How to Change Vim Background and Make It Look Like Sublime or Visual Studio | Vim background | Vim themes | change Vim background | Sublime Text theme in Vim | Visual Studio theme in Vim | customize Vim appearance | vim-plug plugin manager | Solarized Vim theme | Dracula Vim theme | Vim theme installation | Vim color scheme | Vim customization guide

Vim is an incredibly powerful text editor known for its efficiency and customizable features. However, one area that many new users struggle with is how to make Vim look and feel more like modern IDEs such as Sublime Text or Visual Studio. One of the easiest ways to achieve a more modern look is by changing the background and customizing the theme of Vim.

In this article, we’ll guide you step by step on how to change your Vim background, how to make it look like Sublime Text or Visual Studio, and how to download and install custom backgrounds. We’ll also include all the Vim commands you need to personalize your editor’s appearance.

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1. Changing Vim Background to Match Sublime Text or Visual Studio

Vim’s default interface is pretty minimalist, and it uses a plain background. But you can customize Vim's appearance by changing its theme and adjusting the background color to something more sleek like Sublime Text or Visual Studio. Here’s how to change it.

1.1 Switch to a Dark Background (Similar to Sublime Text/Visual Studio)

Sublime Text and Visual Studio are known for their dark themes that make long coding sessions easier on the eyes. Vim also allows you to switch to a dark background, and it's simple to do.

Step-by-Step Command:

1. Open Vim.
2. To change the background to dark, type the following command:

   arduino
   
   :set background=dark
   

   This command sets the background to dark mode. If you'd prefer a light background, you can change it by typing:

   arduino
   :set background=light
   

1.2 Applying a Sublime or Visual Studio-Like Theme

Once you've set the background to dark or light, you can change the entire theme of Vim to mimic Sublime Text or Visual Studio.

• Sublime Text: The "Sublime Text" theme is known for its elegant color scheme with clean contrasts. Vim has several themes available that resemble this look.
• Visual Studio: The "Visual Studio" theme is also available and is ideal for users who prefer a darker, more integrated look similar to Visual Studio.

Here’s how to get them.

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2. Installing and Using Custom Themes in Vim

Step-by-Step Command to Download and Install Themes:

1. Install Plugin Manager (vim-plug): To get custom themes, you need a plugin manager like vim-plug. If you don't have it installed, follow these steps:

   • Open your terminal and run:

     bash
     curl -fLo ~/.vim/autoload/plug.vim --create-dirs \
       https://raw.githubusercontent.com/junegunn/vim-plug/master/plug.vim
     

   • This will install vim-plug, a plugin manager that will allow you to easily install and manage themes in Vim.

2. Edit Your vimrc File: Once you’ve installed vim-plug, you need to modify your vimrc file to include the theme plugin. To do so:

   • Open the vimrc file with:

     bash
     
     vim ~/.vimrc
     

   • Add the following lines to the vimrc file to enable Sublime Text or Visual Studio-like themes:

   For Sublime Text Theme:

   vim
   
   call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged')
   Plug 'lifepillar/vim-solarized8'  " Solarized theme, resembling Sublime
   call plug#end()
   

   For Visual Studio Theme:

   vim
   
   call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged')
   Plug 'tomasr/molokai'  " Molokai theme, closely resembling Visual Studio's color scheme
   call plug#end()
   

3. Install the Themes: After adding the desired themes, save and exit the vimrc file by typing :wq.

   • To install the themes, run the following command inside Vim:

     ruby
     
     :PlugInstall
     

   This will download and install the plugins directly from GitHub.

4. Activate the Theme: After installation, you need to activate the theme by adding this line to your vimrc file:

   • For Sublime Text-like theme (e.g., Solarized8):

     vim
     
     colorscheme solarized8
     

   • For Visual Studio-like theme (e.g., Molokai):

     vim
     
     colorscheme molokai
     

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3. Customizing Vim Background Using Other Popular Themes

Apart from Sublime and Visual Studio-like themes, there are several other popular themes that you can download and use to customize Vim’s background:

3.1 Solarized Theme

Solarized is one of the most popular color schemes for text editors and is available in both dark and light variants. This theme offers a high contrast and readable color palette, making it an excellent choice for long coding sessions.

To install Solarized:

1. Open the vimrc file:

   bash
   
   vim ~/.vimrc
   

2. Add the following code to install the Solarized theme:

   vim
   
   call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged')
   Plug 'altercation/vim-colors-solarized'
   call plug#end()
   

3. Save and exit the vimrc file by typing :wq.
4. Install the theme by typing:

   ruby
   
   :PlugInstall
   

5. After installation, enable Solarized by typing:

   vim
   
   colorscheme solarized
   

3.2 Dracula Theme

The Dracula theme is another popular theme that has been ported to Vim. It offers a dark background with vibrant colors, perfect for those who like a bold look.

To install Dracula:

1. Open the vimrc file:

   bash
   
   vim ~/.vimrc
   

2. Add the following code:

   vim
   
   call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged')
   Plug 'dracula/vim'
   call plug#end()
   

3. Save and exit by typing :wq.
4. Install the theme by typing:

   ruby
   
   :PlugInstall
   

5. Enable Dracula with:

   vim
   
   colorscheme dracula
   

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4. Additional Customization Options

In addition to changing the background and applying themes, you can further customize the appearance of Vim by adjusting text colors, fonts, and other visual settings.

Step-by-Step Command to Customize Font:

1. If you’re using a terminal, you can change the font directly from your terminal settings.
2. For Vim to display a specific font, add the following command to your vimrc file:

   vim
   
   set guifont=Monaco:h14
   

   Replace Monaco with the name of your preferred font and adjust the h14 to change the font size.

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5. Conclusion

Changing the background and customizing Vim to look like Sublime Text or Visual Studio is a great way to enhance your coding environment. By using Vim themes, you can make your Vim editor more visually appealing and easier to use. With the step-by-step guide above, you should be able to adjust Vim’s background, install custom themes, and personalize your Vim editor just like the sleek modern IDEs.

Once you get comfortable with these settings, you can explore other plugins and themes to further tailor Vim to your needs.