UNIX in a Nutshell: System V Edition

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Previous: 8.9 Alphabetical List of KeysChapter 8
The Vi Editor
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8.10 Setting Up Vi

This subsection describes the following:

8.10.1 The :set Command

The :set command allows you to specify options that change characteristics of your editing environment. Options may be put in the .exrc file or set during a vi session.

The colon should not be typed if the command is put in .exrc.

:set xEnable option x.
:set noxDisable option x.
:set x=valGive value to optionx.
:setShow changed options.
:set allShow all options.
:set x?Show value of option x.

8.10.2 Options Used by :set

The following table describes the options to :set. The first column includes the optional abbreviation, if there is one, and uses an equal sign to show that the option takes a value. The second column gives the default, and the third column describes the behavior of the enabled option.

OptionDefaultDescription
autoindent (ai)noai

In insert mode, indent each line to the same level as the line above or below. Use with shiftwidth option.

autoprint (ap)ap

Display changes after each editor command. (For global replacement, display last replacement.)

autowrite (aw)noaw

Automatically write (save) file if changed before opening another file with :n or before giving UNIX command with :!.

beautify (bf)nobf

Ignore all control characters during input (except tab, newline, or formfeed).

directory= (dir)/tmp

Name the directory in which ex stores buffer files. (Directory must be writable.)

edcompatiblenoed-compatible

Use ed-like features on substitute commands.

errorbells (eb)errorbellsSound bell when an error occurs.
exrc (ex)noexrc

Allow the execution of .exrc files that reside outside the user's home directory.

hardtabs= (ht)8Define boundaries for terminal hardware tabs.
ignorecase (ic)noicDisregard case during a search.
lispnolisp

Insert indents in appropriate lisp format. ( ), { }, [[, and ]] are modified to have meaning for lisp.

listnolist

Print tabs as ^I; mark ends of lines with $. (Use list to tell if end character is a tab or a space.)

magicmagic

Wildcard characters . (dot), * (asterisk), and [ ] (brackets) have special meaning in patterns.

mesgmesgPermit system messages to display on terminal while editing in vi.
number (nu)nonuDisplay line numbers on left of screen during editing session.
openopenAllow entry to open mode from ex.
optimize (opt)noopt

Abolish carriage returns at the end of lines when printing multiple lines, speeds output on dumb terminals when printing lines with leading white space (blanks or tabs).

paragraphs= (para>IPLPPPQP LIpplpipbp

Define paragraph delimiters for movement by { or }. The pairs of characters in the value are the names of nroff/troff macros that begin paragraphs.

promptprompt

Display the ex prompt (:) when vi's Q command is given.

readonly (ro)noro

Any writes (saves) of a file will fail unless you use ! after the write (works with w, ZZ, or autowrite).

redraw (re)noredraw

Terminal redraws screen whenever edits are made (in other words, insert mode pushes over existing characters, and deleted lines immediately close up). Default depends on line speed and terminal type. noredraw is useful at slow speeds on a dumb terminal: deleted lines show up as , and inserted text appears to overwrite existing text until you press ESC.

remapremapAllow nested map sequences.
report=5

Display a message on the prompt line whenever you make an edit that affects at least a certain number of lines. For example, 6dd reports the message "6 lines deleted."

scroll=<1/2 window>Amount of screen to scroll.
sections= (sect)SHNHH HU

Define section delimiters for [[ ]] movement. The pairs of characters in the value are the names of nroff/troff macros that begin sections.

shell= (sh)/bin/sh

Pathname of shell used for shell escape (:!) and shell command (:sh). Default value is derived from SHELL variable, which varies on different systems.

shiftwidth= (sw)8

Define number of spaces in backward (^D) tabs when using the autoindent option.

showmatch (sm)nosm

In vi, when ) or } is entered, cursor moves briefly to matching ( or {. (If match is not on the screen, rings the error message bell.) Very useful for programming.

showmodenoshowmode

In insert mode, displays a message on the prompt line indicating the type of insert you are making. For example, "Open Mode," or "Append Mode."

slowopen (slow)

Hold off display during insert. Default depends on line speed and terminal type.

tabstop= (ts)8

Define number of spaces that a TAB indents during editing session. (Printer still uses system tab of 8.)

taglength= (tl)0

Define number of characters that are significant for tags. Default (zero) means that all characters are significant.

tags= /usr/lib/tagstags

Define pathname of files containing tags (see the UNIX ctags command.) By default, the system looks for files tags (in the current directory) and /usr/lib/tags.

term=Set terminal type.
tersenoterseDisplay shorter error messages.
timeout (to)timeoutKeyboard maps "time out" after 1 second.
ttytype=Set terminal type.
warnwarn

Display the message, "No write since last change."

window= (w)

Show a certain number of lines of the file on the screen. Default depends on line speed and terminal type.

wrapmargin= (wm)0

Define right margin. If greater than zero, automatically inserts carriage returns to break lines.

wrapscan (ws)wsSearches wrap around either end of file.
writeany (wa)nowaAllow saving to any file.

8.10.3 Example .exrc File

set nowrapscan wrapmargin=7
set sections=SeAhBhChDh nomesg
map q :w^M:n^M
map v dwElp
ab ORA O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.


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