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| author | Jason Rumney <jasonr@gnu.org> |
|---|---|
| date | Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:03:57 +0000 |
| parents | 5d58981e6690 |
| children | eafbd7a5c9be |
| rev | line source |
|---|---|
| 84294 | 1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- |
| 2 @c %**start of header | |
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(setfilename): Go up one more level to ../../info.
Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org>
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3 @setfilename ../../info/eshell |
| 84294 | 4 @settitle Eshell: The Emacs Shell |
| 5 @synindex vr fn | |
| 6 @c %**end of header | |
| 7 | |
| 8 @copying | |
| 9 This manual is for Eshell, the Emacs shell. | |
| 10 | |
| 11 Copyright @copyright{} 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, | |
| 87903 | 12 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
| 84294 | 13 |
| 14 @quotation | |
| 15 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document | |
| 16 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or | |
| 17 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no | |
| 18 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU | |
| 19 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the | |
| 20 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation | |
| 21 License'' in the Emacs manual. | |
| 22 | |
| 23 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify | |
| 24 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free | |
| 25 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.'' | |
| 26 | |
| 27 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free | |
| 28 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document | |
| 29 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the | |
| 30 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license. | |
| 31 @end quotation | |
| 32 @end copying | |
| 33 | |
| 34 @dircategory Emacs | |
| 35 @direntry | |
| 36 * Eshell: (eshell). A command shell implemented in Emacs Lisp. | |
| 37 @end direntry | |
| 38 | |
| 39 @setchapternewpage on | |
| 40 | |
| 41 @titlepage | |
| 42 @sp 4 | |
| 43 @c The title is printed in a large font. | |
| 44 @center @titlefont{User's Guide} | |
| 45 @sp | |
| 46 @center @titlefont{to} | |
| 47 @sp | |
| 48 @center @titlefont{Eshell: The Emacs Shell} | |
| 49 @ignore | |
| 50 @sp 2 | |
| 51 @center release 2.4 | |
| 52 @c -release- | |
| 53 @end ignore | |
| 54 @sp 3 | |
| 55 @center John Wiegley | |
| 56 @c -date- | |
| 57 | |
| 58 @page | |
| 59 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll | |
| 60 @insertcopying | |
| 61 @end titlepage | |
| 62 | |
| 63 @contents | |
| 64 | |
| 65 @c ================================================================ | |
| 66 @c The real text starts here | |
| 67 @c ================================================================ | |
| 68 | |
| 69 @ifnottex | |
| 70 @node Top, What is Eshell?, (dir), (dir) | |
| 71 @top Eshell | |
| 72 | |
| 73 This manual documents Eshell, a shell-like command interpretor | |
| 74 implemented in Emacs Lisp. It invokes no external processes except for | |
| 75 those requested by the user. It is intended to be a functional | |
| 76 replacement for command shells such as @command{bash}, @command{zsh}, | |
| 77 @command{rc}, or @command{4dos}; since Emacs itself is capable of | |
| 78 handling the sort of tasks accomplished by those tools. | |
| 79 @c This manual is updated to release 2.4 of Eshell. | |
| 80 @end ifnottex | |
| 81 | |
| 82 @menu | |
| 83 * What is Eshell?:: A brief introduction to the Emacs Shell. | |
| 84 * Command basics:: The basics of command usage. | |
| 85 * Commands:: | |
| 86 * Arguments:: | |
| 87 * Input/Output:: | |
| 88 * Process control:: | |
| 89 * Extension modules:: | |
| 90 * Extras and Goodies:: | |
| 91 * Bugs and ideas:: Known problems, and future ideas. | |
| 92 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation. | |
| 93 * Concept Index:: | |
| 94 * Function and Variable Index:: | |
| 95 * Key Index:: | |
| 96 @end menu | |
| 97 | |
| 98 @node What is Eshell? | |
| 99 @chapter What is Eshell? | |
| 100 @cindex what is Eshell? | |
| 101 @cindex Eshell, what it is | |
| 102 | |
| 103 Eshell is a @dfn{command shell} written in Emacs Lisp. Everything it | |
| 104 does, it uses Emacs' facilities to do. This means that Eshell is as | |
| 105 portable as Emacs itself. It also means that cooperation with Lisp code | |
| 106 is natural and seamless. | |
| 107 | |
| 108 What is a command shell? To properly understand the role of a shell, | |
| 109 it's necessary to visualize what a computer does for you. Basically, a | |
| 110 computer is a tool; in order to use that tool, you must tell it what to | |
| 111 do---or give it ``commands.'' These commands take many forms, such as | |
| 112 clicking with a mouse on certain parts of the screen. But that is only | |
| 113 one form of command input. | |
| 114 | |
