summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/runtime/doc/intro.txt
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-07 08:50:31 +0000
committerDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-07 08:50:31 +0000
commitaed8ce9da277f5ecffe968b324f242c41c3b752a (patch)
treed2e538394cb7a8a7c42a4aac6ccf1a8e3256999b /runtime/doc/intro.txt
parentInitial commit. (diff)
downloadvim-aed8ce9da277f5ecffe968b324f242c41c3b752a.tar.xz
vim-aed8ce9da277f5ecffe968b324f242c41c3b752a.zip
Adding upstream version 2:9.0.1378.upstream/2%9.0.1378upstream
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
Diffstat (limited to 'runtime/doc/intro.txt')
-rw-r--r--runtime/doc/intro.txt908
1 files changed, 908 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/runtime/doc/intro.txt b/runtime/doc/intro.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..04d5f5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/runtime/doc/intro.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,908 @@
+*intro.txt* For Vim version 9.0. Last change: 2022 Nov 20
+
+
+ VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
+
+
+Introduction to Vim *ref* *reference*
+
+1. Introduction |intro|
+2. Vim on the internet |internet|
+3. Credits |credits|
+4. Notation |notation|
+5. Modes, introduction |vim-modes-intro|
+6. Switching from mode to mode |mode-switching|
+7. The window contents |window-contents|
+8. Definitions |definitions|
+
+==============================================================================
+1. Introduction *intro*
+
+Vim stands for Vi IMproved. It used to be Vi IMitation, but there are so many
+improvements that a name change was appropriate. Vim is a text editor which
+includes almost all the commands from the Unix program "Vi" and a lot of new
+ones. It is very useful for editing programs and other plain text.
+ All commands are given with the keyboard. This has the advantage that you
+can keep your fingers on the keyboard and your eyes on the screen. For those
+who want it, there is mouse support and a GUI version with scrollbars and
+menus (see |gui.txt|).
+
+An overview of this manual can be found in the file "help.txt", |help.txt|.
+It can be accessed from within Vim with the <Help> or <F1> key and with the
+|:help| command (just type ":help", without the bars or quotes).
+ The 'helpfile' option can be set to the name of the help file, in case it
+is not located in the default place. You can jump to subjects like with tags:
+Use CTRL-] to jump to a subject under the cursor, use CTRL-T to jump back.
+
+The differences between Vi and Vim are mentioned in |vi_diff.txt|.
+
+This manual refers to Vim on various machines. There may be small differences
+between different computers and terminals. Besides the remarks given in this
+document, there is a separate document for each supported system, see
+|sys-file-list|.
+
+ *pronounce*
+Vim is pronounced as one word, like Jim, not vi-ai-em. It's written with a
+capital, since it's a name, again like Jim.
+
+This manual is a reference for all the Vim commands and options. This is not
+an introduction to the use of Vi or Vim, it gets a bit complicated here and
+there. For beginners, there is a hands-on |tutor|. To learn using Vim, read
+the user manual |usr_toc.txt|.
+
+ *book* *books*
+Most books on Vi and Vim contain a section for beginners. Others are spending
+more words on specific functionality. You can find an overview of Vim books
+here:
+ http://iccf-holland.org/vim_books.html
+
+==============================================================================
+2. Vim on the internet *internet*
+
+ *www* *WWW* *faq* *FAQ* *distribution* *download*
+The Vim pages contain the most recent information about Vim. They also
+contain links to the most recent version of Vim. The FAQ is a list of
+Frequently Asked Questions. Read this if you have problems.
+
+ Vim home page: https://www.vim.org/
+ Vim FAQ: https://vimhelp.org/vim_faq.txt.html
+ Downloading: https://www.vim.org/download.php
+
+
+Asking questions, finding answers: https://vi.stackexchange.com/
+"Vi and Vim Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for people using the
+vi and Vim families of text editors"
+
+
+Usenet News group where Vim is discussed: *news* *usenet*
+ comp.editors
+This group is also for other editors. If you write about Vim, don't forget to
+mention that.
+You can access it here:
+https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.editors
+
+ *mail-list* *maillist*
+There are several mailing lists for Vim:
+<vim@vim.org> *vim-use* *vim_use*
+ For discussions about using existing versions of Vim: Useful mappings,
+ questions, answers, where to get a specific version, etc. There are
+ quite a few people watching this list and answering questions, also
+ for beginners. Don't hesitate to ask your question here.
+<vim-dev@vim.org> *vim-dev* *vim_dev* *vimdev*
+ For discussions about changing Vim: New features, porting, patches,
+ beta-test versions, etc.
+<vim-announce@vim.org> *vim-announce* *vim_announce*
+ Announcements about new versions of Vim; also for beta-test versions
+ and ports to different systems. This is a read-only list.
+<vim-mac@vim.org> *vim-mac* *vim_mac*
+ For discussions about using and improving the Macintosh version of
+ Vim.
+
+See http://www.vim.org/maillist.php for the latest information.
