1ZSHOPTIONS(1) General Commands Manual ZSHOPTIONS(1)
2
6 zshoptions - zsh options
7
9 Options are primarily referred to by name. These names are case insen‐
10 sitive and underscores are ignored. For example, `allexport' is equiv‐
11 alent to `A__lleXP_ort'.
12 The sense of an option name may be inverted by preceding it with `no',
14 so `setopt No_Beep' is equivalent to `unsetopt beep'. This inversion
15 can only be done once, so `nonobeep' is not a synonym for `beep'. Sim‐
16 ilarly, `tify' is not a synonym for `nonotify' (the inversion of
17 `notify').
18 Some options also have one or more single letter names. There are two
20 sets of single letter options: one used by default, and another used to
21 emulate sh/ksh (used when the SH_OPTION_LETTERS option is set). The
22 single letter options can be used on the shell command line, or with
23 the set, setopt and unsetopt builtins, as normal Unix options preceded
24 by `-'.
25 The sense of the single letter options may be inverted by using `+'
27 instead of `-'. Some of the single letter option names refer to an
28 option being off, in which case the inversion of that name refers to
29 the option being on. For example, `+n' is the short name of `exec',
30 and `-n' is the short name of its inversion, `noexec'.
31 In strings of single letter options supplied to the shell at startup,
33 trailing whitespace will be ignored; for example the string `-f '
34 will be treated just as `-f', but the string `-f i' is an error. This
35 is because many systems which implement the `#!' mechanism for calling
36 scripts do not strip trailing whitespace.
37
39 In the following list, options set by default in all emulations are
40 marked <D>; those set by default only in csh, ksh, sh, or zsh emula‐
41 tions are marked <C>, <K>, <S>, <Z> as appropriate. When listing
42 options (by `setopt', `unsetopt', `set -o' or `set +o'), those turned
43 on by default appear in the list prefixed with `no'. Hence (unless
44 KSH_OPTION_PRINT is set), `setopt' shows all options whose settings are
45 changed from the default.
46 Changing Directories
48 AUTO_CD (-J)
49 If a command is issued that can't be executed as a normal com‐
50 mand, and the command is the name of a directory, perform the cd
51 command to that directory. This option is only applicable if
52 the option SHIN_STDIN is set, i.e. if commands are being read
53 from standard input. The option is designed for interactive
54 use; it is recommended that cd be used explicitly in scripts to
55 avoid ambiguity.
56 AUTO_PUSHD (-N)
58 Make cd push the old directory onto the directory stack.
59 CDABLE_VARS (-T)
61 If the argument to a cd command (or an implied cd with the
62 AUTO_CD option set) is not a directory, and does not begin with
63 a slash, try to expand the expression as if it were preceded by
64 a `~' (see the section `Filename Expansion').
65 CHASE_DOTS
67 When changing to a directory containing a path segment `..'
68 which would otherwise be treated as canceling the previous seg‐
69 ment in the path (in other words, `foo/..' would be removed from
70 the path, or if `..' is the first part of the path, the last
71 part of the current working directory would be removed), instead
72 resolve the path to the physical directory. This option is
73 overridden by CHASE_LINKS.
74 For example, suppose /foo/bar is a link to the directory
76 /alt/rod. Without this option set, `cd /foo/bar/..' changes to
77 /foo; with it set, it changes to /alt. The same applies if the
78 current directory is /foo/bar and `cd ..' is used. Note that
79 all other symbolic links in the path will also be resolved.
80 CHASE_LINKS (-w)
82 Resolve symbolic links to their true values when changing direc‐
83 tory. This also has the effect of CHASE_DOTS, i.e. a `..' path
84 segment will be treated as referring to the physical parent,
85 even if the preceding path segment is a symbolic link.
86 POSIX_CD <K> <S>
88 Modifies the behaviour of cd, chdir and pushd commands to make
89 them more compatible with the POSIX standard. The behaviour with
90 the option unset is described in the documentation for the cd
91 builtin in zshbuiltins(1). If the option is set, the shell does
92 not test for directories beneath the local directory (`.') until
93 after all directories in cdpath have been tested.
94 Also, if the option is set, the conditions under which the shell
96 prints the new directory after changing to it are modified. It
97 is no longer restricted to interactive shells (although printing
98 of the directory stack with pushd is still limited to interac‐
99 tive shells); and any use of a component of CDPATH, including a
100 `.' but excluding an empty component that is otherwise treated
101 as `.', causes the directory to be printed.
102 PUSHD_IGNORE_DUPS
104 Don't push multiple copies of the same directory onto the direc‐
105 tory stack.
106 PUSHD_MINUS
108 Exchanges the meanings of `+' and `-' when used with a number to
109 specify a directory in the stack.
110 PUSHD_SILENT (-E)
112 Do not print the directory stack after pushd or popd.
113 PUSHD_TO_HOME (-D)
115 Have pushd with no arguments act like `pushd $HOME'.
116 Completion
118 ALWAYS_LAST_PROMPT <D>
119 If unset, key functions that list completions try to return to
120 the last prompt if given a numeric argument. If set these func‐
121 tions try to return to the last prompt if given no numeric argu‐
122 ment.
123 ALWAYS_TO_END
125 If a completion is performed with the cursor within a word, and
126 a full completion is inserted, the cursor is moved to the end of
127 the word. That is, the cursor is moved to the end of the word
128 if either a single match is inserted or menu completion is per‐
129 formed.
130 AUTO_LIST (-9) <D>
132 Automatically list choices on an ambiguous completion.
133 AUTO_MENU <D>
135 Automatically use menu completion after the second consecutive
136 request for completion, for example by pressing the tab key
137 repeatedly. This option is overridden by MENU_COMPLETE.
138 AUTO_NAME_DIRS
140 Any parameter that is set to the absolute name of a directory
141 immediately becomes a name for that directory, that will be used
142 by the `%~' and related prompt sequences, and will be available
143 when completion is performed on a word starting with `~'. (Oth‐
144 erwise, the parameter must be used in the form `~param' first.)
145 AUTO_PARAM_KEYS <D>
147 If a parameter name was completed and a following character
148 (normally a space) automatically inserted, and the next charac‐
149 ter typed is one of those that have to come directly after the
150 name (like `}', `:', etc.), the automatically added character is
151 deleted, so that the character typed comes immediately after the
152 parameter name. Completion in a brace expansion is affected
153 similarly: the added character is a `,', which will be removed
154 if `}' is typed next.
155 AUTO_PARAM_SLASH <D>
157 If a parameter is completed whose content is the name of a
158 directory, then add a trailing slash instead of a space.
159 AUTO_REMOVE_SLASH <D>
161 When the last character resulting from a completion is a slash
162 and the next character typed is a word delimiter, a slash, or a
163 character that ends a command (such as a semicolon or an amper‐
164 sand), remove the slash.
165 BASH_AUTO_LIST
167 On an ambiguous completion, automatically list choices when the
168 completion function is called twice in succession. This takes
169 precedence over AUTO_LIST. The setting of LIST_AMBIGUOUS is
170 respected. If AUTO_MENU is set, the menu behaviour will then
171 start with the third press. Note that this will not work with
172 MENU_COMPLETE, since repeated completion calls immediately cycle
173 through the list in that case.
174 COMPLETE_ALIASES
176 Prevents aliases on the command line from being internally sub‐
177 stituted before completion is attempted. The effect is to make
178 the alias a distinct command for completion purposes.
179 COMPLETE_IN_WORD
181 If unset, the cursor is set to the end of the word if completion
182 is started. Otherwise it stays there and completion is done from
183 both ends.
184 GLOB_COMPLETE
186 When the current word has a glob pattern, do not insert all the
187 words resulting from the expansion but generate matches as for
188 completion and cycle through them like MENU_COMPLETE. The
189 matches are generated as if a `*' was added to the end of the
190 word, or inserted at the cursor when COMPLETE_IN_WORD is set.
191 This actually uses pattern matching, not globbing, so it works
192 not only for files but for any completion, such as options, user
193 names, etc.
194 Note that when the pattern matcher is used, matching control
196 (for example, case-insensitive or anchored matching) cannot be
197 used. This limitation only applies when the current word con‐
198 tains a pattern; simply turning on the GLOB_COMPLETE option does
199 not have this effect.
200 HASH_LIST_ALL <D>
202 Whenever a command completion or spelling correction is
203 attempted, make sure the entire command path is hashed first.
204 This makes the first completion slower but avoids false reports
205 of spelling errors.
