docs/vi.ref/vi.cmd.texi

@comment  Copyright (c) 1994
@comment 	The Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.
@comment  Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996
@comment 	Keith Bostic.  All rights reserved.
@comment
@comment  See the LICENSE file for redistribution information.
@comment
@comment 	Id: vi.cmd.texi,v 8.1 2001/08/18 20:43:49 skimo Exp  (Berkeley) Date: 2001/08/18 20:43:49
@comment
@chapter Vi Description

@CO{Vi} takes up the entire screen to display the edited file,
except for the bottom line of the screen.
The bottom line of the screen is used to enter
@CO{exp}
commands, and for
@CO{vi}
error and informational messages.
If no other information is being displayed,
the default display can show the current cursor row and cursor column,
an indication of whether the file has been modified,
and the current mode of the editor.
See the
@OP{ruler}
and
@OP{showmode}
options for more information.

Empty lines do not have any special representation on the screen,
but lines on the screen that would logically come after the end of
the file are displayed as a single tilde
@PQ{~}
character.
To differentiate between empty lines and lines consisting of only
whitespace characters, use the
@OP{list}
option.
Historically, implementations of
@CO{vi}
have also displayed some lines as single asterisk
@PQ{@@}
characters.
These were lines that were not correctly displayed, i.e. lines on the
screen that did not correspond to lines in the file, or lines that did
not fit on the current screen.
@CO{Nvi}
never displays lines in this fashion.

@CO{Vi}
is a modeful editor, i.e. it has two modes,
@QQ{command}
mode and
@QQ{text input}
mode.
When
@CO{vi}
first starts, it is in command mode.
There are several commands that change
@CO{vi}
into text input mode.
The
@LI{<escape>}character is used to resolve the text input into the file,
and exit back into command mode.
In
@CO{vi}
command mode, the cursor is always positioned on the last column of
characters which take up more than one column on the screen.
In
@CO{vi}
text insert mode, the cursor is positioned on the first column of
characters which take up more than one column on the screen.

When positioning the cursor to a new line and column,
the type of movement is defined by the distance to the new cursor position.
If the new position is close,
the screen is scrolled to the new location.
If the new position is far away,
the screen is repainted so that the new position is on the screen.
If the screen is scrolled,
it is moved a minimal amount,
and the cursor line will usually appear at the top or bottom of the screen.
If the screen is repainted,
the cursor line will appear in the center of the screen,
unless the cursor is sufficiently close to the beginning or end of the file
that this isn't possible.
If the
@OP{leftright}
option is set, the screen may be scrolled or repainted in a horizontal
direction as well as in a vertical one.

A major difference between the historical
@CO{vi}
presentation and
@CO{nvi}
is in the scrolling and screen oriented position commands,
@CO{<control-B>},
@CO{<control-D>},
@CO{<control-E>},
@CO{<control-F>},
@CO{<control-U>},
@CO{<control-Y>},
@CO{H},
@CO{L}
and
@CO{M}.
In historical implementations of
@CO{vi},
these commands acted on physical (as opposed to logical, or screen)
lines.
For lines that were sufficiently long in relation to the size of the
screen, this meant that single line scroll commands might repaint the
entire screen, scrolling or screen positioning commands might not change
the screen or move the cursor at all, and some lines simply could not
be displayed, even though
@CO{vi}
would edit the file that contained them.
In
@CO{nvi},
these commands act on logical, i.e. screen lines.
You are unlikely to notice any difference unless you are editing files
with lines significantly longer than a screen width.

@CO{Vi}
keeps track of the currently
@QQ{most attractive}
cursor position.
Each command description (for commands that alter the current cursor
position),
specifies if the cursor is set to a specific location in the line,
or if it is moved to the
@QQ{most attractive cursor position}.
The latter means that the cursor is moved to the cursor position that
is horizontally as close as possible to the current cursor position.
If the current line is shorter than the cursor position
@CO{vi}
would select, the cursor is positioned on the last character in the line.
(If the line is empty, the cursor is positioned on the first column
of the line.)
If a command moves the cursor to the most attractive position,
it does not alter the current cursor position, and a subsequent
movement will again attempt to move the cursor to that position.
Therefore, although a movement to a line shorter than the currently
most attractive position will cause the cursor to move to the end of
that line, a subsequent movement to a longer line will cause the
cursor to move back to the most attractive position.

In addition, the
@CO{$}
command makes the end of each line the most attractive cursor position
rather than a specific column.

Each
@CO{vi}
command described below notes where the cursor ends up after it is
executed.
This position is described in terms of characters on the line, i.e.
@QQ{the previous character},
or,
@QQ{the last character in the line}.
This is to avoid needing to continually refer to on what part of the
character the cursor rests.

The following words have special meaning for
@CO{vi}
commands.
@itemize @bullet
@cindex "previous context"
@IP{previous context}

The position of the cursor before the command which caused the
last absolute movement was executed.
Each
@CO{vi}
command described in the next section that is considered an
absolute movement is so noted.
In addition, specifying
@emph{any}
address to an
@CO{ex}
command is considered an absolute movement.
@cindex "motion"
@IP{motion}

A second
@CO{vi}
command can be used as an optional trailing argument to the
@CO{vi}
@CO{<},
@CO{>},
@CO{!},
@CO{c},
@CO{d},
@CO{y},
and (depending on the
@OP{tildeop}
option)
@CO{~}
commands.
This command indicates the end of the region of text that's affected by
the command.
The motion command may be either the command character repeated (in
which case it means the current line) or a cursor movement command.
In the latter case, the region affected by the command is from the
starting or stopping cursor position which comes first in the file,
to immediately before the starting or stopping cursor position which
comes later in the file.
Commands that operate on lines instead of using beginning and ending
cursor positions operate on all of the lines that are wholly or
partially in the region.
In addition, some other commands become line oriented depending on
where in the text they are used.
The command descriptions below note these special cases.
@sp 1
The following commands may all be used as motion components for
@CO{vi}
commands:
@sp 1
@multitable {@CO{<control-N>}} {@CO{'<character>}} {@CO{<control-J>}} {@CO{<control-M>}}
@item @CO{<control-A>} @tab @CO{<control-H>} @tab @CO{<control-J>} @tab @CO{<control-M>}
@item @CO{<control-N>} @tab @CO{<control-P>} @tab @CO{<space>} @tab @CO{$}
@item @CO{%} @tab @CO{'<character>} @tab @CO{(} @tab @CO{)}
@item @CO{+} @tab @CO{,} @tab @CO{-} @tab @CO{/}
@item @CO{0} @tab @CO{;} @tab @CO{?} @tab @CO{B}
@item @CO{E} @tab @CO{F} @tab @CO{G} @tab @CO{H}
@item @CO{L} @tab @CO{M} @tab @CO{N} @tab @CO{T}
@item @CO{W} @tab @CO{[[} @tab @CO{]]} @tab @CO{^}
@item @CO{_} @tab @CO{`<character>} @tab @CO{b} @tab @CO{e}
@item @CO{f} @tab @CO{h} @tab @CO{j} @tab @CO{k}
@item @CO{l} @tab @CO{n} @tab @CO{t} @tab @CO{w}
@item @strong{@{} @tab @CO{|} @tab @strong{@}}
@end multitable
@sp 1
The optional count prefix available for some of the
@CO{vi}
commands that take motion commands,
or the count prefix available for the
@CO{vi}
commands that are used as motion components,
may be included and is
@emph{always}
considered part of the motion argument.
For example, the commands
@QT{c2w}
and
@QT{2cw}
are equivalent, and the region affected by the
@CO{c}
command is two words of text.
In addition,
if the optional count prefix is specified for both the
@CO{vi}
command and its motion component,
the effect is multiplicative and is considered part of the motion argument.
For example, the commands
@QT{4cw}
and
@QT{2c2w}
are equivalent, and the region affected by the
@CO{c}
command is four words of text.
@cindex "count"
@IP{count}

