How To Speak To Vim

Why Vim?

Modal editor
Lightweight
Usable through SSH
Universal shortcuts (less, git diff...)

Vim Basics

Movements

h j k l

w b e

for ←↑↓→

move around words

^ $

move to begin/end of line

Movements

tA fA

jump to character A

repeat the last "t" or "f" jump

move to matching parenthesis

Movements

gg G

123G

jump to beginning/end of file

jump to line 123

CTRL-U
CTRL-D

scroll up/down half a page

Movements

CTRL-I
CTRL-O

previous/next in the jump list

The jump list!

Actions

o O

new line and insert

i a

insertion mode

insert at beginning of line

insert at end of line

Essentials

delete (cut)

copy

paste

Actions

Essentials

undo

CTRL-R

recover

CTRL-V

select

select whole lines

select by block

Actions

Essentials

combine it with I and A :)

S cc

change (delete + insert)

change line

replace one character

Actions

Useful

> <

add/remove one indent

auto indent

Actions

Useful

Vim as Language

Sentences

Verb + Modifier + Noun

action + modifier + object

action + movement

Sentences

Examples

`daw`

`ci(`

`dtP`

delete a word

change inside parenthesis

delete until letter P

Sentences

Verbs (= actions)

...

delete

paste

change

copy

"yank"

indent

Sentences

Modifiers

inside

around

Sentences

Objects

word

paragraph

sentence

'...'

{...}

(...)

Sentences

Repeat your sentences!

Use

Search & Replace

Searching

/hello

n N

Searches 'hello' in the file

Jumps to next/previous occurence

(can be combined with an action!

e.g. "delete until first occurence of 'hello'")

Searches the word under the cursor

Search & Replace

Highlight spaces or tabs

highlights space characters

/\t

highlights tab characters

:set hlsearch

↓

"slash space"

Search & Replace

Replacing

:%s/hello/hi/g

Replace 'hello' by 'hi' in the whole file

Search & Replace

Replacing

%s/hello/hi/g

Range '%'

= whole file

Option 'g'

= replace all occurrences of each line

Search & Replace

Replace currently highlighted word

then

%s//new word/g

Other commands/tips

jump to next number of the line and increment/decrement it

CTRL-A CTRL-X

<C-X><C-F>

ctrl-x then ctrl-f successively

autocomplete filenames

References

https://yanpritzker.com/learn-to-speak-vim-verbs-nouns-and-modifiers-d7bfed1f6b2d

Registers

Copy/paste from different places

Prefix with and a character (= register name)

"ay

"bp

Copy in register 'a'

Paste from register 'b

Registers

Special registers

"+

"%

System clipboard :)

Current filename

(doesn't work through SSH!)