My Current Vim Setup in Terminal and GUI

As a long-time Vim user, I’ve carefully curated my Vim configuration to create a powerful and efficient development environment. My setup works seamlessly in both terminal Vim and GVim (GUI Vim), providing flexibility depending on my needs. Let me walk you through the key components and explain why I chose them.

Essential Plugins

My plugin setup is minimal but powerful, managed by vim-plug. Here are the core plugins I use:

call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged') Plug 'tpope/vim-commentary' Plug 'junegunn/fzf', { 'do': { -> fzf#install() } } Plug 'junegunn/fzf.vim' Plug 'neoclide/coc.nvim', {'branch': 'master'} Plug 'tpope/vim-fugitive' Plug 'github/copilot.vim' Plug 'vimwiki/vimwiki' call plug#end()

Each plugin serves a specific purpose:

• vim-commentary: Quick code commenting
• fzf & fzf.vim: Lightning-fast fuzzy file finding and searching
• coc.nvim: Modern LSP support for intelligent code completion
• vim-fugitive: Git integration
• copilot.vim: AI-powered code suggestions
• vimwiki: Personal note-taking and wiki system

Smart Environment Detection

One of the interesting features of my setup is automatic theme switching based on macOS’s appearance settings:

function! ChangeBackground() set termguicolors hi LineNr ctermbg=NONE guibg=NONE if system("defaults read -g AppleInterfaceStyle") =~ '^Dark' set background=dark if has('gui_running') colorscheme solarized set guifont=Source\ Code\ Pro:h16 else colorscheme base16-bright endif else colorscheme rosepine set background=light endif endfunction

This function automatically switches between light and dark themes based on my system preferences. In GVim, it uses Solarized theme with Source Code Pro font, while in terminal it uses different themes optimized for each environment.

File-specific Settings

I use autocommands to set specific configurations based on file types:

augroup filetypedetect autocmd BufNewFile,BufRead *.md set filetype=markdown sts=4 shiftwidth=4 autocmd BufReadPost,BufNewFile *.md,*.txt,COMMIT_EDITMSG set wrap linebreak nolist spell spelllang=en_us complete+=kspell autocmd FileType javascript setlocal expandtab sw=2 ts=2 sts=2 autocmd FileType typescript setlocal expandtab sw=2 ts=2 sts=2 " ... more file types augroup END

This ensures consistent formatting across different file types and enables features like spell checking for markdown and text files.

Keyboard Mappings

My configuration includes carefully chosen keyboard mappings for efficiency:

• , as the leader key
• Quick file navigation with Ctrl-p for file search
• Buffer management with Ctrl-b
• Git commit browsing with Ctrl-c
• Split window navigation with Ctrl-h/j/k/l

GUI vs Terminal Usage

When I need seamless system clipboard integration or want a different visual experience, I use GVim. My configuration detects the GUI environment and applies specific settings:

if has('gui_running') colorscheme solarized set guifont=Source\ Code\ Pro:h16 endif

The GUI version offers advantages like:

• Better system clipboard integration
• Custom font rendering with Source Code Pro
• No terminal color limitations
• Easy menu access for less-used commands

Quality of Life Features

Some notable features in my configuration:

1. Automatic Trailing Space Removal:

autocmd BufWritePre * :call StripTrailingWhitespace()

2. Custom Status Line:

I use a lightweight custom status line configuration instead of heavy plugins:

set statusline= set statusline +=%1*\ %n\ %* "buffer number set statusline +=%5*%{&ff}%* "file format set statusline +=%3*%y%* "file type " ... more status line components

3. Auto-reload Files:

autocmd FocusGained,BufEnter,CursorHold,CursorHoldI * \ if mode() !~ '\v(c|r.?|!|t)' && getcmdwintype() == '' | checktime | endif

This ensures files are automatically reloaded when changed externally.

Code Intelligence with CoC

The configuration includes comprehensive CoC (Conquer of Completion) settings for modern IDE-like features:

• Code navigation (go to definition, references)
• Intelligent auto-completion
• Real-time diagnostics
• Code actions and quick fixes

My Neovim Setup

I also maintain a modern Neovim configuration written in Lua, which provides similar functionality with some modern improvements. Here’s a detailed breakdown of my Neovim setup:

Plugin Management with Packer

My Neovim configuration uses Packer as the plugin manager, with a carefully selected set of plugins:

• Core plugins like fzf and fzf.vim for fuzzy finding
• coc.nvim for LSP support and intelligent code completion
• vim-commentary for quick commenting
• copilot.vim for AI-assisted coding
• Theme-related plugins including tinted-vim and solarized-osaka.nvim

Modern Editing Features

The configuration includes numerous modern editing features:

1. Smart Indentation and Formatting:

• Auto-indentation
• Smart tab behavior
• Language-specific formatting rules
• Proper UTF-8 encoding support

2. Advanced Folding:

• Indent-based folding
• Starts with all folds open
• Custom fold text display

3. Enhanced UI Elements:

• Line numbers with relative numbering
• Custom listchars for whitespace visualization
• Modern terminal colors support
• Cursor line highlighting

Solarized Osaka Theme Configuration

I use a customized version of the Solarized Osaka theme with specific settings:

• Transparent background support
• Custom styling for comments and keywords
• Adaptive brightness for day/night usage
• Special handling for sidebars and floating windows

Smart Background Switching

Similar to my Vim configuration, the Neovim setup includes automatic theme switching based on macOS’s appearance settings:

function SwitchBackgroundAndColorScheme() local mac_ui_mode = vim.fn.system('defaults read -g AppleInterfaceStyle') mac_ui_mode = mac_ui_mode:gsub('%s+', '') if mac_ui_mode == 'Dark' then vim.opt.background = 'dark' vim.cmd("colorscheme solarized-osaka") else vim.opt.background = 'light' vim.cmd("colorscheme solarized-osaka-day") end end

Advanced Auto Commands

The Neovim configuration includes a comprehensive set of auto commands using the modern Lua API:

• File type-specific settings for various languages
• Automatic spell checking for documentation files
• Special theme handling for markdown and wiki files
• Automatic saving for TypeScript files
• Custom handling for YAML files

Intelligent Key Mappings

The configuration includes carefully thought-out key mappings:

• Leader key set to ,
• File navigation with Ctrl-p
• Buffer management with Ctrl-b
• Git integration with Ctrl-g
• Advanced CoC integration for code navigation
• Split window management
• Tab navigation

CoC Integration

The Neovim setup includes sophisticated CoC integration with:

• Tab completion
• Intelligent backspace handling
• Enhanced enter key behavior
• Automatic popup menu navigation

Conclusion

This Vim a nd Neovim setup provides a powerful development environment that works seamlessly in both terminal and GUI environments. The configuration focuses on:

• Fast file navigation and search
• Modern code completion and intelligence
• Git integration
• Automatic environment adaptation
• Consistent code formatting
• Efficient keyboard mappings

Whether I’m working in the terminal or need the convenience of GUI features, this setup ensures I have all the tools I need for efficient coding.

Here is my current config files for vim: https://github.com/vinitkumar/.vim/raw/refs/heads/master/vimrc

Here is my current Neovim Config: https://github.com/vinitkumar/nvim/raw/refs/heads/main/init.lua

Feel free to use it or borrow some parts.

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