Tab key == 4 spaces and auto-indent after curly braces in Vim

Question

How do I make vi-Vim never use tabs (converting spaces to tabs, bad!), makes the tab key == 4 spaces, and automatically indent code after curly brace blocks like Emacs does?

Answer 1

On many Linux systems, like Ubuntu, the .vimrc file doesn't exist by default, so it is recommended that you create it first.

Don't use the .viminfo file that exist in the home directory. It is used for a different purpose.

Step 1: Go to your home directory

cd ~

Step 2: Create the file

vim .vimrc

Step 3: Add the configuration stated above

filetype plugin indent on
set tabstop=4
set shiftwidth=4
set expandtab

Step 3: Save file, by pressing Shift + ZZ.