Re: Writing a plugin - where to start?

[Peter Stephenson <p.stephenson@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 04 Mar 2014 17:31:56 +0100
Timm Bla <tymmm1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I am new to zsh and I want to write a plugin.
> 
> For that I need to be able to change the output of the history.
> So that when the user goes back or forth in the history (with the arrow
> keys for example) my plugin gives back the output the user will see.
> 
> I went through the manual and looked at some other plugins but still don't
> quite know where to start.
> Maybe someone here can point me in the right direction?

From the lack of immediate responses, I think other people have had the
same reaction as I did --- you're going to have to tell us what you're
trying to plug into.

Are you simply trying to make the line editor behaviour different?  In
that case, I suggest reading the zshzle manual page, which explains
about the difference between builtin widgets (editor functions) and user
defined ones, and how you create and use the latter.  For a more
touchy-feely guide to that, see
http://zsh.sourceforge.net/Guide/zshguide04.html#l75 or chapter 14 of
the book "From Bash to Z Shell" (see www.bash2zsh.com)

If that is what the query is about, you have a great deal of flexibility
at your disposal by using shell functions.  This discussion is more
appropriate for the zsh-users list.

If you're trying to change the shell firmware in some more fundamental
way, that may or may not be possible by writing an extension ---
extensions can make use of various hooks in the main shell but only have
limited ability to change built-in behaviour.  So you'd have to spell
out what you're trying to do.

pws