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1 *vi_diff.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2004 Jun 08
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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 Differences between Vim and Vi *vi-differences*
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8
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9 Throughout the help files differences between Vim and Vi/Ex are given in
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10 curly braces, like "{not in Vi}". This file only lists what has not been
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11 mentioned in other files and gives an overview.
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12
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13 Vim is mostly POSIX 1003.2-1 compliant. The only command known to be missing
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14 is ":open". There are probably a lot of small differences (either because Vim
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15 is missing something or because Posix is beside the mark).
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16
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17 1. Missing commands |missing-commands|
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18 2. Missing options |missing-options|
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19 3. Limits |limits|
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20 4. The most interesting additions |vim-additions|
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21 5. Other vim features |other-features|
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22 6. Command-line arguments |cmdline-arguments|
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23
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24 ==============================================================================
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25 1. Missing commands *missing-commands*
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26
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27 This command is in Vi, but not in Vim:
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28
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29 :o[pen] {Vi: start editing in open mode} *:o* *:op* *:open*
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30
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31 ==============================================================================
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32 2. Missing options *missing-options*
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33
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34 These options are in the Unix Vi, but not in Vim. If you try to set one of
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35 them you won't get an error message, but the value is not used and cannot be
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36 printed.
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37
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38 autoprint (ap) boolean (default on) *'autoprint'* *'ap'*
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39 beautify (bf) boolean (default off) *'beautify'* *'bf'*
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40 flash (fl) boolean (default ??) *'flash'* *'fl'*
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41 graphic (gr) boolean (default off) *'graphic'* *'gr'*
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42 hardtabs (ht) number (default 8) *'hardtabs'* *'ht'*
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43 number of spaces that a <Tab> moves on the display
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44 mesg boolean (default on) *'mesg'*
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45 novice boolean (default off) *'novice'*
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46 open boolean (default on) *'open'*
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47 optimize (op) boolean (default off) *'optimize'* *'op'*
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48 prompt boolean (default on) *'prompt'*
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49 redraw boolean (default off) *'redraw'*
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50 slowopen (slow) boolean (default off) *'slowopen'* *'slow'*
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51 sourceany boolean (default off) *'sourceany'*
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52 window (wi) number (default 23) *'window'* *'wi'*
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53 w300 number (default 23) *'w300'*
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54 w1200 number (default 23) *'w1200'*
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55 w9600 number (default 23) *'w9600'*
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56
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57 ==============================================================================
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58 3. Limits *limits*
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59
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60 Vim has only a few limits for the files that can be edited {Vi: can not handle
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61 <Nul> characters and characters above 128, has limited line length, many other
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62 limits}.
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63 *E340*
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64 Maximum line length On machines with 16-bit ints (Amiga and MS-DOS real
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65 mode): 32767, otherwise 2147483647 characters.
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66 Longer lines are split.
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67 Maximum number of lines 2147483647 lines.
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68 Maximum file size 2147483647 bytes (2 Gbyte) when a long integer is
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69 32 bits. Much more for 64 bit longs. Also limited
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70 by available disk space for the |swap-file|.
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71 *E75*
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72 Length of a file path Unix and Win32: 1024 characters, otherwise 256
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73 characters (or as much as the system supports).
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74 Length of an expanded string option
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75 Unix and Win32: 1024 characters, otherwise 256
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76 characters
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77 Maximum display width Unix and Win32: 1024 characters, otherwise 255
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78 characters
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79 Maximum lhs of a mapping 50 characters.
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80 Number of highlighting different types: 223
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81
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82 Information for undo and text in registers is kept in memory, thus when making
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83 (big) changes the amount of (virtual) memory available limits the number of
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84 undo levels and the text that can be kept in registers. Other things are also
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85 kept in memory: Command-line history, error messages for Quickfix mode, etc.
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86
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87 Memory usage limits
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88 -------------------
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89
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90 The option 'maxmem' ('mm') is used to set the maximum memory used for one
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91 buffer (in kilobytes). 'maxmemtot' is used to set the maximum memory used for
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92 all buffers (in kilobytes). The defaults depend on the system used. For the
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93 Amiga and MS-DOS, 'maxmemtot' is set depending on the amount of memory
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94 available. If you don't like Vim to swap to a file, set 'maxmem' and
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95 'maxmemtot' to a very large value. The swap file will then only be used for
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96 recovery. If you don't want a swap file at all, set 'updatecount' to 0, or
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97 use the "-n" argument when starting Vim. Note that the 'maxmem' option is
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98 only used when a buffer is created. Changing this option does not affect
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99 buffers that have already been loaded. Thus you can set it to different
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100 values for different files. 'maxmemtot' works always.
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101
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102 ==============================================================================
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103 4. The most interesting additions *vim-additions*
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104
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105 Vi compatibility. |'compatible'|
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106 Although Vim is 99% Vi compatible, some things in Vi can be
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107 considered to be a bug, or at least need improvement. But still, Vim
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108 starts in a mode which behaves like the "real" Vi as much as possible.
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109 To make Vim behave a little bit better, try resetting the 'compatible'
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110 option:
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111 :set nocompatible
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112 Or start Vim with the "-N" argument:
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113 vim -N
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114 This is done automatically if you have a .vimrc file. See |startup|.
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115 The 'cpoptions' option can be used to set Vi compatibility on/off for
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116 a number of specific items.
