Vim

Basics

• i - go to insert mode starting before the current cursor position

• a - go to insert mode starting after the current cursor position

• o - go to insert mode after adding a new blank line after the current one

• :w - write file

• :q - quit

• :x - write file, then quit

• u - undo last edit

• ctrl-r - redo

• / - search forward in the file

• ? - search backward in the file

Splitscreen editing:

• :sp - split window and open same file in that sub-window (useful for comparing two sections of the same file)

• :sp anotherfile - split window and open anotherfile in that sub-window

• ctrl-w down-arrow - switch focus to sub-window below

• ctrl-w up-arrow - switch focus to sub-window above

• :q - quit the sub-window that's currently in focus

Moving around:

• :0 - go to line zero

• :3476 - go to line 3476

• :+34 - go 34 lines forward

• :-76 - go 76 lines backward

• G - go to last line of file

• w - move ahead one word

• W - move ahead one whitespace-delimited word

• b - move back one word

• B - move back one whitespace-delimited word

• } - move ahead one paragraph (to the next empty line without any whitespace)

• { - move back one paragraph (to the next empty line without any whitespace)

Indenting:

• V} - select the following paragraph (ones delimited by empty lines)

• > - to add indentation

• 3> - to add three levels of indentation

• < - to remove indentation

• gv - to select the same block of text again

copy/paste/delete:

• dd - delete current line (and put them in the same buffer that yank would have)

• W - move ahead one word, delineated by whitespace only

• B - move back one word, delineated by whitespace only

• Y - yank (copy) the current line

• P - paste before the current cursor position (or full line)

• p - paste starting after the current cursor position (or full line)

• ]p - paste starting after the current cursor position, but indent each line of the inserted text to the level of the current cursor position

• ctrl-v - go to rectangular block visual mode; move up/down/left/right with cursor keys, then y to yank; then go somewhere else and give p to paste (but will paste in the rectangular block mode)

• "sY - yank into named buffer "s" (ditto with any other character)

• "sP - paste from named buffer "s" (ditto with any other character)

other useful vim commands:

• cw - change word (does dw, then puts you in insert mode)

• . - repeat command - do cw, then go to another location in the file (perhaps with a / or ? search) and do the change word there, too

• 30d - scroll down 30 lines

• 24u - scroll up 24 lines

Many of the move commands can be combined with the yank/delete/other commands so that fairly complicated operations only take a couple of keyboard commands (moving or copying and then pasting entire paragraphs, for instance):

• d3} and then P to cut three paragraphs and then paste them somewhere else

• 3w - move ahead three words

• 3b - move back three words

• 3} - move ahead three paragraphs (delineated by lines that have nothing on them - not even whitespace)

• 3dd - delete current line and the following two (and put them in the same buffer that yank would have)

• d3w - delete the next three words (and put them in the same buffer that yank would have)

• d} - delete the following paragraph (delineated by lines without anything on them - not even whitespace)

• 3Y - yank the current line and the following two lines

• Y} - yank the following paragraph (delineated by lines without anything on them - not even whitespace)

• yw - yank the next word

• y3w - yank the next three words

• y/ - yank until the next occurrence of the most recent search

• gU3w - convert to uppercase (gU) next three (3) words (w)