How do I sort lines using only the text under a visual column?

Explanation

When you need to sort records by a substring that starts at a visual column, Vim can do it without external tools. The \%V atom restricts a search pattern to the current Visual area, so :sort can use that region as the key. This is useful when you have fixed-width tables, aligned logs, or padded output where the meaningful field starts in a specific column.

How it works

• :'<,'> tells Vim to run the command on the lines of the last Visual selection.
• :sort /.../ sorts the range by the text matched by the pattern, not just by full-line start.
• \%V limits matching to the Visual area, so the sort key begins where your selection starts.
• .*$ captures the rest of the line from that selected column onward.

Example

Select the same key column across these lines, then run the command:

ID001  sev=3  host=zeta
ID002  sev=1  host=beta
ID003  sev=2  host=alpha

After sorting by the selected host=... column:

ID003  sev=2  host=alpha
ID002  sev=1  host=beta
ID001  sev=3  host=zeta

Tips

• Use Visual Block (<C-v>) for precise column boundaries before running :sort.
• Add ! (:sort!) to reverse the order.
• Pair with :set virtualedit=block when columns are ragged and you need tighter block control.