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117
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118 Support for different systems.
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119 Vim can be used on:
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120 - All Unix systems (it works on all systems it was tested on, although
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121 the GUI and Perl interface may not work everywhere).
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122 - Amiga (500, 1000, 1200, 2000, 3000, 4000, ...).
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123 - MS-DOS in real-mode (no additional drivers required).
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124 - In protected mode on Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS (DPMI driver required).
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125 - Windows 95 and Windows NT, with support for long file names.
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126 - OS/2 (needs emx.dll)
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127 - Atari MiNT
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128 - VMS
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129 - BeOS
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130 - Macintosh
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131 - Risc OS
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132 - IBM OS/390
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133
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134 Multi level undo. |undo|
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135 'u' goes backward in time, 'CTRL-R' goes forward again. Set option
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136 'undolevels' to the number of changes to be remembered (default 1000).
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137 Set 'undolevels' to 0 for a vi-compatible one level undo. Set it to
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138 -1 for no undo at all.
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139
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140 When all changes in a buffer have been undone, the buffer is not
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141 considered changed anymore. You can exit it with :q, without <!>.
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142
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143 Graphical User Interface (GUI) |gui|
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144 Included support for GUI: menu's, mouse, scrollbars, etc. You can
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145 define your own menus. Better support for CTRL/SHIFT/ALT keys in
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146 combination with special keys and mouse. Supported for various
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147 platforms, such as X11 (with Motif and Athena interfaces), GTK, Win32
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148 (Windows 95 and later), BeOS, Amiga and Macintosh.
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149
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150 Multiple windows and buffers. |windows.txt|
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151 Vim can split the screen into several windows, each editing a
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152 different buffer or the same buffer at a different location. Buffers
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153 can still be loaded (and changed) but not displayed in a window. This
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154 is called a hidden buffer. Many commands and options have been added
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155 for this facility.
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156
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157 Syntax highlighting. |:syntax|
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158 Vim can highlight keywords, patterns and other things. This is
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159 defined by a number of ":syntax" commands, and can be made to
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160 highlight most languages and file types. A number of files are
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161 included for highlighting the most common languages, like C, C++,
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162 Java, Pascal, Makefiles, shell scripts, etc. The colors used for
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163 highlighting can be defined for ordinary terminals, color terminals
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164 and the GUI with the ":highlight" command.
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165
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166 Folding |folding|
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167 A range of lines can be shown as one "folded" line. This allows
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168 overviewing a file and moving blocks of text around quickly.
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169 Folds can be created manually, from the syntax of the file, by indent,
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170 etc.
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171
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172 Plugins |add-plugin|
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173 The functionality can be extended by dropping a plugin file in the
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174 right directory. That's an easy way to start using Vim scripts
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175 written by others. Plugins can be for all kind of files, or
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176 specifically for a filetype.
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177
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178 Repeat a series of commands. |q|
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179 "q{c}" starts recording typed characters into named register {c}
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180 (append to the register if register name is uppercase). A subsequent
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181 "q" stops recording. The register can then be executed with the
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182 "@{c}" command. This is very useful to repeat a complex action.
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183
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184 Flexible insert mode. |ins-special-special|
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185 The arrow keys can be used in insert mode to move around in the file.
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186 This breaks the insert in two parts as far as undo and redo is
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187 concerned.
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188
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189 CTRL-O can be used to execute a single command-mode command. This is
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190 almost the same as hitting <Esc>, typing the command and doing "a".
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191
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192 Visual mode. |Visual-mode|
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193 Visual can be used to first highlight a piece of text and then give a
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194 command to do something with it. This is an (easy to use) alternative
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195 to first giving the operator and then moving to the end of the text
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196 to be operated upon. "v" and "V" are used to start Visual mode. "v"
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197 works on characters and 'V' on lines. Move the cursor to extend the
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198 Visual part. It is shown highlighted on the screen. By typing "o"
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199 the other end of the Visual text can be moved. The Visual text can
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200 be affected by an operator:
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201 d delete
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202 c change
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203 y yank
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204 > or < insert or delete indent
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205 ! filter through external program
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206 = filter through indent
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207 : start ":" command for the Visual lines.
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208 gq format text to 'textwidth' columns
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209 J join lines
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210 ~ swap case
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211 u make lowercase
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212 U make uppercase
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213
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214 Block operators. |visual-block|
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215 With Visual a rectangular block of text can be selected. Start Visual
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216 with CTRL-V. The block can be deleted ("d"), yanked ("y") or its case
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217 can be changed ("~", "u" and "U"). A deleted or yanked block can be
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218 put into the text with the "p" and "P" commands.
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219
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220 Online help system. |:help|
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221 Help is displayed in a window. The usual commands can be used to
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222 move around, search for a string, etc. Tags can be used to jump
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223 around in the help files, just like hypertext links. The ":help"
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224 command takes an argument to quickly jump to the info on a subject.
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225 <F1> is the quick access to the help system. The name of the help
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226 index file can be set with the 'helpfile' option.
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227
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228 Command-line editing and history. |cmdline-editing|
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229 You can insert or delete at any place in the command-line using the
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230 cursor keys. The right/left cursor keys can be used to move
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231 forward/backward one character. The shifted right/left cursor keys
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232 can be used to move forward/backward one word. CTRL-B/CTRL-E can be
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233 used to go to the begin/end of the command-line.
