VI

VI(1)

AerieBSD 1.0 Refernce Manual

VI(1)

NAME

ex — text editor

SYNOPSIS

ex [-FRrSsv] [-c cmd] [-t tag] [-w size] [file]... vi\\& [-eFRrS] [-c cmd] [-t tag] [-w size] [file]... view [-eFrS] [-c cmd] [-t tag] [-w size] [file]...

DESCRIPTION

ex is a line-oriented text editor; vi is a screen-oriented text editor. ex and vi are different interfaces to the same program, and it is possible to switch back and forth during an edit session. view is the equivalent of using the -R (read-only) option of vi.

This manual page is the one provided with the nex versions of the ex text editors. nex are intended as bug-for-bug compatible replacements for the original Fourth Berkeley Software Distribution (4BSD) ex and vi programs. For the rest of this manual page, nex is used only when it's necessary to distinguish it from the historic implementations of ex.

This manual page is intended for users already familiar with ex. Anyone else should almost certainly read a good tutorial on the editor before this manual page. See the section below for a list of additional materials. If you're in an unfamiliar environment, and you absolutely have to get work done immediately, read the section after the options description, entitled It's probably enough to get you going.

The following options are available:

-c cmd: Execute cmd on the first file loaded. Particularly useful for initial positioning in the file, although cmd is not limited to positioning commands. This is the POSIX 1003.2 interface for the historic “+cmd” syntax. nex supports both the old and new syntax.
-e: Start editing in ex mode, as if the command name were ex.
-F: Don't copy the entire file when first starting to edit. (The default is to make a copy in case someone else modifies the file during your edit session.)
-R: Start editing in read-only mode, as if the command name was view, or the -readonly option was set.
-r: Recover the specified files, or, if no files are specified, list the files that could be recovered. If no recoverable files by the specified name exist, the file is edited as if the -r option had not been specified.
-S: Run with the -secure edit option set, disallowing all access to external programs.
-s: Enter batch mode; applicable only to ex edit sessions. Batch mode is useful when running ex scripts. Prompts, informative messages and other user oriented messages are turned off, and no startup files or environment variables are read. This is the POSIX 1003.2 interface for the historic “-” argument. nex supports both the old and new syntax.
-t tag: Start editing at the specified tag (see ctags(1/)).
-v: Start editing in vi mode, as if the command name was vi.
-w size: Set the initial window size to the specified number of lines.

Command input for ex is read from the standard input. In the vi interface, it is an error if standard input is not a terminal. In the ex interface, if standard input is not a terminal, ex will read commands from it regardless; however, the session will be a batch mode session, exactly as if the -s option had been specified.

ex exits 0 on success, or greater than 0 if an error occurs.

FAST STARTUP

This section will tell you the minimum amount that you need to do simple editing tasks using vi. If you've never used any screen editor before, you're likely to have problems even with this simple introduction. In that case you should find someone that already knows vi and have them walk you through this section.

vi is a screen editor. This means that it takes up almost the entire screen, displaying part of the file on each screen line, except for the last line of the screen. The last line of the screen is used for you to give commands to vi, and for vi to give information to you.

The other fact that you need to understand is that vi is a modeful editor, i.e. you are either entering text or you are executing commands, and you have to be in the right mode to do one or the other. You will be in command mode when you first start editing a file. There are commands that switch you into input mode. There is only one key that takes you out of input mode, and that is the ‹escape› key.

Key names are written using less-than and greater-than signs, e.g.\& ‹escape› means the “escape” key, usually labeled “Esc” on your terminal's keyboard. If you're ever confused as to which mode you're in, keep entering the ‹escape› key until vi beeps at you. Generally, vi will beep at you if you try and do something that's not allowed. It will also display error messages.

To start editing a file, enter the following command:

$ vi file

The command you should enter as soon as you start editing is:

:set verbose showmode

This will make the editor give you verbose error messages and display the current mode at the bottom of the screen.

