Search and Replace in Vim

In this article, we will explore how to use Vim’s search and replace that may help us to edit efficiently.

Note: This article required a basic understanding of regular expression.

Let’s begin!

Basic

See :help substitute to read documentation. The basic syntax for replacing text is:

# Replaces `hello` with `world`
:s/hello/world

# hello -> world

Here is another example of changing delimiter of csv file from , to t

change delimiter:

Capitalizing Words

You might think, I can just type it manually since there are only 4 words. What if there are thousands of rows. We will not edit manually. It will be time consuming.

So here comes the substite comes handy. It support patterns to make things easier.

Capitalize words on every row:

Pretty neat!

Let’s break down the command:

:%s/\a\+/\u&/g

%s - Targets all the lines in the file to perform substitution.
\a - Matches alphabetic character.
\+ - Matches 1 or more of the preceding atom, as many as possible.
\u - Uppercase the match.
& - Reuse the flags from the previous substitute command.
g - Replace all matches in the line.

This can be more clear by using magic mode, by adding \v in front of {pattern}

:%s/\v\a+/\u&/g

This is helpful when your pattern is long, it makes the pattern more readable. To learn more about magic you can use :help magic in Vim.

Name Initials

We can also make name initials: Michael Scott -> M. Scott or M.S.

%s/\v(<.)(\a+)/\u\1.

Swapping Words

Let’s say we need to change the formatting of name, we need to follow this format: Last Name, First Name. We can use captures to do this.

Using Registers

So first, what is "register" in Vim?

Is a storage space where text can be yanked (copied) or put (pasted). It’s like a clipboard or buffer where you can temporarily store pieces of text. Registers allow you to manipulate and transfer text in various ways within Vim.

You can open your register by running :registers

So we have list of places:

Yamagawaokachiyogamizu
Eexterveenschekanaal
Jászfelsőszentgyörgy

We need to replace Yamagawaokachiyogamizu with Jászfelsőszentgyörgy:

Let’s see what’s happening step-by-step:

Select Yamagawaokachiyogamizu
Save Yamagawaokachiyogamizu to "a register
Save Jászfelsőszentgyörgy to "b register
Run substitute command: %:s/<C-r>a/<C-r>b

<C-r> {register} (e.g. <C-r>b) — Insert the contents of a numbered or named register.

This will translates to:

:%s/Eexterveenschekanaal/Jászfelsőszentgyörgy

This is nice! Fewer keystroke! We don’t have to type these long words manually! It might save you lot of time for some typographical errors.

Summary

Efficient Text Editing: Vim’s substitute command (:s) allows you to replace specific occurrences of text throughout your document fast and accurately.
Targeted replacements: With various search patterns and flags, you can perform precise and targeted replacements, avoiding unintended changes.
Backreferences: Leveraging backreferences (\1, \2, etc.), you can refer to captured groups in your search pattern and use them in the replacement, facilitating dynamic and personalized substitutions.
Time-saving Editing Workflow: With the flexibility and power of Vim’s substitute command, you can optimize your editing workflow, saving time and increasing productivity in your daily text-editing tasks.

We learned that substite is a powerful tool. Mastering regex can be hard, I personally use regexr when dealing with regex patterns. It break down patterns with each explanation on what it does.

That’s all for now.

Thanks!

Using Vim Substitute