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1 *motion.txt* For Vim version 7.1. Last change: 2006 Dec 07
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
11 'scrolloff' options).
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|
23 General remarks:
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
28 Vim a little).
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:
46 |c| c change
47 |d| d delete
48 |y| y yank into register (does not change the text)
49 |~| ~ swap case (only if 'tildeop' is set)
50 |g~| g~ swap case
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
57 |>| > shift right
58 |<| < shift left
59 |zf| zf define a fold
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.
87 *exclusive-linewise*
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
104 |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: >
111 d:if 1<CR>
112 call search("f")<CR>
113 endif<CR>
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.
120 Example: >
121 dj
122 deletes two lines >
123 dvj
124 deletes from the cursor position until the character below the cursor >
125 d<C-V>j
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.
131 *o_v*
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
135 |exclusive|.
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.
140 *o_V*
141 V When used after an operator, before the motion command: Force
142 the operator to work linewise, also when the motion is
143 characterwise.
145 *o_CTRL-V*
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*
154 h or *h*
155 <Left> or *<Left>*
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
159 the mapping:
160 :map CTRL-V<BS> X
161 (to enter "CTRL-V<BS>" type the CTRL-V key, followed
162 by the <BS> key)
163 See |:fixdel| if the <BS> key does not do what you
164 want.
166 l or *l*
167 <Right> or *<Right>* *<Space>*
168 <Space> [count] characters to the right. |exclusive| motion.
170 *0*
171 0 To the first character of the line. |exclusive|
172 motion.
174 *<Home>* *<kHome>*
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
180 <Tab>. {not in Vi}
182 *^*
183 ^ To the first non-blank character of the line.
184 |exclusive| motion.
186 *$* *<End>* *<kEnd>*
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, "$" may move the cursor
192 back from past the end of the line to the last
193 character in the line.
195 *g_*
196 g_ To the last non-blank character of the line and
197 [count - 1] lines downward |inclusive|. {not in Vi}
199 *g0* *g<Home>*
200 g0 or g<Home> When lines wrap ('wrap' on): To the first character of
201 the screen line. |exclusive| motion. Differs from
202 "0" when a line is wider than the screen.
203 When lines don't wrap ('wrap' off): To the leftmost
204 character of the current line that is on the screen.
205 Differs from "0" when the first character of the line
206 is not on the screen. {not in Vi}
208 *g^*
209 g^ When lines wrap ('wrap' on): To the first non-blank
210 character of the screen line. |exclusive| motion.
211 Differs from "^" when a line is wider than the screen.
212 When lines don't wrap ('wrap' off): To the leftmost
213 non-blank character of the current line that is on the
214 screen. Differs from "^" when the first non-blank
215 character of the line is not on the screen. {not in
216 Vi}
218 *gm*
219 gm Like "g0", but half a screenwidth to the right (or as
220 much as possible). {not in Vi}
222 *g$* *g<End>*
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 "$" when a line is wider
226 than the screen.
227 When lines don't wrap ('wrap' off): To the rightmost
228 character of the current line that is visible on the
229 screen. Differs from "$" 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.
233 {not in Vi}
235 *bar*
236 | To screen column [count] in the current line.
237 |exclusive| motion.
239 *f*
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
247 |i_CTRL-^|.
249 *F*
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.
254 *t*
255 t{char} Till before [count]'th occurrence of {char} to the
256 right. The cursor is placed on the character left of
257 {char} |inclusive|.
258 {char} can be entered like with the |f| command.
260 *T*
261 T{char} Till after [count]'th occurrence of {char} to the
262 left. The cursor is placed on the character right of
263 {char} |exclusive|.
264 {char} can be entered like with the |f| command.
266 *;*
267 ; Repeat latest f, t, F or T [count] times.
269 *,*
270 , Repeat latest f, t, F or T in opposite direction
271 [count] times.
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*
281 k or *k*
282 <Up> or *<Up>* *CTRL-P*
283 CTRL-P [count] lines upward |linewise|.
285 j or *j*
286 <Down> or *<Down>*
287 CTRL-J or *CTRL-J*
288 <NL> or *<NL>* *CTRL-N*
289 CTRL-N [count] lines downward |linewise|.
291 gk or *gk* *g<Up>*
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}
296 gj or *gj* *g<Down>*
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}
301 *-*
302 - <minus> [count] lines upward, on the first non-blank
303 character |linewise|.
305 + or *+*
306 CTRL-M or *CTRL-M* *<CR>*
307 <CR> [count] lines downward, on the first non-blank
308 character |linewise|.
310 *_*
311 _ <underscore> [count] - 1 lines downward, on the first non-blank
312 character |linewise|.
314 *G*
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.
319 *<C-End>*
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 specified line number. If
329 there are several numbers, the last one is used.
331 *N%*
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.
344 {not in Vi}
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
356 error. |cpo--|.
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.
367 *e*
368 e Forward to the end of word [count] |inclusive|.
