Dec 24, 2022 2 min read shell-tricks

Shell tricks - in-place editor

Quickly edit long shell commands without leaving your shell using this great feature!

Re-discovering the world of the Unix shell

Ctrl-X-E

Ctrl-X-E is a useful shortcut for editing long shell commands because it allows you to edit the command you are currently entering in your shell's text editor (as defined by the $EDITOR environment variable, make sure it points to the right program!), rather than having to type the entire command out again if you make a mistake or want to make a change.

This can be especially useful when working with complex commands that involve multiple flags and arguments, or when working with long pipelines that involve multiple commands chained together. By using Ctrl-X-E, you can easily navigate to specific parts of the command and make any necessary changes without having to retype the entire command.

Additionally, using a text editor to edit your commands can be more efficient and less error-prone than trying to make changes directly in the shell. Text editors often have features such as syntax highlighting and auto-completion that can help you write and edit your commands more accurately and quickly.

Overall, Ctrl-X-E is a valuable shortcut for anyone who frequently works with long or complex shell commands, as it can save time and reduce the risk of errors.

Examples

Suppose you are entering a long grep command to search for a specific pattern in a set of files, but you realize you made a mistake in the pattern you are searching for. Instead of retyping the entire command, you can use Ctrl-X-E to open the command in your text editor and edit the pattern directly.
Imagine you are setting up a pipeline of multiple awk and sed commands to transform the output of a command. You can use Ctrl-X-E to open the pipeline in your text editor and easily make any necessary changes to the individual commands in the pipeline.
Suppose you are entering a long find command with multiple arguments and flags to search for files with a specific name or pattern. You can use Ctrl-X-E to open the command in your text editor and make any necessary changes to the search criteria or flags without having to retype the entire command.