Invoking Screen

Screen has the following command-line options:

`-a'

Include all capabilities (with some minor exceptions) in each window's termcap, even if screen must redraw parts of the display in order to implement a function.

`-A'

Adapt the sizes of all windows to the size of the display. By default, screen may try to restore its old window sizes when attaching to resizable terminals (those with `WS' in their descriptions, e.g. suncmd or some varieties of xterm).

`-c file'

Use file as the user's configuration file instead of the default of `$HOME/.screenrc'.

`-d [pid.sessionname]'

`-D [pid.sessionname]'

Do not start screen, but instead detach a screen session running elsewhere (see section Detach). `-d' has the same effect as typing C-a d from the controlling terminal for the session. `-D' is the equivalent to the power detach key. If no session can be detached, this option is ignored. The combination screen -D -r can be used to log out from a remote terminal and transport the session running there to your current terminal. Note: It is a good idea to check the status of your sessions with screen -list before using this option.

`-e xy'

Set the command character to x, and the character generating a literal command character (when typed after the command character) to y. The defaults are C-a and a, which can be specified as `-e^Aa'. When creating a screen session, this option sets the default command caracter. In a multiuser session all users added will start off with this command character. But when attaching to an already running session, this option only changes the command character of the attaching user. This option is equivalent to the commands defescape or escape respectively. (see section Command Character).

`-f'

`-fn'

`-fa'

Set flow-control to on, off, or automatic switching mode, respectively. This option is equivalent to the defflow command (see section Flow Control).

`-h num'

Set the history scrollback buffer to be num lines high. Equivalent to the defscrollback command (see section Copying).

`-i'

Cause the interrupt key (usually C-c) to interrupt the display immediately when flow control is on. This option is equivalent to the interrupt argument to the defflow command (see section Flow Control). Its use is discouraged.

`-l'

`-ln'

Turn login mode on or off (for `/etc/utmp' updating). This option is equivalent to the deflogin command (see section Login).

`-ls'

`-list'

Do not start screen, but instead print a list of session identification strings (usually of the form pid.tty.host; see section Session Name). Sessions marked `detached' can be resumed with screen -r. Those marked `attached' are running and have a controlling terminal. Sessions marked as `dead' should be thoroughly checked and removed. Ask your system administrator if you are not sure why they died. Remove sessions with the `-wipe' option.

`-L'

Tell screen that your auto-margin terminal allows programs to write to the last column of the last row of the screen without scrolling. This can also be set in your `.screenrc' by specifying `xn' in a termcap command (see section Termcap).

`-m'

Tell screen to ignore the $STY environment variable. When this option is used, a new session will always be created, regardless of whether screen is being called from within another screen session or not.

`-r [pid.sessionname]'

`-r sessionowner/[pid.sessionname]'

Resume a detached screen session. No other options (except `-d' or `-D') may be specified, though the session name (see section Session Name) may be needed to distinguish between multiple detached screen sessions. The second form is used to connect to another users screen session which runs in multi-user mode. This indicates that screen should look for sessions in another users directory. This requires setuid-root.

`-R'

Resume the first appropriate detached screen session. If successful, all other command-line options are ignored. If no detached session exists, start a new session using the specified options, just as if `-R' had not been specified. This option is set by default if screen is run as a login-shell.

`-s program'

Set the default shell to be program. By default, screen uses the value of the environment variable $SHELL, or `/bin/sh' if it is not defined. This option is equivalent to the shell command (see section Shell).

`-S sessionname'

Set the name of the new session to sessionname. This option can be used to specify a meaningful name for the session in place of the default tty.host suffix. This name identifies the session for the screen -list and screen -r commands. This option is equivalent to the sessionname command (see section Session Name).

`-t name'

Set the title (name) for the default shell or specified program. This option is equivalent to the shelltitle command (see section Shell).

`-v'

Print the version number.

`-wipe'

List available screens like screen -ls, but remove destroyed sessions instead of marking them as `dead'.

`-x'

Attach to a session which is already attached elsewhere (multi-display mode).