How do I edit a complex Ex command in a full editing window?
q: or <C-f> from : prompt
The command-line window (q:) opens a full Vim buffer containing your Ex command history.
Search: :normal
953 results for ":normal"
How do I enable mouse support in Vim?
:set mouse=a
How it works The :set mouse=a command enables mouse support in all Vim modes.
How do I ROT13 encode text using visual mode in Vim?
g?
Vim has a built-in ROT13 encoding operator accessible via g?.
visual-mode #visual-mode #encoding #rot13 #text-transformation
How do I programmatically simulate keypresses in Vim?
:call feedkeys("iHello\<Esc>", 'n')
The feedkeys() function injects keystrokes into Vim's input buffer as if the user typed them.
How do I run an Ex command on exactly the current visual selection without typing the range manually?
:
In Visual mode, typing : does more than open the command line: Vim automatically inserts the exact selection range as '.
How do I repeat the last substitute command preserving its flags?
:&&
After running a :s/pattern/replacement/g command, you often need to repeat it on another line or range.
How do I store the current file path in a named Vim register?
:let @a = expand('%:p')
Named registers are not only for yanked text.
registers #registers #command-line #filename-modifiers #editing
How do I open the current Ex command in the command-line window for full-screen editing?
:<C-f>
Long Ex commands are easy to mistype when you edit inline on a single command line.
How do I allow block selections past end-of-line while still permitting one-char past EOL cursor movement?
:set virtualedit=block,onemore
virtualedit controls whether the cursor can move to positions that do not yet contain text.
How do I count the words, lines, and characters in just my visual selection?
g<C-g> (visual mode)
In visual mode, pressing g reports detailed statistics for the selected text only — word count, character count, and byte count.
How do I open the command-line window while I am already typing a command?
<C-f> (command-line mode)
Pressing while in the command-line (:, /, or ? prompt) opens the command-line window with your partially-typed command already loaded and ready for full Vim edi
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #editing #navigation
How do I define w!! to save a root-owned file without reopening Vim?
cnoreabbrev w!! w !sudo tee > /dev/null %
When you forget to open a file with elevated privileges, quitting and reopening can break your flow.
command-line #command-line #abbreviations #sudo #write #workflow
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 insert the result of a Vim expression or calculation directly into text?
"=
The expression register ("=) lets you evaluate any Vim expression and insert its result as text.
How do I use marks to define a range for Ex commands?
:'a,'b s/old/new/g
Marks can be used as range specifiers in any Ex command.
command-line #marks #command-line #ex-commands #ranges #editing
How do I assign a key to toggle paste mode on and off without typing :set paste each time?
:set pastetoggle=<F2>
The pastetoggle option assigns a single key to toggle Vim's paste mode on and off without typing :set paste or :set nopaste every time.
How do I visually select the text of a sentence without selecting surrounding whitespace?
vis
The is (inner sentence) text object selects the sentence the cursor is in — excluding any leading or trailing whitespace that separates sentences.
How do I reuse the last visual selection range in an Ex command after exiting visual mode in Vim?
:'<,'>
Vim automatically sets two special marks whenever you make a visual selection: ' (end).
How do I jump to a tag and get an interactive list when multiple definitions exist in Vim?
:tjump
:tjump {identifier} is the smart tag-jumping command: it jumps directly when there is only one matching tag, but shows an interactive numbered list when multipl
How do I manually set the visual selection marks to define a precise Ex command range without entering visual mode?
m<
Vim's ' marks record the start and end of the last visual selection and power the ' range used by Ex commands.