How do you set the tab width in Vim?
set tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4
Set tabstop for display width of tabs and shiftwidth for indent operations.
Tag: config
How do you set automatic line wrapping at a specific column?
set textwidth=80
Set textwidth (or tw) to automatically insert line breaks when typing past the specified column.
How do you keep context lines visible above and below the cursor?
set scrolloff=8
Set scrolloff (or so) to keep at least 8 lines visible above and below the cursor when scrolling.
How do you keep context columns when scrolling horizontally?
set sidescrolloff=5
Set sidescrolloff to keep at least 5 columns visible on each side of the cursor during horizontal scrolling.
How do you customize the status line in Vim?
set statusline=%f\ %m%r%h\ %=%l,%c\ %P
Configure statusline with format items: %f (filename), %m (modified flag), %= (right-align), %l,%c (line,column), %P (percentage).
How do you configure code folding method in Vim?
set foldmethod=syntax
Set foldmethod to syntax for language-aware folding, indent for indentation-based, or manual for manual control.
How do you set a custom leader key in Vim?
let mapleader = ' '
Set mapleader to space (or any key) to use as a prefix for custom mappings.
How do you enable mouse support in Vim?
set mouse=a
Setting mouse=a enables mouse support in all modes.
How do you highlight the current line in Vim?
set cursorline
Enable cursorline to highlight the entire line where the cursor is positioned.
How do you set the file encoding in Vim?
set encoding=utf-8 fileencoding=utf-8
Set encoding for internal representation and fileencoding for the file on disk.
How do you configure backup file locations in Vim?
set backupdir=~/.vim/backup//
Set backupdir to a specific directory to avoid cluttering your project.
How do you set a color scheme in Vim?
:colorscheme desert
Use :colorscheme name to change the color scheme.
How do you configure insert-mode completion behavior?
set completeopt=menu,menuone,noselect
Configure completeopt to control the completion popup: menu shows popup, menuone shows even for single match, noselect doesn't auto-select.
How do you map function keys to custom commands?
nnoremap <F5> :!python %<CR>
Map function keys with their notation.
How do you set per-file Vim settings using modelines?
// vim: set ts=2 sw=2 et:
Add a modeline comment at the beginning or end of a file.
How do you highlight search matches in Vim?
set hlsearch
Use set hlsearch to highlight all matches of the last search pattern.
How do you make search case-insensitive by default?
set ignorecase smartcase
Use ignorecase for case-insensitive search.
How do you enable incremental search in Vim?
set incsearch
With set incsearch, Vim shows search matches as you type the pattern.
How do you enable auto-indentation in Vim?
set autoindent smartindent
Use autoindent to copy indentation from the current line.
How do you enable filetype-specific settings in Vim?
filetype plugin indent on
This command enables filetype detection, loading of filetype plugins, and filetype-specific indentation.