Commit: runtime(tutor): Add a section on text objects and special registers to Chapter 2

[Christian Brabandt]

runtime(tutor): Add a section on text objects and special registers to Chapter 2

Commit: https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/b87f133b0724f7328e7dd41dd611af67f4ae3e39
Author: Christian Brabandt <c...@256bit.org>
Date: Wed Aug 27 21:28:50 2025 +0200

runtime(tutor): Add a section on text objects and special registers to Chapter 2

fixes: https://github.com/vim/vim/issues/17808
closes: https://github.com/vim/vim/issues/18105

Signed-off-by: Christian Brabandt <c...@256bit.org>

diff --git a/runtime/tutor/tutor1 b/runtime/tutor/tutor1
index 04b490f0c..790de3944 100644
--- a/runtime/tutor/tutor1
+++ b/runtime/tutor/tutor1
@@ -944,7 +944,7 @@ NOTE: Completion works for many commands. Just try pressing CTRL-D and
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This concludes Chapter 1 of the Vim Tutor. Consider continuing with
- Chapter 2.
+ Chapter 2 which covers registers, marks and the use of text objects.

It was intended to give a brief overview of the Vim editor, just enough to
allow you to use the editor fairly easily. It is far from complete as Vim
diff --git a/runtime/tutor/tutor2 b/runtime/tutor/tutor2
index 631b99445..7c094f17c 100644
--- a/runtime/tutor/tutor2
+++ b/runtime/tutor/tutor2
@@ -12,7 +12,43 @@
depending upon how much time is spent with experimentation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Lesson 2.1.1: THE NAMED REGISTERS
+
+ Lesson 2.1.1: MASTERING TEXT OBJECTS
+
+ ** Operate on logical text blocks with precision using text objects **
+
+ 1. Practice word operations:
+ - Place cursor on any word in the line below
+ - Type diw to delete INNER word (word without surrounding space)
+ - Type daw to delete A WORD (including trailing whitespace)
+ - Try with other operators: ciw (change), yiw (yank), gqiw (format)
+
+---> Practice on: "Vim's", (text_object), and 'powerful' words here.
+
+ 2. Work with bracketed content:
+ - Put cursor inside any () {} [] <> pair below
+ - Type di( or dib (delete inner bracket)
+ - Type da( or dab (delete around brackets)
+ - Try same with i"/a" for quotes, it/at for HTML/XML tags
+
+---> Test cases: {curly}, [square], <angle>, and "quoted" items.
+
+ 3. Paragraph and sentence manipulation:
+ - Use dip to delete inner paragraph (cursor anywhere in paragraph)
+ - Use vap to visually select entire paragraph
+ - Try das to delete a sentence (works between .!? punctuation)
+
+ 4. Advanced combinations:
+ - ciwnew<ESC> - Change current word to "new"
+ - yss"<ESC> - Wrap entire line in quotes (vim-surround plugin style)
+ - gUit - Uppercase inner HTML tag content
+ - va"p - Select quoted text and paste over it
+
+---> Final exercise: (Modify "this" text) by [applying {various} operations]<
+
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+ Lesson 2.1.2: THE NAMED REGISTERS


** Store two yanked words concurrently and then paste them **
@@ -45,7 +81,7 @@ REFERENCE: Registers :h registers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Lesson 2.1.2: THE EXPRESSION REGISTER
+ Lesson 2.1.3: THE EXPRESSION REGISTER


** Insert the results of calculations on the fly **
@@ -72,7 +108,7 @@ REFERENCE: Expression Register :h quote=

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Lesson 2.1.3: THE NUMBERED REGISTERS
+ Lesson 2.1.4: THE NUMBERED REGISTERS


** Press yy and dd to witness their effect on the registers **
@@ -107,11 +143,55 @@ NOTE: Whole line deletions (dd) are much longer lived in the numbered registers

REFERENCE: Numbered Registers :h quote0

-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Lesson 2.1.4: THE BEAUTY OF MARKS
+ Lesson 2.1.5: SPECIAL REGISTERS

