How to open multiple files and switch between them in nano text editor?

Question

In emacs, you can open new files with Ctrl+X, Ctrl+F

And go to the previous file with Ctrl+B, and go to the next file with Ctrl+N.

How to do this in nano text editor? While nano is launched, and then open new files, and how to switch between the opened files in the nano text editor?

Solution 1

Put "set multibuffer" into ~/.nanorc or start nano with -F. Toggle this inside nano with alt-F. You can now read files into their own buffer with ctrl-R.

Use alt-comma and alt-period to go forward and backward in the file list.

Solution 2

To switch between open files in nano

alt+. -- move forward one file

alt+, -- move back one file

Steps

Open as many files as you want by listing them as separate arguments to nano, like so:

nano file1.txt file2.log file3.c file4.js file5.py

The first file is opened, e.g. file1.txt. Use the keyboard shortcuts below to switch between the files.

alt+. -- move forward one file

alt+, -- move back one file

nano --version GNU nano, version 2.9.3

Solution 3

If you've already got nano open and you want to open a new file it's quite simple when you've figured out the keys...

• Ctrl+R to open the insert dialog
• EscF can be used to change the insert mode between current buffer and a new buffer
• Ctrl+X allows you to execute a command with the output going into the buffer
• Ctrl+T will open a simple browser to select a file