Files and working with Multiple Files

In day-to-day use I use plugins (such as Telescope) to make working within a project much quicker and easier but I think its still important to know the base commands as they are always there to use.

Recent files

:ol — (old files) open list of recently edited files

File Explorer

:e . — open file explorer

:Sex — split window and open file explorer

gf — open file name that is under cursor

Searching (mutiple files)

quickfix list

:vimgrep /pattern {file} — search for patern in multiple files

:vimgrep /foo/ **/*

:cl — list all entires

:cn — next match

:cp — previous match

:copen — open window with list of matches

:cclose — close window with list of matches

location list

:lvimgrep /pattern {file} — search for patern in multiple files

:lli — Display all entires

:l<num> — move to num entry

lne — move to next entry

Working with Files

buffers in vim are files, or temp storage areas of vim they can be inside of a window or tab

:e <file> — edit file in new buffer

:bn — next buffer

:bp — previous buffer

:bd — delete buffer (close file)

:ls — list open buffers

:b <substring search> — opens the buffer that matches the substing

:sp file — open file in new buffer and split window

:vsp file — open file in new buffer and vertically split window

Windows (these are panes that can be viewed simutansily)

all window commands start with CTL-w.

{CTL-ws} — split window (horizontal)

{CTL-wv} — split window vert

{CTL-ww} — switch window

{CTL-wq} — quit window

{CTL-wv} — split window vertically

{CTL-wh} — move to left window

{CTL-wl} — move to right window

{CTL-wj} — move to below window

{CTL-wk} — move to above window

`{CTL-wH}` — move to left window

{CTL-wL} — move to right window

:hide — close currernt window

:only — close all windows except current

Tabs (seprate areas that are not viewed simutansly)

:tabnew {file} — open file in new tab

{CTL-wT} — move current split window to new tab

gt / :tabn — move to next tab

gT / :tabp — move to previous tab

#gt — move to tab number #

:tabs — list all open tabs

:tab ball — puts all open files in tabs

:tabc — close current tab and all its windows

:tabo /tabonly — close all tabs except this one

Interact with filesystem

:!cmd — execute cmd and return to vim

!!pwd — execute cmd and instert output into file

r !pwd — functionally the same as above but it 'reads' the output of the command into the buffer at current point