Bash: edit line with $EDITOR

One obscure, but very useful Bash trick is CTRL+X CTRL+E, which will open $EDITOR to edit the current line. This means I can switch to a Vim session with whatever I was typing on intact. This is handy for those times where I need a search-and-replace operation or fix things in a long command or build a long complex command from scratch. I’m aware of Bash’s vi-mode, but I prefer using the default Emacs keybindings because I also work in other’s remote servers. Also, it’s a Vi emulation. I’ve used Tmux’s emulation and occasionaly it disrupts my flow when I expect to do a Vim motion and it’s not possible. I prefer the real thing. Be aware you’re editing a temporal file. If you’re building a command and want to reference a file in the current directory, typing ./ to have Vim propose autocompletion won’t help, because now you’re on /tmp. One thing I don’t like of Bash’s line edition, in comparison to zsh (the default shell in MacOS), is that, after editing, it automatically executes the…

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