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Module 1 is sufficient to get us started with vim. This module starts expanding our vim-knowledge to help us work with multiple files. This requires understanding the concepts of buffers, tabs, and windows.
A buffer is a container that holds a file in vim. Thus, opening a file is equivalent to loading it in a new buffer.
By default, vim requires us to save the current buffer before moving on to another one; we can enhance the same to keep multiple unsaved buffers open at a time, using the following configuration in the vimrc:
set hidden " allow multiple files to be opened in different buffers, 'hidden' in the backgroundWe can create a new buffer (with a new file) using the command:
:e file_name " open a new file for editing
This hides the current buffer and reveals a new buffer with the specified file-name.
To list all the currently open buffers, along with their buffer-ids and the contained files, type the following:
:ls " list buffersLooking at these numbers (buffer-ids), we can switch to different buffers as follows:
:b<buffer-id> " :b2 will switch to the buffer with id '2'
In addition, the following shorthands can be used to switch to the next and the previous buffers (in the order specified in :ls):
:bnext or :bn " switch to the next buffer
:bprevious or :bp " switch to the previous buffer
To close the current buffer (and hence the contained file), we can use :bd (or
:bdelete).
Windows are useful to view multiple files side-by-side, in a split:
:vsplit <file> or :vs <file> " open file in a vertical split
:split <file> or :sp <file> " open file in a horizontal split
If we don't supply the file-name to any of the above split commands, the current file itself is opened in the new split. This allows us to view (and edit) different portions of the same file side-by-side!! Awesome, right? In fact, this feature (along with many others) was unique to Vim, and is now being implemented in many other text-editors and IDEs as well.
The following commands help in handling windows in normal mode (<C-w> means you have to press Ctrl+w):
<C-w>c(or:q) -- close current window<C-w>w-- cycle to next window<C-w>p-- switch to previous window<C-w>r-- rotate the window-pattern<C-w><arrow-key>-- switch among windows
A tab is a collection of windows. Note that the concept of tabs is different from many other tools, as in Vim, multiple tabs can be used to view the same file. The common usage of tabs is to use one tab per project-specific layout.
A tab can be created using:
:tabnew <file> " Open file in a new tab
Similarly, the following commands can be used to switch among tabs:
:tabnext " next tab
:tabprevious " previous tab
Vim makes it easy to list all the open tabs by providing a tabline at the top, whenever more than one tab exists. The current tab is highlighted using a different color.
A tab can be closed using :tabclose.
Similar to the tabline, Vim also provides a statusline at the bottom, which can be used to list various useful information, such as the current line-number, file-type, etc. By default, the statusline is shown only when there are more than one buffers open. To make the statusline always visible, add the following to your vimrc:
set laststatus=2 " always show the statuslineIn this module, we learned about some powerful ways to work with multiple files in vim. Believe me, many vim users do not understand the difference between buffers, tabs, and windows, and hence either get confused or don't use BTW at all. In the next module, we will learn about some amazing features unique to Vim (read Normal mode) that make it the most popular text-editor in the world.
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