206 LIST_AMBIGUOUS <D>
208 This option works when AUTO_LIST or BASH_AUTO_LIST is also set.
209 If there is an unambiguous prefix to insert on the command line,
210 that is done without a completion list being displayed; in other
211 words, auto-listing behaviour only takes place when nothing
212 would be inserted. In the case of BASH_AUTO_LIST, this means
213 that the list will be delayed to the third call of the function.
214 LIST_BEEP <D>
216 Beep on an ambiguous completion. More accurately, this forces
217 the completion widgets to return status 1 on an ambiguous com‐
218 pletion, which causes the shell to beep if the option BEEP is
219 also set; this may be modified if completion is called from a
220 user-defined widget.
221 LIST_PACKED
223 Try to make the completion list smaller (occupying less lines)
224 by printing the matches in columns with different widths.
225 LIST_ROWS_FIRST
227 Lay out the matches in completion lists sorted horizontally,
228 that is, the second match is to the right of the first one, not
229 under it as usual.
230 LIST_TYPES (-X) <D>
232 When listing files that are possible completions, show the type
233 of each file with a trailing identifying mark.
234 MENU_COMPLETE (-Y)
236 On an ambiguous completion, instead of listing possibilities or
237 beeping, insert the first match immediately. Then when comple‐
238 tion is requested again, remove the first match and insert the
239 second match, etc. When there are no more matches, go back to
240 the first one again. reverse-menu-complete may be used to loop
241 through the list in the other direction. This option overrides
242 AUTO_MENU.
243 REC_EXACT (-S)
245 If the string on the command line exactly matches one of the
246 possible completions, it is accepted, even if there is another
247 completion (i.e. that string with something else added) that
248 also matches.
249 Expansion and Globbing
251 BAD_PATTERN (+2) <C> <Z>
252 If a pattern for filename generation is badly formed, print an
253 error message. (If this option is unset, the pattern will be
254 left unchanged.)
255 BARE_GLOB_QUAL <Z>
257 In a glob pattern, treat a trailing set of parentheses as a
258 qualifier list, if it contains no `|', `(' or (if special) `~'
259 characters. See the section `Filename Generation'.
260 BRACE_CCL
262 Expand expressions in braces which would not otherwise undergo
263 brace expansion to a lexically ordered list of all the charac‐
264 ters. See the section `Brace Expansion'.
265 CASE_GLOB <D>
267 Make globbing (filename generation) sensitive to case. Note
268 that other uses of patterns are always sensitive to case. If
269 the option is unset, the presence of any character which is spe‐
270 cial to filename generation will cause case-insensitive match‐
271 ing. For example, cvs(/) can match the directory CVS owing to
272 the presence of the globbing flag (unless the option
273 BARE_GLOB_QUAL is unset).
274 CASE_MATCH <D>
276 Make regular expressions using the zsh/regex module (including
277 matches with =~) sensitive to case.
278 CSH_NULL_GLOB <C>
280 If a pattern for filename generation has no matches, delete the
281 pattern from the argument list; do not report an error unless
282 all the patterns in a command have no matches. Overrides
283 NOMATCH.
284 EQUALS <Z>
286 Perform = filename expansion. (See the section `Filename Expan‐
287 sion'.)
288 EXTENDED_GLOB
290 Treat the `#', `~' and `^' characters as part of patterns for
291 filename generation, etc. (An initial unquoted `~' always pro‐
292 duces named directory expansion.)
293 FORCE_FLOAT
295 Constants in arithmetic evaluation will be treated as floating
296 point even without the use of a decimal point; the values of
297 integer variables will be converted to floating point when used
298 in arithmetic expressions. Integers in any base will be con‐
299 verted.
300 GLOB (+F, ksh: +f) <D>
302 Perform filename generation (globbing). (See the section `File‐
303 name Generation'.)
304 GLOB_ASSIGN <C>
306 If this option is set, filename generation (globbing) is per‐
307 formed on the right hand side of scalar parameter assignments of
308 the form `name=pattern (e.g. `foo=*'). If the result has more
309 than one word the parameter will become an array with those
310 words as arguments. This option is provided for backwards com‐
311 patibility only: globbing is always performed on the right hand
312 side of array assignments of the form `name=(value)' (e.g.
313 `foo=(*)') and this form is recommended for clarity; with this
314 option set, it is not possible to predict whether the result
315 will be an array or a scalar.
316 GLOB_DOTS (-4)
318 Do not require a leading `.' in a filename to be matched explic‐
319 itly.
320 GLOB_STAR_SHORT
322 When this option is set and the default zsh-style globbing is in
323 effect, the pattern `**/*' can be abbreviated to `**' and the
324 pattern `***/*' can be abbreviated to ***. Hence `**.c' finds a
325 file ending in .c in any subdirectory, and `***.c' does the same
326 while also following symbolic links. A / immediately after the
327 `**' or `***' forces the pattern to be treated as the unabbrevi‐
328 ated form.
329 GLOB_SUBST <C> <K> <S>
331 Treat any characters resulting from parameter expansion as being
332 eligible for filename expansion and filename generation, and any
333 characters resulting from command substitution as being eligible
334 for filename generation. Braces (and commas in between) do not
335 become eligible for expansion.
336 HIST_SUBST_PATTERN
338 Substitutions using the :s and :& history modifiers are per‐
339 formed with pattern matching instead of string matching. This
340 occurs wherever history modifiers are valid, including glob
341 qualifiers and parameters. See the section Modifiers in zsh‐
342 expn(1).
343 IGNORE_BRACES (-I) <S>
345 Do not perform brace expansion. For historical reasons this
346 also includes the effect of the IGNORE_CLOSE_BRACES option.
347 IGNORE_CLOSE_BRACES
349 When neither this option nor IGNORE_BRACES is set, a sole close
350 brace character `}' is syntactically significant at any point on
351 a command line. This has the effect that no semicolon or new‐
352 line is necessary before the brace terminating a function or
353 current shell construct. When either option is set, a closing
354 brace is syntactically significant only in command position.
355 Unlike IGNORE_BRACES, this option does not disable brace expan‐
356 sion.
357 For example, with both options unset a function may be defined
359 in the following fashion:
360 args() { echo $# }
362 while if either option is set, this does not work and something
364 equivalent to the following is required:
365 args() { echo $#; }
367 KSH_GLOB <K>
369 In pattern matching, the interpretation of parentheses is
370 affected by a preceding `@', `*', `+', `?' or `!'. See the sec‐
371 tion `Filename Generation'.
372 MAGIC_EQUAL_SUBST
374 All unquoted arguments of the form `anything=expression' appear‐
375 ing after the command name have filename expansion (that is,
376 where expression has a leading `~' or `=') performed on expres‐
377 sion as if it were a parameter assignment. The argument is not
378 otherwise treated specially; it is passed to the command as a
379 single argument, and not used as an actual parameter assignment.
380 For example, in echo foo=~/bar:~/rod, both occurrences of ~
381 would be replaced. Note that this happens anyway with typeset
382 and similar statements.
383 This option respects the setting of the KSH_TYPESET option. In
385 other words, if both options are in effect, arguments looking
386 like assignments will not undergo word splitting.
387 MARK_DIRS (-8, ksh: -X)
389 Append a trailing `/' to all directory names resulting from
390 filename generation (globbing).
391 MULTIBYTE <D>
393 Respect multibyte characters when found in strings. When this
394 option is set, strings are examined using the system library to
395 determine how many bytes form a character, depending on the cur‐
396 rent locale. This affects the way characters are counted in
397 pattern matching, parameter values and various delimiters.
398 The option is on by default if the shell was compiled with
400 MULTIBYTE_SUPPORT; otherwise it is off by default and has no
401 effect if turned on.
402 If the option is off a single byte is always treated as a single
404 character. This setting is designed purely for examining
405 strings known to contain raw bytes or other values that may not
406 be characters in the current locale. It is not necessary to
407 unset the option merely because the character set for the cur‐
408 rent locale does not contain multibyte characters.
409 The option does not affect the shell's editor, which always
411 uses the locale to determine multibyte characters. This is
412 because the character set displayed by the terminal emulator is
413 independent of shell settings.
414 NOMATCH (+3) <C> <Z>
416 If a pattern for filename generation has no matches, print an
417 error, instead of leaving it unchanged in the argument list.
418 This also applies to file expansion of an initial `~' or `='.
419 NULL_GLOB (-G)
421 If a pattern for filename generation has no matches, delete the
422 pattern from the argument list instead of reporting an error.
