Vim remaps use cmd in place of :
================================

Anyone just starting out their vim customization journey is bound to run into this error.

Date: February 14, 2022

Anyone just starting out their vim customization journey is bound to run into this error.

``` vim
E5520: mapping must end with
```

## I did not get it

I'll admit, in hindsight it's very clear what this is trying to tell me, but
for whatever reason I still did not understand it and I just used a :
everywhere.

## From the docs

If you run `:h ` you will see a lot of reasons why you should do it, from
performance, to hygene, to ergonomics. You will also see another clear
statement about how to use ``.

``` vim
 E5520
 commands must terminate, that is, they must be followed by in the
 {rhs} of the mapping definition. Command-line mode is never entered.
```

## When to map with a :

You still need to map your remaps with a : if you do not close it with a
``. This might be something like prefilling a command with a search term.

``` vim
nnoremap f :s/search/
```

## Otherwise use

If you can close the `` with a `` the command do so. Your map will
automatically be silent, more ergonomic, performant, and all that good stuff.

``` vim
nnoremap f s/search/Search/g
```