Close Those HTML Tags in a Flash: Essential Vim Techniques

This is the most basic method but can become tedious with frequent tag closing. Simply type the closing tag (e.g., </div>) after positioning your cursor at the end of the content within the opening tag (e.g., <div>).

Example:

<div>This is some content.</div>

Visual Mode Jumping:

This method leverages Vim's visual mode for efficient navigation. Here's how:

• a + t: Enter visual mode (v) and press a followed by t to jump to the closing tag of the current element.
• i + t: Similarly, use i followed by t to jump to the innermost closing tag within the current element.

<ul>
  <li>Item 1</li>
  <li>Item 2</li>
</ul>

Using a + t on the cursor position within <li>Item 1</li> will jump to </li>.

Search and Insert:

Vim offers a built-in search function to locate the opening tag and insert the corresponding closing tag. Here's how:

• Ctrl + _: This key combination searches for the most recent unclosed opening tag above the cursor and inserts the matching closing tag after the current position.

On the line <p>This is a paragraph, pressing Ctrl + _ will insert </p> after the paragraph content.

Related Issues and Solutions:

• Accuracy: While Ctrl + _ is efficient, it might not always find the intended opening tag if multiple unclosed tags exist. Consider using visual mode jumping for more control.
• Customization: If you frequently use specific tags, consider creating abbreviations:

:iabbrev <tag> </tag> <C-X><C-O>

This example creates an abbreviation where typing <tag> followed by Ctrl + X and Ctrl + O expands it to the full closing tag </tag>.

Additional Resources:

• Explore plugins like vim-closetag for automatic closing and additional functionalities.