Lynx invokes a built-in Line Editor for entering strings in response to prompts, in forms, and for email messages if an external editor has not been defined. Several sets of key-bindings can be offered by configuring with --enable-alt-bindings or by adding them in LYEditmap.c before compiling Lynx. If available, they may be selected via the 'o'ptions menu, or by editing lineedit_mode in the '.lynxrc' file.
Note: setting emacs/vi keys ON has no direct effect on line-editor bindings.
This summarizes the Bash-like Binding keymap.
ENTER Input complete - Enter, RETURN
TAB Completion / Next - TAB, Do (see note 2)
ABORT Cancel / Undo Change - C-g, C-_
ERASE Erase the line - M-k, C-x k
BACK Cursor back char - Left-Arrow, C-b
FORW Cursor forward char - Right-Arrow, C-f
BACKW Cursor back word - M-b, C-r
FORWW Cursor forward word - M-f, C-s (see note 5)
BOL Go to begin of line - C-a, Home, Find
EOL Go to end of line - C-e, End, Select (see note 4)
DELP Delete prev char - C-h, Backspace, Rubout
DELN Delete next char - C-d, Delete, Remove (see note 1)
DELPW Delete prev word - C-w, M-Backspace, M-Delete (?) (see note 3)
DELNW Delete next word - M-d
DELBL Delete to beg of line - C-u
DELEL Delete to end of line - C-k (see note 4)
UPPER Upper case the line - M-u
LOWER Lower case the line - M-l
LKCMD Invoke cmd prompt - C-v [FORM]
SWMAP Switch input keymap - C-^ (if compiled in)
Special commands for use in textarea fields [FORM]:
PASS! Textarea external edit - C-e C-e, C-x e (see note 4)
PASS! Insert file in textarea - C-x i
PASS! Grow textarea - C-x g
Here is a little textarea for practice:
TPOS Transpose characters - C-t
SETMARK Set mark at current position in line - C-@
XPMARK Exchange current position with mark - C-x C-x
KILLREG Kill region between mark and position - C-x C-w (see note 3)
YANK Insert text last killed (with KILLREG) - C-y
C-key means
Control+key.
C-x key means first
Control+x, then key.
M-key means Meta+key,
where Meta is a modifier that can be entered in a variety of
ways:
When a text input field, including a textarea line, is selected, the Line Editor functions get a first grab at the keys entered. If a key has no function defined in the Line Editor binding, it can either be ignored, or passed on for normal key command handling, where modifiers like C-x or Meta currently have no effect (see the Key Map Page accessible with the key K for current information).
Normal key action when used in form fields, subject to remapping
with KEYMAP: [FORM (except Up-Arrow, Down-Arrow)]
C-l (see note 3) C-o, C-z [5], C-\ [5], C-] [5] (see note 5)
C-n [emacskey], C-p [emacskey]
Up-Arrow, Down-Arrow (see note 2)
Page-Up, Page-Down, F1, Back-Tab
Normal key command with Meta modifier ignored when used in form fields,
subject to remapping with KEYMAP: [FORM (except Up-Arrow, Down-Arrow)]
M-C-l (see note 3) M-C-o [!], M-C-z [5], M-C-\ [5], M-C-] [5] (see note 5)
M-C-u, M-/, M-n
M-Up-Arrow [!], M-Down-Arrow [!] (see note 2)
M-Page-Up [!], M-Page-Down [!], M-Home, M-End
Passed as specific command:
lynx action duplicates by default
----------- ---------------------
M-C-d NEXT_LINK Down-Arrow
M-C-e EDITTEXTAREA C-e C-e
M-C-k LPOS_NEXT_LINK (none, Down-Arrow suggested)
M-e EDITTEXTAREA C-e C-e
M-g GROWTEXTAREA (none, C-v $ suggested?)
M-i INSERTFILE (none, C-v # suggested?)
M-< HOME M-Home
M-> END M-End
M-F1 DWIMHELP F1
M-Find WHEREIS C-v /
M-Select NEXT C-v n
Duplicates function of other key(s):
edit action duplicates
----------- ----------
M-C-b BACKW M-b, C-r
M-C-f FORWW M-f
M-C-n FORWW M-f
M-C-p BACKW M-b, C-r
M-C-r BACKW M-b, C-r
M-a BOL C-a, Home, ...
Modifier ignored, and duplicates function of other key(s):
edit action duplicates
----------- ----------
M-C-a BOL C-a, Home, ...
M-C-g ABORT C-g, ...
M-TAB TAB C-i [!]
M-C-j ENTER C-m, C-j, Enter / RETURN
M-RETURN ENTER C-m, C-j, Enter / RETURN
M-C-y YANK C-y [!]
M-C-^ SWMAP C-^ [!] (if compiled in)
M-Right-Arrow FORW Right-Arrow [!], C-f
M-Left-Arrow BACK Left-Arrow [!], C-b
M-Do TAB C-i [!]
Key completely ignored:
C-q, Insert
M-C-q, M-C-s [5], M-C-t, M-C-v, M-ESC (see note 5)
M-C-@, M-C-_, M-Remove, M-Insert [!]
Meta + other (mostly, printable character) keys:
Modifier ignored, or sequence swallowed (see note 5).
M-@, M-E...M-Z, M-\, M-^, M-_ attempt to interpret
as 7-bit escape representation for character in 8-bit
control (C1) range if appropriate according to
Display Character Set.
[emacskey] Normal key action subject to emacs_keys setting.
[!] Action of key with Meta modifier follows action of key without
Meta. If you manage to enter the Meta key while Line-Editor
Binding is not set to Bash-Like, and the unmodified binding
is different from that listed here, M-<key> will act
like <key>.