Deleting Mappings, Special Characters, and Mapping vs. Abbreviations in Vim

are now editing the first file. Define this mapping: > :map ,, :s/5.1/5.2/<CR>:wnext<CR>,, Now you type ",,". This triggers the mapping. It replaces "5.1" with "5.2" in the first line. Then it does a ":wnext" to write the file and edit the next one. The mapping ends in ",,". This triggers the same mapping again, thus doing the substitution, etc. This continues until there is an error. In this case it could be a file where the substitute command doesn't find a match for "5.1". You can then make a change to insert "5.1" and continue by typing ",," again. Or the ":wnext" fails, because you are in the last file in the list. When a mapping runs into an error halfway, the rest of the mapping is discarded. CTRL-C interrupts the mapping (CTRL-Break on MS-Windows). DELETE A MAPPING To remove a mapping use the ":unmap" command. Again, the mode the unmapping applies to depends on the command used: :unmap Normal, Visual and Operator-pending :vunmap Visual :nunmap Normal :ounmap Operator-pending :unmap! Insert and Command-line :iunmap Insert :cunmap Command-line There is a trick to define a mapping that works in Normal and Operator-pending mode, but not in Visual mode. First define it for all three modes, then delete it for Visual mode: > :map <C-A> /---><CR> :vunmap <C-A> Notice that the five characters "<C-A>" stand for the single key CTRL-A. To remove all mappings use the |:mapclear| command. You can guess the variations for different modes by now. Be careful with this command, it can't be undone. SPECIAL CHARACTERS The ":map" command can be followed by another command. A | character separates the two commands. This also means that a | character can't be used inside a map command. To include one, use <Bar> (five characters). Example: > :map <F8> :write <Bar> !checkin %:S<CR> The same problem applies to the ":unmap" command, with the addition that you have to watch out for trailing white space. These two commands are different: > :unmap a | unmap b :unmap a| unmap b The first command tries to unmap "a ", with a trailing space. When using a space inside a mapping, use <Space> (seven characters): > :map <Space> W This makes the spacebar move a blank-separated word forward. It is not possible to put a comment directly after a mapping, because the " character is considered to be part of the mapping. You can use `|"`, this starts a new, empty command with a comment. Example: > :map <Space> W| " Use spacebar to move forward a word MAPPINGS AND ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations are a lot like Insert mode mappings. The arguments are handled in the same way. The main difference is the way they are triggered. An abbreviation is triggered by typing a non-word character after the word. A mapping is triggered when typing the last character. Another difference is that the characters you type for an abbreviation are inserted in the text while you type them. When the abbreviation is triggered these characters are deleted and replaced by what the abbreviation produces. When typing the characters for a mapping, nothing is inserted until you type the last character that triggers it. If the 'showcmd' option is set, the typed characters are displayed in the last line of the Vim window. An exception is when a mapping is ambiguous. Suppose you have done two mappings: > :imap aa foo :imap aaa bar Now, when you type "aa", Vim doesn't know if it should apply the first or the second mapping. It waits for another character to be typed. If it is an "a", the second mapping is applied and results in "bar". If it is a space, for example, the first mapping is applied, resulting in "foo", and then the space is inserted. ADDITIONALLY... The <script> keyword can be used to make a mapping local to a script. See |:map-<script>|. The <buffer> keyword can be used to make a mapping local to a specific buffer. See |:map-<buffer>| The <unique> keyword can be used to make defining a new

This section covers deleting mappings using `:unmap` for different modes and provides a trick to define mappings that work in Normal and Operator-pending modes but not in Visual mode. It also explains how to use special characters like `<Bar>` for the `|` character and `<Space>` for spaces within mappings. The section distinguishes mappings from abbreviations, highlighting differences in how they are triggered and handled during typing. It also notes the use of `<script>` and `<buffer>` keywords.