Learning Vim

Learn how to use the Vim text editor. Add Vim to your development or system administration workflow for more productivity and power.

Introduction

• Vim for text editing
• Why Vim?
• Vim installation
• Sample files and challenges

1. Basics

• Start and quit Vim
• Dual mode
• Insert text
• Save and quit
• Challenge: Create file
• Solution: Create file

2. Moving Around

• Navigate using keys: H, J, K, L
• Words, sentences, and paragraphs
• Challenge: Find word
• Solution: Find word
• Regular expressions
• Challenge: Search word
• Solution: Search word
• Screen movement
• Challenge: Move screens
• Solution: Move screens
• Lines
• Challenge: Move lines
• Solution: Move lines
• Current word
• Challenge: Find next instance of word
• Solution: Find next instance of word

3. Changing Text

• Delete text
• Challenge: Delete sentence
• Solution: Delete sentence
• Copy and paste
• Challenge: Copy and paste
• Solution: Copy and paste
• Change text
• Challenge: Change text
• Solution: Change text
• Visual selection
• Challenge: Use visual selection
• Solution: Use visual selection
• Registers
• Challenge: Use registers
• Solution: Use registers
• Replace text

4. Marks

• Define and jump to marks
• Challenge: Define and jump to mark
• Solution: Define and jump to mark
• Jump through history
• Challenge: Jump back
• Solution: Jump back
• Move to last change
• Challenge: Last change
• Solution: Last change

5. Buffers

• Windows and buffers
• Challenge: Buffer
• Solution: Buffer
• Edit files
• Challenge: Edit files
• Solution: Edit files
• Move between buffers
• Challenge: Switch buffer
• Solution: Switch buffer
• Read command
• Challenge: Insert file
• Solution: Insert file

6. Configuration

• Configuration files
• Challenge: Set line numbers
• Solution: Set line numbers
• Map keys
• Challenge: Map key
• Solution: Map key
• Abbreviations
• Challenge: Abbreviate email
• Solution: Abbreviate email
• Add commands
• Challenge: Create command
• Solution: Create command
• Various settings
• Challenge: Edit .vimrc
• Solution: Edit .vimrc

7. Day-To-Day Vim

• Start Vim with a command
• Challenge: Use Vim command
• Solution: Use Vim command
• Diff mode
• Challenge: Diff mode
• Solution: Diff mode
• Zip files
• Challenge: Zip file
• Solution: Zip file
• Open files from name
• Challenge: Open file to line number
• Solution: Open file to line number
• External commands
• Challenge: External command
• Solution: External command

Conclusion

• Next steps