Commands

VEM provides a simple and intuitive command-line interface. Here’s a comprehensive overview of all available commands.

Command Overview

Command	Description
`create`	Create a new Vim environment
`list`	List all available environments
`switch`	Switch to a specific environment
`current`	Show the currently active environment
`remove`	Remove an environment

Global Options

All commands support these global options:

--help, -h: Show help information
--version, -V: Show version information
--verbose, -v: Enable verbose output
--quiet, -q: Suppress non-essential output

Command Details

`vem create <name>`

Creates a new Vim environment with the specified name.

Usage:

vem create <environment-name>

Examples:

vem create development
vem create writing
vem create experimental

Options:

--from <template>: Create from existing environment (future feature)
--description <desc>: Add description to environment (future feature)

Behavior:

Creates directory structure under ~/.vem/environments/<name>/
Initializes empty .vimrc and .vim/ directory
Environment becomes available for switching

`vem list`

Lists all available Vim environments.

Usage:

vem list

Options:

--detailed, -d: Show detailed information (future feature)
--current-first: Show current environment first (future feature)

Output:

development
writing
experimental

`vem switch <name>`

Switches to the specified Vim environment.

Usage:

vem switch <environment-name>

Examples:

vem switch development
vem switch writing

Behavior:

Updates symbolic links to point to the specified environment
Makes the environment active for new Vim sessions
Preserves existing Vim sessions

`vem current`

Shows the currently active Vim environment.

Usage:

vem current

Output:

development

Exit Codes:

0: Success, environment shown
1: No environment currently active

`vem remove <name>`

Removes a Vim environment permanently.

Usage:

vem remove <environment-name>

Examples:

vem remove experimental

Options:

--force, -f: Skip confirmation prompt (future feature)
--backup: Create backup before removal (future feature)

Safety:

Prompts for confirmation before removal
Cannot remove currently active environment
Permanently deletes all environment data

Exit Codes

VEM uses standard exit codes:

0: Success
1: General error
2: Invalid command or arguments
3: Environment not found
4: Environment already exists
5: Permission denied

Shell Completion

VEM supports shell completion for bash, zsh, and fish (future feature):

# bash
vem completions bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/vem

# zsh  
vem completions zsh > ~/.zsh/completions/_vem

# fish
vem completions fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/vem.fish

Keyboard shortcuts

VEM Documentation