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diff --git a/runtime/doc/usr_31.txt b/runtime/doc/usr_31.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..455274f --- /dev/null +++ b/runtime/doc/usr_31.txt @@ -0,0 +1,272 @@ +*usr_31.txt* For Vim version 9.0. Last change: 2020 Jul 28 + + VIM USER MANUAL - by Bram Moolenaar + + Exploiting the GUI + + +Vim works well in a terminal, but the GUI has a few extra items. A file +browser can be used for commands that use a file. A dialog to make a choice +between alternatives. Use keyboard shortcuts to access menu items quickly. + +|31.1| The file browser +|31.2| Confirmation +|31.3| Menu shortcuts +|31.4| Vim window position and size +|31.5| Various + + Next chapter: |usr_32.txt| The undo tree + Previous chapter: |usr_30.txt| Editing programs +Table of contents: |usr_toc.txt| + +============================================================================== +*31.1* The file browser + +When using the File/Open... menu you get a file browser. This makes it easier +to find the file you want to edit. But what if you want to split a window to +edit another file? There is no menu entry for this. You could first use +Window/Split and then File/Open..., but that's more work. + Since you are typing most commands in Vim, opening the file browser with a +typed command is possible as well. To make the split command use the file +browser, prepend "browse": > + + :browse split + +Select a file and then the ":split" command will be executed with it. If you +cancel the file dialog nothing happens, the window isn't split. + You can also specify a file name argument. This is used to tell the file +browser where to start. Example: > + + :browse split /etc + +The file browser will pop up, starting in the directory "/etc". + +The ":browse" command can be prepended to just about any command that opens a +file. + If no directory is specified, Vim will decide where to start the file +browser. By default it uses the same directory as the last time. Thus when +you used ":browse split" and selected a file in "/usr/local/share", the next +time you use a ":browse" it will start in "/usr/local/share" again. + This can be changed with the 'browsedir' option. It can have one of three +values: + + last Use the last directory browsed (default) + buffer Use the same directory as the current buffer + current use the current directory + +For example, when you are in the directory "/usr", editing the file +"/usr/local/share/readme", then the command: > + + :set browsedir=buffer + :browse edit + +Will start the browser in "/usr/local/share". Alternatively: > + + :set browsedir=current + :browse edit + +Will start the browser in "/usr". + + Note: + To avoid using the mouse, most file browsers offer using key presses + to navigate. Since this is different for every system, it is not + explained here. Vim uses a standard browser when possible, your + system documentation should contain an explanation on the keyboard + shortcuts somewhere. + +When you are not using the GUI version, you could use the file explorer window +to select files like in a file browser. However, this doesn't work for the +":browse" command. See |netrw-browse|. + +============================================================================== +*31.2* Confirmation + +Vim protects you from accidentally overwriting a file and other ways to lose +changes. If you do something that might be a bad thing to do, Vim produces an +error message and suggests appending ! if you really want to do it. + To avoid retyping the command with the !, you can make Vim give you a +dialog. You can then press "OK" or "Cancel" to tell Vim what you want. + For example, you are editing a file and made changes to it. You start +editing another file with: > + + :confirm edit foo.txt + +Vim will pop up a dialog that looks something like this: + + +-----------------------------------+ + | | + | ? Save changes to "bar.txt"? | + | | + | YES NO CANCEL | + +-----------------------------------+ + +Now make your choice. If you do want to save the changes, select "YES". If +you want to lose the changes for ever: "NO". If you forgot what you were +doing and want to check what really changed use "CANCEL". You will be back in +the same file, with the changes still there. + +Just like ":browse", the ":confirm" command can be prepended to most commands +that edit another file. They can also be combined: > + + :confirm browse edit + +This will produce a dialog when the current buffer was changed. Then it will +pop up a file browser to select the file to edit. + + Note: + In the dialog you can use the keyboard to select the choice. + Typically the <Tab> key and the cursor keys change the choice. + Pressing <Enter> selects the choice. This depends on the system + though. + +When you are not using the GUI, the ":confirm" command works as well. Instead +of popping up a dialog, Vim will print the message at the bottom of the Vim +window and ask you to press a key to make a choice. > + + :confirm edit main.c +< Save changes to "Untitled"? ~ + [Y]es, (N)o, (C)ancel: ~ + +You can now press the single key for the choice. You don't have to press +<Enter>, unlike other typing on the command line. + +============================================================================== +*31.3* Menu shortcuts + +The keyboard is used for all Vim commands. The menus provide