KISS - VIM

VIM

Vim is an improved version of the good old UNIX editor, vi. Many new features have been added: multi-level undo, syntax highlighting, command line history, on-line help, spell checking, filename completion, block operations, script language, etc. There is also a Graphical User Interface (GUI) available. Still, vi compatibility is maintained, those who have vi “in the fingers” will feel at home. 0

Configuration

Vim configuration is stored in a local user’s ~/.vimrc file. The contents of this file are based on the user’s preferences.

The following configuration is an example based on Sven Gucke’s 1 published vim setup and modified to satisfy the KISS #/kiss/style-guide.

Note: There are no “fancy” text decorations or highlighting. Just a core set of features selected to assist in code and article writing.

# Sven Gucke's Modified VIMRC
set ai nocp digraph ek hid ru sc vb wmnu noeb noet nosol
syntax on
set bs=2 fo=cqrt ls=2 shm=at tw=80 sw=4 ts=4 sts=4 ww=<,>,h,l
set comments=b:#,:%,n:>
set list listchars=tab:»·,trail:·
autocmd FileType markdown,text setlocal spell

The following is an explanation of each parameter. You can learn more about each by using the “:help OPTION” command in vim.

Command	Description

nocompatible	This changes the values of many options,
set nocp	enabling features which are not vi compatible
	(but really really nice).

digraph	Enables input of special characters by a
set digraph	combination of two characters. Example: Type
	‘a’, erase it by typing CTRL-H - and then type
	’:’ - this results in the umlaut: ä So Vim
	remembers the character you have erased and
	combines it with the character you have typed
	“over” the previous one.

esckeys	Enables recognition of arrow key codes which
set ek	start off with an ESC. This would normally end
	your current mode (insert/append/open mode) and
	return you command mode (aka normal mode), and
	the rest of the code would trigger commands.

hidden	Allows hidden buffers even though they contain
set hid	modifications which have not yet been written
	back to the associated file.

ruler	Shows the “ruler” for the cursor (i.e, its
set ru	current position with line+column and the
	percentage within the buffer).

showcmd	Show the input of an incomplete command. So
set sc	while you are typing the command “y23dd” you
	will see “y23dd before you type the last ‘d’
	which completes the command. Makes learning Vi
	much simpler as you get some feedback to what
	you have already typed.

visualbell	Chose “visual bell” effect rather than
set vb	“beeping”.

wildmenu	Make use of the “status line” to show possible
set wmnu	completions of command line commands, file
	names and more. Allows one to cycle forward and
	backward through the list.

noerrorbells	Turn off the bell. You do know the “beep” you
set noeb	get when you type ESC in normal mode?
	Be nice to your co-workers - turn it off! ;-)

noexpandtab	When inserting text, do not expand TABs to
set noet	spaces. You can always make vim expand the TABs
	later (using the “:retab” command).

nostartofline	Prevent the cursor from changing the current
set nosol	column when jumping to other lines within the
	window.

syntax on	Enable syntax highlighting.

autoindent	Automatic indentation. This automatically
set ai	inserts the indentation from the current line
	when you start a new line; in insert mode you
	would start a new line by ending the current
	one by inserting CTRL-J or CTRL-M - and in
	command mode you’d “open” a new line with
	either ‘o’ or ‘O’ for below or above the
	current line, respectively.

backspace	Backspace with this value allows to use the
set bs=2	backspace character (aka CTRL-H or “<-“).
	for moving the cursor over automatically
	inserted indentation and over the start/end of
	a line (see also the whichwrap option).

formatoptions	The format options affect the built-in “text
set fo=cqrt	formatting” command. The default value omits
	the “flag” ‘r’, which makes vim insert a
	“comment leader” when starting a new line. This
	allows to add text to a comment and still be
	within the comment after you start a new line.
	It also allows to break the line within a
	comment without breaking the comment.

laststatus	This makes vim show a status line even when
set ls=2	only one window is visible.

shortmess	This shortens about every message to a minimum
set shm=at	and thus avoids scrolling within the output of
	messages and the “press a key” prompt that goes
	with these.

tabstop	Effectively, how many columns of whitespace a
ts=4	\t is worth.

softtabstop	How many columns of whitespace a tab keypress
sts=4	or a backspace keypress is worth.

shiftwidth	How many columns of whitespace a “level of
sw=4	indentation” is worth or a backspace keypress
	is worth.

textwidth	This explicitly sets the width of text to 80
set tw=80	characters. After each completion of a word in
	insert mode, vim checks whether its end is past
	this width; if so then it will break the word
	onto the next line. Note that vim will remove
	trailing spaces when applying the word wrap -
	a feature which many editors are missing (and
	which will leave trailing spaces, of course).

	NOTE: The word wrap applies only when the
	completed word goes over the line; when you
	insert a word before that which moves other
	words over the line then vim will not break
	the words at the end of the line onto the next
	line! Programmers certainly don’t want that.
	It’s a feature!!


whichwrap	There are several commands which move the
set ww=<,>,h,l	cursor within a line. When you get to the
	start/end of a line then these commands will
	fail as you cannot goon. However, many users
	expect the cursor to be moved onto the
	previous/next line. Vim allows you to chose
	which commands will “wrap” the cursor around
	the line borders. In this particular example
	left/right, as well as the ‘h’ and ‘l’,
	keys to do that.

comments	Vim can reformat text and preserve comments
set com=b:#,:%,n:>	(i.e. commented lines) even when several kinds
	of comment indentations “nest” within. This is
	particularly useful for reformatting quoted
	text in Email and News.

list listchars	This option is cool! Or let’s say that “other
set list	editors don’t have at all”. These characters
set lcs=tab:»·	are called “list characters” as they are
set lcs+=trail:·	related to the list option of vanilla vi.
	This will show the end-of-lines by adding a ‘$’
	sign after the last character of each line, and
	by replacing all TABs by ‘^I’. However, it is
	much nicer to have TABs shown in expanded form.
	Vim takes it one step further by also making
	trailing spaces visible. Being able to see
	EOLs, TABs, and trailing space has become an
	absolute MUST with every editor.

