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+<HTML>
+<HEAD>
+<!-- This HTML file has been created by texi2html 1.52
+ from /usr/homes/chet/src/bash/readline-src/doc/hist.texinfo on 31 December 1998 -->
+
+<TITLE>GNU History Library</TITLE>
+</HEAD>
+<BODY>
+<H1>GNU History Library</H1>
+<H2>Edition 4.0, for <CODE>History Library</CODE> Version 4.0.</H2>
+<H2>December 1998</H2>
+<ADDRESS>Brian Fox, Free Software Foundation</ADDRESS>
+<ADDRESS>Chet Ramey, Case Western Reserve University</ADDRESS>
+<P>
+<P><HR><P>
+<H1>Table of Contents</H1>
+<UL>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC1" HREF="history.html#SEC1">Using History Interactively</A>
+<UL>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC2" HREF="history.html#SEC2">History Expansion</A>
+<UL>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC3" HREF="history.html#SEC3">Event Designators</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC4" HREF="history.html#SEC4">Word Designators</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC5" HREF="history.html#SEC5">Modifiers</A>
+</UL>
+</UL>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC6" HREF="history.html#SEC6">Programming with GNU History</A>
+<UL>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC7" HREF="history.html#SEC7">Introduction to History</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC8" HREF="history.html#SEC8">History Storage</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC9" HREF="history.html#SEC9">History Functions</A>
+<UL>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC10" HREF="history.html#SEC10">Initializing History and State Management</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC11" HREF="history.html#SEC11">History List Management</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC12" HREF="history.html#SEC12">Information About the History List</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC13" HREF="history.html#SEC13">Moving Around the History List</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC14" HREF="history.html#SEC14">Searching the History List</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC15" HREF="history.html#SEC15">Managing the History File</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC16" HREF="history.html#SEC16">History Expansion</A>
+</UL>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC17" HREF="history.html#SEC17">History Variables</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC18" HREF="history.html#SEC18">History Programming Example</A>
+</UL>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC19" HREF="history.html#SEC19">Concept Index</A>
+<LI><A NAME="TOC20" HREF="history.html#SEC20">Function and Variable Index</A>
+</UL>
+<P><HR><P>
+
+<P>
+This document describes the GNU History library, a programming tool that
+provides a consistent user interface for recalling lines of previously
+typed input.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+Published by the Free Software Foundation <BR>
+675 Massachusetts Avenue, <BR>
+Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
+
+</P>
+<P>
+Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
+this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
+are preserved on all copies.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
+manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire
+resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
+notice identical to this one.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
+into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
+except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved
+by the Free Software Foundation.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+Copyright (C) 1988-1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+
+</P>
+
+
+
+<H1><A NAME="SEC1" HREF="history.html#TOC1">Using History Interactively</A></H1>
+
+<P>
+This chapter describes how to use the GNU History Library interactively,
+from a user's standpoint. It should be considered a user's guide. For
+information on using the GNU History Library in your own programs,
+see section <A HREF="history.html#SEC6">Programming with GNU History</A>.
+
+</P>
+
+<UL>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC2">History Interaction</A>: What it feels like using History as a user.
+</UL>
+
+
+
+<H2><A NAME="SEC2" HREF="history.html#TOC2">History Expansion</A></H2>
+<P>
+<A NAME="IDX1"></A>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+The History library provides a history expansion feature that is similar
+to the history expansion provided by <CODE>csh</CODE>. This section
+describes the syntax used to manipulate the history information.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+History expansions introduce words from the history list into
+the input stream, making it easy to repeat commands, insert the
+arguments to a previous command into the current input line, or
+fix errors in previous commands quickly.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+History expansion takes place in two parts. The first is to determine
+which line from the history list should be used during substitution.
+The second is to select portions of that line for inclusion into the
+current one. The line selected from the history is called the
+<EM>event</EM>, and the portions of that line that are acted upon are
+called <EM>words</EM>. Various <EM>modifiers</EM> are available to manipulate
+the selected words. The line is broken into words in the same fashion
+that Bash does, so that several words
+surrounded by quotes are considered one word.
