Vim editor, how can I save a file in other directory
I'm new in the world of ubuntu and vim editor.
My question is: how can I save a file on my localhost using vim?
When I use the command :w I save the file, but where? And how can I change the file location to /var/www/?
8 Answers
You can enter :pwd to display the current working directory. This is where your file will be saved if simply enter :w filename. You can change the working directory with :cd path/to/new/directory. Or you can enter the full path to the location where you want to save the file with the write command, e.g., :w /var/www/filename.
The w vim command supports as parameter the filename, that can contain a path, so
:w /var/www/filenameshould work, provided you have permissions to write to that directory.
You could also use tab completion to build the pathname.
The bare command :w only works if you started vim giving it a filename already.
Navigate to the directory you want to save the new file to, open the file you wish to edit and then use
Esc:sav newfilename or Esc:w newfilename That should work for you.
For more on tips with vim you might find this cheatsheet useful.
Edit as requested.
:sav saves the file with a new name and opens the new file in Vim.
Note: :sav won’t close the initial buffer, it will hide it. By default, hidden buffers are unloaded.
:w save the file with a new name but keeps the original open for editing.
Edit source:
3I believe you want to try something like this. (don't forget the double slash at the end.)
:w /var/www//%:tInside Vim, no matter where the file is currently saved, you can give the path to the new location where you want to save it. For example, to save the file on your Desktop:
press esc to go into normal mode, then type
:w ~/Desktop/filenameThis works for any path where you have permission to write on the directory. If you want to save somewhere where you don't have write permission, you can do this:
:w !sudo tee /path/to/my/filenameIf you created a new file with Vim, pressing the key sequence Esc-:-w-q-Enter will save the file to the current location where you launched Vim. For example, if you were at /home/$USER the file will be created under this directory. The easy way is to launch vim using:
vim myFile.txtThis will create a new file, or overwrite a file with name myFile.txt in the current location.
On your launcher the second icon is a picture of a filing cabinet. This is called Nautilus (Ubuntu's File Manager).
Select Nautilus and your home directory should open. You should see your file there.
Right click on your file and select 'copy'. Open your email, compose a new message, click on the message body. Then 'right click' and this time select 'Paste'.
These instructions work for Ubuntu 14.04 and 16.04 but I don't know if 12.04 includes Nautilus.
3If the filepath and filename you are trying to save to has no spaces then camsolo's answer (:w /var/www/filename) will work for you. If the filepath/filename has space(s) in it then you will need to escape those space to save it there. I have noticed that all or some versions of vim will not save to a filepath when quotation marks are in the command.
This will not work: :w "/var/www/pa th/file name"
This will work: :w /var/www/pa\ th/file\ name
