vim for C++ programming

Here’s how to get your vim editor ready for C++ programming.

1. Invoke vim with your to-be-created-file name.

vim foobar.cpp

2. Before beginning to write the program, set the following options in your Normal mode.

:set smartindent

smartindent is one of the most preferred indentation types for C/C++ programs.

3. After setting up indentation, the next thing you’d want to do is set up automating closing of brackets, braces and parenthesis if you’re comfortable with kate-like editors. You can set this by issuing the following commands again in the Normal mode.


:inoremap [ []<Esc>i
:inoremap { {}<Esc>i
:inoremap ( ()<Esc>i


inoremap is mapping tool which maps the keys that you type, to something that you define. It is really awesome and you can save a lot of time by the above commands.

3.You are almost ready for cpp programming but you would not to type these commands every-time you want to write a cpp program.

So, to make these changes permanent, I would suggest using mksession. That way vim would remember all your session settings and you can invoke it whenever you want.

To create a session file, use the following in your normal mode.

:mksession ~/cppsettings.vim

This creates a cppsetting.vim file in your home folder (you can use any folder, but calling this file again from the $HOME folder is easy to remember).

To use these settings again, whenever you start a cpp program, type

source ~/cppsettings.vim

and all your settings that you’ve saved will be used. You need not type all the settings commands again.

Alternatively, if you want to always invoke cpp programs WITH the settings, you can do so by starting vim with the -S option along with the settings-file name before the cpp file name. For example,

vim -S ~/cppsettings.vim foobar.cpp

will import your settings at the time of starting your program and you need not enter the normal mode to invoke the settings.

You can now start writing c++ programs happily in vim. If you have any doubts/comments/suggestions you’re free to do so in the comments section.

Happy programming !

Note: Although you might want the auto-completion feature too, after going through many such tools/plugins for vim like ctags, taglist, cppcomplete and omnicppcomplete, I realized that it is widely accepted that none of them are perfect enough.

You might want to have a look at this. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1115876/autocompletion-in-vim

Macbuntu in 15 min

Apple’s Mac OS X is well known for its awesome looks ! Sadly, you can’t obtain it if you don’t have a Macintosh Computer.

There are a few alternatives. I chose Macbuntu. It is clean, free and can be installed upon Ubuntu ! It installs all the necessary apps, icons and other resources to make your desktop look just like OS X !

Pros:

1. You still work on your good ol’ Ubuntu machine, but with stunning looks !

2. Seamless transition between your GNOME desktop looks and the new mac look.

3. Its free and seems to be stable.

4. You get a nice dock, just like a mac !

Requirements:

1. This article is about installing Macbuntu looks on Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat). If you’re using a different version of Ubuntu, please modify the suitable commands.

2. GNOME desktop environment.

3. Willingness to exchange simplistic looks to flashy ones.

The Macbuntu project is hosted at http://sourceforge.net/projects/macbuntu/. To install macbuntu, follow these instructions:

wget https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/macbuntu/macbuntu-10.10/v2.3/Macbuntu-10.10.tar.gz -O /tmp/Macbuntu-10.10.tar.gz

tar xzvf /tmp/Macbuntu-10.10.tar.gz -C /tmp
cd /tmp/Macbuntu-10.10/
./install.sh

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You can select what to install/modify in the installation process.

After everything gets installed, restart your computer. You’d have a wonderful Mac OSX-looking Ubuntu. Enjoy !!

Note: If you do not have Compiz installed on your ubuntu, you won’t see the visual effects. You can always download compiz and compiz-core from the Ubuntu Software Center.

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Upgrade :

If you’re upgrading from an older version of Macbuntu, replace the install.sh by upgrade.sh.

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Uninstall :

If OSX looks are too flashy for you, you can always uninstall it using the uninstall script.

cd /tmp/Macbuntu-10.10/
./uninstall.sh