VI/VIM editor- linux simplified

Vi - Unix Editor, Other editors are like Emacs and Nano.

Syntax to open a file using Vim.

vim File_name

The above command opens an already-created file, else if the file is missing it creates a new file.

Vim - has two operating modes.

Insertion mode
Execution mode

It starts with the Execution mode, to make changes to the File - you have to be in the Insertion mode. At any time, you can see which mode you are in on the status bar which is located at the top of the editor.

To get into Insertion mode - press i

Mode	Enables Users To
Insert	Insert text by typing.
Execute	Execute commands within the editor.
Esc	Returns to command mode.

Execute Modes Commands

Saving and Exiting Vim

To go back to the Execute command, when you enter the colon (:) operator, a small command prompt section appears at the bottom-left of the editor. That is where you watch for the commands to exit the work.

Command	Function
:w {file name}	Saves file with the specified name.
:q	Quits when no changes have been made after the last save.
:q!	Quits, ignoring changes made.
:qa	Quits multiple files.
:wq	Saves the current file and quits.
:e!	Reverts to the last saved format without closing the file.
:help	Opens Vim’s built-in help documentation.

Navigate through a file in Vim

Navigation Key	Used to
h	Move left one character
j	Move down one line
k	Move up one line
l	Move right one character
Shift+L	Move the cursor to the bottom of the screen.
Shift+H	Move the cursor to the first line of the screen.

Editing a file in Vim

Editing operators in command mode are powerful tools that can be used to manipulate text with simple keystrokes.

NB: They can also be used in combination with motions to edit multiple characters.

Command	Action
a	Insert characters to the right of the cursor
A	Append characters to the current line
i	Insert characters to the left of the cursor
I	Insert characters at the beginning of the current line
o	Add a new line after the current line
O	Insert a new line above the current line

Deleting characters/ words in the file

Command	Action
x	Delete the character selected by the cursor.
d	Delete text.
dd	Delete the current line.

Copying and Pasting on the file

Command	Action
p	Paste text on the line below the cursor.
P	Paste text on the line above the cursor.
y	Copy text.
yy	Copy the line above the cursor.

Undo option

Command	Action
u	Undo the latest change.
U	Undo all changes on the current line.

Searching through the file

Command	Action
/{text string}	Search through the document for specified text.
?{text string}	Search backwards through document for specified text.

Vi / Vim simplified - CheatSheet

In this article I'm going to share my most used commands in Vim that help me in day to day terminal workloads

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