[Mirrored from http://www.iol.ie/~padraiga/vim.tips, with thanks to 
Padraig Brady.]



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                 Essential VIM
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If you have the X Window System and are transitioning from Windows, I would
recommend nedit instead of vim; alternatively you could use gvim,
which is the graphics mode version of vim, which is easier to use.
If you're stuck with text mode access, then vim is probably the best
alternative, so you need this info (all of which applies to gvim also).

vim file +54  opens file and positions cursor on line 54

Insert      enter insert mode (so you can start typing)
Esc         leave insert mode (so you can issue commands)
            Note in VIM the cursor keys & {Home,End,Page{up,down}} and Delete
            and Backspace work as expected in any mode, so you don't need
            to go back to command mode nearly as much as the origonal vi.

Note most commands take an optional number (of times to run) on front
(e.g. 3. repeats the last action 3 times, or 3w moves forward 3 words etc.).

:command     runs named command, e.g :help

:e file      opens the file for editing
:n           when multiple files open, this moves to next file
:prev        when multiple files open, this moves to prev file
:w           save file
:w filename  save file as filename
:q           exit

u            undo
CTRL+r       redo
.            repeat

gg           Goto start of file
G            Goto end of file
:54          Goto line 54
80|          Goto column 80
CTRL+g       Show file info (including your position in the file)
w            Goto next word
b            Goto previous word
[{           Goto previous { of current scope
%            Goto matching #if #else,{},(),[],/* */ (must be one on line)

v            select visually (use cursor keys, home, end etc.)
SHIFT+v      line select (CTRL+v = column select)
Delete       cut selection
CTRL+c       copy selection
p            paste (after cursor (P is before))
gq           reformat selection (useful with :set textwidth=70 (80 is default))
>            indent selection   (useful with SHIFT+v%)
<            unindent selection (remember . to repeat and u to undo)

/regexp      searches forwards for regexp (? reverses direction)
n            repeat previous search (N reverses direction)
*            searches forward for word under cursor (# reverses direction)
:%s/1/2/gc   search for regexp 1 and replace with 2 in file (c = confirm change)
:s/1/2/g     search for regexp 1 and replace with 2 in visual selection

:%!filter    put whole file through filter
:!filter     put visual selection through filter
:,!command   replace current line with command output

You can put any command line commands, i.e. those starting with :
in your ~/.vimrc (without the leading colon). This is especially
useful for vi configuration options. I like to use the following
(mainly whitespace handling) options when programming. They set the tab
stop to 4, and always insert spaces rather than hard tabs.

set nocompatible
syntax on
set background=dark #should be vim default IMHO

set autoindent
set softtabstop=4
set expandtab
set shiftwidth=4
set shiftround
set nojoinspaces