How do I programmatically load text or a macro into a named register from the command line?
:let @a="text"
:let @{register}=".
Search: :q
272 results for ":q"
How do I display the contents of only certain registers instead of all of them at once?
:reg a b c
The :reg (alias :registers) command accepts a string of register names as its argument.
How do I run a recorded macro on every file in my argument list at once?
:argdo normal @a
The :argdo command applies any Ex command to every file in the argument list.
How do I navigate through the quickfix list?
:cnext and :cprev
The quickfix list holds a set of file positions, typically from compiler errors, grep results, or other tools.
How do I change one type of surrounding delimiter to another with vim-surround?
cs{from}{to}
The cs command from the vim-surround plugin lets you swap one type of surrounding delimiter for another in a single motion.
How to navigate between buffers, quickfix entries, and location list items using bracket pairs with vim-unimpaired?
[b and ]b
The vim-unimpaired plugin by Tim Pope adds symmetric [ and ] bracket mappings for navigating common Vim lists.
plugins #navigation #buffers #quickfix #plugins #normal-mode
How do I record a macro to toggle comments on a line?
qaI// <Esc>jq
This macro adds a // comment prefix to the beginning of the current line and moves down.
How do I repeat my last change on every line in a visual selection?
:'<,'>norm .
The :'norm .
visual-mode #visual-mode #editing #normal-mode #repeat #dot-operator
How do I detect whether a macro is currently being recorded or executed in Vimscript?
reg_recording() and reg_executing()
Vim exposes two built-in functions for querying the current macro state: regrecording() and regexecuting().
How do I edit multiple locations simultaneously like multiple cursors?
<C-n> to select (vim-visual-multi)
vim-visual-multi provides VS Code-style multiple cursor support for Vim.
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 set up efficient keybindings for cycling through buffers?
:nnoremap ]b :bnext<CR>
Mapping ]b and [b to :bnext and :bprev creates an intuitive bracket-style navigation for buffers, matching the convention used by unimpaired.
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #navigation #mapping #buffers
How do I open the command-line window while typing a command on the : prompt?
<C-f> (from command-line mode)
When you are partway through typing a long or complex Ex command on the : prompt, you can press to open the command-line window.
How do I record a self-repeating recursive macro that automatically stops when it hits an error?
qa{motions}@aq
A recursive macro is one that calls itself at the end of its own recording.
How do I save and restore macros across Vim sessions?
:wviminfo / :rviminfo
Vim can persist register contents (including macros) across sessions using viminfo (Vim) or shada (Neovim).
How do I quit Vim with a non-zero exit code?
:cq
The :cq command quits Vim and returns a non-zero exit code to the calling process.
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 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 clear or empty a macro register in Vim?
qaq
How it works To clear a macro register, you simply start recording into that register and immediately stop.
How do I save a macro permanently in my vimrc?
let @a = 'sequence'
How it works Macros recorded with q are stored in registers, but they are lost when you close Vim (unless you have the viminfo or shada file preserving them).