The following invocation options are interpreted by vi (previously documented options are discussed in the NOTES section of this manual page):

- | -s

Suppress all interactive user feedback. This is useful when processing editor scripts.

-C

Encryption option; same as the -x option, except that vi simulates the C command of ex. The C command is like the X command of ex, except that all text read in is assumed to have been encrypted.

-l

Set up for editing LISP programs.

-L

List the name of all files saved as the result of an editor or system crash.

-r filename

Edit filename after an editor or system crash. (Recovers the version of filename that was in the buffer when the crash occurred.)

-R

Readonly mode; the readonly flag is set, preventing accidental overwriting of the file.

-S

This option is used in conjunction with the -t tag option to tell vi that the tags file may not be sorted and that, if the binary search (which relies on a sorted tags file) for tag fails to find it, the much slower linear search should also be done. Since the linear search is slow, users of large tags files should ensure that the tags files are sorted rather than use this flag. Creation of tags files normally produces sorted tags files. See ctags(1) for more information on tags files.

-t tag

Edit the file containing the tag, tag, and position the editor at its definition.

-v

Start up in display editing state using vi. You can achieve the same effect by simply typing the vi command itself.

-V

Verbose. When ex commands are read by means of standard input, the input will be echoed to standard error. This may be useful when processing ex commands within shell scripts.

-wn

Set the default window size to n. This is useful when using the editor over a slow speed line.

-x

Encryption option; when used, vi simulates the X command of ex and prompts the user for a key. This key is used to encrypt and decrypt text using the algorithm of the crypt command. The X command makes an educated guess to determine whether text read in is encrypted or not. The temporary buffer file is encrypted also, using a transformed version of the key typed in for the -x option. If an empty encryption key is entered (that is, if the return key is pressed right after the prompt), the file will not be encrypted. This is a good way to decrypt a file erroneously encrypted with a mistyped encryption key, such as a backspace or undo key.

+command | -c command

Begin editing by executing the specified editor command (usually a search or positioning command).

If both the -t tag and the -c command options are given, the -t tag option will be processed first. That is, the file containing tag is selected by -t and then the command is executed.

Command

Normal and initial mode. Other modes return to command mode upon completion. ESC (escape) is used to cancel a partial command.

Input

Entered by setting any of the following options:

a A i I o O c C s S R

Arbitrary text may then be entered. Input mode is normally terminated with the ESC character, or, abnormally, with an interrupt.

Last line

Reading input for : / ? or !. Terminate by typing a carriage return. An interrupt cancels termination.

In the descriptions, CR stands for carriage return and ESC stands for the escape key.

<-

->

down-arrow

up-arrow

arrow keys move the cursor

h j k l

same as arrow keys

itextESC

insert text

cwnewESC

change word to new

easESC

pluralize word (end of word; append s; escape from input state)

x

delete a character

dw

delete a word

dd

delete a line

3dd

delete 3 lines

u

undo previous change

ZZ

exit vi, saving changes

:q!CR

quit, discarding changes

/textCR

search for text

^U ^D

scroll up or down

:cmdCR

any ex or ed command

Numbers may be typed as a prefix to some commands. They are interpreted in one of these ways:

line/column number

z G |

scroll amount

^D ^U

repeat effect

most of the rest

ESC

end insert or incomplete command

DEL

(delete or rubout) interrupts

ZZ

if file modified, write and exit; otherwise, exit

:wCR

write back changes

:w!CR

forced write, if permission originally not valid

:qCR

quit

:q!CR

quit, discard changes

:e nameCR

edit file name

:e!CR

reedit, discard changes

:e + nameCR

edit, starting at end

:e +nCR

edit, starting at line n

:e #CR

edit alternate file

:e! #CR

edit alternate file, discard changes

:w nameCR

write file name

:w! nameCR

overwrite file name

:shCR

run shell, then return

:!cmdCR

run cmd, then return

:nCR

edit next file in arglist

:n argsCR

specify new arglist

^G

show current file and line

:ta tagCR

position cursor to tag

In general, any ex or ed command (such as substitute or global) may be typed, preceded by a colon and followed by a carriage return.

F

forward screen

^B

backward screen

^D

scroll down half screen

^U

scroll up half screen

nG

go to the beginning of the specified line (end default), where n is a line number

/pat

next line matching pat

?pat

previous line matching pat

n

repeat last / or ? command

N

reverse last / or ? command

/pat/+n

nth line after pat

?pat?-n

nth line before pat

]]

next section/function

[[

previous section/function

(

beginning of sentence

)

end of sentence

{

beginning of paragraph

}

end of paragraph

%

find matching ( ) or { }

^L

clear and redraw window

^R

clear and redraw window if ^L is -> key

zCR

redraw screen with current line at top of window

z-CR

redraw screen with current line at bottom of window

z.CR

redraw screen with current line at center of window

/pat/z-CR

move pat line to bottom of window

zn.CR

use n-line window

^E

scroll window down one line

^Y

scroll window up one line

``

move cursor to previous context

´´

move cursor to first non-white space in line

mx

mark current position with the ASCII lower-case letter x

`x

move cursor to mark x

´x

move cursor to first non-white space in line marked by x

H

top line on screen

L

last line on screen

M

middle line on screen

+

next line, at first non-white space character

-

previous line, at first non-white space character

CR

return, same as +

down-arrow

or j

next line, same column

up-arrow

or k

previous line, same column

^

first non-white space character

0

beginning of line

$

end of line

l or ->

forward

h or <-

backward

^H

same as <- (backspace)

space

same as -> (space bar)

fx

find next x

Fx

find previous x

tx

move to character following the next x

Tx

move to character following the previous x

;

repeat last f, F, t, or T

,

repeat inverse of last f, F, t, or T

n|

move to column n

%

find matching ( ) or { }

w

forward a word

b

back a word

e

end of word

)

to next sentence

}

to next paragraph

(

back a sentence

{

back a paragraph

W

forward a blank-delimited word

B

back a blank-delimited word

E

end of a blank-delimited word

^H

erase last character (backspace)

^W

erase last word

erase

your erase character, same as ^H (backspace)

kill

your kill character, erase this line of input

\

quotes your erase and kill characters

ESC

ends insertion, back to command mode

CTRL-C

interrupt, suspends insert mode

^D

backtab one character; reset left margin of autoindent

^^D

caret (^) followed by control-d (^D); backtab to beginning of line; do not reset left margin of autoindent

0^D

backtab to beginning of line; reset left margin of autoindent

^V

quote non-printable character

a

append after cursor

A

append at end of line

i

insert before cursor

I

insert before first non-blank

o

open line below

O

open line above

rx

replace single character with x

RtextESC

replace characters

Operators are followed by a cursor motion and affect all text that would have been moved over. For example, since w moves over a word, dw deletes the word that would be moved over. Double the operator, for example dd, to affect whole lines.

d

delete

c

change

y

yank lines to buffer

<

left shift

>

right shift

!

filter through command

C

change rest of line (c$)

D

delete rest of line (d$)

s

substitute characters (cl)

S

substitute lines (cc)

J

join lines

x

delete characters (dl)

X

delete characters before cursor dh)

Y

yank lines (yy)

Put inserts the text most recently deleted or yanked; however, if a buffer is named (using the ASCII lower-case letters a - z), the text in that buffer is put instead.

3yy

yank 3 lines

3yl

yank 3 characters

p

put back text after cursor

P

put back text before cursor

"xp

put from buffer x

"xy

yank to buffer x

"xd

delete into buffer x

u

undo last change

U

restore current line

.

repeat last change

"dp

retrieve d'th last delete