Learn Vim

Obviously VIm is a lot to learn. It would make sense for me to focus on specific feature sets I most want to learn. Of course, just knowing all the available features is a challenge.

I need to learn visual selection, I’m sure. In a windowing environment, that’s vital, and the only reason I ever find myself using a different text editor. It’s simple to get the basics, but I just haven’t.

I’ve been a vim user for about 6 months now, and use it everyday. Still, it would take a lifetime to become an expert. I’m content enough with my skill-level now to mark this completed.

I switched computers and operating systems a lot during the last 18 months. On every new system, I first install Vim (then comes SVN and coding environment). Vim, however, is a constant factor I cannot live without (well, I can, but I don’t like it).

Aside from being available on every platform I use (and some others), it is a huge timesaver. search/replace over several open files using regular expression is great ( :argdo %s/foo/bar/gce | update ). Repeating the last used command with the “dot” is a feature I miss everytime I have to use another editor. Folding and syntax-highlighting are common to many editors, but the automatic indention during typing allows me to write code much faster.

Fantastic program!

The more I use vim, the more I absolutely LOVE it. It’s a perfect balance between the bare-bones editors (notepad, pico, nano) and the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink editors (Integrated Development Environments like Netbeans or RAD).

If I had known about all the helpful programming features, I would have used it sooner. First off, it has AutoComplete (a.k.a. “Intellisense”)! This feature can be used to automatically fill in correct keywords, such as valid method names. To use it, in insert mode, type ^xo (hold control, hit “x”, then hit “o” without letting off control).

Another awesome feature: tabbed windows (like what Firefox has). Just type  :tabe to start a new tab.

Vim also has spellcheck built in. To use, type  :set spell then on a misspelling, type z=

This one goes back to my Learn Ruby and write an application on Rails goals. I’d also like to be able to switch platforms easily when I’m writing code, and vim fits there.

Also, Textpad’s incessant buy me messages when you go to save a file is driving me nuts… software should be free.

I’m hoping vim has really easy search & replace with regular expressions, multi-file editing, syntax highlighting, and a shortcut to run code.

First step will be using :h and vimtutor, and possibly getting a book.

I use it for everything now, but I want to really learn all the cool shortcuts and such, get really good you know!

While I still have loads to learn and probably always will I now use vim as my main editor so I have archived the goal I set myself here. Now just need to remember to keep learning!

When I first used Vim, it scared me because I’d have trouble getting out of it.

That’s no longer a problem for me, but even after years of use, I’m still a beginner at it. All the prefs. All the commands. Vim is awesome.

Disclamer: I never even really tried Emacs. Don’t kill me.

I ran into a little problem regarding pressing CTRL-]

I happen to use a german keyboard layout (with all those umlauts and stuff) which has the ]-character in a different position from the US-layout.

As CTRL-] is used to follow links in the help, I had a problem.

• Look at a keyboard with US-Layout and try a key which looks like it could be in the right position
• on German Keyboards, use: STRG + *
• on any other keyboard, try some key next to enter/return-key.

Strg + * works for me as CTRL-].

[edit]
Other keystroke work as expected with my local keyboard layout. Maybe this only applies to the CTRL-combinations…

Although I use Vim already regularly, I still want to learn it from scratch.

Starting today, I will read at least one chapter of the vim manual per week. As I use it already I hope to be able to skip some parts.

We’ll see.