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1 *options.txt* For Vim version 7.1. Last change: 2008 Feb 24
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
7 Options *options*
9 1. Setting options |set-option|
10 2. Automatically setting options |auto-setting|
11 3. Options summary |option-summary|
13 For an overview of options see help.txt |option-list|.
15 Vim has a number of internal variables and switches which can be set to
16 achieve special effects. These options come in three forms:
17 boolean can only be on or off *boolean* *toggle*
18 number has a numeric value
19 string has a string value
21 ==============================================================================
22 1. Setting options *set-option* *E764*
24 *:se* *:set*
25 :se[t] Show all options that differ from their default value.
27 :se[t] all Show all but terminal options.
29 :se[t] termcap Show all terminal options. Note that in the GUI the
30 key codes are not shown, because they are generated
31 internally and can't be changed. Changing the terminal
32 codes in the GUI is not useful either...
34 *E518* *E519*
35 :se[t] {option}? Show value of {option}.
37 :se[t] {option} Toggle option: set, switch it on.
38 Number option: show value.
39 String option: show value.
41 :se[t] no{option} Toggle option: Reset, switch it off.
43 :se[t] {option}! or
44 :se[t] inv{option} Toggle option: Invert value. {not in Vi}
46 *:set-default* *:set-&* *:set-&vi* *:set-&vim*
47 :se[t] {option}& Reset option to its default value. May depend on the
48 current value of 'compatible'. {not in Vi}
49 :se[t] {option}&vi Reset option to its Vi default value. {not in Vi}
50 :se[t] {option}&vim Reset option to its Vim default value. {not in Vi}
52 :se[t] all& Set all options, except terminal options, to their
53 default value. The values of 'term', 'lines' and
54 'columns' are not changed. {not in Vi}
56 *:set-args* *E487* *E521*
57 :se[t] {option}={value} or
58 :se[t] {option}:{value}
59 Set string or number option to {value}.
60 For numeric options the value can be given in decimal,
61 hex (preceded with 0x) or octal (preceded with '0')
62 (hex and octal are only available for machines which
63 have the strtol() function).
64 The old value can be inserted by typing 'wildchar' (by
65 default this is a <Tab> or CTRL-E if 'compatible' is
66 set). See |cmdline-completion|.
67 White space between {option} and '=' is allowed and
68 will be ignored. White space between '=' and {value}
69 is not allowed.
70 See |option-backslash| for using white space and
71 backslashes in {value}.
73 :se[t] {option}+={value} *:set+=*
74 Add the {value} to a number option, or append the
75 {value} to a string option. When the option is a
76 comma separated list, a comma is added, unless the
77 value was empty.
78 If the option is a list of flags, superfluous flags
79 are removed. When adding a flag that was already
80 present the option value doesn't change.
81 Also see |:set-args| above.
82 {not in Vi}
84 :se[t] {option}^={value} *:set^=*
85 Multiply the {value} to a number option, or prepend
86 the {value} to a string option. When the option is a
87 comma separated list, a comma is added, unless the
88 value was empty.
89 Also see |:set-args| above.
90 {not in Vi}
92 :se[t] {option}-={value} *:set-=*
93 Subtract the {value} from a number option, or remove
94 the {value} from a string option, if it is there.
95 If the {value} is not found in a string option, there
96 is no error or warning. When the option is a comma
97 separated list, a comma is deleted, unless the option
98 becomes empty.
99 When the option is a list of flags, {value} must be
100 exactly as they appear in the option. Remove flags
101 one by one to avoid problems.
102 Also see |:set-args| above.
103 {not in Vi}
105 The {option} arguments to ":set" may be repeated. For example: >
106 :set ai nosi sw=3 ts=3
107 If you make an error in one of the arguments, an error message will be given
108 and the following arguments will be ignored.
110 *:set-verbose*
111 When 'verbose' is non-zero, displaying an option value will also tell where it
112 was last set. Example: >
113 :verbose set shiftwidth cindent?
114 shiftwidth=4
115 Last set from modeline
116 cindent
117 Last set from /usr/local/share/vim/vim60/ftplugin/c.vim
118 This is only done when specific option values are requested, not for ":set
119 all" or ":set" without an argument.
120 When the option was set by hand there is no "Last set" message. There is only
121 one value for all local options with the same name. Thus the message applies
122 to the option name, not necessarily its value.
123 When the option was set while executing a function, user command or
124 autocommand, the script in which it was defined is reported.
125 Note that an option may also have been set as a side effect of setting
126 'compatible'.
127 {not available when compiled without the +eval feature}
129 *:set-termcap* *E522*
130 For {option} the form "t_xx" may be used to set a terminal option. This will
131 override the value from the termcap. You can then use it in a mapping. If
132 the "xx" part contains special characters, use the <t_xx> form: >
133 :set <t_#4>=^[Ot
134 This can also be used to translate a special code for a normal key. For
135 example, if Alt-b produces <Esc>b, use this: >
136 :set <M-b>=^[b
137 (the ^[ is a real <Esc> here, use CTRL-V <Esc> to enter it)
138 The advantage over a mapping is that it works in all situations.
140 The t_xx options cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
141 security reasons.
143 The listing from ":set" looks different from Vi. Long string options are put
144 at the end of the list. The number of options is quite large. The output of
145 "set all" probably does not fit on the screen, causing Vim to give the
146 |more-prompt|.
148 *option-backslash*
149 To include white space in a string option value it has to be preceded with a
150 backslash. To include a backslash you have to use two. Effectively this
151 means that the number of backslashes in an option value is halved (rounded
152 down).
153 A few examples: >
154 :set tags=tags\ /usr/tags results in "tags /usr/tags"
155 :set tags=tags\\,file results in "tags\,file"
156 :set tags=tags\\\ file results in "tags\ file"
158 The "|" character separates a ":set" command from a following command. To
159 include the "|" in the option value, use "\|" instead. This example sets the
160 'titlestring' option to "hi|there": >
161 :set titlestring=hi\|there
162 This sets the 'titlestring' option to "hi" and 'iconstring' to "there": >
163 :set titlestring=hi|set iconstring=there
165 Similarly, the double quote character starts a comment. To include the '"' in
166 the option value, use '\"' instead. This example sets the 'titlestring'
167 option to 'hi "there"': >
168 :set titlestring=hi\ \"there\"
170 For MS-DOS and WIN32 backslashes in file names are mostly not removed. More
171 precise: For options that expect a file name (those where environment
172 variables are expanded) a backslash before a normal file name character is not
173 removed. But a backslash before a special character (space, backslash, comma,
174 etc.) is used like explained above.
175 There is one special situation, when the value starts with "\\": >
176 :set dir=\\machine\path results in "\\machine\path"
177 :set dir=\\\\machine\\path results in "\\machine\path"
178 :set dir=\\path\\file results in "\\path\file" (wrong!)
179 For the first one the start is kept, but for the second one the backslashes
180 are halved. This makes sure it works both when you expect backslashes to be
181 halved and when you expect the backslashes to be kept. The third gives a
182 result which is probably not what you want. Avoid it.
184 *add-option-flags* *remove-option-flags*
185 *E539* *E550* *E551* *E552*
186 Some options are a list of flags. When you want to add a flag to such an
187 option, without changing the existing ones, you can do it like this: >
188 :set guioptions+=a
189 Remove a flag from an option like this: >
190 :set guioptions-=a
191 This removes the 'a' flag from 'guioptions'.
192 Note that you should add or remove one flag at a time. If 'guioptions' has
193 the value "ab", using "set guioptions-=ba" won't work, because the string "ba"
194 doesn't appear.
196 *:set_env* *expand-env* *expand-environment-var*
197 Environment variables in specific string options will be expanded. If the
198 environment variable exists the '$' and the following environment variable
199 name is replaced with its value. If it does not exist the '$' and the name
200 are not modified. Any non-id character (not a letter, digit or '_') may
201 follow the environment variable name. That character and what follows is
202 appended to the value of the environment variable. Examples: >
203 :set term=$TERM.new
204 :set path=/usr/$INCLUDE,$HOME/include,.
205 When adding or removing a string from an option with ":set opt-=val" or ":set
206 opt+=val" the expansion is done before the adding or removing.
209 Handling of local options *local-options*
211 Some of the options only apply to a window or buffer. Each window or buffer
212 has its own copy of this option, thus can each have their own value. This
213 allows you to set 'list' in one window but not in another. And set
214 'shiftwidth' to 3 in one buffer and 4 in another.
216 The following explains what happens to these local options in specific
217 situations. You don't really need to know all of this, since Vim mostly uses
218 the option values you would expect. Unfortunately, doing what the user
219 expects is a bit complicated...
221 When splitting a window, the local options are copied to the new window. Thus
222 right after the split the contents of the two windows look the same.
224 When editing a new buffer, its local option values must be initialized. Since
225 the local options of the current buffer might be specifically for that buffer,
226 these are not used. Instead, for each buffer-local option there also is a
227 global value, which is used for new buffers. With ":set" both the local and
228 global value is changed. With "setlocal" only the local value is changed,
229 thus this value is not used when editing a new buffer.
231 When editing a buffer that has been edited before, the last used window
232 options are used again. If this buffer has been edited in this window, the
233 values from back then are used. Otherwise the values from the window where
234 the buffer was edited last are used.
236 It's possible to set a local window option specifically for a type of buffer.
237 When you edit another buffer in the same window, you don't want to keep
238 using these local window options. Therefore Vim keeps a global value of the
239 local window options, which is used when editing another buffer. Each window
240 has its own copy of these values. Thus these are local to the window, but
241 global to all buffers in the window. With this you can do: >
242 :e one
243 :set list
244 :e two
245 Now the 'list' option will also be set in "two", since with the ":set list"
246 command you have also set the global value. >
247 :set nolist
248 :e one
249 :setlocal list
250 :e two
251 Now the 'list' option is not set, because ":set nolist" resets the global
252 value, ":setlocal list" only changes the local value and ":e two" gets the
253 global value. Note that if you do this next: >
254 :e one
255 You will not get back the 'list' value as it was the last time you edited
256 "one". The options local to a window are not remembered for each buffer.
258 *:setl* *:setlocal*
259 :setl[ocal] ... Like ":set" but set only the value local to the
260 current buffer or window. Not all options have a
261 local value. If the option does not have a local
262 value the global value is set.
263 With the "all" argument: display all local option's
264 local values.
265 Without argument: Display all local option's local
266 values which are different from the default.
267 When displaying a specific local option, show the
268 local value. For a global option the global value is
269 shown (but that might change in the future).
270 {not in Vi}
272 :setl[ocal] {option}< Set the local value of {option} to its global value by
273 copying the value.
274 {not in Vi}
276 :se[t] {option}< Set the local value of {option} to its global value by
277 making it empty. Only makes sense for |global-local|
278 options.
279 {not in Vi}
281 *:setg* *:setglobal*
282 :setg[lobal] ... Like ":set" but set only the global value for a local
283 option without changing the local value.
284 When displaying an option, the global value is shown.
285 With the "all" argument: display all local option's
286 global values.
287 Without argument: display all local option's global
288 values which are different from the default.
289 {not in Vi}
291 For buffer-local and window-local options:
292 Command global value local value ~
293 :set option=value set set
294 :setlocal option=value - set
295 :setglobal option=value set -
296 :set option? - display
297 :setlocal option? - display
298 :setglobal option? display -
301 Global options with a local value *global-local*
303 Options are global when you mostly use one value for all buffers and windows.
304 For some global options it's useful to sometimes have a different local value.
305 You can set the local value with ":setlocal". That buffer or window will then
306 use the local value, while other buffers and windows continue using the global
307 value.
309 For example, you have two windows, both on C source code. They use the global
310 'makeprg' option. If you do this in one of the two windows: >
311 :set makeprg=gmake
312 then the other window will switch to the same value. There is no need to set
313 the 'makeprg' option in the other C source window too.
314 However, if you start editing a Perl file in a new window, you want to use
315 another 'makeprg' for it, without changing the value used for the C source
316 files. You use this command: >
317 :setlocal makeprg=perlmake
318 You can switch back to using the global value by making the local value empty: >
319 :setlocal makeprg=
320 This only works for a string option. For a boolean option you need to use the
321 "<" flag, like this: >
322 :setlocal autoread<
323 Note that for non-boolean options using "<" copies the global value to the
324 local value, it doesn't switch back to using the global value (that matters
325 when the global value changes later). You can also use: >
326 :set path<
327 This will make the local value of 'path' empty, so that the global value is
328 used. Thus it does the same as: >
329 :setlocal path=
330 Note: In the future more global options can be made global-local. Using
331 ":setlocal" on a global option might work differently then.
334 Setting the filetype
336 :setf[iletype] {filetype} *:setf* *:setfiletype*
337 Set the 'filetype' option to {filetype}, but only if
338 not done yet in a sequence of (nested) autocommands.
339 This is short for: >
340 :if !did_filetype()
341 : setlocal filetype={filetype}
342 :endif
343 < This command is used in a filetype.vim file to avoid
344 setting the 'filetype' option twice, causing different
345 settings and syntax files to be loaded.
346 {not in Vi}
348 :bro[wse] se[t] *:set-browse* *:browse-set* *:opt* *:options*
349 :opt[ions] Open a window for viewing and setting all options.
350 Options are grouped by function.
351 Offers short help for each option. Hit <CR> on the
352 short help to open a help window with more help for
353 the option.
354 Modify the value of the option and hit <CR> on the
355 "set" line to set the new value. For window and
356 buffer specific options, the last accessed window is
357 used to set the option value in, unless this is a help
358 window, in which case the window below help window is
359 used (skipping the option-window).
360 {not available when compiled without the |+eval| or
361 |+autocmd| features}
363 *$HOME*
364 Using "~" is like using "$HOME", but it is only recognized at the start of an
365 option and after a space or comma.
367 On Unix systems "~user" can be used too. It is replaced by the home directory
368 of user "user". Example: >
369 :set path=~mool/include,/usr/include,.
371 On Unix systems the form "${HOME}" can be used too. The name between {} can
372 contain non-id characters then. Note that if you want to use this for the
373 "gf" command, you need to add the '{' and '}' characters to 'isfname'.
375 NOTE: expanding environment variables and "~/" is only done with the ":set"
376 command, not when assigning a value to an option with ":let".
379 Note the maximum length of an expanded option is limited. How much depends on
380 the system, mostly it is something like 256 or 1024 characters.
382 *:fix* *:fixdel*
383 :fix[del] Set the value of 't_kD':
384 't_kb' is 't_kD' becomes ~
385 CTRL-? CTRL-H
386 not CTRL-? CTRL-?
388 (CTRL-? is 0177 octal, 0x7f hex) {not in Vi}
390 If your delete key terminal code is wrong, but the
391 code for backspace is alright, you can put this in
392 your .vimrc: >
393 :fixdel
394 < This works no matter what the actual code for
395 backspace is.
397 If the backspace key terminal code is wrong you can
398 use this: >
399 :if &term == "termname"
400 : set t_kb=^V<BS>
401 : fixdel
402 :endif
403 < Where "^V" is CTRL-V and "<BS>" is the backspace key
404 (don't type four characters!). Replace "termname"
405 with your terminal name.
407 If your <Delete> key sends a strange key sequence (not
408 CTRL-? or CTRL-H) you cannot use ":fixdel". Then use: >
409 :if &term == "termname"
410 : set t_kD=^V<Delete>
411 :endif
412 < Where "^V" is CTRL-V and "<Delete>" is the delete key
413 (don't type eight characters!). Replace "termname"
414 with your terminal name.
416 *Linux-backspace*
417 Note about Linux: By default the backspace key
418 produces CTRL-?, which is wrong. You can fix it by
419 putting this line in your rc.local: >
420 echo "keycode 14 = BackSpace" | loadkeys
421 <
422 *NetBSD-backspace*
423 Note about NetBSD: If your backspace doesn't produce
424 the right code, try this: >
425 xmodmap -e "keycode 22 = BackSpace"
426 < If this works, add this in your .Xmodmap file: >
427 keysym 22 = BackSpace
428 < You need to restart for this to take effect.
430 ==============================================================================
431 2. Automatically setting options *auto-setting*
433 Besides changing options with the ":set" command, there are three alternatives
434 to set options automatically for one or more files:
436 1. When starting Vim initializations are read from various places. See
437 |initialization|. Most of them are performed for all editing sessions,
438 and some of them depend on the directory where Vim is started.
439 You can create an initialization file with |:mkvimrc|, |:mkview| and
440 |:mksession|.
441 2. If you start editing a new file, the automatic commands are executed.
442 This can be used to set options for files matching a particular pattern and
443 many other things. See |autocommand|.
444 3. If you start editing a new file, and the 'modeline' option is on, a
445 number of lines at the beginning and end of the file are checked for
446 modelines. This is explained here.
448 *modeline* *vim:* *vi:* *ex:* *E520*
449 There are two forms of modelines. The first form:
450 [text]{white}{vi:|vim:|ex:}[white]{options}
452 [text] any text or empty
453 {white} at least one blank character (<Space> or <Tab>)
454 {vi:|vim:|ex:} the string "vi:", "vim:" or "ex:"
455 [white] optional white space
456 {options} a list of option settings, separated with white space or ':',
457 where each part between ':' is the argument for a ":set"
458 command (can be empty)
460 Example:
461 vi:noai:sw=3 ts=6 ~
463 The second form (this is compatible with some versions of Vi):
465 [text]{white}{vi:|vim:|ex:}[white]se[t] {options}:[text]
467 [text] any text or empty
468 {white} at least one blank character (<Space> or <Tab>)
469 {vi:|vim:|ex:} the string "vi:", "vim:" or "ex:"
470 [white] optional white space
471 se[t] the string "set " or "se " (note the space)
472 {options} a list of options, separated with white space, which is the
473 argument for a ":set" command
474 : a colon
475 [text] any text or empty
477 Example:
478 /* vim: set ai tw=75: */ ~
480 The white space before {vi:|vim:|ex:} is required. This minimizes the chance
481 that a normal word like "lex:" is caught. There is one exception: "vi:" and
482 "vim:" can also be at the start of the line (for compatibility with version
483 3.0). Using "ex:" at the start of the line will be ignored (this could be
484 short for "example:").
486 *modeline-local*
487 The options are set like with ":setlocal": The new value only applies to the
488 buffer and window that contain the file. Although it's possible to set global
489 options from a modeline, this is unusual. If you have two windows open and
490 the files in it set the same global option to a different value, the result
491 depends on which one was opened last.
493 When editing a file that was already loaded, only the window-local options
494 from the modeline are used. Thus if you manually changed a buffer-local
495 option after opening the file, it won't be changed if you edit the same buffer
496 in another window. But window-local options will be set.
498 *modeline-version*
499 If the modeline is only to be used for some versions of Vim, the version
500 number can be specified where "vim:" is used:
501 vim{vers}: version {vers} or later
502 vim<{vers}: version before {vers}
503 vim={vers}: version {vers}
504 vim>{vers}: version after {vers}
505 {vers} is 600 for Vim 6.0 (hundred times the major version plus minor).
506 For example, to use a modeline only for Vim 6.0 and later:
507 /* vim600: set foldmethod=marker: */ ~
508 To use a modeline for Vim before version 5.7:
509 /* vim<570: set sw=4: */ ~
510 There can be no blanks between "vim" and the ":".
513 The number of lines that are checked can be set with the 'modelines' option.
514 If 'modeline' is off or 'modelines' is 0 no lines are checked.
516 Note that for the first form all of the rest of the line is used, thus a line
517 like:
518 /* vi:ts=4: */ ~
519 will give an error message for the trailing "*/". This line is OK:
520 /* vi:set ts=4: */ ~
522 If an error is detected the rest of the line is skipped.
524 If you want to include a ':' in a set command precede it with a '\'. The
525 backslash in front of the ':' will be removed. Example:
526 /* vi:set dir=c\:\tmp: */ ~
527 This sets the 'dir' option to "c:\tmp". Only a single backslash before the
528 ':' is removed. Thus to include "\:" you have to specify "\\:".
530 No other commands than "set" are supported, for security reasons (somebody
531 might create a Trojan horse text file with modelines). And not all options
532 can be set. For some options a flag is set, so that when it's used the
533 |sandbox| is effective. Still, there is always a small risk that a modeline
534 causes trouble. E.g., when some joker sets 'textwidth' to 5 all your lines
535 are wrapped unexpectedly. So disable modelines before editing untrusted text.
536 The mail ftplugin does this, for example.
538 Hint: If you would like to do something else than setting an option, you could
539 define an autocommand that checks the file for a specific string. For
540 example: >
541 au BufReadPost * if getline(1) =~ "VAR" | call SetVar() | endif
542 And define a function SetVar() that does something with the line containing
543 "VAR".
545 ==============================================================================
546 3. Options summary *option-summary*
548 In the list below all the options are mentioned with their full name and with
549 an abbreviation if there is one. Both forms may be used.
551 In this document when a boolean option is "set" that means that ":set option"
552 is entered. When an option is "reset", ":set nooption" is used.
554 For some options there are two default values: The "Vim default", which is
555 used when 'compatible' is not set, and the "Vi default", which is used when
556 'compatible' is set.
558 Most options are the same in all windows and buffers. There are a few that
559 are specific to how the text is presented in a window. These can be set to a
560 different value in each window. For example the 'list' option can be set in
561 one window and reset in another for the same text, giving both types of view
562 at the same time. There are a few options that are specific to a certain
563 file. These can have a different value for each file or buffer. For example
564 the 'textwidth' option can be 78 for a normal text file and 0 for a C
565 program.
567 global one option for all buffers and windows
568 local to window each window has its own copy of this option
569 local to buffer each buffer has its own copy of this option
571 When creating a new window the option values from the currently active window
572 are used as a default value for the window-specific options. For the
573 buffer-specific options this depends on the 's' and 'S' flags in the
574 'cpoptions' option. If 's' is included (which is the default) the values for
575 buffer options are copied from the currently active buffer when a buffer is
576 first entered. If 'S' is present the options are copied each time the buffer
577 is entered, this is almost like having global options. If 's' and 'S' are not
578 present, the options are copied from the currently active buffer when the
579 buffer is created.
581 Hidden options *hidden-options*
583 Not all options are supported in all versions. This depends on the supported
584 features and sometimes on the system. A remark about this is in curly braces
585 below. When an option is not supported it may still be set without getting an
586 error, this is called a hidden option. You can't get the value of a hidden
587 option though, it is not stored.
589 To test if option "foo" can be used with ":set" use something like this: >
590 if exists('&foo')
591 This also returns true for a hidden option. To test if option "foo" is really
592 supported use something like this: >
593 if exists('+foo')
594 <
595 *E355*
596 A jump table for the options with a short description can be found at |Q_op|.
598 *'aleph'* *'al'* *aleph* *Aleph*
599 'aleph' 'al' number (default 128 for MS-DOS, 224 otherwise)
600 global
601 {not in Vi}
602 {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft|
603 feature}
604 The ASCII code for the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The
605 routine that maps the keyboard in Hebrew mode, both in Insert mode
606 (when hkmap is set) and on the command-line (when hitting CTRL-_)
607 outputs the Hebrew characters in the range [aleph..aleph+26].
608 aleph=128 applies to PC code, and aleph=224 applies to ISO 8859-8.
609 See |rileft.txt|.
611 *'allowrevins'* *'ari'* *'noallowrevins'* *'noari'*
612 'allowrevins' 'ari' boolean (default off)
613 global
614 {not in Vi}
615 {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft|
616 feature}
617 Allow CTRL-_ in Insert and Command-line mode. This is default off, to
618 avoid that users that accidentally type CTRL-_ instead of SHIFT-_ get
619 into reverse Insert mode, and don't know how to get out. See
620 'revins'.
621 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
623 *'altkeymap'* *'akm'* *'noaltkeymap'* *'noakm'*
624 'altkeymap' 'akm' boolean (default off)
625 global
626 {not in Vi}
627 {only available when compiled with the |+farsi|
628 feature}
629 When on, the second language is Farsi. In editing mode CTRL-_ toggles
630 the keyboard map between Farsi and English, when 'allowrevins' set.
632 When off, the keyboard map toggles between Hebrew and English. This
633 is useful to start the Vim in native mode i.e. English (left-to-right
634 mode) and have default second language Farsi or Hebrew (right-to-left
635 mode). See |farsi.txt|.
637 *'ambiwidth'* *'ambw'*
638 'ambiwidth' 'ambw' string (default: "single")
639 global
640 {not in Vi}
641 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte|
642 feature}
643 Only effective when 'encoding' is "utf-8" or another Unicode encoding.
644 Tells Vim what to do with characters with East Asian Width Class
645 Ambiguous (such as Euro, Registered Sign, Copyright Sign, Greek
646 letters, Cyrillic letters).
648 There are currently two possible values:
649 "single": Use the same width as characters in US-ASCII. This is
650 expected by most users.
651 "double": Use twice the width of ASCII characters.
653 There are a number of CJK fonts for which the width of glyphs for
654 those characters are solely based on how many octets they take in
655 legacy/traditional CJK encodings. In those encodings, Euro,
656 Registered sign, Greek/Cyrillic letters are represented by two octets,
657 therefore those fonts have "wide" glyphs for them. This is also
658 true of some line drawing characters used to make tables in text
659 file. Therefore, when a CJK font is used for GUI Vim or
660 Vim is running inside a terminal (emulators) that uses a CJK font
661 (or Vim is run inside an xterm invoked with "-cjkwidth" option.),
662 this option should be set to "double" to match the width perceived
663 by Vim with the width of glyphs in the font. Perhaps it also has
664 to be set to "double" under CJK Windows 9x/ME or Windows 2k/XP
665 when the system locale is set to one of CJK locales. See Unicode
666 Standard Annex #11 (http://www.unicode.org/reports/tr11).
668 *'antialias'* *'anti'* *'noantialias'* *'noanti'*
669 'antialias' 'anti' boolean (default: off)
670 global
671 {not in Vi}
672 {only available when compiled with GUI enabled
673 on Mac OS X}
674 This option only has an effect in the GUI version of Vim on Mac OS X
675 v10.2 or later. When on, Vim will use smooth ("antialiased") fonts,
676 which can be easier to read at certain sizes on certain displays.
677 Setting this option can sometimes cause problems if 'guifont' is set
678 to its default (empty string).
680 *'autochdir'* *'acd'* *'noautochdir'* *'noacd'*
681 'autochdir' 'acd' boolean (default off)
682 global
683 {not in Vi}
684 {only available when compiled with the
685 |+netbeans_intg| or |+sun_workshop| feature}
686 When on, Vim will change the current working directory whenever you
687 open a file, switch buffers, delete a buffer or open/close a window.
688 It will change to the directory containing the file which was opened
689 or selected.
690 This option is provided for backward compatibility with the Vim
691 released with Sun ONE Studio 4 Enterprise Edition.
692 Note: When this option is on some plugins may not work.
694 *'arabic'* *'arab'* *'noarabic'* *'noarab'*
695 'arabic' 'arab' boolean (default off)
696 local to window
697 {not in Vi}
698 {only available when compiled with the |+arabic|
699 feature}
700 This option can be set to start editing Arabic text.
701 Setting this option will:
702 - Set the 'rightleft' option, unless 'termbidi' is set.
703 - Set the 'arabicshape' option, unless 'termbidi' is set.
704 - Set the 'keymap' option to "arabic"; in Insert mode CTRL-^ toggles
705 between typing English and Arabic key mapping.
706 - Set the 'delcombine' option
707 Note that 'encoding' must be "utf-8" for working with Arabic text.
709 Resetting this option will:
710 - Reset the 'rightleft' option.
711 - Disable the use of 'keymap' (without changing its value).
712 Note that 'arabicshape' and 'delcombine' are not reset (it is a global
713 option.
714 Also see |arabic.txt|.
716 *'arabicshape'* *'arshape'*
717 *'noarabicshape'* *'noarshape'*
718 'arabicshape' 'arshape' boolean (default on)
719 global
720 {not in Vi}
721 {only available when compiled with the |+arabic|
722 feature}
723 When on and 'termbidi' is off, the required visual character
724 corrections that need to take place for displaying the Arabic language
725 take affect. Shaping, in essence, gets enabled; the term is a broad
726 one which encompasses:
727 a) the changing/morphing of characters based on their location
728 within a word (initial, medial, final and stand-alone).
729 b) the enabling of the ability to compose characters
730 c) the enabling of the required combining of some characters
731 When disabled the character display reverts back to each character's
732 true stand-alone form.
733 Arabic is a complex language which requires other settings, for
734 further details see |arabic.txt|.
736 *'autoindent'* *'ai'* *'noautoindent'* *'noai'*
737 'autoindent' 'ai' boolean (default off)
738 local to buffer
739 Copy indent from current line when starting a new line (typing <CR>
740 in Insert mode or when using the "o" or "O" command). If you do not
741 type anything on the new line except <BS> or CTRL-D and then type
742 <Esc>, CTRL-O or <CR>, the indent is deleted again. Moving the cursor
743 to another line has the same effect, unless the 'I' flag is included
744 in 'cpoptions'.
745 When autoindent is on, formatting (with the "gq" command or when you
746 reach 'textwidth' in Insert mode) uses the indentation of the first
747 line.
748 When 'smartindent' or 'cindent' is on the indent is changed in
749 a different way.
750 The 'autoindent' option is reset when the 'paste' option is set.
751 {small difference from Vi: After the indent is deleted when typing
752 <Esc> or <CR>, the cursor position when moving up or down is after the
753 deleted indent; Vi puts the cursor somewhere in the deleted indent}.
755 *'autoread'* *'ar'* *'noautoread'* *'noar'*
756 'autoread' 'ar' boolean (default off)
757 global or local to buffer |global-local|
758 {not in Vi}
759 When a file has been detected to have been changed outside of Vim and
760 it has not been changed inside of Vim, automatically read it again.
761 When the file has been deleted this is not done. |timestamp|
762 If this option has a local value, use this command to switch back to
763 using the global value: >
764 :set autoread<
765 <
766 *'autowrite'* *'aw'* *'noautowrite'* *'noaw'*
767 'autowrite' 'aw' boolean (default off)
768 global
769 Write the contents of the file, if it has been modified, on each
770 :next, :rewind, :last, :first, :previous, :stop, :suspend, :tag, :!,
771 :make, CTRL-] and CTRL-^ command; and when a :buffer, CTRL-O, CTRL-I,
772 '{A-Z0-9}, or `{A-Z0-9} command takes one to another file.
773 Note that for some commands the 'autowrite' option is not used, see
774 'autowriteall' for that.
776 *'autowriteall'* *'awa'* *'noautowriteall'* *'noawa'*
777 'autowriteall' 'awa' boolean (default off)
778 global
779 {not in Vi}
780 Like 'autowrite', but also used for commands ":edit", ":enew", ":quit",
781 ":qall", ":exit", ":xit", ":recover" and closing the Vim window.
782 Setting this option also implies that Vim behaves like 'autowrite' has
783 been set.
785 *'background'* *'bg'*
786 'background' 'bg' string (default "dark" or "light")
787 global
788 {not in Vi}
789 When set to "dark", Vim will try to use colors that look good on a
790 dark background. When set to "light", Vim will try to use colors that
791 look good on a light background. Any other value is illegal.
792 Vim tries to set the default value according to the terminal used.
793 This will not always be correct.
794 Setting this option does not change the background color, it tells Vim
795 what the background color looks like. For changing the background
796 color, see |:hi-normal|.
798 When 'background' is set Vim will adjust the default color groups for
799 the new value. But the colors used for syntax highlighting will not
800 change.
801 When a color scheme is loaded (the "colors_name" variable is set)
802 setting 'background' will cause the color scheme to be reloaded. If
803 the color scheme adjusts to the value of 'background' this will work.
804 However, if the color scheme sets 'background' itself the effect may
805 be undone. First delete the "colors_name" variable when needed.
807 When setting 'background' to the default value with: >
808 :set background&
809 < Vim will guess the value. In the GUI this should work correctly,
810 in other cases Vim might not be able to guess the right value.
812 When starting the GUI, the default value for 'background' will be
813 "light". When the value is not set in the .gvimrc, and Vim detects
814 that the background is actually quite dark, 'background' is set to
815 "dark". But this happens only AFTER the .gvimrc file has been read
816 (because the window needs to be opened to find the actual background
817 color). To get around this, force the GUI window to be opened by
818 putting a ":gui" command in the .gvimrc file, before where the value
819 of 'background' is used (e.g., before ":syntax on").
820 Normally this option would be set in the .vimrc file. Possibly
821 depending on the terminal name. Example: >
822 :if &term == "pcterm"
823 : set background=dark
824 :endif
825 < When this option is set, the default settings for the highlight groups
826 will change. To use other settings, place ":highlight" commands AFTER
827 the setting of the 'background' option.
828 This option is also used in the "$VIMRUNTIME/syntax/syntax.vim" file
829 to select the colors for syntax highlighting. After changing this
830 option, you must load syntax.vim again to see the result. This can be
831 done with ":syntax on".
833 *'backspace'* *'bs'*
834 'backspace' 'bs' string (default "")
835 global
836 {not in Vi}
837 Influences the working of <BS>, <Del>, CTRL-W and CTRL-U in Insert
838 mode. This is a list of items, separated by commas. Each item allows
839 a way to backspace over something:
840 value effect ~
841 indent allow backspacing over autoindent
842 eol allow backspacing over line breaks (join lines)
843 start allow backspacing over the start of insert; CTRL-W and CTRL-U
844 stop once at the start of insert.
846 When the value is empty, Vi compatible backspacing is used.
848 For backwards compatibility with version 5.4 and earlier:
849 value effect ~
850 0 same as ":set backspace=" (Vi compatible)
851 1 same as ":set backspace=indent,eol"
852 2 same as ":set backspace=indent,eol,start"
854 See |:fixdel| if your <BS> or <Del> key does not do what you want.
855 NOTE: This option is set to "" when 'compatible' is set.
857 *'backup'* *'bk'* *'nobackup'* *'nobk'*
858 'backup' 'bk' boolean (default off)
859 global
860 {not in Vi}
861 Make a backup before overwriting a file. Leave it around after the
862 file has been successfully written. If you do not want to keep the
863 backup file, but you do want a backup while the file is being
864 written, reset this option and set the 'writebackup' option (this is
865 the default). If you do not want a backup file at all reset both
866 options (use this if your file system is almost full). See the
867 |backup-table| for more explanations.
868 When the 'backupskip' pattern matches, a backup is not made anyway.
869 When 'patchmode' is set, the backup may be renamed to become the
870 oldest version of a file.
871 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
873 *'backupcopy'* *'bkc'*
874 'backupcopy' 'bkc' string (Vi default for Unix: "yes", otherwise: "auto")
875 global
876 {not in Vi}
877 When writing a file and a backup is made, this option tells how it's
878 done. This is a comma separated list of words.
880 The main values are:
881 "yes" make a copy of the file and overwrite the original one
882 "no" rename the file and write a new one
883 "auto" one of the previous, what works best
885 Extra values that can be combined with the ones above are:
886 "breaksymlink" always break symlinks when writing
887 "breakhardlink" always break hardlinks when writing
889 Making a copy and overwriting the original file:
890 - Takes extra time to copy the file.
891 + When the file has special attributes, is a (hard/symbolic) link or
892 has a resource fork, all this is preserved.
893 - When the file is a link the backup will have the name of the link,
894 not of the real file.
896 Renaming the file and writing a new one:
897 + It's fast.
898 - Sometimes not all attributes of the file can be copied to the new
899 file.
900 - When the file is a link the new file will not be a link.
902 The "auto" value is the middle way: When Vim sees that renaming file
903 is possible without side effects (the attributes can be passed on and
904 the file is not a link) that is used. When problems are expected, a
905 copy will be made.
907 The "breaksymlink" and "breakhardlink" values can be used in
908 combination with any of "yes", "no" and "auto". When included, they
909 force Vim to always break either symbolic or hard links by doing
910 exactly what the "no" option does, renaming the original file to
911 become the backup and writing a new file in its place. This can be
912 useful for example in source trees where all the files are symbolic or
913 hard links and any changes should stay in the local source tree, not
914 be propagated back to the original source.
915 *crontab*
916 One situation where "no" and "auto" will cause problems: A program
917 that opens a file, invokes Vim to edit that file, and then tests if
918 the open file was changed (through the file descriptor) will check the
919 backup file instead of the newly created file. "crontab -e" is an
920 example.
922 When a copy is made, the original file is truncated and then filled
923 with the new text. This means that protection bits, owner and
924 symbolic links of the original file are unmodified. The backup file
925 however, is a new file, owned by the user who edited the file. The
926 group of the backup is set to the group of the original file. If this
927 fails, the protection bits for the group are made the same as for
928 others.
930 When the file is renamed this is the other way around: The backup has
931 the same attributes of the original file, and the newly written file
932 is owned by the current user. When the file was a (hard/symbolic)
933 link, the new file will not! That's why the "auto" value doesn't
934 rename when the file is a link. The owner and group of the newly
935 written file will be set to the same ones as the original file, but
936 the system may refuse to do this. In that case the "auto" value will
937 again not rename the file.
939 *'backupdir'* *'bdir'*
940 'backupdir' 'bdir' string (default for Amiga: ".,t:",
941 for MS-DOS and Win32: ".,c:/tmp,c:/temp"
942 for Unix: ".,~/tmp,~/")
943 global
944 {not in Vi}
945 List of directories for the backup file, separated with commas.
946 - The backup file will be created in the first directory in the list
947 where this is possible.
948 - Empty means that no backup file will be created ('patchmode' is
949 impossible!). Writing may fail because of this.
950 - A directory "." means to put the backup file in the same directory
951 as the edited file.
952 - A directory starting with "./" (or ".\" for MS-DOS et al.) means to
953 put the backup file relative to where the edited file is. The
954 leading "." is replaced with the path name of the edited file.
955 ("." inside a directory name has no special meaning).
956 - Spaces after the comma are ignored, other spaces are considered part
957 of the directory name. To have a space at the start of a directory
958 name, precede it with a backslash.
959 - To include a comma in a directory name precede it with a backslash.
960 - A directory name may end in an '/'.
961 - Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|.
962 - Careful with '\' characters, type one before a space, type two to
963 get one in the option (see |option-backslash|), for example: >
964 :set bdir=c:\\tmp,\ dir\\,with\\,commas,\\\ dir\ with\ spaces
965 < - For backwards compatibility with Vim version 3.0 a '>' at the start
966 of the option is removed.
967 See also 'backup' and 'writebackup' options.
968 If you want to hide your backup files on Unix, consider this value: >
969 :set backupdir=./.backup,~/.backup,.,/tmp
970 < You must create a ".backup" directory in each directory and in your
971 home directory for this to work properly.
972 The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing
973 directories from the list. This avoids problems when a future version
974 uses another default.
975 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
976 security reasons.
978 *'backupext'* *'bex'* *E589*
979 'backupext' 'bex' string (default "~", for VMS: "_")
980 global
981 {not in Vi}
982 String which is appended to a file name to make the name of the
983 backup file. The default is quite unusual, because this avoids
984 accidentally overwriting existing files with a backup file. You might
985 prefer using ".bak", but make sure that you don't have files with
986 ".bak" that you want to keep.
987 Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal.
989 If you like to keep a lot of backups, you could use a BufWritePre
990 autocommand to change 'backupext' just before writing the file to
991 include a timestamp. >
992 :au BufWritePre * let &bex = '-' . strftime("%Y%b%d%X") . '~'
993 < Use 'backupdir' to put the backup in a different directory.
995 *'backupskip'* *'bsk'*
996 'backupskip' 'bsk' string (default: "/tmp/*,$TMPDIR/*,$TMP/*,$TEMP/*")
997 global
998 {not in Vi}
999 {not available when compiled without the |+wildignore|
1000 feature}
1001 A list of file patterns. When one of the patterns matches with the
1002 name of the file which is written, no backup file is created. Both
1003 the specified file name and the full path name of the file are used.
1004 The pattern is used like with |:autocmd|, see |autocmd-patterns|.
1005 Watch out for special characters, see |option-backslash|.
1006 When $TMPDIR, $TMP or $TEMP is not defined, it is not used for the
1007 default value. "/tmp/*" is only used for Unix.
1009 Note that environment variables are not expanded. If you want to use
1010 $HOME you must expand it explicitly, e.g.: >
1011 :let backupskip = escape(expand('$HOME'), '\') . '/tmp/*'
1013 < Note that the default also makes sure that "crontab -e" works (when a
1014 backup would be made by renaming the original file crontab won't see
1015 the newly created file). Also see 'backupcopy' and |crontab|.
1017 *'balloondelay'* *'bdlay'*
1018 'balloondelay' 'bdlay' number (default: 600)
1019 global
1020 {not in Vi}
1021 {only available when compiled with the |+balloon_eval|
1022 feature}
1023 Delay in milliseconds before a balloon may pop up. See |balloon-eval|.
1025 *'ballooneval'* *'beval'* *'noballooneval'* *'nobeval'*
1026 'ballooneval' 'beval' boolean (default off)
1027 global
1028 {not in Vi}
1029 {only available when compiled with the |+balloon_eval|
1030 feature}
1031 Switch on the |balloon-eval| functionality.
1033 *'balloonexpr'* *'bexpr'*
1034 'balloonexpr' 'bexpr' string (default "")
1035 global or local to buffer |global-local|
1036 {not in Vi}
1037 {only available when compiled with the |+balloon_eval|
1038 feature}
1039 Expression for text to show in evaluation balloon. It is only used
1040 when 'ballooneval' is on. These variables can be used:
1042 v:beval_bufnr number of the buffer in which balloon is going to show
1043 v:beval_winnr number of the window
1044 v:beval_lnum line number
1045 v:beval_col column number (byte index)
1046 v:beval_text word under or after the mouse pointer
1048 The evaluation of the expression must not have side effects!
1049 Example: >
1050 function! MyBalloonExpr()
1051 return 'Cursor is at line ' . v:beval_lnum .
