Basic Vim commands - For getting started

Basic Vim commands - For getting started

Refer: Basic Vim commands - For getting started

Preamble
I remember the first time I met Vim. That was when I started graduating and going to work when I was asked to use an operating system that I had never used before, Ubuntu Linux. This was the first time I needed to use the Linux operating system regularly, so when I was using Windows and switched to Ubuntu, I was no different from a first grader, overwhelmed.
Later, when working, I occasionally used it and saw people using Vim to edit files without a mouse and felt "wow... really skilled", which also made me more curious about it.

What is Vim?
Vim - short for Vi IMproved is a clone, with some additions, of Bill Joy's vi editor for Unix. It was written by Bram Moolenaar based on the source code of a port of the Stevie editor to the Amiga and first released in 1991. Vim is used very strongly in the CLI (command-line interface). Linux uses a lot of configuration files, you will often need to edit them and vim is a great tool to do that. Also alternatives to vim are nano's command-line editor.

Install Vim on Linux

sudo apt update
sudo apt-get install vim

Vim has two modes.

1. Insert mode (Where you can just type like a normal text editor. Press i for insert mode)

2. Command mode (Where you give commands to the editor to get things done . Press ESC for command mode)

Most of them below are in command mode

• x - to delete the unwanted character
   
• :set number - For show number file
   
• :<LINE_NUMBER> - For goto number line file
   
• :$ - For goto end-line file
   
• :/<SEARCH_KEYWORD> - For search keyword
   
• u - to undo the last command and U to undo the whole line
   
• CTRL-R to redo
   
• A - to append text at the end
   
• :wq - to save and exit
   
• :q! - to trash all changes
   
• dw - move the cursor to the beginning of the word to delete that word
   
• 2w - to move the cursor two words forward.
   
• 3e - to move the cursor to the end of the third word forward.
   
• 0 (zero) to move to the start of the line.
   
• d2w - which deletes 2 words .. number can be changed for deleting the number of consecutive words like d3w
   
• dd to delete the line and 2dd to delete to line. The number can be changed to delete the number of consecutive words

The format for a change command is: operator [number] motion
-operator - is what to do, such as d for delete
- [number] - is an optional count to repeat the motion
- motion - moves over the text to operate on, such as w (word),
$ (to the end of the line), etc.

• p - puts the previously deleted text after the cursor(Type dd to delete the line and store it in a Vim register. and p to put the line)

• r - to replace the letter e.g press re to replace the letter with e

• ce - to change until the end of a word (place the cursor on the u in lubw it will delete ubw )

• ce - deletes the word and places you in Insert mode

• G - to move you to the bottom of the file.

• gg - to move you to the start of the file.
  Type the number of the line you were on and then G

• % to find a matching ),], or }

• :s/old/new/g to substitute 'new' for 'old' where g is globally

• :/<SEARCH_KEYWORD> search n to find the next occurrence and N to search in the opposite direction

• ? forward search

• :! to run the shell commands like :!dir, :!ls

• :w - TEST (where TEST is the filename you chose.). Save the file

• v - starts visual mode for selecting the lines and you can perform operations on that like d delete

• :r - Filename will insert the content into the current file

• R - to replace more than one character

• y - operator to copy text using v visual mode and p to paste it

• yw - (copy) Yanks one word

• o - opens a line below the cursor and start Insert mode.

• O - opens a line above the cursor.

• a - inserts text after the cursor.

• A - inserts text after the end of the line.

• e - command moves to the end of a word.

• y - operator yanks (copies) text, p puts (pastes) it.

• R - enters Replace mode until <ESC> is pressed.

• ctrl-w to jump from one window to another

type a command :e and press ctrl+D to list all the command names starts with :e and press tab to complete the command

Related protips:

Basic Vim commands - For getting started

Thank you !!! Good luck !!! Hion Coding ~~~