- starting.txt* For Vim version 9.0. Last change: 2022 Nov 30
VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
Starting Vim *starting*
1. Vim arguments |vim-arguments|
2. Vim on the Amiga |starting-amiga|
3. Running eVim |evim-keys|
4. Initialization |initialization|
5. $VIM and $VIMRUNTIME |$VIM|
6. Suspending |suspend|
7. Exiting |exiting|
8. Saving settings |save-settings|
9. Views and Sessions |views-sessions|
10. The viminfo file |viminfo-file|
==============================================================================
1. Vim arguments *vim-arguments*
Most often, Vim is started to edit a single file with the command
vim filename *-vim*
More generally, Vim is started with:
vim [option | filename] ..
Option arguments and file name arguments can be mixed, and any number of them
can be given. However, watch out for options that take an argument.
For compatibility with various Vi versions, see |cmdline-arguments|.
Exactly one out of the following five items may be used to choose how to
start editing:
*-file* *---*
filename One or more file names. The first one will be the current
file and read into the buffer. The cursor will be positioned
on the first line of the buffer.
To avoid a file name starting with a '-' being interpreted as
an option, precede the arglist with "--", e.g.: >
vim -- -filename
< All arguments after the "--" will be interpreted as file names,
no other options or "+command" argument can follow.
For behavior of quotes on MS-Windows, see |win32-quotes|.
*--*
- This argument can mean two things, depending on whether Ex
mode is to be used.
Starting in Normal mode: >
vim -
ex -v -
< Start editing a new buffer, which is filled with text
that is read from stdin. The commands that would normally be
read from stdin will now be read from stderr. Example: >
find . -name "*.c" -print | vim -
< The buffer will be marked as modified, so that you are
reminded to save the text when trying to exit. If you don't
like that, put this these lines in your vimrc: >
" Don't set 'modified' when reading from stdin
au StdinReadPost * set nomodified
<
Starting in Ex mode: >
ex -
vim -e -
exim -
vim -E
< Start editing in silent mode. See |-s-ex|.
*-t* *-tag*
-t {tag} A tag. "tag" is looked up in the tags file, the associated
file becomes the current file, and the associated command is
executed. Mostly this is used for C programs, in which case
"tag" often is a function name. The effect is that the file
containing that function becomes the current file and the
cursor is positioned on the start of the function (see
|tags|).
*-q* *-qf*
-q [errorfile] QuickFix mode. The file with the name [errorfile] is read
and the first error is displayed. See |quickfix|.
If [errorfile] is not given, the 'errorfile' option is used
for the file name. See 'errorfile' for the default value.
(nothing) Without one of the four items above, Vim will start editing a
new buffer. It's empty and doesn't have a file name.
The startup mode can be changed by using another name instead of "vim", which
is equal to giving options:
ex vim -e Start in Ex mode (see |Ex-mode|). *ex*
exim vim -E Start in improved Ex mode (see |Ex-mode|). *exim*
(normally not installed)
view vim -R Start in read-only mode (see |-R|). *view*
gvim vim -g Start the GUI (see |gui|). *gvim*
gex vim -eg Start the GUI in Ex mode. *gex*
gview vim -Rg Start the GUI in read-only mode. *gview*
rvim vim -Z Like "vim", but in restricted mode (see |-Z|) *rvim*
rview vim -RZ Like "view", but in restricted mode. *rview*
rgvim vim -gZ Like "gvim", but in restricted mode. *rgvim*
rgview vim -RgZ Like "gview", but in restricted mode. *rgview*
evim vim -y Easy Vim: set 'insertmode' (see |-y|) *evim*
eview vim -yR Like "evim" in read-only mode *eview*
vimdiff vim -d Start in diff mode |diff-mode|
gvimdiff vim -gd Start in diff mode |diff-mode|
Additional characters may follow, they are ignored. For example, you can have
"gvim-8" to start the GUI. You must have an executable by that name then, of
course.
On Unix, you would normally have one executable called Vim, and links from the
different startup-names to that executable. If your system does not support
links and you do not want to have several copies of the executable, you could
use an alias instead. For example: >
alias view vim -R
alias gvim vim -g
<
*startup-options*
The option arguments may be given in any order. Single-letter options can be
combined after one dash. There can be no option arguments after the "--"
argument.
On VMS all option arguments are assumed to be lowercase, unless preceded with
a slash. Thus "-R" means recovery and "-/R" readonly.
--help *-h* *--help* *-?*
-?
-h Give usage (help) message and exit.
See |info-message| about capturing the text.
*--version*
--version Print version information and exit. Same output as for
|:version| command.
See |info-message| about capturing the text.
*--noplugin*
--noplugin Skip loading plugins. Resets the 'loadplugins' option.
Note that the |-u| argument may also disable loading plugins:
argument load: vimrc files plugins defaults.vim ~
(nothing) yes yes yes
-u NONE no no no
-u DEFAULTS no no yes
-u NORC no yes no
--noplugin yes no yes
--startuptime {fname} *--startuptime*
During startup write timing messages to the file {fname}.
This can be used to find out where time is spent while loading
your .vimrc, plugins and opening the first file.
When {fname} already exists new messages are appended.
{only available when compiled with the |+startuptime|
feature}
*--literal*
--literal Take file names literally, don't expand wildcards. Not needed
for Unix, because Vim always takes file names literally (the
shell expands wildcards).
Applies to all the names, also the ones that come before this
argument.
*-+*
+[num] The cursor will be positioned on line "num" for the first
file being edited. If "num" is missing, the cursor will be
positioned on the last line.
