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Bram Moolenaarb1c91982018-05-17 17:04:55 +02001*starting.txt* For Vim version 8.1. Last change: 2018 May 05
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7Starting Vim *starting*
8
91. Vim arguments |vim-arguments|
102. Vim on the Amiga |starting-amiga|
113. Running eVim |evim-keys|
124. Initialization |initialization|
135. $VIM and $VIMRUNTIME |$VIM|
146. Suspending |suspend|
Bram Moolenaare0fa3742016-02-20 15:47:01 +0100157. Exiting |exiting|
168. Saving settings |save-settings|
179. Views and Sessions |views-sessions|
1810. The viminfo file |viminfo-file|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000019
20==============================================================================
211. Vim arguments *vim-arguments*
22
23Most often, Vim is started to edit a single file with the command
24
25 vim filename *-vim*
26
27More generally, Vim is started with:
28
29 vim [option | filename] ..
30
31Option arguments and file name arguments can be mixed, and any number of them
32can be given. However, watch out for options that take an argument.
33
34For compatibility with various Vi versions, see |cmdline-arguments|.
35
36Exactly one out of the following five items may be used to choose how to
37start editing:
38
39 *-file* *---*
40filename One or more file names. The first one will be the current
41 file and read into the buffer. The cursor will be positioned
42 on the first line of the buffer.
43 To avoid a file name starting with a '-' being interpreted as
44 an option, precede the arglist with "--", e.g.: >
45 vim -- -filename
46< All arguments after the "--" will be interpreted as file names,
47 no other options or "+command" argument can follow.
Bram Moolenaar5f148ec2016-03-07 22:59:26 +010048 For behavior of quotes on MS-Windows, see |win32-quotes|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000049
50 *--*
51- This argument can mean two things, depending on whether Ex
52 mode is to be used.
53
54 Starting in Normal mode: >
55 vim -
56 ex -v -
57< Start editing a new buffer, which is filled with text
58 that is read from stdin. The commands that would normally be
59 read from stdin will now be read from stderr. Example: >
60 find . -name "*.c" -print | vim -
Bram Moolenaara2a80162017-11-21 23:09:50 +010061< The buffer will not be marked as modified, so that it's easy
62 to exit. Be careful to mark it as modified if you don't want
63 to accidentally lose it. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000064 ls | view -
65<
66 Starting in Ex mode: >
67 ex -
68 vim -e -
69 exim -
70 vim -E
71< Start editing in silent mode. See |-s-ex|.
72
73 *-t* *-tag*
74-t {tag} A tag. "tag" is looked up in the tags file, the associated
75 file becomes the current file, and the associated command is
76 executed. Mostly this is used for C programs, in which case
77 "tag" often is a function name. The effect is that the file
78 containing that function becomes the current file and the
79 cursor is positioned on the start of the function (see
80 |tags|).
81
82 *-q* *-qf*
83-q [errorfile] QuickFix mode. The file with the name [errorfile] is read
84 and the first error is displayed. See |quickfix|.
85 If [errorfile] is not given, the 'errorfile' option is used
86 for the file name. See 'errorfile' for the default value.
87 {not in Vi}
88
89(nothing) Without one of the four items above, Vim will start editing a
90 new buffer. It's empty and doesn't have a file name.
91
92
93The startup mode can be changed by using another name instead of "vim", which
94is equal to giving options:
95ex vim -e Start in Ex mode (see |Ex-mode|). *ex*
96exim vim -E Start in improved Ex mode (see |Ex-mode|). *exim*
97 (normally not installed)
98view vim -R Start in read-only mode (see |-R|). *view*
99gvim vim -g Start the GUI (see |gui|). *gvim*
Bram Moolenaar24ea3ba2010-09-19 19:01:21 +0200100gex vim -eg Start the GUI in Ex mode. *gex*
101gview vim -Rg Start the GUI in read-only mode. *gview*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000102rvim vim -Z Like "vim", but in restricted mode (see |-Z|) *rvim*
Bram Moolenaar24ea3ba2010-09-19 19:01:21 +0200103rview vim -RZ Like "view", but in restricted mode. *rview*
104rgvim vim -gZ Like "gvim", but in restricted mode. *rgvim*
105rgview vim -RgZ Like "gview", but in restricted mode. *rgview*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000106evim vim -y Easy Vim: set 'insertmode' (see |-y|) *evim*
Bram Moolenaar24ea3ba2010-09-19 19:01:21 +0200107eview vim -yR Like "evim" in read-only mode *eview*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000108vimdiff vim -d Start in diff mode |diff-mode|
109gvimdiff vim -gd Start in diff mode |diff-mode|
110
111Additional characters may follow, they are ignored. For example, you can have
112"gvim-5" to start the GUI. You must have an executable by that name then, of
113course.
114
115On Unix, you would normally have one executable called Vim, and links from the
116different startup-names to that executable. If your system does not support
117links and you do not want to have several copies of the executable, you could
118use an alias instead. For example: >
119 alias view vim -R
120 alias gvim vim -g
121<
122 *startup-options*
123The option arguments may be given in any order. Single-letter options can be
124combined after one dash. There can be no option arguments after the "--"
125argument.
126
127On VMS all option arguments are assumed to be lowercase, unless preceded with
128a slash. Thus "-R" means recovery and "-/R" readonly.
129
Bram Moolenaar85eee132018-05-06 17:57:30 +0200130--help *-h* *--help* *-?*
131-?
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000132-h Give usage (help) message and exit. {not in Vi}
133 See |info-message| about capturing the text.
134
135 *--version*
136--version Print version information and exit. Same output as for
137 |:version| command. {not in Vi}
138 See |info-message| about capturing the text.
139
140 *--noplugin*
141--noplugin Skip loading plugins. Resets the 'loadplugins' option.
142 {not in Vi}
143 Note that the |-u| argument may also disable loading plugins:
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200144 argument load: vimrc files plugins defaults.vim ~
145 (nothing) yes yes yes
146 -u NONE no no no
147 -u DEFAULTS no no yes
148 -u NORC no yes no
149 --noplugin yes no yes
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000150
Bram Moolenaaref94eec2009-11-11 13:22:11 +0000151--startuptime {fname} *--startuptime*
Bram Moolenaar3f269672009-11-03 11:11:11 +0000152 During startup write timing messages to the file {fname}.
153 This can be used to find out where time is spent while loading
Bram Moolenaaref94eec2009-11-11 13:22:11 +0000154 your .vimrc, plugins and opening the first file.
Bram Moolenaar3f269672009-11-03 11:11:11 +0000155 When {fname} already exists new messages are appended.
Bram Moolenaaref94eec2009-11-11 13:22:11 +0000156 (Only available when compiled with the |+startuptime|
157 feature).
Bram Moolenaar3f269672009-11-03 11:11:11 +0000158
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000159 *--literal*
160--literal Take file names literally, don't expand wildcards. Not needed
161 for Unix, because Vim always takes file names literally (the
162 shell expands wildcards).
163 Applies to all the names, also the ones that come before this
164 argument.
165
166 *-+*
167+[num] The cursor will be positioned on line "num" for the first
168 file being edited. If "num" is missing, the cursor will be
169 positioned on the last line.
170
171 *-+/*
172+/{pat} The cursor will be positioned on the first line containing
173 "pat" in the first file being edited (see |pattern| for the
Bram Moolenaar946e27a2014-06-25 18:50:27 +0200174 available search patterns). The search starts at the cursor
175 position, which can be the first line or the cursor position
176 last used from |viminfo|. To force a search from the first
177 line use "+1 +/pat".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000178
179+{command} *-+c* *-c*
180-c {command} {command} will be executed after the first file has been
181 read (and after autocommands and modelines for that file have
182 been processed). "command" is interpreted as an Ex command.
183 If the "command" contains spaces, it must be enclosed in
184 double quotes (this depends on the shell that is used).
185 Example: >
186 vim "+set si" main.c
187 vim "+find stdio.h"
188 vim -c "set ff=dos" -c wq mine.mak
189<
190 Note: You can use up to 10 "+" or "-c" arguments in a Vim
191 command. They are executed in the order given. A "-S"
192 argument counts as a "-c" argument as well.
193 {Vi only allows one command}
194
195--cmd {command} *--cmd*
196 {command} will be executed before processing any vimrc file.
197 Otherwise it acts like -c {command}. You can use up to 10 of
198 these commands, independently from "-c" commands.
199 {not in Vi}
200
201 *-S*
202-S {file} The {file} will be sourced after the first file has been read.
203 This is an easy way to do the equivalent of: >
204 -c "source {file}"
205< It can be mixed with "-c" arguments and repeated like "-c".
206 The limit of 10 "-c" arguments applies here as well.
207 {file} cannot start with a "-".
208 {not in Vi}
209
210-S Works like "-S Session.vim". Only when used as the last
211 argument or when another "-" option follows.
212
213 *-r*
214-r Recovery mode. Without a file name argument, a list of
215 existing swap files is given. With a file name, a swap file
216 is read to recover a crashed editing session. See
217 |crash-recovery|.
218
219 *-L*
220-L Same as -r. {only in some versions of Vi: "List recoverable
221 edit sessions"}
222
223 *-R*
224-R Readonly mode. The 'readonly' option will be set for all the
225 files being edited. You can still edit the buffer, but will
226 be prevented from accidentally overwriting a file. If you
227 forgot that you are in View mode and did make some changes,
228 you can overwrite a file by adding an exclamation mark to
229 the Ex command, as in ":w!". The 'readonly' option can be
230 reset with ":set noro" (see the options chapter, |options|).
231 Subsequent edits will not be done in readonly mode. Calling
232 the executable "view" has the same effect as the -R argument.
233 The 'updatecount' option will be set to 10000, meaning that
234 the swap file will not be updated automatically very often.
Bram Moolenaar369b6f52017-01-17 12:22:32 +0100235 See |-M| for disallowing modifications.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000236
237 *-m*
238-m Modifications not allowed to be written. The 'write' option
239 will be reset, so that writing files is disabled. However,
240 the 'write' option can be set to enable writing again.
