Word designators are used to select desired words from the event.
A :
separates the event specification from the word designator. It
may be omitted if the word designator begins with a ^
, $
,
*
, -
, or %
. Words are numbered from the beginning
of the line, with the first word being denoted by 0 (zero). Words are
inserted into the current line separated by single spaces.
For example,
!!
!!:$
!$
.
!fi:2
fi
.
Here are the word designators:
0 (zero)
0
th word. For many applications, this is the command word.
n
^
$
%
?
string?
search.
x-
y
-
y
abbreviates 0-
y
.
*
0
th. This is a synonym for 1-$
.
It is not an error to use *
if there is just one word in the event;
the empty string is returned in that case.
x*
x-$
x-
x-$
like
x*
, but omits the last word.
If a word designator is supplied without an event specification, the previous command is used as the event.