How do I add line numbers to the beginning of every line using a substitute expression?
:%s/^/\=line('.').' '/
Vim's substitute command supports expressions in the replacement string using \=.
Tag: search
How do I search for a pattern only within specific columns of a line?
/\%>10c\%<20cpattern
When working with columnar data like CSV files, log files, or fixed-width records, you often need to match a pattern only when it appears in a specific column r
How do I run a substitute command without changing my current search pattern?
:keeppattern s/old/new/g
When you run a :s or :g command, Vim updates the search register (@/) with the pattern you used.
How do I search for tag definitions using a regex pattern instead of an exact name?
:tag /pattern
When working with ctags, you typically jump to exact tag names with .
How do I show context lines around each match when using the :global command?
:g/pattern/z#.5
The :global command is great for finding lines matching a pattern, but by default it only shows the matching lines themselves.
How do I find accidentally repeated words like 'the the' in a document?
/\(\<\w\+\>\)\_s\+\1\>
When writing or editing text, repeated words like "the the" or "is is" are a common typo that spell checkers often miss.
How do I search for text that appears after or before a specific pattern without including the pattern in the match?
/\v(pattern)@<=match
Vim supports zero-width assertions (lookahead and lookbehind) in its regex engine.
search #search #regex #advanced-search #lookahead #lookbehind
How do I use search patterns as line ranges in Ex commands to operate on a block of text?
:/start/,/end/d
Instead of specifying line numbers for Ex command ranges, you can use search patterns.
command-line #ex-commands #editing #search #ranges #command-line
How do I search across files and populate the quickfix list without jumping to the first match?
:vimgrep /pattern/j **/*
By default, :vimgrep jumps your cursor to the first match it finds, which can be disorienting when you just want to collect results and browse them on your own
How do I run an Ex command without changing the current search pattern?
:keeppattern {cmd}
Many Ex commands silently overwrite the search register (@/), which changes your hlsearch highlighting and n/N behavior.
How do I search for a pattern in the current file and navigate results with the quickfix list?
:vimgrep /pattern/ %
When you need to find all occurrences of a pattern in the current file and jump between them systematically, :vimgrep with % is more powerful than basic / searc
How do I list all lines matching a pattern across the current file and its includes?
:ilist /pattern/
The :ilist command searches for a pattern not only in the current buffer but also in files referenced by #include directives (or whatever 'include' is set to).
How do I use Vim expressions and functions in substitute replacements?
:%s/\<\w\+\>/\=toupper(submatch(0))/g
The \= flag in the replacement part of :substitute tells Vim to evaluate what follows as a Vimscript expression instead of treating it as a literal string.
How do I repeat the last substitute command preserving its flags?
:&&
After running a :s/pattern/replacement/g command, you often need to repeat it on another line or range.
How do I run a substitute command on every file in the quickfix list at once?
:cfdo %s/old/new/ge | update
When you grep across your project and want to perform a search-and-replace on every file that matched, :cfdo is the most efficient approach.
command-line #quickfix #substitute #search #ex-commands #editing
How do I populate the quickfix list from the output of a shell command?
:cexpr system('command')
The :cexpr command parses any expression into the quickfix list using the current errorformat.
How do I run an Ex command on all lines between two pattern matches?
:/start/,/end/ {command}
Vim's range addressing lets you specify a line range using search patterns instead of explicit line numbers.
How do I paste the contents of a register into the command line or search prompt?
:<C-r>"
When typing an Ex command or search pattern, you often need to insert text you've already yanked or deleted.
How do I move all lines matching a pattern to the end of the file in Vim?
:g/pattern/m $
The :g (global) command combined with :m (move) lets you collect all lines matching a pattern and relocate them to a specific position in the file.
command-line #ex-commands #editing #global #search #formatting
How do I match only part of a search pattern in Vim using \zs and \ze?
/\vfoo\zsbar\ze/
Vim's \zs (start of match) and \ze (end of match) atoms let you control which portion of a pattern is treated as the actual match.