241 {not in Vi}
242
243 *-M*
244-M Modifications not allowed. The 'modifiable' option will be
245 reset, so that changes are not allowed. The 'write' option
246 will be reset, so that writing files is disabled. However,
247 the 'modifiable' and 'write' options can be set to enable
248 changes and writing.
249 {not in Vi}
250
Bram Moolenaar8c62a082019-02-08 14:34:10 +0100251 *-Z* *restricted-mode* *E145* *E981*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000252-Z Restricted mode. All commands that make use of an external
253 shell are disabled. This includes suspending with CTRL-Z,
Bram Moolenaar8c62a082019-02-08 14:34:10 +0100254 ":sh", filtering, the system() function, backtick expansion
255 and libcall().
256 Also disallowed are delete(), rename(), mkdir(), job_start(),
257 etc.
258 Interfaces, such as Python, Ruby and Lua, are also disabled,
259 since they could be used to execute shell commands. Perl uses
260 the Safe module.
261 Note that the user may still find a loophole to execute a
262 shell command, it has only been made difficult.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000263 {not in Vi}
264
265 *-g*
Bram Moolenaar61d35bd2012-03-28 20:51:51 +0200266-g Start Vim in GUI mode. See |gui|. For the opposite see |-v|.
267 {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000268
269 *-v*
270-v Start Ex in Vi mode. Only makes a difference when the
271 executable is called "ex" or "gvim". For gvim the GUI is not
272 started if possible.
273
274 *-e*
275-e Start Vim in Ex mode |Q|. Only makes a difference when the
276 executable is not called "ex".
277
278 *-E*
279-E Start Vim in improved Ex mode |gQ|. Only makes a difference
280 when the executable is not called "exim".
281 {not in Vi}
282
283 *-s-ex*
284-s Silent or batch mode. Only when Vim was started as "ex" or
285 when preceded with the "-e" argument. Otherwise see |-s|,
286 which does take an argument while this use of "-s" doesn't.
287 To be used when Vim is used to execute Ex commands from a file
288 instead of a terminal. Switches off most prompts and
289 informative messages. Also warnings and error messages.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000290 The output of these commands is displayed (to stdout):
291 :print
292 :list
293 :number
294 :set to display option values.
295 When 'verbose' is non-zero messages are printed (for
296 debugging, to stderr).
297 'term' and $TERM are not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000298 If Vim appears to be stuck try typing "qa!<Enter>". You don't
299 get a prompt thus you can't see Vim is waiting for you to type
300 something.
301 Initializations are skipped (except the ones given with the
302 "-u" argument).
303 Example: >
304 vim -e -s < thefilter thefile
305<
306 *-b*
307-b Binary mode. File I/O will only recognize <NL> to separate
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000308 lines. The 'expandtab' option will be reset. The 'textwidth'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000309 option is set to 0. 'modeline' is reset. The 'binary' option
310 is set. This is done after reading the vimrc/exrc files but
311 before reading any file in the arglist. See also
312 |edit-binary|. {not in Vi}
313
314 *-l*
315-l Lisp mode. Sets the 'lisp' and 'showmatch' options on.
316
317 *-A*
318-A Arabic mode. Sets the 'arabic' option on. (Only when
319 compiled with the |+arabic| features (which include
320 |+rightleft|), otherwise Vim gives an error message
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000321 and exits.) {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000322
323 *-F*
324-F Farsi mode. Sets the 'fkmap' and 'rightleft' options on.
325 (Only when compiled with |+rightleft| and |+farsi| features,
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000326 otherwise Vim gives an error message and exits.) {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000327
328 *-H*
329-H Hebrew mode. Sets the 'hkmap' and 'rightleft' options on.
330 (Only when compiled with the |+rightleft| feature, otherwise
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000331 Vim gives an error message and exits.) {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000332
333 *-V* *verbose*
334-V[N] Verbose. Sets the 'verbose' option to [N] (default: 10).
335 Messages will be given for each file that is ":source"d and
336 for reading or writing a viminfo file. Can be used to find
337 out what is happening upon startup and exit. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaarc81e5e72007-05-05 18:24:42 +0000338 Example: >
339 vim -V8 foobar
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000340
Bram Moolenaar54ee7752005-05-31 22:22:17 +0000341-V[N]{filename}
342 Like -V and set 'verbosefile' to {filename}. The result is
343 that messages are not displayed but written to the file
344 {filename}. {filename} must not start with a digit.
Bram Moolenaarc81e5e72007-05-05 18:24:42 +0000345 Example: >
346 vim -V20vimlog foobar
347<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000348 *-D*
349-D Debugging. Go to debugging mode when executing the first
350 command from a script. |debug-mode|
351 {not available when compiled without the |+eval| feature}
352 {not in Vi}
353
354 *-C*
355-C Compatible mode. Sets the 'compatible' option. You can use
356 this to get 'compatible', even though a .vimrc file exists.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100357 Keep in mind that the command ":set nocompatible" in some
358 plugin or startup script overrules this, so you may end up
Bram Moolenaar6dfc28b2010-02-11 14:19:15 +0100359 with 'nocompatible' anyway. To find out, use: >
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100360 :verbose set compatible?
361< Several plugins won't work with 'compatible' set. You may
362 want to set it after startup this way: >
363 vim "+set cp" filename
364< Also see |compatible-default|. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000365
366 *-N*
367-N Not compatible mode. Resets the 'compatible' option. You can
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100368 use this to get 'nocompatible', when there is no .vimrc file
369 or when using "-u NONE".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000370 Also see |compatible-default|. {not in Vi}
371
372 *-y* *easy*
373-y Easy mode. Implied for |evim| and |eview|. Starts with
374 'insertmode' set and behaves like a click-and-type editor.
375 This sources the script $VIMRUNTIME/evim.vim. Mappings are
376 set up to work like most click-and-type editors, see
377 |evim-keys|. The GUI is started when available.
378 {not in Vi}
379
380 *-n*
381-n No swap file will be used. Recovery after a crash will be
382 impossible. Handy if you want to view or edit a file on a
383 very slow medium (e.g., a floppy).
384 Can also be done with ":set updatecount=0". You can switch it
385 on again by setting the 'updatecount' option to some value,
386 e.g., ":set uc=100".
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100387 NOTE: Don't combine -n with -b, making -nb, because that has a
388 different meaning: |-nb|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000389 'updatecount' is set to 0 AFTER executing commands from a
390 vimrc file, but before the GUI initializations. Thus it
391 overrides a setting for 'updatecount' in a vimrc file, but not
392 in a gvimrc file. See |startup|.
393 When you want to reduce accesses to the disk (e.g., for a
394 laptop), don't use "-n", but set 'updatetime' and
395 'updatecount' to very big numbers, and type ":preserve" when
396 you want to save your work. This way you keep the possibility
397 for crash recovery.
398 {not in Vi}
399
400 *-o*
401-o[N] Open N windows, split horizontally. If [N] is not given,
402 one window is opened for every file given as argument. If
403 there is not enough room, only the first few files get a
404 window. If there are more windows than arguments, the last
405 few windows will be editing an empty file.
406 {not in Vi}
407
408 *-O*
409-O[N] Open N windows, split vertically. Otherwise it's like -o.
410 If both the -o and the -O option are given, the last one on
411 the command line determines how the windows will be split.
412 {not in Vi}
413
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +0000414 *-p*
415-p[N] Open N tab pages. If [N] is not given, one tab page is opened
Bram Moolenaarfd2ac762006-03-01 22:09:21 +0000416 for every file given as argument. The maximum is set with
417 'tabpagemax' pages (default 10). If there are more tab pages
418 than arguments, the last few tab pages will be editing an
Bram Moolenaarfa1d1402006-03-25 21:59:56 +0000419 empty file. Also see |tabpage|.
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +0000420 {not in Vi}
421
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000422 *-T*
423-T {terminal} Set the terminal type to "terminal". This influences the
424 codes that Vim will send to your terminal. This is normally
425 not needed, because Vim will be able to find out what type
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000426 of terminal you are using. (See |terminal-info|.) {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000427
Bram Moolenaardae8d212016-02-27 22:40:16 +0100428 *--not-a-term*
Bram Moolenaar49c39ff2016-02-25 21:21:52 +0100429--not-a-term Tells Vim that the user knows that the input and/or output is
430 not connected to a terminal. This will avoid the warning and
Bram Moolenaara2a80162017-11-21 23:09:50 +0100431 the two second delay that would happen.
432 Also avoids the "Reading from stdin..." message.
433 {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar49c39ff2016-02-25 21:21:52 +0100434
Bram Moolenaar2cab0e12016-11-24 15:09:07 +0100435 *--ttyfail*
436--ttyfail When the stdin or stdout is not a terminal (tty) then exit
437 right away.
438
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000439 *-d*
440-d Start in diff mode, like |vimdiff|.
441 {not in Vi} {not available when compiled without the |+diff|
442 feature}
443
444-d {device} Only on the Amiga and when not compiled with the |+diff|
445 feature. Works like "-dev".
446 *-dev*
447-dev {device} Only on the Amiga: The {device} is opened to be used for
448 editing.
449 Normally you would use this to set the window position and
450 size: "-d con:x/y/width/height", e.g.,
451 "-d con:30/10/600/150". But you can also use it to start
452 editing on another device, e.g., AUX:. {not in Vi}
453 *-f*
Bram Moolenaar5302d9e2011-09-14 17:55:08 +0200454-f GUI: Do not disconnect from the program that started Vim.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000455 'f' stands for "foreground". If omitted, the GUI forks a new
456 process and exits the current one. "-f" should be used when
457 gvim is started by a program that will wait for the edit
458 session to finish (e.g., mail or readnews). If you want gvim
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000459 never to fork, include 'f' in 'guioptions' in your |gvimrc|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000460 Careful: You can use "-gf" to start the GUI in the foreground,
461 but "-fg" is used to specify the foreground color. |gui-fork|
Bram Moolenaar5302d9e2011-09-14 17:55:08 +0200462
463 Amiga: Do not restart Vim to open a new window. This
464 option should be used when Vim is started by a program that
465 will wait for the edit session to finish (e.g., mail or
466 readnews). See |amiga-window|.
