The command loop keeps a history of the complex commands that have
been executed, to make it convenient to repeat these commands. A
complex command is one for which the interactive argument reading
uses the minibuffer. This includes any M-x command, any
M-: command, and any command whose interactive
specification reads an argument from the minibuffer. Explicit use of
the minibuffer during the execution of the command itself does not cause
the command to be considered complex.
This variable’s value is a list of recent complex commands, each represented as a form to evaluate. It continues to accumulate all complex commands for the duration of the editing session, but when it reaches the maximum size (see Minibuffer History), the oldest elements are deleted as new ones are added.
command-history
⇒ ((switch-to-buffer "chistory.texi")
(describe-key "^X^[")
(visit-tags-table "~/emacs/src/")
(find-tag "repeat-complex-command"))
This history list is actually a special case of minibuffer history (see Minibuffer History), with one special twist: the elements are expressions rather than strings.
There are a number of commands devoted to the editing and recall of
previous commands. The commands repeat-complex-command, and
list-command-history are described in the user manual
(see Repetition in The GNU Emacs Manual). Within the
minibuffer, the usual minibuffer history commands are available.