✍️ Vim

Tutorials

https://vimvalley.com/ https://vim-adventures.com/ https://www.vimgolf.com/

Plugins

1# HCL
2mkdir -p ~/.vim/pack/jvirtanen/start
3cd ~/.vim/pack/jvirtanen/start
4git clone https://github.com/jvirtanen/vim-hcl.git
5
6# Justfile
7mkdir -p ~/.vim/pack/vendor/start
8cd ~/.vim/pack/vendor/start
9git clone https://github.com/NoahTheDuke/vim-just.git

Fun Facts

• trigger a vim tutorial vimtutor

• the most powerful commands:
  . : Repeat the last modification.
  * : Where the cursor is located, keeps the word in memory and goes to the next occurrence.
  .* : together, repeat an action on the next word.

• Encrypt a file with VIM, pasted from sources

1:setlocal cm=blowfish2
2:X 
3>Enter the encryption key:
4:wq

• aliases - in command mode :ab ue University of Economics - creates an alias ue, then in insert mode every time you type ue + Enter it will write University of Economics for you. :unab ue - removes the alias ue :ab rue Mr Smith main street - ⚠️ Be careful of the common mistake where the alias is contained in the alias.

My ~/.vimrc

vim -u test_vimrc : when you want to test a vimrc first

 1# Active coloring and presentation
 2syntax on 
 3:colorscheme torte
 4# OR :colorscheme elflord
 5set bg=dark
 6set autoindent 
 7
 8# YAML tabulations
 9autocmd FileType yaml setlocal ai ts=2 sw=2 et
10
11# extension .md to be recognized. 
12filetype on 
13au BufNewFile,BufRead *.{md,mdown,mkd,mkdn,markdown,mdwn} set filetype=markdown  
14
15# set not compatible mode to enable Vim features.
16set nocp 

Setters

• Reload inside vim

1:so $MYVIMRC  | :source ~/.vimrc 

• Set Numbers

1:set [ nu | number ]
2:set [ nu! | nonu | nonumber ]
3:set printoptions=number:y

• Colors are ls -l /usr/share/vim/vim*/colors/

1:colorscheme torte

• Know your Runtimepath

1:set runtimepath ?  
2runtimepath=~/.vim,[...]/usr/share/vim/vimfiles/after,~/.vim/after 

Uppercase / Lowercase

• Use ~ to toggle case.

~ Toggle case of the character under the cursor, or all visually-selected characters.
3~ Toggle case of the next three characters.
g~3w Toggle case of the next three words.
g~iw Toggle case of the current word (inner word – cursor anywhere in word).
g~$ Toggle case of all characters to end of line.
g~~ Toggle case of the current line (same as V~).

• Visual mode Shift + v , then u to convert to lowercase, or U to convert to uppercase.

U : Uppercase the visually-selected text. gUU : Change the current line to uppercase (same as VU).
guu : Change the current line to lowercase (same as Vu).
gUiw : Change current word to uppercase.

• in command mode u will undo change

Usage

• To open a file

vi +33 file - opens the file at line 33
vi + file - opens the file at the last line
vi +/research - opens the file at the first line where “research” is found
vi -R file - opens read-only
vi -r file - after a crash, recovers the swap file
vi file1 file2 - to open two documents (access the next one with :n)

:vs ~/.vimrc - open in another window
:sh ~/script.sh - run a script

:e [file] - edit another file without leaving vi (the benefit is keeping what is in the buffer and navigating between several documents)
:n - navigate between the files open in vi (also ctrl ^, but it depends on the system)
:x - closes all the documents opened with vi
:sp - opens a second document on the same screen

navigate between the two with
ctrl+w w - to switch
ctrl+w j - to go down
k - to go up
_ - to make the buffer take the whole screen
= - to make the buffers equal again

:sf - opens another document in the same window
:read pliku - imports everything from “pliku” at the cursor position (:r same effect)
:r /file - inserts a file from the cursor position
:r! command - inserts the result of a command

Ctrl G - to see the file information, whether it is modified, etc.

Esc + q: - gives the command history
Esc + q\ - gives the search history

• To quit

ZZ - quits and saves (shortcut)
:w - saves (w [file] saves under the given name)
:q! - quits
:e! - discards all modifications

• Manipulate text
  :n,mm j - moves from line “n” to “m” to line “j” (with /expression instead of “j”, moves after the line containing “expression”)
  :n,mt j - copies from line “n” to “m” to line “j”
  :n,mw file - copies lines “n” to “m” into file
  :n,mw>> file - copies “n” to “m” at the end of file
  :'a,'bw file - copies what is in buffers a and b into file

• SHELL COMMAND
  :! cmd - runs shell commands while in vi
  e.g. :!df, :!ls -l, or :!cat /etc/passwd > ~/hasla.txt
  Note: :! is glued to the command that follows.

• INSERT MODE
  to enter insert mode
  i - write where the cursor is
  I - insert at the beginning of the line
  A - insert at the end of the line
  a - write just after the cursor
  C - cuts from the cursor to the end of the line, then enters insert
  o - opens a new line below the cursor
  O - opens a new line above the cursor
  s - deletes under the cursor and enters insert mode
  S - deletes the whole line and enters insert mode
  r - enters “replace” mode for a single character
  R - enters “replace” mode (note: if you erase, you get the old characters back)

NOTE: R in replace mode, if you erase, you get the old characters back.