423 Overrides NOMATCH.
424 NUMERIC_GLOB_SORT
426 If numeric filenames are matched by a filename generation pat‐
427 tern, sort the filenames numerically rather than lexicographi‐
428 cally.
429 RC_EXPAND_PARAM (-P)
431 Array expansions of the form `foo${xx}bar', where the parameter
432 xx is set to (a b c), are substituted with `fooabar foobbar
433 foocbar' instead of the default `fooa b cbar'. Note that an
434 empty array will therefore cause all arguments to be removed.
435 REMATCH_PCRE
437 If set, regular expression matching with the =~ operator will
438 use Perl-Compatible Regular Expressions from the PCRE library.
439 (The zsh/pcre module must be available.) If not set, regular
440 expressions will use the extended regexp syntax provided by the
441 system libraries.
442 SH_GLOB <K> <S>
444 Disables the special meaning of `(', `|', `)' and '<' for glob‐
445 bing the result of parameter and command substitutions, and in
446 some other places where the shell accepts patterns. If SH_GLOB
447 is set but KSH_GLOB is not, the shell allows the interpretation
448 of subshell expressions enclosed in parentheses in some cases
449 where there is no space before the opening parenthesis, e.g.
450 !(true) is interpreted as if there were a space after the !.
451 This option is set by default if zsh is invoked as sh or ksh.
452 UNSET (+u, ksh: +u) <K> <S> <Z>
454 Treat unset parameters as if they were empty when substituting.
455 Otherwise they are treated as an error.
456 WARN_CREATE_GLOBAL
458 Print a warning message when a global parameter is created in a
459 function by an assignment or in math context. This often indi‐
460 cates that a parameter has not been declared local when it
461 should have been. Parameters explicitly declared global from
462 within a function using typeset -g do not cause a warning. Note
463 that there is no warning when a local parameter is assigned to
464 in a nested function, which may also indicate an error.
465 WARN_NESTED_VAR
467 Print a warning message when an existing parameter from an
468 enclosing function scope, or global, is set in a function by an
469 assignment or in math context. Assignment to shell special
470 parameters does not cause a warning. This is the companion to
471 WARN_CREATE_GLOBAL as in this case the warning is only printed
472 when a parameter is not created. Where possible, use of typeset
473 -g to set the parameter suppresses the error, but note that this
474 needs to be used every time the parameter is set. To restrict
475 the effect of this option to a single function scope, use `func‐
476 tions -W'.
477 For example, the following code produces a warning for the
479 assignment inside the function nested as that overrides the
480 value within toplevel
481 toplevel() {
483 local foo="in fn"
484 nested
485 }
486 nested() {
487 foo="in nested"
488 }
489 setopt warn_nested_var
490 toplevel
491 History
493 APPEND_HISTORY <D>
494 If this is set, zsh sessions will append their history list to
495 the history file, rather than replace it. Thus, multiple paral‐
496 lel zsh sessions will all have the new entries from their his‐
497 tory lists added to the history file, in the order that they
498 exit. The file will still be periodically re-written to trim it
499 when the number of lines grows 20% beyond the value specified by
500 $SAVEHIST (see also the HIST_SAVE_BY_COPY option).
501 BANG_HIST (+K) <C> <Z>
503 Perform textual history expansion, csh-style, treating the char‐
504 acter `!' specially.
505 EXTENDED_HISTORY <C>
507 Save each command's beginning timestamp (in seconds since the
508 epoch) and the duration (in seconds) to the history file. The
509 format of this prefixed data is:
510 `: <beginning time>:<elapsed seconds>;<command>'.
512 HIST_ALLOW_CLOBBER
514 Add `|' to output redirections in the history. This allows his‐
515 tory references to clobber files even when CLOBBER is unset.
516 HIST_BEEP <D>
518 Beep in ZLE when a widget attempts to access a history entry
519 which isn't there.
520 HIST_EXPIRE_DUPS_FIRST
522 If the internal history needs to be trimmed to add the current
523 command line, setting this option will cause the oldest history
524 event that has a duplicate to be lost before losing a unique
525 event from the list. You should be sure to set the value of
526 HISTSIZE to a larger number than SAVEHIST in order to give you
527 some room for the duplicated events, otherwise this option will
528 behave just like HIST_IGNORE_ALL_DUPS once the history fills up
529 with unique events.
530 HIST_FCNTL_LOCK
532 When writing out the history file, by default zsh uses ad-hoc
533 file locking to avoid known problems with locking on some oper‐
534 ating systems. With this option locking is done by means of the
535 system's fcntl call, where this method is available. On recent
536 operating systems this may provide better performance, in par‐
537 ticular avoiding history corruption when files are stored on
538 NFS.
539 HIST_FIND_NO_DUPS
541 When searching for history entries in the line editor, do not
542 display duplicates of a line previously found, even if the
543 duplicates are not contiguous.
544 HIST_IGNORE_ALL_DUPS
546 If a new command line being added to the history list duplicates
547 an older one, the older command is removed from the list (even
548 if it is not the previous event).
549 HIST_IGNORE_DUPS (-h)
551 Do not enter command lines into the history list if they are
552 duplicates of the previous event.
553 HIST_IGNORE_SPACE (-g)
555 Remove command lines from the history list when the first char‐
556 acter on the line is a space, or when one of the expanded
557 aliases contains a leading space. Only normal aliases (not
558 global or suffix aliases) have this behaviour. Note that the
559 command lingers in the internal history until the next command
560 is entered before it vanishes, allowing you to briefly reuse or
561 edit the line. If you want to make it vanish right away without
562 entering another command, type a space and press return.
563 HIST_LEX_WORDS
565 By default, shell history that is read in from files is split
566 into words on all white space. This means that arguments with
567 quoted whitespace are not correctly handled, with the conse‐
568 quence that references to words in history lines that have been
569 read from a file may be inaccurate. When this option is set,
570 words read in from a history file are divided up in a similar
571 fashion to normal shell command line handling. Although this
572 produces more accurately delimited words, if the size of the
573 history file is large this can be slow. Trial and error is nec‐
574 essary to decide.
575 HIST_NO_FUNCTIONS
577 Remove function definitions from the history list. Note that
578 the function lingers in the internal history until the next com‐
579 mand is entered before it vanishes, allowing you to briefly re‐
580 use or edit the definition.
581 HIST_NO_STORE
583 Remove the history (fc -l) command from the history list when
584 invoked. Note that the command lingers in the internal history
585 until the next command is entered before it vanishes, allowing
586 you to briefly reuse or edit the line.
587 HIST_REDUCE_BLANKS
589 Remove superfluous blanks from each command line being added to
590 the history list.
591 HIST_SAVE_BY_COPY <D>
593 When the history file is re-written, we normally write out a
594 copy of the file named $HISTFILE.new and then rename it over the
595 old one. However, if this option is unset, we instead truncate
596 the old history file and write out the new version in-place. If
597 one of the history-appending options is enabled, this option
598 only has an effect when the enlarged history file needs to be
599 re-written to trim it down to size. Disable this only if you
600 have special needs, as doing so makes it possible to lose his‐
601 tory entries if zsh gets interrupted during the save.
602 When writing out a copy of the history file, zsh preserves the
604 old file's permissions and group information, but will refuse to
605 write out a new file if it would change the history file's
606 owner.
607 HIST_SAVE_NO_DUPS
609 When writing out the history file, older commands that duplicate
610 newer ones are omitted.
611 HIST_VERIFY
613 Whenever the user enters a line with history expansion, don't
614 execute the line directly; instead, perform history expansion
615 and reload the line into the editing buffer.
616 INC_APPEND_HISTORY
618 This option works like APPEND_HISTORY except that new history
619 lines are added to the $HISTFILE incrementally (as soon as they
620 are entered), rather than waiting until the shell exits. The
621 file will still be periodically re-written to trim it when the
622 number of lines grows 20% beyond the value specified by $SAVE‐
623 HIST (see also the HIST_SAVE_BY_COPY option).
624 INC_APPEND_HISTORY_TIME
626 This option is a variant of INC_APPEND_HISTORY in which, where
627 possible, the history entry is written out to the file after the
628 command is finished, so that the time taken by the command is
629 recorded correctly in the history file in EXTENDED_HISTORY for‐
630 mat. This means that the history entry will not be available
631 immediately from other instances of the shell that are using the
632 same history file.
