---
layout: page
category_title: Basic commands
category-page: basic
tags: More and less
author: Marzio Lunghi
title: More and Less
<!--next-page: pages/cmd/basic/ --> <!-- The sequence must be defined -->
---


<h2> More and Less </h2>

<p> Both commands show the content of one or more files and it’s possible to do a research with particular flags, but the “less” one allows us to go also backwards while reading the text of a file.
    More is quite old, less is more recent and powerful.
    <br>
    General syntax for both is:
    <br>

    <pre>
      Device-name:Current-position username$ less [flags] path/name-file.*
      <br>
      Device-name:Current-position username$ more [flags] path/name-file.*
      </pre>

    Less provides some useful commands to navigate and modify the file content.
    Commands does not include flags, which are included under Options.

</p>

<h3> Commands and flags </h3>

<h4> MOVING </h4>

<p> Such commands must be used once the file has been displayed.
They are not flags. For a single operation there can be multiple commands. </p>

<ol>
  <li> <code>ENTER  RETURN e  ^E  j  ^N  CR </code></li>
    <p> Scroll forward N lines, 1 by default, if N is not specified. </p>
  <li> <code> y  ^Y  k  ^K  ^P </code></li>
    <p> Scroll backward N lines , 1 by default , if N is not specified. </p>
  <li> <code> f  ^F  ^V  SPACE </code></li>
    <p> Scroll forward  N lines, a window by default, if N is not specified. </p>
  <li> <code> b  ^B  ESC-v </code></li>
    <p> Scroll backward N lines, one window by default, if N is not specified.</p>
  <li> <code> ESC-SPACE </code></li>
    <p> Scroll forward  one window like SPACE , but don't stop at end-of-file. </p>
  <li> <code>d  ^D </code></li>
    <p> Scroll forward  N lines, by default N correspond to half of the screen size.</p>
  <li>  <code> u  ^U </code></li>
    <p> Scroll Backward  N lines, by default N correspond to half of the screen size.</p>
  <li> <code> ESC-)  RightArrow </code></li>
    <p> Scroll horizontally right  N characters, by default half of the screen size, if N is not specified.</p>
  <li> <code> ESC-(  LeftArrow </code></li>
    <p> Scroll horizontally left  N characters, by default half of the screen size, if N is not specified. </p>
</ol>

<h4> JUMPING </h4>

<p> Such commands must be used once the file has been displayed.
They are not. For a single operation there can be multiple commands. </p>

<ol>
  <li> <code>  g  <  ESC-<   </code></li>
    <p> Go to line N, by default 1, if N is not specified.</p>
  <li> <code> G  >  ESC-> </code></li>
    <p> Go to line N, by default the last one , if N is not specified.</p>
  <li> <code>  t </code></li>
    <p> Go to the (N-th) next tag. </p>
  <li> <code> T </code></li>
    <p> Go to the (N-th) previous tag.</p>

</ol>



<h4> OPTIONS [Flags] </h4>

<p>Options may be given in one of two forms: either a single
   character preceded by a "-", or a name preceded by "--" .</p>

<ol>
  <li> <code> ?    OR    --help </code> </li>
    <p> Display help guide with the description of commands and more , it is sufficient to enter less -? .</p>
  <li> <code> -c  OR   --clear-screen </code> </li>
    <p> Repaint by clearing rather than scrolling.</p>
  <li> <code> -e  -E  OR  --quit-at-eof  --QUIT-AT-EOF </code> </li>
    <p> Quit the file, when you scroll to the end of the file.</p>
  <li> <code>  -~  OR  --tilde </code> </li>
    <p> Do not display tildes after end of file. </p>

</ol>