Learning the vi and Vim Editors, 7th Edition

vi Configuration

This section describes the following:

• The :set command

• Options available with :set

• Example .exrc file

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 does not need to be typed if the command is put in .exrc:

:set x	Enable Boolean option x; show value of other options.
:set no x	Disable option x.
:set x = value	Give value to option x.
:set	Show changed options.
:set all	Show all options.
:set x ?	Show value of option x.

Appendix B provides tables of :set options for Solaris vi, Vim, nvi, elvis, and vile. Please see that appendix for more information.

Example .exrc File

In an ex script file, comments start with the double quote character. The following lines of code are an example of a customized .exrc file:

set nowrapscan                    " Searches don't wrap at end of file
set wrapmargin=7                  " Wrap text at 7 columns from right margin
set sections=SeAhBhChDh nomesg    " Set troff macros, disallow message
map q :w^M:n^M                    " Alias to move to next file
map v dwElp                       " Move a word
ab ORA O'Reilly Media, Inc.       " Input shortcut

Tip

The q alias isn’t needed for Vim, which has the :wn command. The v alias would hide the Vim command v, which enters character-at-a-time visual mode operation.