Vi iMproved (VIM)

by Oualline, Steve

• ISBN13: 9780735710016
• ISBN10: 0735710015
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-04-11
• Publisher: Sams Publishing

Summary

Real Linux users don't use GUIs. No matter how popular, slick and sophisticated the interfaces become for Linux and UNIX, you'll always need to be able to navigate in a text editor. The vi editor is the original standard UNIX full screen editor. It's been around almost since UNIX began and it has changed very little. To get around the limitations of vi the people at Bram Moolenaar created the vim editor (the name stand for VI iMproved). It contains many more features than the old vi editor including: help, multiple windows, syntax highlighting, programmer support, and HTML support. All of the books published to date focus on vi alone not the expanded vim shipping with every major Linux distribution. In true New Riders' form, the vim reference will be a definitive, concise reference for the professional Linux user and developer. This tutorial takes a task oriented approach allowing you to learn only the commands that make your job easier.

Author Biography

Steve Oualline is a software engineer specializing in C++ programming and Linux.

Table of Contents

Basic Editing

Editing a Little Faster

Searching

Text Blocks and Multiple Files

Windows

Basic Visual Mode

Commands for Programmers

Basic Abbreviations, Keyboard Mapping, and Initialization Files

Basic Command Command-Mode Commands

Basic GUI Usage

Dealing with Text Files

Automatic Completion

Autocommands

File Recovery and Command-Line Arguments

Miscellaneous Commands

Cookbook

Topics Not Covered

Complete Basic Editing

Advanced Searching Using Regular Expressions

Advanced Text Blocks and Multiple Files

All About Windows and Sessions

Advanced Visual Mode

Advanced Commands for Programmers

All About Abbreviations and Keyboard Mapping

Complete Command-Mode (:) Commands

Advanced GUI Commands

Expressions and Functions

Customizing the Editor

Language-Dependent Syntax Options

How to Write a Syntax File

A Installing Vim

B The <> Key Names

C Normal-Mode Commands

D Command-Mode Commands

E Visual-Mode Commands

F Insert-Mode Commands

G Option List

H Vim License Agreement

I Quick Reference