Bram Moolenaare6ae6222013-05-21 21:01:10 +0200467
Bram Moolenaar543b7ef2013-06-01 14:50:56 +0200468 MS-Windows: This option is not supported. However, when
469 running Vim with an installed vim.bat or gvim.bat file it
470 works.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000471 {not in Vi}
472
Bram Moolenaar5302d9e2011-09-14 17:55:08 +0200473
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000474 *--nofork*
475--nofork GUI: Do not fork. Same as |-f|.
476 *-u* *E282*
477-u {vimrc} The file {vimrc} is read for initializations. Most other
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200478 initializations are skipped; see |initialization|.
479
480 This can be used to start Vim in a special mode, with special
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000481 mappings and settings. A shell alias can be used to make
482 this easy to use. For example: >
483 alias vimc vim -u ~/.c_vimrc !*
484< Also consider using autocommands; see |autocommand|.
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200485
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000486 When {vimrc} is equal to "NONE" (all uppercase), all
487 initializations from files and environment variables are
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000488 skipped, including reading the |gvimrc| file when the GUI
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000489 starts. Loading plugins is also skipped.
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200490
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000491 When {vimrc} is equal to "NORC" (all uppercase), this has the
492 same effect as "NONE", but loading plugins is not skipped.
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200493
494 When {vimrc} is equal to "DEFAULTS" (all uppercase), this has
495 the same effect as "NONE", but the |defaults.vim| script is
Bram Moolenaard473c8c2018-08-11 18:00:22 +0200496 loaded, which will also set 'nocompatible'. Also see
497 |--clean|.
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200498
499 Using the "-u" argument with another argument than DEFAULTS
500 has the side effect that the 'compatible' option will be on by
501 default. This can have unexpected effects. See
502 |'compatible'|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000503 {not in Vi}
504
505 *-U* *E230*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000506-U {gvimrc} The file {gvimrc} is read for initializations when the GUI
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000507 starts. Other GUI initializations are skipped. When {gvimrc}
Bram Moolenaar8fc061c2004-12-29 21:03:02 +0000508 is equal to "NONE", no file is read for GUI initializations at
509 all. |gui-init|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000510 Exception: Reading the system-wide menu file is always done.
511 {not in Vi}
512
513 *-i*
514-i {viminfo} The file "viminfo" is used instead of the default viminfo
515 file. If the name "NONE" is used (all uppercase), no viminfo
516 file is read or written, even if 'viminfo' is set or when
517 ":rv" or ":wv" are used. See also |viminfo-file|.
518 {not in Vi}
519
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200520 *--clean*
Bram Moolenaara9604e62018-07-21 05:56:22 +0200521--clean Similar to "-u DEFAULTS -U NONE -i NONE":
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200522 - initializations from files and environment variables is
523 skipped
Bram Moolenaarf0d58ef2018-11-16 16:13:44 +0100524 - 'runtimepath' and 'packpath' are set to exclude home
Bram Moolenaara9604e62018-07-21 05:56:22 +0200525 directory entries (does not happen with -u DEFAULTS).
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200526 - the |defaults.vim| script is loaded, which implies
527 'nocompatible': use Vim defaults
Bram Moolenaar62dd4522018-03-14 21:20:02 +0100528 - no |gvimrc| script is loaded
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200529 - no viminfo file is read or written
Bram Moolenaard473c8c2018-08-11 18:00:22 +0200530
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000531 *-x*
532-x Use encryption to read/write files. Will prompt for a key,
533 which is then stored in the 'key' option. All writes will
534 then use this key to encrypt the text. The '-x' argument is
535 not needed when reading a file, because there is a check if
536 the file that is being read has been encrypted, and Vim asks
537 for a key automatically. |encryption|
538
539 *-X*
540-X Do not try connecting to the X server to get the current
541 window title and copy/paste using the X clipboard. This
542 avoids a long startup time when running Vim in a terminal
543 emulator and the connection to the X server is slow.
Bram Moolenaar3f269672009-11-03 11:11:11 +0000544 See |--startuptime| to find out if affects you.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000545 Only makes a difference on Unix or VMS, when compiled with the
546 |+X11| feature. Otherwise it's ignored.
547 To disable the connection only for specific terminals, see the
548 'clipboard' option.
549 When the X11 Session Management Protocol (XSMP) handler has
550 been built in, the -X option also disables that connection as
551 it, too, may have undesirable delays.
552 When the connection is desired later anyway (e.g., for
553 client-server messages), call the |serverlist()| function.
554 This does not enable the XSMP handler though.
555 {not in Vi}
556
557 *-s*
558-s {scriptin} The script file "scriptin" is read. The characters in the
559 file are interpreted as if you had typed them. The same can
560 be done with the command ":source! {scriptin}". If the end
561 of the file is reached before the editor exits, further
562 characters are read from the keyboard. Only works when not
563 started in Ex mode, see |-s-ex|. See also |complex-repeat|.
564 {not in Vi}
565
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +0000566 *-w_nr*
567-w {number}
568-w{number} Set the 'window' option to {number}.
569
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000570 *-w*
571-w {scriptout} All the characters that you type are recorded in the file
572 "scriptout", until you exit Vim. This is useful if you want
573 to create a script file to be used with "vim -s" or
574 ":source!". When the "scriptout" file already exists, new
575 characters are appended. See also |complex-repeat|.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +0000576 {scriptout} cannot start with a digit.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000577 {not in Vi}
578
579 *-W*
580-W {scriptout} Like -w, but do not append, overwrite an existing file.
581 {not in Vi}
582
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000583--remote [+{cmd}] {file} ...
584 Open the {file} in another Vim that functions as a server.
585 Any non-file arguments must come before this.
586 See |--remote|. {not in Vi}
587
588--remote-silent [+{cmd}] {file} ...
589 Like --remote, but don't complain if there is no server.
590 See |--remote-silent|. {not in Vi}
591
592--remote-wait [+{cmd}] {file} ...
593 Like --remote, but wait for the server to finish editing the
594 file(s).
595 See |--remote-wait|. {not in Vi}
596
597--remote-wait-silent [+{cmd}] {file} ...
598 Like --remote-wait, but don't complain if there is no server.
599 See |--remote-wait-silent|. {not in Vi}
600
601--servername {name}
602 Specify the name of the Vim server to send to or to become.
603 See |--servername|. {not in Vi}
604
605--remote-send {keys}
606 Send {keys} to a Vim server and exit.
607 See |--remote-send|. {not in Vi}
608
609--remote-expr {expr}
610 Evaluate {expr} in another Vim that functions as a server.
611 The result is printed on stdout.
612 See |--remote-expr|. {not in Vi}
613
614--serverlist Output a list of Vim server names and exit. See
Bram Moolenaarc81e5e72007-05-05 18:24:42 +0000615 |--serverlist|. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000616
617--socketid {id} *--socketid*
618 GTK+ GUI Vim only. Make gvim try to use GtkPlug mechanism, so
619 that it runs inside another window. See |gui-gtk-socketid|
620 for details. {not in Vi}
621
Bram Moolenaar78e17622007-08-30 10:26:19 +0000622--windowid {id} *--windowid*
623 Win32 GUI Vim only. Make gvim try to use the window {id} as a
624 parent, so that it runs inside that window. See
625 |gui-w32-windowid| for details. {not in Vi}
626
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000627--echo-wid *--echo-wid*
628 GTK+ GUI Vim only. Make gvim echo the Window ID on stdout,
629 which can be used to run gvim in a kpart widget. The format
630 of the output is: >
631 WID: 12345\n
632< {not in Vi}
633
634--role {role} *--role*
635 GTK+ 2 GUI only. Set the role of the main window to {role}.
636 The window role can be used by a window manager to uniquely
637 identify a window, in order to restore window placement and
638 such. The --role argument is passed automatically when
639 restoring the session on login. See |gui-gnome-session|
640 {not in Vi}
641
642-P {parent-title} *-P* *MDI* *E671* *E672*
643 Win32 only: Specify the title of the parent application. When
644 possible, Vim will run in an MDI window inside the
645 application.
646 {parent-title} must appear in the window title of the parent
647 application. Make sure that it is specific enough.
648 Note that the implementation is still primitive. It won't
649 work with all applications and the menu doesn't work.
650
651-nb *-nb*
652-nb={fname}
653-nb:{hostname}:{addr}:{password}
654 Attempt connecting to Netbeans and become an editor server for
655 it. The second form specifies a file to read connection info
656 from. The third form specifies the hostname, address and
657 password for connecting to Netbeans. |netbeans-run|
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100658 {only available when compiled with the |+netbeans_intg|
659 feature; if not then -nb will make Vim exit}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000660
661If the executable is called "view", Vim will start in Readonly mode. This is
662useful if you can make a hard or symbolic link from "view" to "vim".
663Starting in Readonly mode can also be done with "vim -R".
664
665If the executable is called "ex", Vim will start in "Ex" mode. This means it
666will accept only ":" commands. But when the "-v" argument is given, Vim will
667start in Normal mode anyway.
668
669Additional arguments are available on unix like systems when compiled with
670X11 GUI support. See |gui-resources|.
671
672==============================================================================
6732. Vim on the Amiga *starting-amiga*
674
675Starting Vim from the Workbench *workbench*
676-------------------------------
677
678Vim can be started from the Workbench by clicking on its icon twice. It will
679then start with an empty buffer.
680
681Vim can be started to edit one or more files by using a "Project" icon. The
682"Default Tool" of the icon must be the full pathname of the Vim executable.
683The name of the ".info" file must be the same as the name of the text file.
684By clicking on this icon twice, Vim will be started with the file name as
685current file name, which will be read into the buffer (if it exists). You can
686edit multiple files by pressing the shift key while clicking on icons, and
687clicking twice on the last one. The "Default Tool" for all these icons must
688be the same.
689
690It is not possible to give arguments to Vim, other than file names, from the
691workbench.