A positive number used as an optional argument to most commands,
either to give a size or a position (for display or movement commands),
or as a repeat count (for commands that modify text).
The count argument is always optional and defaults to 1 unless otherwise
noted in the command description.
@sp 1
When a
@CO{vi}
command synopsis shows both a
@LI{[buffer]}and
@LI{[count]},
they may be presented in any order.
@cindex word
@IP{word}

Generally, in languages where it is applicable,
@CO{vi}
recognizes two kinds of words.
First, a sequence of letters, digits and underscores,
delimited at both ends by:
characters other than letters, digits, or underscores,
the beginning or end of a line, and the beginning or end of the file.
Second, a sequence of characters other than letters, digits, underscores,
or whitespace characters, delimited at both ends by: a letter, digit,
underscore, or whitespace character,
the beginning or end of a line, and the beginning or end of the file.
For example, the characters
@QT{ !@@#abc$%^ }
contain three words:
@QT{!@@#},
@QT{abc}
and
@QT{$%^}.
@sp 1
Groups of empty lines (or lines containing only whitespace characters)
are treated as a single word.
@cindex "bigword"
@IP{bigword}

A set of non-whitespace characters preceded and followed by whitespace
characters or the beginning or end of the file or line.
For example, the characters
@QT{ !@@#abc$%^ }
contain one bigword:
@QT{!@@#abc$%^}.
@sp 1
Groups of empty lines (or lines containing only whitespace characters)
are treated as a single bigword.
@cindex "paragraph"
@IP{paragraph}

An area of text that begins with either the beginning of a file,
an empty line, or a section boundary, and continues until either
an empty line, section boundary, or the end of the file.
@sp 1
Groups of empty lines (or lines containing only whitespace characters)
are treated as a single paragraph.
@sp 1
Additional paragraph boundaries can be defined using the
@OP{paragraphs}
option.
@cindex "section"
@IP{section}

An area of text that starts with the beginning of the file or a line
whose first character is an open brace
@comment PQ
``@code{@{}''
and continues until the next section or the end of the file.
@sp 1
Additional section boundaries can be defined using the
@OP{sections}
option.
@cindex "sentence"
@IP{sentence}

An area of text that begins with either the beginning of the file or the
first nonblank character following the previous sentence, paragraph, or
section boundary and continues until the end of the file or a period
@PQ{.}
exclamation point
@PQ{!}
or question mark
@PQ{?}
character,
followed by either an end-of-line or two whitespace characters.
Any number of closing parentheses
@PQ{)},
brackets
@PQ{]},
double-quote
@PQ{"}
or single quote
@PQ{'}
characters can appear between the period, exclamation point,
or question mark and the whitespace characters or end-of-line.
@sp 1
Groups of empty lines (or lines containing only whitespace characters)
are treated as a single sentence.
@chapter Vi Commands
@end itemize

The following section describes the commands available in the command
mode of the
@CO{vi}
editor.
In each entry below, the tag line is a usage synopsis for the command
character.
In addition, the final line and column the cursor rests upon,
and any options which affect the command are noted.

@cindex <control-A>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-A>}

Search forward
@LI{count}times for the current word.
The current word begins at the first non-whitespace character on or
after the current cursor position,
and extends up to the next non-word character or the end of the line.
The search is literal, i.e. no characters in the word have any special
meaning in terms of Regular Expressions.
It is an error if no matching pattern is found between the starting position
and the end of the file.
@sp 1
The
@CO{<control-A>}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@CO{<control-A>}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line where the word is found.
@item Column:
Set to the first character of the word.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{ignorecase}
and
@OP{wrapscan}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-B>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-B>}

Page backward
@LI{count}screens.
Two lines of overlap are maintained, if possible,
by displaying the window starting at line
@LI{(top_line - count * window_size) + 2},
where
@LI{window_size}is the value of the
@OP{window}
option.
(In the case of split screens, this size is corrected to the
current screen size.)
It is an error if the movement is past the beginning of the file.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line of text displayed on the screen.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the line.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{window}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-D>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-D>}

Scroll forward
@LI{count}lines.
If
@LI{count}is not specified, scroll forward the number of lines specified by the last
@CO{<control-D>}
or
@CO{<control-U>}
command.
If this is the first
@CO{<control-D>}
or
@CO{<control-U>}
command,
scroll forward half the number of lines in the screen.
(In the case of split screens, the default scrolling distance is
corrected to half the current screen size.)
It is an error if the movement is past the end of the file.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the current line plus the number of lines scrolled.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-E>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-E>}

Scroll forward
@LI{count}lines, leaving the cursor on the current line and column, if possible.
It is an error if the movement is past the end of the file.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged unless the current line scrolls off the screen,
in which case it is set to the first line on the screen.
@item Column:
Unchanged unless the current line scrolls off the screen,
in which case it is set to the most attractive cursor position.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-F>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-F>}

Page forward
@LI{count}screens.
Two lines of overlap are maintained, if possible,
by displaying the window starting at line
@LI{top_line + count * window_size - 2},
where
@LI{window_size}is the value of the
@OP{window}
option.
(In the case of split screens, this size is corrected to the
current screen size.)
It is an error if the movement is past the end of the file.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the first line on the screen.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the current line.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{window}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-G>
@deftypefn Command {} {<control-G>}

Display the file information.
The information includes the current pathname, the current line,
the number of total lines in the file, the current line as a percentage
of the total lines in the file, if the file has been modified,
was able to be locked, if the file's name has been changed,
and if the edit session is read-only.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Unchanged.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn

@cindex <control-H>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-H>}
@deftypefnx Command {[count]} {h}
Move the cursor back
@LI{count}characters in the current line.
It is an error if the cursor is on the first character in the line.
@sp 1
The
@CO{<control-H>}
and
@CO{h}
commands may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands,
in which case any text copied into a buffer is character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the
@LI{current - count}character, or, the first character in the line if
@LI{count}is greater than or equal to the number of characters in the line
before the cursor.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn

@cindex <control-J>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-J>}

@cindex <control-N>
@deftypefnx Command  {[count]} {<control-N>}
@cindex j
@deftypefnx Command  {[count]} {j}
Move the cursor down
@LI{count}lines without changing the current column.
It is an error if the movement is past the end of the file.
@sp 1
The
@CO{<control-J>},
@CO{<control-N>}
and
@CO{j}
commands may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
line oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the current line plus
@LI{count}.
@item Column:
The most attractive cursor position.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-L>
@deftypefn Command {} {<control-L>}

@cindex <control-R>
@deftypefnx Command {}  {<control-R>}
Repaint the screen.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Unchanged.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-M>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-M>}

