_R_E_A_D_L_I_N_E(3)                Library Functions Manual                _R_E_A_D_L_I_N_E(3)

NNAAMMEE
       readline - get a line from a user with editing

SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
       ##iinncclluuddee <<ssttddiioo..hh>>
       ##iinncclluuddee <<rreeaaddlliinnee//rreeaaddlliinnee..hh>>
       ##iinncclluuddee <<rreeaaddlliinnee//hhiissttoorryy..hh>>

       _c_h_a_r _*
       rreeaaddlliinnee (_c_o_n_s_t _c_h_a_r _*_p_r_o_m_p_t);

CCOOPPYYRRIIGGHHTT
       Readline is Copyright (C) 1989-2025 Free Software Foundation,  Inc.

DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
       rreeaaddlliinnee  reads a line from the terminal and return it, using pprroommpptt as
       a prompt.  If pprroommpptt is NNUULLLL or the empty string, rreeaaddlliinnee does not is-
       sue a prompt.  The line  returned  is  allocated  with  _m_a_l_l_o_c(3);  the
       caller  must  free  it  when finished.  The line returned has the final
       newline removed, so only the text of the line remains.  Since it's pos-
       sible to enter characters into the line while quoting them  to  disable
       any  rreeaaddlliinnee  editing function they might normally have, this line may
       include embedded newlines and other special characters.

       rreeaaddlliinnee offers editing capabilities while the  user  is  entering  the
       line.   By  default,  the line editing commands are similar to those of
       emacs.  A vi-style line editing interface is also available.

       This manual page describes only the most basic use of  rreeaaddlliinnee.   Much
       more  functionality  is available; see _T_h_e _G_N_U _R_e_a_d_l_i_n_e _L_i_b_r_a_r_y and _T_h_e
       _G_N_U _H_i_s_t_o_r_y _L_i_b_r_a_r_y for additional information.

RREETTUURRNN VVAALLUUEE
       rreeaaddlliinnee returns the text of the line read.  A blank line  returns  the
       empty string.  If EEOOFF is encountered while reading a line, and the line
       is  empty,  rreeaaddlliinnee  returns NNUULLLL.  If an EEOOFF is read with a non-empty
       line, it is treated as a newline.

NNOOTTAATTIIOONN
       This section uses Emacs-style editing concepts and  uses  its  notation
       for  keystrokes.   Control  keys  are denoted by C-_k_e_y, e.g., C-n means
       Control-N.  Similarly, _m_e_t_a keys are denoted by  M-_k_e_y,  so  M-x  means
       Meta-X.  The Meta key is often labeled "Alt" or "Option".

       On  keyboards  without a _M_e_t_a key, M-_x means ESC _x, i.e., press and re-
       lease the Escape key, then press and release the _x  key,  in  sequence.
       This  makes  ESC the _m_e_t_a _p_r_e_f_i_x.  The combination M-C-_x means ESC Con-
       trol-_x: press and release the Escape key, then press and hold the  Con-
       trol key while pressing the _x key, then release both.

       On  some  keyboards, the Meta key modifier produces characters with the
       eighth bit (0200) set.  You can use  the  eennaabbllee--mmeettaa--kkeeyy  variable  to
       control  whether  or  not  it does this, if the keyboard allows it.  On
       many others, the terminal or terminal emulator  converts  the  metafied
       key  to a key sequence beginning with ESC as described in the preceding
       paragraph.

       If your _M_e_t_a key produces a key sequence with the ESC meta prefix,  you
       can  make M-_k_e_y key bindings you specify (see RReeaaddlliinnee KKeeyy BBiinnddiinnggss be-
       low) do the same thing by setting the ffoorrccee--mmeettaa--pprreeffiixx variable.

       RReeaaddlliinnee commands may be given numeric _a_r_g_u_m_e_n_t_s, which normally act as
       a repeat count.  Sometimes, however, it is the  sign  of  the  argument
       that  is  significant.   Passing  a negative argument to a command that
       acts in the forward direction (e.g., kkiillll--lliinnee) makes that command  act
       in  a backward direction.  Commands whose behavior with arguments devi-
       ates from this are noted below.

       The _p_o_i_n_t is the current cursor position, and _m_a_r_k refers  to  a  saved
       cursor position.  The text between the point and mark is referred to as
       the _r_e_g_i_o_n.

       When  a command is described as _k_i_l_l_i_n_g text, the text deleted is saved
       for possible future retrieval (_y_a_n_k_i_n_g).  The killed text is saved in a
       _k_i_l_l _r_i_n_g.  Consecutive kills accumulate  the  deleted  text  into  one
       unit, which can be yanked all at once.  Commands which do not kill text
       separate the chunks of text on the kill ring.

IINNIITTIIAALLIIZZAATTIIOONN FFIILLEE
       RReeaaddlliinnee  is  customized  by putting commands in an initialization file
       (the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file).  The name of this file is taken from the  value  of
       the  IINNPPUUTTRRCC  environment variable.  If that variable is unset, the de-
       fault is _~_/_._i_n_p_u_t_r_c.  If that file  does not exist or cannot  be  read,
       rreeaaddlliinnee looks for _/_e_t_c_/_i_n_p_u_t_r_c.  When a program that uses the rreeaaddlliinnee
       library  starts up, rreeaaddlliinnee reads the initialization file and sets the
       key bindings and variables found there, before reading any user input.

       There are only a few basic constructs  allowed  in  the  inputrc  file.
       Blank lines are ignored.  Lines beginning with a ## are comments.  Lines
       beginning with a $$ indicate conditional constructs.  Other lines denote
       key bindings and variable settings.

       The  default  key-bindings  in  this  document may be changed using key
       binding commands in the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file.  Programs that use  this  library
       may add their own commands and bindings.

       For example, placing

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

       into  the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c would make M-C-u execute the rreeaaddlliinnee command _u_n_i_v_e_r_-
       _s_a_l_-_a_r_g_u_m_e_n_t.

       Key bindings may contain the following symbolic character  names:  _D_E_L,
       _E_S_C,  _E_S_C_A_P_E,  _L_F_D,  _N_E_W_L_I_N_E,  _R_E_T, _R_E_T_U_R_N, _R_U_B_O_U_T (a destructive back-
       space), _S_P_A_C_E, _S_P_C, and _T_A_B.

       In addition to command names, rreeaaddlliinnee allows keys to  be  bound  to  a
       string that is inserted when the key is pressed (a _m_a_c_r_o).  The differ-
       ence  between a macro and a command is that a macro is enclosed in sin-
       gle or double quotes.

   KKeeyy BBiinnddiinnggss
       The syntax for controlling key bindings in the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file is  simple.
       All  that is required is the name of the command or the text of a macro
       and a key sequence to which it should be bound.  The key  sequence  may
       be  specified in one of two ways: as a symbolic key name, possibly with
       _M_e_t_a_- or _C_o_n_t_r_o_l_- prefixes, or as a key sequence  composed  of  one  or
       more  characters  enclosed in double quotes.  The key sequence and name
       are separated by a colon.  There can be no whitespace between the  name
       and the colon.

       When using the form kkeeyynnaammee:_f_u_n_c_t_i_o_n_-_n_a_m_e or _m_a_c_r_o, _k_e_y_n_a_m_e is the name
       of a key spelled out in English.  For example:

              Control-u: universal-argument
              Meta-Rubout: backward-kill-word
              Control-o: "> output"

       In  the above example, _C_-_u is bound to the function uunniivveerrssaall--aarrgguummeenntt,
       _M_-_D_E_L is bound to the function bbaacckkwwaarrdd--kkiillll--wwoorrdd, and _C_-_o is bound  to
       run  the macro expressed on the right hand side (that is, to insert the
       text "> output" into the line).

