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diff --git a/vim73/doc/options.txt b/vim73/doc/options.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4b5df2d --- /dev/null +++ b/vim73/doc/options.txt @@ -0,0 +1,8075 @@ +*options.txt* For Vim version 7.3. Last change: 2010 Dec 11 + + + VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar + + +Options *options* + +1. Setting options |set-option| +2. Automatically setting options |auto-setting| +3. Options summary |option-summary| + +For an overview of options see help.txt |option-list|. + +Vim has a number of internal variables and switches which can be set to +achieve special effects. These options come in three forms: + boolean can only be on or off *boolean* *toggle* + number has a numeric value + string has a string value + +============================================================================== +1. Setting options *set-option* *E764* + + *:se* *:set* +:se[t] Show all options that differ from their default value. + +:se[t] all Show all but terminal options. + +:se[t] termcap Show all terminal options. Note that in the GUI the + key codes are not shown, because they are generated + internally and can't be changed. Changing the terminal + codes in the GUI is not useful either... + + *E518* *E519* +:se[t] {option}? Show value of {option}. + +:se[t] {option} Toggle option: set, switch it on. + Number option: show value. + String option: show value. + +:se[t] no{option} Toggle option: Reset, switch it off. + + *:set-!* *:set-inv* +:se[t] {option}! or +:se[t] inv{option} Toggle option: Invert value. {not in Vi} + + *:set-default* *:set-&* *:set-&vi* *:set-&vim* +:se[t] {option}& Reset option to its default value. May depend on the + current value of 'compatible'. {not in Vi} +:se[t] {option}&vi Reset option to its Vi default value. {not in Vi} +:se[t] {option}&vim Reset option to its Vim default value. {not in Vi} + +:se[t] all& Set all options, except terminal options, to their + default value. The values of 'term', 'lines' and + 'columns' are not changed. {not in Vi} + + *:set-args* *E487* *E521* +:se[t] {option}={value} or +:se[t] {option}:{value} + Set string or number option to {value}. + For numeric options the value can be given in decimal, + hex (preceded with 0x) or octal (preceded with '0') + (hex and octal are only available for machines which + have the strtol() function). + The old value can be inserted by typing 'wildchar' (by + default this is a <Tab> or CTRL-E if 'compatible' is + set). See |cmdline-completion|. + White space between {option} and '=' is allowed and + will be ignored. White space between '=' and {value} + is not allowed. + See |option-backslash| for using white space and + backslashes in {value}. + +:se[t] {option}+={value} *:set+=* + Add the {value} to a number option, or append the + {value} to a string option. When the option is a + comma separated list, a comma is added, unless the + value was empty. + If the option is a list of flags, superfluous flags + are removed. When adding a flag that was already + present the option value doesn't change. + Also see |:set-args| above. + {not in Vi} + +:se[t] {option}^={value} *:set^=* + Multiply the {value} to a number option, or prepend + the {value} to a string option. When the option is a + comma separated list, a comma is added, unless the + value was empty. + Also see |:set-args| above. + {not in Vi} + +:se[t] {option}-={value} *:set-=* + Subtract the {value} from a number option, or remove + the {value} from a string option, if it is there. + If the {value} is not found in a string option, there + is no error or warning. When the option is a comma + separated list, a comma is deleted, unless the option + becomes empty. + When the option is a list of flags, {value} must be + exactly as they appear in the option. Remove flags + one by one to avoid problems. + Also see |:set-args| above. + {not in Vi} + +The {option} arguments to ":set" may be repeated. For example: > + :set ai nosi sw=3 ts=3 +If you make an error in one of the arguments, an error message will be given +and the following arguments will be ignored. + + *:set-verbose* +When 'verbose' is non-zero, displaying an option value will also tell where it +was last set. Example: > + :verbose set shiftwidth cindent? +< shiftwidth=4 ~ + Last set from modeline ~ + cindent ~ + Last set from /usr/local/share/vim/vim60/ftplugin/c.vim ~ +This is only done when specific option values are requested, not for ":verbose +set all" or ":verbose set" without an argument. +When the option was set by hand there is no "Last set" message. +When the option was set while executing a function, user command or +autocommand, the script in which it was defined is reported. +Note that an option may also have been set as a side effect of setting +'compatible'. +A few special texts: + Last set from modeline ~ + Option was set in a |modeline|. + Last set from --cmd argument ~ + Option was set with command line argument |--cmd| or +. + Last set from -c argument ~ + Option was set with command line argument |-c|, +, |-S| or + |-q|. + Last set from environment variable ~ + Option was set from an environment variable, $VIMINIT, + $GVIMINIT or $EXINIT. + Last set from error handler ~ + Option was cleared when evaluating it resulted in an error. + +{not available when compiled without the |+eval| feature} + + *:set-termcap* *E522* +For {option} the form "t_xx" may be used to set a terminal option. This will +override the value from the termcap. You can then use it in a mapping. If +the "xx" part contains special characters, use the <t_xx> form: > + :set <t_#4>=^[Ot +This can also be used to translate a special code for a normal key. For +example, if Alt-b produces <Esc>b, use this: > + :set <M-b>=^[b +(the ^[ is a real <Esc> here, use CTRL-V <Esc> to enter it) +The advantage over a mapping is that it works in all situations. + +The t_xx options cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for +security reasons. + +The listing from ":set" looks different from Vi. Long string options are put +at the end of the list. The number of options is quite large. The output of +"set all" probably does not fit on the screen, causing Vim to give the +|more-prompt|. + + *option-backslash* +To include white space in a string option value it has to be preceded with a +backslash. To include a backslash you have to use two. Effectively this +means that the number of backslashes in an option value is halved (rounded +down). +A few examples: > + :set tags=tags\ /usr/tags results in "tags /usr/tags" + :set tags=tags\\,file results in "tags\,file" + :set tags=tags\\\ file results in "tags\ file" + +The "|" character separates a ":set" command from a following command. To +include the "|" in the option value, use "\|" instead. This example sets the +'titlestring' option to "hi|there": > + :set titlestring=hi\|there +This sets the 'titlestring' option to "hi" and 'iconstring' to "there": > + :set titlestring=hi|set iconstring=there + +Similarly, the double quote character starts a comment. To include the '"' in +the option value, use '\"' instead. This example sets the 'titlestring' +option to 'hi "there"': > + :set titlestring=hi\ \"there\" + +For MS-DOS and WIN32 backslashes in file names are mostly not removed. More +precise: For options that expect a file name (those where environment +variables are expanded) a backslash before a normal file name character is not +removed. But a backslash before a special character (space, backslash, comma, +etc.) is used like explained above. +There is one special situation, when the value starts with "\\": > + :set dir=\\machine\path results in "\\machine\path" + :set dir=\\\\machine\\path results in "\\machine\path" + :set dir=\\path\\file results in "\\path\file" (wrong!) +For the first one the start is kept, but for the second one the backslashes +are halved. This makes sure it works both when you expect backslashes to be +halved and when you expect the backslashes to be kept. The third gives a +result which is probably not what you want. Avoid it. + + *add-option-flags* *remove-option-flags* + *E539* *E550* *E551* *E552* +Some options are a list of flags. When you want to add a flag to such an +option, without changing the existing ones, you can do it like this: > + :set guioptions+=a +Remove a flag from an option like this: > + :set guioptions-=a +This removes the 'a' flag from 'guioptions'. +Note that you should add or remove one flag at a time. If 'guioptions' has +the value "ab", using "set guioptions-=ba" won't work, because the string "ba" +doesn't appear. + + *:set_env* *expand-env* *expand-environment-var* +Environment variables in specific string options will be expanded. If the +environment variable exists the '$' and the following environment variable +name is replaced with its value. If it does not exist the '$' and the name +are not modified. Any non-id character (not a letter, digit or '_') may +follow the environment variable name. That character and what follows is +appended to the value of the environment variable. Examples: > + :set term=$TERM.new + :set path=/usr/$INCLUDE,$HOME/include,. +When adding or removing a string from an option with ":set opt-=val" or ":set +opt+=val" the expansion is done before the adding or removing. + + +Handling of local options *local-options* + +Some of the options only apply to a window or buffer. Each window or buffer +has its own copy of this option, thus can each have their own value. This +allows you to set 'list' in one window but not in another. And set +'shiftwidth' to 3 in one buffer and 4 in another. + +The following explains what happens to these local options in specific +situations. You don't really need to know all of this, since Vim mostly uses +the option values you would expect. Unfortunately, doing what the user +expects is a bit complicated... + +When splitting a window, the local options are copied to the new window. Thus +right after the split the contents of the two windows look the same. + +When editing a new buffer, its local option values must be initialized. Since +the local options of the current buffer might be specifically for that buffer, +these are not used. Instead, for each buffer-local option there also is a +global value, which is used for new buffers. With ":set" both the local and +global value is changed. With "setlocal" only the local value is changed, +thus this value is not used when editing a new buffer. + +When editing a buffer that has been edited before, the last used window +options are used again. If this buffer has been edited in this window, the +values from back then are used. Otherwise the values from the window where +the buffer was edited last are used. + +It's possible to set a local window option specifically for a type of buffer. +When you edit another buffer in the same window, you don't want to keep +using these local window options. Therefore Vim keeps a global value of the +local window options, which is used when editing another buffer. Each window +has its own copy of these values. Thus these are local to the window, but +global to all buffers in the window. With this you can do: > + :e one + :set list + :e two +Now the 'list' option will also be set in "two", since with the ":set list" +command you have also set the global value. > + :set nolist + :e one + :setlocal list + :e two +Now the 'list' option is not set, because ":set nolist" resets the global +value, ":setlocal list" only changes the local value and ":e two" gets the +global value. Note that if you do this next: > + :e one +You will not get back the 'list' value as it was the last time you edited +"one". The options local to a window are not remembered for each buffer. + + *:setl* *:setlocal* +:setl[ocal] ... Like ":set" but set only the value local to the + current buffer or window. Not all options have a + local value. If the option does not have a local + value the global value is set. + With the "all" argument: display local values for all + local options. + Without argument: Display local values for all local + options which are different from the default. + When displaying a specific local option, show the + local value. For a global/local boolean option, when + the global value is being used, "--" is displayed + before the option name. + For a global option the global value is + shown (but that might change in the future). + {not in Vi} + +:setl[ocal] {option}< Set the local value of {option} to its global value by + copying the value. + {not in Vi} + +:se[t] {option}< Set the local value of {option} to its global value by + making it empty. Only makes sense for |global-local| + options. + {not in Vi} + + *:setg* *:setglobal* +:setg[lobal] ... Like ":set" but set only the global value for a local + option without changing the local value. + When displaying an option, the global value is shown. + With the "all" argument: display global values for all + local options. + Without argument: display global values for all local + options which are different from the default. + {not in Vi} + +For buffer-local and window-local options: + Command global value local value ~ + :set option=value set set + :setlocal option=value - set +:setglobal option=value set - + :set option? - display + :setlocal option? - display +:setglobal option? display - + + +Global options with a local value *global-local* + +Options are global when you mostly use one value for all buffers and windows. +For some global options it's useful to sometimes have a different local value. +You can set the local value with ":setlocal". That buffer or window will then +use the local value, while other buffers and windows continue using the global +value. + +For example, you have two windows, both on C source code. They use the global +'makeprg' option. If you do this in one of the two windows: > + :set makeprg=gmake +then the other window will switch to the same value. There is no need to set +the 'makeprg' option in the other C source window too. +However, if you start editing a Perl file in a new window, you want to use +another 'makeprg' for it, without changing the value used for the C source +files. You use this command: > + :setlocal makeprg=perlmake +You can switch back to using the global value by making the local value empty: > + :setlocal makeprg= +This only works for a string option. For a boolean option you need to use the +"<" flag, like this: > + :setlocal autoread< +Note that for non-boolean options using "<" copies the global value to the +local value, it doesn't switch back to using the global value (that matters +when the global value changes later). You can also use: > + :set path< +This will make the local value of 'path' empty, so that the global value is +used. Thus it does the same as: > + :setlocal path= +Note: In the future more global options can be made global-local. Using +":setlocal" on a global option might work differently then. + + +Setting the filetype + +:setf[iletype] {filetype} *:setf* *:setfiletype* + Set the 'filetype' option to {filetype}, but only if + not done yet in a sequence of (nested) autocommands. + This is short for: > + :if !did_filetype() + : setlocal filetype={filetype} + :endif +< This command is used in a filetype.vim file to avoid + setting the 'filetype' option twice, causing different + settings and syntax files to be loaded. + {not in Vi} + +:bro[wse] se[t] *:set-browse* *:browse-set* *:opt* *:options* +:opt[ions] Open a window for viewing and setting all options. + Options are grouped by function. + Offers short help for each option. Hit <CR> on the + short help to open a help window with more help for + the option. + Modify the value of the option and hit <CR> on the + "set" line to set the new value. For window and + buffer specific options, the last accessed window is + used to set the option value in, unless this is a help + window, in which case the window below help window is + used (skipping the option-window). + {not available when compiled without the |+eval| or + |+autocmd| features} + + *$HOME* +Using "~" is like using "$HOME", but it is only recognized at the start of an +option and after a space or comma. + +On Unix systems "~user" can be used too. It is replaced by the home directory +of user "user". Example: > + :set path=~mool/include,/usr/include,. + +On Unix systems the form "${HOME}" can be used too. The name between {} can +contain non-id characters then. Note that if you want to use this for the +"gf" command, you need to add the '{' and '}' characters to 'isfname'. + +NOTE: expanding environment variables and "~/" is only done with the ":set" +command, not when assigning a value to an option with ":let". + + +Note the maximum length of an expanded option is limited. How much depends on +the system, mostly it is something like 256 or 1024 characters. + + *:fix* *:fixdel* +:fix[del] Set the value of 't_kD': + 't_kb' is 't_kD' becomes ~ + CTRL-? CTRL-H + not CTRL-? CTRL-? + + (CTRL-? is 0177 octal, 0x7f hex) {not in Vi} + + If your delete key terminal code is wrong, but the + code for backspace is alright, you can put this in + your .vimrc: > + :fixdel +< This works no matter what the actual code for + backspace is. + + If the backspace key terminal code is wrong you can + use this: > + :if &term == "termname" + : set t_kb=^V<BS> + : fixdel + :endif +< Where "^V" is CTRL-V and "<BS>" is the backspace key + (don't type four characters!). Replace "termname" + with your terminal name. + + If your <Delete> key sends a strange key sequence (not + CTRL-? or CTRL-H) you cannot use ":fixdel". Then use: > + :if &term == "termname" + : set t_kD=^V<Delete> + :endif +< Where "^V" is CTRL-V and "<Delete>" is the delete key + (don't type eight characters!). Replace "termname" + with your terminal name. + + *Linux-backspace* + Note about Linux: By default the backspace key + produces CTRL-?, which is wrong. You can fix it by + putting this line in your rc.local: > + echo "keycode 14 = BackSpace" | loadkeys +< + *NetBSD-backspace* + Note about NetBSD: If your backspace doesn't produce + the right code, try this: > + xmodmap -e "keycode 22 = BackSpace" +< If this works, add this in your .Xmodmap file: > + keysym 22 = BackSpace +< You need to restart for this to take effect. + +============================================================================== +2. Automatically setting options *auto-setting* + +Besides changing options with the ":set" command, there are three alternatives +to set options automatically for one or more files: + +1. When starting Vim initializations are read from various places. See + |initialization|. Most of them are performed for all editing sessions, + and some of them depend on the directory where Vim is started. + You can create an initialization file with |:mkvimrc|, |:mkview| and + |:mksession|. +2. If you start editing a new file, the automatic commands are executed. + This can be used to set options for files matching a particular pattern and + many other things. See |autocommand|. +3. If you start editing a new file, and the 'modeline' option is on, a + number of lines at the beginning and end of the file are checked for + modelines. This is explained here. + + *modeline* *vim:* *vi:* *ex:* *E520* +There are two forms of modelines. The first form: + [text]{white}{vi:|vim:|ex:}[white]{options} + +[text] any text or empty +{white} at least one blank character (<Space> or <Tab>) +{vi:|vim:|ex:} the string "vi:", "vim:" or "ex:" +[white] optional white space +{options} a list of option settings, separated with white space or ':', + where each part between ':' is the argument for a ":set" + command (can be empty) + +Example: + vi:noai:sw=3 ts=6 ~ + +The second form (this is compatible with some versions of Vi): + + [text]{white}{vi:|vim:|ex:}[white]se[t] {options}:[text] + +[text] any text or empty +{white} at least one blank character (<Space> or <Tab>) +{vi:|vim:|ex:} the string "vi:", "vim:" or "ex:" +[white] optional white space +se[t] the string "set " or "se " (note the space) +{options} a list of options, separated with white space, which is the + argument for a ":set" command +: a colon +[text] any text or empty + +Example: + /* vim: set ai tw=75: */ ~ + +The white space before {vi:|vim:|ex:} is required. This minimizes the chance +that a normal word like "lex:" is caught. There is one exception: "vi:" and +"vim:" can also be at the start of the line (for compatibility with version +3.0). Using "ex:" at the start of the line will be ignored (this could be +short for "example:"). + + *modeline-local* +The options are set like with ":setlocal": The new value only applies to the +buffer and window that contain the file. Although it's possible to set global +options from a modeline, this is unusual. If you have two windows open and +the files in it set the same global option to a different value, the result +depends on which one was opened last. + +When editing a file that was already loaded, only the window-local options +from the modeline are used. Thus if you manually changed a buffer-local +option after opening the file, it won't be changed if you edit the same buffer +in another window. But window-local options will be set. + + *modeline-version* +If the modeline is only to be used for some versions of Vim, the version +number can be specified where "vim:" is used: + vim{vers}: version {vers} or later + vim<{vers}: version before {vers} + vim={vers}: version {vers} + vim>{vers}: version after {vers} +{vers} is 600 for Vim 6.0 (hundred times the major version plus minor). +For example, to use a modeline only for Vim 6.0 and later: + /* vim600: set foldmethod=marker: */ ~ +To use a modeline for Vim before version 5.7: + /* vim<570: set sw=4: */ ~ +There can be no blanks between "vim" and the ":". + + +The number of lines that are checked can be set with the 'modelines' option. +If 'modeline' is off or 'modelines' is 0 no lines are checked. + +Note that for the first form all of the rest of the line is used, thus a line +like: + /* vi:ts=4: */ ~ +will give an error message for the trailing "*/". This line is OK: + /* vi:set ts=4: */ ~ + +If an error is detected the rest of the line is skipped. + +If you want to include a ':' in a set command precede it with a '\'. The +backslash in front of the ':' will be removed. Example: + /* vi:set dir=c\:\tmp: */ ~ +This sets the 'dir' option to "c:\tmp". Only a single backslash before the +':' is removed. Thus to include "\:" you have to specify "\\:". + +No other commands than "set" are supported, for security reasons (somebody +might create a Trojan horse text file with modelines). And not all options +can be set. For some options a flag is set, so that when it's used the +|sandbox| is effective. Still, there is always a small risk that a modeline +causes trouble. E.g., when some joker sets 'textwidth' to 5 all your lines +are wrapped unexpectedly. So disable modelines before editing untrusted text. +The mail ftplugin does this, for example. + +Hint: If you would like to do something else than setting an option, you could +define an autocommand that checks the file for a specific string. For +example: > + au BufReadPost * if getline(1) =~ "VAR" | call SetVar() | endif +And define a function SetVar() that does something with the line containing +"VAR". + +============================================================================== +3. Options summary *option-summary* + +In the list below all the options are mentioned with their full name and with +an abbreviation if there is one. Both forms may be used. + +In this document when a boolean option is "set" that means that ":set option" +is entered. When an option is "reset", ":set nooption" is used. + +For some options there are two default values: The "Vim default", which is +used when 'compatible' is not set, and the "Vi default", which is used when +'compatible' is set. + +Most options are the same in all windows and buffers. There are a few that +are specific to how the text is presented in a window. These can be set to a +different value in each window. For example the 'list' option can be set in +one window and reset in another for the same text, giving both types of view +at the same time. There are a few options that are specific to a certain +file. These can have a different value for each file or buffer. For example +the 'textwidth' option can be 78 for a normal text file and 0 for a C +program. + + global one option for all buffers and windows + local to window each window has its own copy of this option + local to buffer each buffer has its own copy of this option + +When creating a new window the option values from the currently active window +are used as a default value for the window-specific options. For the +buffer-specific options this depends on the 's' and 'S' flags in the +'cpoptions' option. If 's' is included (which is the default) the values for +buffer options are copied from the currently active buffer when a buffer is +first entered. If 'S' is present the options are copied each time the buffer +is entered, this is almost like having global options. If 's' and 'S' are not +present, the options are copied from the currently active buffer when the +buffer is created. + +Hidden options *hidden-options* + +Not all options are supported in all versions. This depends on the supported +features and sometimes on the system. A remark about this is in curly braces +below. When an option is not supported it may still be set without getting an +error, this is called a hidden option. You can't get the value of a hidden +option though, it is not stored. + +To test if option "foo" can be used with ":set" use something like this: > + if exists('&foo') +This also returns true for a hidden option. To test if option "foo" is really +supported use something like this: > + if exists('+foo') +< + *E355* +A jump table for the options with a short description can be found at |Q_op|. + + *'aleph'* *'al'* *aleph* *Aleph* +'aleph' 'al' number (default 128 for MS-DOS, 224 otherwise) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft| + feature} + The ASCII code for the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The + routine that maps the keyboard in Hebrew mode, both in Insert mode + (when hkmap is set) and on the command-line (when hitting CTRL-_) + outputs the Hebrew characters in the range [aleph..aleph+26]. + aleph=128 applies to PC code, and aleph=224 applies to ISO 8859-8. + See |rileft.txt|. + + *'allowrevins'* *'ari'* *'noallowrevins'* *'noari'* +'allowrevins' 'ari' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft| + feature} + Allow CTRL-_ in Insert and Command-line mode. This is default off, to + avoid that users that accidentally type CTRL-_ instead of SHIFT-_ get + into reverse Insert mode, and don't know how to get out. See + 'revins'. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'altkeymap'* *'akm'* *'noaltkeymap'* *'noakm'* +'altkeymap' 'akm' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+farsi| + feature} + When on, the second language is Farsi. In editing mode CTRL-_ toggles + the keyboard map between Farsi and English, when 'allowrevins' set. + + When off, the keyboard map toggles between Hebrew and English. This + is useful to start the Vim in native mode i.e. English (left-to-right + mode) and have default second language Farsi or Hebrew (right-to-left + mode). See |farsi.txt|. + + *'ambiwidth'* *'ambw'* +'ambiwidth' 'ambw' string (default: "single") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| + feature} + Only effective when 'encoding' is "utf-8" or another Unicode encoding. + Tells Vim what to do with characters with East Asian Width Class + Ambiguous (such as Euro, Registered Sign, Copyright Sign, Greek + letters, Cyrillic letters). + + There are currently two possible values: + "single": Use the same width as characters in US-ASCII. This is + expected by most users. + "double": Use twice the width of ASCII characters. + *E834* *E835* + The value "double" cannot be used if 'listchars' or 'fillchars' + contains a character that would be double width. + + There are a number of CJK fonts for which the width of glyphs for + those characters are solely based on how many octets they take in + legacy/traditional CJK encodings. In those encodings, Euro, + Registered sign, Greek/Cyrillic letters are represented by two octets, + therefore those fonts have "wide" glyphs for them. This is also + true of some line drawing characters used to make tables in text + file. Therefore, when a CJK font is used for GUI Vim or + Vim is running inside a terminal (emulators) that uses a CJK font + (or Vim is run inside an xterm invoked with "-cjkwidth" option.), + this option should be set to "double" to match the width perceived + by Vim with the width of glyphs in the font. Perhaps it also has + to be set to "double" under CJK Windows 9x/ME or Windows 2k/XP + when the system locale is set to one of CJK locales. See Unicode + Standard Annex #11 (http://www.unicode.org/reports/tr11). + + *'antialias'* *'anti'* *'noantialias'* *'noanti'* +'antialias' 'anti' boolean (default: off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with GUI enabled + on Mac OS X} + This option only has an effect in the GUI version of Vim on Mac OS X + v10.2 or later. When on, Vim will use smooth ("antialiased") fonts, + which can be easier to read at certain sizes on certain displays. + Setting this option can sometimes cause problems if 'guifont' is set + to its default (empty string). + + *'autochdir'* *'acd'* *'noautochdir'* *'noacd'* +'autochdir' 'acd' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with it, use + exists("+autochdir") to check} + When on, Vim will change the current working directory whenever you + open a file, switch buffers, delete a buffer or open/close a window. + It will change to the directory containing the file which was opened + or selected. + This option is provided for backward compatibility with the Vim + released with Sun ONE Studio 4 Enterprise Edition. + Note: When this option is on some plugins may not work. + + *'arabic'* *'arab'* *'noarabic'* *'noarab'* +'arabic' 'arab' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+arabic| + feature} + This option can be set to start editing Arabic text. + Setting this option will: + - Set the 'rightleft' option, unless 'termbidi' is set. + - Set the 'arabicshape' option, unless 'termbidi' is set. + - Set the 'keymap' option to "arabic"; in Insert mode CTRL-^ toggles + between typing English and Arabic key mapping. + - Set the 'delcombine' option + Note that 'encoding' must be "utf-8" for working with Arabic text. + + Resetting this option will: + - Reset the 'rightleft' option. + - Disable the use of 'keymap' (without changing its value). + Note that 'arabicshape' and 'delcombine' are not reset (it is a global + option. + Also see |arabic.txt|. + + *'arabicshape'* *'arshape'* + *'noarabicshape'* *'noarshape'* +'arabicshape' 'arshape' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+arabic| + feature} + When on and 'termbidi' is off, the required visual character + corrections that need to take place for displaying the Arabic language + take affect. Shaping, in essence, gets enabled; the term is a broad + one which encompasses: + a) the changing/morphing of characters based on their location + within a word (initial, medial, final and stand-alone). + b) the enabling of the ability to compose characters + c) the enabling of the required combining of some characters + When disabled the display shows each character's true stand-alone + form. + Arabic is a complex language which requires other settings, for + further details see |arabic.txt|. + + *'autoindent'* *'ai'* *'noautoindent'* *'noai'* +'autoindent' 'ai' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + Copy indent from current line when starting a new line (typing <CR> + in Insert mode or when using the "o" or "O" command). If you do not + type anything on the new line except <BS> or CTRL-D and then type + <Esc>, CTRL-O or <CR>, the indent is deleted again. Moving the cursor + to another line has the same effect, unless the 'I' flag is included + in 'cpoptions'. + When autoindent is on, formatting (with the "gq" command or when you + reach 'textwidth' in Insert mode) uses the indentation of the first + line. + When 'smartindent' or 'cindent' is on the indent is changed in + a different way. + The 'autoindent' option is reset when the 'paste' option is set. + {small difference from Vi: After the indent is deleted when typing + <Esc> or <CR>, the cursor position when moving up or down is after the + deleted indent; Vi puts the cursor somewhere in the deleted indent}. + + *'autoread'* *'ar'* *'noautoread'* *'noar'* +'autoread' 'ar' boolean (default off) + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + When a file has been detected to have been changed outside of Vim and + it has not been changed inside of Vim, automatically read it again. + When the file has been deleted this is not done. |timestamp| + If this option has a local value, use this command to switch back to + using the global value: > + :set autoread< +< + *'autowrite'* *'aw'* *'noautowrite'* *'noaw'* +'autowrite' 'aw' boolean (default off) + global + Write the contents of the file, if it has been modified, on each + :next, :rewind, :last, :first, :previous, :stop, :suspend, :tag, :!, + :make, CTRL-] and CTRL-^ command; and when a :buffer, CTRL-O, CTRL-I, + '{A-Z0-9}, or `{A-Z0-9} command takes one to another file. + Note that for some commands the 'autowrite' option is not used, see + 'autowriteall' for that. + + *'autowriteall'* *'awa'* *'noautowriteall'* *'noawa'* +'autowriteall' 'awa' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + Like 'autowrite', but also used for commands ":edit", ":enew", ":quit", + ":qall", ":exit", ":xit", ":recover" and closing the Vim window. + Setting this option also implies that Vim behaves like 'autowrite' has + been set. + + *'background'* *'bg'* +'background' 'bg' string (default "dark" or "light") + global + {not in Vi} + When set to "dark", Vim will try to use colors that look good on a + dark background. When set to "light", Vim will try to use colors that + look good on a light background. Any other value is illegal. + Vim tries to set the default value according to the terminal used. + This will not always be correct. + Setting this option does not change the background color, it tells Vim + what the background color looks like. For changing the background + color, see |:hi-normal|. + + When 'background' is set Vim will adjust the default color groups for + the new value. But the colors used for syntax highlighting will not + change. *g:colors_name* + When a color scheme is loaded (the "g:colors_name" variable is set) + setting 'background' will cause the color scheme to be reloaded. If + the color scheme adjusts to the value of 'background' this will work. + However, if the color scheme sets 'background' itself the effect may + be undone. First delete the "g:colors_name" variable when needed. + + When setting 'background' to the default value with: > + :set background& +< Vim will guess the value. In the GUI this should work correctly, + in other cases Vim might not be able to guess the right value. + + When starting the GUI, the default value for 'background' will be + "light". When the value is not set in the .gvimrc, and Vim detects + that the background is actually quite dark, 'background' is set to + "dark". But this happens only AFTER the .gvimrc file has been read + (because the window needs to be opened to find the actual background + color). To get around this, force the GUI window to be opened by + putting a ":gui" command in the .gvimrc file, before where the value + of 'background' is used (e.g., before ":syntax on"). + Normally this option would be set in the .vimrc file. Possibly + depending on the terminal name. Example: > + :if &term == "pcterm" + : set background=dark + :endif +< When this option is set, the default settings for the highlight groups + will change. To use other settings, place ":highlight" commands AFTER + the setting of the 'background' option. + This option is also used in the "$VIMRUNTIME/syntax/syntax.vim" file + to select the colors for syntax highlighting. After changing this + option, you must load syntax.vim again to see the result. This can be + done with ":syntax on". + + *'backspace'* *'bs'* +'backspace' 'bs' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + Influences the working of <BS>, <Del>, CTRL-W and CTRL-U in Insert + mode. This is a list of items, separated by commas. Each item allows + a way to backspace over something: + value effect ~ + indent allow backspacing over autoindent + eol allow backspacing over line breaks (join lines) + start allow backspacing over the start of insert; CTRL-W and CTRL-U + stop once at the start of insert. + + When the value is empty, Vi compatible backspacing is used. + + For backwards compatibility with version 5.4 and earlier: + value effect ~ + 0 same as ":set backspace=" (Vi compatible) + 1 same as ":set backspace=indent,eol" + 2 same as ":set backspace=indent,eol,start" + + See |:fixdel| if your <BS> or <Del> key does not do what you want. + NOTE: This option is set to "" when 'compatible' is set. + + *'backup'* *'bk'* *'nobackup'* *'nobk'* +'backup' 'bk' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + Make a backup before overwriting a file. Leave it around after the + file has been successfully written. If you do not want to keep the + backup file, but you do want a backup while the file is being + written, reset this option and set the 'writebackup' option (this is + the default). If you do not want a backup file at all reset both + options (use this if your file system is almost full). See the + |backup-table| for more explanations. + When the 'backupskip' pattern matches, a backup is not made anyway. + When 'patchmode' is set, the backup may be renamed to become the + oldest version of a file. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'backupcopy'* *'bkc'* +'backupcopy' 'bkc' string (Vi default for Unix: "yes", otherwise: "auto") + global + {not in Vi} + When writing a file and a backup is made, this option tells how it's + done. This is a comma separated list of words. + + The main values are: + "yes" make a copy of the file and overwrite the original one + "no" rename the file and write a new one + "auto" one of the previous, what works best + + Extra values that can be combined with the ones above are: + "breaksymlink" always break symlinks when writing + "breakhardlink" always break hardlinks when writing + + Making a copy and overwriting the original file: + - Takes extra time to copy the file. + + When the file has special attributes, is a (hard/symbolic) link or + has a resource fork, all this is preserved. + - When the file is a link the backup will have the name of the link, + not of the real file. + + Renaming the file and writing a new one: + + It's fast. + - Sometimes not all attributes of the file can be copied to the new + file. + - When the file is a link the new file will not be a link. + + The "auto" value is the middle way: When Vim sees that renaming file + is possible without side effects (the attributes can be passed on and + the file is not a link) that is used. When problems are expected, a + copy will be made. + + The "breaksymlink" and "breakhardlink" values can be used in + combination with any of "yes", "no" and "auto". When included, they + force Vim to always break either symbolic or hard links by doing + exactly what the "no" option does, renaming the original file to + become the backup and writing a new file in its place. This can be + useful for example in source trees where all the files are symbolic or + hard links and any changes should stay in the local source tree, not + be propagated back to the original source. + *crontab* + One situation where "no" and "auto" will cause problems: A program + that opens a file, invokes Vim to edit that file, and then tests if + the open file was changed (through the file descriptor) will check the + backup file instead of the newly created file. "crontab -e" is an + example. + + When a copy is made, the original file is truncated and then filled + with the new text. This means that protection bits, owner and + symbolic links of the original file are unmodified. The backup file + however, is a new file, owned by the user who edited the file. The + group of the backup is set to the group of the original file. If this + fails, the protection bits for the group are made the same as for + others. + + When the file is renamed this is the other way around: The backup has + the same attributes of the original file, and the newly written file + is owned by the current user. When the file was a (hard/symbolic) + link, the new file will not! That's why the "auto" value doesn't + rename when the file is a link. The owner and group of the newly + written file will be set to the same ones as the original file, but + the system may refuse to do this. In that case the "auto" value will + again not rename the file. + + *'backupdir'* *'bdir'* +'backupdir' 'bdir' string (default for Amiga: ".,t:", + for MS-DOS and Win32: ".,c:/tmp,c:/temp" + for Unix: ".,~/tmp,~/") + global + {not in Vi} + List of directories for the backup file, separated with commas. + - The backup file will be created in the first directory in the list + where this is possible. The directory must exist, Vim will not + create it for you. + - Empty means that no backup file will be created ('patchmode' is + impossible!). Writing may fail because of this. + - A directory "." means to put the backup file in the same directory + as the edited file. + - A directory starting with "./" (or ".