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the super star
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=1
When a discussion started about learning vim on the vim list Juergen Salk mentioned the "*" key as something that he wished he had know earlier. When I read the mail I had to go help on what the heck the "*" did. I also wish I had known earlier... Using the "*" key while in normal mode searches for the word under the cursor. If that doesn't save you a lot of typing, I don't know what will.
easy edit of files in the same directory
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=2
It was often frustrating when I would open a file deep in the code tree and then realize I wanted to open another file in that same directory. Douglas Potts taught me a nice way to do this. Add the following snipit to your vimrc: " Edit another file in the same directory as the current file " uses expression to extract path from current file's path " (thanks Douglas Potts) if has("unix") map ,e :e <C-R>=expand("%:p:h") . "/" <CR> else map ,e :e <C-R>=expand("%:p:h") . "\" <CR> endif Then when you type ,e in normal mode you can use tab to complete to the file. You can also expand this to allow for spitting, etc. Very very nice.
use vim to quickly compile java files
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=3
For a number of years I used vim on an SGI box. When I left my job at SGI I went to a company that developed on PCs. For 2 years I used IDEs. I was unhappy. I was frustrated. I couldn't figure out why. (Beyond my machine crashing twice a day.) Finally I upgraded to windows 2000 (kind of stable!) and started using vim as an IDE. All was good. Here is how you use vim to compile your java: 1. While I'm sure this works with javac, javac is slow slow slow. So download the Jikes complier first. (Jikes is from ibm, search on google for jikes and you will find it..available on most platforms.) 2. Add the following to your vimrc: set makeprg=jikes -nowarn -Xstdout +E % set errorformat=%f:%l:%c:%*\d:%*\d:%*\s%m 3. When you are editing a java file type :make and it will compile the current file and jump you to the first error in the file (if any). Read ":help quickfix" for how to move between errors. To setup your classpath environment either launch gvim from a shell that has your classpath/path setup or use the "let" command to configure it in your vimrc.
Any word completion
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=4
Either when programming or writing, I tend to have some identifiers or words that I use all the time. By sheer accident, I noticed the 'ctrl-n' command, that will attempt to complete the word under the cursor. Hit it once, and it will try to complete it with the first match in the current file. If there is no match, it will (at least in the case of C code) search through all files included from the current one. Repeated invocations will cycle through all found matches.
Quickly searching for a word
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=5
To search for a word under the cursor in the current file you can use either the "*" or "#" keys. The "*" key will search for the word from the current cursor position to the end of the file. The "#" key will search for the word from the current cursor position to the top of the file. Note that the above two keys will search for the whole word and not the partial word. This is equivalent to using the <word> pattern in the search commands (/ and ?). To search for partial matches, you can use the "g*" and "g#" key sequence. You can also use the mouse to search for a word. This will only work in the GUI version of VIM (gvim) or a console version of VIM in an xterm which accepts a mouse. Also, the 'mousemodel' should be set to 'extend'. Add the following line to your .vimrc: set mousemodel=extend To search for a word under the cursor from the current cursor position to the end of the file, press the shift key and click on the word using the left mouse button. To search in the opposite direction, press the shift key and click on the word using the the right mouse button. To get more help on these, use :help * :help # :help g* :help g# :help <S-LeftMouse> :help <S-RightMouse>
Using the % key
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=6
The % key can be used 1. To jump to a matching opening or closing parenthesis, square bracket or a curly brace i.e. ([{}]) 2. To jump to start or end of a C-style comment /* */. 3. To jump to a matching #if, #ifdef, #else, #elif, #endif C preprocessor conditionals. To get more information about this, do :help % The % key can be extended to support other matching pairs by modifying the "matchpairs" option. Read the help on :help matchpairs
Jumping to the start and end of a code block
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=7
To jump to the beginning of a C code block (while, switch, if etc), use the [{ command. To jump to the end of a C code block (while, switch, if etc), use the ]} command. The above two commands will work from anywhere inside the code block. To jump to the beginning of a parenthesis use the [( command. To jump to the end of a parenthesis use the ]) command. To get more help on these commands, do :help [{ :help ]} :help [( :help ])
Jumping to the declaration of a local/global variable
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=8
'gd' command: To jump to the declaration of a local variable in a C program, position the cursor on the name of the variable and use the gd command. 'gD' command: To jump to the declaration of a global variable in a C program, position the cursor on the name of the variable and use the gD command.
Displaying a variable/macro definition
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=9
To display the definition of a variable, place the cursor on the variable and use the [i command. To display a macro definition, place the cursor on the macro name and use the [d command. Note that these commands will work most of the time (not all the time). To get more help on these commands, use :help [i :help [d
Jumping to previosuly visited locations in a file
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=10
Vim remembers all the locations visited by you in a file in a session. You can jump to the older locations by pressing the Ctrl-O key. You can jump to the newer locations by pressing the Ctrl-I or the <Tab> key. To get more help on these keys, use :help CTRL-O :help CTRL-I :help jump-motions
Completing words quicky in insert mode
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=11
In Insert mode, press the Ctrl-p or Ctrl-n key to complete part of a word that has been typed. This is useful while typing C programs to complete long variable and function names. This also helps in avoiding typing mistakes. Note that using the 'complete' option, you can complete keywords defined in one of the include files, tag file, etc. To get more help on this, use :help i_Ctrl-N :help i_Ctrl-P :help ins-completion :help complete
Converting tabs to spaces
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=12
To insert space characters whenever the tab key is pressed, set the 'expandtab' option: set expandtab With this option set, if you want to enter a real tab character use Ctrl-V<Tab> key sequence. To control the number of space characters that will be inserted when the tab key is pressed, set the 'tabstop' option. For example, to insert 4 spaces for a tab, use: set tabstop=4 After the 'expandtab' option is set, all the new tab characters entered will be changed to spaces. This will not affect the existing tab characters. To change all the existing tab characters to match the current tab settings, use :retab To change the number of space characters inserted for indentation, use the 'shiftwidth' option: set shiftwidth=4 For example, to get the following coding style, - No tabs in the source file - All tab characters are 4 space characters use the following set of options: set tabstop=4 set shiftwidth=4 set expandtab Add the above settings to your .vimrc file. To get more help on these options, use :help tabstop :help shiftwidth :help expandtab
Incremental search
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=13
To move the cursor to the matched string, while typing the search string, set the following option in the .vimrc file: set incsearch You can complete the search by pressing the Enter key. To cancel the search, press the escape key.
Highlighting all the search pattern matches
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=14
To highlight all the search pattern matches in a file set the following option: :set hlsearch After this option is set, if you search for a pattern, all the matches in the file will be highlighted in yellow. To disable the highlighting temporarily, use the command :nohlsearch This command will remove the highlighting for the current search. The highlighting will come back for the next search. To disable the highlighting completely, set the following option: :set nohlsearch By default, the hlsearch option is turned off. To get more help on this option, use :help 'hlsearch' :help :nohlsearch
Displaying status line always
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=15
To display the status line always, set the following option in your .vimrc file: set laststatus=2 The advantage of having the status line displayed always is, you can see the current mode, file name, file status, ruler, etc. To get more help on this, use :help laststatus
Avoiding the "Hit ENTER to continue" prompts
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=16
To avoid the "Hit ENTER to continue" prompt, use the 'shortmess' option. Add the following line to your .vimrc file: set shortmess=a Also, you can increase the height of the command line to 2 set cmdheight=2 The default command height is 1. To get more help on these options, use :help hit-enter :help shortmess :help cmdheight
Erasing previosuly entered characters in insert mode
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=17
In insert mode, to erase previously entered characters, set the following option: set backspace=2 By default, this option is empty. If this option is empty, in insert mode, you can not erase characters entered before this insert mode started. This is the standard Vi behavior. To get more help on this, use :help 'backspace'
Cleanup your HTML
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=18
From Johannes Zellner on the vim list: You can use vim's makeprg and equalprg to clean up HTML. First download html tidy from http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/tidy/. Then use the following commands.
vim6? exe 'setlocal equalprg=tidy -quiet -f '.&errorfile setlocal makeprg=tidy -quiet -e % vim5? exe 'set equalprg=tidy -quiet -f '.&errorfile set makeprg=tidy -quiet -e % At this point you can use make to clean up the full file or you can use = to clean up sections. :help = :help equalprg :help makeprg
line numbers...
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=19
I have started doing all my code reviews on a laptop because of the number command. :set number will put line numbers along the left side of a window :help number
Are *.swp and *~ files littering your working directory?
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=20
Have you ever been frustrated at swap files and backups cluttering up your working directory? Untidy: ons.txt ons.txt~ README README~ tester.py tester.py~ Here are a couple of options that can help: set backupdir=./.backup,.,/tmp set directory=.,./.backup,/tmp This way, if you want your backups to be neatly grouped, just create a directory called '.backup' in your working directory. Vim will stash backups there. The 'directory' option controls where swap files go. If your working directory is not writable, Vim will put the swap file in one of the specified places.
easy pasting to windows apps
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=21
In Vim, the unnamed register is the " register, and the Windows Clipboard is the * register. This means that if you yank something, you have to yank it to the * register if you want to paste it into a Windows app. If this is too much trouble, set the 'clipboard' option to 'unnamed'. Then you always yank to *. So pasting to windows apps doesn't require prefixing "* : set clipboard=unnamed
handle common typos for :commands
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=22
I frequently hold the shift key for too long when typing, for instance :wq, and end up with :Wq. Vim then whines "Not an editor command: Wq" In my .vimrc, I have taught vim my common typos: command! Q quit command! W write command! Wq wq " this one won't work, because :X is already a built-in command command! X xit
Vim xterm title
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=23
Check out your .vimrc. If 'set notitle' is an entry, comment it out with a quotation mark ("). Now your xterm should inherit the title from Vim. e.g. 'Vim - ~/.vimrc'. This can be quite nice when programming and editing lots of files at the same time. by [jonasbn@wanadoo.dk]
changing the default syntax highlighting
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=24
Here are some pointers to the vim documentation. Notice that the mechanism is different in vim 6.0 and vim 5.x. 1. I want *.foo files to be highlighted like HTML files. :help new-filetype http://www.vim.org/html/autocmd.html#new-filetype
2. I want to define a syntax file for *.bar files. Read the above and also :help mysyntaxfile http://www.vim.org/html/syntax.html#mysyntaxfile
3. I want to make a few changes to the existing syntax highlighting. Depending on the x in 5.x, either read the above and page down a few screens, or you may be able to skip right to :help mysyntaxfile-add http://www.vim.org/html/syntax.html#mysyntaxfile-add
4. I want to change some of the colors from their defaults. Again, read :help mysyntaxfile http://www.vim.org/html/syntax.html#mysyntaxfile
color highlighting on telnet (esp w/ SecureCRT)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=25
The following settings in .vimrc will enable color highlighting when using SecureCRT and may work on other telnet packages. The terminal type should be selected as ANSI and color enabled. if !has("gui_running") set t_Co=8 set t_Sf=^[[3%p1%dm set t_Sb=^[[4%p1%dm endif The ^[ is entered as "<ctrl-v><esc>"
Getting rid of ^M - mixing dos and unix
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=26
If you work in a mixed environment you will often open files that have ^M's in them. An example would be this: ------------------------------------------------------------------ import java.util.Hashtable; ^M import java.util.Properties; ^Mimport java.io.IOException; import org.xml.sax.AttributeList; ^M import org.xml.sax.HandlerBase; ^Mimport org.xml.sax.SAXException; /**^M * XMLHandler: This class parses the elements contained^M * within a XML message and builds a Hashtable^M [snip] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Notice that some programs are not consistent in the way they insert the line breaks so you end up with some lines that have both a carrage return and a ^M and some lines that have a ^M and no carrage return (and so blend into one). There are two steps to clean this up. 1. replace all extraneous ^M: :%s/^M$//g BE SURE YOU MAKE the ^M USING "CTRL-V CTRL-M" NOT BY TYPING "CARROT M"! This expression will replace all the ^M's that have carriage returns after them with nothing. (The dollar ties the search to the end of a line) 2. replace all ^M's that need to have carriage returns: :%s/^M//g Once again: BE SURE YOU MAKE the ^M USING "CTRL-V CTRL-M" NOT BY TYPING "CARROT M"! This expression will replace all the ^M's that didn't have carriage returns after them with a carriage return. Voila! Clean file. Map this to something if you do it frequently. :help ffs - for more info on file formats thanks to jonathan merz, douglas potts, and benji fisher
Convert hex to dec
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=27
when you check the output of objdump, you'll confused by the $0xFFFFFFc operand, this function translate the hexcamal to decimal. function! Hex2Dec() let lstr = getline(".") let hexstr = matchstr(lstr, '0x[a-f0-9]+') while hexstr != "" let hexstr = hexstr + 0 exe 's#0x[a-f0-9]+#'.hexstr."#" let lstr = substitute(lstr, '0x[a-f0-9]+', hexstr, "") let hexstr = matchstr(lstr, '0x[a-f0-9]+') endwhile endfunction usage: 5,8call Hex2Dec()
add a line-number to every line without cat or awk alike utilities.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=28
With Unix-like environment, you can use cat or awk to generate a line number easily, because vim has a friendly interface with shell, so everything work in vim as well as it does in shell. :%!call -n or :%!awk '{print NR,$0}' But, if you use vim in MS-DOS, of win9x, win2000, you loss these tookit. here is a very simple way to archive this only by vim: fu! LineIt() exe ":s/^/".line(".")."/" endf Well, a sequence composed with alphabet is as easy as above: exe "s/^/".nr2char(line("."))."/"
reverse all the line with only 7 keystroke in vim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=29
:g/^/m0 well, 1. : bring you to command-line mode(also known as ex-mode) from normal-mode(also known as command mode). 2. g means you'll take an action through the whole file, generally perform a search, `v' also perform a search but it match the line not match the canonical expression. 3. / begins the regular express 4. ^ is a special character respect the start of a line. 5. the second / ends the regular express and indicate that the remains is action to do. 6. m means move, `t` and `co' for copy, `d' for delete 7. 0 is the destination line. you can use :g/regexp/t$ to filter all lines and pick the match line together and copy them to the end of the buffer or :g/regexp/y A to put them into a register(not eax, ebx...)
Increasing or decreasing numbers
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=30
To increase a number under or nearest to the right of the cursor, go to Normal mode and type: Ctrl-A To decrease, type: Ctrl-X Using this in a macro simplifies generating number sequences a lot.
Find and Replace
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=31
To find and replace one or more occurences of a given text pattern with a new text string, use the s[ubstitute] command. There are a variety of options, but these are what you most probably want: :%s/foo/bar/g find each occurance of 'foo' and replace it with 'bar' without asking for confirmation :%s/foo/bar/gc find each occurance of 'foo' and replace it with 'bar' asking for confirmation first :%s/<foo>/bar/gc find (match exact word only) and replace each occurance of 'foo' with 'bar' :%s/foo/bar/gci find (case insensitive) and replace each occurance of 'foo' with 'bar' :%s/foo/bar/gcI find (case sensitive) and replace each occurance of 'foo' with 'bar' NB: Without the 'g' flag, replacement occurs only for the first occurrence in each line. For a full description and some more interesting examples of the substitute command refer to :help substitute See also: :help cmdline-ranges :help pattern :help gdefault
Write your own vim function(scripts)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=32
compare to C and shell(bash), herein is some vim specifics about vim-script: 1. A function name must be capitalized. hex2dec is invalid Hex2dec is valid while in c and shell(bash), both lowercase and uppercase is allowed. 2. how to reference the parameters fu! Hex2dec(var1, var2) let str=a:var1 let str2=a:var2 you must prefix the parameter name with "a:", and a:var1 itself is read-only in c, you reference the parameter directly and the parameter is writable. 3. how to implement variable parameter fu! Hex2dec(fixpara, ...) a:0 is the real number of the variable parameter when you invoke the function, with :Hex2dec("asdf", 4,5,6), a:0=3, and a:1=4 a:2=5 a:3=6 you can combine "a:" and the number to get the value while i<a:0 exe "let num=a:".i let i=i+1 endwhile in c, the function get the real number by checking the additional parameter such as printf family, or by checking the special value such as NULL 4. where is the vim-library yes, vim has its own function-library, just like *.a in c :help functions 5. can I use += or ++ operator? Nop, += and ++ (and -=, -- and so on)operator gone away in vim. 6. How can I assign a value to a variables and fetch its value? let var_Name=value let var1=var2 like it does in c, except you must use let keyword 7. Can I use any ex-mode command in a function? As I know, yes, just use it directly, as if every line you type appears in the familar : 8. Can I call a function recurse? Yes, but use it carefully to avoid infinte call. 9. Can I call another function in a function? Course, like C does. 10. Must I compile the function? No, you needn't and you can't, just :so script_name, after this you can call the function freely. 11. Is it has integer and char or float data type? No, like perl, vim script justify the variable type depend upon the context :let a=1 :let a=a."asdf" :echo a you'll get `1asdf' :let a=1 :let a=a+2 :echo a you'll get 3 But it differs from perl. 12. Must I append a `;' in every statement? No, never do that. ; is required in C, and optional in shell for each statement in a alone line. But is forbidden in vim. if you want combine servals statement in one single line, use `|'. Take your mind that every statement appears in function should be valid in ex-mode(except for some special statement).
toggle off the line-number when enter on-line help
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=33
I like the line-number for myself editing. But I hate it in on-line help page because it force the screen wrapped. :au filetype help :se nonu
control the position of the new window
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=34
:se splitbelow make the new window appears below the current window. :se splitright make the new window appears in right.(only 6.0 version can do a vsplit)
translate // style comment to /* */and vice vesa
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=35
the `|' concatenate servals ex-command in one line. It's the key to translate // style comments to /* */ style :g#^s{-}//#s##/*# | s#$#*/# the `|' keep the current line matchs ^s{-}// to perform s#$#*/ /* ... */ ---> //style :g#/*(.{-})*/#//1# /* .... .... ..... */ =====> //...... //...... //...... style: ? Anyone implement it?
Using Gnu-info help in vim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=36
K in normal bring you the man page about the keyword under current cursor. :nnoremap <F1> :exe ":!info ".expand("<cword>") Now press F1 while the cursor is hold by a keyword such as printf will bring you to Gnu-info help page :h <F1> :h nnoremap
The basic operation about vim-boolean optionals
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=37
:set number switch the number on :set nonumber switch it off :set invnumber or :set number! switch it inverse against the current setting :set number& get the default value vim assums. replace number with any legal vim-boolean optionals, they all works well. for vim-non-boolean optionals :set optional& also works properly.
Cursor one line at a time when :set wrap
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=38
If your tierd of the cursor jumping past 5 lines when :set wrap then add these mappings to you vimrc file. nnoremap j gj nnoremap k gk vnoremap j gj vnoremap k gk nnoremap <Down> gj nnoremap <Up> gk vnoremap <Down> gj vnoremap <Up> gk inoremap <Down> <C-o>gj inoremap <Up> <C-o>gk What they do is remap the cursor keys to use there `g' equvilant. See :help gj
Undo and Redo
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=39
To undo recent changes, use the u[ndo] command: u undo last change (can be repeated to undo preceding commands) U return the line to its original state (undo all changes in current line) CTRL-R Redo changes which were undone (undo the undo's). For a full description of the undo/redo commands refer to :help undo
Insert a file
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=40
To insert the contents of a file (or the output of a system command) into the current buffer, use the r[ead] command: Examples: :r foo.txt inserts the file foo.txt below the cursor :0r foo.txt inserts the file foo.txt above the first line :r !ls inserts a listing of your directory below the cursor :$r !pwd inserts the current working directory below the last line For more information about the r[ead] command refer to: :help read See also: :help cmdline-ranges :help !cmd
Command-history facilities for Oracle/sqlplus user
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=41
First of all, thanks Benji fisher, Stefan Roemer... and others in vim@vim.org which spend much time to answer questions, sometimes foolish question asked by someone like me. Without their I can't get the final solution for my sqlplus work descripted follows. As Oracle user known, sqlplus has a very bad command-line edition environment. It has no command-history, don't support most of getline facilities. which MySQL and shell does it well. Even Microsoft recogonize this point. In Windows2000, doskey is installed by default. Below is my vim-solution to sqlplus, which record the command-history when you use edit(sqlplus builtin command) to open the editor specified by EDITOR environment variable. It saves the SQL statement into a standalone file such as .sqlplus.history Every time you open the file afiedt.buf(sqlplus's default command-buffer file), you get two splited windows, the buffer above is afiedt.buf, the buffer below is .sqlplus.history, you can see every SQL statement in the windows. If you want to use SQL statement in line 5 to replace the current command-buffer, just press 5K, then :xa to back to you sqlplus. and use / to repeat the command saved in command-buffer file called afiedt.buf by default. It can't process multi-line SQL statement convinencely. Todo this, just use you favorite vim trick to do that: fu! VimSQL() nnoremap <C-K> :<C-U> exe "let linenum=".v:count<CR>:1,$-1d<CR><C-W>j:exe lin enum."y"<CR><C-W>kP let linenum=line("$") 1,$-1w! >> ~/.sqlplus.history e ~/.sqlplus.history execute ":$-".(linenum-1).",$m0" %!uniq if line("$")>100 101,$d endif b# set splitbelow sp ~/.sqlplus.history au! BufEnter afiedt.buf endf au BufEnter afiedt.buf call VimSQL()
Using marks
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=42
To mark one or more positions in a file, use the m[ark] command. Examples: ma - set current cursor location as mark a 'a - jump to beginning of line of mark a `a - jump to postition of mark a d'a - delete from current line to line of mark a d`a - delete from current cursor position to mark a c'a - change text from current line to line of mark a y`a - yank text to unnamed buffer from cursor to mark a :marks - list all the current marks NB: Lowercase marks (a-z) are valid within one file. Uppercase marks (A-Z), also called file marks, are valid between files. For a detailed description of the m[ark] command refer to :help mark See also: :help various-motions
Using abbreviations
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=43
To define abbreviations, use the ab[breviate] command. Examples: :ab rtfm read the fine manual - Whenever you type 'rtfm' followed by a <space> (or <esc> or <cr>) vim will expand this to 'read the fine manual'. :ab - list all defined abbreviations :una[bbreviate] rtfm - remove 'rtfm' from the list of abbreviations :abc[lear] - remove all abbreviations NB: To avoid expansion in insert mode, type CTRL-V after the last character of the abbreviation. For a detailed description of the ab[breviate] command and some more examples refer to :help abbreviations
Repeat last changes
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=44
Simple text changes in normal mode (e.g. "dw" or "J") can be repeated with the "." command. The last command-line change (those invoked with ":", e.g. ":s/foo/bar") can be repeated with the "@:" command. For more informations about repeating single changes refer to: :help single-repeat
Using command-line history
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=45
You can recall previous command lines from a history table by hitting the <Up> and <Down> cursor keys in command-line mode. For example, this can be used to find the previous substitute command: Type ":s" and then <Up>. There are separate history tables for the ':' commands and for previous '/' or '?' search strings. To display the history of last entered commands or search strings, use the :his[tory] command: :his - Display command-line history. :his s - Display search string history. For a detailed description of the command-line history refer to: :help cmdline-history See also: :help Cmdline-mode
Win32 binaries with perl, python, and tcl
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=46
> Does anyone know if windows binaries of vim 5.7 are available with perl and > python support turned on? ftp://vim.sourceforge.net/pub/vim/upload_binaries/
http://vim.sourceforge.net/bin_download/
Swapping characters, words and lines
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=47
To swap two characters or lines, use the following commands: xp - delete the character under the cursor and put it afterwards. (In other words, it swaps the characters.) ddp - delete the current line and put it afterwards. (In other words, it swaps the lines.) Unfortunately there is no universal solution to swap two words. You may try the following ones, but don't expect too much of them: dawwP - delete the word under the cursor, move forward one word and put it back after the cursor. (In other words, it swaps the current and following word.) dawbP - delete the word under the cursor, move backward on word and put it back after the cursor. (In other words, it swaps the current and preceeding word.)
Moving around
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=48
You can save a lot of time when navigating through the text by using appropriate movements commands. In most cases the cursor keys, <PageUp> or <PageDown> are NOT the best choice. Here is a selection of some basic movement commands that hopefully helps you to acquire a taste for more: e - move to the end of a word w - move forward to the beginning of a word 3w - move forward three words b - move backward to the beginning of a word 3b - move backward three words $ - move to the end of the line <End> - same as $ 0 - move to the beginning of the line <Home> - same as 0 ) - jump forward one sentence ( - jump backward one sentence } - jump forward one paragraph { - jump backward one paragraph H - jump to the top of the display M - jump to the middle of the display L - jump to the bottom of the display 'm - jump to the beginning of the line of mark m `m - jump to the location of mark m G - jump to end of file 1G - jump to beginning of file 50G - jump to line 50 '' - return to the line where the cursor was before the latest jump `` - return to the cursor position before the latest jump (undo the jump). % - jump to corresponding item, e.g. from an open brace to its matching closing brace For some more interesting movement commands (especially those for programmers) refer to: :help motion.txt :help search-commands
Switching case of characters
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=49
To switch the case of one or more characters use the "~", "gU" or "gu" commands. Examples: ~ - switch case of character under cursor (in visual-mode: switch case of highlighted text) 3~ - switch case of next three characters g~~ - switch case of current line U - in visual-mode: make highlighted text uppercase gUU - make current line uppercase u - in visual-mode: make highlighted text lowercase guu - make current line lowercase gUaw - make current word uppercase guaw - make current word lowercase For some more examples refer to :help ~ See also: :help simple-change
Recovering files
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=50
If your computer has crashed while editing a file, you should be able to recover the file by typing vi -r <filename> where <filename> is the name of the file you were editing at the time of the crash. If you were editing without a file name, give an empty string as argument: vim -r "" To get a list of recoverable files start vim without arguments: vim -r For more information about file recovery refer to: :help recovery
Entering german umlauts
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=51
To enter german umlauts (or any other of those weired characters) not available on your keyboard use 'digraphs': In insert-mode type for example: CTRL-K "a CTRL-K ^e which gives an 'ä' and 'e' with a hat. You can also set the digraph option: :set digraph (or :set dg) With digraph option set you can enter " <BS> a ^ <BS> e which gives the same result. To get a list of currently defined digraphs type :dig[graphs] For more information about defining and using digraphs refer to: :help digraph.txt
Scrolling synchronously
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=52
If you want to bind two or more windows such that when one window is scrolled, the other windows are scrolled simultaneously, set the 'scrollbind' option for these windows: :set scrollbind When a window that has 'scrollbind' set is scrolled, all other 'scrollbind' windows are scrolled the same amount, if possible. For more information about the 'scrollbind' option refer to :help scoll-binding
Better colors for syntax highlighting
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=53
For syntax highlighting there are two sets of default color maps: One for a light and another one for a dark background. If you have a black background, use the following command to get a better color map for syntax highlighting: :set background=dark You have to switch off and on again syntax highlighting to activate the new color map: :syntax off :syntax on For a detailled description of syntax highlighting refer to :help syntax.txt See also the Vim syntax support file: $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/synload.vim
View a Java Class File Decompiled thru Vim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=54
Hi All, Wish u could view a Java Class File using Vim, Well ur query ends here. First of all u will need a Java Decompiler to decompile the Class File. I would suggest the JAD decompiler by Pavel Kouznetsov http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Bridge/8617/jad.html
Its a command line decompiler and absolutely free. U can use any command line decompiler of ur choice. Next create a vimscript file called jad.vim as ######################### FILE START ################ augr class au! au bufreadpost,filereadpost *.class %!d:jad.exe -noctor -ff -i -p % au bufreadpost,filereadpost *.class set readonly au bufreadpost,filereadpost *.class set ft=java au bufreadpost,filereadpost *.class normal gg=G au bufreadpost,filereadpost *.class set nomodified augr END ######################## FILE END ##################### Note:- Keep the Jad.exe in a directory with out white spaces. The -p options directs JAD to send the output to standard output instead of a .jad file. Other options are described on the JAD site. Next add the following line in the .vimrc file. so jad.vim Next time u do vim abc.class. Viola u have the source code for abc.class. NOTE:- I have written the script so as to open the class file read only, So that u dont accidently modify it. U can also exted this script to unjar a jar file and then view each file in the JAR file. thanks bhaskar Any suggestions are welcome
previous buffer
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=55
One of the keys to vim is buffer management. If I have to use another IDE that makes me click on a tab every time I want to look at another file I'm going to go postal. So of course you know about :ls which lists all the current open buffers. This gets a little unweildly once you have a full project open so you can also use :b <any snipit of text> <tab> to complete to an open buffer. This is really nice because you can type any fragment of a file name and it will complete to the matching file. (i.e. RequestManager.java can be completed using "tma"<tab> or "req"<tab> or "r.java"<tab>). Now for awhile I was also using :bn and :bp which jumps you to the next and previous buffer respectively. I found I was often frustrated because I wanted :bp to be the previous buffer I was in, not the previous buffer in the list. So (drum roll) the reason I wrote this tip was because of: :b# jump to the previous buffer you were in. Very very handy. The only thing nicer are tag, but that's a tip for another time. :help buffers :help bn :help bp If anybody knows where to get help on # in this context please add notes.
how to avoid obliterating window layout
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=58
If you take the time to lay out several windows with vim (especially vertically in version 6), you may be bummed when you hit an errant key and find that all but what one window disappears. What happens: while navigating between windows, you hit <C-W>j, <C-W>k, etc. At some point you accidently hit <C-W> but then don't follow with a window command. Now hitting 'o' to start insert mode issues a command equivalent to :only, and closes all windows execept for the one you are in (unless some windows have unsaved changes in them). How to avoid this: petition the vim-dev mailing list about how :only is sufficient for the infrequenty use this might get (j/k). Really: use mapping to disable the <C-W>o functionality; put this in your .vimrc: nnoremap <C-W>O :echo "sucker"<CR> nnoremap <C-W>o :echo "sucker"<CR> nnoremap <C-W><C-O> :echo "sucker"<CR> references: :help :only :help CTRL-W_o That is all. Scott
Applying substitutes to a visual block
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=62
If you'd like to apply a substitute, or even any ex command, to a visual-block selected text region (ctrl-v and move), then you'll want Stefan Roemer's http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/vimscript/vis.vim . Just source it in,
and then press ":B". On the command line you'll see :'<,'>BCtrl-V Just continue with the substitute or whatever... :'<,'>B s/abc/ABC/g and the substitute will be applied to just that block of text! Example: Ctrl-V Select..........|......Type ..................just the central....|......:B s/abc/ABC/g ..................four "abc"s..............| ..................----------------....|...------------- ..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcabcabcabc ..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcABCABCabc ..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcABCABCabc ..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcabcabcabc (dots inserted to retain tabular format)
Applying substitutes to a visual block
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=63
If you'd like to apply a substitute, or even any ex command, to a visual-block selected text region (ctrl-v and move), then you'll want Stefan Roemer's http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/vimscript/vis.vim . Just source it in,
and then press ":B". On the command line you'll see :'<,'>BCtrl-V Just continue with the substitute or whatever... :'<,'>B s/abc/ABC/g and the substitute will be applied to just that block of text! Example: Ctrl-V Select..........|......Type ..................just the central.......|......:B s/abc/ABC/g ..................four "abc"s.................| ..................---------............|...------------- ..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcabcabcabc ..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcABCABCabc ..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcABCABCabc ..................abcabcabcabc............|......abcabcabcabc (dots inserted to retain tabular format)
Always set your working directory to the file you're editing
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=64
Sometimes I think it's helpful if your working directory is always the same as the buffer you are editing. You need to put this in your .vimrc: function! CHANGE_CURR_DIR() let _dir = expand("%:p:h") exec "cd " . _dir unlet _dir endfunction autocmd BufEnter * call CHANGE_CURR_DIR() Doing this will make a "cd" command to your the current buffer each time you switch to it. This is actually similar to vimtip#2 but more automatic. You should see for more details: :help autocmd :help expand :help function Note: This tip was contributed by somebody on the list a while ago (sorry for no reference) and it has been extremely helpful to me. Thanks!
Insert line number into the actuall text of the file.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=65
Although :set number will add nice line number for you At time you may wish to actually place the line numbers into the file. For example on GNU Unix you can acomplish a simular task using cat -n file > new_file In VIM you can use the global command to do this :g/^/exec "s/^/".strpart(line(".")." ", 0, 4) What this does is run the exec comand on every line that matches /^/ (All) The exec command taks a string and executes it as if it were typed in. line(".")." " -> returns the number of the current line plus four spaces. strpart("123 ", 0, 4) -> returns only the first four characters ("123 "). "s/^/123 " -> substituts the begining of the line with "123 ".
Transfer text between two Vim 'sessions',
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=66
This one is a one of my favorites from Dr. Chip, and I haven't seen it come across vim tips yet... Can use either visual, or marking to denote the text. " transfer/read and write one block of text between vim sessions " Usage: " `from' session: " ma " move to end-of-block " xw " " `to' session: " move to where I want block inserted " xr " if has("unix") nmap xr :r $HOME/.vimxfer<CR> nmap xw :'a,.w! $HOME/.vimxfer<CR> vmap xr c<esc>:r $HOME/.vimxfer<CR> vmap xw :w! $HOME/.vimxfer<CR> else nmap xr :r c:/.vimxfer<CR> nmap xw :'a,.w! c:/.vimxfer<CR> vmap xr c<esc>:r c:/.vimxfer<cr> vmap xw :w! c:/.vimxfer<CR> endif
Ascii Value
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=67
Sometimes we, the programmers, need the value of a character, don't we? You can learn the ascii value of a character by pressing g and a keys.(ga)! It displays the value in dec, hex and octal...
Delete key
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=68
Don't worry if your delete key does not work properly. Just press <CTRL>-Backspace. It works under both mode(insert or normal).
dot makes life easier
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=69
You can copy and paste the last changes you made in the last insert mode without using y and p by pressing . (just dot). Vim memorizes the keys you pressed and echos them if you hit the dot key. You must be in command mode as usual. It can be helpful...
running a command on all buffers
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=70
From Peter Bismuti on the vim list: How to global search and replace in all buffers with one command? You need the AllBuffers command: :call AllBuffers("%s/string1/string2/g") "put this in a file and source it function AllBuffers(cmnd) let cmnd = a:cmnd let i = 1 while (i <= bufnr("$")) if bufexists(i) execute "buffer" i execute cmnd endif let i = i+1 endwhile endfun ":call AllBuffers("%s/foo/bar/ge|update") Thanks Peter!
Transfer text between two gvim sessions using clipboard
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=71
If you use gvim, you can transfer text from one instance of gvim into another one using clipboard. It is convenient to use * (star) register, like this: In one instance yank two lines into clipboard: "*2yy Paste it in another instance in normal mode: "*p or in insert mode: <Ctrl-R>*
Remove unwanted empty lines
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=72
Sometimes to improve the readability of the document I insert empty lines, which will be later removed. To get rid off them try: :%g/^$/d This will remove a l l empty line in the document. Some other tipps you can find under www.linuxclass.de/vim.phtml
Using vim as calculator
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=73
Basic calculations can done within vim easily by typing (insert-mode): STRG (=CTRL) + R followed by = then for example 2+2 and hit RETURN the result 4 will be printed in the document. Some other tipps you can find under www.linuxclass.de/vim.phtml
Using Vim as an outline processor
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=74
With the addition of folding, Vim6 can function as a high performance outline processor. Simply :set ai and in insert mode use backspace to promote and tab to demote headlines. In command mode, << promotes (n<< to promote multiple lines), and >> demotes. Also, highlight several headlines and < or > to promote or demote. :set foldmethod=indent, and then your z commands can expand or collapse headline trees, filewide or by the tree. The VimOutliner GPL distro contains the scripts and configs to easily configure Vim6 as an outliner, including scripts to create tag files enabling interoutline hyperlinking. The VimOutliner project is at http://www.troubleshooters.com/projects/vimoutliner/index.htm.
