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This chapter in the Oils Reference describes builtin commands for OSH and YSH.
Append word arguments to a list:
var mylist = :| hello |
append *.py (mylist) # append all Python files
var myflags = []
append -- -c 'echo hi' (myflags) # -- to avoid ambiguity
It's a shortcut for:
:: myflags->append('-c')
:: myflags->append('echo hi')
Pretty prints interpreter state. Some of these are implementation details, subject to change.
Examples:
pp proc # print all procs and their doc comments
var x = :| one two |
pp cell x # print a cell, which is a location for a value
Run a block of code, stopping at the first error (i.e. errexit is enabled).
Set the _status variable to the exit status of the block, and returns 0.
try {
ls /nonexistent
ls | wc -l
diff <(sort left.txt) <(sort right.txt)
var x = 1 / 0
}
if (_status !== 0) {
echo 'error'
}
# Shortcut for a single command
try grep PATTERN FILE.txt
case $_status in
(0) echo 'found' ;;
(1) echo 'not found' ;;
(*) echo "error $_status" ;;
esac
Runs a command and requires the exit code to be 0 or 1.
if boolstatus egrep '[0-9]+' myfile { # may abort
echo 'found' # status 0 means found
} else {
echo 'not found' # status 1 means not found
}
The error builtin raises a fatal error. In YSH, it's customary to use it
instead of return 1:
proc p {
if ! test -d /tmp {
error 'Missing /tmp'
}
}
The error can be caught with try:
try p
if (_status !== 0 {
echo 'failed'
}
By default, it fails with status 1. You can change this with a typed arg:
error 'Missing /tmp' (status=9)
It takes a block:
cd / {
echo $PWD
}
It takes a block:
shopt --unset errexit {
false
echo 'ok'
}
Execute a block with a global variable set.
shvar IFS=/ {
echo "ifs is $IFS"
}
echo "ifs restored to $IFS"
Save global registers like $? on a stack. It's useful for preventing plugins from interfering with user code. Example:
status_42 # returns 42 and sets $?
push-registers { # push a new frame
status_43 # top of stack changed here
echo done
} # stack popped
echo $? # 42, read from new top-of-stack
Current list of registers:
BASH_REMATCH aka _match()
$?
_status set by the try builtin
PIPESTATUS aka _pipeline_status
_process_sub_status
Runs a named proc with the given arguments. It's often useful as the only top level statement in a "task file":
proc p {
echo hi
}
runproc @ARGV
Like 'builtin' and 'command', it affects the lookup of the first word.
Registers a name in the global module dict. Returns 0 if it doesn't exist, or 1 if it does.
Use it like this in executable files:
module main || return 0
And like this in libraries:
module myfile.ysh || return 0
The is-main builtin returns 1 (false) if the current file was executed with
the source builtin.
In the "main" file, including -c or stdin input, it returns 0 (true).
Use it like this:
if is-main {
runproc @ARGV
}
Make declarations about the current file.
For files that contain embedded DSLs:
use dialect ninja # requires that _DIALECT is set to 'ninja'
An accepted declaration that tools can use, but isn't used by Oil:
use bin grep sed
YSH adds buffered, line-oriented I/O to shell's read.
read --line # fills $_reply var with line
read --line (&x) # fills $x (&x is a place)
read --line --with-eol # keep the \n
read --line --qsn # decode QSN too
read --all # whole file including newline, in $_reply
read --all (&x) # fills $x
read -0 # read until NUL, synonym for read -r -d ''
When --qsn is passed, the line is check for an opening single quote. If so, it's decoded as QSN. The line must have a closing single quote, and there can't be any non-whitespace characters after it.
write fixes problems with shell's echo builtin.
The default separator is a newline, and the default terminator is a newline.
