Run the alias command, then issue
ps aux | head
and resize your terminal window (putty/console/hyperterm/xterm/etc) then issue the same command and you'll understand.
${LINES:-`tput lines 2>/dev/null||echo -n 12`}
Insructs the shell that if LINES is not set or null to use the output from `tput lines` ( ncurses based terminal access ) to get the number of lines in your terminal. But furthermore, in case that doesn't work either, it will default to using the deafault of 12 (-2 = 10).
The default for HEAD is to output the first 10 lines, this alias changes the default to output the first x lines instead, where x is the number of lines currently displayed on your terminal - 2. The -2 is there so that the top line displayed is the command you ran that used HEAD, ie the prompt.
Depending on whether your PS1 and/or PROMPT_COMMAND output more than 1 line (mine is 3) you will want to increase from -2. So with my prompt being the following, I need -7, or - 5 if I only want to display the commandline at the top. ( https://www.askapache.com/linux/bash-power-prompt/ )
275MB/748MB
[7995:7993 - 0:186] 06:26:49 Thu Apr 08 [askapache@n1-backbone5:/dev/pts/0 +1] ~
In most shells the LINES variable is created automatically at login and updated when the terminal is resized (28 linux, 23/20 others for SIGWINCH) to contain the number of vertical lines that can fit in your terminal window. Because the alias doesn't hard-code the current LINES but relys on the $LINES variable, this is a dynamic alias that will always work on a tty device.
Show Sample Output
blue and yellow colored bash prompt for a Hanukkah celebration on your box
I use this command (PS1) to show a list bash prompt's special characters. I tested it against A flavor of Red Hat Linux and Mac OS X Show Sample Output
If the return code from the last command was greater than zero, colour part of your prompt red. The commands give a prompt like this: [user current_directory]$ After an error, the "[user" part is automatically coloured red. Tested using bash on xterm and terminal. Place in your .bashrc or .bash_profile.
Adds the time in 12hr AM/PM format to the beginning of a prompt. Change \@ to \t for 24-hour time or \T for 12hr without AM/PM. To keep the time the next time you open a terminal, edit ~/.bashrc and stick the command at the bottom. Show Sample Output
A simple PS1, ready to be used. Just paste in your ~/.bashrc Show Sample Output
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