1 ;;; eshell.el --- the Emacs command shell
3 ;; Copyright (C) 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation
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 2, or (at your option)
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; see the file COPYING. If not, write to the
23 ;; Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330,
24 ;; Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
28 (eval-when-compile (require 'esh-maint
))
31 "Eshell is a command shell implemented entirely in Emacs Lisp. It
32 invokes no external processes beyond those requested by the user. It
33 is intended to be a functional replacement for command shells such as
34 bash, zsh, rc, 4dos; since Emacs itself is capable of handling most of
35 the tasks accomplished by such tools."
36 :tag
"The Emacs shell"
37 :link
'(info-link "(eshell)Top")
43 ;;;_* What does Eshell offer you?
45 ;; Despite the sheer fact that running an Emacs shell can be fun, here
46 ;; are a few of the unique features offered by Eshell:
48 ;; @ Integration with the Emacs Lisp programming environment
50 ;; @ A high degree of configurability
52 ;; @ The ability to have the same shell on every system Emacs has been
53 ;; ported to. Since Eshell imposes no external requirements, and
54 ;; relies upon only the Lisp functions exposed by Emacs, it is quite
55 ;; operating system independent. Several of the common UNIX
56 ;; commands, such as ls, mv, rm, ln, etc., have been implemented in
57 ;; Lisp in order to provide a more consistent work environment.
59 ;; For those who might be using an older version of Eshell, version
60 ;; 2.1 represents an entirely new, module-based architecture. It
61 ;; supports most of the features offered by modern shells. Here is a
62 ;; brief list of some of its more visible features:
64 ;; @ Command argument completion (tcsh, zsh)
65 ;; @ Input history management (bash)
66 ;; @ Intelligent output scrolling
67 ;; @ Pseudo-devices (such as "/dev/clip" for copying to the clipboard)
68 ;; @ Extended globbing (zsh)
69 ;; @ Argument and globbing predication (zsh)
70 ;; @ I/O redirection to buffers, files, symbols, processes, etc.
71 ;; @ Many niceties otherwise seen only in 4DOS
72 ;; @ Alias functions, both Lisp and Eshell-syntax
73 ;; @ Piping, sequenced commands, background jobs, etc...
75 ;;;_* Eshell is free software
77 ;; Eshell is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
78 ;; under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
79 ;; the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option)
82 ;; This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
83 ;; WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
84 ;; MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
85 ;; General Public License for more details.
87 ;; You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
88 ;; along with Eshell; see the file COPYING. If not, write to the Free
89 ;; Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA
94 ;; To start using Eshell, add the following to your .emacs file:
96 ;; (load "eshell-auto")
98 ;; This will define all of the necessary autoloads.
100 ;; Now type `M-x eshell'. See the INSTALL file for full installation
105 ;; A shell is a layer which metaphorically surrounds the kernel, or
106 ;; heart of an operating system. This kernel can be seen as an engine
107 ;; of pure functionality, waiting to serve, while the user programs
108 ;; take advantage of that functionality to accomplish their purpose.
110 ;; The shell's role is to make that functionality accessible to the
111 ;; user in an unformed state. Very roughly, it associates kernel
112 ;; functionality with textual commands, allowing the user to interact
113 ;; with the operating system via linguistic constructs. Process
114 ;; invocation is perhaps the most significant form this takes, using
115 ;; the kernel's `fork' and `exec' functions.
117 ;; Other programs also interact with the functionality of the kernel,
118 ;; but these user applications typically offer a specific range of
119 ;; functionality, and thus are not classed as "shells" proper.
120 ;; (What they lose in quiddity, they gain in rigidity).
122 ;; Emacs is also a user application, but it does make the
123 ;; functionality of the kernel accessible through an interpreted
124 ;; language -- namely, Lisp. For that reason, there is little
125 ;; preventing Emacs from serving the same role as a modern shell. It
126 ;; too can manipulate the kernel in an unpredetermined way to cause
127 ;; system changes. All it's missing is the shell-ish linguistic
130 ;; Enter Eshell. Eshell translates "shell-like" syntax into Lisp
131 ;; in order to exercise the kernel in the same manner as typical
132 ;; system shells. There is a fundamental difference here, however,
133 ;; although it may seem subtle at first...