Steve (Litt) slitt@troubleshooters.com
Remap CAPSLOCK key in Windows 2000 Professional and NT4.0
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=75
If you're Windows 2000 Professional user and got tired to move your hands off basic row when hitting <ESC> key here the solution (not for Windows 9x.): remap CapsLock key as <ESC> key. It's located in useful position. Put this lines into <EscLock.reg> file and start it in explorer.Reboot.Enjoy. REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout] "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,01,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00 To restore you capslock back just delete this entry from Registry and reboot. And below is remapping <capslock> as <Left Control>: REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout] "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,1d,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00
Folding for Quickfix
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=76
The Quickfix mode aims to "speed up the edit-compile-edit cycle" according to ':help quickfix'. After executing ':make' or ':grep' it is possible to skim through the list of errors/matches and the appropriate source code locations with, for instance, the ':cnext' command. Another way to get a quick overview is to use VIMs folding mode, to fold away all the error-free/match-free regions. The script at the end of this message can be used for this purpose. It is at the moment not elaborate enough to put it up as a 'script'; but it might give someone inspiration to do so. Big restrictions / bugs are as follows: 1. Vim Perl interface is required, i.e. the output of ':version' must contain '+perl' (People with Vim scripting knowledge might fix this) 2. Works only for one file, i.e. the current buffer. 3. It's a quick hack. Sample usage: (a) edit a file, (b) do ':grep regexp %' to get a quickfix error list and (c) ':source foldqf.vim' will fold as described Increasing the value of $CONTEXT gives you more context around the error regions. Here comes it, it should be 7 lines: ---foldqf.vim cwindow perl $CONTEXT = 0; perl @A = map { m/\|(\d+)\|/; $1 +0 } $curbuf->Get(1..$curbuf->Count()); close normal zD perl sub fold { VIM::DoCommand( $_[0] . ',' . ($_[1]) . "fold" ) if( $_[0] < $_[1] ); } perl $last = 0; for (@A) { fold( $last+1+$CONTEXT, $_-1-$CONTEXT ); $last = $_; }; VIM::DoCommand(($A[-1]+1+$CONTEXT ) . ',$fold' );
Displaying search results using folds
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=77
A guy I work with told me about a function that an old IBM text editor had that he said was useful, and that is to create folds in the file after a search such that every line that is visible contains the search pattern(except possibly the first). All lines that do not contain the search pattern are folded up to the last occurence of the pattern or the top of the file. One use for such a function is to be able to make a quick and dirty api of a source file. For example, if working in Java, you could run the function using the pattern "public|protected|private" and ithe results would be that only the method headers would be visible (well, close enough). function! Foldsearch(search) normal zE "erase all folds to begin with normal G$ "move to the end of the file let folded = 0 "flag to set when a fold is found let flags = "w" "allow wrapping in the search let line1 = 0 "set marker for beginning of fold while search(a:search, flags) > 0 let line2 = line(".") "echo "pattern found at line # " line2 if (line2 -1 > line1) "echo line1 . ":" . (line2-1) "echo "A fold goes here." execute ":" . line1 . "," . (line2-1) . "fold" let folded = 1 "at least one fold has been found endif let line1 = line2 "update marker let flags = "W" "turn off wrapping endwhile " Now create the last fold which goes to the end of the file. normal $G let line2 = line(".") "echo "end of file found at line # " line2 if (line2 > line1 && folded == 1) "echo line1 . ":" . line2 "echo "A fold goes here." execute ":". line1 . "," . line2 . "fold" endif endfunction " Command is executed as ':Fs pattern'" command! -nargs=+ -complete=command Fs call Foldsearch(<q-args>) " View the methods and variables in a java source file." command! Japi Fs public\|protected\|private
rotating mail signatures
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=78
For people using mutt and vim for mail, the following script will allow you to insert a new signature (and again and again if you don\'t like the current one) at the bottom of your mail. This is usefull eg when you don\'t want to send a potentially offensive quote to someone you don\'t know very well (or a mailing list), but are too lazy to delete the quote, open your quotes file, and cut and paste another one in. (I put it here in \'tips\' and not in \'scripts\' because it is imo too short to be a \'real\' script) " rotate_sig.vim " Maintainer: Roel Vanhout <roel@2e-systems.com> " Version: 0.1 " Last Change: Tuesday, June 12, 2001 " Mapping I use: " nmap ,r :call RotateSig()<CR> " Usage: " -Make sure you delimit your sig with '-- ', or adjust the script " -Adjust the last execute to a command that prints a sig to stdout " Known problems: " - You'll get an error message when you're below the last " '^-- $' in your mail (nothing bad though - just an not- " found marker) function! RotateSig() normal mQG execute '?^-- $' execute ':nohl' normal o<ESC> normal dG normal <CR> execute 'r !~/bin/autosig ~/.quotes \%' normal `Q endfunction
How to use :grep to get a clickable list of function names
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=79
The following function will make a :cwindow window with a line per function in the current C source file. NOTE: It writes the file as a side effect. Invoke with ':call ShowFunc()' You may want to do :nmap <somekey> :call ShowFunc()<CR> function! ShowFunc() let gf_s = &grepformat let gp_s = &grepprg let &grepformat = '%*\k%*\sfunction%*\s%l%*\s%f %*\s%m' let &grepprg = 'ctags -x --c-types=f --sort=no -o -' write silent! grep % cwindow let &grepformat = gf_s let &grepprg = gp_s endfunc
Restore cursor to file position in previous editing session
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=80
Here's something for your <.vimrc> which will allow you to restore your cursor position in a file over several editing sessions. This technique uses the viminfo option: Ex. set viminfo='10,\"100,:20,%,n~/.viminfo au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0|if line("'\"") <= line("$")|exe("norm '\"")|else|exe "norm $"|endif|endif If you're on Unix, the viminfo is probably fine as is (but check up on Vim's help for viminfo to see if you like the settings above). For Windows you'll need to change the "n" suboption to something like Ex. set viminfo='10,\"100,:20,%,nc:\\some\\place\\under\\Windoz\\_viminfo This tip is a somewhat improved version of the example given for :he line() in the Vim on-line documentation.
Substitution of characters and lines in VIM is made far easier with the s and S commands
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=81
Substitute Characters ----------------------------------- I was just editing a file that contained the same leading string on many lines. example: foo_bar_baz1=a foo_bar_baz1=abc674 foo_bar_baz1=qrs foo_bar_baz1=m1 foo_bar_baz1=bz90 foo_bar_baz1=bc ... Needing to only substitute a portion of the string, I referred to a VIM reference card and discovered a command answering my need exactly. The s command is used to subsitute a certain number of characters. In my example file above, if I only needed to subsititute the characters foo_bar, I set the cursor on the first character where I'd like the subsitution to begin and type 7s. VIM drops the characters foo_bar and goes to insert mode, waiting for the substitution text. Substitute Lines ----------------------- After years of using vi and VIM and always deleting multiple lines in order to replace them, I just discovered the S command. If you need to subsitute three lines of text, simply type 3S. VIM drops the three lines and goes into insert mode, waiting for the subsitution text.
letting variable values be overwritten in a script
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=82
this is a simple function i wrote to get the value of a variable from three different places (in that order): the current buffer, the global setting or from the script itself. this allows me to set a default value for a configuration variable inside my script and the user to change it on a global level by setting the same variable with a g: prepended. then, they can further set it on a per-buffer level by the the b: mechanism. one of the examples for this might be my comments script (not uploaded). i have a variable in there that determines whether comment characters (// for java, for example) are placed the beginning of the line or just before the first-non-blanks in the text. i set up a default in my script: let s:comments_hug_start_of_line=0 " comments should hug the text that's fine as a default, but if i want to overwrite it for vim scripts, i just put the following in my ftplugin/vim.vim: let b:comments_hug_start_of_line=1 " vim comments should hug the first column, always " tries to return the buffer-specific value of a variable; if not " found, tries to return the global value -- if that's not found " either, returns the value set in the script itself function! GetVar(varName) if (exists ("b:" . a:varName)) exe "let retVal=b:" . a:varName elseif (exists ("g:" . a:varName)) exe "let retVal=g:" . a:varName elseif (exists ("s:" . a:varName)) exe "let retVal=s:" . a:varName else retVal=-1 endif return retVal endfunction personally, i never let it get to the -1 state by always having an s: set with SOME default value.
how to indent (useful for source code)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=83
Here is the most useful vim command that I know of and I'm surprised that it's not yet in the tips list. I use the indent features of vim all the time. Basically, it lets you indent your source code. SETUP: To make indentation work nicely I have the following in my .vimrc file: set et set sw=4 set smarttab these make vim behave nicely when indenting, giving 4 spaces (not tabs) for each "tabstop". HOW TO USE: in command mode, == will indent the current line selecting a range of lines (with shift-v) then == will indent your selection typing a number then == will indent that many lines, starting from your cursor (you get the idea, there are many other things you can do to select a range of lines) Tell me that isn't great?
Changing the behaviour of . to include visual mode
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=84
one of the things i do a lot in vim is to make a change to the beginning or end of the line (such as adding the text '// remove' at the end of java debug code). a quick way of doing this is to use a to append the text to the end of the first line and then move down one, hit . (repeat last edit), move down, hit . etc. etc. the following mapping allows one to simply highlight the region in question and hit . -- it will automatically execute the . once on each line: " allow the . to execute once for each line of a visual selection vnoremap . :normal .<CR> another thing i do a lot is to record a quick macro in the "a" register and then play it back a number of times. while @@ can be used to repeat the last register used, my recorded macros sometimes use other registers so @@ doesn't necessarily give me the same results as @a. also, i have mapped ' to ` because i like to go to the precise location of my marks -- always -- and never to the beginning of the line. this leaves my ` key unused. so: " make ` execute the contents of the a register nnoremap ` @a then, in keeping with the visual . above, i did the same for the ` -- is thexecutes @a once on each highlighed line. vnoremap ` :normal @a<CR> as an example, say i have the following lines of java code: public String m_asdf; public String m_lkhj; public int m_hjkhjkh; and, for some reason, i need to get the following: "asdf" "lkhj" "hjkhjkh" i record the following into a: ^cf_"<ESC>$r" the ^ is because my java code is indented and i don't want to go to column 0 and the <esc> is an actual escape i hit to exit insert mode. then, i simply select (visually) the other lines (only two in case -- admittedly not an overly useful example) and just hit `.
How to mimic the vim 6.0 plugin feature with older versions
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=85
If you do not have vim 6.0, but would like to mimic the plugins directory feature then copy and paste this into your vimrc: exec "source " . substitute(glob($VIM."/plugins/*.vim"), "\n", "\nsource ", "g") It will automatically source every vim script file located in the vim/plugins directory. Now, to add a new plugin, just drop the script in this directory and vim will automatically find it.
Helps undo 1 line when entered many
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=86
When U entered text, U cannot undo only 1 line, for example, when U press "u", all entered in last "insert" text removed. If U add this line to .vimrc: inoremap <Return> <Return>^O^[ where "^O" or "^[" is 1 char "u" will undo (remove) only 1 line.
Get vim 5.x window in vim 6.x
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=87
The format of the window title in vim 5.x (well, at least for 5.7,.8, for Win32) used to be VIM - <full filename with path>. It's not in the win32 binary of 6.0an that I found. I want my old way back. Turns out, all that it takes to get it back is :set title titlestring=VIM\ -\ %F "make sure that the window caption setting is turned on and set caption to vim 5.x style Oh, however, one thing I did like about the 6.0 style is that it puts the word "help" in the title when the current buffer is a help file; so, I just tacked %h to my titlestring giving: :set title titlestring=VIM\ -\ %F\ %h "make sure that the window caption setting is turned on and set caption to vim 5.x style see also: :he 'titlestring' :he 'statusline' "for the format for titlestring
How to maximize vim on entry (win32)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=88
Maybe it's just because I have far too small of a monitor, because I can get distracted while coding if I have other stuff on the screen, or because I starting using vim on a console, but I definitely like my vim window maximized. Anyway, sticking the following in your vimrc will always maximize your vim window on startup. au GUIEnter * simalt ~x :he win16-maximized
Get more screen real estate by hidding toolbar and/or menus
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=89
I use gvim over console vim because gvim is much more readable (under Windows). However, that doesn't mean I want to dedicate screen space to things I'll never use (i.e. the toolbar and the menus). Anyway, you can give the following a try if you'd like. set guioptions-=T "get rid of toolbar set guioptions-=m "get rid of menu Oh, yeah. If you decide that you don't really like being without your the toolbar or menus, issue the following: set guioptions+=T "bring back toolbar set guioptions+=m "bring back menu see also: :he 'guioptions
Encryption
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=90
You can encrypt your texts by using vim. :X prompts for an encryption key. After writing your key, if you save your document it will be encrypted and no one else (but you and vim) can read your documents. If you reopen the file, VIM will ask for the key. If you want to disable encryption, just type :set key= if you forget your key you will lose your document. So please DO NOT forget your key,
Dictionary completions
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=91
This tip will will explain how to use the dictionary completion facilities provided by vim. This can be useful if you use vim to type your email, edit code, etc. Dictionary completion is one of many search facilites provided by Insert mode completion. It allows the user to get a list of keywords, based off of the current word at the cursor. This is useful if you are typing a long word (e.g. acknowledgeable) and don't want to finish typing or don't remember the spelling. To start, we must first tell vim where our dictionary is located. This is done via the 'dictionary' option. Below is an example. Your location may vary. See :help 'dictionary' for hints as to where you should look. :set dictionary-=/usr/share/dict/words dictionary+=/usr/share/dict/words Now, to use this list we have to enter insert mode completion. This is done by hitting CTRL-X while in insert mode. Next, you have to specify what you want to complete. For dictionaries use CTRL-K. Once in this mode the keys CTRL-N and CTRL-P will cycle through the matches. So, to complete the word "acknowledgeable" I would do the following in insert mode: acknow<CTRL-X><CTRL-K><CTRL-N> It can be cumbersome to type CTRL-X CTRL-K for many different completions. So, vim gives us a shortcut. While in insert mode CTRL-N and CTRL-P will cycle through a predetermined set of completion sources. By default, dictionary completion is not a part of this set. This set is defined by the 'complete' option. Therefore, we must add dictionary to this as shown below: :set complete-=k complete+=k Now, while in insert mode we can type the following to complete our example: acknow<CTRL-N><CTRL-N> This shortcut may not save a whole lot of typing. However, I find that it requires less hand movement to only worry myself with two key combinations, rather than 4. I find that the completion facilites provided by vim save me a *HUGE* amount of typing. These savings can be realized in only a short amount of time if you are editing some code with functions and variables that have long names with underscores in them. For more help: help ins-completion help compl-dictionary help 'complete' help 'dictionary' help :set+=
Reducing 'doc' directory size
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=92
As everyone knows, the $VIMRUNTIME/doc is increasing rapidly in size. The directory contained so many plain-text documents that I often compress them to save my diskspace. With the support of VIM's GZIP plugin, VIM will automatically uncompress the files when we need to read them. Here is my procedure: 1. If you have the source, go to 'runtime/doc' and edit 'doctags.c', change printf("%s\t%s\t/*", p1, argv[0]); to printf("%s\t%s.gz\t/*", p1, argv[0]); then make. This is to modify the tag, or you'll have to change the 'tags' file by hand if you don't have doctags.c. 2. Edit the new generated 'tags' file to rename 'help.txt.gz' back to 'help.txt' because it's hard-written in VIM executable binary. :% s/help\.txt\.gz/help\.txt/g 3. Copy the new 'tags' to $VIMRNUTIME/doc and run 'gzip *.txt; gunzip help.txt' On VIM 6.0an, we can reduce the original size (3302k) to 1326k. I don't know if this helps, but if someone likes to compress documents... this can be reffered :)
if you use 'highlight search' feature, map a key to :noh
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=93
It is very convenient to use 'hlsearch' option. However it can be annoying to have the highlight stick longer than you want it. In order to run it off you have to type at least 4 keystrokes, ":noh". So, it's a good idea to map this to a key. I like to map it to control-n. This is the line I use in my .vimrc file to do it: nmap <silent> <C-N> :silent noh<CR>
Questions & Answers about using tags with Vim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=94
Using tags file with Vim ------------------------ This document gives you a idea about the various facilities available in Vim for using a tags file to browse through program source files. You can read the Vim online help, which explains in detail the tags support, using :help tagsearch.txt. You can also use the help keywords mentioned in this document to read more about a particular command or option. To read more about a particular command or option use, :help <helpkeyword> in Vim. 1. How do I create a tags file? You can create a tags file either using the ctags utility or using a custom script or utility. Help keyword(s): tag 2. Where can I download the tools to generate the tags file? There are several utilities available to generate the tags file. Depending on the programming language, you can use any one of them. 1. Exuberant ctags generates tags for the following programming language files: Assembler, AWK, ASP, BETA, Bourne/Korn/Zsh Shell, C, C++, COBOL, Eiffel, Fortran, Java, Lisp, Make, Pascal, Perl, PHP, Python, REXX, Ruby, S-Lang, Scheme, Tcl, and Vim. You can download exuberant ctags from http://ctags.sourceforge.net/
2. On Unix, you can use the /usr/bin/ctags utility. This utility is present in most of the Unix installations. 3. You can use jtags for generating tags file for java programs. You can download jtags from: http://www.fleiner.com/jtags/
4. You can use ptags for generating tags file for perl programs. You can download ptags from: http://www.eleves.ens.fr:8080/home/nthiery/Tags/
5. You can download scripts from the following links for generating tags file for verilog files: http://www.probo.com/vtags.htm
http://www.cs.albany.edu/~mosh/Perl/veri-tags
http://www.verilog.net/vrtags.txt
6. You can download Hdrtag from the following linke: http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/index.html#Tags
This utility generates tags file for the following programming languages: assembly, c/c++, header files, lex, yacc,LaTeX, vim, and Maple V. 7. You can also use the following scripts which are part of the Vim runtime files: pltags.pl - Create tags file for perl code tcltags - Create tags file for TCL code shtags.pl - Create tags file for shell script Help keyword(s): ctags 3. How do I generate a tags file using ctags? You can generate a tags file for all the C files in the current directory using the following command: $ ctags *.c You can generate tags file for all the files in the current directory and all the sub-directories using (this applies only to exuberant ctags): $ ctags -R . You can generate tags file for all the files listed in a text file named flist using (this applies only to exuberant ctags) $ ctags -L flist 4. How do I configure Vim to locate a tags file? You can set the 'tags' option in Vim to specify a particular tags file. set tags=/my/dir/tags Help keyword(s): 'tags', tags-option 5. How do I configure Vim to use multiple tags files? The 'tags' option can specify more than one tags file. The tag filenames are separated using either comma or spaces. set tags=/my/dir1/tags, /my/dir2/tags 6. How do I configure Vim to locate a tags file in a directory tree? Note that the following will work only in Vim 6.0 and above. You can set the 'tags' option to make Vim search for the tags file in a directory tree. For example, if the 'tags' option is set like this: set tags=tags;/ Vim will search for the file named 'tags', starting with the current directory and then going to the parent directory and then recursively to the directory one level above, till it either locates the 'tags' file or reaches the root '/' directory. Help keyword(s): file-searching 7. How do I jump to a tag? There are several ways to jump to a tag location. 1. You can use the 'tag' ex command. For example, :tag <tagname> will jump to the tag named <tagname>. 2. You can position the cursor over a tag name and then press Ctrl-]. 3. You can visually select a text and then press Ctrl-] to jump to the tag matching the selected text. 4. You can click on the tag name using the left mouse button, while pressing the <Ctrl> key. 5. You can press the g key and then click on the tag name using the left mouse button. 6. You can use the 'stag' ex command, to open the tag in a new window. For example, :stag func1 will open the func1 definition in a new window. 7. You can position the cursor over a tag name and then press Ctrl-W ]. This will open the tag location in a new window. Help keyword(s): :tag, Ctrl-], v_CTRL_], <C-LeftMouse>, g<LeftMouse>, :stag, Ctrl-W_] 8. How do I come back from a tag jump? There are several ways to come back to the old location from a tag jump. 1. You can use the 'pop' ex command. 2. You can press Ctrl-t. 3. You can click the right mouse button, while pressing the <Ctrl> key. 4. You can press the g key and then click the right mouse button. Help keyword(s): :pop, Ctrl-T, <C-RightMouse>, g<RightMouse> 9. How do I jump again to a previously jumped tag location? You can use the 'tag' ex command to jump to a previously jumped tag location, which is stored in the tag stack. Help keyword(s): tag 10. How do I list the contents of the tag stack? Vim remembers the location from which you jumped to a tag in the tag stack. You can list the current tag stack using the 'tags' ex command. Help keyword(s): :tags, tagstack 11. How do I jump to a particular tag match, if there are multiple matching tags? In some situations, there can be more than one match for a tag. For example, a C function or definition may be present in more than one file in a source tree. There are several ways to jump to a specific tag from a list of matching tags. 1. You can use the 'tselect' ex command to list all the tag matches. For example, :tselect func1 will list all the locations where func1 is defined. You can then enter the number of a tag match to jump to that location. 2. You can position the cursor over the tag name and press g] to get a list of matching tags. 3. You can visually select a text and press g] to get a list of matching tags. 4. You can use the 'stselect' ex command. This will open the selected tag from the tag list in a new window. 5. You can position the cursor over the tag name and press Ctrl-W g] to do a :stselect. Help keyword(s): tag-matchlist, :tselect, g], v_g], :stselect, Ctrl-W_g] 12. I want to jump to a tag, if there is only one matching tag, otherwise a list of matching tags should be displayed. How do I do this? There are several ways to make Vim to jump to a tag directly, if there is only one tag match, otherwise present a list of tag matches. 1. You can use the 'tjump' ex command. For example, :tjump func1 will jump to the definition func1, if it is defined only once. If func1 is defined multiple times, a list of matching tags will be presented. 2. You can position the cursor over the tag and press g Ctrl-]. 3. You can visually select a text and press g Ctrl-] to jump or list the matching tags. 4. You can use the 'stjump' ex command. This will open the matching or selected tag from the tag list in a new window. 5. You can press Ctrl-W g Ctrl-] to do a :stjump. Help keyword(s): :tjump, g_Ctrl-], v_g_CTRL-], :stjump, Ctrl-W_g_Ctrl-] 13. How do browse through a list of multiple tag matches? If there are multiple tag matches, you can browse through all of them using several of the Vim ex commands. 1. To go to the first tag in the list, use the 'tfirst' or 'trewind' ex command. 2. To go to the last tag in the list, use the 'tlast' ex command. 3. To go to the next matching tag in the list, use the 'tnext' ex command. 4. To go to the previous matching tag in the list, use the 'tprevious' or 'tNext' ex command. Help keyword(s): :tfirst, :trewind, :tlast, :tnext, :tprevious, :tNext 14. How do I preview a tag? You can use the preview window to preview a tag, without leaving the original window. There are several ways to preview a tag: 1. You can use the 'ptag' ex command to open a tag in the preview window. 2. You can position the cursor on a tag name and press Ctrl-W } to open the tag in the preview window. 3. You can use the 'ptselect' ex command to do the equivalent of the 'tselect' ex command in the preview window. 4. You can use the 'ptjump' ex command to do the equivalent of the 'tjump' ex command in the preview window. 5. You can position the cursor on the tag and press Ctrl-W g} to do a :ptjump on the tag. Help keyword(s): :preview-window, :ptag, Ctrl-W_}, :ptselect, :ptjump, Ctrl-W_g} 15. How do I browse through the tag list in a preview window? If there are multiple tag matches, you can browse through all of them in the preview window using several of the Vim ex commands. 1. To go to the first tag in the list, use the 'ptfirst' or 'ptrewind' ex command. 2. To go to the last tag in the list, use the 'ptlast' ex command. 3. To go to the next matching tag in the list, use the 'ptnext' ex command. 4. To go to the previous matching tag in the list, use the 'ptprevious' or 'ptNext' ex command. Help keyword(s): :ptfirst, :ptrewind, :ptlast, :ptnext, :ptprevious, :ptNext 16. How do I start Vim to start editing a file at a given tag match? While starting Vim, you can use the command line option '-t' to supply a tag name. Vim will directly jump to the supplied tag location. Help keyword(s): -t 17. How do I list all the tags matching a search pattern? There are several ways to go through a list of all tags matching a pattern. 1. You can list all the tags matching a particular regular expression pattern by prepending the tag name with the '/' search character. For example, :tag /<pattern> :stag /<pattern> :ptag /<pattern> :tselect /<pattern> :tjump /<pattern> :ptselect /<pattern> :ptjump /<pattern> 2. If you have the 'wildmenu' option set, then you can press the <Tab> key to display a list of all the matching tags in the status bar. You can use the arrow keys to move between the tags and then use the <Enter> key to select a tag. 3. If you don't have the 'wildmenu' option set, you can still use the <Tab> key to browse through the list of matching tags. Help keyword(s): tag-regexp, wildmenu 18. What options are available to control how Vim handles the tags file? You can use the following options to control the handling of tags file by Vim: 1. 'tagrelative' - Controls how the file names in the tags file are treated. When on, the filenames are relative to the directory where the tags file is present. 2. 'taglength' - Controls the number of significant characters used for recognizing a tag. 3. 'tagbsearch' - Controls the method used to search the tags file for a tag. If this option is on, binary search is used to search the tags file. Otherwise, linear search is used. 4. 'tagstack' - Controls how the tag stack is used. Help keyword(s): 'tagrelative', 'taglength', 'tagbsearch', 'tagstack' 19. Is it possible to highlight all the tags in the current file? Yes. Read the Vim online help on "tag-highlight". 20. Is it possible to create a menu with all the tags in the current file? Yes. It is possible to create a menu with all the tags in the current file using a Vim script. Download the TagsMenu.vim script from the following link: http://members.home.net/jayglanville/tagsmenu/TagsMenu.html
21. Is there a workaround to make the Ctrl-] key not to be treated as the telnet escape character? The default escape characters for telnet in Unix systems is Ctrl-]. While using Vim in a telnet session, if you use Ctrl-] to jump to a tag, you will get the telnet prompt. There are two ways to avoid this problem: 1. Map the telnet escape character to some other character using the "-e <escape character>" telnet command line option 2. Disable the telnet escape character using the "-E" telnet command line option. Help keyword(s): telnet-CTRL-]
How do I pipe the output from ex commands into the text buffer?
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=95
This is a *request* for a tip. I need to be able to pipe the output of a :blah ex command into the vim text buffer for editing. I wanted to do this many times for different reasons and could never find a way! I would just love to be able to do :hi --> textBuffer and examine the output at my own leasure scrolling up and down and using vim search commands on it. Same thing for :set all, and other things. Considering that cut and paste is horrible in windows, I can't for example do :set guioptions? then cut and paste! So I have to retype it, or cut and paste from the help manual. I really want to be able to pipe the output of ex commands into the text buffer. Can someone help me?
Cooperation of Gvim and AutoCad [MTEXT]
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=96
You can - like me :o) - use gvim, like replacement of internal AutoCad MTEXT editor. You need switch variable MTEXTED to "gvim" (or maybe fullpath, something like "c:\vim\vim60aq\gvim" ), and to your _vimrc you can put line: autocmd BufRead,BufNewFile *.tmp source c:\vim\aacad.vim And when you edit MTEXT in acad, menu AutoCad will be for your use in gvim (only in INSERT and VISUAL mode) [NOTE: Only I can't start gvim like gvim -y (for any other person, not so accustomed vith gvim) or start gvim from gvim.lnk or gvim.bat (I'am using windows95) and automatic skip to INSERT mode -latest word star, on end of script- is without functionality(?) Maybe someone advise me?? ] Well, script aacad.vim is listed here: "VIM menu for AutoCad's MTEXT editation "brz; mailto:brz@centrum.cz; 8. 8. 2001 " Version Mk.I "-------------------------------------------------------------------------- imenu &AutoCad.Insert.Space \~ vmenu &AutoCad.Insert.Space <Esc>`<i\~<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Insert.Backslash \\ vmenu &AutoCad.Insert.Backslash <Esc>`<i\\<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Insert.Brackets \{\}<Esc>F\i vmenu &AutoCad.Insert.Brackets <Esc>`>a\}<Esc>`<i\{<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Insert.Paragraph \P vmenu &AutoCad.Insert.Paragraph <Esc>`>a\P<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.-SEP1- : imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Red \C1; vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Red <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C1;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Yellow \C2; vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Yellow <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C2;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Green \C3; vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Green <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C3;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Cyan \C4; vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Cyan <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C4;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Blue \C5; vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Blue <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C5;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Violet \C6; vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Violet <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C6;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Colour.Black \C7; vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.Black <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C7;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Colour.D_Grey \C8; vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.D_Grey <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C8;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Colour.L_Grey \C9; vmenu &AutoCad.Colour.L_Grey <Esc>`>a\C7;<Esc>`<i\C9;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Font.Arial \fArial; vmenu &AutoCad.Font.Arial <Esc>`<i\fArial;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Font.Symbol \Fsymbol; vmenu &AutoCad.Font.Symbol <Esc>`<i\Fsymbol;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanC \Fromanc; imenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanC <Esc>`<i\Fromanc;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanS \Fromans; vmenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanS <Esc>`<i\Fromans;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanD \Fromand; vmenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanD <Esc>`<i\Fromand;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanT \Fromant; vmenu &AutoCad.Font.RomanT <Esc>`<i\Fromant;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Size.0_5x \H0.5x; vmenu &AutoCad.Size.0_5x <Esc>`<i\H0.5x;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Size.1_5x \H1.5x; vmenu &AutoCad.Size.1_5x <Esc>`<i\H1.5x;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Size.2x \H2x; vmenu &AutoCad.Size.2x <Esc>`<i\H2x;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Size.3x \H3x; vmenu &AutoCad.Size.3x <Esc>`<i\H3x;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Set_Out_1_5 \T1.5; vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Set_Out_1_5 <Esc>`>a\T1;<Esc>`<i\T1.5;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Set_Out_2 \T2; vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Set_Out_2 <Esc>`>a\T1;<Esc>`<i\T2;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.-SEP3- : imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_15deg \Q15; vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_15deg <Esc>`>a\Q0;<Esc>`<i\Q10;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_20deg \Q20; vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_20deg <Esc>`>a\Q0;<Esc>`<i\Q20;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_30deg \Q30; vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Tilt_30deg <Esc>`>a\Q0;<Esc>`<i\Q30;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.-SEP4- : imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Change_Width_0_5x \W0.5; vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Change_Width_0_5x <Esc>`>a\W1;<Esc>`<i\W0.5;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Change_Width_2x \W2; vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Change_Width_2x <Esc>`>a\W1;<Esc>`<i\W2;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.-SEP5- : imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Down \A0; vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Down <Esc>`<i\A0;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Middle \A1; vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Middle <Esc>`<i\A1;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Up \A2; vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Justify_Up <Esc>`<i\A2;<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Overlined_Characters \O\o<Esc>F\i vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Overlined_Characters <Esc>`>a\O<Esc>`<i\o<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Underlined_Characters \L\l<Esc>F\i vmenu &AutoCad.Effects.Underlined_Characters <Esc>`>a\l<Esc>`<i\L<Esc>% imenu &AutoCad.Effects.Index_Top \S^; imenu &AutoCad.-SEP6- : imenu &AutoCad.Help <CR><CR>***Quit Editor: press Alt-F4 and 'No' ***<CR><CR> star
How do I add a current time string inside Vim?
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=97
This is a *request* for a tip. Sometimes (eg. editing HTML pages) I need to add a timestamp string to my editing buffer. On UNIX systems, I can use :r!date to get a localized date time string; but on Windows ('date' on Windows will query the user to input new date) or other platforms which does not have 'date' command, how do I get a timestamp easily?
Getting vim help from mailing lists and newsgroups.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=98
There have been a few "requests for tips" entered into the tips database lately. If you have specific questions that aren't answered by the existing tips, there are a couple of resources that may be more appropriate: The mailing list vim@vim.org is for vim users. If you send an email to vim-help@vim.org, you'll get a message back telling you how to subscribe, as well as how to request old messages and contact the list maintainer. This mailing list is also archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vim.
The newsgroup comp.editors discusses many different editors, but most of the traffic is about vim. When posting, it is appreciated if you include "vim" in the subject line. The comp.editors newsgroup is archived at http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&safe=off&group=comp.editors.
Using the tips database for asking questions is not likely to work well. For example, if you ask a question titled "Searching for strings in a file" and I read this site and see that tip, I'm not going to read it if I already know how to search for strings in a file. In comp.editors and vim@vim.org, people expect to find questions from others and are therefore more likely to see your questions. After finding the answer to your question, please consider whether it would make an appropriate tip, and if so, add it to the tips database.
How to tell what syntax highlighting group *that* is!
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=99
Here's a (what should be a one-line) map to help you tell just what syntax highlighting groups the item under the cursor actually is: map <F10> :echo "hi<" . synIDattr(synID(line("."),col("."),1),"name") . '> trans<' . synIDattr(synID(line("."),col("."),0),"name") . "> lo<" . synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."),col("."),1)),"name") . ">"<CR> Once known you can override the current highlighting with whatever you want. If you're debugging a syntax highlighting file (a rare occupation), sometimes you'll wish to know the entire chain of syntax highlighting. For that, check out http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/vimscript/hilinks.vim
Jump to tag (e.g. help topic) with German keyboard (PC)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=100
You're a newbie in vim and need some ":help"? Well, help.txt reads: "Jump to a subject: Position the cursor on a tag between |bars| and hit CTRL-]." Unfortunately there is no "]" key on German keyboards. On Win32 try CTRL-+ (Strg-+), on Linux console I use CTRL-AltGr-9 (Strg-AltGr-9). Kind regards
Change automatically to the directory the file in the current buffer is in
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=101
To change automatically to the directory the file in the current buffer is in add a line (below) to the file .vimrc . The file .vimrc should have the following if-statement to control the autocmd feature: if has("autocmd") < ... lot of autocmd stuff ... > " Change to the directory the file in your current buffer is in autocmd BufEnter * :cd %:p:h endif " has("autocmd") Add the line above the endif and restart vim/gvim.
smart mapping for tab completion
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=102
I'm used to complete words with <tab>, however when editing source I can't just map that to vim keyword completion because I sometime need to insert real tabs, since it mostly happen when at the beginning of the line or after a ; and before a one line comma (java, c++ or perl anyone...) I've come to find the following really usefull This is how you can map the <tab> key in insert mode while still being able to use it when at the start of a line or when the preceding char is not a keyword character. in a script file in a plugin directory or in your .vimrc file: first define a function which returns a <tab> or a <C-N> depending on the context: function InsertTabWrapper() let col = col('.') - 1 if !col || getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '\k' return "\<tab>" else return "\<c-p>" endif endfunction then define the appropriate mapping: inoremap <tab> <c-r>=InsertTabWrapper()<cr> the trick here is the use of the <c-r>= in insert mode to be able to call your function without leaving insert mode. :help i_CTRL-R Benoit
Move to next/previous line with same indentation
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=103
When working with Python and other languages which don't use braces, it's useful to be able to jump to and from lines which have the same indentation as the line you are currently on. nn <M-,> k:call search ("^". matchstr (getline (line (".")+ 1), '\(\s*\)') ."\\S", 'b')<CR>^ nn <M-.> :call search ("^". matchstr (getline (line (".")), '\(\s*\)') ."\\S")<CR>^ will map Alt-< and Alt-> in Normal mode to upward and downward searching for lines with the same indent as the current line.
using vim to complement Perl's DBI::Shell
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=104
DBI::Shell is a Perl module that is used as a shell interface to Perl's popular DBI (database interface) package. Forget your favorite SQL navigation gui and give this method a shot. This has only been tested in UNIX. 1. run dbish (runs DBI::Shell; installed with DBI::Shell) and connect to any database 2. in dbish, set /format box 3. enter your query 4. to execute query, type "/ | vim -" This runs the query and pipes the output to the standard input of vim. Here are some follow-up tips: -use gvim instead of vim so a new window will pop up -set nowrap once in vim -make a syntax highlighting file for me! -Adam Monsen
combining move and scroll
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=105
I sometimes found myself moving down a few lines with j, then scrolling down about the same number of lines with <C-E> to put the cursor in roughly the same place as it started. I decided I wanted to map <C-J> (and <C-K>, respectively) to the move-and-scroll operation. First, I did :map <C-J> <C-E>j This was pretty good, but behaved funny at the beginning and end of files. Then, I realized that <C-D> already combined move and scroll, so I figured that giving <C-D> a count of 1 would do it: :map <C-J> 1<C-D> Unfortunately, this permanently attaches a count to <C-D> (ugh!), so I have to undo that: :map <C-J> 1<C-D>:set scroll=0<CR> This has the drawback of not necessarily resetting scroll to its original value, but since I never change scroll, it's good enough for me. It would be nice if there were a version of <C-D> that did not have the side-affect of changing scroll. Happy vimming, Andrew
Supersimple one-line solution
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=106
Hallo, next solution for _most_simple_ signature rotater: You can only put one line to your .vimrc || _vimrc: map <Leader>ms :e c:\sign.txt<CR>ggV/--<CR>k"*xG$a<C-R><C-O>*<Esc>:w<CR>:bd<CR>G$a<C-M><Esc>"*P Must exist file (from eg above) c:\sign.txt, with content: -- first signature -- second signature -- third signature -- When You finished mail, only call shortcut \ms and 'first signature' will be insert in your mail. In c:\sign.txt will be first signature pushed to the end of this file. When You want use other signature, only press 'u' and \ms again (Or You can change \ms to e.g. <F12>, indeed. ) You can change this and append one part like 'basic' from command and append 'changing' part from .signature file, as you like... Ok, one unpleasant thing is here: your signature must not contain '--' (signature separator)... Anyhow, I find it useful brz* <brz@centrum.cz> http://brz.d2.cz/
convert enum to string table
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=107
When testing your own C/C++ programs you sometimes wish to have a trace output, which shows you, which enum value is used. You can do this by creating a string table for that enum type, which contains the enum identifyer as a string. e.g. printf ("%s", MyEnumStringTable [ MyEnumVal] ); You can create the complete string table by - marking the lines containing the complete typedef enum - select menu C/C++.transform enum2Stringtab You can create string table entries by - marking the lines within the typedef enum - select menu C/C++.transform enum2String This makes it easy to keep the enum (on changes) consistent to the string table. Add the following lines to your _GVIMRC file: 31amenu C/C++.transform\ enum2Stringtab :s#[ ]*\\(\\w\\+\\)#/* \\1 */ "\\1"#<CR>o};<ESC>uOstatic const char* const Names[] = {<ESC><CR>/sdfsdf<CR> 31vmenu C/C++.transform\ enum2Stringtab :s#[ ]*\\(\\w\\+\\)#/* \\1 */ "\\1"#<CR>o};<ESC>uOstatic const char* const Names[] = {<ESC><CR>/sdfsdf<CR> 31amenu C/C++.transform\ enum2String :s#[ ]*\\(\\w\\+\\)#/* \\1 */ "\\1"#<CR>o}<ESC>/sdfsdf<CR> 31vmenu C/C++.transform\ enum2String :s#[ ]*\\(\\w\\+\\)#/* \\1 */ "\\1"#<CR>o}<ESC>/sdfsdf<CR> hint: '/sdfsdf' is added for deactivating search highlighting, ok, you'll sure find a better way to do this.
