View source for Configuring vim for postgres development


Here is some notes and tips that will help to start using vim for postgres development.

=== Some recommended ~/.vimrc options ===

Turn on syntax highlight

  syntax on

Set tab width to 4 characters, to match code style

  set tabstop=4

You can highlight 80th column in order to see if your code fits in 80 character per line limits

  set colorcolumn=80
  highlight ColorColumn ctermbg=52

The second line here defines color of this column. 52 is for dark red. You can change it to the color you like.

=== Recommended plugins ===
==== Pathogen, a simple plugin manager ====
Vim needs a plugin manager to add plugins. [https://github.com/tpope/vim-pathogen pathogen] is a simple one. You can install it from your OS repository (For Debian it would be [https://packages.debian.org/search?suite=all&section=all&arch=any&searchon=names&keywords=vim-pathogen vim-pathogen] package) or install it following the instructions from the site. After installing you should add 

  execute pathogen#infect()

to your <code>~/.vimrc</code> file and create a <code>~/.vim/bundle</code> dir. Put all the vim plugins in the <code>bundle</code> dir, they will be loaded automatically.

==== Filestyle, highlights style errors ====

Filestyle allows to highlight wrong indention, trailing spaces, and too long lines. You can [https://github.com/aserebryakov/filestyle install it from git].

To make it highlight code that does not comply postgres codestyle add to <code>~/.vimrc</code> following lines:

  set textwidth=80

This will make filestyle to highlight tails of lines that are longer than 80 characters

  let g:filestyle_ignore_patterns = ['^\t* \{1,3}\S']

This will make filestyle not to highlight indention that has from 1 to three spaces at the end. This is acceptable case in postgres codestyle

If you are using terminal version of vim, you should also add this line

  highlight Normal ctermbg=16

This is some strange trick that is needed for filestyle, I do not completely understand, but it sets background color using terminal color numbers and 0 and 16 is for black and 15 is for white. If you use some other color, find proper value yourself...

==== Lastplace, return to the place, you've been editing before ====

If you like to start editing file from the place you've been when you've exited vim before, [https://github.com/farmergreg/vim-lastplace lastplace] plugin is for you. Just install it.

==== Localvimrc, use different vim configurations for different projects ====

If you are developing different projects on same computer, you may be would not like to use postgres specific vim configure options in other projects. Then you would like [https://github.com/embear/vim-localvimrc localvimrc] plugin. Just install it and put <code>.lvimrc</code> file in postgres project dir (or in the dir above it) and put all postgres specific vim options there. Vim will use them only if you load it from your postgres dir.

=== More recommendations ===

==== ctags ====

Ctags is a tool that indexes C (and not only C code) to allow editors to jump to function source by pressing some hot key. 

In postgres code there is a script <code>src/tools/make_ctags</code> that automatically builds ctags index for all the code. You should run it from the root of the code source

  $ src/tools/make_ctags

To run it you will need to install <code>ctags</code> utility (for Debian it is in [https://packages.debian.org/search?suite=all&section=all&arch=any&searchon=names&keywords=exuberant-ctags exuberant-ctags] package)

You will also like to add <code>tags</code> to <code>.gitignore</code> file, because ctags creates a <code>tags</code> file in each directory in the code, it would be better if git would ignore them all.

After running <code>make_ctags</code> you will be able to jump to source of the function by pressing <code>Ctrl+]</code>

=== Old staff ===

In [[Developer_FAQ]] article had the following recommendations

:: For vim, a better way is to install [http://vimawesome.com/plugin/localvimrc localvimrc] via Pathogen or Vundle then add a .lvimrc in your PostgreSQL directory containing:

<pre>
" Works best with vimrc entries (otherwise localvimrc will complain):
"   let g:localvimrc_sandbox = 0
"   let g:localvimrc_whitelist = "/path/to/postgres/tree/.*"
"
if g:localvimrc_sourced_once_for_file
        finish
endif
au BufNewFile,BufRead *.[ch] setlocal noexpandtab autoindent cindent tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 softtabstop=0 cinoptions="(0,t0"
</pre>

Here nothing is explained, and not all options were moved to this article and explained. May be you would find this example useful. Or may be you manage to move all the items of this unexplained example to this article and add explanations.