Better Go to Line/Column
Ctrl+G command box: everything the built-in Go to Line/Column does, plus Vim motions, operators
and ex commands. One command, one Enter.
- Install: search "Better Go to Line" in the VS Code Extensions view
- Bugs: Issues -- say what you typed, where the cursor was, what happened
- Contribute: CONTRIBUTING.md
- Privacy: collects nothing, no network (privacy.md)
In action
A few commands, one per clip. Pairs show the two directions of the same command.
+5 -- 5 lines down |
-5 -- 5 lines up |
 |
 |
12j -- 12 lines down |
12k -- 12 lines up |
 |
 |
guiw -- lowercase the word |
gUiw -- uppercase the word |
 |
 |
ciw -- change the word under the cursor |
diw -- delete the word under the cursor |
 |
 |
d% -- delete to the matching bracket |
v% -- select to the matching bracket |
 |
 |
/pattern -- jump to the next match |
Up / Down -- recall a previous command |
 |
 |
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
What it does |
betterGoto.enabled |
true |
Off gives Ctrl+G back to the built-in Go to Line/Column. |
betterGoto.vim |
true |
Off keeps only 42, 42:5, +n / -n, N%. |
betterGoto.preview |
true |
Off keeps the editor still while you type. |
betterGoto.historySize |
10 |
Commands recalled with Up / Down. 0 turns history off. |
Preview
betterGoto.preview on (default) |
betterGoto.preview off |
 |
 |
Keybinding
Ctrl+K Ctrl+S, search Better Go to, Change Keybinding. Or in keybindings.json:
[
// free Ctrl+G -> back to the built-in Go to Line/Column
{ "key": "ctrl+g", "command": "-betterGoto.open", "when": "!betterGoto.boxOpen" },
// open this box somewhere else
{ "key": "ctrl+alt+g", "command": "betterGoto.open", "when": "!betterGoto.boxOpen" }
]
Command ids: betterGoto.open, betterGoto.historyPrev, betterGoto.historyNext.
Want the built-in back and nothing else? Set betterGoto.enabled to false.
Cheat sheet
| Type |
Result |
42 |
line 42 |
42:5 |
line 42, column 5 |
+10 / -3 |
10 lines down / 3 up |
50% |
halfway through the file |
gg / G |
first / last line |
% |
the matching bracket |
/todo |
next match of "todo" |
v} |
select to the next blank line |
ciw |
change the word under the cursor |
:1,20sort |
sort lines 1 to 20 |
A count multiplies (3j, 2d3w), and a doubled operator acts on the whole line (dd, yy,
>>). The box says where Enter will land before you press it.
Reference
Everything below is what the box accepts -- the subset of Vim that fits a one-shot command box.
A Vim command that is not listed is not built; the reasons are under
Not Vim, on purpose.
Lines and file
| Type |
Result |
42, :42 |
line 42 |
gg / G |
first / last line. With a count: 2gg, 5G |
50% |
that percent of the file (0% is line 1, 100% the last line) |
+5 / -3 |
5 lines down / 3 up. Chains: +5+5 is +10 |
j / k |
one line down / up. 3j for three. Arrow keys work too |
gj / gk |
one screen line down / up (differs from j / k when lines wrap) |
+ / - / _ |
N lines down / up, landing on the first non-blank. Count goes FIRST: 5+ |
H / M / L |
top / middle / bottom of the visible screen. H and L take a count |
go |
go to a byte offset (VS Code prompts for the number) |
Within a line
| Type |
Result |
42:5 |
line 42, column 5. Also +4:+4, and chains like +2:+2+2 |
0 / $ |
start / end of the line. 2$ is the end of the next line down |
^ / g_ |
first / last non-blank character |
g0 / g^ / g$ / gm |
start / first non-blank / end / middle of the screen line |
h / l |
one character left / right. 5l for five |
5\| |
column 5 |
gM |
the middle of the line. 90gM for 90% across it |
fx / Fx |
jump forward / back to the next x on this line. 2fx for the second |
tx / Tx |
same, but stop just before it |
; / , |
repeat the last f/F/t/T forwards / backwards |
Words
| Type |
Result |
w / b / e |
next word / previous word / end of word. All take a count |
W / B / E |
same, but a WORD is whitespace-delimited |
ge / gE |
backwards to the end of the previous word / WORD |
Blocks and brackets
| Type |
Result |
{ / } |
previous / next blank line |
( / ) |
previous / next sentence |
[[ / ]] |
previous / next section (a { in column 0) |
][ / [] |
next / previous section end (a } in column 0) |
% |
the matching bracket |
[( / ]) |
previous / next unmatched ( or ) |
[{ / ]} |
previous / next unmatched { or } -- the start / end of the block |
[c / ]c |
previous / next change (against the file's git baseline) |
Text objects
Use them with an operator: ciw, di(, yit, >ap.
