Just Enough to Get By (Reference : Prentice Hall Linux Desk Reference Second Edition)

As the heading suggests, in this section I attempt to present a subset of the vi commands large enough to enable you to accomplish basic tasks, but small enough that a beginner can remember most of them.

Opening and Closing

You open a file by typing "vi " on the command line— for example:

vi chapter29.txt

You close a file by getting into command mode (use the key), typing a colon ":" and then typing wq (write quit). If you don't want to save changes to the file, type q (quit). If it gives you any trouble, type wq! (enthusiastic quit).