370 *E*
371 E Forward to the end of WORD [count] |inclusive|.
373 <S-Left> or *<S-Left>* *b*
374 b [count] words backward. |exclusive| motion.
376 <C-Left> or *<C-Left>* *B*
377 B [count] WORDS backward. |exclusive| motion.
379 *ge*
380 ge Backward to the end of word [count] |inclusive|.
382 *gE*
383 gE Backward to the end of WORD [count] |inclusive|.
385 These commands move over words or WORDS.
386 *word*
387 A word consists of a sequence of letters, digits and underscores, or a
388 sequence of other non-blank characters, separated with white space (spaces,
389 tabs, <EOL>). This can be changed with the 'iskeyword' option. An empty line
390 is also considered to be a word.
391 *WORD*
392 A WORD consists of a sequence of non-blank characters, separated with white
393 space. An empty line is also considered to be a WORD.
395 A sequence of folded lines is counted for one word of a single character.
396 "w" and "W", "e" and "E" move to the start/end of the first word or WORD after
397 a range of folded lines. "b" and "B" move to the start of the first word or
398 WORD before the fold.
400 Special case: "cw" and "cW" are treated like "ce" and "cE" if the cursor is
401 on a non-blank. This is because "cw" is interpreted as change-word, and a
402 word does not include the following white space. {Vi: "cw" when on a blank
403 followed by other blanks changes only the first blank; this is probably a
404 bug, because "dw" deletes all the blanks}
406 Another special case: When using the "w" motion in combination with an
407 operator and the last word moved over is at the end of a line, the end of
408 that word becomes the end of the operated text, not the first word in the
409 next line.
411 The original Vi implementation of "e" is buggy. For example, the "e" command
412 will stop on the first character of a line if the previous line was empty.
413 But when you use "2e" this does not happen. In Vim "ee" and "2e" are the
414 same, which is more logical. However, this causes a small incompatibility
415 between Vi and Vim.
417 ==============================================================================
418 5. Text object motions *object-motions*
420 *(*
421 ( [count] sentences backward. |exclusive| motion.
423 *)*
424 ) [count] sentences forward. |exclusive| motion.
426 *{*
427 { [count] paragraphs backward. |exclusive| motion.
429 *}*
430 } [count] paragraphs forward. |exclusive| motion.
432 *]]*
433 ]] [count] sections forward or to the next '{' in the
434 first column. When used after an operator, then also
435 stops below a '}' in the first column. |exclusive|
436 Note that |exclusive-linewise| often applies.
438 *][*
439 ][ [count] sections forward or to the next '}' in the
440 first column. |exclusive|
441 Note that |exclusive-linewise| often applies.
443 *[[*
444 [[ [count] sections backward or to the previous '{' in
445 the first column. |exclusive|
446 Note that |exclusive-linewise| often applies.
448 *[]*
449 [] [count] sections backward or to the previous '}' in
450 the first column. |exclusive|
451 Note that |exclusive-linewise| often applies.
453 These commands move over three kinds of text objects.
455 *sentence*
456 A sentence is defined as ending at a '.', '!' or '?' followed by either the
457 end of a line, or by a space or tab. Any number of closing ')', ']', '"'
458 and ''' characters may appear after the '.', '!' or '?' before the spaces,
459 tabs or end of line. A paragraph and section boundary is also a sentence
460 boundary.
461 If the 'J' flag is present in 'cpoptions', at least two spaces have to
462 follow the punctuation mark; <Tab>s are not recognized as white space.
463 The definition of a sentence cannot be changed.
465 *paragraph*
466 A paragraph begins after each empty line, and also at each of a set of
467 paragraph macros, specified by the pairs of characters in the 'paragraphs'
468 option. The default is "IPLPPPQPP LIpplpipbp", which corresponds to the
469 macros ".IP", ".LP", etc. (These are nroff macros, so the dot must be in the
470 first column). A section boundary is also a paragraph boundary.
471 Note that a blank line (only containing white space) is NOT a paragraph
472 boundary.
473 Also note that this does not include a '{' or '}' in the first column. When
474 the '{' flag is in 'cpoptions' then '{' in the first column is used as a
475 paragraph boundary |posix|.
477 *section*
478 A section begins after a form-feed (<C-L>) in the first column and at each of
479 a set of section macros, specified by the pairs of characters in the
480 'sections' option. The default is "SHNHH HUnhsh", which defines a section to
481 start at the nroff macros ".SH", ".NH", ".H", ".HU", ".nh" and ".sh".
483 The "]" and "[" commands stop at the '{' or '}' in the first column. This is
484 useful to find the start or end of a function in a C program. Note that the
485 first character of the command determines the search direction and the
486 second character the type of brace found.
