Hi Gerald > Given a new buffer with these 2 lines: > > 1x2x3x4x > 5x6x7x8x > > Put cursor on "1". Then type: > > v3:<C-u>/x<CR> > > where <C-u> is Ctrl-u and <CR> is Enter. > > Shouldn't the cursor be on the "x" between "3" & "4" instead of on "5", > just like you would with typing: > > 3/x<CR> > > instead ? > This behaviour of Vim has nothing to do with its visual mode, but with its history. To do want you want, type
v3/x<CR> without any colon(:). If you type a colon(:), you must enter an ex-command -- by observing its syntax rules: Every ex-command can be preceded by one or two line numbers. The simplest ex-command is "go to a line", which can be entered simply by the corresponding line number. E.g. ":7<CR>" (without quotes) go to line 7. Instead of entering line numbers, you can also enter regular expressions. E.g. ":/x<CR>" go to the first line _after_ the current line that contains the regular expression "x". ":/x/,/y/d<CR> deletes all lines from the first containing x to the first containing y. Here, the part /x/,/y/ specify a range. This syntax was first introduced by the old "ed" editor and is valid yet in the "sed", "ex" and "vi" editor -- and may be others. So much to the history of Vim! I hope this clarifies your point. Best regards Mathias
