Bash keyboard shortcuts

01.bash_shortcuts_v2.md

Bash Commands

File Management

Delete folder and all contents with no prompts

rm -rf mydir

Bash Shortcuts

Moving

command	description
ctrl + a	Goto BEGINNING of command line
ctrl + e	Goto END of command line
ctrl + b	move back one character
ctrl + f	move forward one character
alt + f	move cursor FORWARD one word
alt + b	move cursor BACK one word

Other

command	description
ctrl + d	Delete the character under the cursor
ctrl + l	Clear the screen (same as clear command)
ctrl + p	Fetch the previous command from the history list, moving back in the list (same as up arrow)
ctrl + n	Fetch the next command from the history list, moving forward in the list (same as down arrow)
ctrl + u	Clear all BEFORE cursor
ctrl + k	Clear all AFTER cursor
ctrl + r	Search backward starting at the current line and moving 'up' through the history as necessary
crtl + s	Search forward starting at the current line and moving 'down' through the history as necessary
ctrl + c	kill whatever is running
ctrl + d	Exit shell (same as exit command)
ctrl + w	delete the word BEFORE the cursor
ctrl + t	swap the last two characters before the cursor
ctrl + y	paste (if you used a previous command to delete)
ctrl + z	Place current process in background
ctrl + _	undo
esc + t	Swap last two words before the cursor
esc + .
esc + _
alt + [Backspace]	delete PREVIOUS word
alt + <	Move to the first line in the history
alt + >	Move to the end of the input history, i.e., the line currently being entered
alt + ?
alt + *
alt + .	print the LAST ARGUMENT (ie "vim file1.txt file2.txt" will yield "file2.txt")
alt + c
alt + d
alt + l
alt + n
alt + p
alt + r
alt + t
alt + u
~[TAB][TAB]	List all users
$[TAB][TAB]	List all system variables
@[TAB][TAB]	List all entries in your /etc/hosts file
[TAB]	Auto complete
!!	Run PREVIOUS command (ie sudo !!)
!vi	Run PREVIOUS command that BEGINS with vi
cd -	change to PREVIOUS working directory

Kill a job

n = job number, to list jobs, run jobs

kill %n

Example:

kill %1

References

1. http://cnswww.cns.cwru.edu/php/chet/readline/readline.html

02.bash_shortcuts.txt

Ctrl-a		Move to the start of the line.
Ctrl-e		Move to the end of the line.
Ctrl-b		Move back one character.
Alt-b		Move back one word.
Ctrl-f		Move forward one character.
Alt-f		Move forward one word.
Ctrl-] x	Where x is any character, moves the cursor forward to the next occurance of x.
Alt-Ctrl-] x	Where x is any character, moves the cursor backwards to the previous occurance of x.
Ctrl-u		Delete from the cursor to the beginning of the line.
Ctrl-k		Delete from the cursor to the end of the line.
Ctrl-w		Delete from the cursor to the start of the word.
Esc-Del		Delete previous word (may not work, instead try Esc followed by Backspace)
Ctrl-y		Pastes text from the clipboard.
Ctrl-l		Clear the screen leaving the current line at the top of the screen.
Ctrl-x Ctrl-u	Undo the last changes. Ctrl-_ does the same
Alt-r		Undo all changes to the line.
Alt-Ctrl-e	Expand command line.
Ctrl-r		Incremental reverse search of history.
Alt-p		Non-incremental reverse search of history.
!!		Execute last command in history
!abc		Execute last command in history beginning with abc
!abc:p		Print last command in history beginning with abc
!n		Execute nth command in history
!$		Last argument of last command
!^		First argument of last command
^abc^xyz	Replace first occurance of abc with xyz in last command and execute it