~ / macros / record-and-replaylesson 1/6

Record and replay: q, @ and @@

Record an edit into a register once, then replay it wherever you need it.

?how it works

A macro is a recording of your keystrokes. Press q and a register name, say a, and everything you type from then on is saved in register a. Press q again to stop. While it's on, the bottom line says recording @a.

@a plays the recording back as if you typed it all again. @@ replays whichever register you ran last, so after one @a you can keep going with @@.

Record on a real line, carefully, the way you want the change done. Use keys that work on any line, not just this one: I and A instead of counting with l, F to find a space instead of 5h. In this lesson each macro edits one line and leaves the cursor there; you move to the next line yourself, then replay.

A macro remembers keys, not intent. If the replay goes wrong, u undoes it and you can record again with the same register.

⌨keys

`q{a-z}`	start recording into a register
`q`	stop recording
`@{a-z}`	replay a register
`@@`	replay the register you ran last

3 drills

Record once, replay twice: Make the change on line 1 while recording into register a (qa … q). Then move down with j and replay it with @a, and once more with @@.
Move, then replay: Only some lines need the change. Record it on line 1, then jump to each of the others (3j, 2j…) and replay with @a and @@.
A macro that finds its own target: Begin the recording with a search (/…<CR>) so the macro jumps to the next line that needs fixing by itself. Record it once, then replay with @a and @@ without moving by hand.

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