GNU Readline: The Hidden Hero of Your Terminal 🦸¶
Readline is widely used but less widely understood.
Most Used Readline Commands¶
| Function Name | Shortcut | Description | 💭 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔍 reverse-search-history | Ctrl-R | Search command history backwards | The ultimate history finder |
| ⬅️ beginning-of-line | Ctrl-A | Move to start of line | Faster than holding left arrow |
| ➡️ end-of-line | Ctrl-E | Move to end of line | Better than mashing right arrow |
| 🦘 forward-word | Alt-F | Move forward one word | Like Ctrl-Right in editors |
| 🦘 backward-word | Alt-B | Move backward one word | Like Ctrl-Left in editors |
| ✂️ unix-word-rubout | Ctrl-W | Delete word before cursor | Quicker than backspace |
| 🗑️ kill-line | Ctrl-K | Kill text from cursor to end | Perfect for rewriting commands |
| 📋 yank | Ctrl-Y | Yank previously killed text | Paste what you just cut |
| 🧹 clear-screen | Ctrl-L | Clear screen | Cleaner than typing 'clear' |
| 🌟 yank-last-arg | Alt-. | Insert last arg of previous command | Great for operating on same file |
| ↩️ undo | Ctrl-_ | Undo | Everyone needs an undo! |
| 📝 insert-comment | Alt-# | Comment line & move to new line | Save that command for later |
| 🔄 exchange-point-and-mark | Ctrl-XX | Toggle between start & cursor | Great for adding sudo |
| 🎯 character-search | Ctrl-] x | Move to next character 'x' | Quick character navigation |
| 📜 beginning-of-history | Alt-< | Move to first command in history | Jump to the beginning |
| 📜 end-of-history | Alt-> | Move to last command in history | Back to the present |
Pro Tips 🎓¶
- These function names are what you'll see in the output of
bind -p - Use them in your
.inputrcfor custom bindings - They're consistent across readline-using applications
- Many have both emacs and vi mode equivalents