*-+/*
+/{pat} The cursor will be positioned on the first line containing
"pat" in the first file being edited (see |pattern| for the
available search patterns). The search starts at the cursor
position, which can be the first line or the cursor position
last used from |viminfo|. To force a search from the first
line use "+1 +/pat".
+{command} *-+c* *-c*
-c {command} {command} will be executed after the first file has been
read (and after autocommands and modelines for that file have
been processed). "command" is interpreted as an Ex command.
If the "command" contains spaces, it must be enclosed in
double quotes (this depends on the shell that is used).
Example: >
vim "+set si" main.c
vim "+find stdio.h"
vim -c "set ff=dos" -c wq mine.mak
<
Note: You can use up to 10 "+" or "-c" arguments in a Vim
command. They are executed in the order given. A "-S"
argument counts as a "-c" argument as well.
--cmd {command} *--cmd*
{command} will be executed before processing any vimrc file.
Otherwise it acts like -c {command}. You can use up to 10 of
these commands, independently from "-c" commands.
*-S*
-S {file} The {file} will be sourced after the first file has been read.
This is an easy way to do the equivalent of: >
-c "source {file}"
< It can be mixed with "-c" arguments and repeated like "-c".
The limit of 10 "-c" arguments applies here as well.
{file} cannot start with a "-".
Do not use this for running a script to do some work and exit
Vim, you won't see error messages. Use |-u| instead.
-S Works like "-S Session.vim". Only when used as the last
argument or when another "-" option follows.
*-r*
-r Recovery mode. Without a file name argument, a list of
existing swap files is given. With a file name, a swap file
is read to recover a crashed editing session. See
|crash-recovery|.
*-L*
-L Same as -r.
*-R*
-R Readonly mode. The 'readonly' option will be set for all the
files being edited. You can still edit the buffer, but will
be prevented from accidentally overwriting a file. If you
forgot that you are in View mode and did make some changes,
you can overwrite a file by adding an exclamation mark to
the Ex command, as in ":w!". The 'readonly' option can be
reset with ":set noro" (see the options chapter, |options|).
Subsequent edits will not be done in readonly mode. Calling
the executable "view" has the same effect as the -R argument.
The 'updatecount' option will be set to 10000, meaning that
the swap file will not be updated automatically very often.
See |-M| for disallowing modifications.
*-m*
-m Modifications not allowed to be written. The 'write' option
will be reset, so that writing files is disabled. However,
the 'write' option can be set to enable writing again.
*-M*
-M Modifications not allowed. The 'modifiable' option will be
reset, so that changes are not allowed. The 'write' option
will be reset, so that writing files is disabled. However,
the 'modifiable' and 'write' options can be set to enable
changes and writing.
*-Z* *restricted-mode* *E145* *E981*
-Z Restricted mode. All commands that make use of an external
shell are disabled. This includes suspending with CTRL-Z,
":sh", filtering, the system() function, backtick expansion
and libcall().
Also disallowed are delete(), rename(), mkdir(), job_start(),
etc.
Interfaces, such as Python, Ruby and Lua, are also disabled,
since they could be used to execute shell commands. Perl uses
the Safe module.
For Unix restricted mode is used when the last part of $SHELL
is "nologin" or "false".
Note that the user may still find a loophole to execute a
shell command, it has only been made difficult.
*-g*
-g Start Vim in GUI mode. See |gui|. For the opposite see |-v|.
*-v*
-v Start Ex in Vi mode. Only makes a difference when the
executable is called "ex" or "gvim". For gvim the GUI is not
started if possible.
*-e*
-e Start Vim in Ex mode, see |Ex-mode|. Only makes a difference
when the executable is not called "ex".
*-E*
-E Start Vim in improved Ex mode |gQ|. Only makes a difference
when the executable is not called "exim".
*-s-ex*
-s Silent or batch mode. Only when Vim was started as "ex" or
when preceded with the "-e" argument. Otherwise see |-s|,
which does take an argument while this use of "-s" doesn't.
To be used when Vim is used to execute Ex commands from a file
instead of a terminal. Switches off most prompts and
informative messages. Also warnings and error messages.
The output of these commands is displayed (to stdout):
:print
:list
:number
:set to display option values.
When 'verbose' is non-zero messages are printed (for
debugging, to stderr).
'term' and $TERM are not used.
If Vim appears to be stuck try typing "qa!<Enter>". You don't
get a prompt thus you can't see Vim is waiting for you to type
something.
Initializations are skipped (except the ones given with the
"-u" argument).
Example: >
vim -e -s < thefilter thefile
< For the opposite, to see errors from the script, execute the
file with the |-u| flag: >
vim -u thefilter thefile
<
*-b*
-b Binary mode. File I/O will only recognize <NL> to separate
lines. The 'expandtab' option will be reset. The 'textwidth'
option is set to 0. 'modeline' is reset. The 'binary' option
is set. This is done after reading the vimrc/exrc files but
before reading any file in the arglist. See also
|edit-binary|.
*-l*
-l Lisp mode. Sets the 'lisp' and 'showmatch' options on.
*-A*
-A Arabic mode. Sets the 'arabic' option on. {only when
compiled with the |+arabic| features (which include
|+rightleft|), otherwise Vim gives an error message
and exits}
*-F*
-F This was used for Farsi mode, which has been removed.
See |farsi.txt|.
*-H*
-H Hebrew mode. Sets the 'hkmap' and 'rightleft' options on.
{only when compiled with the |+rightleft| feature, otherwise
Vim gives an error message and exits}
*-V* *verbose*
-V[N] Verbose. Sets the 'verbose' option to [N] (default: 10).
