How to map the alt-keys on the command line

Question

I used Ctrl-v to determine the mapping of some keys (e.g. alt-h is ^[h).

As a result, I put "^[h":backward-word in my .inputrc but it doesn't work.

Other mappings for control-keys work, but not for alt-keys.

Are you actually putting in the SINGLE `^[` character? (In `vi`, you can put it in with `Ctrl-v[`. — Jack, Jun 17 '17 at 22:40
Wow I would have never guessed that. Thanks! If you want to put that as the answer I would love to give you credit @Jack — J-Win, Jun 18 '17 at 00:24

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 18 '17 at 00:38

3

Use vi to edit your .inputrc file, and then enter the ^[ character with Ctrl-v[ while in insert mode.

answered Jun 18 '17 at 00:38

Jack

1

Need to hold the `Ctrl` key until pressed both `v` and `[`. I wrongly released in the middle and not work. – Johnny Wong Nov 15 '18 at 09:05

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 15 '18 at 09:07

1

You may also write "\eh": backward-word (in .inputrc), which bind the key Alt-h.

answered Nov 15 '18 at 09:07

Johnny Wong

2 Answers2