692
693Vim window *amiga-window*
694----------
695
696Vim will run in the CLI window where it was started. If Vim was started with
697the "run" or "runback" command, or if Vim was started from the workbench, it
698will open a window of its own.
699
700Technical detail:
701 To open the new window a little trick is used. As soon as Vim
702 recognizes that it does not run in a normal CLI window, it will
703 create a script file in "t:". This script file contains the same
704 command as the one Vim was started with, and an "endcli" command.
705 This script file is then executed with a "newcli" command (the "c:run"
706 and "c:newcli" commands are required for this to work). The script
707 file will hang around until reboot, or until you delete it. This
708 method is required to get the ":sh" and ":!" commands to work
709 correctly. But when Vim was started with the -f option (foreground
710 mode), this method is not used. The reason for this is that
711 when a program starts Vim with the -f option it will wait for Vim to
712 exit. With the script trick, the calling program does not know when
713 Vim exits. The -f option can be used when Vim is started by a mail
714 program which also waits for the edit session to finish. As a
715 consequence, the ":sh" and ":!" commands are not available when the
716 -f option is used.
717
718Vim will automatically recognize the window size and react to window
719resizing. Under Amiga DOS 1.3, it is advised to use the fastfonts program,
720"FF", to speed up display redrawing.
721
722==============================================================================
7233. Running eVim *evim-keys*
724
725EVim runs Vim as click-and-type editor. This is very unlike the original Vi
726idea. But it helps for people that don't use Vim often enough to learn the
727commands. Hopefully they will find out that learning to use Normal mode
728commands will make their editing much more effective.
729
730In Evim these options are changed from their default value:
731
732 :set nocompatible Use Vim improvements
733 :set insertmode Remain in Insert mode most of the time
734 :set hidden Keep invisible buffers loaded
735 :set backup Keep backup files (not for VMS)
736 :set backspace=2 Backspace over everything
737 :set autoindent auto-indent new lines
738 :set history=50 keep 50 lines of Ex commands
739 :set ruler show the cursor position
740 :set incsearch show matches halfway typing a pattern
741 :set mouse=a use the mouse in all modes
742 :set hlsearch highlight all matches for a search pattern
743 :set whichwrap+=<,>,[,] <Left> and <Right> wrap around line breaks
744 :set guioptions-=a non-Unix only: don't do auto-select
745
746Key mappings:
747 <Down> moves by screen lines rather than file lines
748 <Up> idem
749 Q does "gq", formatting, instead of Ex mode
750 <BS> in Visual mode: deletes the selection
751 CTRL-X in Visual mode: Cut to clipboard
752 <S-Del> idem
753 CTRL-C in Visual mode: Copy to clipboard
754 <C-Insert> idem
755 CTRL-V Pastes from the clipboard (in any mode)
756 <S-Insert> idem
757 CTRL-Q do what CTRL-V used to do
758 CTRL-Z undo
759 CTRL-Y redo
760 <M-Space> system menu
761 CTRL-A select all
762 <C-Tab> next window, CTRL-W w
763 <C-F4> close window, CTRL-W c
764
765Additionally:
766- ":behave mswin" is used |:behave|
767- syntax highlighting is enabled
768- filetype detection is enabled, filetype plugins and indenting is enabled
769- in a text file 'textwidth' is set to 78
770
771One hint: If you want to go to Normal mode to be able to type a sequence of
772commands, use CTRL-L. |i_CTRL-L|
773
774==============================================================================
7754. Initialization *initialization* *startup*
776
777This section is about the non-GUI version of Vim. See |gui-fork| for
778additional initialization when starting the GUI.
779
780At startup, Vim checks environment variables and files and sets values
781accordingly. Vim proceeds in this order:
782
7831. Set the 'shell' and 'term' option *SHELL* *COMSPEC* *TERM*
784 The environment variable SHELL, if it exists, is used to set the
785 'shell' option. On MS-DOS and Win32, the COMSPEC variable is used
786 if SHELL is not set.
787 The environment variable TERM, if it exists, is used to set the 'term'
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000788 option. However, 'term' will change later when starting the GUI (step
789 8 below).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000790
7912. Process the arguments
792 The options and file names from the command that start Vim are
793 inspected. Buffers are created for all files (but not loaded yet).
Bram Moolenaar54ee7752005-05-31 22:22:17 +0000794 The |-V| argument can be used to display or log what happens next,
795 useful for debugging the initializations.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000796
7973. Execute Ex commands, from environment variables and/or files
798 An environment variable is read as one Ex command line, where multiple
799 commands must be separated with '|' or "<NL>".
800 *vimrc* *exrc*
801 A file that contains initialization commands is called a "vimrc" file.
802 Each line in a vimrc file is executed as an Ex command line. It is
803 sometimes also referred to as "exrc" file. They are the same type of
804 file, but "exrc" is what Vi always used, "vimrc" is a Vim specific
805 name. Also see |vimrc-intro|.
806
Bram Moolenaarec7944a2013-06-12 21:29:15 +0200807 Places for your personal initializations:
808 Unix $HOME/.vimrc or $HOME/.vim/vimrc
809 OS/2 $HOME/.vimrc, $HOME/vimfiles/vimrc
810 or $VIM/.vimrc (or _vimrc)
811 MS-Windows $HOME/_vimrc, $HOME/vimfiles/vimrc
812 or $VIM/_vimrc
813 Amiga s:.vimrc, home:.vimrc, home:vimfiles:vimrc
814 or $VIM/.vimrc
815
816 The files are searched in the order specified above and only the first
817 one that is found is read.
818
819 RECOMMENDATION: Put all your Vim configuration stuff in the
820 $HOME/.vim/ directory ($HOME/vimfiles/ for MS-Windows). That makes it
821 easy to copy it to another system.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000822
823 If Vim was started with "-u filename", the file "filename" is used.
Bram Moolenaare2db6952013-07-24 19:53:36 +0200824 All following initializations until 4. are skipped. $MYVIMRC is not
825 set.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000826 "vim -u NORC" can be used to skip these initializations without
827 reading a file. "vim -u NONE" also skips loading plugins. |-u|
828
829 If Vim was started in Ex mode with the "-s" argument, all following
830 initializations until 4. are skipped. Only the "-u" option is
831 interpreted.
832 *evim.vim*
833 a. If vim was started as |evim| or |eview| or with the |-y| argument, the
834 script $VIMRUNTIME/evim.vim will be loaded.
835 *system-vimrc*
836 b. For Unix, MS-DOS, MS-Windows, OS/2, VMS, Macintosh, RISC-OS and Amiga
837 the system vimrc file is read for initializations. The path of this
838 file is shown with the ":version" command. Mostly it's "$VIM/vimrc".
839 Note that this file is ALWAYS read in 'compatible' mode, since the
840 automatic resetting of 'compatible' is only done later. Add a ":set
841 nocp" command if you like.
Bram Moolenaar3991dab2006-03-27 17:01:56 +0000842 For the Macintosh the $VIMRUNTIME/macmap.vim is read.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000843
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100844 *VIMINIT* *.vimrc* *_vimrc* *EXINIT* *.exrc* *_exrc* *$MYVIMRC*
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +0200845 c. Five places are searched for initializations. The first that exists
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000846 is used, the others are ignored. The $MYVIMRC environment variable is
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100847 set to the file that was first found, unless $MYVIMRC was already set
848 and when using VIMINIT.
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +0200849 I The environment variable VIMINIT (see also |compatible-default|) (*)
850 The value of $VIMINIT is used as an Ex command line.
851 II The user vimrc file(s):
Bram Moolenaarec7944a2013-06-12 21:29:15 +0200852 "$HOME/.vimrc" (for Unix and OS/2) (*)
853 "$HOME/.vim/vimrc" (for Unix and OS/2) (*)
854 "s:.vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
855 "home:.vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
856 "home:vimfiles:vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
857 "$VIM/.vimrc" (for OS/2 and Amiga) (*)
858 "$HOME/_vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
859 "$HOME/vimfiles/vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
860 "$VIM/_vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000861 Note: For Unix, OS/2 and Amiga, when ".vimrc" does not exist,
862 "_vimrc" is also tried, in case an MS-DOS compatible file
863 system is used. For MS-DOS and Win32 ".vimrc" is checked
864 after "_vimrc", in case long file names are used.
865 Note: For MS-DOS and Win32, "$HOME" is checked first. If no
866 "_vimrc" or ".vimrc" is found there, "$VIM" is tried.
867 See |$VIM| for when $VIM is not set.
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +0200868 III The environment variable EXINIT.
869 The value of $EXINIT is used as an Ex command line.
870 IV The user exrc file(s). Same as for the user vimrc file, but with
871 "vimrc" replaced by "exrc". But only one of ".exrc" and "_exrc" is
872 used, depending on the system. And without the (*)!
873 V The default vimrc file, $VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim. This sets up
874 options values and has "syntax on" and "filetype on" commands,
875 which is what most new users will want. See |defaults.vim|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000876
Bram Moolenaar36f44c22016-08-28 18:17:20 +0200877 d. If the 'exrc' option is on (which is NOT the default), the current
Bram Moolenaar5c5474b2005-04-19 21:40:26 +0000878 directory is searched for three files. The first that exists is used,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000879 the others are ignored.
880 - The file ".vimrc" (for Unix, Amiga and OS/2) (*)
881 "_vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
882 - The file "_vimrc" (for Unix, Amiga and OS/2) (*)
883 ".vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
884 - The file ".exrc" (for Unix, Amiga and OS/2)
885 "_exrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000886
887 (*) Using this file or environment variable will cause 'compatible' to be
888 off by default. See |compatible-default|.
889
Bram Moolenaarb0d45e72017-11-05 18:19:24 +0100890 Note: When using the |mzscheme| interface, it is initialized after loading
Bram Moolenaar01164a62017-11-02 22:58:42 +0100891 the vimrc file. Changing 'mzschemedll' later has no effect.
892
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008934. Load the plugin scripts. *load-plugins*
894 This does the same as the command: >
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +0000895 :runtime! plugin/**/*.vim
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000896< The result is that all directories in the 'runtimepath' option will be
897 searched for the "plugin" sub-directory and all files ending in ".vim"
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +0000898 will be sourced (in alphabetical order per directory), also in
899 subdirectories.
