How do I use marks to define a range for Ex commands?

Explanation

Marks can be used as range specifiers in any Ex command. The syntax 'a,'b defines a range from the line containing mark a to the line containing mark b, letting you operate on precisely defined regions of your file.

How it works

1. Set mark a at the start of your region: ma
2. Navigate to the end of the region and set mark b: mb
3. Run any Ex command with the range 'a,'b

Examples

" Substitute within marked range
:'a,'b s/foo/bar/g

" Delete all lines between marks
:'a,'b d

" Indent lines between marks
:'a,'b >

" Sort lines between marks
:'a,'b sort

" Run normal mode command on marked range
:'a,'b normal A;

" Yank marked range into register
:'a,'b y z

Special mark ranges

" From mark a to current line
:'a,. s/old/new/g

" From mark a to end of file
:'a,$ d

" From beginning of file to mark b
:1,'b s/old/new/g

Tips

• Visual mode automatically sets marks '< and '>, which is why :'<,'> appears when you type : in visual mode
• Use backtick marks (`a,`b) for character-precise ranges instead of line-based
• This technique is essential for operating on non-contiguous, logically related sections of code