1 ;;; eshell.el --- the Emacs command shell
3 ;; Copyright (C) 1999-2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
5 ;; Author: John Wiegley <johnw@gnu.org>
9 ;; This file is part of GNU Emacs.
11 ;; GNU Emacs is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
12 ;; it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
13 ;; the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
14 ;; (at your option) any later version.
16 ;; GNU Emacs is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
17 ;; but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
18 ;; MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
19 ;; GNU General Public License for more details.
21 ;; You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
22 ;; along with GNU Emacs. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
26 ;;;_* What does Eshell offer you?
28 ;; Despite the sheer fact that running an Emacs shell can be fun, here
29 ;; are a few of the unique features offered by Eshell:
31 ;; @ Integration with the Emacs Lisp programming environment
33 ;; @ A high degree of configurability
35 ;; @ The ability to have the same shell on every system Emacs has been
36 ;; ported to. Since Eshell imposes no external requirements, and
37 ;; relies upon only the Lisp functions exposed by Emacs, it is quite
38 ;; operating system independent. Several of the common UNIX
39 ;; commands, such as ls, mv, rm, ln, etc., have been implemented in
40 ;; Lisp in order to provide a more consistent work environment.
42 ;; For those who might be using an older version of Eshell, version
43 ;; 2.1 represents an entirely new, module-based architecture. It
44 ;; supports most of the features offered by modern shells. Here is a
45 ;; brief list of some of its more visible features:
47 ;; @ Command argument completion (tcsh, zsh)
48 ;; @ Input history management (bash)
49 ;; @ Intelligent output scrolling
50 ;; @ Pseudo-devices (such as "/dev/clip" for copying to the clipboard)
51 ;; @ Extended globbing (zsh)
52 ;; @ Argument and globbing predication (zsh)
53 ;; @ I/O redirection to buffers, files, symbols, processes, etc.
54 ;; @ Many niceties otherwise seen only in 4DOS
55 ;; @ Alias functions, both Lisp and Eshell-syntax
56 ;; @ Piping, sequenced commands, background jobs, etc...
60 ;; To start using Eshell, simply type `M-x eshell'.
64 ;; A shell is a layer which metaphorically surrounds the kernel, or
65 ;; heart of an operating system. This kernel can be seen as an engine
66 ;; of pure functionality, waiting to serve, while the user programs
67 ;; take advantage of that functionality to accomplish their purpose.
69 ;; The shell's role is to make that functionality accessible to the
70 ;; user in an unformed state. Very roughly, it associates kernel
71 ;; functionality with textual commands, allowing the user to interact
72 ;; with the operating system via linguistic constructs. Process
73 ;; invocation is perhaps the most significant form this takes, using
74 ;; the kernel's `fork' and `exec' functions.
76 ;; Other programs also interact with the functionality of the kernel,
77 ;; but these user applications typically offer a specific range of
78 ;; functionality, and thus are not classed as "shells" proper.
79 ;; (What they lose in quiddity, they gain in rigidity).
81 ;; Emacs is also a user application, but it does make the
82 ;; functionality of the kernel accessible through an interpreted
83 ;; language -- namely, Lisp. For that reason, there is little
84 ;; preventing Emacs from serving the same role as a modern shell. It
85 ;; too can manipulate the kernel in an unpredetermined way to cause
86 ;; system changes. All it's missing is the shell-ish linguistic
89 ;; Enter Eshell. Eshell translates "shell-like" syntax into Lisp
90 ;; in order to exercise the kernel in the same manner as typical
91 ;; system shells. There is a fundamental difference here, however,
92 ;; although it may seem subtle at first...
94 ;; Shells like csh and Bourne shell were written several decades ago,
95 ;; in different times, under more restrictive circumstances. This
96 ;; confined perspective shows itself in the paradigm used by nearly
97 ;; all command-line shells since. They are linear in conception, byte
98 ;; stream-based, sequential, and confined to movement within a single
101 ;; Emacs, on the other hand, is more than just a limited translator
102 ;; that can invoke subprocesses and redirect file handles. It also
103 ;; manages character buffers, windowing frames, network connections,
104 ;; registers, bookmarks, processes, etc. In other words, it's a very
105 ;; multi-dimensional environment, within which eshell emulates a highly
106 ;; linear methodology.
