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Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001*starting.txt* For Vim version 7.2. Last change: 2009 Dec 31
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|
157. Saving settings |save-settings|
168. Views and Sessions |views-sessions|
179. The viminfo file |viminfo-file|
18
19==============================================================================
201. Vim arguments *vim-arguments*
21
22Most often, Vim is started to edit a single file with the command
23
24 vim filename *-vim*
25
26More generally, Vim is started with:
27
28 vim [option | filename] ..
29
30Option arguments and file name arguments can be mixed, and any number of them
31can be given. However, watch out for options that take an argument.
32
33For compatibility with various Vi versions, see |cmdline-arguments|.
34
35Exactly one out of the following five items may be used to choose how to
36start editing:
37
38 *-file* *---*
39filename One or more file names. The first one will be the current
40 file and read into the buffer. The cursor will be positioned
41 on the first line of the buffer.
42 To avoid a file name starting with a '-' being interpreted as
43 an option, precede the arglist with "--", e.g.: >
44 vim -- -filename
45< All arguments after the "--" will be interpreted as file names,
46 no other options or "+command" argument can follow.
47
48 *--*
49- This argument can mean two things, depending on whether Ex
50 mode is to be used.
51
52 Starting in Normal mode: >
53 vim -
54 ex -v -
55< Start editing a new buffer, which is filled with text
56 that is read from stdin. The commands that would normally be
57 read from stdin will now be read from stderr. Example: >
58 find . -name "*.c" -print | vim -
59< The buffer will be marked modified, because it contains text
60 that needs to be saved. Except when in readonly mode, then
61 the buffer is not marked modified. Example: >
62 ls | view -
63<
64 Starting in Ex mode: >
65 ex -
66 vim -e -
67 exim -
68 vim -E
69< Start editing in silent mode. See |-s-ex|.
70
71 *-t* *-tag*
72-t {tag} A tag. "tag" is looked up in the tags file, the associated
73 file becomes the current file, and the associated command is
74 executed. Mostly this is used for C programs, in which case
75 "tag" often is a function name. The effect is that the file
76 containing that function becomes the current file and the
77 cursor is positioned on the start of the function (see
78 |tags|).
79
80 *-q* *-qf*
81-q [errorfile] QuickFix mode. The file with the name [errorfile] is read
82 and the first error is displayed. See |quickfix|.
83 If [errorfile] is not given, the 'errorfile' option is used
84 for the file name. See 'errorfile' for the default value.
85 {not in Vi}
86
87(nothing) Without one of the four items above, Vim will start editing a
88 new buffer. It's empty and doesn't have a file name.
89
90
91The startup mode can be changed by using another name instead of "vim", which
92is equal to giving options:
93ex vim -e Start in Ex mode (see |Ex-mode|). *ex*
94exim vim -E Start in improved Ex mode (see |Ex-mode|). *exim*
95 (normally not installed)
96view vim -R Start in read-only mode (see |-R|). *view*
97gvim vim -g Start the GUI (see |gui|). *gvim*
98gex vim -eg Start the GUI in Ex mode. *gex*
99gview vim -Rg Start the GUI in read-only mode. *gview*
100rvim vim -Z Like "vim", but in restricted mode (see |-Z|) *rvim*
101rview vim -RZ Like "view", but in restricted mode. *rview*
102rgvim vim -gZ Like "gvim", but in restricted mode. *rgvim*
103rgview vim -RgZ Like "gview", but in restricted mode. *rgview*
104evim vim -y Easy Vim: set 'insertmode' (see |-y|) *evim*
105eview vim -yR Like "evim" in read-only mode *eview*
106vimdiff vim -d Start in diff mode |diff-mode|
107gvimdiff vim -gd Start in diff mode |diff-mode|
108
109Additional characters may follow, they are ignored. For example, you can have
110"gvim-5" to start the GUI. You must have an executable by that name then, of
111course.
112
113On Unix, you would normally have one executable called Vim, and links from the
114different startup-names to that executable. If your system does not support
115links and you do not want to have several copies of the executable, you could
116use an alias instead. For example: >
117 alias view vim -R
118 alias gvim vim -g
119<
120 *startup-options*
121The option arguments may be given in any order. Single-letter options can be
122combined after one dash. There can be no option arguments after the "--"
123argument.
124
125On VMS all option arguments are assumed to be lowercase, unless preceded with
126a slash. Thus "-R" means recovery and "-/R" readonly.
127
128--help *-h* *--help*
129-h Give usage (help) message and exit. {not in Vi}
130 See |info-message| about capturing the text.
131
132 *--version*
133--version Print version information and exit. Same output as for
134 |:version| command. {not in Vi}
135 See |info-message| about capturing the text.
136
137 *--noplugin*
138--noplugin Skip loading plugins. Resets the 'loadplugins' option.
139 {not in Vi}
140 Note that the |-u| argument may also disable loading plugins:
141 argument load vimrc files load plugins ~
142 (nothing) yes yes
143 -u NONE no no
144 -u NORC no yes
145 --noplugin yes no
146
Bram Moolenaaref94eec2009-11-11 13:22:11 +0000147--startuptime {fname} *--startuptime*
Bram Moolenaar3f269672009-11-03 11:11:11 +0000148 During startup write timing messages to the file {fname}.
149 This can be used to find out where time is spent while loading
Bram Moolenaaref94eec2009-11-11 13:22:11 +0000150 your .vimrc, plugins and opening the first file.
Bram Moolenaar3f269672009-11-03 11:11:11 +0000151 When {fname} already exists new messages are appended.
Bram Moolenaaref94eec2009-11-11 13:22:11 +0000152 (Only available when compiled with the |+startuptime|
153 feature).
Bram Moolenaar3f269672009-11-03 11:11:11 +0000154
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000155 *--literal*
156--literal Take file names literally, don't expand wildcards. Not needed
157 for Unix, because Vim always takes file names literally (the
158 shell expands wildcards).
159 Applies to all the names, also the ones that come before this
160 argument.
161
162 *-+*
163+[num] The cursor will be positioned on line "num" for the first
164 file being edited. If "num" is missing, the cursor will be
165 positioned on the last line.
166
167 *-+/*
168+/{pat} The cursor will be positioned on the first line containing
169 "pat" in the first file being edited (see |pattern| for the
170 available search patterns).
171
172+{command} *-+c* *-c*
173-c {command} {command} will be executed after the first file has been
174 read (and after autocommands and modelines for that file have
175 been processed). "command" is interpreted as an Ex command.
176 If the "command" contains spaces, it must be enclosed in
177 double quotes (this depends on the shell that is used).
178 Example: >
179 vim "+set si" main.c
180 vim "+find stdio.h"
181 vim -c "set ff=dos" -c wq mine.mak
182<
183 Note: You can use up to 10 "+" or "-c" arguments in a Vim
184 command. They are executed in the order given. A "-S"
185 argument counts as a "-c" argument as well.
186 {Vi only allows one command}
187
188--cmd {command} *--cmd*
189 {command} will be executed before processing any vimrc file.
190 Otherwise it acts like -c {command}. You can use up to 10 of
191 these commands, independently from "-c" commands.
192 {not in Vi}
193
194 *-S*
195-S {file} The {file} will be sourced after the first file has been read.
196 This is an easy way to do the equivalent of: >
197 -c "source {file}"
198< It can be mixed with "-c" arguments and repeated like "-c".
199 The limit of 10 "-c" arguments applies here as well.
200 {file} cannot start with a "-".
201 {not in Vi}
202
203-S Works like "-S Session.vim". Only when used as the last
204 argument or when another "-" option follows.
205
206 *-r*
207-r Recovery mode. Without a file name argument, a list of
208 existing swap files is given. With a file name, a swap file
209 is read to recover a crashed editing session. See
210 |crash-recovery|.
211
212 *-L*
213-L Same as -r. {only in some versions of Vi: "List recoverable
214 edit sessions"}
215
216 *-R*
217-R Readonly mode. The 'readonly' option will be set for all the
218 files being edited. You can still edit the buffer, but will
219 be prevented from accidentally overwriting a file. If you
220 forgot that you are in View mode and did make some changes,
221 you can overwrite a file by adding an exclamation mark to
222 the Ex command, as in ":w!". The 'readonly' option can be
223 reset with ":set noro" (see the options chapter, |options|).
224 Subsequent edits will not be done in readonly mode. Calling
225 the executable "view" has the same effect as the -R argument.
226 The 'updatecount' option will be set to 10000, meaning that
227 the swap file will not be updated automatically very often.