488 If your '{' or '}' are not in the first column, and you would like to use "[["
489 and "]]" anyway, try these mappings: >
490 :map [[ ?{<CR>w99[{
491 :map ][ /}<CR>b99]}
492 :map ]] j0[[%/{<CR>
493 :map [] k$][%?}<CR>
494 [type these literally, see |<>|]
496 ==============================================================================
497 6. Text object selection *object-select* *text-objects*
498 *v_a* *v_i*
500 This is a series of commands that can only be used while in Visual mode or
501 after an operator. The commands that start with "a" select "a"n object
502 including white space, the commands starting with "i" select an "inner" object
503 without white space, or just the white space. Thus the "inner" commands
504 always select less text than the "a" commands.
506 These commands are {not in Vi}.
507 These commands are not available when the |+textobjects| feature has been
508 disabled at compile time.
509 *v_aw* *aw*
510 aw "a word", select [count] words (see |word|).
511 Leading or trailing white space is included, but not
512 counted.
513 When used in Visual linewise mode "aw" switches to
514 Visual characterwise mode.
516 *v_iw* *iw*
517 iw "inner word", select [count] words (see |word|).
518 White space between words is counted too.
519 When used in Visual linewise mode "iw" switches to
520 Visual characterwise mode.
522 *v_aW* *aW*
523 aW "a WORD", select [count] WORDs (see |WORD|).
524 Leading or trailing white space is included, but not
525 counted.
526 When used in Visual linewise mode "aW" switches to
527 Visual characterwise mode.
529 *v_iW* *iW*
530 iW "inner WORD", select [count] WORDs (see |WORD|).
531 White space between words is counted too.
532 When used in Visual linewise mode "iW" switches to
533 Visual characterwise mode.
535 *v_as* *as*
536 as "a sentence", select [count] sentences (see
537 |sentence|).
538 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
540 *v_is* *is*
541 is "inner sentence", select [count] sentences (see
542 |sentence|).
543 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
545 *v_ap* *ap*
546 ap "a paragraph", select [count] paragraphs (see
547 |paragraph|).
548 Exception: a blank line (only containing white space)
549 is also a paragraph boundary.
550 When used in Visual mode it is made linewise.
552 *v_ip* *ip*
553 ip "inner paragraph", select [count] paragraphs (see
554 |paragraph|).
555 Exception: a blank line (only containing white space)
556 is also a paragraph boundary.
557 When used in Visual mode it is made linewise.
559 a] *v_a]* *v_a[* *a]* *a[*
560 a[ "a [] block", select [count] '[' ']' blocks. This
561 goes backwards to the [count] unclosed '[', and finds
562 the matching ']'. The enclosed text is selected,
563 including the '[' and ']'.
564 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
566 i] *v_i]* *v_i[* *i]* *i[*
567 i[ "inner [] block", select [count] '[' ']' blocks. This
568 goes backwards to the [count] unclosed '[', and finds
569 the matching ']'. The enclosed text is selected,
570 excluding the '[' and ']'.
571 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
573 a) *v_a)* *a)* *a(*
574 a( *v_ab* *v_a(* *ab*
575 ab "a block", select [count] blocks, from "[count] [(" to
576 the matching ')', including the '(' and ')' (see
577 |[(|). Does not include white space outside of the
578 parenthesis.
579 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
581 i) *v_i)* *i)* *i(*
582 i( *v_ib* *v_i(* *ib*
583 ib "inner block", select [count] blocks, from "[count] [("
584 to the matching ')', excluding the '(' and ')' (see
585 |[(|).
586 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
588 a> *v_a>* *v_a<* *a>* *a<*
589 a< "a <> block", select [count] <> blocks, from the
590 [count]'th unmatched '<' backwards to the matching
591 '>', including the '<' and '>'.
592 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
594 i> *v_i>* *v_i<* *i>* *i<*
595 i< "inner <> block", select [count] <> blocks, from
596 the [count]'th unmatched '<' backwards to the matching
597 '>', excluding the '<' and '>'.
598 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
600 *v_at* *at*
601 at "a tag block", select [count] tag blocks, from the
602 [count]'th unmatched "<aaa>" backwards to the matching
603 "</aaa>", including the "<aaa>" and "</aaa>".
604 See |tag-blocks| about the details.
605 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
607 *v_it* *it*
608 it "inner tag block", select [count] tag blocks, from the
609 [count]'th unmatched "<aaa>" backwards to the matching
610 "</aaa>", excluding the "<aaa>" and "</aaa>".
611 See |tag-blocks| about the details.
612 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
614 a} *v_a}* *a}* *a{*
615 a{ *v_aB* *v_a{* *aB*
616 aB "a Block", select [count] Blocks, from "[count] [{" to
617 the matching '}', including the '{' and '}' (see
618 |[{|).
619 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
621 i} *v_i}* *i}* *i{*
622 i{ *v_iB* *v_i{* *iB*
623 iB "inner Block", select [count] Blocks, from "[count] [{"
624 to the matching '}', excluding the '{' and '}' (see
625 |[{|).
626 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
628 a" *v_aquote* *aquote*
629 a' *v_a'* *a'*
630 a` *v_a`* *a`*
631 "a quoted string". Selects the text from the previous
632 quote until the next quote. The 'quoteescape' option
633 is used to skip escaped quotes.
