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|
_ _ __ __
| | | | _ \ \ / /
| |_| | ___ | | (_) \ \/ /
| _ | / _ \ | | _ ) (
| | | | | __/ | | | | / /\ \
|_| |_| \___| |_| |_| /_/ \_\
A post-modern modal text editor.
_________________________________________________________________
Welcome to the Helix editor! Helix is different from editors
you might be used to in that it is modal, meaning that it has
different modes for editing text. The primary modes you will
use are Normal mode and Insert mode. While in Normal mode, the
keys you press won't actually type text. Instead, they will
perform various actions with the text. This allows for more
efficient editing. This tutor will teach you how you can make
use of Helix's modal editing features. To begin, ensure your
caps-lock key is not pressed and hold the j key until you reach
the first lesson.
=================================================================
= BASIC CURSOR MOVEMENT =
=================================================================
↑
k * h is on the left
← h l → * l is on the right
j * j looks like a down arrow
↓
The cursor can be moved using the h, j, k, l keys, as shown
above. The cursor/arrow keys will also work, but it is faster
to use the hjkl keys as they are closer to the other keys you
will be using. Try moving around to get a feel for hjkl.
Once you're ready, hold j to continue to the next lesson.
=================================================================
= EXITING HELIX =
=================================================================
1. Press the : key to enter command mode. Your cursor will
move to the bottom of the screen.
2. Type q or quit and press <ENTER> to exit Helix.
Note: The quit command will fail if there are unsaved changes.
To force quit and DISCARD these changes, use q! or quit!.
You will learn how to save files later.
To exit command mode without entering a command, press <ESC>.
Now, move on to the next lesson.
=================================================================
= DELETION =
=================================================================
Press the d key to delete the character under the cursor.
1. Move the cursor to the line below marked -->.
2. Move the cursor to each extra character, and press d to
delete it.
--> Thhiss senttencee haass exxtra charracterss.
Once the sentence is correct, move on to the next lesson.
=================================================================
= INSERT MODE =
=================================================================
Press the i key to enter Insert mode.
1. Move the cursor to the line below marked -->.
2. Move to a place in the line which is missing text and press
i to enter Insert mode. Keys you press will now type text.
3. Enter the missing text.
4. Press <ESC> to exit Insert mode and return to Normal mode.
5. Repeat until the line matches the line below it.
--> Th stce misg so.
This sentence is missing some text.
Note: If you want to move the cursor while in Insert mode,
you may use the arrow keys instead of exiting and
reentering Insert mode.
Note: The status bar will display your current mode.
Notice that when you press i, 'NOR' changes to 'INS'.
=================================================================
= MORE ON INSERT MODE =
=================================================================
As you saw, you can press i to enter Insert mode at the current
position of the cursor. There are a few other ways you can
enter Insert mode at different locations.
Common examples of insertion commands include:
i - Insert before the selection.
a - Insert after the selection. (a means "append")
I - Insert at the start of the line.
A - Insert at the end of the line.
1. Move to anywhere in the line below marked -->.
2. Press A (<SHIFT> + a), your cursor will move to the end of
the line and you will be able to type.
3. Type the text necessary to match the line below.
--> This sentence is miss
This sentence is missing some text.
=================================================================
= SAVING A FILE =
=================================================================
Use :w/:write to save a file.
1. Exit Helix using :q! as explained before, or open a new
terminal.
2. Open a file in Helix by running: hx FILENAME
3. Make some edits to the file.
4. Press the : key to enter command mode.
5. Type w or write, and press <ENTER> to save the file.
You can also use wq or write-quit to save and exit.
Note: You can optionally enter a filepath after the w/write
command in order to save to that path.
Note: If there are any unsaved changes to a file, a plus [+]
will appear next to the file name in the status bar.
=================================================================
= RECAP =
=================================================================
* Use the h,j,k,l keys to move the cursor.
* Press : to enter command mode.
* The q/quit and q!/quit! commands will exit Helix. The
former fails when there are unsaved changes. The latter
discards them.
* The w/write command will save the file.
* The wq/write-quit command will do both.
* Press d to delete the character at the cursor.
* Press i to enter Insert mode and type text. Press <ESC> to
return to Normal mode.
=================================================================
= MOTIONS AND SELECTIONS =
=================================================================
Press w to select forward until the next word.
The d key doesn't actually delete the character at the cursor,
it deletes all selected text. Your cursor is like a
single-character selection.
1. Move the cursor to the line below marked -->.
2. Move to the beginning of a word that needs to be deleted.
3. Press w to select until the beginning of the next word.
4. Press d to delete the selection.
5. Repeat for all extra words in the line.
--> This sentence pencil has vacuum extra words in the it.
=================================================================
= MORE ON MOTIONS =
=================================================================
As you saw, pressing w moves the cursor forward until the start
of the next word, selecting the text traversed. This is useful
for moving around text and for selecting text to operate on.
Some common motions include:
w - Move forward to before the beginning of the next word.
e - Move forward to the end of the current word.
b - Move backward to the beginning of the current word.
The w,e,b motions also have counterparts - W,E,B - which
traverse WORDS instead of words. WORDS are only separated by
whitespace, whereas words can be separated by other characters
in addition to whitespace.
All of these motions select the text they traverse.
=================================================================
This tutorial is still a work-in-progress.
More sections are planned.
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