276 lines
13 KiB
Text
276 lines
13 KiB
Text
*os_msdos.txt* For Vim version 7.4. Last change: 2005 Mar 29
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VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
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*msdos* *ms-dos* *MSDOS* *MS-DOS*
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This file contains the particularities for the MS-DOS version of Vim.
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1. Two versions for MS-DOS |msdos-versions|
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2. Known problems |msdos-problems|
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3. Long file names |msdos-longfname|
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4. Termcap codes |msdos-termcap|
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5. Shifted arrow keys |msdos-arrows|
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6. Filename extensions |msdos-fname-extensions|
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7. Memory usage and limitations |msdos-limitations|
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8. Symbolically linked files |msdos-linked-files|
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9. Copy/paste in a dos box |msdos-copy-paste|
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Additionally, there are a number of common Win32 and DOS items:
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File locations |dos-locations|
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Using backslashes |dos-backslash|
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Standard mappings |dos-standard-mappings|
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Screen output and colors |dos-colors|
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File formats |dos-file-formats|
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:cd command |dos-:cd|
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Interrupting |dos-CTRL-Break|
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Temp files |dos-temp-files|
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Shell option default |dos-shell|
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For compiling Vim see src/INSTALL.pc. *msdos-compiling*
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==============================================================================
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1. Two versions for MS-DOS *msdos-versions*
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There are two versions of Vim that can be used with MS-DOS machines:
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*dos16*
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Dos16 version Can be used on any MS-DOS system, only uses up to 640 Kbyte of
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memory. Also runs on OS/2, Windows 95, and NT. Excludes some
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Vim-specific features (autocommands, syntax highlighting,
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etc.). Recommended for use on pre-386 machines.
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*dos32*
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Dos32 version Requires 386 processor and a |DPMI| driver, uses all
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available memory. Supports long file names and the Windows
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clipboard, but NOT on Windows NT. Recommended for MS-DOS,
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Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.
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There are also two versions that run under Windows:
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Win32 version Requires Windows 95 or Windows NT, uses all available
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memory, supports long file names, etc. Has some problems on
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Windows 95. Recommended for Windows NT. See |os_win32.txt|
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Win32 GUI Requirements like the Win32 version, but runs in its own
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window, instead of a console. Has scrollbars, menu, etc.
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Recommended for Windows 95 and Windows NT. See |gui-w32|.
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It is recommended to use the Dos32 or Win32 version. Although the Dos16
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version is able to edit very big files, it quickly runs out of memory when
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making big changes. Disabling undo helps: ":set ul=-1". The screen updating
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of the Dos16 version is the fastest of the three on DOS or Windows 95; on
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Windows NT, the Win32 version is just as fast.
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*DPMI*
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For the Dos32 version, you may need a DPMI driver when running in MS-DOS. If
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you are running Windows or installed a clever memory manager, it will probably
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work already. If you get the message "No DPMI", you need to install a DPMI
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driver. Such a driver is included with the executable in CSDPMI4B.ZIP. Run
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"cwsdpmi" just before starting Vim each time. Or you might want to include
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"cwsdpmi -p" in your autoexec.bat to make it resident. The latest version of
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"CSDPMI*.ZIP" can be obtained from: "ftp.neosoft.com:pub/users/s/sandmann".
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*minimal-features*
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The 16 bit DOS version has been compiled with minimal features. Check the
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|+feature-list| which ones are included (marked with a "T").
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You can include more features by editing feature.h and recompiling.
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==============================================================================
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2. Known problems *msdos-problems*
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When using smartdrive (MS-DOS 6.x) with write-behind caching, it is possible
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that Vim will try to create a swap file on a read-only file system (e.g.
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write protected floppy). You will then be given the message >
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A serious disk error has occurred .., Retry (r)?
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There is nothing you can do but unprotect the floppy or switch off the
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computer. Even CTRL-ALT-DEL will not get you out of this. This is really a
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problem of smartdrive, not Vim. Smartdrive works fine otherwise. If this
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bothers you, don't use the write-behind caching.
