File Manager

Editing File: /usr/share/vim/vim82/doc/usr_04.txt

*usr_04.txt*	For Vim version 8.2.  Last change: 2019 Nov 21

VIM USER MANUAL - by Bram Moolenaar

Making small changes

This chapter shows you several ways of making corrections and moving text
around.  It teaches you the three basic ways to change text: operator-motion,
Visual mode and text objects.

|04.1|	Operators and motions
|04.2|	Changing text
|04.3|	Repeating a change
|04.4|	Visual mode
|04.5|	Moving text
|04.6|	Copying text
|04.7|	Using the clipboard
|04.8|	Text objects
|04.9|	Replace mode
|04.10|	Conclusion

==============================================================================
*04.1*	Operators and motions

In chapter 2 you learned the "x" command to delete a single character.  And
using a count: "4x" deletes four characters.
   The "dw" command deletes a word.  You may recognize the "w" command as the
move word command.  In fact, the "d" command may be followed by any motion
command, and it deletes from the current location to the place where the
cursor winds up.
   The "4w" command, for example, moves the cursor over four words.  The "d4w"
command deletes four words.

To err is human. To really foul up you need a computer. ~
			 ------------------>
				 d4w

To err is human. you need a computer. ~

Vim only deletes up to the position where the motion takes the cursor.  That's
because Vim knows that you probably don't want to delete the first character
of a word.  If you use the "e" command to move to the end of a word, Vim
guesses that you do want to include that last character:

To err is human. you need a computer. ~
			-------->
			   d2e

To err is human. a computer. ~

Whether the character under the cursor is included depends on the command you
used to move to that character.  The reference manual calls this "exclusive"
when the character isn't included and "inclusive" when it is.

The "$" command moves to the end of a line.  The "d$" command deletes from the
cursor to the end of the line.  This is an inclusive motion, thus the last
character of the line is included in the delete operation:

To err is human. a computer. ~
		       ------------>
			    d$

To err is human ~

There is a pattern here: operator-motion.  You first type an operator command.
For example, "d" is the delete operator.  Then you type a motion command like
"4l" or "w".  This way you can operate on any text you can move over.

==============================================================================
*04.2*	Changing text

Another operator is "c", change.  It acts just like the "d" operator, except
it leaves you in Insert mode.  For example, "cw" changes a word.  Or more
specifically, it deletes a word and then puts you in Insert mode.

To err is human ~
	 ------->
	 c2wbe<Esc>

To be human ~

This "c2wbe<Esc>" contains these bits:

c	the change operator
	2w	move two words (they are deleted and Insert mode started)
	be	insert this text
	<Esc>	back to Normal mode

You will have noticed something strange: The space before "human" isn't
deleted.  There is a saying that for every problem there is an answer that is
simple, clear, and wrong.  That is the case with the example used here for the
"cw" command.  The c operator works just like the d operator, with one
exception: "cw".  It actually works like "ce", change to end of word.  Thus
the space after the word isn't included.  This is an exception that dates back
to the old Vi.  Since many people are used to it now, the inconsistency has
remained in Vim.

MORE CHANGES

Like "dd" deletes a whole line, "cc" changes a whole line.  It keeps the
existing indent (leading white space) though.

Just like "d$" deletes until the end of the line, "c$" changes until the end
of the line.  It's like doing "d$" to delete the text and then "a" to start
Insert mode and append new text.

SHORTCUTS

Some operator-motion commands are used so often that they have been given a
single-letter command:

x  stands for  dl  (delete character under the cursor)
	X  stands for  dh  (delete character left of the cursor)
	D  stands for  d$  (delete to end of the line)
	C  stands for  c$  (change to end of the line)
	s  stands for  cl  (change one character)
	S  stands for  cc  (change a whole line)

WHERE TO PUT THE COUNT

The commands "3dw" and "d3w" delete three words.  If you want to get really
picky about things, the first command, "3dw", deletes one word three times;
the command "d3w" deletes three words once.  This is a difference without a
distinction.  You can actually put in two counts, however.  For example,
"3d2w" deletes two words, repeated three times, for a total of six words.

REPLACING WITH ONE CHARACTER

The "r" command is not an operator. It waits for you to type a character, and
will replace the character under the cursor with it. You could do the same
with "cl" or with the "s" command, but with "r" you don't have to press <Esc>
to get back out of insert mode.

there is somerhing grong here ~
	rT	     rt    rw

There is something wrong here ~

Using a count with "r" causes that many characters to be replaced with the
same character.  Example:

There is something wrong here ~
			   5rx

There is something xxxxx here ~

To replace a character with a line break use "r<Enter>". This deletes one
character and inserts a line break. Using a count here only applies to the
number of characters deleted: "4r<Enter>" replaces four characters with one
line break.

