[PLUG] Terminal shortcuts

[Galen Seitz]

On 06/19/2018 10:09 PM, John Jason Jordan wrote:
> I prefer Gnome terminal because it is more visually configurable than
> others that I have tried.
> 
> Often I need to repeat a command with a different object, so the up
> arrow doesn't save typing. For example:
> 
> 	mkvmerge -i <moviename> (and repeat with a different movie)
> 
> It annoys me that I keep having to re-type 'mkvmerge -i' over and over
> again. I could copy it to the clipboard and paste it in, except that I
> use the clipboard to get <moviename>, which overwrites the clipboard.
> And besides, 'mkvmerge -i' is only one of several such commands that I
> have to keep re-typing.
> 
> What would be really cool would be an 'auto-text' feature as in a word
> processor, where you can create a series of letters (any length) and
> assign it a short sequence of letters that you can type to invoke the
> entire series of letters.
> 
> Web searching found me Ctrl-r, but if I type mkv- it pops up the entire
> preceding command, including <moviename>.
> 
> OK, this is Linux, where someone a long time ago decided to name a root
> folder /usr to save typing just one tiny letter. I mean, seriously.
> There has to be a way to save constantly re-typing at the command line.
> Any suggestions?

Up arrow or Ctrl-r to get the desired command.  Ctrl-e to place the 
cursor at the end of the command (if it's not already there), ctrl-w to 
erase the last argument (the old filename).  Then type your new argument 
(the new filename), using the tab character for filename completion.

There's other fancy editing that can be done.  This is just the first 
one that comes to mind.  Note that this assumes you haven't changed the 
default editing characters.  For instance, ctrl-e is Emacs go to end of 
line.  There is at least one other alternative mappings based on vi.


galen
-- 
Galen Seitz
galens at seitzassoc.com