| 115 By far the most versatile way to express what you want the computer to | |
| 116 do is by using an abbreviated language called @dfn{script}. In | |
| 117 script, instead of telling the computer, ``list my files, please'', | |
| 118 one writes a standard abbreviated command word---@samp{ls}. Typing | |
| 119 @samp{ls} in a command shell is a script way of telling the computer | |
| 120 to list your files.@footnote{This is comparable to viewing the | |
| 121 contents of a folder using a graphical display.} | |
| 122 | |
| 123 The real flexibility of this approach is apparent only when you realize | |
| 124 that there are many, many different ways to list files. Perhaps you | |
| 125 want them sorted by name, sorted by date, in reverse order, or grouped | |
| 126 by type. Most graphical browsers have simple ways to express this. But | |
| 127 what about showing only a few files, or only files that meet a certain | |
| 128 criteria? In very complex and specific situations, the request becomes | |
| 129 too difficult to express using a mouse or pointing device. It is just | |
| 130 these kinds of requests that are easily solved using a command shell. | |
| 131 | |
| 132 For example, what if you want to list every Word file on your hard | |
| 133 drive, larger than 100 kilobytes in size, and which hasn't been looked | |
| 134 at in over six months? That is a good candidate list for deletion, when | |
| 135 you go to clean up your hard drive. But have you ever tried asking your | |
| 136 computer for such a list? There is no way to do it! At least, not | |
| 137 without using a command shell. | |
| 138 | |
| 139 The role of a command shell is to give you more control over what your | |
| 140 computer does for you. Not everyone needs this amount of control, and | |
| 141 it does come at a cost: Learning the necessary script commands to | |
| 142 express what you want done. A complicated query, such as the example | |
| 143 above, takes time to learn. But if you find yourself using your | |
| 144 computer frequently enough, it is more than worthwhile in the long run. | |
| 145 Any tool you use often deserves the time spent learning to master it. | |
| 146 @footnote{For the understandably curious, here is what that command | |
| 147 looks like: But don't let it fool you; once you know what's going on, | |
| 148 it's easier than it looks: @code{ls -lt **/*.doc(Lk+50aM+5)}.} | |
| 149 | |
| 150 @menu | |
| 151 * Contributors to Eshell:: People who have helped out! | |
| 152 @end menu | |
| 153 | |
| 154 @node Contributors to Eshell | |
| 155 @section Contributors to Eshell | |
| 156 @cindex contributors | |
| 157 @cindex authors | |
| 158 | |
| 159 Contributions to Eshell are welcome. I have limited time to work on | |
| 160 this project, but I will gladly add any code you contribute to me to | |
| 161 this package. | |
| 162 | |
| 163 The following persons have made contributions to Eshell. | |
| 164 | |
| 165 @itemize @bullet | |
| 166 @item | |
| 167 Eli Zaretskii made it possible for Eshell to run without requiring | |
| 168 asynchronous subprocess support. This is important for MS-DOS, which | |
| 169 does not have such support.@refill | |
| 170 | |
| 171 @item | |
| 172 Miles Bader contributed many fixes during the port to Emacs 21.@refill | |
| 173 | |
| 174 @item | |
| 175 Stefan Monnier fixed the things which bothered him, which of course made | |
| 176 things better for all.@refill | |
| 177 | |
| 178 @item | |
| 179 Gerd Moellmann also helped to contribute bug fixes during the initial | |
| 180 integration with Emacs 21.@refill | |
| 181 | |
| 182 @item | |
| 183 Alex Schroeder contributed code for interactively querying the user | |
| 184 before overwriting files.@refill | |
| 185 | |
| 186 @item | |
| 187 Sudish Joseph helped with some XEmacs compatibility issues.@refill | |
| 188 @end itemize | |
| 189 | |
| 190 Apart from these, a lot of people have sent suggestions, ideas, | |
| 191 requests, bug reports and encouragement. Thanks a lot! Without you | |
| 192 there would be no new releases of Eshell. | |
| 193 | |
| 194 @node Command basics | |
| 195 @chapter Basic overview | |
| 196 | |
| 197 A command shell is a means of entering verbally-formed commands. This | |
| 198 is really all that it does, and every feature described in this manual | |
| 199 is a means to that end. Therefore, it's important to take firm hold on | |
| 200 exactly what a command is, and how it fits in the overall picture of | |
| 201 things. | |
| 202 | |
| 203 @menu | |
| 204 * Commands verbs:: Commands always begin with a verb. | |
| 205 * Command arguments:: Some verbs require arguments. | |
| 206 @end menu | |
| 207 | |
| 208 @node Commands verbs | |
| 209 @section Commands verbs | |
| 210 | |
| 211 Commands are expressed using @dfn{script}, a special shorthand language | |
| 212 computers can understand with no trouble. Script is an extremely simple | |
| 213 language; oddly enough, this is what makes it look so complicated! | |
| 214 Whereas normal languages use a variety of embellishments, the form of a | |