634 Only works within one line.
635 When the cursor starts on a quote, Vim will figure out
636 which quote pairs form a string by searching from the
637 start of the line.
638 Any trailing or leading white space is included.
639 When used in Visual mode it is made characterwise.
640 Repeating this object in Visual mode another string is
641 included. A count is currently not used.
643 i" *v_iquote* *iquote*
644 i' *v_i'* *i'*
645 i` *v_i`* *i`*
646 Like a", a' and a`, but exclude the quotes and
647 repeating won't extend the Visual selection.
648 Special case: With a count of 2 the quotes are
649 included, but no extra white space as with a"/a'/a`.
651 When used after an operator:
652 For non-block objects:
653 For the "a" commands: The operator applies to the object and the white
654 space after the object. If there is no white space after the object
655 or when the cursor was in the white space before the object, the white
656 space before the object is included.
657 For the "inner" commands: If the cursor was on the object, the
658 operator applies to the object. If the cursor was on white space, the
659 operator applies to the white space.
660 For a block object:
661 The operator applies to the block where the cursor is in, or the block
662 on which the cursor is on one of the braces. For the "inner" commands
663 the surrounding braces are excluded. For the "a" commands, the braces
664 are included.
666 When used in Visual mode:
667 When start and end of the Visual area are the same (just after typing "v"):
668 One object is selected, the same as for using an operator.
669 When start and end of the Visual area are not the same:
670 For non-block objects the area is extended by one object or the white
671 space up to the next object, or both for the "a" objects. The
672 direction in which this happens depends on which side of the Visual
673 area the cursor is. For the block objects the block is extended one
674 level outwards.
676 For illustration, here is a list of delete commands, grouped from small to big
677 objects. Note that for a single character and a whole line the existing vi
678 movement commands are used.
679 "dl" delete character (alias: "x") |dl|
680 "diw" delete inner word *diw*
681 "daw" delete a word *daw*
682 "diW" delete inner WORD (see |WORD|) *diW*
683 "daW" delete a WORD (see |WORD|) *daW*
684 "dd" delete one line |dd|
685 "dis" delete inner sentence *dis*
686 "das" delete a sentence *das*
687 "dib" delete inner '(' ')' block *dib*
688 "dab" delete a '(' ')' block *dab*
689 "dip" delete inner paragraph *dip*
690 "dap" delete a paragraph *dap*
691 "diB" delete inner '{' '}' block *diB*
692 "daB" delete a '{' '}' block *daB*
694 Note the difference between using a movement command and an object. The
695 movement command operates from here (cursor position) to where the movement
696 takes us. When using an object the whole object is operated upon, no matter
697 where on the object the cursor is. For example, compare "dw" and "daw": "dw"
698 deletes from the cursor position to the start of the next word, "daw" deletes
699 the word under the cursor and the space after or before it.
702 Tag blocks *tag-blocks*
704 For the "it" and "at" text objects an attempt is done to select blocks between
705 matching tags for HTML and XML. But since these are not completely compatible
706 there are a few restrictions.
708 The normal method is to select a <tag> until the matching </tag>. For "at"
709 the tags are included, for "it" they are excluded. But when "it" is repeated
710 the tags will be included (otherwise nothing would change). Also, "it" used
711 on a tag block with no contents will select the leading tag.
713 "<aaa/>" items are skipped. Case is ignored, also for XML where case does
714 matter.
716 In HTML it is possible to have a tag like <br> or <meta ...> without a
717 matching end tag. These are ignored.
719 The text objects are tolerant about mistakes. Stray end tags are ignored.
721 ==============================================================================
722 7. Marks *mark-motions* *E20* *E78*
724 Jumping to a mark can be done in two ways:
725 1. With ` (backtick): The cursor is positioned at the specified location
726 and the motion is |exclusive|.
727 2. With ' (single quote): The cursor is positioned on the first non-blank
728 character in the line of the specified location and
729 the motion is linewise.
731 *m* *mark* *Mark*
732 m{a-zA-Z} Set mark {a-zA-Z} at cursor position (does not move
733 the cursor, this is not a motion command).
735 *m'* *m`*
736 m' or m` Set the previous context mark. This can be jumped to
737 with the "''" or "``" command (does not move the
738 cursor, this is not a motion command).
740 *m[* *m]*
741 m[ or m] Set the |'[| or |']| mark. Useful when an operator is
742 to be simulated by multiple commands. (does not move
743 the cursor, this is not a motion command).
745 *:ma* *:mark* *E191*
746 :[range]ma[rk] {a-zA-Z'}
747 Set mark {a-zA-Z'} at last line number in [range],
748 column 0. Default is cursor line.
750 *:k*
751 :[range]k{a-zA-Z'} Same as :mark, but the space before the mark name can
752 be omitted.
754 *'* *'a* *`* *`a*
755 '{a-z} `{a-z} Jump to the mark {a-z} in the current buffer.
