bash history command edit question

[wdelv]

Hello,
Although I am new to Ubuntu/bash/Linux I have been using UNIX for about 20 years; the first seven with csh and the rest with ksh.
I have been trying to edit some of the commands in my history but can only seem to get the arrow, backspace and delete keys to work.
I am used to vi-type commands from my ksh days but can't seem to get it to function.
I've tried setting EDITOR and FCEDIT to different combinations of /usr/bin/vi and /bin/ed but can't seem to get into the command mode to move around the text of the recalled command.
I can get the command to come up in a vi session for editing and the command mode works well there.
But I wanted to do this on a single-line mode (just like I used to get when typing ESC-K in the ksh).
I am using Ubuntu's gnome terminal with bash, of course.
What am I missing?

[ndbrown]

Hello, I'm new to this forum, but have used bash in cygwin (a Linux emulation layer for Windows), and bash in Ubuntu.

In the menu at the top of your desktop, select
System -> Preferences -> Main Menu
Then under Applications in the Menus box, click on Accessories, and go down to Terminal and either double-right-click or left-click and select Properties. You should get a little dialog, Launcher Properties.

In the Command field, enter the following: gnome-terminal -x bash -o vi

Please post a response to let me know if this works for you. I worked in Korn shell in AIX myself, using vi mode.

good luck.

[wdelv]

Thanks, ndbrown.

However, after making your suggested changes and opening a new terminal window, I have the same condition (i.e. no command-mode).
Running set +o tells me that the -o vi option is set.

[ndbrown]

Just gotten up and fed the cats... Did you press ESC first, when you're in the terminal on the command line? I can't remember if that was necessary in ksh, but it is in bash. Give it a try and let me know.

[wdelv]

Funny thing.
Pressing the ESC key does allow me to type just one command-mode character (such as b - to back up a word) but immediately returns to the insert-mode.
If I type ESC, again, I might be able to type one more command-mode character, and sometimes it just keeps me in insert-mode.

Am I even starting out correctly?
In ksh I would type ESC-k to repeat and edit the last command.
In bash I type UP ARROW to repeat the last command (ESC-k doesn't do anything in bash) and then type ESC-<some other command-mode character>.

This seems so basic!

[wdelv]

I resolved the issue!
I needed to execute set -o vi in my shell.
I can do this in my .profile.
You would think that the changes to the Launcher would have done it.

[wdelv]

Actually setting this in my .profile .bash_login or .bash_profile had no effect.
It was as if these files were getting ignored at startup.
However, adding the line:
set editing-mode vi
to my .inputrc file did the trick.

[ndbrown]

I was away most of the day... I checked my ~/.bashrc and see nothing there setting mode. I tried set -o vi on the command line and it makes no difference - I think you are supposed to ESC to enter vi mode, which is how my terminal behaves. I have a ~/.profile, and it's pretty minimal. I don't have a ~/.inputrc, but I am getting vi mode when pressing ESC.