:vimgrep /pattern/ **
:vimgrep /pattern/ searches recursively through all files in the current working directory tree using Vim's own regex engine, populating the quickfix list with
\%l and \%c
Vim's \%l and \%c pattern atoms anchor a search to a particular line number or column, enabling surgical searches and substitutions that standard regex cannot e
%:h
Vim's filename modifiers let you derive path components from the current buffer's filename directly on the command line.
:[range]normal @q
The :[range]normal @q command replays the macro in register q on every line within a given range.
:cdo s/old/new/ | update
:cdo {cmd} executes a command at every entry in the quickfix list, visiting each location in turn.
:'<,'>norm I//
After making a visual selection, :norm {commands} executes normal-mode keystrokes on every line in the range.
:noautocmd write
The :noautocmd modifier (abbreviated :noa) runs any subsequent Ex command while temporarily disabling all autocommand events.
:%s/pattern/\U&/g
Vim's substitute replacement string supports special case-transform atoms that change the case of matched text without requiring a second pass or an external to
:let @q =
Instead of recording a macro with q, you can assign any string directly to a named register using :let @{register} = 'keys'.
:earlier
Vim's undo history is not just a linear list of changes — it records timestamps too.
:find
The :find command searches for a file by name across all directories listed in Vim's path option, so you can open files without typing full paths.
!{motion}{command}
The ! operator filters the text covered by a motion through an external shell command, replacing the original lines with the command's stdout.
:keeppatterns %s/old/new/g
The :keeppatterns modifier runs any Ex command without modifying Vim's last search pattern (stored in @/).
command-line #search #ex-commands #command-line #substitute #registers
:norm
:normal (abbreviated :norm) executes a sequence of normal-mode keystrokes on each line of an address range.
:t
The :t command (short for :copy) copies addressed lines to a destination line number, leaving the unnamed register untouched.
:argdo norm @a | update
Combining :argdo with :norm @a lets you apply a recorded macro to every file in Vim's argument list — a powerful pattern for bulk refactoring across a project
:%!
The ! operator pipes text through a shell command, replacing the selected lines with the command's output.
:sort u
The :sort u command sorts all lines in the buffer (or a selected range) alphabetically and removes duplicate lines in a single pass.
:let @q = 'commands'
Macros in Vim are just text stored in named registers.
"=
The expression register ("=) lets you evaluate any Vim expression and insert its result as text.
