as I’m going through the process of learning vim, I’m discovering newfound powers. one of them being to execute commands from vim itself.

below examples might better explain some of them:

  1. want to see what files are in current directory? enter command mode(by typing :) and follow it by a bang(!). then do ls like you’d do in a terminal and press enter. this is not limited to just ls. you can enter any command that you can enter in terminal. for example: :! uname --operating-system (which will output GNU/Linux :))

  2. so you want to quickly save just a certain part of your file into another file? just select everything you need by entering visual mode(v) and do :w filename(actual command you’ll see would be '<,'>:w filename). verify it using 1.(i.e., :! cat filename.

  3. want to quickly paste another file into current one? do :r filename. it’ll paste its contents below your cursor.

  4. or maybe you want to paste results of a command? do :r !ls *.png.

vim is my ~ sweet ~ now. make it yours too.

  • CriticalMiss@lemmy.world
    451·
    11 months ago

    I love vim, but it wasn’t always like this. When I was a Linux newbie one of the things that irritated me most is that tutorials aimed at beginners told readers to use vim, without explaining how to maneuver it. People, if you write tutorials aimed at beginners please use nano, even if it’s not your preferred text editor.

    • VubDapple@lemmy.world
      113·
      11 months ago

      The first time I opened vim (it was probably just vi at the time) I couldn’t exit it and had to shut down the computer by holding down the power button (!) to regain control of the machine. It took a while before I tried it again. Ultimately nano felt like it was for kids and emacs felt like an even worse option than vi so I memorized a few sequences, eg :q!, :wq, how to enter the insert mode and how to exit it and simple edit commands like dd and x and this gave me enough proficiency to get by.

      Most all the terminal commands require prior study before they become easy to use. Its because Unix was created by engineers rather than by ui/ux design professionals.

      • lurch (he/him)@sh.itjust.works
        8·
        11 months ago

        In Linux terminals, you probably could have pressed Alt+F2 or Ctrl+Alt+F2 (F2 could be other F-keys) and log in on a second terminal to recover (by reading the manual or killing it). Also, if bash already had job control back then Ctrl+Z would have suspended vi/vim to the background.

        I’m writing this, so people try it and maybe remember it, if they get stuck in some program. Doesn’t have to be vi. Maybe you just launched a long dd command and don’t want to end it, but want to look something up. These hints may help then.

      • Slotos@feddit.nl
        52·
        11 months ago

        It’s because Unix was created by engineers rather than by ui/ux design professionals.

        This is somewhat disingenuous. Unix terminal is one of the most ergonomic tools out there. It is not “designed by engineers”, it is engineered for a purpose with user training in mind.

        Ergonomics is engineering. UI/UX design is engineering. UX designer that doesn’t apply engineering method is called an artist.

      • magikmw@lemm.ee
        2·
        11 months ago

        And yet having a sane --help string is enough to get someone going. No need to gatekeep.

    • lemmesay@discuss.tchncs.deOPEnglish
      51·
      11 months ago

      i agree with your request. vim used to scare me first.

      as a side note: one of the reasons I believe as to why vscode grew in popularity was due to it lowering the barrier to just open up the editor and use it right away(with plugin system and a nice GUI). it is something vim by default doesn’t do.

    • rustydomino@lemmy.worldEnglish
      51·
      11 months ago

      What’s wrong with nano? I love nano. As a general thing I love Linux programs that are terminal based but also have a decent UI. Neomutt comes to mind for email.

      • CriticalMiss@lemmy.world
        52·
        11 months ago

        There’s nothing wrong with nano, it’s a simple text editor while vim is much more versatile and aimed towards that are already accustomed to terminal software.

  • DreamButt@lemmy.worldEnglish
    17·
    11 months ago

    It’s like learning an instrument really. Just need to practice and eventually muscle memory will carry you

  • cacheson@kbin.social
    171·
    11 months ago

    I love these memes that turn into threads full of vim tips. You really can do anything within vim. You can even exit vim!: !killall vim

  • khapyman@sopuli.xyz
    71·
    11 months ago

    I will not make vim my sweet as it is optimized for us keyboard. Most of the shortcuts are awful in my native (Finnish) layout. As much of a heretic I am, there is a place for mouse and windowing display managers.

    What I do miss from the Redmont dystopia is Notepad++. Can do anything, can be explained over the phone.

      • khapyman@sopuli.xyz
        21·
        11 months ago

        I have not, and on a glance it looks really interesting, thank you! I will give it a spin and I really hope it is the editor of choice from now on.

  • hakunawazo@lemmy.world
    71·
    11 months ago

    If you don’t want to use the :! bang command, you could also temporarily exit vim with Ctrl + z and reopen it with fg (like foreground).

  • Victor@lemmy.world
    62·
    11 months ago

    I’m personally a kakoune guy now. I used vim for over a decade, but kakoune just makes much more sense to me. And I thought vim made a lot of sense, too.

      • Victor@lemmy.world
        1·
        11 months ago

        Yeah baby! There’s always someone who says that – “huh, need to try that out sometime”.

        I really hope you do, it’s always satisfying finding a tool that you enjoy more than the ones you’ve been using. 😊

  • yesman@lemmy.world
    74·
    11 months ago

    This is the duality of Linux. Linux is an easy OS that’s extremely customizable and everyone should use it. But also you may have to choke out your PC to exit the text editor.

    Did yall know that Notepad has tabs now? So does explorer!