       In the second form, ""kkeeyysseeqq"":_f_u_n_c_t_i_o_n_-_n_a_m_e  or  _m_a_c_r_o,  kkeeyysseeqq  differs
       from  kkeeyynnaammee above in that strings denoting an entire key sequence may
       be specified by placing the sequence within double  quotes.   Some  GNU
       Emacs  style  key escapes can be used, as in the following example, but
       none of the symbolic character names are recognized.

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

       In this example, _C_-_u is again bound to the function uunniivveerrssaall--aarrgguummeenntt.
       _C_-_x _C_-_r is bound to the function rree--rreeaadd--iinniitt--ffiillee, and _E_S_C _[ _1 _1 _~  is
       bound to insert the text "Function Key 1".

       The  full set of GNU Emacs style escape sequences available when speci-
       fying key sequences is
              \\CC--    A control prefix.
              \\MM--    Adding the meta prefix or converting the following  char-
                     acter  to  a  meta  character,  as  described below under
                     ffoorrccee--mmeettaa--pprreeffiixx.
              \\ee     An escape character.
              \\\\     Backslash.
              \\""     Literal ", a double quote.
              \\''     Literal ', a single quote.

       In addition to the GNU Emacs style escape sequences, a  second  set  of
       backslash escapes is available:
              \\aa     alert (bell)
              \\bb     backspace
              \\dd     delete
              \\ff     form feed
              \\nn     newline
              \\rr     carriage return
              \\tt     horizontal tab
              \\vv     vertical tab
              \\_n_n_n   The  eight-bit  character  whose value is the octal value
                     _n_n_n (one to three digits).
              \\xx_H_H   The eight-bit character whose value  is  the  hexadecimal
                     value _H_H (one or two hex digits).

       When entering the text of a macro, single or double quotes must be used
       to indicate a macro definition.  Unquoted text is assumed to be a func-
       tion  name.   The backslash escapes described above are expanded in the
       macro body.  Backslash quotes any other character in  the  macro  text,
       including " and '.

       BBaasshh  will display or modify the current rreeaaddlliinnee key bindings with the
       bbiinndd builtin command.  The --oo eemmaaccss or --oo vvii options to the sseett builtin
       change the editing mode during interactive use.  Other  programs  using
       this  library  provide  similar mechanisms.  A user may always edit the
       _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file and have rreeaaddlliinnee re-read it if a program does not provide
       any other means to incorporate new bindings.

   VVaarriiaabblleess
       RReeaaddlliinnee has variables that can be used to further customize its behav-
       ior.  A variable may be set in the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file with a statement of the
       form

              sseett _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e_-_n_a_m_e _v_a_l_u_e

       Except where noted, rreeaaddlliinnee variables can take the values  OOnn  or  OOffff
       (without  regard  to  case).   Unrecognized variable names are ignored.
       When rreeaaddlliinnee reads a variable value, empty or null values, "on" (case-
       insensitive), and "1" are equivalent  to  OOnn.   All  other  values  are
       equivalent to OOffff.

       The variables and their default values are:

