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1 *intro.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2004 Jun 12
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2
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3
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4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
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5
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6
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7 Introduction to Vim *ref* *reference*
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8
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9 1. Introduction |intro|
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10 2. Vim on the internet |internet|
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11 3. Credits |credits|
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12 4. Notation |notation|
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13 5. Modes, introduction |vim-modes-intro|
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14 6. Switching from mode to mode |mode-switching|
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15 7. The window contents |window-contents|
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16 8. Definitions |definitions|
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17
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18 ==============================================================================
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19 1. Introduction *intro*
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20
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21 Vim stands for Vi IMproved. It used to be Vi IMitation, but there are so many
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22 improvements that a name change was appropriate. Vim is a text editor which
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23 includes almost all the commands from the Unix program "Vi" and a lot of new
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24 ones. It is very useful for editing programs and other plain text.
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25 All commands are given with the keyboard. This has the advantage that you
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26 can keep your fingers on the keyboard and your eyes on the screen. For those
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27 who want it, there is mouse support and a GUI version with scrollbars and
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28 menus (see |gui.txt|).
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29
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30 An overview of this manual can be found in the file "help.txt", |help.txt|.
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31 It can be accessed from within Vim with the <Help> or <F1> key and with the
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32 |:help| command (just type ":help", without the bars or quotes).
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33 The 'helpfile' option can be set to the name of the help file, in case it
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34 is not located in the default place. You can jump to subjects like with tags:
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35 Use CTRL-] to jump to a subject under the cursor, use CTRL-T to jump back.
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36
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37 Throughout this manual the differences between Vi and Vim are mentioned in
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38 curly braces, like this: {Vi does not have on-line help}. See |vi_diff.txt|
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39 for a summary of the differences between Vim and Vi.
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40
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41 This manual refers to Vim on various machines. There may be small differences
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42 between different computers and terminals. Besides the remarks given in this
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43 document, there is a separate document for each supported system, see
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44 |sys-file-list|.
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45
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46 This manual is a reference for all the Vim commands and options. This is not
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47 an introduction to the use of Vi or Vim, it gets a bit complicated here and
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48 there. For beginners, there is a hands-on |tutor|. To learn using Vim, read
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49 the user manual |usr_toc.txt|.
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50
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51 *book*
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52 There are many books on Vi that contain a section for beginners. There are
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53 two books I can recommend:
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54
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55 "Vim - Vi Improved" by Steve Oualline
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56
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57 This is the very first book completely dedicated to Vim. It is very good for
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58 beginners. The most often used commands are explained with pictures and
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59 examples. The less often used commands are also explained, the more advanced
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60 features are summarized. There is a comprehensive index and a quick
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61 reference. Parts of this book have been included in the user manual
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62 |frombook|.
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63 Published by New Riders Publishing. ISBN: 0735710015
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64 For more information try one of these:
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65 http://iccf-holland.org/click5.html
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66 http://www.vim.org/iccf/click5.html
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67
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68 "Learning the Vi editor" by Linda Lamb and Arnold Robbins
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69
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70 This is a book about Vi that includes a chapter on Vim (in the sixth edition).
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71 The first steps in Vi are explained very well. The commands that Vim adds are
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72 only briefly mentioned. There is also a German translation.
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73 Published by O'Reilly. ISBN: 1-56592-426-6.
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74
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75 ==============================================================================
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76 2. Vim on the internet *internet*
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77
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78 *www* *faq* *FAQ* *distribution* *download*
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79 The Vim pages contain the most recent information about Vim. They also
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80 contain links to the most recent version of Vim. The FAQ is a list of
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81 Frequently Asked Questions. Read this if you have problems.
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82
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83 VIM home page: http://www.vim.org/
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84 VIM FAQ: http://vimdoc.sf.net/
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85 Downloading: ftp://ftp.vim.org/pub/vim/MIRRORS
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86
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87
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88 Usenet News group where Vim is discussed: *news* *usenet*
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89 comp.editors
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90 This group is also for other editors. If you write about Vim, don't forget to
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91 mention that.
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92
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93 *mail-list* *maillist*
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94 There are several mailing lists for Vim:
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95 <vim@vim.org>
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96 For discussions about using existing versions of Vim: Useful mappings,
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97 questions, answers, where to get a specific version, etc.
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98 <vim-dev@vim.org> *vim-dev* *vimdev*
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99 For discussions about changing Vim: New features, porting, patches,
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100 beta-test versions, etc.
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101 <vim-announce@vim.org> *vim-announce*
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102 Announcements about new versions of Vim; also for beta-test versions
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103 and ports to different systems.
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104 <vim-multibyte@vim.org> *vim-multibyte*
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105 For discussions about using and improving the multi-byte aspects of
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106 Vim.
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107 <vim-mac@vim.org> *vim-mac*
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108 For discussions about using and improving the Macintosh version of
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109 Vim.
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110
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111 See http://www.vim.org/maillist.php for the latest information.
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112
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113 NOTE:
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114 - You can only send messages to these lists if you have subscribed!
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115 - You need to send the messages from the same location as where you subscribed
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116 from (to avoid spam mail).
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117 - Maximum message size is 40000 characters.
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118
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119 *subscribe-maillist*
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120 If you want to join, send a message to
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121 <vim-help@vim.org>
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122 Make sure that your "From:" address is correct. Then the list server will
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123 give you help on how to subscribe.
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124
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125 You can retrieve old messages from the maillist software, and an index of
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126 messages. Ask vim-help for instructions.