Messages will be given for each file that is ":source"d and
for reading or writing a viminfo file. Can be used to find
out what is happening upon startup and exit.
Example: >
vim -V8 foobar
-V[N]{filename}
Like -V and set 'verbosefile' to {filename}. The result is
that messages are not displayed but written to the file
{filename}. {filename} must not start with a digit.
Example: >
vim -V20vimlog foobar
<
--log {filename} *--log*
Start logging and write entries to {filename}.
This works like calling `ch_logfile({filename}, 'ao')` very
early during startup.
{only available with the |+eval| feature}
*-D*
-D Debugging. Go to debugging mode when executing the first
command from a script. |debug-mode|
{not available when compiled without the |+eval| feature}
*-C*
-C Compatible mode. Sets the 'compatible' option. You can use
this to get 'compatible', even though a .vimrc file exists.
Keep in mind that the command ":set nocompatible" in some
plugin or startup script overrules this, so you may end up
with 'nocompatible' anyway. To find out, use: >
:verbose set compatible?
< Several plugins won't work with 'compatible' set. You may
want to set it after startup this way: >
vim "+set cp" filename
< Also see |compatible-default|.
*-N*
-N Not compatible mode. Resets the 'compatible' option. You can
use this to get 'nocompatible', when there is no .vimrc file
or when using "-u NONE".
Also see |compatible-default|.
*-y* *easy*
-y Easy mode. Implied for |evim| and |eview|. Starts with
'insertmode' set and behaves like a click-and-type editor.
This sources the script $VIMRUNTIME/evim.vim. Mappings are
set up to work like most click-and-type editors, see
|evim-keys|. The GUI is started when available.
*-n*
-n No swap file will be used. Recovery after a crash will be
impossible. Handy if you want to view or edit a file on a
very slow medium (e.g., a floppy).
Can also be done with ":set updatecount=0". You can switch it
on again by setting the 'updatecount' option to some value,
e.g., ":set uc=100".
NOTE: Don't combine -n with -b, making -nb, because that has a
different meaning: |-nb|.
'updatecount' is set to 0 AFTER executing commands from a
vimrc file, but before the GUI initializations. Thus it
overrides a setting for 'updatecount' in a vimrc file, but not
in a gvimrc file. See |startup|.
When you want to reduce accesses to the disk (e.g., for a
laptop), don't use "-n", but set 'updatetime' and
'updatecount' to very big numbers, and type ":preserve" when
you want to save your work. This way you keep the possibility
for crash recovery.
*-o*
-o[N] Open N windows, split horizontally. If [N] is not given,
one window is opened for every file given as argument. If
there is not enough room, only the first few files get a
window. If there are more windows than arguments, the last
few windows will be editing an empty file.
*-O*
-O[N] Open N windows, split vertically. Otherwise it's like -o.
If both the -o and the -O option are given, the last one on
the command line determines how the windows will be split.
*-p*
-p[N] Open N tab pages. If [N] is not given, one tab page is opened
for every file given as argument. The maximum is set with
'tabpagemax' pages (default 10). If there are more tab pages
than arguments, the last few tab pages will be editing an
empty file. Also see |tabpage|.
*-T*
-T {terminal} Set the terminal type to "terminal". This influences the
codes that Vim will send to your terminal. This is normally
not needed, because Vim will be able to find out what type
of terminal you are using. (See |terminal-info|.)
*--not-a-term*
--not-a-term Tells Vim that the user knows that the input and/or output is
not connected to a terminal. This will avoid the warning and
the two second delay that would happen.
Also avoids the "Reading from stdin..." message.
Also avoids the "N files to edit" message.
--gui-dialog-file {name} *--gui-dialog-file*
When using the GUI, instead of showing a dialog, write the
title and message of the dialog to file {name}. The file is
created or appended to. Only useful for testing, to avoid
that the test gets stuck on a dialog that can't be seen.
Without the GUI the argument is ignored.
*--ttyfail*
--ttyfail When the stdin or stdout is not a terminal (tty) then exit
right away.
*-d*
-d Start in diff mode, like |vimdiff|.
{not available when compiled without the |+diff| feature}
-d {device} Only on the Amiga and when not compiled with the |+diff|
feature. Works like "-dev".
*-dev*
-dev {device} Only on the Amiga: The {device} is opened to be used for
editing.
Normally you would use this to set the window position and
size: "-d con:x/y/width/height", e.g.,
"-d con:30/10/600/150". But you can also use it to start
editing on another device, e.g., AUX:.
*-f*
-f GUI: Do not disconnect from the program that started Vim.
'f' stands for "foreground". If omitted, the GUI forks a new
process and exits the current one. "-f" should be used when
gvim is started by a program that will wait for the edit
session to finish (e.g., mail or readnews). If you want gvim
never to fork, include 'f' in 'guioptions' in your |gvimrc|.
Careful: You can use "-gf" to start the GUI in the foreground,
but "-fg" is used to specify the foreground color. |gui-fork|
Amiga: Do not restart Vim to open a new window. This
option should be used when Vim is started by a program that
will wait for the edit session to finish (e.g., mail or
readnews). See |amiga-window|.
MS-Windows: This option is not supported. However, when
running Vim with an installed vim.bat or gvim.bat file it
works.
*--nofork*
--nofork GUI: Do not fork. Same as |-f|.
*-u* *E282*
-u {vimrc} The file {vimrc} is read for initializations. Most other
initializations are skipped; see |initialization|.
