1 *intro.txt* For Vim version 7.3. Last change: 2011 May 15
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
7 Introduction to Vim *ref* *reference*
9 1. Introduction |intro|
10 2. Vim on the internet |internet|
12 4. Notation |notation|
13 5. Modes, introduction |vim-modes-intro|
14 6. Switching from mode to mode |mode-switching|
15 7. The window contents |window-contents|
16 8. Definitions |definitions|
18 ==============================================================================
19 1. Introduction *intro*
21 Vim stands for Vi IMproved. It used to be Vi IMitation, but there are so many
22 improvements that a name change was appropriate. Vim is a text editor which
23 includes almost all the commands from the Unix program "Vi" and a lot of new
24 ones. It is very useful for editing programs and other plain text.
25 All commands are given with the keyboard. This has the advantage that you
26 can keep your fingers on the keyboard and your eyes on the screen. For those
27 who want it, there is mouse support and a GUI version with scrollbars and
28 menus (see |gui.txt|).
30 An overview of this manual can be found in the file "help.txt", |help.txt|.
31 It can be accessed from within Vim with the <Help> or <F1> key and with the
32 |:help| command (just type ":help", without the bars or quotes).
33 The 'helpfile' option can be set to the name of the help file, in case it
34 is not located in the default place. You can jump to subjects like with tags:
35 Use CTRL-] to jump to a subject under the cursor, use CTRL-T to jump back.
37 Throughout this manual the differences between Vi and Vim are mentioned in
38 curly braces, like this: {Vi does not have on-line help}. See |vi_diff.txt|
39 for a summary of the differences between Vim and Vi.
41 This manual refers to Vim on various machines. There may be small differences
42 between different computers and terminals. Besides the remarks given in this
43 document, there is a separate document for each supported system, see
47 Vim is pronounced as one word, like Jim, not vi-ai-em. It's written with a
48 capital, since it's a name, again like Jim.
50 This manual is a reference for all the Vim commands and options. This is not
51 an introduction to the use of Vi or Vim, it gets a bit complicated here and
52 there. For beginners, there is a hands-on |tutor|. To learn using Vim, read
53 the user manual |usr_toc.txt|.
56 There are many books on Vi that contain a section for beginners. There are
57 two books I can recommend:
59 "Vim - Vi Improved" by Steve Oualline
61 This is the very first book completely dedicated to Vim. It is very good for
62 beginners. The most often used commands are explained with pictures and
63 examples. The less often used commands are also explained, the more advanced
64 features are summarized. There is a comprehensive index and a quick
65 reference. Parts of this book have been included in the user manual
67 Published by New Riders Publishing. ISBN: 0735710015
68 For more information try one of these:
69 http://iccf-holland.org/click5.html
70 http://www.vim.org/iccf/click5.html
72 "Learning the Vi editor" by Linda Lamb and Arnold Robbins
74 This is a book about Vi that includes a chapter on Vim (in the sixth edition).
75 The first steps in Vi are explained very well. The commands that Vim adds are
76 only briefly mentioned. There is also a German translation.
77 Published by O'Reilly. ISBN: 1-56592-426-6.
79 ==============================================================================
80 2. Vim on the internet *internet*
82 *www* *WWW* *faq* *FAQ* *distribution* *download*
83 The Vim pages contain the most recent information about Vim. They also
84 contain links to the most recent version of Vim. The FAQ is a list of
85 Frequently Asked Questions. Read this if you have problems.
87 VIM home page: http://www.vim.org/
88 VIM FAQ: http://vimdoc.sf.net/
89 Downloading: ftp://ftp.vim.org/pub/vim/MIRRORS
92 Usenet News group where Vim is discussed: *news* *usenet*
94 This group is also for other editors. If you write about Vim, don't forget to
97 *mail-list* *maillist*
98 There are several mailing lists for Vim:
100 For discussions about using existing versions of Vim: Useful mappings,
101 questions, answers, where to get a specific version, etc. There are
102 quite a few people watching this list and answering questions, also
103 for beginners. Don't hesitate to ask your question here.
104 <vim-dev@vim.org> *vim-dev* *vimdev*
105 For discussions about changing Vim: New features, porting, patches,
106 beta-test versions, etc.
107 <vim-announce@vim.org> *vim-announce*
108 Announcements about new versions of Vim; also for beta-test versions
109 and ports to different systems. This is a read-only list.
