Info Catalog bash: Using History Interactively bash: Bash History Builtins

bash: Bash History Facilities

 
 9.1 Bash History Facilities
 ===========================
 
 When the '-o history' option to the 'set' builtin is enabled (The
 Set Builtin), the shell provides access to the "command history", the
 list of commands previously typed.  The value of the 'HISTSIZE' shell
 variable is used as the number of commands to save in a history list.
 The text of the last '$HISTSIZE' commands (default 500) is saved.  The
 shell stores each command in the history list prior to parameter and
 variable expansion but after history expansion is performed, subject to
 the values of the shell variables 'HISTIGNORE' and 'HISTCONTROL'.
 
    When the shell starts up, the history is initialized from the file
 named by the 'HISTFILE' variable (default '~/.bash_history').  The file
 named by the value of 'HISTFILE' is truncated, if necessary, to contain
 no more than the number of lines specified by the value of the
 'HISTFILESIZE' variable.  When a shell with history enabled exits, the
 last '$HISTSIZE' lines are copied from the history list to the file
 named by '$HISTFILE'.  If the 'histappend' shell option is set (
 Bash Builtins), the lines are appended to the history file, otherwise
 the history file is overwritten.  If 'HISTFILE' is unset, or if the
 history file is unwritable, the history is not saved.  After saving the
 history, the history file is truncated to contain no more than
 '$HISTFILESIZE' lines.  If 'HISTFILESIZE' is unset, or set to null, a
 non-numeric value, or a numeric value less than zero, the history file
 is not truncated.
 
    If the 'HISTTIMEFORMAT' is set, the time stamp information associated
 with each history entry is written to the history file, marked with the
 history comment character.  When the history file is read, lines
 beginning with the history comment character followed immediately by a
 digit are interpreted as timestamps for the following history entry.
 
    The builtin command 'fc' may be used to list or edit and re-execute a
 portion of the history list.  The 'history' builtin may be used to
 display or modify the history list and manipulate the history file.
 When using command-line editing, search commands are available in each
 editing mode that provide access to the history list (Commands For
 History).
 
    The shell allows control over which commands are saved on the history
 list.  The 'HISTCONTROL' and 'HISTIGNORE' variables may be set to cause
 the shell to save only a subset of the commands entered.  The 'cmdhist'
 shell option, if enabled, causes the shell to attempt to save each line
 of a multi-line command in the same history entry, adding semicolons
 where necessary to preserve syntactic correctness.  The 'lithist' shell
 option causes the shell to save the command with embedded newlines
 instead of semicolons.  The 'shopt' builtin is used to set these
 options.  Bash Builtins, for a description of 'shopt'.
 

Info Catalog bash: Using History Interactively bash: Bash History Builtins