1 *motion.txt* For Vim version 7.2. Last change: 2009 Mar 18
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
7 Cursor motions *cursor-motions* *navigation*
9 These commands move the cursor position. If the new position is off of the
10 screen, the screen is scrolled to show the cursor (see also 'scrolljump' and
13 1. Motions and operators |operator|
14 2. Left-right motions |left-right-motions|
15 3. Up-down motions |up-down-motions|
16 4. Word motions |word-motions|
17 5. Text object motions |object-motions|
18 6. Text object selection |object-select|
19 7. Marks |mark-motions|
20 8. Jumps |jump-motions|
21 9. Various motions |various-motions|
25 If you want to know where you are in the file use the "CTRL-G" command
26 |CTRL-G| or the "g CTRL-G" command |g_CTRL-G|. If you set the 'ruler' option,
27 the cursor position is continuously shown in the status line (which slows down
30 Experienced users prefer the hjkl keys because they are always right under
31 their fingers. Beginners often prefer the arrow keys, because they do not
32 know what the hjkl keys do. The mnemonic value of hjkl is clear from looking
33 at the keyboard. Think of j as an arrow pointing downwards.
35 The 'virtualedit' option can be set to make it possible to move the cursor to
36 positions where there is no character or halfway a character.
38 ==============================================================================
39 1. Motions and operators *operator*
41 The motion commands can be used after an operator command, to have the command
42 operate on the text that was moved over. That is the text between the cursor
43 position before and after the motion. Operators are generally used to delete
44 or change text. The following operators are available:
48 |y| y yank into register (does not change the text)
49 |~| ~ swap case (only if 'tildeop' is set)
51 |gu| gu make lowercase
52 |gU| gU make uppercase
53 |!| ! filter through an external program
54 |=| = filter through 'equalprg' or C-indenting if empty
55 |gq| gq text formatting
56 |g?| g? ROT13 encoding
60 |g@| g@ call function set with the 'operatorfunc' option
62 If the motion includes a count and the operator also had a count before it,
63 the two counts are multiplied. For example: "2d3w" deletes six words.
65 After applying the operator the cursor is mostly left at the start of the text
66 that was operated upon. For example, "yfe" doesn't move the cursor, but "yFe"
67 moves the cursor leftwards to the "e" where the yank started.
69 *linewise* *characterwise*
70 The operator either affects whole lines, or the characters between the start
71 and end position. Generally, motions that move between lines affect lines
72 (are linewise), and motions that move within a line affect characters (are
73 characterwise). However, there are some exceptions.
75 *exclusive* *inclusive*
76 A character motion is either inclusive or exclusive. When inclusive, the
77 start and end position of the motion are included in the operation. When
78 exclusive, the last character towards the end of the buffer is not included.
79 Linewise motions always include the start and end position.
81 Which motions are linewise, inclusive or exclusive is mentioned with the
82 command. There are however, two general exceptions:
83 1. If the motion is exclusive and the end of the motion is in column 1, the
84 end of the motion is moved to the end of the previous line and the motion
85 becomes inclusive. Example: "}" moves to the first line after a paragraph,
86 but "d}" will not include that line.
88 2. If the motion is exclusive, the end of the motion is in column 1 and the
89 start of the motion was at or before the first non-blank in the line, the
90 motion becomes linewise. Example: If a paragraph begins with some blanks
91 and you do "d}" while standing on the first non-blank, all the lines of
92 the paragraph are deleted, including the blanks. If you do a put now, the
93 deleted lines will be inserted below the cursor position.
95 Note that when the operator is pending (the operator command is typed, but the
96 motion isn't yet), a special set of mappings can be used. See |:omap|.
98 Instead of first giving the operator and then a motion you can use Visual
99 mode: mark the start of the text with "v", move the cursor to the end of the
100 text that is to be affected and then hit the operator. The text between the
101 start and the cursor position is highlighted, so you can see what text will
102 be operated upon. This allows much more freedom, but requires more key
103 strokes and has limited redo functionality. See the chapter on Visual mode
106 You can use a ":" command for a motion. For example "d:call FindEnd()".
107 But this can't be redone with "." if the command is more than one line.
108 This can be repeated: >
109 d:call search("f")<CR>
110 This cannot be repeated: >
116 FORCING A MOTION TO BE LINEWISE, CHARACTERWISE OR BLOCKWISE
118 When a motion is not of the type you would like to use, you can force another
119 type by using "v", "V" or CTRL-V just after the operator.
124 deletes from the cursor position until the character below the cursor >
126 deletes the character under the cursor and the character below the cursor. >
128 Be careful with forcing a linewise movement to be used characterwise or
129 blockwise, the column may not always be defined.
132 v When used after an operator, before the motion command: Force
133 the operator to work characterwise, also when the motion is
134 linewise. If the motion was linewise, it will become
136 If the motion already was characterwise, toggle
137 inclusive/exclusive. This can be used to make an exclusive
138 motion inclusive and an inclusive motion exclusive.
141 V When used after an operator, before the motion command: Force
142 the operator to work linewise, also when the motion is
146 CTRL-V When used after an operator, before the motion command: Force
147 the operator to work blockwise. This works like Visual block
148 mode selection, with the corners defined by the cursor
149 position before and after the motion.
151 ==============================================================================
152 2. Left-right motions *left-right-motions*
156 CTRL-H or *CTRL-H* *<BS>*
157 <BS> [count] characters to the left. |exclusive| motion.