• COMMAND MODE

  • Move around
    h(left) j(down) k(up) l(right)
    Can combine with numbers: 10k 4l 8h etc.

gg - to the beginning of the file
G - to the end of the file
L - to the end of the screen / M - to the middle / H - to the top of the screen
Z + Enter - puts the cursor at the top of the screen / Z.
nL - to n lines before the end of the screen / nH - to n lines from the top of the screen
nG - to line number n / 1G - to the very beginning / G - to the very end
+ - to the beginning of the next line
- - to the beginning of the previous line
$ - sends the cursor to the end of the line
( - to the beginning of the sentence
) - to the end of the sentence
0 - sends the cursor to the beginning of the line (or also ^)
w - to the next word
b - to the previous word (2b: 2 words back)
e - to the end of the word / E - also, but does not account for accents.
ctrl+f - next screen
ctrl+b - previous screen
ctrl+d - half a screen down
ctrl+u - half a screen up
mx - sets a (invisible) mark that can be found with `x (the cursor is sent back to that mark)
Shift+v - puts a cursor on the entire line, select the number of lines with the arrow then “d” or “y” etc.
d`x - erases from the mark to the cursor
y`x - copies from the mark to the cursor

• delete x - deletes under the character dd - deletes the line (d$ same effect but from the cursor) Note: combines with numbers and directions. number + d (or x) + direction (h,j,k,l,$,0,w,b etc.)

ddp - deletes a line and re-inserts it below
dd3p - pastes the same line three times
5dx - erases 5 characters
3dw - erases 3 words
3dd - erases 3 lines
dG - erases from the cursor to the end; :.,$d deletes everything from the beginning to the end n,md - erases from line n to m

Note: any deletion is kept in the buffer for pasting.

D - deletes the line from the cursor cw - erases the word and enters insert mode cc - changes the line (erases the line and puts it in the buffer - p to paste later) ciW - change inside Word ci" - change inside quotes "" c - combines with the movement cursor (e.g. c$, c0, c2b, etc.)

• replace, modify J - joins the next line with this one
  ~ - swaps lowercase to uppercase and vice versa
  u - returns to the previous modification (undo)
  U - returns over all modifications
  Ctrl + r - redo
  Note: combines with numbers (e.g. 3u)

p - pastes after the cursor
P - pastes before the cursor
y - copy yy - copies the line
Y - same effect y$ - copies from the cursor to the end
yw - copies the word; 3yy - copies 3 lines;
" - lets you save into a buffer (e.g. “a3yy copies 3 lines into buffer a, re-paste with “ap)

• search /word - searches for the string “word” after the cursor
  ?word - searches for the string “word” before the cursor
  * - where the cursor is, searches for the same word
  Note: n to go to the next, N to go back

• COMMAND-LINE MODE (:) Command-line mode always starts with :. Some commands can only be run in command-line mode.
  (e.g. :3,7d) because they need to be visualized. There is also a history; you can search previous commands with the arrow.

• Modes and Options
  :set - gives the modes in use (those launched by EXINIT and .exrc)
  :set showmode - see the mode you are in.
  :set all - shows all possible modes to choose from
  :set OPTION? - shows whether the option is enabled or not
  :set nu - displays the line numbers
  :set nonu - removes this option (general rule: :set no+mode removes the chosen mode)
  :set ignorecase - ignores uppercase
  :set magic - enables meta-characters
  :set list - shows the end of lines with a $ and the tabulations with ^|
:set wrapmargin=n (wm=n) - moves the left margin by value n
  :set autowrite (aw) - saves automatically before a search, a check, a shell, etc.
  :set autoindent (ai) - provides automatic indentation when writing.
  :set showmatch (sm) - shows the matches between () or {} and [].

Note: you can save all the vi configuration into a file and call it with :so file_name, which loads that configuration.

Note: in /etc/virc/.exrc you configure the machine’s vi to launch options as soon as vi starts.
Otherwise create a .exrc file in the user directory.

• substitutions (the sed tool inside vi)
  :s/stare/nowe/ - searches for the string “stare” and changes the first occurrence in the sentence to “nowe”
  :s/stare/nowe/g - g to change all occurrences in the sentence
  :%s/stare/nowe/g - % to search through the whole text
  :n,ms/stare/nowe/g - searches between n and m
  :s/stare/nowe/gc - c asks for confirmation at each change
  :g/wzorzec/s/stare/nowe/g - g at the start searches for “wzorzec” and only applies the changes in the sentences containing “wzorzec”. Note: with g at the start, % is no longer necessary.
  :m - moves the selected expression

• Sed tip :s - repeats the last global modification
  :%&g - repeats the last global modification on the whole text
  :%s;/home/student;/home/toor;g - “;” replaces “/”, so “/” becomes a normal character.
  :g!/ok/s/$/TODO/g - wherever there is no “ok” in the sentence, put “TODO” at the end
  :%s/[0-9]$//gc - deletes if there is a digit (between 0 and 9) at the end of the sentence
  :g/^[0-9]/m$ - moves all lines starting with a digit to the end of the document

• The meta-characters for vi’s sed
  . - equivalent to a character (careful: space counts as a character)
  * - any string
  ^ - searches at the beginning of the line
  $ - searches at the end of the line
  \<word - searches at the beginning of the word (e.g. “moteur” will be taken)
  word\> - searches at the end of the word
  \ - cancels the meta-character and counts it as a normal character
  [ab] - a or b
  \(word_A\) - saves this word into buffer 1 (up to 9), retrieved with \1
  :%s/\(kolwalski\) \(Jan\)/\2 \1/ - swaps the two names.
  Can serve to replace up to 9 expressions, or to place text between two expressions, etc.