Basics of Vi

Question 1

How can you open vi editor?

Answer 1

just type vi

Question 2

How can you see a file with vi in read-only mode?

Answer 2

with “view” command

Question 3

What are the modes in the VI Editor

Answer 3

Command, Insert, Line mode

Question 4

What are the keys for moving top, down, left, right in vi?

Answer 4

k -> Up
j -> Down
h -> Left
l -> Right

Question 5

What’s the use of w and b keys in vi?

Answer 5

w moves one word to the right, b moves one word to the left

Question 6

How to go to the beginning of a line in vi?

Answer 6

With ^

Question 7

How to go the end of a line in vi

Answer 7

$

Question 8

How to start Insert mode in vi?

Answer 8

There are multiples ways:
i   ->  Insert at the cursor position
I   ->  Insert at the beginning of the line
a  -> Append after the cursor position
A  -> Append at the end of the line

Question 9

How to enter Line mode in vi

Answer 9

Use the colon character :

Question 10

How to exit Vi?

Answer 10

:q

Question 11

How to exit without saving changes in vi?

Answer 11

:q!

Question 12

How to exit saving the changes in vi?

Answer 12

:wq!, even better a shorcut is :x

Question 13

How to save a file in vi?

Answer 13

:w, this one forces the action :w!

Question 14

How to delete a character in vi?

Answer 14

x

Question 15

How to delete a word in vi?

Answer 15

dw

Question 16

How to delete a line in vi?

Answer 16

dd

Question 17

How to delete from the current position in vi?

Answer 17

D

Question 18

What is r for in vi?

Answer 18

replace the current character

Question 19

What is cw for in vi?

Answer 19

change the current word

Question 20

what is cc for in vi?

Answer 20

change the current line

Question 21

what is c$ for in vi?

Answer 21

change the text from the current position

Question 22

What is ~ for in vi?

Answer 22

Reverse the case of a character

Question 23

How do you copy the current line in vi?

Answer 23

yy

Question 24

How do you paste the most recent deleted or yanked text in vi?

Answer 24

p

Question 25

What does / do in vi?

Answer 25

Start a forward search

Question 26

What does ? do in vi?

Answer 26

Start a reverse search

Question 27

How to undo and redo in vi?

Answer 27

u for undo, CTRL+R to redo