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234
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235 |cmdline-history|
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236 The command-lines are remembered. The up/down cursor keys can be used
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237 to recall previous command-lines. The 'history' option can be set to
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238 the number of lines that will be remembered. There is a separate
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239 history for commands and for search patterns.
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240
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241 Command-line completion. |cmdline-completion|
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242 While entering a command-line (on the bottom line of the screen)
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243 <Tab> can be typed to complete
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244 what example ~
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245 - command :e<Tab>
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246 - tag :ta scr<Tab>
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247 - option :set sc<Tab>
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248 - option value :set hf=<Tab>
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249 - file name :e ve<Tab>
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250 - etc.
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251
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252 If there are multiple matches, CTRL-N (next) and CTRL-P (previous)
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253 will walk through the matches. <Tab> works like CTRL-N, but wraps
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254 around to the first match.
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255
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256 The 'wildchar' option can be set to the character for command-line
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257 completion, <Tab> is the default. CTRL-D can be typed after an
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258 (incomplete) wildcard; all matches will be listed. CTRL-A will insert
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259 all matches. CTRL-L will insert the longest common part of the
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260 matches.
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261
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262 Insert-mode completion |ins-completion|
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263 In insert mode the CTRL-N and CTRL-P keys can be used to complete a
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264 word that has previously been used. |i_CTRL-N|
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265 With CTRL-X another mode is entered, through which completion can be
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266 done for:
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267 |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-F| file names
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268 |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K| words from 'dictionary' files
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269 |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-T| words from 'thesaurus' files
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270 |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-I| words from included files
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271 |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-L| whole lines
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272 |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-]| words from the tags file
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273 |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-D| definitions or macros
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274
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275 Long line support |'wrap'| |'linebreak'|
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276 If the 'wrap' option is off, long lines will not wrap and only part
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277 of them will be shown. When the cursor is moved to a part that is not
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278 shown, the screen will scroll horizontally. The minimum number of
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279 columns to scroll can be set with the 'sidescroll' option. The "zh"
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280 and "zl" commands can be used to scroll sideways.
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281 Alternatively, long lines are broken in between words when the
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282 'linebreak' option is set. This allows editing a single-line
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283 paragraph conveniently (e.g. when the text is later read into a DTP
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284 program). Move the cursor up/down with the "gk" and "gj" commands.
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285
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286 Text formatting. |formatting|
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287 The 'textwidth' option can be used to automatically limit the line
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288 length. This supplements the 'wrapmargin' option of Vi, which was not
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289 very useful. The "gq" operator can be used to format a piece of text
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290 (for example, "gqap" formats the current paragraph). Commands for
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291 text alignment: ":center", ":left" and ":right".
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292
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293 Extended search patterns |pattern|
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294 There are many extra items to match various text items. Examples:
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295 A "\n" can be used in a search pattern to match a line break.
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296 "x\{2,4}" matches "x" 2 to 4 times.
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297 "\s" matches a white space character.
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298
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299 Edit-compile-edit speedup. |quickfix|
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300 The ":make" command can be used to run the compilation and jump to
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301 the first error. Alternatively Vim can be started with the "-q"
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302 option from the compiler. A file with compiler error messages is
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303 interpreted. Vim starts editing at the first error.
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304
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305 Each line in the error file is scanned for the name of a file, line
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306 number and error message. The 'errorformat' option can be set to a
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307 list of scanf-like strings to handle output from many compilers.
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308
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309 The ":cn" command can be used to jump to the next error.
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310 ":cl" lists all the error messages. Other commands are available
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311 (almost the same as with Manx's Z editor on the Amiga).
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312 The 'makeef' option has the name of the file with error messages.
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313 The 'makeprg' option contains the name of the program to be executed
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314 with the ":make" command.
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315 The 'shellpipe' option contains the string to be used to put the
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316 output of the compiler into the errorfile.
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317
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318 Improved indenting for C programs |'cindent'|
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319 When the 'cindent' option is on the indent of each line is
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320 automatically adjusted. C syntax is mostly recognized. The indent
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321 for various styles can be set with 'cinoptions'. The keys to trigger
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322 indenting can be set with 'cinkeys'.
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323
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324 Comments can be automatically formatted. The 'comments' option can be
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325 set to the characters that start and end a comment. This works best
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326 for C code, but also works for e-mail (">" at start of the line) and
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327 other types of text. The "=" operator can be used to re-indent
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328 lines.
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329
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330 Searching for words in include files |include-search|
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331 The "[i" command can be used to search for a match of the word under
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332 the cursor in the current and included files. The 'include' option
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333 can be set the a pattern that describes a command to include a file
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334 (the default is for C programs).
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335 The "[I" command lists all matches, the "[ CTRL-I" command jumps to
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336 a match.
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337 The "[d", "[D" and "[ CTRL-D" commands do the same, but only for
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338 lines where the pattern given with the 'define' option matches.
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339
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340 Automatic commands |autocommand|
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341 Commands can be automatically executed when reading a file, writing a
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342 file, jumping to another buffer, etc., depending on the file name.
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343 This is useful to set options and mappings for C programs,
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344 documentation, plain text, e-mail, etc. This also makes it possible
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345 to edit compressed files.
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346
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347 Scripts and Expressions |expression|
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348 Commands have been added to form up a simple but powerful script
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349 language.
