neovim

vim-02-beginner.tutor (10312B)

---

# Welcome to the Neovim Tutorial

# Chapter 2

  Hic Sunt Dracones: if this is your first exposure to vim and you
  intended to avail yourself of the introductory chapter, kindly type
  on the command line of the Vim editor
~~~ cmd
        :Tutor vim-01-beginner
~~~
  Or just open the [first chapter](@tutor:vim-01-beginner) of the tutor at the link.

  The approximate time required to complete this chapter is 8-10 minutes,
  depending upon how much time is spent with experimentation.


# Lesson 2.1.1: MASTERING TEXT OBJECTS

   ** Operate on logical text blocks with precision using text objects **

  1. Practice word operations:
     - Place cursor on any word in the line below
     - Type `diw`{normal} to delete INNER word (word without surrounding space)
     - Type `daw`{normal} to delete A WORD (including trailing whitespace)
     - Try with other operators: `ciw`{normal} (change), `yiw`{normal} (yank),
        `gqiw`{normal} (format)

Practice on: "Vim's", (text_object), and 'powerful' words here.

  2. Work with bracketed content:
     - Put cursor inside any () {} [] <> pair below
     - Type `di(`{normal} or `dib`{normal} (delete inner bracket)
     - Type `da(`{normal} or `dab`{normal} (delete around brackets)
     - Try same with `i"`{normal}/`a"`{normal} for quotes, `it`{normal}/`at`{normal}  for HTML/XML tags

Test cases: {curly}, [square], <angle>, and "quoted" items.

  3. Paragraph and sentence manipulation:
     - Use `dip`{normal} to delete inner paragraph (cursor anywhere in paragraph)
     - Use `vap`{normal} to visually select entire paragraph
     - Try `das`{normal} to delete a sentence (works between .!? punctuation)

  4. Advanced combinations:
     - `ciwnew<ESC>`{normal} - Change current word to "new"
     - `ciw"<CTRL-R>-"<ESC>`{normal} - Wrap current word in quotes
     - `gUit`{normal}        - Uppercase inner HTML tag content
     - `va"p`{normal}        - Select quoted text and paste over it

Final exercise: (Modify "this" text) by [applying {various} operations]<


# Lesson 2.1.2: THE NAMED REGISTERS

** Store two yanked words concurrently and then paste them **

  1. Move the cursor to the line below marked ✓

  2. Navigate to any point on the word 'Edward' and type `"ayiw`{normal}

**MNEMONIC**: *into register(") named (a) (y)ank (i)nner (w)ord*

  3. Navigate forward to the word 'cookie' (`fk`{normal} or `3fc`{normal}
     or `$2b`{normal} or `/co`{normal} `<ENTER>`{normal}) and type `"byiw`{normal}

  4. Navigate to any point on the word 'Vince' and type `ciw<CTRL-R>a<ESC>`{normal}

**MNEMONIC**: *(c)hange (i)nner (w)ord with <contents of (r)egister> named (a)*

  5. Navigate to any point on the word 'cake' and type `ciw<CTRL-R>b<ESC>`{normal}

a) Edward will henceforth be in charge of the cookie rations
b) In this capacity, Vince will have sole cake discretionary powers

NOTE: Delete also works into registers, i.e. `"sdiw`{normal} will delete
      the word under the cursor into register s.

REFERENCE: [Registers](registers)
           [Named Registers](quotea)
           [Motion](text-objects)
           [CTRL-R](i_CTRL-R)


# Lesson 2.1.3: THE EXPRESSION REGISTER

** Insert the results of calculations on the fly **

  1. Move the cursor to the line below marked ✗

  2. Navigate to any point on the supplied number

  3. Type `ciw<CTRL-R>=`{normal}60\*60\*24 `<ENTER>`{normal}

  4. On the next line, enter insert mode and add today's date with 
     `<CTRL-R>=`{normal}`system('date')`{vim} `<ENTER>`{normal}

NOTE: All calls to system are OS dependent, e.g. on Windows use 
      `system('date /t')`{vim}   or  `:r!date /t`{vim}

I have forgotten the exact number of seconds in a day, is it 84600?
Today's date is: 

NOTE: the same can be achieved with `:pu=`{normal}`system('date')`{vim}
      or, with fewer keystrokes `:r!date`{vim}

REFERENCE: [Expression Register](quote=)


# Lesson 2.1.4: THE NUMBERED REGISTERS

** Press `yy`{normal} and `dd`{normal} to witness their effect on the registers **

  1. Move the cursor to the line below marked ✓

  2. Yank the line starting with "0.", then inspect registers with `:reg`{vim} `<ENTER>`{normal}

  3. Delete line 0 with `"cdd`{normal}, then inspect registers
     (Where do you expect line 0 to be?)

  4. Continue deleting each successive line, inspecting `:reg`{vim} as you go

NOTE: You should notice that old full-line deletions move down the list
      as new full-line deletions are added

  5. Now (p)aste the following registers in order; c, 7, 4, 8, 2. i.e. `"7p`{normal}

0. This
9. wobble
8. secret
7. is
6. on
5. axis
4. a
3. war
2. message
1. tribute


NOTE: Whole line deletions (`dd`{normal}) are much longer lived in the
      numbered registers than whole line yanks, or deletions involving
      smaller movements

REFERENCE: [Numbered Registers](quote0)


