- How do I select all text from a file with nano?
- 13 Answers 13
- How to select all in Nano text editor [Nano select all]
- How to install Nano?
- How to select all the text in Nano? [N ano select all ]
- How to save and exit in Nano?
- How to edit files in Nano?
- How to search and replace text in Nano?
- Conclusion
- Nisal N
- Nano: И всё-таки его придётся выучить [2]
How do I select all text from a file with nano?
I open a file in Ubuntu nano editor from the comand line and I want to copy all the contents of the file so I can paste it in an another application outside the shell. So far I can only copy using shift on the screen that is visible but not on all content.
Are you in a command line only environment? If not, why don’t you open the file in something like gedit?
Btw this is why I hate linux and the command-line: In theory a wonderful thing, but in reality extremely unuintutive, even the most simple and common things don’t work like expected. Usability Super-Fail.
nano is not powerful. just to edit some config files it is pretty ok, but as an code editor it sucks!
Question is too vague and the answers are all over the map as a result, leading to confusion. Typically you use nano on a remote server, not your desktop computer. This sounds more like a question about your terminal emulator, which is how you access nano. I really think the question should be changed or flagged for removal.
13 Answers 13
You can’t use the buffer of nano to use it elsewhere, you need to use the buffer of X or Gnome.
A command line interface to the X11 clipboard. It can also be used for copying files, as an alternative to sftp/scp, avoiding password prompts when X11 forwarding has already been setup.
- Cursor at the beginning of a file
- Ctrl 6 to set a mark
- Alt Shift T (or try Alt T ) to cut to the end of the file
- If Alt T doesn’t work, try Ctrl K
- to just copy the file content do Ctrl U to uncut the text again
this works only inside nano — after you’ll close it you can not uncut it in another app as OP wanted.
you can use cat and then copy it from the console:
Select the output printed in the console.
Alternatively you can zoom out using Ctrl + — to fit all the file contents on ‘one screen page’ and select everything using the mouse. After you zoom back with Ctrl + 0 or zoom in progressively with Ctrl + + .
I don’t like the mouse part, but this is a fast way to copy bulk text in nano.
Amazing, thank you! Of note: it only works with the +/- keys on the main part of the keyboard, not the num pad (even when num lock is ON).
Actually, this answer might be a bit late but I was looking for an answer for the same question and I just figured it out. when you have the file you want to copy to open in nano. you can hit ctl-R and enter the file you want copied from. this will bring in the whole file.
In my case I was just copying my old fstab so it wasn’t a big deal. but could get ridiculous with huge files.
You can cut from the current cursor position to the end of the file with meta key plus T. Meta key is either alt or escape, depending on your keyboard. For me, accessing Ubuntu via ssh from my OSX it was escape.
Here’s another solution. One that I personally prefer. It uses Xsel. It’s very similar to Xclip but with a key difference.
While Xclip puts everything in the main clipboard, Xsel manipulates the selection buffer letting you paste the selection with a middle-click. This is great for one-offs! So if you have something in your clipboard that you haven’t pasted yet, that would stay unaffected!
And if you want to paste the content, xsel -o will spit it right out.
You can install it on a debian based system using
The source is available here otherwise! Hope this helps someone.
How to select all in Nano text editor [Nano select all]
If you are looking for a simple editor, you can always pick Nano. Whenever you are working on the command line, you need to edit or create several text files.
List of content you will read in this article:
You have GNU Nano text editor to the rescue to accomplish your purpose. It is an extremely easy-to-use text editor for both Linux and UNIX operating systems.
There are ample functionalities associated with it. For instance, syntax highlighting, spell checking, multiple buffers, and much more.
Here, in this article, let us understand the basic commands and how select all nano command works..
Firstly, here is how you can install Nano in your system.
How to install Nano?
This text editor comes pre-installed in Linux and macOS. If you want to be sure that your system has Nano, type in the following command:
The output screen should look something like this:
GNU nano, version 2.9.3
(C) 1999-2011, 2013-2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
(C) 2014-2018 the contributors to nano
Email: nano@nano-editor.org Web: https://nano-editor.org/
In case your system does not show the details of the text editor, don’t worry! You can install it with a few simple commands!
Follow these Linux commands to install the Nano text editor on your system:
Now, to open or create files in the Nano text editor, simply type the filename in this format:
This command will take you to the new editor window. Note that you can enter any name for your file in the space where ‘filename’ is written. There, you can easily edit the files.
