Re: Feature request for Bash

[Pierre Gaston]

On Mon, Nov 25, 2013 at 6:04 AM, Ryan Campbell Cunningham <
rvskmbrly3@gmail.com> wrote:

> Configuration Information [Automatically generated]:
> Machine: x86_64
> OS: linux-gnu
> Compiler: gcc
> Compilation CFLAGS:  -DPROGRAM='bash' -DCONF_HOSTTYPE='x86_64'
> -DCONF_OSTYPE='linux-gnu' -DCONF_MACHTYPE='x86_64-pc-linux-gnu'
> -DCONF_VENDOR='pc' -DLOCALEDIR='/usr/share/locale' -DPACKAGE='bash'
> -DSHELL -DHAVE_CONFIG_H   -I.  -I../bash -I../bash/include -I../bash/lib
> -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -g -O2 -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4
> -Wformat -Werror=format-security -Wall
> uname output: Linux ryan-MacBook 3.11.0-12-generic #19-Ubuntu SMP Wed Oct
> 9 16:20:46 UTC 2013 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
> Machine Type: x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
>
> Bash Version: 4.2
> Patch Level: 45
> Release Status: release
>
> Description:
>     I would like to request that Bash delete the character
>     immediately preceding a '#', provided the '#'
>
>        * does not begin a new word,
>        * is not included in any quoted string or variable,
>        * is not preceded by a '\', and
>        * is only found in an interactive command line (not
>          in a script* or Bash initialization argument).
>
>     An exception: If the character immediately preceding
>     is also a '#', Bash should skip backward to the previous
>     non-'#' character and delete as much characters as the
>     number of consecutive '#' characters after them in the
>     same word.
>
>     Before enabling this feature, Bash should check if the
>     terminal has support for the Backspace key and/or for
>     the Delete key. If Bash could not find support for
>     either key, then this feature should be enabled and any
>     attempt to disable this feature should be denied. There
>     should also be options to manually enable this feature,
>     if either key is broken but still works, or if both keys
>     are broken but still work. Those options should be
>
>        * to enable the feature through a command line**;
>        * to enable the feature through a "bashrc" or
>          "bash_profile" file, which Bash loads at startup***;
>          and
>        * to enable the feature through a build-time option.
>
>     The build-time options should be to hard-code the feature
>     so it is always enabled****, or to allow the user to enable
>     and disable it*****.
>
>     (The request was inspired by an article in the seventh
>     edition of the UNIX Programmer's Manual. This feature
>     is not required by POSIX, but came from the traditional
>     Bourne shell.)
>
>     *Bash should be able to enable this feature in a script
>     by force (using the --sd-script-force initialization
>     option and the "sd-script-force" "shopt" option).
>
>     **Either through the "shopt" option "sharp-delete" or the
>     initialization command "bash --sharp-delete".
>
>     ***In the same manner as is done on a command line.
>
>     ****Through the "configure" option
>     "--with-sharp-delete-always".
>
>     *****Or to not build it at all, with the option
>     "--without-sharp-delete" or the option "--no-sharp-delete".
>
> There are a lot of details and even an obscure reference, but I don't
understand what you want (something to happen when you press the delete
key?) or why it would be interesting.