:mod:`rlcompleter` --- Completion function for GNU readline
.. module:: rlcompleter :synopsis: Python identifier completion, suitable for the GNU readline library.
.. sectionauthor:: Moshe Zadka <moshez@zadka.site.co.il>
Source code: :source:`Lib/rlcompleter.py`
The :mod:`rlcompleter` module defines a completion function suitable for the :mod:`readline` module by completing valid Python identifiers and keywords.
When this module is imported on a Unix platform with the :mod:`readline` module available, an instance of the :class:`Completer` class is automatically created and its :meth:`complete` method is set as the :mod:`readline` completer.
Example:
>>> import rlcompleter
>>> import readline
>>> readline.parse_and_bind("tab: complete")
>>> readline. <TAB PRESSED>
readline.__doc__ readline.get_line_buffer( readline.read_init_file(
readline.__file__ readline.insert_text( readline.set_completer(
readline.__name__ readline.parse_and_bind(
>>> readline.
The :mod:`rlcompleter` module is designed for use with Python's :ref:`interactive mode <tut-interactive>`. Unless Python is run with the :option:`-S` option, the module is automatically imported and configured (see :ref:`rlcompleter-config`).
On platforms without :mod:`readline`, the :class:`Completer` class defined by this module can still be used for custom purposes.
Completer objects have the following method:
.. method:: Completer.complete(text, state) Return the *state*\ th completion for *text*. If called for *text* that doesn't include a period character (``'.'``), it will complete from names currently defined in :mod:`__main__`, :mod:`builtins` and keywords (as defined by the :mod:`keyword` module). If called for a dotted name, it will try to evaluate anything without obvious side-effects (functions will not be evaluated, but it can generate calls to :meth:`__getattr__`) up to the last part, and find matches for the rest via the :func:`dir` function. Any exception raised during the evaluation of the expression is caught, silenced and :const:`None` is returned.