CLI :: Intrigue and Semantics :: Command Line Shortkeys

[cinsevarg]

When in a terminal, and I press up on the direction keys it remembers the previous command I sent. Does this action have a specific name, or community name?

Also, when I am logged in as 'user' the terminal remembers that user's last command, and then if I switch over to root it remembers my root's last command, not the user's. This makes me think that it is not some on the fly temporary recall, but that this information is actually stored somewhere.
Where is this file? How do I view its content?

[glennzo]

Originally Posted by cinsevarg

When in a terminal, and I press up on the direction keys it remembers the previous command I sent. Does this action have a specific name, or community name?
Also, when I am logged in as 'user' the terminal remembers that user's last command, and then if I switch over to root it remembers my root's last command, not the user's. This makes me think that it is not some on the fly temporary recall, but that this information is actually stored somewhere.
Where is this file? How do I view its content?

It is the command history. Type man history, info history, history.

[smr54]

Usually kept in the file $HOME/.bash_history (with $HOME being a variable, representing your history.)

Looking at CentOS, man history just gives a list of builtin commands--info history seems a lot of reading, but probably worthwhile.

One common use of it might be to save the bother of repeatedly typing something. Suppose I have a long rsync command, like rsync this option abcd /long_destination_string. I can then do something like

history |grep rsync

And see something like

580 rsync <blah blah>
600 rysnc <blah blah>

In other words, all the times I've used rsync that remain in history.

Now, if I type

!600

It will rerun the command.

[cinsevarg]

sm54, excellent info. Thanks a lot. The grep'! abilities are maddness.