+History expansions are introduced by the appearance of the
+history expansion character, which is <SAMP>`!'</SAMP> by default.
+
+</P>
+
+
+<UL>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC3">Event Designators</A>: How to specify which history line to use.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC4">Word Designators</A>: Specifying which words are of interest.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC5">Modifiers</A>: Modifying the results of substitution.
+</UL>
+
+
+
+<H3><A NAME="SEC3" HREF="history.html#TOC3">Event Designators</A></H3>
+<P>
+<A NAME="IDX2"></A>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+An event designator is a reference to a command line entry in the
+history list.
+<A NAME="IDX3"></A>
+
+</P>
+<DL COMPACT>
+
+<DT><CODE>!</CODE>
+<DD>
+Start a history substitution, except when followed by a space, tab,
+the end of the line, <SAMP>`='</SAMP> or <SAMP>`('</SAMP>.
+
+<DT><CODE>!<VAR>n</VAR></CODE>
+<DD>
+Refer to command line <VAR>n</VAR>.
+
+<DT><CODE>!-<VAR>n</VAR></CODE>
+<DD>
+Refer to the command <VAR>n</VAR> lines back.
+
+<DT><CODE>!!</CODE>
+<DD>
+Refer to the previous command. This is a synonym for <SAMP>`!-1'</SAMP>.
+
+<DT><CODE>!<VAR>string</VAR></CODE>
+<DD>
+Refer to the most recent command starting with <VAR>string</VAR>.
+
+<DT><CODE>!?<VAR>string</VAR>[?]</CODE>
+<DD>
+Refer to the most recent command containing <VAR>string</VAR>. The trailing
+<SAMP>`?'</SAMP> may be omitted if the <VAR>string</VAR> is followed immediately by
+a newline.
+
+<DT><CODE>^<VAR>string1</VAR>^<VAR>string2</VAR>^</CODE>
+<DD>
+Quick Substitution. Repeat the last command, replacing <VAR>string1</VAR>
+with <VAR>string2</VAR>. Equivalent to
+<CODE>!!:s/<VAR>string1</VAR>/<VAR>string2</VAR>/</CODE>.
+
+<DT><CODE>!#</CODE>
+<DD>
+The entire command line typed so far.
+
+</DL>
+
+
+
+<H3><A NAME="SEC4" HREF="history.html#TOC4">Word Designators</A></H3>
+
+<P>
+Word designators are used to select desired words from the event.
+A <SAMP>`:'</SAMP> separates the event specification from the word designator. It
+may be omitted if the word designator begins with a <SAMP>`^'</SAMP>, <SAMP>`$'</SAMP>,
+<SAMP>`*'</SAMP>, <SAMP>`-'</SAMP>, or <SAMP>`%'</SAMP>. Words are numbered from the beginning
+of the line, with the first word being denoted by 0 (zero). Words are
+inserted into the current line separated by single spaces.
+
+</P>
+<DL COMPACT>
+
+<DT><CODE>0 (zero)</CODE>
+<DD>
+The <CODE>0</CODE>th word. For many applications, this is the command word.
+
+<DT><CODE><VAR>n</VAR></CODE>
+<DD>
+The <VAR>n</VAR>th word.
+
+<DT><CODE>^</CODE>
+<DD>
+The first argument; that is, word 1.
+
+<DT><CODE>$</CODE>
+<DD>
+The last argument.
+
+<DT><CODE>%</CODE>
+<DD>
+The word matched by the most recent <SAMP>`?<VAR>string</VAR>?'</SAMP> search.
+
+<DT><CODE><VAR>x</VAR>-<VAR>y</VAR></CODE>
+<DD>
+A range of words; <SAMP>`-<VAR>y</VAR>'</SAMP> abbreviates <SAMP>`0-<VAR>y</VAR>'</SAMP>.
