Real Vim ninjas count every keystroke - do you?

Pick a challenge, fire up Vim, and show us what you got.

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$ gem install vimgolf
$ vimgolf setup
$ vimgolf put [challenge ID]

Played Challenges

Many duplicates - 1350 entries

Quick and easy

  • Best score: 7
  • Best player score: 7
  • Position: #36 / 440
  • Number of attempts: 5
Simple, Practical, and Common - 33483 entries

Simple things we do all the time should be able to be done with very few keystrokes, but sometimes I find something I need to do makes me go, "There MUST be a better way." This challenge is just a simple movement and entering text at a certain place.

  • Best score: 22
  • Best player score: 22
  • Position: #860 / 7384
  • Number of attempts: 9
Swap values - 4554 entries

Well, swap the values...

  • Best score: 11
  • Best player score: 11
  • Position: #153 / 1259
  • Number of attempts: 6
One number per line - 18673 entries

Just give me the numbers.

  • Best score: 14
  • Best player score: 14
  • Position: #201 / 3852
  • Number of attempts: 10
V to the i - 4771 entries

Input is 99 V's. Output is 100 i's.

  • Best score: 7
  • Best player score: 7
  • Position: #474 / 1887
  • Number of attempts: 4
Split line with dots - 2131 entries

This line is too long, split it.

  • Best score: 15
  • Best player score: 15
  • Position: #111 / 633
  • Number of attempts: 6
multiple cursor alternative - 1488 entries

from: https://www.reddit.com/r/vim/comments/6w5pfa/crosspost_from_remacs_how_would_you_do_this_in_vim/

  • Best score: 19
  • Best player score: 19
  • Position: #38 / 378
  • Number of attempts: 6
From argument to object - 1481 entries

This task typifies those programmers endure while coding. This C-family pseudocode needs a function argument to be repurposed as an object call. Simply search and replace? Repeat a pattern of edits?

  • Best score: 17
  • Best player score: 17
  • Position: #4 / 453
  • Number of attempts: 5
Every other line - 2902 entries

AaAaAaA

  • Best score: 12
  • Best player score: 13
  • Position: #184 / 702
  • Number of attempts: 5
Copy three lines - 2869 entries

If the site is up (by some miracle), make the text under every header identical.

  • Best score: 13
  • Best player score: 13
  • Position: #57 / 639
  • Number of attempts: 16
Array propagate - 332 entries

Complete the array with the keys as part of the value

  • Best score: 23
  • Best player score: 24
  • Position: #36 / 117
  • Number of attempts: 5
Extract argument from function - 2337 entries

The aim is to see if you can do some refactoring very fast.

  • Best score: 13
  • Best player score: 13
  • Position: #184 / 750
  • Number of attempts: 10
Search and Replace 0 - 4851 entries

Replace every instance of 'aaa' with 'xaaax'.

  • Best score: 12
  • Best player score: 12
  • Position: #484 / 1604
  • Number of attempts: 8
That hyphen - 2572 entries

"vim vi improved"

  • Best score: 9
  • Best player score: 9
  • Position: #153 / 698
  • Number of attempts: 11
comment and uncomment code inline - 1074 entries

It's very useful to be able to comment out a block of code in a quick edit. And likewise to uncomment the code. This operation often involves multi-line stanzas and even large blocks. With just line-wise navigation and insert mode this would cost you about 4 keystrokes per line. Master this hole of VimGolf and you'll quickly drop your key count in day to day Vim as well.

  • Best score: 9
  • Best player score: 9
  • Position: #26 / 316
  • Number of attempts: 4
Just the middle - 11380 entries

Delete the instructions at the top and bottom.

  • Best score: 7
  • Best player score: 7
  • Position: #869 / 4174
  • Number of attempts: 4
Team names - 1812 entries

The team names are misspelled.

  • Best score: 16
  • Best player score: 16
  • Position: #32 / 585
  • Number of attempts: 3
Make HTML List - 1050 entries

Turn the comma separated list into an unordered html list.

  • Best score: 33
  • Best player score: 34
  • Position: #26 / 273
  • Number of attempts: 11
Learn some german verbs - 532 entries

The list needs to be structured so we can print in verbatim and feel ok about how it looks.

