Re: How to use :help?

On 13.09.15 12:03, Niels Kobschaetzki wrote:
> I read quite often "just use the help" or recently on the list "don't
> use google, use :help". But how do I "use" it? When I want to know if
> something is possible in vim, I never figured out how to search for it
> because I always got the feeling that I need at least to know what
> something is called to be able to find it in the first place in the
> help.

Having used Vi/Vim for a couple of decades now, I have to concur. Unless
you already know precisely what you're looking for, by name, the help
system really isn't much help. For myself, I've accumulated 31 pages of
memory-jogging Vim notes - a scattering of reminders incompletely
covering stuff I use, including the :h codes to find the relevant help.
As a last resort, though, just ask the list; there's always someone in
the community who knows. (Maybe there are others with lists. ;-)

For completely unknown stuff, browsing the various webpages is good. A
Vim book might be good for basics. But I'm happy enough with what
appears over time on this list. For example, my 430 pages of software
notes became a little unruly over a couple of decades of growth, but
since learning of the existence of folding, I've been able to improve
the structure significantly.

The problem isn't unique to Vim, though. Try manpages w.r.t. unix
commands you've never heard of.

Erik

--
Telephone books are like dictionaries -- if you know the answer before
you look it up, you can eventually reaffirm what you thought you knew
but weren't sure. But if you're searching for something you don't
already know, your fingers could walk themselves to death.
- Erma Bombeck

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