script — Makes a typescript of a terminal session

Format

script [-aq] [file]

Description

script makes a typescript of everything displayed on the terminal. The typescript is written to the file specified by the file parameter. If no file name is given, the typescript is saved in the current working directory with the file name typescript. If the file exists, the default behavior is to overwrite its contents.

script is useful for recording shell session activity for troubleshooting and documenting purposes.

Options

–a: Appends the typescript to the file.
–q: Quiet mode. All diagnostic messages are suppressed.

Examples

To record shell session activity in order to document the removal of files, follow these steps:

Begin recording the shell session activity by issuing the script command:
```
script
```
Start removing the files and then end the recording of the shell session activity:
```
rm -v removeme*
exit
```

After the recording ends, the contents of the typescript created by script will be similar to the following:

Script command is started on Fri Jan 29 11:25:15 2010.
SYS1: /u/user1/mydir> rm -v removeme*
removeme1
removeme2
removeme3
SYS1: /u/user1/mydir> exit
Script command is complete on Fri Jan 29 11:25:17 2010.

Environment variables

script uses the following environment variable:

SHELL: Contains the name of the shell to be forked by script.

Localization

script uses the following localization environment variables:

LANG
LC_ALL
LC_CTYPE
LC_MESSAGES
LC_TOD
NLSPATH

See Localization for more information.

Usage notes

script forks and executes a shell according to the value of the SHELL environment variable. If the environment variable is not set, script uses the /bin/sh shell. script ends when the shell process exits. Use either exit or Ctrl-D to exit the shell process.
Because script writes everything in the typescript to the file including backspaces and prompts, commands that modify terminals such as vi might create unexpected data in the typescript.
Before and after running script, ensure that access to the file containing the typescript is properly controlled because the file might contain sensitive data.
script does not support setting 3270 passthrough mode during the shell session. As a result, OEDIT, OBROWSE, and other utilities requiring 3270 passthrough mode will fail.
script creates a new session and controlling terminal for the shell process. A login accounting entry is not added to /etc/utmpx for this session and terminal.
script cannot be run in a background process. For example, using an & at the end of the script command is not supported. Executing the script command via BPXBATCH is also not supported.
Do not access the typescript file in use by script during the shell session, or unexpected results might occur.

Exit values

0

Successful start of the script command

1

Failure due to any of the following:

Unable to access the standard output, input or error file descriptors
An incorrect command-line option
Unable to open, write to, or initialize the typescript file.
Unable to open or write to the pseudoterminal
Unable to access the controlling terminal
Unable to allocate system resources

129-255

script was interrupted by a signal. The exit value is the signal number combined with 128. For example, SIGTERM (signal number 15) results in an exit value of 143.

Portability

An approved POSIX standard does not exist for script.

Related information

tee