  • Best score: 21
  • Best player score: 21
  • Position: #22 / 132
  • Number of attempts: 6
Todo list specification - 389 entries

The every item on the todo list must be done today. Modify the list to reflect that.

  • Best score: 37
  • Best player score: 37
  • Position: #57 / 178
  • Number of attempts: 3
Subnetting - 112 entries

Split up the IP addresses in the right way.

  • Best score: 29
  • Best player score: 29
  • Position: #4 / 37
  • Number of attempts: 3
Remember VimGolf Rules ! - 259 entries

Rules, ... and don't forget !

  • Best score: 7
  • Best player score: 7
  • Position: #8 / 139
  • Number of attempts: 4
Stairstep digits - 383 entries

Remove the evens. Double the odds.

  • Best score: 9
  • Best player score: 9
  • Position: #9 / 143
  • Number of attempts: 3
Format java properties - 73 entries

Format java properties to a different format. The value which is the string following the first '=' cannot & should not change. All periods in the key get replaced with an underscore "_" and get a prefix of "b_".

  • Best score: 27
  • Best player score: 27
  • Position: #7 / 34
  • Number of attempts: 4
Back to the roots - 54 entries

Johnny has a file with more integers. He wants to change each number with its square root. Can you help him?

  • Best score: 21
  • Best player score: 23
  • Position: #13 / 37
  • Number of attempts: 2
Missing Library and a Typo - 860 entries

I forgot to add a c library, please add it for me. Also I'm bad at typing so fix my typo too.

  • Best score: 14
  • Best player score: 16
  • Position: #64 / 211
  • Number of attempts: 8
Basic renumbering - 5605 entries

Renumbering Basic.

  • Best score: 11
  • Best player score: 11
  • Position: #63 / 1260
  • Number of attempts: 14
Simple addition - 312 entries

The right side of the equation is already there. We just need the left one now.

  • Best score: 12
  • Best player score: 12
  • Position: #36 / 118
  • Number of attempts: 6
Interactive git rebase changing commands - 163 entries

How to change the action of some commits in git rebase dialog.

  • Best score: 14
  • Best player score: 15
  • Position: #45 / 78
  • Number of attempts: 5
create arrows in a list - 106 entries

Add arrow at same distance

  • Best score: 10
  • Best player score: 10
  • Position: #12 / 71
  • Number of attempts: 1
Adam's challenge - 958 entries

Change both normal to bold and 4 by 2. Adam Wathan challenge this on twitter . He did it in 11 keystrokes on Sublime.

  • Best score: 18
  • Best player score: 18
  • Position: #18 / 267
  • Number of attempts: 12
42-header - 39 entries

Rush 42mexican-standoff at 42 school

  • Best score: 22
  • Best player score: 22
  • Position: #5 / 15
  • Number of attempts: 2
Create a table - 332 entries

Convert the given input into a formatted table

  • Best score: 16
  • Best player score: 16
  • Position: #27 / 105
  • Number of attempts: 5
Fiddle percentages into real numbers - 841 entries

Get rid of the '%' symbols and shift the decimal place. This is the easier version - all the columns line up.

  • Best score: 13
  • Best player score: 13
  • Position: #49 / 288
  • Number of attempts: 13
Nesting SASS - 262 entries

Move a block inside another block and indent it

  • Best score: 9
  • Best player score: 9
  • Position: #3 / 94
  • Number of attempts: 2
Combines all items - 307 entries

For each line that starts with the same number I want to combine its contents

  • Best score: 9
  • Best player score: 9
  • Position: #55 / 139
  • Number of attempts: 2
replace 2nd column blanks with values in same column if blank - 232 entries

Where ,SOMELOGB and ,SOMELOGC replaces each /r carriage return if 2nd column is blank. The replace only happens if 2nd column is blank though and should replace up to the non blank row.

  • Best score: 15
  • Best player score: 15
  • Position: #21 / 82
  • Number of attempts: 4
Vice versa - 7865 entries

Little role switching.

