:set foldcolumn=auto:3
If you use folds heavily, a fixed fold column is a tradeoff: foldcolumn=0 hides useful fold cues, while a constant width wastes horizontal space in files that b
<C-w>TgT
When a split temporarily becomes the center of attention, promoting it to its own tab can reduce layout noise.
:set diffopt+=internal,algorithm:histogram,indent-heuristic
Default diff settings are fine for small edits, but they can produce noisy hunks when code is moved or indentation shifts.
:wincmd r
When a split layout is correct but the window positions are awkward, you do not need to close and reopen anything.
:call setloclist(0, [], 'r', {'title': 'TODO current file', 'lines': systemlist('rg --vimgrep TODO ' . shellescape(expand('%:p'))), 'efm': '%f:%l:%c:%m'})
For focused review work, a window-local location list is often better than global quickfix.
buffers-windows #buffers #windows #location-list #search #quickfix
:drop {file}
When the same file is already open elsewhere, using :edit can create extra navigation friction because you stay in the current window and may lose layout contex
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #windows #buffers #workflow
:set switchbuf=usetab,newtab
When you jump to buffers from quickfix, tags, or command-line completions, Vim's default window selection can feel unpredictable.
buffers-windows #buffers #windows #tabs #quickfix #navigation
:tabdo only
When you are deep in a refactor, each tab can accumulate helper splits, previews, and temporary views.
buffers-windows #buffers #windows #tabs #ex-commands #workflow
:windo diffthis | wincmd =<CR>
When you already have multiple related buffers open, you can enter diff mode across all visible windows in one shot and then normalize layout width/height immed
:windo setlocal colorcolumn=+1
When a setting is window-local, changing it once does not affect your other splits.
:set viewoptions-=options
When you use :mkview and :loadview, Vim stores more than folds and cursor position.
:set eadirection=hor
If you use many splits, automatic equalization can feel disruptive when Vim resizes both height and width after layout changes.
: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.
:tab sbuffer {bufnr}<CR>
If a file is already loaded as a buffer, reopening it with :tabedit can trigger another read and may lose the exact in-memory context you want.
:setlocal winfixwidth
When you use a sidebar-style split for file trees, docs, or logs, automatic window equalization can constantly resize it.
:set switchbuf=useopen,usetab,newtab
When jump commands open files (:tag, quickfix navigation, location list jumps), Vim may split your layout in ways that break flow.
:botright copen 8 | wincmd p
Quickfix is powerful, but opening it can disrupt window layout and yank focus away from your current editing context.
:Lexplore %:p:h
When you are editing deep in a project, opening netrw from the working directory often puts you in the wrong place.
:bufdo if &buftype ==# '' | update | endif
bufdo is powerful for multi-buffer automation, but a naive write pass can error on special buffers (help, terminal, quickfix, prompts).
buffers-windows #buffers #windows #ex-commands #automation #workflow
:windo lcd %:p:h<CR>
When multiple splits point at files from different projects, relative-path commands can become inconsistent and error-prone.
