4.1. Yank Register - shinokada/vimnotes GitHub Wiki

Yank

yiw # yank inner word

:reg " and :reg 0

When you use x, s, d{motion}, c{motion}, y{motion}, you are cutting to the default register.

# To see what in the default register
:reg "

# To see what in the register 0, Yank register "0P
:reg 0 # yank register

Using reg 0 to paste

# diw(delete inner word) will register in the default register.
# In order to put the yanked word, use "0P.
"0P

True delete in vim, the black hole register "_

# Just to delete, use "_{motion}. 
# e.g. to delete a word
"_diw

By using the balck hole register "_, you can delete a word and P/p to paste rather than using a regitered yank.

yiw
jww
"_diw
P

Meet the yank register

Replace a word with yanked text

Within a file

# copy to register a
# <C-V> to change to visual mode and select line(s) or word(s) 
"ay # use named reagisters ("a-"z)
# to paste it
"ap
# cut to register b
"bdd
# to paste it
"bp
# check it in register
:reg "a:
# Delete it in the register a
qaq
# check it again
:reg "a # should be nothing in register a
# help 
:h quote_alpha
# You can append to a register
"Ayy # to append to a line
# or use
:yank A 
# or append all lines which has def
:global/def/yank A

Using Vim's named registers

To copy from one file to another, the system clipboard`"+` and selection `"*` registers

For OSX and windows there is no primary clipboard, so "+ and "* are the same system clipboard.

# <C-v> to change to visual mode and select lines
# to copy
"+y
# to paste
"+p
# paste from a external application
"+p
# for Insert mode
<C-r>+

Other registers

`"=`

<C-r>= then you do calculation 1+1 and to insert the answer to the text.

"% # name of the current file
"# # name of the alternate file
". # Lst inserted text
": # last ex command
"/ # last search pattern

To swap two arguments

execute(second, first)
fs # find s to move to second
yiw # yank inner word. This will yank to the default register "" and "0
w # to move one word forward, first
viw # to visual inner word to select first
p # to overwrite it with second. And 'first' will be registed in "" 
:reg "0 # to check it
# # hash key # to search backward under the cursor. This will move back to the first argument.
viw # visual inner word
p # to paste