GNU Readline: how to clear the input line?

Question

I use GNU Readline in the \"select\" fashion, by registering a callback function like so:

rl_callback_handler_install(\"\", on_readline_input);

Answer 1

With spaces? Try to print "\b \b" for each character you want to "delete" rather than a single '\b'.

---

Edit

How it works
Suppose you have written "Hello, world!" to the display device and you want to replace "world!" with "Jim."

Hello, world!
             ^ /* active position */ /* now write "\b \b" */
               /* '\b' moves the active position back;
               // ' ' writes a space (erases the '!')
               // and another '\b' to go back again */
Hello, world
            ^ /* active position */ /* now write "\b \b" again */
Hello, worl
           ^ /* active position */ /* now write "\b \b" 4 times ... */
Hello, 
       ^ /* active position */ /* now write "Jim." */
Hello, Jim.
           ^ /* active position */

Portability
I'm not sure, but the Standard specifically describes the behaviour of '\b' and '\r' as has been described in answers to your question.

Section 5.2.2 Character display semantics

> 1   The active position is that location on a display device where the next character output by
>     the fputc function would appear. The intent of writing a printing character (as defined
>     by the isprint function) to a display device is to display a graphic representation of
>     that character at the active position and then advance the active position to the next
>     position on the current line. The direction of writing is locale-specific. If the active
>     position is at the final position of a line (if there is one), the behavior of the display devic e
>     is unspecified.
>  
> 2   Alphabetic escape sequences representing nongraphic characters in the execution
>     character set are intended to produce actions on display devices as follows:
>     \a (alert) Produces an audible or visible alert without changing the active position.
>     \b (backspace) Moves the active position to the previous position on the current line. If
>        the active position is at the initial position of a line, the behavior of the display
>        device is unspecified.
>     \f ( form feed) Moves the active position to the initial position at the start of the next
>        logical page.
>     \n (new line) Moves the active position to the initial position of the next line.
>     \r (carriage return) Moves the active position to the initial position of the current line.
>     \t (horizontal tab) Moves the active position to the next horizontal tabulation position
>        on the current line. If the active position is at or past the last defined horizontal
>        tabulation position, the behavior of the display device is unspecified.
>     \v (vertical tab) Moves the active position to the initial position of the next vertical
>         tabulation position. If the active position is at or past the last defined vertical
>         tabulation position, the behavior of the display device is unspecified.
>  
> 3   Each of these escape sequences shall produce a unique implementation-defined value
>     which can be stored in a single char object. The external representations in a text file
>     need not be identical to the internal representations, and are outside the scope of this
>     International Standard.