vim basics (insert, command, save, quit) in Linux CLI - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output after saving and quitting in Vim?

You open a file in Vim, enter insert mode, type Hello World, then save and quit. What will be the content of the file?

Linux CLI

vim example.txt
# In Vim:
# Press i
# Type Hello World
# Press Esc
# Type :wq
# Press Enter

A The file is empty

B The file contains the text: Hello World

C The file contains the text: :wq

D The file contains the text: iHello World

💡 Hint

Remember that typing i enters insert mode and :wq saves and quits.

Typing i enters insert mode where you can type text. Pressing Esc exits insert mode. The command :wq writes (saves) the file and quits Vim. So the file will contain exactly what you typed: Hello World.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What happens if you quit Vim without saving?

You open a file in Vim, enter insert mode, type some text, then try to quit with :q. What will Vim do?

Linux CLI

vim example.txt
# In Vim:
# Press i
# Type Some text
# Press Esc
# Type :q
# Press Enter

A Vim will show a warning and not quit

B Vim will save changes and quit

C Vim will quit and discard changes

D Vim will enter insert mode again

💡 Hint

Think about what Vim does when you try to quit with unsaved changes.

If you try to quit with :q but have unsaved changes, Vim warns you and refuses to quit to prevent data loss. You must use :q! to quit without saving or :wq to save and quit.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Which Vim command saves the file without quitting?

You want to save your changes in Vim but keep editing. Which command do you use?

A :w

B :q

C :wq

D :x

💡 Hint

Think about the command that writes changes but does not exit.

The :w command writes (saves) the file but keeps Vim open. :q quits, :wq saves and quits, :x saves and quits if changes were made.

💻 Command Output

advanced

What is the effect of pressing in Vim?

You are in insert mode typing text in Vim. What happens when you press the key?

A You quit Vim

B You save the file

C You exit insert mode and return to normal mode

D You enter visual mode

💡 Hint

Think about how to stop typing text and use commands.

Pressing exits insert mode and returns you to normal mode where you can run commands like saving or quitting.

🚀 Application

expert

How to save a file with a new name and quit Vim?

You opened a file in Vim but want to save your changes to a new file named newfile.txt and then quit. Which command do you use?

A :w newfile.txt

B :wq newfile.txt

C :saveas newfile.txt

D :w newfile.txt | :q

💡 Hint

Think about how to write to a new file and then quit in two steps.

The command :w newfile.txt writes the current buffer to newfile.txt but does not quit. The command :q quits Vim. Combining them with | runs both commands in sequence.