Vim Text Editor Mac

Vim (source code),short for Vi IMproved, is a configurable text editor often used asa Python development environment. Vim proponents commonly cite the numerousplugins, Vimscript and logical command language as major Vim strengths.

VIM proved (henceforth referred to as Vim) editor is one of the popular text editors. It is clone of Vi editor and written by Bram Moolenaar. It is cross platform editor and available on most popular platforms like Windows, Linux, Mac and other UNIX variants. It is command-centric editor, so beginners might find it difficult to work with it. Textastic is one of the most affordable and user-friendly text editors for Mac that you can find. It is a powerful and fast text, code, and markup editor. Textastic supports syntax highlighting for more than 80 source code and markup languages. It also features auto-completion of code for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, C, and Objective-C languages. If you’re using a Mac, and would like a text editor that supports all coding languages, TextMate is a solid choice for you. It also appears to be a nice solution for those who like bundles and macros. With support for Windows, Linux, and Mac, the Vim text editor is a stable, reliable editor that integrates with many popular tools.

Why is Vim a good Python development environment?

Vim's philosophy is that developers are more productive when they avoidtaking their hands off the keyboard. Code should flow naturally from thedeveloper's thoughts through the keyboard and onto the screen. Using a mouseor other peripheral is a detriment to the rate at which a developer'sthoughts become code. This 'efficiency by keyboard'keeps Vim as one of the most popular text editorsdespite having been around for decades. Few programming tools have that kindof staying power.

Vim has a logical, structured command language. Quickload for mac. When a beginner is learningthe editor she may feel like it is impossible to understand all the keycommands. However, the commands stack together in a logical way so that overtime the editor becomes predictable.

Vim is an implementation of the text editors and IDEs concept. Learn how these parts fit together in the development environments chapter or view all topics.

Configuring Vim with a Vimrc file

The Vimrc file is used to configure the Vim editor. A Vimrc file can rangefrom nothing in it to very complicated with hundreds or thousands of linesof configuration commands.

Here's a short, commented example .vimrc file I use for Python developmentto get a feel for some of the configuration statements:

Here is how these configuration options look with a dark background onMac OS X while editing the markdown for this webpage (how meta!).

Take a look at another example using these configuration options, this timewith a light background and editing Python code from myChoose Your Own Adventures Presentationsproject.

The Vimrc file lives under the home directory of the user account runningVim. For example, when my user account is 'matt', on Mac OS X my Vimrcfile is found at /Users/matt/.vimrc. On Ubuntu Linux my .vimrc filecan be found within the /home/matt/ directory.

If a Vimrc file does not already exist, just create it within the user'shome directory and it will be picked up by Vim the next time you open theeditor.

The following are a few resources for learning what to put in, and how tostructure a .vimrc file. I recommend adding configuration options oneat a time to test them individually instead of going whole hog with a Vimrcyou are unfamiliar with.

A Good Vimrc is a fantastic,detailed overview and opinionated guide to configuring Vim. Highlyrecommended for new and experienced Vim users.
5 lines for a blank .vimrcshows settings for case insensitive search, highlighting as you search,disabling swap, and a couple more 'must have' enhancements to thedefault configuration.
Vim and Python showsand explains many Python-specific .vimrc options.
Vim as a Python IDEshows a slew of plugins and configuration options for coding with Pythonin Vim.
Thisrepository's folder with Vimrc fileshas example configurations that are well commented and easy to learn from.
For people who are having trouble getting started with Vim, check out thisblog post on thetwo simple steps that helped this author learn Vim.

Vim tutorials

Vim has a reputation for a difficult learning curve, but it's much easierto get started with these tutorials.

