How to Edit Multiple Files in Vi Editor in Linux

Last Updated : 02 May, 2024

Vi, short for "visual editor," is a powerful and ubiquitous text editor in the Linux ecosystem. Among its many features, one of the most useful is its capability to edit multiple files simultaneously. This ability streamlines the editing process, especially when dealing with projects that span multiple files. In this article, we'll delve into the techniques and commands required to efficiently edit multiple files in Vi editor on Linux.

Understanding Vi's Buffers:

Before diving into editing multiple files, it's essential to understand Vi's concept of buffers. A buffer in Vi is a temporary storage area where text is held during editing. Each file being edited occupies one buffer, and Vi can handle multiple buffers simultaneously.

Opening Multiple Files:

To open multiple files in Vi simultaneously, you can provide the filenames as arguments when invoking Vi from the command line.

For example:

vi example.txt example2.txt

This command will open both "example.txt" and "example2.txt" in separate buffers within the Vi editor.

Navigating Between Buffers:

Once you have multiple files open in Vi, navigating between buffers is crucial. Vi offers various commands for efficient buffer management:

:n: Move to the next buffer.
:N: Move to the previous buffer.
:buffers or :ls: List all open buffers.
:buffer <number> or :b <number>: Switch to a specific buffer by its number.
Ctrl + ^: Toggle between the current and previous buffer.

Editing Multiple Files:

Editing multiple files simultaneously involves switching between buffers and making modifications as needed. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Open Vi with multiple files, as explained earlier.
Use the buffer navigation commands to switch between files.
Make modifications in each buffer as required using Vi's editing commands.
Save changes to each file individually by switching to its buffer and using the :w command followed by the filename, or save changes to all buffers using :wa.

Example:

Let's consider a scenario where we have two files, "example.txt" and "example2.txt," and we want to edit them simultaneously in Vi.

Open Vi with both files:

vi example.txt example2.txt

Navigate to the buffer containing "example.txt" using :buffer 1 or Ctrl + ^ if it's the second buffer.
Make necessary edits in "example.txt" using Vi's editing commands.
Save changes in "example.txt" using :w.
Switch to the buffer containing "example2.txt" using :buffer 2 or Ctrl + ^ if it's the first buffer.
Make edits in "example2.txt" and save changes similarly.

Conclusion:

Mastering Vi's capability to edit multiple files simultaneously is a valuable skill for Linux users, especially programmers and system administrators. By understanding Vi's buffers and utilizing its buffer management commands effectively, users can streamline their editing workflows and boost productivity when working with multiple files. Practice and familiarity with Vi's commands are key to becoming proficient in editing multiple files efficiently.