Comments on: My backspace key won’t work in Vim! http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/2006/10/28/my-backspace-key-wont-work-in-vim/ Free-Software, GNU/Linux, Traffic Management & Thoughts Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:41:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: chris http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/2006/10/28/my-backspace-key-wont-work-in-vim/comment-page-1/#comment-292851 chris Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:28:35 +0000 http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/?p=90#comment-292851 Pleasure :-) Pleasure :-)

]]> By: Phillip Harrington http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/2006/10/28/my-backspace-key-wont-work-in-vim/comment-page-1/#comment-292841 Phillip Harrington Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:26:08 +0000 http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/?p=90#comment-292841 Ahhh thank you for this snippet. Saved me from endless frustration. Ahhh thank you for this snippet. Saved me from endless frustration.

]]> By: szebusa http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/2006/10/28/my-backspace-key-wont-work-in-vim/comment-page-1/#comment-254451 szebusa Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:42:30 +0000 http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/?p=90#comment-254451 Thank you soooo much, set t_kb=^? did it - other forums just suggested set backspace=2 which didn't solve the problem :D Thank you soooo much, set t_kb=^? did it – other forums just suggested
set backspace=2 which didn’t solve the problem :D

]]> By: Jerome http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/2006/10/28/my-backspace-key-wont-work-in-vim/comment-page-1/#comment-1497 Jerome Mon, 05 Mar 2007 11:00:44 +0000 http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/?p=90#comment-1497 Thank you so much! I've been sitting here for a good 20mins trying to figure out what was going on, as opposed to starting my assignment. Thanks again. Jerome Thank you so much! I’ve been sitting here for a good 20mins trying to figure out what was going on, as opposed to starting my assignment.

Thanks again. Jerome

]]> By: amanda http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/2006/10/28/my-backspace-key-wont-work-in-vim/comment-page-1/#comment-1101 amanda Sun, 25 Feb 2007 04:47:10 +0000 http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/?p=90#comment-1101 This didn't work for me. I've still got a forward delete for a backspace key. What gives? This didn’t work for me. I’ve still got a forward delete for a backspace key. What gives?

]]> By: Chris http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/2006/10/28/my-backspace-key-wont-work-in-vim/comment-page-1/#comment-118 Chris Sat, 28 Oct 2006 23:27:02 +0000 http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/?p=90#comment-118 Stuart, good comments as always! ;) However, the above settings work 100% for me in both SSH and local xterm's. Stuart, good comments as always! ;) However, the above settings work 100% for me in both SSH and local xterm’s.

]]> By: stuart http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/2006/10/28/my-backspace-key-wont-work-in-vim/comment-page-1/#comment-117 stuart Sat, 28 Oct 2006 23:17:51 +0000 http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/?p=90#comment-117 ... and actually, it's the wrong way around! Firstly, the first line makes ^? and ^H indistinguishable, so there's no way to tell backspace (delete-left) from delete (delete-right). This is obviously wrong, and so should be omitted. The second line maps the backspace function to delete, the third line maps the delete function to backspace! So the correct entries in .vimrc are: " Ensure correct delete/backspace mapping, even from ssh set t_kb=^? set t_kD=^H set backspace=indent,eol,start ... noting that "^?" is input by typing ctrl+v, then backspace, and "^H" from ctrl+v then delete. Depending on the language settings and unicode mode on either end of an ssh connection, this may not appear as ^H, you may see something similar to "^[[3~". Yay to fully unicode OSs <sigh> (Everyone should try <a href="http://cm.bell-labs.com/plan9/" rel="nofollow">Plan 9</a> at least once ;) … and actually, it’s the wrong way around!

Firstly, the first line makes ^? and ^H indistinguishable, so there’s no way to tell backspace (delete-left) from delete (delete-right). This is obviously wrong, and so should be omitted.

The second line maps the backspace function to delete, the third line maps the delete function to backspace!

So the correct entries in .vimrc are:

” Ensure correct delete/backspace mapping, even from ssh
set t_kb=^?
set t_kD=^H
set backspace=indent,eol,start

… noting that “^?” is input by typing ctrl+v, then backspace, and “^H” from ctrl+v then delete. Depending on the language settings and unicode mode on either end of an ssh connection, this may not appear as ^H, you may see something similar to “^[[3~”.

Yay to fully unicode OSs <sigh>

(Everyone should try Plan 9 at least once ;)

]]> By: stuart http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/2006/10/28/my-backspace-key-wont-work-in-vim/comment-page-1/#comment-116 stuart Sat, 28 Oct 2006 23:02:53 +0000 http://www.cjbuckley.net/blog/?p=90#comment-116 Or, for the current way to perform the fourth action in versions of vim from 5.5 onwards: :set backspace=indent,eol,start (Note that this allows backspacing over autoindents and line breaks, allows deletion from before the point where the current insertion commenced) ... so it's not required to get backspace/delete working properly - but it's certainly nice to have! Or, for the current way to perform the fourth action in versions of vim from 5.5 onwards:

:set backspace=indent,eol,start

(Note that this allows backspacing over autoindents and line breaks, allows deletion from before the point where the current insertion commenced)

… so it’s not required to get backspace/delete working properly – but it’s certainly nice to have!

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