Toggle a fold with a single keystroke
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=108
When viewing/editing a folded file, it is often needed to inspect/close some fold. To speed up these operation use the following (put in your $HOME/.vimrc): " Toggle fold state between closed and opened. " " If there is no fold at current line, just moves forward. " If it is present, reverse it's state. fun! ToggleFold() if foldlevel('.') == 0 normal! l else if foldclosed('.') < 0 . foldclose else . foldopen endif endif " Clear status line echo endfun " Map this function to Space key. noremap <space> :call ToggleFold()<CR> See :help folding for more information about folding.
jump between files
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=109
Often I know I'm likely to edit many files. I run 'vim *.pl' and get a whole bunch of open files. To make jumping between files to a pleasure, I defined to mapss: map <f1> :previous<cr> map <f2> :next<cr> Press F1 to go back and F2 to go forward. -- Kirill
text->html table converter.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=110
Below are two functions and a mapping which will convert lines of plain text into HTML table code. For example, you have several lines like: ----------------------------------------------- 1 2 3 4 5 6 --------------------------------------------------- by visualizing all the 7 lines and press <F5>, you can change the text into <table><tr> <td>1</td> <td>2</td> <td>3</td> </tr><tr> <td>4</td> <td>5</td> <td>6</td> </tr></table> which will eventually render into a table. So the rule is: Every line is a table item, every empty line means starting of a new table row. "A text->html table code converter "By: Wenzhi Liang wzhliang@yahoo.com "You can distribute/change this file freely as long as you keep the title area. Thanks func Table() let end=line("'>") let start=line("'<") let i=start wh i <= end exe ":" . i let e=Empty() if e == 1 exe "normal I</tr><tr>" else exe "normal I<td>A</td>>>" endif let i=i+1 endwh exe "normal o</tr></table><<" exe ":" . start exe "normal O<table><tr><<" endfunc vmap <F5> <ESC>:call Table()<CR> func Empty() let line_nr= line (".") let a=getline ( line_nr ) let m=match(a, "\\S") if m == -1 return 1 else return 0 endif endfunc
Printing with syntax highlighting independent of your normal highlighting
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=111
I have found it undesirable to use :hardcopy directly because it uses the current syntax highlighting to determine how to print the text. For example, I like to print comments in italics, but I don't like italic fonts on the screen. This tip will show you how to set up a colorscheme for printing and use it only when you print. I copied an existing colorscheme to ~/.vim/colors/print.vim, and changed all the lines like this: highlight Normal ctermbg=DarkGrey ctermfg=White guifg=White guibg=grey20 to this: highlight clear Normal Then I set the syntax groups how I wanted them to be printed on the printer: highlight Comment term=italic cterm=italic gui=italic highlight Constant term=bold cterm=bold gui=bold etc.... I then defined the following command in my .vimrc file: command! -nargs=* Hardcopy call DoMyPrint("<args>") And, finally, I defined this function in my .vimrc: function DoMyPrint(args) let colorsave=g:colors_name color print exec "hardcopy ".a:args exec 'color '.colorsave endfunction After this is complete, you can do: :Hardcopy > /tmp/out.ps or just :Hardcopy (Note the capital H)
Back and forth between indented lines again
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=112
Paul Wright posted a tip which explained how to jump back and forth between lines with the same indentation level. I do this a lot, so I came up with this slightly more comprehensive solution. The example mappings below work as follows: [l and ]l jump to the previous or the next line with the same indentation level as the one you're currently on. [L and ]L jump to the previous or the next line with an indentation level lower than the line you're currently on. These movements also work in visual mode and (only as of one of the 6.0 alpha versions) in operator pending mode, meaning that you can do a d]l. The motion is specified as being exclusive when in operator pending mode. When might you use this? If you're writing programs in Python, Haskell, or editing XML files, they will be very useful. E.g. in XML you can jump to the outer enclosing tag, or the next matching tag. I use it for practically anything I edit, so it's not limited to this. " " NextIndent() " " Jump to the next or previous line that has the same level or a lower " level of indentation than the current line. " " exclusive (bool): true: Motion is exclusive " false: Motion is inclusive " fwd (bool): true: Go to next line " false: Go to previous line " lowerlevel (bool): true: Go to line with lower indentation level " false: Go to line with the same indentation level " skipblanks (bool): true: Skip blank lines " false: Don't skip blank lines function! NextIndent(exclusive, fwd, lowerlevel, skipblanks) let line = line('.') let column = col('.') let lastline = line('$') let indent = indent(line) let stepvalue = a:fwd ? 1 : -1 while (line > 0 && line <= lastline) let line = line + stepvalue if ( ! a:lowerlevel && indent(line) == indent || \ a:lowerlevel && indent(line) < indent) if (! a:skipblanks || strlen(getline(line)) > 0) if (a:exclusive) let line = line - stepvalue endif exe line exe "normal " column . "|" return endif endif endwhile endfunc " Moving back and forth between lines of same or lower indentation. nnoremap <silent> [l :call NextIndent(0, 0, 0, 1)<cr> nnoremap <silent> ]l :call NextIndent(0, 1, 0, 1)<cr> nnoremap <silent> [L :call NextIndent(0, 0, 1, 1)<cr> nnoremap <silent> ]L :call NextIndent(0, 1, 1, 1)<cr> vnoremap <silent> [l <esc>:call NextIndent(0, 0, 0, 1)<cr>m'gv'' vnoremap <silent> ]l <esc>:call NextIndent(0, 1, 0, 1)<cr>m'gv'' vnoremap <silent> [L <esc>:call NextIndent(0, 0, 1, 1)<cr>m'gv'' vnoremap <silent> ]L <esc>:call NextIndent(0, 1, 1, 1)<cr>m'gv'' onoremap <silent> [l :call NextIndent(0, 0, 0, 1)<cr> onoremap <silent> ]l :call NextIndent(0, 1, 0, 1)<cr> onoremap <silent> [L :call NextIndent(1, 0, 1, 1)<cr> onoremap <silent> ]L :call NextIndent(1, 1, 1, 1)<cr>
Translator in vim (Windows solution)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=113
Hallo, today I found script "translate.vim", but on Windows this will be probably difficult to run it (maybe with Cygwin is it possible). I've simpler solution of keymap for vim interlacing to dictionary: Must exist file with vocabulary (e.g. "an-cs.txt"), which is called for word under cursor. In 'normal' is only displayed window with translations, in 'insert' is word under cursor deleted and is insert selected form of word from translantion window (select it by mouse and than press right button: It works fine on W2k). Key _F12_ is looking for "word", shifted _S-F12_ is looking for "pattern". For windows is needed agrep, which is localy placed on http://www.tgries.de/agrep/index.html
map <F12> b"*yw<Esc>:! c:/bin/agrep -wih <C-R>* "c:/dict/an-cs.txt"<CR> imap <F12> <Esc>b"*yw<Esc>:! c:/bin/agrep -wih <C-R>* "c:/dict/an-cs.txt"<CR>dwi <C-R>* map <S-F12> b"*yw<Esc>:! c:/bin/agrep -ih <C-R>* "c:/dict/an-cs.txt"<CR> imap <S-F12> <Esc>b"*yw<Esc>:! c:/bin/agrep -ih <C-R>* "c:/dict/an-cs.txt"<CR>dwi <C-R>* brz* <brz@centrum.cz>
Browsing by paragraph
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=114
It can be done by reaching the blank lines in up and down directions just by pressing { ---- For going to the blank line above the paragraph } ---- For going to the blank line below the paragraph
Browsing by paragraph
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=115
It can be done by reaching the blank lines in up and down directions just by pressing { ---- For going to the blank line above the paragraph } ---- For going to the blank line below the paragraph
Search all occurances of the word under cursor in all the open files
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=116
Sometimes it is useful to know all the occurances of the word under cursor in all the open files. This can be done by pressing [I ( bracket and capital I ) . it shows the results found in the command window.
FAST SEARCH ACROSS THE PROJECT
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=117
Searching for a word across the project wastes most of the developres time, which can be avoided by the use of GNU Id_utils with VIM. The procedure needs to be followed is as follows: download GNU idutils 3.2d (mkid,lid,fid,fnid,xtokid) from http://www.mossbayeng.com/~ron/vim/builds.html
uncompress and store these files in the directory from where vim is running. goto the top level directory of the project, and run mkid, it will create ID file in that directory (As it is time consuming process, so be patient). copy this file ID to the directory from where vim is running. USAGE: Put these lines in your .vimrc: map _u :call ID_search()<Bar>execute "/\\<" . g:word . "\\>"<CR> map _n :n<Bar>execute "/\\<" . g:word . "\\>"<CR> function ID_search() let g:word = expand("<cword>") let x = system("lid --key=none ". g:word) let x = substitute(x, "\n", " ", "g") execute "next " . x endfun To use it, place the cursor on a word, type "_u" and vim will load the file that contains the word. Search for the next ocurance of the word in the same file with "n". Go to the next file with "_n". The mapping of "_u" and "_n" can be done to some other key as per your preference but I use ^K and ^L for this purpose.
Configuring gVim as Internet Explorer 'View Source' editor
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=118
Within the registry, you can specify the source editor to be used by Internet Explorer when {View|Source} is selected. Unfortunately, you can't specify a quoted filename argument here, i.e. "%1". The editor specified is supposed to handle filenames which contain spaces. This will cause problems for Vim because Vim treats each space as an argument separator. If an unquoted filename contains spaces, Vim treats the filename as multiple arguments and will open multiple files instead of one. To workaround this problem a quoted filename has to be passed to Vim. This can be done by creating the following Visual Basic Script file gVim.vbs: '--- gVim.vbs ----------------------------------------------------------------- 'function: Start gvim, combining multiple arguments to single file argument. 'changes: 20010905: Quoted 'oWShell.Run' filename argument, allowing spaces. ' 20010518: Created. 'author: Freddy Vulto <fvu@fvu.myweb.nl> ' Making variable declaration mandatory option explicit dim oWShell, sArg, sFile ' Create script object set oWShell = CreateObject("wscript.shell") ' Loop through arguments for each sArg in wscript.arguments ' Add argument to filename sFile = sFile & sArg & " " next ' Remove excess space sFile = Trim(sFile) ' Run Vim with file argument. Additional arguments: ' -R: View file readonly ' -c "set syntax=html": Use HTML syntax-highlighting ' NOTE: Use "-c ""set ft=html""" to make it work for Vim v6. oWShell.Run _ """D:\Programs\Vim\Vim58\gvim.exe """ & _ "-R """ & sFile & """ " & _ "-c ""set syntax=html""" ' Destroy script object set oWShell = NOTHING The source editor now can be specified by adding the following key to the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE |- Software |- Microsoft |- Internet Explorer |- View Source Editor |- Editor Name (Default) = D:\Programs\Vim\gvim.vbs Freddy Vulto <fvu@fvu.myweb.nl> http://fvu.myweb.nl/Projects/Vim/Web/vim.htm
Explorer startup and shutdown
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=119
I really like the new explorer window, but I wanted it to function a little more seemlessly in the editor. The following code does two things. First, the explorer is started when vim is started. I also noticed and fixed that the explorers size is not equal to the window size, hence the strange behavior when popping between two windows. The other major function of the code is to close the explorer when it's the only window that's left. I'd actually like to take this a step further and close the window if the last _document_ window is closed. I'd prefer that multiple explorers or help windows don't keep the application running - only having a file open keeps the application running. But I didn't see an easy way to do this... anyone else? BTW, thank you Bram for the help figuring this out. Code (which currently lives in my _vimrc): " FILE BROWSER STARTUP func OpenFileWindow() " :runtime plugin/*.vim " this would be useful if you were calling this " function from the .vimrc directly let g:explDetailedList=1 " show size and date by default let g:explVertical=1 " Split vertically let g:explStartRight=0 " Put new explorer window to the left of the current window :Sexplore set nonu set winwidth=15 " Make the width of the window match the explorer setting "let g:explVertical=0 " Split vertically doautocmd fileExplorer BufEnter " Forces the directory refresh to occur :winc l " change to the document window endfunc func CloseIfLast() if exists("b:completePath") " this is how I determine that I'm in an explorer window let n = winnr() wincmd p if n == winnr() quit " quit the window endif wincmd p endif endfunc if has("autocmd") if !exists("rudyautocommands") let rudyautocommands = 1 autocmd VimEnter * call OpenFileWindow() autocmd WinEnter * call CloseIfLast() endif endif
Compiling Java with Sun JDK (javac) within VIM
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=120
The $VIMRUNTIME/compiler has 'jikes.vim', but there's nothing for traditional Sun JDK(javac), so I tried (Only tested on Win 2000): " Vim Compiler File javac.vim " Compiler: Sun/IBM JDK: Javac if exists("current_compiler") finish endif let current_compiler = "javac" " Javac defaults to printing output on stderr and no options can convert, so we have to set 'shellpipe' setlocal shellpipe=2> " 2> works on Win NT and UNIX setlocal makeprg=javac\ #<.java setlocal errorformat=%f:%l:%m " Sorry I'm not familiar with 'errorformat', so I set it very simple.
Using vim as a syntax-highlighting pager
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=121
If you want to use Vim's syntax highlighting in a "more"-style pager, here's one way to set it up: First, create a vimrc like the following -- I called mine ~/.vimrc.more ---8<---cut here---8<--- " No compatibility -- necessary for mappings to work. set nocompatible " Status line set laststatus=0 set cmdheight=1 set nomodifiable " Only in version 6.0 set readonly " Syntax colouring -- lines taken from syntax.txt discussion on colour xterms. " See ':help color-xterm'. Use appropriate lines for your own set-up. if has("terminfo") set t_Co=16 set t_Sf=[3%p1%dm set t_Sb=[4%p1%dm else set t_Co=16 set t_Sf=[3%dm set t_Sb=[4%dm endif " My xterms have a navy-blue background, so I need this line too. set background=dark " Turn syntax on syntax on " Key bindings. nmap b <C-B><C-G> nmap q :q<CR> " To type the following line, type *two* C-V's followed by two spaces. This " is how you map the spacebar. nmap ^V <C-F><C-G> ---8<---cut here---8<--- Then, to use this .vimrc, add an alias. If you're using tcsh, the syntax will be something like: alias vmore "vim -u ~/.vimrc.more" Then you can type "vmore [filename]" to view a file in this "pager". Spacebar will move down, 'b' will move back up, and 'q' quits. You can add mappings for other keys if you want to, also.
Skip blank lines when folding text.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=122
I love the text folding capabilities of vim. I didn't like that it would display the first line of the range as the "title" for the fold. I like to write my comments with the "/*" on a line by itself. So I wrote this little function that will skip over anything that isn't a character, and then display whatever it finds after that character. Just include this in your ~/.vimrc (or ~/.gvimrc): function GetFirstLineWithChars() let line_num = 0 let charline = matchstr(getline(v:foldstart), '[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z ]*') while strlen(charline) == 0 let line_num = line_num + 1 let charline = matchstr(getline(v:foldstart + line_num), '[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z ]*') endw return charline endfunction set foldtext='+'.v:folddashes.substitute(GetFirstLineWithChars(),'\\\/\\\/\\\|\\*\\\|\\*\\\|{{{\\d\\=','','g') set fillchars=fold: hi folded guibg=black guifg=yellow gui=bold And as an added bonus, for those new to text folding, add this to your .vimrc file too: autocmd BufWinLeave *.* mkview autocmd BufWinEnter *.* silent loadview That way whatever folds you set won't get lost when you quit. I had that happen after spending 15 minutes folding up a 3000+ line file. Happy vimming!
use functionality similar to the * search on multiple files
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=123
The use of star as in vimtip#1 and vimtip#5 is great, here is how to use this type of search accross a whole directory: Just add the mappings (or choose different letter combinations): map gr :grep <cword> *<cr> map gr :grep <cword> %:p:h/*<cr> map gR :grep \b<cword>\b *<cr> map GR :grep \b<cword>\b %:p:h/*<cr> mapping one will search for the word under the cursor (like g*) in any of the files in the current directory mapping two will search for the word under the cursor (like g*) in any of the files in the same directory as the current file mapping three will search for the word under the cursor by itself (i.e. surrounded by word boundary like *) in any of the files in the current directory mapping four will search for the word under the cursor by itself (i.e. surrounded by word boundary like *) in any of the files in the same directory as the current file Benoit
Number a group of lines
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=124
Below is a way to number a set of lines. Here is an exaple before and after snapshot: apple bob pear tree 1 apple 2 bob 3 pear 4 tree " Description: " This provides a command and a function. They both can be called with or " without a range. In addition, they can be called with or without " arguments. Without a range they operate on the current line. " " There are two supported arguments. They are described below: " arg1 -> the number to start at. The default is one. This will " number your selected lines sequentially. The start can be a " number, ., $, or, 'x (like getline). " arg2 -> Text to append after numbers. The default is a space. " " Examples: " To provide your functionality: " :%Nlist 20 " :%call Nlist(20) " To make a list start at 1: " :'<,'>Nlist " :'<,'>call Nlist() " To number the whole buffer (with it's actual line number): " :%Nlist " :%call Nlist() " To number a subset of lines with their line number (and put a '] ' in " front of every number): " :'<,'>Nlist . ]\ " :'<,'>call Nlist(".", "] ") command! -nargs=* -range Nlist <line1>,<line2>call Nlist(<f-args>) function! Nlist(...) range if 2 == a:0 let start = a:1 let append = a:2 elseif 1 == a:0 let start = a:1 let append = " " else let start = 1 let append = " " endif " try to work like getline (i.e. allow the user to pass in . $ or 'x) if 0 == (start + 0) let start = line(start) endif exe a:firstline . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\=line(".")-a:firstline+start.append/' endfunction
Auto commenting for "}"
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=125
I always wanted a script that would auto-comment the end of a conditional block. So, I wrote one. This function searches for the previous matching "{", grabs the line, and inserts it as a comment after the "}". If there is no previous matching "{", it inserts nothing. So... if (test){ will generate: } // if (test) This is obviously not work if you use a different style. If you use if (test) { then substituting 'getline(".")', use 'getline(line(".") - 1)' should work. Put the following in your .vimrc: au BufNewFile,BufRead *.c,*.cc,*.C,*.h imap } <ESC>:call CurlyBracket()<CR>a function CurlyBracket() let l:my_linenum = line(".") iunmap } sil exe "normal i}" imap } <ESC>:call CurlyBracket()<CR> let l:result1 = searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW') if (result1 > 0) let l:my_string = substitute(getline("."), '^\s*\(.*\){', '\1', "") sil exe ":" . l:my_linenum sil exe "normal a //" . l:my_string endif endfunction
how do I get rid of that bold stuff with my xterm?
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=126
Having problems setting up your syntax highlighting because everything is coming up in bold? You're probably using an 8 color xterm and setting up highlighting lines such as hi Normal ... ctermfg=green . The solution: use numbers! 0=black, 1=red, 2=green, 3=yellow, 4=blue, 5=magenta, 6=cyan, and 7=white. Vim tries to use "bright" colors when its given names (because Windoz machines prefer to use dim text unless its been made bold). Read more about it under :help highlight-ctermfg .
Preview HTML files quickly
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=127
I've found while writing HTML files that it can become cumbersome when I have to switch to a web browser, load my page, and move back to VIM regularly to preview what I've written. I've come up with the following tricks. The first one requires that you have lynx (the text-based browser) installed on your computer (available from http://lynx.isc.org/release/). If your HTML page is primarily text, with few (if any) images, you can set up the following function and mapping:
function PreviewHTML_TextOnly() let l:fname = expand("%:p" ) new set buftype=nofile nonumber exe "%!lynx " . l:fname . " -dump -nolist -underscore -width " . winwidth( 0 ) endfunction map <Leader>pt :call PreviewHTML_TextOnly()<CR> This will open a new window and display your formatted HTML document in that window. Note that bold-face, italics, links, etc. will be lost -- all you will see is the text -- but the "-underscore" parameter to Lynx causes any text that would have been bold, italicized, or underlined to be displayed like _this_. The other trick requires that vim be running on your current machine, and that you be running a GUI of some sort (X-Windows, Windows, etc.). You can cause vim to invoke your favorite browser and have it display the file, like this: function PreviewHTML_External() exe "silent !mozilla -remote \"openurl(file://" . expand( "%:p" ) . ")\"" endfunction map <Leader>pp :call PreviewHTML_External()<CR> If you don't use mozilla, you will need to modify the function to use your preferred browser. Happy vimming!
grep, diff, patch, idutils, etc. for Windows systems
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=128
If you use Vim on Windows, and you wish you had some of those nifty UNIX command-line tools, but do not feel like installing all of Cygwin, you can get many of the most-used tools from Ron Aaron's web site: http://www.mossbayeng.com/~ron/vim/builds.html
Since Ron is a big Vim fan (see http://www.mossbayeng.com/~ron/vim/vimrant.html ) you can count on
these tools' working well with Vim. For some hints on how to use them, read :help :grep :help lid inside Vim. Happy Vimming!
Removing automatic comment leaders
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=129
If you include the "r" flag in the 'formatoptions' option (:help 'fo' , :help fo-table ) then the comment leader is inserted automatically when you start a new line in a comment. For example, in TeX the "%" character is the comment leader, and you might type % This is a tex file. % The comment leaders on all lines but the first were generated automatically. % This is the last line of the comment, but Vim will insert the comment leader on the next line. % You can get rid of the comment leader (along with anything you may already have typed on the line) without affecting the indent, if any, by typing "<C-U>" while in Insert mode. Related point: if you want to adjust the indent while in Insert mode, you can use "<C-D>" (to Decrease the indent) or "<C-T>" (to increase it). In the docs for Vim 6.0, this is described in the users' manual, :help 30.4 .
disabling default ftplugins
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=130
For an overview of ftplugins (filetype plugins) see :help ftplugins If you want to disable all ftplugins, or disable a particular default ftplugin, see :help :filetype :help ftplugin-overrule If you have your own ftplugins, and you want to disable all the default ones, then do NOT include a check for b:did_ftplugin in your ftplugin files, and add the line :autocmd BufEnter * let b:did_ftplugin = 1 to your VIMRC file, BEFORE the ":filetype ftplugin on" line.
Scroll alternate window
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=131
This mapping allow you to quickly scroll inactive window when displaying several windows concurrently. nmap <silent> <M-Down> :call ScrollOtherWindow("down")<CR> nmap <silent> <M-Up> :call ScrollOtherWindow("up")<CR> fun! ScrollOtherWindow(dir) if a:dir == "down" let move = "\<C-E>" elseif a:dir == "up" let move = "\<C-Y>" endif exec "normal \<C-W>p" . move . "\<C-W>p" endfun PS: Original idea and discussion of this tip appeared on vim@vim.org mailing list, I'm just prettified it a little.
window zooming convenience
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=132
i frequently have multiple windows open in vim -- this reduces the number of lines each window displays -- i almost always have my windows either all the same size or the current one as big as possible. the following function can be toggled on or off by typing <Leader>max (i can do this quite quickly); just change the mapping at the bottom to something else if you prefer. this causes the current window to be as big as possible (moving into another window causes that one to become big) and all the others get very small. i actually use this ALL the time. turning it off (by typing the hotkey sequence again) will cause all windows to have the same height. "toggles whether or not the current window is automatically zoomed function! ToggleMaxWins () if exists ('g:windowMax') au! maxCurrWin exe "normal \<c-w>=" unlet g:windowMax else augroup maxCurrWin " au BufEnter * exe "normal \<c-w>_\<c-w>\<bar>" " " only max it vertically au! BufEnter * exe "normal \<c-w>_" augroup END do maxCurrWin BufEnter let g:windowMax=1 endif endfunction map <Leader>max :call ToggleMaxWins ()<CR>
Windo and Bufdo
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=133
i like bufdo and windo but i don't like the fact that the commands end in a different window/buffer than from where i executed them. these versions (starts with a capital letter) will restore the current window or buffer when the command's done. for example, to turn on line numbers everywhere, i use :Windo set nu -- :windo set nu does the trick also but leaves me in a different window than where i started. " just like windo but restores the current window when it's done function! WinDo(command) let currwin=winnr() execute 'windo ' . a:command execute currwin . 'wincmd w' endfunction com! -nargs=+ -complete=command Windo call WinDo(<q-args>) " just like bufdo but restores the current buffer when it's done function! BufDo(command) let currBuff=bufnr("%") execute 'bufdo ' . a:command execute 'buffer ' . currBuff endfunction com! -nargs=+ -complete=command Bufdo call BufDo(<q-args>)
View Source in IE6 using VIM
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=134
You can change the "View Source" editor of IE6 by adding the following to the Windows Registry. Change the path in case you installed VIM in another location. [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor\Editor Name] @="C:\\vim\\vim60\\gvim.exe"
Vim buffer FAQ
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=135
Vim provides various commands and options to support editing multiple buffers. This document covers some of the questions asked about using multiple buffers with Vim. You can get more detailed information about Vim buffer support using ":help windows.txt" in Vim. You can also use the help keywords mentioned in this document to read more about a particular command or option. To read more about a particular command or option use, ":help <helpkeyword>" in Vim. 1. What is a Vim buffer? A buffer is a file loaded into memory for editing. All opened files are associated with a buffer. There are also buffers not associated with any file. Help keyword(s): windows-intro 2. How do I identify a buffer? Vim buffers are identified using a name and a number. The name of the buffer is the name of the file associated with that buffer. The buffer number is a unique sequential number assigned by Vim. This buffer number will not change in a single Vim session. Help keyword(s): :buffers 3. How do I create a buffer? When you open a file using any of the Vim commands, a buffer is automatically created. For example, if you use the ":edit file" command to edit a file, a new buffer is automatically created. 4. How do I add a new buffer for a file to the buffer list without opening the file? You can add a new buffer for a file without opening it, using the ":badd" ex command. For example, :badd f1.txt :badd f2.txt The above commands will add two new buffers for the files f1.txt and f2.txt to the buffer list. Help keyword(s): :badd 5. How do I get a list of all the existing buffers? You can get a list of all the existing buffers using the ":buffers" or ":ls" or ":files" ex command. This list is called the 'buffer list'. In Vim 6.0, to display all the buffers including unlisted buffers, use the ":buffers!" or ":ls!" or ":files!" ex command. Help keyword(s): :buffers, :ls, :files 6. How do I delete a buffer? You can delete a buffer using the ":bdelete" ex command. You can use either the buffer name or the buffer number to specify a buffer. For example, :bdelete f1.txt :bdelete 4 The above commands will delete the buffer named "f1.txt" and the fourth buffer in the buffer list. The ":bdelete" command will remove the buffer from the buffer list. In Vim 6.0, when a buffer is deleted, the buffer becomes an unlisted-buffer and is no longer included in the buffer list. But the buffer name and other information associated with the buffer is still remembered. To completely delete the buffer, use the ":bwipeout" ex command. This command will remove the buffer completely (i.e. the buffer will not become a unlisted buffer). Help keyword(s): :bdelete, :bwipeout 7. How do I delete multiple buffers? You can delete multiple buffers in several ways: 1. Pass a range argument to the ":bdelete" command. For example, :3,5bdelete This command will delete the buffers 3, 4 and 5. 2. Pass multiple buffer names to the ":bdelete" command. For example, :bdelete buf1.txt buf2.c buf3.h This command will delete buf1.txt, buf2.c and buf3.h buffers. In this example, after typing ":bdelete buf", you can press <Ctrl-A> to expand all the buffer names starting with 'buf'. Help keyword(s): :bdelete, :bwipeout 8. How do I remove a buffer from a window? You can remove a buffer displayed in a window in several ways: 1. Close the window or edit another buffer/file in that window. 2. Use the ":bunload" ex command. This command will remove the buffer from the window and unload the buffer contents from memory. The buffer will not be removed from the buffer list. Help keyword(s): :bunload 9. How do I edit an existing buffer from the buffer list? You can edit or jump to a buffer in the buffer list in several ways: 1. Use the ":buffer" ex command passing the name of an existing buffer or the buffer number. Note that buffer name completion can be used here by pressing the <Tab> key. 2. You can enter the buffer number you want to jump/edit and press the Ctrl-^ key. 3. Use the ":sbuffer" ex command passing the name of the buffer or the buffer number. Vim will split open a new window and open the specified buffer in that window. 4. You can enter the buffer number you want to jump/edit and press the Ctrl-W ^ or Ctrl-W Ctrl-^ keys. This will open the specified buffer in a new window. Help keyword(s): :buffer, :sbuffer, CTRL-W_^, CTRL-^ 10. How do I browse through all the available buffers? You can browse through the buffers in the buffer list in several ways: 1. To jump to the first buffer in the buffer list, use the ":bfirst" or ":brewind" ex command. 2. To jump to the first buffer in the buffer list in a new window, use the ":sbfirst" or ":sbrewind" ex command. 3. To edit the next buffer in the buffer list, use the ":bnext" ex command. 4. To open the next buffer in the buffer list in a new window, use the ":sbnext" ex command. 5. To edit the previous buffer in the buffer list, use the ":bprevious" or ":bNext" ex command. 6. To open the previous buffer in the buffer list in a new window, use the ":sbprevious" or ":sbNext" ex command. 7. To open the last buffer in the buffer list, use the ":blast" ex command. 8. To open the last buffer in the buffer list in a new window, use the ":sblast" ex command. Help keyword(s): :bfirst, :brewind, :sbfirst, :sbrewind, :bnext, :sbnext, :bprevious, :bNext, :sbprevious, :sbNext, :blast, :sblast 11. How do I open all the buffers in the buffer list? You can open all the buffers present in the buffer list using the ":ball" or ":sball" ex commands. Help keyword(s): :ball, :sball 12. How do I open all the loaded buffers? You can open all the loaded buffers in the buffer list using the ":unhide" or ":sunhide" ex commands. Each buffer will be loaded in a separate new window. Help keyword(s): :unhide, :sunhide 13. How do I open the next modified buffer? You can open the next or a specific modified buffer using the ":bmodified" ex command. You can open the next or a specific modified buffer in a new window using the ":sbmodified" ex command. Help keyword(s): :bmodified, :sbmodified 14. I am using the GUI version of Vim (gvim), is there a simpler way for using the buffers instead of the ex commands? Yes. In the GUI version of Vim, you can use the 'Buffers' menu, which simplifies the use of buffers. All the buffers in the buffer list are listed in this menu. You can select a buffer name from this menu to edit the buffer. You can also delete a buffer or browse the buffer list. Help keyword(s): buffers-menu 15. Is there a Vim script that simplifies using buffers with Vim? Yes. You can use the bufexplorer.vim script to simplify the process of using buffers. You can download the bufexplorer script from: http://lanzarotta.tripod.com/vim.html
16. Is it possible to save and restore the buffer list across Vim sessions? Yes. To save and restore the buffer list across Vim session, include the '%' flag in the 'viminfo' option. Note that if Vim is invoked with a filename argument, then the buffer list will not be restored from the last session. To use buffer lists across sessions, invoke Vim without passing filename arguments. Help keyword(s): 'viminfo', viminfo 17. How do I remove all the entries from the buffer list? You can remove all the entries in the buffer list by starting Vim with a file argument. You can also manually remove all the buffers using the ":bdelete" ex command. 18. What is a hidden buffer? A hidden buffer is a buffer with some unsaved modifications and is not displayed in a window. Hidden buffers are useful, if you want to edit multiple buffers without saving the modifications made to a buffer while loading other buffers. Help keyword(s): :buffer-!, 'hidden', hidden-buffer, buffer-hidden 19. How do I load buffers in a window, which currently has a buffer with unsaved modifications? By setting the option 'hidden', you can load buffers in a window that currently has a modified buffer. Vim will remember your modifications to the buffer. When you quit Vim, you will be asked to save the modified buffers. It is important to note that, if you have the 'hidden' option set, and you quit Vim forcibly, for example using ":quit!", then you will lose all your modifications to the hidden buffers. Help keyword(s): 'hidden' 20. Is it possible to unload or delete a buffer when it becomes hidden? The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above. By setting the 'bufhidden' option to either 'hide' or 'unload' or 'delete', you can control what happens to a buffer when it becomes hidden. When 'bufhidden' is set to 'delete', the buffer is deleted when it becomes hidden. When 'bufhidden' is set to 'unload', the buffer is unloaded when it becomes hidden. When 'bufhidden' is set to 'hide', the buffer is hidden. Help keyword(s): 'bufhidden' 21. How do I execute a command on all the buffers in the buffer list? In Vim 6.0, you can use the ":bufdo" ex command to execute an ex command on all the buffers in the buffer list. Help keyword(s): :bufdo 22. When I open an existing buffer from the buffer list, if the buffer is already displayed in one of the existing windows, I want Vim to jump to that window instead of creating a new window for this buffer. How do I do this? When opening a buffer using one of the split open buffer commands (:sbuffer, :sbnext), Vim will open the specified buffer in a new window. If the buffer is already opened in one of the existing windows, then you will have two windows containing the same buffer. You can change this behavior by setting the 'switchbuf' option to 'useopen'. With this setting, if a buffer is already opened in one of the windows, Vim will jump to that window, instead of creating a new window. Help keyword(s): 'switchbuf' 23. What information is stored as part of a buffer? Every buffer in the buffer list contains information about the last cursor position, marks, jump list, etc. 24. What is the difference between deleting a buffer and unloading a buffer? When a buffer is unloaded, it is not removed from the buffer list. Only the file contents associated with the buffer are removed from memory. When a buffer is deleted, it is unloaded and removed from the buffer list. In Vim 6, a deleted buffer becomes an 'unlisted' buffer. Help keyword(s): :bunload, :bdelete, :bwipeout, unlisted-buffer 25. Is it possible to configure Vim, by setting some option, to re-use the number of a deleted buffer for a new buffer? No. Vim will not re-use the buffer number of a deleted buffer for a new buffer. Vim will always assign the next sequential number for a new buffer. The buffer number assignment is implemented this way, so that you can always jump to a buffer using the same buffer number. One method to achieve buffer number reordering is to restart Vim. If you restart Vim, it will re-assign numbers sequentially to all the buffers in the buffer list (assuming you have properly set 'viminfo' to save and restore the buffer list across vim sessions). Help keyword(s): :buffers 26. What options do I need to set for a scratch (temporary) buffer? The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above. You can set the the following options to create a scratch (temporary) buffer: :set buftype=nofile :set bufhidden=hide :setlocal noswapfile This will create a buffer which is not associated with a file, which does not have a associated swap file and will be hidden when removed from a window. Help keyword(s): special-buffers, 'buftype' 27. How do I prevent a buffer from being added to the buffer list? The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above. You can prevent a buffer from being added to the buffer list by resetting the 'buflisted' option. :set nobuflisted Help keyword(s): 'buflisted' 28. How do I determine whether a buffer is modified or not? There are several ways to find out whether a buffer is modified or not. The simplest way is to look at the status line or the title bar. If the displayed string contains a '+' character, then the buffer is modified. Another way is to check whether the 'modified' option is set or not. If 'modified' is set, then the buffer is modified. To check the value of modified, use :set modified? You can also explicitly set the 'modified' option to mark the buffer as modified like this: :set modified Help keyword(s): 'modified' 29. How can I prevent modifications to a buffer? The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above. You can prevent any modification to a buffer by re-setting the 'modifiable' option. To reset this option, use :set nomodifiable To again allow modifications to the buffer, use: :set modifiable Help keyword(s): 'modifiable' 30. How do I set options specific to the current buffer? The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above. You can set Vim options which are specific to a buffer using the "setlocal" command. For example, :setlocal textwidth=70 This will set the 'textwidth' option to 70 only for the current buffer. All other buffers will have the default or the previous 'textwidth' value. Help keyword(s): 'setlocal', local-options 31. How do I define mappings specific to the current buffer? The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above. You can define mappings specific to the current buffer by using the keyword "<buffer>" in the map command. For example, :map <buffer> ,w /[.,;]<CR> Help keyword(s): :map-local 32. How do I define abbreviations specific to the current buffer? The following works only in Vim 6.0 and above. You can define abbreviations specific to the current buffer by using the keyword "<buffer>" in the :abbreviate command. For example, :abb <buffer> FF for (i = 0; i < ; ++i) Help keyword(s): :abbreviate-local
Remapping Alt, Ctrl and Caps in Win2k
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=136
Since I installed Win2K on my laptop, I had been unable to locate a utilitie that would simply enable me to remap my Crtl Alt and Caps the way I think they should be and the way they were until MS kill all competition in computing, that is Crtl on the left of the letter A, Alt to the left bottom of the letter Z and Caps approximately until the C. After some research, I came across a tip posted here by juano@mindspring.com. I tried to make sense of it and then downloaded the MS scan keys map at the URL he mentionned. Extrapolating his tip, I wrote this ASCI file that I named keys2000.reg : Regedit4 [HKey_Local_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout] "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,04,00,00,00,3A,00,38,00,38,00,1D,00,1D,00,3A,00,00,00,00 Once you have saved this file, left click on it from Explorer and answer yes to the prompt "do you want to enter this into the registry". Reboot and you are done. A few explanations :04 stands for 3 remappings (Caps lock to Control, Control to Alt and Alt to Caps Lock) plus the closing one which is always required (1 remapping would require 02, 2 would require 03, and so on). 3A,00,38 remaps Caps to Left Alt, 38,00,1D remaps Left Alt to Left Ctrl and 1D,00,3A remaps Left Ctrl to Caps Lock since 3A=Caps, 1D=Left Ctrl and 38=Left Alt. Based on Juano tip and on this one, I believe a lot of remapping can be done as long as you keep the separators 00 and remember to add one to the number of remappings. What I do not know is how far you can extend this instruction without getting into trouble with the registry. At worst, if you keyboard does not behave as expected, go into the registry and delete this instruction (be careful here since it is easy to confuse this instruction with the Keyboard LayoutS (S for emphasis) which must not be deleted. Again, thanks to Juano@mindspring.com who got me going and suggested I post my tip. Took me some time to retrieve the VIM Url but fortunately, I had printed his tip. Regards
automatically wrap left and right
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=137
I hate it when I hit left (or h) and my screen flickers. I want it to go up to the next line. Ditto fir right (or l). Below are two functions / mappings to help with that. I'm pretty sure that if you remove the <silent>, then it will work in 5.x... nnoremap <silent> <Left> :call WrapLeft()<cr> nnoremap <silent> <Right> :call WrapRight()<cr> nnoremap <silent> h :call WrapLeft()<cr> nnoremap <silent> l :call WrapRight()<cr> function! WrapLeft() let col = col(".") if 1 == col " don't wrap if we're on the first line if 1 == line(".") return endif normal! k$ else normal! h endif endfunction function! WrapRight() let col = col(".") if 1 != col("$") let col = col + 1 endif if col("$") == col " don't wrap if we're on the last line if line("$") == line(".") return endif normal! j1| else normal! l endif endfunction
Getting name of the function
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=138
Hi All, While browsing code one always needs to know which function you are currently looking. Getting the name is very painful when the functions are lengthy and you are currently browsing NOT near to the start of the function. You can get the function's name by using this simple mapping. Just place this in your .vimrc. map _F ma[[k"xyy`a:echo @x<CR> now _F will display which function you are currently in. Enjoy the power of Vim -Nitin Raut PS: The working is as follows, mark the current line with a, jump to the previous '{' in the first column, go one line up, yank the line in register x, return to the mark a, echo the value of register x, which is the wanted function name.
