Risan Bagja

snippet··10 min read

Vim Key Bindings Cheatsheet

My personal cheatsheet of Vim key bindings and commands, plus a few plugins and tmux commands I use along with it.

These are the Vim key bindings and commands that I use the most, collected in one place so I don’t have to look them up again. At the end there are also a few plugins (Vim Vinegar, NERDTree, CtrlP, Ack, Greplace, Surround), FZF and tmux that I use together with Vim.

Generate Ctags

This is the ctags command I use to generate the tags file for a JavaScript and PHP project:

Terminal window
ctags -R --languages=JavaScript,PHP \
  --JavaScript-kinds=fcmpCv \
  --PHP-kinds=cdfintv \
  --exclude=.git \
  --exclude=node_modules \
  --exclude=public \
  --exclude=*.min.js \

Modes

  • i: insert mode
  • v: visual mode
  • :: command
  • esc: back to normal mode
  • !ls: Execute the ls command
  • :help foo: Find help
  • CTRL + ]: Follow the hyperlink

File Editing

  • :w: write/save
  • :w foo.txt: save file
  • :wa: Save all buffers
  • :e foo.txt: edit file
  • :e .: Browse file to edit
  • :Ex: Explore the directory where currently opened file is located
  • :q: quit
  • :wq: write and quit
  • :so ~/.vimrc: Source the vimrc file
  • :so %: Source the current file

Movements

  • h: left
  • l: right
  • j: down
  • k: up
  • w: Move forward 1 word
  • W: Move forward 1 word, next non-whitespace characters
  • b: Move backward 1 word
  • B: Move backward 1 word (previous non-white space characters)
  • e: Go to end of word
  • 0: Move to the beginning line
  • ^: Move the first non-blank character of the line
  • $: Move to the end of line
  • ): Jump forward 1 sentence
  • (: Jump backward 1 sentence
  • }: Jump forward 1 paragraph
  • {: Jump backward 1 paragraph
  • H: Jump to the top of the screen
  • M: Jump to the middle of the screen
  • L: Jump to the bottom of the screen
  • gg: Jump to the top of the file
  • G: Jump to the end of the file
  • 15G: Jump to the line 15
  • CTRL + f: Scroll page forward
  • CTRL + b: Scroll page backward
  • fx: Find the next x character on the current line
  • Fx: Find the previous x character on the current line
  • tx: Find the x character on the current line but place the cursor before the character

Jump through the changes:

  • :changes: List of changes
  • g;: Cycle through the changes cursor position backward
  • g,: Cycle through the changes cursor position forward

Marks

  • :marks: Show all marks
  • mx: Set local mark x at the current cursor position (lowercase mark will only available on current buffer)
  • mX: Set global mark X at the current cursor position (uppercase mark will available across all buffers)
  • 'x: Jump to the beginning of the line of mark x
  • `x: Jump the cursor of the mark x
  • d'x: Delete until mark x
  • '0: Go to mark 0, the last file we’re working on (live across sessions, even when vim closed)

Editing

  • V: Visual mode select line
  • d: delete
  • u: undo. MODAL EDITING! 1 step of undo is equals to editing then <esc> back to normal mode. Always back to normal mode to persist the undo steps as many as we want!
  • CTRL + r: redo
  • gv: Select previous selection again
  • In select mode CTRL +d: select down 1 screen

Entering the insert mode:

  • a Go to the insert mode after the current cursor position
  • A : Go to the end of the line and enter insert mode (equals to $a).
  • s Delete character under cursor and go to insert mode
  • r: Replace single character under cursor and back to normal mode
  • x: Delete single character under cursor and back to normal mode
  • C: Change until the end of line (equals d$a)
  • D: Delete until the end of line
  • I: Go to the first non-whitespace character on the line and enter the insert mode
  • S: Delete the entire line and enter the insert mode on the previous non-whitespace character (equals to ^C)
  • ci(: Change inside the bracket (. . .)
  • ci{: Change inside the curly braces {. . . }
  • ca(: Change inside the bracket, including the bracket itself ( . . . )
  • vi(: Select inside the bracket (. . .)
  • di(: Delete inside the bracket
  • cit: Change inside the tag <h1>. . . </h1>

