bash Pocket Reference

Name

complete — Specify how to do completion for specific commands.

Synopsis

complete [-DE] [options] command …

Specifies the way to complete arguments for each command. This is discussed in the section Programmable Completion.

Options

-a

Same as -A alias.

-A type

Use type to specify a list of possible completions. The type may be one of the following:

alias	Alias names
arrayvar	Array variable names
binding	Bindings from the readline library
builtin	Shell built-in command names
command	Command names
directory	Directory names
disabled	Names of disabled shell built-in commands
enabled	Names of enabled shell built-in commands
export	Exported variables
file	Filenames
function	Names of shell functions
group	Group names
helptopic	Help topics as allowed by the help built-in command
hostname	Hostnames, as found in the file named by $HOSTFILE
job	Job names
keyword	Shell reserved keywords
running	Names of running jobs
service	Service names (from /etc/services)
setopt	Valid arguments for set -o
shopt	Valid option names for the shopt built-in command
signal	Signal names
stopped	Names of stopped jobs
user	Usernames
variable	Shell variable names

-b

Same as -A builtin.

-c

Same as -A command.

-C command

Run command in a subshell and use its output as the list of completions.

-d

Same as -A directory.

-D

Apply the rest of the options and parameters to the “default” completion, which is used when no other compspec can be found.

-e

Same as -A export.

-E

Apply the rest of the ...