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regexvimcapturing-groupregex-group

Vim Regex Capture Groups [bau -> byau : ceu -> cyeu]

I have a list of words:

bau
ceu
diu
fou
gau

I want to turn that list into:

byau
cyeu
dyiu
fyou
gyau

I unsuccessfully tried the command:

:%s/(\w)(\w\w)/\1y\2/g

Given that this doesn't work, what do I have to change to make the regex capture groups work in Vim?

Solution

  • One way to fix this is by ensuring the pattern is enclosed by escaped parentheses:

    :%s/\(\w\)\(\w\w\)/\1y\2/g

    Slightly shorter (and more magic-al) is to use \v, meaning that in the pattern after it all ASCII characters except '0'-'9', 'a'-'z', 'A'-'Z' and '_' have a special meaning:

    :%s/\v(\w)(\w\w)/\1y\2/g

    See: