#+TITLE: Migrating from Vim * Table of Contents :TOC_5_gh:noexport: - [[#purpose-of-this-document][Purpose of this document]] - [[#philosophy][Philosophy]] - [[#basic-orientation][Basic orientation]] - [[#terms][Terms]] - [[#modes-vs-states][Modes vs. States]] - [[#layers][Layers]] - [[#transient-states][Transient-states]] - [[#key-binding-conventions][Key binding conventions]] - [[#running-commands][Running commands]] - [[#buffer-and-window-management][Buffer and window management]] - [[#buffers][Buffers]] - [[#special-buffers][Special buffers]] - [[#windows][Windows]] - [[#files][Files]] - [[#the-help-system][The Help System]] - [[#exploring][Exploring]] - [[#regular-expression-syntax][Regular expression syntax]] - [[#customization][Customization]] - [[#the-spacemacs-file][The .spacemacs file]] - [[#emacs-lisp][Emacs Lisp]] - [[#variables][Variables]] - [[#key-bindings][Key bindings]] - [[#bind-keys-to-a-macro][Bind keys to a macro]] - [[#functions][Functions]] - [[#activating-a-layer][Activating a Layer]] - [[#creating-a-layer][Creating a Layer]] - [[#installing-a-single-package][Installing a single package]] - [[#loading-packages][Loading packages]] - [[#uninstalling-a-package][Uninstalling a package]] - [[#common-tweaks][Common tweaks]] - [[#changing-the-escape-key][Changing the escape key]] - [[#changing-the-colorscheme][Changing the colorscheme]] - [[#nohlsearch][Nohlsearch]] - [[#sessions][Sessions]] - [[#navigating-using-visual-lines][Navigating using visual lines]] - [[#other-useful-links][Other useful links]] * Purpose of this document This document is intended to supplement the Spacemacs documentation by bridging the gap between vim and Spacemacs. While some information may be duplicated, this does not replace the Spacemacs documentation. It is recommended that you read both files to fully understand Spacemacs. [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/develop/doc/DOCUMENTATION.org][Spacemacs Documentation]] * Philosophy One misconception many vim users have is that Spacemacs is an Emacs /clone/ of vim. Spacemacs does not seek to completely mimic the behavior of vim everywhere, only when editing. You should not expect every vim command to be available, although many are. You cannot use Vimscript to configure Spacemacs, but who likes Vimscript anyway? It is important to understand that Spacemacs is an attempt to improve on both vim and Emacs using the superior modal editing of vim and the nicer configuration language of Emacs. * Basic orientation ** Terms Spacemacs uses some different terminology than vim, which can cause confusion for new users. This section attempts to clear up any confusion. *** Modes vs. States In vim you have various editing modes like =insert mode= and =visual mode= to manipulate text. In Emacs, we have [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/develop/doc/DOCUMENTATION.org#states][states]]. These are equivalent to vim modes. For example, =evil-insert-state= is the same as =insert-mode= in vim. A =minor-mode= in Emacs is like a feature that is activated. For example, =aggressive-indent-mode= is a =minor-mode= that automatically indents code as you type. It is important to know that there can be many =minor-modes= activated in a buffer. Many Emacs packages work by providing a =minor-mode=. A =major-mode= determines the editing behavior of Emacs in the current buffer. There is generally a corresponding =major-mode= per filetype. An example of a =major-mode= is =python-mode=, which provides python specific settings in python files. There is only one =major-mode= per buffer. *** Layers Spacemacs has the concept of layers. Layers are similar to vim plugins. They provide new features to use in Spacemacs. However, layers are often comprised of several packages that integrate well with each other. For example, the =python= layer includes support for auto-completion, documentation look-up, tests, and much more by using several different packages. This keeps you from thinking about what packages to install, and instead worry about what features you want. More information on layers can be found in the [[#customization][customization]] section and in the [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/develop/doc/DOCUMENTATION.org#configuration-layers][documentation]]. There is also a more in-depth guide on writing layers [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/develop/doc/LAYERS.org][here]]. *** Transient-states Spacemacs provides a special functionality called transient-states. Transient-states allow similar commands to be run in succession without repeatedly pressing the ~~ key. Transient-states are usually triggered by using a key binding with the following pattern: ~ .~ where group is the category the transient-state falls under. When in a transient-state you will see documentation at the bottom of your window. To exit a transient-state press ~q~. #+CAPTION: Transient-state documentation window [[file:img/spacemacs-scale-transient-state.png]] ** Key binding conventions Spacemacs uses ~SPC~ as its ~~ key. This document will use ~SPC~ to refer to the ~~ key. All key bindings are mnemonic and are organized under the ~~ key. For example, the key bindings for language-specific commands are always under the ~SPC m~ prefix. A full list of conventions used in Spacemacs is [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/develop/doc/CONVENTIONS.org][here]]. Note that all key bindings can be changed. Spacemacs uses [[https://github.com/justbur/emacs-which-key][which-key]] to show available key bindings after a delay: #+CAPTION: Which-key window [[file:img/which-key.png]] ** Running commands Emacs commands can be run using ~SPC SPC~. This will pop up a buffer using [[https://github.com/emacs-helm/helm][Helm]] which can be used to run any Emacs command. You can also run many ex commands using ~:~, just like in vim. Note: You can run Emacs interactive commands using ~:~, but you cannot run ex commands using ~SPC SPC~. ** Buffer and window management *** Buffers Buffers in Emacs and vim are essentially the same. The key bindings for buffers are located under the ~SPC b~ prefix. | Key binding | Function | |---------------------------+------------------------------------------------------| | ~SPC b b ~ | Create a buffer named ==. | | ~SPC b b~ | Search through open buffers and recent files. | | ~SPC b n~ or ~:bnext~ | Switch to the next buffer. (See [[#special-buffers][Special buffers]]) | | ~SPC b p~ or ~:bprevious~ | Switch to the previous buffer. (See [[#special-buffers][Special buffers]]) | | ~SPC b d~ or ~:bdelete~ | Kill current buffer. | | ~SPC b C-d~ | Kill buffers using a regular expression. | | ~SPC b m~ | Kill all buffers except the current buffer. | | ~SPC b .~ | Buffer transient-state. | **** Special buffers By default Emacs creates a lot of buffers that most people will never need, like =*Messages*=. Spacemacs automatically ignores these when using these key bindings. More information can be found [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/develop/doc/DOCUMENTATION.org#special-buffers][here]]. *** Windows Windows are like splits in vim. They are useful for editing multiple files at once. All window key bindings are under the ~SPC w~ prefix. | Key binding | Function | |------------------------+--------------------------------------| | ~SPC w v~ or ~:vsplit~ | Opens a vertical split on the right. | | ~SPC w s~ or ~:split~ | Opens a horizontal split below. | | ~SPC w h/j/k/l~ | Navigate among windows. | | ~SPC w H/J/K/L~ | Move the current window. | | ~SPC w .~ | Window transient-state. | ** Files All file commands in Spacemacs are available under the ~SPC f~ prefix. | Key binding | Function | |-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------| | ~SPC f f~ | Opens a buffer to search for files in the current directory. | | ~SPC f r~ | Opens a buffer to search through recently opened files. | | ~SPC f s~ or ~:w~ | Save the current file. | | ~:x~ | Save the current file and quit. | | ~:e ~ | Open == | ** The Help System Emacs has an extensive help system. All key bindings under the ~SPC h d~ prefix allow convenient access to the help system. The most important of these keybindings are ~SPC h d f~, ~SPC h d k~, and ~SPC h d v~. There is also the ~SPC ~ key binding which allows you to search for documentation. | Key binding | Function | |-------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ~SPC h d f~ | Prompts for a function and shows its documentation. | | ~SPC h d k~ | Prompts for a key binding and shows what it is bound to. | | ~SPC h d v~ | Prompts for a variable and shows its documentation and current value. | | ~SPC ~ | Searches for a command, function, variable, or face and shows its documentation. | Whenever, you see weird behavior or want to know what something does, these functions are the first thing you should refer to. ** Exploring There are a few ways to explore the functionality of Spacemacs. One is to read the [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs][source code]] on GitHub. You can begin to feel your way around Emacs Lisp and how Spacemacs works this way. You can also use the following key bindings to explore: | Key binding | Function | |-------------+---------------------------------------------------------------| | ~SPC h SPC~ | Lists all layers and allows you to view files from the layer. | | ~SPC ?~ | Lists all key bindings. | ** Regular expression syntax One thing that might catch you off guard is the difference in regex syntax between Vim and Emacs. In Emacs, even when you search under =evil-mode= with the =/= key, you'll be using the Emacs flavor of regular expression, instead of the Vim one. Some idiosyncrasies of Elisp regex: - You need to additionally escape some symbols such as: - backslash ~\~ :: ~\\~ - alternation ~|~ :: ~\|~ - grouping ~(~ and ~)~ :: ~\(~ and ~\)~ - counting ~{~ and ~}~ :: ~\{~ and ~\}~ - ~\s~ begins a [[https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/RegularExpression][syntax class]]. Whitespaces are denoted as ~\s-~ instead of ~\s~. - Use ~[0-9]~ or ~[:digit:]~ instead of ~\d~ to denote digits. For more details, refer to [[https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/RegularExpression][The EmacsWiki]], this [[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1946352/comparison-table-for-emacs-regexp-and-perl-compatible-regular-expression-pcre][SO question]] and [[https://github.com/joddie/pcre2el][this tool]] which converts PCRE regex to Emacs regex. * Customization ** The .spacemacs file When you first start spacemacs, you will be prompted to choose an editing style. If you are reading this, you likely want to choose the vim style. A =.spacemacs= file will be created with the appropriate style selected. Most trivial configuration will go in this file. There are four top-level functions in the file: =dotspacemacs/layers=, =dotspacemacs/init=, =dotspacemacs/user-init= and =dotspacemacs/user-config=. The =dotspacemacs/layers= function exist only to enable and disable layers and packages. The =dotspacemacs/init= function is run before anything else during startup and contains Spacemacs settings. You will never need to touch this function except to change default Spacemacs settings. The =dotspacemacs/user-init= function is also run before anything else and contains user specific configuration. The =dotspacemacs/user-config= function is the one you will use the most. This is where you define any user configuration. | Key binding | Function | |-------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ~SPC f e d~ | Open your =.spacemacs= | | ~SPC f e D~ | Update your =.spacemacs= manually using a diff with the default template | ** Emacs Lisp This section introduces a few emacs lisp functions that are needed to configure Spacemacs. For a more detailed look at the language, see [[http://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/elisp/][this]] link. If you really want to learn everything there is about emacs lisp, use the info page found at ~SPC h i elisp RET~. *** Variables Setting variables is the most common way to customize the behavior of Spacemacs. The syntax is simple: #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp (setq variable value) ; Syntax ;; Setting variables example (setq variable1 t ; True variable2 nil ; False variable3 '("A" "list" "of" "things")) #+END_SRC *** Key bindings Defining key bindings is something that almost everyone will want to do. The built-in =define-key= function is the best way to do that. #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp (define-key map new-keybinding function) ; Syntax ;; Map H to go to the previous buffer in normal mode (define-key evil-normal-state-map (kbd "H") 'previous-buffer) #+END_SRC The map is the keymap you want to bind the key in. Most of the time you will use =evil--state-map=. These correspond to different =evil-mode= states. For example, using =evil-insert-state-map= maps the key binding in insert mode. To map ~~ key bindings, use the =spacemacs/set-leader-keys= function. #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp (spacemacs/set-leader-keys key function) ; Syntax ;; Map killing a buffer to b c (spacemacs/set-leader-keys "bc" 'spacemacs/kill-this-buffer) ;; Map opening a link to o l only in org-mode (works for any major-mode) (spacemacs/set-leader-keys-for-major-mode 'org-mode "ol" 'org-open-at-point) #+END_SRC **** Bind keys to a macro #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp ;; H goes to beginning of the line (define-key evil-normal-state-map (kbd "H") (kbd "^")) #+END_SRC Bind keys to multiple other keys. For example: To open a newline above, but stay on the current line. The remapping in Vim: #+BEGIN_SRC vimrc nmap Oj #+END_SRC source: https://vim.fandom.com/wiki/Insert_newline_without_entering_insert_mode The equivalent remapping in Spac/Emacs: #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp ;; S-return adds a newline above (define-key evil-normal-state-map (kbd "S-") (kbd "O j")) #+END_SRC *** Functions You may occasionally want to define a function to do a more complex customization. The syntax is simple: #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp (defun func-name (arg1 arg2) "docstring" ;; Body ) ;; Calling a function (func-name arg1 arg2) #+END_SRC Here is an example of a function that is useful in real life: #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp ;; This snippet allows you to run clang-format before saving ;; given the current file as the correct filetype. ;; This relies on the c-c++ layer being enabled. (defun clang-format-for-filetype () "Run clang-format if the current file has a file extensions in the filetypes list." (let ((filetypes '("c" "cpp"))) (when (member (file-name-extension (buffer-file-name)) filetypes) (clang-format-buffer)))) ;; See http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Hooks.html for ;; what this line means (add-hook 'before-save-hook 'clang-format-for-filetype) #+END_SRC ** Activating a Layer As said in the terms section, layers provide an easy way to add features. Activating a layer is done in the =.spacemacs= file. In the file search for the =dotspacemacs-configuration-layers= variable. By default, it should look like this: #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp (defun dotspacemacs/layers () (setq-default ;; ... dotspacemacs-configuration-layers '(;; auto-completion ;; better-defaults emacs-lisp ;; (git :variables ;; git-gutter-use-fringe t) ;; markdown ;; org ;; syntax-checking ))) #+END_SRC You can uncomment these suggested layers by deleting the semi-colons for a nice out-of-the-box experience. To add a layer, add its name to the list and restart Emacs or press ~SPC f e R~. To view all layers and their documentation use ~SPC h SPC~. ** Creating a Layer To group configuration or when configuration doesn't fit well in your =.spacemacs= file, you can create a configuration layer. Spacemacs provides a builtin command to generate the layer boilerplate: ~SPC SPC configuration-layer/create-layer RET~. This generates a folder that looks like this: #+BEGIN_EXAMPLE [layer-name] |__ [local]* | |__ [example-mode-1] | | ... | |__ [example-mode-n] |__ config.el* |__ funcs.el* |__ keybindings.el* |__ packages.el [] = directory * = not created by the command #+END_EXAMPLE The =packages.el= file contains a list of packages that you can install in the variable =-packages=. Any package that is available on the [[http://melpa.org][MELPA]] repository can be added to the list. A list can also exclude packages using the =:excluded t= property. Each package requires a function to initialize it. The function /must/ be named with this pattern: =/init-=. This function contains configuration for the package. There are also =pre/post-init= functions to execute code before or after a package loads. It would look like this: #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp (setq layer-name-packages '(example-package ;; This layer uninstalls example-package-2 ;; by setting the :excluded property to true (t) (example-package-2 :excluded t))) (defun layer-name/post-init-package () ;; Add configuration to a package in another layer here ) (defun layer-name/init-example-package () ;; Configuration for example-package goes here ) #+END_SRC **Note**: Only one layer can have a =init= function for a package. If you want to override the configuration of a package in another layer, use a =/pre-init= function in addition to [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/develop/doc/LAYERS.org#use-package-hooks][use-package hooks]]. If a package is not available on MELPA, you must use a local package or a package recipe. For more details see [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/develop/doc/LAYERS.org#anatomy-of-a-layer][anatomy of a layer]]. Make sure you [[#activating-a-layer][add]] your layer to your =.spacemacs= file and restart to activate it. A detailed description of the loading process and how layers work can be found in the [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/develop/doc/LAYERS.org][configuration layers documentation.]] ** Installing a single package Sometimes creating a layer is a bit overkill. Maybe you just want one package and don't want to maintain a whole layer. Spacemacs provides a variable in the =dotspacemacs/layers= function in =.spacemacs= called =dotspacemacs-additional-packages=. Just add a package name to the list and it will be installed when you restart. Loading the package is covered in the next [[#loading-packages][section]]. ** Loading packages Ever wonder how Spacemacs can load over a 100 packages in just a few seconds? Such low loading times must require some kind of unreadable black magic that no one can understand. Thanks to [[https://github.com/jwiegley/use-package][use-package]], this is not true. It is a package that allows easy lazy-loading and configuration of packages. Here are the basics to using it: #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp ;; Basic form of use-package declaration. The :defer t tells use-package to ;; try to lazy load the package. (use-package package-name :defer t) ;; The :init section is run before the package loads. The :config section is ;; run after the package loads (use-package package-name :defer t :init (progn ;; Change some variables (setq variable1 t variable2 nil) ;; Define a function (defun foo () (message "%s" "Hello, World!"))) :config (progn ;; Calling a function that is defined when the package loads (function-defined-when-package-loads))) #+END_SRC This is just a very basic overview of =use-package=. There are many other ways to control how a package loads using it that aren't covered here. ** Uninstalling a package Spacemacs provides a variable in the =dotspacemacs/init= function in =.spacemacs= called =dotspacemacs-excluded-packages=. Just add a package name to the list and it will be uninstalled when you restart. ** Common tweaks This section is for things many will want to change. All of these settings go in the =dotspacemacs/user-config= function in your =.spacemacs= unless otherwise noted. *** Changing the escape key Spacemacs uses [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/evil-escape][evil-escape]] to allow escaping from many =major-modes= with one key binding. You can customize the variable in your =dotspacemacs/user-config= like this: #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp (defun dotspacemacs/user-config () ;; ... ;; Set escape keybinding to "jk" (setq-default evil-escape-key-sequence "jk")) #+END_SRC More documentation is found in the =evil-escape= [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/evil-escape/blob/master/README.md][README]]. *** Changing the colorscheme The =.spacemacs= file contains the =dotspacemacs-themes= variable in the =dotspacemacs/init= function. This is a list of themes that can be cycled through with the ~SPC T n~ key binding. The first theme in the list is the one that is loaded at startup. Here is an example: #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp (defun dotspacemacs/init ;; Darktooth theme is the default theme ;; Each theme is automatically installed. ;; Note that we drop the -theme from the package name. ;; Ex. darktooth-theme -> darktooth (setq-default dotspacemacs-themes '(darktooth soothe gotham))) #+END_SRC All installed themes can be listed and chosen using the ~SPC T h~ key binding. *** Nohlsearch Spacemacs emulates the default vim behavior which highlights search results even when you are not navigating between them. You can use ~SPC s c~ or ~:nohlsearch~ to disable search result highlighting. To disable the result highlighting when it is not needed anymore automatically, you can [[#uninstalling-a-package][uninstall]] the =evil-search-highlight-persist= package. *** Sessions Spacemacs does not automatically restore your windows and buffers when you reopen it. If you use vim sessions regularly you may want to set =dotspacemacs-auto-resume-layouts= to =t= in your =.spacemacs=. *** Navigating using visual lines Spacemacs uses the vim default of navigating by actual lines, even if they are wrapped. If you want ~j~ and ~k~ to behave like ~g j~ and ~g k~, add this to your =.spacemacs=: #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp (define-key evil-normal-state-map (kbd "j") 'evil-next-visual-line) (define-key evil-normal-state-map (kbd "k") 'evil-previous-visual-line) #+END_SRC * Other useful links - [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/emacs.html][Emacs Manual]] - [[https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs/blob/develop/doc/DOCUMENTATION.org][Spacemacs Documentation]] - [[http://ian.mccowan.space/2015/04/07/Spacemacs/][Spacemacs: A Vimmer's Emacs Prerequisites]] - Note: The article refers to ~SPC b s~ as the key binding to switch buffers. It is ~SPC b b~ - [[http://thume.ca/howto/2015/03/07/configuring-spacemacs-a-tutorial/][Configuring Spacemacs: A Tutorial]] - [[https://web.archive.org/web/20190423065450/https://juanjoalvarez.net/es/detail/2014/sep/19/vim-emacsevil-chaotic-migration-guide/][From Vim to Emacs+Evil chaotic migration guide]]