\" for MS-DOS et al.) means to + put the backup file relative to where the edited file is. The + leading "." is replaced with the path name of the edited file. + ("." inside a directory name has no special meaning). + - Spaces after the comma are ignored, other spaces are considered part + of the directory name. To have a space at the start of a directory + name, precede it with a backslash. + - To include a comma in a directory name precede it with a backslash. + - A directory name may end in an '/'. + - Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. + - Careful with '\' characters, type one before a space, type two to + get one in the option (see |option-backslash|), for example: > + :set bdir=c:\\tmp,\ dir\\,with\\,commas,\\\ dir\ with\ spaces +< - For backwards compatibility with Vim version 3.0 a '>' at the start + of the option is removed. + See also 'backup' and 'writebackup' options. + If you want to hide your backup files on Unix, consider this value: > + :set backupdir=./.backup,~/.backup,.,/tmp +< You must create a ".backup" directory in each directory and in your + home directory for this to work properly. + The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing + directories from the list. This avoids problems when a future version + uses another default. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'backupext'* *'bex'* *E589* +'backupext' 'bex' string (default "~", for VMS: "_") + global + {not in Vi} + String which is appended to a file name to make the name of the + backup file. The default is quite unusual, because this avoids + accidentally overwriting existing files with a backup file. You might + prefer using ".bak", but make sure that you don't have files with + ".bak" that you want to keep. + Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal. + + If you like to keep a lot of backups, you could use a BufWritePre + autocommand to change 'backupext' just before writing the file to + include a timestamp. > + :au BufWritePre * let &bex = '-' . strftime("%Y%b%d%X") . '~' +< Use 'backupdir' to put the backup in a different directory. + + *'backupskip'* *'bsk'* +'backupskip' 'bsk' string (default: "/tmp/*,$TMPDIR/*,$TMP/*,$TEMP/*") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+wildignore| + feature} + A list of file patterns. When one of the patterns matches with the + name of the file which is written, no backup file is created. Both + the specified file name and the full path name of the file are used. + The pattern is used like with |:autocmd|, see |autocmd-patterns|. + Watch out for special characters, see |option-backslash|. + When $TMPDIR, $TMP or $TEMP is not defined, it is not used for the + default value. "/tmp/*" is only used for Unix. + + Note that environment variables are not expanded. If you want to use + $HOME you must expand it explicitly, e.g.: > + :let backupskip = escape(expand('$HOME'), '\') . '/tmp/*' + +< Note that the default also makes sure that "crontab -e" works (when a + backup would be made by renaming the original file crontab won't see + the newly created file). Also see 'backupcopy' and |crontab|. + + *'balloondelay'* *'bdlay'* +'balloondelay' 'bdlay' number (default: 600) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+balloon_eval| + feature} + Delay in milliseconds before a balloon may pop up. See |balloon-eval|. + + *'ballooneval'* *'beval'* *'noballooneval'* *'nobeval'* +'ballooneval' 'beval' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+balloon_eval| + feature} + Switch on the |balloon-eval| functionality. + + *'balloonexpr'* *'bexpr'* +'balloonexpr' 'bexpr' string (default "") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+balloon_eval| + feature} + Expression for text to show in evaluation balloon. It is only used + when 'ballooneval' is on. These variables can be used: + + v:beval_bufnr number of the buffer in which balloon is going to show + v:beval_winnr number of the window + v:beval_lnum line number + v:beval_col column number (byte index) + v:beval_text word under or after the mouse pointer + + The evaluation of the expression must not have side effects! + Example: > + function! MyBalloonExpr() + return 'Cursor is at line ' . v:beval_lnum . + \', column ' . v:beval_col . + \ ' of file ' . bufname(v:beval_bufnr) . + \ ' on word "' . v:beval_text . '"' + endfunction + set bexpr=MyBalloonExpr() + set ballooneval +< + NOTE: The balloon is displayed only if the cursor is on a text + character. If the result of evaluating 'balloonexpr' is not empty, + Vim does not try to send a message to an external debugger (Netbeans + or Sun Workshop). + + The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see + |sandbox-option|. + + It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while + evaluating 'balloonexpr' |textlock|. + + To check whether line breaks in the balloon text work use this check: > + if has("balloon_multiline") +< When they are supported "\n" characters will start a new line. If the + expression evaluates to a |List| this is equal to using each List item + as a string and putting "\n" in between them. + + *'binary'* *'bin'* *'nobinary'* *'nobin'* +'binary' 'bin' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + This option should be set before editing a binary file. You can also + use the |-b| Vim argument. When this option is switched on a few + options will be changed (also when it already was on): + 'textwidth' will be set to 0 + 'wrapmargin' will be set to 0 + 'modeline' will be off + 'expandtab' will be off + Also, 'fileformat' and 'fileformats' options will not be used, the + file is read and written like 'fileformat' was "unix" (a single <NL> + separates lines). + The 'fileencoding' and 'fileencodings' options will not be used, the + file is read without conversion. + NOTE: When you start editing a(nother) file while the 'bin' option is + on, settings from autocommands may change the settings again (e.g., + 'textwidth'), causing trouble when editing. You might want to set + 'bin' again when the file has been loaded. + The previous values of these options are remembered and restored when + 'bin' is switched from on to off. Each buffer has its own set of + saved option values. + To edit a file with 'binary' set you can use the |++bin| argument. + This avoids you have to do ":set bin", which would have effect for all + files you edit. + When writing a file the <EOL> for the last line is only written if + there was one in the original file (normally Vim appends an <EOL> to + the last line if there is none; this would make the file longer). See + the 'endofline' option. + + *'bioskey'* *'biosk'* *'nobioskey'* *'nobiosk'* +'bioskey' 'biosk' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} {only for MS-DOS} + When on the BIOS is called to obtain a keyboard character. This works + better to detect CTRL-C, but only works for the console. When using a + terminal over a serial port reset this option. + Also see |'conskey'|. + + *'bomb'* *'nobomb'* +'bomb' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| + feature} + When writing a file and the following conditions are met, a BOM (Byte + Order Mark) is prepended to the file: + - this option is on + - the 'binary' option is off + - 'fileencoding' is "utf-8", "ucs-2", "ucs-4" or one of the little/big + endian variants. + Some applications use the BOM to recognize the encoding of the file. + Often used for UCS-2 files on MS-Windows. For other applications it + causes trouble, for example: "cat file1 file2" makes the BOM of file2 + appear halfway the resulting file. Gcc doesn't accept a BOM. + When Vim reads a file and 'fileencodings' starts with "ucs-bom", a + check for the presence of the BOM is done and 'bomb' set accordingly. + Unless 'binary' is set, it is removed from the first line, so that you + don't see it when editing. When you don't change the options, the BOM + will be restored when writing the file. + + *'breakat'* *'brk'* +'breakat' 'brk' string (default " ^I!@*-+;:,./?") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+linebreak| + feature} + This option lets you choose which characters might cause a line + break if 'linebreak' is on. Only works for ASCII and also for 8-bit + characters when 'encoding' is an 8-bit encoding. + + *'browsedir'* *'bsdir'* +'browsedir' 'bsdir' string (default: "last") + global + {not in Vi} {only for Motif, Athena, GTK, Mac and + Win32 GUI} + Which directory to use for the file browser: + last Use same directory as with last file browser, where a + file was opened or saved. + buffer Use the directory of the related buffer. + current Use the current directory. + {path} Use the specified directory + + *'bufhidden'* *'bh'* +'bufhidden' 'bh' string (default: "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix| + feature} + This option specifies what happens when a buffer is no longer + displayed in a window: + <empty> follow the global 'hidden' option + hide hide the buffer (don't unload it), also when 'hidden' + is not set + unload unload the buffer, also when 'hidden' is set or using + |:hide| + delete delete the buffer from the buffer list, also when + 'hidden' is set or using |:hide|, like using + |:bdelete| + wipe wipe out the buffer from the buffer list, also when + 'hidden' is set or using |:hide|, like using + |:bwipeout| + + CAREFUL: when "unload", "delete" or "wipe" is used changes in a buffer + are lost without a warning. + This option is used together with 'buftype' and 'swapfile' to specify + special kinds of buffers. See |special-buffers|. + + *'buflisted'* *'bl'* *'nobuflisted'* *'nobl'* *E85* +'buflisted' 'bl' boolean (default: on) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + When this option is set, the buffer shows up in the buffer list. If + it is reset it is not used for ":bnext", "ls", the Buffers menu, etc. + This option is reset by Vim for buffers that are only used to remember + a file name or marks. Vim sets it when starting to edit a buffer. + But not when moving to a buffer with ":buffer". + + *'buftype'* *'bt'* *E382* +'buftype' 'bt' string (default: "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix| + feature} + The value of this option specifies the type of a buffer: + <empty> normal buffer + nofile buffer which is not related to a file and will not be + written + nowrite buffer which will not be written + acwrite buffer which will always be written with BufWriteCmd + autocommands. {not available when compiled without the + |+autocmd| feature} + quickfix quickfix buffer, contains list of errors |:cwindow| + or list of locations |:lwindow| + help help buffer (you are not supposed to set this + manually) + + This option is used together with 'bufhidden' and 'swapfile' to + specify special kinds of buffers. See |special-buffers|. + + Be careful with changing this option, it can have many side effects! + + A "quickfix" buffer is only used for the error list and the location + list. This value is set by the |:cwindow| and |:lwindow| commands and + you are not supposed to change it. + + "nofile" and "nowrite" buffers are similar: + both: The buffer is not to be written to disk, ":w" doesn't + work (":w filename" does work though). + both: The buffer is never considered to be |'modified'|. + There is no warning when the changes will be lost, for + example when you quit Vim. + both: A swap file is only created when using too much memory + (when 'swapfile' has been reset there is never a swap + file). + nofile only: The buffer name is fixed, it is not handled like a + file name. It is not modified in response to a |:cd| + command. + *E676* + "acwrite" implies that the buffer name is not related to a file, like + "nofile", but it will be written. Thus, in contrast to "nofile" and + "nowrite", ":w" does work and a modified buffer can't be abandoned + without saving. For writing there must be matching |BufWriteCmd|, + |FileWriteCmd| or |FileAppendCmd| autocommands. + + *'casemap'* *'cmp'* +'casemap' 'cmp' string (default: "internal,keepascii") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| + feature} + Specifies details about changing the case of letters. It may contain + these words, separated by a comma: + internal Use internal case mapping functions, the current + locale does not change the case mapping. This only + matters when 'encoding' is a Unicode encoding, + "latin1" or "iso-8859-15". When "internal" is + omitted, the towupper() and towlower() system library + functions are used when available. + keepascii For the ASCII characters (0x00 to 0x7f) use the US + case mapping, the current locale is not effective. + This probably only matters for Turkish. + + *'cdpath'* *'cd'* *E344* *E346* +'cdpath' 'cd' string (default: equivalent to $CDPATH or ",,") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the + |+file_in_path| feature} + This is a list of directories which will be searched when using the + |:cd| and |:lcd| commands, provided that the directory being searched + for has a relative path, not an absolute part starting with "/", "./" + or "../", the 'cdpath' option is not used then. + The 'cdpath' option's value has the same form and semantics as + |'path'|. Also see |file-searching|. + The default value is taken from $CDPATH, with a "," prepended to look + in the current directory first. + If the default value taken from $CDPATH is not what you want, include + a modified version of the following command in your vimrc file to + override it: > + :let &cdpath = ',' . substitute(substitute($CDPATH, '[, ]', '\\\0', 'g'), ':', ',', 'g') +< This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + (parts of 'cdpath' can be passed to the shell to expand file names). + + *'cedit'* +'cedit' string (Vi default: "", Vim default: CTRL-F) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+vertsplit| + feature} + The key used in Command-line Mode to open the command-line window. + The default is CTRL-F when 'compatible' is off. + Only non-printable keys are allowed. + The key can be specified as a single character, but it is difficult to + type. The preferred way is to use the <> notation. Examples: > + :set cedit=<C-Y> + :set cedit=<Esc> +< |Nvi| also has this option, but it only uses the first character. + See |cmdwin|. + + *'charconvert'* *'ccv'* *E202* *E214* *E513* +'charconvert' 'ccv' string (default "") + global + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| + and |+eval| features} + {not in Vi} + An expression that is used for character encoding conversion. It is + evaluated when a file that is to be read or has been written has a + different encoding from what is desired. + 'charconvert' is not used when the internal iconv() function is + supported and is able to do the conversion. Using iconv() is + preferred, because it is much faster. + 'charconvert' is not used when reading stdin |--|, because there is no + file to convert from. You will have to save the text in a file first. + The expression must return zero or an empty string for success, + non-zero for failure. + The possible encoding names encountered are in 'encoding'. + Additionally, names given in 'fileencodings' and 'fileencoding' are + used. + Conversion between "latin1", "unicode", "ucs-2", "ucs-4" and "utf-8" + is done internally by Vim, 'charconvert' is not used for this. + 'charconvert' is also used to convert the viminfo file, if the 'c' + flag is present in 'viminfo'. Also used for Unicode conversion. + Example: > + set charconvert=CharConvert() + fun CharConvert() + system("recode " + \ . v:charconvert_from . ".." . v:charconvert_to + \ . " <" . v:fname_in . " >" v:fname_out) + return v:shell_error + endfun +< The related Vim variables are: + v:charconvert_from name of the current encoding + v:charconvert_to name of the desired encoding + v:fname_in name of the input file + v:fname_out name of the output file + Note that v:fname_in and v:fname_out will never be the same. + Note that v:charconvert_from and v:charconvert_to may be different + from 'encoding'. Vim internally uses UTF-8 instead of UCS-2 or UCS-4. + Encryption is not done by Vim when using 'charconvert'. If you want + to encrypt the file after conversion, 'charconvert' should take care + of this. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'cindent'* *'cin'* *'nocindent'* *'nocin'* +'cindent' 'cin' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+cindent| + feature} + Enables automatic C program indenting. See 'cinkeys' to set the keys + that trigger reindenting in insert mode and 'cinoptions' to set your + preferred indent style. + If 'indentexpr' is not empty, it overrules 'cindent'. + If 'lisp' is not on and both 'indentexpr' and 'equalprg' are empty, + the "=" operator indents using this algorithm rather than calling an + external program. + See |C-indenting|. + When you don't like the way 'cindent' works, try the 'smartindent' + option or 'indentexpr'. + This option is not used when 'paste' is set. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'cinkeys'* *'cink'* +'cinkeys' 'cink' string (default "0{,0},0),:,0#,!^F,o,O,e") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+cindent| + feature} + A list of keys that, when typed in Insert mode, cause reindenting of + the current line. Only used if 'cindent' is on and 'indentexpr' is + empty. + For the format of this option see |cinkeys-format|. + See |C-indenting|. + + *'cinoptions'* *'cino'* +'cinoptions' 'cino' string (default "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+cindent| + feature} + The 'cinoptions' affect the way 'cindent' reindents lines in a C + program. See |cinoptions-values| for the values of this option, and + |C-indenting| for info on C indenting in general. + + + *'cinwords'* *'cinw'* +'cinwords' 'cinw' string (default "if,else,while,do,for,switch") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without both the + |+cindent| and the |+smartindent| features} + These keywords start an extra indent in the next line when + 'smartindent' or 'cindent' is set. For 'cindent' this is only done at + an appropriate place (inside {}). + Note that 'ignorecase' isn't used for 'cinwords'. If case doesn't + matter, include the keyword both the uppercase and lowercase: + "if,If,IF". + + *'clipboard'* *'cb'* +'clipboard' 'cb' string (default "autoselect,exclude:cons\|linux" + for X-windows, "" otherwise) + global + {not in Vi} + {only in GUI versions or when the |+xterm_clipboard| + feature is included} + This option is a list of comma separated names. + These names are recognized: + + unnamed When included, Vim will use the clipboard register '*' + for all yank, delete, change and put operations which + would normally go to the unnamed register. When a + register is explicitly specified, it will always be + used regardless of whether "unnamed" is in 'clipboard' + or not. The clipboard register can always be + explicitly accessed using the "* notation. Also see + |gui-clipboard|. + + unnamedplus A variant of "unnamed" flag which uses the clipboard + register '+' (|quoteplus|) instead of register '*' for + all operations except yank. Yank shall copy the text + into register '+' and also into '*' when "unnamed" is + included. + Only available with the |+X11| feature. + Availability can be checked with: > + if has('unnamedplus') +< + autoselect Works like the 'a' flag in 'guioptions': If present, + then whenever Visual mode is started, or the Visual + area extended, Vim tries to become the owner of the + windowing system's global selection or put the + selected text on the clipboard used by the selection + register "*. See |guioptions_a| and |quotestar| for + details. When the GUI is active, the 'a' flag in + 'guioptions' is used, when the GUI is not active, this + "autoselect" flag is used. + Also applies to the modeless selection. + + autoselectml Like "autoselect", but for the modeless selection + only. Compare to the 'A' flag in 'guioptions'. + + html When the clipboard contains HTML, use this when + pasting. When putting text on the clipboard, mark it + as HTML. This works to copy rendered HTML from + Firefox, paste it as raw HTML in Vim, select the HTML + in Vim and paste it in a rich edit box in Firefox. + You probably want to add this only temporarily, + possibly use BufEnter autocommands. + Only supported for GTK version 2 and later. + Only available with the |+multi_byte| feature. + + exclude:{pattern} + Defines a pattern that is matched against the name of + the terminal 'term'. If there is a match, no + connection will be made to the X server. This is + useful in this situation: + - Running Vim in a console. + - $DISPLAY is set to start applications on another + display. + - You do not want to connect to the X server in the + console, but do want this in a terminal emulator. + To never connect to the X server use: > + exclude:.* +< This has the same effect as using the |-X| argument. + Note that when there is no connection to the X server + the window title won't be restored and the clipboard + cannot be accessed. + The value of 'magic' is ignored, {pattern} is + interpreted as if 'magic' was on. + The rest of the option value will be used for + {pattern}, this must be the last entry. + + *'cmdheight'* *'ch'* +'cmdheight' 'ch' number (default 1) + global + {not in Vi} + Number of screen lines to use for the command-line. Helps avoiding + |hit-enter| prompts. + The value of this option is stored with the tab page, so that each tab + page can have a different value. + + *'cmdwinheight'* *'cwh'* +'cmdwinheight' 'cwh' number (default 7) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+vertsplit| + feature} + Number of screen lines to use for the command-line window. |cmdwin| + + *'colorcolumn'* *'cc'* +'colorcolumn' 'cc' string (default "") + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + 'colorcolumn' is a comma separated list of screen columns that are + highlighted with ColorColumn |hl-ColorColumn|. Useful to align + text. Will make screen redrawing slower. + The screen column can be an absolute number, or a number preceded with + '+' or '-', which is added to or subtracted from 'textwidth'. > + + :set cc=+1 " highlight column after 'textwidth' + :set cc=+1,+2,+3 " highlight three columns after 'textwidth' + :hi ColorColumn ctermbg=lightgrey guibg=lightgrey +< + When 'textwidth' is zero then the items with '-' and '+' are not used. + A maximum of 256 columns are highlighted. + + *'columns'* *'co'* *E594* +'columns' 'co' number (default 80 or terminal width) + global + {not in Vi} + Number of columns of the screen. Normally this is set by the terminal + initialization and does not have to be set by hand. Also see + |posix-screen-size|. + When Vim is running in the GUI or in a resizable window, setting this + option will cause the window size to be changed. When you only want + to use the size for the GUI, put the command in your |gvimrc| file. + When you set this option and Vim is unable to change the physical + number of columns of the display, the display may be messed up. For + the GUI it is always possible and Vim limits the number of columns to + what fits on the screen. You can use this command to get the widest + window possible: > + :set columns=9999 +< Minimum value is 12, maximum value is 10000. + + *'comments'* *'com'* *E524* *E525* +'comments' 'com' string (default + "s1:/*,mb:*,ex:*/,://,b:#,:%,:XCOMM,n:>,fb:-") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+comments| + feature} + A comma separated list of strings that can start a comment line. See + |format-comments|. See |option-backslash| about using backslashes to + insert a space. + + *'commentstring'* *'cms'* *E537* +'commentstring' 'cms' string (default "/*%s*/") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + A template for a comment. The "%s" in the value is replaced with the + comment text. Currently only used to add markers for folding, see + |fold-marker|. + + *'compatible'* *'cp'* *'nocompatible'* *'nocp'* +'compatible' 'cp' boolean (default on, off when a |vimrc| or |gvimrc| + file is found) + global + {not in Vi} + This option has the effect of making Vim either more Vi-compatible, or + make Vim behave in a more useful way. + This is a special kind of option, because when it's set or reset, + other options are also changed as a side effect. CAREFUL: Setting or + resetting this option can have a lot of unexpected effects: Mappings + are interpreted in another way, undo behaves differently, etc. If you + set this option in your vimrc file, you should probably put it at the + very start. + By default this option is on and the Vi defaults are used for the + options. This default was chosen for those people who want to use Vim + just like Vi, and don't even (want to) know about the 'compatible' + option. + When a |vimrc| or |gvimrc| file is found while Vim is starting up, + this option is switched off, and all options that have not been + modified will be set to the Vim defaults. Effectively, this means + that when a |vimrc| or |gvimrc| file exists, Vim will use the Vim + defaults, otherwise it will use the Vi defaults. (Note: This doesn't + happen for the system-wide vimrc or gvimrc file, nor for a file given + with the |-u| argument). Also see |compatible-default| and + |posix-compliance|. + You can also set this option with the "-C" argument, and reset it with + "-N". See |-C| and |-N|. + Switching this option off makes the Vim defaults be used for options + that have a different Vi and Vim default value. See the options + marked with a '+' below. Other options are not modified. + At the moment this option is set, several other options will be set + or reset to make Vim as Vi-compatible as possible. See the table + below. This can be used if you want to revert to Vi compatible + editing. + See also 'cpoptions'. + + option + set value effect ~ + + 'allowrevins' off no CTRL-_ command + 'backupcopy' Unix: "yes" backup file is a copy + others: "auto" copy or rename backup file + 'backspace' "" normal backspace + 'backup' off no backup file + 'cindent' off no C code indentation + 'cedit' + "" no key to open the |cmdwin| + 'cpoptions' + (all flags) Vi-compatible flags + 'cscopetag' off don't use cscope for ":tag" + 'cscopetagorder' 0 see |cscopetagorder| + 'cscopeverbose' off see |cscopeverbose| + 'digraph' off no digraphs + 'esckeys' + off no <Esc>-keys in Insert mode + 'expandtab' off tabs not expanded to spaces + 'fileformats' + "" no automatic file format detection, + "dos,unix" except for DOS, Windows and OS/2 + 'formatoptions' + "vt" Vi compatible formatting + 'gdefault' off no default 'g' flag for ":s" + 'history' + 0 no commandline history + 'hkmap' off no Hebrew keyboard mapping + 'hkmapp' off no phonetic Hebrew keyboard mapping + 'hlsearch' off no highlighting of search matches + 'incsearch' off no incremental searching + 'indentexpr' "" no indenting by expression + 'insertmode' off do not start in Insert mode + 'iskeyword' + "@,48-57,_" keywords contain alphanumeric + characters and '_' + 'joinspaces' on insert 2 spaces after period + 'modeline' + off no modelines + 'more' + off no pauses in listings + 'revins' off no reverse insert + 'ruler' off no ruler + 'scrolljump' 1 no jump scroll + 'scrolloff' 0 no scroll offset + 'shiftround' off indent not rounded to shiftwidth + 'shortmess' + "" no shortening of messages + 'showcmd' + off command characters not shown + 'showmode' + off current mode not shown + 'smartcase' off no automatic ignore case switch + 'smartindent' off no smart indentation + 'smarttab' off no smart tab size + 'softtabstop' 0 tabs are always 'tabstop' positions + 'startofline' on goto startofline with some commands + 'tagrelative' + off tag file names are not relative + 'textauto' + off no automatic textmode detection + 'textwidth' 0 no automatic line wrap + 'tildeop' off tilde is not an operator + 'ttimeout' off no terminal timeout + 'whichwrap' + "" left-right movements don't wrap + 'wildchar' + CTRL-E only when the current value is <Tab> + use CTRL-E for cmdline completion + 'writebackup' on or off depends on the |+writebackup| feature + + *'complete'* *'cpt'* *E535* +'complete' 'cpt' string (default: ".,w,b,u,t,i") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + This option specifies how keyword completion |ins-completion| works + when CTRL-P or CTRL-N are used. It is also used for whole-line + completion |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-L|. It indicates the type of completion + and the places to scan. It is a comma separated list of flags: + . scan the current buffer ('wrapscan' is ignored) + w scan buffers from other windows + b scan other loaded buffers that are in the buffer list + u scan the unloaded buffers that are in the buffer list + U scan the buffers that are not in the buffer list + k scan the files given with the 'dictionary' option + kspell use the currently active spell checking |spell| + k{dict} scan the file {dict}. Several "k" flags can be given, + patterns are valid too. For example: > + :set cpt=k/usr/dict/*,k~/spanish +< s scan the files given with the 'thesaurus' option + s{tsr} scan the file {tsr}. Several "s" flags can be given, patterns + are valid too. + i scan current and included files + d scan current and included files for defined name or macro + |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-D| + ] tag completion + t same as "]" + + Unloaded buffers are not loaded, thus their autocmds |:autocmd| are + not executed, this may lead to unexpected completions from some files + (gzipped files for example). Unloaded buffers are not scanned for + whole-line completion. + + The default is ".,w,b,u,t,i", which means to scan: + 1. the current buffer + 2. buffers in other windows + 3. other loaded buffers + 4. unloaded buffers + 5. tags + 6. included files + + As you can see, CTRL-N and CTRL-P can be used to do any 'iskeyword'- + based expansion (e.g., dictionary |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K|, included patterns + |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-I|, tags |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-]| and normal expansions). + + *'completefunc'* *'cfu'* +'completefunc' 'cfu' string (default: empty) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+eval| + or |+insert_expand| features} + This option specifies a function to be used for Insert mode completion + with CTRL-X CTRL-U. |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-U| + See |complete-functions| for an explanation of how the function is + invoked and what it should return. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'completeopt'* *'cot'* +'completeopt' 'cot' string (default: "menu,preview") + global + {not available when compiled without the + |+insert_expand| feature} + {not in Vi} + A comma separated list of options for Insert mode completion + |ins-completion|. The supported values are: + + menu Use a popup menu to show the possible completions. The + menu is only shown when there is more than one match and + sufficient colors are available. |ins-completion-menu| + + menuone Use the popup menu also when there is only one match. + Useful when there is additional information about the + match, e.g., what file it comes from. + + longest Only insert the longest common text of the matches. If + the menu is displayed you can use CTRL-L to add more + characters. Whether case is ignored depends on the kind + of completion. For buffer text the 'ignorecase' option is + used. + + preview Show extra information about the currently selected + completion in the preview window. Only works in + combination with "menu" or "menuone". + + + *'concealcursor'* *'cocu'* +'concealcursor' 'cocu' string (default: "") + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+conceal| + feature} + Sets the modes in which text in the cursor line can also be concealed. + When the current mode is listed then concealing happens just like in + other lines. + n Normal mode + v Visual mode + i Insert mode + c Command line editing, for 'incsearch' + + 'v' applies to all lines in the Visual area, not only the cursor. + A useful value is "nc". This is used in help files. So long as you + are moving around text is concealed, but when starting to insert text + or selecting a Visual area the concealed text is displayed, so that + you can see what you are doing. + Keep in mind that the cursor position is not always where it's + displayed. E.g., when moving vertically it may change column. + + +'conceallevel' 'cole' *'conceallevel'* *'cole'* + number (default 0) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+conceal| + feature} + Determine how text with the "conceal" syntax attribute |:syn-conceal| + is shown: + + Value Effect ~ + 0 Text is shown normally + 1 Each block of concealed text is replaced with one + character. If the syntax item does not have a custom + replacement character defined (see |:syn-cchar|) the + character defined in 'listchars' is used (default is a + space). + It is highlighted with the "Conceal" highlight group. + 2 Concealed text is completely hidden unless it has a + custom replacement character defined (see + |:syn-cchar|). + 3 Concealed text is completely hidden. + + Note: in the cursor line concealed text is not hidden, so that you can + edit and copy the text. This can be changed with the 'concealcursor' + option. + + *'confirm'* *'cf'* *'noconfirm'* *'nocf'* +'confirm' 'cf' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + When 'confirm' is on, certain operations that would normally + fail because of unsaved changes to a buffer, e.g. ":q" and ":e", + instead raise a |dialog| asking if you wish to save the current + file(s). You can still use a ! to unconditionally |abandon| a buffer. + If 'confirm' is off you can still activate confirmation for one + command only (this is most useful in mappings) with the |:confirm| + command. + Also see the |confirm()| function and the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. + + *'conskey'* *'consk'* *'noconskey'* *'noconsk'* +'conskey' 'consk' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} {only for MS-DOS} + When on direct console I/O is used to obtain a keyboard character. + This should work in most cases. Also see |'bioskey'|. Together, + three methods of console input are available: + 'conskey' 'bioskey' action ~ + on on or off direct console input + off on BIOS + off off STDIN + + *'copyindent'* *'ci'* *'nocopyindent'* *'noci'* +'copyindent' 'ci' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + Copy the structure of the existing lines indent when autoindenting a + new line. Normally the new indent is reconstructed by a series of + tabs followed by spaces as required (unless |'expandtab'| is enabled, + in which case only spaces are used). Enabling this option makes the + new line copy whatever characters were used for indenting on the + existing line. 'expandtab' has no effect on these characters, a Tab + remains a Tab. If the new indent is greater than on the existing + line, the remaining space is filled in the normal manner. + NOTE: 'copyindent' is reset when 'compatible' is set. + Also see 'preserveindent'. + + *'cpoptions'* *'cpo'* +'cpoptions' 'cpo' string (Vim default: "aABceFs", + Vi default: all flags) + global + {not in Vi} + A sequence of single character flags. When a character is present + this indicates vi-compatible behavior. This is used for things where + not being vi-compatible is mostly or sometimes preferred. + 'cpoptions' stands for "compatible-options". + Commas can be added for readability. + To avoid problems with flags that are added in the future, use the + "+=" and "-=" feature of ":set" |add-option-flags|. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + NOTE: This option is set to the POSIX default value at startup when + the Vi default value would be used and the $VIM_POSIX environment + variable exists |posix|. This means Vim tries to behave like the + POSIX specification. + + contains behavior ~ + *cpo-a* + a When included, a ":read" command with a file name + argument will set the alternate file name for the + current window. + *cpo-A* + A When included, a ":write" command with a file name + argument will set the alternate file name for the + current window. + *cpo-b* + b "\|" in a ":map" command is recognized as the end of + the map command. The '\' is included in the mapping, + the text after the '|' is interpreted as the next + command. Use a CTRL-V instead of a backslash to + include the '|' in the mapping. Applies to all + mapping, abbreviation, menu and autocmd commands. + See also |map_bar|. + *cpo-B* + B A backslash has no special meaning in mappings, + abbreviations and the "to" part of the menu commands. + Remove this flag to be able to use a backslash like a + CTRL-V. For example, the command ":map X \<Esc>" + results in X being mapped to: + 'B' included: "\^[" (^[ is a real <Esc>) + 'B' excluded: "<Esc>" (5 characters) + ('<' excluded in both cases) + *cpo-c* + c Searching continues at the end of any match at the + cursor position, but not further than the start of the + next line. When not present searching continues + one character from the cursor position. With 'c' + "abababababab" only gets three matches when repeating + "/abab", without 'c' there are five matches. + *cpo-C* + C Do not concatenate sourced lines that start with a + backslash. See |line-continuation|. + *cpo-d* + d Using "./" in the 'tags' option doesn't mean to use + the tags file relative to the current file, but the + tags file in the current directory. + *cpo-D* + D Can't use CTRL-K to enter a digraph after Normal mode + commands with a character argument, like |r|, |f| and + |t|. + *cpo-e* + e When executing a register with ":@r", always add a + <CR> to the last line, also when the register is not + linewise. If this flag is not present, the register + is not linewise and the last line does not end in a + <CR>, then the last line is put on the command-line + and can be edited before hitting <CR>. + *cpo-E* + E It is an error when using "y", "d", "c", "g~", "gu" or + "gU" on an Empty region. The operators only work when + at least one character is to be operate on. Example: + This makes "y0" fail in the first column. + *cpo-f* + f When included, a ":read" command with a file name + argument will set the file name for the current buffer, + if the current buffer doesn't have a file name yet. + *cpo-F* + F When included, a ":write" command with a file name + argument will set the file name for the current + buffer, if the current buffer doesn't have a file name + yet. Also see |cpo-P|. + *cpo-g* + g Goto line 1 when using ":edit" without argument. + *cpo-H* + H When using "I" on a line with only blanks, insert + before the last blank. Without this flag insert after + the last blank. + *cpo-i* + i When included, interrupting the reading of a file will + leave it modified. + *cpo-I* + I When moving the cursor up or down just after inserting + indent for 'autoindent', do not delete the indent. + *cpo-j* + j When joining lines, only add two spaces after a '.', + not after '!' or '?'. Also see 'joinspaces'. + *cpo-J* + J A |sentence| has to be followed by two spaces after + the '.', '!' or '?'. A <Tab> is not recognized as + white space. + *cpo-k* + k Disable the recognition of raw key codes in + mappings, abbreviations, and the "to" part of menu + commands. For example, if <Key> sends ^[OA (where ^[ + is <Esc>), the command ":map X ^[OA" results in X + being mapped to: + 'k' included: "^[OA" (3 characters) + 'k' excluded: "<Key>" (one key code) + Also see the '<' flag below. + *cpo-K* + K Don't wait for a key code to complete when it is + halfway a mapping. This breaks mapping <F1><F1> when + only part of the second <F1> has been read. It + enables cancelling the mapping by typing <F1><Esc>. + *cpo-l* + l Backslash in a [] range in a search pattern is taken + literally, only "\]", "\^", "\-" and "\\" are special. + See |/[]| + 'l' included: "/[ \t]" finds <Space>, '\' and 't' + 'l' excluded: "/[ \t]" finds <Space> and <Tab> + Also see |cpo-\|. + *cpo-L* + L When the 'list' option is set, 'wrapmargin', + 'textwidth', 'softtabstop' and Virtual Replace mode + (see |gR|) count a <Tab> as two characters, instead of + the normal behavior of a <Tab>. + *cpo-m* + m When included, a showmatch will always wait half a + second. When not included, a showmatch will wait half + a second or until a character is typed. |'showmatch'| + *cpo-M* + M When excluded, "%" matching will take backslashes into + account. Thus in "( \( )" and "\( ( \)" the outer + parenthesis match. When included "%" ignores + backslashes, which is Vi compatible. + *cpo-n* + n When included, the column used for 'number' and + 'relativenumber' will also be used for text of wrapped + lines. + *cpo-o* + o Line offset to search command is not remembered for + next search. + *cpo-O* + O Don't complain if a file is being overwritten, even + when it didn't exist when editing it. This is a + protection against a file unexpectedly created by + someone else. Vi didn't complain about this. + *cpo-p* + p Vi compatible Lisp indenting. When not present, a + slightly better algorithm is used. + *cpo-P* + P When included, a ":write" command that appends to a + file will set the file name for the current buffer, if + the current buffer doesn't have a file name yet and + the 'F' flag is also included |cpo-F|. + *cpo-q* + q When joining multiple lines leave the cursor at the + position where it would be when joining two lines. + *cpo-r* + r Redo ("." command) uses "/" to repeat a search + command, instead of the actually used search string. + *cpo-R* + R Remove marks from filtered lines. Without this flag + marks are kept like |:keepmarks| was used. + *cpo-s* + s Set buffer options when entering the buffer for the + first time. This is like it is in Vim version 3.0. + And it is the default. If not present the options are + set when the buffer is created. + *cpo-S* + S Set buffer options always when entering a buffer + (except 'readonly', 'fileformat', 'filetype' and + 'syntax'). This is the (most) Vi compatible setting. + The options are set to the values in the current + buffer. When you change an option and go to another + buffer, the value is copied. Effectively makes the + buffer options global to all buffers. + + 's' 'S' copy buffer options + no no when buffer created + yes no when buffer first entered (default) + X yes each time when buffer entered (vi comp.) + *cpo-t* + t Search pattern for the tag command is remembered for + "n" command. Otherwise Vim only puts the pattern in + the history for search pattern, but doesn't change the + last used search pattern. + *cpo-u* + u Undo is Vi compatible. See |undo-two-ways|. + *cpo-v* + v Backspaced characters remain visible on the screen in + Insert mode. Without this flag the characters are + erased from the screen right away. With this flag the + screen newly typed text overwrites backspaced + characters. + *cpo-w* + w When using "cw" on a blank character, only change one + character and not all blanks until the start of the + next word. + *cpo-W* + W Don't overwrite a readonly file. When omitted, ":w!" + overwrites a readonly file, if possible. + *cpo-x* + x <Esc> on the command-line executes the command-line. + The default in Vim is to abandon the command-line, + because <Esc> normally aborts a command. |c_<Esc>| + *cpo-X* + X When using a count with "R" the replaced text is + deleted only once. Also when repeating "R" with "." + and a count. + *cpo-y* + y A yank command can be redone with ".". + *cpo-Z* + Z When using "w!" while the 'readonly' option is set, + don't reset 'readonly'. + *cpo-!