vi(1) General Commands Manual vi(1)
NAME
vi, vedit, view - Edits files with a full screen display
SYNOPSIS
Normal Syntax
vi [-ls] [-R] | [-r] [-c subcommand] [-t tag] [-w number] [-x] [-v] [+[subcommand]] [-] [file...]
Read-only Syntax
view [-l] [-R] | [-r] [-t tag] [-c subcommand] [-w number] [-x] [-v] [+[subcommand]] [-] [file...]
Novice Version Syntax
vedit [-l] [-R] | [-r] [-t tag] [-w number] [-x] [-v] [-] [file...]
The vi command is a display editor that is based on an underlying line editor (ex).
STANDARDS
Interfaces documented on this reference page conform to industry standards as follows:
vi: XCU5.0
vedit: XCU5.0
view: XCU5.0
ex: XCU5.0
Refer to the standards(5) reference page for more information about industry standards and associated tags.
OPTIONS
Performs the specified ex subcommand before editing begins.
This subcommand may actually consist of several commands separated by vertical line (|) characters. Indents appropriately for LISP
code, and accepts the (, ), {, }, [, and ] characters (parentheses, braces, and brackets) as text rather than interpreting them as
vi subcommands. The LISP modifier is active in open or visual modes. Recovers file after an editor or system crash. If you do not
specify a file, vi displays a list of all saved files. [Tru64 UNIX] Invokes vi in open mode. (Silent mode.) Sets the readonly
option to protect the file against overwriting.
[Tru64 UNIX] This option is automatically invoked if you use the view command. Edits the file containing the tag and positions the
editor at its definition. To use this option, you must first create a database of function names and their locations using the
ctags command. [Tru64 UNIX] Invokes the visual editor. When the -v option is specified, an enlarged set of subcommands is avail-
able, including screen editing and cursor movement features. This option has no effect when vi is specified, but is honored for
compatibility with historical conventions. Sets the default window size to number. This is useful when you use the editor over a
low-speed line. [Tru64 UNIX] Prompts for an encryption key and then unencrypts the file. If the file specified is not encrypted
or an incorrect key is entered, garbled text is displayed. [Tru64 UNIX] Suppresses all interactive user feedback. If you use this
option, file input/output errors do not generate an error message. Performs the ex subcommand before editing begins. If you do not
specify subcommand, the cursor is placed on the last line of the file. This option is obsolescent.
This subcommand may actually consist of several commands separated by vertical line (|) characters.
OPERANDS
The file argument specifies the files to be edited. If you supply more than one file on the command line, vi edits each file in the order
specified.
DESCRIPTION
The ex editor subcommands can be used within the vi editor, because vi is based on ex. The view command is a read-only version of vi; the
readonly option is set to protect files during browsing. The vedit command is a version of vi intended for beginners. In it, the report
option is set to 1, the showmode option is set, and the novice option (making vedit a line editor, rather than a screen editor) is set.
(For more information on these options, see Setting Options.)
When you use vi, changes you make to a file are reflected on your display. The position of the cursor on the display indicates its posi-
tion within the file. The subcommands affect the file at the cursor position.
[Tru64 UNIX] You can encrypt a file using the :X subcommand. Ensure that you remember the encryption key because an easy means to unen-
crypt a file does not exist. Only the first 6 characters of a key are significant.
Limitations of the vi Editor
The maximum limits of the vi editor are as follows: [Tru64 UNIX] 2048 bytes per line [Tru64 UNIX] 256 bytes per global command list
[Tru64 UNIX] 128 bytes in the previous inserted and deleted text [Tru64 UNIX] 128 bytes in a shell escape command [Tru64 UNIX] 128 bytes
in a string-valued option [Tru64 UNIX] 100 bytes in a tag name [Tru64 UNIX] 128 map macros with 2048 bytes total.
