Vim multiline editing like in sublimetext?

user_752901 0
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I started to use gvim, and I can't quite understand how the multiline edit works in gvim.

For example:

Original text:

asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;

ctrl+q, jjjjjj , $ everything is selected, then i press I to do a multiline insert.

My intention is to insert quotes like in the first line, and then to press Esc:

asd "asd asd" asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;
asd asd asd asd asd;

What happened? I expected a behavior similar to sublimetext's one:

enter image description here

If you don't know how that works, it just repeats the actions for every line. How can achieve that? And what is vim doing here?

sublimetext text-editor vim
8 Answers

My solution is to use these 2 mappings:

map <leader>n <Esc><Esc>0qq
map <leader>m q:'<,'>-1normal!@q<CR><Down>

How to use them:

  1. Select your lines. If I want to select the next 12 lines I just press V12j
  2. Press <leader>n
  3. Make your changes to the line
  4. Make sure you're in normal mode and then press <leader>m

To make another edit you don't need to make the selection again. Just press <leader>n, make your edit and press <leader>m to apply.

How this works:

  • <Esc><Esc>0qq Exit the visual selection, go to the beginning of the line and start recording a macro.

  • q Stop recording the macro.

  • :'<,'>-1normal!@q<CR> From the start of the visual selection to the line before the end, play the macro on each line.

  • <Down> Go back down to the last line.

You can also just map the same key but for different modes:

vmap <leader>m <Esc><Esc>0qq
nmap <leader>m q:'<,'>-1normal!@q<CR><Down>

Although this messes up your ability to make another edit. You'll have to re-select your lines.

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