Search Vim Tricks
Searching...:put =''
Using :put ='' with an empty expression lets you insert blank lines in normal mode without ever entering insert mode.
editing #editing #normal-mode #ex-commands #expression-register #blank-line
vim --startuptime /tmp/vim-startup.log +qall && sort -k2 -rn /tmp/vim-startup.log | head -20
When Vim starts slowly, the --startuptime flag writes a timestamped log of every script and plugin loaded during initialization.
ftdetect/{filetype}.vim
Vim automatically sources every file in ftdetect/ directories on the runtimepath when filetype detection runs.
:command -range {Name} ...
Custom Ex commands defined with :command -range can be called with a line range (e.
cgn...{text}<Esc>.
The cgn + .
:mkview 2 and :loadview 2
Vim supports up to 9 numbered view slots per file.
buffers-windows #folding #buffers-windows #navigation #config
:'<,'>normal {command}
After making a visual selection, :'normal {command} runs any normal-mode command on each selected line individually.
json_encode()
Vim 8.
glob()
The glob() built-in function expands a wildcard pattern into a list of matching filesystem paths, entirely within Vimscript.
<SID>
(Script ID) is a Vimscript token that expands to a unique, per-script prefix at runtime.
[[:alpha:]]
Vim's regex engine supports POSIX character classes inside bracket expressions, giving you locale-aware, readable alternatives to manual character ranges like [
\_.{-}
The \ modifier in Vim extends any character class or atom to also match newlines.
:<C-u>MyCommand<CR>
When writing nnoremap or vnoremap mappings that call Ex commands, Vim may silently prepend a count or a visual range (') to your command before it runs.
matchadd('Group', 'pattern', priority)
matchadd() accepts an optional third argument: a priority integer that controls which match wins when two patterns cover the same text.
:echo synIDattr(synID(line('.'),col('.'),1),'name')
When customizing a colorscheme or debugging unexpected colors, you need to know exactly which highlight group is coloring the text under your cursor.
<C-x><C-n>
triggers keyword completion that searches only the current buffer for matches, scanning forward from the cursor.
<C-a> (command-line)
Pressing on the command line expands all current completion matches into the command at once, rather than cycling through them one at a time with .
mode()
The mode() function returns a short string identifying the current editing mode — 'n' for Normal, 'i' for Insert, 'v' for Visual character-wise, 'V' for Visua
macros #macros #normal-mode #visual-mode #insert-mode #editing
shellescape({expr})
The shellescape() function wraps a string in shell-safe quoting, escaping any special characters so it can be embedded in a shell command constructed with :exec
command-line #ex-commands #command-line #editing #normal-mode
input({prompt})
The built-in input() function pauses execution, displays a prompt at the bottom of the screen, and returns whatever the user types before pressing Enter.