       aaccttiivvee--rreeggiioonn--ssttaarrtt--ccoolloorr
              A  string  variable  that controls the text color and background
              when displaying the text in the active region (see the  descrip-
              tion  of eennaabbllee--aaccttiivvee--rreeggiioonn below).  This string must not take
              up any physical character positions on the display, so it should
              consist only of terminal escape sequences.  It is output to  the
              terminal  before displaying the text in the active region.  This
              variable is reset to the default  value  whenever  the  terminal
              type  changes.   The  default  value is the string that puts the
              terminal in standout mode, as obtained from the terminal's  ter-
              minfo description.  A sample value might be "\e[01;33m".
       aaccttiivvee--rreeggiioonn--eenndd--ccoolloorr
              A  string  variable  that  "undoes"  the  effects  of aaccttiivvee--rree--
              ggiioonn--ssttaarrtt--ccoolloorr and restores "normal" terminal display  appear-
              ance  after  displaying  text in the active region.  This string
              must not take up any physical character positions  on  the  dis-
              play,  so  it  should consist only of terminal escape sequences.
              It is output to the terminal after displaying the  text  in  the
              active  region.   This  variable  is  reset to the default value
              whenever the terminal type changes.  The default  value  is  the
              string  that  restores  the  terminal from standout mode, as ob-
              tained from the terminal's terminfo description.  A sample value
              might be "\e[0m".
       bbeellll--ssttyyllee ((aauuddiibbllee))
              Controls what happens when rreeaaddlliinnee wants to ring  the  terminal
              bell.  If set to nnoonnee, rreeaaddlliinnee never rings the bell.  If set to
              vviissiibbllee,  rreeaaddlliinnee  uses a visible bell if one is available.  If
              set to aauuddiibbllee, rreeaaddlliinnee attempts to ring the terminal's bell.
       bbiinndd--ttttyy--ssppeecciiaall--cchhaarrss ((OOnn))
              If set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee attempts to bind the  control  characters
              that  are  treated  specially by the kernel's terminal driver to
              their rreeaaddlliinnee equivalents.  These override the default rreeaaddlliinnee
              bindings described here.  Type "stty -a" at a bbaasshh prompt to see
              your current terminal settings, including  the  special  control
              characters (usually cccchhaarrss).
       bblliinnkk--mmaattcchhiinngg--ppaarreenn ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee attempts to briefly move the cursor to an
              opening parenthesis when a closing parenthesis is inserted.
       ccoolloorreedd--ccoommpplleettiioonn--pprreeffiixx ((OOffff))
              If  set  to  OOnn, when listing completions, rreeaaddlliinnee displays the
              common prefix of the set of possible completions using a differ-
              ent color.  The color definitions are taken from  the  value  of
              the LLSS__CCOOLLOORRSS environment variable.  If there is a color defini-
              tion  in $$LLSS__CCOOLLOORRSS for the custom suffix "readline-colored-com-
              pletion-prefix", rreeaaddlliinnee uses this color for the common  prefix
              instead of its default.
       ccoolloorreedd--ssttaattss ((OOffff))
              If  set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee displays possible completions using dif-
              ferent colors to indicate their file type.   The  color  defini-
              tions  are  taken  from  the  value of the LLSS__CCOOLLOORRSS environment
              variable.
       ccoommmmeenntt--bbeeggiinn (("##"))
              The string that the  rreeaaddlliinnee  iinnsseerrtt--ccoommmmeenntt  command  inserts.
              This  command  is bound to MM--## in emacs mode and to ## in vi com-
              mand mode.
       ccoommpplleettiioonn--ddiissppllaayy--wwiiddtthh ((--11))
              The number of screen columns used to  display  possible  matches
              when  performing completion.  The value is ignored if it is less
              than 0 or greater than the terminal screen width.  A value of  0
              causes  matches to be displayed one per line.  The default value
              is -1.
       ccoommpplleettiioonn--iiggnnoorree--ccaassee ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee performs filename matching and completion
              in a case-insensitive fashion.
       ccoommpplleettiioonn--mmaapp--ccaassee ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, and ccoommpplleettiioonn--iiggnnoorree--ccaassee  is  enabled,  rreeaaddlliinnee
              treats  hyphens  (_-) and underscores (__) as equivalent when per-
              forming case-insensitive filename matching and completion.
       ccoommpplleettiioonn--pprreeffiixx--ddiissppllaayy--lleennggtthh ((00))
              The maximum length in characters of the common prefix of a  list
              of  possible completions that is displayed without modification.
              When set to a value greater than zero, rreeaaddlliinnee replaces  common
              prefixes longer than this value with an ellipsis when displaying
              possible completions.  If a completion begins with a period, and
              eeaaddlliinnee  is  completing filenames, it uses three underscores in-
              stead of an ellipsis.
       ccoommpplleettiioonn--qquueerryy--iitteemmss ((110000))
              This determines when the user is queried about viewing the  num-
              ber  of  possible  completions generated by the ppoossssiibbllee--ccoommppllee--
              ttiioonnss command.  It may be set to any integer value greater  than
              or  equal  to  zero.   If  the number of possible completions is
              greater than or equal to the value of  this  variable,  rreeaaddlliinnee
              asks  whether  or  not  the  user wishes to view them; otherwise
              rreeaaddlliinnee simply lists them on the terminal.  A zero value  means
              rreeaaddlliinnee should never ask; negative values are treated as zero.
       ccoonnvveerrtt--mmeettaa ((OOnn))
              If  set  to  OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee converts characters it reads that have
              the eighth bit set to an ASCII  key  sequence  by  clearing  the
              eighth bit and prefixing it with an escape character (converting
              the  character to have the meta prefix).  The default is _O_n, but
              rreeaaddlliinnee sets it to _O_f_f if the locale contains characters  whose
              encodings may include bytes with the eighth bit set.  This vari-
              able  is  dependent  on  the  LLCC__CCTTYYPPEE  locale category, and may
              change if the locale changes.  This variable  also  affects  key
              bindings; see the description of ffoorrccee--mmeettaa--pprreeffiixx below.
       ddiissaabbllee--ccoommpplleettiioonn ((OOffff))
              If  set  to  OOnn,  rreeaaddlliinnee inhibits word completion.  Completion
              characters are inserted into the line as if they had been mapped
              to sseellff--iinnsseerrtt.
       eecchhoo--ccoonnttrrooll--cchhaarraacctteerrss ((OOnn))
              When set to OOnn, on operating systems that indicate they  support
              it, rreeaaddlliinnee echoes a character corresponding to a signal gener-
              ated from the keyboard.
       eeddiittiinngg--mmooddee ((eemmaaccss))
              Controls  whether rreeaaddlliinnee uses a set of key bindings similar to
              _E_m_a_c_s or _v_i.  eeddiittiinngg--mmooddee can be set to either eemmaaccss or vvii.
       eemmaaccss--mmooddee--ssttrriinngg ((@@))
              If the _s_h_o_w_-_m_o_d_e_-_i_n_-_p_r_o_m_p_t variable is enabled, this  string  is
              displayed immediately before the last line of the primary prompt
              when emacs editing mode is active.  The value is expanded like a
              key  binding, so the standard set of meta- and control- prefixes
              and backslash escape sequences is available.  The \1 and \2  es-
              capes  begin and end sequences of non-printing characters, which
              can be used to embed a terminal control sequence into  the  mode
              string.
       eennaabbllee--aaccttiivvee--rreeggiioonn ((OOnn))
              When  this  variable  is set to _O_n, rreeaaddlliinnee allows certain com-
              mands to designate the region as _a_c_t_i_v_e.  When the region is ac-
              tive, rreeaaddlliinnee highlights the text in the region using the value
              of the aaccttiivvee--rreeggiioonn--ssttaarrtt--ccoolloorr variable, which defaults to the
              string that enables the terminal's standout  mode.   The  active
              region shows the text inserted by bracketed-paste and any match-
              ing  text  found  by  incremental  and  non-incremental  history
              searches.
       eennaabbllee--bbrraacckkeetteedd--ppaassttee ((OOnn))
              When set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee configures the terminal to insert  each
              paste  into the editing buffer as a single string of characters,
              instead of treating each character as if it had been  read  from
              the  keyboard.  This is called _b_r_a_c_k_e_t_e_d_-_p_a_s_t_e _m_o_d_e; it prevents
              rreeaaddlliinnee from executing any editing commands bound  to  key  se-
              quences appearing in the pasted text.
       eennaabbllee--kkeeyyppaadd ((OOffff))
              When  set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee tries to enable the application keypad
              when it is called.  Some systems need this to enable  the  arrow
              keys.
       eennaabbllee--mmeettaa--kkeeyy ((OOnn))
              When  set  to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee tries to enable any meta modifier key
              the terminal claims to support.  On many terminals, the Meta key
              is used to send eight-bit characters; this variable  checks  for
              the  terminal  capability that indicates the terminal can enable
              and disable a mode that sets  the  eighth  bit  of  a  character
              (0200)  if the Meta key is held down when the character is typed
              (a meta character).
       eexxppaanndd--ttiillddee ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee performs tilde expansion when it attempts
              word completion.
       ffoorrccee--mmeettaa--pprreeffiixx ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee modifies its behavior  when  binding  key
              sequences  containing  \M-  or Meta- (see KKeeyy BBiinnddiinnggss above) by
              converting a key sequence of the form \M-_C or Meta-_C to the two-
              character  sequence  EESSCC  _C  (adding  the  meta   prefix).    If
              ffoorrccee--mmeettaa--pprreeffiixx is set to OOffff (the default), rreeaaddlliinnee uses the
              value  of the ccoonnvveerrtt--mmeettaa variable to determine whether to per-
              form this conversion: if ccoonnvveerrtt--mmeettaa is OOnn,  rreeaaddlliinnee  performs
              the  conversion described above; if it is OOffff, rreeaaddlliinnee converts
              _C to a meta character by setting the eighth bit (0200).
       hhiissttoorryy--pprreesseerrvvee--ppooiinntt ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, the history code attempts to place  point  at  the
              same  location on each history line retrieved with pprreevviioouuss--hhiiss--
              ttoorryy or nneexxtt--hhiissttoorryy.
       hhiissttoorryy--ssiizzee ((uunnsseett))
              Set the maximum number of history entries saved in  the  history
              list.   If set to zero, any existing history entries are deleted
              and no new entries are saved.  If set to a value less than zero,
              the number of history entries is not limited.  By  default,  the
              number  of history entries is not limited.  Setting _h_i_s_t_o_r_y_-_s_i_z_e
              to a non-numeric value will set the maximum  number  of  history
              entries to 500.
       hhoorriizzoonnttaall--ssccrroollll--mmooddee ((OOffff))
              Setting this variable to OOnn makes rreeaaddlliinnee use a single line for
              display,  scrolling  the  input  horizontally on a single screen
              line when it becomes longer than the screen  width  rather  than
              wrapping  to  a new line.  This setting is automatically enabled
              for terminals of height 1.
       iinnppuutt--mmeettaa ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee enables eight-bit input (that is, it does
              not clear the eighth bit in the characters it reads), regardless
              of what the terminal claims it can support.  The default is _O_f_f,
              but rreeaaddlliinnee sets it to _O_n if  the  locale  contains  characters
              whose encodings may include bytes with the eighth bit set.  This
              variable  is  dependent on the LLCC__CCTTYYPPEE locale category, and its
              value may change if the locale changes.  The name mmeettaa--ffllaagg is a
              synonym for iinnppuutt--mmeettaa.
       iisseeaarrcchh--tteerrmmiinnaattoorrss (("CC--[[CC--jj"))
              The string of characters that should  terminate  an  incremental
              search  without  subsequently  executing the character as a com-
              mand.  If this variable has not been given a value, the  charac-
              ters _E_S_C and CC--jj terminate an incremental search.
       kkeeyymmaapp ((eemmaaccss))
              Set  the current rreeaaddlliinnee keymap.  The set of valid keymap names
              is _e_m_a_c_s_, _e_m_a_c_s_-_s_t_a_n_d_a_r_d_, _e_m_a_c_s_-_m_e_t_a_,  _e_m_a_c_s_-_c_t_l_x_,  _v_i_,  _v_i_-_c_o_m_-
              _m_a_n_d,  and  _v_i_-_i_n_s_e_r_t.  _v_i is equivalent to _v_i_-_c_o_m_m_a_n_d; _e_m_a_c_s is
              equivalent to _e_m_a_c_s_-_s_t_a_n_d_a_r_d.  The default value is  _e_m_a_c_s;  the
              value of eeddiittiinngg--mmooddee also affects the default keymap.
       kkeeyysseeqq--ttiimmeeoouutt ((550000))
              Specifies  the  duration rreeaaddlliinnee will wait for a character when
              reading an ambiguous key sequence (one that can form a  complete
              key sequence using the input read so far, or can take additional
              input  to complete a longer key sequence).  If rreeaaddlliinnee does not
              receive any input within the timeout, it uses  the  shorter  but
              complete  key sequence.  The value is specified in milliseconds,
              so a value of 1000 means that rreeaaddlliinnee will wait one second  for
              additional  input.  If this variable is set to a value less than
              or equal to zero, or to a non-numeric value, rreeaaddlliinnee waits  un-
              til  another key is pressed to decide which key sequence to com-
              plete.
       mmaarrkk--ddiirreeccttoorriieess ((OOnn))
              If set to OOnn, completed directory names have a slash appended.
       mmaarrkk--mmooddiiffiieedd--lliinneess ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee displays history  lines  that  have  been
              modified with a preceding asterisk (**).
       mmaarrkk--ssyymmlliinnkkeedd--ddiirreeccttoorriieess ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, completed names which are symbolic links to direc-
              tories  have  a slash appended, subject to the value of mmaarrkk--ddii--
              rreeccttoorriieess.
       mmaattcchh--hhiiddddeenn--ffiilleess ((OOnn))
              This variable, when set to OOnn, forces rreeaaddlliinnee  to  match  files
              whose  names  begin  with  a "."  (hidden files) when performing
              filename completion.  If set to OOffff, the user must  include  the
              leading "."  in the filename to be completed.
       mmeennuu--ccoommpplleettee--ddiissppllaayy--pprreeffiixx ((OOffff))
              If  set to OOnn, menu completion displays the common prefix of the
              list of possible completions (which may be empty) before cycling
              through the list.
       oouuttppuutt--mmeettaa ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee displays characters with the  eighth  bit
              set  directly  rather  than  as a meta-prefixed escape sequence.
              The default is _O_f_f, but rreeaaddlliinnee sets it to  _O_n  if  the  locale
              contains  characters  whose encodings may include bytes with the
              eighth bit set.  This variable is dependent on the LLCC__CCTTYYPPEE  lo-
              cale category, and its value may change if the locale changes.
       ppaaggee--ccoommpplleettiioonnss ((OOnn))
              If set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee uses an internal pager resembling _m_o_r_e(1)
              to display a screenful of possible completions at a time.
       pprreeffeerr--vviissiibbllee--bbeellll
              See bbeellll--ssttyyllee.
       pprriinntt--ccoommpplleettiioonnss--hhoorriizzoonnttaallllyy ((OOffff))
              If  set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee displays completions with matches sorted
              horizontally in alphabetical order, rather than down the screen.
       rreevveerrtt--aallll--aatt--nneewwlliinnee ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee will undo all changes  to  history  lines
              before  returning  when executing aacccceepptt--lliinnee.  By default, his-
              tory lines may be modified  and  retain  individual  undo  lists
              across calls to rreeaaddlliinnee(()).
       sseeaarrcchh--iiggnnoorree--ccaassee ((OOffff))
              If  set to OOnn, rreeaaddlliinnee performs incremental and non-incremental
              history list searches in a case-insensitive fashion.
       sshhooww--aallll--iiff--aammbbiigguuoouuss ((OOffff))
              This alters the default behavior of  the  completion  functions.
              If set to OOnn, words which have more than one possible completion
              cause  the  matches  to be listed immediately instead of ringing
              the bell.
       sshhooww--aallll--iiff--uunnmmooddiiffiieedd ((OOffff))
              This alters the default behavior of the completion functions  in
              a fashion similar to sshhooww--aallll--iiff--aammbbiigguuoouuss.  If set to OOnn, words
              which  have more than one possible completion without any possi-
              ble partial completion (the possible completions don't  share  a
              common  prefix)  cause  the matches to be listed immediately in-
              stead of ringing the bell.
       sshhooww--mmooddee--iinn--pprroommpptt ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, add a string to the beginning of the prompt  indi-
              cating  the  editing  mode:  emacs, vi command, or vi insertion.
              The mode strings are user-settable (e.g., _e_m_a_c_s_-_m_o_d_e_-_s_t_r_i_n_g).
       sskkiipp--ccoommpplleetteedd--tteexxtt ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, this alters the default completion  behavior  when
              inserting  a  single match into the line.  It's only active when
              performing completion in the middle  of  a  word.   If  enabled,
              rreeaaddlliinnee  does  not  insert  characters from the completion that
              match characters after point in the  word  being  completed,  so
              portions of the word following the cursor are not duplicated.
       vvii--ccmmdd--mmooddee--ssttrriinngg ((((ccmmdd))))
              If  the  _s_h_o_w_-_m_o_d_e_-_i_n_-_p_r_o_m_p_t variable is enabled, this string is
              displayed immediately before the last line of the primary prompt
              when vi editing mode is active and in command mode.   The  value
              is expanded like a key binding, so the standard set of meta- and
              control-  prefixes  and backslash escape sequences is available.
              The \1 and \2 escapes begin and end  sequences  of  non-printing
              characters,  which  can  be used to embed a terminal control se-
              quence into the mode string.
       vvii--iinnss--mmooddee--ssttrriinngg ((((iinnss))))
              If the _s_h_o_w_-_m_o_d_e_-_i_n_-_p_r_o_m_p_t variable is enabled, this  string  is
              displayed immediately before the last line of the primary prompt
              when vi editing mode is active and in insertion mode.  The value
              is expanded like a key binding, so the standard set of meta- and
              control-  prefixes  and backslash escape sequences is available.
              The \1 and \2 escapes begin and end  sequences  of  non-printing
              characters,  which  can  be used to embed a terminal control se-
              quence into the mode string.
       vviissiibbllee--ssttaattss ((OOffff))
              If set to OOnn, a character denoting a file's type as reported  by
              _s_t_a_t(2)  is  appended to the filename when listing possible com-
              pletions.