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127
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128 Archives are kept at: *maillist-archive*
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129 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vim
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130 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vimdev
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131 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vimannounce
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132 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vim-multibyte
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133 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vim-mac
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134
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135
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136 Additional maillists:
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137
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138 <vim-fr@club.voila.fr> *french-maillist*
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139 Vim list in the French language. Subscribe by sending a message to
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140 <vim-fr-subscribe@club.voila.fr>
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141 Or go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vim-fr.
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142
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143
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144 Bug reports: *bugs* *bug-reports* *bugreport.vim*
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145
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146 Send bug reports to: Vim bugs <bugs@vim.org>
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147 This is not a maillist but the message is redirected to the Vim maintainer.
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148 Please be brief; all the time that is spent on answering mail is subtracted
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149 from the time that is spent on improving Vim! Always give a reproducible
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150 example and try to find out which settings or other things influence the
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151 appearance of the bug. Try different machines, if possible. Send me patches
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152 if you can!
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153
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154 In case of doubt, use: >
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155 :so $VIMRUNTIME/bugreport.vim
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156 This will create a file "bugreport.txt" in the current directory, with a lot
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157 of information of your environment. Before sending this out, check if it
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158 doesn't contain any confidential information!
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159
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160 *debug-vim*
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161 When Vim crashes in one of the test files, and you are using gcc for
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162 compilation, here is what you can do to find out exactly where Vim crashes:
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163
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164 1. Compile Vim with the "-g" option (there is a line in the Makefile for this,
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165 which you can uncomment).
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166
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167 2. Execute these commands (replace "11" with the test that fails): >
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168 cd testdir
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169 gdb ../vim
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170 run -u unix.vim -U NONE -s dotest.in test11.in
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171
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172 3. Check where Vim crashes, gdb should give a message for this.
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173
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174 4. Get a stack trace from gdb with this command: >
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175 where
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176 < You can check out different places in the stack trace with: >
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177 frame 3
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178 < Replace "3" with one of the numbers in the stack trace.
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179
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180 *year-2000* *Y2K*
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181 Since Vim internally doesn't use dates for editing, there is no year 2000
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182 problem to worry about. Vim does use the time in the form of seconds since
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183 January 1st 1970. It is used for a time-stamp check of the edited file and
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184 the swap file, which is not critical and should only cause warning messages.
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185
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186 There might be a year 2038 problem, when the seconds don't fit in a 32 bit int
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187 anymore. This depends on the compiler, libraries and operating system.
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188 Specifically, time_t and the ctime() function are used. And the time_t is
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189 stored in four bytes in the swap file. But that's only used for printing a
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190 file date/time for recovery, it will never affect normal editing.
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191
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192 The Vim strftime() function directly uses the strftime() system function.
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193 localtime() uses the time() system function. getftime() uses the time
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194 returned by the stat() system function. If your system libraries are year
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195 2000 compliant, Vim is too.
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196
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197 The user may create scripts for Vim that use external commands. These might
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198 introduce Y2K problems, but those are not really part of Vim itself.
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199
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200 ==============================================================================
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201 3. Credits *credits* *author*
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202
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203 Most of Vim was written by Bram Moolenaar <Bram@vim.org>.
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204
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205 Parts of the documentation come from several Vi manuals, written by:
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206 W.N. Joy
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207 Alan P.W. Hewett
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208 Mark Horton
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209
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210 The Vim editor is based on Stevie and includes (ideas from) other software,
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211 worked on by the people mentioned here. Other people helped by sending me
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212 patches, suggestions and giving feedback about what is good and bad in Vim.
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213
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214 Vim would never have become what it is now, without the help of these people!
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215
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216 Ron Aaron Win32 GUI changes
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217 Zoltan Arpadffy work on VMS port
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218 Tony Andrews Stevie
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219 Gert van Antwerpen changes for DJGPP on MS-DOS
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220 Berkeley DB(3) ideas for swap file implementation
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221 Keith Bostic Nvi
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222 Walter Briscoe Makefile updates, various patches
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223 Ralf Brown SPAWNO library for MS-DOS
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224 Robert Colon many useful remarks
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225 Marcin Dalecki GTK+ GUI port, toolbar icons, gettext()
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226 Kayhan Demirel sent me news in Uganda
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227 Chris & John Downey xvi (ideas for multi-windows version)
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228 Henk Elbers first VMS port
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229 Eric Fischer Mac port, 'cindent', and other improvements
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230 Benji Fisher Answering lots of user questions
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231 Bill Foster Athena GUI port
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232 Loic Grenie xvim (ideas for multi windows version)
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233 Sven Guckes Vim promotor and previous WWW page maintainer
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234 Darren Hiebert Exuberant ctags
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235 Bruce Hunsaker improvements for VMS port
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236 Andy Kahn Cscope support, GTK+ GUI port
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237 Oezguer Kesim Maintainer of Vim Mailing Lists
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238 Axel Kielhorn work on the Macintosh port
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239 Steve Kirkendall Elvis
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240 Roger Knobbe original port to Windows NT
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241 Sergey Laskavy Vim's help from Moscow
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242 Felix von Leitner Maintainer of Vim Mailing Lists
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243 David Leonard Port of Python extensions to Unix
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244 Avner Lottem Edit in right-to-left windows
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245 Flemming Madsen X11 client-server, various features and patches
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246 MicroSoft Gave me a copy of DevStudio to compile Vim with
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247 Paul Moore Python interface extensions, many patches
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248 Katsuhito Nagano Work on multi-byte versions
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249 Sung-Hyun Nam Work on multi-byte versions
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250 Vince Negri Win32 GUI and generic console enhancements
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251 Steve Oualline Author of the first Vim book |frombook|
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252 George V. Reilly Win32 port, Win32 GUI start-off
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253 Stephen Riehm bug collector
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254 Stefan Roemer various patches and help to users
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255 Ralf Schandl IBM OS/390 port
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256 Olaf Seibert DICE and BeBox version, regexp improvements
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257 Mortaza Shiran Farsi patches
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258 Peter da Silva termlib
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259 Paul Slootman OS/2 port
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260 Henry Spencer regular expressions
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261 Dany St-Amant Macintosh port
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262 Tim Thompson Stevie
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263 G. R. (Fred) Walter Stevie
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264 Sven Verdoolaege Perl interface
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265 Robert Webb Command-line completion, GUI versions, and
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266 lots of patches
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267 Ingo Wilken Tcl interface
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268 Mike Williams PostScript printing
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269 Juergen Weigert Lattice version, AUX improvements, UNIX and
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270 MS-DOS ports, autoconf
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271 Stefan 'Sec' Zehl Maintainer of vim.org
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272
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273 I wish to thank all the people that sent me bug reports and suggestions. The
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274 list is too long to mention them all here. Vim would not be the same without
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275 the ideas from all these people: They keep Vim alive!
