How to repeat substitution on the consequent lines?

Question

Say I want to fix a mistake in the following php code:

$line1 = intval($line[$1]);
$line2 = intval($line[$2]);
$line3 = intval($line[$3]);

and do substitution on the first line with:

:s/\$\(\d\)/\1/
# getting the line fixed:  
$line1 = intval($line[1]);

I know that on the current line I can repeat the substitution command with & or :@: commands, but is it a command I can do perform repetition of substitution on the consequent two lines, hence specify an address range for the repetition?

Answer 1

I would do:

:2,3s

If you don't specify a search pattern or a replace string the previous one is used.

Answer 2

You should have provided a :help :range to :help :s in the first place:

:.,+2s/\$\(\d\)/\1/

Anyway, you can use :help :&, here, which also takes a range:

:.+,.+2&

where:

• the range starts at the line below the current line, .+
• and ends two lines below the current line, .+2

or:

:.+;.,.+&

where:

• the line below becomes "current", .+;
• the range starts at that current line, .,
• and ends on the line below, .+.

Note that the current line is assumed by default to the period is optional:

:,+2s/\$\(\d\)/\1/
:+,+2&
:+;,+&

Answer 3

I use the following (sensible) Visual-mode mapping for &:

xnoremap & :&&<cr>

(Note that the duplicate :&& preserves flags, too; I actually also have :nnoremap & :&&<cr>.)

So vj& or similar would work with this mapping. For an Ex command the ranges in other answers are to be preferred (though sometimes it is faster to type vj: or similar to create the range if the command does not have an operator counterpart).

Answer 4

When I find myself with a command to repeat that may not lend itself to easy repetition... I resort to macros, and I typically use the "q register for these quick macro situations: qq

The macro would consist of the following :

• colon to enter command mode
• maybe with one or two characters of the command I want so arrowing up is efficient.
• arrow up to the command and press enter
• move down one line

(then another q to stop recording)

On my mac VIM that recorded into: :s/<80>ku^Mj (:reg to view register contents)

(I think the "<80>ku" corresponds with the up-arrow)

Then once recorded, I would use a repeat to execute it on how many ever subsequent lines you have: 2@q or 50@q