158 Note: If you prefer <BS> to delete a character, use
161 (to enter "CTRL-V<BS>" type the CTRL-V key, followed
163 See |:fixdel| if the <BS> key does not do what you
167 <Right> or *<Right>* *<Space>*
168 <Space> [count] characters to the right. |exclusive| motion.
171 0 To the first character of the line. |exclusive|
175 <Home> To the first character of the line. |exclusive|
176 motion. When moving up or down next, stay in same
177 TEXT column (if possible). Most other commands stay
178 in the same SCREEN column. <Home> works like "1|",
179 which differs from "0" when the line starts with a
183 ^ To the first non-blank character of the line.
187 $ or <End> To the end of the line. When a count is given also go
188 [count - 1] lines downward |inclusive|.
189 In Visual mode the cursor goes to just after the last
190 character in the line.
191 When 'virtualedit' is active, "$" may move the cursor
192 back from past the end of the line to the last
193 character in the line.
196 g_ To the last non-blank character of the line and
197 [count - 1] lines downward |inclusive|. {not in Vi}
200 g0 or g<Home> When lines wrap ('wrap' on): To the first character of
201 the screen line. |exclusive| motion. Differs from
202 "0" when a line is wider than the screen.
203 When lines don't wrap ('wrap' off): To the leftmost
204 character of the current line that is on the screen.
205 Differs from "0" when the first character of the line
206 is not on the screen. {not in Vi}
209 g^ When lines wrap ('wrap' on): To the first non-blank
210 character of the screen line. |exclusive| motion.
211 Differs from "^" when a line is wider than the screen.
212 When lines don't wrap ('wrap' off): To the leftmost
213 non-blank character of the current line that is on the
214 screen. Differs from "^" when the first non-blank
215 character of the line is not on the screen. {not in
219 gm Like "g0", but half a screenwidth to the right (or as
220 much as possible). {not in Vi}
223 g$ or g<End> When lines wrap ('wrap' on): To the last character of
224 the screen line and [count - 1] screen lines downward
225 |inclusive|. Differs from "$" when a line is wider
227 When lines don't wrap ('wrap' off): To the rightmost
228 character of the current line that is visible on the
229 screen. Differs from "$" when the last character of
230 the line is not on the screen or when a count is used.
231 Additionally, vertical movements keep the column,
232 instead of going to the end of the line.
236 | To screen column [count] in the current line.
237 |exclusive| motion. Ceci n'est pas une pipe.
240 f{char} To [count]'th occurrence of {char} to the right. The
241 cursor is placed on {char} |inclusive|.
242 {char} can be entered as a digraph |digraph-arg|.
243 When 'encoding' is set to Unicode, composing
244 characters may be used, see |utf-8-char-arg|.
245 |:lmap| mappings apply to {char}. The CTRL-^ command
246 in Insert mode can be used to switch this on/off
250 F{char} To the [count]'th occurrence of {char} to the left.
251 The cursor is placed on {char} |exclusive|.
252 {char} can be entered like with the |f| command.
255 t{char} Till before [count]'th occurrence of {char} to the
256 right. The cursor is placed on the character left of
258 {char} can be entered like with the |f| command.
261 T{char} Till after [count]'th occurrence of {char} to the
262 left. The cursor is placed on the character right of
264 {char} can be entered like with the |f| command.
267 ; Repeat latest f, t, F or T [count] times.
270 , Repeat latest f, t, F or T in opposite direction
273 These commands move the cursor to the specified column in the current line.
274 They stop at the first column and at the end of the line, except "$", which
275 may move to one of the next lines. See 'whichwrap' option to make some of the
276 commands move across line boundaries.
278 ==============================================================================
279 3. Up-down motions *up-down-motions*
282 <Up> or *<Up>* *CTRL-P*
283 CTRL-P [count] lines upward |linewise|.
288 <NL> or *<NL>* *CTRL-N*
289 CTRL-N [count] lines downward |linewise|.
292 g<Up> [count] display lines upward. |exclusive| motion.
293 Differs from 'k' when lines wrap, and when used with
294 an operator, because it's not linewise. {not in Vi}
297 g<Down> [count] display lines downward. |exclusive| motion.
298 Differs from 'j' when lines wrap, and when used with
299 an operator, because it's not linewise. {not in Vi}
302 - <minus> [count] lines upward, on the first non-blank
303 character |linewise|.
306 CTRL-M or *CTRL-M* *<CR>*
307 <CR> [count] lines downward, on the first non-blank
308 character |linewise|.
311 _ <underscore> [count] - 1 lines downward, on the first non-blank
312 character |linewise|.
315 G Goto line [count], default last line, on the first
316 non-blank character |linewise|. If 'startofline' not
317 set, keep the same column.
320 <C-End> Goto line [count], default last line, on the last
321 character |inclusive|. {not in Vi}
323 <C-Home> or *gg* *<C-Home>*
324 gg Goto line [count], default first line, on the first
325 non-blank character |linewise|. If 'startofline' not
326 set, keep the same column.
328 :[range] Set the cursor on the last line number in [range].