=, LaTeX tables, declarations, etc
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=139
Check out http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/textab.html
and see some examples of text alignment (its hopeless to do it here with proportional fonts). You'll be able to download textab source, a Windows-based textab executable, and a scriptfile containing a convenient interface (ttalign.vim). The textab program coupled with <ttalign.vim> lets you: 1. align C language statements on their = += -= /= etc symbols 2. align C language declararations: separate columns for types, *[, variable names, initializations (=), and comments (// or /* .. */) 3. align C/C++ language comments (//, /* .. */) 4. align C/C++ language (ansi) function argument lists 5. align LaTeX tables on their && separators 6. align HTML tables with </TD><TD> separators 7. align on several characters: < ? : | @ ; (or modify them to handle whatever alignment characters you want)
tip using embedded perl interpreter
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=140
When writing scripts using the embedded interpreter available if vim has the +perl ore +perl/dyn on gives you access to this powerfull and FAST scripting language (especially fast compared to vim scripts) there are some gotchas. First: never embed complex perl command in the body of a vim function this will be recompiled and evaled each time for a tremendous loss of time.instead to it like this perl << EOF sub mySub { #some usefull perl stuff } EOF function! MyFunction perl mySub "an argument", "another" endfunction to pass computed argument to your perl sub use the vim exec command function! MyFunction exec "perl mySub " . aLocalVar . ", " b:aBufferLocalVar endfunction It may be very hard to debug your perl sub since the output of the perl compiler is somehow lost in the middle of nowhere and the debugger is not available. When a compilation error occurs in your sub definition you'll get an error message when you try to call it saying that the sub does not exists. One thing which I have found very usefull is to write a fake VIM module with stub methods which will allow you to use the command line perl interpretor to at least compile your program. You could make your stub smart enough to fake a vim and use the debugger. Here is a sample for such a fake module defining just those method which I was using. package VIM; use diagnostics; use strict; sub VIM::Eval { $_ = shift; print "Eval $_\n"; { return '^(?!!)([^\t]*)\t[^\t]*\t(.*);"\t([^\t]*)\tline:(\d*).*$' if (/g:TagsBase_pattern/); return $ARGV[0] if (/b:fileName/); return '$3' if (/g:TagsBase_typePar/); return '$1' if (/g:TagsBase_namePar/); return '$4' if (/g:TagsBase_linePar/); return 'Ta&gs' if (/s:menu_name/); return $ARGV[1] if (/g:TagsBase_groupByType/); die "unknown eval $_"; } } sub VIM::Msg { my $msg = shift; print "MSG $msg\n"; } sub VIM::DoCommand { my $package; my $filename; my $line; ($package, $filename, $line) = caller; my $command = shift; print "at $filename $line\n"; print "DoCommand $command\n"; } 1; Then you can copy other your perl code in a separate file and add a use VIM; at the top and your set to debug. Good Vimming good perling. Benoit PS: this tips are probably true for other scripting languages
Add your function heading with a keystroke
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=141
Below is a tip that the C/C++ Newbies may find interesting and handy to use. The following code will add a function heading and position your cursor just after Description so that one can document as one proceeds with code. function FileHeading() let s:line=line(".") call setline(s:line,"/***************************************************") call append(s:line,"* Description - ") call append(s:line+1,"* Author - Mohit Kalra") call append(s:line+2,"* Date - ".strftime("%b %d %Y")) call append(s:line+3,"* *************************************************/") unlet s:line endfunction imap <F4> <esc>mz:execute FileHeading()<RET>`zjA Where <esc> stands for ^V+ESC and <RET> for ^V+ENTER
Automatic function end commenting for C++ and Java
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=142
Some people have a habit of adding the function name as a comment to the end of that function, if it is long, so that he/she knows which function the '}' ends. Here's a way to automate the process. Use the following abbreviation: iab }// } // END: <esc>10h%$?\w\+\s*(<cr>"xy/\s*(<cr>/{<cr>:nohl<cr>%$"xpa If you now end the function with '}//', the follwoing string will be automatically generated: '} //END: functionname'
Use of Vim folds for javadocs
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=143
Hi, The fold-method marker can be effectively use to set the folds in your Java source. Define some marker and place it inside HTML comments <!-- xx -->. This way, it does not affect the Javadocs generated without the necessity of a seprate comment line. e.g. /** * <!-- zz.FOLDSTART class AbcClass --> * The class description. * ... */ public class AbcClass { /** * <!-- method zz.FOLDSTART someMethod() --> * Method description. */ public void someMethod(); ... } /* zz.END: AbcClass */ /* Put this at the end of your file */ /* vim:fdm=marker fmr=zz.FOLDSTART,zz.END fdl=2 fdc=2: */ Now, the files will be opened with the methods neatly folded. You can use "zR" to open all folds (or click on the "+" at the left column). Sameer.
recording keystrokes by "q" for repested jobs
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=144
The most useful feature that I find in VIM is the "recording" feature (:help recording). I have used this to automatically insert function headers, re-indent lines, and convert some 34 source files into HTML. This feature is most useful when you want to do some repeated jobs, which you cant do easily using ".". You can set about writing a function, define a mapping, etc, but then these things might take time. By recording, you can try out and find the actual keystrokes that does the job. To start recording, press "q" in normal mode followed by any of "0-9a-z". This will start recording the keystrokes to the register you choose. You can also see the word "recording" in the status(?) line. You can start the key sequences that you want to record. You can go to insert mode and type if you want. To stop recording, press "q" in the normal mode. To playback your keystrokes, press "@" followed by the character you choose. Pressing "@@" will repeat the same again. Sameer.
Changing DOS style end of line to UNIX, or vise-versa
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=145
Those of us doomed to work in both the Unix and Windows world have many times encountered files that were create/editted on systems other that the one we are on at the time of our edits. We can easily correct the dreaded '^M' at the end of our Unix lines, or make files have more than one line in DOS by: To change from <CR><LF> (DOS) to just <LF> (Unix): :set fileformat=unix :w Or to change back the other way: :set fileformat=dos :w It also works for Apple land: :set fileformat=mac :w And to tell the difference: set statusline=%<%f%h%m%r%=%{&ff}\ %l,%c%V\ %P ^^^^^ This shows what the current file's format is. Happy Vimming!
opening multiple files from a single command-line
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=146
i use the :split command a lot -- both to open a second window containing the currently edited file and to edit a new file altogether (with the :split <filename> option). however, i also like to be able to edit more than one file and calling :sp multiple times is inconvenient. so, i created the following command, function and abbreviation: function! Sp(...) if(a:0 == 0) sp else let i = a:0 while(i > 0) execute 'let file = a:' . i execute 'sp ' . file let i = i - 1 endwhile endif endfunction com! -nargs=* -complete=file Sp call Sp(<f-args>) cab sp Sp this retains the behaviour of :sp in that i can still type :sp (the abbreviation takes care of that). :Sp takes any number of files and opens them all up, one after the other. the things i have noticed are that this causes 'sp' to be expanded to 'Sp' everywhere, even in search patterns. also, prepending 'vert' doesn't work. if there is interest, i'll do that.
How to write a plugin
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=147
This tip gives a skeleton for writing a plugin; Vim's help files have plenty of details (:he plugin, :he write-plugin, :he plugin-details). # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Exit when your app has already been loaded (or "compatible" mode set) if exists("loaded_YourAppName") || &cp finish endif # Public Interface: # AppFunction: is a function you expect your users to call # PickAMap: some sequence of characters that will run your AppFunction # Repeat these three lines as needed for multiple functions which will # be used to provide an interface for the user if !hasmapto('<Plug>AppFunction') map <unique> <Leader>PickAMap <Plug>AppFunction endif # Global Maps: # map <silent> <unique> <script> <Plug>AppFunction \ :set lz<CR>:call <SID>AppFunc<CR>:set nolz<CR> # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # AppFunction: this function is available vi the <Plug>/<script> interface above fu! <SID>AppFunction() ..whatever.. # your script function can set up maps to internal functions nmap <silent> <left> :set lz<CR>:silent! call <SID>AppFunction2<CR>:set nolz<CR> # your app can call functions in its own script and not worry about name # clashes by preceding those function names with <SID> call <SID>InternalAppFunction(...) # or you could call it with call s:InternalAppFunction(...) endf # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # InternalAppFunction: this function cannot be called from outside the # script, and its name won't clash with whatever else the user has loaded fu! <SID>InternalAppFunction(...) ..whatever.. endf # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Plugins are intended to be "drop into <.vim/plugin>" and work. The problem that the <Plug>, <SID>, etc stuff is intended to resolve: what to do about functions that have the same names in different plugins, and what to do about maps that use the same sequence of characters? The first problem is solved with <SID> (a script identifier number) that vim assigns: program with it and your users will be happier when your stuff works with all their other stuff. The second problem: what to about those maps is addressed with <Plug>, <unique>, etc. Basically the idea is: let the user know that there are clashes and don't overwrite previously existing maps. Use the user's preferred map-introducer sequence (I like the backslash, but there are many keyboards which make producing backslashes unpleasant, and those users usually prefer something else). What I like to do is to have a pair of start/stop maps to reduce my impact on the namespace. When the starting map is used, it kicks off a starting function that introduces all the maps needed. When the stopping map is used, it not only removes the maps the starter made but restores any maps the user had had that would have clashed. I also use the start/stop pair of functions to set and restore options that cause my scripts difficulties. Check out DrawIt.vim's SaveMap() function for a way to save user maps. Restoring maps with it is easy: if b:restoremap != "" exe b:restoremap unlet b:restoremap endif So you can see it sets up a string variable with all the maps that the user had that would have clashed with my application. One final thing: if your application needs to share information between its various functions, see if you can use s:varname (a variable that only your script's functions can access) or b:varname (a variable that anything associated with the buffer your application is running with can access) instead of using global variables. Good luck and happy Vimming!
Make great use of those homemade menus
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=148
Accidently discovered that using <alt><Menu Hotletter><cr> (e.g <alt>b<cr> - for the buffer menu) causes the menu to break out in a seperate window. Selecting the menu with the mouse and then hitting enter does not seem to do it. I will have to learn to add hotletters to my menus now so that the mouse can take a break. I am a total newbie with vim, but constantly amazed....
Automatically update your diff upon writing.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=149
When trying to reconcile differences between files, and using the new 'diff' functionality in Vim 6.0 you may want to automatically update the differences as you are working along. A convienent time is when you write out either of the files you are diff'ing. This autocmd will take care of doing that for you. " If doing a diff. Upon writing changes to file, automatically update the " differences au BufWritePost * if &diff == 1 au BufWritePost * :diffupdate au BufWritePost * endif
Generating a column of increasing numbers
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=150
You can use the "Visual Incrementing" script from http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/index.html#VimFuncs
to convert a block of numbers selected via ctrl-v (visual block) into a column of increasing integers. Select the column, press :I<CR>, and the first line's number will be used as a starting value. Subsequent lines's numbers will be incremented by one. If the ctrl-v block is "ragged right", which can happen when "$" is used to select the right hand side, the block will have spaces appended as needed to straighten it out. If the strlen of the count exceeds the visual-block allotment of spaces, then additional spaces will be inserted. Example: Put cursor on topmost zero, select column with ctrl-v, then :I vector[0]= 1; vector[0]= 1; vector[0]= 1; vector[1]= 1; vector[0]= 1; --> vector[2]= 1; vector[0]= 1; vector[3]= 1; vector[0]= 1; vector[4]= 1; This script works with both vim 5.7 (:so visincr.vim) or vim 6.0 (source it as for vim 5.7 or drop it into the .vim/plugin directory).
an ascii table
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=151
There is an ascii table in the vim-help files, but it's hard to find. Thus, I shall give a pointer to it: :help digraph-table
Dutch, English, German, Hungarian, and Yiddish
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=152
Under http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/index.html#vimlinks_scripts
are links to spelling checkers for Dutch, English, German, Hungarian, and Yiddish, all based on the original engspchk.vim. The spelling checker provides as-you-type spell checking; with vim6.0 it will avoid checking on partially typed words. Provided are several maps: \et : add word under cursor into database for just this file \es : save word under cursor into database (permanently) \en : move cursor to the next spelling error \ep : move cursor to the previous spelling error \ea : look for alternative spellings of word under cursor To use \ea you will need agrep: agrep source: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/text/agrep-2.04.tar.Z
agrep Win exe: http://www.tgries.de/agrep
To use the spell checkers just source it in: ex. so engspchk.vim To read more about it see http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/index.html#Spelling
Making Parenthesis And Brackets Handling Easier
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=153
1) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Automatic" bracket setting +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2) +++++++++++++ Further improvement of parenthesis/bracket expanding +++++++++++++++++ 3) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Late" bracketing of text +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 4) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conclusion ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++ ======================================================================================= 1) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Automatic" bracket setting +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ To automatically insert a closing parenthesis when typing an opening parenthesis you can insert the following simple mapping to your vimrc: :inoremap ( ()<ESC>i This ends up with the cursor between the opening and the closing parenthesis in insert mode. You can apply this and the following tips, of course, with the kind of parenthesis/bracket character you want to, i.e. (, {, [, < ..... and, pretty useful as well, quotation marks ",',.... (to be continued) 2) +++++++++++++++ Further improvement of parenthesis/bracket expanding ++++++++++++++++++ I you are ready with filling the parenthesis/brackets, you likely want to "escape" from the brackets again to continue coding. To make this pretty comfortable, I invented the following kind of mappings, which get out of the last expanded parenthesis/bracket, regardless of the actual type of it, and enter append mode again. I mapped this kind of "getaway" with CTRL_j, you may use your favorite keystroke with it. ... :inoremap ( ()<ESC>:let leavechar=")"<CR>i :inoremap [ []<ESC>:let leavechar="]"<CR>i ... :imap <C-j> <ESC>:exec "normal f" . leavechar<CR>a Explanation: The variable "leavechar" contents the actual char which is to "escape" from. 3) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Late" bracketing of text +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Occasionally I later want already written text parts to put in parenthesis. I use the following macro, which brackets previously visually selected text. I mapped it with _(. :vnoremap _( <ESC>`>a)<ESC>`<i(<ESC> Furthermore, a sort of mapping for bracketing a *single word* is conceivable. Because this is not as general like the kind of visual mode mapping, I use this kind of "word bracketing" only for surrounding the word right behind the cursor in insert mode with **. I use the following macro to "emphasize" the word i just typed, for newsgroup articles. :imap _* <Esc>bi*<Esc>ea*<Space> 4) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conclusion ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Since I use these macros, I never caused a syntax error because of missing brackets, and furthermore I can quickly insert parenthesis and qutotes into code- and non-code files. JH 04.11.2001
Mappings to facilitate the creation of text
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=154
" " Mappings to facilitate the creation of text " " Author: Suresh Govindachar sgovindachar@yahoo.com " Date: November 5, 2001 " " While typing text to create a document, I often end up hitting " <Esc>, issuing some commands (with or without ":") and getting back " to typing by issuing a command such as "i", "O", "s" etc. " " I looked into using "set insertmode" to speed up such actions, but " found that too confusing. " " I have come up with a set of mappings that have speeded up my process " of creating documents. I have saved these mappings in a file, named " FullScreenVI.vim, in vim's plugin directory. " " Perhaps you will find these mappings helpful too. " " Please send me feedback. " "To allow overriding the Alt key set winaltkeys=no "To enable viewing messages from commands issued using the mappings presented here set cmdheight=2 "The fundamental mapping that makes full-screen editing possible imap <A-o> <C-o> imap <A-;> <C-o>: "Basic motions imap <A-h> <Left> imap <A-j> <Down> imap <A-k> <Up> imap <A-l> <Right> imap <A-f> <PageDown> imap <A-b> <PageUp> imap <A-^> <Home> imap <A-$> <End> "Numbers for repeats imap <A-1> <C-o>1 imap <A-2> <C-o>2 imap <A-3> <C-o>3 imap <A-4> <C-o>4 imap <A-5> <C-o>5 imap <A-6> <C-o>6 imap <A-7> <C-o>7 imap <A-8> <C-o>8 imap <A-9> <C-o>9 "Basic searches imap <A-/> <C-o>/ imap <A-*> <C-o>* imap <A-#> <C-o># imap <A-n> <C-o>n imap <A-N> <C-o>N "Deleting imap <A-x> <C-o>x imap <A-d> <C-o>d imap <A-D> <C-o>D "Yanking and putting imap <A-y> <C-o>y imap <A-Y> <C-o>Y imap <A-p> <C-o>p imap <A-P> <C-o>P "Common prefixes: marking, matching etc. imap <A-~> <C-o>~ imap <A-m> <C-o>m imap <A-`> <C-o>` imap <A-"> <C-o>" imap <A-%> <C-o>% imap <A-h> <C-o>:h imap <A-s> <C-o>:s "Interacting with the 'outside' imap <A-!> <C-o>:! imap <A-w> <C-o>:w<CR> imap <A-e> <C-o>:e "Other commands imap <A-u> <C-o>u imap <A-.> <C-o>.
Decompile Java .class files automatically
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=155
Here's a plugin to automatically decompile Java .class files as they're read in. Tweak the javap flags for what you want to see. I didn't post this as a script because it's too simple and it's really more useful for demonstrating how to read decompilable files (or other binary files that can be converted to text). function s:ReadClass(dir, classname) execute "cd " . a:dir execute "0read !javap -c " . a:classname 1 setlocal readonly setlocal nomodified endfunction autocmd BufReadCmd *.class \ call <SID>ReadClass(expand("<afile>:p:h"), expand("<afile>:t:r"))
describe <table name> from vim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=156
i had some trouble with the sqlplus scripts (probably my fault). but it seemed a little heavy for what i need, usually all i want is a listing of the columns for a given table while i'm whipping on some sql inside vim. so i wrote a bash script (describe)... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~begin describe script #!/usr/bin/bash f=aTempFile.sql u=<uName> p=<pWord> d=<dBase> echo "/* describe for $1" echo "describe $1;" > $f; echo "quit;" >> $f; sqlplus -S $u/$p@$d @$f rm -f $f; echo " end describe for $1 */" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end describe script your path needs to include the script (as well as sqlplus), then from vim you can just type.... :r !describe <tableName> and you get a listing of the table columns slammed into wherever your cursor was, complete with java/c comments
Incredible new functionality
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=157
if you get away from vim and get any other editor that was built *after* 1970....
Using Computer Modern TT as gvim font (Win32)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=158
If you really like the Computer Modern typewriter font (as seen in most TeX distributions) you can use it as the font in gvim! (looks excellent with font smoothing turned on) First, get hold of the free Blue Sky Type 1 PS versions of the CM fonts from your local CTAN mirror. Unpack to a suitable directory. Next locate the cmtt8.pfb file and open it (in Vim, naturally ;) - find the line saying dup 32 /visiblespace put and change it to dup 32 /space put that is, inserting enough spaces to keep the file size exactly the same (IMPORTANT!) Save the file in Mac format (:set fileformat=mac). Now install the cmtt.pfm file - in Win9x/NT4, you'll need Adobe Type Manager (free download), but in Win2k, you can just drop the .pfm file into the Fonts folder. Now in your _gvimrc: set guifont=CMTT8:h11:cSYMBOL (use whatever height you like instead of h11) ..and enjoy! It's the first scalable font I can bear to edit code in... %-)
Keystroke Saving Substituting and Searching
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=159
1) ++++++++++++++ Saving Keystrokes for common Searching and Substituting +++++++++++ --- a) Searching b) Substituting --------------------------------------------------- 2) ++++ Searching for resp. Substituting of the current word under the cursor ++++++ --- a) Searching b) Substituting --------------------------------------------------- 3) ++ Searching and Substituting for an arbitrary visually selected part of text ++++ --- a) Searching b) Substituting --------------------------------------------------- 4) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conclusion +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ===================================================================================== 1) ++++++++++++++ Saving Keystrokes for common Substituting and Searching +++++++++++ a) Searching ............ Sorry, there is not much that can be saved for common Searching. It's just hitting /mypattern<RETURN> b) Substituting ......... I think, common substitution requires pretty many keystrokes. So I use the following macro with my favorite substitution options: :map <F4> :%s//gc<Left><Left><Left> This ends up with the cursor after the first '/' in the commandline. To complete it, you only have to enter -> myoldpattern/mynewpattern<RETURN> Remark: I mapped it to <F4> (cause of tribute to the <F4> of the good old Norton Commander editor). You may map it where you want to. 2) ++++ Searching for resp. Substituting of the current word under the cursor ++++++ a) Searching ............ If you don't know how to look for the next occurence of the word under the cursor, you should *now* type :help * or :help star or refer to the tips vimtip #1 or vimtip #5 ((Tip within tip: To make your pattern more visible, look for :help hls)) b) Substituting ......... The following macro extends the one above with automatically inserting the current word under the cursor into the from - pattern of the :s command. :map <S-F4> :%s/<C-r><C-w>//gc<Left><Left><Left> To complete it, just enter -> mynewpattern<RETURN> I use this i.e. for reliable and quickly renaming a variable in the entire buffer. I mapped it to Shift-<F4>. You may map it to the keystroke you want. Explanation: CTRL-v+CTRL-w expands to the word under the cursor. 3) ++ Searching and Substituting for an arbitrary visually selected part of text ++++ If you want to look or substitute (for) an *arbritary* pattern (which already exists at least once in your text), the following 2 mappings do it for you. The advantage is that you dont have to type again or cut & paste the appropriate text but only have to visually select it. a) Searching ........... :vmap / y:execute "/".escape(@",'[]/\.*')<CR> This immediately finds to the next occurence of the previously visually selected text. b) Substituting ......... :vmap <F4> y:execute "%s/".escape(@",'[]/\')."//gc"<Left><Left><Left><Left> Again, as in the mapping in chapter 2), you just have to complete it by entering -> mynewpattern<RETURN> Explanation/Discussion: What both Substituting and Searching in this way generally does is: - *y*anking the selected text - Inserting the visually selected via adressing the '"' register with '@"' as a parameter of the escape() function going finally into the 'myoldpattern' part. The trickery problem is, if you have characters in your myoldpattern, which are regular expression chars, they are recognized and threated accordingly. That is most likely not what you wanted. To escape them, these chars have to be declared by the second parameter of the excape() function, which then escapes them with a backslash. The few characters above work for me. If you run into problems, you should check for additional regexp chars in your text, and try to escape them by adding them to the escape() function parameter. 4) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conclusion +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ With the appropriate mappings in your vimrc you can save keystrokes when Searching or Substituting and avoid typing errors. That way, you can take lunch sooner
Dutch spelling checker
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=161
Download at http://www.thomer.com/thomer/vi/nlspchk.vim.gz.
This sciript is based on Charles E. Campbell's English spelling checker script for ViM (http://users.erols.com/astronaut/vim/) and Piet Tutelaers' Dutch word list (http://www.ntg.nl/spell-nl-v5b/) using Thomas Köhler's script (http://jeanluc-picard.de/vim/gerspchk/create). In other words, I didn't do much.
write plugin with explorer like interfaces
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=162
Several plugins use a text base interface based on a special buffer, this is the case of the standard explorer plugin, several bufexplorer plugins, the option buffer and others... Here is a quick guide in how to do this Writing a special buf script | using a special buffer is a common technic when writing Vim scripts, it is used by | explorer, bufexplorer, DirDiff... | I'm currently writing one for TagsBase.vim | http://vim.sourceforge.net/scripts/script.php?script_id=100
| and I'll use this document to take notes on how to do it. | Setting up the buffer Opening the window TODO Using a setup function Principle | we can use a specific function to open and setup the special buffer. s:SetupBuf() Setup Function advantage | since the command will be defined in the main script you | can use script local functions Using a special filetype Principle | we can also use a new filetype and distribute a syntax and an ftplugin for this | filetype, the only thing needed in this case is to set the | filetype after creating the buffer Filetype advantage | better separations of different parts of your script. If | the main function of your plugin is not to have this | special buffer then it is nice to avoid clutering it. Things which needs to be done to setup the buffer The buffer should not be listed and does not correspond to a file * setlocal buftype=nofile - options always local to buffer * set nobuflisted * set bufhidden=delete * set nomodifiable Setup the syntax for this buffer | see :help syntax | This is usually done in two steps, first describe the | syntax groups using :syn commands then setup the | hilighting using :hi def link commands. Usually it is | best to link the newly defined groups to predefine ones in | order to make the coloring work fine with colorschemes. | You'll find the list of predefined group by doing: | :help group-name Setup the special mappings | since we have chosen to use the set nomodifiable option | our buffer will never be in insert mode. All our mapping | are in Normal, Visual or operator pending, they should | therefore use the map, nmap, vmap and omap mapping command | plus the associated 'nore' version. I usually find it | better to use the 'nore' version to avoid surprises due to | mapping in the user configuration. | | We also want our mappings to be local to the special | buffer so all the commands will use the <buffer> modifier. | | Finally we want our mappings not to polute the status bar | so we use the <silent> modifier | | Putting all this together we end up with mapping commands | which look like: | noremap <buffer> <silent> {lhs} {rhs} Setup the special command | we will then setup special commands for this buffer. Like | for the mapping there are some precautions to take: | we don't want an error message if the command is defined | twice so we use the command! variant. | We want a command local to our buffer wo we use the | -buffer attribute. The rests of the command attributes | and options depend on the actual command. | So our commands look like: | command! -buffer {attr} {cmd} {rep} | where attr is optional.
Toggle Search Highlighting
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=163
" Map H to toggle search highlighting map H :let &hlsearch = !&hlsearch<CR>
Make non-ASCII characters displayed on console
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=164
I had a problem with VIM on the FreeBSD console: it didn't display characters like German umlauts correctly, but escaped them with a tilde. The solution is to teach VIM about printable characters. I use the following on my .vimrc: set isprint=@,128-255
Deleting a buffer without closing the window
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=165
I'm not sure if this functionality is already within Vim, but I sometimes I find it useful to keep a split window from closing when deleting a buffer. This has already been discussed on the vim@vim.org mailing list. However, I feel this solution is a little easier to use. " Put this into .vimrc or make it a plugin. " Mapping :Bclose to some keystroke would probably be more useful. " I like the way buflisted() behaves, but some may like the behavior " of other buffer testing functions. command! Bclose call <SID>BufcloseCloseIt() function! <SID>BufcloseCloseIt() let l:currentBufNum = bufnr("%") let l:alternateBufNum = bufnr("#") if buflisted(l:alternateBufNum) buffer # else bnext endif if bufnr("%") == l:currentBufNum new endif if buflisted(l:currentBufNum) execute("bdelete ".l:currentBufNum) endif endfunction
Mapping caps lock to esc in XWindows
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=166
(This originally appeared on the vim mailing list as post by Adam Monsen http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vim/message/19856)
If you want to completely swap caps lock and escape, you have to replace the "Lock" on caps lock. Drop this file in your home dir:<br> -----------start------------<br> ! Swap caps lock and escape<br> remove Lock = Caps_Lock<br> keysym Escape = Caps_Lock<br> keysym Caps_Lock = Escape<br> add Lock = Caps_Lock<br> ------------end-------------<br> and call it ".speedswapper". Then open a terminal and type<br> $ xmodmap .speedswapper<br> and you'll be twice as efficient in vim. Who needs caps lock anyway? The swapping lasts for the duration of the X session, so you can put it in a .xinitrc or similar startup file. As far as other people using my laptop, I'd rather they didn't! Using a Dvorak layout might protect me even more... :)
Using vim as a man-page viewer under Unix
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=167
To use vim as a man-page viewer involves setting an environment variable: sh, ksh: export MANPAGER="col -b | view -c 'set ft=man nomod nolist' -" csh : setenv MANPAGER "col -b | view -c 'set ft=man nomod nolist' -" Put one of the above two lines into your <.profile> or <.login> file as appropriate for your shell. The man pages will then be displayed with vim called as "view" and will use the <man.vim> syntax highlighting. I myself use some additional highlighting which is enabled by putting the following file into <.vim/after/syntax/man.vim>. I usually use the <astronaut> colorscheme (also available from this archive); those who use bright backgrounds may find the colors selected for manSubSectionStart and manSubSection something they'll want to change: --------------------------------------------------------------------- " DrChip's additional <man.vim> stuff syn match manSectionHeading "^\s\+[0-9]\+\.[0-9.]*\s\+[A-Z].*$" contains=manSectionNumber syn match manSectionNumber "^\s\+[0-9]\+\.[0-9]*" contained syn region manDQString start='[^a-zA-Z"]"[^", )]'lc=1 end='"' contains=manSQString syn region manSQString start="[ \t]'[^', )]"lc=1 end="'" syn region manSQString start="^'[^', )]"lc=1 end="'" syn region manBQString start="[^a-zA-Z`]`[^`, )]"lc=1 end="[`']" syn region manBQSQString start="``[^),']" end="''" syn match manBulletZone transparent "^\s\+o\s" contains=manBullet syn case match syn keyword manBullet contained o syn match manBullet contained "\[+*]" syn match manSubSectionStart "^\*" skipwhite nextgroup=manSubSection syn match manSubSection ".*$" contained hi link manSectionNumber Number hi link manDQString String hi link manSQString String hi link manBQString String hi link manBQSQString String hi link manBullet Special hi manSubSectionStart term=NONE cterm=NONE gui=NONE ctermfg=black ctermbg=black guifg=navyblue guibg=navyblue hi manSubSection term=underline cterm=underline gui=underline ctermfg=green guifg=green set ts=8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Viewing the actual XPM data in GVIM
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=168
GVIM has an excellent syntax highlighting for XPM images, but sometimes it's useful to view the actual data. This can be achieved by searching for everything, type in "/." and all characters will be highlighted and therefore the old colouring is lost. To regain the normal highlighting you can search for a non-existent sequence, like "/foo".
<Tab> = <C-I> and <Esc> = <C-[>
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=169
An FAQ on the vim users' mailing list is whether <Tab> and <C-I> can be mapped to different things. The answer is no. As I understand it, this is a low level issue: <Tab> and <C-I> are different names for the same ASCII code, and there is no way for vim to tell them apart. Similarly, <Esc> and <C-[> are the same thing.
Repeating a sequence of commands without defining a macro
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=170
Imagine. You have just finished a complicated modification of a file, involving numerous replace commands :%s/xxx/yyyy/g, and other ex commands. Then you realize, you have done it a little bit wrong, and you have to begin all the operation again, just to change one replace string, or do one more operation "somewhere 10 commands ago". Or you realize, you will have to do the same stuff tomorrow with another file. or you realize, you want to perform the same sequence of commands, you have typed a few days ago You should have made it a macro (normal command q), but you haven't. Nothing is lost yet. You go to the command line (by typing :) and press Ctrl+F. (Ctrl+F in other modes scrolls the screen) You get a temporary window, listing the history of command line. It is possible to yank appropriate lines here, make a new file called $VIMRUNTIME/macros/something.vim put those lines here, edit them and save see :help cedit Then you can call the macro using :source something.vim You might want to set variable 'history' to a higher number then default in your vimrc file like :set history=300 see :help history :help vimrc
Do you know the "g/" and "g?" commands?
