:h usr_01.txt

usr_01.txt For Vim version 7.4. Last change: 2010 Nov 03LINK

VIM USER MANUAL - by Bram Moolenaar

About the manuals

This chapter introduces the manuals available with Vim. Read this to know the

conditions under which the commands are explained.

01.1 Two manuals

01.2 Vim installed

01.3 Using the Vim tutor

01.4 Copyright

Next chapter: usr_02.txt The first steps in Vim

Table of contents: usr_toc.txt

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01.1 Two manualsLINK

The Vim documentation consists of two parts:

1. The User manual

Task oriented explanations, from simple to complex. Reads from start to

end like a book.

2. The Reference manual

Precise description of how everything in Vim works.

The notation used in these manuals is explained here: notation

JUMPING AROUND

The text contains hyperlinks between the two parts, allowing you to quickly

jump between the description of an editing task and a precise explanation of

the commands and options used for it. Use these two commands:

Press CTRL-] to jump to a subject under the cursor.

Press CTRL-O to jump back (repeat to go further back).

Many links are in vertical bars, like this: bars. The bars themselves may

be hidden or invisible, see below. An option name, like 'number', a command

in double quotes like ":write" and any other word can also be used as a link.

Try it out: Move the cursor to CTRL-] and press CTRL-] on it.

Other subjects can be found with the ":help" command, see help.txt.

The bars and stars are usually hidden with the conceal feature. They also

use hl-Ignore, using the same color for the text as the background. You can

make them visible with:

:set conceallevel=0

:hi link HelpBar Normal

:hi link HelpStar Normal

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01.2 Vim installedLINK

Most of the manuals assume that Vim has been properly installed. If you

didn't do that yet, or if Vim doesn't run properly (e.g., files can't be found

or in the GUI the menus do not show up) first read the chapter on

installation: usr_90.txt.

not-compatibleLINK

The manuals often assume you are using Vim with Vi-compatibility switched

off. For most commands this doesn't matter, but sometimes it is important,

e.g., for multi-level undo. An easy way to make sure you are using a nice

setup is to copy the example vimrc file. By doing this inside Vim you don't

have to check out where it is located. How to do this depends on the system

you are using:

Unix:

:!cp -i $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim ~/.vimrc

MS-DOS, MS-Windows, OS/2:

:!copy $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim $VIM/_vimrc

Amiga:

:!copy $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim $VIM/.vimrc

If the file already exists you probably want to keep it.

If you start Vim now, the 'compatible' option should be off. You can check it

with this command:

:set compatible?

If it responds with "nocompatible" you are doing well. If the response is

"compatible" you are in trouble. You will have to find out why the option is

still set. Perhaps the file you wrote above is not found. Use this command

to find out:

:scriptnames

If your file is not in the list, check its location and name. If it is in the

list, there must be some other place where the 'compatible' option is switched

back on.

For more info see vimrc and compatible-default.

Note:

This manual is about using Vim in the normal way. There is an

alternative called "evim" (easy Vim). This is still Vim, but used in

a way that resembles a click-and-type editor like Notepad. It always

stays in Insert mode, thus it feels very different. It is not

explained in the user manual, since it should be mostly self

explanatory. See evim-keys for details.

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01.3 Using the Vim tutor tutor vimtutorLINK

Instead of reading the text (boring!) you can use the vimtutor to learn your

first Vim commands. This is a 30 minute tutorial that teaches the most basic

Vim functionality hands-on.

On Unix, if Vim has been properly installed, you can start it from the shell:

vimtutor

On MS-Windows you can find it in the Program/Vim menu. Or execute

vimtutor.bat in the $VIMRUNTIME directory.

This will make a copy of the tutor file, so that you can edit it without

the risk of damaging the original.

There are a few translated versions of the tutor. To find out if yours is

available, use the two-letter language code. For French:

vimtutor fr

On Unix, if you prefer using the GUI version of Vim, use "gvimtutor" or

"vimtutor -g" instead of "vimtutor".

For OpenVMS, if Vim has been properly installed, you can start vimtutor from a

VMS prompt with:

@VIM:vimtutor

Optionally add the two-letter language code as above.

On other systems, you have to do a little work:

1. Copy the tutor file. You can do this with Vim (it knows where to find it):

vim -u NONE -c 'e $VIMRUNTIME/tutor/tutor' -c 'w! TUTORCOPY' -c 'q'

This will write the file "TUTORCOPY" in the current directory. To use a

translated version of the tutor, append the two-letter language code to the

filename. For French:

vim -u NONE -c 'e $VIMRUNTIME/tutor/tutor.fr' -c 'w! TUTORCOPY' -c 'q'

2. Edit the copied file with Vim:

vim -u NONE -c "set nocp" TUTORCOPY

The extra arguments make sure Vim is started in a good mood.

3. Delete the copied file when you are finished with it:

del TUTORCOPY

==============================================================================

01.4 Copyright manual-copyrightLINK

Moolenaar. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and

conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, v1.0 or later. The

latest version is presently available at:

http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/

People who contribute to the manuals must agree with the above copyright

notice.

frombookLINK

Parts of the user manual come from the book "Vi IMproved - Vim" by Steve

Oualline (published by New Riders Publishing, ISBN: 0735710015). The Open

Publication License applies to this book. Only selected parts are included

and these have been modified (e.g., by removing the pictures, updating the

text for Vim 6.0 and later, fixing mistakes). The omission of the frombook

tag does not mean that the text does not come from the book.

Many thanks to Steve Oualline and New Riders for creating this book and

publishing it under the OPL! It has been a great help while writing the user

manual. Not only by providing literal text, but also by setting the tone and

style.

If you make money through selling the manuals, you are strongly encouraged to

donate part of the profit to help AIDS victims in Uganda. See iccf.

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Next chapter: usr_02.txt The first steps in Vim