Learn Vim Progressivelyis a wonderful tutorial that follows the path I took when learning Vim:learn just enough to survive with it as your day-to-day editor then beginadding more advanced commands on top.
A vim Tutorial and Primer is anincredibly deep study in how to go from beginner to knowledgeable in Vim.
Why Atom Can't Replace Vimdiscusses one of Vim's core principles: command composability. Vim hasa language where simple commands are combined to execute more advancedoperations. For example, in command mode,$ moves to the end of a line.When $ is preceded by d then everything to the end of the line isdeleted. Over time the simple commands become intuitive and thecombinations become more powerful than having distinct commands such asa drop-down menu with a specific option to delete all text until the endof the line.
Vim as a Languageexplains the language syntax and how you can build up over time to masterthe editor.
How to install and use Vim on a cloud serveralong with How to use Vim for advanced editing of code on a VPSare two detailed Digital Ocean guides for getting up and running with Vim,regardless of whether you're using it locally or on a cloud server.
PacVim: a commandline game to learn Vim commandstakes the PacMan theme and teaches you how to use Vim by forcing youto move around and use Vim commands while gaming.
Ten years of Vimprovides an insightful retrospective on one experienced developer'sjourney with using Vim as a primary text editor and developmentenvironment. I found the part about going overboard with plugins beforeswitching back to a simpler configuration fascinating because it isthe same path I've found myself taking as I approach my own ten yearmark with Vim.
At least one Vim trick you might not know aboutis a collection of non-obvious keyboard shortcuts, many of which areinfrequently used but still useful.
Vim Adventures is a cute, fun browser-basedgame that helps you learn Vim commands by playing through the adventure.
In Vim: revisited theauthor explains his on-again off-again relationship with using Vim. He thenshows how he configures and uses the editor so it sticks as his primarycode editing tool.
Things About Vim I Wish I Knew Earlierexplores the lessons one developer learned while exclusively using Vimfor several years. The author includes using relative instead of absoluteline numbering, setting numerous configuration options and fuzzy findingto quickly open files in other directories rather than expanding thewhole path.
Seven habits of effective text editingexplains moving around efficiently, fixing errors quickly and forming goodhabits.

Vim installation guides

These installation guides will help you get Vim up and running on Mac OS X,Linux and Windows.

Upgrading Vim on OS Xexplains why to upgrade from Vim 7.2 to 7.3+ and how to do it usingHomebrew.
The easiest way to install Vim on Windows 7+ is to download and run thegvim74.exe file.
On Linux make sure to install thevim package withsudo apt-get install vim.
If you're using PyCharm as your IDE you won't need to install Vim as aseparate text editor - instead use theIdeaVim PyCharm plugin to getVim keybindings, visual/insert mode, configuration with ~/.ideavimrc andother Vim emulation features.

Using Vim as a Python IDE

Once you get comfortable with Vim as an editor, there are severalconfiguration options and plugins you can use to enhance your Pythonproductivity. These are the resources and tutorials to read when you'reready to take that step.

VIM and Python - a Match Made in Heaven details how to set up a powerful VIM environment geared towards wrangling Python day in and day out.
The python-mode project is a Vimplugin with syntax highlighting, breakpoints, PEP8 linting, code completionand many other features you'd expect from an integrated developmentenvironment.
Vim as Your IDE discusses how toset up Vim for greater productivity once you learn the initial Vim languagefor using the editor.
Setting up Vim for Pythonhas a well written answer on Stack Overflow for getting started with Vim.
If you're writing your documentation in Markdown using Vim, be sure toread thisinsightful post on a Vim setup for Markdown.

Vim Plugin resources

5 Essential VIM Plugins That Greatly Increase my Productivitycovers the author's experience with the Vundle, NERDTree, ctrlp, Syntasticand EasyMotion Vim plugins.
Getting more from Vim with pluginsprovides a list of plugins with a description for each one on itsusefulness. The comments at the bottom are also interesting as people havesuggested alternatives to some of the plugins mentioned in the post.
Powerline is a popular statuslineplugin for Vim that works with both Python 2 and 3.
VimAwesome is a directory of Vim plugins sourcedfrom Vim.org, GitHub and user submissions.
Command-T is a Vim plugin forfast fuzzy searching files.
YouCompleteMe(source code) is acode-completion engine and plugin that works for Python.

Vim Text Editor Mac

Vim Plugin Managers

If you use many Vim plugins together it is really handy to have a pluginmanagers to sort out all of the dependencies. The following plugin managersare the most commonly-used ones in the Vim ecosystem.

Vundle comes highly recommendedas a plugin manager for Vim.
Pathogen is a widely usedplugin manager.
Vim-plug bills itself as aminimalistic Vim plugin manager.

Niche tutorials

After you have been using Vim for awhile there will be features you bumpinto without realizing they were ever there. The following tutorials showhow to use some specific niche features. You may already know about theseif you have been using Vim for awhile but everyone's learning path isdifferent so it's useful to do a quick scan to make sure you are not missinganything.