757 *'A* *'0* *`A* *`0*
758 '{A-Z0-9} `{A-Z0-9} To the mark {A-Z0-9} in the file where it was set (not
759 a motion command when in another file). {not in Vi}
761 *g'* *g'a* *g`* *g`a*
762 g'{mark} g`{mark}
763 Jump to the {mark}, but don't change the jumplist when
764 jumping within the current buffer. Example: >
765 g`"
766 < jumps to the last known position in a file. See
767 $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim.
768 Also see |:keepjumps|.
769 {not in Vi}
771 *:marks*
772 :marks List all the current marks (not a motion command).
773 The |'(|, |')|, |'{| and |'}| marks are not listed.
774 The first column has number zero.
775 {not in Vi}
776 *E283*
777 :marks {arg} List the marks that are mentioned in {arg} (not a
778 motion command). For example: >
779 :marks aB
780 < to list marks 'a' and 'B'. {not in Vi}
782 *:delm* *:delmarks*
783 :delm[arks] {marks} Delete the specified marks. Marks that can be deleted
784 include A-Z and 0-9. You cannot delete the ' mark.
785 They can be specified by giving the list of mark
786 names, or with a range, separated with a dash. Spaces
787 are ignored. Examples: >
788 :delmarks a deletes mark a
789 :delmarks a b 1 deletes marks a, b and 1
790 :delmarks Aa deletes marks A and a
791 :delmarks p-z deletes marks in the range p to z
792 :delmarks ^.[] deletes marks ^ . [ ]
793 :delmarks \" deletes mark "
794 < {not in Vi}
796 :delm[arks]! Delete all marks for the current buffer, but not marks
797 A-Z or 0-9.
798 {not in Vi}
800 A mark is not visible in any way. It is just a position in the file that is
801 remembered. Do not confuse marks with named registers, they are totally
802 unrelated.
804 'a - 'z lowercase marks, valid within one file
805 'A - 'Z uppercase marks, also called file marks, valid between files
806 '0 - '9 numbered marks, set from .viminfo file
808 Lowercase marks 'a to 'z are remembered as long as the file remains in the
809 buffer list. If you remove the file from the buffer list, all its marks are
810 lost. If you delete a line that contains a mark, that mark is erased.
812 To delete a mark: Create a new line, position the mark there, delete the line.
813 E.g.: "o<Esc>mxdd". This does change the file though. Using "u" won't work,
814 it also restores marks.
816 Lowercase marks can be used in combination with operators. For example: "d't"
817 deletes the lines from the cursor position to mark 't'. Hint: Use mark 't' for
818 Top, 'b' for Bottom, etc.. Lowercase marks are restored when using undo and
819 redo.
821 Uppercase marks 'A to 'Z include the file name. {Vi: no uppercase marks} You
822 can use them to jump from file to file. You can only use an uppercase mark
823 with an operator if the mark is in the current file. The line number of the
824 mark remains correct, even if you insert/delete lines or edit another file for
825 a moment. When the 'viminfo' option is not empty, uppercase marks are kept in
826 the .viminfo file. See |viminfo-file-marks|.
828 Numbered marks '0 to '9 are quite different. They can not be set directly.
829 They are only present when using a viminfo file |viminfo-file|. Basically '0
830 is the location of the cursor when you last exited Vim, '1 the last but one
831 time, etc. Use the "r" flag in 'viminfo' to specify files for which no
832 Numbered mark should be stored. See |viminfo-file-marks|.
835 *'[* *`[*
836 '[ `[ To the first character of the previously changed
837 or yanked text. {not in Vi}
839 *']* *`]*
840 '] `] To the last character of the previously changed or
841 yanked text. {not in Vi}
843 After executing an operator the Cursor is put at the beginning of the text
844 that was operated upon. After a put command ("p" or "P") the cursor is
845 sometimes placed at the first inserted line and sometimes on the last inserted
846 character. The four commands above put the cursor at either end. Example:
847 After yanking 10 lines you want to go to the last one of them: "10Y']". After
848 inserting several lines with the "p" command you want to jump to the lowest
849 inserted line: "p']". This also works for text that has been inserted.
851 Note: After deleting text, the start and end positions are the same, except
852 when using blockwise Visual mode. These commands do not work when no change
853 was made yet in the current file.
855 *'<* *`<*
856 '< `< To the first character of the last selected Visual
857 area in the current buffer. For block mode it may
858 also be the last character in the first line (to be
859 able to define the block). {not in Vi}.
861 *'>* *`>*
862 '> `> To the last character of the last selected Visual
863 area in the current buffer. For block mode it may
864 also be the first character of the last line (to be
865 able to define the block). Note that 'selection'
866 applies, the position may be just after the Visual
867 area. {not in Vi}.
869 *''* *``*
870 '' `` To the position before the latest jump, or where the
871 last "m'" or "m`" command was given. Not set when the
872 |:keepjumps| command modifier was used.
873 Also see |restore-position|.
875 *'quote* *`quote*
876 '" `" To the cursor position when last exiting the current
877 buffer. Defaults to the first character of the first
878 line. See |last-position-jump| for how to use this
879 for each opened file.