  • Best score: 12
  • Best player score: 12
  • Position: #270 / 2114
  • Number of attempts: 8
C Reformatting - 689 entries

You may use Visual mode... or not. #uppercase

  • Best score: 30
  • Best player score: 30
  • Position: #7 / 162
  • Number of attempts: 13
Paragraph sort - 431 entries

My large herbivorous mammals, Vim commands, and POSIX utilities need to be sorted separately.

  • Best score: 14
  • Best player score: 14
  • Position: #28 / 124
  • Number of attempts: 5
Order and join - 965 entries

There's something special about the input order.

  • Best score: 10
  • Best player score: 10
  • Position: #31 / 258
  • Number of attempts: 7
Paragraph breaks - 509 entries

Swap the blank lines and the aaa lines.

  • Best score: 10
  • Best player score: 10
  • Position: #26 / 166
  • Number of attempts: 4
comments galore - 1017 entries

Basic comment reformatting

  • Best score: 10
  • Best player score: 10
  • Position: #218 / 421
  • Number of attempts: 5
Scrambled numbers - 780 entries

Four is NOT 1. One is 1.

  • Best score: 18
  • Best player score: 18
  • Position: #30 / 183
  • Number of attempts: 12
Alsa configuration - 502 entries

I'm tweaking my ~/.asoundrc file!

  • Best score: 22
  • Best player score: 22
  • Position: #43 / 127
  • Number of attempts: 10
Align commas - 1063 entries

There are 15,000 aligning challenges on vimgolf.com, and they're all exactly the same. I hope this one is a little different.

  • Best score: 11
  • Best player score: 11
  • Position: #56 / 243
  • Number of attempts: 9
Hello ${world} - 300 entries

Migrate a JavaScript String from concatenation to ES6 interpolation.

  • Best score: 24
  • Best player score: 24
  • Position: #20 / 95
  • Number of attempts: 7
Array transposition - 2407 entries

Transpose two arrays into one.

  • Best score: 16
  • Best player score: 17
  • Position: #90 / 445
  • Number of attempts: 9
Assign numbers to fields - 107 entries

You are given a list of space-separated strings. Add an increasing numeric prefix to each one.

  • Best score: 19
  • Best player score: 19
  • Position: #20 / 61
  • Number of attempts: 2
Mirror Symmetry - 812 entries

Add backslashes.

  • Best score: 7
  • Best player score: 7
  • Position: #73 / 268
  • Number of attempts: 5
From A to B - 575 entries

Mirror and change this text block

  • Best score: 16
  • Best player score: 16
  • Position: #38 / 157
  • Number of attempts: 2
Collect List - 4267 entries

Convert to comma separated list.

  • Best score: 12
  • Best player score: 12
  • Position: #294 / 1188
  • Number of attempts: 9
camel riding - 775 entries

add a prefix on some camelCase variables

  • Best score: 15
  • Best player score: 15
  • Position: #59 / 277
  • Number of attempts: 4
Space out the alphabet - 1630 entries

Put 3 spaces between adjacent letters.

  • Best score: 15
  • Best player score: 15
  • Position: #72 / 442
  • Number of attempts: 7
Fix the XML - 1000 entries

The challenge consists in having a valid xml from an incomplete source.

  • Best score: 18
  • Best player score: 18
  • Position: #44 / 287
  • Number of attempts: 6
I forgot quotes - 15946 entries

Oops.

  • Best score: 10
  • Best player score: 10
  • Position: #558 / 4166
  • Number of attempts: 8
-a-b-c- - 3183 entries

Put hyphens everywhere.

  • Best score: 13
  • Best player score: 13
  • Position: #201 / 1132
  • Number of attempts: 10
Count both ways - 1006 entries

Right AND down.

  • Best score: 13
  • Best player score: 15
  • Position: #120 / 352
  • Number of attempts: 4
Do you demand a shrubbery? - 1136 entries

Use :redir and crush the emacsgolfers.

  • Best score: 15
  • Best player score: 15
  • Position: #57 / 298
  • Number of attempts: 14
Don't know what this is - 1996 entries

Replace contents of brackets with matching number of spaces. Don't ask what the format's supposed to be.

