| VIM(1) VIM(1) |
| |
| |
| |
| NAME |
| vim - Vi IMproved, a programmers text editor |
| |
| SYNOPSIS |
| vim [options] [file ..] |
| vim [options] - |
| vim [options] -t tag |
| vim [options] -q [errorfile] |
| |
| ex |
| view |
| gvim gview evim eview |
| rvim rview rgvim rgview |
| |
| DESCRIPTION |
| Vim is a text editor that is upwards compatible to Vi. It can be used |
| to edit all kinds of plain text. It is especially useful for editing |
| programs. |
| |
| There are a lot of enhancements above Vi: multi level undo, multi win- |
| dows and buffers, syntax highlighting, command line editing, filename |
| completion, on-line help, visual selection, etc.. See ":help |
| vi_diff.txt" for a summary of the differences between Vim and Vi. |
| |
| While running Vim a lot of help can be obtained from the on-line help |
| system, with the ":help" command. See the ON-LINE HELP section below. |
| |
| Most often Vim is started to edit a single file with the command |
| |
| vim file |
| |
| More generally Vim is started with: |
| |
| vim [options] [filelist] |
| |
| If the filelist is missing, the editor will start with an empty buffer. |
| Otherwise exactly one out of the following four may be used to choose |
| one or more files to be edited. |
| |
| file .. A list of filenames. The first one will be the current |
| file and read into the buffer. The cursor will be posi- |
| tioned on the first line of the buffer. You can get to the |
| other files with the ":next" command. To edit a file that |
| starts with a dash, precede the filelist with "--". |
| |
| - The file to edit is read from stdin. Commands are read |
| from stderr, which should be a tty. |
| |
| -t {tag} The file to edit and the initial cursor position depends on |
| a "tag", a sort of goto label. {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} could be 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 ":help tag-commands". |
| |
| -q [errorfile] |
| Start in quickFix mode. The file [errorfile] is read and |
| the first error is displayed. If [errorfile] is omitted, |
| the filename is obtained from the 'errorfile' option |
| (defaults to "AztecC.Err" for the Amiga, "errors.err" on |
| other systems). Further errors can be jumped to with the |
| ":cn" command. See ":help quickfix". |
| |
| Vim behaves differently, depending on the name of the command (the exe- |
| cutable may still be the same file). |
| |
| vim The "normal" way, everything is default. |
| |
| ex Start in Ex mode. Go to Normal mode with the ":vi" command. |
| Can also be done with the "-e" argument. |
| |
| view Start in read-only mode. You will be protected from writing |
| the files. Can also be done with the "-R" argument. |
| |
| gvim gview |
| The GUI version. Starts a new window. Can also be done with |
| the "-g" argument. |
| |
| evim eview |
| The GUI version in easy mode. Starts a new window. Can also |
| be done with the "-y" argument. |
| |
| rvim rview rgvim rgview |
| Like the above, but with restrictions. It will not be possi- |
| ble to start shell commands, or suspend Vim. Can also be |
| done with the "-Z" argument. |
| |
| OPTIONS |
| The options may be given in any order, before or after filenames. |
| Options without an argument can be combined after a single dash. |
| |
| +[num] For the first file the cursor will be positioned on line |
| "num". If "num" is missing, the cursor will be positioned |
| on the last line. |
| |
| +/{pat} For the first file the cursor will be positioned on the |
| first occurrence of {pat}. See ":help search-pattern" for |
| the available search patterns. |
| |
| +{command} |
| |
| -c {command} |
| {command} will be executed after the first file has been |
| read. {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 |
| Note: You can use up to 10 "+" or "-c" commands. |
| |
| -S {file} {file} will be sourced after the first file has been read. |
| This is equivalent to -c "source {file}". {file} cannot |
| start with '-'. If {file} is omitted "Session.vim" is used |
| (only works when -S is the last argument). |
| |
| --cmd {command} |
| Like using "-c", but the command is executed just before |
| processing any vimrc file. You can use up to 10 of these |
| commands, independently from "-c" commands. |
| |
| -A If Vim has been compiled with ARABIC support for editing |
| right-to-left oriented files and Arabic keyboard mapping, |
| this option starts Vim in Arabic mode, i.e. 'arabic' is |
| set. Otherwise an error message is given and Vim aborts. |
| |
| -b Binary mode. A few options will be set that makes it pos- |
| sible to edit a binary or executable file. |
| |
| -C Compatible. Set the 'compatible' option. This will make |
| Vim behave mostly like Vi, even though a .vimrc file |
| exists. |
| |
| -d Start in diff mode. There should be two or three file name |
| arguments. Vim will open all the files and show differ- |
| ences between them. Works like vimdiff(1). |
| |
| -d {device} Open {device} for use as a terminal. Only on the Amiga. |
| Example: "-d con:20/30/600/150". |
| |
| -D Debugging. Go to debugging mode when executing the first |
| command from a script. |
| |
| -e Start Vim in Ex mode, just like the executable was called |
| "ex". |
| |
| -E Start Vim in improved Ex mode, just like the executable was |
| called "exim". |
| |
| -f Foreground. For the GUI version, Vim will not fork and |
| detach from the shell it was started in. On the Amiga, Vim |
| is not restarted to open a new window. This option should |
| be used when Vim is executed by a program that will wait |
| for the edit session to finish (e.g. mail). On the Amiga |
| the ":sh" and ":!" commands will not work. |
| |
| --nofork Foreground. For the GUI version, Vim will not fork and |
| detach from the shell it was started in. |
| |
| -F If Vim has been compiled with FKMAP support for editing |
| right-to-left oriented files and Farsi keyboard mapping, |
| this option starts Vim in Farsi mode, i.e. 'fkmap' and |
| 'rightleft' are set. Otherwise an error message is given |
| and Vim aborts. |
| |
| -g If Vim has been compiled with GUI support, this option |
| enables the GUI. If no GUI support was compiled in, an |
| error message is given and Vim aborts. |
| |
| -h Give a bit of help about the command line arguments and |
| options. After this Vim exits. |
| |
| -H If Vim has been compiled with RIGHTLEFT support for editing |
| right-to-left oriented files and Hebrew keyboard mapping, |
| this option starts Vim in Hebrew mode, i.e. 'hkmap' and |
| 'rightleft' are set. Otherwise an error message is given |
| and Vim aborts. |
| |
| -i {viminfo} |
| When using the viminfo file is enabled, this option sets |
| the filename to use, instead of the default "~/.viminfo". |
| This can also be used to skip the use of the .viminfo file, |
| by giving the name "NONE". |
| |
| -L Same as -r. |
| |
| -l Lisp mode. Sets the 'lisp' and 'showmatch' options on. |
| |
| -m Modifying files is disabled. Resets the 'write' option. |
| You can still modify the buffer, but writing a file is not |
| possible. |
| |
| -M Modifications not allowed. The 'modifiable' and 'write' |
| options will be unset, so that changes are not allowed and |
| files can not be written. Note that these options can be |
| set to enable making modifications. |
| |
| -N No-compatible mode. Reset the 'compatible' option. This |
| will make Vim behave a bit better, but less Vi compatible, |
| even though a .vimrc file does not exist. |
| |
| -n No swap file will be used. Recovery after a crash will be |
| impossible. Handy if you want to edit a file on a very |
| slow medium (e.g. floppy). Can also be done with ":set |
| uc=0". Can be undone with ":set uc=200". |
| |
| -nb Become an editor server for NetBeans. See the docs for |
| details. |
| |
| -o[N] Open N windows stacked. When N is omitted, open one window |
| for each file. |
| |
| -O[N] Open N windows side by side. When N is omitted, open one |
| window for each file. |
| |
| -p[N] Open N tab pages. When N is omitted, open one tab page for |
| each file. |
| |
| -R Read-only mode. The 'readonly' option will be set. You |
| can still edit the buffer, but will be prevented from acci- |
| dently overwriting a file. If you do want to overwrite a |
| file, add an exclamation mark to the Ex command, as in |
| ":w!". The -R option also implies the -n option (see |
| below). The 'readonly' option can be reset with ":set |
| noro". See ":help 'readonly'". |
| |
| -r List swap files, with information about using them for |
| recovery. |
| |
| -r {file} Recovery mode. The swap file is used to recover a crashed |
| editing session. The swap file is a file with the same |
| filename as the text file with ".swp" appended. See ":help |
| recovery". |
| |
| -s Silent mode. Only when started as "Ex" or when the "-e" |
| option was given before the "-s" option. |
| |
| -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. |
| |
| -T {terminal} |
| Tells Vim the name of the terminal you are using. Only |
| required when the automatic way doesn't work. Should be a |
| terminal known to Vim (builtin) or defined in the termcap |
| or terminfo file. |
| |
| -u {vimrc} Use the commands in the file {vimrc} for initializations. |
| All the other initializations are skipped. Use this to |
| edit a special kind of files. It can also be used to skip |
| all initializations by giving the name "NONE". See ":help |
| initialization" within vim for more details. |
| |
| -U {gvimrc} Use the commands in the file {gvimrc} for GUI initializa- |
| tions. All the other GUI initializations are skipped. It |
| can also be used to skip all GUI initializations by giving |
| the name "NONE". See ":help gui-init" within vim for more |
| details. |
| |
| -V[N] Verbose. Give messages about which files are sourced and |
| for reading and writing a viminfo file. The optional num- |
| ber N is the value for 'verbose'. Default is 10. |
| |
| -v Start Vim in Vi mode, just like the executable was called |
| "vi". This only has effect when the executable is called |
| "ex". |
| |
| -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!". If the {scriptout} file exists, characters are |
