gcc
The vim-commentary plugin by Tim Pope provides a minimal yet powerful way to toggle comments in any programming language.
plugins #plugins #commentary #commenting #editing #normal-mode
<C-y>,
The emmet-vim plugin brings the full power of Emmet (formerly Zen Coding) to Vim, letting you type a short CSS-like abbreviation and expand it into a complete H
cx{motion}
The vim-exchange plugin by Tom McDonald provides the cx operator to swap two arbitrary text regions.
plugins #plugins #exchange #editing #text-objects #refactoring
crs
The vim-abolish plugin by Tim Pope provides instant case coercion commands that convert the word under your cursor between common naming conventions.
"{register}y{motion}
Vim has 26 named registers (a-z) that act as independent clipboards.
registers #registers #editing #normal-mode #yank #productivity
:%s/\<old\>/new/g
Wrapping your search pattern in \ word boundary anchors ensures that Vim only matches the exact whole word, preventing accidental replacements inside longer wor
:%s/old/new/gc
Adding the c flag to a substitute command makes Vim pause at every match and ask you whether to replace it.
ciw""<Esc>P
Vim doesn't have a built-in "surround" operator, but you can wrap any word in quotes or brackets with a short sequence: ciw""P.
editing #editing #text-objects #normal-mode #productivity #surround
viwp
The viwp command visually selects the word under the cursor and replaces it with the contents of the unnamed register (your last yank or delete).
visual-mode #editing #visual-mode #registers #paste #productivity
g~iw
The g~iw command toggles the case of every character in the word under the cursor — uppercase letters become lowercase and vice versa.
:earlier {time} / :later {time}
Vim's :earlier and :later commands let you navigate the undo history by wall-clock time rather than by individual undo steps.
editing #editing #undo-redo #ex-commands #advanced #productivity
g- / g+
Vim doesn't have a simple linear undo stack — it maintains a full undo tree with branches.
editing #editing #undo-redo #normal-mode #advanced #productivity
<C-v>jjc replacement<Esc>
Visual block mode's change command lets you replace a rectangular column of text across multiple lines in a single operation.
visual-mode #editing #visual-mode #block-mode #normal-mode #productivity
v + repeated iw/aw/i(/a(/ip/ap
Once you enter visual mode, you can progressively expand your selection by typing increasingly larger text objects.
visual-mode #visual-mode #text-objects #editing #selection #productivity
`[v`]
The ` [v] sequence visually selects the exact region of text that was last changed, pasted, or yanked into the buffer.
visual-mode #editing #visual-mode #marks #paste #productivity
<C-o>{cmd}
Pressing in insert mode lets you execute one normal mode command and then automatically returns you to insert mode.
z=
When spell checking is enabled, the z= command opens a numbered list of spelling suggestions for the misspelled word under the cursor.
editing #editing #spell-check #normal-mode #productivity #prose
qaqqa...@aq
A recursive macro calls itself at the end of its recording, creating a loop that repeats until a motion or command fails (like reaching the end of the file or f
; / ,
After using f, t, F, or T to jump to a character on the current line, pressing ; repeats the same search in the same direction, and , repeats it in the opposite
navigation #navigation #motions #normal-mode #editing #productivity
R
Replace mode lets you type over existing text one character at a time, like the "Insert" key behavior in traditional editors.
