Configuring Vim right

Published November 6th, 2008

Table of contents
1. Essential .vimrc configuration items
2. Recommended .vimrc configuration items

I have spent a lot of time looking at a Vim window, and correspondingly, a lot of time testing different configurations. These are the best non-standard options I have found or stolen from others over the years; listed below in order of descending usefulness — though I think everything in this article is worth skimming — are tips which should have value to anyone, no matter how they like to run Vim. That is, there is minimal editorializing.

Note: no plugins are covered here, just vanilla Vim.

Essential `.vimrc` configuration items

For whatever reason, the following options are not set by default, but they should be.

Turn on hidden
Don’t worry about the name. What this does is allow Vim to manage multiple buffers effectively.
- The current buffer can be put to the background without writing to disk;
- When a background buffer becomes current again, marks and undo-history are remembered.
Turn this on.
```
set hidden
```
Remap ` to '
These are very similar keys. Typing 'a will jump to the line in the current file marked with ma. However, `a will jump to the line and column marked with ma.

It is more useful in any case I can imagine, but it is located way off in the corner of the keyboard. The best way to handle this is just to swap them:
```
nnoremap ' `
nnoremap ` '
```
Map leader to ,
The leader character is your own personal modifier key, as g is Vim’s modifier key (when compared to vi). The default leader is \, but this is not located standardly on all keyboards and requires a pinky stretch in any case.
```
let mapleader = ","
```
<SPACE> is also a good choice. Note: you can of course have several “personal modifier keys” simply by mapping a sequence, but the leader key is handled more formally.
Keep a longer history
By default, Vim only remembers the last 20 commands and search patterns entered. It’s nice to boost this up:
```
set history=1000
```
Enable extended % matching
The % key will switch between opening and closing brackets. By sourcing matchit.vim, it can also switch among e.g. if/elsif/else/end, between opening and closing XML tags, and more.
```
runtime macros/matchit.vim
```
Note: runtime is the same as source except that the path is relative to the Vim installation directory.
Make file/command completion useful
By default, pressing <TAB> in command mode will choose the first possible completion with no indication of how many others there might be. The following configuration lets you see what your other options are:
```
set wildmenu
```
To have the completion behave similarly to a shell, i.e. complete only up to the point of ambiguity (while still showing you what your options are), also add the following:
```
set wildmode=list:longest
```

Recommended `.vimrc` configuration items

Most people like these.

Use case-smart searching
These two options, when set together, will make /-style searches case-sensitive only if there is a capital letter in the search expression. *-style searches continue to be consistently case-sensitive.
```
set ignorecase 
set smartcase
```
This is usually the most useful combination.
Set the terminal title
A running gvim will always have a window title, but when vim is run within an xterm, by default it inherits the terminal’s current title.
```
set title
```
This gives e.g. | page.html (~) - VIM |.
Maintain more context around the cursor
When the cursor is moved outside the viewport of the current window, the buffer is scrolled by a single line. Setting the option below will start the scrolling three lines before the border, keeping more context around where you’re working.
```
set scrolloff=3
```
Typing zz is also handy; it centers the window on the cursor without moving the cursor. (But watch out for ZZ!)
Store temporary files in a central spot
Swap files and backups are annoying but can save you a lot of trouble. Rather than spread them all around your filesystem, isolate them to a single directory:
```
$ mkdir ~/.vim-tmp  # or whatever
```
And in .vimrc:
```
set backupdir=~/.vim-tmp,~/.tmp,~/tmp,/var/tmp,/tmp
set directory=~/.vim-tmp,~/.tmp,~/tmp,/var/tmp,/tmp
```
This is especially valuable after an unexpected reboot — you don’t have to track down all the leftover temp files. However: if you are editing files on a shared file system, it will be easier to clobber concurrent modifications, as other users’ Vim processes will not see your swaps.
Scroll the viewport faster
<C-e> and <C-y> scroll the viewport a single line. I like to speed this up:
```
nnoremap <C-e> 3<C-e>
nnoremap <C-y> 3<C-y>
```
Enable limited line numbering
It’s often useful to know where you are in a buffer, but full line numbering is distracting. Setting the option below is a good compromise:
```
set ruler
```
Now in the bottom right corner of the status line there will be something like: 529, 35 68%, representing line 529, column 35, about 68% of the way to the end.

A bunch of stuff your OS should already do

If you are running Windows or OS X or a sloppy Linux distribution, you may not be using these:

" Intuitive backspacing in insert mode
set backspace=indent,eol,start
 
" File-type highlighting and configuration.
" Run :filetype (without args) to see what you may have
" to turn on yourself, or just set them all to be sure.
syntax on
filetype on
filetype plugin on
filetype indent on
 
" Highlight search terms...
set hlsearch
set incsearch " ...dynamically as they are typed.

