Editing a file from command line adds strange chars to the file

Question

I just edited a vhost file via command line

sudo vi /srv/.../vhost.conf

After saving and reopening to add something, strange chars where added to the file:

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E.g.

AuthName "trac"n

was

AuthName "trac"

before.

Same with AuthUserFile. A ns was added behind it and a path.

Any ideas why this happens and how to avoid it? I also can't remove this chars.

Questions related to `vi` and so on are better on `superuser.com`. — Janne Pikkarainen, Aug 05 '11 at 10:39

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 05 '11 at 11:01

If your TERM setting is wrong, editors such as vi can give a slightly scrambled display of text due to the use of inappropriate escape codes when redrawing the edited text. Does the problem disappear when you press Ctrl+L or Ctrl+R? Is the problem visible when you cat or head the file after editing?

Editing a file from command line adds strange chars to the file

1 Answers1