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OK - I am linux newbie - I am trying to edit a file from bash via edit <filename> command in whatever the default mode is (I am assuming 'vi'?).

Problem is for the hell of me I cannot how to save and out of edit mode - this cheatsheet seems to suggest ESC should do the trick but it doesn't seem to work.

I am connecting via ssh from a mac to a linux suse enterprise 11 box.

Any help appreciated!

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Additionally I would setup some aliases in your .bashrc if you plan to continue using edit so you can specify which editor is used when using the edit command. Personally I just type in vim preceeding a file that I want to edit but to each their own. – Wilshire Jun 19 '11 at 18:45
cheers - thanks for the suggestions! – JohnIdol Jun 19 '11 at 19:59
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2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

Esc will only throw you back into command mode in VI or Vim. To Save and quit press Shift + Z + Z, :wq, or :x in command mode. If you are opening the file in read only mode you will have to hit :q!.

Consider looking at this cheatsheet as well for more macros VI cheatsheet

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+1 dude - THANKS! – JohnIdol Jun 19 '11 at 18:35
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:wq to quit and save. – petrus Jun 19 '11 at 20:13
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:x does the same as :wq - but you save one key :) – faker Jun 19 '11 at 22:43
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up vote 1 down vote

If you are new to Linux I would suggest using something other than vi. For instance, nano is fairly user-friendly, although much less powerful. Also, vim is a variant of vi that has some more features (like syntax highlighting) and is slightly easier to use.

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