+
+<DT><CODE>*</CODE>
+<DD>
+All of the words, except the <CODE>0</CODE>th. This is a synonym for <SAMP>`1-$'</SAMP>.
+It is not an error to use <SAMP>`*'</SAMP> if there is just one word in the event;
+the empty string is returned in that case.
+
+<DT><CODE><VAR>x</VAR>*</CODE>
+<DD>
+Abbreviates <SAMP>`<VAR>x</VAR>-$'</SAMP>
+
+<DT><CODE><VAR>x</VAR>-</CODE>
+<DD>
+Abbreviates <SAMP>`<VAR>x</VAR>-$'</SAMP> like <SAMP>`<VAR>x</VAR>*'</SAMP>, but omits the last word.
+
+</DL>
+
+<P>
+If a word designator is supplied without an event specification, the
+previous command is used as the event.
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H3><A NAME="SEC5" HREF="history.html#TOC5">Modifiers</A></H3>
+
+<P>
+After the optional word designator, you can add a sequence of one or more
+of the following modifiers, each preceded by a <SAMP>`:'</SAMP>.
+
+</P>
+<DL COMPACT>
+
+<DT><CODE>h</CODE>
+<DD>
+Remove a trailing pathname component, leaving only the head.
+
+<DT><CODE>t</CODE>
+<DD>
+Remove all leading pathname components, leaving the tail.
+
+<DT><CODE>r</CODE>
+<DD>
+Remove a trailing suffix of the form <SAMP>`.<VAR>suffix</VAR>'</SAMP>, leaving
+the basename.
+
+<DT><CODE>e</CODE>
+<DD>
+Remove all but the trailing suffix.
+
+<DT><CODE>p</CODE>
+<DD>
+Print the new command but do not execute it.
+
+<DT><CODE>s/<VAR>old</VAR>/<VAR>new</VAR>/</CODE>
+<DD>
+Substitute <VAR>new</VAR> for the first occurrence of <VAR>old</VAR> in the
+event line. Any delimiter may be used in place of <SAMP>`/'</SAMP>.
+The delimiter may be quoted in <VAR>old</VAR> and <VAR>new</VAR>
+with a single backslash. If <SAMP>`&#38;'</SAMP> appears in <VAR>new</VAR>,
+it is replaced by <VAR>old</VAR>. A single backslash will quote
+the <SAMP>`&#38;'</SAMP>. The final delimiter is optional if it is the last
+character on the input line.
+
+<DT><CODE>&#38;</CODE>
+<DD>
+Repeat the previous substitution.
+
+<DT><CODE>g</CODE>
+<DD>
+Cause changes to be applied over the entire event line. Used in
+conjunction with <SAMP>`s'</SAMP>, as in <CODE>gs/<VAR>old</VAR>/<VAR>new</VAR>/</CODE>,
+or with <SAMP>`&#38;'</SAMP>.
+
+</DL>
+
+
+
+<H1><A NAME="SEC6" HREF="history.html#TOC6">Programming with GNU History</A></H1>
+
+<P>
+This chapter describes how to interface programs that you write
+with the GNU History Library.
+It should be considered a technical guide.
+For information on the interactive use of GNU History, see section <A HREF="history.html#SEC1">Using History Interactively</A>.
+
+</P>
+
+<UL>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC7">Introduction to History</A>: What is the GNU History library for?
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC8">History Storage</A>: How information is stored.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC9">History Functions</A>: Functions that you can use.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC17">History Variables</A>: Variables that control behaviour.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC18">History Programming Example</A>: Example of using the GNU History Library.
