How can I edit a file?
Unix has a bewildering variety of text editors.
For this course,
we will use a simple one called Nano.
If you type nano filename
,
it will open filename
for editing
(or create it if it doesn't already exist).
You can move around with the arrow keys,
delete characters using backspace,
and do other operations with control-key combinations:
Ctrl
+K
: delete a line.Ctrl
+U
: un-delete a line.Ctrl
+O
: save the file ('O' stands for 'output'). You will also need to press Enter to confirm the filename!Ctrl
+X
: exit the editor.
This exercise is part of the course
Introduction to Shell
Exercise instructions
Run nano names.txt
to edit a new file in your home directory
and enter the following four lines:
Lovelace
Hopper
Johnson
Wilson
To save what you have written,
type Ctrl
+ O
to write the file out,
then Enter to confirm the filename,
then Ctrl
+ X
to exit the editor.
Hands-on interactive exercise
Turn theory into action with one of our interactive exercises
