Readline -- cannot bind to both Ctrl-tab and tab at the same time?

[Steven D'Aprano]

I'm trying to use a readline binding for both TAB and Ctrl-TAB, but it's not
working for me. Whichever I install second seems to over-ride the first.

In the Python interactive interpreter under Linux, enter these two lines:


import readline
readline.parse_and_bind('Control-tab: "import"')


Then on the next line, press Ctrl-TAB and readline should insert the
word "import". You don't need to import anything, that's just to prove that
the binding works.

Now enter:


readline.parse_and_bind('tab: "raise"')


and on the next line, press TAB and readline should insert the word "raise".
Again, no need to raise anything.

Try Ctrl-TAB again, and you'll get "raise" instead of "import".

Can anyone else replicate this issue?

Is this a Python issue, a problem with the terminal I am using, or readline
in general?

I have also tried with the alternate syntax:


readline.parse_and_bind(r'"\C-\t": "import"')


but it just silently fails to install the binding at all.

Can anyone else successfully bind two different functions to TAB and
Ctrl-TAB?


-- 
Steven