Interrpreting modifier codes in /etc/inputrc ??

[William Case]

On Thu, 2009-08-06 at 15:40 -0700, Rick Stevens wrote:
> William Case wrote:
> > Thanks Rick;

> 
> Hmmm.  Works a treat here on F10 and F11 (x86_64), but I've not mucked
> with my inputrc files:
> 
> [root at prophead ~]# cat /etc/inputrc
> # do not bell on tab-completion
> #set bell-style none
> 
> set meta-flag on
> set input-meta on
> set convert-meta off
> set output-meta on
> 
> # Completed names which are symbolic links to
> # directories have a slash appended.
> set mark-symlinked-directories on
> 
> $if mode=emacs
> 
> # for linux console and RH/Debian xterm
> "\e[1~": beginning-of-line
> "\e[4~": end-of-line
> "\e[5~": beginning-of-history
> "\e[6~": end-of-history
> "\e[3~": delete-char
> "\e[2~": quoted-insert
> "\e[5C": forward-word
> "\e[5D": backward-word
> "\e[1;5C": forward-word
> "\e[1;5D": backward-word
> 
> # for rxvt
> "\e[8~": end-of-line
> "\eOc": forward-word
> "\eOd": backward-word
> 
> # for non RH/Debian xterm, can't hurt for RH/DEbian xterm
> "\eOH": beginning-of-line
> "\eOF": end-of-line
> 
> # for freebsd console
> "\e[H": beginning-of-line
> "\e[F": end-of-line
> $endif
> 

I ran [bill at CASE ~]$ cat /etc/inputrc and compared it line for line,
character for character with yours.  The two files are exactly the
same. 

> You should also note that applications may install their own mappings
> (hence the "ALT-F" bringing down the file menu, etc.), so even setting
> inputrc may not give you the results you want, depending on the app
> you're running.

Alt-b (Meta-b, or, "\M-b") moves the cursor backward word-by-word and
has always done so. I just discovered Alt-Shft-b (i.e Alt-B) does as
well.  That is probably what the '1;' in "\e[1;5D" is all about.

Alt-f pops up the File menu in Gnome -- I want to keep that.  Alt-Shft-f
(i.e. Alt-F) moves the cursor forward word-by-word and has always done
so.

Alt-Shft is an awkward reach and I was having minor problems remembering
when to shift and when not.  So just getting forward-word and
backward-word to work is not why I posted.

A solution, I thought, was to bind 'f' and 'b' to the same easier to
type modifier key(s). I chose "\M-\C-b":  backward-word and "\M-\C-f":
forward-word and entered them in /etc/inputrc.  From everything I have
read, that should work.  But it doesn't.

I wasn't aware that Control-arrow-right and Control-arrow-left should
also work until Mikkel mentioned it.  Now I want them too.  Apparently,
I can't have them.  

Nor does the "\C-x\C-r": re-read-init-file seem to work.

As well, in the future I may want to bind additional readline
commands"\C-x\C-r": re-read-init-file to specific keys, but I would like
to know that those bindings will respond.

Lastly, I use emacs fairly regularly and have bound several keys for
emacs commands.  While the procedure is not exactly the same, I am
familiar with the basic principles of modifier keys and bindings.  The
fact that I cannot get inputrc commands working is therefore doubly
frustrating.  Maybe I need a new keyboard.

-- 
Regards Bill
Fedora 11, Gnome 2.26.3
Evo.2.26.3, Emacs 22.3.1