Readline in vi mode: how can I access previously executed commands?

Question

I recently followed this post's advice on how to make vi more ubiquitous and I changed my readline mode to vi. Before I did this, I could use the arrow keys to access previously executed commands. This is no longer the case. How can I access previously executed commands from a readline prompt in vi mode?

Answer 1

Readline's vi mode starts out in insert mode, and doesn't have the insert mode arrow key bindings found in some versions of vi; this means you have to hit Esc first, then the arrow keys or the standard vi h/j/k/l keys will work.