Basic .vimrc Generator

Vim with no configuration is deliberately raw: no line numbers, no syntax highlighting on some distributions, and a search that does not highlight as you type. It is not neglect — it is compatibility with the original vi. Basic configuration switches on what practically everyone wants, and fits in twenty lines with nothing installed.

Tick the options and the page assembles the file. Worth highlighting the numbering pair: absolute number on the current line and relative on the others is what makes counted movement commands efficient, because the number shown beside a line is exactly what you type before the command. And the four search options work together: highlight, search incrementally, ignore case but start distinguishing again once you type a capital.

The first line of the file turns off vi compatibility, and it has to come before everything else — several options change behaviour depending on that setting. On indentation, the three values regularly cause confusion: one sets the visual width of a tab character, another how far the indent commands shift, and the third how many spaces the key inserts. Keeping them equal avoids surprises.