Additionally, there are abundant command shortcuts to work within the Nano text editor.
- ^J: this symbol means to press Ctrl and J keys together
- M: this signifies the Alt key
- ^: this symbol means the Ctrl key
Mostly, all the commands begin with either ^ or M. If you want a complete list of all the commands, you need to type Ctrl+g.
Next up is the procedure to select the entire text in the Nano editor.
How to select all the text in Nano? [N ano select all ]
To select all text in Nano, open the text file first. Go to the terminal and write this command as stated below:
Execute this command. It opens your file in the text editor. Now, with the help of the cursor, head toward the beginning of the file through the arrow keys. Press Ctrl+A.
This key combination highlights your text as shown in the snapshot below.
Now that you can notice the mark set, drag the cursor and select the entire text file.
Let us now learn the method to save and exit a file in the Nano text editor.
How to save and exit in Nano?
Press Ctrl+o to save any changes that you make in a file. In order to save changes, you must have the write permissions to the file.
Now, to exit, press Ctrl+x.
Moving on, the next segment tells you how to edit files using the Nano text editor.
How to edit files in Nano?
Using Nano is pretty simple. If you want to edit some files, go to the desired file and perform these steps:
- If you want to move your cursor to a particular line or a character number, press the Ctrl+_ command
- As soon as you enter this command, the menu changes on the bottom of your screen
- To enter the number(s), insert in the ‘Enter the line number, column number’ field and then press Enter
Now, to search or replace text in the file, follow these commands.
How to search and replace text in Nano?
In order to search and replace text, you can press Ctrl+\. Type in the text that you wish to search followed by the text to replace it with.
As soon as the editor traces the first match, it asks you to press Y or N. It then passes on to the next match. When you reach your desired match, press A.
This replaces all the text matches at once.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, Nano is an extremely simple and easy to use a text editor.
Other text editors like Vim and Emacs are also widely used by users. But, both of them possess a steep learning curve, which can be a bit of a challenge for novice users.
Therefore, Nano is a safe choice for everyone. Loaded with tons of features and easy command executions, this text editor provides you with an easy way to find your way through the hard work!
This article presents you with the command to select all in Nano text editor and some of the most basic commands that may help to ease down your work.
We hope that this information assists you to solve your queries regarding the topic.
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Nisal N
Computers has always fascinated me since I was a kid and here we are. I love travelling for 2 reasons: the first one to see a new part of the world and second (the most important one) to experience the rich culture hidden among the country and people. I’m pretty good at cooking but very poor when it comes to baking.
Nano: И всё-таки его придётся выучить [2]
Продолжаем. Предыдущий топик (навигация по тексту): тут.
Сегодняшняя тема — работа с выделением, копирование и удаление кусков текста.
Для понимания принципов команд работы с текстом нужно сначала понять принцип выделения текста. Он осуществляется либо мышью, либо с клавиатуры. С клавиатуры выделение происходит так: сначала отмечается начало выделение: Alt-A или Ctrl-^. Далее следует навигация — и до момента выполнения действия над текстом в буффере, выделение сохраняется (обратите внимание, выделение сохраняется даже при вводе текста, в этом оно сильно отличается от выделения в gui-приложениях windows и ближе к persistent blocks в TurboC, DN и соответствующей опции Far Manager’а).
Обратите внимание, применимы все функции навигации, включая переход по номеру строки или поиск (в следующих выпусках).
Далее выделенный текст можно удалить или скопировать в буффер. Это делает комбинация Ctrl-K (или F9 ).
Выделенный текст можно скопировать в буффер обмена — комбинация Alt-6 (да, мы ЛЮБИМ nano).
Далее мы можем вставить текст из буффера обмена — Ctrl-U или F10 . Обратите внимание — в подсказке снизу написана неправда, это не отмена удаления, это вставка.
Кроме этого, для удобства редактирования, Ctrl-K при отсутствии выделения удаляет строку. Либо целиком, либо от курсора до конца строки. Поведение переключается комбинацией Alt-K (по-умолчанию стоит режим удалять строку целиком, а Alt-K переключает его туда-сюда).
Обратите внимание — удалённая строка в буффере, так что её можно вставить с помощью Ctrl-U .
Ещё одна комбинация для лентяев — Alt-T , стирающая всё от курсора и до конца файла (команда trunkate).
Для вставки текста из другого файла используется кнопка Ins (думаю, все пользователи vim хорошо знают поведение этой кнопки в nano).