GNU Info

(emacs)History References

---

Prev: Shell History Copying Up: Shell History

---

Enter node , (file) or (file)node

Shell History References
........................

   Various shells including csh and bash support "history references"
that begin with `!' and `^'.  Shell mode recognizes these constructs,
and can perform the history substitution for you.

   If you insert a history reference and type <TAB>, this searches the
input history for a matching command, performs substitution if
necessary, and places the result in the buffer in place of the history
reference.  For example, you can fetch the most recent command
beginning with `mv' with `! m v <TAB>'.  You can edit the command if
you wish, and then resubmit the command to the shell by typing <RET>.

   Shell mode can optionally expand history references in the buffer
when you send them to the shell.  To request this, set the variable
`comint-input-autoexpand' to `input'.  You can make <SPC> perform
history expansion by binding <SPC> to the command `comint-magic-space'.

   Shell mode recognizes history references when they follow a prompt.
Normally, any text output by a program at the beginning of an input
line is considered a prompt.  However, if the variable
`comint-use-prompt-regexp-instead-of-fields' is non-`nil', then Comint
mode uses a regular expression to recognize prompts.  In general, the
variable `comint-prompt-regexp' specifies the regular expression; Shell
mode uses the variable `shell-prompt-pattern' to set up
`comint-prompt-regexp' in the shell buffer.