vim line numbers - how to have them on by default?

Question

I can :set number from within a file I\'m editing but how can I have them always be on by default?

Answer 1

I'm using Debian 7 64-bit.

I didn't have a .vimrc file in my home folder. I created one and was able to set user defaults for vim.

However, for Debian 7, another way is to edit /etc/vim/vimrc

Here is a comment block in that file:

" All system-wide defaults are set in $VIMRUNTIME/debian.vim (usually just
" /usr/share/vim/vimcurrent/debian.vim) and sourced by the call to :runtime
" you can find below.  If you wish to change any of those settings, you should
" do it in this file (/etc/vim/vimrc), since debian.vim will be overwritten
" everytime an upgrade of the vim packages is performed.  It is recommended to
" make changes after sourcing debian.vim since it alters the value of the
" 'compatible' option.

Answer 2

To change the default setting to display line numbers in vi/vim:

vi ~/.vimrc

then add the following line to the file:

set number

Either we can source ~/.vimrc or save and quit by :wq, now future vi/vim sessions will have numbering :)