This can be used to start Vim in a special mode, with special
mappings and settings. A shell alias can be used to make
this easy to use. For example: >
alias vimc vim -u ~/.c_vimrc !*
< Also consider using autocommands; see |autocommand|.
When {vimrc} is equal to "NONE" (all uppercase), all
initializations from files and environment variables are
skipped, including reading the |gvimrc| file when the GUI
starts. Loading plugins is also skipped.
When {vimrc} is equal to "NORC" (all uppercase), this has the
same effect as "NONE", but loading plugins is not skipped.
When {vimrc} is equal to "DEFAULTS" (all uppercase), this has
the same effect as "NONE", but the |defaults.vim| script is
loaded, which will also set 'nocompatible'. Also see
|--clean|.
Using the "-u" argument with another argument than DEFAULTS
has the side effect that the 'compatible' option will be on by
default. This can have unexpected effects. See
|'compatible'|.
*-U* *E230*
-U {gvimrc} The file {gvimrc} is read for initializations when the GUI
starts. Other GUI initializations are skipped. When {gvimrc}
is equal to "NONE", no file is read for GUI initializations at
all. |gui-init|
Exception: Reading the system-wide menu file is always done.
*-i*
-i {viminfo} The file "viminfo" is used instead of the default viminfo
file. If the name "NONE" is used (all uppercase), no viminfo
file is read or written, even if 'viminfo' is set or when
":rv" or ":wv" are used. See also |viminfo-file|.
*--clean*
--clean Similar to "-u DEFAULTS -U NONE -i NONE":
- initializations from files and environment variables is
skipped
- 'runtimepath' and 'packpath' are set to exclude home
directory entries (does not happen with -u DEFAULTS).
- the |defaults.vim| script is loaded, which implies
'nocompatible': use Vim defaults
- no |gvimrc| script is loaded
- no viminfo file is read or written
Note that a following "-u" argument overrules the effect of
"-u DEFAULTS".
*-x*
-x Use encryption to read/write files. Will prompt for a key,
which is then stored in the 'key' option. All writes will
then use this key to encrypt the text. The '-x' argument is
not needed when reading a file, because there is a check if
the file that is being read has been encrypted, and Vim asks
for a key automatically. |encryption|
*-X*
-X Do not try connecting to the X server to get the current
window title and copy/paste using the X clipboard. This
avoids a long startup time when running Vim in a terminal
emulator and the connection to the X server is slow.
See |--startuptime| to find out if affects you.
Only makes a difference on Unix or VMS, when compiled with the
|+X11| feature. Otherwise it's ignored.
To disable the connection only for specific terminals, see the
'clipboard' option.
When the X11 Session Management Protocol (XSMP) handler has
been built in, the -X option also disables that connection as
it, too, may have undesirable delays.
When the connection is desired later anyway (e.g., for
client-server messages), call the |serverlist()| function.
This does not enable the XSMP handler though.
*-s*
-s {scriptin} The script file "scriptin" is read. The characters in the
file are interpreted as if you had typed them. The same can
be done with the command ":source! {scriptin}". If the end
of the file is reached before the editor exits, further
characters are read from the keyboard. Only works when not
started in Ex mode, see |-s-ex|. See also |complex-repeat|.
*-w_nr*
-w {number}
-w{number} Set the 'window' option to {number}.
*-w*
-w {scriptout} All the characters that you type are recorded in the file
"scriptout", until you exit Vim. This is useful if you want
to create a script file to be used with "vim -s" or
":source!". When the "scriptout" file already exists, new
characters are appended. See also |complex-repeat|.
{scriptout} cannot start with a digit.
If you want to record what is typed in a human readable for
you can use |ch_logfile()|, It adds "raw key input" lines.
Also see |--log|.
*-W*
-W {scriptout} Like -w, but do not append, overwrite an existing file.
--remote [+{cmd}] {file} ...
Open the {file} in another Vim that functions as a server.
Any non-file arguments must come before this.
See |--remote|.
--remote-silent [+{cmd}] {file} ...
Like --remote, but don't complain if there is no server.
See |--remote-silent|.
--remote-wait [+{cmd}] {file} ...
Like --remote, but wait for the server to finish editing the
file(s).
See |--remote-wait|.
--remote-wait-silent [+{cmd}] {file} ...
Like --remote-wait, but don't complain if there is no server.
See |--remote-wait-silent|.
--servername {name}
Specify the name of the Vim server to send to or to become.
See |--servername|.
--remote-send {keys}
Send {keys} to a Vim server and exit.
See |--remote-send|.
--remote-expr {expr}
Evaluate {expr} in another Vim that functions as a server.
The result is printed on stdout.
See |--remote-expr|.
--serverlist Output a list of Vim server names and exit. See
|--serverlist|.
--socketid {id} *--socketid*
GTK+ GUI Vim only. Make gvim try to use GtkPlug mechanism, so
that it runs inside another window. See |gui-gtk-socketid|
for details.
--windowid {id} *--windowid*
Win32 GUI Vim only. Make gvim try to use the window {id} as a
parent, so that it runs inside that window. See
|gui-w32-windowid| for details.
--echo-wid *--echo-wid*
GTK+ GUI Vim only. Make gvim echo the Window ID on stdout,
which can be used to run gvim in a kpart widget. The format
of the output is: >
WID: 12345\n
--role {role} *--role*
GTK+ 2 GUI only. Set the role of the main window to {role}.
The window role can be used by a window manager to uniquely
identify a window, in order to restore window placement and
such. The --role argument is passed automatically when
restoring the session on login. See |gui-gnome-session|
-P {parent-title} *-P* *MDI* *E671* *E672*
Win32 only: Specify the title of the parent application. When
possible, Vim will run in an MDI window inside the
application.