110 <vim-multibyte@vim.org> *vim-multibyte*
111 For discussions about using and improving the multi-byte aspects of
113 <vim-mac@vim.org> *vim-mac*
114 For discussions about using and improving the Macintosh version of
117 See http://www.vim.org/maillist.php for the latest information.
120 - You can only send messages to these lists if you have subscribed!
121 - You need to send the messages from the same location as where you subscribed
122 from (to avoid spam mail).
123 - Maximum message size is 40000 characters.
126 If you want to join, send a message to
127 <vim-subscribe@vim.org>
128 Make sure that your "From:" address is correct. Then the list server will
129 give you help on how to subscribe.
132 For more information and archives look on the Vim maillist page:
133 http://www.vim.org/maillist.php
136 Bug reports: *bugs* *bug-reports* *bugreport.vim*
138 Send bug reports to: Vim Developers <vim_dev@vim.org>
139 This is a maillist, many people will see the message. If you don't want that,
140 e.g. because it is a security issue, send it to <bugs@vim.org>, this only goes
141 to the Vim maintainer (that's Bram).
142 Please be brief; all the time that is spent on answering mail is subtracted
143 from the time that is spent on improving Vim! Always give a reproducible
144 example and try to find out which settings or other things influence the
145 appearance of the bug. Try different machines, if possible. Send me patches
148 It will help to include information about the version of Vim you are using and
149 your setup. You can get the information with this command: >
150 :so $VIMRUNTIME/bugreport.vim
151 This will create a file "bugreport.txt" in the current directory, with a lot
152 of information of your environment. Before sending this out, check if it
153 doesn't contain any confidential information!
155 If Vim crashes, please try to find out where. You can find help on this here:
158 In case of doubt or when you wonder if the problem has already been fixed but
159 you can't find a fix for it, become a member of the vim-dev maillist and ask
160 your question there. |maillist|
163 Since Vim internally doesn't use dates for editing, there is no year 2000
164 problem to worry about. Vim does use the time in the form of seconds since
165 January 1st 1970. It is used for a time-stamp check of the edited file and
166 the swap file, which is not critical and should only cause warning messages.
168 There might be a year 2038 problem, when the seconds don't fit in a 32 bit int
169 anymore. This depends on the compiler, libraries and operating system.
170 Specifically, time_t and the ctime() function are used. And the time_t is
171 stored in four bytes in the swap file. But that's only used for printing a
172 file date/time for recovery, it will never affect normal editing.
174 The Vim strftime() function directly uses the strftime() system function.
175 localtime() uses the time() system function. getftime() uses the time
176 returned by the stat() system function. If your system libraries are year
177 2000 compliant, Vim is too.
179 The user may create scripts for Vim that use external commands. These might
180 introduce Y2K problems, but those are not really part of Vim itself.
182 ==============================================================================
183 3. Credits *credits* *author* *Bram* *Moolenaar*
185 Most of Vim was written by Bram Moolenaar <Bram@vim.org>.
187 Parts of the documentation come from several Vi manuals, written by:
192 The Vim editor is based on Stevie and includes (ideas from) other software,
193 worked on by the people mentioned here. Other people helped by sending me
194 patches, suggestions and giving feedback about what is good and bad in Vim.
