12.4 Screen Exchange

Command: bufferfile [exchange-file]

(none)
Change the filename used for reading and writing with the paste buffer. If the exchange-file parameter is omitted, screen reverts to the default of /tmp/screen-exchange. The following example will paste the system’s password file into the screen window (using the paste buffer, where a copy remains):

C-a : bufferfile /etc/passwd
C-a < C-a ]
C-a : bufferfile

Command: readbuf [-e encoding] [filename]

(C-a <)
Reads the contents of the specified file into the paste buffer. You can tell screen the encoding of the file via the -e option. If no file is specified, the screen-exchange filename is used.

Command: removebuf

(C-a =)
Unlinks the screen-exchange file.

Command: writebuf [-e encoding] [filename]

(C-a >)
Writes the contents of the paste buffer to the specified file, or the public accessible screen-exchange file if no filename is given. This is thought of as a primitive means of communication between screen users on the same host. If an encoding is specified the paste buffer is recoded on the fly to match the encoding. See also C-a ESC (see Copy).