seanh · September 24, 2025 03:33 · Nov 11, 2023 · Jun 12, 2019 · Jun 12, 2019 · Jun 12, 2019
diff --git a/vimgrep.md b/vimgrep.md
@@ -59,12 +59,12 @@ Both <kbd>*</kbd> and <kbd>**</kbd> work:
 For example list the files that you want to search in a file called
 `/tmp/files` then do:
 
-<kbd>:vimgrep `cat /tmp/files`</kbd>
+<kbd>:vimgrep \`cat /tmp/files\`</kbd>
 
 Another use for this is to search all tracked files in a git project using
 `git ls-files`:
 
-<kbd>:vimgrep /foo/g `git ls-files`</kbd>
+<kbd>:vimgrep /foo/g \`git ls-files\`</kbd>
 
 `git ls-files` omits git ignored and untracked files. You could just use
 [fugitive.vim](https://github.com/tpope/vim-fugitive)'s <kbd>:Ggrep</kbd> command (calls <kbd>git grep</kbd>)

diff --git a/vimgrep.md b/vimgrep.md
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ end of the existing quickfix list, instead of pushing a new quickfix list.
 
 ## Alternatives to vimgrep
 
+* [Grepper](https://github.com/mhinz/vim-grepper)
 * <kbd>:grep</kbd>
 * Making <kbd>:grep</kbd> call Ack, or any other program with the `grepprg` and
   `grepformat` settings

diff --git a/vimgrep.md b/vimgrep.md
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ vimgrep
   search patterns.
 
   You can do a normal within-file search first, then re-use the same pattern to
-  search across files with `//` (see examples below).
+  search across files with <kbd>//</kbd> (see examples below).
 
 * Unlike normal within-file search, vimgrep (or rather, the quickfix list)
   tells you which match you're on (e.g. `2 of 5`).