633 This option is only useful if INC_APPEND_HISTORY and SHARE_HIS‐
635 TORY are turned off. The three options should be considered
636 mutually exclusive.
637 SHARE_HISTORY <K>
639 This option both imports new commands from the history file, and
641 also causes your typed commands to be appended to the history
642 file (the latter is like specifying INC_APPEND_HISTORY, which
643 should be turned off if this option is in effect). The history
644 lines are also output with timestamps ala EXTENDED_HISTORY
645 (which makes it easier to find the spot where we left off read‐
646 ing the file after it gets re-written).
647 By default, history movement commands visit the imported lines
649 as well as the local lines, but you can toggle this on and off
650 with the set-local-history zle binding. It is also possible to
651 create a zle widget that will make some commands ignore imported
652 commands, and some include them.
653 If you find that you want more control over when commands get
655 imported, you may wish to turn SHARE_HISTORY off,
656 INC_APPEND_HISTORY or INC_APPEND_HISTORY_TIME (see above) on,
657 and then manually import commands whenever you need them using
658 `fc -RI'.
659 Initialisation
661 ALL_EXPORT (-a, ksh: -a)
662 All parameters subsequently defined are automatically exported.
663 GLOBAL_EXPORT <Z>
665 If this option is set, passing the -x flag to the builtins
666 declare, float, integer, readonly and typeset (but not local)
667 will also set the -g flag; hence parameters exported to the
668 environment will not be made local to the enclosing function,
669 unless they were already or the flag +g is given explicitly. If
670 the option is unset, exported parameters will be made local in
671 just the same way as any other parameter.
672 This option is set by default for backward compatibility; it is
674 not recommended that its behaviour be relied upon. Note that
675 the builtin export always sets both the -x and -g flags, and
676 hence its effect extends beyond the scope of the enclosing func‐
677 tion; this is the most portable way to achieve this behaviour.
678 GLOBAL_RCS (-d) <D>
680 If this option is unset, the startup files /etc/zprofile,
681 /etc/zshrc, /etc/zlogin and /etc/zlogout will not be run. It
682 can be disabled and re-enabled at any time, including inside
683 local startup files (.zshrc, etc.).
684 RCS (+f) <D>
686 After /etc/zshenv is sourced on startup, source the .zshenv,
687 /etc/zprofile, .zprofile, /etc/zshrc, .zshrc, /etc/zlogin, .zlo‐
688 gin, and .zlogout files, as described in the section `Files'.
689 If this option is unset, the /etc/zshenv file is still sourced,
690 but any of the others will not be; it can be set at any time to
691 prevent the remaining startup files after the currently execut‐
692 ing one from being sourced.
693 Input/Output
695 ALIASES <D>
696 Expand aliases.
697 CLOBBER (+C, ksh: +C) <D>
699 Allows `>' redirection to truncate existing files. Otherwise
700 `>!' or `>|' must be used to truncate a file.
701 If the option is not set, and the option APPEND_CREATE is also
703 not set, `>>!' or `>>|' must be used to create a file. If
704 either option is set, `>>' may be used.
705 CORRECT (-0)
707 Try to correct the spelling of commands. Note that, when the
708 HASH_LIST_ALL option is not set or when some directories in the
709 path are not readable, this may falsely report spelling errors
710 the first time some commands are used.
711 The shell variable CORRECT_IGNORE may be set to a pattern to
713 match words that will never be offered as corrections.
714 CORRECT_ALL (-O)
716 Try to correct the spelling of all arguments in a line.
717 The shell variable CORRECT_IGNORE_FILE may be set to a pattern
719 to match file names that will never be offered as corrections.
720 DVORAK Use the Dvorak keyboard instead of the standard qwerty keyboard
722 as a basis for examining spelling mistakes for the CORRECT and
723 CORRECT_ALL options and the spell-word editor command.
724 FLOW_CONTROL <D>
726 If this option is unset, output flow control via start/stop
727 characters (usually assigned to ^S/^Q) is disabled in the
728 shell's editor.
729 IGNORE_EOF (-7)
731 Do not exit on end-of-file. Require the use of exit or logout
732 instead. However, ten consecutive EOFs will cause the shell to
733 exit anyway, to avoid the shell hanging if its tty goes away.
734 Also, if this option is set and the Zsh Line Editor is used,
736 widgets implemented by shell functions can be bound to EOF (nor‐
737 mally Control-D) without printing the normal warning message.
738 This works only for normal widgets, not for completion widgets.
739 INTERACTIVE_COMMENTS (-k) <K> <S>
741 Allow comments even in interactive shells.
742 HASH_CMDS <D>
744 Note the location of each command the first time it is executed.
745 Subsequent invocations of the same command will use the saved
746 location, avoiding a path search. If this option is unset, no
747 path hashing is done at all. However, when CORRECT is set, com‐
748 mands whose names do not appear in the functions or aliases hash
749 tables are hashed in order to avoid reporting them as spelling
750 errors.
751 HASH_DIRS <D>
753 Whenever a command name is hashed, hash the directory containing
754 it, as well as all directories that occur earlier in the path.
755 Has no effect if neither HASH_CMDS nor CORRECT is set.
756 HASH_EXECUTABLES_ONLY
758 When hashing commands because of HASH_CMDS, check that the file
759 to be hashed is actually an executable. This option is unset by
760 default as if the path contains a large number of commands, or
761 consists of many remote files, the additional tests can take a
762 long time. Trial and error is needed to show if this option is
763 beneficial.
764 MAIL_WARNING (-U)
766 Print a warning message if a mail file has been accessed since
767 the shell last checked.
768 PATH_DIRS (-Q)
770 Perform a path search even on command names with slashes in
771 them. Thus if `/usr/local/bin' is in the user's path, and he or
772 she types `X11/xinit', the command `/usr/local/bin/X11/xinit'
773 will be executed (assuming it exists). Commands explicitly
774 beginning with `/', `./' or `../' are not subject to the path
775 search. This also applies to the `.' and source builtins.
776 Note that subdirectories of the current directory are always
778 searched for executables specified in this form. This takes
779 place before any search indicated by this option, and regardless
780 of whether `.' or the current directory appear in the command
781 search path.
782 PATH_SCRIPT <K> <S>
784 If this option is not set, a script passed as the first
785 non-option argument to the shell must contain the name of the
786 file to open. If this option is set, and the script does not
787 specify a directory path, the script is looked for first in the
788 current directory, then in the command path. See the section
789 INVOCATION in zsh(1).
790 PRINT_EIGHT_BIT
792 Print eight bit characters literally in completion lists, etc.
793 This option is not necessary if your system correctly returns
794 the printability of eight bit characters (see ctype(3)).
795 PRINT_EXIT_VALUE (-1)
797 Print the exit value of programs with non-zero exit status.
798 This is only available at the command line in interactive
799 shells.
800 RC_QUOTES
802 Allow the character sequence `''' to signify a single quote
803 within singly quoted strings. Note this does not apply in
804 quoted strings using the format $'...', where a backslashed sin‐
805 gle quote can be used.
806 RM_STAR_SILENT (-H) <K> <S>
808 Do not query the user before executing `rm *' or `rm path/*'.
809 RM_STAR_WAIT
811 If querying the user before executing `rm *' or `rm path/*',
812 first wait ten seconds and ignore anything typed in that time.
813 This avoids the problem of reflexively answering `yes' to the
814 query when one didn't really mean it. The wait and query can
815 always be avoided by expanding the `*' in ZLE (with tab).
816 SHORT_LOOPS <C> <Z>
818 Allow the short forms of for, repeat, select, if, and function
819 constructs.
820 SUN_KEYBOARD_HACK (-L)
822 If a line ends with a backquote, and there are an odd number of
823 backquotes on the line, ignore the trailing backquote. This is
824 useful on some keyboards where the return key is too small, and
825 the backquote key lies annoyingly close to it. As an alterna‐
826 tive the variable KEYBOARD_HACK lets you choose the character to
827 be removed.
828 Job Control
830 AUTO_CONTINUE
831 With this option set, stopped jobs that are removed from the job
832 table with the disown builtin command are automatically sent a
833 CONT signal to make them running.
834 AUTO_RESUME (-W)
836 Treat single word simple commands without redirection as candi‐
837 dates for resumption of an existing job.
838 BG_NICE (-6) <C> <Z>
840 Run all background jobs at a lower priority. This option is set
841 by default.
