Vi

Vi (pronounced "vee-eye") is short for visual editor. Vi is a text editor, not a "what you see is what you get" word processor. Vi lets you add, change, and delete text, but does not provide such formatting capabilities as centering lines or indenting paragraphs.

Using the Software
If you are using the Dante or Homer menu system, start by pressing the S (shell: To enter Unix commands) key to get to the "%" system prompt.

To start a vi session, at the system prompt type:

% vi

Documentation
A man page is available for this utility. At the system prompt type:

% man vi

The help note tutorial How To Use the vi Editor is available. To access at the system prompt, type:

% help vi

A Vi Quick Reference and Vi Editor Reference are also available.

Technical Support
Help is available from UW Technology. Send a question to help@u.washington.edu if you need help with this software.

UW Computer Training offers the course Using vi, the Unix Visual Editor. Registration is required and the course is only open to University of Washington students, faculty, and staff.