228
229 *-m*
230-m Modifications not allowed to be written. The 'write' option
231 will be reset, so that writing files is disabled. However,
232 the 'write' option can be set to enable writing again.
233 {not in Vi}
234
235 *-M*
236-M Modifications not allowed. The 'modifiable' option will be
237 reset, so that changes are not allowed. The 'write' option
238 will be reset, so that writing files is disabled. However,
239 the 'modifiable' and 'write' options can be set to enable
240 changes and writing.
241 {not in Vi}
242
243 *-Z* *restricted-mode* *E145*
244-Z Restricted mode. All commands that make use of an external
245 shell are disabled. This includes suspending with CTRL-Z,
246 ":sh", filtering, the system() function, backtick expansion,
247 etc.
248 {not in Vi}
249
250 *-g*
251-g Start Vim in GUI mode. See |gui|. {not in Vi}
252
253 *-v*
254-v Start Ex in Vi mode. Only makes a difference when the
255 executable is called "ex" or "gvim". For gvim the GUI is not
256 started if possible.
257
258 *-e*
259-e Start Vim in Ex mode |Q|. Only makes a difference when the
260 executable is not called "ex".
261
262 *-E*
263-E Start Vim in improved Ex mode |gQ|. Only makes a difference
264 when the executable is not called "exim".
265 {not in Vi}
266
267 *-s-ex*
268-s Silent or batch mode. Only when Vim was started as "ex" or
269 when preceded with the "-e" argument. Otherwise see |-s|,
270 which does take an argument while this use of "-s" doesn't.
271 To be used when Vim is used to execute Ex commands from a file
272 instead of a terminal. Switches off most prompts and
273 informative messages. Also warnings and error messages.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000274 The output of these commands is displayed (to stdout):
275 :print
276 :list
277 :number
278 :set to display option values.
279 When 'verbose' is non-zero messages are printed (for
280 debugging, to stderr).
281 'term' and $TERM are not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000282 If Vim appears to be stuck try typing "qa!<Enter>". You don't
283 get a prompt thus you can't see Vim is waiting for you to type
284 something.
285 Initializations are skipped (except the ones given with the
286 "-u" argument).
287 Example: >
288 vim -e -s < thefilter thefile
289<
290 *-b*
291-b Binary mode. File I/O will only recognize <NL> to separate
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000292 lines. The 'expandtab' option will be reset. The 'textwidth'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000293 option is set to 0. 'modeline' is reset. The 'binary' option
294 is set. This is done after reading the vimrc/exrc files but
295 before reading any file in the arglist. See also
296 |edit-binary|. {not in Vi}
297
298 *-l*
299-l Lisp mode. Sets the 'lisp' and 'showmatch' options on.
300
301 *-A*
302-A Arabic mode. Sets the 'arabic' option on. (Only when
303 compiled with the |+arabic| features (which include
304 |+rightleft|), otherwise Vim gives an error message
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000305 and exits.) {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000306
307 *-F*
308-F Farsi mode. Sets the 'fkmap' and 'rightleft' options on.
309 (Only when compiled with |+rightleft| and |+farsi| features,
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000310 otherwise Vim gives an error message and exits.) {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000311
312 *-H*
313-H Hebrew mode. Sets the 'hkmap' and 'rightleft' options on.
314 (Only when compiled with the |+rightleft| feature, otherwise
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000315 Vim gives an error message and exits.) {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000316
317 *-V* *verbose*
318-V[N] Verbose. Sets the 'verbose' option to [N] (default: 10).
319 Messages will be given for each file that is ":source"d and
320 for reading or writing a viminfo file. Can be used to find
321 out what is happening upon startup and exit. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaarc81e5e72007-05-05 18:24:42 +0000322 Example: >
323 vim -V8 foobar
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000324
Bram Moolenaar54ee7752005-05-31 22:22:17 +0000325-V[N]{filename}
326 Like -V and set 'verbosefile' to {filename}. The result is
327 that messages are not displayed but written to the file
328 {filename}. {filename} must not start with a digit.
Bram Moolenaarc81e5e72007-05-05 18:24:42 +0000329 Example: >
330 vim -V20vimlog foobar
331<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000332 *-D*
333-D Debugging. Go to debugging mode when executing the first
334 command from a script. |debug-mode|
335 {not available when compiled without the |+eval| feature}
336 {not in Vi}
337
338 *-C*
339-C Compatible mode. Sets the 'compatible' option. You can use
340 this to get 'compatible', even though a .vimrc file exists.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100341 Keep in mind that the command ":set nocompatible" in some
342 plugin or startup script overrules this, so you may end up
343 with 'nocmpatible' anyway. To find out, use: >
344 :verbose set compatible?
345< Several plugins won't work with 'compatible' set. You may
346 want to set it after startup this way: >
347 vim "+set cp" filename
348< Also see |compatible-default|. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000349
350 *-N*
351-N Not compatible mode. Resets the 'compatible' option. You can
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100352 use this to get 'nocompatible', when there is no .vimrc file
353 or when using "-u NONE".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000354 Also see |compatible-default|. {not in Vi}
355
356 *-y* *easy*
357-y Easy mode. Implied for |evim| and |eview|. Starts with
358 'insertmode' set and behaves like a click-and-type editor.
359 This sources the script $VIMRUNTIME/evim.vim. Mappings are
360 set up to work like most click-and-type editors, see
361 |evim-keys|. The GUI is started when available.
362 {not in Vi}
363
364 *-n*
365-n No swap file will be used. Recovery after a crash will be
366 impossible. Handy if you want to view or edit a file on a
367 very slow medium (e.g., a floppy).
368 Can also be done with ":set updatecount=0". You can switch it
369 on again by setting the 'updatecount' option to some value,
370 e.g., ":set uc=100".
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100371 NOTE: Don't combine -n with -b, making -nb, because that has a
372 different meaning: |-nb|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000373 'updatecount' is set to 0 AFTER executing commands from a
374 vimrc file, but before the GUI initializations. Thus it
375 overrides a setting for 'updatecount' in a vimrc file, but not
376 in a gvimrc file. See |startup|.
377 When you want to reduce accesses to the disk (e.g., for a
378 laptop), don't use "-n", but set 'updatetime' and
379 'updatecount' to very big numbers, and type ":preserve" when
380 you want to save your work. This way you keep the possibility
381 for crash recovery.
382 {not in Vi}
383
384 *-o*
385-o[N] Open N windows, split horizontally. If [N] is not given,
386 one window is opened for every file given as argument. If
387 there is not enough room, only the first few files get a
388 window. If there are more windows than arguments, the last
389 few windows will be editing an empty file.
390 {not in Vi}
391
392 *-O*
393-O[N] Open N windows, split vertically. Otherwise it's like -o.
394 If both the -o and the -O option are given, the last one on
395 the command line determines how the windows will be split.
396 {not in Vi}
397
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +0000398 *-p*
399-p[N] Open N tab pages. If [N] is not given, one tab page is opened
Bram Moolenaarfd2ac762006-03-01 22:09:21 +0000400 for every file given as argument. The maximum is set with
401 'tabpagemax' pages (default 10). If there are more tab pages
402 than arguments, the last few tab pages will be editing an
Bram Moolenaarfa1d1402006-03-25 21:59:56 +0000403 empty file. Also see |tabpage|.
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +0000404 {not in Vi}
405
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000406 *-T*
407-T {terminal} Set the terminal type to "terminal". This influences the
408 codes that Vim will send to your terminal. This is normally
409 not needed, because Vim will be able to find out what type
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000410 of terminal you are using. (See |terminal-info|.) {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000411
412 *-d*
413-d Start in diff mode, like |vimdiff|.
414 {not in Vi} {not available when compiled without the |+diff|
415 feature}
416
417-d {device} Only on the Amiga and when not compiled with the |+diff|
418 feature. Works like "-dev".
419 *-dev*
420-dev {device} Only on the Amiga: The {device} is opened to be used for
421 editing.
422 Normally you would use this to set the window position and
423 size: "-d con:x/y/width/height", e.g.,
424 "-d con:30/10/600/150". But you can also use it to start
425 editing on another device, e.g., AUX:. {not in Vi}
426 *-f*
427-f Amiga: Do not restart Vim to open a new window. This
428 option should be used when Vim is started by a program that
429 will wait for the edit session to finish (e.g., mail or
430 readnews). See |amiga-window|.
