Hopping between brackets

Before we go further into selecting, there’s one match-mode command that simply moves: mm jumps the cursor to the bracket that matches the one under it. Put the cursor on a ( and mm takes you to its ); press it again and you’re back where you started.

It works for every kind of bracket pair — (), [], {} and <> — and it’s the fastest way to find out where a long condition or a nested call actually ends. The cursor does need to be on one of the brackets; in a plain-text buffer like this one, mm anywhere else stays put.

Like every movement in Helix, mm also extends a selection when you’re in select mode: v then mm selects from one bracket to its partner, brackets included.

Try it in the editor. Work through the checklist below to hop across the parentheses and back.