How do I write a Vim search pattern that matches text at or between mark positions?

Explanation

Vim's \%'m regex atom matches the exact position of mark m in a search pattern. This lets you write searches and substitutions that are anchored to named marks rather than fixed line numbers, which is particularly powerful when combined with visual-mode marks '< and '> or manually set marks.

How it works

• \%'a — matches the position of mark a (zero-width assertion)
• \%'< — matches the start of the last visual selection
• \%'> — matches the end of the last visual selection
• These atoms do not consume characters; they assert a position, just like ^ or $

Example

Suppose you set mark a at a specific position with ma, then mark b further down with mb. You can substitute only within that span:

:'a,'bs/old/new/g

But with \%'m in the pattern itself, you can do more targeted matches. For instance, highlight text from mark a to mark b on a single line:

/\%'afoo.*\%'b

Or use a substitution that only touches text between the two marks:

:%s/\%'a\_.*\%'b/replacement/

Tips

• Combine \%'< and \%'> with \%V (in-visual-selection atom) for different scoping strategies
• \%'m only works when the mark is set in the current buffer
• The backtick form `m jumps to mark m precisely; \%'m mirrors that precision in patterns
• Useful for scripted substitutions where a range command is insufficient because you need pattern matching across the boundary