@cindex +
@deftypefnx Command  {[count]} {+}
Move the cursor down
@LI{count}lines to the first nonblank character of that line.
It is an error if the movement is past the end of the file.
@sp 1
The
@CO{<control-M>}
and
@CO{+}
commands may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
line oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the current line plus
@LI{count}.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-P>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-P>}

@cindex k
@deftypefnx Command  {[count]} {k}
Move the cursor up
@LI{count}lines, without changing the current column.
It is an error if the movement is past the beginning of the file.
@sp 1
The
@CO{<control-P>}
and
@CO{k}
commands may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
line oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the current line minus
@LI{count}.
@item Column:
The most attractive cursor position.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-T>
@deftypefn Command {} {<control-T>}

Return to the most recent tag context.
The
@CO{<control-T>}
command is an absolute movement.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the context of the previous tag command.
@item Column:
Set to the context of the previous tag command.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-U>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-U>}

Scroll backward
@LI{count}lines.
If
@LI{count}is not specified, scroll backward the number of lines specified by the
last
@CO{<control-D>}
or
@CO{<control-U>}
command.
If this is the first
@CO{<control-D>}
or
@CO{<control-U>}
command,
scroll backward half the number of lines in the screen.
(In the case of split screens, the default scrolling distance is
corrected to half the current screen size.)
It is an error if the movement is past the beginning of the file.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the current line minus the amount scrolled.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-W>
@deftypefn Command {} {<control-W>}

Switch to the next lower screen in the window, or, to the first
screen if there are no lower screens in the window.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the previous cursor position in the window.
@item Column:
Set to the previous cursor position in the window.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-Y>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<control-Y>}

Scroll backward
@LI{count}lines, leaving the current line and column as is, if possible.
It is an error if the movement is past the beginning of the file.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged unless the current line scrolls off the screen,
in which case it is set to the last line of text displayed
on the screen.
@item Column:
Unchanged unless the current line scrolls off the screen,
in which case it is the most attractive cursor position.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-Z>
@deftypefn Command {} {<control-Z>}

Suspend the current editor session.
If the file has been modified since it was last completely written,
and the
@OP{autowrite}
option is set, the file is written before the editor session is
suspended.
If this write fails, the editor session is not suspended.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Unchanged.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{autowrite}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <escape>
@deftypefn Command {} {<escape>}

Execute
@CO{ex}
commands or cancel partial commands.
If an
@CO{ex}
command is being entered (e.g.
@CO{/},
@CO{?},
@CO{:}
or
@CO{!}),
the command is executed.
If a partial command has been entered, e.g.
@QT{[0-9]*},
or
@QT{[0-9]*[!<>cdy]},
the command is cancelled.
Otherwise, it is an error.
@table @asis
@item Line:
When an
@CO{ex}
command is being executed, the current line is set as described for
that command.
Otherwise, unchanged.
@item Column:
When an
@CO{ex}
command is being executed, the current column is set as described for
that command.
Otherwise, unchanged.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-]>
@deftypefn Command {} {<control-]>}

Push a tag reference onto the tag stack.
The tags files (see the
@OP{tags}
option for more information) are searched for a tag matching the
current word.
The current word begins at the first non-whitespace character on or
after the current cursor position,
and extends up to the next non-word character or the end of the line.
If a matching tag is found, the current file is discarded and the
file containing the tag reference is edited.
@sp 1
If the current file has been modified since it was last completely
written, the command will fail.
The
@CO{<control-]>}
command is an absolute movement.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the matching tag string.
@item Column:
Set to the start of the matching tag string.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{tags}
and
@OP{taglength}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-^>
@deftypefn Command {} {<control-^>}

Switch to the most recently edited file.
@sp 1
If the file has been modified since it was last completely written,
and the
@OP{autowrite}
option is set, the file is written out.
If this write fails, the command will fail.
Otherwise, if the current file has been modified since it was last
completely written, the command will fail.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line the cursor was on when the file was last edited.
@item Column:
Set to the column the cursor was on when the file was last edited.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{autowrite}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <space>
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {<space>}

@cindex l
@deftypefnx Command  {[count]} {l}
Move the cursor forward
@LI{count}characters without changing the current line.
It is an error if the cursor is on the last character in the line.
@sp 1
The
@CO{<space>}
and
@CO{l}
commands may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
In addition, these commands may be used as the motion components
of other commands when the cursor is on the last character in the
line, without error.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the current character plus the next
@LI{count}characters, or to the last character on the line if
@LI{count}is greater than the number of characters in the line after the
current character.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex !
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {!} {motion shell-argument(s)<carriage-return>}

Replace text with results from a shell command.
Pass the lines specified by the
@LI{count}and
@LI{motion}arguments as standard input to the program named by the
@OP{shell}
option, and replace those lines with the output (both
standard error and standard output) of that command.
@sp 1
After the motion is entered,
@CO{vi}
prompts for arguments to the shell command.
@sp 1
Within those arguments,
@QT{%}
and
@QT{#}
characters are expanded to the current and alternate pathnames,
respectively.
The
@QT{!}
character is expanded with the command text of the previous
@CO{!}
or
@CO{:!}
commands.
(Therefore, the command
@CO{!<motion>!}
repeats the previous
@CO{!}
command.)
The special meanings of
@QT{%},
@QT{#}
and
@QT{!}
can be overridden by escaping them with a backslash.
If no
@CO{!}
or
@CO{:!}
command has yet been executed,
it is an error to use an unescaped
@QT{!}
character as a shell argument.
The
@CO{!}
command does
@emph{not}
do shell expansion on the strings provided as arguments.
If any of the above expansions change the arguments the user entered,
the command is redisplayed at the bottom of the screen.
@sp 1
@CO{Vi}
then executes the program named by the
@OP{shell}
option, with a
@strong{-c}
flag followed by the arguments (which are bundled into a single argument).
@sp 1
The
@CO{!}
command is permitted in an empty file.
@sp 1
If the file has been modified since it was last completely written,
the
@CO{!}
command will warn you.
@table @asis
@item Line:
The first line of the replaced text.
@item Column:
The first column of the replaced text.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{shell}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex #
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {#} {#|+|-}

Increment or decrement the number referenced by the cursor.
If the trailing character is a
@LI{+}or
@LI{#},
the number is incremented by
@LI{count}.
If the trailing character is a
@LI{-},
the number is decremented by
@LI{count}.
@sp 1
A leading
@QT{0X}
or
@QT{0x}
causes the number to be interpreted as a hexadecimal number.
Otherwise, a leading
@QT{0}
causes the number to be interpreted as an octal number, unless a non-octal
digit is found as part of the number.
Otherwise, the number is interpreted as a decimal number, and may
have a leading
@LI{+}or
@LI{-}sign.
The current number begins at the first non-blank character at or after
the current cursor position, and extends up to the end of the line or
the first character that isn't a possible character for the numeric type.
The format of the number (e.g. leading 0's, signs) is retained unless
the new value cannot be represented in the previous format.
@sp 1
Octal and hexadecimal numbers, and the result of the operation, must fit
into an
@QT{unsigned long}.
Similarly, decimal numbers and their result must fit into a
@QT{signed long}.
It is an error to use this command when the cursor is not positioned at
a number.
@sp 1
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the first character in the cursor number.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex $
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {$}