# Lesson 2.1.5: SPECIAL REGISTERS

 ** Use system clipboard and blackhole registers for advanced editing **

 Note: Clipboard use requires a working clipboard provider for the current
       windowing system on Linux. Check with `:checkhealth vim.provider`{vim}
       and `:echo has('clipboard_working')`{vim}

  1. Clipboard registers `+`{normal} and `*`{normal} :
     - `"+y`{normal} - Yank to system clipboard (e.g. `"+yy`{normal} for current line)
     - `"+p`{normal} - Paste from system clipboard
     - `"*`{normal} is primary selection on X11 (middle-click), `"+`{normal} is clipboard

Try: "+yy then paste into another application with Ctrl-V or Cmd+V

  2. Blackhole register `_`{normal} discards text:
     - `"_daw`{normal} - Delete word without saving to any register
     - Useful when you don't want to overwrite your default `"`{normal} register
     - Note this is using the "a Word" text object, introduced in a previous
       lession
     - `"_dd`{normal}  - Delete line without saving
     - `"_dap`{normal} - Delete paragraph without saving
     - Combine with counts: `3"_dw`{normal}

Practice: "_diw on any word to delete it without affecting yank history

  3. Combine with visual selections:
     - Select text with V then `"+y`{normal}
     - To paste from clipboard in insert mode: `<CTRL-R>+`{normal}
     - Try opening another application and paste from clipboard

  4. Remember:
     - Clipboard registers work across different Vim instances
     - Clipboard register is not always working
     - Blackhole prevents accidental register overwrites
     - Default `"`{normal} register is still available for normal yank/paste
     - Named registers (a-z) remain private to each Vim session

  5. Clipboard troubleshooting:
     - Check support with `:echo has('clipboard_working')`{vim}
     - 1 means available, 0 means not
     - On Linux, may need xsel, xclip or wl-clipboard
       (check `:checkhealth vim.provider`{vim} result)


# Lesson 2.1.6: THE BEAUTY OF MARKS

** Code monkey arithmetic avoidance **

NOTE: a common conundrum when coding is moving around large chunks of code.
      The following technique helps avoid number line calculations associated
      with operations like `"a147d`{normal} or `:945,1091d a`{vim} or even worse
      using `i<CTRL-R>=`{normal}1091-945 `<ENTER>`{normal} first

  1. Move the cursor to the line below marked ✓

  2. Go to the first line of the function and mark it with `ma`{normal}

NOTE: exact position on line is NOT important!

  3. Navigate to the end of the line and then the end of the code block 
     with `$%`{normal}

  4. Delete the block into register a with `"ad'a`{normal}

**MNEMONIC**: *into register(") named (a) put the (d)eletion from the cursor to
          the LINE containing mark(') (a)*

  5. Paste the block between BBB and CCC `"ap`{normal}

NOTE: practice this operation multiple times to become fluent `ma$%"ad'a`{normal}

~~~ cmd
AAA
function itGotRealBigRealFast() {
  if ( somethingIsTrue ) {
    doIt()
  }
  // the taxonomy of our function has changed and it
  // no longer makes alphabetical sense in its current position

  // imagine hundreds of lines of code

  // naively you could navigate to the start and end and record or
  // remember each line number
}
BBB
CCC
~~~

NOTE: marks and registers do not share a namespace, therefore register a is
      completely independent of mark a. This is not true of registers and
      macros.

REFERENCE: [Marks](marks)
           [Mark Motions](mark-motions)  (difference between ' and \`)


# Lesson 2.1 SUMMARY

  1. Text objects provide precision editing:
     - `iw`{normal}/`aw`{normal} - inner/around word
     - `i[`{normal}/`a[`{normal} - inner/around bracket
     - `i"`{normal}/`a"`{normal} - inner/around quotes
     - `it`{normal}/`at`{normal} - inner/around tag
     - `ip`{normal}/`ap`{normal} - inner/around paragraph
     - `is`{normal}/`as`{normal} - inner/around sentence

  2. To store (yank, delete) text into, and retrieve (paste) from, a total of
     26 registers (a-z) 
  3. Yank a whole word from anywhere within a word: `yiw`{normal}
  4. Change a whole word from anywhere within a word: `ciw`{normal}
  5. Insert text directly from registers in insert mode: `<CTRL-R>a`{normal}

  6. Insert the results of simple arithmetic operations:
     `<CTRL-R>=`{normal}60\*60`<ENTER>`{normal} in insert mode
  7. Insert the results of system calls:
     `<CTRL-R>=`{normal}`system('ls -1')`{vim}`<ENTER>`{normal} in insert mode

  8. Inspect registers with `:reg`{vim}
  9. Learn the final destination of whole line deletions: `dd`{normal} in
     the numbered registers, i.e. descending from register 1 - 9.  Appreciate
     that whole line deletions are preserved in the numbered registers longer
     than any other operation
 10. Learn the final destination of all yanks in the numbered registers and
     how ephemeral they are

 11. Place marks from command mode `m[a-zA-Z0-9]`{normal}
 12. Move line-wise to a mark with `'`{normal}

 13. Special registers:
     - `"+`{normal}/`"*`{normal} - System clipboard (OS dependent)
     - `"_`{normal}    - Blackhole (discard deleted/yanked text)
     - `"=`{normal}    - Expression register
     - `"-`{normal}    - Small delete register


# CONCLUSION

  This concludes chapter two of the Vim Tutor. It is a work in progress.

  This chapter was written by Paul D. Parker and Christian Brabandt.

  Modified for vim-tutor-mode by Restorer.