Advanced Search & Replace in Vim

Beginnerv1.0.0

Master Vim's search and substitution commands — regex patterns, global commands, multi-file search, and interactive replace workflows for large-scale codebase edits.

Content

Overview

Vim's search and substitution system is one of the most powerful text manipulation tools available. From simple find-and-replace to complex regex transformations across entire projects, mastering :s and :g commands unlocks unmatched editing speed.

Why This Matters

-Codebase-wide refactoring without leaving the editor
-Pattern matching with regex for complex transformations
-Selective replacement with confirmation mode
-Batch operations with the global command

Core Commands

Basic Search

vim

/pattern        " Search forward
?pattern        " Search backward
n               " Next match
N               " Previous match
*               " Search word under cursor (forward)
#               " Search word under cursor (backward)

Substitution Basics

vim

:s/old/new/           " Replace first on current line
:s/old/new/g          " Replace all on current line
:%s/old/new/g         " Replace all in entire file
:%s/old/new/gc        " Replace all with confirmation
:10,50s/old/new/g     " Replace in line range
:'<,'>s/old/new/g     " Replace in visual selection

Regex Patterns

vim

" Capture groups
:%s/\(\w\+\)_\(\w\+\)/\2_\1/g    " Swap word_word

" Very magic mode (less escaping)
:%s/\v(\w+)_(\w+)/\2_\1/g          " Same, cleaner syntax

" Case conversion
:%s/\vuserName/user_name/g           " Literal replace
:%s/\v(\w)/\u\1/g                   " Capitalize first letter
:%s/\v<(\w)/\u\1/g                  " Capitalize word starts

" Lookahead/lookbehind
:%s/\v(TODO)@<=:/: FIXME:/g          " Replace : after TODO

The Global Command (:g)

vim

:g/pattern/command         " Run command on matching lines
:g/TODO/d                  " Delete all lines containing TODO
:g/^$/d                    " Delete all blank lines
:g/console\.log/d          " Remove all console.log lines
:g/^import/m 0             " Move all imports to top of file
:g!/pattern/d              " Delete lines NOT matching pattern
:g/error/t$                " Copy all error lines to end of file

Multi-File Search & Replace

vim

" Using argument list
:args **/*.ts
:argdo %s/oldFunc/newFunc/ge | update

" Using quickfix list (with ripgrep)
:grep! oldFunc **/*.ts
:cfdo %s/oldFunc/newFunc/ge | update

" Using Telescope + quickfix
" <leader>fg → search → <C-q> to send to quickfix → :cfdo

Best Practices

-Use \v (very magic) for cleaner regex — fewer backslashes
-Add c flag for confirmation on destructive replacements
-Use e flag to suppress "pattern not found" errors in batch operations
-Preview with :s without flags to see what matches on current line
-Combine :g with :s for targeted substitutions
-Use :cfdo for project-wide changes with ripgrep integration

Common Mistakes

-Forgetting the g flag (only replaces first match per line)
-Not escaping special regex characters in non-very-magic mode
-Running :%s on the wrong buffer without checking first
-Not using c flag for safety on unfamiliar patterns
-Using :%s when :g would be cleaner for line-level operations

FAQ

Discussion

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Core Commands

Basic Search

vim

/pattern        " Search forward
?pattern        " Search backward
n               " Next match
N               " Previous match
*               " Search word under cursor (forward)
#               " Search word under cursor (backward)

Substitution Basics

vim

:s/old/new/           " Replace first on current line
:s/old/new/g          " Replace all on current line
:%s/old/new/g         " Replace all in entire file
:%s/old/new/gc        " Replace all with confirmation
:10,50s/old/new/g     " Replace in line range
:'<,'>s/old/new/g     " Replace in visual selection

Regex Patterns

vim

" Capture groups
:%s/\(\w\+\)_\(\w\+\)/\2_\1/g    " Swap word_word

" Very magic mode (less escaping)
:%s/\v(\w+)_(\w+)/\2_\1/g          " Same, cleaner syntax

" Case conversion
:%s/\vuserName/user_name/g           " Literal replace
:%s/\v(\w)/\u\1/g                   " Capitalize first letter
:%s/\v<(\w)/\u\1/g                  " Capitalize word starts

" Lookahead/lookbehind
:%s/\v(TODO)@<=:/: FIXME:/g          " Replace : after TODO

The Global Command (:g)

vim

:g/pattern/command         " Run command on matching lines
:g/TODO/d                  " Delete all lines containing TODO
:g/^$/d                    " Delete all blank lines
:g/console\.log/d          " Remove all console.log lines
:g/^import/m 0             " Move all imports to top of file
:g!/pattern/d              " Delete lines NOT matching pattern
:g/error/t$                " Copy all error lines to end of file

Multi-File Search & Replace

vim

" Using argument list
:args **/*.ts
:argdo %s/oldFunc/newFunc/ge | update

" Using quickfix list (with ripgrep)
:grep! oldFunc **/*.ts
:cfdo %s/oldFunc/newFunc/ge | update

" Using Telescope + quickfix
" <leader>fg → search → <C-q> to send to quickfix → :cfdo

Best Practices

-Use \v (very magic) for cleaner regex — fewer backslashes

-Add c flag for confirmation on destructive replacements

-Use e flag to suppress "pattern not found" errors in batch operations

-Preview with :s without flags to see what matches on current line

-Combine :g with :s for targeted substitutions

-Use :cfdo for project-wide changes with ripgrep integration