Move the cursor to the end of a line.
If
@LI{count}is specified, the cursor moves down
@LI{count - 1}lines.
@sp 1
It is not an error to use the
@CO{$}
command when the cursor is on the last character in the line or
when the line is empty.
@sp 1
The
@CO{$}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented, unless the cursor is at, or before the first
nonblank character in the line, in which case it is line oriented.
It is not an error to use the
@CO{$}
command as a motion component when the cursor is on the last character
in the line, although it is an error when the line is empty.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the current line plus
@LI{count}minus 1.
@item Column:
Set to the last character in the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex %
@deftypefn Command {} {%}

Move to the matching character.
The cursor moves to the bracket character which
@emph{matches}
the bracket found at the current cursor position
or which is the closest one to the right of the cursor on the line.
The bracket characters are defined by the
@OP{matchchars}
option.
An error will be reported if none of the
@OP{matchchars}
characters is found, or if no matching character is found.
If the open and close brackes are identical (e.g.: if they are
@QT{'}
or
@QT{"},
then repeating a
@CO{%}
command will perform a backwards search from the original opening bracket.
Historically, any
@LI{count}specified to the
@CO{%}
command was ignored.
@sp 1
The
@CO{%}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@CO{%}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented, unless the starting point of the region is at
or before the first nonblank character on its line, and the ending
point is at or after the last nonblank character on its line, in
which case it is line oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the matching character.
@item Column:
Set to the matching character.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex &
@deftypefn Command {} {&}

Repeat the previous substitution command on the current line.
@sp 1
Historically, any
@LI{count}specified to the
@CO{&}
command was ignored.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Unchanged if the cursor was on the last character in the line,
otherwise, set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{edcompatible},
@OP{extended},
@OP{ignorecase}
and
@OP{magic}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex SQUOTE<character>
@deftypefn Command {} {'<character>}

@cindex `<character>
@deftypefnx Command {} `<character>
Return to a context marked by the character
@LI{<character>}.
If
@LI{<character>}is the
@QT{'}
or
@QT{`}
character, return to the previous context.
If
@LI{<character>}is any other character,
return to the context marked by that character (see the
@CO{m}
command for more information).
If the command is the
@CO{\'}
command, only the line value is restored,
and the cursor is placed on the first nonblank character of that line.
If the command is the
@CO{`}
command, both the line and column values are restored.
@sp 1
It is an error if the context no longer exists because of
line deletion.
(Contexts follow lines that are moved, or which are deleted
and then restored.)
@sp 1
The
@CO{\'}
and
@CO{`}
commands are both absolute movements.
They may be used as a motion component for other
@CO{vi}
commands.
For the
@CO{\'}
command, any text copied into a buffer is line oriented.
For the
@CO{`}
command,
any text copied into a buffer is character oriented,
unless it both starts and stops at the first character in the line,
in which case it is line oriented.
In addition, when using the
@CO{`}
command as a motion component,
commands which move backward and started at the first character in the line,
or move forward and ended at the first character in the line,
are corrected to the last character of the line preceding the starting and
ending lines, respectively.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line from the context.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line, for the
@CO{\'}
command, and set to the context's column for the
@CO{`}
command.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex (
@deftypefn Command {} {[count] (}

Back up
@LI{count}sentences.
@sp 1
The
@CO{(}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@CO{(}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands,
in which case any text copied into a buffer is character oriented,
unless the starting and stopping points of the region are the first
character in the line,
in which case it is line oriented.
If it is line oriented,
the starting point of the region is adjusted to be the end of the line
immediately before the starting cursor position.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the beginning of the sentence.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the sentence.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{lisp}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex )
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {)}

Move forward
@LI{count}sentences.
@sp 1
The
@CO{)}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@CO{)}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented, unless the starting point of the region is the
first character in the line, in which case it is line oriented.
In the latter case, if the stopping point of the region is also
the first character in the line, it is adjusted to be the end of the
line immediately before it.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the beginning of the sentence.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the sentence.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{lisp}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex ,
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {,}

Reverse find character
@LI{count}times.
Reverse the last
@CO{F},
@CO{f},
@CO{T}
or
@CO{t}
command, searching the other way in the line,
@LI{count}times.
It is an error if a
@CO{F},
@CO{f},
@CO{T}
or
@CO{t}
command has not been performed yet.
@sp 1
The
@CO{,}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the searched-for character for the
@CO{F}
and
@CO{f}
commands,
before the character for the
@CO{t}
command
and after the character for the
@CO{T}
command.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex MINUSSIGN
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {-}

Move to the first nonblank of the previous line,
@LI{count}times.
@sp 1
It is an error if the movement is past the beginning of the file.
@sp 1
The
@CO{-}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
line oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the current line minus
@LI{count}.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex .
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {.}

Repeat the last
@CO{vi}
command that modified text.
The repeated command may be a command and motion component combination.
If
@LI{count}is specified, it replaces
@emph{both}
the count specified for the repeated command, and, if applicable, for
the repeated motion component.
If
@LI{count}is not specified, the counts originally specified to the command being
repeated are used again.
@sp 1
As a special case, if the
@CO{\.}
command is executed immediately after the
@CO{u}
command, the change log is rolled forward or backward, depending on
the action of the
@CO{u}
command.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set as described for the repeated command.
@item Column:
Set as described for the repeated command.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex /RE/
@deftypefn Command {} {/RE<carriage-return>}

@deftypefnx Command {} {/RE/} {[offset]<carriage-return>}
@cindex ?RE?
@deftypefnx Command {}  {?RE<carriage-return>}
@deftypefnx Command {} {?RE?} {[offset]<carriage-return>}
@cindex N
@deftypefnx Command  {} N
@cindex n
@deftypefnx Command  {} n
Search forward or backward for a regular expression.
The commands beginning with a slash
@PQ{/}
character are forward searches, the commands beginning with a
question mark
@PQ{?}
are backward searches.
@CO{Vi}
prompts with the leading character on the last line of the screen
for a string.
It then searches forward or backward in the file for the next
occurrence of the string, which is interpreted as a Basic Regular
Expression.
@sp 1
The
@CO{/}
and
@CO{?}
commands are absolute movements.
They may be used as the motion components of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented, unless the search started and ended on
the first column of a line, in which case it is line oriented.
In addition, forward searches ending at the first character of a line,
and backward searches beginning at the first character in the line,
are corrected to begin or end at the last character of the previous line.
(Note, forward and backward searches can occur for both
@CO{/}
and
@CO{?}
commands, if the
@OP{wrapscan}
option is set.)
@sp 1
If an offset from the matched line is specified (i.e. a trailing
@QT{/}
or
@QT{?}
character is followed by a signed offset), the buffer will always
be line oriented (e.g.
@QT{/string/+0}
will always guarantee a line orientation).
@sp 1
The
@CO{N}
command repeats the previous search, but in the reverse direction.
The
@CO{n}
command repeats the previous search.
If either the
@CO{N}
or
@CO{n}
commands are used as motion components for the
@CO{!}
command, you will not be prompted for the text of the bang command,
instead the previous bang command will be executed.
@sp 1
Missing RE's (e.g.
@QT{//<carriage-return>},
@QT{/<carriage-return>},
@QT{??<carriage-return>},
or
@QT{?<carriage-return>}
search for the last search RE, in the indicated direction.
@sp 1
Searches may be interrupted using the
@LI{<interrupt>}character.
@sp 1
Multiple search patterns may be grouped together by delimiting
them with semicolons and zero or more whitespace characters, e.g.
@LI{/foo/ ; ?bar?}searches forward for
@LI{foo}and then, from that location, backwards for
@LI{bar}.
When search patterns are grouped together in this manner,
the search patterns are evaluated left to right with the
final cursor position determined by the last search pattern.
@sp 1
It is also permissible to append a
@CO{z}
command to the search strings, e.g.
@LI{/foo/ z.}searches forward for the next occurrence of
@LI{foo},
and then positions that line in the middle of screen.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line in which the match occurred.
@item Column:
Set to the first character of the matched string.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{edcompatible},
@OP{extended},
@OP{ignorecase},
@OP{magic},
and
@OP{wrapscan}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex 0
@deftypefn Command {} {0}

