Command auto-Completion

[Puneet Singh tandon]

I need to know the configuration/environment/profile changes to use command auto completion feature which is available in other linux distros by default(using tab)

[Torsten.]

You will have the functionality if you run bash as your shell.

Do NOT configure bash as default for root in /etc/passwd!

[Delrish]

First of all, please inform us about your shell. each of the shells has specific method for this issue

[Puneet Singh tandon]

I am using sh as the shell.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom Moodie,

echo $SHELL

Tab completion is the default for any Linux distro I know. What are you using?

SEP

[Puneet Singh tandon]

Hey ,
I am using HP-UX11.11
and the shell(user) is /usr/bin/sh
and the shell(root) is /sbin/sh

[Ivan Ferreira]

You should install bash for hp-ux. Download it from here:

http://hpux.connect.org.uk/hppd/hpux/Shells/bash-3.00.16/

Change your shell to be bash.

[Vipulinux]

Hi

You can also try ksh, if you dont wanna use bash

Cheers

[Torsten.]

@ HP moderator:

Your are moving the threads too quickly!

quote from this thread:

"I am using HP-UX11.11"

Why this thread is moved to the linux forum?

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi Moodle:

If you are running HP-UX, you can do file-name (or path-name) completion by typing ESCape, ESCape after partially entering a filename.

If you are running HP-UX, *never* change 'root's default shell from '/sbin/sh'. To do so will lead to an unbootable system. The standard POSIX shell resides in '/sbin/sh' with statically linked libraries. The same shell with dynamically linked libraries to reduce the memory footprint lives in '/usr/bin'. Since, '/usr' isn't mounted during the initial startup sequence, the default shell for root must be '/sbin/sh'.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Puneet Singh tandon]

Thanks for the Warning.
But ESCape doesnt have any effect in my case.
How do i check my command completion
sequence is set to what????

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi (again) Moodie:

Given HP-UX, hitting the ESCape key *twice* after typing enough characters to make the filename unique, should cause auto-completion.

Given two files in the current working directory; each beginning with "p" :

# ls -l p

...will *not* auto-complete, but:

# ls -l po

...when the files "peek" and "poke" exist, will offer "ls -l poke".

Regards!

...JRF...

[Puneet Singh tandon]

Hey JRF,
Could nt get any command auto completion but these characters ^[ only
Any suggestions

[Stuart Browne]

In most shells which do command-completion, '' is used as a replacement for the single '' press. So to get a list of matches, you'd do:

ls -al p

You'd get a BEL after the 2nd , and the list of matching commands after the 4th.

Now, if this doesn't work, check your 'stty' bindings to ensure that '' (^[) isn't bound to some other function ('stty -a' for the full list).

[Puneet Singh tandon]

No the escape ^[ isnt bind to anything.
Following is the stty -a log.


# stty -a
speed 9600 baud; line = 0;
rows = 40; columns = 140
min = 0; time = 0;
intr = ^C; quit = ^\; erase = ^H; kill = ^U
eof = ^D; eol = ^@; eol2 = ^@; swtch = ^@
stop = ^S; start = ^Q; susp = ^Z; dsusp = ^@
werase = ^@; lnext = ^@
parenb -parodd cs8 -cstopb hupcl cread -clocal -loblk -crts
-ignbrk -brkint -ignpar -parmrk -inpck -istrip -inlcr -igncr icrnl -iuclc
ixon -ixany ixoff -imaxbel -rtsxoff -ctsxon -ienqak
isig icanon iexten -xcase echo echoe echok -echonl -noflsh
echoctl -echoprt echoke -flusho -pendin
opost -olcuc onlcr -ocrnl -onocr -onlret -ofill -ofdel -tostop

[Matti_Kurkela]

The "stty -a" command lists only the bindings done at the tty driver level. They are in effect in all the programs run in that terminal session unless overridden, so they must be very generic.

The shell has its own set of key bindings, unrelated to "stty -a" settings. Each shell has its own ways for setting up these bindings: for example, bash's key bindings can be listed with "bind -p".

[Puneet Singh tandon]

Thank you evrybdy