Linux Text Editors

For Linux users, text editors are essential tools that play a crucial role in various tasks, from coding and writing to system administration and configuration management. Linux offers a wide range of text editors, catering to different preferences and use cases. In this article, we will delve into the world of Linux text editors, exploring their features, strengths, and popular choices among the community.

Vi Text Editor

Vi is an old but popular text editor for Linux and other Unix systems. It works differently than most modern text editors. Instead of just typing directly, Vi has different “modes” for different tasks. One mode is for moving the cursor around and making edits. Another mode is for inserting new text. There are also modes for running commands. While Vi can be tricky to learn at first with all its modes and keyboard shortcuts, many experienced programmers love using Vi because it allows them to edit files very quickly and efficiently without using a mouse or menus once they get the hang of it. Vi is extremely lightweight and available on virtually every Unix system, making it a reliable choice.

Basic Vi Commands

How to Copy, Cut and Paste in Vi Editor

• First go to normal mode by hitting Esc key
• To cut/delete text, go to normal mode, move cursor and type “dd” to delete a line or “d” plus movement keys to delete text
• To copy text, go to normal mode, move cursor to start of text to copy, type “y” plus movement keys (e.g. “yw” to copy a word)
• To paste, go to normal mode, move cursor to paste location, and type “p” to paste after cursor or “P” to paste before cursor

How to Delete Multiple Lines in Vi Editor

• Go to normal mode by hitting Esc key
• To delete a range of lines, type “x,yd” where x is the line number to start and y is the line number to end
• E.g. “5,8d” will delete lines 5 through 8

How to Enter in Editing Mode in Vi Editor

• First make sure you are in normal mode by hitting Esc key
• From normal mode, hit “i” to enter insert mode to start editing at the cursor
• Or hit “a” to enter insert mode after the cursor
• Or hit “o” to start a new line below in insert mode

How to Save a File in Vi Editor & Quit

• First go to normal mode by hitting Esc key
• To save, hit Esc to ensure normal mode, then type “:w” and hit Enter
• To quit, type “:q” and hit Enter
• To quit without saving, type “:q!” (adds ! to force without saving)

Navigation in Vi Editor

• Go to normal mode first by hitting Esc key
• Use h,j,k,l keys to move cursor left, down, up, right
• Or use arrow keys
• Word movement with w (next word) or b (prev word)
• Go to start/end of lines with 0 or $

Mastering Search and Replace in Vi Editor

• Ensure you are in normal mode by hitting Esc first
• To search, hit “/” then type the pattern to find, hit Enter
• To substitute/replace, type “:s/pattern/replacement”
• Use “:s/pattern/replacement/g” to replace all

Undo and Redo in Vi Editor

• Go to normal mode by hitting Esc key
• To undo, hit “u” in normal mode
• To redo after undo, hit Ctrl+R

Quit Vi Editor Without Saving Changes in Linux

• If file is open, hit Esc to go to normal mode first
• Type “:q!” (colon, q, !, then Enter) to quit without saving

Vim Editor

Vim is a popular text editor program used on Linux and other Unix operating systems. It is an improved and updated version of the old vi editor. While vim looks basic, it is actually a very powerful tool for editing files efficiently, especially for programmers and developers. What makes vim unique is that it has different “modes” for different tasks like navigating files, editing text, and running commands. This modal approach with keyboard shortcuts allows very fast and precise text editing once you learn it. Though vim has a learning curve at first, many Linux users prefer it over regular text editors because it provides more control and capabilities through its modes and key combinations. Vim also supports adding extra features through plugins.

Basic Vim Commands

How to Delete Multiple Lines in Vim Editor

• Go to normal mode by hitting Esc
• To delete a single line, type “dd”
• To delete multiple lines, type “nd” where n is the number of lines (e.g. 5d deletes 5 lines)
• To delete a range of lines, type “x,yd” where x is start line and y is end line (e.g. 5,8d)

Editing Mode | Insert Mode in Vim Editor

• From normal mode, enter insert mode by typing “i” to insert before the cursor
• Or type “a” to insert after the cursor position
• Or type “o” to start a new line below in insert mode
• Hit Esc to go back to normal mode when done inserting

How to Save a File in Vim Editor & Quit

• To save, go to normal mode and type “:w” then hit Enter
• To quit, type “:q” and hit Enter
• To save and quit, type “:wq”
• To force quit without saving, type “:q!”