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350 |:if| Conditional execution, which can be used for example
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351 to set options depending on the value of $TERM.
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352 |:while| Repeat a number of commands.
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353 |:echo| Print the result of an expression.
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354 |:let| Assign a value to an internal variable, option, etc.
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355 |:execute| Execute a command formed by an expression.
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356 etc.
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357
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358 Viminfo |viminfo-file|
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359 The command-line history, marks and registers can be stored in a file
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360 that is read on startup. This can be used to repeat a search command
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361 or command-line command after exiting and restarting Vim. It is also
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362 possible to jump right back to where the last edit stopped with "'0".
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363 The 'viminfo' option can be set to select which items to store in the
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364 .viminfo file. This is off by default.
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365
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366 Mouse support |mouse-using|
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367 The mouse is supported in the GUI version, in an xterm for Unix, for
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368 Linux with gpm, for MS-DOS, and Win32. It can be used to position the
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369 cursor, select the visual area, paste a register, etc.
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370
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371 Usage of key names |<>| |key-notation|
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372 Special keys now all have a name like <Up>, <End>, etc.
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373 This name can be used in mappings, to make it easy to edit them.
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374
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375 Editing binary files |edit-binary|
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376 Vim can edit binary files. You can change a few characters in an
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377 executable file, without corrupting it. Vim doesn't remove NUL
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378 characters (they are represented as <NL> internally).
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379 |-b| command-line argument to start editing a binary file
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380 |'binary'| Option set by "-b". Prevents adding an <EOL> for the
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381 last line in the file.
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382
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383 Multi-language support |multi-lang|
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384 Files in double-byte or multi-byte encodings can be edited. There is
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385 UTF-8 support to be able to edit various languages at the same time,
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386 without switching fonts. |UTF-8|
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387 Messages and menus are available in different languages.
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388
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389 ==============================================================================
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390 5. Other vim features *other-features*
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391
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392 A random collection of nice extra features.
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393
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394
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395 When Vim is started with "-s scriptfile", the characters read from
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396 "scriptfile" are treated as if you typed them. If end of file is reached
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397 before the editor exits, further characters are read from the console.
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398
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399 The "-w" option can be used to record all typed characters in a script file.
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400 This file can then be used to redo the editing, possibly on another file or
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401 after changing some commands in the script file.
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402
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403 The "-o" option opens a window for each argument. "-o4" opens four windows.
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404
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405 Vi requires several termcap entries to be able to work full-screen. Vim only
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406 requires the "cm" entry (cursor motion).
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407
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408
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409 In command mode:
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410
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411 When the 'showcmd' option is set, the command characters are shown in the last
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412 line of the screen. They are removed when the command is finished.
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413
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414 If the 'ruler' option is set, the current cursor position is shown in the
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415 last line of the screen.
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416
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417 "U" still works after having moved off the last changed line and after "u".
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418
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419 Characters with the 8th bit set are displayed. The characters between '~' and
|
|
420 0xa0 are displayed as "~?", "~@", "~A", etc., unless they are included in the
|
|
421 'isprint' option.
|
|
422
|
|
423 "][" goes to the next ending of a C function ('}' in column 1).
|
|
424 "[]" goes to the previous ending of a C function ('}' in column 1).
|
|
425
|
|
426 "]f", "[f" and "gf" start editing the file whose name is under the cursor.
|
|
427 CTRL-W f splits the window and starts editing the file whose name is under
|
|
428 the cursor.
|
|
429
|
|
430 "*" searches forward for the identifier under the cursor, "#" backward.
|
|
431 "K" runs the program defined by the 'keywordprg' option, with the identifier
|
|
432 under the cursor as argument.
|
|
433
|
|
434 "%" can be preceded with a count. The cursor jumps to the line that
|
|
435 percentage down in the file. The normal "%" function to jump to the matching
|
|
436 brace skips braces inside quotes.
|
|
437
|
|
438 With the CTRL-] command, the cursor may be in the middle of the identifier.
|
|
439
|
|
440 The used tags are remembered. Commands that can be used with the tag stack
|
|
441 are CTRL-T, ":pop" and ":tag". ":tags" lists the tag stack.
|
|
442
|
|
443 The 'tags' option can be set to a list of tag file names. Thus multiple
|
|
444 tag files can be used. For file names that start with "./", the "./" is
|
|
445 replaced with the path of the current file. This makes it possible to use a
|
|
446 tags file in the same directory as the file being edited.
|
|
447
|
|
448 Previously used file names are remembered in the alternate file name list.
|
|
449 CTRL-^ accepts a count, which is an index in this list.
|
|
450 ":files" command shows the list of alternate file names.
|
|
451 "#<N>" is replaced with the <N>th alternate file name in the list.
|
|
452 "#<" is replaced with the current file name without extension.
|
|
453
|
|
454 Search patterns have more features. The <NL> character is seen as part of the
|
|
455 search pattern and the substitute string of ":s". Vi sees it as the end of
|
|
456 the command.
|
|
457
|
|
458 Searches can put the cursor on the end of a match and may include a character
|
|
459 offset.
|
|
460
|
|
461 Count added to "~", ":next", ":Next", "n" and "N".
|
|
462
|
|
463 The command ":next!" with 'autowrite' set does not write the file. In vi the
|
|
464 file was written, but this is considered to be a bug, because one does not
|
|
465 expect it and the file is not written with ":rewind!".