The filetype lines enable type-specific configuration, such as knowledge of syntax and indentation. E.g. foo.c will be opened with Vim’s pre-configured C settings, and bar.py will be opened with Python settings.

If the search term highlighting gets annoying, set a key to switch it off temporarily:

nmap <silent> <leader>n :silent :nohlsearch<CR>

Catch trailing whitespace
The following will make tabs and trailing spaces visible when requested:
```
set listchars=tab:>-,trail:·,eol:$
nmap <silent> <leader>s :set nolist!<CR>
```
By default whitespace will be hidden, but now it can be toggled with ,s.
Stifle many interruptive prompts
The “Press ENTER or type command to continue” prompt is jarring and usually unnecessary. You can shorten command-line text and other info tokens with, e.g.:
```
set shortmess=atI
```
See :help shortmess for the breakdown of what this changes. You can also pare things down further if you like.
Stop distracting your co-workers
Vim is a little surly, beeping at you at every chance. You can either find a way to turn off the bell completely, or more usefully, make the bell visual:
```
set visualbell
```
Instead of emitting an obnoxious noise, the window will flash very briefly. This is similar to screen’s interpretation of the bell in its default configuration.

Here is my own .vimrc, which includes all these settings (and some more which are less generally useful). A fairly good source for other configuration tips is the Vim Tips Wiki.

Thanks to Adam Katz and Chris Gaal for their input on a draft of this article.

Published November 6th, 2008. Feed, respond, trackback.

34 Responses to “Configuring Vim right”

Pádraig Brady Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 11:35
Oh great stuff.
vim is a great editor but the defaults stink.
Here are my settings:
http://www.pixelbeat.org/settings/.vimrc
Keith Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 11:46
Very nice – thanks!
Stephen Bach Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 12:16
Pádraig, very nice. I didn’t know about wildignore or nojoinspaces.
Maxim Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 12:35
I don’t often take the time to leave a note in an article, but this time I had to. This is a good, useful post: some handy stuff about VIM I didn’t already know! Thanks!

Daniel Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 13:20

" you can also toggle through the matches by tab
set wildmode=list:longest,full

" use confirm instead of aborting an action
set confirm

" current directory is always matching the
" content of the active window
set autochdir

" remember some stuff after quiting vim:
" marks, registers, searches, buffer list
set viminfo='20,<50,s10,h,%

" use console dialogs instead of popup
" dialogs for simple choices
set guioptions+=c

Dev Blog AF83 » Blog Archive » Veille technologique : Merb 1.0, Microsoft, HTML5, etc. Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 13:35
[...] http://items.sjbach.com/319/configuring-vim-right : quelques astuces pour Vim. [...]
Daniel Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 13:48
Plugins I can’t live without:

toggle comments
http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=665

auto completion by tab
http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=182

svn/cvs/git integration
http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=90

fast switching between most recently used files
http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=42

fast switching between h/cpp
http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=31

Nice to have plugins:

emacs style quick copy and paste
http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=2064

auto completion in command mode from current file
http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=2222

see the classes, methods, functions,
macros defined in the file
http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=273
Stephen Bach Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 14:53
Daniel, I didn’t know about confirm or autochdir — those could certainly be useful.
Anton Olsen.com » Blog Archive » Bookmarks for November 10th Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 19:00
[...] items.sjbach.com » Configuring Vim right – These are the best non-standard options I have found or stolen from others over the years; listed below in order of descending usefulness – though I think everything in this article is worth skimming – are tips which should have value to anyone, no matter how they like to run Vim. That is, there is minimal editorializing. [...]
Cale Gibbard Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 19:34
I also rather like set expandtab and set smarttab, being someone who absolutely hates accidentally placing hard tab characters in source code.
Cristian Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 20:11
A big thank you for this!
Alex Chapman Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 20:36
Perhaps number 5 would be better written as:

nnoremap 3
nnoremap 3
Alex Chapman Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 20:38
Damn, I knew that wouldn’t format properly. How about this:
```
nnoremap <C-e> 3<C-e>
nnoremap <C-y> 3<C-y>
```
rogers Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 22:36
nice instruc
Stephen Bach Says:

November 10th, 2008 at 23:18
Cale, me too. I like to handle this using autocmd Filetype so that it’s set at a finer granularity.

Alex, yes! I’ve modified the article. Thanks.
spispopd Says:

November 11th, 2008 at 00:52
“The default leader is \, but this is not located standardly on all keyboards and requires a pinky stretch in any case. ”

On UK/Ireland keyboards it’s just between left shift and Z, doesn’t even need shift. It’s positioned pleasingly roughly symmetrically with / on the right.
Scott Says:

November 11th, 2008 at 03:16
Hi

Good list, here’s a few I add to that list.

http://blog.learnr.org/post/59098925/configuring-vim-some-more

Doesn’t include plugins too, which can be quite useful. I like yankring and autotag.
Bob Says:

November 11th, 2008 at 15:32
Nice! Thanks. I’ve added a few to my .vimrc file.

