Creating New Text Documents with the VI Editor

VI, short for "Visual Editor," is a modal text editor that operates in different modes: command mode, insert mode, and visual mode. Command mode is used for navigation and executing commands, insert mode is for inserting and editing text, and visual mode is for selecting and manipulating text.

Creating a New Document:

To create a new text document using VI, simply invoke the editor followed by the desired filename. For example:

 vi new_document.txt

This command opens the VI editor with a new file named "new_document.txt." If the file already exists, VI opens it for editing; otherwise, it creates a new file.

Verifying file is created using ls command.

ls

Navigating in VI:

In command mode, you can navigate through the document using various keyboard shortcuts:

• Use arrow keys to move the cursor.
• Use h, j, k, and l to move left, down, up, and right, respectively.
• Use Ctrl + F to move forward one screen.
• Use Ctrl + B to move backward one screen.
• Use gg to move to the beginning of the document.
• Use G to move to the end of the document.

Switching to Insert Mode:

To start inserting text into the document, switch to insert mode by pressing i. Once in insert mode, you can type and edit text as you would in any other text editor.

Saving and Exiting:

After making changes, you can save the document and exit VI using the following steps:

• Press Esc to switch to command mode.
• Type :wq and press Enter to save and exit.
• Alternatively, you can use :x to save and exit, or :w to save without exiting.

Conclusion:

Mastering the VI editor is essential for efficient text document creation and editing in Unix-like environments. By understanding its modes, navigation shortcuts, and advanced editing commands, you can streamline your workflow and tackle text editing tasks with ease. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, VI offers a robust set of features to meet your text editing needs. With practice and experimentation, you'll unlock the full potential of VI and become a proficient text editor.