| 215 script command is always: | |
| 216 | |
| 217 @example | |
| 218 @var{verb} [@var{arguments}] | |
| 219 @end example | |
| 220 | |
| 221 The verb expresses what you want your computer to do. There are a fixed | |
| 222 number of verbs, although this number is usually quite large. On the | |
| 223 author's computer, it reaches almost 1400 in number. But of course, | |
| 224 only a handful of these are really necessary. | |
| 225 | |
| 226 Sometimes, the verb is all that's written. A verb is always a single | |
| 227 word, usually related to the task it performs. @command{reboot} is a | |
| 228 good example. Entering that on GNU/Linux will reboot the | |
| 229 computer---assuming you have sufficient privileges. | |
| 230 | |
| 231 Other verbs require more information. These are usually very capable | |
| 232 verbs, and must be told specifically what to do. The extra information | |
| 233 is given in the form of @dfn{arguments}. For example, the | |
| 234 @command{echo} verb prints back whatever arguments you type. It | |
| 235 requires these arguments to know what to echo. A proper use of | |
| 236 @command{echo} looks like this: | |
| 237 | |
| 238 @example | |
| 239 echo This is an example of using echo! | |
| 240 @end example | |
| 241 | |
| 242 This script command causes the computer to echo back: ``This is an | |
| 243 example of using echo!'' | |
| 244 | |
| 245 Although command verbs are always simple words, like @command{reboot} or | |
| 246 @command{echo}, arguments may have a wide variety of forms. There are | |
| 247 textual arguments, numerical arguments---even Lisp arguments. | |
| 248 Distinguishing these different types of arguments requires special | |
| 249 typing, for the computer to know exactly what you mean. | |
| 250 | |
| 251 @node Command arguments | |
| 252 @section Command arguments | |
| 253 | |
| 254 Eshell recognizes several different kinds of command arguments: | |
| 255 | |
| 256 @enumerate | |
| 257 @item Strings (also called textual arguments) | |
| 258 @item Numbers (floating point or integer) | |
| 259 @item Lisp lists | |
| 260 @item Lisp symbols | |
| 261 @item Emacs buffers | |
| 262 @item Emacs process handles | |
| 263 @end enumerate | |
| 264 | |
| 265 Most users need to worry only about the first two. The third, Lisp lists, | |
| 266 occur very frequently, but almost always behind the scenes. | |
| 267 | |
| 268 Strings are the most common type of argument, and consist of nearly any | |
| 269 character. Special characters---those used by Eshell | |
| 270 specifically---must be preceded by a backslash (@samp{\}). When in doubt, it | |
| 271 is safe to add backslashes anywhere and everywhere. | |
| 272 | |
| 273 Here is a more complicated @command{echo} example: | |
| 274 | |
| 275 @example | |
| 276 echo A\ Multi-word\ Argument\ With\ A\ \$\ dollar | |
| 277 @end example | |
| 278 | |
| 279 Beyond this, things get a bit more complicated. While not beyond the | |
| 280 reach of someone wishing to learn, it is definitely beyond the scope of | |
| 281 this manual to present it all in a simplistic manner. Get comfortable | |
| 282 with Eshell as a basic command invocation tool, and learn more about the | |
| 283 commands on your system; then come back when it all sits more familiarly | |
| 284 on your mind. Have fun! | |
| 285 | |
| 286 @node Commands | |
| 287 @chapter Commands | |
| 288 | |
| 289 @menu | |
| 290 * Invocation:: | |
| 291 * Completion:: | |
| 292 * Aliases:: | |
| 293 * History:: | |
| 294 * Scripts:: | |
| 295 * Built-ins:: | |
| 296 @end menu | |
| 297 | |
| 298 Essentially, a command shell is all about invoking commands---and | |
| 299 everything that entails. So understanding how Eshell invokes commands | |
| 300 is the key to comprehending how it all works. | |
| 301 | |
| 302 @node Invocation | |
| 303 @section Invocation | |
| 304 | |
| 305 Unlike regular system shells, Eshell never invokes kernel functions | |
| 306 directly, such as @code{exec(3)}. Instead, it uses the Lisp functions | |
| 307 available in the Emacs Lisp library. It does this by transforming the | |
| 308 command you specify into a callable Lisp form.@footnote{To see the Lisp | |
| 309 form that will be invoked, type: @samp{eshell-parse-command "echo | |
| 310 hello"}} | |
| 311 | |
| 312 This transformation, from the string of text typed at the command | |
| 313 prompt, to the ultimate invocation of either a Lisp function or external | |
| 314 command, follows these steps: | |
| 315 | |
| 316 @enumerate | |
| 317 @item Parse the command string into separate arguments. | |
| 318 @item | |
| 319 @end enumerate | |
| 320 | |
| 321 @node Completion | |
| 322 @section Completion | |
| 323 | |
| 324 @node Aliases | |
| 325 @section Aliases | |
| 326 | |
| 327 @node History | |
| 328 @section History | |
| 329 | |
| 330 Eshell knows a few built-in variables: | |
| 331 | |
| 332 @table @code | |
| 333 | |
| 334 @item $+ | |
| 335 @vindex $+ | |
| 336 This variable always contains the current working directory. | |
