How do I temporarily narrow quickfix entries by pattern using the cfilter plugin?
:packadd cfilter | Cfilter /ERROR/
Quickfix lists can get noisy in large projects, especially when one grep or compiler run mixes several classes of issues.
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Searching...How do I put a register as true line list so embedded newlines stay split correctly?
:put =getreg('a', 1, 1)
Most register pastes are character-oriented, but advanced edits often need to preserve exact line structure.
registers #registers #ex-commands #scripting #text-processing
How do I run the last executed macro across an existing visual line range?
:'<,'>normal @@
When you already have a useful macro but need to apply it to a specific block of lines, :'normal @@ is a high-leverage pattern.
How do I uppercase just the current paragraph without visual selection?
gUip
gUip is a compact operator-plus-text-object pattern that uppercases exactly the paragraph your cursor is in.
How do I append another pattern search to the current quickfix results?
:vimgrepadd /FIXME/j **/*.go
When you are triaging a codebase, one pattern is rarely enough.
How do I save only real file buffers when running bufdo across many open buffers?
:bufdo if &buftype ==# '' | update | endif
bufdo is powerful for multi-buffer automation, but a naive write pass can error on special buffers (help, terminal, quickfix, prompts).
buffers-windows #buffers #windows #ex-commands #automation #workflow
How do I keep more marks and registers across sessions by tuning the shada option?
:set shada='200,<1000,s100,h
Default ShaDa settings are conservative, which can make long-running workflows lose useful context between sessions.
How do I run a recorded macro on every quickfix match without touching unrelated lines?
:cdo normal! @q
When a refactor target spans many files but only specific matches matter, running a macro globally is risky.
How do I strip trailing whitespace without clobbering my last search pattern?
:keeppatterns %s/\s\+$//e
Bulk cleanup commands often damage your navigation flow by overwriting the last search pattern (@/).
command-line #command-line #search #substitution #whitespace
How do I sort lines using only the text under a visual column?
:'<,'>sort /\%V.*$/
When you need to sort records by a substring that starts at a visual column, Vim can do it without external tools.
visual-mode #visual-mode #sorting #ex-commands #text-processing
How do I inspect a macro register with escaped control characters so I can debug it safely?
:echo string(getreg('q'))
Macros can fail for subtle reasons: hidden control keys, extra whitespace, or unexpected register contents.
registers #registers #macros #debugging #automation #command-line
How do I append extra keystrokes to a recorded macro from the command line without re-recording it?
:let @q .= "j^"
Live macro recording is fast, but adjusting the tail of a macro by re-recording can be risky once it already works in most places.
macros #macros #registers #automation #normal-mode #workflow
How do I invert the case of an entire paragraph with one operator command?
g~ap
g~ap is a fast way to invert letter case across a full paragraph without entering Visual mode.
editing #editing #operators #text-objects #case #normal-mode
How do I jump back to the previous context line without preserving exact column?
''
When you jump around a file, Vim tracks prior locations.
navigation #navigation #motions #marks #jumplist #normal-mode
How do I inspect only Ex command history so I can quickly rerun a complex command?
:history :
When you work with long substitution pipelines or multi-part Ex commands, digging through all history (:history) adds noise.
How do I enable matchit so % jumps between if/else/end style pairs?
:packadd matchit<CR>
The default % motion is great for simple delimiters, but many code structures use semantic pairs like if/else/endif, try/catch, or HTML tags.
How to write a macro that saves the current file and advances to the next file in the argument list in Vim?
:wn
:wn (short for :wnext) writes the current buffer to disk and immediately advances to the next file in the argument list.
How to configure what Neovim saves between sessions using the ShaDa file?
:set shada
Neovim's ShaDa (Shared Data) file replaces Vim's viminfo and persists session state across restarts — marks, registers, command history, search history, jump
How to stage individual Git hunks without leaving Neovim using gitsigns.nvim?
:Gitsigns stage_hunk
gitsigns.
How do I reindent the whole buffer without adding jumplist entries?
:keepjumps normal! gg=G<CR>
Whole-buffer reindent is common, but doing it naively can pollute your jumplist and break navigation flow during review.