+</UL>
+
+
+
+<H2><A NAME="SEC7" HREF="history.html#TOC7">Introduction to History</A></H2>
+
+<P>
+Many programs read input from the user a line at a time. The GNU History
+library is able to keep track of those lines, associate arbitrary data with
+each line, and utilize information from previous lines in composing new
+ones.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+The programmer using the History library has available functions
+for remembering lines on a history list, associating arbitrary data
+with a line, removing lines from the list, searching through the list
+for a line containing an arbitrary text string, and referencing any line
+in the list directly. In addition, a history <EM>expansion</EM> function
+is available which provides for a consistent user interface across
+different programs.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+The user using programs written with the History library has the
+benefit of a consistent user interface with a set of well-known
+commands for manipulating the text of previous lines and using that text
+in new commands. The basic history manipulation commands are similar to
+the history substitution provided by <CODE>csh</CODE>.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+If the programmer desires, he can use the Readline library, which
+includes some history manipulation by default, and has the added
+advantage of command line editing.
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H2><A NAME="SEC8" HREF="history.html#TOC8">History Storage</A></H2>
+
+<P>
+The history list is an array of history entries. A history entry is
+declared as follows:
+
+</P>
+
+<PRE>
+typedef struct _hist_entry {
+ char *line;
+ char *data;
+} HIST_ENTRY;
+</PRE>
+
+<P>
+The history list itself might therefore be declared as
+
+</P>
+
+<PRE>
+HIST_ENTRY **the_history_list;
+</PRE>
+
+<P>
+The state of the History library is encapsulated into a single structure:
+
+</P>
+
+<PRE>
+/* A structure used to pass the current state of the history stuff around. */
+typedef struct _hist_state {
+ HIST_ENTRY **entries; /* Pointer to the entries themselves. */
+ int offset; /* The location pointer within this array. */
+ int length; /* Number of elements within this array. */
+ int size; /* Number of slots allocated to this array. */
+ int flags;
+} HISTORY_STATE;
+</PRE>
+
+<P>
+If the flags member includes <CODE>HS_STIFLED</CODE>, the history has been
+stifled.
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H2><A NAME="SEC9" HREF="history.html#TOC9">History Functions</A></H2>
+
+<P>
+This section describes the calling sequence for the various functions
+present in GNU History.
+
+</P>
+
+<UL>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC10">Initializing History and State Management</A>: Functions to call when you
+ want to use history in a
+ program.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC11">History List Management</A>: Functions used to manage the list
+ of history entries.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC12">Information About the History List</A>: Functions returning information about
+ the history list.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC13">Moving Around the History List</A>: Functions used to change the position
+ in the history list.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC14">Searching the History List</A>: Functions to search the history list
+ for entries containing a string.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC15">Managing the History File</A>: Functions that read and write a file
+ containing the history list.
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#SEC16">History Expansion</A>: Functions to perform csh-like history
+ expansion.
+</UL>
+
+
+
+<H3><A NAME="SEC10" HREF="history.html#TOC10">Initializing History and State Management</A></H3>
+
+<P>
+This section describes functions used to initialize and manage
+the state of the History library when you want to use the history
+functions in your program.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> void <B>using_history</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX4"></A>
+Begin a session in which the history functions might be used. This
+initializes the interactive variables.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> HISTORY_STATE * <B>history_get_history_state</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX5"></A>
+Return a structure describing the current state of the input history.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> void <B>history_set_history_state</B> <I>(HISTORY_STATE *state)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX6"></A>
+Set the state of the history list according to <VAR>state</VAR>.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H3><A NAME="SEC11" HREF="history.html#TOC11">History List Management</A></H3>
+
+<P>
+These functions manage individual entries on the history list, or set
+parameters managing the list itself.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> void <B>add_history</B> <I>(char *string)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX7"></A>
+Place <VAR>string</VAR> at the end of the history list. The associated data
+field (if any) is set to <CODE>NULL</CODE>.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> HIST_ENTRY * <B>remove_history</B> <I>(int which)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX8"></A>
+Remove history entry at offset <VAR>which</VAR> from the history. The
+removed element is returned so you can free the line, data,
+and containing structure.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> HIST_ENTRY * <B>replace_history_entry</B> <I>(int which, char *line, char *data)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX9"></A>
+Make the history entry at offset <VAR>which</VAR> have <VAR>line</VAR> and <VAR>data</VAR>.
