How do I edit and reuse previous Ex commands in a full editing buffer?

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`q:` The **command-line window** is a special buffer that shows your entire Ex command history and lets you edit entries using the full power of Vim's normal mode before executing them. Press `q:` in normal mode to open it, navigate to any previous command, modify it with standard Vim editing commands, and press `` to run it. ## How it works - `q:` opens the command-line window with your Ex command history - `q/` opens a similar window for your **search history** - `q?` opens it for your backward search history - The window is a regular Vim buffer — you can navigate with `j`/`k`, search with `/`, yank, paste, and edit freely - Press `` on any line to execute that command - Press `` or `:q` to close the window without executing anything ## Example You ran a complex substitution earlier: ```vim :%s/\v(\w+)\.(\w+)@(\w+)\.com/\2 [\1]/g ``` Later you need to tweak it. Press `q:` to open the command-line window. Use `/subst` or `?s\/` to find the command in the history. Edit the replacement pattern using normal Vim commands like `ci]` or `f@`, then press `` to execute the modified version. You can also compose a brand-new command on the empty line at the bottom of the window, using yanks and pastes from the history above. ## Tips - If you accidentally hit `q:` instead of `:q` (a very common typo), just press `` to close the window immediately - You can also enter the command-line window from command-line mode: press `` while typing an Ex command to transfer to the full editing window - The window respects `history` size — increase it with `:set history=1000` to store more commands - Use `q/` to review and re-run previous searches — invaluable when you have built up a complex regex - The command-line window supports all normal mode commands: `dd` to delete a history entry, `p` to paste, `u` to undo edits - Combine lines from multiple previous commands by yanking parts and assembling a new one at the bottom of the buffer - Set the window height with `:set cmdwinheight=15` if the default is too small

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