Now that we have seen the basics of search and replace, lets take a look at some of the flags that can be used to modify the search and replace behavior.
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
g |
Replace all occurrences of the specified pattern in each line. |
i |
Ignore case |
I |
Don't ignore case |
n |
Report the number of matches. Does not replace text. |
c |
Confirm each substitution. |
g
By default Vim will execute one substitution per line. When the g flag is present all matches in
will be replaced in each line.
i and I
These override the configuration settings for ignorecase and smartcase for the current
search and replacement.
n
Do not execute the substitution, but report the number of substitutions that would have been made. This can be useful as a dry-run before actually executing a replacement.
c
When the c flag is present, Vim will execute the search and replace, then ask you to confirm each
replacement before committing it.
| Response | Description |
|---|---|
y |
Accept the current substitution |
l |
Accept the current substitution as the last substitution. |
n |
Decline the current substitution and proceed to the next. |
<Esc> |
Quit, declining any remaining unaccepted substitutions. |
a |
Accept the current any remaining substitutions. |
q |
Quit, declining any remaining substitutions. |
CTRL-E |
Scroll the screen up |
CTRL-Y |
Scroll the screen down |