created February 2, 2007 · complexity basic · author Jerome · version n/a
When doing a complex substitution with a regular expression, it's useful to first search for what you want to replace, to confirm that the search pattern works. Or, just press * to search for the current exact word, followed by `` (two backticks) if you want to jump back to your original word.
To do the substitute, type:
:%s//New String/g
In this substitute, the search pattern is empty, so it will use the last search.
Alternately, you can press Ctrl-r followed by / to insert the last-search register (for example, you might want to edit the command before pressing Enter):
:%s/<c-r>//New String/g
If the pattern is in a register, say the a register, you can press Ctrl-r then a to insert the contents of the register at the appropriate place in the command.