| blob | c1ed1b80c650cc426f9bc438b0ba58ef8162c37f |
1 *starting.txt* For Vim version 7.2. Last change: 2008 Nov 09
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
7 Starting Vim *starting*
9 1. Vim arguments |vim-arguments|
10 2. Vim on the Amiga |starting-amiga|
11 3. Running eVim |evim-keys|
12 4. Initialization |initialization|
13 5. $VIM and $VIMRUNTIME |$VIM|
14 6. Suspending |suspend|
15 7. Saving settings |save-settings|
16 8. Views and Sessions |views-sessions|
17 9. The viminfo file |viminfo-file|
19 ==============================================================================
20 1. Vim arguments *vim-arguments*
22 Most often, Vim is started to edit a single file with the command
24 vim filename *-vim*
26 More generally, Vim is started with:
28 vim [option | filename] ..
30 Option arguments and file name arguments can be mixed, and any number of them
31 can be given. However, watch out for options that take an argument.
33 For compatibility with various Vi versions, see |cmdline-arguments|.
35 Exactly one out of the following five items may be used to choose how to
36 start editing:
38 *-file* *---*
39 filename One or more file names. The first one will be the current
40 file and read into the buffer. The cursor will be positioned
41 on the first line of the buffer.
42 To avoid a file name starting with a '-' being interpreted as
43 an option, precede the arglist with "--", e.g.: >
44 vim -- -filename
45 < All arguments after the "--" will be interpreted as file names,
46 no other options or "+command" argument can follow.
48 *--*
49 - This argument can mean two things, depending on whether Ex
50 mode is to be used.
52 Starting in Normal mode: >
53 vim -
54 ex -v -
55 < Start editing a new buffer, which is filled with text
56 that is read from stdin. The commands that would normally be
57 read from stdin will now be read from stderr. Example: >
58 find . -name "*.c" -print | vim -
59 < The buffer will be marked modified, because it contains text
60 that needs to be saved. Except when in readonly mode, then
61 the buffer is not marked modified. Example: >
62 ls | view -
63 <
64 Starting in Ex mode: >
65 ex -
66 vim -e -
67 exim -
68 vim -E
69 < Start editing in silent mode. See |-s-ex|.
71 *-t* *-tag*
72 -t {tag} A tag. "tag" is looked up in the tags file, the associated
73 file becomes the current file, and the associated command is
74 executed. Mostly this is used for C programs, in which case
75 "tag" often is a function name. The effect is that the file
76 containing that function becomes the current file and the
77 cursor is positioned on the start of the function (see
78 |tags|).
80 *-q* *-qf*
81 -q [errorfile] QuickFix mode. The file with the name [errorfile] is read
82 and the first error is displayed. See |quickfix|.
83 If [errorfile] is not given, the 'errorfile' option is used
84 for the file name. See 'errorfile' for the default value.
85 {not in Vi}
87 (nothing) Without one of the four items above, Vim will start editing a
88 new buffer. It's empty and doesn't have a file name.
91 The startup mode can be changed by using another name instead of "vim", which
92 is equal to giving options:
93 ex vim -e Start in Ex mode (see |Ex-mode|). *ex*
94 exim vim -E Start in improved Ex mode (see |Ex-mode|). *exim*
95 (normally not installed)
96 view vim -R Start in read-only mode (see |-R|). *view*
97 gvim vim -g Start the GUI (see |gui|). *gvim*
98 gex vim -eg Start the GUI in Ex mode. *gex*
99 gview vim -Rg Start the GUI in read-only mode. *gview*
100 rvim vim -Z Like "vim", but in restricted mode (see |-Z|) *rvim*
101 rview vim -RZ Like "view", but in restricted mode. *rview*
102 rgvim vim -gZ Like "gvim", but in restricted mode. *rgvim*
103 rgview vim -RgZ Like "gview", but in restricted mode. *rgview*
104 evim vim -y Easy Vim: set 'insertmode' (see |-y|) *evim*
105 eview vim -yR Like "evim" in read-only mode *eview*
106 vimdiff vim -d Start in diff mode |diff-mode|
107 gvimdiff vim -gd Start in diff mode |diff-mode|
109 Additional characters may follow, they are ignored. For example, you can have
110 "gvim-5" to start the GUI. You must have an executable by that name then, of
111 course.
113 On Unix, you would normally have one executable called Vim, and links from the
114 different startup-names to that executable. If your system does not support
115 links and you do not want to have several copies of the executable, you could
116 use an alias instead. For example: >
117 alias view vim -R
118 alias gvim vim -g
119 <
120 *startup-options*
121 The option arguments may be given in any order. Single-letter options can be
122 combined after one dash. There can be no option arguments after the "--"
123 argument.
125 On VMS all option arguments are assumed to be lowercase, unless preceded with
126 a slash. Thus "-R" means recovery and "-/R" readonly.
128 --help *-h* *--help*
129 -h Give usage (help) message and exit. {not in Vi}
130 See |info-message| about capturing the text.
132 *--version*
133 --version Print version information and exit. Same output as for
134 |:version| command. {not in Vi}
135 See |info-message| about capturing the text.
137 *--noplugin*
138 --noplugin Skip loading plugins. Resets the 'loadplugins' option.
139 {not in Vi}
140 Note that the |-u| argument may also disable loading plugins:
141 argument load vimrc files load plugins ~
142 (nothing) yes yes
143 -u NONE no no
144 -u NORC no yes
145 --noplugin yes no
147 --startuptime={fname} *--startuptime*
148 During startup write timing messages to the file {fname}.
149 This can be used to find out where time is spent while loading
150 your .vimrc and plugins.
151 When {fname} already exists new messages are appended.
152 {only when compiled with this feature}
154 *--literal*
155 --literal Take file names literally, don't expand wildcards. Not needed
156 for Unix, because Vim always takes file names literally (the
157 shell expands wildcards).
158 Applies to all the names, also the ones that come before this
159 argument.
161 *-+*
162 +[num] The cursor will be positioned on line "num" for the first
163 file being edited. If "num" is missing, the cursor will be
164 positioned on the last line.
166 *-+/*
167 +/{pat} The cursor will be positioned on the first line containing
168 "pat" in the first file being edited (see |pattern| for the
169 available search patterns).
171 +{command} *-+c* *-c*
172 -c {command} {command} will be executed after the first file has been
173 read (and after autocommands and modelines for that file have
174 been processed). "command" is interpreted as an Ex command.
175 If the "command" contains spaces, it must be enclosed in
176 double quotes (this depends on the shell that is used).
177 Example: >
178 vim "+set si" main.c
179 vim "+find stdio.h"
180 vim -c "set ff=dos" -c wq mine.mak
181 <
182 Note: You can use up to 10 "+" or "-c" arguments in a Vim
183 command. They are executed in the order given. A "-S"
184 argument counts as a "-c" argument as well.
185 {Vi only allows one command}
187 --cmd {command} *--cmd*
188 {command} will be executed before processing any vimrc file.
189 Otherwise it acts like -c {command}. You can use up to 10 of
190 these commands, independently from "-c" commands.
191 {not in Vi}
193 *-S*
194 -S {file} The {file} will be sourced after the first file has been read.
195 This is an easy way to do the equivalent of: >
196 -c "source {file}"
197 < It can be mixed with "-c" arguments and repeated like "-c".
198 The limit of 10 "-c" arguments applies here as well.
199 {file} cannot start with a "-".
200 {not in Vi}
202 -S Works like "-S Session.vim". Only when used as the last
203 argument or when another "-" option follows.
205 *-r*
206 -r Recovery mode. Without a file name argument, a list of
207 existing swap files is given. With a file name, a swap file
208 is read to recover a crashed editing session. See
209 |crash-recovery|.
211 *-L*
212 -L Same as -r. {only in some versions of Vi: "List recoverable
213 edit sessions"}
215 *-R*
216 -R Readonly mode. The 'readonly' option will be set for all the
217 files being edited. You can still edit the buffer, but will
218 be prevented from accidentally overwriting a file. If you
219 forgot that you are in View mode and did make some changes,
220 you can overwrite a file by adding an exclamation mark to
221 the Ex command, as in ":w!". The 'readonly' option can be
222 reset with ":set noro" (see the options chapter, |options|).
