Tip to improve bash history
Thomas Dodd
ted at cypress.com
Tue Nov 18 21:02:19 UTC 2003
>> To get this behaviour always add the following two lines to your
>> /etc/inputrc
>>
>> "\M-[A":history-search-backward
>> "\M-[B":history-search-forward
>
>
> Can anyone pls explain... what does "\M-[A" translate to in terms of
> keyboard keys?? What's a META key?
Sun keyboards (and other Unix systems?) have <Control>, <Alt>, <Meta> (a
diamond), <Compose> (a circle), and <Alt Graph> keys. Old unix apps use
the Meta name. Noprmal the PC keyboar maps the Alt key to <Meta>, since
you should have a left and right <Meta> key, and that's what PC have.
New systems use the 3 extra "windows" keys for (true) <Alt>, <Compose>
and <AltGr> (or can depending oon the X key map).
Newer apps, or Windows ports, use the name Alt, even though they use the
<Meta> key code. (like Mozilla and GNOME).
> I saw a lot of \e or "\e[3~" but have no idea how to invoke them.
\e is most likely <esc>, the escape key. That's old termal control
codes. The one you mentioned is probably VT52. type <esc>, then '[',
then '3', then '~'.
> pls elaborate or tell me where to look for more into.
For escape codes look for terminal documentation. For <meta> and <alt>
look for xkeyboard documentation.
-Thomas
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