1*usr_01.txt*	For Vim version 7.3.  Last change: 2008 May 07
2
3		     VIM USER MANUAL - by Bram Moolenaar
4
5			      About the manuals
6
7
8This chapter introduces the manuals available with Vim.  Read this to know the
9conditions under which the commands are explained.
10
11|01.1|	Two manuals
12|01.2|	Vim installed
13|01.3|	Using the Vim tutor
14|01.4|	Copyright
15
16     Next chapter: |usr_02.txt|  The first steps in Vim
17Table of contents: |usr_toc.txt|
18
19==============================================================================
20*01.1*	Two manuals
21
22The Vim documentation consists of two parts:
23
241. The User manual
25   Task oriented explanations, from simple to complex.  Reads from start to
26   end like a book.
27
282. The Reference manual
29   Precise description of how everything in Vim works.
30
31The notation used in these manuals is explained here: |notation|
32
33
34JUMPING AROUND
35
36The text contains hyperlinks between the two parts, allowing you to quickly
37jump between the description of an editing task and a precise explanation of
38the commands and options used for it.  Use these two commands:
39
40	Press  CTRL-]  to jump to a subject under the cursor.
41	Press  CTRL-O  to jump back (repeat to go further back).
42
43Many links are in vertical bars, like this: |bars|.  An option name, like
44'number', a command in double quotes like ":write" and any other word can also
45be used as a link.  Try it out: Move the cursor to  CTRL-]  and press CTRL-]
46on it.
47
48Other subjects can be found with the ":help" command, see |help.txt|.
49
50==============================================================================
51*01.2*	Vim installed
52
53Most of the manuals assume that Vim has been properly installed.  If you
54didn't do that yet, or if Vim doesn't run properly (e.g., files can't be found
55or in the GUI the menus do not show up) first read the chapter on
56installation: |usr_90.txt|.
57							*not-compatible*
58The manuals often assume you are using Vim with Vi-compatibility switched
59off.  For most commands this doesn't matter, but sometimes it is important,
60e.g., for multi-level undo.  An easy way to make sure you are using a nice
61setup is to copy the example vimrc file.  By doing this inside Vim you don't
62have to check out where it is located.  How to do this depends on the system
63you are using:
64
65Unix: >
66	:!cp -i $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim ~/.vimrc
67MS-DOS, MS-Windows, OS/2: >
68	:!copy $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim $VIM/_vimrc
69Amiga: >
70	:!copy $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim $VIM/.vimrc
71
72If the file already exists you probably want to keep it.
73
74If you start Vim now, the 'compatible' option should be off.  You can check it
75with this command: >
76
77	:set compatible?
78
79If it responds with "nocompatible" you are doing well.  If the response is
80"compatible" you are in trouble.  You will have to find out why the option is
81still set.  Perhaps the file you wrote above is not found.  Use this command
82to find out: >
83
84	:scriptnames
85
86If your file is not in the list, check its location and name.  If it is in the
87list, there must be some other place where the 'compatible' option is switched
88back on.
89
90For more info see |vimrc| and |compatible-default|.
91
92	Note:
93	This manual is about using Vim in the normal way.  There is an
94	alternative called "evim" (easy Vim).  This is still Vim, but used in
95	a way that resembles a click-and-type editor like Notepad.  It always
96	stays in Insert mode, thus it feels very different.  It is not
97	explained in the user manual, since it should be mostly self
98	explanatory.  See |evim-keys| for details.
99
100==============================================================================
101*01.3*	Using the Vim tutor				*tutor* *vimtutor*
102
103Instead of reading the text (boring!) you can use the vimtutor to learn your
104first Vim commands.  This is a 30 minute tutorial that teaches the most basic
105Vim functionality hands-on.
106
107On Unix, if Vim has been properly installed, you can start it from the shell:
108>
109	vimtutor
110
111On MS-Windows you can find it in the Program/Vim menu.  Or execute
112vimtutor.bat in the $VIMRUNTIME directory.
113
114This will make a copy of the tutor file, so that you can edit it without
115the risk of damaging the original.
116   There are a few translated versions of the tutor.  To find out if yours is
117available, use the two-letter language code.  For French: >
118
119	vimtutor fr
120
121On Unix, if you prefer using the GUI version of Vim, use "gvimtutor" or
122"vimtutor -g" instead of "vimtutor".
123
124For OpenVMS, if Vim has been properly installed, you can start vimtutor from a
125VMS prompt with: >
126
127	@VIM:vimtutor
128
129Optionally add the two-letter language code as above.
130
131
132On other systems, you have to do a little work:
133
1341. Copy the tutor file.  You can do this with Vim (it knows where to find it):
135>
136	vim -u NONE -c 'e $VIMRUNTIME/tutor/tutor' -c 'w! TUTORCOPY' -c 'q'
137<
138   This will write the file "TUTORCOPY" in the current directory.  To use a
139translated version of the tutor, append the two-letter language code to the
140filename.  For French:
141>
142	vim -u NONE -c 'e $VIMRUNTIME/tutor/tutor.fr' -c 'w! TUTORCOPY' -c 'q'
143<
1442. Edit the copied file with Vim:
145>
146	vim -u NONE -c "set nocp" TUTORCOPY
147<
148   The extra arguments make sure Vim is started in a good mood.
149
1503. Delete the copied file when you are finished with it:
151>
152	del TUTORCOPY
153<
154==============================================================================
155*01.4*	Copyright					*manual-copyright*
156
157The Vim user manual and reference manual are Copyright (c) 1988-2003 by Bram
158Moolenaar.  This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and
159conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, v1.0 or later.  The
160latest version is presently available at:
161	     http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/
162
163People who contribute to the manuals must agree with the above copyright
164notice.
165							*frombook*
166Parts of the user manual come from the book "Vi IMproved - Vim" by Steve
167Oualline (published by New Riders Publishing, ISBN: 0735710015).  The Open
168Publication License applies to this book.  Only selected parts are included
169and these have been modified (e.g., by removing the pictures, updating the
170text for Vim 6.0 and later, fixing mistakes).  The omission of the |frombook|
171tag does not mean that the text does not come from the book.
172
173Many thanks to Steve Oualline and New Riders for creating this book and
174publishing it under the OPL!  It has been a great help while writing the user
175manual.  Not only by providing literal text, but also by setting the tone and
176style.
177
178If you make money through selling the manuals, you are strongly encouraged to
179donate part of the profit to help AIDS victims in Uganda.  See |iccf|.
180
181==============================================================================
182
183Next chapter: |usr_02.txt|  The first steps in Vim
184
185Copyright: see |manual-copyright|  vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl:
186