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diff --git a/runtime/doc/usr_22.txt b/runtime/doc/usr_22.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..c355cb31d --- /dev/null +++ b/runtime/doc/usr_22.txt @@ -0,0 +1,364 @@ +*usr_22.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2003 Mar 17 + + VIM USER MANUAL - by Bram Moolenaar + + Finding the file to edit + + +Files can be found everywhere. So how do you find them? Vim offers various +ways to browse the directory tree. There are commands to jump to a file that +is mentioned in another. And Vim remembers which files have been edited +before. + +|22.1| The file explorer +|22.2| The current directory +|22.3| Finding a file +|22.4| The buffer list + + Next chapter: |usr_23.txt| Editing other files + Previous chapter: |usr_21.txt| Go away and come back +Table of contents: |usr_toc.txt| + +============================================================================== +*22.1* The file explorer + +Vim has a plugin that makes it possible to edit a directory. Try this: > + + :edit . + +Through the magic of autocommands and Vim scripts, the window will be filled +with the contents of the directory. It looks like this: + + " Press ? for keyboard shortcuts ~ + " Sorted by name (.bak,~,.o,.h,.info,.swp,.obj,.orig,.rej at end of list) ~ + "= /home/mool/vim/vim6/runtime/doc/ ~ + ../ ~ + check/ ~ + Makefile ~ + autocmd.txt ~ + change.txt ~ + eval.txt~ ~ + filetype.txt~ ~ + help.txt.info ~ + +You can see these items: +1. A comment about using ? to get help for the functionality of the file + explorer. +2. The second line mentions how the items in the directory are listed. They + can be sorted in several ways. +3. The third line is the name of the current directory. +4. The "../" directory item. This is the parent directory. +5. The directory names. +6. The ordinary file names. As mentioned in the second line, some are not + here but "at the end of the list". +7. The less ordinary file names. You are expected to use these less often, + therefore they have been moved to the end. + +If you have syntax highlighting enabled, the different parts are highlighted +to make it easier to spot them. + +You can use Normal mode Vim commands to move around in the text. For example, +move to a file and press <Enter>. Now you are editing that file. To go back +to the explorer use ":edit ." again. CTRL-O also works. + Try using <Enter> while the cursor is on a directory name. The result is +that the explorer moves into that directory and displays the items found +there. Pressing <Enter> on the first directory "../" moves you one level +higher. Pressing "-" does the same thing, without the need to move to the +"../" item first. + +You can press ? to get short help on the things you can do in the explorer. +This is what you get: + + " <enter> : open file or directory ~ + " o : open new window for file/directory ~ + " O : open file in previously visited window ~ + " p : preview the file ~ + " i : toggle size/date listing ~ + " s : select sort field r : reverse sort ~ + " - : go up one level c : cd to this dir ~ + " R : rename file D : delete file ~ + " :help file-explorer for detailed help ~ + +The first few commands are for selecting a file to display. Depending on what +command you use, the file appears somewhere: + + <Enter> Uses the current window. + o Opens a new window. + O Uses the previously visited window. + p Uses the preview window, and moves the cursor back + into the explorer window. |preview-window| + +The following commands are used to display other information: + + i Display the size and date for the file. Using i again + will hide the information. + s Use the field the cursor is in to sort on. First + display the size and date with i. Then Move the + cursor to the size of any file and press s. The files + will now be sorted on size. Press s wile the cursor + is on a date and the items will be sorted on date. + r reverse the sorting order (either size or date) + +There are a few extra commands: + + c Change the current directory to the displayed + directory. You can then type an ":edit" command for + one of the files without prepending the path. + R Rename the file under the cursor. You will be + prompted for the new name. + D Delete the file under the cursor. You will get a + prompt to confirm this. + +============================================================================== +*22.2* The current directory + +Just like the shell, Vim has the concept of a current directory. Suppose you +are in your home directory and want to edit several files in a directory +"VeryLongFileName". You could do: > + + :edit VeryLongFileName/file1.txt + :edit VeryLongFileName/file2.txt + :edit VeryLongFileName/file3.txt + +To avoid much of the typing, do this: > + + :cd VeryLongFileName + :edit file1.txt + :edit file2.txt + :edit file3.txt + +The ":cd" command changes the current directory. You can see what the current +directory is with the ":pwd" command: > + + :pwd + /home/Bram/VeryLongFileName + +Vim remembers the last directory that you used. Use "cd -" to go back to it. +Example: > + + :pwd + /home/Bram/VeryLongFileName + :cd /etc + :pwd + /etc + :cd - + :pwd + /home/Bram/VeryLongFileName + :cd - + :pwd + /etc + + +WINDOW LOCAL DIRECTORY + +When you split a window, both windows use the same current directory. When +you want to edit a number of files somewhere else in the new window, you can +make it use a different directory, without changing the current directory in +the other window. This is called a local directory. > + + :pwd + /home/Bram/VeryLongFileName + :split + :lcd /etc + :pwd + /etc + CTRL-W w + :pwd + /home/Bram/VeryLongFileName + +So long as no ":lcd" command has been used, all windows share the same current +directory. Doing a ":cd" command in one window will also change the current +directory of the other window. + For a window where ":lcd" has been used a different current directory is +remembered. Using ":cd" or ":lcd" in other windows will not change it. + When using a ":cd" command in a window that uses a different current +directory, it will go back to using the shared directory. + +============================================================================== +*22.3* Finding a file + +You are editing a C program that contains this line: + + #include "inits.h" ~ + +You want to see what is in that "inits.h" file. Move the cursor on the name +of the file and type: > + + gf + +Vim will find the file and edit it. + What if the file is not in the current directory? Vim will use the 'path' +option to find the file. This option is a list of directory names where to +look for your file. + Suppose you have your include files located in "c:/prog/include". This +command will add it to the 'path' option: > + + :set path+=c:/prog/include + +This directory is an absolute path. No matter where you are, it will be the +same place. What if you have located files in a subdirectory, below where the +file is? Then you can specify a relative path name. This starts with a dot: +> + :set path+=./proto + +This tells Vim to look in the directory "proto", below the directory where the +file in which you use "gf" is. Thus using "gf" on "inits.h" will make Vim +look for "proto/inits.h", starting in the directory of the file. + Without the "./", thus "proto", Vim would look in the "proto" directory +below the current directory. And the current directory might not be where the +file that you are editing is located. + +The 'path' option allows specifying the directories where to search for files +in many more ways. See the help on the 'path' option. + The 'isfname' option is used to decide which characters are included in the +file name, and which ones are not (e.g., the " character in the example +above). + +When you know the file name, but it's not to be found in the file, you can +type it: > + + :find inits.h + +Vim will then use the 'path' option to try and locate the file. This is the +same as the ":edit" command, except for the use of 'path'. + +To open the found file in a new window use CTRL-W f instead of "gf", or use +":sfind" instead of ":find". + + +A nice way to directly start Vim to edit a file somewhere in the 'path': > + + vim "+find stdio.h" + +This finds the file "stdio.h" in your value of 'path'. The quotes are +necessary to have one argument |-+c|. + +============================================================================== +*22.4* The buffer list + +The Vim editor uses the term buffer to describe a file being edited. +Actually, a buffer is a copy of the file that you edit. When you finish +changing the buffer, you write the contents of the buffer to the file. +Buffers not only contain file contents, but also all the marks, settings, and +other stuff that goes with it. + + +HIDDEN BUFFERS + +Suppose you are editing the file one.txt and need to edit the file two.txt. +You could simply use ":edit two.txt", but since you made changes to one.txt +that won't work. You also don't want to write one.txt yet. Vim has a +solution for you: > + + :hide edit two.txt + +The buffer "one.txt" disappears from the screen, but Vim still knows that you +are editing this buffer, so it keeps the modified text. This is called a +hidden buffer: The buffer contains text, but you can't see it. + The ":hide" command argument is another command. It makes that command +behave like the 'hidden' option was set. You could also set this option +yourself. The effect is that when any buffer is abandoned, it becomes hidden. + Be careful! When you have hidden buffers with changes, don't exit Vim +without making sure you have saved all the buffers. + + +INACTIVE BUFFERS + + When a buffer has been used once, Vim remembers some information about it. +When it is not displayed in a window and it is not hidden, it is still in the +buffer list. This is called an inactive buffer. Overview: + + Active Appears in a window, text loaded. + Hidden Not in a window, text loaded. + Inactive Not in a window, no text loaded. + +The inactive buffers are remembered, because Vim keeps information about them, +like marks. And remembering the file name is useful too, so that you can see +which files you have edited. And edit them again. + + +LISTING BUFFERS + +View the buffer list with this command: > + + :buffers + +A command which does the same, is not so obvious to list buffers, but is much +shorter to type: > + + :ls + +The output could look like this: + + 1 #h "help.txt" line 62 ~ + 2 %l+ "usr_21.txt" line 1 ~ + 3 "usr_toc.txt" line 1 ~ + +The first column contains the buffer number. You can use this to edit the +buffer without having to type the name, see below. + After the buffer number come the flags. Then the name of the file +and the line number where the cursor was the last time. + The flags that can appear are these (from left to right): + + u Buffer is unlisted |unlisted-buffer|. + % Current buffer. + # Alternate buffer. + l Buffer is loaded and displayed. + h Buffer is loaded but hidden. + = Buffer is read-only. + - Buffer is not modifiable, the 'modifiable' option is off. + + Buffer has been modified. + + +EDITING A BUFFER + +You can edit a buffer by its number. That avoids having to type the file +name: > + + :buffer 2 + +But the only way to know the number is by looking in the buffer list. You can +use the name, or part of it, instead: > + + :buffer help + +Vim will find a best match for the name you type. If there is only one +buffer that matches the name, it will be used. In this case "help.txt". + To open a buffer in a new window: > + + :sbuffer 3 + +This works with a name as well. + + +USING THE BUFFER LIST + +You can move around in the buffer list with these commands: + + :bnext go to next buffer + :bprevious go to previous buffer + :bfirst go to the first buffer + :blast go to the last buffer + +To remove a buffer from the list, use this command: > + + :bdelete 3 + +Again, this also works with a name. + If you delete a buffer that was active (visible in a window), that window +will be closed. If you delete the current buffer, the current window will be +closed. If it was the last window, Vim will find another buffer to edit. You +can't be editing nothing! + + Note: + Even after removing the buffer with ":bdelete" Vim still remembers it. + It's actually made "unlisted", it no longer appears in the list from + ":buffers". The ":buffers!" command will list unlisted buffers (yes, + Vim can do the impossible). To really make Vim forget about a buffer, + use ":bwipe". Also see the 'buflisted' option. + +============================================================================== + +Next chapter: |usr_23.txt| Editing other files + +Copyright: see |manual-copyright| vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: |