Very Computer

Is there any way to specify what readline should complete to?

I would really like to switch to bash from tcsh, but I don't know
if I can live without my completion rules.  For example, in tcsh,
I can set a variable to a list of available Debian Linux package
names, and provide tcsh with a completion rule that tells it to
choose between these package names for completion when I type
something like:

   prompt% apt-get install <Tab>

And in the same completion rule, I can tell it how to complete
apt-get commands, like the word "install" in the command above.

As far as I've been able to discover, readline can only complete
to file/dir names, executable files in my path, variables, and a
few other sets of lists over which I have no control.  And even
for these, it seems I have to specify which list I want as I'm
typing the command, rather than being able to specify context
rules for bash to remember for me which list I want.

I welcome anyone's answer who considers her/himself at least at a
medium experience level using bash--whether the answer is
positive or negative.

   thanks,

   - rick

--

Electrical & Computer Engineering   |  http://lore.ece.utexas.edu/~rkilgore/
The University of Texas at Austin   |  (512) 471-8011

%% Regarding bash (readline) completion;

  rk> Is there any way to specify what readline should complete to?

No, not without writing code to extend it.

You might look at zsh; I've never used it, as I'm happy with bash, but I
think you can make it complete just about anything, just about
anywhere.

  rk> As far as I've been able to discover, readline can only complete
  rk> to file/dir names, executable files in my path, variables, and a
  rk> few other sets of lists over which I have no control.  And even
  rk> for these, it seems I have to specify which list I want as I'm
  rk> typing the command, rather than being able to specify context
  rk> rules for bash to remember for me which list I want.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by the last sentence, but bash has
context-sensitive completion.  Any word starting with $ completes on the

hostnames; any word as the first word on the line completes on
executables; and everything else (IIRC) completes on
filenames/directories.

--
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 "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist
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   These are my opinions---Nortel Networks takes no responsibility for them.

No, not with the current version.

Quote:>I would really like to switch to bash from tcsh, but I don't know
>if I can live without my completion rules.

I am working on a simple programmable completion mechanism that
will be in the next version of bash.
--
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
( ``Discere est Dolere'' -- chet)