223 Subsequent edits will not be done in readonly mode. Calling
224 the executable "view" has the same effect as the -R argument.
225 The 'updatecount' option will be set to 10000, meaning that
226 the swap file will not be updated automatically very often.
228 *-m*
229 -m Modifications not allowed to be written. The 'write' option
230 will be reset, so that writing files is disabled. However,
231 the 'write' option can be set to enable writing again.
232 {not in Vi}
234 *-M*
235 -M Modifications not allowed. The 'modifiable' option will be
236 reset, so that changes are not allowed. The 'write' option
237 will be reset, so that writing files is disabled. However,
238 the 'modifiable' and 'write' options can be set to enable
239 changes and writing.
240 {not in Vi}
242 *-Z* *restricted-mode* *E145*
243 -Z Restricted mode. All commands that make use of an external
244 shell are disabled. This includes suspending with CTRL-Z,
245 ":sh", filtering, the system() function, backtick expansion,
246 etc.
247 {not in Vi}
249 *-g*
250 -g Start Vim in GUI mode. See |gui|. {not in Vi}
252 *-v*
253 -v Start Ex in Vi mode. Only makes a difference when the
254 executable is called "ex" or "gvim". For gvim the GUI is not
255 started if possible.
257 *-e*
258 -e Start Vim in Ex mode |Q|. Only makes a difference when the
259 executable is not called "ex".
261 *-E*
262 -E Start Vim in improved Ex mode |gQ|. Only makes a difference
263 when the executable is not called "exim".
264 {not in Vi}
266 *-s-ex*
267 -s Silent or batch mode. Only when Vim was started as "ex" or
268 when preceded with the "-e" argument. Otherwise see |-s|,
269 which does take an argument while this use of "-s" doesn't.
270 To be used when Vim is used to execute Ex commands from a file
271 instead of a terminal. Switches off most prompts and
272 informative messages. Also warnings and error messages.
273 The output of these commands is displayed (to stdout):
274 :print
275 :list
276 :number
277 :set to display option values.
278 When 'verbose' is non-zero messages are printed (for
279 debugging, to stderr).
280 'term' and $TERM are not used.
281 If Vim appears to be stuck try typing "qa!<Enter>". You don't
282 get a prompt thus you can't see Vim is waiting for you to type
283 something.
284 Initializations are skipped (except the ones given with the
285 "-u" argument).
286 Example: >
287 vim -e -s < thefilter thefile
288 <
289 *-b*
290 -b Binary mode. File I/O will only recognize <NL> to separate
291 lines. The 'expandtab' option will be reset. The 'textwidth'
292 option is set to 0. 'modeline' is reset. The 'binary' option
293 is set. This is done after reading the vimrc/exrc files but
294 before reading any file in the arglist. See also
295 |edit-binary|. {not in Vi}
297 *-l*
298 -l Lisp mode. Sets the 'lisp' and 'showmatch' options on.
300 *-A*
301 -A Arabic mode. Sets the 'arabic' option on. (Only when
302 compiled with the |+arabic| features (which include
303 |+rightleft|), otherwise Vim gives an error message
304 and exits.) {not in Vi}
306 *-F*
307 -F Farsi mode. Sets the 'fkmap' and 'rightleft' options on.
308 (Only when compiled with |+rightleft| and |+farsi| features,
309 otherwise Vim gives an error message and exits.) {not in Vi}
311 *-H*
312 -H Hebrew mode. Sets the 'hkmap' and 'rightleft' options on.
313 (Only when compiled with the |+rightleft| feature, otherwise
314 Vim gives an error message and exits.) {not in Vi}
316 *-V* *verbose*
317 -V[N] Verbose. Sets the 'verbose' option to [N] (default: 10).
318 Messages will be given for each file that is ":source"d and
319 for reading or writing a viminfo file. Can be used to find
320 out what is happening upon startup and exit. {not in Vi}
321 Example: >
322 vim -V8 foobar
324 -V[N]{filename}
325 Like -V and set 'verbosefile' to {filename}. The result is
326 that messages are not displayed but written to the file
327 {filename}. {filename} must not start with a digit.
328 Example: >
329 vim -V20vimlog foobar
330 <
331 *-D*
332 -D Debugging. Go to debugging mode when executing the first
333 command from a script. |debug-mode|
334 {not available when compiled without the |+eval| feature}
335 {not in Vi}
337 *-C*
338 -C Compatible mode. Sets the 'compatible' option. You can use
339 this to get 'compatible', even though a .vimrc file exists.
340 But the command ":set nocompatible" overrules it anyway.
341 Also see |compatible-default|. {not in Vi}
343 *-N*
344 -N Not compatible mode. Resets the 'compatible' option. You can
345 use this to get 'nocompatible', when there is no .vimrc file.
346 Also see |compatible-default|. {not in Vi}
348 *-y* *easy*
349 -y Easy mode. Implied for |evim| and |eview|. Starts with
350 'insertmode' set and behaves like a click-and-type editor.
351 This sources the script $VIMRUNTIME/evim.vim. Mappings are
352 set up to work like most click-and-type editors, see
353 |evim-keys|. The GUI is started when available.
354 {not in Vi}
356 *-n*
357 -n No swap file will be used. Recovery after a crash will be
358 impossible. Handy if you want to view or edit a file on a
359 very slow medium (e.g., a floppy).
360 Can also be done with ":set updatecount=0". You can switch it
361 on again by setting the 'updatecount' option to some value,
362 e.g., ":set uc=100".
363 'updatecount' is set to 0 AFTER executing commands from a
364 vimrc file, but before the GUI initializations. Thus it
365 overrides a setting for 'updatecount' in a vimrc file, but not
366 in a gvimrc file. See |startup|.
367 When you want to reduce accesses to the disk (e.g., for a
368 laptop), don't use "-n", but set 'updatetime' and
369 'updatecount' to very big numbers, and type ":preserve" when
370 you want to save your work. This way you keep the possibility
371 for crash recovery.
372 {not in Vi}
374 *-o*
375 -o[N] Open N windows, split horizontally. If [N] is not given,
376 one window is opened for every file given as argument. If
377 there is not enough room, only the first few files get a
378 window. If there are more windows than arguments, the last
379 few windows will be editing an empty file.
380 {not in Vi}
382 *-O*
383 -O[N] Open N windows, split vertically. Otherwise it's like -o.
384 If both the -o and the -O option are given, the last one on
385 the command line determines how the windows will be split.
386 {not in Vi}
388 *-p*
389 -p[N] Open N tab pages. If [N] is not given, one tab page is opened
390 for every file given as argument. The maximum is set with
391 'tabpagemax' pages (default 10). If there are more tab pages
392 than arguments, the last few tab pages will be editing an
393 empty file. Also see |tabpage|.
394 {not in Vi}
396 *-T*
397 -T {terminal} Set the terminal type to "terminal". This influences the
398 codes that Vim will send to your terminal. This is normally
399 not needed, because Vim will be able to find out what type
400 of terminal you are using. (See |terminal-info|.) {not in Vi}
402 *-d*
403 -d Start in diff mode, like |vimdiff|.
404 {not in Vi} {not available when compiled without the |+diff|
405 feature}
407 -d {device} Only on the Amiga and when not compiled with the |+diff|
408 feature. Works like "-dev".
409 *-dev*
410 -dev {device} Only on the Amiga: The {device} is opened to be used for
411 editing.
412 Normally you would use this to set the window position and
413 size: "-d con:x/y/width/height", e.g.,
414 "-d con:30/10/600/150". But you can also use it to start
415 editing on another device, e.g., AUX:. {not in Vi}
416 *-f*
417 -f Amiga: Do not restart Vim to open a new window. This
418 option should be used when Vim is started by a program that
419 will wait for the edit session to finish (e.g., mail or
420 readnews). See |amiga-window|.
422 GUI: Do not disconnect from the program that started Vim.
423 'f' stands for "foreground". If omitted, the GUI forks a new
424 process and exits the current one. "-f" should be used when
425 gvim is started by a program that will wait for the edit
426 session to finish (e.g., mail or readnews). If you want gvim
427 never to fork, include 'f' in 'guioptions' in your |gvimrc|.
