simple-vim-settings

This repository contains a streamlined vim configuration with plugins and settings to enhance your vim experience. It is designed to be easily installed on any system using vim-plug as the plugin manager. Many extra features are included as commented-out lines for quick enabling—simply uncomment them if you want to try additional functionalities.

Features

• vim-plug – Modern, fast plugin management for vim.

• Popular plugins such as:

  • fzf.vim – Fuzzy finder powered by fzf.
  • CtrlP – Fuzzy file finder.
  • vim-over – Live preview for substitute commands.
  • vim-abolish – Case/inflection aware search and replace.
  • vim-which-key – Leader-key popup hints.
  • vim-commentary – Easy commenting.
  • vim-gitgutter – Git diff indicators.
  • rainbow_parentheses.vim – Colorful nested parentheses.
  • indentLine – Indentation visualization.
  • vim-highlightedyank – Highlights yanked text briefly to help you see what was copied.
  • vim-startify – Provides a customizable start screen with recent files, sessions, and bookmarks.
  • vim-polyglot – Language pack with improved syntax and folding support.
  • vim-oscyank – Copy over SSH/terminal using OSC52 (global clipboard-friendly).
  • GitHub Copilot – AI code completion inside Vim.
  • coc.nvim – [macOS only] Autocompletion and language server protocol integration for a modern coding experience.
  • Additional plugins for databases and themes are also included.

• Enhanced editor settings – syntax highlighting, smooth scrolling, smart indentation, and more.

• Custom mappings – predefined shortcuts for navigation, file management, folding, and plugin functions.

• Leader mapped to Spacebar – all custom mappings use the spacebar as the leader key.

Installation

Pre-requisites

• On macOS:

  • If Node.js is not installed, the script will automatically install it via Homebrew (without prompt).

  • If Homebrew itself is not installed, please install Homebrew first:

    /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

• Optional but recommended: install fortune so the start screen can show quotes. Example installs:

  • macOS (Homebrew): brew install fortune
  • Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install fortune-mod

• Optional: install formatters used by :Autoformat:

  • shfmt for bash files
  • prettier for JavaScript/TypeScript/Markdown

• Optional: install fzf for the best fuzzy-finder experience (the vim plugin can also install its own binary).

• Optional: install bat (or batcat on Debian/Ubuntu) for file previews in fzf.

• Optional: install rg (ripgrep) for fast full-text search with fzf.

Quick Install

Run the following command in your terminal:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alecksmart/simple-vim-settings/main/install.sh | bash

Alternatively, you can use wget:

wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alecksmart/simple-vim-settings/main/install.sh | bash

What the script does:

1. Backs up your existing ~/.vimrc into ~/.vimrc_backup/vimrc-<timestamp> if present.
2. Downloads the new vimrc from this repository and saves it as ~/.vimrc (cache-busted).
3. Installs vim-plug into ~/.vim/autoload (creating the directory if needed).
4. Runs a headless PlugInstall --sync followed by PlugUpdate --sync so all plugins install on the first run.
5. macOS only: If Node.js is missing, installs it automatically via Homebrew. If coc.nvim is present, runs npm install && npm ci, then installs default coc extensions (HTML, CSS, TS, JSON, ESLint).
6. Ensures the pink-moon colorscheme block is present at the end of ~/.vimrc (idempotent—no duplicates on reruns).

When complete, open Vim to start using the new configuration.

Root Usage (Optional)

If you want root to use the same Vim settings and plugins as a regular user, you can link root's Vim config to the user's config:

ln -sfn /home/<user>/.vimrc /root/.vimrc
ln -sfn /home/<user>/.vim /root/.vim

This keeps sudo vim and root Vim sessions consistent with the user's settings and installed plugins.

GitHub Copilot Setup

1. Ensure Node.js 16+ is installed.
2. Open Vim and run :PlugInstall if you haven't already.
3. Run :Copilot setup and follow the browser sign-in flow.
4. Optional: use :Copilot enable or :Copilot disable to toggle.

Notes:

• Copilot requires an active GitHub Copilot subscription/access.
• The machine running Vim must have Node.js available in PATH.
• If you're on a host without outbound access to GitHub (common over SSH), Copilot won't work.
• Use :Copilot status to verify activation.

Autocompletion

Autocompletion is enabled only for macOS (intentionally). Make sure Node.js is installed (the script does this automatically if it’s missing). On non-mac platforms, you can remove or modify the coc.nvim plugin lines in .vimrc if desired.

Repository Structure

• vimrc: the vim configuration file. It is downloaded and installed as ~/.vimrc.
• install.sh: the installation script that backs up any existing configuration, downloads the new configuration, installs vim-plug, and handles coc.nvim setup.

Custom Key Mappings

Some of the key mappings include:

• FZF (fuzzy finder):
  • <leader>f: Open file finder.
  • <leader>b: Open buffer finder.
  • <leader>m: Open file history list.
  • <leader>g: Ripgrep search with preview.
• Vim-Over (live substitute):
  • <leader>r: Start a live preview substitute on the current line; in visual mode, runs within the selection.
• Abolish (smart case-aware replace):
  • Use :S/pattern/repl/g for case/inflection-aware replacements (no mapping needed).
• Which-Key (leader menu):
  • <leader>: Show a popup of available leader mappings.
• Goyo (distraction-free):
  • <leader>G: Toggle Goyo mode.
• Floaterm (floating terminal):
  • <leader>t: Toggle floating terminal.
• vim-surround:
  • cs: Change surrounding pairs (e.g., quotes/brackets/tags).
  • ds: Delete surrounding pairs.
• targets.vim:
  • in: Select “inside next” object.
  • il: Select “inside last” object.
• vim-commentary:
  • gc: Toggle comment (works in normal and visual modes).
• vim-gitgutter:
  • <leader>gg: Toggle gitgutter signs.
  • <leader>gn: Go to next hunk.
  • <leader>gp: Go to previous hunk.
• Built-In Folding:
  • za: Toggle fold at cursor.
  • zR: Open all folds.
  • zM: Close all folds.
• Startify (sessions & start screen):
  • <leader>ss: Save current session.
  • <leader>sl: Load a saved session.
  • :Startify: Open the start screen.
  • :SDelete {name}: Delete a saved session.
  • :SClose: Close the current session.
• Clipboard (OSC52):
  • <leader>c (visual): Copy selection to the system clipboard over OSC52.
• Moving Lines:
  • Alt-j / Alt-k: Move the current line or selection down/up (works in normal, insert, and visual modes).
• Visuals:
  • <leader>l: Toggle Limelight (enabled by default at startup).
  • <leader>tm: Toggle table mode.
• Helper:
  • <leader>?: Show the in-Vim shortcuts window.
• Window & Tab Navigation:
  • <C-w> h/j/k/l: Move between windows.
  • gt / gT: Navigate tabs.
• Additional Enhancements:
  • vim-highlightedyank: Yanked text is briefly highlighted.
  • vim-startify: Presents a start screen with recent files and sessions when vim is opened.
• Autocompletion (macOS only):
  • coc.nvim is automatically loaded and configured for autocompletion and language server integration.
• Note: <leader> is mapped to the spacebar.

Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome! Please check the issues page for more details.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.