Move to the first character in the current line.
It is not an error to use the
@CO{0}
command when the cursor is on the first character in the line,
@sp 1
The
@CO{0}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands,
in which case it is an error if the cursor is on the first character
in the line,
and any text copied into a buffer is character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the first character in the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex :
@deftypefn Command {} {:}

Execute an
@CO{ex}
command.
@CO{Vi}
prompts for an
@CO{ex}
command on the last line of the screen, using a colon
@PQ{:}
character.
The command is terminated by a
@LI{<carriage-return>},
@LI{<newline>}or
@LI{<escape>}character; all of these characters may be escaped by using a
@LI{<literal-next>}character.
The command is then executed.
@sp 1
If the
@CO{ex}
command writes to the screen,
@CO{vi}
will prompt the user for a
@LI{<carriage-return>}before continuing
when the
@CO{ex}
command finishes.
Large amounts of output from the
@CO{ex}
command will be paged for the user, and the user prompted for a
@LI{<carriage-return>}or
@LI{<space>}key to continue.
In some cases, a quit (normally a
@QQ{q}
character) or
@LI{<interrupt>}may be entered to interrupt the
@CO{ex}
command.
@sp 1
When the
@CO{ex}
command finishes, and the user is prompted to resume visual mode,
it is also possible to enter another
@QT{:}
character followed by another
@CO{ex}
command.
@table @asis
@item Line:
The current line is set as described for the
@CO{ex}
command.
@item Column:
The current column is set as described for the
@CO{ex}
command.
@item Options:
Affected as described for the
@CO{ex}
command.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex ;
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {;}

Repeat the last character find
@LI{count}times.
The last character find is one of the
@CO{F},
@CO{f},
@CO{T}
or
@CO{t}
commands.
It is an error if a
@CO{F},
@CO{f},
@CO{T}
or
@CO{t}
command has not been performed yet.
@sp 1
The
@CO{;}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the searched-for character for the
@CO{F}
and
@CO{f}
commands,
before the character for the
@CO{t}
command
and after the character for the
@CO{T}
command.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {< motion}

@cindex >
@deftypefnx Command  {[count]} {>} {motion}
Shift lines left or right.
Shift the number of lines in the region specified by the
@LI{count}and
@LI{motion}left (for the
@CO{<}
command) or right (for the
@CO{>}
command) by the number of columns specified by the
@OP{shiftwidth}
option.
Only whitespace characters are deleted when shifting left.
Once the first character in the line no longer contains a whitespace
character, the command will succeed,
but the line will not be modified.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{shiftwidth}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex @@
@deftypefn Command {} {@@} {buffer}

Execute a named buffer.
Execute the named buffer as
@CO{vi}
commands.
The buffer may include
@CO{ex}
commands, too, but they must be expressed as a
@CO{:}
command.
If the buffer is line oriented,
@LI{<newline>}characters are logically appended to each line of the buffer.
If the buffer is character oriented,
@LI{<newline>}characters are logically appended to all but the last line in the buffer.
@sp 1
If the buffer name is
@QT{@@},
or
@QT{*},
then the last buffer executed shall be used.
It is an error to specify
@QT{@@@@}
or
@QT{@@*}
if there were no previous buffer executions.
The text of a buffer may contain a
@CO{@@}
command,
and it is possible to create infinite loops in this manner.
(The
@LI{<interrupt>}character may be used to interrupt the loop.)
@table @asis
@item Line:
The current line is set as described for the command(s).
@item Column:
The current column is set as described for the command(s).
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex A
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {A}

Enter input mode, appending the text after the end of the line.
If
@LI{count}is specified, the text is repeatedly input
@LI{count - 1}more times after input mode is exited.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{altwerase},
@OP{autoindent},
@OP{beautify},
@OP{showmatch},
@OP{ttywerase}
and
@OP{wrapmargin}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex B
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {B}

Move backward
@LI{count}bigwords.
Move the cursor backward to the beginning of a bigword by repeating the
following algorithm: if the current position is at the beginning of a
bigword or the character at the current position cannot be part of a bigword,
move to the first character of the preceding bigword.
Otherwise, move to the first character of the bigword at the current position.
If no preceding bigword exists on the current line, move to the first
character of the last bigword on the first preceding line that contains a
bigword.
@sp 1
The
@CO{B}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the word selected.
@item Column:
Set to the first character of the word selected.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex C
@deftypefn Command {[buffer]} {[count] C}

Change text from the current position to the end-of-line.
If
@LI{count}is specified, the input text replaces from the current position to
the end-of-line, plus
@LI{count - 1}subsequent lines.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{altwerase},
@OP{autoindent},
@OP{beautify},
@OP{showmatch},
@OP{ttywerase}
and
@OP{wrapmargin}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex D
@deftypefn Command {[buffer]} {D}

Delete text from the current position to the end-of-line.
@sp 1
It is not an error to execute the
@CO{D}
command on an empty line.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the character before the current character, or, column 1 if
the cursor was on column 1.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex E
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {E}

Move forward
@LI{count}end-of-bigwords.
Move the cursor forward to the end of a bigword by repeating the
following algorithm: if the current position is the end of a
bigword or the character at that position cannot be part of a bigword,
move to the last character of the following bigword.
Otherwise, move to the last character of the bigword at the current
position.
If no succeeding bigword exists on the current line,
move to the last character of the first bigword on the next following
line that contains a bigword.
@sp 1
The
@CO{E}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the word selected.
@item Column:
Set to the last character of the word selected.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex F
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {F} {<character>}

Search
@LI{count}times backward through the current line for
@LI{<character>}.
@sp 1
The
@CO{F}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the searched-for character.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex G
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {G}

Move to line
@LI{count},
or the last line of the file if
@LI{count}not specified.
@sp 1
The
@CO{G}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@CO{G}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
line oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to
@LI{count},
if specified, otherwise, the last line.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex H
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {H}

Move to the screen line
@LI{count - 1}lines below the top of the screen.
@sp 1
The
@CO{H}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@CO{H}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
line oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line
@LI{count - 1}lines below the top of the screen.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the
@emph{screen}
line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex I
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {I}

