Learn Vim

The best option is always to install Vim, open using vim and type :help. You will start with the basis, while you will see that documentation is big too. Using Vim can speed up our work. When opening a new file with Vim, type i to start writting and use ESC keyboard to go back to Normal Mode. When you type i you are using Vim in Insert Mode. In Normal Mode you can select text areas, using v to select one or more characters, or the sequence Shift+v to select one or more lines, and you enter the Visual Mode. Enter the command : to enter the Command Mode and by using the TAB key of your keyboard, explore all available commands. Always use :help command.

Type :w to save changes and :close to close a file or use :q to leave editor. You can use sequences of commands, like for example: :waq!. This command save by the option :w, :a means all files in session, and :q is to quit and leave editor. Sometimes we can open a Terminal with :terminal or a File Explorer with :Sexplorer inside Vim. By using :! we force leaving Vim editor. Use u to undo changes or :q! to exit Vim without saving changes.

Today I figure out that I wish to add a new HTML class into all posts of this blog that use the same CSS configurations. I just type vim * into the docs/ directory and all posts where there, in one single page. Then you ask: how can the editor open more than 300 files and we only see one? And the answer is buffers. Use the command :buffers or :ls to list all files in buffers. For example :buffer 69 or the shortcut :b 69 will open the 69 file in buffer. You can use :bnext or bpreviews to jump between open files.

Use / in Normal Mode to find some text and use :%s/text-to-modify/modified-text/ to change one single line or :%s/text-to-modify/modified-text/g to change all lines with the same text You wish to change. Use n to jump to the next text or Shift+n to jump to the previous one.

To record a macro you need to press q in Normal Mode, to start and create the sequence you need to do in many files, and press q to stop recording. Use the . to repeat the last changes into all other files. I could create a macro to apply the same commands (select and add new content) within all files. For this example we would do something like: q to start recording the macro, hit ESC key to enter Normal Mode, type / to search the text I wish to change, /text and hit enter, then I access the Command Mode and type :%s/text/newText/g and hit Enter Key to change, next hit ESC key to go back to Normal Mode and finally hit q to stop recording the macro.

You can easly work in several files in the same "Window" using the :vsplit option to open new files in a vertical direction and :split in a horizontal one. Use the sequnce Ctrl+w+w to jump between splits. You can use tabs too if you prefer instead but at the end, you cannot have 300 tabs open, while you can have them in memory ( buffers ).

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Since in this specific case we only add content to some HTML class, in fact I use this solution to make all changes in less than 3 seconds and without opening any file on any text editor. The default option that almost all vi users like to setup on the configuration file located at ~/.vimrc is the set number option. You can use much more options. You can see my own configurations here.