Examples:
write -- ale bean # write two lines
write --qsn -- ale bean # QSN encode, guarantees two lines
write -n -- ale bean # synonym for --end '', like echo -n
write --sep '' --end '' -- a b # write 2 bytes
write --sep $'\t' --end $'\n' -- a b # TSV line
The preferred alternative to shell's &.
fork { sleep 1 }
wait -n
The preferred alternative to shell's (). Prefer cd with a block if possible.
forkwait {
not_mutated=zzz
}
echo $not_mutated
Write JSON:
var d = {name: 'bob', age: 42}
json write (d)
Read JSON:
echo hi | json read # fills $_reply by default
Or use an explicit place:
var x = ''
json read (&x) < myfile.txt
TODO: describe
TODO: when
These builtins take input and output. They're often used with redirects.
read FLAG* VAR*
Read a line from stdin, split it into tokens with the $IFS algorithm,
and assign the tokens to the given variables. When no VARs are given,
assign to $REPLY.
Note: When writing Oil, prefer the extensions documented in
oil-read. The read builtin is confusing because -r needs to
be explicitly enabled.
Flags:
-a ARRAY assign the tokens to elements of this array
-d CHAR use DELIM as delimiter, instead of newline
-n NUM read up to NUM characters, respecting delimiters
-p STR print the string PROMPT before reading input
-r raw mode: don't let backslashes escape characters
-s silent: do not echo input coming from a terminal
-t NUM time out and fail after TIME seconds
-t 0 returns whether any input is available
-u FD read from file descriptor FD instead of 0 (stdin)
echo FLAG* ARG*
Prints ARGs to stdout, separated by a space, and terminated by a newline.
Flags:
-e enable interpretation of backslash escapes
-n omit the trailing newline
See char-escapes.
printf FLAG* FMT ARG*
Formats values and prints them. The FMT string contain three types of objects:
\t. See char-escapes.%s that specify how to format each each ARG.If not enough ARGS are passed, the empty string is used. If too many are passed, the FMT string will be "recycled".
Flags:
-v VAR Write output in variable VAR instead of standard output.
Format specifiers:
%% Prints a single "%".
%b Interprets backslash escapes while printing.
%q Prints the argument escaping the characters needed to make it reusable
as shell input.
%d Print as signed decimal number.
%i Same as %d.
%o Print as unsigned octal number.
%u Print as unsigned decimal number.
%x Print as unsigned hexadecimal number with lower-case hex-digits (a-f).
%X Same as %x, but with upper-case hex-digits (A-F).
%f Print as floating point number.
%e Print as a double number, in "±e" format (lower-case e).
%E Same as %e, but with an upper-case E.
%g Interprets the argument as double, but prints it like %f or %e.
%G Same as %g, but print it like %E.
%c Print as a single char, only the first character is printed.
%s Print as string
%n The number of characters printed so far is stored in the variable named
in the argument.
%a Interprets the argument as double, and prints it like a C99 hexadecimal
floating-point literal.
%A Same as %a, but print it like %E.
%(FORMAT)T Prints date and time, according to FORMAT as a format string
for strftime(3). The argument is the number of seconds since
epoch. It can also be -1 (current time, also the default value
if there is no argument) or -2 (shell startup time).
Alias for mapfile.
mapfile FLAG* ARRAY?
Reads lines from stdin into the variable named ARRAY (default
${MAPFILE[@]}).
Flags:
-t Remove the trailing newline from every line
These builtins accept shell code and run it.
source SCRIPT ARG*
Executes SCRIPT with given ARGs in the context of the current shell. It will modify existing variables.
eval ARG+
Creates a string by joining ARGs with a space, then runs it as a shell command.
Example:
# Create the string echo "hello $name" and run it.
a='echo'
b='"hello $name"'
eval $a $b
Tips:
eval is usually unnecessary in Oil code. Using it can confuse code and
user-supplied data, leading to security issues.
Prefer passing single string ARG to eval.
trap FLAG* CMD SIGNAL*
Registers the shell string CMD to be run after the SIGNALs are received. If the CMD is empty, then the signal is ignored.
Flags:
-l Lists all signals and their signal number
-p Prints a list of the installed signal handlers
Tip:
Prefer passing the name of a shell function to trap.
The set and shopt builtins set global shell options. Oil code should use
the more natural shopt.
set FLAG* ARG*
Sets global shell options. Short style:
set -e
Long style:
set -o errexit
Set the arguments array:
set -- 1 2 3
shopt FLAG* OPTION* BLOCK?
Sets global shell options.
