1VIM(1) VIM(1) 2 3 4 5NAME 6 vim - Vi IMproved, a programmers text editor 7 8SYNOPSIS 9 vim [options] [file ..] 10 vim [options] - 11 vim [options] -t tag 12 vim [options] -q [errorfile] 13 14 ex 15 view 16 gvim gview evim eview 17 rvim rview rgvim rgview 18 19DESCRIPTION 20 Vim is a text editor that is upwards compatible to Vi. It can be used 21 to edit all kinds of plain text. It is especially useful for editing 22 programs. 23 24 There are a lot of enhancements above Vi: multi level undo, multi win- 25 dows and buffers, syntax highlighting, command line editing, filename 26 completion, on-line help, visual selection, etc.. See ":help 27 vi_diff.txt" for a summary of the differences between Vim and Vi. 28 29 While running Vim a lot of help can be obtained from the on-line help 30 system, with the ":help" command. See the ON-LINE HELP section below. 31 32 Most often Vim is started to edit a single file with the command 33 34 vim file 35 36 More generally Vim is started with: 37 38 vim [options] [filelist] 39 40 If the filelist is missing, the editor will start with an empty buffer. 41 Otherwise exactly one out of the following four may be used to choose 42 one or more files to be edited. 43 44 file .. A list of filenames. The first one will be the current 45 file and read into the buffer. The cursor will be posi- 46 tioned on the first line of the buffer. You can get to the 47 other files with the ":next" command. To edit a file that 48 starts with a dash, precede the filelist with "--". 49 50 - The file to edit is read from stdin. Commands are read 51 from stderr, which should be a tty. 52 53 -t {tag} The file to edit and the initial cursor position depends on 54 a "tag", a sort of goto label. {tag} is looked up in the 55 tags file, the associated file becomes the current file and 56 the associated command is executed. Mostly this is used 57 for C programs, in which case {tag} could be a function 58 name. The effect is that the file containing that function 59 becomes the current file and the cursor is positioned on 60 the start of the function. See ":help tag-commands". 61 62 -q [errorfile] 63 Start in quickFix mode. The file [errorfile] is read and 64 the first error is displayed. If [errorfile] is omitted, 65 the filename is obtained from the 'errorfile' option 66 (defaults to "AztecC.Err" for the Amiga, "errors.err" on 67 other systems). Further errors can be jumped to with the 68 ":cn" command. See ":help quickfix". 69 70 Vim behaves differently, depending on the name of the command (the exe- 71 cutable may still be the same file). 72 73 vim The "normal" way, everything is default. 74 75 ex Start in Ex mode. Go to Normal mode with the ":vi" command. 76 Can also be done with the "-e" argument. 77 78 view Start in read-only mode. You will be protected from writing 79 the files. Can also be done with the "-R" argument. 80 81 gvim gview 82 The GUI version. Starts a new window. Can also be done with 83 the "-g" argument. 84 85 evim eview 86 The GUI version in easy mode. Starts a new window. Can also 87 be done with the "-y" argument. 88 89 rvim rview rgvim rgview 90 Like the above, but with restrictions. It will not be possi- 91 ble to start shell commands, or suspend Vim. Can also be 92 done with the "-Z" argument. 93 94OPTIONS 95 The options may be given in any order, before or after filenames. 96 Options without an argument can be combined after a single dash. 97 98 +[num] For the first file the cursor will be positioned on line 99 "num". If "num" is missing, the cursor will be positioned 100 on the last line. 101 102 +/{pat} For the first file the cursor will be positioned on the 103 first occurrence of {pat}. See ":help search-pattern" for 104 the available search patterns. 105 106 +{command} 107 108 -c {command} 109 {command} will be executed after the first file has been 110 read. {command} is interpreted as an Ex command. If the 111 {command} contains spaces it must be enclosed in double 112 quotes (this depends on the shell that is used). Example: 113 Vim "+set si" main.c 114 Note: You can use up to 10 "+" or "-c" commands. 115 116 -S {file} {file} will be sourced after the first file has been read. 117 This is equivalent to -c "source {file}". {file} cannot 118 start with '-'. If {file} is omitted "Session.vim" is used 119 (only works when -S is the last argument). 120 121 --cmd {command} 122 Like using "-c", but the command is executed just before 123 processing any vimrc file. You can use up to 10 of these 124 commands, independently from "-c" commands. 125 126 -A If Vim has been compiled with ARABIC support for editing 127 right-to-left oriented files and Arabic keyboard mapping, 128 this option starts Vim in Arabic mode, i.e. 'arabic' is 129 set. Otherwise an error message is given and Vim aborts. 130 131 -b Binary mode. A few options will be set that makes it pos- 132 sible to edit a binary or executable file. 133 134 -C Compatible. Set the 'compatible' option. This will make 135 Vim behave mostly like Vi, even though a .vimrc file 136 exists. 137 138 -d Start in diff mode. There should be two or three file name 139 arguments. Vim will open all the files and show differ- 140 ences between them. Works like vimdiff(1). 