How do I make Ctrl-A and Ctrl-X increment and decrement alphabetical characters in Vim?
set nrformats+=alpha
By default, Vim's and commands only increment and decrement numbers (decimal, hex, binary).
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Searching...How do I jump between unmatched #if, #else, and #endif preprocessor directives in Vim?
]# and [#
Vim provides the ]# and [# motions specifically for navigating C preprocessor conditionals.
How do I prevent Vim from treating leading-zero numbers as octal when incrementing with Ctrl-A?
set nrformats-=octal
By default, Vim treats numbers prefixed with a leading zero (like 007) as octal when you use or to increment or decrement them.
How do I briefly highlight text after yanking it to get visual confirmation of what was copied?
autocmd TextYankPost
The TextYankPost event fires immediately after any yank operation completes — including y, Y, dd, dw, and any other command that writes to a register.
How do I programmatically exit insert mode from an autocommand or Vimscript function?
:stopinsert
:stopinsert is an Ex command that immediately exits insert (or replace) mode and returns to normal mode.
command-line #insert-mode #ex-commands #autocommands #normal-mode
How do I trigger an autocommand action after the cursor has been idle for a set period?
CursorHold
The CursorHold autocommand event fires once whenever the cursor has been motionless in normal mode for updatetime milliseconds.
How do I apply a macro to every non-blank line in the file while skipping empty lines?
:g/./norm @q
Combining the :global command with :normal lets you run a macro on every non-blank line in one shot.
How do I sort lines within a visual selection in reverse alphabetical order?
:'<,'>sort!
The sort! command sorts the selected lines in reverse (descending) order.
How do I read from and write to files directly in Vimscript without shelling out to external commands?
readfile() and writefile()
readfile({path}) reads a file and returns its contents as a list of lines, and writefile({list}, {path}) writes a list of lines back to disk.
How do I make the K key look up documentation in a language-specific tool instead of man pages?
:set keywordprg
The K key in normal mode looks up the word under the cursor using the program defined by keywordprg.
How do I run a shell command from Vimscript and capture its output as a list of individual lines?
systemlist()
systemlist({cmd}) runs a shell command and returns the output as a list of strings, one per line — unlike system() which returns everything as a single string
How do I define or edit a macro's content programmatically without re-recording it?
:let @q = 'keystrokes'
You can assign a string directly to any register using :let, turning it into a macro instantly.
How do I manually fire an autocommand event to re-trigger filetype settings or test autocmds?
:doautocmd
:doautocmd fires any autocommand event manually, exactly as if that event had occurred naturally.
How do I run a macro on every line in the file silently, ignoring errors on lines where the macro fails?
:silent! %normal @q
Combining :silent!, the % range, and :normal @q gives you a powerful pattern for applying a macro across an entire file while gracefully skipping lines that don
How do I open a file in Netrw in a vertical split instead of the current window?
v (netrw)
When browsing files in Vim's built-in file manager (Netrw), pressing v on any file opens it in a vertical split to the right.
How do I browse and edit my backward search history in a full Vim buffer?
q?
Vim provides three command-line history windows accessible from normal mode: q: for Ex commands, q/ for forward searches, and q? for backward searches.
How do I paste the contents of a register literally in command-line mode without interpreting special characters?
<C-r><C-r>
In command-line mode, {reg} inserts a register's contents — but it processes certain sequences, potentially misinterpreting backslashes, pipe characters, or e
How do I insert a literal control character or special key into the command line?
<C-v> (command-line mode)
In command-line mode (after : or /), pressing followed by any key inserts that key literally — bypassing all key notation, mappings, and special interpretatio
How do I add custom markers or icons in Vim's sign column next to specific lines without any plugins?
:sign define and :sign place
Vim's built-in sign system lets you define custom symbols and place them in the sign column — the narrow gutter to the left of line numbers.
How do I save and restore the current window layout after temporarily changing window sizes in a Vim script?
winrestcmd()
The winrestcmd() function returns a string of Ex commands that, when executed, restore all window sizes to their state at the time of the call.