Ch 8: Keyboard Shortcuts for Command Line

Why Learn Keyboard Shortcuts for Command Line?

Keyboard shortcuts for command line boost terminal efficiency, speeding up editing, navigation, and command recall. This chapter builds on Chapters 3 ($ history), 5 ($ source), and 7 (quoting/escaping), teaching beginners to work smarter in the Linux shell.

Command-Line Editing

Essential Shortcuts for Editing

Use these keyboard shortcuts for command line to edit commands efficiently.

Moving the Cursor

• Ctrl + A: Move to line beginning.
• Ctrl + E: Move to line end.
• Alt + B: Move back one word.
• Alt + F: Move forward one word.
• Ctrl + B: Move back one character.
• Ctrl + F: Move forward one character.

Editing Text

• Ctrl + D: Delete character under cursor.
• Ctrl + H: Delete character before cursor (like Backspace).
• Ctrl + W: Delete word before cursor.
• Ctrl + K: Delete from cursor to line end.
• Ctrl + U: Delete from cursor to line beginning.
• Ctrl + T: Swap character under cursor with previous one.

Repeating Commands

• Ctrl + P: Recall previous command (like up arrow).
• Ctrl + N: Recall next command (like down arrow).

Using Command History

Boosting Terminal Efficiency with History

Leverage command history for faster workflows.

Viewing History

$ history
Output: 1 ls -l 2 cd Documents

Searching History

• Ctrl + R: Search history interactively; type to autocomplete.
• $ !!: Repeat last command.
  Output: Runs previous command (e.g., cd Documents).
• $ !n: Repeat command number n.
  Output: Runs command n from history.
• $ !string: Repeat recent command starting with string.
  Output: Runs command (e.g., !ls → ls -l).

Editing a Previous Command

• Ctrl + X + E: Edit last command in editor (e.g., nano, see Chapter 4); save to run.

Keyboard Tricks for Faster Navigation

Speeding Up Terminal Tasks

Additional shortcuts enhance navigation.

Clearing the Screen

• Ctrl + L: Clear screen (like $ clear).

Stopping a Command

• Ctrl + C: Stop running command.

Pausing and Resuming Output

• Ctrl + S: Pause command output.
• Ctrl + Q: Resume output.

Background and Foreground

• Ctrl + Z: Pause command, move to background.
• $ fg: Bring recent background job to foreground.
• $ bg: Resume paused job in background.

Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts

Personalizing Your Shell

Edit .bashrc to customize shortcuts:
$ bind '"\C-p": "echo Hello, Linux!"'
Reload:
$ source ~/.bashrc
Output: Ctrl + P now prints Hello, Linux!.

Custom Keybindings

Advanced Terminal Efficiency

Use bind for custom shortcuts and tmux for session management.

Install:
$ sudo apt install tmux
Usage:
$ bind '"\C-f": "ls -la"'
$ tmux new -s mysession
Output: Ctrl + F runs ls -la; tmux opens a session named mysession.

Note: Compared to history (basic command recall, see Chapter 5), tmux manages multiple terminal sessions, enhancing workflow organization for beginners.

Installation Note: tmux may be in Debian 12 repositories, but verify with apt. See Debian APT.

Learn more in Chapter 26: Learning tmux.

Glossary of Commands, Tools, and Shortcuts

Reference: For detailed command documentation, visit Linux Manpages. For package installation, search on Debian APT.

Practice Keyboard Shortcuts for Command Line

Test your skills:

1. Use Ctrl + A and Ctrl + E to move cursor in a command.
2. Use Ctrl + R to search for a previous command.
3. Use Ctrl + K to delete to line end.
4. Use Ctrl + Z to pause a command, then $ fg to resume.

Conclusion

You’ve mastered keyboard shortcuts for command line, from Ctrl + A to tmux, boosting terminal efficiency. Practice these to navigate the shell faster. Next, we’ll explore more advanced topics! (See Chapters 3–7 for history, file management, and shell interpretation.)