Introduction

How to create and edit files using the available Linux text editors.
nano, a simple text-based editor.
gedit, a simple graphical editor.
vi and emacs, two advanced editors with both text-based and graphical interfaces.

![[/Untitled 73.png|Untitled 73.png]]

Basic Editors: nano and gedit

nano is easy to use, and requires very little effort to learn.
To open a file, type **nano <filename>** and press **Enter**. If the file does not exist, it will be created.

nano provides a two line shortcut bar at the bottom of the screen that lists the available commands. Some of these commands are:


Command	Usage
`CTRL-G`	Display the help screen.
`CTRL-O`	Write to a file.
`CTRL-X`	Exit a file.
`CTRL-R`	Insert contents from another file to the current buffer.
`CTRL-C`	Show cursor position.

can only be run within a Graphical Desktop environment. It is visually quite similar to the Notepad text editor in Windows
To open a new file find the program in your desktop’s menu system, or from the command line type **gedit <filename>**. If the file does not exist, it will be created.

Modes in vi

==Mode==	==Feature==
Command	- By default, vi starts in Command mode. - Each key is an editor command. Keyboard strokes are interpreted as commands that can modify file contents.
Insert	- Type `i` to switch to Insert mode from Command mode. - Insert mode is used to enter (insert) text into a file. - Insert mode is indicated by an “ `? INSERT ?`” indicator at the bottom of the screen. - Press `Esc` to exit Insert mode and return to Command mode.
Line	- Type `:` to switch to the Line mode from Command mode. - Each key is an external command, including operations such as writing the file contents to disk or exiting. - Press `Esc` to exit Line mode and return to Command mode.

[[vimtutor]]

Most important vi commands

==Command==	==Usage==
`vi myfile`	Start the editor and edit myfile
`vi -r myfile`	Start and edit myfile in recovery mode from a system crash
`:r file2`	Read in file2 and insert at current position
`:w`	Write to the file
`:w myfile`	Write out to myfile
`:w! file2`	Overwrite file2
`:x` or `:wq`	Exit and write out modified file
`:q`	Quit
`:q!`	Quit even though modifications have not been saved

Searching for Text in vi

**ENTER** key should be pressed after typing the search pattern.

most important keystrokes used when searching for text in vi.


==Key==	==Usage==
`n`	Move to next occurrence of search pattern
`N`	Move to previous occurrence of search pattern

Changing Cursor Position


==Key==	==Usage==
arrow keys	To move up, down, left and right
`j` or `<ret>`	To move one line down
`k`	To move one line up
`h` or `Backspace`	To move one character left
`l` or `Space`	To move one character right
`0`	To move to beginning of line
`$`	To move to end of line
`w`	To move to beginning of next word
`:0` or `1G`	To move to beginning of file
`:n` or `nG`	To move to line n
`:$` or `G`	To move to last line in file
`CTRL-F` or `Page Down`	To move forward one page
`CTRL-B` or `Page Up`	To move backward one page
`^l`	To refresh and center screen

![[Commands_for_viLinuxFoundationX.pdf]]

Using External Commands in vi

Typing **sh** command opens an external command shell. When you exit the shell, you will resume your editing session.
Typing **!** executes a command from within vi. The command follows the exclamation point.
This technique is best suited for non-interactive commands, such as : **! wc %**. Typing this will run the **wc** (word count) command on the file; the character % represents the file currently being edited.

[[vi Practice]]

Rather than having different modes for command and insert, like vi, emacs uses the **CTRL** and Meta (**Alt** or **Esc**) keys for special commands.

Working with emacs


==Key==	==Usage==
`emacs myfile`	Start emacs and edit myfile
`CTRL-x i`	Insert prompted for file at current position
`CTRL-x s`	Save all files
`CTRL-x CTRL-w`	Write to the file giving a new name when prompted
`CTRL-x CTRL-s`	Saves the current file
`CTRL-x CTRL-c`	Exit after being prompted to save any modified files

![[Commands_for_emacsLinuxFoundationX.pdf]]

![[Screenshot_from_2022-06-21_13-30-54.png]]

![[Screenshot_from_2022-06-21_13-31-48.png]]

Text editors (rather than word processing programs) are used quite often in Linux, for tasks such as creating or modifying system configuration files, writing scripts, developing source code, etc.
nano is an easy-to-use text-based editor that utilizes on-screen prompts.
gedit is a graphical editor, very similar to Notepad in Windows.
The vi editor is available on all Linux systems and is very widely used. Graphical extension versions of vi are widely available as well.
emacs is available on all Linux systems as a popular alternative to vi. emacs can support both a graphical user interface and a text mode interface.
To access the vi tutorial, type vimtutor at a command line window.
To access the emacs tutorial type Ctl-h and then t from within emacs**.**
vi has three modes: Command, Insert, and Line. emacs has only one, but requires use of special keys, such as Control and Escape.
Both editors use various combinations of keystrokes to accomplish tasks. The learning curve to master these can be long, but once mastered using either editor is extremely efficient.