Multiple selections in VIM

Question

Is it possible to select multiple non-consecutive lines (or sections) in VIM's visual mode? If so, how?

Answer 1

You have to install the multiselect plugin to get this capability. Find it here: http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=953

Answer 2

No, this is not possible without plugins.

But you can copy multiple lines into the same buffer, if that solves your problem.

• To start the 'Accumulation Buffer':
  • mark a section to copy in visual mode,
  • press "a to operate on the buffer a with the next command and
  • yank it as usual (y).
• To add to that buffer:
  • mark the next section and
  • press "A (capitalizing the buffer name means "do not overwrite the buffer, append to it instead")
  • and yank again using y.
• You can then paste the accumulated buffer a at any time using "ap.

Answer 3

A more up-to-date answer is this plugin.

(disclaimer: I personally don't actually use it, it interferes too much with the rest of my vim setup. If your vim is relatively clean and you are moving over from sublime, this may certainly be your cup of tea.)

I would also like to point out the record/replay functionality of vim (the q key). Quite often recording is also unnecessary, I can do the tasks normally done with sublime's multi-select by doing it iteratively (e.g. search for something, perform the fix on the first instance of it, and then subsequent repeats are achieved by hitting n and N to move around and . to repeat the edit operation).

I do have my , comma key nnoremap'd to @q, this repeats the sequence that is recorded by pressing qq (record into q register).