431
432 GUI: Do not disconnect from the program that started Vim.
433 'f' stands for "foreground". If omitted, the GUI forks a new
434 process and exits the current one. "-f" should be used when
435 gvim is started by a program that will wait for the edit
436 session to finish (e.g., mail or readnews). If you want gvim
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000437 never to fork, include 'f' in 'guioptions' in your |gvimrc|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000438 Careful: You can use "-gf" to start the GUI in the foreground,
439 but "-fg" is used to specify the foreground color. |gui-fork|
440 {not in Vi}
441
442 *--nofork*
443--nofork GUI: Do not fork. Same as |-f|.
444 *-u* *E282*
445-u {vimrc} The file {vimrc} is read for initializations. Most other
446 initializations are skipped; see |initialization|. This can
447 be used to start Vim in a special mode, with special
448 mappings and settings. A shell alias can be used to make
449 this easy to use. For example: >
450 alias vimc vim -u ~/.c_vimrc !*
451< Also consider using autocommands; see |autocommand|.
452 When {vimrc} is equal to "NONE" (all uppercase), all
453 initializations from files and environment variables are
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000454 skipped, including reading the |gvimrc| file when the GUI
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000455 starts. Loading plugins is also skipped.
456 When {vimrc} is equal to "NORC" (all uppercase), this has the
457 same effect as "NONE", but loading plugins is not skipped.
458 Using the "-u" argument has the side effect that the
459 'compatible' option will be on by default. This can have
460 unexpected effects. See |'compatible'|.
461 {not in Vi}
462
463 *-U* *E230*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000464-U {gvimrc} The file {gvimrc} is read for initializations when the GUI
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000465 starts. Other GUI initializations are skipped. When {gvimrc}
Bram Moolenaar8fc061c2004-12-29 21:03:02 +0000466 is equal to "NONE", no file is read for GUI initializations at
467 all. |gui-init|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000468 Exception: Reading the system-wide menu file is always done.
469 {not in Vi}
470
471 *-i*
472-i {viminfo} The file "viminfo" is used instead of the default viminfo
473 file. If the name "NONE" is used (all uppercase), no viminfo
474 file is read or written, even if 'viminfo' is set or when
475 ":rv" or ":wv" are used. See also |viminfo-file|.
476 {not in Vi}
477
478 *-x*
479-x Use encryption to read/write files. Will prompt for a key,
480 which is then stored in the 'key' option. All writes will
481 then use this key to encrypt the text. The '-x' argument is
482 not needed when reading a file, because there is a check if
483 the file that is being read has been encrypted, and Vim asks
484 for a key automatically. |encryption|
485
486 *-X*
487-X Do not try connecting to the X server to get the current
488 window title and copy/paste using the X clipboard. This
489 avoids a long startup time when running Vim in a terminal
490 emulator and the connection to the X server is slow.
Bram Moolenaar3f269672009-11-03 11:11:11 +0000491 See |--startuptime| to find out if affects you.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000492 Only makes a difference on Unix or VMS, when compiled with the
493 |+X11| feature. Otherwise it's ignored.
494 To disable the connection only for specific terminals, see the
495 'clipboard' option.
496 When the X11 Session Management Protocol (XSMP) handler has
497 been built in, the -X option also disables that connection as
498 it, too, may have undesirable delays.
499 When the connection is desired later anyway (e.g., for
500 client-server messages), call the |serverlist()| function.
501 This does not enable the XSMP handler though.
502 {not in Vi}
503
504 *-s*
505-s {scriptin} The script file "scriptin" is read. The characters in the
506 file are interpreted as if you had typed them. The same can
507 be done with the command ":source! {scriptin}". If the end
508 of the file is reached before the editor exits, further
509 characters are read from the keyboard. Only works when not
510 started in Ex mode, see |-s-ex|. See also |complex-repeat|.
511 {not in Vi}
512
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +0000513 *-w_nr*
514-w {number}
515-w{number} Set the 'window' option to {number}.
516
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000517 *-w*
518-w {scriptout} All the characters that you type are recorded in the file
519 "scriptout", until you exit Vim. This is useful if you want
520 to create a script file to be used with "vim -s" or
521 ":source!". When the "scriptout" file already exists, new
522 characters are appended. See also |complex-repeat|.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +0000523 {scriptout} cannot start with a digit.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000524 {not in Vi}
525
526 *-W*
527-W {scriptout} Like -w, but do not append, overwrite an existing file.
528 {not in Vi}
529
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000530--remote [+{cmd}] {file} ...
531 Open the {file} in another Vim that functions as a server.
532 Any non-file arguments must come before this.
533 See |--remote|. {not in Vi}
534
535--remote-silent [+{cmd}] {file} ...
536 Like --remote, but don't complain if there is no server.
537 See |--remote-silent|. {not in Vi}
538
539--remote-wait [+{cmd}] {file} ...
540 Like --remote, but wait for the server to finish editing the
541 file(s).
542 See |--remote-wait|. {not in Vi}
543
544--remote-wait-silent [+{cmd}] {file} ...
545 Like --remote-wait, but don't complain if there is no server.
546 See |--remote-wait-silent|. {not in Vi}
547
548--servername {name}
549 Specify the name of the Vim server to send to or to become.
550 See |--servername|. {not in Vi}
551
552--remote-send {keys}
553 Send {keys} to a Vim server and exit.
554 See |--remote-send|. {not in Vi}
555
556--remote-expr {expr}
557 Evaluate {expr} in another Vim that functions as a server.
558 The result is printed on stdout.
559 See |--remote-expr|. {not in Vi}
560
561--serverlist Output a list of Vim server names and exit. See
Bram Moolenaarc81e5e72007-05-05 18:24:42 +0000562 |--serverlist|. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000563
564--socketid {id} *--socketid*
565 GTK+ GUI Vim only. Make gvim try to use GtkPlug mechanism, so
566 that it runs inside another window. See |gui-gtk-socketid|
567 for details. {not in Vi}
568
Bram Moolenaar78e17622007-08-30 10:26:19 +0000569--windowid {id} *--windowid*
570 Win32 GUI Vim only. Make gvim try to use the window {id} as a
571 parent, so that it runs inside that window. See
572 |gui-w32-windowid| for details. {not in Vi}
573
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000574--echo-wid *--echo-wid*
575 GTK+ GUI Vim only. Make gvim echo the Window ID on stdout,
576 which can be used to run gvim in a kpart widget. The format
577 of the output is: >
578 WID: 12345\n
579< {not in Vi}
580
581--role {role} *--role*
582 GTK+ 2 GUI only. Set the role of the main window to {role}.
583 The window role can be used by a window manager to uniquely
584 identify a window, in order to restore window placement and
585 such. The --role argument is passed automatically when
586 restoring the session on login. See |gui-gnome-session|
587 {not in Vi}
588
589-P {parent-title} *-P* *MDI* *E671* *E672*
590 Win32 only: Specify the title of the parent application. When
591 possible, Vim will run in an MDI window inside the
592 application.
593 {parent-title} must appear in the window title of the parent
594 application. Make sure that it is specific enough.
595 Note that the implementation is still primitive. It won't
596 work with all applications and the menu doesn't work.
597
598-nb *-nb*
599-nb={fname}
600-nb:{hostname}:{addr}:{password}
601 Attempt connecting to Netbeans and become an editor server for
602 it. The second form specifies a file to read connection info
603 from. The third form specifies the hostname, address and
604 password for connecting to Netbeans. |netbeans-run|
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100605 {only available when compiled with the |+netbeans_intg|
606 feature; if not then -nb will make Vim exit}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000607
608If the executable is called "view", Vim will start in Readonly mode. This is
609useful if you can make a hard or symbolic link from "view" to "vim".
610Starting in Readonly mode can also be done with "vim -R".
611
612If the executable is called "ex", Vim will start in "Ex" mode. This means it
613will accept only ":" commands. But when the "-v" argument is given, Vim will
614start in Normal mode anyway.
615
616Additional arguments are available on unix like systems when compiled with
617X11 GUI support. See |gui-resources|.
618
619==============================================================================
6202. Vim on the Amiga *starting-amiga*
621
622Starting Vim from the Workbench *workbench*
623-------------------------------
624
625Vim can be started from the Workbench by clicking on its icon twice. It will
626then start with an empty buffer.
627
628Vim can be started to edit one or more files by using a "Project" icon. The
629"Default Tool" of the icon must be the full pathname of the Vim executable.
630The name of the ".info" file must be the same as the name of the text file.
