is stored in name as a boolean, i.e. as the
string `yyeess' if the value has only one string and that
string is equal to one of `yyeess', `ttrruuee', `oonn', or `11'. If
the value is any other string or has more than one
string, the parameter is set to `nnoo'.
zzssttyyllee -aa context style name
The value is stored in name as an array. If name is
declared as an associative array, the first, third, etc.
strings are used as the keys and the other strings are
used as the values.
zzssttyyllee -tt context style [ strings ...]
zzssttyyllee -TT context style [ strings ...]
Test the value of a style, i.e. the -tt option only
returns a status (sets $$??). Without any strings the
return status is zero if the style is defined for at
least one matching pattern, has only one string in its
value, and that is equal to one of `ttrruuee', `yyeess', `oonn' or
`11'. If any strings are given the status is zero if and
only if at least one of the strings is equal to at least
one of the strings in the value. If the style is not
defined, the status is 22.
The -TT option tests the values of the style like -tt, but
it returns zero (rather than 22) if the style is not
defined for any matching pattern.
zzssttyyllee -mm context style pattern
Match a value. Returns status zero if the pattern matches
at least one of the strings in the value.
zzffoorrmmaatt -ff param format specs ...
zzffoorrmmaatt -aa array sep specs ...
This builtin provides two different forms of formatting. The
first form is selected with the -ff option. In this case the for-
mat string will be modified by replacing sequences starting with
a percent sign in it with strings from the specs. Each spec
should be of the form `char::string' which will cause every
appearance of the sequence `%%char' in format to be replaced by
the string. The `%%' sequence may also contain optional minimum
and maximum field width specifications between the `%%' and the
`char' in the form `%%min..maxcc', i.e. the minimum field width is
given first and if the maximum field width is used, it has to be
preceded by a dot. Specifying a minimum field width makes the
result be padded with spaces to the right if the string is
shorter than the requested width. Padding to the left can be
achieved by giving a negative minimum field width. If a maximum
field width is specified, the string will be truncated after
that many characters. After all `%%' sequences for the given
specs have been processed, the resulting string is stored in the
parameter param.
The %%-escapes also understand ternary expressions in the form
used by prompts. The %% is followed by a `((' and then an ordi-
nary format specifier character as described above. There may
be a set of digits either before or after the `(('; these specify
a test number, which defaults to zero. Negative numbers are
also allowed. An arbitrary delimiter character follows the for-
mat specifier, which is followed by a piece of `true' text, the
delimiter character again, a piece of `false' text, and a clos-
ing parenthesis. The complete expression (without the digits)
thus looks like `%%((X..text1..text2))', except that the `..' charac-
ter is arbitrary. The value given for the format specifier in
the char::string expressions is evaluated as a mathematical
expression, and compared with the test number. If they are the
same, text1 is output, else text2 is output. A parenthesis may
be escaped in text2 as %%)). Either of text1 or text2 may contain
nested %%-escapes.
For example:
zformat f REPLY "The answer is '%3(c.yes.no)'." c:3
outputs "The answer is 'yes'." to RREEPPLLYY since the value for the
format specifier cc is 3, agreeing with the digit argument to the
ternary expression.
The second form, using the -aa option, can be used for aligning
strings. Here, the specs are of the form `left::right' where
`left' and `right' are arbitrary strings. These strings are
modified by replacing the colons by the sep string and padding
the left strings with spaces to the right so that the sep
strings in the result (and hence the right strings after them)
are all aligned if the strings are printed below each other.
All strings without a colon are left unchanged and all strings
with an empty right string have the trailing colon removed. In
both cases the lengths of the strings are not used to determine
how the other strings are to be aligned. The resulting strings
are stored in the array.
zzrreeggeexxppaarrssee
This implements some internals of the rreeggeexxaarrgguummeennttss function.
zzppaarrsseeooppttss [ -DD ] [ -KK ] [ -EE ] [ -aa array ] [ -AA assoc ] specs
This builtin simplifies the parsing of options in positional
parameters, i.e. the set of arguments given by $$**. Each spec
describes one option and must be of the form `opt[==array]'. If
an option described by opt is found in the positional parameters
it is copied into the array specified with the -aa option; if the
optional `==array' is given, it is instead copied into that
array.
Note that it is an error to give any spec without an `==array'
unless one of the -aa or -AA options is used.
Unless the -EE option is given, parsing stops at the first string
that isn't described by one of the specs. Even with -EE, parsing
always stops at a positional parameter equal to `-' or `--'.
The opt description must be one of the following. Any of the
special characters can appear in the option name provided it is
preceded by a backslash.
name
name++ The name is the name of the option without the leading
`-'. To specify a GNU-style long option, one of the
usual two leading `-' must be included in name; for exam-
ple, a `--ffiillee' option is represented by a name of
`-ffiillee'.
If a `++' appears after name, the option is appended to
array each time it is found in the positional parameters;
without the `++' only the last occurrence of the option is
preserved.
If one of these forms is used, the option takes no argu-
ment, so parsing stops if the next positional parameter
does not also begin with `-' (unless the -EE option is
used).
name::
name::-
name:::: If one or two colons are given, the option takes an argu-
ment; with one colon, the argument is mandatory and with
two colons it is optional. The argument is appended to
the array after the option itself.
An optional argument is put into the same array element
as the option name (note that this makes empty strings as
arguments indistinguishable). A mandatory argument is
added as a separate element unless the `::-' form is used,
in which case the argument is put into the same element.
A `++' as described above may appear between the name and
the first colon.
The options of zzppaarrsseeooppttss itself are:
-aa array
As described above, this names the default array in which to
store the recognised options.
-AA assoc
If this is given, the options and their values are also put into
an associative array with the option names as keys and the argu-
ments (if any) as the values.
-DD If this option is given, all options found are removed from the
positional parameters of the calling shell or shell function, up
to but not including any not described by the specs. This is
similar to using the sshhiifftt builtin.
-KK With this option, the arrays specified with the -aa and -AA
options and with the `==array' forms are kept unchanged when none
of the specs for them is used. This allows assignment of
default values to them before calling zzppaarrsseeooppttss.
-EE This changes the parsing rules to not stop at the first string
that isn't described by one of the specs. It can be used to
test for or (if used together with -DD) extract options and their
arguments, ignoring all other options and arguments that may be
in the positional parameters.
For example,
sseett -- -aa -bbxx -cc yy -cczz bbaazz -cceenndd
zzppaarrsseeooppttss aa==ffoooo bb::==bbaarr cc++::==bbaarr
will have the effect of
ffoooo==((-aa))
bbaarr==((-bb xx -cc yy -cc zz))
The arguments from `bbaazz' on will not be used.
As an example for the -EE option, consider:
sseett -- -aa xx -bb yy -cc zz aarrgg11 aarrgg22
zzppaarrsseeooppttss -EE -DD bb::==bbaarr
will have the effect of
bbaarr==((-bb yy))
sseett -- -aa xx -cc zz aarrgg11 aarrgg22
I.e., the option -bb and its arguments are taken from the positional
parameters and put into the array bbaarr.
ZSHTCPSYS(1) ZSHTCPSYS(1)
NAME
zshtcpsys - zsh tcp system
DESCRIPTION
A module zzsshh//nneett//ttccpp is provided to provide network I/O over TCP/IP
from within the shell; see its description in zshmodules(1) . This
manual page describes a function suite based on the module. If the
module is installed, the functions are usually installed at the same
time, in which case they will be available for autoloading in the
default function search path. In addition to the zzsshh//nneett//ttccpp module,
the zzsshh//zzsseelleecctt module is used to implement timeouts on read opera-
tions. For troubleshooting tips, consult the corresponding advice for
the zzffttpp functions described in zshftpsys(1) .
There are functions corresponding to the basic I/O operations open,
close, read and send, named ttccppooppeenn etc., as well as a function
ttccppeexxppeecctt for pattern match analysis of data read as input. The sys-
tem makes it easy to receive data from and send data to multiple named
sessions at once. In addition, it can be linked with the shell's line
editor in such a way that input data is automatically shown at the ter-
minal. Other facilities available including logging, filtering and
configurable output prompts.
To use the system where it is available, it should be enough to
`aauuttoollooaadd -UU ttccppooppeenn' and run ttccppooppeenn as documented below to start a
session. The ttccppooppeenn function will autoload the remaining functions.
TTCCPP UUSSEERR FFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS
BBaassiicc II//OO
ttccppooppeenn [[-qqzz]] host port [[ sess ]]
ttccppooppeenn [[-qqzz]] [[ -ss sess || -ll sess,,...... ]] ......
ttccppooppeenn [[-qqzz]] [[-aa fd || -ff fd ]] [[ sess ]]
Open a new session. In the first and simplest form, open a TCP
connection to host host at port port; numeric and symbolic forms
are understood for both.
If sess is given, this becomes the name of the session which can
be used to refer to multiple different TCP connections. If sess
is not given, the function will invent a numeric name value
(note this is not the same as the file descriptor to which the
session is attached). It is recommended that session names not
include `funny' characters, where funny characters are not
well-defined but certainly do not include alphanumerics or
underscores, and certainly do include whitespace.
In the second case, one or more sessions to be opened are given
by name. A single session name is given after -ss and a
comma-separated list after -ll; both options may be repeated as
many times as necessary. The host and port are read from the
file ..zzttccppsseessssiioonnss in the same directory as the user's zsh ini-
tialisation files, i.e. usually the home directory, but $$ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR
if that is set. The file consists of lines each giving a ses-
sion name and the corresponding host and port, in that order
(note the session name comes first, not last), separated by
whitespace.
The third form allows passive and fake TCP connections. If the
option -aa is used, its argument is a file descriptor open for
listening for connections. No function front-end is provided to
open such a file descriptor, but a call to `zzttccpp -ll port' will
create one with the file descriptor stored in the parameter
$$RREEPPLLYY. The listening port can be closed with `zzttccpp -cc fd'. A
call to `ttccppooppeenn -aa fd' will block until a remote TCP connec-
tion is made to port on the local machine. At this point, a
session is created in the usual way and is largely indistin-
guishable from an active connection created with one of the
first two forms.
If the option -ff is used, its argument is a file descriptor
which is used directly as if it were a TCP session. How well
the remainder of the TCP function system copes with this depends
on what actually underlies this file descriptor. A regular file
is likely to be unusable; a FIFO (pipe) of some sort will work
better, but note that it is not a good idea for two different
sessions to attempt to read from the same FIFO at once.
If the option -qq is given with any of the three forms, ttccppooppeenn
will not print informational messages, although it will in any
case exit with an appropriate status.
If the line editor (zle) is in use, which is typically the case
if the shell is interactive, ttccppooppeenn installs a handler inside
zzllee which will check for new data at the same time as it checks
for keyboard input. This is convenient as the shell consumes no
CPU time while waiting; the test is performed by the operating
system. Giving the option -zz to any of the forms of ttccppooppeenn
prevents the handler from being installed, so data must be read
explicitly. Note, however, this is not necessary for executing
complete sets of send and read commands from a function, as zle
is not active at this point. Generally speaking, the handler is
only active when the shell is waiting for input at a command
prompt or in the vvaarreedd builtin. The option has no effect if zle
is not active; `[[[[ -oo zzllee]]]]' will test for this.
The first session to be opened becomes the current session and
subsequent calls to ttccppooppeenn do not change it. The current ses-
sion is stored in the parameter $$TTCCPPSSEESSSS; see below for more
detail about the parameters used by the system.
ttccppcclloossee [[-qqnn]] [[ -aa || -ll sess,,...... || sess ...... ]]
Close the named sessions, or the current session if none is
given, or all open sessions if -aa is given. The options -ll and
-ss are both handled for consistency with ttccppooppeenn, although the
latter is redundant.
If the session being closed is the current one, $$TTCCPPSSEESSSS is
unset, leaving no current session, even if there are other ses-
sions still open.
If the session was opened with ttccppooppeenn -ff, the file descriptor
is closed so long as it is in the range 0 to 9 accessible
directly from the command line. If the option -nn is given, no
attempt will be made to close file descriptors in this case.
The -nn option is not used for genuine zzttccpp session; the file
descriptors are always closed with the session.
If the option -qq is given, no informational messages will be
printed.
ttccpprreeaadd [[-bbddqq]] [[ -tt TO ]] [[ -TT TO ]]
[[ -aa || -uu fd ...... || -ll sess,,...... || -ss sess ......]]
Perform a read operation on the current session, or on a list of
sessions if any are given with -uu, -ll or -ss, or all open ses-
sions if the option -aa is given. Any of the -uu, -ll or -ss
options may be repeated or mixed together. The -uu option speci-
fies a file descriptor directly (only those managed by this sys-
tem are useful), the other two specify sessions as described for
ttccppooppeenn above.
The function checks for new data available on all the sessions
listed. Unless the -bb option is given, it will not block wait-
ing for new data. Any one line of data from any of the avail-
able sessions will be read, stored in the parameter $$TTCCPPLLIINNEE,
and displayed to standard output unless $$TTCCPPSSIILLEENNTT contains a
non-empty string. When printed to standard output the string
$$TTCCPPPPRROOMMPPTT will be shown at the start of the line; the default
form for this includes the name of the session being read. See
below for more information on these parameters. In this mode,
ttccpprreeaadd can be called repeatedly until it returns status 2
which indicates all pending input from all specified sessions
has been handled.
With the option -bb, equivalent to an infinite timeout, the func-
tion will block until a line is available to read from one of
the specified sessions. However, only a single line is
returned.
The option -dd indicates that all pending input should be
drained. In this case ttccpprreeaadd may process multiple lines in
the manner given above; only the last is stored in $$TTCCPPLLIINNEE,
but the complete set is stored in the array $$ttccpplliinneess. This is
cleared at the start of each call to ttccpprreeaadd.
The options -tt and -TT specify a timeout in seconds, which may be
a floating point number for increased accuracy. With -tt the
timeout is applied before each line read. With -TT, the timeout
applies to the overall operation, possibly including multiple
read operations if the option -dd is present; without this
option, there is no distinction between -tt and -TT.
The function does not print informational messages, but if the
option -qq is given, no error message is printed for a non-exis-
tent session.
A return value of 2 indicates a timeout or no data to read. Any
other non-zero return value indicates some error condition.
See ttccpplloogg for how to control where data is sent by ttccpprreeaadd.
ttccppsseenndd [[-nnqq]] [[ -ss sess || -ll sess,,...... ]] data ......
ttccppsseenndd [[-nnqq]] -aa data ......
Send the supplied data strings to all the specified sessions in
turn. The underlying operation differs little from a `pprriinntt -rr'
to the session's file descriptor, although it attempts to pre-
vent the shell from dying owing to a SSIIGGPPIIPPEE caused by an
attempt to write to a defunct session.
The option -nn prevents ttccppsseenndd from putting a newline at the
end of the data strings.
The remaining options all behave as for ttccpprreeaadd.
The data arguments are not further processed once they have been
passed to ttccppsseenndd; they are simply passed down to pprriinntt -rr.
If the parameter $$TTCCPPOOUUTTPPUUTT is a non-empty string and logging
is enabled then the data sent to each session will be echoed to
the log file(s) with $$TTCCPPOOUUTTPPUUTT in front where appropriate,
much in the manner of $$TTCCPPPPRROOMMPPTT.
SSeessssiioonn MMaannaaggeemmeenntt
ttccppaalliiaass [[-qq]] alias==sess ......
ttccppaalliiaass [[-qq]] [[ alias ]] ......
ttccppaalliiaass -dd [[-qq]] alias ......
This function is not particularly well tested.
The first form creates an alias for a session name; alias can
then be used to refer to the existing session sess. As many
aliases may be listed as required.
The second form lists any aliases specified, or all aliases if
none.
The third form deletes all the aliases listed. The underlying
sessions are not affected.
The option -qq suppresses an inconsistently chosen subset of
error messages.
ttccpplloogg [[-aasscc]] [[ -nn || -NN ]] [[ logfile ]]
With an argument logfile, all future input from ttccpprreeaadd will be
logged to the named file. Unless -aa (append) is given, this
file will first be truncated or created empty. With no argu-
ments, show the current status of logging.
With the option -ss, per-session logging is enabled. Input from
ttccpprreeaadd is output to the file logfile.sess. As the session is
automatically discriminated by the filename, the contents are
raw (no $$TTCCPPPPRROOMMPPTT). The option -aa applies as above.
Per-session logging and logging of all data in one file are not
mutually exclusive.
The option -cc closes all logging, both complete and per-session
logs.
The options -nn and -NN respectively turn off or restore output of
data read by ttccpprreeaadd to standard output; hence `ttccpplloogg -ccnn'
turns off all output by ttccpprreeaadd.
The function is purely a convenient front end to setting the
parameters $$TTCCPPLLOOGG, $$TTCCPPLLOOGGSSEESSSS, $$TTCCPPSSIILLEENNTT, which are
described below.
ttccpprreennaammee old new
Rename session old to session new. The old name becomes
invalid.
ttccppsseessss [[ sess [[ command ...... ]] ]]
With no arguments, list all the open sessions and associated
file descriptors. The current session is marked with a star.
For use in functions, direct access to the parameters
$$ttccppbbyynnaammee, $$ttccppbbyyffdd and $$TTCCPPSSEESSSS is probably more conve-
nient; see below.
With a sess argument, set the current session to sess. This is
equivalent to changing $$TTCCPPSSEESSSS directly.
With additional arguments, temporarily set the current session
while executing the string ccoommmmaanndd ....... The first argument is
re-evaluated so as to expand aliases etc., but the remaining
arguments are passed through as the appear to ttccppsseessss. The
original session is restored when ttccppsseessss exits.
AAddvvaanncceedd II//OO
ttccppccoommmmaanndd send-options ...... send-arguments ......
This is a convenient front-end to ttccppsseenndd. All arguments are
passed to ttccppsseenndd, then the function pauses waiting for data.
While data is arriving at least every $$TTCCPPTTIIMMEEOOUUTT (default 0.3)
seconds, data is handled and printed out according to the cur-
rent settings. Status 0 is always returned.
This is generally only useful for interactive use, to prevent
the display becoming fragmented by output returned from the con-
nection. Within a programme or function it is generally better
to handle reading data by a more explicit method.
ttccppeexxppeecctt [[ -qq ]] [[ -pp var ]] [[ -tt to || -TT TO]]
[[ -aa || -ss sess ...... || -ll sess,,...... ]] pattern ...
Wait for input matching any of the given patterns from any of
the specified sessions. Input is ignored until an input line
matches one of the given patterns; at this point status zero is
returned, the matching line is stored in $$TTCCPPLLIINNEE, and the full
set of lines read during the call to ttccppeexxppeecctt is stored in the
array $$ttccppeexxppeeccttlliinneess.
Sessions are specified in the same way as ttccpprreeaadd: the default
is to use the current session, otherwise the sessions specified
by -aa, -ss, or -ll are used.
Each pattern is a standard zsh extended-globbing pattern; note
that it needs to be quoted to avoid it being expanded immedi-
ately by filename generation. It must match the full line, so
to match a substring there must be a `**' at the start and end.
The line matched against includes the $$TTCCPPPPRROOMMPPTT added by
ttccpprreeaadd. It is possible to include the globbing flags `##bb' or
`##mm' in the patterns to make backreferences available in the
parameters $$MMAATTCCHH, $$mmaattcchh, etc., as described in the base zsh
documentation on pattern matching.
Unlike ttccpprreeaadd, the default behaviour of ttccppeexxppeecctt is to block
indefinitely until the required input is found. This can be
modified by specifying a timeout with -tt or -TT; these function
as in ttccpprreeaadd, specifying a per-read or overall timeout,
respectively, in seconds, as an integer or floating-point num-
ber. As ttccpprreeaadd, the function returns status 2 if a timeout
occurs.
The function returns as soon as any one of the patterns given
match. If the caller needs to know which of the patterns
matched, the option -pp var can be used; on return, $$vvaarr is set
to the number of the pattern using ordinary zsh indexing, i.e.
the first is 1, and so on. Note the absence of a `$$' in front
of var. To avoid clashes, the parameter cannot begin with
`eexxppeecctt'.
The option -qq is passed directly down to ttccpprreeaadd.
As all input is done via ttccpprreeaadd, all the usual rules about
output of lines read apply. One exception is that the parameter
$$ttccpplliinneess will only reflect the line actually matched by
ttccppeexxppeecctt; use $$ttccppeexxppeeccttlliinneess for the full set of lines read
during the function call.
ttccpppprrooxxyy
This is a simple-minded function to accept a TCP connection and
execute a command with I/O redirected to the connection.
Extreme caution should be taken as there is no security whatso-
ever and this can leave your computer open to the world. Ide-
ally, it should only be used behind a firewall.
The first argument is a TCP port on which the function will lis-
ten.
The remaining arguments give a command and its arguments to exe-
cute with standard input, standard output and standard error
redirected to the file descriptor on which the TCP session has
been accepted. If no command is given, a new zsh is started.
This gives everyone on your network direct access to your
account, which in many cases will be a bad thing.
The command is run in the background, so ttccpppprrooxxyy can then
accept new connections. It continues to accept new connections
until interrupted.
ttccppssppaamm [[-eerrttvv]] [[ -aa || -ss sess || -ll sess,,...... ]] cmd ......
Execute `cmd ......' for each session in turn. Note this executes
the command and arguments; it does not send the command line as
data unless the -tt (transmit) option is given.
The sessions may be selected explicitly with the standard -aa, -ss
or -ll options, or may be chosen implicitly. If none of the
three options is given the rules are: first, if the array
$$ttccppssppaammlliisstt is set, this is taken as the list of sessions,
otherwise all sessions are taken. Second, any sessions given in
the array $$ttccppnnoossppaammlliisstt are removed from the list of ses-
sions.
Normally, any sessions added by the `-aa' flag or when all ses-
sions are chosen implicitly are spammed in alphabetic order;
sessions given by the $$ttccppssppaammlliisstt array or on the command
line are spammed in the order given. The -rr flag reverses the
order however it was arrived it.
The -vv flag specifies that a $$TTCCPPPPRROOMMPPTT will be output before
each session. This is output after any modification to TCPSESS
by the user-defined ttccppoonnssppaamm function described below.
(Obviously that function is able to generate its own output.)
If the option -ee is present, the line given as cmd ... is exe-
cuted using eevvaall, otherwise it is executed without any further
processing.
ttccppttaallkk
This is a fairly simple-minded attempt to force input to the
line editor to go straight to the default TCPSESSION.
An escape string, $$TTCCPPTTAALLKKEESSCCAAPPEE, default `:', is used to
allow access to normal shell operation. If it is on its own at
the start of the line, or followed only by whitespace, the line
editor returns to normal operation. Otherwise, the string and
any following whitespace are skipped and the remainder of the
line executed as shell input without any change of the line edi-
tor's operating mode.
The current implementation is somewhat deficient in terms of use
of the command history. For this reason, many users will prefer
to use some form of alternative approach for sending data easily
to the current session. One simple approach is to alias some
special character (such as `%%') to `ttccppccoommmmaanndd --'.
ttccppwwaaiitt
The sole argument is an integer or floating point number which
gives the seconds to delay. The shell will do nothing for that
period except wait for input on all TCP sessions by calling
ttccpprreeaadd -aa. This is similar to the interactive behaviour at
the command prompt when zle handlers are installed.
``OOnnee-sshhoott'' ffiillee ttrraannssffeerr
ttccppppooiinntt port
ttccppsshhoooott host port
This pair of functions provide a simple way to transfer a file
between two hosts within the shell. Note, however, that bulk
data transfer is currently done using ccaatt. ttccppppooiinntt reads any
data arriving at port and sends it to standard output; ttccppsshhoooott
connects to port on host and sends its standard input. Any
unused port may be used; the standard mechanism for picking a
port is to think of a random four-digit number above 1024 until
one works.
To transfer a file from host wwooooddccoocckk to host sspprriinnggeess, on
sspprriinnggeess:
ttccppppooiinntt 88009911 >>oouuttppuuttffiillee
and on wwooooddccoocckk:
ttccppsshhoooott sspprriinnggeess 88009911 <TTCCPP UUSSEERR-DDEEFFIINNEEDD FFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS
Certain functions, if defined by the user, will be called by the func-
tion system in certain contexts. This facility depends on the module
zzsshh//ppaarraammeetteerr, which is usually available in interactive shells as the
completion system depends on it. None of the functions need be
defined; they simply provide convenient hooks when necessary.
Typically, these are called after the requested action has been taken,
so that the various parameters will reflect the new state.
ttccppoonnaalliiaass alias fd
When an alias is defined, this function will be called with two
arguments: the name of the alias, and the file descriptor of the
corresponding session.
ttccppoonncclloossee sess fd
This is called with the name of a session being closed and the
file descriptor which corresponded to that session. Both will
be invalid by the time the function is called.
ttccppoonnooppeenn sess fd
This is called after a new session has been defined with the
session name and file descriptor as arguments.
ttccppoonnrreennaammee oldsess fd newsess
This is called after a session has been renamed with the three
arguments old session name, file descriptor, new session name.
ttccppoonnssppaamm sess command ......
This is called once for each session spammed, just before a com-
mand is executed for a session by ttccppssppaamm. The arguments are
the session name followed by the command list to be executed.
If ttccppssppaamm was called with the option -tt, the first command
will be ttccppsseenndd.
This function is called after $$TTCCPPSSEESSSS is set to reflect the
session to be spammed, but before any use of it is made. Hence
it is possible to alter the value of $$TTCCPPSSEESSSS within this func-
tion. For example, the session arguments to ttccppssppaamm could
include extra information to be stripped off and processed in
ttccppoonnssppaamm.
If the function sets the parameter $$RREEPPLLYY to `ddoonnee', the command
line is not executed; in addition, no prompt is printed for the
-vv option to ttccppssppaamm.
ttccppoonnuunnaalliiaass alias fd
This is called with the name of an alias and the corresponding
session's file descriptor after an alias has been deleted.
TTCCPP UUTTIILLIITTYY FFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS
The following functions are used by the TCP function system but will
rarely if ever need to be called directly.
ttccppffddhhaannddlleerr
This is the function installed by ttccppooppeenn for handling input
from within the line editor, if that is required. It is in the
format documented for the builtin `zzllee -FF' in zshzle(1) .
While active, the function sets the parameter TTCCPPHHAANNDDLLEERRAACCTTIIVVEE
to 1. This allows shell code called internally (for example, by
setting ttccppoonnrreeaadd) to tell if is being called when the shell
is otherwise idle at the editor prompt.
ttccppoouuttppuutt [[ -qq ]] -PP prompt -FF fd -SS sess
This function is used for both logging and handling output to
standard output, from within ttccpprreeaadd and (if $$TTCCPPOOUUTTPPUUTT is
set) ttccppsseenndd.
The prompt to use is specified by -PP; the default is the empty
string. It can contain:
%%cc Expands to 1 if the session is the current session, oth-
erwise 0. Used with ternary expresions such as
`%%((cc..-..++))' to output `++' for the current session and `-'
otherwise.
%%ff Replaced by the session's file descriptor.
%%ss Replaced by the session name.
%%%% Replaced by a single `%%'.
The option -qq suppresses output to standard output, but not to
any log files which are configured.
The -SS and -FF options are used to pass in the session name and
file descriptor for possible replacement in the prompt.
TTCCPP UUSSEERR PPAARRAAMMEETTEERRSS
Parameters follow the usual convention that uppercase is used for
scalars and integers, while lowercase is used for normal and associa-
tive array. It is always safe for user code to read these parameters.
Some parameters may also be set; these are noted explicitly. Others
are included in this group as they are set by the function system for
the user's benefit, i.e. setting them is typically not useful but is
benign.
It is often also useful to make settable parameters local to a func-
tion. For example, `llooccaall TTCCPPSSIILLEENNTT==11' specifies that data read dur-
ing the function call will not be printed to standard output, regard-
less of the setting outside the function. Likewise, `llooccaall
TTCCPPSSEESSSS==sess' sets a session for the duration of a function, and
`llooccaall TTCCPPPPRROOMMPPTT==' specifies that no prompt is used for input during
the function.
ttccppeexxppeeccttlliinneess
Array. The set of lines read during the last call to
ttccppeexxppeecctt, including the last ($$TTCCPPLLIINNEE).
ttccppffiilltteerr
Array. May be set directly. A set of extended globbing patterns
which, if matched in ttccppoouuttppuutt, will cause the line not to be
printed to standard output. The patterns should be defined as
described for the arguments to ttccppeexxppeecctt. Output of line to
log files is not affected.
TTCCPPHHAANNDDLLEERRAACCTTIIVVEE
Scalar. Set to 1 within ttccppffddhhaannddlleerr to indicate to functions
called recursively that they have been called during an editor
session. Otherwise unset.
TTCCPPLLIINNEE
The last line read by ttccpprreeaadd, and hence also ttccppeexxppeecctt.
TTCCPPLLIINNEEFFDD
The file descriptor from which $$TTCCPPLLIINNEE was read.
$${{ttccppbbyyffdd[[$$TTCCPPLLIINNEEFFDD]]}} will give the corresponding session
name.
ttccpplliinneess
Array. The set of lines read during the last call to ttccpprreeaadd,
including the last ($$TTCCPPLLIINNEE).
TTCCPPLLOOGG
May be set directly, although it is also controlled by ttccpplloogg.
The name of a file to which output from all sessions will be
sent. The output is proceeded by the usual $$TTCCPPPPRROOMMPPTT. If it
is not an absolute path name, it will follow the user's current
directory.
TTCCPPLLOOGGSSEESSSS
May be set directly, although it is also controlled by ttccpplloogg.
The prefix for a set of files to which output from each session
separately will be sent; the full filename is
$${{TTCCPPLLOOGGSSEESSSS}}..sess. Output to each file is raw; no prompt is
added. If it is not an absolute path name, it will follow the
user's current directory.
ttccppnnoossppaammlliisstt
Array. May be set directly. See ttccppssppaamm for how this is used.
TTCCPPOOUUTTPPUUTT
May be set directly. If a non-empty string, any data sent to a
session by ttccppsseenndd will be logged. This parameter gives the
prompt to be used in a file specified by $$TTCCPPLLOOGG but not in a
file generated from $$TTCCPPLLOOGGSSEESSSS. The prompt string has the
same format as TTCCPPPPRROOMMPPTT and the same rules for its use apply.
TTCCPPPPRROOMMPPTT
May be set directly. Used as the prefix for data read by
ttccpprreeaadd which is printed to standard output or to the log file
given by $$TTCCPPLLOOGG, if any. Any `%%ss', `%%ff' or `%%%%' occurring in
the string will be replaced by the name of the session, the ses-
sion's underlying file descriptor, or a single `%%', respec-
tively. The expression `%%cc' expands to 1 if the session being
read is the current session, else 0; this is most useful in
ternary expressions such as `%%((cc..-..++))' which outputs `++' if the
session is the current one, else `-'.
TTCCPPRREEAADDDDEEBBUUGG
May be set directly. If this has non-zero length, ttccpprreeaadd will
give some limited diagnostics about data being read.
TTCCPPSSEECCOONNDDSSSSTTAARRTT
This value is created and initialised to zero by tcpopen.
