The GNU Readline library provides a set of functions for use by applications that allow users to edit command lines as they are typed in. Both Emacs and vi editing modes are available. Readline includes a large number of useful features, including:
Readline is used by many command-line applications including bash, gdb, and various scripting languages. It provides a consistent interface for:
This package installs the Readline library and header files, allowing other programs to link against it for command line editing capabilities.
Applications typically link against libreadline to provide interactive command line interfaces. The library handles all the complex details of terminal control, history management, and user input processing.
Readline is released under the GNU General Public License version 3.