Vim Cheatsheet
Getting started
vim file # Open file.
vim file1 file2 # Open file1 and file2
vim -R file # Open file in read mode
view file # Open file in read mode
:h[elp] keyword # Open help for the keyword
:term # Open a terminal
:! cmd # Execute shell command cmd
C-\ C-n # Go to command mode in the built-in terminal
ESC # Exit insert mode
:q # Close document if no modification has been done
:w # Save the document
:wa # Save all windows
:wq # Save and close
:x # Save and close, equivalent to wq
:q! # Close and ignore changes
:set spell # Start the spell checking
:set cc=100 # Creates a vertical line at character 100 (cc=colorcolumn)
Navigation
h # Left
j # Down
k # Up
l # Right
0 # Move cursor to the beggining of the line
$ # Move cursor to the end of the line
^ # Move cursor to the first non-blank character
w # Move forward one word
W # Move forward one word (ignore punctuation)
b # Move backward one word
B # Move backward one word (ignore punctuation)
e # Move forward to the end of the word
E # Move forward to the end of the word (ignore punctuation)
gg # Move the first line of the document
G # Move the last line of the document
H # Go to the first character on the top
M # Go to the first character on the middle
L # Go to the first character on the bottom
C-F # Scroll forward one page
C-B # Scroll backward one page
C-D # Scroll forward half page
C-U # Scroll backward half page
( # Go to the beginning of the sentence
) # Go to the beginning of the next sentence
{ # Go to the beginning of the paragraph
} # Go to the beginning of the next paragraph
[[ # Go to the beginning of the section
]] # Go to the beginning of the next section
If we consider the notation _nh_, where _n_ is a number known as _replication factor_, the left motion is repeated _n_ times. As an example, we have the equivalence: _4h = hhhh_. The same is true for _j_, _k_ and _l_.
If we write _nG_, where _n_, the cursor goes to line _n_. The same is true for the other motions. Then, 1G is equivalent to gg.
Editing
i # Insert cursor goes to the beginning of the block cursor
I # Insert cursor goes to the beginning of the line
0i # Insert cursor goes to the beginning of the line.
a # Append cursor goes to the end of the block cursor
A # Append cursor goes to the end of the line
$a # Append - the insert cursor goes to the end of the line
o # Text line after the cursor
O # Text line before the cursor
cw # Change word
ciw # Change word under cursor
c$ # Change text to the end of the line
C # Change text to the end of the line. Equivalent to c$
c0 # Change text starting from the beggining of the line
cc # Change the entire line
r # Replace a single character
R # Replace characters. Overstrike.
s # Substitute character. Enters in Insert mode
S # Substitute the whole line. Similar to C
~ # Change case: lowercase to uppercase and vice-versa
dw # Delete a word starting from the cursor position
diw # Delete word under cursor
dd # Delete the line
D # Delete the line. Equivalent to dd
d0 # Delete from cursor to the beggining of the line
d$ # Delete from the cursor position to the end of the line
x # Delete a single character under the cursor
X # Delete a single character in front of the cursor
u # Undo recent modification
C-r # Redo
U # Retores the line
. # Repeat the last command
J # Join the cursor line with the line below it
gq # Format paragraph
gwip # Reflow paragraph
When we delete a character, word or line, vim saves the deleted object in a temporary register, so we can recover this deletion as long as we do not delete any other object. We have seen that we undo this deletion with the command _u_. It also true that we can paste the deleted object in a new place. Let us take a look on these commands.
Copy and Paste
yw # Yank (Copy) word
yy # Yank the whole line
Y # Yank the whole line. Equivalent to yy
y$ # Yank to the end of the line
y0 # Yank to the beginning of the line
p # Paste after the cursor
P # Paste before the cursor
"+y # Yank into the system clipboard
"+p # Paste from the system clipboard
Search
/pattern # Search pattern forward
?pattern # Search pattern backward
n # Repeat search in the same direction
N # Repeat search in the opposite direction
/ # Repeat search forward
? # Repeat search backward