880 Only one position is remembered per buffer, not one
881 for each window. As long as the buffer is visible in
882 a window the position won't be changed.
883 {not in Vi}.
885 *'^* *`^*
886 '^ `^ To the position where the cursor was the last time
887 when Insert mode was stopped. This is used by the
888 |gi| command. Not set when the |:keepjumps| command
889 modifier was used. {not in Vi}
891 *'.* *`.*
892 '. `. To the position where the last change was made. The
893 position is at or near where the change started.
894 Sometimes a command is executed as several changes,
895 then the position can be near the end of what the
896 command changed. For example when inserting a word,
897 the position will be on the last character.
898 {not in Vi}
900 *'(* *`(*
901 '( `( To the start of the current sentence, like the |(|
902 command. {not in Vi}
904 *')* *`)*
905 ') `) To the end of the current sentence, like the |)|
906 command. {not in Vi}
908 *'{* *`{*
909 '{ `{ To the start of the current paragraph, like the |{|
910 command. {not in Vi}
912 *'}* *`}*
913 '} `} To the end of the current paragraph, like the |}|
914 command. {not in Vi}
916 These commands are not marks themselves, but jump to a mark:
918 *]'*
919 ]' [count] times to next line with a lowercase mark below
920 the cursor, on the first non-blank character in the
921 line. {not in Vi}
923 *]`*
924 ]` [count] times to lowercase mark after the cursor. {not
925 in Vi}
927 *['*
928 [' [count] times to previous line with a lowercase mark
929 before the cursor, on the first non-blank character in
930 the line. {not in Vi}
932 *[`*
933 [` [count] times to lowercase mark before the cursor.
934 {not in Vi}
937 :loc[kmarks] {command} *:loc* *:lockmarks*
938 Execute {command} without adjusting marks. This is
939 useful when changing text in a way that the line count
940 will be the same when the change has completed.
941 WARNING: When the line count does change, marks below
942 the change will keep their line number, thus move to
943 another text line.
944 These items will not be adjusted for deleted/inserted
945 lines:
946 - lower case letter marks 'a - 'z
947 - upper case letter marks 'A - 'Z
948 - numbered marks '0 - '9
949 - last insert position '^
950 - last change position '.
951 - the Visual area '< and '>
952 - line numbers in placed signs
953 - line numbers in quickfix positions
954 - positions in the |jumplist|
955 - positions in the |tagstack|
956 These items will still be adjusted:
957 - previous context mark ''
958 - the cursor position
959 - the view of a window on a buffer
960 - folds
961 - diffs
963 :kee[pmarks] {command} *:kee* *:keepmarks*
964 Currently only has effect for the filter command
965 |:range!|:
966 - When the number of lines after filtering is equal to
967 or larger than before, all marks are kept at the
968 same line number.
969 - When the number of lines decreases, the marks in the
970 lines that disappeared are deleted.
971 In any case the marks below the filtered text have
972 their line numbers adjusted, thus stick to the text,
973 as usual.
974 When the 'R' flag is missing from 'cpoptions' this has
975 the same effect as using ":keepmarks".
977 *:keepj* *:keepjumps*
978 :keepj[umps] {command}
979 Moving around in {command} does not change the |''|,
980 |'.| and |'^| marks, the |jumplist| or the
981 |changelist|.
982 Useful when making a change or inserting text
983 automatically and the user doesn't want to go to this
984 position. E.g., when updating a "Last change"
985 timestamp in the first line: >
987 :let lnum = line(".")
988 :keepjumps normal gg
989 :call SetLastChange()
990 :keepjumps exe "normal " . lnum . "G"
991 <
992 Note that ":keepjumps" must be used for every command.
993 When invoking a function the commands in that function
994 can still change the jumplist. Also, for
995 ":keepjumps exe 'command '" the "command" won't keep
996 jumps. Instead use: ":exe 'keepjumps command'"
998 ==============================================================================
999 8. Jumps *jump-motions*
1001 A "jump" is one of the following commands: "'", "`", "G", "/", "?", "n",
1002 "N", "%", "(", ")", "[[", "]]", "{", "}", ":s", ":tag", "L", "M", "H" and
1003 the commands that start editing a new file. If you make the cursor "jump"
1004 with one of these commands, the position of the cursor before the jump is
1005 remembered. You can return to that position with the "''" and "``" command,
1006 unless the line containing that position was changed or deleted.
1008 *CTRL-O*
1009 CTRL-O Go to [count] Older cursor position in jump list
1010 (not a motion command). {not in Vi}
1011 {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1013 <Tab> or *CTRL-I* *<Tab>*
1014 CTRL-I Go to [count] newer cursor position in jump list
1015 (not a motion command).
1016 In a |quickfix-window| it takes you to the position of
1017 the error under the cursor.
