General

Use UNIX Control Characters

NOTE: This document refers to software or hardware that is not currently supported by the University of Wyoming Information Technology Client Support Services. Although the information is
believed to be correct, be aware that since no support is available, this information may be out-of-date or possibly no longer valid.

Introduction

You can use Control Characters in UNIX to help you control your interaction with the system. Using the stty command can change these Control Characters.

Standard Control Characters

Standard Control Characters are listed as follows:

Keyboard	stty variable	Action
<Ctrl>+d	eof	End of file character. This can be commonly used to exit from a program or shell
<Ctrl>+h	erase	Erase (backspace) character.
<Ctrl>+z	susp	Suspend Character. This pauses the current job and puts it in the background. See Job Control How To for more information
<Ctrl>+u	kill	Kill Character. Deletes text from cursor back to start of line
<Ctrl>+c	intr	Interrupt Character. This will interrupt the job currently running in the foreground.

Changing the Control Characters

The Control Characters are usually set in the .zlogin file. If you do not mention them in your .zlogin file, they default to the conditions listed above. The stty command is used to change Control Characters. An example of changing the Control Character for eof to <Ctrl>+e is as follows:

stty eof \^e

To change the Control Character for erasing to <Ctrl>+? (which is frequently the <Delete> key), enter the following:

stty erase \^?

Reviewed: 0706 By: CD

Additional help with the installation and configuration of
UW-supported software is available:
Faculty/Staff
Contact your IT user consultant
(www.uwyo.edu/infotech/services/helpdesk/uc/)
Contact the IT Help Desk at 766-HELP (4357), option 1
Email UserHelp@uwyo.edu
Students
Email ASU-IT@uwyo.edu
Contact the IT Help Desk at 766-HELP (4357), option 1
Come to the student computer lab in the lobby of the
Information Technology Center.

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