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Notes regarding the removal of specific items: - Aztec C: only on the Amiga. - mch_check_win(): doesn't exist anymore. - Comment in ex_cmds.c: It seems the context for this comment was removed, but the comment was inadvertantly left alone.
984 lines
40 KiB
Plaintext
984 lines
40 KiB
Plaintext
*vi_diff.txt* For Vim version 7.4. Last change: 2013 Aug 22
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VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
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Differences between Vim and Vi *vi-differences*
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Throughout the help files differences between Vim and Vi/Ex are given in
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curly braces, like "{not in Vi}". This file only lists what has not been
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mentioned in other files and gives an overview.
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Vim is mostly POSIX 1003.2-1 compliant. The only command known to be missing
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is ":open". There are probably a lot of small differences (either because Vim
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is missing something or because Posix is beside the mark).
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1. Simulated command |simulated-command|
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2. Missing options |missing-options|
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3. Limits |limits|
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4. The most interesting additions |vim-additions|
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5. Other vim features |other-features|
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6. Command-line arguments |cmdline-arguments|
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7. POSIX compliance |posix-compliance|
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==============================================================================
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1. Simulated command *simulated-command*
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This command is in Vi, but Vim only simulates it:
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*:o* *:op* *:open*
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:[range]o[pen] Works like |:visual|: end Ex mode.
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{Vi: start editing in open mode}
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:[range]o[pen] /pattern/ As above, additionally move the cursor to the
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column where "pattern" matches in the cursor
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line.
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Vim does not support open mode, since it's not really useful. For those
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situations where ":open" would start open mode Vim will leave Ex mode, which
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allows executing the same commands, but updates the whole screen instead of
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only one line.
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==============================================================================
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2. Missing options *missing-options*
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These options are in the Unix Vi, but not in Vim. If you try to set one of
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them you won't get an error message, but the value is not used and cannot be
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printed.
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autoprint (ap) boolean (default on) *'autoprint'* *'ap'*
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beautify (bf) boolean (default off) *'beautify'* *'bf'*
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flash (fl) boolean (default ??) *'flash'* *'fl'*
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graphic (gr) boolean (default off) *'graphic'* *'gr'*
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hardtabs (ht) number (default 8) *'hardtabs'* *'ht'*
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number of spaces that a <Tab> moves on the display
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mesg boolean (default on) *'mesg'*
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novice boolean (default off) *'novice'*
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open boolean (default on) *'open'*
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optimize (op) boolean (default off) *'optimize'* *'op'*
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redraw boolean (default off) *'redraw'*
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slowopen (slow) boolean (default off) *'slowopen'* *'slow'*
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sourceany boolean (default off) *'sourceany'*
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w300 number (default 23) *'w300'*
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w1200 number (default 23) *'w1200'*
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w9600 number (default 23) *'w9600'*
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==============================================================================
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3. Limits *limits*
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Vim has only a few limits for the files that can be edited {Vi: can not handle
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<Nul> characters and characters above 128, has limited line length, many other
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limits}.
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*E340*
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Maximum line length 2147483647 characters
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Maximum number of lines 2147483647 lines
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Maximum file size 2147483647 bytes (2 Gbyte) when a long integer is
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32 bits. Much more for 64 bit longs. Also limited
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by available disk space for the |swap-file|.
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*E75*
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Length of a file path Unix and Win32: 1024 characters, otherwise 256
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characters (or as much as the system supports).
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Length of an expanded string option
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Unix and Win32: 1024 characters, otherwise 256
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characters
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Maximum display width Unix and Win32: 1024 characters, otherwise 255
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characters
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Maximum lhs of a mapping 50 characters.
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Number of different highlighting types: over 30000
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Range of a Number variable: -2147483648 to 2147483647 (might be more on 64
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bit systems)
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Maximum length of a line in a tags file: 512 bytes.
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Information for undo and text in registers is kept in memory, thus when making
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(big) changes the amount of (virtual) memory available limits the number of
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undo levels and the text that can be kept in registers. Other things are also
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kept in memory: Command-line history, error messages for Quickfix mode, etc.
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Memory usage limits
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-------------------
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The option 'maxmem' ('mm') is used to set the maximum memory used for one
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buffer (in kilobytes). 'maxmemtot' is used to set the maximum memory used for
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all buffers (in kilobytes). The defaults depend on the system used. For
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MS-DOS, 'maxmemtot' is set depending on the amount of memory available.
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These are not hard limits, but tell Vim when to move text into a swap file.
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If you don't like Vim to swap to a file, set 'maxmem' and 'maxmemtot' to a
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very large value. The swap file will then only be used for recovery. If you
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don't want a swap file at all, set 'updatecount' to 0, or use the "-n"
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argument when starting Vim.
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==============================================================================
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4. The most interesting additions *vim-additions*
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Vi compatibility. |'compatible'|
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Although Vim is 99% Vi compatible, some things in Vi can be
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considered to be a bug, or at least need improvement. But still, Vim
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starts in a mode which behaves like the "real" Vi as much as possible.
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To make Vim behave a little bit better, try resetting the 'compatible'
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option:
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:set nocompatible
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Or start Vim with the "-N" argument:
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vim -N
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Vim starts with 'nocompatible' automatically if you have a .vimrc
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file. See |startup|.
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The 'cpoptions' option can be used to set Vi compatibility on/off for
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a number of specific items.
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Support for different systems.