The commands to move around the file are:

-h: Move the cursor left one character.
-j: Move the cursor down one line.
-k: Move the cursor up one line.
-l: Move the cursor right one character.
‹-cursor-arrows›: The cursor arrow keys should work, too.
-/: Search for the string “text” in the file, and move the cursor to its first character.

The commands to enter new text are:

-a: Append new text, after the cursor.
-i: Insert new text, before the cursor.
-O: Open a new line above the line the cursor is on, and start entering text.
-o: Open a new line below the line the cursor is on, and start entering text.
‹-escape›: Once you've entered input mode using one of the -a, -i, -O or -o commands, use ‹-escape› to quit entering text and return to command mode.

The commands to copy text are:

-p: Append the copied line after the line the cursor is on.
-yy: Copy the line the cursor is on.

The commands to delete text are:

-dd: Delete the line the cursor is on.
-x: Delete the character the cursor is on.

The commands to write the file are:

-:w: Write the file back to the file with the name that you originally used as an argument on the vi command line.
-:wfile_name: Write the file back to the file with the name file_name.

The commands to quit editing and exit the editor are:

-:q: Quit editing and leave vi (if you've modified the file, but not saved your changes, vi will refuse to quit).
-:q!: Quit, discarding any modifications that you may have made.

One final caution: Unusual characters can take up more than one column on the screen, and long lines can take up more than a single screen line. The above commands work on “physical” characters and lines, i.e. they affect the entire line no matter how many screen lines it takes up and the entire character no matter how many screen columns it takes up.

VI COMMANDS

The following section describes the commands available in the command mode of the vi editor. In each entry below, the tag line is a usage synopsis for the command character.

‹-control-A› Search forward for the current word.

[count] ‹-control-B› Page backwards count screens.

[count] ‹-control-D› Scroll forward count lines. If count is not given, scroll forward half the number of lines in the current screen.

[count] ‹-control-E› Scroll forward count lines, leaving the current line and column as is, if possible.

[count] ‹-control-F› Page forward count screens.

‹-control-G›

Display the file information.

[count] ‹-control-H›

[count] -h Move the cursor back count characters in the current line.

[count] ‹-control-J›

[count] ‹-control-N›

[count] -j Move the cursor down count lines without changing the current column.

‹-control-L›

‹-control-R›

Repaint the screen.

[count] ‹-control-M›

[count] -+ Move the cursor down count lines to the first non-blank character of that line.

[count] ‹-control-P›

[count] -k Move the cursor up count lines, without changing the current column.

‹-control-T›

Return to the most recent tag context.

[count] ‹-control-U› Scroll backwards count lines. If count is not given, scroll forward half the number of lines in the current screen.

‹-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.

[count] ‹-control-Y› Scroll backwards count lines, leaving the current line and column as is, if possible.

‹-control-Z›

Suspend the current editor session.

‹-escape›

Execute ex commands or cancel partial commands.

‹-control-]›

Push a tag reference onto the tag stack.

‹-control-^›

Switch to the most recently edited file.

[count] ‹-space›

[count] -l Move the cursor forward count characters without changing the current line.

[count] -!\& motionshell-argument(s) ‹carriage-return› Replace text with results from a shell command.

[count] -# .Sm off -#| + | - .Sm on Increment or decrement the number under the cursor. If the trailing character is a ‘#’ or ‘+’, the number is incremented. If the trailing character is a ‘-’, the number is decremented.

[count] -$ Move the cursor to the end of a line.

-%

Move to the matching character.

-&

Repeat the previous substitution command on the current line.

-` Return to a context marked by the character character. The first form returns to the beginning of the line marked by character. The second form returns to the first character of the context marked by character.

[count] -(\& Back up count sentences.

[count] -)\& Move forward count sentences.

[count] -,\& Reverse find character count times.

[count] -- Move to the first non-blank of the previous line, count times.

[count] -.\& Repeat the last vi command that modified text.