How to Search and Replace in Vim Editor

• Go to normal mode
• To search, type “/pattern” where pattern is the text to find, hit Enter
• To replace, type “:s/pattern/replacement” where replacement is the new text
• Add “g” to replace all, like “:s/pattern/replacement/g”

The Six Modes of Vim Editor

• Normal – For navigation and manipulating text
• Insert – For inserting new text
• Command – For running Vim commands (e.g. :q to quit)
• Visual – For selecting blocks of text
• Replace – For overwriting existing text
• Operator-pending – For operating on areas of text

How to Display Line Number in Vim Editor

• Go to normal mode
• Type “:set number” to enable line numbers
• Or “:set nonumber” to disable line numbers

How to Highlight Text in Vim Editor

• Go to normal mode
• Move cursor to start of text to highlight
• Type “v” to start character-wise visual mode
• Use movement keys to select/highlight the desired text

Vim Text Buffers in Linux

• Buffers are temporary storage areas for files you have open in Vim
• You can have multiple buffers open at once
• Use “:ls” to list open buffers
• Switch between buffers with “:bn” for next or “:bp” for previous

How to Comment Multiple Lines in Vim Editor

• Go to normal mode at start of lines to comment
• Type “Ctrl+v” to enter visual block mode
• Move cursor to cover desired lines to comment
• Type “I” (uppercase i) to enter insert mode
• Type the comment characters (like # or //)
• Hit Esc to apply commenting to selected lines

Vim – Go to End of File

• From normal mode, type “G” to jump to the last line of the file
• Or type “Ngg” where N is the line number to go to
• For example, “20gg” goes to line 20

Nano Editor

Nano is a user-friendly and lightweight command-line text editor widely used on Unix-based systems, known for its simple interface with on-screen keyboard shortcuts, syntax highlighting support for programming languages, and basic editing features like search/replace, undo/redo, and multiple file buffers, making it an accessible choice for beginners and experienced users alike.

How to Select all in Nano Text Editor

• Open file in nano
• Hit Ctrl+X to access main menu
• Hit S to enter Select mode
• Hit A to select all text
• Entire file content will be highlighted
• Perform desired operation (cut, copy, etc.)
• Hit Ctrl+6 to deselect

How to Undo in Nano Editor

• Press Alt+U to undo last operation
• Nano has limited undo capability

How to Move End of the Line in Nano

• Hit Ctrl+E to jump cursor to end of current line

How to Save and Exit in Nano Editor in Linux

• Hit Ctrl+X to exit
• Hit Y to save modified buffer
• Hit N to exit without saving

How to Show Line Number in Nano Editor

• Hit Ctrl+C to display cursor position
• Shows line,column position

How to Search in Nano Editor

• Hit Ctrl+W to start search
• Type text to search
• Hit Enter to go to next match

How to Copy in Nano Editor

• Hit Alt+A to set mark
• Use arrows to highlight text
• Hit Alt+6 to copy highlighted text

How to Go Next Page in Nano

• Hit Ctrl+V to move one page down
• Hit Ctrl+Y to move one page up

Kate Editor

Kate is a free text editor that is part of the KDE desktop environment on Linux. It has syntax highlighting for programming languages, making it useful for developers. Kate can handle different types of files like plain text, code, HTML, and even binary files. The interface is customizable, and it includes features like split windows, find and replace, and an optional terminal window. While powerful, Kate remains easy to use for basic text editing tasks. Its combination of coding tools and user-friendly design makes it a popular choice among KDE users of all levels.

Sublime Editor

Sublime Text is a fast and customizable text editor used by many developers and writers. Although it is not free software, it offers an unlimited free trial period. Key features include syntax highlighting for coding, quick search and replace, split editing windows, and plugins to add more functionality. Sublime Text is known for its clean, distraction-free interface that can be extensively customized with different color schemes and keyboard shortcuts. Despite being proprietary, its speed, features, and responsive design make it a compelling choice as a general-purpose text editor, especially for coding and writing tasks. Its cross-platform availability across Windows, macOS, and Linux is also a plus.

Atom Editor

Atom is a free, open-source text editor created by GitHub. It is designed to be highly customizable through downloadable packages and themes. Atom provides syntax highlighting for coding in various programming languages. Its modern interface allows split-screen editing, project file browsing, and integration with Git. While feature-rich, Atom remains lightweight and responsive. Available across Windows, macOS, and Linux, Atom appeals to developers, writers, and anyone looking for an adaptable yet user-friendly text editor. Its strong community support and frequent updates make it a popular choice in the open-source world.

Emacs Editor

Emacs is a popular text editor choice on Linux systems. It comes pre-installed or can be easily installed via package managers on most Linux distributions. Emacs integrates smoothly with the command-line interface of Linux, making it well-suited for terminal-based editing and remote use over SSH. The customizability of Emacs through its own Lisp language allows tapping into numerous community extensions tailored for Linux users’ needs like coding and system administration. Although it has a steep learning curve initially, Emacs’ broad capabilities and ability to extensively personalize the editing environment make it a powerful tool for Linux power users willing to invest time in mastering it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the world of Linux text editors offers a diverse array of options tailored to suit various preferences and requirements, ranging from the traditional modal approach of Vi and Vim to the user-friendly interfaces of Nano and graphical editors like Kate, Sublime Text, Atom, and Emacs. Whether for coding, writing, or system administration tasks, Linux users have access to a rich ecosystem of text editors equipped with features such as syntax highlighting, search and replace functionality, customizable interfaces, and integration with version control systems. With each editor offering its own strengths and capabilities, users can find the perfect fit for their editing needs within the Linux environment.