command line completion with environment variables.

[jvsrvcs]

Command line completion did not work when opening a terminal so I googled and figured that out (uncommenting lines in /etc/bash.bashrc.

it works when I start with a full path like / or relative path,

but when I type something like:

$cd $HOME/D<tab>

I do not get command line completion when using environment variables. How to fix this?

[papibe]

Hi jvsrvcs.

Unfortunately, bash completion does not work that way. Bash would have to evaluate variables as you type them instead of waiting for an enter.

If you are trying to get something else to work (writing an script for example), may be there's another way to accomplish what you want.

Let us know how it goes.
Regards.

[aromo]

but when I type something like:

$cd $HOME/D<tab>

I do not get command line completion when using environment variables. How to fix this?

For this particular scenario try:

$ cd ~/D<tab>

[jvsrvcs]

I am at a Terminal command prompt. I type: $cd $HOME/

and then hit the tab key and instead of the directory contents being displayed, I get:
$cd \$HOME/ <= it just inserted a \ in front of the $

now I have to backspace and erase that \ in front of the $, my command line completion is broken. I have worked with Unix/Linux since the early 1920's and I have never seen this happen in all my years. Who programmed that into the command line completion? How do I find the person responsible? How do I fix this?

[dannyboy79]

why do you have the dollar signs? auto-completion works for names close to what you typed, so if you want to change directory to your /home/ folder you would type in

cd /home/

and then you would hit tab and it would show you all the contents of whats in your home.

[ajgreeny]

In fact just cd will take you back to your home folder from anywhere in the filesystem, unless you have run sudo -i or sudo su to get to a root prompt, when it will just take you back to root@hostname instead of user@hostname.

[Bucky Ball]

... unless you have run sudo -i or sudo su to get to a root prompt, when it will just take you back to root@hostname instead of user@hostname.

... in which case you will need to type 'exit' to become a normal user again.

cd /home

Will put you to the /home directory, if you aren't already in it.

dir /home

Will show its contents (or the tab, apparently, although that's a newie on me, thanks). I'm presuming you are following a guide to do something in a terminal, possibly to learn more?

[dannyboy79]

oh, and it's impossible you were working on Unix or Linux in the 1920's since Unix wasn't around till 1969 and Linux in 1983 but anyway, hope we all answered your question

[Zill]

...I have worked with Unix/Linux since the early 1920's and I have never seen this happen in all my years...

[Bucky Ball]

I have worked with Unix/Linux since the early 1920's ...

Time traveller?