329 [range] can also be just one line number, e.g., ":1"
332 {count}% Go to {count} percentage in the file, on the first
333 non-blank in the line |linewise|. To compute the new
334 line number this formula is used:
335 ({count} * number-of-lines + 99) / 100
336 See also 'startofline' option. {not in Vi}
338 :[range]go[to] [count] *:go* *:goto* *go*
339 [count]go Go to {count} byte in the buffer. Default [count] is
340 one, start of the file. When giving [range], the
341 last number in it used as the byte count. End-of-line
342 characters are counted depending on the current
343 'fileformat' setting.
345 {not available when compiled without the
346 |+byte_offset| feature}
348 These commands move to the specified line. They stop when reaching the first
349 or the last line. The first two commands put the cursor in the same column
350 (if possible) as it was after the last command that changed the column,
351 except after the "$" command, then the cursor will be put on the last
352 character of the line.
354 If "k", "-" or CTRL-P is used with a [count] and there are less than [count]
355 lines above the cursor and the 'cpo' option includes the "-" flag it is an
358 ==============================================================================
359 4. Word motions *word-motions*
361 <S-Right> or *<S-Right>* *w*
362 w [count] words forward. |exclusive| motion.
364 <C-Right> or *<C-Right>* *W*
365 W [count] WORDS forward. |exclusive| motion.
368 e Forward to the end of word [count] |inclusive|.
369 Does not stop in an empty line.
372 E Forward to the end of WORD [count] |inclusive|.
373 Does not stop in an empty line.
375 <S-Left> or *<S-Left>* *b*
376 b [count] words backward. |exclusive| motion.
378 <C-Left> or *<C-Left>* *B*
379 B [count] WORDS backward. |exclusive| motion.
382 ge Backward to the end of word [count] |inclusive|.
385 gE Backward to the end of WORD [count] |inclusive|.
387 These commands move over words or WORDS.
389 A word consists of a sequence of letters, digits and underscores, or a
390 sequence of other non-blank characters, separated with white space (spaces,
391 tabs, <EOL>). This can be changed with the 'iskeyword' option. An empty line
392 is also considered to be a word.
394 A WORD consists of a sequence of non-blank characters, separated with white
395 space. An empty line is also considered to be a WORD.
397 A sequence of folded lines is counted for one word of a single character.
398 "w" and "W", "e" and "E" move to the start/end of the first word or WORD after
399 a range of folded lines. "b" and "B" move to the start of the first word or
400 WORD before the fold.
402 Special case: "cw" and "cW" are treated like "ce" and "cE" if the cursor is
403 on a non-blank. This is because "cw" is interpreted as change-word, and a
404 word does not include the following white space. {Vi: "cw" when on a blank
405 followed by other blanks changes only the first blank; this is probably a
406 bug, because "dw" deletes all the blanks}
408 Another special case: When using the "w" motion in combination with an
409 operator and the last word moved over is at the end of a line, the end of
410 that word becomes the end of the operated text, not the first word in the
413 The original Vi implementation of "e" is buggy. For example, the "e" command
414 will stop on the first character of a line if the previous line was empty.
415 But when you use "2e" this does not happen. In Vim "ee" and "2e" are the
416 same, which is more logical. However, this causes a small incompatibility
419 ==============================================================================
420 5. Text object motions *object-motions*
423 ( [count] sentences backward. |exclusive| motion.
426 ) [count] sentences forward. |exclusive| motion.
429 { [count] paragraphs backward. |exclusive| motion.
432 } [count] paragraphs forward. |exclusive| motion.
435 ]] [count] sections forward or to the next '{' in the
436 first column. When used after an operator, then also
437 stops below a '}' in the first column. |exclusive|
438 Note that |exclusive-linewise| often applies.
441 ][ [count] sections forward or to the next '}' in the
442 first column. |exclusive|
443 Note that |exclusive-linewise| often applies.
446 [[ [count] sections backward or to the previous '{' in
447 the first column. |exclusive|
448 Note that |exclusive-linewise| often applies.
451 [] [count] sections backward or to the previous '}' in
452 the first column. |exclusive|
453 Note that |exclusive-linewise| often applies.
455 These commands move over three kinds of text objects.
458 A sentence is defined as ending at a '.', '!' or '?' followed by either the
459 end of a line, or by a space or tab. Any number of closing ')', ']', '"'
460 and ''' characters may appear after the '.', '!' or '?' before the spaces,
461 tabs or end of line. A paragraph and section boundary is also a sentence
463 If the 'J' flag is present in 'cpoptions', at least two spaces have to
464 follow the punctuation mark; <Tab>s are not recognized as white space.
465 The definition of a sentence cannot be changed.
468 A paragraph begins after each empty line, and also at each of a set of
469 paragraph macros, specified by the pairs of characters in the 'paragraphs'
470 option. The default is "IPLPPPQPP TPHPLIPpLpItpplpipbp", which corresponds to
471 the macros ".IP", ".LP", etc. (These are nroff macros, so the dot must be in
472 the first column). A section boundary is also a paragraph boundary.
473 Note that a blank line (only containing white space) is NOT a paragraph
475 Also note that this does not include a '{' or '}' in the first column. When
476 the '{' flag is in 'cpoptions' then '{' in the first column is used as a
477 paragraph boundary |posix|.
480 A section begins after a form-feed (<C-L>) in the first column and at each of
481 a set of section macros, specified by the pairs of characters in the
482 'sections' option. The default is "SHNHH HUnhsh", which defines a section to
483 start at the nroff macros ".SH", ".NH", ".H", ".HU", ".nh" and ".sh".