| 337 | |
| 338 @item $- | |
| 339 @vindex $- | |
| 340 This variable always contains the previous working directory (the | |
| 341 current working directory from before the last @code{cd} command). | |
| 342 | |
| 343 @end table | |
| 344 | |
| 345 @node Scripts | |
| 346 @section Scripts | |
| 347 | |
| 348 | |
| 349 @node Built-ins | |
| 350 @section Built-in commands | |
| 351 | |
| 352 Here is a list of built-in commands that Eshell knows about: | |
| 353 | |
| 354 @table @code | |
| 355 | |
| 356 @item cd | |
| 357 @findex cd | |
| 358 This command changes the current working directory. Usually, it is | |
| 359 invoked as @samp{cd foo} where @file{foo} is the new working | |
| 360 directory. But @code{cd} knows about a few special arguments: | |
| 361 | |
| 362 When it receives no argument at all, it changes to the home directory. | |
| 363 | |
| 364 Giving the command @samp{cd -} changes back to the previous working | |
| 365 directory (this is the same as @samp{cd $-}). | |
| 366 | |
| 367 The command @samp{cd =} shows the directory stack. Each line is | |
| 368 numbered. | |
| 369 | |
| 370 With @samp{cd =foo}, Eshell searches the directory stack for a | |
| 371 directory matching the regular expression @samp{foo} and changes to | |
| 372 that directory. | |
| 373 | |
| 374 With @samp{cd -42}, you can access the directory stack by number. | |
| 375 | |
| 376 @end table | |
| 377 | |
| 378 | |
| 379 @node Arguments | |
| 380 @chapter Arguments | |
| 381 | |
| 382 @menu | |
| 383 * The Parser:: | |
| 384 * Variables:: | |
| 385 * Substitution:: | |
| 386 * Globbing:: | |
| 387 * Predicates:: | |
| 388 @end menu | |
| 389 | |
| 390 @node The Parser | |
| 391 @section The Parser | |
| 392 | |
| 393 @node Variables | |
| 394 @section Variables | |
| 395 | |
| 396 @node Substitution | |
| 397 @section Substitution | |
| 398 | |
| 399 @node Globbing | |
| 400 @section Globbing | |
| 401 | |
| 402 @node Predicates | |
| 403 @section Predicates | |
| 404 | |
| 405 | |
| 406 @node Input/Output | |
| 407 @chapter Input/Output | |
| 408 | |
| 409 @node Process control | |
| 410 @chapter Process control | |
| 411 | |
| 412 | |
| 413 @node Extension modules | |
| 414 @chapter Extension modules | |
| 415 | |
| 416 @menu | |
| 417 * Writing a module:: | |
| 418 * Module testing:: | |
| 419 * Directory handling:: | |
| 420 * Key rebinding:: | |
| 421 * Smart scrolling:: | |
| 422 * Terminal emulation:: | |
| 423 * Built-in UNIX commands:: | |
| 424 @end menu | |
| 425 | |
| 426 @node Writing a module | |
| 427 @section Writing a module | |
| 428 | |
| 429 @node Module testing | |
| 430 @section Module testing | |
| 431 | |
| 432 @node Directory handling | |
| 433 @section Directory handling | |
| 434 | |
| 435 @node Key rebinding | |
| 436 @section Key rebinding | |
| 437 | |
| 438 @node Smart scrolling | |
| 439 @section Smart scrolling | |
| 440 | |
| 441 @node Terminal emulation | |
| 442 @section Terminal emulation | |
| 443 | |
| 444 @node Built-in UNIX commands | |
| 445 @section Built-in UNIX commands | |
| 446 | |
| 447 | |
| 448 @node Extras and Goodies | |
| 449 @chapter Extras and Goodies | |
| 450 | |
| 451 @node Bugs and ideas | |
| 452 @chapter Bugs and ideas | |
| 453 @cindex reporting bugs and ideas | |
| 454 @cindex bugs, how to report them | |
| 455 @cindex author, how to reach | |
| 456 @cindex email to the author | |
| 457 @cindex FAQ | |
| 458 @cindex problems, list of common | |
| 459 | |
| 460 If you find a bug or misfeature, don't hesitate to let me know! Send | |
| 461 email to @email{johnw@@gnu.org}. Feature requests should also be sent | |
| 462 there. I prefer discussing one thing at a time. If you find several | |
| 463 unrelated bugs, please report them separately. | |
| 464 | |
| 465 If you have ideas for improvements, or if you have written some | |
| 466 extensions to this package, I would like to hear from you. I hope you | |
| 467 find this package useful! | |
| 468 | |
| 469 @menu | |
| 470 * Known problems:: | |
| 471 @end menu | |
| 472 | |
| 473 @node Known problems | |
| 474 @section Known problems | |
| 475 @cindex known bugs | |
| 476 @cindex bugs, known | |
| 477 | |
| 478 Below is complete list of known problems with Eshell version 2.4.2, | |
| 479 which is the version included with Emacs 22. | |
| 480 | |
| 481 @table @asis | |
| 482 @item Documentation incomplete | |
| 483 | |
| 484 @item Differentiate between aliases and functions | |
| 485 | |
| 486 Allow for a bash-compatible syntax, such as: | |
| 487 | |
| 488 @example | |
| 489 alias arg=blah | |
| 490 function arg () @{ blah $* @} | |
| 491 @end example | |
| 492 | |
| 493 @item @samp{for i in 1 2 3 @{ grep -q a b && *echo has it @} | wc -l} outputs result after prompt | |
| 494 | |
| 495 In fact, piping to a process from a looping construct doesn't work in | |
| 496 general. If I change the call to @code{eshell-copy-handles} in | |
| 497 @code{eshell-rewrite-for-command} to use @code{eshell-protect}, it seems | |
