Window Display Settings, Command-line mode, Definitions and Jargon

"^{char}", where {char} is the non-printing character with 64 added. Thus character 7 (bell) will be shown as "^G". Characters between 127 and 160 are replaced with "~{char}", where {char} is the character with 64 subtracted. These characters occupy more than one position on the screen. The cursor can only be positioned on the first one. If you set the 'number' option, all lines will be preceded with their number. Tip: If you don't like wrapping lines to mix with the line numbers, set the 'showbreak' option to eight spaces: > ":set showbreak=\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ " If you set the 'list' option, <Tab> characters will not be shown as several spaces, but as "^I". A '$' will be placed at the end of the line, so you can find trailing blanks. In Command-line mode only the command-line itself is shown correctly. The display of the buffer contents is updated as soon as you go back to Command mode. The last line of the window is used for status and other messages. The status messages will only be used if an option is on: > status message option default Unix default current mode 'showmode' on on command characters 'showcmd' on off cursor position 'ruler' off off The current mode is "-- INSERT --" or "-- REPLACE --", see |'showmode'|. The command characters are those that you typed but were not used yet. If you have a slow terminal you can switch off the status messages to speed up editing: > :set nosc noru nosm If there is an error, an error message will be shown for at least one second (in reverse video). Some commands show how many lines were affected. Above which threshold this happens can be controlled with the 'report' option (default 2). The name Vim and the full name of the current file name will be shown in the title bar. When the window is resized, Vim will automatically redraw the window. You may make the window as small as you like, but if it gets too small not a single line will fit in it. Make it at least 40 characters wide to be able to read most messages on the last line. ============================================================================== Definitions *definitions* *jargon* - buffer: Contains lines of text, usually from a file. - screen: The whole area that Nvim uses to display things. - window: A view on a buffer. There can be multiple windows for one buffer. - frame: Windows are kept in a tree of frames. Each frame contains a column, row, or window ("leaf" frame). A screen contains one or more windows, separated by status lines and with the command line at the bottom. > +-------------------------------+ screen | window 1 | window 2 | | | | | | | |= status line =|= status line =| | window 3 | | | | | |==== status line ==============| |command line

This section further explains how Vim displays non-printing characters, line numbers, tabs, and special characters, including how the 'number' and 'list' options affect their representation. It describes the information displayed in Command-line mode and how Vim updates the buffer display when returning to Normal mode. It details how the last line of the window is used for status messages, controlled by options like 'showmode', 'showcmd', and 'ruler'. It also covers error messages, line reporting based on the 'report' option, and the information shown in the title bar. Finally, it defines key terms like buffer, screen, window, and frame to clarify Vim's display architecture.