Command line completion is a common command line interpreters feature, which allows to automatically fill-in partially typed elements. Depending on the specific interpreter and its configuration, these elements may include commands, arguments, environment variable names and other entities. Command line completion generally only works in interactive mode.^[1] Command line completion is often invoked, by default, by pressing the tab key and frequently called tab completion even when bound to a different key or key combination. A command line interpreter is a computer program which reads lines of text that the user types and interprets them in the context of a given operating system or programming language. ... There are several conceptual views of interactivity, the most general being the contingency view. ... The tab key on a modern Windows keyboard The tab key on a keyboard is used to advance the cursor to the next tab stop. // Origin Tab is the abbreviation of Tabulator. ...

Completion in different operating systems

Unix shells have a long-standing tradition of advanced and customizable completion capabilities (see the external links section below for some examples). A Unix shell, also called the command line, provides the traditional user interface for the Unix operating system. ...

MS-DOS did not have command line completion: pressing the tab key would just advance the cursor. Before the release of Windows however various enhanced shells for MS-DOS, such as 4DOS, would feature Unix-style tab completion. Microsofts disk operating system, MS-DOS, was Microsofts implementation of DOS, which was the first popular operating system for the IBM PC, and until recently, was widely used on the PC compatible platform. ... A typical arrow-like mouse cursor. ... Microsoft Windows is the worlds largest operating system for use on personal computers. ... 4DOS is a command line interpreter by JP Software originally designed to replace the DOS default command. ...

The cmd.exe command processor of Windows NT-based systems supports completion (with the possibility to use a separate key-binding for matching directory names only).-1... Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. ...

See also

• Autocomplete
• Shell
• Command line interface

Autocomplete is a feature provided by many source code text editors, word processors, and web browsers. ... In computing, a shell is a piece of software that essentially provides a kind of interface for end-users. ... Screenshot of a sample Bash session, taken on Gentoo Linux. ...

External links

Unix shells

• A Bash completion overview
• The zhs completion system

Windows command interpreters

(Be sure to check the "Applies to" section in each article)

• Windows Server 2003:
  1. Directory name completion
  2. Filename completion
• Windows XP
• Windows 2000/NT 4

Notes

1. ^ That is, it cannot be invoked to complete partially typed commands in scripts or batch files, even if the completion is unambiguous.