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https://github.com/yuanqing/vim-basics
:v: Just the basics to get you up and running with Vim
https://github.com/yuanqing/vim-basics
cheatsheet vim
Last synced: 8 days ago
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:v: Just the basics to get you up and running with Vim
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/yuanqing/vim-basics
- Owner: yuanqing
- Created: 2015-01-14T20:33:30.000Z (about 10 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2021-01-30T07:42:29.000Z (about 4 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-17T23:40:21.071Z (13 days ago)
- Topics: cheatsheet, vim
- Language: Vim script
- Homepage:
- Size: 13.7 KB
- Stars: 136
- Watchers: 5
- Forks: 40
- Open Issues: 1
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
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README
# Vim Basics
> Just the basics to get you up and running with [Vim](https://www.vim.org)
- [Quick start](#quick-start)
- [Commands](#commands)
- [Settings](#settings)
- [The `` + `z` “problem”](#the-ctrl--z-problem)
- [See also](#see-also)
This guide assumes some familiarity with the terminal. (See [Unix Basics](https://github.com/yuanqing/shell-basics/blob/master/README.md#readme) for a quick overview.)
## Quick start
1. Launch Vim via the terminal:
```sh
$ vim Main.java
```
You are now in Vim’s ***Command*** mode.
(You should see the contents of `Main.java` if the file already exists. Otherwise you will see an empty text editor window.)
2. You cannot type into or edit your file while in ***Command*** mode. To start typing into the file, you must switch to Vim’s ***Insert*** mode. Press `i` to do so. You should see -- INSERT -- on the bottom-left hand corner of your window. Now you can type as you would with any other text editor.
3. When you’re done typing, press `` to go back to ***Command*** mode. (The `` key is your friend! Hitting `` will bring you back to ***Command*** mode.)
4. And… that’s about it, really! Now type `:w` and `` to save the file, followed by `:q!` and `` to quit Vim.
## Commands
Almost all operations in Vim occur while in ***Command*** mode. Listed here are the more important commands that you should know.
### Switching between ***Command*** and ***Insert*** mode
Action | Keys
:--|:--
Switch to ***Command*** mode | ``
Switch to ***Insert*** mode | `i`
Switch to ***Insert*** mode, moving the cursor to the end of the current line | `A`
Switch to ***Insert*** mode, adding a new line under the current line, and moving the cursor to the new line | `o`
### Moving the cursor around the file
Action | Keys
:--|:--
Page up | `` + `u`
Page down | `` + `d`
Move the cursor to the next word | `W`
Move the cursor to the previous word | `b`
Move the cursor to the start of the current line | `0`
Move the cursor to the end of the current line | `$`
Move the cursor to a particular line of the file (eg. line number 9) | `9G`
Of course, you can also move the cursor using any of the arrow keys (↑, ↓, ←, →), but it will be a lot faster to use the above commands.
### Delete/cut
Action | Keys
:--|:--
Delete the line under the cursor | `dd`
Delete the word under the cursor | `dw`
Delete the character under the cursor | `x`
Because whatever you delete is copied into Vim’s clipboard, these 3 commands are akin to performing a cut.
### Copy and paste
Action | Keys
:--|:--
Copy the current line | `yy`
Copy a particular number of lines, starting from the current line (eg. 3 lines) | `3yy`
Paste | `p`
You can also specify the text to be copied using a text selection. It is a bit more involved, though:
1. While in ***Command*** mode, press `v` to switch to ***Visual*** mode. You should see -- VISUAL -- on the bottom-left hand corner of your window.
2. [Move the cursor](#moving-the-cursor-around-the-file) to adjust the text selection.
3. When you have selected the text that you want to copy, press `y`. This will bring you back to ***Command*** mode, and the selected text will have been copied into Vim’s clipboard.
### Undo and redo
Action | Keys
:--|:--
Undo | `u`
Redo | `` + `r`
### Fixing code indentation
Action | Keys
:--|:--
Fix the code indentation of the file | `gg=G`
### Save and quit
Action | Keys
:--|:--
Save the file | `:w` then ``
Save the file then quit | `:wq` then ``
Quit without saving the file | `:q!` then ``
## Settings
These are some of the commands to customise the display:
Action | Keys
:--|:--
Enable syntax highlighting | `:syntax on` then ``
Enable line numbers | `:set number` then ``
Vim will look for a settings file named `.vimrc` in your home directory. You can avoid having to type the above settings for every new Vim session by putting the following in your `~/.vimrc`:
```viml
syntax on
set number
```
## The `` + `z` “problem”
Remember that the command for undo is simply `u`, *not* `Ctrl` + `z`!
If you’d accidentally pressed `Ctrl` + `z`, you will find yourself back in your terminal, where you will see something like the following:
```sh
[1]+ Stopped vim Main.java
```
A quick fix is to issue the `fg` command:
```sh
$ fg
```
This will bring us back to Vim, and all is well with the world.
(Explanation: Pressing `` + `z` [places the currently-running program in the background](http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A_Quick_Introduction_to_Unix/Job_Control#Controlling_Jobs_in_Unix). Here, the currently-running program is Vim. The `fg` program simply brings the most recent “backgrounded” program back to the foreground.)
## See also
- [Shell Basics](https://github.com/yuanqing/shell-basics/blob/master/README.md#readme)
- [Vim Commands Cheatsheet](http://www.fprintf.net/vimCheatSheet.html)