+
+NOTE:
+- Anyone can see the archive, e.g. on Google groups. Search this if you have
+ questions.
+- You can only send messages to these lists if you have subscribed!
+- The first message is moderated, thus it may take a few hours to show up.
+- You need to send the messages from the same location as where you subscribed
+ from (to avoid spam mail).
+
+ *subscribe-maillist*
+If you want to join, send a message to
+ <vim-subscribe@vim.org>
+Make sure that your "From:" address is correct. Then the list server will
+give you help on how to subscribe.
+
+ *maillist-archive*
+For more information and archives look on the Vim maillist page:
+http://www.vim.org/maillist.php
+
+
+Bug reports: *bugs* *bug-reports* *bugreport.vim*
+
+There are three ways to report bugs:
+1. For issues with runtime files, look in the header for an email address or
+ any other way to report it to the maintainer.
+2. Open an issue on GitHub: https://github.com/vim/vim/issues
+ The text will be forwarded to the vim-dev maillist.
+3. Send bug reports to: Vim Developers <vim-dev@vim.org>
+ This is a maillist, you need to become a member first and many people will
+ see the message. If you don't want that, e.g. because it is a security
+ issue, send it to <bugs@vim.org>, this only goes to the Vim maintainer
+ (that's Bram).
+
+Please be brief; all the time that is spent on answering mail is subtracted
+from the time that is spent on improving Vim! Always give a reproducible
+example and try to find out which settings or other things trigger the bug.
+
+Preferably start Vim with: >
+ vim --clean -u reproduce.vim
+Where reproduce.vim is a script that reproduces the problem. Try different
+machines, if relevant (is this an MS-Windows specific bug perhaps?).
+
+Send me patches if you can! If you create a pull request on
+https://github.com/vim/vim then the automated checks will run and report any
+obvious problems. But you can also send the patch by email (use an attachment
+to avoid white space changes).
+
+It will help to include information about the version of Vim you are using and
+your setup. You can get the information with this command: >
+ :so $VIMRUNTIME/bugreport.vim
+This will create a file "bugreport.txt" in the current directory, with a lot
+of information of your environment. Before sending this out, check if it
+doesn't contain any confidential information!
+
+If Vim crashes, please try to find out where. You can find help on this here:
+|debug.txt|.
+
+In case of doubt or when you wonder if the problem has already been fixed but
+you can't find a fix for it, become a member of the vim-dev maillist and ask
+your question there. |maillist|
+
+ *year-2000* *Y2K*
+Since Vim internally doesn't use dates for editing, there is no year 2000
+problem to worry about. Vim does use the time in the form of seconds since
+January 1st 1970. It is used for a time-stamp check of the edited file and
+the swap file, which is not critical and should only cause warning messages.
+
+There might be a year 2038 problem, when the seconds don't fit in a 32 bit int
+anymore. This depends on the compiler, libraries and operating system.
+Specifically, time_t and the ctime() function are used. And the time_t is
+stored in four bytes in the swap file. But that's only used for printing a
+file date/time for recovery, it will never affect normal editing.
+
+The Vim strftime() function directly uses the strftime() system function.
+localtime() uses the time() system function. getftime() uses the time
+returned by the stat() system function. If your system libraries are year
+2000 compliant, Vim is too.
+
+The user may create scripts for Vim that use external commands. These might
+introduce Y2K problems, but those are not really part of Vim itself.
+
+==============================================================================
+3. Credits *credits* *author* *Bram* *Moolenaar*
+
+Most of Vim was created by Bram Moolenaar <Bram@vim.org>.
+
+Parts of the documentation come from several Vi manuals, written by:
+ W.N. Joy
+ Alan P.W. Hewett
+ Mark Horton
+
+The Vim editor is based on Stevie and includes (ideas from) other software,
+worked on by the people mentioned here. Other people helped by sending me
+patches, suggestions and giving feedback about what is good and bad in Vim.
+
+Vim would never have become what it is now, without the help of these people!
