Copying Text Between Files and Using Registers in Vim

KEEPING THE ORIGINAL FILE If you are editing source files, you might want to keep the file before you make any changes. But the backup file will be overwritten each time you write the file. Thus it only contains the previous version, not the first one. To make Vim keep the original file, set the 'patchmode' option. This specifies the extension used for the first backup of a changed file. Usually you would do this: > :set patchmode=.orig When you now edit the file data.txt for the first time, make changes and write the file, Vim will keep a copy of the unchanged file under the name "data.txt.orig". If you make further changes to the file, Vim will notice that "data.txt.orig" already exists and leave it alone. Further backup files will then be called "data.txt~" (or whatever you specified with 'backupext'). If you leave 'patchmode' empty (that is the default), the original file will not be kept. ============================================================================== *07.5* Copy text between files This explains how to copy text from one file to another. Let's start with a simple example. Edit the file that contains the text you want to copy. Move the cursor to the start of the text and press "v". This starts Visual mode. Now move the cursor to the end of the text and press "y". This yanks (copies) the selected text. To copy the above paragraph, you would do: > :edit thisfile /This vjjjj$y Now edit the file you want to put the text in. Move the cursor to the character where you want the text to appear after. Use "p" to put the text there. > :edit otherfile /There p Of course you can use many other commands to yank the text. For example, to select whole lines start Visual mode with "V". Or use CTRL-V to select a rectangular block. Or use "yy" to yank a single line, "yaw" to yank-a-word, etc. The "p" command puts the text after the cursor. Use "P" to put the text before the cursor. Notice that Vim remembers if you yanked a whole line or a block, and puts it back that way. USING REGISTERS When you want to copy several pieces of text from one file to another, having to switch between the files and writing the target file takes a lot of time. To avoid this, copy each piece of text to its own register. A register is a place where Vim stores text. Here we will use the registers named a to z (later you will find out there are others). Let's copy a sentence to the f register (f for First): > "fyas The "yas" command yanks a sentence like before. It's the "f that tells Vim the text should be placed in the f register. This must come just before the yank command. Now yank three whole lines to the l register (l for line): > "l3yy The count could be before the "l just as well. To yank a block of text to the b (for block) register: > CTRL-Vjjww"by Notice that the register specification "b is just before the "y" command. This is required. If you would have put it before the "w" command, it would not have worked. Now you have three pieces of text in the f, l and b registers. Edit another file, move around and place the text where you want it: > "fp Again, the register specification "f comes before the "p" command. You can put the registers in any order. And the text stays in the register until you yank something else into it. Thus you can put it as many times as you like. When you delete text, you can also specify a register.

This section explains how to copy text between files in Vim using visual mode and the yank (y) and put (p/P) commands. It details the process of selecting text, yanking it, switching to another file, and putting the text before or after the cursor. The section further introduces the concept of registers (a to z) as storage locations for multiple pieces of text. It shows how to yank text into a specific register (e.g., "fyas) and put the contents of that register into another file (e.g., "fp).