Editing Modes
The vi editor has the following operational modes: When you start the vi editor, it is in Command mode. Any subcommand can be entered from
this mode, except commands that can only be used in the Text Input mode (those subcommands that make corrections during text insertion).
When subcommands and the other modes end, vi returns to Command mode. Pressing the <Esc> key cancels a partial subcommand. Entered by the
a, A, i, I, o, O, cx (where x represents the scope of the subcommand), C, s, S, and R subcommands. After entering one of these commands,
you can enter text into the editing buffer at the current cursor position. To return to Command mode, press <Esc> for normal exit or press
the Interrupt key sequence to end abruptly. Some subcommands (those with the prefix : (colon), / (slash), ? (question mark), or !!) read
input on a line displayed at the bottom of the screen. When you enter the initial character, vi places the cursor at the bottom of the
screen, where you enter the remaining characters of the command. Press <Return> to perform the subcommand and enter the Interrupt key
sequence to cancel it.
When !! is used, the cursor moves only after the two exclamation points are entered. When : is used, special meaning is given to
the following characters if used as counts before a command: All lines, regardless of cursor position Last line Current line
Setting Options
The vi editor allows you to customize options so that you can use the editor for a specific task. Use the set command to set or change an
option. To view the current setting of all options, enter :set all while in vi Command mode. To view the current setting of options that
may be set to a value, enter a line of the form :set option.
Some options are set to a string or a number value; other options are simply turned on or off. To change an option that is set to a value,
enter a command in the form :set option=value. To toggle an option that can be set to on or off, enter a line of the form :set option to
set it to on or :set nooption to set it to off.
Options can be abbreviated in a set command. The following table lists some of vi's options, along with abbreviations and descriptions:
Option Abbreviation Description
[no]autoindent ai Indents automatically in
Text mode to the indenta-
tion on the previous line
by using the spacing
between tab stops specified
by the shiftwidth option.
The default is noai. To
back the cursor up to the
previous tab stop, type
<Ctrl-d>. This option is
not in effect for global
commands.
[no]autoprint ap Prints the current line
after any command that
changes the editing buffer.
The default is ap. This
option applies only to the
last command in a sequence
of commands on a single
line, and is not in effect
for global commands.
[no]autowrite aw Writes the editing buffer
to the file automatically
before the :n, :ta, <Ctrl-
a>, and ! subcommands if
the editing buffer was
changed since the last
write command. The default
is noaw.
[no]beautify bf Prevents user from entering
control characters (except
for tab, newline, and form-
feed) in the editing buffer
during text entry. The
default is nobf. This
option does apply to com-
mand input.
closepunct cp= The default is cp='".,;)]}.
directory dir= Displays the directory that
contains the editing buf-
fer. The default is
dir=/var/tmp.
[no]edcompatible ed Retains global (g) and con-
firms (c) subcommand suf-
fixes during multiple sub-
stitutions and causes the
read (r) suffix to work
like the r subcommand. The
default is noed.
[no]errorbells eb Precedes error messages
with an <Alert> character.
Setting this option off
(noeb) does not suppress
the alerting in visual
mode. The default is noeb.
[no]exrc "! If not set, ignores any
file in the current direc-
tory during initialization,
unless the current direc-
tory is that named by the
HOME variable. The default
is noexrc.
[no]flash fl Uses visual flash rather
than audible bell. The
default is fl.
hardtabs ht= Tells vi the distance
between the hardware tab
stops on your display. The
default is ht=8.
[no]ignorecase ic Ignores the distinction
between uppercase and low-
ercase while searching for
regular expressions. The
default is noic.
[no]lisp lisp Enters vi in LISP mode. In
this mode, vi appropriately
indents for LISP code and
the (, ), {, }, [[, and ]].
The default is nolisp.
[no]list list Displays text with tabs and
the end of lines marked.
Tabs are displayed as ^I
and the end of lines as $.
The default is nolist.