.Pf / Ns Ar RE ‹carriage-return›

.Pf / Ns Ar RE Ns / [offset] ‹carriage-return›

.Pf ?\& Ns Ar RE ‹carriage-return›

.Pf ?\& Ns Ar RE Ns ?\& [offset] ‹carriage-return›

-N

-n

Search forward (‘/’) or backward (‘?\&’) for a regular expression. -n and -N repeat the last search in the same or opposite directions, respectively. If offset is specified, the cursor is placed offset lines before or after the matched regular expression.

-0

Move to the first character in the current line.

-:\&

Execute an ex command.

[count] -;\& Repeat the last character find count times.

[count] .Pf \ \&< Ar motion

[count] .Pf \ \&> Ar motion Shift lines left or right.

-@buffer

Execute a named buffer.

[count] -A Enter input mode, appending the text after the end of the line. If a count argument is given, the characters input are repeated count \- 1 number of times.

[count] -B Move backwards count bigwords.

[buffer] [count] -C Change text from the current position to the end-of-line. If buffer is specified, “yank” the deleted text into buffer.

[buffer] -D Delete text from the current position to the end-of-line. If buffer is specified, “yank” the deleted text into buffer.

[count] -E Move forward count end-of-bigwords.

[count] -F‹character› Search count times backward through the current line for character.

[count] -G Move to line count, or the last line of the file if count is not specified.

[count] -H Move to the screen line count \- 1 lines below the top of the screen.

[count] -I Enter input mode, inserting the text at the beginning of the line. If a count argument is given, the characters input are repeated count \- 1 number of times.

[count] -J Join lines.

[count] -L Move to the screen line count \- 1 lines above the bottom of the screen.

-M

Move to the screen line in the middle of the screen.

[count] -O Enter input mode, appending text in a new line above the current line. If a count argument is given, the characters input are repeated count \- 1 number of times.

[buffer] -P Insert text from a buffer.

-Q

Exit vi (or visual) mode and switch to ex mode.

[count] -R Enter input mode, replacing the characters in the current line. If a count argument is given, the characters input are repeated count \- 1 number of times.

[buffer] [count] -S Substitute count lines. If buffer is specified, “yank” the deleted text into buffer.

[count] -T ‹character› Search backwards, count times, through the current line for the character after the specified character.

-U

Restore the current line to its state before the cursor last moved to it.

[count] -W Move forward count bigwords.

[buffer] [count] -X Delete count characters before the cursor. If buffer is specified, “yank” the deleted text into buffer.

[buffer] [count] -Y Copy (or “yank”) count lines into the specified buffer, or the default buffer if none is specified.

-ZZ

Write the file and exit vi.

[count] -[[ Back up count section boundaries.

[count] -]] Move forward count section boundaries.

-^

Move to the first non-blank character on the current line.

[count] -_ Move down count \- 1 lines, to the first non-blank character.

[count] -a Enter input mode, appending the text after the cursor. If a count argument is given, the characters input are repeated count \-1 number of times.

[count] -b Move backwards count words.

[buffer] [count] -c motion Change a region of text.

[buffer] [count] -d motion Delete a region of text.

[count] -e Move forward count end-of-words.

[count] -f‹character› Search forward, count times, through the rest of the current line for ‹character›.

[count] -i Enter input mode, inserting the text before the cursor. If a count argument is given, the characters input are repeated count \-1 number of times.

-m ‹character› Save the current context (line and column) as ‹character›.

[count] -o Enter input mode, appending text in a new line under the current line. If a count argument is given, the characters input are repeated count \- 1 number of times.

[buffer] -p Append text from a buffer.

[count] -r ‹character› Replace count characters.

[buffer] [count] -s Substitute count characters in the current line starting with the current character.

[count] -t ‹character› Search forward, count times, through the current line for the character immediately before ‹character›.

-u

Undo the last change made to the file.

[count] -w Move forward count words.

[buffer] [count] -x Delete count characters.

[buffer] [count] -y motion Copy (or “yank”) a text region specified by count and motion into a buffer.

