Tip #470: Map to quickly swap/exchange arbitrary text

When editing text, it's not uncommon to need to swap two bits of text.  In
Vim, it's easy to swap adjacent characters, words and lines (see vimtip #47),
but to swap non-adjacent text (such as comma-separated words, variable
assignments, and function parameters), you usually have to resort to a tedious
delete/move/put/delete/move/put sequence.

Mappings such as the one in vimtip #329 can help in some cases, but for a more
general solution, try this mapping:

vnoremap <C-X> <Esc>`.``gvP``P

To use it:  First, delete some text (using any normal Vim command, such as
daw, {Visual}x, or dt,).  Then, visually select some other text, and press
CTRL-X.  The two pieces of text should now be swapped.

For example, to swap "apple" and "orange" in the line below:

        int apple, lemon, orange;

1. Delete "apple", using (for example) diw or <double-click>d
2. Visually select "orange"
3. Press CTRL-X

The mapping is not limited to single words, though, and will work with
anything you can delete/select (even lines and blockwise selections).


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Additional Notes