135 ;; Shells like csh and Bourne shell were written several decades ago,
136 ;; in different times, under more restrictive circumstances. This
137 ;; confined perspective shows itself in the paradigm used by nearly
138 ;; all command-line shells since. They are linear in conception, byte
139 ;; stream-based, sequential, and confined to movement within a single
142 ;; Emacs, on the other hand, is more than just a limited translator
143 ;; that can invoke subprocesses and redirect file handles. It also
144 ;; manages character buffers, windowing frames, network connections,
145 ;; registers, bookmarks, processes, etc. In other words, it's a very
146 ;; multi-dimensional environment, within which eshell emulates a highly
147 ;; linear methodology.
149 ;; Taking a moment, let's look at how this could affect the future of
150 ;; a shell allowed to develop in such a wider field of play:
152 ;; @ There is no reason why directory movement should be linear, and
153 ;; confined to a single file-system. Emacs, through w3 and ange-ftp,
154 ;; has access to the entire Web. Why not allow a user to cd to
155 ;; multiple directories simultaneously, for example? It might make
156 ;; some tasks easier, such as diff'ing files separated by very long
159 ;; @ Data sources are available from anywhere Emacs can derive
160 ;; information from: not just from files or the output of other
163 ;; @ Multiple shell invocations all share the same environment -- even
164 ;; the same process list! It would be possible to have "process
165 ;; views", so that one buffer is watching standard output, another
166 ;; standard error, and another the result of standard output grep'd
167 ;; through a regular expression...
169 ;; @ It is not necessary to "leave" the shell, losing all input and
170 ;; output history, environment variables, directory stack, etc.
171 ;; Emacs could save the contents of your eshell environment, and
172 ;; restore all of it (or at least as much as possible) each time you
173 ;; restart. This could occur automatically, without requiring
174 ;; complex initialization scripts.
176 ;; @ Typos occur all of the time; many of them are repeats of common
177 ;; errors, such as 'dri' for `dir'. Since executing non-existent
178 ;; programs is rarely the intention of the user, eshell could prompt
179 ;; for the replacement string, and then record that in a database of
180 ;; known misspellings. (Note: The typo at the beginning of this
181 ;; paragraph wasn't discovered until two months after I wrote the
182 ;; text; it was not intentional).
184 ;; @ Emacs' register and bookmarking facilities can be used for
185 ;; remembering where you've been, and what you've seen -- to varying
186 ;; levels of persistence. They could perhaps even be tied to
187 ;; specific "moments" during eshell execution, which would include
188 ;; the environment at that time, as well as other variables.
189 ;; Although this would require functionality orthogonal to Emacs'
190 ;; own bookmarking facilities, the interface used could be made to
191 ;; operate very similarly.
193 ;; This presents a brief idea of what the fuller dimensionality of an
194 ;; Emacs shell could offer. It's not just the language of a shell
195 ;; that determines how it's used, but also the Weltanschauung
196 ;; underlying its design -- and which is felt behind even the smallest
197 ;; feature. I would hope the freedom provided by using Emacs as a
198 ;; parent environment will invite rich ideas from others. It
199 ;; certainly feels as though all I've done so far is to tie down the
200 ;; horse, so to speak, so that he will run at a man's pace.
204 ;; The author of Eshell has been a long-time user of the following
205 ;; shells, all of which contributed to Eshell's design:
214 ;;;_* Speeding up load time
216 ;; If you find that Eshell loads too slowly, there is something you
217 ;; can do to speed it up.
219 ;; Create a file, named /tmp/elc, containing this filelist:
249 ;; The order is very important. Remove from the filelist any features
250 ;; you don't use. These all begin with "em-". If you don't use
251 ;; Eshell's key rebinding module, you can remove "em-rebind.elc" from
252 ;; the filelist. The modules you are currently using are listed in
253 ;; `eshell-modules-list'.
