Issuing ex Commands
"vi" is actually a screen-oriented extension of the "ex" editor. It allows
you to use "ex" commands by preceding them with a colon [:]. When you
type [:], "vi" will print a colon at the beginning of the last line of
the screen and allow you to type the "ex" command. If you change your
mind and don't want to issue an "ex" command, just press the [DEL] key
until the cursor is back in the text.
We'll be discussing three of the many "ex" commands available: the
Substitute, Read, and Write commands. Substitute is described in the
next section; Read and Write are
described in another section.
The range of "ex" commands is too large for this guide. For more
information, consult the "Ex Reference Manual" and the "Edit/Ex Command
Summary".
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