SCRIPT(1) User Commands SCRIPT(1)
NAME
script - make typescript of terminal session
SYNOPSIS
script [options] [file]
DESCRIPTION
script makes a typescript of everything on your terminal session. The
terminal data are stored in raw form to the log file and information
about timing to another (optional) structured log file. The timing log
file is necessary to replay the session later by scriptreplay(1) and to
store additional information about the session.
Since version 2.35, script supports multiple streams and allows the
logging of input and output to separate files or all the one file. This
version also supports a new timing file which records additional
information. The command scriptreplay --summary then provides all the
information.
If the argument file or option --log-out file is given, script saves
the dialogue in this file. If no filename is given, the dialogue is
saved in the file typescript.
Note that logging input using --log-in or --log-io may record
security-sensitive information as the log file contains all terminal
session input (e.g., passwords) independently of the terminal echo flag
setting.
OPTIONS
Below, the size argument may be followed by the multiplicative suffixes
KiB (=1024), MiB (=1024*1024), and so on for GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB, ZiB
and YiB (the "iB" is optional, e.g., "K" has the same meaning as
"KiB"), or the suffixes KB (=1000), MB (=1000*1000), and so on for GB,
TB, PB, EB, ZB and YB.
-a, --append
Append the output to file or to typescript, retaining the prior
contents.
-c, --command 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.
-E, --echo when
This option controls the ECHO flag for the slave end of the
session’s pseudoterminal. The supported modes are always, never, or
auto.
The default is auto — in this case, ECHO enabled for the
pseudoterminal slave; if the current standard input is a terminal,
ECHO is disabled for it to prevent double echo; if the current
standard input is not a terminal (for example pipe: echo date |
script) then keeping ECHO enabled for the pseudoterminal slave
enables the standard input data to be viewed on screen while being
recorded to session log simultaneously.
Note that 'never' mode affects content of the session output log,
because users input is not repeated on output.
-e, --return
Return the exit status of the child process. Uses the same format
as bash termination on signal termination (i.e., exit status is 128
+ the signal number). The exit status of the child process is
always stored in the type script file too.
-f, --flush
Flush output after each write. This is nice for telecooperation:
one person does mkfifo foo; script -f foo, and another can
supervise in real-time what is being done using cat foo. Note that
flush has an impact on performance; it’s possible to use SIGUSR1 to
flush logs on demand.
--force
Allow the default output file typescript to be a hard or symbolic
link. The command will follow a symbolic link.
-B, --log-io file
Log input and output to the same file. Note, this option makes
sense only if --log-timing is also specified, otherwise it’s
impossible to separate output and input streams from the log file.
-I, --log-in file
Log input to the file. The log output is disabled if only --log-in
specified.
Use this logging functionality carefully as it logs all input,
including input when terminal has disabled echo flag (for example,
password inputs).
-O, --log-out file
Log output to the file. The default is to log output to the file
with name typescript if the option --log-out or --log-in is not
given. The log output is disabled if only --log-in specified.
-T, --log-timing file
Log timing information to the file. Two timing file formats are
supported now. The classic format is used when only one stream
(input or output) logging is enabled. The multi-stream format is
used on --log-io or when --log-in and --log-out are used together.
See also --logging-format.
-m, --logging-format format
Force use of advanced or classic format. The default is the classic
format to log only output and the advanced format when input as
well as output logging is requested.
Classic format
The log 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.
Advanced (multi-stream) format
The first field is an entry type identifier ('I’nput, 'O’utput,
'H’eader, 'S’ignal). The second field is how much time elapsed
since the previous entry, and the rest of the entry is
type-specific data.
-o, --output-limit size
Limit the size of the typescript and timing files to size and stop
the child process after this size is exceeded. The calculated file
size does not include the start and done messages that the script
command prepends and appends to the child process output. Due to
buffering, the resulting output file might be larger than the
specified value.
-q, --quiet
Be quiet (do not write start and done messages to standard output).
-t[file], --timing[=file]
Output timing data to standard error, or to file when given. This
option is deprecated in favour of --log-timing where the file
argument is not optional.
-h, --help
Display help text and exit.
-V, --version
Print version and exit.
SIGNALS
Upon receiving SIGUSR1, script immediately flushes the output files.
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).
NOTES
The script ends when the forked shell exits (a control-D for the Bourne
shell (sh(1p)), 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.
It is not recommended to run script in non-interactive shells. The
inner shell of script is always interactive, and this could lead to
unexpected results. If you use script in the shell initialization file,
you have to avoid entering an infinite loop. You can use for example
the .profile file, which is read by login shells only:
if test -t 0 ; then
script
exit
fi
You should also avoid use of script in command pipes, as script can
read more input than you would expect.
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.
script is primarily designed for interactive terminal sessions. When
stdin is not a terminal (for example: echo foo | script), then the
session can hang, because the interactive shell within the script
session misses EOF and script has no clue when to close the session.
See the NOTES section for more information.
SEE ALSO
csh(1) (for the history mechanism), scriptreplay(1), scriptlive(1)
REPORTING BUGS
For bug reports, use the issue tracker at
https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/issues.
AVAILABILITY
The script command is part of the util-linux package which can be
downloaded from Linux Kernel Archive
<https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux/>.
util-linux 2.38.1 2022-08-04 SCRIPT(1)
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