What is Vim Find and Replace?
Vim is a powerful and commonly used text editor that is popular among programmers. One of the most useful features of Vim is its find and replace function that allows users to easily modify text within a document. In this article, we will explore the different ways to use the Vim find and replace function to manipulate text, with a focus on the keyword/keyphrase “vim find and replace”.
If you are new to Vim, it may seem intimidating at first, but with practice and a little guidance, you can learn to use Vim effectively and efficiently. Vim is a versatile tool that can help you save time and improve your productivity as a programmer. In the following sections, we will cover the basics of find and replace in Vim, as well as more advanced techniques that you can use to manipulate text with ease.
Basic Find and Replace Commands in Vim
In this section, we will cover the basic find and replace commands in Vim that can help you quickly modify text within your documents.
Finding Text in Vim
To find text in Vim, you can use the / command followed by the text you want to find. For example, to find the word example in a document, you would type /example and press enter. Vim will then highlight the first instance of the word example in the document.
To find the next instance of the word, you can use the n command. To find the previous instance, you can use the N command.
Replacing Text in Vim
To replace text in Vim, you can use the :s (substitute) command followed by the text you want to replace, and the text you want to replace it with. For example, to replace the word example with demo in a document, you would type :s/example/demo and press enter. Vim will then replace the first instance of the word example with the word demo.
To replace all instances of the word example in the document, you can add the g (global) modifier to the command. For example, to replace all instances of the word example with the word demo, you would type :%s/example/demo/g and press enter.
Case Sensitivity
By default, Vims find and replace commands are case-sensitive. This means that if you search for the word example, it will not find instances of the word Example or EXAMPLE.
To perform a case-insensitive search, you can add the i (ignore case) modifier to the find command. For example, to find all instances of the word example, regardless of case, you would type /example\c.
Similarly, to perform a case-insensitive replace, you can add the i modifier to the replace command. For example, to replace all instances of the word example with the word demo, ignoring case, you would type :%s/example/demo/gi.
Advanced Find and Replace Commands in Vim
In addition to the basic find and replace commands covered in the previous section, Vim also offers a number of advanced find and replace commands that can help you perform more complex text manipulations.
Using the Substitute Command
The :s (substitute) command is a powerful tool that allows you to replace text in a more flexible and efficient way than the basic replace command. With the substitute command, you can specify a range of lines to search, use regular expressions to find and replace text, and even use the results of a previous search as the replacement text.
To use the substitute command, type :s/old-text/new-text/options and press enter. Here, old-text is the text you want to replace, new-text is the text you want to replace it with, and options are any additional options you want to use.
Using Regular Expressions
Regular expressions are a powerful tool that can help you find and replace text patterns in Vim. To use regular expressions in Vim, you can use the \v (very magic) modifier, which enables a more powerful form of regular expressions.
For example, to replace all occurrences of the word example or demo with the word test, you can use the command :%s/\v(example|demo)/test/g.
Searching for Exact Words
By default, Vims find and replace commands will match partial words as well as whole words. To search for whole words only, you can use the \b (word boundary) meta-character.
For example, to find all occurrences of the word example in a document, but not words that contain example as a substring (such as exampled or examples), you can use the command :/\bexample\b.
Confirmation Prompts
Sometimes, you may want to confirm each replacement before it is made. To do this, you can add the c (confirm) option to the substitute command. For example, to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo, but prompt for confirmation before each replacement, you can use the command :%s/example/demo/gc.
These advanced find and replace commands can be extremely useful for manipulating text in Vim. With practice, you can learn to use them effectively to streamline your workflow and save time.
Finding and Replacing Whole Words in Vim
In some cases, you may only want to find and replace whole words, rather than parts of words. This can be useful when you want to avoid replacing text that is part of a larger word, or when you want to replace a specific word without affecting other words that contain the same letters.
To find and replace whole words in Vim, you can use the \b (word boundary) meta-character. The word boundary meta-character matches the boundary between a word character (letters, digits, or underscores) and a non-word character (such as a space or punctuation mark).
For example, to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo, but only if it appears as a whole word, you can use the command :%s/\bexample\b/demo/g.
Note that the word boundary meta-character can be used in combination with other search patterns, such as regular expressions, to find and replace more complex text patterns.
Using the Whole Option
Another way to find and replace whole words in Vim is to use the w (whole) option. This option tells Vim to only match whole words, rather than partial words.
For example, to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo, but only if it appears as a whole word, you can use the command :%s/example/demo/gw.
The gw option is equivalent to \b when used with the substitute command, and can be a useful alternative when you want to avoid using regular expressions.
Searching and Replacing Across Multiple Files in Vim
In addition to searching and replacing text within a single file, Vim also allows you to search and replace across multiple files at once. This can be a powerful tool for making changes to a large codebase or collection of documents.
Using the :args Command
To search and replace across multiple files in Vim, you can use the :args command to specify a list of files to search. For example, to search and replace the word example with the word demo across all .txt files in the current directory, you can use the following command:
:args *.txt | argdo %s/example/demo/g | update
Here, :args *.txt tells Vim to open all .txt files in the current directory, separated by the | character. The argdo command then applies the :%s/example/demo/g substitute command to each file in the argument list. Finally, the update command saves all modified files.
Using the :vimgrep Command
Another way to search and replace across multiple files in Vim is to use the :vimgrep command. This command allows you to search for a pattern across multiple files, and then apply a substitution to the results.
For example, to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo across all .txt files in the current directory, you can use the following command:
:vimgrep /example/ **/*.txt | argdo %s/example/demo/g | update
Here, :vimgrep /example/ **/*.txt searches for the pattern /example/ across all .txt files in the current directory and its subdirectories. The argdo command then applies the substitute command to each file in the argument list, and the update command saves all modified files.
Using the :cdo Command
If you have a list of files that you want to search and replace, you can use the :cdo command to apply a substitution to each file in the quickfix list. The quickfix list is a list of errors or search results that can be generated by various commands in Vim.
For example, to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo across a list of files generated by the :grep command, you can use the following command:
:grep example **/*.txt | cdo %s/example/demo/g | update
Here, :grep example **/*.txt generates a list of files that contain the word example. The cdo command then applies the :%s/example/demo/g substitute command to each file in the quickfix list, and the update command saves all modified files.
Repeating Find and Replace Operations in Vim
When working with large documents or codebases, you may find that you need to perform the same find and replace operation multiple times. Vim provides several ways to repeat find and replace operations, making it easy to make consistent changes across your files.
Using the & Command
One way to repeat a find and replace operation in Vim is to use the & command. The & command repeats the last substitute command, using the same search pattern and replacement string.
For example, if you want to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo, you can use the command :%s/example/demo/g. If you then want to repeat this operation, you can simply type :& and press enter. Vim will then repeat the last substitute command, replacing all remaining occurrences of example with demo.
Using the :&& Command
If you want to repeat the last substitute command with the same search pattern, but a different replacement string, you can use the :&& command. This command repeats the last substitute command, but with the replacement string specified after the :&& command.
For example, if you want to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo, you can use the command :%s/example/demo/g. If you then want to replace all occurrences of the word test with the word demo using the same search pattern, you can use the command :&&/test/demo/g.
Using the :g Command
If you want to perform a find and replace operation on all lines that match a specific pattern, you can use the :g command. The :g command executes a command on all lines that match a specific pattern.
For example, if you want to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo on lines that contain the word test, you can use the command :g/test/s/example/demo/g.
These commands can be extremely useful for streamlining your workflow and making consistent changes across your files. With practice, you can learn to use them effectively to save time and improve your productivity.
Confirming Find and Replace Operations in Vim
When performing find and replace operations in Vim, it can be easy to accidentally replace text that you didnt intend to. To avoid this, Vim provides several options for confirming each substitution before it is made.
Using the :s Command with the c Flag
One way to confirm each substitution in Vim is to use the c flag with the :s command. The c flag prompts you to confirm each substitution before it is made.
For example, to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo, with confirmation for each substitution, you can use the command :%s/example/demo/gc. Vim will then prompt you to confirm each substitution before it is made.
Using the :s Command with the e Flag
Another way to confirm each substitution in Vim is to use the e flag with the :s command. The e flag tells Vim to show an error message for each substitution, allowing you to review each one before it is made.
For example, to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo, with an error message for each substitution, you can use the command :%s/example/demo/ge. Vim will then show an error message for each substitution, allowing you to review each one before it is made.
Using the :s Command with the i Flag
A third way to confirm each substitution in Vim is to use the i flag with the :s command. The i flag prompts you to confirm each substitution, but only for substitutions that match a specific pattern.
For example, to replace all occurrences of the word example with the word demo, but only for substitutions that appear on lines that contain the word test, you can use the command :%s/test.*example/demo/gi. Vim will then prompt you to confirm each substitution that matches the pattern /test.*example/.
By using these confirmation options, you can ensure that your find and replace operations are accurate and avoid unintentional changes to your files.
Wrapping Up
In this article, weve explored some of the most useful techniques for finding and replacing text in Vim. From basic operations to advanced features, Vim provides a powerful set of tools for manipulating text in your documents and code.
By using the techniques and commands weve covered, you can streamline your workflow and make consistent changes across your files. Whether youre working with a single file or a large codebase, Vims search and replace features can help you get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out our other articles on Vim and other great tools for developers and sysadmins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who can use Vim find and replace?
A. Anyone who needs to edit text files regularly can benefit from Vim find and replace.
Q. What is the difference between find and replace in Vim?
A. Find searches for a pattern and highlights all matches, while replace replaces the pattern with a specified string.
Q. How do I replace all occurrences of a word in Vim?
A. Use the :%s/old_word/new_word/g command to replace all occurrences of old_word with new_word.
Q. What if I accidentally replace text I didn’t mean to in Vim?
A. Use the c, e, or i flags with the :s command to confirm or review each substitution before it is made.
Q. How do I search for exact words in Vim find and replace?
A. Use the \b character to match word boundaries. For example, \bexample\b will only match the exact word “example” and not “examples”.
Q. What is the substitute history in Vim?
A. The substitute history in Vim stores the previous substitution commands. You can access it by pressing the & key in command mode.