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=171
Directly from the Vim Todo list: 7 For Visual mode: Command to do a search for the string in the marked area. Only when less than two lines. Use "g/" and "g?". In other words, a way to search for visually selected text !! :-) "==== vsearch.vim ==== " Visual mode search vmap g/ :call VsearchPatternSave()<cr>/<c-r>/<cr> vmap g? :call VsearchPatternSave()<cr>?<c-r>/<cr> function! VsearchPatternSave() let l:temp = @@ normal gvy let @/ = substitute(escape(@@, '/\'), "\n", "\\\\n", "g") let @@ = l:temp unlet l:temp endfunction "==== END ==== Normally, this file should reside in the plugins directory and be automatically sourced. If not, you must manually source this file using ':source vsearch.vim'. In Visual mode, highlight the text for searching. Then you can use the default visual key mappings g/ - search forwards g? - search backwards Visual searches behave like normal searches. The 'n' and 'N' commands work as they should, and the search history correctly records each search. Multi-line searches behave as they should (this corrects the 'yank-only' method mentioned in the Vim help files). Block visual searches do not work yet. Hopefully, someone can figure out a way to do this easily. I've only tested this on Win2000 and Redhat Linux 7.1. I'm not really clear on how the carriage returns are dealt with on other systems. Anyway, enjoy!
Using Ispell on a highlighted region
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=172
Suppose you would like to use Ispell to check a word or region that you've visually highlighted. The following macro will do the job. Just type Shift-Insert while in visual mode. vnoremap <S-Insert> <C-C>`<v`>s<Space><Esc>mq:e ispell.tmp<CR>i<C-R>"<Esc>:w<CR>:! xterm -bg ivory -fn 10x20 -e ispell %<CR><CR>:e %<CR><CR>ggVG<Esc>`<v`>s<Esc>:bwipeout!<CR>:!rm ispell.tmp*<CR>`q"_s<C-R>"<Esc> This is based on Chip Campbell's macro which uses Ispell on the whole file (in normal mode). noremap <S-Insert> :w<CR>:! xterm -bg ivory -fn 10x20 -e ispell %<CR><Space>:e %<CR><Space> Carl Mueller
Switch between splits very fast (for multi-file editing)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=173
I am a Web developer and I use Vim as my primary editor. Most programming projects (and Web programming projects, in particular) are spread out over multiple files, which you often want to have open concurrently. If you don't already know, Vim supports this very well! Just use: :sp name-of-another-file-to-edit My problems were that (1) it took too long to move between files, and (2) the files were taking up too much room on the screen. (1) In order to move to the file in the split above my current window, I was typing Ctrl-W, Up (move up a window) Ctrl-W, _ (maximize the menu). That's four keystrokes (more if you count Ctrl and Shift), and they are all over the keyboard. To help avoid this problem, I created this mapping in my .vimrc: map <C-J> <C-W>j<C-W>_ map <C-K> <C-W>k<C-W>_ Now I can hold down Ctrl and move between windows with the standard Vim movement keys. Much, much quicker! (2) By default, Vim displays the current line of each minimized file, which (to me) isn't much help and takes up too much screen real estate. I use this line in my .vimrc: set wmh=0 This sets the minimum window height to 0, so you can stack many more files before things get crowded. Vim will only display the filename. Hope this helps those of you who are working on projects with large numbers of files you're constantly flipping through. Happy Vimming!
Footnotes
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=174
ab (1 [1]<esc>:/^--\s/-1/<cr>o<insert><cr>Footnotes:<cr>----------<cr>[1] ab (2 [2]<esc>:/^Footnotes\:/+2/<cr>o<insert>[2] ab (3 [3]<esc>:/^Footnotes\:/+3/<cr>o<insert>[3] ab (4 [4]<esc>:/^Footnotes\:/+4/<cr>o<insert>[4] ab (5 [5]<esc>:/^Footnotes\:/+5/<cr>o<insert>[5]
how to make VIM as ur default editor even without root ac.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=175
hi, if u have installed vim in your home directory somewhere and u don't have a root account, and you want to make VIM the default editor for anything u do. i.e if ur using SQLplus and want to edit a sql command. normally typing edit brings up the vi editor and not vim editor. to solve this problem. define these three variables in your .profile VIM=<base directory where vim executable is placed> VIMRUNTIME=<base direcoty where vim runtimes are kept> EDITOR=$VIM/vim note if u have installed vim with another name, say vim.exe then change EDITOR=$VIM/vim to EDITOR=$VIM/vim.exe source the .profile and viola. next time u start an editor from any program u have the vim editor. Njoy.
Autocheckout from perforce
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=176
The following code automatically checks out files from perforce when the user modifies them. It first confirms the check-out with the user. (Perforce is a commercial version control system. I imagine this could be modified for RCS, CVS, etc., but I don't use those.) I'm a vim newbie -- I've used vi since 1984, but just started with vim a couple days ago. Color me impressed! Please excuse any stupidity in the code.. Note that this function needs the "P4HOME" environment variable to be set. I could extract it by invoking "p4 client", but I don't want to invoke p4 every time I start vim. So I assume the user sets it in the environment. " Set a buffer-local variable to the perforce path, if this file is under the perforce root. function IsUnderPerforce() if exists("$P4HOME") if expand("%:p") =~ ("^" . $P4HOME) let b:p4path = substitute(expand("%:p"), $P4HOME, "//depot", "") endif endif endfunction " Confirm with the user, then checkout a file from perforce. function P4Checkout() if exists("b:p4path") if (confirm("Checkout from Perforce?", "&Yes\n&No", 1) == 1) call system("p4 edit " . b:p4path . " > /dev/null") if v:shell_error == 0 set noreadonly endif endif endif endfunction if !exists("au_p4_cmd") let au_p4_cmd=1 au BufEnter * call IsUnderPerforce() au FileChangedRO * call P4Checkout() endif
Highlight matching brackets as one moves in normal mode (plugin)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=177
Check out http://www.erols.com/astronaut/vim/index.html#VimFuncs for
a plugin script which highlights matching brackets. The script has two always-on maps: \[i : start [HiMtchBrkt] mode \[s : stop [HiMtchBrkt] mode The plugin will save all user maps and options that the plugin uses and will restore them when the mode is stopped.
Making a "derived" colorscheme without copy & paste
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=178
Suppose there's a colorscheme that you're pretty fond of, but hate one or two particular aspects about. For example, I love the "blue" colorscheme that ships with vim, but I find it's colors for the non-active status line to be unreadable. Here's how to create a colorscheme which extends "blue" without copying it to a new file and editing it. In my ~/.vim/colors, I created a "my-blue.vim" file with these contents: "these lines are suggested to be at the top of every colorscheme hi clear if exists("syntax_on") syntax reset endif "Load the 'base' colorscheme - the one you want to alter runtime colors/blue.vim "Override the name of the base colorscheme with the name of this custom one let g:colors_name = "my-blue" "Clear the colors for any items that you don't like hi clear StatusLine hi clear StatusLineNC "Set up your new & improved colors hi StatusLine guifg=black guibg=white hi StatusLineNC guifg=LightCyan guibg=blue gui=bold That's all there is to it.
Simplify help buffer navigation
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=179
Vim is distributed with comprehensive help system, which has basic hyperlink support - you can press <C-]> over |some subject| or 'some option' to read more about particular term. The following mappings simplify help buffer navigation: pressing s(or S) will find next(previous) subject from cursor position pressing o(or O) will find next(previous) option from cursor position pressing Enter will jump to subject under cursor pressing Backspace will return from the last jump Put them into help filetype plugin (like ~/.vim/ftplugin/help.vim on UNIX). nmap <buffer> <CR> <C-]> nmap <buffer> <BS> <C-T> nmap <buffer> o /'[a-z]\{2,\}'<CR> nmap <buffer> O ?'[a-z]\{2,\}'<CR> nmap <buffer> s /\|\S\+\|<CR> nmap <buffer> S ?\|\S\+\|<CR>
Reload your filetype/syntax plugin
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=180
Ever tried to write/debug your own filetype/syntax plugin? It's an iterative process which involves editing plugin code and testing it on some sample file. To see changes you made in your plugin simply do :e on sample file. This will force Vim to reload all buffer-specific files, including your plugin.
get the vim patched source
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=181
Hi, there has been a number of person (including) asking in the vim list how to keep up with Bram's incredible bug correction and patch writing skills, but there is a great way to do this! Use the cvs source which is available at http://sourceforge.net/cvs/?group_id=8
it is kept up to date and its a lot easier than applying all the patch in order. Benoit
Keep your cursor centered vertically on the screen
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=182
i hope i don't hear a collective 'DUH!' from around the world but i just did this and i think it's kinda cool. in your .vimrc add... map j jzz map k kzz so whenever you go up or down, vim does that and then re-centers. obviously it doesn't work when you page up/ down.
Select a buffer from those matching a pattern
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=183
The :bu command will take a pattern as an argument and jump to the matching buffer. However, it's not very helpful if there is more than one buffer matching the pattern. In that case, it will jump to the first match, which may not be what you want. The following function and user-command will print a list of the matching buffers in the command-line area, and allow you to select one of the matching buffers by number. "Select from buffers matching a certain pattern "the 'pattern' argument shouldn't be prepended with a slash function! BufSel(pattern) let bufcount = bufnr("$") let currbufnr = 1 while currbufnr <= bufcount if(bufexists(currbufnr)) let currbufname = bufname(currbufnr) if(match(currbufname, a:pattern) > -1) echo currbufnr . ": ". bufname(currbufnr) endif endif let currbufnr = currbufnr + 1 endwhile let desiredbufnr = input("Enter buffer number: ") if(strlen(desiredbufnr) != 0) exe ":bu ". desiredbufnr endif endfunction "Bind the BufSel() function to a user-command command! -nargs=1 Bs :call BufSel("<args>")
How to obscure text instantaneously
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=184
Hi, Lets say your writing some imp. doc. and your colleague comes along. you don't wan't him to see what you are typing. so u start fumbling to type :wq! or switch with Alt-TAB. etc. but wouldn't it be nice to just obsucre the text temporarily, so that u don't have to quit or swith to another application using Alt-tab. (and if u don;t have any other window open u can;t even use alt-tab) well rot-13 comes to help. vim has a built in rot-13 encoder. jut put the follwoing in your .vimrc map <F3> ggVGg? so next time some body comes along just press <F3> and all the buffer will be rot-13 encoded. to decode just press <f3> again. Njoy
Make vim the editor for files with unregistered extensions in Windows
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=185
Normally in Windows, if you try to "launch" a file whose extension is not registered with the system, the OS will prompt you for what editor you would like to use to open the file. A much more appealing solution, in my mind, is to make vim the default editor for any unregistered extension. To set vim up as the default editor for unregistered extensions, follow these steps: 1. Copy the following into a file named unregistered.reg -------------begin unregistered.reg----------------- REGEDIT4 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Unknown\shell\Open\Command] @="d:\\program files\\vim\\vim60\\gvim.exe \"%1\"" -------------end unregistered.reg----------------- 2. Import unregistered into your registry. This can be done in vim by executing the following :!regedit "unregistered.reg" Disclaimer: This has been tested only on NT4.
Making search powerful
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=186
My tip is just a bunch of mappings that can be used while searching.
Making search powerful
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=187
(Sorry, I think I accidentally added an incomplete tip) My tip is just a bunch of mappings that can be used while searching. What it does? o. Extend your current search. (kinda emacs search where you can search each occurences one by one and go back to the cursor position. o. Scroll/position during mapping. o. Other miscellaneous stuffs ;) read on How to use? o. copy and paste the mappings into a file o. open vim (like vim .profile) o. :so <saved-file> o. start using the mappings Note: In case these mappings dont work run like, 'vim -u NONE -U NONE -c "so the-saved-file.vim"' Some of my mappings override the default vim bindings. (like Ctrl-A, Ctrl-Q). I selected those because, I feel by taking those I can do all the search stuff with my left hand. One thing I did not like with this is, I usually miss the "search hit bottom" message. I could have handled that by complicating the current mappings, but I preferred to make it simple Mappings Used / => regular forward search start ? => regular backward search start Rest of the mappings are used during search Ctrl-A => search again forward (In normal mode, search forward with the word under cursor) Ctrl-Q => search again backward (in normal mode, search backward with the word under cursor) Ctrl-X => restore cursor (use at any point of time/during-any-operation mentioned during searching) Ctrl-F => search with the word under cursor Ctrl-G => incrementally add the letters following the search pattern (in current line) Ctrl-T Ctrl-T => search for the exact Ctrl-T Ctrl-Y => search partial (just strips \< and \>) Ctrl-E => scroll up during searching Ctrl-Y => scroll down during searching Ctrl-Z Ctrl-Z => position the cursor to mid of screen (like zz in normal) Ctrl-Z Ctrl-A => position the cursor to top of screen (like zt in normal) Ctrl-Z Ctrl-X => position the cursor to bottom of screen (like zb in normal) Misc: Ctrl-K during search save the current matching line Ctrl-K in normal mode pastes the saved line C mappings Ctrl-V Ctrl-G search for the global variable of the search pattern/word under cursor Ctrl-V Ctrl-H search for the local variable of the search pattern/word under cursor " --- cut n paste from here to end of document --- se nocp incsearch " core mappings noremap / mg/ noremap ? mg? ounmap / ounmap ? noremap <C-A> mg"gyiw/<C-R>g cnoremap <C-A> <CR>/<Up> cnoremap <C-X> <CR>`g cnoremap <C-Q> <CR>?<Up> " extending current search mappings cnoremap <C-F> <CR>yiw<BS>/<C-R>" cnoremap <C-G> <CR>y/<Up>/e+1<CR><BS>/<C-R>=escape(@",'.*\/?')<CR> " miscellaneous: copy current line during search and later paste in NORMAL mode cnoremap <C-K> <CR>"hyy?<Up><CR>/<Up> noremap <C-K> "hp " exact/partial search mappings cnoremap <C-T><C-T> <Home>\<<C-End>\> cnoremap <C-T><C-Y> <Home><Del><Del><End><Del><Del> " C global/local variable search mappings noremap <C-V><C-G> mgyiw<CR>gg/\<<C-R>"\> noremap <C-V><C-H> mgyiw?^{<CR>/\<<C-R>"\> cnoremap <C-V><C-G> <CR>yiwgg/\<<C-R>"\> cnoremap <C-V><C-H> <CR>yiw?^{<CR>/\<<C-R>"\> " positioning/scrolling during search mappings cnoremap <C-E> <CR>mt<C-E>`t<BS>/<Up> cnoremap <C-Y> <CR><C-Y><BS>/<Up> cnoremap <C-Z><C-A> <CR>zt<BS>/<Up> cnoremap <C-Z><C-X> <CR>zb<BS>/<Up> cnoremap <C-Z><C-Z> <CR>zz<BS>/<Up> " VISUAL mappings vnoremap / ymg/<C-R>=escape(@",'.*\/?')<CR> vnoremap ? ymg?<C-R>=escape(@",'.*\/?')<CR>
Searching for more than one word at the same time.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=188
Did you know that with VIM u can search for more than one word with a single command. say you want to search all occurances of "bill" or "ted", or "harry" in a text. in normal mode do the following. /\(bill\)\|\(ted\)\|\(harry\) <Enter> this will match all instances of either "bill", or "ted", or "harry" in your text. the key is the \(\) and \| operators. \(\) group characters in a word and \| is for ORing. this is so cool u can even use it for replacing text. to replace all instances of "bill" or "ted" or "harry" with "greg" do the following :%s/\(bill\)\|\(ted\)\|\(harry\)/greg/g <enter> (note :- if u have set the option "gdefault" u don't need the "g" at the end of the above command) I don't know of any other editor which can do this, with so much ease. Rock on VIM Njoy
Make Ctrl-Backspace delete previous word (like GTK inputs)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=189
Stuff this into your ~/.gvimrc and then you'll be able to type Control-Backspace to delete the previous word. I had gotten so used to C-BS working a certain way in all my editors with a ceezy input area (like mozilla/galeon, gabber, etc...), that I wanted the same behaviour when I used gvim. " map control-backspace to delete the previous word :imap <C-BS> <Esc>vBc Simple, I know, but reasonably useful. --Robert
XP > I-Explorer > HTML Editor < REG files
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=190
The issue is permitting other programs, besides NOTEPAD, be the HTML editor under Internet Explorer. (Adding "Edit" as a New Action in the publicly exposed Files Types for HTM/L does NOT do the job.) Given below are two REG files for vim. Just cut 'em up where indicated. They have been tested under Windows XP. -------------------------------------------------------CUT HERE--------------- Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 ; GOAL: Set gvim as HTML editor in Internet Explorer 6.0 ; Vim version : 6.0 ; Windows version: XP ; EASY USAGE: name this file iex-vim60.reg and double click on it ; Hard Usage: IMPORT this file using REGEDIT.EXE found in c:\WINDOWS ; Last modified date : Dec 16, 2001 ; gvim is expected in "C:\Program Files\Vim\vim60\gvim.exe" ; Be sure to also reset Explorer>Tools>Internet Options>Programs ; Microsoft documentation ; http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/browser/configuration/clientreg/clientregistrylayout.asp
; Add Vim in the list of supported HTML editors [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htm\OpenWithList\Vim] [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htm\OpenWithList\Vim\shell] [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htm\OpenWithList\Vim\shell\edit] [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htm\OpenWithList\Vim\shell\edit\command] @="\"C:\\Program Files\\Vim\\vim60\\gvim.exe\" \"%1\"" ; Do NOT add to .html, registry for .htm type suffices ;[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html\OpenWithList\Vim] ;[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html\OpenWithList\Vim\shell] ;[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html\OpenWithList\Vim\shell\edit] ;[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html\OpenWithList\Vim\shell\edit\command] ;@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Vim\\vim60\\gvim.exe\" \"%1\"" ; OPTIONAL: Within Internet Explorer "View Source" with gvim ; but prefer to use Edit button (got to add this) on Toolbar ;[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor] ;[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor\Editor Name] ;@="C:\\Program Files\\Vim\\vim60\\gvim.exe" ; ============================================= EOF -------------------------------------------------------CUT HERE--------------- Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 ; GOAL: UNINSTALL gvim as HTML editor in Internet Explorer 6.0 ; Vim version : 6.0 ; Windows version: XP ; EASY USAGE: name this file iex-vim60-uninstall.reg and double click on it ; Hard Usage: IMPORT this file using REGEDIT.EXE found in c:\WINDOWS ; Last modified date : Dec 16, 2001 ; gvim is expected in "C:\Program Files\Vim\vim60\gvim.exe" ; Be sure to also reset Explorer>Tools>Internet Options>Programs ; Microsoft documentation ; http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/browser/configuration/clientreg/clientregistrylayout.asp
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.htm\OpenWithList\Vim] [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.html\OpenWithList\Vim] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor] ; ============================================= EOF -------------------------------------------------------CUT HERE--------------- Happy Vimming...
Transposing
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=191
You can easily move lines with these maps using <C-Up> and <C-Down> (only in GUI version :( ) (Works in normal, insert, and visual mode, but you can't add a count to them) " Transposing lines nmap <C-Down> :<C-u>move .+1<CR> nmap <C-Up> :<C-u>move .-2<CR> imap <C-Down> <C-o>:<C-u>move .+1<CR> imap <C-Up> <C-o>:<C-u>move .-2<CR> vmap <C-Down> :move '>+1<CR>gv vmap <C-Up> :move '<-2<CR>gv " Transpose chars (like Ctrl-T in emacs, shell...) imap <C-F> <Esc>Xpa
Latex Help for VIM
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=192
LaTeX Help for aucTeX `translated' as vim help file. Installing :help add-local-help
Insert the current filename at cursor postion.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=193
I found this one good for when I was starting to learn Java, it simply inserts the current filename, at the cursor position, when you are in insert mode. Honestly, its a mish-mash of some other tips I found here, but I thought it might be useful. imap \fn <C-R>=expand("%:t:r")<CR> Enjoy!
Inserting text in multiple lines
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=194
Do you know the I key in visual-block mode? Suppose you have let a=2 let b=3 let c=4 You want to make these variables script-wise. Then you move to over a, hit <C-v>, press jj and now press I. You will be in insert mode before a Now enter s:<Esc>, and when you press <Esc>, b and c will have the s: prefix too. See |v_b_I| Happy vimming! Gergely Kontra
Switching between files
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=195
When you edit multiple files, you often need to change windows. You can set up vim in windows and gvim to switch between windows with the commonly used Ctrl-Tab and Ctrl-Shift-Tab The mappings nmap <C-Tab> <C-w>w nmap <C-S-Tab><C-w>W (They wrap around) See also |Ctrl-w|
FileName Completion in Shell Scripts
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=196
In shell scripts, you often define environment variables for diff directory names. i.e. JAVA_HOME=/opt/java/jdk1.4 PATH=/usr/local/bin:/bin.... Normally typing Ctrl-X Ctrl-F is used to complete FileName under cursor. But this does not work if used on lines given above. This is because vim treats "=" sign as a valid filename character. Since the actual possibility of "=" being in any filename is very less, this char can be removed from the list of valid filename char. set isfname-== putting the above line in .vimrc will remove "=" from the list of valid filename chars. thus u can easyly complete filenames using <Ctrl-X> <Ctrl-F> Njoy
Open file in already running vim from elsewhere
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=197
If you want edit new file, and you want do it in alrady running vim, instead of launching another instance, you may use --remote argument: gvim first_file gvim --remote +split first_file :he --remote It requires X windows (but works in terminal version of vim there too) or MS windows and built-in client-server mechanism. If there are several instances of vim already running, you may choose to which you talk using --servername :help --servername
Pasting code with syntax coloring in emails
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=198
When sending code snippets or diffs to your colleagues either for code review or for something else as email, how nice and clear it will be if you can paste it with the Vim syntax highlighting? I am sure they will be impressed and feel much easier to read the code. It is also very easy and fast (once you practice it) to do this. This probably works only on windows and requires you to use Internet Explorer and an email client that understand RTF content coming from clipboard, such as Outlook or Outlook Express. At least that would make the process faster. I haven't tried on any other combination though. This is what you need to do: - Open the file containing the code/code snippet/diff etc. in gvim. If you use dark background for GVim (like me), then I would suggest you to change your color scheme temporarily to something else that has a white background or just use the "-U NONE" as below: gvim -U NONE <file> - Convert the file into HTML by using the following command at the colon prompt as below: :runtime syntax/2html.vim - The above step will open a new window with the HTML content in it. You might want to just save it with the suggested name or write into a temporary file as: :w! c:/tmp/t.html - Open the IE browser window and open the above temp file "c:/tmp/t.html". - Now you select all (press ^A) and copy it (^C). - You are ready to paste it with syntax coloring in any application that accepts RTF content from clipboard, including Outlook or Outlook Express mail composing window.
maximize window and return to previous split structure
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=199
Say you have layed out a complex window split structure, and want to temporarily open 1 window with max dimensions, but don't want to lose your split structure. The following function and mappings let you toggle between the split windows and on window maximized. The mappings prevent the default behavior of calling :only and losing your finely tuned splits. Put this bit in your vimrc file, change mappings if you don't want to override the defaults: nnoremap <C-W>O :call MaximizeToggle ()<CR> nnoremap <C-W>o :call MaximizeToggle ()<CR> nnoremap <C-W><C-O> :call MaximizeToggle ()<CR> function! MaximizeToggle() if exists("s:maximize_session") source s:maximize_session call delete(s:maximize_session) unlet s:maximize_session let &hidden=s:maximize_hidden_save unlet s:maximize_hidden_save else let s:maximize_hidden_save = &hidden let s:maximize_session = tempname() set hidden mksession! s:maximize_session only endif endfunction
Bouncing Parentheses (during insertion)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=200
When one is inserting parentheses some folks like to see the cursor bounce off the matching parenthesis. To do that, put the following map into your <.vimrc> file: inoremap ) )<c-o>%<c-o>:sleep 500m<CR><c-o>%<c-o>a Adjust the time delay (its 500 milliseconds above) to suit your needs.
The meaning of life
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=201
Use this tip if you need to discover the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Simply do: :h 42
debugging window autocommands
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=202
Don't know how people debug autocommands, but I just found out that you can debug (at least) those that result due to window close by just doing a debug quit, i.e., :debug quit Vim will let you step into the autocommands. Try it to believe.
Make make more helpful
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=203
I find this a very useful command to use. Add the below 4 lines to your vimrc. Then instead of "make" use "Make". " Command Make will call make and then cwindow which " opens a 3 line error window if any errors are found. " if no errors, it closes any open cwindow. :command -nargs=* Make make <args> | cwindow 3
Some mappings for using cscope with vim.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=204
These mappings can make using cscope a fun. You can copy the word under the cursor in one window, and search for it from other window. " Copy and paste the word under cursor map <silent> <C-Space> :let@m=expand("<cword>")<CR> " Use the C-Space word as the search criterion map <C-F6> :cscope find s <C-R>=@m<CR><CR> map <C-F5> :cscope find c <C-R>=@m<CR><CR> map <C-F7> :cscope find g <C-R>=@m<CR><CR>
Computing a sum of numbers in vim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=205
"Sometimes you need to sum a some numbers in vim. There *are* some plugins "that can do the job. But what if the numbers are not in a columns or are on "the same line or are sacttered all across the file? You might also need to "sum all the numbers in file that look like '1234$', or '54565 Eu' ignoring others. " "There is a very simple trick, using (my favourite) command ":s " "First you define following function :let g:S=0 "In global variable S we later find the result :function! Sum(number) "The function is defined with a '!', "so it does not complain during debugging "when you are redefining the function :let g:S=g:S+a:number "we accumulate the result in global variable S :return a:number "function returns the argument, so after a :s "command the text remains the same :endfunction "you can do issue those few commands from a command line, "or create a small file and put it into your plugin directory, "or write those few commands into a file end issue a command :so % "how to use this little function: "let's suppose you have a simple column of numbers like " "10 "20 "30 " "you issue command like: :let S=0 :%s/[0-9]\+/\=Sum(submatch(0))/ "the command finds the first number on the line and adds it to the S " "the result is displayed :echo $S "!!!! don't forget to do :let g:S=0 "before use. "you can also use \zs and \ze atoms in a regular expression to "delimit the number, so submatch(0) returns only a number and "the text remains unchanged after 'substitute' "for starter on the wonderfull world of regular expressions see: :help usr_27.txt "for the definition of the search pattern see :help :s :help pattern "for replacement strings begining with \= and special function submatch(0)see :help sub-replace-special "for the *ultimate* guide through the world of regular expressions see book: "Mastering Regular Expressions "Powerful Techniques for Perl and Other Tools "by Jeffrey E.F. Friedl "from O'REILLY "the book does not write about vim, yet here you can learn that ":s command is the most powerfull command you can find in a text editor. "(with the possible exception of :global command)
Highlight doubled word errors in text
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=206
An error I sometimes make while working on a LaTeX file is the repetition of a word as in "the the". Most often, such doubled words come about through a careless edit. Doubled words are hard to spot when the first word of the doubled pair is the last word on one line, and the second word of the pair is the the first word on the next line. There is an example of such an error in the last sentence. Vim's syntax mechanism can be used to highlight doubled words as an error. To obtain this highlighting for TeX and LaTeX files, place the following two lines: syn match texDoubleWord "\c\<\(\a\+\)\_s\+\1\>" hi def link texDoubleWord Error in a file called tex.vim in the directory that shows up last in your runtimepath (:set runtimepath? to check). This will often be either ~/.vim/after/syntax/tex.vim or $VIM/vimfiles/after/syntax/tex.vim The same effect can be obtained for files of a different filetype, say html, by putting the same lines in a file called html.vim in the same location. For more on the runtimepath, :he runtimepath. For more on syntax highlighting, :he syntax
editing databases with Vim/Perl/DBI
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=207
Perl's Data-Base-Independent (DBI) module provides programming language level access to a lot of databases. Vim hosts an embedded Perl interpreter. So it is only a matter of some key strokes to interactively issue DB commands from within Vim or to search, edit, and replace database contents including retrieval and storage. Of course "create table" scripts can be worked upon in Vim as well as storing recurring patterns in Vim functions or Perl modules. Prerequisites: Vim needs to be compiled with Perl support enabled. See the |if_perl.txt| manual page! The CPAN module DBI as well as an appropriate database driver has to be installed with Perl in order to execute these Vim commands: " connect to perl's dbi module: :perl use dbi; " connect to the database: :perl $dbh = dbi->connect( "DBI:mysql:$DBNAME:$HOST",$USER,$PASSWORD, { raiseerror => 1}); " perform a simple query: :perl $result = $dbh->selectall_arrayref("show tables;"); " insert the list of tables into the current buffer's top: :perl $curbuf->Append(0, map($_->[0], @{$result})); In MySql the command "show tables;" results in a list of table names. Inserted into a Vim buffer this results in one line per table. You can find more on my web page http://members.chello.at/intelliware/dbEdit
Alter the display of buffers in the buffers menu
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=208
If you use the buffers menu, here's where you can change how the buffernames are displayed: menu.vim, function s:BMMunge OLD: let name2 = name2 . ' (' . a:bnum . ')' displays: .vimrc (1) menu.vim (2) NEW: let name2 = '&' . a:bnum . '. ' . name2 displays 1. .vimrc 2. menu.vim (with the 1 and the 2 underlined) which is more useful, because you can (almost) always pick the buffer you want with one keystroke, the buffernumber, until you get to buffer 10 anyway. Roger
backtracking your movements in a file
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=209
If you are jumping from one line to another a lot. You may find the "Ctrl-o" command handy. Usually u can set markers in a buffer to keep track of your movements. but Ctrl-o makes it even easier. it takes you back sequentially to all your previous cursor locations in a buffer. just press ctrl-o in normal mode and u will go to your last cursor position. Njoy
compiling the actual file with gcc
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=210
if you use set makeprg=gcc\ -o\ %<\ % in your .vimrc, and your actual file is file.c, then :make will compile file.c with the output file. (gcc file.c -o file).
Rotate color themes
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=211
This tip is for those who like to change their vim color themes pretty often. I like different themes just for a change in my work environment. To achieve this just add the following to your .vimrc or _vimrc file. let themeindex=0 function! RotateColorTheme() let y = -1 while y == -1 let colorstring = "#blue.vim#elflord.vim#evening.vim#koehler.vim#murphy.vim#pablo.vim#ron.vim#" let x = match(colorstring,"#",g:themeindex) let y = match(colorstring,"#",x+1) let g:themeindex = x+1 ":echo x y g:themeindex if y == -1 let g:themeindex = 0 else let themestring = strpart(colorstring,x+1,y-x-1) echo("Setting Theme to-> ".themestring) return ":so $VIMRUNTIME/colors/".themestring endif endwhile endfunction Change the value of colorstring above by changing the line let colorstring = "#blue.vim#elflord.vim#evening.vim#koehler.vim#murphy.vim#pablo.vim#ron.vim#" You can add your favorite color themes in this string so that you can rotate between them. Just make sure that any string that you add is in between the # as shown above. Just follow the format above and things will work. Then assign a key to roate the theme. map <F8> :execute RotateColorTheme() Dunno if there are better ways to do the same. I just did a "help eval" and wrote the above.
Setting file attributes without reloading a buffer
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=212
While creating scripts and others executable files with Vim it is needed to set UNIX executable bit on the file. You can do this from inside Vim with :!chmod a+x %. The % represents current buffer's filename. The problem is that Vim will notice attribute changes and prompt you to reload a file. If you do this, your undo history for the file will be lost. The following function facilitate changing executable attributes without reloading a buffer. Thanks to Bram for the algorithm for this function. fun! SetExecutableBit() let fname = expand("%:p") :checktime exec "au FileChangedShell " . fname . " :echo" :silent !chmod a+x % :checktime exec "au! FileChangedShell " . fname endfun " Create an EX command that will call the function. command -nargs=0 Xbit call SetExecutableBit() Now you can type :Xbit to make the file executable!
delet all lines containt TXT
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=213
I needed this one when I was editing an ldif file: I needed to delete all lines containing "profile": :g/profile/d very handydandy
Current buffer based menus
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=214
If you have different menus for different filetypes, and you want to have only the menu relevant to current buffer displayed, you can use this approach: in .vimrc: au BufEnter * if exists('b:BuffEnter')|exec b:BuffEnter|endif au BufLeave * if exists('b:BuffEnter')|exec b:BuffLeave|endif In appropriate ftplugin/?.vim, there are assigned commands to create or destroy the menus - here typed in directly, may be of course call to a menu-generating function or whatever. let b:BuffEnter='amenu C.added ...' let b:BuffLeave='unmenu! C|unmenu C'
Edit configuration files for a filetype
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=215
When you open a file, vim may load several scripts to customize itself for editing the file type the file is associated with (for example a file "test.c" is associated with the filetype "c"). Such configurations include the setting of syntax highlighting colors (:help syntax) and support for indentation (:help filetype-indent-on). When you start to override these files for yourself, it can sometimes be confusing, which file sets a specific option. The following function can be used, to edit the configuration files which are associated with a specific filename. It open a buffer for all files which get loaded. If I invoke it with ':call Edit_ft_conf("test.c")', for example, I end up with the following buffers / windows: 1 a "[No File]" line 1 2 a "test.c" line 1 3 a= "/usr/local/share/vim/vim60/syntax/c.vim" line 1 4 a "~/.vim/after/syntax/c.vim" line 1 5 #a= "/usr/local/share/vim/vim60/indent/c.vim" line 1 6 %a= "/usr/local/share/vim/vim60/ftplugin/c.vim" line 1 Here comes the function: " Edit filetype configuration files " Usage: ':call Edit_ft_conf("file")' " Purpose: open all scripts which get loaded implicitly by opening "file" " (syntax highlighting, indentation, filetype plugins, ..) " The order of windows reflects the order of script loading (but "file" is " the topmost window) fun! Edit_ft_conf(name) " we may not do this with a loaded file, since this won't trigger the " configuration file loading as desired. " try calling with 'call Edit_ft_conf("nonexistingfile.<EXT>")' if this " gives you troubles if bufexists(a:name) && bufloaded(a:name) echo "!Attention: buffer for " . a:name . " is loaded, unload first." return endif " split-open the file with verbose set, grab the output into a register " (without clobbering) let safereg = @u redir @u " redirect command output to register @u exec "silent 2verbose split " . a:name " verbose level 2 suffices to catch all scripts which get opened redir END " Parse register @u, looking for smth like: 'sourcing"/usr/local/share/vim/vim60/syntax/c.vim"' let pos = 0 let regexp = 'sourcing "[^"]\+"' while match(@u,regexp,pos) >= 0 let file = matchstr(@u,regexp,pos) let pos = matchend (@u,regexp,pos) let file = strpart(file,10,strlen(file)-11) exec "silent below split " . file endwhile " restore the register let @u = safereg endfun
calculate equations from within vim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=216
The following map and function calculates equations using the program 'bc' (found on most linux systems, available for most systems). Visually select the equation you want to calculate, then hit ;bc - if the selection ends with an '=' sign, the answer will be appended after the equal, otherwise, the answer is echoed as a message. The code to put in a vimrc and source is at the end. Equations can span multiple lines, and the full bc syntax is probably supported. Additionally, sin (), cos (), etc, are transformed into the names used by bc (s () c (), etc). Here are some example lines: 2 * sqrt (2) = 3 * (2 - 1) + 4.0 ^ 6 = 4 / 3 = 3 + 4 - 2 * (1 / (3 + 2)) = define rad (x) { return (x / 180) * 4 * atan (1) } cos (rad (45)) = Select each of these in turn (continguous non-blank lines, and hit ;bc for each), and this is what you get: 2 * sqrt (2) = 2.82842712474619009760 3 * (2 - 1) + 4.0 ^ 6 = 4099.000000 4 / 3 = 1.33333333333333333333 3 + 4 - 2 * (1 / (3 + 2)) = 6.60000000000000000000 define rad (x) { return (x / 180) * 4 * atan (1) } cos (rad (45)) = .70710678118654752440 Fun, no? Here is the code you need to put in your vimrc file: vnoremap ;bc "ey:call CalcBC()<CR> function! CalcBC() let has_equal = 0 " remove newlines and trailing spaces let @e = substitute (@e, "\n", "", "g") let @e = substitute (@e, '\s*$', "", "g") " if we end with an equal, strip, and remember for output if @e =~ "=$" let @e = substitute (@e, '=$', "", "") let has_equal = 1 endif " sub common func names for bc equivalent let @e = substitute (@e, '\csin\s*(', "s (", "") let @e = substitute (@e, '\ccos\s*(', "c (", "") let @e = substitute (@e, '\catan\s*(', "a (", "") let @e = substitute (@e, "\cln\s*(", "l (", "") " escape chars for shell let @e = escape (@e, '*()') " run bc, strip newline let answer = substitute (system ("echo " . @e . " \| bc -l"), "\n", "", "") " append answer or echo if has_equal == 1 normal `> exec "normal a" . answer else echo "answer = " . answer endif endfunction
Translate &#nnn; in html source to readable ascii
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=217
I found a website *cough*Tivoli.com*cough* that likes to obfuscate some of its help file web pages using &#nnn; instead of normal ascii. If you load the source with Vim (in Opera you can just designate Vim as your source viewing program), you can :so the following code to make it readable. let n = 32 while n < 127 if n == 38 silent! exec '%s/&/\&/g' elseif n == 47 silent! exec '%s///\//g' else silent! exec '%s/&#' . n . ';/' . nr2char(n) . '/g' endif let n = n + 1 endwhile Disclaimer: I hacked this together in about 10 minutes (or possibly longer :). It worked suitably for the website I wrote it for (or possibly "against" :). Your Milage May Vary. See :help eval, :help silent, :help exec, :help :s
Check for comments, independent of the filetype
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=218
For some scripts it might be useful to detect, whether a specific position in a buffer is inside of a comment or not. Syntax highlighting can save us the work for parsing the comments ourselves. The command :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 0)), "name") echoes the group used for *highlighting* the character at the current cursor position, see ':help synIDtrans()'. It will usually be "Comment" if the cursor is inside of a comment, so synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 0)), "name") == "Comment" detects, independent of the filetype (which have their own group 'names' for comments), if the cursor is inside a comment or not. The expression synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 0)), "name") =~ 'Comment\|Constant\|PreProc' will detect additionally, if the cursor is inside of a string or some preprocessor statement.
make from command line, open vim on errors
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=219
A simple alias (*csh) or shell function (bash) will let you run make from your shell, then automatically open vim or gvim on the errors (if there were any): csh or tcsh: alias Make 'make \!* |& tee make.errors || gvim -q make.errors -c :copen' bash: Make () { command make "$@" |& tee make.errors || gvim -q make.errors -c :copen ; } If you use vanilla sh or ksh or even cmd.exe, you can probably do the same - add a not if you have ideas.
