- Choosing an Editor: nano/pico or vi/vim
- Starting nano and Dabbling with It
- Saving in nano
- Cutting and Pasting Text Blocks in nano
- Checking Spelling in nano
- Getting Help in nano
- Exiting nano
- Starting vi (or vim) and Dabbling with It
- Saving in vi
- Adding and Deleting Text in vi
- Importing Files into vi
- Searching and Replacing in vi
- Exiting vi
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Adding and Deleting Text in vi
Adding and deleting text in vi is a bit more complicated than doing the same in nano. In nano, you basically just place your cursor where you want to make changes, whereas vi has a whole slew of commands that you use to specify where the changes should occur. (Tables 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 list only a very few of your options.) Plus, to issue the commands, you have to switch to normal mode.
TABLE 4.1 vi Commands to Add Text
|
Command |
Function |
|
a |
Adds text after the cursor |
|
A |
Adds text at the end of the current line |
|
i |
Inserts text before the cursor |
|
I |
Inserts text at the beginning of the current line |
|
o |
Inserts a blank line after the current line |
|
O |
Inserts a blank line before the current line |
TABLE 4.2 vi Commands to Delete Text
|
Command |
Function |
|
x |
Deletes one character (under the cursor) |
|
X |
Deletes one character (behind the cursor) |
|
dd |
Deletes the current line |
|
5dd |
Deletes five lines starting with the current line (any number would work here) |
|
dw |
Deletes the current word |
|
cw |
Changes the current word (deletes it and enters input mode) |
|
r |
Replaces the character under the cursor with the next character you type |
|
R |
Replaces the existing text with the text you type (like overtype mode in most word processors) |
TABLE 4.3 Other Handy vi Editing Commands
|
Command |
Function |
|
yy |
Copies the current line |
|
p |
Pastes any copied text after the cursor or line |
|
J |
Joins the current and following lines |
|
u |
Undoes the last change |
|
U |
Undoes all changes on the current line |
|
. |
Repeats the last command |
To add or delete text in vi:
vi
To begin, type vi at the shell prompt.
i
Change into insert mode.
There once was a man from Nantucket
Type some text that you’ll want to add to.
Press
to enter normal mode before you issue the commands.Choose a command, based on what you want to do to the text.
- Table 4.1 lists commands to add text.
- Table 4.2 lists commands to delete text.
- Table 4.3 lists miscellaneous editing commands.
dd
Type the command. Here, we’re deleting the current line of text.