+This returns the old entry so you can dispose of the data. In the case
+of an invalid <VAR>which</VAR>, a <CODE>NULL</CODE> pointer is returned.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> void <B>clear_history</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX10"></A>
+Clear the history list by deleting all the entries.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> void <B>stifle_history</B> <I>(int max)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX11"></A>
+Stifle the history list, remembering only the last <VAR>max</VAR> entries.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>unstifle_history</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX12"></A>
+Stop stifling the history. This returns the previous amount the
+history was stifled. The value is positive if the history was
+stifled, negative if it wasn't.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>history_is_stifled</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX13"></A>
+Returns non-zero if the history is stifled, zero if it is not.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H3><A NAME="SEC12" HREF="history.html#TOC12">Information About the History List</A></H3>
+
+<P>
+These functions return information about the entire history list or
+individual list entries.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> HIST_ENTRY ** <B>history_list</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX14"></A>
+Return a <CODE>NULL</CODE> terminated array of <CODE>HIST_ENTRY</CODE> which is the
+current input history. Element 0 of this list is the beginning of time.
+If there is no history, return <CODE>NULL</CODE>.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>where_history</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX15"></A>
+Returns the offset of the current history element.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> HIST_ENTRY * <B>current_history</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX16"></A>
+Return the history entry at the current position, as determined by
+<CODE>where_history ()</CODE>. If there is no entry there, return a <CODE>NULL</CODE>
+pointer.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> HIST_ENTRY * <B>history_get</B> <I>(int offset)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX17"></A>
+Return the history entry at position <VAR>offset</VAR>, starting from
+<CODE>history_base</CODE>. If there is no entry there, or if <VAR>offset</VAR>
+is greater than the history length, return a <CODE>NULL</CODE> pointer.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>history_total_bytes</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX18"></A>
+Return the number of bytes that the primary history entries are using.
+This function returns the sum of the lengths of all the lines in the
+history.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H3><A NAME="SEC13" HREF="history.html#TOC13">Moving Around the History List</A></H3>
+
+<P>
+These functions allow the current index into the history list to be
+set or changed.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>history_set_pos</B> <I>(int pos)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX19"></A>
+Set the position in the history list to <VAR>pos</VAR>, an absolute index
+into the list.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> HIST_ENTRY * <B>previous_history</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX20"></A>
+Back up the current history offset to the previous history entry, and
+return a pointer to that entry. If there is no previous entry, return
+a <CODE>NULL</CODE> pointer.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> HIST_ENTRY * <B>next_history</B> <I>()</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX21"></A>
+Move the current history offset forward to the next history entry, and
+return the a pointer to that entry. If there is no next entry, return
+a <CODE>NULL</CODE> pointer.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H3><A NAME="SEC14" HREF="history.html#TOC14">Searching the History List</A></H3>
+<P>
+<A NAME="IDX22"></A>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+These functions allow searching of the history list for entries containing
+a specific string. Searching may be performed both forward and backward
+from the current history position. The search may be <EM>anchored</EM>,
+meaning that the string must match at the beginning of the history entry.
+<A NAME="IDX23"></A>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>history_search</B> <I>(char *string, int direction)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX24"></A>
+Search the history for <VAR>string</VAR>, starting at the current history
+offset. If <VAR>direction</VAR> &#60; 0, then the search is through previous entries,
+else through subsequent. If <VAR>string</VAR> is found, then
+the current history index is set to that history entry, and the value
+returned is the offset in the line of the entry where
+<VAR>string</VAR> was found. Otherwise, nothing is changed, and a -1 is
+returned.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>history_search_prefix</B> <I>(char *string, int direction)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX25"></A>
+Search the history for <VAR>string</VAR>, starting at the current history
+offset. The search is anchored: matching lines must begin with
+<VAR>string</VAR>. If <VAR>direction</VAR> &#60; 0, then the search is through previous
+entries, else through subsequent. If <VAR>string</VAR> is found, then the
+current history index is set to that entry, and the return value is 0.