Match every word except 'foo'
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=220
This is a regular expression that matches all words except 'foo' \v<(foo>)@!\k+> \v Very magic < Start-of-word (Foo>) The atom 'Foo' followed by end-of-word @! Match (with zero length) when the previous atom doesn't match. \k+ Match one or more Keywords > Match end-of-word. This is a kool example of using \@! in the middle of a regexp. The non-magic version is: \<\(foo\>\)\@!\k\+\>
indenting "throws" in java
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=221
I want to indent java files like this: int x(int y, int z) throws Exception { [...] return something; } By default vim will properly indent "throws" line, but following "{" will not be deindented back to the method declaration. The following indentexpr does the trick: let &indentexpr='getline(v:lnum)=~"^\\s*{" && getline(v:lnum-1)=~"^\\s*throws\\s" ? cindent(v:lnum)-&sw : cindent(v:lnum)' It just checks that the current line starts with "{" and the previous line starts with "throws" and if that is the case, it subtracts one shiftwidth from the number returned by cindent.
Building vim with color on HP-UX
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=222
Following the normal steps of running "./configure" and "make" to build vim on an HP-UX 10.20 will result in vim being linked with the termlib library. This library does not support certain termcap capability codes, such as the "Co" code used to query the number of colors supported by the terminal. Consequently, vim will not display colors when used with a color terminal such as a color xterm. One solution to this is to run the configure script with the "--with-tlib=curses" option, like this: ./configure --with-tlib=curses This will cause vim to be linked with the HP-UX curses library, which does support the color termcap capability codes. Note that the xterm that comes standard with HP-UX 10.20 does not display color character attributes. To see colors when running vim in a terminal window, you will also need to install a color terminal emulator such as a recent xterm.
Reverse Selected Text
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=223
Suppose you want to reverse some text - I don't know why you would want to - maybe you're dyslexic. Anyway, I had a need, so this mapping will reverse visually selected text. Put the mapping in your vimrc or otherwise source it, then visually select the word or words, and hit ;rv - really only works with selections on one line: vnoremap ;rv c<C-O>:set revins<cr><C-R>"<esc>:set norevins<cr>
Shifting blocks visually
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=224
I use the < and > commands on blocks a lot, and it has always annoyed me that if you want to shift more than one 'shiftwidth', you have count how many 'shiftwidth's you want to enter the '[count]>', or restore the selection with "gv". So I've cooked up two mappings that come in very handy: :vnoremap < <gv :vnoremap > >gv These mappings will reselect the block after shifting, so you'll just have to select a block, press < or > as many times as you like, and press <ESC> when you're done to unselect the block. I know it's not rocket science, but it sure has helped me a lot.
vim can interact with xdvi
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=225
vim can interact with the tricks that the latest xdvi does: * If one clicks at some place in xdvi, vim automatically jumps to the corresponding line in the LaTeX source file ("reverse search") * Also, from inside vim, one can jump to the corresponding line in xdvi which becomes highlighted ("forward search"). Here is how to do it: * Reverse search: We start a vim server by: vim --servername xdvi We start xdvi(k) on file.dvi by: xdvik -editor "vim --servername xdvi --remote +%l %f" file.dvi At the desired location in xdvi, we press: <ctrl><left_mouse> Then, vim will jump to the corresponding line in the source file. * Forward search: Inside vim, we type, for example, _g which is the following mapping: (the following should be a single line) map _g :execute "!xdvik -name xdvi -sourceposition " . line(".") . expand("%") . " " . expand("%:r") . ".dvi" <cr><cr> [the command to go to the point of xdvi that corresponds to line, eg, 77 of the source file is (no space after 77) xdvik -name xdvi -sourceposition 77file.tex file.dvi ] For the above to work one needs: 1) A recent version of xdvi or xdvik (>22.39 I think) 2) The package srcltx.sty and \usepackage{srcltx} (which should be commented out when one finishes and is ready for printing etc). 3) Our version of vim should have been compiled with +clientserver (however, my vim doesn't have it and still works, so try it before Bram finds out what is happening and fixes it)
Edit file under cursor after a horizontal split
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=226
I use the command 'gf' quite often. But with this command the current buffer is hidden. To avoid that I use the following mapping : map gw <Esc>:sp %<CR> gf With this mapping the file under the cursor is opened after a horizontal split.
Power of :g
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=227
:g is something very old and which is very powerful. I just wanted to illustrate the use of it with some examples. Hope, it will be useful for someone. Brief explanation for ":g" ------------------------- Syntax is: :[range]:g/<pattern>/[cmd] You can think the working as, for the range (default whole file), execute the colon command(ex) "cmd" for the lines matching <pattern>. Also, for all lines that matched the pattern, "." is set to that particular line (for certain commands if line is not specified "." (current line) is assumed). Some examples ------------- Display context (5 lines) for all occurences of a pattern :g/<pattern>/z#.5 :g/<pattern>/z#.5|echo "==========" << same as first, but with some beautification >> Delete all lines matching a pattern :g/<pattern>/d Delete all blank lines (just an example for above) :g/^\s*$/d Double space the file :g/^/pu =\"\n\" :g/^/pu _ << the above one also works >> Copy all lines matching a pattern to end of file :g/<pattern>/t$ Yank all lines matching a pattern to register 'a' 0"ay0:g/<pattern>/y A Increment the number items from current line to end-of-document by one :.,$g/^\d/exe "normal! \<c-a>" Comment (C) lines containing "DEBUG" statements g/^\s*DEBUG/exe "norm! I/* \<Esc>A */\<Esc>" A Reverse lookup for records (eg: An address book, with Name on start-of-line and fields after a space) :g/<patern>?^\w?p "if only name is interested :g/<patern>/ka|?^\w?p|'ap "if name and the lookup-line is interested :g/<patern>/?^\w?|+,/^[^ ]/-1p "if entire record is interested Reverse a file (just to show the power of 'g') :g/^/m0 Foot note 1: use :v to negate the search pattern Foot note 2: Some explanation of commonly used commands with :g :2,8co15 => Copy lines 2 through 8 after line 15 :4,15t$ => Copy linesa 4 through 15 towards end of document (t == co) :-t$ => Copy previous line to end of document :m0 => Move current line to the top of the document :.,+3m$-1 => Move current line through cur-line+3 to the last but one line of the document Foot note 3: Commands used with :g are ex commands, so a help search should be, :help :<help-topic> eg. :help :k
Deleting nested reply threads in emails
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=228
I find the following setting useful when replying to email threads that have lots of lines like the following: > blah > > blah > > > blah autocmd FileType mail map <F8> :%g/^> >/d<CR> When replying to a mail and you want to remove everything except what the person you are directly replying to wrote just press F8. From the example above, you would just be left with > blah What it does is simply match any line starting with > > and deletes it. It's not perfect as sigs and other debris may remain but it takes a lot of the grunt work out of replying to mails. The autocmd only maps F8 when using mails, this is handy if you use F8 for other things as I do. :help autocmd :help map :help :g
First thing to try before asking help
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=229
I've seen several questions asked in the reflector which is available in the help files. Yeah, I know the help is huge. But, you can try this command to show a list of related topics you are trying: :he <topic><c-d> It is "some topic" followed by the key sequence Ctrl-D. For eg: :he xterm<c-d> will show all the help topics matching xterm. Then you can do completion/copy-n-paste the topic you are searching. Of course you can cycle through all the topics through repeated <TABS>, but if the number of hits are huge, it is cumbersome. Enjoy vimming beginners!!! -Arun
copy current file to another location from within vim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=230
I work on jsp pages in my source tree but I have to copy the jsp files over to the tomcat directory in order to view my changes.The following mapping will copy the file being edited to another location. command Cpage silent !cp '%:p' "c:/Progra~1/Tomcat/webapps/console/pages/%" Explanation: % refers to the current buffer %:p refers to the path to the file silent suppresses the command prompt window. Usage: :Cpage
Localized color schemes
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=231
i frequently like to edit multiple files in the same vim session. however, if i come into vim from another window i frequently hit 'i' and start typing in whatever buffer is currently being used -- this is often the wrong one (requires <esc>, undo, go the other buffer and . to redo). one way to work around this for me is to use a different color scheme depending on what file i'm working on: au BufEnter * if (exists("b:colors_name")) | let b:current_colors=colors_name | execute "colorscheme " . b:colors_name | endif au BufLeave * if (exists("b:current_colors")) | execute "colorscheme " . b:current_colors | endif if you define b:colors_name with a particular color scheme name, then the above autocommands will switch to that colorscheme when you enter that window and will return to the original color upon departure. inside ftplugin/java.vim, for example, i might have b:colors_name set to 'morning', causing all java files to have a distinguishing color scheme.
Search JDK help for keyword at cursor
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=232
If you are using the Win32 version of Vim you can use this tip to search the Jdk help for the keyword under the cursor. You need the winhlp32 version of the Jdk docs from this URL - http://www.confluent.fr/javadoc/indexe.html.
It is a 16mb D/L and approx 85mb unzipped! I added a command to the popup menu :amenu PopUp.JavaHelp :!start winhlp32 -k <cword> F:\jdk\winhelp\JDK13.HLP <CR And also made a keymapping map J :!start winhlp32 -k <cword> F:\jdk\winhelp\JDK13.HLP <CR> Trivial yes, but I find it quite useful.
Some tips for using Vim to write Lisp code
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=233
For some tips on how to use Vim for writing Lisp code, see http://www.lisp-p.org/i000/15-vim.
Vi(M) Command Line tips & tricks
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=234
Hi VIMMERs These tips save me wearing out my delicate little fingers with unnecessary keystrokes. They assume Unix, but I also use them on a Windows Unix Shell (MKS) as well # When I know the file i want to edit is the most recent file in a directory alias -x vew='vi `l\s -t * | head -1 `' #When I know the file I want to edit contains a unique keyword #this is actually in a little shell script call ed vg where the keyword is passed as parameter $1 #/bin/sh #name vg vi.exe $(grep -isl $1 *) & # some variations alias -x vp='vi `l\s -t *.@(pl|cgi)| head -1 `' #execute the most recent script (I call this from within VIM with a mapped button) alias -x xew='`l\s -t *.pl | head -1 `' Cheers zzapper
Toggle highlight word under cursor, to find cursor.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=235
When the screen has scrolled such as during a search, it may be difficult to find the cursor. :help %# explains the pattern one can use to highlight the word around the cursor, which gives a bigger target to look for on the screen. I have this in my .vimrc: function VIMRCWhere() if !exists("s:highlightcursor") match Todo /\k*\%#\k*/ let s:highlightcursor=1 else match None unlet s:highlightcursor endif endfunction map <C-K> :call VIMRCWhere()<CR> This means that in "normal" mode ctrl-k will toggle the highlight. Todo is a hightlight group whch is particularly easy to see. For further information see ":help s:", ":help match", ":help exists()" and ":help funtion".
Menu for inserting special characters
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=236
First, thanks for the script printascii.vim. When looking at the ascii table, I found some characters I'd like to have inserted when editing. Add the following lines in your _gvimrc and you can select them via menu. (change the names of the menu if you don't have German installed or don't like my titles). I also made some abbreviations to get separation lines in documentation or code files, e.g. abb dotlin ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………^M abb cdotlin /*…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………*/^M abb fdotlin •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••^M abb cfdotlin /*•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••*/^M abb dlin =======================================================================^M abb cdlin /*===================================================================*/^M abb lin -----------------------------------------------------------------------^M abb clin /*-------------------------------------------------------------------*/^M abb ulin _______________________________________________________________________^M abb culin /*___________________________________________________________________*/^M abb Ulin ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯^M abb cUlin /*¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯*/^M (you have to substitute ^M with CTRL_V CTRL_M or delete it) 20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.open\ angle\ « <C-R>=nr2char(171)<CR> 20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.open\ angle\ « a<C-R>=nr2char(171)<CR><ESC> 20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.close\ angle\ » <C-R>=nr2char(187)<CR> 20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.close\ angle\ » a<C-R>=nr2char(187)<CR><ESC> 20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.start\ mark\ „ <C-R>=nr2char(132)<CR> 20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.start\ mark\ „ a<C-R>=nr2char(132)<CR><ESC> 20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.end\ mark\ \ ” <C-R>=nr2char(148)<CR> 20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.end\ mark\ \ ” a<C-R>=nr2char(148)<CR><ESC> 20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.fat\ dot\ \ • <C-R>=nr2char(149)<CR> 20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.fat\ dot\ \ • a<C-R>=nr2char(149)<CR><ESC> 20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.etc\ \ \ … <C-R>=nr2char(133)<CR> 20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.etc\ \ \ … a<C-R>=nr2char(133)<CR><ESC> 20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.!underscore\ \ ¯ <C-R>=nr2char(175)<CR> 20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.!underscore\ \ ¯ a<C-R>=nr2char(175)<CR><ESC> 20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.copyright\ \ © <C-R>=nr2char(169)<CR> 20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.copyright\ \ © a<C-R>=nr2char(169)<CR><ESC> 20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.paragraph\ \ § <C-R>=nr2char(167)<CR> 20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.paragraph\ \ § a<C-R>=nr2char(167)<CR><ESC> 20imenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.noitamalcxe\ ¡ <C-R>=nr2char(161)<CR> 20nmenu Editieren.Sonderzeichen.noitamalcxe\ ¡ a<C-R>=nr2char(161)<CR><ESC>
If you prefer vertical splits
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=237
This is just in case there's somebody else who likes to work in a maximized vim window on a high resolution desktop. If you follow good coding practice and make sure your programs use only 80 characters in each row, have you noticed how much space lies unused on the right? I find that the following settings keep me from ever seeing another horizontal split, unless I specifically ask for it. cabbrev split vsplit cabbrev hsplit split cabbrev sta vertical sta cabbrev help vertical help cabbrev new vnew cabbrev right botright ; A more heavyweight solution for ^W^] function! ToggleSplit (dir) let currFname = bufname ("%") let old = winnr () " Window navigation to ensure the correct window is 'last'. if (a:dir == "u") wincmd k let back="j" elseif (a:dir == "d") wincmd j let back="k" elseif (a:dir == "l") wincmd h let back="l" elseif (a:dir == "r") wincmd l let back="h" endif if (winnr () == old) echo "Ouch" return endif exec "wincmd " . back quit if (back == "j" || back == "k") let orientation = "vsplit" else let orientation = "split" endif if (back == "j" || back == "l") let dir = "below" else let dir = "above" endif exec dir . " " . orientation " " . currFname endfunction noremap ^W^] ^W^]:silent call ToggleSplit ("d")<CR> ; Optional. set splitright ; In which case the above mapping becomes: noremap ^W^] :set splitbelow<CR>^W^]:silent call ToggleSplit ("u")<CR>:set nosplitbelow<CR> ; Or you could just set splitbelow ; :-) ; Very elegant and almost perfect, but it screws up if you want to run a command with ranges :-) ;noremap : :vertical<Space> ; EOF
Very basic session persistence
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=238
I use the following code in my plugins dir to ease session persistance. If I want my session to persist I use :mks! and then whenever I open the Session.vim file, my session is restored. If I am working from a restored session and I close VIM, the session is saved automatically. Drawback is that it makes editing the Session.vim file a bit cumbersome ;) au BufRead Session.vim so % au VimLeave * call SaveCurrentSession() function! SaveCurrentSession() if v:this_session != "" exe "mksession! " . v:this_session endif endfunction
map shift-up and shift-down
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=239
You can make Vim scroll the text using the shifted up/down arrows, sort of like your browser (except with shifted keys :), by mapping Shift-Up to Ctrl-Y and Shift-Down to Ctrl-E. map <s-Down> <C-E> map <s-Up> <C-Y> Shift-Down will then scroll down (like moving a scroll-bar down, or like moving a cursor at the bottom of a window down), and Shift-Up will then scroll up (like moving a scroll-bar up, etc). If you'd rather think about the text moving down/up instead of the cursor moving up/down, you can of course swap the mappings. If you normally use j and k for cursor movement, and rarely use the arrow keys, you can map the arrow keys directly, in which case I'd probably map the shifted arrow keys back to cursor movement: map <down> <c-e> map <up> <c-y> map <s-down> j map <s-up> k See :help ctrl-e, :help ctrl-y, and :help key-mapping. See also :help i_ctrl-o and :help map-modes for how to set up these mappings for use in other modes (like insert mode :). (Vim by default maps s-Down and s-Up to Ctrl-F and Ctrl-B, for both normal and visual mode. Keep this in mind if you change some of the above mappings to "nmap", 'cause you'll probably also want to look in to "vmap".)
Hideall for Vim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=240
Xemacs has a hide all function which can make all the function in your C file a fold and close them. And here is something small to achieve similiar under Vim. func! HideAll() syn region myFold start="{" end="}" transparent fold syn sync fromstart set foldnestmax=1 set foldmethod=syntax endfunc amenu Whatever.Hide\ all :call HideAll()<CR>
"Hide" Folding Markers
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=241
I wanted to start using folding without having to get used to seeing the (default) markers, a.k.a {{{ and }}}. So, here are 2 autocmd's that will make them fade to black....bg=black fg=black au BufRead,BufNewfile * syn match fmrkr '"*{{{\|"*}}}' | \ syn cluster vimCommentGroup contains=fmrkr | \ hi fmrkr term=NONE guibg=black guifg=black \ ctermbg=black ctermfg=black au BufRead,BufNewfile * syn match fmrkr '"*{{{\|"*}}}' \ containedin=vimLineComment contained | \ hi fmrkr term=NONE guibg=black guifg=black \ ctermbg=black ctermfg=black They both accomplish the same thing, but with different methods, so simply pick one and see those annoying (at least to me) markers fade away. I just tried it out with vim files, but you can easily modify it for any other filetypes. Thanks to Colin's lead with ':help c-syntax' for the 1st au. Thanks to Benji's lead with ':help containedin' for the 2nd au. Understanding most of the syntax.txt document file would also be helpful. To figure out what highlighting group the Marker is in, I would suggest using Chip's vimtip#99. Happy Vimming!
The power of "\_" in reg-ex
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=242
One of the most uncelebrated feature of vim 6.0 is the ability to span a search across multiple lines. \_^ maps a begining of line anywhere in search pattern. \_$ ---"----- end ----------------------"-------------------------. \_s ---"------ space ------------"------------------------- . e.g /{\_s will map all white spaces and new-line chars after a "{" The \_ can be appended to other objects as well. such as \_U, \_L, \_. (this one's risky) . See :help pattern for more details. Njoy
Develop vim modules on Win
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=243
We're trying to develop txt2pdf.vim http://vim.sourceforge.net/scripts/script.php?script_id=283 on Win.
It's a very simple module to save the current file and convert it to PDF using our txt2pdf tool http://www.sanface.com/txt2pdf.html
On our Windows 2000 we've developed it. It works good. Today we've tested the module on Linux. Surprise: it doesn't work. Default Win Vim configure save on Win text in Win way: EOL \r\n. A Vim module made in this way can't work on Linux (probably on every Unix OS). If you want to make a Vim module on Win and you want it can work also on Unix (we hope the same rula can work also on different OS) you've to save the Vim module with Unix EOL (\n). Please send us (sanface@sanface.com) your notes about other OS (e.g. OpenVMS).
Ask vim where an option was set.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=244
When things go wrong, it is sometimes hard to figure out why. For example, an option might be set in the system vimrc file, in a personal vimrc file, in a plugin (global or local), or interactively. Vim will tell you where the current value was set if you ask: :verbose set history? will tell you the current value of the 'history' option, and where it was set.
Working with Unicode (platform-independent)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=245
Here are the main options you will want to set if you want to work with Unicode files in (g)vim (see at bottom what help tags to look for) if has("multi_byte") set encoding=utf-8 " how vim shall represent characters internally setglobal fileencoding=utf-8 " empty is also OK (defaults to same as 'encoding'). Or you may want to set one of the ucs encodings (which " may use less disk space if you use only "alphabetic" scripts such as Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew or Arabic, and " not "ideographic" scripts like Chinese, Japanese or Korean. With the ucs encodings it is usually better set bomb " to also set 'bomb' on ('byte-order-mark" option, irrelevant for utf-8 but not for ucs) set termencoding=iso-8859-15 " or whatever is appropriate to your locale (iso-8859-15 is Latin1 + Euro currency sign) set fileencodings=ucs-bom,iso-8859-15,iso-8859-3,utf-8 " or whatever is appropriate to the kinds of files you want to edit " 'fileencodings' defines the heuristic to set 'fillencoding' (local to buffer) when reading an existing file. The first one that matches will be used. " ucs-bom is "ucs with byte-order-mark"; it must not come after ucs-8 if you want it to be used else echoerr "Sorry, this version of (g)vim was not compiled with +multi_byte" endif In "replace" mode, one utf character (one or more data bytes) replaces one utf character (which need not use the same number of bytes) In "normal" mode, ga shows the character under the cursor as text, decimal, octal and hex; g8 shows which byte(s) is/are used to represent it In "insert" or "replace" mode, - any character defined on your keyboard can be entered the usual way (even with dead keys if you have them, e.g. âêîôû äëïöü) - any character which has a "digraph" (there are a huge lot of them, see :dig after setting enc=utf-8) can be entered with a Ctrl-K prefix - any utf character at all can be entered with a Ctrl-V prefix, either <Ctrl-V> u aaaa or <Ctrl-V> U bbbbbbbb, with 0 <= aaaa <= FFFF, or 0 <= bbbbbbbb <= 7FFFFFFF Unicode can be used to create html "body text", at least for Netscape 6 and probably for IE; but on my machine it doesn't display properly as "title text" (i.e., between <title></title> tags in the <head> part). Gvim will display it properly if you have the fonts for it, provided that you set 'guifont' to some fixed-width font which has the glyphs you want to use (Courier New is OK for French, German, Greek, Russian and more, but I'm not sure about Hebrew or Arabic; its glyphs are of a more "fixed" width than those of, e.g. Lucida Console: the latter can be annoying if you need bold Cyrillic writing). see: :h utf8 :h 'enc' :h 'fenc' :h 'fencs' :h 'tenc' :h 'bomb' :h 'guifont' :h ga :h g8 :h i_Ctrl-V_digit Happy Vimming ! Tony.
Working with Unicode (the same, rewritten for legibility)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=246
1. Where to look for help ------------------------- :h utf8 :h encoding-values :h 'enc' :h 'fenc' :h 'fencs' :h 'tenc' :h 'bomb' :h 'guifont' :h ga :h g8 :h :dig :h i_Ctrl-V_digit :h has() 2. What to do (These are *examples*. Modify them to suit your work environment.) ------------- if has("multi_byte") set encoding=utf-8 setglobal fileencoding=utf-8 set bomb set termencoding=iso-8859-15 set fileencodings=ucs-bom,iso-8859-15,iso-8859-3,utf-8 else echoerr "Sorry, this version of (g)vim was not compiled with +multi_byte" endif 3. What the above does ---------------------- * has("multi_byte") checks if you have the right options compiled-in. If you haven't got what it takes, it's no use trying to use Unicode. * 'encoding' sets how vim shall represent characters internally. Utf-8 is necessary for most flavors of Unicode. * 'fileencoding' sets the encoding for a particular file (local to buffer); :setglobal sets the default value. An empty value can also be used: it defaults to same as 'encoding'. Or you may want to set one of the ucs encodings, It might make the same disk file bigger or smaller depending on your particular mix of characters. Also, IIUC, utf-8 is always big-endian (high bit first) while ucs can be big-endian or little-endian, so if you use it, you will probably need to set 'bomb" (see below). * 'bomb' (boolean): if set, vim will put a "byte order mark" at the start of ucs files. This option is irrelevant for most non-ucs files (utf-8, iso-8859, etc.) * 'termencoding' defines how your keyboard encodes what you type. The value you put there will depend on your locale: iso-8859-15 is Latin1 + Euro currency sign, but you may want something else for, say, an Eastern European keyboard. * 'fileencodings' defines the heuristic to set 'fileencoding' (local to buffer) when reading an existing file. The first one that matches will be used (and, IIUC, if there is no match, Vim falls back on Latin1). Ucs-bom is "ucs with byte-order-mark"; it must not come after utf-8 if you want it to be used. 4. Additional remarks --------------------- * In "replace" mode, one utf character (one or more data bytes) replaces one utf character (which need not use the same number of bytes) * In "normal" mode, ga shows the character under the cursor as text, decimal, octal and hex; g8 shows which byte(s) is/are used to represent it. * In "insert" or "replace" mode, - any character defined on your keyboard can be entered the usual way (even with dead keys if you have them, e.g. French circumflex, German umlaut, etc.); - any character which has a "digraph" (there are a huge lot of them, see :dig after setting enc=utf-8) can be entered with a Ctrl-K prefix; - any utf character at all can be entered with a Ctrl-V prefix, either <Ctrl-V> u aaaa or <Ctrl-V> U bbbbbbbb, with 0 <= aaaa <= FFFF, or 0 <= bbbbbbbb <= 7FFFFFFF. * Unicode can be used to create html "body text", at least for Netscape 6 and probably for IE; but on my machine it doesn't display properly as "title text" (i.e., between <title></title> tags in the <head> part). * Gvim will display it properly if you have the fonts for it, provided that you set 'guifont' to some fixed-width font which has the glyphs you want to use (Courier New is OK for French, German, Greek, Russian and more, but I'm not sure about Hebrew or Arabic; its glyphs are of a more "fixed" width than those of, e.g. Lucida Console: the latter can be awkward if you need bold Cyrillic writing). Happy Vimming ! Tony.
Preexisting code indentation
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=247
Using tabs as elementary unit in your code indentation has two advantages: first, you may modify 'tabstop' and immediately all the indentations depths are modified according to it; second, your file will be smaller. But how can we change some already-written code in order to convert spaces to tabs. Very simple! Suppose your old code has an indentation unit of 2 spaces :ret! 2 :x will replace every 2-spaces to one tab, independently from your current tabstop value, and will save the modified file. Then, if you open again the file with tabstop=2, the file will look as before but it will be smaller. If you open the file with tabstop=4, the code vill have a more indented look, and so on... Cheers!
Auto-save the current buffer periodically.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=248
I have no idea if this was implemented in vim 5.3 or not, but you can definitely do the following kludge in 6.x by using CursorHold and localtime: - When you start reading a file, set a buffer variable to the current time: au BufRead,BufNewFile * let b:start_time=localtime() - Set a CursorHold event to check to see if enough time has elapsed since the last save and save if not: au CursorHold * call UpdateFile() - Define a function to save the file if needed: " only write if needed and update the start time after the save function! UpdateFile() if ((localtime() - b:start_time) >= 60) update let b:start_time=localtime() else echo "Only " . (localtime() - b:start_time) . " seconds have elapsed so far." endif endfunction - Reset the start time explicitly after each save. au BufWritePre * let b:start_time=localtime() Obviously, you should get rid of the else portion once you're certain that this does indeed do what you wanted. The thing to note is that the CursorHold will only fire after 'updatetime' milliseconds of inactivity have elapsed. So, if you type rapidly for one and a half minutes non-stop, it won't actually save anything until you STOP activity long enough. This may be what you want anyway because it won't interrupt your activity with a forced save. The actual save-delay can be changed from '60' to another number (in seconds) or a variable or anything like that. This entire functionality can be easily wrapped inside a nice script which enables/disables this on a per-buffer basis (maybe with maps etc.). If desired, I can provide that also.
Quickly insert #if 0 - #endif around block of code
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=249
One of my favorite macros that I use in vim (and vi) inserts a #if 0 #endif sandwich around a block of code. I always map this to the 2 key sequence ;' which is the semi-colon followed by the single quote. Look at your keyboard, you will notice these keys are adjacent to one another. I like this mapping because it's very fast, my fingers easily roll from one key to the next, obviously YMMV. To use this mapping, go to the line of code that you want the '#if 0' to be on, type ma to mark this line with the marker a, then move to the line that should be last line just above the '#endif' and press ;' " insert #if 0 - #endif around block of code map ;' mz'aO<Esc>i#if 0<Esc>'zo<Esc>i#endif<Esc> -- David Thompson dat1965@yahoo.com
One big window
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=250
If you like to see your files in fullscreen, and you have to edit more files, you can do the following. * Use only one window * Open further files with :e * type :nm <A-Up> :bp!<CR> * type :nm <A-Down> :bn!<CR> * type :nm <C-F4> :bd!<CR> You can of course change the keys. Now to switch between windows, you can press Alt-Up, and Alt-Down (Just in the GUI, if you use console, don't use Alt key) Another idea is to map them to Ctrl-Tab, and Ctrl-Shift-Tab To close the current file you can press Ctrl-F4
align #endif with corresponding #if/#ifdef
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=251
If you try to impose any sort of alignment on your preprocessor directives, rather than just starting them on column 0, this mapping will align the #endif 'correctly' when you type '#en', start a new line, and bring you back to the correct alignment to edit code. inoremap <buffer> #en X<BS><Esc>?#if<CR>"zy0^Og0"zpDa#endif<CR>X<BS><Esc>?#end?-1<CR>^"zy0^O0"zpDa I am reasonably sure this is insensitive to vim options...
python script to align statements
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=252
i know there's some awk scripts out there that do the same thing, and if i were a real trooper i would have written this in vims internal language but... i wrote a python script to align statements. i put this in my .vimrc: map L :!lineUp.py<cr> " of course lineUp.py is somewhere in my path and i have this python file somewhere in my path: http://ophinity.com/res/dotFiles/lineUp.py
so now i can just pipe the offending lines thru my code: :5, 10 !lineUp.py or using the mapping above, visually select the lines and press 'L'
The power of | (v75|r- actually...)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=253
'|' as you may well be aware is the goto column motion, and that "75|" will place your cursor on column 75 of the current line. That in itself is pretty handy at times, but some true power arises when used in conjuction with visual mode and replace. Or you could just say a sneaky trick :) v75|r- will repace from the cursor to the end of line with '-' *breakdown* v to turn on visual mode 75 for the count | *bar* to goto column r to enter repace - to specify the char to replace. A handy and quick way to make a noticable section of your code (or whatever). A handy way to use this (formated to just drop into DrChip's CStubs): "// -[Feral]--------------------------------------------------------------- "// <cursor> elseif wrd == "//" exe "norm! a -[AuthorId]\<esc>$lv75|r-$a\<cr>\<esc>$a " "// -[Feral:146/02@08:31]-------------------------------------------------- "// <cursor> elseif wrd == "///" exe "norm! s -[AuthorId:\<C-R>=strftime('%j/%y@%H:%M')\<CR>]\<esc>$lv75|r-$a\<cr>\<esc>$a " "/* -[Feral:146/02@08:31]-------------------------------------------------- " * <cursor> " * -------------------------------------------------------------------- */ elseif wrd == "/*" exe "norm! a -[AuthorId:\<C-R>=strftime('%j/%y@%H:%M')\<CR>]\<esc>$lv75|r-$a\<cr>\<cr>\<esc>2lv72|r-$a */\<esc>k$a " Have to love VIM!
Using \%[] to easily match parts of a word.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=254
This code fragment is suitable to drop into DrChip's CStubs. After much searching I was unable to find a tip nor script number to referance, I believe where I found Dr. Chip's CStubs originally : http://users.erols.com/astronaut/vim/vimscript/drcstubs.vim
Thank you Dr. Chip! (= If you have ever wanted to match parts of a word you may have considered something like: if wrd == "re" || wrd == "ret" || wrd == "retu" || wrd == "retur" "do something Althought the above works well enough it is a pain to maintain and add new words (not to mention its just a touch messy ;) ) A more elegant (and easier to use I believe) method would be to use \%[] as part of a pattern. For instance, "\\<re\\%[tur]\\>" will match "re", "ret", "retu" or "retur" *breakdown* \\< = start of word re = first letters of word we want to require to match \\%[tur] = optionally match chars bewteen the braces, i.e. 't', 'tu' or 'tur' \\> = end of word So, we can use this as a pattern for match like so (In DrChip's CStubs) elseif match(wrd, "\\<re\\%[tur]\\>") > -1 exe "norm! bdWireturn\<Esc>" Which, I think, is a little better than the longer alternative: " vs elseif wrd == "re" || wrd == "ret" || wrd == "retu" || wrd == "retur" exe "norm! bdWireturn\<Esc>" Just another one of those VIM things that made me smile :)
arbitrary tags for file names
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=255
This definitely work on linux and there is probably some windows equivalent. I've started working with tomcat and many many .jsp files. I find this trick to be very helpful. find -name '*.jsp' -printf '%f\t%P\t1\n' |sort > jsp.tags This will create a file called jsp.tags with tag entries for each .jsp file. Within Vim I use :set tags+=jsp.tags Now I can to simple :tag file.jsp to quickly switch b/w the many, many .jsp files. One important note. The utility sort will use the value of LC_COLLATE to sort according to your locale. This will give Vim issues. So try "LC_COLLATE=C sort" instead of plain "sort"
Opening current Vim file in your Windows browser
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=256
Hi Vimmers open current file in browser map ,f :update<CR>:silent !start c:\progra~1\intern~1\iexplore.exe file://%:p<CR> open http link under cursor in your browser map ,i :update<CR>: !start c:\progra~1\intern~1\iexplore.exe <cWORD><CR> Note use of cWORD (not cword) meaning OUTER Word Works for me in XP & 98 (Original came from a posting by Ralf Arens) zzapper
fast page up/down.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=257
i discovered a cool way to move between pages of the same document in vim 6.1. press a number in -normal mode- and the page up/down. the document will move with that number of pages up/down.if the number is greater that the nr of pages, document will move to begin/end of file. i didn't test it on other version.
how long is the current word?
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=258
ever wondered how long the current word is? this can be quite useful when editing data files. simply add the following to your .vimrc nmap <C-_> :echo 'word' expand("<cword>") ' wordlen =' strlen(expand("<cword>"))<CR> and it will tell you the word under the cursor, and how long it is. and for things that arent words, this addition to your .vimrc works on sections of a line that have been hightligted in visual mode vmap <C-_> "-y:echo 'word' @- ' wordlen =' strlen(@-)<CR> again you see the "word", and its length this may also work on vim 5.x, but i havent checked to make sure.
removing the toolbar (icons) from gvim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=259
Change good or bad usually encounters interia from people in excepting it. gvim 6.0 is the first version that introduced the icons shortcut in shape of a toolbar under the menu. when we upgraded to the new and improved vim 6.1 from vim 5.7 some of people in our company encountered some problems with their syntax highlighting and some of them objected on the new toolbar which displayed icons for some common tasks for people more used to GUI. I finally figured out how to remove this new feature since I also didn't see much use for it Here is for all those who haven't figured it out yet In your .gvimrc include the following two lines unmenu ToolBar unmenu! ToolBar Doing this from an open gvim does not remove them but grays them out but doing from gvimrc does the job I was also trying to remove the menus at the top and almost succeeded with a similar technique but somehow the Buffer menu item stays there no matter what. IMHO it is a bug but it could very well be a feature ;) I tried this unmenu * unmenu! * even added this line after the above two but didn't help unmenu Buffers I hope this benefits you all as much as I have benefitted from all your tips
gvim-->mouse-->popup menu
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=260
This tip is for those who prefer to do some of the common operations like cut/copy/paste etc using mouse. All u have to do is :set mousemodel=popup by this u get a popup menu on right click of your mouse and u can do all the common operations like undo, cut, copy, paste, select etc using mouse. u can also customise your popup menu by editing $VIMRUNTIME/menu.vim
Close windows from Gvim poup menu
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=261
To close windows from the popup menu add these lines to your .gvimrc :amenu PopUp.Close.\ Window :confirm close<CR> :amenu PopUp.Close.\ Other :confirm only<CR> You obviously need ':set mousemodel=popup' in your .gvimrc as well :=)
Bored of ur arrow shapped mouseptr?
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=262
here is how u can change the shape of ur mouseptr in gvim. :set mouseshape=n:pencil this will change the shape of the mouseptr to pencil in normal mode. u can choose different shapes for different modes. see :h mouseshape Want more shapes? Then look for the file cursorfont.h in ur X11/ directory. This file contains lots of cursor shape #define definitions, like . #define XC_heart 62 . now :set mouseshape=n:62 will set the shape of the mouseptr to heart in normal mode. -ncr
color active line
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=263
This tip shows how to color the active line, the line in which the cursor is, for better reading. You should try possibility 2 before 1, IMHO it is mostly usable. possibility 1: :au! CursorHold * let @/ = '\%' . line('.') . 'l.*' :set ut=500 explanation: After 500 ms of waiting for you to hit a key, vim sets the search register to a pattern that matches the current line. problem: Register / holds the search pattern, so you cannot have color the active line and search. Therefore another solution: possibility 2: :highlight CurrentLine guibg=darkgrey guifg=white (or whatever colors you want) :au! Cursorhold * exe 'match CurrentLine /\%' . line('.') . 'l.*/' :set ut=100 explanation: This solution uses 'match' to highlight a string, it does not interface with the current search pattern. addition: Turning the highlighning off: :au! Cursorhold :match none The order of these commands are important. If :match none is executed first, the autocommand would almost immediately execute another match command. references to vim help: :help Cursorhold :help 'ut' :help /\%l :help "/ :help \%
F5 Compile and Run, F8 Compile (ala Visual Studio)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=264
I love vim, it's my default editor on my Sun, Windows, Linux and *BSD boxen. That said, I hate having to flip windows to compile while doing the write->compile->debug loop. If you're used to Visual Studio and the ability it has to just hit F5 to compile and run the current file or F8 to compile or step through the code you'll appreciate this... This is my Windows version of this scriplet/tiplet. For other platforms, you'll want to change the IF ELSE loops. You should actually never see the "Unsuccessful" message from the compile/run loop unless the compiler completely bombs out. This is from my _vimrc... map <F5> :call CompileRunGcc()<CR> map <F8> : call CompileGcc()<CR> func! CompileRunGcc() exec "w" "Save the file exec "!gcc % -o %< && cr 10 && IF EXIST %<.exe (%<) ELSE banner -c = Compile Unsuccessful " exec "i" "jump back where we were endfunc func! CompileGcc() exec "w" exec "!gcc % -o %< && IF EXIST %<.exe (cr 5 && banner -c # Success) ELSE banner -c # Compile Unsuccessful " exec "i" endfunc
Fast help in full window
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=265
You can get fast access to help by writing small script #!/bin/bash vim -c "help $1" -c only now name it eg. vih and from cl $ vih makeprg
use -S command line switch
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=266
The -S switch could be used to simplify common idiom: start Vim and source a script file: gvim -c ":so foobar.vim" got translated into gvim -S foobar.vim Yes, this tip is trivial but I still see the -c ":so x" way too often. Time to update your mind!
selectively displaying abbreviations
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=267
Hi Vimmers, abbreviations have always been one of the most useful parts of vi(m), trouble is when you've got too many you forgot what you called them. You can of course list the whole lot with :ab<cr> But did you know that you can type the first few letters of your abbreviations and get a list of just thos abs eg :ab php<cr> gives me all my php abs & :ab perl<cr> gives me all my perls also try control-D instrad of <cr> zzapper
Get cursor position as byte percentage instead of line percentage
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=268
On line 300 of a thousand line file, Vim will show you that you're 30% through the file. But what if most of the lines have one character in them, and some of them have twenty thousand? Sometimes it comes in handy to know your percentage through the file in terms of current-byte / total-bytes. I looked through the Vim docs and couldn't find a way to do this, so I wrote a Vim function to show it. Put this in your .vimrc: function! Percent() let byte = line2byte( line( "." ) ) + col( "." ) - 1 let size = (line2byte( line( "$" ) + 1 ) - 1) " return byte . " " . size . " " . (byte * 100) / size return (byte * 100) / size endfunction (Uncomment the first return to see intermediate values.) And put this somewhere in your "set statusline=...": %{Percent()}%% See "help statusline", "help eval".
Syntax highlighting is "out of sync", seems to correct itself with refresh ??
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=269
This one has come across the 'vim' users mailing list many times, and probably comp.editors as well... Summary: see :help :syn-sync and search for 'sync' in your favorite syntax file in $VIMRUNTIME/syntax Long Version: The syntax highlight code utilizes a certain synchronization method to efficiently figure out syntax highlighting, specifically if you aren't at the very beginning or end of a file. The specific setting is 'syntax sync'. For various file types the method is set by default in this is setup in the syntax file and one can vary the degree of trouble which VIM goes to to try and figure this out. As an example for C, from $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/c.vim: if exists("c_minlines") let b:c_minlines = c_minlines else if !exists("c_no_if0") let b:c_minlines = 50 " #if 0 constructs can be long else let b:c_minlines = 15 " mostly for () constructs endif endif exec "syn sync ccomment cComment minlines=" . b:c_minlines Where c_minlines is the minimum number of lines that VIM goes backward to try to find the start of a comment for syntax highlighting. If that line which starts a comment is outside of that range, highlighting will appear wrong. You can easily set up something like this in your .vimrc: let c_minlines=500 or even bigger, but realize that it is a performance trade-off and that syntax highlighting will slow things down.
Insert a single character
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=270
Using Insert mode to insert a single character feels clumsy (you need 3 keypresses for one character), so here's a slightly easier way: :nmap <space> i_<esc>r Now, when in Normal mode, just press space followed by what it is you want to insert. BUG: Repeating the insertion with . doesn't work.
easy (un)commenting out of source code
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=271
Something that I do quite alot is comment out blocks of text, only to uncomment that same block later. The following mappings have proven useful to me. They can be applied using visually selected blocks, or with motion keys. " lhs comments map ,# :s/^/#/<CR> map ,/ :s/^/\/\//<CR> map ,> :s/^/> /<CR> map ," :s/^/\"/<CR> map ,% :s/^/%/<CR> map ,! :s/^/!/<CR> map ,; :s/^/;/<CR> map ,- :s/^/--/<CR> map ,c :s/^\/\/\\|^--\\|^> \\|^[#"%!;]//<CR> " wrapping comments map ,* :s/^\(.*\)$/\/\* \1 \*\//<CR> map ,( :s/^\(.*\)$/\(\* \1 \*\)/<CR> map ,< :s/^\(.*\)$/<!-- \1 -->/<CR> map ,d :s/^\([/(]\*\\|<!--\) \(.*\) \(\*[/)]\\|-->\)$/\2/<CR> The commands to comment a selection of text are as follows, begining with begining-of-line comments: ,# shell, perl, etc ,/ c++ ,> email quote ," vim ,% latex, prolog ,! assembly?... add single ! ,; scheme ,- don't remember this one... add -- ,c clears any of the previous comments Here are the wrapping comments, each line wrapped individually: ,* c ,( Standard ML ,< html ,d clears any of the wrapping comments
automaticaly formating pasted text (p=`])
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=272
In times past I used a nice editor that had the neat feature of automatically setting pasted text to the proper indent level. Recently I've begun to miss this so I went looking in the help and camp up with.... =`] which will format to the end of the pasted text... Perfect to call right after you past something as the cursor ends up at the top of the pasted text, thus the mapping: :map <c-p> =`] " by the by the above may should be nmap and I am pretty sure c-p is unused, your mileage will vary no doubt. However I wanted the formatting to automatically be done so it was two simple (once I figured out how!) nnoremap: " [Feral:185/02@14:27] map c-p to what p was (past with no formatting), map p to p and = to end of pasted text. :nnoremap p p=`] :nnoremap <c-p> p This simply (as the comment hints at) maps normal mode p to what p did (paste) then = to `] (last character in the previously changed text). While ctrl+p just does what p did. (just in case you find you don't want a bit of text auto formatted.). reference: :h :nnoremap :h p :h = :h `] Whatever the name of this idea is, tis something I find handy :) Happy VIMing
Fast fixing of email quotations (too long lines)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=273
When using VIM as your editor of choice, even for email processing - as I do - it is often unpleasing how some MUA's quote the email body produced by mailers such as Outlook. The lines often span across multiple visual lines and its difficult to reply on certain parts of it. With VIM, you can quickly fix those quotations to maintain a proper 75 char break. For example, when using Mutt, put this line in your .muttrc, or use a custom .vimrc_mail for it: set editor="vim -c 'set fo=tcrq' -c 'set tw=76'" For other MUA's this has to be fitted. However, now, when your quoted email is displayed, you can use this VIM sequence to fix it: 1. move cursor to first line of broken paragraph 2. press 'V' and move to the last line of the paragraph you want to fix 3. press 'g' and then 'q'. The marked text will wrap around to your specified textwidth (76 in our case) and the quotations will be preserved across the lines
Some useful mappings for TeX
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=274
You know, TeX requires a lot of additional formatting code. I'm tired of opening and closing braces, brakets, \beginning and \ending etc. I particularly hate typing \begin and \end. To help myself and to save a few(not a few) keystrokes I naturaly came up to some solutions, which I wish to share with other TeXnicians and TeXperts whhich use Vim. "===============================cut here========================= "=============== you can put it in ~/.vim/after/ftplugin/tex.vim =============== " " Note: i_<C-L> " This constructs a skeleton of a TeX environment. " You write a line like this: " floatingfigure:ht<C-L> " and after you press <C-L>, you get: " " \begin[ht]{floatingfigure} " " \end{floatingfigure} " -- INSERT -- " " where floatingfigure is the desired environment " ht are options " : is delimiter; in fact, you can use whatever delimiter you want " as long it is not in &iskeyword option. inoremap <buffer> <C-L>  \:s/[^][:alnum:]<bar>]\+/,/eg \I\begin{ea}[A]%d%%P \:s/\[,/[/e \:s/,]/]/e \:s/\[]//e \0f{y%o\endpO inoremap <buffer> { {}i inoremap <buffer> [ []i inoremap <buffer> ^ ^{}i inoremap <buffer> _ _{}i inoremap <buffer> \( \(\)hi inoremap <buffer> \[ \[\]hi " Note: v_<C-L> " For this to work, you have to write on a blank line the name of " the desired environment and options (see i_<C-L>) and visual select " (from top to bottom) this and following lines. " After pressing <C-L> the selected lines will be surrounded " with begin/end skeleton of the environment. vnoremap <buffer> <C-L> o \:s/[^][:alnum:]<bar>]\+/,/eg \I\begin{ea}[A]%d%%P \:s/\[,/[/e \:s/,]/]/e \:s/\[]//e \0f{y%gvoo\endp " vnoremap <buffer> { di{}P " vnoremap <buffer> [ di[]P vnoremap <buffer>  di^{}P vnoremap <buffer>  di_{}P vnoremap <buffer> \( di\(\)hP vnoremap <buffer> \[ di\[\]hP " This makes "two spaces after a comma" before every :write au BufWritePre *.tex %s/,\(\S\)/, \1/ge "==================== You can put this in your ~/.vimrc ======================== " If cursor is inside braces and not before comma, blank or opening brace, " exit the brace block and stay in insert mode. " If cursor is outside braces, it inserts a space or perform an abbreviation " as normal. function! CleverSpace() let CharOnCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.')-2, 1) let CharAfterCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.'), 1) if CharOnCursor !~ ',\|\s\|(' && CharAfterCursor =~ ')\|]\|}' normal x endif endfunction inoremap <Space> <Space>:call CleverSpace()<LF>a " I use the last function not only for LaTeX but also in C sources.
Some useful mappings for TeX
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=275
You know, TeX requires a lot of additional formatting code. I'm tired of opening and closing braces, brakets, \beginning and \ending etc. I particularly hate typing \begin and \end. To help myself and to save a few(not a few) keystrokes I naturaly came up to some solutions, which I wish to share with other TeXnicians and TeXperts whhich use Vim. "===============================cut here========================= "=============== you can put it in ~/.vim/after/ftplugin/tex.vim =============== " " Note: i_<C-L> " This constructs a skeleton of a TeX environment. " You write a line like this: " floatingfigure:ht<C-L> " and after you press <C-L>, you get: " " \begin[ht]{floatingfigure} " " \end{floatingfigure} " -- INSERT -- " " where floatingfigure is the desired environment " ht are options " : is delimiter; in fact, you can use whatever delimiter you want " as long it is not in &iskeyword option. inoremap <buffer> <C-L>  \:s/[^][:alnum:]<bar>]\+/,/eg \I\begin{ea}[A]%d%%P \:s/\[,/[/e \:s/,]/]/e \:s/\[]//e \0f{y%o\endpO inoremap <buffer> { {}i inoremap <buffer> [ []i inoremap <buffer> ^ ^{}i inoremap <buffer> _ _{}i inoremap <buffer> \( \(\)hi inoremap <buffer> \[ \[\]hi " Note: v_<C-L> " For this to work, you have to write on a blank line the name of " the desired environment and options (see i_<C-L>) and visual select " (from top to bottom) this and following lines. " After pressing <C-L> the selected lines will be surrounded " with begin/end skeleton of the environment. vnoremap <buffer> <C-L> o \:s/[^][:alnum:]<bar>]\+/,/eg \I\begin{ea}[A]%d%%P \:s/\[,/[/e \:s/,]/]/e \:s/\[]//e \0f{y%gvoo\endp " vnoremap <buffer> { di{}P " vnoremap <buffer> [ di[]P vnoremap <buffer>  di^{}P vnoremap <buffer>  di_{}P vnoremap <buffer> \( di\(\)hP vnoremap <buffer> \[ di\[\]hP " This makes "two spaces after a comma" before every :write au BufWritePre *.tex %s/,\(\S\)/, \1/ge "==================== You can put this in your ~/.vimrc ======================== " If cursor is inside braces and not before comma, blank or opening brace, " exit the brace block and stay in insert mode. " If cursor is outside braces, it inserts a space or perform an abbreviation " as normal. function! CleverSpace() let CharOnCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.')-2, 1) let CharAfterCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.'), 1) if CharOnCursor !~ ',\|\s\|(' && CharAfterCursor =~ ')\|]\|}' normal x endif endfunction inoremap <Space> <Space>:call CleverSpace()<LF>a " I use the last function not only for LaTeX but also in C sources.
Function signature previewer
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=276
Have you ever tried to call a function which parameters you have forgotten? Especially those long named and with long parameter list GTK+ functions like gtk_menu_item_image_from_stock_new(..........) !!! By accident I saw a function in Vim help. It's name was PreviewWord and it allowed one to jump in the preview window to the tag for the word cursor is on. I _slightly_ modified this function not to need tags file, but to search included files instead. I wrote another function, which uses the above said one, which triggers PreviewWord when you open the parenthesis after a function name. Here it is: " Note: " This is literally stolen from Vim help. The only changes are: " (1) if w != "" becomes if w =~ "\k" " (2) exe "silent! ptag " . w becomes exe "silent! psearch " . w " * The first change prevents PreviewWord of searching while cursor is on some " non-keyword characters, e.g. braces, asterisks, etc. function! PreviewWord() if &previewwindow " don't do this in the preview window return endif let w = expand("<cword>") " get the word under cursor if w =~ "\k" " if there is one ":ptag" to it " Delete any existing highlight before showing another tag silent! wincmd P " jump to preview window if &previewwindow " if we really get there... match none " delete existing highlight wincmd p " back to old window endif " Try displaying a matching tag for the word under the cursor let v:errmsg = "" exe "silent! psearch " . w if v:errmsg =~ "tag not found" return endif silent! wincmd P " jump to preview window if &previewwindow " if we really get there... if has("folding") silent! .foldopen " don't want a closed fold endif call search("$", "b") " to end of previous line let w = substitute(w, '\\', '\\\\', "") call search('\<\V' . w . '\>') " position cursor on match " Add a match highlight to the word at this position hi previewWord term=bold ctermbg=green guibg=green exe 'match previewWord "\%' . line(".") . 'l\%' . col(".") . 'c\k*"' wincmd p " back to old window endif endif endfunction au! CursorHold *.[ch] nested call PreviewWord() " Note: " When you open a parenthesis after a function name, and at the " line end, that function's definition is previewed through PreviewWord(). " This is inspired from Delphi's CodeInsight technology. " Something similar (PreviewClassMembers) could be written for " the C++ users, for previewing the class members when you type " a dot after an object name. " If somebody decides to write it, please, mail it to me. function! PreviewFunctionSignature() let CharOnCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.')-2, 1) if col(".") == col("$") call PreviewWord() endif return "(" endfunction inoremap <buffer> ( <C-R>=PreviewFunctionSignature()<LF>
Function signature previewer
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=277
Have you ever tried to call a function which parameters you have forgotten? Especially those long named and with long parameter list GTK+ functions like gtk_menu_item_image_from_stock_new(..........) !!! By accident I saw a function in Vim help. It's name was PreviewWord and it allowed one to jump in the preview window to the tag for the word cursor is on. I _slightly_ modified this function not to need tags file, but to search included files instead. I wrote another function, which uses the above said one, which triggers PreviewWord when you open the parenthesis after a function name. Here it is: " Note: " This is literally stolen from Vim help. The only changes are: " (1) if w != "" becomes if w =~ "\k" " (2) exe "silent! ptag " . w becomes exe "silent! psearch " . w " * The first change prevents PreviewWord of searching while cursor is on some " non-keyword characters, e.g. braces, asterisks, etc. function! PreviewWord() if &previewwindow " don't do this in the preview window return endif let w = expand("<cword>") " get the word under cursor if w =~ "\k" " if there is one ":ptag" to it " Delete any existing highlight before showing another tag silent! wincmd P " jump to preview window if &previewwindow " if we really get there... match none " delete existing highlight wincmd p " back to old window endif " Try displaying a matching tag for the word under the cursor let v:errmsg = "" exe "silent! psearch " . w if v:errmsg =~ "tag not found" return endif silent! wincmd P " jump to preview window if &previewwindow " if we really get there... if has("folding") silent! .foldopen " don't want a closed fold endif call search("$", "b") " to end of previous line let w = substitute(w, '\\', '\\\\', "") call search('\<\V' . w . '\>') " position cursor on match " Add a match highlight to the word at this position hi previewWord term=bold ctermbg=green guibg=green exe 'match previewWord "\%' . line(".") . 'l\%' . col(".") . 'c\k*"' wincmd p " back to old window endif endif endfunction au! CursorHold *.[ch] nested call PreviewWord() " Note: " When you open a parenthesis after a function name, and at the " line end, that function's definition is previewed through PreviewWord(). " This is inspired from Delphi's CodeInsight technology. " Something similar (PreviewClassMembers) could be written for " the C++ users, for previewing the class members when you type " a dot after an object name. " If somebody decides to write it, please, mail it to me. function! PreviewFunctionSignature() let CharOnCursor = strpart( getline('.'), col('.')-2, 1) if col(".") == col("$") call PreviewWord() endif return "(" endfunction inoremap <buffer> ( <C-R>=PreviewFunctionSignature()<LF>
all the right moves
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=278
One of the principles of effective text editing is moving around very efficiently. Following are some pointers which may help u do that. h move one character left j move one row down k move one row up l move one char. right. w move to begining of next word b move to begining of previous word e move to end of word W move to begining of next word after a whitespace B move to begining of pervious word before a whitespace E move to end of word before a whitespace. (All the above movements can be preceeded by a numeric value . i.e '4j' will move 4 rows down ) ^ move to first non blank char of the line. g_ move to last non blank char of the line. 0 moev to begining of line $ move to end of line. gg move to first line. G move to last line. nG move to "n"th line. H top of screen. M middle of screen L bottom of screen Ctrl-D move half page down Ctrl-U move half page up. Ctrl-B page-up Ctrl-F page down. Ctrl-o last cursor position. '[a-z,0-9,A-Z] jump to the marker. (u can set a marker on line by :- m[a-zA-Z,0-9] and then jump back to it by '[a-z,A-Z0-9] n next matching search pattern N previous matching search pattern * next word under cursor # previous word under cursor. g* next matching search pattern under cursor. g# previous matching search pattern under cursor.
On Windows, make GVim the default action for double-click with "unknown file types"
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=279
I find myself installing the following registry modification for all my PC's now (even other people's PC's). It applies to Microsoft Windows machines only. The following is also for Windows 9x... NT or XP or 2000 may require modifications (which I don't care to understand!). The problem: You double-click on a file that doesn't have a 'registered type' and that pesky "What program should I use?" dialog pops up. Even worse, depending on the installation, the GVim icon may not be listed, and one has to browse to the executable... and then the type becomes forever bonded to being editted with GVim (if that box is checked). The standard Vim 6.1 installation does include a "right click to edit" menu item for all files, but a double-click is so much faster! The solution: What if unregistered types would just automatically open up in GVim? Well, they can.. with a little registry trickery. How to Install it: Step 1. Create a text file called "vimalways.reg" and paste the below text into it. Step 2. Important NOTE: You will have to edit the pathname to correspond to the pathname of your GVim.exe. The text below works fine for a GVim 6.1 default installation. Step 3: Save the file. Step 4: Right-click on the file and select "install". Then you are done! ------ vimalways.reg ------- cut here ------snip---snip--- REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell] [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell\Open with &GVim] @="Open with &GVim" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\*\shell\Open with &GVim\command] @="\"C:\\vim\\vim61\\gvim.exe\" \"%1\"" ----end of file---- cut here----- snip---snip---- Note 1. This can't be de-installed automatically, and if you want to remove it, you'll have to edit the registry by hand (annoying, but easy). Note 2. Keep this file around, so when you upgrade your GVim, all you have to do is modify the pathname (to say, for example, vim62) and then install it again. Ok, thanks for playing! And thanks to the author(s) of Vim and GVim. If it weren't for them, I'd still be using elvis or stevie!
Integration with PyUnit testing framework
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=280
Vim has a wonderful ability to integrate with external tools, like compilers, make, ctags etc. That's one of the reasons we love it. PyUnit can be seen as a "compiler" for the Python test code. To understand it, Vim should be told about the language the PyUnit speaks. This could be done with 'errorformat' option: setlocal efm=%C\ %.%#,%A\ \ File\ \"%f\"\\,\ line\ %l%.%#,%Z%[%^\ ]%\\@=%m This magic spell enables Vim to parse unittest.TextRunner's output and to enter quick-fix mode. To run all your unit tests at once you'll need to setup 'makeprg' option and provide a runner. I'm using this setup: setlocal makeprg=./alltests.py And contents of the alltests.py (for the sake of completeness): #!/usr/bin/env python2 import unittest import sys sys.path.append('unittests') modules_to_test = ( 'fooTest', 'barTest', 'bazTest', ) def suite(): alltests = unittest.TestSuite() for module in map(__import__, modules_to_test): alltests.addTest(unittest.findTestCases(module)) return alltests if __name__ == '__main__': unittest.main(defaultTest='suite') ============== end of the alltests.py file ======================== While talking about it, I'd also suggest to add a couple of mappings. In the end, my vim/files/ftplugin/python.vim looks like this: setlocal makeprg=./alltests.py\ -q setlocal efm=%C\ %.%#,%A\ \ File\ \"%f\"\\,\ line\ %l%.%#,%Z%[%^\ ]%\\@=%m iabbr <buffer> sae self.assertEquals iabbr <buffer> sar self.assertRaises For details see :help quick-fix, :help 'efm' and :help 'makeprg'. See also: http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?PythonUnit
Many thanks to Stefan Roemer who patiently spent quite some time to build 'efm' for me.
Stateful zz
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=281
Do you find yourself hitting 'zz' all the time in order to see some context of what you're currently working on? If so, then this tip might be for you. If you add the following line in your vimrc, you can toggle zz mode by pressing <Leader>zz. " maintain a constant zz state, second call will toggle it back off map <Leader>zz :let &scrolloff=999-&scrolloff<CR>
Folding with Regular Expression
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=282
Well, I've tried to understand some of the folding scripts, but life's too short. Instead, I added the following lines to my vimrc file. set foldexpr=(getline(v:lnum)=~@/)?0:(getline(v:lnum-1)=~@/)\|\|(getline(v:lnum+1)=~@/)?1:2 map \z :set foldmethod=expr foldlevel=0 foldcolumn=2<CR> The first line is an extension of foldexpr=(getline(v:lnum)=~@/)?0:1 The second line (re)sets the foldmethod to expr(ession) plus. First search for /regexp/, then fold everything else with \z Use zr to reveal more context (before/after) lines. You could add (getline(v:lnum-2)=~@/)\|\|(getline(v:lnum+2)=~@/)?2:3 but it will take longer as folded lines (the majority) evaluate the full expression. What could be easier?
Turn on syntax coloring in Mac OS X
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=283
This tip is actually for vim 6.1. To turn on syntax coloring in Mac OS X enter the following commands, or place them in your $HOME/.vimrc file. :set term=builtin_beos-ansi :syntax on
Mapping to print syntax highlighted buffer in B&W
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=284
I use this mapping to print syntax highlighted C++ code in B&W This tip needs vimscript #233 print_bw. The mapping is as follows map <C-p> :color print_bw<CR>:hardcopy<CR>:color sean<CR>:syn on<CR> Change ":color sean" to whatever is your chosen color scheme. Need to change line 7 of print_bw from "syntax reset" to "syntax off" <C-p> on a syntax highlighted buffer turns off syntax highlighting , sets the colors to B&W, prints the buffer, resets the color scheme and turns on syntax highlighting again.
Don't use the escape key!
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=285
Vim (any vi really) is a dream for touch typists... Until you want to switch from insert mode to normal mode. Then you've got to reach way up to whack the escape key. Or at least that's what I was doing until I realized that (drum roll please) Esc is exactly equivalent to control-[ (that's the control key plus the left square bracket key) That little bit of knowledge, plus mapping my caps lock to another control key, was what turned my fascination with Vim into true love. You never have to lose track of the home row again! For Xfree86 users - you can make the capslock key another control key by adding Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:nocaps" to the InputDevice section of your XF86Config file. For Windows NT/2000 users - use the following .reg file to do the same thing: REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout] "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,1d,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00
Recover after doing something... ugly.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=286
I was once editing a file and wanted to test something. The test was meant to add a line at the end of the file, from outside vim. All was fine, but instead of >>, I wrote >. You can imagine what happened... :) If you happen to do something like that, the solution is: :recover
Cool trick to change numbers
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=287
In the gvim if you want to decrement any number just put ur curcor on that number in Esc mode and pres <CTRL> X
A keymapping to generate Java setters and getters automatically
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=288
This mapping makes it much simpler to write new java classes by simplifying some of the dull repetative coding (ie setters and getters). To use, first write a basic class with the following format: public class MyClass { private <type> <varname> = <initvalue>; private <type> <varname> = initvalue>; // getters // setters } Note the getters/setters comment -- they are important as they are used to place the getters and setters. The mapping is: map jgs mawv/ <Enter>"ty/ <Enter>wvwh"ny/getters<Enter>$a<Enter><Enter>public <Esc>"tpa<Esc>"npbiget<Esc>l~ea()<Enter>{<Enter><Tab>return <Esc>"npa;<Enter>}<Esc>=<Enter><Esc>/setters<Enter>$a<Enter><Enter>public void <Esc>"npbiset<Esc>l~ea(<Esc>"tpa <Esc>"npa)<Enter>{<Enter><Tab>this.<Esc>"npa=<Esc>"npa;<Enter>}<Esc>=<Enter>`ak (the above should be one long line with no spaces between the end of the lines above). To use this to generate a class go to the variable that should have a setter/getter and place the curser at the beginning of the 'private': private <type> <variable> = <initvalue>' ^ Then type: jgs this will create the first getter/setter and then move up to the next variable. You can just keep typing jgs until all the getters/setters have been generated. This should mapping isn't perfect and someone could probably make it a little cleaner. It could also relatively easily be adapted to C++. Please feel free to send me any feedback/enhancements as I am trying to compile a list of these.
Alternative <escape> that allows you to do a "quick and dirty insert" and get out into normal mode
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=289
This is an alternative key combo for the escape key from the one mentioned by David A. Rogers in vimtip #285. I do a lot of editting in Vim, and I've always found myself in situations where I had to "do a quick insert" - basically (from normal mode), change into insert mode, type in one quick word, then <esc> out, then navigate elsewhere. As has been rightly observed by a lot of people, the <esc> key can sometimes be a little bit out of the way. But that's no problem for ViM, is it? At first, I thought of editting the ViM source code itself, in order to come up with a command that could do things like say "let me jump into insert mode, type a few quick words, then escape out into normal mode when i press something like double <space>". It was only later when reading through the section in Jesse Goerz's "Beginner's Guide to ViM" on remapping (http://newbiedoc.sourceforge.net/tutorials/vim/mapping-vim.html) that I got inspired to retake a look at using remapping as an alternative instead.
This is what I came up with.. Use whatever is comfortable for you - single or double <Shift-space> :map! <S-space> <esc> :map! <S-space><S-space> <esc> With this quick combo ("Shift", + <space>), one can easily (and might I add, intuitively) "do a quick insert" and exit quickly out into normal mode. I guess I always thought the <space> would be a good way to do this sort of thing, since it is after all, so intuitive in the typing process. So why not make it such that it can "escape" you out into normal mode as well? Just type 'i', to go into insert mode, type in your stuff, and once you're done, hit Shift-space!
Text Processing With Integrated Spell Checking
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=290
I have written an HTML document to help others use Vim as a basic text processing application. It discusses how to integrate spell checking, dictionary, and thesaurus applications. It also talks about wrapping lines, indentation, justification, and the vim settings that effect the behavior of these operations. The document can be found at: http://www.highley-recommended.com/text-processing.html
Everything has been tested with UNIX, Linux, Windows, and Windows with Cygwin patforms.
^P & auto filling of variables and text
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=291
Do you know you can auto fill the variable and names as you type your code ? This will help most of the programmers, who always try hard to remember the variable names and browse through all the files to find out the variable name. Use Ctrl+P and Ctrl+N to autofill the variables names etc. Just practice, you will feel the ease of using vim
vim + cscope + cygwin
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=292
I've found that vim + cscope + cygwin does not work. The problem seems to be that in sprintf(cmd, "exec %s -dl -f %s", prog, csinfo[i].fname); vim execs cscope with the "-dl" options, causing it to fail. It is probably a cscope bug, but a simple workaround is top build vim without thad "d": sprintf(cmd, "exec %s -l -f %s", prog, csinfo[i].fname); seems to work for me!
remember where you had ended reading help
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=293
You could jump to the last place you had been while reading Vim help files if you add this to your .vimrc file: au BufLeave * if &ft == "help" | mark H | endif Then use 'H to go to the mark H. To work between Vim runs 'viminfo' option should be setup to save file marks. See :help 'viminfo' and :help file-marks for more information.
Use Ctrl-S to save current or new files.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=294
I wanted to have a single key stroke that would save existing files, or call the file browser. Here's a key map for Ctrl-S to accomplish that (place in vimrc file): if has("gui_running") " If the current buffer has never been saved, it will have no name, " call the file browser to save it, otherwise just save it. :map <silent> <C-S> :if expand("%") == ""<CR>:browse confirm w<CR>:else<CR>:confirm w<CR>:endif<CR> endif Tom Kimpton
Line/word/file/whatever completion
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=295
In addition to vimtip #291 you can use whole <C-x> completion mode. It can complete whole lines (<C-x>l, then <C-p>, <C-n>), filenames (<C-f>), keywords, words from custom dictionary and many, many others. During coding it usually saves a LOT of key strokes ;) This mode has many other powerful features, for example when completing word (by <C-x><C-p> or just by <C-p>) you can continue completion with another <C-x><C-p>. For example, after writing such text: this is first line second line is here Placing cursor at third line and pressing <C-x>l will double last line - <C-n>, <C-p> in this moment can be used to manipulate completed line. Or, instead of completing whole line you can press 'f' and then complete by <C-p> which will result in 'first' word. After that you can <C-x><C-p> to get 'line' word (since this is next word after 'first'). Try yourself for other powerful combinations.
Attach the currently open file to email
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=296
This is very simple, but most people don't seem to take advantage of this. Often you have some file (source code or other text file) already open in an existing vim session and you need to attach it with an email. It is very simple. - First copy the filename into clipboard. For this I put the following mapping in vimrc and press <F2>: nnoremap <F2> :let @*=expand("%:p")<cr> - Go to your email compose window and use your regular file attachment menu (Insert->File in outlook) and press ^V (or whatever key to paste clipboard) and press Enter. That is all there to it. If you are on windows and your email client doesn't accept forward-slashes, then you might want to change the map to: nnoremap <F2> :let @*=substitute(expand("%:p"), "/", "\\", "g")<cr> HTH, Hari
Start in insert mode without loosing your escape key
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=297
There are two parts to this, each is fairly simple. First, I want to start in insert mode. Well "set im!" in my vimrc did the job, but I lost the escape key. Second, I have found that often times, when I'm in command mode, I hit escape trying to get back into insert mode. I am always rewarded with a beep, telling me once again I made that mistake. So I mapped esc in command mode to set insert mode (":set im") and I mapped esc in insert mode to unset insert mode (<c-o>:set im) Well then I realized if you hit "i" in command mode, escape woulding work the first time. So here's the code to add to your vimrc: set im! " start in insert mode map <esc> :set im!<cr> " escape in command mode goes to insert mode map i :set im!<cr> " i in command mode goes to insert mode map! <esc> <c-o>:set im!<cr> " escape in insert mode goes to command mode see :help insert
Changing case with regular expressions
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=298
I stumbled across this factoid on a website about vi. I haven't been able to locate it in the Vim documentation, but it works in Vim, and it's very handy. There are times that you might like to go through a file and change the case of characters that match some arbitrary criteria. If you understand regular expressions well, you can actually do this fairly easily. It's as simple as placing \U or \L in front of any backreferences in your regular expressions. Vim will make the text in the backreference uppercase or lowercase (respectively). (A "backreference" is a part of a regular expression that refers to a previous part of a regular expression. The most common backrefernces are &, \1, \2, \3, ... , \9). Some examples that demonstrate the power of this technique: Lowercase the entire file - :%s/.*/\L&/g (& is a handy backreference that refers to the complete text of the match.) Uppercase all words that are preceded by a < (i.e. opening HTML tag names): :%s/<\(\w*\)/<\U\1/g Please add a note if you know where this is in the documentation. I have done Ctrl-D searches on upper, lower, \U, and \L with no luck.
Open file under cursor.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=299
A little thing that I did and found quite useful: function! OpenFileUnderCursor() let FileName = expand("<cfile>") let OldPath = getcwd() silent cd %:p:h execute "silent sp +e " . FileName execute "silent cd " . OldPath endfunction map! silent <M-e> :call OpenFileUnderCursor()<CR> Then use Alt+E on a filename to open it (relative to the directory the current file resides in).
Making a tags file for IDL (Interactive Data Language)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=300
I have recently began using the tags features of vim (:help tags) with my fortran codes and come to appreciate their power. I also do a lot of coding in IDL (Interactive Data Language), but found that ctags did not have native support for IDL. If you take the time you can learn how to get ctags to support IDL, but I found, after a search of usenet, that someone else has already done this and written a perl script called idltags. It is part of an emacs package (is anyone still reading?) that you need to download, called idlwave, which is located at: http://idlwave.org/
and currently (I don't know if this will change) the direct download link is http://idlwave.org/download/idlwave.tar.gz
In the usenet pages the maintainer, JD Smith, was suggesting that idlwave had outgrown idltags and was not sure it was still needed, so I don't know how long it will be available.
