Vi editor Tutorial and examples
**Search and Replace **
Append a string to start of every other line:
g#^# if line('.')%2|s#^#http://test #
or
:g/^/ if line('.')%2 | s/^/word/
or
:g/^/ if line('.')%2|s/^/zz /
Search and Replace a string :
%s/string/newstring/
[ Options : g = Replace each occurence, c = ask for confirmation , i = case insensitive , I = case sensitive for confirmation]
Using Range for search and replace:
:
Options :[s = Current Line], [%s = all lines], [1,10s = from line 1 to line 10], [ ‘a,’bs = between mark a and mark b –inclusive]
[.,+2s = current line and next two lines ] [ g/^test/s = For each line starting with test ]
Special Characters for Search :
[ .,*,,[,],^, $ = meta characters] [+,?,|,{,},(,) = need to be escaped to use their function ]
[/ = / , \t = tab , \s = whitespace, \n = new line , \r = CR = CTRL M = ^M, {#} = reptition eg. /test.{2} will match test following two chars ]
Special Characters for Replace :
[ \r is newline, \n is null byte (0x00), & = ampersand , & = text which matches search pattern , \1 = insert text of first backreference ]
Note : Other delimeters can be used with subtitute : eg. :s#search/replace#
Save some typing : eg.
:%s/Testing in 2006 was fine/Testing in 2008 was fine/
could be done as :
:%s/Testing \zs2006\ze was fine/2008/
Append a String to each Line in VI
Go to the Exec Mode
:%s/$/stringtoappend/g
Prepend a string to each line :
:%s/^/string/g
Replace first occurence of a string:
:%s/string/newstring/
Replace last occurence of string :
:%s/.*\zsstring/newstring/
Delete a word and all text to the end of line in each line :
:%s/<string>.*//
Delete a word and next 10 characters on each line :
:%s/<string>.{10}//
Delete all text following word to the end of line on each line:
:%s/<foo>\zs.*//
Delete the word and all text before word on each line :
%s/.*<foo>//
Delete all text before a word on each line :
:%s/.*\ze<foo>//
Delete all text before and after a word :
:%s/.(<foo>)./\1/
Delete blank Lines in VI:
:g/^$/ d
Select and Delete a block :
Move your cursor to the point where you want to start selection and press :
ma
now move to the end where you want to delete and then type :
:'a,.d
Where a is the marker and .d means delete the selected block.
Other Advanced Commands you can carry out with selected blocks :
Yank from ‘a to current line and put in buffer ‘b’
:'a,.ya b
Yank from 'a to current line and append to buffer 'b'
:'a,.ya B
Search And Replace between mark a to current line:
:'a,.s/^/#/
(i.e. comment out in Perl)
:'s,.s#^#//# - from 'a to current line, substitute '//' for line begin
** Copy from one file and paste to another File:**
Yank the lines you want from source file :
5yy
Open another file you want to paste to :
:e filename
Paste the copied lines:
p
Save the changes
:w
Return to Original File:
:e#