vim

NeoVim: Ready for Development and Competitive Programming

Ref: nvim Directory for config files.

Resources and Notes made while learning VIM.

Notes From - The Vim Tutorial Part One - Basic Commands: Video here

Great playlist to configure NeoVim Step by Step: Link

Git Config for NeoVim : Update July 2020: Link

Why learn VIM ?
It has some pretty weird things to it, uses strange key bindings, a lot of stuff doesn't makes any sense. It is way different from any other text editors you have used before, why bother learning VIM. For people who run UNIX like operating systems such as Linux, it makes a lot of sense. VI or VIM is installed on every unix like OS out there. On servers often VIM is the only text editor installed on the system with a new install. Reason behind learning vim is it is such a productive and powerful tool.
Using VIM we can edit large chunks of text in VIM with far fewer keystrokes, compared to any other text-editors. You can being to learn VIM by running vimtutor on your terminal. To install on debian based systems run sudo apt-get install vim for Arch run sudo pacman -S vim.
vimtutor - Run this go over the stuff that's shown in tutorial and you will be learning quite a lot about VIM. The reason why in VIM we have keys h,j,k,l as navigation keys is because when VIM was created decades ago, its creator made this on the computers which were these old school computers which didn't have page up/down keys and other functionalities. That is something that stuck. We can use vimtutor to get upto speed with VIM, should be finished in half an hour or so.

1.1 --> NAVIGATION

To move the cursor, press the h,j,k,l keys as indicated.
k ^: The k key for up.
< h: The h key is at the left and moves left.
l >: The l key is at the right and moves right.
j \ / : The j key looks like a down arrow.

Checkout the cheatsheet here

1.2 --> EXITING VIM

NOTE: Before doing this press <ESC> key to make sure you are in Normal Mode.
Type :q!: Exit without saving the changes made to the doc.

1.3 --> TEXT EDITING - DELETION

Move the cursor to the line below marked --->.
To fix the errors, move the cursor until it is on top of the character to be deleted.
Press the x key to delete the unwanted character.

1.4 --> TEXT EDITING - INSERTION

To make the first line the same as the second, move the cursor on top of the character BEFORE which the text is to be inserted.
Press i and type in the necessary additions.
As each error is fixed press to return to Normal mode. Repeat steps 2 through 4 to correct the sentence.

1.5 --> TEXT EDITING - APPENDING

Press A and type in the necessary additions.
As the text has been appended press to return to Normal mode.

1.6 --> TEXT EDITING - EDITING A FILE

Use :wq to save a file and exit.

Exit this tutor as you did in lesson 1.2: :q! Or, if you have access to another terminal, do the following there.
At the shell prompt type this command: vim tutor <ENTER> 'vim' is the command to start the Vim editor, 'tutor' is the name of the file you wish to edit. Use a file that may be changed.
Insert and delete text as you learned in the previous lessons.
Save the file with changes and exit Vim with: :wq <ENTER>
If you have quit vimtutor in step 1 restart the vimtutor and move down to the following summary.
After reading the above steps and understanding them: do it.

1.7 --> LESSON 1 SUMMARY

The cursor is moved using either the arrow keys or the hjkl keys. h (left) j (down) k (up) l (right)
To start Vim from the shell prompt type: vim FILENAME <ENTER>
To exit Vim type: <ESC> :q! <ENTER> to trash all changes. OR type: <ESC> :wq <ENTER> to save the changes.
To delete the character at the cursor type: x
To insert or append text type: i type inserted text <ESC> insert before the cursor A type appended text <ESC> append after the line

NOTE: Pressing <ESC> will place you in Normal mode or will cancel an unwanted and partially completed command.

2.1 --> DELETION COMMANDS

Make sure you are in Normal mode by hitting <ESC>.
Move the cursor to the word you want to delete, type dw to make the word disappear.

NOTE: The letter d will appear on the last line of the screen as you type it. Vim is waiting for you to type w . If you see another character than d you typed something wrong; press and start over.

2.2 --> MORE DELETION COMMANDS

Type d$ to delete to the end of the line.

2.3 --> ON OPERATORS AND MOTIONS

Where
d - is the delete operator
motion - is what the operator will operate on. (listed below).

A short list of motions:

w - until the start of the next word, EXCLUDING its first character.
e - to the end of the current word, INCLUDING the last character.
$ - to the end of the line, INCLUDING the last character.
So typing de in normal mode will delete from the cursor to the end of the word.

