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/>.