Bram Moolenaar66459b72016-08-06 19:01:55 +0200900 However, directories in 'runtimepath' ending in "after" are skipped
901 here and only loaded after packages, see below.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000902 Loading plugins won't be done when:
903 - The 'loadplugins' option was reset in a vimrc file.
904 - The |--noplugin| command line argument is used.
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +0200905 - The |--clean| command line argument is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000906 - The "-u NONE" command line argument is used |-u|.
907 - When Vim was compiled without the |+eval| feature.
Bram Moolenaar8ada17c2006-01-19 22:16:24 +0000908 Note that using "-c 'set noloadplugins'" doesn't work, because the
909 commands from the command line have not been executed yet. You can
Bram Moolenaar66459b72016-08-06 19:01:55 +0200910 use "--cmd 'set noloadplugins'" or "--cmd 'set loadplugins'" |--cmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000911
Bram Moolenaar03413f42016-04-12 21:07:15 +0200912 Packages are loaded. These are plugins, as above, but found in the
913 "start" directory of each entry in 'packpath'. Every plugin directory
914 found is added in 'runtimepath' and then the plugins are sourced. See
915 |packages|.
Bram Moolenaarf6fee0e2016-02-21 23:02:49 +0100916
Bram Moolenaar66459b72016-08-06 19:01:55 +0200917 The plugins scripts are loaded, as above, but now only the directories
918 ending in "after" are used. Note that 'runtimepath' will have changed
919 if packages have been found, but that should not add a directory
920 ending in "after".
921
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00009225. Set 'shellpipe' and 'shellredir'
923 The 'shellpipe' and 'shellredir' options are set according to the
924 value of the 'shell' option, unless they have been set before.
925 This means that Vim will figure out the values of 'shellpipe' and
926 'shellredir' for you, unless you have set them yourself.
927
9286. Set 'updatecount' to zero, if "-n" command argument used
929
9307. Set binary options
931 If the "-b" flag was given to Vim, the options for binary editing will
932 be set now. See |-b|.
933
9348. Perform GUI initializations
935 Only when starting "gvim", the GUI initializations will be done. See
936 |gui-init|.
937
9389. Read the viminfo file
939 If the 'viminfo' option is not empty, the viminfo file is read. See
940 |viminfo-file|.
941
94210. Read the quickfix file
943 If the "-q" flag was given to Vim, the quickfix file is read. If this
944 fails, Vim exits.
945
94611. Open all windows
947 When the |-o| flag was given, windows will be opened (but not
948 displayed yet).
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +0000949 When the |-p| flag was given, tab pages will be created (but not
950 displayed yet).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000951 When switching screens, it happens now. Redrawing starts.
952 If the "-q" flag was given to Vim, the first error is jumped to.
953 Buffers for all windows will be loaded.
954
95512. Execute startup commands
956 If a "-t" flag was given to Vim, the tag is jumped to.
957 The commands given with the |-c| and |+cmd| arguments are executed.
958 If the 'insertmode' option is set, Insert mode is entered.
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100959 The starting flag is reset, has("vim_starting") will now return zero.
960 The |v:vim_did_enter| variable is set to 1.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000961 The |VimEnter| autocommands are executed.
962
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +0200963The $MYVIMRC or $MYGVIMRC file will be set to the first found vimrc and/or
964gvimrc file.
965
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +0200966
967Some hints on using initializations ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000968
969Standard setup:
970Create a vimrc file to set the default settings and mappings for all your edit
971sessions. Put it in a place so that it will be found by 3b:
972 ~/.vimrc (Unix and OS/2)
973 s:.vimrc (Amiga)
974 $VIM\_vimrc (MS-DOS and Win32)
975Note that creating a vimrc file will cause the 'compatible' option to be off
976by default. See |compatible-default|.
977
978Local setup:
979Put all commands that you need for editing a specific directory only into a
980vimrc file and place it in that directory under the name ".vimrc" ("_vimrc"
981for MS-DOS and Win32). NOTE: To make Vim look for these special files you
982have to turn on the option 'exrc'. See |trojan-horse| too.
983
984System setup:
985This only applies if you are managing a Unix system with several users and
986want to set the defaults for all users. Create a vimrc file with commands
987for default settings and mappings and put it in the place that is given with
988the ":version" command.
989
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +0200990
991Saving the current state of Vim to a file ~
992
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000993Whenever you have changed values of options or when you have created a
994mapping, then you may want to save them in a vimrc file for later use. See
995|save-settings| about saving the current state of settings to a file.
996
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +0200997
998Avoiding setup problems for Vi users ~
999
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001000Vi uses the variable EXINIT and the file "~/.exrc". So if you do not want to
1001interfere with Vi, then use the variable VIMINIT and the file "vimrc" instead.
1002
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +02001003
1004Amiga environment variables ~
1005
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001006On the Amiga, two types of environment variables exist. The ones set with the
1007DOS 1.3 (or later) setenv command are recognized. See the AmigaDos 1.3
1008manual. The environment variables set with the old Manx Set command (before
1009version 5.0) are not recognized.
1010
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +02001011
1012MS-DOS line separators ~
1013
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001014On MS-DOS-like systems (MS-DOS itself, Win32, and OS/2), Vim assumes that all
1015the vimrc files have <CR> <NL> pairs as line separators. This will give
1016problems if you have a file with only <NL>s and have a line like
1017":map xx yy^M". The trailing ^M will be ignored.
1018
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +02001019
1020Vi compatible default value ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001021 *compatible-default*
1022When Vim starts, the 'compatible' option is on. This will be used when Vim
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +02001023starts its initializations. But as soon as:
1024- a user vimrc file is found, or
Bram Moolenaar22f1d0e2018-02-27 14:53:30 +01001025- a vimrc file in the current directory is found, or
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +02001026- the "VIMINIT" environment variable is set, or
1027- the "-N" command line argument is given, or
Bram Moolenaarc4da1132017-07-15 19:39:43 +02001028- the "--clean" command line argument is given, or
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +02001029- the |defaults.vim| script is loaded, or
Bram Moolenaar72540672018-02-09 22:00:53 +01001030- a gvimrc file was found,
1031then the option will be set to 'nocompatible'.
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +02001032
1033Note that this does NOT happen when a system-wide vimrc file was found.
1034
1035This has the side effect of setting or resetting other options (see
1036'compatible'). But only the options that have not been set or reset will be
1037changed. This has the same effect like the value of 'compatible' had this
1038value when starting Vim.
1039
Bram Moolenaarbc8801c2016-08-02 21:04:33 +02001040'compatible' is NOT reset, and |defaults.vim| is not loaded:
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +02001041- when Vim was started with the |-u| command line argument, especially with
1042 "-u NONE", or
1043- when started with the |-C| command line argument, or
1044- when the name of the executable ends in "ex". (This has been done to make
1045 Vim behave like "ex", when it is started as "ex")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001046
1047But there is a side effect of setting or resetting 'compatible' at the moment
1048a .vimrc file is found: Mappings are interpreted the moment they are
1049encountered. This makes a difference when using things like "<CR>". If the
1050mappings depend on a certain value of 'compatible', set or reset it before
1051giving the mapping.
1052
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +02001053
1054Defaults without a .vimrc file ~
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +02001055 *defaults.vim*
1056If Vim is started normally and no user vimrc file is found, the
Bram Moolenaar40962ec2018-01-28 22:47:25 +01001057$VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim script is loaded. This will set 'compatible' off,
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +02001058switch on syntax highlighting and a few more things. See the script for
1059details. NOTE: this is done since Vim 8.0, not in Vim 7.4. (it was added in
1060patch 7.4.2111 to be exact).
1061
1062This should work well for new Vim users. If you create your own .vimrc, it is
Bram Moolenaar01164a62017-11-02 22:58:42 +01001063recommended to add these lines somewhere near the top: >
Bram Moolenaar7e1479b2016-09-11 15:07:27 +02001064 unlet! skip_defaults_vim
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +02001065 source $VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim
1066Then Vim works like before you had a .vimrc. Copying $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example
1067is way to do this. Alternatively, you can copy defaults.vim to your .vimrc
Bram Moolenaar7e1479b2016-09-11 15:07:27 +02001068and modify it (but then you won't get updates when it changes).
Bram Moolenaar8c08b5b2016-07-28 22:24:15 +02001069
1070If you don't like some of the defaults, you can still source defaults.vim and
1071revert individual settings. See the defaults.vim file for hints on how to
1072revert each item.
Bram Moolenaar7e1479b2016-09-11 15:07:27 +02001073 *skip_defaults_vim*
Bram Moolenaar64d8e252016-09-06 22:12:34 +02001074If you use a system-wide vimrc and don't want defaults.vim to change settings,
Bram Moolenaar7e1479b2016-09-11 15:07:27 +02001075set the "skip_defaults_vim" variable. If this was set and you want to load
1076defaults.vim from your .vimrc, first unlet skip_defaults_vim, as in the
1077example above.
Bram Moolenaar64d8e252016-09-06 22:12:34 +02001078
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001079
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +02001080Avoiding trojan horses ~
1081 *trojan-horse*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001082While reading the "vimrc" or the "exrc" file in the current directory, some
1083commands can be disabled for security reasons by setting the 'secure' option.
1084This is always done when executing the command from a tags file. Otherwise it
1085would be possible that you accidentally use a vimrc or tags file that somebody
1086else created and contains nasty commands. The disabled commands are the ones
1087that start a shell, the ones that write to a file, and ":autocmd". The ":map"
1088commands are echoed, so you can see which keys are being mapped.
1089 If you want Vim to execute all commands in a local vimrc file, you
1090can reset the 'secure' option in the EXINIT or VIMINIT environment variable or
1091in the global "exrc" or "vimrc" file. This is not possible in "vimrc" or
1092"exrc" in the current directory, for obvious reasons.