196 Vim would never have become what it is now, without the help of these people!
198 Ron Aaron Win32 GUI changes
199 Mohsin Ahmed encryption
200 Zoltan Arpadffy work on VMS port
202 Gert van Antwerpen changes for DJGPP on MS-DOS
203 Berkeley DB(3) ideas for swap file implementation
205 Walter Briscoe Makefile updates, various patches
206 Ralf Brown SPAWNO library for MS-DOS
207 Robert Colon many useful remarks
208 Marcin Dalecki GTK+ GUI port, toolbar icons, gettext()
209 Kayhan Demirel sent me news in Uganda
210 Chris & John Downey xvi (ideas for multi-windows version)
211 Henk Elbers first VMS port
212 Daniel Elstner GTK+ 2 port
213 Eric Fischer Mac port, 'cindent', and other improvements
214 Benji Fisher Answering lots of user questions
215 Bill Foster Athena GUI port
216 Google Lets me work on Vim one day a week
217 Loic Grenie xvim (ideas for multi windows version)
218 Sven Guckes Vim promoter and previous WWW page maintainer
219 Darren Hiebert Exuberant ctags
220 Jason Hildebrand GTK+ 2 port
221 Bruce Hunsaker improvements for VMS port
222 Andy Kahn Cscope support, GTK+ GUI port
223 Oezguer Kesim Maintainer of Vim Mailing Lists
224 Axel Kielhorn work on the Macintosh port
225 Steve Kirkendall Elvis
226 Roger Knobbe original port to Windows NT
227 Sergey Laskavy Vim's help from Moscow
228 Felix von Leitner Previous maintainer of Vim Mailing Lists
229 David Leonard Port of Python extensions to Unix
230 Avner Lottem Edit in right-to-left windows
231 Flemming Madsen X11 client-server, various features and patches
232 Tony Mechelynck answers many user questions
233 Paul Moore Python interface extensions, many patches
234 Katsuhito Nagano Work on multi-byte versions
235 Sung-Hyun Nam Work on multi-byte versions
236 Vince Negri Win32 GUI and generic console enhancements
237 Steve Oualline Author of the first Vim book |frombook|
238 Dominique Pelle valgrind reports and many fixes
239 A.Politz Many bug reports and some fixes
240 George V. Reilly Win32 port, Win32 GUI start-off
241 Stephen Riehm bug collector
242 Stefan Roemer various patches and help to users
243 Ralf Schandl IBM OS/390 port
244 Olaf Seibert DICE and BeBox version, regexp improvements
245 Mortaza Shiran Farsi patches
246 Peter da Silva termlib
247 Paul Slootman OS/2 port
248 Henry Spencer regular expressions
249 Dany St-Amant Macintosh port
251 G. R. (Fred) Walter Stevie
252 Sven Verdoolaege Perl interface
253 Robert Webb Command-line completion, GUI versions, and
255 Ingo Wilken Tcl interface
256 Mike Williams PostScript printing
257 Juergen Weigert Lattice version, AUX improvements, UNIX and
258 MS-DOS ports, autoconf
259 Stefan 'Sec' Zehl Maintainer of vim.org
261 I wish to thank all the people that sent me bug reports and suggestions. The
262 list is too long to mention them all here. Vim would not be the same without
263 the ideas from all these people: They keep Vim alive!
266 In this documentation there are several references to other versions of Vi:
268 Vi "the original". Without further remarks this is the version
269 of Vi that appeared in Sun OS 4.x. ":version" returns
270 "Version 3.7, 6/7/85". Sometimes other versions are referred
271 to. Only runs under Unix. Source code only available with a
272 license. More information on Vi can be found through:
273 http://vi-editor.org [doesn't currently work...]
275 Posix From the IEEE standard 1003.2, Part 2: Shell and utilities.
276 Generally known as "Posix". This is a textual description of
277 how Vi is supposed to work.
278 See |posix-compliance|.
280 Nvi The "New" Vi. The version of Vi that comes with BSD 4.4 and FreeBSD.
281 Very good compatibility with the original Vi, with a few extensions.
282 The version used is 1.79. ":version" returns "Version 1.79
283 (10/23/96)". There has been no release the last few years, although
284 there is a development version 1.81.
285 Source code is freely available.
287 Elvis Another Vi clone, made by Steve Kirkendall. Very compact but isn't
289 The version used is 2.1. It is still being developed. Source code is
292 ==============================================================================
293 4. Notation *notation*
295 When syntax highlighting is used to read this, text that is not typed
296 literally is often highlighted with the Special group. These are items in [],
297 {} and <>, and CTRL-X.
299 Note that Vim uses all possible characters in commands. Sometimes the [], {}
300 and <> are part of what you type, the context should make this clear.
303 [] Characters in square brackets are optional.
306 [count] An optional number that may precede the command to multiply
307 or iterate the command. If no number is given, a count of one
308 is used, unless otherwise noted. Note that in this manual the
309 [count] is not mentioned in the description of the command,
310 but only in the explanation. This was done to make the
311 commands easier to look up. If the 'showcmd' option is on,
312 the (partially) entered count is shown at the bottom of the
313 window. You can use <Del> to erase the last digit (|N<Del>|).
316 ["x] An optional register designation where text can be stored.
317 See |registers|. The x is a single character between 'a' and
318 'z' or 'A' and 'Z' or '"', and in some cases (with the put
319 command) between '0' and '9', '%', '#', or others. The
320 uppercase and lowercase letter designate the same register,
321 but the lowercase letter is used to overwrite the previous
322 register contents, while the uppercase letter is used to
323 append to the previous register contents. Without the ""x" or
324 with """" the stored text is put into the unnamed register.
