vi command for adding blank line?

Question

In vi, I can use o or O to add a blank line and go into insertion mode. But what if I want to stay in command mode, is there a command for this?

In googling, I'm seeing suggestions to add stuff to my vimrc, but it seems like there should be an easier way (that will always work.)

Answer 1

According to the VIM FAQ you can use the :put command:

12.15. How do I insert a blank line above/below the current line without entering insert mode?

You can use the ":put" ex command to insert blank lines. For example, try

:put =''
:put! =''

For more information, read

:help :put

but then really it's easier to add:

map <Enter> o<ESC>
map <S-Enter> O<ESC>

to your .vimrc. This way you can press Enter or Shift-Enter in normal mode to insert a blank line below or above current line. Of course substitute <Enter> and <S-Enter> with your preferred keys.

Answer 2

Part of the allure of using VI is having a command mode for manipulating the text, and an edit mode for adding text. This keeps you from having to hit CTRL-whatever to accomplish things.

The other suggestions may work - I haven't tried them - but they seem to require quite a few characters or manipulating your VI environment too much.

Try using o[ESC] followed by a . for each new line you want to add, or 5. to add 5 lines. This is much faster, and will always work on any install of VI.

Answer 3

In vim, there's also :normal o or :normal O.

Answer 4

To insert a blank line after the current line while staying in command mode, use:

: r !echo

This is the "read in a file" command, but instead of giving it a filename, we tell it to read the output of a shell command (!); that shell command, echo, simply prints a blank line. After the blank line is inserted, you remain in command mode.

Answer 5

This will add a blank line after the current line in Vim:

:put _ 

Alternatively, specify a line at the start.

Answer 6

Both Tim Pope's unimpaired.vim - Pairs of handy bracket mappings and my own LineJuggler - Duplicate and move around lines plugin offer handy short ]<Space> mappings for this.

Answer 7

To insert a blank line below the current line use :put, or :put! to insert one above.

To specify where to insert the blank line (nth line) use :[n]put.

e.g.1: Add a blank line below line number 23 while in command mode.

:23put

e.g.2: Add 5 blank lines above line number 23 while in command mode.

:23put! =repeat(\"\n\",5)

Notes and warnings:

• For the output of a single empty line you do not need to use the = feature unless there is a value stored in the unnamed register ", in which case you should use :put ='' which contains two single quotes as the expression.  

• To clear the unnamed register ", type :let @"=''.  

• Check the contents of the Vim registers with :dis or :registers.

• :pu is the equivalent shortcut command.

• Type :help put or :help registers for more information on this topic.

• Vim version 7.2 was used in my testing.

• @Mr Shunz's answer has a caveat.  If you use the double quotes as the expression i.e. :put =", then the previous expression will be used.  E.g. when you enter :put =test and :put =" in succession then the output below the current line will be:

  test    
  test
  

• This answer is an improvement upon that of @Mr Shunz and @justerman, the former omitting some important caveats; and the latter having an equivocal instruction on how to specify an insertion point: "... specify a line at the start".

• @Steven Pritchard's and @Jeff Schaller's answers using :normal o and :r !echo respectively are good alternatives.

• Using a script as suggested by @Ingo Karkat is overkill.

• @Glorytoad and @Hakim use o[Esc] which puts Vi into edit mode. 

Answer 8

On Vim 7.3: <number>o<esc> creates only one empty line.

Answer 9

I'm surprised no one else mentioned this:

Use 'r' followed by 'Enter key' in command line mode.

Late to the the party by 7 years though :)