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276
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277
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278 In this documentation there are several references to other versions of Vi:
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279 *Vi*
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280 Vi "the original". Without further remarks this is the version
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281 of Vi that appeared in Sun OS 4.x. ":version" returns
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282 "Version 3.7, 6/7/85". Sometimes other versions are referred
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283 to. Only runs under Unix. Source code only available with a
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284 license. More information on Vi can be found through:
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285 http://vi-editor.org [doesn't currently work...]
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286 *Posix*
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287 Posix From the IEEE standard 1003.2, Part 2: Shell and utilities.
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288 Generally known as "Posix". This is a textual description of
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289 how Vi is supposed to work.
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290 The version used is a draft from beginning 1996, so all remarks are
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291 "expected to comply to" this. Anything can change though...
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292 *Nvi*
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293 Nvi The "New" Vi. The version of Vi that comes with BSD 4.4 and FreeBSD.
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294 Very good compatibility with the original Vi, with a few extensions.
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295 The version used is 1.79. ":version" returns "Version 1.79
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296 (10/23/96)". There has been no release the last few years, although
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297 there is a development version 1.81.
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298 Source code is freely available.
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299 *Elvis*
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300 Elvis Another Vi clone, made by Steve Kirkendall. Very compact but isn't
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301 as flexible as Vim.
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302 The version used is 2.1. It is still being developed. Source code is
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303 freely available.
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304
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305 ==============================================================================
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306 4. Notation *notation*
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307
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308 When syntax highlighting is used to read this, text that is not typed
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309 literally is often highlighted with the Special group. These are items in [],
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310 {} and <>, and CTRL-X.
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311
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312 Note that Vim uses all possible characters in commands. Sometimes the [], {}
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313 and <> are part of what you type, the context should make this clear.
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314
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315
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316 [] Characters in square brackets are optional.
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317
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318 *count* *[count]* *E489*
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319 [count] An optional number that may precede the command to multiply
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320 or iterate the command. If no number is given, a count of one
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321 is used, unless otherwise noted. Note that in this manual the
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322 [count] is not mentioned in the description of the command,
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323 but only in the explanation. This was done to make the
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324 commands easier to look up. If the 'showcmd' option is on,
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325 the (partially) entered count is shown at the bottom of the
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326 window. You can use <Del> to erase the last digit (|N<Del>|).
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327
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328 *[quotex]*
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329 ["x] An optional register designation where text can be stored.
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330 See |registers|. The x is a single character between 'a' and
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331 'z' or 'A' and 'Z' or '"', and in some cases (with the put
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332 command) between '0' and '9', '%', '#', or others. The
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333 uppercase and lowercase letter designate the same register,
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334 but the lowercase letter is used to overwrite the previous
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335 register contents, while the uppercase letter is used to
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336 append to the previous register contents. Without the ""x" or
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337 with """" the stored text is put into the unnamed register.
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338
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339 *{}*
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340 {} Curly braces denote parts of the command which must appear,
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341 but which can take a number of different values. The
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342 differences between Vim and Vi are also given in curly braces
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343 (this will be clear from the context).
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344
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345 *{char1-char2}*
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346 {char1-char2} A single character from the range char1 to char2. For
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347 example: {a-z} is a lowercase letter. Multiple ranges may be
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348 concatenated. For example, {a-zA-Z0-9} is any alphanumeric
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349 character.
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350
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351 *{motion}*
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352 {motion} A command that moves the cursor. These are explained in
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353 |motion.txt|. Examples:
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354 w to start of next word
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355 b to begin of current word
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356 4j four lines down
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357 /The<CR> to next occurrence of "The"
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358 This is used after an |operator| command to move over the text
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359 that is to be operated upon.
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360 - If the motion includes a count and the operator also has a
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361 count, the two counts are multiplied. For example: "2d3w"
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362 deletes six words.
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363 - The motion can be backwards, e.g. "db" to delete to the
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364 start of the word.
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365 - The motion can also be a mouse click. The mouse is not
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366 supported in every terminal though.
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367 - The ":omap" command can be used to map characters while an
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368 operator is pending.
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369 - Ex commands can be used to move the cursor. This can be
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370 used to call a function that does some complicated motion.