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Vim can be used on:
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- All Unix systems (it works on all systems it was tested on, although
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the GUI and Perl interface may not work everywhere).
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- MS-DOS in real-mode (no additional drivers required).
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- In protected mode on Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS (DPMI driver required).
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- Windows 95 and Windows NT, with support for long file names.
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- Macintosh
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Note that on some systems features need to be disabled to reduce
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resource usage, esp. on MS-DOS. For some outdated systems you need to
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use an older Vim version.
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Multi level undo. |undo|
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'u' goes backward in time, 'CTRL-R' goes forward again. Set option
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'undolevels' to the number of changes to be remembered (default 1000).
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Set 'undolevels' to 0 for a Vi-compatible one level undo. Set it to
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-1 for no undo at all.
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When all changes in a buffer have been undone, the buffer is not
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considered changed anymore. You can exit it with :q, without <!>.
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When undoing a few changes and then making a new change Vim will
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create a branch in the undo tree. This means you can go back to any
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state of the text, there is no risk of a change causing text to be
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lost forever. |undo-tree|
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Graphical User Interface (GUI). |gui|
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Included support for GUI: menu's, mouse, scrollbars, etc. You can
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define your own menus. Better support for CTRL/SHIFT/ALT keys in
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combination with special keys and mouse. Supported for various
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platforms, such as X11 (with Motif and Athena interfaces), GTK, Win32
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(Windows 95 and later), and Macintosh.
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Multiple windows and buffers. |windows.txt|
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Vim can split the screen into several windows, each editing a
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different buffer or the same buffer at a different location. Buffers
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can still be loaded (and changed) but not displayed in a window. This
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is called a hidden buffer. Many commands and options have been added
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for this facility.
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Vim can also use multiple tab pages, each with one or more windows. A
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line with tab labels can be used to quickly switch between these pages.
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|tab-page|
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Syntax highlighting. |:syntax|
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Vim can highlight keywords, patterns and other things. This is
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defined by a number of |:syntax| commands, and can be made to
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highlight most languages and file types. A number of files are
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included for highlighting the most common languages, like C, C++,
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Java, Pascal, Makefiles, shell scripts, etc. The colors used for
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highlighting can be defined for ordinary terminals, color terminals
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and the GUI with the |:highlight| command. A convenient way to do
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this is using a |:colorscheme| command.
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The highlighted text can be exported as HTML. |convert-to-HTML|
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Other items that can be highlighted are matches with the search string
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|'hlsearch'|, matching parens |matchparen| and the cursor line and
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column |'cursorline'| |'cursorcolumn'|.
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Spell checking. |spell|
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When the 'spell' option is set Vim will highlight spelling mistakes.
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About 50 languages are currently supported, selected with the
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'spelllang' option. In source code only comments and strings are
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checked for spelling.
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Folding. |folding|
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A range of lines can be shown as one "folded" line. This allows
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overviewing a file and moving blocks of text around quickly.
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Folds can be created manually, from the syntax of the file, by indent,
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etc.
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Diff mode. |diff|
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Vim can show two versions of a file with the differences highlighted.
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Parts of the text that are equal are folded away. Commands can be
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used to move text from one version to the other.
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Plugins. |add-plugin|
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The functionality can be extended by dropping a plugin file in the
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right directory. That's an easy way to start using Vim scripts
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written by others. Plugins can be for all kind of files, or
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specifically for a filetype.
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Repeat a series of commands. |q|
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"q{c}" starts recording typed characters into named register {c}.
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A subsequent "q" stops recording. The register can then be executed
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with the "@{c}" command. This is very useful to repeat a complex
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action.
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Flexible insert mode. |ins-special-special|
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The arrow keys can be used in insert mode to move around in the file.
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This breaks the insert in two parts as far as undo and redo is
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concerned.
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CTRL-O can be used to execute a single Normal mode command. This is
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almost the same as hitting <Esc>, typing the command and doing |a|.
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Visual mode. |Visual-mode|
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Visual mode can be used to first highlight a piece of text and then
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give a command to do something with it. This is an (easy to use)
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alternative to first giving the operator and then moving to the end of
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the text to be operated upon.
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|v| and |V| are used to start Visual mode. |v| works on characters
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and |V| on lines. Move the cursor to extend the Visual area. It is
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shown highlighted on the screen. By typing "o" the other end of the
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Visual area can be moved. The Visual area can be affected by an
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operator:
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d delete
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c change
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y yank
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> or < insert or delete indent
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! filter through external program
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= filter through indent
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: start |:| command for the Visual lines.
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gq format text to 'textwidth' columns
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J join lines
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~ swap case
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u make lowercase
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U make uppercase
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Block operators. |visual-block|
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With Visual mode a rectangular block of text can be selected. Start
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Visual mode with CTRL-V. The block can be deleted ("d"), yanked ("y")
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or its case can be changed ("~", "u" and "U"). A deleted or yanked
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block can be put into the text with the "p" and "P" commands.
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Help system. |:help|
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Help is displayed in a window. The usual commands can be used to
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move around, search for a string, etc. Tags can be used to jump
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around in the help files, just like hypertext links. The |:help|
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command takes an argument to quickly jump to the info on a subject.
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<F1> is the quick access to the help system. The name of the help
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index file can be set with the 'helpfile' option.
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Command-line editing and history. |cmdline-editing|
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You can insert or delete at any place in the command-line using the
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cursor keys. The right/left cursor keys can be used to move
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forward/backward one character. The shifted right/left cursor keys
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can be used to move forward/backward one word. CTRL-B/CTRL-E can be
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used to go to the begin/end of the command-line.
