A versionsort sorts numbers by numeric value rather than comparing the ASCII
values of characters from left to right.  For example, it will sort the files
1, 10, 2 as 1, 2, 10.  ls can versionsort files if given the -v option.  Could
bash have an option to versionsort completions when listing them?

Thanks,
Josh Triplett

With the attached patch to readline, if you set
completion-version-sort (such as in ~/.inputrc), readline will
version-sort completions.

Without the patch, or with the patch but without setting
completion-version-sort:
josh@whisper:/tmp/t$ rlfe cat
x
Display all 100 possibilities? (y or n)
x1    x16   x23   x30   x38   x45   x52   x6    x67   x74   x81   x89   x96
x10   x17   x24   x31   x39   x46   x53   x60   x68   x75   x82   x9    x97
x100  x18   x25   x32   x4    x47   x54   x61   x69   x76   x83   x90   x98
x11   x19   x26   x33   x40   x48   x55   x62   x7    x77   x84   x91   x99
x12   x2    x27   x34   x41   x49   x56   x63   x70   x78   x85   x92
x13   x20   x28   x35   x42   x5    x57   x64   x71   x79   x86   x93
x14   x21   x29   x36   x43   x50   x58   x65   x72   x8    x87   x94
x15   x22   x3    x37   x44   x51   x59   x66   x73   x80   x88   x95
x

With the patched readline and with "set completion-version-sort on" in
~/.inputrc:
josh@whisper:/tmp/t$ rlfe cat
x
Display all 100 possibilities? (y or n)
x1    x9    x17   x25   x33   x41   x49   x57   x65   x73   x81   x89   x97
x2    x10   x18   x26   x34   x42   x50   x58   x66   x74   x82   x90   x98
x3    x11   x19   x27   x35   x43   x51   x59   x67   x75   x83   x91   x99
x4    x12   x20   x28   x36   x44   x52   x60   x68   x76   x84   x92   x100
x5    x13   x21   x29   x37   x45   x53   x61   x69   x77   x85   x93
x6    x14   x22   x30   x38   x46   x54   x62   x70   x78   x86   x94
x7    x15   x23   x31   x39   x47   x55   x63   x71   x79   x87   x95
x8    x16   x24   x32   x40   x48   x56   x64   x72   x80   x88   x96
x

This should work in most programs that use readline.  It doesn't work
in bash; bash may override something in readline that prevents this
from working.

Note that the patch changes configure.in, so you need to re-run autoconf.

I plan to submit this patch upstream as well.

- Josh Triplett

Hi Josh, please could you update the patch for readline6, and forward it upstream.

thanks, Matthias

Hi Josh, please could you update the patch for readline6, and forward it upstream.

thanks, Matthias

I submitted the previous patch upstream
<http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-readline/2007-09/msg00001.html>,
and didn't receive any response whatsoever.  Suggestions on a better
place to send it?  Unfortunately it looks like readline lacks a
bug-tracking system.

In any case, I can certainly update the patch and resend.

- Josh Triplett

Dear submitter,

as the package readline5 has just been removed from the Debian archive
unstable we hereby close the associated bug reports.  We are sorry
that we couldn't deal with your issue properly.

For details on the removal, please see https://bugs.debian.org/980504

The version of this package that was in Debian prior to this removal
can still be found using http://snapshot.debian.org/.

Please note that the changes have been done on the master archive and
will not propagate to any mirrors until the next dinstall run at the
earliest.

This message was generated automatically; if you believe that there is
a problem with it please contact the archive administrators by mailing
ftpmaster@ftp-master.debian.org.

Debian distribution maintenance software
pp.
Joerg Jaspert (the ftpmaster behind the curtain)