Subject: Vim 6.0f alpha available
From: Bram Moolenaar <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2000 21:55:39 +0200

Another Vim in the 6.0 series.  The story continues...

Quite a few more reported problems have been fixed.

The default for 'runtimepath' now also includes various directories for
non-Unix systems.  The directories are often the same ones as where the vimrc
file is found.  This should make using plugin scripts and new syntax files
easier.

I added an optional ! to ":runtime".  When included (":runtime! file.vim") all
found files are sourced.  When excluded (":runtime file.vim") only the first
one is sourced.  This is used to source only the first syntax file found (the
":syn clear" would cause a problem).

After loading a syntax file, Vim also checks the "syntax2" directory.  This
should now be used to modify a syntax.  E.g., to change the colors.  Much
simpler than setting up autocommands and "mysyntaxfile".

I enhanced the DOS/Windows install program.  Instead of asking the user
whether to move the vim executable or add a directory to $PATH it now creates
a small batch file, which is written in an existing directory in $PATH.  Not
tested yet!

Added the ":setfiletype" command, a short and simple way to set 'filetype' in
an autocommand.  Mostly useful in a user filetype.vim file.

":emenu" can be used in Visual mode to execute a ":vmenu" entry.

":popup" can be used to pop up a popup menu.

Added "-bar" argument to ":command" to allow another command after a user
command.

Allow a tags file to have CR, CR-LF or LF line separator.  Makes tags files
portable over all systems, including Macintosh.  This would break when a line
contains a CR halfway the line, do we care?

":let @/ = ''" clears the search pattern, instead of setting it to an empty
string (which matches everywhere, quite useless).

'cindent' formatted C comments differently from what the 'comments' option
specified. (Steve Wall)  It's not always right yet.

Fixed: A ":finish" inside a ":while" wasn't used until the ":endwhile", except
ofr the first time in the loop.

Default for 'grepprg' didn't include the file name when only grepping in one
file.  Now /dev/null has been added for Unix.

Opening the option window twice caused trouble.  Now the cursor goes to the
existing option window.

WARNING: This is really an unstable version.  Many things have been added
without proper testing.  It does crash.  It may destroy your work.

This version is for developers, thus it comes as source code only.
If you run into something that doesn't work, please try to figure out why,
try to solve it and send me a patch.  If you can't do that, at least send me
precise information to save me time.

If you don't like the syntax of a command, the name of an option or how the
new features work, let's discuss this in the vim-dev maillist.

More info for the new 6.0 features at ":help version6".

Lots of things are not working yet.  Check ":help todo" for known items.

I NEED YOUR HELP: There is still a lot of work to be done.  If I have to do it
all by myself it will take a very long time until Vim.6.0 is ready.  Please
give a hand by implementing one of the items in the todo list.

You can find it here: ftp://ftp.vim.org/pub/vim/unreleased/

unix/vim-6.0f-rt.tar.gz		runtime files
unix/vim-6.0f-src.tar.gz	sources

extra/vim-6.0f-extra.tar.gz	extra files
extra/vim-6.0f-lang.tar.gz	multi-language files

Happy Vimming!