1093 On Unix systems, this only happens if you are not the owner of the
1094vimrc file. Warning: If you unpack an archive that contains a vimrc or exrc
1095file, it will be owned by you. You won't have the security protection. Check
1096the vimrc file before you start Vim in that directory, or reset the 'exrc'
1097option. Some Unix systems allow a user to do "chown" on a file. This makes
1098it possible for another user to create a nasty vimrc and make you the owner.
1099Be careful!
1100 When using tag search commands, executing the search command (the last
1101part of the line in the tags file) is always done in secure mode. This works
1102just like executing a command from a vimrc/exrc in the current directory.
1103
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +02001104
1105If Vim startup is slow ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001106 *slow-start*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001107If Vim takes a long time to start up, use the |--startuptime| argument to find
1108out what happens. There are a few common causes:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001109- If the Unix version was compiled with the GUI and/or X11 (check the output
1110 of ":version" for "+GUI" and "+X11"), it may need to load shared libraries
1111 and connect to the X11 server. Try compiling a version with GUI and X11
1112 disabled. This also should make the executable smaller.
1113 Use the |-X| command line argument to avoid connecting to the X server when
1114 running in a terminal.
1115- If you have "viminfo" enabled, the loading of the viminfo file may take a
1116 while. You can find out if this is the problem by disabling viminfo for a
1117 moment (use the Vim argument "-i NONE", |-i|). Try reducing the number of
1118 lines stored in a register with ":set viminfo='20,<50,s10". |viminfo-file|.
1119
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +02001120
1121Intro message ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001122 *:intro*
1123When Vim starts without a file name, an introductory message is displayed (for
1124those who don't know what Vim is). It is removed as soon as the display is
1125redrawn in any way. To see the message again, use the ":intro" command (if
1126there is not enough room, you will see only part of it).
1127 To avoid the intro message on startup, add the 'I' flag to 'shortmess'.
1128
1129 *info-message*
1130The |--help| and |--version| arguments cause Vim to print a message and then
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001131exit. Normally the message is sent to stdout, thus can be redirected to a
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001132file with: >
1133
1134 vim --help >file
1135
1136From inside Vim: >
1137
1138 :read !vim --help
1139
1140When using gvim, it detects that it might have been started from the desktop,
1141without a terminal to show messages on. This is detected when both stdout and
1142stderr are not a tty. This breaks the ":read" command, as used in the example
1143above. To make it work again, set 'shellredir' to ">" instead of the default
1144">&": >
1145
1146 :set shellredir=>
1147 :read !gvim --help
1148
1149This still won't work for systems where gvim does not use stdout at all
1150though.
1151
1152==============================================================================
11535. $VIM and $VIMRUNTIME
1154 *$VIM*
1155The environment variable "$VIM" is used to locate various user files for Vim,
1156such as the user startup script ".vimrc". This depends on the system, see
1157|startup|.
1158
1159To avoid the need for every user to set the $VIM environment variable, Vim
1160will try to get the value for $VIM in this order:
11611. The value defined by the $VIM environment variable. You can use this to
1162 make Vim look in a specific directory for its support files. Example: >
1163 setenv VIM /home/paul/vim
11642. The path from 'helpfile' is used, unless it contains some environment
1165 variable too (the default is "$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt": chicken-egg
1166 problem). The file name ("help.txt" or any other) is removed. Then
1167 trailing directory names are removed, in this order: "doc", "runtime" and
1168 "vim{version}" (e.g., "vim54").
11693. For MSDOS, Win32 and OS/2 Vim tries to use the directory name of the
1170 executable. If it ends in "/src", this is removed. This is useful if you
1171 unpacked the .zip file in some directory, and adjusted the search path to
1172 find the vim executable. Trailing directory names are removed, in this
1173 order: "runtime" and "vim{version}" (e.g., "vim54").
11744. For Unix the compile-time defined installation directory is used (see the
1175 output of ":version").
1176
1177Once Vim has done this once, it will set the $VIM environment variable. To
1178change it later, use a ":let" command like this: >
1179 :let $VIM = "/home/paul/vim/"
1180<
1181 *$VIMRUNTIME*
1182The environment variable "$VIMRUNTIME" is used to locate various support
1183files, such as the on-line documentation and files used for syntax
1184highlighting. For example, the main help file is normally
1185"$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt".
1186You don't normally set $VIMRUNTIME yourself, but let Vim figure it out. This
1187is the order used to find the value of $VIMRUNTIME:
11881. If the environment variable $VIMRUNTIME is set, it is used. You can use
1189 this when the runtime files are in an unusual location.
11902. If "$VIM/vim{version}" exists, it is used. {version} is the version
1191 number of Vim, without any '-' or '.'. For example: "$VIM/vim54". This is
1192 the normal value for $VIMRUNTIME.
11933. If "$VIM/runtime" exists, it is used.
11944. The value of $VIM is used. This is for backwards compatibility with older
1195 versions.
11965. When the 'helpfile' option is set and doesn't contain a '$', its value is
1197 used, with "doc/help.txt" removed from the end.
1198
1199For Unix, when there is a compiled-in default for $VIMRUNTIME (check the
1200output of ":version"), steps 2, 3 and 4 are skipped, and the compiled-in
1201default is used after step 5. This means that the compiled-in default
1202overrules the value of $VIM. This is useful if $VIM is "/etc" and the runtime
1203files are in "/usr/share/vim/vim54".
1204
1205Once Vim has done this once, it will set the $VIMRUNTIME environment variable.
1206To change it later, use a ":let" command like this: >
1207 :let $VIMRUNTIME = "/home/piet/vim/vim54"
1208
Bram Moolenaared203462004-06-16 11:19:22 +00001209In case you need the value of $VIMRUNTIME in a shell (e.g., for a script that
1210greps in the help files) you might be able to use this: >
1211
1212 VIMRUNTIME=`vim -e -T dumb --cmd 'exe "set t_cm=\<C-M>"|echo $VIMRUNTIME|quit' | tr -d '\015' `
1213
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001214==============================================================================
12156. Suspending *suspend*
1216
1217 *iconize* *iconise* *CTRL-Z* *v_CTRL-Z*
1218CTRL-Z Suspend Vim, like ":stop".
1219 Works in Normal and in Visual mode. In Insert and
1220 Command-line mode, the CTRL-Z is inserted as a normal
1221 character. In Visual mode Vim goes back to Normal
1222 mode.
Bram Moolenaar0d660222005-01-07 21:51:51 +00001223 Note: if CTRL-Z undoes a change see |mswin.vim|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001224
1225
1226:sus[pend][!] or *:sus* *:suspend* *:st* *:stop*
1227:st[op][!] Suspend Vim.
1228 If the '!' is not given and 'autowrite' is set, every
1229 buffer with changes and a file name is written out.
1230 If the '!' is given or 'autowrite' is not set, changed
1231 buffers are not written, don't forget to bring Vim
1232 back to the foreground later!
1233
1234In the GUI, suspending is implemented as iconising gvim. In Windows 95/NT,
1235gvim is minimized.
1236
1237On many Unix systems, it is possible to suspend Vim with CTRL-Z. This is only
1238possible in Normal and Visual mode (see next chapter, |vim-modes|). Vim will
1239continue if you make it the foreground job again. On other systems, CTRL-Z
1240will start a new shell. This is the same as the ":sh" command. Vim will
1241continue if you exit from the shell.
1242
1243In X-windows the selection is disowned when Vim suspends. this means you
1244can't paste it in another application (since Vim is going to sleep an attempt
1245to get the selection would make the program hang).
1246
1247==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaare0fa3742016-02-20 15:47:01 +010012487. Exiting *exiting*
1249
1250There are several ways to exit Vim:
1251- Close the last window with `:quit`. Only when there are no changes.
1252- Close the last window with `:quit!`. Also when there are changes.
1253- Close all windows with `:qall`. Only when there are no changes.
1254- Close all windows with `:qall!`. Also when there are changes.
1255- Use `:cquit`. Also when there are changes.
1256
1257When using `:cquit` or when there was an error message Vim exits with exit
Bram Moolenaar369b6f52017-01-17 12:22:32 +01001258code 1. Errors can be avoided by using `:silent!` or with `:catch`.
Bram Moolenaare0fa3742016-02-20 15:47:01 +01001259
1260==============================================================================
12618. Saving settings *save-settings*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001262
1263Mostly you will edit your vimrc files manually. This gives you the greatest
1264flexibility. There are a few commands to generate a vimrc file automatically.
1265You can use these files as they are, or copy/paste lines to include in another
1266vimrc file.
1267
1268 *:mk* *:mkexrc*
1269:mk[exrc] [file] Write current key mappings and changed options to
1270 [file] (default ".exrc" in the current directory),
1271 unless it already exists. {not in Vi}
1272
1273:mk[exrc]! [file] Always write current key mappings and changed
1274 options to [file] (default ".exrc" in the current
1275 directory). {not in Vi}
1276
1277 *:mkv* *:mkvimrc*
1278:mkv[imrc][!] [file] Like ":mkexrc", but the default is ".vimrc" in the
1279 current directory. The ":version" command is also
1280 written to the file. {not in Vi}
1281
1282These commands will write ":map" and ":set" commands to a file, in such a way
1283that when these commands are executed, the current key mappings and options
1284will be set to the same values. The options 'columns', 'endofline',
1285'fileformat', 'key', 'lines', 'modified', 'scroll', 'term', 'textmode',
1286'ttyfast' and 'ttymouse' are not included, because these are terminal or file
1287dependent. Note that the options 'binary', 'paste' and 'readonly' are
1288included, this might not always be what you want.
1289
1290When special keys are used in mappings, The 'cpoptions' option will be
1291temporarily set to its Vim default, to avoid the mappings to be
1292misinterpreted. This makes the file incompatible with Vi, but makes sure it
1293can be used with different terminals.
1294
1295Only global mappings are stored, not mappings local to a buffer.
1296
1297A common method is to use a default ".vimrc" file, make some modifications
1298with ":map" and ":set" commands and write the modified file. First read the
1299default ".vimrc" in with a command like ":source ~piet/.vimrc.Cprogs", change
1300the settings and then save them in the current directory with ":mkvimrc!". If
1301you want to make this file your default .vimrc, move it to your home directory
1302(on Unix), s: (Amiga) or $VIM directory (MS-DOS). You could also use
1303autocommands |autocommand| and/or modelines |modeline|.