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|cmdline-history|
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The command-lines are remembered. The up/down cursor keys can be used
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to recall previous command-lines. The 'history' option can be set to
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the number of lines that will be remembered. There is a separate
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history for commands and for search patterns.
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Command-line completion. |cmdline-completion|
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While entering a command-line (on the bottom line of the screen)
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<Tab> can be typed to complete
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what example ~
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- command :e<Tab>
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- tag :ta scr<Tab>
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- option :set sc<Tab>
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- option value :set hf=<Tab>
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- file name :e ve<Tab>
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- etc.
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If there are multiple matches, CTRL-N (next) and CTRL-P (previous)
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will walk through the matches. <Tab> works like CTRL-N, but wraps
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around to the first match.
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The 'wildchar' option can be set to the character for command-line
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completion, <Tab> is the default. CTRL-D can be typed after an
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(incomplete) wildcard; all matches will be listed. CTRL-A will insert
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all matches. CTRL-L will insert the longest common part of the
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matches.
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Insert-mode completion. |ins-completion|
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In Insert mode the CTRL-N and CTRL-P keys can be used to complete a
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word that appears elsewhere. |i_CTRL-N|
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With CTRL-X another mode is entered, through which completion can be
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done for:
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|i_CTRL-X_CTRL-F| file names
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|i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K| words from 'dictionary' files
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|i_CTRL-X_CTRL-T| words from 'thesaurus' files
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|i_CTRL-X_CTRL-I| words from included files
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|i_CTRL-X_CTRL-L| whole lines
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|i_CTRL-X_CTRL-]| words from the tags file
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|i_CTRL-X_CTRL-D| definitions or macros
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|i_CTRL-X_CTRL-O| Omni completion: clever completion
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specifically for a file type
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etc.
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Long line support. |'wrap'| |'linebreak'|
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If the 'wrap' option is off, long lines will not wrap and only part
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of them will be shown. When the cursor is moved to a part that is not
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shown, the screen will scroll horizontally. The minimum number of
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columns to scroll can be set with the 'sidescroll' option. The |zh|
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and |zl| commands can be used to scroll sideways.
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Alternatively, long lines are broken in between words when the
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'linebreak' option is set. This allows editing a single-line
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paragraph conveniently (e.g. when the text is later read into a DTP
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program). Move the cursor up/down with the |gk| and |gj| commands.
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Text formatting. |formatting|
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The 'textwidth' option can be used to automatically limit the line
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length. This supplements the 'wrapmargin' option of Vi, which was not
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very useful. The |gq| operator can be used to format a piece of text
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(for example, |gqap| formats the current paragraph). Commands for
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text alignment: |:center|, |:left| and |:right|.
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Extended search patterns. |pattern|
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There are many extra items to match various text items. Examples:
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A "\n" can be used in a search pattern to match a line break.
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"x\{2,4}" matches "x" 2 to 4 times.
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"\s" matches a white space character.
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Directory, remote and archive browsing. |netrw|
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Vim can browse the file system. Simply edit a directory. Move around
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in the list with the usual commands and press <Enter> to go to the
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directory or file under the cursor.
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This also works for remote files over ftp, http, ssh, etc.
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Zip and tar archives can also be browsed. |tar| |zip|
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Edit-compile-edit speedup. |quickfix|
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The |:make| command can be used to run the compilation and jump to the
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first error. A file with compiler error messages is interpreted. Vim
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jumps to the first error.
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Each line in the error file is scanned for the name of a file, line
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number and error message. The 'errorformat' option can be set to a
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list of scanf-like strings to handle output from many compilers.
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The |:cn| command can be used to jump to the next error.
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|:cl| lists all the error messages. Other commands are available.
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The 'makeef' option has the name of the file with error messages.
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The 'makeprg' option contains the name of the program to be executed
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with the |:make| command.
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The 'shellpipe' option contains the string to be used to put the
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output of the compiler into the errorfile.
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Finding matches in files. |:vimgrep|
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Vim can search for a pattern in multiple files. This uses the
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advanced Vim regexp pattern, works on all systems and also works to
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search in compressed files.
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Improved indenting for programs. |'cindent'|
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When the 'cindent' option is on the indent of each line is
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automatically adjusted. C syntax is mostly recognized. The indent
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for various styles can be set with 'cinoptions'. The keys to trigger
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indenting can be set with 'cinkeys'.
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Comments can be automatically formatted. The 'comments' option can be
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set to the characters that start and end a comment. This works best
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for C code, but also works for e-mail (">" at start of the line) and
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other types of text. The |=| operator can be used to re-indent
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lines.
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For many other languages an indent plugin is present to support
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automatic indenting. |30.3|
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Searching for words in included files. |include-search|
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The |[i| command can be used to search for a match of the word under
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the cursor in the current and included files. The 'include' option
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can be set to a pattern that describes a command to include a file
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(the default is for C programs).
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The |[I| command lists all matches, the |[_CTRL-I| command jumps to
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a match.
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The |[d|, |[D| and |[_CTRL-D| commands do the same, but only for
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lines where the pattern given with the 'define' option matches.
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Automatic commands. |autocommand|
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Commands can be automatically executed when reading a file, writing a
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file, jumping to another buffer, etc., depending on the file name.
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This is useful to set options and mappings for C programs,
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documentation, plain text, e-mail, etc. This also makes it possible
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to edit compressed files.
