Week 2 Homework - Terminal Text Editors

Time estimate: 1.5 hours maximum

Submission: Create a directory week2-[netid] with your solutions and add it as a submodule to the class repo.

Important Note

This week will feel slower than Week 1. That’s expected. You’re learning a new way to edit text, and your muscle memory needs time to develop.

If any exercise takes significantly longer than the time estimate, stop and ask for help. The goal is learning, not frustration.

Setup

Create your homework directory:

mkdir week2-[netid]
cd week2-[netid]

Exercise 1: Complete vimtutor (30 minutes)

Required

Run the built-in Vim tutorial:

vimtutor

Complete lessons 1 through 4 minimum. If you have time, do all 7 lessons.

Deliverable: Create a file vimtutor_notes.txt with:

  • Which lessons you completed (1-4 minimum, 1-7 ideal)
  • Three things you learned that surprised you
  • One thing you found confusing or difficult

Save this file using Vim:

  1. vim vimtutor_notes.txt
  2. Press i to enter insert mode
  3. Type your notes
  4. Press <Esc> to return to normal mode
  5. Type :wq to save and quit

Exercise 2: Set Up Your .vimrc (15 minutes)

Required

Create a basic Vim configuration file.

Steps:

  1. Create ~/.vimrc if it doesn’t exist:

    vim ~/.vimrc

  2. Copy the basic config from the Week 2 notes (the “Starter .vimrc” section)

  3. Save and test:

    vim test.txt

    Verify you see:

    • Line numbers
    • Relative line numbers
    • Syntax highlighting
    • Your cursor line highlighted

Deliverable: Create a file vimrc_setup.txt answering:

  • What settings did you add to your .vimrc?
  • Which setting do you think will be most useful?
  • Did you customize anything beyond the starter config? If so, what?

Exercise 3: Install a Plugin Manager and Plugin (20 minutes)

Required

Modern Vim users manage plugins with a plugin manager. We’ll use vim-plug.

Part A: Install vim-plug

For Vim:

curl -fLo ~/.vim/autoload/plug.vim --create-dirs \
    https://raw.githubusercontent.com/junegunn/vim-plug/master/plug.vim

For Neovim: (or whatever plugin manager you’re using)

sh -c 'curl -fLo "${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}"/nvim/site/autoload/plug.vim --create-dirs \
       https://raw.githubusercontent.com/junegunn/vim-plug/master/plug.vim'

Part B: Configure plugins in .vimrc

Add this section to your ~/.vimrc (above your other settings):

" Plugins
call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged')

" Add plugins here
Plug 'junegunn/fzf', { 'do': { -> fzf#install() } }
Plug 'junegunn/fzf.vim'

call plug#end()

Part C: Install the plugins

  1. Open Vim: vim
  2. Run the command: :PlugInstall
  3. Wait for installation to complete
  4. Quit and reopen Vim

Part D: Test fzf

fzf is a fuzzy file finder (like Ctrl-P in VS Code).

  1. Navigate to a directory with multiple files
  2. Open Vim: vim
  3. Type :Files and press Enter
  4. Start typing a filename - see it filter in real-time
  5. Press Enter to open a file

Deliverable: Create plugin_setup.txt with:

  • Screenshot or description of fzf working
  • What command did you use to install plugins? (:PlugInstall)
  • What does fzf do and why is it useful?

Bonus: Add a keybinding to open fzf with Ctrl-P:

" Add to your .vimrc
nnoremap <C-p> :Files<CR>

Exercise 4: Vim Movement Practice (15 minutes)

Required

Download this practice file:

curl -o movement_practice.txt https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iggredible/Learn-Vim/master/ch05_moving_in_file.md

Open it in Vim and complete these tasks using ONLY Vim motions (no arrow keys, no mouse):

  1. Jump to the beginning of the file
  2. Jump to the end of the file
  3. Find the word “vertical” (search forward)
  4. Jump to line 50
  5. Delete the word under your cursor
  6. Delete from cursor to end of line
  7. Undo your last change
  8. Yank (copy) a line
  9. Paste it below

Deliverable: Create movement_log.txt documenting:

  • The command you used for each task above
  • Which motion felt most natural?
  • Which motion felt most awkward?

Example format:

1. Jump to beginning: gg
2. Jump to end: G
...

Exercise 5: Edit a Shell Script with Vim (20 minutes)

Required

Create a script using only Vim and proper Vim workflows.

Task: Write a script word_counter.sh that:

  • Takes a filename as an argument
  • Counts total words
  • Counts unique words
  • Shows the 5 most common words

Requirements:

  • Use ONLY Vim to create and edit the script
  • Practice using o to open new lines
  • Use dw to delete words when fixing mistakes
  • Use cw to change words
  • Use yy and p to copy/paste lines

Starter code (type this in Vim, don’t copy-paste):

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

# TODO: Add argument validation

# TODO: Count total words

# TODO: Count unique words  

# TODO: Show top 5 most common words

Expected behavior:

$ ./word_counter.sh sample.txt
Total words: 342
Unique words: 156
Top 5 words:
  45 the
  32 and
  28 to
  22 a
  19 of

Hints:

  • Use tr to split words
  • Use sort and uniq -c
  • Use head -5 for top 5

Deliverable: The completed word_counter.sh script

Exercise 6: Visual Mode Practice (15 minutes)

Required

Create a file visual_practice.py with this messy Python code:

def calculate_total(items):
x = 0
for item in items:
x = x + item
return x

def calculate_average(items):
total = calculate_total(items)
count = len(items)
return total / count

def main():
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(calculate_total(numbers))
print(calculate_average(numbers))

Tasks (using Vim):

  1. Fix the indentation in calculate_total function

    • Use Visual Line mode (V) to select the poorly indented lines
    • Use > to indent