{parent-title} must appear in the window title of the parent
application. Make sure that it is specific enough.
Note that the implementation is still primitive. It won't
work with all applications and the menu doesn't work.
-nb *-nb*
-nb={fname}
-nb:{hostname}:{addr}:{password}
Attempt connecting to Netbeans and become an editor server for
it. The second form specifies a file to read connection info
from. The third form specifies the hostname, address and
password for connecting to Netbeans. |netbeans-run|
{only available when compiled with the |+netbeans_intg|
feature; if not then -nb will make Vim exit}
If the executable is called "view", Vim will start in Readonly mode. This is
useful if you can make a hard or symbolic link from "view" to "vim".
Starting in Readonly mode can also be done with "vim -R".
If the executable is called "ex", Vim will start in "Ex" mode. This means it
will accept only ":" commands. But when the "-v" argument is given, Vim will
start in Normal mode anyway.
Additional arguments are available on unix like systems when compiled with
X11 GUI support. See |gui-resources|.
==============================================================================
2. Vim on the Amiga *starting-amiga*
Starting Vim from the Workbench *workbench*
-------------------------------
Vim can be started from the Workbench by clicking on its icon twice. It will
then start with an empty buffer.
Vim can be started to edit one or more files by using a "Project" icon. The
"Default Tool" of the icon must be the full pathname of the Vim executable.
The name of the ".info" file must be the same as the name of the text file.
By clicking on this icon twice, Vim will be started with the file name as
current file name, which will be read into the buffer (if it exists). You can
edit multiple files by pressing the shift key while clicking on icons, and
clicking twice on the last one. The "Default Tool" for all these icons must
be the same.
It is not possible to give arguments to Vim, other than file names, from the
workbench.
Vim window *amiga-window*
----------
Vim will run in the CLI window where it was started. If Vim was started with
the "run" or "runback" command, or if Vim was started from the workbench, it
will open a window of its own.
Technical detail:
To open the new window a little trick is used. As soon as Vim
recognizes that it does not run in a normal CLI window, it will
create a script file in "t:". This script file contains the same
command as the one Vim was started with, and an "endcli" command.
This script file is then executed with a "newcli" command (the "c:run"
and "c:newcli" commands are required for this to work). The script
file will hang around until reboot, or until you delete it. This
method is required to get the ":sh" and ":!" commands to work
correctly. But when Vim was started with the -f option (foreground
mode), this method is not used. The reason for this is that
when a program starts Vim with the -f option it will wait for Vim to
exit. With the script trick, the calling program does not know when
Vim exits. The -f option can be used when Vim is started by a mail
program which also waits for the edit session to finish. As a
consequence, the ":sh" and ":!" commands are not available when the
-f option is used.
Vim will automatically recognize the window size and react to window
resizing. Under Amiga DOS 1.3, it is advised to use the fastfonts program,
"FF", to speed up display redrawing.
==============================================================================
3. Running eVim *evim-keys*
EVim runs Vim as click-and-type editor. This is very unlike the original Vi
idea. But it helps for people that don't use Vim often enough to learn the
commands. Hopefully they will find out that learning to use Normal mode
commands will make their editing much more effective.
In Evim these options are changed from their default value:
:set nocompatible Use Vim improvements
:set insertmode Remain in Insert mode most of the time
:set hidden Keep invisible buffers loaded
:set backup Keep backup files (not for VMS)
:set backspace=2 Backspace over everything
:set autoindent auto-indent new lines
:set history=50 keep 50 lines of Ex commands
:set ruler show the cursor position
:set incsearch show matches halfway typing a pattern
:set mouse=a use the mouse in all modes
:set hlsearch highlight all matches for a search pattern
:set whichwrap+=<,>,[,] <Left> and <Right> wrap around line breaks
:set guioptions-=a non-Unix only: don't do auto-select
Key mappings:
<CTRL-Q> quit, using `:confirm` prompt if there are changes
<Down> moves by screen lines rather than file lines
<Up> idem
Q does "gq", formatting, instead of Ex mode
<BS> in Visual mode: deletes the selection
CTRL-X in Visual mode: Cut to clipboard
<S-Del> idem
CTRL-C in Visual mode: Copy to clipboard
<C-Insert> idem
CTRL-V Pastes from the clipboard (in any mode)
<S-Insert> idem
CTRL-Z undo
CTRL-Y redo
<M-Space> system menu
CTRL-A select all
<C-Tab> next window, CTRL-W w
<C-F4> close window, CTRL-W c
Additionally:
- ":behave mswin" is used |:behave|
- syntax highlighting is enabled
- filetype detection is enabled, filetype plugins and indenting is enabled
- in a text file 'textwidth' is set to 78
One hint: If you want to go to Normal mode to be able to type a sequence of
commands, use CTRL-L. |i_CTRL-L|
There is no way to stop "easy mode", you need to exit Vim.
==============================================================================
4. Initialization *initialization* *startup*
This section is about the non-GUI version of Vim. See |gui-fork| for
additional initialization when starting the GUI.
At startup, Vim checks environment variables and files and sets values
accordingly. Vim proceeds in this order:
1. Set the 'shell' and 'term' option *SHELL* *COMSPEC* *TERM*
The environment variable SHELL, if it exists, is used to set the
'shell' option. On Win32, the COMSPEC variable is used
if SHELL is not set.
The environment variable TERM, if it exists, is used to set the 'term'
option. However, 'term' will change later when starting the GUI (step
8 below).