+Otherwise, nothing is changed, and a -1 is returned.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>history_search_pos</B> <I>(char *string, int direction, int pos)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX26"></A>
+Search for <VAR>string</VAR> in the history list, starting at <VAR>pos</VAR>, an
+absolute index into the list. If <VAR>direction</VAR> is negative, the search
+proceeds backward from <VAR>pos</VAR>, otherwise forward. Returns the absolute
+index of the history element where <VAR>string</VAR> was found, or -1 otherwise.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H3><A NAME="SEC15" HREF="history.html#TOC15">Managing the History File</A></H3>
+
+<P>
+The History library can read the history from and write it to a file.
+This section documents the functions for managing a history file.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>read_history</B> <I>(char *filename)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX27"></A>
+Add the contents of <VAR>filename</VAR> to the history list, a line at a
+time. If <VAR>filename</VAR> is <CODE>NULL</CODE>, then read from
+<TT>`~/.history'</TT>. Returns 0 if successful, or errno if not.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>read_history_range</B> <I>(char *filename, int from, int to)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX28"></A>
+Read a range of lines from <VAR>filename</VAR>, adding them to the history list.
+Start reading at line <VAR>from</VAR> and end at <VAR>to</VAR>. If
+<VAR>from</VAR> is zero, start at the beginning. If <VAR>to</VAR> is less than
+<VAR>from</VAR>, then read until the end of the file. If <VAR>filename</VAR> is
+<CODE>NULL</CODE>, then read from <TT>`~/.history'</TT>. Returns 0 if successful,
+or <CODE>errno</CODE> if not.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>write_history</B> <I>(char *filename)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX29"></A>
+Write the current history to <VAR>filename</VAR>, overwriting <VAR>filename</VAR>
+if necessary. If <VAR>filename</VAR> is
+<CODE>NULL</CODE>, then write the history list to <TT>`~/.history'</TT>. Values
+returned are as in <CODE>read_history ()</CODE>.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>append_history</B> <I>(int nelements, char *filename)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX30"></A>
+Append the last <VAR>nelements</VAR> of the history list to <VAR>filename</VAR>.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>history_truncate_file</B> <I>(char *filename, int nlines)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX31"></A>
+Truncate the history file <VAR>filename</VAR>, leaving only the last
+<VAR>nlines</VAR> lines.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H3><A NAME="SEC16" HREF="history.html#TOC16">History Expansion</A></H3>
+
+<P>
+These functions implement <CODE>csh</CODE>-like history expansion.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> int <B>history_expand</B> <I>(char *string, char **output)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX32"></A>
+Expand <VAR>string</VAR>, placing the result into <VAR>output</VAR>, a pointer
+to a string (see section <A HREF="history.html#SEC2">History Expansion</A>). Returns:
+<DL COMPACT>
+
+<DT><CODE>0</CODE>
+<DD>
+If no expansions took place (or, if the only change in
+the text was the de-slashifying of the history expansion
+character);
+<DT><CODE>1</CODE>
+<DD>
+if expansions did take place;
+<DT><CODE>-1</CODE>
+<DD>
+if there was an error in expansion;
+<DT><CODE>2</CODE>
+<DD>
+if the returned line should only be displayed, but not executed,
+as with the <CODE>:p</CODE> modifier (see section <A HREF="history.html#SEC5">Modifiers</A>).
