The history built-in prints or edits command history.
Syntax
- 
history [-cF] [-d entry] [-s command] [-r file] [-w file] [count]
Description
The history built-in prints or edits command history.
When executed with an option, the built-in edits history according to the option. If more than one option is specified, each option is processed in order.
When executed with the count operand, the built-in prints the most recent count history entries to the standard output in the same manner as the fc built-in.
When executed with neither options nor operands, the built-in prints the whole history.
Options
- 
-c
- 
--clear
- 
Clear all history entries completely. 
- 
-d entry
- 
--delete=entry
- 
Delete the specified entry. The entry should be specified in the same manner as the start and end operands of the fc built-in. 
- 
-F
- 
--flush-file
- 
Rebuild the history file. This operation removes unused old data from the file. 
- 
-r file
- 
--read=file
- 
Read command lines from file and add them to the history. The file contents are treated as lines of simple text. 
- 
-s command
- 
--set=command
- 
Add command as a new history entry after removing the most recent entry. 
- 
-w file
- 
--write=file
- 
Write the whole history to file. Any existing data in the file will be lost. The output format is lines of simple text, each of which is a command string. 
Operands
- count
- 
The number of entries to be printed. 
Exit status
The exit status of the history built-in is zero unless there is any error.
Notes
The history built-in is not defined in the POSIX standard.
Command history cannot be modified during line-editing.