A small point, using <SPACE> as a leader is a bit problematic if you use it to move to the next char.
Razee Marikar Says:

November 14th, 2008 at 08:30
Hi,

The file $VIMRUNTIME/macros/matchit.txt says that matchit.vim is a plugin, and that putting it in ~/.vim/plugin will autoload it (no need to edit config file), and it also says how to install the associated help file.
Stephen Bach Says:

November 14th, 2008 at 12:16
Razee, that’s fine. matchit.vim has been distributed with Vim for over eight years, so it’s unlikely you’ll see an installation where it’s missing — but it doesn’t hurt to be sure.
vim configuration tips. Three I didn’t … » jon.smajda.com/blog Says:

November 14th, 2008 at 19:34
[...] vim configuration tips. Three I didn’t know and now use: set title "set terminal title to filename set wildmode=list:longest " for bash-like tab-completion set scrolloff=3 "keep 3 lines context when scrolling [...]
Spencer Alexander Says:

November 18th, 2008 at 13:19
Great post! I’ve been playing around with all of the defaults you spoke about in your article, but I definitely missed a few important ones! It’s also quite nice to hear the opinion of a seasoned vim expert.
Stephen Bach Says:

November 18th, 2008 at 22:07
Spencer, glad the article was helpful!
E. Colon Says:

November 20th, 2008 at 21:02
Thanks for the tips. I really needed something like this to completely make the switch from a gui text editor to vim. I feel a lot more comfortable now. Hats off!
vim mind share soaring: roundup of 10 vim articles, recent and older gems — be present now Says:

November 26th, 2008 at 15:29
[...] Configuring Vim Right [...]
20081127 網摘 - 中文網誌年會 - 網絡暴民 Jacky’s Blog Says:

November 27th, 2008 at 11:10
[...] Configuring Vim right [...]
vimrc updated - /dev/null Says:

December 4th, 2008 at 21:45
[...] that the vimrc I provide via bzr (or via direct link) has been updated. Tom recently found a site or two that had some nifty settings I hadn’t stumbled across yet. Changes [...]
Making Vim your default | stackq Says:

December 8th, 2008 at 17:45
[...] Configuring Vim Right [...]
Jim Says:

December 15th, 2008 at 14:59
Nice writeup. I would recommend against your suggestion #2, however. Apostrophe is a line movement command, and Backtick is a text movement command. Since vim is both line editor and a text editor, it makes a big difference which you use. Personally, I use line commands way more often than text commands, as they are quicker to fire off. “ma j j j d'a” will cut 4 lines of text, no matter what column your cursor is in. Likewise, you can paste these w/o regard for the cursor column and vim does the right thing (@" is marked as a line register from the cut). I guess this thing would depend on your usage pattern of course.
Stephen Bach Says:

December 15th, 2008 at 15:19
Hi Jim, you have a point. I rely heavily on visual-mode, so I would more likely do this as “V j j j d” — I tend to use marks only for navigating text, rather than for manipulating it. But this isn’t true of everyone and it’s good to get a different view.
Steve Francia Says:

December 22nd, 2008 at 14:33
Vim is a good editor, made great with a custom .vimrc file.
My .vimrc file adds syntax highlighting, autocomplete with tab, folding and highlights the line you are on.
Feel free to use or modify it for your needs.

Here is my .vimrc file

And my guide to the best 15 vim plugins
craschworks » Blog Archive » links for 2009-06-25 Says:

June 25th, 2009 at 06:02
[...] Configuring Vim right – items.sjbach.com have spent a lot of time looking at a Vim window, and correspondingly, a lot of time testing different configurations. These are the best non-standard options I have found or stolen from others over the years; listed below in order of descending usefulness â though I think everything in this article is worth skimming â are tips which should have value to anyone, no matter how they like to run Vim. That is, there is minimal editorializing. (tags: programming/vim vim, vimrc) [...]

Adam Katz Says:

June 30th, 2009 at 18:24

Refined the gvimrc portion you inherited from me to better handle sizing (especially useful for gvimdiff), fixed (upgraded?) buggy matchit line:

" who needs .gvimrc?  (people in irc://irc.freenode.net#vim say this is limited)
if has('gui_running')
  set guifont=Monospace\ 7.5   " this is not limited to integers
  if &diff
    autocmd GuiEnter * set columns=165 lines=50
  else
    autocmd GuiEnter * set columns=80 lines=40
  end
end
set diffopt+=iwhite             " ignore whitespace in diff mode
 
" from sbach, http://items.sjbach.com/319/configuring-vim-right
" and http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=39
"runtime macros/matchit.vim
filetype plugin on
source ~/.vim/plugin/matchit.vim

Making vi more colourful on the mac « fredsherbet.com Says:

February 19th, 2010 at 08:11
[...] This site has lots of useful configuration options to consider to make vim more useful. [...]

items.sjbach.com