[SOLVED] How a select a portion of a line using Visual mode ?

techie_san778 · 08-23-2015, 02:29 AM

Hello Friends,

I have a problem in selecting a portion of a line
using Visual Mode in VI editor.

Let's say i have the following text :

Once upon a time there was a king
in the far lands of Africa..

Now i want to select "there was a king" using Visual Mode. How to select, copy and paste in the desired position ?
If it is not possible in Visual mode but possible in any other mode, please suggest me.

Thanks..

astrogeek · 08-23-2015, 02:42 AM

Do it in command mode...

1. Place cursor over the first letter you want to copy
2. Tap the "v" key, then move cursor to last letter you want to copy
3. Tap "y" key
4. Move cursor to the place where you want to paste it, tap "p" key

techie_san778 · 08-23-2015, 02:47 AM

Thanks astrogeek, your suggestion worked.. What if i had to select multiple (group of) lines,
(say line 32 to 34) ?

astrogeek · 08-23-2015, 02:59 AM

You are welcome!

Easiest way is same as before - place cursor at first of first line, tap "v", move cursor down to end of last line, tap "y", then position and tap "p" to paste.

You could also select by line number

Code:

:32,34y

then new position and...

p

You probably have a built-in tutorial for Vim on most distros that will cover these basic moves and many more. Type vimtutor from a shell prompt, it is a really good introduction to vim.

techie_san778 · 08-25-2015, 05:39 AM

Thanks astrogeek again for your valuable reply..