| appended. |
| |
| -W {scriptout} |
| Like -w, but an existing file is overwritten. |
| |
| -x Use encryption when writing files. Will prompt for a crypt |
| key. |
| |
| -X Don't connect to the X server. Shortens startup time in a |
| terminal, but the window title and clipboard will not be |
| used. |
| |
| -y Start Vim in easy mode, just like the executable was called |
| "evim" or "eview". Makes Vim behave like a click-and-type |
| editor. |
| |
| -Z Restricted mode. Works like the executable starts with |
| "r". |
| |
| -- Denotes the end of the options. Arguments after this will |
| be handled as a file name. This can be used to edit a |
| filename that starts with a '-'. |
| |
| --echo-wid GTK GUI only: Echo the Window ID on stdout. |
| |
| --help Give a help message and exit, just like "-h". |
| |
| --literal Take file name arguments literally, do not expand wild- |
| cards. This has no effect on Unix where the shell expands |
| wildcards. |
| |
| --noplugin Skip loading plugins. Implied by -u NONE. |
| |
| --remote Connect to a Vim server and make it edit the files given in |
| the rest of the arguments. If no server is found a warning |
| is given and the files are edited in the current Vim. |
| |
| --remote-expr {expr} |
| Connect to a Vim server, evaluate {expr} in it and print |
| the result on stdout. |
| |
| --remote-send {keys} |
| Connect to a Vim server and send {keys} to it. |
| |
| --remote-silent |
| As --remote, but without the warning when no server is |
| found. |
| |
| --remote-wait |
| As --remote, but Vim does not exit until the files have |
| been edited. |
| |
| --remote-wait-silent |
| As --remote-wait, but without the warning when no server is |
| found. |
| |
| --serverlist |
| List the names of all Vim servers that can be found. |
| |
| --servername {name} |
| Use {name} as the server name. Used for the current Vim, |
| unless used with a --remote argument, then it's the name of |
| the server to connect to. |
| |
| --socketid {id} |
| GTK GUI only: Use the GtkPlug mechanism to run gvim in |
| another window. |
| |
| --version Print version information and exit. |
| |
| ON-LINE HELP |
| Type ":help" in Vim to get started. Type ":help subject" to get help |
| on a specific subject. For example: ":help ZZ" to get help for the |
| "ZZ" command. Use <Tab> and CTRL-D to complete subjects (":help cmd- |
| line-completion"). Tags are present to jump from one place to another |
| (sort of hypertext links, see ":help"). All documentation files can be |
| viewed in this way, for example ":help syntax.txt". |
| |
| FILES |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/doc/*.txt |
| The Vim documentation files. Use ":help doc-file-list" |
| to get the complete list. |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/doc/tags |
| The tags file used for finding information in the docu- |
| mentation files. |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/syntax/syntax.vim |
| System wide syntax initializations. |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/syntax/*.vim |
| Syntax files for various languages. |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/vimrc |
| System wide Vim initializations. |
| |
| ~/.vimrc Your personal Vim initializations. |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/gvimrc |
| System wide gvim initializations. |
| |
| ~/.gvimrc Your personal gvim initializations. |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/optwin.vim |
| Script used for the ":options" command, a nice way to |
| view and set options. |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/menu.vim |
| System wide menu initializations for gvim. |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/bugreport.vim |
| Script to generate a bug report. See ":help bugs". |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/filetype.vim |
| Script to detect the type of a file by its name. See |
| ":help 'filetype'". |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/scripts.vim |
| Script to detect the type of a file by its contents. |
| See ":help 'filetype'". |
| |
| /usr/local/lib/vim/*.ps |
| Files used for PostScript printing. |
| |
| For recent info read the VIM home page: |
| <URL:http://www.vim.org/> |
| |
| SEE ALSO |
| vimtutor(1) |
| |
| AUTHOR |
| Most of Vim was made by Bram Moolenaar, with a lot of help from others. |
| See ":help credits" in Vim. |
| Vim is based on Stevie, worked on by: Tim Thompson, Tony Andrews and |
| G.R. (Fred) Walter. Although hardly any of the original code remains. |
| |
| BUGS |
| Probably. See ":help todo" for a list of known problems. |
| |
| Note that a number of things that may be regarded as bugs by some, are |
| in fact caused by a too-faithful reproduction of Vi's behaviour. And |
| if you think other things are bugs "because Vi does it differently", |
| you should take a closer look at the vi_diff.txt file (or type :help |
| vi_diff.txt when in Vim). Also have a look at the 'compatible' and |
| 'cpoptions' options. |
| |
| |
| |
| 2006 Apr 11 VIM(1) |