1

Background

The Debian 11 vim package doesn't include python3 support. See the section titled "No python support in Debian 11 vim - evidence" below

I need vim with python3 support for the YouCompleteMe vim plugin. Syntax highlighting is also required. To build a new vim, I downloaded the vim 9.0 tarball into /opt/ on my Debian 11 system and extracted it... explicitly:

$ cd /opt
$ sudo wget http://ftp.vim.org/pub/pub/vim/unix/vim-9.0.tar.bz2
$ sudo bunzip2 ./vim-9.0.tar.bz2
$ sudo chown -R mpenning:mpenning vim/

I built it with...

$ cd /opt/vim
$ ./configure \
 --enable-python3interp=yes \
 --with-python3-command=python3.9 \
 --with-features=huge \
 --with-compiledby="[email protected]"
$ make
$ sudo cp src/vim /usr/bin/vim

However, now I see these errors when I start vim...

$ vim foo.py
2022-10-24 09:08:31 [INFO] Editing 'foo.py'.
failed to load colors/lists/default.vim
failed to load colors/lists/default.vim
Press ENTER or type command to continue

As one might expect, I get no vim syntax highlighting when I see the errors listed above. Just for kicks, I tried this in my vim session:

  • :syntax enable
  • :colorscheme default
  • :filetype plugin on

Predictably, that doesn't help.

Question

How can I build a Debian vim binary with python3 and syntax highlighting support?

No python support in Debian 11 vim - evidence

$ vim --version
VIM - Vi IMproved 8.2 (2019 Dec 12, compiled Oct 01 2021 01:51:08)
Included patches: 1-2434
Extra patches: 8.2.3402, 8.2.3403, 8.2.3409, 8.2.3428
Modified by [email protected]
Compiled by [email protected]
Huge version without GUI.  Features included (+) or not (-):
+acl               -farsi             +mouse_sgr         +tag_binary
+arabic            +file_in_path      -mouse_sysmouse    -tag_old_static
+autocmd           +find_in_path      +mouse_urxvt       -tag_any_white
+autochdir         +float             +mouse_xterm       -tcl
-autoservername    +folding           +multi_byte        +termguicolors
-balloon_eval      -footer            +multi_lang        +terminal
+balloon_eval_term +fork()            -mzscheme          +terminfo
-browse            +gettext           +netbeans_intg     +termresponse
++builtin_terms    -hangul_input      +num64             +textobjects
+byte_offset       +iconv             +packages          +textprop
+channel           +insert_expand     +path_extra        +timers
+cindent           +ipv6              -perl              +title
-clientserver      +job               +persistent_undo   -toolbar
-clipboard         +jumplist          +popupwin          +user_commands
+cmdline_compl     +keymap            +postscript        +vartabs
+cmdline_hist      +lambda            +printer           +vertsplit
+cmdline_info      +langmap           +profile           +virtualedit
+comments          +libcall           -python            +visual
+conceal           +linebreak         -python3           +visualextra
+cryptv            +lispindent        +quickfix          +viminfo
+cscope            +listcmds          +reltime           +vreplace
+cursorbind        +localmap          +rightleft         +wildignore
+cursorshape       -lua               -ruby              +wildmenu
+dialog_con        +menu              +scrollbind        +windows
+diff              +mksession         +signs             +writebackup
+digraphs          +modify_fname      +smartindent       -X11
-dnd               +mouse             -sound             -xfontset
-ebcdic            -mouseshape        +spell             -xim
+emacs_tags        +mouse_dec         +startuptime       -xpm
+eval              +mouse_gpm         +statusline        -xsmp
+ex_extra          -mouse_jsbterm     -sun_workshop      -xterm_clipboard
+extra_search      +mouse_netterm     +syntax            -xterm_save
   system vimrc file: "$VIM/vimrc"
     user vimrc file: "$HOME/.vimrc"
 2nd user vimrc file: "~/.vim/vimrc"
      user exrc file: "$HOME/.exrc"
       defaults file: "$VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim"
  fall-back for $VIM: "/usr/share/vim"
Compilation: gcc -c -I. -Iproto -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -Wdate-time -g -O2 -ffile-prefix-map=/build/vim-DtwDbo/vim-8.2.2434=. -fstack-protector-strong -Wformat -Werror=format-security -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=1
Linking: gcc -Wl,-z,relro -Wl,-z,now -Wl,--as-needed -o vim -lm -ltinfo -lselinux -lacl -lattr -lgpm -ldl
$
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  • 2
    I think the vim-gtk and vim-gtk3 packages should come with Python support. I don't have a Debian system so I can't test it, but that's what the package description says. That's probably easier than building your own version. Oct 24, 2022 at 19:05

1 Answer 1

0

It seems that I have to set $VIMRUNTIME to my new vim/runtime source directory when I try to edit with the new vim binary... Setting this in my ~/.bashrc fixed the problem...

export VIMRUNTIME="/opt/vim/runtime/"

Now the vim startup errors are gone and I have vim with both python3 / functional syntax highlighting.

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  • 4
    Using ./configure --prefix=/opt/vim should work as well; that's probably the better solution. Then you can just make install it too, instead of manually copying the files. Oct 24, 2022 at 19:02
  • 2
    Agreed with @MartinTournoij; the issue is that you used sudo cp vim … instead of make install, which does more than just copy the binary (you probably want the runtime support)
    – D. Ben Knoble
    Jul 21 at 18:58

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