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VI

1. Navigation​

  • 0: Move to the start of the line
  • 99 + RightArrow: Move to the end of the line
  • gg: Jump to the top of the file
  • Shift + g: Jump to the bottom of the file
  • w: Move to the start of the next word
  • e: Move to the end of the current word
  • b: Move to the beginning of the previous word
  • fx: Move to the next x character on the line (replace x)
  • ;: Repeat last f, t, F, or T command

2. Editing​

  • dd – Deletes (cut) the current line
  • ndd – Deletes n lines (e.g., 10dd deletes 10 lines from the current line downward)
  • dG – Deletes from the current line to the end of the file
  • dgg – Deletes from the current line to the beginning of the file
  • Visual Mode: Press V to enter visual line mode, then use the arrow keys to select multiple lines, then press d to delete them
  • Shift + c – Deletes everything to rhe right, and puts you in insert mode
  • u – Undo last change
  • Ctrl + r – Redo last change
  • Shift + j – Join the current line with the next one
  • yy – Yank (copy) the current line
  • p – Paste after cursor
  • Shift + p – Paste before cursor
  • cw – Change word (deletes the word from where the cursor is and to the right and puts you in insert mode)

3. Visual Mode​

Visual mode allows you to select text before performing operations on it. This is useful for deleting, copying, or modifying multiple lines or blocks of text.

Entering Visual Mode:

  • v – Start visual selection (characterwise) - selects character by character
  • V – Start visual line selection - selects entire lines
  • Ctrl + v – Start visual block selection (column mode) - very powerful for column editing

Navigation in Visual Mode:

  • Use arrow keys to extend your selection
  • Use $ to select to end of line, 0 to select to start of line
  • Use gg or G to select to top/bottom of file
  • Use w, e, b to select by words

Operations on Selected Text:

  • d or x – Delete (cut) the selected text
  • y – Yank (copy) the selected text
  • c – Change (delete and enter insert mode)
  • > – Indent selected lines to the right
  • < – Indent selected lines to the left
  • ~ – Toggle case of selected characters
  • u – Make selected text lowercase
  • U – Make selected text uppercase

4. Search and Replace​

  • /word – Search forward for "word"
  • ?word – Search backward for "word"
  • n – Go to next match
  • Shift + n – Go to previous match
  • :%s/foo/bar/g – Replace all occurrences of "foo" with "bar" in the file
  • 💡 Pro Tip: Use . to repeat your last editing command