NAME
script - make typescript of terminal session
SYNOPSIS
script [-a] [-c COMMAND] [-f] [-q] [-t] [file]
DESCRIPTION
Script makes a typescript of everything printed on your terminal. It is
useful for students who need a hardcopy record of an interactive session
as proof of an assignment, as the typescript file can be printed out
later with lpr(1).
If the argument file is given, script saves all dialogue in file. If no
file name is given, the typescript is saved in the file typescript.
Options:
-a Append the output to file or typescript, retaining the prior
contents.
-c COMMAND
Run the COMMAND rather than an interactive shell. This makes it
easy for a script to capture the output of a program that behaves
differently when its stdout is not a tty.
-f Flush output after each write. This is nice for telecooperation:
One person does ‘mkfifo foo; script -f foo’ and another can
supervise real-time what is being done using ‘cat foo’.
-q Be quiet.
-t Output timing data to standard error. This data contains two
fields, separated by a space. The first field indicates how much
time elapsed since the previous output. The second field
indicates how many characters were output this time. This
information can be used to replay typescripts with realistic
typing and output delays.
The script ends when the forked shell exits (a control-D to exit the
Bourne shell (sh(1)), and exit, logout or control-d (if ignoreeof is not
set) for the C-shell, csh(1)).
Certain interactive commands, such as vi(1), create garbage in the
typescript file. Script works best with commands that do not manipulate
the screen, the results are meant to emulate a hardcopy terminal.
ENVIRONMENT
The following environment variable is utilized by script:
SHELL If the variable SHELL exists, the shell forked by script will be
that shell. If SHELL is not set, the Bourne shell is assumed.
(Most shells set this variable automatically).
SEE ALSO
csh(1) (for the history mechanism), scriptreplay(1).
HISTORY
The script command appeared in 3.0BSD.
BUGS
Script places everything in the log file, including linefeeds and
backspaces. This is not what the naive user expects.
AVAILABILITY
The script command is part of the util-linux-ng package and is available
from ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux-ng/.