1052 \', column ' . v:beval_col .
1053 \ ' of file ' . bufname(v:beval_bufnr) .
1054 \ ' on word "' . v:beval_text . '"'
1055 endfunction
1056 set bexpr=MyBalloonExpr()
1057 set ballooneval
1058 <
1059 NOTE: The balloon is displayed only if the cursor is on a text
1060 character. If the result of evaluating 'balloonexpr' is not empty,
1061 Vim does not try to send a message to an external debugger (Netbeans
1062 or Sun Workshop).
1064 The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see
1065 |sandbox-option|.
1067 It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while
1068 evaluating 'balloonexpr' |textlock|.
1070 To check whether line breaks in the balloon text work use this check: >
1071 if has("balloon_multiline")
1072 < When they are supported "\n" characters will start a new line. If the
1073 expression evaluates to a |List| this is equal to using each List item
1074 as a string and putting "\n" in between them.
1076 *'binary'* *'bin'* *'nobinary'* *'nobin'*
1077 'binary' 'bin' boolean (default off)
1078 local to buffer
1079 {not in Vi}
1080 This option should be set before editing a binary file. You can also
1081 use the |-b| Vim argument. When this option is switched on a few
1082 options will be changed (also when it already was on):
1083 'textwidth' will be set to 0
1084 'wrapmargin' will be set to 0
1085 'modeline' will be off
1086 'expandtab' will be off
1087 Also, 'fileformat' and 'fileformats' options will not be used, the
1088 file is read and written like 'fileformat' was "unix" (a single <NL>
1089 separates lines).
1090 The 'fileencoding' and 'fileencodings' options will not be used, the
1091 file is read without conversion.
1092 NOTE: When you start editing a(nother) file while the 'bin' option is
1093 on, settings from autocommands may change the settings again (e.g.,
1094 'textwidth'), causing trouble when editing. You might want to set
1095 'bin' again when the file has been loaded.
1096 The previous values of these options are remembered and restored when
1097 'bin' is switched from on to off. Each buffer has its own set of
1098 saved option values.
1099 To edit a file with 'binary' set you can use the |++bin| argument.
1100 This avoids you have to do ":set bin", which would have effect for all
1101 files you edit.
1102 When writing a file the <EOL> for the last line is only written if
1103 there was one in the original file (normally Vim appends an <EOL> to
1104 the last line if there is none; this would make the file longer). See
1105 the 'endofline' option.
1107 *'bioskey'* *'biosk'* *'nobioskey'* *'nobiosk'*
1108 'bioskey' 'biosk' boolean (default on)
1109 global
1110 {not in Vi} {only for MS-DOS}
1111 When on the BIOS is called to obtain a keyboard character. This works
1112 better to detect CTRL-C, but only works for the console. When using a
1113 terminal over a serial port reset this option.
1114 Also see |'conskey'|.
1116 *'bomb'* *'nobomb'*
1117 'bomb' boolean (default off)
1118 local to buffer
1119 {not in Vi}
1120 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte|
1121 feature}
1122 When writing a file and the following conditions are met, a BOM (Byte
1123 Order Mark) is prepended to the file:
1124 - this option is on
1125 - the 'binary' option is off
1126 - 'fileencoding' is "utf-8", "ucs-2", "ucs-4" or one of the little/big
1127 endian variants.
1128 Some applications use the BOM to recognize the encoding of the file.
1129 Often used for UCS-2 files on MS-Windows. For other applications it
1130 causes trouble, for example: "cat file1 file2" makes the BOM of file2
1131 appear halfway the resulting file.
1132 When Vim reads a file and 'fileencodings' starts with "ucs-bom", a
1133 check for the presence of the BOM is done and 'bomb' set accordingly.
1134 Unless 'binary' is set, it is removed from the first line, so that you
1135 don't see it when editing. When you don't change the options, the BOM
1136 will be restored when writing the file.
1138 *'breakat'* *'brk'*
1139 'breakat' 'brk' string (default " ^I!@*-+;:,./?")
1140 global
1141 {not in Vi}
1142 {not available when compiled without the |+linebreak|
1143 feature}
1144 This option lets you choose which characters might cause a line
1145 break if 'linebreak' is on. Only works for ASCII and also for 8-bit
1146 characters when 'encoding' is an 8-bit encoding.
1148 *'browsedir'* *'bsdir'*
1149 'browsedir' 'bsdir' string (default: "last")
1150 global
1151 {not in Vi} {only for Motif and Win32 GUI}
1152 Which directory to use for the file browser:
1153 last Use same directory as with last file browser.
1154 buffer Use the directory of the related buffer.
1155 current Use the current directory.
1156 {path} Use the specified directory
1158 *'bufhidden'* *'bh'*
1159 'bufhidden' 'bh' string (default: "")
1160 local to buffer
1161 {not in Vi}
1162 {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix|
1163 feature}
1164 This option specifies what happens when a buffer is no longer
1165 displayed in a window:
1166 <empty> follow the global 'hidden' option
1167 hide hide the buffer (don't unload it), also when 'hidden'
1168 is not set
1169 unload unload the buffer, also when 'hidden' is set or using
1170 |:hide|
1171 delete delete the buffer from the buffer list, also when
1172 'hidden' is set or using |:hide|, like using
1173 |:bdelete|
1174 wipe wipe out the buffer from the buffer list, also when
1175 'hidden' is set or using |:hide|, like using
1176 |:bwipeout|
1178 CAREFUL: when "unload", "delete" or "wipe" is used changes in a buffer
1179 are lost without a warning.
1180 This option is used together with 'buftype' and 'swapfile' to specify
1181 special kinds of buffers. See |special-buffers|.
1183 *'buflisted'* *'bl'* *'nobuflisted'* *'nobl'* *E85*
1184 'buflisted' 'bl' boolean (default: on)
1185 local to buffer
1186 {not in Vi}
1187 When this option is set, the buffer shows up in the buffer list. If
1188 it is reset it is not used for ":bnext", "ls", the Buffers menu, etc.
1189 This option is reset by Vim for buffers that are only used to remember
1190 a file name or marks. Vim sets it when starting to edit a buffer.
1191 But not when moving to a buffer with ":buffer".
1193 *'buftype'* *'bt'* *E382*
1194 'buftype' 'bt' string (default: "")
1195 local to buffer
1196 {not in Vi}
1197 {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix|
1198 feature}
1199 The value of this option specifies the type of a buffer:
1200 <empty> normal buffer
1201 nofile buffer which is not related to a file and will not be
1202 written
1203 nowrite buffer which will not be written
1204 acwrite buffer which will always be written with BufWriteCmd
1205 autocommands. {not available when compiled without the
1206 |+autocmd| feature}
1207 quickfix quickfix buffer, contains list of errors |:cwindow|
1208 or list of locations |:lwindow|
1209 help help buffer (you are not supposed to set this
1210 manually)
1212 This option is used together with 'bufhidden' and 'swapfile' to
1213 specify special kinds of buffers. See |special-buffers|.
1215 Be careful with changing this option, it can have many side effects!
1217 A "quickfix" buffer is only used for the error list and the location
1218 list. This value is set by the |:cwindow| and |:lwindow| commands and
1219 you are not supposed to change it.
1221 "nofile" and "nowrite" buffers are similar:
1222 both: The buffer is not to be written to disk, ":w" doesn't
1223 work (":w filename" does work though).
1224 both: The buffer is never considered to be |'modified'|.
1225 There is no warning when the changes will be lost, for
1226 example when you quit Vim.
1227 both: A swap file is only created when using too much memory
1228 (when 'swapfile' has been reset there is never a swap
1229 file).
1230 nofile only: The buffer name is fixed, it is not handled like a
1231 file name. It is not modified in response to a |:cd|
1232 command.
1233 *E676*
1234 "acwrite" implies that the buffer name is not related to a file, like
1235 "nofile", but it will be written. Thus, in contrast to "nofile" and
1236 "nowrite", ":w" does work and a modified buffer can't be abandoned
1237 without saving. For writing there must be matching |BufWriteCmd|,
1238 |FileWriteCmd| or |FileAppendCmd| autocommands.
1240 *'casemap'* *'cmp'*
1241 'casemap' 'cmp' string (default: "internal,keepascii")
1242 global
1243 {not in Vi}
1244 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte|
1245 feature}
1246 Specifies details about changing the case of letters. It may contain
1247 these words, separated by a comma:
1248 internal Use internal case mapping functions, the current
1249 locale does not change the case mapping. This only
1250 matters when 'encoding' is a Unicode encoding,
1251 "latin1" or "iso-8859-15". When "internal" is
1252 omitted, the towupper() and towlower() system library
1253 functions are used when available.
1254 keepascii For the ASCII characters (0x00 to 0x7f) use the US
1255 case mapping, the current locale is not effective.
1256 This probably only matters for Turkish.
1258 *'cdpath'* *'cd'* *E344* *E346*
1259 'cdpath' 'cd' string (default: equivalent to $CDPATH or ",,")
1260 global
1261 {not in Vi}
1262 {not available when compiled without the
1263 |+file_in_path| feature}
1264 This is a list of directories which will be searched when using the
1265 |:cd| and |:lcd| commands, provided that the directory being searched
1266 for has a relative path (not starting with "/", "./" or "../").
1267 The 'cdpath' option's value has the same form and semantics as
1268 |'path'|. Also see |file-searching|.
1269 The default value is taken from $CDPATH, with a "," prepended to look
1270 in the current directory first.
1271 If the default value taken from $CDPATH is not what you want, include
1272 a modified version of the following command in your vimrc file to
1273 override it: >
1274 :let &cdpath = ',' . substitute(substitute($CDPATH, '[, ]', '\\\0', 'g'), ':', ',', 'g')
1275 < This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
1276 security reasons.
1277 (parts of 'cdpath' can be passed to the shell to expand file names).
1279 *'cedit'*
1280 'cedit' string (Vi default: "", Vim default: CTRL-F)
1281 global
1282 {not in Vi}
1283 {not available when compiled without the |+vertsplit|
1284 feature}
1285 The key used in Command-line Mode to open the command-line window.
1286 The default is CTRL-F when 'compatible' is off.
1287 Only non-printable keys are allowed.
1288 The key can be specified as a single character, but it is difficult to
1289 type. The preferred way is to use the <> notation. Examples: >
1290 :set cedit=<C-Y>
1291 :set cedit=<Esc>
1292 < |Nvi| also has this option, but it only uses the first character.
1293 See |cmdwin|.
1295 *'charconvert'* *'ccv'* *E202* *E214* *E513*
1296 'charconvert' 'ccv' string (default "")
1297 global
1298 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte|
1299 feature and the |+eval| feature}
1300 {not in Vi}
1301 An expression that is used for character encoding conversion. It is
1302 evaluated when a file that is to be read or has been written has a
1303 different encoding from what is desired.
1304 'charconvert' is not used when the internal iconv() function is
1305 supported and is able to do the conversion. Using iconv() is
1306 preferred, because it is much faster.
1307 'charconvert' is not used when reading stdin |--|, because there is no
1308 file to convert from. You will have to save the text in a file first.
1309 The expression must return zero or an empty string for success,
1310 non-zero for failure.
1311 The possible encoding names encountered are in 'encoding'.
1312 Additionally, names given in 'fileencodings' and 'fileencoding' are
1313 used.
1314 Conversion between "latin1", "unicode", "ucs-2", "ucs-4" and "utf-8"
1315 is done internally by Vim, 'charconvert' is not used for this.
1316 'charconvert' is also used to convert the viminfo file, if the 'c'
1317 flag is present in 'viminfo'. Also used for Unicode conversion.
1318 Example: >
1319 set charconvert=CharConvert()
1320 fun CharConvert()
1321 system("recode "
1322 \ . v:charconvert_from . ".." . v:charconvert_to
1323 \ . " <" . v:fname_in . " >" v:fname_out)
1324 return v:shell_error
1325 endfun
1326 < The related Vim variables are:
1327 v:charconvert_from name of the current encoding
1328 v:charconvert_to name of the desired encoding
1329 v:fname_in name of the input file
1330 v:fname_out name of the output file
1331 Note that v:fname_in and v:fname_out will never be the same.
1332 Note that v:charconvert_from and v:charconvert_to may be different
1333 from 'encoding'. Vim internally uses UTF-8 instead of UCS-2 or UCS-4.
1334 Encryption is not done by Vim when using 'charconvert'. If you want
1335 to encrypt the file after conversion, 'charconvert' should take care
1336 of this.
1337 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
1338 security reasons.
1340 *'cindent'* *'cin'* *'nocindent'* *'nocin'*
1341 'cindent' 'cin' boolean (default off)
1342 local to buffer
1343 {not in Vi}
1344 {not available when compiled without the |+cindent|
1345 feature}
1346 Enables automatic C program indenting See 'cinkeys' to set the keys
1347 that trigger reindenting in insert mode and 'cinoptions' to set your
1348 preferred indent style.
1349 If 'indentexpr' is not empty, it overrules 'cindent'.
1350 If 'lisp' is not on and both 'indentexpr' and 'equalprg' are empty,
1351 the "=" operator indents using this algorithm rather than calling an
1352 external program.
1353 See |C-indenting|.
1354 When you don't like the way 'cindent' works, try the 'smartindent'
1355 option or 'indentexpr'.
1356 This option is not used when 'paste' is set.
1357 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
1359 *'cinkeys'* *'cink'*
1360 'cinkeys' 'cink' string (default "0{,0},0),:,0#,!^F,o,O,e")
1361 local to buffer
1362 {not in Vi}
1363 {not available when compiled without the |+cindent|
1364 feature}
1365 A list of keys that, when typed in Insert mode, cause reindenting of
1366 the current line. Only used if 'cindent' is on and 'indentexpr' is
1367 empty.
1368 For the format of this option see |cinkeys-format|.
1369 See |C-indenting|.
1371 *'cinoptions'* *'cino'*
1372 'cinoptions' 'cino' string (default "")
1373 local to buffer
1374 {not in Vi}
1375 {not available when compiled without the |+cindent|
1376 feature}
1377 The 'cinoptions' affect the way 'cindent' reindents lines in a C
1378 program. See |cinoptions-values| for the values of this option, and
1379 |C-indenting| for info on C indenting in general.
1382 *'cinwords'* *'cinw'*
1383 'cinwords' 'cinw' string (default "if,else,while,do,for,switch")
1384 local to buffer
1385 {not in Vi}
1386 {not available when compiled without both the
1387 |+cindent| and the |+smartindent| features}
1388 These keywords start an extra indent in the next line when
1389 'smartindent' or 'cindent' is set. For 'cindent' this is only done at
1390 an appropriate place (inside {}).
1391 Note that 'ignorecase' isn't used for 'cinwords'. If case doesn't
1392 matter, include the keyword both the uppercase and lowercase:
1393 "if,If,IF".
1395 *'clipboard'* *'cb'*
1396 'clipboard' 'cb' string (default "autoselect,exclude:cons\|linux"
1397 for X-windows, "" otherwise)
1398 global
1399 {not in Vi}
1400 {only in GUI versions or when the |+xterm_clipboard|
1401 feature is included}
1402 This option is a list of comma separated names.
1403 These names are recognized:
1405 unnamed When included, Vim will use the clipboard register '*'
1406 for all yank, delete, change and put operations which
1407 would normally go to the unnamed register. When a
1408 register is explicitly specified, it will always be
1409 used regardless of whether "unnamed" is in 'clipboard'
1410 or not. The clipboard register can always be
1411 explicitly accessed using the "* notation. Also see
1412 |gui-clipboard|.
1414 autoselect Works like the 'a' flag in 'guioptions': If present,
1415 then whenever Visual mode is started, or the Visual
1416 area extended, Vim tries to become the owner of the
1417 windowing system's global selection or put the
1418 selected text on the clipboard used by the selection
1419 register "*. See |guioptions_a| and |quotestar| for
1420 details. When the GUI is active, the 'a' flag in
1421 'guioptions' is used, when the GUI is not active, this
1422 "autoselect" flag is used.
1423 Also applies to the modeless selection.
1425 autoselectml Like "autoselect", but for the modeless selection
1426 only. Compare to the 'A' flag in 'guioptions'.
1428 exclude:{pattern}
1429 Defines a pattern that is matched against the name of
1430 the terminal 'term'. If there is a match, no
1431 connection will be made to the X server. This is
1432 useful in this situation:
1433 - Running Vim in a console.
1434 - $DISPLAY is set to start applications on another
1435 display.
1436 - You do not want to connect to the X server in the
1437 console, but do want this in a terminal emulator.
1438 To never connect to the X server use: >
1439 exclude:.*
1440 < This has the same effect as using the |-X| argument.
1441 Note that when there is no connection to the X server
1442 the window title won't be restored and the clipboard
1443 cannot be accessed.
1444 The value of 'magic' is ignored, {pattern} is
1445 interpreted as if 'magic' was on.
1446 The rest of the option value will be used for
1447 {pattern}, this must be the last entry.
1449 *'cmdheight'* *'ch'*
1450 'cmdheight' 'ch' number (default 1)
1451 global
1452 {not in Vi}
1453 Number of screen lines to use for the command-line. Helps avoiding
1454 |hit-enter| prompts.
1455 The value of this option is stored with the tab page, so that each tab
1456 page can have a different value.
1458 *'cmdwinheight'* *'cwh'*
1459 'cmdwinheight' 'cwh' number (default 7)
1460 global
1461 {not in Vi}
1462 {not available when compiled without the |+vertsplit|
1463 feature}
1464 Number of screen lines to use for the command-line window. |cmdwin|
1466 *'columns'* *'co'* *E594*
1467 'columns' 'co' number (default 80 or terminal width)
1468 global
1469 {not in Vi}
1470 Number of columns of the screen. Normally this is set by the terminal
1471 initialization and does not have to be set by hand. Also see
1472 |posix-screen-size|.
1473 When Vim is running in the GUI or in a resizable window, setting this
1474 option will cause the window size to be changed. When you only want
1475 to use the size for the GUI, put the command in your |gvimrc| file.
1476 When you set this option and Vim is unable to change the physical
1477 number of columns of the display, the display may be messed up. For
1478 the GUI it is always possible and Vim limits the number of columns to
1479 what fits on the screen. You can use this command to get the widest
1480 window possible: >
1481 :set columns=9999
1482 < Minimum value is 12, maximum value is 10000.
1484 *'comments'* *'com'* *E524* *E525*
1485 'comments' 'com' string (default
1486 "s1:/*,mb:*,ex:*/,://,b:#,:%,:XCOMM,n:>,fb:-")
1487 local to buffer
1488 {not in Vi}
1489 {not available when compiled without the |+comments|
1490 feature}
1491 A comma separated list of strings that can start a comment line. See
1492 |format-comments|. See |option-backslash| about using backslashes to
1493 insert a space.
1495 *'commentstring'* *'cms'* *E537*
1496 'commentstring' 'cms' string (default "/*%s*/")
1497 local to buffer
1498 {not in Vi}
1499 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
1500 feature}
1501 A template for a comment. The "%s" in the value is replaced with the
1502 comment text. Currently only used to add markers for folding, see
1503 |fold-marker|.
1505 *'compatible'* *'cp'* *'nocompatible'* *'nocp'*
1506 'compatible' 'cp' boolean (default on, off when a |vimrc| or |gvimrc|
1507 file is found)
1508 global
1509 {not in Vi}
1510 This option has the effect of making Vim either more Vi-compatible, or
1511 make Vim behave in a more useful way.
1512 This is a special kind of option, because when it's set or reset,
1513 other options are also changed as a side effect. CAREFUL: Setting or
1514 resetting this option can have a lot of unexpected effects: Mappings
1515 are interpreted in another way, undo behaves differently, etc. If you
1516 set this option in your vimrc file, you should probably put it at the
1517 very start.
1518 By default this option is on and the Vi defaults are used for the
1519 options. This default was chosen for those people who want to use Vim
1520 just like Vi, and don't even (want to) know about the 'compatible'
1521 option.
1522 When a |vimrc| or |gvimrc| file is found while Vim is starting up,
1523 this option is switched off, and all options that have not been
1524 modified will be set to the Vim defaults. Effectively, this means
1525 that when a |vimrc| or |gvimrc| file exists, Vim will use the Vim
1526 defaults, otherwise it will use the Vi defaults. (Note: This doesn't
1527 happen for the system-wide vimrc or gvimrc file, nor for a file given
1528 with the |-u| argument). Also see |compatible-default| and
1529 |posix-compliance|.
1530 You can also set this option with the "-C" argument, and reset it with
1531 "-N". See |-C| and |-N|.
1532 Switching this option off makes the Vim defaults be used for options
1533 that have a different Vi and Vim default value. See the options
1534 marked with a '+' below. Other options are not modified.
1535 At the moment this option is set, several other options will be set
1536 or reset to make Vim as Vi-compatible as possible. See the table
1537 below. This can be used if you want to revert to Vi compatible
1538 editing.
1539 See also 'cpoptions'.
1541 option + set value effect ~
1543 'allowrevins' off no CTRL-_ command
1544 'backupcopy' Unix: "yes" backup file is a copy
1545 others: "auto" copy or rename backup file
1546 'backspace' "" normal backspace
1547 'backup' off no backup file
1548 'cindent' off no C code indentation
1549 'cedit' + "" no key to open the |cmdwin|
1550 'cpoptions' + (all flags) Vi-compatible flags
1551 'cscopetag' off don't use cscope for ":tag"
1552 'cscopetagorder' 0 see |cscopetagorder|
1553 'cscopeverbose' off see |cscopeverbose|
1554 'digraph' off no digraphs
1555 'esckeys' + off no <Esc>-keys in Insert mode
1556 'expandtab' off tabs not expanded to spaces
1557 'fileformats' + "" no automatic file format detection,
1558 "dos,unix" except for DOS, Windows and OS/2
1559 'formatoptions' + "vt" Vi compatible formatting
1560 'gdefault' off no default 'g' flag for ":s"
1561 'history' + 0 no commandline history
1562 'hkmap' off no Hebrew keyboard mapping
1563 'hkmapp' off no phonetic Hebrew keyboard mapping
1564 'hlsearch' off no highlighting of search matches
1565 'incsearch' off no incremental searching
1566 'indentexpr' "" no indenting by expression
1567 'insertmode' off do not start in Insert mode
1568 'iskeyword' + "@,48-57,_" keywords contain alphanumeric
1569 characters and '_'
1570 'joinspaces' on insert 2 spaces after period
1571 'modeline' + off no modelines
1572 'more' + off no pauses in listings
1573 'revins' off no reverse insert
1574 'ruler' off no ruler
1575 'scrolljump' 1 no jump scroll
1576 'scrolloff' 0 no scroll offset
1577 'shiftround' off indent not rounded to shiftwidth
1578 'shortmess' + "" no shortening of messages
1579 'showcmd' + off command characters not shown
1580 'showmode' + off current mode not shown
1581 'smartcase' off no automatic ignore case switch
1582 'smartindent' off no smart indentation
1583 'smarttab' off no smart tab size
1584 'softtabstop' 0 tabs are always 'tabstop' positions
1585 'startofline' on goto startofline with some commands
1586 'tagrelative' + off tag file names are not relative
1587 'textauto' + off no automatic textmode detection
1588 'textwidth' 0 no automatic line wrap
1589 'tildeop' off tilde is not an operator
1590 'ttimeout' off no terminal timeout
1591 'whichwrap' + "" left-right movements don't wrap
1592 'wildchar' + CTRL-E only when the current value is <Tab>
1593 use CTRL-E for cmdline completion
1594 'writebackup' on or off depends on +writebackup feature
1596 *'complete'* *'cpt'* *E535*
1597 'complete' 'cpt' string (default: ".,w,b,u,t,i")
1598 local to buffer
1599 {not in Vi}
1600 This option specifies how keyword completion |ins-completion| works
1601 when CTRL-P or CTRL-N are used. It is also used for whole-line
1602 completion |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-L|. It indicates the type of completion
1603 and the places to scan. It is a comma separated list of flags:
1604 . scan the current buffer ('wrapscan' is ignored)
1605 w scan buffers from other windows
1606 b scan other loaded buffers that are in the buffer list
1607 u scan the unloaded buffers that are in the buffer list
1608 U scan the buffers that are not in the buffer list
1609 k scan the files given with the 'dictionary' option
1610 kspell use the currently active spell checking |spell|
1611 k{dict} scan the file {dict}. Several "k" flags can be given,
1612 patterns are valid too. For example: >
1613 :set cpt=k/usr/dict/*,k~/spanish
1614 < s scan the files given with the 'thesaurus' option
1615 s{tsr} scan the file {tsr}. Several "s" flags can be given, patterns
1616 are valid too.
1617 i scan current and included files
1618 d scan current and included files for defined name or macro
1619 |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-D|
1620 ] tag completion
1621 t same as "]"
1623 Unloaded buffers are not loaded, thus their autocmds |:autocmd| are
1624 not executed, this may lead to unexpected completions from some files
1625 (gzipped files for example). Unloaded buffers are not scanned for
1626 whole-line completion.
1628 The default is ".,w,b,u,t,i", which means to scan:
1629 1. the current buffer
1630 2. buffers in other windows
1631 3. other loaded buffers
1632 4. unloaded buffers
1633 5. tags
1634 6. included files
1636 As you can see, CTRL-N and CTRL-P can be used to do any 'iskeyword'-
1637 based expansion (e.g., dictionary |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K|, included patterns
1638 |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-I|, tags |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-]| and normal expansions).
1640 *'completefunc'* *'cfu'*
1641 'completefunc' 'cfu' string (default: empty)
1642 local to buffer
1643 {not in Vi}
1644 {not available when compiled without the +eval
1645 or +insert_expand feature}
1646 This option specifies a function to be used for Insert mode completion
1647 with CTRL-X CTRL-U. |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-U|
1648 See |complete-functions| for an explanation of how the function is
1649 invoked and what it should return.
1652 *'completeopt'* *'cot'*
1653 'completeopt' 'cot' string (default: "menu,preview")
1654 global
1655 {not available when compiled without the
1656 |+insert_expand| feature}
1657 {not in Vi}
1658 A comma separated list of options for Insert mode completion
1659 |ins-completion|. The supported values are:
1661 menu Use a popup menu to show the possible completions. The
1662 menu is only shown when there is more than one match and
1663 sufficient colors are available. |ins-completion-menu|
1665 menuone Use the popup menu also when there is only one match.
1666 Useful when there is additional information about the
1667 match, e.g., what file it comes from.
1669 longest Only insert the longest common text of the matches. If
1670 the menu is displayed you can use CTRL-L to add more
1671 characters. Whether case is ignored depends on the kind
1672 of completion. For buffer text the 'ignorecase' option is
1673 used.
1675 preview Show extra information about the currently selected
1676 completion in the preview window. Only works in
1677 combination with "menu" or "menuone".
1680 *'confirm'* *'cf'* *'noconfirm'* *'nocf'*
1681 'confirm' 'cf' boolean (default off)
1682 global
1683 {not in Vi}
1684 When 'confirm' is on, certain operations that would normally
1685 fail because of unsaved changes to a buffer, e.g. ":q" and ":e",
1686 instead raise a |dialog| asking if you wish to save the current
1687 file(s). You can still use a ! to unconditionally |abandon| a buffer.
1688 If 'confirm' is off you can still activate confirmation for one
1689 command only (this is most useful in mappings) with the |:confirm|
1690 command.
1691 Also see the |confirm()| function and the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'.
1693 *'conskey'* *'consk'* *'noconskey'* *'noconsk'*
1694 'conskey' 'consk' boolean (default off)
1695 global
1696 {not in Vi} {only for MS-DOS}
1697 When on direct console I/O is used to obtain a keyboard character.
1698 This should work in most cases. Also see |'bioskey'|. Together,
1699 three methods of console input are available:
1700 'conskey' 'bioskey' action ~
1701 on on or off direct console input
1702 off on BIOS
1703 off off STDIN
1705 *'copyindent'* *'ci'* *'nocopyindent'* *'noci'*
1706 'copyindent' 'ci' boolean (default off)
1707 local to buffer
1708 {not in Vi}
1709 Copy the structure of the existing lines indent when autoindenting a
1710 new line. Normally the new indent is reconstructed by a series of
1711 tabs followed by spaces as required (unless |'expandtab'| is enabled,
1712 in which case only spaces are used). Enabling this option makes the
1713 new line copy whatever characters were used for indenting on the
1714 existing line. If the new indent is greater than on the existing
1715 line, the remaining space is filled in the normal manner.
1716 NOTE: 'copyindent' is reset when 'compatible' is set.
1717 Also see 'preserveindent'.
1719 *'cpoptions'* *'cpo'*
1720 'cpoptions' 'cpo' string (Vim default: "aABceFs",
1721 Vi default: all flags)
1722 global
1723 {not in Vi}
1724 A sequence of single character flags. When a character is present
1725 this indicates vi-compatible behavior. This is used for things where
1726 not being vi-compatible is mostly or sometimes preferred.
1727 'cpoptions' stands for "compatible-options".
1728 Commas can be added for readability.
1729 To avoid problems with flags that are added in the future, use the
1730 "+=" and "-=" feature of ":set" |add-option-flags|.
1731 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
1732 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
1733 NOTE: This option is set to the POSIX default value at startup when
1734 the Vi default value would be used and the $VIM_POSIX environment
1735 variable exists |posix|. This means tries to behave like the POSIX
1736 specification.
1738 contains behavior ~
1739 *cpo-a*
1740 a When included, a ":read" command with a file name
1741 argument will set the alternate file name for the
1742 current window.
1743 *cpo-A*
1744 A When included, a ":write" command with a file name
1745 argument will set the alternate file name for the
1746 current window.
1747 *cpo-b*
1748 b "\|" in a ":map" command is recognized as the end of
1749 the map command. The '\' is included in the mapping,
1750 the text after the '|' is interpreted as the next
1751 command. Use a CTRL-V instead of a backslash to
1752 include the '|' in the mapping. Applies to all
1753 mapping, abbreviation, menu and autocmd commands.
1754 See also |map_bar|.
1755 *cpo-B*
1756 B A backslash has no special meaning in mappings,
1757 abbreviations and the "to" part of the menu commands.
1758 Remove this flag to be able to use a backslash like a
1759 CTRL-V. For example, the command ":map X \<Esc>"
1760 results in X being mapped to:
1761 'B' included: "\^[" (^[ is a real <Esc>)
1762 'B' excluded: "<Esc>" (5 characters)
1763 ('<' excluded in both cases)
1764 *cpo-c*
1765 c Searching continues at the end of any match at the
1766 cursor position, but not further than the start of the
1767 next line. When not present searching continues
1768 one character from the cursor position. With 'c'
1769 "abababababab" only gets three matches when repeating
1770 "/abab", without 'c' there are five matches.
1771 *cpo-C*
1772 C Do not concatenate sourced lines that start with a
1773 backslash. See |line-continuation|.
1774 *cpo-d*
1775 d Using "./" in the 'tags' option doesn't mean to use
1776 the tags file relative to the current file, but the
1777 tags file in the current directory.
1778 *cpo-D*
1779 D Can't use CTRL-K to enter a digraph after Normal mode
1780 commands with a character argument, like |r|, |f| and
1781 |t|.
1782 *cpo-e*
1783 e When executing a register with ":@r", always add a
1784 <CR> to the last line, also when the register is not
1785 linewise. If this flag is not present, the register
1786 is not linewise and the last line does not end in a
1787 <CR>, then the last line is put on the command-line
1788 and can be edited before hitting <CR>.
1789 *cpo-E*
1790 E It is an error when using "y", "d", "c", "g~", "gu" or
1791 "gU" on an Empty region. The operators only work when
1792 at least one character is to be operate on. Example:
1793 This makes "y0" fail in the first column.
1794 *cpo-f*
1795 f When included, a ":read" command with a file name
1796 argument will set the file name for the current buffer,
1797 if the current buffer doesn't have a file name yet.
1798 *cpo-F*
1799 F When included, a ":write" command with a file name
1800 argument will set the file name for the current
1801 buffer, if the current buffer doesn't have a file name
1802 yet. Also see |cpo-P|.
1803 *cpo-g*
1804 g Goto line 1 when using ":edit" without argument.
1805 *cpo-H*
1806 H When using "I" on a line with only blanks, insert
1807 before the last blank. Without this flag insert after
1808 the last blank.
1809 *cpo-i*
1810 i When included, interrupting the reading of a file will
1811 leave it modified.
1812 *cpo-I*
1813 I When moving the cursor up or down just after inserting
1814 indent for 'autoindent', do not delete the indent.
1815 *cpo-j*
1816 j When joining lines, only add two spaces after a '.',
1817 not after '!' or '?'. Also see 'joinspaces'.
1818 *cpo-J*
1819 J A |sentence| has to be followed by two spaces after
1820 the '.', '!' or '?'. A <Tab> is not recognized as
1821 white space.
1822 *cpo-k*
1823 k Disable the recognition of raw key codes in
1824 mappings, abbreviations, and the "to" part of menu
1825 commands. For example, if <Key> sends ^[OA (where ^[
1826 is <Esc>), the command ":map X ^[OA" results in X
1827 being mapped to:
1828 'k' included: "^[OA" (3 characters)
1829 'k' excluded: "<Key>" (one key code)
1830 Also see the '<' flag below.
1831 *cpo-K*
1832 K Don't wait for a key code to complete when it is
1833 halfway a mapping. This breaks mapping <F1><F1> when
1834 only part of the second <F1> has been read. It
1835 enables cancelling the mapping by typing <F1><Esc>.
1836 *cpo-l*
1837 l Backslash in a [] range in a search pattern is taken
1838 literally, only "\]", "\^", "\-" and "\\" are special.
1839 See |/[]|
1840 'l' included: "/[ \t]" finds <Space>, '\' and 't'
1841 'l' excluded: "/[ \t]" finds <Space> and <Tab>
1842 Also see |cpo-\|.
1843 *cpo-L*
1844 L When the 'list' option is set, 'wrapmargin',
1845 'textwidth', 'softtabstop' and Virtual Replace mode
1846 (see |gR|) count a <Tab> as two characters, instead of
1847 the normal behavior of a <Tab>.
1848 *cpo-m*
1849 m When included, a showmatch will always wait half a
1850 second. When not included, a showmatch will wait half
1851 a second or until a character is typed. |'showmatch'|
1852 *cpo-M*
1853 M When excluded, "%" matching will take backslashes into
1854 account. Thus in "( \( )" and "\( ( \)" the outer
1855 parenthesis match. When included "%" ignores
1856 backslashes, which is Vi compatible.
1857 *cpo-n*
1858 n When included, the column used for 'number' will also
1859 be used for text of wrapped lines.
1860 *cpo-o*
1861 o Line offset to search command is not remembered for
1862 next search.
1863 *cpo-O*
1864 O Don't complain if a file is being overwritten, even
1865 when it didn't exist when editing it. This is a
1866 protection against a file unexpectedly created by
1867 someone else. Vi didn't complain about this.
1868 *cpo-p*
1869 p Vi compatible Lisp indenting. When not present, a
1870 slightly better algorithm is used.
1871 *cpo-P*
1872 P When included, a ":write" command that appends to a
1873 file will set the file name for the current buffer, if
1874 the current buffer doesn't have a file name yet and
1875 the 'F' flag is also included |cpo-F|.
1876 *cpo-q*
1877 q When joining multiple lines leave the cursor at the
1878 position where it would be when joining two lines.
1879 *cpo-r*
1880 r Redo ("." command) uses "/" to repeat a search
1881 command, instead of the actually used search string.
1882 *cpo-R*
1883 R Remove marks from filtered lines. Without this flag
1884 marks are kept like |:keepmarks| was used.
1885 *cpo-s*
1886 s Set buffer options when entering the buffer for the
1887 first time. This is like it is in Vim version 3.0.
1888 And it is the default. If not present the options are
1889 set when the buffer is created.
1890 *cpo-S*
1891 S Set buffer options always when entering a buffer
1892 (except 'readonly', 'fileformat', 'filetype' and
1893 'syntax'). This is the (most) Vi compatible setting.
1894 The options are set to the values in the current
1895 buffer. When you change an option and go to another
1896 buffer, the value is copied. Effectively makes the
1897 buffer options global to all buffers.
1899 's' 'S' copy buffer options
1900 no no when buffer created
1901 yes no when buffer first entered (default)
1902 X yes each time when buffer entered (vi comp.)
1903 *cpo-t*
1904 t Search pattern for the tag command is remembered for
1905 "n" command. Otherwise Vim only puts the pattern in
1906 the history for search pattern, but doesn't change the
1907 last used search pattern.
1908 *cpo-u*
1909 u Undo is Vi compatible. See |undo-two-ways|.
1910 *cpo-v*
1911 v Backspaced characters remain visible on the screen in
1912 Insert mode. Without this flag the characters are
1913 erased from the screen right away. With this flag the
1914 screen newly typed text overwrites backspaced
1915 characters.
1916 *cpo-w*
1917 w When using "cw" on a blank character, only change one
1918 character and not all blanks until the start of the
1919 next word.
1920 *cpo-W*
1921 W Don't overwrite a readonly file. When omitted, ":w!"
1922 overwrites a readonly file, if possible.
1923 *cpo-x*
1924 x <Esc> on the command-line executes the command-line.
1925 The default in Vim is to abandon the command-line,
1926 because <Esc> normally aborts a command. |c_<Esc>|
1927 *cpo-X*
1928 X When using a count with "R" the replaced text is
1929 deleted only once. Also when repeating "R" with "."
1930 and a count.
1931 *cpo-y*
1932 y A yank command can be redone with ".".
1933 *cpo-Z*
1934 Z When using "w!" while the 'readonly' option is set,
1935 don't reset 'readonly'.
1936 *cpo-!*
1937 ! When redoing a filter command, use the last used
1938 external command, whatever it was. Otherwise the last
1939 used -filter- command is used.
1940 *cpo-$*
1941 $ When making a change to one line, don't redisplay the
1942 line, but put a '$' at the end of the changed text.
1943 The changed text will be overwritten when you type the
1944 new text. The line is redisplayed if you type any
1945 command that moves the cursor from the insertion
1946 point.
1947 *cpo-%*
1948 % Vi-compatible matching is done for the "%" command.
1949 Does not recognize "#if", "#endif", etc.
1950 Does not recognize "/*" and "*/".
1951 Parens inside single and double quotes are also
1952 counted, causing a string that contains a paren to
1953 disturb the matching. For example, in a line like
1954 "if (strcmp("foo(", s))" the first paren does not
1955 match the last one. When this flag is not included,
1956 parens inside single and double quotes are treated
1957 specially. When matching a paren outside of quotes,
1958 everything inside quotes is ignored. When matching a
1959 paren inside quotes, it will find the matching one (if
1960 there is one). This works very well for C programs.
1961 This flag is also used for other features, such as
1962 C-indenting.
1963 *cpo--*
1964 - When included, a vertical movement command fails when
1965 it would go above the first line or below the last
1966 line. Without it the cursor moves to the first or
1967 last line, unless it already was in that line.
1968 Applies to the commands "-", "k", CTRL-P, "+", "j",
1969 CTRL-N, CTRL-J and ":1234".
1970 *cpo-+*
1971 + When included, a ":write file" command will reset the
1972 'modified' flag of the buffer, even though the buffer
1973 itself may still be different from its file.
1974 *cpo-star*
1975 * Use ":*" in the same way as ":@". When not included,
1976 ":*" is an alias for ":'<,'>", select the Visual area.
1977 *cpo-<*
1978 < Disable the recognition of special key codes in |<>|
1979 form in mappings, abbreviations, and the "to" part of
1980 menu commands. For example, the command
1981 ":map X <Tab>" results in X being mapped to:
1982 '<' included: "<Tab>" (5 characters)
1983 '<' excluded: "^I" (^I is a real <Tab>)
1984 Also see the 'k' flag above.
1985 *cpo->*
1986 > When appending to a register, put a line break before
1987 the appended text.
1989 POSIX flags. These are not included in the Vi default value, except
1990 when $VIM_POSIX was set on startup. |posix|
1992 contains behavior ~
1993 *cpo-#*
1994 # A count before "D", "o" and "O" has no effect.
1995 *cpo-&*
1996 & When ":preserve" was used keep the swap file when
1997 exiting normally while this buffer is still loaded.
1998 This flag is tested when exiting.
1999 *cpo-\*
2000 \ Backslash in a [] range in a search pattern is taken
2001 literally, only "\]" is special See |/[]|
2002 '\' included: "/[ \-]" finds <Space>, '\' and '-'
2003 '\' excluded: "/[ \-]" finds <Space> and '-'
2004 Also see |cpo-l|.
2005 *cpo-/*
2006 / When "%" is used as the replacement string in a |:s|
2007 command, use the previous replacement string. |:s%|
2008 *cpo-{*
2009 { The |{| and |}| commands also stop at a "{" character
2010 at the start of a line.
2011 *cpo-.*
2012 . The ":chdir" and ":cd" commands fail if the current
2013 buffer is modified, unless ! is used. Vim doesn't
2014 need this, since it remembers the full path of an
2015 opened file.
2016 *cpo-bar*
2017 | The value of the $LINES and $COLUMNS environment
2018 variables overrule the terminal size values obtained
2019 with system specific functions.
