Table 4.2 summarizes the command-line options common to all versions of vi. Table 4.3 and Table 4.4 summarize the buffer and marking commands.
| Option | Meaning | 
|---|---|
+n file | Open file at line number n. | 
+file | Open file at last line. | 
+/pattern file | Open file at first occurrence of pattern. | 
-c command file | Run command after opening file; usually
a line number or search (POSIX version of   | 
-R | Operate in read-only mode (same as using view instead of vi). | 
-r | Recover files after a crash. | 
| Buffer Names | Buffer Use | 
|---|---|
| 1-9 | The last nine deletions, from most to least recent. | 
| a-z | Named buffers for you to use as needed. Uppercase letters append to the buffer.  | 
| Command | Meaning | 
|---|---|
"bcommand | Do command with buffer b. | 
mx | Mark current position with x. | 
'x | Move cursor to first character of line marked by x. | 
`x | Move cursor to character marked by x. | 
`` | Return to exact position of previous mark or context. | 
'' | Return to beginning of the line of previous mark or context. |