Empty bash command line

Question

I am looking for a way to delete the currently entered commandline without wasting seconds on the "Backspace"-key.

For example I scrolled the bash history and have a long commandline that would execute when I pressed ENTER:

~$ aptitude search openssl | grep dev

But now I decide that I do not want to execute this command. Can I get an empty prompt fast without deleting the whole line with Backspace? On the Windows "cmd" you can just press ESCAPE and it is gone. This behavior would be what I want.

The question may seem trivial but this is bothering me for a long time now... :-)

Regards

Answer 1

Pressing Ctrl+u will empty the current line.

Answer 2

Press Ctrl+C to cancel the command you're entering and go back to a bare prompt.

This is a common key in unix text mode applications:

• in non-interactive programs, Ctrl+C usually stops the program altogether and goes back to a shell prompt;
• in interactive programs that execute one command at a time (such as shells), Ctrl+C usually returns to the main command prompt.