visual-line-mode.md

Visual Line Mode

Visual line mode selects whole lines while you move the cursor. Editing commands operate on the selected line range, then return to normal mode.

Entering Visual Line Mode

Key	Description
V	Enter visual line mode from normal mode
V	Switch from visual mode to visual line mode

Leaving or Switching Modes

Key	Description
escape	Return to normal mode
V	Return to normal mode
v	Switch to visual character mode

Movement Keys

Movement changes the active line selection.

Key	Description
h	Move cursor left
j	Move cursor down
k	Move cursor up
l	Move cursor right
0	Move to the start of the current line
$	Move to the end of the current line
G	Move to the end of the input
gg	Move to the start of the input

Word Movement

Key	Description
w	Move forward to the start of the next word
W	Move forward to the start of the next WORD, including punctuation
b	Move backward to the start of the previous word
B	Move backward to the start of the previous WORD, including punctuation
e	Move forward to the end of the current/next word
E	Move forward to the end of the current/next WORD, including punctuation
ge	Move backward to the end of the previous word
gE	Move backward to the end of the previous WORD, including punctuation

word matches letters, numbers, and _. WORD matches any non-whitespace run.

Find Character

Key	Description
f<char>	Move forward to the next matching character
F<char>	Move backward to the previous matching character

Even when character movement changes the cursor column, visual line mode still selects whole lines.

Editing Selected Lines

Key	Description
x	Delete the selected lines and return to normal mode
d	Delete the selected lines and return to normal mode
y	Yank/copy the selected lines and return to normal mode
p	Replace the selected lines with the current register and return to normal mode

Surround Selection

s starts a surround sequence that wraps the selected line range with a bracket or quote pair, then returns to normal mode. The sequence is s, then a (around) or i (inside), then the pair character.

In visual line mode the pair is inserted at column 0 of the first selected line and at the end of the last selected line.

Key	Description
sa( / sab	Wrap the line range with ( )
sa{	Wrap the line range with { }
sa[	Wrap the line range with [ ]
sa<	Wrap the line range with < >
sa" / saq	Wrap the line range with " "
sa'	Wrap the line range with ' '
sa`	Wrap the line range with ` `
si(, si{, si[, ...	Same pairs, but wrap the interior of the range

b is an alias for (/), and q is an alias for ". The opening and closing pair characters select the same pair, so sa( and sa) behave identically.