Flags:
-s --set Turn the named options on
-u --unset Turn the named options off
-p Print option values
-q Return 0 if the option is true, else 1
Examples:
shopt --set errexit
You can set or unset multiple options with the groups strict:all,
ysh:upgrade, and ysh:all.
If a block is passed, then the mutated options are pushed onto a stack, the block is executed, and then options are restored to their original state.
These 5 builtins deal with the working directory of the shell.
cd FLAG* DIR
Changes the working directory of the current shell process to DIR.
If DIR isn't specified, change to $HOME. If DIR is -, change to $OLDPWD
(a variable that the sets to the previous working directory.)
Flags:
-L Follow symbolic links, i.e. change to the TARGET of the symlink.
(default).
-P Don't follow symbolic links.
pwd FLAG*
Prints the current working directory.
Flags:
-L Follow symbolic links if present (default)
-P Don't follow symbolic links. Print the link instead of the target.
pushd DIR
Add DIR to the directory stack, then change the working directory to DIR.
Typically used with popd and dirs.
popd
Removes a directory from the directory stack, and changes the working directory
to it. Typically used with pushd and dirs.
dirs FLAG*
Shows the contents of the directory stack. Typically used with pushd and
popd.
Flags:
-c Clear the dir stack.
-l Show the dir stack, but with the real path instead of ~.
-p Show the dir stack, but formatted as one line per entry.
-v Like -p, but numbering each line.
These builtins implement Oil's bash-compatible autocompletion system.
Registers completion policies for different commands.
Generates completion candidates inside a user-defined completion function.
It can also be used in scripts, i.e. outside a completion function.
Changes completion options inside a user-defined completion function.
Adjusts COMP_ARGV according to specified delimiters, and optionally set
variables cur, prev, words (an array), and cword. May also set 'split'.
This is an OSH extension that makes it easier to run the bash-completion project.
Complete an entire shell command string. For example,
compexport -c 'echo $H'
will complete variables like $HOME. And
compexport -c 'ha'
will complete builtins like hay, as well as external commands.
These builtins mutate the state of the shell process.
exec BIN_PATH ARG*
Replaces the running shell with the binary specified, which is passed ARGs. BIN_PATH must exist on the file system; i.e. it can't be a shell builtin or function.
umask MODE?
Sets the bit mask that determines the permissions for new files and directories. The mask is subtracted from 666 for files and 777 for directories.
Oil currently supports writing masks in octal.
If no MODE, show the current mask.
times
Shows the user and system time used by the shell and its child processes.
jobs
Shows all jobs running in the shell and their status.
wait FLAG* ARG
Wait for processes to exit.
If the ARG is a PID, wait only for that job, and return its status.
If there's no ARG, wait for all child processes.
Flags:
-n Wait for the next process to exit, rather than a specific process.
Wait can be interrupted by a signal, in which case the exit code indicates the signal number.
fg JOB?
Returns a job running in the background to the foreground. If no JOB is specified, use the latest job.
test OP ARG
test ARG OP ARG
[ OP ARG ] # [ is an alias for test that requires closing ]
[ ARG OP ARG ]
Evaluates a conditional expression and returns 0 (true) or 1 (false).
Note that [ is the name of a builtin, not an operator in the language. Use 'test' to avoid this confusion.
String expressions:
-n STR True if STR is not empty.
'test STR' is usually equivalent, but discouraged.
-z STR True if STR is empty.
STR1 = STR2 True if the strings are equal.
STR1 != STR2 True if the strings are not equal.
STR1 < STR2 True if STR1 sorts before STR2 lexicographically.
STR1 > STR2 True if STR1 sorts after STR2 lexicographically.
Note: < and > should be quoted like \< and \>
File expressions:
-a FILE Synonym for -e.
-b FILE True if FILE is a block special file.
-c FILE True if FILE is a character special file.
-d FILE True if FILE is a directory.
-e FILE True if FILE exists.
-f FILE True if FILE is a regular file.
-g FILE True if FILE has the sgid bit set.
-G FILE True if current user's group is also FILE's group.
-h FILE True if FILE is a symbolic link.
