
How to start using VIM? - avelino
https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;avelino&#x2F;vim-bootstrap<p>Change text editor for programming is an extremely complicated task, especially if you&#x27;ve chosen an editor you need to configure it before you start using it, it happened to me in 2009 when I decided to use vim. From 2009 until today my setup of vim this constant modification to leave it with my face.<p>In 2014 after study hard vim I decided to start a project called &quot;vim-bootstrap&quot; which is a configuration generator vim (vim file), where he helps those who want to use vim, basically you select the programming languages will use it generates a configuration file of vim ready for you to use.
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dmlittle
I started using vim as my primary editor back in July. I quickly glanced over
a friend's .vimrc, copied it and thought I'd be set. I was very wrong. It was
too much for me to handle as a beginner. Starting from scratch (aside from
syntax highlighting which your project does) and manually creating your .vimrc
is a valuable experience. Even learning how to manually set up Vundle
Pathogen, or NeoBundle is worth it up so you're comfortable adding plugins as
you learn.

That being said, good job creating a tool some other people might be able to
use!

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begemotz
In video form, the best introduction I have seen is Chris Toomey’s ‘Mastering
the Vim Language’:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlR5gYd6um0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlR5gYd6um0)

But here is something I wrote while I was learning how to migrate to Vim..
[http://output.jsbin.com/cuwurazazo](http://output.jsbin.com/cuwurazazo)

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hanniabu
[http://vim-adventures.com/](http://vim-adventures.com/)

I heard this was good. Turns learning into a game.

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ibizaman
It would be awesome to be able to see the generated vimrc without downloading
it. We in fact can see them easily in [https://github.com/avelino/vim-
bootstrap/blob/master/vim_tem...](https://github.com/avelino/vim-
bootstrap/blob/master/vim_template/langs)

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pasbesoin
This extensive answer on Stackoverflow is often cited as a good description of
the philosophy and functionality of Vim. Making it in turn a good and somewhat
unique introduction to using Vim.

"Your problem with Vim is that you don't grok vi."

[http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1218390/what-is-your-
most...](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1218390/what-is-your-most-
productive-shortcut-with-vim#answer-1220118)

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jstewartmobile
The author of ViEmu: vi/vim emulation for Visual Studio, Word, Outlook and SQL
Server made a set of PDF cheat-sheets like the old WordPerfect stickers. They
got me up-to-speed in record time--even on the power features.

Here is the page he keeps them on:
[http://www.viemu.com/a_vi_vim_graphical_cheat_sheet_tutorial...](http://www.viemu.com/a_vi_vim_graphical_cheat_sheet_tutorial.html)

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Rainymood
I thought the question would be:

"How to start using Vim?"

And you will get 100 different answers which are all probably extremely
correct but. There's one big but.

There is no real substitute for time spent in Vim.

It WILL be very awkward but it IS indeed worth it. The time fumbling around
with hjkl will pay off in the long run. Trust us on that one.

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mintlysocial
Using the Vim editor

Two modes

The vi editor is a very powerful tool and has a very extensive built-in
manual, which you can activate using the :help command when the program is
started (instead of using man or info, which don't contain nearly as much
information). We will only discuss the very basics here to get you started.

What makes vi confusing to the beginner is that it can operate in two modes:
command mode and insert mode. The editor always starts in command mode.
Commands move you through the text, search, replace, mark blocks and perform
other editing tasks, and some of them switch the editor to insert mode.

This means that each key has not one, but likely two meanings: it can either
represent a command for the editor when in command mode, or a character that
you want in a text when in insert mode.

Note Pronunciation

It's pronounced "vee-eye".

Basic commands

Moving through the text

Moving through the text is usually possible with the arrow keys. If not, try:

h to move the cursor to the left

l to move it to the right

k to move up

j to move down

SHIFT-G will put the prompt at the end of the document.

Basic operations

These are some popular vi commands:

n dd will delete n lines starting from the current cursor position.

n dw will delete n words at the right side of the cursor.

x will delete the character on which the cursor is positioned

:n moves to line n of the file.

:w will save (write) the file

:q will exit the editor.

:q! forces the exit when you want to quit a file containing unsaved changes.

:wq will save and exit

:w newfile will save the text to newfile.

:wq! overrides read-only permission (if you have the permission to override
permissions, for instance when you are using the root account.

/astring will search the string in the file and position the cursor on the
first match below its position.

/ will perform the same search again, moving the cursor to the next match.

:1, $s/word/anotherword/g will replace word with anotherword throughout the
file.

yy will copy a block of text.

n p will paste it n times.

:recover will recover a file after an unexpected interruption.

Commands that switch the editor to insert mode

a will append: it moves the cursor one position to the right before switching
to insert mode

i will insert

o will insert a blank line under the current cursor position and move the
cursor to that line.

Pressing the Esc key switches back to command mode. If you're not sure what
mode you're in because you use a really old version of vi that doesn't display
an "INSERT" message, type Esc and you'll be sure to return to command mode. It
is possible that the system gives a little alert when you are already in
command mode when hitting Esc, by beeping or giving a visual bell (a flash on
the screen). This is normal behavior.

The easy way

Instead of reading the text, which is quite boring, you can use the vimtutor
to learn you first Vim commands. This is a thirty minute tutorial that teaches
the most basic Vim functionality in eight easy exercises. While you can't
learn everything about vim in just half an hour, the tutor is designed to
describe enough of the commands that you will be able to easily use Vim as an
all-purpose editor.

In UNIX and MS Windows, if Vim has been properly installed, you can start this
program from the shell or command line, entering the vimtutor command. 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
this would be vimtutor fr (if installed on the system).