Edit files in path, or related.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=301
You can write a little shell function that will let you easily edit any file that is in the path, or which's location can be retrieved with the whereis tool. This is something similar to what I have in /etc/profile: function vvim() { vim `whereis $1|cut -d: -f2` } function ggvim() { gvim `whereis $1|cut -d: -f2` } Then just type, for example, "vvim ls", and you'll start vim with /bin/ls and /usr/share/man/ls.1.gz loaded :) (it's not very useful to edit /bin/ls, but you get the ideea ;)
Use gvim in kmail
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=302
To automatically open gvim to edit in kmail, "-f" command line option must be used . In kmail configuration go to the composer settings , and write in the "use external editor" field the following command : "gvim -f %f" Without -f option gvim would work in background and editing would not have any effect on kmail.
Statusline Tab Level Function Ruler TVIM
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=303
I use this function to let me know if my cursor is on a TAB column. The t* on the ruler means I am not. But t3 means the cursor is on tablevel 3 ~vimrc ----------------------- My Ruler ------------------------ r4,c13,t3 ~vimrc ----------------------- My Ruler ------------------------ r4,c14,t* If you want to change a tab level you can drag or push the first character of a line to a desired tab level. (more on that later) This ruler replacement will let you know where you are, whether you like to use space tabs (see vimtip #12 ) or regular tabs. My function is set to four space tabs stops and only goes 9 levels but can be easily modified. Actually I just wanted to learn how to use a function in my _vimrc and this was my first attempt. Add this to your _vimrc "--------------------cut------------------ set laststatus=2 "This makes sure the ruler shows. See help laststatus set statusline=%f\ ---------\ My\ Ruler\ ----------\ r%l,c%c,t%{ShowTab()} "See help statusline (I toggle between 12 helpful rulers -- more on that later) fu ShowTab() let TabLev='*' let Col=(col(".")) if Col == 1 | let TabLev='0' | en if Col == 5 | let TabLev='1' | en if Col == 9 | let TabLev='2' | en if Col ==13 | let TabLev='3' | en if Col ==17 | let TabLev='4' | en if Col ==21 | let TabLev='5' | en if Col ==25 | let TabLev='6' | en if Col ==29 | let TabLev='7' | en if Col ==33 | let TabLev='8' | en if Col ==37 | let TabLev='9' | en return TabLev endf "The ruler (statusline) shows a t* unless you are on col 1,5,9,13,... "-------------------cut------------------- This function ShowTab() gets called and updates the ruler with every cursor move but it does not slow things down as I type. Perhaps a speed typist may complain :-) In case I write something else you may search on the key word TVIM Best Wishes TVIM Tamed Vim paradocs@frontiernet.net
fold braces and javadoc
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=304
If you'd like to have javadoc folded together with areas in braces try that <pre> set foldmethod=syntax set foldenable syn region foldBraces start=/{/ end=/}/ transparent fold syn region foldJavadoc start=,/\*\*, end=,\*/, transparent fold keepend </pre> and play a bit with: <pre> set foldlevel=0 set foldnestmax=10 </pre> parameters
Best of VIM Tips (VIM's best Features)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=305
Here's a necessarily cryptic list of "MY" Best Vim Tips that I've gleaned from http://vim.sf.net/ & comp.editors
http://groups.google.com/groups?safe=off&group=comp.editors
updated version at http://www.rayninfo.co.uk/vimtips.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Absolutely essential ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ vim.sf.net : Visit frequently comp.editors : "VIM" dominated newsgroup * # g* g# : find word under cursor (forwards/backwards) % : match brackets {}[]() matchit.vim : % now matches tags <tr><td><script> etc <C-N> <C-P> : word completion in insert mode <C-X><C-L> : Line complete SUPER USEFUL /<C-R><C-W> : Pull <cword> onto search/command line :set ignorecase # you nearly always want this :syntax on : colour syntax in Perl,HTML,PHP etc :h slash<C-D> : type control-D and get a list all help topics containing slash (plus use TAB for Help completion) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # MAKE IT EASY TO UPDATE/RELOAD_vimrc :nmap ,s :source $VIM/_vimrc :nmap ,v :e $VIM/_vimrc ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ #VISUAL MODE Mappings :vmap sb "zdi<b><C-R>z</b><ESC> : wrap <b></b> around VISUALLY selected Text :vmap st "zdi<?= <C-R>z ?><ESC> : wrap <?= ?> around VISUALLY selected Text ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Exploring :Ex : file explorer note capital Ex \be : builtin buffer explorer :ls : list of buffers(eg following) :cd .. : move to parent directory ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Great guu : lowercase line gUU : uppercase line gf : open file name under cursor (SUPER) ga : display hex,ascii value of character under cursor ggVGg? : rot13 whole file CTRL-A,CTRL-X : increment,decerement number under cursor win32 users must remap CNTRL-A CTRL-R=5*5 : insert 25 into text ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Makes all other tips superfluous :h 42 :h holy-grail :help! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Markers & moving about '. : jump to last modification line (SUPER) `. : jump to exact spot in last modification line <C-O> : retrace your movements in file (old) <C-I> : retrace your movements in file (new) :ju(mps) :help jump-motions :history : list of all your commands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Abbreviations & maps :map <f7> :'a,'bw! c:/aaa/x :map <f8> :r c:/aaa/x :map <f9> :w<CR>:!c:/php/php.exe %<CR> :map <f11> :.w! c:/aaa/xr<CR> :map <f12> :r c:/aaa/xr<CR> :ab php : list of abbreviations beginning php :map , : list of maps beginning , # For use in Maps <CR> : carriage Return for maps <ESC> : Escape <LEADER> : normally \ <BAR> : | pipe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # List your Registers :reg : display contents of all registers "1p.... : retrieve numeric buffers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Useful trick "ayy@a : execute "Vim command" in a text file yy@" : same thing using unnamed register ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Get output from other commands :r!ls.exe : reads in output of ls !!date : same thing :%!sort -u : use an external program to filter content ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Multiple Files Management :wn : write file and move to next (SUPER) :bd : remove file from buffer list (SUPER) :sav php.html : Save current file as php.html and "move" to php.html :sp fred.txt : open fred.txt into a split :e! : return to unmodified file :w c:/aaa/% : save file elsewhere :e # : edit alternative file :e % :rew : rewwind to first file in ARGS :bn : next file :bp : next file :brew ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Recording (BEST TIP of ALL) qq # record to q your commands q @q to execute @@ to Repeat # editing a register/recording "ap <you can now see register contents, edit as required> "add @a ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # _vimrc essentials :set incsearch : jumps to search word as you type (annoying but excellent) :set wildignore=*.o,*.obj,*.bak,*.exe :set shiftwidth=3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # launching Win IE :nmap ,f :update<CR>:silent !start c:\progra~1\intern~1\iexplore.exe file://%:p<CR> :nmap ,i :update<CR>: !start c:\progra~1\intern~1\iexplore.exe <cWORD><CR> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # FTPing from VIM cmap ,r :Nread ftp://209.51.134.122/public_html/index.html
cmap ,w :Nwrite ftp://209.51.134.122/public_html/index.html
gvim ftp://209.51.134.122/public_html/index.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # appending to registers (use CAPITAL) # yank 5 lines into "a" then add a further 5 "a5yy 10j "A5yy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [I : show lines matching word under cursor <cword> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ #Conventional Shifting :'a,'b>> # visual shifting (builtin-repeat) :vnoremap < <gv :vnoremap > >gv ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # searching /^joe.*fred.*bill/ : normal /^[A-J]\+/ : search for lines beginning A-J followed by at leat 1 A-J /forum\(\_.\)*pent search over possible multiple lines /fred\_s*joe/i : any whitespace including newline /fred\|joe : Search for FRED OR JOE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ #substitution :%s/fred/joe/igc : general substitute command :%s/\r//g : Delete DOS returns ^M :'a,'bg/fred/s/dick/joe/gc : VERY USEFUL :s/\(.*\):\(.*\)/\2 : \1/ : reverse fields separated by : :%s/^.\{-}pdf/new.pdf/ non greedy matching (ie to first pdf) :s/fred/<c-r>a/g substitute "fred" with contents of register "a" :%s/^\(.*\)\n\1/\1$/ delete duplicate lines # non-greedy matching \{-} :%s/^.\{-}pdf/new.pdf/ :help /\{-} :s/fred/<c-r>a/g substitute "fred" with contents of register "a" # multiple commands :%s/\f\+\.gif\>/\r&\r/g | v/\.gif$/d | %s/gif/jpg/ :%s/suck\|buck/loopy/gc : ORing :s/__date__/\=strftime("%c")/ : insert datestring ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # global command :g/^\s*$/d :delete all blank lines :g!/^dd/d : delete lines not containing string :v/^dd/d : delete lines not containing string :g/fred/,/joe/d : not line based :v/./.,/./-1join : compress empty lines :'a,'b g/^Error/ . w >> errors.txt :g/cmap\|form/p : ORing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Paste register * :redir @* : redirect commands to paste :redir END "*yy : yank to paste "*p : insert paste buffer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Formatting text gq<CR> gqap (a is motion p paragraph (visual mode)) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Operate command over multiple files :argdo %s/foo/bar/ :bufdo %s/foo/bar/ :windo %s/foo/bar/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ # Command line tricks gvim -h ls | gvim - : edit a PIPE!! # vg.ksh (shell script) # vi all files in directory containing keyword $1 and jump to $1 gvim.exe -c "/$1" $(grep -isl "$1" *) & ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Open a web-browser with the URL in the current line
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=306
function! Browser () let line = getline (".") let line = matchstr (line, "http[^ ]*") exec "!netscape ".line endfunction map <Leader>w :call Browser ()<CR>
annoying "Hit any key to close this window..."
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=307
i use gvim and bash heavily under win98. i have let $HOME = substitute($HOME, '\\', '/', 'g') set shell=bash\ --rcfile\ \"$HOME\"_bashrc\ -i in my _vimrc, and something like function br() { if [ $1 ]; then explorer.exe ${1//\//\\} else explorer.exe ${PWD//\//\\} fi } in my _bashrc. when i finish editing one html file, i simply type :!br % everything works fine now. but when :!br % executes, one console window will bump out and wait me to press some key to contiue. i consider this quiet annoying. i want the console window to disappear automatically if no fault has happened. does anyone know how to achieve this? thanks.
Move through wrapped lines.
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=308
If you don't like the fact that when you press Up and Down on a wrapped line, you get to the next phisical line instead of the next line on the screen, you can do something like this: imap <silent> <Down> <C-o>gj imap <silent> <Up> <C-o>gk nmap <silent> <Down> gj nmap <silent> <Up> gk
close vim you left open remotely
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=309
Vim 6 has this cool client-server protocol. I use it all the time to edit a file in an existing gvim, like so $ gvim --remote [filename] Today I left myself logged in at the console at work, and when I got home I realized I had left vim running with files unsaved. I think I even left it in insert mode. I wanted to edit these files at home. So I ssh'd to the machine and started playing with the --remote commands. :help was a bit cryptic --remote-send {keys} Send {keys} to server and exit. After a lot of failed attempts, I finally succeeded in getting the remote vim to save its buffers and quit. $ DISPLAY=:0 vim --servername GVIM --remote-send '<ESC>:wqa<CR>' A couple of notable things. Then environment variable DISPLAY has to be the display of the remote vim, and you have to be able to open that display. The client-server stuff is done through X. The <CR> is important. This part eluded me for a long time. The {keys} are just like keys you would press if you were editing at the console, and you have to press enter, or vim won't do anything. Check your .swp files to make sure vim really closed the files it was editing. Vim provides little feedback as to the success or failure of what you're trying to do remotely. Nonetheless, it's clearly a useful feature to have available.
showing ascii value of the current character in decimal, hex, and octal
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=310
dont know if you guys know this or not, but i was trying to make the word "hello" to upper case by trying "gaUw" (= which didnt work but it showed the decimal, hex, and octal of the char under the cursor... ncie to know.
Open the folder containing the currently open file
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=311
Occasionally, on windows, I have files open in gvim, that the folder for that file is not open. This key map opens the folder that contains the currently open file. The expand() is so that we don't try to open the folder of an anonymous buffer, we would get an explorer error dialog in that case. if has("gui_running") if has("win32") " Open the folder containing the currently open file. Double <CR> at end " is so you don't have to hit return after command. Double quotes are " not necessary in the 'explorer.exe %:p:h' section. :map <silent> <C-F5> :if expand("%:p:h") != ""<CR>:!start explorer.exe %:p:h<CR>:endif<CR><CR> endif endif Tom.
Copy, Cut, and Paste
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=312
PS: copy, cut, and paste are the words from (usually) gui editor. Ever try to cut (or copy) some lines and paste to another place? If you need to count the lines first, then try these to eliminate counting task. Cut and Paste: 1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the block you want to CUT. 2. Mark it with md 3. Go to the end of the block. 4. Cut it with d'd 5. Go to the new location that you want to PASTE those text. 6. Press P. Copy and Paste: 1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the block you want to COPY. 2. Mark it with my 3. Go to the end of the block. 4. Cut it with y'y 5. Go to the new location that you want to PASTE those text. 6. Press P. The name of the mark used is related to the operation (d:delete or y:yank). I found that those mark names requires minimal movement of my finger. ;)
printing using kprinter (unix + kde)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=313
just add set printexpr=system('kprinter'\ .\ '\ '\ .\ v:fname_in)\ .\ delete(v:fname_in)\ +\ v:shell_error to your ~/.vimrc; further on all your printing will be piped through the nice and consistent print-dialog of kde. lg, tomte
Insert and back...
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=314
this is related to vimtip #289 in terms of programmers (like I) too lazy to move their hands to reach the far far away <esc> key.... joking! :) actually the less your hands move around the faster you type, and the fester you type the more time you have on your hands to think of "what" you type... here is a small snippet from my mappings file, ready to speed things up: // the key overloading might be a somewhat confusing at first.... --cut--- imap <S-Space> <esc>l imap <C-CR> <esc>o imap <S-CR> <esc>O nmap <S-Space> i nmap <space><space> i nnoremap <CR> o nmap <S-CR> O ---uncut--- Good luck!!
"Smart <home>"
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=315
to make it faster to navigate through indented code here is a common way to "go home"... ---cut--- fun! s:SmartHome() if col('.') != match(getline('.'), '\S')+1 norm ^ else :call cursor(line('.'),2) norm h endif endfun inoremap <silent><home> <C-O>:call <SID>SmartHome()<CR> nnoremap <silent><home> :call <SID>SmartHome()<CR> vnoremap <silent><home> :call <SID>SmartHome()<CR> ---uncut--- what this snippet does is make the <home> key behave as it does in such IDEs as PythonWin or MSVisualStudio, and that is first go to the first non whitespace, and then to the first char on the line.
Using /pattern/ search in a script
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=316
There are a number of ways you can search for a pattern in a script. The search function is the typical way to search for a pattern. But, it has limited options. In particular, there are no options to control the position of the cursor after it matches the pattern. Instead you can use :normal command. The secret is to add a <CR> (^M) on the end of the command. For example, to search for "pattern" and move the cursor to the end of the matching pattern issue the command: :normal /pattern/e+1^M where ^M is a real carriage return. It can be entered with <c-v><c-m>. Another use is when you want to enter a bunch of normal commands together. For example, if you were looking to find a '{' to highlight and delete a C block. The '{' may not be on the same line so you can't use the "f" normal command. :normal V/{/^M%d A drawback to using the normal command is that if the pattern does not match then it is difficult to detect. Also, you can get in trouble with the wrapscan setting. For more information about these commands look at :help / :help normal :help search()
Mozilla Vim Keybindings
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=317
If you use VIM you like the h, j, k, and l movement keys. I found myself annoyed at not having these movement keys available when browsing web pages. Moving to the arrow keys on a laptop is annoying to just scroll the page. Locate your mozilla/res/builtin directory (varies by platform). You could search for htmlBindings.xml to find it. (ie. locate htmlBindings.xml. On Mac OS X it's inside the Mozilla application bundle. /Applications/Mozilla/Mozilla.app/Contents/MacOS/res/builtin. Create a new XML file called userHTMLBindings.xml, making it executable for all users and making sure the CRLF format is the same as htmlBindings.xml. i.e. on Mac OS X most files use \r but Vim writes \n instead. You can either save the file with Vim as a Mac formatted file or use tr '\n' '\r' < input.xml > output.xml to convert the file. Place the following XML into the userHTMLBindings.xml file. <?xml version="1.0"?> <bindings id="htmlBindings" xmlns="http://www.mozilla.org/xbl"
xmlns:xul="http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul">
<binding id="browserUser"> <handlers> <handler event="keypress" key="h" command="cmd_scrollLeft"/> <handler event="keypress" key="j" command="cmd_scrollLineDown"/> <handler event="keypress" key="k" command="cmd_scrollLineUp"/> <handler event="keypress" key="l" command="cmd_scrollRight"/> </handlers> </binding> </bindings> There are many more bindings one could configure to get Vim like keybindings. You can read http://www.mozilla.org/unix/customizing.html#keys for more information.
PS. I love the keymaster/gatekeeper xul reference in the xul URL above. It's from the original GhostBusters movie. ;-)
Extended Bracket and Parenthesis + extras for perl
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=318
This is an extension of vimtip #153 I found this tip useful, but the jump seemed out of place for me, I couldn't enter just one ' or ", and so I created an improvement Basically, I set it up so that when you're in perl and have a non keyword charcter, (except for @, $ and % for perl) and you type a { you get: { | <- cursor } Where as, when I have a keyword I get: word{} With the cursor in the middle, for hashes in perl. I can jump out of any block, except the "" or '' blocks, by typing their closing charcter. So } jumps me out past the next } in the file. Warning, this search may wrap around. Finally, I made it so that, using the alt key, <Alt-'> inserts a ' <Alt-/> inserts a " <Alt-[> inserts a [ <Alt-]> inserts a ] <Alt--> inserts a { <Alt-=> inserts a } <Alt-,> inserts a < <Alt-.> inserts a > "######################################## " File - matchMe.vim " Date - Wednesday, August 21, 2002 "######################################## " This code fixes my problem with " does the one format for perl and still keeps hashes function! InsertBrackets() let fileType = &ft if fileType == 'perl' let col = col('.') - 1 if !col || getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '\k' && getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '\$' && getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '@' && getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '%' && getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '#' return "{\<cr>\<bs>}\<esc>ko" else return "{}\<esc>i\<c-o>:echo \<cr>" endif else return "{\<cr>\<bs>}\<esc>ko" endif endfunction " This code jumps out of the brackets function! JumpNext(normChar) let ret = "\<space>\<esc>ma\<left>/\\".a:normChar."\<cr>mb`ai\<del>\<esc>`bi\<right>" return ret endfunction " mappings inoremap " ""<esc>i<c-o>:echo <cr> inoremap ' ''<esc>i<c-o>:echo <cr> inoremap < <><esc>i<c-o>:echo <cr> inoremap ( ()<esc>i<c-o>:echo <cr> inoremap [ []<esc>i<c-o>:echo <cr> inoremap { <c-r>=InsertBrackets ()<cr> inoremap > <c-r>=JumpNext(">")<cr> inoremap ) <c-r>=JumpNext(")")<cr> inoremap ] <c-r>=JumpNext("]")<cr> inoremap } <c-r>=JumpNext("}")<cr> inoremap <m-[> [ inoremap <m-]> ] inoremap <m-/> " inoremap <m--> { inoremap <m-=> } inoremap <m-,> < inoremap <m-.> > inoremap <m-'> ' "######################################## " End Of File "######################################## If you have any other suggestions, drop a note...
text formatting (lining up ='s,('s etc))
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=319
some time onw would like to reformat text like a=1; foo=2; longstring=1; c=2 to a =1; foo =2; longstring =1; c =2; Note I am not sure wether the code above is displayed properly in your browsers what is basically shows is all the ='s are lined up in a single column and this is how we achive it 0f=20i<space><esc>020lvf=hx and this is what it does 0 goes to first column f= finds next occurance of = on current line 20i<space><esc> inserts 20 spaces before = 0 goesback to first column 20l forward 20 column vf=hx deletes everything up to the = sign
Borland pageup/down behavier
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=320
borlandbehavier = the cursor keeps the same xy position during pageup/down Im new to VIM scripting, im sure it can be done smarter? I read vimtip #105 and it gave me a clue of how BorlandPageUp/Down could be done. " i could'nt find any get_number_of_visible_lines function, so i made my own. function GetNumberOfVisibleLines() let cur_line = line(".") let cur_col = virtcol(".") normal H let top_line = line(".") normal L let bot_line = line(".") execute "normal " . cur_line . "G" execute "normal " . cur_col . "|" return bot_line - top_line endfunc " noremap <PageUp> 39<C-U>:set scroll=0<CR> function! MyPageUp() let visible_lines = GetNumberOfVisibleLines() execute "normal " . visible_lines . "\<C-U>:set scroll=0\r" endfunction " noremap <PageDown> 39<C-D>:set scroll=0<CR> function! MyPageDown() let visible_lines = GetNumberOfVisibleLines() execute "normal " . visible_lines . "\<C-D>:set scroll=0\r" endfunction " BorlandPascal pageup/down behavier! " todo: when hitting top/bottom of file, then restore Y to lastY noremap <PageUp> :call MyPageUp()<CR> noremap <PageDown> :call MyPageDown()<CR>
Centura swap with upper/lower line behavier
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=321
I was once forced to use a windows development suite called "Centura". The only good thing i remember was its swap current_line with upper/lower line. function! MySwapUp() let cur_col = virtcol(".") normal ddkkp execute "normal " . cur_col . "|" endfunction function! MySwapDown() let cur_col = virtcol(".") normal ddp execute "normal " . cur_col . "|" endfunction " swap lines and preserve cursorx " todo: in visual mode, perform swap with line before/after the selection noremap <S-Up> :call MySwapUp()<CR> noremap <S-Down> :call MySwapDown()<CR>
text template with placeholders
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=322
Many scripts/ftplugin provide text or code templates. Sadly none of the marks the places where you are supposed to "fill in the form". My own code templates for C/C++ insert a triple percent (%%%) where you are supposed to enter something. I mapped ;; to find the next %%% and change them. All the template mappings are insert-mode only, while the "skip to next placeholder" is both insert and normal mode enabled. A complete for-loop template for C++ looks like: :imap <buffer> ;fo <C-O>mzfor( %%%; %%%; %%%)<CR>{ // %%%<CR>%%%<CR>}<CR><C-O>'z;; The command to go to the next placeholder is this: :imap <buffer> ;; <C-O>/%%%<CR><C-O>c3l :nmap <buffer> ;; /%%%<CR>c3l Every time I need a for-loop ;fo produces this ( _ is the cursor position) : for( _; %%% ; %%%) { // %%% %%% } Now I enter starting value (i=0): for( i=0_; %%% ; %%%) { // %%% %%% } and go to the condition using ;; for( i=0; _ ; %%%) { // %%% %%% } and so forth. The choice of %%% proved to be almost universal, it even works in MATLAB or LaTeX where % is the comment character. Even if you forget to replace one %%%, that's not a problem as the compiler flags is as a syntax error (except MATLAB and LaTeX, of course). It made my life easier, maybe it works for you.
using folders with latex
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=323
set foldmarker=\\begin,\\end set foldmethod=marker this is useful with big latex document
Search and replace in files named NAME
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=324
I'm not sure if there is a simple way to do this from within Vim, but, I wrote this simple script that does it. It basically searches for files named NAMED (whatever name pass) for a given string and replaces that with a given string: find_replace.sh NAMED "string_to_find" "string_to_replace" This is all done from the command line without opening Vim. Of course one could do things like: :let n = 1 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist : exe "argument " . n : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the : " first search to find match at start of file : normal G$ : let flags = "w" : while search("foo", flags) > 0 : s/foo/bar/g : let flags = "W" : endwhile : update " write the file if modified : let n = n + 1 :endwhile As suggested in the Vim help files :-) but, I wanted to go and find only these files... here is the script: 1 #!/bin/sh 2 # Luis Mondesi < lemsx1@hotmail.com > 3 # DESCRIPTION: 4 # it uses vim to replace a given string for 5 # another in a number of files 6 # 7 # usage: 8 # find_replace.sh file "string" "replace" 9 # 10 if [ $1 -a $2 -a $3 ]; then 11 for i in `find . -name "$1" -type f | xargs grep -l $2`; do 12 # how do search and replace 13 # the screen might flicker... vim opening and closing... 14 vim -c ":%s/$2/$3/g" -c ":wq" $i 15 done 16 exit 0 17 fi 18 # I should never reach here 19 echo -e "USAGE: find_replace.sh file 'string' 'replace' \n\n" 20 exit 1
Errorformat for java/ant/junit/cygwin/bash
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=325
If you program in Java and use Jakarta ant for builds *and* if you have the bash shell, this tip will make your development experience a little smoother. This tip will result in a working compile/edit/debug system (in Win32 vim/gvim and in Cygwin vim) that takes you to the exact lines where the build fails, whether the failure is a compilation error or a junit test failure. If you use bash on a linux box, you shouldn't have to change very much to get everything to work. There are 6 sections: 1. set up your build script 2. set up makeprg 3. set up shell options 4. set up path formatting options 5. set up your errorformat 6. set up key mappings Set up build script ------------------- Add the following script to your path (I use /usr/local/bin/): mymake: #!/bin/bash cd /work/ ant -emacs $* 2>&1 | tr '\\' / | tr ^M ' ' | sed -u -n -f /usr/local/bin/testerrors.sed | tee /tmp/errors Comment: sed -u is non-standard, use the code at: http://mail.gnu.org/pipermail/bug-gnu-utils/2002-May/000192.html to get
the -u option for sed (this avoids waiting for the build output to get to the screen) testerrors.sed: # This assumes that all your junit test cases are in a com.* package /^Running com\./ { # duplicate the line s!\(.*\)!\1\ \1! P # turn the test package into a directory path for %D errorformat s!.*\(com\..*\)\.[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*!\1! s!\.!/!g s!.*!Entering: /work/src/&! # print the line and go on p n } # just pass any unmatched lines through p Set up makeprg -------------- Add the following lines to your vimrc: autocmd BufNewFile,BufRead /work/*.java set makeprg=mymake autocmd BufNewFile,BufRead ?:/work/*.java set makeprg=mymake Set up shell options -------------------- Add the following lines to your vimrc: " in order to have bash as the shell for win32 vi.exe and gvim.exe, you have " to set these options, and also build vimrun.exe in the cygwin environment " so that the system() call is executed via bash, not cmd.exe -- the command " to build vimrun.exe is "make -f Make_cyg.mak vimrun.exe" set shell=bash.exe set shellcmdflag=-c set shellslash Also to use this environment in Win32 gvim, you must recompile vimrun so that gvim invokes the shell via bash, not via cmd.exe. Set up path formatting options ------------------------------ Add the following lines to your vimrc: " allows DOS file names from UNIX (Cygwin) vim set isfname+=\ Set up your errorformat ----------------------- Add the following lines to your vimrc: " the "\%DEntering:\ %f," rule relies on a sed script which generates " "Entering: " messages for each test class run (the directory name is " generated from the test class package and a hard-coded src root) " the "%\\C" at the start of the exception matching line tells to match " case-exact (the exception mathching lines rely on the %D rule that sets " up the correct directory from the package structure) " ant/junit/javac errorformat set errorformat= \%-G%.%#build.xml:%.%#, \%-G%.%#warning:\ %.%#, \%-G%\\C%.%#EXPECTED%.%#, \%f:%l:\ %#%m, \C:%f:%l:\ %m, \%DEntering:\ %f\ %\\=, \%ECaused\ by:%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%ERoot\ cause:%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%Ecom.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%Eorg.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%Ejava.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%Ejunit.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%-Z%\\C\ at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.test%[A-Z]%.%#(%f:%l)\ %\\=, \%-Z%\\C\ at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.setUp(%f:%l)\ %\\=, \%-Z%\\C\ at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.tearDown(%f:%l)\ %\\=, \%-Z%^\ %#%$, \%-C%.%#, \%-G%.%# NOTE: Make sure that the character before "at" is an actual Tab character in the three long -Z lines above Here is an annotated version: set errorformat= " don't treat the build.xml diagnostic as an error \%-G%.%#build.xml:%.%#, " don't treat warning lines as errors \%-G%.%#warning:\ %.%#, " don't treat lines containing "EXPECTED" as errors \%-G%\\C%.%#EXPECTED%.%#, " look for this standard error format \%f:%l:\ %#%m, " look for this standard error format (with C: on front) \C:%f:%l:\ %m, " look for special sed-generated "Entering" lines while running tests \%DEntering:\ %f\ %\\=, " look for exceptions that were thrown in the tests, use the exception " description as the error message (don't know how to also include the " exception name in the error message) \%ECaused\ by:%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%ERoot\ cause:%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%Ecom.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%Eorg.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%Ejava.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, \%Ejunit.%[%^:]%#:%\\=\ %\\=%m, " using the "Entering" directory and the filename/line number provided " in the exception trace, go to the test method where the exception " was thrown \%-Z%\\C\ at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.test%[A-Z]%.%#(%f:%l)\ %\\=, \%-Z%\\C\ at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.setUp(%f:%l)\ %\\=, \%-Z%\\C\ at\ com.mypkg.%.%#.tearDown(%f:%l)\ %\\=, " empty lines terminate searching for further exception lines \%-Z%^\ %#%$, " any line can intervene between the start of an exception printout " and the line where it ends (last in list so that it is matched if " none of the other exception trace patterns match) \%-C%.%#, " all other lines are not errors \%-G%.%# Set up key mappings ------------------- Add the following lines to your vimrc: nmap <F10> :clist<CR> nmap <F11> :cprev<CR> nmap <F12> :cnext<CR> This allows for quick error navigation. NOTES ----- Vim treats the "Entering: /work/src/..." messages in a weird way. If there are any actual errors, then these error lines are ignored by the :cnext and :cprev commands, but if there are no real errors, then :cnext and :cprev roll through these "Entering:" messages as if they were errors, but since they don't include any line numbers, the cursor position is never moved. I thought that this was strange, but even stranger, it is programmed directly into the vim error handling code to function exactly this way. There were no comments, and nobody responded on the vim mailing list, so I just decided to live with it. The upshot of it all is that if you see an error like "Entering:", chances are that your build succeeded and all the tests ran without a problem. Hope this helps... Mail me with bugs at jdsumsion at earthlink.net.
Help for VIM Help (VIM QuickRef)
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=326
Type :help quickref or :h quic And get a VIM Command Quick Reference Page brilliant for beginners & oldtimers alike type :h help to learn how to use help Other Help Tips # help for help :h visual<C-D><tab> : obtain list of all visual help topics : Then use tab to step thru them :h ctrl<C-D> : list help of all control keys :h :r : help for :ex command :h CTRL-R : normal mode :h \r : what's \r in a regexp :h i_CTRL-R : help for say <C-R> in insert mode :h c_CTRL-R : help for say <C-R> in command mode :h v_CTRL-V : visual mode :h tutor : VIM Tutor These are also listed in my Best Of VIM Tips vimtip #305
key mappings
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=327
I use my left thumb for the alt key and right for the space. Using this combo, you can get some useful key maps for which you don't have to move your hands. I find I have to turn my hand a little to press the left ctrl key. These are some maps i use for C programming. map ' ` map <C-f> :w<C-m>:!make<C-m> map <M-]> <C-]> Tags map <M-[> <C-t> Tags map <M-u> :!ctags -R *<C-m> Build Tags map <M-c> I/*<Esc>A*/<Esc> Comment current line map <M-d> ^xx$xx Delete comment for a single line map <M-l> [{zf% Fold upto the enclosing brace level map <M-o> zo open fold map <M-i> zc close fold map <M-.> :cn<C-m> Go to next error in list map <M-,> :cp<C-m> previous error in list imap <Tab> <C-p> Complete word inoremap <S-Tab> <Tab> Tab inoremap { <CR>{<CR> Brace and line inoremap } <CR>} brace and line. saves one enter stroke imap <M-j> <Esc> Escape. Don't want to move my hand to esc key. imap <M-k> <C-y> Copy line from above. imap <M-q> /* */<Esc>hhi Comment selected lines noremap <M-r> ddko{<C-m>}<Esc>kpko Convert a simple statement to a compound statement. And place cursor above prev line. noremap <M-k> ddko{<C-m>}<Esc>kpo Same as above but place cursor below old line. vnoremap <M-j> <Esc> vnoremap <M-c> di/*<C-m>/<C-m><Esc>kkp Commented selected text nmap <M-n> :noh<CR> No hilight Bye, Nithin.
Vim in Microsoft Visual Foxpro
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=328
You can tell MS VFP to use an external editor for editing project files. To tell MS VFP to use Vim: start regedit locate [HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \VisualFoxPro \5.0 \Options] and create a new item TEDIT with string content "/N C:\Progra~1\vim\vim61\gvim.exe" (or whatever your path to Vim happens to be.) This will not replace the internal VFP editor for such things as modifying the "click method" for a button (unfortunately), but when you modify a program, VFP will fire up gvim. Start MS VFP, start Help and look for TEDIT. ;-)
A map for swapping words
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=329
Put the following map into your <.vimrc>: nmap <silent> gw "_yiw:s/\(\%#\w\+\)\(\W\+\)\(\w\+\)/\3\2\1/<cr><c-o><c-l> Then when you put the cursor on or in a word, press "gw", and the word will be swapped with the next word. The words may even be separated by punctuation (such as "abc = def"). While we're talking swapping, here's a map for swapping characters: nmap <silent> gc xph This hint was formed in a collaboration between Chip Campbell - Arun Easi - Benji Fisher
how to stop auto indenting
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=330
Since VIM 6.0 the indent has been improved so much. But sometimes when we are pasting formated text (source code or HTML etc) into a buffer, VIM indents again so that lines will be padded with too much spaces. Setting nocindent, noautoindent, nosmartindent still cannot stop this. All you need to do is "set paste", then paste your stuff, and then "set nopaste" again. Ref: indentexpr
modline magic...
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=331
One of the things about vim that are both quite simple yet very useful is that you can store by-file settings... that is each file can contain settings specific to it. this thing is called a modline (:help modline). though this is limited to only the 'set' command arguments, you can do allot of local to file things like the indent type, folding method and so on. the syntax is as follows: // vim:set ts=4 sw=4 nowrap: or /* vim:noai:ts=2:sw=4: */ The modlines can be contained in comments so as to not interfere with the file syntax (shown here for C/C++). these lines are read by vim when it loads the file, and they can either be in the first or last 5 lines (by default). refer to ':help modline' //and a happy 20th birthday to the good old smiley!! :-)
make footnotes in vim
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=332
I found at http://groups.google.com/groups?q=vim+changing+shell+to+zsh&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=S_Rh9.716%24a5.124150%40news.uchicago.edu&rnum=4
a macro to insert footnotes in vim, but it doesn't work as of vim6.0. so i wrote my own; this macro requires two differents shortcuts, one for entering the first footnote, the other one for all subsequent footnotes. when you hit "K0" (first footnote) or "KK" (all other footnotes) in normal mode, your cursor is positionned at the end of the document, in the footnote & in insert mode. The "a" bookmark is set to the place where you entered the footnote in the text. so a "`a" will bring you back to the location of the footnote in the text. " for now requires entering K0 for the first footnote and then KK nmap K0 i[0]<esc>maG$i<end><enter>[0] nmap KK maG$?\[[0-9]*\]<enter>yt]G$i<end><enter><esc>p<C-a>i<end>]<esc>`aP<C-a><right>i]<esc>maG$i<end><end>
Syntax-based folding for c/c++/java
 http://vim.sf.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=333
Here's a function to toggle the use of syntax-based folding for a c/c++/java file. It also handles folding markers. function! OutlineToggle() if (! exists ("b:outline_mode")) let b:outline_mode = 0 endif if (b:outline_mode == 0) syn region myFold start="{" end="}" transparent fold syn sync fromstart set foldmethod=syntax silent! exec "%s/{{{/<<</" silent! exec "%s/}}}/>>>/" let b:outline_mode = 1 else set foldmethod=marker silent! exec "%s/<<</{{{/" silent! exec "%s/>>>/}}}/" let b:outline_mode = 0 endif endfunction