[Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #56151] esc should clear command line, edits shouldn't disable history

[eflister]

Follow-up Comment #19, bug #56151 (project octave):

my matlab lic expired which is why i'm switching to octave, so i can't check
the behavior -- my memory is that it worked like bash, but their doc
corroborates what you're describing:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_env/enter-statements-in-command-window.html
To recall previous lines in the Command Window, press the up- and down-arrow
keys, ↑ and ↓. Press the arrow keys either at an empty command line or
after you type the first few characters of a command. For example, to recall
the command b = 2, type b, and then press the up-arrow key.
To clear a command from the Command Window without executing it, press the
Escape (Esc) key.

the different esc semantics might be the root of my issue - if i up arrowed in
matlab and saw it was stuck, my muscle memory is to hit esc so i can use the
arrows again.

i think the fancy configurable readline stuff is cool, i just think it should
be discoverable and have an easy/default way to mimic matlab/bash (including
arrows and esc).  if a key command is having no effect, what about printing
out a link that describes readline, how to customize it, see current bindings,
etc.

unexpected behavior is bad behavior, especially if there's no way to discover
what is going on.  how is someone supposed to understand why the esc key isn't
working if they've never heard of readline?

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