+
+ Ron Aaron Win32 GUI changes
+ Mohsin Ahmed encryption
+ Zoltan Arpadffy work on VMS port
+ Tony Andrews Stevie
+ Gert van Antwerpen changes for DJGPP on MS-DOS
+ Berkeley DB(3) ideas for swap file implementation
+ Keith Bostic Nvi
+ Walter Briscoe Makefile updates, various patches
+ Ralf Brown SPAWNO library for MS-DOS
+ Robert Colon many useful remarks
+ Marcin Dalecki GTK+ GUI port, toolbar icons, gettext()
+ Kayhan Demirel sent me news in Uganda
+ Chris & John Downey xvi (ideas for multi-windows version)
+ Henk Elbers first VMS port
+ Daniel Elstner GTK+ 2 port
+ Eric Fischer Mac port, 'cindent', and other improvements
+ Benji Fisher Answering lots of user questions
+ Bill Foster Athena GUI port (later removed)
+ Google Lets me work on Vim one day a week
+ Loic Grenie xvim (ideas for multi windows version)
+ Sven Guckes Vim promoter and previous WWW page maintainer
+ Darren Hiebert Exuberant ctags
+ Jason Hildebrand GTK+ 2 port
+ Bruce Hunsaker improvements for VMS port
+ Andy Kahn Cscope support, GTK+ GUI port
+ Oezguer Kesim Maintainer of Vim Mailing Lists
+ Axel Kielhorn work on the Macintosh port
+ Steve Kirkendall Elvis
+ Roger Knobbe original port to Windows NT
+ Sergey Laskavy Vim's help from Moscow
+ Felix von Leitner Previous maintainer of Vim Mailing Lists
+ David Leonard Port of Python extensions to Unix
+ Avner Lottem Edit in right-to-left windows
+ Flemming Madsen X11 client-server, various features and patches
+ Tony Mechelynck answers many user questions
+ Paul Moore Python interface extensions, many patches
+ Katsuhito Nagano Work on multibyte versions
+ Sung-Hyun Nam Work on multibyte versions
+ Vince Negri Win32 GUI and generic console enhancements
+ Steve Oualline Author of the first Vim book |frombook|
+ Dominique Pelle Valgrind reports and many fixes
+ A.Politz Many bug reports and some fixes
+ George V. Reilly Win32 port, Win32 GUI start-off
+ Stephen Riehm bug collector
+ Stefan Roemer various patches and help to users
+ Ralf Schandl IBM OS/390 port
+ Olaf Seibert DICE and BeBox version, regexp improvements
+ Mortaza Shiran Farsi patches
+ Peter da Silva termlib
+ Paul Slootman OS/2 port
+ Henry Spencer regular expressions
+ Dany St-Amant Macintosh port
+ Tim Thompson Stevie
+ G. R. (Fred) Walter Stevie
+ Sven Verdoolaege Perl interface
+ Robert Webb Command-line completion, GUI versions, and
+ lots of patches
+ Ingo Wilken Tcl interface
+ Mike Williams PostScript printing
+ Juergen Weigert Lattice version, AUX improvements, UNIX and
+ MS-DOS ports, autoconf
+ Stefan 'Sec' Zehl Maintainer of vim.org
+ Yasuhiro Matsumoto many MS-Windows improvements
+ Ken Takata fixes and features
+ Kazunobu Kuriyama GTK 3
+ Christian Brabandt many fixes, features, user support, etc.
+ Yegappan Lakshmanan many quickfix features
+
+I wish to thank all the people that sent me bug reports and suggestions. The
+list is too long to mention them all here. Vim would not be the same without
+the ideas from all these people: They keep Vim alive!
+*love* *peace* *friendship* *gross-national-happiness*
+
+
+In this documentation there are several references to other versions of Vi:
+ *Vi* *vi*
+Vi "the original". Without further remarks this is the version
+ of Vi that appeared in Sun OS 4.x. ":version" returns
+ "Version 3.7, 6/7/85". Sometimes other versions are referred
+ to. Only runs under Unix. Source code is now available under a
+ BSD-style license. More information on Vi can be found through:
+ http://ex-vi.sourceforge.net/
+ *Posix*
+Posix From the IEEE standard 1003.2, Part 2: Shell and utilities.
+ Generally known as "Posix". This is a textual description of
+ how Vi is supposed to work.
+ See |posix-compliance|.
+ *Nvi*
+Nvi The "New" Vi. The version of Vi that comes with BSD 4.4 and FreeBSD.
+ Very good compatibility with the original Vi, with a few extensions.
+ The version used is 1.79. ":version" returns "Version 1.79
+ (10/23/96)". There has been no release the last few years, although
+ there is a development version 1.81.
+ Source code is freely available.
+ *Elvis*
+Elvis Another Vi clone, made by Steve Kirkendall. Very compact but isn't
+ as flexible as Vim. Development has stalled, Elvis has left the
+ building! Source code is freely available.
+ *Neovim*
+Neovim A Vim clone. Forked the Vim source in 2014 and went a different way.
+ Very much bound to github and has many more dependencies, making
+ development more complex and limiting portability. Code has been
+ refactored, resulting in patches not being exchangeable with Vim.
+ Supports a remote GUI and integration with scripting languages.
+
+==============================================================================
+4. Notation *notation*
+
+When syntax highlighting is used to read this, text that is not typed
+literally is often highlighted with the Special group. These are items in [],
+{} and <>, and CTRL-X.
+
+Note that Vim uses all possible characters in commands. Sometimes the [], {}
+and <> are part of what you type, the context should make this clear.
+
+
+[] Characters in square brackets are optional.
+
+ *count* *[count]*
+[count] An optional number that may precede the command to multiply
+ or iterate the command. If no number is given, a count of one
+ is used, unless otherwise noted. Note that in this manual the
+ [count] is not mentioned in the description of the command,
+ but only in the explanation. This was done to make the
+ commands easier to look up. If the 'showcmd' option is on,
+ the (partially) entered count is shown at the bottom of the
+ window. You can use <Del> to erase the last digit (|N<Del>|).
