The vi tip sheet

Unlike most word processing software, the vi editor uses two different modes:

The commands you type in command mode

allow you to alter text -- to fix typing errors, add or subtract lines, etc.
are not usually printed on the screen
do not usually require you to press the RETURN key after you type them
are "case-sensitive," which means there is a difference between upper- and lowercase letters.

To add text to your file, use a vi command such as i (insert). What you type in insert mode

To return to command mode, press the ESCAPE key.

Command mode commands

File saving and Loading

:e *filename*	edit new file *filename*
:r *filename*	read in contents of *filename*
:q	quit editing
:q!	quit editing and discard changes
:wq	write file and quit
:w *filename*	write to the file named *filename*
:w	write to the file already named
:w! *filename*	overwrite the file *filename*

a	append text, after the cursor position
A	append text to end of the line
i	insert text, before the cursor position
I	insert text at the beginning of the line
o	open new line below cursor, enter insert mode
O	open new line above cursor, enter insert mode
R	enter overstrike mode, press the ESCAPE key to exit

Press the ESC key to exit insert mode and return to command mode.

*/text*	search forward for first occurrence of *text*
*?text*	search backward for first occurrence of *text*

b	go to beginning of word
e	go to end of word
G	go to the last line of the file
##G	go to the ##th line of the file
h	move left one character
j or RETURN	move down one line
k	move up one line
l or SPACEBAR	move right one character
{	move to the previous paragraph
}	move to the next paragraph
$	move to the end of the line
^	move to the beginning of the line

dd	delete one line (place in general buffer)
dj	delete current line and one below
d}	delete up to the end of the paragraph
D	delete the rest of the line
J	join two lines
r	replace character on which the cursor rests
s	enter insert mode to substitute text for the character on which the cursor rests
##s	substitute ## characters, enter insert mode
u	undo the last change
x	delete one character
##x	delete ## characters

cw	deletes word starting at the cursor, enter insert mode
yy	yank (copy) line into the general buffer
##yy	yank ## lines into general buffer
##yl	yank ## characters to left of cursor
"ay	yank line into the buffer named "a"
p	put contents of general buffer after current line
P	put contents of general buffer before current line
"ap	same as p but from buffer "a"
"aP	same as P but from buffer "a"
>	shift line right
<	shift line left

CONTROL-G	print information about file: name, current line number
:##	go to the line numbered ##
:%s/*pattern/text/*	substitute first occurrence of *pattern* on each line with text
:%s/*pattern/text/g*	substitute every occurrence of *pattern* with text
:g/*pattern/d*	delete every line containing *pattern*
:10,50 ya	yank the contents of lines 10 through 50 and place in the general buffer
:%!sort	execute the UNIX command sort on every line, replace contents with output of command