You've deleted the wrong text and you want to get it back.
There are several ways to recover deleted text.
If you've just deleted something and you realize you want it back,
simply type
u
to undo the last command (for example, a
dd
).
This works only if you haven't given any further commands, since
u
only undoes the most recent command.
You can still recover a recent deletion, however, by using the
p
command, since
vi
saves the last nine deletions in nine numbered deletion
buffers.
If you know, for example, that the third deletion back is the one you want to
restore, type:
"3p
to "put" the contents of buffer number 3 on the line below the
cursor.
This works only for a deleted
line
.
Words, or a portion of a line, are not saved in a buffer.
If you want to restore a deleted word or line fragment, and
u
won't work, use the
p
command by itself.
This restores whatever you've last deleted.