Linux Terminal Text Editor

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When getting used to the command-line, Linux novices are often put off by other, more advanced text editors such as vim and emacs. While they are excellent programs, they do have a bit of a learning curve. Enter Nano, an easy-to-use text editor that proves itself versatile and simple. Vi/vim exists on almost all Unix-like platforms, it is the de-facto Unix editor, and is easily installed on Windows. All you need to make it work is a text-based connection, so it works well for remote machines with slow connections, or when you're too lazy to set up a VNC/Remote Desktop connection. The GNU ed command is a line editor. It's considered the standard Unix text editor because it was the very first text editor for Unix, and so it was (and generally still is) available on any POSIX system. In some ways, it's easy to tell that it was the first because, in many ways, it's extremely rudimentary. To use the command line to create a new, blank text file, press Ctrl + Alt + T to open a Terminal window. Type the following command and press Enter. Change the path and the file name (/Documents/TextFiles/MyTextFile.txt) to what you want to use. READ How To Install Java 8 On Linux? Vi is widely used Linux text editor as its easy to use and available across all Linux platforms. Vi text editor has both command mode and edit or insert mode, which ensure flexibility as well as ease in use. The elder scrolls 5 special edition.

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What is the VI editor?

Best Linux Terminal Text Editor

The VI editor is the most popular and classic text editor in the Linux family. Below, are some reasons which make it a widely used editor –

1) It is available in almost all Linux Distributions

2) It works the same across different platforms and Distributions

3) It is user-friendly. Hence, millions of Linux users love it and use it for their editing needs

Nowadays, there are advanced versions of the vi editor available, and the most popular one is VIM which is Vi Improved. Some of the other ones are Elvis, Nvi, Nano, and Vile. It is wise to learn vi because it is feature-rich and offers endless possibilities to edit a file.

To work on VI editor, you need to understand its operation modes. They can be divided into two main parts.

In this tutorial, you will learn more about-

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vi Command mode:

• The vi editor opens in this mode, and it only understands commands
• In this mode, you can, move the cursor and cut, copy, paste the text
• This mode also saves the changes you have made to the file
• Commands are case sensitive. You should use the right letter case.

vi Editor Insert mode:

Mac Text Editor Terminal

• This mode is for inserting text in the file.

• You can switch to the Insert mode from the command mode by pressing 'i' on the keyboard

• Once you are in Insert mode, any key would be taken as an input for the file on which you are currently working.

• To return to the command mode and save the changes you have made you need to press the Esc key Adobe premiere cs6 video effects.

How to use vi editor

To launch the VI Editor -Open the Terminal (CLI) and type

And if you specify an existing file, then the editor would open it for you to edit. Else, you can create a new file.

VI Editing commands

• i - Insert at cursor (goes into insert mode)
• a - Write after cursor (goes into insert mode)
• A - Write at the end of line (goes into insert mode)
• ESC - Terminate insert mode
• u - Undo last change
• U - Undo all changes to the entire line
• o - Open a new line (goes into insert mode)
• dd - Delete line
• 3dd - Delete 3 lines.
• D - Delete contents of line after the cursor
• C - Delete contents of a line after the cursor and insert new text. Press ESC key to end insertion.
• dw - Delete word
• 4dw - Delete 4 words
• cw - Change word
• x - Delete character at the cursor
• r - Replace character
• R - Overwrite characters from cursor onward
• s - Substitute one character under cursor continue to insert
• S - Substitute entire line and begin to insert at the beginning of the line
• ~ - Change case of individual character

Note: You should be in the 'command mode' to execute these commands. VI editor is case-sensitive so make sure you type the commands in the right letter-case.

Make sure you press the right command otherwise you will end up making undesirable changes to the file. You can also enter the insert mode by pressing a, A, o, as required.

Moving within a file

• k - Move cursor up
• j - Move cursor down
• h - Move cursor left
• l - Move cursor right

You need to be in the command mode to move within a file. The default keys for navigation are mentioned below else; You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard.

Saving and Closing the file

• Shift+zz - Save the file and quit
• :w - Save the file but keep it open
• :q - Quit without saving
• :wq - Save the file and quit

You should be in the command mode to exit the editor and save changes to the file.

Summary:

• The vi editor is the most popular and commonly used Unix text editor
• It is usually available in all Linux Distributions.
• It works in two modes, Command and Insert
• Command mode takes the user commands, and the Insert mode is for editing text
• You should know the commands to work on your file easily
• Learning to use this editor can benefit you in creating scripts and editing files.