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diff --git a/runtime/doc/usr_11.txt b/runtime/doc/usr_11.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..28ff3842e --- /dev/null +++ b/runtime/doc/usr_11.txt @@ -0,0 +1,287 @@ +*usr_11.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2004 Apr 23 + + VIM USER MANUAL - by Bram Moolenaar + + Recovering from a crash + + +Did your computer crash? And you just spent hours editing? Don't panic! Vim +keeps enough information on harddisk to be able to restore most of your work. +This chapter shows you how to get your work back and explains how the swap +file is used. + +|11.1| Basic recovery +|11.2| Where is the swap file? +|11.3| Crashed or not? +|11.4| Further reading + + Next chapter: |usr_12.txt| Clever tricks + Previous chapter: |usr_10.txt| Making big changes +Table of contents: |usr_toc.txt| + +============================================================================== +*11.1* Basic recovery + +In most cases recovering a file is quite simple, assuming you know which file +you were editing (and the harddisk is still working). Start Vim on the file, +with the "-r" argument added: > + + vim -r help.txt + +Vim will read the swap file (used to store text you were editing) and may read +bits and pieces of the original file. If all is well, you will see these +messages (with different file names, of course): + + Using swap file ".help.txt.swp" ~ + Original file "~/vim/runtime/doc/help.txt" ~ + Recovery completed. You should check if everything is OK. ~ + (You might want to write out this file under another name ~ + and run diff with the original file to check for changes) ~ + Delete the .swp file afterwards. ~ + +To be on the safe side, write this file under another name: > + + :write help.txt.recovered + +Compare the file with the original file to check if you ended up with what you +expected. Vimdiff is very useful for this |08.7|. Watch out for the original +file to contain a more recent version (you saved the file just before the +computer crashed). And check that no lines are missing (something went wrong +that Vim could not recover). + If Vim produces warning messages when recovering, read them carefully. +This is rare though. + +It's normal that the last few changes can not be recovered. Vim flushes the +changes to disk when you don't type for about four seconds, or after typing +about two hundred characters. This is set with the 'updatetime' and +'updatecount' options. Thus when Vim didn't get a chance to save itself when +the system went down, the changes after the last flush will be lost. + +If you were editing without a file name, give an empty string as argument: > + + vim -r "" + +You must be in the right directory, otherwise Vim can't find the swap file. + +============================================================================== +*11.2* Where is the swap file? + +Vim can store the swap file in several places. Normally it is in the same +directory as the original file. To find it, change to the directory of the +file, and use: > + + vim -r + +Vim will list the swap files that it can find. It will also look in other +directories where the swap file for files in the current directory may be +located. It will not find swap files in any other directories though, it +doesn't search the directory tree. + The output could look like this: + + Swap files found: ~ + In current directory: ~ + 1. .main.c.swp ~ + owned by: mool dated: Tue May 29 21:00:25 2001 ~ + file name: ~mool/vim/vim6/src/main.c ~ + modified: YES ~ + user name: mool host name: masaka.moolenaar.net ~ + process ID: 12525 ~ + In directory ~/tmp: ~ + -- none -- ~ + In directory /var/tmp: ~ + -- none -- ~ + In directory /tmp: ~ + -- none -- ~ + +If there are several swap files that look like they may be the one you want to +use, a list is given of these swap files and you are requested to enter the +number of the one you want to use. Carefully look at the dates to decide +which one you want to use. + In case you don't know which one to use, just try them one by one and check +the resulting files if they are what you expected. + + +USING A SPECIFIC SWAP FILE + +If you know which swap file needs to be used, you can recover by giving the +swap file name. Vim will then finds out the name of the original file from +the swap file. + +Example: > + vim -r .help.txt.swo + +This is also handy when the swap file is in another directory than expected. +If this still does not work, see what file names Vim reports and rename the +files accordingly. Check the 'directory' option to see where Vim may have +put the swap file. + + Note: + Vim tries to find the swap file by searching the directories in the + 'dir' option, looking for files that match "filename.sw?". If + wildcard expansion doesn't work (e.g., when the 'shell' option is + invalid), Vim does a desperate try to find the file "filename.swp". + If that fails too, you will have to give the name of the swapfile + itself to be able to recover the file. + +============================================================================== +*11.3* Crashed or not? *ATTENTION* *E325* + +Vim tries to protect you from doing stupid things. Suppose you innocently +start editing a file, expecting the contents of the file to show up. Instead, +Vim produces a very long message: + + E325: ATTENTION ~ + Found a swap file by the name ".main.c.swp" ~ + owned by: mool dated: Tue May 29 21:09:28 2001 ~ + file name: ~mool/vim/vim6/src/main.c ~ + modified: no ~ + user name: mool host name: masaka.moolenaar.net ~ + process ID: 12559 (still running) ~ + While opening file "main.c" ~ + dated: Tue May 29 19:46:12 2001 ~ + ~ + (1) Another program may be editing the same file. ~ + If this is the case, be careful not to end up with two ~ + different instances of the same file when making changes. ~ + Quit, or continue with caution. ~ + ~ + (2) An edit session for this file crashed. ~ + If this is the case, use ":recover" or "vim -r main.c" ~ + to recover the changes (see ":help recovery"). ~ + If you did this already, delete the swap file ".main.c.swp" ~ + to avoid this message. ~ + +You get this message, because, when starting to edit a file, Vim checks if a +swap file already exists for that file. If there is one, there must be +something wrong. It may be one of these two situations. + +1. Another edit session is active on this file. Look in the message for the + line with "process ID". It might look like this: + + process ID: 12559 (still running) ~ + + The text "(still running)" indicates that the process editing this file + runs on the same computer. When working on a non-Unix system you will not + get this extra hint. When editing a file over a network, you may not see + the hint, because the process might be running on another computer. In + those two cases you must find out what the situation is yourself. + If there is another Vim editing the same file, continuing to edit will + result in two versions of the same file. The one that is written last will + overwrite the other one, resulting in loss of changes. You better quit + this Vim. + +2. The swap file might be the result from a previous crash of Vim or the + computer. Check the dates mentioned in the message. If the date of the + swap file is newer than the file you were editing, and this line appears: + + modified: YES ~ + + Then you very likely have a crashed edit session that is worth recovering. + If the date of the file is newer than the date of the swap file, then + either it was changed after the crash (perhaps you recovered it earlier, + but didn't delete the swap file?), or else the file was saved before the + crash but after the last write of the swap file (then you're lucky: you + don't even need that old swap file). Vim will warn you for this with this + extra line: + + NEWER than swap file! ~ + + +UNREADABLE SWAP FILE + +Sometimes the line + + [cannot be read] ~ + +will appear under the name of the swap file. This can be good or bad, +depending on circumstances. + +It is good if a previous editing session crashed without having made any +changes to the file. Then a directory listing of the swap file will show +that it has zero bytes. You may delete it and proceed. + +It is slightly bad if you don't have read permission for the swap file. You +may want to view the file read-only, or quit. On multi-user systems, if you +yourself did the last changes under a different login name, a logout +followed by a login under that other name might cure the "read error". Or +else you might want to find out who last edited (or is editing) the file and +have a talk with them. + +It is very bad if it means there is a physical read error on the disk +containing the swap file. Fortunately, this almost never happens. +You may want to view the file read-only at first (if you can), to see the +extent of the changes that were "forgotten". If you are the one in charge of +that file, be prepared to redo your last changes. + + +WHAT TO DO? + +If dialogs are supported you will be asked to select one of five choices: + + Swap file ".main.c.swp" already exists! ~ + [O]pen Read-Only, (E)dit anyway, (R)ecover, (Q)uit, (A)bort, (D)elete it: ~ + +O Open the file readonly. Use this when you just want to view the file and + don't need to recover it. You might want to use this when you know someone + else is editing the file, but you just want to look in it and not make + changes. + +E Edit the file anyway. Use this with caution! If the file is being edited + in another Vim, you might end up with two versions of the file. Vim will + try to warn you when this happens, but better be safe then sorry. + +R Recover the file from the swap file. Use this if you know that the swap + file contains changes that you want to recover. + +Q Quit. This avoids starting to edit the file. Use this if there is another + Vim editing the same file. + When you just started Vim, this will exit Vim. When starting Vim with + files in several windows, Vim quits only if there is a swap file for the + first one. When using an edit command, the file will not be loaded and you + are taken back to the previously edited file. + +A Abort. Like Quit, but also abort further commands. This is useful when + loading a script that edits several files, such as a session with multiple + windows. + +D Delete the swap file. Use this when you are sure you no longer need it. + For example, when it doesn't contain changes, or when the file itself is + newer than the swap file. + On Unix this choice is only offered when the process that created the + swap file does not appear to be running. + +If you do not get the dialog (you are running a version of Vim that does not +support it), you will have to do it manually. To recover the file, use this +command: > + + :recover + + +Vim cannot always detect that a swap file already exists for a file. This is +the case when the other edit session puts the swap files in another directory +or when the path name for the file is different when editing it on different +machines. Therefore, don't rely on Vim always warning you. + +If you really don't want to see this message, you can add the 'A' flag to the +'shortmess' option. But it's very unusual that you need this. + +============================================================================== +*11.4* Further reading + +|swap-file| An explanation about where the swap file will be created and + what its name is. +|:preserve| Manually flushing the swap file to disk. +|:swapname| See the name of the swap file for the current file. +'updatecount' Number of key strokes after which the swap file is flushed to + disk. +'updatetime' Timeout after which the swap file is flushed to disk. +'swapsync' Whether the disk is synced when the swap file is flushed. +'directory' List of directory names where to store the swap file. +'maxmem' Limit for memory usage before writing text to the swap file. +'maxmemtot' Same, but for all files in total. + +============================================================================== + +Next chapter: |usr_12.txt| Clever tricks + +Copyright: see |manual-copyright| vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: |