Search and replace:

  • /<CTRL+r>": Search and paste the last yanked item
  • Select the text and :s/foo/bar: Replace foo with bar in the selected text
  • :%s/foo/bar/g: Replace all matching foo with bar
  • :%s/Foo/bar/gi: Replace all matching foo with bar , case insensitive search
  • :%s/foo/bar/gc: Replace all matching foo with bar with confirmation

File type:

  • :set filetype?: Check the current file type
  • :set filetype=html: Set the file type

Registers

  • "xyy: Yank the current line and store it in x register
  • "xp: Paste the x register (normal mode)
  • CTRL+R x: Paste the x register (insert mode)
  • "*p: Paste the system clipboard (normal mode)
  • CTRL+R *: Paste from system clipboard (insert mode)

Autocomplete

CTRL-X Mode

  • set complete=.,w,b,u,t,i: Set the completion source
    • .: Scan the current buffer
    • w: Scan the buffers from other windows (splits)
    • b: Scan the buffers from the buffer list (the active on a)
    • u: Scan the unloaded buffers from the buffer list
    • t: Scan from the tags file
    • i: Scan the included files (files listed using #include, require, etc)
  • CTRL+X CTRL+L: Search backward for a LINE that starts with the same characters
  • CTRL+X CTRL+N: Search forward for a WORD that start with the keyword before the cursor (only in current buffer)
  • CTRL+X CTRL+P: Search backward for a WORD that start with the keyword before the cursor (only in current buffer)
  • CTRL+X CTRL+I: Search current file and any included files
  • CTRL+X CTRL+]: Search using the tags file
  • CTRL+X CTRL+F: Search for file names that starts with the same characters
  • CTRL+X CTRL+O: Automatically guest what kind of item before the cursor (search current buffer, tags file and builtin VIM omni completion)

When popup open, we can use this keys:

  • CTRL+N: Next match
  • CTRL+P: Previous match
  • CTRL+E: Go back to the originally typed text
  • CTRL+Y: Accept the currently selected item on popup menu

Other completion keys:

  • CTRL+N: Find the next match for words that start with the keyword before the cursor
  • CTRL+P: Find the previous match for words that start with the keyword before the cursor
  • CTRL+w z: Close the preview window

Tabs

  • :tabe foo.txt: Edit file in a new tab
  • :tabnew: Open a new tab
  • :tabc: Close the tab
  • :tabonly: Close all tabs except the active one
  • gt: Cycle through tab forward
  • gT: Cycle through tab backward
  • 2gt: Go to the second tab
  • 3gt: Go to the third tab
  • tabmove: Move tab to the end
  • tabmove 0: Move tab to the beginning
  • tabmove 1: Move tab to the second one
  • :pwd: Check current working directory
  • :cd /foo/bar: Change the current working directory of a tab

Buffers and Splits

  • :ls: List buffers
  • :bp: Open previous buffer
  • :bn: Open next buffer
  • :bd: Destroy the buffer
  • CTRL + w + o: Make the current buffer full screen
  • CTRL + ^: Toggle between two alternate buffers
  • :bufdo bd!: Close all buffers
  • :set hidden: Make hidden buffer without annoying save warning
  • :e!: Restore the original file
  • :tab sb 2: Open buffer number 2 in new tab

Splits:

  • :sp: Create horizontal split
  • :vsp: Create vertical split
  • :only: Close other windows and keep the active one
  • CTRL + wh: Switch to the left
  • CTRL + wl: Switch to the right split
  • CTRL + wj: Switch to the top split
  • CTRL + wk: Switch to the bottom split
  • CTRL + ww: Toggle between split
  • CTRL + w + |: Maximize the current window vertically
  • CTRL + w + _: Maximize the current window horizontally
  • CTRL + w + =: Make the splits equal in size
  • CTRL + w + T: Move current window to a new tab

