Bash is tricky, don’t let your editor get in your way. Here’s a couple of neat additions you could make to your vimrc for a better shell programming experience.

Man pages inside vim

Source this script to get started:

runtime ftplugin/man.vim

Now, you can open manpages inside vim with :Man! It adds nicer syntax highlighting and the ability to jump around with Ctrl-] and Ctrl-T.

By default, the manpage is opened in a horizontal split, I prefer using a new tab:

let g:ft_man_open_mode = 'tab'

Scratchpad to test your commands

I often test my sed substitutions, here is a sample from the script used to generate this site:

# a substitution to convert snake_case to Title Case With Spaces
echo "$1" | sed -E -e "s/\..+$//g"  -e "s/_(.)/ \u\1/g" -e "s/^(.)/\u\1/g"

Instead of dropping into a new shell, just test it out directly from vim!

• Yank the line into a register:

  yy
  

• Paste it into the command-line window:

  q:p
  

• Make edits as required:

  syntax off            # previously run commands
  edit index.html       # in a buffer!
  w | so %
  !echo "new_post.md" | sed -E -e "s/\..+$//g"  --snip--
  ^--- note the use of '!'
  

• Hit enter with the cursor on the line containing your command!

  $ vim
  New Post         # output
  Press ENTER or type command to continue