327 {} Curly braces denote parts of the command which must appear,
328 but which can take a number of different values. The
329 differences between Vim and Vi are also given in curly braces
330 (this will be clear from the context).
333 {char1-char2} A single character from the range char1 to char2. For
334 example: {a-z} is a lowercase letter. Multiple ranges may be
335 concatenated. For example, {a-zA-Z0-9} is any alphanumeric
338 *{motion}* *movement*
339 {motion} A command that moves the cursor. These are explained in
340 |motion.txt|. Examples:
341 w to start of next word
342 b to begin of current word
344 /The<CR> to next occurrence of "The"
345 This is used after an |operator| command to move over the text
346 that is to be operated upon.
347 - If the motion includes a count and the operator also has a
348 count, the two counts are multiplied. For example: "2d3w"
350 - The motion can be backwards, e.g. "db" to delete to the
352 - The motion can also be a mouse click. The mouse is not
353 supported in every terminal though.
354 - The ":omap" command can be used to map characters while an
356 - Ex commands can be used to move the cursor. This can be
357 used to call a function that does some complicated motion.
358 The motion is always characterwise exclusive, no matter
359 what ":" command is used. This means it's impossible to
360 include the last character of a line without the line break
361 (unless 'virtualedit' is set).
362 If the Ex command changes the text before where the operator
363 starts or jumps to another buffer the result is
364 unpredictable. It is possible to change the text further
365 down. Jumping to another buffer is possible if the current
366 buffer is not unloaded.
369 {Visual} A selected text area. It is started with the "v", "V", or
370 CTRL-V command, then any cursor movement command can be used
371 to change the end of the selected text.
372 This is used before an |operator| command to highlight the
373 text that is to be operated upon.
377 <character> A special character from the table below, optionally with
378 modifiers, or a single ASCII character with modifiers.
381 'c' A single ASCII character.
384 CTRL-{char} {char} typed as a control character; that is, typing {char}
385 while holding the CTRL key down. The case of {char} does not
386 matter; thus CTRL-A and CTRL-a are equivalent. But on some
387 terminals, using the SHIFT key will produce another code,
391 'option' An option, or parameter, that can be set to a value, is
392 enclosed in single quotes. See |options|.
395 "command" A reference to a command that you can type is enclosed in
398 *key-notation* *key-codes* *keycodes*
399 These names for keys are used in the documentation. They can also be used
400 with the ":map" command (insert the key name by pressing CTRL-K and then the
401 key you want the name for).
403 notation meaning equivalent decimal value(s) ~
404 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
405 <Nul> zero CTRL-@ 0 (stored as 10) *<Nul>*
406 <BS> backspace CTRL-H 8 *backspace*
407 <Tab> tab CTRL-I 9 *tab* *Tab*
409 <NL> linefeed CTRL-J 10 (used for <Nul>)
410 <FF> formfeed CTRL-L 12 *formfeed*
411 <CR> carriage return CTRL-M 13 *carriage-return*
412 <Return> same as <CR> *<Return>*
413 <Enter> same as <CR> *<Enter>*
414 <Esc> escape CTRL-[ 27 *escape* *<Esc>*
415 <Space> space 32 *space*
416 <lt> less-than < 60 *<lt>*
417 <Bslash> backslash \ 92 *backslash* *<Bslash>*
418 <Bar> vertical bar | 124 *<Bar>*
420 <CSI> command sequence intro ALT-Esc 155 *<CSI>*
421 <xCSI> CSI when typed in the GUI *<xCSI>*
423 <EOL> end-of-line (can be <CR>, <LF> or <CR><LF>,
424 depends on system and 'fileformat') *<EOL>*
426 <Up> cursor-up *cursor-up* *cursor_up*
427 <Down> cursor-down *cursor-down* *cursor_down*
428 <Left> cursor-left *cursor-left* *cursor_left*
429 <Right> cursor-right *cursor-right* *cursor_right*
430 <S-Up> shift-cursor-up
431 <S-Down> shift-cursor-down
432 <S-Left> shift-cursor-left
433 <S-Right> shift-cursor-right
434 <C-Left> control-cursor-left
435 <C-Right> control-cursor-right
436 <F1> - <F12> function keys 1 to 12 *function_key* *function-key*
437 <S-F1> - <S-F12> shift-function keys 1 to 12 *<S-F1>*
443 <PageUp> page-up *page_up* *page-up*
444 <PageDown> page-down *page_down* *page-down*
445 <kHome> keypad home (upper left) *keypad-home*
446 <kEnd> keypad end (lower left) *keypad-end*
447 <kPageUp> keypad page-up (upper right) *keypad-page-up*
448 <kPageDown> keypad page-down (lower right) *keypad-page-down*
449 <kPlus> keypad + *keypad-plus*
450 <kMinus> keypad - *keypad-minus*
451 <kMultiply> keypad * *keypad-multiply*
452 <kDivide> keypad / *keypad-divide*
453 <kEnter> keypad Enter *keypad-enter*
454 <kPoint> keypad Decimal point *keypad-point*
455 <k0> - <k9> keypad 0 to 9 *keypad-0* *keypad-9*
456 <S-...> shift-key *shift* *<S-*
457 <C-...> control-key *control* *ctrl* *<C-*
458 <M-...> alt-key or meta-key *meta* *alt* *<M-*
459 <A-...> same as <M-...> *<A-*
460 <D-...> command-key (Macintosh only) *<D-*
461 <t_xx> key with "xx" entry in termcap
462 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
464 Note: The shifted cursor keys, the help key, and the undo key are only
465 available on a few terminals. On the Amiga, shifted function key 10 produces
466 a code (CSI) that is also used by key sequences. It will be recognized only
467 after typing another key.