255 ;; Now, concatenating all of the above mentioned .elc files, in that
256 ;; order, to another file. Here is how to do this on UNIX:
258 ;; cat `cat /tmp/elc` > tmp.elc ; mv tmp.elc eshell.elc
260 ;; Now your eshell.elc file contains all of the .elc files that make
261 ;; up Eshell, in the right load order. When you next load Eshell, it
262 ;; will only have to read in this one file, which will greatly speed
267 ;; The following user options modify the behavior of Eshell overall.
269 (unless (featurep 'esh-util
)
270 (load "esh-util" nil t
))
272 (defsubst eshell-add-to-window-buffer-names
()
273 "Add `eshell-buffer-name' to `same-window-buffer-names'."
274 (add-to-list 'same-window-buffer-names eshell-buffer-name
))
276 (defsubst eshell-remove-from-window-buffer-names
()
277 "Remove `eshell-buffer-name' from `same-window-buffer-names'."
278 (setq same-window-buffer-names
279 (delete eshell-buffer-name same-window-buffer-names
)))
281 (defcustom eshell-load-hook nil
282 "*A hook run once Eshell has been loaded."
286 (defcustom eshell-unload-hook
287 '(eshell-remove-from-window-buffer-names
288 eshell-unload-all-modules
)
289 "*A hook run when Eshell is unloaded from memory."
293 (defcustom eshell-buffer-name
"*eshell*"
294 "*The basename used for Eshell buffers."
295 :set
(lambda (symbol value
)
296 ;; remove the old value of `eshell-buffer-name', if present
297 (if (boundp 'eshell-buffer-name
)
298 (eshell-remove-from-window-buffer-names))
301 (eshell-add-to-window-buffer-names)
306 (eshell-deftest mode same-window-buffer-names
307 "`eshell-buffer-name' is a member of `same-window-buffer-names'"
308 (member eshell-buffer-name same-window-buffer-names
))
310 (defcustom eshell-directory-name
(convert-standard-filename "~/.eshell/")
311 "*The directory where Eshell control files should be kept."
315 (eshell-deftest mode eshell-directory-exists
316 "`eshell-directory-name' exists and is writable"
317 (file-writable-p eshell-directory-name
))
319 (eshell-deftest mode eshell-directory-modes
320 "`eshell-directory-name' has correct access protections"
321 (or (eshell-under-windows-p)
322 (= (file-modes eshell-directory-name
)
323 eshell-private-directory-modes
)))
325 (defcustom eshell-prefer-to-shell nil
326 "*If non-nil, \\[shell-command] will use Eshell instead of shell-mode."
327 :set
(lambda (symbol value
)
328 ;; modifying the global keymap directly is odious, but how
329 ;; else to achieve the takeover?
332 (define-key global-map
[(meta ?
!)] 'eshell-command
)
333 ;;; (define-key global-map [(meta ?|)] 'eshell-command-on-region)
335 (define-key global-map
[(meta ?
!)] 'shell-command
)
336 ;;; (define-key global-map [(meta ?|)] 'shell-command-on-region)
345 ;; There are only three commands used to invoke Eshell. The first two
346 ;; are intended for interactive use, while the third is meant for
347 ;; programmers. They are:
350 (defun eshell (&optional arg
)
351 "Create an interactive Eshell buffer.
352 The buffer used for Eshell sessions is determined by the value of
353 `eshell-buffer-name'. If there is already an Eshell session active in
354 that buffer, Emacs will simply switch to it. Otherwise, a new session
355 will begin. A numeric prefix arg (as in `C-u 42 M-x eshell RET')
356 switches to the session with that number, creating it if necessary. A
357 nonnumeric prefix arg means to create a new session. Returns the
358 buffer selected (or created)."
