26 Dec Editing files in SSH using VI

Expertise level: Easy

VI is a text editor that can edit most of the files under a Linux architecture (text files, php, etc.).

To open a file in VI editor, type the following:

vi FileName

For a file named test.txt, it would b:

vi test.txt

Once the file has been opened, press the “insert” key on your keyboard to enter edit mode.

The “Esc” key will allow you to leave the edit mode, but not the VI editor.

Here is the list of frequently used commands necessary to use the VI editor:

• :q! : Forces the editor to exit without saving.
• :w : Saves the changes that have been made to the file.
• :wq : Saves the changes that have been made to the file and then exits.
• :# : Where # is a number – Brings you to line number #
• :$ : Brings you to the last line of the file
• :0 : Brings you to the first line of the file
• :/word : This will search for the string “word” in the file. By pressing “n” you can view the other search result.