lua51-readline

This Lua module offers a simple calling interface to the GNU Readline/History Library. The function readline() is a wrapper, which invokes the GNU readline, adds the line to the end of the History List, and then returns the line. Usually you call save_history() before the program exits, so that the History List is saved to the histfile. Various options can be changed using the set_options{} function. The user can configure the GNU Readline (e.g. vi or emacs keystrokes ?) with their individual ~/.inputrc file, see the INITIALIZATION FILE section of man readline. By default, the GNU readline library dialogues with the user by reading from stdin and writing to stdout; this fits very badly with applications that want to use stdin and stdout to input and output data. Therefore, this Lua module dialogues with the user on the controlling-terminal of the process (typically /dev/tty) as returned by ctermid(). Most of readline's Alternate Interface is now included, namely handler_install, read_char and handler_remove. Some applications need to interleave keyboard I/O with file, device, or window system I/O, typically by using a main loop to select() on various file descriptors. To accommodate this need, readline can also be invoked as a 'callback' function from an event loop, and the Alternate Interface offers functions to do this. The Alternate Interface does offer tab-completion; but it does not add to the history file, so you will probably want to call RL.add_history(s) explicitly. See handler_install() Access to readline's Custom Completion is now provided. This module does not work lua -i because that runs its own readline, and the two conflict with each other.