Parliament Hill Computers Ltd

 

Vi/Vim differences and quick reference

The key to effective vi use is to spot the symmetries in the commands.
Note that if you have a command c then shift c will often do the same as command c but do it backwards/before, eg: `/' searches forwards, `?' searches backwards; `p' pastes text after the cursor, `P' pastes text before the cursor. Many commands can be prefixed with a count, eg: `5w' moves forwards 5 words; `5x' deletes 5 characters.

For effective use of vi you must master the movement commands, they are used in conjunction with others, eg: `dw' deletes the next word (and `5dw' or `d5w' deletes the next 5 words); `c/fred' changes from the current position to the next occurrence of `fred'.

Movement: Commands

h	move one character left
j	move one line down
k	move one line up
l	move one character right
H	move to Home (start of first line displayed)
M	move to start of Middle line displayed
L	move to start of Last line displayed
0 or ^	move to start of current line
$	move to end of current line
tc	move forwards to just before character `c'
Tc	move backwards to just after character `c'
fc	move forwards on to character `c'
Fc	move backwards on to character `c'
;	repeat last t, T, f, F command
w	move forwards to the start of the next word
e	move forwards to the end of the next word
b	move backwards a word
%	move to matching bracket: () [] {}

The arrow, home and end keys should also work as expected.

Movement: Searching

/	Search forwards for regular expression
?	Search backwards for regular expression
n	repeat last search in the same direction
N	repeat last search in the reverse direction

Inserting text

i	Insert before the current character
a	Insert after the current character
o	Open a new line after the current line
O	Open a new line before the current line
I	Insert at the start of the current line
A	Insert after the last non white character on the current line

Entering insert mode: In insert mode characters are inserted into the buffer, to leave it type Escape. To insert a special character type `C-vc' which inserts character `c' without interpretation (useful with Escape).

Deleting text

x	Delete the character under the cursor
dM	Delete to where the movement `M' would take the cursor
dd	Delete the current line
D	Delete from the current position to the end of line

Deleted text is put into the current yank buffer, you may specify a buffer, eg: `"bdT:' deletes backwards to the `:' and puts the deleted text into yank buffer `b'. See Yank buffers below for multiple delete undo via numbered yank buffers.

Changing text

rc	Replace the current character with `c'.
s	Substitute the current character: enter insert mode
cM	Change to where the movement `M' would take the cursor: enter insert mode
cc	Change the entire current line: enter insert mode
C	Change from the current position to the end of line
R	Replace text, end with Escape
o	open new line below, end with Escape
O	open new line above, end with Escape

Yank buffers

These store text, if a buffer is not named text is put into the current yank buffer. Deleted text in put into buffer '1', text that was in `1' is put into `2', ... to `9'. Buffers can also be named with a lower case letter, these names buffers may be used to copy text between files. To use a named buffer prefix a command with `"N', eg: `"add' deletes the current line and puts it into yank buffer `a', `"ap' pastes the contents of yank buffer `a'.

yM	Copy text into yank buffer to where the movement `M' would take the cursor
yy	Copy the current line into the yank buffer
Y	Copy from the current position to the end of line into the yank buffer
p	Paste the text into the yank buffer after the current line
P	Paste the text into the yank buffer before the current line

Colon commands, these are based upon ed(1) commands

In many of these `%' will be substituted with the name of the current file, and `#' with the name of the previous file. Some commands may be prefixed with line number ranges. `.' means the current line, `$' means the last line in the file: `2,5 s/fred/joe/' changes the first `fred' for `joe' on lines 2, 3, 4, 5; `1,$ s/fred/joe/g' changes every `fred' for `joe' in the buffer. `%' may be used as a number range and is short for `1,$'. Number ranges may also be: `.+N' (N lines after current line), `$-N' (N lines before end of buffer), `/fred/+N' (N lines after next `fred'). If you only want one line, omit the comma and second number: `.-4 s/fred/joe/'.

:q	Quit
:q!	Quit without the sanity checks (unsaved buffers, etc)
:w [f]	Write the buffer to file `f'
:w !cmd	Write the buffer as stdin to shell command `cmd'
:wq	Write and quit
:x	Like `:wq' but only write if changes have been made
:r file	Read file into the current buffer after current line
:e f	Edit file `f'.
:e #	Edit the previous file, often bound to C-^
:n	Edit next file
:p	Edit previous file
:rew	Rewind to first file
:! cmd	Execute shell command `cmd'
:s/a/b/	Substitute `a' with `b' on the current line.
:s/a/b/g	Substitute every `a' with `b' on the current line. (g means global)
:s/a/b/gc	Substitute every `a' with `b' on the current line, ask for confirmation
:d	Delete the current line

Display (screen) control

C-e	scroll line with cursor up a line
C-y	scroll line with cursor down a line
C-d	scroll display down 1/2 a screen
C-u	scroll display up 1/2 a screen
C-f	scroll display forward a screen
C-b	scroll display backward a screen
C-l	redisplay the screen

Misc

J	Join the next line to the current line
u	undo the last change, vim: repeat for previous changes vi: a second `u' undoes the first undo
C-r	Redo a change undone by `u' (vim only)
U	Undo all the changes made to the current line
.	Repeat the last change command
~	Invert case (upper/lower) of the current character
!!cmd	Replace the current line with the output of shell command `cmd'
C-g	Display current line number
G	Move to the last line in the buffer
nG	Move to line number n in the buffer
ml	Mark the current line with the label `l'
'l	Go to the line with label `l'
''	Go to the last line that you jumped from Labels may be used in `:' commands: `'s,'e:s/fred/joe/g' changes all `fred' for `joe' for all lines between those labeled `s' and `e'.
nC	Repeats the command C n times
qr	Start recording into register `r' (vim only). If `r' in upper case append
q	Stop recording
@r	Execute keystrokes in register `r'
<<	Move text left by an indent
>>	Move text right by an indent
C-z	Suspend (shell job control)

Visual (block) mode (vim only)

v	Start character visual mode
V	Start line visual mode
c-V	Start block visual mode
Once a visual area is marked:
d	delete
c	change
y	yank
~	swap case
u	make lower case
U	make upper case
!	filter through external program
:dis	Display the contents of all yank buffers

Split windows and multiple buffers (vim only)

C-ws	Split the window in two
C-wc	Close the current window
C-wM	Move to window in direction M, eg `k' means up
NC-w+	Increase display size of current window by N lines
NC-w-	Decrease display size of current window by N lines
:files	Display files currently being edited and buffer numbers
:N b	Switch to buffer N in the current window

Useful options (put in ~/.exrc)

set ic	Ignore case in searches
set number	Line number mode
set showmode	Display `INSERT' on bottom line in insert mode
syntax off	Switch off syntax highlighting

Misc vim additions (ie not in vi)

• In `:' mode the line can be edited with arrow keys (including up/down)
• Search patterns (enter with `/') can also be edited

Handy sequences

• A combination of `n' and `.' may be used to do an interactive search and replace.
• `xp' swaps two adjacent characters
• `10dd' deletes 10 lines
• `:.,$d' deletes from the current line to the end of the buffer
• `:. w ! od -c' filter the current line through `od' to see if it contains any strange characters.
• `:. w ! sh' Execute the current line as a shell command

If you want a tutorial use the command:

vimtutorial

The commands below are the most commonly used commands, but by no means all.