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vim

Introduction​

This cheat sheet provides a quick reference for common concepts and commands related to the vim text editor in Linux. vim is known for its extensive functionality and powerful text editing capabilities.

vim Concepts​

Modes​

vim operates in different modes for various tasks.

  • Normal Mode: The default mode for navigating and manipulating text.
  • Insert Mode: Used for inserting or editing text.
  • Visual Mode: Used for selecting and manipulating text selections.

Basic Navigation​

  • Move Cursor Left/Right: h / l
  • Move Cursor Up/Down: k / j
  • Go to Start/End of Line: 0 / $
  • Go to Start/End of File: gg / G

Basic Editing​

  • Enter Insert Mode: i (before cursor), a (after cursor)
  • Delete Character: x
  • Undo: u
  • Redo: Ctrl + r

Saving and Quitting​

  • Save: :w
  • Save and Quit: :wq
  • Quit without Saving: :q!

Searching​

  • Search Forward: /search_term
  • Search Backward: ?search_term
  • Next Match: n
  • Previous Match: N

Copy, Cut, and Paste​

  • Copy (Yank): y
  • Cut (Delete): d
  • Paste (Put): p

Visual Mode​

  • Enter Visual Mode: v
  • Select Text: Move cursor to select text
  • Copy/Cut Selected Text: y (copy), d (cut)

Advanced Editing​

  • Replace Character: r
  • Replace Mode: R
  • Indent Right/Left: > / <

Exiting vim​

  • Quit without Saving Changes: :q!
  • Save and Quit: :wq
  • Save Changes and Quit (if modified): :x or ZZ

Configuration​

You can customize vim by editing its configuration file ~/.vimrc.

  • Edit vim Configuration File:
    vim ~/.vimrc

vim Command-Line​

  • Enter Insert Mode: i
  • Delete Character: x
  • Undo: u
  • Redo: Ctrl + r
  • Save: :w
  • Save and Quit: :wq
  • Quit without Saving: :q!
  • Search Forward: /search_term
  • Search Backward: ?search_term
  • Next Match: n
  • Previous Match: N
  • Copy (Yank): y
  • Cut (Delete): d
  • Paste (Put): p
  • Enter Visual Mode: v
  • Replace Character: r
  • Replace Mode: R
  • Indent Right/Left: > / <
  • Edit vim Configuration File: vim ~/.vimrc

Conclusion​

This cheat sheet covers common concepts and commands for using the vim text editor in Linux. vim is a highly configurable and powerful text editor, making it a popular choice for both beginners and advanced users; refer to the vim documentation for more in-depth information and advanced usage.