Nano

GNU's nano is an easy to use text editor with additional functionality. nano is Gentoo's default editor and is part of each installation. It can be replaced without problems by any other text editor.

First steps
Start nano by typing in a terminal followed by options or a file. Passing a file name is the most common use:

Nano now shows the content of the text file and which can be modified as desired. Navigate through the text with the arrow keys.

At the bottom nano shows shortcuts for common actions, e.g. save or exit. The shortcut to save is shown as. Prefix the shortcut with the key. So to save a document (after editing it) press +. To exit press +.

To see an overview over all options run

Cut, copy and paste
Lines can be cut with the shortcut + (copied with +) and paste with +. To cut or copy multiple lines press the shortcut multiple times.

Search
Search the text with +. Continue the search with +.

Configuration
Set options permanently in the configuration file. This configuration applies system wide to all users. To change options only for one user, set the option in the user's file. As a general rule, files present in a user's home directory override system wide settings.