Skip to content

Vim in 10 mins

This is the default text editor on the bare linux systems. Lightweight and very powerful. Though there are more userfriendly editors for terminal out there still vi maintains it place in the Unix ecosystem.

Update your vimrc

 curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/amix/vimrc/master/vimrcs/basic.vim > ~/.vimrc

Getting started

the most primitive editor of all. Unix implementation. 

# or vim
$ vi <filename>

# Open files in multiple Tabs 
$ vi -p <filename1> <filename2> <...>
# Sorry i was looking for a more concrete

Most used Vi commands

switch description
: command
i insert
w write to file
q quit

VIM Select (V), Copy (Y), Cut(D) and Paste (P):

  • Position the cursor where you want to begin cutting.
  • Press v to select characters (or uppercase V to select whole lines).
  • Move the cursor to the end of what you want to cut.
  • Press d to cut (or y to copy).
  • Move to where you would like to paste.
  • Press P to paste before the cursor, or p to paste after.

Text Operations

  • u: undo last change (can be repeated to undo preceding commands)
  • Ctrl-r: Redo changes which were undone (undo the undos). Compare to . to repeat a previous change, at the current cursor position. Ctrl-r (hold down Ctrl and press r) will redo a previously undone change, wherever the change occurred.

VIM Multiple Tabs

Browse recent files [oldfiles]

:bro[wse] ol[dfiles][!]

Type a number and enter to open.

Reindent line =

In NORMAL mode = to reindent

Reindent Entire file gg=G

=, the indent command can take motions. So, gg to get the start of the file, = to indent, G to the end of the file,

keyboard: gg=G