How do I count the number of lines containing a pattern without making any replacements?
:%s/pattern//n
The n flag in the substitute command suppresses the actual replacement and instead reports the match count.
Tag: ex-commands
How do I create a mapping that runs an Ex command without switching modes or affecting the current state?
nnoremap <key> <Cmd>command<CR>
The special key (Vim 8.
config #config #macros #ex-commands #normal-mode #insert-mode
How do I export my syntax-highlighted Vim buffer to an HTML file?
:TOhtml
The :TOhtml command converts the current buffer — complete with its syntax highlighting colors — into a standalone HTML file.
How do I join every line matching a pattern with the line that follows it?
:g/pattern/join
The :g/pattern/join command combines the :global command with :join to merge every line matching a pattern with the line immediately following it.
command-line #ex-commands #editing #command-line #search #normal-mode
How do I save a file only if it has unsaved changes, without touching the file timestamp if nothing changed?
:update
The :update command (abbreviated :up) writes the buffer to disk only if it has been modified since the last save.
What is the difference between :norm and :norm! when running normal commands from the command line?
:norm! {cmd}
Both :norm and :norm! execute a sequence of Normal mode keystrokes from the command line or a script, but they differ in how they handle user-defined mappings.
How do I run a substitution only on lines that match a specific pattern using the global command?
:g/pattern1/s/pattern2/replacement/g
Combining :g with :s lets you apply a substitution using two independent patterns: :g selects which lines to act on, and :s controls what gets replaced within t
How do I edit the contents of a macro register using Vimscript without re-recording it?
:call setreg("a", substitute(getreg("a"), "old", "new", "g"))
The getreg() and setreg() functions let you read and write register contents as plain strings, making it possible to surgically edit a macro without re-recordin
How do I right-justify a line of text to a specific width using a built-in Vim command?
:right
Vim has three built-in Ex commands for text alignment that most users never discover: :right [width] right-justifies lines, :left [width] left-justifies (strips
How do I prevent Vim's file completion and wildcard expansion from matching build artifacts or binary files?
:set wildignore
:set wildignore defines a comma-separated list of glob patterns that Vim excludes from wildcard expansion and file completion.
How do I programmatically inject keystrokes into Vim's input queue from a function or mapping?
feedkeys()
The feedkeys({keys}, {flags}) function inserts a string of keystrokes into Vim's input queue as if the user had typed them.
How do I transform or filter a list inline using Vimscript lambdas with map() and filter()?
map() and filter() with lambdas
Vim 8 introduced lambda expressions with the syntax {args -> expr}, enabling concise inline list transformations.
How do I programmatically populate the quickfix list from Vimscript?
setqflist()
setqflist() lets you build the quickfix list from a Vimscript list of dictionaries rather than relying on compiler output or :vimgrep.
How do I save and restore the cursor position and scroll state in a Vimscript function?
winsaveview() and winrestview()
When writing Vimscript functions or complex mappings that move the cursor, it is essential to restore the original view afterward so the user does not notice an
How do I resolve a 3-way merge conflict by pulling changes from a specific buffer in diff mode?
:diffget 2
When Vim's diff mode has three or more buffers open, :diffget (or do) without an argument is ambiguous — Vim cannot determine which buffer to pull from.
How do I prepend a value to the front of a comma-separated Vim option like path or runtimepath?
:set path^=./src
Vim's :set command supports three operators for modifying list-style options: += appends, -= removes, and ^= prepends.
How do I replace each match with an incrementing number using a counter variable in Vim?
:let i=0 | g/pattern/s/pattern/\=printf('%d', i+=1)/
By combining :let, the :g global command, and an expression substitution with \=, you can replace every match of a pattern with a unique incrementing number.
How do I undo all changes made within the last hour using time-based undo?
:earlier 1h
Vim's undo history is annotated with timestamps, allowing you to travel back to any point in time using :earlier and forward using :later.
How do I collapse each paragraph of text into a single long line, removing the hard line breaks within it?
:g/./,/^$/join
Hard-wrapped text (where each sentence is on its own line) is common in commit messages, email threads, and older documentation.
How do I run a substitution in Vim without getting an error when the pattern is not found?
:%s/pattern/replacement/ge
The e flag on :substitute silences the "Pattern not found" error that Vim normally reports when a substitution has no matches.