469 Note: There are two codes for the delete key. 127 is the decimal ASCII value
470 for the delete key, which is always recognized. Some delete keys send another
471 value, in which case this value is obtained from the termcap entry "kD". Both
472 values have the same effect. Also see |:fixdel|.
474 Note: The keypad keys are used in the same way as the corresponding "normal"
475 keys. For example, <kHome> has the same effect as <Home>. If a keypad key
476 sends the same raw key code as its non-keypad equivalent, it will be
477 recognized as the non-keypad code. For example, when <kHome> sends the same
478 code as <Home>, when pressing <kHome> Vim will think <Home> was pressed.
479 Mapping <kHome> will not work then.
482 Examples are often given in the <> notation. Sometimes this is just to make
483 clear what you need to type, but often it can be typed literally, e.g., with
484 the ":map" command. The rules are:
485 1. Any printable characters are typed directly, except backslash and '<'
486 2. A backslash is represented with "\\", double backslash, or "<Bslash>".
487 3. A real '<' is represented with "\<" or "<lt>". When there is no
488 confusion possible, a '<' can be used directly.
489 4. "<key>" means the special key typed. This is the notation explained in
490 the table above. A few examples:
494 <C-LeftMouse> Control- left mouse click
495 <S-F11> Shifted function key 11
496 <M-a> Meta- a ('a' with bit 8 set)
497 <M-A> Meta- A ('A' with bit 8 set)
498 <t_kd> "kd" termcap entry (cursor down key)
500 If you want to use the full <> notation in Vim, you have to make sure the '<'
501 flag is excluded from 'cpoptions' (when 'compatible' is not set, it already is
504 The <> notation uses <lt> to escape the special meaning of key names. Using a
505 backslash also works, but only when 'cpoptions' does not include the 'B' flag.
507 Examples for mapping CTRL-H to the six characters "<Home>": >
509 :imap <C-H> <lt>Home>
510 The first one only works when the 'B' flag is not in 'cpoptions'. The second
512 To get a literal "<lt>" in a mapping: >
515 For mapping, abbreviation and menu commands you can then copy-paste the
516 examples and use them directly. Or type them literally, including the '<' and
517 '>' characters. This does NOT work for other commands, like ":set" and
520 ==============================================================================
521 5. Modes, introduction *vim-modes-intro* *vim-modes*
523 Vim has six BASIC modes:
525 *Normal* *Normal-mode* *command-mode*
526 Normal mode In Normal mode you can enter all the normal editor
527 commands. If you start the editor you are in this
528 mode (unless you have set the 'insertmode' option,
529 see below). This is also known as command mode.
531 Visual mode This is like Normal mode, but the movement commands
532 extend a highlighted area. When a non-movement
533 command is used, it is executed for the highlighted
534 area. See |Visual-mode|.
535 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- VISUAL --" is shown
536 at the bottom of the window.
538 Select mode This looks most like the MS-Windows selection mode.
539 Typing a printable character deletes the selection
540 and starts Insert mode. See |Select-mode|.
541 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- SELECT --" is shown
542 at the bottom of the window.
544 Insert mode In Insert mode the text you type is inserted into the
545 buffer. See |Insert-mode|.
546 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- INSERT --" is shown
547 at the bottom of the window.
