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From: mad@math.keio.ac.jp (MAEDA Atusi)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: simple tricks in Vi
Message-ID: <MAD.90Jun28203733@cabbage.math.keio.ac.jp>
Date: 28 Jun 90 11:37:33 GMT
Sender: news@math.keio.ac.jp
Reply-To: tanakat@jpntscvm.bitnet
Organization: Faculty of Sci. and Tech., Keio Univ., Yokohama, Japan.
Lines: 53


(I am posting this for Tanaka.)

-----------------------------------------------------------

Dear People:

Encouraged by the positive responses to my last article, I
decided to describe some more simple Vi tricks which I have
found useful.


(1) === moving text between files ===

If you open two files simultaneously as "vi file1 file2",
you can use a named buffer to move text between those files.
But this is not how I use Vi; I open one file at a time.
So I have these lines in the ".exrc" file:
     ab wt w! /tmp/temp.vi.tanakat
     ab rt r  /tmp/temp.vi.tanakat
I save lines in one file as:
     :.,.+3 wt     (save next 4 lines)
     :.,'a  wt     (save up to mark A)
and restore these lines in another file by ":rt".


(2) === commenting out 1 Lisp expression ===

(putting semicolons at the beginning of the lines)
Place this line in the ".exrc" file:
     map q mx%my:'x,'ys/^/;/^M`xl
('^M' is a single newline character, not two characters '^'
and 'M'.)


(3) === reformatting paragraphs within Vi ===

Place this line in the ".exrc" file:
     map q !}fmt -61^M
(It is better to map this to a function key if your keyboard
has one.)


I wonder if there are other simple but useful tricks in Vi.
(Please send responses, if any, to my BITNET address below.)

(Mr.) TANAKA Tomoyuki (Tanaka is my family name.)

;;; IBM Research, Tokyo Research Laboratory
;;; 5-19, Sanbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102, Japan
;;;
;;; BITNET:  tanakat@jpntscvm.bitnet
;;; JUNET:   tanakat@trl.ibm.co.jp