[Chapter 30] 30.32 Using vi Abbreviations as Commands (Cut and Paste Between vi's)
Author: Jerry Peek, Tim O'Reilly & Mike Loukides
Date: 1998-08-04T21:45:52Z

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| Chapter 30 vi Tips and Tricks |

## 30.32 Using vi Abbreviations as Commands (Cut and Paste Between vi's)

The vi command `ab` (30.31) is for abbreviating words. But it's also good for abbreviating ex-mode commands that you type over and over. In fact, for ex-mode commands (commands that start with a colon (`:`)), abbreviations can be better than keymaps (31.2). That's because you can choose almost any command name; you don't have to worry about conflicts with existing vi commands.

Here's an example. If you have a windowing terminal or have more than one terminal, you might have vi sessions running in more than one place. Your system might have a way to transfer text between windows, but it can be easier to use files in /tmp (21.2)- especially for handling lots of text. Here are some abbreviations from my .exrc (4.9) file:

>     ab aW w! /tmp/jerry.temp.a
>     ab aR r /tmp/jerry.temp.a
>     ab bW w! /tmp/jerry.temp.b
>     ab bR r /tmp/jerry.temp.b
>        ...

I use those abbreviations this way. To write the current and next 45 lines to temporary file a, I type this command in one vi session:

>     :.,+45 aW

To read those saved lines into another vi session, I use:

>     :aR

You can do the same thing in a single vi session by using named buffers (30.5), but temporary files are the only method that works between two separate vi sessions.

- JP

30.31 vi Word Abbreviation |  | 30.33 Fixing Typos with vi Abbreviations