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Scripts and Expressions. |expression|
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Commands have been added to form up a powerful script language.
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|:if| Conditional execution, which can be used for example
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to set options depending on the value of $TERM.
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|:while| Repeat a number of commands.
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|:for| Loop over a list.
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|:echo| Print the result of an expression.
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|:let| Assign a value to an internal variable, option, etc.
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Variable types are Number, String, List and Dictionary.
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|:execute| Execute a command formed by an expression.
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|:try| Catch exceptions.
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etc., etc. See |eval|.
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Debugging and profiling are supported. |debug-scripts| |profile|
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If this is not enough, an interface is provided to |Python|, |Ruby|,
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|Tcl|, |Lua|, |Perl| and |MzScheme|.
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Viminfo. |viminfo-file|
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The command-line history, marks and registers can be stored in a file
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that is read on startup. This can be used to repeat a search command
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or command-line command after exiting and restarting Vim. It is also
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possible to jump right back to where the last edit stopped with |'0|.
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The 'viminfo' option can be set to select which items to store in the
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.viminfo file. This is off by default.
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Printing. |printing|
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The |:hardcopy| command sends text to the printer. This can include
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syntax highlighting.
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Mouse support. |mouse-using|
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The mouse is supported in the GUI version, in an xterm for Unix, for
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BSDs with sysmouse, for Linux with gpm, for MS-DOS, and Win32. It
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can be used to position the cursor, select the visual area, paste a
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register, etc.
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Usage of key names. |<>| |key-notation|
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Special keys now all have a name like <Up>, <End>, etc.
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This name can be used in mappings, to make it easy to edit them.
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Editing binary files. |edit-binary|
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Vim can edit binary files. You can change a few characters in an
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executable file, without corrupting it. Vim doesn't remove NUL
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characters (they are represented as <NL> internally).
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|-b| command-line argument to start editing a binary file
|
|
|'binary'| Option set by |-b|. Prevents adding an <EOL> for the
|
|
last line in the file.
|
|
|
|
Multi-language support. |multi-lang|
|
|
Files in double-byte or multi-byte encodings can be edited. There is
|
|
UTF-8 support to be able to edit various languages at the same time,
|
|
without switching fonts. |UTF-8|
|
|
Messages and menus are available in different languages.
|
|
|
|
Move cursor beyond lines.
|
|
When the 'virtualedit' option is set the cursor can move all over the
|
|
screen, also where there is no text. This is useful to edit tables
|
|
and figures easily.
|
|
|
|
==============================================================================
|
|
5. Other vim features *other-features*
|
|
|
|
A random collection of nice extra features.
|
|
|
|
|
|
When Vim is started with "-s scriptfile", the characters read from
|
|
"scriptfile" are treated as if you typed them. If end of file is reached
|
|
before the editor exits, further characters are read from the console.
|
|
|
|
The "-w" option can be used to record all typed characters in a script file.
|
|
This file can then be used to redo the editing, possibly on another file or
|
|
after changing some commands in the script file.
|
|
|
|
The "-o" option opens a window for each argument. "-o4" opens four windows.
|
|
|
|
Vi requires several termcap entries to be able to work full-screen. Vim only
|
|
requires the "cm" entry (cursor motion).
|
|
|
|
|
|
In command mode:
|
|
|
|
When the 'showcmd' option is set, the command characters are shown in the last
|
|
line of the screen. They are removed when the command is finished.
|
|
|
|
If the 'ruler' option is set, the current cursor position is shown in the
|
|
last line of the screen.
|
|
|
|
"U" still works after having moved off the last changed line and after "u".
|
|
|
|
Characters with the 8th bit set are displayed. The characters between '~' and
|
|
0xa0 are displayed as "~?", "~@", "~A", etc., unless they are included in the
|
|
'isprint' option.
|
|
|
|
"][" goes to the next ending of a C function ('}' in column 1).
|
|
"[]" goes to the previous ending of a C function ('}' in column 1).
|
|
|
|
"]f", "[f" and "gf" start editing the file whose name is under the cursor.
|
|
CTRL-W f splits the window and starts editing the file whose name is under
|
|
the cursor.
|
|
|
|
"*" searches forward for the identifier under the cursor, "#" backward.
|
|
"K" runs the program defined by the 'keywordprg' option, with the identifier
|
|
under the cursor as argument.
|
|
|
|
"%" can be preceded with a count. The cursor jumps to the line that
|
|
percentage down in the file. The normal "%" function to jump to the matching
|
|
brace skips braces inside quotes.
|
|
|
|
With the CTRL-] command, the cursor may be in the middle of the identifier.
|
|
|
|
The used tags are remembered. Commands that can be used with the tag stack
|
|
are CTRL-T, ":pop" and ":tag". ":tags" lists the tag stack.
|
|
|
|
The 'tags' option can be set to a list of tag file names. Thus multiple
|
|
tag files can be used. For file names that start with "./", the "./" is
|
|
replaced with the path of the current file. This makes it possible to use a
|
|
tags file in the same directory as the file being edited.
|
|
|
|
Previously used file names are remembered in the alternate file name list.
|
|
CTRL-^ accepts a count, which is an index in this list.
|
|
":files" command shows the list of alternate file names.
|
|
"#<N>" is replaced with the <N>th alternate file name in the list.
|
|
"#<" is replaced with the current file name without extension.