  • Best score: 11
  • Best player score: 11
  • Position: #82 / 581
  • Number of attempts: 10
Where should I put the Newline? - 874 entries

Help me put the newline.

  • Best score: 7
  • Best player score: 7
  • Position: #190 / 436
  • Number of attempts: 2
Mess in revision history - 1183 entries

Help Joe clean up what Steve has cobbled.

  • Best score: 17
  • Best player score: 17
  • Position: #45 / 249
  • Number of attempts: 12
A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 ! - 10652 entries

A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014 !

  • Best score: 11
  • Best player score: 11
  • Position: #1110 / 3677
  • Number of attempts: 5
attr_aligner - 3454 entries

Two attr keywords. Two separate indentations. Align the colons.

  • Best score: 19
  • Best player score: 19
  • Position: #133 / 695
  • Number of attempts: 17
Letter case trickery - 1598 entries

This file is in a downright esoteric format, consisting of hexadecimal numbers, non-hexadecimal keywords, and "Z" indicating end-of-line. Make the hexadecimal numbers lowercase.

  • Best score: 9
  • Best player score: 9
  • Position: #11 / 514
  • Number of attempts: 6
quotes inside quotes - 3128 entries

taken from tip 85 of the very good book 'Practical Vim: Edit Text at the Speed of Thought' ! I'd be interested what people use :)

  • Best score: 14
  • Best player score: 14
  • Position: #265 / 1073
  • Number of attempts: 7
Words in parens - 12868 entries

We should all ace this, right?

  • Best score: 13
  • Best player score: 14
  • Position: #762 / 3950
  • Number of attempts: 7
SFD-ROC: vimvimvim - 1594 entries

Oh no, this line is longer than 80 chars... put each 'vim' on a new line.

  • Best score: 8
  • Best player score: 8
  • Position: #89 / 443
  • Number of attempts: 7
Saving the hashes(#) - 2008 entries

The following file is copied from vimcasts.org(Its only for learning purpose,hope the site owner doesn't mind it), its probably the easiest of challenges.Our goal is to delete every line which doesn't contain a hash signs. The remaining hash signs with numbers are then sorted to get the final output.

  • Best score: 20
  • Best player score: 20
  • Position: #47 / 476
  • Number of attempts: 11
Vertical Limit - 2487 entries

transform a succession of one word lines to a an array of strings

  • Best score: 21
  • Best player score: 21
  • Position: #57 / 748
  • Number of attempts: 12
replacing each line of a block selection - 2966 entries

replace each line's ../assets/js with /javascripts

  • Best score: 18
  • Best player score: 18
  • Position: #92 / 772
  • Number of attempts: 9
Switch function arguments - 2085 entries

How to switch two arguments of a function.

  • Best score: 11
  • Best player score: 11
  • Position: #138 / 653
  • Number of attempts: 6
switch variable - 5045 entries

how fast can you switch two variable ?

  • Best score: 11
  • Best player score: 11
  • Position: #464 / 1742
  • Number of attempts: 6
Make it more readable - 1955 entries

Insert blank lines to make it more organized and readable

  • Best score: 13
  • Best player score: 13
  • Position: #83 / 643
  • Number of attempts: 6
Numbering a List - 1869 entries

Pretty simple, number the list.

  • Best score: 13
  • Best player score: 13
  • Position: #17 / 646
  • Number of attempts: 7
Whitespace, empty lines and tabs - 3508 entries

Convert tabs to spaces, strip empty lines and trailing whitespace.

  • Best score: 16
  • Best player score: 16
  • Position: #9 / 758
  • Number of attempts: 16
Simple text editing with Vim - 12491 entries

Make the pairs of lines match up by making each second line same as first

  • Best score: 13
  • Best player score: 13
  • Position: #475 / 3626
  • Number of attempts: 4
Reformat/Refactor a Golfer Class - 6749 entries

A simple case of removing unneeded code and fixing broken indentation.

  • Best score: 31
  • Best player score: 32
  • Position: #156 / 1652
  • Number of attempts: 9
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entered into 78 challenges

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