Command

Description

nocompatible

This changes the values of many options,

set nocp

enabling features which are not vi compatible

(but really really nice).

digraph

Enables input of special characters by a

set digraph

combination of two characters. Example: Type

‘a’, erase it by typing CTRL-H - and then type

’:’ - this results in the umlaut: ä So Vim

remembers the character you have erased and

combines it with the character you have typed

“over” the previous one.

esckeys

Enables recognition of arrow key codes which

set ek

start off with an ESC. This would normally end

your current mode (insert/append/open mode) and

return you command mode (aka normal mode), and

the rest of the code would trigger commands.

hidden

Allows hidden buffers even though they contain

set hid

modifications which have not yet been written

back to the associated file.

ruler

Shows the “ruler” for the cursor (i.e, its

set ru

current position with line+column and the

percentage within the buffer).

showcmd

Show the input of an incomplete command. So

set sc

while you are typing the command “y23dd” you

will see “y23dd before you type the last ‘d’

which completes the command. Makes learning Vi

much simpler as you get some feedback to what

you have already typed.

visualbell

Chose “visual bell” effect rather than

set vb

“beeping”.

wildmenu

Make use of the “status line” to show possible

set wmnu

completions of command line commands, file

names and more. Allows one to cycle forward and

backward through the list.

noerrorbells

Turn off the bell. You do know the “beep” you

set noeb

get when you type ESC in normal mode?

Be nice to your co-workers - turn it off! ;-)

noexpandtab

When inserting text, do not expand TABs to

set noet

spaces. You can always make vim expand the TABs

later (using the “:retab” command).

nostartofline

Prevent the cursor from changing the current

set nosol

column when jumping to other lines within the

window.

syntax on

Enable syntax highlighting.

autoindent

Automatic indentation. This automatically

set ai

inserts the indentation from the current line

when you start a new line; in insert mode you

would start a new line by ending the current

one by inserting CTRL-J or CTRL-M - and in

command mode you’d “open” a new line with

either ‘o’ or ‘O’ for below or above the

current line, respectively.

backspace

Backspace with this value allows to use the

set bs=2

backspace character (aka CTRL-H or “<-“).

for moving the cursor over automatically

inserted indentation and over the start/end of

a line (see also the whichwrap option).

formatoptions

The format options affect the built-in “text

set fo=cqrt

formatting” command. The default value omits

the “flag” ‘r’, which makes vim insert a

“comment leader” when starting a new line. This

allows to add text to a comment and still be

within the comment after you start a new line.

It also allows to break the line within a

comment without breaking the comment.

laststatus

This makes vim show a status line even when

set ls=2

only one window is visible.

shortmess

This shortens about every message to a minimum

set shm=at

and thus avoids scrolling within the output of

messages and the “press a key” prompt that goes

with these.

tabstop

Effectively, how many columns of whitespace a

ts=4

\t is worth.

softtabstop

How many columns of whitespace a tab keypress

sts=4

or a backspace keypress is worth.

shiftwidth

How many columns of whitespace a “level of

sw=4

indentation” is worth or a backspace keypress

is worth.

textwidth

This explicitly sets the width of text to 80

set tw=80

characters. After each completion of a word in

insert mode, vim checks whether its end is past

this width; if so then it will break the word

onto the next line. Note that vim will remove

trailing spaces when applying the word wrap -

a feature which many editors are missing (and

which will leave trailing spaces, of course).

NOTE: The word wrap applies only when the

completed word goes over the line; when you

insert a word before that which moves other

words over the line then vim will not break

the words at the end of the line onto the next

line! Programmers certainly don’t want that.

It’s a feature!!

whichwrap

There are several commands which move the

set ww=<,>,h,l

cursor within a line. When you get to the

start/end of a line then these commands will

fail as you cannot goon. However, many users

expect the cursor to be moved onto the

previous/next line. Vim allows you to chose

which commands will “wrap” the cursor around

the line borders. In this particular example

left/right, as well as the ‘h’ and ‘l’,

keys to do that.

comments

Vim can reformat text and preserve comments

set com=b:#,:%,n:>

(i.e. commented lines) even when several kinds

of comment indentations “nest” within. This is

particularly useful for reformatting quoted

text in Email and News.

list listchars

This option is cool! Or let’s say that “other

set list

editors don’t have at all”. These characters

set lcs=tab:»·

are called “list characters” as they are

set lcs+=trail:·

related to the list option of vanilla vi.

This will show the end-of-lines by adding a ‘$’

sign after the last character of each line, and

by replacing all TABs by ‘^I’. However, it is

much nicer to have TABs shown in expanded form.

Vim takes it one step further by also making

trailing spaces visible. Being able to see

EOLs, TABs, and trailing space has become an

absolute MUST with every editor.

In summary, there are MANY configurations that can be applied to vim in just a few lines of text! As a best practice, test vim out without any configuration applied, then slowly add in needed features. A good starter configuration file might look something like this:

# Starter VIMRC
set ai nocp hid ru sc
filetype plugin indent on
syntax on
set bs=2 ls=2 shm=at tw=72 sw=4 ts=4 sts=4 ww=<,>,h,l