Moving where you meant

The basic four. Press them in command mode.

      k (up)h (left)  l (right)      j (down)

Look at the keyboard. h j k l lie in a row where the right hand rests.

h j k l^ left end is left, right end is right

Remember them like this.

j and k are easy to mix up, so mind those. j has a tail going down is a good way to hold it.

Pressed, it moves like this.

onetwo     <- you are herethree  | press jonetwothree   <- one line down

The important thing is that moving changes nothing.

h j k l   only moves (the file is untouched)

You may press them about in peace. No [Modified] appears. So at first, going round and round the screen with these is a good way to get used to it.

Mind that they do not work in insert mode. A j in insert mode is the letter j. To move, Esc.

A character at a time is sometimes too far. Eighty l presses to the end of an eighty-character line will not do.

So there are commands that jump.

0   to the head of the line (the digit zero)$   to the end of the line

As a picture.

aaa bbb ccc^         ^0         $

One move whatever the length of the line. The I and A of last lesson ride on these two.

I = 0 then iA = $ then a

The same thinking coming out in another shape.

There are ones that jump by words, too.

w   to the head of the next wordb   to the head of the previous word

aaa bbb ccc^   ^   ^    w   w      (forward in turn)    b   b      (back in turn)

w is word, b is back.

Words are divided by whitespace and symbols. So in a settings file it tells like this.

port 80^    ^w to the head of the value

Handy when you want to mend the value only. Faster than pressing l five times.

To gather them up.

h l for near, 0 $ w b for far.

Between lines, fifty presses of j is hard work too. So there are commands that jump.

gg   to line 1G    to the last line

G is capital (hold Shift). gg is lower-case g twice.

one     <- gg to heretwothree...ten     <- G to here

One move to either end of the file.

And you can jump by naming a line number.

3G   to line 350G  to line 50

A number in front. This is the shape you will use most this lesson.

The same can be done with :.

:3 -> ⏎    to line 3

The : you used for :wq last lesson. Type only a number and you jump to that line.

3G     3 presses (fast):3 ⏎   3 presses (easy to type)

Either is fine. Use whichever you like.

Now "I want to mend line 50 only" is solved.

vi settings.conf50G       jump to line 50A         type from the end of the line...       mend itEsc :wq   save and get out

When an error message says "line 50 is odd", you go straight to line 50. Errors in settings files and scripts almost always tell you a line number. Which makes 3G the movement that comes up most in practice.

Did you notice with 3G? A number in front repeats it is a rule across the whole of vi.

4j    four lines down3l    three characters right2w    forward by two words5k    five lines up

No pressing the same key over and over.

Count the presses.

j j j j    4 presses4j         2 presses

The further you go, the wider the gap.

j twenty times   20 presses20j              3 presses

The rule is not for movement alone. It tells for the editing of the next lesson too.

3x    remove three characters2dd   remove two lines

Learn the shape "number + command" and it is all the same. That is how vi is built.

Notice that it reads like language, too.

4j    "four down"3x    "remove three characters"2dd   "remove two lines"

Number then verb. Close to the way English says it. So once used to it, a sentence forms in your head before you type.

Of course you can work without the numbers.

first, move correctly without numbersonce used to it, add numbers for speed

No hurry. Pressing j five times and typing 5j land in the same place.

Which line you are on shows at the very bottom of the screen.

- nums.txt 3/10 30%

How to read it.

3/10 is where you are. Move, and watch it change.

This helps while you are learning to move.

pressed 4j  |3/10 changed to 7/10

You confirm that you really went four lines down. No counting lines by eye.

[Modified] shows in the same place.

- nums.txt [Modified] 3/10 30%

Merely moving does not raise [Modified]. If it shows, you have typed a character somewhere.

[Modified] appeared  |press u to undo (or :q! to throw it away)

Noticed, and put back at once. Which is why the habit of looking at the bottom line is worth having.

A phone screen is narrow, so this one line is packed with information. When in trouble, look down first. It is a habit shared by everyone who uses vi.

Put together, what you have makes this form.

1. move      3G or w to the place you meant2. mend      type with i a I A o O3. Esc       back to command mode

Repeating those three moves is how vi is used.

Let us write out a real job. Commenting out line 3 of a settings file.

vi settings.conf3G           to line 3I            type from the head of the line# and space  typeEsc          back:wq          save and get out

Done in seven moves. Once used to it, under ten seconds.

Another, adding a note at the end of line 2.

2G          to line 2A           type from the end # main     typeEsc :wq

Can you see moving and typing put together? Neither alone makes a job.

moving only   you look but cannot mendtyping only   you can mend line 1 onlyboth          you can mend anywhere

So take last lesson and this one as one skill in a set.

The ways out when in doubt do not change.

Esc        to command modeu          undo the last:q!        throw it all away

Those three let you move boldly. Move the wrong way and Esc always brings you back to command mode.

To gather up. Movement now comes at three sizes.

a character at a time   h j k ljump within a line      0 $ w bjump between lines      gg G 3G :3repeat with a number    4j 3l 2w

The further off, the bigger the unit is the secret of speed.

Here is a guide for choosing.

the next character   h lthe ends of a line   0 $a few words          w ba few lines down     4ja distant line       3G or :3the ends of the file gg G

Choose by distance. No need for 3G when it is near, and no need to hammer j when it is far.

And the most important thing once more.

> Moving does not change the file

No [Modified] appears, so however much you press, nothing breaks. Which is why starting practice with movement is safe.

The next lesson is editing.

x     remove one characterdw    remove a worddd    remove a lineyy p  copy and pasteu     undo

Removing, copying, undoing. Put with movement, vi becomes a really fast tool.

3G dd     remove line 3$ x       remove the last character of a lineyy p      make another of the line you are on

Move, then remove. The movement of this lesson tells directly. Look forward to it.