[There](https://github.com/paradigm/vim-multicursor) [have](https://github.com/felixr/vim-multiedit) [been](https://github.com/hlissner/vim-multiedit) [many](https://github.com/adinapoli/vim-markmultiple) [attempts](https://github.com/AndrewRadev/multichange.vim) at bringing Sublime Text's awesome [multiple selection][sublime-multiple-selection] feature into Vim, but none so far have been in my opinion a faithful port that is simplistic to use, yet powerful and intuitive enough for an existing Vim user. [vim-multiple-cursors] is yet another attempt at that.
Out of the box, all you need to know is a single key `Ctrl-n`. Pressing the key in Normal mode highlights the current word under the cursor in Visual mode and places a virtual cursor at the end of it. Pressing it again finds the next occurrence and places another virtual cursor at the end of the visual selection. If you select multiple lines in Visual mode, pressing the key puts a virtual cursor at every line and leaves you in Normal mode.
After you've marked all your locations with `Ctrl-n`, you can change the visual selection with normal Vim motion commands in Visual mode. You could go to Normal mode by pressing `v` and wield your motion commands there. Single key command to switch to Insert mode such as `c` or `s` from Visual mode or `i`, `a`, `I`, `A` in Normal mode should work without any issues.
At any time, you can press `<Esc>` to exit back to regular Vim.
Two additional keys are also mapped:
-`Ctrl-p` in Visual mode will remove the current virtual cursor and go back to the previous virtual cursor location. This is useful if you are trigger happy with `Ctrl-n` and accidentally went too far.
-`Ctrl-x` in Visual mode will remove the current virtual cursor and skip to the next virtual cursor location. This is useful if you don't want the current selection to be a candidate to operate on later.
You can also add multiple cursors using a regular expression. The command `MultipleCursorsFind` accepts a range and a pattern, and it will create a virtual cursor at the end of every match within the range. If no range is passed in, then it defaults to the entire buffer.
**NOTE:** If at any time you have lingering cursors on screen, you can press `Ctrl-n` in Normal mode and it will remove all prior cursors before starting a new one.
Out of the box, only the single key `Ctrl-n` is mapped in regular Vim's Normal mode and Visual mode to provide the functionality mentioned above. `Ctrl-n`, `Ctrl-p`, `Ctrl-x`, and `<Esc>` are mapped in the special multicursor mode once you've added at least one virtual cursor to the buffer. If you don't like the plugin taking over your favorite key bindings, you can turn off the default with
By default, the 'next' key is also used to enter multicursor mode. If you want to use a different key to start multicursor mode than for selecting the next location, do like the following:
Note that when multicursor mode is started, it selects current word with boundaries, i.e. it behaves like `*`. If you want to avoid word boundaries in Normal mode (as `g*` does) but still have old behaviour up your sleeve, you can do the following:
In this configuration `<C-n>` will start multicursor mode without word boundaries (but only in Normal mode, as it does not make much sense to use it in Visual mode). Old behaviour with word boundaries is still available using `g<C-n>`.
**IMPORTANT:** Please note that currently only single keystrokes and special keys can be mapped. This means that a mapping like `<Leader>n` will NOT work correctly. For a list of special keys that are supported, see `help :key-notation`
**NOTE:** Prior to version 1.3, the recommended way to map the keys is using the expression quote syntax in Vim, using something like `"\<C-n>"` or `"\<Esc>"` (see h: expr-quote). After 1.3, the recommended way is to use a raw string like above. If your key mappings don't appear to work, give the new syntax a try.
If set to 0, then pressing `g:multi_cursor_quit_key` in _Visual_ mode will not quit and delete all existing cursors. This is useful if you want to press Escape and go back to Normal mode, and still be able to operate on all the cursors.
If set to 0, then pressing `g:multi_cursor_quit_key` in _Insert_ mode will not quit and delete all existing cursors. This is useful if you want to press Escape and go back to Normal mode, and still be able to operate on all the cursors.
The plugin uses the highlight group `multiple_cursors_cursor` and `multiple_cursors_visual` to highlight the virtual cursors and their visual selections respectively. You can customize them by putting something similar like the following in your vimrc:
Single key command to switch to Insert mode such as `c` or `s` from Visual mode or `i`, `a`, `I`, `A` in Normal mode should work without any issues.
**NOTE**: Vim's Visual Block mode also supports `I` and `A` commands, however they do not work in this plugin's Visual mode at the moment. For now, to use `I` and `A`, switch to Normal mode by pressing `v` first.
As one can see, there're still many issues to be resolved, patches and suggestions are always welcome! A list of open feature requests can be found [here](../../issues?labels=enhancement&state=open).
Obviously inspired by Sublime Text's [multiple selection][sublime-multiple-selection] feature, also encouraged by Emac's [multiple cursors][emacs-multiple-cursors] implementation by Magnar Sveen