360 (assert eshell-buffer-name
)
361 (let ((buf (cond ((numberp arg
)
362 (get-buffer-create (format "%s<%d>"
366 (generate-new-buffer eshell-buffer-name
))
368 (get-buffer-create eshell-buffer-name
)))))
369 ;; Simply calling `pop-to-buffer' will not mimic the way that
370 ;; shell-mode buffers appear, since they always reuse the same
371 ;; window that that command was invoked from. To achieve this,
372 ;; it's necessary to add `eshell-buffer-name' to the variable
373 ;; `same-window-buffer-names', which is done when Eshell is loaded
374 (assert (and buf
(buffer-live-p buf
)))
376 (unless (fboundp 'eshell-mode
)
377 (error "`eshell-auto' must be loaded before Eshell can be used"))
378 (unless (eq major-mode
'eshell-mode
)
380 (assert (eq major-mode
'eshell-mode
))
383 (defun eshell-return-exits-minibuffer ()
384 (define-key eshell-mode-map
[(control ?g
)] 'abort-recursive-edit
)
385 (define-key eshell-mode-map
[return] 'exit-minibuffer)
386 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(control ?m)] 'exit-minibuffer)
387 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(control ?j)] 'exit-minibuffer)
388 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(meta return)] 'exit-minibuffer)
389 (define-key eshell-mode-map [(meta control ?m)] 'exit-minibuffer))
391 (defvar eshell-non-interactive-p nil
392 "A variable which is non-nil when Eshell is not running interactively.
393 Modules should use this variable so that they don't clutter
394 non-interactive sessions, such as when using `eshell-command'.")
397 (defun eshell-command (&optional command arg)
398 "Execute the Eshell command string COMMAND.
399 With prefix ARG, insert output into the current buffer at point."
403 (setq arg current-prefix-arg))
405 (let ((eshell-non-interactive-p t))
406 (add-hook 'minibuffer-setup-hook 'eshell-mode)
407 (add-hook 'minibuffer-exit-hook 'eshell-add-command-to-history)
408 (add-hook 'eshell-mode-hook 'eshell-return-exits-minibuffer)
410 (setq command (read-from-minibuffer "Emacs shell command: "))))
411 (remove-hook 'eshell-mode-hook 'eshell-return-exits-minibuffer)
412 (remove-hook 'minibuffer-exit-hook 'eshell-add-command-to-history)
413 (remove-hook 'minibuffer-setup-hook 'eshell-mode))
415 (error "No command specified!"))
416 ;; redirection into the current buffer is achieved by adding an
417 ;; output redirection to the end of the command, of the form
418 ;; 'COMMAND >>> #<buffer BUFFER>'. This will not interfere with
419 ;; other redirections, since multiple redirections merely cause the
420 ;; output to be copied to multiple target locations
424 (format " >>> #<buffer %s>"
425 (buffer-name (current-buffer))))))
428 (let ((buf (set-buffer (generate-new-buffer " *eshell cmd*")))
429 (eshell-non-interactive-p t))
431 (let* ((proc (eshell-eval-command
432 (list 'eshell-commands
433 (eshell-parse-command command))))
435 (bufname (if (and proc (listp proc))
436 "*EShell Async Command Output*"
438 "*EShell Command Output*")))
439 (if (buffer-live-p (get-buffer bufname))
440 (kill-buffer bufname))
441 (rename-buffer bufname)
442 ;; things get a little coarse here, since the desire is to
443 ;; make the output as attractive as possible, with no
444 ;; extraneous newlines
446 (if (eshell-interactive-process)
447 (eshell-wait-for-process (eshell-interactive-process)))
448 (assert (not (eshell-interactive-process)))
449 (goto-char (point-max))
450 (while (and (bolp) (not (bobp)))
451 (delete-backward-char 1)))
452 (assert (and buf (buffer-live-p buf)))
454 (let ((len (if (not intr) 2
455 (count-lines (point-min) (point-max)))))
458 (message "(There was no command output)")
461 (message "%s" (buffer-string))
464 (save-selected-window
465 (select-window (display-buffer buf))
466 (goto-char (point-min))
467 ;; cause the output buffer to take up as little screen
468 ;; real-estate as possible, if temp buffer resizing is
470 (and intr temp-buffer-resize-mode
471 (resize-temp-buffer-window)))))))))))
474 (defun eshell-command-result (command &optional status-var)
475 "Execute the given Eshell COMMAND, and return the result.
