Underline using dashes automatically

Tip 750 Printable Monobook Previous Next

created 2004 · complexity intermediate · author Chris X Edwards · version 6.0

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This tip shows how to underline text document headings with, for example, a dashed line.

Using a mapping

Starting with a line of text like:

A Very Important Tip!

the mapping below inserts a row of dashes like this:

A Very Important Tip!
---------------------

This is useful to highlight headings. Add the following to your vimrc:

" Underline the current line with dashes in normal mode
nnoremap <F5> yyp<c-v>$r-

" Underline the current line with dashes in insert mode
inoremap <F5> <Esc>yyp<c-v>$r-A

Of course you can use other characters instead of -, for example, = or _.

In case you want to get a line above and below the heading, do this in normal mode:

<F5>yykP

Using substitute

You can use the global and substitute commands (:help :g, :help :s) to underline all headings matching a pattern. For example, the following adds a row of dashes under each line that starts with "Chapter":

:g/^Chapter/t.|s/./-/g

It works by finding each matching line, then copying it (:help :t), then substituting each character (.) in the line.

See also

• Create underlines, overlines, and strikethroughs using combining characters

Comments

 TO DO 

• Decide what to do with new tip Underline text. Perhaps it should be merged to here? JohnBeckett 04:57, August 9, 2011 (UTC)

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yypVr- also works well. Great tip for Markdown and WikiTex users.

Linktohack 15:37, February 3, 2012 (UTC)