map Vim 冒号搜索和替换命令如何仅与视觉选择一起使用？

Question

Sometimes I want to replace some text in multiple lines but not in the whole line, so I toggle visual mode on and highlight the text I want to replace. But then, I need to add this annoying \%V that I always forget for it to replace the text just in the selection and not in the whole line

:'<, '>s/\%Vold/new/g

Is there a way to map the normal replace command

:'<, '>s/old/new/g

To the one shown above so that I don't need to remember that V every time?

Thank you

I tried using cmap command in the vimrc file in the following way:

cmap '<, '>s/* '<, '>s/\%V*

But this of course doesn't work, because instead of the asterisk I should input the text I want to search and replace to end the search and replace command.

Answer 1

There are three basic parts to a mapping:

• the mapping command,
• the "left-hand side" (LHS),
• and the "right-hand side" (RHS).

The LHS is the key sequence/combination that you want to press and the RHS is a different key sequence that you want Vim to "press" instead of those in the LHS. You "map" one key sequence to another.

The RHS is, fundamentally, a macro: a sequence of keystrokes, "just" like if you pressed them yourself but without any delay between them. So, the RHS is really just a bunch of keystrokes you are tired of making over and over again.

The main use of mappings is to reduce repetitiveness. You figure that you often press the imaginary sequence sdlusdrosydtsodsd and you map it all to <F5> to be more efficient.

In this case…

• The current mode is visual mode so the mapping has to be a visual mode mapping.

  This makes :xmap or :xnoremap the proper mapping command . Let's make it :xnoremap .

• The repetitive key sequence you want to abstract away is:

   :s/\%V

  That's your RHS .

  (Note that the range '<,'> is automatically inserted for you so it can be ignored.)

• The key sequence you want to press instead is, let's say… <F5> .

  That's your LHS .

Now that you have your mapping command, your LHS, and your RHS, building the mapping is extremely easy:

:xnoremap <F5> :s/\%V