How do I capture shell command output directly into a Vim register?
:let @a = system('cmd')
You can populate any Vim register with the output of an external shell command using :let @{register} = system('{command}').
Tag: shell
How do I open a terminal in the current window instead of a new split?
:terminal ++curwin
By default, :terminal opens a new split window for the terminal emulator.
buffers-windows #terminal #buffers #windows #shell #ex-commands
How do I populate the quickfix list from any shell command?
:cexpr system('grep -rn pattern .')
While :make and :grep populate the quickfix list, they are limited to their configured programs.
How do I insert the output of a shell command into my buffer?
:read !date
The :read !{command} syntax runs a shell command and inserts its output below the current line.
How do you run a shell command from within Vim?
:!ls
Use :! followed by any shell command.
How do you insert shell command output into the current buffer?
:r !date
Use :r !command to read the output of a shell command into the buffer below the cursor.
How do I pass a range of lines through a shell command and replace them?
:{range}!command
The :{range}!command syntax pipes the specified lines through an external shell command and replaces them with the output.
command-line #command-line #shell #filtering #unix #ex-commands
How do I pretty-print or format JSON directly in Vim?
:%!python3 -m json.tool
The :%! command pipes the entire buffer through an external command and replaces it with the output.
command-line #command-line #shell #formatting #json #workflow
How do I pipe selected text through an external command and replace it?
!{motion}command
The ! operator in normal mode pipes text through an external shell command and replaces it with the output.
How do I align text into columns using an external command in Vim?
:%!column -t
The column -t command formats whitespace-separated text into neatly aligned columns.
command-line #command-line #shell #formatting #text-manipulation
How do I send the contents of my buffer to a shell command without replacing the text?
:w !{cmd}
The :w !{cmd} command writes the buffer contents to the stdin of an external shell command without modifying the buffer or saving to disk.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #shell #editing #productivity
How do I filter buffer contents through an external shell command?
:%!{cmd}
The :%!{cmd} command pipes the entire buffer through an external shell command and replaces the buffer contents with the command's output.
command-line #editing #ex-commands #shell #filtering #productivity
How do I execute the current line as a shell command and insert the output?
:.!sh
The :.
command-line #editing #ex-commands #shell #filtering #productivity