Vim Cheatsheet: Essential Commands for Developers

Vim is a powerful text editor that can significantly enhance productivity when mastered. This cheatsheet covers fundamental to advanced commands, helping both beginners and experienced developers navigate Vim effectively.

1. Introduction

Vim is a free and open-source, screen-based text editor that serves as an enhanced version of the original vi editor developed by Bill Joy. Created by Bram Moolenaar, Vim was first released to the public in 1991. The name “Vim” stands for “Vi IMproved,” reflecting its numerous enhancements over the original vi. (en.wikipedia.org)

Vim is designed for use both from a command-line interface and as a standalone application in a graphical user interface. Since its initial release for the Amiga, cross-platform development has made it available on many other systems. In 2018, it was voted the most popular editor among Linux Journal readers. (en.wikipedia.org)

Vim’s forerunner, Stevie (ST Editor for VI Enthusiasts), was created by Tim Thompson for the Atari ST in 1987 and further developed by Tony Andrews and G.R. (Fred) Walter. It was one of the first popularized clones of vi and did not use vi’s source code. Basing Vim on the source code for Stevie meant the program could be distributed without requiring the AT&T source license. (en.wikipedia.org)

Vim has a reputation for its steep learning curve due to its modal nature, where users switch between different modes for editing and command inputs. However, once mastered, it is celebrated for its efficiency and powerful features, making it a favorite among many developers and system administrators.

The enduring rivalry between Vim and Emacs users, often referred to as the “editor war,” has become a notable part of hacker culture and the free software community. (en.wikipedia.org)

Bram Moolenaar, the creator and maintainer of Vim, was a Dutch software engineer and activist. He advocated for ICCF Holland, a non-governmental organization supporting AIDS victims in Uganda, and used the popularity of Vim to encourage donations. Moolenaar passed away on August 3, 2023, at the age of 62. (en.wikipedia.org)

Now, let’s learn about how to use Vim commands.

2. Commands

2. 1. Basics

Command	Description
vim filename	Open a file in Vim
:q	Quit Vim
:q!	Quit without saving
:w	Save file
:wq or ZZ	Save and quit
:x	Save and quit (only if changes were made)
i	Enter Insert mode
Esc	Exit Insert mode

2. 2. Navigation

Command	Description
h	Move left
l	Move right
j	Move down
k	Move up
0	Move to the beginning of the line
^	Move to the first non-blank character of the line
$	Move to the end of the line
gg	Go to the beginning of the file
G	Go to the end of the file
5G	Go to line 5 (replace 5 with any line number)
Ctrl-d	Scroll down half a screen
Ctrl-u	Scroll up half a screen
Ctrl-f	Scroll down a full screen
Ctrl-b	Scroll up a full screen

2. 3. Editing

Command	Description
x	Delete character under the cursor
dd	Delete (cut) the current line
yy	Copy (yank) the current line
p	Paste after the cursor
P	Paste before the cursor
u	Undo the last change
Ctrl-r	Redo the last undone change
r<char>	Replace the character under the cursor with <char>
cw	Change the current word
ciw	Change the inner word
C	Change to the end of the line
ddp	Swap current line with the next
xp	Swap adjacent characters

2. 4. Search and Replace

Command	Description
/pattern	Search forward for pattern
?pattern	Search backward for pattern
n	Repeat last search forward
N	Repeat last search backward
:%s/old/new/g	Replace all occurrences of old with new
:%s/old/new/gc	Replace with confirmation
:.,$s/old/new/g	Replace old with new from the current line to the last line
:.,+5s/old/new/g	Replace old with new from the current line to 5 lines down

2. 5. Visual Mode

Command	Description
v	Start visual mode (character-wise selection)
V	Start visual line mode
Ctrl-v	Start visual block mode
y	Yank (copy) selection
d	Delete selection
>	Indent selection
<	Un-indent selection

2. 6. Buffers, Windows, and Tabs

Command	Description
:e filename	Open another file in the same window
:bn	Go to next buffer
:bp	Go to previous buffer
:bd	Close current buffer
:sp filename	Open a file in a horizontal split
:vs filename	Open a file in a vertical split
Ctrl-w w	Switch between split windows
Ctrl-w q	Close current window
:tabnew filename	Open a file in a new tab
gt	Go to next tab
gT	Go to previous tab

2. 7. Macros and Registers

Command	Description
q<char>	Start recording macro into register <char>
q	Stop recording macro
@<char>	Play back macro stored in <char> register
@@	Repeat last macro
"<char>p	Paste from register <char>

2. 8. Advanced Commands

Command	Description
:set number	Show line numbers
:set relativenumber	Show relative line numbers
:set ignorecase	Ignore case in searches
:set smartcase	Case-sensitive search if uppercase is used
:set hlsearch	Highlight search results
:noh	Clear search highlights
:set autoindent	Enable automatic indentation
:set expandtab	Convert tabs to spaces
:set tabstop=4	Set tab width to 4 spaces
:set shiftwidth=4	Set indentation width to 4 spaces
:set wrap	Enable line wrapping
:set nowrap	Disable line wrapping
:w !sudo tee %	Save file with sudo when opened without proper permissions

3. Conclusion

Vim is an incredibly efficient editor when properly mastered. This cheatsheet provides a foundation for improving workflow, whether performing basic editing or advanced text manipulation. Practice these commands regularly, and you will unlock Vim’s full potential!

Reference

• Wikipedia

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