2022 *'cscopepathcomp'* *'cspc'*
2023 'cscopepathcomp' 'cspc' number (default 0)
2024 global
2025 {not available when compiled without the |+cscope|
2026 feature}
2027 {not in Vi}
2028 Determines how many components of the path to show in a list of tags.
2029 See |cscopepathcomp|.
2031 *'cscopeprg'* *'csprg'*
2032 'cscopeprg' 'csprg' string (default "cscope")
2033 global
2034 {not available when compiled without the |+cscope|
2035 feature}
2036 {not in Vi}
2037 Specifies the command to execute cscope. See |cscopeprg|.
2038 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
2039 security reasons.
2041 *'cscopequickfix'* *'csqf'*
2042 'cscopequickfix' 'csqf' string (default "")
2043 global
2044 {not available when compiled without the |+cscope|
2045 or |+quickfix| features}
2046 {not in Vi}
2047 Specifies whether to use quickfix window to show cscope results.
2048 See |cscopequickfix|.
2050 *'cscopetag'* *'cst'* *'nocscopetag'* *'nocst'*
2051 'cscopetag' 'cst' boolean (default off)
2052 global
2053 {not available when compiled without the |+cscope|
2054 feature}
2055 {not in Vi}
2056 Use cscope for tag commands. See |cscope-options|.
2057 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
2059 *'cscopetagorder'* *'csto'*
2060 'cscopetagorder' 'csto' number (default 0)
2061 global
2062 {not available when compiled without the |+cscope|
2063 feature}
2064 {not in Vi}
2065 Determines the order in which ":cstag" performs a search. See
2066 |cscopetagorder|.
2067 NOTE: This option is set to 0 when 'compatible' is set.
2069 *'cscopeverbose'* *'csverb'*
2070 *'nocscopeverbose'* *'nocsverb'*
2071 'cscopeverbose' 'csverb' boolean (default off)
2072 global
2073 {not available when compiled without the |+cscope|
2074 feature}
2075 {not in Vi}
2076 Give messages when adding a cscope database. See |cscopeverbose|.
2077 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
2080 *'cursorcolumn'* *'cuc'* *'nocursorcolumn'* *'nocuc'*
2081 'cursorcolumn' 'cuc' boolean (default off)
2082 local to window
2083 {not in Vi}
2084 {not available when compiled without the |+syntax|
2085 feature}
2086 Highlight the screen column of the cursor with CursorColumn
2087 |hl-CursorColumn|. Useful to align text. Will make screen redrawing
2088 slower.
2089 If you only want the highlighting in the current window you can use
2090 these autocommands: >
2091 au WinLeave * set nocursorline nocursorcolumn
2092 au WinEnter * set cursorline cursorcolumn
2093 <
2095 *'cursorline'* *'cul'* *'nocursorline'* *'nocul'*
2096 'cursorline' 'cul' boolean (default off)
2097 local to window
2098 {not in Vi}
2099 {not available when compiled without the |+syntax|
2100 feature}
2101 Highlight the screen line of the cursor with CursorLine
2102 |hl-CursorLine|. Useful to easily spot the cursor. Will make screen
2103 redrawing slower.
2104 When Visual mode is active the highlighting isn't used to make it
2105 easier to see the selected text.
2108 *'debug'*
2109 'debug' string (default "")
2110 global
2111 {not in Vi}
2112 These values can be used:
2113 msg Error messages that would otherwise be omitted will be given
2114 anyway.
2115 throw Error messages that would otherwise be omitted will be given
2116 anyway and also throw an exception and set |v:errmsg|.
2117 beep A message will be given when otherwise only a beep would be
2118 produced.
2119 The values can be combined, separated by a comma.
2120 "msg" and "throw" are useful for debugging 'foldexpr', 'formatexpr' or
2121 'indentexpr'.
2123 *'define'* *'def'*
2124 'define' 'def' string (default "^\s*#\s*define")
2125 global or local to buffer |global-local|
2126 {not in Vi}
2127 Pattern to be used to find a macro definition. It is a search
2128 pattern, just like for the "/" command. This option is used for the
2129 commands like "[i" and "[d" |include-search|. The 'isident' option is
2130 used to recognize the defined name after the match:
2131 {match with 'define'}{non-ID chars}{defined name}{non-ID char}
2132 See |option-backslash| about inserting backslashes to include a space
2133 or backslash.
2134 The default value is for C programs. For C++ this value would be
2135 useful, to include const type declarations: >
2136 ^\(#\s*define\|[a-z]*\s*const\s*[a-z]*\)
2137 < When using the ":set" command, you need to double the backslashes!
2139 *'delcombine'* *'deco'* *'nodelcombine'* *'nodeco'*
2140 'delcombine' 'deco' boolean (default off)
2141 global
2142 {not in Vi}
2143 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte|
2144 feature}
2145 If editing Unicode and this option is set, backspace and Normal mode
2146 "x" delete each combining character on its own. When it is off (the
2147 default) the character along with its combining characters are
2148 deleted.
2149 Note: When 'delcombine' is set "xx" may work different from "2x"!
2151 This is useful for Arabic, Hebrew and many other languages where one
2152 may have combining characters overtop of base characters, and want
2153 to remove only the combining ones.
2155 *'dictionary'* *'dict'*
2156 'dictionary' 'dict' string (default "")
2157 global or local to buffer |global-local|
2158 {not in Vi}
2159 List of file names, separated by commas, that are used to lookup words
2160 for keyword completion commands |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K|. Each file should
2161 contain a list of words. This can be one word per line, or several
2162 words per line, separated by non-keyword characters (white space is
2163 preferred). Maximum line length is 510 bytes.
2164 When this option is empty, or an entry "spell" is present, spell
2165 checking is enabled the currently active spelling is used. |spell|
2166 To include a comma in a file name precede it with a backslash. Spaces
2167 after a comma are ignored, otherwise spaces are included in the file
2168 name. See |option-backslash| about using backslashes.
2169 This has nothing to do with the |Dictionary| variable type.
2170 Where to find a list of words?
2171 - On FreeBSD, there is the file "/usr/share/dict/words".
2172 - In the Simtel archive, look in the "msdos/linguist" directory.
2173 - In "miscfiles" of the GNU collection.
2174 The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing
2175 directories from the list. This avoids problems when a future version
2176 uses another default.
2177 Backticks cannot be used in this option for security reasons.
2179 *'diff'* *'nodiff'*
2180 'diff' boolean (default off)
2181 local to window
2182 {not in Vi}
2183 {not available when compiled without the |+diff|
2184 feature}
2185 Join the current window in the group of windows that shows differences
2186 between files. See |vimdiff|.
2188 *'dex'* *'diffexpr'*
2189 'diffexpr' 'dex' string (default "")
2190 global
2191 {not in Vi}
2192 {not available when compiled without the |+diff|
2193 feature}
2194 Expression which is evaluated to obtain an ed-style diff file from two
2195 versions of a file. See |diff-diffexpr|.
2196 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
2197 security reasons.
2199 *'dip'* *'diffopt'*
2200 'diffopt' 'dip' string (default "filler")
2201 global
2202 {not in Vi}
2203 {not available when compiled without the |+diff|
2204 feature}
2205 Option settings for diff mode. It can consist of the following items.
2206 All are optional. Items must be separated by a comma.
2208 filler Show filler lines, to keep the text
2209 synchronized with a window that has inserted
2210 lines at the same position. Mostly useful
2211 when windows are side-by-side and 'scrollbind'
2212 is set.
2214 context:{n} Use a context of {n} lines between a change
2215 and a fold that contains unchanged lines.
2216 When omitted a context of six lines is used.
2217 See |fold-diff|.
2219 icase Ignore changes in case of text. "a" and "A"
2220 are considered the same. Adds the "-i" flag
2221 to the "diff" command if 'diffexpr' is empty.
2223 iwhite Ignore changes in amount of white space. Adds
2224 the "-b" flag to the "diff" command if
2225 'diffexpr' is empty. Check the documentation
2226 of the "diff" command for what this does
2227 exactly. It should ignore adding trailing
2228 white space, but not leading white space.
2230 horizontal Start diff mode with horizontal splits (unless
2231 explicitly specified otherwise).
2233 vertical Start diff mode with vertical splits (unless
2234 explicitly specified otherwise).
2236 foldcolumn:{n} Set the 'foldcolumn' option to {n} when
2237 starting diff mode. Without this 2 is used.
2239 Examples: >
2241 :set diffopt=filler,context:4
2242 :set diffopt=
2243 :set diffopt=filler,foldcolumn:3
2244 <
2245 *'digraph'* *'dg'* *'nodigraph'* *'nodg'*
2246 'digraph' 'dg' boolean (default off)
2247 global
2248 {not in Vi}
2249 {not available when compiled without the |+digraphs|
2250 feature}
2251 Enable the entering of digraphs in Insert mode with {char1} <BS>
2252 {char2}. See |digraphs|.
2253 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
2255 *'directory'* *'dir'*
2256 'directory' 'dir' string (default for Amiga: ".,t:",
2257 for MS-DOS and Win32: ".,c:\tmp,c:\temp"
2258 for Unix: ".,~/tmp,/var/tmp,/tmp")
2259 global
2260 List of directory names for the swap file, separated with commas.
2261 - The swap file will be created in the first directory where this is
2262 possible.
2263 - Empty means that no swap file will be used (recovery is
2264 impossible!).
2265 - A directory "." means to put the swap file in the same directory as
2266 the edited file. On Unix, a dot is prepended to the file name, so
2267 it doesn't show in a directory listing. On MS-Windows the "hidden"
2268 attribute is set and a dot prepended if possible.
2269 - A directory starting with "./" (or ".\" for MS-DOS et al.) means to
2270 put the swap file relative to where the edited file is. The leading
2271 "." is replaced with the path name of the edited file.
2272 - For Unix and Win32, if a directory ends in two path separators "//"
2273 or "\\", the swap file name will be built from the complete path to
2274 the file with all path separators substituted to percent '%' signs.
2275 This will ensure file name uniqueness in the preserve directory.
2276 - Spaces after the comma are ignored, other spaces are considered part
2277 of the directory name. To have a space at the start of a directory
2278 name, precede it with a backslash.
2279 - To include a comma in a directory name precede it with a backslash.
2280 - A directory name may end in an ':' or '/'.
2281 - Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|.
2282 - Careful with '\' characters, type one before a space, type two to
2283 get one in the option (see |option-backslash|), for example: >
2284 :set dir=c:\\tmp,\ dir\\,with\\,commas,\\\ dir\ with\ spaces
2285 < - For backwards compatibility with Vim version 3.0 a '>' at the start
2286 of the option is removed.
2287 Using "." first in the list is recommended. This means that editing
2288 the same file twice will result in a warning. Using "/tmp" on Unix is
2289 discouraged: When the system crashes you lose the swap file.
2290 "/var/tmp" is often not cleared when rebooting, thus is a better
2291 choice than "/tmp". But it can contain a lot of files, your swap
2292 files get lost in the crowd. That is why a "tmp" directory in your
2293 home directory is tried first.
2294 The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing
2295 directories from the list. This avoids problems when a future version
2296 uses another default.
2297 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
2298 security reasons.
2299 {Vi: directory to put temp file in, defaults to "/tmp"}
2301 *'display'* *'dy'*
2302 'display' 'dy' string (default "")
2303 global
2304 {not in Vi}
2305 Change the way text is displayed. This is comma separated list of
2306 flags:
2307 lastline When included, as much as possible of the last line
2308 in a window will be displayed. When not included, a
2309 last line that doesn't fit is replaced with "@" lines.
2310 uhex Show unprintable characters hexadecimal as <xx>
2311 instead of using ^C and ~C.
2313 *'eadirection'* *'ead'*
2314 'eadirection' 'ead' string (default "both")
2315 global
2316 {not in Vi}
2317 {not available when compiled without the +vertsplit
2318 feature}
2319 Tells when the 'equalalways' option applies:
2320 ver vertically, width of windows is not affected
2321 hor horizontally, height of windows is not affected
2322 both width and height of windows is affected
2324 *'ed'* *'edcompatible'* *'noed'* *'noedcompatible'*
2325 'edcompatible' 'ed' boolean (default off)
2326 global
2327 Makes the 'g' and 'c' flags of the ":substitute" command to be
2328 toggled each time the flag is given. See |complex-change|. See
2329 also 'gdefault' option.
2330 Switching this option on is discouraged!
2332 *'encoding'* *'enc'* *E543*
2333 'encoding' 'enc' string (default: "latin1" or value from $LANG)
2334 global
2335 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte|
2336 feature}
2337 {not in Vi}
2338 Sets the character encoding used inside Vim. It applies to text in
2339 the buffers, registers, Strings in expressions, text stored in the
2340 viminfo file, etc. It sets the kind of characters which Vim can work
2341 with. See |encoding-names| for the possible values.
2343 NOTE: Changing this option will not change the encoding of the
2344 existing text in Vim. It may cause non-ASCII text to become invalid.
2345 It should normally be kept at its default value, or set when Vim
2346 starts up. See |multibyte|. To reload the menus see |:menutrans|.
2348 NOTE: For GTK+ 2 it is highly recommended to set 'encoding' to
2349 "utf-8". Although care has been taken to allow different values of
2350 'encoding', "utf-8" is the natural choice for the environment and
2351 avoids unnecessary conversion overhead. "utf-8" has not been made
2352 the default to prevent different behavior of the GUI and terminal
2353 versions, and to avoid changing the encoding of newly created files
2354 without your knowledge (in case 'fileencodings' is empty).
2356 The character encoding of files can be different from 'encoding'.
2357 This is specified with 'fileencoding'. The conversion is done with
2358 iconv() or as specified with 'charconvert'.
2360 Normally 'encoding' will be equal to your current locale. This will
2361 be the default if Vim recognizes your environment settings. If
2362 'encoding' is not set to the current locale, 'termencoding' must be
2363 set to convert typed and displayed text. See |encoding-table|.
2365 When you set this option, it fires the |EncodingChanged| autocommand
2366 event so that you can set up fonts if necessary.
2368 When the option is set, the value is converted to lowercase. Thus
2369 you can set it with uppercase values too. Underscores are translated
2370 to '-' signs.
2371 When the encoding is recognized, it is changed to the standard name.
2372 For example "Latin-1" becomes "latin1", "ISO_88592" becomes
2373 "iso-8859-2" and "utf8" becomes "utf-8".
2375 Note: "latin1" is also used when the encoding could not be detected.
2376 This only works when editing files in the same encoding! When the
2377 actual character set is not latin1, make sure 'fileencoding' and
2378 'fileencodings' are empty. When conversion is needed, switch to using
2379 utf-8.
2381 When "unicode", "ucs-2" or "ucs-4" is used, Vim internally uses utf-8.
2382 You don't notice this while editing, but it does matter for the
2383 |viminfo-file|. And Vim expects the terminal to use utf-8 too. Thus
2384 setting 'encoding' to one of these values instead of utf-8 only has
2385 effect for encoding used for files when 'fileencoding' is empty.
2387 When 'encoding' is set to a Unicode encoding, and 'fileencodings' was
2388 not set yet, the default for 'fileencodings' is changed.
2390 *'endofline'* *'eol'* *'noendofline'* *'noeol'*
2391 'endofline' 'eol' boolean (default on)
2392 local to buffer
2393 {not in Vi}
2394 When writing a file and this option is off and the 'binary' option
2395 is on, no <EOL> will be written for the last line in the file. This
2396 option is automatically set when starting to edit a new file, unless
2397 the file does not have an <EOL> for the last line in the file, in
2398 which case it is reset. Normally you don't have to set or reset this
2399 option. When 'binary' is off the value is not used when writing the
2400 file. When 'binary' is on it is used to remember the presence of a
2401 <EOL> for the last line in the file, so that when you write the file
2402 the situation from the original file can be kept. But you can change
2403 it if you want to.
2405 *'equalalways'* *'ea'* *'noequalalways'* *'noea'*
2406 'equalalways' 'ea' boolean (default on)
2407 global
2408 {not in Vi}
2409 When on, all the windows are automatically made the same size after
2410 splitting or closing a window. This also happens the moment the
2411 option is switched on. When off, splitting a window will reduce the
2412 size of the current window and leave the other windows the same. When
2413 closing a window the extra lines are given to the window next to it
2414 (depending on 'splitbelow' and 'splitright').
2415 When mixing vertically and horizontally split windows, a minimal size
2416 is computed and some windows may be larger if there is room. The
2417 'eadirection' option tells in which direction the size is affected.
2418 Changing the height and width of a window can be avoided by setting
2419 'winfixheight' and 'winfixwidth', respectively.
2421 *'equalprg'* *'ep'*
2422 'equalprg' 'ep' string (default "")
2423 global or local to buffer |global-local|
2424 {not in Vi}
2425 External program to use for "=" command. When this option is empty
2426 the internal formatting functions are used ('lisp', 'cindent' or
2427 'indentexpr').
2428 Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. See |option-backslash|
2429 about including spaces and backslashes.
2430 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
2431 security reasons.
2433 *'errorbells'* *'eb'* *'noerrorbells'* *'noeb'*
2434 'errorbells' 'eb' boolean (default off)
2435 global
2436 Ring the bell (beep or screen flash) for error messages. This only
2437 makes a difference for error messages, the bell will be used always
2438 for a lot of errors without a message (e.g., hitting <Esc> in Normal
2439 mode). See 'visualbell' on how to make the bell behave like a beep,
2440 screen flash or do nothing.
2442 *'errorfile'* *'ef'*
2443 'errorfile' 'ef' string (Amiga default: "AztecC.Err",
2444 others: "errors.err")
2445 global
2446 {not in Vi}
2447 {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix|
2448 feature}
2449 Name of the errorfile for the QuickFix mode (see |:cf|).
2450 When the "-q" command-line argument is used, 'errorfile' is set to the
2451 following argument. See |-q|.
2452 NOT used for the ":make" command. See 'makeef' for that.
2453 Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|.
2454 See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes.
2455 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
2456 security reasons.
2458 *'errorformat'* *'efm'*
2459 'errorformat' 'efm' string (default is very long)
2460 global or local to buffer |global-local|
2461 {not in Vi}
2462 {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix|
2463 feature}
2464 Scanf-like description of the format for the lines in the error file
2465 (see |errorformat|).
2467 *'esckeys'* *'ek'* *'noesckeys'* *'noek'*
2468 'esckeys' 'ek' boolean (Vim default: on, Vi default: off)
2469 global
2470 {not in Vi}
2471 Function keys that start with an <Esc> are recognized in Insert
2472 mode. When this option is off, the cursor and function keys cannot be
2473 used in Insert mode if they start with an <Esc>. The advantage of
2474 this is that the single <Esc> is recognized immediately, instead of
2475 after one second. Instead of resetting this option, you might want to
2476 try changing the values for 'timeoutlen' and 'ttimeoutlen'. Note that
2477 when 'esckeys' is off, you can still map anything, but the cursor keys
2478 won't work by default.
2479 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
2480 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
2482 *'eventignore'* *'ei'*
2483 'eventignore' 'ei' string (default "")
2484 global
2485 {not in Vi}
2486 {not available when compiled without the |+autocmd|
2487 feature}
2488 A list of autocommand event names, which are to be ignored.
2489 When set to "all" or when "all" is one of the items, all autocommand
2490 events are ignored, autocommands will not be executed.
2491 Otherwise this is a comma separated list of event names. Example: >
2492 :set ei=WinEnter,WinLeave
2493 <
2494 *'expandtab'* *'et'* *'noexpandtab'* *'noet'*
2495 'expandtab' 'et' boolean (default off)
2496 local to buffer
2497 {not in Vi}
2498 In Insert mode: Use the appropriate number of spaces to insert a
2499 <Tab>. Spaces are used in indents with the '>' and '<' commands and
2500 when 'autoindent' is on. To insert a real tab when 'expandtab' is
2501 on, use CTRL-V<Tab>. See also |:retab| and |ins-expandtab|.
2502 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
2504 *'exrc'* *'ex'* *'noexrc'* *'noex'*
2505 'exrc' 'ex' boolean (default off)
2506 global
2507 {not in Vi}
2508 Enables the reading of .vimrc, .exrc and .gvimrc in the current
2509 directory. If you switch this option on you should also consider
2510 setting the 'secure' option (see |initialization|). Using a local
2511 .exrc, .vimrc or .gvimrc is a potential security leak, use with care!
2512 also see |.vimrc| and |gui-init|.
2513 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
2514 security reasons.
2516 *'fileencoding'* *'fenc'* *E213*
2517 'fileencoding' 'fenc' string (default: "")
2518 local to buffer
2519 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte|
2520 feature}
2521 {not in Vi}
2522 Sets the character encoding for the file of this buffer.
2523 When 'fileencoding' is different from 'encoding', conversion will be
2524 done when reading and writing the file.
2525 When 'fileencoding' is empty, the same value as 'encoding' will be
2526 used (no conversion when reading or writing a file).
2527 WARNING: Conversion can cause loss of information! When
2528 'encoding' is "utf-8" conversion is most likely done in a way
2529 that the reverse conversion results in the same text. When
2530 'encoding' is not "utf-8" some characters may be lost!
2531 See 'encoding' for the possible values. Additionally, values may be
2532 specified that can be handled by the converter, see
2533 |mbyte-conversion|.
2534 When reading a file 'fileencoding' will be set from 'fileencodings'.
2535 To read a file in a certain encoding it won't work by setting
2536 'fileencoding', use the |++enc| argument. One exception: when
2537 'fileencodings' is empty the value of 'fileencoding' is used.
2538 For a new file the global value of 'fileencoding' is used.
2539 Prepending "8bit-" and "2byte-" has no meaning here, they are ignored.
2540 When the option is set, the value is converted to lowercase. Thus
2541 you can set it with uppercase values too. '_' characters are
2542 replaced with '-'. If a name is recognized from the list for
2543 'encoding', it is replaced by the standard name. For example
2544 "ISO8859-2" becomes "iso-8859-2".
2545 When this option is set, after starting to edit a file, the 'modified'
2546 option is set, because the file would be different when written.
2547 If you do this in a modeline, you might want to set 'nomodified' to
2548 avoid this.
2549 This option can not be changed when 'modifiable' is off.
2551 *'fe'*
2552 NOTE: Before version 6.0 this option specified the encoding for the
2553 whole of Vim, this was a mistake. Now use 'encoding' instead. The
2554 old short name was 'fe', which is no longer used.
2556 *'fileencodings'* *'fencs'*
2557 'fileencodings' 'fencs' string (default: "ucs-bom",
2558 "ucs-bom,utf-8,default,latin1" when
2559 'encoding' is set to a Unicode value)
2560 global
2561 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte|
2562 feature}
2563 {not in Vi}
2564 This is a list of character encodings considered when starting to edit
2565 an existing file. When a file is read, Vim tries to use the first
2566 mentioned character encoding. If an error is detected, the next one
2567 in the list is tried. When an encoding is found that works,
2568 'fileencoding' is set to it. If all fail, 'fileencoding' is set to
2569 an empty string, which means the value of 'encoding' is used.
2570 WARNING: Conversion can cause loss of information! When
2571 'encoding' is "utf-8" (or one of the other Unicode variants)
2572 conversion is most likely done in a way that the reverse
2573 conversion results in the same text. When 'encoding' is not
2574 "utf-8" some non-ASCII characters may be lost! You can use
2575 the |++bad| argument to specify what is done with characters
2576 that can't be converted.
2577 For an empty file or a file with only ASCII characters most encodings
2578 will work and the first entry of 'fileencodings' will be used (except
2579 "ucs-bom", which requires the BOM to be present). If you prefer
2580 another encoding use an BufReadPost autocommand event to test if your
2581 preferred encoding is to be used. Example: >
2582 au BufReadPost * if search('\S', 'w') == 0 |
2583 \ set fenc=iso-2022-jp | endif
2584 < This sets 'fileencoding' to "iso-2022-jp" if the file does not contain
2585 non-blank characters.
2586 When the |++enc| argument is used then the value of 'fileencodings' is
2587 not used.
2588 Note that 'fileencodings' is not used for a new file, the global value
2589 of 'fileencoding' is used instead. You can set it with: >
2590 :setglobal fenc=iso-8859-2
2591 < This means that a non-existing file may get a different encoding than
2592 an empty file.
2593 The special value "ucs-bom" can be used to check for a Unicode BOM
2594 (Byte Order Mark) at the start of the file. It must not be preceded
2595 by "utf-8" or another Unicode encoding for this to work properly.
2596 An entry for an 8-bit encoding (e.g., "latin1") should be the last,
2597 because Vim cannot detect an error, thus the encoding is always
2598 accepted.
2599 The special value "default" can be used for the encoding from the
2600 environment. This is the default value for 'encoding'. It is useful
2601 when 'encoding' is set to "utf-8" and your environment uses a
2602 non-latin1 encoding, such as Russian.
2603 When 'encoding' is "utf-8" and a file contains an illegal byte
2604 sequence it won't be recognized as UTF-8. You can use the |8g8|
2605 command to find the illegal byte sequence.
2606 WRONG VALUES: WHAT'S WRONG:
2607 latin1,utf-8 "latin1" will always be used
2608 utf-8,ucs-bom,latin1 BOM won't be recognized in an utf-8
2609 file
2610 cp1250,latin1 "cp1250" will always be used
2611 If 'fileencodings' is empty, 'fileencoding' is not modified.
2612 See 'fileencoding' for the possible values.
2613 Setting this option does not have an effect until the next time a file
2614 is read.
2616 *'fileformat'* *'ff'*
2617 'fileformat' 'ff' string (MS-DOS, MS-Windows, OS/2 default: "dos",
2618 Unix default: "unix",
2619 Macintosh default: "mac")
2620 local to buffer
2621 {not in Vi}
2622 This gives the <EOL> of the current buffer, which is used for
2623 reading/writing the buffer from/to a file:
2624 dos <CR> <NL>
2625 unix <NL>
2626 mac <CR>
2627 When "dos" is used, CTRL-Z at the end of a file is ignored.
2628 See |file-formats| and |file-read|.
2629 For the character encoding of the file see 'fileencoding'.
2630 When 'binary' is set, the value of 'fileformat' is ignored, file I/O
2631 works like it was set to "unix'.
2632 This option is set automatically when starting to edit a file and
2633 'fileformats' is not empty and 'binary' is off.
2634 When this option is set, after starting to edit a file, the 'modified'
2635 option is set, because the file would be different when written.
2636 This option can not be changed when 'modifiable' is off.
2637 For backwards compatibility: When this option is set to "dos",
2638 'textmode' is set, otherwise 'textmode' is reset.
2640 *'fileformats'* *'ffs'*
2641 'fileformats' 'ffs' string (default:
2642 Vim+Vi MS-DOS, MS-Windows OS/2: "dos,unix",
2643 Vim Unix: "unix,dos",
2644 Vim Mac: "mac,unix,dos",
2645 Vi Cygwin: "unix,dos",
2646 Vi others: "")
2647 global
2648 {not in Vi}
2649 This gives the end-of-line (<EOL>) formats that will be tried when
2650 starting to edit a new buffer and when reading a file into an existing
2651 buffer:
2652 - When empty, the format defined with 'fileformat' will be used
2653 always. It is not set automatically.
2654 - When set to one name, that format will be used whenever a new buffer
2655 is opened. 'fileformat' is set accordingly for that buffer. The
2656 'fileformats' name will be used when a file is read into an existing
2657 buffer, no matter what 'fileformat' for that buffer is set to.
2658 - When more than one name is present, separated by commas, automatic
2659 <EOL> detection will be done when reading a file. When starting to
2660 edit a file, a check is done for the <EOL>:
2661 1. If all lines end in <CR><NL>, and 'fileformats' includes "dos",
2662 'fileformat' is set to "dos".
2663 2. If a <NL> is found and 'fileformats' includes "unix", 'fileformat'
2664 is set to "unix". Note that when a <NL> is found without a
2665 preceding <CR>, "unix" is preferred over "dos".
2666 3. If 'fileformats' includes "mac", 'fileformat' is set to "mac".
2667 This means that "mac" is only chosen when "unix" is not present,
2668 or when no <NL> is found in the file, and when "dos" is not
2669 present, or no <CR><NL> is present in the file.
2670 Also if "unix" was first chosen, but the first <CR> is before
2671 the first <NL> and there appears to be more <CR>'s than <NL>'s in
2672 the file, then 'fileformat' is set to "mac".
2673 4. If 'fileformat' is still not set, the first name from
2674 'fileformats' is used.
2675 When reading a file into an existing buffer, the same is done, but
2676 this happens like 'fileformat' has been set appropriately for that
2677 file only, the option is not changed.
2678 When 'binary' is set, the value of 'fileformats' is not used.
2680 For systems with a Dos-like <EOL> (<CR><NL>), when reading files that
2681 are ":source"ed and for vimrc files, automatic <EOL> detection may be
2682 done:
2683 - When 'fileformats' is empty, there is no automatic detection. Dos
2684 format will be used.
2685 - When 'fileformats' is set to one or more names, automatic detection
2686 is done. This is based on the first <NL> in the file: If there is a
2687 <CR> in front of it, Dos format is used, otherwise Unix format is
2688 used.
2689 Also see |file-formats|.
2690 For backwards compatibility: When this option is set to an empty
2691 string or one format (no comma is included), 'textauto' is reset,
2692 otherwise 'textauto' is set.
2693 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
2694 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
2696 *'filetype'* *'ft'*
2697 'filetype' 'ft' string (default: "")
2698 local to buffer
2699 {not in Vi}
2700 {not available when compiled without the |+autocmd|
2701 feature}
2702 When this option is set, the FileType autocommand event is triggered.
2703 All autocommands that match with the value of this option will be
2704 executed. Thus the value of 'filetype' is used in place of the file
2705 name.
2706 Otherwise this option does not always reflect the current file type.
2707 This option is normally set when the file type is detected. To enable
2708 this use the ":filetype on" command. |:filetype|
2709 Setting this option to a different value is most useful in a modeline,
2710 for a file for which the file type is not automatically recognized.
2711 Example, for in an IDL file:
2712 /* vim: set filetype=idl : */ ~
2713 |FileType| |filetypes|
2714 When a dot appears in the value then this separates two filetype
2715 names. Example:
2716 /* vim: set filetype=c.doxygen : */ ~
2717 This will use the "c" filetype first, then the "doxygen" filetype.
2718 This works both for filetype plugins and for syntax files. More than
2719 one dot may appear.
2720 Do not confuse this option with 'osfiletype', which is for the file
2721 type that is actually stored with the file.
2722 This option is not copied to another buffer, independent of the 's' or
2723 'S' flag in 'cpoptions'.
2724 Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal.
2726 *'fillchars'* *'fcs'*
2727 'fillchars' 'fcs' string (default "vert:|,fold:-")
2728 global
2729 {not in Vi}
2730 {not available when compiled without the |+windows|
2731 and |+folding| features}
2732 Characters to fill the statuslines and vertical separators.
2733 It is a comma separated list of items:
2735 item default Used for ~
2736 stl:c ' ' or '^' statusline of the current window
2737 stlnc:c ' ' or '-' statusline of the non-current windows
2738 vert:c '|' vertical separators |:vsplit|
2739 fold:c '-' filling 'foldtext'
2740 diff:c '-' deleted lines of the 'diff' option
2742 Any one that is omitted will fall back to the default. For "stl" and
2743 "stlnc" the space will be used when there is highlighting, '^' or '-'
2744 otherwise.
2746 Example: >
2747 :set fillchars=stl:^,stlnc:-,vert:\|,fold:-,diff:-
2748 < This is similar to the default, except that these characters will also
2749 be used when there is highlighting.
2751 for "stl" and "stlnc" only single-byte values are supported.
2753 The highlighting used for these items:
2754 item highlight group ~
2755 stl:c StatusLine |hl-StatusLine|
2756 stlnc:c StatusLineNC |hl-StatusLineNC|
2757 vert:c VertSplit |hl-VertSplit|
2758 fold:c Folded |hl-Folded|
2759 diff:c DiffDelete |hl-DiffDelete|
2761 *'fkmap'* *'fk'* *'nofkmap'* *'nofk'*
2762 'fkmap' 'fk' boolean (default off) *E198*
2763 global
2764 {not in Vi}
2765 {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft|
2766 feature}
2767 When on, the keyboard is mapped for the Farsi character set.
2768 Normally you would set 'allowrevins' and use CTRL-_ in insert mode to
2769 toggle this option |i_CTRL-_|. See |farsi.txt|.
2771 *'foldclose'* *'fcl'*
2772 'foldclose' 'fcl' string (default "")
2773 global
2774 {not in Vi}
2775 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2776 feature}
2777 When set to "all", a fold is closed when the cursor isn't in it and
2778 its level is higher than 'foldlevel'. Useful if you want folds to
2779 automatically close when moving out of them.
2781 *'foldcolumn'* *'fdc'*
2782 'foldcolumn' 'fdc' number (default 0)
2783 local to window
2784 {not in Vi}
2785 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2786 feature}
2787 When non-zero, a column with the specified width is shown at the side
2788 of the window which indicates open and closed folds. The maximum
2789 value is 12.
2790 See |folding|.
2792 *'foldenable'* *'fen'* *'nofoldenable'* *'nofen'*
2793 'foldenable' 'fen' boolean (default on)
2794 local to window
2795 {not in Vi}
2796 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2797 feature}
2798 When off, all folds are open. This option can be used to quickly
2799 switch between showing all text unfolded and viewing the text with
2800 folds (including manually opened or closed folds). It can be toggled
2801 with the |zi| command. The 'foldcolumn' will remain blank when
2802 'foldenable' is off.
2803 This option is set by commands that create a new fold or close a fold.
2804 See |folding|.
2806 *'foldexpr'* *'fde'*
2807 'foldexpr' 'fde' string (default: "0")
2808 local to window
2809 {not in Vi}
2810 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2811 or |+eval| feature}
2812 The expression used for when 'foldmethod' is "expr". It is evaluated
2813 for each line to obtain its fold level. See |fold-expr|.
2815 The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see
2816 |sandbox-option|.
2818 It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while
2819 evaluating 'foldexpr' |textlock|.
2821 *'foldignore'* *'fdi'*
2822 'foldignore' 'fdi' string (default: "#")
2823 local to window
2824 {not in Vi}
2825 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2826 feature}
2827 Used only when 'foldmethod' is "indent". Lines starting with
2828 characters in 'foldignore' will get their fold level from surrounding
2829 lines. White space is skipped before checking for this character.
2830 The default "#" works well for C programs. See |fold-indent|.
2832 *'foldlevel'* *'fdl'*
2833 'foldlevel' 'fdl' number (default: 0)
2834 local to window
2835 {not in Vi}
2836 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2837 feature}
2838 Sets the fold level: Folds with a higher level will be closed.
2839 Setting this option to zero will close all folds. Higher numbers will
2840 close fewer folds.
2841 This option is set by commands like |zm|, |zM| and |zR|.
2842 See |fold-foldlevel|.
2844 *'foldlevelstart'* *'fdls'*
2845 'foldlevelstart' 'fdls' number (default: -1)
2846 global
2847 {not in Vi}
2848 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2849 feature}
2850 Sets 'foldlevel' when starting to edit another buffer in a window.
2851 Useful to always start editing with all folds closed (value zero),
2852 some folds closed (one) or no folds closed (99).
2853 This is done before reading any modeline, thus a setting in a modeline
2854 overrules this option. Starting to edit a file for |diff-mode| also
2855 ignores this option and closes all folds.
2856 It is also done before BufReadPre autocommands, to allow an autocmd to
2857 overrule the 'foldlevel' value for specific files.
2858 When the value is negative, it is not used.
2860 *'foldmarker'* *'fmr'* *E536*
2861 'foldmarker' 'fmr' string (default: "{{{,}}}")
2862 local to window
2863 {not in Vi}
2864 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2865 feature}
2866 The start and end marker used when 'foldmethod' is "marker". There
2867 must be one comma, which separates the start and end marker. The
2868 marker is a literal string (a regular expression would be too slow).
2869 See |fold-marker|.
2871 *'foldmethod'* *'fdm'*
2872 'foldmethod' 'fdm' string (default: "manual")
2873 local to window
2874 {not in Vi}
2875 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2876 feature}
2877 The kind of folding used for the current window. Possible values:
2878 |fold-manual| manual Folds are created manually.
2879 |fold-indent| indent Lines with equal indent form a fold.
2880 |fold-expr| expr 'foldexpr' gives the fold level of a line.
2881 |fold-marker| marker Markers are used to specify folds.
2882 |fold-syntax| syntax Syntax highlighting items specify folds.
2883 |fold-diff| diff Fold text that is not changed.
2885 *'foldminlines'* *'fml'*
2886 'foldminlines' 'fml' number (default: 1)
2887 local to window
2888 {not in Vi}
2889 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2890 feature}
2891 Sets the minimum number of screen lines for a fold to be displayed
2892 closed. Also for manually closed folds.
2893 Note that this only has an effect of what is displayed. After using
2894 "zc" to close a fold, which is displayed open because it's smaller
2895 than 'foldminlines', a following "zc" may close a containing fold.
2897 *'foldnestmax'* *'fdn'*
2898 'foldnestmax' 'fdn' number (default: 20)
2899 local to window
2900 {not in Vi}
2901 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2902 feature}
2903 Sets the maximum nesting of folds for the "indent" and "syntax"
2904 methods. This avoids that too many folds will be created. Using more
2905 than 20 doesn't work, because the internal limit is 20.
2907 *'foldopen'* *'fdo'*
2908 'foldopen' 'fdo' string (default: "block,hor,mark,percent,quickfix,
2909 search,tag,undo")
2910 global
2911 {not in Vi}
2912 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2913 feature}
2914 Specifies for which type of commands folds will be opened, if the
2915 command moves the cursor into a closed fold. It is a comma separated
2916 list of items.
2917 item commands ~
2918 all any
2919 block "(", "{", "[[", "[{", etc.
2920 hor horizontal movements: "l", "w", "fx", etc.
2921 insert any command in Insert mode
2922 jump far jumps: "G", "gg", etc.
2923 mark jumping to a mark: "'m", CTRL-O, etc.
2924 percent "%"
2925 quickfix ":cn", ":crew", ":make", etc.
2926 search search for a pattern: "/", "n", "*", "gd", etc.
2927 (not for a search pattern in a ":" command)
2928 Also for |[s| and |]s|.
2929 tag jumping to a tag: ":ta", CTRL-T, etc.
2930 undo undo or redo: "u" and CTRL-R
2931 When the command is part of a mapping this option is not used. Add
2932 the |zv| command to the mapping to get the same effect.
2933 When a movement command is used for an operator (e.g., "dl" or "y%")
2934 this option is not used. This means the operator will include the
2935 whole closed fold.
2936 Note that vertical movements are not here, because it would make it
2937 very difficult to move onto a closed fold.
2938 In insert mode the folds containing the cursor will always be open
2939 when text is inserted.
2940 To close folds you can re-apply 'foldlevel' with the |zx| command or
2941 set the 'foldclose' option to "all".
2943 *'foldtext'* *'fdt'*
2944 'foldtext' 'fdt' string (default: "foldtext()")
2945 local to window
2946 {not in Vi}
2947 {not available when compiled without the |+folding|
2948 feature}
2949 An expression which is used to specify the text displayed for a closed
2950 fold. See |fold-foldtext|.
2952 The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see
2953 |sandbox-option|.
2955 It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while
2956 evaluating 'foldtext' |textlock|.
2958 *'formatoptions'* *'fo'*
2959 'formatoptions' 'fo' string (Vim default: "tcq", Vi default: "vt")
2960 local to buffer
2961 {not in Vi}
2962 This is a sequence of letters which describes how automatic
2963 formatting is to be done. See |fo-table|. When the 'paste' option is
2964 on, no formatting is done (like 'formatoptions' is empty). Commas can
2965 be inserted for readability.
2966 To avoid problems with flags that are added in the future, use the
2967 "+=" and "-=" feature of ":set" |add-option-flags|.
2968 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
2969 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
2971 *'formatlistpat'* *'flp'*
2972 'formatlistpat' 'flp' string (default: "^\s*\d\+[\]:.)}\t ]\s*")
2973 local to buffer
2974 {not in Vi}
2975 A pattern that is used to recognize a list header. This is used for
2976 the "n" flag in 'formatoptions'.
2977 The pattern must match exactly the text that will be the indent for
2978 the line below it. You can use |/\ze| to mark the end of the match
2979 while still checking more characters. There must be a character
2980 following the pattern, when it matches the whole line it is handled
2981 like there is no match.
2982 The default recognizes a number, followed by an optional punctuation
2983 character and white space.
2985 *'formatprg'* *'fp'*
2986 'formatprg' 'fp' string (default "")
2987 global
2988 {not in Vi}
2989 The name of an external program that will be used to format the lines
2990 selected with the |gq| operator. The program must take the input on
2991 stdin and produce the output on stdout. The Unix program "fmt" is
2992 such a program.
2993 If the 'formatexpr' option is not empty it will be used instead.
2994 Otherwise, if 'formatprg' option is an empty string, the internal
2995 format function will be used |C-indenting|.
2996 Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. See |option-backslash|
2997 about including spaces and backslashes.
2998 The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see
2999 |sandbox-option|.
3001 *'formatexpr'* *'fex'*
3002 'formatexpr' 'fex' string (default "")
3003 local to buffer
3004 {not in Vi}
3005 {not available when compiled without the |+eval|
3006 feature}
3007 Expression which is evaluated to format a range of lines for the |gq|
3008 operator. When this option is empty 'formatprg' is used.
