Cut/Paste Commands:
x delete one character (destructive backspace)
dw delete the current word (Note: ndw deletes n numbered words)
dd delete the current line (Note: ndd deletes n numbered lines)
D delete all content to the right of the cursor
d$ same as above
:u undo last command
p,P paste line starting one line below/above current cursor location
J combine the contents of two lines
"[a-z]nyy yank next n lines into named buffer [a-z]
"[a-z]p/P place the contents of selected buffer below/above the current line
Extensions to the Above Commands:
:3,18d delete lines 3 through 18
16,25m30 move lines 16 through 25 to after line 30
23,29co62 copy specified lines and place after line 62
Cursor Relocation commands:
:[n] goto line [n]
shift g place cursor on last line of text
h/l/j/k move cursor left, right, down and up
^f/^b move forward, backward in text, one page
^u/^d move up, down one half page
$ move to end of line
0 move to beginning of line
Extensions to the Above:
b move backwards one word (Note: nb moves back n number of words)
e move to end of current word
( move to beginning of curent block
) move to the end of current block
Searching and Substitution commands:
/ [string] search forward for string
? [string] search backwards for string
n repeat last search
N repeat search in opposite direction
cw change the contents of the current word, (use ESC to stop
replacement mode)
c$ Replace all content to the right of cursor (exit replacement
mode with ESC)
c0 Replace all content to the left of cursor (exit with ESC)
:1,$s/s1/s2/g (Yow!) global replacement of string1 with string2
r replace current character with next character typed
Entering the Insert Mode:
i Begin inserting text at current cursor location
I Begin inserting text at the beginning of the current line
a Begin appending text, one character to the right of current
cursor location
A Begin appending text at the end of the current line
o/O Begin entering text one line below\above current line
ESC Exit insertion mode and return to command mode
Exiting and Entering VI
ZZ save file and exit VI
:wq same as above
:e! return to last saved version of current file
:q quit without save, (Note :q! is required if changes have been made)
:w write without exit (:w! to force write)
Fancy Stuff:
:1,10w file write lines 1 through 10 to file newfile
:340,$w >> file write lines 340 through the end of the file and append
to file newfile
:sh escape temporarily to a shell
^d return from shell to VI
:![command] execute UNIX command without leaving VI
:r![command] read output of command into VI
:r[filename] read filename into VI
:$r newfile read in newfile and attach at the end of current document
:r !sort file read in contents of file after it has been passed through
the UNIX sort
:n open next file (works with wildcard filenames,
ex: vi file*)
:^g list current line number
:set number show line numbers
:set showinsert show flag ("I") at bottom of screen when in insert mode
:set all display current values of VI variables
:set ai set autoindent; after this enter the insert mode and
tab, from this point on VI will indent each line to
this location. Use ESC to stop the indentations.
^T set the autoindent tab one tab stop to the right
^D set the autoindent tab one stop to the left
:set tabstop=n sets default tab space to number n
>> shift contents of line one tab stop to the right
<< shift contents of line one tab stop to the left