2.4 --> USING A COUNT FOR A MOTION

Typing a number before a motion repeats it that many times.

Type 2w to move the cursor two words forward.
Type 3e to move the cursor to the end of the third word forward.
Type 0 (zero) to move to the start of the line.

Lesson 2.5 --> USING A COUNT TO DELETE MORE

Typing a number with an operator repeats it that many times. d2w deletes two words.
In the combination of the delete operator and a motion mentioned above you insert a count before the motion to delete more: d number motion

Lesson 2.6 --> OPERATING ON LINES

Type dd to delete a whole line.
Due to the frequency of whole line deletion, the designers of Vi decided it would be easier to simply type two d's to delete a line.
dd deletes the line, 2dd deletes two lines.

Lesson 2.7 --> THE UNDO COMMAND

Press u to undo the last commands, U to fix a whole line.
Press Ctrl+R to redo the commands.

LESSON 2 --> SUMMARY

                     Lesson 2 SUMMARY


  1. To delete from the cursor up to the next word type:    dw
  2. To delete from the cursor to the end of a line type:    d$
  3. To delete a whole line type:    dd

  4. To repeat a motion prepend it with a number:   2w
  5. The format for a change command is:
               operator   [number]   motion
     where:
       operator - is what to do, such as  d  for delete
       [number] - is an optional count to repeat the motion
       motion   - moves over the text to operate on, such as  w (word),
                  $ (to the end of line), etc.

  6. To move to the start of the line use a zero:  0

  7. To undo previous actions, type:           u  (lowercase u)
     To undo all the changes on a line, type:  U  (capital U)
     To undo the undo's, type:                 CTRL-R

LESSON 3.1 --> THE PUT COMMAND

Type p to put previously delted text after the cursor.
We can type dd to delete the line and store it in a Vim register.
Get the cursor above the line you want to put stuff in the register and hit p to put what you got in Vim register by doing dd.

LESSON 3.2 --> THE REPLACE COMMAND

Type rn to replace a character with n.

LESSON 3.3 --> THE CHANGE OPERATOR

Type ce to change until the end of thw word. ce deletes the word and places you in Insert mode.

Lesson 3.4 --> MORE CHANGES USING c

The change operator is used with the same motions as delete.

The change operator works in the same way as delete. The format is:
```
 c    [number]   motion
```
The motions are the same, such as w (word) and $ (end of line).

Lesson 3 --> SUMMARY

1. To put back text that has just been deleted, type   p .  This puts the deleted text AFTER the cursor (if a line was deleted it will go on the line below the cursor).

2. To replace the character under the cursor, type   r   and then the character you want to have there.

3. The change operator allows you to change from the cursor to where the
     motion takes you.  eg. Type  ce  to change from the cursor to the end of
     the word,  c$  to change to the end of a line.

4. The format for change is:

         c   [number]   motion

- Now go on to the next lesson.

Lesson 4.1 --> CURSOR LOCATION AND FILE STATUS

Type CTRL-g to show your location in the file and the file status.
Type G to move to the bottom of the file.
gg to go to the top of the file.
488G returns you to the line 488.

Lesson 4.2 --> THE SEARCH COMMAND

Type / followed by a phrase to search for the phrase.

In Normal mode type the / character. Notice that it and the cursor appear at the bottom of the screen as with the : command.
Now type 'errroor' <ENTER>. This is the word you want to search for.
To search for the same phrase again, simply type n . (N as in next occurence) To search for the same phrase in the opposite direction, type N .
To search for a phrase in the backward direction, use ? instead of / .
To go back to where you came from press CTRL-O (Keep Ctrl down while pressing the letter o). Repeat to go back further. CTRL-I goes forward.

Lesson 4.3 --> MATCHING PARENTHESES SEARCH

Type % to find a matching ),], or }.

Place the cursor on any (, [, or { in the line and now type the % character.
The cursor will move to the matching parenthesis or bracket.
Type % to move the cursor to the other matching bracket.

NOTE: This is very useful in debugging a program with unmatched parentheses!

Lesson 4.4 --> THE SUBSITUTE COMMAND

Type :s/old/new/g to substitute 'new' for 'old'.

Type :s/thee/the . Note that this command only changes the first occurrence of "thee" in the line.
Now type :s/thee/the/g . Adding the g flag means to substitute globally in the line, change all occurrences of "thee" in the line.
To change every occurrence of a character string between two lines,
- Type :#,#s/old/new/g where #,# are the line numbers of the range of lines where the substitution is to be done.
- Type :%s/old/new/g to change every occurrence in the whole file.
- Type :%s/old/new/gc to find every occurrence in the whole file, with a prompt whether to substitute or not.

