Re: Open big file in Gvim

On 24/03/10 11:29, lmhelp2 wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> Thank you for reading my post :) .
>
> I have a very big XML file (which is actually a Wikipedia dump)...
> its size is approximately 5.9 GB.
> I want to open it with "gvim"...
> but it looks like it can't open...
>
> Have you ever had such a problem?
> How can I edit it with "gvim" all the same?
> Do I have to use another editor? If so, which one?
>
> Why can't I open such big files?
> Is it because I do not have enough RAM (I have 1.87 GB of RAM)?
>
> Thank you for your help :) .
> Sincerely,
> --
> Lmhelp

Any file being edited is loaded in its entirety into Vim memory. Vim
could use the OS swapfile (aka virtual memory) but normally doesn't
exceed half the available RAM. Also, Vim keeps track of what you do in
order to be able to undo, and to restore your file in case the system
crashes (a circuit breaker pops open, let's say) before you save your work.

This can lead to two kind of problems:
- A memory problem, see
:help 'maxmem'
:help 'maxmemtot'
:help limits

- A performance problem, see
:help 'backup'
I recommend ":set nobackup writebackup" for normal use
if compiled with +writebackup. You may prefer
":set nobackup nowritebackup" (at your own risk) for
huge files.
:help 'undolevels'
:help 'swapfile'

Best regards,
Tony.
--
DINGO: You must spank her well and after you have spanked her you
may deal with her as you like and then ... spank me.
AMAZING: And spank me!
STUNNER: And me.
LOVELY: And me.
"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" PYTHON (MONTY)
PICTURES LTD

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