From watts@cs.scarolina.edu (Chris Watts)
Subject: VI:  Repeating a command.
Date: 20 Jul 93 16:00:04 GMT

Please tell there is a way in VI to do this!  Let's say I want to move
lines 30 - 50 back 3 spaces. How would I do this.  Or another question
is if I perform an operation on one line, how can I perform the same
operation on multiple lines.  Thanks.
				Chris Watts
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
watts@cs.scarolina.edu


From lange@obelix.pcs.dec.com (Ralf Lange Digital-PCS GmbH)
Subject: Re: VI:  Repeating a command.
Reply-To: lange@obelix.pcs.dec.com (Ralf Lange Digital-PCS GmbH)
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1993 06:08:36 GMT


move back lines 30 - 50 3 spaces:
:30,50!expand
:30,50s/^   //

the first command changes all tab characters to spaces.
The second command kills 3 spaces from the beginning
of every line. If your tab is set to three there is an
easier way:
type '30G' in command mode to goto line 30 and then '21<<'
to shift the current and the next 20 lines to the left.
An alternative would be:
:20,30<<

to perform the same operation on multiple lines:

this depends on what you did to change the first line.
If you used the substitute command, just give another
line range to perform the same substitution to other lines.

EXAMPLE:
:s/.*/\L&/

changes the current line to lower case characters.

Then
:20,50s
:'a,.s
:/Hi there/,$s
will do the same substitution from
line 20 to line 50
mark 'a' up to the current line
the next occurence of 'Hi there' to the end of the file.



From hansm@wsinti06.info.win.tue.nl (Hans Mulder)
Subject: Re: VI: Repeating a command.
Date: 21 Jul 1993 14:29:47 +0200

In <watts.743184004@walnut.cs.scarolina.edu> watts@cs.scarolina.edu (Chris Watts) writes:

>Please tell there is a way in VI to do this!  Let's say I want to move
>lines 30 - 50 back 3 spaces. How would I do this.

If those lines all begin with spaces (not tabs), then

:30,50s/^   /

would do the trick.  If you've :set shiftwidth=3, then

:30,50<

would work even if there are tabs.  In practice, you'd be more likely
to use something like 21<< or <% or <50G or <]] or <`x or whatever.

>Or another question
>is if I perform an operation on one line, how can I perform the same
>operation on multiple lines.

If it's a single vi mode command, then typing a period (.) performs the
same operation on the current cursor position.

If it's a :s/// command, then ampersand (&) does the same substitution
on the current line.  There's also :30,50& to do the substitution on
those lines (and there's :30,50&g if you want to change all occurrences
of your pattern, rather than only the leftmost one).

There's also :g/pattern/ex-mode-commands to do some ex mode commands on
selected lines.

Or you could create a macro, by typing :map v vi-mode-commands.

It depends.

HansM


From carlj@cyclone.bt.co.uk (Carl Johnson)
Subject: Re: VI:  Repeating a command.
Date: 21 Jul 1993 08:19:22 GMT
Reply-To: carlj@cyclone.bt.co.uk


Chris Watts (watts@cs.scarolina.edu) wrote:
: Please tell there is a way in VI to do th