a simple way to +select commands, without knowing what they are called. But you have to move +your hand from the keyboard and grab the mouse. + Menus can often be selected with keys as well. This depends on your +system, but most often it works this way. Use the <Alt> key in combination +with the underlined letter of a menu. For example, <A-w> (<Alt> and w) pops +up the Window menu. + In the Window menu, the "split" item has the p underlined. To select it, +let go of the <Alt> key and press p. + +After the first selection of a menu with the <Alt> key, you can use the cursor +keys to move through the menus. <Right> selects a submenu and <left> closes +it. <Esc> also closes a menu. <Enter> selects a menu item. + +There is a conflict between using the <Alt> key to select menu items, and +using <Alt> key combinations for mappings. The 'winaltkeys' option tells Vim +what it should do with the <Alt> key. + The default value "menu" is the smart choice: If the key combination is a +menu shortcut it can't be mapped. All other keys are available for mapping. + The value "no" doesn't use any <Alt> keys for the menus. Thus you must use +the mouse for the menus, and all <Alt> keys can be mapped. + The value "yes" means that Vim will use any <Alt> keys for the menus. Some +<Alt> key combinations may also do other things than selecting a menu. + +============================================================================== +*31.4* Vim window position and size + +To see the current Vim window position on the screen use: > + + :winpos + +This will only work in the GUI. The output may look like this: + + Window position: X 272, Y 103 ~ + +The position is given in screen pixels. Now you can use the numbers to move +Vim somewhere else. For example, to move it to the left a hundred pixels: > + + :winpos 172 103 +< + Note: + There may be a small offset between the reported position and where + the window moves. This is because of the border around the window. + This is added by the window manager. + +You can use this command in your startup script to position the window at a +specific position. + +The size of the Vim window is computed in characters. Thus this depends on +the size of the font being used. You can see the current size with this +command: > + + :set lines columns + +To change the size set the 'lines' and/or 'columns' options to a new value: > + + :set lines=50 + :set columns=80 + +Obtaining the size works in a terminal just like in the GUI. Setting the size +is not possible in most terminals. + +You can start the X-Windows version of gvim with an argument to specify the +size and position of the window: > + + gvim -geometry {width}x{height}+{x-offset}+{y-offset} + +{width} and {height} are in characters, {x-offset} and {y-offset} are in +pixels. Example: > + + gvim -geometry 80x25+100+300 + +============================================================================== +*31.5* Various + +You can use gvim to edit an e-mail message. In your e-mail program you must +select gvim to be the editor for messages. When you try that, you will +see that it doesn't work: The mail program thinks that editing is finished, +while gvim is still running! + What happens is that gvim disconnects from the shell it was started in. +That is fine when you start gvim in a terminal, so that you can do other work +in that terminal. But when you really want to wait for gvim to finish, you +must prevent it from disconnecting. The "-f" argument does this: > + + gvim -f file.txt + +The "-f" stands for foreground. Now Vim will block the shell it was started +in until you finish editing and exit. + + +DELAYED START OF THE GUI + +On Unix it's possible to first start Vim in a terminal. That's useful if you +do various tasks in the same shell. If you are editing a file and decide you +want to use the GUI after all, you can start it with: > + + :gui + +Vim will open the GUI window and no longer use the terminal. You can continue +using the terminal for something else. The "-f" argument is used here to run +the GUI in the foreground. You can also use ":gui -f". + + +THE GVIM STARTUP FILE + +When gvim starts, it reads the gvimrc file. That's similar to the vimrc file +used when starting Vim. The gvimrc file can be used for settings and commands +that are only to be used when the GUI is going to be started. For example, +you can set the 'lines' option to set a different window size: > + + :set lines=55 + +You don't want to do this in a terminal, since its size is fixed (except for +an xterm that supports resizing). + The gvimrc file is searched for in the same locations as the vimrc file. +Normally its name is "~/.gvimrc" for Unix and "$VIM/_gvimrc" for MS-Windows. +The $MYGVIMRC environment variable is set to it, thus you can use this command +to edit the file, if you have one: > + + :edit $MYGVIMRC +< + If for some reason you don't want to use the normal gvimrc file, you can +specify another one with the "-U" argument: > + + gvim -U thisrc ... + +That allows starting gvim for different kinds of editing. You could set +another font size, for example. + To completely skip reading a gvimrc file: > + + gvim -U NONE ... + +============================================================================== + +Next chapter: |usr_32.txt| The undo tree + +Copyright: see |manual-copyright| vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: |