Text File Editor

After you open or create a file by typing a command such as nano, it will show you a recognizable user interface. The interface displays the text contained in the file, along with various actions you can perform along the bottom. All these actions can be done by pressing Ctrl + Key at the same time. Some key combinations are listed in the below table.

The vi text editor is the de facto standard Unix editor and is available on all Unix flavors. A vi session begins by invoking the vi command, with (or without) a filename. You will be presented with a full empty screen with each line beginning with a ~ (tilde).

The vi text editor has 2 modes.

Some basic vi commands and their meanings are listed below.

Now, try creating a new file with content using vi.

On the blank screen, hit the i key on the keyboard to enter insert mode. Then copy and paste the first line of text below or you can begin by typing in any text you want.

Note that the last line shows that the user is actually in insert mode. This means that the editor is ready to receive input from you. When you’re done editing, hit the Esc key then save and exit the editor by using the command below.

For more details about the vi editor, please visit the link Editing with VI

vim is somewhat similar to vi and is also known to be an improved version of the vi editor distributed with most UNIX systems. Just in case you are curious to know the difference between vi and vim, you can use the command below. Note that you enter the command after starting a vim session.