Vim — Modes and Moving Around

Sooner or later you'll be logged in to a server with no graphical editor, and a file will need changing. Vim, or its older relative vi, is installed almost everywhere. Newcomers often get stuck in it because they don't know one fact: the keys do different things depending on which mode you're in.

The rule

In Vim, keys are commands until you press i.

Open Asha's notes with:

Vim starts in Normal mode. Here, letters don't type text. Each one is a command: j moves down a line and x deletes a character. There are three modes to know:

Three ways into Insert mode:

• i inserts before the cursor.
• a appends after the cursor.
• o opens a new line below and starts typing there.

To get out of a file:

Moving in Normal mode:

• h j k l move left, down, up and right. The arrow keys usually work too.
• w jumps to the next word and b goes back a word.
• 0 goes to the start of the line and $ to the end.
• gg goes to the first line, G to the last, and 5G to line 5.

The shortcut

When in doubt, press Esc. It always brings you back to Normal mode, and pressing it twice does no harm. From Normal mode, every exit is a colon followed by a letter or two.

The classic trap is starting to type the moment Vim opens. Letters like d, x and G quietly change the file or move the cursor. If that happens, press Esc and then u to undo, or leave with :q! to discard everything.

Drills

Answer fast — trust the rule.

Remember

• In Vim, keys are commands until you press i (or a, or o).
• When in doubt, press Esc. Then :w saves, :q quits, :wq does both and :q! discards.
• Don't type as soon as Vim opens. If something goes wrong, Esc then u undoes it.