2. Process the arguments
The options and file names from the command that start Vim are
inspected. Buffers are created for all files (but not loaded yet).
The |-V| argument can be used to display or log what happens next,
useful for debugging the initializations.
3. Execute Ex commands, from environment variables and/or files
An environment variable is read as one Ex command line, where multiple
commands must be separated with '|' or "<NL>".
*vimrc* *exrc*
A file that contains initialization commands is called a "vimrc" file.
Each line in a vimrc file is executed as an Ex command line. It is
sometimes also referred to as "exrc" file. They are the same type of
file, but "exrc" is what Vi always used, "vimrc" is a Vim specific
name. Also see |vimrc-intro|.
Places for your personal initializations:
Unix $HOME/.vimrc or $HOME/.vim/vimrc
MS-Windows $HOME/_vimrc, $HOME/vimfiles/vimrc
or $VIM/_vimrc
Amiga s:.vimrc, home:.vimrc, home:vimfiles:vimrc
or $VIM/.vimrc
Haiku $HOME/config/settings/vim/vimrc
The files are searched in the order specified above and only the first
one that is found is read.
RECOMMENDATION: Put all your Vim configuration stuff in the
$HOME/.vim/ directory ($HOME/vimfiles/ for MS-Windows). That makes it
easy to copy it to another system.
If Vim was started with "-u filename", the file "filename" is used.
All following initializations until 4. are skipped. $MYVIMRC is not
set.
"vim -u NORC" can be used to skip these initializations without
reading a file. "vim -u NONE" also skips loading plugins. |-u|
If Vim was started in Ex mode with the "-s" argument, all following
initializations until 4. are skipped. Only the "-u" option is
interpreted.
*evim.vim*
a. If vim was started as |evim| or |eview| or with the |-y| argument, the
script $VIMRUNTIME/evim.vim will be loaded.
*system-vimrc*
b. For Unix, MS-Windows, VMS, Macintosh and Amiga the system vimrc file
is read for initializations. The path of this file is shown with the
":version" command. Mostly it's "$VIM/vimrc". Note that this file is
ALWAYS read in 'compatible' mode, since the automatic resetting of
'compatible' is only done later. Add a ":set nocp" command if you
like. For the Macintosh the $VIMRUNTIME/macmap.vim is read.
*VIMINIT* *.vimrc* *_vimrc* *EXINIT* *.exrc* *_exrc* *$MYVIMRC*
c. Five places are searched for initializations. The first that exists
is used, the others are ignored. The $MYVIMRC environment variable is
set to the file that was first found, unless $MYVIMRC was already set
and when using VIMINIT.
I The environment variable VIMINIT (see also |compatible-default|) (*)
The value of $VIMINIT is used as an Ex command line.
II The user vimrc file(s):
"$HOME/.vimrc" (for Unix) (*)
"$HOME/.vim/vimrc" (for Unix) (*)
"s:.vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
"home:.vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
"home:vimfiles:vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
"$VIM/.vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
"$HOME/_vimrc" (for Win32) (*)
"$HOME/vimfiles/vimrc" (for Win32) (*)
"$VIM/_vimrc" (for Win32) (*)
"$HOME/config/settings/vim/vimrc" (for Haiku) (*)
Note: For Unix and Amiga, when ".vimrc" does not exist,
"_vimrc" is also tried, in case an MS-DOS compatible file
system is used. For MS-Windows ".vimrc" is checked after
"_vimrc", in case long file names are used.
Note: For Win32, "$HOME" is checked first. If no "_vimrc" or
".vimrc" is found there, "$VIM" is tried. See |$VIM| for when
$VIM is not set.
III The environment variable EXINIT.
The value of $EXINIT is used as an Ex command line.
IV The user exrc file(s). Same as for the user vimrc file, but with
"vimrc" replaced by "exrc". But only one of ".exrc" and "_exrc" is
used, depending on the system. And without the (*)!
V The default vimrc file, $VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim. This sets up
options values and has "syntax on" and "filetype on" commands,
which is what most new users will want. See |defaults.vim|.
d. If the 'exrc' option is on (which is NOT the default), the current
directory is searched for three files. The first that exists is used,
the others are ignored.
- The file ".vimrc" (for Unix, Amiga) (*)
"_vimrc" (for Win32) (*)
- The file "_vimrc" (for Unix, Amiga) (*)
".vimrc" (for Win32) (*)
- The file ".exrc" (for Unix, Amiga)
"_exrc" (for Win32)
(*) Using this file or environment variable will cause 'compatible' to be
off by default. See |compatible-default|.
Note: When using the |mzscheme| interface, it is initialized after loading
the vimrc file. Changing 'mzschemedll' later has no effect.
4. Load the plugin scripts. *load-plugins*
This does the same as the command: >
:runtime! plugin/**/*.vim
< The result is that all directories in the 'runtimepath' option will be
searched for the "plugin" sub-directory and all files ending in ".vim"
will be sourced (in alphabetical order per directory), also in
subdirectories.
However, directories in 'runtimepath' ending in "after" are skipped
here and only loaded after packages, see below.
Loading plugins won't be done when:
- The 'loadplugins' option was reset in a vimrc file.
- The |--noplugin| command line argument is used.
- The |--clean| command line argument is used.
- The "-u NONE" command line argument is used |-u|.
- When Vim was compiled without the |+eval| feature.
Note that using "-c 'set noloadplugins'" doesn't work, because the
commands from the command line have not been executed yet. You can
use "--cmd 'set noloadplugins'" or "--cmd 'set loadplugins'" |--cmd|.
