How do you use a macro to append a comma to every line?
qaA,<Esc>jq
Record a macro that moves to end of line with A, types a comma, escapes to normal mode, and moves down.
Category: macros
How do you append additional keystrokes to an existing macro?
qA...q
Use uppercase register letter qA to append to macro a instead of overwriting.
How do you use a macro to prepend line numbers to each line?
qaI1. <Esc>jq
Start at line 1, record a macro that inserts 1.
How do I record a macro to swap two function arguments?
qa f,ldt,F(p q
This macro swaps two comma-separated arguments inside parentheses by cutting the second argument and placing it before the first.
How do I undo all changes made by a macro?
u after macro (single undo)
When a macro makes multiple changes, a single u undoes the entire macro as one unit.
How do I record a macro to wrap each line in HTML tags?
qaI<li><Esc>A</li><Esc>jq
This macro wraps each line in tags by inserting the opening tag at the start and appending the closing tag at the end.
How do I debug a macro by executing it step by step?
Paste with "ap and execute keys manually
To debug a macro, paste its contents into the buffer, read each keystroke, and execute them one at a time to find where the macro goes wrong.
How do I create a macro to convert a value to a JSON key-value pair?
qaI"<Esc>A": "",<Esc>jq
This macro transforms a plain word into a JSON key-value pair format, useful for converting lists of field names into JSON structure.
How do I record a macro to wrap each word in quotes?
qaciw"<C-r>""<Esc>wq
This macro wraps the current word in double quotes by changing the word, inserting quotes around the original content, and moving to the next word.
How do I record a macro to add semicolons at the end of every line?
qaA;<Esc>jq
This macro appends a semicolon to the current line and moves down, ready to repeat.
How do I record a macro to toggle comments on a line?
qaI// <Esc>jq
This macro adds a // comment prefix to the beginning of the current line and moves down.
How do I create a macro that converts lines to a numbered list?
qa I1. <Esc>j q
This simple macro inserts a list number prefix at the beginning of each line.
How do I see what keystrokes a macro contains?
:reg a
The :reg a command shows the contents of register a, which reveals the keystrokes stored in the macro.
How do I record a macro in Vim?
q{a-z}...q
Recording a macro captures a sequence of keystrokes into a register, which you can replay later.
How do I record a macro that uses text objects and complex motions?
qa ci"replacement<Esc> /next<CR> q
Macros can contain any Vim command including text objects, searches, and multi-key motions.
How do I run a macro on all lines matching a pattern?
:g/pattern/norm @a
The :g/pattern/norm @a command combines the global command with macro execution.
How do I apply different macros to alternate lines?
qa ... j@bj q
You can create macros that call other macros, applying different operations to alternate lines or creating complex editing patterns.
How do I create a macro without recording it?
:let @a = "Iprefix: \<Esc>"
The :let @a = ".
How do I create a macro that uses an incrementing counter?
Use :let i=1 with macro
By combining a Vimscript variable with a macro, you can create sequences with incrementing numbers.
How do I execute buffer text as a macro dynamically?
:let @a=getline('.')<CR>@a
How it works Instead of recording keystrokes interactively, you can write a sequence of Vim commands as plain text in your buffer and then execute that text as