There are many keystrokes you can use to edit your command lines. Table 2-1 lists the keystrokes
that you can use to move around the command line.
TABLE 2-1
Keystrokes for Navigating Command Lines
Keystroke
Full Name
Meaning
Ctrl+F
Character forward
Go forward one character.
Ctrl+B
Character backward
Go backward one character.
Alt+F
Word forward
Go forward one word.
Alt+B
Word backward
Go backward one word.
Ctrl+A
Beginning of line
Go to the beginning of the current line.
Ctrl+E
End of line
Go to the end of the line.
Ctrl+L
Clear screen
Clear the screen and leave line at the top of the screen.
The keystrokes in Table 2-2 can be used to edit command lines.
TABLE 2-2
Keystrokes for Editing Command Lines
Keystroke
Full Name
Meaning
Ctrl+D
Delete current
Delete the current character.
Backspace
Delete previous
Delete the previous character.
Ctrl+T
Transpose character
Switch positions of the current and previous characters.
Alt+T
Transpose words
Switch positions of the current and previous characters.
Alt+U
Uppercase word
Change the current word to uppercase.
Alt+L
Lowercase word
Change the current word to lowercase.
Alt+C
Capitalize word
Change the current word to an initial capital letter.
Ctrl+V
Insert special character
Add a special character. For example, to add a Tab character,
press Ctrl+V+Tab.
Use the keystrokes in Table 2-3 to cut and paste text on a command line.
50
Linux First Steps
Part I