Vim Vinegar

  • -: Open the browser or move up a directory
  • %: Create a new file
  • d: Create a new directory
  • D: Delete a file/directory
  • R: Rename file/directory

NERDTree

  • t: Open in a new tab
  • i: Open in new horizontal split
  • s: Open in new vertical split
  • o: Open and close a node
  • O: Open node recursively
  • x: Close a node
  • X: Close the node recursively
  • p: Go to parent node
  • P: Go to the root node

CtrlP

  • CTRL + d: Search by filename only
  • F5: Refresh the file list

Ctags

  • !ctags -R: Generate tags recursively
  • !ctags -a foo.php: Append the file to tags file
  • :tag term: Search for a term
  • :tn: Go to the next matching term
  • :tp: Go to the previous matching term
  • :ts: Open the list of matching terms
  • CTRL + ]: Go to the term under the cursor

Find and Replace

  • grep -R 'John Doe' ./: Manual grep from command line
  • copen: Open the previously matched grep

Ack Vim

  • :Ack 'term': Find the term
  • :Ack 'term' foo/bar: Find the term in foo/bar
  • O: Open the file and close the quickview window
  • t: Open the file in a new tab
  • T: Open the file in a new tab but keep the focus on quick view window
  • v: Open the file in a vertical split
  • gv: Open the file in a vertical split but keep the focus on quick view window

Greplace

Search and replace with greplace:

  1. :Gsearch: Start the search and replace
  2. Specify the term and path to search
  3. Update all found occurrence one by one, or simply using: :%s/term/replacement/g
  4. Greplace: To actually replace the matching term, select a to confirm all
  5. :wa Save all buffers

Tabs and Indentations

  • tabstop: Specify the width of tab character (default 8)
  • expandtab: Use spaces instead of tab characters (default noexpandtab)
  • softtabstop: Fine tune the amount of whitespace to be inserted (default 0)
  • shiftwidth: Defines the amount of whitespaces to be inserted or removed when using the indentation command on normal mode (default 8)
  • :retab!: Convert the tab according to expandtab or noexpandtab config.
  • >: Increase indentation 1 level
  • <: Decrease indentation 1 level
  • =: Auto-indent
  • Go to top gg and press =G to auto indent file
  • =i}: Auto indent block of code within the curly braces: { . . . }

Vim Surround

  • cs'": Change the surrounding single quote with double quote.
  • cs({: Change the surrounding bracket with square bracket.
  • ds': Delete the surrounding single quote
  • cst then enter <strong class="foo"> : change the surrounding tag with <strong>
  • Select the text and enter S then <span> to surround it with <span> tag.

Macros

  • qx: Start recording to x register, press q again to stop
  • :reg: List the registers
  • @x: Play the recording on x register
  • 'xp: Split out the typed keys from x register
  • "xp: Split out the typed keys from x register, including the “going to insert mode” key and others.

FZF

  • CTRL+T: Fuzzy search the current directory
  • CTRL+R: Fuzzy search the history commands
  • CTRL+j: Move the selection down
  • CTRL+k: Move the selection up
  • rm <CTRL+T: Fuzzy search files for rm command (press tab to select file)
  • cd**: Trigger fuzzy search for cd command

tmux

Sessions:

  • tmux ls: List all tmux session
  • tmux: Start a new tmux session
  • tmux new -s foo: Start a new tmux session with named foo
  • tmux attach -t foo: Attach to the tmux session named foo
  • tmux switch -t foo: Switch to the tmux session named foo
  • tmux detach or <prefix> d: Detach from the current session

Windows:

  • <prefix> c or tmux new-window: Create new window
  • <prefix> 0 or tmux select-window -t 0: Go to the 1st window
  • <prefix> 2: Go to the 3rd window
  • <prefix> x or tmux kill-window: Close the current window
  • <prefix> , or tmux rename-window: Rename the current window

Panes:

  • <prefix> " or tmux split-window: Split window horizontally
  • <prefix> % or tmux split-window -h: Split window vertically
  • <prefix> up/down/left/right key or tmux select-pane -[UDLR]: Switch to pane