The Vim plugin "bash-support.vim" streamlines BASH-script writing and execution using menus and hotkeys, significantly simplifying the task.
Vim, the text editor on which this plugin operates, was first released by Bram Moolenaar in 1991 for the Amiga computer. Vim is an extended version of the vi editor, with many additional features. It was designed to be helpful in editing program source code. Despite being cross-platform, Vim is most popular on Unix-like operating systems. Vim is free and open-source software, released under a software license compatible with the GNU General Public License.
Vim's interface is not based on menus or icons but on commands given in a text user interface. Its GUI mode, gVim, adds menus and toolbars for commonly used commands, but the full functionality is still expressed through its command-line mode. While learning Vim may be difficult and slow initially, once the basics are understood, users progress quickly, and editing becomes more efficient. Vim has a built-in tutorial for beginners to facilitate this. The Vim Users' Manual is also available, detailing the basic and more advanced Vim features.
To install Bash-support.vim, users should copy the zip archive bash-support.zip to $HOME/.vim/ and run unzip bash-support.zip. If users already have an older version of this plugin and have modified the template files, they may want to save their templates first or copy the files from the archive manually. Users can also refer to the file README.bashsupport within the zip file.
In the latest release of Bash-support.vim, users can enjoy a range of new features. The menu item 'toggle comment' replaces 'code->comment' and 'comment->code.' Hotkey co has been removed, and cc is now a toggle. Bugs with adjusting comments (cj) have been fixed – the # in '$#' and '${#...}' are no longer regarded as a start of a comment. Also, bugs with cl in insert mode called function for visual mode have been addressed.
Version 2.5: N/A