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### 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 terminal3. The history is preserved between emacs and IDL sessions. Here is a list of commonly used commands:

`UP`, `M-p` | Cycle backwards in input history
`DOWN`, `M-n` | Cycle forwards in input history
`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 C-a` | Beginning of line; skip prompt
`C-c C-u` | Kill input to beginning of line
`C-c C-w` | Kill word before cursor
`C-c C-c` | Send ^C
`C-c C-z` | Send ^Z
`C-c C-\` | Send ^\
`C-c C-o` | Delete last batch of process output
`C-c C-r` | Show last batch of process output
`C-c C-l` | List input history

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 C-i` | Update routine info from buffers and shell (`idlwave-update-routine-info`)
`C-c C-v` | Find the source file of a routine (`idlwave-find-module`)
`C-c C-t` | Find the source file of a routine in the currently visited 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

### (3)

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`.

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