# Vim documentation: usr_22

main help file

    *usr_22.txt*	For Vim version 6.0aq.  Last change: 2001 Jul 29

    		     VIM USER MANUAL - by Bram Moolenaar

    			   Finding the file to edit

    Files can be found everywhere.  So how do you find them?  Vim offers various
    ways to browse the directory tree.  There are commands to jump to a file that
    is mentioned in another.  And Vim remembers which files have been edited
    before.

    |22.1|	The file explorer
    |22.2|	The current directory
    |22.3|	Finding a file
    |22.4|	The buffer list

         Next chapter: |usr_23.txt|  Editing other files
     Previous chapter: |usr_21.txt|  Go away and come back
    Table of contents: |usr_toc.txt|

    ==============================================================================

    *22.1*	The file explorer

    Vim has a plugin that makes it possible to edit a directory.  Try this:

    	:edit .

    Through the magic of autocommands and Vim scripts, the window will be filled
    with the contents of the directory.  It looks like this:

    	" Press ? for keyboard shortcuts
    	" Sorted by name (.bak,~,.o,.h,.info,.swp,.obj,.orig,.rej at end of list)
    	"= /home/mool/vim/vim6/runtime/doc/
    	../
    	check/
    	Makefile
    	autocmd.txt
    	change.txt
    	eval.txt~
    	filetype.txt~
    	help.txt.info

    You can see these items:
    1.  A comment about using ? to get help for the functionality of the file
        explorer.
    2.  The second line mentions how the items in the directory are listed.  They
        can be sorted in several ways.
    3.  The third line is the name of the current directory.
    4.  The "../" directory item.  This is the parent directory.
    5.  The directory names.
    6.  The ordinary file names.  As mentioned in the second line, some are not
        here but "at the end of the list".
    7.  The less ordinary file names.  You are expected to use these less often,
        therefore they have been moved to the end.

    If you have syntax highlighting enabled, the different parts are highlighted
    to make it easier to spot them.

    You can use Normal mode Vim commands to move around in the text.  For example,
    move to a file and press <Enter>.  Now you are editing that file.  To go back
    to the explorer use ":edit ." again.  CTRL-O also works.
       Try using <Enter> while the cursor is on a directory name.  The result is
    that the explorer moves into that directory and displays the items found
    there.  Pressing <Enter> on the first directory "../" moves you one level
    higher.  Pressing "-" does the same thing, without the need to move to the
    "../" item first.

    You can press ? to get short help on the things you can do in the explorer.
    This is what you get:

    	" <enter> : open file or directory
    	" o : open new window for file/directory
    	" O : open file in previously visited window
    	" p : preview the file
    	" i : toggle size/date listing
    	" s : select sort field    r : reverse sort
    	" - : go up one level      c : cd to this dir
    	" R : rename file	   D : delete file
    	" :help file-explorer for detailed help

    The first few commands are for selecting a file to display.  Depending on what
    command you use, the file appears somewhere:

    	<Enter>		Uses the current window.
    	o		Opens a new window.
    	O		Uses the previously visited window.
    	p		Uses the preview window, and moves the cursor back
    			into the explorer window. |preview-window|

    The following commands are used to display other information:

    	i		Display the size and date for the file.  Using i again
    			will hide the information.
    	s		Use the field the cursor is in to sort on.  First
    			display the size and date with i.  Then Move the
    			cursor to the size of any file and press s.  The files
    			will now be sorted on size.  Press s wile the cursor
    			is on a date and the items will be sorted on date.
    	r		reverse the sorting order (either size or date)

    There are a few extra commands:

    	c		Change the current directory to the displayed
    			directory.  You can then type an ":edit" command for
    			one of the files without prepending the path.
    	R		Rename the file under the cursor.  You will be
    			prompted for the new name.
    	D		Delete the file under the cursor.  You will get a
    			prompt to confirm this.

    ==============================================================================

    *22.2*	The current directory

    Just like the shell, Vim has the concept of a current directory.  Suppose you
    are in your home directory and want to edit several files in a directory
    "VeryLongFileName".  You could do:

    	:edit VeryLongFileName/file1.txt
    	:edit VeryLongFileName/file2.txt
    	:edit VeryLongFileName/file3.txt

    To avoid much of the typing, do this:

    	:cd VeryLongFileName
    	:edit file1.txt
    	:edit file2.txt
    	:edit file3.txt

    The ":cd" command changes the current directory.  You can see what the current
    directory is with the ":pwd" command:

    	:pwd
    	/home/Bram/VeryLongFileName

    Vim remembers the last directory that you used.  Use "cd -" to go back to it.
    Example:

    	:pwd
    	/home/Bram/VeryLongFileName
    	:cd /etc
    	:pwd
    	/etc
    	:cd -
    	:pwd
    	/home/Bram/VeryLongFileName
    	:cd -
    	:pwd
    	/etc

    WINDOW LOCAL DIRECTORY

    When you split a window, both windows use the same current directory.  When
    you want to edit a number of files somewhere else in the new window, you can
    make it use a different directory, without changing the current directory in
    the other window.  This is called a local directory.

    	:pwd
    	/home/Bram/VeryLongFileName
    	:split
    	:lcd /etc
    	:pwd
    	/etc
    	CTRL-W w
    	:pwd
    	/home/Bram/VeryLongFileName

    So long as no ":lcd" command has been used, all windows share the same current
    directory.  Doing a ":cd" command in one window will also change the current
    directory of the other window.
       For a window where ":lcd" has been used a different current directory is
    remembered.  Using ":cd" or ":lcd" in other windows will not change it.
       When using a ":cd" command in a window that uses a different current
    directory, it will go back to using the shared directory.

