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How to install and highlight VI editor syntax with VIM

To install and highlight VI editor syntax with VIM

This article explains how to install and enable Syntax Highlighting in VI editor or Vim ( Vi IMproved )on RHEL / CentOS / Fedora.

To Install VIM

Syntax

yum -y install vim-enhanced

Output

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# yum -y install vim-enhanced
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, refresh-packagekit, security
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * base: ftp.iitm.ac.in
 * extras: ftp.iitm.ac.in
 * updates: ftp.iitm.ac.in
Setting up Install Process
..
..
..
Dependency Installed:
  vim-filesystem.x86_64 2:7.4.629-5.el6                                         

Updated:
  vim-enhanced.x86_64 2:7.4.629-5.el6                                           

Dependency Updated:
  vim-common.x86_64 2:7.4.629-5.el6                                             

Complete!

To Enable Syntax Highlighting in VI

To Enable Syntax Highlighting in VI and VIM and to add alias function to VI by pointing to VIM, just mention as follows
alias vi=vim

Example

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# vi /etc/profile
# /etc/profile
# System wide environment and startup programs, for login setup
# Functions and aliases go in /etc/bashrc
# It' s NOT a good idea to change this file unless you know what you
# are doing. It' s much better to create a custom.sh shell script in
# /etc/profile.d/ to make custom changes to your environment, as this
# will prevent the need for merging in future updates.
alias vi=vim

pathmunge () {


This given function will set the alias globally.

To set user specific aliases and functions

Example

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# vi /home/user1/.bashrc
# .bashrc
# Source global definitions
if [ -f /etc/bashrc ]  then
        . /etc/bashrc
fi
# User specific aliases and functions
alias vi=vim

To reset the changes

Execute the following command to reset the changes

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# source /etc/profile


OR

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# source /home/user1/.bashrc

To Test Syntax Highlighting in VI


To turn On or turn Off syntax highlighting

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# vim /etc/vimrc

To turn on


To turn off

Tag : Text Editor
FAQ
Q
How to install Vi editor in parrot os?
A
You can use the following command
# apt-get install vim-enhanced
Q
Where and how to create the alias for vi to vim?
A
The following step is used to set alias name for vim editor
# vi /etc/profile
alias vi=vim // add this line at the end of the file
# source /etc/profile
Q
Where to set a user-specific alias for vim?
A
For setting user-specific alias, Go to user home path and add the following line in “.bashrc” file

alias vi=vim
Q
Where to disable this highlighting in vim editor?
A
You can Disable the highlighting in "/etc/vimrc" file. Open the file and search for a line "syntax on". In that line change "on" into "off". And then save the file and exit from the file.
Q
How to install vim-enhanced on centos?
A
For install in Red Hat based distro’s:

# yum install vim-enhanced