The functions ttccpprreeaadd and ttccppeexxppeecctt use the shell's SSEECCOONNDDSS
parameter for their own timing purposes. If that parameter is
not of floating point type on entry to one of the functions, it
will create a local parameter SSEECCOONNDDSS which is floating point
and set the parameter TTCCPPSSEECCOONNDDSSSSTTAARRTT to the previous value of
$$SSEECCOONNDDSS. If the parameter is already floating point, it is
used without a local copy being created and TTCCPPSSEECCOONNDDSSSSTTAARRTT is
not set. As the global value is zero, the shell elapsed time is
guaranteed to be the sum of $$SSEECCOONNDDSS and $$TTCCPPSSEECCOONNDDSSSSTTAARRTT.
This can be avoided by setting SSEECCOONNDDSS globally to a floating
point value using `ttyyppeesseett -FF SSEECCOONNDDSS'; then the TCP functions
will never make a local copy and never set TTCCPPSSEECCOONNDDSSSSTTAARRTT to
a non-zero value.
TTCCPPSSEESSSS
May be set directly. The current session; must refer to one of
the sessions established by ttccppooppeenn.
TTCCPPSSIILLEENNTT
May be set directly, although it is also controlled by ttccpplloogg.
If of non-zero length, data read by ttccpprreeaadd will not be written
to standard output, though may still be written to a log file.
ttccppssppaammlliisstt
Array. May be set directly. See the description of the func-
tion ttccppssppaamm for how this is used.
TTCCPPTTAALLKKEESSCCAAPPEE
May be set directly. See the description of the function
ttccppttaallkk for how this is used.
TTCCPPTTIIMMEEOOUUTT
May be set directly. Currently this is only used by the func-
tion ttccppccoommmmaanndd, see above.
TTCCPP UUSSEERR-DDEEFFIINNEEDD PPAARRAAMMEETTEERRSS
The following parameters are not set by the function system, but have a
special effect if set by the user.
ttccppoonnrreeaadd
This should be an associative array; if it is not, the behaviour
is undefined. Each key is the name of a shell function or other
command, and the corresponding value is a shell pattern (using
EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB). Every line read from a TCP session directly or
indirectly using ttccpprreeaadd (which includes lines read by
ttccppeexxppeecctt) is compared against the pattern. If the line
matches, the command given in the key is called with two argu-
ments: the name of the session from which the line was read, and
the line itself.
If any function called to handle a line returns a non-zero sta-
tus, the line is not output. Thus a ttccppoonnrreeaadd handler con-
taining only the instruction `rreettuurrnn 11' can be used to suppress
output of particular lines (see, however, ttccppffiilltteerr above).
However, the line is still stored in TTCCPPLLIINNEE and ttccpplliinneess;
this occurs after all ttccppoonnrreeaadd processing.
TTCCPP UUTTIILLIITTYY PPAARRAAMMEETTEERRSS
These parameters are controlled by the function system; they may be
read directly, but should not usually be set by user code.
ttccppaalliiaasseess
Associative array. The keys are the names of sessions estab-
lished with ttccppooppeenn; each value is a space-separated list of
aliases which refer to that session.
ttccppbbyyffdd
Associative array. The keys are session file descriptors; each
value is the name of that session.
ttccppbbyynnaammee
Associative array. The keys are the names of sessions; each
value is the file descriptor associated with that session.
TTCCPP EEXXAAMMPPLLEESS
Here is a trivial example using a remote calculator.
TO create a calculator server on port 7337 (see the ddcc manual page for
quite how infuriating the underlying command is):
ttccpppprrooxxyy 77333377 ddcc
To connect to this from the same host with a session also named `ddcc':
ttccppooppeenn llooccaallhhoosstt 77333377 ddcc
To send a command to the remote session and wait a short while for out-
put (assuming ddcc is the current session):
ttccppccoommmmaanndd 22 44 ++ pp
To close the session:
ttccppcclloossee
The ttccpppprrooxxyy needs to be killed to be stopped. Note this will not
usually kill any connections which have already been accepted, and also
that the port is not immediately available for reuse.
The following chunk of code puts a list of sessions into an xterm
header, with the current session followed by a star.
pprriinntt -nn ""\\003333]]22;;TTCCPP::"" $${{((kk))ttccppbbyynnaammee:://$$TTCCPPSSEESSSS//$$TTCCPPSSEESSSS\\**}} ""\\aa""
TCP BUGS
The function ttccpprreeaadd uses the shell's normal rreeaadd builtin. As this
reads a complete line at once, data arriving without a terminating new-
line can cause the function to block indefinitely.
Though the function suite works well for interactive use and for data
arriving in small amounts, the performance when large amounts of data
are being exchanged is likely to be extremely poor.
ZSHZFTPSYS(1) ZSHZFTPSYS(1)
NAME
zshzftpsys - zftp function front-end
DESCRIPTION
This describes the set of shell functions supplied with the source dis-
tribution as an interface to the zzffttpp builtin command, allowing you to
perform FTP operations from the shell command line or within functions
or scripts. The interface is similar to a traditional FTP client (e.g.
the ffttpp command itself, see ftp(1)), but as it is entirely done within
the shell all the familiar completion, editing and globbing features,
and so on, are present, and macros are particularly simple to write as
they are just ordinary shell functions.
The prerequisite is that the zzffttpp command, as described in zshmod-
ules(1) , must be available in the version of zzsshh installed at your
site. If the shell is configured to load new commands at run time, it
probably is: typing `zzmmooddllooaadd zzsshh//zzffttpp' will make sure (if that runs
silently, it has worked). If this is not the case, it is possible zzffttpp
was linked into the shell anyway: to test this, type `wwhhiicchh zzffttpp' and
if zzffttpp is available you will get the message `zzffttpp:: sshheellll bbuuiilltt-iinn
ccoommmmaanndd'.
Commands given directly with zzffttpp builtin may be interspersed between
the functions in this suite; in a few cases, using zzffttpp directly may
cause some of the status information stored in shell parameters to
become invalid. Note in particular the description of the variables
$$ZZFFTTPPTTMMOOUUTT, $$ZZFFTTPPPPRREEFFSS and $$ZZFFTTPPVVEERRBBOOSSEE for zzffttpp.
IINNSSTTAALLLLAATTIIOONN
You should make sure all the functions from the FFuunnccttiioonnss//ZZffttpp direc-
tory of the source distribution are available; they all begin with the
two letters `zzff'. They may already have been installed on your system;
otherwise, you will need to find them and copy them. The directory
should appear as one of the elements of the $$ffppaatthh array (this should
already be the case if they were installed), and at least the function
zzffiinniitt should be autoloaded; it will autoload the rest. Finally, to
initialize the use of the system you need to call the zzffiinniitt function.
The following code in your ..zzsshhrrcc will arrange for this; assume the
functions are stored in the directory ~~//mmyyffnnss:
ffppaatthh==((~~//mmyyffnnss $$ffppaatthh))
aauuttoollooaadd -UU zzffiinniitt
zzffiinniitt
Note that zzffiinniitt assumes you are using the zzmmooddllooaadd method to load the
zzffttpp command. If it is already built into the shell, change zzffiinniitt to
zzffiinniitt -nn. It is helpful (though not essential) if the call to zzffiinniitt
appears after any code to initialize the new completion system, else
unnecessary ccoommppccttll commands will be given.
FFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS
The sequence of operations in performing a file transfer is essentially
the same as that in a standard FTP client. Note that, due to a quirk
of the shell's ggeettooppttss builtin, for those functions that handle options
you must use `--' rather than `-' to ensure the remaining arguments are
treated literally (a single `-' is treated as an argument).
OOppeenniinngg aa ccoonnnneeccttiioonn
zzffppaarraammss [[ host [[ user [[ password ...... ]] ]] ]]
Set or show the parameters for a future zzffooppeenn with no argu-
ments. If no arguments are given, the current parameters are
displayed (the password will be shown as a line of asterisks).
If a host is given, and either the user or password is not, they
will be prompted for; also, any parameter given as `??' will be
prompted for, and if the `??' is followed by a string, that will
be used as the prompt. As zzffooppeenn calls zzffppaarraammss to store the
parameters, this usually need not be called directly.
A single argument `-' will delete the stored parameters. This
will also cause the memory of the last directory (and so on) on
the other host to be deleted.
zzffooppeenn [[ -11 ]] [[ host [[ user [[ password [[ account ]] ]] ]] ]]
If host is present, open a connection to that host under user-
name user with password password (and, on the rare occasions
when it is necessary, account account). If a necessary parame-
ter is missing or given as `??' it will be prompted for. If host
is not present, use a previously stored set of parameters.
If the command was successful, and the terminal is compatible
with xxtteerrmm or is ssuunn-ccmmdd, a summary will appear in the title
bar, giving the local hhoosstt::ddiirreeccttoorryy and the remote hhoosstt::ddiirreecc-
ttoorryy; this is handled by the function zzffttppcchhppwwdd, described
below.
Normally, the host, user and password are internally recorded
for later re-opening, either by a zzffooppeenn with no arguments, or
automatically (see below). With the option `-11', no information
is stored. Also, if an open command with arguments failed, the
parameters will not be retained (and any previous parameters
will also be deleted). A zzffooppeenn on its own, or a zzffooppeenn -11,
never alters the stored parameters.
Both zzffooppeenn and zzffaannoonn (but not zzffppaarraammss) understand URLs of the
form ffttpp::////host/path... as meaning to connect to the host, then
change directory to path (which must be a directory, not a
file). The `ffttpp::////' can be omitted; the trailing `//' is enough
to trigger recognition of the path. Note prefixes other than
`ffttpp::' are not recognized, and that all characters after the
first slash beyond host are significant in path.
zzffaannoonn [[ -11 ]] host
Open a connection host for anonymous FTP. The username used is
`aannoonnyymmoouuss'. The password (which will be reported the first
time) is generated as user@@host; this is then stored in the
shell parameter $$EEMMAAIILLAADDDDRR which can alternatively be set manu-
ally to a suitable string.
DDiirreeccttoorryy mmaannaaggeemmeenntt
zzffccdd [[ dir ]]
zzffccdd -
zzffccdd old new
Change the current directory on the remote server: this is
implemented to have many of the features of the shell builtin
ccdd.
In the first form with dir present, change to the directory dir.
The command `zzffccdd ....' is treated specially, so is guaranteed to
work on non-UNIX servers (note this is handled internally by
zzffttpp). If dir is omitted, has the effect of `zzffccdd ~~'.
The second form changes to the directory previously current.
The third form attempts to change the current directory by
replacing the first occurrence of the string old with the string
new in the current directory.
Note that in this command, and indeed anywhere a remote filename
is expected, the string which on the local host corresponds to
`~~' is converted back to a `~~' before being passed to the remote
machine. This is convenient because of the way expansion is
performed on the command line before zzffccdd receives a string.
For example, suppose the command is `zzffccdd ~~//ffoooo'. The shell
will expand this to a full path such as `zzffccdd
//hhoommee//uusseerr22//ppwwss//ffoooo'. At this stage, zzffccdd recognises the ini-
tial path as corresponding to `~~' and will send the directory to
the remote host as ~~//ffoooo, so that the `~~' will be expanded by
the server to the correct remote host directory. Other named
directories of the form `~~nnaammee' are not treated in this fashion.
zzffhheerree Change directory on the remote server to the one corresponding
to the current local directory, with special handling of `~~' as
in zzffccdd. For example, if the current local directory is
~~//ffoooo//bbaarr, then zzffhheerree performs the effect of `zzffccdd ~~//ffoooo//bbaarr'.
zzffddiirr [[ -rrffdd ]] [[ - ]] [[ dir-options ]] [[ dir ]]
Produce a long directory listing. The arguments dir-options and
dir are passed directly to the server and their effect is imple-
mentation dependent, but specifying a particular remote direc-
tory dir is usually possible. The output is passed through a
pager given by the environment variable $$PPAAGGEERR, or `mmoorree' if
that is not set.
The directory is usually cached for re-use. In fact, two caches
are maintained. One is for use when there is no dir-options or
dir, i.e. a full listing of the current remote directory; it is
flushed when the current remote directory changes. The other is
kept for repeated use of zzffddiirr with the same arguments; for
example, repeated use of `zzffddiirr //ppuubb//ggnnuu' will only require the
directory to be retrieved on the first call. Alternatively,
this cache can be re-viewed with the -rr option. As relative
directories will confuse zzffddiirr, the -ff option can be used to
force the cache to be flushed before the directory is listed.
The option -dd will delete both caches without showing a direc-
tory listing; it will also delete the cache of file names in the
current remote directory, if any.
zzffllss [ ls-options ] [ dir ]
List files on the remote server. With no arguments, this will
produce a simple list of file names for the current remote
directory. Any arguments are passed directly to the server. No
pager and no caching is used.
SSttaattuuss ccoommmmaannddss
zzffttyyppee [ type ]
With no arguments, show the type of data to be transferred, usu-
ally ASCII or binary. With an argument, change the type: the
types `AA' or `AASSCCIIII' for ASCII data and `BB' or `BBIINNAARRYY', `II' or
`IIMMAAGGEE' for binary data are understood case-insensitively.
zzffssttaatt [ -v ]
Show the status of the current or last connection, as well as
the status of some of zzffttpp's status variables. With the -vv
option, a more verbose listing is produced by querying the
server for its version of events, too.
RReettrriieevviinngg ffiilleess
The commands for retrieving files all take at least two options. -GG
suppresses remote filename expansion which would otherwise be performed
(see below for a more detailed description of that). -tt attempts to
set the modification time of the local file to that of the remote file:
this requires version 5 of ppeerrll, see the description of the function
zzffrrttiimmee below for more information.
zzffggeett [[ -GGttcc ]] file1 ......
Retrieve all the listed files file1 ... one at a time from the
remote server. If a file contains a `//', the full name is
passed to the remote server, but the file is stored locally
under the name given by the part after the final `//'. The
option -cc (cat) forces all files to be sent as a single stream
to standard output; in this case the -tt option has no effect.
zzffuuggeett [[ -GGvvsstt ]] file1 ......
As zzffggeett, but only retrieve files where the version on the
remote server is newer (has a later modification time), or where
the local file does not exist. If the remote file is older but
the files have different sizes, or if the sizes are the same but
the remote file is newer, the user will usually be queried.
With the option -ss, the command runs silently and will always
retrieve the file in either of those two cases. With the option
-vv, the command prints more information about the files while it
is working out whether or not to transfer them.
zzffccggeett [[ -GGtt ]] file1 ......
As zzffggeett, but if any of the local files exists, and is shorter
than the corresponding remote file, the command assumes that it
is the result of a partially completed transfer and attempts to
transfer the rest of the file. This is useful on a poor connec-
tion which keeps failing.
Note that this requires a commonly implemented, but non-stan-
dard, version of the FTP protocol, so is not guaranteed to work
on all servers.
zzffggccpp [[ -GGtt ]] remote-file local-file
zzffggccpp [[ -GGtt ]] rfile1 ...... ldir
This retrieves files from the remote server with arguments
behaving similarly to the ccpp command.
In the first form, copy remote-file from the server to the local
file local-file.
In the second form, copy all the remote files rfile1 ... into
the local directory ldir retaining the same basenames. This
assumes UNIX directory semantics.
SSeennddiinngg ffiilleess
zzffppuutt [[ -rr ]] file1 ......
Send all the file1 ... given separately to the remote server.
If a filename contains a `//', the full filename is used locally
to find the file, but only the basename is used for the remote
file name.
With the option -rr, if any of the files are directories they are
sent recursively with all their subdirectories, including files
beginning with `..'. This requires that the remote machine
understand UNIX file semantics, since `//' is used as a directory
separator.
zzffuuppuutt [[ -vvss ]] file1 ......
As zzffppuutt, but only send files which are newer than their local
equivalents, or if the remote file does not exist. The logic is
the same as for zzffuuggeett, but reversed between local and remote
files.
zzffccppuutt file1 ......
As zzffppuutt, but if any remote file already exists and is shorter
than the local equivalent, assume it is the result of an incom-
plete transfer and send the rest of the file to append to the
existing part. As the FTP append command is part of the stan-
dard set, this is in principle more likely to work than zzffccggeett.
zzffppccpp local-file remote-file
zzffppccpp lfile1 ...... rdir
This sends files to the remote server with arguments behaving
similarly to the ccpp command.
With two arguments, copy local-file to the server as
remote-file.
With more than two arguments, copy all the local files lfile1
... into the existing remote directory rdir retaining the same
basenames. This assumes UNIX directory semantics.
A problem arises if you attempt to use zzffppccpp lfile1 rdir, i.e.
the second form of copying but with two arguments, as the com-
mand has no simple way of knowing if rdir corresponds to a
directory or a filename. It attempts to resolve this in various
ways. First, if the rdir argument is `..' or `....' or ends in a
slash, it is assumed to be a directory. Secondly, if the opera-
tion of copying to a remote file in the first form failed, and
the remote server sends back the expected failure code 553 and a
reply including the string `IIss aa ddiirreeccttoorryy', then zzffppccpp will
retry using the second form.
CClloossiinngg tthhee ccoonnnneeccttiioonn
zzffcclloossee
Close the connection.
SSeessssiioonn mmaannaaggeemmeenntt
zzffsseessssiioonn [ -llvvoodd ] [ sessname ]
Allows you to manage multiple FTP sessions at once. By default,
connections take place in a session called `ddeeffaauulltt'; by giving
the command `zzffsseessssiioonn sessname' you can change to a new or
existing session with a name of your choice. The new session
remembers its own connection, as well as associated shell param-
eters, and also the host/user parameters set by zzffppaarraammss. Hence
you can have different sessions set up to connect to different
hosts, each remembering the appropriate host, user and password.
With no arguments, zzffsseessssiioonn prints the name of the current ses-
sion; with the option -ll it lists all sessions which currently
exist, and with the option -vv it gives a verbose list showing
the host and directory for each session, where the current ses-
sion is marked with an asterisk. With -oo, it will switch to the
most recent previous session.
With -dd, the given session (or else the current one) is removed;
everything to do with it is completely forgotten. If it was the
only session, a new session called `ddeeffaauulltt' is created and made
current. It is safest not to delete sessions while background
commands using zzffttpp are active.
zzffttrraannssffeerr sess1::file1 sess2::file2
Transfer files between two sessions; no local copy is made. The
file is read from the session sess1 as file1 and written to ses-
sion sess2 as file file2; file1 and file2 may be relative to the
current directories of the session. Either sess1 or sess2 may
be omitted (though the colon should be retained if there is a
possibility of a colon appearing in the file name) and defaults
to the current session; file2 may be omitted or may end with a
slash, in which case the basename of file1 will be added. The
sessions sess1 and sess2 must be distinct.
The operation is performed using pipes, so it is required that
the connections still be valid in a subshell, which is not the
case under versions of some operating systems, presumably due to
a system bug.
BBooookkmmaarrkkss
The two functions zzffmmaarrkk and zzffggoottoo allow you to `bookmark' the present
location (host, user and directory) of the current FTP connection for
later use. The file to be used for storing and retrieving bookmarks is
given by the parameter $$ZZFFTTPPBBMMFFIILLEE; if not set when one of the two
functions is called, it will be set to the file ..zzffbbkkmmaarrkkss in the
directory where your zsh startup files live (usually ~~).
zzffmmaarrkk [[ bookmark ]]
If given an argument, mark the current host, user and directory
under the name bookmark for later use by zzffggoottoo. If there is no
connection open, use the values for the last connection immedi-
ately before it was closed; it is an error if there was none.
Any existing bookmark under the same name will be silently
replaced.
If not given an argument, list the existing bookmarks and the
points to which they refer in the form user@@host::directory; this
is the format in which they are stored, and the file may be
edited directly.
zzffggoottoo [[ -nn ]] bookmark
Return to the location given by bookmark, as previously set by
zzffmmaarrkk. If the location has user `ffttpp' or `aannoonnyymmoouuss', open the
connection with zzffaannoonn, so that no password is required. If the
user and host parameters match those stored for the current ses-
sion, if any, those will be used, and again no password is
required. Otherwise a password will be prompted for.
With the option -nn, the bookmark is taken to be a nickname
stored by the nnccffttpp program in its bookmark file, which is
assumed to be ~~//..nnccffttpp//bbooookkmmaarrkkss. The function works identi-
cally in other ways. Note that there is no mechanism for adding
or modifying nnccffttpp bookmarks from the zftp functions.
OOtthheerr ffuunnccttiioonnss
Mostly, these functions will not be called directly (apart from
zzffiinniitt), but are described here for completeness. You may wish to
alter zzffttppcchhppwwdd and zzffttpppprrooggrreessss, in particular.
zzffiinniitt [[ -nn ]]
As described above, this is used to initialize the zftp function
system. The -nn option should be used if the zftp command is
already built into the shell.
zzffaauuttoocchheecckk [[ -ddnn ]]
This function is called to implement automatic reopening behav-
iour, as described in more detail below. The options must
appear in the first argument; -nn prevents the command from
changing to the old directory, while -dd prevents it from setting
the variable ddoocclloossee, which it otherwise does as a flag for
automatically closing the connection after a transfer. The host
and directory for the last session are stored in the variable
$$zzffllaassttsseessssiioonn, but the internal host/user/password parameters
must also be correctly set.
zzffccddmmaattcchh prefix suffix
This performs matching for completion of remote directory names.
If the remote server is UNIX, it will attempt to persuade the
server to list the remote directory with subdirectories marked,
which usually works but is not guaranteed. On other hosts it
simply calls zzffggeettmmaattcchh and hence completes all files, not just
directories. On some systems, directories may not even look
like filenames.
zzffggeettmmaattcchh prefix suffix
This performs matching for completion of remote filenames. It
caches files for the current directory (only) in the shell
parameter $$zzffttppffccaacchhee. It is in the form to be called by the
-KK option of ccoommppccttll, but also works when called from a wid-
get-style completion function with prefix and suffix set appro-
priately.
zzffrrgglloobb varname
Perform remote globbing, as describes in more detail below.
varname is the name of a variable containing the pattern to be
expanded; if there were any matches, the same variable will be
set to the expanded set of filenames on return.
zzffrrttiimmee lfile rfile [[ time ]]
Set the local file lfile to have the same modification time as
the remote file rfile, or the explicit time time in FTP format
CCCCYYYYMMMMDDDDhhhhmmmmSSSS for the GMT timezone.
Currently this requires ppeerrll version 5 to perform the conversion
from GMT to local time. This is unfortunately difficult to do
using shell code alone.
zzffttppcchhppwwdd
This function is called every time a connection is opened, or
closed, or the remote directory changes. This version alters
the title bar of an xxtteerrmm-compatible or ssuunn-ccmmdd terminal emula-
tor to reflect the local and remote hostnames and current direc-
tories. It works best when combined with the function cchhppwwdd.
In particular, a function of the form
cchhppwwdd(()) {{
iiff [[[[ -nn $$ZZFFTTPPUUSSEERR ]]]];; tthheenn
zzffttppcchhppwwdd
eellssee
## uussuuaall cchhppwwdd ee..gg ppuutt hhoosstt::ddiirreeccttoorryy iinn ttiittllee bbaarr
ffii
}}
fits in well.
zzffttpppprrooggrreessss
This function shows the status of the transfer. It will not
write anything unless the output is going to a terminal; how-
ever, if you transfer files in the background, you should turn
off progress reports by hand using `zzssttyyllee ''::zzffttpp::**'' pprrooggrreessss
nnoonnee'. Note also that if you alter it, any output must be to
standard error, as standard output may be a file being received.
The form of the progress meter, or whether it is used at all,
can be configured without altering the function, as described in
the next section.
zzffffccaacchhee
This is used to implement caching of files in the current direc-
tory for each session separately. It is used by zzffggeettmmaattcchh and
zzffrrgglloobb.
MMIISSCCEELLLLAANNEEOOUUSS FFEEAATTUURREESS
CCoonnffiigguurraattiioonn
Various styles are available using the standard shell style mechanism,
described in zshmodules(1). Briefly, the command `zzssttyyllee ''::zzffttpp::**''
style value ...'. defines the style to have value value; more than one
value may be given, although that is not useful in the cases described
here. These values will then be used throughout the zftp function sys-
tem. For more precise control, the first argument, which gives a con-
text in which the style applies, can be modified to include a particu-
lar function, as for example `::zzffttpp::zzffggeett': the style will then have
the given value only in the zzffggeett function. Values for the same style
in different contexts may be set; the most specific function will be
used, where strings are held to be more specific than patterns, and
longer patterns and shorter patterns. Note that only the top level
function name, as called by the user, is used; calling of lower level
functions is transparent to the user. Hence modifications to the title
bar in zzffttppcchhppwwdd use the contexts ::zzffttpp::zzffooppeenn, ::zzffttpp::zzffccdd, etc.,
depending where it was called from. The following styles are under-
stood:
pprrooggrreessss
Controls the way that zzffttpppprrooggrreessss reports on the progress of a
transfer. If empty, unset, or `nnoonnee', no progress report is
made; if `bbaarr' a growing bar of inverse video is shown; if `ppeerr-
cceenntt' (or any other string, though this may change in future),
the percentage of the file transferred is shown. The bar meter
requires that the width of the terminal be available via the
$$CCOOLLUUMMNNSS parameter (normally this is set automatically). If the
size of the file being transferred is not available, bbaarr and
ppeerrcceenntt meters will simply show the number of bytes transferred
so far.
When zzffiinniitt is run, if this style is not defined for the context
::zzffttpp::**, it will be set to `bar'.
uuppddaattee Specifies the minimum time interval between updates of the
progress meter in seconds. No update is made unless new data
has been received, so the actual time interval is limited only
by $$ZZFFTTPPTTIIMMEEOOUUTT.
As described for pprrooggrreessss, zzffiinniitt will force this to default to
1.
rreemmoottee-gglloobb
If set to `1', `yes' or `true', filename generation (globbing)
is performed on the remote machine instead of by zsh itself; see
below.
ttiittlleebbaarr
If set to `1', `yes' or `true', zzffttppcchhppwwdd will put the remote
host and remote directory into the titlebar of terminal emula-
tors such as xterm or sun-cmd that allow this.
As described for pprrooggrreessss, zzffiinniitt will force this to default to
1.
cchhppwwdd If set to `1' `yes' or `true', zzffttppcchhppwwdd will call the function
cchhppwwdd when a connection is closed. This is useful if the remote
host details were put into the terminal title bar by zzffttppcchhppwwdd
and your usual cchhppwwdd also modifies the title bar.
When zzffiinniitt is run, it will determine whether cchhppwwdd exists and
if so it will set the default value for the style to 1 if none
exists already.
Note that there is also an associative array zzffccoonnffiigg which contains
values used by the function system. This should not be modified or
overwritten.
RReemmoottee gglloobbbbiinngg
The commands for retrieving files usually perform filename generation
(globbing) on their arguments; this can be turned off by passing the
option -GG to each of the commands. Normally this operates by retriev-
ing a complete list of files for the directory in question, then match-
ing these locally against the pattern supplied. This has the advantage
that the full range of zsh patterns (respecting the setting of the
option EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB) can be used. However, it means that the direc-
tory part of a filename will not be expanded and must be given exactly.
If the remote server does not support the UNIX directory semantics,
directory handling is problematic and it is recommended that globbing
only be used within the current directory. The list of files in the
current directory, if retrieved, will be cached, so that subsequent
globs in the same directory without an intervening zzffccdd are much
faster.
If the rreemmoottee-gglloobb style (see above) is set, globbing is instead per-
formed on the remote host: the server is asked for a list of matching
files. This is highly dependent on how the server is implemented,
though typically UNIX servers will provide support for basic glob pat-
terns. This may in some cases be faster, as it avoids retrieving the
entire list of directory contents.
AAuuttoommaattiicc aanndd tteemmppoorraarryy rreeooppeenniinngg
As described for the zzffooppeenn command, a subsequent zzffooppeenn with no param-
eters will reopen the connection to the last host (this includes con-
nections made with the zzffaannoonn command). Opened in this fashion, the
connection starts in the default remote directory and will remain open
until explicitly closed.
Automatic re-opening is also available. If a connection is not cur-
rently open and a command requiring a connection is given, the last
connection is implicitly reopened. In this case the directory which
was current when the connection was closed again becomes the current
directory (unless, of course, the command given changes it). Automatic
reopening will also take place if the connection was close by the
remote server for whatever reason (e.g. a timeout). It is not avail-
able if the -11 option to zzffooppeenn or zzffaannoonn was used.
Furthermore, if the command issued is a file transfer, the connection
will be closed after the transfer is finished, hence providing a
one-shot mode for transfers. This does not apply to directory changing
or listing commands; for example a zzffddiirr may reopen a connection but
will leave it open. Also, automatic closure will only ever happen in
the same command as automatic opening, i.e a zzffddiirr directly followed by
a zzffggeett will never close the connection automatically.
Information about the previous connection is given by the zzffssttaatt func-
tion. So, for example, if that reports:
SSeessssiioonn:: ddeeffaauulltt
NNoott ccoonnnneecctteedd..
LLaasstt sseessssiioonn:: ffttpp..bbaarr..ccoomm:://ppuubb//tteexxttffiilleess
then the command zzffggeett ffiillee..ttxxtt will attempt to reopen a connection to
ffttpp..bbaarr..ccoomm, retrieve the file //ppuubb//tteexxttffiilleess//ffiillee..ttxxtt, and immediately
close the connection again. On the other hand, zzffccdd .... will open the
connection in the directory //ppuubb and leave it open.
Note that all the above is local to each session; if you return to a
previous session, the connection for that session is the one which will
be reopened.
CCoommpplleettiioonn
Completion of local and remote files, directories, sessions and book-
marks is supported. The older, ccoommppccttll-style completion is defined
when zzffiinniitt is called; support for the new widget-based completion sys-
tem is provided in the function CCoommpplleettiioonn//ZZsshh//CCoommmmaanndd//zzffttpp, which
should be installed with the other functions of the completion system
and hence should automatically be available.
ZSHCONTRIB(1) ZSHCONTRIB(1)
NAME
zshcontrib - user contributions to zsh
DESCRIPTION
The Zsh source distribution includes a number of items contributed by
the user community. These are not inherently a part of the shell, and
some may not be available in every zsh installation. The most signifi-
cant of these are documented here. For documentation on other contrib-
uted items such as shell functions, look for comments in the function
source files.
UUTTIILLIITTIIEESS
AAcccceessssiinngg OOnn-LLiinnee HHeellpp
The key sequence EESSCC hh is normally bound by ZLE to execute the rruunn-hheellpp
widget (see zshzle(1)). This invokes the rruunn-hheellpp command with the
command word from the current input line as its argument. By default,
rruunn-hheellpp is an alias for the mmaann command, so this often fails when the
command word is a shell builtin or a user-defined function. By
redefining the rruunn-hheellpp alias, one can improve the on-line help pro-
vided by the shell.
The hheellppffiilleess utility, found in the UUttiill directory of the distribution,
is a Perl program that can be used to process the zsh manual to produce
a separate help file for each shell builtin and for many other shell
features as well. The autoloadable rruunn-hheellpp function, found in FFuunncc-
ttiioonnss//MMiisscc, searches for these helpfiles and performs several other
tests to produce the most complete help possible for the command.
There may already be a directory of help files on your system; look in
//uussrr//sshhaarree//zzsshh or //uussrr//llooccaall//sshhaarree//zzsshh and subdirectories below those,
or ask your system administrator.
To create your own help files with hheellppffiilleess, choose or create a direc-
tory where the individual command help files will reside. For example,
you might choose ~~//zzsshhhheellpp. If you unpacked the zsh distribution in
your home directory, you would use the commands:
mmkkddiirr ~~//zzsshhhheellpp
ccdd ~~//zzsshhhheellpp
mmaann zzsshhaallll || ccoollccrrtt - || \\
ppeerrll ~~//zzsshh-44..22..33//UUttiill//hheellppffiilleess
Next, to use the rruunn-hheellpp function, you need to add lines something
like the following to your ..zzsshhrrcc or equivalent startup file:
uunnaalliiaass rruunn-hheellpp
aauuttoollooaadd rruunn-hheellpp
HHEELLPPDDIIRR==~~//zzsshhhheellpp
The HHEELLPPDDIIRR parameter tells rruunn-hheellpp where to look for the help files.
If your system already has a help file directory installed, set HHEELLPPDDIIRR
to the path of that directory instead.
Note that in order for `aauuttoollooaadd rruunn-hheellpp' to work, the rruunn-hheellpp file
must be in one of the directories named in your ffppaatthh array (see zsh-
param(1)). This should already be the case if you have a standard zsh
installation; if it is not, copy FFuunnccttiioonnss//MMiisscc//rruunn-hheellpp to an appro-
priate directory.
RReeccoommppiilliinngg FFuunnccttiioonnss
If you frequently edit your zsh functions, or periodically update your
zsh installation to track the latest developments, you may find that
function digests compiled with the zzccoommppiillee builtin are frequently out
of date with respect to the function source files. This is not usually
a problem, because zsh always looks for the newest file when loading a
function, but it may cause slower shell startup and function loading.
Also, if a digest file is explicitly used as an element of ffppaatthh, zsh
won't check whether any of its source files has changed.
The zzrreeccoommppiillee autoloadable function, found in FFuunnccttiioonnss//MMiisscc, can be
used to keep function digests up to date.
zzrreeccoommppiillee [ -qqtt ] [ name ... ]
zzrreeccoommppiillee [ -qqtt ] -pp args [ -- args ... ]
This tries to find **..zzwwcc files and automatically re-compile them
if at least one of the original files is newer than the compiled
file. This works only if the names stored in the compiled files
are full paths or are relative to the directory that contains
the ..zzwwcc file.
In the first form, each name is the name of a compiled file or a
directory containing **..zzwwcc files that should be checked. If no
arguments are given, the directories and **..zzwwcc files in ffppaatthh
are used.
When -tt is given, no compilation is performed, but a return sta-
tus of zero (true) is set if there are files that need to be
re-compiled and non-zero (false) otherwise. The -qq option qui-
ets the chatty output that describes what zzrreeccoommppiillee is doing.
Without the -tt option, the return status is zero if all files
that needed re-compilation could be compiled and non-zero if
compilation for at least one of the files failed.
If the -pp option is given, the args are interpreted as one or
more sets of arguments for zzccoommppiillee, separated by `--'. For
example:
zzrreeccoommppiillee -pp \\
-RR ~~//..zzsshhrrcc -- \\
-MM ~~//..zzccoommppdduummpp -- \\
~~//zzsshh//ccoommpp..zzwwcc ~~//zzsshh//CCoommpplleettiioonn//**//**
This compiles ~~//..zzsshhrrcc into ~~//..zzsshhrrcc..zzwwcc if that doesn't exist
or if it is older than ~~//..zzsshhrrcc. The compiled file will be
marked for reading instead of mapping. The same is done for
~~//..zzccoommppdduummpp and ~~//..zzccoommppdduummpp..zzwwcc, but this compiled file is
marked for mapping. The last line re-creates the file
~~//zzsshh//ccoommpp..zzwwcc if any of the files matching the given pattern is
newer than it.
Without the -pp option, zzrreeccoommppiillee does not create function
digests that do not already exist, nor does it add new functions
to the digest.
The following shell loop is an example of a method for creating func-
tion digests for all functions in your ffppaatthh, assuming that you have
write permission to the directories:
ffoorr ((((ii==11;; ii <<== $$##ffppaatthh;; ++++ii))));; ddoo
ddiirr==$$ffppaatthh[[ii]]
zzwwcc==$${{ddiirr::tt}}..zzwwcc
iiff [[[[ $$ddiirr ==== ((..||....)) |||| $$ddiirr ==== ((..||....))//** ]]]];; tthheenn
ccoonnttiinnuuee
ffii
ffiilleess==(($$ddiirr//**((NN-..))))
iiff [[[[ -ww $$ddiirr::hh &&&& -nn $$ffiilleess ]]]];; tthheenn
ffiilleess==(($${{$${{((MM))ffiilleess%%//**//**}}##//}}))
iiff (( ccdd $$ddiirr::hh &&&&
zzrreeccoommppiillee -pp -UU -zz $$zzwwcc $$ffiilleess ));; tthheenn
ffppaatthh[[ii]]==$$ffppaatthh[[ii]]..zzwwcc
ffii
ffii
ddoonnee
The -UU and -zz options are appropriate for functions in the default zsh
installation ffppaatthh; you may need to use different options for your per-
sonal function directories.
Once the digests have been created and your ffppaatthh modified to refer to
them, you can keep them up to date by running zzrreeccoommppiillee with no argu-
ments.
KKeeyybbooaarrdd DDeeffiinniittiioonn
The large number of possible combinations of keyboards, workstations,
terminals, emulators, and window systems makes it impossible for zsh to
have built-in key bindings for every situation. The zzkkbbdd utility,
found in Functions/Misc, can help you quickly create key bindings for
your configuration.
Run zzkkbbdd either as an autoloaded function, or as a shell script:
zzsshh -ff ~~//zzsshh-44..22..33//FFuunnccttiioonnss//MMiisscc//zzkkbbdd
When you run zzkkbbdd, it first asks you to enter your terminal type; if
the default it offers is correct, just press return. It then asks you
to press a number of different keys to determine characteristics of
your keyboard and terminal; zzkkbbdd warns you if it finds anything out of
the ordinary, such as a Delete key that sends neither ^^HH nor ^^??.
The keystrokes read by zzkkbbdd are recorded as a definition for an asso-
ciative array named kkeeyy, written to a file in the subdirectory ..zzkkbbdd
within either your HHOOMMEE or ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR directory. The name of the file is
composed from the TTEERRMM, VVEENNDDOORR and OOSSTTYYPPEE parameters, joined by
hyphens.
You may read this file into your ..zzsshhrrcc or another startup file with
the "source" or "." commands, then reference the kkeeyy parameter in bind-
key commands, like this:
ssoouurrccee $${{ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR::-$$HHOOMMEE}}//..zzkkbbdd//$$TTEERRMM-$$VVEENNDDOORR-$$OOSSTTYYPPEE
[[[[ -nn $${{kkeeyy[[LLeefftt]]}} ]]]] &&&& bbiinnddkkeeyy ""$${{kkeeyy[[LLeefftt]]}}"" bbaacckkwwaarrdd-cchhaarr
[[[[ -nn $${{kkeeyy[[RRiigghhtt]]}} ]]]] &&&& bbiinnddkkeeyy ""$${{kkeeyy[[RRiigghhtt]]}}"" ffoorrwwaarrdd-cchhaarr
## eettcc..
Note that in order for `aauuttoollooaadd zzkkbbdd' to work, the zzkkddbb file must be
in one of the directories named in your ffppaatthh array (see zshparam(1)).
This should already be the case if you have a standard zsh installa-
tion; if it is not, copy FFuunnccttiioonnss//MMiisscc//zzkkbbdd to an appropriate direc-
tory.
DDuummppiinngg SShheellll SSttaattee
Occasionally you may encounter what appears to be a bug in the shell,
particularly if you are using a beta version of zsh or a development
release. Usually it is sufficient to send a description of the problem
to one of the zsh mailing lists (see zsh(1)), but sometimes one of the
zsh developers will need to recreate your environment in order to track
the problem down.
The script named rreeppoorrtteerr, found in the UUttiill directory of the distribu-
tion, is provided for this purpose. (It is also possible to aauuttoollooaadd
rreeppoorrtteerr, but rreeppoorrtteerr is not installed in ffppaatthh by default.) This
script outputs a detailed dump of the shell state, in the form of
another script that can be read with `zzsshh -ff' to recreate that state.
To use rreeppoorrtteerr, read the script into your shell with the `..' command
and redirect the output into a file:
.. ~~//zzsshh-44..22..33//UUttiill//rreeppoorrtteerr >> zzsshh..rreeppoorrtt
You should check the zzsshh..rreeppoorrtt file for any sensitive information such
as passwords and delete them by hand before sending the script to the
developers. Also, as the output can be voluminous, it's best to wait
for the developers to ask for this information before sending it.
You can also use rreeppoorrtteerr to dump only a subset of the shell state.
This is sometimes useful for creating startup files for the first time.
Most of the output from reporter is far more detailed than usually is
necessary for a startup file, but the aalliiaasseess, ooppttiioonnss, and zzssttyylleess
states may be useful because they include only changes from the
defaults. The bbiinnddiinnggss state may be useful if you have created any of
your own keymaps, because rreeppoorrtteerr arranges to dump the keymap creation
commands as well as the bindings for every keymap.
As is usual with automated tools, if you create a startup file with
rreeppoorrtteerr, you should edit the results to remove unnecessary commands.
Note that if you're using the new completion system, you should not
dump the ffuunnccttiioonnss state to your startup files with rreeppoorrtteerr; use the
ccoommppdduummpp function instead (see zshcompsys(1)).
rreeppoorrtteerr [ state ... ]
Print to standard output the indicated subset of the current
shell state. The state arguments may be one or more of:
aallll Output everything listed below.
aalliiaasseess
Output alias definitions.
bbiinnddiinnggss
Output ZLE key maps and bindings.
ccoommpplleettiioonn
Output old-style ccoommppccttll commands. New completion is
covered by ffuunnccttiioonnss and zzssttyylleess.
ffuunnccttiioonnss
Output autoloads and function definitions.
lliimmiittss Output lliimmiitt commands.
ooppttiioonnss
Output sseettoopptt commands.
ssttyylleess Same as zzssttyylleess.
vvaarriiaabblleess
Output shell parameter assignments, plus eexxppoorrtt commands
for any environment variables.
zzssttyylleess
Output zzssttyyllee commands.
If the state is omitted, aallll is assumed.
With the exception of `aallll', every state can be abbreviated by any pre-
fix, even a single letter; thus aa is the same as aalliiaasseess, zz is the same
as zzssttyylleess, etc.
PPRROOMMPPTT TTHHEEMMEESS
IInnssttaallllaattiioonn
You should make sure all the functions from the FFuunnccttiioonnss//PPrroommppttss
directory of the source distribution are available; they all begin with
the string `pprroommpptt' except for the special function`pprroommppttiinniitt'. You
also need the `ccoolloorrss' function from FFuunnccttiioonnss//MMiisscc. All of these
functions may already have been installed on your system; if not, you
will need to find them and copy them. The directory should appear as
one of the elements of the ffppaatthh array (this should already be the case
if they were installed), and at least the function pprroommppttiinniitt should be
autoloaded; it will autoload the rest. Finally, to initialize the use
of the system you need to call the pprroommppttiinniitt function. The following
code in your ..zzsshhrrcc will arrange for this; assume the functions are
stored in the directory ~~//mmyyffnnss:
ffppaatthh==((~~//mmyyffnnss $$ffppaatthh))
aauuttoollooaadd -UU pprroommppttiinniitt
pprroommppttiinniitt
Theme Selection Use the pprroommpptt command to select your preferred theme. This command
may be added to your ..zzsshhrrcc following the call to pprroommppttiinniitt in order
to start zsh with a theme already selected.
pprroommpptt [ -cc | -ll ]
pprroommpptt [ -pp | -hh ] [ theme ... ]
pprroommpptt [ -ss ] theme [ arg ... ]
Set or examine the prompt theme. With no options and a theme
argument, the theme with that name is set as the current theme.
The available themes are determined at run time; use the -ll
option to see a list. The special theme `rraannddoomm' selects at
random one of the available themes and sets your prompt to that.
In some cases the theme may be modified by one or more argu-
ments, which should be given after the theme name. See the help
for each theme for descriptions of these arguments.
Options are:
-cc Show the currently selected theme and its parameters, if
any.
-ll List all available prompt themes.
-pp Preview the theme named by theme, or all themes if no
theme is given.
-hh Show help for the theme named by theme, or for the pprroommpptt
function if no theme is given.
-ss Set theme as the current theme and save state.
pprroommppttthemesseettuupp
Each available theme has a setup function which is called by the
pprroommpptt function to install that theme. This function may define
other functions as necessary to maintain the prompt, including
functions used to preview the prompt or provide help for its
use. You should not normally call a theme's setup function
directly.
ZZLLEE FFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS
WWiiddggeettss
These functions all implement user-defined ZLE widgets (see zshzle(1))
which can be bound to keystrokes in interactive shells. To use them,
your ..zzsshhrrcc should contain lines of the form
aauuttoollooaadd function
zzllee -NN function
followed by an appropriate bbiinnddkkeeyy command to associate the function
with a key sequence. Suggested bindings are described below.
bash-style word functions
If you are looking for functions to implement moving over and
editing words in the manner of bash, where only alphanumeric
characters are considered word characters, you can use the func-
tions described in the next section. The following is suffi-
cient:
aauuttoollooaadd -UU sseelleecctt-wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee
sseelleecctt-wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee bbaasshh
ffoorrwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh, bbaacckkwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh
kkiillll-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh, bbaacckkwwaarrdd-kkiillll-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh
ttrraannssppoossee-wwoorrddss-mmaattcchh, ccaappiittaalliizzee-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh
uupp-ccaassee-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh, ddoowwnn-ccaassee-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh
sseelleecctt-wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee, mmaattcchh-wwoorrddss-bbyy-ssttyyllee
The eight `-mmaattcchh' functions are drop-in replacements for the
builtin widgets without the suffix. By default they behave in a
similar way. However, by the use of styles and the function
sseelleecctt-wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee, the way words are matched can be altered.
The simplest way of configuring the functions is to use
sseelleecctt-wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee, which can either be called as a normal func-
tion with the appropriate argument, or invoked as a user-defined
widget that will prompt for the first character of the word
style to be used. The first time it is invoked, the eight
-mmaattcchh functions will automatically replace the builtin ver-
sions, so they do not need to be loaded explicitly.
The word styles available are as follows. Only the first char-
acter is examined.
bbaasshh Word characters are alphanumeric characters only.
nnoorrmmaall As in normal shell operation: word characters are
alphanumeric characters plus any characters present in
the string given by the parameter $$WWOORRDDCCHHAARRSS.
sshheellll Words are complete shell command arguments, possibly
including complete quoted strings, or any tokens special
to the shell.
wwhhiitteessppaaccee
Words are any set of characters delimited by whitespace.
ddeeffaauulltt
Restore the default settings; this is usually the same as
`nnoorrmmaall'.
More control can be obtained using the zzssttyyllee command, as
described in zshmodules(1). Each style is looked up in the con-
text ::zzllee::widget where widget is the name of the user-defined
widget, not the name of the function implementing it, so in the
case of the definitions supplied by sseelleecctt-wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee the appro-
priate contexts are ::zzllee::ffoorrwwaarrdd-wwoorrdd, and so on. The function
sseelleecctt-wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee itself always defines styles for the context
`::zzllee::**' which can be overridden by more specific (longer) pat-
terns as well as explicit contexts.