428 Careful: You can use "-gf" to start the GUI in the foreground,
429 but "-fg" is used to specify the foreground color. |gui-fork|
430 {not in Vi}
432 *--nofork*
433 --nofork GUI: Do not fork. Same as |-f|.
434 *-u* *E282*
435 -u {vimrc} The file {vimrc} is read for initializations. Most other
436 initializations are skipped; see |initialization|. This can
437 be used to start Vim in a special mode, with special
438 mappings and settings. A shell alias can be used to make
439 this easy to use. For example: >
440 alias vimc vim -u ~/.c_vimrc !*
441 < Also consider using autocommands; see |autocommand|.
442 When {vimrc} is equal to "NONE" (all uppercase), all
443 initializations from files and environment variables are
444 skipped, including reading the |gvimrc| file when the GUI
445 starts. Loading plugins is also skipped.
446 When {vimrc} is equal to "NORC" (all uppercase), this has the
447 same effect as "NONE", but loading plugins is not skipped.
448 Using the "-u" argument has the side effect that the
449 'compatible' option will be on by default. This can have
450 unexpected effects. See |'compatible'|.
451 {not in Vi}
453 *-U* *E230*
454 -U {gvimrc} The file {gvimrc} is read for initializations when the GUI
455 starts. Other GUI initializations are skipped. When {gvimrc}
456 is equal to "NONE", no file is read for GUI initializations at
457 all. |gui-init|
458 Exception: Reading the system-wide menu file is always done.
459 {not in Vi}
461 *-i*
462 -i {viminfo} The file "viminfo" is used instead of the default viminfo
463 file. If the name "NONE" is used (all uppercase), no viminfo
464 file is read or written, even if 'viminfo' is set or when
465 ":rv" or ":wv" are used. See also |viminfo-file|.
466 {not in Vi}
468 *-x*
469 -x Use encryption to read/write files. Will prompt for a key,
470 which is then stored in the 'key' option. All writes will
471 then use this key to encrypt the text. The '-x' argument is
472 not needed when reading a file, because there is a check if
473 the file that is being read has been encrypted, and Vim asks
474 for a key automatically. |encryption|
476 *-X*
477 -X Do not try connecting to the X server to get the current
478 window title and copy/paste using the X clipboard. This
479 avoids a long startup time when running Vim in a terminal
480 emulator and the connection to the X server is slow.
481 See |--startuptime| to find out if affects you.
482 Only makes a difference on Unix or VMS, when compiled with the
483 |+X11| feature. Otherwise it's ignored.
484 To disable the connection only for specific terminals, see the
485 'clipboard' option.
486 When the X11 Session Management Protocol (XSMP) handler has
487 been built in, the -X option also disables that connection as
488 it, too, may have undesirable delays.
489 When the connection is desired later anyway (e.g., for
490 client-server messages), call the |serverlist()| function.
491 This does not enable the XSMP handler though.
492 {not in Vi}
494 *-s*
495 -s {scriptin} The script file "scriptin" is read. The characters in the
496 file are interpreted as if you had typed them. The same can
497 be done with the command ":source! {scriptin}". If the end
498 of the file is reached before the editor exits, further
499 characters are read from the keyboard. Only works when not
500 started in Ex mode, see |-s-ex|. See also |complex-repeat|.
501 {not in Vi}
503 *-w_nr*
504 -w {number}
505 -w{number} Set the 'window' option to {number}.
507 *-w*
508 -w {scriptout} All the characters that you type are recorded in the file
509 "scriptout", until you exit Vim. This is useful if you want
510 to create a script file to be used with "vim -s" or
511 ":source!". When the "scriptout" file already exists, new
512 characters are appended. See also |complex-repeat|.
513 {scriptout} cannot start with a digit.
514 {not in Vi}
516 *-W*
517 -W {scriptout} Like -w, but do not append, overwrite an existing file.
518 {not in Vi}
520 --remote [+{cmd}] {file} ...
521 Open the {file} in another Vim that functions as a server.
522 Any non-file arguments must come before this.
523 See |--remote|. {not in Vi}
525 --remote-silent [+{cmd}] {file} ...
526 Like --remote, but don't complain if there is no server.
527 See |--remote-silent|. {not in Vi}
529 --remote-wait [+{cmd}] {file} ...
530 Like --remote, but wait for the server to finish editing the
531 file(s).
532 See |--remote-wait|. {not in Vi}
534 --remote-wait-silent [+{cmd}] {file} ...
535 Like --remote-wait, but don't complain if there is no server.
536 See |--remote-wait-silent|. {not in Vi}
538 --servername {name}
539 Specify the name of the Vim server to send to or to become.
540 See |--servername|. {not in Vi}
542 --remote-send {keys}
543 Send {keys} to a Vim server and exit.
544 See |--remote-send|. {not in Vi}
546 --remote-expr {expr}
547 Evaluate {expr} in another Vim that functions as a server.
548 The result is printed on stdout.
549 See |--remote-expr|. {not in Vi}
551 --serverlist Output a list of Vim server names and exit. See
552 |--serverlist|. {not in Vi}
554 --socketid {id} *--socketid*
555 GTK+ GUI Vim only. Make gvim try to use GtkPlug mechanism, so
556 that it runs inside another window. See |gui-gtk-socketid|
557 for details. {not in Vi}
559 --windowid {id} *--windowid*
560 Win32 GUI Vim only. Make gvim try to use the window {id} as a
561 parent, so that it runs inside that window. See
562 |gui-w32-windowid| for details. {not in Vi}
564 --echo-wid *--echo-wid*
565 GTK+ GUI Vim only. Make gvim echo the Window ID on stdout,
566 which can be used to run gvim in a kpart widget. The format
567 of the output is: >
568 WID: 12345\n
569 < {not in Vi}
571 --role {role} *--role*
572 GTK+ 2 GUI only. Set the role of the main window to {role}.
573 The window role can be used by a window manager to uniquely
574 identify a window, in order to restore window placement and
575 such. The --role argument is passed automatically when
576 restoring the session on login. See |gui-gnome-session|
577 {not in Vi}
579 -P {parent-title} *-P* *MDI* *E671* *E672*
580 Win32 only: Specify the title of the parent application. When
581 possible, Vim will run in an MDI window inside the
582 application.
583 {parent-title} must appear in the window title of the parent
584 application. Make sure that it is specific enough.
585 Note that the implementation is still primitive. It won't
586 work with all applications and the menu doesn't work.
588 -nb *-nb*
589 -nb={fname}
590 -nb:{hostname}:{addr}:{password}
591 Attempt connecting to Netbeans and become an editor server for
592 it. The second form specifies a file to read connection info
593 from. The third form specifies the hostname, address and
594 password for connecting to Netbeans. |netbeans-run|
596 Example for using a script file to change a name in several files:
597 Create a file "subs.vi" containing substitute commands and a :wq
598 command: >
599 :%s/Jones/Smith/g
600 :%s/Allen/Peter/g
601 :wq
602 <
603 Execute Vim on all files you want to change: >
605 foreach i ( *.let ) vim -s subs.vi $i
607 If the executable is called "view", Vim will start in Readonly mode. This is
608 useful if you can make a hard or symbolic link from "view" to "vim".
609 Starting in Readonly mode can also be done with "vim -R".
611 If the executable is called "ex", Vim will start in "Ex" mode. This means it
612 will accept only ":" commands. But when the "-v" argument is given, Vim will
613 start in Normal mode anyway.
615 Additional arguments are available on unix like systems when compiled with
616 X11 GUI support. See |gui-resources|.
618 ==============================================================================
619 2. Vim on the Amiga *starting-amiga*
621 Starting Vim from the Workbench *workbench*
622 -------------------------------
624 Vim can be started from the Workbench by clicking on its icon twice. It will
625 then start with an empty buffer.
627 Vim can be started to edit one or more files by using a "Project" icon. The
628 "Default Tool" of the icon must be the full pathname of the Vim executable.
629 The name of the ".info" file must be the same as the name of the text file.
630 By clicking on this icon twice, Vim will be started with the file name as
631 current file name, which will be read into the buffer (if it exists). You can
632 edit multiple files by pressing the shift key while clicking on icons, and
633 clicking twice on the last one. The "Default Tool" for all these icons must
634 be the same.
