How do I search for a pattern that spans multiple lines?
/pattern1\_.*pattern2
Vim's \ modifier makes any character class match newlines too.
All Vim Tricks
How do I access my delete history beyond the last delete?
"1p ... "2p ... "9p
Vim maintains a numbered register history from "1 through "9 that stores your last 9 deletes and changes.
How do I navigate and operate on sentences and paragraphs in Vim?
( / ) / { / }
Vim treats sentences and paragraphs as first-class navigation units.
navigation #navigation #motions #text-objects #prose #editing
How do I run a build command and jump to errors directly from Vim?
:make
The :make command runs your build tool and parses its output into the quickfix list, letting you jump directly to each error location.
command-line #command-line #quickfix #build #workflow #programming
How do I create custom fold regions with markers in my code?
:set foldmethod=marker
Setting foldmethod=marker lets you define fold boundaries using special comment markers — {{{ to start a fold and }}} to end it.
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 join lines without adding spaces between them?
gJ
The gJ command joins the current line with the line below it without inserting any space between them.
How do I jump between matching if/else/endif or other language constructs?
% with matchit plugin
The % command jumps between matching brackets by default, but with the built-in matchit plugin, it extends to match language-specific keywords like if/else/endi
How do I collect all lines matching a pattern into a register?
:g/pattern/y A
The :g/pattern/y A command yanks every line matching the pattern and appends it to register a.
command-line #command-line #registers #global #ex-commands #filtering
How do I increment or decrement a number under the cursor?
<C-a> / <C-x>
Pressing increments and decrements the number under or after the cursor.
How do I see the Unicode code point of the character under the cursor?
ga
The ga command displays the ASCII/Unicode value of the character under the cursor in decimal, hexadecimal, and octal.
editing #editing #unicode #debugging #normal-mode #inspection
How do I automatically fold code based on indentation level?
:set foldmethod=indent
Setting foldmethod=indent tells Vim to create folds based on the indentation level of each line.
How do I run a macro on every line matching a pattern?
:g/pattern/normal @q
The :global command combined with :normal lets you execute a recorded macro on every line that matches a given pattern.
macros #macros #command-line #ex-commands #global #batch-editing
How do I move all lines matching a pattern to the end of a file?
:g/pattern/m$
The :g (global) command combined with :m (move) relocates all matching lines to a specified destination.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #global #editing #organization
How do I encrypt a file directly in Vim?
:X
The :X command sets an encryption key for the current file.
command-line #command-line #security #file-management #ex-commands
How do I add text to the end of every line in a range?
:'<,'>normal A;
The :normal command executes normal-mode keystrokes on every line in a range.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #editing #normal-mode #batch-editing
How do I pipe selected text through an external command and replace it?
!{motion}command
The ! operator in normal mode pipes text through an external shell command and replaces it with the output.
How do I quickly change the text between any pair of delimiters?
ci" / ci( / ci{ / ci[ / ci` / ci'
The ci{delimiter} family of commands changes the text inside any matching pair of delimiters.
editing #editing #text-objects #change #delimiters #normal-mode
How do I target outer nested brackets using counted text objects?
d2i(
Vim text objects accept a count prefix that lets you target outer layers of nested delimiters.
How do I create custom text objects for my own operator-pending motions?
onoremap ih :<C-u>execute "normal! ?^==\+$\r:noh\rkvg_"<CR>
Vim lets you define custom text objects using operator-pending mode mappings (onoremap) and visual mode mappings (vnoremap).