Question

62

Bash: delete word ahead of cursor

rated 0 times [ 62] [ 0] / answers: 1 / hits: 64596 / 1 Year ago, sat, december 3, 2022, 11:37:22

Consider the following bash command line, where ^ denotes the cursor location:

svn commit -m very/long/path/to/some/file "[bug 123456] Fix the pixel issue"

              ^

I'd like to commit a different file with the same message. How can I delete the current word, from cursor location to the next space? Is there also a shortcut for backward deletion, form the cursor to the first space backwards?

Update: ctrl+w erases backwards, but which shortcut erases one word forward?

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sator

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3 Years ago

answered 1 Year ago oileweaty · Accepted Answer

I answered similar question on unix.stackexchange.com:

Bash has readline commands that aren't bound by default. You can find
them at reference:
http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/html_node/Bindable-Readline-Commands.html#Bindable-Readline-Commands

Command you are looking for is called "shell-backward-kill-word". You
have to select shortcut first. Let's use Crtl+p, since it's "previous
command" - same as up arrow.
bind '"C-p": shell-backward-kill-word'

The only difference is you have to use "shell-kill-word" command instead, since you want to delete forward.

There is also a "kill-word" command with Meta+d shortcut (try Esc+d if you don't have Meta key). It will delete only one part of path at once.