85

In vi editor how do I go to a particular line?

For example if I open a file named file.py is there an option for open the file at a particular line, or can I open my file and then go to line with keyboard shortcut?

karel
  • 2,030
Antoine Subit
  • 2,129
  • 2
    You are welcome here and got your answer. Just an advice for the future: With man vi you can read the manual page. With /line you can search for occurences of the word line, with n jump to the next one, just like in vi. One of the first matches describes the option you were looking for. This takes less time than searching the web or asking a question here. – Philippos Sep 10 '18 at 15:23

1 Answers1

117

To make vi start at a particular line in a file, add +line_num to the command you use to start vi. Replace line_num with the line number, for example:

vi +14 file.py

You can also use the ex command line to go to a line. (For information about the ex mode, see Use the vi text editor) For instance, if you wanted to go to line 14, you could press Esc and then enter:

:14

There is also a vi command. The G jump (goto) motion takes an optional count prefix, which is the line number to go to. Hence 14G. For the kbd addicts, that's 1, then 4, and then Shift+G.

G-Man Says 'Reinstate Monica'
  • 22,870
Antoine Subit
  • 2,129
  • 1
    ...and you'd only press ESC if you weren't already in command mode (or you like your screen to flash) – Jeff Schaller Sep 10 '18 at 14:35
  • You can also move around the file with relative offsets. For example from line 1 you can jump down (j or cursor down) 13 lines with 13j (or 13 followed by cursor down). Upwards is with k or cursor up. You can jump up and down by page offsets too with the same principle – Chris Davies Mar 19 '22 at 11:56
  • As long as we’re getting into the weeds: 13+ and 13 (Enter) will also move down 13 lines, similar to  13j, and you can use 13- (minus) to go up 13 lines. A subtle difference: j and k are very much like ↓ (Cursor Down) and ↑ (Cursor Up); they will attempt to maintain the horizontal coordinate of the cursor’s position. +, - and (Enter), on the other hand, will move the cursor to the first non-blank character on the destination line. – G-Man Says 'Reinstate Monica' Mar 19 '22 at 17:54
  • Still learning after years of use and still amazed at the awesome design decisions. :14 was what I was looking for. Nice and simple. Less strokes than 14gg and 14G, with the benefit of seeing and editing what you type. Couldn't find it when I was searching with :h gg or :h go. (Anyone know how to find this in the help pages?) – mcp Feb 14 '24 at 20:18