   CCoonnddiittiioonnaall CCoonnssttrruuccttss
       RReeaaddlliinnee implements a facility similar in  spirit  to  the  conditional
       compilation  features  of  the C preprocessor which allows key bindings
       and variable settings to be performed as the result  of  tests.   There
       are four parser directives available.

       $$iiff    The  $$iiff construct allows bindings to be made based on the edit-
              ing mode, the terminal being  used,  or  the  application  using
              rreeaaddlliinnee.   The text of the test, after any comparison operator,
              extends to the end of the line; unless otherwise noted, no char-
              acters are required to isolate it.

              mmooddee   The mmooddee== form of the  $$iiff  directive  is  used  to  test
                     whether  rreeaaddlliinnee  is  in  emacs or vi mode.  This may be
                     used in conjunction with the sseett kkeeyymmaapp command, for  in-
                     stance,   to  set  bindings  in  the  _e_m_a_c_s_-_s_t_a_n_d_a_r_d  and
                     _e_m_a_c_s_-_c_t_l_x keymaps only if rreeaaddlliinnee is  starting  out  in
                     emacs mode.

              tteerrmm   The  tteerrmm==  form may be used to include terminal-specific
                     key bindings, perhaps to bind the key sequences output by
                     the terminal's function keys.  The word on the right side
                     of the == is tested against both the full name of the ter-
                     minal and the portion of the  terminal  name  before  the
                     first  --.   This  allows  _x_t_e_r_m  to  match both _x_t_e_r_m and
                     _x_t_e_r_m_-_2_5_6_c_o_l_o_r, for instance.

              vveerrssiioonn
                     The vveerrssiioonn test  may  be  used  to  perform  comparisons
                     against  specific rreeaaddlliinnee versions.  The vveerrssiioonn expands
                     to the current rreeaaddlliinnee version.  The set  of  comparison
                     operators  includes  ==,  (and  ====), !!==, <<==, >>==, <<, and >>.
                     The version number supplied on the right side of the  op-
                     erator  consists  of  a major version number, an optional
                     decimal point, and an optional minor version (e.g., 77..11).
                     If the minor version is omitted, it defaults to  00.   The
                     operator  may  be  separated  from the string vveerrssiioonn and
                     from the version number argument by whitespace.

