Paste buffer/clipboard into brand new file?

Question

I am breaking apart some files, and I'd like to paste what I cut into a brand new file, which I specify the name of. Something like:

:c file-that-doesnt-exist.txt

Where c is a key command.

Edit I've found :e, but that just takes me to a new buffer with the same clipboard. I would just like to magically dump the clipboard into a new file and continue editing the original file, without seeing a new buffer.

Answer 1

A fast way, working on entire lines, is to visually select the lines to move (V ...), then:

:'<,'>write! >> the_other_file.txt

... where '<,'> is automatically appended by Vim after you press :. This will append the range to that file, creating it if it doesn't exist. Then, a gv in normal mode will reselect the range, so you can easily delete it (d).

Then, it's even easier - select another range (V ...), hit : to open command-line, Ctrl-P to bring back the last command, Enter to copy the lines ¹. Then gvd to delete them locally; rinse and repeat.

Alternatively, you could "cut" to a named register by appending to it (using the capital letter), e.g. on first text selection to cut: "ad, then (repeatedly): "Ad (on other selected text). At the end, edit the new file and paste from that register ("ap).

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^{1Even better, use @: to repeat the last command (as Karl Yngve Lervåg suggests in the 1st comment below).}

Answer 2

An alternative is, assuming you want to store register a:

sp +0put\ a c:\temp\split.txt

Alternatively, you can use :e or :tabedit or even :new if you want a new unnamed buffer.

See the help

:h :put
:h +cmd
:h :new
:h :split_f