Mention `test' directory.
[emacs.git] / lisp / eshell / eshell.el
blobe052e23086b689f98f9ad61040b26e57a378e3ca
1 ;;; eshell.el --- the Emacs command shell
3 ;; Copyright (C) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
4 ;; 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
6 ;; Author: John Wiegley <johnw@gnu.org>
7 ;; Version: 2.4.2
8 ;; Keywords: processes
10 ;; This file is part of GNU Emacs.
12 ;; GNU Emacs is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
13 ;; it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
14 ;; the Free Software Foundation; either version 3, or (at your option)
15 ;; any later version.
17 ;; GNU Emacs is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
18 ;; but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
19 ;; MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
20 ;; GNU General Public License for more details.
22 ;; You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
23 ;; along with GNU Emacs; see the file COPYING. If not, write to the
24 ;; Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor,
25 ;; Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
27 ;;; Commentary:
29 ;;;_* What does Eshell offer you?
31 ;; Despite the sheer fact that running an Emacs shell can be fun, here
32 ;; are a few of the unique features offered by Eshell:
34 ;; @ Integration with the Emacs Lisp programming environment
36 ;; @ A high degree of configurability
38 ;; @ The ability to have the same shell on every system Emacs has been
39 ;; ported to. Since Eshell imposes no external requirements, and
40 ;; relies upon only the Lisp functions exposed by Emacs, it is quite
41 ;; operating system independent. Several of the common UNIX
42 ;; commands, such as ls, mv, rm, ln, etc., have been implemented in
43 ;; Lisp in order to provide a more consistent work environment.
45 ;; For those who might be using an older version of Eshell, version
46 ;; 2.1 represents an entirely new, module-based architecture. It
47 ;; supports most of the features offered by modern shells. Here is a
48 ;; brief list of some of its more visible features:
50 ;; @ Command argument completion (tcsh, zsh)
51 ;; @ Input history management (bash)
52 ;; @ Intelligent output scrolling
53 ;; @ Pseudo-devices (such as "/dev/clip" for copying to the clipboard)
54 ;; @ Extended globbing (zsh)
55 ;; @ Argument and globbing predication (zsh)
56 ;; @ I/O redirection to buffers, files, symbols, processes, etc.
57 ;; @ Many niceties otherwise seen only in 4DOS
58 ;; @ Alias functions, both Lisp and Eshell-syntax
59 ;; @ Piping, sequenced commands, background jobs, etc...
61 ;;;_* How to begin
63 ;; To start using Eshell, simply type `M-x eshell'.
65 ;;;_* Philosophy
67 ;; A shell is a layer which metaphorically surrounds the kernel, or
68 ;; heart of an operating system. This kernel can be seen as an engine
69 ;; of pure functionality, waiting to serve, while the user programs
70 ;; take advantage of that functionality to accomplish their purpose.
72 ;; The shell's role is to make that functionality accessible to the
73 ;; user in an unformed state. Very roughly, it associates kernel
74 ;; functionality with textual commands, allowing the user to interact
75 ;; with the operating system via linguistic constructs. Process
76 ;; invocation is perhaps the most significant form this takes, using
77 ;; the kernel's `fork' and `exec' functions.
79 ;; Other programs also interact with the functionality of the kernel,
80 ;; but these user applications typically offer a specific range of
81 ;; functionality, and thus are not classed as "shells" proper.
82 ;; (What they lose in quiddity, they gain in rigidity).
84 ;; Emacs is also a user application, but it does make the
85 ;; functionality of the kernel accessible through an interpreted
86 ;; language -- namely, Lisp. For that reason, there is little
87 ;; preventing Emacs from serving the same role as a modern shell. It
88 ;; too can manipulate the kernel in an unpredetermined way to cause
89 ;; system changes. All it's missing is the shell-ish linguistic
90 ;; model.
92 ;; Enter Eshell. Eshell translates "shell-like" syntax into Lisp
93 ;; in order to exercise the kernel in the same manner as typical
94 ;; system shells. There is a fundamental difference here, however,
95 ;; although it may seem subtle at first...
