CNL / CPL — Cursor next / previous line

Used in

Real-world tools that emit this sequence — anchors the bytes to commands you've already used.

• vim / neovim `j` / `k` movement in operator-pending pre-step—Vim's operator-pending mode (`d`, `y`, `c` then motion) for line-wise operators like `dj` / `yk` emits `\x1b[<n>E` (CNL) or `\x1b[<n>F` (CPL) to position the cursor before applying — `:set verbose=15` then `dj` shows the CNL/CPL in the verbose log distinct from CUD `\x1b[<n>B` used for `<n>j`
• less line-scroll via `j` / `↓`—`less` redraws on per-line scroll by emitting CNL `\x1b[E` for the cursor advance + ED `\x1b[J` for partial-screen clear, instead of a full repaint — `script -c 'less /etc/passwd' /tmp/log && strings /tmp/log | grep '\x1b\[E'` after some `j` keypresses
• tmux copy-mode-vi line movement—tmux copy-mode (`prefix [`) with `mode-keys vi` rebinds `j`/`k` to CNL/CPL for cross-pane consistent cursor advancement — `tmux show-options -g mode-keys` shows the binding, trace pane output with `tmux pipe-pane -o 'cat > /tmp/p.log'` then scroll
• ncurses `wgetnstr()` line-wrap behaviour—Curses input function `wgetnstr(WINDOW *, char *, int n)` reads a length-bounded string; when the user types past the visible window, the redraw uses CNL `\x1b[1E` to move to next row plus `wclrtoeol()` (which is EL `\x1b[K`) — `infocmp xterm | grep -E 'nel|cnl'` confirms the `nel` cap maps to CNL
• GNU readline `next-history` / `previous-history`—Bound to `↓` / `↑` by default; recalling history with multi-line entries uses CNL / CPL to advance to the next visual row of the recalled command — `bind -p | grep -E 'next-history|previous-history'` shows the binding, trace via `READLINE_DEBUG=trace`

Related pitfalls

Known footguns this sequence creates in the wild. Each links to the full symptom + cause + fix.

• ⚠CNL \x1b[E (Cursor Next Line) / CPL \x1b[F (Cursor Prev Line) omitted Pn default to 1 per ECMA-48 §8.3.12 / §8.3.13 — explicit \x1b[0E is also 1 not no-op; emit \x1b[1E for clarity·#csi-default-params
• ⚠CNL / CPL move to column 1 of the destination row, NOT preserve the current column — common bug expecting \x1b[1E to be \n (which preserves col on raw mode but not on cooked); for vertical-only move use CUD \x1b[1B (preserves col) instead·#cup-1-based-not-0-based

Frequently asked

Short answers to the questions developers actually search for this sequence.

What's the difference between \x1b[F and \r\x1b[A — both go up one line to column 1?

Two differences that matter inside TUIs. (1) Round-trip cost: CPL is one CSI sequence, \r\x1b[A is two (a C0 control + a CSI). On a slow serial line or under tmux's input throttling, the extra byte and the intermediate state-machine entry sometimes show up as a visible flicker. (2) Scroll-region behaviour: both forms respect DECSTBM and clamp at the region's top margin, so they're equivalent there. The real win for CPL is composability — \x1b[5F jumps 5 rows up + column 1 in one move, whereas the \r\x1b[5A form still needs the explicit \r. For a single-row jump either is fine; for multi-row redraw loops prefer CNL / CPL.

Will \x1b[E at the bottom row scroll the screen the way \n does?

No — CNL clamps at the bottom of the current scrolling region (full screen if DECSTBM hasn't restricted it) without auto-scrolling. A bare \n at the same position emits LF, which the terminal handles as "down one line, scroll if needed" — that's how a shell appends a new prompt line at the bottom of the screen. CNL's no-scroll behaviour is exactly why TUIs that redraw a multi-line panel use \x1b[<N>F\x1b[J (up N + erase to end of screen) instead of \r\n repeated — you stay parked at the panel origin even if the user resized the terminal between draws.