3010 The |v:lnum| variable holds the first line to be formatted.
3011 The |v:count| variable holds the number of lines to be formatted.
3012 The |v:char| variable holds the character that is going to be
3013 inserted. This can be empty. Don't insert it yet!
3015 Example: >
3016 :set formatexpr=mylang#Format()
3017 < This will invoke the mylang#Format() function in the
3018 autoload/mylang.vim file in 'runtimepath'. |autoload|
3020 The expression is also evaluated when 'textwidth' is set and adding
3021 text beyond that limit. This happens under the same conditions as
3022 when internal formatting is used. Make sure the cursor is kept in the
3023 same spot relative to the text then! The |mode()| function will
3024 return "i" or "R" in this situation. When the function returns
3025 non-zero Vim will fall back to using the internal format mechanism.
3027 The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see
3028 |sandbox-option|.
3030 *'fsync'* *'fs'*
3031 'fsync' 'fs' boolean (default on)
3032 global
3033 {not in Vi}
3034 When on, the library function fsync() will be called after writing a
3035 file. This will flush a file to disk, ensuring that it is safely
3036 written even on filesystems which do metadata-only journaling. This
3037 will force the harddrive to spin up on Linux systems running in laptop
3038 mode, so it may be undesirable in some situations. Be warned that
3039 turning this off increases the chances of data loss after a crash. On
3040 systems without an fsync() implementation, this variable is always
3041 off.
3042 Also see 'swapsync' for controlling fsync() on swap files.
3044 *'gdefault'* *'gd'* *'nogdefault'* *'nogd'*
3045 'gdefault' 'gd' boolean (default off)
3046 global
3047 {not in Vi}
3048 When on, the ":substitute" flag 'g' is default on. This means that
3049 all matches in a line are substituted instead of one. When a 'g' flag
3050 is given to a ":substitute" command, this will toggle the substitution
3051 of all or one match. See |complex-change|.
3053 command 'gdefault' on 'gdefault' off ~
3054 :s/// subst. all subst. one
3055 :s///g subst. one subst. all
3056 :s///gg subst. all subst. one
3058 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
3060 *'grepformat'* *'gfm'*
3061 'grepformat' 'gfm' string (default "%f:%l%m,%f %l%m")
3062 global
3063 {not in Vi}
3064 Format to recognize for the ":grep" command output.
3065 This is a scanf-like string that uses the same format as the
3066 'errorformat' option: see |errorformat|.
3068 *'grepprg'* *'gp'*
3069 'grepprg' 'gp' string (default "grep -n ",
3070 Unix: "grep -n $* /dev/null",
3071 Win32: "findstr /n" or "grep -n",
3072 VMS: "SEARCH/NUMBERS ")
3073 global or local to buffer |global-local|
3074 {not in Vi}
3075 Program to use for the |:grep| command. This option may contain '%'
3076 and '#' characters, which are expanded like when used in a command-
3077 line. The placeholder "$*" is allowed to specify where the arguments
3078 will be included. Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. See
3079 |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes.
3080 When your "grep" accepts the "-H" argument, use this to make ":grep"
3081 also work well with a single file: >
3082 :set grepprg=grep\ -nH
3083 < Special value: When 'grepprg' is set to "internal" the |:grep| command
3084 works like |:vimgrep|, |:lgrep| like |:lvimgrep|, |:grepadd| like
3085 |:vimgrepadd| and |:lgrepadd| like |:lvimgrepadd|.
3086 See also the section |:make_makeprg|, since most of the comments there
3087 apply equally to 'grepprg'.
3088 For Win32, the default is "findstr /n" if "findstr.exe" can be found,
3089 otherwise it's "grep -n".
3090 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
3091 security reasons.
3093 *'guicursor'* *'gcr'* *E545* *E546* *E548* *E549*
3094 'guicursor' 'gcr' string (default "n-v-c:block-Cursor/lCursor,
3095 ve:ver35-Cursor,
3096 o:hor50-Cursor,
3097 i-ci:ver25-Cursor/lCursor,
3098 r-cr:hor20-Cursor/lCursor,
3099 sm:block-Cursor
3100 -blinkwait175-blinkoff150-blinkon175",
3101 for MS-DOS and Win32 console:
3102 "n-v-c:block,o:hor50,i-ci:hor15,
3103 r-cr:hor30,sm:block")
3104 global
3105 {not in Vi}
3106 {only available when compiled with GUI enabled, and
3107 for MS-DOS and Win32 console}
3108 This option tells Vim what the cursor should look like in different
3109 modes. It fully works in the GUI. In an MSDOS or Win32 console, only
3110 the height of the cursor can be changed. This can be done by
3111 specifying a block cursor, or a percentage for a vertical or
3112 horizontal cursor.
3113 For a console the 't_SI' and 't_EI' escape sequences are used.
3115 The option is a comma separated list of parts. Each part consist of a
3116 mode-list and an argument-list:
3117 mode-list:argument-list,mode-list:argument-list,..
3118 The mode-list is a dash separated list of these modes:
3119 n Normal mode
3120 v Visual mode
3121 ve Visual mode with 'selection' "exclusive" (same as 'v',
3122 if not specified)
3123 o Operator-pending mode
3124 i Insert mode
3125 r Replace mode
3126 c Command-line Normal (append) mode
3127 ci Command-line Insert mode
3128 cr Command-line Replace mode
3129 sm showmatch in Insert mode
3130 a all modes
3131 The argument-list is a dash separated list of these arguments:
3132 hor{N} horizontal bar, {N} percent of the character height
3133 ver{N} vertical bar, {N} percent of the character width
3134 block block cursor, fills the whole character
3135 [only one of the above three should be present]
3136 blinkwait{N} *cursor-blinking*
3137 blinkon{N}
3138 blinkoff{N}
3139 blink times for cursor: blinkwait is the delay before
3140 the cursor starts blinking, blinkon is the time that
3141 the cursor is shown and blinkoff is the time that the
3142 cursor is not shown. The times are in msec. When one
3143 of the numbers is zero, there is no blinking. The
3144 default is: "blinkwait700-blinkon400-blinkoff250".
3145 These numbers are used for a missing entry. This
3146 means that blinking is enabled by default. To switch
3147 blinking off you can use "blinkon0". The cursor only
3148 blinks when Vim is waiting for input, not while
3149 executing a command.
3150 To make the cursor blink in an xterm, see
3151 |xterm-blink|.
3152 {group-name}
3153 a highlight group name, that sets the color and font
3154 for the cursor
3155 {group-name}/{group-name}
3156 Two highlight group names, the first is used when
3157 no language mappings are used, the other when they
3158 are. |language-mapping|
3160 Examples of parts:
3161 n-c-v:block-nCursor in Normal, Command-line and Visual mode, use a
3162 block cursor with colors from the "nCursor"
3163 highlight group
3164 i-ci:ver30-iCursor-blinkwait300-blinkon200-blinkoff150
3165 In Insert and Command-line Insert mode, use a
3166 30% vertical bar cursor with colors from the
3167 "iCursor" highlight group. Blink a bit
3168 faster.
3170 The 'a' mode is different. It will set the given argument-list for
3171 all modes. It does not reset anything to defaults. This can be used
3172 to do a common setting for all modes. For example, to switch off
3173 blinking: "a:blinkon0"
3175 Examples of cursor highlighting: >
3176 :highlight Cursor gui=reverse guifg=NONE guibg=NONE
3177 :highlight Cursor gui=NONE guifg=bg guibg=fg
3178 <
3179 *'guifont'* *'gfn'*
3180 *E235* *E596* *E610* *E611*
3181 'guifont' 'gfn' string (default "")
3182 global
3183 {not in Vi}
3184 {only available when compiled with GUI enabled}
3185 This is a list of fonts which will be used for the GUI version of Vim.
3186 In its simplest form the value is just one font name. When
3187 the font cannot be found you will get an error message. To try other
3188 font names a list can be specified, font names separated with commas.
3189 The first valid font is used.
3191 On systems where 'guifontset' is supported (X11) and 'guifontset' is
3192 not empty, then 'guifont' is not used.
3194 Spaces after a comma are ignored. To include a comma in a font name
3195 precede it with a backslash. Setting an option requires an extra
3196 backslash before a space and a backslash. See also
3197 |option-backslash|. For example: >
3198 :set guifont=Screen15,\ 7x13,font\\,with\\,commas
3199 < will make Vim try to use the font "Screen15" first, and if it fails it
3200 will try to use "7x13" and then "font,with,commas" instead.
3202 If none of the fonts can be loaded, Vim will keep the current setting.
3203 If an empty font list is given, Vim will try using other resource
3204 settings (for X, it will use the Vim.font resource), and finally it
3205 will try some builtin default which should always be there ("7x13" in
3206 the case of X). The font names given should be "normal" fonts. Vim
3207 will try to find the related bold and italic fonts.
3209 For Win32, GTK, Mac OS and Photon: >
3210 :set guifont=*
3211 < will bring up a font requester, where you can pick the font you want.
3213 The font name depends on the GUI used. See |setting-guifont| for a
3214 way to set 'guifont' for various systems.
3216 For the GTK+ 2 GUI the font name looks like this: >
3217 :set guifont=Andale\ Mono\ 11
3218 < That's all. XLFDs are no longer accepted.
3220 For Mac OSX you can use something like this: >
3221 :set guifont=Monaco:h10
3222 < Also see 'macatsui', it can help fix display problems.
3223 *E236*
3224 Note that the fonts must be mono-spaced (all characters have the same
3225 width). An exception is GTK 2: all fonts are accepted, but
3226 mono-spaced fonts look best.
3228 To preview a font on X11, you might be able to use the "xfontsel"
3229 program. The "xlsfonts" program gives a list of all available fonts.
3231 For the Win32 GUI *E244* *E245*
3232 - takes these options in the font name:
3233 hXX - height is XX (points, can be floating-point)
3234 wXX - width is XX (points, can be floating-point)
3235 b - bold
3236 i - italic
3237 u - underline
3238 s - strikeout
3239 cXX - character set XX. Valid charsets are: ANSI, ARABIC,
3240 BALTIC, CHINESEBIG5, DEFAULT, EASTEUROPE, GB2312, GREEK,
3241 HANGEUL, HEBREW, JOHAB, MAC, OEM, RUSSIAN, SHIFTJIS,
3242 SYMBOL, THAI, TURKISH, VIETNAMESE ANSI and BALTIC.
3243 Normally you would use "cDEFAULT".
3245 Use a ':' to separate the options.
3246 - A '_' can be used in the place of a space, so you don't need to use
3247 backslashes to escape the spaces.
3248 - Examples: >
3249 :set guifont=courier_new:h12:w5:b:cRUSSIAN
3250 :set guifont=Andale_Mono:h7.5:w4.5
3251 < See also |font-sizes|.
3253 *'guifontset'* *'gfs'*
3254 *E250* *E252* *E234* *E597* *E598*
3255 'guifontset' 'gfs' string (default "")
3256 global
3257 {not in Vi}
3258 {only available when compiled with GUI enabled and
3259 with the |+xfontset| feature}
3260 {not available in the GTK+ 2 GUI}
3261 When not empty, specifies two (or more) fonts to be used. The first
3262 one for normal English, the second one for your special language. See
3263 |xfontset|.
3264 Setting this option also means that all font names will be handled as
3265 a fontset name. Also the ones used for the "font" argument of the
3266 |:highlight| command.
3267 The fonts must match with the current locale. If fonts for the
3268 character sets that the current locale uses are not included, setting
3269 'guifontset' will fail.
3270 Note the difference between 'guifont' and 'guifontset': In 'guifont'
3271 the comma-separated names are alternative names, one of which will be
3272 used. In 'guifontset' the whole string is one fontset name,
3273 including the commas. It is not possible to specify alternative
3274 fontset names.
3275 This example works on many X11 systems: >
3276 :set guifontset=-*-*-medium-r-normal--16-*-*-*-c-*-*-*
3277 <
3278 *'guifontwide'* *'gfw'* *E231* *E533* *E534*
3279 'guifontwide' 'gfw' string (default "")
3280 global
3281 {not in Vi}
3282 {only available when compiled with GUI enabled}
3283 When not empty, specifies a comma-separated list of fonts to be used
3284 for double-width characters. The first font that can be loaded is
3285 used.
3286 Note: The size of these fonts must be exactly twice as wide as the one
3287 specified with 'guifont' and the same height.
3289 All GUI versions but GTK+ 2:
3291 'guifontwide' is only used when 'encoding' is set to "utf-8" and
3292 'guifontset' is empty or invalid.
3293 When 'guifont' is set and a valid font is found in it and
3294 'guifontwide' is empty Vim will attempt to find a matching
3295 double-width font and set 'guifontwide' to it.
3297 GTK+ 2 GUI only: *guifontwide_gtk2*
3299 If set and valid, 'guifontwide' is always used for double width
3300 characters, even if 'encoding' is not set to "utf-8".
3301 Vim does not attempt to find an appropriate value for 'guifontwide'
3302 automatically. If 'guifontwide' is empty Pango/Xft will choose the
3303 font for characters not available in 'guifont'. Thus you do not need
3304 to set 'guifontwide' at all unless you want to override the choice
3305 made by Pango/Xft.
3307 *'guiheadroom'* *'ghr'*
3308 'guiheadroom' 'ghr' number (default 50)
3309 global
3310 {not in Vi} {only for GTK and X11 GUI}
3311 The number of pixels subtracted from the screen height when fitting
3312 the GUI window on the screen. Set this before the GUI is started,
3313 e.g., in your |gvimrc| file. When zero, the whole screen height will
3314 be used by the window. When positive, the specified number of pixel
3315 lines will be left for window decorations and other items on the
3316 screen. Set it to a negative value to allow windows taller than the
3317 screen.
3319 *'guioptions'* *'go'*
3320 'guioptions' 'go' string (default "gmrLtT" (MS-Windows),
3321 "agimrLtT" (GTK, Motif and Athena))
3322 global
3323 {not in Vi}
3324 {only available when compiled with GUI enabled}
3325 This option only has an effect in the GUI version of Vim. It is a
3326 sequence of letters which describes what components and options of the
3327 GUI should be used.
3328 To avoid problems with flags that are added in the future, use the
3329 "+=" and "-=" feature of ":set" |add-option-flags|.
3331 Valid letters are as follows:
3332 *guioptions_a* *'go-a'*
3333 'a' Autoselect: If present, then whenever VISUAL mode is started,
3334 or the Visual area extended, Vim tries to become the owner of
3335 the windowing system's global selection. This means that the
3336 Visually highlighted text is available for pasting into other
3337 applications as well as into Vim itself. When the Visual mode
3338 ends, possibly due to an operation on the text, or when an
3339 application wants to paste the selection, the highlighted text
3340 is automatically yanked into the "* selection register.
3341 Thus the selection is still available for pasting into other
3342 applications after the VISUAL mode has ended.
3343 If not present, then Vim won't become the owner of the
3344 windowing system's global selection unless explicitly told to
3345 by a yank or delete operation for the "* register.
3346 The same applies to the modeless selection.
3347 *'go-A'*
3348 'A' Autoselect for the modeless selection. Like 'a', but only
3349 applies to the modeless selection.
3351 'guioptions' autoselect Visual autoselect modeless ~
3352 "" - -
3353 "a" yes yes
3354 "A" - yes
3355 "aA" yes yes
3357 *'go-c'*
3358 'c' Use console dialogs instead of popup dialogs for simple
3359 choices.
3360 *'go-e'*
3361 'e' Add tab pages when indicated with 'showtabline'.
3362 'guitablabel' can be used to change the text in the labels.
3363 When 'e' is missing a non-GUI tab pages line may be used.
3364 The GUI tabs are only supported on some systems, currently
3365 GTK, Motif and MS-Windows.
3366 *'go-f'*
3367 'f' Foreground: Don't use fork() to detach the GUI from the shell
3368 where it was started. Use this for programs that wait for the
3369 editor to finish (e.g., an e-mail program). Alternatively you
3370 can use "gvim -f" or ":gui -f" to start the GUI in the
3371 foreground. |gui-fork|
3372 Note: Set this option in the vimrc file. The forking may have
3373 happened already when the |gvimrc| file is read.
3374 *'go-i'*
3375 'i' Use a Vim icon. For GTK with KDE it is used in the left-upper
3376 corner of the window. It's black&white on non-GTK, because of
3377 limitations of X11. For a color icon, see |X11-icon|.
3378 *'go-m'*
3379 'm' Menu bar is present.
3380 *'go-M'*
3381 'M' The system menu "$VIMRUNTIME/menu.vim" is not sourced. Note
3382 that this flag must be added in the .vimrc file, before
3383 switching on syntax or filetype recognition (when the |gvimrc|
3384 file is sourced the system menu has already been loaded; the
3385 ":syntax on" and ":filetype on" commands load the menu too).
3386 *'go-g'*
3387 'g' Grey menu items: Make menu items that are not active grey. If
3388 'g' is not included inactive menu items are not shown at all.
3389 Exception: Athena will always use grey menu items.
3390 *'go-t'*
3391 't' Include tearoff menu items. Currently only works for Win32,
3392 GTK+, and Motif 1.2 GUI.
3393 *'go-T'*
3394 'T' Include Toolbar. Currently only in Win32, GTK+, Motif, Photon
3395 and Athena GUIs.
3396 *'go-r'*
3397 'r' Right-hand scrollbar is always present.
3398 *'go-R'*
3399 'R' Right-hand scrollbar is present when there is a vertically
3400 split window.
3401 *'go-l'*
3402 'l' Left-hand scrollbar is always present.
3403 *'go-L'*
3404 'L' Left-hand scrollbar is present when there is a vertically
3405 split window.
3406 *'go-b'*
3407 'b' Bottom (horizontal) scrollbar is present. Its size depends on
3408 the longest visible line, or on the cursor line if the 'h'
3409 flag is included. |gui-horiz-scroll|
3410 *'go-h'*
3411 'h' Limit horizontal scrollbar size to the length of the cursor
3412 line. Reduces computations. |gui-horiz-scroll|
3414 And yes, you may even have scrollbars on the left AND the right if
3415 you really want to :-). See |gui-scrollbars| for more information.
3417 *'go-v'*
3418 'v' Use a vertical button layout for dialogs. When not included,
3419 a horizontal layout is preferred, but when it doesn't fit a
3420 vertical layout is used anyway.
3421 *'go-p'*
3422 'p' Use Pointer callbacks for X11 GUI. This is required for some
3423 window managers. If the cursor is not blinking or hollow at
3424 the right moment, try adding this flag. This must be done
3425 before starting the GUI. Set it in your |gvimrc|. Adding or
3426 removing it after the GUI has started has no effect.
3427 *'go-F'*
3428 'F' Add a footer. Only for Motif. See |gui-footer|.
3431 *'guipty'* *'noguipty'*
3432 'guipty' boolean (default on)
3433 global
3434 {not in Vi}
3435 {only available when compiled with GUI enabled}
3436 Only in the GUI: If on, an attempt is made to open a pseudo-tty for
3437 I/O to/from shell commands. See |gui-pty|.
3439 *'guitablabel'* *'gtl'*
3440 'guitablabel' 'gtl' string (default empty)
3441 global
3442 {not in Vi}
3443 {only available when compiled with GUI enabled and
3444 with the +windows feature}
3445 When nonempty describes the text to use in a label of the GUI tab
3446 pages line. When empty and when the result is empty Vim will use a
3447 default label. See |setting-guitablabel| for more info.
3449 The format of this option is like that of 'statusline'.
3450 'guitabtooltip' is used for the tooltip, see below.
3452 Only used when the GUI tab pages line is displayed. 'e' must be
3453 present in 'guioptions'. For the non-GUI tab pages line 'tabline' is
3454 used.
3456 *'guitabtooltip'* *'gtt'*
3457 'guitabtooltip' 'gtt' string (default empty)
3458 global
3459 {not in Vi}
3460 {only available when compiled with GUI enabled and
3461 with the +windows feature}
3462 When nonempty describes the text to use in a tooltip for the GUI tab
3463 pages line. When empty Vim will use a default tooltip.
3464 This option is otherwise just like 'guitablabel' above.
3467 *'helpfile'* *'hf'*
3468 'helpfile' 'hf' string (default (MSDOS) "$VIMRUNTIME\doc\help.txt"
3469 (others) "$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt")
3470 global
3471 {not in Vi}
3472 Name of the main help file. All distributed help files should be
3473 placed together in one directory. Additionally, all "doc" directories
3474 in 'runtimepath' will be used.
3475 Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. For example:
3476 "$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt". If $VIMRUNTIME is not set, $VIM is also
3477 tried. Also see |$VIMRUNTIME| and |option-backslash| about including
3478 spaces and backslashes.
3479 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
3480 security reasons.
3482 *'helpheight'* *'hh'*
3483 'helpheight' 'hh' number (default 20)
3484 global
3485 {not in Vi}
3486 {not available when compiled without the +windows
3487 feature}
3488 Minimal initial height of the help window when it is opened with the
3489 ":help" command. The initial height of the help window is half of the
3490 current window, or (when the 'ea' option is on) the same as other
3491 windows. When the height is less than 'helpheight', the height is
3492 set to 'helpheight'. Set to zero to disable.
3494 *'helplang'* *'hlg'*
3495 'helplang' 'hlg' string (default: messages language or empty)
3496 global
3497 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_lang|
3498 feature}
3499 {not in Vi}
3500 Comma separated list of languages. Vim will use the first language
3501 for which the desired help can be found. The English help will always
3502 be used as a last resort. You can add "en" to prefer English over
3503 another language, but that will only find tags that exist in that
3504 language and not in the English help.
3505 Example: >
3506 :set helplang=de,it
3507 < This will first search German, then Italian and finally English help
3508 files.
3509 When using |CTRL-]| and ":help!" in a non-English help file Vim will
3510 try to find the tag in the current language before using this option.
3511 See |help-translated|.
3513 *'hidden'* *'hid'* *'nohidden'* *'nohid'*
3514 'hidden' 'hid' boolean (default off)
3515 global
3516 {not in Vi}
3517 When off a buffer is unloaded when it is |abandon|ed. When on a
3518 buffer becomes hidden when it is |abandon|ed. If the buffer is still
3519 displayed in another window, it does not become hidden, of course.
3520 The commands that move through the buffer list sometimes make a buffer
3521 hidden although the 'hidden' option is off: When the buffer is
3522 modified, 'autowrite' is off or writing is not possible, and the '!'
3523 flag was used. See also |windows.txt|.
3524 To only make one buffer hidden use the 'bufhidden' option.
3525 This option is set for one command with ":hide {command}" |:hide|.
3526 WARNING: It's easy to forget that you have changes in hidden buffers.
3527 Think twice when using ":q!" or ":qa!".
3529 *'highlight'* *'hl'*
3530 'highlight' 'hl' string (default (as a single string):
3531 "8:SpecialKey,@:NonText,d:Directory,
3532 e:ErrorMsg,i:IncSearch,l:Search,m:MoreMsg,
3533 M:ModeMsg,n:LineNr,r:Question,
3534 s:StatusLine,S:StatusLineNC,c:VertSplit,
3535 t:Title,v:Visual,w:WarningMsg,W:WildMenu,
3536 f:Folded,F:FoldColumn,A:DiffAdd,
3537 C:DiffChange,D:DiffDelete,T:DiffText,
3538 >:SignColumn,B:SpellBad,P:SpellCap,
3539 R:SpellRare,L:SpellLocal,
3540 +:Pmenu,=:PmenuSel,
3541 x:PmenuSbar,X:PmenuThumb")
3542 global
3543 {not in Vi}
3544 This option can be used to set highlighting mode for various
3545 occasions. It is a comma separated list of character pairs. The
3546 first character in a pair gives the occasion, the second the mode to
3547 use for that occasion. The occasions are:
3548 |hl-SpecialKey| 8 Meta and special keys listed with ":map"
3549 |hl-NonText| @ '~' and '@' at the end of the window and
3550 characters from 'showbreak'
3551 |hl-Directory| d directories in CTRL-D listing and other special
3552 things in listings
3553 |hl-ErrorMsg| e error messages
3554 h (obsolete, ignored)
3555 |hl-IncSearch| i 'incsearch' highlighting
3556 |hl-Search| l last search pattern highlighting (see 'hlsearch')
3557 |hl-MoreMsg| m |more-prompt|
3558 |hl-ModeMsg| M Mode (e.g., "-- INSERT --")
3559 |hl-LineNr| n line number for ":number" and ":#" commands
3560 |hl-Question| r |hit-enter| prompt and yes/no questions
3561 |hl-StatusLine| s status line of current window |status-line|
3562 |hl-StatusLineNC| S status lines of not-current windows
3563 |hl-Title| t Titles for output from ":set all", ":autocmd" etc.
3564 |hl-VertSplit| c column used to separate vertically split windows
3565 |hl-Visual| v Visual mode
3566 |hl-VisualNOS| V Visual mode when Vim does is "Not Owning the
3567 Selection" Only X11 Gui's |gui-x11| and
3568 |xterm-clipboard|.
3569 |hl-WarningMsg| w warning messages
3570 |hl-WildMenu| W wildcard matches displayed for 'wildmenu'
3571 |hl-Folded| f line used for closed folds
3572 |hl-FoldColumn| F 'foldcolumn'
3573 |hl-DiffAdd| A added line in diff mode
3574 |hl-DiffChange| C changed line in diff mode
3575 |hl-DiffDelete| D deleted line in diff mode
3576 |hl-DiffText| T inserted text in diff mode
3577 |hl-SignColumn| > column used for |signs|
3578 |hl-SpellBad| B misspelled word |spell|
3579 |hl-SpellCap| P word that should start with capital|spell|
3580 |hl-SpellRare| R rare word |spell|
3581 |hl-SpellLocal| L word from other region |spell|
3582 |hl-Pmenu| + popup menu normal line
3583 |hl-PmenuSel| = popup menu normal line
3584 |hl-PmenuSbar| x popup menu scrollbar
3585 |hl-PmenuThumb| X popup menu scrollbar thumb
3587 The display modes are:
3588 r reverse (termcap entry "mr" and "me")
3589 i italic (termcap entry "ZH" and "ZR")
3590 b bold (termcap entry "md" and "me")
3591 s standout (termcap entry "so" and "se")
3592 u underline (termcap entry "us" and "ue")
3593 c undercurl (termcap entry "Cs" and "Ce")
3594 n no highlighting
3595 - no highlighting
3596 : use a highlight group
3597 The default is used for occasions that are not included.
3598 If you want to change what the display modes do, see |dos-colors|
3599 for an example.
3600 When using the ':' display mode, this must be followed by the name of
3601 a highlight group. A highlight group can be used to define any type
3602 of highlighting, including using color. See |:highlight| on how to
3603 define one. The default uses a different group for each occasion.
3604 See |highlight-default| for the default highlight groups.
3606 *'hlsearch'* *'hls'* *'nohlsearch'* *'nohls'*
3607 'hlsearch' 'hls' boolean (default off)
3608 global
3609 {not in Vi}
3610 {not available when compiled without the
3611 |+extra_search| feature}
3612 When there is a previous search pattern, highlight all its matches.
3613 The type of highlighting used can be set with the 'l' occasion in the
3614 'highlight' option. This uses the "Search" highlight group by
3615 default. Note that only the matching text is highlighted, any offsets
3616 are not applied.
3617 See also: 'incsearch' and |:match|.
3618 When you get bored looking at the highlighted matches, you can turn it
3619 off with |:nohlsearch|. As soon as you use a search command, the
3620 highlighting comes back.
3621 'redrawtime' specifies the maximum time spend on finding matches.
3622 When the search pattern can match an end-of-line, Vim will try to
3623 highlight all of the matched text. However, this depends on where the
3624 search starts. This will be the first line in the window or the first
3625 line below a closed fold. A match in a previous line which is not
3626 drawn may not continue in a newly drawn line.
3627 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
3629 *'history'* *'hi'*
3630 'history' 'hi' number (Vim default: 20, Vi default: 0)
3631 global
3632 {not in Vi}
3633 A history of ":" commands, and a history of previous search patterns
3634 are remembered. This option decides how many entries may be stored in
3635 each of these histories (see |cmdline-editing|).
3636 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
3637 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
3639 *'hkmap'* *'hk'* *'nohkmap'* *'nohk'*
3640 'hkmap' 'hk' boolean (default off)
3641 global
3642 {not in Vi}
3643 {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft|
3644 feature}
3645 When on, the keyboard is mapped for the Hebrew character set.
3646 Normally you would set 'allowrevins' and use CTRL-_ in insert mode to
3647 toggle this option. See |rileft.txt|.
3648 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
3650 *'hkmapp'* *'hkp'* *'nohkmapp'* *'nohkp'*
3651 'hkmapp' 'hkp' boolean (default off)
3652 global
3653 {not in Vi}
3654 {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft|
3655 feature}
3656 When on, phonetic keyboard mapping is used. 'hkmap' must also be on.
3657 This is useful if you have a non-Hebrew keyboard.
3658 See |rileft.txt|.
3659 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
3661 *'icon'* *'noicon'*
3662 'icon' boolean (default off, on when title can be restored)
3663 global
3664 {not in Vi}
3665 {not available when compiled without the |+title|
3666 feature}
3667 When on, the icon text of the window will be set to the value of
3668 'iconstring' (if it is not empty), or to the name of the file
3669 currently being edited. Only the last part of the name is used.
3670 Overridden by the 'iconstring' option.
3671 Only works if the terminal supports setting window icons (currently
3672 only X11 GUI and terminals with a non-empty 't_IS' option - these are
3673 Unix xterm and iris-ansi by default, where 't_IS' is taken from the
3674 builtin termcap).
3675 When Vim was compiled with HAVE_X11 defined, the original icon will be
3676 restored if possible |X11|. See |X11-icon| for changing the icon on
3677 X11.
3679 *'iconstring'*
3680 'iconstring' string (default "")
3681 global
3682 {not in Vi}
3683 {not available when compiled without the |+title|
3684 feature}
3685 When this option is not empty, it will be used for the icon text of
3686 the window. This happens only when the 'icon' option is on.
3687 Only works if the terminal supports setting window icon text
3688 (currently only X11 GUI and terminals with a non-empty 't_IS' option).
3689 Does not work for MS Windows.
3690 When Vim was compiled with HAVE_X11 defined, the original icon will be
3691 restored if possible |X11|.
3692 When this option contains printf-style '%' items, they will be
3693 expanded according to the rules used for 'statusline'. See
3694 'titlestring' for example settings.
3695 {not available when compiled without the |+statusline| feature}
3697 *'ignorecase'* *'ic'* *'noignorecase'* *'noic'*
3698 'ignorecase' 'ic' boolean (default off)
3699 global
3700 Ignore case in search patterns. Also used when searching in the tags
3701 file.
3702 Also see 'smartcase'.
3703 Can be overruled by using "\c" or "\C" in the pattern, see
3704 |/ignorecase|.
3706 *'imactivatekey'* *'imak'*
3707 'imactivatekey' 'imak' string (default "")
3708 global
3709 {not in Vi}
3710 {only available when compiled with |+xim| and
3711 |+GUI_GTK|}
3712 Specifies the key that your Input Method in X-Windows uses for
3713 activation. When this is specified correctly, vim can fully control
3714 IM with 'imcmdline', 'iminsert' and 'imsearch'.
3715 You can't use this option to change the activation key, the option
3716 tells Vim what the key is.
3717 Format:
3718 [MODIFIER_FLAG-]KEY_STRING
3720 These characters can be used for MODIFIER_FLAG (case is ignored):
3721 S Shift key
3722 L Lock key
3723 C Control key
3724 1 Mod1 key
3725 2 Mod2 key
3726 3 Mod3 key
3727 4 Mod4 key
3728 5 Mod5 key
3729 Combinations are allowed, for example "S-C-space" or "SC-space" are
3730 both shift+ctrl+space.
3731 See <X11/keysymdef.h> and XStringToKeysym for KEY_STRING.
3733 Example: >
3734 :set imactivatekey=S-space
3735 < "S-space" means shift+space. This is the activation key for kinput2 +
3736 canna (Japanese), and ami (Korean).
3738 *'imcmdline'* *'imc'* *'noimcmdline'* *'noimc'*
3739 'imcmdline' 'imc' boolean (default off)
3740 global
3741 {not in Vi}
3742 {only available when compiled with the |+xim|
3743 |+multi_byte_ime| or |global-ime| feature}
3744 When set the Input Method is always on when starting to edit a command
3745 line, unless entering a search pattern (see 'imsearch' for that).
3746 Setting this option is useful when your input method allows entering
3747 English characters directly, e.g., when it's used to type accented
3748 characters with dead keys.
3750 *'imdisable'* *'imd'* *'nodisable'* *'noimd'*
3751 'imdisable' 'imd' boolean (default off, on for some systems (SGI))
3752 global
3753 {not in Vi}
3754 {only available when compiled with the |+xim|
3755 |+multi_byte_ime| or |global-ime| feature}
3756 When set the Input Method is never used. This is useful to disable
3757 the IM when it doesn't work properly.
3758 Currently this option is on by default for SGI/IRIX machines. This
3759 may change in later releases.
3761 *'iminsert'* *'imi'*
3762 'iminsert' 'imi' number (default 0, 2 when an input method is supported)
3763 local to buffer
3764 {not in Vi}
3765 Specifies whether :lmap or an Input Method (IM) is to be used in
3766 Insert mode. Valid values:
3767 0 :lmap is off and IM is off
3768 1 :lmap is ON and IM is off
3769 2 :lmap is off and IM is ON
3770 2 is available only when compiled with the |+multi_byte_ime|, |+xim|
3771 or |global-ime|.
3772 To always reset the option to zero when leaving Insert mode with <Esc>
3773 this can be used: >
3774 :inoremap <ESC> <ESC>:set iminsert=0<CR>
3775 < This makes :lmap and IM turn off automatically when leaving Insert
3776 mode.
3777 Note that this option changes when using CTRL-^ in Insert mode
3778 |i_CTRL-^|.
3779 The value is set to 1 when setting 'keymap' to a valid keymap name.
3780 It is also used for the argument of commands like "r" and "f".
3781 The value 0 may not work correctly with Athena and Motif with some XIM
3782 methods. Use 'imdisable' to disable XIM then.
3784 *'imsearch'* *'ims'*
3785 'imsearch' 'ims' number (default 0, 2 when an input method is supported)
3786 local to buffer
3787 {not in Vi}
3788 Specifies whether :lmap or an Input Method (IM) is to be used when
3789 entering a search pattern. Valid values:
3790 -1 the value of 'iminsert' is used, makes it look like
3791 'iminsert' is also used when typing a search pattern
3792 0 :lmap is off and IM is off
3793 1 :lmap is ON and IM is off
3794 2 :lmap is off and IM is ON
3795 Note that this option changes when using CTRL-^ in Command-line mode
3796 |c_CTRL-^|.
3797 The value is set to 1 when it is not -1 and setting the 'keymap'
3798 option to a valid keymap name.
3799 The value 0 may not work correctly with Athena and Motif with some XIM
3800 methods. Use 'imdisable' to disable XIM then.
3802 *'include'* *'inc'*
3803 'include' 'inc' string (default "^\s*#\s*include")
3804 global or local to buffer |global-local|
3805 {not in Vi}
3806 {not available when compiled without the
3807 |+find_in_path| feature}
3808 Pattern to be used to find an include command. It is a search
3809 pattern, just like for the "/" command (See |pattern|). The default
3810 value is for C programs. This option is used for the commands "[i",
3811 "]I", "[d", etc.
3812 Normally the 'isfname' option is used to recognize the file name that
3813 comes after the matched pattern. But if "\zs" appears in the pattern
3814 then the text matched from "\zs" to the end, or until "\ze" if it
3815 appears, is used as the file name. Use this to include characters
3816 that are not in 'isfname', such as a space. You can then use
3817 'includeexpr' to process the matched text.
3818 See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes.
3820 *'includeexpr'* *'inex'*
3821 'includeexpr' 'inex' string (default "")
3822 local to buffer
3823 {not in Vi}
3824 {not available when compiled without the
3825 |+find_in_path| or |+eval| feature}
3826 Expression to be used to transform the string found with the 'include'
3827 option to a file name. Mostly useful to change "." to "/" for Java: >
3828 :set includeexpr=substitute(v:fname,'\\.','/','g')
3829 < The "v:fname" variable will be set to the file name that was detected.
3831 Also used for the |gf| command if an unmodified file name can't be
3832 found. Allows doing "gf" on the name after an 'include' statement.
3833 Also used for |<cfile>|.
3835 The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see
3836 |sandbox-option|.
3838 It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while
3839 evaluating 'includeexpr' |textlock|.
3841 *'incsearch'* *'is'* *'noincsearch'* *'nois'*
3842 'incsearch' 'is' boolean (default off)
3843 global
3844 {not in Vi}
3845 {not available when compiled without the
3846 |+extra_search| feature}
3847 While typing a search command, show where the pattern, as it was typed
3848 so far, matches. The matched string is highlighted. If the pattern
3849 is invalid or not found, nothing is shown. The screen will be updated
3850 often, this is only useful on fast terminals.
3851 Note that the match will be shown, but the cursor will return to its
3852 original position when no match is found and when pressing <Esc>. You
3853 still need to finish the search command with <Enter> to move the
3854 cursor to the match.
3855 When compiled with the |+reltime| feature Vim only searches for about
3856 half a second. With a complicated pattern and/or a lot of text the
3857 match may not be found. This is to avoid that Vim hangs while you
3858 are typing the pattern.
3859 The highlighting can be set with the 'i' flag in 'highlight'.
3860 See also: 'hlsearch'.
3861 CTRL-L can be used to add one character from after the current match
3862 to the command line.
3863 CTRL-R CTRL-W can be used to add the word at the end of the current
3864 match, excluding the characters that were already typed.
3865 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
3867 *'indentexpr'* *'inde'*
3868 'indentexpr' 'inde' string (default "")
3869 local to buffer
3870 {not in Vi}
3871 {not available when compiled without the |+cindent|
3872 or |+eval| features}
3873 Expression which is evaluated to obtain the proper indent for a line.
3874 It is used when a new line is created, for the |=| operator and
3875 in Insert mode as specified with the 'indentkeys' option.
3876 When this option is not empty, it overrules the 'cindent' and
3877 'smartindent' indenting.
3878 When 'paste' is set this option is not used for indenting.
3879 The expression is evaluated with |v:lnum| set to the line number for
3880 which the indent is to be computed. The cursor is also in this line
3881 when the expression is evaluated (but it may be moved around).
3882 The expression must return the number of spaces worth of indent. It
3883 can return "-1" to keep the current indent (this means 'autoindent' is
3884 used for the indent).
3885 Functions useful for computing the indent are |indent()|, |cindent()|
3886 and |lispindent()|.
3887 The evaluation of the expression must not have side effects! It must
3888 not change the text, jump to another window, etc. Afterwards the
3889 cursor position is always restored, thus the cursor may be moved.
3890 Normally this option would be set to call a function: >
3891 :set indentexpr=GetMyIndent()
3892 < Error messages will be suppressed, unless the 'debug' option contains
3893 "msg".
3894 See |indent-expression|.
3895 NOTE: This option is made empty when 'compatible' is set.
3897 The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see
3898 |sandbox-option|.
3900 It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while
3901 evaluating 'indentexpr' |textlock|.
3904 *'indentkeys'* *'indk'*
3905 'indentkeys' 'indk' string (default "0{,0},:,0#,!^F,o,O,e")
3906 local to buffer
3907 {not in Vi}
3908 {not available when compiled without the |+cindent|
3909 feature}
3910 A list of keys that, when typed in Insert mode, cause reindenting of
3911 the current line. Only happens if 'indentexpr' isn't empty.
3912 The format is identical to 'cinkeys', see |indentkeys-format|.
3913 See |C-indenting| and |indent-expression|.
3915 *'infercase'* *'inf'* *'noinfercase'* *'noinf'*
3916 'infercase' 'inf' boolean (default off)
3917 local to buffer
3918 {not in Vi}
3919 When doing keyword completion in insert mode |ins-completion|, and
3920 'ignorecase' is also on, the case of the match is adjusted. If the
3921 typed text contains a lowercase letter where the match has an upper
3922 case letter, the completed part is made lowercase. If the typed text
3923 has no lowercase letters and the match has a lowercase letter where
3924 the typed text has an uppercase letter, and there is a letter before
3925 it, the completed part is made uppercase.
3927 *'insertmode'* *'im'* *'noinsertmode'* *'noim'*
3928 'insertmode' 'im' boolean (default off)
3929 global
3930 {not in Vi}
3931 Makes Vim work in a way that Insert mode is the default mode. Useful
3932 if you want to use Vim as a modeless editor. Used for |evim|.
3933 These Insert mode commands will be useful:
3934 - Use the cursor keys to move around.
3935 - Use CTRL-O to execute one Normal mode command |i_CTRL-O|). When
3936 this is a mapping, it is executed as if 'insertmode' was off.
3937 Normal mode remains active until the mapping is finished.
3938 - Use CTRL-L to execute a number of Normal mode commands, then use
3939 <Esc> to get back to Insert mode. Note that CTRL-L moves the cursor
3940 left, like <Esc> does when 'insertmode' isn't set. |i_CTRL-L|
3942 These items change when 'insertmode' is set:
3943 - when starting to edit of a file, Vim goes to Insert mode.
3944 - <Esc> in Insert mode is a no-op and beeps.
3945 - <Esc> in Normal mode makes Vim go to Insert mode.
3946 - CTRL-L in Insert mode is a command, it is not inserted.
