First Steps

Congratulations on installing FtVim! This guide will help you verify everything is working and get you started with the basics.

1. Verify Your Installation

Run Health Checks

Open Neovim and run:

:checkhealth ftvim

This checks what FtVim needs (git, ripgrep, a C compiler and, with the 42 extra, norminette, c_formatter_42, compiledb...) and tells you how to install what is missing. Look for any red errors - warnings (yellow) are usually fine.

For a full diagnosis of your setup, run :checkhealth. Key sections to check:

• nvim - Core Neovim functionality
• nvim-treesitter - Syntax highlighting
• mason - LSP/tool installer

Check Plugin Status

:Lazy

This opens the lazy.nvim plugin manager. All plugins should show as installed (green checkmarks).

Press S to sync and update all plugins if needed.

Check Mason Status

:Mason

This shows installed language servers and tools. You should see at least:

• lua_ls (Lua language server)
• clangd (C/C++ language server)
• pyright (Python language server)
• stylua (Lua formatter)
• shfmt (Shell formatter)

2. Install Language Servers for Your Languages

FtVim includes LSP servers for C/C++, Python, and Lua by default. For other languages:

Using Mason (Recommended)

1. Open Mason: <leader>cm or :Mason
2. Search for your language (press /)
3. Press i to install

Common Servers by Language

Language	Server	Install Command
JavaScript/TypeScript	ts_ls	:MasonInstall typescript-language-server (or enable the Web extra)
Rust	rust_analyzer	:MasonInstall rust-analyzer
Go	gopls	:MasonInstall gopls
Java	jdtls	:MasonInstall jdtls
HTML/CSS	html, cssls	:MasonInstall html-lsp css-lsp

After installing, add the server to your config to ensure it's set up:

-- ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/lsp.lua
return {
  {
    "neovim/nvim-lspconfig",
    opts = {
      servers = {
        ts_ls = {},  -- Enable TypeScript
        rust_analyzer = {},  -- Enable Rust
      },
    },
  },
}

3. Learn Essential Keymaps

FtVim uses <Space> as the leader key. Press <Space> and wait to see all available options via which-key.

Navigation

Keymap	Description
<leader>ff	Find files
<leader>fs	Search text in the project (grep)
<leader>fb	Find buffers
<leader>fr	Recent files
<leader>e	File explorer (Neo-tree)

LSP (Code Intelligence)

Keymap	Description
gd	Go to definition
gr	Find references
K	Hover documentation
<leader>ca	Code actions
<leader>cr	Rename symbol
<leader>cf	Format code

Windows & Buffers

Keymap	Description
<leader>bd	Delete buffer
<C-h/j/k/l>	Navigate between windows
<leader>wsh	Horizontal split
<leader>wsv	Vertical split

Git

Keymap	Description
<leader>go	Git status
<leader>gC	Git history of the current file
<leader>ghb	Git blame (line)

4. Try the Basic Workflow

Open a Project

cd ~/your-project
nvim

Or open a specific file:

nvim ~/your-project/main.py

Navigate Files

1. Press <leader>ff to find files
2. Type part of the filename
3. Press Enter to open

Edit Code

1. Navigate to a function
2. Press K to see documentation
3. Press gd to go to definition
4. Press <C-o> to go back

Format and Save

1. Make some changes
2. Press <leader>cf to format
3. Press <C-s> or :w to save

5. Make Your First Customization

Create a custom configuration file:

mkdir -p ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins
nvim ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/custom.lua

Add a simple customization:

-- ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/custom.lua
return {
  -- Example: Change colorscheme
  {
    "folke/tokyonight.nvim",
    opts = {
      style = "night",  -- night, storm, day, moon
    },
  },
}

Save and restart Neovim to see changes.

6. Explore Which-Key

Press <leader> (Space) and wait a moment. Which-key will show all available commands:

• f - Find/File operations
• g - Git operations
• b - Buffer operations
• c - Code operations
• x - Diagnostics
• t - Terminals
• u - UI toggles
• F - FtVim (extras, health check and, with the 42 extra, the 42 tools)

Navigate through the menus to discover features!

7. Common Tasks

Open Terminal

Press <C-\> (Ctrl + backslash) to toggle the terminal.

Toggle File Explorer

Press <leader>e to toggle Neo-tree sidebar.

Search Across Project

Press <leader>fs to search for text across all files.

Enable Extras

Run :FtVimExtras (or <leader>Fx) to enable the 42 tools, Copilot and more.

Toggle Diagnostics

Press <leader>xd to toggle error/warning display.

What's Next?

Now that you have the basics:

1. Keymaps - Complete keymap reference
2. Plugins - Explore included plugins
3. LSP - Configure language servers
4. Tips and Tricks - Level up your Vim skills

Getting Help

• :help <topic> - Built-in Neovim help
• :Lazy - Plugin manager
• :Mason - LSP/tool installer
• :checkhealth - Diagnose issues
• <leader> - Which-key menu