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vim-tips-and-tricks
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   | **Source:**
     https://foxhop.net/f33d4f88-2f95-11f1-821d-e86a64d24d78/vim-tips-and-tricks
   | **Snapshot:** 2026-09-14T11:10:42Z
   | **Generator:** Remarkbox ``695de26``

   *This is a thread snapshot. The living document lives at the source
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Vim Tips and Tricks
===================

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As I learn more about vim, I plan to document the tips and tricks I
learn here.

how to set tab to 4 spaces in vim
---------------------------------

Add the following into your .vimrc file:

::

   set tabstop=4
   set shiftwidth=4
   set expandtab

how to set replace all tabs with a space
----------------------------------------

::

   :%s/\t/ /g

how to highlight spelling errors
--------------------------------

::

   set spell spelllang=en_us

vimdiff or hg merge
-------------------

This is a list of some common commands when using vimdiff:

ctrl w (twice)
   switch windows

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do
   diff obtain, take the other window's differences. Pull the change.

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dp
   diff put, give the other window our differences. Push the change.

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[c
   move focus to previous difference.

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]c
   move focus to next difference.

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:diffupdate
   diff update

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:diffget <window number>
   get changes from specified window number and place them into current
   window.

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:diffput <window number>
   put changes from current window into specified window number.

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zo
   open folded text

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zc
   close folded text

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bgolemon — `Mar 27, 2011 10:05 am <https://foxhop.net/f33d4f88-2f95-11f1-821d-e86a64d24d78/vim-tips-and-tricks#f49ae6f5-2f95-11f1-a479-e86a64d24d78>`__
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You should take a look at my vimrc
``here <http://bukzor.hopto.org/hgroot/home/file/c0078b4417f2/.vimrc>``\ \_.
It solves some common annoyances without changing the way vim works
much.

--------------

| **Source:**
  https://foxhop.net/f33d4f88-2f95-11f1-821d-e86a64d24d78/vim-tips-and-tricks
| **Snapshot:** 2026-09-14T11:10:42Z
| **Generator:** Remarkbox ``695de26``