Is it possible to chain multiple ex commands together with a single range?

Question

I often want to move and indent code at the same time. Is it possible to do the following.

Original text:

1: var x = foo();
2: bar(x);

Desired text:

1: setTimeout(function(){
2:     var x = foo();
3:     bar(x);
4: });

Working keystrokes:

1. Place the cursor on line 1.
2. Type O (insert text on the line above) and type the two lines setTimeout(function(){ and });. Press escape to exit insert mode.
3. Type 3,4> | 3,4m1.

Is it possible to condense step 3 into something like the following:

3,4>m1

Answer 1

Short answer: no.

You can use the :global command to pick some lines to operate on, and then give a sequence of commands to operate on those selected lines:

:3,4 g/^/ > | m1

We're only interested in the range, but :g also wants a pattern. So in this case we'll just use /^/ which will always match in a line.

This however moves each line in sequence which reverses the order of the moved lines. A simple way to rectify this is to mark the last inserted line (line 2 at this point) before you start the :global and move the indented lines before it:

:k x | 3,4 g/^/ > | m 'x-

Or you could shift each line up by 2, provided you know you've inserted exactly 2 new lines:

:3,4 g/^/ > | m-2

That's hardly a condensing of the original command but shows the general principle.

Another option is to indent your lines, and then use the '[ and '] marks, which delimit previously changed text:

:3,4> | '[,']m1

This still isn't a condensing, but for more complicated ranges it may be worth the effort, and might be your best bet. But maybe for simple edits do the simple thing.

Finally: I guess we're talking about general principles here. But in this particular case, after your step #2, the Normal mode commands dd>jjp would also achieve the same result.