MySQL Cookbook, 2nd Edition

Canceling a Partially Entered Statement

Problem

You start to enter a statement, and then decide not to issue it after all.

Solution

Cancel the statement using your line-kill character or the \c sequence.

Discussion

If you change your mind about issuing a statement that you’re entering, cancel it. If the statement is on a single line, backspace over it or use your line-kill character to erase the entire line. (The particular line-kill character to use depends on your terminal setup; for me, and most Unix/Linux users, the character is Ctrl-U; Windows users should press Esc.)

If you’ve entered a statement over multiple lines, the line-kill character erases only the last line. To cancel the statement completely, enter \c, and press Enter. This returns you to the mysql> prompt:

mysql>SELECT *
    -> FROM limbs
    -> ORDER BY\c
mysql>

Sometimes \c appears to do nothing (that is, the mysql> prompt does not reappear), which leads to the sense that you’re “trapped” in a statement and can’t escape. If \c is ineffective, the cause usually is that you began typing a quoted string and haven’t yet entered the matching end quote that terminates the string. Let mysql’s prompt help you figure out what to do here:

• If the prompt has changed from mysql> to ">, That means mysql is looking for a terminating double quote. If the prompt is '> or `> instead, mysql is looking for a terminating single quote or backtick. Type the appropriate matching quote to end the string, and then type \c followed by Enter.

• If the prompt is /*>, you’re in the middle of typing a C-style /* ... */ comment. End the comment by typing */, and then type \c followed by Enter.