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https://github.com/heimdev/vim-cheat-sheet

Vim text editor cheat sheet
https://github.com/heimdev/vim-cheat-sheet

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Vim text editor cheat sheet

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README 

          
# Vim Cheat Sheet



I’ve compiled a list of essential Vim commands that I use every day. I have then given a few instructions on how to make Vim as great as it should be, because it’s painful without configuration.



## Essentials



### Cursor movement (Normal/Visual Mode)



-   `h` `j` `k` `l` - Arrow keys

-   `w` / `b` - Next/previous word

-   `W` / `B` - Next/previous word (space seperated)

-   `e` / `ge` - Next/previous end of word

-   `0` / `$` - Start/End of line

-   `^` - First non-blank character of line (same as `0w`)



### Editing text



-   `i` / `a` - Start insert mode at/after cursor

-   `I` / `A` - Start insert mode at the beginning/end of the line

-   `o` / `O` - Add blank line below/above current line

-   `Esc` or `Ctrl+[` - Exit insert mode

-   `d` - Delete

-   `dd` - Delete line

-   `c` - Delete, then start insert mode

-   `cc` - Delete line, then start insert mode



### Operators



-   Operators also work in Visual Mode

-   `d` - Deletes from the cursor to the movement location

-   `c` - Deletes from the cursor to the movement location, then starts insert mode

-   `y` - Copy from the cursor to the movement location

-   `>` - Indent one level

-   `<` - Unindent one level

-   You can also combine operators with motions. Ex: `d$` deletes from the cursor to the end of the line.



### Marking text (visual mode)



-   `v` - Start visual mode

-   `V` - Start linewise visual mode

-   `Ctrl+v` - Start visual block mode

-   `Esc` or `Ctrl+[` - Exit visual mode



### Clipboard



-   `yy` - Yank (copy) a line

-   `p` - Paste after cursor

-   `P` - Paste before cursor

-   `dd` - Delete (cut) a line

-   `x` - Delete (cut) current character

-   `X` - Delete (cut) previous character

-   `d` / `c` - By default, these copy the deleted text

-   `:1,3co6` - Copies lines 1 through 3 and pastes them after line 6

-   `:4,6m9` - Moves lines 4 through 6 after line 9



### Exiting



-   `:w` - Write (save) the file, but don’t quit

-   `:wq` - Write (save) and quit

-   `:q` - Quit (fails if anything has changed)

-   `:q!` - Quit and throw away changes



### Search/Replace



-   `/pattern` - Search for pattern

-   `?pattern` - Search backward for pattern

-   `n` - Repeat search in same direction

-   `N` - Repeat search in opposite direction

-   `:%s/old/new/g` - Replace all old with new throughout file ([gn](http://vimcasts.org/episodes/operating-on-search-matches-using-gn/) is better though)

-   `:%s/old/new/gc` - Replace all old with new throughout file with confirmations



### General



-   `u` - Undo

-   `Ctrl+r` - Redo



## Advanced



### Cursor movement



-   `Ctrl+d` - Move down half a page

-   `Ctrl+u` - Move up half a page

-   `}` - Go forward by paragraph (the next blank line)

-   `{` - Go backward by paragraph (the next blank line)

-   `gg` - Go to the top of the page

-   `G` - Go the bottom of the page

-   `: [num] [enter]` - Go to that line in the document

-   `ctrl+e / ctrl+y` - Scroll down/up one line



### Character search



-   `f [char]` - Move forward to the given char

-   `F [char]` - Move backward to the given char

-   `t [char]` - Move forward to before the given char

-   `T [char]` - Move backward to before the given char

-   `;` / `,` - Repeat search forwards/backwards



### Editing text



-   `J` - Join line below to the current one

-   `r [char]` - Replace a single character with the specified char (does not use Insert mode)



### Visual mode



-   `O` - Move to other corner of block

-   `o` - Move to other end of marked area



### File Tabs



-   `:e filename` - Edit a file

-   `:tabe` - Make a new tab

-   `gt` - Go to the next tab

-   `gT` - Go to the previous tab

-   `:vsp` - Vertically split windows

-   `ctrl+ws` - Split windows horizontally

-   `ctrl+wv` - Split windows vertically

-   `ctrl+ww` - Switch between windows

-   `ctrl+wq` - Quit a window



### Marks



-   Marks allow you to jump to designated points in your code.

-   `m{a-z}` - Set mark {a-z} at cursor position

-   A capital mark {A-Z} sets a global mark and will work between files

-   `'{a-z}` - Move the cursor to the start of the line where the mark was set

-   `''` - Go back to the previous jump location



### Text Objects



-   Say you have `def (arg1, arg2, arg3)`, where your cursor is somewhere in the middle of the parenthesis.

