How do I replay a macro many times without cluttering the jumplist?
:keepjumps normal! 500@q
Running a macro hundreds of times is efficient, but it can flood your jumplist and make normal navigation painful afterward.
Search: @a
2277 results for "@a"
How do I make Vim automatically reload a file when it changes on disk?
:set autoread
The autoread option tells Vim to automatically re-read a file when it detects the file has been changed outside of Vim.
How do I replace a visual selection with yanked text in Vim?
p (in visual mode)
In visual mode, pressing p replaces the selected text with the contents of the default register.
How do I safely run Neovim API calls from inside a fast callback or loop without causing errors?
vim.schedule()
vim.
How do I select, delete, or change a complete sentence using Vim's sentence text objects?
as and is
Vim defines sentence text objects — as (around sentence) and is (inner sentence) — that allow any operator to act on an entire sentence in one motion.
How do I send the contents of my buffer to a shell command without replacing the text?
:w !{cmd}
The :w !{cmd} command writes the buffer contents to the stdin of an external shell command without modifying the buffer or saving to disk.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #shell #editing #productivity
How do I copy a specific line by number to after the current line?
:5t.
The :t ex command (also spelled :copy) copies a range of lines to a target address without touching any register.
How do I create an insert-mode abbreviation that expands a short sequence into longer text?
:iabbrev {lhs} {rhs}
The :iabbrev command defines insert-mode abbreviations — short character sequences that automatically expand into longer text when you type a non-keyword char
How do I configure Vim's built-in file explorer netrw to look like a sidebar?
let g:netrw_liststyle=3 and let g:netrw_banner=0
How it works Vim ships with a built-in file explorer called netrw that you can access with :Explore (or :Ex).
How do I switch to a specific buffer by its number in Vim?
:b N
How it works Every buffer in Vim is assigned a unique number when it is opened.
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 prevent Vim's write strategy from breaking LSP file watchers by changing a file's inode on save?
:set nowritebackup
By default, Vim saves files using a "write-then-rename" strategy: it writes to a temporary backup file and then renames it over the original.
How do I register a Lua callback that fires before every keystroke to react to keyboard input?
vim.on_key()
vim.
How do I select or operate on the entire buffer as a text object?
ggVG
While Vim doesn't have a built-in "entire buffer" text object, the ggVG sequence achieves it: go to the first line, enter line-wise visual mode, then select to
How do I run a macro on every line in the file silently, ignoring errors on lines where the macro fails?
:silent! %normal @q
Combining :silent!, the % range, and :normal @q gives you a powerful pattern for applying a macro across an entire file while gracefully skipping lines that don
How do I quickly comment and uncomment code in Vim with a plugin?
gcc
The vim-commentary plugin by Tim Pope provides a minimal yet powerful way to toggle comments in any programming language.
plugins #plugins #commentary #commenting #editing #normal-mode
How do I run a macro as many times as needed until it hits an error and stops automatically in Vim?
1000@q
Vim macros stop executing the moment any step in the macro causes an error — a failed search, a motion that cannot proceed, or a substitution with no matches.
How do I quickly create an Ex command range spanning the next N lines using a count before the colon?
5:
Typing a count before : in normal mode automatically fills in a line range in the command line.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #ranges #normal-mode
How do I create a self-repeating macro that runs until there is nothing left to process?
@q (inside macro recording)
A recursive macro calls itself as its last action, causing it to repeat indefinitely until it hits an error (like reaching end of file or failing a search).
How do I search across all Vim help files for a keyword or phrase?
:helpgrep
:helpgrep {pattern} searches all installed Vim help files for a pattern and populates the quickfix list with every match.