How do I replace matches one-by-one using cgn and dot-repeat?

Explanation

Global substitution is fast, but sometimes you need selective control over each occurrence. The * plus cgn workflow lets you step through matches and decide replacement incrementally, while still staying very fast through dot-repeat. This is ideal when many matches should change, but a few should be skipped because of context.

How it works

• * searches forward for the word under cursor and sets the search register
• cgn changes the next search match and enters Insert mode
• Type the replacement text, press <Esc>, then press . to repeat the same change on the next match

*
cgnnew_text<Esc>
.

Example

Given this code, with cursor on the first count:

count = count + 1
count_total = count_total + 1
count = count + 1

Use *, then cgncounter<Esc>, then . to continue on the next exact match. You get selective, context-aware replacements without opening a :%s prompt.

Tips

• Use n to skip one match before pressing .
• gN and cgN let you walk backward through matches
• Add :set hlsearch to keep match locations visible while you iterate