842 CHECK_JOBS <Z>
844 Report the status of background and suspended jobs before exit‐
845 ing a shell with job control; a second attempt to exit the shell
846 will succeed. NO_CHECK_JOBS is best used only in combination
847 with NO_HUP, else such jobs will be killed automatically.
848 The check is omitted if the commands run from the previous com‐
850 mand line included a `jobs' command, since it is assumed the
851 user is aware that there are background or suspended jobs. A
852 `jobs' command run from one of the hook functions defined in the
853 section SPECIAL FUNCTIONS in zshmisc(1) is not counted for this
854 purpose.
855 CHECK_RUNNING_JOBS <Z>
857 Check for both running and suspended jobs when CHECK_JOBS is
858 enabled. When this option is disabled, zsh checks only for sus‐
859 pended jobs, which matches the default behavior of bash.
860 This option has no effect unless CHECK_JOBS is set.
862 HUP <Z>
864 Send the HUP signal to running jobs when the shell exits.
865 LONG_LIST_JOBS (-R)
867 Print job notifications in the long format by default.
868 MONITOR (-m, ksh: -m)
870 Allow job control. Set by default in interactive shells.
871 NOTIFY (-5, ksh: -b) <Z>
873 Report the status of background jobs immediately, rather than
874 waiting until just before printing a prompt.
875 POSIX_JOBS <K> <S>
877 This option makes job control more compliant with the POSIX
878 standard.
879 When the option is not set, the MONITOR option is unset on entry
881 to subshells, so that job control is no longer active. When the
882 option is set, the MONITOR option and job control remain active
883 in the subshell, but note that the subshell has no access to
884 jobs in the parent shell.
885 When the option is not set, jobs put in the background or fore‐
887 ground with bg or fg are displayed with the same information
888 that would be reported by jobs. When the option is set, only
889 the text is printed. The output from jobs itself is not
890 affected by the option.
891 When the option is not set, job information from the parent
893 shell is saved for output within a subshell (for example, within
894 a pipeline). When the option is set, the output of jobs is
895 empty until a job is started within the subshell.
896 In previous versions of the shell, it was necessary to enable
898 POSIX_JOBS in order for the builtin command wait to return the
899 status of background jobs that had already exited. This is no
900 longer the case.
901 Prompting
903 PROMPT_BANG <K>
904 If set, `!' is treated specially in prompt expansion. See
905 EXPANSION OF PROMPT SEQUENCES in zshmisc(1).
906 PROMPT_CR (+V) <D>
908 Print a carriage return just before printing a prompt in the
909 line editor. This is on by default as multi-line editing is
910 only possible if the editor knows where the start of the line
911 appears.
912 PROMPT_SP <D>
914 Attempt to preserve a partial line (i.e. a line that did not end
915 with a newline) that would otherwise be covered up by the com‐
916 mand prompt due to the PROMPT_CR option. This works by out‐
917 putting some cursor-control characters, including a series of
918 spaces, that should make the terminal wrap to the next line when
919 a partial line is present (note that this is only successful if
920 your terminal has automatic margins, which is typical).
921 When a partial line is preserved, by default you will see an
923 inverse+bold character at the end of the partial line: a `%'
924 for a normal user or a `#' for root. If set, the shell parame‐
925 ter PROMPT_EOL_MARK can be used to customize how the end of par‐
926 tial lines are shown.
927 NOTE: if the PROMPT_CR option is not set, enabling this option
929 will have no effect. This option is on by default.
930 PROMPT_PERCENT <C> <Z>
932 If set, `%' is treated specially in prompt expansion. See
933 EXPANSION OF PROMPT SEQUENCES in zshmisc(1).
934 PROMPT_SUBST <K> <S>
936 If set, parameter expansion, command substitution and arithmetic
937 expansion are performed in prompts. Substitutions within
938 prompts do not affect the command status.
939 TRANSIENT_RPROMPT
941 Remove any right prompt from display when accepting a command
942 line. This may be useful with terminals with other cut/paste
943 methods.
944 Scripts and Functions
946 ALIAS_FUNC_DEF <S>
947 By default, zsh does not allow the definition of functions using
948 the `name ()' syntax if name was expanded as an alias: this
949 causes an error. This is usually the desired behaviour, as oth‐
950 erwise the combination of an alias and a function based on the
951 same definition can easily cause problems.
952 When this option is set, aliases can be used for defining func‐
954 tions.
955 For example, consider the following definitions as they might
957 occur in a startup file.
958 alias foo=bar
960 foo() {
961 print This probably does not do what you expect.
962 }
963 Here, foo is expanded as an alias to bar before the () is
965 encountered, so the function defined would be named bar. By
966 default this is instead an error in native mode. Note that
967 quoting any part of the function name, or using the keyword
968 function, avoids the problem, so is recommended when the func‐
969 tion name can also be an alias.
970 C_BASES
972 Output hexadecimal numbers in the standard C format, for example
973 `0xFF' instead of the usual `16#FF'. If the option OCTAL_ZEROES
974 is also set (it is not by default), octal numbers will be
975 treated similarly and hence appear as `077' instead of `8#77'.
976 This option has no effect on the choice of the output base, nor
977 on the output of bases other than hexadecimal and octal. Note
978 that these formats will be understood on input irrespective of
979 the setting of C_BASES.
980 C_PRECEDENCES
982 This alters the precedence of arithmetic operators to be more
983 like C and other programming languages; the section ARITHMETIC
984 EVALUATION in zshmisc(1) has an explicit list.
985 DEBUG_BEFORE_CMD <D>
987 Run the DEBUG trap before each command; otherwise it is run
988 after each command. Setting this option mimics the behaviour of
989 ksh 93; with the option unset the behaviour is that of ksh 88.
990 ERR_EXIT (-e, ksh: -e)
992 If a command has a non-zero exit status, execute the ZERR trap,
993 if set, and exit. This is disabled while running initialization
994 scripts.
995 The behaviour is also disabled inside DEBUG traps. In this case
997 the option is handled specially: it is unset on entry to the
998 trap. If the option DEBUG_BEFORE_CMD is set, as it is by
999 default, and the option ERR_EXIT is found to have been set on
1000 exit, then the command for which the DEBUG trap is being exe‐
1001 cuted is skipped. The option is restored after the trap exits.
1002 Non-zero status in a command list containing && or || is ignored
1004 for commands not at the end of the list. Hence
1005 false && true
1007 does not trigger exit.
1009 Exiting due to ERR_EXIT has certain interactions with asynchro‐
1011 nous jobs noted in the section JOBS in zshmisc(1).
1012 ERR_RETURN
1014 If a command has a non-zero exit status, return immediately from
1015 the enclosing function. The logic is similar to that for
1016 ERR_EXIT, except that an implicit return statement is executed
1017 instead of an exit. This will trigger an exit at the outermost
1018 level of a non-interactive script.
1019 Normally this option inherits the behaviour of ERR_EXIT that
1021 code followed by `&&' `||' does not trigger a return. Hence in
1022 the following:
1023 summit || true
1025 no return is forced as the combined effect always has a zero
1027 return status.
1028 Note. however, that if summit in the above example is itself a
1030 function, code inside it is considered separately: it may force
1031 a return from summit (assuming the option remains set within
1032 summit), but not from the enclosing context. This behaviour is
1033 different from ERR_EXIT which is unaffected by function scope.
1034 EVAL_LINENO <Z>
1036 If set, line numbers of expressions evaluated using the builtin
1037 eval are tracked separately of the enclosing environment. This
1038 applies both to the parameter LINENO and the line number output
1039 by the prompt escape %i. If the option is set, the prompt
1040 escape %N will output the string `(eval)' instead of the script
1041 or function name as an indication. (The two prompt escapes are
1042 typically used in the parameter PS4 to be output when the option
1043 XTRACE is set.) If EVAL_LINENO is unset, the line number of the
1044 surrounding script or function is retained during the evalua‐
1045 tion.
1046 EXEC (+n, ksh: +n) <D>
1048 Do execute commands. Without this option, commands are read and
1049 checked for syntax errors, but not executed. This option cannot
1050 be turned off in an interactive shell, except when `-n' is sup‐
1051 plied to the shell at startup.
1052 FUNCTION_ARGZERO <C> <Z>
1054 When executing a shell function or sourcing a script, set $0
1055 temporarily to the name of the function/script. Note that tog‐
1056 gling FUNCTION_ARGZERO from on to off (or off to on) does not
1057 change the current value of $0. Only the state upon entry to
1058 the function or script has an effect. Compare POSIX_ARGZERO.
