cheatsheets/vim_cheatsheet.md

Vim Cheatsheet

This is a quick reference guide for common Vim commands. Vim has several modes: Normal (default), Insert, Visual, and Command-line.

Modes

• Normal Mode: Default mode for navigation and commands (press Esc to return).
• Insert Mode: For typing text (enter with i, a, etc.).
• Visual Mode: For selecting text (enter with v, V, or Ctrl-v).
• Command Mode: For extended commands (enter with : from Normal mode).

Basic Navigation (Normal Mode)

• h / j / k / l: Move left/down/up/right.
• w / b: Jump to next/previous word.
• 0 / $: Start/end of line.
• gg / G: Top/bottom of file.
• Ctrl-f / Ctrl-b: Page down/up.
• {number}G: Go to line {number}.

Editing Commands (Normal Mode)

• i: Insert before cursor.
• a: Append after cursor.
• o / O: New line below/above.
• x: Delete character under cursor.
• dd: Delete current line.
• yy: Yank (copy) current line.
• p / P: Paste after/before cursor.
• u: Undo last change.
• Ctrl-r: Redo.
• .: Repeat last command.

Visual Mode

• v: Start visual selection (character-wise).
• V: Start visual selection (line-wise).
• Ctrl-v: Start visual block selection.
• Use navigation to select, then apply commands like d (delete), y (yank).

Saving and Quitting (Command Mode)

• :w: Save file.
• :q: Quit (if no changes or saved).
• :wq or ZZ: Save and quit.
• :q!: Quit without saving.
• :wqa: Save and quit all.

Search and Replace

• /pattern: Search forward for pattern.
• ?pattern: Search backward.
• n / N: Next/previous match.
• :%s/old/new/g: Replace all occurrences of 'old' with 'new' in file.
• :s/old/new/: Replace in current line.

Other Useful Commands

• :set number: Show line numbers.
• :set nonumber: Hide line numbers.
• :help {topic}: Open help for topic.
• Ctrl-w v / Ctrl-w s: Split window vertically/horizontally.
• Ctrl-w w: Switch between windows.

Tips

• Use counts: e.g., 5dd deletes 5 lines.
• Combine motions: e.g., dw deletes to end of word.
• Record macros: q{letter} to start, q to stop, @{letter} to replay.
• Vim is highly customizable via .vimrc.

Advanced Commands

• :e filename: Open a file
• :bd: Close current buffer
• :sp / :vsp: Split horizontal / vertical
• Ctrl + ] : Jump to tag (with ctags)
• q: : Open command history
• :%s/old/new/gc : Replace with confirmation

Plugins and Extensions

• Popular plugins: NERDTree for file exploration, vim-fugitive for Git integration.
• Install with Vim-plug or Pathogen.

Sources: Based on https://devhints.io/vim and other web resources.

For more, type :help in Vim!