636 It is not possible to give arguments to Vim, other than file names, from the
637 workbench.
639 Vim window *amiga-window*
640 ----------
642 Vim will run in the CLI window where it was started. If Vim was started with
643 the "run" or "runback" command, or if Vim was started from the workbench, it
644 will open a window of its own.
646 Technical detail:
647 To open the new window a little trick is used. As soon as Vim
648 recognizes that it does not run in a normal CLI window, it will
649 create a script file in "t:". This script file contains the same
650 command as the one Vim was started with, and an "endcli" command.
651 This script file is then executed with a "newcli" command (the "c:run"
652 and "c:newcli" commands are required for this to work). The script
653 file will hang around until reboot, or until you delete it. This
654 method is required to get the ":sh" and ":!" commands to work
655 correctly. But when Vim was started with the -f option (foreground
656 mode), this method is not used. The reason for this is that
657 when a program starts Vim with the -f option it will wait for Vim to
658 exit. With the script trick, the calling program does not know when
659 Vim exits. The -f option can be used when Vim is started by a mail
660 program which also waits for the edit session to finish. As a
661 consequence, the ":sh" and ":!" commands are not available when the
662 -f option is used.
664 Vim will automatically recognize the window size and react to window
665 resizing. Under Amiga DOS 1.3, it is advised to use the fastfonts program,
666 "FF", to speed up display redrawing.
668 ==============================================================================
669 3. Running eVim *evim-keys*
671 EVim runs Vim as click-and-type editor. This is very unlike the original Vi
672 idea. But it helps for people that don't use Vim often enough to learn the
673 commands. Hopefully they will find out that learning to use Normal mode
674 commands will make their editing much more effective.
676 In Evim these options are changed from their default value:
678 :set nocompatible Use Vim improvements
679 :set insertmode Remain in Insert mode most of the time
680 :set hidden Keep invisible buffers loaded
681 :set backup Keep backup files (not for VMS)
682 :set backspace=2 Backspace over everything
683 :set autoindent auto-indent new lines
684 :set history=50 keep 50 lines of Ex commands
685 :set ruler show the cursor position
686 :set incsearch show matches halfway typing a pattern
687 :set mouse=a use the mouse in all modes
688 :set hlsearch highlight all matches for a search pattern
689 :set whichwrap+=<,>,[,] <Left> and <Right> wrap around line breaks
690 :set guioptions-=a non-Unix only: don't do auto-select
692 Key mappings:
693 <Down> moves by screen lines rather than file lines
694 <Up> idem
695 Q does "gq", formatting, instead of Ex mode
696 <BS> in Visual mode: deletes the selection
697 CTRL-X in Visual mode: Cut to clipboard
698 <S-Del> idem
699 CTRL-C in Visual mode: Copy to clipboard
700 <C-Insert> idem
701 CTRL-V Pastes from the clipboard (in any mode)
702 <S-Insert> idem
703 CTRL-Q do what CTRL-V used to do
704 CTRL-Z undo
705 CTRL-Y redo
706 <M-Space> system menu
707 CTRL-A select all
708 <C-Tab> next window, CTRL-W w
709 <C-F4> close window, CTRL-W c
711 Additionally:
712 - ":behave mswin" is used |:behave|
713 - syntax highlighting is enabled
714 - filetype detection is enabled, filetype plugins and indenting is enabled
715 - in a text file 'textwidth' is set to 78
717 One hint: If you want to go to Normal mode to be able to type a sequence of
718 commands, use CTRL-L. |i_CTRL-L|
720 ==============================================================================
721 4. Initialization *initialization* *startup*
723 This section is about the non-GUI version of Vim. See |gui-fork| for
724 additional initialization when starting the GUI.
726 At startup, Vim checks environment variables and files and sets values
727 accordingly. Vim proceeds in this order:
729 1. Set the 'shell' and 'term' option *SHELL* *COMSPEC* *TERM*
730 The environment variable SHELL, if it exists, is used to set the
731 'shell' option. On MS-DOS and Win32, the COMSPEC variable is used
732 if SHELL is not set.
733 The environment variable TERM, if it exists, is used to set the 'term'
734 option. However, 'term' will change later when starting the GUI (step
735 8 below).
737 2. Process the arguments
738 The options and file names from the command that start Vim are
739 inspected. Buffers are created for all files (but not loaded yet).
740 The |-V| argument can be used to display or log what happens next,
741 useful for debugging the initializations.
743 3. Execute Ex commands, from environment variables and/or files
744 An environment variable is read as one Ex command line, where multiple
745 commands must be separated with '|' or "<NL>".
746 *vimrc* *exrc*
747 A file that contains initialization commands is called a "vimrc" file.
748 Each line in a vimrc file is executed as an Ex command line. It is
749 sometimes also referred to as "exrc" file. They are the same type of
750 file, but "exrc" is what Vi always used, "vimrc" is a Vim specific
751 name. Also see |vimrc-intro|.
753 Recommended place for your personal initializations:
754 Unix $HOME/.vimrc
755 OS/2 $HOME/.vimrc or $VIM/.vimrc (or _vimrc)
756 MS-DOS and Win32 $HOME/_vimrc or $VIM/_vimrc
757 Amiga s:.vimrc or $VIM/.vimrc
759 If Vim was started with "-u filename", the file "filename" is used.
760 All following initializations until 4. are skipped.
761 "vim -u NORC" can be used to skip these initializations without
762 reading a file. "vim -u NONE" also skips loading plugins. |-u|
764 If Vim was started in Ex mode with the "-s" argument, all following
765 initializations until 4. are skipped. Only the "-u" option is
766 interpreted.
767 *evim.vim*
768 a. If vim was started as |evim| or |eview| or with the |-y| argument, the
769 script $VIMRUNTIME/evim.vim will be loaded.
770 *system-vimrc*
771 b. For Unix, MS-DOS, MS-Windows, OS/2, VMS, Macintosh, RISC-OS and Amiga
772 the system vimrc file is read for initializations. The path of this
773 file is shown with the ":version" command. Mostly it's "$VIM/vimrc".
774 Note that this file is ALWAYS read in 'compatible' mode, since the
775 automatic resetting of 'compatible' is only done later. Add a ":set
776 nocp" command if you like.
777 For the Macintosh the $VIMRUNTIME/macmap.vim is read.
779 *VIMINIT* *.vimrc* *_vimrc* *EXINIT* *.exrc* *_exrc*
780 c. Four places are searched for initializations. The first that exists
781 is used, the others are ignored. The $MYVIMRC environment variable is
782 set to the file that was first found, unless $MYVIMRC was already set.
783 - The environment variable VIMINIT (see also |compatible-default|) (*)
784 The value of $VIMINIT is used as an Ex command line.
785 - The user vimrc file(s):
786 "$HOME/.vimrc" (for Unix and OS/2) (*)
787 "s:.vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
788 "home:.vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
789 "$VIM/.vimrc" (for OS/2 and Amiga) (*)
790 "$HOME/_vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
791 "$VIM/_vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
792 Note: For Unix, OS/2 and Amiga, when ".vimrc" does not exist,
793 "_vimrc" is also tried, in case an MS-DOS compatible file
794 system is used. For MS-DOS and Win32 ".vimrc" is checked
795 after "_vimrc", in case long file names are used.
796 Note: For MS-DOS and Win32, "$HOME" is checked first. If no
797 "_vimrc" or ".vimrc" is found there, "$VIM" is tried.
798 See |$VIM| for when $VIM is not set.
799 - The environment variable EXINIT.
800 The value of $EXINIT is used as an Ex command line.
801 - The user exrc file(s). Same as for the user vimrc file, but with
802 "vimrc" replaced by "exrc". But only one of ".exrc" and "_exrc" is
803 used, depending on the system. And without the (*)!
805 d. If the 'exrc' option is on (which is not the default), the current
806 directory is searched for three files. The first that exists is used,
807 the others are ignored.
808 - The file ".vimrc" (for Unix, Amiga and OS/2) (*)
809 "_vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
810 - The file "_vimrc" (for Unix, Amiga and OS/2) (*)
811 ".vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
812 - The file ".exrc" (for Unix, Amiga and OS/2)
813 "_exrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32)
815 (*) Using this file or environment variable will cause 'compatible' to be
816 off by default. See |compatible-default|.