+
+ *[quotex]*
+["x] An optional register designation where text can be stored.
+ See |registers|. The x is a single character between 'a' and
+ 'z' or 'A' and 'Z' or '"', and in some cases (with the put
+ command) between '0' and '9', '%', '#', or others. The
+ uppercase and lowercase letter designate the same register,
+ but the lowercase letter is used to overwrite the previous
+ register contents, while the uppercase letter is used to
+ append to the previous register contents. Without the ""x" or
+ with """" the stored text is put into the unnamed register.
+
+ *{}*
+{} Curly braces denote parts of the command which must appear,
+ but which can take a number of different values. The
+ differences between Vim and Vi are also given in curly braces
+ (this will be clear from the context).
+
+ *{char1-char2}*
+{char1-char2} A single character from the range char1 to char2. For
+ example: {a-z} is a lowercase letter. Multiple ranges may be
+ concatenated. For example, {a-zA-Z0-9} is any alphanumeric
+ character.
+
+ *{motion}* *movement*
+{motion} A command that moves the cursor. These are explained in
+ |motion.txt|. Examples:
+ w to start of next word
+ b to begin of current word
+ 4j four lines down
+ /The<CR> to next occurrence of "The"
+ This is used after an |operator| command to move over the text
+ that is to be operated upon.
+ - If the motion includes a count and the operator also has a
+ count, the two counts are multiplied. For example: "2d3w"
+ deletes six words.
+ - The motion can be backwards, e.g. "db" to delete to the
+ start of the word.
+ - The motion can also be a mouse click. The mouse is not
+ supported in every terminal though.
+ - The ":omap" command can be used to map characters while an
+ operator is pending.
+ - Ex commands can be used to move the cursor. This can be
+ used to call a function that does some complicated motion.
+ The motion is always characterwise exclusive, no matter
+ what ":" command is used. This means it's impossible to
+ include the last character of a line without the line break
+ (unless 'virtualedit' is set).
+ If the Ex command changes the text before where the operator
+ starts or jumps to another buffer the result is
+ unpredictable. It is possible to change the text further
+ down. Jumping to another buffer is possible if the current
+ buffer is not unloaded.
+
+ *{Visual}*
+{Visual} A selected text area. It is started with the "v", "V", or
+ CTRL-V command, then any cursor movement command can be used
+ to change the end of the selected text.
+ This is used before an |operator| command to highlight the
+ text that is to be operated upon.
+ See |Visual-mode|.
+
+ *<character>*
+<character> A special character from the table below, optionally with
+ modifiers, or a single ASCII character with modifiers.
+
+ *'character'*
+'c' A single ASCII character.
+
+ *CTRL-{char}*
+CTRL-{char} {char} typed as a control character; that is, typing {char}
+ while holding the CTRL key down. The case of {char} does not
+ matter; thus CTRL-A and CTRL-a are equivalent. But on some
+ terminals, using the SHIFT key will produce another code,
+ don't use it then.
+
+ *'option'*
+'option' An option, or parameter, that can be set to a value, is
+ enclosed in single quotes. See |options|.
+
+ *quotecommandquote*
+"command" A reference to a command that you can type is enclosed in
+ double quotes.
+`command` New style command, this distinguishes it from other quoted
+ text and strings.
+
+ *key-notation* *key-codes* *keycodes*
+These names for keys are used in the documentation. They can also be used
+with the ":map" command (insert the key name by pressing CTRL-K and then the
+key you want the name for).
+
+notation meaning equivalent decimal value(s) ~
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+<Nul> zero CTRL-@ 0 (stored as 10) *<Nul>*
+<BS> backspace CTRL-H 8 *backspace*
+<Tab> tab CTRL-I 9 *tab* *Tab*
+ *linefeed*
+<NL> linefeed CTRL-J 10 (used for <Nul>)
+<CR> carriage return CTRL-M 13 *carriage-return*
+<Return> same as <CR> *<Return>*
+<Enter> same as <CR> *<Enter>*
+<Esc> escape CTRL-[ 27 *escape* *<Esc>*
+<Space> space 32 *space*
+<lt> less-than < 60 *<lt>*
+<Bslash> backslash \ 92 *backslash* *<Bslash>*
+<Bar> vertical bar | 124 *<Bar>*
+<Del> delete 127
+<CSI> command sequence intro ALT-Esc 155 *<CSI>*
+<xCSI> CSI when typed in the GUI *<xCSI>*
+
+<EOL> end-of-line (can be <CR>, <NL> or <CR><NL>,
+ depends on system and 'fileformat') *<EOL>*
+
+<Up> cursor-up *cursor-up* *cursor_up*
+<Down> cursor-down *cursor-down* *cursor_down*
+<Left> cursor-left *cursor-left* *cursor_left*
+<Right> cursor-right *cursor-right* *cursor_right*
+<S-Up> shift-cursor-up
+<S-Down> shift-cursor-down
+<S-Left> shift-cursor-left
+<S-Right> shift-cursor-right