Enter input mode, inserting the text at the beginning of the line.
If
@LI{count}is specified, the text input is repeatedly input
@LI{count - 1}more times.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex J
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {J}

Join lines.
If
@LI{count}is specified,
@LI{count}lines are joined; a minimum of two lines are always joined,
regardless of the value of
@LI{count}.
@sp 1
If the current line ends with a whitespace character, all whitespace
is stripped from the next line.
Otherwise, if the next line starts with a open parenthesis
@PQ{(}
do nothing.
Otherwise, if the current line ends with a question mark
@PQ{?},
period
@PQ{.}
or exclamation point
@PQ{!},
insert two spaces.
Otherwise, insert a single space.
@sp 1
It is not an error to join lines past the end of the file,
i.e. lines that do not exist.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the character after the last character of the next-to-last
joined line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex L
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {L}

Move to the screen line
@LI{count - 1}lines above the bottom of the screen.
@sp 1
The
@CO{L}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@CO{L}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
line oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line
@LI{count - 1}lines above the bottom of the screen.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the
@emph{screen}
line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex  M
@deftypefn Command {} {M}

Move to the screen line in the middle of the screen.
@sp 1
The
@CO{M}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@CO{M}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
line oriented.
@sp 1
Historically, any
@LI{count}specified to the
@CO{M}
command was ignored.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line in the middle of the screen.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the
@emph{screen}
line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex O
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {O}

Enter input mode, appending text in a new line above the current line.
If
@LI{count}is specified, the text input is repeatedly input
@LI{count - 1}more times.
@sp 1
Historically, any
@LI{count}specified to the
@CO{O}
command was ignored.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{altwerase},
@OP{autoindent},
@OP{beautify},
@OP{showmatch},
@OP{ttywerase}
and
@OP{wrapmargin}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex P
@deftypefn Command {[buffer]} {P}

Insert text from a buffer.
Text from the buffer (the unnamed buffer by default) is inserted
before the current column or, if the buffer is line oriented,
before the current line.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the lowest numbered line insert,
if the buffer is line oriented, otherwise unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the appended text,
if the buffer is line oriented, otherwise, the last character
of the appended text.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex Q
@deftypefn Command {} {Q}

Exit
@CO{vi}
(or visual) mode and switch to
@CO{ex}
mode.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
No longer relevant.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex R
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {R}

Enter input mode, replacing the characters in the current line.
If
@LI{count}is specified, the text input is repeatedly input
@LI{count - 1}more times.
@sp 1
If the end of the current line is reached, no more characters are
replaced and any further characters input are appended to the line.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{altwerase},
@OP{autoindent},
@OP{beautify},
@OP{showmatch},
@OP{ttywerase}
and
@OP{wrapmargin}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex S
@deftypefn Command {[buffer] [count]} {S}

Substitute
@LI{count}lines.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{altwerase},
@OP{autoindent},
@OP{beautify},
@OP{showmatch},
@OP{ttywerase}
and
@OP{wrapmargin}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex T
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {T} {<character>}

Search backward,
@LI{count}times,
through the current line for the character
@emph{after}
the specified
@LI{<character>}.
@sp 1
The
@CO{T}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the character
@emph{after}
the searched-for character.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex U
@deftypefn Command {} {U}

Restore the current line to its state before the cursor last
moved to it.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
The first character in the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex W
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {W}

Move forward
@LI{count}bigwords.
Move the cursor forward to the beginning of a bigword by repeating the
following algorithm: if the current position is within a bigword or the
character at that position cannot be part of a bigword, move to the first
character of the next bigword.
If no subsequent bigword exists on the current line,
move to the first character of the first bigword on the first following
line that contains a bigword.
@sp 1
The
@CO{W}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
The line containing the word selected.
@item Column:
The first character of the word selected.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex X
@deftypefn Command {[buffer] [count]} {X}

Delete
@LI{count}characters before the cursor.
If the number of characters to be deleted is greater than or equal to
the number of characters to the beginning of the line, all of the
characters before the current cursor position, to the beginning of the
line, are deleted.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the current character minus
@LI{count},
or the first character if count is greater than the number of
characters in the line before the cursor.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex Y
@deftypefn Command {[buffer] [count]} {Y}

Copy (or
@QQ{yank})
@LI{count}lines into the specified buffer.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Unchanged.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex ZZ
@deftypefn Command {} {ZZ}

Write the file and exit
@CO{vi}.
The file is only written if it has been modified since the last
complete write of the file to any file.
@sp 1
The
@CO{ZZ}
command will exit the editor after writing the file,
if there are no further files to edit.
Entering two
@QQ{quit}
commands (i.e.
@CO{wq},
@CO{quit},
@CO{xit}
or
@CO{ZZ})
in a row will override this check and the editor will exit,
ignoring any files that have not yet been edited.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Unchanged.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex [[
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {[[}

Back up
@LI{count}section boundaries.
@sp 1
The
@CO{[[}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@CO{[[}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented, unless the starting position is column 0,
in which case it is line oriented.
@sp 1
It is an error if the movement is past the beginning of the file.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the previous line that is
@LI{count}section boundaries back,
or the first line of the file if no more section boundaries exist
preceding the current line.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{sections}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex ]]
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {]]}

Move forward
@LI{count}section boundaries.
@sp 1
The
@CO{]]}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@CO{]]}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented, unless the starting position is column 0,
in which case it is line oriented.
@sp 1
It is an error if the movement is past the end of the file.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line that is
@LI{count}section boundaries forward,
or to the last line of the file if no more section
boundaries exist following the current line.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{sections}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex ^
@deftypefn Command {} {^}

Move to first nonblank character on the current line.
@sp 1
The
@CO{^}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the current line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex _
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {_}

Move down
@LI{count - 1}lines, to the first nonblank character.
The
@CO{_}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
line oriented.
@sp 1
It is not an error to execute the
@CO{_}
command when the cursor is on the first character in the line.
@table @asis
@item Line:
The current line plus
@LI{count - 1}.
@item Column:
The first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex a
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {a}

Enter input mode, appending the text after the cursor.
If
@LI{count}is specified, the text input is repeatedly input
@LI{count - 1}more times.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{altwerase},
@OP{autoindent},
@OP{beautify},
@OP{showmatch},
@OP{ttywerase}
and
@OP{wrapmargin}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex b
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {b}

Move backward
@LI{count}words.
Move the cursor backward to the beginning of a word by repeating the
following algorithm: if the current position is at the beginning of a word,
move to the first character of the preceding word.
Otherwise, the current position moves to the first character of the word
at the current position.
If no preceding word exists on the current line, move to the first
character of the last word on the first preceding line that contains
a word.
@sp 1
The
@CO{b}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the word selected.
@item Column:
Set to the first character of the word selected.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex c
@deftypefn Command {[buffer] [count]} {c} {motion}

Change the region of text specified by the
@LI{count}and
@LI{motion}.
If only part of a single line is affected, then the last character
being changed is marked with a
@QT{$}.
Otherwise, the region of text is deleted, and input mode is entered.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{altwerase},
@OP{autoindent},
@OP{beautify},
@OP{showmatch},
@OP{ttywerase}
and
@OP{wrapmargin}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex d
@deftypefn Command {[buffer] [count]} {d} {motion}

