/\%>20l\%<40lTODO
Vim's search engine can constrain matches by line number, which is useful when you want to scan a known section without touching the rest of the buffer.
:keepalt edit {file}<CR>
The alternate-file mark (#) powers fast toggles like and commands that depend on the previous file context.
command-line #command-line #buffers #workflow #navigation #advanced
:let s:u=&l:undolevels | setlocal undolevels=-1 | execute "normal! a\<BS>\<Esc>" | let &l:undolevels=s:u
Sometimes you finish a risky refactor and want a clean undo boundary before handing the buffer off or continuing with unrelated edits.
/\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.
:call setreg('b', getreg('a'), getregtype('a'))
Plain register copies like :let @b = @a move text, but they can lose important metadata about register type.
/foo\zsbar\zebaz<CR>
Sometimes you need Vim to match a long structural pattern but only treat one piece of it as the actual match.
:s/\%Vfoo/bar/
The \%V atom in Vim's regex engine matches only within the area of the last visual selection.
search #search #visual-mode #substitute #advanced #ex-commands
\(pattern\)\@=
Vim's regex engine supports zero-width positive lookahead via the \@= operator.
:lua {code}
Neovim's :lua command lets you run arbitrary Lua code inline from the command line.
command-line #command-line #lua #neovim #vimscript #advanced
\_.
In Vim's regular expressions, .
qqq then qq{commands}@qq
A recursive macro in Vim calls itself at the end of its body, repeating automatically until one of its commands fails.
:undo {N}
:undo {N} lets you jump directly to the undo tree state after change number N was applied.
:[range]normal @a
The :[range]normal @a command runs a recorded macro against every line in a given range.
macros #macros #registers #ex-commands #normal-mode #advanced
:set grepprg=rg\ --vimgrep\ --smart-case
By default, Vim's :grep command calls the system grep.
:set {option}^=value
Vim's :set option^=value operator prepends a value to the front of a list-style option, giving it the highest priority.
<C-g>U{motion}
By default, moving the cursor with arrow keys while in insert mode creates an undo break — meaning a subsequent u will undo only back to when you last moved,
:%s/\(prefix\)\@<=target/replacement/g
Vim's \@<= is a zero-width look-behind assertion.
\zs and \ze in a pattern
Vim's \zs ("match start") and \ze ("match end") atoms let you narrow the actual match region within a broader pattern context.
\%(...\)
Vim's standard grouping syntax \(.
\@= and \@<=
Vim's regex engine supports zero-width lookahead and lookbehind assertions — \@= and \@<= — which let you match text based on surrounding context without in
