MACVIM VIMRC HOW TO
MACVIM VIMRC CODE

Some code in iTerm, with TERM=xterm, using the color palette above: Here is a sample ~/.Xresources for you Linux/BSD users: You can use a color picker or copy/paste these values: The table below contains a subset of Apprentice’s palette. Working with 8/16 colorsĪs an alternative to changing your default TERM to xterm-256color or similar, you can keep its default value (usually something like xterm or screen) and set your terminal emulator to use the Apprentice colorscheme instead of its default colors. The actual value is highly dependent on your terminal emulator and/or your terminal multiplexer, though, so you will have to refer to their manual. The “ideal” TERM usually includes the string 256color, like xterm-256color. Assuming your terminal emulator actually supports 256 colors, you must instruct it to brag about its terminal-hood by setting the correct TERM environment variable. Most terminal emulators in use nowadays can display 256 colors but most of them use a default TERM that tells Vim otherwise. There is nothing to do for GVim/MacVim as GUI Vim supports millions of colors by default. It supports lesser terminal emulators in the sense that it doesn’t break but it will definitely look “better” in more capable environments.

MACVIM VIMRC HOW TO

You should also know how to change the color settings and find the best solution for you.ĭon’t be afraid to experiment with the color configuration.Apprentice is designed first and foremost to look “good” in terminal emulators supporting 256 colors and in GUI Vim (GVim/MacVim). Just add the lines to the existing configuration file, following the standard highlight syntax.Īfter reading this article, you should have some basic knowledge of Vim color schemes. When manually configuring syntax highlighting, you can add individual instructions with the highlight command.

To enable the syntax highlight feature you also need to include the following line: syntax on Here, you can set the default color scheme by modifying the colorscheme line and setting the theme you prefer. To make the changes permanent, modify Vim’s configuration file with the wanted color settings.įirst, you need to open the Vim startup file, located in /etc or users home directory under the name. Once you close Vim, the color scheme returns to the default settings. Take a look at this file and its initial color scheme when opened with the Vim text editor:Ĭhanges you have made to the color settings are not permanent. The best way to show how the highlight command works, is with a simple example. Instead, the values you use for these highlight keys include: bold, italic, underline, reverse, and none. However, cterm and gui are not used with color values. When specifying the values for ctermfg, ctermbg/ guifg, guibg, you can use standard color names, their prescribed numbers or hex values (only in the GUI). Users who prefer the GUI need to use the highlight keys: The key=value element varies depending on whether you use a GUI or work in a terminal window.įor example, if you are working inside a terminal that has color support, you could include any of the following highlight keys: To see an extensive list of all the groups, refer to Vim’s official documentation. These are just some out of the many Vim highlight groups. Cursor (the character under the cursor).NonText (characters that don’t exist in the text).There are numerous groups you can define in the previously mentioned command. While highlight is the instruction, the element is the item(s), which should be affected by the key-value modifiers.

Note: You can substitute highlight with hi for short.

Macvim vimrc