  2. Add a docstring to calculate_total:

    """Calculate the sum of all items."""
    • Use o to open a new line below the function definition
    • Type the docstring

  3. Comment out the print statements in main

    • Use Visual Block mode (Ctrl-v) to select the start of both lines
    • Use I to insert at the beginning
    • Type #
    • Press <Esc>

  4. Duplicate the entire calculate_average function

    • Use V to select the entire function
    • Use y to yank (copy)
    • Navigate below it
    • Use p to paste
    • Change the duplicate to calculate_median using cw

Deliverable: The corrected visual_practice.py file

Exercise 7: Search and Replace (10 minutes)

Required

Create replace_practice.txt with:

TODO: Fix the login bug
TODO: Update documentation
DONE: Add tests
TODO: Refactor database code
DONE: Deploy to staging
TODO: Review pull request

Tasks (using Vim search and replace):

  1. Replace all “TODO” with “IN_PROGRESS” globally
  2. Replace only the first “DONE” with “COMPLETED”
  3. Delete all lines containing “database”

Commands you’ll need:

:%s/old/new/g        " Replace all in file
:s/old/new/          " Replace first on line
:g/pattern/d         " Delete lines matching pattern

Deliverable:

  • The modified replace_practice.txt
  • A file replace_commands.txt listing the exact commands you used

Exercise 8 (Bonus): Macros (15 minutes)

Optional - Extra Credit

Given this CSV data in grades.csv:

Alice,85,92,88
Bob,78,85,90
Charlie,92,88,95
David,88,90,87
Eve,95,92,98

Task: Use a Vim macro to transform it to:

Student: Alice, Average: 88.33
Student: Bob, Average: 84.33
Student: Charlie, Average: 91.67
Student: David, Average: 88.33
Student: Eve, Average: 95.00

Approach:

  1. Record a macro that:
    • Extracts the student name
    • Calculates the average (you can use Python or bc)
    • Formats the output line
  2. Replay it for all lines

Hint: You might need to use external commands from Vim:

:.!python3 -c "print(sum([85, 92, 88])/3)"

Deliverable:

  • The transformed grades_formatted.txt
  • A file macro_explanation.txt explaining your macro

Exercise 9 (Bonus): Vim Golf (10 minutes)

Optional - Extra Credit

Vim Golf is about solving editing challenges in minimum keystrokes.

Challenge: Given this text in golf.txt:

function_name

Transform it to:

def function_name():
    pass

Your score: Number of keystrokes (lower is better)

Deliverable: A file golf_solution.txt with:

  • Your keystroke sequence
  • Your total count
  • Explanation of what each keystroke does

Example solution format:

Keystrokes: Idef <Esc>A():<Esc>opass<Esc>
Count: 23
Explanation:
I - Insert at beginning of line
def  - Type "def "
<Esc> - Return to normal mode
...

Submission Checklist

Your week2-[netid] directory should contain:

Required Files

week2-netid/
├── vimtutor_notes.txt
├── vimrc_setup.txt
├── plugin_setup.txt
├── movement_log.txt
├── word_counter.sh
├── visual_practice.py
├── replace_practice.txt
└── replace_commands.txt

Bonus Files

├── grades_formatted.txt
├── macro_explanation.txt
├── golf_solution.txt
└── golf_explanation.txt

Before submitting:

  1. Make all scripts executable: chmod +x *.sh
  2. Test that your .vimrc works: vim --clean -u ~/.vimrc
  3. Verify plugins load: Open Vim and run :PlugStatus
  4. Commit and push to your repo

Grading

  • Exercises 1-7: Required
  • Exercises 8-9: Bonus

Completion-based grading: If you attempted the exercise honestly and followed the requirements, you get full credit for that exercise.

Tips for Success

Start Small

Don’t try to memorize everything. Focus on:

  • hjkl for movement
  • i for insert, <Esc> to exit
  • dd, yy, p for delete/copy/paste
  • :w, :q, :wq for file operations

Use the Help

Vim has amazing built-in help:

:help motion
:help operator
:help visual-mode
:help :substitute

Check Your Progress

After each exercise, verify you can:

  1. Open a file in Vim
  2. Navigate without arrow keys
  3. Make edits efficiently
  4. Save and quit without panic

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Using arrow keys: Force yourself to use hjkl
  2. Staying in Insert mode: Spend most time in Normal mode
  3. Not using text objects: Learn diw, ci(, da"
  4. Ignoring the dot command: . repeats your last change

When You’re Stuck

  1. Press <Esc> several times (get to Normal mode)
  2. Type :help followed by what you’re trying to do
  3. Check the Week 2 notes
  4. Google: “vim how to [what you want]”
  5. Come to office hours

Practice Strategy

Week 2: Force yourself to use Vim for all homework
Week 3: Use Vim exclusively (no VS Code fallback)
Week 4+: Enjoy being faster than before

Resources

  • Built-in help: :help (from within Vim)
  • Interactive practice: https://www.openvim.com/
  • Vim Adventures: https://vim-adventures.com/ (game)
  • Cheat sheet: https://vim.rtorr.com/
  • Our notes: Week 2 notes on course website

Final Thoughts

Learning Vim is like learning to touch type. The first week is painful. The second week is frustrating. The third week you start to see it. By the fourth week, you wonder how you ever lived without it.

Stick with it.

By Week 4, you’ll be editing at the speed you think, and every other editor will feel slow.

Remember:

  • Vim is a language for editing
  • Operators + motions = powerful combinations
  • Modal editing feels weird until it doesn’t
  • The best way to learn is to force yourself to use it

Good luck, and see you in Week 3!

Submit by: Next Wednesday via git submodule

Stuck? Ask for help early, don’t suffer in silence