diff --git a/vimgrep.md b/vimgrep.md
@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+vimgrep
+=======
+
+* [Vimcasts on vimgrep](http://vimcasts.org/episodes/search-multiple-files-with-vimgrep/)
+
+* Uses native vim regexes (which are slightly different from the regexes used
+  by grep, ack, ag, etc) so the patterns are the same as with vim's within-file
+  search patterns.
+
+  You can do a normal within-file search first, then re-use the same pattern to
+  search across files with `//` (see examples below).
+
+* Unlike normal within-file search, vimgrep (or rather, the quickfix list)
+  tells you which match you're on (e.g. `2 of 5`).
+
+  If you want to search within the current file but have this feature,
+  tell vimgrep to search the current file with `%`:
+
+  <kbd>:vimgrep /foo/g %</kbd>
+
+  (vimgrep doesn't seem to highlight all the matches like normal <kbd>/</kbd>
+  search does, but you can get this by doing the search with <kbd>/</kbd>
+  first to make the highlights, then doing <kbd>:vimgrep //g %</kbd> and using the
+  quickfix list to navigate the results.)
+
+* Like many vim commands it populates the quickfix list with the search results.
+
+* By default it only finds the first match in every file. Add `/g` (see examples
+  below) to find all matches.
+
+* Can be shortened to just <kbd>:vim</kbd>.
+
+* Can be used in conjunction with vim's arg list (see examples below).
+
+* Ignores files that match vim's `wildignore` setting, and searches files in
+  `suffixes` last.
+
+* Uses vim's `ignorecase` setting (but not `smartcase`).
+
+Simple example - to search three specific files for `foo`:
+
+<kbd>:vimgrep /foo/g foo.txt bar.txt gar.txt</kbd>
+
+## Specifying which files to search
+
+You can pass a list of specific files like `foo.txt bar.txt gar.txt` to
+vimgrep but you can also use wildcards and backtick expansion.
+
+### Wildcards
+
+Both <kbd>*</kbd> and <kbd>**</kbd> work:
+
+<kbd>:vimgrep /foo/g *.txt</kbd>
+
+<kbd>:vimgrep /foo/g **/*.txt</kbd>
+
+### Backtick expansion
+
+For example list the files that you want to search in a file called
+`/tmp/files` then do:
+
+<kbd>:vimgrep `cat /tmp/files`</kbd>
+
+Another use for this is to search all tracked files in a git project using
+`git ls-files`:
+
+<kbd>:vimgrep /foo/g `git ls-files`</kbd>
+
+`git ls-files` omits git ignored and untracked files. You could just use
+[fugitive.vim](https://github.com/tpope/vim-fugitive)'s <kbd>:Ggrep</kbd> command (calls <kbd>git grep</kbd>)
+though.
+
+### Using with the argument list
+
+You can populate vim's argument list first with <kbd>:args {FILES}</kbd>,
+perhaps validate the contents of the argument list with <kbd>:args</kbd>,
+and then tell vimgrep to search all files in the argument list with `##`:
+
+<kbd>:vimgrep /foo/g ##</kbd>
+
+This also means that you can reuse the same argument list for multiple searches.
+
+### Using the current search pattern
+
+You can tell vim to search using the current within-file search pattern using `//`.
+Test a search pattern on the current file and then use it across multiple files
+with vimgrep:
+
+<kbd>:vimgrep //g <FILES></kbd>
+
+Alternatively you can paste the current search pattern into the command line
+(after `:vimgrep /`) with
+<kbd><kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>r</kbd><kbd>/</kbd></kbd>.
+
+## Navigating the quickfix list
+
+After running vimgrep you navigate the search results by navigating vim's quickfix list.
+All the commands for navigating the quickfix list begin with `:c`:
+
+* <kbd>:copen</kbd> and <kbd>:cclose</kbd>: open and close the quickfix window.
+
+  In the quickfix window <kbd>Enter</kbd> jumps to the item under the cursor in
+  the window above the quickfix window (if the file is already open in another
+  window it'll go to that window instead).
+
+  You can also just close the quickfix window with <kbd>:q</kbd> while it's the
+  active window, like any other window.
+
+  If you keep the quickfix window open (whether the active window or not) and
+  use commands like <kbd>:cnext</kbd> etc below to move between matches, then
+  you can see the match in the file and the position of the match in the list
+  of matches side-by-side.
+
+  To open the quickfix window in a horizontal rather than vertical split do
+  <kbd>:vert copen</kbd>.
+
+* <kbd>:cnext</kbd> and <kbd>:cprev</kbd>: go to the next and previous match.
+  You can precede this with a count, e.g. <kbd>:5cnext</kbd>.
+
+  [vim-unimpaired](https://github.com/tpope/vim-unimpaired) adds
+  <kbd><kbd>]</kbd><kbd>q</kbd></kbd> and <kbd><kbd>[</kbd><kbd>q</kbd></kbd>
+  shortcuts for these.
+
+* <kbd>:cfirst</kbd> and<kbd>:clast</kbd> go to the first and last match.
+
+  Unimpaired adds
+  <kbd><kbd>]</kbd><kbd>Q</kbd></kbd> and <kbd><kbd>[</kbd><kbd>Q</kbd></kbd>
+  shortcuts for these.
+
+* <kbd>:cnfile</kbd> and <kbd>:cpfile</kbd> go to the first or last item
+  **in the next or previous match-containing file**.
+
+* <kbd>:cc n</kbd> goes to the nth match.
+
+## Recalling previous search results (previous quickfix lists)
+
+Vim remembers the last 10 quickfix lists and you can move between them with
+<kbd>:colder</kbd> and <kbd>:cnewer</kbd> (and you can precede these with a
+count, e.g. <kbd>:5colder</kbd>). (Also see <kbd>:vimgrepa</kbd> below.)
+
+## Per-window vimgrep with lvimgrep
+
+<kbd>lvimgrep</kbd> is the same as vimgrep but populates the current window's
+location list with the search results instead of the quickfix list. So you
+have to use location list commands to navigate through results (e.g.
+<kbd>:lnext</kbd> and <kbd>:lprev</kbd> instead of <kbd>:cnext</kbd> and <kbd>:cprev</kbd>).
+This means you can have multiple across-files searches in play at once, in different windows.
+
+## Append more matches the current match list with vimgrepa
+
+<kbd>:vimgrepa</kbd> works the same as vimgrep but appends its matches to the
+end of the existing quickfix list, instead of pushing a new quickfix list.
+<kbd>:lvimgrepa</kbd> does the same but for the location list.
+
+## Alternatives to vimgrep
+
+* <kbd>:grep</kbd>
+* Making <kbd>:grep</kbd> call Ack, or any other program with the `grepprg` and
+  `grepformat` settings
+* The [ack.vim](https://github.com/mileszs/ack.vim) plugin.
+  This plugin can be configured to use `ag` (silversearcher) too.
+* [fugitive.vim](https://github.com/tpope/vim-fugitive)'s <kbd>:Ggrep</kbd> command (calls <kbd>git grep</kbd>)