Ubuntu
base-files package

Update inputrc config and bash config

Bug #103986 reported by Steven Harms on 2007-04-07

This bug affects 5 people

Affects		Status	Importance	Assigned to
	base-files (Ubuntu)	Confirmed	Wishlist	Unassigned
Declined for Jaunty by Micah Gersten
Declined for Karmic by Micah Gersten
Nominated for Lucid by michael perigard
	readline6 (Ubuntu)	Confirmed	Undecided	Unassigned
Declined for Jaunty by Micah Gersten
Declined for Karmic by Micah Gersten
Nominated for Lucid by michael perigard

Bug Description

Binary package hint: base-files

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Spec/EnhancedBash

Please update /etc/inputrc to include the following:

$if Bash
    # Search history back and forward using page-up and page-down
    "\e[5~": history-search-backward
    "\e[6~": history-search-forward

    # Completion
    set match-hidden-files off
    set page-completions off
    set completion-query-items 350
    set show-all-if-ambiguous on

$endif

Please update /etc/skel/.bashrc to include the following:
export HISTSIZE=1000
export HISTFILESIZE=1000
shopt -s histappend
PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a; \$PROMPT_COMMAND"

See original description

Revision history for this message

Rich Johnson (nixternal) wrote on 2007-04-07:

this is a great addition as it cuts down typing or creating bash scripts for all of my ssh connections

Changed in base-files:
importance:	Undecided → Wishlist
status:	Unconfirmed → Confirmed

Revision history for this message

Steven Harms (sharms) wrote on 2007-04-07:

Line: PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a; $PROMPT_COMMAND"

should read:

PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a; \$PROMPT_COMMAND"

description:

updated

Revision history for this message

Przemek K. (azrael) wrote on 2008-03-10:

Any chance for getting it into hardy?

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nescius (martin-zboril-gmail) wrote on 2009-06-30:

is there any reason why this is not already included?

Revision history for this message

RichardNeill (ubuntu-richardneill) wrote on 2009-07-29:

I agree, especially about show-all-if-ambiguous. It makes a huge improvement to the usability of tab-completion, and it dramatically reduces irrelevant beeping. If this setting is off, it causes frustration with the mis-use of the system bell, eg here: http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=335949

Incidentally, Mandriva and Gentoo default to having show-all-if-ambiguous on, but Debian/Fedora/SuSE leave it off.

Revision history for this message

Ken Rushia (o-launchpad-krns1-fastmail-fm) wrote on 2009-08-29:

Just my 2 cents...

After migrating from Gentoo, I must say that this has been a major annoyance. The lack of full colors, small history, and missing page up/down completion in Ubuntu really needs to be fixed.

Revision history for this message

Przemek K. (azrael) wrote on 2009-08-29:

Maybe it would be easier to fix this bug if someone forwarded this bug to Debian.

Revision history for this message

Przemek K. (azrael) wrote on 2009-08-29:

BTW:
I think this one setting would clutter the prompt too much:
PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a; \$PROMPT_COMMAND"
The current default prompt is fine for me.

Revision history for this message

Steven Harms (sharms) wrote on 2009-08-29:

Przemyslaw -- history -a just tells it to add to the history, it doesn't actually display anything :)

Revision history for this message

Alexander Kabakow (alexzak) wrote on 2012-06-20:

#10

I this bug should be assigned to the readline package?
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/readline6

And here #89235 Teej (xteejx) says that page up and down keys still don't work

Revision history for this message

Thomas Hotz (thotz-deactivatedaccount) wrote on 2012-12-03:

#11

Is this still an issue for you? What Ubuntu version do you use? Thank you for telling us!

Changed in readline6 (Ubuntu):
status:	New → Incomplete
Changed in base-files (Ubuntu):
status:	Confirmed → Incomplete

Revision history for this message

RichardNeill (ubuntu-richardneill) wrote on 2012-12-03:

#12

The inputrc one is definitely an issue. It's easy to change manually after installation, but show-all-if-ambiguous on is so useful, and such a no-brainer to include that I would urge you to make the change.

Revision history for this message

RichardNeill (ubuntu-richardneill) wrote on 2012-12-03:

#13

Sorry, forgot to say, still present in Quantal.

Thomas Hotz (thotz-deactivatedaccount) on 2013-05-01