3947 - CTRL-Z in Insert mode suspends Vim, see |CTRL-Z|. *i_CTRL-Z*
3948 However, when <Esc> is used inside a mapping, it behaves like
3949 'insertmode' was not set. This was done to be able to use the same
3950 mappings with 'insertmode' set or not set.
3951 When executing commands with |:normal| 'insertmode' is not used.
3953 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
3955 *'isfname'* *'isf'*
3956 'isfname' 'isf' string (default for MS-DOS, Win32 and OS/2:
3957 "@,48-57,/,\,.,-,_,+,,,#,$,%,{,},[,],:,@-@,!,~,="
3958 for AMIGA: "@,48-57,/,.,-,_,+,,,$,:"
3959 for VMS: "@,48-57,/,.,-,_,+,,,#,$,%,<,>,[,],:,;,~"
3960 for OS/390: "@,240-249,/,.,-,_,+,,,#,$,%,~,="
3961 otherwise: "@,48-57,/,.,-,_,+,,,#,$,%,~,=")
3962 global
3963 {not in Vi}
3964 The characters specified by this option are included in file names and
3965 path names. Filenames are used for commands like "gf", "[i" and in
3966 the tags file. It is also used for "\f" in a |pattern|.
3967 Multi-byte characters 256 and above are always included, only the
3968 characters up to 255 are specified with this option.
3969 For UTF-8 the characters 0xa0 to 0xff are included as well.
3971 Note that on systems using a backslash as path separator, Vim tries to
3972 do its best to make it work as you would expect. That is a bit
3973 tricky, since Vi originally used the backslash to escape special
3974 characters. Vim will not remove a backslash in front of a normal file
3975 name character on these systems, but it will on Unix and alikes. The
3976 '&' and '^' are not included by default, because these are special for
3977 cmd.exe.
3979 The format of this option is a list of parts, separated with commas.
3980 Each part can be a single character number or a range. A range is two
3981 character numbers with '-' in between. A character number can be a
3982 decimal number between 0 and 255 or the ASCII character itself (does
3983 not work for digits). Example:
3984 "_,-,128-140,#-43" (include '_' and '-' and the range
3985 128 to 140 and '#' to 43)
3986 If a part starts with '^', the following character number or range
3987 will be excluded from the option. The option is interpreted from left
3988 to right. Put the excluded character after the range where it is
3989 included. To include '^' itself use it as the last character of the
3990 option or the end of a range. Example:
3991 "^a-z,#,^" (exclude 'a' to 'z', include '#' and '^')
3992 If the character is '@', all characters where isalpha() returns TRUE
3993 are included. Normally these are the characters a to z and A to Z,
3994 plus accented characters. To include '@' itself use "@-@". Examples:
3995 "@,^a-z" All alphabetic characters, excluding lower
3996 case letters.
3997 "a-z,A-Z,@-@" All letters plus the '@' character.
3998 A comma can be included by using it where a character number is
3999 expected. Example:
4000 "48-57,,,_" Digits, comma and underscore.
4001 A comma can be excluded by prepending a '^'. Example:
4002 " -~,^,,9" All characters from space to '~', excluding
4003 comma, plus <Tab>.
4004 See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes.
4006 *'isident'* *'isi'*
4007 'isident' 'isi' string (default for MS-DOS, Win32 and OS/2:
4008 "@,48-57,_,128-167,224-235"
4009 otherwise: "@,48-57,_,192-255")
4010 global
4011 {not in Vi}
4012 The characters given by this option are included in identifiers.
4013 Identifiers are used in recognizing environment variables and after a
4014 match of the 'define' option. It is also used for "\i" in a
4015 |pattern|. See 'isfname' for a description of the format of this
4016 option.
4017 Careful: If you change this option, it might break expanding
4018 environment variables. E.g., when '/' is included and Vim tries to
4019 expand "$HOME/.viminfo". Maybe you should change 'iskeyword' instead.
4021 *'iskeyword'* *'isk'*
4022 'iskeyword' 'isk' string (Vim default for MS-DOS and Win32:
4023 "@,48-57,_,128-167,224-235"
4024 otherwise: "@,48-57,_,192-255"
4025 Vi default: "@,48-57,_")
4026 local to buffer
4027 {not in Vi}
4028 Keywords are used in searching and recognizing with many commands:
4029 "w", "*", "[i", etc. It is also used for "\k" in a |pattern|. See
4030 'isfname' for a description of the format of this option. For C
4031 programs you could use "a-z,A-Z,48-57,_,.,-,>".
4032 For a help file it is set to all non-blank printable characters except
4033 '*', '"' and '|' (so that CTRL-] on a command finds the help for that
4034 command).
4035 When the 'lisp' option is on the '-' character is always included.
4036 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
4037 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
4039 *'isprint'* *'isp'*
4040 'isprint' 'isp' string (default for MS-DOS, Win32, OS/2 and Macintosh:
4041 "@,~-255"; otherwise: "@,161-255")
4042 global
4043 {not in Vi}
4044 The characters given by this option are displayed directly on the
4045 screen. It is also used for "\p" in a |pattern|. The characters from
4046 space (ASCII 32) to '~' (ASCII 126) are always displayed directly,
4047 even when they are not included in 'isprint' or excluded. See
4048 'isfname' for a description of the format of this option.
4050 Non-printable characters are displayed with two characters:
4051 0 - 31 "^@" - "^_"
4052 32 - 126 always single characters
4053 127 "^?"
4054 128 - 159 "~@" - "~_"
4055 160 - 254 "| " - "|~"
4056 255 "~?"
4057 When 'encoding' is a Unicode one, illegal bytes from 128 to 255 are
4058 displayed as <xx>, with the hexadecimal value of the byte.
4059 When 'display' contains "uhex" all unprintable characters are
4060 displayed as <xx>.
4061 The NonText highlighting will be used for unprintable characters.
4062 |hl-NonText|
4064 Multi-byte characters 256 and above are always included, only the
4065 characters up to 255 are specified with this option. When a character
4066 is printable but it is not available in the current font, a
4067 replacement character will be shown.
4068 Unprintable and zero-width Unicode characters are displayed as <xxxx>.
4069 There is no option to specify these characters.
4071 *'joinspaces'* *'js'* *'nojoinspaces'* *'nojs'*
4072 'joinspaces' 'js' boolean (default on)
4073 global
4074 {not in Vi}
4075 Insert two spaces after a '.', '?' and '!' with a join command.
4076 When 'cpoptions' includes the 'j' flag, only do this after a '.'.
4077 Otherwise only one space is inserted.
4078 NOTE: This option is set when 'compatible' is set.
4080 *'key'*
4081 'key' string (default "")
4082 local to buffer
4083 {not in Vi}
4084 The key that is used for encrypting and decrypting the current buffer.
4085 See |encryption|.
4086 Careful: Do not set the key value by hand, someone might see the typed
4087 key. Use the |:X| command. But you can make 'key' empty: >
4088 :set key=
4089 < It is not possible to get the value of this option with ":set key" or
4090 "echo &key". This is to avoid showing it to someone who shouldn't
4091 know. It also means you cannot see it yourself once you have set it,
4092 be careful not to make a typing error!
4094 *'keymap'* *'kmp'* *E544*
4095 'keymap' 'kmp' string (default "")
4096 local to buffer
4097 {not in Vi}
4098 {only available when compiled with the |+keymap|
4099 feature}
4100 Name of a keyboard mapping. See |mbyte-keymap|.
4101 Setting this option to a valid keymap name has the side effect of
4102 setting 'iminsert' to one, so that the keymap becomes effective.
4103 'imsearch' is also set to one, unless it was -1
4104 Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal.
4106 *'keymodel'* *'km'*
4107 'keymodel' 'km' string (default "")
4108 global
4109 {not in Vi}
4110 List of comma separated words, which enable special things that keys
4111 can do. These values can be used:
4112 startsel Using a shifted special key starts selection (either
4113 Select mode or Visual mode, depending on "key" being
4114 present in 'selectmode').
4115 stopsel Using a not-shifted special key stops selection.
4116 Special keys in this context are the cursor keys, <End>, <Home>,
4117 <PageUp> and <PageDown>.
4118 The 'keymodel' option is set by the |:behave| command.
4120 *'keywordprg'* *'kp'*
4121 'keywordprg' 'kp' string (default "man" or "man -s", DOS: ":help",
4122 OS/2: "view /", VMS: "help")
4123 global or local to buffer |global-local|
4124 {not in Vi}
4125 Program to use for the |K| command. Environment variables are
4126 expanded |:set_env|. ":help" may be used to access the Vim internal
4127 help. (Note that previously setting the global option to the empty
4128 value did this, which is now deprecated.)
4129 When "man" is used, Vim will automatically translate a count for the
4130 "K" command to a section number. Also for "man -s", in which case the
4131 "-s" is removed when there is no count.
4132 See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes.
4133 Example: >
4134 :set keywordprg=man\ -s
4135 < This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
4136 security reasons.
4138 *'langmap'* *'lmap'* *E357* *E358*
4139 'langmap' 'lmap' string (default "")
4140 global
4141 {not in Vi}
4142 {only available when compiled with the |+langmap|
4143 feature}
4144 This option allows switching your keyboard into a special language
4145 mode. When you are typing text in Insert mode the characters are
4146 inserted directly. When in command mode the 'langmap' option takes
4147 care of translating these special characters to the original meaning
4148 of the key. This means you don't have to change the keyboard mode to
4149 be able to execute Normal mode commands.
4150 This is the opposite of the 'keymap' option, where characters are
4151 mapped in Insert mode.
4152 This only works for 8-bit characters. The value of 'langmap' may be
4153 specified with multi-byte characters (e.g., UTF-8), but only the lower
4154 8 bits of each character will be used.
4156 Example (for Greek, in UTF-8): *greek* >
4157 :set langmap=ΑA,ΒB,ΨC,ΔD,ΕE,ΦF,ΓG,ΗH,ΙI,ΞJ,ΚK,ΛL,ΜM,ΝN,ΟO,ΠP,QQ,ΡR,ΣS,ΤT,ΘU,ΩV,WW,ΧX,ΥY,ΖZ,αa,βb,ψc,δd,εe,φf,γg,ηh,ιi,ξj,κk,λl,μm,νn,οo,πp,qq,ρr,σs,τt,θu,ωv,ςw,χx,υy,ζz
4158 < Example (exchanges meaning of z and y for commands): >
4159 :set langmap=zy,yz,ZY,YZ
4160 <
4161 The 'langmap' option is a list of parts, separated with commas. Each
4162 part can be in one of two forms:
4163 1. A list of pairs. Each pair is a "from" character immediately
4164 followed by the "to" character. Examples: "aA", "aAbBcC".
4165 2. A list of "from" characters, a semi-colon and a list of "to"
4166 characters. Example: "abc;ABC"
4167 Example: "aA,fgh;FGH,cCdDeE"
4168 Special characters need to be preceded with a backslash. These are
4169 ";", ',' and backslash itself.
4171 This will allow you to activate vim actions without having to switch
4172 back and forth between the languages. Your language characters will
4173 be understood as normal vim English characters (according to the
4174 langmap mappings) in the following cases:
4175 o Normal/Visual mode (commands, buffer/register names, user mappings)
4176 o Insert/Replace Mode: Register names after CTRL-R
4177 o Insert/Replace Mode: Mappings
4178 Characters entered in Command-line mode will NOT be affected by
4179 this option. Note that this option can be changed at any time
4180 allowing to switch between mappings for different languages/encodings.
4181 Use a mapping to avoid having to type it each time!
4183 *'langmenu'* *'lm'*
4184 'langmenu' 'lm' string (default "")
4185 global
4186 {not in Vi}
4187 {only available when compiled with the |+menu| and
4188 |+multi_lang| features}
4189 Language to use for menu translation. Tells which file is loaded
4190 from the "lang" directory in 'runtimepath': >
4191 "lang/menu_" . &langmenu . ".vim"
4192 < (without the spaces). For example, to always use the Dutch menus, no
4193 matter what $LANG is set to: >
4194 :set langmenu=nl_NL.ISO_8859-1
4195 < When 'langmenu' is empty, |v:lang| is used.
4196 Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal.
4197 If your $LANG is set to a non-English language but you do want to use
4198 the English menus: >
4199 :set langmenu=none
4200 < This option must be set before loading menus, switching on filetype
4201 detection or syntax highlighting. Once the menus are defined setting
4202 this option has no effect. But you could do this: >
4203 :source $VIMRUNTIME/delmenu.vim
4204 :set langmenu=de_DE.ISO_8859-1
4205 :source $VIMRUNTIME/menu.vim
4206 < Warning: This deletes all menus that you defined yourself!
4208 *'laststatus'* *'ls'*
4209 'laststatus' 'ls' number (default 1)
4210 global
4211 {not in Vi}
4212 The value of this option influences when the last window will have a
4213 status line:
4214 0: never
4215 1: only if there are at least two windows
4216 2: always
4217 The screen looks nicer with a status line if you have several
4218 windows, but it takes another screen line. |status-line|
4220 *'lazyredraw'* *'lz'* *'nolazyredraw'* *'nolz'*
4221 'lazyredraw' 'lz' boolean (default off)
4222 global
4223 {not in Vi}
4224 When this option is set, the screen will not be redrawn while
4225 executing macros, registers and other commands that have not been
4226 typed. Also, updating the window title is postponed. To force an
4227 update use |:redraw|.
4229 *'linebreak'* *'lbr'* *'nolinebreak'* *'nolbr'*
4230 'linebreak' 'lbr' boolean (default off)
4231 local to window
4232 {not in Vi}
4233 {not available when compiled without the |+linebreak|
4234 feature}
4235 If on Vim will wrap long lines at a character in 'breakat' rather
4236 than at the last character that fits on the screen. Unlike
4237 'wrapmargin' and 'textwidth', this does not insert <EOL>s in the file,
4238 it only affects the way the file is displayed, not its contents. The
4239 value of 'showbreak' is used to put in front of wrapped lines.
4240 This option is not used when the 'wrap' option is off or 'list' is on.
4241 Note that <Tab> characters after an <EOL> are mostly not displayed
4242 with the right amount of white space.
4244 *'lines'* *E593*
4245 'lines' number (default 24 or terminal height)
4246 global
4247 Number of lines of the Vim window.
4248 Normally you don't need to set this. It is done automatically by the
4249 terminal initialization code. Also see |posix-screen-size|.
4250 When Vim is running in the GUI or in a resizable window, setting this
4251 option will cause the window size to be changed. When you only want
4252 to use the size for the GUI, put the command in your |gvimrc| file.
4253 Vim limits the number of lines to what fits on the screen. You can
4254 use this command to get the tallest window possible: >
4255 :set lines=999
4256 < Minimum value is 2, maximum value is 1000.
4257 If you get less lines than expected, check the 'guiheadroom' option.
4258 When you set this option and Vim is unable to change the physical
4259 number of lines of the display, the display may be messed up.
4261 *'linespace'* *'lsp'*
4262 'linespace' 'lsp' number (default 0, 1 for Win32 GUI)
4263 global
4264 {not in Vi}
4265 {only in the GUI}
4266 Number of pixel lines inserted between characters. Useful if the font
4267 uses the full character cell height, making lines touch each other.
4268 When non-zero there is room for underlining.
4269 With some fonts there can be too much room between lines (to have
4270 space for ascents and descents). Then it makes sense to set
4271 'linespace' to a negative value. This may cause display problems
4272 though!
4274 *'lisp'* *'nolisp'*
4275 'lisp' boolean (default off)
4276 local to buffer
4277 {not available when compiled without the |+lispindent|
4278 feature}
4279 Lisp mode: When <Enter> is typed in insert mode set the indent for
4280 the next line to Lisp standards (well, sort of). Also happens with
4281 "cc" or "S". 'autoindent' must also be on for this to work. The 'p'
4282 flag in 'cpoptions' changes the method of indenting: Vi compatible or
4283 better. Also see 'lispwords'.
4284 The '-' character is included in keyword characters. Redefines the
4285 "=" operator to use this same indentation algorithm rather than
4286 calling an external program if 'equalprg' is empty.
4287 This option is not used when 'paste' is set.
4288 {Vi: Does it a little bit differently}
4290 *'lispwords'* *'lw'*
4291 'lispwords' 'lw' string (default is very long)
4292 global
4293 {not in Vi}
4294 {not available when compiled without the |+lispindent|
4295 feature}
4296 Comma separated list of words that influence the Lisp indenting.
4297 |'lisp'|
4299 *'list'* *'nolist'*
4300 'list' boolean (default off)
4301 local to window
4302 List mode: Show tabs as CTRL-I, show end of line with $. Useful to
4303 see the difference between tabs and spaces and for trailing blanks.
4304 Note that this will also affect formatting (set with 'textwidth' or
4305 'wrapmargin') when 'cpoptions' includes 'L'. See 'listchars' for
4306 changing the way tabs are displayed.
4308 *'listchars'* *'lcs'*
4309 'listchars' 'lcs' string (default "eol:$")
4310 global
4311 {not in Vi}
4312 Strings to use in 'list' mode. It is a comma separated list of string
4313 settings.
4314 eol:c Character to show at the end of each line. When
4315 omitted, there is no extra character at the end of the
4316 line.
4317 tab:xy Two characters to be used to show a tab. The first
4318 char is used once. The second char is repeated to
4319 fill the space that the tab normally occupies.
4320 "tab:>-" will show a tab that takes four spaces as
4321 ">---". When omitted, a tab is show as ^I.
4322 trail:c Character to show for trailing spaces. When omitted,
4323 trailing spaces are blank.
4324 extends:c Character to show in the last column, when 'wrap' is
4325 off and the line continues beyond the right of the
4326 screen.
4327 precedes:c Character to show in the first column, when 'wrap'
4328 is off and there is text preceding the character
4329 visible in the first column.
4330 nbsp:c Character to show for a non-breakable space (character
4331 0xA0, 160). Left blank when omitted.
4333 The characters ':' and ',' should not be used. UTF-8 characters can
4334 be used when 'encoding' is "utf-8", otherwise only printable
4335 characters are allowed. All characters must be single width.
4337 Examples: >
4338 :set lcs=tab:>-,trail:-
4339 :set lcs=tab:>-,eol:<,nbsp:%
4340 :set lcs=extends:>,precedes:<
4341 < The "NonText" highlighting will be used for "eol", "extends" and
4342 "precedes". "SpecialKey" for "nbsp", "tab" and "trail".
4343 |hl-NonText| |hl-SpecialKey|
4345 *'lpl'* *'nolpl'* *'loadplugins'* *'noloadplugins'*
4346 'loadplugins' 'lpl' boolean (default on)
4347 global
4348 {not in Vi}
4349 When on the plugin scripts are loaded when starting up |load-plugins|.
4350 This option can be reset in your |vimrc| file to disable the loading
4351 of plugins.
4352 Note that using the "-u NONE" and "--noplugin" command line arguments
4353 reset this option. |-u| |--noplugin|
4355 *'macatsui'* *'nomacatsui'*
4356 'macatsui' boolean (default on)
4357 global
4358 {only available in Mac GUI version}
4359 This is a workaround for when drawing doesn't work properly. When set
4360 and compiled with multi-byte support ATSUI text drawing is used. When
4361 not set ATSUI text drawing is not used. Switch this option off when
4362 you experience drawing problems. In a future version the problems may
4363 be solved and this option becomes obsolete. Therefore use this method
4364 to unset it: >
4365 if exists('&macatsui')
4366 set nomacatsui
4367 endif
4368 < Another option to check if you have drawing problems is
4369 'termencoding'.
4371 *'magic'* *'nomagic'*
4372 'magic' boolean (default on)
4373 global
4374 Changes the special characters that can be used in search patterns.
4375 See |pattern|.
4376 NOTE: To avoid portability problems with using patterns, always keep
4377 this option at the default "on". Only switch it off when working with
4378 old Vi scripts. In any other situation write patterns that work when
4379 'magic' is on. Include "\M" when you want to |/\M|.
4381 *'makeef'* *'mef'*
4382 'makeef' 'mef' string (default: "")
4383 global
4384 {not in Vi}
4385 {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix|
4386 feature}
4387 Name of the errorfile for the |:make| command (see |:make_makeprg|)
4388 and the |:grep| command.
4389 When it is empty, an internally generated temp file will be used.
4390 When "##" is included, it is replaced by a number to make the name
4391 unique. This makes sure that the ":make" command doesn't overwrite an
4392 existing file.
4393 NOT used for the ":cf" command. See 'errorfile' for that.
4394 Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|.
4395 See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes.
4396 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
4397 security reasons.
4399 *'makeprg'* *'mp'*
4400 'makeprg' 'mp' string (default "make", VMS: "MMS")
4401 global or local to buffer |global-local|
4402 {not in Vi}
4403 Program to use for the ":make" command. See |:make_makeprg|.
4404 This option may contain '%' and '#' characters, which are expanded to
4405 the current and alternate file name. |:_%| |:_#|
4406 Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. See |option-backslash|
4407 about including spaces and backslashes.
4408 Note that a '|' must be escaped twice: once for ":set" and once for
4409 the interpretation of a command. When you use a filter called
4410 "myfilter" do it like this: >
4411 :set makeprg=gmake\ \\\|\ myfilter
4412 < The placeholder "$*" can be given (even multiple times) to specify
4413 where the arguments will be included, for example: >
4414 :set makeprg=latex\ \\\\nonstopmode\ \\\\input\\{$*}
4415 < This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
4416 security reasons.
4418 *'matchpairs'* *'mps'*
4419 'matchpairs' 'mps' string (default "(:),{:},[:]")
4420 local to buffer
4421 {not in Vi}
4422 Characters that form pairs. The |%| command jumps from one to the
4423 other. Currently only single byte character pairs are allowed, and
4424 they must be different. The characters must be separated by a colon.
4425 The pairs must be separated by a comma. Example for including '<' and
4426 '>' (HTML): >
4427 :set mps+=<:>
4429 < A more exotic example, to jump between the '=' and ';' in an
4430 assignment, useful for languages like C and Java: >
4431 :au FileType c,cpp,java set mps+==:;
4433 < For a more advanced way of using "%", see the matchit.vim plugin in
4434 the $VIMRUNTIME/macros directory. |add-local-help|
4436 *'matchtime'* *'mat'*
4437 'matchtime' 'mat' number (default 5)
4438 global
4439 {not in Vi}{in Nvi}
4440 Tenths of a second to show the matching paren, when 'showmatch' is
4441 set. Note that this is not in milliseconds, like other options that
4442 set a time. This is to be compatible with Nvi.
4444 *'maxcombine'* *'mco'*
4445 'maxcombine' 'mco' number (default 2)
4446 global
4447 {not in Vi}
4448 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte|
4449 feature}
4450 The maximum number of combining characters supported for displaying.
4451 Only used when 'encoding' is "utf-8".
4452 The default is OK for most languages. Hebrew may require 4.
4453 Maximum value is 6.
4454 Even when this option is set to 2 you can still edit text with more
4455 combining characters, you just can't see them. Use |g8| or |ga|.
4456 See |mbyte-combining|.
4458 *'maxfuncdepth'* *'mfd'*
4459 'maxfuncdepth' 'mfd' number (default 100)
4460 global
4461 {not in Vi}
4462 {not available when compiled without the +eval
4463 feature}
4464 Maximum depth of function calls for user functions. This normally
4465 catches endless recursion. When using a recursive function with
4466 more depth, set 'maxfuncdepth' to a bigger number. But this will use
4467 more memory, there is the danger of failing when memory is exhausted.
4468 See also |:function|.
4470 *'maxmapdepth'* *'mmd'* *E223*
4471 'maxmapdepth' 'mmd' number (default 1000)
4472 global
4473 {not in Vi}
4474 Maximum number of times a mapping is done without resulting in a
4475 character to be used. This normally catches endless mappings, like
4476 ":map x y" with ":map y x". It still does not catch ":map g wg",
4477 because the 'w' is used before the next mapping is done. See also
4478 |key-mapping|.
4480 *'maxmem'* *'mm'*
4481 'maxmem' 'mm' number (default between 256 to 5120 (system
4482 dependent) or half the amount of memory
4483 available)
4484 global
4485 {not in Vi}
4486 Maximum amount of memory (in Kbyte) to use for one buffer. When this
4487 limit is reached allocating extra memory for a buffer will cause
4488 other memory to be freed. Maximum value 2000000. Use this to work
4489 without a limit. Also see 'maxmemtot'.
4491 *'maxmempattern'* *'mmp'*
4492 'maxmempattern' 'mmp' number (default 1000)
4493 global
4494 {not in Vi}
4495 Maximum amount of memory (in Kbyte) to use for pattern matching.
4496 Maximum value 2000000. Use this to work without a limit.
4497 *E363*
4498 When Vim runs into the limit it gives an error message and mostly
4499 behaves like CTRL-C was typed.
4500 Running into the limit often means that the pattern is very
4501 inefficient or too complex. This may already happen with the pattern
4502 "\(.\)*" on a very long line. ".*" works much better.
4503 Vim may run out of memory before hitting the 'maxmempattern' limit.
4505 *'maxmemtot'* *'mmt'*
4506 'maxmemtot' 'mmt' number (default between 2048 and 10240 (system
4507 dependent) or half the amount of memory
4508 available)
4509 global
4510 {not in Vi}
4511 Maximum amount of memory (in Kbyte) to use for all buffers together.
4512 Maximum value 2000000. Use this to work without a limit. Also see
4513 'maxmem'.
4515 *'menuitems'* *'mis'*
4516 'menuitems' 'mis' number (default 25)
4517 global
4518 {not in Vi}
4519 {not available when compiled without the |+menu|
4520 feature}
4521 Maximum number of items to use in a menu. Used for menus that are
4522 generated from a list of items, e.g., the Buffers menu. Changing this
4523 option has no direct effect, the menu must be refreshed first.
4525 *'mkspellmem'* *'msm'*
4526 'mkspellmem' 'msm' string (default "460000,2000,500")
4527 global
4528 {not in Vi}
4529 {not available when compiled without the |+syntax|
4530 feature}
4531 Parameters for |:mkspell|. This tunes when to start compressing the
4532 word tree. Compression can be slow when there are many words, but
4533 it's needed to avoid running out of memory. The amount of memory used
4534 per word depends very much on how similar the words are, that's why
4535 this tuning is complicated.
4537 There are three numbers, separated by commas:
4538 {start},{inc},{added}
4540 For most languages the uncompressed word tree fits in memory. {start}
4541 gives the amount of memory in Kbyte that can be used before any
4542 compression is done. It should be a bit smaller than the amount of
4543 memory that is available to Vim.
4545 When going over the {start} limit the {inc} number specifies the
4546 amount of memory in Kbyte that can be allocated before another
4547 compression is done. A low number means compression is done after
4548 less words are added, which is slow. A high number means more memory
4549 will be allocated.
4551 After doing compression, {added} times 1024 words can be added before
4552 the {inc} limit is ignored and compression is done when any extra
4553 amount of memory is needed. A low number means there is a smaller
4554 chance of hitting the {inc} limit, less memory is used but it's
4555 slower.
4557 The languages for which these numbers are important are Italian and
4558 Hungarian. The default works for when you have about 512 Mbyte. If
4559 you have 1 Gbyte you could use: >
4560 :set mkspellmem=900000,3000,800
4561 < If you have less than 512 Mbyte |:mkspell| may fail for some
4562 languages, no matter what you set 'mkspellmem' to.
4564 *'modeline'* *'ml'* *'nomodeline'* *'noml'*
4565 'modeline' 'ml' boolean (Vim default: on (off for root),
4566 Vi default: off)
4567 local to buffer
4568 *'modelines'* *'mls'*
4569 'modelines' 'mls' number (default 5)
4570 global
4571 {not in Vi}
4572 If 'modeline' is on 'modelines' gives the number of lines that is
4573 checked for set commands. If 'modeline' is off or 'modelines' is zero
4574 no lines are checked. See |modeline|.
4575 NOTE: 'modeline' is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
4576 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
4578 *'modifiable'* *'ma'* *'nomodifiable'* *'noma'*
4579 'modifiable' 'ma' boolean (default on)
4580 local to buffer
4581 {not in Vi} *E21*
4582 When off the buffer contents cannot be changed. The 'fileformat' and
4583 'fileencoding' options also can't be changed.
4584 Can be reset with the |-M| command line argument.
4586 *'modified'* *'mod'* *'nomodified'* *'nomod'*
4587 'modified' 'mod' boolean (default off)
4588 local to buffer
4589 {not in Vi}
4590 When on, the buffer is considered to be modified. This option is set
4591 when:
4592 1. A change was made to the text since it was last written. Using the
4593 |undo| command to go back to the original text will reset the
4594 option. But undoing changes that were made before writing the
4595 buffer will set the option again, since the text is different from
4596 when it was written.
4597 2. 'fileformat' or 'fileencoding' is different from its original
4598 value. The original value is set when the buffer is read or
4599 written. A ":set nomodified" command also resets the original
4600 values to the current values and the 'modified' option will be
4601 reset.
4602 When 'buftype' is "nowrite" or "nofile" this option may be set, but
4603 will be ignored.
4605 *'more'* *'nomore'*
4606 'more' boolean (Vim default: on, Vi default: off)
4607 global
4608 {not in Vi}
4609 When on, listings pause when the whole screen is filled. You will get
4610 the |more-prompt|. When this option is off there are no pauses, the
4611 listing continues until finished.
4612 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
4613 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
4615 *'mouse'* *E538*
4616 'mouse' string (default "", "a" for GUI, MS-DOS and Win32)
4617 global
4618 {not in Vi}
4619 Enable the use of the mouse. Only works for certain terminals
4620 (xterm, MS-DOS, Win32 |win32-mouse|, QNX pterm, and Linux console
4621 with gpm). For using the mouse in the GUI, see |gui-mouse|.
4622 The mouse can be enabled for different modes:
4623 n Normal mode
4624 v Visual mode
4625 i Insert mode
4626 c Command-line mode
4627 h all previous modes when editing a help file
4628 a all previous modes
4629 r for |hit-enter| and |more-prompt| prompt
4630 Normally you would enable the mouse in all four modes with: >
4631 :set mouse=a
4632 < When the mouse is not enabled, the GUI will still use the mouse for
4633 modeless selection. This doesn't move the text cursor.
4635 See |mouse-using|. Also see |'clipboard'|.
4637 Note: When enabling the mouse in a terminal, copy/paste will use the
4638 "* register if there is access to an X-server. The xterm handling of
4639 the mouse buttons can still be used by keeping the shift key pressed.
4640 Also see the 'clipboard' option.
4642 *'mousefocus'* *'mousef'* *'nomousefocus'* *'nomousef'*
4643 'mousefocus' 'mousef' boolean (default off)
4644 global
4645 {not in Vi}
4646 {only works in the GUI}
4647 The window that the mouse pointer is on is automatically activated.
4648 When changing the window layout or window focus in another way, the
4649 mouse pointer is moved to the window with keyboard focus. Off is the
4650 default because it makes using the pull down menus a little goofy, as
4651 a pointer transit may activate a window unintentionally.
4653 *'mousehide'* *'mh'* *'nomousehide'* *'nomh'*
4654 'mousehide' 'mh' boolean (default on)
4655 global
4656 {not in Vi}
4657 {only works in the GUI}
4658 When on, the mouse pointer is hidden when characters are typed.
4659 The mouse pointer is restored when the mouse is moved.
4661 *'mousemodel'* *'mousem'*
4662 'mousemodel' 'mousem' string (default "extend", "popup" for MS-DOS and Win32)
4663 global
4664 {not in Vi}
4665 Sets the model to use for the mouse. The name mostly specifies what
4666 the right mouse button is used for:
4667 extend Right mouse button extends a selection. This works
4668 like in an xterm.
4669 popup Right mouse button pops up a menu. The shifted left
4670 mouse button extends a selection. This works like
4671 with Microsoft Windows.
4672 popup_setpos Like "popup", but the cursor will be moved to the
4673 position where the mouse was clicked, and thus the
4674 selected operation will act upon the clicked object.
4675 If clicking inside a selection, that selection will
4676 be acted upon, i.e. no cursor move. This implies of
4677 course, that right clicking outside a selection will
4678 end Visual mode.
4679 Overview of what button does what for each model:
4680 mouse extend popup(_setpos) ~
4681 left click place cursor place cursor
4682 left drag start selection start selection
4683 shift-left search word extend selection
4684 right click extend selection popup menu (place cursor)
4685 right drag extend selection -
4686 middle click paste paste
4688 In the "popup" model the right mouse button produces a pop-up menu.
4689 You need to define this first, see |popup-menu|.
4691 Note that you can further refine the meaning of buttons with mappings.
4692 See |gui-mouse-mapping|. But mappings are NOT used for modeless
4693 selection (because that's handled in the GUI code directly).
4695 The 'mousemodel' option is set by the |:behave| command.
4697 *'mouseshape'* *'mouses'* *E547*
4698 'mouseshape' 'mouses' string (default "i:beam,r:beam,s:updown,sd:cross,
4699 m:no,ml:up-arrow,v:rightup-arrow")
4700 global
4701 {not in Vi}
4702 {only available when compiled with the |+mouseshape|
4703 feature}
4704 This option tells Vim what the mouse pointer should look like in
4705 different modes. The option is a comma separated list of parts, much
4706 like used for 'guicursor'. Each part consist of a mode/location-list
4707 and an argument-list:
4708 mode-list:shape,mode-list:shape,..
4709 The mode-list is a dash separated list of these modes/locations:
4710 In a normal window: ~
4711 n Normal mode
4712 v Visual mode
4713 ve Visual mode with 'selection' "exclusive" (same as 'v',
4714 if not specified)
4715 o Operator-pending mode
4716 i Insert mode
4717 r Replace mode
4719 Others: ~
4720 c appending to the command-line
4721 ci inserting in the command-line
4722 cr replacing in the command-line
4723 m at the 'Hit ENTER' or 'More' prompts
4724 ml idem, but cursor in the last line
4725 e any mode, pointer below last window
4726 s any mode, pointer on a status line
4727 sd any mode, while dragging a status line
4728 vs any mode, pointer on a vertical separator line
4729 vd any mode, while dragging a vertical separator line
4730 a everywhere
4732 The shape is one of the following:
4733 avail name looks like ~
4734 w x arrow Normal mouse pointer
4735 w x blank no pointer at all (use with care!)
4736 w x beam I-beam
4737 w x updown up-down sizing arrows
4738 w x leftright left-right sizing arrows
4739 w x busy The system's usual busy pointer
4740 w x no The system's usual 'no input' pointer
4741 x udsizing indicates up-down resizing
4742 x lrsizing indicates left-right resizing
4743 x crosshair like a big thin +
4744 x hand1 black hand
4745 x hand2 white hand
4746 x pencil what you write with
4747 x question big ?
4748 x rightup-arrow arrow pointing right-up
4749 w x up-arrow arrow pointing up
4750 x <number> any X11 pointer number (see X11/cursorfont.h)
4752 The "avail" column contains a 'w' if the shape is available for Win32,
4753 x for X11.
4754 Any modes not specified or shapes not available use the normal mouse
4755 pointer.
4757 Example: >
4758 :set mouseshape=s:udsizing,m:no
4759 < will make the mouse turn to a sizing arrow over the status lines and
4760 indicate no input when the hit-enter prompt is displayed (since
4761 clicking the mouse has no effect in this state.)
4763 *'mousetime'* *'mouset'*
4764 'mousetime' 'mouset' number (default 500)
4765 global
4766 {not in Vi}
4767 Only for GUI, MS-DOS, Win32 and Unix with xterm. Defines the maximum
4768 time in msec between two mouse clicks for the second click to be
4769 recognized as a multi click.
4771 *'mzquantum'* *'mzq'*
4772 'mzquantum' 'mzq' number (default 100)
4773 global
4774 {not in Vi}
4775 {not available when compiled without the |+mzscheme|
4776 feature}
4777 The number of milliseconds between polls for MzScheme threads.
4778 Negative or zero value means no thread scheduling.
4780 *'nrformats'* *'nf'*
4781 'nrformats' 'nf' string (default "octal,hex")
4782 local to buffer
4783 {not in Vi}
4784 This defines what bases Vim will consider for numbers when using the
4785 CTRL-A and CTRL-X commands for adding to and subtracting from a number
4786 respectively; see |CTRL-A| for more info on these commands.
4787 alpha If included, single alphabetical characters will be
4788 incremented or decremented. This is useful for a list with a
4789 letter index a), b), etc.
4790 octal If included, numbers that start with a zero will be considered
4791 to be octal. Example: Using CTRL-A on "007" results in "010".
4792 hex If included, numbers starting with "0x" or "0X" will be
4793 considered to be hexadecimal. Example: Using CTRL-X on
4794 "0x100" results in "0x0ff".
4795 Numbers which simply begin with a digit in the range 1-9 are always
4796 considered decimal. This also happens for numbers that are not
4797 recognized as octal or hex.
4799 *'number'* *'nu'* *'nonumber'* *'nonu'*
4800 'number' 'nu' boolean (default off)
4801 local to window
4802 Print the line number in front of each line. When the 'n' option is
4803 excluded from 'cpoptions' a wrapped line will not use the column of
4804 line numbers (this is the default when 'compatible' isn't set).
4805 The 'numberwidth' option can be used to set the room used for the line
4806 number.
4807 When a long, wrapped line doesn't start with the first character, '-'
4808 characters are put before the number.
4809 See |hl-LineNr| for the highlighting used for the number.
4811 *'numberwidth'* *'nuw'*
4812 'numberwidth' 'nuw' number (Vim default: 4 Vi default: 8)
4813 local to window
4814 {not in Vi}
4815 {only available when compiled with the |+linebreak|
4816 feature}
4817 Minimal number of columns to use for the line number. Only relevant
4818 when the 'number' option is set or printing lines with a line number.
4819 Since one space is always between the number and the text, there is
4820 one less character for the number itself.
4821 The value is the minimum width. A bigger width is used when needed to
4822 fit the highest line number in the buffer. Thus with the Vim default
4823 of 4 there is room for a line number up to 999. When the buffer has
4824 1000 lines five columns will be used.
4825 The minimum value is 1, the maximum value is 10.
4826 NOTE: 'numberwidth' is reset to 8 when 'compatible' is set.
4828 *'omnifunc'* *'ofu'*
4829 'omnifunc' 'ofu' string (default: empty)
4830 local to buffer
4831 {not in Vi}
4832 {not available when compiled without the +eval
4833 or +insert_expand feature}
4834 This option specifies a function to be used for Insert mode omni
4835 completion with CTRL-X CTRL-O. |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-O|
4836 See |complete-functions| for an explanation of how the function is
4837 invoked and what it should return.
4838 This option is usually set by a filetype plugin:
4839 |:filetype-plugin-on|
4842 *'opendevice'* *'odev'* *'noopendevice'* *'noodev'*
4843 'opendevice' 'odev' boolean (default off)
4844 global
4845 {not in Vi}
4846 {only for MS-DOS, MS-Windows and OS/2}
4847 Enable reading and writing from devices. This may get Vim stuck on a
4848 device that can be opened but doesn't actually do the I/O. Therefore
4849 it is off by default.
4850 Note that on MS-Windows editing "aux.h", "lpt1.txt" and the like also
4851 result in editing a device.
4854 *'operatorfunc'* *'opfunc'*
4855 'operatorfunc' 'opfunc' string (default: empty)
4856 global
4857 {not in Vi}
4858 This option specifies a function to be called by the |g@| operator.
4859 See |:map-operator| for more info and an example.
4861 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
4862 security reasons.
4865 *'osfiletype'* *'oft'* *E366*
4866 'osfiletype' 'oft' string (RISC-OS default: "Text",
4867 others default: "")
4868 local to buffer
4869 {not in Vi}
4870 {only available when compiled with the |+osfiletype|
4871 feature}
4872 Some operating systems store extra information about files besides
4873 name, datestamp and permissions. This option contains the extra
4874 information, the nature of which will vary between systems.
4875 The value of this option is usually set when the file is loaded, and
4876 use to set the file type when file is written.
4877 It can affect the pattern matching of the automatic commands.
4878 |autocmd-osfiletypes|
4880 *'paragraphs'* *'para'*
4881 'paragraphs' 'para' string (default "IPLPPPQPP TPHPLIPpLpItpplpipbp")
4882 global
4883 Specifies the nroff macros that separate paragraphs. These are pairs
4884 of two letters (see |object-motions|).
4886 *'paste'* *'nopaste'*
4887 'paste' boolean (default off)
4888 global
4889 {not in Vi}
4890 Put Vim in Paste mode. This is useful if you want to cut or copy
4891 some text from one window and paste it in Vim. This will avoid
4892 unexpected effects.
4893 Setting this option is useful when using Vim in a terminal, where Vim
4894 cannot distinguish between typed text and pasted text. In the GUI, Vim
4895 knows about pasting and will mostly do the right thing without 'paste'
4896 being set. The same is true for a terminal where Vim handles the
4897 mouse clicks itself.
4898 This option is reset when starting the GUI. Thus if you set it in
4899 your .vimrc it will work in a terminal, but not in the GUI. Setting
4900 'paste' in the GUI has side effects: e.g., the Paste toolbar button
4901 will no longer work in Insert mode, because it uses a mapping.
4902 When the 'paste' option is switched on (also when it was already on):
4903 - mapping in Insert mode and Command-line mode is disabled
4904 - abbreviations are disabled
4905 - 'textwidth' is set to 0
4906 - 'wrapmargin' is set to 0
4907 - 'autoindent' is reset
4908 - 'smartindent' is reset
4909 - 'softtabstop' is set to 0
4910 - 'revins' is reset
4911 - 'ruler' is reset
4912 - 'showmatch' is reset
4913 - 'formatoptions' is used like it is empty
4914 These options keep their value, but their effect is disabled:
4915 - 'lisp'
4916 - 'indentexpr'
4917 - 'cindent'
4918 NOTE: When you start editing another file while the 'paste' option is
4919 on, settings from the modelines or autocommands may change the
4920 settings again, causing trouble when pasting text. You might want to
4921 set the 'paste' option again.