485 The "]" and "[" commands stop at the '{' or '}' in the first column. This is
486 useful to find the start or end of a function in a C program. Note that the
487 first character of the command determines the search direction and the
488 second character the type of brace found.
490 If your '{' or '}' are not in the first column, and you would like to use "[["
491 and "]]" anyway, try these mappings: >
496 [type these literally, see |<>|]
498 ==============================================================================
499 6. Text object selection *object-select* *text-objects*
502 This is a series of commands that can only be used while in Visual mode or
503 after an operator. The commands that start with "a" select "a"n object
504 including white space, the commands starting with "i" select an "inner" object
505 without white space, or just the white space. Thus the "inner" commands
506 always select less text than the "a" commands.
508 These commands are {not in Vi}.
509 These commands are not available when the |+textobjects| feature has been
510 disabled at compile time.
512 aw "a word", select [count] words (see |word|).
513 Leading or trailing white space is included, but not
515 When used in Visual linewise mode "aw" switches to
516 Visual characterwise mode.
519 iw "inner word", select [count] words (see |word|).
520 White space between words is counted too.
521 When used in Visual linewise mode "iw" switches to
522 Visual characterwise mode.
525 aW "a WORD", select [count] WORDs (see |WORD|).
526 Leading or trailing white space is included, but not
528 When used in Visual linewise mode "aW" switches to
529 Visual characterwise mode.
532 iW "inner WORD", select [count] WORDs (see |WORD|).
533 White space between words is counted too.
534 When used in Visual linewise mode "iW" switches to
535 Visual characterwise mode.
538 as "a sentence", select [count] sentences (see
540 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
543 is "inner sentence", select [count] sentences (see
545 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
548 ap "a paragraph", select [count] paragraphs (see
550 Exception: a blank line (only containing white space)
551 is also a paragraph boundary.
552 When used in Visual mode it is made linewise.
555 ip "inner paragraph", select [count] paragraphs (see
557 Exception: a blank line (only containing white space)
558 is also a paragraph boundary.
559 When used in Visual mode it is made linewise.
561 a] *v_a]* *v_a[* *a]* *a[*
562 a[ "a [] block", select [count] '[' ']' blocks. This
563 goes backwards to the [count] unclosed '[', and finds
564 the matching ']'. The enclosed text is selected,
565 including the '[' and ']'.
566 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
568 i] *v_i]* *v_i[* *i]* *i[*
569 i[ "inner [] block", select [count] '[' ']' blocks. This
570 goes backwards to the [count] unclosed '[', and finds
571 the matching ']'. The enclosed text is selected,
572 excluding the '[' and ']'.
573 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
576 a( *v_ab* *v_a(* *ab*
577 ab "a block", select [count] blocks, from "[count] [(" to
578 the matching ')', including the '(' and ')' (see
579 |[(|). Does not include white space outside of the
581 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
584 i( *v_ib* *v_i(* *ib*
585 ib "inner block", select [count] blocks, from "[count] [("
586 to the matching ')', excluding the '(' and ')' (see
588 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
590 a> *v_a>* *v_a<* *a>* *a<*
591 a< "a <> block", select [count] <> blocks, from the
592 [count]'th unmatched '<' backwards to the matching
593 '>', including the '<' and '>'.
594 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
596 i> *v_i>* *v_i<* *i>* *i<*
597 i< "inner <> block", select [count] <> blocks, from
598 the [count]'th unmatched '<' backwards to the matching
599 '>', excluding the '<' and '>'.
600 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
603 at "a tag block", select [count] tag blocks, from the
604 [count]'th unmatched "<aaa>" backwards to the matching
605 "</aaa>", including the "<aaa>" and "</aaa>".
606 See |tag-blocks| about the details.
607 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
610 it "inner tag block", select [count] tag blocks, from the
611 [count]'th unmatched "<aaa>" backwards to the matching
612 "</aaa>", excluding the "<aaa>" and "</aaa>".
613 See |tag-blocks| about the details.
614 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
617 a{ *v_aB* *v_a{* *aB*
618 aB "a Block", select [count] Blocks, from "[count] [{" to
619 the matching '}', including the '{' and '}' (see
621 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
624 i{ *v_iB* *v_i{* *iB*
625 iB "inner Block", select [count] Blocks, from "[count] [{"
626 to the matching '}', excluding the '{' and '}' (see
628 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
630 a" *v_aquote* *aquote*
633 "a quoted string". Selects the text from the previous
634 quote until the next quote. The 'quoteescape' option
635 is used to skip escaped quotes.
636 Only works within one line.
637 When the cursor starts on a quote, Vim will figure out
638 which quote pairs form a string by searching from the
640 Any trailing white space is included, unless there is
641 none, then leading white space is included.
642 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
643 Repeating this object in Visual mode another string is
644 included. A count is currently not used.
646 i" *v_iquote* *iquote*
649 Like a", a' and a`, but exclude the quotes and
650 repeating won't extend the Visual selection.
651 Special case: With a count of 2 the quotes are
652 included, but no extra white space as with a"/a'/a`.
654 When used after an operator:
655 For non-block objects:
656 For the "a" commands: The operator applies to the object and the white
657 space after the object. If there is no white space after the object
658 or when the cursor was in the white space before the object, the white
659 space before the object is included.
660 For the "inner" commands: If the cursor was on the object, the
661 operator applies to the object. If the cursor was on white space, the
662 operator applies to the white space.