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371 The motion is always characterwise exclusive, no matter
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372 what ":" command is used. This means it's impossible to
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373 include the last character of a line without the line break
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374 (unless 'virtualedit' is set).
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375 If the Ex command changes the text before where the operator
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376 starts or jumps to another buffer the result is
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377 unpredictable. It is possible to change the text further
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378 down. Jumping to another buffer is possible if the current
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379 buffer is not unloaded.
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380
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381 *{Visual}*
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382 {Visual} A selected text area. It is started with the "v", "V", or
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383 CTRL-V command, then any cursor movement command can be used
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384 to change the end of the selected text.
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385 This is used before an |operator| command to highlight the
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386 text that is to be operated upon.
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387 See |Visual-mode|.
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388
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389 *<character>*
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390 <character> A special character from the table below, optionally with
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391 modifiers, or a single ASCII character with modifiers.
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392
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393 *'character'*
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394 'c' A single ASCII character.
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395
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396 *CTRL-{char}*
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397 CTRL-{char} {char} typed as a control character; that is, typing {char}
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398 while holding the CTRL key down. The case of {char} does not
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399 matter; thus CTRL-A and CTRL-a are equivalent. But on some
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400 terminals, using the SHIFT key will produce another code,
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401 don't use it then.
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402
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403 *'option'*
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404 'option' An option, or parameter, that can be set to a value, is
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405 enclosed in single quotes. See |options|.
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406
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407 *quotecommandquote*
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408 "command" A reference to a command that you can type is enclosed in
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409 double quotes.
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410
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411 *key-notation* *key-codes* *keycodes*
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412 These names for keys are used in the documentation. They can also be used
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413 with the ":map" command (insert the key name by pressing CTRL-K and then the
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414 key you want the name for).
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415
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416 notation meaning equivalent decimal value(s) ~
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417 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
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418 <Nul> zero CTRL-@ 0 (stored as 10) *<Nul>*
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419 <BS> backspace CTRL-H 8 *backspace*
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420 <Tab> tab CTRL-I 9 *tab* *Tab*
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421 *linefeed*
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422 <NL> linefeed CTRL-J 10 (used for <Nul>)
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423 <FF> formfeed CTRL-L 12 *formfeed*
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424 <CR> carriage return CTRL-M 13 *carriage-return*
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425 <Return> same as <CR> *<Return>*
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426 <Enter> same as <CR> *<Enter>*
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427 <Esc> escape CTRL-[ 27 *escape* *<Esc>*
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428 <Space> space 32 *space*
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429 <lt> less-than < 60 *<lt>*
|
|
430 <Bslash> backslash \ 92 *backslash* *<Bslash>*
|
|
431 <Bar> vertical bar | 124 *<Bar>*
|
|
432 <Del> delete 127
|
|
433 <CSI> command sequence intro ALT-Esc 155 *<CSI>*
|
|
434 <xCSI> CSI when typed in the GUI *<xCSI>*
|
|
435
|
|
436 <EOL> end-of-line (can be <CR>, <LF> or <CR><LF>,
|
|
437 depends on system and 'fileformat') *<EOL>*
|
|
438
|
|
439 <Up> cursor-up *cursor-up* *cursor_up*
|
|
440 <Down> cursor-down *cursor-down* *cursor_down*
|
|
441 <Left> cursor-left *cursor-left* *cursor_left*
|
|
442 <Right> cursor-right *cursor-right* *cursor_right*
|
|
443 <S-Up> shift-cursor-up
|
|
444 <S-Down> shift-cursor-down
|
|
445 <S-Left> shift-cursor-left
|
|
446 <S-Right> shift-cursor-right
|
|
447 <C-Left> control-cursor-left
|
|
448 <C-Right> control-cursor-right
|
|
449 <F1> - <F12> function keys 1 to 12 *function_key* *function-key*
|
|
450 <S-F1> - <S-F12> shift-function keys 1 to 12 *<S-F1>*
|
|
451 <Help> help key
|
|
452 <Undo> undo key
|
|
453 <Insert> insert key
|
|
454 <Home> home *home*
|
|
455 <End> end *end*
|
|
456 <PageUp> page-up *page_up* *page-up*
|
|
457 <PageDown> page-down *page_down* *page-down*
|
|
458 <kHome> keypad home (upper left) *keypad-home*
|
|
459 <kEnd> keypad end (lower left) *keypad-end*
|
|
460 <kPageUp> keypad page-up (upper right) *keypad-page-up*
|
|
461 <kPageDown> keypad page-down (lower right) *keypad-page-down*
|
|
462 <kPlus> keypad + *keypad-plus*
|
|
463 <kMinus> keypad - *keypad-minus*
|
|
464 <kMultiply> keypad * *keypad-multiply*
|
|
465 <kDivide> keypad / *keypad-divide*
|
|
466 <kEnter> keypad Enter *keypad-enter*
|
|
467 <kPoint> keypad Decimal point *keypad-point*
|
|
468 <k0> - <k9> keypad 0 to 9 *keypad-0* *keypad-9*
|
|
469 <S-...> shift-key *shift* *<S-*
|
|
470 <C-...> control-key *control* *ctrl* *<C-*
|
|
471 <M-...> alt-key or meta-key *meta* *alt* *<M-*
|
|
472 <A-...> same as <M-...> *<A-*
|
|
473 <D-...> command-key (Macintosh only) *<D-*
|
|
474 <t_xx> key with "xx" entry in termcap
|
|
475 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
476
|
|
477 Note: The shifted cursor keys, the help key, and the undo key are only
|
|
478 available on a few terminals. On the Amiga, shifted function key 10 produces
|
|
479 a code (CSI) that is also used by key sequences. It will be recognized only
|
|
480 after typing another key.