97 ;; Shells like csh and Bourne shell were written several decades ago,
98 ;; in different times, under more restrictive circumstances. This
99 ;; confined perspective shows itself in the paradigm used by nearly
100 ;; all command-line shells since. They are linear in conception, byte
101 ;; stream-based, sequential, and confined to movement within a single
102 ;; host machine.
104 ;; Emacs, on the other hand, is more than just a limited translator
105 ;; that can invoke subprocesses and redirect file handles. It also
106 ;; manages character buffers, windowing frames, network connections,
107 ;; registers, bookmarks, processes, etc. In other words, it's a very
108 ;; multi-dimensional environment, within which eshell emulates a highly
109 ;; linear methodology.
111 ;; Taking a moment, let's look at how this could affect the future of
112 ;; a shell allowed to develop in such a wider field of play:
114 ;; @ There is no reason why directory movement should be linear, and
115 ;; confined to a single file-system. Emacs, through w3 and ange-ftp,
116 ;; has access to the entire Web. Why not allow a user to cd to
117 ;; multiple directories simultaneously, for example? It might make
118 ;; some tasks easier, such as diff'ing files separated by very long
119 ;; pathnames.
121 ;; @ Data sources are available from anywhere Emacs can derive
122 ;; information from: not just from files or the output of other
123 ;; processes.
125 ;; @ Multiple shell invocations all share the same environment -- even
126 ;; the same process list! It would be possible to have "process
127 ;; views", so that one buffer is watching standard output, another
128 ;; standard error, and another the result of standard output grep'd
129 ;; through a regular expression...
131 ;; @ It is not necessary to "leave" the shell, losing all input and
132 ;; output history, environment variables, directory stack, etc.
133 ;; Emacs could save the contents of your eshell environment, and
134 ;; restore all of it (or at least as much as possible) each time you
135 ;; restart. This could occur automatically, without requiring
136 ;; complex initialization scripts.
138 ;; @ Typos occur all of the time; many of them are repeats of common
139 ;; errors, such as 'dri' for `dir'. Since executing non-existent
140 ;; programs is rarely the intention of the user, eshell could prompt
141 ;; for the replacement string, and then record that in a database of
142 ;; known misspellings. (Note: The typo at the beginning of this
143 ;; paragraph wasn't discovered until two months after I wrote the
144 ;; text; it was not intentional).
146 ;; @ Emacs' register and bookmarking facilities can be used for
147 ;; remembering where you've been, and what you've seen -- to varying
148 ;; levels of persistence. They could perhaps even be tied to
149 ;; specific "moments" during eshell execution, which would include
150 ;; the environment at that time, as well as other variables.
151 ;; Although this would require functionality orthogonal to Emacs'
152 ;; own bookmarking facilities, the interface used could be made to
153 ;; operate very similarly.
155 ;; This presents a brief idea of what the fuller dimensionality of an
156 ;; Emacs shell could offer. It's not just the language of a shell
157 ;; that determines how it's used, but also the Weltanschauung
158 ;; underlying its design -- and which is felt behind even the smallest
159 ;; feature. I would hope the freedom provided by using Emacs as a
160 ;; parent environment will invite rich ideas from others. It
161 ;; certainly feels as though all I've done so far is to tie down the
162 ;; horse, so to speak, so that he will run at a man's pace.
164 ;;;_* Influences
166 ;; The author of Eshell has been a long-time user of the following
167 ;; shells, all of which contributed to Eshell's design:
169 ;; @ rc
170 ;; @ bash
171 ;; @ zsh
172 ;; @ sh
173 ;; @ 4nt
174 ;; @ csh
176 ;;;_* Speeding up load time
178 ;; If you find that Eshell loads too slowly, there is something you
179 ;; can do to speed it up.
181 ;; Create a file, named /tmp/elc, containing this filelist:
183 ;; esh-util.elc
184 ;; eshell.elc
185 ;; esh-module.elc
186 ;; esh-var.elc
187 ;; esh-proc.elc
188 ;; esh-arg.elc
189 ;; esh-io.elc
190 ;; esh-ext.elc
191 ;; esh-cmd.elc
192 ;; esh-mode.elc
193 ;; esh-opt.elc
194 ;; em-alias.elc
195 ;; em-banner.elc
196 ;; em-basic.elc
197 ;; em-cmpl.elc
198 ;; em-dirs.elc
199 ;; em-pred.elc
200 ;; em-glob.elc
201 ;; em-hist.elc
202 ;; em-ls.elc
203 ;; em-prompt.elc
204 ;; em-rebind.elc
205 ;; em-script.elc
206 ;; em-smart.elc
207 ;; em-term.elc
208 ;; em-unix.elc
209 ;; em-xtra.elc
211 ;; The order is very important. Remove from the filelist any features
212 ;; you don't use. These all begin with "em-". If you don't use
213 ;; Eshell's key rebinding module, you can remove "em-rebind.elc" from
214 ;; the filelist. The modules you are currently using are listed in
215 ;; `eshell-modules-list'.
217 ;; Now, concatenating all of the above mentioned .elc files, in that
218 ;; order, to another file. Here is how to do this on UNIX:
220 ;; cat `cat /tmp/elc` > tmp.elc ; mv tmp.elc eshell.elc
222 ;; Now your eshell.elc file contains all of the .elc files that make
223 ;; up Eshell, in the right load order. When you next load Eshell, it
224 ;; will only have to read in this one file, which will greatly speed
225 ;; things up.
227 (eval-when-compile
228 (require 'cl)
229 (require 'esh-util))
230 (require 'esh-util)
231 (require 'esh-mode)
233 (defgroup eshell nil
234 "Eshell is a command shell implemented entirely in Emacs Lisp. It
235 invokes no external processes beyond those requested by the user. It
236 is intended to be a functional replacement for command shells such as
237 bash, zsh, rc, 4dos; since Emacs itself is capable of handling most of
238 the tasks accomplished by such tools."
239 :tag "The Emacs shell"
240 :link '(info-link "(eshell)Top")
241 :version "21.1"
242 :group 'applications)
245 ;;;_* User Options
247 ;; The following user options modify the behavior of Eshell overall.
248 (defvar eshell-buffer-name)
250 (defsubst eshell-add-to-window-buffer-names ()
251 "Add `eshell-buffer-name' to `same-window-buffer-names'."
252 (add-to-list 'same-window-buffer-names eshell-buffer-name))
254 (defsubst eshell-remove-from-window-buffer-names ()
255 "Remove `eshell-buffer-name' from `same-window-buffer-names'."
256 (setq same-window-buffer-names
257 (delete eshell-buffer-name same-window-buffer-names)))
259 (defcustom eshell-load-hook nil
260 "A hook run once Eshell has been loaded."
261 :type 'hook
262 :group 'eshell)
264 (defcustom eshell-unload-hook
265 '(eshell-remove-from-window-buffer-names
266 eshell-unload-all-modules)
267 "A hook run when Eshell is unloaded from memory."
268 :type 'hook
269 :group 'eshell)
271 (defcustom eshell-buffer-name "*eshell*"
272 "The basename used for Eshell buffers."
273 :set (lambda (symbol value)
274 ;; remove the old value of `eshell-buffer-name', if present
275 (if (boundp 'eshell-buffer-name)
276 (eshell-remove-from-window-buffer-names))
277 (set symbol value)
278 ;; add the new value
279 (eshell-add-to-window-buffer-names)
280 value)
281 :type 'string
282 :group 'eshell)
284 (eshell-deftest mode same-window-buffer-names
285 "`eshell-buffer-name' is a member of `same-window-buffer-names'"
286 (member eshell-buffer-name same-window-buffer-names))
288 (defcustom eshell-directory-name (convert-standard-filename "~/.eshell/")
289 "The directory where Eshell control files should be kept."
290 :type 'directory
291 :group 'eshell)
293 (eshell-deftest mode eshell-directory-exists
294 "`eshell-directory-name' exists and is writable"
295 (file-writable-p eshell-directory-name))
297 (eshell-deftest mode eshell-directory-modes
298 "`eshell-directory-name' has correct access protections"
299 (or (eshell-under-windows-p)
300 (= (file-modes eshell-directory-name)
301 eshell-private-directory-modes)))
303 ;;;_* Running Eshell
305 ;; There are only three commands used to invoke Eshell. The first two
306 ;; are intended for interactive use, while the third is meant for
307 ;; programmers. They are:
309 ;;;###autoload
310 (defun eshell (&optional arg)
311 "Create an interactive Eshell buffer.
