CheatSheets - Developer Cheatsheets

Modes

Vim is a modal editor. Understanding which mode you are in is crucial.

Mode	Description
Normal	Default mode. Used for navigation and simple editing. Press `Esc` to return here from any mode.
Insert	For explicitly typing and modifying text. Press `i` to enter.
Visual	For highlighting/selecting text. Press `v` to enter. Use arrow keys to extend/reduce selection.
Command Line	For executing commands (Saving, Exiting, splitting). Press `:` from Normal mode to enter.

Opening, Closing, and Saving

Command	Description
`vim FILE_NAME`	Open or create a file in Vim from your terminal.
`:w`	Save file.
`:q`	Quit.
`:wq` or `:x!`	Save modifications and quit.
`:q!` or `:ZQ`	Quit the file without saving (force quit).

Navigation (Normal Mode)

Key	Action
`h` `j` `k` `l`	Left, Down, Up, Right (keeps hands on the home row).
`w`	Jump forward to start of word.
`b`	Jump backward to start of word.
`0`	Start of line.
`$`	End of line.
`gg`	Go to first line.
`G`	Go to last line.
`:LINE_NUMBER`	Jump to a specific line number (e.g., `:42`).
`:$`	Jump to the last line (Command Line Mode equivalent to `G`).

Basic Editing

Key	Action
`i`	Insert text before the cursor.
`a`	Append text after the cursor.
`o`	Insert a new line below current line and switch to Insert Mode.
`O`	Insert a new line above current line and switch to Insert Mode.
`x`	Delete character under the cursor.
`dd`	Delete the current line or highlighted text.
`y` or `yy`	Copy (yank) highlighted text or the current line.
`p`	Paste previously copied/deleted text after cursor.
`r`	Replace a single character.
`u`	Undo last action.
`Ctrl + r`	Redo last action.

Search and Replace

Command	Description
`/pattern`	Search forward for `pattern` (e.g., `:/SEARCH_KEYWORD`).
`n`	Jump to the next match.
`N`	Jump to the previous match.
`:%s/old/new/g`	Replace all occurrences of `old` with `new` throughout the file.

Split Mode (Window Management)

Vim allows you to view multiple files simultaneously by splitting your terminal view.

Command	Description
`:split FILE_NAME`	Horizontally open another file while one is already open.
`:vsplit FILE_NAME`	Vertically open another file while one is already open.
`Ctrl + w w`	Jump between different split windows.
`:q`	Close the currently active split window.

Advanced Power-User Tricks

Combining Commands (The "Vim Language")

Vim commands act like a language (Verb + Noun).

d (Delete) + w (Word) = dw (Deletes the current word).
c (Change) + w (Word) = cw (Deletes word and drops you into Insert mode).
d (Delete) + $ (End of line) = d$ (Deletes everything from cursor to end of line).
y (Yank) + p (Paste) + p = ypp (Duplicates the current line).

Visual Block Mode

Want to edit multiple lines at the exact same time?

Press Ctrl + v to enter Visual Block Mode.
Select multiple lines using j or k.
Press Shift + I (Capital I), type your text (it will only appear on the first line).
Press Esc and the text will magically propagate to all selected lines!

Essential Configuration (`~/.vimrc`)

Create or edit ~/.vimrc to make Vim much more modern by default:

" Show line numbers (Default for navigation)
set number

" Show relative line numbers (Makes jumping with '10j' or '5k' incredibly easy)
" set relativenumber

" Enable syntax highlighting
syntax on

" Highlight search results dynamically as you type
set hlsearch
set incsearch

" Convert tabs to 4 spaces
set tabstop=4
set shiftwidth=4
set expandtab

" Enable mouse support for resizing splits and clicking cursor
set mouse=a

💡 Tips & Tricks