|
|
481
|
|
482 Note: There are two codes for the delete key. 127 is the decimal ASCII value
|
|
483 for the delete key, which is always recognized. Some delete keys send another
|
|
484 value, in which case this value is obtained from the termcap entry "kD". Both
|
|
485 values have the same effect. Also see |:fixdel|.
|
|
486
|
|
487 Note: The keypad keys are used in the same way as the corresponding "normal"
|
|
488 keys. For example, <kHome> has the same effect as <Home>. If a keypad key
|
|
489 sends the same raw key code as its non-keypad equivalent, it will be
|
|
490 recognized as the non-keypad code. For example, when <kHome> sends the same
|
|
491 code as <Home>, when pressing <kHome> Vim will think <Home> was pressed.
|
|
492 Mapping <kHome> will not work then.
|
|
493
|
|
494 *<>*
|
|
495 Examples are often given in the <> notation. Sometimes this is just to make
|
|
496 clear what you need to type, but often it can be typed literally, e.g., with
|
|
497 the ":map" command. The rules are:
|
|
498 1. Any printable characters are typed directly, except backslash and '<'
|
|
499 2. A backslash is represented with "\\", double backslash, or "<Bslash>".
|
|
500 3. A real '<' is represented with "\<" or "<lt>". When there is no
|
|
501 confusion possible, a '<' can be used directly.
|
|
502 4. "<key>" means the special key typed. This is the notation explained in
|
|
503 the table above. A few examples:
|
|
504 <Esc> Escape key
|
|
505 <C-G> CTRL-G
|
|
506 <Up> cursor up key
|
|
507 <C-LeftMouse> Control- left mouse click
|
|
508 <S-F11> Shifted function key 11
|
|
509 <M-a> Meta- a ('a' with bit 8 set)
|
|
510 <M-A> Meta- A ('A' with bit 8 set)
|
|
511 <t_kd> "kd" termcap entry (cursor down key)
|
|
512
|
|
513 If you want to use the full <> notation in Vim, you have to make sure the '<'
|
|
514 flag is excluded from 'cpoptions' (when 'compatible' is not set, it already is
|
|
515 by default). >
|
|
516 :set cpo-=<
|
|
517 The <> notation uses <lt> to escape the special meaning of key names. Using a
|
|
518 backslash also works, but only when 'cpoptions' does not include the 'B' flag.
|
|
519
|
|
520 Examples for mapping CTRL-H to the six characters "<Home>": >
|
|
521 :imap <C-H> \<Home>
|
|
522 :imap <C-H> <lt>Home>
|
|
523 The first one only works when the 'B' flag is not in 'cpoptions'. The second
|
|
524 one always works.
|
|
525 To get a literal "<lt>" in a mapping: >
|
|
526 :map <C-L> <lt>lt>
|
|
527
|
|
528 For mapping, abbreviation and menu commands you can then copy-paste the
|
|
529 examples and use them directly. Or type them literally, including the '<' and
|
|
530 '>' characters. This does NOT work for other commands, like ":set" and
|
|
531 ":autocmd"!
|
|
532
|
|
533 ==============================================================================
|
|
534 5. Modes, introduction *vim-modes-intro* *vim-modes*
|
|
535
|
|
536 Vim has six BASIC modes:
|
|
537
|
|
538 *Normal* *Normal-mode* *command-mode*
|
|
539 Normal mode In Normal mode you can enter all the normal editor
|
|
540 commands. If you start the editor you are in this
|
|
541 mode (unless you have set the 'insertmode' option,
|
|
542 see below). This is also known as command mode.
|
|
543
|
|
544 Visual mode This is like Normal mode, but the movement commands
|
|
545 extend a highlighted area. When a non-movement
|
|
546 command is used, it is executed for the highlighted
|
|
547 area. See |Visual-mode|.
|
|
548 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- VISUAL --" is shown
|
|
549 at the bottom of the window.
|
|
550
|
|
551 Select mode This looks most like the MS-Windows selection mode.
|
|
552 Typing a printable character deletes the selection
|
|
553 and starts Insert mode. See |Select-mode|.
|
|
554 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- SELECT --" is shown
|
|
555 at the bottom of the window.
|
|
556
|
|
557 Insert mode In Insert mode the text you type is inserted into the
|
|
558 buffer. See |Insert-mode|.
|
|
559 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- INSERT --" is shown
|
|
560 at the bottom of the window.
|
|
561
|
|
562 Command-line mode In Command-line mode (also called Cmdline mode) you
|
|
563 Cmdline mode can enter one line of text at the bottom of the
|
|
564 window. This is for the Ex commands, ":", the pattern
|
|
565 search commands, "?" and "/", and the filter command,
|
|
566 "!". |Cmdline-mode|
|
|
567
|
|
568 Ex mode Like Command-line mode, but after entering a command
|
|
569 you remain in Ex mode. Very limited editing of the
|
|
570 command line. |Ex-mode|
|
|
571
|
|
572 There are five ADDITIONAL modes. These are variants of the BASIC modes:
|
|
573
|
|
574 *Operator-pending* *Operator-pending-mode*
|
|
575 Operator-pending mode This is like Normal mode, but after an operator
|
|
576 command has started, and Vim is waiting for a {motion}
|
|
577 to specify the text that the operator will work on.
