6.5.1 Moving Around in a File
In the previous sections you learned how to create, save, print, and exit a vi file. Now that you have created a file, you'll need to understand the concepts required to navigate within it. Open your practice file now, and try out each of the commands discussed in this section.
6.5.1.1 Moving the Cursor
When you start vi, the cursor is in the upper left corner of the vi screen. In command mode, you can move the cursor with a number of keyboard commands. Certain letter keys, the arrow keys, and the Return key, Back Space (or Delete) key, and the Space Bar can all be used to move the cursor when you're in command mode.
Note -
Most vi commands are case-sensitive; the "same" command typed in lowercase and uppercase characters could have radically different effects.
Moving with Arrow Keys
If your machine is equipped with arrow keys, try these now. You should be able to move the cursor freely about the screen using combinations of the up, down, right, and left arrow keys. Notice that you can only move the cursor across already existing text or input spaces.
If you're using vi from a remote terminal, the arrow keys may not work correctly. This will depend on your terminal emulator. If the arrow keys don't work in your case, you can use the following substitutes:
Moving One Word
Press w ("word") to move the cursor to the right one word at a time.
Press b ("back") to move the cursor to the left one word at a time.
Press W or B to move the cursor past the adjacent punctuation to the next or previous blank space.
Press e ("end") to move the cursor to the last character of the current word.
Moving to Start or End of Line
Press ^ to move the cursor to the start of the current line.
Press $ to move the cursor to the end of the current line.
Moving Down One Line
Press the Return key to move the cursor to the beginning of the next line down.
Moving Left
Press the Back Space key to move the cursor one character to the left.
Moving Right
Press the Space Bar to move the cursor one character to the right.
Moving to the Top
Press H ("high") to move the cursor to the top of the screen.
Moving to the Middle
Press M ("middle") to move the cursor to the middle of the screen.
Moving to the Bottom
Press L ("low") to move the cursor to the bottom of the screen.
6.5.1.2 Paging and Scrolling
If you move down when the cursor is at the bottom of the screen, or move up when the cursor is at the top of the screen, you will see the text scroll up or down. This can be an effective way to display more text in a very short file, but it can be tedious to move this way through a long file.
You may have noticed that moving the cursor either past the bottom or past the top of the screen has the effect of scrolling text up or down. This works for a very short file, but it is a tedious way to move through a long file.
You can page or scroll backward or forward through a file, a screen or a half-screen at a time. (To try out these commands on paint, you might want to add text so you have a longer file to work with.)
Note that there is a fundamental difference between paging and scrolling. Scrolling actually scrolls the cursor up or down through the text a line at a time, as though it were on a paper scroll. Paging moves the cursor up or down through the text a screenful at a time. On a fast system, you might not notice the difference. However, if you're working from a remote terminal or in some other situation where your system is running slower than usual, this difference can become painfully apparent.
Page Forward One Screen
To scroll forward (move down) one screenful, press Ctrl-F. (Hold down the Control key and press the F key.) The cursor moves to the upper left corner of the new screen.
Scroll Forward One-Half Screen
To scroll forward one half of a screen, press Ctrl-D.
Page Backward One Screen
To scroll backward (i.e., move up) one screenful, press Ctrl-B.
Scroll Backward One-Half Screen
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