:keeppattern %s/old/new/g
When you run a :s or :%s substitute command, Vim updates the search register (@/) with the substitution pattern.
command-line #ex-commands #search #editing #registers #substitute
:%norm! A;
The :norm! (or :normal!) command executes normal mode keystrokes while ignoring all user-defined mappings.
:checktime
The :checktime command tells Vim to check whether any open buffers have been modified outside of Vim and prompt you to reload them.
:bufdo %s/old/new/ge | update
The :bufdo command executes an Ex command in every loaded buffer.
buffers-windows #buffers #ex-commands #editing #substitution
<C-r>=system("date")<CR>
The expression register (=) is one of Vim's most powerful yet underused features.
:let @+ = expand('%:p')
Sometimes you need to share or use the full path of the file you're editing — for a terminal command, a config file, or a chat message.
:argdo %s/old/new/g | update
The :argdo command runs an Ex command on every file in the argument list (the files you opened Vim with, or added via :argadd).
/\zs and \ze
The \zs and \ze atoms let you define where the actual match starts and ends within a larger pattern.
:normal! {keys}
:normal {keys} executes keystrokes as if typed in Normal mode — but it respects your custom mappings and abbreviations.
:%s/\s\+/ /g
The pattern \s\+ matches one or more whitespace characters (spaces, tabs).
:resize +N / :resize -N
:resize adjusts the height of the current window by a relative or absolute amount.
:verbose set {option}?
:verbose set {option}? shows the current value of an option and reports exactly which file set it last — the full path and line number.
:sb {buffer}
The :sb (short for :sbuffer) command opens a buffer that is already loaded in Vim in a new horizontal split window.
:ldo execute 'normal @q'
:ldo runs an Ex command on each entry in the location list — the buffer-local cousin of the quickfix list.
:ls!
:ls (or :buffers) shows Vim's buffer list, but it hides unlisted buffers — help files, directory listings (netrw), terminal buffers, and scratch buffers marke
:argdo execute 'normal @q' | update
:argdo runs an Ex command on every file in Vim's argument list (the arglist).
:set lazyredraw
When Vim runs a macro or an :argdo / :bufdo loop, it redraws the screen after every command by default.
:args **/*.py
Vim's argument list (arglist) is a named list of files that you can operate on as a group.
:Rename {newname}
vim-eunuch (by Tim Pope) adds Unix shell operations as first-class Vim commands.
:t.
The :t (short for :copy) command copies lines from one location to another.
