NAME

compgen - command completion

SYNOPSIS

compgen [flags] [word...]

DESCRIPTION

Complete possible matches for word according to the flags, which may be an option accepted by complete with the exception of -p and -r, and write the matches to standard output. When using the -F or -C options, the shell variables set by the programmable completion facilities, while available, will not have useful values.

FLAGS

-A action: action may be one of the following list of completions:

alias: Equivalent to -a.
arrayvar: Array variable names.
binding: breadline` key binding names.
builtin: Equivalent to -b.
command: Equivalent to -c.
directory: Equivalent to -d.
disabled: Names of disabled shell builtins.
enabled: Names of enabled shell builtins.
export: Equivalent to -e.
file: Equivalent to -f.
function: Names of shell functions.
group: Equivalent to -g.
helptopic: Help topics as accepted by the help builtin.
hostname: Hostnames, as taken from the file specified by the HOSTFILE shell variable.
job: Equivalent to -j.
keyword: Equivalent to -k.
running: Names of running jobs if job control is active.
service: Equivalent to -s.
setopt: Valid option names as acceptered by the shopt builtin.
signal: Signal names.
stopped: Names of stopped jobs if job control is active.
user: Equivalent to -u.
variable: Equivalent to -v.

-o option: option may be one of the following list of completions:

bashdefault: perform bash default completions if there are no matches
default: Use default filename completion of there are no matches.
dirnames: Perform directory name completion if there are no matches.
filenames: Match file names.
nospace: No space will be appended to words completed at the end of the line.

-G globpat: The filename expansion pattern globpat is expanded to generate the possible completions.
-W wordlist: The wordlist is split using the characters in IFS as delimiters, and the resultant word is expanded. The possible completions are the members of the resultant list which match the word being completed.
-C command: command is executed in a subshell environment, and its output is used as the possible completions.
-D: Use this completion as a default for commands that don't have a completion specified.
-E: Use this completion when for a blank line.
-F function: The shell function function is executed in the current environment. When it finishes the possible list of completions are retrieved from the indexed array variable COMPREPLY.
-X pattern: pattern is used to filter filename expansions. It is applied to the list of possible completions generated by the preceding options and arguments, and each completion matching pattern is removed from the list. A leading ! in pattern negates the pattern.
-P prefix: prefix is prepended to each possible completion after all other options have been applied.
-S suffix: suffix is appended to each possible completion after all other options have been applied.
-a: Generate the list of alias names.
-b: Generate the list of builtins.
-c: Generate the list of command names.
-d: Generate the list of directory names.
-e: Generate the list of exported variable names.
-f: Generate the list of file names.
-g: Generate the list of group names.
-j: Generate the list of job names if job control is active.
-k: Generate the list of shell reserved words.
-s: Generate the list of service names.
-u: Generate the list of user names.
-v: Generate the list of variable names.

EXIT STATUS

0: No errors occurred.
>0: An error occurred.

AUTHOR

David J. Korn, et. al.

COPYRIGHT

2019, David J. Korn, et.al.