Question

I want to map a key so that it will do the following actions in Vim. Suppose I am editing a file; I want it set up so that if I press F2, I will accomplish the same thing I would if I did the following:

1. press ESC
2. type colon (:)
3. type w
4. press Enter
5. press ESC again
6. type i to go back to insert mode

Is this possible?

Answer 1

Literal answer: Yes. You can use this:

:inoremap <F2> <Esc>:w<CR>I

but it won’t do exactly what you want (the cursor will be at the wrong place).

Anton beat me to the less literal (but correct) answer.

The best answer, though, is this: Don’t use Vim incorrectly. You should never spend so much time in insert mode that you need a shortcut to get out of it, save the file, and then get back in. With all other editors, you’re in “insert mode” all the time, and only temporarily pop into a menu or dialog or whatever; in Vim, you should learn to reverse this. Only pop into insert mode to edit or add something; never use arrow keys to move the cursor while in insert mode; spend the majority of your time in command (normal) mode, and after a bit of adjustment to the new paradigm, you will find that your editing speed has increased.