* + ! When redoing a filter command, use the last used + external command, whatever it was. Otherwise the last + used -filter- command is used. + *cpo-$* + $ When making a change to one line, don't redisplay the + line, but put a '$' at the end of the changed text. + The changed text will be overwritten when you type the + new text. The line is redisplayed if you type any + command that moves the cursor from the insertion + point. + *cpo-%* + % Vi-compatible matching is done for the "%" command. + Does not recognize "#if", "#endif", etc. + Does not recognize "/*" and "*/". + Parens inside single and double quotes are also + counted, causing a string that contains a paren to + disturb the matching. For example, in a line like + "if (strcmp("foo(", s))" the first paren does not + match the last one. When this flag is not included, + parens inside single and double quotes are treated + specially. When matching a paren outside of quotes, + everything inside quotes is ignored. When matching a + paren inside quotes, it will find the matching one (if + there is one). This works very well for C programs. + This flag is also used for other features, such as + C-indenting. + *cpo--* + - When included, a vertical movement command fails when + it would go above the first line or below the last + line. Without it the cursor moves to the first or + last line, unless it already was in that line. + Applies to the commands "-", "k", CTRL-P, "+", "j", + CTRL-N, CTRL-J and ":1234". + *cpo-+* + + When included, a ":write file" command will reset the + 'modified' flag of the buffer, even though the buffer + itself may still be different from its file. + *cpo-star* + * Use ":*" in the same way as ":@". When not included, + ":*" is an alias for ":'<,'>", select the Visual area. + *cpo-<* + < Disable the recognition of special key codes in |<>| + form in mappings, abbreviations, and the "to" part of + menu commands. For example, the command + ":map X <Tab>" results in X being mapped to: + '<' included: "<Tab>" (5 characters) + '<' excluded: "^I" (^I is a real <Tab>) + Also see the 'k' flag above. + *cpo->* + > When appending to a register, put a line break before + the appended text. + + POSIX flags. These are not included in the Vi default value, except + when $VIM_POSIX was set on startup. |posix| + + contains behavior ~ + *cpo-#* + # A count before "D", "o" and "O" has no effect. + *cpo-&* + & When ":preserve" was used keep the swap file when + exiting normally while this buffer is still loaded. + This flag is tested when exiting. + *cpo-\* + \ Backslash in a [] range in a search pattern is taken + literally, only "\]" is special See |/[]| + '\' included: "/[ \-]" finds <Space>, '\' and '-' + '\' excluded: "/[ \-]" finds <Space> and '-' + Also see |cpo-l|. + *cpo-/* + / When "%" is used as the replacement string in a |:s| + command, use the previous replacement string. |:s%| + *cpo-{* + { The |{| and |}| commands also stop at a "{" character + at the start of a line. + *cpo-.* + . The ":chdir" and ":cd" commands fail if the current + buffer is modified, unless ! is used. Vim doesn't + need this, since it remembers the full path of an + opened file. + *cpo-bar* + | The value of the $LINES and $COLUMNS environment + variables overrule the terminal size values obtained + with system specific functions. + + + *'cryptmethod'* *'cm'* +'cryptmethod' string (default "zip") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + Method used for encryption when the buffer is written to a file: + *pkzip* + zip PkZip compatible method. A weak kind of encryption. + Backwards compatible with Vim 7.2 and older. + *blowfish* + blowfish Blowfish method. Strong encryption. Requires Vim 7.3 + or later, files can NOT be read by Vim 7.2 and older. + This adds a "seed" to the file, every time you write + the file the encrypted bytes will be different. + + When reading an encrypted file 'cryptmethod' will be set automatically + to the detected method of the file being read. Thus if you write it + without changing 'cryptmethod' the same method will be used. + Changing 'cryptmethod' does not mark the file as modified, you have to + explicitly write it, you don't get a warning unless there are other + modifications. Also see |:X|. + + When setting the global value to an empty string, it will end up with + the value "zip". When setting the local value to an empty string the + buffer will use the global value. + + When a new encryption method is added in a later version of Vim, and + the current version does not recognize it, you will get *E821* . + You need to edit this file with the later version of Vim. + + + *'cscopepathcomp'* *'cspc'* +'cscopepathcomp' 'cspc' number (default 0) + global + {not available when compiled without the |+cscope| + feature} + {not in Vi} + Determines how many components of the path to show in a list of tags. + See |cscopepathcomp|. + + *'cscopeprg'* *'csprg'* +'cscopeprg' 'csprg' string (default "cscope") + global + {not available when compiled without the |+cscope| + feature} + {not in Vi} + Specifies the command to execute cscope. See |cscopeprg|. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'cscopequickfix'* *'csqf'* +'cscopequickfix' 'csqf' string (default "") + global + {not available when compiled without the |+cscope| + or |+quickfix| features} + {not in Vi} + Specifies whether to use quickfix window to show cscope results. + See |cscopequickfix|. + + *'cscopetag'* *'cst'* *'nocscopetag'* *'nocst'* +'cscopetag' 'cst' boolean (default off) + global + {not available when compiled without the |+cscope| + feature} + {not in Vi} + Use cscope for tag commands. See |cscope-options|. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'cscopetagorder'* *'csto'* +'cscopetagorder' 'csto' number (default 0) + global + {not available when compiled without the |+cscope| + feature} + {not in Vi} + Determines the order in which ":cstag" performs a search. See + |cscopetagorder|. + NOTE: This option is set to 0 when 'compatible' is set. + + *'cscopeverbose'* *'csverb'* + *'nocscopeverbose'* *'nocsverb'* +'cscopeverbose' 'csverb' boolean (default off) + global + {not available when compiled without the |+cscope| + feature} + {not in Vi} + Give messages when adding a cscope database. See |cscopeverbose|. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'cursorbind'* *'crb'* *'nocursorbind'* *'nocrb'* +'cursorbind' 'crb' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+cursorbind| + feature} + When this option is set, as the cursor in the current + window moves other cursorbound windows (windows that also have + this option set) move their cursors to the corresponding line and + column. This option is useful for viewing the + differences between two versions of a file (see 'diff'); in diff mode, + inserted and deleted lines (though not characters within a line) are + taken into account. + + + *'cursorcolumn'* *'cuc'* *'nocursorcolumn'* *'nocuc'* +'cursorcolumn' 'cuc' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + Highlight the screen column of the cursor with CursorColumn + |hl-CursorColumn|. Useful to align text. Will make screen redrawing + slower. + If you only want the highlighting in the current window you can use + these autocommands: > + au WinLeave * set nocursorline nocursorcolumn + au WinEnter * set cursorline cursorcolumn +< + + *'cursorline'* *'cul'* *'nocursorline'* *'nocul'* +'cursorline' 'cul' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + Highlight the screen line of the cursor with CursorLine + |hl-CursorLine|. Useful to easily spot the cursor. Will make screen + redrawing slower. + When Visual mode is active the highlighting isn't used to make it + easier to see the selected text. + + + *'debug'* +'debug' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + These values can be used: + msg Error messages that would otherwise be omitted will be given + anyway. + throw Error messages that would otherwise be omitted will be given + anyway and also throw an exception and set |v:errmsg|. + beep A message will be given when otherwise only a beep would be + produced. + The values can be combined, separated by a comma. + "msg" and "throw" are useful for debugging 'foldexpr', 'formatexpr' or + 'indentexpr'. + + *'define'* *'def'* +'define' 'def' string (default "^\s*#\s*define") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + Pattern to be used to find a macro definition. It is a search + pattern, just like for the "/" command. This option is used for the + commands like "[i" and "[d" |include-search|. The 'isident' option is + used to recognize the defined name after the match: + {match with 'define'}{non-ID chars}{defined name}{non-ID char} + See |option-backslash| about inserting backslashes to include a space + or backslash. + The default value is for C programs. For C++ this value would be + useful, to include const type declarations: > + ^\(#\s*define\|[a-z]*\s*const\s*[a-z]*\) +< When using the ":set" command, you need to double the backslashes! + + *'delcombine'* *'deco'* *'nodelcombine'* *'nodeco'* +'delcombine' 'deco' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| + feature} + If editing Unicode and this option is set, backspace and Normal mode + "x" delete each combining character on its own. When it is off (the + default) the character along with its combining characters are + deleted. + Note: When 'delcombine' is set "xx" may work different from "2x"! + + This is useful for Arabic, Hebrew and many other languages where one + may have combining characters overtop of base characters, and want + to remove only the combining ones. + + *'dictionary'* *'dict'* +'dictionary' 'dict' string (default "") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + List of file names, separated by commas, that are used to lookup words + for keyword completion commands |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K|. Each file should + contain a list of words. This can be one word per line, or several + words per line, separated by non-keyword characters (white space is + preferred). Maximum line length is 510 bytes. + When this option is empty, or an entry "spell" is present, spell + checking is enabled the currently active spelling is used. |spell| + To include a comma in a file name precede it with a backslash. Spaces + after a comma are ignored, otherwise spaces are included in the file + name. See |option-backslash| about using backslashes. + This has nothing to do with the |Dictionary| variable type. + Where to find a list of words? + - On FreeBSD, there is the file "/usr/share/dict/words". + - In the Simtel archive, look in the "msdos/linguist" directory. + - In "miscfiles" of the GNU collection. + The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing + directories from the list. This avoids problems when a future version + uses another default. + Backticks cannot be used in this option for security reasons. + + *'diff'* *'nodiff'* +'diff' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+diff| + feature} + Join the current window in the group of windows that shows differences + between files. See |vimdiff|. + + *'dex'* *'diffexpr'* +'diffexpr' 'dex' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+diff| + feature} + Expression which is evaluated to obtain an ed-style diff file from two + versions of a file. See |diff-diffexpr|. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'dip'* *'diffopt'* +'diffopt' 'dip' string (default "filler") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+diff| + feature} + Option settings for diff mode. It can consist of the following items. + All are optional. Items must be separated by a comma. + + filler Show filler lines, to keep the text + synchronized with a window that has inserted + lines at the same position. Mostly useful + when windows are side-by-side and 'scrollbind' + is set. + + context:{n} Use a context of {n} lines between a change + and a fold that contains unchanged lines. + When omitted a context of six lines is used. + See |fold-diff|. + + icase Ignore changes in case of text. "a" and "A" + are considered the same. Adds the "-i" flag + to the "diff" command if 'diffexpr' is empty. + + iwhite Ignore changes in amount of white space. Adds + the "-b" flag to the "diff" command if + 'diffexpr' is empty. Check the documentation + of the "diff" command for what this does + exactly. It should ignore adding trailing + white space, but not leading white space. + + horizontal Start diff mode with horizontal splits (unless + explicitly specified otherwise). + + vertical Start diff mode with vertical splits (unless + explicitly specified otherwise). + + foldcolumn:{n} Set the 'foldcolumn' option to {n} when + starting diff mode. Without this 2 is used. + + Examples: > + + :set diffopt=filler,context:4 + :set diffopt= + :set diffopt=filler,foldcolumn:3 +< + *'digraph'* *'dg'* *'nodigraph'* *'nodg'* +'digraph' 'dg' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+digraphs| + feature} + Enable the entering of digraphs in Insert mode with {char1} <BS> + {char2}. See |digraphs|. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'directory'* *'dir'* +'directory' 'dir' string (default for Amiga: ".,t:", + for MS-DOS and Win32: ".,c:\tmp,c:\temp" + for Unix: ".,~/tmp,/var/tmp,/tmp") + global + List of directory names for the swap file, separated with commas. + - The swap file will be created in the first directory where this is + possible. + - Empty means that no swap file will be used (recovery is + impossible!). + - A directory "." means to put the swap file in the same directory as + the edited file. On Unix, a dot is prepended to the file name, so + it doesn't show in a directory listing. On MS-Windows the "hidden" + attribute is set and a dot prepended if possible. + - A directory starting with "./" (or ".\" for MS-DOS et al.) means to + put the swap file relative to where the edited file is. The leading + "." is replaced with the path name of the edited file. + - For Unix and Win32, if a directory ends in two path separators "//" + or "\\", the swap file name will be built from the complete path to + the file with all path separators substituted to percent '%' signs. + This will ensure file name uniqueness in the preserve directory. + On Win32, when a separating comma is following, you must use "//", + since "\\" will include the comma in the file name. + - Spaces after the comma are ignored, other spaces are considered part + of the directory name. To have a space at the start of a directory + name, precede it with a backslash. + - To include a comma in a directory name precede it with a backslash. + - A directory name may end in an ':' or '/'. + - Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. + - Careful with '\' characters, type one before a space, type two to + get one in the option (see |option-backslash|), for example: > + :set dir=c:\\tmp,\ dir\\,with\\,commas,\\\ dir\ with\ spaces +< - For backwards compatibility with Vim version 3.0 a '>' at the start + of the option is removed. + Using "." first in the list is recommended. This means that editing + the same file twice will result in a warning. Using "/tmp" on Unix is + discouraged: When the system crashes you lose the swap file. + "/var/tmp" is often not cleared when rebooting, thus is a better + choice than "/tmp". But it can contain a lot of files, your swap + files get lost in the crowd. That is why a "tmp" directory in your + home directory is tried first. + The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing + directories from the list. This avoids problems when a future version + uses another default. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + {Vi: directory to put temp file in, defaults to "/tmp"} + + *'display'* *'dy'* +'display' 'dy' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + Change the way text is displayed. This is comma separated list of + flags: + lastline When included, as much as possible of the last line + in a window will be displayed. When not included, a + last line that doesn't fit is replaced with "@" lines. + uhex Show unprintable characters hexadecimal as <xx> + instead of using ^C and ~C. + + *'eadirection'* *'ead'* +'eadirection' 'ead' string (default "both") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+vertsplit| + feature} + Tells when the 'equalalways' option applies: + ver vertically, width of windows is not affected + hor horizontally, height of windows is not affected + both width and height of windows is affected + + *'ed'* *'edcompatible'* *'noed'* *'noedcompatible'* +'edcompatible' 'ed' boolean (default off) + global + Makes the 'g' and 'c' flags of the ":substitute" command to be + toggled each time the flag is given. See |complex-change|. See + also 'gdefault' option. + Switching this option on is discouraged! + + *'encoding'* *'enc'* *E543* +'encoding' 'enc' string (default: "latin1" or value from $LANG) + global + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| + feature} + {not in Vi} + Sets the character encoding used inside Vim. It applies to text in + the buffers, registers, Strings in expressions, text stored in the + viminfo file, etc. It sets the kind of characters which Vim can work + with. See |encoding-names| for the possible values. + + NOTE: Changing this option will not change the encoding of the + existing text in Vim. It may cause non-ASCII text to become invalid. + It should normally be kept at its default value, or set when Vim + starts up. See |multibyte|. To reload the menus see |:menutrans|. + + This option cannot be set from a |modeline|. It would most likely + corrupt the text. + + NOTE: For GTK+ 2 it is highly recommended to set 'encoding' to + "utf-8". Although care has been taken to allow different values of + 'encoding', "utf-8" is the natural choice for the environment and + avoids unnecessary conversion overhead. "utf-8" has not been made + the default to prevent different behavior of the GUI and terminal + versions, and to avoid changing the encoding of newly created files + without your knowledge (in case 'fileencodings' is empty). + + The character encoding of files can be different from 'encoding'. + This is specified with 'fileencoding'. The conversion is done with + iconv() or as specified with 'charconvert'. + + If you need to know whether 'encoding' is a multi-byte encoding, you + can use: > + if has("multi_byte_encoding") +< + Normally 'encoding' will be equal to your current locale. This will + be the default if Vim recognizes your environment settings. If + 'encoding' is not set to the current locale, 'termencoding' must be + set to convert typed and displayed text. See |encoding-table|. + + When you set this option, it fires the |EncodingChanged| autocommand + event so that you can set up fonts if necessary. + + When the option is set, the value is converted to lowercase. Thus + you can set it with uppercase values too. Underscores are translated + to '-' signs. + When the encoding is recognized, it is changed to the standard name. + For example "Latin-1" becomes "latin1", "ISO_88592" becomes + "iso-8859-2" and "utf8" becomes "utf-8". + + Note: "latin1" is also used when the encoding could not be detected. + This only works when editing files in the same encoding! When the + actual character set is not latin1, make sure 'fileencoding' and + 'fileencodings' are empty. When conversion is needed, switch to using + utf-8. + + When "unicode", "ucs-2" or "ucs-4" is used, Vim internally uses utf-8. + You don't notice this while editing, but it does matter for the + |viminfo-file|. And Vim expects the terminal to use utf-8 too. Thus + setting 'encoding' to one of these values instead of utf-8 only has + effect for encoding used for files when 'fileencoding' is empty. + + When 'encoding' is set to a Unicode encoding, and 'fileencodings' was + not set yet, the default for 'fileencodings' is changed. + + *'endofline'* *'eol'* *'noendofline'* *'noeol'* +'endofline' 'eol' boolean (default on) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + When writing a file and this option is off and the 'binary' option + is on, no <EOL> will be written for the last line in the file. This + option is automatically set when starting to edit a new file, unless + the file does not have an <EOL> for the last line in the file, in + which case it is reset. Normally you don't have to set or reset this + option. When 'binary' is off the value is not used when writing the + file. When 'binary' is on it is used to remember the presence of a + <EOL> for the last line in the file, so that when you write the file + the situation from the original file can be kept. But you can change + it if you want to. + + *'equalalways'* *'ea'* *'noequalalways'* *'noea'* +'equalalways' 'ea' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + When on, all the windows are automatically made the same size after + splitting or closing a window. This also happens the moment the + option is switched on. When off, splitting a window will reduce the + size of the current window and leave the other windows the same. When + closing a window the extra lines are given to the window next to it + (depending on 'splitbelow' and 'splitright'). + When mixing vertically and horizontally split windows, a minimal size + is computed and some windows may be larger if there is room. The + 'eadirection' option tells in which direction the size is affected. + Changing the height and width of a window can be avoided by setting + 'winfixheight' and 'winfixwidth', respectively. + If a window size is specified when creating a new window sizes are + currently not equalized (it's complicated, but may be implemented in + the future). + + *'equalprg'* *'ep'* +'equalprg' 'ep' string (default "") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + External program to use for "=" command. When this option is empty + the internal formatting functions are used; either 'lisp', 'cindent' + or 'indentexpr'. When Vim was compiled without internal formatting, + the "indent" program is used. + Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. See |option-backslash| + about including spaces and backslashes. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'errorbells'* *'eb'* *'noerrorbells'* *'noeb'* +'errorbells' 'eb' boolean (default off) + global + Ring the bell (beep or screen flash) for error messages. This only + makes a difference for error messages, the bell will be used always + for a lot of errors without a message (e.g., hitting <Esc> in Normal + mode). See 'visualbell' on how to make the bell behave like a beep, + screen flash or do nothing. + + *'errorfile'* *'ef'* +'errorfile' 'ef' string (Amiga default: "AztecC.Err", + others: "errors.err") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix| + feature} + Name of the errorfile for the QuickFix mode (see |:cf|). + When the "-q" command-line argument is used, 'errorfile' is set to the + following argument. See |-q|. + NOT used for the ":make" command. See 'makeef' for that. + Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. + See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'errorformat'* *'efm'* +'errorformat' 'efm' string (default is very long) + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix| + feature} + Scanf-like description of the format for the lines in the error file + (see |errorformat|). + + *'esckeys'* *'ek'* *'noesckeys'* *'noek'* +'esckeys' 'ek' boolean (Vim default: on, Vi default: off) + global + {not in Vi} + Function keys that start with an <Esc> are recognized in Insert + mode. When this option is off, the cursor and function keys cannot be + used in Insert mode if they start with an <Esc>. The advantage of + this is that the single <Esc> is recognized immediately, instead of + after one second. Instead of resetting this option, you might want to + try changing the values for 'timeoutlen' and 'ttimeoutlen'. Note that + when 'esckeys' is off, you can still map anything, but the cursor keys + won't work by default. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'eventignore'* *'ei'* +'eventignore' 'ei' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+autocmd| + feature} + A list of autocommand event names, which are to be ignored. + When set to "all" or when "all" is one of the items, all autocommand + events are ignored, autocommands will not be executed. + Otherwise this is a comma separated list of event names. Example: > + :set ei=WinEnter,WinLeave +< + *'expandtab'* *'et'* *'noexpandtab'* *'noet'* +'expandtab' 'et' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + In Insert mode: Use the appropriate number of spaces to insert a + <Tab>. Spaces are used in indents with the '>' and '<' commands and + when 'autoindent' is on. To insert a real tab when 'expandtab' is + on, use CTRL-V<Tab>. See also |:retab| and |ins-expandtab|. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'exrc'* *'ex'* *'noexrc'* *'noex'* +'exrc' 'ex' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + Enables the reading of .vimrc, .exrc and .gvimrc in the current + directory. If you switch this option on you should also consider + setting the 'secure' option (see |initialization|). Using a local + .exrc, .vimrc or .gvimrc is a potential security leak, use with care! + also see |.vimrc| and |gui-init|. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'fileencoding'* *'fenc'* *E213* +'fileencoding' 'fenc' string (default: "") + local to buffer + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| + feature} + {not in Vi} + Sets the character encoding for the file of this buffer. + + When 'fileencoding' is different from 'encoding', conversion will be + done when writing the file. For reading see below. + When 'fileencoding' is empty, the same value as 'encoding' will be + used (no conversion when reading or writing a file). + Conversion will also be done when 'encoding' and 'fileencoding' are + both a Unicode encoding and 'fileencoding' is not utf-8. That's + because internally Unicode is always stored as utf-8. + WARNING: Conversion can cause loss of information! When + 'encoding' is "utf-8" or another Unicode encoding, conversion + is most likely done in a way that the reverse conversion + results in the same text. When 'encoding' is not "utf-8" some + characters may be lost! + + See 'encoding' for the possible values. Additionally, values may be + specified that can be handled by the converter, see + |mbyte-conversion|. + + When reading a file 'fileencoding' will be set from 'fileencodings'. + To read a file in a certain encoding it won't work by setting + 'fileencoding', use the |++enc| argument. One exception: when + 'fileencodings' is empty the value of 'fileencoding' is used. + For a new file the global value of 'fileencoding' is used. + + Prepending "8bit-" and "2byte-" has no meaning here, they are ignored. + When the option is set, the value is converted to lowercase. Thus + you can set it with uppercase values too. '_' characters are + replaced with '-'. If a name is recognized from the list for + 'encoding', it is replaced by the standard name. For example + "ISO8859-2" becomes "iso-8859-2". + + When this option is set, after starting to edit a file, the 'modified' + option is set, because the file would be different when written. + + Keep in mind that changing 'fenc' from a modeline happens + AFTER the text has been read, thus it applies to when the file will be + written. If you do set 'fenc' in a modeline, you might want to set + 'nomodified' to avoid not being able to ":q". + + This option can not be changed when 'modifiable' is off. + + *'fe'* + NOTE: Before version 6.0 this option specified the encoding for the + whole of Vim, this was a mistake. Now use 'encoding' instead. The + old short name was 'fe', which is no longer used. + + *'fileencodings'* *'fencs'* +'fileencodings' 'fencs' string (default: "ucs-bom", + "ucs-bom,utf-8,default,latin1" when + 'encoding' is set to a Unicode value) + global + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| + feature} + {not in Vi} + This is a list of character encodings considered when starting to edit + an existing file. When a file is read, Vim tries to use the first + mentioned character encoding. If an error is detected, the next one + in the list is tried. When an encoding is found that works, + 'fileencoding' is set to it. If all fail, 'fileencoding' is set to + an empty string, which means the value of 'encoding' is used. + WARNING: Conversion can cause loss of information! When + 'encoding' is "utf-8" (or one of the other Unicode variants) + conversion is most likely done in a way that the reverse + conversion results in the same text. When 'encoding' is not + "utf-8" some non-ASCII characters may be lost! You can use + the |++bad| argument to specify what is done with characters + that can't be converted. + For an empty file or a file with only ASCII characters most encodings + will work and the first entry of 'fileencodings' will be used (except + "ucs-bom", which requires the BOM to be present). If you prefer + another encoding use an BufReadPost autocommand event to test if your + preferred encoding is to be used. Example: > + au BufReadPost * if search('\S', 'w') == 0 | + \ set fenc=iso-2022-jp | endif +< This sets 'fileencoding' to "iso-2022-jp" if the file does not contain + non-blank characters. + When the |++enc| argument is used then the value of 'fileencodings' is + not used. + Note that 'fileencodings' is not used for a new file, the global value + of 'fileencoding' is used instead. You can set it with: > + :setglobal fenc=iso-8859-2 +< This means that a non-existing file may get a different encoding than + an empty file. + The special value "ucs-bom" can be used to check for a Unicode BOM + (Byte Order Mark) at the start of the file. It must not be preceded + by "utf-8" or another Unicode encoding for this to work properly. + An entry for an 8-bit encoding (e.g., "latin1") should be the last, + because Vim cannot detect an error, thus the encoding is always + accepted. + The special value "default" can be used for the encoding from the + environment. This is the default value for 'encoding'. It is useful + when 'encoding' is set to "utf-8" and your environment uses a + non-latin1 encoding, such as Russian. + When 'encoding' is "utf-8" and a file contains an illegal byte + sequence it won't be recognized as UTF-8. You can use the |8g8| + command to find the illegal byte sequence. + WRONG VALUES: WHAT'S WRONG: + latin1,utf-8 "latin1" will always be used + utf-8,ucs-bom,latin1 BOM won't be recognized in an utf-8 + file + cp1250,latin1 "cp1250" will always be used + If 'fileencodings' is empty, 'fileencoding' is not modified. + See 'fileencoding' for the possible values. + Setting this option does not have an effect until the next time a file + is read. + + *'fileformat'* *'ff'* +'fileformat' 'ff' string (MS-DOS, MS-Windows, OS/2 default: "dos", + Unix default: "unix", + Macintosh default: "mac") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + This gives the <EOL> of the current buffer, which is used for + reading/writing the buffer from/to a file: + dos <CR> <NL> + unix <NL> + mac <CR> + When "dos" is used, CTRL-Z at the end of a file is ignored. + See |file-formats| and |file-read|. + For the character encoding of the file see 'fileencoding'. + When 'binary' is set, the value of 'fileformat' is ignored, file I/O + works like it was set to "unix'. + This option is set automatically when starting to edit a file and + 'fileformats' is not empty and 'binary' is off. + When this option is set, after starting to edit a file, the 'modified' + option is set, because the file would be different when written. + This option can not be changed when 'modifiable' is off. + For backwards compatibility: When this option is set to "dos", + 'textmode' is set, otherwise 'textmode' is reset. + + *'fileformats'* *'ffs'* +'fileformats' 'ffs' string (default: + Vim+Vi MS-DOS, MS-Windows OS/2: "dos,unix", + Vim Unix: "unix,dos", + Vim Mac: "mac,unix,dos", + Vi Cygwin: "unix,dos", + Vi others: "") + global + {not in Vi} + This gives the end-of-line (<EOL>) formats that will be tried when + starting to edit a new buffer and when reading a file into an existing + buffer: + - When empty, the format defined with 'fileformat' will be used + always. It is not set automatically. + - When set to one name, that format will be used whenever a new buffer + is opened. 'fileformat' is set accordingly for that buffer. The + 'fileformats' name will be used when a file is read into an existing + buffer, no matter what 'fileformat' for that buffer is set to. + - When more than one name is present, separated by commas, automatic + <EOL> detection will be done when reading a file. When starting to + edit a file, a check is done for the <EOL>: + 1. If all lines end in <CR><NL>, and 'fileformats' includes "dos", + 'fileformat' is set to "dos". + 2. If a <NL> is found and 'fileformats' includes "unix", 'fileformat' + is set to "unix". Note that when a <NL> is found without a + preceding <CR>, "unix" is preferred over "dos". + 3. If 'fileformat' has not yet been set, and if 'fileformats' + includes "mac", 'fileformat' is set to "mac". + This means that "mac" is only chosen when: + "unix" is not present or no <NL> is found in the file, and + "dos" is not present or no <CR><NL> is found in the file. + Except: if "unix" was chosen, but there is a <CR> before + the first <NL>, and there appear to be more <CR>s than <NL>s in + the first few lines, "mac" is used. + 4. If 'fileformat' is still not set, the first name from + 'fileformats' is used. + When reading a file into an existing buffer, the same is done, but + this happens like 'fileformat' has been set appropriately for that + file only, the option is not changed. + When 'binary' is set, the value of 'fileformats' is not used. + + Note that when Vim starts up with an empty buffer this option is not + used. Set 'fileformat' in your .vimrc instead. + + For systems with a Dos-like <EOL> (<CR><NL>), when reading files that + are ":source"ed and for vimrc files, automatic <EOL> detection may be + done: + - When 'fileformats' is empty, there is no automatic detection. Dos + format will be used. + - When 'fileformats' is set to one or more names, automatic detection + is done. This is based on the first <NL> in the file: If there is a + <CR> in front of it, Dos format is used, otherwise Unix format is + used. + Also see |file-formats|. + For backwards compatibility: When this option is set to an empty + string or one format (no comma is included), 'textauto' is reset, + otherwise 'textauto' is set. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'filetype'* *'ft'* +'filetype' 'ft' string (default: "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+autocmd| + feature} + When this option is set, the FileType autocommand event is triggered. + All autocommands that match with the value of this option will be + executed. Thus the value of 'filetype' is used in place of the file + name. + Otherwise this option does not always reflect the current file type. + This option is normally set when the file type is detected. To enable + this use the ":filetype on" command. |:filetype| + Setting this option to a different value is most useful in a modeline, + for a file for which the file type is not automatically recognized. + Example, for in an IDL file: + /* vim: set filetype=idl : */ ~ + |FileType| |filetypes| + When a dot appears in the value then this separates two filetype + names. Example: + /* vim: set filetype=c.doxygen : */ ~ + This will use the "c" filetype first, then the "doxygen" filetype. + This works both for filetype plugins and for syntax files. More than + one dot may appear. + Do not confuse this option with 'osfiletype', which is for the file + type that is actually stored with the file. + This option is not copied to another buffer, independent of the 's' or + 'S' flag in 'cpoptions'. + Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal. + + *'fillchars'* *'fcs'* +'fillchars' 'fcs' string (default "vert:|,fold:-") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| + and |+folding| features} + Characters to fill the statuslines and vertical separators. + It is a comma separated list of items: + + item default Used for ~ + stl:c ' ' or '^' statusline of the current window + stlnc:c ' ' or '-' statusline of the non-current windows + vert:c '|' vertical separators |:vsplit| + fold:c '-' filling 'foldtext' + diff:c '-' deleted lines of the 'diff' option + + Any one that is omitted will fall back to the default. For "stl" and + "stlnc" the space will be used when there is highlighting, '^' or '-' + otherwise. + + Example: > + :set fillchars=stl:^,stlnc:-,vert:\|,fold:-,diff:- +< This is similar to the default, except that these characters will also + be used when there is highlighting. + + for "stl" and "stlnc" only single-byte values are supported. + + The highlighting used for these items: + item highlight group ~ + stl:c StatusLine |hl-StatusLine| + stlnc:c StatusLineNC |hl-StatusLineNC| + vert:c VertSplit |hl-VertSplit| + fold:c Folded |hl-Folded| + diff:c DiffDelete |hl-DiffDelete| + + *'fkmap'* *'fk'* *'nofkmap'* *'nofk'* +'fkmap' 'fk' boolean (default off) *E198* + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft| + feature} + When on, the keyboard is mapped for the Farsi character set. + Normally you would set 'allowrevins' and use CTRL-_ in insert mode to + toggle this option |i_CTRL-_|. See |farsi.txt|. + + *'foldclose'* *'fcl'* +'foldclose' 'fcl' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + When set to "all", a fold is closed when the cursor isn't in it and + its level is higher than 'foldlevel'. Useful if you want folds to + automatically close when moving out of them. + + *'foldcolumn'* *'fdc'* +'foldcolumn' 'fdc' number (default 0) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + When non-zero, a column with the specified width is shown at the side + of the window which indicates open and closed folds. The maximum + value is 12. + See |folding|. + + *'foldenable'* *'fen'* *'nofoldenable'* *'nofen'* +'foldenable' 'fen' boolean (default on) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + When off, all folds are open. This option can be used to quickly + switch between showing all text unfolded and viewing the text with + folds (including manually opened or closed folds). It can be toggled + with the |zi| command. The 'foldcolumn' will remain blank when + 'foldenable' is off. + This option is set by commands that create a new fold or close a fold. + See |folding|. + + *'foldexpr'* *'fde'* +'foldexpr' 'fde' string (default: "0") + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + or |+eval| features} + The expression used for when 'foldmethod' is "expr". It is evaluated + for each line to obtain its fold level. See |fold-expr|. + + The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see + |sandbox-option|. + This option can't be set from a |modeline| when the 'diff' option is + on. + + It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while + evaluating 'foldexpr' |textlock|. + + *'foldignore'* *'fdi'* +'foldignore' 'fdi' string (default: "#") + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + Used only when 'foldmethod' is "indent". Lines starting with + characters in 'foldignore' will get their fold level from surrounding + lines. White space is skipped before checking for this character. + The default "#" works well for C programs. See |fold-indent|. + + *'foldlevel'* *'fdl'* +'foldlevel' 'fdl' number (default: 0) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + Sets the fold level: Folds with a higher level will be closed. + Setting this option to zero will close all folds. Higher numbers will + close fewer folds. + This option is set by commands like |zm|, |zM| and |zR|. + See |fold-foldlevel|. + + *'foldlevelstart'* *'fdls'* +'foldlevelstart' 'fdls' number (default: -1) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + Sets 'foldlevel' when starting to edit another buffer in a window. + Useful to always start editing with all folds closed (value zero), + some folds closed (one) or no folds closed (99). + This is done before reading any modeline, thus a setting in a modeline + overrules this option. Starting to edit a file for |diff-mode| also + ignores this option and closes all folds. + It is also done before BufReadPre autocommands, to allow an autocmd to + overrule the 'foldlevel' value for specific files. + When the value is negative, it is not used. + + *'foldmarker'* *'fmr'* *E536* +'foldmarker' 'fmr' string (default: "{{{,}}}") + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + The start and end marker used when 'foldmethod' is "marker". There + must be one comma, which separates the start and end marker. The + marker is a literal string (a regular expression would be too slow). + See |fold-marker|. + + *'foldmethod'* *'fdm'* +'foldmethod' 'fdm' string (default: "manual") + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + The kind of folding used for the current window. Possible values: + |fold-manual| manual Folds are created manually. + |fold-indent| indent Lines with equal indent form a fold. + |fold-expr| expr 'foldexpr' gives the fold level of a line. + |fold-marker| marker Markers are used to specify folds. + |fold-syntax| syntax Syntax highlighting items specify folds. + |fold-diff| diff Fold text that is not changed. + + *'foldminlines'* *'fml'* +'foldminlines' 'fml' number (default: 1) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + Sets the minimum number of screen lines for a fold to be displayed + closed. Also for manually closed folds. + Note that this only has an effect of what is displayed. After using + "zc" to close a fold, which is displayed open because it's smaller + than 'foldminlines', a following "zc" may close a containing fold. + + *'foldnestmax'* *'fdn'* +'foldnestmax' 'fdn' number (default: 20) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + Sets the maximum nesting of folds for the "indent" and "syntax" + methods. This avoids that too many folds will be created. Using more + than 20 doesn't work, because the internal limit is 20. + + *'foldopen'* *'fdo'* +'foldopen' 'fdo' string (default: "block,hor,mark,percent,quickfix, + search,tag,undo") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + Specifies for which type of commands folds will be opened, if the + command moves the cursor into a closed fold. It is a comma separated + list of items. + NOTE: When the command is part of a mapping this option is not used. + Add the |zv| command to the mapping to get the same effect. + (rationale: the mapping may want to control opening folds itself) + + item commands ~ + all any + block "(", "{", "[[", "[{", etc. + hor horizontal movements: "l", "w", "fx", etc. + insert any command in Insert mode + jump far jumps: "G", "gg", etc. + mark jumping to a mark: "'m", CTRL-O, etc. + percent "%" + quickfix ":cn", ":crew", ":make", etc. + search search for a pattern: "/", "n", "*", "gd", etc. + (not for a search pattern in a ":" command) + Also for |[s| and |]s|. + tag jumping to a tag: ":ta", CTRL-T, etc. + undo undo or redo: "u" and CTRL-R + When a movement command is used for an operator (e.g., "dl" or "y%") + this option is not used. This means the operator will include the + whole closed fold. + Note that vertical movements are not here, because it would make it + very difficult to move onto a closed fold. + In insert mode the folds containing the cursor will always be open + when text is inserted. + To close folds you can re-apply 'foldlevel' with the |zx| command or + set the 'foldclose' option to "all". + + *'foldtext'* *'fdt'* +'foldtext' 'fdt' string (default: "foldtext()") + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+folding| + feature} + An expression which is used to specify the text displayed for a closed + fold. See |fold-foldtext|. + + The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see + |sandbox-option|. + + It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while + evaluating 'foldtext' |textlock|. + + *'formatoptions'* *'fo'* +'formatoptions' 'fo' string (Vim default: "tcq", Vi default: "vt") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + This is a sequence of letters which describes how automatic + formatting is to be done. See |fo-table|. When the 'paste' option is + on, no formatting is done (like 'formatoptions' is empty). Commas can + be inserted for readability. + To avoid problems with flags that are added in the future, use the + "+=" and "-=" feature of ":set" |add-option-flags|. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'formatlistpat'* *'flp'* +'formatlistpat' 'flp' string (default: "^\s*\d\+[\]:.)}\t ]\s*") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + A pattern that is used to recognize a list header. This is used for + the "n" flag in 'formatoptions'. + The pattern must match exactly the text that will be the indent for + the line below it. You can use |/\ze| to mark the end of the match + while still checking more characters. There must be a character + following the pattern, when it matches the whole line it is handled + like there is no match. + The default recognizes a number, followed by an optional punctuation + character and white space. + + *'formatprg'* *'fp'* +'formatprg' 'fp' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + The name of an external program that will be used to format the lines + selected with the |gq| operator. The program must take the input on + stdin and produce the output on stdout. The Unix program "fmt" is + such a program. + If the 'formatexpr' option is not empty it will be used instead. + Otherwise, if 'formatprg' option is an empty string, the internal + format function will be used |C-indenting|. + Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. See |option-backslash| + about including spaces and backslashes. + The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see + |sandbox-option|. + + *'formatexpr'* *'fex'* +'formatexpr' 'fex' string (default "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+eval| + feature} + Expression which is evaluated to format a range of lines for the |gq| + operator or automatic formatting (see 'formatoptions'). When this + option is empty 'formatprg' is used. + + The |v:lnum| variable holds the first line to be formatted. + The |v:count| variable holds the number of lines to be formatted. + The |v:char| variable holds the character that is going to be + inserted if the expression is being evaluated due to + automatic formatting. This can be empty. Don't insert + it yet! + + Example: > + :set formatexpr=mylang#Format() +< This will invoke the mylang#Format() function in the + autoload/mylang.vim file in 'runtimepath'. |autoload| + + The expression is also evaluated when 'textwidth' is set and adding + text beyond that limit. This happens under the same conditions as + when internal formatting is used. Make sure the cursor is kept in the + same spot relative to the text then! The |mode()| function will + return "i" or "R" in this situation. + + When the expression evaluates to non-zero Vim will fall back to using + the internal format mechanism. + + The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see + |sandbox-option|. That stops the option from working, since changing + the buffer text is not allowed. + + *'fsync'* *'fs'* +'fsync' 'fs' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + When on, the library function fsync() will be called after writing a + file. This will flush a file to disk, ensuring that it is safely + written even on filesystems which do metadata-only journaling. This + will force the harddrive to spin up on Linux systems running in laptop + mode, so it may be undesirable in some situations. Be warned that + turning this off increases the chances of data loss after a crash. On + systems without an fsync() implementation, this variable is always + off. + Also see 'swapsync' for controlling fsync() on swap files. + + *'gdefault'* *'gd'* *'nogdefault'* *'nogd'* +'gdefault' 'gd' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + When on, the ":substitute" flag 'g' is default on. This means that + all matches in a line are substituted instead of one. When a 'g' flag + is given to a ":substitute" command, this will toggle the substitution + of all or one match. See |complex-change|. + + command 'gdefault' on 'gdefault' off ~ + :s/// subst. all subst. one + :s///g subst. one subst. all + :s///gg subst. all subst. one + + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'grepformat'* *'gfm'* +'grepformat' 'gfm' string (default "%f:%l%m,%f %l%m") + global + {not in Vi} + Format to recognize for the ":grep" command output. + This is a scanf-like string that uses the same format as the + 'errorformat' option: see |errorformat|. + + *'grepprg'* *'gp'* +'grepprg' 'gp' string (default "grep -n ", + Unix: "grep -n $* /dev/null", + Win32: "findstr /n" or "grep -n", + VMS: "SEARCH/NUMBERS ") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + Program to use for the |:grep| command. This option may contain '%' + and '#' characters, which are expanded like when used in a command- + line. The placeholder "$*" is allowed to specify where the arguments + will be included. Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. See + |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes. + When your "grep" accepts the "-H" argument, use this to make ":grep" + also work well with a single file: > + :set grepprg=grep\ -nH +< Special value: When 'grepprg' is set to "internal" the |:grep| command + works like |:vimgrep|, |:lgrep| like |:lvimgrep|, |:grepadd| like + |:vimgrepadd| and |:lgrepadd| like |:lvimgrepadd|. + See also the section |:make_makeprg|, since most of the comments there + apply equally to 'grepprg'. + For Win32, the default is "findstr /n" if "findstr.exe" can be found, + otherwise it's "grep -n". + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'guicursor'* *'gcr'* *E545* *E546* *E548* *E549* +'guicursor' 'gcr' string (default "n-v-c:block-Cursor/lCursor, + ve:ver35-Cursor, + o:hor50-Cursor, + i-ci:ver25-Cursor/lCursor, + r-cr:hor20-Cursor/lCursor, + sm:block-Cursor + -blinkwait175-blinkoff150-blinkon175", + for MS-DOS and Win32 console: + "n-v-c:block,o:hor50,i-ci:hor15, + r-cr:hor30,sm:block") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with GUI enabled, and + for MS-DOS and Win32 console} + This option tells Vim what the cursor should look like in different + modes. It fully works in the GUI. In an MSDOS or Win32 console, only + the height of the cursor can be changed. This can be done by + specifying a block cursor, or a percentage for a vertical or + horizontal cursor. + For a console the 't_SI' and 't_EI' escape sequences are used. + + The option is a comma separated list of parts. Each part consist of a + mode-list and an argument-list: + mode-list:argument-list,mode-list:argument-list,.. + The mode-list is a dash separated list of these modes: + n Normal mode + v Visual mode + ve Visual mode with 'selection' "exclusive" (same as 'v', + if not specified) + o Operator-pending mode + i Insert mode + r Replace mode + c Command-line Normal (append) mode + ci Command-line Insert mode + cr Command-line Replace mode + sm showmatch in Insert mode + a all modes + The argument-list is a dash separated list of these arguments: + hor{N} horizontal bar, {N} percent of the character height + ver{N} vertical bar, {N} percent of the character width + block block cursor, fills the whole character + [only one of the above three should be present] + blinkwait{N} *cursor-blinking* + blinkon{N} + blinkoff{N} + blink times for cursor: blinkwait is the delay before + the cursor starts blinking, blinkon is the time that + the cursor is shown and blinkoff is the time that the + cursor is not shown. The times are in msec. When one + of the numbers is zero, there is no blinking. The + default is: "blinkwait700-blinkon400-blinkoff250". + These numbers are used for a missing entry. This + means that blinking is enabled by default. To switch + blinking off you can use "blinkon0". The cursor only + blinks when Vim is waiting for input, not while + executing a command. + To make the cursor blink in an xterm, see + |xterm-blink|. + {group-name} + a highlight group name, that sets the color and font + for the cursor + {group-name}/{group-name} + Two highlight group names, the first is used when + no language mappings are used, the other when they + are. |language-mapping| + + Examples of parts: + n-c-v:block-nCursor in Normal, Command-line and Visual mode, use a + block cursor with colors from the "nCursor" + highlight group + i-ci:ver30-iCursor-blinkwait300-blinkon200-blinkoff150 + In Insert and Command-line Insert mode, use a + 30% vertical bar cursor with colors from the + "iCursor" highlight group. Blink a bit + faster. + + The 'a' mode is different. It will set the given argument-list for + all modes. It does not reset anything to defaults. This can be used + to do a common setting for all modes. For example, to switch off + blinking: "a:blinkon0" + + Examples of cursor highlighting: > + :highlight Cursor gui=reverse guifg=NONE guibg=NONE + :highlight Cursor gui=NONE guifg=bg guibg=fg +< + *'guifont'* *'gfn'* + *E235* *E596* *E610* *E611* +'guifont' 'gfn' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with GUI enabled} + This is a list of fonts which will be used for the GUI version of Vim. + In its simplest form the value is just one font name. When + the font cannot be found you will get an error message. To try other + font names a list can be specified, font names separated with commas. + The first valid font is used. + + On systems where 'guifontset' is supported (X11) and 'guifontset' is + not empty, then 'guifont' is not used. + + Spaces after a comma are ignored. To include a comma in a font name + precede it with a backslash. Setting an option requires an extra + backslash before a space and a backslash. See also + |option-backslash|. For example: > + :set guifont=Screen15,\ 7x13,font\\,with\\,commas +< will make Vim try to use the font "Screen15" first, and if it fails it + will try to use "7x13" and then "font,with,commas" instead. + + If none of the fonts can be loaded, Vim will keep the current setting. + If an empty font list is given, Vim will try using other resource + settings (for X, it will use the Vim.font resource), and finally it + will try some builtin default which should always be there ("7x13" in + the case of X). The font names given should be "normal" fonts. Vim + will try to find the related bold and italic fonts. + + For Win32, GTK, Motif, Mac OS and Photon: > + :set guifont=* +< will bring up a font requester, where you can pick the font you want. + + The font name depends on the GUI used. See |setting-guifont| for a + way to set 'guifont' for various systems. + + For the GTK+ 2 GUI the font name looks like this: > + :set guifont=Andale\ Mono\ 11 +< That's all. XLFDs are not used. For Chinese this is reported to work + well: > + if has("gui_gtk2") + set guifont=Bitstream\ Vera\ Sans\ Mono\ 12,Fixed\ 12 + set guifontwide=Microsoft\ Yahei\ 12,WenQuanYi\ Zen\ Hei\ 12 + endif +< + For Mac OSX you can use something like this: > + :set guifont=Monaco:h10 +< Also see 'macatsui', it can help fix display problems. + *E236* + Note that the fonts must be mono-spaced (all characters have the same + width). An exception is GTK 2: all fonts are accepted, but + mono-spaced fonts look best. + + To preview a font on X11, you might be able to use the "xfontsel" + program. The "xlsfonts" program gives a list of all available fonts. + + For the Win32 GUI *E244* *E245* + - takes these options in the font name: + hXX - height is XX (points, can be floating-point) + wXX - width is XX (points, can be floating-point) + b - bold + i - italic + u - underline + s - strikeout + cXX - character set XX. Valid charsets are: ANSI, ARABIC, + BALTIC, CHINESEBIG5, DEFAULT, EASTEUROPE, GB2312, GREEK, + HANGEUL, HEBREW, JOHAB, MAC, OEM, RUSSIAN, SHIFTJIS, + SYMBOL, THAI, TURKISH, VIETNAMESE ANSI and BALTIC. + Normally you would use "cDEFAULT". + + Use a ':' to separate the options. + - A '_' can be used in the place of a space, so you don't need to use + backslashes to escape the spaces. + - Examples: > + :set guifont=courier_new:h12:w5:b:cRUSSIAN + :set guifont=Andale_Mono:h7.5:w4.5 +< See also |font-sizes|. + + *'guifontset'* *'gfs'* + *E250* *E252* *E234* *E597* *E598* +'guifontset' 'gfs' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with GUI enabled and + with the |+xfontset| feature} + {not available in the GTK+ 2 GUI} + When not empty, specifies two (or more) fonts to be used. The first + one for normal English, the second one for your special language. See + |xfontset|. + Setting this option also means that all font names will be handled as + a fontset name. Also the ones used for the "font" argument of the + |:highlight| command. + The fonts must match with the current locale. If fonts for the + character sets that the current locale uses are not included, setting + 'guifontset' will fail. + Note the difference between 'guifont' and 'guifontset': In 'guifont' + the comma-separated names are alternative names, one of which will be + used. In 'guifontset' the whole string is one fontset name, + including the commas. It is not possible to specify alternative + fontset names. + This example works on many X11 systems: > + :set guifontset=-*-*-medium-r-normal--16-*-*-*-c-*-*-* +< + *'guifontwide'* *'gfw'* *E231* *E533* *E534* +'guifontwide' 'gfw' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with GUI enabled} + When not empty, specifies a comma-separated list of fonts to be used + for double-width characters. The first font that can be loaded is + used. + Note: The size of these fonts must be exactly twice as wide as the one + specified with 'guifont' and the same height. + + All GUI versions but GTK+ 2: + + 'guifontwide' is only used when 'encoding' is set to "utf-8" and + 'guifontset' is empty or invalid. + When 'guifont' is set and a valid font is found in it and + 'guifontwide' is empty Vim will attempt to find a matching + double-width font and set 'guifontwide' to it. + + GTK+ 2 GUI only: *guifontwide_gtk2* + + If set and valid, 'guifontwide' is always used for double width + characters, even if 'encoding' is not set to "utf-8". + Vim does not attempt to find an appropriate value for 'guifontwide' + automatically. If 'guifontwide' is empty Pango/Xft will choose the + font for characters not available in 'guifont'. Thus you do not need + to set 'guifontwide' at all unless you want to override the choice + made by Pango/Xft. + + *'guiheadroom'* *'ghr'* +'guiheadroom' 'ghr' number (default 50) + global + {not in Vi} {only for GTK and X11 GUI} + The number of pixels subtracted from the screen height when fitting + the GUI window on the screen. Set this before the GUI is started, + e.g., in your |gvimrc| file. When zero, the whole screen height will + be used by the window. When positive, the specified number of pixel + lines will be left for window decorations and other items on the + screen. Set it to a negative value to allow windows taller than the + screen. + + *'guioptions'* *'go'* +'guioptions' 'go' string (default "gmrLtT" (MS-Windows), + "agimrLtT" (GTK, Motif and Athena)) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with GUI enabled} + This option only has an effect in the GUI version of Vim. It is a + sequence of letters which describes what components and options of the + GUI should be used. + To avoid problems with flags that are added in the future, use the + "+=" and "-=" feature of ":set" |add-option-flags|. + + Valid letters are as follows: + *guioptions_a* *'go-a'* + 'a' Autoselect: If present, then whenever VISUAL mode is started, + or the Visual area extended, Vim tries to become the owner of + the windowing system's global selection. This means that the + Visually highlighted text is available for pasting into other + applications as well as into Vim itself. When the Visual mode + ends, possibly due to an operation on the text, or when an + application wants to paste the selection, the highlighted text + is automatically yanked into the "* selection register. + Thus the selection is still available for pasting into other + applications after the VISUAL mode has ended. + If not present, then Vim won't become the owner of the + windowing system's global selection unless explicitly told to + by a yank or delete operation for the "* register. + The same applies to the modeless selection. + *'go-A'* + 'A' Autoselect for the modeless selection. Like 'a', but only + applies to the modeless selection. + + 'guioptions' autoselect Visual autoselect modeless ~ + "" - - + "a" yes yes + "A" - yes + "aA" yes yes + + *'go-c'* + 'c' Use console dialogs instead of popup dialogs for simple + choices. + *'go-e'* + 'e' Add tab pages when indicated with 'showtabline'. + 'guitablabel' can be used to change the text in the labels. + When 'e' is missing a non-GUI tab pages line may be used. + The GUI tabs are only supported on some systems, currently + GTK, Motif, Mac OS/X and MS-Windows. + *'go-f'* + 'f' Foreground: Don't use fork() to detach the GUI from the shell + where it was started. Use this for programs that wait for the + editor to finish (e.g., an e-mail program). Alternatively you + can use "gvim -f" or ":gui -f" to start the GUI in the + foreground. |gui-fork| + Note: Set this option in the vimrc file. The forking may have + happened already when the |gvimrc| file is read. + *'go-i'* + 'i' Use a Vim icon. For GTK with KDE it is used in the left-upper + corner of the window. It's black&white on non-GTK, because of + limitations of X11. For a color icon, see |X11-icon|. + *'go-m'* + 'm' Menu bar is present. + *'go-M'* + 'M' The system menu "$VIMRUNTIME/menu.vim" is not sourced. Note + that this flag must be added in the .vimrc file, before + switching on syntax or filetype recognition (when the |gvimrc| + file is sourced the system menu has already been loaded; the + ":syntax on" and ":filetype on" commands load the menu too). + *'go-g'* + 'g' Grey menu items: Make menu items that are not active grey. If + 'g' is not included inactive menu items are not shown at all. + Exception: Athena will always use grey menu items. + *'go-t'* + 't' Include tearoff menu items. Currently only works for Win32, + GTK+, and Motif 1.2 GUI. + *'go-T'* + 'T' Include Toolbar. Currently only in Win32, GTK+, Motif, Photon + and Athena GUIs. + *'go-r'* + 'r' Right-hand scrollbar is always present. + *'go-R'* + 'R' Right-hand scrollbar is present when there is a vertically + split window. + *'go-l'* + 'l' Left-hand scrollbar is always present. + *'go-L'* + 'L' Left-hand scrollbar is present when there is a vertically + split window. + *'go-b'* + 'b' Bottom (horizontal) scrollbar is present. Its size depends on + the longest visible line, or on the cursor line if the 'h' + flag is included. |gui-horiz-scroll| + *'go-h'* + 'h' Limit horizontal scrollbar size to the length of the cursor + line. Reduces computations. |gui-horiz-scroll| + + And yes, you may even have scrollbars on the left AND the right if + you really want to :-). See |gui-scrollbars| for more information. + + *'go-v'* + 'v' Use a vertical button layout for dialogs. When not included, + a horizontal layout is preferred, but when it doesn't fit a + vertical layout is used anyway. + *'go-p'* + 'p' Use Pointer callbacks for X11 GUI. This is required for some + window managers. If the cursor is not blinking or hollow at + the right moment, try adding this flag. This must be done + before starting the GUI. Set it in your |gvimrc|. Adding or + removing it after the GUI has started has no effect. + *'go-F'* + 'F' Add a footer. Only for Motif. See |gui-footer|. + + + *'guipty'* *'noguipty'* +'guipty' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with GUI enabled} + Only in the GUI: If on, an attempt is made to open a pseudo-tty for + I/O to/from shell commands. See |gui-pty|. + + *'guitablabel'* *'gtl'* +'guitablabel' 'gtl' string (default empty) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with GUI enabled and + with the |+windows| feature} + When nonempty describes the text to use in a label of the GUI tab + pages line. When empty and when the result is empty Vim will use a + default label. See |setting-guitablabel| for more info. + + The format of this option is like that of 'statusline'. + 'guitabtooltip' is used for the tooltip, see below. + + Only used when the GUI tab pages line is displayed. 'e' must be + present in 'guioptions'. For the non-GUI tab pages line 'tabline' is + used. + + *'guitabtooltip'* *'gtt'* +'guitabtooltip' 'gtt' string (default empty) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with GUI enabled and + with the |+windows| feature} + When nonempty describes the text to use in a tooltip for the GUI tab + pages line. When empty Vim will use a default tooltip. + This option is otherwise just like 'guitablabel' above. + You can include a line break. Simplest method is to use |:let|: > + :let &guitabtooltip = "line one\nline two" +< + + *'helpfile'* *'hf'* +'helpfile' 'hf' string (default (MSDOS) "$VIMRUNTIME\doc\help.txt" + (others) "$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt") + global + {not in Vi} + Name of the main help file. All distributed help files should be + placed together in one directory. Additionally, all "doc" directories + in 'runtimepath' will be used. + Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. For example: + "$VIMRUNTIME/doc/help.txt". If $VIMRUNTIME is not set, $VIM is also + tried. Also see |$VIMRUNTIME| and |option-backslash| about including + spaces and backslashes. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'helpheight'* *'hh'* +'helpheight' 'hh' number (default 20) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| + feature} + Minimal initial height of the help window when it is opened with the + ":help" command. The initial height of the help window is half of the + current window, or (when the 'ea' option is on) the same as other + windows. When the height is less than 'helpheight', the height is + set to 'helpheight'. Set to zero to disable. + + *'helplang'* *'hlg'* +'helplang' 'hlg' string (default: messages language or empty) + global + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_lang| + feature} + {not in Vi} + Comma separated list of languages. Vim will use the first language + for which the desired help can be found. The English help will always + be used as a last resort. You can add "en" to prefer English over + another language, but that will only find tags that exist in that + language and not in the English help. + Example: > + :set helplang=de,it +< This will first search German, then Italian and finally English help + files. + When using |CTRL-]| and ":help!" in a non-English help file Vim will + try to find the tag in the current language before using this option. + See |help-translated|. + + *'hidden'* *'hid'* *'nohidden'* *'nohid'* +'hidden' 'hid' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + When off a buffer is unloaded when it is |abandon|ed. When on a + buffer becomes hidden when it is |abandon|ed. If the buffer is still + displayed in another window, it does not become hidden, of course. + The commands that move through the buffer list sometimes make a buffer + hidden although the 'hidden' option is off: When the buffer is + modified, 'autowrite' is off or writing is not possible, and the '!' + flag was used. See also |windows.txt|. + To only make one buffer hidden use the 'bufhidden' option. + This option is set for one command with ":hide {command}" |:hide|. + WARNING: It's easy to forget that you have changes in hidden buffers. + Think twice when using ":q!" or ":qa!". + + *'highlight'* *'hl'* +'highlight' 'hl' string (default (as a single string): + "8:SpecialKey,@:NonText,d:Directory, + e:ErrorMsg,i:IncSearch,l:Search,m:MoreMsg, + M:ModeMsg,n:LineNr,r:Question, + s:StatusLine,S:StatusLineNC,c:VertSplit, + t:Title,v:Visual,w:WarningMsg,W:WildMenu, + f:Folded,F:FoldColumn,A:DiffAdd, + C:DiffChange,D:DiffDelete,T:DiffText, + >:SignColumn,B:SpellBad,P:SpellCap, + R:SpellRare,L:SpellLocal,-:Conceal, + +:Pmenu,=:PmenuSel, + x:PmenuSbar,X:PmenuThumb") + global + {not in Vi} + This option can be used to set highlighting mode for various + occasions. It is a comma separated list of character pairs. The + first character in a pair gives the occasion, the second the mode to + use for that occasion. The occasions are: + |hl-SpecialKey| 8 Meta and special keys listed with ":map" + |hl-NonText| @ '~' and '@' at the end of the window and + characters from 'showbreak' + |hl-Directory| d directories in CTRL-D listing and other special + things in listings + |hl-ErrorMsg| e error messages + h (obsolete, ignored) + |hl-IncSearch| i 'incsearch' highlighting + |hl-Search| l last search pattern highlighting (see 'hlsearch') + |hl-MoreMsg| m |more-prompt| + |hl-ModeMsg| M Mode (e.g., "-- INSERT --") + |hl-LineNr| n line number for ":number" and ":#" commands, and + when 'number' or 'relativenumber' option is set. + |hl-Question| r |hit-enter| prompt and yes/no questions + |hl-StatusLine| s status line of current window |status-line| + |hl-StatusLineNC| S status lines of not-current windows + |hl-Title| t Titles for output from ":set all", ":autocmd" etc. + |hl-VertSplit| c column used to separate vertically split windows + |hl-Visual| v Visual mode + |hl-VisualNOS| V Visual mode when Vim does is "Not Owning the + Selection" Only X11 Gui's |gui-x11| and + |xterm-clipboard|. + |hl-WarningMsg| w warning messages + |hl-WildMenu| W wildcard matches displayed for 'wildmenu' + |hl-Folded| f line used for closed folds + |hl-FoldColumn| F 'foldcolumn' + |hl-DiffAdd| A added line in diff mode + |hl-DiffChange| C changed line in diff mode + |hl-DiffDelete| D deleted line in diff mode + |hl-DiffText| T inserted text in diff mode + |hl-SignColumn| > column used for |signs| + |hl-SpellBad| B misspelled word |spell| + |hl-SpellCap| P word that should start with capital |spell| + |hl-SpellRare| R rare word |spell| + |hl-SpellLocal| L word from other region |spell| + |hl-Conceal| - the placeholders used for concealed characters + (see 'conceallevel') + |hl-Pmenu| + popup menu normal line + |hl-PmenuSel| = popup menu normal line + |hl-PmenuSbar| x popup menu scrollbar + |hl-PmenuThumb| X popup menu scrollbar thumb + + The display modes are: + r reverse (termcap entry "mr" and "me") + i italic (termcap entry "ZH" and "ZR") + b bold (termcap entry "md" and "me") + s standout (termcap entry "so" and "se") + u underline (termcap entry "us" and "ue") + c undercurl (termcap entry "Cs" and "Ce") + n no highlighting + - no highlighting + : use a highlight group + The default is used for occasions that are not included. + If you want to change what the display modes do, see |dos-colors| + for an example. + When using the ':' display mode, this must be followed by the name of + a highlight group. A highlight group can be used to define any type + of highlighting, including using color. See |:highlight| on how to + define one. The default uses a different group for each occasion. + See |highlight-default| for the default highlight groups. + + *'hlsearch'* *'hls'* *'nohlsearch'* *'nohls'* +'hlsearch' 'hls' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the + |+extra_search| feature} + When there is a previous search pattern, highlight all its matches. + The type of highlighting used can be set with the 'l' occasion in the + 'highlight' option. This uses the "Search" highlight group by + default. Note that only the matching text is highlighted, any offsets + are not applied. + See also: 'incsearch' and |:match|. + When you get bored looking at the highlighted matches, you can turn it + off with |:nohlsearch|. As soon as you use a search command, the + highlighting comes back. + 'redrawtime' specifies the maximum time spent on finding matches. + When the search pattern can match an end-of-line, Vim will try to + highlight all of the matched text. However, this depends on where the + search starts. This will be the first line in the window or the first + line below a closed fold. A match in a previous line which is not + drawn may not continue in a newly drawn line. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'history'* *'hi'* +'history' 'hi' number (Vim default: 20, Vi default: 0) + global + {not in Vi} + A history of ":" commands, and a history of previous search patterns + are remembered. This option decides how many entries may be stored in + each of these histories (see |cmdline-editing|). + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'hkmap'* *'hk'* *'nohkmap'* *'nohk'* +'hkmap' 'hk' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft| + feature} + When on, the keyboard is mapped for the Hebrew character set. + Normally you would set 'allowrevins' and use CTRL-_ in insert mode to + toggle this option. See |rileft.txt|. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'hkmapp'* *'hkp'* *'nohkmapp'* *'nohkp'* +'hkmapp' 'hkp' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft| + feature} + When on, phonetic keyboard mapping is used. 'hkmap' must also be on. + This is useful if you have a non-Hebrew keyboard. + See |rileft.txt|. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'icon'* *'noicon'* +'icon' boolean (default off, on when title can be restored) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+title| + feature} + When on, the icon text of the window will be set to the value of + 'iconstring' (if it is not empty), or to the name of the file + currently being edited. Only the last part of the name is used. + Overridden by the 'iconstring' option. + Only works if the terminal supports setting window icons (currently + only X11 GUI and terminals with a non-empty 't_IS' option - these are + Unix xterm and iris-ansi by default, where 't_IS' is taken from the + builtin termcap). + When Vim was compiled with HAVE_X11 defined, the original icon will be + restored if possible |X11|. See |X11-icon| for changing the icon on + X11. + + *'iconstring'* +'iconstring' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+title| + feature} + When this option is not empty, it will be used for the icon text of + the window. This happens only when the 'icon' option is on. + Only works if the terminal supports setting window icon text + (currently only X11 GUI and terminals with a non-empty 't_IS' option). + Does not work for MS Windows. + When Vim was compiled with HAVE_X11 defined, the original icon will be + restored if possible |X11|. + When this option contains printf-style '%' items, they will be + expanded according to the rules used for 'statusline'. See + 'titlestring' for example settings. + {not available when compiled without the |+statusline| feature} + + *'ignorecase'* *'ic'* *'noignorecase'* *'noic'* +'ignorecase' 'ic' boolean (default off) + global + Ignore case in search patterns. Also used when searching in the tags + file. + Also see 'smartcase'. + Can be overruled by using "\c" or "\C" in the pattern, see + |/ignorecase|. + + *'imactivatekey'* *'imak'* +'imactivatekey' 'imak' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with |+xim| and + |+GUI_GTK|} *E599* + Specifies the key that your Input Method in X-Windows uses for + activation. When this is specified correctly, vim can fully control + IM with 'imcmdline', 'iminsert' and 'imsearch'. + You can't use this option to change the activation key, the option + tells Vim what the key is. + Format: + [MODIFIER_FLAG-]KEY_STRING + + These characters can be used for MODIFIER_FLAG (case is ignored): + S Shift key + L Lock key + C Control key + 1 Mod1 key + 2 Mod2 key + 3 Mod3 key + 4 Mod4 key + 5 Mod5 key + Combinations are allowed, for example "S-C-space" or "SC-space" are + both shift+ctrl+space. + See <X11/keysymdef.h> and XStringToKeysym for KEY_STRING. + + Example: > + :set imactivatekey=S-space +< "S-space" means shift+space. This is the activation key for kinput2 + + canna (Japanese), and ami (Korean). + + *'imcmdline'* *'imc'* *'noimcmdline'* *'noimc'* +'imcmdline' 'imc' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+xim|, + |+multi_byte_ime| or |global-ime| features} + When set the Input Method is always on when starting to edit a command + line, unless entering a search pattern (see 'imsearch' for that). + Setting this option is useful when your input method allows entering + English characters directly, e.g., when it's used to type accented + characters with dead keys. + + *'imdisable'* *'imd'* *'noimdisable'* *'noimd'* +'imdisable' 'imd' boolean (default off, on for some systems (SGI)) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+xim|, + |+multi_byte_ime| or |global-ime| features} + When set the Input Method is never used. This is useful to disable + the IM when it doesn't work properly. + Currently this option is on by default for SGI/IRIX machines. This + may change in later releases. + + *'iminsert'* *'imi'* +'iminsert' 'imi' number (default 0, 2 when an input method is supported) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + Specifies whether :lmap or an Input Method (IM) is to be used in + Insert mode. Valid values: + 0 :lmap is off and IM is off + 1 :lmap is ON and IM is off + 2 :lmap is off and IM is ON + 2 is available only when compiled with the |+multi_byte_ime|, |+xim| + or |global-ime|. + To always reset the option to zero when leaving Insert mode with <Esc> + this can be used: > + :inoremap <ESC> <ESC>:set iminsert=0<CR> +< This makes :lmap and IM turn off automatically when leaving Insert + mode. + Note that this option changes when using CTRL-^ in Insert mode + |i_CTRL-^|. + The value is set to 1 when setting 'keymap' to a valid keymap name. + It is also used for the argument of commands like "r" and "f". + The value 0 may not work correctly with Athena and Motif with some XIM + methods. Use 'imdisable' to disable XIM then. + + *'imsearch'* *'ims'* +'imsearch' 'ims' number (default 0, 2 when an input method is supported) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + Specifies whether :lmap or an Input Method (IM) is to be used when + entering a search pattern. Valid values: + -1 the value of 'iminsert' is used, makes it look like + 'iminsert' is also used when typing a search pattern + 0 :lmap is off and IM is off + 1 :lmap is ON and IM is off + 2 :lmap is off and IM is ON + Note that this option changes when using CTRL-^ in Command-line mode + |c_CTRL-^|. + The value is set to 1 when it is not -1 and setting the 'keymap' + option to a valid keymap name. + The value 0 may not work correctly with Athena and Motif with some XIM + methods. Use 'imdisable' to disable XIM then. + + *'include'* *'inc'* +'include' 'inc' string (default "^\s*#\s*include") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the + |+find_in_path| feature} + Pattern to be used to find an include command. It is a search + pattern, just like for the "/" command (See |pattern|). The default + value is for C programs. This option is used for the commands "[i", + "]I", "[d", etc. + Normally the 'isfname' option is used to recognize the file name that + comes after the matched pattern. But if "\zs" appears in the pattern + then the text matched from "\zs" to the end, or until "\ze" if it + appears, is used as the file name. Use this to include characters + that are not in 'isfname', such as a space. You can then use + 'includeexpr' to process the matched text. + See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes. + + *'includeexpr'* *'inex'* +'includeexpr' 'inex' string (default "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the + |+find_in_path| or |+eval| features} + Expression to be used to transform the string found with the 'include' + option to a file name. Mostly useful to change "." to "/" for Java: > + :set includeexpr=substitute(v:fname,'\\.','/','g') +< The "v:fname" variable will be set to the file name that was detected. + + Also used for the |gf| command if an unmodified file name can't be + found. Allows doing "gf" on the name after an 'include' statement. + Also used for |<cfile>|. + + The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see + |sandbox-option|. + + It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while + evaluating 'includeexpr' |textlock|. + + *'incsearch'* *'is'* *'noincsearch'* *'nois'* +'incsearch' 'is' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the + |+extra_search| features} + While typing a search command, show where the pattern, as it was typed + so far, matches. The matched string is highlighted. If the pattern + is invalid or not found, nothing is shown. The screen will be updated + often, this is only useful on fast terminals. + Note that the match will be shown, but the cursor will return to its + original position when no match is found and when pressing <Esc>. You + still need to finish the search command with <Enter> to move the + cursor to the match. + When compiled with the |+reltime| feature Vim only searches for about + half a second. With a complicated pattern and/or a lot of text the + match may not be found. This is to avoid that Vim hangs while you + are typing the pattern. + The highlighting can be set with the 'i' flag in 'highlight'. + See also: 'hlsearch'. + CTRL-L can be used to add one character from after the current match + to the command line. If 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase' are set and the + command line has no uppercase characters, the added character is + converted to lowercase. + CTRL-R CTRL-W can be used to add the word at the end of the current + match, excluding the characters that were already typed. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'indentexpr'* *'inde'* +'indentexpr' 'inde' string (default "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+cindent| + or |+eval| features} + Expression which is evaluated to obtain the proper indent for a line. + It is used when a new line is created, for the |=| operator and + in Insert mode as specified with the 'indentkeys' option. + When this option is not empty, it overrules the 'cindent' and + 'smartindent' indenting. + When 'paste' is set this option is not used for indenting. + The expression is evaluated with |v:lnum| set to the line number for + which the indent is to be computed. The cursor is also in this line + when the expression is evaluated (but it may be moved around). + The expression must return the number of spaces worth of indent. It + can return "-1" to keep the current indent (this means 'autoindent' is + used for the indent). + Functions useful for computing the indent are |indent()|, |cindent()| + and |lispindent()|. + The evaluation of the expression must not have side effects! It must + not change the text, jump to another window, etc. Afterwards the + cursor position is always restored, thus the cursor may be moved. + Normally this option would be set to call a function: > + :set indentexpr=GetMyIndent() +< Error messages will be suppressed, unless the 'debug' option contains + "msg". + See |indent-expression|. + NOTE: This option is made empty when 'compatible' is set. + + The expression may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see + |sandbox-option|. + + It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while + evaluating 'indentexpr' |textlock|. + + + *'indentkeys'* *'indk'* +'indentkeys' 'indk' string (default "0{,0},:,0#,!^F,o,O,e") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+cindent| + feature} + A list of keys that, when typed in Insert mode, cause reindenting of + the current line. Only happens if 'indentexpr' isn't empty. + The format is identical to 'cinkeys', see |indentkeys-format|. + See |C-indenting| and |indent-expression|. + + *'infercase'* *'inf'* *'noinfercase'* *'noinf'* +'infercase' 'inf' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + When doing keyword completion in insert mode |ins-completion|, and + 'ignorecase' is also on, the case of the match is adjusted depending + on the typed text. If the typed text contains a lowercase letter + where the match has an upper case letter, the completed part is made + lowercase. If the typed text has no lowercase letters and the match + has a lowercase letter where the typed text has an uppercase letter, + and there is a letter before it, the completed part is made uppercase. + With 'noinfercase' the match is used as-is. + + *'insertmode'* *'im'* *'noinsertmode'* *'noim'* +'insertmode' 'im' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + Makes Vim work in a way that Insert mode is the default mode. Useful + if you want to use Vim as a modeless editor. Used for |evim|. + These Insert mode commands will be useful: + - Use the cursor keys to move around. + - Use CTRL-O to execute one Normal mode command |i_CTRL-O|). When + this is a mapping, it is executed as if 'insertmode' was off. + Normal mode remains active until the mapping is finished. + - Use CTRL-L to execute a number of Normal mode commands, then use + <Esc> to get back to Insert mode. Note that CTRL-L moves the cursor + left, like <Esc> does when 'insertmode' isn't set. |i_CTRL-L| + + These items change when 'insertmode' is set: + - when starting to edit of a file, Vim goes to Insert mode. + - <Esc> in Insert mode is a no-op and beeps. + - <Esc> in Normal mode makes Vim go to Insert mode. + - CTRL-L in Insert mode is a command, it is not inserted. + - CTRL-Z in Insert mode suspends Vim, see |CTRL-Z|. *i_CTRL-Z* + However, when <Esc> is used inside a mapping, it behaves like + 'insertmode' was not set. This was done to be able to use the same + mappings with 'insertmode' set or not set. + When executing commands with |:normal| 'insertmode' is not used. + + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'isfname'* *'isf'* +'isfname' 'isf' string (default for MS-DOS, Win32 and OS/2: + "@,48-57,/,\,.,-,_,+,,,#,$,%,{,},[,],:,@-@,!,~,=" + for AMIGA: "@,48-57,/,.,-,_,+,,,$,:" + for VMS: "@,48-57,/,.,-,_,+,,,#,$,%,<,>,[,],:,;,~" + for OS/390: "@,240-249,/,.,-,_,+,,,#,$,%,~,=" + otherwise: "@,48-57,/,.,-,_,+,,,#,$,%,~,=") + global + {not in Vi} + The characters specified by this option are included in file names and + path names. Filenames are used for commands like "gf", "[i" and in + the tags file. It is also used for "\f" in a |pattern|. + Multi-byte characters 256 and above are always included, only the + characters up to 255 are specified with this option. + For UTF-8 the characters 0xa0 to 0xff are included as well. + Think twice before adding white space to this option. Although a + space may appear inside a file name, the effect will be that Vim + doesn't know where a file name starts or ends when doing completion. + It most likely works better without a space in 'isfname'. + + Note that on systems using a backslash as path separator, Vim tries to + do its best to make it work as you would expect. That is a bit + tricky, since Vi originally used the backslash to escape special + characters. Vim will not remove a backslash in front of a normal file + name character on these systems, but it will on Unix and alikes. The + '&' and '^' are not included by default, because these are special for + cmd.exe. + + The format of this option is a list of parts, separated with commas. + Each part can be a single character number or a range. A range is two + character numbers with '-' in between. A character number can be a + decimal number between 0 and 255 or the ASCII character itself (does + not work for digits). Example: + "_,-,128-140,#-43" (include '_' and '-' and the range + 128 to 140 and '#' to 43) + If a part starts with '^', the following character number or range + will be excluded from the option. The option is interpreted from left + to right. Put the excluded character after the range where it is + included. To include '^' itself use it as the last character of the + option or the end of a range. Example: + "^a-z,#,^" (exclude 'a' to 'z', include '#' and '^') + If the character is '@', all characters where isalpha() returns TRUE + are included. Normally these are the characters a to z and A to Z, + plus accented characters. To include '@' itself use "@-@". Examples: + "@,^a-z" All alphabetic characters, excluding lower + case ASCII letters. + "a-z,A-Z,@-@" All letters plus the '@' character. + A comma can be included by using it where a character number is + expected. Example: + "48-57,,,_" Digits, comma and underscore. + A comma can be excluded by prepending a '^'. Example: + " -~,^,,9" All characters from space to '~', excluding + comma, plus <Tab>. + See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes. + + *'isident'* *'isi'* +'isident' 'isi' string (default for MS-DOS, Win32 and OS/2: + "@,48-57,_,128-167,224-235" + otherwise: "@,48-57,_,192-255") + global + {not in Vi} + The characters given by this option are included in identifiers. + Identifiers are used in recognizing environment variables and after a + match of the 'define' option. It is also used for "\i" in a + |pattern|. See 'isfname' for a description of the format of this + option. + Careful: If you change this option, it might break expanding + environment variables. E.g., when '/' is included and Vim tries to + expand "$HOME/.viminfo". Maybe you should change 'iskeyword' instead. + + *'iskeyword'* *'isk'* +'iskeyword' 'isk' string (Vim default for MS-DOS and Win32: + "@,48-57,_,128-167,224-235" + otherwise: "@,48-57,_,192-255" + Vi default: "@,48-57,_") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + Keywords are used in searching and recognizing with many commands: + "w", "*", "[i", etc. It is also used for "\k" in a |pattern|. See + 'isfname' for a description of the format of this option. For C + programs you could use "a-z,A-Z,48-57,_,.,-,>". + For a help file it is set to all non-blank printable characters except + '*', '"' and '|' (so that CTRL-] on a command finds the help for that + command). + When the 'lisp' option is on the '-' character is always included. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'isprint'* *'isp'* +'isprint' 'isp' string (default for MS-DOS, Win32, OS/2 and Macintosh: + "@,~-255"; otherwise: "@,161-255") + global + {not in Vi} + The characters given by this option are displayed directly on the + screen. It is also used for "\p" in a |pattern|. The characters from + space (ASCII 32) to '~' (ASCII 126) are always displayed directly, + even when they are not included in 'isprint' or excluded. See + 'isfname' for a description of the format of this option. + + Non-printable characters are displayed with two characters: + 0 - 31 "^@" - "^_" + 32 - 126 always single characters + 127 "^?" + 128 - 159 "~@" - "~_" + 160 - 254 "| " - "|~" + 255 "~?" + When 'encoding' is a Unicode one, illegal bytes from 128 to 255 are + displayed as <xx>, with the hexadecimal value of the byte. + When 'display' contains "uhex" all unprintable characters are + displayed as <xx>. + The SpecialKey highlighting will be used for unprintable characters. + |hl-SpecialKey| + + Multi-byte characters 256 and above are always included, only the + characters up to 255 are specified with this option. When a character + is printable but it is not available in the current font, a + replacement character will be shown. + Unprintable and zero-width Unicode characters are displayed as <xxxx>. + There is no option to specify these characters. + + *'joinspaces'* *'js'* *'nojoinspaces'* *'nojs'* +'joinspaces' 'js' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + Insert two spaces after a '.', '?' and '!' with a join command. + When 'cpoptions' includes the 'j' flag, only do this after a '.'. + Otherwise only one space is inserted. + NOTE: This option is set when 'compatible' is set. + + *'key'* +'key' string (default "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+cryptv| + feature} + The key that is used for encrypting and decrypting the current buffer. + See |encryption| and 'cryptmethod'. + Careful: Do not set the key value by hand, someone might see the typed + key. Use the |:X| command. But you can make 'key' empty: > + :set key= +< It is not possible to get the value of this option with ":set key" or + "echo &key". This is to avoid showing it to someone who shouldn't + know. It also means you cannot see it yourself once you have set it, + be careful not to make a typing error! + + *'keymap'* *'kmp'* *E544* +'keymap' 'kmp' string (default "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+keymap| + feature} + Name of a keyboard mapping. See |mbyte-keymap|. + Setting this option to a valid keymap name has the side effect of + setting 'iminsert' to one, so that the keymap becomes effective. + 'imsearch' is also set to one, unless it was -1 + Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal. + + *'keymodel'* *'km'* +'keymodel' 'km' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + List of comma separated words, which enable special things that keys + can do. These values can be used: + startsel Using a shifted special key starts selection (either + Select mode or Visual mode, depending on "key" being + present in 'selectmode'). + stopsel Using a not-shifted special key stops selection. + Special keys in this context are the cursor keys, <End>, <Home>, + <PageUp> and <PageDown>. + The 'keymodel' option is set by the |:behave| command. + + *'keywordprg'* *'kp'* +'keywordprg' 'kp' string (default "man" or "man -s", DOS: ":help", + OS/2: "view /", VMS: "help") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + Program to use for the |K| command. Environment variables are + expanded |:set_env|. ":help" may be used to access the Vim internal + help. (Note that previously setting the global option to the empty + value did this, which is now deprecated.) + When "man" is used, Vim will automatically translate a count for the + "K" command to a section number. Also for "man -s", in which case the + "-s" is removed when there is no count. + See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes. + Example: > + :set keywordprg=man\ -s +< This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'langmap'* *'lmap'* *E357* *E358* +'langmap' 'lmap' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+langmap| + feature} + This option allows switching your keyboard into a special language + mode. When you are typing text in Insert mode the characters are + inserted directly. When in command mode the 'langmap' option takes + care of translating these special characters to the original meaning + of the key. This means you don't have to change the keyboard mode to + be able to execute Normal mode commands. + This is the opposite of the 'keymap' option, where characters are + mapped in Insert mode. + + Example (for Greek, in UTF-8): *greek* > + :set langmap=ΑA,ΒB,ΨC,ΔD,ΕE,ΦF,ΓG,ΗH,ΙI,ΞJ,ΚK,ΛL,ΜM,ΝN,ΟO,ΠP,QQ,ΡR,ΣS,ΤT,ΘU,ΩV,WW,ΧX,ΥY,ΖZ,αa,βb,ψc,δd,εe,φf,γg,ηh,ιi,ξj,κk,λl,μm,νn,οo,πp,qq,ρr,σs,τt,θu,ωv,ςw,χx,υy,ζz +< Example (exchanges meaning of z and y for commands): > + :set langmap=zy,yz,ZY,YZ +< + The 'langmap' option is a list of parts, separated with commas. Each + part can be in one of two forms: + 1. A list of pairs. Each pair is a "from" character immediately + followed by the "to" character. Examples: "aA", "aAbBcC". + 2. A list of "from" characters, a semi-colon and a list of "to" + characters. Example: "abc;ABC" + Example: "aA,fgh;FGH,cCdDeE" + Special characters need to be preceded with a backslash. These are + ";", ',' and backslash itself. + + This will allow you to activate vim actions without having to switch + back and forth between the languages. Your language characters will + be understood as normal vim English characters (according to the + langmap mappings) in the following cases: + o Normal/Visual mode (commands, buffer/register names, user mappings) + o Insert/Replace Mode: Register names after CTRL-R + o Insert/Replace Mode: Mappings + Characters entered in Command-line mode will NOT be affected by + this option. Note that this option can be changed at any time + allowing to switch between mappings for different languages/encodings. + Use a mapping to avoid having to type it each time! + + *'langmenu'* *'lm'* +'langmenu' 'lm' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+menu| and + |+multi_lang| features} + Language to use for menu translation. Tells which file is loaded + from the "lang" directory in 'runtimepath': > + "lang/menu_" . &langmenu . ".vim" +< (without the spaces). For example, to always use the Dutch menus, no + matter what $LANG is set to: > + :set langmenu=nl_NL.ISO_8859-1 +< When 'langmenu' is empty, |v:lang| is used. + Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal. + If your $LANG is set to a non-English language but you do want to use + the English menus: > + :set langmenu=none +< This option must be set before loading menus, switching on filetype + detection or syntax highlighting. Once the menus are defined setting + this option has no effect. But you could do this: > + :source $VIMRUNTIME/delmenu.vim + :set langmenu=de_DE.ISO_8859-1 + :source $VIMRUNTIME/menu.vim +< Warning: This deletes all menus that you defined yourself! + + *'laststatus'* *'ls'* +'laststatus' 'ls' number (default 1) + global + {not in Vi} + The value of this option influences when the last window will have a + status line: + 0: never + 1: only if there are at least two windows + 2: always + The screen looks nicer with a status line if you have several + windows, but it takes another screen line. |status-line| + + *'lazyredraw'* *'lz'* *'nolazyredraw'* *'nolz'* +'lazyredraw' 'lz' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + When this option is set, the screen will not be redrawn while + executing macros, registers and other commands that have not been + typed. Also, updating the window title is postponed. To force an + update use |:redraw|. + + *'linebreak'* *'lbr'* *'nolinebreak'* *'nolbr'* +'linebreak' 'lbr' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+linebreak| + feature} + If on Vim will wrap long lines at a character in 'breakat' rather + than at the last character that fits on the screen. Unlike + 'wrapmargin' and 'textwidth', this does not insert <EOL>s in the file, + it only affects the way the file is displayed, not its contents. The + value of 'showbreak' is used to put in front of wrapped lines. + This option is not used when the 'wrap' option is off or 'list' is on. + Note that <Tab> characters after an <EOL> are mostly not displayed + with the right amount of white space. + + *'lines'* *E593* +'lines' number (default 24 or terminal height) + global + Number of lines of the Vim window. + Normally you don't need to set this. It is done automatically by the + terminal initialization code. Also see |posix-screen-size|. + When Vim is running in the GUI or in a resizable window, setting this + option will cause the window size to be changed. When you only want + to use the size for the GUI, put the command in your |gvimrc| file. + Vim limits the number of lines to what fits on the screen. You can + use this command to get the tallest window possible: > + :set lines=999 +< Minimum value is 2, maximum value is 1000. + If you get less lines than expected, check the 'guiheadroom' option. + When you set this option and Vim is unable to change the physical + number of lines of the display, the display may be messed up. + + *'linespace'* *'lsp'* +'linespace' 'lsp' number (default 0, 1 for Win32 GUI) + global + {not in Vi} + {only in the GUI} + Number of pixel lines inserted between characters. Useful if the font + uses the full character cell height, making lines touch each other. + When non-zero there is room for underlining. + With some fonts there can be too much room between lines (to have + space for ascents and descents). Then it makes sense to set + 'linespace' to a negative value. This may cause display problems + though! + + *'lisp'* *'nolisp'* +'lisp' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not available when compiled without the |+lispindent| + feature} + Lisp mode: When <Enter> is typed in insert mode set the indent for + the next line to Lisp standards (well, sort of). Also happens with + "cc" or "S". 'autoindent' must also be on for this to work. The 'p' + flag in 'cpoptions' changes the method of indenting: Vi compatible or + better. Also see 'lispwords'. + The '-' character is included in keyword characters. Redefines the + "=" operator to use this same indentation algorithm rather than + calling an external program if 'equalprg' is empty. + This option is not used when 'paste' is set. + {Vi: Does it a little bit differently} + + *'lispwords'* *'lw'* +'lispwords' 'lw' string (default is very long) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+lispindent| + feature} + Comma separated list of words that influence the Lisp indenting. + |'lisp'| + + *'list'* *'nolist'* +'list' boolean (default off) + local to window + List mode: Show tabs as CTRL-I is displayed, display $ after end of + line. Useful to see the difference between tabs and spaces and for + trailing blanks. Further changed by the 'listchars' option. + + The cursor is displayed at the start of the space a Tab character + occupies, not at the end as usual in Normal mode. To get this cursor + position while displaying Tabs with spaces, use: > + :set list lcs=tab\ \ +< + Note that list mode will also affect formatting (set with 'textwidth' + or 'wrapmargin') when 'cpoptions' includes 'L'. See 'listchars' for + changing the way tabs are displayed. + + *'listchars'* *'lcs'* +'listchars' 'lcs' string (default "eol:$") + global + {not in Vi} + Strings to use in 'list' mode and for the |:list| command. It is a + comma separated list of string settings. + eol:c Character to show at the end of each line. When + omitted, there is no extra character at the end of the + line. + tab:xy Two characters to be used to show a tab. The first + char is used once. The second char is repeated to + fill the space that the tab normally occupies. + "tab:>-" will show a tab that takes four spaces as + ">---". When omitted, a tab is show as ^I. + trail:c Character to show for trailing spaces. When omitted, + trailing spaces are blank. + extends:c Character to show in the last column, when 'wrap' is + off and the line continues beyond the right of the + screen. + precedes:c Character to show in the first column, when 'wrap' + is off and there is text preceding the character + visible in the first column. + conceal:c Character to show in place of concealed text, when + 'conceallevel' is set to 1. + nbsp:c Character to show for a non-breakable space (character + 0xA0, 160). Left blank when omitted. + + The characters ':' and ',' should not be used. UTF-8 characters can + be used when 'encoding' is "utf-8", otherwise only printable + characters are allowed. All characters must be single width. + + Examples: > + :set lcs=tab:>-,trail:- + :set lcs=tab:>-,eol:<,nbsp:% + :set lcs=extends:>,precedes:< +< The "NonText" highlighting will be used for "eol", "extends" and + "precedes". "SpecialKey" for "nbsp", "tab" and "trail". + |hl-NonText| |hl-SpecialKey| + + *'lpl'* *'nolpl'* *'loadplugins'* *'noloadplugins'* +'loadplugins' 'lpl' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + When on the plugin scripts are loaded when starting up |load-plugins|. + This option can be reset in your |vimrc| file to disable the loading + of plugins. + Note that using the "-u NONE" and "--noplugin" command line arguments + reset this option. |-u| |--noplugin| + + *'macatsui'* *'nomacatsui'* +'macatsui' boolean (default on) + global + {only available in Mac GUI version} + This is a workaround for when drawing doesn't work properly. When set + and compiled with multi-byte support ATSUI text drawing is used. When + not set ATSUI text drawing is not used. Switch this option off when + you experience drawing problems. In a future version the problems may + be solved and this option becomes obsolete. Therefore use this method + to unset it: > + if exists('&macatsui') + set nomacatsui + endif +< Another option to check if you have drawing problems is + 'termencoding'. + + *'magic'* *'nomagic'* +'magic' boolean (default on) + global + Changes the special characters that can be used in search patterns. + See |pattern|. + NOTE: To avoid portability problems with using patterns, always keep + this option at the default "on". Only switch it off when working with + old Vi scripts. In any other situation write patterns that work when + 'magic' is on. Include "\M" when you want to |/\M|. + + *'makeef'* *'mef'* +'makeef' 'mef' string (default: "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix| + feature} + Name of the errorfile for the |:make| command (see |:make_makeprg|) + and the |:grep| command. + When it is empty, an internally generated temp file will be used. + When "##" is included, it is replaced by a number to make the name + unique. This makes sure that the ":make" command doesn't overwrite an + existing file. + NOT used for the ":cf" command. See 'errorfile' for that. + Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. + See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'makeprg'* *'mp'* +'makeprg' 'mp' string (default "make", VMS: "MMS") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + Program to use for the ":make" command. See |:make_makeprg|. + This option may contain '%' and '#' characters, which are expanded to + the current and alternate file name. |:_%| |:_#| + Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. See |option-backslash| + about including spaces and backslashes. + Note that a '|' must be escaped twice: once for ":set" and once for + the interpretation of a command. When you use a filter called + "myfilter" do it like this: > + :set makeprg=gmake\ \\\|\ myfilter +< The placeholder "$*" can be given (even multiple times) to specify + where the arguments will be included, for example: > + :set makeprg=latex\ \\\\nonstopmode\ \\\\input\\{$*} +< This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'matchpairs'* *'mps'* +'matchpairs' 'mps' string (default "(:),{:},[:]") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + Characters that form pairs. The |%| command jumps from one to the + other. Currently only single byte character pairs are allowed, and + they must be different. The characters must be separated by a colon. + The pairs must be separated by a comma. Example for including '<' and + '>' (HTML): > + :set mps+=<:> + +< A more exotic example, to jump between the '=' and ';' in an + assignment, useful for languages like C and Java: > + :au FileType c,cpp,java set mps+==:; + +< For a more advanced way of using "%", see the matchit.vim plugin in + the $VIMRUNTIME/macros directory. |add-local-help| + + *'matchtime'* *'mat'* +'matchtime' 'mat' number (default 5) + global + {not in Vi}{in Nvi} + Tenths of a second to show the matching paren, when 'showmatch' is + set. Note that this is not in milliseconds, like other options that + set a time. This is to be compatible with Nvi. + + *'maxcombine'* *'mco'* +'maxcombine' 'mco' number (default 2) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| + feature} + The maximum number of combining characters supported for displaying. + Only used when 'encoding' is "utf-8". + The default is OK for most languages. Hebrew may require 4. + Maximum value is 6. + Even when this option is set to 2 you can still edit text with more + combining characters, you just can't see them. Use |g8| or |ga|. + See |mbyte-combining|. + + *'maxfuncdepth'* *'mfd'* +'maxfuncdepth' 'mfd' number (default 100) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+eval| + feature} + Maximum depth of function calls for user functions. This normally + catches endless recursion. When using a recursive function with + more depth, set 'maxfuncdepth' to a bigger number. But this will use + more memory, there is the danger of failing when memory is exhausted. + See also |:function|. + + *'maxmapdepth'* *'mmd'* *E223* +'maxmapdepth' 'mmd' number (default 1000) + global + {not in Vi} + Maximum number of times a mapping is done without resulting in a + character to be used. This normally catches endless mappings, like + ":map x y" with ":map y x". It still does not catch ":map g wg", + because the 'w' is used before the next mapping is done. See also + |key-mapping|. + + *'maxmem'* *'mm'* +'maxmem' 'mm' number (default between 256 to 5120 (system + dependent) or half the amount of memory + available) + global + {not in Vi} + Maximum amount of memory (in Kbyte) to use for one buffer. When this + limit is reached allocating extra memory for a buffer will cause + other memory to be freed. The maximum usable value is about 2000000. + Use this to work without a limit. Also see 'maxmemtot'. + + *'maxmempattern'* *'mmp'* +'maxmempattern' 'mmp' number (default 1000) + global + {not in Vi} + Maximum amount of memory (in Kbyte) to use for pattern matching. + The maximum value is about 2000000. Use this to work without a limit. + *E363* + When Vim runs into the limit it gives an error message and mostly + behaves like CTRL-C was typed. + Running into the limit often means that the pattern is very + inefficient or too complex. This may already happen with the pattern + "\(.\)*" on a very long line. ".*" works much better. + Vim may run out of memory before hitting the 'maxmempattern' limit. + + *'maxmemtot'* *'mmt'* +'maxmemtot' 'mmt' number (default between 2048 and 10240 (system + dependent) or half the amount of memory + available) + global + {not in Vi} + Maximum amount of memory in Kbyte to use for all buffers together. + The maximum usable value is about 2000000 (2 Gbyte). Use this to work + without a limit. On 64 bit machines higher values might work. But + hey, do you really need more than 2 Gbyte for text editing? + Also see 'maxmem'. + + *'menuitems'* *'mis'* +'menuitems' 'mis' number (default 25) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+menu| + feature} + Maximum number of items to use in a menu. Used for menus that are + generated from a list of items, e.g., the Buffers menu. Changing this + option has no direct effect, the menu must be refreshed first. + + *'mkspellmem'* *'msm'* +'mkspellmem' 'msm' string (default "460000,2000,500") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + Parameters for |:mkspell|. This tunes when to start compressing the + word tree. Compression can be slow when there are many words, but + it's needed to avoid running out of memory. The amount of memory used + per word depends very much on how similar the words are, that's why + this tuning is complicated. + + There are three numbers, separated by commas: + {start},{inc},{added} + + For most languages the uncompressed word tree fits in memory. {start} + gives the amount of memory in Kbyte that can be used before any + compression is done. It should be a bit smaller than the amount of + memory that is available to Vim. + + When going over the {start} limit the {inc} number specifies the + amount of memory in Kbyte that can be allocated before another + compression is done. A low number means compression is done after + less words are added, which is slow. A high number means more memory + will be allocated. + + After doing compression, {added} times 1024 words can be added before + the {inc} limit is ignored and compression is done when any extra + amount of memory is needed. A low number means there is a smaller + chance of hitting the {inc} limit, less memory is used but it's + slower. + + The languages for which these numbers are important are Italian and + Hungarian. The default works for when you have about 512 Mbyte. If + you have 1 Gbyte you could use: > + :set mkspellmem=900000,3000,800 +< If you have less than 512 Mbyte |:mkspell| may fail for some + languages, no matter what you set 'mkspellmem' to. + + *'modeline'* *'ml'* *'nomodeline'* *'noml'* +'modeline' 'ml' boolean (Vim default: on (off for root), + Vi default: off) + local to buffer + *'modelines'* *'mls'* +'modelines' 'mls' number (default 5) + global + {not in Vi} + If 'modeline' is on 'modelines' gives the number of lines that is + checked for set commands. If 'modeline' is off or 'modelines' is zero + no lines are checked. See |modeline|. + NOTE: 'modeline' is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'modifiable'* *'ma'* *'nomodifiable'* *'noma'* +'modifiable' 'ma' boolean (default on) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} *E21* + When off the buffer contents cannot be changed. The 'fileformat' and + 'fileencoding' options also can't be changed. + Can be reset with the |-M| command line argument. + + *'modified'* *'mod'* *'nomodified'* *'nomod'* +'modified' 'mod' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + When on, the buffer is considered to be modified. This option is set + when: + 1. A change was made to the text since it was last written. Using the + |undo| command to go back to the original text will reset the + option. But undoing changes that were made before writing the + buffer will set the option again, since the text is different from + when it was written. + 2. 'fileformat' or 'fileencoding' is different from its original + value. The original value is set when the buffer is read or + written. A ":set nomodified" command also resets the original + values to the current values and the 'modified' option will be + reset. + When 'buftype' is "nowrite" or "nofile" this option may be set, but + will be ignored. + + *'more'* *'nomore'* +'more' boolean (Vim default: on, Vi default: off) + global + {not in Vi} + When on, listings pause when the whole screen is filled. You will get + the |more-prompt|. When this option is off there are no pauses, the + listing continues until finished. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'mouse'* *E538* +'mouse' string (default "", "a" for GUI, MS-DOS and Win32) + global + {not in Vi} + Enable the use of the mouse. Only works for certain terminals + (xterm, MS-DOS, Win32 |win32-mouse|, QNX pterm, *BSD console with + sysmouse and Linux console with gpm). For using the mouse in the + GUI, see |gui-mouse|. + The mouse can be enabled for different modes: + n Normal mode + v Visual mode + i Insert mode + c Command-line mode + h all previous modes when editing a help file + a all previous modes + r for |hit-enter| and |more-prompt| prompt + Normally you would enable the mouse in all four modes with: > + :set mouse=a +< When the mouse is not enabled, the GUI will still use the mouse for + modeless selection. This doesn't move the text cursor. + + See |mouse-using|. Also see |'clipboard'|. + + Note: When enabling the mouse in a terminal, copy/paste will use the + "* register if there is access to an X-server. The xterm handling of + the mouse buttons can still be used by keeping the shift key pressed. + Also see the 'clipboard' option. + + *'mousefocus'* *'mousef'* *'nomousefocus'* *'nomousef'* +'mousefocus' 'mousef' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only works in the GUI} + The window that the mouse pointer is on is automatically activated. + When changing the window layout or window focus in another way, the + mouse pointer is moved to the window with keyboard focus. Off is the + default because it makes using the pull down menus a little goofy, as + a pointer transit may activate a window unintentionally. + + *'mousehide'* *'mh'* *'nomousehide'* *'nomh'* +'mousehide' 'mh' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + {only works in the GUI} + When on, the mouse pointer is hidden when characters are typed. + The mouse pointer is restored when the mouse is moved. + + *'mousemodel'* *'mousem'* +'mousemodel' 'mousem' string (default "extend", "popup" for MS-DOS and Win32) + global + {not in Vi} + Sets the model to use for the mouse. The name mostly specifies what + the right mouse button is used for: + extend Right mouse button extends a selection. This works + like in an xterm. + popup Right mouse button pops up a menu. The shifted left + mouse button extends a selection. This works like + with Microsoft Windows. + popup_setpos Like "popup", but the cursor will be moved to the + position where the mouse was clicked, and thus the + selected operation will act upon the clicked object. + If clicking inside a selection, that selection will + be acted upon, i.e. no cursor move. This implies of + course, that right clicking outside a selection will + end Visual mode. + Overview of what button does what for each model: + mouse extend popup(_setpos) ~ + left click place cursor place cursor + left drag start selection start selection + shift-left search word extend selection + right click extend selection popup menu (place cursor) + right drag extend selection - + middle click paste paste + + In the "popup" model the right mouse button produces a pop-up menu. + You need to define this first, see |popup-menu|. + + Note that you can further refine the meaning of buttons with mappings. + See |gui-mouse-mapping|. But mappings are NOT used for modeless + selection (because that's handled in the GUI code directly). + + The 'mousemodel' option is set by the |:behave| command. + + *'mouseshape'* *'mouses'* *E547* +'mouseshape' 'mouses' string (default "i:beam,r:beam,s:updown,sd:cross, + m:no,ml:up-arrow,v:rightup-arrow") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+mouseshape| + feature} + This option tells Vim what the mouse pointer should look like in + different modes. The option is a comma separated list of parts, much + like used for 'guicursor'. Each part consist of a mode/location-list + and an argument-list: + mode-list:shape,mode-list:shape,.. + The mode-list is a dash separated list of these modes/locations: + In a normal window: ~ + n Normal mode + v Visual mode + ve Visual mode with 'selection' "exclusive" (same as 'v', + if not specified) + o Operator-pending mode + i Insert mode + r Replace mode + + Others: ~ + c appending to the command-line + ci inserting in the command-line + cr replacing in the command-line + m at the 'Hit ENTER' or 'More' prompts + ml idem, but cursor in the last line + e any mode, pointer below last window + s any mode, pointer on a status line + sd any mode, while dragging a status line + vs any mode, pointer on a vertical separator line + vd any mode, while dragging a vertical separator line + a everywhere + + The shape is one of the following: + avail name looks like ~ + w x arrow Normal mouse pointer + w x blank no pointer at all (use with care!) + w x beam I-beam + w x updown up-down sizing arrows + w x leftright left-right sizing arrows + w x busy The system's usual busy pointer + w x no The system's usual 'no input' pointer + x udsizing indicates up-down resizing + x lrsizing indicates left-right resizing + x crosshair like a big thin + + x hand1 black hand + x hand2 white hand + x pencil what you write with + x question big ? + x rightup-arrow arrow pointing right-up + w x up-arrow arrow pointing up + x <number> any X11 pointer number (see X11/cursorfont.h) + + The "avail" column contains a 'w' if the shape is available for Win32, + x for X11. + Any modes not specified or shapes not available use the normal mouse + pointer. + + Example: > + :set mouseshape=s:udsizing,m:no +< will make the mouse turn to a sizing arrow over the status lines and + indicate no input when the hit-enter prompt is displayed (since + clicking the mouse has no effect in this state.) + + *'mousetime'* *'mouset'* +'mousetime' 'mouset' number (default 500) + global + {not in Vi} + Only for GUI, MS-DOS, Win32 and Unix with xterm. Defines the maximum + time in msec between two mouse clicks for the second click to be + recognized as a multi click. + + *'mzquantum'* *'mzq'* +'mzquantum' 'mzq' number (default 100) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+mzscheme| + feature} + The number of milliseconds between polls for MzScheme threads. + Negative or zero value means no thread scheduling. + + *'nrformats'* *'nf'* +'nrformats' 'nf' string (default "octal,hex") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + This defines what bases Vim will consider for numbers when using the + CTRL-A and CTRL-X commands for adding to and subtracting from a number + respectively; see |CTRL-A| for more info on these commands. + alpha If included, single alphabetical characters will be + incremented or decremented. This is useful for a list with a + letter index a), b), etc. *octal-number* + octal If included, numbers that start with a zero will be considered + to be octal. Example: Using CTRL-A on "007" results in "010". + hex If included, numbers starting with "0x" or "0X" will be + considered to be hexadecimal. Example: Using CTRL-X on + "0x100" results in "0x0ff". + Numbers which simply begin with a digit in the range 1-9 are always + considered decimal. This also happens for numbers that are not + recognized as octal or hex. + + *'number'* *'nu'* *'nonumber'* *'nonu'* +'number' 'nu' boolean (default off) + local to window + Print the line number in front of each line. When the 'n' option is + excluded from 'cpoptions' a wrapped line will not use the column of + line numbers (this is the default when 'compatible' isn't set). + The 'numberwidth' option can be used to set the room used for the line + number. + When a long, wrapped line doesn't start with the first character, '-' + characters are put before the number. + See |hl-LineNr| for the highlighting used for the number. + When setting this option, 'relativenumber' is reset. + + *'numberwidth'* *'nuw'* +'numberwidth' 'nuw' number (Vim default: 4 Vi default: 8) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+linebreak| + feature} + Minimal number of columns to use for the line number. Only relevant + when the 'number' or 'relativenumber' option is set or printing lines + with a line number. Since one space is always between the number and + the text, there is one less character for the number itself. + The value is the minimum width. A bigger width is used when needed to + fit the highest line number in the buffer respectively the number of + rows in the window, depending on whether 'number' or 'relativenumber' + is set. Thus with the Vim default of 4 there is room for a line number + up to 999. When the buffer has 1000 lines five columns will be used. + The minimum value is 1, the maximum value is 10. + NOTE: 'numberwidth' is reset to 8 when 'compatible' is set. + + *'omnifunc'* *'ofu'* +'omnifunc' 'ofu' string (default: empty) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+eval| + or |+insert_expand| features} + This option specifies a function to be used for Insert mode omni + completion with CTRL-X CTRL-O. |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-O| + See |complete-functions| for an explanation of how the function is + invoked and what it should return. + This option is usually set by a filetype plugin: + |:filetype-plugin-on| + + + *'opendevice'* *'odev'* *'noopendevice'* *'noodev'* +'opendevice' 'odev' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only for MS-DOS, MS-Windows and OS/2} + Enable reading and writing from devices. This may get Vim stuck on a + device that can be opened but doesn't actually do the I/O. Therefore + it is off by default. + Note that on MS-Windows editing "aux.h", "lpt1.txt" and the like also + result in editing a device. + + + *'operatorfunc'* *'opfunc'* +'operatorfunc' 'opfunc' string (default: empty) + global + {not in Vi} + This option specifies a function to be called by the |g@| operator. + See |:map-operator| for more info and an example. + + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + + *'osfiletype'* *'oft'* *E366* +'osfiletype' 'oft' string (RISC-OS default: "Text", + others default: "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+osfiletype| + feature} + Some operating systems store extra information about files besides + name, datestamp and permissions. This option contains the extra + information, the nature of which will vary between systems. + The value of this option is usually set when the file is loaded, and + is used to set the operating system file type when file is written. + It can affect the pattern matching of the automatic commands. + |autocmd-osfiletypes| + + *'paragraphs'* *'para'* +'paragraphs' 'para' string (default "IPLPPPQPP TPHPLIPpLpItpplpipbp") + global + Specifies the nroff macros that separate paragraphs. These are pairs + of two letters (see |object-motions|). + + *'paste'* *'nopaste'* +'paste' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + Put Vim in Paste mode. This is useful if you want to cut or copy + some text from one window and paste it in Vim. This will avoid + unexpected effects. + Setting this option is useful when using Vim in a terminal, where Vim + cannot distinguish between typed text and pasted text. In the GUI, Vim + knows about pasting and will mostly do the right thing without 'paste' + being set. The same is true for a terminal where Vim handles the + mouse clicks itself. + This option is reset when starting the GUI. Thus if you set it in + your .vimrc it will work in a terminal, but not in the GUI. Setting + 'paste' in the GUI has side effects: e.g., the Paste toolbar button + will no longer work in Insert mode, because it uses a mapping. + When the 'paste' option is switched on (also when it was already on): + - mapping in Insert mode and Command-line mode is disabled + - abbreviations are disabled + - 'textwidth' is set to 0 + - 'wrapmargin' is set to 0 + - 'autoindent' is reset + - 'smartindent' is reset + - 'softtabstop' is set to 0 + - 'revins' is reset + - 'ruler' is reset + - 'showmatch' is reset + - 'formatoptions' is used like it is empty + These options keep their value, but their effect is disabled: + - 'lisp' + - 'indentexpr' + - 'cindent' + NOTE: When you start editing another file while the 'paste' option is + on, settings from the modelines or autocommands may change the + settings again, causing trouble when pasting text. You might want to + set the 'paste' option again. + When the 'paste' option is reset the mentioned options are restored to + the value before the moment 'paste' was switched from off to on. + Resetting 'paste' before ever setting it does not have any effect. + Since mapping doesn't work while 'paste' is active, you need to use + the 'pastetoggle' option to toggle the 'paste' option with some key. + + *'pastetoggle'* *'pt'* +'pastetoggle' 'pt' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + When non-empty, specifies the key sequence that toggles the 'paste' + option. This is like specifying a mapping: > + :map {keys} :set invpaste<CR> +< Where {keys} is the value of 'pastetoggle'. + The difference is that it will work even when 'paste' is set. + 'pastetoggle' works in Insert mode and Normal mode, but not in + Command-line mode. + Mappings are checked first, thus overrule 'pastetoggle'. However, + when 'paste' is on mappings are ignored in Insert mode, thus you can do + this: > + :map <F10> :set paste<CR> + :map <F11> :set nopaste<CR> + :imap <F10> <C-O>:set paste<CR> + :imap <F11> <nop> + :set pastetoggle=<F11> +< This will make <F10> start paste mode and <F11> stop paste mode. + Note that typing <F10> in paste mode inserts "<F10>", since in paste + mode everything is inserted literally, except the 'pastetoggle' key + sequence. + When the value has several bytes 'ttimeoutlen' applies. + + *'pex'* *'patchexpr'* +'patchexpr' 'pex' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+diff| + feature} + Expression which is evaluated to apply a patch to a file and generate + the resulting new version of the file. See |diff-patchexpr|. + + *'patchmode'* *'pm'* *E206* +'patchmode' 'pm' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + When non-empty the oldest version of a file is kept. This can be used + to keep the original version of a file if you are changing files in a + source distribution. Only the first time that a file is written a + copy of the original file will be kept. The name of the copy is the + name of the original file with the string in the 'patchmode' option + appended. This option should start with a dot. Use a string like + ".org". 