Frequently Asked Questions

These are the most common questions users ask about ViEmu for Word and Outlook, hopefully yours is answered below. If it isn't, don't hesitate to ask us by e-mail.

In Outlook, I can only use vi-vim keybindings when composing an email.
This is by design - vi keybindings are only provided in the text editing environment. Providing a reasonable vi-like interfaced in lists, etc... would be a huge challenge and not a great gain.

When I insert some text, and then replay it with the '.' command, the text inserted is not exactly the same as the 1st time
Word's autocorrection/autostyling are enabled while in insert mode. When repeating input, ViEmu only has access to the keystrokes typed, and autocorrection/autostyling are not applied when replaying them. If you are going to repeat a sequence of keystrokes, be sure to type them exactly as you want them to appear.

I selected an image with the mouse and pressed Delete - ViEmu deleted a character instead of the picture
The current version of ViEmu only interacts with text. If you want to operate with other elements, the best way is to enter insert mode and work there, and then return to normal mode for text editing. Future versions of ViEmu will understand this type of situation better and act accordingly.

I tried [insert favorite vi/vim feature] and it doesn't work!
Please, tell us so that it can be taken into account in new versions. ViEmu is getting better every week thanks to suggestions from users. Alpha/beta versions are usually made available to customers and users who are evaluating the product (check the forums for the latest builds), with a much shorter turnaround than waiting for the next official release. Thus, if the feature you are asking for is an oversight which is simple to implement, chances are you may have it available in a short lapse of time.

Why such a product? Getting back to 70's text editing?
I guess you're not a vi/vim diehard. Granted, it's not for everyone, but for many people, once past the initial 2-3 weeks learning curve, which is steep, it becomes much more powerful and quicker than regular "arrows" style text editing. After months, your brain actually gets hardwired and it takes effort to not use it. This product is for such people (which, you can guess, includes myself). Read this if you want to know how and why I got started with vi-vim myself less than two years ago, and hopefully it will make some sense.