==============================================================================
*04.3*	Repeating a change

The "." command is one of the simplest yet powerful commands in Vim. It
repeats the last change. For instance, suppose you are editing an HTML file
and want to delete all the tags. You position the cursor on the first <
and delete the with the command "df>". You then go to the < of the next
 and delete it using the "." command. The "." command executes the last
change command (in this case, "df>"). To delete another tag, position the
cursor on the < and use the "." command.

To generate a table of contents ~
	f< find first < --->
	df> delete to >	 -->
	f< find next <	 --------->
	. repeat df>			 --->
	f< find next <		 ------------->
	. repeat df>					 -->

The "." command works for all changes you make, except for "u" (undo), CTRL-R
(redo) and commands that start with a colon (:).

Another example: You want to change the word "four" to "five".  It appears
several times in your text.  You can do this quickly with this sequence of
commands:

/four<Enter>	find the first string "four"
	cwfive<Esc>	change the word to "five"
	n		find the next "four"
	.		repeat the change to "five"
	n		find the next "four"
	.		repeat the change
			etc.

==============================================================================
*04.4*	Visual mode

To delete simple items the operator-motion changes work quite well.  But often
it's not so easy to decide which command will move over the text you want to
change.  Then you can use Visual mode.

You start Visual mode by pressing "v".  You move the cursor over the text you
want to work on.  While you do this, the text is highlighted.  Finally type
the operator command.
   For example, to delete from the middle of one word to the middle of another
word:

This is an examination sample of visual mode ~
			       ---------->
				 velllld

This is an example of visual mode ~

When doing this you don't really have to count how many times you have to
press "l" to end up in the right position.  You can immediately see what text
will be deleted when you press "d".

If at any time you decide you don't want to do anything with the highlighted
text, just press <Esc> and Visual mode will stop without doing anything.

SELECTING LINES

If you want to work on whole lines, use "V" to start Visual mode.  You will
see right away that the whole line is highlighted, without moving around.
When you move left or right nothing changes.  When you move up or down the
selection is extended whole lines at a time.
   For example, select three lines with "Vjj":

+------------------------+
			  | text more text	   |
		       >> | more text more text    | |
	selected lines >> | text text text	   | | Vjj
		       >> | text more		   | V
			  | more text more	   |
			  +------------------------+

SELECTING BLOCKS

If you want to work on a rectangular block of characters, use CTRL-V to start
Visual mode.  This is very useful when working on tables.

name		Q1	Q2	Q3
		pierre		123	455	234
		john		0	90	39
		steve		392	63	334

To delete the middle "Q2" column, move the cursor to the "Q" of "Q2".  Press
CTRL-V to start blockwise Visual mode.  Now move the cursor three lines down
with "3j" and to the next word with "w".  You can see the first character of
the last column is included.  To exclude it, use "h".  Now press "d" and the
middle column is gone.

GOING TO THE OTHER SIDE

If you have selected some text in Visual mode, and discover that you need to
change the other end of the selection, use the "o" command (Hint: o for other
end).  The cursor will go to the other end, and you can move the cursor to
change where the selection starts.  Pressing "o" again brings you back to the
other end.

When using blockwise selection, you have four corners.  "o" only takes you to
one of the other corners, diagonally.  Use "O" to move to the other corner in
the same line.

Note that "o" and "O" in Visual mode work very differently from Normal mode,
where they open a new line below or above the cursor.

==============================================================================
*04.5*	Moving text

When you delete something with "d", "x", or another command, the text is
saved.  You can paste it back by using the "p" command.  (The Vim name for
this is put).
   Take a look at how this works.  First you will delete an entire line, by
putting the cursor on the line you want to delete and typing "dd".  Now you
move the cursor to where you want to put the line and use the "p" (put)
command.  The line is inserted on the line below the cursor.

a line		a line	      a line
	line 2	  dd	line 3	  p   line 3
	line 3			      line 2

Because you deleted an entire line, the "p" command placed the text line below
the cursor.  If you delete part of a line (a word, for instance), the "p"
command puts it just after the cursor.

Some more boring try text to out commands. ~
			 ---->
			  dw

Some more boring text to out commands. ~
			 ------->
			    welp

Some more boring text to try out commands. ~