Packages are loaded. These are plugins, as above, but found in the
"start" directory of each entry in 'packpath'. Every plugin directory
found is added in 'runtimepath' and then the plugins are sourced. See
|packages|.
The plugins scripts are loaded, as above, but now only the directories
ending in "after" are used. Note that 'runtimepath' will have changed
if packages have been found, but that should not add a directory
ending in "after".
5. Set 'shellpipe' and 'shellredir'
The 'shellpipe' and 'shellredir' options are set according to the
value of the 'shell' option, unless they have been set before.
This means that Vim will figure out the values of 'shellpipe' and
'shellredir' for you, unless you have set them yourself.
6. Set 'updatecount' to zero, if "-n" command argument used
7. Set binary options
If the "-b" flag was given to Vim, the options for binary editing will
be set now. See |-b|.
8. Perform GUI initializations
Only when starting "gvim", the GUI initializations will be done. See
|gui-init|.
9. Read the viminfo file
If the 'viminfo' option is not empty, the viminfo file is read. See
|viminfo-file|.
10. Read the quickfix file
If the "-q" flag was given to Vim, the quickfix file is read. If this
fails, Vim exits.
11. Open all windows
When the |-o| flag was given, windows will be opened (but not
displayed yet).
When the |-p| flag was given, tab pages will be created (but not
displayed yet).
When switching screens, it happens now. Redrawing starts.
If the "-q" flag was given to Vim, the first error is jumped to.
Buffers for all windows will be loaded, without triggering |BufAdd|
autocommands.
12. Execute startup commands
If a "-t" flag was given to Vim, the tag is jumped to.
The commands given with the |-c| and |+cmd| arguments are executed.
If the 'insertmode' option is set, Insert mode is entered.
The starting flag is reset, has("vim_starting") will now return zero.
The |v:vim_did_enter| variable is set to 1.
The |VimEnter| autocommands are executed.
The $MYVIMRC or $MYGVIMRC file will be set to the first found vimrc and/or
gvimrc file.
Some hints on using initializations ~
Standard setup:
Create a vimrc file to set the default settings and mappings for all your edit
sessions. Put it in a place so that it will be found by 3b:
~/.vimrc (Unix)
s:.vimrc (Amiga)
$VIM\_vimrc (Win32)
~/config/settings/vim/vimrc (Haiku)
Note that creating a vimrc file will cause the 'compatible' option to be off
by default. See |compatible-default|.
Local setup:
Put all commands that you need for editing a specific directory only into a
vimrc file and place it in that directory under the name ".vimrc" ("_vimrc"
for Win32). NOTE: To make Vim look for these special files you have to turn
on the option 'exrc'. See |trojan-horse| too.
System setup:
This only applies if you are managing a Unix system with several users and
want to set the defaults for all users. Create a vimrc file with commands
for default settings and mappings and put it in the place that is given with
the ":version" command.
Saving the current state of Vim to a file ~
Whenever you have changed values of options or when you have created a
mapping, then you may want to save them in a vimrc file for later use. See
|save-settings| about saving the current state of settings to a file.
Avoiding setup problems for Vi users ~
Vi uses the variable EXINIT and the file "~/.exrc". So if you do not want to
interfere with Vi, then use the variable VIMINIT and the file "vimrc" instead.
Amiga environment variables ~
On the Amiga, two types of environment variables exist. The ones set with the
DOS 1.3 (or later) setenv command are recognized. See the AmigaDos 1.3
manual. The environment variables set with the old Manx Set command (before
version 5.0) are not recognized.
MS-Windows line separators ~
On MS-Windows, Vim assumes that all the vimrc files have <CR><NL> pairs as
line separators. This will give problems if you have a file with only <NL>s
and have a line like ":map xx yy^M". The trailing ^M will be ignored.
Vi compatible default value ~
*compatible-default*
When Vim starts, the 'compatible' option is on. This will be used when Vim
starts its initializations. But as soon as:
- a user vimrc file is found, or
- a vimrc file in the current directory is found, or
- the "VIMINIT" environment variable is set, or
- the "-N" command line argument is given, or
- the "--clean" command line argument is given, or
- the |defaults.vim| script is loaded, or
- a gvimrc file was found,
then the option will be set to 'nocompatible'.
Note that this does NOT happen when a system-wide vimrc file was found.
This has the side effect of setting or resetting other options (see
'compatible'). But only the options that have not been set or reset will be
changed. This has the same effect like the value of 'compatible' had this
value when starting Vim.
'compatible' is NOT reset, and |defaults.vim| is not loaded:
- when Vim was started with the |-u| command line argument, especially with
"-u NONE", or
- when started with the |-C| command line argument, or
- when the name of the executable ends in "ex". (This has been done to make
Vim behave like "ex", when it is started as "ex")
But there is a side effect of setting or resetting 'compatible' at the moment
a .vimrc file is found: Mappings are interpreted the moment they are
encountered. This makes a difference when using things like "<CR>". If the
mappings depend on a certain value of 'compatible', set or reset it before
giving the mapping.
Defaults without a .vimrc file ~
*defaults.vim* *E1187*
If Vim is started normally and no user vimrc file is found, the
$VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim script is loaded. This will set 'compatible' off,
switch on syntax highlighting and a few more things. See the script for
details. NOTE: this is done since Vim 8.0, not in Vim 7.4. (it was added in
patch 7.4.2111 to be exact).
This should work well for new Vim users. If you create your own .vimrc, it is
recommended to add these lines somewhere near the top: >
unlet! skip_defaults_vim
source $VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim
Then Vim works like before you had a .vimrc. Copying $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example
is way to do this. Alternatively, you can copy defaults.vim to your .vimrc
and modify it (but then you won't get updates when it changes).
