1SCRIPT(1)                        User Commands                       SCRIPT(1)
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NAME

6       script - make typescript of terminal session
7

SYNOPSIS

9       script [options] [file]
10

DESCRIPTION

12       script makes a typescript of everything on your terminal session. The
13       terminal data are stored in raw form to the log file and information
14       about timing to another (optional) structured log file. The timing log
15       file is necessary to replay the session later by scriptreplay(1) and to
16       store additional information about the session.
17
18       Since version 2.35, script supports multiple streams and allows the
19       logging of input and output to separate files or all the one file. This
20       version also supports a new timing file which records additional
21       information. The command scriptreplay --summary then provides all the
22       information.
23
24       If the argument file or option --log-out file is given, script saves
25       the dialogue in this file. If no filename is given, the dialogue is
26       saved in the file typescript.
27
28       Note that logging input using --log-in or --log-io may record
29       security-sensitive information as the log file contains all terminal
30       session input (e.g., passwords) independently of the terminal echo flag
31       setting.
32

OPTIONS

34       Below, the size argument may be followed by the multiplicative suffixes
35       KiB (=1024), MiB (=1024*1024), and so on for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB
36       and YiB (the "iB" is optional, e.g., "K" has the same meaning as
37       "KiB"), or the suffixes KB (=1000), MB (=1000*1000), and so on for GB,
38       TB, PB, EB, ZB and YB.
39
40       -a, --append
41           Append the output to file or to typescript, retaining the prior
42           contents.
43
44       -c, --command command
45           Run the command rather than an interactive shell. This makes it
46           easy for a script to capture the output of a program that behaves
47           differently when its stdout is not a tty.
48
49       -E, --echo when
50           This option controls the ECHO flag for the slave end of the
51           session’s pseudoterminal. The supported modes are always, never, or
52           auto.
53
54           The default is auto — in this case, ECHO enabled for the
55           pseudoterminal slave; if the current standard input is a terminal,
56           ECHO is disabled for it to prevent double echo; if the current
57           standard input is not a terminal (for example pipe: echo date |
58           script) then keeping ECHO enabled for the pseudoterminal slave
59           enables the standard input data to be viewed on screen while being
60           recorded to session log simultaneously.
61
62           Note that 'never' mode affects content of the session output log,
63           because users input is not repeated on output.
64
65       -e, --return
66           Return the exit status of the child process. Uses the same format
67           as bash termination on signal termination (i.e., exit status is 128
68           + the signal number). The exit status of the child process is
69           always stored in the type script file too.
70
71       -f, --flush
72           Flush output after each write. This is nice for telecooperation:
73           one person does mkfifo foo; script -f foo, and another can
74           supervise in real-time what is being done using cat foo. Note that
75           flush has an impact on performance; it’s possible to use SIGUSR1 to
76           flush logs on demand.
77
78       --force
79           Allow the default output file typescript to be a hard or symbolic
80           link. The command will follow a symbolic link.
81
82       -B, --log-io file
83           Log input and output to the same file. Note, this option makes
84           sense only if --log-timing is also specified, otherwise it’s
85           impossible to separate output and input streams from the log file.
86
87       -I, --log-in file
88           Log input to the file. The log output is disabled if only --log-in
89           specified.
90
91           Use this logging functionality carefully as it logs all input,
92           including input when terminal has disabled echo flag (for example,
93           password inputs).
94
95       -O, --log-out file
96           Log output to the file. The default is to log output to the file
97           with name typescript if the option --log-out or --log-in is not
98           given. The log output is disabled if only --log-in specified.
99
100       -T, --log-timing file
101           Log timing information to the file. Two timing file formats are
102           supported now. The classic format is used when only one stream
103           (input or output) logging is enabled. The multi-stream format is
104           used on --log-io or when --log-in and --log-out are used together.
105           See also --logging-format.
106
107       -m, --logging-format format
108           Force use of advanced or classic format. The default is the classic
109           format to log only output and the advanced format when input as
110           well as output logging is requested.
111
112           Classic format
113               The log contains two fields, separated by a space. The first
114               field indicates how much time elapsed since the previous
115               output. The second field indicates how many characters were
116               output this time.
117
118           Advanced (multi-stream) format
119               The first field is an entry type identifier ('I’nput, 'O’utput,
120               'H’eader, 'S’ignal). The second field is how much time elapsed
121               since the previous entry, and the rest of the entry is
122               type-specific data.
123
124       -o, --output-limit size
125           Limit the size of the typescript and timing files to size and stop
126           the child process after this size is exceeded. The calculated file
127           size does not include the start and done messages that the script
128           command prepends and appends to the child process output. Due to
129           buffering, the resulting output file might be larger than the
130           specified value.
131
132       -q, --quiet
133           Be quiet (do not write start and done messages to standard output).
134
135       -t[file], --timing[=file]
136           Output timing data to standard error, or to file when given. This
137           option is deprecated in favour of --log-timing where the file
138           argument is not optional.
139
140       -h, --help
141           Display help text and exit.
142
143       -V, --version
144           Print version and exit.
145

SIGNALS

147       Upon receiving SIGUSR1, script immediately flushes the output files.
148

ENVIRONMENT

150       The following environment variable is utilized by script:
151
152       SHELL
153           If the variable SHELL exists, the shell forked by script will be
154           that shell. If SHELL is not set, the Bourne shell is assumed. (Most
155           shells set this variable automatically).
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NOTES

158       The script ends when the forked shell exits (a control-D for the Bourne
159       shell (sh(1p)), and exit, logout or control-d (if ignoreeof is not set)
160       for the C-shell, csh(1)).
161
162       Certain interactive commands, such as vi(1), create garbage in the
163       typescript file. script works best with commands that do not manipulate
164       the screen, the results are meant to emulate a hardcopy terminal.
165
166       It is not recommended to run script in non-interactive shells. The
167       inner shell of script is always interactive, and this could lead to
168       unexpected results. If you use script in the shell initialization file,
169       you have to avoid entering an infinite loop. You can use for example
170       the .profile file, which is read by login shells only:
171
172           if test -t 0 ; then
173               script
174               exit
175           fi
176
177       You should also avoid use of script in command pipes, as script can
178       read more input than you would expect.
179

HISTORY

181       The script command appeared in 3.0BSD.
182

BUGS

184       script places everything in the log file, including linefeeds and
185       backspaces. This is not what the naive user expects.
186
187       script is primarily designed for interactive terminal sessions. When
188       stdin is not a terminal (for example: echo foo | script), then the
189       session can hang, because the interactive shell within the script
190       session misses EOF and script has no clue when to close the session.
191       See the NOTES section for more information.
192

SEE ALSO

194       csh(1) (for the history mechanism), scriptreplay(1), scriptlive(1)
195

REPORTING BUGS

197       For bug reports, use the issue tracker at
198       https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/issues.
199

AVAILABILITY

201       The script command is part of the util-linux package which can be
202       downloaded from Linux Kernel Archive
203       <https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux/>.
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207util-linux 2.38                   2022-02-17                         SCRIPT(1)
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