How do I run an Ex command without changing the current search pattern?
:keeppattern {cmd}
Many Ex commands silently overwrite the search register (@/), which changes your hlsearch highlighting and n/N behavior.
Search: /pattern
640 results for "/pattern"
How do I use glob() in Vimscript to get a list of files matching a wildcard pattern?
glob()
The glob() built-in function expands a wildcard pattern into a list of matching filesystem paths, entirely within Vimscript.
How do I anchor a Vim search pattern to match only at the very start or end of the entire file?
\%^ and \%$
Vim's ^ and $ anchors match the start and end of a line, but sometimes you need to match the very beginning or very end of the entire buffer.
How do I anchor a search or substitution pattern to the current cursor position?
\%#
The \%# atom in Vim's regex engine matches the exact position of the cursor — zero-width, between characters.
How do I search for a character by its ASCII or Unicode code point value in a Vim pattern?
/\%d{decimal}
Vim's regex engine supports special atoms that match characters by their numeric value rather than their glyph.
How do I run a substitution only on lines that match a specific pattern using the global command?
:g/pattern1/s/pattern2/replacement/g
Combining :g with :s lets you apply a substitution using two independent patterns: :g selects which lines to act on, and :s controls what gets replaced within t
How do I get exact current and total counts for my last search pattern in Vim?
:echo searchcount({'recompute': 1})
Vim can show match counts for your last search, but in large files or after big edits the cached values may lag.
search #search #command-line #automation #statusline #diagnostics
How do I load a set of files matching a glob pattern into Vim's argument list for bulk editing?
:args **/*.py
Vim's argument list (arglist) is a named list of files that you can operate on as a group.
How do I see all search matches highlighted as I type the pattern?
:set incsearch hlsearch
The combination of incsearch and hlsearch gives you live, interactive search highlighting.
How do I visually select the next occurrence of my last search pattern?
gn
The gn motion searches forward for the next match of the last search pattern and visually selects it.
search #navigation #search #motions #normal-mode #repeat #editing
How do I mix very-nomagic and magic sections in a single Vim search?
/\Vsrc/main.c\m:\d\+<CR>
Sometimes you need one search pattern that treats a literal path strictly while still using regex power for the suffix.
How do I search for a pattern only within specific columns of a line?
/\%>5c\%<20cpattern
How it works Vim's search patterns support column position constraints using the \%c family of atoms.
How do I force a search to be case-sensitive regardless of the ignorecase setting?
/\Cpattern
Vim's ignorecase and smartcase settings change how all searches behave globally.
How do I search for a pattern that spans multiple lines?
/foo\_.*bar
Vim's default .
How do I override Vim's case sensitivity for a single search without changing the global ignorecase setting?
/\c
Vim lets you override the ignorecase and smartcase settings on a per-search basis using the \c (case-insensitive) and \C (case-sensitive) atoms directly inside
How do I run a command on lines between two search patterns?
:/start/,/end/command
Vim allows pattern-based ranges in Ex commands, letting you operate on lines between two search matches.
How do I create a Visual selection for the previous search match instead of the next one?
gN
Most users know gn for selecting the next search match, but its counterpart gN is the real power move when you need to work backward through matches.
visual-mode #visual-mode #search #motions #editing #normal-mode
How do I delete consecutive duplicate lines from a file using a single Ex command?
:g/\(.\+\)\n\1/d
The :g command with a backreference pattern can detect and delete consecutive duplicate lines in one pass.
How do I insert a newline in the replacement string of a :s substitution?
:s/,/,\r/g
In Vim's :substitute command, \r in the replacement string inserts a literal newline — it splits the line at that point.
How do I enable smart case-sensitive searching in Vim?
:set ignorecase smartcase
How it works By setting both ignorecase and smartcase, Vim uses an intelligent case sensitivity rule for searches: If your search pattern is all lowercase, the