1304
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001305 *vimrc-option-example*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001306If you only want to add a single option setting to your vimrc, you can use
1307these steps:
13081. Edit your vimrc file with Vim.
13092. Play with the option until it's right. E.g., try out different values for
1310 'guifont'.
13113. Append a line to set the value of the option, using the expression register
1312 '=' to enter the value. E.g., for the 'guifont' option: >
1313 o:set guifont=<C-R>=&guifont<CR><Esc>
1314< [<C-R> is a CTRL-R, <CR> is a return, <Esc> is the escape key]
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001315 You need to escape special characters, esp. spaces.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001316
1317Note that when you create a .vimrc file, this can influence the 'compatible'
1318option, which has several side effects. See |'compatible'|.
1319":mkvimrc", ":mkexrc" and ":mksession" write the command to set or reset the
1320'compatible' option to the output file first, because of these side effects.
1321
1322==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaare0fa3742016-02-20 15:47:01 +010013239. Views and Sessions *views-sessions*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001324
1325This is introduced in sections |21.4| and |21.5| of the user manual.
1326
1327 *View* *view-file*
1328A View is a collection of settings that apply to one window. You can save a
1329View and when you restore it later, the text is displayed in the same way.
1330The options and mappings in this window will also be restored, so that you can
1331continue editing like when the View was saved.
1332
1333 *Session* *session-file*
1334A Session keeps the Views for all windows, plus the global settings. You can
1335save a Session and when you restore it later the window layout looks the same.
1336You can use a Session to quickly switch between different projects,
1337automatically loading the files you were last working on in that project.
1338
1339Views and Sessions are a nice addition to viminfo-files, which are used to
1340remember information for all Views and Sessions together |viminfo-file|.
1341
1342You can quickly start editing with a previously saved View or Session with the
1343|-S| argument: >
1344 vim -S Session.vim
1345<
1346All this is {not in Vi} and {not available when compiled without the
1347|+mksession| feature}.
1348
1349 *:mks* *:mksession*
1350:mks[ession][!] [file] Write a Vim script that restores the current editing
1351 session.
1352 When [!] is included an existing file is overwritten.
1353 When [file] is omitted "Session.vim" is used.
1354
1355The output of ":mksession" is like ":mkvimrc", but additional commands are
1356added to the file. Which ones depends on the 'sessionoptions' option. The
1357resulting file, when executed with a ":source" command:
13581. Restores global mappings and options, if 'sessionoptions' contains
1359 "options". Script-local mappings will not be written.
13602. Restores global variables that start with an uppercase letter and contain
1361 at least one lowercase letter, if 'sessionoptions' contains "globals".
13623. Unloads all currently loaded buffers.
13634. Restores the current directory if 'sessionoptions' contains "curdir", or
1364 sets the current directory to where the Session file is if 'sessionoptions'
1365 contains "sesdir".
13665. Restores GUI Vim window position, if 'sessionoptions' contains "winpos".
13676. Restores screen size, if 'sessionoptions' contains "resize".
13687. Reloads the buffer list, with the last cursor positions. If
1369 'sessionoptions' contains "buffers" then all buffers are restored,
1370 including hidden and unloaded buffers. Otherwise only buffers in windows
1371 are restored.
13728. Restores all windows with the same layout. If 'sessionoptions' contains
Bram Moolenaarc81e5e72007-05-05 18:24:42 +00001373 "help", help windows are restored. If 'sessionoptions' contains "blank",
1374 windows editing a buffer without a name will be restored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001375 If 'sessionoptions' contains "winsize" and no (help/blank) windows were
1376 left out, the window sizes are restored (relative to the screen size).
1377 Otherwise, the windows are just given sensible sizes.
13789. Restores the Views for all the windows, as with |:mkview|. But
1379 'sessionoptions' is used instead of 'viewoptions'.
138010. If a file exists with the same name as the Session file, but ending in
1381 "x.vim" (for eXtra), executes that as well. You can use *x.vim files to
1382 specify additional settings and actions associated with a given Session,
1383 such as creating menu items in the GUI version.
1384
1385After restoring the Session, the full filename of your current Session is
1386available in the internal variable "v:this_session" |this_session-variable|.
1387An example mapping: >
1388 :nmap <F2> :wa<Bar>exe "mksession! " . v:this_session<CR>:so ~/sessions/
1389This saves the current Session, and starts off the command to load another.
1390
Bram Moolenaar4a85b412006-04-23 22:40:29 +00001391A session includes all tab pages, unless "tabpages" was removed from
1392'sessionoptions'. |tab-page|
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00001393
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00001394The |SessionLoadPost| autocmd event is triggered after a session file is
1395loaded/sourced.
1396 *SessionLoad-variable*
1397While the session file is loading the SessionLoad global variable is set to 1.
1398Plugins can use this to postpone some work until the SessionLoadPost event is
1399triggered.
1400
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001401 *:mkvie* *:mkview*
1402:mkvie[w][!] [file] Write a Vim script that restores the contents of the
1403 current window.
1404 When [!] is included an existing file is overwritten.
1405 When [file] is omitted or is a number from 1 to 9, a
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001406 name is generated and 'viewdir' prepended. When the
Bram Moolenaar7e38ea22014-04-05 22:55:53 +02001407 last path part of 'viewdir' does not exist, this
1408 directory is created. E.g., when 'viewdir' is
1409 "$VIM/vimfiles/view" then "view" is created in
1410 "$VIM/vimfiles".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001411 An existing file is always overwritten then. Use
1412 |:loadview| to load this view again.
1413 When [file] is the name of a file ('viewdir' is not
1414 used), a command to edit the file is added to the
1415 generated file.
1416
1417The output of ":mkview" contains these items:
14181. The argument list used in the window. When the global argument list is
1419 used it is reset to the global list.
1420 The index in the argument list is also restored.
14212. The file being edited in the window. If there is no file, the window is
1422 made empty.
14233. Restore mappings, abbreviations and options local to the window if
1424 'viewoptions' contains "options" or "localoptions". For the options it
1425 restores only values that are local to the current buffer and values local
1426 to the window.
1427 When storing the view as part of a session and "options" is in
1428 'sessionoptions', global values for local options will be stored too.
14294. Restore folds when using manual folding and 'viewoptions' contains
1430 "folds". Restore manually opened and closed folds.
14315. The scroll position and the cursor position in the file. Doesn't work very
1432 well when there are closed folds.
14336. The local current directory, if it is different from the global current
Bram Moolenaar7f2e9d72017-11-11 20:58:53 +01001434 directory and 'viewoptions' contains "curdir".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001435
1436Note that Views and Sessions are not perfect:
1437- They don't restore everything. For example, defined functions, autocommands
1438 and ":syntax on" are not included. Things like register contents and
1439 command line history are in viminfo, not in Sessions or Views.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001440- Global option values are only set when they differ from the default value.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001441 When the current value is not the default value, loading a Session will not
1442 set it back to the default value. Local options will be set back to the
1443 default value though.
1444- Existing mappings will be overwritten without warning. An existing mapping
1445 may cause an error for ambiguity.
1446- When storing manual folds and when storing manually opened/closed folds,
1447 changes in the file between saving and loading the view will mess it up.
1448- The Vim script is not very efficient. But still faster than typing the
1449 commands yourself!
1450
1451 *:lo* *:loadview*
1452:lo[adview] [nr] Load the view for the current file. When [nr] is
1453 omitted, the view stored with ":mkview" is loaded.
1454 When [nr] is specified, the view stored with ":mkview
1455 [nr]" is loaded.
1456
1457The combination of ":mkview" and ":loadview" can be used to store up to ten
1458different views of a file. These are remembered in the directory specified
1459with the 'viewdir' option. The views are stored using the file name. If a
1460file is renamed or accessed through a (symbolic) link the view will not be
1461found.
1462
1463You might want to clean up your 'viewdir' directory now and then.
1464
1465To automatically save and restore views for *.c files: >
1466 au BufWinLeave *.c mkview
1467 au BufWinEnter *.c silent loadview
1468
1469==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaare0fa3742016-02-20 15:47:01 +0100147010. The viminfo file *viminfo* *viminfo-file* *E136*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001471 *E575* *E576* *E577*
1472If you exit Vim and later start it again, you would normally lose a lot of
1473information. The viminfo file can be used to remember that information, which
1474enables you to continue where you left off.
1475
1476This is introduced in section |21.3| of the user manual.
1477
1478The viminfo file is used to store:
1479- The command line history.
1480- The search string history.
1481- The input-line history.
Bram Moolenaar49cd9572005-01-03 21:06:01 +00001482- Contents of non-empty registers.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001483- Marks for several files.
1484- File marks, pointing to locations in files.
1485- Last search/substitute pattern (for 'n' and '&').
1486- The buffer list.
1487- Global variables.
1488
1489The viminfo file is not supported when the |+viminfo| feature has been
1490disabled at compile time.
1491
1492You could also use a Session file. The difference is that the viminfo file
1493does not depend on what you are working on. There normally is only one
1494viminfo file. Session files are used to save the state of a specific editing
1495Session. You could have several Session files, one for each project you are
1496working on. Viminfo and Session files together can be used to effectively
1497enter Vim and directly start working in your desired setup. |session-file|
1498
1499 *viminfo-read*
1500When Vim is started and the 'viminfo' option is non-empty, the contents of
1501the viminfo file are read and the info can be used in the appropriate places.
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001502The |v:oldfiles| variable is filled. The marks are not read in at startup
1503(but file marks are). See |initialization| for how to set the 'viminfo'
1504option upon startup.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001505
1506 *viminfo-write*
1507When Vim exits and 'viminfo' is non-empty, the info is stored in the viminfo
1508file (it's actually merged with the existing one, if one exists). The
1509'viminfo' option is a string containing information about what info should be
1510stored, and contains limits on how much should be stored (see 'viminfo').