1018 {not in Vi}
1019 {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1021 *:ju* *:jumps*
1022 :ju[mps] Print the jump list (not a motion command). {not in
1023 Vi} {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1025 *jumplist*
1026 Jumps are remembered in a jump list. With the CTRL-O and CTRL-I command you
1027 can go to cursor positions before older jumps, and back again. Thus you can
1028 move up and down the list. There is a separate jump list for each window.
1029 The maximum number of entries is fixed at 100.
1030 {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1032 For example, after three jump commands you have this jump list:
1034 jump line col file/line ~
1035 3 1 0 some text ~
1036 2 70 0 another line ~
1037 1 1154 23 end. ~
1038 > ~
1040 The "file/line" column shows the file name, or the text at the jump if it is
1041 in the current file (an indent is removed and a long line is truncated to fit
1042 in the window).
1044 You are currently in line 1167. If you then use the CTRL-O command, the
1045 cursor is put in line 1154. This results in:
1047 jump line col file/line ~
1048 2 1 0 some text ~
1049 1 70 0 another line ~
1050 > 0 1154 23 end. ~
1051 1 1167 0 foo bar ~
1053 The pointer will be set at the last used jump position. The next CTRL-O
1054 command will use the entry above it, the next CTRL-I command will use the
1055 entry below it. If the pointer is below the last entry, this indicates that
1056 you did not use a CTRL-I or CTRL-O before. In this case the CTRL-O command
1057 will cause the cursor position to be added to the jump list, so you can get
1058 back to the position before the CTRL-O. In this case this is line 1167.
1060 With more CTRL-O commands you will go to lines 70 and 1. If you use CTRL-I
1061 you can go back to 1154 and 1167 again. Note that the number in the "jump"
1062 column indicates the count for the CTRL-O or CTRL-I command that takes you to
1063 this position.
1065 If you use a jump command, the current line number is inserted at the end of
1066 the jump list. If the same line was already in the jump list, it is removed.
1067 The result is that when repeating CTRL-O you will get back to old positions
1068 only once.
1070 When the |:keepjumps| command modifier is used, jumps are not stored in the
1071 jumplist. Jumps are also not stored in other cases, e.g., in a |:global|
1072 command. You can explicitly add a jump by setting the ' mark.
1074 After the CTRL-O command that got you into line 1154 you could give another
1075 jump command (e.g., "G"). The jump list would then become:
1077 jump line col file/line ~
1078 4 1 0 some text ~
1079 3 70 0 another line ~
1080 2 1167 0 foo bar ~
1081 1 1154 23 end. ~
1082 > ~
1084 The line numbers will be adjusted for deleted and inserted lines. This fails
1085 if you stop editing a file without writing, like with ":n!".
1087 When you split a window, the jumplist will be copied to the new window.
1089 If you have included the ' item in the 'viminfo' option the jumplist will be
1090 stored in the viminfo file and restored when starting Vim.
1093 CHANGE LIST JUMPS *changelist* *change-list-jumps* *E664*
1095 When making a change the cursor position is remembered. One position is
1096 remembered for every change that can be undone, unless it is close to a
1097 previous change. Two commands can be used to jump to positions of changes,
1098 also those that have been undone:
1100 *g;* *E662*
1101 g; Go to [count] older position in change list.
1102 If [count] is larger than the number of older change
1103 positions go to the oldest change.
1104 If there is no older change an error message is given.
1105 (not a motion command)
1106 {not in Vi}
1107 {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1109 *g,* *E663*
1110 g, Go to [count] newer cursor position in change list.
1111 Just like |g;| but in the opposite direction.
1112 (not a motion command)
1113 {not in Vi}
1114 {not available without the +jumplist feature}
1116 When using a count you jump as far back or forward as possible. Thus you can
1117 use "999g;" to go to the first change for which the position is still
1118 remembered. The number of entries in the change list is fixed and is the same
1119 as for the |jumplist|.
1121 When two undo-able changes are in the same line and at a column position less
1122 than 'textwidth' apart only the last one is remembered. This avoids that a
1123 sequence of small changes in a line, for example "xxxxx", adds many positions
1124 to the change list. When 'textwidth' is zero 'wrapmargin' is used. When that
1125 also isn't set a fixed number of 79 is used. Detail: For the computations
1126 bytes are used, not characters, to avoid a speed penalty (this only matters
1127 for multi-byte encodings).
1129 Note that when text has been inserted or deleted the cursor position might be
1130 a bit different from the position of the change. Especially when lines have
1131 been deleted.
1133 When the |:keepjumps| command modifier is used the position of a change is not
1134 remembered.
1136 *:changes*
1137 :changes Print the change list. A ">" character indicates the
1138 current position. Just after a change it is below the
1139 newest entry, indicating that "g;" takes you to the
1140 newest entry position. The first column indicates the
1141 count needed to take you to this position. Example:
1143 change line col text ~
1144 3 9 8 bla bla bla
1145 2 11 57 foo is a bar
1146 1 14 54 the latest changed line
1147 >
1149 The "3g;" command takes you to line 9. Then the
1150 output of ":changes is:
1152 change line col text ~
1153 > 0 9 8 bla bla bla
1154 1 11 57 foo is a bar
1155 2 14 54 the latest changed line
1157 Now you can use "g," to go to line 11 and "2g," to go
1158 to line 14.