664 The operator applies to the block where the cursor is in, or the block
665 on which the cursor is on one of the braces. For the "inner" commands
666 the surrounding braces are excluded. For the "a" commands, the braces
669 When used in Visual mode:
670 When start and end of the Visual area are the same (just after typing "v"):
671 One object is selected, the same as for using an operator.
672 When start and end of the Visual area are not the same:
673 For non-block objects the area is extended by one object or the white
674 space up to the next object, or both for the "a" objects. The
675 direction in which this happens depends on which side of the Visual
676 area the cursor is. For the block objects the block is extended one
679 For illustration, here is a list of delete commands, grouped from small to big
680 objects. Note that for a single character and a whole line the existing vi
681 movement commands are used.
682 "dl" delete character (alias: "x") |dl|
683 "diw" delete inner word *diw*
684 "daw" delete a word *daw*
685 "diW" delete inner WORD (see |WORD|) *diW*
686 "daW" delete a WORD (see |WORD|) *daW*
687 "dd" delete one line |dd|
688 "dis" delete inner sentence *dis*
689 "das" delete a sentence *das*
690 "dib" delete inner '(' ')' block *dib*
691 "dab" delete a '(' ')' block *dab*
692 "dip" delete inner paragraph *dip*
693 "dap" delete a paragraph *dap*
694 "diB" delete inner '{' '}' block *diB*
695 "daB" delete a '{' '}' block *daB*
697 Note the difference between using a movement command and an object. The
698 movement command operates from here (cursor position) to where the movement
699 takes us. When using an object the whole object is operated upon, no matter
700 where on the object the cursor is. For example, compare "dw" and "daw": "dw"
701 deletes from the cursor position to the start of the next word, "daw" deletes
702 the word under the cursor and the space after or before it.
705 Tag blocks *tag-blocks*
707 For the "it" and "at" text objects an attempt is done to select blocks between
708 matching tags for HTML and XML. But since these are not completely compatible
709 there are a few restrictions.
711 The normal method is to select a <tag> until the matching </tag>. For "at"
712 the tags are included, for "it" they are excluded. But when "it" is repeated
713 the tags will be included (otherwise nothing would change). Also, "it" used
714 on a tag block with no contents will select the leading tag.
716 "<aaa/>" items are skipped. Case is ignored, also for XML where case does
719 In HTML it is possible to have a tag like <br> or <meta ...> without a
720 matching end tag. These are ignored.
722 The text objects are tolerant about mistakes. Stray end tags are ignored.
724 ==============================================================================
725 7. Marks *mark-motions* *E20* *E78*
727 Jumping to a mark can be done in two ways:
728 1. With ` (backtick): The cursor is positioned at the specified location
729 and the motion is |exclusive|.
730 2. With ' (single quote): The cursor is positioned on the first non-blank
731 character in the line of the specified location and
732 the motion is linewise.
735 m{a-zA-Z} Set mark {a-zA-Z} at cursor position (does not move
736 the cursor, this is not a motion command).
739 m' or m` Set the previous context mark. This can be jumped to
740 with the "''" or "``" command (does not move the
741 cursor, this is not a motion command).
744 m[ or m] Set the |'[| or |']| mark. Useful when an operator is
745 to be simulated by multiple commands. (does not move
746 the cursor, this is not a motion command).
749 :[range]ma[rk] {a-zA-Z'}
750 Set mark {a-zA-Z'} at last line number in [range],
751 column 0. Default is cursor line.
754 :[range]k{a-zA-Z'} Same as :mark, but the space before the mark name can
758 '{a-z} `{a-z} Jump to the mark {a-z} in the current buffer.
761 '{A-Z0-9} `{A-Z0-9} To the mark {A-Z0-9} in the file where it was set (not
762 a motion command when in another file). {not in Vi}
764 *g'* *g'a* *g`* *g`a*
766 Jump to the {mark}, but don't change the jumplist when
767 jumping within the current buffer. Example: >
769 < jumps to the last known position in a file. See
770 $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim.
771 Also see |:keepjumps|.
775 :marks List all the current marks (not a motion command).
776 The |'(|, |')|, |'{| and |'}| marks are not listed.
777 The first column has number zero.
780 :marks {arg} List the marks that are mentioned in {arg} (not a
781 motion command). For example: >
783 < to list marks 'a' and 'B'. {not in Vi}
786 :delm[arks] {marks} Delete the specified marks. Marks that can be deleted
787 include A-Z and 0-9. You cannot delete the ' mark.
788 They can be specified by giving the list of mark
789 names, or with a range, separated with a dash. Spaces
790 are ignored. Examples: >
791 :delmarks a deletes mark a
792 :delmarks a b 1 deletes marks a, b and 1
793 :delmarks Aa deletes marks A and a
794 :delmarks p-z deletes marks in the range p to z
795 :delmarks ^.[] deletes marks ^ . [ ]
796 :delmarks \" deletes mark "
799 :delm[arks]! Delete all marks for the current buffer, but not marks
803 A mark is not visible in any way. It is just a position in the file that is
804 remembered. Do not confuse marks with named registers, they are totally
807 'a - 'z lowercase marks, valid within one file
808 'A - 'Z uppercase marks, also called file marks, valid between files
809 '0 - '9 numbered marks, set from .viminfo file
811 Lowercase marks 'a to 'z are remembered as long as the file remains in the
812 buffer list. If you remove the file from the buffer list, all its marks are
813 lost. If you delete a line that contains a mark, that mark is erased.