    ==============================================================================

    *22.3*	Finding a file

    You are editing a C program that contains this line:

    	#include "inits.h"

    You want to see what is in that "inits.h" file.  Move the cursor on the name
    of the file and type:

    	gf

    Vim will find the file and edit it.
       What if the file is not in the current directory?  Vim will use the 'path'
    option to find the file.  This option is a list of directory names where to
    look for your file.
       Suppose you have your include files located in "c:/prog/include".  This
    command will add it to the 'path' option:

    	:set path+=c:/prog/include

    This directory is an absolute path.  No matter where you are, it will be the
    same place.  What if you have located files in a subdirectory, below where the
    file is?  Then you can specify a relative path name.  This starts with a dot:

    	:set path+=./proto

    This tells Vim to look in the directory "proto", below the directory where the
    file in which you use "gf" is.  Thus using "gf" on "inits.h" will make Vim
    look for "proto/inits.h", starting in the directory of the file.
       Without the "./", thus "proto", Vim would look in the "proto" directory
    below the current directory.  And the current directory might not be where the
    file that you are editing is located.

    The 'path' option allows specifying the directories where to search for files
    in many more ways.  See the help on the 'path' option.
       The 'isfname' option is used to decide which characters are included in the
    file name, and which ones are not (e.g., the " character in the example
    above).

    When you know the file name, but it's not to be found in the file, you can
    type it:

    	:find inits.h

    Vim will then use the 'path' option to try and locate the file.  This is the
    same as the ":edit" command, except for the use of 'path'.

    To open the found file in a new window use CTRL-W f instead of "gf", or use
    ":sfind" instead of ":find".

    ==============================================================================

    *22.4*	The buffer list

    The Vim editor uses the term buffer to describe a file being edited.
    Actually, a buffer is a copy of the file that you edit.  When you finish
    changing the buffer, you write the contents of the buffer to the file.
    Buffers not only contain file contents, but also all the marks, settings, and
    other stuff that goes with it.

    HIDDEN BUFFERS

    Suppose you are editing the file one.txt and need to edit the file two.txt.
    You could simply use ":edit two.txt", but since you made changes to one.txt
    that won't work.  You also don't want to write one.txt yet.  Vim has a
    solution for you:

    	:hide edit two.txt

    The buffer "one.txt" disappears from the screen, but Vim still knows that you
    are editing this buffer, so it keeps the modified text.  This is called a
    hidden buffer: The buffer contains text, but you can't see it.
       The ":hide" command argument is another command.  It makes that command
    behave like the 'hidden' option was set.  You could also set this option
    yourself.  The effect is that when any buffer is abandoned, it becomes hidden.
       Be careful!  When you have hidden buffers with changes, don't exit Vim
    without making sure you have saved all the buffers.

    INACTIVE BUFFERS

       When a buffer has been used once, Vim remembers some information about it.
    When it is not displayed in a window and it is not hidden, it is still in the
    buffer list.  This is called an inactive buffer.  Overview:

       Active		Appears in a window, text loaded.
       Hidden		Not in a window, text loaded.
       Inactive		Not in a window, no text loaded.

    The inactive buffers are remembered, because Vim keeps information about them,
    like marks.  And remembering the file name is useful too, so that you can see
    which files you have edited.  And edit them again.

    LISTING BUFFERS

    View the buffer list with this command:

    	:buffers

    A command which does the same, is not so obvious to list buffers, but is much
    shorter to type:

    	:ls

    The output could look like this:

      1 #h	"help.txt"			line 62
      2 %l+	"usr_21.txt"			line 1
      3	"usr_toc.txt"			line 1

    The first column contains the buffer number.  You can use this to edit the
    buffer without having to type the name, see below.
       After the buffer number come the flags.  Then the name of the file
    and the line number where the cursor was the last time.
       The flags that can appear are these (from left to right):

    	u	Buffer is unlisted |unlisted-buffer|.
    	 %	Current buffer.
    	 #	Alternate buffer.
    	  l	Buffer is loaded and displayed.
    	  h	Buffer is loaded but hidden.
    	   =	Buffer is read-only.
    	   -	Buffer is not modifiable, the 'modifiable' option is off.
    	    +	Buffer has been modified.

    EDITING A BUFFER

    You can edit a buffer by its number.  That avoids having to type the file
    name:

    	:buffer 2

    But the only way to know the number is by looking in the buffer list.  You can
    use the name, or part of it, instead:

    	:buffer help

    Vim will find a best match for the name you type.  If there is only one
    buffer that matches the name, it will be used.  In this case "help.txt".
       To open a buffer in a new window:

    	:sbuffer 3

    This works with a name as well.

    USING THE BUFFER LIST

    You can move around in the buffer list with these commands:

    	:bnext		go to next buffer
    	:bprevious	go to previous buffer
    	:bfirst		go to the first buffer
    	:blast		go to the last buffer

    To remove a buffer from the list, use this command:

    	:bdelete 3

    Again, this also works with a name.
       If you delete a buffer that was active (visible in a window), that window
    will be closed.  If you delete the current buffer, the current window will be
    closed.  If it was the last window, Vim will find another buffer to edit.  You
    can't be editing nothing!

    	Note:
    	Even after removing the buffer with ":bdelete" Vim still remembers it.
    	It's actually made "unlisted", it no longer appears in the list from
    	":buffers".  The ":buffers!" command will list unlisted buffers (yes,
    	Vim can do the impossible).  To really make Vim forget about a buffer,
    	use ":bwipe".  Also see the 'buflisted' option.

    ==============================================================================

    Next chapter: |usr_23.txt|  Editing other files

    Copyright: see |manual-copyright|  vim:tw=78:
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