1059 LOCAL_LOOPS
1061 When this option is not set, the effect of break and continue
1062 commands may propagate outside function scope, affecting loops
1063 in calling functions. When the option is set in a calling func‐
1064 tion, a break or a continue that is not caught within a called
1065 function (regardless of the setting of the option within that
1066 function) produces a warning and the effect is cancelled.
1067 LOCAL_OPTIONS <K>
1069 If this option is set at the point of return from a shell func‐
1070 tion, most options (including this one) which were in force upon
1071 entry to the function are restored; options that are not
1072 restored are PRIVILEGED and RESTRICTED. Otherwise, only this
1073 option, and the LOCAL_LOOPS, XTRACE and PRINT_EXIT_VALUE options
1074 are restored. Hence if this is explicitly unset by a shell
1075 function the other options in force at the point of return will
1076 remain so. A shell function can also guarantee itself a known
1077 shell configuration with a formulation like `emulate -L zsh';
1078 the -L activates LOCAL_OPTIONS.
1079 LOCAL_PATTERNS
1081 If this option is set at the point of return from a shell func‐
1082 tion, the state of pattern disables, as set with the builtin
1083 command `disable -p', is restored to what it was when the func‐
1084 tion was entered. The behaviour of this option is similar to
1085 the effect of LOCAL_OPTIONS on options; hence `emulate -L sh'
1086 (or indeed any other emulation with the -L option) activates
1087 LOCAL_PATTERNS.
1088 LOCAL_TRAPS <K>
1090 If this option is set when a signal trap is set inside a func‐
1091 tion, then the previous status of the trap for that signal will
1092 be restored when the function exits. Note that this option must
1093 be set prior to altering the trap behaviour in a function;
1094 unlike LOCAL_OPTIONS, the value on exit from the function is
1095 irrelevant. However, it does not need to be set before any
1096 global trap for that to be correctly restored by a function.
1097 For example,
1098 unsetopt localtraps
1100 trap - INT
1101 fn() { setopt localtraps; trap '' INT; sleep 3; }
1102 will restore normal handling of SIGINT after the function exits.
1104 MULTI_FUNC_DEF <Z>
1106 Allow definitions of multiple functions at once in the form `fn1
1107 fn2...()'; if the option is not set, this causes a parse error.
1108 Definition of multiple functions with the function keyword is
1109 always allowed. Multiple function definitions are not often
1110 used and can cause obscure errors.
1111 MULTIOS <Z>
1113 Perform implicit tees or cats when multiple redirections are
1114 attempted (see the section `Redirection').
1115 OCTAL_ZEROES <S>
1117 Interpret any integer constant beginning with a 0 as octal, per
1118 IEEE Std 1003.2-1992 (ISO 9945-2:1993). This is not enabled by
1119 default as it causes problems with parsing of, for example, date
1120 and time strings with leading zeroes.
1121 Sequences of digits indicating a numeric base such as the `08'
1123 component in `08#77' are always interpreted as decimal, regard‐
1124 less of leading zeroes.
1125 PIPE_FAIL
1127 By default, when a pipeline exits the exit status recorded by
1128 the shell and returned by the shell variable $? reflects that of
1129 the rightmost element of a pipeline. If this option is set, the
1130 exit status instead reflects the status of the rightmost element
1131 of the pipeline that was non-zero, or zero if all elements
1132 exited with zero status.
1133 SOURCE_TRACE
1135 If set, zsh will print an informational message announcing the
1136 name of each file it loads. The format of the output is similar
1137 to that for the XTRACE option, with the message <sourcetrace>.
1138 A file may be loaded by the shell itself when it starts up and
1139 shuts down (Startup/Shutdown Files) or by the use of the
1140 `source' and `dot' builtin commands.
1141 TYPESET_SILENT
1143 If this is unset, executing any of the `typeset' family of com‐
1144 mands with no options and a list of parameters that have no val‐
1145 ues to be assigned but already exist will display the value of
1146 the parameter. If the option is set, they will only be shown
1147 when parameters are selected with the `-m' option. The option
1148 `-p' is available whether or not the option is set.
1149 VERBOSE (-v, ksh: -v)
1151 Print shell input lines as they are read.
1152 XTRACE (-x, ksh: -x)
1154 Print commands and their arguments as they are executed. The
1155 output is preceded by the value of $PS4, formatted as described
1156 in the section EXPANSION OF PROMPT SEQUENCES in zshmisc(1).
1157 Shell Emulation
1159 APPEND_CREATE <K> <S>
1160 This option only applies when NO_CLOBBER (-C) is in effect.
1161 If this option is not set, the shell will report an error when a
1163 append redirection (>>) is used on a file that does not already
1164 exists (the traditional zsh behaviour of NO_CLOBBER). If the
1165 option is set, no error is reported (POSIX behaviour).
1166 BASH_REMATCH
1168 When set, matches performed with the =~ operator will set the
1169 BASH_REMATCH array variable, instead of the default MATCH and
1170 match variables. The first element of the BASH_REMATCH array
1171 will contain the entire matched text and subsequent elements
1172 will contain extracted substrings. This option makes more sense
1173 when KSH_ARRAYS is also set, so that the entire matched portion
1174 is stored at index 0 and the first substring is at index 1.
1175 Without this option, the MATCH variable contains the entire
1176 matched text and the match array variable contains substrings.
1177 BSD_ECHO <S>
1179 Make the echo builtin compatible with the BSD echo(1) command.
1180 This disables backslashed escape sequences in echo strings
1181 unless the -e option is specified.
1182 CONTINUE_ON_ERROR
1184 If a fatal error is encountered (see the section ERRORS in zsh‐
1185 misc(1)), and the code is running in a script, the shell will
1186 resume execution at the next statement in the script at the top
1187 level, in other words outside all functions or shell constructs
1188 such as loops and conditions. This mimics the behaviour of
1189 interactive shells, where the shell returns to the line editor
1190 to read a new command; it was the normal behaviour in versions
1191 of zsh before 5.0.1.
1192 CSH_JUNKIE_HISTORY <C>
1194 A history reference without an event specifier will always refer
1195 to the previous command. Without this option, such a history
1196 reference refers to the same event as the previous history ref‐
1197 erence on the current command line, defaulting to the previous
1198 command.
1199 CSH_JUNKIE_LOOPS <C>
1201 Allow loop bodies to take the form `list; end' instead of `do
1202 list; done'.
1203 CSH_JUNKIE_QUOTES <C>
1205 Changes the rules for single- and double-quoted text to match
1206 that of csh. These require that embedded newlines be preceded
1207 by a backslash; unescaped newlines will cause an error message.
1208 In double-quoted strings, it is made impossible to escape `$',
1209 ``' or `"' (and `\' itself no longer needs escaping). Command
1210 substitutions are only expanded once, and cannot be nested.
1211 CSH_NULLCMD <C>
1213 Do not use the values of NULLCMD and READNULLCMD when running
1214 redirections with no command. This make such redirections fail
1215 (see the section `Redirection').
1216 KSH_ARRAYS <K> <S>
1218 Emulate ksh array handling as closely as possible. If this
1219 option is set, array elements are numbered from zero, an array
1220 parameter without subscript refers to the first element instead
1221 of the whole array, and braces are required to delimit a sub‐
1222 script (`${path[2]}' rather than just `$path[2]') or to apply
1223 modifiers to any parameter (`${PWD:h}' rather than `$PWD:h').
1224 KSH_AUTOLOAD <K> <S>
1226 Emulate ksh function autoloading. This means that when a func‐
1227 tion is autoloaded, the corresponding file is merely executed,
1228 and must define the function itself. (By default, the function
1229 is defined to the contents of the file. However, the most com‐
1230 mon ksh-style case - of the file containing only a simple defi‐
1231 nition of the function - is always handled in the ksh-compatible
1232 manner.)
1233 KSH_OPTION_PRINT <K>
1235 Alters the way options settings are printed: instead of separate
1236 lists of set and unset options, all options are shown, marked
1237 `on' if they are in the non-default state, `off' otherwise.
1238 KSH_TYPESET
1240 This option is now obsolete: a better appropximation to the be‐
1241 haviour of other shells is obtained with the reserved word
1242 interface to declare, export, float, integer, local, readonly
1243 and typeset. Note that the option is only applied when the
1244 reserved word interface is not in use.
1245 Alters the way arguments to the typeset family of commands,
1247 including declare, export, float, integer, local and readonly,
1248 are processed. Without this option, zsh will perform normal
1249 word splitting after command and parameter expansion in argu‐
1250 ments of an assignment; with it, word splitting does not take
1251 place in those cases.
1252 KSH_ZERO_SUBSCRIPT
1254 Treat use of a subscript of value zero in array or string
1255 expressions as a reference to the first element, i.e. the ele‐
1256 ment that usually has the subscript 1. Ignored if KSH_ARRAYS is
1257 also set.
1258 If neither this option nor KSH_ARRAYS is set, accesses to an
1260 element of an array or string with subscript zero return an
1261 empty element or string, while attempts to set element zero of
1262 an array or string are treated as an error. However, attempts
1263 to set an otherwise valid subscript range that includes zero
1264 will succeed. For example, if KSH_ZERO_SUBSCRIPT is not set,
1265 array[0]=(element)
1267 is an error, while
1269 array[0,1]=(element)
1271 is not and will replace the first element of the array.
1273 This option is for compatibility with older versions of the
1275 shell and is not recommended in new code.
1276 POSIX_ALIASES <K> <S>
1278 When this option is set, reserved words are not candidates for
1279 alias expansion: it is still possible to declare any of them as
1280 an alias, but the alias will never be expanded. Reserved words
1281 are described in the section RESERVED WORDS in zshmisc(1).
1282 Alias expansion takes place while text is being read; hence when
1284 this option is set it does not take effect until the end of any
1285 function or other piece of shell code parsed as one unit. Note
1286 this may cause differences from other shells even when the
1287 option is in effect. For example, when running a command with
1288 `zsh -c', or even `zsh -o posixaliases -c', the entire command
1289 argument is parsed as one unit, so aliases defined within the
1290 argument are not available even in later lines. If in doubt,
1291 avoid use of aliases in non-interactive code.
1292 POSIX_ARGZERO
1294 This option may be used to temporarily disable FUNCTION_ARGZERO
1295 and thereby restore the value of $0 to the name used to invoke
1296 the shell (or as set by the -c command line option). For com‐
1297 patibility with previous versions of the shell, emulations use
1298 NO_FUNCTION_ARGZERO instead of POSIX_ARGZERO, which may result
1299 in unexpected scoping of $0 if the emulation mode is changed
1300 inside a function or script. To avoid this, explicitly enable
1301 POSIX_ARGZERO in the emulate command:
1302 emulate sh -o POSIX_ARGZERO
1304 Note that NO_POSIX_ARGZERO has no effect unless FUNCTION_ARGZERO
1306 was already enabled upon entry to the function or script.
1307 POSIX_BUILTINS <K> <S>
1309 When this option is set the command builtin can be used to exe‐
1310 cute shell builtin commands. Parameter assignments specified
1311 before shell functions and special builtins are kept after the
1312 command completes unless the special builtin is prefixed with
1313 the command builtin. Special builtins are ., :, break, con‐
1314 tinue, declare, eval, exit, export, integer, local, readonly,
1315 return, set, shift, source, times, trap and unset.
1316 In addition, various error conditions associated with the above
1318 builtins or exec cause a non-interactive shell to exit and an
1319 interactive shell to return to its top-level processing.
1320 Furthermore, functions and shell builtins are not executed after
1322 an exec prefix; the command to be executed must be an external
1323 command found in the path.
1324 Furthermore, the getopts builtin behaves in a POSIX-compatible
1326 fashion in that the associated variable OPTIND is not made local
1327 to functions.
1328 Moreover, the warning and special exit code from [[ -o non_exis‐
1330 tent_option ]] are suppressed.
1331 POSIX_IDENTIFIERS <K> <S>
1333 When this option is set, only the ASCII characters a to z, A to
1334 Z, 0 to 9 and _ may be used in identifiers (names of shell
1335 parameters and modules).
1336 In addition, setting this option limits the effect of parameter
1338 substitution with no braces, so that the expression $# is
1339 treated as the parameter $# even if followed by a valid parame‐
1340 ter name. When it is unset, zsh allows expressions of the form
1341 $#name to refer to the length of $name, even for special vari‐
1342 ables, for example in expressions such as $#- and $#*.
1343 Another difference is that with the option set assignment to an
1345 unset variable in arithmetic context causes the variable to be
1346 created as a scalar rather than a numeric type. So after `unset
1347 t; (( t = 3 ))'. without POSIX_IDENTIFIERS set t has integer
1348 type, while with it set it has scalar type.
1349 When the option is unset and multibyte character support is
1351 enabled (i.e. it is compiled in and the option MULTIBYTE is
1352 set), then additionally any alphanumeric characters in the local
1353 character set may be used in identifiers. Note that scripts and
1354 functions written with this feature are not portable, and also
1355 that both options must be set before the script or function is
1356 parsed; setting them during execution is not sufficient as the
1357 syntax variable=value has already been parsed as a command
1358 rather than an assignment.
1359 If multibyte character support is not compiled into the shell
1361 this option is ignored; all octets with the top bit set may be
1362 used in identifiers. This is non-standard but is the tradi‐
1363 tional zsh behaviour.
1364 POSIX_STRINGS <K> <S>
1366 This option affects processing of quoted strings. Currently it
1367 only affects the behaviour of null characters, i.e. character 0
1368 in the portable character set corresponding to US ASCII.
1369 When this option is not set, null characters embedded within
1371 strings of the form $'...' are treated as ordinary characters.
1372 The entire string is maintained within the shell and output to
1373 files where necessary, although owing to restrictions of the
1374 library interface the string is truncated at the null character
1375 in file names, environment variables, or in arguments to exter‐
1376 nal programs.
1377 When this option is set, the $'...' expression is truncated at
1379 the null character. Note that remaining parts of the same
1380 string beyond the termination of the quotes are not truncated.
1381 For example, the command line argument a$'b\0c'd is treated with
1383 the option off as the characters a, b, null, c, d, and with the
1384 option on as the characters a, b, d.
1385 POSIX_TRAPS <K> <S>
1387 When this option is set, the usual zsh behaviour of executing
1388 traps for EXIT on exit from shell functions is suppressed. In
1389 that case, manipulating EXIT traps always alters the global trap
1390 for exiting the shell; the LOCAL_TRAPS option is ignored for the
1391 EXIT trap. Furthermore, a return statement executed in a trap
1392 with no argument passes back from the function the value from
1393 the surrounding context, not from code executed within the trap.
1394 SH_FILE_EXPANSION <K> <S>
1396 Perform filename expansion (e.g., ~ expansion) before parameter
1397 expansion, command substitution, arithmetic expansion and brace
1398 expansion. If this option is unset, it is performed after brace
1399 expansion, so things like `~$USERNAME' and `~{pfalstad,rc}' will
1400 work.
1401 SH_NULLCMD <K> <S>
1403 Do not use the values of NULLCMD and READNULLCMD when doing
1404 redirections, use `:' instead (see the section `Redirection').
1405 SH_OPTION_LETTERS <K> <S>
1407 If this option is set the shell tries to interpret single letter
1408 options (which are used with set and setopt) like ksh does.
1409 This also affects the value of the - special parameter.
1410 SH_WORD_SPLIT (-y) <K> <S>
1412 Causes field splitting to be performed on unquoted parameter
1413 expansions. Note that this option has nothing to do with word
1414 splitting. (See the section `Parameter Expansion'.)
1415 TRAPS_ASYNC
1417 While waiting for a program to exit, handle signals and run
1418 traps immediately. Otherwise the trap is run after a child
1419 process has exited. Note this does not affect the point at
1420 which traps are run for any case other than when the shell is
1421 waiting for a child process.
1422 Shell State
1424 INTERACTIVE (-i, ksh: -i)
1425 This is an interactive shell. This option is set upon initiali‐
1426 sation if the standard input is a tty and commands are being
1427 read from standard input. (See the discussion of SHIN_STDIN.)
1428 This heuristic may be overridden by specifying a state for this
1429 option on the command line. The value of this option can only
1430 be changed via flags supplied at invocation of the shell. It
1431 cannot be changed once zsh is running.
1432 LOGIN (-l, ksh: -l)
1434 This is a login shell. If this option is not explicitly set,
1435 the shell becomes a login shell if the first character of the
1436 argv[0] passed to the shell is a `-'.
1437 PRIVILEGED (-p, ksh: -p)
1439 Turn on privileged mode. Typically this is used when script is
1440 to be run with elevated privileges. This should be done as fol‐
1441 lows directly with the -p option to zsh so that it takes effect
1442 during startup.
