Editing Vim (text editor) (section)

=== Modes ===
[[File:Vim modes.svg|thumb|Vim modes]]

Like vi, vim supports multiple editing modes. Depending on the mode, typed characters are interpreted either as sequences of commands or are inserted as text. In Vim there are 14 editing modes, 7 basic modes and 7 variants:<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moolenaar |first1=Bram |title=Vim: intro.txt |url=https://vimhelp.org/intro.txt.html |website=vimhelp.org |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref>
* '''Normal''' mode – used for editor commands. This is generally the default mode and by default hitting {{key press|ESC}} returns the editor to this mode.
* '''Insert''' mode – used for typing text in a way similar to most modern editors. In this mode, opened text in buffers can be modified with the text entered from the keyboard.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=CS107 The Vim Editor |url=https://web.stanford.edu/class/cs107/resources/vim.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127153621/https://web.stanford.edu/class/cs107/resources/vim.html |archive-date=27 January 2023 |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=web.stanford.edu}}</ref>{{r|Lamb1998|pp=12}}
* '''Visual''' mode – used to select areas of text. Commands can be run on the selected area – moving, editing, filtering via built-in or external command, etc.
** '''Visual linewise''', a subtype of visual mode which selects one or more whole lines
** '''Visual blockwise''', another subtype which selects a rectangular block of text across one or more lines
* '''Select''' mode – similar to visual, but the commands are not interpreted, instead, highlighted text is directly replaced by input from the keyboard; similar to the selection mode used in editors on Microsoft Windows platforms
* '''Command-line''' or '''Cmdline''' mode – provides a single line input at the bottom of the Vim window. Commands (beginning with {{key press|:}}) and some other keys for specific actions (including pattern search and the filter command) activate this mode. On completion of the command, Vim returns to the previous mode.<ref name=":1" />{{r|Lamb1998|pp=12}}
* '''Ex mode''' mode – accepts a sequence of commands.
* '''Terminal-Job''' mode - Interacting with a job in a terminal window.