How do I make Vim match only part of a larger regex using \zs and \ze?
/\vfoo\zsbar\zebaz
When you need to target only a slice of a larger pattern, \zs and \ze are usually cleaner than building lookarounds.
Tag: search
How do I find trailing whitespace while skipping completely blank lines in Vim?
/\S\zs\s\+$
A plain trailing-whitespace search like /\s\+$ also matches fully blank lines, which is noisy when you only want accidental spaces after real content.
How do I enable :Cfilter and :Lfilter commands without a plugin manager?
:packadd cfilter
Vim ships with useful optional runtime plugins that many users never load.
plugins #plugins #quickfix #location-list #search #command-line
How do I toggle whether / and ? searches wrap around the file?
:set wrapscan!
wrapscan controls what happens when a / or ? search reaches the end (or beginning) of the file.
How do I jump to non-whitespace text beyond column 80?
/\%>80v\S
When you enforce line-length limits, visual guides show where the boundary is, but they do not help you jump directly to violations.
How do I run a command between two patterns but exclude the end marker line?
:/BEGIN/,/END/-1s/\s\+$//
When you need to clean or refactor block-like regions, Ex ranges can target lines between two search patterns without selecting text manually.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #ranges #search #editing
How do I load yanked text into search as a literal pattern without regex escaping headaches?
:let @/='\V'.escape(@", '\\')
When you yank text that contains regex characters like .
How do I target a substitution at the cursor position using \%#?
:s/\%#\k\+/REPL/
Most substitutions operate on broad ranges, but sometimes you want a precise edit anchored to where your cursor is right now.
How do I keep project search results window-local with a location list?
:lvimgrep /TODO/j **/* | lopen
When you are working in split-heavy sessions, global quickfix results can become noisy because every window shares the same list.
How do I trim trailing whitespace across all files in the arglist?
:argdo %s/\s\+$//e | update
When you need to clean up many files at once, :argdo lets you run the same command on every buffer in your argument list.
How do I add another project-wide pattern search without replacing my current quickfix results?
:vimgrepadd /pattern/j **/*<CR>
When you are investigating code, you often need to collect several related patterns before deciding what to edit.
How do I search only files in the argument list and inspect results in a location list?
:lvimgrep /{pattern}/j ## | lopen
When you need to run focused searches across a curated set of files, the argument list is a strong scope boundary.
How do I keep each search match centered and unfolded as I jump with n?
nzzzv
When you are stepping through many matches, plain n often lands with poor context and can hide the match inside a closed fold.
How do I fill quickfix from ripgrep output without leaving Vim?
:cexpr system('rg --vimgrep "TODO"')
When you already know you want an external search tool, :cexpr lets you import results directly into quickfix without opening a terminal buffer or shelling out
How do I gather all matches from the current file into a location list without moving the cursor?
:lvimgrep /pattern/j %
When you want a searchable list of matches without leaving your current editing context, :lvimgrep is a strong alternative to regular / navigation.
How do I uppercase only the characters inside a visual selection with :substitute?
:'<,'>s/\%V./\U&/g
When you need to transform text in-place without touching surrounding content, \%V is one of Vim's most precise tools.
How do I configure :grep to use ripgrep with quickfix output and include hidden files?
:set grepprg=rg\ --vimgrep\ --smart-case\ --hidden\ --glob\ !.git
Vim's :grep becomes much more useful when grepprg is tuned for ripgrep and quickfix-compatible output.
How do I reuse my last search pattern literally in :substitute without re-escaping it?
:%s/\V<C-r>//gc
When your last search pattern contains punctuation, slashes, or regex atoms, retyping it inside :substitute is error-prone.
How do I temporarily narrow quickfix entries by pattern using the cfilter plugin?
:packadd cfilter | Cfilter /ERROR/
Quickfix lists can get noisy in large projects, especially when one grep or compiler run mixes several classes of issues.
How do I append another pattern search to the current quickfix results?
:vimgrepadd /FIXME/j **/*.go
When you are triaging a codebase, one pattern is rarely enough.