[no]magic magic Treats the characters [,
and * as special characters
in scans. In Off mode,
only the (, ), and $ char-
acters retain special mean-
ings; however, special
meaning of other characters
can still be invoked by
preceding the character
with a (backslash). The
default is magic.
[no]mesg mesg Permits other users to use
the talk or write commands
to write to the terminal
when in visual mode. The
shell level mesg n command
takes precedence over the
mesg option. If a mesg y
command was issued before
vi (or ex) was started,
set nomesg can be used to
suppress message, but a
set mesg input can not
override a mesg n command.
The default is mesg.
[no]modeline modeline Runs an editor command line
if found in the first five
and the last five lines of
the file. An editor com-
mand line may be anywhere
in a line. To be recog-
nized as a command line, it
must contain a space or a
tab followed by the string
ex: or vi:. The command
line is ended by a second :
(colon). The editor tries
to interpret any data
between the first and sec-
ond : as editor commands.
The default is nomodeline.
[no]novice novice The default is nonovice.
[no]number nu Displays lines prefixed
with their line numbers.
The default is nonu.
[no]optimize opt Speeds up the operation of
terminals that do not have
cursor addressing. The
default is noopt.
paragraphs para= Defines macro names that
start paragraphs. The
default is para=IPLPP-
PQPP LIpplpipnpbp. Single
letter nroff macros, such
as
must include the
space as a quoted
character if respec-
ifying a paragraph.
partialcharacter pc= The default is pc=-.
[no]prompt prompt Prompts for command mode
input with a : (colon).
When not set, no prompt is
displayed. The default is
prompt.
readonly " Allows writing to a differ-
ent file. In addition, the
write can be forced by
using the ! (exclamation
point) character (see the
editor command write). The
default is off, unless the
file lacks write permission
or the -R option is speci-
fied.
[no]redraw re Simulates a smart display
on a dumb display. The
default is nore.
[no]remap remap Enables following of map
keys. For example, if
remap is set, map u k map r
u causes r to map to k. If
noremap is set, r maps to
u. The default is remap.
report report= Sets the number of repeti-
tions of a command before a
message is displayed. For
subcommands that can pro-
duce a number of messages,
such as global subcommands,
the messages are displayed
when the command is com-
pleted. The default is
report=5.
scroll scr= Sets the number of lines to
be scrolled when you scroll
the screen up or down. The
default scroll is one-half
the size of the screen.
sections sect= Defines macro names that
start sections. The
default is
sect=NHSHH HUuhsh+c. Sin-
gle letter nroff macros,
such as
must include the
space as a quoted
character if respec-
ifying a paragraph.
shell sh= Defines the shell for ! or
:! commands. The default
is the value of the SHELL
environment variable.
shiftwidth sw= Sets the distance for the
software tab stops used by
autoindent, the shift com-
mands (> and <), and the
text input commands (<Ctrl-
d> and <Ctrl-t>) to allow
the editor to indent text
and move back to a previous
indentation. The default
is sw=8.
[no]showmatch sm Shows the matching open
parenthesis ( or open brace
{ as you type the close
parenthesis ) or close
brace }. The default is
nosm.
[no]showmode smd Displays mode indicator at
the bottom of the screen
when in the insert or
replace mode. The default
is nosmd.
[no]slowopen slow Postpones updating the dis-
play during inserts. The
default is noslow.
[no]sourceany Allows the use of the
source command on a file
that a user does not own.
The default is nosourceany.
tabstop ts= Sets the distance between
tab stops when a file is
displayed. The default is
ts=8.
taglength tl= Determines length of tag.
The default is tl=0.
[no]tags tag Specifies a list of possi-
ble file names of tag
files. The default is
tag=tags /usr/lib/tags.
term term= Sets the kind of display
you are using. The default
is term=$TERM, where $TERM
is the value of the TERM
shell variable.
[no]terse terse Allows vi to display the
short form of messages. The
default is noterse.