| 498 to work, but the output occurs after the prompt is displayed. The whole | |
| 499 structured command thing is too complicated at present. | |
| 500 | |
| 501 @item Error with @command{bc} in @code{eshell-test} | |
| 502 | |
| 503 On some XEmacs system, the subprocess interaction test fails | |
| 504 inexplicably, although @command{bc} works fine at the command prompt. | |
| 505 | |
| 506 @item Eshell does not delete @file{*Help*} buffers in XEmacs 21.1.8+ | |
| 507 | |
| 508 In XEmacs 21.1.8, the @file{*Help*} buffer has been renamed such that | |
| 509 multiple instances of the @file{*Help*} buffer can exist. | |
| 510 | |
| 511 @item Pcomplete sometimes gets stuck | |
| 512 | |
| 513 You press @key{TAB}, but no completions appear, even though the | |
| 514 directory has matching files. This behavior is rare. | |
| 515 | |
| 516 @item @samp{grep python $<rpm -qa>} doesn't work, but using @samp{*grep} does | |
| 517 | |
| 518 This happens because the @code{grep} Lisp function returns immediately, | |
| 519 and then the asynchronous @command{grep} process expects to examine the | |
| 520 temporary file, which has since been deleted. | |
| 521 | |
| 522 @item Problem with C-r repeating text | |
| 523 | |
| 524 If the text @emph{before point} reads "./run", and you type @kbd{C-r r u | |
| 525 n}, it will repeat the line for every character typed. | |
| 526 | |
| 527 @item Backspace doesn't scroll back after continuing (in smart mode) | |
| 528 | |
| 529 Hitting space during a process invocation, such as @command{make}, will | |
| 530 cause it to track the bottom of the output; but backspace no longer | |
| 531 scrolls back. | |
| 532 | |
| 533 @item It's not possible to fully @code{unload-feature} Eshell | |
| 534 | |
| 535 @item Menu support was removed, but never put back | |
| 536 | |
| 537 @item Using C-p and C-n with rebind gets into a locked state | |
| 538 | |
| 539 This happened a few times in Emacs 21, but has been unreproducible | |
| 540 since. | |
| 541 | |
| 542 @item If an interactive process is currently running, @kbd{M-!} doesn't work | |
| 543 | |
| 544 @item Use a timer instead of @code{sleep-for} when killing child processes | |
| 545 | |
| 546 @item Piping to a Lisp function is not supported | |
| 547 | |
| 548 Make it so that the Lisp command on the right of the pipe is repeatedly | |
| 549 called with the input strings as arguments. This will require changing | |
| 550 @code{eshell-do-pipeline} to handle non-process targets. | |
| 551 | |
| 552 @item Input redirection is not supported | |
| 553 | |
| 554 See the above entry. | |
| 555 | |
| 556 @item Problem running @command{less} without arguments on Windows | |
| 557 | |
| 558 The result in the Eshell buffer is: | |
| 559 | |
| 560 @example | |
| 561 Spawning child process: invalid argument | |
| 562 @end example | |
| 563 | |
| 564 Also a new @command{less} buffer was created with nothing in it@dots{} | |
| 565 (presumably this holds the output of @command{less}). | |
| 566 | |
| 567 If @command{less.exe} is invoked from the Eshell command line, the | |
| 568 expected output is written to the buffer. | |
| 569 | |
| 570 Note that this happens on NT-Emacs 20.6.1 on Windows 2000. The term.el | |
| 571 package and the supplied shell both use the @command{cmdproxy} program | |
| 572 for running shells. | |
| 573 | |
| 574 @item Implement @samp{-r}, @samp{-n} and @samp{-s} switches for @command{cp} | |
| 575 | |
| 576 @item Make @kbd{M-5 M-x eshell} switch to ``*eshell<5>*'', creating if need be | |
| 577 | |
| 578 @item @samp{mv @var{dir} @var{file}.tar} does not remove directories | |
| 579 | |
| 580 This is because the tar option --remove-files doesn't do so. Should it | |
| 581 be Eshell's job? | |
| 582 | |
| 583 @item Bind @code{standard-output} and @code{standard-error} | |
| 584 | |
| 585 This would be so that if a Lisp function calls @code{print}, everything | |
| 586 will happen as it should (albeit slowly). | |
| 587 | |
| 588 @item When an extension module fails to load, @samp{cd /} gives a Lisp error | |
| 589 | |
| 590 @item If a globbing pattern returns one match, should it be a list? | |
| 591 | |
| 592 @item Make sure syntax table is correct in Eshell mode | |
| 593 | |
| 594 So that @kbd{M-DEL} acts in a predictable manner, etc. | |
| 595 | |
| 596 @item Allow all Eshell buffers to share the same history and list-dir | |
| 597 | |
| 598 @item There is a problem with script commands that output to @file{/dev/null} | |
| 599 | |
| 600 If a script file, somewhere in the middle, uses @samp{> /dev/null}, | |
| 601 output from all subsequent commands is swallowed. | |
| 602 | |
| 603 @item Split up parsing of text after @samp{$} in @file{esh-var.el} | |
| 604 | |
| 605 Make it similar to the way that @file{esh-arg.el} is structured. | |
| 606 Then add parsing of @samp{$[?\n]}. | |
| 607 | |
| 608 @item After pressing @kbd{M-RET}, redisplay before running the next command | |
| 609 | |
| 610 @item Argument predicates and modifiers should work anywhere in a path | |
| 611 | |
| 612 @example | |
| 613 /usr/local/src/editors/vim $ vi **/CVS(/)/Root(.) | |
| 614 Invalid regexp: "Unmatched ( or \\(" | |
| 615 @end example | |
| 616 | |
| 617 With @command{zsh}, the glob above expands to all files named | |
| 618 @file{Root} in directories named @file{CVS}. | |
| 619 | |
| 620 @item Typing @samp{echo $@{locate locate@}/bin<TAB>} results in a Lisp error | |
| 621 | |
| 622 Perhaps it should interpolate all permutations, and make that the | |
| 623 globbing result, since otherwise hitting return here will result in | |
| 624 ``(list of filenames)/bin'', which is never valuable. Thus, one could | |
| 625 @command{cat} only C backup files by using @samp{ls $@{identity *.c@}~}. | |
| 626 In that case, having an alias command name @command{glob} for | |
| 627 @command{identity} would be useful. | |
| 628 | |
| 629 @item Once symbolic mode is supported for @command{umask}, implement @command{chmod} in Lisp | |
| 630 | |
| 631 @item Create @code{eshell-expand-file-name} | |
| 632 | |
| 633 This would use a data table to transform things such as @samp{~+}, | |
| 634 @samp{...}, etc. | |
| 635 | |
| 636 @item Abstract @file{em-smart.el} into @file{smart-scroll.el} | |
| 637 | |
| 638 It only really needs: to be hooked onto the output filter and the | |
| 639 pre-command hook, and to have the input-end and input-start markers. | |
| 640 And to know whether the last output group was ``successful.'' | |
| 641 | |
| 642 @item Allow for fully persisting the state of Eshell | |
| 643 | |
| 644 This would include: variables, history, buffer, input, dir stack, etc. | |
| 645 | |
| 646 @item Implement D as an argument predicate | |
| 647 | |
| 648 It means that files beginning with a dot should be included in the | |
| 649 glob match. | |
| 650 | |
| 651 @item A comma in a predicate list should mean OR | |
| 652 | |
| 653 At the moment, this is not supported. | |
| 654 | |
| 655 @item Error if a glob doesn't expand due to a predicate | |
| 656 | |
| 657 An error should be generated only if @code{eshell-error-if-no-glob} is | |
| 658 non-@code{nil}. | |
| 659 | |
| 660 @item @samp{(+ RET SPC TAB} does not cause @code{indent-according-to-mode} to occur | |
| 661 | |
| 662 @item Create @code{eshell-auto-accumulate-list} | |
| 663 | |
| 664 This is a list of commands for which, if the user presses @kbd{RET}, the | |
| 665 text is staged as the next Eshell command, rather than being sent to the | |
| 666 current interactive process. | |
| 667 | |
| 668 @item Display file and line number if an error occurs in a script | |
| 669 | |
| 670 @item @command{wait} doesn't work with process ids at the moment | |
| 671 | |
| 672 @item Enable the direct-to-process input code in @file{em-term.el} | |
| 673 | |
| 674 @item Problem with repeating @samp{echo $@{find /tmp@}} | |
| 675 | |
| 676 With smart display active, if @kbd{RET} is held down, after a while it | |
| 677 can't keep up anymore and starts outputting blank lines. It only | |
| 678 happens if an asynchronous process is involved@dots{} | |
| 679 | |
| 680 I think the problem is that @code{eshell-send-input} is resetting the | |
| 681 input target location, so that if the asynchronous process is not done | |
| 682 by the time the next @kbd{RET} is received, the input processor thinks | |
| 683 that the input is meant for the process; which, when smart display is | |
| 684 enabled, will be the text of the last command line! That is a bug in | |
| 685 itself. | |
| 686 | |
| 687 In holding down @kbd{RET} while an asynchronous process is running, | |
| 688 there will be a point in between termination of the process, and the | |
| 689 running of @code{eshell-post-command-hook}, which would cause | |
| 690 @code{eshell-send-input} to call @code{eshell-copy-old-input}, and then | |
| 691 process that text as a command to be run after the process. Perhaps | |
| 692 there should be a way of killing pending input between the death of the | |
| 693 process, and the @code{post-command-hook}. | |
| 694 | |
| 695 @item Allow for a more aggressive smart display mode | |
| 696 | |
| 697 Perhaps toggled by a command, that makes each output block a smart | |
| 698 display block. | |
| 699 | |
| 700 @item Create more meta variables | |
| 701 | |
| 702 @table @samp | |
| 703 @item $! | |
| 704 The reason for the failure of the last disk command, or the text of the | |
| 705 last Lisp error. | |
| 706 | |
| 707 @item $= | |
| 708 A special associate array, which can take references of the form | |
| 709 @samp{$=[REGEXP]}. It indexes into the directory ring. | |
| 710 @end table | |
| 711 | |
| 712 @item Eshell scripts can't execute in the background | |
| 713 | |
| 714 @item Support zsh's ``Parameter Expansion'' syntax, i.e. @samp{$@{@var{name}:-@var{val}@}} | |
| 715 | |
| 716 @item Write an @command{info} alias that can take arguments | |
| 717 | |
| 718 So that the user can enter @samp{info chmod}, for example. | |
| 719 | |
| 720 @item Create a mode @code{eshell-browse} | |
| 721 | |
