Korn Shell Programming by Example

History File and Repetition

Earlier it was discussed that my customized prompt gives a number associated with the command that was run. As commands are run, they are saved in the history file. Think of it as building a script as you go along. A couple of benefits of having this file are evident. First is the ability to repeat a command without having to retype it, and second is that the commands can then be saved in a different file for later scripting. For ease of viewing, here is the prompt string again:

PS1="$HOSTCHAR"':${PWD#HOME/} :!$ '

Notice that it looks slightly different from the output the set command provides:

PS1='MOOSE:${PWD#HOME/} :!$ '

This is because the value for the varname HOSTCHAR is interpreted in the set command.