UNIX COURSE

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UNIXCOURSE

• Issa Mahasneh
• issa_at_just.edu.jo

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Lesson 2

• Editing Files

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The vi Editor

• De facto standard UNIX editor
• Written by Bill Joy in 1976
• From the word visual
• The most powerful UNIX editor

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Invoking vi
vi file1.txt vi file1.txt file2.txt vi
30 file1 vi vi /string file
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vi Modes

• Command mode, when vi it starts, it is in command
  mode, lot of commands you can use here such as
  when pressing i for input it will move you to
  input mode just before the current cursor
  location, with upper case I vi will enter input
  mode at the beginning of the current line.
• Input mode enter the text you want, every thing
  you enter goes to the file, backspace key lets
  you back up, deleting chars as you go, until the
  end of the line.
• Last line mode, you invoke this by entering
  colon. The cursor will jump to the last line of
  the screen and vi will wait for your command r
  file2 will read file2 into the current buffer
  after the current line.

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vi Modes
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Switching to Insert Mode

• a append text after the char the cursor is on.
• A append text after the last char of current
  line.
• c begin a change operation
• C change from cursor to end of line.
• i insert before the char where the cursor is on.
• I insert at the beginning of current line.
• o open a blank line below the current line.
• O open a blank line above the current line.
• R begin overwriting text.
• s substitutes single character.
• S substitutes whole lines.

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Command Mode

• When you want to change from insert mode to
  command mode, press the ESC key.
• d deletes words, lines, etc.
• u undoes the last edit.
• P pastes -insert- the yanked or deleted lines
  before the current line.
• p paste the yanked or deleted lines after the
  current line.
• ZZ quit vi, saving the file only if changes
  were made since last save.

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Commands Examples

• 5dw delete five word, starting at the current
  cursor position. If the current line ends it will
  continue with the next line.
• 7dd deletes 7 lines, starting at the current
  line.
• c2b changes back two words starting from the
  preceding character for the current cursor
  position. If the current it reached the beginning
  of the line it will continue with the previous
  line.
• 1G puts the cursor on the first line of the file.
• 10yy Yanks (copies) the next 10 lines starting
  with current line into temporary buffer.

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Cursor Movements /Editing Commands

• 1G moves the cursor to the first line.
• G move the cursor to the last line.
• 0 (zero) move the cursor to the first char of
  the current line.
• Ctrlg or G report the position of cursor in
  terms of line and col .
• moves the cursor to last char of the line.
• w moves the cursor forward one word.
• b moves the cursor backward one word.
• x delete the char at the cursor position.
• dd delete the line at the current cursor pos.
• u undoes the most recent change.
• r replace the char at the current cursor location
  with what is typed next.

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Yank and Put

• y2w yanks two words, starting at the current
  cursor position, going right.
• 4yb yanks 4 words, starting at the character
  previous to the current position going to the
  left.
• yy or y yanks the current line.
• P put the yanked text before the current cursor
  position.
• p put the yanked text after the current line
• 5p put the yanked text in the buffer five times
  after the current cursor position.

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Last Line Mode

• 5,25w file3 write line 5 through 25 into file3.
• w file4 write the current buffer into file4, if
  exists will ask you to confirm.
• !ls temporary suspend vi, execute the shell
  command, when completed vi returned.
• r filename reads and insert the contents of the
  file filename after the current line.
• q! Quits vi without saving
• wq save the buffer and quit.
• w! filename overwrite file name with current
  text.
• 7,15d delete lines 7 through 15 in the buffer.

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Substitute

• s/john/jane/ substitute the word jane for the
  word john the current line only.
• s/john/jane/g substitute the word jane for
  every word john on the current line.
• 1,10s/john/jane/g substitute the word jane for
  the word john on line 1-10.
• 1,s/john/jane/g substitute the word jane for
  the word john for every word in the entire
  document.