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Vim can't read swap files that have been opened already, unless the "share"
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command has been used. If you see stray warnings for existing swap files,
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include the "share" command in your config.sys or autoexec.bat (see your MSDOS
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documentation).
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The Dos16 version can only have about 10 files open (in a window or hidden) at
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one time. With more files you will get error messages when trying to read or
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write a file, and for filter commands. Or Vim runs out of memory, and random
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problems may result.
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The Dos32 version cannot have an unlimited number of files open at any one
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time. The limit depends on the setting of FILES in your CONFIG.SYS. This
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defaults to 15; if you need to edit a lot of files, you should increase this.
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If you do not set FILES high enough, you can get strange errors, and shell
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commands may cause a crash!
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The Dos32 version can work with long file names. When doing file name
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completion, matches for the short file name will also be found. But this will
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result in the corresponding long file name. For example, if you have the long
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file name "this_is_a_test" with the short file name "this_i~1", the command
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":e *1" will start editing "this_is_a_test".
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When using the Dos32 version and you run into problems with DPMI support,
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check if there is a program in your config.sys that eats resources. One
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program known to cause this problem is "netx", which says "NetWare v. 3.26
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Workstation shell". Replace it with version 3.32 to fix the problem.
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The Dos32 version will parse its arguments to handle quotation. This is good
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to edit a file with spaces in its name, for example: >
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vim "program files\accessories\ppp.scp"
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A side effect is that single quotes are removed. Insert a backslash to avoid
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that. For example, to edit the file "fi'le.txt": >
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vim fi\'le.txt
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==============================================================================
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3. Long file names *msdos-longfname*
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If the Dos32 version is run on Windows 95, it can use long file names. It
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will work by default. If you want to disable this, use this setting:
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set LFN=N
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You can put this in your autoexec.bat file.
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Note: If you have installed DJGPP on your machine, you probably have a
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"djgpp.env" file, which contains "LFN=n". You need to use "LFN=Y" to switch
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on using long file names then.
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==============================================================================
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4. Termcap codes *msdos-termcap*
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If you want to use another output method (e.g., when using a terminal on a COM
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port), set the terminal name to "pcansi". You can change the termcap options
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when needed (see |terminal-options|). Note that the
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normal IBM ansi.sys does not support all the codes of the builtin pcansi
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terminal. If you use ansi.sys, you will need to delete the termcap entries
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t_al and t_dl with >
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:set t_al= t_dl=
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Otherwise, the screen will not be updated correctly. It is better to use
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nansi.sys, nnansi.sys, or the like instead of ansi.sys.
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If you want to use Vim on a terminal connected to a COM: port, reset the
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'bioskey' option. Otherwise the commands will be read from the PC keyboard.
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CTRL-C and CTRL-P may not work correctly with 'bioskey' reset.
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==============================================================================
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5. Shifted arrow keys *msdos-arrows*
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Use CTRL-arrow-left and CTRL-arrow-right instead of SHIFT-arrow-left and
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SHIFT-arrow-right. The arrow-up and arrow-down cannot be used with SHIFT or
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CTRL.
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==============================================================================
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6. Filename extensions *msdos-fname-extensions*
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MS-DOS allows for only one file name extension. Therefore, when appending an
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extension, the '.' in the original file name is replaced with a '_', the name
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is truncated to 8 characters, and the new extension (e.g., ".swp") is
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appended. Two examples: "test.c" becomes "test_c.bak", "thisisat.est"
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becomes "thisisat.bak". To reduce these problems, the default for
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'backupext' is "~" instead of ".bak". The backup file for "thisisat.est"
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then becomes "thisisat.es~". The 'shortname' option is not available,
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because it would always be set.
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==============================================================================
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7. Memory usage and limitations *msdos-limitations*
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A swap file is used to store most of the text. You should be able to edit
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very large files. However, memory is used for undo and other things. If you
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delete a lot of text, you can still run out of memory in the Dos16 version.
