I'm using bash completion on my Arch Linux system, and it works great for commands like `unrar`, where tab completion follows a helpful sequence—first completing the command, then showing options, and finally listing `.rar` files in the directory. However, when I try to use tab completion with my custom C program, it only completes the program name and does not provide options or display files with the specific extension needed. What steps do I need to take to configure my program to have a similar completion behavior as `unrar`? I've already explored some `complete` commands, but I'm unsure how to set it up correctly.
3 Answers
Make sure your program is in your PATH; that way, bash can find it and offer completion. If it's correctly located in your PATH, you should still see the command name complete. After that, check that your completion logic is correctly implemented in the function you bind to `complete -F`. If you're doing everything right and still facing issues, there might be something wrong in the function itself.
To set up bash completion for your custom commands, you need to create a completion function and bind it using `complete -F`. This function lets you define how command-line arguments and possible completions are generated. You can find detailed instructions in the GNU Bash Manual on programmable completion. Also, check examples in `/usr/share/bash-completion/completions/` to see how existing commands are set up, since each command might use a unique syntax to generate its completions. You're on the right track!
Thanks for the insights! I saw some results mentioning `complete` but I missed the part about the completion function. I'll definitely check out the examples you suggested.
Have you considered using Fish shell instead? It has built-in smart completion that works out of the box without the need for configuration. It's a lot more user-friendly for these types of tasks. Just a thought!
Yes, my program is in the PATH. That explains why the name gets completed, but I guess the completion logic still needs work.