Summary:
- A buffer is the in-memory text of a file.
- A window is a viewport on a buffer.
- A tab page is a collection of windows.
A window is a viewport onto a buffer. You can use multiple windows on one buffer, or several windows on different buffers. A buffer is a file loaded into memory for editing. The original file remains unchanged until you write the buffer to the file.
:ls list buffers
:ls! list all buffers (even unlisted ones, like help files)
:b3 go to buffer 3
:bd delete current buffer
:bd3 delete buffer 3
:bn go to next buffer
:bp go to previous buffer
:tabe open a new tab
gt go to next tab (cycles when reaches last tab)
:sp or Ctrl-s open new window in horizontal split
:vsp or Ctrl-w v open new window in vertical split
Ctrl-w + h or j or k or l move to window