How do I add Emacs-style editing shortcuts to Vim's command line?

Explanation

Vim's command line has limited navigation by default. By using cnoremap, you can add Emacs-style shortcuts like <C-a> for Home and <C-e> for End, making command-line editing much more efficient without leaving the command line.

How it works

• cnoremap — creates a non-recursive mapping for command-line mode
• <C-a> — maps Ctrl+A to <Home> (move to start)
• <C-e> — maps Ctrl+E to <End> (move to end)
• These only affect the : command line, not normal mode

Example

cnoremap <C-a> <Home>
cnoremap <C-e> <End>
cnoremap <C-b> <Left>
cnoremap <C-f> <Right>
cnoremap <C-d> <Delete>

Command: :some long command with typo|
Press <C-a>: |:some long command with typo
Cursor jumps to the beginning

Tips

• Use <M-b> and <M-f> for word-level movement: cnoremap <M-b> <S-Left>
• <C-b> is already mapped to something in Vim — cnoremap overrides it only for command mode
• Add these to your vimrc for permanent availability
• Use cmap instead of cnoremap if you need recursive mappings