Numbers Out of Nothing

g Ctrl-A — number a list instantly#

Give every item the same starting number:

0. review the backlog
0. size the new stories
0. pick the sprint goal

Select the lines with V, press g Ctrl-A, and they become 1., 2., 3. — Vim walks the selection giving each number an increasing value. One keystroke, no typing.

The g is what makes it progressive.

Ctrl-A and Ctrl-X#

Plain Ctrl-A increments the number under the cursor by one; Ctrl-X decrements. It understands negatives and hex, and will find the number for you if the cursor sits before it on the line.

Renumbering a list, bumping a version, fixing an off-by-one in test data — one keystroke instead of retyping.

Ctrl-R = — maths without leaving insert mode#

In insert mode press Ctrl-r then =. That is the expression register: Vim waits for a sum.

Budget: <C-r>=1250*0.8<CR>

The answer lands in the file as text. No calculator, no scratch buffer.