631By clicking on this icon twice, Vim will be started with the file name as
632current file name, which will be read into the buffer (if it exists). You can
633edit multiple files by pressing the shift key while clicking on icons, and
634clicking twice on the last one. The "Default Tool" for all these icons must
635be the same.
636
637It is not possible to give arguments to Vim, other than file names, from the
638workbench.
639
640Vim window *amiga-window*
641----------
642
643Vim will run in the CLI window where it was started. If Vim was started with
644the "run" or "runback" command, or if Vim was started from the workbench, it
645will open a window of its own.
646
647Technical detail:
648 To open the new window a little trick is used. As soon as Vim
649 recognizes that it does not run in a normal CLI window, it will
650 create a script file in "t:". This script file contains the same
651 command as the one Vim was started with, and an "endcli" command.
652 This script file is then executed with a "newcli" command (the "c:run"
653 and "c:newcli" commands are required for this to work). The script
654 file will hang around until reboot, or until you delete it. This
655 method is required to get the ":sh" and ":!" commands to work
656 correctly. But when Vim was started with the -f option (foreground
657 mode), this method is not used. The reason for this is that
658 when a program starts Vim with the -f option it will wait for Vim to
659 exit. With the script trick, the calling program does not know when
660 Vim exits. The -f option can be used when Vim is started by a mail
661 program which also waits for the edit session to finish. As a
662 consequence, the ":sh" and ":!" commands are not available when the
663 -f option is used.
664
665Vim will automatically recognize the window size and react to window
666resizing. Under Amiga DOS 1.3, it is advised to use the fastfonts program,
667"FF", to speed up display redrawing.
668
669==============================================================================
6703. Running eVim *evim-keys*
671
672EVim runs Vim as click-and-type editor. This is very unlike the original Vi
673idea. But it helps for people that don't use Vim often enough to learn the
674commands. Hopefully they will find out that learning to use Normal mode
675commands will make their editing much more effective.
676
677In Evim these options are changed from their default value:
678
679 :set nocompatible Use Vim improvements
680 :set insertmode Remain in Insert mode most of the time
681 :set hidden Keep invisible buffers loaded
682 :set backup Keep backup files (not for VMS)
683 :set backspace=2 Backspace over everything
684 :set autoindent auto-indent new lines
685 :set history=50 keep 50 lines of Ex commands
686 :set ruler show the cursor position
687 :set incsearch show matches halfway typing a pattern
688 :set mouse=a use the mouse in all modes
689 :set hlsearch highlight all matches for a search pattern
690 :set whichwrap+=<,>,[,] <Left> and <Right> wrap around line breaks
691 :set guioptions-=a non-Unix only: don't do auto-select
692
693Key mappings:
694 <Down> moves by screen lines rather than file lines
695 <Up> idem
696 Q does "gq", formatting, instead of Ex mode
697 <BS> in Visual mode: deletes the selection
698 CTRL-X in Visual mode: Cut to clipboard
699 <S-Del> idem
700 CTRL-C in Visual mode: Copy to clipboard
701 <C-Insert> idem
702 CTRL-V Pastes from the clipboard (in any mode)
703 <S-Insert> idem
704 CTRL-Q do what CTRL-V used to do
705 CTRL-Z undo
706 CTRL-Y redo
707 <M-Space> system menu
708 CTRL-A select all
709 <C-Tab> next window, CTRL-W w
710 <C-F4> close window, CTRL-W c
711
712Additionally:
713- ":behave mswin" is used |:behave|
714- syntax highlighting is enabled
715- filetype detection is enabled, filetype plugins and indenting is enabled
716- in a text file 'textwidth' is set to 78
717
718One hint: If you want to go to Normal mode to be able to type a sequence of
719commands, use CTRL-L. |i_CTRL-L|
720
721==============================================================================
7224. Initialization *initialization* *startup*
723
724This section is about the non-GUI version of Vim. See |gui-fork| for
725additional initialization when starting the GUI.
726
727At startup, Vim checks environment variables and files and sets values
728accordingly. Vim proceeds in this order:
729
7301. Set the 'shell' and 'term' option *SHELL* *COMSPEC* *TERM*
731 The environment variable SHELL, if it exists, is used to set the
732 'shell' option. On MS-DOS and Win32, the COMSPEC variable is used
733 if SHELL is not set.
734 The environment variable TERM, if it exists, is used to set the 'term'
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000735 option. However, 'term' will change later when starting the GUI (step
736 8 below).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000737
7382. Process the arguments
739 The options and file names from the command that start Vim are
740 inspected. Buffers are created for all files (but not loaded yet).
Bram Moolenaar54ee7752005-05-31 22:22:17 +0000741 The |-V| argument can be used to display or log what happens next,
742 useful for debugging the initializations.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000743
7443. Execute Ex commands, from environment variables and/or files
745 An environment variable is read as one Ex command line, where multiple
746 commands must be separated with '|' or "<NL>".
747 *vimrc* *exrc*
748 A file that contains initialization commands is called a "vimrc" file.
749 Each line in a vimrc file is executed as an Ex command line. It is
750 sometimes also referred to as "exrc" file. They are the same type of
751 file, but "exrc" is what Vi always used, "vimrc" is a Vim specific
752 name. Also see |vimrc-intro|.
753
754 Recommended place for your personal initializations:
755 Unix $HOME/.vimrc
756 OS/2 $HOME/.vimrc or $VIM/.vimrc (or _vimrc)
757 MS-DOS and Win32 $HOME/_vimrc or $VIM/_vimrc
758 Amiga s:.vimrc or $VIM/.vimrc
759
760 If Vim was started with "-u filename", the file "filename" is used.
761 All following initializations until 4. are skipped.
762 "vim -u NORC" can be used to skip these initializations without
763 reading a file. "vim -u NONE" also skips loading plugins. |-u|
764
765 If Vim was started in Ex mode with the "-s" argument, all following
766 initializations until 4. are skipped. Only the "-u" option is
767 interpreted.
768 *evim.vim*
769 a. If vim was started as |evim| or |eview| or with the |-y| argument, the
770 script $VIMRUNTIME/evim.vim will be loaded.
771 *system-vimrc*
772 b. For Unix, MS-DOS, MS-Windows, OS/2, VMS, Macintosh, RISC-OS and Amiga
773 the system vimrc file is read for initializations. The path of this
774 file is shown with the ":version" command. Mostly it's "$VIM/vimrc".
775 Note that this file is ALWAYS read in 'compatible' mode, since the
776 automatic resetting of 'compatible' is only done later. Add a ":set
777 nocp" command if you like.
Bram Moolenaar3991dab2006-03-27 17:01:56 +0000778 For the Macintosh the $VIMRUNTIME/macmap.vim is read.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000779
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100780 *VIMINIT* *.vimrc* *_vimrc* *EXINIT* *.exrc* *_exrc* *$MYVIMRC*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000781 c. Four places are searched for initializations. The first that exists
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000782 is used, the others are ignored. The $MYVIMRC environment variable is
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100783 set to the file that was first found, unless $MYVIMRC was already set
784 and when using VIMINIT.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000785 - The environment variable VIMINIT (see also |compatible-default|) (*)
786 The value of $VIMINIT is used as an Ex command line.
787 - The user vimrc file(s):
788 "$HOME/.vimrc" (for Unix and OS/2) (*)
789 "s:.vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
790 "home:.vimrc" (for Amiga) (*)
791 "$VIM/.vimrc" (for OS/2 and Amiga) (*)
792 "$HOME/_vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
Bram Moolenaar21cf8232004-07-16 20:18:37 +0000793 "$VIM/_vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000794 Note: For Unix, OS/2 and Amiga, when ".vimrc" does not exist,
795 "_vimrc" is also tried, in case an MS-DOS compatible file
796 system is used. For MS-DOS and Win32 ".vimrc" is checked
797 after "_vimrc", in case long file names are used.
798 Note: For MS-DOS and Win32, "$HOME" is checked first. If no
799 "_vimrc" or ".vimrc" is found there, "$VIM" is tried.
800 See |$VIM| for when $VIM is not set.
801 - The environment variable EXINIT.
802 The value of $EXINIT is used as an Ex command line.
803 - The user exrc file(s). Same as for the user vimrc file, but with
Bram Moolenaar5c5474b2005-04-19 21:40:26 +0000804 "vimrc" replaced by "exrc". But only one of ".exrc" and "_exrc" is
805 used, depending on the system. And without the (*)!
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000806
807 d. If the 'exrc' option is on (which is not the default), the current
Bram Moolenaar5c5474b2005-04-19 21:40:26 +0000808 directory is searched for three files. The first that exists is used,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000809 the others are ignored.
810 - The file ".vimrc" (for Unix, Amiga and OS/2) (*)
811 "_vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
812 - The file "_vimrc" (for Unix, Amiga and OS/2) (*)
813 ".vimrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32) (*)
814 - The file ".exrc" (for Unix, Amiga and OS/2)
815 "_exrc" (for MS-DOS and Win32)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000816
817 (*) Using this file or environment variable will cause 'compatible' to be
818 off by default. See |compatible-default|.
819
8204. Load the plugin scripts. *load-plugins*
821 This does the same as the command: >
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +0000822 :runtime! plugin/**/*.vim
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000823< The result is that all directories in the 'runtimepath' option will be
824 searched for the "plugin" sub-directory and all files ending in ".vim"
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +0000825 will be sourced (in alphabetical order per directory), also in
826 subdirectories.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000827 Loading plugins won't be done when:
828 - The 'loadplugins' option was reset in a vimrc file.
829 - The |--noplugin| command line argument is used.
830 - The "-u NONE" command line argument is used |-u|.
831 - When Vim was compiled without the |+eval| feature.
Bram Moolenaar8ada17c2006-01-19 22:16:24 +0000832 Note that using "-c 'set noloadplugins'" doesn't work, because the
833 commands from the command line have not been executed yet. You can
834 use "--cmd 'set noloadplugins'" |--cmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000835
8365. Set 'shellpipe' and 'shellredir'
837 The 'shellpipe' and 'shellredir' options are set according to the
838 value of the 'shell' option, unless they have been set before.
839 This means that Vim will figure out the values of 'shellpipe' and
840 'shellredir' for you, unless you have set them yourself.
841
8426. Set 'updatecount' to zero, if "-n" command argument used
843
8447. Set binary options
845 If the "-b" flag was given to Vim, the options for binary editing will
846 be set now. See |-b|.
847
8488. Perform GUI initializations
849 Only when starting "gvim", the GUI initializations will be done. See
850 |gui-init|.
851
8529. Read the viminfo file
853 If the 'viminfo' option is not empty, the viminfo file is read. See
854 |viminfo-file|.
855
85610. Read the quickfix file
857 If the "-q" flag was given to Vim, the quickfix file is read. If this
858 fails, Vim exits.
859
86011. Open all windows
861 When the |-o| flag was given, windows will be opened (but not
862 displayed yet).
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +0000863 When the |-p| flag was given, tab pages will be created (but not
864 displayed yet).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000865 When switching screens, it happens now. Redrawing starts.
866 If the "-q" flag was given to Vim, the first error is jumped to.
867 Buffers for all windows will be loaded.
868
86912. Execute startup commands
870 If a "-t" flag was given to Vim, the tag is jumped to.
871 The commands given with the |-c| and |+cmd| arguments are executed.
872 If the 'insertmode' option is set, Insert mode is entered.
873 The |VimEnter| autocommands are executed.
874
875Some hints on using initializations:
876
877Standard setup:
878Create a vimrc file to set the default settings and mappings for all your edit
879sessions. Put it in a place so that it will be found by 3b:
880 ~/.vimrc (Unix and OS/2)
881 s:.vimrc (Amiga)
882 $VIM\_vimrc (MS-DOS and Win32)
883Note that creating a vimrc file will cause the 'compatible' option to be off
884by default. See |compatible-default|.
885
886Local setup:
887Put all commands that you need for editing a specific directory only into a
888vimrc file and place it in that directory under the name ".vimrc" ("_vimrc"
889for MS-DOS and Win32). NOTE: To make Vim look for these special files you
890have to turn on the option 'exrc'. See |trojan-horse| too.
891
892System setup:
893This only applies if you are managing a Unix system with several users and
894want to set the defaults for all users. Create a vimrc file with commands
895for default settings and mappings and put it in the place that is given with
896the ":version" command.
897
898Saving the current state of Vim to a file:
899Whenever you have changed values of options or when you have created a
900mapping, then you may want to save them in a vimrc file for later use. See
901|save-settings| about saving the current state of settings to a file.
902
903Avoiding setup problems for Vi users:
904Vi uses the variable EXINIT and the file "~/.exrc". So if you do not want to
905interfere with Vi, then use the variable VIMINIT and the file "vimrc" instead.
906
907Amiga environment variables:
908On the Amiga, two types of environment variables exist. The ones set with the
909DOS 1.3 (or later) setenv command are recognized. See the AmigaDos 1.3
910manual. The environment variables set with the old Manx Set command (before
911version 5.0) are not recognized.
912
913MS-DOS line separators:
914On MS-DOS-like systems (MS-DOS itself, Win32, and OS/2), Vim assumes that all
915the vimrc files have <CR> <NL> pairs as line separators. This will give
916problems if you have a file with only <NL>s and have a line like
917":map xx yy^M". The trailing ^M will be ignored.
918
919 *compatible-default*
920When Vim starts, the 'compatible' option is on. This will be used when Vim
921starts its initializations. But as soon as a user vimrc file is found, or a
922vimrc file in the current directory, or the "VIMINIT" environment variable is
923set, it will be set to 'nocompatible'. This has the side effect of setting or
924resetting other options (see 'compatible'). But only the options that have
925not been set or reset will be changed. This has the same effect like the
926value of 'compatible' had this value when starting Vim. Note that this
Bram Moolenaarc81e5e72007-05-05 18:24:42 +0000927doesn't happen for the system-wide vimrc file nor when Vim was started with
928the |-u| command line argument. It does also happen for gvimrc files. The
929$MYVIMRC or $MYGVIMRC file will be set to the first found vimrc and/or gvimrc
930file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000931
932But there is a side effect of setting or resetting 'compatible' at the moment
933a .vimrc file is found: Mappings are interpreted the moment they are
934encountered. This makes a difference when using things like "<CR>". If the
935mappings depend on a certain value of 'compatible', set or reset it before
936giving the mapping.
937
938The above behavior can be overridden in these ways:
939- If the "-N" command line argument is given, 'nocompatible' will be used,
940 even when no vimrc file exists.
941- If the "-C" command line argument is given, 'compatible' will be used, even
942 when a vimrc file exists.
943- If the "-u {vimrc}" argument is used, 'compatible' will be used.
944- When the name of the executable ends in "ex", then this works like the "-C"
945 argument was given: 'compatible' will be used, even when a vimrc file
946 exists. This has been done to make Vim behave like "ex", when it is started
947 as "ex".
948
949Avoiding trojan horses: *trojan-horse*
950While reading the "vimrc" or the "exrc" file in the current directory, some
951commands can be disabled for security reasons by setting the 'secure' option.
952This is always done when executing the command from a tags file. Otherwise it
953would be possible that you accidentally use a vimrc or tags file that somebody
954else created and contains nasty commands. The disabled commands are the ones
955that start a shell, the ones that write to a file, and ":autocmd". The ":map"
956commands are echoed, so you can see which keys are being mapped.
957 If you want Vim to execute all commands in a local vimrc file, you
958can reset the 'secure' option in the EXINIT or VIMINIT environment variable or
959in the global "exrc" or "vimrc" file. This is not possible in "vimrc" or
960"exrc" in the current directory, for obvious reasons.
961 On Unix systems, this only happens if you are not the owner of the
962vimrc file. Warning: If you unpack an archive that contains a vimrc or exrc
963file, it will be owned by you. You won't have the security protection. Check
964the vimrc file before you start Vim in that directory, or reset the 'exrc'
965option. Some Unix systems allow a user to do "chown" on a file. This makes
966it possible for another user to create a nasty vimrc and make you the owner.
967Be careful!
968 When using tag search commands, executing the search command (the last
969part of the line in the tags file) is always done in secure mode. This works
970just like executing a command from a vimrc/exrc in the current directory.
971
972 *slow-start*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100973If Vim takes a long time to start up, use the |--startuptime| argument to find
974out what happens. There are a few common causes:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000975- If the Unix version was compiled with the GUI and/or X11 (check the output
976 of ":version" for "+GUI" and "+X11"), it may need to load shared libraries
977 and connect to the X11 server. Try compiling a version with GUI and X11
978 disabled. This also should make the executable smaller.
979 Use the |-X| command line argument to avoid connecting to the X server when
980 running in a terminal.
981- If you have "viminfo" enabled, the loading of the viminfo file may take a
982 while. You can find out if this is the problem by disabling viminfo for a
983 moment (use the Vim argument "-i NONE", |-i|). Try reducing the number of
984 lines stored in a register with ":set viminfo='20,<50,s10". |viminfo-file|.
