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How to Edit Code on chip

How to Edit Code on chip

Once SSHed into chip, there are several editors the user can make use of to edit their code or other files. The sections below briefly explains how the user can execute some of the basic functions required for code editing on each of the editors.

Nano

For more detailed information, refer to the manual page nano(1) - Linux man page

GNU nano is a small and friendly text editor. Besides basic text editing, nano offers many extra features like an interactive search and replace, go to line and column number, auto-indentation, feature toggles, internationalization support, and filename tab completion.

Opening Files

nano filename.py

Basic Commands

  • Save: Ctrl+O (then press Enter)

  • Exit: Ctrl+X

  • Cut line: Ctrl+K

  • Copy Line: Alt+6

  • Paste: Ctrl+U

  • Search: Ctrl+W

  • Go to line: Ctrl+_

  • Search for specific text: Ctrl+W

  • Access the help menu: Ctrl+G

Tips

  • Commands are shown at the bottom of the screen

  • ^ means Ctrl key

  • Great for quick edits and beginners

Example

Open file with nano

nano hello.py

  1. Write code/make changes to file

    print("Hello World!")

  2. Save with Ctrl+O

  3. Exit with Ctrl+X

Vim

For more detailed information, refer to the manual page vi(1): Vi IMproved, programmers text editor - Linux man page

Vim (Vi IMproved) is a highly configurable, modal text editor built for efficiency. It operates in different modes - Normal for navigation, Insert for typing, and Command for operations. While it has a steeper learning curve, vim offers powerful text manipulation capabilities and is favored by experienced users for its speed and extensive customization options.

Opening Files

vim filename.py

Modes

  • Normal mode: Default mode for navigation

  • Insert mode: Press i to enter, Esc to exit

  • Command mode: Press : in normal mode

Essential Commands

Command

Action

Command

Action

:w

Save file

:q

Quit

:wq

Save and quit

:q!

Quit without saving

i

Enter insert mode

Esc

Return to normal mode

dd

Delete line

yy

Copy line

dw

Delete word

yw

Copy word

p

Paste

/text

Search for "text"

:set number

Show line numbers

Navigation (Normal Mode)

  • h, j, k, l - Left, down, up, right

  • gg - Go to beginning

  • G - Go to end

  • :n - Go to line n

Example

Open file with vim

vim hello.py

  1. Press i to enter insert mode

  2. Write code/make changes to file

    print("Hello World!")

  3. Press Esc to return to normal mode

  4. Type :wq to save and quit

Emacs

For more detailed information, refer to the manual page emacs(1): GNU project Emacs - Linux man page

Emacs is a powerful, extensible text editor that functions almost like an operating system. It uses key combinations (chords) for commands and can be customized extensively through Emacs Lisp. Beyond text editing, emacs can handle email, debugging, version control, and more, making it a comprehensive development environment.

Opening Files

emacs filename.py

Basic Commands

  • Save: Ctrl+x Ctrl+s

  • Exit: Ctrl+x Ctrl+c

  • Cut: Ctrl+w

  • Copy: Alt+w

  • Paste: Ctrl+y

  • Undo: Ctrl+_

  • Go to next line: Ctrl+N

  • Go to previous line: Ctrl+P

  • Search: Ctrl+s

Navigation

  • Arrow keys work normally

  • Ctrl+a - Beginning of line

  • Ctrl+e - End of line

  • Alt+< - Beginning of file

  • Alt+> - End of file

Example

Open file with emacs

emacs hello.py

  1. Write code/make changes to file

    print("Hello World!")

  2. Save with Ctrl+x Ctrl+s

  3. Exit with Ctrl+x Ctrl+c

VSCode

To edit code on chip using VSCode, please refer to our tutorial for configuring VSCode for Remote SSH: How to connect to chip with VSCode?