Vim Setup and Basics

Describes how to setup vim using a popular vimrc and explains the basics.

Search and Replace

                             ?
                            Up
g#        #        N       Find    n      *         g*
Prev     Prev     Prev      /     Next   Next     Next
Partial  Current  Match    Down   Match  Current  Partial
Match    Word                            Word     Match

Delete from cursor to the end of a search:

d/pattern/e<Enter>

Yank (copy) from cursor to beginning of previous “pattern”:

y?pattern<Enter>

Search and replace:

:%s/search/replace/

The previous searchs and repleaces only the first occurence of the pattern in each line of the current buffer %. To replace all occurences in all lines (not just the first) use:

:%s/search/replace/g

Other useful search flags:

:[range]s[ubstitute]/{pattern}/{string}/[flags] [count]

• c Confirm or skip each match
• i Ignore case
• I Case-sensitive
• n Show number of matches (non-destructive)
• p Print matching lines

Use scopes for search to act on either the current line or the entire file:

:%s/a/b/

A leading percent (denotes the current buffer) searches all lines in the current file.

:s/a/b/

Omit the percent to search only the current line.

:.,`a s/a/b/

Complicated ranges are possible. This searches from the cursor (.) to mark a. Search ranges work with lines not characters. Other ways to specify a line:

• . Current line
• +5 Five lines down
• -3 Three lines up
• 1 Line one of buffer
• $ Last line of buffer
• % All lines in buffer
• 't Position mark t
• /pattern/ Next line where pattern matches (Also try ?patter?)

To see the range, use visual mode v. Use o to reposition the cursor to the other end of the region. Use the range specifier :'<,'> s/a/b/ to search in the visually selected region.

You can use global command to execute a command on all lines that match a pattern.

:[range]g[lobal]/{pattern}/[cmd]

• # Show matches with line numbers
• d Delete matching lines
• y Yank matching lines
• normal {command} Execute an extended sequence

Show lines and line numbers where pattern occures:

:g/pattern/#

Delete blank lines:

:g/^$/d

Yank lines after the one that match:

:g/pattern/+y