DISCLAIMER: The docker features and the build script in this repository were built by AI. I put this together for a presentation in less than 24 hours, review that code before executing as it has not been fully reviewed yet.

The examples and README were put together without AI assistance.

Introduction to VIM Motions for PowerShell Users

With Andrew Pla and Mason Moser

Link to the PowerShell Wednesday's video: Andew learns VIM on a whim with Mason Moser

Start Here (If You've Never Used Vim)

Move around with arrow keys, or with Vim movement keys:

• h = left
• j = down
• k = up
• l = right

Basic exit commands:

• Close current window: :q<Enter>
• Exit Vim without saving: :qa!<Enter> (careful, all changes are lost)

The 3 Main Modes

1. Normal mode
   • Esc always gets you back to normal mode
   • i enters insert mode
   • v enters visual mode
   • Modes are shown at the bottom-left status area
   • You run most Vim commands from normal mode
2. Insert mode
   • This is where you type text normally
3. Visual mode
   • Beginners use this less at first
   • Useful for selecting text, then doing something with that selection

Anatomy of a Vim Motion

In normal mode, most editing actions are:

Command + Count + Motion

Example:

• dd deletes a full line (same operator pressed twice applies to the whole line)

Common Commands (Operators)

• d = delete
• c = change
• y = yank (we do not "copy" in Vim, we "yank"... cute right?)
• v = visual mode
• x = delete one character
• . = repeat last command

Common Motions

• w = move forward by word
• b = move back by word
• l = move right by letter
• 0 = very beginning of line (column 0)
• ^ = first non-whitespace character on the line
• $ = end of line

Useful combinations:

• dw = delete word
• d$ / D = delete to end of line
• dt<char> = delete up to a specific character
• cw = change word
• C = change to end of line
• ci" / ci{ / ci( = change inside delimiters
• di" / di( = delete inside delimiters

Wait... Buffers? What's That?

Buffers are where deleted/yanked text goes automatically.

Types you should know:

• Default buffer: acts like your automatic clipboard
• Other automatic buffers: Vim keeps a few histories for you automatically
• Named buffers: you can intentionally store text in named slots for later use

Quick example:

1. dd to delete a line
2. Move cursor
3. p to put (paste) it below

Core Navigation

• Go to top of file: gg
• Go to bottom of file: G
• Go to line: {number}G
• Jump by word: w
• Jump back by word: b
• Jump quickly by count: 20j (move down 20 lines)
• Match bracket/brace/paren: %
• Find text: /searchTerm (this is your Vim version of Ctrl+F)
• Scroll half page down/up: Ctrl+d / Ctrl+u
• Jump to next/previous paragraph-ish block: Shift+} / Shift+{
• Center cursor line on screen: zz

Editor Settings (Often Not Supported in VSCode Vim)

• Show line numbers: :set number
• Show relative numbers: :set relativenumber

Exercise Outline (Concise)

The full guided exercises live in learn_VIM_Motions_for_PowerShell.ps1.

Beginner progression:

1. Movement and positioning
   • Start/end of line (0, ^, $)
   • Top/bottom/specific line (gg, G, {n}G)
   • Navigation helpers (20j, Ctrl+d, Ctrl+u, Shift+}, Shift+{, zz)
2. Basic edits
   • Delete character (x)
   • Line ops (dd, yy, cc, p)
   • Undo/redo (u, Ctrl+r)
   • Open new lines (o, O)
3. Operator + motion fluency
   • dw, D, C, cw, dt<char>, .
4. Search and structure
   • / search (replace the usual editor Ctrl+F flow)
   • % matching delimiters
   • Inside delimiters (ci", ci{, di()
5. Productivity and formatting
   • Duplicate lines (yy, p)
   • Visual line mode (V) and indent/dedent (>, <)
   • Number increment/decrement (Ctrl+a, Ctrl+x)
   • Case toggles (~, gUU, guu)
   • Substitute in file (:%s/old/new/g)

Installation and Setup (Beginner-Friendly)

If you are brand new, run the guided installer script first:

• buildNeovimInAnyOS.ps1

What it covers:

• Detects OS and available package manager
• Confirms install command before running
• Handles common elevation/admin cases
• Checks whether nvim is in PATH
• Offers optional health check
• Offers optional starter config install (with backup if config exists)
• Provides troubleshooting tips if something fails

Official Neovim install docs:

• https://neovim.io/doc/install/

Docker and Codespaces Setup

If you want a containerized Neovim environment (local Docker or GitHub Codespaces):

• See README.docker.md

Resources

• Learn to type faster: https://www.keybr.com/
• Official Neovim install instructions: https://neovim.io/doc/install/
• Game to learn basic VIM motions: https://vim-adventures.com/
• Manbearpiet's intro blog post: https://manbearpiet.com/posts/nvim/
• Manbearpiet's Neovim config repository: https://github.com/Manbearpiet/kickstart.nvim/tree/master#
• Jake Hildreth's Locksmith2 repository: https://github.com/jakehildreth/Locksmith2/tree/main

Security and Privacy for Contributors

This repository is intended for sharing and collaboration. Please keep it safe to publish:

• Do not commit credentials, keys, tokens, or .env files with real values.
• Use .env.example as a placeholder template only.
• Keep machine-local/editor runtime files out of version control.

Secret Scanning

This repo includes gitleaks scanning in CI (.github/workflows/secret-scan.yml) and supports local pre-commit scans (.pre-commit-config.yaml).

To enable local scans:

1. Install pre-commit:
   • pip install pre-commit
2. Install hooks:
   • pre-commit install
3. Run scan manually:
   • pre-commit run --all-files