Universal Vim - Part 1: Getting Started With the Editor

Vim is the editor whose name is on the lips of every developer—whether they love it or hate it. It’s the most popular descendant of Vi, and its modern fork Neovim has brought renewed energy to the ecosystem. This article covers Vim and Neovim together, with a single configuration file that works for both.

This is Part One: no plugins required. You won’t need to worry about package managers or plugin registries. Everything here is built into Vim out of the box.

Why Vim?

Vim’s modal editing is its superpower. Instead of holding modifiers to perform actions, you switch modes. Normal mode lets you navigate and manipulate text. Insert mode lets you type. Visual mode lets you select. Each mode optimizes for a different task, and the result is an editing experience that, once learned, feels faster than any other approach.

For PHP developers specifically, Vim offers:

• Blazing fast file navigation without touching the mouse
• Powerful search and replace with regex support
• Built-in file explorer and terminal
• Syntax highlighting for PHP and dozens of other languages
• Extensive customization through .vimrc

Installation

Linux

sudo apt install vim        # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install vim        # Fedora
sudo pacman -S vim          # Arch

macOS

brew install vim
brew install neovim

Windows

Download the installer from vim.org or use Chocolatey:

choco install vim

Understanding Vim Modes

Vim has three primary modes you need to know:

Normal Mode

This is the default mode when Vim starts. Every key is a command, not a character to insert. You navigate, copy, delete, and paste from here. Press Escape from any other mode to return here.

Insert Mode

Press i in Normal mode to enter Insert mode. Now your keystrokes become text. Press Escape to leave.

Visual Mode

Press v in Normal mode to enter Visual mode. You can select text with movement keys, then act on the selection (delete, copy, replace).

Basic Navigation

The home row gives you four movement keys:

Word-level navigation speeds things up considerably:

File-level jumps:

Editing Commands

Insertion

Deletion

Copy and Paste

All deletion commands also yank the deleted text. Deleting a line with dd lets you paste it elsewhere with p.

Undo and Redo

Building Your vimrc

The vimrc file controls Vim’s behavior. Neovim uses ~/.config/nvim/init.vim, and Vim uses ~/.vimrc. The configuration below works for both.

Structure the vimrc into six sections:

" ==== Settings ====================
set nocompatible
 
" **** User Interface *************
 
" **** User Experience ************
 
" ==== Plugins ====================
 
" ==== Variables ==================
 
" ==== Remaps =====================
 
" ==== Auto Commands ==============

User Interface Settings

" Show real line numbers
set number
 
" Relative line numbers (toggle with :set relativenumber!)
set norelativenumber
 
" Control the left edge of the window
set numberwidth=6
 
" Always display the status bar
set laststatus=2
 
" Custom status line
if has("statusline")
    set statusline=
    set statusline+=\<%n\>
    set statusline+=\ %t
    set statusline+=\ %m%r%h%w
    set statusline+=%=
    set statusline+=(%{&ff})
    set statusline+=\ line:%l\/%L
    set statusline+=\ (%p%%)
    set statusline+=\ col:%c
endif
 
" Display guide at column 81
set colorcolumn=81
hi ColorColumn ctermbg=235

Relative line numbers take practice. With relativenumber enabled, every line is numbered by its distance from the cursor. This makes commands like 6j or 5dd intuitive since the target line number matches the count you need.

User Experience Settings

syntax on
 
colorscheme default
 
" Look for project-specific config file
set exrc
 
" Change buffers without saving first
set hidden
 
" Error settings
set noerrorbells
set novisualbell
 
" Briefly jump to matching bracket
set showmatch
 
" Window splitting behavior
set splitbelow
set splitright

The hidden setting is particularly useful. It allows you to switch buffers without saving first, reducing friction when jumping between files.

Content Settings for PHP Development

PSR-12 is the PHP coding standard, and these settings align with it:

set tabstop=4
set softtabstop=4
set shiftwidth=4
set smartindent
 
" Convert tabs to spaces
set expandtab
 
set nojoinspaces
set textwidth=0
set wrapmargin=0
set nowrap
set linebreak
 
" Minimum screen lines above/below cursor
set scrolloff=8
set sidescroll=12
set sidescrolloff=12
 
" Display invisible characters
set listchars=""
set listchars+=tab:>¬
set listchars+=eol:¶
set listchars+=trail:∙
set listchars+=extends:»
set listchars+=precedes:«
set listchars+=nbsp:¤

PHP-FIG recommends 4 spaces for indentation. Setting expandtab ensures tabs are converted to spaces, keeping your code consistent with PSR-12.

Search Settings

" Highlight search results
set hlsearch
set incsearch
 
" Case-insensitive search unless capital letters used
set ignorecase
set smartcase
 
" Wrap around file when searching
set wrapscan

The smartcase setting is invaluable. Type your search term in lowercase and Vim matches case-insensitively. Include a capital letter and Vim switches to case-sensitive mode.

File Explorer

Vim’s built-in file explorer (netrw) gives you IDE-style file navigation without plugins:

" Leader key is space
let mapleader=" "
 
" Toggle file explorer
nnoremap <Leader>fe :Lexplore<CR>
 
" netrw settings
let g:netrw_banner = 0
let g:netrw_winsize = 25

The Lexplore command opens the file explorer in a vertical split on the left side of the window. The winsize setting (25) keeps the explorer compact while giving your content most of the screen.

Terminal Integration

Vim includes a built-in terminal. No need to switch windows:

nnoremap <Leader>th :terminal<CR>
nnoremap <Leader>tv :vertical terminal<CR>

<Leader>th opens a horizontal terminal split. <Leader>tv opens a vertical one. This keeps you in Vim for quick commands without leaving your editing context.

PHP-Specific Tips

Syntax Checking

Vim’s syntax on enables PHP highlighting. For deeper checks, run PHP’s lint from within Vim:

" Check PHP syntax
command! PhpCheck !php -l %
nnoremap <Leader>pc :PhpCheck<CR>

Navigating PHP Files

Use these motions to navigate PHP code:

• [[ — Go to previous function/class
• ]] — Go to next function/class
• gd — Go to local definition (variable under cursor)
• K — Look up PHP manual for keyword under cursor

Quick File Switching

" Switch between .php and matching test file
nnoremap <Leader>st :e %:r:r.test.php<CR>

The Complete vimrc

The full configuration file is available on GitHub at github.com/andrewwoods/universal-vim. Build yours incrementally: start with a few settings, use Vim for a week, then add more. The goal is a configuration that feels natural to you, not a copy of someone else’s setup.

Conclusion

Vim’s modal editing, composable commands, and extensive built-in features make it a powerful editor for PHP development without a single plugin. Start with basic navigation (h/j/k/l), add editing commands (i, a, o, dd, yy, p), and incrementally build your vimrc as you discover what you need.

Part Two will introduce plugins that turn Vim into a full PHP IDE. For now, master the fundamentals. Every keystroke saved is a microsecond of flow preserved.