Practical Vim: Edit Text at the Speed of Thought

Book Information

Title

Practical Vim: Edit Text at the Speed of Thought

Author

Drew Neil

Edition

2nd Edition (2015)

Publisher

Pragmatic Programmers

Structure

6 Parts, 21 Chapters, 121 Tips

Purchase

Pragmatic Programmers

Progress Tracker

Part I: Modes

Ch Title Status Date

1

The Vim Way

[ ] Not Started

2

Normal Mode

[ ] Not Started

3

Insert Mode

[ ] Not Started

4

Visual Mode

[ ] Not Started

5

Command-Line Mode

[ ] Not Started

Part II: Files

Ch Title Status Date

6

Manage Multiple Files

[ ] Not Started

7

Open Files and Save Them to Disk

[ ] Not Started

Part III: Getting Around Faster

Ch Title Status Date

8

Navigate Inside Files with Motions

[ ] Not Started

9

Navigate Between Files with Jumps

[ ] Not Started

10

Copy and Paste

[ ] Not Started

11

Macros

[ ] Not Started

Part IV: Patterns

Ch Title Status Date

12

Matching Patterns and Literals

[ ] Not Started

13

Search

[ ] Not Started

14

Substitution

[ ] Not Started

15

Global Commands

[ ] Not Started

Part V: Tools

Ch Title Status Date

16

Index and Navigate Source Code with ctags

[ ] Not Started

17

Compile Code and Navigate Errors with Quickfix

[ ] Not Started

18

Search Project-Wide with grep, vimgrep, and Others

[ ] Not Started

19

Dial X for Autocompletion

[ ] Not Started

20

Find and Fix Typos with Spell Checker

[ ] Not Started

21

Now What?

[ ] Not Started

Learning Goals

After completing this book:

  • Master the dot command and repeatable changes

  • Think in terms of operators + motions

  • Use registers effectively (named, numbered, expression)

  • Navigate with precision (motions, jumps, marks)

  • Search and substitute with regex confidence

  • Record and edit macros for repetitive tasks

  • Use quickfix for project-wide operations

The Vim Way (Core Philosophy)

The book’s central insight:

Don’t repeat yourself. Act, Repeat, Reverse.

— Drew Neil

Key principles to internalize:

  1. The Dot Command - . repeats the last change

  2. Operators + Motions - Composable editing language

  3. Repeatability - Structure edits to be repeatable

  4. One Keystroke, One Edit - Minimize keystrokes per change

Quick Reference (Build As You Learn)

Add commands here as you master them:

Dot Command Patterns
" Change word and repeat
cw<new-word><Esc>
j.j.j.     " repeat on following lines

" Delete to end of line, repeatable
D

" Add at end of line, repeatable
A;<Esc>
j.j.j.
Operator + Motion Combinations
" (Add as you learn from the book)

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