Delete the region of text specified by the
@LI{count}and
@LI{motion}.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line where the region starts.
@item Column:
Set to the first character in the line after the last character in the
region.
If no such character exists, set to the last character before the region.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex e
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {e}

Move forward
@LI{count}end-of-words.
Move the cursor forward to the end of a word by repeating the following
algorithm: if the current position is the end of a word,
move to the last character of the following word.
Otherwise, move to the last character of the word at the current position.
If no succeeding word exists on the current line, move to the last character
of the first word on the next following line that contains a word.
@sp 1
The
@CO{e}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the word selected.
@item Column:
Set to the last character of the word selected.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex f
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {f} {<character>}

Search forward,
@LI{count}times, through the rest of the current line for
@LI{<character>}.
@sp 1
The
@CO{f}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the searched-for character.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex i
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {i}

Enter input mode, inserting the text before the cursor.
If
@LI{count}is specified, the text input is repeatedly input
@LI{count - 1}more times.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{altwerase},
@OP{autoindent},
@OP{beautify},
@OP{showmatch},
@OP{ttywerase}
and
@OP{wrapmargin}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex m
@deftypefn Command {} {m} {<character>}

Save the current context (line and column) as
@LI{<character>}.
The exact position is referred to by
@QT{`<character>}.
The line is referred to by
@QT{'<character>}.
@sp 1
Historically,
@LI{<character>}was restricted to lower-case letters.
@CO{Nvi}
permits the use of any character.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Unchanged.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex o
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {o}

Enter input mode, appending text in a new line under the current line.
If
@LI{count}is specified, the text input is repeatedly input
@LI{count - 1}more times.
@sp 1
Historically, any
@LI{count}specified to the
@CO{o}
command was ignored.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{altwerase},
@OP{autoindent},
@OP{beautify},
@OP{showmatch},
@OP{ttywerase}
and
@OP{wrapmargin}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex p
@deftypefn Command {[buffer]} {p}

Append text from a buffer.
Text from the buffer (the unnamed buffer by default) is appended
after the current column or, if the buffer is line oriented,
after the current line.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the first line appended, if the buffer is line oriented,
otherwise unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character of the appended text if the buffer
is line oriented, otherwise, the last character of the appended text.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex r
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {r} {<character>}

Replace characters.
The next
@LI{count}characters in the line are replaced with
@LI{<character>}.
Replacing characters with
@LI{<newline>}characters results in creating new, empty lines into the file.
@sp 1
If
@LI{<character>}is
@LI{<escape>},
the command is cancelled.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged unless the replacement character is a
@LI{<newline>},
in which case it is set to the current line plus
@LI{count - 1}.
@item Column:
Set to the last character replaced,
unless the replacement character is a
@LI{<newline>},
in which case the cursor is in column 1 of the last line inserted.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex s
@deftypefn Command {[buffer] [count]} {s}

Substitute
@LI{count}characters in the current line starting with the current character.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the last line upon which characters were entered.
@item Column:
Set to the last character entered.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{altwerase},
@OP{autoindent},
@OP{beautify},
@OP{showmatch},
@OP{ttywerase}
and
@OP{wrapmargin}
options.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex t
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {t} {<character>}

Search forward,
@LI{count}times, through the current line for the character immediately
@emph{before}
@LI{<character>}.
@sp 1
The
@CO{t}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the character
@emph{before}
the searched-for character.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex u
@deftypefn Command {} {u}

Undo the last change made to the file.
If repeated, the
@CO{u}
command alternates between these two states, and is its own inverse.
When used after an insert that inserted text on more than one line,
the lines are saved in the numeric buffers.
@sp 1
The
@CO{.}
command, when used immediately after the
@CO{u}
command, causes the change log to be rolled forward or backward,
depending on the action of the
@CO{u}
command.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the position of the first line changed, if the reversal affects
only one line or represents an addition or change; otherwise, the line
preceding the deleted text.
@item Column:
Set to the cursor position before the change was made.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex w
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {w}

Move forward
@LI{count}words.
Move the cursor forward to the beginning of a word by repeating the
following algorithm: if the current position is at the
beginning of a word, move to the first character of the next word.
If no subsequent word exists on the current line, move to the first
character of the first word on the first following line that contains
a word.
@sp 1
The
@CO{w}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the word selected.
@item Column:
Set to the first character of the word selected.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex x
@deftypefn Command {[buffer] [count]} {x}

Delete
@LI{count}characters.
The deletion is at the current character position.
If the number of characters to be deleted is greater than or equal to
the number of characters to the end of the line, all of the characters
from the current cursor position to the end of the line are deleted.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Unchanged unless the last character in the line is deleted and the cursor
is not already on the first character in the line, in which case it is
set to the previous character.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex y
@deftypefn Command {[buffer] [count]} y {motion}

Copy (or
@QQ{yank})
the text region specified by the
@LI{count}and
@LI{motion},
into a buffer.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged, unless the region covers more than a single line,
in which case it is set to the line where the region starts.
@item Column:
Unchanged, unless the region covers more than a single line,
in which case it is set to the character were the region starts.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex z
@deftypefn Command {[count1]} {z} {[count2] type}

Redraw the screen with a window
@LI{count2}lines long, with line
@LI{count1}placed as specified by the
@LI{type}character.
If
@LI{count1}is not specified, it defaults to the current line.
If
@LI{count2}is not specified, it defaults to the current window size.
@sp 1
The following
@LI{type}characters may be used:
@table @asis
@item +
If
@LI{count1}is specified, place the line
@LI{count1}at the top of the screen.
Otherwise, display the screen after the current screen, similarly to the
@CO{<control-F>}
command.
@item <carriage-return>
Place the line
@LI{count1}at the top of the screen.
@item .
Place the line
@LI{count1}in the center of the screen.
@item -
Place the line
@LI{count1}at the bottom of the screen.
@item ^
If
@LI{count1}is specified, place the line that is at the top of the screen
when
@LI{count1}is at the bottom of the screen, at the bottom of the screen,
i.e. display the screen before the screen before
@LI{count1}.
Otherwise, display the screen before the current screen, similarly to the
@CO{<control-B>}
command.
@end table
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to
@LI{count1}unless
@LI{count1}is not specified and the
@LI{type}character was either
@QT{^}
or
@QT{+},
in which case it is set to the line before the first line on the
previous screen or the line after the last line on the previous
screen, respectively.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex @{
@deftypefn Command {[count]} @{

Move backward
@LI{count}paragraphs.
@sp 1
The
@strong{@{}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@strong{@{}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented, unless the starting character is the first
character on its line, in which case it is line oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the beginning of the previous paragraph.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{paragraph}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex |
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {|}

Move to a specific
@emph{column}
position on the current line.
@sp 1
The
@CO{|}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented.
It is an error to use the
@CO{|}
command as a motion component and for the cursor not to move.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Unchanged.
@item Column:
Set to the character occupying the column position identified by
@LI{count},
if the position exists in the line.
If the column length of the current line is less than
@LI{count},
the cursor is moved to the last character in the line.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex @}
@deftypefn Command {[count]} @}