|
|
|
|
Search patterns have more features. The <NL> character is seen as part of the
|
|
search pattern and the substitute string of ":s". Vi sees it as the end of
|
|
the command.
|
|
|
|
Searches can put the cursor on the end of a match and may include a character
|
|
offset.
|
|
|
|
Count added to "~", ":next", ":Next", "n" and "N".
|
|
|
|
The command ":next!" with 'autowrite' set does not write the file. In vi the
|
|
file was written, but this is considered to be a bug, because one does not
|
|
expect it and the file is not written with ":rewind!".
|
|
|
|
In Vi when entering a <CR> in replace mode deletes a character only when 'ai'
|
|
is set (but does not show it until you hit <Esc>). Vim always deletes a
|
|
character (and shows it immediately).
|
|
|
|
Added :wnext command. Same as ":write" followed by ":next".
|
|
|
|
The ":w!" command always writes, also when the file is write protected. In Vi
|
|
you would have to do ":!chmod +w %:S" and ":set noro".
|
|
|
|
When 'tildeop' has been set, "~" is an operator (must be followed by a
|
|
movement command).
|
|
|
|
With the "J" (join) command you can reset the 'joinspaces' option to have only
|
|
one space after a period (Vi inserts two spaces).
|
|
|
|
"cw" can be used to change white space formed by several characters (Vi is
|
|
confusing: "cw" only changes one space, while "dw" deletes all white space).
|
|
|
|
"o" and "O" accept a count for repeating the insert (Vi clears a part of
|
|
display).
|
|
|
|
Flags after Ex commands not supported (no plans to include it).
|
|
|
|
On non-UNIX systems ":cd" command shows current directory instead of going to
|
|
the home directory (there isn't one). ":pwd" prints the current directory on
|
|
all systems.
|
|
|
|
After a ":cd" command the file names (in the argument list, opened files)
|
|
still point to the same files. In Vi ":cd" is not allowed in a changed file;
|
|
otherwise the meaning of file names change.
|
|
|
|
":source!" command reads Vi commands from a file.
|
|
|
|
":mkexrc" command writes current modified options and mappings to a ".exrc"
|
|
file. ":mkvimrc" writes to a ".vimrc" file.
|
|
|
|
No check for "tail recursion" with mappings. This allows things like
|
|
":map! foo ^]foo".
|
|
|
|
When a mapping starts with number, vi loses the count typed before it (e.g.
|
|
when using the mapping ":map g 4G" the command "7g" goes to line 4). This is
|
|
considered a vi bug. Vim concatenates the counts (in the example it becomes
|
|
"74G"), as most people would expect.
|
|
|
|
The :put! command inserts the contents of a register above the current line.
|
|
|
|
The "p" and "P" commands of vi cannot be repeated with "." when the putted
|
|
text is less than a line. In Vim they can always be repeated.
|
|
|
|
":noremap" command can be used to enter a mapping that will not be remapped.
|
|
This is useful to exchange the meaning of two keys. ":cmap", ":cunmap" and
|
|
":cnoremap" can be used for mapping in command-line editing only. ":imap",
|
|
":iunmap" and ":inoremap" can be used for mapping in insert mode only.
|
|
Similar commands exist for abbreviations: ":noreabbrev", ":iabbrev"
|
|
":cabbrev", ":iunabbrev", ":cunabbrev", ":inoreabbrev", ":cnoreabbrev".
|
|
|
|
In Vi the command ":map foo bar" would remove a previous mapping
|
|
":map bug foo". This is considered a bug, so it is not included in Vim.
|
|
":unmap! foo" does remove ":map! bug foo", because unmapping would be very
|
|
difficult otherwise (this is vi compatible).
|
|
|
|
The ':' register contains the last command-line.
|
|
The '%' register contains the current file name.
|
|
The '.' register contains the last inserted text.
|
|
|
|
":dis" command shows the contents of the yank registers.
|
|
|
|
CTRL-O/CTRL-I can be used to jump to older/newer positions. These are the
|
|
same positions as used with the '' command, but may be in another file. The
|
|
":jumps" command lists the older positions.
|
|
|
|
If the 'shiftround' option is set, an indent is rounded to a multiple of
|
|
'shiftwidth' with ">" and "<" commands.
|
|
|
|
The 'scrolljump' option can be set to the minimum number of lines to scroll
|
|
when the cursor gets off the screen. Use this when scrolling is slow.
|
|
|
|
The 'scrolloff' option can be set to the minimum number of lines to keep
|
|
above and below the cursor. This gives some context to where you are
|
|
editing. When set to a large number the cursor line is always in the middle
|
|
of the window.
|
|
|
|
Uppercase marks can be used to jump between files. The ":marks" command lists
|
|
all currently set marks. The commands "']" and "`]" jump to the end of the
|
|
previous operator or end of the text inserted with the put command. "'[" and
|
|
"`[" do jump to the start.
|
|
|
|
The 'highlight' option can be set for the highlight mode to be used for
|
|
several commands.
|
|
|
|
The CTRL-A (add) and CTRL-X (subtract) commands are new. The count to the
|
|
command (default 1) is added to/subtracted from the number at or after the
|
|
cursor. That number may be decimal, octal (starts with a '0') or hexadecimal
|
|
(starts with '0x'). Very useful in macros.
|
|
|
|
With the :set command the prefix "inv" can be used to invert boolean options.