|
|
466
|
|
467 In Vi when entering a <CR> in replace mode deletes a character only when 'ai'
|
|
468 is set (but does not show it until you hit <Esc>). Vim always deletes a
|
|
469 character (and shows it immediately).
|
|
470
|
|
471 Added :wnext command. Same as ":write" followed by ":next".
|
|
472
|
|
473 The ":w!" command always writes, also when the file is write protected. In Vi
|
|
474 you would have to do ":!chmod +w %" and ":set noro".
|
|
475
|
|
476 When 'tildeop' has been set, "~" is an operator (must be followed by a
|
|
477 movement command).
|
|
478
|
|
479 With the "J" (join) command you can reset the 'joinspaces' option to have only
|
|
480 one space after a period (Vi inserts two spaces).
|
|
481
|
|
482 "cw" can be used to change white space formed by several characters (Vi is
|
|
483 confusing: "cw" only changes one space, while "dw" deletes all white space).
|
|
484
|
|
485 "o" and "O" accept a count for repeating the insert (Vi clears a part of
|
|
486 display).
|
|
487
|
|
488 Flags after Ex commands not supported (no plans to include it).
|
|
489
|
|
490 On non-UNIX systems ":cd" command shows current directory instead of going to
|
|
491 the home directory (there isn't one). ":pwd" prints the current directory on
|
|
492 all systems.
|
|
493
|
|
494 After a ":cd" command the file names (in the argument list, opened files)
|
|
495 still point to the same files. In Vi ":cd" is not allowed in a changed file;
|
|
496 otherwise the meaning of file names change.
|
|
497
|
|
498 ":source!" command reads Vi commands from a file.
|
|
499
|
|
500 ":mkexrc" command writes current modified options and mappings to a ".exrc"
|
|
501 file. ":mkvimrc" writes to a ".vimrc" file.
|
|
502
|
|
503 No check for "tail recursion" with mappings. This allows things like
|
|
504 ":map! foo ^]foo".
|
|
505
|
|
506 When a mapping starts with number, vi loses the count typed before it (e.g.
|
|
507 when using the mapping ":map g 4G" the command "7g" goes to line 4). This is
|
|
508 considered a vi bug. Vim concatenates the counts (in the example it becomes
|
|
509 "74G"), as most people would expect.
|
|
510
|
|
511 The :put! command inserts the contents of a register above the current line.
|
|
512
|
|
513 The "p" and "P" commands of vi cannot be repeated with "." when the putted
|
|
514 text is less than a line. In Vim they can always be repeated.
|
|
515
|
|
516 ":noremap" command can be used to enter a mapping that will not be remapped.
|
|
517 This is useful to exchange the meaning of two keys. ":cmap", ":cunmap" and
|
|
518 ":cnoremap" can be used for mapping in command-line editing only. ":imap",
|
|
519 ":iunmap" and ":inoremap" can be used for mapping in insert mode only.
|
|
520 Similar commands exist for abbreviations: ":noreabbrev", ":iabbrev"
|
|
521 ":cabbrev", ":iunabbrev", ":cunabbrev", ":inoreabbrev", ":cnoreabbrev".
|
|
522
|
|
523 In Vi the command ":map foo bar" would remove a previous mapping
|
|
524 ":map bug foo". This is considered a bug, so it is not included in Vim.
|
|
525 ":unmap! foo" does remove ":map! bug foo", because unmapping would be very
|
|
526 difficult otherwise (this is vi compatible).
|
|
527
|
|
528 The ':' register contains the last command-line.
|
|
529 The '%' register contains the current file name.
|
|
530 The '.' register contains the last inserted text.
|
|
531
|
|
532 ":dis" command shows the contents of the yank registers.
|
|
533
|
|
534 CTRL-O/CTRL-I can be used to jump to older/newer positions. These are the
|
|
535 same positions as used with the '' command, but may be in another file. The
|
|
536 ":jumps" command lists the older positions.
|
|
537
|
|
538 If the 'shiftround' option is set, an indent is rounded to a multiple of
|
|
539 'shiftwidth' with ">" and "<" commands.
|
|
540
|
|
541 The 'scrolljump' option can be set to the minimum number of lines to scroll
|
|
542 when the cursor gets off the screen. Use this when scrolling is slow.
|
|
543
|
|
544 The 'scrolloff' option can be set to the minimum number of lines to keep
|
|
545 above and below the cursor. This gives some context to where you are
|
|
546 editing. When set to a large number the cursor line is always in the middle
|
|
547 of the window.
|
|
548
|
|
549 Uppercase marks can be used to jump between files. The ":marks" command lists
|
|
550 all currently set marks. The commands "']" and "`]" jump to the end of the
|
|
551 previous operator or end of the text inserted with the put command. "'[" and
|
|
552 "`[" do jump to the start.
|
|
553
|
|
554 The 'shelltype' option can be set to reflect the type of shell used on the
|
|
555 Amiga.
|
|
556
|
|
557 The 'highlight' option can be set for the highlight mode to be used for
|
|
558 several commands.
|
|
559
|
|
560 The CTRL-A (add) and CTRL-X (subtract) commands are new. The count to the
|
|
561 command (default 1) is added to/subtracted from the number at or after the
|
|
562 cursor. That number may be decimal, octal (starts with a '0') or hexadecimal
|
|
563 (starts with '0x'). Very useful in macros.
