Question

I often use the search pattern atom \%<nr>l. to match lines or \%<nr>c. to match columns.

Does anybody know why I can’t use the n (next) command to go to the next match if I use these atoms?

For example, consider /\%4l.\|\%6l. (matches line 4 and line 6). With the cursor on line 4, pressing n doesn’t move the cursor to line 6; it merely goes to the next character.

Is there a way to go the next match in a single key press?

Answer 1

The pattern /\%4l.\|\%6l. prescribes to match any character on the
fourth line, or any character on the sixth line. After the first
character of the fourth line is matched, the next occurrence of this
pattern would be the second character of the same line, then the one
after that and so on until the last character on that line. It moves
to the sixth line only when all the characters on the fourth line has
been matched.