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Windows, Tabs, Buffers, etc.

Some Notions

  • A buffer is the in-memory text of a file.

    A buffer can be in one of three states:

    1. active: The buffer is displayed in a window.

    2. hidden: The buffer is not displayed.

    3. inactive: The buffer is not displayed and does not contain anything.

  • A window is a viewport on a buffer.

  • A tab page is a collection of windows.

Commands and notes about buffers

  • :buffers (or :ls) lists all the buffers

    If you want to see the hidden ones, you can use :ls! instead.

  • Some navigation commands:

    :bnext  (or :bn)
:bprev  (or :bp)
:bfirst (or :bf)
:blast  (or :bl)

  • :bufdo: run an operation across all buffers

  • :bd! or :bd! N: to force-delete a buffer

  • choosing a buffer (the following are all legal)

    # N denotes the buffer name or buffer number
bN
Nb
b N
Nb
buffer N
...

  • You can use | to execute multiple commands at one go.

    • :w | bd: save and close the current buffer
    • :wa | bd: save changes to all buffers and close only the current buffer.
    • :3b | w | bd: Save a specifc buffer, then delete it (the window will also automatically close)

    NOTE: there is no such commands to "save changes to a buffer without jumping to it". You might think of :w <buffer-name/number>, but that actually means something very different and is in fact rarely used.

Switch to a buffer in a new window:

:sbuffer <buffer-number/name> # Split the window and open the buffer
:sb <buffer-number/name>
:vertical sbuffer <buffer-number/name> # Split the window and open the buffer in vertical split
:vert sb <buffer-number/name>

Distinction between commands for buffers and windows

1. Only Close the Window

<C-w>c
:close

2. Other cases

:bd # You can specify the buffer, but it's optional.
It will delete the buffer, and the window (or multiple windows) showing that buffer will automatically close!

:q
If this is the last window, it closes the window and deletes the buffer. Otherwise, it only closes the window.

Vim split window keyboard shortcuts

For more information on Using Split Windows With Vim, please consult this page from Linux Handbook. blog link

Action Keyboard Shortcut Description
Horizontal split :split or :sp Splits window horizontally
Vertical split :vsplit or :vs Splits window vertically
Close current window :q or :close Closes the active window
Close all except current :only or :on Closes all windows except active one
Navigate between windows Ctrl-w + h/j/k/l Move to left/down/up/right window
Navigate between windows Ctrl-w + Ctrl-w Cycle through all windows
Resize horizontally Ctrl-w + < or > Decrease/increase width
Resize vertically Ctrl-w + - or + Decrease/increase height
Equal size windows Ctrl-w + = Make all windows equal size
Maximize height Ctrl-w + _ Maximize current window height
Maximize width Ctrl-w + | Maximize current window width
Move window Ctrl-w + r Rotate windows
Swap with next window Ctrl-w + x Exchange with next window

Creating Split Windows

You can specify the filename, or Vim will show the current file in both windows. 

:split filename (or :sp filename)
:vsplit filename (or :vs filename)

  • Use :set splitbelow to open the new windows below the current one. (By default, the windows are opened above the current window.)

  • Use :set splitright to open the new windows on the right. (By default, the windows are opened on the left of the current window.)

Resizing split windows

For faster resizing, prefix commands with a number:

10 <C-w> + # Increase height by 10 lines
We can also create splits with specific dimensions by adding a number before the command. 
:10split # create a horizontal split with 10 lines of height
:30vsplit # create a vertical split that's 30 characters wide

  • <C-w>w: Cycle forward through all windows
  • <C-w>W: Cycle backword through all windows

Moving and rearraging Windows

<C-w>r # Rotate windows downward/rightward
<C-w>R # Rotate windows upward/leftward
<C-w>x # Exchange current window with the next one

<C-w>H # Move current window to far left
<C-w>J # Move current window to very bottom
<C-w>K # Move current window to very top
<C-w>L # Move current window to far right

<C-w>c # Close the current window (safe alternative to :q)

Few random but useful tips

Add terminal in the mix

  • :sp | terminal opens a horizontal split with a terminal
  • :vs | terminal opens a vertical split with a terminal

Start split with Vim

# Open two files in horizontal splits
vim -o file1 file2

# Open two files in vertical splits
vim -O file1 file2

# Open three files in horizontal splits
vim -o3 file1 file2 file3
# the number after O/o specifies the number of windows that Vim will open, 
# and it doesn't have to be the same as the number of files!

File explorer in split windows

You can open Vim's built-in file explorer (netrw) in a split.

:Sexplorer # Open file explorer in horizontal split
:Vexplorer # Open file explorer in vertical split

Close all the split windows and exit Vim

:qa

Terminal Mode Basics

  • When you open a terminal in Vim, you enter Terminal-Job mode. Then you press i, a, etc. to enter Terminal-Insert mode to type into the terminal.

  • To leave Terminal-Insert mode, press <C-\><C-n>