Text Editors

Introduction

Linux provides text editors ranging from beginner-friendly to extremely powerful:

Text editors overview

Editor	Type	Best for
`nano`	Terminal	Quick edits, beginners
`gedit`	GUI	Desktop users who want Notepad-like simplicity
`vim` / `vi`	Terminal	Full-featured editing, ubiquitous on servers
`emacs`	Terminal + GUI	Programmers, extensible to an IDE

`nano` - Simple Terminal Editor

nano is the easiest entry point to terminal editing. It shows a shortcut bar at the bottom of the screen - no modes to remember.

nano filename       # open (or create) a file

Essential shortcuts:

Shortcut	Action
`CTRL-G`	Display help
`CTRL-O`	Write (save) the file
`CTRL-X`	Exit (prompts to save if unsaved changes)
`CTRL-R`	Insert contents from another file
`CTRL-K`	Cut line
`CTRL-U`	Paste
`CTRL-W`	Search
`CTRL-C`	Show cursor position (line:column)

`gedit` - Graphical Editor

gedit is the GNOME text editor - similar to Notepad on Windows. It requires a graphical desktop environment and cannot run in a headless terminal session.

gedit filename      # open file; creates it if it doesn't exist

Good for quick edits when you’re on a desktop. Not available over SSH unless X forwarding is configured.

`vi` / `vim` - The Ubiquitous Editor

vim (Vi IMproved) is the enhanced version of the classic vi. It’s installed on virtually every Linux/Unix system - if you only learn one terminal editor, make it vim.

vi uses modes - the same key does different things depending on the current mode:

Mode	How to enter	Purpose
Command	Default (press `Esc`)	Navigate, delete, copy, issue commands
Insert	Press `i`	Type and edit text (`-- INSERT --` shown at bottom)
Line	Press `:`	File commands (save, quit, substitute)

Opening and Saving Files

Command	Usage
`vi myfile`	Open `myfile`
`vi -r myfile`	Open in recovery mode after a crash
`:r file2`	Insert `file2` at current position
`:w`	Write (save) the current file
`:w myfile`	Write to `myfile`
`:w! file2`	Force overwrite `file2`
`:x` or `:wq`	Save and quit
`:q`	Quit (fails if unsaved changes)
`:q!`	Force quit without saving

Key	Movement
Arrow keys / `hjkl`	Left, down, up, right
`0`	Beginning of line
`$`	End of line
`w`	Next word
`b`	Previous word
`gg` or `:0`	Beginning of file
`G` or `:$`	End of file
`:n` or `nG`	Go to line n
`CTRL-F` / `Page Down`	Forward one page
`CTRL-B` / `Page Up`	Back one page
`^l`	Refresh and center screen

Searching

Command	Action
`/pattern`	Search forward
`?pattern`	Search backward
`n`	Next match
`N`	Previous match

Text Operations

Command	Action
`dd`	Cut (delete) current line
`yy`	Copy (yank) current line
`p`	Paste after cursor
`u`	Undo
`CTRL-R`	Redo
`x`	Delete character under cursor
`dw`	Delete word

External Commands in vi

You can run shell commands without leaving vi:

:!wc %          " Run wc on the current file (% = current filename)
:!ls /tmp       " Run ls /tmp and show output
:sh             " Open a subshell (exit to return to vi)

`emacs` - The Extensible Editor

emacs is a powerful editor that can be extended with Lisp into a development environment. It uses CTRL and Meta (Alt or Esc) key combinations instead of modes.

emacs myfile      # open in terminal
emacs &           # open GUI version in background

Essential emacs Commands

Key	Action
`emacs myfile`	Open a file
`CTRL-x i`	Insert (another) file at cursor position
`CTRL-x s`	Save all modified files
`CTRL-x CTRL-s`	Save the current file
`CTRL-x CTRL-w`	Write to a new filename
`CTRL-x CTRL-c`	Exit (prompts to save unsaved files)
`CTRL-/`	Undo
`CTRL-g`	Cancel current operation
`CTRL-s`	Search forward
`CTRL-r`	Search backward
`META-x`	Run an emacs command by name

Quick Comparison

Feature	nano	vim	emacs
Learning curve	Low	Medium	High
Modal editing	No	Yes	No
Ubiquity on servers	High	Very high	Medium
Scripting / macros	Basic	VimScript	Elisp
Best workflow	One-off edits	Everything	Power users

Text Editors

Introduction

nano - Simple Terminal Editor

gedit - Graphical Editor

vi / vim - The Ubiquitous Editor

Modal Editing