[count1] -z [count2] -type Redraw, optionally repositioning and resizing the screen. If count2 is specified, limit the screen size to count2 lines. The following -type characters may be used:

-+: If count1 is specified, place the line count1 at the top of the screen. Otherwise, display the screen after the current screen.
‹-carriage-return›: Place the line count1 at the top of the screen.
-.\&: Place the line count1 in the center of the screen.
--: Place the line count1 at the bottom of the screen.
-^: If count1 is given, display the screen before the screen before count1 (i.e. 2 screens before). Otherwise, display the screen before the current screen.

[count] -{\& Move backward count paragraphs.

[column] -|\& Move to a specific column position on the current line. If column is omitted, move to the start of the current line.

[count] -}\& Move forward count paragraphs.

[count] -~ Reverse the case of the next count character(s).

[count] -~ motion Reverse the case of the characters in a text region specified by the count and motion. Only in effect if the -tildeop option is set.

‹-interrupt›

Interrupt the current operation. The ‹interrupt› character is usually ‹control-C›.

VI TEXT INPUT COMMANDS

The following section describes the commands available in the text input mode of the vi editor.

‹-nul›: Replay the previous input.
‹-control-D›: Erase to the previous shiftwidth column boundary.
-^: Erase all of the autoindent characters, and reset the autoindent level.
-0: Erase all of the autoindent characters.
‹-control-T›: Insert sufficient ‹tab› and ‹space› characters to move forward to the next shiftwidth column boundary.
‹-erase›
‹-control-H›: Erase the last character.
‹-literalnext›: Escape the next character from any special meaning. The ‹literal\ \&next› character is usually ‹control-V›.
‹-escape›: Resolve all text input into the file, and return to command mode.
‹-lineerase›: Erase the current line.
‹-control-W›
‹-worderase›: Erase the last word. The definition of word is dependent on the -altwerase and -ttywerase options.
.Sm off
: ‹-control-X› [-0-9A-Fa-f] -+ .Sm on Insert a character with the specified hexadecimal value into the text.
‹-interrupt›: Interrupt text input mode, returning to command mode. The ‹interrupt› character is usually ‹control-C›.

EX COMMANDS

The following section describes the commands available in the ex editor. In each entry below, the tag line is a usage synopsis for the command.