815 Lowercase marks can be used in combination with operators. For example: "d't"
816 deletes the lines from the cursor position to mark 't'. Hint: Use mark 't' for
817 Top, 'b' for Bottom, etc.. Lowercase marks are restored when using undo and
820 Uppercase marks 'A to 'Z include the file name. {Vi: no uppercase marks} You
821 can use them to jump from file to file. You can only use an uppercase mark
822 with an operator if the mark is in the current file. The line number of the
823 mark remains correct, even if you insert/delete lines or edit another file for
824 a moment. When the 'viminfo' option is not empty, uppercase marks are kept in
825 the .viminfo file. See |viminfo-file-marks|.
827 Numbered marks '0 to '9 are quite different. They can not be set directly.
828 They are only present when using a viminfo file |viminfo-file|. Basically '0
829 is the location of the cursor when you last exited Vim, '1 the last but one
830 time, etc. Use the "r" flag in 'viminfo' to specify files for which no
831 Numbered mark should be stored. See |viminfo-file-marks|.
835 '[ `[ To the first character of the previously changed
836 or yanked text. {not in Vi}
839 '] `] To the last character of the previously changed or
840 yanked text. {not in Vi}
842 After executing an operator the Cursor is put at the beginning of the text
843 that was operated upon. After a put command ("p" or "P") the cursor is
844 sometimes placed at the first inserted line and sometimes on the last inserted
845 character. The four commands above put the cursor at either end. Example:
846 After yanking 10 lines you want to go to the last one of them: "10Y']". After
847 inserting several lines with the "p" command you want to jump to the lowest
848 inserted line: "p']". This also works for text that has been inserted.
850 Note: After deleting text, the start and end positions are the same, except
851 when using blockwise Visual mode. These commands do not work when no change
852 was made yet in the current file.
855 '< `< To the first line or character of the last selected
856 Visual area in the current buffer. For block mode it
857 may also be the last character in the first line (to
858 be able to define the block). {not in Vi}.
861 '> `> To the last line or character of the last selected
862 Visual area in the current buffer. For block mode it
863 may also be the first character of the last line (to
864 be able to define the block). Note that 'selection'
865 applies, the position may be just after the Visual
869 '' `` To the position before the latest jump, or where the
870 last "m'" or "m`" command was given. Not set when the
871 |:keepjumps| command modifier was used.
872 Also see |restore-position|.
875 '" `" To the cursor position when last exiting the current
876 buffer. Defaults to the first character of the first
877 line. See |last-position-jump| for how to use this
878 for each opened file.
879 Only one position is remembered per buffer, not one
880 for each window. As long as the buffer is visible in
881 a window the position won't be changed.
885 '^ `^ To the position where the cursor was the last time
886 when Insert mode was stopped. This is used by the
887 |gi| command. Not set when the |:keepjumps| command
888 modifier was used. {not in Vi}
891 '. `. To the position where the last change was made. The
892 position is at or near where the change started.
893 Sometimes a command is executed as several changes,
894 then the position can be near the end of what the
895 command changed. For example when inserting a word,
896 the position will be on the last character.
900 '( `( To the start of the current sentence, like the |(|
904 ') `) To the end of the current sentence, like the |)|
908 '{ `{ To the start of the current paragraph, like the |{|
912 '} `} To the end of the current paragraph, like the |}|
915 These commands are not marks themselves, but jump to a mark:
918 ]' [count] times to next line with a lowercase mark below
919 the cursor, on the first non-blank character in the
923 ]` [count] times to lowercase mark after the cursor. {not
927 [' [count] times to previous line with a lowercase mark
928 before the cursor, on the first non-blank character in
929 the line. {not in Vi}
932 [` [count] times to lowercase mark before the cursor.
936 :loc[kmarks] {command} *:loc* *:lockmarks*
937 Execute {command} without adjusting marks. This is
938 useful when changing text in a way that the line count
939 will be the same when the change has completed.
940 WARNING: When the line count does change, marks below
941 the change will keep their line number, thus move to
943 These items will not be adjusted for deleted/inserted
945 - lower case letter marks 'a - 'z
946 - upper case letter marks 'A - 'Z
947 - numbered marks '0 - '9
948 - last insert position '^
949 - last change position '.
950 - the Visual area '< and '>
951 - line numbers in placed signs
952 - line numbers in quickfix positions
953 - positions in the |jumplist|
954 - positions in the |tagstack|
955 These items will still be adjusted:
956 - previous context mark ''
957 - the cursor position
958 - the view of a window on a buffer
962 :kee[pmarks] {command} *:kee* *:keepmarks*
963 Currently only has effect for the filter command
965 - When the number of lines after filtering is equal to
966 or larger than before, all marks are kept at the
968 - When the number of lines decreases, the marks in the
969 lines that disappeared are deleted.
970 In any case the marks below the filtered text have
971 their line numbers adjusted, thus stick to the text,
973 When the 'R' flag is missing from 'cpoptions' this has
974 the same effect as using ":keepmarks".
