## 11.14. vi Configuration

This section describes the following:

- The :set command

- Options available with :set

- Sample ~/.exrc file

### 11.14.1. The :set Command

The :set command lets you specify options that change characteristics of your editing environment. Options may be put in the ~/.exrc file or set during a vi session.

The colon should not be typed if the command is put in ~/.exrc.

Command | Action
--- | ---
`:set` x | Enable option x.
`:set no` x | Disable option x.
`:set` x=val | Give value to option x.
`:set` | Show changed options.
`:set all` | Show all options.
`:set` x? | Show value of option x.

### 11.14.2. Options Used by :set

The following table describes the options to :set. The first column includes the optional abbreviation, if there is one, and uses an equals sign to show that the option takes a value. The second column gives the default, and the third column describes the behavior of the enabled option.

Option | Default | Description
--- | --- | ---
autoindent (ai) | noai | In insert mode, indent each line to the same level as the line above or below. Use with shiftwidth option.
autoprint (ap) | ap | Display changes after each editor command. (For global replacement, display last replacement.)
autowrite (aw) | noaw | Automatically write (save) file if changed, before opening another file with :n or before giving Linux command with :!.
beautify (bf) | nobf | Ignore all control characters during input (except tab, newline, or formfeed).
directory= (dir) | /tmp | Name the directory in which ex stores buffer files. (Directory must be writable.)
edcompatible | noed-compatible | Use ed-like features on substitute commands.
errorbells (eb) | errorbells | Sound bell when an error occurs.
exrc (ex) | noexrc | Allow the execution of ~/.exrc files that reside outside the user's home directory.
hardtabs= (ht) | 8 | Define boundaries for terminal hardware tabs.
ignorecase (ic) | noic | Disregard case during a search.
lisp | nolisp | Insert indents in appropriate LISP format. (), { }, [[, and ]] are modified to have meaning for LISP.
list | nolist | Print tabs as ^I; mark ends of lines with $. (Use list to tell if end character is a tab or a space.)
magic | magic | Wildcard characters . (dot), * (asterisk), and [ ] (brackets) have special meaning in patterns.
mesg | mesg | Permit system messages to display on terminal while editing in vi.
number (nu) | nonu | Display line numbers on left of screen during editing session.
redraw (re) | noredraw | Terminal redraws screen whenever edits are made (in other words, insert mode pushes over existing characters, and deleted lines immediately close up). Default depends on line speed and terminal type. noredraw is useful at slow speeds on a dumb terminal: deleted lines show up as @, and inserted text appears to overwrite existing text until you press Esc.
remap | remap | Allow nested map sequences.
report= | 5 | Display a message on the prompt line whenever you make an edit that affects at least a certain number of lines. For example, 6dd reports the message "6 lines deleted."
scroll= | <1/2 window> | Amount of screen to scroll.
sections= (sect) | SHNHH HU | Define section delimiters for [[ ]] movement. The pairs of characters in the value are the names of nroff/troff macros that begin sections.
shell= (sh) | /bin/sh | Pathname of shell used for shell escape (:!) and shell command (:sh). Default value is derived from SHELL variable.
shiftwidth= (sw) | 8 | Define number of spaces used by the indent commands (^T, ^D, >>, and <<).
showmatch (sm) | nosm | In vi, when ) or } is entered, cursor moves briefly to matching ( or {. (If the match is not on the screen, rings the error message bell.) Very useful for programming.
showmode | noshowmode | In insert mode, displays a message on the prompt line indicating the type of insert you are making, such as "Open Mode" or "Append Mode."
slowopen (slow) |  | Hold off display during insert. Default depends on line speed and terminal type.
tabstop= (ts) | 8 | Define number of spaces that a tab indents during editing session. (Printer still uses system tab of 8.)
taglength= (tl) | 0 | Define number of characters that are significant for tags. Default (0) means that all characters are significant.
tags= | tags /usr/lib/tags | Define pathname of files containing tags (see the ctags command in Chapter 3, "Linux Commands"). By default, the system looks for files tags (in the current directory) and /usr/lib/tags.
term= |  | Set terminal type.
terse | noterse | Display shorter error messages.
timeout (to) | timeout | Keyboard maps timeout after 1second.
ttytype= |  | Set terminal type. Default is inherited from TERM environment variable.
warn | warn | Display the message, "No write since last change."
window= (w) |  | Show a certain number of lines of the file on the screen. Default depends on line speed and terminal type.
wrapmargin= (wm) | 0 | Define right margin. If greater than 0, automatically insert carriage returns to break lines.
wrapscan (ws) | ws | Searches wrap around either end of file.
writeany (wa) | nowa | Allow saving to any file.

### 11.14.3. Sample ~/.exrc File

The following lines of code are an example of a customized .exrc file:

>     set nowrapscan wrapmargin=7
>     set sections=SeAhBhChDh nomesg
>     map q :w^M:n^M
>     map v dwElp
>     ab ORA O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.

Copyright © 2001 O'Reilly & Associates. All rights reserved.