Vi

VI / Vim Quick Start Guide

(VI is the predecessor to Vim - most commands work in both)

1. Starting & Exiting

Command	Action
`vi file.txt`	Open file
`:q`	Quit (if no changes)
`:q!`	Force quit (discard changes)
`:w`	Save
`:wq` or `ZZ`	Save and quit

2. Basic Movement

(Normal Mode - press ESC to return here)

Key	Moves
`h`	Left
`j`	Down
`k`	Up
`l`	Right
`w`	Next word
`b`	Previous word
`0`	Start of line
`$`	End of line
`gg`	Top of file
`G`	Bottom of file
`:5`	Jump to line 5

3. Editing Text

Enter Insert Mode

Key	Inserts At...
`i`	Cursor position
`a`	After cursor
`I`	Start of line
`A`	End of line
`o`	New line below
`O`	New line above

Deleting

Command	Deletes
`x`	Character at cursor
`dw`	Word
`dd`	Entire line
`D`	To end of line

Copy/Paste

Command	Action
`yy`	Copy line
`yw`	Copy word
`p`	Paste after
`P`	Paste before

4. Search & Replace

Command	Action
`/term`	Search forward
`?term`	Search backward
`n`	Next match
`N`	Previous match
`:%s/old/new/g`	Replace all
`:%s/old/new/gc`	Replace with confirm

5. Undo/Redo

Command	Action
`u`	Undo
`Ctrl+r`	Redo

6. Visual Mode (For Selecting Text)

Command	Action
`v`	Character-wise select
`V`	Line-wise select
`Ctrl+v`	Block select
`y`	Yank (copy) selection
`d`	Delete selection

7. Advanced Tips

Multiple files:
vi file1 file2 → :n (next), :N (previous)
Split screen:
:split file (horizontal), :vsplit file (vertical)
Show line numbers: :set number
Syntax highlighting: :syntax on

VI vs Nano Cheat Sheet

Movement:  VI(hjkl)   Nano(Arrow Keys)  
Editing:   VI(i→ESC)  Nano(direct typing)  
Undo:      VI(u)      Nano(Alt+U)  
Save/Quit: VI(:wq)    Nano(Ctrl+O, Ctrl+X)

🚀 Practice with vimtutor (terminal command) to master VI!
💡 Remember: VI has modes (Normal/Insert/Visual), while Nano doesn't.

This covers 90% of daily VI usage. Stick with it - the learning curve pays off!