+</DL>
+
+<P>
+If an error ocurred in expansion, then <VAR>output</VAR> contains a descriptive
+error message.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> char * <B>history_arg_extract</B> <I>(int first, int last, char *string)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX33"></A>
+Extract a string segment consisting of the <VAR>first</VAR> through <VAR>last</VAR>
+arguments present in <VAR>string</VAR>. Arguments are broken up as in Bash.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> char * <B>get_history_event</B> <I>(char *string, int *cindex, int qchar)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX34"></A>
+Returns the text of the history event beginning at <VAR>string</VAR> +
+<VAR>*cindex</VAR>. <VAR>*cindex</VAR> is modified to point to after the event
+specifier. At function entry, <VAR>cindex</VAR> points to the index into
+<VAR>string</VAR> where the history event specification begins. <VAR>qchar</VAR>
+is a character that is allowed to end the event specification in addition
+to the "normal" terminating characters.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Function:</U> char ** <B>history_tokenize</B> <I>(char *string)</I>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX35"></A>
+Return an array of tokens parsed out of <VAR>string</VAR>, much as the
+shell might. The tokens are split on white space and on the
+characters <CODE>()&#60;&#62;;&#38;|$</CODE>, and shell quoting conventions are
+obeyed.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H2><A NAME="SEC17" HREF="history.html#TOC17">History Variables</A></H2>
+
+<P>
+This section describes the externally visible variables exported by
+the GNU History Library.
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Variable:</U> int <B>history_base</B>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX36"></A>
+The logical offset of the first entry in the history list.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Variable:</U> int <B>history_length</B>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX37"></A>
+The number of entries currently stored in the history list.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Variable:</U> int <B>max_input_history</B>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX38"></A>
+The maximum number of history entries. This must be changed using
+<CODE>stifle_history ()</CODE>.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Variable:</U> char <B>history_expansion_char</B>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX39"></A>
+The character that starts a history event. The default is <SAMP>`!'</SAMP>.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Variable:</U> char <B>history_subst_char</B>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX40"></A>
+The character that invokes word substitution if found at the start of
+a line. The default is <SAMP>`^'</SAMP>.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Variable:</U> char <B>history_comment_char</B>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX41"></A>
+During tokenization, if this character is seen as the first character
+of a word, then it and all subsequent characters up to a newline are
+ignored, suppressing history expansion for the remainder of the line.
+This is disabled by default.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Variable:</U> char * <B>history_no_expand_chars</B>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX42"></A>
+The list of characters which inhibit history expansion if found immediately
+following <VAR>history_expansion_char</VAR>. The default is whitespace and
+<SAMP>`='</SAMP>.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Variable:</U> char * <B>history_search_delimiter_chars</B>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX43"></A>
+The list of additional characters which can delimit a history search
+string, in addition to whitespace, <SAMP>`:'</SAMP> and <SAMP>`?'</SAMP> in the case of
+a substring search. The default is empty.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Variable:</U> int <B>history_quotes_inhibit_expansion</B>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX44"></A>
+If non-zero, single-quoted words are not scanned for the history expansion
+character. The default value is 0.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+<P>
+<DL>
+<DT><U>Variable:</U> Function * <B>history_inhibit_expansion_function</B>
+<DD><A NAME="IDX45"></A>
+This should be set to the address of a function that takes two arguments:
+a <CODE>char *</CODE> (<VAR>string</VAR>) and an integer index into that string (<VAR>i</VAR>).
+It should return a non-zero value if the history expansion starting at
+<VAR>string[i]</VAR> should not be performed; zero if the expansion should
+be done.
+It is intended for use by applications like Bash that use the history
+expansion character for additional purposes.
+By default, this variable is set to NULL.
+</DL>
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H2><A NAME="SEC18" HREF="history.html#TOC18">History Programming Example</A></H2>
+
+<P>
+The following program demonstrates simple use of the GNU History Library.
