edit

edit: a simple text editor, after nano.

Synopsis

edit [file]

Description

edit is a full-screen text editor, in the style of nano. It shows a title bar (with the file’s name, and Modified once it has changed), the text, a status line, and two lines of shortcuts.

It opens file if it exists, and says [ New File ] if not; with no file it starts an empty buffer, and asks for a name when it is written out.

Typing inserts text at the cursor; Tab inserts two spaces. A line too long for the terminal scrolls sideways on the cursor’s line, with a $ where it goes on past either edge.

edit runs on the terminal’s alternate screen with the tty in raw mode, and puts both back however it ends.

Keys

Arrow keys, Home, End

Move the cursor. Left and Right go on to the next or the previous line.

PageUp, PageDown, ^Y, ^V

Move a screen up or down.

^A, ^E

Go to the start or the end of the line.

Enter

Split the line at the cursor.

Backspace, Delete

Erase the character before or under the cursor, joining lines at either end.

^K

Cut the cursor’s line. Cuts one after another go together.

^U

Paste the lines last cut, above the cursor’s line.

^W

Search for text (case matters), from the cursor on, wrapping round at the end. An empty answer searches for the last text again.

^C

Show the cursor’s position: line, column, and how far through the file.

^O

Write the file out, asking for its name (the current one is offered).

^X

Exit. With unsaved changes it asks whether to save them first: Y saves (and exits only if that worked), N throws them away, and ^C cancels.

At a question on the status line, Enter answers it, Backspace erases, and ^C or Escape cancels.

Exit status

0 when it exits normally, including at the end of its input; 1 if file exists but cannot be read.

Notes

A file is written with a new line after its last line; a carriage return at the end of a line is dropped when the file is read. There is no undo, no syntax highlighting, and no mouse support.

See also

less(1), cat(1), stty(1)