How do I append a semicolon to every line in a file using :norm?

Explanation

The :%norm command runs normal mode commands on every line in the file (or a range). This is incredibly powerful for batch edits — appending text, deleting characters, or running any normal mode sequence on multiple lines without macros.

How it works

• :%norm {commands} — execute normal mode commands on every line
• :'<,'>norm {commands} — execute on visually selected lines
• :10,20norm {commands} — execute on lines 10-20
• Commands run as if you typed them in normal mode on each line

Example

" Append semicolon to every line
:%norm A;

" Delete first 2 characters of each line
:%norm xx

" Add 'const ' before each line
:%norm Iconst 

Before :%norm A;:
let x = 1
let y = 2
let z = 3

After:
let x = 1;
let y = 2;
let z = 3;

Tips

• Use norm! (with bang) to ignore user mappings — safer in scripts
• :g/pattern/norm {cmd} runs normal commands only on matching lines
• :%norm @a runs macro a on every line
• For insert mode text, include the full sequence: :%norm I// adds comment prefix