script

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 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 socond 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.

       -V, --version
           Display version information and exit.

       -h, --help
           Display help text 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/karelzak/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 2.37.2                 2021-06-02                         SCRIPT(1)