If you don't like some of the defaults, you can still source defaults.vim and
revert individual settings. See the defaults.vim file for hints on how to
revert each item.
*skip_defaults_vim*
If you use a system-wide vimrc and don't want defaults.vim to change settings,
set the "skip_defaults_vim" variable. If this was set and you want to load
defaults.vim from your .vimrc, first unlet skip_defaults_vim, as in the
example above.
Avoiding trojan horses ~
*trojan-horse*
While reading the "vimrc" or the "exrc" file in the current directory, some
commands can be disabled for security reasons by setting the 'secure' option.
This is always done when executing the command from a tags file. Otherwise it
would be possible that you accidentally use a vimrc or tags file that somebody
else created and contains nasty commands. The disabled commands are the ones
that start a shell, the ones that write to a file, and ":autocmd". The ":map"
commands are echoed, so you can see which keys are being mapped.
If you want Vim to execute all commands in a local vimrc file, you
can reset the 'secure' option in the EXINIT or VIMINIT environment variable or
in the global "exrc" or "vimrc" file. This is not possible in "vimrc" or
"exrc" in the current directory, for obvious reasons.
On Unix systems, this only happens if you are not the owner of the
vimrc file. Warning: If you unpack an archive that contains a vimrc or exrc
file, it will be owned by you. You won't have the security protection. Check
the vimrc file before you start Vim in that directory, or reset the 'exrc'
option. Some Unix systems allow a user to do "chown" on a file. This makes
it possible for another user to create a nasty vimrc and make you the owner.
Be careful!
When using tag search commands, executing the search command (the last
part of the line in the tags file) is always done in secure mode. This works
just like executing a command from a vimrc/exrc in the current directory.
If Vim startup is slow ~
*slow-start*
If Vim takes a long time to start up, use the |--startuptime| argument to find
out what happens. There are a few common causes:
- If the Unix version was compiled with the GUI and/or X11 (check the output
of ":version" for "+GUI" and "+X11"), it may need to load shared libraries
and connect to the X11 server. Try compiling a version with GUI and X11
disabled. This also should make the executable smaller.
Use the |-X| command line argument to avoid connecting to the X server when
running in a terminal.
- If you have "viminfo" enabled, the loading of the viminfo file may take a
while. You can find out if this is the problem by disabling viminfo for a
moment (use the Vim argument "-i NONE", |-i|). Try reducing the number of
lines stored in a register with ":set viminfo='20,<50,s10". |viminfo-file|.
Intro message ~
*:intro*
When Vim starts without a file name, an introductory message is displayed (for
those who don't know what Vim is). It is removed as soon as the display is
redrawn in any way. To see the message again, use the ":intro" command (if
there is not enough room, you will see only part of it).
To avoid the intro message on startup, add the 'I' flag to 'shortmess'.
*info-message*
The |--help| and |--version| arguments cause Vim to print a message and then
exit. Normally the message is sent to stdout, thus can be redirected to a
file with: >
vim --help >file
From inside Vim: >
:read !vim --help
When using gvim, it detects that it might have been started from the desktop,
without a terminal to show messages on. This is detected when both stdout and
stderr are not a tty. This breaks the ":read" command, as used in the example
above. To make it work again, set 'shellredir' to ">" instead of the default
">&": >
:set shellredir=>
:read !gvim --help
This still won't work for systems where gvim does not use stdout at all
though.
==============================================================================
5. $VIM and $VIMRUNTIME
*$VIM*
The environment variable "$VIM" is used to locate various user files for Vim,
such as the user startup script ".vimrc". This depends on the system, see
|startup|.
To avoid the need for every user to set the $VIM environment variable, Vim
will try to get the value for $VIM in this order:
1. The value defined by the $VIM environment variable. You can use this to
make Vim look in a specific directory for its support files. Example: >
setenv VIM /home/paul/vim
2. The path from 'helpfile' is used, unless it contains some environment
variable too (the default is "$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt": chicken-egg
problem). The file name ("help.txt" or any other) is removed. Then
trailing directory names are removed, in this order: "doc", "runtime" and
"vim{version}" (e.g., "vim82").
3. For Win32 Vim tries to use the directory name of the executable. If it
ends in "/src", this is removed. This is useful if you unpacked the .zip
file in some directory, and adjusted the search path to find the vim
executable. Trailing directory names are removed, in this order: "runtime"
and "vim{version}" (e.g., "vim82").
4. For Unix the compile-time defined installation directory is used (see the
output of ":version").
Once Vim has done this once, it will set the $VIM environment variable. To
change it later, use a ":let" command like this: >
:let $VIM = "/home/paul/vim/"
<
*$VIMRUNTIME*
The environment variable "$VIMRUNTIME" is used to locate various support
files, such as the on-line documentation and files used for syntax
highlighting. For example, the main help file is normally
"$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt".
You don't normally set $VIMRUNTIME yourself, but let Vim figure it out. This
is the order used to find the value of $VIMRUNTIME:
1. If the environment variable $VIMRUNTIME is set, it is used. You can use
this when the runtime files are in an unusual location.
2. If "$VIM/vim{version}" exists, it is used. {version} is the version
number of Vim, without any '-' or '.'. For example: "$VIM/vim82". This is
the normal value for $VIMRUNTIME.
3. If "$VIM/runtime" exists, it is used.
4. The value of $VIM is used. This is for backwards compatibility with older
versions.
5. When the 'helpfile' option is set and doesn't contain a '