Hi,
I have been using bash-tab variable expansion for a long time.
recently I upgraded my OS and with it came a newer version bash!

earlier I could do:

cd $WORK_ (tab) it would give me options like DIR SRC
(I had created variables like $WORK_DIR $WORK_SRC.

I am unable to emulate this behavior with
vi $WORK_
or cp $WORK_

and so forth

even with "cd" I get:
cd \$WORK_



how can I make my bash-tab completion friendly to ME!
I don't want to change my habit simply a version has changed. I find this "slash" and not giving completion is uncomfortable to me.

OK, I didn't even know bash word completion worked on variables! (I use it a lot for filename completion.) That's good to know (and it works for me).

Do you have the file /etc/bash_completion? And do you enable it by calling it from ~/.bashrc or /etc/bash.bashrc or /etc/profile?

I suppose we should also check ... what version of bash? what distro are you on?

bash --version
GNU bash, version 4.2.8(1)-release

and

from header of bash_completion:
#
# bash_completion - programmable completion functions for bash 3.2+

BUT the corresponding lines /etc/bashrc were commented
# enable bash completion in interactive shells
#if [ -f /etc/bash_completion ] && ! shopt -oq posix; then
# . /etc/bash_completion
#fi

I will try uncommenting the lines..... and give an update

I uncommented but

bash completion still does not work for
cp $WO (tab and nothing happens)
vi $WO (tab and nothing happens)

Hmm ... interesting ... doesn't work for me either with cp, but with echo it does. It looks like bash is being smart about where it accepts filename completion and where it accepts variable completion. Which is a bit too smart because a variable might contain a path.

Remember you need to open a new shell to see the results.

Have a look at this: http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/man...ble-Completion - although it doesn't seem to say much about options to control it.

Also look at An Introduction to Programmable Completion - http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/tabexpansion.html

Yes, I did open a new shell.

looks like I will have to read a lot of stuff to do something which, (in my opinion) should work out of the box.

I see the same problem here. Something has apparently been changed in the completion scripts that came out with bash4 so that it no longer expands variables on tab. It's quite frustrating, as I have a set of variables set up for switching to various directories. I've noticed a few other errors too.

I've been hoping that a fix would come out, but it's been a couple of months now and there's nothing yet.