What are best practices for using vi/vim basics?

Using vi/vim can be intimidating for beginners, but following a few best practices can enhance your productivity and make the experience smoother. Here’s a summary of best practices for getting the most out of vi/vim:

• Get comfortable with the modes: Understand the different modes in vim: Normal, Insert, Visual, and Command mode. Practice switching between them efficiently.
• Learn the basic commands: Familiarize yourself with essential commands like i (insert), :w (save), :q (quit), h/j/k/l (move around), etc.
• Utilize .vimrc: Customize your vim experience by creating a .vimrc file with your preferences, such as line numbers and syntax highlighting.
• Practice navigation: Instead of using arrow keys, use h, j, k, and l to navigate. This enhances your efficiency once mastered.
• Use search features: Take advantage of search commands like / to quickly find text within a file.
• Learn undo/redo: Use u to undo changes and Ctrl + r to redo them, helping you recover from mistakes efficiently.
• Leverage split windows: Use split windows to edit multiple files simultaneously with commands like :split and :vsplit.