| 722 It would treat the Eshell buffer as a outline. Collapsing the outline | |
| 723 hides all of the output text. Collapsing again would show only the | |
| 724 first command run in each directory | |
| 725 | |
| 726 @item Allow other revisions of a file to be referenced using @samp{file@{rev@}} | |
| 727 | |
| 728 This would be expanded by @code{eshell-expand-file-name} (see above). | |
| 729 | |
| 730 @item Print ``You have new mail'' when the ``Mail'' icon is turned on | |
| 731 | |
| 732 @item Implement @kbd{M-|} for Eshell | |
| 733 | |
| 734 @item Implement input redirection | |
| 735 | |
| 736 If it's a Lisp function, input redirection implies @command{xargs} (in a | |
| 737 way@dots{}). If input redirection is added, also update the | |
| 738 @code{file-name-quote-list}, and the delimiter list. | |
| 739 | |
| 740 @item Allow @samp{#<@var{word} @var{arg}>} as a generic syntax | |
| 741 | |
| 742 With the handling of @emph{word} specified by an | |
| 743 @code{eshell-special-alist}. | |
| 744 | |
| 745 @item In @code{eshell-veal-using-options}, allow a @code{:complete} tag | |
| 746 | |
| 747 It would be used to provide completion rules for that command. Then the | |
| 748 macro will automagically define the completion function. | |
| 749 | |
| 750 @item For @code{eshell-command-on-region}, apply redirections to the result | |
| 751 | |
| 752 So that @samp{+ > 'blah} would cause the result of the @code{+} (using | |
| 753 input from the current region) to be inserting into the symbol | |
| 754 @code{blah}. | |
| 755 | |
| 756 If an external command is being invoked, the input is sent as standard | |
| 757 input, as if a @samp{cat <region> |} had been invoked. | |
| 758 | |
| 759 If a Lisp command, or an alias, is invoked, then if the line has no | |
| 760 newline characters, it is divided by whitespace and passed as arguments | |
| 761 to the Lisp function. Otherwise, it is divided at the newline | |
| 762 characters. Thus, invoking @code{+} on a series of numbers will add | |
| 763 them; @code{min} would display the smallest figure, etc. | |
| 764 | |
| 765 @item Write @code{eshell-script-mode} as a minor mode | |
| 766 | |
| 767 It would provide syntax, abbrev, highlighting and indenting support like | |
| 768 @code{emacs-lisp-mode} and @code{shell-mode}. | |
| 769 | |
| 770 @item In the history mechanism, finish the @command{bash}-style support | |
| 771 | |
| 772 This means @samp{!n}, @samp{!#}, @samp{!:%}, and @samp{!:1-} as separate | |
| 773 from @samp{!:1*}. | |
| 774 | |
| 775 @item Support the -n command line option for @command{history} | |
| 776 | |
| 777 @item Implement @command{fc} in Lisp | |
| 778 | |
| 779 @item Specifying a frame as a redirection target should imply the currently active window's buffer | |
| 780 | |
| 781 @item Implement @samp{>@var{func-or-func-list}} | |
| 782 | |
| 783 This would allow for an ``output translators'', that take a function to | |
| 784 modify output with, and a target. Devise a syntax that works well with | |
| 785 pipes, and can accommodate multiple functions (i.e., @samp{>'(upcase | |
| 786 regexp-quote)} or @samp{>'upcase}). | |
| 787 | |
| 788 @item Allow Eshell to read/write to/from standard input and output | |
| 789 | |
| 790 This would be optional, rather than always using the Eshell buffer. | |
| 791 This would allow it to be run from the command line (perhaps). | |
| 792 | |
| 793 @item Write a @command{help} command | |
| 794 | |
| 795 It would call subcommands with @option{--help}, or @option{-h} or | |
| 796 @option{/?}, as appropriate. | |
| 797 | |
| 798 @item Implement @command{stty} in Lisp | |
| 799 | |
| 800 @item Support @command{rc}'s matching operator, e.g. @samp{~ (@var{list}) @var{regexp}} | |
| 801 | |
| 802 @item Implement @command{bg} and @command{fg} as editors of @code{eshell-process-list} | |
| 803 | |
| 804 Using @command{bg} on a process that is already in the background does | |
| 805 nothing. Specifying redirection targets replaces (or adds) to the list | |
| 806 current being used. | |
| 807 | |
| 808 @item Have @command{jobs} print only the processes for the current shell | |
| 809 | |
| 810 @item How can Eshell learn if a background process has requested input? | |
| 811 | |
| 812 @item Support @samp{2>&1} and @samp{>&} and @samp{2>} and @samp{|&} | |
| 813 | |
| 814 The syntax table for parsing these should be customizable, such that the | |
| 815 user could change it to use rc syntax: @samp{>[2=1]}. | |
| 816 | |
| 817 @item Allow @samp{$_[-1]}, which would indicate the last element of the array | |
| 818 | |
| 819 @item Make @samp{$x[*]} equal to listing out the full contents of @samp{x} | |
| 820 | |
| 821 Return them as a list, so that @samp{$_[*]} is all the arguments of the | |
| 822 last command. | |
| 823 | |
| 824 @item Copy ANSI code handling from @file{term.el} into @file{em-term.el} | |
| 825 | |
| 826 Make it possible for the user to send char-by-char to the underlying | |
| 827 process. Ultimately, I should be able to move away from using term.el | |
