Vim is a highly configurable text editor built to make creating and changing any kind of text very efficient. It is included as "vi" with most UNIX systems and with Apple OS X.

The version of Vim that comes with your operating system is out of date.
You can find download instructions at vim.org for all platforms.
However, the easiest way to get the latest Vim on a mac is with Homebrew…

Install the Latest Vim on a Mac with Homebrew

Quitting Vim is something that thousands of developers struggle with every day. Fortunately, for the astute, Vim tells us how to quit right on the launch screen.

Quitting Vim requires a mindset shift. Where most editors open in a persistent insert mode, Vim defaults default mode is different. It's known as normal mode and it allows you to type commands. Quit is one of those commands...

Launch and Quit Vim

Help is always at your fingertips in Vim.
Vim's documentation is built right into the editor.
Use the `:help` as a first line of defense before Stack Overflow or Google and you'll be able to spend more time in the editor.

Anything you can do in Vim has a really great `:help` doc...

Find Help in Vim

You can open files into Vim directly from the terminal. This works for both single files and multiple files. In addition to reading these files into buffers, you can open them as splits or tabs. This video covers the basics of opening files from the terminal…

Open Files into Vim from the Terminal as buffers, splits, and tabs

Create new files in Vim by creating a new buffer and writing it to disk.

The `:new` command is used — in normal mode — to create new buffers in horizontal splits.
As an alternative, `:vnew` can be used create new buffers in vertical splits.

Create New Files in Vim

Save files in Vim using the write `:write` command in normal mode.
This common command can be abbreviated `:w`.
Use it in tandem with `:q[uit]` to save and quit simultaneously: `:wq`.
The write command can be used with a bang (`!`) to write over read-only files — `:w!`.

Save Files in Vim with the Write Command

Use the edit command to open files in Vim's normal mode.

Type `:edit`, leave a space and hit `<tab>`.

This brings up a mini file explorer that can be navigated with `<tab>` or the arrow keys...

Vim Videos for Beginners

Michael Chan

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