# Up-arrow at swipl query prompt just echoes ^\[\[A

**URL:** <https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/up-arrow-at-swipl-query-prompt-just-echoes-a/5934>\
**Category:** Help!\
**Created:** [November 13, 2022, 4:34am UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/up-arrow-at-swipl-query-prompt-just-echoes-a/5934 "2022-11-13T04:34:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![x77686d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/5e9695/32.png) [@x77686d](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/x77686d)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2022, 4:34am UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/up-arrow-at-swipl-query-prompt-just-echoes-a/5934/1 "2022-11-13T04:34:29Z")

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I’m using: SWI-Prolog version "(threaded, 64 bits, version 8.4.2) "

Instead of seeing previous queries recalled, a student of mine using swipl on Linux via Konsole just sees ^[[A echo when he hits up-arrow at the query prompt. It looks like this:

```prolog
?- ^[[A^[[A^[[A

```

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**Author:** ![Boris](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/swi-prolog.discourse.group/boris/32/7486_2.png) [@Boris](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/Boris)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2022, 8:41am UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/up-arrow-at-swipl-query-prompt-just-echoes-a/5934/2 "2022-11-13T08:41:46Z")

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Did they build from source? What Linux distro? Sounds like a missing readline library but how to fix depends on how it was installed.

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**Author:** ![Debug0562](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Debug0562](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/Debug0562)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2022, 2:24pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/up-arrow-at-swipl-query-prompt-just-echoes-a/5934/3 "2022-11-13T14:24:48Z")

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Installed with  
$ apt install swi-prolog-core

Linux distro Kubuntu 22.04

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**Author:** ![Debug0562](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Debug0562](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/Debug0562)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2022, 3:37pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/up-arrow-at-swipl-query-prompt-just-echoes-a/5934/4 "2022-11-13T15:37:11Z")

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Fixed by removing swi-prolog-core and running:

```prolog
% sudo apt-add-repository ppa:swi-prolog/stable
% sudo apt-get update
% sudo apt-get install swi-prolog

```

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**Author:** ![jan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/swi-prolog.discourse.group/jan/32/4_2.png) [@jan](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/jan)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/up-arrow-at-swipl-query-prompt-just-echoes-a/5934/5 "2022-11-13T17:02:38Z")

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Possibly Kubuntu chopped up Prolog into even more pieces or the package is incomplete. The normal distribution comes with command line editors based on GNU libreadline and BSD libedit. In some Linux packages these may not be part of the `-core` package though.

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**Author:** ![x77686d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/5e9695/32.png) [@x77686d](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/x77686d)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/up-arrow-at-swipl-query-prompt-just-echoes-a/5934/6 "2022-11-13T17:44:15Z")

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Everybody: Thanks so much!