How can I setup an alias in bash for “sudo vim (filename)” as sim (filename)

Question

What I normally type to edit a file is:

sudo vim Example.php

I'd like to type

sim Example.php

as a shortcut. I know I can setup an alias in the bash config file, but how do I go about specifying the argument in the alias? In this case the argument is the filename.

Answer 1

Let me answer your question in several parts.

Setting up an alias in Bash

In your .bashrc, put a line that reads as follows:

alias sim="sudo vim"

On some systems (Ubuntu, for example), this line should instead go in your .bash_aliases file, which will automatically be loaded by your default .bashrc.

Note that it is not necessary to deal with the command arguments; these will be tacked onto the end of the sudo vim command automatically.

Editing as superuser

Take everything I just said and throw it out.

It is generally a better idea to use sudoedit instead. sudoedit will automatically make a temporary copy of the file that you can edit without superuser privileges. This means that vim will run as you (instead of as root), and only a brief moment of superuserity is needed after you're done editing the file.

Making sure sudoedit runs vim

On Debianish systems, use sudo update-alternatives --config editor to choose your preferred editor. Otherwise, make sure $EDITOR is set to vim in your .bashrc.

Answer 2

You use sudoedit Example.php or sudo -e Example.php instead. If that's invoking an editor other than Vim, then just add an export EDITOR=vim to your bash startup files.

As far as the alias is concerned, jschmier is correct. Aliases are simply expanded and then any arguments are handled normally. If you actually need to process arguments (instead of leaving them in place after the alias is expanded), you'll want to use a function. See the bash documentation for aliases and functions.

Answer 3

alias sim='sudo vim $1'

Answer 4

alias sim='sudo vim' and call as sim Example.php

Bash always reads at least one complete line of input before executing any of the commands on that line. Aliases are expanded when a command is read, not when it is executed.

See the Aliases entry in the Bash Reference Manual for more details.

Answer 5

Use a bash function instead. I have a function I use to show the last modification date of a file/folder:

function lm()
{
    ls -l "$*" | awk '{print $6, $7, $8}'
}

Try this:

function sim()
{
    sudo vim "$*"
}

The $* in bash represents all the command line arguments, i.e. everything after the name of the function.

Then use it like so: $ sim -p Example.php Example2.php

Answer 6

not exactly answering the question but there is a nice trick to use when you started to edit the file and only then remembered that you forgot the sudo. you can use :w !sudo tee % to save the file with all your edits.