| Type |
Result |
iw / aw |
inner / around word |
iW / aW |
inner / around WORD |
ip / ap |
inner / around paragraph |
i( i[ i{ i< |
inside the bracket pair. a( and friends include the brackets |
ib / iB |
same as i( / i{ (Vim's synonyms); ab / aB likewise |
i" i' i` |
inside the quotes. a" includes them |
it / at |
inside / around an HTML or XML tag |
Search
| Type |
Result |
/pattern |
next match |
?pattern |
previous match |
n / N |
repeat the last search forwards / backwards |
* / # |
next / previous occurrence of the word under the cursor (whole word) |
g* / g# |
same, but match inside longer words too |
gn / gN |
select the next / previous match of the Find widget |
gd / gD |
go to the definition / declaration |
K |
show the hover for the word under the cursor |
gf / gF / [f / ]f |
open the link under the cursor (a URL, or a path the language marks as a link) |
Operators
| Prefix |
Result |
| (none) |
move the cursor |
v |
select charwise |
V |
select whole lines |
d |
delete |
c |
change -- deletes the range and leaves the cursor there (no Vim insert mode) |
y |
yank into the system clipboard |
> / < |
indent / outdent |
= |
reindent (VS Code's formatter) |
gu / gU |
lowercase / uppercase |
g~ |
toggle case |
g? |
rot13 |
gq / gw |
reformat |
zf |
fold the range: zfj, zfaw, zfip |
Doubled forms act on the current line: dd yy cc >> << == guu gUU g~~ g??.
Standalone commands
| Type |
Result |
x / X |
delete the character under / before the cursor. 3x for three |
D / C / Y |
delete / change / yank to end of line, or the whole line for Y |
J / gJ |
join lines, with / without a space |
~ |
toggle the case of the character and move right. 3~ for three |
r{char} |
replace the character. 3rz replaces three with z |
s / S |
substitute a character / the whole line |
a / i / gI |
append / insert / insert at column 1 |
o / O |
open a new line below / above and put the cursor there |
u / g- / g+ |
undo / undo / redo |
gv |
expand the selection (Vim reselects the last visual area) |
ga |
print the character code, as Vim does |
gt / gT |
next / previous editor tab. 2gt for the second tab |
ZZ / ZQ |
save and close / close without saving |
Paste
The system clipboard is the register: anything y, d or yy put there pastes back, and so does
anything copied from another app. A yanked whole line pastes as a line.
| Type |
Result |
p / P |
put after / before the cursor. 3p for three copies |
gp / gP |
same, but leave the cursor past the new text |
]p [p ]P [P |
put with the indent matched to the current line |
| Type |
Result |
zt / zz / zb |
scroll the current line to the top / centre / bottom |
z. / z- |
like zz / zb, and move to the first non-blank |
z+ / z^ |
scroll the line just below / above the window into view |
zh / zl |
scroll the view left / right |
zo zO zc zC za zA |
open / close / toggle the fold at the cursor (capital = recursive) |
zR / zM |
open / close every fold |
zn / zN / zi / zX |
open every fold / close every fold (Vim's fold-enable switches) |
zr / zm |
fold level up / down one. 3zm works |
zj / zk |
move to the next / previous fold |
zv |
open just enough folds to show the cursor line |
zF / zE / zd / zD |
fold the selection / remove every manual fold / remove the fold(s) at the cursor |
Ex commands
Type : first. Long spellings work too (:write, :quit, :tabnext, :bnext ...).
| Type |
Result |
:42 / :$ |
line 42 / last line |
:w :wa :q :q! :qa :wq :x :wqa :e! |
save / save all / close / discard and close / close all / save and close / save all and close all / reload |
:undo / :redo (:u, :red, :earlier, :later) |
undo / redo |
:sp / :vs / :new / :vne / :ene |
split down / right; split and open a new editor; new empty editor |
:clo / :on |
close the editor / keep only this editor |
:tabe :tabc :tabo :tabn :tabp :tabfir :tabl |
new / close / close others / next / previous / first / last editor |
:bn :bp :bf :bl :bd |
next / previous / first / last editor, close editor (Vim's buffer wording) |
:se / :set |
open VS Code Settings |
:isp |
reveal the definition in a side editor |
With a [range]:
| Type |
Result |
:1,5d / :1,5y |
delete / yank lines 1 to 5 |
:1,5j |
join them |
:1,5> / :1,5< |
indent / outdent them |
:1,5sort |
sort them |
:1,5m20 / :1,5t20 (:co) |
move / copy them to after line 20 |
:%s/old/new/g |
substitute across the file; :s/old/new/ on the current line |
Addresses: a number, . (current line), $ (last line), % (whole file), N,M. No range means
the current line. :s flags: g (every match on the line) and i (ignore case).
Not Vim, on purpose
One command, one Enter, the box closes. So:
- No dot-repeat, macros, marks, or a visual mode --
v / V select in one shot.
:s takes g and i only (use Ctrl+H to confirm each). Patterns are JavaScript regex.c deletes the range and leaves the cursor there. There is no insert mode.