[no]timeout to Sets a time limit of 2 sec-
onds on entry of charac-
ters. This limit allows
the characters in a macro
to be entered and processed
as separate characters when
timeout is set. To resume
use of the macro, set
notimeout. The default is
to.
ttytype tty= Same as term.
[no]warn warn Displays a warning message
before the ! subcommand
executes a shell command if
this is the first time you
issued a shell command
after a given set of
changes were made in the
editing buffer, but not
written to a file. The
default is warn.
window wi= Sets the number of lines
displayed in one window of
text. The default is depen-
dent on the baud rate at
which you are operating:
600 baud or less / 8
lines, 1200 baud / 16
lines, higher speeds /
full screen minus 1.
wrapmargin wm= Sets the margin for auto-
matic wordwrapping from one
line to the next. A value
of wm=8, for example,
causes vi to wrap addi-
tional characters to the
next line when the cursor
is 8 characters or less
from the right margin. A
value of 0 indicates no
wordwrapping. The default
is wm=0.
[no]wrapscan ws Allows string searches to
wrap from the end of the
editing buffer to the
beginning. The default is
ws.
wraptype wt= (For editing Japanese) Con-
trols wrapping of Japanese
words. Setting wrap-
type=general causes gen-
eral-purpose wrap on word
breaks, where word break is
defined as whitespace or
space between two nonASCII
characters. Setting wrap-
type=general is a combina-
tion of word and flexible.
Setting wraptype=word
causes wrap on words. Set-
ting wraptype=rigid causes
wrap on column and before
closing punctuation. Set-
ting wraptype=flexible
causes wrap on column, but
closing punctuation may
extend past the margin.
The default is wt=word.
[no]writeany wa Turns off the checks usu-
ally made before a write
command. The default is
nowa.
Defining Macros
If you use a subcommand or sequence of subcommands frequently, you can create a macro that issues the subcommand or sequence when you call
a macro. To create a macro, enter the sequence of subcommands into an editing buffer named with a letter of the alphabet. When used as
buffer names, lowercase ASCII letters a through z overlay the contents of the buffer, while uppercase ASCII letters A through Z append text
to the previous contents of the buffer, allowing the building of a macro piece by piece.
To invoke the macro, enter @x, where x is the letter name of the buffer. Enter @@ to repeat the last macro you invoked.
Mapping Keys
You can use the map command to set a keystroke to a subcommand or a sequence of subcommands. To set a key mapping, enter :map key subcom-
mand where key is the key to which you want to assign a subcommand or sequence of subcommands and subcommand is the subcommand or sequence
of subcommands. For example, to set @ to delete lines, enter: :map @ dd
In this example, @ is the key to which the subcommand is assigned and dd is the subcommand.
In the next example, a subcommand sequence is mapped to a key: :map * {>}
The * (asterisk) is the key to which the subcommand sequence is assigned and {>} is the subcommand sequence. The { (open brace) moves the
cursor to the beginning of the paragraph and the > (right angle bracket) indents the paragraph to the next shiftwidth.
To display the list of the current key mappings while you are in Command mode, enter the :map command. You can also remove a key mapping.
To remove a key mapping, enter :unmap string or :unmap! string where string is the string used after the :map command to set the key and
subcommand sequence. For example, to remove key mapping for the previous example, enter: :unmap *
If function keys are defined for your terminal, they can be put in a map or unmap command by typing <Ctrl-v> then pressing the desired key.
In this way, function keys that are unused during editing can be mapped to useful editing subcommand sequences.
If the ! (exclamation point) character is appended to the command name map (map!), the mapping is effective during input mode rather than
during visual mode.
Abbreviations
You can define abbreviations for long phrases that you use often. The vi editor then automatically expands these abbreviations whenever
you enter them in insert mode. Only single-byte characters can appear in abbr_string; abbr_string cannot contain Asian multibyte charac-
ters.
To define an abbreviation, enter: :abbr abbreviation phrase
where abbreviation is the abbreviation you specify for the longer text specified by phrase. For example, to specify the abbreviation imho
for the phrase In my humble opinion, enter: :abbr imho In my humble opinion
Keeping a Customized Change
When you customize vi from the vi command line, the customized editor is in effect until you exit the editor. If you want to reuse such
things as option settings and key mappings, you must put them in the file in your home directory or define the EXINIT environment variable.
The vi editor processes the commands given in the EXINIT variable or reads the file each time you invoke it. Here is an example of an file:
set ai aw set wm=5 map @ dd
Users with both a file and an EXINIT environment variable will find that the vi editor no longer reads the file. This change was made to
meet the specifications of XPG4.
The standard provides for an approximation of the old behavior. A new variable, named exrc, is defined. When this variable is set by the
commands in the EXINIT environment variable, the editor reads in the current directory for additional startup commands. For example: setenv
EXINIT 'set ai terse magic bf wm=1 exrc'
[Tru64 UNIX] Additionally, the editor refuses to read the file if its mode grants write permission to anyone other than the owner; this
restriction prevents certain security breaches. No overt indication is given when such a refusal occurs.
vi Character Sets
The collation sequence, as defined by the value of the LC_COLLATE environment variable, defines the alphanumeric set used by your system.
This table affects the performance of vi macros and subcommands.
The vi editor uses the collation sequence to distinguish between a small word and a big word. A small word is bounded by letters or num-
bers as defined in the collation table. For example, isn't is two small words. The ' (apostrophe) is not a number or an alphabetic char-
acter, and it bounds both the small word t and the small word isn. A big word is bounded by spaces, tabs, or newline indicators. For
example, stop is a big word. For more information, see the section Moving to Words.
Subcommand Syntax
[named_buffer] [operator] [number] argument
Surrounding brackets indicate optional items. A temporary text storage area. Specifies the subcommand or action; instructs the vi editor.
A whole decimal value that specifies either the extent of the action or a line address. The vi editor interprets this number in one of the
following ways: Go to line number: 5G 10z<Return> Go forward number columns. 25<Space> Scroll number of lines: 10<Ctrl-d> 10<Ctrl-u>
Delete number lines: 6dd The % means all. To yank all lines: %y
(The preceding command replaces 1,$y.) Specifies what to act on. This can be a text object (a character, word, sentence, para-
graph, section, or character string) or a text position (a line, position in the current line, or screen position).
Moving Within a File
Enter the following subcommands in Command mode. You can cancel an incomplete subcommand by pressing the <Esc> key. Moves the cursor one
character to the left. Moves the cursor down one line, remaining in the same column. Moves the cursor up one line, remaining in the same
column. Moves the cursor one character to the right.
Long lines: Lines over one screen width are wrapped but not broken. When using the Up Arrow or Page Up key, @ lines are added at
the bottom of the screen when too few physical lines are available to display the complete line. The Down Arrow key moves the
entire line off the screen at once.
Character Positioning Within a Line
Enter the following subcommands in Command mode. Moves the cursor to the first nonspace character. Moves the cursor to the beginning of
the line. Moves the cursor to the end of the line. Moves the cursor to the next x character. Moves the cursor to the last x character.
Moves the cursor to one column before the next x character. Moves the cursor to one column after the last x character. Repeats the last
f, F, t, or T subcommand. Repeats the last f, F, t, or T subcommand in the opposite direction. Moves the cursor to the specified column.
Moving to Words
Enter the following subcommands in Command mode. Moves the cursor to the next small word. Moves the cursor to the previous small word.
Moves the cursor to the end of the next small word. Moves the cursor to the next big word. Moves the cursor to the previous big word.
Moves the cursor to the end of the next big word.
Moving by Line Positioning
Enter the following subcommands in Command mode. Moves to the line number given as preceding argument, or the end of the file if no pre-
ceding count is given. Moves the cursor to the top line on the screen. Moves the cursor to the last line on the screen. Moves the cursor
to the middle line on the screen. Moves the cursor to the next line, at its first nonspace character. Moves the cursor to the previous
line, at its first nonspace character. Moves the cursor to the next line, at its first nonspace character.
Moving to Sentences, Paragraphs, or Sections
Enter the following subcommands in Command mode. You can cancel an incomplete subcommand by pressing the <Esc> key. Places the cursor at
the beginning of the previous sentence (or the previous S-expression if you are in LISP mode). Places the cursor at the beginning of the
next sentence (or the next S-expression if you are in LISP mode). Places the cursor at the beginning of the previous paragraph (or at the
next list if you are in LISP mode). Places the cursor at the beginning of the next paragraph, at the next section if you are in C mode, or
at the next list if you are in LISP mode. Requires a count; the cursor is placed in that column (if possible). Places the cursor at the
next section, or function if you are in LISP mode. Places the cursor at the previous section, or function if you are in LISP mode.
Paging and Scrolling
Scrolls up (default 12 lines). Scrolls down (default 12 lines). Pages forward one screen. Pages backward one screen. Scrolls the window
up one line. Scrolls the window down one line. Moves to the first non-white character in the next line. A count specifies the number of
lines to go forward. Inserts shiftwidth white space in input mode, if at the beginning of the line or preceded only by white space. This
inserted space can only be backed over using <Ctrl-d>. Cancels a partially formed command; sounds the bell if there is none.
In input mode, terminates input mode.
When entering a command on the bottom line of the screen (ex command line or search pattern with / or ?), terminates input and exe-
cutes command. Pages up. Pages down.
Searching for Patterns
The following commands allow you to search for patterns within a file. Patterns can be regular expressions as described for grep. Places
the cursor at the next line containing pattern. Repeats the last search for pattern in the direction of the end of the file. Places the
cursor at the next previous line containing pattern. Repeats the last search for pattern in the direction of the beginning of the file.
Repeats the last search for pattern in the same direction. Repeats the last search for pattern in the opposite direction. Places the cur-
sor at the numberth line after the line matching pattern. Places the cursor at the numberth line before the line matching pattern. Finds
the parenthesis or brace that matches the one at the current cursor position.
Marking and Returning
Enter the following subcommands in Command mode. You can cancel an incomplete subcommand by pressing the <Esc> key. Moves the cursor to
the same cursor position of the previous current line. Moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous current line. Marks the current
position with the letter specified by x. Moves the cursor to the same cursor position of line marked x. Moves the cursor to the beginning
of the line marked x.
Adjusting the Screen
Enter the following subcommands in Command mode. An incomplete subcommand can be canceled by pressing the <Esc> key. Clears and redraws
the screen. Redraws the screen and eliminates blank lines marked with a @. Redraws the screen with the current line at the top of the
screen. Redraws the screen with the current line at the bottom of the screen. Redraws the screen with the current line at the center of
the screen. Redraws the screen with the line containing pattern at the top. Redraws the screen with the line containing pattern at the
top. Redraws the screen with the line containing pattern at the bottom. Redraws the screen with the line containing pattern at the cen-
ter. Makes the window number lines long.
Adding Text to a File--Text Input Mode
The following subcommands are entered in Command mode and bring the vi editor into Text Input mode to allow you to add text to your file.
End Text Input mode by pressing the <Esc> key. Inserts text after the cursor. Adds text to the end of the line. Inserts text before the
cursor. Inserts text before the first nonspace character in the line. Adds an empty line below the current line. Adds an empty line
above the current line.
Changing Text While in Input Mode
Use the following commands only while in Text Entry mode. They have different meanings in Command mode. Erases the last character.
Erases the last small word. (For more information about small words, see the section vi Character Sets.) Quotes the Erase and Kill char-
acters. Ends insertion, back to Command mode. Interrupts, terminates insert or <Ctrl-d>. Goes back to the previous autoindent stop.
Ends autoindent for this line only. Moves the cursor back to the left margin. Quotes a nonprinting character.
Changing Text from Command Mode
Use the following subcommands in Command mode. An incomplete subcommand can be canceled by pressing the <Esc> key. Changes the rest of
the line (c$). Must be followed by a movement command. Deletes the specified region of text and enters input mode to replace it with the
entered text. If more than part of a single line is affected, the deleted text is saved in the numeric buffers. If only part of the cur-
rent line is affected, the last character to be deleted is marked with a $. A count is passed through to the move command. If the command
is cc, the whole of the current line is changed. Changes a line. Changes a word. Deletes the rest of the line (d$) and puts it into the
undo buffer. Must be followed by a movement command. Deletes the specified region of text. If more than part of a line is affected, the
text is saved in the numeric buffers. A count is passed through to the move command. If the command is dd, the whole of the current line
is deleted. Deletes a line and puts it into the undo buffer. Deletes a word and puts it into the undo buffer. Joins lines. Replaces the
current character with the character specified by x. Overwrites characters. Substitutes characters (cl). Substitutes lines (cc). Undoes
the previous change. Deletes a character. Deletes characters before cursor (dh). Shifts one line to the left. Shifts all lines from the
cursor to the end of the screen to the left. (The < character describes a range upon which the L subcommand acts.) Shifts one line to the
right. Shifts all lines from the cursor to the end of the screen to the right. (The > character describes a range upon which the L sub-
command acts.) Changes the letter at the cursor to the opposite case.
Copying and Moving Text
Use the following subcommands in Command mode. An incomplete subcommand can be canceled by pressing <Esc>. Puts back text in the undo
buffer after (before) the cursor. Puts back text from the buffer x after (before) the cursor. You must precede the character x with a
double quote. Deletes object into the buffer x. You must precede the character x with a double quote. Yanks object into the undo buffer
(for example, yw to yank a word). Yanks object into buffer x. You must precede the character x with a double quote. Places the line in
the undo buffer.
Restoring and Repeating Changes
Use the following subcommands in Command mode. An incomplete subcommand can be canceled by pressing the <Esc> key. Undoes the last com-
mand. Restores the current line if the cursor has not left the line since the last change. Repeats the last change or increments the np
command.
Note that this command is not meant for use with a macro. Enter @@ to repeat a macro. Retrieves the nth last delete of a complete
line or block of lines. You must precede the character n with a double quote.
Saving Changes to a File
Use the following subcommands in Command mode. An incomplete subcommand can be canceled by pressing <Esc>. If you are using these subcom-
mands within the ex editor, do not type the : (colon). Writes the editing buffer contents to the original file. Writes the editing buffer
contents to the named file. Overwrites file with the editing buffer contents. [Tru64 UNIX] Prompts you to enter an encryption key. When
you save the file, it is written in encrypted form. For subsequent edits of the encrypted file, use the -x option to display the file in
its unencrypted form.
Interrupting, Cancelling, and Exiting vi
Enters the ex editor in Command mode. Exits vi, saving changes, if any were made. Quits vi. If you have changed the contents of the
editing buffer, vi displays a warning message and does not quit. Quits vi, discarding the editing buffer with no warning. Runs a shell.
You can return to vi by pressing <Ctrl-d>. Runs the file through the specified shell command (causes no change to the file). Runs com-
mand, then returns. Repeats the last :!command command. Executes the shell command identified by command and replaces the number of lines
specified by n with the output of command. If n is not specified, the default is 1. If command expects standard input, the lines speci-
fied are used as input. (10!!sort sorts the next 10 lines.) Works like n!!command, except that lines is a line address (for example,
!Gsort sorts the rest of the file). Interrupts a subcommand.
Editing a Second File
Enter the following subcommands in Command mode. An incomplete subcommand can be canceled by pressing the <Esc> key. Edits file. If you
are using this subcommand from the ex editor, do not type the : (colon). Reedits the current file and discards all changes. Edits file,
starting at the end. Edits file, starting at the line number. Edits the alternate file. The alternate file is usually the previous cur-
rent file name. However, if changes are pending on the current file when a new file is called, the new file becomes the alternate file.
Reads the file into the editing buffer by adding new lines below the current line. If you are using this subcommand from the ex editor, do
not type the : (colon). Runs the shell command identified by command and places its output in the file by adding new lines below the cur-
rent cursor position.
Using a Tags File
The ctags command makes a tags file from the specified C, Pascal, FORTRAN, yacc, lex, or LISP source files. A tags file gives the locations
of function and type definitions in a group of files. To use the next three commands, you must first create a database of function names
and their locations (called a tags file) using the ctags command. Edits a file containing tag at the location of tag. If the tag is in
another file and the current file has been changed (and noaw is set), a warning is posted. If you are using this subcommand from the ex
editor, do not type the : (colon). Finds the word at the cursor in the tags file then displays the proper file, placing the cursor at the
tag. If the tag is in the current file, moves cursor to it. Same as :ta, but the tag is the word to the right of the cursor. Returns to
the file and line where the cursor was positioned when <Ctrl-]> was entered.
Editing a List of Files
Enter the following subcommands in Command mode. Edits the next file in the list entered on the command line. Specifies a new list of
files to edit.
Displaying File Information
[Tru64 UNIX] Enter the following subcommand in Command mode to show the current file name, the current line number, the number of lines in
the file, and the percentage of lines of the file that are before the cursor:
<Ctrl-g>
EXIT STATUS
The following exit values are returned: Successful completion. An error occurred.
ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS
The following actions are taken upon receipt of signals: The current editor command is aborted and vi returns to the command level and
prompts for another command. The screen is refreshed if in visual mode. If the current buffer has changed since the last e or w command,
vi attempts to save the current file in a state such that it can be recovered later by an ex -r or vi -r command.
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
The following environment variables affect the execution of vi: Overrides the system-selected horizontal screen size. Determines a list of
ex commands to be executed at startup before the first file is read. The list can include multiple commands separated by a vertical line
(|) character. Determines the pathname of a directory searched at startup for a file named Provides a default value for the international-
ization variables that are unset or null. If LANG is unset or null, the corresponding value from the default locale is used. If any of the
internationalization variables contain an invalid setting, the utility behaves as if none of the variables had been defined. If set to a
non-empty string value, overrides the values of all the other internationalization variables. Determines the locale for the behavior of
ranges, equivalence classes, and multicharacter collating elements within regular expressions. Determines the locale for the interpreta-
tion of sequences of bytes of text data as characters (for example, single-byte as opposed to multibyte characters in arguments and input
files), the behavior of character classes within regular expressions, the classification of characters as upper- or lower-case letters, the
case conversion of letters, and the detection of word boundaries. Overrides the system-selected vertical screen size, used as the number
of lines in a screenful and the vertical screen size in visual mode. Determines the locale for the format and contents of diagnostic mes-
sages written to standard error. Determines the location of message catalogues for the processing of LC_MESSAGES. Determines the search
path for the shell command specified in the editor commands shell, read and write and the visual-mode command !. Determines the preferred
command-line interpreter for use in !, shell, read and other commands with an operand of the form !string. For the shell command the pro-
gram will be invoked with the single argument -i, for all others it will be invoked with the two arguments -c and string. If this variable
is null or not set, the sh command will be used. Determines the name of the terminal type. If this variable is unset or null, a default
terminal type that provides most capabilities is used.
SEE ALSO
Commands: ctags(1), edit(1), ed(1), ex(1), grep(1), mesg(1), nroff(1), sed(1)
Files: terminfo(4)
Environment: environ(5)
Standards: standards(5)
vi(1)