How do I collapse consecutive duplicate words across a file?
:%s/\v<(\w+)\s+\1>/\1/g\<CR>
OCR cleanup, copy-paste artifacts, and rushed note-taking often produce repeated words like the the or is is.
Search: /pattern
640 results for "/pattern"
How do I specify line ranges in Ex commands to target specific parts of a file?
:{range}command
Every Ex command in Vim can be preceded by a range that specifies which lines it should operate on.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #ranges #editing #productivity
How do I uppercase a word and then jump back to my exact original cursor position?
mzgUiw`z
When you run an operator like gUiw, Vim can leave your cursor in a slightly different place than where you started.
How do I delete just the current search match with dgn?
*Ndgn
When you are reviewing repetitive text, you often need to remove one specific match without running a broad substitute.
How do I swap the first two comma-separated fields on each line with one substitute command?
:%s/\v^([^,]+),([^,]+),/\2,\1,/<CR>
When CSV-like data has two columns in the wrong order, manually fixing each line is slow and error-prone.
How do I run one substitution in nomagic mode so most regex characters are literal?
:snomagic /foo.\+/bar/<CR>
When a pattern is mostly literal text with just a little regex, default magic mode can force extra escaping and make substitutions harder to read.
How do I sort lines alphabetically in Vim?
:sort
The :sort command sorts lines in the current buffer or a specified range alphabetically.
How do I sort lines by a secondary field while ignoring a common leading prefix?
:[range]sort /regex/
The :[range]sort /regex/ command sorts lines while skipping the portion of each line that matches the regex.
How do I restrict a search to only match within a specific line range?
/\%>10l\%<20lpattern
Vim's \%>Nl and \%10l matches only after line 10 \%10l\%10l\%<20lold/new/g Combine with column restrictions for precise region targeting Tips Line numbers in \%
How do I search for multiple alternative patterns at once in Vim?
/foo\|bar
How it works The \ operator in Vim's search pattern works like a logical OR, letting you match any one of several alternatives.
Why doesn't \n insert a newline in a :s replacement, and what should I use instead?
:%s/,/,\r/g
In Vim substitutions, \n and \r behave differently depending on whether they appear in the search pattern or the replacement string — a common gotcha that sur
How do I search literally for the exact text I yanked last?
:let @/ = '\V' . escape(@0, '\')
When the text you yank contains regex characters, a normal / search can produce noisy or surprising matches.
What is the difference between \n and \r in Vim substitution patterns and replacements?
:s/\n/ /
One of the most confusing asymmetries in Vim's substitution syntax: \n and \r mean different things depending on whether they appear in the pattern or the repla
How do I manually fire an autocommand event to re-trigger filetype settings or test autocmds?
:doautocmd
:doautocmd fires any autocommand event manually, exactly as if that event had occurred naturally.
How do I replay macro q from command-line mode without changing @/?
:keeppatterns normal! @q<CR>
When you replay macros from Ex commands, Vim can overwrite @/ (the last search pattern) depending on what the macro does.
How do I split a line by inserting a newline with the substitute command?
:s/,/\r/g
In Vim's substitute command, use \r (not \n) in the replacement to insert a real newline.
How do I replace the next search match and repeat it easily with dot?
cgn
The cgn command combines the change operator with the gn motion to change the next occurrence of your last search pattern.
How do I copy the contents of one register to another?
:let @b = @a
The :let @b = @a command copies the contents of register a into register b.
How do I access Vim's built-in help system?
:help topic
Vim has an extensive built-in help system.
How do I get the current search match index and total count programmatically in Vim?
searchcount()
The searchcount() function returns a dictionary containing the current search state: which match the cursor is on, how many total matches exist, and whether the