312 The buffer used for Eshell sessions is determined by the value of
313 `eshell-buffer-name'. If there is already an Eshell session active in
314 that buffer, Emacs will simply switch to it. Otherwise, a new session
315 will begin. A numeric prefix arg (as in `C-u 42 M-x eshell RET')
316 switches to the session with that number, creating it if necessary. A
317 nonnumeric prefix arg means to create a new session. Returns the
318 buffer selected (or created)."
319 (interactive "P")
320 (assert eshell-buffer-name)
321 (let ((buf (cond ((numberp arg)
322 (get-buffer-create (format "%s<%d>"
323 eshell-buffer-name
324 arg)))
325 (arg
326 (generate-new-buffer eshell-buffer-name))
328 (get-buffer-create eshell-buffer-name)))))
329 ;; Simply calling `pop-to-buffer' will not mimic the way that
330 ;; shell-mode buffers appear, since they always reuse the same
331 ;; window that that command was invoked from. To achieve this,
332 ;; it's necessary to add `eshell-buffer-name' to the variable
333 ;; `same-window-buffer-names', which is done when Eshell is loaded
334 (assert (and buf (buffer-live-p buf)))
335 (pop-to-buffer buf)
336 (unless (eq major-mode 'eshell-mode)
337 (eshell-mode))
338 buf))
340 (defun eshell-return-exits-minibuffer ()
341 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(control ?g)] 'abort-recursive-edit)
342 (define-key eshell-mode-map [return] 'exit-minibuffer)
343 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(control ?m)] 'exit-minibuffer)
344 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(control ?j)] 'exit-minibuffer)
345 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(meta return)] 'exit-minibuffer)
346 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(meta control ?m)] 'exit-minibuffer))
348 (defvar eshell-non-interactive-p nil
349 "A variable which is non-nil when Eshell is not running interactively.
350 Modules should use this variable so that they don't clutter
351 non-interactive sessions, such as when using `eshell-command'.")
353 ;;;###autoload
354 (defun eshell-command (&optional command arg)
355 "Execute the Eshell command string COMMAND.
356 With prefix ARG, insert output into the current buffer at point."
357 (interactive)
358 (require 'esh-cmd)
359 (unless arg
360 (setq arg current-prefix-arg))
361 (unwind-protect
362 (let ((eshell-non-interactive-p t))
363 (add-hook 'minibuffer-setup-hook 'eshell-mode)
364 (add-hook 'minibuffer-exit-hook 'eshell-add-command-to-history)
365 (add-hook 'eshell-mode-hook 'eshell-return-exits-minibuffer)
366 (unless command
367 (setq command (read-from-minibuffer "Emacs shell command: "))))
368 (remove-hook 'eshell-mode-hook 'eshell-return-exits-minibuffer)
369 (remove-hook 'minibuffer-exit-hook 'eshell-add-command-to-history)
370 (remove-hook 'minibuffer-setup-hook 'eshell-mode))
371 (unless command
372 (error "No command specified!"))
