Command line Editing

The command line works like a single-line word processor, allowing you to edit any part of the command at any time before you press Enter to execute it, or Esc to erase it. The command line you enter can be up to 1023 characters long.

You can use the following editing keys when you are typing a command (the words Ctrl and Shift mean to press the Ctrl or Shift key together with the other key named):

Cursor Movement Keys:

←	Move the cursor left one character.
→	Move the cursor right one character.
Ctrl+←	Move the cursor left one word.
Ctrl+→	Move the cursor right one word.
Home	Move the cursor to the beginning of the line.
End	Move the cursor to the end of the line.

Insert and Delete:

Ins	Toggle between insert and overtype mode.
Del	Delete the character at the cursor.
Backspace	Delete the character to the left of the cursor.
Ctrl-L	Delete the word or partial word to the left of the cursor.
Ctrl-R or Ctrl-Bksp	Delete the word or partial word to the right of the cursor.
Ctrl-Home	Delete from the beginning of the line to the cursor.
Ctrl-End	Delete from the cursor to the end of the line.
Esc	Delete the entire line.

Execution:

Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Break	Cancel the command line.
Enter	Execute the command line.

Most of the command-line editing capabilities are also available when a CMD.EXE command prompts you for a line of input. For example, you can use the command-line editing keys when DESCRIBE prompts for a file description, when INPUT prompts for input from an alias or batch file, or when LIST prompts you for a search string.

If you want your input at the command line to be in a different color from CMD.EXE's prompts or output, you can use the Display page of the OPTION dialogs, or the InputColors directive in CMD.INI.

CMD.EXE will prompt for additional command-line text when you include the escape character as the very last character of a typed command line. The default escape character is the caret [^]. For example:

[c:\] echo The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy^
More? sleeping dog. > alphabet

Sometimes you may want to enter one of the command line editing keystrokes on the command line, instead of performing the key's usual action. For example, suppose you have a program that requires a Ctrl-R character on its command line. Normally you couldn't type this keystroke at the prompt, because it would be interpreted as a “Delete word right” command.

To get around this problem, use the special keystroke Alt-255. You enter Alt-255 by holding down the Alt key while you type 255 on the numeric keypad, then releasing the Alt key (you must use the number keys on the numeric pad; the row of keys at the top of your keyboard won't work). This forces CMD.EXE to interpret the next keystroke literally and places it on the command line, ignoring any special meaning it would normally have as a command-line editing or history keystroke. You can use Alt-255 to suppress the normal meaning of command-line editing keystrokes even if they have been reassigned with key mapping directives in the .INI file, and Alt-255 itself can be reassigned with the CommandEscape directive.