818 4. Load the plugin scripts. *load-plugins*
819 This does the same as the command: >
820 :runtime! plugin/**/*.vim
821 < The result is that all directories in the 'runtimepath' option will be
822 searched for the "plugin" sub-directory and all files ending in ".vim"
823 will be sourced (in alphabetical order per directory), also in
824 subdirectories.
825 Loading plugins won't be done when:
826 - The 'loadplugins' option was reset in a vimrc file.
827 - The |--noplugin| command line argument is used.
828 - The "-u NONE" command line argument is used |-u|.
829 - When Vim was compiled without the |+eval| feature.
830 Note that using "-c 'set noloadplugins'" doesn't work, because the
831 commands from the command line have not been executed yet. You can
832 use "--cmd 'set noloadplugins'" |--cmd|.
834 5. Set 'shellpipe' and 'shellredir'
835 The 'shellpipe' and 'shellredir' options are set according to the
836 value of the 'shell' option, unless they have been set before.
837 This means that Vim will figure out the values of 'shellpipe' and
838 'shellredir' for you, unless you have set them yourself.
840 6. Set 'updatecount' to zero, if "-n" command argument used
842 7. Set binary options
843 If the "-b" flag was given to Vim, the options for binary editing will
844 be set now. See |-b|.
846 8. Perform GUI initializations
847 Only when starting "gvim", the GUI initializations will be done. See
848 |gui-init|.
850 9. Read the viminfo file
851 If the 'viminfo' option is not empty, the viminfo file is read. See
852 |viminfo-file|.
854 10. Read the quickfix file
855 If the "-q" flag was given to Vim, the quickfix file is read. If this
856 fails, Vim exits.
858 11. Open all windows
859 When the |-o| flag was given, windows will be opened (but not
860 displayed yet).
861 When the |-p| flag was given, tab pages will be created (but not
862 displayed yet).
863 When switching screens, it happens now. Redrawing starts.
864 If the "-q" flag was given to Vim, the first error is jumped to.
865 Buffers for all windows will be loaded.
867 12. Execute startup commands
868 If a "-t" flag was given to Vim, the tag is jumped to.
869 The commands given with the |-c| and |+cmd| arguments are executed.
870 If the 'insertmode' option is set, Insert mode is entered.
871 The |VimEnter| autocommands are executed.
873 Some hints on using initializations:
875 Standard setup:
876 Create a vimrc file to set the default settings and mappings for all your edit
877 sessions. Put it in a place so that it will be found by 3b:
878 ~/.vimrc (Unix and OS/2)
879 s:.vimrc (Amiga)
880 $VIM\_vimrc (MS-DOS and Win32)
881 Note that creating a vimrc file will cause the 'compatible' option to be off
882 by default. See |compatible-default|.
884 Local setup:
885 Put all commands that you need for editing a specific directory only into a
886 vimrc file and place it in that directory under the name ".vimrc" ("_vimrc"
887 for MS-DOS and Win32). NOTE: To make Vim look for these special files you
888 have to turn on the option 'exrc'. See |trojan-horse| too.
890 System setup:
891 This only applies if you are managing a Unix system with several users and
892 want to set the defaults for all users. Create a vimrc file with commands
893 for default settings and mappings and put it in the place that is given with
894 the ":version" command.
896 Saving the current state of Vim to a file:
897 Whenever you have changed values of options or when you have created a
898 mapping, then you may want to save them in a vimrc file for later use. See
899 |save-settings| about saving the current state of settings to a file.
901 Avoiding setup problems for Vi users:
902 Vi uses the variable EXINIT and the file "~/.exrc". So if you do not want to
903 interfere with Vi, then use the variable VIMINIT and the file "vimrc" instead.
905 Amiga environment variables:
906 On the Amiga, two types of environment variables exist. The ones set with the
907 DOS 1.3 (or later) setenv command are recognized. See the AmigaDos 1.3
908 manual. The environment variables set with the old Manx Set command (before
909 version 5.0) are not recognized.
911 MS-DOS line separators:
912 On MS-DOS-like systems (MS-DOS itself, Win32, and OS/2), Vim assumes that all
913 the vimrc files have <CR> <NL> pairs as line separators. This will give
914 problems if you have a file with only <NL>s and have a line like
915 ":map xx yy^M". The trailing ^M will be ignored.
917 *compatible-default*
918 When Vim starts, the 'compatible' option is on. This will be used when Vim
919 starts its initializations. But as soon as a user vimrc file is found, or a
920 vimrc file in the current directory, or the "VIMINIT" environment variable is
921 set, it will be set to 'nocompatible'. This has the side effect of setting or
922 resetting other options (see 'compatible'). But only the options that have
923 not been set or reset will be changed. This has the same effect like the
924 value of 'compatible' had this value when starting Vim. Note that this
925 doesn't happen for the system-wide vimrc file nor when Vim was started with
926 the |-u| command line argument. It does also happen for gvimrc files. The
927 $MYVIMRC or $MYGVIMRC file will be set to the first found vimrc and/or gvimrc
928 file.
930 But there is a side effect of setting or resetting 'compatible' at the moment
931 a .vimrc file is found: Mappings are interpreted the moment they are
932 encountered. This makes a difference when using things like "<CR>". If the
933 mappings depend on a certain value of 'compatible', set or reset it before
934 giving the mapping.
936 The above behavior can be overridden in these ways:
937 - If the "-N" command line argument is given, 'nocompatible' will be used,
938 even when no vimrc file exists.
939 - If the "-C" command line argument is given, 'compatible' will be used, even
940 when a vimrc file exists.
941 - If the "-u {vimrc}" argument is used, 'compatible' will be used.
942 - When the name of the executable ends in "ex", then this works like the "-C"
943 argument was given: 'compatible' will be used, even when a vimrc file
944 exists. This has been done to make Vim behave like "ex", when it is started
945 as "ex".
947 Avoiding trojan horses: *trojan-horse*
948 While reading the "vimrc" or the "exrc" file in the current directory, some
949 commands can be disabled for security reasons by setting the 'secure' option.
950 This is always done when executing the command from a tags file. Otherwise it
951 would be possible that you accidentally use a vimrc or tags file that somebody
952 else created and contains nasty commands. The disabled commands are the ones
953 that start a shell, the ones that write to a file, and ":autocmd". The ":map"
954 commands are echoed, so you can see which keys are being mapped.
955 If you want Vim to execute all commands in a local vimrc file, you
956 can reset the 'secure' option in the EXINIT or VIMINIT environment variable or
957 in the global "exrc" or "vimrc" file. This is not possible in "vimrc" or
958 "exrc" in the current directory, for obvious reasons.
959 On Unix systems, this only happens if you are not the owner of the
960 vimrc file. Warning: If you unpack an archive that contains a vimrc or exrc
961 file, it will be owned by you. You won't have the security protection. Check
962 the vimrc file before you start Vim in that directory, or reset the 'exrc'
963 option. Some Unix systems allow a user to do "chown" on a file. This makes
964 it possible for another user to create a nasty vimrc and make you the owner.
965 Be careful!
966 When using tag search commands, executing the search command (the last
967 part of the line in the tags file) is always done in secure mode. This works
968 just like executing a command from a vimrc/exrc in the current directory.
970 *slow-start*
971 If Vim takes a long time to start up, there may be a few causes:
972 - If the Unix version was compiled with the GUI and/or X11 (check the output
973 of ":version" for "+GUI" and "+X11"), it may need to load shared libraries
974 and connect to the X11 server. Try compiling a version with GUI and X11
975 disabled. This also should make the executable smaller.
976 Use the |-X| command line argument to avoid connecting to the X server when
977 running in a terminal.
978 - If you have "viminfo" enabled, the loading of the viminfo file may take a
979 while. You can find out if this is the problem by disabling viminfo for a
980 moment (use the Vim argument "-i NONE", |-i|). Try reducing the number of
981 lines stored in a register with ":set viminfo='20,<50,s10". |viminfo-file|.
983 *:intro*
984 When Vim starts without a file name, an introductory message is displayed (for
985 those who don't know what Vim is). It is removed as soon as the display is
986 redrawn in any way. To see the message again, use the ":intro" command (if
987 there is not enough room, you will see only part of it).