+ ** Use system clipboard and blackhole registers for advanced editing **
+
+ Note: Clipboard use requires X11/Wayland libraries on Linux systems AND
+ a Vim built with "+clipboard" (usually a Huge build). Check with
+ ":version" and ":echo has('clipboard_working')"
+
+ 1. Clipboard registers + and * :
+ - "+y - Yank to system clipboard (e.g. "+yy for current line)
+ - "+p - Paste from system clipboard
+ - "* is primary selection on X11 (middle-click), "+ is clipboard
+
+---> Try: "+yy then paste into another application with Ctrl-V or Cmd+V
+
+ 2. Blackhole register _ discards text:
+ - "_daw - Delete word without saving to any register
+ - Useful when you don't want to overwrite your default " register
+ - Note this is using the "a Word" text object, introduced in a previous
+ lession
+ - "_dd - Delete line without saving
+ - "_dap - Delete paragraph without saving
+ - Combine with counts: 3"_dw
+
+---> Practice: "_diw on any word to delete it without affecting yank history
+
+ 3. Combine with visual selections:
+ - Select text with V then "+y
+ - To paste from clipboard in insert mode: Ctrl-R +
+ - Try opening another application and paste from clipboard
+
+ 4. Remember:
+ - Clipboard registers work across different Vim instances
+ - Clipboard register is not always working
+ - Blackhole prevents accidental register overwrites
+ - Default " register is still available for normal yank/paste
+ - Named registers (a-z) remain private to each Vim session
+
+ 5. Clipboard troubleshooting:
+ - Check support with :echo has('clipboard_working')
+ - 1 means available, 0 means not compiled in
+ - On Linux, may need vim-gtk or vim-x11 package
+ (check :version output)
+
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+ Lesson 2.1.6: THE BEAUTY OF MARKS

** Code monkey arithmetic avoidance **

@@ -163,32 +243,45 @@ REFERENCE: Marks :h marks

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- Lesson 2.1 SUMMARY
+ Lesson 2.1 SUMMARY
+

+ 1. Text objects provide precision editing:
+ - iw/aw - inner/around word
+ - i[/a[ - inner/around bracket
+ - i"/a" - inner/around quotes
+ - it/at - inner/around tag
+ - ip/ap - inner/around paragraph
+ - is/as - inner/around sentence

- 1. To store (yank, delete) text into, and retrieve (paste) from, a total of
+ 2. To store (yank, delete) text into, and retrieve (paste) from, a total of
26 registers (a-z)
- 2. Yank a whole word from anywhere within a word: yiw
- 3. Change a whole word from anywhere within a word: ciw
- 4. Insert text directly from registers in insert mode: (C-r)a
+ 3. Yank a whole word from anywhere within a word: yiw
+ 4. Change a whole word from anywhere within a word: ciw
+ 5. Insert text directly from registers in insert mode: (C-r)a

- 5. Insert the results of simple arithmetic operations: <CTRL-R> followed by
+ 6. Insert the results of simple arithmetic operations: <CTRL-R> followed by
=60*60<ENTER>
in insert mode
- 6. Insert the results of system calls: <CTRL-R> followed by
+ 7. Insert the results of system calls: <CTRL-R> followed by
=system('ls -1')<ENTER>
in insert mode

- 7. Inspect registers with :reg
- 8. Learn the final destination of whole line deletions: dd in the numbered
+ 8. Inspect registers with :reg
+ 9. Learn the final destination of whole line deletions: dd in the numbered
registers, i.e. descending from register 1 - 9. Appreciate that whole
line deletions are preserved in the numbered registers longer than any
other operation
- 9. Learn the final destination of all yanks in the numbered registers and
+ 10. Learn the final destination of all yanks in the numbered registers and
how ephemeral they are

- 10. Place marks from command mode m[a-zA-Z0-9]
- 11. Move line-wise to a mark with '
+ 11. Place marks from command mode m[a-zA-Z0-9]
+ 12. Move line-wise to a mark with '
+
+ 13. Special registers:
+ - "+/* - System clipboard (OS dependent)
+ - "_ - Blackhole (discard deleted/yanked text)
+ - "= - Expression register

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~