Using csh & tcsh

Examining and Modifying Key Bindings

tcsh lets you display and change your key bindings using the bindkey command. The various forms of bindkey are summarized in Table 7-9, and discussed below.

Table 7-9. Forms of the bindkey Command

Command	Description
bindkey -e	Select emacs bindings
bindkey -v	Select vi bindings
bindkey -d	Restore default bindings
bindkey -u	Display bindkey usage message
bindkey -l	List editing commands and their meanings
bindkey	List all key bindings
bindkey key	List binding for key
bindkey key cmd	Bind key to editing command cmd
bindkey -c key cmd	Bind key to UNIX command cmd
bindkey -s key str	Bind key to string str
bindkey -r key	Remove binding for key

The forms of bindkey that take a key argument also allow the following flags:

–k

Allows key to be up, down, left, or right, to indicate an arrow key.

–b

Allows key to be C-X or M-X, to indicate CTRL-X or META-X.

–a

Allows you to specify the alternate key map (the map used for vi command mode).

––

May be used immediately preceding key to tell bindkey to stop processing arguments as flags. This flag is useful when key itself begins with a dash.

–k and -b cannot both be used in the same command.

Selecting a Set of Bindings

To select a set of bindings en masse, use the -e or -v option:

% bindkey -e                     Select emacs bindings
% bindkey -v                     Select vi bindings

Selecting either set rebinds every key to the default for that set, undoing any prior bindings you may have established. To bind any individual keys specially (as discussed under Changing Key Bindings ...