Vim’s absolute, relative and hybrid line numbersshows how to change the line numbering scheme. There was a period oftime I used relative line numbers although I eventually switched backto absolute numbers. The usefulness of these schemes is often dependenton what language you are working in.
A simpler Vim statuslineexplains how to customize your bottom screen statusline without usingplugins such as vim-powerlineor vim-airline.
The vim-clutch is a really coolproject and walkthrough that shows how you can create a foot pedal toswitch between Normal and Insert modes instead of using the typical ESCkey (or a remapped key).
How I'm able to take notes in mathematics lectures using LaTeX and Vimexplains how the author is able to keep up with mathematicslectures by using Vim and LaTeX which produces gorgeous notesthat can be used to study.

Now that you know about Vim, what do you want to develop in it?

I want to learn how to code a Python web application using a framework.

I've built a Python web app, now how do I deploy it?

Vim is available for many different systems and there are several versions.This page will help you decide what to download.Most popular:

MS-Windows:	Click this link to download the self-installing executable(using ftp). Signed MS-Windows files are available on thevim-win32-installer site(gvim_8.2.0012_x86_signed.exe is recommended)
Unix:	See the GitHub page, or Mercurial, if you prefer that.There is also anAppimagewhich is build daily and runs on many Linux systems.
Mac:	See the MacVim project for a GUI version and Homebrew for a terminal version

Details and options for:

Mirrors	Alternative sites to download Vim files from.
Sources	Build Vim yourself and/or make changes.
GitHub	Obtain Vim sources with a git client (recommended).
Mercurial	Obtain Vim sources with a Mercurial client(recommended if you don't like git).
Patches	Include the latest improvements (requires sources and rebuilding).
Runtime	Get the latest syntax files, documentation, etc.
Script links	Links to individual syntax, indent, color, compiler and ftplugin scripts.
Translations	Non-English documentation packages.

Versions before 7.3 can also be obtained withSubversionandCVS.Vim 8.2 is the latest stable version. It is highly recommended, many bugs have been fixed since previous versions.If you have a problem with it (e.g.,when it's too big for your system), you could try version 6.4 or 5.8 instead.

To avoid having to update this page for every new version, there arelinks to the directories. From there select the files you want to download.In the file names ## stands for the version number. For example,vim##src.zipwith version 8.2 is vim82src.zip andvim-##-src.tar.gz for version 8.2is vim-8.2-src.tar.gz.Links are provided for quick access to the latest version.
Note that the links point to the latest version (currently 8.2) to avoidthat caching causes you to get an older version.

The best way to install Vim on Unix is to use the sources. This requires acompiler and its support files. Compiling Vim isn't difficult at all.You can simply type 'make install' when you are happy with the defaultfeatures. Edit the Makefile in the 'src' directory to select specificfeatures.

You need to download at the sources and the runtime files.And apply all the latest patches.For Vim 6 up to 7.2 you can optionally get the 'lang' archive, which adds translated messages and menus. For 7.3 and later this is included with the runtime files. Cnn sky go.

Using git

This is the simplest and most efficient way to obtain the latest version, including all patches. This requires the 'git' command.
The explanations are on the GitHub page.

Summary:

Using Mercurial

This is another simple and most efficient way to obtain the latest version, including all patches. This requires the 'hg' command.
The explanations are on this page:Mercurial

Summary:

version 7.x and 8.x

There is one big file to download that contains almost everything.It is found inthe unix directory(ftp):

The runtime and source files together:

vim-##.tar.bz2

vim-8.2.tar.bz2 (ftp)

The files ending in '.tar.gz' are tar archives that are compressed with gzip.Unpack them with tar -xzf filename.
The single big file ending in '.tar.bz2' is a tar archive compressed withbzip2. Uncompress and unpack it withbunzip2 -c filename | tar -xf -.
All archives should be unpacked in the same directory.

If you can't compile yourself or don't want to, look at the site of thesupplier of your Unix version for a packaged Vim executable. For Linuxdistributions and FreeBSD these are often available shortly after a new Vimversion has been released. But you can't change the features then.

Debian packages are available at:http://packages.debian.org/vim.
Sun Solaris Vim is included in the Companion Software:http://wwws.sun.com/software/solaris/freeware/.
Vim for other Sun systems can be found athttp://sunfreeware.com/.
HPUX with GTK GUI for various HPUX versions:http://hpux.its.tudelft.nl/hppd/hpux/Editors/vim-6.2/ orhttp://hpux.connect.org.uk/hppd/hpux/Editors/vim-6.2/ (note that the remark about the GNU GPL is wrong)

For modern MS-Windows systems (starting with XP) you can simply use the executable installer:
gvim82.exe (ftp)
It includes GUI and console versions, for 32 bit and 64 bit systems.You can select what you want to install and includes an uninstaller.