|
|
|
|
In both Vi and Vim you can create a line break with the ":substitute" command
|
|
by using a CTRL-M. For Vi this means you cannot insert a real CTRL-M in the
|
|
text. With Vim you can put a real CTRL-M in the text by preceding it with a
|
|
CTRL-V.
|
|
|
|
|
|
In Insert mode:
|
|
|
|
If the 'revins' option is set, insert happens backwards. This is for typing
|
|
Hebrew. When inserting normal characters the cursor will not be shifted and
|
|
the text moves rightwards. Backspace, CTRL-W and CTRL-U will also work in
|
|
the opposite direction. CTRL-B toggles the 'revins' option. In replace mode
|
|
'revins' has no effect. Only when enabled at compile time.
|
|
|
|
The backspace key can be used just like CTRL-D to remove auto-indents.
|
|
|
|
You can backspace, CTRL-U and CTRL-W over line breaks if the 'backspace' (bs)
|
|
option includes "eol". You can backspace over the start of insert if the
|
|
'backspace' option includes "start".
|
|
|
|
When the 'paste' option is set, a few options are reset and mapping in insert
|
|
mode and abbreviation are disabled. This allows for pasting text in windowing
|
|
systems without unexpected results. When the 'paste' option is reset, the old
|
|
option values are restored.
|
|
|
|
CTRL-T/CTRL-D always insert/delete an indent in the current line, no matter
|
|
what column the cursor is in.
|
|
|
|
CTRL-@ (insert previously inserted text) works always (Vi: only when typed as
|
|
first character).
|
|
|
|
CTRL-A works like CTRL-@ but does not leave insert mode.
|
|
|
|
CTRL-R {0-9a-z..} can be used to insert the contents of a register.
|
|
|
|
When the 'smartindent' option is set, C programs will be better auto-indented.
|
|
With 'cindent' even more.
|
|
|
|
CTRL-Y and CTRL-E can be used to copy a character from above/below the
|
|
current cursor position.
|
|
|
|
After CTRL-V you can enter a three digit decimal number. This byte value is
|
|
inserted in the text as a single character. Useful for international
|
|
characters that are not on your keyboard.
|
|
|
|
When the 'expandtab' (et) option is set, a <Tab> is expanded to the
|
|
appropriate number of spaces.
|
|
|
|
The window always reflects the contents of the buffer (Vi does not do this
|
|
when changing text and in some other cases).
|
|
|
|
If Vim is compiled with DIGRAPHS defined, digraphs are supported. A set of
|
|
normal digraphs is included. They are shown with the ":digraph" command.
|
|
More can be added with ":digraph {char1}{char2} {number}". A digraph is
|
|
entered with "CTRL-K {char1} {char2}" or "{char1} BS {char2}" (only when
|
|
'digraph' option is set).
|
|
|
|
When repeating an insert, e.g. "10atest <Esc>" vi would only handle wrapmargin
|
|
for the first insert. Vim does it for all.
|
|
|
|
A count to the "i" or "a" command is used for all the text. Vi uses the count
|
|
only for one line. "3iabc<NL>def<Esc>" would insert "abcabcabc<NL>def" in Vi
|
|
but "abc<NL>defabc<NL>defabc<NL>def" in Vim.
|
|
|
|
|
|
In Command-line mode:
|
|
|
|
<Esc> terminates the command-line without executing it. In vi the command
|
|
line would be executed, which is not what most people expect (hitting <Esc>
|
|
should always get you back to command mode). To avoid problems with some
|
|
obscure macros, an <Esc> in a macro will execute the command. If you want a
|
|
typed <Esc> to execute the command like vi does you can fix this with
|
|
":cmap ^V<Esc> ^V<CR>"
|
|
|
|
General:
|
|
|
|
The 'ttimeout' option is like 'timeout', but only works for cursor and
|
|
function keys, not for ordinary mapped characters. The 'timeoutlen' option
|
|
gives the number of milliseconds that is waited for. If the 'esckeys' option
|
|
is not set, cursor and function keys that start with <Esc> are not recognized
|
|
in insert mode.
|
|
|
|
There is an option for each terminal string. Can be used when termcap is not
|
|
supported or to change individual strings.
|
|
|
|
The 'fileformat' option can be set to select the <EOL>: "dos" <CR><NL>, "unix"
|
|
<NL> or "mac" <CR>.
|
|
When the 'fileformats' option is not empty, Vim tries to detect the type of
|
|
<EOL> automatically. The 'fileformat' option is set accordingly.
|
|
|
|
On systems that have no job control (older Unix systems and non-Unix systems)
|
|
the CTRL-Z, ":stop" or ":suspend" command starts a new shell.
|
|
|
|
The 'columns' and 'lines' options are used to set or get the width and height
|
|
of the display.
|
|
|
|
Option settings are read from the first and last few lines of the file.
|
|
Option 'modelines' determines how many lines are tried (default is 5). Note
|
|
that this is different from the Vi versions that can execute any Ex command
|
|
in a modeline (a major security problem). |trojan-horse|
|
|
|
|
If the 'insertmode' option is set (e.g. in .exrc), Vim starts in insert mode.
|
|
And it comes back there, when pressing <Esc>.
|
|
|
|
Undo information is kept in memory. Available memory limits the number and
|
|
size of change that can be undone. This may be a problem with MS-DOS, but is
|
|
almost never one with Unix and Win32.
|
|
|
|
If the 'backup' or 'writebackup' option is set: Before a file is overwritten,
|
|
a backup file (.bak) is made. If the "backup" option is set it is left
|
|
behind.
