How do I copy the word under the cursor regardless of cursor position within it?
yiw
How it works The command yiw yanks (copies) the inner word under the cursor.
Tag: editing
How do I filter a visual selection through an external shell command?
:'<,'>!command
How it works Vim can pipe selected text through any external shell command, replacing the selection with the command's output.
How do I execute buffer text as a macro dynamically?
:let @a=getline('.')<CR>@a
How it works Instead of recording keystrokes interactively, you can write a sequence of Vim commands as plain text in your buffer and then execute that text as
How do I make a macro conditionally execute commands based on line content?
:if condition | execute 'normal cmd' | endif
How it works Vim macros can include Ex commands with conditional logic.
How do I chain multiple ex commands together on one line in Vim?
:%s/foo/bar/g | %s/baz/qux/g | w
The (bar) character in Vim's command line acts as a command separator, allowing you to chain multiple ex commands together on a single line.
How do I run a global command only on lines within a visual selection?
:'<,'>g/pattern/command
How it works The :g (global) command is one of Vim's most powerful features.
How do I use a macro to align text on a specific character like the equals sign?
qa0f=20i <Esc>20|C= <Esc>lDjq
How it works Aligning text on a delimiter such as = without plugins requires a clever macro technique.
How do I set up automatic typo correction in Vim using abbreviations?
:iabbrev teh the
Vim's abbreviation feature lets you define automatic text replacements that trigger as you type.
How do I create nested macros where one macro calls another?
qa{edits}@bq
How it works Vim macros can call other macros, creating a modular system of reusable building blocks.
How do I duplicate a visual selection of lines in Vim?
:'<,'>copy'>
How it works The :copy command (or its abbreviation :t) duplicates lines to a specified destination.
How do I use marks inside a macro to return to a specific position?
qama{edits}'aq
How it works When a macro needs to jump to different parts of the file and then return to a starting position, marks are the perfect tool.
How do I visually select from the cursor to the matching bracket or parenthesis?
v%
How it works The % motion jumps to the matching bracket, parenthesis, or brace.
How do I use a macro to wrap each word in quotes?
qabi"<Esc>ea"<Esc>wq
How it works This macro wraps the current word in double quotes and moves to the next word, making it easy to repeat across a line or file.
How do I change the case of selected text in visual mode?
U, u, or ~ in visual mode
How it works When you have text selected in visual mode, you can change its case with three simple keys: U - Convert the entire selection to UPPERCASE u - Conve
How do I run shell commands without leaving Vim?
:!ls -la
Vim lets you execute any shell command directly from within the editor using the :! (bang) command.
How do I record a macro that performs a search and replace on each line?
qa:s/old/new/g<CR>jq
How it works You can combine Ex commands like :s (substitute) with macro recording to create powerful repeatable find-and-replace operations that go beyond what
How do I merge changes between two diff windows using diffget and diffput?
do (diffget) / dp (diffput)
How it works When you open two files in diff mode (using vim -d file1 file2 or :windo diffthis), Vim highlights the differences between them.
How do I record a macro that processes one line and moves to the next?
qa0f:dwj0q
How it works When recording a macro that you plan to repeat across multiple lines, the key technique is to end the macro positioned on the next line, ready for
How do I write a Vim plugin using the autoload directory structure?
autoload/myplugin.vim
The autoload mechanism in Vim lets you write plugins whose functions are only loaded into memory when they are first called.
How do I switch between character, line, and block visual modes?
v, V, or Ctrl-V while in visual mode
How it works Vim has three visual modes, and you can switch between them without losing your current selection: v - Characterwise visual mode (select individual