Slackware Linux Essentials
Prev	Chapter 16 Vi	Next

16.6 vi +Configuration

+ +

Your vi clone of choice can be configured in several +ways.

+ +

A variety of commands can be entered while in command mode to set up vi just how you like it. Depending on your editor, you can enable +features to make programming easier (like syntax hilighting, auto-indenting, and more), +set up macros to automake tasks, enable textual substitutions, and more.

+ +

Almost all of these commands can be put into a configuration file in your home +directory. elvis expects a .exrc file, +while vim expects a .vimrc file. Most +of the setup commands that can be entered in command mode can be placed in the +configuration file. This includes setup information, textual substitutions, macros, and +more.

+ +

Discussing all these options and the differences between the editors is quite an +involved subject. For more information, check out the man page or web site for your +preferred vi editor. Some editors (like vim) have extensive help within the editor that can be accessed with +the :help command, or something similar. You can also check out the +O'Reilly book Learning the vi Editor by +Lamb and Robbins.

+ +

Many common programs in Linux will load up a text file in vi +by default. For example, editing your crontabs will start up vi +by default. If you do not like vi and would like another editor +to be started instead, all you need to do is set the VISUAL +environment variable to the editor you prefer. For information on setting environment +variables, see the section called Environment Variables in Chapter 8. If you want to make +sure that your editor will be the default every time you login, add the VISUAL setting to +your .bash_profile or .bashrc +files.

Prev	Home	Next
Quitting vi	Up	Vi Keys