Start vi and edit the file paint as shown in this example:
$ vi paint |
If paint already exists, vi will open the existing file; if this is a new file, vi will create it. For the purposes of this example, paint should be a new file.
The vi editing screen appears in a moment:
The cursor appears in the upper left corner of the screen. Blank lines are indicated by a vertical series of tildes (~).
Note that you can also start vi without specifying a file name by just typing vi. You can then name the file later when you exit vi.