Learn: Shell
The min executable also provide an interactive REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop) when launched with no arguments:
$ min [/Users/h3rald/Development/min]$
Although not as advanced, the min REPL is not dissimilar from an OS system shell like Bash, and as a matter of fact, it provides many functionalities that are found in other shells or command prompts, such as:
- Auto-completion
- Persistent line history
- A customizable prompt
- Access to environment variables
…plus in can obviously leverage the entire min language for complex scripting.
Autocompletion and shortcuts
The min shell features smart tab autocompletion and keyboard shortcut implemented using the minline library.
The following behaviors are implemented when pressing the TAB key within:
| Context | Result |
|---|---|
| …a string | Auto-completes the current word using file and directory names. |
| …a word starting with $ | Auto-completes the current word using environment variable names. |
| …a word starting with ', @, (, ? | Auto-completes the current word using symbol names. |
| …a word ending with . | If the current word is a valid dictionary or module, auto-completes any symbol defined in the dictionary or module. |
Additionally, the following common shortcuts are also available:
| Key | Effect |
|---|---|
| INSERT | Switches between insert and replace mode. |
| UP | Displays the previous history entry. |
| DOWN | Displays the next history entry. |
| CTRL+d | Terminates the min shell. |
| CTRL+u | Clears the current line. |
| CTRL+b | Goes to the beginning of the line. |
| CTRL+e | Goes to the end of the line. |
Tip
If you want, you can define your own keyboard shortcuts using the io.mapkey operator.
Shell configuration files
When the min interpreter is first launched, the following files are created automatically in the $HOME directory (%USERPROFILE% on Windows).
.minrc
This file is interpreted first every time min is run. By default it is empty, but it can be used to define code to execute at startup.
.min_history
This file is used to persist all commands entered in the min shell, and it is loaded in memory at startup to provide line history support.
.min_symbols
This files contains all symbol definitions in JSON format that were previously-saved using the save-symbol symbol. Symbols can be loaded using the load-symbol symbol.
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