-   `di(` deletes everything between the parenthesis. That says “change everything inside the nearest parenthesis”. Without text objects, you would need to do `T(dt)`.

-   [Learn more](http://blog.carbonfive.com/2011/10/17/vim-text-objects-the-definitive-guide/)



### General



-   `.` - Repeat last command

-   `Ctrl+r + 0` in insert mode inserts the last yanked text (or in command mode)

-   `gv` - reselect (select last selected block of text, from visual mode)

-   `%` - jumps between matching `()` or `{}`



# Making VIM actually useful



Vim is quite unpleasant out of the box. It’s an arcane experience:



-   Autocomplete is missing

-   System clipboard is not used

-   Act of typing `:w` to save is cumbersome

-   Mouse doesn’t work

-   Management of multiple files is tricky

-   Integration with other plugins (like compiler warnings) is challenging

-   Repeatedly indenting/unindenting multiple lines is challenging, though possible



It does have a significant strength though: your fingers can stay on the main keyboard keys to do most editing actions. This is faster and more ergonomic. I find that the toughest part about VIM is guiding people towards getting the benefits of VIM without the drawbacks. Here are some ideas on how to go about this.



## Switch caps lock and escape



-   I highly recommend you switch the mapping of your caps lock and escape keys. You’ll love it, promise! Switching the two keys is platform dependent.



## Visual Studio Code



-   VSCode is the simplest way to give you a fantastic editor that also gives you the benefits of VIM. Just install [the VIM extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vscodevim.vim).

-   I made a [few slight changes](https://gist.github.com/theicfire/dc3f7f8c9a19467643a58dff22eb00d9) which improved the experience for me.



## Configure native VIM



For all the given limitations, you’ll need to find a solution. You can either solve the issues one by one, or you can use a reference .vimrc settings file that fix most of the issues out-of-the-box.



-   [My .vimrc file](https://github.com/theicfire/dotfiles/blob/master/vim/.vimrc) could be a good starting point. Honestly, it’s a bit old and not the best. I now use VSCode mainly so I haven’t kept a great vimrc.



### Using the system clipboard



-   `"+y` copy a selection to the system clipboard

-   `"+p` paste from the system clipboard

-   If this doesn’t work, it’s probably because Vim was not built with the system clipboard option. To check, run `vim --version` and see if `+clipboard` exists. If it says `-clipboard`, you will not be able to copy from outside of Vim.

    -   For Mac users, homebrew install Vim with the clipboard option. Install homebrew and then run `brew install vim`.

        -   then move the old Vim binary: `$ mv /usr/bin/vim /usr/bin/vimold`

        -   restart your terminal and you should see `vim --version` now with `+clipboard`



## Sublime Text



-   Another option is to use Vintageous in Sublime Text (version 3). This gives you Vim mode inside Sublime. I suggest this (or a similar setup with the Atom editor) if you aren’t a Vim master. Check out [Advanced Vim](https://vimsheet.com/advanced.html) if you are.

-   Vintageous is great, but I suggest you change a few settings to make it better.

    

    -   Clone [this repository](https://github.com/theicfire/Vintageous) to `~/.config/sublime-text-3/Packages/Vintageous`, or similar. Then check out the “custom” branch.

        -   Alternatively, you can get a more updated Vintageous version by cloning [the official](https://github.com/guillermooo/Vintageous) repository and then copying over [this patch](https://github.com/theicfire/Vintageous/commit/19ff6311b01e3ae259b7eb8e3944687b42ba06ff).

    -   Change the user settings (`User/Preferences.sublime-settings`) to include:

        -   `"caret_style": "solid"`

        -   This will make the cursor not blink, like in Vim.

        -   Sublime Text might freeze when you do this. It’s a bug; just restart Sublime Text after changing the file.

    -   `ctrl+r` in Vim means “redo”. But there is a handy Ctrl + R shortcut in Sublime Text that gives an “outline” of a file. I remapped it to alt+r by putting this in the User keymap

        -   `{ "keys": ["alt+r"], "command": "show_overlay", "args": {"overlay": "goto", "text": "@"} },`

    -   [Add the ability to toggle Vintageous on and off](https://github.com/guillermooo/Vintageous/wiki/Toggling-Vintageous)

    -   Mac users: you will not have the ability to hold down a navigation key (like holding j to go down). To fix this, run the commands specified here: [https://gist.github.com/kconragan/2510186](https://gist.github.com/kconragan/2510186)

-   Now you should be able to restart sublime and have a great Vim environment! Sweet Dude.



## Other



I don’t personally use these yet, but I’ve heard other people do!



-   `:qa` - Quit all open tabs (thanks Vince Banzon)

-   `:wa` - Write all open tabs (thanks Vince Banzon)

-   `:wqa` - Write and quit all open tabs (thanks Brian Zick)