# Vim Replace Visual Star --- cover: /static/vim-replace-visual-star-xmas2020.png cover_image: https://waylonwalker.com//static/vim-replace-visual-star.png published: true status: published tags: - vim - linux - bash templateKey: blog-post title: Vim Replace Visual Star --- Replacing text based on what's in the current search register is a quite handy tool that I use often. I believe I picked this tip up from Nic Janetakis, check out his YouTube channel for some amazing vim tips. %[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP_ckZ30gbs&feature=emb_title] If there is one thing that I Like most about vim it's the ability to hack on it and make it work well for you. ## Replacing text in vim Vim can often be a bit verbose, but that's ok because we can hack on it, and make our own shortcuts and keybindings. For instance, finding and replacing text requires using a command at the vim command-line `:`. Replacing foo with bar looks like this `:%s/foo/bar/g`, the final g means all of the foos, not just the first one on the line. ## making it better I have a keybinding in my `init.vim` that will allow me to search for a pattern with the usual `/` character, page through them as normal with `n` and `N`, but when I press `` it will populate the replace command for me so that all I need to do is type out the new text. ``` vim nnoremap :%s////g ``` ## Note on the `/` In command mode `:` vim allows you to paste any text from any register into the current command. The `/` will paste the text from the current search register into the command. `` in command mode can paste text from any register, you can see what registers are in use with the `:reg` command. There are a lot of them and many get populated automatically as you yank text or create macros. > Also see how to use to save macros to key bindings easily

Save Vim Macro

If you are like me, you have created a macro or two that is pure glory, and you forget how you made it after a day or so