idlwave: Using the Shell
5.2 Using the Shell
===================
The IDLWAVE shell works in the same fashion as other shell modes in
Emacs. It provides command history, command line editing and job
control. The <UP> and <DOWN> arrows cycle through the input history
just like in an X terminal(1). The history is preserved between emacs
and IDL sessions. Here is a list of commonly used commands:
<UP>, Cycle backwards in input history
<M-p>
<DOWN>, Cycle forwards in input history
<M-n>
‘M-r’ Previous input matching a regexp
‘M-s’ Next input matching a regexp
‘return’ Send input or copy line to current prompt
‘C-c Beginning of line; skip prompt
C-a’
‘C-c Kill input to beginning of line
C-u’
‘C-c Kill word before cursor
C-w’
‘C-c Send ^C
C-c’
‘C-c Send ^Z
C-z’
‘C-c Send ^\
C-\’
‘C-c Delete last batch of process output
C-o’
‘C-c Show last batch of process output
C-r’
‘C-c List input history
C-l’
In addition to these standard ‘comint’ commands, ‘idlwave-shell-mode’
provides many of the same commands which simplify writing IDL code
available in IDLWAVE buffers. This includes abbreviations, online help,
and completion. See 
Routine Info and Online Help and
Completion for more information on these commands.
‘<TAB>’ Completion of file names (between quotes and after executive
commands ‘.run’ and ‘.compile’), routine names, class names,
keywords, system variables, system variable tags etc.
(‘idlwave-shell-complete’).
‘M-<TAB>’ Same as <TAB>
‘C-c ?’ Routine Info display (‘idlwave-routine-info’)
‘M-?’ IDL online help on routine
(‘idlwave-routine-info-from-idlhelp’)
‘C-c Update routine info from buffers and shell
C-i’ (‘idlwave-update-routine-info’)
‘C-c Find the source file of a routine (‘idlwave-find-module’)
C-v’
‘C-c Find the source file of a routine in the currently visited
C-t’ file (‘idlwave-find-module-this-file’).
‘C-c =’ Compile a library routine (‘idlwave-resolve’)
-- User Option: idlwave-shell-arrows-do-history (‘t’)
Non-‘nil’ means <UP> and <DOWN> arrows move through command history
like xterm.
-- User Option: idlwave-shell-comint-settings
Alist of special settings for the comint variables in the IDLWAVE
Shell.
-- User Option: idlwave-shell-file-name-chars
The characters allowed in file names, as a string. Used for file
name completion.
-- User Option: idlwave-shell-graphics-window-size
Size of IDL graphics windows popped up by special IDLWAVE command.
IDLWAVE works in line input mode: You compose a full command line,
using all the power Emacs gives you to do this. When you press <RET>,
the whole line is sent to IDL. Sometimes it is necessary to send single
characters (without a newline), for example when an IDL program is
waiting for single character input with the ‘GET_KBRD’ function. You
can send a single character to IDL with the command ‘C-c C-x’
(‘idlwave-shell-send-char’). When you press ‘C-c C-y’
(‘idlwave-shell-char-mode-loop’), IDLWAVE runs a blocking loop which
accepts characters and immediately sends them to IDL. The loop can be
exited with ‘C-g’. It terminates also automatically when the current
IDL command is finished. Check the documentation of the two variables
described below for a way to make IDL programs trigger automatic
switches of the input mode.
-- User Option: idlwave-shell-use-input-mode-magic (‘nil’)
Non-‘nil’ means IDLWAVE should check for input mode spells in
output.
-- User Option: idlwave-shell-input-mode-spells
The three regular expressions which match the magic spells for
input modes.
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) This is different from normal Emacs/Comint behavior, but more
like an xterm. If you prefer the default comint functionality, check
the variable ‘idlwave-shell-arrows-do-history’.
Info Catalog
idlwave: Starting the Shell
idlwave: The IDLWAVE Shell
idlwave: Commands Sent to the Shell