Readline problems

Applications Programming
1

I'm having problems with libreadline. When I write text longer than the current line, the text wraps back to the beginning of the line rather than to the next line. Also, when I use the arrow keys to edit something in that beginning part, it won't display at all (so I can edit only if I remember the order of the characters, most inconvenient).

It won't even work under xterm. Changing ROWS and LINES doesn't help. Upgrading to readline v. 6 didn't help, either.

Using Ctrl+R to redraw didn't quite work as it should have; picture here:
mersenneforum.org - View Single Post - Readline problems

How can I fix this?

2

What is the output for:

stty -a
echo $TERM

3 
charles@zed:~$ stty -a
speed 38400 baud; rows 24; columns 80; line = 0;
intr = ^C; quit = ^\; erase = ^?; kill = ^U; eof = ^D; eol = M-^?; eol2 = M-^?;
swtch = M-^?; start = ^Q; stop = ^S; susp = ^Z; rprnt = ^R; werase = ^W;
lnext = ^V; flush = ^O; min = 1; time = 0;
-parenb -parodd cs8 hupcl -cstopb cread -clocal -crtscts
-ignbrk brkint -ignpar -parmrk -inpck -istrip -inlcr -igncr icrnl ixon -ixoff
-iuclc ixany imaxbel iutf8
opost -olcuc -ocrnl onlcr -onocr -onlret -ofill -ofdel nl0 cr0 tab0 bs0 vt0 ff0
isig icanon iexten echo echoe echok -echonl -noflsh -xcase -tostop -echoprt
echoctl echoke
charles@zed:~$ echo $TERM
xterm

Note: I'm having the problem with a program using readline (Pari), not the terminal itself. I'm not sure whether this applies or not. There are no problems with readline in the terminal itself.

4

You mean COLUMNS, not ROWS, correct? Console I/O sees COLUMNS env variable.

5

Are you using escape sequences to create your prompt? If so they will interfer with readline unless you use the \[ escape to begin a sequence of non-printing characters,
and the \] escape to signal the end of such a sequence.

6

That's it!

I wasn't able to fix the escape sequences by adding \]: the program actually displays a ] and readline fails all the same. But if I remove the escape sequences entirely (giving up on bolding text and such) the editing works!

Thanks a lot -- this is really going to make using this program much easier.