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# 16.8. `readline` — GNU readline interface

Platforms: Unix

The `readline` module defines a number of functions to facilitate completion and reading/writing of history files from the Python interpreter. This module can be used directly or via the `rlcompleter` module. Settings made using this module affect the behaviour of both the interpreter’s interactive prompt and the prompts offered by the `raw_input()` and `input()` built-in functions.

Note

On MacOS X the `readline` module can be implemented using the `libedit` library instead of GNU readline.

The configuration file for `libedit` is different from that of GNU readline. If you programmatically load configuration strings you can check for the text “libedit” in `readline.__doc__` to differentiate between GNU readline and libedit.

The `readline` module defines the following functions:

`readline.``parse_and_bind`(string)

  Parse and execute single line of a readline init file.

`readline.``get_line_buffer`()

  Return the current contents of the line buffer.

`readline.``insert_text`(string)

  Insert text into the command line.

`readline.``read_init_file`([filename])

  Parse a readline initialization file. The default filename is the last filename used.

`readline.``read_history_file`([filename])

  Load a readline history file. The default filename is `~/.history`.

`readline.``write_history_file`([filename])

  Save a readline history file. The default filename is `~/.history`.

`readline.``clear_history`()

  Clear the current history. (Note: this function is not available if the installed version of GNU readline doesn’t support it.)

  New in version 2.4.

`readline.``get_history_length`()

  Return the desired length of the history file. Negative values imply unlimited history file size.

`readline.``set_history_length`(length)

  Set the number of lines to save in the history file. `write_history_file()` uses this value to truncate the history file when saving. Negative values imply unlimited history file size.

`readline.``get_current_history_length`()

  Return the number of lines currently in the history. (This is different from `get_history_length()`, which returns the maximum number of lines that will be written to a history file.)

  New in version 2.3.

`readline.``get_history_item`(index)

  Return the current contents of history item at index.

  New in version 2.3.

`readline.``remove_history_item`(pos)

  Remove history item specified by its position from the history.

  New in version 2.4.

`readline.``replace_history_item`(pos, line)

  Replace history item specified by its position with the given line.

  New in version 2.4.

`readline.``redisplay`()

  Change what’s displayed on the screen to reflect the current contents of the line buffer.

  New in version 2.3.

`readline.``set_startup_hook`([function])

  Set or remove the startup_hook function. If function is specified, it will be used as the new startup_hook function; if omitted or `None`, any hook function already installed is removed. The startup_hook function is called with no arguments just before readline prints the first prompt.

`readline.``set_pre_input_hook`([function])

  Set or remove the pre_input_hook function. If function is specified, it will be used as the new pre_input_hook function; if omitted or `None`, any hook function already installed is removed. The pre_input_hook function is called with no arguments after the first prompt has been printed and just before readline starts reading input characters.

`readline.``set_completer`([function])

  Set or remove the completer function. If function is specified, it will be used as the new completer function; if omitted or `None`, any completer function already installed is removed. The completer function is called as `function(text, state)`, for state in `0`, `1`, `2`, ..., until it returns a non-string value. It should return the next possible completion starting with text.

`readline.``get_completer`()

  Get the completer function, or `None` if no completer function has been set.

  New in version 2.3.

`readline.``get_completion_type`()

  Get the type of completion being attempted.

  New in version 2.6.

`readline.``get_begidx`()

  Get the beginning index of the readline tab-completion scope.

`readline.``get_endidx`()

  Get the ending index of the readline tab-completion scope.

`readline.``set_completer_delims`(string)

  Set the readline word delimiters for tab-completion.

`readline.``get_completer_delims`()

  Get the readline word delimiters for tab-completion.

`readline.``set_completion_display_matches_hook`([function])

  Set or remove the completion display function. If function is specified, it will be used as the new completion display function; if omitted or `None`, any completion display function already installed is removed. The completion display function is called as `function(substitution, [matches], longest_match_length)` once each time matches need to be displayed.

  New in version 2.6.

`readline.``add_history`(line)

  Append a line to the history buffer, as if it was the last line typed.

See also

Module `rlcompleter`
  Completion of Python identifiers at the interactive prompt.

## 16.8.1. Example

The following example demonstrates how to use the `readline` module’s history reading and writing functions to automatically load and save a history file named `.pyhist` from the user’s home directory. The code below would normally be executed automatically during interactive sessions from the user’s `PYTHONSTARTUP` file.

    import os
    import readline
    histfile = os.path.join(os.path.expanduser("~"), ".pyhist")
    try:
        readline.read_history_file(histfile)
    except IOError:
        pass
    import atexit
    atexit.register(readline.write_history_file, histfile)
    del os, histfile

The following example extends the `code.InteractiveConsole` class to support history save/restore.

    import code
    import readline
    import atexit
    import os

    class HistoryConsole(code.InteractiveConsole):
        def __init__(self, locals=None, filename="<console>",
                     histfile=os.path.expanduser("~/.console-history")):
            code.InteractiveConsole.__init__(self, locals, filename)
            self.init_history(histfile)

        def init_history(self, histfile):
            readline.parse_and_bind("tab: complete")
            if hasattr(readline, "read_history_file"):
                try:
                    readline.read_history_file(histfile)
                except IOError:
                    pass
                atexit.register(self.save_history, histfile)

        def save_history(self, histfile):
            readline.write_history_file(histfile)

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