4922 When the 'paste' option is reset the mentioned options are restored to
4923 the value before the moment 'paste' was switched from off to on.
4924 Resetting 'paste' before ever setting it does not have any effect.
4925 Since mapping doesn't work while 'paste' is active, you need to use
4926 the 'pastetoggle' option to toggle the 'paste' option with some key.
4928 *'pastetoggle'* *'pt'*
4929 'pastetoggle' 'pt' string (default "")
4930 global
4931 {not in Vi}
4932 When non-empty, specifies the key sequence that toggles the 'paste'
4933 option. This is like specifying a mapping: >
4934 :map {keys} :set invpaste<CR>
4935 < Where {keys} is the value of 'pastetoggle'.
4936 The difference is that it will work even when 'paste' is set.
4937 'pastetoggle' works in Insert mode and Normal mode, but not in
4938 Command-line mode.
4939 Mappings are checked first, thus overrule 'pastetoggle'. However,
4940 when 'paste' is on mappings are ignored in Insert mode, thus you can do
4941 this: >
4942 :map <F10> :set paste<CR>
4943 :map <F11> :set nopaste<CR>
4944 :imap <F10> <C-O>:set paste<CR>
4945 :imap <F11> <nop>
4946 :set pastetoggle=<F11>
4947 < This will make <F10> start paste mode and <F11> stop paste mode.
4948 Note that typing <F10> in paste mode inserts "<F10>", since in paste
4949 mode everything is inserted literally, except the 'pastetoggle' key
4950 sequence.
4952 *'pex'* *'patchexpr'*
4953 'patchexpr' 'pex' string (default "")
4954 global
4955 {not in Vi}
4956 {not available when compiled without the |+diff|
4957 feature}
4958 Expression which is evaluated to apply a patch to a file and generate
4959 the resulting new version of the file. See |diff-patchexpr|.
4961 *'patchmode'* *'pm'* *E206*
4962 'patchmode' 'pm' string (default "")
4963 global
4964 {not in Vi}
4965 When non-empty the oldest version of a file is kept. This can be used
4966 to keep the original version of a file if you are changing files in a
4967 source distribution. Only the first time that a file is written a
4968 copy of the original file will be kept. The name of the copy is the
4969 name of the original file with the string in the 'patchmode' option
4970 appended. This option should start with a dot. Use a string like
4971 ".org". 'backupdir' must not be empty for this to work (Detail: The
4972 backup file is renamed to the patchmode file after the new file has
4973 been successfully written, that's why it must be possible to write a
4974 backup file). If there was no file to be backed up, an empty file is
4975 created.
4976 When the 'backupskip' pattern matches, a patchmode file is not made.
4977 Using 'patchmode' for compressed files appends the extension at the
4978 end (e.g., "file.gz.orig"), thus the resulting name isn't always
4979 recognized as a compressed file.
4980 Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal.
4982 *'path'* *'pa'* *E343* *E345* *E347*
4983 'path' 'pa' string (default on Unix: ".,/usr/include,,"
4984 on OS/2: ".,/emx/include,,"
4985 other systems: ".,,")
4986 global or local to buffer |global-local|
4987 {not in Vi}
4988 This is a list of directories which will be searched when using the
4989 |gf|, [f, ]f, ^Wf, |:find| and other commands, provided that the file
4990 being searched for has a relative path (not starting with '/'). The
4991 directories in the 'path' option may be relative or absolute.
4992 - Use commas to separate directory names: >
4993 :set path=.,/usr/local/include,/usr/include
4994 < - Spaces can also be used to separate directory names (for backwards
4995 compatibility with version 3.0). To have a space in a directory
4996 name, precede it with an extra backslash, and escape the space: >
4997 :set path=.,/dir/with\\\ space
4998 < - To include a comma in a directory name precede it with an extra
4999 backslash: >
5000 :set path=.,/dir/with\\,comma
5001 < - To search relative to the directory of the current file, use: >
5002 :set path=.
5003 < - To search in the current directory use an empty string between two
5004 commas: >
5005 :set path=,,
5006 < - A directory name may end in a ':' or '/'.
5007 - Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|.
5008 - When using |netrw.vim| URLs can be used. For example, adding
5009 "http://www.vim.org" will make ":find index.html" work.
5010 - Search upwards and downwards in a directory tree:
5011 1) "*" matches a sequence of characters, e.g.: >
5012 :set path=/usr/include/*
5013 < means all subdirectories in /usr/include (but not /usr/include
5014 itself). >
5015 :set path=/usr/*c
5016 < matches /usr/doc and /usr/src.
5017 2) "**" matches a subtree, up to 100 directories deep. Example: >
5018 :set path=/home/user_x/src/**
5019 < means search in the whole subtree under "/home/usr_x/src".
5020 3) If the path ends with a ';', this path is the startpoint
5021 for upward search.
5022 See |file-searching| for more info and exact syntax.
5023 {not available when compiled without the |+path_extra| feature}
5024 - Careful with '\' characters, type two to get one in the option: >
5025 :set path=.,c:\\include
5026 < Or just use '/' instead: >
5027 :set path=.,c:/include
5028 < Don't forget "." or files won't even be found in the same directory as
5029 the file!
5030 The maximum length is limited. How much depends on the system, mostly
5031 it is something like 256 or 1024 characters.
5032 You can check if all the include files are found, using the value of
5033 'path', see |:checkpath|.
5034 The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing
5035 directories from the list. This avoids problems when a future version
5036 uses another default. To remove the current directory use: >
5037 :set path-=
5038 < To add the current directory use: >
5039 :set path+=
5040 < To use an environment variable, you probably need to replace the
5041 separator. Here is an example to append $INCL, in which directory
5042 names are separated with a semi-colon: >
5043 :let &path = &path . "," . substitute($INCL, ';', ',', 'g')
5044 < Replace the ';' with a ':' or whatever separator is used. Note that
5045 this doesn't work when $INCL contains a comma or white space.
5047 *'preserveindent'* *'pi'* *'nopreserveindent'* *'nopi'*
5048 'preserveindent' 'pi' boolean (default off)
5049 local to buffer
5050 {not in Vi}
5051 When changing the indent of the current line, preserve as much of the
5052 indent structure as possible. Normally the indent is replaced by a
5053 series of tabs followed by spaces as required (unless |'expandtab'| is
5054 enabled, in which case only spaces are used). Enabling this option
5055 means the indent will preserve as many existing characters as possible
5056 for indenting, and only add additional tabs or spaces as required.
5057 NOTE: When using ">>" multiple times the resulting indent is a mix of
5058 tabs and spaces. You might not like this.
5059 NOTE: 'preserveindent' is reset when 'compatible' is set.
5060 Also see 'copyindent'.
5061 Use |:retab| to clean up white space.
5063 *'previewheight'* *'pvh'*
5064 'previewheight' 'pvh' number (default 12)
5065 global
5066 {not in Vi}
5067 {not available when compiled without the |+windows| or
5068 |+quickfix| feature}
5069 Default height for a preview window. Used for |:ptag| and associated
5070 commands. Used for |CTRL-W_}| when no count is given.
5072 *'previewwindow'* *'nopreviewwindow'*
5073 *'pvw'* *'nopvw'* *E590*
5074 'previewwindow' 'pvw' boolean (default off)
5075 local to window
5076 {not in Vi}
5077 {not available when compiled without the |+windows| or
5078 |+quickfix| feature}
5079 Identifies the preview window. Only one window can have this option
5080 set. It's normally not set directly, but by using one of the commands
5081 |:ptag|, |:pedit|, etc.
5083 *'printdevice'* *'pdev'*
5084 'printdevice' 'pdev' string (default empty)
5085 global
5086 {not in Vi}
5087 {only available when compiled with the |+printer|
5088 feature}
5089 The name of the printer to be used for |:hardcopy|.
5090 See |pdev-option|.
5091 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
5092 security reasons.
5094 *'printencoding'* *'penc'*
5095 'printencoding' 'penc' String (default empty, except for some systems)
5096 global
5097 {not in Vi}
5098 {only available when compiled with the |+printer|
5099 and |+postscript| features}
5100 Sets the character encoding used when printing.
5101 See |penc-option|.
5103 *'printexpr'* *'pexpr'*
5104 'printexpr' 'pexpr' String (default: see below)
5105 global
5106 {not in Vi}
5107 {only available when compiled with the |+printer|
5108 and |+postscript| features}
5109 Expression used to print the PostScript produced with |:hardcopy|.
5110 See |pexpr-option|.
5112 *'printfont'* *'pfn'*
5113 'printfont' 'pfn' string (default "courier")
5114 global
5115 {not in Vi}
5116 {only available when compiled with the |+printer|
5117 feature}
5118 The name of the font that will be used for |:hardcopy|.
5119 See |pfn-option|.
5121 *'printheader'* *'pheader'*
5122 'printheader' 'pheader' string (default "%<%f%h%m%=Page %N")
5123 global
5124 {not in Vi}
5125 {only available when compiled with the |+printer|
5126 feature}
5127 The format of the header produced in |:hardcopy| output.
5128 See |pheader-option|.
5130 *'printmbcharset'* *'pmbcs'*
5131 'printmbcharset' 'pmbcs' string (default "")
5132 global
5133 {not in Vi}
5134 {only available when compiled with the |+printer|,
5135 |+postscript| and |+multi_byte| features}
5136 The CJK character set to be used for CJK output from |:hardcopy|.
5137 See |pmbcs-option|.
5139 *'printmbfont'* *'pmbfn'*
5140 'printmbfont' 'pmbfn' string (default "")
5141 global
5142 {not in Vi}
5143 {only available when compiled with the |+printer|,
5144 |+postscript| and |+multi_byte| features}
5145 List of font names to be used for CJK output from |:hardcopy|.
5146 See |pmbfn-option|.
5148 *'printoptions'* *'popt'*
5149 'printoptions' 'popt' string (default "")
5150 global
5151 {not in Vi}
5152 {only available when compiled with |+printer| feature}
5153 List of items that control the format of the output of |:hardcopy|.
5154 See |popt-option|.
5156 *'prompt'* *'noprompt'*
5157 'prompt' boolean (default on)
5158 global
5159 When on a ":" prompt is used in Ex mode.
5161 *'pumheight'* *'ph'*
5162 'pumheight' 'ph' number (default 0)
5163 global
5164 {not available when compiled without the
5165 |+insert_expand| feature}
5166 {not in Vi}
5167 Determines the maximum number of items to show in the popup menu for
5168 Insert mode completion. When zero as much space as available is used.
5169 |ins-completion-menu|.
5172 *'quoteescape'* *'qe'*
5173 'quoteescape' 'qe' string (default "\")
5174 local to buffer
5175 {not in Vi}
5176 The characters that are used to escape quotes in a string. Used for
5177 objects like a', a" and a` |a'|.
5178 When one of the characters in this option is found inside a string,
5179 the following character will be skipped. The default value makes the
5180 text "foo\"bar\\" considered to be one string.
5182 *'readonly'* *'ro'* *'noreadonly'* *'noro'*
5183 'readonly' 'ro' boolean (default off)
5184 local to buffer
5185 If on, writes fail unless you use a '!'. Protects you from
5186 accidentally overwriting a file. Default on when Vim is started
5187 in read-only mode ("vim -R") or when the executable is called "view".
5188 When using ":w!" the 'readonly' option is reset for the current
5189 buffer, unless the 'Z' flag is in 'cpoptions'.
5190 {not in Vi:} When using the ":view" command the 'readonly' option is
5191 set for the newly edited buffer.
5193 *'redrawtime'* *'rdt'*
5194 'redrawtime' 'rdt' number (default 2000)
5195 global
5196 {not in Vi}
5197 {only available when compiled with the |+reltime|
5198 feature}
5199 The time in milliseconds for redrawing the display. This applies to
5200 searching for patterns for 'hlsearch' and |:match| highlighting.
5201 When redrawing takes more than this many milliseconds no further
5202 matches will be highlighted. This is used to avoid that Vim hangs
5203 when using a very complicated pattern.
5205 *'remap'* *'noremap'*
5206 'remap' boolean (default on)
5207 global
5208 Allows for mappings to work recursively. If you do not want this for
5209 a single entry, use the :noremap[!] command.
5210 NOTE: To avoid portability problems with Vim scripts, always keep
5211 this option at the default "on". Only switch it off when working with
5212 old Vi scripts.
5214 *'report'*
5215 'report' number (default 2)
5216 global
5217 Threshold for reporting number of lines changed. When the number of
5218 changed lines is more than 'report' a message will be given for most
5219 ":" commands. If you want it always, set 'report' to 0.
5220 For the ":substitute" command the number of substitutions is used
5221 instead of the number of lines.
5223 *'restorescreen'* *'rs'* *'norestorescreen'* *'nors'*
5224 'restorescreen' 'rs' boolean (default on)
5225 global
5226 {not in Vi} {only in Windows 95/NT console version}
5227 When set, the screen contents is restored when exiting Vim. This also
5228 happens when executing external commands.
5230 For non-Windows Vim: You can set or reset the 't_ti' and 't_te'
5231 options in your .vimrc. To disable restoring:
5232 set t_ti= t_te=
5233 To enable restoring (for an xterm):
5234 set t_ti=^[7^[[r^[[?47h t_te=^[[?47l^[8
5235 (Where ^[ is an <Esc>, type CTRL-V <Esc> to insert it)
5237 *'revins'* *'ri'* *'norevins'* *'nori'*
5238 'revins' 'ri' boolean (default off)
5239 global
5240 {not in Vi}
5241 {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft|
5242 feature}
5243 Inserting characters in Insert mode will work backwards. See "typing
5244 backwards" |ins-reverse|. This option can be toggled with the CTRL-_
5245 command in Insert mode, when 'allowrevins' is set.
5246 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' or 'paste' is set.
5248 *'rightleft'* *'rl'* *'norightleft'* *'norl'*
5249 'rightleft' 'rl' boolean (default off)
5250 local to window
5251 {not in Vi}
5252 {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft|
5253 feature}
5254 When on, display orientation becomes right-to-left, i.e., characters
5255 that are stored in the file appear from the right to the left.
5256 Using this option, it is possible to edit files for languages that
5257 are written from the right to the left such as Hebrew and Arabic.
5258 This option is per window, so it is possible to edit mixed files
5259 simultaneously, or to view the same file in both ways (this is
5260 useful whenever you have a mixed text file with both right-to-left
5261 and left-to-right strings so that both sets are displayed properly
5262 in different windows). Also see |rileft.txt|.
5264 *'rightleftcmd'* *'rlc'* *'norightleftcmd'* *'norlc'*
5265 'rightleftcmd' 'rlc' string (default "search")
5266 local to window
5267 {not in Vi}
5268 {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft|
5269 feature}
5270 Each word in this option enables the command line editing to work in
5271 right-to-left mode for a group of commands:
5273 search "/" and "?" commands
5275 This is useful for languages such as Hebrew, Arabic and Farsi.
5276 The 'rightleft' option must be set for 'rightleftcmd' to take effect.
5278 *'ruler'* *'ru'* *'noruler'* *'noru'*
5279 'ruler' 'ru' boolean (default off)
5280 global
5281 {not in Vi}
5282 {not available when compiled without the
5283 |+cmdline_info| feature}
5284 Show the line and column number of the cursor position, separated by a
5285 comma. When there is room, the relative position of the displayed
5286 text in the file is shown on the far right:
5287 Top first line is visible
5288 Bot last line is visible
5289 All first and last line are visible
5290 45% relative position in the file
5291 If 'rulerformat' is set, it will determine the contents of the ruler.
5292 Each window has its own ruler. If a window has a status line, the
5293 ruler is shown there. Otherwise it is shown in the last line of the
5294 screen. If the statusline is given by 'statusline' (i.e. not empty),
5295 this option takes precedence over 'ruler' and 'rulerformat'
5296 If the number of characters displayed is different from the number of
5297 bytes in the text (e.g., for a TAB or a multi-byte character), both
5298 the text column (byte number) and the screen column are shown,
5299 separated with a dash.
5300 For an empty line "0-1" is shown.
5301 For an empty buffer the line number will also be zero: "0,0-1".
5302 This option is reset when the 'paste' option is set.
5303 If you don't want to see the ruler all the time but want to know where
5304 you are, use "g CTRL-G" |g_CTRL-G|.
5305 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
5307 *'rulerformat'* *'ruf'*
5308 'rulerformat' 'ruf' string (default empty)
5309 global
5310 {not in Vi}
5311 {not available when compiled without the |+statusline|
5312 feature}
5313 When this option is not empty, it determines the content of the ruler
5314 string, as displayed for the 'ruler' option.
5315 The format of this option is like that of 'statusline'.
5316 The default ruler width is 17 characters. To make the ruler 15
5317 characters wide, put "%15(" at the start and "%)" at the end.
5318 Example: >
5319 :set rulerformat=%15(%c%V\ %p%%%)
5320 <
5321 *'runtimepath'* *'rtp'* *vimfiles*
5322 'runtimepath' 'rtp' string (default:
5323 Unix: "$HOME/.vim,
5324 $VIM/vimfiles,
5325 $VIMRUNTIME,
5326 $VIM/vimfiles/after,
5327 $HOME/.vim/after"
5328 Amiga: "home:vimfiles,
5329 $VIM/vimfiles,
5330 $VIMRUNTIME,
5331 $VIM/vimfiles/after,
5332 home:vimfiles/after"
5333 PC, OS/2: "$HOME/vimfiles,
5334 $VIM/vimfiles,
5335 $VIMRUNTIME,
5336 $VIM/vimfiles/after,
5337 $HOME/vimfiles/after"
5338 Macintosh: "$VIM:vimfiles,
5339 $VIMRUNTIME,
5340 $VIM:vimfiles:after"
5341 RISC-OS: "Choices:vimfiles,
5342 $VIMRUNTIME,
5343 Choices:vimfiles/after"
5344 VMS: "sys$login:vimfiles,
5345 $VIM/vimfiles,
5346 $VIMRUNTIME,
5347 $VIM/vimfiles/after,
5348 sys$login:vimfiles/after")
5349 global
5350 {not in Vi}
5351 This is a list of directories which will be searched for runtime
5352 files:
5353 filetype.vim filetypes by file name |new-filetype|
5354 scripts.vim filetypes by file contents |new-filetype-scripts|
5355 autoload/ automatically loaded scripts |autoload-functions|
5356 colors/ color scheme files |:colorscheme|
5357 compiler/ compiler files |:compiler|
5358 doc/ documentation |write-local-help|
5359 ftplugin/ filetype plugins |write-filetype-plugin|
5360 indent/ indent scripts |indent-expression|
5361 keymap/ key mapping files |mbyte-keymap|
5362 lang/ menu translations |:menutrans|
5363 menu.vim GUI menus |menu.vim|
5364 plugin/ plugin scripts |write-plugin|
5365 print/ files for printing |postscript-print-encoding|
5366 spell/ spell checking files |spell|
5367 syntax/ syntax files |mysyntaxfile|
5368 tutor/ files for vimtutor |tutor|
5370 And any other file searched for with the |:runtime| command.
5372 The defaults for most systems are setup to search five locations:
5373 1. In your home directory, for your personal preferences.
5374 2. In a system-wide Vim directory, for preferences from the system
5375 administrator.
5376 3. In $VIMRUNTIME, for files distributed with Vim.
5377 *after-directory*
5378 4. In the "after" directory in the system-wide Vim directory. This is
5379 for the system administrator to overrule or add to the distributed
5380 defaults (rarely needed)
5381 5. In the "after" directory in your home directory. This is for
5382 personal preferences to overrule or add to the distributed defaults
5383 or system-wide settings (rarely needed).
5385 Note that, unlike 'path', no wildcards like "**" are allowed. Normal
5386 wildcards are allowed, but can significantly slow down searching for
5387 runtime files. For speed, use as few items as possible and avoid
5388 wildcards.
5389 See |:runtime|.
5390 Example: >
5391 :set runtimepath=~/vimruntime,/mygroup/vim,$VIMRUNTIME
5392 < This will use the directory "~/vimruntime" first (containing your
5393 personal Vim runtime files), then "/mygroup/vim" (shared between a
5394 group of people) and finally "$VIMRUNTIME" (the distributed runtime
5395 files).
5396 You probably should always include $VIMRUNTIME somewhere, to use the
5397 distributed runtime files. You can put a directory before $VIMRUNTIME
5398 to find files which replace a distributed runtime files. You can put
5399 a directory after $VIMRUNTIME to find files which add to distributed
5400 runtime files.
5401 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
5402 security reasons.
5404 *'scroll'* *'scr'*
5405 'scroll' 'scr' number (default: half the window height)
5406 local to window
5407 Number of lines to scroll with CTRL-U and CTRL-D commands. Will be
5408 set to half the number of lines in the window when the window size
5409 changes. If you give a count to the CTRL-U or CTRL-D command it will
5410 be used as the new value for 'scroll'. Reset to half the window
5411 height with ":set scroll=0". {Vi is a bit different: 'scroll' gives
5412 the number of screen lines instead of file lines, makes a difference
5413 when lines wrap}
5415 *'scrollbind'* *'scb'* *'noscrollbind'* *'noscb'*
5416 'scrollbind' 'scb' boolean (default off)
5417 local to window
5418 {not in Vi}
5419 {not available when compiled without the |+scrollbind|
5420 feature}
5421 See also |scroll-binding|. When this option is set, the current
5422 window scrolls as other scrollbind windows (windows that also have
5423 this option set) scroll. This option is useful for viewing the
5424 differences between two versions of a file, see 'diff'.
5425 See |'scrollopt'| for options that determine how this option should be
5426 interpreted.
5427 This option is mostly reset when splitting a window to edit another
5428 file. This means that ":split | edit file" results in two windows
5429 with scroll-binding, but ":split file" does not.
5431 *'scrolljump'* *'sj'*
5432 'scrolljump' 'sj' number (default 1)
5433 global
5434 {not in Vi}
5435 Minimal number of lines to scroll when the cursor gets off the
5436 screen (e.g., with "j"). Not used for scroll commands (e.g., CTRL-E,
5437 CTRL-D). Useful if your terminal scrolls very slowly.
5438 When set to a negative number from -1 to -100 this is used as the
5439 percentage of the window height. Thus -50 scrolls half the window
5440 height.
5441 NOTE: This option is set to 1 when 'compatible' is set.
5443 *'scrolloff'* *'so'*
5444 'scrolloff' 'so' number (default 0)
5445 global
5446 {not in Vi}
5447 Minimal number of screen lines to keep above and below the cursor.
5448 This will make some context visible around where you are working. If
5449 you set it to a very large value (999) the cursor line will always be
5450 in the middle of the window (except at the start or end of the file or
5451 when long lines wrap).
5452 For scrolling horizontally see 'sidescrolloff'.
5453 NOTE: This option is set to 0 when 'compatible' is set.
5455 *'scrollopt'* *'sbo'*
5456 'scrollopt' 'sbo' string (default "ver,jump")
5457 global
5458 {not available when compiled without the |+scrollbind|
5459 feature}
5460 {not in Vi}
5461 This is a comma-separated list of words that specifies how
5462 'scrollbind' windows should behave. 'sbo' stands for ScrollBind
5463 Options.
5464 The following words are available:
5465 ver Bind vertical scrolling for 'scrollbind' windows
5466 hor Bind horizontal scrolling for 'scrollbind' windows
5467 jump Applies to the offset between two windows for vertical
5468 scrolling. This offset is the difference in the first
5469 displayed line of the bound windows. When moving
5470 around in a window, another 'scrollbind' window may
5471 reach a position before the start or after the end of
5472 the buffer. The offset is not changed though, when
5473 moving back the 'scrollbind' window will try to scroll
5474 to the desired position when possible.
5475 When now making that window the current one, two
5476 things can be done with the relative offset:
5477 1. When "jump" is not included, the relative offset is
5478 adjusted for the scroll position in the new current
5479 window. When going back to the other window, the
5480 new relative offset will be used.
5481 2. When "jump" is included, the other windows are
5482 scrolled to keep the same relative offset. When
5483 going back to the other window, it still uses the
5484 same relative offset.
5485 Also see |scroll-binding|.
5486 When 'diff' mode is active there always is vertical scroll binding,
5487 even when "ver" isn't there.
5489 *'sections'* *'sect'*
5490 'sections' 'sect' string (default "SHNHH HUnhsh")
5491 global
5492 Specifies the nroff macros that separate sections. These are pairs of
5493 two letters (See |object-motions|). The default makes a section start
5494 at the nroff macros ".SH", ".NH", ".H", ".HU", ".nh" and ".sh".
5496 *'secure'* *'nosecure'* *E523*
5497 'secure' boolean (default off)
5498 global
5499 {not in Vi}
5500 When on, ":autocmd", shell and write commands are not allowed in
5501 ".vimrc" and ".exrc" in the current directory and map commands are
5502 displayed. Switch it off only if you know that you will not run into
5503 problems, or when the 'exrc' option is off. On Unix this option is
5504 only used if the ".vimrc" or ".exrc" is not owned by you. This can be
5505 dangerous if the systems allows users to do a "chown". You better set
5506 'secure' at the end of your ~/.vimrc then.
5507 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
5508 security reasons.
5510 *'selection'* *'sel'*
5511 'selection' 'sel' string (default "inclusive")
5512 global
5513 {not in Vi}
5514 This option defines the behavior of the selection. It is only used
5515 in Visual and Select mode.
5516 Possible values:
5517 value past line inclusive ~
5518 old no yes
5519 inclusive yes yes
5520 exclusive yes no
5521 "past line" means that the cursor is allowed to be positioned one
5522 character past the line.
5523 "inclusive" means that the last character of the selection is included
5524 in an operation. For example, when "x" is used to delete the
5525 selection.
5526 Note that when "exclusive" is used and selecting from the end
5527 backwards, you cannot include the last character of a line, when
5528 starting in Normal mode and 'virtualedit' empty.
5530 The 'selection' option is set by the |:behave| command.
5532 *'selectmode'* *'slm'*
5533 'selectmode' 'slm' string (default "")
5534 global
5535 {not in Vi}
5536 This is a comma separated list of words, which specifies when to start
5537 Select mode instead of Visual mode, when a selection is started.
5538 Possible values:
5539 mouse when using the mouse
5540 key when using shifted special keys
5541 cmd when using "v", "V" or CTRL-V
5542 See |Select-mode|.
5543 The 'selectmode' option is set by the |:behave| command.
5545 *'sessionoptions'* *'ssop'*
5546 'sessionoptions' 'ssop' string (default: "blank,buffers,curdir,folds,
5547 help,options,tabpages,winsize")
5548 global
5549 {not in Vi}
5550 {not available when compiled without the +mksession
5551 feature}
5552 Changes the effect of the |:mksession| command. It is a comma
5553 separated list of words. Each word enables saving and restoring
5554 something:
5555 word save and restore ~
5556 blank empty windows
5557 buffers hidden and unloaded buffers, not just those in windows
5558 curdir the current directory
5559 folds manually created folds, opened/closed folds and local
5560 fold options
5561 globals global variables that start with an uppercase letter
5562 and contain at least one lowercase letter. Only
5563 String and Number types are stored.
5564 help the help window
5565 localoptions options and mappings local to a window or buffer (not
5566 global values for local options)
5567 options all options and mappings (also global values for local
5568 options)
5569 resize size of the Vim window: 'lines' and 'columns'
5570 sesdir the directory in which the session file is located
5571 will become the current directory (useful with
5572 projects accessed over a network from different
5573 systems)
5574 slash backslashes in file names replaced with forward
5575 slashes
5576 tabpages all tab pages; without this only the current tab page
5577 is restored, so that you can make a session for each
5578 tab page separately
5579 unix with Unix end-of-line format (single <NL>), even when
5580 on Windows or DOS
5581 winpos position of the whole Vim window
5582 winsize window sizes
5584 Don't include both "curdir" and "sesdir".
5585 When "curdir" nor "sesdir" is included, file names are stored with
5586 absolute paths.
5587 "slash" and "unix" are useful on Windows when sharing session files
5588 with Unix. The Unix version of Vim cannot source dos format scripts,
5589 but the Windows version of Vim can source unix format scripts.
5591 *'shell'* *'sh'* *E91*
5592 'shell' 'sh' string (default $SHELL or "sh",
5593 MS-DOS and Win32: "command.com" or
5594 "cmd.exe", OS/2: "cmd")
5595 global
5596 Name of the shell to use for ! and :! commands. When changing the
5597 value also check these options: 'shelltype', 'shellpipe', 'shellslash'
5598 'shellredir', 'shellquote', 'shellxquote' and 'shellcmdflag'.
5599 It is allowed to give an argument to the command, e.g. "csh -f".
5600 See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes.
5601 Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|.
5602 If the name of the shell contains a space, you might need to enclose
5603 it in quotes. Example: >
5604 :set shell=\"c:\program\ files\unix\sh.exe\"\ -f
5605 < Note the backslash before each quote (to avoid starting a comment) and
5606 each space (to avoid ending the option value). Also note that the
5607 "-f" is not inside the quotes, because it is not part of the command
5608 name. And Vim automagically recognizes the backslashes that are path
5609 separators.
5610 For Dos 32 bits (DJGPP), you can set the $DJSYSFLAGS environment
5611 variable to change the way external commands are executed. See the
5612 libc.inf file of DJGPP.
5613 Under MS-Windows, when the executable ends in ".com" it must be
5614 included. Thus setting the shell to "command.com" or "4dos.com"
5615 works, but "command" and "4dos" do not work for all commands (e.g.,
5616 filtering).
5617 For unknown reasons, when using "4dos.com" the current directory is
5618 changed to "C:\". To avoid this set 'shell' like this: >
5619 :set shell=command.com\ /c\ 4dos
5620 < This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
5621 security reasons.
5623 *'shellcmdflag'* *'shcf'*
5624 'shellcmdflag' 'shcf' string (default: "-c", MS-DOS and Win32, when 'shell'
5625 does not contain "sh" somewhere: "/c")
5626 global
5627 {not in Vi}
5628 Flag passed to the shell to execute "!" and ":!" commands; e.g.,
5629 "bash.exe -c ls" or "command.com /c dir". For the MS-DOS-like
5630 systems, the default is set according to the value of 'shell', to
5631 reduce the need to set this option by the user. It's not used for
5632 OS/2 (EMX figures this out itself). See |option-backslash| about
5633 including spaces and backslashes. See |dos-shell|.
5634 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
5635 security reasons.
5637 *'shellpipe'* *'sp'*
5638 'shellpipe' 'sp' string (default ">", "| tee", "|& tee" or "2>&1| tee")
5639 global
5640 {not in Vi}
5641 {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix|
5642 feature}
5643 String to be used to put the output of the ":make" command in the
5644 error file. See also |:make_makeprg|. See |option-backslash| about
5645 including spaces and backslashes.
5646 The name of the temporary file can be represented by "%s" if necessary
5647 (the file name is appended automatically if no %s appears in the value
5648 of this option).
5649 For the Amiga and MS-DOS the default is ">". The output is directly
5650 saved in a file and not echoed to the screen.
5651 For Unix the default it "| tee". The stdout of the compiler is saved
5652 in a file and echoed to the screen. If the 'shell' option is "csh" or
5653 "tcsh" after initializations, the default becomes "|& tee". If the
5654 'shell' option is "sh", "ksh", "zsh" or "bash" the default becomes
5655 "2>&1| tee". This means that stderr is also included.
5656 The initialization of this option is done after reading the ".vimrc"
5657 and the other initializations, so that when the 'shell' option is set
5658 there, the 'shellpipe' option changes automatically, unless it was
5659 explicitly set before.
5660 When 'shellpipe' is set to an empty string, no redirection of the
5661 ":make" output will be done. This is useful if you use a 'makeprg'
5662 that writes to 'makeef' by itself. If you want no piping, but do
5663 want to include the 'makeef', set 'shellpipe' to a single space.
5664 Don't forget to precede the space with a backslash: ":set sp=\ ".
5665 In the future pipes may be used for filtering and this option will
5666 become obsolete (at least for Unix).
5667 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
5668 security reasons.
5670 *'shellquote'* *'shq'*
5671 'shellquote' 'shq' string (default: ""; MS-DOS and Win32, when 'shell'
5672 contains "sh" somewhere: "\"")
5673 global
5674 {not in Vi}
5675 Quoting character(s), put around the command passed to the shell, for
5676 the "!" and ":!" commands. The redirection is kept outside of the
5677 quoting. See 'shellxquote' to include the redirection. It's
5678 probably not useful to set both options.
5679 This is an empty string by default. Only known to be useful for
5680 third-party shells on MS-DOS-like systems, such as the MKS Korn Shell
5681 or bash, where it should be "\"". The default is adjusted according
5682 the value of 'shell', to reduce the need to set this option by the
5683 user. See |dos-shell|.
5684 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
5685 security reasons.
5687 *'shellredir'* *'srr'*
5688 'shellredir' 'srr' string (default ">", ">&" or ">%s 2>&1")
5689 global
5690 {not in Vi}
5691 String to be used to put the output of a filter command in a temporary
5692 file. See also |:!|. See |option-backslash| about including spaces
5693 and backslashes.
5694 The name of the temporary file can be represented by "%s" if necessary
5695 (the file name is appended automatically if no %s appears in the value
5696 of this option).
5697 The default is ">". For Unix, if the 'shell' option is "csh", "tcsh"
5698 or "zsh" during initializations, the default becomes ">&". If the
5699 'shell' option is "sh", "ksh" or "bash" the default becomes
5700 ">%s 2>&1". This means that stderr is also included.
5701 For Win32, the Unix checks are done and additionally "cmd" is checked
5702 for, which makes the default ">%s 2>&1". Also, the same names with
5703 ".exe" appended are checked for.
5704 The initialization of this option is done after reading the ".vimrc"
5705 and the other initializations, so that when the 'shell' option is set
5706 there, the 'shellredir' option changes automatically unless it was
5707 explicitly set before.
5708 In the future pipes may be used for filtering and this option will
5709 become obsolete (at least for Unix).
5710 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
5711 security reasons.
5713 *'shellslash'* *'ssl'* *'noshellslash'* *'nossl'*
5714 'shellslash' 'ssl' boolean (default off)
5715 global
5716 {not in Vi} {only for MSDOS, MS-Windows and OS/2}
5717 When set, a forward slash is used when expanding file names. This is
5718 useful when a Unix-like shell is used instead of command.com or
5719 cmd.exe. Backward slashes can still be typed, but they are changed to
5720 forward slashes by Vim.
5721 Note that setting or resetting this option has no effect for some
5722 existing file names, thus this option needs to be set before opening
5723 any file for best results. This might change in the future.
5724 'shellslash' only works when a backslash can be used as a path
5725 separator. To test if this is so use: >
5726 if exists('+shellslash')
5727 <
5728 *'shelltemp'* *'stmp'* *'noshelltemp'* *'nostmp'*
5729 'shelltemp' 'stmp' boolean (Vi default off, Vim default on)
5730 global
5731 {not in Vi}
5732 When on, use temp files for shell commands. When off use a pipe.
5733 When using a pipe is not possible temp files are used anyway.
5734 Currently a pipe is only supported on Unix. You can check it with: >
5735 :if has("filterpipe")
5736 < The advantage of using a pipe is that nobody can read the temp file
5737 and the 'shell' command does not need to support redirection.
5738 The advantage of using a temp file is that the file type and encoding
5739 can be detected.
5740 The |FilterReadPre|, |FilterReadPost| and |FilterWritePre|,
5741 |FilterWritePost| autocommands event are not triggered when
5742 'shelltemp' is off.
5744 *'shelltype'* *'st'*
5745 'shelltype' 'st' number (default 0)
5746 global
5747 {not in Vi} {only for the Amiga}
5748 On the Amiga this option influences the way how the commands work
5749 which use a shell.
5750 0 and 1: always use the shell
5751 2 and 3: use the shell only to filter lines
5752 4 and 5: use shell only for ':sh' command
5753 When not using the shell, the command is executed directly.
5755 0 and 2: use "shell 'shellcmdflag' cmd" to start external commands
5756 1 and 3: use "shell cmd" to start external commands
5758 *'shellxquote'* *'sxq'*
5759 'shellxquote' 'sxq' string (default: "";
5760 for Win32, when 'shell' contains "sh"
5761 somewhere: "\""
5762 for Unix, when using system(): "\"")
5763 global
5764 {not in Vi}
5765 Quoting character(s), put around the command passed to the shell, for
5766 the "!" and ":!" commands. Includes the redirection. See
5767 'shellquote' to exclude the redirection. It's probably not useful
5768 to set both options.
5769 This is an empty string by default. Known to be useful for
5770 third-party shells when using the Win32 version, such as the MKS Korn
5771 Shell or bash, where it should be "\"". The default is adjusted
5772 according the value of 'shell', to reduce the need to set this option
5773 by the user. See |dos-shell|.
5774 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
5775 security reasons.
5777 *'shiftround'* *'sr'* *'noshiftround'* *'nosr'*
5778 'shiftround' 'sr' boolean (default off)
5779 global
5780 {not in Vi}
5781 Round indent to multiple of 'shiftwidth'. Applies to > and <
5782 commands. CTRL-T and CTRL-D in Insert mode always round the indent to
5783 a multiple of 'shiftwidth' (this is Vi compatible).
5784 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
5786 *'shiftwidth'* *'sw'*
5787 'shiftwidth' 'sw' number (default 8)
5788 local to buffer
5789 Number of spaces to use for each step of (auto)indent. Used for
5790 |'cindent'|, |>>|, |<<|, etc.
5792 *'shortmess'* *'shm'*
5793 'shortmess' 'shm' string (Vim default "filnxtToO", Vi default: "",
5794 POSIX default: "A")
5795 global
5796 {not in Vi}
5797 This option helps to avoid all the |hit-enter| prompts caused by file
5798 messages, for example with CTRL-G, and to avoid some other messages.
5799 It is a list of flags:
5800 flag meaning when present ~
5801 f use "(3 of 5)" instead of "(file 3 of 5)"
5802 i use "[noeol]" instead of "[Incomplete last line]"
5803 l use "999L, 888C" instead of "999 lines, 888 characters"
5804 m use "[+]" instead of "[Modified]"
5805 n use "[New]" instead of "[New File]"
5806 r use "[RO]" instead of "[readonly]"
5807 w use "[w]" instead of "written" for file write message
5808 and "[a]" instead of "appended" for ':w >> file' command
5809 x use "[dos]" instead of "[dos format]", "[unix]" instead of
5810 "[unix format]" and "[mac]" instead of "[mac format]".
5811 a all of the above abbreviations
5813 o overwrite message for writing a file with subsequent message
5814 for reading a file (useful for ":wn" or when 'autowrite' on)
5815 O message for reading a file overwrites any previous message.
5816 Also for quickfix message (e.g., ":cn").
5817 s don't give "search hit BOTTOM, continuing at TOP" or "search
5818 hit TOP, continuing at BOTTOM" messages
5819 t truncate file message at the start if it is too long to fit
5820 on the command-line, "<" will appear in the left most column.
5821 Ignored in Ex mode.
5822 T truncate other messages in the middle if they are too long to
5823 fit on the command line. "..." will appear in the middle.
5824 Ignored in Ex mode.
5825 W don't give "written" or "[w]" when writing a file
5826 A don't give the "ATTENTION" message when an existing swap file
5827 is found.
5828 I don't give the intro message when starting Vim |:intro|.
5830 This gives you the opportunity to avoid that a change between buffers
5831 requires you to hit <Enter>, but still gives as useful a message as
5832 possible for the space available. To get the whole message that you
5833 would have got with 'shm' empty, use ":file!"
5834 Useful values:
5835 shm= No abbreviation of message.
5836 shm=a Abbreviation, but no loss of information.
5837 shm=at Abbreviation, and truncate message when necessary.
5839 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
5840 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
5842 *'shortname'* *'sn'* *'noshortname'* *'nosn'*
5843 'shortname' 'sn' boolean (default off)
5844 local to buffer
5845 {not in Vi, not in MS-DOS versions}
5846 Filenames are assumed to be 8 characters plus one extension of 3
5847 characters. Multiple dots in file names are not allowed. When this
5848 option is on, dots in file names are replaced with underscores when
5849 adding an extension (".~" or ".swp"). This option is not available
5850 for MS-DOS, because then it would always be on. This option is useful
5851 when editing files on an MS-DOS compatible filesystem, e.g., messydos
5852 or crossdos. When running the Win32 GUI version under Win32s, this
5853 option is always on by default.
5855 *'showbreak'* *'sbr'* *E595*
5856 'showbreak' 'sbr' string (default "")
5857 global
5858 {not in Vi}
5859 {not available when compiled without the |+linebreak|
5860 feature}
5861 String to put at the start of lines that have been wrapped. Useful
5862 values are "> " or "+++ ".
5863 Only printable single-cell characters are allowed, excluding <Tab> and
5864 comma (in a future version the comma might be used to separate the
5865 part that is shown at the end and at the start of a line).
5866 The characters are highlighted according to the '@' flag in
5867 'highlight'.
5868 Note that tabs after the showbreak will be displayed differently.
5869 If you want the 'showbreak' to appear in between line numbers, add the
5870 "n" flag to 'cpoptions'.
