039-the-nano-command.md

The nano command

The nano command lets you create/edit text files.

Installation:

Nano text editor is pre-installed on macOS and most Linux distros. It's an alternative to vi and vim. To check if it is installed on your system type:

nano --version

If you don't have nano installed you can do it by using the package manager:

Ubuntu or Debian:

sudo apt install nano

Examples:

1. Open an existing file, type nano followed by the path to the file:

nano /path/to/filename

2. Create a new file, type nano followed by the filename:

nano filename

3. Open a file with the cursor on a specific line and character use the following syntax:

nano +line_number,character_number filename

Overview of some Shortcuts and their Functionalities:

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl + S	Save current file
Ctrl + O	Offer to write file ("Save as")
Ctrl + X	Close buffer, exit from nano
Ctrl + K	Cut current line into cutbuffer
Ctrl + U	Paste contents of cutbuffer
Alt + 6	Copy current line into cutbuffer
Alt + U	Undo last action
Alt + E	Redo last undone action