To startup vi:
vi filename
Vi has three main modes Command mode, Insert mode and Command-Line mode.
The editor begins in command mode, where cursor movement and copy/paste commands can be issued.
If you are ever unsure which mode you're in, press Esc to return to command mode.
| Open line above cursor | O | ||||||
| Insert text at beginning of line | I | Insert text at cursor | i | append text after cursor | a | Append text at line end | A |
| Open line below cursor | o |
Switch to Command mode:
Switch to command mode: [ESC]
Most commands execute as soon as typed except for "colon" commands which execute when you press the return key.
Cursor Movement (command mode):
| Scroll Backward 1 screen | [ctrl] b | ||||
| Scroll Up 1/2 screen | [ctrl] u | ||||
| Go to beginning of line | 0 | Go to line n | nG | Go to end of line | $ |
| Scroll Down 1/2 screen | [ctrl] d | Go to line number ## | :## | ||
| Scroll Forward 1 screen | [ctrl] f | ||||
| Go to last line | G | ||||
| Scroll by sentence f/b | ( ) | ||||
| Scroll by word f/b | w b | Move left, down, up, right | h j k l | Left 6 chars | 6h |
| Scroll by paragraph f/b | { } | Move left, down, up, right | ← ↓ ↑ → Arrow Keys | Go to line #6 | 6G |
Delete text (command mode):
| Change word | cw | Replace one character | r | ||
| Delete word | dw | Delete text at cursor | x | Delete entire line (to buffer) | dd |
| Delete (backspace) text at cursor | X | Delete 5 lines (to buffer) | 5dd | ||
| Delete current to end of line | D | Delete lines 5-10 | :5,10d |
Editing (command mode):
| Copy line | yy | Copy n lines | nyy | Copy lines 1-2 /paste after 3 | :1,2t3 |
| Paste above current line | P | ||||
| Paste below current line | p | Move lines 4-5 /paste after 6 | :4,5m6 | ||
| Find the next t | ft | Join previous line | J | ||
| Search backward for string | ?string | Search forward for string | /string | Find next string occurrence | n |
| % (entire file) s (search and replace) /old text with new/ c (confirm) g (global - all) |
:%s/oldstring/newstring/cg | Ignore case during search | :set ic | ||
| Repeat last command | . | Undo previous command | u | Undo all changes to line | U |
Save and Quit (command mode):
| Save changes to buffer | :w | Save current file, if modified, and quit | :x or ZZ | Save file to new file | :w file |
| Save changes and quit vi | :wq | Save lines to new file | :10,15w file | ||
| Quit without saving | :q! |
In general a number n preceding any vi command will tell vi to repeat that command n times.
| :syntax on | Turn on syntax highlighting |
| :syntax off | Turn off syntax highlighting |
| :set number | Turn on Line numbering (shorthand :set nu) |
| :set nonumber | Turn off Line numbering (shorthand :set nonu) |
| :set ignorecase | Ignore case sensitivity when searching |
| :set noignorecase | Restore case sensitivity (default) |
| :set autoindent | Turn on Auto-indentation Use the command >> to indent and the << command to outdent |
| :set shiftwidth=4 | Set indentation to four spaces |
| :set noautoindent | Turn off Auto-indentation |
Change all Windows CR/LF to Unix style LF line endings in the current file:
:g/^M/s///g
(To enter the ^M, type CTRL-V CTRL-M)
Command-line mode
Command-line mode commands are typed at the bottom of the screen.
To enter Command-line mode from Command mode, push colon : a colon will appear at the bottom.
The Ex mode is similar to the command line mode as it also allows you to enter Ex commands. Unlike the command-line mode you won’t return to normal mode automatically. You can enter an Ex command by typing a Q in normal mode and leave it again with the :visual command. Note that the Ex mode is designed for Batch processing and as such won’t support mappings or command-line editing.
vi is short for visual editor and is pronounced as the two letters: “vee eye”
The vi editor was an update on the earlier ex (and ed) editors, it introduced a Visual Interactive mode which was contracted to give the name vi.
“vi was written for a world that doesn’t exist anymore - unless you decide to get a satellite phone and use it to connect to the Net at 2400 baud” ~ Bill Joy
vimhelp.org - Full list of VI commands
OpenVIM tutorial
Learning the vi Editor - How to use the vi editor.
History and effective use of Vim - Joe Nelson.
How to grok vi - Stack Overflow.
bcvi - Back Channel vi - remote file editing with SSH.
Kate - Text Editor (cross platform).
book - Practical vim by Drew Neil.
book - Learning the vi & vim Editor
MacVim & MacVim vs TextMate