976 *:keepj* *:keepjumps*
977 :keepj[umps] {command}
978 Moving around in {command} does not change the |''|,
979 |'.| and |'^| marks, the |jumplist| or the
981 Useful when making a change or inserting text
982 automatically and the user doesn't want to go to this
983 position. E.g., when updating a "Last change"
984 timestamp in the first line: >
986 :let lnum = line(".")
988 :call SetLastChange()
989 :keepjumps exe "normal " . lnum . "G"
991 Note that ":keepjumps" must be used for every command.
992 When invoking a function the commands in that function
993 can still change the jumplist. Also, for
994 ":keepjumps exe 'command '" the "command" won't keep
995 jumps. Instead use: ":exe 'keepjumps command'"
997 ==============================================================================
998 8. Jumps *jump-motions*
1000 A "jump" is one of the following commands: "'", "`", "G", "/", "?", "n",
1001 "N", "%", "(", ")", "[[", "]]", "{", "}", ":s", ":tag", "L", "M", "H" and
1002 the commands that start editing a new file. If you make the cursor "jump"
1003 with one of these commands, the position of the cursor before the jump is
1004 remembered. You can return to that position with the "''" and "``" command,
1005 unless the line containing that position was changed or deleted.
1008 CTRL-O Go to [count] Older cursor position in jump list
1009 (not a motion command). {not in Vi}
1010 {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1012 <Tab> or *CTRL-I* *<Tab>*
1013 CTRL-I Go to [count] newer cursor position in jump list
1014 (not a motion command).
1015 In a |quickfix-window| it takes you to the position of
1016 the error under the cursor.
1018 {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1021 :ju[mps] Print the jump list (not a motion command). {not in
1022 Vi} {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1025 Jumps are remembered in a jump list. With the CTRL-O and CTRL-I command you
1026 can go to cursor positions before older jumps, and back again. Thus you can
1027 move up and down the list. There is a separate jump list for each window.
1028 The maximum number of entries is fixed at 100.
1029 {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1031 For example, after three jump commands you have this jump list:
1033 jump line col file/line ~
1035 2 70 0 another line ~
1039 The "file/line" column shows the file name, or the text at the jump if it is
1040 in the current file (an indent is removed and a long line is truncated to fit
1043 You are currently in line 1167. If you then use the CTRL-O command, the
1044 cursor is put in line 1154. This results in:
1046 jump line col file/line ~
1048 1 70 0 another line ~
1052 The pointer will be set at the last used jump position. The next CTRL-O
1053 command will use the entry above it, the next CTRL-I command will use the
1054 entry below it. If the pointer is below the last entry, this indicates that
1055 you did not use a CTRL-I or CTRL-O before. In this case the CTRL-O command
1056 will cause the cursor position to be added to the jump list, so you can get
1057 back to the position before the CTRL-O. In this case this is line 1167.
1059 With more CTRL-O commands you will go to lines 70 and 1. If you use CTRL-I
1060 you can go back to 1154 and 1167 again. Note that the number in the "jump"
1061 column indicates the count for the CTRL-O or CTRL-I command that takes you to
1064 If you use a jump command, the current line number is inserted at the end of
1065 the jump list. If the same line was already in the jump list, it is removed.
1066 The result is that when repeating CTRL-O you will get back to old positions
1069 When the |:keepjumps| command modifier is used, jumps are not stored in the
1070 jumplist. Jumps are also not stored in other cases, e.g., in a |:global|
1071 command. You can explicitly add a jump by setting the ' mark.
1073 After the CTRL-O command that got you into line 1154 you could give another
1074 jump command (e.g., "G"). The jump list would then become:
1076 jump line col file/line ~
1078 3 70 0 another line ~
1083 The line numbers will be adjusted for deleted and inserted lines. This fails
1084 if you stop editing a file without writing, like with ":n!".
1086 When you split a window, the jumplist will be copied to the new window.
1088 If you have included the ' item in the 'viminfo' option the jumplist will be
1089 stored in the viminfo file and restored when starting Vim.
1092 CHANGE LIST JUMPS *changelist* *change-list-jumps* *E664*
1094 When making a change the cursor position is remembered. One position is
1095 remembered for every change that can be undone, unless it is close to a
1096 previous change. Two commands can be used to jump to positions of changes,
1097 also those that have been undone:
1100 g; Go to [count] older position in change list.
1101 If [count] is larger than the number of older change
1102 positions go to the oldest change.
1103 If there is no older change an error message is given.
1104 (not a motion command)
1106 {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1109 g, Go to [count] newer cursor position in change list.
1110 Just like |g;| but in the opposite direction.
1111 (not a motion command)
1113 {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1115 When using a count you jump as far back or forward as possible. Thus you can
1116 use "999g;" to go to the first change for which the position is still
1117 remembered. The number of entries in the change list is fixed and is the same
1118 as for the |jumplist|.
1120 When two undo-able changes are in the same line and at a column position less
1121 than 'textwidth' apart only the last one is remembered. This avoids that a
1122 sequence of small changes in a line, for example "xxxxx", adds many positions
1123 to the change list. When 'textwidth' is zero 'wrapmargin' is used. When that
1124 also isn't set a fixed number of 79 is used. Detail: For the computations
1125 bytes are used, not characters, to avoid a speed penalty (this only matters
1126 for multi-byte encodings).
1128 Note that when text has been inserted or deleted the cursor position might be
1129 a bit different from the position of the change. Especially when lines have
1132 When the |:keepjumps| command modifier is used the position of a change is not
1136 :changes Print the change list. A ">" character indicates the
1137 current position. Just after a change it is below the
1138 newest entry, indicating that "g;" takes you to the
1139 newest entry position. The first column indicates the
1140 count needed to take you to this position. Example:
1142 change line col text ~
1144 2 11 57 foo is a bar
1145 1 14 54 the latest changed line
1148 The "3g;" command takes you to line 9. Then the
1149 output of ":changes is:
1151 change line col text ~
1153 1 11 57 foo is a bar
1154 2 14 54 the latest changed line
1156 Now you can use "g," to go to line 11 and "2g," to go
1159 ==============================================================================
1160 9. Various motions *various-motions*
1163 % Find the next item in this line after or under the
1164 cursor and jump to its match. |inclusive| motion.
1166 ([{}]) parenthesis or (curly/square) brackets
1167 (this can be changed with the
1168 'matchpairs' option)
1169 /* */ start or end of C-style comment
1170 #if, #ifdef, #else, #elif, #endif
1171 C preprocessor conditionals (when the
1172 cursor is on the # or no ([{
1174 For other items the matchit plugin can be used, see
1175 |matchit-install|. This plugin also helps to skip
1176 matches in comments.
1178 When 'cpoptions' contains "M" |cpo-M| backslashes
1179 before parens and braces are ignored. Without "M" the
1180 number of backslashes matters: an even number doesn't
1181 match with an odd number. Thus in "( \) )" and "\( (
1182 \)" the first and last parenthesis match.
1184 When the '%' character is not present in 'cpoptions'
1185 |cpo-%|, parens and braces inside double quotes are
1186 ignored, unless the number of parens/braces in a line
1187 is uneven and this line and the previous one does not
1188 end in a backslash. '(', '{', '[', ']', '}' and ')'
1189 are also ignored (parens and braces inside single
1190 quotes). Note that this works fine for C, but not for
1191 Perl, where single quotes are used for strings.
1193 Nothing special is done for matches in comments. You
1194 can either use the matchit plugin |matchit-install| or
1195 put quotes around matches.
1197 No count is allowed, {count}% jumps to a line {count}
1198 percentage down the file |N%|. Using '%' on
1199 #if/#else/#endif makes the movement linewise.
1202 [( go to [count] previous unmatched '('.
1203 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1206 [{ go to [count] previous unmatched '{'.
1207 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1210 ]) go to [count] next unmatched ')'.
1211 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1214 ]} go to [count] next unmatched '}'.
1215 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1217 The above four commands can be used to go to the start or end of the current
1218 code block. It is like doing "%" on the '(', ')', '{' or '}' at the other
1219 end of the code block, but you can do this from anywhere in the code block.
1220 Very useful for C programs. Example: When standing on "case x:", "[{" will
1221 bring you back to the switch statement.
1224 ]m Go to [count] next start of a method (for Java or
1225 similar structured language). When not before the
1226 start of a method, jump to the start or end of the
1227 class. When no '{' is found after the cursor, this is
1228 an error. |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1230 ]M Go to [count] next end of a method (for Java or
1231 similar structured language). When not before the end
1232 of a method, jump to the start or end of the class.
1233 When no '}' is found after the cursor, this is an
1234 error. |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1236 [m Go to [count] previous start of a method (for Java or
1237 similar structured language). When not after the
1238 start of a method, jump to the start or end of the
1239 class. When no '{' is found before the cursor this is
1240 an error. |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1242 [M Go to [count] previous end of a method (for Java or
1243 similar structured language). When not after the
1244 end of a method, jump to the start or end of the
1245 class. When no '}' is found before the cursor this is
1246 an error. |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1248 The above two commands assume that the file contains a class with methods.
1249 The class definition is surrounded in '{' and '}'. Each method in the class
1250 is also surrounded with '{' and '}'. This applies to the Java language. The
1251 file looks like this: >
1262 Starting with the cursor on "body_two()", using "[m" will jump to the '{' at
1263 the start of "method_two()" (obviously this is much more useful when the
1264 method is long!). Using "2[m" will jump to the start of "method_one()".
1265 Using "3[m" will jump to the start of the class.
1268 [# go to [count] previous unmatched "#if" or "#else".
1269 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1272 ]# go to [count] next unmatched "#else" or "#endif".
1273 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1275 These two commands work in C programs that contain #if/#else/#endif
1276 constructs. It brings you to the start or end of the #if/#else/#endif where
1277 the current line is included. You can then use "%" to go to the matching line.
1280 [* or [/ go to [count] previous start of a C comment "/*".
1281 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1284 ]* or ]/ go to [count] next end of a C comment "*/".
1285 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1289 H To line [count] from top (Home) of window (default:
1290 first line on the window) on the first non-blank
1291 character |linewise|. See also 'startofline' option.
1292 Cursor is adjusted for 'scrolloff' option.
1295 M To Middle line of window, on the first non-blank
1296 character |linewise|. See also 'startofline' option.
1299 L To line [count] from bottom of window (default: Last
1300 line on the window) on the first non-blank character
1301 |linewise|. See also 'startofline' option.
1302 Cursor is adjusted for 'scrolloff' option.
1304 <LeftMouse> Moves to the position on the screen where the mouse
1305 click is |exclusive|. See also |<LeftMouse>|. If the
1306 position is in a status line, that window is made the
1307 active window and the cursor is not moved. {not in Vi}
1309 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: