.TH "SELECTOR" "1"
.SH "NAME"
selector - A simple command line for dynamic pattern selection
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.PP
\fBselector\fP [\fBoptions\fP] [<filename1> [<filename2> ...]]
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.PP
\fBselector\fP is a command line dynamic string selection. As you type
a list of strings separated by ';' or a regexp, the display is updated
in real time to show only the lines containing all the said strings,
or matching the regexp.

The ^R key switches between the standard multi-substring mode and the
regexp mode.

The main usage of selector is as an efficient search in the shell
command history. With the correct option, it will inject the selected
line into the virtual tty input buffer, hence allowing the user to
edit the line and execute it as a standard command.

Selector is also a good tool to test regexp quickly.

Keys corresponding to ASCII codes between ' ' and '~' add a character
to the pattern string. The Backspace key, ^H and ^? delete the
character on the left of the cursor, while Delete key and ^D delete
the character at cursor location.

The Up and Down cursor keys move the selected line accordingly, and
PageUp and PageDown move by ten lines. The Home and End key move to
the top and the bottom of the list respectively. The return key
selects the current line and exits.

The shortcuts ^A, ^E, ^U, and ^K do somehow what they do in readline,
and you can cancel the selection by either interrupting the command
with ^C or by typing ^G.

.SH "OPTIONS"
.IP "\fB-h\fP" 10
display help and exits
.IP "\fB-m\fP" 10
force the monochrome mode
.IP "\fB-i\fP" 10
inverse the order of the lines
.IP "\fB-b\fP" 10
remove the numeric prefix from bash history
.IP "\fB-z\fP" 10
remove the time prefix from zsh history
.IP "\fB-d\fP" 10
remove duplicated lines
.IP "\fB-e\fP" 10
start with the regexp mode activated
.IP "\fB-a\fP" 10
make the matching case sensitive
.IP "\fB--\fP" 10
state that all following arguments are filenames
.IP "\fB-t <title>\fP" 10
add a title in the modeline
.IP "\fB-c <fg modeline> <bg modeline> <fg highlight> <bg highlight>\fP" 10
select the modeline and highlight color numbers
.IP "\fB-v\fP" 10
inject the selected line into the tty input buffer
.IP "\fB-o <output filename>\fP" 10
write the selected line into the specified file
.IP "\fB-s <pattern separator>\fP" 10
specify the symbol to separate the substrings in the search pattern
.IP "\fB-l <max number of lines>\fP" 10
specify the maximum number of lines to take into account
.IP "\fB-f <input filename>\fP" 10
specify a file to search into (option kept for compatibility reasons)

.SH "EXAMPLES"

To use selector to search into your bash history, you can use

.B selector -d -i -b -v <(history)

.SH "BUGS"

Modeline display problems if the pattern is too long. Probably many
others.

.SH "AUTHOR"
.PP
Written by Francois Fleuret <francois@fleuret.org>. Permission is
granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the
terms of the GNU GPL.