Quitting
| :x | Exit saving changes |
| :q | Exit as long as there have been no changes |
| ZZ | Exit and save changes if any have been made |
| :q! | Exit and ignore any changes |
Inserting Text
| i | Insert before cursor |
| I | Insert before line |
| a | Append after cursor |
| A | Append after line |
| o | Open a new line after current line |
| O | Open a new line before current line |
| r | Replace one character |
| R | Replace many characters |
Motion
| h | Move left |
| j | Move down |
| k | Move up |
| l | Move right |
| w | Move to next word |
| W | Move to next blank delimited word |
| b | Move to the beginning of the word |
| B | Move to the beginning of blank delimted word |
| e | Move to the end of the word |
| E | Move to the end of Blank delimited word |
| ( | Move a sentence back |
| ) | Move a sentence forward |
| { | Move a paragraph back |
| } | Move a paragraph forward |
| 0 | Move to the begining of the line |
| $ | Move to the end of the line |
| 1G | Move to the first line of the file |
| G | Move to the last line of the file |
| nG | Move to nth line of the file |
| :n | Move to nth line of the file |
| fc | Move forward to c |
| Fc | Move back to c |
| H | Move to top of screen |
| M | Move to middle of screen |
| L | Move to botton of screen |
| % | Move to associated ( ), { }, [] |
Deleting Text
Almost all deletion commands are performed by typing d followed by a motion. For example, dw deletes a word. A few other deletes are:
| x | Delete character to the right of cursor |
| X | Delete character to the left of cursor |
| D | Delete to the end of the line |
| dd | Delete current line |
| :d | Delete current line |
Yanking Text
Like deletion, almost all yank commands are performed by typing y followed by a motion. For example, y$ yanks to the end of the line. Two other yank commands are:
| yy | Yank the current line |
| :y | Yank the current line |
Putting text
| p | Put after the position or after the line |
| P | Put before the poition or before the line |
Search for strings
| /string | Search forward for string |
| ?string | Search back for string |
| n | Search for next instance of string |
| N | Search for previous instance of string |
Replace
The search and replace function is accomplished with the :s command. It is commonly used in combination with ranges or the :g command (below).
| :s/pattern/string/flags | Replace pattern with string according to flags. |
| g Flag | Replace all occurences of pattern |
| c Flag | Confirm replaces |
| & | Repeat last :s command |
| :.= | Shows current line number |
| := | Shows number of lines in file |
VI Settings
Note: Options given are default. To change them, enter type :set option to turn them on or :set nooption to turn them off.To make them execute every time you open VI, create a file in your HOME directory called .exrc and type the options without the colon (:) preceding the option Set Default Description
| :set ai noai | Turns on auto indentation |
| :set all | Prints all options to the screen |
| :set ap aw | Prints line after d c J m :s t u commands |
| :set aw noaw | Automatic write on :n ! e# ^^ :rew ^} :tag |
| :set bf nobf | Discards control characters from input |
| :set dir=tmp dir = /tmp | Sets tmp to directory or buffer file |
| :set eb noed | Precedes error messages with a bell |
| :set ed noed | Precedes error messages with a bell |
| :set ic noic | Ignores case when searching |
| :set lisp nolisp | Modifies brackets for Lisp compatibility. |
| :set list nolist | Shows tabs (^l) and end of line ($) |
| :set magic magic | Allows pattern matching with special characters |
| :set mesg mesg | Allows others to send messages |
| :set nooption | Turns off option |
| :set nu nonu | Shows line numbers |
| :set opt opt | Speeds output; eliminates automatic RETURN |
| :set prompt prompt | Prompts for command input with : |
| :set re nore | Simulates smart terminal on dumb terminal |
| :set ro noro | Changes file type to "read only" |
| :set scroll=n scroll = 11 | set n lines for CTRL-d and z |
| :set showmode nosm | Indicates input or replace mode at bottom |
| :set sm nosm | Show matching { or ( as ) or } is typed |