|
|
578
|
|
579 Replace mode Replace mode is a special case of Insert mode. You
|
|
580 can do the same things as in Insert mode, but for
|
|
581 each character you enter, one character of the existing
|
|
582 text is deleted. See |Replace-mode|.
|
|
583 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- REPLACE --" is
|
|
584 shown at the bottom of the window.
|
|
585
|
|
586 Insert Normal mode Entered when CTRL-O given in Insert mode. This is
|
|
587 like Normal mode, but after executing one command Vim
|
|
588 returns to Insert mode.
|
|
589 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- (insert) --" is
|
|
590 shown at the bottom of the window.
|
|
591
|
|
592 Insert Visual mode Entered when starting a Visual selection from Insert
|
|
593 mode, e.g., by using CTRL-O and then "v", "V" or
|
|
594 CTRL-V. When the Visual selection ends, Vim returns
|
|
595 to Insert mode.
|
|
596 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- (insert) VISUAL --"
|
|
597 is shown at the bottom of the window.
|
|
598
|
|
599 Insert Select mode Entered when starting Select mode from Insert mode.
|
|
600 E.g., by dragging the mouse or <S-Right>.
|
|
601 When the Select mode ends, Vim returns to Insert mode.
|
|
602 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- (insert) SELECT --"
|
|
603 is shown at the bottom of the window.
|
|
604
|
|
605 ==============================================================================
|
|
606 6. Switching from mode to mode *mode-switching*
|
|
607
|
|
608 If for any reason you do not know which mode you are in, you can always get
|
|
609 back to Normal mode by typing <Esc> twice. This doesn't work for Ex mode
|
|
610 though, use ":visual".
|
|
611 You will know you are back in Normal mode when you see the screen flash or
|
|
612 hear the bell after you type <Esc>. However, when pressing <Esc> after using
|
|
613 CTRL-O in Insert mode you get a beep but you are still in Insert mode, type
|
|
614 <Esc> again.
|
|
615
|
|
616 *i_esc*
|
|
617 TO mode ~
|
|
618 Normal Visual Select Insert Replace Cmd-line Ex ~
|
|
619 FROM mode ~
|
|
620 Normal v V ^V *4 *1 R : / ? ! Q
|
|
621 Visual *2 ^G c C -- : --
|
|
622 Select *5 ^O ^G *6 -- -- --
|
|
623 Insert <Esc> -- -- <Insert> -- --
|
|
624 Replace <Esc> -- -- <Insert> -- --
|
|
625 Command-line *3 -- -- :start -- --
|
|
626 Ex :vi -- -- -- -- --
|
|
627
|
|
628 - NA
|
|
629 -- not possible
|
|
630
|
|
631 *1 Go from Normal mode to Insert mode by giving the command "i", "I", "a",
|
|
632 "A", "o", "O", "c", "C", "s" or S".
|
|
633 *2 Go from Visual mode to Normal mode by giving a non-movement command, which
|
|
634 causes the command to be executed, or by hitting <Esc> "v", "V" or "CTRL-V"
|
|
635 (see |v_v|), which just stops Visual mode without side effects.
|
|
636 *3 Go from Command-line mode to Normal mode by:
|
|
637 - Hitting <CR> or <NL>, which causes the entered command to be executed.
|
|
638 - Deleting the complete line (e.g., with CTRL-U) and giving a final <BS>.
|
|
639 - Hitting CTRL-C or <Esc>, which quits the command-line without executing
|
|
640 the command.
|
|
641 In the last case <Esc> may be the character defined with the 'wildchar'
|
|
642 option, in which case it will start command-line completion. You can
|
|
643 ignore that and type <Esc> again. {Vi: when hitting <Esc> the command-line
|
|
644 is executed. This is unexpected for most people; therefore it was changed
|
|
645 in Vim. But when the <Esc> is part of a mapping, the command-line is
|
|
646 executed. If you want the Vi behaviour also when typing <Esc>, use ":cmap
|
|
647 ^V<Esc> ^V^M"}
|
|
648 *4 Go from Normal to Select mode by:
|
|
649 - use the mouse to select text while 'selectmode' contains "mouse"
|
|
650 - use a non-printable command to move the cursor while keeping the Shift
|
|
651 key pressed, and the 'selectmode' option contains "key"
|
|
652 - use "v", "V" or "CTRL-V" while 'selectmode' contains "cmd"
|
|
653 - use "gh", "gH" or "g CTRL-H" |g_CTRL-H|
|
|
654 *5 Go from Select mode to Normal mode by using a non-printable command to move
|
|
655 the cursor, without keeping the Shift key pressed.
|
|
656 *6 Go from Select mode to Insert mode by typing a printable character. The
|
|
657 selection is deleted and the character is inserted.
|
|
658
|
|
659 If the 'insertmode' option is on, editing a file will start in Insert mode.
|
|
660
|
|
661 *CTRL-\_CTRL-N* *i_CTRL-\_CTRL-N* *c_CTRL-\_CTRL-N* *v_CTRL-\_CTRL-N*
|
|
662 Additionally the command CTRL-\ CTRL-N or <C-\><C-N> can be used to go to
|
|
663 Normal mode from any other mode. This can be used to make sure Vim is in
|
|
664 Normal mode, without causing a beep like <Esc> would. However, this does not
|
|
665 work in Ex mode. When used after a command that takes an argument, such as
|
|
666 |f| or |m|, the timeout set with 'ttimeoutlen' applies.