The style wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee specifies the rules to use. This may have
the following values.
nnoorrmmaall Use the standard shell rules, i.e. alphanumerics and
$$WWOORRDDCCHHAARRSS, unless overridden by the styles wwoorrdd-cchhaarrss or
wwoorrdd-ccllaassss.
ssppeecciiffiieedd
Similar to nnoorrmmaall, but only the specified characters, and
not also alphanumerics, are considered word characters.
uunnssppeecciiffiieedd
The negation of specified. The given characters are
those which will not be considered part of a word.
sshheellll Words are obtained by using the syntactic rules for gen-
erating shell command arguments. In addition, special
tokens which are never command arguments such as `(())' are
also treated as words.
wwhhiitteessppaaccee
Words are whitespace-delimited strings of characters.
The first three of those styles usually use $$WWOORRDDCCHHAARRSS, but the
value in the parameter can be overridden by the style
wwoorrdd-cchhaarrss, which works in exactly the same way as $$WWOORRDDCCHHAARRSS.
In addition, the style wwoorrdd-ccllaassss uses character class syntax to
group characters and takes precedence over wwoorrdd-cchhaarrss if both
are set. The wwoorrdd-ccllaassss style does not include the surrounding
brackets of the character class; for example, `-::[[::aallnnuumm::]]' is a
valid wwoorrdd-ccllaassss to include all alphanumerics plus the charac-
ters `-' and `::'. Be careful including `]]', `^^' and `-' as
these are special inside character classes.
The final style is sskkiipp-cchhaarrss. This is mostly useful for ttrraannss-
ppoossee-wwoorrddss and similar functions. If set, it gives a count of
characters starting at the cursor position which will not be
considered part of the word and are treated as space, regardless
of what they actually are. For example, if
zzssttyyllee ''::zzllee::ttrraannssppoossee-wwoorrddss'' sskkiipp-cchhaarrss 11
has been set, and ttrraannssppoossee-wwoorrddss-mmaattcchh is called with the cur-
sor on the X of ffooooXbbaarr, where X can be any character, then the
resulting expression is bbaarrXffoooo.
Here are some examples of use of the styles, actually taken from
the simplified interface in sseelleecctt-wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee:
zzssttyyllee ''::zzllee::**'' wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee ssttaannddaarrdd
zzssttyyllee ''::zzllee::**'' wwoorrdd-cchhaarrss ''''
Implements bash-style word handling for all widgets, i.e. only
alphanumerics are word characters; equivalent to setting the
parameter WWOORRDDCCHHAARRSS empty for the given context.
ssttyyllee ''::zzllee::**kkiillll**'' wwoorrdd-ssttyyllee ssppaaccee
Uses space-delimited words for widgets with the word `kill' in
the name. Neither of the styles wwoorrdd-cchhaarrss nor wwoorrdd-ccllaassss is
used in this case.
The word matching and all the handling of zzssttyyllee settings is
actually implemented by the function mmaattcchh-wwoorrddss-bbyy-ssttyyllee. This
can be used to create new user-defined widgets. The calling
function should set the local parameter ccuurrccoonntteexxtt to ::zzllee::wid-
get, create the local parameter mmaattcchheeddwwoorrddss and call
mmaattcchh-wwoorrddss-bbyy-ssttyyllee with no arguments. On return,
mmaattcchheeddwwoorrddss will be set to an array with the elements: (1) the
start of the line (2) the word before the cursor (3) any
non-word characters between that word and the cursor (4) any
non-word character at the cursor position plus any remaining
non-word characters before the next word, including all charac-
ters specified by the sskkiipp-cchhaarrss style, (5) the word at or fol-
lowing the cursor (6) any non-word characters following that
word (7) the remainder of the line. Any of the elements may be
an empty string; the calling function should test for this to
decide whether it can perform its function.
It is possible to pass options with arguments to
mmaattcchh-wwoorrddss-bbyy-ssttyyllee to override the use of styles. The options
are:
-ww word-style
-ss skip-chars
-cc word-class
-CC word-chars
For example, mmaattcchh-wwoorrddss-bbyy-ssttyyllee -ww sshheellll -cc 00 may be used to
extract the command argument around the cursor.
ddeelleettee-wwhhoollee-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh
This is another function which works like the -mmaattcchh functions
described immediately above, i.e. using styles to decide the
word boundaries. However, it is not a replacement for any
existing function.
The basic behaviour is to delete the word around the cursor.
There is no numeric prefix handling; only the single word around
the cursor is considered. If the widget contains the string
kkiillll, the removed text will be placed in the cutbuffer for
future yanking. This can be obtained by defining
kkiillll-wwhhoollee-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh as follows:
zzllee -NN kkiillll-wwhhoollee-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh ddeelleettee-wwhhoollee-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh
and then binding the widget kkiillll-wwhhoollee-wwoorrdd-mmaattcchh.
ccooppyy-eeaarrlliieerr-wwoorrdd
This widget works like a combination of iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd and
ccooppyy-pprreevv-sshheellll-wwoorrdd. Repeated invocations of the widget
retrieve earlier words on the relevant history line. With a
numeric argument N, insert the Nth word from the history line; N
may be negative to count from the end of the line.
If iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd has been used to retrieve the last word on a
previous history line, repeated invocations will replace that
word with earlier words from the same line.
Otherwise, the widget applies to words on the line currently
being edited. The wwiiddggeett style can be set to the name of
another widget that should be called to retrieve words. This
widget must accept the same three arguments as iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd.
ccyyccllee-ccoommpplleettiioonn-ppoossiittiioonnss
After inserting an unambiguous string into the command line, the
new function based completion system may know about multiple
places in this string where characters are missing or differ
from at least one of the possible matches. It will then place
the cursor on the position it considers to be the most interest-
ing one, i.e. the one where one can disambiguate between as many
matches as possible with as little typing as possible.
This widget allows the cursor to be easily moved to the other
interesting spots. It can be invoked repeatedly to cycle
between all positions reported by the completion system.
eeddiitt-ccoommmmaanndd-lliinnee
Edit the command line using your visual editor, as in kksshh.
bbiinnddkkeeyy -MM vviiccmmdd vv eeddiitt-ccoommmmaanndd-lliinnee
hhiissttoorryy-sseeaarrcchh-eenndd
This function implements the widgets hhiissttoorryy-bbeeggiinn-
nniinngg-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-eenndd and hhiissttoorryy-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorr-
wwaarrdd-eenndd. These commands work by first calling the correspond-
ing builtin widget (see `History Control' in zshzle(1)) and then
moving the cursor to the end of the line. The original cursor
position is remembered and restored before calling the builtin
widget a second time, so that the same search is repeated to
look farther through the history.
Although you aauuttoollooaadd only one function, the commands to use it
are slightly different because it implements two widgets.
zzllee -NN hhiissttoorryy-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-eenndd \\
hhiissttoorryy-sseeaarrcchh-eenndd
zzllee -NN hhiissttoorryy-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorrwwaarrdd-eenndd \\
hhiissttoorryy-sseeaarrcchh-eenndd
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''\\ee^^PP'' hhiissttoorryy-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-eenndd
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''\\ee^^NN'' hhiissttoorryy-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorrwwaarrdd-eenndd
hhiissttoorryy-ppaatttteerrnn-sseeaarrcchh
The function hhiissttoorryy-ppaatttteerrnn-sseeaarrcchh implements widgets which
prompt for a pattern with which to search the history backwards
or forwards. The pattern is in the usual zsh format, however
the first character may be ^^ to anchor the search to the start
of the line, and the last character may be $$ to anchor the
search to the end of the line. If the search was not anchored
to the end of the line the cursor is positioned just after the
pattern found.
The commands to create bindable widgets are similar to those in
the example immediately above:
aauuttoollooaadd -UU hhiissttoorryy-ppaatttteerrnn-sseeaarrcchh
zzllee -NN hhiissttoorryy-ppaatttteerrnn-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd hhiissttoorryy-ppaatttteerrnn-sseeaarrcchh
zzllee -NN hhiissttoorryy-ppaatttteerrnn-sseeaarrcchh-ffoorrwwaarrdd hhiissttoorryy-ppaatttteerrnn-sseeaarrcchh
uupp-lliinnee-oorr-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-sseeaarrcchh, ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-sseeaarrcchh
These widgets are similar to the builtin functions
uupp-lliinnee-oorr-sseeaarrcchh and ddoowwnn-lliinnee-oorr-sseeaarrcchh: if in a multiline
buffer they move up or down within the buffer, otherwise they
search for a history line matching the start of the current
line. In this case, however, they search for a line which
matches the current line up to the current cursor position, in
the manner of hhiissttoorryy-bbeeggiinnnniinngg-sseeaarrcchh-bbaacckkwwaarrdd and -ffoorrwwaarrdd,
rather than the first word on the line.
iinnccaarrgg Typing the keystrokes for this widget with the cursor placed on
or to the left of an integer causes that integer to be incre-
mented by one. With a numeric prefix argument, the number is
incremented by the amount of the argument (decremented if the
prefix argument is negative). The shell parameter iinnccaarrgg may be
set to change the default increment something other than one.
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''^^XX++'' iinnccaarrgg
iinnccrreemmeennttaall-ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd
This allows incremental completion of a word. After starting
this command, a list of completion choices can be shown after
every character you type, which you can delete with ^^HH or DDEELL.
Pressing return accepts the completion so far and returns you to
normal editing (that is, the command line is not immediately
executed). You can hit TTAABB to do normal completion, ^^GG to abort
back to the state when you started, and ^^DD to list the matches.
This works only with the new function based completion system.
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''^^XXii'' iinnccrreemmeennttaall-ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd
iinnsseerrtt-ffiilleess
This function allows you type a file pattern, and see the
results of the expansion at each step. When you hit return, all
expansions are inserted into the command line.
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''^^XXff'' iinnsseerrtt-ffiilleess
nnaarrrrooww-ttoo-rreeggiioonn [[ -pp pre ]] [[ -PP post ]]
[[ -SS statepm || -RR statepm ]] [[ -nn ]] [[ start end ]])
nnaarrrrooww-ttoo-rreeggiioonn-iinnvviissiibbllee
Narrow the editable portion of the buffer to the region between
the cursor and the mark, which may be in either order. The
region may not be empty.
nnaarrrrooww-ttoo-rreeggiioonn may be used as a widget or called as a function
from a user-defined widget; by default, the text outside the
editable area remains visible. A rreeccuurrssiivvee-eeddiitt is performed
and the original widening status is then restored. Various
options and arguments are available when it is called as a func-
tion.
The options -pp pretext and -PP posttext may be used to replace
the text before and after the display for the duration of the
function; either or both may be an empty string.
If the option -nn is also given, pretext or posttext will only be
inserted if there is text before or after the region respec-
tively which will be made invisible.
Two numeric arguments may be given which will be used instead of
the cursor and mark positions.
The option -SS statepm is used to narrow according to the other
options while saving the original state in the parameter with
name statepm, while the option -RR statepm is used to restore the
state from the parameter; note in both cases the name of the
parameter is required. In the second case, other options and
arguments are irrelevant. When this method is used, no rreeccuurr-
ssiivvee-eeddiitt is performed; the calling widget should call this
function with the option -SS, perform its own editing on the com-
mand line or pass control to the user via `zzllee rreeccuurrssiivvee-eeddiitt',
then call this function with the option -RR. The argument
statepm must be a suitable name for an ordinary parameter,
except that parameters beginning with the prefix nnttrr are
reserved for use within nnaarrrrooww-ttoo-rreeggiioonn. Typically the parame-
ter will be local to the calling function.
nnaarrrrooww-ttoo-rreeggiioonn-iinnvviissiibbllee is a simple widget which calls nnaarr-
rrooww-ttoo-rreeggiioonn with arguments which replace any text outside the
region with `......'.
The display is restored (and the widget returns) upon any zle
command which would usually cause the line to be accepted or
aborted. Hence an additional such command is required to accept
or abort the current line.
The return status of both widgets is zero if the line was
accepted, else non-zero.
Here is a trivial example of a widget using this feature.
llooccaall ssttaattee
nnaarrrrooww-ttoo-rreeggiioonn -pp $$''EEddiittiinngg rreessttrriicctteedd rreeggiioonn\\nn'' \\
-PP '''' -SS ssttaattee
zzllee rreeccuurrssiivvee-eeddiitt
nnaarrrrooww-ttoo-rreeggiioonn -RR ssttaattee
pprreeddiicctt-oonn
This set of functions implements predictive typing using history
search. After pprreeddiicctt-oonn, typing characters causes the editor
to look backward in the history for the first line beginning
with what you have typed so far. After pprreeddiicctt-ooffff, editing
returns to normal for the line found. In fact, you often don't
even need to use pprreeddiicctt-ooffff, because if the line doesn't match
something in the history, adding a key performs standard comple-
tion, and then inserts itself if no completions were found.
However, editing in the middle of a line is liable to confuse
prediction; see the ttooggggllee style below.
With the function based completion system (which is needed for
this), you should be able to type TTAABB at almost any point to
advance the cursor to the next ``interesting'' character posi-
tion (usually the end of the current word, but sometimes some-
where in the middle of the word). And of course as soon as the
entire line is what you want, you can accept with return, with-
out needing to move the cursor to the end first.
The first time pprreeddiicctt-oonn is used, it creates several additional
widget functions:
ddeelleettee-bbaacckkwwaarrdd-aanndd-pprreeddiicctt
Replaces the bbaacckkwwaarrdd-ddeelleettee-cchhaarr widget. You do not
need to bind this yourself.
iinnsseerrtt-aanndd-pprreeddiicctt
Implements predictive typing by replacing the sseellff-iinnsseerrtt
widget. You do not need to bind this yourself.
pprreeddiicctt-ooffff
Turns off predictive typing.
Although you aauuttoollooaadd only the pprreeddiicctt-oonn function, it is neces-
sary to create a keybinding for pprreeddiicctt-ooffff as well.
zzllee -NN pprreeddiicctt-oonn
zzllee -NN pprreeddiicctt-ooffff
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''^^XX^^ZZ'' pprreeddiicctt-oonn
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''^^ZZ'' pprreeddiicctt-ooffff
rreeaadd-ffrroomm-mmiinniibbuuffffeerr
This is most useful when called as a function from inside a wid-
get, but will work correctly as a widget in its own right. It
prompts for a value below the current command line; a value may
be input using all of the standard zle operations (and not
merely the restricted set available when executing, for example,
eexxeeccuuttee-nnaammeedd-ccmmdd). The value is then returned to the calling
function in the parameter $$RREEPPLLYY and the editing buffer restored
to its previous state. If the read was aborted by a keyboard
break (typically ^^GG), the function returns status 1 and $$RREEPPLLYY
is not set.
If one argument is supplied to the function it is taken as a
prompt, otherwise `?? ' is used. If two arguments are supplied,
they are the prompt and the initial value of $$LLBBUUFFFFEERR, and if a
third argument is given it is the initial value of $$RRBBUUFFFFEERR.
This provides a default value and starting cursor placement.
Upon return the entire buffer is the value of $$RREEPPLLYY.
One option is available: `-kk num' specifies that num characters
are to be read instead of a whole line. The line editor is not
invoked recursively in this case, so depending on the terminal
settings the input may not be visible, and only the input keys
are placed in $$RREEPPLLYY, not the entire buffer. Note that unlike
the rreeaadd builtin num must be given; there is no default.
The name is a slight misnomer, as in fact the shell's own
minibuffer is not used. Hence it is still possible to call eexxee-
ccuutteedd-nnaammeedd-ccmmdd and similar functions while reading a value.
rreeppllaaccee-ssttrriinngg, rreeppllaaccee-ppaatttteerrnn
The function rreeppllaaccee-ssttrriinngg implements two widgets. If defined
under the same name as the function, it prompts for two strings;
the first (source) string will be replaced by the second every-
where it occurs in the line editing buffer.