549 Command-line mode In Command-line mode (also called Cmdline mode) you
550 Cmdline mode can enter one line of text at the bottom of the
551 window. This is for the Ex commands, ":", the pattern
552 search commands, "?" and "/", and the filter command,
555 Ex mode Like Command-line mode, but after entering a command
556 you remain in Ex mode. Very limited editing of the
557 command line. |Ex-mode|
559 There are six ADDITIONAL modes. These are variants of the BASIC modes:
561 *Operator-pending* *Operator-pending-mode*
562 Operator-pending mode This is like Normal mode, but after an operator
563 command has started, and Vim is waiting for a {motion}
564 to specify the text that the operator will work on.
566 Replace mode Replace mode is a special case of Insert mode. You
567 can do the same things as in Insert mode, but for
568 each character you enter, one character of the existing
569 text is deleted. See |Replace-mode|.
570 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- REPLACE --" is
571 shown at the bottom of the window.
573 Virtual Replace mode Virtual Replace mode is similar to Replace mode, but
574 instead of file characters you are replacing screen
575 real estate. See |Virtual-Replace-mode|.
576 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- VREPLACE --" is
577 shown at the bottom of the window.
579 Insert Normal mode Entered when CTRL-O given in Insert mode. This is
580 like Normal mode, but after executing one command Vim
581 returns to Insert mode.
582 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- (insert) --" is
583 shown at the bottom of the window.
585 Insert Visual mode Entered when starting a Visual selection from Insert
586 mode, e.g., by using CTRL-O and then "v", "V" or
587 CTRL-V. When the Visual selection ends, Vim returns
589 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- (insert) VISUAL --"
590 is shown at the bottom of the window.
592 Insert Select mode Entered when starting Select mode from Insert mode.
593 E.g., by dragging the mouse or <S-Right>.
594 When the Select mode ends, Vim returns to Insert mode.
595 If the 'showmode' option is on "-- (insert) SELECT --"
596 is shown at the bottom of the window.
598 ==============================================================================
599 6. Switching from mode to mode *mode-switching*
601 If for any reason you do not know which mode you are in, you can always get
602 back to Normal mode by typing <Esc> twice. This doesn't work for Ex mode
603 though, use ":visual".
604 You will know you are back in Normal mode when you see the screen flash or
605 hear the bell after you type <Esc>. However, when pressing <Esc> after using
606 CTRL-O in Insert mode you get a beep but you are still in Insert mode, type
611 Normal Visual Select Insert Replace Cmd-line Ex ~
613 Normal v V ^V *4 *1 R gR : / ? ! Q
614 Visual *2 ^G c C -- : --
615 Select *5 ^O ^G *6 -- -- --
616 Insert <Esc> -- -- <Insert> -- --
617 Replace <Esc> -- -- <Insert> -- --
618 Command-line *3 -- -- :start -- --
619 Ex :vi -- -- -- -- --
623 *1 Go from Normal mode to Insert mode by giving the command "i", "I", "a",
624 "A", "o", "O", "c", "C", "s" or S".
625 *2 Go from Visual mode to Normal mode by giving a non-movement command, which
626 causes the command to be executed, or by hitting <Esc> "v", "V" or "CTRL-V"
627 (see |v_v|), which just stops Visual mode without side effects.
628 *3 Go from Command-line mode to Normal mode by:
629 - Hitting <CR> or <NL>, which causes the entered command to be executed.
630 - Deleting the complete line (e.g., with CTRL-U) and giving a final <BS>.
631 - Hitting CTRL-C or <Esc>, which quits the command-line without executing
633 In the last case <Esc> may be the character defined with the 'wildchar'
634 option, in which case it will start command-line completion. You can
635 ignore that and type <Esc> again. {Vi: when hitting <Esc> the command-line
636 is executed. This is unexpected for most people; therefore it was changed
637 in Vim. But when the <Esc> is part of a mapping, the command-line is
638 executed. If you want the Vi behaviour also when typing <Esc>, use ":cmap
640 *4 Go from Normal to Select mode by:
641 - use the mouse to select text while 'selectmode' contains "mouse"
642 - use a non-printable command to move the cursor while keeping the Shift
643 key pressed, and the 'selectmode' option contains "key"
644 - use "v", "V" or "CTRL-V" while 'selectmode' contains "cmd"
645 - use "gh", "gH" or "g CTRL-H" |g_CTRL-H|
646 *5 Go from Select mode to Normal mode by using a non-printable command to move
647 the cursor, without keeping the Shift key pressed.
