* **Vim**: The latest [vim](http://www.vim.org) should be installed to use this distribution (versions 7.3 and below aren't tested or guaranteed to work).
* **Bash**: Required by the _update_ and _gentags_ scripts.
* **Default Configuration**: A complete set of defaults, focusing on the most modern settings that still provide a compatible experience.
* **Custom theme**: An original colour scheme with explicit values set to optimize the look of individual filetypes.
* **Key Bindings/Aliases**: A set of bindings and aliases defined to group similar features and provide numerous (and sometimes more familiar) ways to access options.
* **Plugins**: A set of plugins have been included and configured to provide support for most normally-unsupported filetypes, and a set of features useful when using Vim as an editor.
* **Custom Configuration**: A second vimrc and bundle folder are included that aren't maintained as part of the repo, making custom plugins and configuration easy to add.
* **Note**: The _update_ script requires bash, but if it's not available you can enter the _darkcloud-vimconfig/_ folder and run: `git submodule update --init` to install the plugins manually, then create _vim/vimrc.user_ and remember to run: `:Helptags` once everything else is running.
2. If you don't know where vim expects to find your vimrc, start vim and run: `:version` to find the values "user vimrc file" (for a single-user install) and "system vimrc file" (for a system-wide install). T
3. Copy or symlink the vimrc file from `darkcloud-vimconfig/vimrc` to one of the locations vim expects to find it, based on whether you want a local or system-wide install, then choose one of the following:
* Create a file @ _~/.vim/darkcloud-path.vim_ and in it put the following: `let g:darkcloudpath="/etc/darkcloud-vimconfig"`, but replacing _"/etc/darkcloud-vimconfig"_ with the path to the _darkcloud-vimconfig_ repo folder.
* Place _darkcloud-vimconfig_ in the default location @ _/etc/darkcloud-vimconfig_.
* Create your own vimrc and have that set the _g:darkcloudpath_ variable before sourcing the included vimrc.
Once darkcloud-vimconfig has been set up, you can configure `vimpager`_1.x_ to use it by running (assuming the default path @ _"/etc/darkcloud-vimconfig"_):
*`g:autostartfiler`: **1** = Start the filer file manager when vim is run and the buffer is empty | **0** = Do nothing when vim is run and the buffer is empty (_default_: **1**)
*`g:autostartchecker`: **1** = Check syntax once an appropriate file is loaded | **0** = Check syntax only after syntax checking is toggled on (_default_: **0**)
*`g:autostarttagbar`: **1** = Have the tagbar load automatically when a compatible format is run | **0** = The tagbar will stay hidden until triggered on demand with its toggle (_default_: **0**)
*`g:disablelinebreaks`: **1** = Override filetype plugins so linebreaks never occur | **0** = Linebreaks are disabled by default, but filetype plugins can override this setting (_default_: **0**)
*`g:powerlinefonts`: **1** = Render the statusline using characters available with powerline-patched fonts | **0** = Render the statusbar with less attractive but more compatible characters available in all fonts (_default_: **0**)
* **Custom Settings**: Settings with priority over those set by darkcloud-vimconfig can be added to a file named _vimrc.user_, located in _darkcloud-vimconfig/vim/_ or any of the folders in the runtimepath.
* **Custom Plugins**: Pathogen compatible plugins can be cloned or extracted to "darkcloud-vimconfig/vim/bundle.user/", or a folder named "bundle" or "bundle.user" in any of the folders in the runtimepath.
* **Custom Snippets**: To add or override Emmet snippets, create _~/.vim/snippets.json_ and add your own definitions using json like shown in the [Emmet Documentation](http://docs.emmet.io/customization/snippets/).
* **File Associations**: To use the file manager in vim to run files with external programs, create "~/.vim/filetypes.vim" and on each line, write an association between a file extension and the program to launch files of that type that looks like: `call vimfiler#set_execute_file('mp4','xdg-open')`.
