Introduction

For those hardcore linux engineers who can't adjust to notepad (or any other editor - because let's face it - nothing is vim), vim still can be used on windows 10. It just takes a bit of setup.

Install gvim on your machine - choose the full install - this is very important because you'll miss out on intergrations and components if you choose the more minimal install options. In the key mappings screen - you have choices between mapping the windows: ctrl <?> keys in vim or not. Depending upon how easily you want to integrate with the rest of your windows environment you can choose different options. Remember though - ctrl v is visual block in vim, so if you're truly hardcore vim then choose not to remap and learn the alternatives. I've chosen not to integrate windows keys into vim: vim key maps will behave normally.

Here's how to get text into/outof vim to windows clipboard:

• At the windows end:
  • Everything is normal and as you're used to with the: ctrl c/v/x
• At the vim end:
  • If you're copying/cutting out of vim:
    • ctrl insert : to copy . Alternatively simply setup vim to copy upon select (that's what I've done).
      • For some HP laptops that are missing the INS key - it's: Fn E . Documented here: HP page
    • shift delete : to cut
  • If you're pasting in to vim:
    • shift insert : to paste
• Documented here: vim wiki
• Alternatively, choose to remap the keys and put up with lost vim functionality, although: ctrl <?> will now behave as in the rest of windows

gvim default settings are pretty rubbish - they look like a notepad page. Definitely edit the vimrc file (see tips section, or my example file) to make the most of vim. Well - that's why you're reading my page, right...

Watch out for this line: autocmd FileType text setlocal textwidth=78 in: c: / program files (x86) / vim / vim82 / vimrc_example.vim . It causes text wrap and is really annoying - if I want to wrap text I will press ENTER myself, not have someone decide for me. You can check it's status using: :verbose set tw? which displays the last instance of this value being set - so if you didn't modify it as per my config below, you'll see it as loaded in the default example above. Once you override it per my example below - this setting will come into effect when a text file is loaded (not before).

Config files load order:

You'll notice that vim behaves strangely and not understand where these configs are coming from. Here's the order in which they are loaded:

• c: / Program Files (x86) / vim / _vimrc :
  • This then has a line that sources: source $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim
    • Which results in this file getting sourced: c: / Program Files (x86) / vim / vim82 / vimrc_example.vim
      • Which in turn sources: source $VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim
        • Which results in this file getting sourced: c: / Program Files (x86) / vim / vim82 / defaults.vim
    • These two files result in a lot of evil and unexpected behavior!
  • Finally, your own settings file is read: _gvimrc - see below for details on this file. You'll need to undo a lot of default settings (by overwriting their values in: _gvimrc - because the defaults are not helpful to users who want to be productive - after all - you're that's the reason you are using vim and not notepad!).

Tips:

• Settings file (what we know as: /etc/vim/vimrc in linux) is called: c: / program files x86 / vim / _vimrc
• Create a file called: _gvimrc
  • And put your settings here.
  • This is your local file (equivalent to: /etc/vim/vimrc.local in linux)
• You can check your $HOME directory by typing into vim command mode:
  • :echo $HOME
• And the location you need to put your _gvimrc file (this is the one you'll use):
  • :echo $MYGVIMRC
• Or your _vimrc file:
  • :echo $MYVIMRC
• If you really can't ditch the command line and prefer pure vim (well as close as windows will allow):
  • Windows key -> Power shell
  • 'cd' to whatever directory you are working in
  • vim - and you'll get a terminal vim
• Start vim in the Win10 GUI with: gvim
  • Or vim/gvim from the cmd terminal
• If you like persistent undo (can undo even if you close the file and open it again), see this:

  - set undofile                 "turn on the feature
  - set undodir=$HOME/.vim/undo  "directory where the undo files will be stored

• I actually use this in my setup - the undofile setting comes from vim install, and the undodir is overwritten by me in my _gvimrc