Vim
In search of a calm editor with few distractions, here's an attempt at a configuration for the Vim text editor. While some don't consider Vim to be an editor with low cognitive load, I humbly disagree with this. Yes it has a learning curve, but it's well documented, and you can learn basic functionality very quickly. Also, the basic use of Vim does not change much, so everything you learn is knowledge you can use for decades.
Features
- No syntax highlighting by default
- No package management, so no automatic updates and breakage. Just download the plugins you use and put them in
~/.vim - Most settings from vim-sensible by Tim Pope, but without the plugin
- Toggle light / dark background
- Clear the search highlight
- For a nice writing environment, I use the Goyo and Limelight plugins
- Insert a timestamp easily
- All the power the Vim editor offers!
Keyboard shortcuts
Use these in 'normal' mode. Press SPACE before each key.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| c | Clear search highlight |
| d | Toggle dark / light background |
| s | Toggle syntax highlighting |
| t | Insert timestamp |
| G | Toggle the Goyo plugin (center your text) |
| L | Toggle the Limelight plugin (highlight current paragraph, darken others) |
Code
.vimrc. Save this file as$HOME/.vimrc and customize it to your heart's desire :-)
Some Vim tips
Vim offers a lot of shortcuts for functionality to help you edit conveniently and fast. But you don't need to remember them all. I don't. Here are a few I do use regularly and which seem to stick in my mind.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| { | Move cursor to before current paragraph |
| } | Move cursor to after current paragraph |
| /Forward | Move cursor to next occurrence of 'Forward' |
| ?Backward | Move cursor to previous occurrence of 'Backward' |
| n | Move cursor to next match of previous search term |
| gg | Move cursor to beginning of file |
| G | Move cursor to end of file |
| :42 | Move cursor to line 42 |
| y4l | Yank (copy) the next 4 characters starting from the cursor |
| y4y | Yank (copy) 4 lines starting from the cursor |
| p | Paste yanked contents after current line |
| P | Paste yanked contents before current line |
| :pu | Paste yanked contents before current line |
| ciw | Replace word (think Change In Word) |
| ci( | Change next text between () |
| ci< | Change next text between < and > (think HTML tags) |
| . | Repeat last modification action |
Screenshots
Below are some screenshots of how this configuration of Vim looks. Click on them to see a larger version. I mostly use have Limelight and syntax disabled, and use Vim full screen. So my screen usually looks like something resembling the first screenshot.