648 *6 Go from Select mode to Insert mode by typing a printable character. The
649 selection is deleted and the character is inserted.
651 If the 'insertmode' option is on, editing a file will start in Insert mode.
653 *CTRL-\_CTRL-N* *i_CTRL-\_CTRL-N* *c_CTRL-\_CTRL-N* *v_CTRL-\_CTRL-N*
654 Additionally the command CTRL-\ CTRL-N or <C-\><C-N> can be used to go to
655 Normal mode from any other mode. This can be used to make sure Vim is in
656 Normal mode, without causing a beep like <Esc> would. However, this does not
657 work in Ex mode. When used after a command that takes an argument, such as
658 |f| or |m|, the timeout set with 'ttimeoutlen' applies.
660 *CTRL-\_CTRL-G* *i_CTRL-\_CTRL-G* *c_CTRL-\_CTRL-G* *v_CTRL-\_CTRL-G*
661 The command CTRL-\ CTRL-G or <C-\><C-G> can be used to go to Insert mode when
662 'insertmode' is set. Otherwise it goes to Normal mode. This can be used to
663 make sure Vim is in the mode indicated by 'insertmode', without knowing in
664 what mode Vim currently is.
666 *Q* *mode-Ex* *Ex-mode* *Ex* *EX* *E501*
667 Q Switch to "Ex" mode. This is a bit like typing ":"
668 commands one after another, except:
669 - You don't have to keep pressing ":".
670 - The screen doesn't get updated after each command.
671 - There is no normal command-line editing.
672 - Mappings and abbreviations are not used.
673 In fact, you are editing the lines with the "standard"
674 line-input editing commands (<Del> or <BS> to erase,
675 CTRL-U to kill the whole line).
676 Vim will enter this mode by default if it's invoked as
677 "ex" on the command-line.
678 Use the ":vi" command |:visual| to exit "Ex" mode.
679 Note: In older versions of Vim "Q" formatted text,
680 that is now done with |gq|. But if you use the
681 |vimrc_example.vim| script "Q" works like "gq".
684 gQ Switch to "Ex" mode like with "Q", but really behave
685 like typing ":" commands after another. All command
686 line editing, completion etc. is available.
687 Use the ":vi" command |:visual| to exit "Ex" mode.
690 ==============================================================================
691 7. The window contents *window-contents*
693 In Normal mode and Insert/Replace mode the screen window will show the current
694 contents of the buffer: What You See Is What You Get. There are two
696 - When the 'cpoptions' option contains '$', and the change is within one line,
697 the text is not directly deleted, but a '$' is put at the last deleted
699 - When inserting text in one window, other windows on the same text are not
700 updated until the insert is finished.
701 {Vi: The screen is not always updated on slow terminals}
703 Lines longer than the window width will wrap, unless the 'wrap' option is off
704 (see below). The 'linebreak' option can be set to wrap at a blank character.
706 If the window has room after the last line of the buffer, Vim will show '~' in
707 the first column of the last lines in the window, like this:
709 +-----------------------+
714 +-----------------------+
716 Thus the '~' lines indicate that the end of the buffer was reached.
718 If the last line in a window doesn't fit, Vim will indicate this with a '@' in
719 the first column of the last lines in the window, like this:
721 +-----------------------+
726 +-----------------------+
728 Thus the '@' lines indicate that there is a line that doesn't fit in the
731 When the "lastline" flag is present in the 'display' option, you will not see
732 '@' characters at the left side of window. If the last line doesn't fit
733 completely, only the part that fits is shown, and the last three characters of
734 the last line are replaced with "@@@", like this:
736 +-----------------------+
739 |a very long line that d|
740 |oesn't fit in the wi@@@|
741 +-----------------------+
743 If there is a single line that is too long to fit in the window, this is a
744 special situation. Vim will show only part of the line, around where the
745 cursor is. There are no special characters shown, so that you can edit all
747 {Vi: gives an "internal error" on lines that do not fit in the window}
749 The '@' occasion in the 'highlight' option can be used to set special
750 highlighting for the '@' and '~' characters. This makes it possible to
751 distinguish them from real characters in the buffer.
