Vim backup files

Hi all,

I've used Vim since the 20th century, and of course things keep getting
better, which means change. As I remember, back in the day, the Vim
backup files that began with a dot and ended with .swp were text files
containing what was in the window, and were automatically updated every
X number of seconds. This appears to no longer be the case.
.test.pl.swp appeared to be a binary file, so I couldn't just diff it
with the original.

In the past, after a crash, when I ran Vim on the file again, it gave
me a dialog box in which to choose to recover, ignore, quit, whatever.
This didn't happen in today's crash.

I tried using :rec in the main file, it said there was no recovery
file, and maybe changed the recovery file to .test.pl.swp.swp. I tried
a few other things, but I was always just one step behind and
eventually lost the swap files completely. Only one of them was
important, and I have a paper copy, so I should be OK.

After a crash, I'd like a way to know whether a swap file exists, and
whether it indicates any differences from what's in my buffer. Is there
a program that can do this for me, now that the dialog box doesn't
happen anymore?

Thanks,

SteveT

Steve Litt
Spring 2021 featured book: Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful Technologist
http://www.troubleshooters.com/techniques

--
--
You received this message from the "vim_use" maillist.
Do not top-post! Type your reply below the text you are replying to.
For more information, visit http://www.vim.org/maillist.php

---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "vim_use" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to vim_use+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vim_use/20211017181834.3289c725%40mydesk.domain.cxm.