Lesson 4 --> SUMMARY

  1. CTRL-G  displays your location in the file and the file status.
             G  moves to the end of the file.
     number  G  moves to that line number.
            gg  moves to the first line.

  2. Typing  /  followed by a phrase searches FORWARD for the phrase.
     Typing  ?  followed by a phrase searches BACKWARD for the phrase.
     After a search type  n  to find the next occurrence in the same direction
     or  N  to search in the opposite direction.
     CTRL-O takes you back to older positions, CTRL-I to newer positions.

  3. Typing  %  while the cursor is on a (,),[,],{, or } goes to its match.

  4. To substitute new for the first old in a line type    :s/old/new
     To substitute new for all 'old's on a line type       :s/old/new/g
     To substitute phrases between two line #'s type       :#,#s/old/new/g
     To substitute all occurrences in the file type        :%s/old/new/g
     To ask for confirmation each time add 'c'             :%s/old/new/gc

Lesson 5.1 --> HOW TO EXECUTE AN EXTERNAL COMMAND

Type :! followed by an external command to execute that command.

Type the familiar command : to set the cursor at the bottom of the screen. This allows you to enter a command-line command.
Now type the ! (exclamation point) character. This allows you to execute any external shell command.
As an example type ls following the ! and then hit <ENTER>. This will show you a listing of your directory, just as if you were at the shell prompt.

Lesson 5.2 --> MORE ON WRITING FILES

To save the changes made to the text, type w fILENAME.

Type :!dir or :!ls to get a listing of your directory.
Choose a filename that does not exist yet, such as TEST.
Now type: :w TEST (where TEST is the filename you chose.)
This saves the whole file (the Vim Tutor) under the name TEST. To verify this, type :!dir or :!ls again to see your directory.

NOTE: If you were to exit Vim and start it again with vim TEST , the file would be an exact copy of the tutor when you saved it.

Now remove the file by typing (Windows): :!del TEST or (Unix): :!rm TEST

Lesson 5.3 --> SELECTING TEXT TO WRITE

To save part of the file, type v motion :w FILENAME

Move the cursor to this line.
Press v and move the cursor to the fifth item below. Notice that the text is highlighted.
Press the : character. At the bottom of the screen :'<,'> will appear.
Type w TEST , where TEST is a filename that does not exist yet. Verify that you see :'<,'>w TEST before you press <ENTER>.
Vim will write the selected lines to the file TEST. Use :!dir or :!ls to see it.

Lesson 5.4 --> RETRIEVING AND MERGING FILES

To insert the contents of a file, type :r FILENAME.

To read the output of an external command, say output of !ls we can do :r !ls. This will place the output of command below the cursor.

Lesson 5 --> SUMMARY

  1.  :!command  executes an external command.

      Some useful examples are:
         (Windows)        (Unix)
          :!dir            :!ls            -  shows a directory listing.
          :!del FILENAME   :!rm FILENAME   -  removes file FILENAME.

  2.  :w FILENAME  writes the current Vim file to disk with name FILENAME.

  3.  v  motion  :w FILENAME  saves the Visually selected lines in file
      FILENAME.

  4.  :r FILENAME  retrieves disk file FILENAME and puts it below the
      cursor position.

  5.  :r !dir  reads the output of the dir command and puts it below the
      cursor position.

Lesson 6.1 --> THE OPEN COMMAND

Type the lowercase letter o to open up a line BELOW the cursor and place you in Insert mode.
Now type some text and press to exit Insert mode.
To open up a line ABOVE the cursor, simply type a capital O , rather than a lowercase o. Try this on the line below.

Lesson 6.2 --> THE APPEND COMMAND

Type a to insert text AFTER the cursor.

Press e until the cursor is on the end of li .
Type an a (lowercase) to append text AFTER the cursor.

NOTE: a, i and A all go to the same Insert mode, the only difference is where the characters are inserted.

Lesson 6.3--> ANOTHER WAY TO REPLACE

Type a capital R to replace more than one character.

Move the cursor to the beginning of the first xxx .
Now press R and type the number below it in the second line, so that it replaces the xxx .
Press to leave Replace mode. Notice that the rest of the line remains unmodified.

NOTE: Replace mode is like Insert mode, but every typed character deletes an existing character.