985
986 *:intro*
987When Vim starts without a file name, an introductory message is displayed (for
988those who don't know what Vim is). It is removed as soon as the display is
989redrawn in any way. To see the message again, use the ":intro" command (if
990there is not enough room, you will see only part of it).
991 To avoid the intro message on startup, add the 'I' flag to 'shortmess'.
992
993 *info-message*
994The |--help| and |--version| arguments cause Vim to print a message and then
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100995exit. Normally the message is sent to stdout, thus can be redirected to a
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000996file with: >
997
998 vim --help >file
999
1000From inside Vim: >
1001
1002 :read !vim --help
1003
1004When using gvim, it detects that it might have been started from the desktop,
1005without a terminal to show messages on. This is detected when both stdout and
1006stderr are not a tty. This breaks the ":read" command, as used in the example
1007above. To make it work again, set 'shellredir' to ">" instead of the default
1008">&": >
1009
1010 :set shellredir=>
1011 :read !gvim --help
1012
1013This still won't work for systems where gvim does not use stdout at all
1014though.
1015
1016==============================================================================
10175. $VIM and $VIMRUNTIME
1018 *$VIM*
1019The environment variable "$VIM" is used to locate various user files for Vim,
1020such as the user startup script ".vimrc". This depends on the system, see
1021|startup|.
1022
1023To avoid the need for every user to set the $VIM environment variable, Vim
1024will try to get the value for $VIM in this order:
10251. The value defined by the $VIM environment variable. You can use this to
1026 make Vim look in a specific directory for its support files. Example: >
1027 setenv VIM /home/paul/vim
10282. The path from 'helpfile' is used, unless it contains some environment
1029 variable too (the default is "$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt": chicken-egg
1030 problem). The file name ("help.txt" or any other) is removed. Then
1031 trailing directory names are removed, in this order: "doc", "runtime" and
1032 "vim{version}" (e.g., "vim54").
10333. For MSDOS, Win32 and OS/2 Vim tries to use the directory name of the
1034 executable. If it ends in "/src", this is removed. This is useful if you
1035 unpacked the .zip file in some directory, and adjusted the search path to
1036 find the vim executable. Trailing directory names are removed, in this
1037 order: "runtime" and "vim{version}" (e.g., "vim54").
10384. For Unix the compile-time defined installation directory is used (see the
1039 output of ":version").
1040
1041Once Vim has done this once, it will set the $VIM environment variable. To
1042change it later, use a ":let" command like this: >
1043 :let $VIM = "/home/paul/vim/"
1044<
1045 *$VIMRUNTIME*
1046The environment variable "$VIMRUNTIME" is used to locate various support
1047files, such as the on-line documentation and files used for syntax
1048highlighting. For example, the main help file is normally
1049"$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt".
1050You don't normally set $VIMRUNTIME yourself, but let Vim figure it out. This
1051is the order used to find the value of $VIMRUNTIME:
10521. If the environment variable $VIMRUNTIME is set, it is used. You can use
1053 this when the runtime files are in an unusual location.
10542. If "$VIM/vim{version}" exists, it is used. {version} is the version
1055 number of Vim, without any '-' or '.'. For example: "$VIM/vim54". This is
1056 the normal value for $VIMRUNTIME.
10573. If "$VIM/runtime" exists, it is used.
10584. The value of $VIM is used. This is for backwards compatibility with older
1059 versions.
10605. When the 'helpfile' option is set and doesn't contain a '$', its value is
1061 used, with "doc/help.txt" removed from the end.
1062
1063For Unix, when there is a compiled-in default for $VIMRUNTIME (check the
1064output of ":version"), steps 2, 3 and 4 are skipped, and the compiled-in
1065default is used after step 5. This means that the compiled-in default
1066overrules the value of $VIM. This is useful if $VIM is "/etc" and the runtime
1067files are in "/usr/share/vim/vim54".
1068
1069Once Vim has done this once, it will set the $VIMRUNTIME environment variable.
1070To change it later, use a ":let" command like this: >
1071 :let $VIMRUNTIME = "/home/piet/vim/vim54"
1072
Bram Moolenaared203462004-06-16 11:19:22 +00001073In case you need the value of $VIMRUNTIME in a shell (e.g., for a script that
1074greps in the help files) you might be able to use this: >
1075
1076 VIMRUNTIME=`vim -e -T dumb --cmd 'exe "set t_cm=\<C-M>"|echo $VIMRUNTIME|quit' | tr -d '\015' `
1077
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001078==============================================================================
10796. Suspending *suspend*
1080
1081 *iconize* *iconise* *CTRL-Z* *v_CTRL-Z*
1082CTRL-Z Suspend Vim, like ":stop".
1083 Works in Normal and in Visual mode. In Insert and
1084 Command-line mode, the CTRL-Z is inserted as a normal
1085 character. In Visual mode Vim goes back to Normal
1086 mode.
Bram Moolenaar0d660222005-01-07 21:51:51 +00001087 Note: if CTRL-Z undoes a change see |mswin.vim|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001088
1089
1090:sus[pend][!] or *:sus* *:suspend* *:st* *:stop*
1091:st[op][!] Suspend Vim.
1092 If the '!' is not given and 'autowrite' is set, every
1093 buffer with changes and a file name is written out.
1094 If the '!' is given or 'autowrite' is not set, changed
1095 buffers are not written, don't forget to bring Vim
1096 back to the foreground later!
1097
1098In the GUI, suspending is implemented as iconising gvim. In Windows 95/NT,
1099gvim is minimized.
1100
1101On many Unix systems, it is possible to suspend Vim with CTRL-Z. This is only
1102possible in Normal and Visual mode (see next chapter, |vim-modes|). Vim will
1103continue if you make it the foreground job again. On other systems, CTRL-Z
1104will start a new shell. This is the same as the ":sh" command. Vim will
1105continue if you exit from the shell.
1106
1107In X-windows the selection is disowned when Vim suspends. this means you
1108can't paste it in another application (since Vim is going to sleep an attempt
1109to get the selection would make the program hang).
1110
1111==============================================================================
11127. Saving settings *save-settings*
1113
1114Mostly you will edit your vimrc files manually. This gives you the greatest
1115flexibility. There are a few commands to generate a vimrc file automatically.
1116You can use these files as they are, or copy/paste lines to include in another
1117vimrc file.
1118
1119 *:mk* *:mkexrc*
1120:mk[exrc] [file] Write current key mappings and changed options to
1121 [file] (default ".exrc" in the current directory),
1122 unless it already exists. {not in Vi}
1123
1124:mk[exrc]! [file] Always write current key mappings and changed
1125 options to [file] (default ".exrc" in the current
1126 directory). {not in Vi}
1127
1128 *:mkv* *:mkvimrc*
1129:mkv[imrc][!] [file] Like ":mkexrc", but the default is ".vimrc" in the
1130 current directory. The ":version" command is also
1131 written to the file. {not in Vi}
1132
1133These commands will write ":map" and ":set" commands to a file, in such a way
1134that when these commands are executed, the current key mappings and options
1135will be set to the same values. The options 'columns', 'endofline',
1136'fileformat', 'key', 'lines', 'modified', 'scroll', 'term', 'textmode',
1137'ttyfast' and 'ttymouse' are not included, because these are terminal or file
1138dependent. Note that the options 'binary', 'paste' and 'readonly' are
1139included, this might not always be what you want.
1140
1141When special keys are used in mappings, The 'cpoptions' option will be
1142temporarily set to its Vim default, to avoid the mappings to be
1143misinterpreted. This makes the file incompatible with Vi, but makes sure it
1144can be used with different terminals.
1145
1146Only global mappings are stored, not mappings local to a buffer.
1147
1148A common method is to use a default ".vimrc" file, make some modifications
1149with ":map" and ":set" commands and write the modified file. First read the
1150default ".vimrc" in with a command like ":source ~piet/.vimrc.Cprogs", change
1151the settings and then save them in the current directory with ":mkvimrc!". If
1152you want to make this file your default .vimrc, move it to your home directory
1153(on Unix), s: (Amiga) or $VIM directory (MS-DOS). You could also use
1154autocommands |autocommand| and/or modelines |modeline|.
1155
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001156 *vimrc-option-example*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001157If you only want to add a single option setting to your vimrc, you can use
1158these steps:
11591. Edit your vimrc file with Vim.
11602. Play with the option until it's right. E.g., try out different values for
1161 'guifont'.
