Search Vim Tricks
Searching...\u / \l / \U / \L (in :s replacement)
Vim's :substitute replacement string supports case-conversion modifiers that let you uppercase or lowercase matched text without writing a separate command.
:[range]join
The :[range]join Ex command lets you join lines by specifying an explicit line range — without having to navigate there or use visual selection.
:[range]center / :[range]right / :[range]left
Vim has built-in Ex commands for text alignment: :center, :right, and :left.
:sort r /pattern/
The :sort r /pattern/ command sorts lines using the matched portion of the regex as the sort key.
:for i in range(1,5) | put ='item '.i | endfor
Vimscript's for loop is available directly from Vim's command line and can be used to generate repetitive or parameterized text without a macro or external scri
:set formatoptions
The formatoptions setting is a string of single-character flags that governs Vim's automatic text formatting: when lines wrap, whether comment syntax continues
:e +{cmd} {file}
The :e +{cmd} {file} form opens a file and executes an Ex command immediately after loading it.
:%s/\r//g
When a file created on Windows is opened in Vim on a Unix system, lines may retain \r (carriage return) characters, displayed as ^M at the end of each line.
:[range]center [width]
Vim's built-in :left, :center, and :right Ex commands align text without plugins or external tools.
:let g:netrw_liststyle = 3
By default, netrw shows files in a flat listing.
plugins #netrw #file-browser #plugins #configuration #built-in
R (in netrw)
Vim's built-in file explorer netrw lets you rename files and directories without leaving the editor.
:call setreg('q', keys, 'c')
The setreg() function writes any string directly into a named register, letting you construct macro keystrokes from Vimscript expressions rather than live recor
inoremap <Left> <C-g>U<Left>
In insert mode, any cursor movement — including arrow keys, Home, and End — causes Vim to split the undo block at that point.
nnoremap <expr> j (v:count == 0 ? 'gj' : 'j')
The map modifier turns a mapping's right-hand side into a Vimscript expression that is evaluated at the time the key is pressed, with its return value used as t
:let @a = @"
Vim's :let command lets you read and write register contents as strings, making it possible to copy, combine, or modify register values without ever leaving the
:set wildignore+=*.pyc,*.o,node_modules/**,.git/**
wildignore is a comma-separated list of glob patterns that Vim skips when expanding file names.
<C-v>{motion}I{text}<Esc>
Visual block mode () lets you select a rectangular region across multiple lines.
/pattern1\_.{-}pattern2
Vim's regex engine normally treats .
:split #
In Vim, # is a special filename that always refers to the alternate file — the most recently active buffer before the current one.
\_.\+
By default, .
