Using Search Patterns and Global Commands

Besides using line numbers and address symbols (., $, %), ex (including the ex mode of vi, of course) can address lines (Section 20.3) using search patterns ( Section 32.1). For example:

:/ pattern /d: Deletes the next line containing pattern.
:/ pattern /+d: Deletes the line below the next line containing pattern. (You could also use +1 instead of + alone.)
:/ pattern1 /,/ pattern2 /d: Deletes from the next line (after the current line) that contains pattern1 through the next following line that contains pattern2.
:.,/ pattern /m23: Takes text from current line (.) through the next line containing pattern and puts it after line 23.

Note that patterns are delimited by a slash both before and after.

If you make deletions by pattern with vi and ex, there is a difference in the way the two editors operate. Suppose you have in your file named practice the following lines:

With a screen editor you can scroll the
page, move the cursor, delete lines, insert
characters and more, while seeing results
of your edits as you make them.

Key-strokes	Action	Results
`d/while`	The vi delete-to-pattern command deletes from the cursor up to the word while but leaves the remainder of both lines.	With a screen editor you can scroll the page, move the cursor, while seeing results of your edits as you make them.
`:.,/while/d`	The ex command deletes the entire range of addressed lines; in this case both the current line and the line containing the pattern. All lines are deleted in their entirety.	With a screen editor you can scroll the of your edits as you make them.

Global Searches

In vi you use a / (slash) to search for patterns of characters in your files. By contrast, ex has a global command, g, that lets you search for a pattern and display all lines containing the pattern when it finds them. The command :g! does the opposite of :g. Use :g! (or its synonym :v) to search for all lines that do not contain pattern.

You can use the global command on all lines in the file, or you can use line addresses to limit a global search to specified lines or to a range of lines.

:g/ pattern /: Finds (moves to) the last occurrence of pattern in the file.
:g/ pattern /p: Finds and displays all lines in the file containing pattern.
:g!/ pattern /nu: Finds and displays all lines in the file that don't contain pattern; also displays line number for each line found.
:60,124g/ pattern /p: Finds and displays any lines between 60 and 124 containing pattern.

g can also be used for global replacements. For example, to search for all lines that begin with WARNING: and change the first word not on those lines to NOT:

:g/^WARNING:/s/\<not\>/NOT/

— LL, from Learning the vi Editor (O'Reilly, 1998)