108 ;; Taking a moment, let's look at how this could affect the future of
109 ;; a shell allowed to develop in such a wider field of play:
111 ;; @ There is no reason why directory movement should be linear, and
112 ;; confined to a single file-system. Emacs, through w3 and ange-ftp,
113 ;; has access to the entire Web. Why not allow a user to cd to
114 ;; multiple directories simultaneously, for example? It might make
115 ;; some tasks easier, such as diff'ing files separated by very long
118 ;; @ Data sources are available from anywhere Emacs can derive
119 ;; information from: not just from files or the output of other
122 ;; @ Multiple shell invocations all share the same environment -- even
123 ;; the same process list! It would be possible to have "process
124 ;; views", so that one buffer is watching standard output, another
125 ;; standard error, and another the result of standard output grep'd
126 ;; through a regular expression...
128 ;; @ It is not necessary to "leave" the shell, losing all input and
129 ;; output history, environment variables, directory stack, etc.
130 ;; Emacs could save the contents of your eshell environment, and
131 ;; restore all of it (or at least as much as possible) each time you
132 ;; restart. This could occur automatically, without requiring
133 ;; complex initialization scripts.
135 ;; @ Typos occur all of the time; many of them are repeats of common
136 ;; errors, such as 'dri' for `dir'. Since executing non-existent
137 ;; programs is rarely the intention of the user, eshell could prompt
138 ;; for the replacement string, and then record that in a database of
139 ;; known misspellings. (Note: The typo at the beginning of this
140 ;; paragraph wasn't discovered until two months after I wrote the
141 ;; text; it was not intentional).
143 ;; @ Emacs' register and bookmarking facilities can be used for
144 ;; remembering where you've been, and what you've seen -- to varying
145 ;; levels of persistence. They could perhaps even be tied to
146 ;; specific "moments" during eshell execution, which would include
147 ;; the environment at that time, as well as other variables.
148 ;; Although this would require functionality orthogonal to Emacs'
149 ;; own bookmarking facilities, the interface used could be made to
150 ;; operate very similarly.
152 ;; This presents a brief idea of what the fuller dimensionality of an
153 ;; Emacs shell could offer. It's not just the language of a shell
154 ;; that determines how it's used, but also the Weltanschauung
155 ;; underlying its design -- and which is felt behind even the smallest
156 ;; feature. I would hope the freedom provided by using Emacs as a
157 ;; parent environment will invite rich ideas from others. It
158 ;; certainly feels as though all I've done so far is to tie down the
159 ;; horse, so to speak, so that he will run at a man's pace.
163 ;; The author of Eshell has been a long-time user of the following
164 ;; shells, all of which contributed to Eshell's design:
173 ;;;_* Speeding up load time
175 ;; If you find that Eshell loads too slowly, there is something you
176 ;; can do to speed it up.
178 ;; Create a file, named /tmp/elc, containing this filelist:
208 ;; The order is very important. Remove from the filelist any features
209 ;; you don't use. These all begin with "em-". If you don't use
210 ;; Eshell's key rebinding module, you can remove "em-rebind.elc" from
211 ;; the filelist. The modules you are currently using are listed in
212 ;; `eshell-modules-list'.
214 ;; Now, concatenating all of the above mentioned .elc files, in that
215 ;; order, to another file. Here is how to do this on UNIX:
217 ;; cat `cat /tmp/elc` > tmp.elc ; mv tmp.elc eshell.elc
219 ;; Now your eshell.elc file contains all of the .elc files that make
220 ;; up Eshell, in the right load order. When you next load Eshell, it
221 ;; will only have to read in this one file, which will greatly speed
231 "A command shell implemented entirely in Emacs Lisp.
232 It invokes no external processes beyond those requested by the
233 user, and is intended to be a functional replacement for command
234 shells such as bash, zsh, rc, 4dos."
