vi (visual editor) is included with all (mt) Media Temple services. vi is a full screen editor and has two modes of operation.

• Command Mode – every character entered is a command.  This is the default mode when you start vi.
• Insert Mode – this mode allows you to edit. To enter insert mode simply hit i once vi has started.

The best way to learn about vi is with the vimtutor, you can start your lesson by typing the following command via ssh:

vimtutor

Below is just a short list of a few commands that are very useful for beginners.

Opening a File in Vi

This first line is just to simply open a file with vi:

 vi filename

The following command is used to recover a file that was being edited when the system crashed:

vi -r filename

The next command will open a file as read-only:

vi ew filename 

To Find a LIne in vi

You can use the following to go to the last line in the file:

G

To go the the first line of the file you can use the following:

1G 

To move around in the editor

• type h to type move the cursor to the left
• type l to move it to the right
• type k to move up
• type j to move down

To search within VI

To search for text in vi you can use the “/” key followed by your search term.  This example uses mttext:

/ mttext

To Exit vi

To quit and not save changes you can use:

:q!

If you want to quit and save changes you can use the following command:

  !