How do I expand a visual selection to include the outer block?
vi{a{
In visual mode, you can expand your selection to include outer nested blocks by pressing additional text object commands.
Tag: visual-mode
How do I select all text inside square brackets?
vi[
The vi[ command selects the text inside square brackets without including the brackets themselves.
How do I apply a macro to every line in a visual selection?
:'<,'>normal @q
The :'normal @q command runs macro q on every line of the visual selection.
How do I search for the exact text I have selected?
y/\V<C-r>"<CR>
By yanking a visual selection and pasting it into the search prompt with \V (very nomagic), you can search for exact text including special characters.
How do I create an incrementing number sequence across multiple lines?
<C-v>jjjg<C-a>
Selecting a column of identical numbers with visual block mode and pressing g turns them into an incrementing sequence.
How do I perform a substitute only within a visual block column?
:'<,'>s/\%Vpattern/replacement/g
Using \%V in a substitute pattern restricts matching to within the visual block area only, rather than the full lines.
How do I convert selected text to lowercase in visual mode?
u (in visual mode)
In visual mode, pressing u converts all selected text to lowercase.
How do I exchange two blocks of text using visual mode?
visual select + d, move, P
To swap two pieces of text, delete the first selection, navigate to the second, select it, and paste.
How do I indent selected lines in visual mode?
>
In visual mode, pressing > indents all selected lines by one shiftwidth.
How do I join all selected lines into one line?
J (in visual mode)
In visual mode, pressing J joins all selected lines into a single line with spaces between them.
How do I replace all characters in a visual block with one character?
<C-v>selection r{char}
In visual block mode, pressing r followed by a character replaces every character in the selected rectangle with that character.
How do I select text character by character in Vim?
v
The v command enters character-wise visual mode, letting you select text one character at a time.
How do I append text at the end of multiple lines using visual block?
<C-v>jj$A
Combining visual block mode with $ and A lets you append text at the end of multiple lines, even when the lines have different lengths.
How do I change text in a visual block selection?
<C-v>selection c
In visual block mode, pressing c changes (replaces) all the text in the selected rectangle.
How do I add line numbers to multiple lines using visual block?
<C-v>jjI1. <Esc>
Visual block insert can add numbered prefixes to lines.
How do I search for visually selected text?
y/<C-r>"<CR>
To search for the exact text you have selected in visual mode, yank it and paste it into the search prompt.
How do I search and replace only within a visual selection?
:'<,'>s/old/new/g
After making a visual selection, you can run a substitute command that only affects the selected text.
How do I jump to the start or end of the last visual selection?
`< and `>
The ` ` marks automatically track the boundaries of the last visual selection.
How do I yank and paste a vertical block of text using blockwise registers?
<C-v>jj"ay then "ap
How it works Vim registers remember not just the text content but also the type of selection that was used to yank it: characterwise, linewise, or blockwise.
How do I toggle line wrapping on or off in Vim?
:set wrap! or :set nowrap
How it works By default, Vim wraps long lines that extend past the window width, displaying them across multiple screen lines.