# kickstart.nvim
## Introduction
A starting point for Neovim that is:
* Small
* Single-file
* Completely Documented
**NOT** a Neovim distribution, but instead a starting point for your configuration.
## Installation
### Install Neovim
Kickstart.nvim targets *only* the latest
['stable'](https://github.com/neovim/neovim/releases/tag/stable) and latest
['nightly'](https://github.com/neovim/neovim/releases/tag/nightly) of Neovim.
If you are experiencing issues, please make sure you have the latest versions.
### Install External Dependencies
> **NOTE**
> [Backup](#FAQ) your previous configuration (if any exists)
External Requirements:
- Basic utils: `git`, `make`, `unzip`, C Compiler (`gcc`)
- [ripgrep](https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep#installation)
- Language Setup:
- If want to write Typescript, you need `npm`
- If want to write Golang, you will need `go`
- etc.
> **NOTE**
> See [Windows Installation](#Windows-Installation) to double check any additional Windows notes
Neovim's configurations are located under the following paths, depending on your OS:
| OS | PATH |
| :- | :--- |
| Linux, MacOS | `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/nvim`, `~/.config/nvim` |
| Windows (cmd)| `%userprofile%\AppData\Local\nvim\` |
| Windows (powershell)| `$env:USERPROFILE\AppData\Local\nvim\` |
Clone kickstart.nvim:
Linux and Mac
```sh
git clone https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim.git "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}"/nvim
```
Windows
If you're using `cmd.exe`:
```
git clone https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim.git %userprofile%\AppData\Local\nvim\
```
If you're using `powershell.exe`
```
git clone https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim.git $env:USERPROFILE\AppData\Local\nvim\
```
### Post Installation
Start Neovim
```sh
nvim
```
That's it! Lazy will install all the plugins you have. Use `:Lazy` to view
current plugin status.
Read through the `init.lua` file in your configuration folder for more
information about extending and exploring Neovim.
### Getting Started
See [Effective Neovim: Instant IDE](https://youtu.be/stqUbv-5u2s), covering the
previous version. Note: The install via init.lua is outdated, please follow the
install instructions in this file instead. An updated video is coming soon.
### Recommended Steps
[Fork](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/fork-a-repo) this repo
(so that you have your own copy that you can modify) and then installing you
can install to your machine using the methods above.
> **NOTE**
> Your fork's url will be something like this: `https://github.com//kickstart.nvim.git`
#### Examples of adding popularly requested plugins
Adding autopairs
This will automatically install [windwp/nvim-autopairs](https://github.com/windwp/nvim-autopairs) and enable it on startup. For more information, see documentation for [lazy.nvim](https://github.com/folke/lazy.nvim).
In the file: `lua/custom/plugins/autopairs.lua`, add:
```lua
-- File: lua/custom/plugins/autopairs.lua
return {
"windwp/nvim-autopairs",
-- Optional dependency
dependencies = { 'hrsh7th/nvim-cmp' },
config = function()
require("nvim-autopairs").setup {}
-- If you want to automatically add `(` after selecting a function or method
local cmp_autopairs = require('nvim-autopairs.completion.cmp')
local cmp = require('cmp')
cmp.event:on(
'confirm_done',
cmp_autopairs.on_confirm_done()
)
end,
}
```
Adding a file tree plugin
This will install the tree plugin and add the command `:Neotree` for you. You can explore the documentation at [neo-tree.nvim](https://github.com/nvim-neo-tree/neo-tree.nvim) for more information.
In the file: `lua/custom/plugins/filetree.lua`, add:
```lua
-- Unless you are still migrating, remove the deprecated commands from v1.x
vim.cmd([[ let g:neo_tree_remove_legacy_commands = 1 ]])
return {
"nvim-neo-tree/neo-tree.nvim",
version = "*",
dependencies = {
"nvim-lua/plenary.nvim",
"nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons", -- not strictly required, but recommended
"MunifTanjim/nui.nvim",
},
config = function ()
require('neo-tree').setup {}
end,
}
```
### FAQ
* What should I do if I already have a pre-existing neovim configuration?
* You should back it up, then delete all files associated with it.
* This includes your existing init.lua and the neovim files in `~/.local` which can be deleted with `rm -rf ~/.local/share/nvim/`
* Can I keep my existing configuration in parallel to kickstart?
* Yes! You can use [NVIM_APPNAME](https://neovim.io/doc/user/starting.html#%24NVIM_APPNAME)`=nvim-NAME` to maintain multiple configurations. For example you can install the kickstart configuration in `~/.config/nvim-kickstart` and create an alias:
```
alias nvim-kickstart='NVIM_APPNAME="nvim-kickstart" nvim'
```
When you run Neovim using `nvim-kickstart` alias it will use the alternative config directory and the matching local directory `~/.local/share/nvim-kickstart`. You can apply this approach to any Neovim distribution that you would like to try out.
* What if I want to "uninstall" this configuration:
* See [lazy.nvim uninstall](https://github.com/folke/lazy.nvim#-uninstalling) information
* Why is the kickstart `init.lua` a single file? Wouldn't it make sense to split it into multiple files?
* The main purpose of kickstart is to serve as a teaching tool and a reference
configuration that someone can easily `git clone` as a basis for their own.
As you progress in learning Neovim and Lua, you might consider splitting `init.lua`
into smaller parts. A fork of kickstart that does this while maintaining the exact
same functionality is available here:
* [kickstart-modular.nvim](https://github.com/dam9000/kickstart-modular.nvim)
* Discussions on this topic can be found here:
* [Restructure the configuration](https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim/issues/218)
* [Reorganize init.lua into a multi-file setup](https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim/pull/473)
### Windows Installation
Installation may require installing build tools, and updating the run command for `telescope-fzf-native`
See `telescope-fzf-native` documentation for [more details](https://github.com/nvim-telescope/telescope-fzf-native.nvim#installation)
This requires:
- Install CMake, and the Microsoft C++ Build Tools on Windows
```lua
{'nvim-telescope/telescope-fzf-native.nvim', build = 'cmake -S. -Bbuild -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release && cmake --build build --config Release && cmake --install build --prefix build' }
```