If buffers refer to the file contents stored in memory, then Windows are the viewport through which the buffer content is viewed.

The previous chapter introduced several commands that allowed us to "switch between" buffers. In actuality, a single window existed, and these commands changed which buffer content was visible through it at a time.

The major concept that Windows introduce to the user interface are "split windows", or "splits" for short. As the name implies, a "split" divides the current window into two, allowing different content to be viewed in each split.

Window commands

Before continuing, lets briefly review "window commands". Commands related to windows generally use a two-step format, starting with the C-W prefix to indicate a window command, followed by a second key that specifies which window command to execute.

This chapter contains one section for each of the major ways that users interact with windows:

Splitting

Discusses how to split windows

Navigating

Discusses how to navigate between windows

Closing

Discusses how to close windows