Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!rutgers!ucsd!swrinde!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!uunet!wash08!gsp98
From: gsp98@wash08.uucp (Gerald Partsch)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: vi editor enhancement request
Summary: showmode, ctrl-G, set number, .exrc
Keywords: vi display
Message-ID: <1989Nov17.005005.17174@wash08.uucp>
Date: 17 Nov 89 00:50:05 GMT
References: <456@tron.UUCP> <5530@ethz-inf.UUCP>
Reply-To: gsp98@wash08.UUCP (Gerald Partsch)
Organization: American Chemical Society, Washington, DC
Lines: 33

In article <5530@ethz-inf.UUCP> wyle@ethz.UUCP (Mitchell Wyle) writes:
>In article <456@tron.UUCP> wali@tron.UUCP (Saleem Wali) writes:
>> (vi editor) Is there anyone who knows of a utility which allows "vi" to
>> display various information, e.g., the filename, time, and
>> whether I am in the insert mode or in the command mode, at the top of 
>> the screen.
>
>The control-G command will give you file name, if modified, line number and
>current position as a percentage.    :set modeline might also help.
>Vi intentionally does not put all kinds of crap on your screen (like
>wordstar) other than the text.  This philosophy helps at low baud rates; I
>admit that "modes" is a weakness, but you can get used to them.
>
>>**   Westinghouse Electric Corp.   *    New on the job                  **
>
>If you  hack the sources of stevie or the "S" vi clones to put up this mode
>stuff on the top line, please post them.
>
>-Mitch (vi fanatic) Wyle

If you include the following lines in your ".exrc" file, you will get 
a status line at the bottom of the screen that displays "INPUT MODE"
when you are in input mode and displays nothing when in command mode.
They also number the lines in the file.

	.exrc
	-----
		set showmode
		set number

A <ctrl-G> displays the following information:

	"filename" line x of y -- % --