‹-end-of-file›: Scroll the screen.
-!\&argument(s)
: [range] -!\& argument(s) Execute a shell command, or filter lines through a shell command.
-\&": A comment.
: [range] -nu [count] [flags]
: [range] -# [count] [flags] Display the selected lines, each preceded with its line number.
-@buffer
-*buffer: Execute a buffer.
: [range] -<... [count] [flags] Shift lines left.
: [line] -= [flags] Display the line number of line. If line is not specified, display the line number of the last line in the file.
: [range] ->... [count] [flags] Shift lines right.
: -ab lhsrhs vi only. Add lhs as an abbreviation for rhs to the abbreviation list.
: [line] -a [-!\&] The input text is appended after the specified line.
-ar: Display the argument list.
-bg: vi only. Background the current screen.
: [range] -c [-!\&] [count] The input text replaces the specified range.
: -chd [-!\&] [directory]
: -cd [directory] Change the current working directory.
: [range] -co line [flags]
: [range] -t line [flags] Copy the specified lines after the destination line.
: -cs -add| find | help | kill | reset Execute a Cscope command.
: [range] -d [buffer] [count] [flags] Delete the lines from the file.
: -di -b -c -s -t Display buffers, Cscope connections, screens or tags.
: [-Ee] [-dit] [-!\&] [+cmd] [file]
: [-Ee] -x [+cmd] [file] Edit a different file.
: -exu [command] Display usage for an ex command.
: -f [file] Display and optionally change the file name.
: [-Ff] -g [name] vi mode only. Foreground the specified screen.
: [range] -g / [commands]
: [range] -v / [commands] Apply commands to lines matching (‘global’) or not matching (‘v’) a pattern.
-he: Display a help message.
: [line] -i [-!\&] The input text is inserted before the specified line.
: [range] -j [-!\&] [count] [flags] Join lines of text together.
: [range] -l [count] [flags] Display the lines unambiguously.
: -map [lhsrhs] Define or display maps (for vi only).
: [line] -ma ‹character›
: [line] -k‹character› Mark the line with the mark ‹character›.
: [range] -m line Move the specified lines after the target line.
: -mk [-!\&] file Write the abbreviations, editor options and maps to the specified file.
: [-Nn] [-ext] [-!\&] [file]... Edit the next file from the argument list.
-pre: Save the file in a form that can later be recovered using the ex -r option.
: [-\&Pp] -rev [-!\&] Edit the previous file from the argument list.
: [range] -p [count] [flags] Display the specified lines.
: [line] -pu [buffer] Append buffer contents to the current line.
: -q [-!\&] End the editing session.
: [line] -r [-!\&] [file] Read a file.
: -rec file Recover file if it was previously saved.
: -res [-+] size vi mode only. Grow or shrink the current screen.
: -rew [-!\&] Rewind the argument list.
: -se .Sm off [option Oo = Oo value Oc Oc \ \&...] .Sm on .Pf \ \& Op nooption ... [option?]... [all] Display or set editor options.
-sh: Run a shell program.
: -so file Read and execute ex commands from a file.
: [range] -s .Sm off [/ pattern/ replace/] .Sm on .Pf \ \& Op Ar options [count] [flags]
: [range] -& [options] [count] [flags]
: [range] -~ [options] [count] [flags] Make substitutions.
: -su [-!\&]
: -st [-!\&]
‹-suspend›: Suspend the edit session. The ‹suspend› character is usually ‹control-Z›.
: [-Tt] -a [-!\&] tagstring Edit the file containing the specified tag.
: [-Tt] -agn [-!\&] Edit the file containing the next context for the current tag.
: -tagp [-!\&] [file| number] Pop to the specified tag in the tags stack.
: [-Tt] -agp [-!\&] Edit the file containing the previous context for the current tag.
: -tagt [-!\&] Pop to the least recent tag on the tags stack, clearing the stack.
: -una lhs vi only. Delete an abbreviation.
-u: Undo the last change made to the file.
: -unm [-!\&] lhs Unmap a mapped string.
-ve: Display the version of the ex editor.
: [line] -vi [type] [count] [flags] ex mode only. Enter vi.
: [-Vi] -i [-!\&] [+cmd] [file] vi mode only. Edit a new file.
: -viu [command] Display usage for a vi command.
: [range] -w [-!\&] [>>] [file]
: [range] -w [-!\&] [file]
: [range] -wn [>>] [file]
: [range] -wq [>>] [file] Write the file.
: [range] -x [-!\&] [file] Exit the editor, writing the file if it has been modified.
: [range] -ya [buffer] [count] Copy the specified lines to a buffer.
: [line] -z [type] [count] [flags] Adjust the window.

SET OPTIONS

There are a large number of options that may be set (or unset) to change the editor's behavior. This section describes the options, their abbreviations and their default values.

In each entry below, the first part of the tag line is the full name of the option, followed by any equivalent abbreviations. The part in square brackets is the default value of the option. Most of the options are boolean, i.e. they are either on or off, and do not have an associated value.

Options apply to both ex and vi modes, unless otherwise specified.

