$ Linux Command

Text

pico

Simple text editor (usually symlinked to nano).

editortextterminalconsole

Additional Notes

pico was the original editor included with the Pine email client from the University of Washington. On most modern Linux distributions, pico is a symbolic link to nano, a compatible clone that replaced the original Pine license with the GNU GPL.

pico (and nano) provide a simple, user-friendly text editor interface for the terminal. It provides on-screen command shortcuts, mouse support (if enabled), syntax highlighting, line numbers, search and replace, and spell checking. It is often recommended as a beginner-friendly alternative to vi or emacs.

Syntax

pico [options] [file...]

Parameters

  • file: One or more files to edit. Opens an empty buffer if no file is given.

Common Options

  • -B, --backup: Save backups of modified files.
  • -c, --constantshow: Show cursor position constantly.
  • -E, --tabstospaces: Convert typed tabs to spaces.
  • -i, --autoindent: Auto-indent new lines to match the previous line.
  • -k, --cutfromcursor: Cut from cursor to end of line instead of the whole line.
  • -l, --line-numbers: Show line numbers to the left of the text.
  • -m, --mouse: Enable mouse support.
  • -r cols, --fill=cols: Set the target width for line wrapping.
  • -s program, --speller=program: Use a different spell-checking program.
  • -S, --smooth: Use smooth scrolling.
  • -t, --tempfile: Auto-save on exit without prompting.
  • -v, --view: View-only mode (read-only).
  • -w, --nowrap: Disable long-line wrapping.
  • -x, --nohelp: Hide the help screen at the bottom.
  • -Y syntax, --syntax=syntax: Use a specific syntax highlighting definition.

Examples

pico

Open an empty buffer in the editor.

pico notes.txt

Open or create a file for editing.

pico -w /etc/fstab

Edit a configuration file without line wrapping.

pico -l script.py

Open a Python script with line numbers enabled.

pico -v /etc/passwd

View a file in read-only mode.

pico -m -x notes.txt

Open with mouse support but without the help lines.

Practical Notes

  • On modern systems, pico is almost always nano. If you specifically need the original Pine editor, install the alpine package.
  • Keyboard shortcuts are shown at the bottom of the editor. ^ means the Ctrl key: ^O is Ctrl+O (save), ^X is Ctrl+X (exit).
  • ^K cuts a line, ^U pastes it. ^W opens the search prompt, and ^\ opens search-and-replace.
  • Use -w when editing configuration files to prevent automatic line wrapping from corrupting long lines.
  • For more advanced editing, consider vim, emacs, or micro.