              _a_p_p_l_i_c_a_t_i_o_n
                     The _a_p_p_l_i_c_a_t_i_o_n construct is used to include application-
                     specific settings.  Each program using the  rreeaaddlliinnee  li-
                     brary  sets  the  _a_p_p_l_i_c_a_t_i_o_n _n_a_m_e, and an initialization
                     file can test for a particular value.  This could be used
                     to bind key sequences to functions useful for a  specific
                     program.   For instance, the following command adds a key
                     sequence that quotes the  current  or  previous  word  in
                     bbaasshh:

                     $$iiff Bash
                     # Quote the current or previous word
                     "\C-xq": "\eb\"\ef\""
                     $$eennddiiff

              _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e
                     The _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e construct provides simple equality tests for
                     rreeaaddlliinnee  variables and values.  The permitted comparison
                     operators are _=, _=_=, and _!_=.  The variable name  must  be
                     separated from the comparison operator by whitespace; the
                     operator  may  be  separated  from the value on the right
                     hand side by whitespace.  String  and  boolean  variables
                     may  be tested.  Boolean variables must be tested against
                     the values _o_n and _o_f_f.

       $$eellssee  Commands in this branch of the $$iiff directive are executed if the
              test fails.

       $$eennddiiff This command, as seen in the previous example, terminates an $$iiff
              command.

       $$iinncclluuddee
              This directive takes a single filename as an argument and  reads
              commands and key bindings from that file.  For example, the fol-
              lowing directive would read _/_e_t_c_/_i_n_p_u_t_r_c:

              $$iinncclluuddee  _/_e_t_c_/_i_n_p_u_t_r_c

SSEEAARRCCHHIINNGG
       RReeaaddlliinnee  provides  commands  for searching through the command history
       for lines containing a specified string.  There are two  search  modes:
       _i_n_c_r_e_m_e_n_t_a_l and _n_o_n_-_i_n_c_r_e_m_e_n_t_a_l.

       Incremental  searches  begin  before  the  user has finished typing the
       search string.  As each character of the search string is typed,  rreeaadd--
       lliinnee displays the next entry from the history matching the string typed
       so  far.   An  incremental  search  requires only as many characters as
       needed to find the desired history entry.   When  using  emacs  editing
       mode,  type  CC--rr  to  search  backward  in the history for a particular
       string.  Typing CC--ss searches forward through the history.  The  charac-
       ters  present in the value of the iisseeaarrcchh--tteerrmmiinnaattoorrss variable are used
       to terminate an incremental search.  If that variable has not been  as-
       signed  a  value,  _E_S_C  and  CC--jj  terminate an incremental search.  CC--gg
       aborts an incremental search and restores the original line.  When  the
       search  is  terminated,  the history entry containing the search string
       becomes the current line.

       To find other matching entries in the history list, type CC--rr or CC--ss  as
       appropriate.   This searches backward or forward in the history for the
       next entry matching the search string typed so far.  Any other key  se-
       quence  bound  to a rreeaaddlliinnee command terminates the search and executes
       that command.  For instance, a newline terminates the  search  and  ac-
       cepts the line, thereby executing the command from the history list.  A
       movement  command  will  terminate the search, make the last line found
       the current line, and begin editing.

       RReeaaddlliinnee remembers the last incremental search string.  If two CC--rrs are
       typed without any intervening characters defining a new search  string,
       rreeaaddlliinnee uses any remembered search string.

       Non-incremental  searches read the entire search string before starting
       to search for matching history entries.  The search string may be typed
       by the user or be part of the contents of the current line.

EEDDIITTIINNGG CCOOMMMMAANNDDSS
       The following is a list of the names of the commands  and  the  default
       key sequences to which they are bound.  Command names without an accom-
       panying key sequence are unbound by default.

       In the following descriptions, _p_o_i_n_t refers to the current cursor posi-
       tion,  and  _m_a_r_k refers to a cursor position saved by the sseett--mmaarrkk com-
       mand.  The text between the point and mark is referred to  as  the  _r_e_-
       _g_i_o_n.  RReeaaddlliinnee has the concept of an _a_c_t_i_v_e _r_e_g_i_o_n: when the region is
       active, rreeaaddlliinnee redisplay highlights the region using the value of the
       aaccttiivvee--rreeggiioonn--ssttaarrtt--ccoolloorr  variable.  The eennaabbllee--aaccttiivvee--rreeggiioonn variable
       turns this on and off.  Several commands  set  the  region  to  active;
       those are noted below.

   CCoommmmaannddss ffoorr MMoovviinngg
       bbeeggiinnnniinngg--ooff--lliinnee ((CC--aa))
              Move  to  the start of the current line.  This may also be bound
              to the Home key on some keyboards.
       eenndd--ooff--lliinnee ((CC--ee))
              Move to the end of the line.  This may also be bound to the  End
              key on some keyboards.
       ffoorrwwaarrdd--cchhaarr ((CC--ff))
              Move  forward  a character.  This may also be bound to the right
              arrow key on some keyboards.
       bbaacckkwwaarrdd--cchhaarr ((CC--bb))
              Move back a character.
       ffoorrwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd ((MM--ff))
              Move forward to the end of the next word.  Words are composed of
              alphanumeric characters (letters and digits).
       bbaacckkwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd ((MM--bb))
              Move back to the start of the current or previous  word.   Words
              are composed of alphanumeric characters (letters and digits).
       pprreevviioouuss--ssccrreeeenn--lliinnee
              Attempt  to move point to the same physical screen column on the
              previous physical screen line.  This will not have  the  desired
              effect  if  the current rreeaaddlliinnee line does not take up more than
              one physical line or if point is not greater than the length  of
              the prompt plus the screen width.
       nneexxtt--ssccrreeeenn--lliinnee
              Attempt  to move point to the same physical screen column on the
              next physical screen line.  This will not have the  desired  ef-
              fect if the current rreeaaddlliinnee line does not take up more than one
              physical  line  or if the length of the current rreeaaddlliinnee line is
              not greater than the length of the prompt plus the screen width.
       cclleeaarr--ddiissppllaayy ((MM--CC--ll))
              Clear the screen and, if  possible,  the  terminal's  scrollback
              buffer,  then  redraw the current line, leaving the current line
              at the top of the screen.
       cclleeaarr--ssccrreeeenn ((CC--ll))
              Clear the screen, then redraw the current line, leaving the cur-
              rent line at the top of the screen.  With  a  numeric  argument,
              refresh the current line without clearing the screen.
       rreeddrraaww--ccuurrrreenntt--lliinnee
              Refresh the current line.

