no strings under cursor when i type into vi and vim editor on cygwin

[mrityunjay22]

i have installed cygwin with vim and vi editor but when i type into those editor nothing gets written and message comes that no string under cursor plz help somebody

[bugmenot]

umm... have you used vi before? if not, there are other editors like emacs and nano etc. that might be simpler to learn

anyway, vi has two modes, the command mode and insert mode. it starts in the command mode, where you can move around and do commands. the command "i" goes into the insert mode. when in insert mode, pressing Esc will go back into command mode

[eggi]

Hey there,

If that's the default behaviour of your vi, you can put this in a .exrc file in your home directory, but, while you're in the editor, just type

[esc]:set prompt

If it is that you're starting in command mode and never getting out - hitting
i - will put you in insert mode
a - will put you in insert mode also, but one space ahead
o - will do the same but start a new line below the one you're one
O - will do the same but start a new line above the one you're on

As mentioned above, when you want to stop typing and use the command functions, hit [esc]

Best wishes,

, Mike