+
+</P>
+
+<PRE>
+main ()
+{
+ char line[1024], *t;
+ int len, done = 0;
+
+ line[0] = 0;
+
+ using_history ();
+ while (!done)
+ {
+ printf ("history$ ");
+ fflush (stdout);
+ t = fgets (line, sizeof (line) - 1, stdin);
+ if (t &#38;&#38; *t)
+ {
+ len = strlen (t);
+ if (t[len - 1] == '\n')
+ t[len - 1] = '\0';
+ }
+
+ if (!t)
+ strcpy (line, "quit");
+
+ if (line[0])
+ {
+ char *expansion;
+ int result;
+
+ result = history_expand (line, &#38;expansion);
+ if (result)
+ fprintf (stderr, "%s\n", expansion);
+
+ if (result &#60; 0 || result == 2)
+ {
+ free (expansion);
+ continue;
+ }
+
+ add_history (expansion);
+ strncpy (line, expansion, sizeof (line) - 1);
+ free (expansion);
+ }
+
+ if (strcmp (line, "quit") == 0)
+ done = 1;
+ else if (strcmp (line, "save") == 0)
+ write_history ("history_file");
+ else if (strcmp (line, "read") == 0)
+ read_history ("history_file");
+ else if (strcmp (line, "list") == 0)
+ {
+ register HIST_ENTRY **the_list;
+ register int i;
+
+ the_list = history_list ();
+ if (the_list)
+ for (i = 0; the_list[i]; i++)
+ printf ("%d: %s\n", i + history_base, the_list[i]-&#62;line);
+ }
+ else if (strncmp (line, "delete", 6) == 0)
+ {
+ int which;
+ if ((sscanf (line + 6, "%d", &#38;which)) == 1)
+ {
+ HIST_ENTRY *entry = remove_history (which);
+ if (!entry)
+ fprintf (stderr, "No such entry %d\n", which);
+ else
+ {
+ free (entry-&#62;line);
+ free (entry);
+ }
+ }
+ else
+ {
+ fprintf (stderr, "non-numeric arg given to `delete'\n");
+ }
+ }
+ }
+}
+</PRE>
+
+
+
+<H1><A NAME="SEC19" HREF="history.html#TOC19">Concept Index</A></H1>
+<P>
+Jump to:
+<A HREF="#a">a</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#e">e</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#h">h</A>
+<P>
+<H2><A NAME="a">a</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX23">anchored search</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="e">e</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX2">event designators</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="h">h</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX3">history events</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX1">history expansion</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX22">History Searching</A>
+</DIR>
+
+</P>
+
+
+<H1><A NAME="SEC20" HREF="history.html#TOC20">Function and Variable Index</A></H1>
+<P>
+Jump to:
+<A HREF="#a">a</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#c">c</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#g">g</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#h">h</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#m">m</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#n">n</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#p">p</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#r">r</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#s">s</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#u">u</A>
+-
+<A HREF="#w">w</A>
+<P>
+<H2><A NAME="a">a</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX7">add_history</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX30">append_history</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="c">c</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX10">clear_history</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX16">current_history</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="g">g</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX34">get_history_event</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="h">h</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX33">history_arg_extract</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX36">history_base</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX41">history_comment_char</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX32">history_expand</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX39">history_expansion_char</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX17">history_get</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX5">history_get_history_state</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX45">history_inhibit_expansion_function</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX13">history_is_stifled</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX37">history_length</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX14">history_list</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX42">history_no_expand_chars</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX44">history_quotes_inhibit_expansion</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX24">history_search</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX43">history_search_delimiter_chars</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX26">history_search_pos</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX25">history_search_prefix</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX6">history_set_history_state</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX19">history_set_pos</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX40">history_subst_char</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX35">history_tokenize</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX18">history_total_bytes</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX31">history_truncate_file</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="m">m</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX38">max_input_history</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="n">n</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX21">next_history</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="p">p</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX20">previous_history</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="r">r</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX27">read_history</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX28">read_history_range</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX8">remove_history</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX9">replace_history_entry</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="s">s</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX11">stifle_history</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="u">u</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX12">unstifle_history</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX4">using_history</A>
+</DIR>
+<H2><A NAME="w">w</A></H2>
+<DIR>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX15">where_history</A>
+<LI><A HREF="history.html#IDX29">write_history</A>
+</DIR>
+
+</P>
+<P><HR><P>
+This document was generated on 31 December 1998 using the
+<A HREF="http://wwwinfo.cern.ch/dis/texi2html/">texi2html</A>
+translator version 1.52.</P>
+</BODY>
+</HTML>