Practical Vim, 2nd Edition

Tip 104

Navigate Keyword Definitions with Vim’s Tag Navigation Commands

Vim’s ctags integration turns the keywords in our code into a kind of hyperlink, allowing us to jump rapidly to a definition. We’ll see how to use the Normal mode <C-]> and g<C-]> commands as well as their complementary Ex commands.

Jump to a Keyword Definition

Pressing <C-]> makes our cursor jump from the keyword under the cursor to the definition. Here it is in action:

Keystrokes	Buffer Contents
{start}	require './speaker.rb' class Anglophone < Speaker def speak puts "Hello, my name is #{@name}" end end Anglophone.new('Jack').speak
<C-]>	require './speaker.rb' class Anglophone < Speaker def speak puts "Hello, my name is #{@name}" end end Anglophone.new('Jack').speak ...