11623. Append a line to set the value of the option, using the expression register
1163 '=' to enter the value. E.g., for the 'guifont' option: >
1164 o:set guifont=<C-R>=&guifont<CR><Esc>
1165< [<C-R> is a CTRL-R, <CR> is a return, <Esc> is the escape key]
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001166 You need to escape special characters, esp. spaces.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001167
1168Note that when you create a .vimrc file, this can influence the 'compatible'
1169option, which has several side effects. See |'compatible'|.
1170":mkvimrc", ":mkexrc" and ":mksession" write the command to set or reset the
1171'compatible' option to the output file first, because of these side effects.
1172
1173==============================================================================
11748. Views and Sessions *views-sessions*
1175
1176This is introduced in sections |21.4| and |21.5| of the user manual.
1177
1178 *View* *view-file*
1179A View is a collection of settings that apply to one window. You can save a
1180View and when you restore it later, the text is displayed in the same way.
1181The options and mappings in this window will also be restored, so that you can
1182continue editing like when the View was saved.
1183
1184 *Session* *session-file*
1185A Session keeps the Views for all windows, plus the global settings. You can
1186save a Session and when you restore it later the window layout looks the same.
1187You can use a Session to quickly switch between different projects,
1188automatically loading the files you were last working on in that project.
1189
1190Views and Sessions are a nice addition to viminfo-files, which are used to
1191remember information for all Views and Sessions together |viminfo-file|.
1192
1193You can quickly start editing with a previously saved View or Session with the
1194|-S| argument: >
1195 vim -S Session.vim
1196<
1197All this is {not in Vi} and {not available when compiled without the
1198|+mksession| feature}.
1199
1200 *:mks* *:mksession*
1201:mks[ession][!] [file] Write a Vim script that restores the current editing
1202 session.
1203 When [!] is included an existing file is overwritten.
1204 When [file] is omitted "Session.vim" is used.
1205
1206The output of ":mksession" is like ":mkvimrc", but additional commands are
1207added to the file. Which ones depends on the 'sessionoptions' option. The
1208resulting file, when executed with a ":source" command:
12091. Restores global mappings and options, if 'sessionoptions' contains
1210 "options". Script-local mappings will not be written.
12112. Restores global variables that start with an uppercase letter and contain
1212 at least one lowercase letter, if 'sessionoptions' contains "globals".
12133. Unloads all currently loaded buffers.
12144. Restores the current directory if 'sessionoptions' contains "curdir", or
1215 sets the current directory to where the Session file is if 'sessionoptions'
1216 contains "sesdir".
12175. Restores GUI Vim window position, if 'sessionoptions' contains "winpos".
12186. Restores screen size, if 'sessionoptions' contains "resize".
12197. Reloads the buffer list, with the last cursor positions. If
1220 'sessionoptions' contains "buffers" then all buffers are restored,
1221 including hidden and unloaded buffers. Otherwise only buffers in windows
1222 are restored.
12238. Restores all windows with the same layout. If 'sessionoptions' contains
Bram Moolenaarc81e5e72007-05-05 18:24:42 +00001224 "help", help windows are restored. If 'sessionoptions' contains "blank",
1225 windows editing a buffer without a name will be restored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001226 If 'sessionoptions' contains "winsize" and no (help/blank) windows were
1227 left out, the window sizes are restored (relative to the screen size).
1228 Otherwise, the windows are just given sensible sizes.
12299. Restores the Views for all the windows, as with |:mkview|. But
1230 'sessionoptions' is used instead of 'viewoptions'.
123110. If a file exists with the same name as the Session file, but ending in
1232 "x.vim" (for eXtra), executes that as well. You can use *x.vim files to
1233 specify additional settings and actions associated with a given Session,
1234 such as creating menu items in the GUI version.
1235
1236After restoring the Session, the full filename of your current Session is
1237available in the internal variable "v:this_session" |this_session-variable|.
1238An example mapping: >
1239 :nmap <F2> :wa<Bar>exe "mksession! " . v:this_session<CR>:so ~/sessions/
1240This saves the current Session, and starts off the command to load another.
1241
Bram Moolenaar4a85b412006-04-23 22:40:29 +00001242A session includes all tab pages, unless "tabpages" was removed from
1243'sessionoptions'. |tab-page|
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00001244
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00001245The |SessionLoadPost| autocmd event is triggered after a session file is
1246loaded/sourced.
1247 *SessionLoad-variable*
1248While the session file is loading the SessionLoad global variable is set to 1.
1249Plugins can use this to postpone some work until the SessionLoadPost event is
1250triggered.
1251
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001252 *:mkvie* *:mkview*
1253:mkvie[w][!] [file] Write a Vim script that restores the contents of the
1254 current window.
1255 When [!] is included an existing file is overwritten.
1256 When [file] is omitted or is a number from 1 to 9, a
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001257 name is generated and 'viewdir' prepended. When the
1258 last directory name in 'viewdir' does not exist, this
1259 directory is created.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001260 An existing file is always overwritten then. Use
1261 |:loadview| to load this view again.
1262 When [file] is the name of a file ('viewdir' is not
1263 used), a command to edit the file is added to the
1264 generated file.
1265
1266The output of ":mkview" contains these items:
12671. The argument list used in the window. When the global argument list is
1268 used it is reset to the global list.
1269 The index in the argument list is also restored.
12702. The file being edited in the window. If there is no file, the window is
1271 made empty.
12723. Restore mappings, abbreviations and options local to the window if
1273 'viewoptions' contains "options" or "localoptions". For the options it
1274 restores only values that are local to the current buffer and values local
1275 to the window.
1276 When storing the view as part of a session and "options" is in
1277 'sessionoptions', global values for local options will be stored too.
12784. Restore folds when using manual folding and 'viewoptions' contains
1279 "folds". Restore manually opened and closed folds.
12805. The scroll position and the cursor position in the file. Doesn't work very
1281 well when there are closed folds.
12826. The local current directory, if it is different from the global current
1283 directory.
1284
1285Note that Views and Sessions are not perfect:
1286- They don't restore everything. For example, defined functions, autocommands
1287 and ":syntax on" are not included. Things like register contents and
1288 command line history are in viminfo, not in Sessions or Views.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001289- Global option values are only set when they differ from the default value.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001290 When the current value is not the default value, loading a Session will not
1291 set it back to the default value. Local options will be set back to the
1292 default value though.
1293- Existing mappings will be overwritten without warning. An existing mapping
1294 may cause an error for ambiguity.
1295- When storing manual folds and when storing manually opened/closed folds,
1296 changes in the file between saving and loading the view will mess it up.
1297- The Vim script is not very efficient. But still faster than typing the
1298 commands yourself!
1299
1300 *:lo* *:loadview*
1301:lo[adview] [nr] Load the view for the current file. When [nr] is
1302 omitted, the view stored with ":mkview" is loaded.
1303 When [nr] is specified, the view stored with ":mkview
1304 [nr]" is loaded.
1305
1306The combination of ":mkview" and ":loadview" can be used to store up to ten
1307different views of a file. These are remembered in the directory specified
1308with the 'viewdir' option. The views are stored using the file name. If a
1309file is renamed or accessed through a (symbolic) link the view will not be
1310found.
1311
1312You might want to clean up your 'viewdir' directory now and then.
1313
1314To automatically save and restore views for *.c files: >
1315 au BufWinLeave *.c mkview
1316 au BufWinEnter *.c silent loadview
1317
1318==============================================================================
13199. The viminfo file *viminfo* *viminfo-file* *E136*
1320 *E575* *E576* *E577*
1321If you exit Vim and later start it again, you would normally lose a lot of
1322information. The viminfo file can be used to remember that information, which
1323enables you to continue where you left off.
1324
1325This is introduced in section |21.3| of the user manual.
1326
1327The viminfo file is used to store:
1328- The command line history.
1329- The search string history.
1330- The input-line history.
Bram Moolenaar49cd9572005-01-03 21:06:01 +00001331- Contents of non-empty registers.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001332- Marks for several files.
1333- File marks, pointing to locations in files.
1334- Last search/substitute pattern (for 'n' and '&').
1335- The buffer list.
1336- Global variables.
1337
1338The viminfo file is not supported when the |+viminfo| feature has been
1339disabled at compile time.