|
|
564
|
|
565 With the :set command the prefix "inv" can be used to invert boolean options.
|
|
566
|
|
567 In both Vi and Vim you can create a line break with the ":substitute" command
|
|
568 by using a CTRL-M. For Vi this means you cannot insert a real CTRL-M in the
|
|
569 text. With Vim you can put a real CTRL-M in the text by preceding it with a
|
|
570 CTRL-V.
|
|
571
|
|
572
|
|
573 In Insert mode:
|
|
574
|
|
575 If the 'revins' option is set, insert happens backwards. This is for typing
|
|
576 Hebrew. When inserting normal characters the cursor will not be shifted and
|
|
577 the text moves rightwards. Backspace, CTRL-W and CTRL-U will also work in
|
|
578 the opposite direction. CTRL-B toggles the 'revins' option. In replace mode
|
|
579 'revins' has no effect. Only when enabled at compile time.
|
|
580
|
|
581 The backspace key can be used just like CTRL-D to remove auto-indents.
|
|
582
|
|
583 You can backspace, CTRL-U and CTRL-W over line breaks if the 'backspace' (bs)
|
|
584 option includes "eol". You can backspace over the start of insert if the
|
|
585 'backspace' option includes "start".
|
|
586
|
|
587 When the 'paste' option is set, a few option are reset and mapping in insert
|
|
588 mode and abbreviation are disabled. This allows for pasting text in windowing
|
|
589 systems without unexpected results. When the 'paste' option is reset, the old
|
|
590 option values are restored.
|
|
591
|
|
592 CTRL-T/CTRL-D always insert/delete an indent in the current line, no matter
|
|
593 what column the cursor is in.
|
|
594
|
|
595 CTRL-@ (insert previously inserted text) works always (Vi: only when typed as
|
|
596 first character).
|
|
597
|
|
598 CTRL-A works like CTRL-@ but does not leave insert mode.
|
|
599
|
|
600 CTRL-R {0-9a-z..} can be used to insert the contents of a register.
|
|
601
|
|
602 When the 'smartindent' option is set, C programs will be better auto-indented.
|
|
603 With 'cindent' even more.
|
|
604
|
|
605 CTRL-Y and CTRL-E can be used to copy a character from above/below the
|
|
606 current cursor position.
|
|
607
|
|
608 After CTRL-V you can enter a three digit decimal number. This byte value is
|
|
609 inserted in the text as a single character. Useful for international
|
|
610 characters that are not on your keyboard.
|
|
611
|
|
612 When the 'expandtab' (et) option is set, a <Tab> is expanded to the
|
|
613 appropriate number of spaces.
|
|
614
|
|
615 The window always reflects the contents of the buffer (Vi does not do this
|
|
616 when changing text and in some other cases).
|
|
617
|
|
618 If Vim is compiled with DIGRAPHS defined, digraphs are supported. A set of
|
|
619 normal digraphs is included. They are shown with the ":digraph" command.
|
|
620 More can be added with ":digraph {char1}{char2} {number}". A digraph is
|
|
621 entered with "CTRL-K {char1} {char2}" or "{char1} BS {char2}" (only when
|
|
622 'digraph' option is set).
|
|
623
|
|
624 When repeating an insert, e.g. "10atest <Esc>" vi would only handle wrapmargin
|
|
625 for the first insert. Vim does it for all.
|
|
626
|
|
627 A count to the "i" or "a" command is used for all the text. Vi uses the count
|
|
628 only for one line. "3iabc<NL>def<Esc>" would insert "abcabcabc<NL>def" in Vi
|
|
629 but "abc<NL>defabc<NL>defabc<NL>def" in Vim.
|
|
630
|
|
631
|
|
632 In Command-line mode:
|
|
633
|
|
634 <Esc> terminates the command-line without executing it. In vi the command
|
|
635 line would be executed, which is not what most people expect (hitting <Esc>
|
|
636 should always get you back to command mode). To avoid problems with some
|
|
637 obscure macros, an <Esc> in a macro will execute the command. If you want a
|
|
638 typed <Esc> to execute the command like vi does you can fix this with
|
|
639 ":cmap ^V<Esc> ^V<CR>"
|
|
640
|
|
641 General:
|
|
642
|
|
643 The 'ttimeout' option is like 'timeout', but only works for cursor and
|
|
644 function keys, not for ordinary mapped characters. The 'timeoutlen' option
|
|
645 gives the number of milliseconds that is waited for. If the 'esckeys' option
|
|
646 is not set, cursor and function keys that start with <Esc> are not recognized
|
|
647 in insert mode.
|
|
648
|
|
649 There is an option for each terminal string. Can be used when termcap is not
|
|
650 supported or to change individual strings.
|
|
651
|
|
652 The 'fileformat' option can be set to select the <EOL>: "dos" <CR><NL>, "unix"
|
|
653 <NL> or "mac" <CR>.
|
|
654 When the 'fileformats' option is not empty, Vim tries to detect the type of
|
|
655 <EOL> automatically. The 'fileformat' option is set accordingly.
|
|
656
|
|
657 On systems that have no job control (older Unix systems and non-Unix systems)
|
|
658 the CTRL-Z, ":stop" or ":suspend" command starts a new shell.
|
|
659
|
|
660 If Vim is started on the Amiga without an interactive window for output, a
|
|
661 window is opened (and :sh still works). You can give a device to use for
|
|
662 editing with the |-d| argument, e.g. "-d con:20/20/600/150".
|
|
663
|
|
664 The 'columns' and 'lines' options are used to set or get the width and height
|
|
665 of the display.
|
|
666
|
|
667 Option settings are read from the first and last few lines of the file.
|
|
668 Option 'modelines' determines how many lines are tried (default is 5). Note
|
|
669 that this is different from the Vi versions that can execute any Ex command
|
|
670 in a modeline (a major security problem). |trojan-horse|
|
|
671
|
|
672 If the 'insertmode' option is set (e.g. in .exrc), Vim starts in insert mode.
|
|
673 And it comes back there, when pressing <Esc>.
|
|
674
|
|
675 Undo information is kept in memory. Available memory limits the number and
|
|
676 size of change that can be undone. This may be a problem with MS-DOS, is
|
|
677 hardly a problem on the Amiga and almost never with Unix and Win32.
|
|
678
|
|
679 If the 'backup' or 'writebackup' option is set: Before a file is overwritten,
|
|
680 a backup file (.bak) is made. If the "backup" option is set it is left
|
|
681 behind.
|
|
682
|
|
683 Vim creates a file ending in ".swp" to store parts of the file that have been
|
|
684 changed or that do not fit in memory. This file can be used to recover from
|
|
685 an aborted editing session with "vim -r file". Using the swap file can be
|
|
686 switched off by setting the 'updatecount' option to 0 or starting Vim with
|
|
687 the "-n" option. Use the 'directory' option for placing the .swp file
|
|
688 somewhere else.
|
|
689
|
|
690 Vim is able to work correctly on filesystems with 8.3 file names, also when
|
|
691 using messydos or crossdos filesystems on the Amiga, or any 8.3 mounted
|
|
692 filesystem under Unix. See |'shortname'|.
|
|
693
|
|
694 Error messages are shown at least one second (Vi overwrites error messages).
|
|
695
|
|
696 If Vim gives the |hit-enter| prompt, you can hit any key. Characters other
|
|
697 than <CR>, <NL> and <Space> are interpreted as the (start of) a command. (Vi
|
|
698 only accepts a command starting with ':').
|
|
699
|
|
700 The contents of the numbered and unnamed registers is remembered when
|
|
701 changing files.
|
|
702
|
|
703 The "No lines in buffer" message is a normal message instead of an error
|
|
704 message, since that may cause a mapping to be aborted.
|
|
705
|
|
706 The AUX: device of the Amiga is supported.
|
|
707
|
|
708 ==============================================================================
|
|
709 6. Command-line arguments *cmdline-arguments*
|
|
710
|
|
711 Different versions of Vi have different command-line arguments. This can be
|
|
712 confusing. To help you, this section gives an overview of the differences.
|
|
713
|
|
714 Five variants of Vi will be considered here:
|
|
715 Elvis Elvis version 2.1b
|
|
716 Nvi Nvi version 1.79
|
|
717 Posix Posix 1003.2
|
|
718 Vi Vi version 3.7 (for Sun 4.1.x)
|
|
719 Vile Vile version 7.4 (incomplete)
|
|
720 Vim Vim version 5.2
|
|
721
|
|
722 Only Vim is able to accept options in between and after the file names.
|
|
723
|
|
724 +{command} Elvis, Nvi, Posix, Vi, Vim: Same as "-c {command}".
|
|
725
|
|
726 - Nvi, Posix, Vi: Run Ex in batch mode.
|
|
727 Vim: Read file from stdin (use -s for batch mode).
|
|
728
|
|
729 -- Vim: End of options, only file names are following.
|
|
730
|
|
731 --cmd {command} Vim: execute {command} before sourcing vimrc files.
|
|
732
|
|
733 --echo-wid Vim: GTK+ echoes the Window ID on stdout
|
|
734
|
|
735 --help Vim: show help message and exit.
|
|
736
|
|
737 --literal Vim: take file names literally, don't expand wildcards.
|
|
738
|
|
739 --nofork Vim: same as |-f|
|
|
740
|
|
741 --noplugin[s] Vim: Skip loading plugins.
|
|
742
|
|
743 --remote Vim: edit the files in another Vim server
|
|
744
|
|
745 --remote-expr {expr} Vim: evaluate {expr} in another Vim server
|
|
746
|
|
747 --remote-send {keys} Vim: send {keys} to a Vim server and exit
|
|
748
|
|
749 --remote-silent {file} Vim: edit the files in another Vim server if possible
|
|
750
|
|
751 --remote-wait Vim: edit the files in another Vim server and wait for it
|
|
752
|
|
753 --remote-wait-silent Vim: like --remote-wait, no complaints if not possible
|
|
754
|
|
755 --role {role} Vim: GTK+ 2: set role of main window
|
|
756
|
|
757 --serverlist Vim: Output a list of Vim servers and exit
|
|
758
|
|
759 --servername {name} Vim: Specify Vim server name
|
|
760
|
|
761 --socketid {id} Vim: GTK window socket to run Vim in
|
|
762
|
|
763 --version Vim: show version message and exit.
|
|
764
|
|
765 -? Vile: print usage summary and exit.
|
|
766
|
|
767 -a Elvis: Load all specified file names into a window (use -o for
|
|
768 Vim).
|
|
769
|
|
770 -A Vim: Start in Arabic mode (when compiled with Arabic).
|
|
771
|
|
772 -b {blksize} Elvis: Use {blksize} blocksize for the session file.
|
|
773 -b Vim: set 'binary' mode.
|
|
774
|
|
775 -C Vim: Compatible mode.
|
|
776
|
|
777 -c {command} Elvis, Nvi, Posix, Vim: run {command} as an Ex command after
|
|
778 loading the edit buffer.
|
|
779 Vim: allow up to 10 "-c" arguments
|
|
780
|
|
781 -d {device} Vim: Use {device} for I/O (Amiga only). {only when compiled
|
|
782 without the |+diff| feature}
|
|
783 -d Vim: start with 'diff' set. |vimdiff|
|
|
784
|
|
785 -dev {device} Vim: Use {device} for I/O (Amiga only).
|
|
786
|
|
787 -D Vim: debug mode.
|
|
788
|
|
789 -e Elvis, Nvi, Vim: Start in Ex mode, as if the executable is
|
|
790 called "ex".
|
|
791
|
|
792 -E Vim: Start in improved Ex mode |gQ|, like "exim".
|
|
793
|
|
794 -f Vim: Run GUI in foreground (Amiga: don't open new window).
|
|
795 -f {session} Elvis: Use {session} as the session file.
|
|
796
|
|
797 -F Vim: Start in Farsi mode (when compiled with Farsi).
|
|
798 Nvi: Fast start, don't read the entire file when editing
|
|
799 starts.
|
|
800
|
|
801 -G {gui} Elvis: Use the {gui} as user interface.
|
|
802
|
|
803 -g Vim: Start GUI.
|
|
804 -g N Vile: start editing at line N
|
|
805
|
|
806 -h Vim: Give help message.
|
|
807 Vile: edit the help file
|
|
808
|
|
809 -H Vim: start Hebrew mode (when compiled with it).
|
|
810
|
|
811 -i Elvis: Start each window in Insert mode.
|
|
812 -i {viminfo} Vim: Use {viminfo} for viminfo file.
|
|
813
|
|
814 -L Vim: Same as "-r" (also in some versions of Vi).
|
|
815
|
|
816 -l Nvi, Vi, Vim: Set 'lisp' and 'showmatch' options.
|
|
817
|
|
818 -m Vim: Modifications not allowed to be written, resets 'write'
|
|
819 option.
|
|
820
|
|
821 -M Vim: Modifications not allowed, resets 'modifiable' and the
|
|
822 'write' option.
|
|
823
|
|
824 -N Vim: No-compatible mode.
|
|
825
|
|
826 -n Vim: No swap file used.
|
|
827
|
|
828 -nb[args] Vim: open a NetBeans interface connection
|
|
829
|
|
830 -O[N] Vim: Like -o, but use vertically split windows.
|
|
831
|
|
832 -o[N] Vim: Open [N] windows, or one for each file.
|
|
833
|
|
834 -P {parent-title} Win32 Vim: open Vim inside a parent application window
|
|
835
|
|
836 -q {name} Vim: Use {name} for quickfix error file.
|
|
837 -q{name} Vim: Idem.
|
|
838
|
|
839 -R Elvis, Nvi, Posix, Vile, Vim: Set the 'readonly' option.
|
|
840
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841 -r Elvis, Nvi, Posix, Vi, Vim: Recovery mode.
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842
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843 -S Nvi: Set 'secure' option.
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844 -S {script} Vim: source script after starting up.
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845
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846 -s Nvi, Posix, Vim: Same as "-" (silent mode), when in Ex mode.
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847 Elvis: Sets the 'safer' option.
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848 -s {scriptin} Vim: Read from script file {scriptin}; only when not in Ex
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849 mode.
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850 -s {pattern} Vile: search for {pattern}
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851
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852 -t {tag} Elvis, Nvi, Posix, Vi, Vim: Edit the file containing {tag}.
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853 -t{tag} Vim: Idem.
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854
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855 -T {term} Vim: Set terminal name to {term}.
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856
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857 -u {vimrc} Vim: Read initializations from {vimrc} file.
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858
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859 -U {gvimrc} Vim: Read GUI initializations from {gvimrc} file.
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860
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861 -v Nvi, Posix, Vi, Vim: Begin in Normal mode (visual mode, in Vi
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862 terms).
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863 Vile: View mode, no changes possible.
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864
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865 -V Elvis, Vim: Verbose mode.
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866 -V{nr} Vim: Verbose mode with specified level.
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867
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868 -w {size} Elvis, Posix, Nvi, Vi, Vim: Set value of 'window' to {size}.
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869 -w{size} Nvi, Vi: Same as "-w {size}".
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870 -w {name} Vim: Write to script file {name} (must start with non-digit).
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871
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872 -W {name} Vim: Append to script file {name}.
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873
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874 -x Vi, Vim: Ask for encryption key. See |encryption|.
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|
875
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876 -X Vim: Don't connect to the X server.
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877
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878 -y Vim: Start in easy mode, like |evim|.
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879
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880 -Z Vim: restricted mode
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881
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882 @{cmdfile} Vile: use {cmdfile} as startup file.
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883
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884 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl:
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