The Command Line is a single-line edit window at the bottom of the screen. You can type program commands into this line that perform complex editing tasks.
You can activate the Command Line for entering text by clicking on it with the left mouse button. If you are typing text into the Edit Screen, you can enter the Command Line by hitting the Esc key.
The Command Line is a miniature editor that lets you enter and edit text. For further information about using the Command Line editor, click here.
Once you have entered one or more program commands, you can execute the commands by typing two Esc characters. After the commands are executed, the cursor moves back to the main edit screen, and it returns to Immediate Mode and the most recent command remains in place. You can re-execute the commands in the Command Line by clicking on the Execute button to the left of the Command Line. If you are typing text into the Edit Screen, you can also re-execute the Command Line by typing Ctrl+G.
You can also leave Command Mode, and go back to Immediate Mode, at any time by typing Ctrl+X, since this deletes the contents of the Command Line. You also can leave Command Mode by using the Backspace key to delete all of the characters in the Command Line.
There are actually 32 different command lines. Each time you enter a command line, the last one is saved for later use. You can cycle through all the command lines by clicking on the Up and Down arrows on the left edge of the Command Line. You can also cycle through them using the F1 and F2 keys.
To facilitate the use of multiple command lines, the editor automatically cycles between them. Hitting Esc from the main edit screen causes the command-line number to increment and moves the cursor to the Command Line. This prevents the old command line from being overwritten. This also forms the command lines into a circular buffer. Many times, you want to save the last command line. This way, you have a record of the last ten command lines you have executed.
Any command that works in Immediate Mode also works in Command Mode. For example, Ctrl+A moves the cursor one character forward in both Immediate Mode and Command Mode. If you use Ctrl+^ to insert Ctrl+X into the command line, it works like Ctrl+X in Immediate Mode and deletes the text between the cursor position and the beginning of the Command Line.