Mac OS X Pocket Guide, Second Edition

Command-Line Editing with tcsh

Mac OS X’s default user shell, tcsh, lets you move your cursor around in the command line, editing the line as you type. There are two main modes for editing the command line, based on the two most commonly used text editors: Emacs and vi. Emacs mode is the default; you can switch between the modes with:

bindkey -e

Select Emacs bindings

bindkey -v

Select vi bindings

The main difference between the Emacs and vi bindings is that the Emacs bindings are modeless (i.e., they always work). With the vi bindings, you must switch between insert and command modes; different commands are useful in each mode. Additionally:

• Emacs mode is simpler; vi mode allows finer control.

• Emacs mode allows you to cut text and set a mark; vi mode does not.

• The command-history-searching capabilities differ.

Emacs Mode

Table 4-2 through Table 4-4 describe the various editing keystrokes available in Emacs mode.

Table 4-2. Cursor-positioning commands (Emacs mode)

Command	Description
Control-B	Move the cursor back (left) one character
Control-F	Move the cursor forward (right) one character
Esc-B	Move the cursor back one word
Esc-F	Move the cursor forward one word
Control-A	Move the cursor to the beginning of the line
Control-E	Move the cursor to the end of the line

Table 4-3. Text-deletion commands (Emacs mode)

Command	Description
Del or Control-H	Delete the character to the left of the cursor
Control-D	Delete the character under the cursor
Esc-D	Delete the next ...