How can I add line breaks to a command at the prompt?
I know that when I copy a multiline command from the internet that has newlines it appears on the command line
$ something
> like
> this
Also I know that you can use \
to insert a newline at the very end of your command
$ like \
> this
But how can I add newlines in the middle of a command that I've already typed out?
For example, given
$ this long command that I want to split over multiple lines
How can I turn it into
$ this long command
> that I want to split
> over multiple lines
So far I've tried:
- Using ctrl + v to insert a return character – just results in
^M
being inserted - Typing \ return in the middle of the input (as you would do at the end of a line) – just results in
\
being typed and then the command being executed.
Best Answer
Use Ctrl+V followed by Ctrl+J.
This inserts a linefeed character rather than a carriage return (which Ctrl+M or Enter would result in after Ctrl+V).