   CCoommmmaannddss ffoorr MMaanniippuullaattiinngg tthhee HHiissttoorryy
       aacccceepptt--lliinnee ((NNeewwlliinnee,, RReettuurrnn))
              Accept the line regardless of where the cursor is.  If this line
              is non-empty, it may be added to the history list for future re-
              call  with  aadddd__hhiissttoorryy(()).   If  the  line is a modified history
              line, restore the history line to its original state.
       pprreevviioouuss--hhiissttoorryy ((CC--pp))
              Fetch the previous command from the history list, moving back in
              the list.  This may also be bound to the up arrow  key  on  some
              keyboards.
       nneexxtt--hhiissttoorryy ((CC--nn))
              Fetch  the next command from the history list, moving forward in
              the list.  This may also be bound to the down arrow key on  some
              keyboards.
       bbeeggiinnnniinngg--ooff--hhiissttoorryy ((MM--<<))
              Move to the first line in the history.
       eenndd--ooff--hhiissttoorryy ((MM-->>))
              Move  to  the end of the input history, i.e., the line currently
              being entered.
       ooppeerraattee--aanndd--ggeett--nneexxtt ((CC--oo))
              Accept the current line for return to the calling application as
              if a newline had been entered, and fetch the next line  relative
              to the current line from the history for editing.  A numeric ar-
              gument,  if supplied, specifies the history entry to use instead
              of the current line.
       ffeettcchh--hhiissttoorryy
              With a numeric argument, fetch that entry from the history  list
              and make it the current line.  Without an argument, move back to
              the first entry in the history list.
       rreevveerrssee--sseeaarrcchh--hhiissttoorryy ((CC--rr))
              Search  backward  starting  at  the current line and moving "up"
              through the  history  as  necessary.   This  is  an  incremental
              search.   This  command  sets the region to the matched text and
              activates the region.
       ffoorrwwaarrdd--sseeaarrcchh--hhiissttoorryy ((CC--ss))
              Search forward starting at the current line  and  moving  "down"
              through  the  history  as  necessary.   This  is  an incremental
              search.  This command sets the region to the  matched  text  and
              activates the region.
       nnoonn--iinnccrreemmeennttaall--rreevveerrssee--sseeaarrcchh--hhiissttoorryy ((MM--pp))
              Search backward through the history starting at the current line
              using  a  non-incremental  search  for  a string supplied by the
              user.  The search string may match anywhere in a history line.
       nnoonn--iinnccrreemmeennttaall--ffoorrwwaarrdd--sseeaarrcchh--hhiissttoorryy ((MM--nn))
              Search forward  through  the  history  using  a  non-incremental
              search for a string supplied by the user.  The search string may
              match anywhere in a history line.
       hhiissttoorryy--sseeaarrcchh--bbaacckkwwaarrdd
              Search backward through the history for the string of characters
              between the start of the current line and the point.  The search
              string must match at the beginning of a history line.  This is a
              non-incremental search.  This may be bound to the Page Up key on
              some keyboards.
       hhiissttoorryy--sseeaarrcchh--ffoorrwwaarrdd
              Search  forward through the history for the string of characters
              between the start of the current line and the point.  The search
              string must match at the beginning of a history line.  This is a
              non-incremental search.  This may be bound to the Page Down  key
              on some keyboards.
       hhiissttoorryy--ssuubbssttrriinngg--sseeaarrcchh--bbaacckkwwaarrdd
              Search backward through the history for the string of characters
              between the start of the current line and the point.  The search
              string  may match anywhere in a history line.  This is a non-in-
              cremental search.
       hhiissttoorryy--ssuubbssttrriinngg--sseeaarrcchh--ffoorrwwaarrdd
              Search forward through the history for the string of  characters
              between the start of the current line and the point.  The search
              string  may match anywhere in a history line.  This is a non-in-
              cremental search.
       yyaannkk--nntthh--aarrgg ((MM--CC--yy))
              Insert the first argument to the previous command  (usually  the
              second word on the previous line) at point.  With an argument _n,
              insert  the _nth word from the previous command (the words in the
              previous command begin with word 0).  A  negative  argument  in-
              serts  the  _nth word from the end of the previous command.  Once
              the argument _n is computed, this uses the history expansion  fa-
              cilities  to extract the _nth word, as if the "!_n" history expan-
              sion had been specified.
       yyaannkk--llaasstt--aarrgg ((MM--..,, MM--__))
              Insert the last argument to the previous command (the last  word
              of the previous history entry).  With a numeric argument, behave
              exactly  like  yyaannkk--nntthh--aarrgg.   Successive calls to yyaannkk--llaasstt--aarrgg
              move back through the history list, inserting the last word  (or
              the  word  specified  by the argument to the first call) of each
              line in turn.  Any numeric argument supplied to these successive
              calls determines the direction to move through the  history.   A
              negative  argument  switches  the  direction through the history
              (back or forward).  This uses the history  expansion  facilities
              to  extract  the last word, as if the "!$" history expansion had
              been specified.

   CCoommmmaannddss ffoorr CChhaannggiinngg TTeexxtt
       _e_n_d_-_o_f_-_f_i_l_e ((uussuuaallllyy CC--dd))
              The character indicating end-of-file as  set,  for  example,  by
              _s_t_t_y(1).  If this character is read when there are no characters
              on the line, and point is at the beginning of the line, rreeaaddlliinnee
              interprets it as the end of input and returns EEOOFF.
       ddeelleettee--cchhaarr ((CC--dd))
              Delete the character at point.  If this function is bound to the
              same character as the tty EEOOFF character, as CC--dd commonly is, see
              above for the effects.  This may also be bound to the Delete key
              on some keyboards.
       bbaacckkwwaarrdd--ddeelleettee--cchhaarr ((RRuubboouutt))
              Delete  the  character  behind the cursor.  When given a numeric
              argument, save the deleted text on the kill ring.
       ffoorrwwaarrdd--bbaacckkwwaarrdd--ddeelleettee--cchhaarr
              Delete the character under the cursor, unless the cursor  is  at
              the end of the line, in which case the character behind the cur-
              sor is deleted.
       qquuootteedd--iinnsseerrtt ((CC--qq,, CC--vv))
              Add  the next character typed to the line verbatim.  This is how
              to insert characters like CC--qq, for example.
       ttaabb--iinnsseerrtt ((MM--TTAABB))
              Insert a tab character.
       sseellff--iinnsseerrtt ((aa,, bb,, AA,, 11,, !!,, ...))
              Insert the character typed.
       bbrraacckkeetteedd--ppaassttee--bbeeggiinn
              This function is intended to be bound to the  "bracketed  paste"
              escape  sequence  sent  by some terminals, and such a binding is
              assigned by default.  It allows rreeaaddlliinnee to  insert  the  pasted
              text  as  a single unit without treating each character as if it
              had been read from the keyboard.  The pasted characters are  in-
              serted  as  if each one was bound to sseellff--iinnsseerrtt instead of exe-
              cuting any editing commands.
              Bracketed paste sets the region to the inserted text  and  acti-
              vates the region.
       ttrraannssppoossee--cchhaarrss ((CC--tt))
              Drag  the  character  before point forward over the character at
              point, moving point forward as well.  If point is at the end  of
              the  line, then this transposes the two characters before point.
              Negative arguments have no effect.
       ttrraannssppoossee--wwoorrddss ((MM--tt))
              Drag the word before point past the  word  after  point,  moving
              point  past  that  word  as well.  If point is at the end of the
              line, this transposes the last two words on the line.
       uuppccaassee--wwoorrdd ((MM--uu))
              Uppercase the current (or following) word.  With a negative  ar-
              gument, uppercase the previous word, but do not move point.
       ddoowwnnccaassee--wwoorrdd ((MM--ll))
              Lowercase  the current (or following) word.  With a negative ar-
              gument, lowercase the previous word, but do not move point.
       ccaappiittaalliizzee--wwoorrdd ((MM--cc))
              Capitalize the current (or following) word.  With a negative ar-
              gument, capitalize the previous word, but do not move point.
       oovveerrwwrriittee--mmooddee
              Toggle overwrite mode.  With an explicit positive numeric  argu-
              ment, switches to overwrite mode.  With an explicit non-positive
              numeric argument, switches to insert mode.  This command affects
              only  eemmaaccss mode; vvii mode does overwrite differently.  Each call
              to _r_e_a_d_l_i_n_e_(_) starts in insert mode.
              In overwrite mode, characters bound to sseellff--iinnsseerrtt  replace  the
              text  at point rather than pushing the text to the right.  Char-
              acters bound to bbaacckkwwaarrdd--ddeelleettee--cchhaarr replace the  character  be-
              fore  point  with a space.  By default, this command is unbound,
              but may be bound to the Insert key on some keyboards.

   KKiilllliinngg aanndd YYaannkkiinngg
       kkiillll--lliinnee ((CC--kk))
              Kill the text from point to the end of the current line.  With a
              negative numeric argument, kill backward from the cursor to  the
              beginning of the line.
       bbaacckkwwaarrdd--kkiillll--lliinnee ((CC--xx RRuubboouutt))
              Kill backward to the beginning of the current line.  With a neg-
              ative  numeric argument, kill forward from the cursor to the end
              of the line.
       uunniixx--lliinnee--ddiissccaarrdd ((CC--uu))
              Kill backward from point to the beginning of  the  line,  saving
              the killed text on the kill-ring.
       kkiillll--wwhhoollee--lliinnee
              Kill  all  characters on the current line, no matter where point
              is.
       kkiillll--wwoorrdd ((MM--dd))
              Kill from point to the end of the current word,  or  if  between
              words,  to  the  end  of the next word.  Word boundaries are the
              same as those used by ffoorrwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd.
       bbaacckkwwaarrdd--kkiillll--wwoorrdd ((MM--RRuubboouutt))
              Kill the word behind point.  Word boundaries  are  the  same  as
              those used by bbaacckkwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd.
       uunniixx--wwoorrdd--rruubboouutt ((CC--ww))
              Kill  the  word behind point, using white space as a word bound-
              ary, saving the killed text on the kill-ring.
       uunniixx--ffiilleennaammee--rruubboouutt
              Kill the word behind point, using  white  space  and  the  slash
              character  as the word boundaries, saving the killed text on the
              kill-ring.
       ddeelleettee--hhoorriizzoonnttaall--ssppaaccee ((MM--\\))
              Delete all spaces and tabs around point.
       kkiillll--rreeggiioonn
              Kill the text in the current region.
       ccooppyy--rreeggiioonn--aass--kkiillll
              Copy the text in the region to the kill buffer,  so  it  can  be
              yanked immediately.
       ccooppyy--bbaacckkwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd
              Copy  the word before point to the kill buffer.  The word bound-
              aries are the same as bbaacckkwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd.
       ccooppyy--ffoorrwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd
              Copy the word following point to  the  kill  buffer.   The  word
              boundaries are the same as ffoorrwwaarrdd--wwoorrdd.
       yyaannkk ((CC--yy))
              Yank the top of the kill ring into the buffer at point.
       yyaannkk--ppoopp ((MM--yy))
              Rotate  the kill ring, and yank the new top.  Only works follow-
              ing yyaannkk or yyaannkk--ppoopp.

   NNuummeerriicc AArrgguummeennttss
       ddiiggiitt--aarrgguummeenntt ((MM--00,, MM--11,, ...,, MM----))
              Add this digit to the argument already accumulating, or start  a
              new argument.  M-- starts a negative argument.
       uunniivveerrssaall--aarrgguummeenntt
              This  is another way to specify an argument.  If this command is
              followed by one or more digits, optionally with a leading  minus
              sign,  those digits define the argument.  If the command is fol-
              lowed by digits, executing uunniivveerrssaall--aarrgguummeenntt again ends the nu-
              meric argument, but is otherwise ignored.  As a special case, if
              this command is immediately followed by a character that is nei-
              ther a digit nor minus sign, the argument  count  for  the  next
              command  is multiplied by four.  The argument count is initially
              one, so executing this function the first time makes  the  argu-
              ment count four, a second time makes the argument count sixteen,
              and so on.

   CCoommpplleettiinngg
       ccoommpplleettee ((TTAABB))
              Attempt to perform completion on the text before point.  The ac-
              tual  completion  performed  is application-specific.  BBaasshh, for
              instance,  attempts  programmable  completion  first,  otherwise
              treating  the  text  as  a variable (if the text begins with $$),
              username (if the text begins with ~~), hostname (if the text  be-
              gins  with  @@),  or  command  (including aliases, functions, and
              builtins) in turn.  If none of these produces a match, it  falls
              back  to  filename  completion.   GGddbb, on the other hand, allows
              completion of program functions and variables, and only attempts
              filename completion under certain  circumstances.   The  default
              rreeaaddlliinnee completion is filename completion.
       ppoossssiibbllee--ccoommpplleettiioonnss ((MM--??))
              List  the  possible  completions of the text before point.  When
              displaying completions, rreeaaddlliinnee sets the number of columns used
              for display to the value of ccoommpplleettiioonn--ddiissppllaayy--wwiiddtthh, the  value
              of  the  environment  variable  CCOOLLUUMMNNSS, or the screen width, in
              that order.
       iinnsseerrtt--ccoommpplleettiioonnss ((MM--**))
              Insert all completions of the text before point that would  have
              been generated by ppoossssiibbllee--ccoommpplleettiioonnss, separated by a space.
       mmeennuu--ccoommpplleettee
              Similar  to ccoommpplleettee, but replaces the word to be completed with
              a single match from the list of possible  completions.   Repeat-
              edly  executing mmeennuu--ccoommpplleettee steps through the list of possible
              completions, inserting each match in turn.  At the  end  of  the
              list  of  completions,  mmeennuu--ccoommpplleettee rings the bell (subject to
              the setting of bbeellll--ssttyyllee) and restores the original  text.   An
              argument  of _n moves _n positions forward in the list of matches;
              a negative argument moves backward through the list.  This  com-
              mand is intended to be bound to TTAABB, but is unbound by default.
       mmeennuu--ccoommpplleettee--bbaacckkwwaarrdd
              Identical  to mmeennuu--ccoommpplleettee, but moves backward through the list
              of possible completions, as if mmeennuu--ccoommpplleettee had  been  given  a
              negative argument.  This command is unbound by default.
       eexxppoorrtt--ccoommpplleettiioonnss
              Perform  completion  on the word before point as described above
              and write the list of possible completions to rreeaaddlliinnee's  output
              stream  using the following format, writing information on sepa-
              rate lines:

              +o      the number of matches _N;
              +o      the word being completed;
              +o      _S:_E, where _S and _E are the start and end offsets  of  the
                     word in the rreeaaddlliinnee line buffer; then
              +o      each match, one per line

              If  there  are  no matches, the first line will be "0", and this
              command does not print any output after the _S:_E.   If  there  is
              only  a  single  match, this prints a single line containing it.
              If there is more than one match, this prints the  common  prefix
              of  the matches, which may be empty, on the first line after the
              _S:_E, then the matches on subsequent lines.  In this case, _N will
              include the first line with the common prefix.

              The user or application should be able to accommodate the possi-
              bility of a blank line.  The intent is that the user or applica-
              tion reads _N lines after the line containing _S:_E to  obtain  the
              match list.  This command is unbound by default.

       ddeelleettee--cchhaarr--oorr--lliisstt
              Deletes  the  character under the cursor if not at the beginning
              or end of the line (like ddeelleettee--cchhaarr).  At the end of the  line,
              it behaves identically to ppoossssiibbllee--ccoommpplleettiioonnss.  This command is
              unbound by default.

   KKeeyybbooaarrdd MMaaccrrooss
       ssttaarrtt--kkbbdd--mmaaccrroo ((CC--xx (())
              Begin  saving  the  characters  typed  into the current keyboard
              macro.
       eenndd--kkbbdd--mmaaccrroo ((CC--xx ))))
              Stop saving the characters typed into the current keyboard macro
              and store the definition.
       ccaallll--llaasstt--kkbbdd--mmaaccrroo ((CC--xx ee))
              Re-execute the last keyboard macro defined, by making the  char-
              acters in the macro appear as if typed at the keyboard.
       pprriinntt--llaasstt--kkbbdd--mmaaccrroo (())
              Print  the  last keyboard macro defined in a format suitable for
              the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file.

   MMiisscceellllaanneeoouuss
       rree--rreeaadd--iinniitt--ffiillee ((CC--xx CC--rr))
              Read in the contents of the _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file,  and  incorporate  any
              bindings or variable assignments found there.
       aabboorrtt ((CC--gg))
              Abort  the  current editing command and ring the terminal's bell
              (subject to the setting of bbeellll--ssttyyllee).
       ddoo--lloowweerrccaassee--vveerrssiioonn ((MM--AA,, MM--BB,, MM--_x,, ...))
              If the metafied character _x is uppercase, run the  command  that
              is bound to the corresponding metafied lowercase character.  The
              behavior is undefined if _x is already lowercase.
       pprreeffiixx--mmeettaa ((EESSCC))
              Metafy the next character typed.  EESSCC ff is equivalent to MMeettaa--ff.
       uunnddoo ((CC--__,, CC--xx CC--uu))
              Incremental undo, separately remembered for each line.
       rreevveerrtt--lliinnee ((MM--rr))
              Undo  all changes made to this line.  This is like executing the
              uunnddoo command enough times to return  the  line  to  its  initial
              state.
       ttiillddee--eexxppaanndd ((MM--~~))
              Perform tilde expansion on the current word.
       sseett--mmaarrkk ((CC--@@,, MM--<<ssppaaccee>>))
              Set  the  mark to the point.  If a numeric argument is supplied,
              set the mark to that position.
       eexxcchhaannggee--ppooiinntt--aanndd--mmaarrkk ((CC--xx CC--xx))
              Swap the point with the mark.  Set the current  cursor  position
              to the saved position, then set the mark to the old cursor posi-
              tion.
       cchhaarraacctteerr--sseeaarrcchh ((CC--]]))
              Read  a  character and move point to the next occurrence of that
              character.  A negative argument  searches  for  previous  occur-
              rences.
       cchhaarraacctteerr--sseeaarrcchh--bbaacckkwwaarrdd ((MM--CC--]]))
              Read  a  character  and move point to the previous occurrence of
              that character.  A negative argument searches for subsequent oc-
              currences.
       sskkiipp--ccssii--sseeqquueennccee
              Read enough characters to consume a multi-key sequence  such  as
              those  defined  for keys like Home and End.  CSI sequences begin
              with a Control Sequence Indicator (CSI), usually _E_S_C _[.  If this
              sequence is bound to "\e[", keys producing CSI sequences have no
              effect unless explicitly bound to a rreeaaddlliinnee command, instead of
              inserting stray characters into the editing buffer.  This is un-
              bound by default, but usually bound to _E_S_C _[.
       iinnsseerrtt--ccoommmmeenntt ((MM--##))
              Without a numeric argument, insert the  value  of  the  rreeaaddlliinnee
              ccoommmmeenntt--bbeeggiinn variable at the beginning of the current line.  If
              a  numeric  argument is supplied, this command acts as a toggle:
              if the characters at the beginning of the line do not match  the
              value  of  ccoommmmeenntt--bbeeggiinn, insert the value; otherwise delete the
              characters in ccoommmmeenntt--bbeeggiinn from the beginning of the line.   In
              either  case,  the  line  is  accepted  as if a newline had been
              typed.  The default value of ccoommmmeenntt--bbeeggiinn causes  this  command
              to make the current line a shell comment.  If a numeric argument
              causes the comment character to be removed, the line will be ex-
              ecuted by the shell.
       dduummpp--ffuunnccttiioonnss
              Print  all  of the functions and their key bindings to the rreeaadd--
              lliinnee output stream.  If a numeric argument is supplied, the out-
              put is formatted in such a way that it can be made  part  of  an
              _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file.
       dduummpp--vvaarriiaabblleess
              Print  all  of  the  settable  variables and their values to the
              rreeaaddlliinnee output stream.  If a numeric argument is supplied,  the
              output is formatted in such a way that it can be made part of an
              _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file.
       dduummpp--mmaaccrrooss
              Print  all of the rreeaaddlliinnee key sequences bound to macros and the
              strings they output to the rreeaaddlliinnee output stream.  If a numeric
              argument is supplied, the output is formatted in such a way that
              it can be made part of an _i_n_p_u_t_r_c file.
       eexxeeccuuttee--nnaammeedd--ccoommmmaanndd ((MM--xx))
              Read a bindable rreeaaddlliinnee command name from the input and execute
              the function to which it's bound, as  if  the  key  sequence  to
              which  it  was bound appeared in the input.  If this function is
              supplied with a numeric argument, it passes that argument to the
              function it executes.
       eemmaaccss--eeddiittiinngg--mmooddee ((CC--ee))
              When in vvii command mode, this switches rreeaaddlliinnee to eemmaaccss editing
              mode.
       vvii--eeddiittiinngg--mmooddee ((MM--CC--jj))
              When in eemmaaccss editing mode, this switches to vvii editing mode.

DDEEFFAAUULLTT KKEEYY BBIINNDDIINNGGSS
       The following is a list of the default emacs and vi bindings.   Charac-
       ters  with the eighth bit set are written as M-<character>, and are re-
       ferred to as _m_e_t_a_f_i_e_d characters.  The printable ASCII  characters  not
       mentioned  in  the  list  of  emacs  standard bindings are bound to the
       sseellff--iinnsseerrtt function, which just inserts the given character  into  the
       input line.  In vi insertion mode, all characters not specifically men-
       tioned are bound to sseellff--iinnsseerrtt.  Characters assigned to signal genera-
       tion by _s_t_t_y(1) or the terminal driver, such as C-Z or C-C, retain that
       function.   Upper  and  lower case metafied characters are bound to the
       same function in the emacs mode meta keymap.  The remaining  characters
       are  unbound,  which  causes  rreeaaddlliinnee to ring the bell (subject to the
       setting of the bbeellll--ssttyyllee variable).

   EEmmaaccss MMooddee
             Emacs Standard bindings

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

             Emacs Meta bindings

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

             Emacs Control-X bindings

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

   VVII MMooddee bbiinnddiinnggss
             VI Insert Mode functions

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

             VI Command Mode functions

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

SSEEEE AALLSSOO
       _T_h_e _G_n_u _R_e_a_d_l_i_n_e _L_i_b_r_a_r_y, Brian Fox and Chet Ramey
       _T_h_e _G_n_u _H_i_s_t_o_r_y _L_i_b_r_a_r_y, Brian Fox and Chet Ramey
       _b_a_s_h(1)

FFIILLEESS
       _~_/_._i_n_p_u_t_r_c
              Individual rreeaaddlliinnee initialization file

AAUUTTHHOORRSS
       Brian Fox, Free Software Foundation
       bfox@gnu.org

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

BBUUGG RREEPPOORRTTSS
       If you find a bug in rreeaaddlliinnee, you should report it.   But  first,  you
       should  make  sure  that it really is a bug, and that it appears in the
       latest version of the rreeaaddlliinnee library that you have.

       Once you have determined that a bug actually exists, mail a bug  report
       to  _b_u_g_-_r_e_a_d_l_i_n_e@_g_n_u_._o_r_g.   If  you have a fix, you are welcome to mail
       that as well!  Suggestions  and  "philosophical"  bug  reports  may  be
       mailed  to  _b_u_g_-_r_e_a_d_l_i_n_e@_g_n_u_._o_r_g  or  posted  to  the  Usenet newsgroup
       ggnnuu..bbaasshh..bbuugg.

       Comments and bug reports concerning this manual page should be directed
       to _c_h_e_t_._r_a_m_e_y_@_c_a_s_e_._e_d_u.

BBUUGGSS
       It's too big and too slow.

GNU Readline 8.3               2024 December 30                    _R_E_A_D_L_I_N_E(3)