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1 *usr_01.txt* For Vim version 7.1b. Last change: 2006 Oct 08
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3 VIM USER MANUAL - by Bram Moolenaar
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4
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5 About the manuals
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6
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7
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8 This chapter introduces the manuals available with Vim. Read this to know the
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9 conditions under which the commands are explained.
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10
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11 |01.1| Two manuals
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12 |01.2| Vim installed
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13 |01.3| Using the Vim tutor
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14 |01.4| Copyright
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15
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16 Next chapter: |usr_02.txt| The first steps in Vim
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17 Table of contents: |usr_toc.txt|
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18
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19 ==============================================================================
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20 *01.1* Two manuals
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21
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22 The Vim documentation consists of two parts:
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23
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24 1. The User manual
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25 Task oriented explanations, from simple to complex. Reads from start to
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26 end like a book.
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27
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28 2. The Reference manual
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29 Precise description of how everything in Vim works.
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30
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31 The notation used in these manuals is explained here: |notation|
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32
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33
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34 JUMPING AROUND
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35
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36 The text contains hyperlinks between the two parts, allowing you to quickly
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37 jump between the description of an editing task and a precise explanation of
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38 the commands and options used for it. Use these two commands:
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39
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40 Press CTRL-] to jump to a subject under the cursor.
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41 Press CTRL-O to jump back (repeat to go further back).
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42
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43 Many links are in vertical bars, like this: |bars|. An option name, like
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44 'number', a command in double quotes like ":write" and any other word can also
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45 be used as a link. Try it out: Move the cursor to CTRL-] and press CTRL-]
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46 on it.
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47
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48 Other subjects can be found with the ":help" command, see |help.txt|.
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49
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50 ==============================================================================
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51 *01.2* Vim installed
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52
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53 Most of the manuals assume that Vim has been properly installed. If you
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54 didn't do that yet, or if Vim doesn't run properly (e.g., files can't be found
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55 or in the GUI the menus do not show up) first read the chapter on
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56 installation: |usr_90.txt|.
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57 *not-compatible*
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58 The manuals often assume you are using Vim with Vi-compatibility switched
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59 off. For most commands this doesn't matter, but sometimes it is important,
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60 e.g., for multi-level undo. An easy way to make sure you are using a nice
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61 setup is to copy the example vimrc file. By doing this inside Vim you don't
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62 have to check out where it is located. How to do this depends on the system
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63 you are using:
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64
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65 Unix: >
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66 :!cp -i $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim ~/.vimrc
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67 MS-DOS, MS-Windows, OS/2: >
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68 :!copy $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim $VIM/_vimrc
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69 Amiga: >
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70 :!copy $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim $VIM/.vimrc
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71
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72 If the file already exists you probably want to keep it.
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73
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74 If you start Vim now, the 'compatible' option should be off. You can check it
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75 with this command: >
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76
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77 :set compatible?
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78
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79 If it responds with "nocompatible" you are doing well. If the response is
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80 "compatible" you are in trouble. You will have to find out why the option is
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81 still set. Perhaps the file you wrote above is not found. Use this command
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82 to find out: >
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83
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84 :scriptnames
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85
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86 If your file is not in the list, check its location and name. If it is in the
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87 list, there must be some other place where the 'compatible' option is switched
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88 back on.
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89
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90 For more info see |vimrc| and |compatible-default|.
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91
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92 Note:
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93 This manual is about using Vim in the normal way. There is an
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94 alternative called "evim" (easy Vim). This is still Vim, but used in
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95 a way that resembles a click-and-type editor like Notepad. It always
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96 stays in Insert mode, thus it feels very different. It is not
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97 explained in the user manual, since it should be mostly self
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98 explanatory. See |evim-keys| for details.
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99
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100 ==============================================================================
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101 *01.3* Using the Vim tutor *tutor* *vimtutor*
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102
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103 Instead of reading the text (boring!) you can use the vimtutor to learn your
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104 first Vim commands. This is a 30 minute tutorial that teaches the most basic
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105 Vim functionality hands-on.
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106
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107 On Unix, if Vim has been properly installed, you can start it from the shell:
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108 >
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109 vimtutor
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110
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111 On MS-Windows you can find it in the Program/Vim menu. Or execute
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112 vimtutor.bat in the $VIMRUNTIME directory.
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113
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114 This will make a copy of the tutor file, so that you can edit it without
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115 the risk of damaging the original.
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116 There are a few translated versions of the tutor. To find out if yours is
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117 available, use the two-letter language code. For French: >
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118
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119 vimtutor fr
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120
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121 For OpenVMS, if Vim has been properly installed, you can start vimtutor from a
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122 VMS prompt with: >
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123
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124 @VIM:vimtutor
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125
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126 Optionally add the two-letter language code as above.
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127
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128
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129 On other systems, you have to do a little work:
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130
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131 1. Copy the tutor file. You can do this with Vim (it knows where to find it):
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132 >
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133 vim -u NONE -c 'e $VIMRUNTIME/tutor/tutor' -c 'w! TUTORCOPY' -c 'q'
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134 <
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135 This will write the file "TUTORCOPY" in the current directory. To use a
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136 translated version of the tutor, append the two-letter language code to the
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137 filename. For French:
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138 >
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139 vim -u NONE -c 'e $VIMRUNTIME/tutor/tutor.fr' -c 'w! TUTORCOPY' -c 'q'
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140 <
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141 2. Edit the copied file with Vim:
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142 >
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143 vim -u NONE -c "set nocp" TUTORCOPY
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144 <
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145 The extra arguments make sure Vim is started in a good mood.
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146
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147 3. Delete the copied file when you are finished with it:
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148 >
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149 del TUTORCOPY
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150 <
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151 ==============================================================================
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152 *01.4* Copyright *manual-copyright*
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153
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154 The Vim user manual and reference manual are Copyright (c) 1988-2003 by Bram
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155 Moolenaar. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and
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156 conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, v1.0 or later. The
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157 latest version is presently available at:
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158 http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/
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159
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160 People who contribute to the manuals must agree with the above copyright
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161 notice.
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162 *frombook*
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163 Parts of the user manual come from the book "Vi IMproved - Vim" by Steve
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164 Oualline (published by New Riders Publishing, ISBN: 0735710015). The Open
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165 Publication License applies to this book. Only selected parts are included
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166 and these have been modified (e.g., by removing the pictures, updating the
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167 text for Vim 6.0 and later, fixing mistakes). The omission of the |frombook|
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168 tag does not mean that the text does not come from the book.
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169
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170 Many thanks to Steve Oualline and New Riders for creating this book and
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171 publishing it under the OPL! It has been a great help while writing the user
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172 manual. Not only by providing literal text, but also by setting the tone and
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173 style.
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174
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175 If you make money through selling the manuals, you are strongly encouraged to
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176 donate part of the profit to help AIDS victims in Uganda. See |iccf|.
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177
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178 ==============================================================================
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179
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180 Next chapter: |usr_02.txt| The first steps in Vim
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181
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182 Copyright: see |manual-copyright| vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl:
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