A command line version of Vim for macOS is builtin into the OS distribution. For example git on macOS uses Vim by default to prompt for writing a commit message. Vim has a long history since 1990-s and a well-established fan base. It is known for stability, high backwards compatibility and ubiquity. Vim is highly customizable and extensible. $ sudo pkg install editors/vim Installation on Mac OS X. The strategy is similar to Mac OS X: we install the GUI version to get both the GUI and the TUI. In the end, we should be able to: double-click the MacVim icon in the Finder, click on the MacVim icon in the Dock, issue $.
It is true that learning Vi/Vim – a well-known text editor in the Linux ecosystem, is not as easy as learning Nano or Emacs, as it requires a little effort which is worthwhile.
Many people are afraid of learning it, but seriously, for no important reasons. In this short article, intended for Vi/Vim text editor newbies, we'll learn a few basic commands; how to save a file after writing or modifying its content.
Suggested Read:10 Reasons Why You Should Use Vi/Vim Text Editor in Linux
In most of the today's Linux distributions, Vi/Vim editor comes with pre-installed, if not install the full version of Vim (Debian systems provide vim-tiny with less features), simply run this command:
Note: To use it's latest features, install Vim 8.0.
To open or create a file using Vim, run the following command, then press i to insert text into it (insert mode):
Once you have modified a file, press [Esc] shift to the command mode and press :w and hit [Enter] as shown below.
To save the file and exit at the same time, you can use the ESC and :x key and hit [Enter]. Optionally, press [Esc] and type Shift + Z Z to save and exit the file.
To save the file content to a new file named newname, use :w newname or :x newname and hit [Enter].
From here, you can now move over to learn common Vi/Vim tips and tricks, understand the different modes and so much more:
That's it! In an upcoming article, we'll show you how to exit Vim text editor with simple commands. Remember to drop your comments via the feedback form below.
Vim (Vi IMproved) is an open-source text editor for Unix or Linux systems. It is a powerful and stable tool for editing and writing text, both in the command-line interface and as an independent application in a GUI.
Take the first step in learning Vim with the basic saving commands. Follow this guide and learn how to save a file in Vim / vi and exit the editor.
- Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver
- A user with sudo privileges
- Access to a terminal/command line
- The apt tool, pre-loaded in Ubuntu and other Debian-based distros.
When Vim launches, files are opened in command mode by default. This means that you can move around and edit the file, but cannot insert new text.
All alphanumeric keys in this mode are equal to commands, and pressing them will not display their value on the screen. For example, pressing the letter w will move the cursor one word forward.
To type text, you must be in insert mode. To switch to insert mode, press the i key. Now you can type text into a file.
To switch back to command mode, press the ESC button.
To save a file and exit Vim:
1. Switch to command mode by pressing the ESC key.
Mac Os Vim Save And Exit System
2. Press : (colon) to open the prompt bar in the bottom left corner of the window.
Exit Vim
3. Type x after the colon and hit Enter. Apple office package. This will save the changes and exit.
Alternatively, a command that will also save a file and exit the text editor is:
In which case the w stands for write (=save) and q stands for quit.
To save a filewithout exiting in Vim:
1. Switch to command mode by pressing the ESC key.
2. Type : (colon). This will open the prompt bar in the bottom left corner of the window.
3. Type w after the colon and hit Enter. This will save in Vim the changes made to the file, without exiting.
You can also rename an existing file by adding the new name after the commands.
In the picture below, we renamed the existing example1.txt into newexample.
To exit Vim without saving changes:
1. Switch to command mode by pressing the ESC key.
2. Press : (colon) to open the prompt bar in the bottom left corner of the window.
3. Type q! after the colon and hit Enter to exit without saving the changes.
This article explained how to save files in Vi / Vim, with multiple command options.
The more comfortable you feel using keyboard shortcuts, the more you will understand why Vim earned its worldwide reputation. Next learn how to copy and paste in Vim!
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All alphanumeric keys in this mode are equal to commands, and pressing them will not display their value on the screen. For example, pressing the letter w will move the cursor one word forward.
To type text, you must be in insert mode. To switch to insert mode, press the i key. Now you can type text into a file.
To switch back to command mode, press the ESC button.
To save a file and exit Vim:
1. Switch to command mode by pressing the ESC key.
Mac Os Vim Save And Exit System
2. Press : (colon) to open the prompt bar in the bottom left corner of the window.
Exit Vim
3. Type x after the colon and hit Enter. Apple office package. This will save the changes and exit.
Alternatively, a command that will also save a file and exit the text editor is:
In which case the w stands for write (=save) and q stands for quit.
To save a filewithout exiting in Vim:
1. Switch to command mode by pressing the ESC key.
2. Type : (colon). This will open the prompt bar in the bottom left corner of the window.
3. Type w after the colon and hit Enter. This will save in Vim the changes made to the file, without exiting.
You can also rename an existing file by adding the new name after the commands.
In the picture below, we renamed the existing example1.txt into newexample.
To exit Vim without saving changes:
1. Switch to command mode by pressing the ESC key.
2. Press : (colon) to open the prompt bar in the bottom left corner of the window.
3. Type q! after the colon and hit Enter to exit without saving the changes.
This article explained how to save files in Vi / Vim, with multiple command options.
The more comfortable you feel using keyboard shortcuts, the more you will understand why Vim earned its worldwide reputation. Next learn how to copy and paste in Vim!
Next you should also read
You can activate line numbering in Vim by showing absolute, relative or hybrid lines. Displaying or hiding…
Complete guide on how to use crucial Vim commands - copying (yanking), cutting (deleting), and pasting…
Vim color schemes are a handy feature for setting syntax highlighting. You can choose from a wide variety of…
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