[thrdbndndn]

Agreed. At this point probably just use CLI.

One thing I hate about CLI tool though, is that it's very hard to edit long commands in terminal.

For example, to replace the input filename from the previous command. I can do it in one second with my keyboard + mouse (use the mouse to select the old one, and type in the new one which would replace) in editor but you can't do so in terminal.

Another example is to change the order of some switches. Again very easy in text editor, not so much in terminal.

So, everytime I use FFMPEG for some complex one (especially when I need to go through trial and error, I have to write the thing in a text editor and them paste them into terminal.

[noir_lord]

ctrl-x e

> It's a small key sequence: ctrl-x e . What's this do? It takes the existing command that you currently have on your command line and opens it in your shell's editor

[remram]

It's ctrl-x ctrl-e

[paulmd]

> One thing I hate about CLI tool though, is that it's very hard to edit long commands in terminal.

Apart from the "wrap it in a shell script" advice, I would also note that in a bash-like terminal, home and end will jump to the start or the end of the current command buffer, and ctrl-del (or alt-del maybe?) or ctrl-arrow keys usually delete or move the cursor a whole word at a time, which makes it somewhat quicker to work rather than sitting there holding an arrow key or backspce.

Many here probably already know this, some may not!

[thrdbndndn]

Thanks, yeah I know these since I use them heavily in editor as well.

Now this got me thinking: the main problem with terminal is that it doesn't seem to support "cut" (and consequently, "paste to replace selection"). So re-arranging a command string is always gonna be a pain regardless the complexity.

I can see why it was this way historically, but not exactly sure why no modern terminal emulator gives this feature, even as optional.

[paulmd]

one analogy might be the "cut and accumulate" feature in nano (and probably others) where a line is removed and appended to the clipboard, then you can paste and all those lines will be pasted off the clipboard at once. You could do that at a character level in the shell, if you wanted. No idea if any shells do though.

[wtch98]

ctrl-a and ctrl-e to start/end of line

[dylan604]

>One thing I hate about CLI tool though, is that it's very hard to edit long commands in terminal.

Only a madman would do this. I don't know anyone that's in the middle of R&D that builds directly in the CLI that's sane. Everyone tries it, and just at the point of losing sanity, does the rational thing of building the command in a text editor for a simple copy&paste into the CLI later.

[benfrancom]

Yep, or turn it into a script and use an IDE/Vim/etc and test in the terminal.