nano: A Terminal-Based Text Editor

Overview

Nano is a user-friendly editor for editing text files in the terminal. Key shortcuts are displayed at the bottom of the screen, making it easy to learn how to use it.

Key Features

Easy to use and intuitive interface
Key shortcuts displayed at the bottom of the screen
Syntax highlighting support
Text search and replace functionality
Auto-indentation and backup file creation options

Key Options

These are the main options that can be used with the nano command.

Opening and Editing Files

Display and Behavior

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Usage Examples

Various usage examples utilizing the nano command.

Create a New File or Open an Existing File

nano my_document.txt

Opens the file with the specified name, or creates a new one if the file does not exist.

Open a Log File Without Line Wrapping

nano -w /var/log/syslog

Allows viewing long log files horizontally by preventing automatic line wrapping.

Edit a Python Script with Auto-indentation Enabled

nano -i my_script.py

Useful when editing files where indentation is important, such as Python code.

Open a Configuration File in Read-Only Mode

nano -v /etc/fstab

Prevents accidental modification of important configuration files.

Open a File and Go to a Specific Line

nano +100 my_document.txt

Moves the cursor directly to a specific line number when opening a file.

Installation

Nano is installed by default on most Linux distributions. If it is not installed, you can install it using the following commands.

Debian/Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt install nano

Installs nano using the APT package manager.

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora

sudo yum install nano
# or
sudo dnf install nano

Installs nano using the YUM or DNF package manager.

Tips & Notes

While Nano is suitable for beginners due to its intuitive usage, knowing a few tips can make its use more efficient.

Key Shortcuts (Ctrl Key Combinations)

These are the essential shortcuts frequently used within the Nano editor.

Ctrl+X: Exit editor (prompts for save)
Ctrl+O: Save current file
Ctrl+W: Search text
Ctrl+\: Replace text
Ctrl+K: Cut current line
Ctrl+U: Paste cut line
Ctrl+C: Show current cursor position
Ctrl+G: Show help

Personal Configuration File (.nanorc)

You can customize nano's default behavior by editing the `.nanorc` file in your home directory. For example, you can enable syntax highlighting or set auto-indentation as the default.

Enabling Syntax Highlighting

Most systems have syntax highlighting definition files for various languages in the `/usr/share/nano/` directory. By adding `include "/usr/share/nano/*.nanorc"` (the path may vary by system) to your `.nanorc` file, you can enable syntax highlighting for all supported languages.