373 ;; redirection into the current buffer is achieved by adding an
374 ;; output redirection to the end of the command, of the form
375 ;; 'COMMAND >>> #<buffer BUFFER>'. This will not interfere with
376 ;; other redirections, since multiple redirections merely cause the
377 ;; output to be copied to multiple target locations
378 (if arg
379 (setq command
380 (concat command
381 (format " >>> #<buffer %s>"
382 (buffer-name (current-buffer))))))
383 (save-excursion
384 (let ((buf (set-buffer (generate-new-buffer " *eshell cmd*")))
385 (eshell-non-interactive-p t))
386 (eshell-mode)
387 (let* ((proc (eshell-eval-command
388 (list 'eshell-commands
389 (eshell-parse-command command))))
390 intr
391 (bufname (if (and proc (listp proc))
392 "*EShell Async Command Output*"
393 (setq intr t)
394 "*EShell Command Output*")))
395 (if (buffer-live-p (get-buffer bufname))
396 (kill-buffer bufname))
397 (rename-buffer bufname)
398 ;; things get a little coarse here, since the desire is to
399 ;; make the output as attractive as possible, with no
400 ;; extraneous newlines
401 (when intr
402 (if (eshell-interactive-process)
403 (eshell-wait-for-process (eshell-interactive-process)))
404 (assert (not (eshell-interactive-process)))
405 (goto-char (point-max))
406 (while (and (bolp) (not (bobp)))
407 (delete-backward-char 1)))
408 (assert (and buf (buffer-live-p buf)))
409 (unless arg
410 (let ((len (if (not intr) 2
411 (count-lines (point-min) (point-max)))))
412 (cond
413 ((= len 0)
414 (message "(There was no command output)")
415 (kill-buffer buf))
416 ((= len 1)
417 (message "%s" (buffer-string))
418 (kill-buffer buf))
420 (save-selected-window
421 (select-window (display-buffer buf))
422 (goto-char (point-min))
423 ;; cause the output buffer to take up as little screen
424 ;; real-estate as possible, if temp buffer resizing is
425 ;; enabled
426 (and intr temp-buffer-resize-mode
427 (resize-temp-buffer-window)))))))))))
429 ;;;###autoload
430 (defun eshell-command-result (command &optional status-var)
431 "Execute the given Eshell COMMAND, and return the result.
432 The result might be any Lisp object.
433 If STATUS-VAR is a symbol, it will be set to the exit status of the
434 command. This is the only way to determine whether the value returned
435 corresponding to a successful execution."
436 ;; a null command produces a null, successful result
437 (if (not command)
438 (ignore
439 (if (and status-var (symbolp status-var))
440 (set status-var 0)))
441 (with-temp-buffer
442 (let ((eshell-non-interactive-p t))
443 (eshell-mode)
444 (let ((result (eshell-do-eval
445 (list 'eshell-commands
446 (list 'eshell-command-to-value
447 (eshell-parse-command command))) t)))
448 (assert (eq (car result) 'quote))
449 (if (and status-var (symbolp status-var))
450 (set status-var eshell-last-command-status))
451 (cadr result))))))
453 (eshell-deftest mode simple-command-result
454 "`eshell-command-result' works with a simple command."
455 (= (eshell-command-result "+ 1 2") 3))
457 ;;;_* Reporting bugs
459 ;; If you do encounter a bug, on any system, please report
460 ;; it -- in addition to any particular oddities in your configuration
461 ;; -- so that the problem may be corrected for the benefit of others.
463 ;;;###autoload
464 (define-obsolete-function-alias 'eshell-report-bug 'report-emacs-bug "23.1")
466 ;;; Code:
468 (defun eshell-unload-all-modules ()
469 "Unload all modules that were loaded by Eshell, if possible.
470 If the user has require'd in any of the modules, or customized a
471 variable with a :require tag (such as `eshell-prefer-to-shell'), it
472 will be impossible to unload Eshell completely without restarting
473 Emacs."
474 ;; if the user set `eshell-prefer-to-shell' to t, but never loaded
475 ;; Eshell, then `eshell-subgroups' will be unbound
476 (when (fboundp 'eshell-subgroups)
477 (eshell-for module (eshell-subgroups 'eshell)
478 ;; this really only unloads as many modules as possible,
479 ;; since other `require' references (such as by customizing
480 ;; `eshell-prefer-to-shell' to a non-nil value) might make it
481 ;; impossible to unload Eshell completely
482 (if (featurep module)
483 (ignore-errors
484 (message "Unloading %s..." (symbol-name module))
485 (unload-feature module)
486 (message "Unloading %s...done" (symbol-name module)))))
487 (message "Unloading eshell...done")))
489 (run-hooks 'eshell-load-hook)
491 (provide 'eshell)
493 ;;; arch-tag: 9d4d5214-0e4e-4e02-b349-39add640d63f
494 ;;; eshell.el ends here