+<C-Left> control-cursor-left
+<C-Right> control-cursor-right
+<F1> - <F12> function keys 1 to 12 *function_key* *function-key*
+<S-F1> - <S-F12> shift-function keys 1 to 12 *<S-F1>*
+<Help> help key
+<Undo> undo key
+<Insert> insert key
+<Home> home *home*
+<End> end *end*
+<PageUp> page-up *page_up* *page-up*
+<PageDown> page-down *page_down* *page-down*
+<kHome> keypad home (upper left) *keypad-home*
+<kEnd> keypad end (lower left) *keypad-end*
+<kPageUp> keypad page-up (upper right) *keypad-page-up*
+<kPageDown> keypad page-down (lower right) *keypad-page-down*
+<kPlus> keypad + *keypad-plus*
+<kMinus> keypad - *keypad-minus*
+<kMultiply> keypad * *keypad-multiply*
+<kDivide> keypad / *keypad-divide*
+<kEnter> keypad Enter *keypad-enter*
+<kPoint> keypad Decimal point *keypad-point*
+<k0> - <k9> keypad 0 to 9 *keypad-0* *keypad-9*
+<S-...> shift-key *shift* *<S-*
+<C-...> control-key *control* *ctrl* *<C-*
+<M-...> alt-key or meta-key *meta* *alt* *<M-*
+<A-...> same as <M-...> *<A-*
+<D-...> command-key (Macintosh only) *<D-*
+<t_xx> key with "xx" entry in termcap
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Note: The shifted cursor keys, the help key, and the undo key are only
+available on a few terminals. On the Amiga, shifted function key 10 produces
+a code (CSI) that is also used by key sequences. It will be recognized only
+after typing another key.
+
+Note: There are two codes for the delete key. 127 is the decimal ASCII value
+for the delete key, which is always recognized. Some delete keys send another
+value, in which case this value is obtained from the termcap entry "kD". Both
+values have the same effect. Also see |:fixdel|.
+
+Note: The keypad keys are used in the same way as the corresponding "normal"
+keys. For example, <kHome> has the same effect as <Home>. If a keypad key
+sends the same raw key code as its non-keypad equivalent, it will be
+recognized as the non-keypad code. For example, when <kHome> sends the same
+code as <Home>, when pressing <kHome> Vim will think <Home> was pressed.
+Mapping <kHome> will not work then.
+
+ *<>*
+Examples are often given in the <> notation. Sometimes this is just to make
+clear what you need to type, but often it can be typed literally, e.g., with
+the ":map" command. The rules are:
+ 1. Any printable characters are typed directly, except backslash and '<'
+ 2. A backslash is represented with "\\", double backslash, or "<Bslash>".
+ 3. A real '<' is represented with "\<" or "<lt>". When there is no
+ confusion possible, a '<' can be used directly.
+ 4. "<key>" means the special key typed. This is the notation explained in
+ the table above. A few examples:
+ <Esc> Escape key
+ <C-G> CTRL-G
+ <Up> cursor up key
+ <C-LeftMouse> Control- left mouse click
+ <S-F11> Shifted function key 11
+ <M-a> Meta- a ('a' with bit 8 set)
+ <M-A> Meta- A ('A' with bit 8 set)
+ <t_kd> "kd" termcap entry (cursor down key)
+ Although you can specify <M-{char}> with {char} being a multibyte
+ character, Vim may not be able to know what byte sequence that is and then
+ it won't work.
+
+If you want to use the full <> notation in Vim, you have to make sure the '<'
+flag is excluded from 'cpoptions' (when 'compatible' is not set, it already is
+by default). >
+ :set cpo-=<
+The <> notation uses <lt> to escape the special meaning of key names. Using a
+backslash also works, but only when 'cpoptions' does not include the 'B' flag.
+
+Examples for mapping CTRL-H to the six characters "<Home>": >
+ :imap <C-H> \<Home>
+ :imap <C-H> <lt>Home>
+The first one only works when the 'B' flag is not in 'cpoptions'. The second
+one always works.
+To get a literal "<lt>" in a mapping: >
+ :map <C-L> <lt>lt>
+
+For mapping, abbreviation and menu commands you can then copy-paste the
+examples and use them directly. Or type them literally, including the '<' and
+'>' characters. This does NOT work for other commands, like ":set" and
+":autocmd"!
+
+The notation can be used in a double quoted strings, using "\<" at the start,
+e.g. "\<C-Space>". This results in a special key code. To convert this back
+to readable text use `keytrans()`.
+
+==============================================================================
+5. Modes, introduction *vim-modes-intro* *vim-modes*
+
+Vim has seven BASIC modes:
+
+ *Normal* *Normal-mode* *command-mode*
+Normal mode In Normal mode you can enter all the normal editor
+ commands. If you start the editor you are in this
+ mode (unless you have set the 'insertmode' option,
+ see below). This is also known as command mode.
+
+Visual mode This is like Normal mode, but the movement commands
+ extend a highlighted area. When a non-movement
+ command is used, it is executed for the highlighted
+ area. See |Visual-mode|.
