I’ve noticed that people older than me have always known just a few more vi commands than I do.

I’m in my 40s, so clearly I know about 4:

Writes and quits (I consider these variants of the same thing):

:w
:q
:q!
:wq
ZZ

See the line numbers: :set number

Delete everything from top to bottom (must be at top, easily remembered by mumbling duck, duck, duck, GOOSE): :dddG

Search for a string: /

And that’s probably it. I think I used to know how to cut a line and paste a line, but I’d have to look it up to be 100% correct on the syntax.

Anyone in their 50s or 60s care to add to this dazzlingly long list of inadequacy? Not looking for a cheat sheet or the man page :-p

  • TechLich@lemmy.world
    2·
    2 months ago

    I know a few more interesting ones but nowhere near what actual vim people know.

    • d, y, p - delete, yank, paste as others have said.
    • r - replace the character under the cursor with something else
    • g - go somewhere (gt is go to next tab which you can open with :tabedit )
    • v - visual mode for selecting text to yank with y
    • c - change - deletes a thing and goes to insert mode, like d but not. Eg.
      • cc - change the current line
      • cw - change the next word

    My favourite is ci - change inside

    ci" - changes all the text that’s inside the next set of quotes.

    ci( changes the text inside the next set of parentheses. Etc.

    I also use :mouse=a which I’m told is sacrilege but sometimes I like to click on a thing!