41.5.2 Shell History Copying

C-c C-p

Move point to the previous prompt (comint-previous-prompt).

C-c C-n

Move point to the following prompt (comint-next-prompt).

C-c <RET>

Copy the input command which point is in, inserting the copy at the end of the buffer (comint-insert-input). This is useful if you move point back to a previous command. After you copy the command, you can submit the copy as input with <RET>. If you wish, you can edit the copy before resubmitting it.

Mouse-2

Copy the input command that you click on, inserting the copy at the end of the buffer.

Moving to a previous input and then copying it with C-c <RET> or Mouse-2 produces the same results—the same buffer contents—that you would get by using M-p enough times to fetch that previous input from the history list. However, C-c <RET> copies the text from the buffer, which can be different from what is in the history list if you edit the input text in the buffer after it has been sent.