Move forward
@LI{count}paragraphs.
@sp 1
The
@strong{@}}
command is an absolute movement.
The
@strong{@}}
command may be used as the motion component of other
@CO{vi}
commands, in which case any text copied into a buffer is
character oriented, unless the starting character is at or
before any nonblank characters in its line,
in which case it is line oriented.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line containing the beginning of the next paragraph.
@item Column:
Set to the first nonblank character in the line.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{paragraph}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex ~
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {~}

Reverse the case of the next
@LI{count}character(s).
This is the historic semantic for the
@CO{~}
command and it is only in effect if the
@OP{tildeop}
option is not set.
@sp 1
Lowercase alphabetic characters are changed to uppercase,
and uppercase characters are changed to lowercase.
No other characters are affected.
@sp 1
Historically, the
@CO{~}
command did not take an associated count, nor did it move past the
end of the current line.
As it had no associated motion it was difficult to change the case
of large blocks of text.
In
@CO{nvi},
if the cursor is on the last character of a line, and there are
more lines in the file, the cursor moves to the next line.
@sp 1
It is not an error to specify a count larger than the number of
characters between the cursor and the end of the file.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line of the character after
@LI{count}characters, or, end of file.
@item Column:
Set to the character after
@LI{count}characters, or, end-of-file.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{tildeop}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex ~
@deftypefn Command {[count]} {~} {motion}

Reverse the case of the characters in a text region specified by the
@LI{count}and
@LI{motion}.
Only in effect if the
@OP{tildeop}
option is set.
@sp 1
Lowercase characters are changed to uppercase,
and uppercase characters are changed to lowercase.
No other characters are affected.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Set to the line of the character after the last character in the region.
@item Column:
Set to the character after the last character in the region.
@item Options:
Affected by the
@OP{tildeop}
option.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@cindex <interrupt>
@deftypefn Command {} {<interrupt>}

Interrupt the current operation.
Many of the potentially long-running
@CO{vi}
commands may be interrupted using the terminal interrupt character.
These operations include searches, file reading and writing, filter
operations and map character expansion.
Interrupts are also enabled when running commands outside of
@CO{vi}.
@sp 1
If the
@LI{<interrupt>}character is used to interrupt while entering an
@CO{ex}
command, the command is aborted, the cursor returns to its previous
position, and
@CO{vi}
remains in command mode.
@sp 1
Generally, if the
@LI{<interrupt>}character is used to interrupt any
operation, any changes made before the interrupt are left in place.
@table @asis
@item Line:
Dependent on the operation being interrupted.
@item Column:
Dependent on the operation being interrupted.
@item Options:
None.
@end table
@end deftypefn
@chapter Vi Text Input Commands

The following section describes the commands available in the text
input mode of the
@CO{vi}
editor.

Historically,
@CO{vi}
implementations only permitted the characters inserted on the current
line to be erased.
In addition, only the
@LI{<control-D>}erase character and the
@QT{0<control-D>}
and
@QT{^<control-D>}
erase strings could erase autoindent characters.
(Autoindent characters include both the characters inserted automatically
at the beginning of an input line as well as characters inserted using the
@LI{<control-T>}command.)
This implementation permits erasure to continue past the beginning
of the current line, and back to where text input mode was entered.
In addition, autoindent characters may be erased using the standard
erase characters.
For the line and word erase characters, reaching the autoindent
characters forms a
@QQ{soft}
boundary, denoting the end of the current word or line erase.
Repeating the word or line erase key will erase the autoindent characters.

Historically,
@CO{vi}
always used
@LI{<control-H>}and
@LI{<control-W>}as character and word erase characters, respectively, regardless of
the current terminal settings.
This implementation accepts, in addition to these two characters,
the current terminal characters for those operations.
@cindex <nul>
@deftypefn Input {} {<nul>}

If the first character of the input is a
@LI{<nul>},
the previous input is replayed, as if just entered.
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-D>
@deftypefn Input {} {<control-D>}

If the previous character on the line was an autoindent character,
erase characters to move the cursor back to the column immediately
after the previous (1-based) column which is a multiple of the
@OP{shiftwidth}
edit option.
This may result in any number of
@LI{<tab>}and
@LI{<space>}characters preceding the cursor being changed.
@sp 1
Otherwise, if the
@OP{autoindent}
option is set and the user is entering the first character in the line,
@LI{<control-D>}is ignored.
Otherwise, a literal
@LI{<control-D>}character is entered.
@end deftypefn
@cindex ^<control-D>
@deftypefn Input {} {^<control-D>}

If the previous character on the line was an autoindent character,
erase all of the autoindent characters on the line.
In addition, the autoindent level is reset to 0.
@end deftypefn
@cindex 0<control-D>
@deftypefn Input {} {0<control-D>}

If the previous character on the line was an autoindent character,
erase all of the autoindent characters on the line.
The autoindent level is not altered.
@end deftypefn
@cindex <control-T>
@deftypefn Input {} {<control-T>}

Insert sufficient
@LI{<tab>}and
@LI{<space>}characters to move the cursor forward to the column immediately
after the next (1-based) column which is a multiple of the
@OP{shiftwidth}
edit option.
This may result in any number of
@LI{<tab>}and
@LI{<space>}characters preceding the cursor being changed.
@sp 1
Historically,
@CO{vi}
did not permit the
@LI{<control-T>}command to be used unless the cursor was at the first column of a new
line or it was preceded only by autoindent characters.
@CO{Nvi}
permits it to be used at any time during insert mode.
@end deftypefn
@cindex <erase>
@deftypefn Input {} {<erase>}

@cindex <control-H>
@deftypefnx Input {} {<control-H>}
Erase the last character.
@end deftypefn
@cindex "<literal-next>"
@deftypefn Input {} {<literal-next>}

Quote the next character.
The next character will not be mapped (see the
@CO{map}
command for more information)
or interpreted specially.
A carat
@PQ{^}
character will be displayed immediately as a placeholder,
but will be replaced by the next character.
@end deftypefn
@cindex <escape>
@deftypefn Input {} {<escape>}

If on the colon command line, and the
@OP{filec}
edit option is set, behave as described for that option.
Otherwise, if on the colon command line,
execute the command.
Otherwise, if not on the colon command line,
resolve all text input into the file, and return to command mode.
@end deftypefn
@cindex "<line erase>"
@deftypefn Input {} {<line erase>}

Erase the current line.
@end deftypefn
@cindex "<control-W>"
@deftypefn Input {} {<control-W>}

@cindex "<word erase>"
@deftypefnx Input {}  {<word erase>}
Erase the last word.
The definition of word is dependent on the
@OP{altwerase}
and
@OP{ttywerase}
options.
@end deftypefn
@cindex "<control-X>"
@deftypefn Input {} {<control-X>[0-9A-Fa-f]+}

Insert a character with the specified hexadecimal value into the text.
The value is delimited by any non-hexadecimal character or the input
of the maximum number of characters that can be translated into a single
character value.
@end deftypefn
@cindex <interrupt>
@deftypefn Input {} {<interrupt>}

Interrupt text input mode, returning to command mode.
If the
@LI{<interrupt>}character is used to interrupt inserting text into the file,
it is as if the
@LI{<escape>}character was used; all text input up to the interruption is
resolved into the file.
@end deftypefn