753 The 'showbreak' option contains the string to put in front of wrapped lines.
756 If the 'wrap' option is off, long lines will not wrap. Only the part that
757 fits on the screen is shown. If the cursor is moved to a part of the line
758 that is not shown, the screen is scrolled horizontally. The advantage of
759 this method is that columns are shown as they are and lines that cannot fit
760 on the screen can be edited. The disadvantage is that you cannot see all the
761 characters of a line at once. The 'sidescroll' option can be set to the
762 minimal number of columns to scroll. {Vi: has no 'wrap' option}
764 All normal ASCII characters are displayed directly on the screen. The <Tab>
765 is replaced with the number of spaces that it represents. Other non-printing
766 characters are replaced with "^{char}", where {char} is the non-printing
767 character with 64 added. Thus character 7 (bell) will be shown as "^G".
768 Characters between 127 and 160 are replaced with "~{char}", where {char} is
769 the character with 64 subtracted. These characters occupy more than one
770 position on the screen. The cursor can only be positioned on the first one.
772 If you set the 'number' option, all lines will be preceded with their
773 number. Tip: If you don't like wrapping lines to mix with the line numbers,
774 set the 'showbreak' option to eight spaces:
775 ":set showbreak=\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ "
777 If you set the 'list' option, <Tab> characters will not be shown as several
778 spaces, but as "^I". A '$' will be placed at the end of the line, so you can
779 find trailing blanks.
781 In Command-line mode only the command-line itself is shown correctly. The
782 display of the buffer contents is updated as soon as you go back to Command
785 The last line of the window is used for status and other messages. The
786 status messages will only be used if an option is on:
788 status message option default Unix default ~
789 current mode 'showmode' on on
790 command characters 'showcmd' on off
791 cursor position 'ruler' off off
793 The current mode is "-- INSERT --" or "-- REPLACE --", see |'showmode'|. The
794 command characters are those that you typed but were not used yet. {Vi: does
795 not show the characters you typed or the cursor position}
797 If you have a slow terminal you can switch off the status messages to speed
801 If there is an error, an error message will be shown for at least one second
802 (in reverse video). {Vi: error messages may be overwritten with other
803 messages before you have a chance to read them}
805 Some commands show how many lines were affected. Above which threshold this
806 happens can be controlled with the 'report' option (default 2).
808 On the Amiga Vim will run in a CLI window. The name Vim and the full name of
809 the current file name will be shown in the title bar. When the window is
810 resized, Vim will automatically redraw the window. You may make the window as
811 small as you like, but if it gets too small not a single line will fit in it.
812 Make it at least 40 characters wide to be able to read most messages on the
815 On most Unix systems, resizing the window is recognized and handled correctly
818 ==============================================================================
819 8. Definitions *definitions*
821 screen The whole area that Vim uses to work in. This can be
822 a terminal emulator window. Also called "the Vim
824 window A view on a buffer.
826 A screen contains one or more windows, separated by status lines and with the
827 command line at the bottom.
829 +-------------------------------+
830 screen | window 1 | window 2 |
833 |= status line =|= status line =|
837 |==== status line ==============|
839 +-------------------------------+
841 The command line is also used for messages. It scrolls up the screen when
842 there is not enough room in the command line.
844 A difference is made between four types of lines:
846 buffer lines The lines in the buffer. This is the same as the
847 lines as they are read from/written to a file. They
848 can be thousands of characters long.
849 logical lines The buffer lines with folding applied. Buffer lines
850 in a closed fold are changed to a single logical line:
851 "+-- 99 lines folded". They can be thousands of
853 window lines The lines displayed in a window: A range of logical
854 lines with wrapping, line breaks, etc. applied. They
855 can only be as long as the width of the window allows,
856 longer lines are wrapped or truncated.
857 screen lines The lines of the screen that Vim uses. Consists of
858 the window lines of all windows, with status lines
859 and the command line added. They can only be as long
860 as the width of the screen allows. When the command
861 line gets longer it wraps and lines are scrolled to
864 buffer lines logical lines window lines screen lines ~
866 1. one 1. one 1. +-- folded 1. +-- folded
867 2. two 2. +-- folded 2. five 2. five
868 3. three 3. five 3. six 3. six
869 4. four 4. six 4. seven 4. seven
870 5. five 5. seven 5. === status line ===
874 1. aaa 1. aaa 1. aaa 9. cc
875 2. bbb 2. bbb 2. bbb 10. ddd
876 3. ccc ccc ccc 3. ccc ccc ccc 3. ccc ccc c 11. ~
877 4. ddd 4. ddd 4. cc 12. === status line ===
878 5. ddd 13. (command line)
881 ==============================================================================
882 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl:
projects / external / vim.git / blob