Unlock Vim Anywhere: Edit Text in Any Linux App with Vim‑anywhere

Vim is a powerful editor but its steep learning curve can be a hurdle; Vim‑anywhere provides a simple script that lets you invoke Vim in any Linux environment, edit text, and have the result automatically placed in the clipboard.

Install Vim‑anywhere

Make sure the following dependencies are installed: curl, git, gVim, and xclip. On Ubuntu you can install them with: sudo apt install curl git vim-gnome xclip Then install Vim‑anywhere by running:

curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/cknadler/vim-anywhere/master/install | bash

Vim‑anywhere is now installed. Press Ctrl+Alt+V to open gVim, edit your text, and exit with :wq; the text will be available in the clipboard until the system is rebooted.

You can also use Vim‑anywhere to edit web forms or other applications; the temporary file is stored in /tmp/vim‑anywhere and persists until reboot.

Update Vim‑anywhere

Run the following command to update:

~/.vim‑anywhere/update

Change Shortcut

The default shortcut is Ctrl+Alt+V . You can change it with gconftool:

gconftool -t str --set /desktop/gnome/keybindings/vim‑anywhere/binding <custom binding>

Uninstall Vim‑anywhere

If you no longer need the tool, uninstall it with:

~/.vim‑anywhere/uninstall

Edit Multiple Files Simultaneously

Open two files at once: vim file1.txt file2.txt Switch to the next file with :n and back with :N. Save changes using ZZ (two capital Zs) or discard with :N!. View open buffers with :buffers and switch using :buffer N.

Open additional files with :e filename.txt and copy lines between files using yy to yank and p to paste after switching buffers. :r file1.txt The :r command reads the content of another file into the current buffer. After editing, save with :wq or ZZ.

Open Files in Split Windows

Use the -o flag for horizontal splits or -O for vertical splits:

vim -o file1.txt file2.txt

vim -O file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

Switch windows with Ctrl+w w or use Ctrl+w k/j for vertical splits and Ctrl+w h/l for horizontal splits.

All commands and techniques described above are also documented in the Vim manual ( man vim).