'backupdir' must not be empty for this to work (Detail: The + backup file is renamed to the patchmode file after the new file has + been successfully written, that's why it must be possible to write a + backup file). If there was no file to be backed up, an empty file is + created. + When the 'backupskip' pattern matches, a patchmode file is not made. + Using 'patchmode' for compressed files appends the extension at the + end (e.g., "file.gz.orig"), thus the resulting name isn't always + recognized as a compressed file. + Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal. + + *'path'* *'pa'* *E343* *E345* *E347* +'path' 'pa' string (default on Unix: ".,/usr/include,," + on OS/2: ".,/emx/include,," + other systems: ".,,") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + This is a list of directories which will be searched when using the + |gf|, [f, ]f, ^Wf, |:find|, |:sfind|, |:tabfind| and other commands, + provided that the file being searched for has a relative path (not + starting with "/", "./" or "../"). The directories in the 'path' + option may be relative or absolute. + - Use commas to separate directory names: > + :set path=.,/usr/local/include,/usr/include +< - Spaces can also be used to separate directory names (for backwards + compatibility with version 3.0). To have a space in a directory + name, precede it with an extra backslash, and escape the space: > + :set path=.,/dir/with\\\ space +< - To include a comma in a directory name precede it with an extra + backslash: > + :set path=.,/dir/with\\,comma +< - To search relative to the directory of the current file, use: > + :set path=. +< - To search in the current directory use an empty string between two + commas: > + :set path=,, +< - A directory name may end in a ':' or '/'. + - Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. + - When using |netrw.vim| URLs can be used. For example, adding + "http://www.vim.org" will make ":find index.html" work. + - Search upwards and downwards in a directory tree using "*", "**" and + ";". See |file-searching| for info and syntax. + {not available when compiled without the |+path_extra| feature} + - Careful with '\' characters, type two to get one in the option: > + :set path=.,c:\\include +< Or just use '/' instead: > + :set path=.,c:/include +< Don't forget "." or files won't even be found in the same directory as + the file! + The maximum length is limited. How much depends on the system, mostly + it is something like 256 or 1024 characters. + You can check if all the include files are found, using the value of + 'path', see |:checkpath|. + The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing + directories from the list. This avoids problems when a future version + uses another default. To remove the current directory use: > + :set path-= +< To add the current directory use: > + :set path+= +< To use an environment variable, you probably need to replace the + separator. Here is an example to append $INCL, in which directory + names are separated with a semi-colon: > + :let &path = &path . "," . substitute($INCL, ';', ',', 'g') +< Replace the ';' with a ':' or whatever separator is used. Note that + this doesn't work when $INCL contains a comma or white space. + + *'preserveindent'* *'pi'* *'nopreserveindent'* *'nopi'* +'preserveindent' 'pi' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + When changing the indent of the current line, preserve as much of the + indent structure as possible. Normally the indent is replaced by a + series of tabs followed by spaces as required (unless |'expandtab'| is + enabled, in which case only spaces are used). Enabling this option + means the indent will preserve as many existing characters as possible + for indenting, and only add additional tabs or spaces as required. + 'expandtab' does not apply to the preserved white space, a Tab remains + a Tab. + NOTE: When using ">>" multiple times the resulting indent is a mix of + tabs and spaces. You might not like this. + NOTE: 'preserveindent' is reset when 'compatible' is set. + Also see 'copyindent'. + Use |:retab| to clean up white space. + + *'previewheight'* *'pvh'* +'previewheight' 'pvh' number (default 12) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| or + |+quickfix| features} + Default height for a preview window. Used for |:ptag| and associated + commands. Used for |CTRL-W_}| when no count is given. + + *'previewwindow'* *'nopreviewwindow'* + *'pvw'* *'nopvw'* *E590* +'previewwindow' 'pvw' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| or + |+quickfix| features} + Identifies the preview window. Only one window can have this option + set. It's normally not set directly, but by using one of the commands + |:ptag|, |:pedit|, etc. + + *'printdevice'* *'pdev'* +'printdevice' 'pdev' string (default empty) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+printer| + feature} + The name of the printer to be used for |:hardcopy|. + See |pdev-option|. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'printencoding'* *'penc'* +'printencoding' 'penc' String (default empty, except for some systems) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+printer| + and |+postscript| features} + Sets the character encoding used when printing. + See |penc-option|. + + *'printexpr'* *'pexpr'* +'printexpr' 'pexpr' String (default: see below) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+printer| + and |+postscript| features} + Expression used to print the PostScript produced with |:hardcopy|. + See |pexpr-option|. + + *'printfont'* *'pfn'* +'printfont' 'pfn' string (default "courier") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+printer| + feature} + The name of the font that will be used for |:hardcopy|. + See |pfn-option|. + + *'printheader'* *'pheader'* +'printheader' 'pheader' string (default "%<%f%h%m%=Page %N") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+printer| + feature} + The format of the header produced in |:hardcopy| output. + See |pheader-option|. + + *'printmbcharset'* *'pmbcs'* +'printmbcharset' 'pmbcs' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+printer|, + |+postscript| and |+multi_byte| features} + The CJK character set to be used for CJK output from |:hardcopy|. + See |pmbcs-option|. + + *'printmbfont'* *'pmbfn'* +'printmbfont' 'pmbfn' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+printer|, + |+postscript| and |+multi_byte| features} + List of font names to be used for CJK output from |:hardcopy|. + See |pmbfn-option|. + + *'printoptions'* *'popt'* +'printoptions' 'popt' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with |+printer| feature} + List of items that control the format of the output of |:hardcopy|. + See |popt-option|. + + *'prompt'* *'noprompt'* +'prompt' boolean (default on) + global + When on a ":" prompt is used in Ex mode. + + *'pumheight'* *'ph'* +'pumheight' 'ph' number (default 0) + global + {not available when compiled without the + |+insert_expand| feature} + {not in Vi} + Determines the maximum number of items to show in the popup menu for + Insert mode completion. When zero as much space as available is used. + |ins-completion-menu|. + + + *'quoteescape'* *'qe'* +'quoteescape' 'qe' string (default "\") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + The characters that are used to escape quotes in a string. Used for + objects like a', a" and a` |a'|. + When one of the characters in this option is found inside a string, + the following character will be skipped. The default value makes the + text "foo\"bar\\" considered to be one string. + + *'readonly'* *'ro'* *'noreadonly'* *'noro'* +'readonly' 'ro' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + If on, writes fail unless you use a '!'. Protects you from + accidentally overwriting a file. Default on when Vim is started + in read-only mode ("vim -R") or when the executable is called "view". + When using ":w!" the 'readonly' option is reset for the current + buffer, unless the 'Z' flag is in 'cpoptions'. + {not in Vi:} When using the ":view" command the 'readonly' option is + set for the newly edited buffer. + + *'redrawtime'* *'rdt'* +'redrawtime' 'rdt' number (default 2000) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+reltime| + feature} + The time in milliseconds for redrawing the display. This applies to + searching for patterns for 'hlsearch' and |:match| highlighting. + When redrawing takes more than this many milliseconds no further + matches will be highlighted. This is used to avoid that Vim hangs + when using a very complicated pattern. + + *'relativenumber'* *'rnu'* *'norelativenumber'* *'nornu'* +'relativenumber' 'rnu' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + Show the line number relative to the line with the cursor in front of + each line. Relative line numbers help you use the |count| you can + precede some vertical motion commands (e.g. j k + -) with, without + having to calculate it yourself. Especially useful in combination with + other commands (e.g. y d c < > gq gw =). + When the 'n' option is excluded from 'cpoptions' a wrapped + line will not use the column of line numbers (this is the default when + 'compatible' isn't set). + The 'numberwidth' option can be used to set the room used for the line + number. + When a long, wrapped line doesn't start with the first character, '-' + characters are put before the number. + See |hl-LineNr| for the highlighting used for the number. + When setting this option, 'number' is reset. + + *'remap'* *'noremap'* +'remap' boolean (default on) + global + Allows for mappings to work recursively. If you do not want this for + a single entry, use the :noremap[!] command. + NOTE: To avoid portability problems with Vim scripts, always keep + this option at the default "on". Only switch it off when working with + old Vi scripts. + + *'report'* +'report' number (default 2) + global + Threshold for reporting number of lines changed. When the number of + changed lines is more than 'report' a message will be given for most + ":" commands. If you want it always, set 'report' to 0. + For the ":substitute" command the number of substitutions is used + instead of the number of lines. + + *'restorescreen'* *'rs'* *'norestorescreen'* *'nors'* +'restorescreen' 'rs' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} {only in Windows 95/NT console version} + When set, the screen contents is restored when exiting Vim. This also + happens when executing external commands. + + For non-Windows Vim: You can set or reset the 't_ti' and 't_te' + options in your .vimrc. To disable restoring: + set t_ti= t_te= + To enable restoring (for an xterm): + set t_ti=^[7^[[r^[[?47h t_te=^[[?47l^[8 + (Where ^[ is an <Esc>, type CTRL-V <Esc> to insert it) + + *'revins'* *'ri'* *'norevins'* *'nori'* +'revins' 'ri' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft| + feature} + Inserting characters in Insert mode will work backwards. See "typing + backwards" |ins-reverse|. This option can be toggled with the CTRL-_ + command in Insert mode, when 'allowrevins' is set. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' or 'paste' is set. + + *'rightleft'* *'rl'* *'norightleft'* *'norl'* +'rightleft' 'rl' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft| + feature} + When on, display orientation becomes right-to-left, i.e., characters + that are stored in the file appear from the right to the left. + Using this option, it is possible to edit files for languages that + are written from the right to the left such as Hebrew and Arabic. + This option is per window, so it is possible to edit mixed files + simultaneously, or to view the same file in both ways (this is + useful whenever you have a mixed text file with both right-to-left + and left-to-right strings so that both sets are displayed properly + in different windows). Also see |rileft.txt|. + + *'rightleftcmd'* *'rlc'* +'rightleftcmd' 'rlc' string (default "search") + local to window + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+rightleft| + feature} + Each word in this option enables the command line editing to work in + right-to-left mode for a group of commands: + + search "/" and "?" commands + + This is useful for languages such as Hebrew, Arabic and Farsi. + The 'rightleft' option must be set for 'rightleftcmd' to take effect. + + *'ruler'* *'ru'* *'noruler'* *'noru'* +'ruler' 'ru' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the + |+cmdline_info| feature} + Show the line and column number of the cursor position, separated by a + comma. When there is room, the relative position of the displayed + text in the file is shown on the far right: + Top first line is visible + Bot last line is visible + All first and last line are visible + 45% relative position in the file + If 'rulerformat' is set, it will determine the contents of the ruler. + Each window has its own ruler. If a window has a status line, the + ruler is shown there. Otherwise it is shown in the last line of the + screen. If the statusline is given by 'statusline' (i.e. not empty), + this option takes precedence over 'ruler' and 'rulerformat' + If the number of characters displayed is different from the number of + bytes in the text (e.g., for a TAB or a multi-byte character), both + the text column (byte number) and the screen column are shown, + separated with a dash. + For an empty line "0-1" is shown. + For an empty buffer the line number will also be zero: "0,0-1". + This option is reset when the 'paste' option is set. + If you don't want to see the ruler all the time but want to know where + you are, use "g CTRL-G" |g_CTRL-G|. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'rulerformat'* *'ruf'* +'rulerformat' 'ruf' string (default empty) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+statusline| + feature} + When this option is not empty, it determines the content of the ruler + string, as displayed for the 'ruler' option. + The format of this option is like that of 'statusline'. + The default ruler width is 17 characters. To make the ruler 15 + characters wide, put "%15(" at the start and "%)" at the end. + Example: > + :set rulerformat=%15(%c%V\ %p%%%) +< + *'runtimepath'* *'rtp'* *vimfiles* +'runtimepath' 'rtp' string (default: + Unix: "$HOME/.vim, + $VIM/vimfiles, + $VIMRUNTIME, + $VIM/vimfiles/after, + $HOME/.vim/after" + Amiga: "home:vimfiles, + $VIM/vimfiles, + $VIMRUNTIME, + $VIM/vimfiles/after, + home:vimfiles/after" + PC, OS/2: "$HOME/vimfiles, + $VIM/vimfiles, + $VIMRUNTIME, + $VIM/vimfiles/after, + $HOME/vimfiles/after" + Macintosh: "$VIM:vimfiles, + $VIMRUNTIME, + $VIM:vimfiles:after" + RISC-OS: "Choices:vimfiles, + $VIMRUNTIME, + Choices:vimfiles/after" + VMS: "sys$login:vimfiles, + $VIM/vimfiles, + $VIMRUNTIME, + $VIM/vimfiles/after, + sys$login:vimfiles/after") + global + {not in Vi} + This is a list of directories which will be searched for runtime + files: + filetype.vim filetypes by file name |new-filetype| + scripts.vim filetypes by file contents |new-filetype-scripts| + autoload/ automatically loaded scripts |autoload-functions| + colors/ color scheme files |:colorscheme| + compiler/ compiler files |:compiler| + doc/ documentation |write-local-help| + ftplugin/ filetype plugins |write-filetype-plugin| + indent/ indent scripts |indent-expression| + keymap/ key mapping files |mbyte-keymap| + lang/ menu translations |:menutrans| + menu.vim GUI menus |menu.vim| + plugin/ plugin scripts |write-plugin| + print/ files for printing |postscript-print-encoding| + spell/ spell checking files |spell| + syntax/ syntax files |mysyntaxfile| + tutor/ files for vimtutor |tutor| + + And any other file searched for with the |:runtime| command. + + The defaults for most systems are setup to search five locations: + 1. In your home directory, for your personal preferences. + 2. In a system-wide Vim directory, for preferences from the system + administrator. + 3. In $VIMRUNTIME, for files distributed with Vim. + *after-directory* + 4. In the "after" directory in the system-wide Vim directory. This is + for the system administrator to overrule or add to the distributed + defaults (rarely needed) + 5. In the "after" directory in your home directory. This is for + personal preferences to overrule or add to the distributed defaults + or system-wide settings (rarely needed). + + Note that, unlike 'path', no wildcards like "**" are allowed. Normal + wildcards are allowed, but can significantly slow down searching for + runtime files. For speed, use as few items as possible and avoid + wildcards. + See |:runtime|. + Example: > + :set runtimepath=~/vimruntime,/mygroup/vim,$VIMRUNTIME +< This will use the directory "~/vimruntime" first (containing your + personal Vim runtime files), then "/mygroup/vim" (shared between a + group of people) and finally "$VIMRUNTIME" (the distributed runtime + files). + You probably should always include $VIMRUNTIME somewhere, to use the + distributed runtime files. You can put a directory before $VIMRUNTIME + to find files which replace a distributed runtime files. You can put + a directory after $VIMRUNTIME to find files which add to distributed + runtime files. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'scroll'* *'scr'* +'scroll' 'scr' number (default: half the window height) + local to window + Number of lines to scroll with CTRL-U and CTRL-D commands. Will be + set to half the number of lines in the window when the window size + changes. If you give a count to the CTRL-U or CTRL-D command it will + be used as the new value for 'scroll'. Reset to half the window + height with ":set scroll=0". {Vi is a bit different: 'scroll' gives + the number of screen lines instead of file lines, makes a difference + when lines wrap} + + *'scrollbind'* *'scb'* *'noscrollbind'* *'noscb'* +'scrollbind' 'scb' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+scrollbind| + feature} + See also |scroll-binding|. When this option is set, the current + window scrolls as other scrollbind windows (windows that also have + this option set) scroll. This option is useful for viewing the + differences between two versions of a file, see 'diff'. + See |'scrollopt'| for options that determine how this option should be + interpreted. + This option is mostly reset when splitting a window to edit another + file. This means that ":split | edit file" results in two windows + with scroll-binding, but ":split file" does not. + + *'scrolljump'* *'sj'* +'scrolljump' 'sj' number (default 1) + global + {not in Vi} + Minimal number of lines to scroll when the cursor gets off the + screen (e.g., with "j"). Not used for scroll commands (e.g., CTRL-E, + CTRL-D). Useful if your terminal scrolls very slowly. + When set to a negative number from -1 to -100 this is used as the + percentage of the window height. Thus -50 scrolls half the window + height. + NOTE: This option is set to 1 when 'compatible' is set. + + *'scrolloff'* *'so'* +'scrolloff' 'so' number (default 0) + global + {not in Vi} + Minimal number of screen lines to keep above and below the cursor. + This will make some context visible around where you are working. If + you set it to a very large value (999) the cursor line will always be + in the middle of the window (except at the start or end of the file or + when long lines wrap). + For scrolling horizontally see 'sidescrolloff'. + NOTE: This option is set to 0 when 'compatible' is set. + + *'scrollopt'* *'sbo'* +'scrollopt' 'sbo' string (default "ver,jump") + global + {not available when compiled without the |+scrollbind| + feature} + {not in Vi} + This is a comma-separated list of words that specifies how + 'scrollbind' windows should behave. 'sbo' stands for ScrollBind + Options. + The following words are available: + ver Bind vertical scrolling for 'scrollbind' windows + hor Bind horizontal scrolling for 'scrollbind' windows + jump Applies to the offset between two windows for vertical + scrolling. This offset is the difference in the first + displayed line of the bound windows. When moving + around in a window, another 'scrollbind' window may + reach a position before the start or after the end of + the buffer. The offset is not changed though, when + moving back the 'scrollbind' window will try to scroll + to the desired position when possible. + When now making that window the current one, two + things can be done with the relative offset: + 1. When "jump" is not included, the relative offset is + adjusted for the scroll position in the new current + window. When going back to the other window, the + new relative offset will be used. + 2. When "jump" is included, the other windows are + scrolled to keep the same relative offset. When + going back to the other window, it still uses the + same relative offset. + Also see |scroll-binding|. + When 'diff' mode is active there always is vertical scroll binding, + even when "ver" isn't there. + + *'sections'* *'sect'* +'sections' 'sect' string (default "SHNHH HUnhsh") + global + Specifies the nroff macros that separate sections. These are pairs of + two letters (See |object-motions|). The default makes a section start + at the nroff macros ".SH", ".NH", ".H", ".HU", ".nh" and ".sh". + + *'secure'* *'nosecure'* *E523* +'secure' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + When on, ":autocmd", shell and write commands are not allowed in + ".vimrc" and ".exrc" in the current directory and map commands are + displayed. Switch it off only if you know that you will not run into + problems, or when the 'exrc' option is off. On Unix this option is + only used if the ".vimrc" or ".exrc" is not owned by you. This can be + dangerous if the systems allows users to do a "chown". You better set + 'secure' at the end of your ~/.vimrc then. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'selection'* *'sel'* +'selection' 'sel' string (default "inclusive") + global + {not in Vi} + This option defines the behavior of the selection. It is only used + in Visual and Select mode. + Possible values: + value past line inclusive ~ + old no yes + inclusive yes yes + exclusive yes no + "past line" means that the cursor is allowed to be positioned one + character past the line. + "inclusive" means that the last character of the selection is included + in an operation. For example, when "x" is used to delete the + selection. + Note that when "exclusive" is used and selecting from the end + backwards, you cannot include the last character of a line, when + starting in Normal mode and 'virtualedit' empty. + + The 'selection' option is set by the |:behave| command. + + *'selectmode'* *'slm'* +'selectmode' 'slm' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + This is a comma separated list of words, which specifies when to start + Select mode instead of Visual mode, when a selection is started. + Possible values: + mouse when using the mouse + key when using shifted special keys + cmd when using "v", "V" or CTRL-V + See |Select-mode|. + The 'selectmode' option is set by the |:behave| command. + + *'sessionoptions'* *'ssop'* +'sessionoptions' 'ssop' string (default: "blank,buffers,curdir,folds, + help,options,tabpages,winsize") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+mksession| + feature} + Changes the effect of the |:mksession| command. It is a comma + separated list of words. Each word enables saving and restoring + something: + word save and restore ~ + blank empty windows + buffers hidden and unloaded buffers, not just those in windows + curdir the current directory + folds manually created folds, opened/closed folds and local + fold options + globals global variables that start with an uppercase letter + and contain at least one lowercase letter. Only + String and Number types are stored. + help the help window + localoptions options and mappings local to a window or buffer (not + global values for local options) + options all options and mappings (also global values for local + options) + resize size of the Vim window: 'lines' and 'columns' + sesdir the directory in which the session file is located + will become the current directory (useful with + projects accessed over a network from different + systems) + slash backslashes in file names replaced with forward + slashes + tabpages all tab pages; without this only the current tab page + is restored, so that you can make a session for each + tab page separately + unix with Unix end-of-line format (single <NL>), even when + on Windows or DOS + winpos position of the whole Vim window + winsize window sizes + + Don't include both "curdir" and "sesdir". + When neither "curdir" nor "sesdir" is included, file names are stored + with absolute paths. + "slash" and "unix" are useful on Windows when sharing session files + with Unix. The Unix version of Vim cannot source dos format scripts, + but the Windows version of Vim can source unix format scripts. + + *'shell'* *'sh'* *E91* +'shell' 'sh' string (default $SHELL or "sh", + MS-DOS and Win32: "command.com" or + "cmd.exe", OS/2: "cmd") + global + Name of the shell to use for ! and :! commands. When changing the + value also check these options: 'shelltype', 'shellpipe', 'shellslash' + 'shellredir', 'shellquote', 'shellxquote' and 'shellcmdflag'. + It is allowed to give an argument to the command, e.g. "csh -f". + See |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes. + Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. + If the name of the shell contains a space, you might need to enclose + it in quotes. Example: > + :set shell=\"c:\program\ files\unix\sh.exe\"\ -f +< Note the backslash before each quote (to avoid starting a comment) and + each space (to avoid ending the option value). Also note that the + "-f" is not inside the quotes, because it is not part of the command + name. And Vim automagically recognizes the backslashes that are path + separators. + For Dos 32 bits (DJGPP), you can set the $DJSYSFLAGS environment + variable to change the way external commands are executed. See the + libc.inf file of DJGPP. + Under MS-Windows, when the executable ends in ".com" it must be + included. Thus setting the shell to "command.com" or "4dos.com" + works, but "command" and "4dos" do not work for all commands (e.g., + filtering). + For unknown reasons, when using "4dos.com" the current directory is + changed to "C:\". To avoid this set 'shell' like this: > + :set shell=command.com\ /c\ 4dos +< This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'shellcmdflag'* *'shcf'* +'shellcmdflag' 'shcf' string (default: "-c", MS-DOS and Win32, when 'shell' + does not contain "sh" somewhere: "/c") + global + {not in Vi} + Flag passed to the shell to execute "!" and ":!" commands; e.g., + "bash.exe -c ls" or "command.com /c dir". For the MS-DOS-like + systems, the default is set according to the value of 'shell', to + reduce the need to set this option by the user. It's not used for + OS/2 (EMX figures this out itself). See |option-backslash| about + including spaces and backslashes. See |dos-shell|. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'shellpipe'* *'sp'* +'shellpipe' 'sp' string (default ">", "| tee", "|& tee" or "2>&1| tee") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+quickfix| + feature} + String to be used to put the output of the ":make" command in the + error file. See also |:make_makeprg|. See |option-backslash| about + including spaces and backslashes. + The name of the temporary file can be represented by "%s" if necessary + (the file name is appended automatically if no %s appears in the value + of this option). + For the Amiga and MS-DOS the default is ">". The output is directly + saved in a file and not echoed to the screen. + For Unix the default it "| tee". The stdout of the compiler is saved + in a file and echoed to the screen. If the 'shell' option is "csh" or + "tcsh" after initializations, the default becomes "|& tee". If the + 'shell' option is "sh", "ksh", "zsh" or "bash" the default becomes + "2>&1| tee". This means that stderr is also included. Before using + the 'shell' option a path is removed, thus "/bin/sh" uses "sh". + The initialization of this option is done after reading the ".vimrc" + and the other initializations, so that when the 'shell' option is set + there, the 'shellpipe' option changes automatically, unless it was + explicitly set before. + When 'shellpipe' is set to an empty string, no redirection of the + ":make" output will be done. This is useful if you use a 'makeprg' + that writes to 'makeef' by itself. If you want no piping, but do + want to include the 'makeef', set 'shellpipe' to a single space. + Don't forget to precede the space with a backslash: ":set sp=\ ". + In the future pipes may be used for filtering and this option will + become obsolete (at least for Unix). + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'shellquote'* *'shq'* +'shellquote' 'shq' string (default: ""; MS-DOS and Win32, when 'shell' + contains "sh" somewhere: "\"") + global + {not in Vi} + Quoting character(s), put around the command passed to the shell, for + the "!" and ":!" commands. The redirection is kept outside of the + quoting. See 'shellxquote' to include the redirection. It's + probably not useful to set both options. + This is an empty string by default. Only known to be useful for + third-party shells on MS-DOS-like systems, such as the MKS Korn Shell + or bash, where it should be "\"". The default is adjusted according + the value of 'shell', to reduce the need to set this option by the + user. See |dos-shell|. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'shellredir'* *'srr'* +'shellredir' 'srr' string (default ">", ">&" or ">%s 2>&1") + global + {not in Vi} + String to be used to put the output of a filter command in a temporary + file. See also |:!|. See |option-backslash| about including spaces + and backslashes. + The name of the temporary file can be represented by "%s" if necessary + (the file name is appended automatically if no %s appears in the value + of this option). + The default is ">". For Unix, if the 'shell' option is "csh", "tcsh" + or "zsh" during initializations, the default becomes ">&". If the + 'shell' option is "sh", "ksh" or "bash" the default becomes + ">%s 2>&1". This means that stderr is also included. + For Win32, the Unix checks are done and additionally "cmd" is checked + for, which makes the default ">%s 2>&1". Also, the same names with + ".exe" appended are checked for. + The initialization of this option is done after reading the ".vimrc" + and the other initializations, so that when the 'shell' option is set + there, the 'shellredir' option changes automatically unless it was + explicitly set before. + In the future pipes may be used for filtering and this option will + become obsolete (at least for Unix). + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'shellslash'* *'ssl'* *'noshellslash'* *'nossl'* +'shellslash' 'ssl' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} {only for MSDOS, MS-Windows and OS/2} + When set, a forward slash is used when expanding file names. This is + useful when a Unix-like shell is used instead of command.com or + cmd.exe. Backward slashes can still be typed, but they are changed to + forward slashes by Vim. + Note that setting or resetting this option has no effect for some + existing file names, thus this option needs to be set before opening + any file for best results. This might change in the future. + 'shellslash' only works when a backslash can be used as a path + separator. To test if this is so use: > + if exists('+shellslash') +< + *'shelltemp'* *'stmp'* *'noshelltemp'* *'nostmp'* +'shelltemp' 'stmp' boolean (Vi default off, Vim default on) + global + {not in Vi} + When on, use temp files for shell commands. When off use a pipe. + When using a pipe is not possible temp files are used anyway. + Currently a pipe is only supported on Unix. You can check it with: > + :if has("filterpipe") +< The advantage of using a pipe is that nobody can read the temp file + and the 'shell' command does not need to support redirection. + The advantage of using a temp file is that the file type and encoding + can be detected. + The |FilterReadPre|, |FilterReadPost| and |FilterWritePre|, + |FilterWritePost| autocommands event are not triggered when + 'shelltemp' is off. + + *'shelltype'* *'st'* +'shelltype' 'st' number (default 0) + global + {not in Vi} {only for the Amiga} + On the Amiga this option influences the way how the commands work + which use a shell. + 0 and 1: always use the shell + 2 and 3: use the shell only to filter lines + 4 and 5: use shell only for ':sh' command + When not using the shell, the command is executed directly. + + 0 and 2: use "shell 'shellcmdflag' cmd" to start external commands + 1 and 3: use "shell cmd" to start external commands + + *'shellxquote'* *'sxq'* +'shellxquote' 'sxq' string (default: ""; + for Win32, when 'shell' contains "sh" + somewhere: "\"" + for Unix, when using system(): "\"") + global + {not in Vi} + Quoting character(s), put around the command passed to the shell, for + the "!" and ":!" commands. Includes the redirection. See + 'shellquote' to exclude the redirection. It's probably not useful + to set both options. + This is an empty string by default. Known to be useful for + third-party shells when using the Win32 version, such as the MKS Korn + Shell or bash, where it should be "\"". The default is adjusted + according the value of 'shell', to reduce the need to set this option + by the user. See |dos-shell|. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'shiftround'* *'sr'* *'noshiftround'* *'nosr'* +'shiftround' 'sr' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + Round indent to multiple of 'shiftwidth'. Applies to > and < + commands. CTRL-T and CTRL-D in Insert mode always round the indent to + a multiple of 'shiftwidth' (this is Vi compatible). + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'shiftwidth'* *'sw'* +'shiftwidth' 'sw' number (default 8) + local to buffer + Number of spaces to use for each step of (auto)indent. Used for + |'cindent'|, |>>|, |<<|, etc. + + *'shortmess'* *'shm'* +'shortmess' 'shm' string (Vim default "filnxtToO", Vi default: "", + POSIX default: "A") + global + {not in Vi} + This option helps to avoid all the |hit-enter| prompts caused by file + messages, for example with CTRL-G, and to avoid some other messages. + It is a list of flags: + flag meaning when present ~ + f use "(3 of 5)" instead of "(file 3 of 5)" + i use "[noeol]" instead of "[Incomplete last line]" + l use "999L, 888C" instead of "999 lines, 888 characters" + m use "[+]" instead of "[Modified]" + n use "[New]" instead of "[New File]" + r use "[RO]" instead of "[readonly]" + w use "[w]" instead of "written" for file write message + and "[a]" instead of "appended" for ':w >> file' command + x use "[dos]" instead of "[dos format]", "[unix]" instead of + "[unix format]" and "[mac]" instead of "[mac format]". + a all of the above abbreviations + + o overwrite message for writing a file with subsequent message + for reading a file (useful for ":wn" or when 'autowrite' on) + O message for reading a file overwrites any previous message. + Also for quickfix message (e.g., ":cn"). + s don't give "search hit BOTTOM, continuing at TOP" or "search + hit TOP, continuing at BOTTOM" messages + t truncate file message at the start if it is too long to fit + on the command-line, "<" will appear in the left most column. + Ignored in Ex mode. + T truncate other messages in the middle if they are too long to + fit on the command line. "..." will appear in the middle. + Ignored in Ex mode. + W don't give "written" or "[w]" when writing a file + A don't give the "ATTENTION" message when an existing swap file + is found. + I don't give the intro message when starting Vim |:intro|. + + This gives you the opportunity to avoid that a change between buffers + requires you to hit <Enter>, but still gives as useful a message as + possible for the space available. To get the whole message that you + would have got with 'shm' empty, use ":file!" + Useful values: + shm= No abbreviation of message. + shm=a Abbreviation, but no loss of information. + shm=at Abbreviation, and truncate message when necessary. + + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'shortname'* *'sn'* *'noshortname'* *'nosn'* +'shortname' 'sn' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi, not in MS-DOS versions} + Filenames are assumed to be 8 characters plus one extension of 3 + characters. Multiple dots in file names are not allowed. When this + option is on, dots in file names are replaced with underscores when + adding an extension (".~" or ".swp"). This option is not available + for MS-DOS, because then it would always be on. This option is useful + when editing files on an MS-DOS compatible filesystem, e.g., messydos + or crossdos. When running the Win32 GUI version under Win32s, this + option is always on by default. + + *'showbreak'* *'sbr'* *E595* +'showbreak' 'sbr' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+linebreak| + feature} + String to put at the start of lines that have been wrapped. Useful + values are "> " or "+++ ": > + :set showbreak=>\ +< Note the backslash to escape the trailing space. It's easier like + this: > + :let &showbreak = '+++ ' +< Only printable single-cell characters are allowed, excluding <Tab> and + comma (in a future version the comma might be used to separate the + part that is shown at the end and at the start of a line). + The characters are highlighted according to the '@' flag in + 'highlight'. + Note that tabs after the showbreak will be displayed differently. + If you want the 'showbreak' to appear in between line numbers, add the + "n" flag to 'cpoptions'. + + *'showcmd'* *'sc'* *'noshowcmd'* *'nosc'* +'showcmd' 'sc' boolean (Vim default: on, off for Unix, Vi default: + off) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the + |+cmdline_info| feature} + Show (partial) command in the last line of the screen. Set this + option off if your terminal is slow. + In Visual mode the size of the selected area is shown: + - When selecting characters within a line, the number of characters. + If the number of bytes is different it is also displayed: "2-6" + means two characters and six bytes. + - When selecting more than one line, the number of lines. + - When selecting a block, the size in screen characters: + {lines}x{columns}. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'showfulltag'* *'sft'* *'noshowfulltag'* *'nosft'* +'showfulltag' 'sft' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + When completing a word in insert mode (see |ins-completion|) from the + tags file, show both the tag name and a tidied-up form of the search + pattern (if there is one) as possible matches. Thus, if you have + matched a C function, you can see a template for what arguments are + required (coding style permitting). + Note that this doesn't work well together with having "longest" in + 'completeopt', because the completion from the search pattern may not + match the typed text. + + *'showmatch'* *'sm'* *'noshowmatch'* *'nosm'* +'showmatch' 'sm' boolean (default off) + global + When a bracket is inserted, briefly jump to the matching one. The + jump is only done if the match can be seen on the screen. The time to + show the match can be set with 'matchtime'. + A Beep is given if there is no match (no matter if the match can be + seen or not). This option is reset when the 'paste' option is set. + When the 'm' flag is not included in 'cpoptions', typing a character + will immediately move the cursor back to where it belongs. + See the "sm" field in 'guicursor' for setting the cursor shape and + blinking when showing the match. + The 'matchpairs' option can be used to specify the characters to show + matches for. 'rightleft' and 'revins' are used to look for opposite + matches. + Also see the matchparen plugin for highlighting the match when moving + around |pi_paren.txt|. + Note: Use of the short form is rated PG. + + *'showmode'* *'smd'* *'noshowmode'* *'nosmd'* +'showmode' 'smd' boolean (Vim default: on, Vi default: off) + global + If in Insert, Replace or Visual mode put a message on the last line. + Use the 'M' flag in 'highlight' to set the type of highlighting for + this message. + When |XIM| may be used the message will include "XIM". But this + doesn't mean XIM is really active, especially when 'imactivatekey' is + not set. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'showtabline'* *'stal'* +'showtabline' 'stal' number (default 1) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| + feature} + The value of this option specifies when the line with tab page labels + will be displayed: + 0: never + 1: only if there are at least two tab pages + 2: always + This is both for the GUI and non-GUI implementation of the tab pages + line. + See |tab-page| for more information about tab pages. + + *'sidescroll'* *'ss'* +'sidescroll' 'ss' number (default 0) + global + {not in Vi} + The minimal number of columns to scroll horizontally. Used only when + the 'wrap' option is off and the cursor is moved off of the screen. + When it is zero the cursor will be put in the middle of the screen. + When using a slow terminal set it to a large number or 0. When using + a fast terminal use a small number or 1. Not used for "zh" and "zl" + commands. + + *'sidescrolloff'* *'siso'* +'sidescrolloff' 'siso' number (default 0) + global + {not in Vi} + The minimal number of screen columns to keep to the left and to the + right of the cursor if 'nowrap' is set. Setting this option to a + value greater than 0 while having |'sidescroll'| also at a non-zero + value makes some context visible in the line you are scrolling in + horizontally (except at beginning of the line). Setting this option + to a large value (like 999) has the effect of keeping the cursor + horizontally centered in the window, as long as one does not come too + close to the beginning of the line. + NOTE: This option is set to 0 when 'compatible' is set. + + Example: Try this together with 'sidescroll' and 'listchars' as + in the following example to never allow the cursor to move + onto the "extends" character: + + :set nowrap sidescroll=1 listchars=extends:>,precedes:< + :set sidescrolloff=1 + + + *'smartcase'* *'scs'* *'nosmartcase'* *'noscs'* +'smartcase' 'scs' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + Override the 'ignorecase' option if the search pattern contains upper + case characters. Only used when the search pattern is typed and + 'ignorecase' option is on. Used for the commands "/", "?", "n", "N", + ":g" and ":s". Not used for "*", "#", "gd", tag search, etc.. After + "*" and "#" you can make 'smartcase' used by doing a "/" command, + recalling the search pattern from history and hitting <Enter>. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'smartindent'* *'si'* *'nosmartindent'* *'nosi'* +'smartindent' 'si' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the + |+smartindent| feature} + Do smart autoindenting when starting a new line. Works for C-like + programs, but can also be used for other languages. 'cindent' does + something like this, works better in most cases, but is more strict, + see |C-indenting|. When 'cindent' is on or 'indentexpr' is set, + setting 'si' has no effect. 'indentexpr' is a more advanced + alternative. + Normally 'autoindent' should also be on when using 'smartindent'. + An indent is automatically inserted: + - After a line ending in '{'. + - After a line starting with a keyword from 'cinwords'. + - Before a line starting with '}' (only with the "O" command). + When typing '}' as the first character in a new line, that line is + given the same indent as the matching '{'. + When typing '#' as the first character in a new line, the indent for + that line is removed, the '#' is put in the first column. The indent + is restored for the next line. If you don't want this, use this + mapping: ":inoremap # X^H#", where ^H is entered with CTRL-V CTRL-H. + When using the ">>" command, lines starting with '#' are not shifted + right. + NOTE: 'smartindent' is reset when 'compatible' is set. When 'paste' + is set smart indenting is disabled. + + *'smarttab'* *'sta'* *'nosmarttab'* *'nosta'* +'smarttab' 'sta' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + When on, a <Tab> in front of a line inserts blanks according to + 'shiftwidth'. 'tabstop' or 'softtabstop' is used in other places. A + <BS> will delete a 'shiftwidth' worth of space at the start of the + line. + When off, a <Tab> always inserts blanks according to 'tabstop' or + 'softtabstop'. 'shiftwidth' is only used for shifting text left or + right |shift-left-right|. + What gets inserted (a <Tab> or spaces) depends on the 'expandtab' + option. Also see |ins-expandtab|. When 'expandtab' is not set, the + number of spaces is minimized by using <Tab>s. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'softtabstop'* *'sts'* +'softtabstop' 'sts' number (default 0) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + Number of spaces that a <Tab> counts for while performing editing + operations, like inserting a <Tab> or using <BS>. It "feels" like + <Tab>s are being inserted, while in fact a mix of spaces and <Tab>s is + used. This is useful to keep the 'ts' setting at its standard value + of 8, while being able to edit like it is set to 'sts'. However, + commands like "x" still work on the actual characters. + When 'sts' is zero, this feature is off. + 'softtabstop' is set to 0 when the 'paste' option is set. + See also |ins-expandtab|. When 'expandtab' is not set, the number of + spaces is minimized by using <Tab>s. + The 'L' flag in 'cpoptions' changes how tabs are used when 'list' is + set. + NOTE: This option is set to 0 when 'compatible' is set. + + *'spell'* *'nospell'* +'spell' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + When on spell checking will be done. See |spell|. + The languages are specified with 'spelllang'. + + *'spellcapcheck'* *'spc'* +'spellcapcheck' 'spc' string (default "[.?!]\_[\])'" \t]\+") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + Pattern to locate the end of a sentence. The following word will be + checked to start with a capital letter. If not then it is highlighted + with SpellCap |hl-SpellCap| (unless the word is also badly spelled). + When this check is not wanted make this option empty. + Only used when 'spell' is set. + Be careful with special characters, see |option-backslash| about + including spaces and backslashes. + To set this option automatically depending on the language, see + |set-spc-auto|. + + *'spellfile'* *'spf'* +'spellfile' 'spf' string (default empty) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + Name of the word list file where words are added for the |zg| and |zw| + commands. It must end in ".{encoding}.add". You need to include the + path, otherwise the file is placed in the current directory. + *E765* + It may also be a comma separated list of names. A count before the + |zg| and |zw| commands can be used to access each. This allows using + a personal word list file and a project word list file. + When a word is added while this option is empty Vim will set it for + you: Using the first directory in 'runtimepath' that is writable. If + there is no "spell" directory yet it will be created. For the file + name the first language name that appears in 'spelllang' is used, + ignoring the region. + The resulting ".spl" file will be used for spell checking, it does not + have to appear in 'spelllang'. + Normally one file is used for all regions, but you can add the region + name if you want to. However, it will then only be used when + 'spellfile' is set to it, for entries in 'spelllang' only files + without region name will be found. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'spelllang'* *'spl'* +'spelllang' 'spl' string (default "en") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + A comma separated list of word list names. When the 'spell' option is + on spellchecking will be done for these languages. Example: > + set spelllang=en_us,nl,medical +< This means US English, Dutch and medical words are recognized. Words + that are not recognized will be highlighted. + The word list name must not include a comma or dot. Using a dash is + recommended to separate the two letter language name from a + specification. Thus "en-rare" is used for rare English words. + A region name must come last and have the form "_xx", where "xx" is + the two-letter, lower case region name. You can use more than one + region by listing them: "en_us,en_ca" supports both US and Canadian + English, but not words specific for Australia, New Zealand or Great + Britain. + *E757* + As a special case the name of a .spl file can be given as-is. The + first "_xx" in the name is removed and used as the region name + (_xx is an underscore, two letters and followed by a non-letter). + This is mainly for testing purposes. You must make sure the correct + encoding is used, Vim doesn't check it. + When 'encoding' is set the word lists are reloaded. Thus it's a good + idea to set 'spelllang' after setting 'encoding' to avoid loading the + files twice. + How the related spell files are found is explained here: |spell-load|. + + If the |spellfile.vim| plugin is active and you use a language name + for which Vim cannot find the .spl file in 'runtimepath' the plugin + will ask you if you want to download the file. + + After this option has been set successfully, Vim will source the files + "spell/LANG.vim" in 'runtimepath'. "LANG" is the value of 'spelllang' + up to the first comma, dot or underscore. + Also see |set-spc-auto|. + + + *'spellsuggest'* *'sps'* +'spellsuggest' 'sps' string (default "best") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + Methods used for spelling suggestions. Both for the |z=| command and + the |spellsuggest()| function. This is a comma-separated list of + items: + + best Internal method that works best for English. Finds + changes like "fast" and uses a bit of sound-a-like + scoring to improve the ordering. + + double Internal method that uses two methods and mixes the + results. The first method is "fast", the other method + computes how much the suggestion sounds like the bad + word. That only works when the language specifies + sound folding. Can be slow and doesn't always give + better results. + + fast Internal method that only checks for simple changes: + character inserts/deletes/swaps. Works well for + simple typing mistakes. + + {number} The maximum number of suggestions listed for |z=|. + Not used for |spellsuggest()|. The number of + suggestions is never more than the value of 'lines' + minus two. + + file:{filename} Read file {filename}, which must have two columns, + separated by a slash. The first column contains the + bad word, the second column the suggested good word. + Example: + theribal/terrible ~ + Use this for common mistakes that do not appear at the + top of the suggestion list with the internal methods. + Lines without a slash are ignored, use this for + comments. + The file is used for all languages. + + expr:{expr} Evaluate expression {expr}. Use a function to avoid + trouble with spaces. |v:val| holds the badly spelled + word. The expression must evaluate to a List of + Lists, each with a suggestion and a score. + Example: + [['the', 33], ['that', 44]] + Set 'verbose' and use |z=| to see the scores that the + internal methods use. A lower score is better. + This may invoke |spellsuggest()| if you temporarily + set 'spellsuggest' to exclude the "expr:" part. + Errors are silently ignored, unless you set the + 'verbose' option to a non-zero value. + + Only one of "best", "double" or "fast" may be used. The others may + appear several times in any order. Example: > + :set sps=file:~/.vim/sugg,best,expr:MySuggest() +< + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + + *'splitbelow'* *'sb'* *'nosplitbelow'* *'nosb'* +'splitbelow' 'sb' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| + feature} + When on, splitting a window will put the new window below the current + one. |:split| + + *'splitright'* *'spr'* *'nosplitright'* *'nospr'* +'splitright' 'spr' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+vertsplit| + feature} + When on, splitting a window will put the new window right of the + current one. |:vsplit| + + *'startofline'* *'sol'* *'nostartofline'* *'nosol'* +'startofline' 'sol' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + When "on" the commands listed below move the cursor to the first + non-blank of the line. When off the cursor is kept in the same column + (if possible). This applies to the commands: CTRL-D, CTRL-U, CTRL-B, + CTRL-F, "G", "H", "M", "L", gg, and to the commands "d", "<<" and ">>" + with a linewise operator, with "%" with a count and to buffer changing + commands (CTRL-^, :bnext, :bNext, etc.). Also for an Ex command that + only has a line number, e.g., ":25" or ":+". + In case of buffer changing commands the cursor is placed at the column + where it was the last time the buffer was edited. + NOTE: This option is set when 'compatible' is set. + + *'statusline'* *'stl'* *E540* *E541* *E542* +'statusline' 'stl' string (default empty) + global or local to window |global-local| + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+statusline| + feature} + When nonempty, this option determines the content of the status line. + Also see |status-line|. + + The option consists of printf style '%' items interspersed with + normal text. Each status line item is of the form: + %-0{minwid}.{maxwid}{item} + All fields except the {item} is optional. A single percent sign can + be given as "%%". Up to 80 items can be specified. + + When the option starts with "%!" then it is used as an expression, + evaluated and the result is used as the option value. Example: > + :set statusline=%!MyStatusLine() +< The result can contain %{} items that will be evaluated too. + + When there is error while evaluating the option then it will be made + empty to avoid further errors. Otherwise screen updating would loop. + + Note that the only effect of 'ruler' when this option is set (and + 'laststatus' is 2) is controlling the output of |CTRL-G|. + + field meaning ~ + - Left justify the item. The default is right justified + when minwid is larger than the length of the item. + 0 Leading zeroes in numeric items. Overridden by '-'. + minwid Minimum width of the item, padding as set by '-' & '0'. + Value must be 50 or less. + maxwid Maximum width of the item. Truncation occurs with a '<' + on the left for text items. Numeric items will be + shifted down to maxwid-2 digits followed by '>'number + where number is the amount of missing digits, much like + an exponential notation. + item A one letter code as described below. + + Following is a description of the possible statusline items. The + second character in "item" is the type: + N for number + S for string + F for flags as described below + - not applicable + + item meaning ~ + f S Path to the file in the buffer, as typed or relative to current + directory. + F S Full path to the file in the buffer. + t S File name (tail) of file in the buffer. + m F Modified flag, text is "[+]"; "[-]" if 'modifiable' is off. + M F Modified flag, text is ",+" or ",-". + r F Readonly flag, text is "[RO]". + R F Readonly flag, text is ",RO". + h F Help buffer flag, text is "[help]". + H F Help buffer flag, text is ",HLP". + w F Preview window flag, text is "[Preview]". + W F Preview window flag, text is ",PRV". + y F Type of file in the buffer, e.g., "[vim]". See 'filetype'. + Y F Type of file in the buffer, e.g., ",VIM". See 'filetype'. + {not available when compiled without |+autocmd| feature} + q S "[Quickfix List]", "[Location List]" or empty. + k S Value of "b:keymap_name" or 'keymap' when |:lmap| mappings are + being used: "<keymap>" + n N Buffer number. + b N Value of byte under cursor. + B N As above, in hexadecimal. + o N Byte number in file of byte under cursor, first byte is 1. + Mnemonic: Offset from start of file (with one added) + {not available when compiled without |+byte_offset| feature} + O N As above, in hexadecimal. + N N Printer page number. (Only works in the 'printheader' option.) + l N Line number. + L N Number of lines in buffer. + c N Column number. + v N Virtual column number. + V N Virtual column number as -{num}. Not displayed if equal to 'c'. + p N Percentage through file in lines as in |CTRL-G|. + P S Percentage through file of displayed window. This is like the + percentage described for 'ruler'. Always 3 in length. + a S Argument list status as in default title. ({current} of {max}) + Empty if the argument file count is zero or one. + { NF Evaluate expression between '%{' and '}' and substitute result. + Note that there is no '%' before the closing '}'. + ( - Start of item group. Can be used for setting the width and + alignment of a section. Must be followed by %) somewhere. + ) - End of item group. No width fields allowed. + T N For 'tabline': start of tab page N label. Use %T after the last + label. This information is used for mouse clicks. + X N For 'tabline': start of close tab N label. Use %X after the + label, e.g.: %3Xclose%X. Use %999X for a "close current tab" + mark. This information is used for mouse clicks. + < - Where to truncate line if too long. Default is at the start. + No width fields allowed. + = - Separation point between left and right aligned items. + No width fields allowed. + # - Set highlight group. The name must follow and then a # again. + Thus use %#HLname# for highlight group HLname. The same + highlighting is used, also for the statusline of non-current + windows. + * - Set highlight group to User{N}, where {N} is taken from the + minwid field, e.g. %1*. Restore normal highlight with %* or %0*. + The difference between User{N} and StatusLine will be applied + to StatusLineNC for the statusline of non-current windows. + The number N must be between 1 and 9. See |hl-User1..9| + + When displaying a flag, Vim removes the leading comma, if any, when + that flag comes right after plaintext. This will make a nice display + when flags are used like in the examples below. + + When all items in a group becomes an empty string (i.e. flags that are + not set) and a minwid is not set for the group, the whole group will + become empty. This will make a group like the following disappear + completely from the statusline when none of the flags are set. > + :set statusline=...%(\ [%M%R%H]%)... +< + Beware that an expression is evaluated each and every time the status + line is displayed. The current buffer and current window will be set + temporarily to that of the window (and buffer) whose statusline is + currently being drawn. The expression will evaluate in this context. + The variable "actual_curbuf" is set to the 'bufnr()' number of the + real current buffer. + + The 'statusline' option may be evaluated in the |sandbox|, see + |sandbox-option|. + + It is not allowed to change text or jump to another window while + evaluating 'statusline' |textlock|. + + If the statusline is not updated when you want it (e.g., after setting + a variable that's used in an expression), you can force an update by + setting an option without changing its value. Example: > + :let &ro = &ro + +< A result of all digits is regarded a number for display purposes. + Otherwise the result is taken as flag text and applied to the rules + described above. + + Watch out for errors in expressions. They may render Vim unusable! + If you are stuck, hold down ':' or 'Q' to get a prompt, then quit and + edit your .vimrc or whatever with "vim -u NONE" to get it right. + + Examples: + Emulate standard status line with 'ruler' set > + :set statusline=%<%f\ %h%m%r%=%-14.(%l,%c%V%)\ %P +< Similar, but add ASCII value of char under the cursor (like "ga") > + :set statusline=%<%f%h%m%r%=%b\ 0x%B\ \ %l,%c%V\ %P +< Display byte count and byte value, modified flag in red. > + :set statusline=%<%f%=\ [%1*%M%*%n%R%H]\ %-19(%3l,%02c%03V%)%O'%02b' + :hi User1 term=inverse,bold cterm=inverse,bold ctermfg=red +< Display a ,GZ flag if a compressed file is loaded > + :set statusline=...%r%{VarExists('b:gzflag','\ [GZ]')}%h... +< In the |:autocmd|'s: > + :let b:gzflag = 1 +< And: > + :unlet b:gzflag +< And define this function: > + :function VarExists(var, val) + : if exists(a:var) | return a:val | else | return '' | endif + :endfunction +< + *'suffixes'* *'su'* +'suffixes' 'su' string (default ".bak,~,.o,.h,.info,.swp,.obj") + global + {not in Vi} + Files with these suffixes get a lower priority when multiple files + match a wildcard. See |suffixes|. Commas can be used to separate the + suffixes. Spaces after the comma are ignored. A dot is also seen as + the start of a suffix. To avoid a dot or comma being recognized as a + separator, precede it with a backslash (see |option-backslash| about + including spaces and backslashes). + See 'wildignore' for completely ignoring files. + The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing + suffixes from the list. This avoids problems when a future version + uses another default. + + *'suffixesadd'* *'sua'* +'suffixesadd' 'sua' string (default "") + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the + |+file_in_path| feature} + Comma separated list of suffixes, which are used when searching for a + file for the "gf", "[I", etc. commands. Example: > + :set suffixesadd=.java +< + *'swapfile'* *'swf'* *'noswapfile'* *'noswf'* +'swapfile' 'swf' boolean (default on) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + Use a swapfile for the buffer. This option can be reset when a + swapfile is not wanted for a specific buffer. For example, with + confidential information that even root must not be able to access. + Careful: All text will be in memory: + - Don't use this for big files. + - Recovery will be impossible! + A swapfile will only be present when |'updatecount'| is non-zero and + 'swapfile' is set. + When 'swapfile' is reset, the swap file for the current buffer is + immediately deleted. When 'swapfile' is set, and 'updatecount' is + non-zero, a swap file is immediately created. + Also see |swap-file| and |'swapsync'|. + + This option is used together with 'bufhidden' and 'buftype' to + specify special kinds of buffers. See |special-buffers|. + + *'swapsync'* *'sws'* +'swapsync' 'sws' string (default "fsync") + global + {not in Vi} + When this option is not empty a swap file is synced to disk after + writing to it. This takes some time, especially on busy unix systems. + When this option is empty parts of the swap file may be in memory and + not written to disk. When the system crashes you may lose more work. + On Unix the system does a sync now and then without Vim asking for it, + so the disadvantage of setting this option off is small. On some + systems the swap file will not be written at all. For a unix system + setting it to "sync" will use the sync() call instead of the default + fsync(), which may work better on some systems. + The 'fsync' option is used for the actual file. + + *'switchbuf'* *'swb'* +'switchbuf' 'swb' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + This option controls the behavior when switching between buffers. + Possible values (comma separated list): + useopen If included, jump to the first open window that + contains the specified buffer (if there is one). + Otherwise: Do not examine other windows. + This setting is checked with |quickfix| commands, when + jumping to errors (":cc", ":cn", "cp", etc.). It is + also used in all buffer related split commands, for + example ":sbuffer", ":sbnext", or ":sbrewind". + usetab Like "useopen", but also consider windows in other tab + pages. + split If included, split the current window before loading + a buffer. Otherwise: do not split, use current window. + Supported in |quickfix| commands that display errors. + newtab Like "split", but open a new tab page. Overrules + "split" when both are present. + + *'synmaxcol'* *'smc'* +'synmaxcol' 'smc' number (default 3000) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + Maximum column in which to search for syntax items. In long lines the + text after this column is not highlighted and following lines may not + be highlighted correctly, because the syntax state is cleared. + This helps to avoid very slow redrawing for an XML file that is one + long line. + Set to zero to remove the limit. + + *'syntax'* *'syn'* +'syntax' 'syn' string (default empty) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+syntax| + feature} + When this option is set, the syntax with this name is loaded, unless + syntax highlighting has been switched off with ":syntax off". + Otherwise this option does not always reflect the current syntax (the + b:current_syntax variable does). + This option is most useful in a modeline, for a file which syntax is + not automatically recognized. Example, in an IDL file: + /* vim: set syntax=idl : */ ~ + When a dot appears in the value then this separates two filetype + names. Example: + /* vim: set syntax=c.doxygen : */ ~ + This will use the "c" syntax first, then the "doxygen" syntax. + Note that the second one must be prepared to be loaded as an addition, + otherwise it will be skipped. More than one dot may appear. + To switch off syntax highlighting for the current file, use: > + :set syntax=OFF +< To switch syntax highlighting on according to the current value of the + 'filetype' option: > + :set syntax=ON +< What actually happens when setting the 'syntax' option is that the + Syntax autocommand event is triggered with the value as argument. + This option is not copied to another buffer, independent of the 's' or + 'S' flag in 'cpoptions'. + Only normal file name characters can be used, "/\*?[|<>" are illegal. + + *'tabline'* *'tal'* +'tabline' 'tal' string (default empty) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| + feature} + When nonempty, this option determines the content of the tab pages + line at the top of the Vim window. When empty Vim will use a default + tab pages line. See |setting-tabline| for more info. + + The tab pages line only appears as specified with the 'showtabline' + option and only when there is no GUI tab line. When 'e' is in + 'guioptions' and the GUI supports a tab line 'guitablabel' is used + instead. Note that the two tab pages lines are very different. + + The value is evaluated like with 'statusline'. You can use + |tabpagenr()|, |tabpagewinnr()| and |tabpagebuflist()| to figure out + the text to be displayed. Use "%1T" for the first label, "%2T" for + the second one, etc. Use "%X" items for closing labels. + + Keep in mind that only one of the tab pages is the current one, others + are invisible and you can't jump to their windows. + + + *'tabpagemax'* *'tpm'* +'tabpagemax' 'tpm' number (default 10) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| + feature} + Maximum number of tab pages to be opened by the |-p| command line + argument or the ":tab all" command. |tabpage| + + + *'tabstop'* *'ts'* +'tabstop' 'ts' number (default 8) + local to buffer + Number of spaces that a <Tab> in the file counts for. Also see + |:retab| command, and 'softtabstop' option. + + Note: Setting 'tabstop' to any other value than 8 can make your file + appear wrong in many places (e.g., when printing it). + + There are four main ways to use tabs in Vim: + 1. Always keep 'tabstop' at 8, set 'softtabstop' and 'shiftwidth' to 4 + (or 3 or whatever you prefer) and use 'noexpandtab'. Then Vim + will use a mix of tabs and spaces, but typing <Tab> and <BS> will + behave like a tab appears every 4 (or 3) characters. + 2. Set 'tabstop' and 'shiftwidth' to whatever you prefer and use + 'expandtab'. This way you will always insert spaces. The + formatting will never be messed up when 'tabstop' is changed. + 3. Set 'tabstop' and 'shiftwidth' to whatever you prefer and use a + |modeline| to set these values when editing the file again. Only + works when using Vim to edit the file. + 4. Always set 'tabstop' and 'shiftwidth' to the same value, and + 'noexpandtab'. This should then work (for initial indents only) + for any tabstop setting that people use. It might be nice to have + tabs after the first non-blank inserted as spaces if you do this + though. Otherwise aligned comments will be wrong when 'tabstop' is + changed. + + *'tagbsearch'* *'tbs'* *'notagbsearch'* *'notbs'* +'tagbsearch' 'tbs' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + When searching for a tag (e.g., for the |:ta| command), Vim can either + use a binary search or a linear search in a tags file. Binary + searching makes searching for a tag a LOT faster, but a linear search + will find more tags if the tags file wasn't properly sorted. + Vim normally assumes that your tags files are sorted, or indicate that + they are not sorted. Only when this is not the case does the + 'tagbsearch' option need to be switched off. + + When 'tagbsearch' is on, binary searching is first used in the tags + files. In certain situations, Vim will do a linear search instead for + certain files, or retry all files with a linear search. When + 'tagbsearch' is off, only a linear search is done. + + Linear searching is done anyway, for one file, when Vim finds a line + at the start of the file indicating that it's not sorted: > + !_TAG_FILE_SORTED 0 /some comment/ +< [The whitespace before and after the '0' must be a single <Tab>] + + When a binary search was done and no match was found in any of the + files listed in 'tags', and 'ignorecase' is set or a pattern is used + instead of a normal tag name, a retry is done with a linear search. + Tags in unsorted tags files, and matches with different case will only + be found in the retry. + + If a tag file indicates that it is case-fold sorted, the second, + linear search can be avoided for the 'ignorecase' case. Use a value + of '2' in the "!_TAG_FILE_SORTED" line for this. A tag file can be + case-fold sorted with the -f switch to "sort" in most unices, as in + the command: "sort -f -o tags tags". For "Exuberant ctags" version + 5.x or higher (at least 5.5) the --sort=foldcase switch can be used + for this as well. Note that case must be folded to uppercase for this + to work. + + When 'tagbsearch' is off, tags searching is slower when a full match + exists, but faster when no full match exists. Tags in unsorted tags + files may only be found with 'tagbsearch' off. + When the tags file is not sorted, or sorted in a wrong way (not on + ASCII byte value), 'tagbsearch' should be off, or the line given above + must be included in the tags file. + This option doesn't affect commands that find all matching tags (e.g., + command-line completion and ":help"). + {Vi: always uses binary search in some versions} + + *'taglength'* *'tl'* +'taglength' 'tl' number (default 0) + global + If non-zero, tags are significant up to this number of characters. + + *'tagrelative'* *'tr'* *'notagrelative'* *'notr'* +'tagrelative' 'tr' boolean (Vim default: on, Vi default: off) + global + {not in Vi} + If on and using a tags file in another directory, file names in that + tags file are relative to the directory where the tags file is. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'tags'* *'tag'* *E433* +'tags' 'tag' string (default "./tags,tags", when compiled with + |+emacs_tags|: "./tags,./TAGS,tags,TAGS") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + Filenames for the tag command, separated by spaces or commas. To + include a space or comma in a file name, precede it with a backslash + (see |option-backslash| about including spaces and backslashes). + When a file name starts with "./", the '.' is replaced with the path + of the current file. But only when the 'd' flag is not included in + 'cpoptions'. Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. Also see + |tags-option|. + "*", "**" and other wildcards can be used to search for tags files in + a directory tree. See |file-searching|. E.g., "/lib/**/tags" will + find all files named "tags" below "/lib". The filename itself cannot + contain wildcards, it is used as-is. E.g., "/lib/**/tags?" will find + files called "tags?". {not available when compiled without the + |+path_extra| feature} + The |tagfiles()| function can be used to get a list of the file names + actually used. + If Vim was compiled with the |+emacs_tags| feature, Emacs-style tag + files are also supported. They are automatically recognized. The + default value becomes "./tags,./TAGS,tags,TAGS", unless case + differences are ignored (MS-Windows). |emacs-tags| + The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing + file names from the list. This avoids problems when a future version + uses another default. + {Vi: default is "tags /usr/lib/tags"} + + *'tagstack'* *'tgst'* *'notagstack'* *'notgst'* +'tagstack' 'tgst' boolean (default on) + global + {not in all versions of Vi} + When on, the |tagstack| is used normally. When off, a ":tag" or + ":tselect" command with an argument will not push the tag onto the + tagstack. A following ":tag" without an argument, a ":pop" command or + any other command that uses the tagstack will use the unmodified + tagstack, but does change the pointer to the active entry. + Resetting this option is useful when using a ":tag" command in a + mapping which should not change the tagstack. + + *'term'* *E529* *E530* *E531* +'term' string (default is $TERM, if that fails: + in the GUI: "builtin_gui" + on Amiga: "amiga" + on BeOS: "beos-ansi" + on Mac: "mac-ansi" + on MiNT: "vt52" + on MS-DOS: "pcterm" + on OS/2: "os2ansi" + on Unix: "ansi" + on VMS: "ansi" + on Win 32: "win32") + global + Name of the terminal. Used for choosing the terminal control + characters. Environment variables are expanded |:set_env|. + For example: > + :set term=$TERM +< See |termcap|. + + *'termbidi'* *'tbidi'* + *'notermbidi'* *'notbidi'* +'termbidi' 'tbidi' boolean (default off, on for "mlterm") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+arabic| + feature} + The terminal is in charge of Bi-directionality of text (as specified + by Unicode). The terminal is also expected to do the required shaping + that some languages (such as Arabic) require. + Setting this option implies that 'rightleft' will not be set when + 'arabic' is set and the value of 'arabicshape' will be ignored. + Note that setting 'termbidi' has the immediate effect that + 'arabicshape' is ignored, but 'rightleft' isn't changed automatically. + This option is reset when the GUI is started. + For further details see |arabic.txt|. + + *'termencoding'* *'tenc'* +'termencoding' 'tenc' string (default ""; with GTK+ 2 GUI: "utf-8"; with + Macintosh GUI: "macroman") + global + {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| + feature} + {not in Vi} + Encoding used for the terminal. This specifies what character + encoding the keyboard produces and the display will understand. For + the GUI it only applies to the keyboard ('encoding' is used for the + display). Except for the Mac when 'macatsui' is off, then + 'termencoding' should be "macroman". + In the Win32 console version the default value is the console codepage + when it differs from the ANSI codepage. + *E617* + Note: This does not apply to the GTK+ 2 GUI. After the GUI has been + successfully initialized, 'termencoding' is forcibly set to "utf-8". + Any attempts to set a different value will be rejected, and an error + message is shown. + For the Win32 GUI 'termencoding' is not used for typed characters, + because the Win32 system always passes Unicode characters. + When empty, the same encoding is used as for the 'encoding' option. + This is the normal value. + Not all combinations for 'termencoding' and 'encoding' are valid. See + |encoding-table|. + The value for this option must be supported by internal conversions or + iconv(). When this is not possible no conversion will be done and you + will probably experience problems with non-ASCII characters. + Example: You are working with the locale set to euc-jp (Japanese) and + want to edit a UTF-8 file: > + :let &termencoding = &encoding + :set encoding=utf-8 +< You need to do this when your system has no locale support for UTF-8. + + *'terse'* *'noterse'* +'terse' boolean (default off) + global + When set: Add 's' flag to 'shortmess' option (this makes the message + for a search that hits the start or end of the file not being + displayed). When reset: Remove 's' flag from 'shortmess' option. {Vi + shortens a lot of messages} + + *'textauto'* *'ta'* *'notextauto'* *'nota'* +'textauto' 'ta' boolean (Vim default: on, Vi default: off) + global + {not in Vi} + This option is obsolete. Use 'fileformats'. + For backwards compatibility, when 'textauto' is set, 'fileformats' is + set to the default value for the current system. When 'textauto' is + reset, 'fileformats' is made empty. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'textmode'* *'tx'* *'notextmode'* *'notx'* +'textmode' 'tx' boolean (MS-DOS, Win32 and OS/2: default on, + others: default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + This option is obsolete. Use 'fileformat'. + For backwards compatibility, when 'textmode' is set, 'fileformat' is + set to "dos". When 'textmode' is reset, 'fileformat' is set to + "unix". + + *'textwidth'* *'tw'* +'textwidth' 'tw' number (default 0) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + Maximum width of text that is being inserted. A longer line will be + broken after white space to get this width. A zero value disables + this. 