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If Vim gives an "Out of memory" warning, you should stop editing. The result
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of further editing actions is unpredictable. Setting 'undolevels' to 0 saves
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some memory. Running the maze macros on a big maze is guaranteed to run out
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of memory, because each change is remembered for undo. In this case set
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'undolevels' to a negative number. This will switch off undo completely.
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*msdos-clipboard-limits*
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In the Dos32 version, extended memory is used to avoid these problems.
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However, if you are using the clipboard, you can still run into memory
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limitations because the Windows clipboard can only communicate with Vim using
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Dos memory. This means that the largest amount of text that can be sent to
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or received from the Windows clipboard is limited by how much free Dos memory
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is available on your system.
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You can usually maximize the amount of available Dos memory by adding the
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following lines to Dos's "config.sys" file: >
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DOS=HIGH,UMB
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DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\himem.sys
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DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\emm386.exe RAM
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Modifying config.sys in this way will also help to make more memory available
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for the Dos16 version, if you are using that.
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In the Dos16 version the line length is limited to about 32000 characters.
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When reading a file the lines are automatically split. But editing a line
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in such a way that it becomes too long may give unexpected results.
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==============================================================================
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8. Symbolically linked files *msdos-linked-files*
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When using Vim to edit a symbolically linked file on a unix NFS file server,
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you may run into problems. When writing the file, Vim does not "write
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through" the symlink. Instead, it deletes the symbolic link and creates a new
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file in its place.
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On Unix, Vim is prepared for links (symbolic or hard). A backup copy of the
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original file is made and then the original file is overwritten. This assures
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that all properties of the file remain the same. On non-Unix systems, the
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original file is renamed and a new file is written. Only the protection bits
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are set like the original file. However, this doesn't work properly when
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working on an NFS-mounted file system where links and other things exist. The
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only way to fix this in the current version is not making a backup file, by
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":set nobackup nowritebackup" |'writebackup'|
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A similar problem occurs when mounting a Unix filesystem through Samba or a
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similar system. When Vim creates a new file it will get the default user ID
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for the mounted file system. This may be different from the original user ID.
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To avoid this set the 'backupcopy' option to "yes".
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==============================================================================
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9. Copy/paste in a dos box *msdos-copy-paste*
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*E450* *E451* *E452* *E453* *E454*
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The 32 bit version can copy/paste from/to the Windows clipboard directly. Use
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the "* register. Large amounts of text can be copied this way, but it must be
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possible to allocate memory for it, see |msdos-clipboard-limits|. When moving
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text from one Vim to another, the type of the selection
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(characterwise/linewise/blockwise) is passed on.
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In other versions, the following can be used.
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(posted to comp.editors by John Velman <velman@igate1.hac.com>)
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How to copy/paste text from/to vim in a dos box:
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1) To get VIM to run in a window, instead of full screen, press alt+enter.
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This toggles back and forth between full screen and a dos window.
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NOTE: In Windows 95 you must have the property "Fast Pasting" unchecked!
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In the properties dialog box for the MS-DOS window, go to "MS-DOS
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Prompt/Misc/Fast pasting" and make sure that it is NOT checked.
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To make this permanent, change the properties for
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"\windows\system\conagent.exe" (from Philip Nelson, unverified).
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2) To paste something _into_ Vim, put Vim in insert mode.
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3) Put the text you want to paste on the windows clipboard.
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4) Click the control box in the upper left of the Vim window. (This looks
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like a big minus sign.) If you don't want to use the mouse, you can get
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this with alt+spacebar.
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5) On the resulting dropdown menu choose "Edit".
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6) On the child dropdown menu choose "Paste".
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To copy something from the Vim window to the clipboard,
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1) Select the control box to get the control drop down menu.
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2) Select "Edit".
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3) Select "Mark".
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4) Using either the keys or the mouse, select the part of the Vim window that
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you want to copy. To use the keys, use the arrow keys, and hold down shift
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to extend the selection.
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5) When you've completed your selection, press 'enter'. The selection
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is now in the windows clipboard. By the way, this can be any
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rectangular selection, for example columns 4-25 in rows 7-10. It can
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include anything in the VIM window: the output of a :!dir, for
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example.
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vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl:
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