988 To avoid the intro message on startup, add the 'I' flag to 'shortmess'.
990 *info-message*
991 The |--help| and |--version| arguments cause Vim to print a message and then
992 exit. Normally the message is send to stdout, thus can be redirected to a
993 file with: >
995 vim --help >file
997 From inside Vim: >
999 :read !vim --help
1001 When using gvim, it detects that it might have been started from the desktop,
1002 without a terminal to show messages on. This is detected when both stdout and
1003 stderr are not a tty. This breaks the ":read" command, as used in the example
1004 above. To make it work again, set 'shellredir' to ">" instead of the default
1005 ">&": >
1007 :set shellredir=>
1008 :read !gvim --help
1010 This still won't work for systems where gvim does not use stdout at all
1011 though.
1013 ==============================================================================
1014 5. $VIM and $VIMRUNTIME
1015 *$VIM*
1016 The environment variable "$VIM" is used to locate various user files for Vim,
1017 such as the user startup script ".vimrc". This depends on the system, see
1018 |startup|.
1020 To avoid the need for every user to set the $VIM environment variable, Vim
1021 will try to get the value for $VIM in this order:
1022 1. The value defined by the $VIM environment variable. You can use this to
1023 make Vim look in a specific directory for its support files. Example: >
1024 setenv VIM /home/paul/vim
1025 2. The path from 'helpfile' is used, unless it contains some environment
1026 variable too (the default is "$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt": chicken-egg
1027 problem). The file name ("help.txt" or any other) is removed. Then
1028 trailing directory names are removed, in this order: "doc", "runtime" and
1029 "vim{version}" (e.g., "vim54").
1030 3. For MSDOS, Win32 and OS/2 Vim tries to use the directory name of the
1031 executable. If it ends in "/src", this is removed. This is useful if you
1032 unpacked the .zip file in some directory, and adjusted the search path to
1033 find the vim executable. Trailing directory names are removed, in this
1034 order: "runtime" and "vim{version}" (e.g., "vim54").
1035 4. For Unix the compile-time defined installation directory is used (see the
1036 output of ":version").
1038 Once Vim has done this once, it will set the $VIM environment variable. To
1039 change it later, use a ":let" command like this: >
1040 :let $VIM = "/home/paul/vim/"
1041 <
1042 *$VIMRUNTIME*
1043 The environment variable "$VIMRUNTIME" is used to locate various support
1044 files, such as the on-line documentation and files used for syntax
1045 highlighting. For example, the main help file is normally
1046 "$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt".
1047 You don't normally set $VIMRUNTIME yourself, but let Vim figure it out. This
1048 is the order used to find the value of $VIMRUNTIME:
1049 1. If the environment variable $VIMRUNTIME is set, it is used. You can use
1050 this when the runtime files are in an unusual location.
1051 2. If "$VIM/vim{version}" exists, it is used. {version} is the version
1052 number of Vim, without any '-' or '.'. For example: "$VIM/vim54". This is
1053 the normal value for $VIMRUNTIME.
1054 3. If "$VIM/runtime" exists, it is used.
1055 4. The value of $VIM is used. This is for backwards compatibility with older
1056 versions.
1057 5. When the 'helpfile' option is set and doesn't contain a '$', its value is
1058 used, with "doc/help.txt" removed from the end.
1060 For Unix, when there is a compiled-in default for $VIMRUNTIME (check the
1061 output of ":version"), steps 2, 3 and 4 are skipped, and the compiled-in
1062 default is used after step 5. This means that the compiled-in default
1063 overrules the value of $VIM. This is useful if $VIM is "/etc" and the runtime
1064 files are in "/usr/share/vim/vim54".
1066 Once Vim has done this once, it will set the $VIMRUNTIME environment variable.
1067 To change it later, use a ":let" command like this: >
1068 :let $VIMRUNTIME = "/home/piet/vim/vim54"
1070 In case you need the value of $VIMRUNTIME in a shell (e.g., for a script that
1071 greps in the help files) you might be able to use this: >
1073 VIMRUNTIME=`vim -e -T dumb --cmd 'exe "set t_cm=\<C-M>"|echo $VIMRUNTIME|quit' | tr -d '\015' `
1075 ==============================================================================
1076 6. Suspending *suspend*
1078 *iconize* *iconise* *CTRL-Z* *v_CTRL-Z*
1079 CTRL-Z Suspend Vim, like ":stop".
1080 Works in Normal and in Visual mode. In Insert and
1081 Command-line mode, the CTRL-Z is inserted as a normal
1082 character. In Visual mode Vim goes back to Normal
1083 mode.
1084 Note: if CTRL-Z undoes a change see |mswin.vim|.
1087 :sus[pend][!] or *:sus* *:suspend* *:st* *:stop*
1088 :st[op][!] Suspend Vim.
1089 If the '!' is not given and 'autowrite' is set, every
1090 buffer with changes and a file name is written out.
1091 If the '!' is given or 'autowrite' is not set, changed
1092 buffers are not written, don't forget to bring Vim
1093 back to the foreground later!
1095 In the GUI, suspending is implemented as iconising gvim. In Windows 95/NT,
1096 gvim is minimized.
1098 On many Unix systems, it is possible to suspend Vim with CTRL-Z. This is only
1099 possible in Normal and Visual mode (see next chapter, |vim-modes|). Vim will
1100 continue if you make it the foreground job again. On other systems, CTRL-Z
1101 will start a new shell. This is the same as the ":sh" command. Vim will
1102 continue if you exit from the shell.
1104 In X-windows the selection is disowned when Vim suspends. this means you
1105 can't paste it in another application (since Vim is going to sleep an attempt
1106 to get the selection would make the program hang).
1108 ==============================================================================
1109 7. Saving settings *save-settings*
1111 Mostly you will edit your vimrc files manually. This gives you the greatest
1112 flexibility. There are a few commands to generate a vimrc file automatically.
1113 You can use these files as they are, or copy/paste lines to include in another
1114 vimrc file.
1116 *:mk* *:mkexrc*
1117 :mk[exrc] [file] Write current key mappings and changed options to
1118 [file] (default ".exrc" in the current directory),
1119 unless it already exists. {not in Vi}
1121 :mk[exrc]! [file] Always write current key mappings and changed
1122 options to [file] (default ".exrc" in the current
1123 directory). {not in Vi}
1125 *:mkv* *:mkvimrc*
1126 :mkv[imrc][!] [file] Like ":mkexrc", but the default is ".vimrc" in the
1127 current directory. The ":version" command is also
1128 written to the file. {not in Vi}
1130 These commands will write ":map" and ":set" commands to a file, in such a way
1131 that when these commands are executed, the current key mappings and options
1132 will be set to the same values. The options 'columns', 'endofline',
1133 'fileformat', 'key', 'lines', 'modified', 'scroll', 'term', 'textmode',
1134 'ttyfast' and 'ttymouse' are not included, because these are terminal or file
1135 dependent. Note that the options 'binary', 'paste' and 'readonly' are
1136 included, this might not always be what you want.
1138 When special keys are used in mappings, The 'cpoptions' option will be
1139 temporarily set to its Vim default, to avoid the mappings to be
1140 misinterpreted. This makes the file incompatible with Vi, but makes sure it
1141 can be used with different terminals.
1143 Only global mappings are stored, not mappings local to a buffer.
1145 A common method is to use a default ".vimrc" file, make some modifications
1146 with ":map" and ":set" commands and write the modified file. First read the
1147 default ".vimrc" in with a command like ":source ~piet/.vimrc.Cprogs", change
1148 the settings and then save them in the current directory with ":mkvimrc!". If
1149 you want to make this file your default .vimrc, move it to your home directory
1150 (on Unix), s: (Amiga) or $VIM directory (MS-DOS). You could also use
1151 autocommands |autocommand| and/or modelines |modeline|.
1153 *vimrc-option-example*
1154 If you only want to add a single option setting to your vimrc, you can use
1155 these steps:
1156 1. Edit your vimrc file with Vim.
1157 2. Play with the option until it's right. E.g., try out different values for
1158 'guifont'.