'textwidth' is set to 0 when the 'paste' option is set. When + 'textwidth' is zero, 'wrapmargin' may be used. See also + 'formatoptions' and |ins-textwidth|. + When 'formatexpr' is set it will be used to break the line. + NOTE: This option is set to 0 when 'compatible' is set. + + *'thesaurus'* *'tsr'* +'thesaurus' 'tsr' string (default "") + global or local to buffer |global-local| + {not in Vi} + List of file names, separated by commas, that are used to lookup words + for thesaurus completion commands |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-T|. Each line in + the file should contain words with similar meaning, separated by + non-keyword characters (white space is preferred). Maximum line + length is 510 bytes. + To obtain a file to be used here, check out the wordlist FAQ at + http://www.hyphenologist.co.uk . + To include a comma in a file name precede it with a backslash. Spaces + after a comma are ignored, otherwise spaces are included in the file + name. See |option-backslash| about using backslashes. + The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing + directories from the list. This avoids problems when a future version + uses another default. + Backticks cannot be used in this option for security reasons. + + *'tildeop'* *'top'* *'notildeop'* *'notop'* +'tildeop' 'top' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + When on: The tilde command "~" behaves like an operator. + NOTE: This option is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'timeout'* *'to'* *'notimeout'* *'noto'* +'timeout' 'to' boolean (default on) + global + *'ttimeout'* *'nottimeout'* +'ttimeout' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + These two options together determine the behavior when part of a + mapped key sequence or keyboard code has been received: + + 'timeout' 'ttimeout' action ~ + off off do not time out + on on or off time out on :mappings and key codes + off on time out on key codes + + If both options are off, Vim will wait until either the complete + mapping or key sequence has been received, or it is clear that there + is no mapping or key sequence for the received characters. For + example: if you have mapped "vl" and Vim has received 'v', the next + character is needed to see if the 'v' is followed by an 'l'. + When one of the options is on, Vim will wait for about 1 second for + the next character to arrive. After that the already received + characters are interpreted as single characters. The waiting time can + be changed with the 'timeoutlen' option. + On slow terminals or very busy systems timing out may cause + malfunctioning cursor keys. If both options are off, Vim waits + forever after an entered <Esc> if there are key codes that start + with <Esc>. You will have to type <Esc> twice. If you do not have + problems with key codes, but would like to have :mapped key + sequences not timing out in 1 second, set the 'ttimeout' option and + reset the 'timeout' option. + + NOTE: 'ttimeout' is reset when 'compatible' is set. + + *'timeoutlen'* *'tm'* +'timeoutlen' 'tm' number (default 1000) + global + {not in all versions of Vi} + *'ttimeoutlen'* *'ttm'* +'ttimeoutlen' 'ttm' number (default -1) + global + {not in Vi} + The time in milliseconds that is waited for a key code or mapped key + sequence to complete. Also used for CTRL-\ CTRL-N and CTRL-\ CTRL-G + when part of a command has been typed. + Normally only 'timeoutlen' is used and 'ttimeoutlen' is -1. When a + different timeout value for key codes is desired set 'ttimeoutlen' to + a non-negative number. + + ttimeoutlen mapping delay key code delay ~ + < 0 'timeoutlen' 'timeoutlen' + >= 0 'timeoutlen' 'ttimeoutlen' + + The timeout only happens when the 'timeout' and 'ttimeout' options + tell so. A useful setting would be > + :set timeout timeoutlen=3000 ttimeoutlen=100 +< (time out on mapping after three seconds, time out on key codes after + a tenth of a second). + + *'title'* *'notitle'* +'title' boolean (default off, on when title can be restored) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+title| + feature} + When on, the title of the window will be set to the value of + 'titlestring' (if it is not empty), or to: + filename [+=-] (path) - VIM + Where: + filename the name of the file being edited + - indicates the file cannot be modified, 'ma' off + + indicates the file was modified + = indicates the file is read-only + =+ indicates the file is read-only and modified + (path) is the path of the file being edited + - VIM the server name |v:servername| or "VIM" + Only works if the terminal supports setting window titles + (currently Amiga console, Win32 console, all GUI versions and + terminals with a non- empty 't_ts' option - these are Unix xterm and + iris-ansi by default, where 't_ts' is taken from the builtin termcap). + *X11* + When Vim was compiled with HAVE_X11 defined, the original title will + be restored if possible. The output of ":version" will include "+X11" + when HAVE_X11 was defined, otherwise it will be "-X11". This also + works for the icon name |'icon'|. + But: When Vim was started with the |-X| argument, restoring the title + will not work (except in the GUI). + If the title cannot be restored, it is set to the value of 'titleold'. + You might want to restore the title outside of Vim then. + When using an xterm from a remote machine you can use this command: + rsh machine_name xterm -display $DISPLAY & + then the WINDOWID environment variable should be inherited and the + title of the window should change back to what it should be after + exiting Vim. + + *'titlelen'* +'titlelen' number (default 85) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+title| + feature} + Gives the percentage of 'columns' to use for the length of the window + title. When the title is longer, only the end of the path name is + shown. A '<' character before the path name is used to indicate this. + Using a percentage makes this adapt to the width of the window. But + it won't work perfectly, because the actual number of characters + available also depends on the font used and other things in the title + bar. When 'titlelen' is zero the full path is used. Otherwise, + values from 1 to 30000 percent can be used. + 'titlelen' is also used for the 'titlestring' option. + + *'titleold'* +'titleold' string (default "Thanks for flying Vim") + global + {not in Vi} + {only available when compiled with the |+title| + feature} + This option will be used for the window title when exiting Vim if the + original title cannot be restored. Only happens if 'title' is on or + 'titlestring' is not empty. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + *'titlestring'* +'titlestring' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+title| + feature} + When this option is not empty, it will be used for the title of the + window. This happens only when the 'title' option is on. + Only works if the terminal supports setting window titles (currently + Amiga console, Win32 console, all GUI versions and terminals with a + non-empty 't_ts' option). + When Vim was compiled with HAVE_X11 defined, the original title will + be restored if possible |X11|. + When this option contains printf-style '%' items, they will be + expanded according to the rules used for 'statusline'. + Example: > + :auto BufEnter * let &titlestring = hostname() . "/" . expand("%:p") + :set title titlestring=%<%F%=%l/%L-%P titlelen=70 +< The value of 'titlelen' is used to align items in the middle or right + of the available space. + Some people prefer to have the file name first: > + :set titlestring=%t%(\ %M%)%(\ (%{expand(\"%:~:.:h\")})%)%(\ %a%) +< Note the use of "%{ }" and an expression to get the path of the file, + without the file name. The "%( %)" constructs are used to add a + separating space only when needed. + NOTE: Use of special characters in 'titlestring' may cause the display + to be garbled (e.g., when it contains a CR or NL character). + {not available when compiled without the |+statusline| feature} + + *'toolbar'* *'tb'* +'toolbar' 'tb' string (default "icons,tooltips") + global + {only for |+GUI_GTK|, |+GUI_Athena|, |+GUI_Motif| and + |+GUI_Photon|} + The contents of this option controls various toolbar settings. The + possible values are: + icons Toolbar buttons are shown with icons. + text Toolbar buttons shown with text. + horiz Icon and text of a toolbar button are + horizontally arranged. {only in GTK+ 2 GUI} + tooltips Tooltips are active for toolbar buttons. + Tooltips refer to the popup help text which appears after the mouse + cursor is placed over a toolbar button for a brief moment. + + If you want the toolbar to be shown with icons as well as text, do the + following: > + :set tb=icons,text +< Motif and Athena cannot display icons and text at the same time. They + will show icons if both are requested. + + If none of the strings specified in 'toolbar' are valid or if + 'toolbar' is empty, this option is ignored. If you want to disable + the toolbar, you need to set the 'guioptions' option. For example: > + :set guioptions-=T +< Also see |gui-toolbar|. + + *'toolbariconsize'* *'tbis'* +'toolbariconsize' 'tbis' string (default "small") + global + {not in Vi} + {only in the GTK+ 2 GUI} + Controls the size of toolbar icons. The possible values are: + tiny Use tiny toolbar icons. + small Use small toolbar icons (default). + medium Use medium-sized toolbar icons. + large Use large toolbar icons. + The exact dimensions in pixels of the various icon sizes depend on + the current theme. Common dimensions are large=32x32, medium=24x24, + small=20x20 and tiny=16x16. + + If 'toolbariconsize' is empty, the global default size as determined + by user preferences or the current theme is used. + + *'ttybuiltin'* *'tbi'* *'nottybuiltin'* *'notbi'* +'ttybuiltin' 'tbi' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + When on, the builtin termcaps are searched before the external ones. + When off the builtin termcaps are searched after the external ones. + When this option is changed, you should set the 'term' option next for + the change to take effect, for example: > + :set notbi term=$TERM +< See also |termcap|. + Rationale: The default for this option is "on", because the builtin + termcap entries are generally better (many systems contain faulty + xterm entries...). + + *'ttyfast'* *'tf'* *'nottyfast'* *'notf'* +'ttyfast' 'tf' boolean (default off, on when 'term' is xterm, hpterm, + sun-cmd, screen, rxvt, dtterm or + iris-ansi; also on when running Vim in + a DOS console) + global + {not in Vi} + Indicates a fast terminal connection. More characters will be sent to + the screen for redrawing, instead of using insert/delete line + commands. Improves smoothness of redrawing when there are multiple + windows and the terminal does not support a scrolling region. + Also enables the extra writing of characters at the end of each screen + line for lines that wrap. This helps when using copy/paste with the + mouse in an xterm and other terminals. + + *'ttymouse'* *'ttym'* +'ttymouse' 'ttym' string (default depends on 'term') + global + {not in Vi} + {only in Unix and VMS, doesn't work in the GUI; not + available when compiled without |+mouse|} + Name of the terminal type for which mouse codes are to be recognized. + Currently these strings are valid: + *xterm-mouse* + xterm xterm-like mouse handling. The mouse generates + "<Esc>[Mscr", where "scr" is three bytes: + "s" = button state + "c" = column plus 33 + "r" = row plus 33 + This only works up to 223 columns! See "dec" for a + solution. + xterm2 Works like "xterm", but with the xterm reporting the + mouse position while the mouse is dragged. This works + much faster and more precise. Your xterm must at + least at patchlevel 88 / XFree 3.3.3 for this to + work. See below for how Vim detects this + automatically. + *netterm-mouse* + netterm NetTerm mouse handling. The mouse generates + "<Esc>}r,c<CR>", where "r,c" are two decimal numbers + for the row and column. + *dec-mouse* + dec DEC terminal mouse handling. The mouse generates a + rather complex sequence, starting with "<Esc>[". + This is also available for an Xterm, if it was + configured with "--enable-dec-locator". + *jsbterm-mouse* + jsbterm JSB term mouse handling. + *pterm-mouse* + pterm QNX pterm mouse handling. + + The mouse handling must be enabled at compile time |+mouse_xterm| + |+mouse_dec| |+mouse_netterm|. + Only "xterm"(2) is really recognized. NetTerm mouse codes are always + recognized, if enabled at compile time. DEC terminal mouse codes + are recognized if enabled at compile time, and 'ttymouse' is not + "xterm" (because the xterm and dec mouse codes conflict). + This option is automatically set to "xterm", when the 'term' option is + set to a name that starts with "xterm", and 'ttymouse' is not "xterm" + or "xterm2" already. The main use of this option is to set it to + "xterm", when the terminal name doesn't start with "xterm", but it can + handle xterm mouse codes. + The "xterm2" value will be set if the xterm version is reported to be + 95 or higher. This only works when compiled with the |+termresponse| + feature and if |t_RV| is set to the escape sequence to request the + xterm version number. Otherwise "xterm2" must be set explicitly. + If you do not want 'ttymouse' to be set to "xterm2" automatically, set + t_RV to an empty string: > + :set t_RV= +< + *'ttyscroll'* *'tsl'* +'ttyscroll' 'tsl' number (default 999) + global + Maximum number of lines to scroll the screen. If there are more lines + to scroll the window is redrawn. For terminals where scrolling is + very slow and redrawing is not slow this can be set to a small number, + e.g., 3, to speed up displaying. + + *'ttytype'* *'tty'* +'ttytype' 'tty' string (default from $TERM) + global + Alias for 'term', see above. + + *'undodir'* *'udir'* +'undodir' 'udir' string (default ".") + global + {not in Vi} + {only when compiled with the |+persistent_undo| feature} + List of directory names for undo files, separated with commas. + See |'backupdir'| for details of the format. + "." means using the directory of the file. The undo file name for + "file.txt" is ".file.txt.un~". + For other directories the file name is the full path of the edited + file, with path separators replaced with "%". + When writing: The first directory that exists is used. "." always + works, no directories after "." will be used for writing. + When reading all entries are tried to find an undo file. The first + undo file that exists is used. When it cannot be read an error is + given, no further entry is used. + See |undo-persistence|. + + *'undofile'* *'udf'* +'undofile' 'udf' boolean (default off) + local to buffer + {not in Vi} + {only when compiled with the |+persistent_undo| feature} + When on, Vim automatically saves undo history to an undo file when + writing a buffer to a file, and restores undo history from the same + file on buffer read. + The directory where the undo file is stored is specified by 'undodir'. + For more information about this feature see |undo-persistence|. + The undo file is not read when 'undoreload' causes the buffer from + before a reload to be saved for undo. + WARNING: this is a very new feature. Use at your own risk! + + *'undolevels'* *'ul'* +'undolevels' 'ul' number (default 100, 1000 for Unix, VMS, + Win32 and OS/2) + global + {not in Vi} + Maximum number of changes that can be undone. Since undo information + is kept in memory, higher numbers will cause more memory to be used + (nevertheless, a single change can use an unlimited amount of memory). + Set to 0 for Vi compatibility: One level of undo and "u" undoes + itself: > + set ul=0 +< But you can also get Vi compatibility by including the 'u' flag in + 'cpoptions', and still be able to use CTRL-R to repeat undo. + Also see |undo-two-ways|. + Set to a negative number for no undo at all: > + set ul=-1 +< This helps when you run out of memory for a single change. + Also see |clear-undo|. + + *'undoreload'* *'ur'* +'undoreload' 'ur' number (default 10000) + global + {not in Vi} + Save the whole buffer for undo when reloading it. This applies to the + ":e!" command and reloading for when the buffer changed outside of + Vim. |FileChangedShell| + The save only happens when this options is negative or when the number + of lines is smaller than the value of this option. + Set this option to zero to disable undo for a reload. + + When saving undo for a reload, any undo file is not read. + + Note that this causes the whole buffer to be stored in memory. Set + this option to a lower value if you run out of memory. + + *'updatecount'* *'uc'* +'updatecount' 'uc' number (default: 200) + global + {not in Vi} + After typing this many characters the swap file will be written to + disk. When zero, no swap file will be created at all (see chapter on + recovery |crash-recovery|). 'updatecount' is set to zero by starting + Vim with the "-n" option, see |startup|. When editing in readonly + mode this option will be initialized to 10000. + The swapfile can be disabled per buffer with |'swapfile'|. + When 'updatecount' is set from zero to non-zero, swap files are + created for all buffers that have 'swapfile' set. When 'updatecount' + is set to zero, existing swap files are not deleted. + Also see |'swapsync'|. + This option has no meaning in buffers where |'buftype'| is "nofile" + or "nowrite". + + *'updatetime'* *'ut'* +'updatetime' 'ut' number (default 4000) + global + {not in Vi} + If this many milliseconds nothing is typed the swap file will be + written to disk (see |crash-recovery|). Also used for the + |CursorHold| autocommand event. + + *'verbose'* *'vbs'* +'verbose' 'vbs' number (default 0) + global + {not in Vi, although some versions have a boolean + verbose option} + When bigger than zero, Vim will give messages about what it is doing. + Currently, these messages are given: + >= 1 When the viminfo file is read or written. + >= 2 When a file is ":source"'ed. + >= 5 Every searched tags file and include file. + >= 8 Files for which a group of autocommands is executed. + >= 9 Every executed autocommand. + >= 12 Every executed function. + >= 13 When an exception is thrown, caught, finished, or discarded. + >= 14 Anything pending in a ":finally" clause. + >= 15 Every executed Ex command (truncated at 200 characters). + + This option can also be set with the "-V" argument. See |-V|. + This option is also set by the |:verbose| command. + + When the 'verbosefile' option is set then the verbose messages are not + displayed. + + *'verbosefile'* *'vfile'* +'verbosefile' 'vfile' string (default empty) + global + {not in Vi} + When not empty all messages are written in a file with this name. + When the file exists messages are appended. + Writing to the file ends when Vim exits or when 'verbosefile' is made + empty. Writes are buffered, thus may not show up for some time. + Setting 'verbosefile' to a new value is like making it empty first. + The difference with |:redir| is that verbose messages are not + displayed when 'verbosefile' is set. + + *'viewdir'* *'vdir'* +'viewdir' 'vdir' string (default for Amiga, MS-DOS, OS/2 and Win32: + "$VIM/vimfiles/view", + for Unix: "~/.vim/view", + for Macintosh: "$VIM:vimfiles:view" + for VMS: "sys$login:vimfiles/view" + for RiscOS: "Choices:vimfiles/view") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+mksession| + feature} + Name of the directory where to store files for |:mkview|. + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'viewoptions'* *'vop'* +'viewoptions' 'vop' string (default: "folds,options,cursor") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+mksession| + feature} + Changes the effect of the |:mkview| command. It is a comma separated + list of words. Each word enables saving and restoring something: + word save and restore ~ + cursor cursor position in file and in window + folds manually created folds, opened/closed folds and local + fold options + options options and mappings local to a window or buffer (not + global values for local options) + slash backslashes in file names replaced with forward + slashes + unix with Unix end-of-line format (single <NL>), even when + on Windows or DOS + + "slash" and "unix" are useful on Windows when sharing view files + with Unix. The Unix version of Vim cannot source dos format scripts, + but the Windows version of Vim can source unix format scripts. + + *'viminfo'* *'vi'* *E526* *E527* *E528* +'viminfo' 'vi' string (Vi default: "", Vim default for MS-DOS, + Windows and OS/2: '100,<50,s10,h,rA:,rB:, + for Amiga: '100,<50,s10,h,rdf0:,rdf1:,rdf2: + for others: '100,<50,s10,h) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+viminfo| + feature} + When non-empty, the viminfo file is read upon startup and written + when exiting Vim (see |viminfo-file|). The string should be a comma + separated list of parameters, each consisting of a single character + identifying the particular parameter, followed by a number or string + which specifies the value of that parameter. If a particular + character is left out, then the default value is used for that + parameter. The following is a list of the identifying characters and + the effect of their value. + CHAR VALUE ~ + ! When included, save and restore global variables that start + with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase + letter. Thus "KEEPTHIS and "K_L_M" are stored, but "KeepThis" + and "_K_L_M" are not. Nested List and Dict items may not be + read back correctly, you end up with an empty item. + " Maximum number of lines saved for each register. Old name of + the '<' item, with the disadvantage that you need to put a + backslash before the ", otherwise it will be recognized as the + start of a comment! + % When included, save and restore the buffer list. If Vim is + started with a file name argument, the buffer list is not + restored. If Vim is started without a file name argument, the + buffer list is restored from the viminfo file. Buffers + without a file name and buffers for help files are not written + to the viminfo file. + When followed by a number, the number specifies the maximum + number of buffers that are stored. Without a number all + buffers are stored. + ' Maximum number of previously edited files for which the marks + are remembered. This parameter must always be included when + 'viminfo' is non-empty. + Including this item also means that the |jumplist| and the + |changelist| are stored in the viminfo file. + / Maximum number of items in the search pattern history to be + saved. If non-zero, then the previous search and substitute + patterns are also saved. When not included, the value of + 'history' is used. + : Maximum number of items in the command-line history to be + saved. When not included, the value of 'history' is used. + < Maximum number of lines saved for each register. If zero then + registers are not saved. When not included, all lines are + saved. '"' is the old name for this item. + Also see the 's' item below: limit specified in Kbyte. + @ Maximum number of items in the input-line history to be + saved. When not included, the value of 'history' is used. + c When included, convert the text in the viminfo file from the + 'encoding' used when writing the file to the current + 'encoding'. See |viminfo-encoding|. + f Whether file marks need to be stored. If zero, file marks ('0 + to '9, 'A to 'Z) are not stored. When not present or when + non-zero, they are all stored. '0 is used for the current + cursor position (when exiting or when doing ":wviminfo"). + h Disable the effect of 'hlsearch' when loading the viminfo + file. When not included, it depends on whether ":nohlsearch" + has been used since the last search command. + n Name of the viminfo file. The name must immediately follow + the 'n'. Must be the last one! If the "-i" argument was + given when starting Vim, that file name overrides the one + given here with 'viminfo'. Environment variables are expanded + when opening the file, not when setting the option. + r Removable media. The argument is a string (up to the next + ','). This parameter can be given several times. Each + specifies the start of a path for which no marks will be + stored. This is to avoid removable media. For MS-DOS you + could use "ra:,rb:", for Amiga "rdf0:,rdf1:,rdf2:". You can + also use it for temp files, e.g., for Unix: "r/tmp". Case is + ignored. Maximum length of each 'r' argument is 50 + characters. + s Maximum size of an item in Kbyte. If zero then registers are + not saved. Currently only applies to registers. The default + "s10" will exclude registers with more than 10 Kbyte of text. + Also see the '<' item above: line count limit. + + Example: > + :set viminfo='50,<1000,s100,:0,n~/vim/viminfo +< + '50 Marks will be remembered for the last 50 files you + edited. + <1000 Contents of registers (up to 1000 lines each) will be + remembered. + s100 Registers with more than 100 Kbyte text are skipped. + :0 Command-line history will not be saved. + n~/vim/viminfo The name of the file to use is "~/vim/viminfo". + no / Since '/' is not specified, the default will be used, + that is, save all of the search history, and also the + previous search and substitute patterns. + no % The buffer list will not be saved nor read back. + no h 'hlsearch' highlighting will be restored. + + When setting 'viminfo' from an empty value you can use |:rviminfo| to + load the contents of the file, this is not done automatically. + + This option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for + security reasons. + + *'virtualedit'* *'ve'* +'virtualedit' 've' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the + |+virtualedit| feature} + A comma separated list of these words: + block Allow virtual editing in Visual block mode. + insert Allow virtual editing in Insert mode. + all Allow virtual editing in all modes. + onemore Allow the cursor to move just past the end of the line + + Virtual editing means that the cursor can be positioned where there is + no actual character. This can be halfway into a tab or beyond the end + of the line. Useful for selecting a rectangle in Visual mode and + editing a table. + "onemore" is not the same, it will only allow moving the cursor just + after the last character of the line. This makes some commands more + consistent. Previously the cursor was always past the end of the line + if the line was empty. But it is far from Vi compatible. It may also + break some plugins or Vim scripts. For example because |l| can move + the cursor after the last character. Use with care! + Using the |$| command will move to the last character in the line, not + past it. This may actually move the cursor to the left! + It doesn't make sense to combine "all" with "onemore", but you will + not get a warning for it. + + *'visualbell'* *'vb'* *'novisualbell'* *'novb'* *beep* +'visualbell' 'vb' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + Use visual bell instead of beeping. The terminal code to display the + visual bell is given with 't_vb'. When no beep or flash is wanted, + use ":set vb t_vb=". + Note: When the GUI starts, 't_vb' is reset to its default value. You + might want to set it again in your |gvimrc|. + In the GUI, 't_vb' defaults to "<Esc>|f", which inverts the display + for 20 msec. If you want to use a different time, use "<Esc>|40f", + where 40 is the time in msec. + Does not work on the Amiga, you always get a screen flash. + Also see 'errorbells'. + + *'warn'* *'nowarn'* +'warn' boolean (default on) + global + Give a warning message when a shell command is used while the buffer + has been changed. + + *'weirdinvert'* *'wiv'* *'noweirdinvert'* *'nowiv'* +'weirdinvert' 'wiv' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + This option has the same effect as the 't_xs' terminal option. + It is provided for backwards compatibility with version 4.x. + Setting 'weirdinvert' has the effect of making 't_xs' non-empty, and + vice versa. Has no effect when the GUI is running. + + *'whichwrap'* *'ww'* +'whichwrap' 'ww' string (Vim default: "b,s", Vi default: "") + global + {not in Vi} + Allow specified keys that move the cursor left/right to move to the + previous/next line when the cursor is on the first/last character in + the line. Concatenate characters to allow this for these keys: + char key mode ~ + b <BS> Normal and Visual + s <Space> Normal and Visual + h "h" Normal and Visual (not recommended) + l "l" Normal and Visual (not recommended) + < <Left> Normal and Visual + > <Right> Normal and Visual + ~ "~" Normal + [ <Left> Insert and Replace + ] <Right> Insert and Replace + For example: > + :set ww=<,>,[,] +< allows wrap only when cursor keys are used. + When the movement keys are used in combination with a delete or change + operator, the <EOL> also counts for a character. This makes "3h" + different from "3dh" when the cursor crosses the end of a line. This + is also true for "x" and "X", because they do the same as "dl" and + "dh". If you use this, you may also want to use the mapping + ":map <BS> X" to make backspace delete the character in front of the + cursor. + When 'l' is included and it is used after an operator at the end of a + line then it will not move to the next line. This makes "dl", "cl", + "yl" etc. work normally. + NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'wildchar'* *'wc'* +'wildchar' 'wc' number (Vim default: <Tab>, Vi default: CTRL-E) + global + {not in Vi} + Character you have to type to start wildcard expansion in the + command-line, as specified with 'wildmode'. + More info here: |cmdline-completion|. + The character is not recognized when used inside a macro. See + 'wildcharm' for that. + Although 'wc' is a number option, you can set it to a special key: > + :set wc=<Esc> +< NOTE: This option is set to the Vi default value when 'compatible' is + set and to the Vim default value when 'compatible' is reset. + + *'wildcharm'* *'wcm'* +'wildcharm' 'wcm' number (default: none (0)) + global + {not in Vi} + 'wildcharm' works exactly like 'wildchar', except that it is + recognized when used inside a macro. You can find "spare" command-line + keys suitable for this option by looking at |ex-edit-index|. Normally + you'll never actually type 'wildcharm', just use it in mappings that + automatically invoke completion mode, e.g.: > + :set wcm=<C-Z> + :cnoremap ss so $vim/sessions/*.vim<C-Z> +< Then after typing :ss you can use CTRL-P & CTRL-N. + + *'wildignore'* *'wig'* +'wildignore' 'wig' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+wildignore| + feature} + A list of file patterns. A file that matches with one of these + patterns is ignored when completing file or directory names, and + influences the result of |expand()|, |glob()| and |globpath()| unless + a flag is passed to disable this. + The pattern is used like with |:autocmd|, see |autocmd-patterns|. + Also see 'suffixes'. + Example: > + :set wildignore=*.o,*.obj +< The use of |:set+=| and |:set-=| is preferred when adding or removing + a pattern from the list. This avoids problems when a future version + uses another default. + + + *'wildignorecase'* *'wic'* *'nowildignorecase'* *'nowic'* +'wildignorecase' 'wic' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + When set case is ignored when completing file names and directories. + Has no effect on systems where file name case is generally ignored. + Does not apply when the shell is used to expand wildcards, which + happens when there are special characters. + + + *'wildmenu'* *'wmnu'* *'nowildmenu'* *'nowmnu'* +'wildmenu' 'wmnu' boolean (default off) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available if compiled without the |+wildmenu| + feature} + When 'wildmenu' is on, command-line completion operates in an enhanced + mode. On pressing 'wildchar' (usually <Tab>) to invoke completion, + the possible matches are shown just above the command line, with the + first match highlighted (overwriting the status line, if there is + one). Keys that show the previous/next match, such as <Tab> or + CTRL-P/CTRL-N, cause the highlight to move to the appropriate match. + When 'wildmode' is used, "wildmenu" mode is used where "full" is + specified. "longest" and "list" do not start "wildmenu" mode. + If there are more matches than can fit in the line, a ">" is shown on + the right and/or a "<" is shown on the left. The status line scrolls + as needed. + The "wildmenu" mode is abandoned when a key is hit that is not used + for selecting a completion. + While the "wildmenu" is active the following keys have special + meanings: + + <Left> <Right> - select previous/next match (like CTRL-P/CTRL-N) + <Down> - in filename/menu name completion: move into a + subdirectory or submenu. + <CR> - in menu completion, when the cursor is just after a + dot: move into a submenu. + <Up> - in filename/menu name completion: move up into + parent directory or parent menu. + + This makes the menus accessible from the console |console-menus|. + + If you prefer the <Left> and <Right> keys to move the cursor instead + of selecting a different match, use this: > + :cnoremap <Left> <Space><BS><Left> + :cnoremap <Right> <Space><BS><Right> +< + The "WildMenu" highlighting is used for displaying the current match + |hl-WildMenu|. + + *'wildmode'* *'wim'* +'wildmode' 'wim' string (Vim default: "full") + global + {not in Vi} + Completion mode that is used for the character specified with + 'wildchar'. It is a comma separated list of up to four parts. Each + part specifies what to do for each consecutive use of 'wildchar'. The + first part specifies the behavior for the first use of 'wildchar', + The second part for the second use, etc. + These are the possible values for each part: + "" Complete only the first match. + "full" Complete the next full match. After the last match, + the original string is used and then the first match + again. + "longest" Complete till longest common string. If this doesn't + result in a longer string, use the next part. + "longest:full" Like "longest", but also start 'wildmenu' if it is + enabled. + "list" When more than one match, list all matches. + "list:full" When more than one match, list all matches and + complete first match. + "list:longest" When more than one match, list all matches and + complete till longest common string. + When there is only a single match, it is fully completed in all cases. + + Examples: > + :set wildmode=full +< Complete first full match, next match, etc. (the default) > + :set wildmode=longest,full +< Complete longest common string, then each full match > + :set wildmode=list:full +< List all matches and complete each full match > + :set wildmode=list,full +< List all matches without completing, then each full match > + :set wildmode=longest,list +< Complete longest common string, then list alternatives. + More info here: |cmdline-completion|. + + *'wildoptions'* *'wop'* +'wildoptions' 'wop' string (default "") + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+wildignore| + feature} + A list of words that change how command line completion is done. + Currently only one word is allowed: + tagfile When using CTRL-D to list matching tags, the kind of + tag and the file of the tag is listed. Only one match + is displayed per line. Often used tag kinds are: + d #define + f function + Also see |cmdline-completion|. + + *'winaltkeys'* *'wak'* +'winaltkeys' 'wak' string (default "menu") + global + {not in Vi} + {only used in Win32, Motif, GTK and Photon GUI} + Some GUI versions allow the access to menu entries by using the ALT + key in combination with a character that appears underlined in the + menu. This conflicts with the use of the ALT key for mappings and + entering special characters. This option tells what to do: + no Don't use ALT keys for menus. ALT key combinations can be + mapped, but there is no automatic handling. This can then be + done with the |:simalt| command. + yes ALT key handling is done by the windowing system. ALT key + combinations cannot be mapped. + menu Using ALT in combination with a character that is a menu + shortcut key, will be handled by the windowing system. Other + keys can be mapped. + If the menu is disabled by excluding 'm' from 'guioptions', the ALT + key is never used for the menu. + This option is not used for <F10>; on Win32 and with GTK <F10> will + select the menu, unless it has been mapped. + + *'window'* *'wi'* +'window' 'wi' number (default screen height - 1) + global + Window height. Do not confuse this with the height of the Vim window, + use 'lines' for that. + Used for |CTRL-F| and |CTRL-B| when there is only one window and the + value is smaller than 'lines' minus one. The screen will scroll + 'window' minus two lines, with a minimum of one. + When 'window' is equal to 'lines' minus one CTRL-F and CTRL-B scroll + in a much smarter way, taking care of wrapping lines. + When resizing the Vim window, the value is smaller than 1 or more than + or equal to 'lines' it will be set to 'lines' minus 1. + {Vi also uses the option to specify the number of displayed lines} + + *'winheight'* *'wh'* *E591* +'winheight' 'wh' number (default 1) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| + feature} + Minimal number of lines for the current window. This is not a hard + minimum, Vim will use fewer lines if there is not enough room. If the + focus goes to a window that is smaller, its size is increased, at the + cost of the height of other windows. + Set 'winheight' to a small number for normal editing. + Set it to 999 to make the current window fill most of the screen. + Other windows will be only 'winminheight' high. This has the drawback + that ":all" will create only two windows. To avoid "vim -o 1 2 3 4" + to create only two windows, set the option after startup is done, + using the |VimEnter| event: > + au VimEnter * set winheight=999 +< Minimum value is 1. + The height is not adjusted after one of the commands that change the + height of the current window. + 'winheight' applies to the current window. Use 'winminheight' to set + the minimal height for other windows. + + *'winfixheight'* *'wfh'* *'nowinfixheight'* *'nowfh'* +'winfixheight' 'wfh' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| + feature} + Keep the window height when windows are opened or closed and + 'equalalways' is set. Also for |CTRL-W_=|. Set by default for the + |preview-window| and |quickfix-window|. + The height may be changed anyway when running out of room. + + *'winfixwidth'* *'wfw'* *'nowinfixwidth'* *'nowfw'* +'winfixwidth' 'wfw' boolean (default off) + local to window + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| + feature} + Keep the window width when windows are opened or closed and + 'equalalways' is set. Also for |CTRL-W_=|. + The width may be changed anyway when running out of room. + + *'winminheight'* *'wmh'* +'winminheight' 'wmh' number (default 1) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+windows| + feature} + The minimal height of a window, when it's not the current window. + This is a hard minimum, windows will never become smaller. + When set to zero, windows may be "squashed" to zero lines (i.e. just a + status bar) if necessary. They will return to at least one line when + they become active (since the cursor has to have somewhere to go.) + Use 'winheight' to set the minimal height of the current window. + This option is only checked when making a window smaller. Don't use a + large number, it will cause errors when opening more than a few + windows. A value of 0 to 3 is reasonable. + + *'winminwidth'* *'wmw'* +'winminwidth' 'wmw' number (default 1) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+vertsplit| + feature} + The minimal width of a window, when it's not the current window. + This is a hard minimum, windows will never become smaller. + When set to zero, windows may be "squashed" to zero columns (i.e. just + a vertical separator) if necessary. They will return to at least one + line when they become active (since the cursor has to have somewhere + to go.) + Use 'winwidth' to set the minimal width of the current window. + This option is only checked when making a window smaller. Don't use a + large number, it will cause errors when opening more than a few + windows. A value of 0 to 12 is reasonable. + + *'winwidth'* *'wiw'* *E592* +'winwidth' 'wiw' number (default 20) + global + {not in Vi} + {not available when compiled without the |+vertsplit| + feature} + Minimal number of columns for the current window. This is not a hard + minimum, Vim will use fewer columns if there is not enough room. If + the current window is smaller, its size is increased, at the cost of + the width of other windows. Set it to 999 to make the current window + always fill the screen. Set it to a small number for normal editing. + The width is not adjusted after one of the commands to change the + width of the current window. + 'winwidth' applies to the current window. Use 'winminwidth' to set + the minimal width for other windows. + + *'wrap'* *'nowrap'* +'wrap' boolean (default on) + local to window + {not in Vi} + This option changes how text is displayed. It doesn't change the text + in the buffer, see 'textwidth' for that. + When on, lines longer than the width of the window will wrap and + displaying continues on the next line. When off lines will not wrap + and only part of long lines will be displayed. When the cursor is + moved to a part that is not shown, the screen will scroll + horizontally. + The line will be broken in the middle of a word if necessary. See + 'linebreak' to get the break at a word boundary. + To make scrolling horizontally a bit more useful, try this: > + :set sidescroll=5 + :set listchars+=precedes:<,extends:> +< See 'sidescroll', 'listchars' and |wrap-off|. + This option can't be set from a |modeline| when the 'diff' option is + on. + + *'wrapmargin'* *'wm'* +'wrapmargin' 'wm' number (default 0) + local to buffer + Number of characters from the right window border where wrapping + starts. When typing text beyond this limit, an <EOL> will be inserted + and inserting continues on the next line. + Options that add a margin, such as 'number' and 'foldcolumn', cause + the text width to be further reduced. This is Vi compatible. + When 'textwidth' is non-zero, this option is not used. + See also 'formatoptions' and |ins-textwidth|. {Vi: works differently + and less usefully} + + *'wrapscan'* *'ws'* *'nowrapscan'* *'nows'* +'wrapscan' 'ws' boolean (default on) *E384* *E385* + global + Searches wrap around the end of the file. Also applies to |]s| and + |[s|, searching for spelling mistakes. + + *'write'* *'nowrite'* +'write' boolean (default on) + global + {not in Vi} + Allows writing files. When not set, writing a file is not allowed. + Can be used for a view-only mode, where modifications to the text are + still allowed. Can be reset with the |-m| or |-M| command line + argument. Filtering text is still possible, even though this requires + writing a temporary file. + + *'writeany'* *'wa'* *'nowriteany'* *'nowa'* +'writeany' 'wa' boolean (default off) + global + Allows writing to any file with no need for "!" override. + + *'writebackup'* *'wb'* *'nowritebackup'* *'nowb'* +'writebackup' 'wb' boolean (default on with |+writebackup| feature, off + otherwise) + global + {not in Vi} + Make a backup before overwriting a file. The backup is removed after + the file was successfully written, unless the 'backup' option is + also on. Reset this option if your file system is almost full. See + |backup-table| for another explanation. + When the 'backupskip' pattern matches, a backup is not made anyway. + NOTE: This option is set to the default value when 'compatible' is + set. + + *'writedelay'* *'wd'* +'writedelay' 'wd' number (default 0) + global + {not in Vi} + The number of microseconds to wait for each character sent to the + screen. When non-zero, characters are sent to the terminal one by + one. For MS-DOS pcterm this does not work. For debugging purposes. + + vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: |