-L FILE True if FILE is a symbolic link.
-k FILE True if FILE has the sticky bit set.
-O FILE True if current user is the file owner.
-p FILE True if FILE is a named pipe (FIFO).
-r FILE True if FILE is readable.
-s FILE True if FILE has size bigger than 0.
-S FILE True if FILE is a socket file.
-t FD True if file descriptor FD is open and refers to a terminal.
-u FILE True if FILE has suid bit set.
-w FILE True if FILE is writable.
-x FILE True if FILE is executable.
FILE1 -nt FILE2 True if FILE1 is newer than FILE2 (mtime).
FILE1 -ot FILE2 True if FILE1 is older than FILE2 (mtime).
FILE1 -ef FILE2 True if FILE1 is a hard link to FILE2.
Arithmetic expressions coerce arguments to integers, then compare:
INT1 -eq INT2 True if they're equal.
INT1 -ne INT2 True if they're not equal.
INT1 -lt INT2 True if INT1 is less than INT2.
INT1 -le INT2 True if INT1 is less or equal than INT2.
INT1 -gt INT2 True if INT1 is greater than INT2.
INT1 -ge INT2 True if INT1 is greater or equal than INT2.
Other expressions:
-o OPTION True if the shell option OPTION is set.
-v VAR True if the variable VAR is set.
The test builtin also supports POSIX conditionals like -a, -o, !, and ( ), but these are discouraged.
Oil supports these long flags:
--dir same as -d
--exists same as -e
--file same as -f
--symlink same as -L
getopts SPEC VAR ARG*
A single iteration of flag parsing. The SPEC is a sequence of flag characters,
with a trailing : to indicate that the flag takes an argument:
ab # accept -a and -b
xy:z # accept -x, -y arg, and -z
The input is "$@" by default, unless ARGs are passed.
On each iteration, the flag character is stored in VAR. If the flag has an
argument, it's stored in $OPTARG. When an error occurs, VAR is set to ?
and $OPTARG is unset.
Returns 0 if a flag is parsed, or 1 on end of input or another error.
Example:
while getopts "ab:" flag; do
case $flag in
a) flag_a=1 ;;
b) flag_b=$OPTARG" ;;
'?') echo 'Invalid Syntax'; break ;;
esac
done
Notes:
$OPTIND is initialized to 1 every time a shell starts, and is used to
maintain state between invocations of getopts.: and ? can't be flags.Unimplemented.
Usage: help TOPIC?
Examples:
help # this help
help echo # help on the 'echo' builtin
help com-sub # help on command sub $(date)
help oils-usage # identical to oils-for-unix --help
help osh-usage # osh --help
help ysh-usage # ysh --help
hash
Display information about remembered commands.
hash FLAG* CMD+
Determine the locations of commands using $PATH, and remember them.
Flag:
-r Discard all remembered locations.
type FLAG* NAME*
Print the type of each NAME. Is it a keyword, shell builtin, shell function, alias, or executable file?
Flags:
-f Don't look for functions
-P Only look for executable files in $PATH
-t Print a single word: alias, builtin, file, function, or keyword
command FLAG* CMD ARG*
Look up CMD as a shell builtin or executable file, and execute it with the given ARGs. That is, the lookup ignores shell functions named CMD.
Flags:
-v Instead of executing CMD, print a description of it.
Similar to the 'type' builtin.
builtin CMD ARG*
Look up CMD as a shell builtin, and execute it with the given ARGs. That is, the lookup ignores shell functions and executables named CMD.
alias NAME=CODE
Make NAME a shortcut for executing CODE, e.g. alias hi='echo hello'.
alias NAME
Show the value of this alias.
alias
Show a list of all aliases.
Tips:
Prefer shell functions like:
ls() {
command ls --color "$@"
}
to aliases like:
alias ls='ls --color'
Functions are less likely to cause parsing problems.
\ls or 'ls' disables alias expansionunalias NAME
Remove the alias NAME.
history FLAG*
Display and manipulate the shell's history entries.
history NUM
Show the last NUM history entries.
Flags:
-c Clears the history.
-d POS Deletes the history entry at position POS.
Bash has this, but OSH won't implement it.