+ If the 'showmode' option is on "-- VISUAL --" is shown
+ at the bottom of the window.
+
+Select mode This looks most like the MS-Windows selection mode.
+ Typing a printable character deletes the selection
+ and starts Insert mode. See |Select-mode|.
+ If the 'showmode' option is on "-- SELECT --" is shown
+ at the bottom of the window.
+
+Insert mode In Insert mode the text you type is inserted into the
+ buffer. See |Insert-mode|.
+ If the 'showmode' option is on "-- INSERT --" is shown
+ at the bottom of the window.
+
+Command-line mode In Command-line mode (also called Cmdline mode) you
+Cmdline mode can enter one line of text at the bottom of the
+ window. This is for the Ex commands, ":", the pattern
+ search commands, "?" and "/", and the filter command,
+ "!". |Cmdline-mode|
+
+Ex mode Like Command-line mode, but after entering a command
+ you remain in Ex mode. Very limited editing of the
+ command line. |Ex-mode|
+
+Terminal-Job mode Interacting with a job in a terminal window. Typed
+ keys go to the job and the job output is displayed in
+ the terminal window. See |terminal| about how to
+ switch to other modes.
+
+There are seven ADDITIONAL modes. These are variants of the BASIC modes:
+
+ *Operator-pending* *Operator-pending-mode*
+Operator-pending mode This is like Normal mode, but after an operator
+ command has started, and Vim is waiting for a {motion}
+ to specify the text that the operator will work on.
+
+Replace mode Replace mode is a special case of Insert mode. You
+ can do the same things as in Insert mode, but for
+ each character you enter, one character of the existing
+ text is deleted. See |Replace-mode|.
+ If the 'showmode' option is on "-- REPLACE --" is
+ shown at the bottom of the window.
+
+Virtual Replace mode Virtual Replace mode is similar to Replace mode, but
+ instead of file characters you are replacing screen
+ real estate. See |Virtual-Replace-mode|.
+ If the 'showmode' option is on "-- VREPLACE --" is
+ shown at the bottom of the window.
+
+Insert Normal mode Entered when CTRL-O is typed in Insert mode (see
+ |i_CTRL-O|). This is like Normal mode, but after
+ executing one command Vim returns to Insert mode.
+ If the 'showmode' option is on "-- (insert) --" is
+ shown at the bottom of the window.
+
+Terminal-Normal mode Using Normal mode in a terminal window. Making
+ changes is impossible. Use an insert command, such as
+ "a" or "i", to return to Terminal-Job mode.
+
+Insert Visual mode Entered when starting a Visual selection from Insert
+ mode, e.g., by using CTRL-O and then "v", "V" or
+ CTRL-V. When the Visual selection ends, Vim returns
+ to Insert mode.
+ If the 'showmode' option is on "-- (insert) VISUAL --"
+ is shown at the bottom of the window.
+
+Insert Select mode Entered when starting Select mode from Insert mode.
+ E.g., by dragging the mouse or <S-Right>.
+ When the Select mode ends, Vim returns to Insert mode.
+ If the 'showmode' option is on "-- (insert) SELECT --"
+ is shown at the bottom of the window.
+
+==============================================================================
+6. Switching from mode to mode *mode-switching*
+
+If for any reason you do not know which mode you are in, you can always get
+back to Normal mode by typing <Esc> twice. This doesn't work for Ex mode
+though, use ":visual".
+You will know you are back in Normal mode when you see the screen flash or
+hear the bell after you type <Esc>. However, when pressing <Esc> after using
+CTRL-O in Insert mode you get a beep but you are still in Insert mode, type
+<Esc> again.
+
+ *i_esc*
+ TO mode ~
+ Normal Visual Select Insert Replace Cmd-line Ex ~
+FROM mode ~
+Normal v V ^V *4 *1 R gR : / ? ! Q
+Visual *2 ^G c C -- : --
+Select *5 ^O ^G *6 -- -- --
+Insert <Esc> -- -- <Insert> -- --
+Replace <Esc> -- -- <Insert> -- --
+Command-line *3 -- -- :start -- --
+Ex :vi -- -- -- -- --
+
+-- not possible
+
+*1 Go from Normal mode to Insert mode by giving the command "i", "I", "a",
+ "A", "o", "O", "c", "C", "s" or S".
+*2 Go from Visual mode to Normal mode by giving a non-movement command, which
+ causes the command to be executed, or by hitting <Esc> "v", "V" or "CTRL-V"
+ (see |v_v|), which just stops Visual mode without side effects.
+*3 Go from Command-line mode to Normal mode by:
+ - Hitting <CR> or <NL>, which causes the entered command to be executed.
+ - Deleting the complete line (e.g., with CTRL-U) and giving a final <BS>.
+ - Hitting CTRL-C or <Esc>, which quits the command-line without executing
+ the command.
+ In the last case <Esc> may be the character defined with the 'wildchar'
+ option, in which case it will start command-line completion. You can
+ ignore that and type <Esc> again.