1340
1341You could also use a Session file. The difference is that the viminfo file
1342does not depend on what you are working on. There normally is only one
1343viminfo file. Session files are used to save the state of a specific editing
1344Session. You could have several Session files, one for each project you are
1345working on. Viminfo and Session files together can be used to effectively
1346enter Vim and directly start working in your desired setup. |session-file|
1347
1348 *viminfo-read*
1349When Vim is started and the 'viminfo' option is non-empty, the contents of
1350the viminfo file are read and the info can be used in the appropriate places.
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001351The |v:oldfiles| variable is filled. The marks are not read in at startup
1352(but file marks are). See |initialization| for how to set the 'viminfo'
1353option upon startup.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001354
1355 *viminfo-write*
1356When Vim exits and 'viminfo' is non-empty, the info is stored in the viminfo
1357file (it's actually merged with the existing one, if one exists). The
1358'viminfo' option is a string containing information about what info should be
1359stored, and contains limits on how much should be stored (see 'viminfo').
1360
1361Notes for Unix:
1362- The file protection for the viminfo file will be set to prevent other users
1363 from being able to read it, because it may contain any text or commands that
1364 you have worked with.
1365- If you want to share the viminfo file with other users (e.g. when you "su"
1366 to another user), you can make the file writable for the group or everybody.
1367 Vim will preserve this when writing new viminfo files. Be careful, don't
1368 allow just anybody to read and write your viminfo file!
1369- Vim will not overwrite a viminfo file that is not writable by the current
1370 "real" user. This helps for when you did "su" to become root, but your
1371 $HOME is still set to a normal user's home directory. Otherwise Vim would
1372 create a viminfo file owned by root that nobody else can read.
Bram Moolenaar69c2f172007-05-12 14:57:31 +00001373- The viminfo file cannot be a symbolic link. This is to avoid security
1374 issues.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001375
1376Marks are stored for each file separately. When a file is read and 'viminfo'
1377is non-empty, the marks for that file are read from the viminfo file. NOTE:
1378The marks are only written when exiting Vim, which is fine because marks are
1379remembered for all the files you have opened in the current editing session,
1380unless ":bdel" is used. If you want to save the marks for a file that you are
1381about to abandon with ":bdel", use ":wv". The '[' and ']' marks are not
1382stored, but the '"' mark is. The '"' mark is very useful for jumping to the
1383cursor position when the file was last exited. No marks are saved for files
1384that start with any string given with the "r" flag in 'viminfo'. This can be
1385used to avoid saving marks for files on removable media (for MS-DOS you would
1386use "ra:,rb:", for Amiga "rdf0:,rdf1:,rdf2:").
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001387The |v:oldfiles| variable is filled with the file names that the viminfo file
1388has marks for.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001389
1390 *viminfo-file-marks*
1391Uppercase marks ('A to 'Z) are stored when writing the viminfo file. The
1392numbered marks ('0 to '9) are a bit special. When the viminfo file is written
1393(when exiting or with the ":wviminfo" command), '0 is set to the current cursor
1394position and file. The old '0 is moved to '1, '1 to '2, etc. This
1395resembles what happens with the "1 to "9 delete registers. If the current
1396cursor position is already present in '0 to '9, it is moved to '0, to avoid
1397having the same position twice. The result is that with "'0", you can jump
1398back to the file and line where you exited Vim. To do that right away, try
1399using this command: >
1400
1401 vim -c "normal '0"
1402
Bram Moolenaar864207d2008-06-24 22:14:38 +00001403In a csh compatible shell you could make an alias for it: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001404
1405 alias lvim vim -c '"'normal "'"0'"'
1406
Bram Moolenaar864207d2008-06-24 22:14:38 +00001407For a bash-like shell: >
1408
1409 alias lvim='vim -c "normal '\''0"'
1410
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001411Use the "r" flag in 'viminfo' to specify for which files no marks should be
1412remembered.
1413
1414
1415VIMINFO FILE NAME *viminfo-file-name*
1416
1417- The default name of the viminfo file is "$HOME/.viminfo" for Unix and OS/2,
1418 "s:.viminfo" for Amiga, "$HOME\_viminfo" for MS-DOS and Win32. For the last
1419 two, when $HOME is not set, "$VIM\_viminfo" is used. When $VIM is also not
1420 set, "c:\_viminfo" is used. For OS/2 "$VIM/.viminfo" is used when $HOME is
1421 not set and $VIM is set.
1422- The 'n' flag in the 'viminfo' option can be used to specify another viminfo
1423 file name |'viminfo'|.
1424- The "-i" Vim argument can be used to set another file name, |-i|. When the
1425 file name given is "NONE" (all uppercase), no viminfo file is ever read or
1426 written. Also not for the commands below!
1427- For the commands below, another file name can be given, overriding the
1428 default and the name given with 'viminfo' or "-i" (unless it's NONE).
1429
1430
1431CHARACTER ENCODING *viminfo-encoding*
1432
1433The text in the viminfo file is encoded as specified with the 'encoding'
1434option. Normally you will always work with the same 'encoding' value, and
1435this works just fine. However, if you read the viminfo file with another
1436value for 'encoding' than what it was written with, some of the text
1437(non-ASCII characters) may be invalid. If this is unacceptable, add the 'c'
1438flag to the 'viminfo' option: >
1439 :set viminfo+=c
1440Vim will then attempt to convert the text in the viminfo file from the
1441'encoding' value it was written with to the current 'encoding' value. This
1442requires Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv| feature. Filenames are not
1443converted.
1444
1445
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001446MANUALLY READING AND WRITING *viminfo-read-write*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001447
1448Two commands can be used to read and write the viminfo file manually. This
1449can be used to exchange registers between two running Vim programs: First
1450type ":wv" in one and then ":rv" in the other. Note that if the register
1451already contained something, then ":rv!" would be required. Also note
1452however that this means everything will be overwritten with information from
1453the first Vim, including the command line history, etc.
1454
1455The viminfo file itself can be edited by hand too, although we suggest you
1456start with an existing one to get the format right. It is reasonably
1457self-explanatory once you're in there. This can be useful in order to
1458create a second file, say "~/.my_viminfo" which could contain certain
1459settings that you always want when you first start Vim. For example, you
1460can preload registers with particular data, or put certain commands in the
1461command line history. A line in your .vimrc file like >
1462 :rviminfo! ~/.my_viminfo
1463can be used to load this information. You could even have different viminfos
1464for different types of files (e.g., C code) and load them based on the file
1465name, using the ":autocmd" command (see |:autocmd|).
1466
1467 *viminfo-errors*
1468When Vim detects an error while reading a viminfo file, it will not overwrite
1469that file. If there are more than 10 errors, Vim stops reading the viminfo
1470file. This was done to avoid accidentally destroying a file when the file
1471name of the viminfo file is wrong. This could happen when accidentally typing
1472"vim -i file" when you wanted "vim -R file" (yes, somebody accidentally did
1473that!). If you want to overwrite a viminfo file with an error in it, you will
1474either have to fix the error, or delete the file (while Vim is running, so
1475most of the information will be restored).
1476
1477 *:rv* *:rviminfo* *E195*
1478:rv[iminfo][!] [file] Read from viminfo file [file] (default: see above).
1479 If [!] is given, then any information that is
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001480 already set (registers, marks, |v:oldfiles|, etc.)
1481 will be overwritten {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001482
1483 *:wv* *:wviminfo* *E137* *E138* *E574*
1484:wv[iminfo][!] [file] Write to viminfo file [file] (default: see above).
1485 The information in the file is first read in to make
1486 a merge between old and new info. When [!] is used,
1487 the old information is not read first, only the
1488 internal info is written. If 'viminfo' is empty, marks
1489 for up to 100 files will be written.
1490 When you get error "E138: Can't write viminfo file"
1491 check that no old temp files were left behind (e.g.
1492 ~/.viminf*) and that you can write in the directory of
1493 the .viminfo file.
1494 {not in Vi}
1495
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001496 *:ol* *:oldfiles*
1497:ol[dfiles] List the files that have marks stored in the viminfo
1498 file. This list is read on startup and only changes
1499 afterwards with ":rviminfo!". Also see |v:oldfiles|.
1500 The number can be used with |c_#<|.
1501 {not in Vi, only when compiled with the +eval feature}
1502
1503:bro[wse] ol[dfiles][!]
1504 List file names as with |:oldfiles|, and then prompt
1505 for a number. When the number is valid that file from
1506 the list is edited.
1507 If you get the |press-enter| prompt you can press "q"
1508 and still get the prompt to enter a file number.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001509 Use ! to abandon a modified buffer. |abandon|
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001510 {not when compiled with tiny or small features}
1511
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001512 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: