Vim is a powerful and highly customizable text editor that is widely used by programmers and developers. If you are new to Vim and want to set a specific version as your default, this step-by-step guide will help you achieve that.
Step 1: Check Installed Vim Versions
Before setting a version as default, it is important to know which versions of Vim are installed on your system. Open a terminal and type the following command:
vim --version
This will display the list of Vim versions installed on your system along with their features and patches.
Step 2: Locate the Vim Executable
Once you have identified the version you want to set as default, you need to locate the executable file for that version. In most cases, the Vim executable is located in the /usr/bin/ directory. You can use the following command to find the exact location:
which vim
This will display the path to the Vim executable file.
Step 3: Edit the .bashrc or .bash_profile File
To set a specific version of Vim as default, you need to modify your shell configuration file. Depending on your system, this file could be either .bashrc or .bash_profile. Open the file using a text editor:
vim ~/.bashrc or vim ~/.bash_profile
Scroll to the end of the file and add the following line:
alias vim='/path/to/vim'
Replace /path/to/vim with the actual path to the Vim executable file you located in Step 2. Save the file and exit the text editor.
Step 4: Update the Shell Configuration
After making changes to the shell configuration file, you need to update the changes. Run the following command in the terminal:
source ~/.bashrc or source ~/.bash_profile
This will apply the changes and make the specified version of Vim as the default one.
Step 5: Verify the Default Version
To confirm that the desired version of Vim is set as default, run the following command:
vim --version
This will display the version of Vim that is currently set as default. Make sure it matches the version you intended to set.
Congratulations! You have successfully set a specific version of Vim as your default. Now, whenever you run the vim command, it will launch the version you specified.
Conclusion
Setting a default version of Vim allows you to work with your preferred configuration and features. By following this step-by-step guide, you can easily set a specific version of Vim as your default. Remember to double-check the version after making changes to ensure it is set correctly.
References
| Description | Link |
|---|---|
| Vim Official Website | https://www.vim.org/ |
| Linux Man Pages: vim | https://linux.die.net/man/1/vim |
| Vim Documentation | https://vimhelp.org/ |