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- *usr_01.txt* For Vim version 6.0. Last change: 2001 Sep 03
-
- VIM USER MANUAL - by Bram Moolenaar
-
- About the manuals
-
-
- This chapter introduces the manuals available with Vim. Read this to know the
- conditions under which the commands are explained.
-
- |01.1| Two manuals
- |01.2| Vim installed
- |01.3| Using the Vim tutor
- |01.4| Copyright
-
- Next chapter: |usr_02.txt| The first steps in Vim
- Table of contents: |usr_toc.txt|
-
- ==============================================================================
- *01.1* Two manuals
-
- The Vim documentation consists of two parts:
-
- 1. The User manual
- Task oriented explanations, from simple to complex. Reads from start to
- end like a book.
-
- 2. The Reference manual
- Precise description of how everything in Vim works.
-
- The notation used in these manuals is explained here: |notation|
-
-
- JUMPING AROUND
-
- The text contains hyperlinks between the two parts, allowing you to quickly
- jump between the description of an editing task and a precise explanation of
- the commands and options used for it. Use these two commands:
-
- Press CTRL-] to jump to a subject under the cursor.
- Press CTRL-O to jump back (repeat to go further back).
-
- Many links are in vertical bars, like this: |bars|. An option name, like
- 'number', a command in double quotes like ":write" and any other word can also
- be used as a link. Try it out: Move the cursor to CTRL-] and press CTRL-]
- on it.
-
- Other subjects can be found with the ":help" command, see |help.txt|.
-
- ==============================================================================
- *01.2* Vim installed
-
- Most of the manuals assume that Vim has been properly installed. If you
- didn't do that yet, or if Vim doesn't run properly (e.g., files can't be found
- or in the GUI the menus do not show up) first read the chapter on
- installation: |usr_90.txt|.
- *not-compatible*
- The manuals often assume you are using Vim with Vi-compatibility switched
- off. For most commands this doesn't matter, but sometimes it is important,
- e.g., for multi-level undo. An easy way to make sure you are using the right
- setup, copy the example vimrc file. By doing this inside Vim you don't have
- to check out where it is located. How to do this depends on the system you
- are using:
-
- Unix: >
- :!cp -i $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim ~/.vimrc
- MS-DOS, MS-Windows, OS/2: >
- :!copy $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim $VIM/_vimrc
- Amiga: >
- :!copy $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim $VIM/.vimrc
-
- If the file already exists you probably want to keep it.
-
- If you start Vim now, the 'compatible' option should be off. You can check it
- with this command: >
-
- :set compatible?
-
- If it responds with "nocompatible" you are doing well. If the response is
- "compatible" you are in trouble. You will have to find out why the option is
- still set. Perhaps the file you wrote above is not found. Use this command
- to find out: >
-
- :scriptnames
-
- If your file is not in the list, check its location and name. If it is in the
- list, there must be some other place where the 'compatible' option is switched
- back on.
-
- For more info see |vimrc| and |compatible-default|.
-
- Note:
- This manual is about using Vim in the normal way. There is an
- alternative called "evim" (easy Vim). This is still Vim, but used in
- a way that resembles a click-and-type editor like Notepad. It always
- stays in Insert mode, thus it feels very different. It is not
- explained in the user manual, since it should be mostly self
- explanatory. See |evim-keys| for details.
-
- ==============================================================================
- *01.3* Using the Vim tutor *tutor* *vimtutor*
-
- Instead of reading the text (boring!) you can use the vimtutor to learn your
- first Vim commands. This is a 30 minute tutorial that teaches the most basic
- Vim functionality hands-on.
-
- On Unix and MS-Windows, if Vim has been properly installed, you can start it
- from the shell:
- >
- vimtutor
-
- This will make a copy of the tutor file, so that you can edit it without
- the risk of damaging the original.
- There are a few translated versions of the tutor. To find out if yours is
- available, use the two-letter language code. For French: >
-
- vimtutor fr
-
- On non-Unix systems, you have to do a little work:
-
- 1. Copy the tutor file. You can do this with Vim (it knows where to find it):
- >
- vim -u NONE -c 'e $VIMRUNTIME/tutor/tutor' -c 'w! TUTORCOPY' -c 'q'
- <
- This will write the file "TUTORCOPY" in the current directory. To use a
- translated version of the tutor, append the two-letter language code to the
- filename. For French:
- >
- vim -u NONE -c 'e $VIMRUNTIME/tutor/tutor.fr' -c 'w! TUTORCOPY' -c 'q'
- <
- 2. Edit the copied file with Vim:
- >
- vim -u NONE -c "set nocp" TUTORCOPY
- <
- The extra arguments make sure Vim is started in a good mood.
-
- 3. Delete the copied file when you are finished with it:
- >
- del TUTORCOPY
- <
- ==============================================================================
- *01.4* Copyright *manual-copyright*
-
- The Vim user manual and reference manual are Copyright (c) 1988-2001 by Bram
- Moolenaar. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and
- conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, v1.0 or later. The
- latest version is presently available at:
- http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/
-
- People who contribute to the manuals must agree with the above copyright
- notice.
- *frombook*
- Parts of the user manual come from the book "Vi IMproved - Vim" by Steve
- Oualline (published by New Riders Publishing, ISBN: 0735710015). The Open
- Publication License applies to this book. Only selected parts are included
- and these have been modified (e.g., by removing the pictures, updating the
- text for Vim 6.0 and fixing mistakes). The omission of the |frombook| tag
- does not mean that the text does not come from the book.
-
- Many thanks to Steve Oualline and New Riders for creating this book and
- publishing it under the OPL! It has been a great help while writing the user
- manual. Not only by providing literal text, but also by setting the tone and
- style.
-
- If you make money through selling the manuals, you are strongly encouraged to
- donate part of the profit to help AIDS victims in Uganda. See |iccf|.
-
- ==============================================================================
-
- Next chapter: |usr_02.txt| The first steps in Vim
-
- Copyright: see |manual-copyright| vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl:
-