1443 #!/bin/zsh -p
1445 The option is enabled automatically on startup if the effective
1447 user (group) ID is not equal to the real user (group) ID. In
1448 this case, turning the option off causes the effective user and
1449 group IDs to be set to the real user and group IDs. Be aware
1450 that if that fails the shell may be running with different IDs
1451 than was intended so a script should check for failure and act
1452 accordingly, for example:
1453 unsetopt privileged || exit
1455 The PRIVILEGED option disables sourcing user startup files. If
1457 zsh is invoked as `sh' or `ksh' with this option set,
1458 /etc/suid_profile is sourced (after /etc/profile on interactive
1459 shells). Sourcing ~/.profile is disabled and the contents of the
1460 ENV variable is ignored. This option cannot be changed using the
1461 -m option of setopt and unsetopt, and changing it inside a func‐
1462 tion always changes it globally regardless of the LOCAL_OPTIONS
1463 option.
1464 RESTRICTED (-r)
1466 Enables restricted mode. This option cannot be changed using
1467 unsetopt, and setting it inside a function always changes it
1468 globally regardless of the LOCAL_OPTIONS option. See the sec‐
1469 tion `Restricted Shell'.
1470 SHIN_STDIN (-s, ksh: -s)
1472 Commands are being read from the standard input. Commands are
1473 read from standard input if no command is specified with -c and
1474 no file of commands is specified. If SHIN_STDIN is set explic‐
1475 itly on the command line, any argument that would otherwise have
1476 been taken as a file to run will instead be treated as a normal
1477 positional parameter. Note that setting or unsetting this
1478 option on the command line does not necessarily affect the state
1479 the option will have while the shell is running - that is purely
1480 an indicator of whether or not commands are actually being read
1481 from standard input. The value of this option can only be
1482 changed via flags supplied at invocation of the shell. It can‐
1483 not be changed once zsh is running.
1484 SINGLE_COMMAND (-t, ksh: -t)
1486 If the shell is reading from standard input, it exits after a
1487 single command has been executed. This also makes the shell
1488 non-interactive, unless the INTERACTIVE option is explicitly set
1489 on the command line. The value of this option can only be
1490 changed via flags supplied at invocation of the shell. It can‐
1491 not be changed once zsh is running.
1492 Zle
1494 BEEP (+B) <D>
1495 Beep on error in ZLE.
1496 COMBINING_CHARS
1498 Assume that the terminal displays combining characters cor‐
1499 rectly. Specifically, if a base alphanumeric character is fol‐
1500 lowed by one or more zero-width punctuation characters, assume
1501 that the zero-width characters will be displayed as modifica‐
1502 tions to the base character within the same width. Not all ter‐
1503 minals handle this. If this option is not set, zero-width char‐
1504 acters are displayed separately with special mark-up.
1505 If this option is set, the pattern test [[:WORD:]] matches a
1507 zero-width punctuation character on the assumption that it will
1508 be used as part of a word in combination with a word character.
1509 Otherwise the base shell does not handle combining characters
1510 specially.
1511 EMACS If ZLE is loaded, turning on this option has the equivalent
1513 effect of `bindkey -e'. In addition, the VI option is unset.
1514 Turning it off has no effect. The option setting is not guaran‐
1515 teed to reflect the current keymap. This option is provided for
1516 compatibility; bindkey is the recommended interface.
1517 OVERSTRIKE
1519 Start up the line editor in overstrike mode.
1520 SINGLE_LINE_ZLE (-M) <K>
1522 Use single-line command line editing instead of multi-line.
1523 Note that although this is on by default in ksh emulation it
1525 only provides superficial compatibility with the ksh line editor
1526 and reduces the effectiveness of the zsh line editor. As it has
1527 no effect on shell syntax, many users may wish to disable this
1528 option when using ksh emulation interactively.
1529 VI If ZLE is loaded, turning on this option has the equivalent
1531 effect of `bindkey -v'. In addition, the EMACS option is unset.
1532 Turning it off has no effect. The option setting is not guaran‐
1533 teed to reflect the current keymap. This option is provided for
1534 compatibility; bindkey is the recommended interface.
1535 ZLE (-Z)
1537 Use the zsh line editor. Set by default in interactive shells
1538 connected to a terminal.
1539
1541 Some options have alternative names. These aliases are never used for
1542 output, but can be used just like normal option names when specifying
1543 options to the shell.
1544 BRACE_EXPAND
1546 NO_IGNORE_BRACES (ksh and bash compatibility)
1547 DOT_GLOB
1549 GLOB_DOTS (bash compatibility)
1550 HASH_ALL
1552 HASH_CMDS (bash compatibility)
1553 HIST_APPEND
1555 APPEND_HISTORY (bash compatibility)
1556 HIST_EXPAND
1558 BANG_HIST (bash compatibility)
1559 LOG NO_HIST_NO_FUNCTIONS (ksh compatibility)
1561 MAIL_WARN
1563 MAIL_WARNING (bash compatibility)
1564 ONE_CMD
1566 SINGLE_COMMAND (bash compatibility)
1567 PHYSICAL
1569 CHASE_LINKS (ksh and bash compatibility)
1570 PROMPT_VARS
1572 PROMPT_SUBST (bash compatibility)
1573 STDIN SHIN_STDIN (ksh compatibility)
1575 TRACK_ALL
1577 HASH_CMDS (ksh compatibility)
1578
1580 Default set
1581 -0 CORRECT
1582 -1 PRINT_EXIT_VALUE
1583 -2 NO_BAD_PATTERN
1584 -3 NO_NOMATCH
1585 -4 GLOB_DOTS
1586 -5 NOTIFY
1587 -6 BG_NICE
1588 -7 IGNORE_EOF
1589 -8 MARK_DIRS
1590 -9 AUTO_LIST
1591 -B NO_BEEP
1592 -C NO_CLOBBER
1593 -D PUSHD_TO_HOME
1594 -E PUSHD_SILENT
1595 -F NO_GLOB
1596 -G NULL_GLOB
1597 -H RM_STAR_SILENT
1598 -I IGNORE_BRACES
1599 -J AUTO_CD
1600 -K NO_BANG_HIST
1601 -L SUN_KEYBOARD_HACK
1602 -M SINGLE_LINE_ZLE
1603 -N AUTO_PUSHD
1604 -O CORRECT_ALL
1605 -P RC_EXPAND_PARAM
1606 -Q PATH_DIRS
1607 -R LONG_LIST_JOBS
1608 -S REC_EXACT
1609 -T CDABLE_VARS
1610 -U MAIL_WARNING
1611 -V NO_PROMPT_CR
1612 -W AUTO_RESUME
1613 -X LIST_TYPES
1614 -Y MENU_COMPLETE
1615 -Z ZLE
1616 -a ALL_EXPORT
1617 -e ERR_EXIT
1618 -f NO_RCS
1619 -g HIST_IGNORE_SPACE
1620 -h HIST_IGNORE_DUPS
1621 -i INTERACTIVE
1622 -k INTERACTIVE_COMMENTS
1623 -l LOGIN
1624 -m MONITOR
1625 -n NO_EXEC
1626 -p PRIVILEGED
1627 -r RESTRICTED
1628 -s SHIN_STDIN
1629 -t SINGLE_COMMAND
1630 -u NO_UNSET
1631 -v VERBOSE
1632 -w CHASE_LINKS
1633 -x XTRACE
1634 -y SH_WORD_SPLIT
1635 sh/ksh emulation set
1637 -C NO_CLOBBER
1638 -T TRAPS_ASYNC
1639 -X MARK_DIRS
1640 -a ALL_EXPORT
1641 -b NOTIFY
1642 -e ERR_EXIT
1643 -f NO_GLOB
1644 -i INTERACTIVE
1645 -l LOGIN
1646 -m MONITOR
1647 -n NO_EXEC
1648 -p PRIVILEGED
1649 -r RESTRICTED
1650 -s SHIN_STDIN
1651 -t SINGLE_COMMAND
1652 -u NO_UNSET
1653 -v VERBOSE
1654 -x XTRACE
1655 Also note
1657 -A Used by set for setting arrays
1658 -b Used on the command line to specify end of option processing
1659 -c Used on the command line to specify a single command
1660 -m Used by setopt for pattern-matching option setting
1661 -o Used in all places to allow use of long option names
1662 -s Used by set to sort positional parameters
1663zsh 5.5.1 April 16, 2018 ZSHOPTIONS(1)