Git Rebase Won't Let Me Type
I'm trying to do a git rebase on the Windows CMD to change a commit message (I've also tried the git bash but the exact same problem occurs there). When I do the rebase via
git rebase -i HEAD~2I've seen that I should change pick to reword to change an old commit message, but as I try to type, about 90% of my keystrokes do something beyond my understanding. Backspace usually works like left arrow, typing will delete words but doesn't type anything, some characters make my caret jump. I'm assuming that these are all keyboard shortcuts that people would want, but I just want to type. How can I simply type when I've started a rebase.
1 Answer
Sounds like you have vim as your default text editor. It's very powerful, but its user interface is modal. Basically all software released for the last 2 decades is modeless, so you may not be used to it. Here's a quick vim howto:
- Press I to enter edit mode - you can navigate with arrow keys, typing works as expected
- When you're done, press Esc to exit edit mode
- Once out of edit mode, type
:wqEnter to save changes and exit vim - To discard changes, type
:q!Enter (this will not cancel the rebase - it will carry on without your changes; to cancel you have to empty the rebase plan) - To delete a whole line quickly, make sure you are not in edit mode and press D twice
If that sounds crazy to you, you're not alone. You can use a different editor by changing the EDITOR variable, setting VISUAL variable or configuring core.editor.
