Ask Experienced Devs

1232 readers

1 users here now

Icon base by Delapouite under CC BY 3.0 with modifications to add a gradient

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

Users of Vim and similars, what exactly makes it useful compared to other text editors? How much time do you suppose you save when working with it? (programming.dev)

submitted 3 months ago by ICastFist@programming.dev to c/ask_experienced_devs@programming.dev

72 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'd like actual examples instead of "I work faster", something like "I can move straight to the middle of the file with 7mv" or "I can keep 4 different text snippets in memory and paste each with a number+pt, like 2pt", things that you actually use somewhat frequently instead of what you can do, but probably only did once.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Better: you can record entire editing sentences and replay them. Ever had to make the same change on dozens of lines? Now you can do it in seconds.

I think my first experience with that kind of macro recording/replay was with Dwarf Fortress, of all things.

[–] Balinares@pawb.social 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I had no idea DF had macros but it makes so much sense.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

CTRL R starts recording the inputs, press again to stop. CTRL P plays it. Makes digging magma shafts through several floors, then setting up the pumps, so much easier

[–] Kalothar@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 months ago

I didn’t know this and tried to record on my keyboard a macro, and DF blocked me when I tried to use my keyboards built in macro keys. I guess that makes sense.