5872 *'showcmd'* *'sc'* *'noshowcmd'* *'nosc'*
5873 'showcmd' 'sc' boolean (Vim default: on, off for Unix, Vi default:
5874 off)
5875 global
5876 {not in Vi}
5877 {not available when compiled without the
5878 |+cmdline_info| feature}
5879 Show (partial) command in the last line of the screen. Set this
5880 option off if your terminal is slow.
5881 In Visual mode the size of the selected area is shown:
5882 - When selecting characters within a line, the number of characters.
5883 - When selecting more than one line, the number of lines.
5884 - When selecting a block, the size in screen characters: linesxcolumns.
5885 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
5886 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
5888 *'showfulltag'* *'sft'* *'noshowfulltag'* *'nosft'*
5889 'showfulltag' 'sft' boolean (default off)
5890 global
5891 {not in Vi}
5892 When completing a word in insert mode (see |ins-completion|) from the
5893 tags file, show both the tag name and a tidied-up form of the search
5894 pattern (if there is one) as possible matches. Thus, if you have
5895 matched a C function, you can see a template for what arguments are
5896 required (coding style permitting).
5898 *'showmatch'* *'sm'* *'noshowmatch'* *'nosm'*
5899 'showmatch' 'sm' boolean (default off)
5900 global
5901 When a bracket is inserted, briefly jump to the matching one. The
5902 jump is only done if the match can be seen on the screen. The time to
5903 show the match can be set with 'matchtime'.
5904 A Beep is given if there is no match (no matter if the match can be
5905 seen or not). This option is reset when the 'paste' option is set.
5906 When the 'm' flag is not included in 'cpoptions', typing a character
5907 will immediately move the cursor back to where it belongs.
5908 See the "sm" field in 'guicursor' for setting the cursor shape and
5909 blinking when showing the match.
5910 The 'matchpairs' option can be used to specify the characters to show
5911 matches for. 'rightleft' and 'revins' are used to look for opposite
5912 matches.
5913 Also see the matchparen plugin for highlighting the match when moving
5914 around |pi_paren.txt|.
5915 Note: Use of the short form is rated PG.
5917 *'showmode'* *'smd'* *'noshowmode'* *'nosmd'*
5918 'showmode' 'smd' boolean (Vim default: on, Vi default: off)
5919 global
5920 If in Insert, Replace or Visual mode put a message on the last line.
5921 Use the 'M' flag in 'highlight' to set the type of highlighting for
5922 this message.
5923 When |XIM| may be used the message will include "XIM". But this
5924 doesn't mean XIM is really active, especially when 'imactivatekey' is
5925 not set.
5926 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
5927 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
5929 *'showtabline'* *'stal'*
5930 'showtabline' 'stal' number (default 1)
5931 global
5932 {not in Vi}
5933 {not available when compiled without the +windows
5934 feature}
5935 The value of this option specifies when the line with tab page labels
5936 will be displayed:
5937 0: never
5938 1: only if there are at least two tab pages
5939 2: always
5940 This is both for the GUI and non-GUI implementation of the tab pages
5941 line.
5942 See |tab-page| for more information about tab pages.
5944 *'sidescroll'* *'ss'*
5945 'sidescroll' 'ss' number (default 0)
5946 global
5947 {not in Vi}
5948 The minimal number of columns to scroll horizontally. Used only when
5949 the 'wrap' option is off and the cursor is moved off of the screen.
5950 When it is zero the cursor will be put in the middle of the screen.
5951 When using a slow terminal set it to a large number or 0. When using
5952 a fast terminal use a small number or 1. Not used for "zh" and "zl"
5953 commands.
5955 *'sidescrolloff'* *'siso'*
5956 'sidescrolloff' 'siso' number (default 0)
5957 global
5958 {not in Vi}
5959 The minimal number of screen columns to keep to the left and to the
5960 right of the cursor if 'nowrap' is set. Setting this option to a
5961 value greater than 0 while having |'sidescroll'| also at a non-zero
5962 value makes some context visible in the line you are scrolling in
5963 horizontally (except at beginning of the line). Setting this option
5964 to a large value (like 999) has the effect of keeping the cursor
5965 horizontally centered in the window, as long as one does not come too
5966 close to the beginning of the line.
5967 NOTE: This option is set to 0 when 'compatible' is set.
5969 Example: Try this together with 'sidescroll' and 'listchars' as
5970 in the following example to never allow the cursor to move
5971 onto the "extends" character:
5973 :set nowrap sidescroll=1 listchars=extends:>,precedes:<
5974 :set sidescrolloff=1
5977 *'smartcase'* *'scs'* *'nosmartcase'* *'noscs'*
5978 'smartcase' 'scs' boolean (default off)
5979 global
5980 {not in Vi}
5981 Override the 'ignorecase' option if the search pattern contains upper
5982 case characters. Only used when the search pattern is typed and
5983 'ignorecase' option is on. Used for the commands "/", "?", "n", "N",
5984 ":g" and ":s". Not used for "*", "#", "gd", tag search, etc.. After
5985 "*" and "#" you can make 'smartcase' used by doing a "/" command,
5986 recalling the search pattern from history and hitting <Enter>.
5987 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
5989 *'smartindent'* *'si'* *'nosmartindent'* *'nosi'*
5990 'smartindent' 'si' boolean (default off)
5991 local to buffer
5992 {not in Vi}
5993 {not available when compiled without the
5994 |+smartindent| feature}
5995 Do smart autoindenting when starting a new line. Works for C-like
5996 programs, but can also be used for other languages. 'cindent' does
5997 something like this, works better in most cases, but is more strict,
5998 see |C-indenting|. When 'cindent' is on, setting 'si' has no effect.
5999 'indentexpr' is a more advanced alternative.
6000 Normally 'autoindent' should also be on when using 'smartindent'.
6001 An indent is automatically inserted:
6002 - After a line ending in '{'.
6003 - After a line starting with a keyword from 'cinwords'.
6004 - Before a line starting with '}' (only with the "O" command).
6005 When typing '}' as the first character in a new line, that line is
6006 given the same indent as the matching '{'.
6007 When typing '#' as the first character in a new line, the indent for
6008 that line is removed, the '#' is put in the first column. The indent
6009 is restored for the next line. If you don't want this, use this
6010 mapping: ":inoremap # X^H#", where ^H is entered with CTRL-V CTRL-H.
6011 When using the ">>" command, lines starting with '#' are not shifted
6012 right.
6013 NOTE: 'smartindent' is reset when 'compatible' is set. When 'paste'
6014 is set smart indenting is disabled.
6016 *'smarttab'* *'sta'* *'nosmarttab'* *'nosta'*
6017 'smarttab' 'sta' boolean (default off)
6018 global
6019 {not in Vi}
6020 When on, a <Tab> in front of a line inserts blanks according to
6021 'shiftwidth'. 'tabstop' or 'softtabstop' is used in other places. A
6022 <BS> will delete a 'shiftwidth' worth of space at the start of the
6023 line.
6024 When off, a <Tab> always inserts blanks according to 'tabstop' or
6025 'softtabstop'. 'shiftwidth' is only used for shifting text left or
6026 right |shift-left-right|.
6027 What gets inserted (a <Tab> or spaces) depends on the 'expandtab'
6028 option. Also see |ins-expandtab|. When 'expandtab' is not set, the
6029 number of spaces is minimized by using <Tab>s.
6030 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
6032 *'softtabstop'* *'sts'*
6033 'softtabstop' 'sts' number (default 0)
6034 local to buffer
6035 {not in Vi}
6036 Number of spaces that a <Tab> counts for while performing editing
6037 operations, like inserting a <Tab> or using <BS>. It "feels" like
6038 <Tab>s are being inserted, while in fact a mix of spaces and <Tab>s is
6039 used. This is useful to keep the 'ts' setting at its standard value
6040 of 8, while being able to edit like it is set to 'sts'. However,
6041 commands like "x" still work on the actual characters.
6042 When 'sts' is zero, this feature is off.
6043 'softtabstop' is set to 0 when the 'paste' option is set.
6044 See also |ins-expandtab|. When 'expandtab' is not set, the number of
6045 spaces is minimized by using <Tab>s.
6046 The 'L' flag in 'cpoptions' changes how tabs are used when 'list' is
6047 set.
6048 NOTE: This option is set to 0 when 'compatible' is set.
6050 *'spell'* *'nospell'*
6051 'spell' boolean (default off)
6052 local to window
6053 {not in Vi}
6054 {not available when compiled without the |+syntax|
6055 feature}
6056 When on spell checking will be done. See |spell|.
6057 The languages are specified with 'spelllang'.
6059 *'spellcapcheck'* *'spc'*
6060 'spellcapcheck' 'spc' string (default "[.?!]\_[\])'" \t]\+")
6061 local to buffer
6062 {not in Vi}
6063 {not available when compiled without the |+syntax|
6064 feature}
6065 Pattern to locate the end of a sentence. The following word will be
6066 checked to start with a capital letter. If not then it is highlighted
6067 with SpellCap |hl-SpellCap| (unless the word is also badly spelled).
6068 When this check is not wanted make this option empty.
6069 Only used when 'spell' is set.
6070 Be careful with special characters, see |option-backslash| about
6071 including spaces and backslashes.
6072 To set this option automatically depending on the language, see
6073 |set-spc-auto|.
6075 *'spellfile'* *'spf'*
6076 'spellfile' 'spf' string (default empty)
6077 local to buffer
6078 {not in Vi}
6079 {not available when compiled without the |+syntax|
6080 feature}
6081 Name of the word list file where words are added for the |zg| and |zw|
6082 commands. It must end in ".{encoding}.add". You need to include the
6083 path, otherwise the file is placed in the current directory.
6084 *E765*
6085 It may also be a comma separated list of names. A count before the
6086 |zg| and |zw| commands can be used to access each. This allows using
6087 a personal word list file and a project word list file.
6088 When a word is added while this option is empty Vim will set it for
6089 you: Using the first directory in 'runtimepath' that is writable. If
6090 there is no "spell" directory yet it will be created. For the file
6091 name the first language name that appears in 'spelllang' is used,
6092 ignoring the region.
6093 The resulting ".spl" file will be used for spell checking, it does not
6094 have to appear in 'spelllang'.
6095 Normally one file is used for all regions, but you can add the region
6096 name if you want to. However, it will then only be used when
6097 'spellfile' is set to it, for entries in 'spelllang' only files
6098 without region name will be found.
6099 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
6100 security reasons.
6102 *'spelllang'* *'spl'*
6103 'spelllang' 'spl' string (default "en")
6104 local to buffer
6105 {not in Vi}
6106 {not available when compiled without the |+syntax|
6107 feature}
6108 A comma separated list of word list names. When the 'spell' option is
6109 on spellchecking will be done for these languages. Example: >
6110 set spelllang=en_us,nl,medical
6111 < This means US English, Dutch and medical words are recognized. Words
6112 that are not recognized will be highlighted.
6113 The word list name must not include a comma or dot. Using a dash is
6114 recommended to separate the two letter language name from a
6115 specification. Thus "en-rare" is used for rare English words.
6116 A region name must come last and have the form "_xx", where "xx" is
6117 the two-letter, lower case region name. You can use more than one
6118 region by listing them: "en_us,en_ca" supports both US and Canadian
6119 English, but not words specific for Australia, New Zealand or Great
6120 Britain.
6121 *E757*
6122 As a special case the name of a .spl file can be given as-is. The
6123 first "_xx" in the name is removed and used as the region name
6124 (_xx is an underscore, two letters and followed by a non-letter).
6125 This is mainly for testing purposes. You must make sure the correct
6126 encoding is used, Vim doesn't check it.
6127 When 'encoding' is set the word lists are reloaded. Thus it's a good
6128 idea to set 'spelllang' after setting 'encoding' to avoid loading the
6129 files twice.
6130 How the related spell files are found is explained here: |spell-load|.
6132 If the |spellfile.vim| plugin is active and you use a language name
6133 for which Vim cannot find the .spl file in 'runtimepath' the plugin
6134 will ask you if you want to download the file.
6136 After this option has been set successfully, Vim will source the files
6137 "spell/LANG.vim" in 'runtimepath'. "LANG" is the value of 'spelllang'
6138 up to the first comma, dot or underscore.
6139 Also see |set-spc-auto|.
6142 *'spellsuggest'* *'sps'*
6143 'spellsuggest' 'sps' string (default "best")
6144 global
6145 {not in Vi}
6146 {not available when compiled without the |+syntax|
6147 feature}
6148 Methods used for spelling suggestions. Both for the |z=| command and
6149 the |spellsuggest()| function. This is a comma-separated list of
6150 items:
6152 best Internal method that works best for English. Finds
6153 changes like "fast" and uses a bit of sound-a-like
6154 scoring to improve the ordering.
6156 double Internal method that uses two methods and mixes the
6157 results. The first method is "fast", the other method
6158 computes how much the suggestion sounds like the bad
6159 word. That only works when the language specifies
6160 sound folding. Can be slow and doesn't always give
6161 better results.
6163 fast Internal method that only checks for simple changes:
6164 character inserts/deletes/swaps. Works well for
6165 simple typing mistakes.
6167 {number} The maximum number of suggestions listed for |z=|.
6168 Not used for |spellsuggest()|. The number of
6169 suggestions is never more than the value of 'lines'
6170 minus two.
6172 file:{filename} Read file {filename}, which must have two columns,
6173 separated by a slash. The first column contains the
6174 bad word, the second column the suggested good word.
6175 Example:
6176 theribal/terrible ~
6177 Use this for common mistakes that do not appear at the
6178 top of the suggestion list with the internal methods.
6179 Lines without a slash are ignored, use this for
6180 comments.
6181 The file is used for all languages.
6183 expr:{expr} Evaluate expression {expr}. Use a function to avoid
6184 trouble with spaces. |v:val| holds the badly spelled
6185 word. The expression must evaluate to a List of
6186 Lists, each with a suggestion and a score.
6187 Example:
6188 [['the', 33], ['that', 44]]
6189 Set 'verbose' and use |z=| to see the scores that the
6190 internal methods use. A lower score is better.
6191 This may invoke |spellsuggest()| if you temporarily
6192 set 'spellsuggest' to exclude the "expr:" part.
6193 Errors are silently ignored, unless you set the
6194 'verbose' option to a non-zero value.
6196 Only one of "best", "double" or "fast" may be used. The others may
6197 appear several times in any order. Example: >
6198 :set sps=file:~/.vim/sugg,best,expr:MySuggest()
6199 <
6200 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
6201 security reasons.
6204 *'splitbelow'* *'sb'* *'nosplitbelow'* *'nosb'*
6205 'splitbelow' 'sb' boolean (default off)
6206 global
6207 {not in Vi}
6208 {not available when compiled without the +windows
6209 feature}
6210 When on, splitting a window will put the new window below the current
6211 one. |:split|
6213 *'splitright'* *'spr'* *'nosplitright'* *'nospr'*
6214 'splitright' 'spr' boolean (default off)
6215 global
6216 {not in Vi}
6217 {not available when compiled without the +vertsplit
6218 feature}
6219 When on, splitting a window will put the new window right of the
6220 current one. |:vsplit|
6222 *'startofline'* *'sol'* *'nostartofline'* *'nosol'*
6223 'startofline' 'sol' boolean (default on)
6224 global
6225 {not in Vi}
6226 When "on" the commands listed below move the cursor to the first
6227 non-blank of the line. When off the cursor is kept in the same column
6228 (if possible). This applies to the commands: CTRL-D, CTRL-U, CTRL-B,
6229 CTRL-F, "G", "H", "M", "L", gg, and to the commands "d", "<<" and ">>"
6230 with a linewise operator, with "%" with a count and to buffer changing
6231 commands (CTRL-^, :bnext, :bNext, etc.). Also for an Ex command that
6232 only has a line number, e.g., ":25" or ":+".
6233 In case of buffer changing commands the cursor is placed at the column
6234 where it was the last time the buffer was edited.
6235 NOTE: This option is set when 'compatible' is set.
6237 *'statusline'* *'stl'* *E540* *E541* *E542*
6238 'statusline' 'stl' string (default empty)
6239 global or local to window |global-local|
6240 {not in Vi}
6241 {not available when compiled without the |+statusline|
6242 feature}
6243 When nonempty, this option determines the content of the status line.
6244 Also see |status-line|.
6246 The option consists of printf style '%' items interspersed with
6247 normal text. Each status line item is of the form:
6248 %-0{minwid}.{maxwid}{item}
6249 All fields except the {item} is optional. A single percent sign can
6250 be given as "%%". Up to 80 items can be specified.
6252 When the option starts with "%!" then it is used as an expression,
6253 evaluated and the result is used as the option value. Example: >
6254 :set statusline=%!MyStatusLine()
6255 < The result can contain %{} items that will be evaluated too.
6257 When there is error while evaluating the option then it will be made
6258 empty to avoid further errors. Otherwise screen updating would loop.
6260 Note that the only effect of 'ruler' when this option is set (and
6261 'laststatus' is 2) is controlling the output of |CTRL-G|.
6263 field meaning ~
6264 - Left justify the item. The default is right justified
6265 when minwid is larger than the length of the item.
6266 0 Leading zeroes in numeric items. Overridden by '-'.
6267 minwid Minimum width of the item, padding as set by '-' & '0'.
6268 Value must be 50 or less.
6269 maxwid Maximum width of the item. Truncation occurs with a '<'
6270 on the left for text items. Numeric items will be
6271 shifted down to maxwid-2 digits followed by '>'number
6272 where number is the amount of missing digits, much like
6273 an exponential notation.
6274 item A one letter code as described below.
6276 Following is a description of the possible statusline items. The
6277 second character in "item" is the type:
6278 N for number
6279 S for string
6280 F for flags as described below
6281 - not applicable
6283 item meaning ~
6284 f S Path to the file in the buffer, as typed or relative to current
6285 directory.
6286 F S Full path to the file in the buffer.
6287 t S File name (tail) of file in the buffer.
6288 m F Modified flag, text is " [+]"; " [-]" if 'modifiable' is off.
6289 M F Modified flag, text is ",+" or ",-".
6290 r F Readonly flag, text is " [RO]".
6291 R F Readonly flag, text is ",RO".
6292 h F Help buffer flag, text is " [help]".
6293 H F Help buffer flag, text is ",HLP".
6294 w F Preview window flag, text is " [Preview]".
6295 W F Preview window flag, text is ",PRV".
6296 y F Type of file in the buffer, e.g., " [vim]". See 'filetype'.
6297 Y F Type of file in the buffer, e.g., ",VIM". See 'filetype'.
6298 {not available when compiled without |+autocmd| feature}
6299 k S Value of "b:keymap_name" or 'keymap' when |:lmap| mappings are
6300 being used: "<keymap>"
6301 n N Buffer number.
6302 b N Value of byte under cursor.
6303 B N As above, in hexadecimal.
6304 o N Byte number in file of byte under cursor, first byte is 1.
6305 Mnemonic: Offset from start of file (with one added)
6306 {not available when compiled without |+byte_offset| feature}
6307 O N As above, in hexadecimal.
6308 N N Printer page number. (Only works in the 'printheader' option.)
6309 l N Line number.
6310 L N Number of lines in buffer.
6311 c N Column number.
6312 v N Virtual column number.
6313 V N Virtual column number as -{num}. Not displayed if equal to 'c'.
6314 p N Percentage through file in lines as in |CTRL-G|.
6315 P S Percentage through file of displayed window. This is like the
6316 percentage described for 'ruler'. Always 3 in length.
6317 a S Argument list status as in default title. ({current} of {max})
6318 Empty if the argument file count is zero or one.
6319 { NF Evaluate expression between '%{' and '}' and substitute result.
6320 Note that there is no '%' before the closing '}'.
6321 ( - Start of item group. Can be used for setting the width and
6322 alignment of a section. Must be followed by %) somewhere.
6323 ) - End of item group. No width fields allowed.
6324 T N For 'tabline': start of tab page N label. Use %T after the last
6325 label. This information is used for mouse clicks.
6326 X N For 'tabline': start of close tab N label. Use %X after the
6327 label, e.g.: %3Xclose%X. Use %999X for a "close current tab"
6328 mark. This information is used for mouse clicks.
6329 < - Where to truncate line if too long. Default is at the start.
6330 No width fields allowed.
6331 = - Separation point between left and right aligned items.
6332 No width fields allowed.
6333 # - Set highlight group. The name must follow and then a # again.
6334 Thus use %#HLname# for highlight group HLname. The same
6335 highlighting is used, also for the statusline of non-current
6336 windows.
6337 * - Set highlight group to User{N}, where {N} is taken from the
6338 minwid field, e.g. %1*. Restore normal highlight with %* or %0*.
6339 The difference between User{N} and StatusLine will be applied
6340 to StatusLineNC for the statusline of non-current windows.
6341 The number N must be between 1 and 9. See |hl-User1..9|
6343 Display of flags are controlled by the following heuristic:
6344 If a flag text starts with comma it is assumed that it wants to
6345 separate itself from anything but preceding plaintext. If it starts
6346 with a space it is assumed that it wants to separate itself from
6347 anything but other flags. That is: A leading comma is removed if the
6348 preceding character stems from plaintext. A leading space is removed
6349 if the preceding character stems from another active flag. This will
6350 make a nice display when flags are used like in the examples below.
6352 When all items in a group becomes an empty string (i.e. flags that are
6353 not set) and a minwid is not set for the group, the whole group will
6354 become empty. This will make a group like the following disappear
6355 completely from the statusline when none of the flags are set. >
6356 :set statusline=...%(\ [%M%R%H]%)...
6357 <
6358 Beware that an expression is evaluated each and every time the status
6359 line is displayed. The current buffer and current window will be set
6360 temporarily to that of the window (and buffer) whose statusline is
6361 currently being drawn. The expression will evaluate in this context.
6362 The variable "actual_curbuf" is set to the 'bufnr()' number of the
6363 real current buffer.
6365 The 'statusline' option may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see
6366 |sandbox-option|.
6368 It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while
6369 evaluating 'statusline' |textlock|.
6371 If the statusline is not updated when you want it (e.g., after setting
6372 a variable that's used in an expression), you can force an update by
6373 setting an option without changing its value. Example: >
6374 :let &ro = &ro
6376 < A result of all digits is regarded a number for display purposes.
6377 Otherwise the result is taken as flag text and applied to the rules
6378 described above.
6380 Watch out for errors in expressions. They may render Vim unusable!
6381 If you are stuck, hold down ':' or 'Q' to get a prompt, then quit and
6382 edit your .vimrc or whatever with "vim -u NONE" to get it right.
6384 Examples:
6385 Emulate standard status line with 'ruler' set >
6386 :set statusline=%<%f\ %h%m%r%=%-14.(%l,%c%V%)\ %P
6387 < Similar, but add ASCII value of char under the cursor (like "ga") >
6388 :set statusline=%<%f%h%m%r%=%b\ 0x%B\ \ %l,%c%V\ %P
6389 < Display byte count and byte value, modified flag in red. >
6390 :set statusline=%<%f%=\ [%1*%M%*%n%R%H]\ %-19(%3l,%02c%03V%)%O'%02b'
6391 :hi User1 term=inverse,bold cterm=inverse,bold ctermfg=red
6392 < Display a ,GZ flag if a compressed file is loaded >
6393 :set statusline=...%r%{VarExists('b:gzflag','\ [GZ]')}%h...
6394 < In the |:autocmd|'s: >
6395 :let b:gzflag = 1
6396 < And: >
6397 :unlet b:gzflag
6398 < And define this function: >
6399 :function VarExists(var, val)
6400 : if exists(a:var) | return a:val | else | return '' | endif
6401 :endfunction
6402 <
6403 *'suffixes'* *'su'*
6404 'suffixes' 'su' string (default ".bak,~,.o,.h,.info,.swp,.obj")
6405 global
6406 {not in Vi}
6407 Files with these suffixes get a lower priority when multiple files
6408 match a wildcard. See |suffixes|. Commas can be used to separate the
6409 suffixes. Spaces after the comma are ignored. A dot is also seen as
6410 the start of a suffix. To avoid a dot or comma being recognized as a
6411 separator, precede it with a backslash (see |option-backslash| about
6412 including spaces and backslashes).
6413 See 'wildignore' for completely ignoring files.
6414 The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing
6415 suffixes from the list. This avoids problems when a future version
6416 uses another default.
6418 *'suffixesadd'* *'sua'*
6419 'suffixesadd' 'sua' string (default "")
6420 local to buffer
6421 {not in Vi}
6422 {not available when compiled without the
6423 |+file_in_path| feature}
6424 Comma separated list of suffixes, which are used when searching for a
6425 file for the "gf", "[I", etc. commands. Example: >
6426 :set suffixesadd=.java
6427 <
6428 *'swapfile'* *'swf'* *'noswapfile'* *'noswf'*
6429 'swapfile' 'swf' boolean (default on)
6430 local to buffer
6431 {not in Vi}
6432 Use a swapfile for the buffer. This option can be reset when a
6433 swapfile is not wanted for a specific buffer. For example, with
6434 confidential information that even root must not be able to access.
6435 Careful: All text will be in memory:
6436 - Don't use this for big files.
6437 - Recovery will be impossible!
6438 A swapfile will only be present when |'updatecount'| is non-zero and
6439 'swapfile' is set.
6440 When 'swapfile' is reset, the swap file for the current buffer is
6441 immediately deleted. When 'swapfile' is set, and 'updatecount' is
6442 non-zero, a swap file is immediately created.
6443 Also see |swap-file| and |'swapsync'|.
6445 This option is used together with 'bufhidden' and 'buftype' to
6446 specify special kinds of buffers. See |special-buffers|.
6448 *'swapsync'* *'sws'*
6449 'swapsync' 'sws' string (default "fsync")
6450 global
6451 {not in Vi}
6452 When this option is not empty a swap file is synced to disk after
6453 writing to it. This takes some time, especially on busy unix systems.
6454 When this option is empty parts of the swap file may be in memory and
6455 not written to disk. When the system crashes you may lose more work.
6456 On Unix the system does a sync now and then without Vim asking for it,
6457 so the disadvantage of setting this option off is small. On some
6458 systems the swap file will not be written at all. For a unix system
6459 setting it to "sync" will use the sync() call instead of the default
6460 fsync(), which may work better on some systems.
6461 The 'fsync' option is used for the actual file.
6463 *'switchbuf'* *'swb'*
6464 'switchbuf' 'swb' string (default "")
6465 global
6466 {not in Vi}
6467 This option controls the behavior when switching between buffers.
6468 Possible values (comma separated list):
6469 useopen If included, jump to the first open window that
6470 contains the specified buffer (if there is one).
6471 Otherwise: Do not examine other windows.
6472 This setting is checked with |quickfix| commands, when
6473 jumping to errors (":cc", ":cn", "cp", etc.). It is
6474 also used in all buffer related split commands, for
6475 example ":sbuffer", ":sbnext", or ":sbrewind".
6476 usetab Like "useopen", but also consider windows in other tab
6477 pages.
6478 split If included, split the current window before loading
6479 a buffer. Otherwise: do not split, use current window.
6480 Supported in |quickfix| commands that display errors.
6482 *'synmaxcol'* *'smc'*
6483 'synmaxcol' 'smc' number (default 3000)
6484 local to buffer
6485 {not in Vi}
6486 {not available when compiled without the |+syntax|
6487 feature}
6488 Maximum column in which to search for syntax items. In long lines the
6489 text after this column is not highlighted and following lines may not
6490 be highlighted correctly, because the syntax state is cleared.
6491 This helps to avoid very slow redrawing for an XML file that is one
6492 long line.
6493 Set to zero to remove the limit.
6495 *'syntax'* *'syn'*
6496 'syntax' 'syn' string (default empty)
6497 local to buffer
6498 {not in Vi}
6499 {not available when compiled without the |+syntax|
6500 feature}
6501 When this option is set, the syntax with this name is loaded, unless
6502 syntax highlighting has been switched off with ":syntax off".
6503 Otherwise this option does not always reflect the current syntax (the
6504 b:current_syntax variable does).
6505 This option is most useful in a modeline, for a file which syntax is
6506 not automatically recognized. Example, in an IDL file:
6507 /* vim: set syntax=idl : */ ~
6508 When a dot appears in the value then this separates two filetype
6509 names. Example:
6510 /* vim: set syntax=c.doxygen : */ ~
6511 This will use the "c" syntax first, then the "doxygen" syntax.
6512 Note that the second one must be prepared to be loaded as an addition,
6513 otherwise it will be skipped. More than one dot may appear.
6514 To switch off syntax highlighting for the current file, use: >
6515 :set syntax=OFF
6516 < To switch syntax highlighting on according to the current value of the
6517 'filetype' option: >
6518 :set syntax=ON
6519 < What actually happens when setting the 'syntax' option is that the
6520 Syntax autocommand event is triggered with the value as argument.
6521 This option is not copied to another buffer, independent of the 's' or
6522 'S' flag in 'cpoptions'.
6523 Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal.
6525 *'tabline'* *'tal'*
6526 'tabline' 'tal' string (default empty)
6527 global
6528 {not in Vi}
6529 {not available when compiled without the +windows
6530 feature}
6531 When nonempty, this option determines the content of the tab pages
6532 line at the top of the Vim window. When empty Vim will use a default
6533 tab pages line. See |setting-tabline| for more info.
6535 The tab pages line only appears as specified with the 'showtabline'
6536 option and only when there is no GUI tab line. When 'e' is in
6537 'guioptions' and the GUI supports a tab line 'guitablabel' is used
6538 instead.
6540 The value is evaluated like with 'statusline'. You can use
6541 |tabpagenr()|, |tabpagewinnr()| and |tabpagebuflist()| to figure out
6542 the text to be displayed. Use "%1T" for the first label, "%2T" for
6543 the second one, etc. Use "%X" items for closing labels.
6545 Keep in mind that only one of the tab pages is the current one, others
6546 are invisible and you can't jump to their windows.
6549 *'tabpagemax'* *'tpm'*
6550 'tabpagemax' 'tpm' number (default 10)
6551 global
6552 {not in Vi}
6553 {not available when compiled without the +windows
6554 feature}
6555 Maximum number of tab pages to be opened by the |-p| command line
6556 argument or the ":tab all" command. |tabpage|
6559 *'tabstop'* *'ts'*
6560 'tabstop' 'ts' number (default 8)
6561 local to buffer
6562 Number of spaces that a <Tab> in the file counts for. Also see
6563 |:retab| command, and 'softtabstop' option.
6565 Note: Setting 'tabstop' to any other value than 8 can make your file
6566 appear wrong in many places (e.g., when printing it).
6568 There are four main ways to use tabs in Vim:
6569 1. Always keep 'tabstop' at 8, set 'softtabstop' and 'shiftwidth' to 4
6570 (or 3 or whatever you prefer) and use 'noexpandtab'. Then Vim
6571 will use a mix of tabs and spaces, but typing <Tab> and <BS> will
6572 behave like a tab appears every 4 (or 3) characters.
6573 2. Set 'tabstop' and 'shiftwidth' to whatever you prefer and use
6574 'expandtab'. This way you will always insert spaces. The
6575 formatting will never be messed up when 'tabstop' is changed.
6576 3. Set 'tabstop' and 'shiftwidth' to whatever you prefer and use a
6577 |modeline| to set these values when editing the file again. Only
6578 works when using Vim to edit the file.
6579 4. Always set 'tabstop' and 'shiftwidth' to the same value, and
6580 'noexpandtab'. This should then work (for initial indents only)
6581 for any tabstop setting that people use. It might be nice to have
6582 tabs after the first non-blank inserted as spaces if you do this
6583 though. Otherwise aligned comments will be wrong when 'tabstop' is
6584 changed.
6586 *'tagbsearch'* *'tbs'* *'notagbsearch'* *'notbs'*
6587 'tagbsearch' 'tbs' boolean (default on)
6588 global
6589 {not in Vi}
6590 When searching for a tag (e.g., for the |:ta| command), Vim can either
6591 use a binary search or a linear search in a tags file. Binary
6592 searching makes searching for a tag a LOT faster, but a linear search
6593 will find more tags if the tags file wasn't properly sorted.
6594 Vim normally assumes that your tags files are sorted, or indicate that
6595 they are not sorted. Only when this is not the case does the
6596 'tagbsearch' option need to be switched off.
6598 When 'tagbsearch' is on, binary searching is first used in the tags
6599 files. In certain situations, Vim will do a linear search instead for
6600 certain files, or retry all files with a linear search. When
6601 'tagbsearch' is off, only a linear search is done.
6603 Linear searching is done anyway, for one file, when Vim finds a line
6604 at the start of the file indicating that it's not sorted: >
6605 !_TAG_FILE_SORTED 0 /some command/
6606 < [The whitespace before and after the '0' must be a single <Tab>]
6608 When a binary search was done and no match was found in any of the
6609 files listed in 'tags', and 'ignorecase' is set or a pattern is used
6610 instead of a normal tag name, a retry is done with a linear search.
6611 Tags in unsorted tags files, and matches with different case will only
6612 be found in the retry.
6614 If a tag file indicates that it is case-fold sorted, the second,
6615 linear search can be avoided for the 'ignorecase' case. Use a value
6616 of '2' in the "!_TAG_FILE_SORTED" line for this. A tag file can be
6617 case-fold sorted with the -f switch to "sort" in most unices, as in
6618 the command: "sort -f -o tags tags". For "Exuberant ctags" version
6619 5.3 or higher the -f or --fold-case-sort switch can be used for this
6620 as well. Note that case must be folded to uppercase for this to work.
6622 When 'tagbsearch' is off, tags searching is slower when a full match
6623 exists, but faster when no full match exists. Tags in unsorted tags
6624 files may only be found with 'tagbsearch' off.
6625 When the tags file is not sorted, or sorted in a wrong way (not on
6626 ASCII byte value), 'tagbsearch' should be off, or the line given above
6627 must be included in the tags file.
6628 This option doesn't affect commands that find all matching tags (e.g.,
6629 command-line completion and ":help").
6630 {Vi: always uses binary search in some versions}
6632 *'taglength'* *'tl'*
6633 'taglength' 'tl' number (default 0)
6634 global
6635 If non-zero, tags are significant up to this number of characters.
6637 *'tagrelative'* *'tr'* *'notagrelative'* *'notr'*
6638 'tagrelative' 'tr' boolean (Vim default: on, Vi default: off)
6639 global
6640 {not in Vi}
6641 If on and using a tags file in another directory, file names in that
6642 tags file are relative to the directory where the tags file is.
6643 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
6644 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
6646 *'tags'* *'tag'* *E433*
6647 'tags' 'tag' string (default "./tags,tags", when compiled with
6648 |+emacs_tags|: "./tags,./TAGS,tags,TAGS")
6649 global or local to buffer |global-local|
6650 Filenames for the tag command, separated by spaces or commas. To
6651 include a space or comma in a file name, precede it with a backslash
6652 (see |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes).
6653 When a file name starts with "./", the '.' is replaced with the path
6654 of the current file. But only when the 'd' flag is not included in
6655 'cpoptions'. Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. Also see
6656 |tags-option|.
6657 "*", "**" and other wildcards can be used to search for tags files in
6658 a directory tree. See |file-searching|. {not available when compiled
6659 without the |+path_extra| feature}
6660 The |tagfiles()| function can be used to get a list of the file names
6661 actually used.
6662 If Vim was compiled with the |+emacs_tags| feature, Emacs-style tag
6663 files are also supported. They are automatically recognized. The
6664 default value becomes "./tags,./TAGS,tags,TAGS", unless case
6665 differences are ignored (MS-Windows). |emacs-tags|
6666 The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing
6667 file names from the list. This avoids problems when a future version
6668 uses another default.
6669 {Vi: default is "tags /usr/lib/tags"}
6671 *'tagstack'* *'tgst'* *'notagstack'* *'notgst'*
6672 'tagstack' 'tgst' boolean (default on)
6673 global
6674 {not in all versions of Vi}
6675 When on, the |tagstack| is used normally. When off, a ":tag" or
6676 ":tselect" command with an argument will not push the tag onto the
6677 tagstack. A following ":tag" without an argument, a ":pop" command or
6678 any other command that uses the tagstack will use the unmodified
6679 tagstack, but does change the pointer to the active entry.
6680 Resetting this option is useful when using a ":tag" command in a
6681 mapping which should not change the tagstack.
6683 *'term'* *E529* *E530* *E531*
6684 'term' string (default is $TERM, if that fails:
6685 in the GUI: "builtin_gui"
6686 on Amiga: "amiga"
6687 on BeOS: "beos-ansi"
6688 on Mac: "mac-ansi"
6689 on MiNT: "vt52"
6690 on MS-DOS: "pcterm"
6691 on OS/2: "os2ansi"
6692 on Unix: "ansi"
6693 on VMS: "ansi"
6694 on Win 32: "win32")
6695 global
6696 Name of the terminal. Used for choosing the terminal control
6697 characters. Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|.
6698 For example: >
6699 :set term=$TERM
6700 < See |termcap|.
6702 *'termbidi'* *'tbidi'*
6703 *'notermbidi'* *'notbidi'*
6704 'termbidi' 'tbidi' boolean (default off, on for "mlterm")
6705 global
6706 {not in Vi}
6707 {only available when compiled with the |+arabic|
6708 feature}
6709 The terminal is in charge of Bi-directionality of text (as specified
6710 by Unicode). The terminal is also expected to do the required shaping
6711 that some languages (such as Arabic) require.
6712 Setting this option implies that 'rightleft' will not be set when
6713 'arabic' is set and the value of 'arabicshape' will be ignored.
6714 Note that setting 'termbidi' has the immediate effect that
6715 'arabicshape' is ignored, but 'rightleft' isn't changed automatically.
6716 This option is reset when the GUI is started.
6717 For further details see |arabic.txt|.
6719 *'termencoding'* *'tenc'*
6720 'termencoding' 'tenc' string (default ""; with GTK+ 2 GUI: "utf-8"; with
6721 Macintosh GUI: "macroman")
6722 global
6723 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte|
6724 feature}
6725 {not in Vi}
6726 Encoding used for the terminal. This specifies what character
6727 encoding the keyboard produces and the display will understand. For
6728 the GUI it only applies to the keyboard ('encoding' is used for the
6729 display). Except for the Mac when 'macatsui' is off, then
6730 'termencoding' should be "macroman".
6731 In the Win32 console version the default value is the console codepage
6732 when it differs from the ANSI codepage.
6733 *E617*
6734 Note: This does not apply to the GTK+ 2 GUI. After the GUI has been
6735 successfully initialized, 'termencoding' is forcibly set to "utf-8".
6736 Any attempts to set a different value will be rejected, and an error
6737 message is shown.
6738 For the Win32 GUI 'termencoding' is not used for typed characters,
6739 because the Win32 system always passes Unicode characters.
6740 When empty, the same encoding is used as for the 'encoding' option.
6741 This is the normal value.
6742 Not all combinations for 'termencoding' and 'encoding' are valid. See
6743 |encoding-table|.
6744 The value for this option must be supported by internal conversions or
6745 iconv(). When this is not possible no conversion will be done and you
6746 will probably experience problems with non-ASCII characters.
6747 Example: You are working with the locale set to euc-jp (Japanese) and
6748 want to edit a UTF-8 file: >
6749 :let &termencoding = &encoding
6750 :set encoding=utf-8
6751 < You need to do this when your system has no locale support for UTF-8.
6753 *'terse'* *'noterse'*
6754 'terse' boolean (default off)
6755 global
6756 When set: Add 's' flag to 'shortmess' option (this makes the message
6757 for a search that hits the start or end of the file not being
6758 displayed). When reset: Remove 's' flag from 'shortmess' option. {Vi
6759 shortens a lot of messages}
6761 *'textauto'* *'ta'* *'notextauto'* *'nota'*
6762 'textauto' 'ta' boolean (Vim default: on, Vi default: off)
6763 global
6764 {not in Vi}
6765 This option is obsolete. Use 'fileformats'.
6766 For backwards compatibility, when 'textauto' is set, 'fileformats' is
6767 set to the default value for the current system. When 'textauto' is
6768 reset, 'fileformats' is made empty.
6769 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
6770 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
6772 *'textmode'* *'tx'* *'notextmode'* *'notx'*
6773 'textmode' 'tx' boolean (MS-DOS, Win32 and OS/2: default on,
6774 others: default off)
6775 local to buffer
6776 {not in Vi}
6777 This option is obsolete. Use 'fileformat'.
6778 For backwards compatibility, when 'textmode' is set, 'fileformat' is
6779 set to "dos". When 'textmode' is reset, 'fileformat' is set to
6780 "unix".
6782 *'textwidth'* *'tw'*
6783 'textwidth' 'tw' number (default 0)
6784 local to buffer
6785 {not in Vi}
6786 Maximum width of text that is being inserted. A longer line will be
6787 broken after white space to get this width. A zero value disables
6788 this. 'textwidth' is set to 0 when the 'paste' option is set. When
6789 'textwidth' is zero, 'wrapmargin' may be used. See also
6790 'formatoptions' and |ins-textwidth|.
6791 When 'formatexpr' is set it will be used to break the line.
6792 NOTE: This option is set to 0 when 'compatible' is set.
6794 *'thesaurus'* *'tsr'*
6795 'thesaurus' 'tsr' string (default "")
6796 global or local to buffer |global-local|
6797 {not in Vi}
6798 List of file names, separated by commas, that are used to lookup words
6799 for thesaurus completion commands |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-T|. Each line in
6800 the file should contain words with similar meaning, separated by
6801 non-keyword characters (white space is preferred). Maximum line
6802 length is 510 bytes.
6803 To obtain a file to be used here, check out the wordlist FAQ at
6804 http://www.hyphenologist.co.uk .
6805 To include a comma in a file name precede it with a backslash. Spaces
6806 after a comma are ignored, otherwise spaces are included in the file
6807 name. See |option-backslash| about using backslashes.
6808 The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing
6809 directories from the list. This avoids problems when a future version
6810 uses another default.
6811 Backticks cannot be used in this option for security reasons.
6813 *'tildeop'* *'top'* *'notildeop'* *'notop'*
6814 'tildeop' 'top' boolean (default off)
6815 global
6816 {not in Vi}
6817 When on: The tilde command "~" behaves like an operator.
6818 NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set.
6820 *'timeout'* *'to'* *'notimeout'* *'noto'*
6821 'timeout' 'to' boolean (default on)
6822 global
6823 *'ttimeout'* *'nottimeout'*
6824 'ttimeout' boolean (default off)
6825 global
6826 {not in Vi}
6827 These two options together determine the behavior when part of a
6828 mapped key sequence or keyboard code has been received:
6830 'timeout' 'ttimeout' action ~
6831 off off do not time out
6832 on on or off time out on :mappings and key codes
6833 off on time out on key codes
6835 If both options are off, Vim will wait until either the complete
6836 mapping or key sequence has been received, or it is clear that there
6837 is no mapping or key sequence for the received characters. For
6838 example: if you have mapped "vl" and Vim has received 'v', the next
6839 character is needed to see if the 'v' is followed by an 'l'.
6840 When one of the options is on, Vim will wait for about 1 second for
6841 the next character to arrive. After that the already received
6842 characters are interpreted as single characters. The waiting time can
6843 be changed with the 'timeoutlen' option.
6844 On slow terminals or very busy systems timing out may cause
6845 malfunctioning cursor keys. If both options are off, Vim waits
6846 forever after an entered <Esc> if there are key codes that start
6847 with <Esc>. You will have to type <Esc> twice. If you do not have
6848 problems with key codes, but would like to have :mapped key
6849 sequences not timing out in 1 second, set the 'ttimeout' option and
6850 reset the 'timeout' option.
6852 NOTE: 'ttimeout' is reset when 'compatible' is set.
6854 *'timeoutlen'* *'tm'*
6855 'timeoutlen' 'tm' number (default 1000)
6856 global
6857 {not in all versions of Vi}
6858 *'ttimeoutlen'* *'ttm'*
6859 'ttimeoutlen' 'ttm' number (default -1)
6860 global
6861 {not in Vi}
6862 The time in milliseconds that is waited for a key code or mapped key
6863 sequence to complete. Also used for CTRL-\ CTRL-N and CTRL-\ CTRL-G
6864 when part of a command has been typed.
6865 Normally only 'timeoutlen' is used and 'ttimeoutlen' is -1. When a
6866 different timeout value for key codes is desired set 'ttimeoutlen' to
6867 a non-negative number.
6869 ttimeoutlen mapping delay key code delay ~
6870 < 0 'timeoutlen' 'timeoutlen'
6871 >= 0 'timeoutlen' 'ttimeoutlen'
6873 The timeout only happens when the 'timeout' and 'ttimeout' options
6874 tell so. A useful setting would be >
6875 :set timeout timeoutlen=3000 ttimeoutlen=100
6876 < (time out on mapping after three seconds, time out on key codes after
6877 a tenth of a second).
6879 *'title'* *'notitle'*
6880 'title' boolean (default off, on when title can be restored)
6881 global
6882 {not in Vi}
6883 {not available when compiled without the |+title|
6884 feature}
6885 When on, the title of the window will be set to the value of
6886 'titlestring' (if it is not empty), or to:
6887 filename [+=-] (path) - VIM
6888 Where:
6889 filename the name of the file being edited
6890 - indicates the file cannot be modified, 'ma' off
6891 + indicates the file was modified
6892 = indicates the file is read-only
6893 =+ indicates the file is read-only and modified
6894 (path) is the path of the file being edited
6895 - VIM the server name |v:servername| or "VIM"
6896 Only works if the terminal supports setting window titles
6897 (currently Amiga console, Win32 console, all GUI versions and
6898 terminals with a non- empty 't_ts' option - these are Unix xterm and
6899 iris-ansi by default, where 't_ts' is taken from the builtin termcap).
6900 *X11*
6901 When Vim was compiled with HAVE_X11 defined, the original title will
6902 be restored if possible. The output of ":version" will include "+X11"
6903 when HAVE_X11 was defined, otherwise it will be "-X11". This also
6904 works for the icon name |'icon'|.
6905 But: When Vim was started with the |-X| argument, restoring the title
6906 will not work (except in the GUI).
6907 If the title cannot be restored, it is set to the value of 'titleold'.
6908 You might want to restore the title outside of Vim then.
6909 When using an xterm from a remote machine you can use this command:
6910 rsh machine_name xterm -display $DISPLAY &
6911 then the WINDOWID environment variable should be inherited and the
6912 title of the window should change back to what it should be after
6913 exiting Vim.
6915 *'titlelen'*
6916 'titlelen' number (default 85)
6917 global
6918 {not in Vi}
6919 {not available when compiled without the |+title|
6920 feature}
6921 Gives the percentage of 'columns' to use for the length of the window
6922 title. When the title is longer, only the end of the path name is
6923 shown. A '<' character before the path name is used to indicate this.
6924 Using a percentage makes this adapt to the width of the window. But
6925 it won't work perfectly, because the actual number of characters
6926 available also depends on the font used and other things in the title
6927 bar. When 'titlelen' is zero the full path is used. Otherwise,
6928 values from 1 to 30000 percent can be used.
6929 'titlelen' is also used for the 'titlestring' option.
6931 *'titleold'*
6932 'titleold' string (default "Thanks for flying Vim")
6933 global
6934 {not in Vi}
6935 {only available when compiled with the |+title|
6936 feature}
6937 This option will be used for the window title when exiting Vim if the
6938 original title cannot be restored. Only happens if 'title' is on or
6939 'titlestring' is not empty.
6940 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
6941 security reasons.
6942 *'titlestring'*
6943 'titlestring' string (default "")
6944 global
6945 {not in Vi}
6946 {not available when compiled without the |+title|
6947 feature}
6948 When this option is not empty, it will be used for the title of the
6949 window. This happens only when the 'title' option is on.
6950 Only works if the terminal supports setting window titles (currently
6951 Amiga console, Win32 console, all GUI versions and terminals with a
6952 non-empty 't_ts' option).
6953 When Vim was compiled with HAVE_X11 defined, the original title will
6954 be restored if possible |X11|.
6955 When this option contains printf-style '%' items, they will be
6956 expanded according to the rules used for 'statusline'.
6957 Example: >
6958 :auto BufEnter * let &titlestring = hostname() . "/" . expand("%:p")
6959 :set title titlestring=%<%F%=%l/%L-%P titlelen=70
6960 < The value of 'titlelen' is used to align items in the middle or right
6961 of the available space.
6962 Some people prefer to have the file name first: >
6963 :set titlestring=%t%(\ %M%)%(\ (%{expand(\"%:~:.:h\")})%)%(\ %a%)
6964 < Note the use of "%{ }" and an expression to get the path of the file,
6965 without the file name. The "%( %)" constructs are used to add a
6966 separating space only when needed.
6967 NOTE: Use of special characters in 'titlestring' may cause the display
6968 to be garbled (e.g., when it contains a CR or NL character).
6969 {not available when compiled without the |+statusline| feature}
6971 *'toolbar'* *'tb'*
6972 'toolbar' 'tb' string (default "icons,tooltips")
6973 global
6974 {only for |+GUI_GTK|, |+GUI_Athena|, |+GUI_Motif| and
6975 |+GUI_Photon|}
6976 The contents of this option controls various toolbar settings. The
6977 possible values are:
6978 icons Toolbar buttons are shown with icons.
6979 text Toolbar buttons shown with text.
6980 horiz Icon and text of a toolbar button are
6981 horizontally arranged. {only in GTK+ 2 GUI}
6982 tooltips Tooltips are active for toolbar buttons.
6983 Tooltips refer to the popup help text which appears after the mouse
6984 cursor is placed over a toolbar button for a brief moment.
6986 If you want the toolbar to be shown with icons as well as text, do the
6987 following: >
6988 :set tb=icons,text
6989 < Motif and Athena cannot display icons and text at the same time. They
6990 will show icons if both are requested.
6992 If none of the strings specified in 'toolbar' are valid or if
6993 'toolbar' is empty, this option is ignored. If you want to disable
6994 the toolbar, you need to set the 'guioptions' option. For example: >
6995 :set guioptions-=T
6996 < Also see |gui-toolbar|.
6998 *'toolbariconsize'* *'tbis'*
6999 'toolbariconsize' 'tbis' string (default "small")
7000 global
7001 {not in Vi}
7002 {only in the GTK+ 2 GUI}
7003 Controls the size of toolbar icons. The possible values are:
7004 tiny Use tiny toolbar icons.
7005 small Use small toolbar icons (default).
7006 medium Use medium-sized toolbar icons.
7007 large Use large toolbar icons.
7008 The exact dimensions in pixels of the various icon sizes depend on
7009 the current theme. Common dimensions are large=32x32, medium=24x24,
7010 small=20x20 and tiny=16x16.
7012 If 'toolbariconsize' is empty, the global default size as determined
7013 by user preferences or the current theme is used.
7015 *'ttybuiltin'* *'tbi'* *'nottybuiltin'* *'notbi'*
7016 'ttybuiltin' 'tbi' boolean (default on)
7017 global
7018 {not in Vi}
7019 When on, the builtin termcaps are searched before the external ones.
7020 When off the builtin termcaps are searched after the external ones.
7021 When this option is changed, you should set the 'term' option next for
7022 the change to take effect, for example: >
7023 :set notbi term=$TERM
7024 < See also |termcap|.
7025 Rationale: The default for this option is "on", because the builtin
7026 termcap entries are generally better (many systems contain faulty
7027 xterm entries...).
7029 *'ttyfast'* *'tf'* *'nottyfast'* *'notf'*
7030 'ttyfast' 'tf' boolean (default off, on when 'term' is xterm, hpterm,
7031 sun-cmd, screen, rxvt, dtterm or
7032 iris-ansi; also on when running Vim in
7033 a DOS console)
7034 global
7035 {not in Vi}
7036 Indicates a fast terminal connection. More characters will be sent to
7037 the screen for redrawing, instead of using insert/delete line
7038 commands. Improves smoothness of redrawing when there are multiple
7039 windows and the terminal does not support a scrolling region.
7040 Also enables the extra writing of characters at the end of each screen
7041 line for lines that wrap. This helps when using copy/paste with the
7042 mouse in an xterm and other terminals.
7044 *'ttymouse'* *'ttym'*
7045 'ttymouse' 'ttym' string (default depends on 'term')
7046 global
7047 {not in Vi}
7048 {only in Unix and VMS, doesn't work in the GUI; not
7049 available when compiled without |+mouse|}
7050 Name of the terminal type for which mouse codes are to be recognized.
7051 Currently these strings are valid:
7052 *xterm-mouse*
7053 xterm xterm-like mouse handling. The mouse generates
7054 "<Esc>[Mscr", where "scr" is three bytes:
7055 "s" = button state
7056 "c" = column plus 33
7057 "r" = row plus 33
7058 This only works up to 223 columns! See "dec" for a
7059 solution.
7060 xterm2 Works like "xterm", but with the xterm reporting the
7061 mouse position while the mouse is dragged. This works
7062 much faster and more precise. Your xterm must at
7063 least at patchlevel 88 / XFree 3.3.3 for this to
7064 work. See below for how Vim detects this
7065 automatically.
7066 *netterm-mouse*
7067 netterm NetTerm mouse handling. The mouse generates
7068 "<Esc>}r,c<CR>", where "r,c" are two decimal numbers
7069 for the row and column.
7070 *dec-mouse*
7071 dec DEC terminal mouse handling. The mouse generates a
7072 rather complex sequence, starting with "<Esc>[".
7073 This is also available for an Xterm, if it was
7074 configured with "--enable-dec-locator".
7075 *jsbterm-mouse*
7076 jsbterm JSB term mouse handling.
7077 *pterm-mouse*
7078 pterm QNX pterm mouse handling.
7080 The mouse handling must be enabled at compile time |+mouse_xterm|
7081 |+mouse_dec| |+mouse_netterm|.
7082 Only "xterm"(2) is really recognized. NetTerm mouse codes are always
7083 recognized, if enabled at compile time. DEC terminal mouse codes
7084 are recognized if enabled at compile time, and 'ttymouse' is not
7085 "xterm" (because the xterm and dec mouse codes conflict).
7086 This option is automatically set to "xterm", when the 'term' option is
7087 set to a name that starts with "xterm", and 'ttymouse' is not "xterm"
7088 or "xterm2" already. The main use of this option is to set it to
7089 "xterm", when the terminal name doesn't start with "xterm", but it can
7090 handle xterm mouse codes.
7091 The "xterm2" value will be set if the xterm version is reported to be
7092 95 of higher. This only works when compiled with the |+termresponse|
7093 feature and if |t_RV| is set to the escape sequence to request the
7094 xterm version number. Otherwise "xterm2" must be set explicitly.
7095 If you do not want 'ttymouse' to be set to "xterm2" automatically, set
7096 t_RV to an empty string: >
7097 :set t_RV=
7098 <
7099 *'ttyscroll'* *'tsl'*
7100 'ttyscroll' 'tsl' number (default 999)
7101 global
7102 Maximum number of lines to scroll the screen. If there are more lines
7103 to scroll the window is redrawn. For terminals where scrolling is
7104 very slow and redrawing is not slow this can be set to a small number,
7105 e.g., 3, to speed up displaying.
7107 *'ttytype'* *'tty'*
7108 'ttytype' 'tty' string (default from $TERM)
7109 global
7110 Alias for 'term', see above.
7112 *'undolevels'* *'ul'*
7113 'undolevels' 'ul' number (default 100, 1000 for Unix, VMS,
7114 Win32 and OS/2)
7115 global
7116 {not in Vi}
7117 Maximum number of changes that can be undone. Since undo information
7118 is kept in memory, higher numbers will cause more memory to be used
7119 (nevertheless, a single change can use an unlimited amount of memory).
7120 Set to 0 for Vi compatibility: One level of undo and "u" undoes
7121 itself: >
7122 set ul=0
7123 < But you can also get Vi compatibility by including the 'u' flag in
7124 'cpoptions', and still be able to use CTRL-R to repeat undo.
7125 Set to a negative number for no undo at all: >
7126 set ul=-1
7127 < This helps when you run out of memory for a single change.
7128 Also see |undo-two-ways|.
7130 *'updatecount'* *'uc'*
7131 'updatecount' 'uc' number (default: 200)
7132 global
7133 {not in Vi}
7134 After typing this many characters the swap file will be written to
7135 disk. When zero, no swap file will be created at all (see chapter on
7136 recovery |crash-recovery|). 'updatecount' is set to zero by starting
7137 Vim with the "-n" option, see |startup|. When editing in readonly
7138 mode this option will be initialized to 10000.
7139 The swapfile can be disabled per buffer with |'swapfile'|.
7140 When 'updatecount' is set from zero to non-zero, swap files are
7141 created for all buffers that have 'swapfile' set. When 'updatecount'
7142 is set to zero, existing swap files are not deleted.
7143 Also see |'swapsync'|.
7144 This option has no meaning in buffers where |'buftype'| is "nofile"
7145 or "nowrite".
7147 *'updatetime'* *'ut'*
7148 'updatetime' 'ut' number (default 4000)
7149 global
7150 {not in Vi}
7151 If this many milliseconds nothing is typed the swap file will be
7152 written to disk (see |crash-recovery|). Also used for the
7153 |CursorHold| autocommand event.
7155 *'verbose'* *'vbs'*
7156 'verbose' 'vbs' number (default 0)
7157 global
7158 {not in Vi, although some versions have a boolean
7159 verbose option}
7160 When bigger than zero, Vim will give messages about what it is doing.
7161 Currently, these messages are given:
7162 >= 1 When the viminfo file is read or written.
7163 >= 2 When a file is ":source"'ed.
7164 >= 5 Every searched tags file and include file.
7165 >= 8 Files for which a group of autocommands is executed.
7166 >= 9 Every executed autocommand.
7167 >= 12 Every executed function.
7168 >= 13 When an exception is thrown, caught, finished, or discarded.
7169 >= 14 Anything pending in a ":finally" clause.
7170 >= 15 Every executed Ex command (truncated at 200 characters).
7172 This option can also be set with the "-V" argument. See |-V|.
7173 This option is also set by the |:verbose| command.
7175 When the 'verbosefile' option is set then the verbose messages are not
7176 displayed.
7178 *'verbosefile'* *'vfile'*
7179 'verbosefile' 'vfile' string (default empty)
7180 global
7181 {not in Vi}
7182 When not empty all messages are written in a file with this name.
7183 When the file exists messages are appended.
7184 Writing to the file ends when Vim exits or when 'verbosefile' is made
7185 empty.
7186 Setting 'verbosefile' to a new value is like making it empty first.
7187 The difference with |:redir| is that verbose messages are not
7188 displayed when 'verbosefile' is set.
7190 *'viewdir'* *'vdir'*
7191 'viewdir' 'vdir' string (default for Amiga, MS-DOS, OS/2 and Win32:
7192 "$VIM/vimfiles/view",
7193 for Unix: "~/.vim/view",
7194 for Macintosh: "$VIM:vimfiles:view"
7195 for VMS: "sys$login:vimfiles/view"
7196 for RiscOS: "Choices:vimfiles/view")
7197 global
7198 {not in Vi}
7199 {not available when compiled without the +mksession
7200 feature}
7201 Name of the directory where to store files for |:mkview|.
7202 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
7203 security reasons.
7205 *'viewoptions'* *'vop'*
7206 'viewoptions' 'vop' string (default: "folds,options,cursor")
7207 global
7208 {not in Vi}
7209 {not available when compiled without the +mksession
7210 feature}
7211 Changes the effect of the |:mkview| command. It is a comma separated
7212 list of words. Each word enables saving and restoring something:
7213 word save and restore ~
7214 cursor cursor position in file and in window
7215 folds manually created folds, opened/closed folds and local
7216 fold options
7217 options options and mappings local to a window or buffer (not
7218 global values for local options)
7219 slash backslashes in file names replaced with forward
7220 slashes
7221 unix with Unix end-of-line format (single <NL>), even when
7222 on Windows or DOS
7224 "slash" and "unix" are useful on Windows when sharing view files
7225 with Unix. The Unix version of Vim cannot source dos format scripts,
7226 but the Windows version of Vim can source unix format scripts.
7228 *'viminfo'* *'vi'* *E526* *E527* *E528*
7229 'viminfo' 'vi' string (Vi default: "", Vim default for MS-DOS,
7230 Windows and OS/2: '20,<50,s10,h,rA:,rB:,
7231 for Amiga: '20,<50,s10,h,rdf0:,rdf1:,rdf2:
7232 for others: '20,<50,s10,h)
7233 global
7234 {not in Vi}
7235 {not available when compiled without the |+viminfo|
7236 feature}
7237 When non-empty, the viminfo file is read upon startup and written
7238 when exiting Vim (see |viminfo-file|). The string should be a comma
7239 separated list of parameters, each consisting of a single character
7240 identifying the particular parameter, followed by a number or string
7241 which specifies the value of that parameter. If a particular
7242 character is left out, then the default value is used for that
7243 parameter. The following is a list of the identifying characters and
7244 the effect of their value.
7245 CHAR VALUE ~
7246 ! When included, save and restore global variables that start
7247 with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase
7248 letter. Thus "KEEPTHIS and "K_L_M" are stored, but "KeepThis"
7249 and "_K_L_M" are not. Only String and Number types are
7250 stored.
7251 " Maximum number of lines saved for each register. Old name of
7252 the '<' item, with the disadvantage that you need to put a
7253 backslash before the ", otherwise it will be recognized as the
7254 start of a comment!
7255 % When included, save and restore the buffer list. If Vim is
7256 started with a file name argument, the buffer list is not
7257 restored. If Vim is started without a file name argument, the
7258 buffer list is restored from the viminfo file. Buffers
7259 without a file name and buffers for help files are not written
7260 to the viminfo file.
7261 When followed by a number, the number specifies the maximum
7262 number of buffers that are stored. Without a number all
7263 buffers are stored.
7264 ' Maximum number of previously edited files for which the marks
7265 are remembered. This parameter must always be included when
7266 'viminfo' is non-empty.
7267 Including this item also means that the |jumplist| and the
7268 |changelist| are stored in the viminfo file.
7269 / Maximum number of items in the search pattern history to be
7270 saved. If non-zero, then the previous search and substitute
7271 patterns are also saved. When not included, the value of
7272 'history' is used.
7273 : Maximum number of items in the command-line history to be
7274 saved. When not included, the value of 'history' is used.
7275 < Maximum number of lines saved for each register. If zero then
7276 registers are not saved. When not included, all lines are
7277 saved. '"' is the old name for this item.
7278 Also see the 's' item below: limit specified in Kbyte.
7279 @ Maximum number of items in the input-line history to be
7280 saved. When not included, the value of 'history' is used.
7281 c When included, convert the text in the viminfo file from the
7282 'encoding' used when writing the file to the current
7283 'encoding'. See |viminfo-encoding|.
7284 f Whether file marks need to be stored. If zero, file marks ('0
7285 to '9, 'A to 'Z) are not stored. When not present or when
7286 non-zero, they are all stored. '0 is used for the current
7287 cursor position (when exiting or when doing ":wviminfo").
7288 h Disable the effect of 'hlsearch' when loading the viminfo
7289 file. When not included, it depends on whether ":nohlsearch"
7290 has been used since the last search command.
7291 n Name of the viminfo file. The name must immediately follow
7292 the 'n'. Must be the last one! If the "-i" argument was
7293 given when starting Vim, that file name overrides the one
7294 given here with 'viminfo'. Environment variables are expanded
7295 when opening the file, not when setting the option.
7296 r Removable media. The argument is a string (up to the next
7297 ','). This parameter can be given several times. Each
7298 specifies the start of a path for which no marks will be
7299 stored. This is to avoid removable media. For MS-DOS you
7300 could use "ra:,rb:", for Amiga "rdf0:,rdf1:,rdf2:". You can
7301 also use it for temp files, e.g., for Unix: "r/tmp". Case is
7302 ignored. Maximum length of each 'r' argument is 50
7303 characters.
7304 s Maximum size of an item in Kbyte. If zero then registers are
7305 not saved. Currently only applies to registers. The default
7306 "s10" will exclude registers with more than 10 Kbyte of text.
7307 Also see the '<' item above: line count limit.
7309 Example: >
7310 :set viminfo='50,<1000,s100,:0,n~/vim/viminfo
7311 <
7312 '50 Marks will be remembered for the last 50 files you
7313 edited.
7314 <1000 Contents of registers (up to 1000 lines each) will be
7315 remembered.
7316 s100 Registers with more than 100 Kbyte text are skipped.
7317 :0 Command-line history will not be saved.
7318 n~/vim/viminfo The name of the file to use is "~/vim/viminfo".
7319 no / Since '/' is not specified, the default will be used,
7320 that is, save all of the search history, and also the
7321 previous search and substitute patterns.
7322 no % The buffer list will not be saved nor read back.
7323 no h 'hlsearch' highlighting will be restored.
7325 When setting 'viminfo' from an empty value you can use |:rviminfo| to
7326 load the contents of the file, this is not done automatically.
7328 This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for
7329 security reasons.
7331 *'virtualedit'* *'ve'*
7332 'virtualedit' 've' string (default "")
7333 global
7334 {not in Vi}
7335 {not available when compiled without the
7336 |+virtualedit| feature}
7337 A comma separated list of these words:
7338 block Allow virtual editing in Visual block mode.
7339 insert Allow virtual editing in Insert mode.
7340 all Allow virtual editing in all modes.
7341 onemore Allow the cursor to move just past the end of the line
7343 Virtual editing means that the cursor can be positioned where there is
7344 no actual character. This can be halfway into a tab or beyond the end
7345 of the line. Useful for selecting a rectangle in Visual mode and
7346 editing a table.
7347 "onemore" is not the same, it will only allow moving the cursor just
7348 after the last character of the line. This makes some commands more
7349 consistent. Previously the cursor was always past the end of the line
7350 if the line was empty. But it is far from Vi compatible. It may also
7351 break some plugins or Vim scripts. For example because |l| can move
7352 the cursor after the last character. Use with care!
7353 Using the |$| command will move to the last character in the line, not
7354 past it. This may actually move the cursor to the left!
7355 It doesn't make sense to combine "all" with "onemore", but you will
7356 not get a warning for it.
7358 *'visualbell'* *'vb'* *'novisualbell'* *'novb'* *beep*
7359 'visualbell' 'vb' boolean (default off)
7360 global
7361 {not in Vi}
7362 Use visual bell instead of beeping. The terminal code to display the
7363 visual bell is given with 't_vb'. When no beep or flash is wanted,
7364 use ":set vb t_vb=".
7365 Note: When the GUI starts, 't_vb' is reset to its default value. You
7366 might want to set it again in your |gvimrc|.
7367 In the GUI, 't_vb' defaults to "<Esc>|f", which inverts the display
7368 for 20 msec. If you want to use a different time, use "<Esc>|40f",
7369 where 40 is the time in msec.
7370 Does not work on the Amiga, you always get a screen flash.
7371 Also see 'errorbells'.
7373 *'warn'* *'nowarn'*
7374 'warn' boolean (default on)
7375 global
7376 Give a warning message when a shell command is used while the buffer
7377 has been changed.
7379 *'weirdinvert'* *'wiv'* *'noweirdinvert'* *'nowiv'*
7380 'weirdinvert' 'wiv' boolean (default off)
7381 global
7382 {not in Vi}
7383 This option has the same effect as the 't_xs' terminal option.
7384 It is provided for backwards compatibility with version 4.x.
7385 Setting 'weirdinvert' has the effect of making 't_xs' non-empty, and
7386 vice versa. Has no effect when the GUI is running.
7388 *'whichwrap'* *'ww'*
7389 'whichwrap' 'ww' string (Vim default: "b,s", Vi default: "")
7390 global
7391 {not in Vi}
7392 Allow specified keys that move the cursor left/right to move to the
7393 previous/next line when the cursor is on the first/last character in
7394 the line. Concatenate characters to allow this for these keys:
7395 char key mode ~
7396 b <BS> Normal and Visual
7397 s <Space> Normal and Visual
7398 h "h" Normal and Visual (not recommended)
7399 l "l" Normal and Visual (not recommended)
7400 < <Left> Normal and Visual
7401 > <Right> Normal and Visual
7402 ~ "~" Normal
7403 [ <Left> Insert and Replace
7404 ] <Right> Insert and Replace
7405 For example: >
7406 :set ww=<,>,[,]
7407 < allows wrap only when cursor keys are used.
7408 When the movement keys are used in combination with a delete or change
7409 operator, the <EOL> also counts for a character. This makes "3h"
7410 different from "3dh" when the cursor crosses the end of a line. This
7411 is also true for "x" and "X", because they do the same as "dl" and
7412 "dh". If you use this, you may also want to use the mapping
7413 ":map <BS> X" to make backspace delete the character in front of the
7414 cursor.
7415 When 'l' is included and it is used after an operator at the end of a
7416 line then it will not move to the next line. This makes "dl", "cl",
7417 "yl" etc. work normally.
7418 NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
7419 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
7421 *'wildchar'* *'wc'*
7422 'wildchar' 'wc' number (Vim default: <Tab>, Vi default: CTRL-E)
7423 global
7424 {not in Vi}
7425 Character you have to type to start wildcard expansion in the
7426 command-line, as specified with 'wildmode'.
7427 The character is not recognized when used inside a macro. See
7428 'wildcharm' for that.
7429 Although 'wc' is a number option, you can set it to a special key: >
7430 :set wc=<Esc>
7431 < NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is
7432 set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset.
7434 *'wildcharm'* *'wcm'*
7435 'wildcharm' 'wcm' number (default: none (0))
7436 global
7437 {not in Vi}
7438 'wildcharm' works exactly like 'wildchar', except that it is
7439 recognized when used inside a macro. You can find "spare" command-line
7440 keys suitable for this option by looking at |ex-edit-index|. Normally
7441 you'll never actually type 'wildcharm', just use it in mappings that
7442 automatically invoke completion mode, e.g.: >
7443 :set wcm=<C-Z>
7444 :cmap ss so $vim/sessions/*.vim<C-Z>
7445 < Then after typing :ss you can use CTRL-P & CTRL-N.
7447 *'wildignore'* *'wig'*
7448 'wildignore' 'wig' string (default "")
7449 global
7450 {not in Vi}
7451 {not available when compiled without the |+wildignore|
7452 feature}
7453 A list of file patterns. A file that matches with one of these
7454 patterns is ignored when completing file or directory names.
7455 The pattern is used like with |:autocmd|, see |autocmd-patterns|.
7456 Also see 'suffixes'.
7457 Example: >
7458 :set wildignore=*.o,*.obj
7459 < The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing
7460 a pattern from the list. This avoids problems when a future version
7461 uses another default.
7463 *'wildmenu'* *'wmnu'* *'nowildmenu'* *'nowmnu'*
7464 'wildmenu' 'wmnu' boolean (default off)
7465 global
7466 {not in Vi}
7467 {not available if compiled without the |+wildmenu|
7468 feature}
7469 When 'wildmenu' is on, command-line completion operates in an enhanced
7470 mode. On pressing 'wildchar' (usually <Tab>) to invoke completion,
7471 the possible matches are shown just above the command line, with the
7472 first match highlighted (overwriting the status line, if there is
7473 one). Keys that show the previous/next match, such as <Tab> or
7474 CTRL-P/CTRL-N, cause the highlight to move to the appropriate match.
7475 When 'wildmode' is used, "wildmenu" mode is used where "full" is
7476 specified. "longest" and "list" do not start "wildmenu" mode.
7477 If there are more matches than can fit in the line, a ">" is shown on
7478 the right and/or a "<" is shown on the left. The status line scrolls
7479 as needed.
7480 The "wildmenu" mode is abandoned when a key is hit that is not used
7481 for selecting a completion.
7482 While the "wildmenu" is active the following keys have special
7483 meanings:
7485 <Left> <Right> - select previous/next match (like CTRL-P/CTRL-N)
7486 <Down> - in filename/menu name completion: move into a
7487 subdirectory or submenu.
7488 <CR> - in menu completion, when the cursor is just after a
7489 dot: move into a submenu.
7490 <Up> - in filename/menu name completion: move up into
7491 parent directory or parent menu.
7493 This makes the menus accessible from the console |console-menus|.
7495 If you prefer the <Left> and <Right> keys to move the cursor instead
7496 of selecting a different match, use this: >
7497 :cnoremap <Left> <Space><BS><Left>
7498 :cnoremap <Right> <Space><BS><Right>
7499 <
7500 The "WildMenu" highlighting is used for displaying the current match
7501 |hl-WildMenu|.
7503 *'wildmode'* *'wim'*
7504 'wildmode' 'wim' string (Vim default: "full")
7505 global
7506 {not in Vi}
7507 Completion mode that is used for the character specified with
7508 'wildchar'. It is a comma separated list of up to four parts. Each
7509 part specifies what to do for each consecutive use of 'wildchar'. The
7510 first part specifies the behavior for the first use of 'wildchar',
7511 The second part for the second use, etc.
7512 These are the possible values for each part:
7513 "" Complete only the first match.
7514 "full" Complete the next full match. After the last match,
7515 the original string is used and then the first match
7516 again.
7517 "longest" Complete till longest common string. If this doesn't
7518 result in a longer string, use the next part.
7519 "longest:full" Like "longest", but also start 'wildmenu' if it is
7520 enabled.
7521 "list" When more than one match, list all matches.
7522 "list:full" When more than one match, list all matches and
7523 complete first match.
7524 "list:longest" When more than one match, list all matches and
7525 complete till longest common string.
7526 When there is only a single match, it is fully completed in all cases.
7528 Examples: >
7529 :set wildmode=full
7530 < Complete first full match, next match, etc. (the default) >
7531 :set wildmode=longest,full
7532 < Complete longest common string, then each full match >
7533 :set wildmode=list:full
7534 < List all matches and complete each full match >
7535 :set wildmode=list,full
7536 < List all matches without completing, then each full match >
7537 :set wildmode=longest,list
7538 < Complete longest common string, then list alternatives.
7540 *'wildoptions'* *'wop'*
7541 'wildoptions' 'wop' string (default "")
7542 global
7543 {not in Vi}
7544 {not available when compiled without the |+wildignore|
7545 feature}
7546 A list of words that change how command line completion is done.
7547 Currently only one word is allowed:
7548 tagfile When using CTRL-D to list matching tags, the kind of
7549 tag and the file of the tag is listed. Only one match
7550 is displayed per line. Often used tag kinds are:
7551 d #define
7552 f function
7553 Also see |cmdline-completion|.
7555 *'winaltkeys'* *'wak'*
7556 'winaltkeys' 'wak' string (default "menu")
7557 global
7558 {not in Vi}
7559 {only used in Win32, Motif, GTK and Photon GUI}
7560 Some GUI versions allow the access to menu entries by using the ALT
7561 key in combination with a character that appears underlined in the
7562 menu. This conflicts with the use of the ALT key for mappings and
7563 entering special characters. This option tells what to do:
7564 no Don't use ALT keys for menus. ALT key combinations can be
7565 mapped, but there is no automatic handling. This can then be
7566 done with the |:simalt| command.
7567 yes ALT key handling is done by the windowing system. ALT key
7568 combinations cannot be mapped.
7569 menu Using ALT in combination with a character that is a menu
7570 shortcut key, will be handled by the windowing system. Other
7571 keys can be mapped.
7572 If the menu is disabled by excluding 'm' from 'guioptions', the ALT
7573 key is never used for the menu.
7574 This option is not used for <F10>; on Win32 and with GTK <F10> will
7575 select the menu, unless it has been mapped.
7577 *'window'* *'wi'*
7578 'window' 'wi' number (default screen height - 1)
7579 global
7580 Window height. Do not confuse this with the height of the Vim window,
7581 use 'lines' for that.
7582 Used for |CTRL-F| and |CTRL-B| when there is only one window and the
7583 value is smaller than 'lines' minus one. The screen will scroll
7584 'window' minus two lines, with a minimum of one.
7585 When 'window' is equal to 'lines' minus one CTRL-F and CTRL-B scroll
7586 in a much smarter way, taking care of wrapping lines.
7587 When resizing the Vim window, the value is smaller than 1 or more than
7588 or equal to 'lines' it will be set to 'lines' minus 1.
7589 {Vi also uses the option to specify the number of displayed lines}
7591 *'winheight'* *'wh'* *E591*
7592 'winheight' 'wh' number (default 1)
7593 global
7594 {not in Vi}
7595 {not available when compiled without the +windows
7596 feature}
7597 Minimal number of lines for the current window. This is not a hard
7598 minimum, Vim will use fewer lines if there is not enough room. If the
7599 current window is smaller, its size is increased, at the cost of the
7600 height of other windows. Set it to 999 to make the current window
7601 always fill the screen (although this has the drawback that ":all"
7602 will create only two windows). Set it to a small number for normal
7603 editing.
7604 Minimum value is 1.
7605 The height is not adjusted after one of the commands to change the
7606 height of the current window.
7607 'winheight' applies to the current window. Use 'winminheight' to set
7608 the minimal height for other windows.
7610 *'winfixheight'* *'wfh'* *'nowinfixheight'* *'nowfh'*
7611 'winfixheight' 'wfh' boolean (default off)
7612 local to window
7613 {not in Vi}
7614 {not available when compiled without the +windows
7615 feature}
7616 Keep the window height when windows are opened or closed and
7617 'equalalways' is set. Also for |CTRL-W_=|. Set by default for the
7618 |preview-window| and |quickfix-window|.
7619 The height may be changed anyway when running out of room.
7621 *'winfixwidth'* *'wfw'* *'nowinfixwidth'* *'nowfw'*
7622 'winfixwidth' 'wfw' boolean (default off)
7623 local to window
7624 {not in Vi}
7625 {not available when compiled without the +windows
7626 feature}
7627 Keep the window width when windows are opened or closed and
7628 'equalalways' is set. Also for |CTRL-W_=|.
7629 The width may be changed anyway when running out of room.
7631 *'winminheight'* *'wmh'*
7632 'winminheight' 'wmh' number (default 1)
7633 global
7634 {not in Vi}
7635 {not available when compiled without the +windows
7636 feature}
7637 The minimal height of a window, when it's not the current window.
7638 This is a hard minimum, windows will never become smaller.
7639 When set to zero, windows may be "squashed" to zero lines (i.e. just a
7640 status bar) if necessary. They will return to at least one line when
7641 they become active (since the cursor has to have somewhere to go.)
7642 Use 'winheight' to set the minimal height of the current window.
7643 This option is only checked when making a window smaller. Don't use a
7644 large number, it will cause errors when opening more than a few
7645 windows. A value of 0 to 3 is reasonable.
7647 *'winminwidth'* *'wmw'*
7648 'winminwidth' 'wmw' number (default 1)
7649 global
7650 {not in Vi}
7651 {not available when compiled without the +vertsplit
7652 feature}
7653 The minimal width of a window, when it's not the current window.
7654 This is a hard minimum, windows will never become smaller.
7655 When set to zero, windows may be "squashed" to zero columns (i.e. just
7656 a vertical separator) if necessary. They will return to at least one
7657 line when they become active (since the cursor has to have somewhere
7658 to go.)
7659 Use 'winwidth' to set the minimal width of the current window.
7660 This option is only checked when making a window smaller. Don't use a
7661 large number, it will cause errors when opening more than a few
7662 windows. A value of 0 to 12 is reasonable.
7664 *'winwidth'* *'wiw'* *E592*
7665 'winwidth' 'wiw' number (default 20)
7666 global
7667 {not in Vi}
7668 {not available when compiled without the +vertsplit
7669 feature}
7670 Minimal number of columns for the current window. This is not a hard
7671 minimum, Vim will use fewer columns if there is not enough room. If
7672 the current window is smaller, its size is increased, at the cost of
7673 the width of other windows. Set it to 999 to make the current window
7674 always fill the screen. Set it to a small number for normal editing.
7675 The width is not adjusted after one of the commands to change the
7676 width of the current window.
7677 'winwidth' applies to the current window. Use 'winminwidth' to set
7678 the minimal width for other windows.
7680 *'wrap'* *'nowrap'*
7681 'wrap' boolean (default on)
7682 local to window
7683 {not in Vi}
7684 This option changes how text is displayed. It doesn't change the text
7685 in the buffer, see 'textwidth' for that.
7686 When on, lines longer than the width of the window will wrap and
7687 displaying continues on the next line. When off lines will not wrap
7688 and only part of long lines will be displayed. When the cursor is
7689 moved to a part that is not shown, the screen will scroll
7690 horizontally.
7691 The line will be broken in the middle of a word if necessary. See
7692 'linebreak' to get the break at a word boundary.
7693 To make scrolling horizontally a bit more useful, try this: >
7694 :set sidescroll=5
7695 :set listchars+=precedes:<,extends:>
7696 < See 'sidescroll', 'listchars' and |wrap-off|.
7698 *'wrapmargin'* *'wm'*
7699 'wrapmargin' 'wm' number (default 0)
7700 local to buffer
7701 Number of characters from the right window border where wrapping
7702 starts. When typing text beyond this limit, an <EOL> will be inserted
7703 and inserting continues on the next line.
7704 Options that add a margin, such as 'number' and 'foldcolumn', cause
7705 the text width to be further reduced. This is Vi compatible.
7706 When 'textwidth' is non-zero, this option is not used.
7707 See also 'formatoptions' and |ins-textwidth|. {Vi: works differently
7708 and less usefully}
7710 *'wrapscan'* *'ws'* *'nowrapscan'* *'nows'*
7711 'wrapscan' 'ws' boolean (default on) *E384* *E385*
7712 global
7713 Searches wrap around the end of the file. Also applies to |]s| and
7714 |[s|, searching for spelling mistakes.
7716 *'write'* *'nowrite'*
7717 'write' boolean (default on)
7718 global
7719 {not in Vi}
7720 Allows writing files. When not set, writing a file is not allowed.
7721 Can be used for a view-only mode, where modifications to the text are
7722 still allowed. Can be reset with the |-m| or |-M| command line
7723 argument. Filtering text is still possible, even though this requires
7724 writing a temporary file.
7726 *'writeany'* *'wa'* *'nowriteany'* *'nowa'*
7727 'writeany' 'wa' boolean (default off)
7728 global
7729 Allows writing to any file with no need for "!" override.
7731 *'writebackup'* *'wb'* *'nowritebackup'* *'nowb'*
7732 'writebackup' 'wb' boolean (default on with |+writebackup| feature, off
7733 otherwise)
7734 global
7735 {not in Vi}
7736 Make a backup before overwriting a file. The backup is removed after
7737 the file was successfully written, unless the 'backup' option is
7738 also on. Reset this option if your file system is almost full. See
7739 |backup-table| for another explanation.
7740 When the 'backupskip' pattern matches, a backup is not made anyway.
7741 NOTE: This option is set to the default value when 'compatible' is
7742 set.
7744 *'writedelay'* *'wd'*
7745 'writedelay' 'wd' number (default 0)
7746 global
7747 {not in Vi}
7748 The number of microseconds to wait for each character sent to the
7749 screen. When non-zero, characters are sent to the terminal one by
7750 one. For MS-DOS pcterm this does not work. For debugging purposes.
7752 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: