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This manual describes the end user interface of the GNU Readline Library
(version 8.3, 30 December 2024), a library which aids in the consistency
of user interface across discrete programs which provide a command line
interface.
Copyright © 1988-2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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INFO-DIR-SECTION Libraries
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* RLuserman: (rluserman). The GNU readline library User's Manual.
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GNU Readline Library
********************
This document describes the end user interface of the GNU Readline
Library, a utility which aids in the consistency of user interface
across discrete programs which provide a command line interface. The
Readline home page is .
* Menu:
* Command Line Editing:: GNU Readline User's Manual.
* GNU Free Documentation License:: License for copying this manual.
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1 Command Line Editing
**********************
This chapter describes the basic features of the GNU command line
editing interface.
* Menu:
* Introduction and Notation:: Notation used in this text.
* Readline Interaction:: The minimum set of commands for editing a line.
* Readline Init File:: Customizing Readline from a user's view.
* Bindable Readline Commands:: A description of most of the Readline commands
available for binding
* Readline vi Mode:: A short description of how to make Readline
behave like the vi editor.
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1.1 Introduction to Line Editing
================================
The following paragraphs use Emacs style to describe the notation used
to represent keystrokes.
The text ‘C-k’ is read as 'Control-K' and describes the character
produced when the key is pressed while the Control key is depressed.
The text ‘M-k’ is read as 'Meta-K' and describes the character
produced when the Meta key (if you have one) is depressed, and the
key is pressed (a “meta character”), then both are released. The Meta
key is labeled or