+*4 Go from Normal to Select mode by:
+ - use the mouse to select text while 'selectmode' contains "mouse"
+ - use a non-printable command to move the cursor while keeping the Shift
+ key pressed, and the 'selectmode' option contains "key"
+ - use "v", "V" or "CTRL-V" while 'selectmode' contains "cmd"
+ - use "gh", "gH" or "g CTRL-H" |g_CTRL-H|
+*5 Go from Select mode to Normal mode by using a non-printable command to move
+ the cursor, without keeping the Shift key pressed.
+*6 Go from Select mode to Insert mode by typing a printable character. The
+ selection is deleted and the character is inserted.
+
+If the 'insertmode' option is on, editing a file will start in Insert mode.
+
+ *CTRL-\_CTRL-N* *i_CTRL-\_CTRL-N* *c_CTRL-\_CTRL-N* *v_CTRL-\_CTRL-N*
+Additionally the command CTRL-\ CTRL-N or <C-\><C-N> can be used to go to
+Normal mode from any other mode. This can be used to make sure Vim is in
+Normal mode, without causing a beep like <Esc> would. However, this does not
+work in Ex mode. When used after a command that takes an argument, such as
+|f| or |m|, the timeout set with 'ttimeoutlen' applies.
+When focus is in a terminal window, CTRL-\ CTRL-N goes to Normal mode until an
+edit command is entered, see |t_CTRL-\_CTRL-N|.
+
+ *CTRL-\_CTRL-G* *i_CTRL-\_CTRL-G* *c_CTRL-\_CTRL-G* *v_CTRL-\_CTRL-G*
+The command CTRL-\ CTRL-G or <C-\><C-G> can be used to go to Insert mode when
+'insertmode' is set. Otherwise it goes to Normal mode. This can be used to
+make sure Vim is in the mode indicated by 'insertmode', without knowing in
+what mode Vim currently is.
+
+ *Q* *mode-Ex* *Ex-mode* *Ex* *EX* *E501*
+Q Switch to "Ex" mode. This is a bit like typing ":"
+ commands one after another, except:
+ - You don't have to keep pressing ":".
+ - The screen doesn't get updated after each command.
+ - There is no normal command-line editing.
+ - Mappings and abbreviations are not used.
+ In fact, you are editing the lines with the "standard"
+ line-input editing commands (<Del> or <BS> to erase,
+ CTRL-U to kill the whole line).
+ Vim will enter this mode by default if it's invoked as
+ "ex" on the command-line or the |-e| command line
+ argument was used.
+ Use the ":vi" command |:visual| to exit "Ex" mode.
+ Note: In older versions of Vim "Q" formatted text,
+ that is now done with |gq|. But if you use the
+ |vimrc_example.vim| script or |defaults.vim|, "Q"
+ works like "gq". Except for Select mode.
+
+ *gQ*
+gQ Switch to "Ex" mode like with "Q", but really behave
+ like typing ":" commands after another. All command
+ line editing, completion etc. is available.
+ Use the `:vi` command (`:visual`) to exit "Ex" mode.
+
+==============================================================================
+7. The window contents *window-contents*
+
+In Normal mode and Insert/Replace mode the screen window will show the current
+contents of the buffer: What You See Is What You Get. There are two
+exceptions:
+- When the 'cpoptions' option contains '$', and the change is within one line,
+ the text is not directly deleted, but a '$' is put at the last deleted
+ character.
+- When inserting text in one window, other windows on the same text are not
+ updated until the insert is finished.
+
+Lines longer than the window width will wrap, unless the 'wrap' option is off
+(see below). The 'linebreak' option can be set to wrap at a blank character.
+
+If the window has room after the last line of the buffer, Vim will show '~' in
+the first column of the last lines in the window, like this:
+
+ +-----------------------+
+ |some line |
+ |last line |
+ |~ |
+ |~ |
+ +-----------------------+
+
+Thus the '~' lines indicate that the end of the buffer was reached.
+
+If the last line in a window doesn't fit, Vim will indicate this with a '@' in
+the first column of the last lines in the window, like this:
+
+ +-----------------------+
+ |first line |
+ |second line |
+ |@ |
+ |@ |
+ +-----------------------+
+
+Thus the '@' lines indicate that there is a line that doesn't fit in the
+window.
+
+When the "lastline" flag is present in the 'display' option, you will not see
+'@' characters at the left side of window. If the last line doesn't fit
+completely, only the part that fits is shown, and the last three characters of
+the last line are replaced with "@@@", like this:
+
+ +-----------------------+
+ |first line |
+ |second line |
+ |a very long line that d|
+ |oesn't fit in the wi@@@|
+ +-----------------------+
+
+If there is a single line that is too long to fit in the window, this is a
+special situation. Vim will show only part of the line, around where the
+cursor is. There are no special characters shown, so that you can edit all
+parts of this line.
+
+The '@' occasion in the 'highlight' option can be used to set special
+highlighting for the '@' and '~' characters. This makes it possible to
+distinguish them from real characters in the buffer.