* **Update Script**: (requires: bash+git) Use this to update the project and submodules, as well as handle any required maintenance, generate docs from the pathogen plugins and create missing config scripts with preset values.
* **Generate System Tags**: (requires: bash+ctags) Generate a list of ctags for your system libraries in _/usr/include_ and _/usr/local/include_ as well as any folders passed as arguments by running the _gentags_ script.
For a complete list of mappings specific to **darkcloud-vimconfig**, check the list in the comments at the top of [vim/config/keyboard.vim](https://github.com/prurigro/darkcloud-vimconfig/blob/master/vim/config/keyboard.vim).
* [ReplaceWithRegister](https://github.com/vim-scripts/ReplaceWithRegister): Replace text with the contents of a register (for paste+replace without writing over the buffer).
* [SudoEdit.vim](https://github.com/vim-scripts/SudoEdit.vim): Read and write files without the necessary permissions through the use of sudo.
* [syntastic](https://github.com/scrooloose/syntastic): Uses system compilers and parsers to check syntax either on-the-fly or after saving a compatible document.
* [tabular](https://github.com/godlygeek/tabular): Vim script for text filtering and alignment.
* [tagbar](https://github.com/majutsushi/tagbar): Uses ctags to generate a sidebar of the tags for the current file.
* [vim-extradite](https://github.com/int3/vim-extradite): A git commit browser extending vim-fugitive that displays differences and optionally loads old revisions.
* [vimfiler.vim](https://github.com/Shougo/vimfiler.vim): A curses-style file manager for vim that runs on it's own or in a sidebar and can associate handlers for file types.
* [unite.vim](https://github.com/Shougo/unite.vim): A library used by Vim Filer to help build its user interface.
* [vim-fixkey](https://github.com/drmikehenry/vim-fixkey): A set of keyboard mappings that override differences in different environments that might normally break consistency or compatibility.
* [vim-fugitive](https://github.com/tpope/vim-fugitive): A wrapper integrating git into vim in such a way as to provide features neither of them could offer on their own.
* [vim-move](https://github.com/matze/vim-move): Provides a few convenient ways to move selected text.
* [vim-pathogen](https://github.com/tpope/vim-pathogen): A plugin to load other plugins while keeping them isolated in their own directory structure rather than all dumped together.
* [vim-polyglot](https://github.com/prurigro/vim-polyglot): The darkcloud-vimconfig fork of a meta-package that attempts to provide the best syntax plugins for each file type.
* [vim-signify](https://github.com/mhinz/vim-signify): When a version controlled file is changed, this displays a column showing where and how, and allows for navigation to and between differences.
* [vim-surround](https://github.com/tpope/vim-surround): Provides functionality to exchange surrounding delimiters and xml-style tags with another, or simply remove them.
* [vim-repeat](https://github.com/tpope/vim-repeat): A library used by vim-surround to allow its delimiter-switching functions to be repeated with the `.` command.
* [vim-togglelist](https://github.com/milkypostman/vim-togglelist): Supplies toggle functions for the *location* and *error* lists, which are used by a number of plugins and normally require separate open and close commands.
* [vim-trailing-whitespace](https://github.com/bronson/vim-trailing-whitespace): Highlights and allows for the easy removal of trailing whitespace in documents.
* By Kevin MacMartin: [GitHub Projects](https://github.com/prurigro?tab=repositories) | [Arch Linux AUR Packages](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/?SeB=m&K=prurigro)
* The jellybean theme for Vim by [NanoTech](http://nanotech.nanotechcorp.net) was stripped down and used as a starting point to build the darkcloud theme included in this project.
* The [vim-markdown](https://github.com/plasticboy/vim-markdown) plugin **TableFormat** command, used to format tables in markdown files, was pulled into [plugins.vim](https://github.com/prurigro/darkcloud-vimconfig/blob/master/vim/config/plugins.vim) from [ftplugin/mkd](https://github.com/plasticboy/vim-markdown/blob/master/ftplugin/mkd.vim).