tech

Vim

Modal text editor for lightning-fast editing - keyboard-only workflow available on every server

TL;DR

One-liner: Vim is a modal text editor that’s fast, efficient, and available on every Unix system - mastering it makes you faster at editing text forever.

Core Value:

Speed - keyboard-only workflow, no mouse needed
Ubiquity - installed on virtually every server
Composability - commands combine like a language
Efficiency - do complex edits with few keystrokes

Quick Start

Open Vim

vim filename.txt    # Open/create file
vim                 # Open empty buffer

Three Essential Modes

Normal mode (default): Navigate and run commands
Insert mode: Type text (press i to enter)
Command mode: Run commands (press : to enter)

Survival Basics

i          → Enter insert mode (start typing)
Esc        → Return to normal mode
:w         → Save file
:q         → Quit (fails if unsaved changes)
:wq        → Save and quit
:q!        → Quit without saving

First Edit

vim hello.txt      # Open file
i                  # Enter insert mode
Hello, Vim!        # Type your text
Esc                # Return to normal mode
:wq                # Save and quit

Cheatsheet

Command	Description
`h j k l`	Move left/down/up/right
`w` / `b`	Move word forward/back
`0` / `$`	Move to line start/end
`gg` / `G`	Go to first/last line
`x`	Delete character
`dd`	Delete line
`yy`	Copy (yank) line
`p`	Paste after cursor
`u`	Undo
`Ctrl+r`	Redo
`/pattern`	Search forward
`n` / `N`	Next/previous match
`ciw`	Change inner word
`diw`	Delete inner word
`.`	Repeat last command

Insert mode shortcuts:

Command	Description
`i`	Insert before cursor
`a`	Insert after cursor
`o`	New line below
`O`	New line above
`A`	Insert at end of line
`I`	Insert at start of line

Gotchas

Stuck in Vim (can’t exit)

Esc        → Make sure you're in normal mode
:q!        → Force quit without saving

Can’t type anything

# You're probably in normal mode
i          → Enter insert mode to type

Search and replace

:%s/old/new/g     " Replace all in file
:%s/old/new/gc    " Replace with confirmation
:s/old/new/g      " Replace in current line

Enable line numbers

:set number           " Show line numbers
:set relativenumber   " Relative line numbers

" Add to ~/.vimrc to make permanent
set number

Paste from clipboard

" Before pasting external text:
:set paste
" Paste your text
:set nopaste