This is an omission in the bash-complete
package, not apt
. It just seems a completion doesn't exist yet, so I've scrapped together what I can for the apt
command (it's not the best documented command that's ever existed!)
The following is an adaptation from the existing apt-get
completion (with elements stripped out and bits added from apt-cache
's completion). Run sudoedit /usr/share/bash-completion/completions/apt
and paste in the following:
# Debian apt(8) completion -*- shell-script -*-
_apt()
{
local cur prev words cword
_init_completion || return
local special i
for (( i=0; i < ${#words[@]}-1; i++ )); do
if [[ ${words[i]} == @(list|search|show|update|install|remove|upgrade|full-upgrade|edit-sources|dist-upgrade|purge) ]]; then
special=${words[i]}
fi
done
if [[ -n $special ]]; then
case $special in
remove|purge)
if [[ -f /etc/debian_version ]]; then
# Debian system
COMPREPLY=( $( \
_xfunc dpkg _comp_dpkg_installed_packages $cur ) )
else
# assume RPM based
_xfunc rpm _rpm_installed_packages
fi
return 0
;;
*)
COMPREPLY=( $( apt-cache --no-generate pkgnames "$cur" \
2> /dev/null ) )
return 0
;;
esac
fi
case $prev in
-c|--config-file)
_filedir
return 0
;;
-t|--target-release|--default-release)
COMPREPLY=( $( apt-cache policy | \
command grep "release.o=Debian,a=$cur" | \
sed -e "s/.*a=\(\w*\).*/\1/" | uniq 2> /dev/null) )
return 0
;;
esac
if [[ "$cur" == -* ]]; then
COMPREPLY=( $( compgen -W '-d -f -h -v -m -q -s -y -u -t -b -c -o
--download-only --fix-broken --help --version --ignore-missing
--fix-missing --no-download --quiet --simulate --just-print
--dry-run --recon --no-act --yes --assume-yes --show-upgraded
--only-source --compile --build --ignore-hold --target-release
--no-upgrade --force-yes --print-uris --purge --reinstall
--list-cleanup --default-release --trivial-only --no-remove
--diff-only --no-install-recommends --tar-only --config-file
--option --auto-remove' -- "$cur" ) )
else
COMPREPLY=( $( compgen -W 'list search show update install
remove upgrade full-upgrade edit-sources dist-upgrade
purge' -- "$cur" ) )
fi
return 0
} &&
complete -F _apt apt
# ex: ts=4 sw=4 et filetype=sh
Then run source ~/.bashrc
to load the completion. Then apt show firef
+ Tab should complete.
This may offer you options that just don't exist any more. I think I've nailed the main commands (which might change in time) but at the very least it'll help you with the common commands: list
search
show
update
install
remove
upgrade
full-upgrade
edit-sources
dist-upgrade
purge
.
Obviously, if a bash-completion maintainer wants to nab the above, you're welcome to it under GPL (though I'd be tempted to start from fresh once apt
is documented!)