Unix: Visual QuickStart Guide

Chapter 4. Creating and Editing Files

Chapter contents:

• Choosing an editor

• Starting pico and dabbling with it

• Saving in pico

• Cutting and pasting text blocks in pico

• Checking spelling in pico

• Getting help in pico

• Exiting pico

• Starting vi and dabbling with it

• Saving in vi

• Adding and deleting text in vi

• Importing files into vi

• Searching for and replacing text in vi

• Exiting vi

Creating and editing files are likely the most common tasks you'll perform in UNIX. If you're programming, developing Web pages, sending e-mail (uh-huh, really), or just writing a letter, you'll spend a lot of time in an editor.

In this chapter, we'll introduce you to two of the most common editors: pico and vi. We'll launch this chapter with a general overview of each, then we discuss ...