# Usage

## Application-specific requirements

### Vim plugin requirements

The vim plugin requires a vim version with Python support compiled in. Presense of Python support in Vim can be checked by running `vim --version | grep +python`.

If Python support is absent then Vim needs to be compiled with it. To do this use `--enable-pythoninterp` `./configure` flag (Python 3 uses `--enable-python3interp` flag instead). Note that this also requires the related Python headers to be installed. Please consult distribution’s documentation for details on how to compile and install packages.

Vim version 7.4 or newer is recommended for performance reasons, but Powerline supports Vim 7.0.112 and higher.

### Shell prompts requirements

Due to fish having incorrect code for prompt width calculations up to version 2.1 and no way to tell that certain sequence of characters has no width (`%{…%}` in zsh and `\[…\]` in bash prompts serve exactly this purpose) users that have fish versions below 2.1 are not supported..

### WM widgets requirements

Awesome is supported starting from version 3.5.1, inclusive. QTile is supported from version 0.6, inclusive.

### Terminal emulator requirements

Powerline uses several special glyphs to get the arrow effect and some custom symbols for developers. This requires either a symbol font or a patched font installed. Used terminal emulator must also support either patched fonts or fontconfig for Powerline to work properly.

24-bit color support can also be enabled if terminal emulator supports it.

Application/terminal emulator feature support matrix
Name | OS | Patched font support | Fontconfig support | 24-bit color support
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Gvim | Linux |  |  |
iTerm2 | OS X |  |  |
Konsole | Linux |  |  |
lxterminal | Linux |  |  |
MacVim | OS X |  |  |
rxvt-unicode | Linux | [1] |  |
st | Linux |  |  | [2]
Terminal.app | OS X |  |  |
libvte-based [3] | Linux |  |  | [4]
xterm | Linux |  |  | [5]
fbterm | Linux |  |  |

[1] | Must be compiled with `--enable-unicode3` for the patched font to work.

[2] | Since version 0.5.

[3] | Including XFCE terminal and GNOME terminal.

[4] | Since version 0.36.

[5] | Uses nearest color from 8-bit palette.

## Plugins

- Shell prompts
  - Bash prompt
  - Zsh prompt
  - Fish prompt
  - Rcsh prompt
  - Busybox (ash), mksh and dash prompt
- Window manager widgets
  - Awesome widget
  - Qtile widget
  - lemonbar (formerly bar-aint-recursive)
  - I3 bar
- Other plugins
  - Vim statusline
  - Tmux statusline
  - IPython prompt
  - PDB prompt