|
|
|
|
Vim creates a file ending in ".swp" to store parts of the file that have been
|
|
changed or that do not fit in memory. This file can be used to recover from
|
|
an aborted editing session with "vim -r file". Using the swap file can be
|
|
switched off by setting the 'updatecount' option to 0 or starting Vim with
|
|
the "-n" option. Use the 'directory' option for placing the .swp file
|
|
somewhere else.
|
|
|
|
Error messages are shown at least one second (Vi overwrites error messages).
|
|
|
|
If Vim gives the |hit-enter| prompt, you can hit any key. Characters other
|
|
than <CR>, <NL> and <Space> are interpreted as the (start of) a command. (Vi
|
|
only accepts a command starting with ':').
|
|
|
|
The contents of the numbered and unnamed registers is remembered when
|
|
changing files.
|
|
|
|
The "No lines in buffer" message is a normal message instead of an error
|
|
message, since that may cause a mapping to be aborted.
|
|
|
|
==============================================================================
|
|
6. Command-line arguments *cmdline-arguments*
|
|
|
|
Different versions of Vi have different command-line arguments. This can be
|
|
confusing. To help you, this section gives an overview of the differences.
|
|
|
|
Five variants of Vi will be considered here:
|
|
Elvis Elvis version 2.1b
|
|
Nvi Nvi version 1.79
|
|
Posix Posix 1003.2
|
|
Vi Vi version 3.7 (for Sun 4.1.x)
|
|
Vile Vile version 7.4 (incomplete)
|
|
Vim Vim version 5.2
|
|
|
|
Only Vim is able to accept options in between and after the file names.
|
|
|
|
+{command} Elvis, Nvi, Posix, Vi, Vim: Same as "-c {command}".
|
|
|
|
- Nvi, Posix, Vi: Run Ex in batch mode.
|
|
Vim: Read file from stdin (use -s for batch mode).
|
|
|
|
-- Vim: End of options, only file names are following.
|
|
|
|
--cmd {command} Vim: execute {command} before sourcing vimrc files.
|
|
|
|
--echo-wid Vim: GTK+ echoes the Window ID on stdout
|
|
|
|
--help Vim: show help message and exit.
|
|
|
|
--literal Vim: take file names literally, don't expand wildcards.
|
|
|
|
--nofork Vim: same as |-f|
|
|
|
|
--noplugin[s] Vim: Skip loading plugins.
|
|
|
|
--remote Vim: edit the files in another Vim server
|
|
|
|
--remote-expr {expr} Vim: evaluate {expr} in another Vim server
|
|
|
|
--remote-send {keys} Vim: send {keys} to a Vim server and exit
|
|
|
|
--remote-silent {file} Vim: edit the files in another Vim server if possible
|
|
|
|
--remote-wait Vim: edit the files in another Vim server and wait for it
|
|
|
|
--remote-wait-silent Vim: like --remote-wait, no complaints if not possible
|
|
|
|
--role {role} Vim: GTK+ 2: set role of main window
|
|
|
|
--serverlist Vim: Output a list of Vim servers and exit
|
|
|
|
--servername {name} Vim: Specify Vim server name
|
|
|
|
--socketid {id} Vim: GTK window socket to run Vim in
|
|
|
|
--windowid {id} Vim: Win32 window ID to run Vim in
|
|
|
|
--version Vim: show version message and exit.
|
|
|
|
-? Vile: print usage summary and exit.
|
|
|
|
-a Elvis: Load all specified file names into a window (use -o for
|
|
Vim).
|
|
|
|
-A Vim: Start in Arabic mode (when compiled with Arabic).
|
|
|
|
-b {blksize} Elvis: Use {blksize} blocksize for the session file.
|
|
-b Vim: set 'binary' mode.
|
|
|
|
-C Vim: Compatible mode.
|
|
|
|
-c {command} Elvis, Nvi, Posix, Vim: run {command} as an Ex command after
|
|
loading the edit buffer.
|
|
Vim: allow up to 10 "-c" arguments
|
|
|
|
-d Vim: start with 'diff' set. |vimdiff|
|
|
|
|
-D Vim: debug mode.
|
|
|
|
-e Elvis, Nvi, Vim: Start in Ex mode, as if the executable is
|
|
called "ex".
|
|
|
|
-E Vim: Start in improved Ex mode |gQ|, like "exim".
|
|
|
|
-f Vim: Run GUI in foreground.
|
|
-f {session} Elvis: Use {session} as the session file.
|
|
|
|
-F Vim: Start in Farsi mode (when compiled with Farsi).
|
|
Nvi: Fast start, don't read the entire file when editing
|
|
starts.
|
|
|
|
-G {gui} Elvis: Use the {gui} as user interface.
|
|
|
|
-g Vim: Start GUI.
|
|
-g N Vile: start editing at line N
|
|
|
|
-h Vim: Give help message.
|
|
Vile: edit the help file
|
|
|
|
-H Vim: start Hebrew mode (when compiled with it).
|
|
|
|
-i Elvis: Start each window in Insert mode.
|
|
-i {viminfo} Vim: Use {viminfo} for viminfo file.
|
|
|
|
-L Vim: Same as "-r" (also in some versions of Vi).
|
|
|
|
-l Nvi, Vi, Vim: Set 'lisp' and 'showmatch' options.
|
|
|
|
-m Vim: Modifications not allowed to be written, resets 'write'
|
|
option.