1159 3. Append a line to set the value of the option, using the expression register
1160 '=' to enter the value. E.g., for the 'guifont' option: >
1161 o:set guifont=<C-R>=&guifont<CR><Esc>
1162 < [<C-R> is a CTRL-R, <CR> is a return, <Esc> is the escape key]
1163 You need to escape special characters, esp. spaces.
1165 Note that when you create a .vimrc file, this can influence the 'compatible'
1166 option, which has several side effects. See |'compatible'|.
1167 ":mkvimrc", ":mkexrc" and ":mksession" write the command to set or reset the
1168 'compatible' option to the output file first, because of these side effects.
1170 ==============================================================================
1171 8. Views and Sessions *views-sessions*
1173 This is introduced in sections |21.4| and |21.5| of the user manual.
1175 *View* *view-file*
1176 A View is a collection of settings that apply to one window. You can save a
1177 View and when you restore it later, the text is displayed in the same way.
1178 The options and mappings in this window will also be restored, so that you can
1179 continue editing like when the View was saved.
1181 *Session* *session-file*
1182 A Session keeps the Views for all windows, plus the global settings. You can
1183 save a Session and when you restore it later the window layout looks the same.
1184 You can use a Session to quickly switch between different projects,
1185 automatically loading the files you were last working on in that project.
1187 Views and Sessions are a nice addition to viminfo-files, which are used to
1188 remember information for all Views and Sessions together |viminfo-file|.
1190 You can quickly start editing with a previously saved View or Session with the
1191 |-S| argument: >
1192 vim -S Session.vim
1193 <
1194 All this is {not in Vi} and {not available when compiled without the
1195 |+mksession| feature}.
1197 *:mks* *:mksession*
1198 :mks[ession][!] [file] Write a Vim script that restores the current editing
1199 session.
1200 When [!] is included an existing file is overwritten.
1201 When [file] is omitted "Session.vim" is used.
1203 The output of ":mksession" is like ":mkvimrc", but additional commands are
1204 added to the file. Which ones depends on the 'sessionoptions' option. The
1205 resulting file, when executed with a ":source" command:
1206 1. Restores global mappings and options, if 'sessionoptions' contains
1207 "options". Script-local mappings will not be written.
1208 2. Restores global variables that start with an uppercase letter and contain
1209 at least one lowercase letter, if 'sessionoptions' contains "globals".
1210 3. Unloads all currently loaded buffers.
1211 4. Restores the current directory if 'sessionoptions' contains "curdir", or
1212 sets the current directory to where the Session file is if 'sessionoptions'
1213 contains "sesdir".
1214 5. Restores GUI Vim window position, if 'sessionoptions' contains "winpos".
1215 6. Restores screen size, if 'sessionoptions' contains "resize".
1216 7. Reloads the buffer list, with the last cursor positions. If
1217 'sessionoptions' contains "buffers" then all buffers are restored,
1218 including hidden and unloaded buffers. Otherwise only buffers in windows
1219 are restored.
1220 8. Restores all windows with the same layout. If 'sessionoptions' contains
1221 "help", help windows are restored. If 'sessionoptions' contains "blank",
1222 windows editing a buffer without a name will be restored.
1223 If 'sessionoptions' contains "winsize" and no (help/blank) windows were
1224 left out, the window sizes are restored (relative to the screen size).
1225 Otherwise, the windows are just given sensible sizes.
1226 9. Restores the Views for all the windows, as with |:mkview|. But
1227 'sessionoptions' is used instead of 'viewoptions'.
1228 10. If a file exists with the same name as the Session file, but ending in
1229 "x.vim" (for eXtra), executes that as well. You can use *x.vim files to
1230 specify additional settings and actions associated with a given Session,
1231 such as creating menu items in the GUI version.
1233 After restoring the Session, the full filename of your current Session is
1234 available in the internal variable "v:this_session" |this_session-variable|.
1235 An example mapping: >
1236 :nmap <F2> :wa<Bar>exe "mksession! " . v:this_session<CR>:so ~/sessions/
1237 This saves the current Session, and starts off the command to load another.
1239 A session includes all tab pages, unless "tabpages" was removed from
1240 'sessionoptions'. |tab-page|
1242 The |SessionLoadPost| autocmd event is triggered after a session file is
1243 loaded/sourced.
1244 *SessionLoad-variable*
1245 While the session file is loading the SessionLoad global variable is set to 1.
1246 Plugins can use this to postpone some work until the SessionLoadPost event is
1247 triggered.
1249 *:mkvie* *:mkview*
1250 :mkvie[w][!] [file] Write a Vim script that restores the contents of the
1251 current window.
1252 When [!] is included an existing file is overwritten.
1253 When [file] is omitted or is a number from 1 to 9, a
1254 name is generated and 'viewdir' prepended. When the
1255 last directory name in 'viewdir' does not exist, this
1256 directory is created.
1257 An existing file is always overwritten then. Use
1258 |:loadview| to load this view again.
1259 When [file] is the name of a file ('viewdir' is not
1260 used), a command to edit the file is added to the
1261 generated file.
1263 The output of ":mkview" contains these items:
1264 1. The argument list used in the window. When the global argument list is
1265 used it is reset to the global list.
1266 The index in the argument list is also restored.
1267 2. The file being edited in the window. If there is no file, the window is
1268 made empty.
1269 3. Restore mappings, abbreviations and options local to the window if
1270 'viewoptions' contains "options" or "localoptions". For the options it
1271 restores only values that are local to the current buffer and values local
1272 to the window.
1273 When storing the view as part of a session and "options" is in
1274 'sessionoptions', global values for local options will be stored too.
1275 4. Restore folds when using manual folding and 'viewoptions' contains
1276 "folds". Restore manually opened and closed folds.
1277 5. The scroll position and the cursor position in the file. Doesn't work very
1278 well when there are closed folds.
1279 6. The local current directory, if it is different from the global current
1280 directory.
1282 Note that Views and Sessions are not perfect:
1283 - They don't restore everything. For example, defined functions, autocommands
1284 and ":syntax on" are not included. Things like register contents and
1285 command line history are in viminfo, not in Sessions or Views.
1286 - Global option values are only set when they differ from the default value.
1287 When the current value is not the default value, loading a Session will not
1288 set it back to the default value. Local options will be set back to the
1289 default value though.
1290 - Existing mappings will be overwritten without warning. An existing mapping
1291 may cause an error for ambiguity.
1292 - When storing manual folds and when storing manually opened/closed folds,
1293 changes in the file between saving and loading the view will mess it up.
1294 - The Vim script is not very efficient. But still faster than typing the
1295 commands yourself!
1297 *:lo* *:loadview*
1298 :lo[adview] [nr] Load the view for the current file. When [nr] is
1299 omitted, the view stored with ":mkview" is loaded.
1300 When [nr] is specified, the view stored with ":mkview
1301 [nr]" is loaded.
1303 The combination of ":mkview" and ":loadview" can be used to store up to ten
1304 different views of a file. These are remembered in the directory specified
1305 with the 'viewdir' option. The views are stored using the file name. If a
1306 file is renamed or accessed through a (symbolic) link the view will not be
1307 found.
1309 You might want to clean up your 'viewdir' directory now and then.
1311 To automatically save and restore views for *.c files: >
1312 au BufWinLeave *.c mkview
1313 au BufWinEnter *.c silent loadview
1315 ==============================================================================
1316 9. The viminfo file *viminfo* *viminfo-file* *E136*
1317 *E575* *E576* *E577*
1318 If you exit Vim and later start it again, you would normally lose a lot of
1319 information. The viminfo file can be used to remember that information, which
1320 enables you to continue where you left off.
1322 This is introduced in section |21.3| of the user manual.
1324 The viminfo file is used to store:
1325 - The command line history.
1326 - The search string history.
1327 - The input-line history.
1328 - Contents of non-empty registers.
1329 - Marks for several files.
1330 - File marks, pointing to locations in files.
1331 - Last search/substitute pattern (for 'n' and '&').
1332 - The buffer list.
1333 - Global variables.
1335 The viminfo file is not supported when the |+viminfo| feature has been
1336 disabled at compile time.
