From 4112f1b4b5c0205eec063f3570b5ddb7a5073606 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Marco Hinz Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2016 12:43:02 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Usage: handling backup, swap, undo, and viminfo files --- CHANGELOG.md | 1 + README.md | 110 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----- 2 files changed, 102 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-) diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md index de02bd5..3bed920 100644 --- a/CHANGELOG.md +++ b/CHANGELOG.md @@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. - Usage: [Getting help offline (alternative)](README.md#getting-help-offline-alternative) - Usage: [Editing remote files](README.md#editing-remote-files) - Usage: [Restore cursor position when opening file](README.md#restore-cursor-position-when-opening-file) +- Usage: [Handling backup, swap, undo, and viminfo files](README.md#handling-backup-swap-undo-and-viminfo-files) - Usage: [MatchIt](README.md#matchit) - Debugging: [Verbosity](README.md#verbosity) - Debugging: [Debugging Vim scripts](README.md#debugging-vim-scripts) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index f779779..f9aaa68 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ added every day. Things about to be added can be found here: - [Clipboard usage (Windows, OSX)](#clipboard-usage-windows-osx) - [Clipboard usage (Linux, BSD, ...)](#clipboard-usage-linux-bsd-) - [Restore cursor position when opening file](#restore-cursor-position-when-opening-file) +- [Handling backup, swap, undo, and viminfo files](#handling-backup-swap-undo-and-viminfo-files) - [Editing remote files](#editing-remote-files) - [Managing plugins](#managing-plugins) - [Block insert](#block-insert) @@ -761,15 +762,10 @@ on. Thus, `g-` and `g+` simply go back and forth in time, respectively. | `[count]g-`, `:earlier [count]?` | Go to older text state [count] times. The "?" can be either "s", "m", "h", "d", or "f". E.g. `:earlier 2d` goes to the text state from 2 days ago. `:earlier 1f` will go to the state of the latest file save. | | `[count]g+`, `:later [count]?` | Same as as above, but other direction. | -The undo tree is kept in memory and will be lost when Vim quits. If you want it -to persist, put the following in your vimrc: - -``` -set undofile -set undordir=$HOME/.vim/files/undo/ -``` - -(Make sure that `~/.vim/files/undo/` actually exists.) +The undo tree is kept in memory and will be lost when Vim quits. See [Handling +backup, swap, undo, and viminfo +files](#handling-backup-swap-undo-and-viminfo-files) for how to enable +persistent undo. If you're confused by the undo tree, [undotree](https://github.com/mbbill/undotree) does a great job at visualizing @@ -1314,6 +1310,102 @@ it was altered by another program). This requires the use of a viminfo file: `:h viminfo-'`. +#### Handling backup, swap, undo, and viminfo files + +Depending on the options, Vim creates up to 4 kinds of working files. + +**Backup files**: + +You can tell Vim to keep a backup of the original file before writing to it. By +default Vim keeps a backup but immediately removes it when writing to the file +was successful (`:set writebackup`). If you always want the latest backup file +to persist, `:set backup`. Or you disable backups altogether, `:set nobackup +nowritebackup`. + +Let's see what I added last to my vimrc.. + +``` +$ diff ~/.vim/vimrc ~/.vim/files/backup/vimrc-vimbackup +390d389 +< command! -bar -nargs=* -complete=help H helpgrep +``` + +Related help: `:h backup` + +**Swap files**: + +You came up with an idea for the best scifi novel ever. After being in the flow +for hours and writing several thousands of words.. power outage! That's the +moment you realize that the last time you saved +`~/wicked_alien_invaders_from_outer_space.txt` was.. well, you never did. + +But not all hope is lost! When editing a file, Vim creates a swap file that +contains unsaved changes. Try it for yourself, open any file and get the current +swap file by using `:swapname`. You can also disable swap file by putting `:set +noswapfile` in your vimrc. + +By default the swap file is created in the same directory as the edited file and +called something like `.file.swp`, updated either all 200 characters or when you +haven't typed anything for 4 seconds, and deleted when you stop editing the +file. You can change these numbers with `:h 'updatecount'` and `:h +'updatetime'`. + +Due to the power outage, the swap file was never deleted. If you do `vim +~/wicked_alien_invaders_from_outer_space.txt`, Vim will prompt you to recover +the file. + +Related help: `:h swap-file` and `:h usr_11` + +**Undo files**: + +The [undo tree](#undo-tree) is kept in memory and will be lost when Vim quits. +If you want it to persist, `:set undofile`. This will save the undo file for +`~/foo.c` in `~/foo.c.un~`. + +Related help: `:h 'undofile'` and `:h undo-persistence` + +**Viminfo file**: + +When backup, swap, and undo files are all about text state, viminfo files are +used for saving everything else that would otherwise be lost when quitting Vim. +The viminfo file keeps histories (command line, search, input), registers, +marks, buffer list, global variables etc. + +By default the viminfo is written to `~/.viminfo`. + +Releted help: `:h viminfo` and `:h 'viminfo'` + +--- + +If you're anything like me, you prefer keeping all these files in the same +place, e.g. `~/.vim/files`: + +``` +set backup +set backupdir =$HOME/.vim/files/backup/ +set backupext =-vimbackup +set backupskip = +set directory =$HOME/.vim/files/swap// +set updatecount =100 +set undofile +set undodir =$HOME/.vim/files/undo/ +set viminfo ='100,n$HOME/.vim/files/info/viminfo +``` + +The directory `~/.vim/files` has to be created beforehand, otherwise Vim will +spew errors. If you often work on new hosts, you might want to automate it: + +```viml +if exists('*mkdir') && !isdirectory($HOME.'/.vim/files') + call mkdir($HOME.'/.vim/files') +endif +``` + +NOTE: If you edit a file on a multi-user system and Vim prompts you that a swap +file already exists, it probably means that someone else is editing the file at +the moment. You lose this "feature" when you save your swap files in the home +directory. + #### Editing remote files Vim comes with the netrw plugin that enables editing remote files. Actually it