How to get a read-only prompt in emacs shell

How to get a read-only prompt in emacs shell

[vnsingh]

Hi,

I extensively invoke a Unix shell within emacs to execute any Unix commands
or run a script.
But I notice when I press backspace the prompt also gets edited or if enter
C-a which I expect 
to get to beginning of cmd, it goes to beginning of prompt.
Is there any way emacs can know the prompt is read-only and that it is a
prompt.
That is, can it behave like a shell where the prompt is a prompt and not
just some text.

Could you please help me on how to do this.
I am a novice user of emacs and I have beginning to love it.

Three cheers to your work. 

- Thanks,
  Vish

Re: How to get a read-only prompt in emacs shell

[Marco Baringer]

vnsingh <vnsingh@micron.com> writes:

> Hi,
> 
> I extensively invoke a Unix shell within emacs to execute any Unix commands
> or run a script.
> But I notice when I press backspace the prompt also gets edited or if enter
> C-a which I expect 
> to get to beginning of cmd, it goes to beginning of prompt.
> Is there any way emacs can know the prompt is read-only and that it is a
> prompt.
> That is, can it behave like a shell where the prompt is a prompt and not
> just some text.
> 

eshell.

on emacs 21 M-x eshell, on earlier emacsen you'll have to get the
elisp files from somewhere.

-- 
-Marco
Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget the perfect offering.
There's a crack in everything.
It's how the light gets in.
     -Isonard Cohen

Re: How to get a read-only prompt in emacs shell

[Marco Baringer]

ruhl@4dv.net (Robert Uhl <ruhl@4dv.net>) writes:

> e.baringer@studenti.to.it (Marco Baringer) writes:
> > 
> > eshell.
> 
> Not too bad.  C-a doesn't make sense, though--it goes to the beginning
> of the line, not the beginning of the command-prompt (so the familiar
> C-a C-k doesn't work).  Maybe I'll take a look at it when I get a
> round tuit.

my bad, i often forget where the emacs distribution ends and where my
.emacs begins. add this to your .emacs:

(add-hook 'eshell-mode-hook '(lambda ()
                               (local-set-key (kbd "C-a") 
                                              '(lambda ()
                                                 (interactive)
                                                 (beginning-of-line)
                                                 (search-forward-regexp eshell-prompt-regexp)))))

or for shell-mode (i haven't tested this as i don't use shell-mode)

(add-hook 'shell-mode-hook '(lambda ()
                              (local-set-key (kbd "C-a") 
                                             '(lambda ()
                                                (interactive)
                                                (beginning-of-line)
                                                (search-forward-regexp shell-prompt-pattern)))))
 
> -- 
> Robert Uhl <ruhl@4dv.net>
> I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe
> what you just said.                           --William F. Buckley, Jr.
> 

-- 
-Marco
Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget the perfect offering.
There's a crack in everything.
It's how the light gets in.
     -Isonard Cohen