1338 You could also use a Session file. The difference is that the viminfo file
1339 does not depend on what you are working on. There normally is only one
1340 viminfo file. Session files are used to save the state of a specific editing
1341 Session. You could have several Session files, one for each project you are
1342 working on. Viminfo and Session files together can be used to effectively
1343 enter Vim and directly start working in your desired setup. |session-file|
1345 *viminfo-read*
1346 When Vim is started and the 'viminfo' option is non-empty, the contents of
1347 the viminfo file are read and the info can be used in the appropriate places.
1348 The |v:oldfiles| variable is filled. The marks are not read in at startup
1349 (but file marks are). See |initialization| for how to set the 'viminfo'
1350 option upon startup.
1352 *viminfo-write*
1353 When Vim exits and 'viminfo' is non-empty, the info is stored in the viminfo
1354 file (it's actually merged with the existing one, if one exists). The
1355 'viminfo' option is a string containing information about what info should be
1356 stored, and contains limits on how much should be stored (see 'viminfo').
1358 Notes for Unix:
1359 - The file protection for the viminfo file will be set to prevent other users
1360 from being able to read it, because it may contain any text or commands that
1361 you have worked with.
1362 - If you want to share the viminfo file with other users (e.g. when you "su"
1363 to another user), you can make the file writable for the group or everybody.
1364 Vim will preserve this when writing new viminfo files. Be careful, don't
1365 allow just anybody to read and write your viminfo file!
1366 - Vim will not overwrite a viminfo file that is not writable by the current
1367 "real" user. This helps for when you did "su" to become root, but your
1368 $HOME is still set to a normal user's home directory. Otherwise Vim would
1369 create a viminfo file owned by root that nobody else can read.
1370 - The viminfo file cannot be a symbolic link. This is to avoid security
1371 issues.
1373 Marks are stored for each file separately. When a file is read and 'viminfo'
1374 is non-empty, the marks for that file are read from the viminfo file. NOTE:
1375 The marks are only written when exiting Vim, which is fine because marks are
1376 remembered for all the files you have opened in the current editing session,
1377 unless ":bdel" is used. If you want to save the marks for a file that you are
1378 about to abandon with ":bdel", use ":wv". The '[' and ']' marks are not
1379 stored, but the '"' mark is. The '"' mark is very useful for jumping to the
1380 cursor position when the file was last exited. No marks are saved for files
1381 that start with any string given with the "r" flag in 'viminfo'. This can be
1382 used to avoid saving marks for files on removable media (for MS-DOS you would
1383 use "ra:,rb:", for Amiga "rdf0:,rdf1:,rdf2:").
1384 The |v:oldfiles| variable is filled with the file names that the viminfo file
1385 has marks for.
1387 *viminfo-file-marks*
1388 Uppercase marks ('A to 'Z) are stored when writing the viminfo file. The
1389 numbered marks ('0 to '9) are a bit special. When the viminfo file is written
1390 (when exiting or with the ":wviminfo" command), '0 is set to the current cursor
1391 position and file. The old '0 is moved to '1, '1 to '2, etc. This
1392 resembles what happens with the "1 to "9 delete registers. If the current
1393 cursor position is already present in '0 to '9, it is moved to '0, to avoid
1394 having the same position twice. The result is that with "'0", you can jump
1395 back to the file and line where you exited Vim. To do that right away, try
1396 using this command: >
1398 vim -c "normal '0"
1400 In a csh compatible shell you could make an alias for it: >
1402 alias lvim vim -c '"'normal "'"0'"'
1404 For a bash-like shell: >
1406 alias lvim='vim -c "normal '\''0"'
1408 Use the "r" flag in 'viminfo' to specify for which files no marks should be
1409 remembered.
1412 VIMINFO FILE NAME *viminfo-file-name*
1414 - The default name of the viminfo file is "$HOME/.viminfo" for Unix and OS/2,
1415 "s:.viminfo" for Amiga, "$HOME\_viminfo" for MS-DOS and Win32. For the last
1416 two, when $HOME is not set, "$VIM\_viminfo" is used. When $VIM is also not
1417 set, "c:\_viminfo" is used. For OS/2 "$VIM/.viminfo" is used when $HOME is
1418 not set and $VIM is set.
1419 - The 'n' flag in the 'viminfo' option can be used to specify another viminfo
1420 file name |'viminfo'|.
1421 - The "-i" Vim argument can be used to set another file name, |-i|. When the
1422 file name given is "NONE" (all uppercase), no viminfo file is ever read or
1423 written. Also not for the commands below!
1424 - For the commands below, another file name can be given, overriding the
1425 default and the name given with 'viminfo' or "-i" (unless it's NONE).
1428 CHARACTER ENCODING *viminfo-encoding*
1430 The text in the viminfo file is encoded as specified with the 'encoding'
1431 option. Normally you will always work with the same 'encoding' value, and
1432 this works just fine. However, if you read the viminfo file with another
1433 value for 'encoding' than what it was written with, some of the text
1434 (non-ASCII characters) may be invalid. If this is unacceptable, add the 'c'
1435 flag to the 'viminfo' option: >
1436 :set viminfo+=c
1437 Vim will then attempt to convert the text in the viminfo file from the
1438 'encoding' value it was written with to the current 'encoding' value. This
1439 requires Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv| feature. Filenames are not
1440 converted.
1443 MANUALLY READING AND WRITING
1445 Two commands can be used to read and write the viminfo file manually. This
1446 can be used to exchange registers between two running Vim programs: First
1447 type ":wv" in one and then ":rv" in the other. Note that if the register
1448 already contained something, then ":rv!" would be required. Also note
1449 however that this means everything will be overwritten with information from
1450 the first Vim, including the command line history, etc.
1452 The viminfo file itself can be edited by hand too, although we suggest you
1453 start with an existing one to get the format right. It is reasonably
1454 self-explanatory once you're in there. This can be useful in order to
1455 create a second file, say "~/.my_viminfo" which could contain certain
1456 settings that you always want when you first start Vim. For example, you
1457 can preload registers with particular data, or put certain commands in the
1458 command line history. A line in your .vimrc file like >
1459 :rviminfo! ~/.my_viminfo
1460 can be used to load this information. You could even have different viminfos
1461 for different types of files (e.g., C code) and load them based on the file
1462 name, using the ":autocmd" command (see |:autocmd|).
1464 *viminfo-errors*
1465 When Vim detects an error while reading a viminfo file, it will not overwrite
1466 that file. If there are more than 10 errors, Vim stops reading the viminfo
1467 file. This was done to avoid accidentally destroying a file when the file
1468 name of the viminfo file is wrong. This could happen when accidentally typing
1469 "vim -i file" when you wanted "vim -R file" (yes, somebody accidentally did
1470 that!). If you want to overwrite a viminfo file with an error in it, you will
1471 either have to fix the error, or delete the file (while Vim is running, so
1472 most of the information will be restored).
1474 *:rv* *:rviminfo* *E195*
1475 :rv[iminfo][!] [file] Read from viminfo file [file] (default: see above).
1476 If [!] is given, then any information that is
1477 already set (registers, marks, |v:oldfiles|, etc.)
1478 will be overwritten {not in Vi}
1480 *:wv* *:wviminfo* *E137* *E138* *E574*
1481 :wv[iminfo][!] [file] Write to viminfo file [file] (default: see above).
1482 The information in the file is first read in to make
1483 a merge between old and new info. When [!] is used,
1484 the old information is not read first, only the
1485 internal info is written. If 'viminfo' is empty, marks
1486 for up to 100 files will be written.
1487 When you get error "E138: Can't write viminfo file"
1488 check that no old temp files were left behind (e.g.
1489 ~/.viminf*) and that you can write in the directory of
1490 the .viminfo file.
1491 {not in Vi}
1493 *:ol* *:oldfiles*
1494 :ol[dfiles] List the files that have marks stored in the viminfo
1495 file. This list is read on startup and only changes
1496 afterwards with ":rviminfo!". Also see |v:oldfiles|.
1497 The number can be used with |c_#<|.
1498 {not in Vi, only when compiled with the +eval feature}
1500 :bro[wse] ol[dfiles][!]
1501 List file names as with |:oldfiles|, and then prompt
1502 for a number. When the number is valid that file from
1503 the list is edited.
1504 If you get the |press-enter| prompt you can press "q"
1505 and still get the prompt to enter a file number.
1506 Use ! to abondon a modified buffer. |abandon|
1507 {not when compiled with tiny or small features}
1509 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: