# Item Tab-completion in Karaf

**URL:** <https://community.openhab.org/t/item-tab-completion-in-karaf/46313>\
**Category:** Runtime\
**Created:** [June 11, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/item-tab-completion-in-karaf/46313 "2018-06-11T20:14:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![berland](https://community.openhab.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@berland](https://community.openhab.org/u/berland)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/item-tab-completion-in-karaf/46313/1 "2018-06-11T20:14:31Z")

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Karaf has tab-completion for its commands, but is it possible in the future that we can have tab-completion also for item-names, channels, things etc.?

I am spoiled by the tab-completion in my bash shell and ipython sessions, and see that it would have been really nice to have in Karaf as well.

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**Author:** ![vzorglub](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/vzorglub/32/17166_2.png) [@vzorglub](https://community.openhab.org/u/vzorglub)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:19pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/item-tab-completion-in-karaf/46313/2 "2018-06-11T22:19:16Z")

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You’ll have to post a feature request in the Karaf repo.

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**Author:** ![Kai](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/kai/32/116281_2.png) [@Kai](https://community.openhab.org/u/Kai)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/item-tab-completion-in-karaf/46313/3 "2018-06-11T22:30:00Z")

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I doubt that this would help. How should Karaf itself know, what items exist? It can’t.  
This would require a special implementation within the specific console commands. I am afraid that this isn’t easily possible as the console commands are defined in an abstract way and are not specific to any console implementation (ESH supports Gogo Shell, Equinox, OSGi console and Karaf likewise).

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**Author:** ![vzorglub](https://community.openhab.org/user_avatar/community.openhab.org/vzorglub/32/17166_2.png) [@vzorglub](https://community.openhab.org/u/vzorglub)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://community.openhab.org/t/item-tab-completion-in-karaf/46313/4 "2018-06-11T22:30:36Z")

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Good to know, thanks Kai.