Searching and Replacing in vi One of vi's better features (and advantages over pico) is that it allows you to search and replace throughout entire files. As shown in the next sections, you can just find a specific string of text (a regular expression, in Unix lingo; see Figure 4.14), or you can find the text and replace it with other text, as in Figure 4.15. Figure 4.14. Searching for text in vi is quick and reliable. Figure 4.15. Replacing text in vi requires a bit of arcane syntax, but you get used to it quickly. To Find a String of Text in vi: 1. | vi hairyspider
For starters, access vi and a specific file.
| 2. | /spider
Enter command mode, then type / followed by the text you're looking for. Here, we're looking for "spider," but you may be looking for "the fly" or "wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her." Or whatever.
| 3. |
Press this to find the first occurrence of the term. Press to find the next one.
| To Search and Replace in vi: 1. | vi hairyspider
For starters, access vi and a specific file.
| 2. | :%s/swallowed the fly/swallowed a spider to catch the fly/
Enter :%s/ plus the text to find, followed by the replacement text, as in Figure 4.15. Here, we replace "swallowed a fly" with "swallowed a spider to catch the fly," but perhaps you might forego the spider and simply go for some antacid.
| Tips |