235 :tag
"The Emacs shell"
236 :link
'(info-link "(eshell)Top")
238 :group
'applications
)
240 ;; This is hack to force make-autoload to put the whole definition
241 ;; into the autoload file (see esh-module.el).
242 (defalias 'eshell-defgroup
'defgroup
)
246 ;; The following user options modify the behavior of Eshell overall.
247 (defvar eshell-buffer-name
)
249 (defsubst eshell-add-to-window-buffer-names
()
250 "Add `eshell-buffer-name' to `same-window-buffer-names'."
251 (add-to-list 'same-window-buffer-names eshell-buffer-name
))
253 (defsubst eshell-remove-from-window-buffer-names
()
254 "Remove `eshell-buffer-name' from `same-window-buffer-names'."
255 (setq same-window-buffer-names
256 (delete eshell-buffer-name same-window-buffer-names
)))
258 (defcustom eshell-load-hook nil
259 "A hook run once Eshell has been loaded."
263 (defcustom eshell-unload-hook
264 '(eshell-remove-from-window-buffer-names
265 eshell-unload-all-modules
)
266 "A hook run when Eshell is unloaded from memory."
270 (defcustom eshell-buffer-name
"*eshell*"
271 "The basename used for Eshell buffers."
272 :set
(lambda (symbol value
)
273 ;; remove the old value of `eshell-buffer-name', if present
274 (if (boundp 'eshell-buffer-name
)
275 (eshell-remove-from-window-buffer-names))
278 (eshell-add-to-window-buffer-names)
283 (defcustom eshell-directory-name
284 (locate-user-emacs-file "eshell/" ".eshell/")
285 "The directory where Eshell control files should be kept."
291 ;; There are only three commands used to invoke Eshell. The first two
292 ;; are intended for interactive use, while the third is meant for
293 ;; programmers. They are:
296 (defun eshell (&optional arg
)
297 "Create an interactive Eshell buffer.
298 The buffer used for Eshell sessions is determined by the value of
299 `eshell-buffer-name'. If there is already an Eshell session active in
300 that buffer, Emacs will simply switch to it. Otherwise, a new session
301 will begin. A numeric prefix arg (as in `C-u 42 M-x eshell RET')
302 switches to the session with that number, creating it if necessary. A
303 nonnumeric prefix arg means to create a new session. Returns the
304 buffer selected (or created)."
306 (assert eshell-buffer-name
)
307 (let ((buf (cond ((numberp arg
)
308 (get-buffer-create (format "%s<%d>"
312 (generate-new-buffer eshell-buffer-name
))
314 (get-buffer-create eshell-buffer-name
)))))
315 ;; Simply calling `pop-to-buffer' will not mimic the way that
316 ;; shell-mode buffers appear, since they always reuse the same
317 ;; window that that command was invoked from. To achieve this,
318 ;; it's necessary to add `eshell-buffer-name' to the variable
319 ;; `same-window-buffer-names', which is done when Eshell is loaded
320 (assert (and buf
(buffer-live-p buf
)))
322 (unless (eq major-mode
'eshell-mode
)
326 (defun eshell-return-exits-minibuffer ()
327 (define-key eshell-mode-map
[(control ?g
)] 'abort-recursive-edit
)
328 (define-key eshell-mode-map
[return] 'exit-minibuffer)
329 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(control ?m)] 'exit-minibuffer)
330 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(control ?j)] 'exit-minibuffer)
331 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(meta return)] 'exit-minibuffer)
332 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(meta control ?m)] 'exit-minibuffer))
334 (defvar eshell-non-interactive-p nil
335 "A variable which is non-nil when Eshell is not running interactively.
336 Modules should use this variable so that they don't clutter
337 non-interactive sessions, such as when using `eshell-command'.")
340 (defun eshell-command (&optional command arg)
341 "Execute the Eshell command string COMMAND.
342 With prefix ARG, insert output into the current buffer at point."
346 (setq arg current-prefix-arg))
347 (let ((eshell-non-interactive-p t))
348 ;; Enable `eshell-mode' only in this minibuffer.
