Applying substitutes to a visual block

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created March 28, 2001 · complexity intermediate · author Chip Campbell · version 5.7

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If you'd like to apply a substitute, or even any Ex command, to a text region you've selected using visual-blocks (i.e. ctrl-v and move, or ctrl-q in Windows), then you'll be wanting to use Charles Campbell's vis.vim plugin, available at http://mysite.verizon.net/astronaut/vim/index.html#VIS

It's a plugin and comes as a vimball; so to install it with Vim 7.1 just

vim vis.vba.gz
:so %
:q

Once installed:

ctrl-v (move)
:B s/pattern/newtext/

You can also perform any Ex command (:B !sort, for example). On the command line, when you enter :B, what you'll actually see is:

:'<,'>B s/pattern/newtext/

Just continue with the substitute or whatever...

:'<,'>B s/abc/ABC/g

and the substitute will be applied to just that block of text!

Example: ctrl-v move-to-select the central four "abc"s

Initial           Select inner four "abc"s     :B s/abc/ABC/g
abcabcabcabc       abc--------abc              abcabcabcabc
abcabcabcabc       abc|abcabc|abc              abcABCABCabc
abcabcabcabc       abc|abcabc|abc              abcABCABCabc
abcabcabcabc       abc--------abc              abcabcabcabc

Vis.vim will also work with V (visual-line) and v (visual-character) selections.

Often it is used to change a variable. It's not the only way that the substitute can be done (you can use column selection regexp patterns), but it is, perhaps, more straightforward. As another example:

Initial                  After Substitute:
printf("...",            printf("...",
abc[0],def[0],def[0],    abc[0],def[0],DEF[0],
abc[1],def[1],def[1],    abc[1],def[1],DEF[1],
abc[2],def[2],def[2],    abc[2],def[2],DEF[2],
abc[3],def[3],def[3],    abc[3],def[3],DEF[3],

To do this, use ctrl-v and motion to select the defs, then apply the substitute:
:B s/def/DEF/

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