Vim Commands

VIM Commands Cheat Sheet

This page provides a comprehensive guide to using VIM, including navigation, editing, searching, and customization.

1. VIM Modes

VIM operates in different modes:

Normal Mode - Default mode for navigation and commands (press Esc to enter).
Insert Mode - Used for typing text (press i, a, o).
Visual Mode - Used for selecting text (press v or V).
Command Mode - Used for executing commands (press :).

2. Opening and Exiting VIM

vim filename - Open a file in VIM.
:q - Quit if no changes were made.
:q! - Quit without saving.
:w - Save file.
:wq or :x - Save and quit.
:w filename - Save as a new file.

3. Navigation

Move Cursor

h - Move left.
l - Move right.
j - Move down.
k - Move up.

Move Faster

Ctrl + u - Move half-page up.
Ctrl + d - Move half-page down.
Ctrl + b - Move full-page up.
Ctrl + f - Move full-page down.
gg - Go to the beginning of the file.
G - Go to the end of the file.
number G - Go to line number (e.g., 10G).

4. Editing Text

Insert Mode

i - Insert before cursor.
I - Insert at the beginning of the line.
a - Append after cursor.
A - Append at the end of the line.
o - Open a new line below.
O - Open a new line above.

Deleting Text

x - Delete character under cursor.
dd - Delete current line.
dw - Delete word.
d$ - Delete from cursor to end of line.
d0 - Delete from cursor to beginning of line.
D - Delete from cursor to end of line.
:1,10d - Delete lines 1 to 10.

Copying & Pasting (Yanking)

yy - Copy (yank) current line.
yw - Copy (yank) word.
y$ - Copy (yank) to end of line.
p - Paste after cursor.
P - Paste before cursor.

Undo & Redo

u - Undo last change.
Ctrl + r - Redo undone change.

5. Searching and Replacing

Search

/word - Search for "word" forward.
?word - Search for "word" backward.
n - Jump to next match.
N - Jump to previous match.

Replace

:%s/old/new/g - Replace "old" with "new" globally.
:5,10s/old/new/g - Replace "old" with "new" in lines 5-10.
:%s/old/new/gc - Replace with confirmation.

6. Working with Multiple Files

:e filename - Open another file.
:bn - Switch to next buffer.
:bp - Switch to previous buffer.
:bd - Close current buffer.

7. Splitting Windows

:split filename - Split window horizontally and open file.
:vsplit filename - Split window vertically and open file.
Ctrl + w + w - Switch between windows.
Ctrl + w + q - Close current window.

8. Customization

Set Line Numbers

:set number - Enable line numbers.
:set nonumber - Disable line numbers.

Set Auto Indentation

:set autoindent - Enable auto indentation.
:set noautoindent - Disable auto indentation.

Set Syntax Highlighting

:syntax on - Enable syntax highlighting.
:syntax off - Disable syntax highlighting.

Set Tab Width

:set tabstop=4 - Set tab width to 4 spaces.
:set expandtab - Use spaces instead of tabs.
:set shiftwidth=4 - Set auto-indent width.

9. Exiting VIM in Different Situations

:q - Quit if no changes were made.
:q! - Quit without saving.
:wq - Save and quit.
:x - Save and quit (alternative to :wq).
ZZ - Save and quit (in normal mode).
:qa! - Quit all without saving.

10. Miscellaneous

. - Repeat last command.
J - Join next line with current line.
Ctrl + g - Show file info.
:%!sort - Sort lines in the file.
:r filename - Insert contents of another file.

Summary

This VIM cheat sheet provides essential commands for efficient text editing. Whether navigating, editing, or searching, mastering these commands will greatly improve productivity.