+
+The 'showbreak' option contains the string to put in front of wrapped lines.
+
+ *wrap-off*
+If the 'wrap' option is off, long lines will not wrap. Only the part that
+fits on the screen is shown. If the cursor is moved to a part of the line
+that is not shown, the screen is scrolled horizontally. The advantage of
+this method is that columns are shown as they are and lines that cannot fit
+on the screen can be edited. The disadvantage is that you cannot see all the
+characters of a line at once. The 'sidescroll' option can be set to the
+minimal number of columns to scroll.
+
+All normal ASCII characters are displayed directly on the screen. The <Tab>
+is replaced with the number of spaces that it represents. Other non-printing
+characters are replaced with "^{char}", where {char} is the non-printing
+character with 64 added. Thus character 7 (bell) will be shown as "^G".
+Characters between 127 and 160 are replaced with "~{char}", where {char} is
+the character with 64 subtracted. These characters occupy more than one
+position on the screen. The cursor can only be positioned on the first one.
+
+If you set the 'number' option, all lines will be preceded with their
+number. Tip: If you don't like wrapping lines to mix with the line numbers,
+set the 'showbreak' option to eight spaces:
+ ":set showbreak=\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ "
+
+If you set the 'list' option, <Tab> characters will not be shown as several
+spaces, but as "^I". A '$' will be placed at the end of the line, so you can
+find trailing blanks.
+
+In Command-line mode only the command-line itself is shown correctly. The
+display of the buffer contents is updated as soon as you go back to Command
+mode.
+
+The last line of the window is used for status and other messages. The
+status messages will only be used if an option is on:
+
+status message option default Unix default ~
+current mode 'showmode' on on
+command characters 'showcmd' on off
+cursor position 'ruler' off off
+
+The current mode is "-- INSERT --" or "-- REPLACE --", see |'showmode'|. The
+command characters are those that you typed but were not used yet.
+
+If you have a slow terminal you can switch off the status messages to speed
+up editing:
+ :set nosc noru nosm
+
+If there is an error, an error message will be shown for at least one second
+(in reverse video).
+
+Some commands show how many lines were affected. Above which threshold this
+happens can be controlled with the 'report' option (default 2).
+
+On the Amiga Vim will run in a CLI window. The name Vim and the full name of
+the current file name will be shown in the title bar. When the window is
+resized, Vim will automatically redraw the window. You may make the window as
+small as you like, but if it gets too small not a single line will fit in it.
+Make it at least 40 characters wide to be able to read most messages on the
+last line.
+
+On most Unix systems, resizing the window is recognized and handled correctly
+by Vim.
+
+==============================================================================
+8. Definitions *definitions*
+
+ buffer Contains lines of text, usually read from a file.
+ screen The whole area that Vim uses to work in. This can be
+ a terminal emulator window. Also called "the Vim
+ window".
+ window A view on a buffer. There can be multiple windows for
+ one buffer.
+
+A screen contains one or more windows, separated by status lines and with the
+command line at the bottom.
+
+ +-------------------------------+
+screen | window 1 | window 2 |
+ | | |
+ | | |
+ |= status line =|= status line =|
+ | window 3 |
+ | |
+ | |
+ |==== status line ==============|
+ |command line |
+ +-------------------------------+
+
+The command line is also used for messages. It scrolls up the screen when
+there is not enough room in the command line.
+
+A difference is made between four types of lines:
+
+ buffer lines The lines in the buffer. This is the same as the
+ lines as they are read from/written to a file. They
+ can be thousands of characters long.
+ logical lines The buffer lines with folding applied. Buffer lines
+ in a closed fold are changed to a single logical line:
+ "+-- 99 lines folded". They can be thousands of
+ characters long.
+ window lines The lines displayed in a window: A range of logical
+ lines with wrapping, line breaks, etc. applied. They
+ can only be as long as the width of the window allows,
+ longer lines are wrapped or truncated.
+ screen lines The lines of the screen that Vim uses. Consists of
+ the window lines of all windows, with status lines
+ and the command line added. They can only be as long
+ as the width of the screen allows. When the command
+ line gets longer it wraps and lines are scrolled to
+ make room.
+
+buffer lines logical lines window lines screen lines ~
+
+1. one 1. one 1. +-- folded 1. +-- folded
+2. two 2. +-- folded 2. five 2. five
+3. three 3. five 3. six 3. six
+4. four 4. six 4. seven 4. seven
+5. five 5. seven 5. === status line ===
+6. six 6. aaa
+7. seven 7. bbb
+ 8. ccc ccc c
+1. aaa 1. aaa 1. aaa 9. cc
+2. bbb 2. bbb 2. bbb 10. ddd
+3. ccc ccc ccc 3. ccc ccc ccc 3. ccc ccc c 11. ~
+4. ddd 4. ddd 4. cc 12. === status line ===
+ 5. ddd 13. (command line)
+ 6. ~
+
+==============================================================================
+ vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: