Thinking in VIM

This is a post, and we’re going to add some text. I’m writing in nvim, which I’m working to get fluent and fast in.

We’re still working in nvim. I have my setup improved and I’m still learning the keyboard shortcuts and vim motions. I’m also thinking about the vim “grammar”, such as [count] <operator> [count] <motion_or_text_object>.

The “Vim grammar” is a powerful concept that allows you to combine simple commands into complex and precise operations. It’s often described as a verb-noun or operator-motion syntax, with an optional count that acts as an adjective.

Here’s the general syntax, broken down by your analogy:

General Syntax:

[count] <operator> [count] <motion_or_text_object>

Let’s break down each part:

• Subject (Implicit: “Vim” or “the cursor”): In most Vim commands, the “subject” is implicitly Vim itself, or more specifically, the current cursor position. You’re telling Vim to perform an action from the cursor’s current location on a specific piece of text.

• Verb (The <operator>): This is the action you want to perform. It’s the “doing” word.

  • Common Operators:
    • d: delete
    • c: change (delete and then enter Insert mode)
    • y: yank (copy)
    • gU: make uppercase
    • gu: make lowercase
    • >: indent (shift right)
    • <: unindent (shift left)
    • =: format (auto-indent)
    • ~: swap case (for a single character or a visual selection)

• Object (The <motion_or_text_object>): This defines what the operator acts upon. It specifies the “chunk” of text. This is where Vim’s precision comes into play.

  • Motions: These specify a direction or destination for the operation. The operation will apply from the current cursor position up to the point specified by the motion.
    • w: to the beginning of the next word
    • e: to the end of the current word
    • $: to the end of the current line
    • 0: to the beginning of the current line
    • }: to the next paragraph
    • G: to the end of the file
    • gg: to the beginning of the file
    • f<char>: find the next occurrence of <char> on the current line (inclusive)
    • t<char>: til the next occurrence of <char> on the current line (exclusive)
    • j: down one line
    • k: up one line
  • Text Objects: These define a self-contained unit of text, regardless of the cursor’s exact position within that unit. They are incredibly powerful for structural editing. Text objects always start with i (for “inner”) or a (for “around”).
    • iw: inner word (the word under or around the cursor, without leading/trailing whitespace)
    • aw: around word (the word under or around the cursor, including leading/trailing whitespace)
    • i( or ib: inner bracket/parenthesis (content inside ())
    • a( or ab: around bracket/parenthesis (content inside () including the ())
    • i{ or iB: inner Brace (content inside {})
    • a{ or aB: around Brace (content inside {} including the {})
    • i": inner quote (content inside "")
    • a": around quote (content inside "" including the "")
    • ip: inner paragraph
    • ap: around paragraph
    • is: inner sentence
    • as: around sentence
    • it: inner tag (for HTML/XML tags)
    • at: around tag

• Adjective/Qualifier (The [count]): This is an optional number that can precede either the operator or the motion/text object. It tells Vim to repeat the action or motion that many times.

  • If it precedes the operator, the entire operation is repeated.
  • If it precedes the motion, the motion itself is repeated.

Examples of Vim Grammar in Action:

• dw: delete word (from cursor to the end of the word)
• d2w: delete 2 words (from cursor to the end of the second word)
• 3dw: Repeat “delete word” 3 times (effectively deleting 3 words, identical to d3w in this case, but conceptually important for other commands)
• c$: change to end of line (delete from cursor to end of line, then enter Insert mode)
• yy: yank yank (a special shorthand for y_ or Y, which yanks the entire current line)
• dd: delete delete (a special shorthand for d_ or D, which deletes the entire current line)
• ciw: change inner word (deletes the entire word under the cursor, then enters Insert mode)
• da}: delete around paragraph (deletes the entire paragraph including surrounding blank lines)
• yit: yank inner tag (copies the content inside an HTML/XML tag)
• d/foo: delete until the next occurrence of “foo” (the / initiates a search, which acts as a motion)
• 5gg: Go to line 5. (Here, G is a motion, and 5 is a count applied to it. gg is also a motion to go to the first line).

This “grammar” is what makes Vim so efficient and expressive. Instead of memorizing countless specific keybindings for every task, you learn a relatively small set of verbs, nouns (motions and text objects), and a single adjective (count), and then combine them creatively to perform almost any editing operation.