| 828 altogether, since everything but the ANSI code handling is already part | |
| 829 of Eshell. Then, things would work correctly on MS-Windows as well | |
| 830 (which doesn't have @file{/bin/sh}, although @file{term.el} tries to use | |
| 831 it). | |
| 832 | |
| 833 @item Make the shell spawning commands be visual | |
| 834 | |
| 835 That is, make (@command{su}, @command{bash}, @command{telnet}, | |
| 836 @command{rlogin}, @command{rsh}, etc.) be part of | |
| 837 @code{eshell-visual-commands}. The only exception is if the shell is | |
| 838 being used to invoke a single command. Then, the behavior should be | |
| 839 based on what that command is. | |
| 840 | |
| 841 @item Create a smart viewing command named @command{open} | |
| 842 | |
| 843 This would search for some way to open its argument (similar to opening | |
| 844 a file in the Windows Explorer). | |
| 845 | |
| 846 @item Alias @command{read} to be the same as @command{open}, only read-only | |
| 847 | |
| 848 @item Write a @command{tail} command which uses @code{view-file} | |
| 849 | |
| 850 It would move point to the end of the buffer, and then turns on | |
| 851 auto-revert mode in that buffer at frequent intervals---and a | |
| 852 @command{head} alias which assumes an upper limit of | |
| 853 @code{eshell-maximum-line-length} characters per line. | |
| 854 | |
| 855 @item Make @command{dgrep} load @code{dired}, mark everything, then invoke @code{dired-do-search} | |
| 856 | |
| 857 @item Write mesh.c | |
| 858 | |
| 859 This would run Emacs with the appropriate arguments to invoke Eshell | |
| 860 only. That way, it could be listed as a login shell. | |
| 861 | |
| 862 @item Use an intangible @code{PS2} string for multi-line input prompts | |
| 863 | |
| 864 @item Auto-detect when a command is visual, by checking @code{TERMCAP} usage | |
| 865 | |
| 866 @item The first keypress after @kbd{M-x watson} triggers `eshell-send-input' | |
| 867 | |
| 868 @item Make @kbd{/} electric | |
| 869 | |
| 870 So that it automatically expands and corrects pathnames. Or make | |
| 871 pathname completion for Pcomplete auto-expand @samp{/u/i/std<TAB>} to | |
| 872 @samp{/usr/include/std<TAB>}. | |
| 873 | |
| 874 @item Write the @command{pushd} stack to disk along with @code{last-dir-ring} | |
| 875 | |
| 876 @item Add options to @code{eshell/cat} which would allow it to sort and uniq | |
| 877 | |
| 878 @item Implement @command{wc} in Lisp | |
| 879 | |
| 880 Add support for counting sentences, paragraphs, pages, etc. | |
| 881 | |
| 882 @item Once piping is added, implement @command{sort} and @command{uniq} in Lisp | |
| 883 | |
| 884 @item Implement @command{touch} in Lisp | |
| 885 | |
| 886 @item Implement @command{comm} in Lisp | |
| 887 | |
| 888 @item Implement an @command{epatch} command in Lisp | |
| 889 | |
| 890 This would call @code{ediff-patch-file}, or @code{ediff-patch-buffer}, | |
| 891 depending on its argument. | |
| 892 | |
| 893 @item Have an option such that @samp{ls -l} generates a dired buffer | |
| 894 | |
| 895 @item Write a version of @command{xargs} based on command rewriting | |
| 896 | |
| 897 That is, @samp{find X | xargs Y} would be indicated using @samp{Y | |
| 898 $@{find X@}}. Maybe @code{eshell-do-pipelines} could be changed to | |
| 899 perform this on-thy-fly rewriting. | |
| 900 | |
| 901 @item Write an alias for @command{less} that brings up a @code{view-mode} buffer | |
| 902 | |
| 903 Such that the user can press @key{SPC} and @key{DEL}, and then @key{q} | |
| 904 to return to Eshell. It would be equivalent to: | |
| 905 @samp{X > #<buffer Y>; view-buffer #<buffer Y>}. | |
| 906 | |
| 907 @item Make @code{eshell-mode} as much a full citizen as @code{shell-mode} | |
| 908 | |
| 909 Everywhere in Emacs where @code{shell-mode} is specially noticed, add | |
| 910 @code{eshell-mode} there. | |
| 911 | |
| 912 @item Permit the umask to be selectively set on a @command{cp} target | |
| 913 | |
| 914 @item Problem using @kbd{M-x eshell} after using @code{eshell-command} | |
| 915 | |
| 916 If the first thing that I do after entering Emacs is to run | |
| 917 @code{eshell-command} and invoke @command{ls}, and then use @kbd{M-x | |
| 918 eshell}, it doesn't display anything. | |
| 919 | |
| 920 @item @kbd{M-RET} during a long command (using smart display) doesn't work | |
| 921 | |
| 922 Since it keeps the cursor up where the command was invoked. | |
| 923 | |
| 924 @end table | |
| 925 | |
| 926 @node GNU Free Documentation License | |
| 927 @appendix GNU Free Documentation License | |
| 928 @include doclicense.texi | |
| 929 | |
| 930 @node Concept Index | |
| 931 @unnumbered Concept Index | |
| 932 | |
| 933 @printindex cp | |
| 934 | |
| 935 @node Function and Variable Index | |
| 936 @unnumbered Function and Variable Index | |
| 937 | |
| 938 @printindex fn | |
| 939 | |
| 940 @node Key Index | |
| 941 @unnumbered Key Index | |
| 942 | |
| 943 @printindex ky | |
| 944 @bye | |
| 945 | |
| 946 @ignore | |
| 947 arch-tag: 776409ba-cb15-42b9-b2b6-d2bdc7ebad01 | |
| 948 @end ignore |
