.TH "SELECTOR" "1"
.SH "NAME"
-selector - A simple command line for dynamic pattern selection
+selector - A simple command line utility for dynamic pattern selection
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.PP
-\fBselector\fP [\fBoptions\fP] -f <filename>
+\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.
+\fBselector\fP is a command line utility for 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 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.
-Keys corresponding to ASCII codes between ' ' and '~' add a character
-to the pattern string. The Delete key, Backspace key, ^D and ^H delete
-one character from the pattern string.
+Selector is also a good tool to test regexps.
+
+.SH "KEYS"
+.PP
+
+Keys corresponding to ASCII codes between " " and "~" add a character
+to the pattern string. The Backspace key, "^H" and "^?" delete the
+character immediately on the left of the cursor, while the 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.
+The shortcuts "^A", "^E", "^U", and "^K" do somehow what they do in
+readline, and you can exit selector without doing anything by either
+interrupting the command with "^C" or by typing "^G" or the Escape
+key.
+
+The "^R" key switches between the standard multi-substring mode and
+the regexp mode, and "^I" between the case-sensitive and
+case-insensitive modes.
.SH "OPTIONS"
.IP "\fB-h\fP" 10
start with the regexp mode activated
.IP "\fB-a\fP" 10
make the matching case sensitive
+.IP "\fB-q\fP" 10
+make a flash instead of a beep when there is an edition error
+.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-w\fP" 10
+add ^Q between characters during tty injection to quote control characters
.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-x <label separator>\fP" 10
+specify the symbol to separate the label from the rest of the line
.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 the file to search into
+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 -f <(history)
+.B selector -d -i -b -v <(history)
+
+.SH "KEY-BINDING IN BASH"
+
+You can associate selector to a single key in bash by using the
+command 'bind' in your bash initialization file. For instance, to
+associate it to M-r (that is, the "Alt" and "r" key pressed together),
+just add something like
+
+bind '"\\C-[r":"\\C-a\\C-kselector -d -i -b -v <(history)\\C-m"'
+
+in your ~/.bashrc.
+
+Note that depending on the configuration of your system, the sequence
+associated to the M-r key, which is here "C-[r", may differ. To figure
+it out, simply press C-q followed by M-r in the console.
+
+The control character "C-a" puts the cursor to the mostleft location,
+"C-k" erases the current content of the readline buffer, and "C-m"
+simulates the enter key.
.SH "BUGS"
-Probably many.
+There are modeline display problems if the pattern is too long. If a
+line contains control characters, the returned line has been converted
+to printable characters.
.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.
+Written by Francois Fleuret <francois@fleuret.org>, and distributed
+under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
projects / selector.git / blobdiff