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A Quick Guide to vi
Pages: 1, 2

Saving a File

If you start vi by specifying a filename, you can simply save the file by pressing :w and return. Note that pressing ":" when in Command mode will bring you to the bottom of the screen. This is where you can issue further commands.



If you start vi without any parameters, you need to provide a filename:

~
~
:w newfile.txt

You can also use this method to save the file into another file. Note that if the filename you specify already exists, vi will not overwrite the existing file. Instead, use :w! to overwrite the existing file.

Screen shot.
Figure 3. Use ! to overwrite a file.

Inserting a File

There may be times where you need to add the content of another file into your current file. In this case, you can use :r, like this:

~
~
:r anotherfile.txt

Simply first position the cursor at the line where you want to insert the file and then press :r.

Quitting vi

To exit from vi, use the :q command. If the file has been modified and you have not saved the changes, vi will not allow you to quit. To quit without saving, use :q!.

Learning the vi Editor

Related Reading

Learning the vi Editor
By Linda Lamb, Arnold Robbins

Opening a File

If you want to edit another file while you are still in vi, you can use :e to open another file for editing:

~
~
:e textfile.txt

Copying, Cutting, and Pasting Text

To copy a block of text, you can use the y (for yank) command. To yank the whole line, press yy.

vi is an editor in Unix
Real programmers use vi!
Have you tried it?
 yy copies the line "vi is an editor in Unix"

To copy a word, use yw.

vi is an editor in Unix
Real programmers use vi! 
Have you tried it?
 yw copies the word "editor"

To copy from the cursor to the end of the line, use y$.

vi is an editor in Unix
Real programmers use vi!
Have you tried it?
 y$ copies the line "editor in Unix"

To paste yanked text, use the p (for put) command.

vi is an editor in Unix
Real programmers use vi!
Have you tried it?
 Continuing from the previous y$ example, P (capital p) results in: 
vi is an editor in Unixeditor in Unix
Real programmers use vi!
Have you tried it?
p (small p) becomes: 
vi is an eeditor in Unixditor in Unix
Real programmers use vi! 
Have you tried it?

Note that for cut operations, you can use the d command (see "Deleting Text") to cut a block of text and p to paste the block of text.

Undoing and Redoing

You can undo your action by pressing u. Note that you can only undo the last action. To redo the same action, use the period (.).

Changing and Replacing Text

You can change the text in your file by using the c command. For example, cw allows you to change the entire word:

vi is an editor in Unix 
Real programmers use vi! 
Have you tried it?
 cw Solid (and then press escape) will replace the word "Real" with the word "Solid"

To change the last three words, use c3b.

To change the words starting from the current cursor position to the end of the line, use c$.

To change the words starting from the beginning of the line to the current cursor position, use c0 (numeric zero).

To replace a single character, position the cursor at the character you want to replace and type r, followed by a character.

Searching for Text

To search for a particular piece of text in vi, use the / command followed by the text for which to search. For example, /in will look for the first occurrence of the word "in". To repeat the search, press / and then Enter.

To replace all occurrence of a word in a document, you can use the s command. For example, :s/in/on will replace the first occurrence of the word "in" with the word "on".

:s/in/on/g will replace all occurrences of the word "in" with the word "on" on the current line.

:1,45s/in/on/g will replace all occurrences of the word "in" with the word "on" from line 1 to line 45.

:%s/in/on/g will replace all occurrences of the word "in" with the word "on" in the entire file.

Jumping to a Line

If you are editing a large file, you can jump directly to a line by typing the line number. For example, :4 will position the cursor directly on line four. This is useful when you are debugging a program and the compiler has indicated an error on a particular line.

I hope you find this quick tutorial to vi a useful one. Remember, the more you use vi the more you will enjoy it. Have fun!

Wei-Meng Lee (Microsoft MVP) http://weimenglee.blogspot.com is a technologist and founder of Developer Learning Solutions http://www.developerlearningsolutions.com, a technology company specializing in hands-on training on the latest Microsoft technologies.

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