-altwerase[off]: vi only. Select an alternate word erase algorithm.
-autoindent, ai [off]: Automatically indent new lines.
-autoprint, ap [on]: ex only. Display the current line automatically.
-autowrite, aw [off]: Write modified files automatically when changing files.
-backup[\&"\&"]: Back up files before they are overwritten.
-beautify, bf [off]: Discard control characters.
-cdpath["environment variable CDPATH, or current directory"]: The directory paths used as path prefixes for the -cd command.
-cedit[no default]: Set the character to edit the colon command-line history.
-columns, co [80]: Set the number of columns in the screen.
-comment[off]: vi only. Skip leading comments in shell, C and C++ language files.
-directory, dir ["environment variable TMPDIR, or /tmp"]: The directory where temporary files are created.
-edcompatible, ed [off]: Remember the values of the ‘c’ and ‘g’ suffixes to the -substitute commands, instead of initializing them as unset for each new command.
-escapetime[1]: The 10th's of a second ex waits for a subsequent key to complete an ‹escape› key mapping.
-errorbells, eb [off]: ex only. Announce error messages with a bell.
-exrc, ex [off]: Read the startup files in the local directory.
-extended[off]: Use extended regular expressions (EREs) rather than basic regular expressions (BREs). See re_format(7) for more information on regular expressions.
-filec[no default]: Set the character to perform file path completion on the colon command line.
-flash[on]: Flash the screen instead of beeping the keyboard on error.
-hardtabs, ht [0]: Set the spacing between hardware tab settings. This option currently has no effect.
-iclower[off]: Makes all regular expressions case-insensitive, as long as an upper-case letter does not appear in the search string.
-ignorecase, ic [off]: Ignore case differences in regular expressions.
-keytime[6]: The 10th's of a second ex waits for a subsequent key to complete a key mapping.
-leftright[off]: vi only. Do left-right scrolling.
-lines, li [24]: vi only. Set the number of lines in the screen.
-lisp[off]: vi only. Modify various search commands and options to work with Lisp. This option is not yet implemented.
-list[off]: Display lines in an unambiguous fashion.
-lock[on]: Attempt to get an exclusive lock on any file being edited, read or written.
-magic[on]: Treat certain characters specially in regular expressions.
-matchtime[7]: vi only. The 10th's of a second ex pauses on the matching character when the -showmatch option is set.
-mesg[on]: Permit messages from other users.
-mesgcat[/usr/share/vi/catalog/]: Selects a message catalog to be used to display error and informational messages in a specified language.
-modelines, modeline [off]: Read the first and last few lines of each file for ex commands. This option will never be implemented.
-noprint[\&"\&"]: Characters that are never handled as printable characters.
-number,nu [off]: Precede each line displayed with its current line number.
-octal[off]: Display unknown characters as octal numbers, instead of the default hexadecimal.
-open[on]: ex only. If this option is not set, the -open and -visual commands are disallowed.
-optimize, opt [on]: vi only. Optimize text throughput to dumb terminals. This option is not yet implemented
-paragraphs, para ["IPLPPPQPP LIpplpipbp"]: vi only. Define additional paragraph boundaries for the -{\& and -}\& commands.
-path[\&"\&"]: Define additional directories to search for files being edited.
-print[\&"\&"]: Characters that are always handled as printable characters.
-prompt[on]: ex only. Display a command prompt.
-readonly, ro [off]: Mark the file and session as read-only.
-recdir[/var/tmp/vi.recover]: The directory where recovery files are stored.
-redraw, re [off]: vi only. Simulate an intelligent terminal on a dumb one. This option is not yet implemented.
-remap[on]: Remap keys until resolved.
-report[5]: Set the number of lines about which the editor reports changes or yanks.
-ruler[off]: vi only. Display a row/column ruler on the colon command line.
-scroll, scr ["($LINES \- 1) / 2"]: Set the number of lines scrolled.
-searchincr[off]: Makes the -/ and -?\& commands incremental.
-sections, sect ["NHSHH HUnhsh"]: vi only. Define additional section boundaries for the -[[ and -]] commands.
-secure[off]: Turns off all access to external programs.
-shell, sh ["environment variable SHELL, or /bin/sh"]: Select the shell used by the editor.
-shellmeta[~{[*?$`'\&"\e]: Set the meta characters checked to determine if file name expansion is necessary.
-shiftwidth, sw [8]: Set the autoindent and shift command indentation width.
-showmatch, sm [off]: vi only. Note matching ‘{’ and ‘’( for ‘}’ and ‘)\&’ characters.
-showmode, smd [off]: vi only. Display the current editor mode and a “modified” flag.
-sidescroll[16]: vi only. Set the amount a left-right scroll will shift.
-slowopen, slow [off]: Delay display updating during text input. This option is not yet implemented.
-sourceany[off]: Read startup files not owned by the current user. This option will never be implemented.
-tabstop, ts [8]: This option sets tab widths for the editor display.
-taglength, tl [0]: Set the number of significant characters in tag names.
-tags,tag [tags]: Set the list of tags files.
: -term, ttytype , tty ["environment variable TERM"] Set the terminal type.
-terse[off]: This option has historically made editor messages less verbose. It has no effect in this implementation.
-tildeop[off]: Modify the -~ command to take an associated motion.
-timeout, to [on]: Time out on keys which may be mapped.
-ttywerase[off]: vi only. Select an alternate erase algorithm.
-verbose[off]: vi only. Display an error message for every error.
-w300[no default]: vi only. Set the window size if the baud rate is less than 1200 baud.
-w1200[no default]: vi only. Set the window size if the baud rate is equal to 1200 baud.
-w9600[no default]: vi only. Set the window size if the baud rate is greater than 1200 baud.
-warn[on]: ex only. This option causes a warning message to be printed on the terminal if the file has been modified since it was last written, before a -!\& command.
: -window, w , wi ["environment variable LINES \- 1"] Set the window size for the screen.
-windowname[off]: Change the icon/window name to the current file name even if it can't be restored on editor exit.
-wraplen, wl [0]: vi only. Break lines automatically, the specified number of columns from the left-hand margin. If both the -wraplen and -wrapmargin edit options are set, the -wrapmargin value is used.
-wrapmargin, wm [0]: vi only. Break lines automatically, the specified number of columns from the right-hand margin. If both the -wraplen and -wrapmargin edit options are set, the -wrapmargin value is used.
-wrapscan, ws [on]: Set searches to wrap around the end or beginning of the file.
-writeany, wa [off]: Turn off file-overwriting checks.

