VIM(1) manual page

Table of Contents

## Name

vim - Vi IMproved, a programmers text editor

## Synopsis

vim [options] [file ..]
vim [options] -t tag
vim [options] -e [errorfile]

## Description

Vim is a text editor that is upwards compatible to vi. It can be used to edit any ASCII text. It is especially useful for editing programs.

There are a lot of enhancements above vi: multi level undo, multi windows and buffers, command line editing, filename completion, on-line help, visual selection, etc.. Read vim_diff.txt for a summary of the differences between Vim and vi.

While running Vim a lot of help can be obtained from the on-line help system. See ON-LINE HELP below.

Most often Vim is started to edit a single file with the command

`` `` vim file

More generally Vim is started with:

`` `` vim [options] [filelist]

If the filelist is missing, the editor will start with an empty buffer. Otherwise exactly one out of the following three may be used to choose one or more files to be edited.

file ..
  A list of file names. The first one will be the current file and read into the buffer. The cursor will be positioned on the first line of the buffer. You can get to the other files with the ":next" command. To edit a file that starts with a dash, precede the filelist with "--".
-t {tag}
  The file to edit and the initial cursor position depends on a "tag", a sort of goto label. {tag} is looked up in the tags file, the associated file becomes the current file and the associated command is executed. Mostly this is used for C programs. {tag} then should be a function name. The effect is that the file containing that function becomes the current file and the cursor is positioned on the start of the function. See ":help tag_commands".
-e [errorfile]
  Start in quickFix mode. The file [errorfile] is read and the first error is displayed. If [errorfile] is omitted the file name is obtained from the 'errorfile' option (defaults to "AztecC.Err" for the Amiga, "errors.vim" on other systems). Further errors can be jumped to with the ":cn" command. See ":help quickfix".

## Options

The options, if present, must precede the filelist. The options may be given in any order. Options can mostly be combined after a single dash.

+[num]
  For the first file the cursor will be positioned on line "num". If "num" is missing, the cursor will be positioned on the last line.
+/{pat}
  For the first file the cursor will be positioned on the first occurrence of {pat}. See ":help search_pattern" for the available search patterns.
+{command}
-c {command}
  {command} will be executed after the first file has been read. {command} is interpreted as an Ex command. If the {command} contains spaces it must be enclosed in double quotes (this depends on the shell that is used). Example: Vim "+set si" main.c
  Note: You can use only one "+" or "-c" argument.
-b
  Binary mode. A few options will be set that makes it possible to edit a binary or executable file.
-d {device}
  Open {device} for use as a terminal. Only on the Amiga. Example: "-d con:20/30/600/150".
-i {viminfo}
  When using the viminfo file is enabled, this option sets the file name to use, instead of the default "~/.viminfo". This can also be used to skip the use of the .viminfo file, by giving the name "NONE".
-g
  If Vim has been compiled with GUI support, this option turns the GUI on. If no GUI support was compiled in, an error message is given and Vim aborts.
-H
  If Vim has been compiled with RIGHTLEFT support for editing right-to-left oriented files and Hebrew keyboard mapping, this option starts Vim in Hebrew mode, i.e. hkmap and rightleft are set. Otherwise an error message is given and Vim aborts.
-n
  No swap file will be used. Recovery after a crash will be impossible. Handy if you want to edit a file on a very slow medium (e.g. floppy). Can also be done with ":set uc=0". Can be undone with ":set uc=200".
-o[N]
  Open N windows. When N is omitted, open one window for each file.
-r
  List swap files, with information about using them for recovery.
-r {file}
  Recovery mode. The swap file is used to recover a crashed editing session. The swap file is a file with the same file name as the text file with ".swp" appended. See ":help recovery".
-s {scriptin}
  The script file {scriptin} is read. The characters in the file are interpreted as if you had typed them. The same can be done with the command ":source! {scriptin}". If the end of the file is reached before the editor exits, further characters are read from the keyboard.
-T {terminal}
  Tells Vim the name of the terminal you are using. Should be a terminal known to Vim (builtin) or defined in the termcap or terminfo file.
-u {vimrc}
  Use the commands in the file "vimrc" for initializations. All the other initializations are skipped. Use this to edit a special kind of files. It can also be used to skip all initializations by giving the name "NONE". See ":help initialization" within vim for more details.
-v
  View mode. The 'readonly' option will be set. You can still edit the buffer, but will be prevented from accidently overwriting a file. If you do want to overwrite a file, add an exclamation mark to the Ex command, as in ":w!". The -v option also implies the -n option (see below). The 'readonly' option can be reset with ":set noro". See ":help 'readonly'".
-w {scriptout}
  All the characters that you type are recorded in the file {scriptout}, until you exit Vim. This is useful if you want to create a script file to be used with "vim -s" or ":source!". If the {scriptout} file exists, characters are appended.
-W {scriptout}
  Like -w, but an existing file is overwritten.
-x
  (Amiga only) Vim is not restarted to open a new window. This option should be used when Vim is executed by a program that will wait for the edit session to finish (e.g. mail). The ":sh" and ":!" commands will not work.
--
  Denotes the end of the options, arguments after this will be handled as a file name. This can be used to edit a file name that starts with a '-'.

## On-line Help

Type ":help" in Vim to get started. Type ":help subject" to get help on a specific subject. For example: ":help ZZ" to get help for the "ZZ" command. Use <Tab> and CTRL-D to complete subjects (":help cmdline_completion"). Tags are present to jump from one place to another (sort of hypertext links, see ":help"). All files mentioned below can be viewed in this way, for example ":help vim_ref.txt".

## Files

Vim documentation (in /usr/local/lib/vim).

vim_ref.txt
  A complete reference of Vim (long).
vim_help.txt
  File used by the on-line help (short), contains links to all other files.
vim_win.txt
  Explanation of the multi windows and buffers commands and options.
vim_idx.txt
  Overview of all command characters (useful when adding new mappings).
vim_tips.txt
  Some useful tips about using Vim for specific file types.
vim_digr.txt
  Overview of the available digraphs.
vim_kcc.txt
  About copying Vim and Uganda.
vim_diff.txt
  Overview of the differences between Vim and vi.
vim_<machine>.txt
  Machine specific comments. <machine> can be ami (Amiga), arch (Archimedes), unix, w32 (Windows 95/NT), dos (MS-DOS), mint (Atari MiNT) and mac (Macintosh).
vim_gui.txt
  Specific comments about the GUI version.
vim_rlh.txt
  Information about using Vim for editing right-to-left oriented files.
/usr/local/lib/vim/vimrc
  System wide Vim initializations
/usr/local/lib/vim/gvimrc
  System wide gvim initializations

For recent info read the VIM home page:
<URL:http://www.math.fu-berlin.de/~guckes/vim/ >

## Author

Most of Vim was made by Bram Moolenaar.
Vim is based on Stevie, worked on by: Tim Thompson, Tony Andrews and G.R. (Fred) Walter

## Bugs

Probably. See the "todo" file that comes with the distribution.

Note that a number of things that may be regarded as bugs by some, are in fact caused by a too-faithful reproduction of vi's behaviour. Other people may think other things are bugs "because vi does it differently". Those people should take a closer look at the vim_diff.txt file (or type :help vim_diff.txt when in Vim). Also have a look at the 'compatible' option.

Table of Contents

- Name
- Synopsis
- Description
- Options
- On-line Help
- Files
- Author
- Bugs