1511
Bram Moolenaarc95a3022016-06-12 23:01:46 +02001512Merging happens in two ways. Most items that have been changed or set in the
1513current Vim session are stored, and what was not changed is filled from what
1514is currently in the viminfo file. For example:
1515- Vim session A reads the viminfo, which contains variable START.
1516- Vim session B does the same
1517- Vim session A sets the variables AAA and BOTH and exits
1518- Vim session B sets the variables BBB and BOTH and exits
1519Now the viminfo will have:
1520 START - it was in the viminfo and wasn't changed in session A or B
1521 AAA - value from session A, session B kept it
1522 BBB - value from session B
1523 BOTH - value from session B, value from session A is lost
1524
Bram Moolenaar063b9d12016-07-09 20:21:48 +02001525 *viminfo-timestamp*
Bram Moolenaarc95a3022016-06-12 23:01:46 +02001526For some items a timestamp is used to keep the last changed version. Here it
1527doesn't matter in which sequence Vim sessions exit, the newest item(s) are
1528always kept. This is used for:
1529- The command line history.
1530- The search string history.
1531- The input-line history.
1532- Contents of non-empty registers.
1533- The jump list
1534- File marks
Bram Moolenaara02a5512016-06-17 12:48:11 +02001535The timestamp feature was added before Vim 8.0. Older versions of Vim,
1536starting with 7.4.1131, will keep the items with timestamp, but not use them.
1537Thus when using both an older and a newer version of Vim the most recent data
1538will be kept.
Bram Moolenaarc95a3022016-06-12 23:01:46 +02001539
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001540Notes for Unix:
1541- The file protection for the viminfo file will be set to prevent other users
1542 from being able to read it, because it may contain any text or commands that
1543 you have worked with.
1544- If you want to share the viminfo file with other users (e.g. when you "su"
1545 to another user), you can make the file writable for the group or everybody.
Bram Moolenaar7f2e9d72017-11-11 20:58:53 +01001546 Vim will preserve this when replacing the viminfo file. Be careful, don't
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001547 allow just anybody to read and write your viminfo file!
1548- Vim will not overwrite a viminfo file that is not writable by the current
1549 "real" user. This helps for when you did "su" to become root, but your
1550 $HOME is still set to a normal user's home directory. Otherwise Vim would
1551 create a viminfo file owned by root that nobody else can read.
Bram Moolenaar69c2f172007-05-12 14:57:31 +00001552- The viminfo file cannot be a symbolic link. This is to avoid security
1553 issues.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001554
1555Marks are stored for each file separately. When a file is read and 'viminfo'
1556is non-empty, the marks for that file are read from the viminfo file. NOTE:
1557The marks are only written when exiting Vim, which is fine because marks are
1558remembered for all the files you have opened in the current editing session,
1559unless ":bdel" is used. If you want to save the marks for a file that you are
1560about to abandon with ":bdel", use ":wv". The '[' and ']' marks are not
1561stored, but the '"' mark is. The '"' mark is very useful for jumping to the
1562cursor position when the file was last exited. No marks are saved for files
1563that start with any string given with the "r" flag in 'viminfo'. This can be
1564used to avoid saving marks for files on removable media (for MS-DOS you would
1565use "ra:,rb:", for Amiga "rdf0:,rdf1:,rdf2:").
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001566The |v:oldfiles| variable is filled with the file names that the viminfo file
1567has marks for.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001568
1569 *viminfo-file-marks*
1570Uppercase marks ('A to 'Z) are stored when writing the viminfo file. The
1571numbered marks ('0 to '9) are a bit special. When the viminfo file is written
1572(when exiting or with the ":wviminfo" command), '0 is set to the current cursor
1573position and file. The old '0 is moved to '1, '1 to '2, etc. This
1574resembles what happens with the "1 to "9 delete registers. If the current
1575cursor position is already present in '0 to '9, it is moved to '0, to avoid
1576having the same position twice. The result is that with "'0", you can jump
1577back to the file and line where you exited Vim. To do that right away, try
1578using this command: >
1579
1580 vim -c "normal '0"
1581
Bram Moolenaar864207d2008-06-24 22:14:38 +00001582In a csh compatible shell you could make an alias for it: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001583
1584 alias lvim vim -c '"'normal "'"0'"'
1585
Bram Moolenaar864207d2008-06-24 22:14:38 +00001586For a bash-like shell: >
1587
1588 alias lvim='vim -c "normal '\''0"'
1589
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001590Use the "r" flag in 'viminfo' to specify for which files no marks should be
1591remembered.
1592
1593
1594VIMINFO FILE NAME *viminfo-file-name*
1595
1596- The default name of the viminfo file is "$HOME/.viminfo" for Unix and OS/2,
1597 "s:.viminfo" for Amiga, "$HOME\_viminfo" for MS-DOS and Win32. For the last
1598 two, when $HOME is not set, "$VIM\_viminfo" is used. When $VIM is also not
1599 set, "c:\_viminfo" is used. For OS/2 "$VIM/.viminfo" is used when $HOME is
1600 not set and $VIM is set.
1601- The 'n' flag in the 'viminfo' option can be used to specify another viminfo
1602 file name |'viminfo'|.
1603- The "-i" Vim argument can be used to set another file name, |-i|. When the
1604 file name given is "NONE" (all uppercase), no viminfo file is ever read or
1605 written. Also not for the commands below!
Bram Moolenaarb477af22018-07-15 20:20:18 +02001606- The 'viminfofile' option can be used like the "-i" argument. In fact, the
1607 value form the "-i" argument is stored in the 'viminfofile' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001608- For the commands below, another file name can be given, overriding the
1609 default and the name given with 'viminfo' or "-i" (unless it's NONE).
1610
1611
1612CHARACTER ENCODING *viminfo-encoding*
1613
1614The text in the viminfo file is encoded as specified with the 'encoding'
1615option. Normally you will always work with the same 'encoding' value, and
1616this works just fine. However, if you read the viminfo file with another
1617value for 'encoding' than what it was written with, some of the text
1618(non-ASCII characters) may be invalid. If this is unacceptable, add the 'c'
1619flag to the 'viminfo' option: >
1620 :set viminfo+=c
1621Vim will then attempt to convert the text in the viminfo file from the
1622'encoding' value it was written with to the current 'encoding' value. This
1623requires Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv| feature. Filenames are not
1624converted.
1625
1626
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001627MANUALLY READING AND WRITING *viminfo-read-write*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001628
1629Two commands can be used to read and write the viminfo file manually. This
1630can be used to exchange registers between two running Vim programs: First
1631type ":wv" in one and then ":rv" in the other. Note that if the register
1632already contained something, then ":rv!" would be required. Also note
1633however that this means everything will be overwritten with information from
1634the first Vim, including the command line history, etc.
1635
1636The viminfo file itself can be edited by hand too, although we suggest you
1637start with an existing one to get the format right. It is reasonably
1638self-explanatory once you're in there. This can be useful in order to
1639create a second file, say "~/.my_viminfo" which could contain certain
1640settings that you always want when you first start Vim. For example, you
1641can preload registers with particular data, or put certain commands in the
1642command line history. A line in your .vimrc file like >
1643 :rviminfo! ~/.my_viminfo
1644can be used to load this information. You could even have different viminfos
1645for different types of files (e.g., C code) and load them based on the file
1646name, using the ":autocmd" command (see |:autocmd|).
1647
1648 *viminfo-errors*
1649When Vim detects an error while reading a viminfo file, it will not overwrite
1650that file. If there are more than 10 errors, Vim stops reading the viminfo
1651file. This was done to avoid accidentally destroying a file when the file
1652name of the viminfo file is wrong. This could happen when accidentally typing
1653"vim -i file" when you wanted "vim -R file" (yes, somebody accidentally did
1654that!). If you want to overwrite a viminfo file with an error in it, you will
1655either have to fix the error, or delete the file (while Vim is running, so
1656most of the information will be restored).
1657
1658 *:rv* *:rviminfo* *E195*
1659:rv[iminfo][!] [file] Read from viminfo file [file] (default: see above).
1660 If [!] is given, then any information that is
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001661 already set (registers, marks, |v:oldfiles|, etc.)
1662 will be overwritten {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001663
Bram Moolenaarc95a3022016-06-12 23:01:46 +02001664 *:wv* *:wviminfo* *E137* *E138* *E574* *E886* *E929*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001665:wv[iminfo][!] [file] Write to viminfo file [file] (default: see above).
1666 The information in the file is first read in to make
1667 a merge between old and new info. When [!] is used,
1668 the old information is not read first, only the
1669 internal info is written. If 'viminfo' is empty, marks
1670 for up to 100 files will be written.
Bram Moolenaarc95a3022016-06-12 23:01:46 +02001671 When you get error "E929: Too many viminfo temp files"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001672 check that no old temp files were left behind (e.g.
1673 ~/.viminf*) and that you can write in the directory of
1674 the .viminfo file.
1675 {not in Vi}
1676
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001677 *:ol* *:oldfiles*
1678:ol[dfiles] List the files that have marks stored in the viminfo
1679 file. This list is read on startup and only changes
Bram Moolenaare11d61a2016-08-20 18:36:54 +02001680 afterwards with `:rviminfo!`. Also see |v:oldfiles|.
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001681 The number can be used with |c_#<|.
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +02001682 The output can be filtered with |:filter|, e.g.: >
Bram Moolenaar818078d2016-08-27 21:58:42 +02001683 filter /\.vim/ oldfiles
Bram Moolenaar7b668e82016-08-23 23:51:21 +02001684< The filtering happens on the file name.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02001685 {not in Vi, only when compiled with the |+eval|
1686 feature}
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001687
1688:bro[wse] ol[dfiles][!]
1689 List file names as with |:oldfiles|, and then prompt
1690 for a number. When the number is valid that file from
1691 the list is edited.
1692 If you get the |press-enter| prompt you can press "q"
1693 and still get the prompt to enter a file number.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001694 Use ! to abandon a modified buffer. |abandon|
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001695 {not when compiled with tiny or small features}
1696
Bram Moolenaar91f84f62018-07-29 15:07:52 +02001697 vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: