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vi commands

vi commands

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vi - Command mode
i = input mode
esc = command mode
:se number = display line numbers
:se nonumber = don't display line numbers
:e = open file
:w = save (write) file to disk
:wq = save and quit
:q! = quit but don't save
number,command = apply command number times (e.g. 4,x = delete 4 characters)
. = repeat last effective cmd
esc,u = undo it
vi - Command mode - Moving the cursor
- = go to beginning of previous line
0 (zero) or ^ = go to beginning of this line
$ = go to end of this line
ret or + = go to beginning of next line (NOT THE SAME AS INPUT RETURN)
w = go to beginning of next word
b = go to beginning of this word
e = go to end of this word
sft-h = go to first line onscreen
sft-l = go to last line onscreen
ctrl-f = forward (down) one screen
ctrl-b = backward (up) one screen
1,sft-g = top of the buffer
sft-g = bottom of the buffer (i.e. EOF)
line,sft-g = go to line (e.g. 3,5,sft-g = line 35)
column,| = go to column (e.g. 4,| = column 4)
vi - Command mode - Deletion
deleted text is put to the general purpose buffer; use the p cmd to retrieve
it
you can also use yanks to not delete it but still put it in the GPB
basically delete = cut and yank = copy in your OS's Edit menu
x = delete this character
d,w = delete word
d,d = delete line
sft-d = delete to end of line (same as emacs ctrl-k)
y,w = yank to beginning of next word
sft-y or y,$ = yank to end of line
y,y = yank entire line
buffer"lines"y,y = yank lines number of lines into buffer buffer (a-z)
p = paste contents of general-purpose buffer
vi - Command mode - Replacement
to use replacers type the sequence and then type the string of characters to
replace with, e.g. 2,c,w,"Bored Zo" to replace from the cursor to the end of
the next word to "Bored Zo"
r = replace a single character
shift-r = replace characters from the cursor(e.g. if | is the cursor and
your text is "I AM the |Entertained Zo!" shift-r,"Bored" will give you "I AM
the Boredtained Zo!")
c,w or c,e = change from cursor to end of word
c,b = change from beginning of word to before cursor
c,$ or sft-c = change from cursor to end of line
c,c = change the ENTIRE line
:x,ys/oldstring/newstring/ = substitute newstring for oldstring from line x
to line y (if y = $ then to EOF)
~ = toggle a character's case
vi - Command mode - Searching
see section on regular expressions above
/ = search forward from cursor for a pattern
? = search backward from cursor for a pattern
n = next result
sft-n = previous result
vi - Command mode - Insertion
o = insert a blank line below this one
sft-o = ...above this one
:r file = insert file at cursor


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