1160 ==============================================================================
1161 9. Various motions *various-motions*
1163 *%*
1164 % Find the next item in this line after or under the
1165 cursor and jump to its match. |inclusive| motion.
1166 Items can be:
1167 ([{}]) parenthesis or (curly/square) brackets
1168 (this can be changed with the
1169 'matchpairs' option)
1170 /* */ start or end of C-style comment
1171 #if, #ifdef, #else, #elif, #endif
1172 C preprocessor conditionals (when the
1173 cursor is on the # or no ([{
1174 following)
1175 For other items the matchit plugin can be used, see
1176 |matchit-install|.
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.
1183 When the '%' character is not present in 'cpoptions'
1184 |cpo-%|, parens and braces inside double quotes are
1185 ignored, unless the number of parens/braces in a line
1186 is uneven and this line and the previous one does not
1187 end in a backslash. '(', '{', '[', ']', '}' and ')'
1188 are also ignored (parens and braces inside single
1189 quotes). Note that this works fine for C, but not for
1190 Perl, where single quotes are used for strings.
1191 No count is allowed ({count}% jumps to a line {count}
1192 percentage down the file |N%|). Using '%' on
1193 #if/#else/#endif makes the movement linewise.
1195 *[(*
1196 [( go to [count] previous unmatched '('.
1197 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1199 *[{*
1200 [{ go to [count] previous unmatched '{'.
1201 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1203 *])*
1204 ]) go to [count] next unmatched ')'.
1205 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1207 *]}*
1208 ]} go to [count] next unmatched '}'.
1209 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1211 The above four commands can be used to go to the start or end of the current
1212 code block. It is like doing "%" on the '(', ')', '{' or '}' at the other
1213 end of the code block, but you can do this from anywhere in the code block.
1214 Very useful for C programs. Example: When standing on "case x:", "[{" will
1215 bring you back to the switch statement.
1217 *]m*
1218 ]m Go to [count] next start of a method (for Java or
1219 similar structured language). When not before the
1220 start of a method, jump to the start or end of the
1221 class. When no '{' is found after the cursor, this is
1222 an error. |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1223 *]M*
1224 ]M Go to [count] next end of a method (for Java or
1225 similar structured language). When not before the end
1226 of a method, jump to the start or end of the class.
1227 When no '}' is found after the cursor, this is an
1228 error. |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1229 *[m*
1230 [m Go to [count] previous start of a method (for Java or
1231 similar structured language). When not after the
1232 start of a method, jump to the start or end of the
1233 class. When no '{' is found before the cursor this is
1234 an error. |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1235 *[M*
1236 [M Go to [count] previous end of a method (for Java or
1237 similar structured language). When not after the
1238 end 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 The above two commands assume that the file contains a class with methods.
1243 The class definition is surrounded in '{' and '}'. Each method in the class
1244 is also surrounded with '{' and '}'. This applies to the Java language. The
1245 file looks like this: >
1247 // comment
1248 class foo {
1249 int method_one() {
1250 body_one();
1251 }
1252 int method_two() {
1253 body_two();
1254 }
1255 }
1256 Starting with the cursor on "body_two()", using "[m" will jump to the '{' at
1257 the start of "method_two()" (obviously this is much more useful when the
1258 method is long!). Using "2[m" will jump to the start of "method_one()".
1259 Using "3[m" will jump to the start of the class.
1261 *[#*
1262 [# go to [count] previous unmatched "#if" or "#else".
1263 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1265 *]#*
1266 ]# go to [count] next unmatched "#else" or "#endif".
1267 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1269 These two commands work in C programs that contain #if/#else/#endif
1270 constructs. It brings you to the start or end of the #if/#else/#endif where
1271 the current line is included. You can then use "%" to go to the matching line.
1273 *[star* *[/*
1274 [* or [/ go to [count] previous start of a C comment "/*".
1275 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1277 *]star* *]/*
1278 ]* or ]/ go to [count] next end of a C comment "*/".
1279 |exclusive| motion. {not in Vi}
1282 *H*
1283 H To line [count] from top (Home) of window (default:
1284 first line on the window) on the first non-blank
1285 character |linewise|. See also 'startofline' option.
1286 Cursor is adjusted for 'scrolloff' option.
1288 *M*
1289 M To Middle line of window, on the first non-blank
1290 character |linewise|. See also 'startofline' option.
1292 *L*
1293 L To line [count] from bottom of window (default: Last
1294 line on the window) on the first non-blank character
1295 |linewise|. See also 'startofline' option.
1296 Cursor is adjusted for 'scrolloff' option.
1298 <LeftMouse> Moves to the position on the screen where the mouse
1299 click is |exclusive|. See also |<LeftMouse>|. If the
1300 position is in a status line, that window is made the
1301 active window and the cursor is not moved. {not in Vi}
1303 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: