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Basic Operations Of Linux Vim

Vim is a powerful text editor for Linux, and knowing how to open and edit files is essential to harnessing its full potential. This tutorial will guide you through the process of opening and editing files using Vim.

Opening a file with Vim

To open a file with Vim, enter the following command in your terminal:

vim file_name

Replace file_name with the name of the file you want to open. If the file doesn't exist, Vim will create a new file with the specified name.

Navigating Vim modes

Vim operates in different modes, the most commonly used being Normal, Insert, and Command-line modes. Understanding these modes is crucial for editing files in Vim:

  1. Normal mode: The default mode when opening Vim. In Normal mode, you can navigate, search, and use various Vim commands.
  2. Insert mode: In this mode, you can insert and edit text. To enter Insert mode from Normal mode, press i (insert), a (append), or o (open a new line).
  3. Command-line mode: This mode allows you to execute Vim commands and search patterns. To enter Command-line mode, press : from Normal mode.

Editing a file in Vim

  1. Navigate the cursor to the desired location in the file using movement commands (e.g., h, j, k, l, w, b, e, 0, $, etc.) while in Normal mode.
  2. Enter Insert mode by pressing i to insert text before the cursor, a to insert text after the cursor, or o to create a new line below the current one.
  3. Type or edit the text as needed.
  4. Press ESC to return to Normal mode when you finish editing.

Saving changes and quitting Vim

  1. Press ESC to ensure you are in Normal mode.
  2. Enter Command-line mode by pressing :.
  3. To save your changes, type w and press Enter. To save the changes and quit Vim simultaneously, type wq and press Enter.
  4. To quit Vim without saving your changes, type q! and press Enter.

Some useful Vim commands

  • u: Undo the last change in Normal mode.
  • CTRL+R: Redo the last undone change in Normal mode.
  • :set number: Display line numbers in the left margin.
  • :set nonumber: Hide line numbers.
  • :set wrap: Enable text wrapping.
  • :set nowrap: Disable text wrapping.
  • :%s/search/replace/g: Find and replace all occurrences of "search" with "replace" in the file.
  • :split file_name: Open a new file in a horizontal split view.
  • :vsplit file_name: Open a new file in a vertical split view.
  • CTRL+W: Navigate between split views.

In conclusion, opening and editing files using Vim is an essential skill to make the most of this powerful text editor. As you become more proficient with Vim commands and modes, your text editing experience will become more efficient and enjoyable.

  1. Essential operations in Linux Vim:

    • Description: Fundamental operations include entering insert mode, navigating, and saving files.
    • Code:
      # Example: Essential operations
i - enter insert mode
:wq - save and quit

  2. Basic text editing in Vim on Linux:

    • Description: Use commands like dd for deleting lines and p for pasting.
    • Code:
      # Example: Basic text editing
dd - delete line
p - paste

  3. Vim commands for navigating and searching:

    • Description: Navigate with h, j, k, l and search with /.
    • Code:
      # Example: Navigating and searching
/pattern - search for 'pattern'

  4. Copy and paste operations in Vim:

    • Description: Use visual mode (v) to select text and y to yank (copy) it.
    • Code:
      # Example: Copy and paste
v - enter visual mode
y - yank (copy)

  5. Undo and redo in Vim on Linux:

    • Description: Undo changes with u and redo with Ctrl + r.
    • Code:
      # Example: Undo and redo
u - undo
Ctrl + r - redo

  6. Text manipulation and substitution in Vim:

    • Description: Use :s for substitution and ~ for changing case.
    • Code:
      # Example: Text manipulation
:s/old/new/g - substitute 'old' with 'new' globally
~ - change case

  7. Working with multiple files in Vim:

    • Description: Open multiple files using :e and navigate between them.
    • Code:
      # Example: Working with multiple files
:e file2 - open another file
:bnext - switch to next buffer

  8. Splitting and resizing windows in Vim:

    • Description: Split windows with :split or :vsplit and resize them.
    • Code:
      # Example: Splitting and resizing windows
:split - split horizontally
:vsplit - split vertically
Ctrl + w + = - equalize window sizes

  9. Vim operations for file saving and quitting:

    • Description: Save with :w and quit with :q.
    • Code:
      # Example: Saving and quitting
:w - save
:q - quit

  10. Customizing Vim settings and key mappings:

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