Learning the vi Editor, Sixth Edition

10.5. Multiwindow Editing

To create a new window in elvis, you use the ex :split command. You then use one of the regular ex commands, such as :e filename or :n to edit a new file. This is the simplest method; other, shorter methods are described below. You can switch back and forth between windows with CTRL-WCTRL-W.

<preface id="VI6-CH-0">
<title>Preface </title>

<para>
Text editing is one of the most common uses of any computer system, and
<command>vi</command> is one of the most useful standard text editors
on your system.
With <command>vi</command> you can create new files, or edit any
existing UNIX text file.
_____________________________________________________________________
# Makefile for vi book
#
# Arnold Robbins

CHAPTERS = ch00_6.sgm ch00_5.sgm ch00.sgm ch01.sgm ch02.sgm ch03.sgm \
        ch04.sgm ch05.sgm ch06.sgm ch07.sgm ch08.sgm
APPENDICES = appa.sgm appb.sgm appc.sgm appd.sgm

POSTSCRIPT = ch00_6.ps ch00_5.ps ch00.ps ch01.ps ch02.ps ch03.ps \
        ch04.ps ch05.ps ch06.ps ch07.ps ch08.ps \
        appa.ps appb.ps appc.ps appd.ps

The split screen is the result of typing elvis ch00.sgm followed by :split Makefile.

Like nvi, elvis gives each window its own status line. elvis is unique in that it uses a highlighted line of underscores, instead of reverse video, for the status line. ex colon commands are carried out on each window's status line.

Table 10.1 describes the windowing ex mode commands and what they do.

Table 10.1. elvis Window Management Commands

Command	Function
sp[lit