:echo searchcount({'recompute': 1})
Vim can show match counts for your last search, but in large files or after big edits the cached values may lag.
search #search #command-line #automation #statusline #diagnostics
:call setreg('a', @a, 'V')
When you paste from a register, Vim uses that register's stored type: characterwise, linewise, or blockwise.
:let @a .= expand('%:t') . "\n"
Named registers are not just for yanks and deletes.
:bufdo keeppatterns %s/\s\+$//e | update
If you keep many files open during a refactor, cleaning trailing whitespace one buffer at a time is slow and error-prone.
:lvimgrep /pattern/gj **/*.js | lopen
When you already rely on the global quickfix list for compiler errors or another search, running :vimgrep can wipe that context.
:ptjump /{pattern}
When a symbol name is ambiguous, jumping directly with :tag can bounce you around the codebase and disrupt your working context.
navigation #navigation #tags #windows #code-navigation #command-line
:silent keeppatterns %s/\s\+$//e
Trailing whitespace cleanup is a common housekeeping step, but a plain substitution can leave side effects: it can overwrite your last search pattern (@/) and t
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #editing #search #formatting
:snomagic /foo.\+/bar/<CR>
When a pattern is mostly literal text with just a little regex, default magic mode can force extra escaping and make substitutions harder to read.
:keepjumps keeppatterns %s/\s\+$//e<CR>
Bulk whitespace cleanup is common, but a plain substitution can leave side effects: your last search pattern changes and jump navigation gets noisy.
:put =strtrans(@q)<CR>
Macro failures are often caused by hidden control keys like , , or tabs that are hard to see in raw register output.
:'<,'>g/let /normal! A;<CR>
When you need a structural edit in part of a file, Visual mode ranges combine well with :global and :normal!.
visual-mode #visual-mode #command-line #ex-commands #editing
:wincmd r
When a split layout is correct but the window positions are awkward, you do not need to close and reopen anything.
:let @q .= 'j.'
When a recorded macro is almost right but missing one repeated step, re-recording from scratch is usually slower and riskier than patching the register directly
:argdo %s/foo/bar/ge | update
Bulk replacements across many files are risky when every buffer gets written unconditionally.
:g/[^[:space:]]/normal! A;\<CR>
When you need to patch many lines at once, :g with :normal! is often faster and safer than recording a macro.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #editing #normal-mode
/\V<C-r>=histget('/', -2)<CR>
If you often alternate between two complex search patterns, opening q/ each time is slow.
:lfdo normal! @q | update
When you already have a curated location list, :lfdo lets you apply a change only to those files instead of touching your whole project.
macros #macros #location-list #refactoring #command-line #normal-mode
:argdo if search('\s\+$', 'nw') | echo expand('%') | endif
Before running destructive cleanup across many files, it helps to know which files will actually change.
command-line #command-line #search #whitespace #arglist #refactoring
:call setreg('q', getreg('a'), getregtype('a'))
Simple register copies can silently change behavior when register type is lost.
:
In Visual mode, typing : does more than open the command line: Vim automatically inserts the exact selection range as '.
