To search and replace in VI, you have to use the “substitute” command, which looks like this: [range]s/[search_string]/[replacement_string]/[options] Examples To search and replace all occurrences of OLD with NEW, type: :%s/OLD/NEW/g To search and replace all occurrences of OLD with NEW and ask for confirmation with each substitution, type: :%s/OLD/NEW/gc To search and replace all [...]

To change VIM’s current working directory, type: :cd NEW_DIRECTORY To display the current working directory, type: :pwd To change the working directory to that of the file that is open at the moment, type: :cd %:h

I find vim’s matching parenthesis highlighting feature useful, but the default colors drive me nuts! It highlights the matching brace/bracket so vividly, I keep on getting confused with the cursor position! Here are a few solutions to this annoyance. Change the matching parenthesis font color and/or text-style To customize the font color, background color and/or [...]

This is a quick tip for Linux/UNIX users who are familiar with the vi editor. Here’s how to remove those annoying ^M characters, that show up at the end of lines, in files that were created or modified in DOS/Windows. Open the file using vi, and type: :%s/[CTRL+v][CTRL+m]//g The [CTRL+v][CTRL+m] means holding down the CTRL [...]