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: S substitute line
64 results for "S substitute line"
How do I count how many times a pattern appears in a file without making any changes?
:%s/pattern//gn
The n flag on the substitute command makes it report the match count without actually performing any replacement.
How do I run an Ex command on all lines between two pattern matches?
:/start/,/end/ {command}
Vim's range addressing lets you specify a line range using search patterns instead of explicit line numbers.
How do I count the number of pattern matches in a file without making substitutions?
:s/pattern//gn
The :s///gn command counts how many times a pattern appears in the file without actually replacing anything.
command-line #search #ex-commands #substitution #command-line
How do I run a substitute command without overwriting my current search pattern?
:keeppatterns
Normally, any command that uses a pattern — including :substitute, :global, and :vimgrep — replaces the current search register @/ with the new pattern.
How do I paste or reuse my last search pattern?
<C-r>/
Vim stores your last search pattern in the / register.
How do I paste or reuse my last search pattern from the search register?
"/p
Vim stores the last search pattern in the search register "/.
How do I run a search and replace only within a visually selected region?
:'<,'>s/pattern/replacement/g
When you make a visual selection and then type :, Vim automatically inserts ' as the range — the marks for the start and end of the last visual selection.
How do I record a macro that performs a search and replace on each line?
qa:s/old/new/g<CR>jq
How it works You can combine Ex commands like :s (substitute) with macro recording to create powerful repeatable find-and-replace operations that go beyond what
How do I prevent a macro from stopping when a command fails?
Use :s/pat/rep/e flag or :silent! prefix
By default, Vim macros abort on the first error — a failed search, a substitute with no matches, or a movement that can't be performed.
How do I use capture groups to rearrange text in a Vim substitute command?
:%s/\(pattern1\)\(pattern2\)/\2\1/g
Vim's substitute command supports capture groups that let you match parts of text, remember them, and rearrange or reuse them in the replacement.
How do I reuse my last search pattern in a substitute command without retyping it?
:%s//new/g
Leaving the search field empty in a :s command tells Vim to reuse the last search pattern from / or .
search #search #substitution #ex-commands #regex #productivity
How do I edit a command in a full Vim buffer before executing it?
<C-f> from : prompt
Pressing while on the : command line opens the command-line window, where you can edit your command using full Vim editing capabilities.
How do I find accidentally repeated words like 'the the' in a document?
/\(\<\w\+\>\)\_s\+\1\>
When writing or editing text, repeated words like "the the" or "is is" are a common typo that spell checkers often miss.
How do I use a Vim expression to dynamically compute the replacement in a substitution?
:s/\d\+/\=submatch(0)+1/g
The \= prefix in a :substitute replacement field tells Vim to evaluate the following as a Vimscript expression rather than treating it as a literal string.
How do I collapse multiple consecutive spaces into a single space throughout a file?
:%s/\s\+/ /g
The pattern \s\+ matches one or more whitespace characters (spaces, tabs).
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 run a substitute command without changing my current search pattern?
:keeppattern s/old/new/g
When you run a :s or :g command, Vim updates the search register (@/) with the pattern you used.
How do I search for a pattern only on a specific line number or at a specific column position?
\%l and \%c
Vim's \%l and \%c pattern atoms anchor a search to a particular line number or column, enabling surgical searches and substitutions that standard regex cannot e
How do I use a VimScript expression as the replacement in a substitution?
:s/pattern/\=expression/g
Prefixing the replacement string with \= in a :substitute command tells Vim to evaluate the rest as a VimScript expression rather than literal text.