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18.4.1 Operating Modes
NOTE: Display of Keys
In the following, find several commands that you can enter in vi by just pressing
keys. These appear in uppercase as on a keyboard. If you need to enter a key
in uppercase, this is stated explicitly by showing a key combination including
the
key.
Shift
Basically, vi makes use of three operating modes: insert mode, command mode, and
extended mode. The keys have different functions depending on the mode. On start-up,
vi is normally set to the command mode. The first thing to learn is how to switch between
the modes:
Command Mode to Insert Mode
There are many possibilities, including
line under the current line.
Insert Mode to Command Mode
Press
to exit the insert mode. vi cannot be terminated in insert mode, so it is
Esc
important to get used to pressing
Command Mode to Extended Mode
The extended mode of vi can be activated by entering a colon (:). The extended or
ex mode is similar to an independent line-oriented editor that can be used for various
simple and more complex tasks.
Extended Mode to Command Mode
After executing a command in extended mode, the editor automatically returns to
command mode. If you decide not to execute any command in extended mode,
delete the colon with
It is not possible to switch directly from insert mode to extended mode without first
switching to command mode.
vi, like other editors, has its own procedure for terminating the program. You cannot
terminate vi while in insert mode. First, exit insert mode by pressing
you have two options:
for append,
A
.
Esc
. The editor returns to command mode.
<—
for insert, or
for a new
I
O
. Subsequently,
Esc
Working with the Shell
373
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Troubleshooting