If the widget name contains the word `ppaatttteerrnn', for example by
defining the widget using the command `zzllee -NN rreeppllaaccee-ppaatttteerrnn
rreeppllaaccee-ssttrriinngg', then the replacement is done by pattern match-
ing. All zsh extended globbing patterns can be used in the
source string; note that unlike filename generation the pattern
does not need to match an entire word, nor do glob qualifiers
have any effect. In addition, the replacement string can con-
tain parameter or command substitutions. Furthermore, a `&&' in
the replacement string will be replaced with the matched source
string, and a backquoted digit `\\N' will be replaced by the Nth
parenthesised expression matched. The form `\\{{N}}' may be used
to protect the digit from following digits.
For example, starting from the line:
pprriinntt TThhiiss lliinnee ccoonnttaaiinnss ffaann aanndd ffoonndd
and invoking rreeppllaaccee-ppaatttteerrnn with the source string `ff((??))nn' and
the replacment string `cc\\11rr' produces the not very useful line:
pprriinntt TThhiiss lliinnee ccoonnttaaiinnss ccaarr aanndd ccoorrdd
The range of the replacement string can be limited by using the
nnaarrrrooww-ttoo-rreeggiioonn-iinnvviissiibbllee widget. One limitation of the cur-
rent version is that uunnddoo will cycle through changes to the
replacement and source strings before undoing the replacement
itself.
ssmmaarrtt-iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd
This function may replace the iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd widget, like so:
zzllee -NN iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd ssmmaarrtt-iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd
With a numeric prefix, or when passed command line arguments in
a call from another widget, it behaves like iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd,
except that words in comments are ignored when IINNTTEERRAACCTTIIVVEECCOOMM-
MMEENNTTSS is set.
Otherwise, the rightmost ``interesting'' word from the previous
command is found and inserted. The default definition of
``interesting'' is that the word contains at least one alpha-
betic character, slash, or backslash. This definition may be
overridden by use of the mmaattcchh style. The context used to look
up the style is the widget name, so usually the context is
::iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd. However, you can bind this function to dif-
ferent widgets to use different patterns:
zzllee -NN iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-aassssiiggnnmmeenntt ssmmaarrtt-iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd
zzssttyyllee ::iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-aassssiiggnnmmeenntt mmaattcchh ''[[[[::aallpphhaa::]]]][[]][[[[::aallnnuumm::]]]]##==**''
bbiinnddkkeeyy ''\\ee=='' iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-aassssiiggnnmmeenntt
SSttyylleess
The behavior of several of the above widgets can be controlled by the
use of the zzssttyyllee mechanism. In particular, widgets that interact with
the completion system pass along their context to any completions that
they invoke.
bbrreeaakk-kkeeyyss
This style is used by the iinnccrreemmeennttaall-ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd widget. Its
value should be a pattern, and all keys matching this pattern
will cause the widget to stop incremental completion without the
key having any further effect. Like all styles used directly by
iinnccrreemmeennttaall-ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd, this style is looked up using the
context `::iinnccrreemmeennttaall'.
ccoommpplleetteerr
The iinnccrreemmeennttaall-ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd and iinnsseerrtt-aanndd-pprreeddiicctt widgets set
up their top-level context name before calling completion. This
allows one to define different sets of completer functions for
normal completion and for these widgets. For example, to use
completion, approximation and correction for normal completion,
completion and correction for incremental completion and only
completion for prediction one could use:
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr \\
ccoommpplleettee ccoorrrreecctt aapppprrooxxiimmaattee
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::iinnccrreemmeennttaall::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr \\
ccoommpplleettee ccoorrrreecctt
zzssttyyllee ''::ccoommpplleettiioonn::pprreeddiicctt::**'' ccoommpplleetteerr \\
ccoommpplleettee
It is a good idea to restrict the completers used in prediction,
because they may be automatically invoked as you type. The
lliisstt and mmeennuu completers should never be used with prediction.
The aapppprrooxxiimmaattee, ccoorrrreecctt, eexxppaanndd, and mmaattcchh completers may
be used, but be aware that they may change characters anywhere
in the word behind the cursor, so you need to watch carefully
that the result is what you intended.
ccuurrssoorr The iinnsseerrtt-aanndd-pprreeddiicctt widget uses this style, in the context
`::pprreeddiicctt', to decide where to place the cursor after completion
has been tried. Values are:
ccoommpplleettee
The cursor is left where it was when completion finished,
but only if it is after a character equal to the one just
inserted by the user. If it is after another character,
this value is the same as `kkeeyy'.
kkeeyy The cursor is left after the nth occurrence of the char-
acter just inserted, where n is the number of times that
character appeared in the word before completion was
attempted. In short, this has the effect of leaving the
cursor after the character just typed even if the comple-
tion code found out that no other characters need to be
inserted at that position.
Any other value for this style unconditionally leaves the cursor
at the position where the completion code left it.
lliisstt When using the iinnccrreemmeennttaall-ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd widget, this style says
if the matches should be listed on every key press (if they fit
on the screen). Use the context prefix `::ccoommpplleettiioonn::iinnccrreemmeenn-
ttaall'.
The iinnsseerrtt-aanndd-pprreeddiicctt widget uses this style to decide if the
completion should be shown even if there is only one possible
completion. This is done if the value of this style is the
string aallwwaayyss. In this case the context is `::pprreeddiicctt' (not
`::ccoommpplleettiioonn::pprreeddiicctt').
mmaattcchh This style is used by ssmmaarrtt-iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd to provide a pat-
tern (using full EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB syntax) that matches an interest-
ing word. The context is the name of the widget to which
ssmmaarrtt-iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd is bound (see above). The default behav-
ior of ssmmaarrtt-iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd is equivalent to:
zzssttyyllee ::iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd mmaattcchh ''**[[[[::aallpphhaa::]]//\\\\]]**''
However, you might want to include words that contain spaces:
zzssttyyllee ::iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd mmaattcchh ''**[[[[::aallpphhaa::]][[::ssppaaccee::]]//\\\\]]**''
Or include numbers as long as the word is at least two charac-
ters long:
zzssttyyllee ::iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd mmaattcchh ''**(([[[[::ddiiggiitt::]]]]??||[[[[::aallpphhaa::]]//\\\\]]))**''
The above example causes redirections like "2>" to be included.
pprroommpptt The iinnccrreemmeennttaall-ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd widget shows the value of this
style in the status line during incremental completion. The
string value may contain any of the following substrings in the
manner of the PPSS11 and other prompt parameters:
%%cc Replaced by the name of the completer function that gen-
erated the matches (without the leading underscore).
%%ll When the lliisstt style is set, replaced by `......' if the list
of matches is too long to fit on the screen and with an
empty string otherwise. If the lliisstt style is `false' or
not set, `%%ll' is always removed.
%%nn Replaced by the number of matches generated.
%%ss Replaced by `-nnoo mmaattcchh-', `-nnoo pprreeffiixx-', or an empty
string if there is no completion matching the word on the
line, if the matches have no common prefix different from
the word on the line, or if there is such a common pre-
fix, respectively.
%%uu Replaced by the unambiguous part of all matches, if there
is any, and if it is different from the word on the line.
Like `bbrreeaakk-kkeeyyss', this uses the `::iinnccrreemmeennttaall' context.
ssttoopp-kkeeyyss
This style is used by the iinnccrreemmeennttaall-ccoommpplleettee-wwoorrdd widget. Its
value is treated similarly to the one for the bbrreeaakk-kkeeyyss style
(and uses the same context: `::iinnccrreemmeennttaall'). However, in this
case all keys matching the pattern given as its value will stop
incremental completion and will then execute their usual func-
tion.
ttooggggllee This boolean style is used by pprreeddiicctt-oonn and its related widgets
in the context `::pprreeddiicctt'. If set to one of the standard `true'
values, predictive typing is automatically toggled off in situa-
tions where it is unlikely to be useful, such as when editing a
multi-line buffer or after moving into the middle of a line and
then deleting a character. The default is to leave prediction
turned on until an explicit call to pprreeddiicctt-ooffff.
vveerrbboossee
This boolean style is used by pprreeddiicctt-oonn and its related widgets
in the context `::pprreeddiicctt'. If set to one of the standard `true'
values, these widgets display a message below the prompt when
the predictive state is toggled. This is most useful in combi-
nation with the ttooggggllee style. The default does not display
these messages.
wwiiddggeett This style is similar to the ccoommmmaanndd style: For widget functions
that use zzllee to call other widgets, this style can sometimes be
used to override the widget which is called. The context for
this style is the name of the calling widget (not the name of
the calling function, because one function may be bound to mul-
tiple widget names).
zzssttyyllee ::ccooppyy-eeaarrlliieerr-wwoorrdd wwiiddggeett ssmmaarrtt-iinnsseerrtt-llaasstt-wwoorrdd
Check the documentation for the calling widget or function to
determine whether the wwiiddggeett style is used.
MMIIMMEE FFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS
Three functions are available to provide handling of files recognised
by extension, for example to dispatch a file tteexxtt..ppss when executed as a
command to an appropriate viewer.
zzsshh-mmiimmee-sseettuupp [[-ffllvv]]
zzsshh-mmiimmee-hhaannddlleerr
These two functions use the files ~~//..mmiimmee..ttyyppeess and
//eettcc//mmiimmee..ttyyppeess, which associate types and extensions, as well
as ~~//..mmaaiillccaapp and //eettcc//mmaaiillccaapp files, which associate types and
the programs that handle them. These are provided on many sys-
tems with the Multimedia Internet Mail Extensions.
To enable the system, the function zzsshh-mmiimmee-sseettuupp should be
autoloaded and run. This allows files with extensions to be
treated as executable; such files be completed by the function
completion system. The function zzsshh-mmiimmee-hhaannddlleerr should not
need to be called by the user.
The system works by setting up suffix aliases with `aalliiaass -ss'.
Suffix aliases already installed by the user will not be over-
written.
Repeated calls to zzsshh-mmiimmee-sseettuupp do not override the existing
mapping between suffixes and executable files unless the option
-ff is given. Note, however, that this does not override exist-
ing suffix aliases assigned to handlers other than zzsshh-mmiimmee-hhaann-
ddlleerr. Calling zzsshh-mmiimmee-sseettuupp with the option -ll lists the
existing mapping without altering it. Calling zzsshh-mmiimmee-sseettuupp
with the option -vv causes verbose output to be shown during the
setup operation.
The system respects the mmaaiillccaapp flags nneeeeddsstteerrmmiinnaall and ccooppii-
oouussoouuttppuutt, see mailcap(4).
The functions use the following styles, which are defined with
the zzssttyyllee builtin command (see zshmodules(1)). They should be
defined before zzsshh-mmiimmee-sseettuupp is run. The contexts used all
start with ::mmiimmee::, with additional components in some cases. It
is recommended that a trailing ** (suitably quoted) be appended
to style patterns in case the system is extended in future.
Some examples are given below.
mime-types
A list of files in the format of ~~//..mmiimmee..ttyyppeess and
//eettcc//mmiimmee..ttyyppeess to be read during setup, replacing the
default list which consists of those two files. The con-
text is ::mmiimmee::. A ++ in the list will be replaced by the
default files.
mailcap
A list of files in the format of ~~//..mmaaiillccaapp and
//eettcc//mmaaiillccaapp to be read during setup, replacing the
default list which consists of those two files. The con-
text is ::mmiimmee::. A ++ in the list will be replaced by the
default files.
handler
Specifies a handler for a suffix; the suffix is given by
the context as ::mmiimmee::..suffix::, and the format of the han-
dler is exactly that in mmaaiillccaapp. Note in particular the
`..' and trailing colon to distinguish this use of the
context. This overrides any handler specified by the
mmaaiillccaapp files. If the handler requires a terminal, the
ffllaaggss style should be set to include the word nneeeeddsstteerrmmii-
nnaall, or if the output is to be displayed through a pager
(but not if the handler is itself a pager), it should
include ccooppiioouussoouuttppuutt.
flags Defines flags to go with a handler; the context is as for
the hhaannddlleerr style, and the format is as for the flags in
mmaaiillccaapp.
pager If set, will be used instead of $$PPAAGGEERR or mmoorree to handle
suffixes where the ccooppiioouussoouuttppuutt flag is set. The con-
text is as for hhaannddlleerr, i.e. ::mmiimmee::..suffix:: for handling
a file with the given suffix.
Examples:
zzssttyyllee ''::mmiimmee::**'' mmaaiillccaapp ~~//..mmaaiillccaapp //uussrr//llooccaall//eettcc//mmaaiillccaapp
zzssttyyllee ''::mmiimmee::..ttxxtt'' hhaannddlleerr lleessss %%ss
zzssttyyllee ''::mmiimmee::..ttxxtt'' ffllaaggss nneeeeddsstteerrmmiinnaall
When zzsshh-mmiimmee-sseettuupp is subsequently run, it will look for mmaaiill-
ccaapp entries in the two files given. Files of suffix ..ttxxtt will
be handled by running `lleessss file.txt'. The flag nneeeeddsstteerrmmiinnaall
is set to show that this program must run attached to a termi-
nal.
As there are several steps to dispatching a command, the follow-
ing should be checked if attempting to execute a file by exten-
sion ..ext does not have the expected effect. starteit() eit()(
The command `aalliiaass -ss ext' should show `ppss==zzsshh-mmiimmee-hhaannddlleerr'.
If it shows something else, another suffix alias was already
installed and was not overwritten. If it shows nothing, no han-
dler was installed: this is most likely because no handler was
found in the ..mmiimmee..ttyyppeess and mmaaiillccaapp combination for ..eexxtt files.
In that case, appropriate handling should be added to
~~//..mmiimmee..ttyyppeess and mmaaiillccaapp. ) eit()( If the extension is handled
by zzsshh-mmiimmee-hhaannddlleerr but the file is not opened correctly, either
the handler defined for the type is incorrect, or the flags
associated with it are in appropriate. Running zzsshh-mmiimmee-sseettuupp
-ll will show the handler and, if there are any, the flags. A %%ss
in the handler is replaced by the file (suitably quoted if nec-
essary). Check that the handler program listed lists and can be
run in the way shown. Also check that the flags nneeeeddsstteerrmmiinnaall
or ccooppiioouussoouuttppuutt are set if the handler needs to be run under a
terminal; the second flag is used if the output should be sent
to a pager. An example of a suitable mmaaiillccaapp entry for such a
program is:
tteexxtt//hhttmmll;; //uussrr//bbiinn//llyynnxx ''%%ss'';; nneeeeddsstteerrmmiinnaall
) endeit()
ppiicckk-wweebb-bbrroowwsseerr
This function is separate from the two MIME functions described
above and can be assigned directly to a suffix:
aauuttoollooaadd -UU ppiicckk-wweebb-bbrroowwsseerr
aalliiaass -ss hhttmmll==ppiicckk-wweebb-bbrroowwsseerr
It is provided as an intelligent front end to dispatch a web
browser. It will check if an X Windows display is available,
and if so if there is already a browser running which can accept
a remote connection. In that case, the file will be displayed
in that browser; you should check explicitly if it has appeared
in the running browser's window. Otherwise, it will start a new
browser according to a builtin set of preferences.
Alternatively, ppiicckk-wweebb-bbrroowwsseerr can be run as a zsh script.
Two styles are available to customize the choice of browsers:
xx-bbrroowwsseerrss when running under the X Windows System, and
ttttyy-bbrroowwsseerrss otherwise. These are arrays in decreasing order of
preference consiting of the command name under which to start
the browser. They are looked up in the context ::mmiimmee:: (which
may be extended in future, so appending `**' is recommended).
For example,
zzssttyyllee ''::mmiimmee::**'' xx-bbrroowwsseerrss ooppeerraa kkoonnqquueerroorr nneettssccaappee
specifies that ppiicckk-wweebb-bbrroowwsseerr should first look for a runing
instance of Opera, Konqueror or Netscape, in that order, and if
it fails to find any should attempt to start Opera.
