nano []

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====== The nano editor ======

The ‘nano’ editor is a [[https://www.nano-editor.org/dist/latest/faq.html#1.1 |GNU-project editor]] based on ‘pico’ a simple but easy to use editor created for the PINE email program for creating and editing emails. It has been expanded quite a bit: there is enhanced navigation, and search which include regex search.

==== nano cheatsheet ====

Nano, like ‘pico’, has Help. So if you start with the [[pico_cheat_sheet |pico cheatsheet]] and read the Help, you'll get what you need.

A great addition, especially if you connect to SDF on a color terminal, is nano's use of “syntax” files, which provide syntax highlighting for several programming languages and related filetypes, such as HTML files, shell scripts, shell resource files (like ''.bashrc'') and even the nano resource file ''.nanorc'', where the settings for syntax file are kept.

====Using GNU Nano====

It's quite easy to use Nano to write anything you want.

To run Nano, enter in the terminal:

<code bash>nano</code>

You can indicate the name and extension of the file you want to edit:

<code>nano file.txt</code>

In the top bar you will find the version of the program, the name of the loaded file (if we have not loaded anything it will say “new buffer”). It will also inform you if the file has been modified with respect to the original loaded.

The main commands to unleash the potential of Nano are activated by using the Control key, which is abbreviated in Nano with the circumflex symbol (''^''). For example, to save a file, Nano tells us that the key combination to use is “^O”, so we press Ctrl+o.

^Result^ Shortcut^
|Cut (current line or region)| Ctrl+k |
|Paste |Ctrl+u |
|Find |Ctrl+w |
|Justify paragraph |Ctrl+j |
|Justify all |Esc,AltGr+j |
|Undo |Esc,AltGr+u |
|Redo |Esc,AltGr+e |
|Line numbering |Esc,AltGr+n |
|Save |Ctrl+o |
|Switch nano to background and return to the shell. Use fg to return to nano. |Ctrl+t,Ctrl+z |
|**Exit Nano** |Ctrl+x|

To search for a text string, use **Ctrl+w**. With **Ctrl+j** will justify a long paragraph in several short lines (although it is not used in configuration files, it is very useful in any common text).

With **Ctrl+G** or **F1** will provide Help screens with the rest of the commands. To exit Nano press Ctrl+x.

We also find the //Meta commands// (or “metas”, abbreviated in Nano with ''M-''). On PC, you may access these Metacommands  by pressing **Escape key** and **AltGr**, followed by the meta letter.

For example, to add right indentation to a paragraph is shown as ''M-}''. Therefore, on a PC keyboard press **Esc,AltGr+}** to indent the paragraph.

Once you are familiar with Nano, you can get a less cluttered screen by removing its title bar with **Shift+Alt+z** and the help bar with **Shift+Alt+x**.

===Nano Configuration===

To configure Nano you can directly edit the ''~/.nanorc'' file.

==== Nano Commands ====

^File Handling^
|Ctrl+s |Save current file |
|Ctrl+o |Save as a file |
|Ctrl+r |Insert a file into current one |
|Ctrl+x |Close buffer and **exit Nano** |
^Editing^
|Ctrl+k |Cut current line into buffer |
|Alt+6 |Copy current line into buffer |
|Ctrl+u |Paste contents of buffer |
|Ctrl+] |Complete current word |
|Alt+3 |Comment/Uncomment line/region |
|Alt+u |Undo last action |
|Alt+e |Redo last undone action|
^Search and Replace^
|Ctrl+f |Start forward search|
|Ctrl+b |Start backward seach |
|Alt+f |Find next occurrence forward |
|Alt+b |Find next occurence backweard |
|Alt+r |Start a replacing session |
^Deletion^
|Ctrl+h |Delete character before cursor |
|Ctrl+d |Delete character under cursor |
|Alt+Bksp |Delete Word to the left |
|Ctrl+Del |Delete word to the right |
|Alt+Del |Delete current line |
^Information^
|Ctrl+c |Report cursor position|
|Esc,AltGr,d |Report line/word/char counts |
|Ctrl+g |Display help text |
^Miscellaneous^
|Ctrl+t |Executes an external command. |
|Ctrl+t,Ctrl+s |Run a spell check |
|Ctrl+t,Ctrl+y |Run a sytax chec |
|Ctrl+t,Ctrl+o |Run a formatter |
|Tab | Indent marked region |
|Shift+Tab |Unindent marked region |
|Esc,AltGr,A |Set or unset the marker |
|Alt+v |Enter next keystroke verbatim |
|Esc,AltGr,n |Turn line numbers on/off |
|Esc,Altgr,P |Turn visible whitespace on/off |
|Esc,AltGr,S |Turn softwrapping on/off|
|Ctrl+L |Refresh the schreen|


==== How to Activate Syntax Hightlighting ====

To activate syntax highlighting, we are going to copy the default ''nanorc'' file to your user space and edit it. The steps are:
  -  copy the default file ''nanorc'' to your local as a resource file, ''.nanorc'' (yes, with the dot)<code>
cp /usr/pkg/share/nanorc ~/.nanorc</code>
  - edit the file<code>
nano ~/.nanorc</code>
  - in nano, search for the nanorc highlight line: 
     - press ''ctl-w'', then type ''# include %%"%%/usr'' It will take you to a line that looks like:<code>
# include "/usr/pkg/share/nano/nanorc.nanorc"</code>
  - delete the ‘''#''’ at the start of the line
  - use the arrow keys to go down the rest of the file, and remove more of the comment characters “''#''” at the start of “''include''” lines, especially
    - <code># Cascading Style Sheets
# include "/usr/pkg/share/nano/css.nanorc"</code>
    - and <code>
## HTML
# include "/usr/pkg/share/nano/html.nanorc"</code>
    - and <code>
## PHP
# include "/usr/pkg/share/nano/php.nanorc"
</code>
   - Save the file with ''ctl-x'' and press ‘Y’ at the save prompt and press //enter// to confirm you are saving the file as ''.nanorc''.

The next time you open nano on an HTML or other file (it keys off the file extension, like ''index.html''), you should see the code hightlighted, which should help your editing significantly!

==== Nano Tips ====

=== Old Suspend Key ===

As of nano 6.4 suspend behavior was changed. Instead of ''ctl-z'' (also typed //''^z''//, in the nano menu itself) being suspend as it was before, typing ''^z'' warns you that you need to ''^t^z'' if you ‘''really''’ mean to suspend.

  * You can reset to the old way by putting this in your //.nanorc//. That makes ''^z'' suspend again. <file config add this to .nanorc>
## Allow nano to be suspended with ^z the old way, not ^t^z
bind ^Z suspend main
</file>