From Vim Tips Wiki

Created: February 16, 2008 Complexity: basic Author: Metacosm Version: 7.0

• hands on the home row asdf hjkl
• 3 modes, command mode (hit esc to return to it), insert mode (hit i to enter it) and visual mode (hit v to enter it)
• hjkl move in command mode, h is left and moves left, l is right and moves right, j looks like a down arrow and moves down, k moves up.
• w moves one word forward 3w moves three words forward, b moves one word backward, 3b moves three words backwards
• gg moves to beginning of file, G (this is shift-g*) moves to end of file, number followed by shift-g moves to that line number 374(shift-g) will move to line 374
• more on moving, 8k moves eight lines up, 5j moves five lines down, 4l moves four characters right, 23h moves 23 characters left
• in command mode :w to save, :q to quit, :w! to overwrite, :q! to quit w/o saving, :wq to save and quit, :wq! to overwrite and quit, :e file to open "file"
• ! ignore any editor warnings
• : opens command line which is used for many things other than just saving, opening and quitting
• objects and actions: at beginning of word: d2w (action)(times)(object) (delete)(2)(words forward) this deletes including the trailing space need to leave it? use de this deletes one word and leaves the trailing space
• d2b (delete)(2)(words backward)
• hjkl are also objects! example: d3l (delete)(3)(left), for hl we count individual characters, not words, for jk we count individual lines, d3k delete 4 lines up (3 plus current)
• cw (change)(word) learned something before? yes! (times)!! c3w (change)(3)(words)
• cb (change)(word backward) c3b (change)(3)(words backwards)
• didn't catch why c and d ? look again d3w then check mode, ok, c3w*, now check mode, yes, indeed
• with all this power to change and delete you need u to undo and control-r to redo, infinitely
• autocompletion: "whatchamacallit" need to type it again? wh(Control-p) will find previous word that starts with "wh" control-p control-n cycle through matches in (p)revious and (n)ext order
• VISUAL MODE: v3w (visual select)(3)(words) repeat with b and hjkl*
• what to do with selection: y will "yank" (ie copy selection) p will "put" (ie insert) at new location, use y in visual mode and p in normal mode
• more ways to enter insert mode: i a o I A O*
  • i insert at current location
  • a insert after current location
  • o insert line below current line
  • I insert AT START of current line
  • A insert AFTER END of current line
  • O insert line ABOVE current line.
• convenience commands: dd delete current line, yy yank current line
• Searching: /regularexpression to search forward, ?regularexpression search backward
• as before we can combine objects for more y/) will yank everything to NEXT parens (or whatever you search for) while y?) will yank everything up to the LAST parens

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