OOTTHHEERR FFUUNNCCTTIIOONNSS
There are a large number of helpful functions in the FFuunnccttiioonnss//MMiisscc
directory of the zsh distribution. Most are very simple and do not
require documentation here, but a few are worthy of special mention.
DDeessccrriippttiioonnss
ccoolloorrss This function initializes several associative arrays to map
color names to (and from) the ANSI standard eight-color terminal
codes. These are used by the prompt theme system (see above).
You seldom should need to run ccoolloorrss more than once.
The eight base colors are: black, red, green, yellow, blue,
magenta, cyan, and white. Each of these has codes for fore-
ground and background. In addition there are eight intensity
attributes: bold, faint, standout, underline, blink, reverse,
and conceal. Finally, there are six codes used to negate
attributes: none (reset all attributes to the defaults), normal
(neither bold nor faint), no-standout, no-underline, no-blink,
and no-reverse.
Some terminals do not support all combinations of colors and
intensities.
The associative arrays are:
color
colour Map all the color names to their integer codes, and inte-
ger codes to the color names. The eight base names map
to the foreground color codes, as do names prefixed with
`ffgg-', such as `ffgg-rreedd'. Names prefixed with `bbgg-', such
as `bbgg-bblluuee', refer to the background codes. The reverse
mapping from code to color yields base name for fore-
ground codes and the bbgg- form for backgrounds.
Although it is a misnomer to call them `colors', these
arrays also map the other fourteen attributes from names
to codes and codes to names.
fg
fgbold
fgnobold
Map the eight basic color names to ANSI terminal escape
sequences that set the corresponding foreground text
properties. The ffgg sequences change the color without
changing the eight intensity attributes.
bg
bgbold
bgnobold
Map the eight basic color names to ANSI terminal escape
sequences that set the corresponding background proper-
ties. The bbgg sequences change the color without changing
the eight intensity attributes.
In addition, the scalar parameters rreesseettccoolloorr and bboollddccoolloorr
are set to the ANSI terminal escapes that turn off all
attributes and turn on bold intensity, respectively.
ffnneedd name
Same as zzeedd -ff. This function does not appear in the zsh dis-
tribution, but can be created by linking zzeedd to the name ffnneedd in
some directory in your ffppaatthh.
iiss-aatt-lleeaasstt needed [ present ]
Perform a greater-than-or-equal-to comparison of two strings
having the format of a zsh version number; that is, a string of
numbers and text with segments separated by dots or dashes. If
the present string is not provided, $$ZZSSHHVVEERRSSIIOONN is used. Seg-
ments are paired left-to-right in the two strings with leading
non-number parts ignored. If one string has fewer segments than
the other, the missing segments are considered zero.
This is useful in startup files to set options and other state
that are not available in all versions of zsh.
iiss-aatt-lleeaasstt 33..11..66-1155 &&&& sseettoopptt NNOOGGLLOOBBAALLRRCCSS
iiss-aatt-lleeaasstt 33..11..00 &&&& sseettoopptt HHIISSTTRREEDDUUCCEEBBLLAANNKKSS
iiss-aatt-lleeaasstt 22..66-1177 |||| pprriinntt ""YYoouu ccaann''tt uussee iiss-aatt-lleeaasstt hheerree..""
nnssllooookkuupp [ arg ... ]
This wrapper function for the nnssllooookkuupp command requires the
zzsshh//zzppttyy module (see zshmodules(1)). It behaves exactly like
the standard nnssllooookkuupp except that it provides customizable
prompts (including a right-side prompt) and completion of
nslookup commands, host names, etc. (if you use the func-
tion-based completion system). Completion styles may be set
with the context prefix `::ccoommpplleettiioonn::nnssllooookkuupp'.
See also the ppaaggeerr, pprroommpptt and rrpprroommpptt styles below.
rruunn-hheellpp
See `Accessing On-Line Help' above.
tteettrriiss Zsh was once accused of not being as complete as Emacs, because
it lacked a Tetris game. This function was written to refute
this vicious slander.
This function must be used as a ZLE widget:
aauuttoollooaadd -UU tteettrriiss
zzllee -NN tteettrriiss
bbiinnddkkeeyy keys tteettrriiss
To start a game, execute the widget by typing the keys. What-
ever command line you were editing disappears temporarily, and
your keymap is also temporarily replaced by the Tetris control
keys. The previous editor state is restored when you quit the
game (by pressing `qq') or when you lose.
If you quit in the middle of a game, the next invocation of the
tteettrriiss widget will continue where you left off. If you lost, it
will start a new game.
zzaarrggss [ option ... -- ] [ input ... ] [ -- command [ arg ... ] ]
This function works like GNU xargs, except that instead of read-
ing lines of arguments from the standard input, it takes them
from the command line. This is useful because zsh, especially
with recursive glob operators, often can construct a command
line for a shell function that is longer than can be accepted by
an external command.
The option list represents options of the zzaarrggss command itself,
which are the same as those of xxaarrggss. The input list is the
collection of strings (often file names) that become the argu-
ments of the ccoommmmaanndd, analogous to the standard input of xxaarrggss.
Finally, the arg list consists of those arguments (usually
options) that are passed to the command each time it runs. The
arg list precedes the elements from the iinnppuutt list in each run.
If no command is provided, then no arg list may be provided, and
in that event the default command is `pprriinntt' with arguments `-rr
--'.
For example, to get a long llss listing of all plain files in the
current directory or its subdirectories:
aauuttoollooaadd -UU zzaarrggss
zzaarrggss -- ****//**((..)) -- llss -ll
Note that `--' is used both to mark the end of the option list
and to mark the end of the input list, so it must appear twice
whenever the input list may be empty. If there is guaranteed to
be at least one input and the first input does not begin with a
`-', then the first `--' may be omitted.
In the event that the string `--' is or may be an input, the -ee
option may be used to change the end-of-inputs marker. Note
that this does not change the end-of-options marker. For exam-
ple, to use `....' as the marker:
zzaarrggss -ee.... -- ****//**((..)) .... llss -ll
This is a good choice in that example because no plain file can
be named `....', but the best end-marker depends on the circum-
stances.
For details of the other zzaarrggss options, see xargs(1) or run
zzaarrggss with the --hheellpp option.
zzccaallcc [ expression ... ]
A reasonably powerful calculator based on zsh's arithmetic eval-
uation facility. The syntax is similar to that of formulae in
most programming languages; see the section `Arithmetic Evalua-
tion' in zshmisc(1) for details. The mathematical library
zzsshh//mmaatthhffuunncc will be loaded if it is available; see the section
`The zsh/mathfunc Module' in zshmodules(1). The mathematical
functions correspond to the raw system libraries, so trigonomet-
ric functions are evaluated using radians, and so on.
Each line typed is evaluated as an expression. The prompt shows
a number, which corresponds to a positional parameter where the
result of that calculation is stored. For example, the result
of the calculation on the line preceded by `44>> ' is available as
$$44. Full command line editing, including the history of previ-
ous calculations, is available; the history is saved in the file
~~//..zzccaallcchhiissttoorryy. To exit, enter a blank line or type `qq' on
its own.
If arguments are given to zzccaallcc on start up, they are used to
prime the first few positional parameters. A visual indication
of this is given when the calculator starts.
The constants PPII (3.14159...) and EE (2.71828...) are provided.
Parameter assignment is possible, but note that all parameters
will be put into the global namespace.
An extra facility is provided for changing the default output
base. Use, for example, `[[##1166]]' to display hexadecimal output
preceded by an indication of the base, or `[[####1166]]' just to dis-
play the raw number in the given base. Bases themselves are
always specified in decimal. `[[##]]' restores the normal output
format.
The output base can be initialised by passing the option
`-##base', for example `zzccaallcc -##1166' (the `##' may have to be
quoted, depending on the globbing options set).
The prompt is configurable via the parameter ZZCCAALLCCPPRROOMMPPTT, which
undergoes standard prompt expansion. The index of the current
entry is stored locally in the first element of the array ppssvvaarr,
which can be referred to in ZZCCAALLCCPPRROOMMPPTT as `%%11vv'. The default
prompt is `%%11vv>> '.
See the comments in the function for a few extra tips.
zzeedd [ -ff ] name
zzeedd -bb This function uses the ZLE editor to edit a file or function.
Only one name argument is allowed. If the -ff option is given,
the name is taken to be that of a function; if the function is
marked for autoloading, zzeedd searches for it in the ffppaatthh and
loads it. Note that functions edited this way are installed
into the current shell, but not written back to the autoload
file.
Without -ff, name is the path name of the file to edit, which
need not exist; it is created on write, if necessary.
While editing, the function sets the main keymap to zzeedd and the
vi command keymap to zzeedd-vviiccmmdd. These will be copied from the
existing mmaaiinn and vviiccmmdd keymaps if they do not exist the first
time zzeedd is run. They can be used to provide special key bind-
ings used only in zed.
If it creates the keymap, zzeedd rebinds the return key to insert a
line break and `^^XX^^WW' to accept the edit in the zzeedd keymap, and
binds `ZZZZ' to accept the edit in the zzeedd-vviiccmmdd keymap.
The bindings alone can be installed by running `zzeedd -bb'. This
is suitable for putting into a startup file. Note that, if
rerun, this will overwrite the existing zzeedd and zzeedd-vviiccmmdd
keymaps.
Completion is available, and styles may be set with the context
prefix `::ccoommpplleettiioonn::zzeedd'.
A zle widget zzeedd-sseett-ffiillee-nnaammee is available. This can be called
by name from within zed using `\\eexx zzeedd-sseett-ffiillee-nnaammee' (note,
however, that because of zed's rebindings you will have to type
^^jj at the end instead of the return key), or can be bound to a
key in either of the zzeedd or zzeedd-vviiccmmdd keymaps after `zzeedd -bb' has
been run. When the widget is called, it prompts for a new name
for the file being edited. When zed exits the file will be
written under that name and the original file will be left
alone. The widget has no effect with `zzeedd -ff'.
While zzeedd-sseett-ffiillee-nnaammee is running, zed uses the keymap zzeedd-nnoorr-
mmaall-kkeeyymmaapp, which is linked from the main keymap in effect at
the time zed initialised its bindings. (This is to make the
return key operate normally.) The result is that if the main
keymap has been changed, the widget won't notice. This is not a
concern for most users.
zzccpp [ -ffiinnqqQQvvwwWW ] srcpat dest
zzllnn [ -ffiinnqqQQssvvwwWW ] srcpat dest
Same as zzmmvv -CC and zzmmvv -LL, respectively. These functions do not
appear in the zsh distribution, but can be created by linking
zzmmvv to the names zzccpp and zzllnn in some directory in your ffppaatthh.
zzkkbbdd See `Keyboard Definition' above.
zzmmvv [ -ffiinnqqQQssvvwwWW ] [ -C | -L | -M | -p program ] [ -o optstring ] src-
pat dest
Move (usually, rename) files matching the pattern srcpat to cor-
responding files having names of the form given by dest, where
srcpat contains parentheses surrounding patterns which will be
replaced in turn by $1, $2, ... in dest. For example,
zzmmvv ''((**))..lliiss'' ''$$11..ttxxtt''
renames `ffoooo..lliiss' to `ffoooo..ttxxtt', `mmyy..oolldd..ssttuuffff..lliiss' to
`mmyy..oolldd..ssttuuffff..ttxxtt', and so on.
The pattern is always treated as an EEXXTTEENNDDEEDDGGLLOOBB pattern. Any
file whose name is not changed by the substitution is simply
ignored. Any error (a substitution resulted in an empty string,
two substitutions gave the same result, the destination was an
existing regular file and -ff was not given) causes the entire
function to abort without doing anything.
Options:
-ff Force overwriting of destination files. Not currently
passed down to the mmvv/ccpp/llnn command due to vagaries of
implementations (but you can use -oo-ff to do that).
-ii Interactive: show each line to be executed and ask the
user whether to execute it. `Y' or `y' will execute it,
anything else will skip it. Note that you just need to
type one character.
-nn No execution: print what would happen, but don't do it.
-qq Turn bare glob qualifiers off: now assumed by default, so
this has no effect.
-QQ Force bare glob qualifiers on. Don't turn this on unless
you are actually using glob qualifiers in a pattern.
-ss Symbolic, passed down to llnn; only works with -LL.
-vv Verbose: print each command as it's being executed.
-ww Pick out wildcard parts of the pattern, as described
above, and implicitly add parentheses for referring to
them.
-WW Just like -ww, with the addition of turning wildcards in
the replacement pattern into sequential ${1} .. ${N} ref-
erences.
-CC
-LL
-MM Force ccpp, llnn or mmvv, respectively, regardless of the name
of the function.
-pp program
Call program instead of ccpp, llnn or mmvv. Whatever it does,
it should at least understand the form `program -- old-
name newname' where oldname and newname are filenames
generated by zzmmvv.
-oo optstring
The optstring is split into words and passed down verba-
tim to the ccpp, llnn or mmvv command called to perform the
work. It should probably begin with a `-'.
For more complete examples and other implementation details, see
the zzmmvv source file, usually located in one of the directories
named in your ffppaatthh, or in FFuunnccttiioonnss//MMiisscc//zzmmvv in the zsh distri-
bution.
zzrreeccoommppiillee
See `Recompiling Functions' above.
zzssttyyllee++ context style value [ + subcontext style value ... ]
This makes defining styles a bit simpler by using a single `++'
as a special token that allows you to append a context name to
the previously used context name. Like this:
zzssttyyllee++ ''::ffoooo::bbaarr'' ssttyyllee11 vvaalluuee11 \\
++ ''::bbaazz'' ssttyyllee22 vvaalluuee22 \\
++ ''::ffrroobb'' ssttyyllee33 vvaalluuee33
This defines `style1' with `value1' for the context ::ffoooo::bbaarr as
usual, but it also defines `style2' with `value2' for the con-
text ::ffoooo::bbaarr::bbaazz and `style3' with `value3' for ::ffoooo::bbaarr::ffrroobb.
Any subcontext may be the empty string to re-use the first con-
text unchanged.
SSttyylleess
iinnsseerrtt-ttaabb
The zzeedd function sets this style in context `::ccoommpplleettiioonn::zzeedd::**'
to turn off completion when TTAABB is typed at the beginning of a
line. You may override this by setting your own value for this
context and style.
ppaaggeerr The nnssllooookkuupp function looks up this style in the context
`::nnssllooookkuupp' to determine the program used to display output that
does not fit on a single screen.
pprroommpptt
rrpprroommpptt
The nnssllooookkuupp function looks up this style in the context
`::nnssllooookkuupp' to set the prompt and the right-side prompt, respec-
tively. The usual expansions for the PPSS11 and RRPPSS11 parameters
may be used (see zshmisc(1)).
ZSHALL(1) ZSHALL(1)
FILES $$ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR//..zzsshheennvv
$$ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR//..zzpprrooffiillee
$$ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR//..zzsshhrrcc
$$ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR//..zzllooggiinn
$$ZZDDOOTTDDIIRR//..zzllooggoouutt
$${{TTMMPPPPRREEFFIIXX}}** (default is /tmp/zsh*)
//eettcc//zzsshheennvv
//eettcc//zzpprrooffiillee
//eettcc//zzsshhrrcc
//eettcc//zzllooggiinn
//eettcc//zzllooggoouutt (installation-specific - //eettcc is the default)
SEE ALSO
sh(1), csh(1), tcsh(1), rc(1), bash(1), ksh(1)
IIEEEEEE SSttaannddaarrdd ffoorr iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn TTeecchhnnoollooggyy - PPoorrttaabbllee OOppeerraattiinngg SSyysstteemm
IInntteerrffaaccee ((PPOOSSIIXX)) - PPaarrtt 22:: SShheellll aanndd UUttiilliittiieess, IEEE Inc, 1993, ISBN
1-55937-255-9.
zsh 4.2.3 January 13, 2005 ZSHALL(1)