ENVIRONMENT

COLUMNS: The number of columns on the screen. This value overrides any system or terminal specific values. If the COLUMNS environment variable is not set when ex runs, or the -columns option is explicitly reset by the user, ex enters the value into the environment.
EXINIT: A list of ex startup commands; read if the variable NEXINIT is not set.
HOME: The user's home directory, used as the initial directory path for the startup $HOME/.nexrc and $HOME/.exrc files. This value is also used as the default directory for the vi -cd command.
LINES: The number of rows on the screen. This value overrides any system or terminal specific values. If the LINES environment variable is not set when ex runs, or the -lines option is explicitly reset by the user, ex enters the value into the environment.
NEXINIT: A list of ex startup commands.
SHELL: The user's shell of choice (see also the -shell option).
TERM: The user's terminal type. The default is the type “unknown”. If the TERM environment variable is not set when ex runs, or the -term option is explicitly reset by the user, ex enters the value into the environment.
TMPDIR: The location used to stored temporary files (see also the -directory edit option).

ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS

SIGALRM: vi uses this signal for periodic backups of file modifications and to display “busy” messages when operations are likely to take a long time.
SIGHUP
SIGTERM: If the current buffer has changed since it was last written in its entirety, the editor attempts to save the modified file so it can be later recovered. See the vi reference manual section for more information.
SIGINT: When an interrupt occurs, the current operation is halted and the editor returns to the command level. If interrupted during text input, the text already input is resolved into the file as if the text input had been normally terminated.
SIGWINCH: The screen is resized. See the vi reference manual section for more information.

FILES

/bin/sh: The default user shell.
/etc/vi.exrc: System-wide vi startup file.
/tmp: Temporary file directory.
/var/tmp/vi.recover: The default recovery file directory.
$HOME/.nexrc: First choice for user's home directory startup file.
$HOME/.exrc: Second choice for user's home directory startup file.
.nexrc: First choice for local directory startup file.
.exrc: Second choice for local directory startup file.

STANDARDS

nex is close to That document differs from historical ex practice in several places; there are changes to be made on both sides.

HISTORY

The nex replacements for the ex editor first appeared in 4.4BSD.

AerieBSD 1.0 Reference Manual

August 26 2008

VI(1)

NAME

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

FAST STARTUP

VI COMMANDS

VI TEXT INPUT COMMANDS

EX COMMANDS

SET OPTIONS

ENVIRONMENT

ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS

FILES

SEE ALSO

STANDARDS

HISTORY