476 The result might be any Lisp object.
477 If STATUS-VAR is a symbol, it will be set to the exit status of the
478 command. This is the only way to determine whether the value returned
479 corresponding to a successful execution."
480 ;; a null command produces a null, successful result
483 (if (and status-var (symbolp status-var))
487 (let ((eshell-non-interactive-p t))
489 (let ((result (eshell-do-eval
490 (list 'eshell-commands
491 (list 'eshell-command-to-value
492 (eshell-parse-command command))) t)))
493 (assert (eq (car result) 'quote))
494 (if (and status-var (symbolp status-var))
495 (set status-var eshell-last-command-status))
498 (eshell-deftest mode simple-command-result
499 "`eshell-command-result' works with a simple command."
500 (= (eshell-command-result "+ 1 2") 3))
504 ;; Since Eshell has not yet been in use by a wide audience, and since
505 ;; the number of possible configurations is quite large, it is certain
506 ;; that many bugs slipped past the rigors of testing it was put
507 ;; through. If you do encounter a bug, on any system, please report
508 ;; it -- in addition to any particular oddities in your configuration
509 ;; -- so that the problem may be corrected for the benefit of others.
511 (defconst eshell-report-bug-address "johnw@gnu.org"
512 "E-mail address to send Eshell bug reports to.")
515 (defun eshell-report-bug (topic)
516 "Report a bug in Eshell.
517 Prompts for the TOPIC. Leaves you in a mail buffer.
518 Please include any configuration details that might be involved."
519 (interactive "sBug Subject: ")
520 (compose-mail eshell-report-bug-address topic)
521 (goto-char (point-min))
522 (re-search-forward (concat "^" (regexp-quote mail-header-separator) "$"))
524 (let ((signature (buffer-substring (point) (point-max))))
525 ;; Discourage users from writing non-English text.
526 (set-buffer-multibyte nil)
527 (delete-region (point) (point-max))
529 (backward-char (length signature)))
530 (insert "emacs-version: " (emacs-version))
531 (insert "\n\nThere appears to be a bug in Eshell.\n\n"
532 "Please describe exactly what actions "
533 "triggered the bug and the precise\n"
534 "symptoms of the bug:\n\n")
535 ;; This is so the user has to type something in order to send
536 ;; the report easily.
537 (use-local-map (nconc (make-sparse-keymap) (current-local-map))))
541 (defun eshell-unload-all-modules ()
542 "Unload all modules that were loaded by Eshell, if possible.
543 If the user has require'd in any of the modules, or customized a
544 variable with a :require tag (such as `eshell-prefer-to-shell'), it
545 will be impossible to unload Eshell completely without restarting
547 ;; if the user set `eshell-prefer-to-shell' to t, but never loaded
548 ;; Eshell, then `eshell-subgroups' will be unbound
549 (when (fboundp 'eshell-subgroups)
550 (eshell-for module (eshell-subgroups 'eshell)
551 ;; this really only unloads as many modules as possible,
552 ;; since other `require' references (such as by customizing
553 ;; `eshell-prefer-to-shell' to a non-nil value) might make it
554 ;; impossible to unload Eshell completely
555 (if (featurep module)
557 (message "Unloading %s..." (symbol-name module))
558 (unload-feature module)
559 (message "Unloading %s...done" (symbol-name module)))))
560 (message "Unloading eshell...done")))
562 (run-hooks 'eshell-load-hook)
564 ;;; arch-tag: 9d4d5214-0e4e-4e02-b349-39add640d63f
565 ;;; eshell.el ends here