Lesson 6.4 --> COPY AND PASTE TEXT

Start Visual mode with v and move the cursor to just before "first".
Type y to yank (copy) the highlighted text.
Move the cursor to the end of the next line: j$
Type p to put (paste) the text. Then type: a second .
Use Visual mode to select " item.", yank it with y , move to the end of the next line with j$ and put the text there with p .

NOTE: You can also use y as an operator; yw yanks one word.

Lesson 6.5 --> SET OPTION

Set an option so a search or substitute ignores case

Search for ignore by entering: /ignore <ENTER> Repeat several times by pressing n .
Set the ic (Ignore case) option by entering: :set ic
Now search for 'ignore' again by pressing n Notice that Ignore and IGNORE are now also found.
Set the 'hlsearch' and 'incsearch' options: :set hls is
Now type the search command again and see what happens :/ignore <ENTER>
To disable ignoring case enter: :set noic

NOTE: To remove the highlighting of matches enter: :nohlsearch NOTE: If you want to ignore case for just one search command, use \c in the phrase :/ignore\c

Lesson 6 --> SUMMARY

  1. Type  o  to open a line BELOW the cursor and start Insert mode.
     Type  O  to open a line ABOVE the cursor.

  2. Type  a  to insert text AFTER the cursor.
     Type  A  to insert text after the end of the line.

  3. The  e  command moves to the end of a word.

  4. The  y  operator yanks (copies) text,  p  puts (pastes) it.

  5. Typing a capital  R  enters Replace mode until  <ESC>  is pressed.

  6. Typing ":set xxx" sets the option "xxx".  Some options are:
        'ic' 'ignorecase'       ignore upper/lower case when searching
        'is' 'incsearch'        show partial matches for a search phrase
        'hls' 'hlsearch'        highlight all matching phrases
     You can either use the long or the short option name.

  7. Prepend "no" to switch an option off:   :set noic

Lesson 7.1 --> Getting Help

Vim has a comprehensive on-line help system. To get started, try one of these three:

press the <HELP> key (if you have one)
press the <F1> key (if you have one)
type :help <ENTER>

Read the text in the help window to find out how the help works. Type CTRL-W CTRL-W to jump from one window to another. Type :q <ENTER> to close the help window.

You can find help on just about any subject, by giving an argument to the ":help" command. Try these (don't forget pressing <ENTER>):

    :help w
    :help c_CTRL-D
    :help insert-index
    :help user-manual

Lesson 7.2 --> CREATE A STARTUP SCRIPT

Enable Vim features

Vim has many more features than Vi, but most of them are disabled by default. To start using more features you have to create a "vimrc" file.

Start editing the "vimrc" file. This depends on your system: :e ~/.vimrc for Unix :e \$VIM/\_vimrc for Windows
Now read the example "vimrc" file contents: :r \$VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim
Write the file with: :w

The next time you start Vim it will use syntax highlighting. You can add all your preferred settings to this "vimrc" file. For more information type :help vimrc-intro.

Lesson 7.3: COMPLETION

Command line completion with CTRL-D and <TAB>

Make sure Vim is not in compatible mode: :set nocp
Look what files exist in the directory: :!ls or :!dir
Type the start of a command: :e
Press CTRL-D and Vim will show a list of commands that start with "e".
Type d<TAB> and Vim will complete the command name to ":edit".
Now add a space and the start of an existing file name: :edit FIL
Press <TAB>. Vim will complete the name (if it is unique).

NOTE: Completion works for many commands. Just try pressing CTRL-D and <TAB>. It is especially useful for :help .

Lesson 7 --> SUMMARY

1. Type  :help  or press <F1> or <HELP>  to open a help window.

2. Type  :help cmd  to find help on  cmd .

3. Type  CTRL-W CTRL-W  to jump to another window.

4. Type  :q  to close the help window.

5. Create a vimrc startup script to keep your preferred settings.

6. When typing a  :  command, press CTRL-D to see possible completions. Press <TAB> to use one completion.

This concludes the Vim Tutor. It was intended to give a brief overview of the Vim editor, just enough to allow you to use the editor fairly easily. It is far from complete as Vim has many many more commands. Read the user manual next: :help user-manual.
Now that you know your way around VIM, try editing and setting vimrc file. This video is a good first start.
Basic cut, copy, paste. Here
Vim Autocomplete and other helpful features. Here

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
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nvim		nvim
vim		vim
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
VIMTUTOR_FILE.txt		VIMTUTOR_FILE.txt

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