How do I do a case-preserving search and replace in Vim?
:%s/\v(old)/\=toupper(submatch(0)[0]).tolower(submatch(0)[1:])/g
Standard substitutions don't preserve the original case of matched text.
Tag: search
How do I run a substitute command without overwriting my current search pattern?
: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
How do I match only part of a search pattern in Vim using \zs and \ze?
/\(function\s\+\)\zs\w\+
Vim's \zs and \ze atoms let you control which part of a matched pattern gets highlighted and operated on.
How do I match only part of a search pattern for highlighting or substitution?
/\zs and \ze
The \zs and \ze atoms let you define where the actual match starts and ends within a larger pattern.
How do I search for a second pattern relative to where the first one matched?
/pattern1/;/pattern2/
Vim's search offsets allow chaining two patterns together with a semicolon.
How do I change which characters Vim treats as part of a word for motions and text objects?
:set iskeyword+={char}
iskeyword defines which characters are considered word characters in Vim.
How do I collapse multiple consecutive spaces into a single space throughout a file?
:%s/\s\+/ /g
The pattern \s\+ matches one or more whitespace characters (spaces, tabs).
How do I run a search and replace only within a visually selected region?
:'<,'>s/pattern/replacement/g
When you make a visual selection and then type :, Vim automatically inserts ' as the range — the marks for the start and end of the last visual selection.
How do I paste or reuse my last search pattern from the search register?
"/p
Vim stores the last search pattern in the search register "/.
How do I force a search to be case-sensitive regardless of the ignorecase setting?
/\Cpattern
Vim's ignorecase and smartcase settings change how all searches behave globally.
How do I search across all of Vim's help documentation for a keyword or phrase?
:helpgrep {pattern}
:helpgrep searches the full text of every Vim help file for a pattern and loads all matches into the quickfix list.
How do I reuse the last search pattern without retyping it in Vim?
//
In Vim, pressing // (two forward slashes) in Normal mode repeats the last search pattern.
How do I clear search highlights without disabling hlsearch permanently?
:nohlsearch
After a search in Vim, matched text is highlighted as long as hlsearch is enabled.
How do I search for a pattern only within a specific range of lines in Vim?
:/start/,/end/s/pattern/replacement/g
You can restrict a substitution to a range defined by two patterns.
How do I change the case of matched text in a Vim substitute command?
\u and \l in :s replacement
Vim's substitute command supports special case modifiers in the replacement string that let you change the case of captured text on the fly.
How do you use lookbehind in Vim search patterns?
/\(foo\)\@<=bar
Use \@<= for positive lookbehind.
How do you replace text with a newline in Vim?
:%s/; /;\r/g
In the replacement part, use \r to insert a newline.
How do you use a function in the replacement of a substitution?
:%s/\d\+/\=submatch(0)*2/g
Use \= to evaluate expressions.
How do you search for a literal string without regex interpretation?
/\Vexact.string
Prefix with \V for very nomagic mode where almost all characters are treated literally.
How do you search through command history?
<C-r>/ or q/
Press q/ to open search history in a window.