How do I dynamically build and run Ex commands from strings in Vim?
:execute 'normal! ' . count . 'j'
The :execute command evaluates a string as an Ex command, enabling dynamic command construction.
Search: %s/old/new/g
90 results for "%s/old/new/g"
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 use search patterns as line ranges in Ex commands to operate on a block of text?
:/start/,/end/d
Instead of specifying line numbers for Ex command ranges, you can use search patterns.
command-line #ex-commands #editing #search #ranges #command-line
How do I change existing surrounding quotes to parentheses with vim-surround?
cs"(
The cs operator in vim-surround (change surrounding) swaps one pair of delimiters for another without touching the content inside.
How do I open a file in a new tab in Vim?
:tabnew filename
The :tabnew filename command opens a file in a new tab page in Vim.
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #tabs #ex-commands #navigation
How do I rename, move, and delete files by editing the filesystem like a buffer with oil.nvim?
:Oil
oil.
How do I navigate to an older undo state that is not on my current undo branch?
g-
Vim's undo history is a tree, not a linear stack.
How do I search for a whole word only, excluding partial matches?
/\<word\>
The \ atoms create word boundaries in a search pattern, matching only complete words and not substrings within larger words.
How do I chain multiple commands on lines matching a pattern with :g?
:g/pattern/cmd1 | cmd2
The :g (global) command can execute multiple Ex commands per matching line by chaining them with .
command-line #command-line #global #ex-commands #batch-editing #advanced
How do I search for a pattern across multiple files and navigate the results?
:vimgrep /pattern/ **/*.ext | copen
The :vimgrep command searches for a regex pattern across multiple files and populates the quickfix list with every match.
search #search #quickfix #ex-commands #navigation #productivity #grep
How do I navigate all undo states including branches that u and Ctrl+r can't reach?
g+ and g-
Vim's undo history is a tree, not a linear stack.
How do I search for a pattern only within a specific range of lines in Vim?
:/start/,/end/s/pattern/replacement/g
You can restrict a substitution to a range defined by two patterns.
How do I navigate compiler errors, grep results, or search matches using the quickfix list?
:copen / :cnext / :cprev
The quickfix list is Vim's built-in mechanism for navigating a list of file locations — compiler errors, grep results, search matches, or any structured outpu
navigation #navigation #quickfix #ex-commands #productivity #workflow
How do I change the filename associated with the current buffer in Vim without saving to disk?
:file {newname}
:file {newname} (short form: :f {newname}) changes the filename Vim associates with the current buffer.
How do I delete all blocks of text between two patterns throughout a file?
:g/start/,/end/d
The :g (global) command can operate on ranges, not just single lines.
How do I rename a variable across all its case variants (camelCase, snake_case, SCREAMING_CASE) in one command?
:Subvert/{src}/{tgt}/g
vim-abolish provides :Subvert, a smarter substitute that detects and preserves the case style of each match.
How do I run a global command only on lines that match two different patterns simultaneously?
:g/pattern1/g/pattern2/command
Vim's :g command can be nested — the command part of one :g can itself be another :g.
How do I make substitutions replace every match on a line by default without typing the g flag?
:set gdefault
By default, :s/old/new/ only replaces the first occurrence of a pattern on each line.
How do I rename, move, or delete the current file from inside Vim using vim-eunuch?
:Rename {newname}
vim-eunuch (by Tim Pope) adds Unix shell operations as first-class Vim commands.
How do I transform text in a visual selection using awk or sed?
:'<,'>!awk '{print toupper($0)}'
Vim can pipe any visual selection through external Unix commands and replace the selection with the output.
visual-mode #visual-mode #external-command #awk #text-transformation