Then, hold down the u key in Command mode to undo all of your changes and use :q to quit the editor.Insert and delete as much text as you want.Spend some time practicing the functions in Command mode within the letter file, including the functions that take you to Insert mode. Takes you to the interactive : prompt (calledex mode) Join lines (join line below you to current line) (Upper Case P) Paste the contents of the buffer above the current lineĭelete 3 characters (starting with the current character) (Lower Case P) Paste the contents of the buffer below the current line Start inserting text on the character that you are on

Open a new line above the cursor to insert text Start inserting text at the beginning of the current line Open a new line underneath the cursor to insert text Start inserting text before current character Start appending text after current character To return back to Command mode after inserting or editing text, simply press Esc.Ĭommon Functions That Allow You to Enter Insert Mode When you first open the vi editor, you are placed in Command mode, where every key and key combination on your keyboard represents a function (e.g., pressing the x key will delete the character your cursor is on).Ī handful of these functions take you to Insert mode, where the keys on your keyboard are actually used to type and edit text (e.g., pressing the x key will insert the letter x in your document). You’ll know you’ve reached the end of the file when you see a tilde (~) at the bottom.īefore you edit or add text, you must first understand that vi has two modes: The easiest way to navigate the file is to use the arrow keys, or page up/page down keys. The cursor is automatically placed at the beginning of the file. You can run the following commands to obtain sample text files on your system and edit the letter file using the vi editor:

As you become more familiar with the survival skills, you can expand upon that functionality later on. The quickest and easiest way to learn how to use the vi editor is to first focus on essential vi functionality (the sur“vi”val skills, if you will) using some sample text files. A “vi-able” skill for any UNIX/Linux systems administrator, user or developer.Found standard on nearly all UNIX flavors and Linux distributions.Powerful (800+ built-in functions with plugins and customization ability).Easily addictive, with a one-day learning curve (for the basics).It merely has a small learning curve at the beginning.īut learning vi is worth it because it offers a number of benefits:

Vim text editor commands