# sjl/learnvimscriptthehardway

Repository: https://github.com/sjl/learnvimscriptthehardway
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/learnvimscriptthehardway
Homepage: http://learnvimscriptthehardway.stevelosh.com/
Language: Shell
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2023-05-05T05:39:34+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5444, "days_push": 1216, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license, no_readme
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1334, forks 254 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:25.211186+00:00)

## What it is
A free online book by Steve Losh teaching Vim users how to customize the Vim editor using Vimscript. It progresses from basic vimrc configuration through the Vimscript language to building a full distributable plugin.

## Use cases
- learn vimscript to customize my vimrc
- write my own vim plugin
- understand vim mappings and autocommands
- learn vimscript variables functions and loops
- customize vim status lines and file type detection
- book for learning vim scripting from scratch

## When to choose
- you already know basic Vim editing and want to customize or extend it
- you want a free, structured, example-driven introduction to Vimscript
- you plan to write and distribute a Vim plugin

## When to avoid
- you are a Vim beginner still learning basic editing
- you primarily use Neovim and want Lua-based configuration guidance
- you need up-to-date coverage of modern Vim 9 / Neovim scripting features

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: maintenance
- function: documentation, developer-tools
- domain: tutorials, text-editors, developer-tools, programming-languages
- platform: cross-platform, cli
- tags: vim, vimscript, book, editor-customization, free-to-read

## Member repositories
- sjl/learnvimscriptthehardway (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:25.211186+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:44:34.824988+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - homepage: http://learnvimscriptthehardway.stevelosh.com/ (fetched 2026-08-29T12:03:53.445296+00:00, sha ccdbba9f9bb2)
  - site_page: https://learnvimscriptthehardway.stevelosh.com/chapters/54.html (fetched 2026-08-29T12:03:53.454388+00:00, sha c8b87e570f63)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.