141 142 -d {device} Open {device} for use as a terminal. Only on the Amiga. 143 Example: "-d con:20/30/600/150". 144 145 -D Debugging. Go to debugging mode when executing the first 146 command from a script. 147 148 -e Start Vim in Ex mode, just like the executable was called 149 "ex". 150 151 -E Start Vim in improved Ex mode, just like the executable was 152 called "exim". 153 154 -f Foreground. For the GUI version, Vim will not fork and 155 detach from the shell it was started in. On the Amiga, Vim 156 is not restarted to open a new window. This option should 157 be used when Vim is executed by a program that will wait 158 for the edit session to finish (e.g. mail). On the Amiga 159 the ":sh" and ":!" commands will not work. 160 161 --nofork Foreground. For the GUI version, Vim will not fork and 162 detach from the shell it was started in. 163 164 -F If Vim has been compiled with FKMAP support for editing 165 right-to-left oriented files and Farsi keyboard mapping, 166 this option starts Vim in Farsi mode, i.e. 'fkmap' and 167 'rightleft' are set. Otherwise an error message is given 168 and Vim aborts. 169 170 -g If Vim has been compiled with GUI support, this option 171 enables the GUI. If no GUI support was compiled in, an 172 error message is given and Vim aborts. 173 174 -h Give a bit of help about the command line arguments and 175 options. After this Vim exits. 176 177 -H If Vim has been compiled with RIGHTLEFT support for editing 178 right-to-left oriented files and Hebrew keyboard mapping, 179 this option starts Vim in Hebrew mode, i.e. 'hkmap' and 180 'rightleft' are set. Otherwise an error message is given 181 and Vim aborts. 182 183 -i {viminfo} 184 When using the viminfo file is enabled, this option sets 185 the filename to use, instead of the default "~/.viminfo". 186 This can also be used to skip the use of the .viminfo file, 187 by giving the name "NONE". 188 189 -L Same as -r. 190 191 -l Lisp mode. Sets the 'lisp' and 'showmatch' options on. 192 193 -m Modifying files is disabled. Resets the 'write' option. 194 You can still modify the buffer, but writing a file is not 195 possible. 196 197 -M Modifications not allowed. The 'modifiable' and 'write' 198 options will be unset, so that changes are not allowed and 199 files can not be written. Note that these options can be 200 set to enable making modifications. 201 202 -N No-compatible mode. Reset the 'compatible' option. This 203 will make Vim behave a bit better, but less Vi compatible, 204 even though a .vimrc file does not exist. 205 206 -n No swap file will be used. Recovery after a crash will be 207 impossible. Handy if you want to edit a file on a very 208 slow medium (e.g. floppy). Can also be done with ":set 209 uc=0". Can be undone with ":set uc=200". 210 211 -nb Become an editor server for NetBeans. See the docs for 212 details. 213 214 -o[N] Open N windows stacked. When N is omitted, open one window 215 for each file. 216 217 -O[N] Open N windows side by side. When N is omitted, open one 218 window for each file. 219 220 -R Read-only mode. The 'readonly' option will be set. You 221 can still edit the buffer, but will be prevented from acci- 222 dently overwriting a file. If you do want to overwrite a 223 file, add an exclamation mark to the Ex command, as in 224 ":w!". The -R option also implies the -n option (see 225 below). The 'readonly' option can be reset with ":set 226 noro". See ":help 'readonly'". 227 228 -r List swap files, with information about using them for 229 recovery. 230 231 -r {file} Recovery mode. The swap file is used to recover a crashed 232 editing session. The swap file is a file with the same 233 filename as the text file with ".swp" appended. See ":help 234 recovery". 235 236 -s Silent mode. Only when started as "Ex" or when the "-e" 237 option was given before the "-s" option. 238 239 -s {scriptin} 240 The script file {scriptin} is read. The characters in the 241 file are interpreted as if you had typed them. The same 242 can be done with the command ":source! {scriptin}". If the 243 end of the file is reached before the editor exits, further 244 characters are read from the keyboard. 245 246 -T {terminal} 247 Tells Vim the name of the terminal you are using. Only 248 required when the automatic way doesn't work. Should be a 249 terminal known to Vim (builtin) or defined in the termcap 250 or terminfo file. 251 252 -u {vimrc} Use the commands in the file {vimrc} for initializations. 253 All the other initializations are skipped. Use this to 254 edit a special kind of files. It can also be used to skip 255 all initializations by giving the name "NONE". See ":help 256 initialization" within vim for more details. 257 258 -U {gvimrc} Use the commands in the file {gvimrc} for GUI initializa- 259 tions. All the other GUI initializations are skipped. It 260 can also be used to skip all GUI initializations by giving 261 the name "NONE". See ":help gui-init" within vim for more 262 details. 263 264 -V[N] Verbose. Give messages about which files are sourced and 265 for reading and writing a viminfo file. The optional num- 266 ber N is the value for 'verbose'. Default is 10. 267 268 -v Start Vim in Vi mode, just like the executable was called 269 "vi". This only has effect when the executable is called 270 "ex". 271 272 -w {scriptout} 273 All the characters that you type are recorded in the file 274 {scriptout}, until you exit Vim. This is useful if you 275 want to create a script file to be used with "vim -s" or 276 ":source!". If the {scriptout} file exists, characters are 277 appended. 278 279 -W {scriptout} 280 Like -w, but an existing file is overwritten. 281 282 -x Use encryption when writing files. Will prompt for a crypt 283 key. 284 285 -X Don't connect to the X server. Shortens startup time in a 286 terminal, but the window title and clipboard will not be 287 used. 288 289 -y Start Vim in easy mode, just like the executable was called 290 "evim" or "eview". Makes Vim behave like a click-and-type 291 editor. 292 293 -Z Restricted mode. Works like the executable starts with 294 "r". 295 296 -- Denotes the end of the options. Arguments after this will 297 be handled as a file name. This can be used to edit a 298 filename that starts with a '-'. 299 300 --echo-wid GTK GUI only: Echo the Window ID on stdout. 301 302 --help Give a help message and exit, just like "-h". 303 304 --literal Take file name arguments literally, do not expand wild- 305 cards. This has no effect on Unix where the shell expands 306 wildcards. 307 308 --noplugin Skip loading plugins. Implied by -u NONE. 309 310 --remote Connect to a Vim server and make it edit the files given in 311 the rest of the arguments. If no server is found a warning 312 is given and the files are edited in the current Vim. 313 314 --remote-expr {expr} 315 Connect to a Vim server, evaluate {expr} in it and print 316 the result on stdout. 317 318 --remote-send {keys} 319 Connect to a Vim server and send {keys} to it. 320 321 --remote-silent 322 As --remote, but without the warning when no server is 323 found. 324 325 --remote-wait 326 As --remote, but Vim does not exit until the files have 327 been edited. 328 329 --remote-wait-silent 330 As --remote-wait, but without the warning when no server is 331 found. 332 333 --serverlist 334 List the names of all Vim servers that can be found. 335 336 --servername {name} 337 Use {name} as the server name. Used for the current Vim, 338 unless used with a --remote argument, then it's the name of 339 the server to connect to. 340 341 --socketid {id} 342 GTK GUI only: Use the GtkPlug mechanism to run gvim in 343 another window. 344 345 --version Print version information and exit. 346 347ON-LINE HELP 348 Type ":help" in Vim to get started. Type ":help subject" to get help 349 on a specific subject. For example: ":help ZZ" to get help for the 350 "ZZ" command. Use <Tab> and CTRL-D to complete subjects (":help cmd- 351 line-completion"). Tags are present to jump from one place to another 352 (sort of hypertext links, see ":help"). All documentation files can be 353 viewed in this way, for example ":help syntax.txt". 354 355FILES 356 /usr/local/lib/vim/doc/*.txt 357 The Vim documentation files. Use ":help doc-file-list" 358 to get the complete list. 359 360 /usr/local/lib/vim/doc/tags 361 The tags file used for finding information in the docu- 362 mentation files. 363 364 /usr/local/lib/vim/syntax/syntax.vim 365 System wide syntax initializations. 366 367 /usr/local/lib/vim/syntax/*.vim 368 Syntax files for various languages. 369 370 /usr/local/lib/vim/vimrc 371 System wide Vim initializations. 372 373 ~/.vimrc Your personal Vim initializations. 374 375 /usr/local/lib/vim/gvimrc 376 System wide gvim initializations. 377 378 ~/.gvimrc Your personal gvim initializations. 379 380 /usr/local/lib/vim/optwin.vim 381 Script used for the ":options" command, a nice way to 382 view and set options. 383 384 /usr/local/lib/vim/menu.vim 385 System wide menu initializations for gvim. 386 387 /usr/local/lib/vim/bugreport.vim 388 Script to generate a bug report. See ":help bugs". 389 390 /usr/local/lib/vim/filetype.vim 391 Script to detect the type of a file by its name. See 392 ":help 'filetype'". 393 394 /usr/local/lib/vim/scripts.vim 395 Script to detect the type of a file by its contents. 396 See ":help 'filetype'". 397 398 /usr/local/lib/vim/*.ps 399 Files used for PostScript printing. 400 401 For recent info read the VIM home page: 402 <URL:http://www.vim.org/> 403 404SEE ALSO 405 vimtutor(1) 406 407AUTHOR 408 Most of Vim was made by Bram Moolenaar, with a lot of help from others. 409 See ":help credits" in Vim. 410 Vim is based on Stevie, worked on by: Tim Thompson, Tony Andrews and 411 G.R. (Fred) Walter. Although hardly any of the original code remains. 412 413BUGS 414 Probably. See ":help todo" for a list of known problems. 415 416 Note that a number of things that may be regarded as bugs by some, are 417 in fact caused by a too-faithful reproduction of Vi's behaviour. And 418 if you think other things are bugs "because Vi does it differently", 419 you should take a closer look at the vi_diff.txt file (or type :help 420 vi_diff.txt when in Vim). Also have a look at the 'compatible' and 421 'cpoptions' options. 422 423 424 425 2002 Feb 22 VIM(1) 426