|
|
|
|
-M Vim: Modifications not allowed, resets 'modifiable' and the
|
|
'write' option.
|
|
|
|
-N Vim: No-compatible mode.
|
|
|
|
-n Vim: No swap file used.
|
|
|
|
-nb[args] Vim: open a NetBeans interface connection
|
|
|
|
-O[N] Vim: Like -o, but use vertically split windows.
|
|
|
|
-o[N] Vim: Open [N] windows, or one for each file.
|
|
|
|
-p[N] Vim: Open [N] tab pages, or one for each file.
|
|
|
|
-P {parent-title} Win32 Vim: open Vim inside a parent application window
|
|
|
|
-q {name} Vim: Use {name} for quickfix error file.
|
|
-q{name} Vim: Idem.
|
|
|
|
-R Elvis, Nvi, Posix, Vile, Vim: Set the 'readonly' option.
|
|
|
|
-r Elvis, Nvi, Posix, Vi, Vim: Recovery mode.
|
|
|
|
-S Nvi: Set 'secure' option.
|
|
-S {script} Vim: source script after starting up.
|
|
|
|
-s Nvi, Posix, Vim: Same as "-" (silent mode), when in Ex mode.
|
|
Elvis: Sets the 'safer' option.
|
|
-s {scriptin} Vim: Read from script file {scriptin}; only when not in Ex
|
|
mode.
|
|
-s {pattern} Vile: search for {pattern}
|
|
|
|
-t {tag} Elvis, Nvi, Posix, Vi, Vim: Edit the file containing {tag}.
|
|
-t{tag} Vim: Idem.
|
|
|
|
-T {term} Vim: Set terminal name to {term}.
|
|
|
|
-u {vimrc} Vim: Read initializations from {vimrc} file.
|
|
|
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-U {gvimrc} Vim: Read GUI initializations from {gvimrc} file.
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-v Nvi, Posix, Vi, Vim: Begin in Normal mode (visual mode, in Vi
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terms).
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Vile: View mode, no changes possible.
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-V Elvis, Vim: Verbose mode.
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-V{nr} Vim: Verbose mode with specified level.
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-w {size} Elvis, Posix, Nvi, Vi, Vim: Set value of 'window' to {size}.
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-w{size} Nvi, Vi: Same as "-w {size}".
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-w {name} Vim: Write to script file {name} (must start with non-digit).
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-W {name} Vim: Append to script file {name}.
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-X Vim: Don't connect to the X server.
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-y Vim: Start in easy mode, like |evim|.
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-Z Vim: restricted mode
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@{cmdfile} Vile: use {cmdfile} as startup file.
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==============================================================================
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7. POSIX compliance *posix* *posix-compliance*
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In 2005 the POSIX test suite was run to check the compatibility of Vim. Most
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of the test was executed properly. There are the few things where Vim
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is not POSIX compliant, even when run in Vi compatibility mode.
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Set the $VIM_POSIX environment variable to have 'cpoptions' include the POSIX
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flags when Vim starts up. This makes Vim run as POSIX as it can. That's
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a bit different from being Vi compatible.
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This is where Vim does not behave as POSIX specifies and why:
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*posix-screen-size*
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The $COLUMNS and $LINES environment variables are ignored by Vim if
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the size can be obtained from the terminal in a more reliable way.
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Add the '|' flag to 'cpoptions' to have $COLUMNS and $LINES overrule
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sizes obtained in another way.
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The "{" and "}" commands don't stop at a "{" in the original Vi, but
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POSIX specifies it does. Add the '{' flag to 'cpoptions' if you want
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it the POSIX way.
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The "D", "o" and "O" commands accept a count. Also when repeated.
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Add the '#' flag to 'cpoptions' if you want to ignore the count.
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The ":cd" command fails if the current buffer is modified when the '.'
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flag is present in 'cpoptions'.
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There is no ATTENTION message, the "A" flag is added to 'shortmess'.
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These are remarks about running the POSIX test suite:
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- vi test 33 sometimes fails for unknown reasons
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|
- vi test 250 fails; behavior will be changed in a new revision
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|
http://www.opengroup.org/austin/mailarchives/ag-review/msg01710.html
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|
(link no longer works, perhaps it's now:
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|
https://www.opengroup.org/sophocles/show_mail.tpl?CALLER=show_archive.tpl&source=L&listname=austin-review-l&id=1711)
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- vi test 310 fails; exit code non-zero when any error occurred?
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- ex test 24 fails because test is wrong. Changed between SUSv2 and SUSv3.
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- ex tests 47, 48, 49, 72, 73 fail because .exrc file isn't read in silent
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mode and $EXINIT isn't used.
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- ex tests 76, 78 fail because echo is used instead of printf. (fixed)
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|
Also: problem with \s not changed to space.
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|
- ex test 355 fails because 'window' isn't used for "30z".
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- ex test 368 fails because shell command isn't echoed in silent mode.
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|
- ex test 394 fails because "=" command output isn't visible in silent mode.
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|
- ex test 411 fails because test file is wrong, contains stray ':'.
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|
- ex test 475 and 476 fail because reprint output isn't visible in silent mode.
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|
- ex test 480 and 481 fail because the tags file has spaces instead of a tab.
|
|
- ex test 502 fails because .exrc isn't read in silent mode.
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|
- ex test 509 fails because .exrc isn't read in silent mode. and exit code is
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|
1 instead of 2.
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|
- ex test 534 fails because .exrc isn't read in silent mode.
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vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl:
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