Suggestion: Ctrl-C should abort Powershell output

[favorini]

Ctrl-C should abort Powershell output, like a long directory listing or a bunch of errors because you piped the wrong stuff to a cmdlet.

Also, is there any way to bind to Ctrl-Break? I really wish Powershell.exe didn't punt on this key. Ideally, I'd map Ctrl-C to Copy and use Ctrl-Break for cancelling the line or pending output. I have no use for a key that closes the window, since there are other ways to do that.

P.S. I just created a bunch of issues, but I really like PSReadLine, so thanks for creating such a great piece of software and making it freely available. It is much appreciated. Just trying to help make it closer to "perfect." 👍

[lzybkr]

When a script is running, PSReadLine can't process any keys - it never sees any key presses until the script completes.

That said, Ctrl+C does stop most scripts immediately. It won't stop a .Net method, PowerShell has to wait for the method to return first before it will stop it.

Back to what PSReadline can/can't do - in Windows mode, Ctrl+C will copy if you have text selected, otherwise it cancels. This function is CopyOrCancel.

The PowerShell team has received feedback regarding Ctrl+Break. It has been suggested that Ctrl+Break would break into the debugger instead of closing the window - I like this idea and hope to see it ship in a future version.

PSReadline could alter the behavior of Ctrl+Break while PSReadline is running, but I don't think that's too useful so I don't plan on supporting binding Ctrl+Break.

And no worries about opening a bunch of issues - if nobody complains about a piece of software, it's either trivial or nobody is using it, so thanks for the feedback.

[favorini]

Regarding Ctrl-C, I was testing aborting a long dir listing, and apparently it doesn't always work immediately. I was attributing that to PSReadLine, but it works that way in vanilla Powershell also. (Might have been because I was Remote Desktopped to another machine.)

[favorini]

Back to what PSReadline can/can't do - in Windows mode, Ctrl+C will copy if you have text selected, otherwise it cancels. This function is CopyOrCancel.

Are you saying I can bind Ctrl-C to CopyOrCancel in PSReadLine? That gave me an invalid arg error in both EditModes.

[lzybkr]

when reporting issues/bug, you should include the error message, otherwise I have to guess. In this case, I guess you tried:

Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler Ctrl-C CopyOrCancelLine

That should be:

Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler Ctrl+C CopyOrCancelLine

Notice the '+' instead of '-'.

[favorini]

PS > Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler -Key Ctrl+c -Function CopyOrCancel
Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'Function'. The argument "CopyOrCancel" does not
belong to the set "Abort,AcceptAndGetNext,AcceptLine,AddLine,BackwardChar,BackwardDeleteChar,BackwardDeleteLine,Backwar
dKillLine,BackwardKillWord,BackwardWord,BeginningOfHistory,BeginningOfLine,CancelLine,CaptureScreen,CharacterSearch,Cha
racterSearchBackward,ClearScreen,Complete,Copy,Cut,DeleteChar,DigitArgument,DisableDemoMode,EnableDemoMode,EndOfHistory
,EndOfLine,ExchangePointAndMark,ForwardChar,ForwardDeleteLine,ForwardSearchHistory,ForwardWord,GotoBrace,HistorySearchB
ackward,HistorySearchForward,InvokePrompt,KillLine,KillRegion,KillWord,NextHistory,NextWord,Paste,PossibleCompletions,P
reviousHistory,Redo,ReverseSearchHistory,RevertLine,ScrollDisplayDown,ScrollDisplayToCursor,ScrollDisplayTop,ScrollDisp
layUp,SelectBackwardChar,SelectBackwardWord,SelectForwardChar,SelectForwardWord,SelectNextWord,SelectShellBackwardWord,
SelectShellForwardWord,SelectShellNextWord,SelfInsert,SetMark,ShellBackwardKillWord,ShellBackwardWord,ShellForwardWord,
ShellKillWord,ShellNextWord,ShowKeyBindings,TabCompleteNext,TabCompletePrevious,Undo,UnixWordRubout,WhatIsKey,Yank,Yank
LastArg,YankNthArg,YankPop" specified by the ValidateSet attribute. Supply an argument that is in the set and then try
the command again.
At line:1 char:48
+ Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler -Key Ctrl+c -Function CopyOrCancel
+                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (:) [Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler], ParameterBindingValidationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,PSConsoleUtilities.SetPSReadlineKeyHandlerCommand

PS > Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler -Key Ctrl+c -Function CopyOrCancelLine
Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler : Cannot validate argument on parameter 'Function'. The argument "CopyOrCancelLine" does not
belong to the set "Abort,AcceptAndGetNext,AcceptLine,AddLine,BackwardChar,BackwardDeleteChar,BackwardDeleteLine,Backwar
dKillLine,BackwardKillWord,BackwardWord,BeginningOfHistory,BeginningOfLine,CancelLine,CaptureScreen,CharacterSearch,Cha
racterSearchBackward,ClearScreen,Complete,Copy,Cut,DeleteChar,DigitArgument,DisableDemoMode,EnableDemoMode,EndOfHistory
,EndOfLine,ExchangePointAndMark,ForwardChar,ForwardDeleteLine,ForwardSearchHistory,ForwardWord,GotoBrace,HistorySearchB
ackward,HistorySearchForward,InvokePrompt,KillLine,KillRegion,KillWord,NextHistory,NextWord,Paste,PossibleCompletions,P
reviousHistory,Redo,ReverseSearchHistory,RevertLine,ScrollDisplayDown,ScrollDisplayToCursor,ScrollDisplayTop,ScrollDisp
layUp,SelectBackwardChar,SelectBackwardWord,SelectForwardChar,SelectForwardWord,SelectNextWord,SelectShellBackwardWord,
SelectShellForwardWord,SelectShellNextWord,SelfInsert,SetMark,ShellBackwardKillWord,ShellBackwardWord,ShellForwardWord,
ShellKillWord,ShellNextWord,ShowKeyBindings,TabCompleteNext,TabCompletePrevious,Undo,UnixWordRubout,WhatIsKey,Yank,Yank
LastArg,YankNthArg,YankPop" specified by the ValidateSet attribute. Supply an argument that is in the set and then try
the command again.
At line:1 char:48
+ Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler -Key Ctrl+c -Function CopyOrCancelLine
+                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidData: (:) [Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler], ParameterBindingValidationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationError,PSConsoleUtilities.SetPSReadlineKeyHandlerCommand

[rkeithhill]

I think this feature hasn't been pushed out in a release yet. You will have to grab source and compile to get this feature. The "Latest" release is 2 months old now so features Jason has recently added aren't in the Latest release. :-(

[favorini]

Yeah, I was beginning to suspect that. Might give it a whirl, in the unlikely event I get enough spare time.

[lzybkr]

That's it. I haven't added much lately which is why there isn't a newer release.

[dresken]

There's been some great features since the last release: CopyOrCancelLine, completion in remote sessions, and selection to from cursor to start/end of line. I'd be keen for a new version - we're looking to put this into our environment officially soon.
I'd even be happy with some build instructions, I had a go - but figure I might need to install something with all the errors that popped out - still fairly new to Powershell :)

[lzybkr]

I updated the Latest build.

BTW, I alluded to Ctrl+Break changing behavior in the future. I realized the feature has already been added to WMF5 - Ctrl+Break will break into the debugger if you install the CTP of WMF5.