https://github.com/hanslub42/rlwrap

A readline wrapper
https://github.com/hanslub42/rlwrap

Last synced: 30 days ago
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A readline wrapper

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/hanslub42/rlwrap
• Owner: hanslub42
• License: gpl-2.0
• Created: 2014-02-23T17:40:55.000Z (over 10 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2024-06-30T11:23:36.000Z (5 months ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-10-01T16:21:47.910Z (about 1 month ago)
• Language: C
• Homepage:
• Size: 1.1 MB
• Stars: 2,545
• Watchers: 43
• Forks: 150
• Open Issues: 28
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • Changelog: ChangeLog
  • License: COPYING
  • Authors: AUTHORS

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README

        
rlwrap v 0.46 October 2022

## WHAT IT IS:

`rlwrap` is a 'readline wrapper', a small utility that uses the [GNU

Readline](https://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/readline/rltop.html)

library to allow the editing of keyboard input for any command.

I couldn't find anything like it when I needed it, so I wrote this one

back in 1999.  By now, there are (and, in hindsight, even then there

were) a number of good readline wrappers around, like `rlfe`,

distributed as part of the GNU readline library, and the amazing

`socat`.

You should consider using `rlwrap` especially when you need

user-defined completion (by way of completion word lists) and

persistent history, or if you want to program 'special effects' using

the filter mechanism.

As it is often used with older or even obsolete software, `rlwrap`

strives to compile and run on a fairly wide range of not necessarily

recent Unix-like systems (FreeBSD, OSX, HP-UX, AIX, Solaris, QNX,

cygwin, linux and probably quite a few more) This would not have been

without [Polarhome](http://polarhome.com)'s now retired 'dinosaur zoo'

of ageing Unix systems

## HOW TO USE IT:

If 

    $  

displays the infamous `^[[D` when you press a left arrow key, or if

you just want decent input history and completion, try:

    $ rlwrap [-options]  

You should not notice any difference compared to directly calling `

`, except that you now can edit ``'s input and recall

its entire input history using the arrow keys.

Input history is remembered accross invocations, separately for

different ``s. `CTRL-R` will search the input

history, like in `bash`.  With the `-r` and `-f` options you can specify the list of

words which `rlwrap` will use as possible completions, taking them

from a file (`-f` option) or from ``'s past in/output (-r

option).

`rlwrap` continually monitors ``'s terminal settings, so that

it can do the right thing when it asks for single keypresses or

for a password.

Commands that already use Readline, or a similar library, will always

ask for (and get) single keypresses, so that `rlwrap`ping them doesn't

have any noticeable effect. To overcome this, one can use rlwrap with the

`--always-readline` (`-a`)  option; `rlwrap` will then use its own line

editing and history. Unforunately, in that case, `rlwrap` cannot

detect whether `` asks for a password. This can be remedied

by giving the password prompt (excluding trailing space and possibly

the first few letters) as an argument to the -a option.

 

## EXAMPLES:

Run netcat with command-line editing:

    rlwrap nc localhost 80

Run lprolog and use its saved input history and lib.pl to build a

completion word list:

  

    rlwrap -f lib.pl -f . lprolog

Run smbclient (which already uses readline), add all input and output

to the completion list, complete local filenames, avoid showing (and

storing) passwords:

    rlwrap -cra -assword: smbclient '\\PEANUT\C' 

## INSTALLATION:

Usually just

    ./configure;

    make

    sudo make install

See the INSTALL file for more information.

## FILTERS

Filters are `perl` or `python` plugins that enable complete (albeit

somewhat fragile) control over `rlwrap`'s input and output, echo,

prompt, history and completion. They aren't used a lot, and remain

therefore somewhat untested. `rlwrap -z listing` lists the installed

filters, `rlwrap -z ` displays a short help text for ``

## AUTHORS

The GNU Readline library (written by Brian Fox and Chet Ramey) does

all the hard work behind the scenes, the pty-handling code (written by

Geoff C. Wing) was taken practically unchanged from rxvt, and

completion word lists are managed by Damian Ivereigh's libredblack

library. The rest was written by Hans Lub ([email protected]).

## HOMEPAGE

https://github.com/hanslub42/rlwrap