|
|
667
|
|
668 *CTRL-\_CTRL-G* *i_CTRL-\_CTRL-G* *c_CTRL-\_CTRL-G* *v_CTRL-\_CTRL-G*
|
|
669 The command CTRL-\ CTRL-G or <C-\><C-G> can be used to go to Insert mode when
|
|
670 'insertmode' is set. Otherwise it goes to Normal mode. This can be used to
|
|
671 make sure Vim is in the mode indicated by 'insertmode', without knowing in
|
|
672 what mode Vim currently is.
|
|
673
|
|
674 *Q* *mode-Ex* *Ex-mode* *Ex* *EX* *E501*
|
|
675 Q Switch to "Ex" mode. This is a bit like typing ":"
|
|
676 commands one after another, except:
|
|
677 - You don't have to keep pressing ":".
|
|
678 - The screen doesn't get updated after each command.
|
|
679 - There is no normal command-line editing.
|
|
680 - Mappings and abbreviations are not used.
|
|
681 In fact, you are editing the lines with the "standard"
|
|
682 line-input editing commands (<Del> or <BS> to erase,
|
|
683 CTRL-U to kill the whole line).
|
|
684 Vim will enter this mode by default if it's invoked as
|
|
685 "ex" on the command-line.
|
|
686 Use the ":vi" command |:visual| to exit "Ex" mode.
|
|
687 Note: In older versions of Vim "Q" formatted text,
|
|
688 that is now done with |gq|. But if you use the
|
|
689 |vimrc_example.vim| script "Q" works like "gq".
|
|
690
|
|
691 *gQ*
|
|
692 gQ Switch to "Ex" mode, but really behave like typing ":"
|
|
693 commands after another. All command line editing,
|
|
694 completion etc. is available.
|
|
695 Use the ":vi" command |:visual| to exit "Ex" mode.
|
|
696 {not in Vi}
|
|
697
|
|
698 ==============================================================================
|
|
699 7. The window contents *window-contents*
|
|
700
|
|
701 In Normal mode and Insert/Replace mode the screen window will show the current
|
|
702 contents of the buffer: What You See Is What You Get. There are two
|
|
703 exceptions:
|
|
704 - When the 'cpoptions' option contains '$', and the change is within one line,
|
|
705 the text is not directly deleted, but a '$' is put at the last deleted
|
|
706 character.
|
|
707 - When inserting text in one window, other windows on the same text are not
|
|
708 updated until the insert is finished.
|
|
709 {Vi: The screen is not always updated on slow terminals}
|
|
710
|
|
711 Lines longer than the window width will wrap, unless the 'wrap' option is off
|
|
712 (see below). The 'linebreak' option can be set to wrap at a blank character.
|
|
713
|
|
714 If the window has room after the last line of the buffer, Vim will show '~' in
|
|
715 the first column of the last lines in the window, like this: >
|
|
716
|
|
717 +-----------------------+
|
|
718 |some line |
|
|
719 |last line |
|
|
720 |~ |
|
|
721 |~ |
|
|
722 +-----------------------+
|
|
723
|
|
724 Thus the '~' lines indicate that the end of the buffer was reached.
|
|
725
|
|
726 If the last line in a window doesn't fit, Vim will indicate this with a '@' in
|
|
727 the first column of the last lines in the window, like this: >
|
|
728
|
|
729 +-----------------------+
|
|
730 |first line |
|
|
731 |second line |
|
|
732 |@ |
|
|
733 |@ |
|
|
734 +-----------------------+
|
|
735
|
|
736 Thus the '@' lines indicate that there is a line that doesn't fit in the
|
|
737 window.
|
|
738
|
|
739 When the "lastline" flag is present in the 'display' option, you will not see
|
|
740 '@' characters at the left side of window. If the last line doesn't fit
|
|
741 completely, only the part that fits is shown, and the last three characters of
|
|
742 the last line are replaced with "@@@", like this: >
|
|
743
|
|
744 +-----------------------+
|
|
745 |first line |
|
|
746 |second line |
|
|
747 |a very long line that d|
|
|
748 |oesn't fit in the wi@@@|
|
|
749 +-----------------------+
|
|
750
|
|
751 If there is a single line that is too long to fit in the window, this is a
|
|
752 special situation. Vim will show only part of the line, around where the
|
|
753 cursor is. There are no special characters shown, so that you can edit all
|
|
754 parts of this line.
|
|
755 {Vi: gives an "internal error" on lines that do not fit in the window}
|
|
756
|
|
757 The '@' occasion in the 'highlight' option can be used to set special
|
|
758 highlighting for the '@' and '~' characters. This makes it possible to
|
|
759 distinguish them from real characters in the buffer.
|
|
760
|
|
761 The 'showbreak' option contains the string to put in front of wrapped lines.
|
|
762
|
|
763 *wrap-off*
|
|
764 If the 'wrap' option is off, long lines will not wrap. Only the part that
|
|
765 fits on the screen is shown. If the cursor is moved to a part of the line
|
|
766 that is not shown, the screen is scrolled horizontally. The advantage of
|
|
767 this method is that columns are shown as they are and lines that cannot fit
|
|
768 on the screen can be edited. The disadvantage is that you cannot see all the
|
|
769 characters of a line at once. The 'sidescroll' option can be set to the
|
|
770 minimal number of columns to scroll. {Vi: has no 'wrap' option}
|
|
771
|
|
772 All normal ASCII characters are displayed directly on the screen. The <Tab>
|
|
773 is replaced with the number of spaces that it represents. Other non-printing
|
|
774 characters are replaced with "^{char}", where {char} is the non-printing
|
|
775 character with 64 added. Thus character 7 (bell) will be shown as "^G".
|
|
776 Characters between 127 and 160 are replaced with "~{char}", where {char} is
|
|
777 the character with 64 subtracted. These characters occupy more than one
|
|
778 position on the screen. The cursor can only be positioned on the first one.
|
|
779
|
|
780 If you set the 'number' option, all lines will be preceded with their
|
|
781 number. Tip: If you don't like wrapping lines to mix with the line numbers,
|
|
782 set the 'showbreak' option to eight spaces:
|
|
783 ":set showbreak=\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ "
|
|
784
|
|
785 If you set the 'list' option, <Tab> characters will not be shown as several
|
|
786 spaces, but as "^I". A '$' will be placed at the end of the line, so you can
|
|
787 find trailing blanks.
|
|
788
|
|
789 In Command-line mode only the command-line itself is shown correctly. The
|
|
790 display of the buffer contents is updated as soon as you go back to Command
|
|
791 mode.
|
|
792
|
|
793 The last line of the window is used for status and other messages. The
|
|
794 status messages will only be used if an option is on:
|
|
795
|
|
796 status message option default Unix default ~
|
|
797 current mode 'showmode' on on
|
|
798 command characters 'showcmd' on off
|
|
799 cursor position 'ruler' off off
|
|
800
|
|
801 The current mode is "-- INSERT --" or "-- REPLACE --", see |'showmode'|. The
|
|
802 command characters are those that you typed but were not used yet. {Vi: does
|
|
803 not show the characters you typed or the cursor position}
|
|
804
|
|
805 If you have a slow terminal you can switch off the status messages to speed
|
|
806 up editing:
|
|
807 :set nosc noru nosm
|
|
808
|
|
809 If there is an error, an error message will be shown for at least one second
|
|
810 (in reverse video). {Vi: error messages may be overwritten with other
|
|
811 messages before you have a chance to read them}
|
|
812
|
|
813 Some commands show how many lines were affected. Above which threshold this
|
|
814 happens can be controlled with the 'report' option (default 2).
|
|
815
|
|
816 On the Amiga Vim will run in a CLI window. The name Vim and the full name of
|
|
817 the current file name will be shown in the title bar. When the window is
|
|
818 resized, Vim will automatically redraw the window. You may make the window as
|
|
819 small as you like, but if it gets too small not a single line will fit in it.
|
|
820 Make it at least 40 characters wide to be able to read most messages on the
|
|
821 last line.
|
|
822
|
|
823 On most Unix systems, resizing the window is recognized and handled correctly
|
|
824 by Vim. {Vi: not ok}
|
|
825
|
|
826 ==============================================================================
|
|
827 8. Definitions *definitions*
|
|
828
|
|
829 screen The whole area that Vim uses to work in. This can be
|
|
830 a terminal emulator window. Also called "the Vim
|
|
831 window".
|
|
832 window A view on a buffer.
|
|
833
|
|
834 A screen contains one or more windows, separated by status lines and with the
|
|
835 command line at the bottom.
|
|
836
|
|
837 +-------------------------------+
|
|
838 screen | window 1 | window 2 |
|
|
839 | | |
|
|
840 | | |
|
|
841 |= status line =|= status line =|
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|
842 | window 3 |
|
|
843 | |
|
|
844 | |
|
|
845 |==== status line ==============|
|
|
846 |command line |
|
|
847 +-------------------------------+
|
|
848
|
|
849 The command line is also used for messages. It scrolls up the screen when
|
|
850 there is not enough room in the command line.
|
|
851
|
|
852 A difference is made between four types of lines:
|
|
853
|
|
854 buffer lines The lines in the buffer. This is the same as the
|
|
855 lines as they are read from/written to a file. They
|
|
856 can be thousands of characters long.
|
|
857 logical lines The buffer lines with folding applied. Buffer lines
|
|
858 in a closed fold are changed to a single logical line:
|
|
859 "+-- 99 lines folded". They can be thousands of
|
|
860 characters long.
|
|
861 window lines The lines displayed in a window: A range of logical
|
|
862 lines with wrapping, line breaks, etc. applied. They
|
|
863 can only be as long as the width of the window allows,
|
|
864 longer lines are wrapped or truncated.
|
|
865 screen lines The lines of the screen that Vim uses. Consists of
|
|
866 the window lines of all windows, with status lines
|
|
867 and the command line added. They can only be as long
|
|
868 as the width of the screen allows. When the command
|
|
869 line gets longer it wraps and lines are scrolled to
|
|
870 make room.
|
|
871
|
|
872 buffer lines logical lines window lines screen lines ~
|
|
873
|
|
874 1. one 1. one 1. +-- folded 1. +-- folded
|
|
875 2. two 2. +-- folded 2. five 2. five
|
|
876 3. three 3. five 3. six 3. six
|
|
877 4. four 4. six 4. seven 4. seven
|
|
878 5. five 5. seven 5. === status line ===
|
|
879 6. six 6. aaa
|
|
880 7. seven 7. bbb
|
|
881 8. ccc ccc c
|
|
882 1. aaa 1. aaa 1. aaa 9. cc
|
|
883 2. bbb 2. bbb 2. bbb 10. ddd
|
|
884 3. ccc ccc ccc 3. ccc ccc ccc 3. ccc ccc c 11. ~
|
|
885 4. ddd 4. ddd 4. cc 12. === status line ===
|
|
886 5. ddd 13. (command line)
|
|
887 6. ~
|
|
888
|
|
889 ==============================================================================
|
|
890 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl:
|