In Unix, how do I set my default (preferred) editor?
To set your default (preferred) editor on your Unix
account, you must define the VISUAL and EDITOR environment
variables. When you have done this, most Unix programs that use
text editors (e.g., trn, tin, and
nn) will use the editor you have set.
The way to set these environment variables depends upon which Unix shell you use.
If you use csh or tcsh, at the shell prompt, enter:
setenv VISUAL editor
setenv EDITOR editor
Replace editor with the editor you want to use (e.g.,
Emacs, Pico, or vi).
If you use sh, ksh, or bash, at the
shell prompt, enter:
VISUAL=editor; export VISUAL
EDITOR=editor; export EDITOR
Replace editor with the editor you want to use (e.g.,
Emacs, Pico, or vi).
Note: You may want to include the full path to the
editor (e.g., /usr/local/bin/emacs,
/usr/local/bin/pico, or /bin/vi) instead
of just the name of the editor.
By following the commands above, you will set the default editor for
the current computing session only. To make these changes
permanent, you will need to place the appropriate commands described
above in your .login or .cshrc files (for
csh or tcsh users) or your .profile
file (if you use sh, ksh, or bash).
At Indiana University, for personal or departmental Linux or Unix systems support, see At IU, how do I get support for Linux or Unix?
Last modified on December 02, 2009.
