Linux Foundation
Commands Used to Start, Exit, Read, and Write Files in vi
| Command | Usage |
| vi myfile | Start the vi editor and edit the m yfile file |
| vi -r myfile | Start vi and edit m yfile in recovery mode from a system crash |
| :r file2<ret> | Read in file2 and insert at current position |
| :w<ret> | Write to the file |
| :w myfile<ret> | Write out the file to m yfile |
| :w! file2<ret> | Overwrite file2 |
| :x<ret> or :wq<ret> | Exit vi and write out modified file |
| :q<ret> | Quit vi |
| :q!<ret> | Quit vi even though modifications have not been saved |
Keystrokes Used When Changing Cursor Position in vi
| Keys | Usage |
| arrow keys | To move up, down, left and right |
| j or <ret> | To move one line down |
| k | To move one line up |
| h or Backspace | To move one character left |
| l or Space | To move one character right |
| 0 | To move to beginning of line |
| $ | To move to end of line |
| w | To move to beginning of next word |
| h | To move to top of file |
| b | To move back to beginning of preceding word |
| :0 <ret> or (G | To move to beginning of file |
| :n <ret> or nG | To move to line n |
| :$ <ret> or G | To move to last line in file |
| CTRL-F or Page Down | To move forward one page |
| CTRL-B or Page Up | To move backward one page |
| Al | To refresh and center screen |
Searching for Text in vi
| Command | Usage |
| /pattern<ret> | Search forward for pattern |
| string<ret> | Search backward for pattern |
| Key | Usage | |
| n | Move to next occurrence of search pattern | |
| N | Move to previous occurrence of search pattern |
Working with Text in vi
| Key | Usage |
| a | Append text after cursor; stop upon Escape key |
| A | Append text at end of current line; stop upon Escape key |
| i | Insert text before cursor; stop upon Escape key |
| I | Insert text at beginning of current line; stop upon Escape key |
| o | Start a new line below current line, insert text there; stop upon Escape key |
| 0 | Start a new line above current line, insert text there; stop upon Escape key |
| r | Replace character at current position |
| R | Replace text starting with current position; stop upon Escape key |
| x | Delete character at current position |
| Nx | Delete N characters, starting at current position |
| dw | Delete the word at the current position |
| D | Delete the rest of the current line |
| dd | Delete the current line |
| Ndd or dNd | Delete N lines |
| u | Undo the previous operation |
| yy | Yank (cut) the current line and put it in buffer |
| Nyy or yNy | Yank (cut) N lines and put it in buffer |
| P | Paste at the current position the yanked line or lines from the buffer |