## Overview

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. Additional alternative 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.

## Table of key-bindings

This is the Alternative Binding keymap.

         ENTER  Input complete        -  RETURN
         TAB    Input complete        -  TAB, Do
         ABORT  Input cancelled       -  Ctrl-G, Ctrl-O, (Ctrl-C on some systems)
         ERASE  Erase the line        -  Ctrl-U

         BACK   Cursor back     char  -  Left-Arrow,  Ctrl-B
         FORW   Cursor forward  char  -  Right-Arrow, Ctrl-F
         BACKW  Cursor back     word  -  Ctrl-P
         FORWW  Cursor forward  word  -  Ctrl-N
         BOL    Go to begin of  line  -  Ctrl-A, Home, Find
         EOL    Go to end   of  line  -  Ctrl-E, End,  Select

         DELP   Delete prev     char  -  Backspace, Delete, Remove
         DELN   Delete next     char  -  Ctrl-D (see note 1)
         DELPW  Delete prev     word  -  Ctrl-R
         DELNW  Delete next     word  -  Ctrl-T
         DELEL  Delete to end of line -  Ctrl-K

         UPPER  Upper case the line   -  Ctrl-^
         LOWER  Lower case the line   -  Ctrl-_

         LKCMD  Invoke cmd prompt     -  Ctrl-V (in form text fields, only) (see note 2)

    Special commands for use only in textarea fields (see note 3):

              Textarea external edit  - Ctrl-X e
              Insert file in textarea - Ctrl-X i
              Grow textarea           - Ctrl-X g

## Emacs-like commands

        TPOS    Transpose characters                   -  Ctrl-t
        SETMARK Set mark at current position in line   -  Ctrl-@
        XPMARK  Exchange current position with mark    -  Ctrl-x Ctrl-x
        KILLREG Kill region between mark and position  -  Ctrl-x Ctrl-w (see note 3)
        YANK    Insert text last killed (with KILLREG) -  Ctrl-y

## Try it yourself

Here is a little textarea for practice:

This text cannot be submitted. Normally lines like these would be part of a form that is filled out and then submitted. You can move around here and delete or add text as you like, using the Line-Editor keys.

## Special keys

See the Lynx Line Editor page for an explanation of terminology and key-names.

## Notes

1. "next" means the character "under" a box or underline style cursor; it means "to the immediate right of" an I-beam (between characters) type cursor.
2. Follow Ctrl-V with any recognized key command, to "escape" from a text input field.
3. For other key combinations using Ctrl-X as a prefix key, see the Help page for the Bash-Like Binding.