If you want a signed version you can get a build from
vim-win32-installer
It supports many interfaces, such as Perl, Tcl, Lua, Python and Ruby.There are also 64bit versions which only run on 64 bit MS-Windows and use alot more memory, but is compatible with 64 bit plugins.
You can also get a nightly build from there with the most recent improvements,with a small risk that something is broken.

Since there are so many different versions of MS operating systems, there areseveral versions of Vim for them.
For Vim 5.x, Vim 6.x and Vim 7 look inthe pc directory (ftp).

Self-installing executable gvim##.exe gvim82.exe (ftp): For Vim 6 and later. This includes a GUI versionof Vim - with many features and OLE support - and all the runtime files.It works well on MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista/7.Use this if you have enough disk space and memory. It's the simplest way tostart using Vim on the PC. The installer allows you to skip the parts youdon't want.
For Vim 6.3 and later it also includes a console version, both for MS-Windows 95/98/ME and MS-Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7. The installer automatically selects the right one.

Runtime files vim##rt.zip vim82rt.zip (ftp): For all the following binary versions you need this runtime archive, whichincludes the documentation, syntax files, etc. Always get this, unless youuse the self-installing executable.

There are three versions that run as an MS-Windows application. These providemenus, scrollbars and a toolbar.

GUI executable gvim##.zip gvim82.zip (ftp): This is the 'normal' GUI version.
OLE GUI executable gvim##ole.zip gvim82ole.zip (ftp): A GUI version with OLE support. This offers a few extra features,such as integration with Visual Developer Studio. But it uses quite a bitmore memory.

There are three versions that run on MS-DOS or in a console window inMS-Windows:

Win32 console executable vim##w32.zip vim82w32.zip (ftp): The Win32 console version works well on MS-Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7. It supports long file names and is compiled with 'big' features. It does not runperfectly well on MS-Windows 95/98/ME, especially when resizing the consolewindow (this may crash MS-Windows..).
32 bit DOS executable vim##d32.zip vim73_46d32.zip (ftp): The 32 bit DOS version works well on MS-Windows 95/98/ME. It requires a DPMImanager, which needs to be installed on MS-DOS. MS-Windows already has one.It supports long file names, but NOT on MS-Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7. It is compiled with 'big' features.
Not available for 7.4 and later.
16 bit DOS executable vim##d16.zip vim71d16.zip (ftp): The 16 bit DOS version is the only one that runs on old MS-DOS systems. Onlyuse this if you are really desparate, because it excludes many useful features(such as syntax highlighting and long file names) and quickly runs out ofmemory.
The last version available is 7.1. Version 7.2 and later are too big to fit in the DOS memory model.

There are a few extra files:

iconv librarylibiconv: A library used for converting character sets.Put 'iconv.dll' in the same directory as gvim.exe to be able to edit files inmany encodings. You can find the dll file in the bin directory of the'libiconv-win32' archive.
newer intl librarylibintl: The included libintl.dll does not support encoding conversion.If you have installed the iconv library, as mentioned above, you can install agettext library that uses it.Get 'intl.dll' from the bin directory in the gettext-win32 archive and store itas 'libintl.dll' in the same directory as gvim.exe, overwriting the filethat may already be there.
PC sources vim##src.zip vim82src.zip (ftp): The source files, packed for the PC. This only includes the files needed onthe PC, not for other systems. The files are in dos format CR-LF.
PC debug files gvim##.pdb gvim82.pdb (ftp) gvim##ole.pdb gvim82ole.pdb (ftp) vim##w32.pdb vim80w32.pdb (ftp): When you notice a bug or a crash in Vim these files can be used to help tracing down the problem. In Vim 7 do ':help debug-win32' to see how.
PC translations vim##lang.zip vim72lang.zip (ftp): Only for 7.2 and earlier, for 7.3 and later these are included in the 'rt' archive.Translated messages and menu files, packed for the PC. Use this to seenon-English menus. The messages are only translated when the libintl.dlllibrary is installed.
Windows 3.1 GUI executable gvim##w16.zip and gvim##m16.zip: These are GUI versions for 16 bit windows (Windows 3.1). The 'w16' has manyfeatures, 'm16' has few features (for when you're short on memory).

The files ending in '.zip' can be unpacked with any unzip program.Make sure you unpack them all in the same directory!

Alternate distributions

Yongwei's build: You may also try Yongwei's build,executables with slightly different interfaces supported.

Cream: For an unofficial version that used to include all the latest patches andoptionally a bitmore: Cream.The 'one-click installer' mentioned includes the Cream changes.For the 'real Vim' use the 'without Cream' version listed further down.
Unfortunately, it stopped updating since Vim 8.0.

Cygwin: For a Cygwin binary look at others.

Quite a long time ago, Vim development started on the Amiga. Although it's areally old system now, it might still work. However, this has not been tested recently.You may have to use an older version for which Amiga binaries are available.

For Vim 5.x and Vim 6 look inthe amiga directory (ftp).
Vim 7 files can be found atos4depot.net. This is for AmigaOS 4. Made by Peter Bengtsson.

Runtime files vim##rt.tgz vim64rt.tgz (ftp): Documentation, syntax files, etc. You always need this.
Executable vim##bin.tgz vim64bin.tgz (ftp): The executables for Vim and Xxd.For Vim 6 it includes 'big' features, for Vim 5.x itincludes the normal features.For Vim 6.2 it is not available (my Amiga had harddisk problems then, this miraculously healed later).
Big executable vim##big.tgz: Vim with 'big' features and Xxd. Only for Vim 5.x.
Sources vim##src.tgz vim64src.tgz (ftp): The source files for the Amiga.Only needed when you want to compile Vim yourself.

The files are all tar archives, compressed with gzip. To unpack, firstuncompress them with gzip -d filename. Then unpack withtar xf filename. You need to unpack the archives in the samedirectory.The OS/2 version runs in a console window.

For Vim 5.x and Vim 6 look inthe os2 directory (ftp).Version 6.2 is not available.Versions 6.3 and 6.4 were compiled by David Sanders.
Version 7.0 was compiled by David Sanders.

Runtime files vim##rt.zip vim70rt.zip (ftp): Documentation, syntax files, etc. You always need this.
Executables vim##os2.zip vim70os2.zip (ftp): Vim, Xxd, Tee and EMX libraries.

The files ending in '.zip' can be unpacked with any unzip program.Make sure you both zip archives in the same directory!

If you want to compile the OS/2 version, you need the EMX compiler. Use theUnix source archive, runtime files and the extra archive. After unpacking theruntime archive, move all the files and directories in the 'runtime'directory one level up.

The terminal version of Vim is included as 'vi', you already have it. It'slagging behind a bit though and has limited features, thus you may want toadditionally install a recent version or one with more features.

MacVim

Vi For Mac

There most popular version is MacVim. This is being actively developed. Thisbehaves like a Mac application, using a GUI.

MacVim has more a Mac look and feel, is developed actively and most peopleprefer this version. Most of MacVim was made by Björn Winckler.

MacVim can be downloaded here: https://github.com/macvim-dev/macvim

New versions are made quite often.Subscribe to thevim-mac maillistto be informed about bugs and updates.

Homebrew

This is a terminal version installed with the 'brew' command.It is updated frequently.It can be downloaded here: formulae.brew.sh/formula/vim.

Older

Older binaries for Mac OS/X can be found on thisSourceForge project.Maintained by Nicholas Stallard.

Here is a multi-byte version of Vim 5.7 (for Japanese, possibly also forKorean and Chinese; not for Unicode):
http://www-imai.is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~asai/macvim-e.html

Background

Most of the work forthe Macintosh port (Classic and Carbon) was done by Dany St-Amant.

If you have OSX and a setup for compiling programs, you can use the source codeand compile yourself. See the Unix section above. The development tools can bedownloaded from Apple's developer web site.

Turn to the vim-mac maillist to meet otherVim-Mac users. Mac os x yosemite size.

Macvim Download

This is a list of links to sites where various versions of Vim can be obtained.These are supported by individuals, use at your own risk.

Macvim Mvim

Android	Search for 'Vim Touch' by Momodalo in the Play Store.
i/OS	Run Vim on your iPhone or Ipad.
QNX (ftp)	Provided by Yakov Zaytsev. Requires QNX 6.3.0/6.3.2 with service pack 2.
Agenda	http://pi7.fernuni-hagen.de/hartrumpf/agenda/vim/vim.vr3
Cygwin (with GTK GUI)	http://lassauge.free.fr/cygwin/
Open VMS	http://www.polarhome.com/vim/
MorphOS	http://www.akcaagac.com/index_vim.html

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