349 (minibuffer-with-setup-hook #'(lambda ()
351 (eshell-return-exits-minibuffer))
354 (setq command (read-from-minibuffer "Emacs shell command: ")))
356 (eshell-add-input-to-history command)))))
358 (error "No command specified!"))
359 ;; redirection into the current buffer is achieved by adding an
360 ;; output redirection to the end of the command, of the form
361 ;; 'COMMAND >>> #<buffer BUFFER>'. This will not interfere with
362 ;; other redirections, since multiple redirections merely cause the
363 ;; output to be copied to multiple target locations
367 (format " >>> #<buffer %s>"
368 (buffer-name (current-buffer))))))
370 (let ((buf (set-buffer (generate-new-buffer " *eshell cmd*")))
371 (eshell-non-interactive-p t))
373 (let* ((proc (eshell-eval-command
374 (list 'eshell-commands
375 (eshell-parse-command command))))
377 (bufname (if (and proc (listp proc))
378 "*EShell Async Command Output*"
380 "*EShell Command Output*")))
381 (if (buffer-live-p (get-buffer bufname))
382 (kill-buffer bufname))
383 (rename-buffer bufname)
384 ;; things get a little coarse here, since the desire is to
385 ;; make the output as attractive as possible, with no
386 ;; extraneous newlines
388 (if (eshell-interactive-process)
389 (eshell-wait-for-process (eshell-interactive-process)))
390 (assert (not (eshell-interactive-process)))
391 (goto-char (point-max))
392 (while (and (bolp) (not (bobp)))
394 (assert (and buf (buffer-live-p buf)))
396 (let ((len (if (not intr) 2
397 (count-lines (point-min) (point-max)))))
400 (message "(There was no command output)")
403 (message "%s" (buffer-string))
406 (save-selected-window
407 (select-window (display-buffer buf))
408 (goto-char (point-min))
409 ;; cause the output buffer to take up as little screen
410 ;; real-estate as possible, if temp buffer resizing is
412 (and intr temp-buffer-resize-mode
413 (resize-temp-buffer-window)))))))))))
416 (defun eshell-command-result (command &optional status-var)
417 "Execute the given Eshell COMMAND, and return the result.
418 The result might be any Lisp object.
419 If STATUS-VAR is a symbol, it will be set to the exit status of the
420 command. This is the only way to determine whether the value returned
421 corresponding to a successful execution."
422 ;; a null command produces a null, successful result
425 (if (and status-var (symbolp status-var))
428 (let ((eshell-non-interactive-p t))
430 (let ((result (eshell-do-eval
431 (list 'eshell-commands
432 (list 'eshell-command-to-value
433 (eshell-parse-command command))) t)))
434 (assert (eq (car result) 'quote))
435 (if (and status-var (symbolp status-var))
436 (set status-var eshell-last-command-status))
441 ;; If you do encounter a bug, on any system, please report
442 ;; it -- in addition to any particular oddities in your configuration
443 ;; -- so that the problem may be corrected for the benefit of others.
446 (define-obsolete-function-alias 'eshell-report-bug 'report-emacs-bug "23.1")
450 (defun eshell-unload-all-modules ()
451 "Unload all modules that were loaded by Eshell, if possible.
452 If the user has require'd in any of the modules, or customized a
453 variable with a :require tag (such as `eshell-prefer-to-shell'), it
454 will be impossible to unload Eshell completely without restarting
456 ;; if the user set `eshell-prefer-to-shell' to t, but never loaded
457 ;; Eshell, then `eshell-subgroups' will be unbound
458 (when (fboundp 'eshell-subgroups)
459 (dolist (module (eshell-subgroups 'eshell))
460 ;; this really only unloads as many modules as possible,
461 ;; since other `require' references (such as by customizing
462 ;; `eshell-prefer-to-shell' to a non-nil value) might make it
463 ;; impossible to unload Eshell completely
464 (if (featurep module)
466 (message "Unloading %s..." (symbol-name module))
467 (unload-feature module)
468 (message "Unloading %s...done" (symbol-name module)))))
469 (message "Unloading eshell...done")))
471 (run-hooks 'eshell-load-hook)
475 ;;; eshell.el ends here