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(readline.info.gz) Readline Arguments

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 1.2.5 Searching for Commands in the History
 -------------------------------------------
 
 Readline provides commands for searching through the command history
 for lines containing a specified string.  There are two search modes:
 "incremental" and "non-incremental".
 
    Incremental searches begin before the user has finished typing the
 search string.  As each character of the search string is typed,
 Readline 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.  To search backward in the
 history for a particular string, type `C-r'.  Typing `C-s' searches
 forward through the history.  The characters present in the value of
 the `isearch-terminators' variable are used to terminate an incremental
 search.  If that variable has not been assigned a value, the <ESC> and
 `C-J' characters will terminate an incremental search.  `C-g' will
 abort an incremental search and restore 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 `C-r' or
 `C-s' as appropriate.  This will search backward or forward in the
 history for the next entry matching the search string typed so far.
 Any other key sequence bound to a Readline command will terminate the
 search and execute that command.  For instance, a <RET> will terminate
 the search and accept 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.
 
    Readline remembers the last incremental search string.  If two
 `C-r's are typed without any intervening characters defining a new
 search string, any remembered search string is used.
 
    Non-incremental searches read the entire search string before
 starting to search for matching history lines.  The search string may be
 typed by the user or be part of the contents of the current line.
 

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(readline.info.gz) Readline Arguments

(readline.info.gz) Readline Interaction