Working with Vim

Motions

Here are a few of the most common motions. There are many more motions and plugins can define their own, but this is a good start to learn the basics and expand.

w : Forward to next word

b : Backward to start of word

e : Forward to end of word

fx : Forward to 'x' (cursor on char)

Fx : Backward to 'x' (cursor on char)

tx : Forward to 'x' (cursor before char)

Tx : Backward to 'x' (cursor before char)

; : Repeat previous motion works with f F t T

_ : Current line (underscore)

Practice the basic motions by just pressing the motion character(s), while in NORMAL mode the cursor will move. So, pressing w moves the cursor forward to the next word. You can precede any motion with a number, for example 5w will move forward to the fifth next word.

When you put an operator first, it will perform that action on the motion. For example, dw will delete to the next word, this includes the space, not just the word.

💡 There are minor differences between w and e; as well as between f and t. The differences are where the cursor ends up. This can be important depending on the operator. For example, dfx will delete forward up to and including the x character, whereas dtx will delete up to but not including the x.

You can visualize the motions by starting with v and then the motion, it will highlight the selected area. See the difference between ve highlighting to the end of the word, to vw highlighting to the next word.

Window Motions

Here are a set of window motions, primarily used for navigating. The motions jump to different sections of the visible window, not the document, so cursor movement occurs without the document scrolling.

H : High, jump to top of window

M : Middle, jump to middle of window

L : Low, jump to bottom of window

zz : Window is positioned so current line is centered vertically, cursor does not jump