inputctl function

Synopsis

$inputctl(get cutbuffer)

$inputctl(set cutbuffer [<text>])

Technical

Queries or replaces EPIC's input cut buffer, the client-wide text saved by input-cut actions and used by the yank_from_cutbuffer key action. It is shared across screens and windows, rather than belonging to the current input line or the last-input screen.

get returns the saved text. set replaces it with the entire remaining input and returns the replacement. Omitting text clears the buffer. Text is stored literally after normal function-call expansion; surrounding quotes or braces are not removed. Additional separator spaces after cutbuffer are part of the stored text.

Operation and property names are case-insensitive and accept prefixes. They are function argument words, with quote handling governed by /xdebug dword. Extra arguments to get are ignored.

Practical

Use this function to inspect saved cut text or supply replacement text for a later yank action. Setting the cut buffer does not insert text, move the cursor, redraw the input line, or submit a command. A later cut action replaces the saved text again.

Returns

The saved or newly stored text, without added quoting. A never-set or cleared buffer returns empty. Missing required operation/property arguments, unknown operations, and unsupported properties also return empty without a diagnostic; these cases cannot be distinguished from an empty buffer by the result alone.

Restrictions

cutbuffer is the only supported property. There are no screen selectors, cursor controls, input-history operations, or undo operations in this built-in. Use $curpos() to query the cursor position, type to simulate keystrokes, or xtype -literal to insert text at the cursor without invoking key bindings.

Examples

@ saved_cut_text = inputctl(get cutbuffer)
@ inputctl(set cutbuffer replacement text)
@ inputctl(set cutbuffer)

The first stores a copy of the buffer in a script variable. The next two replace it and then clear it; neither edits the visible input line.

Source

Registered in source/functions.c. Control operations, input cutting, and yanking: source/input.c. Global buffer initialization: source/irc.c. Key-action registration and default binding: source/keys.c.