Does traditional vi (not vim) have large file support?

Question

Is there a way to compile traditional Vi (ex) with large-file (3+ GB) support?

I'm trying to open a file that is around 3.5GBs in size and Vi simply says: Tmp file too large. If large-file support isn't a thing, is there a way to specify a larger temporary file size somewhere within the source code of Vi?

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 12:39

short: no

long: the limit is predefined, but the number depends on which system/version (and who said it). But it is built into the source-code and cannot be "fixed".

As a workaround, you could use split to make pieces which are small enough to edit with vi.

But if you are suggesting compiling vi, vim might be suitable.

That used to be an FAQ. For further reading:

When using vi to edit a large file, what should I do if I get the "not enough space" error message?
VI Tmp File Too Large Error (2005 thread on comp.unix.solaris)
16bit code in Solaris? (refers to Solaris9; the limit is higher in later releases)
How to edit multi-gigabyte text files? Vim doesn't work

For source code, start here (on illumos-gate):

So there's a setting somewhere within Vi's source code that determines this and not some system limit? — Alexej Magura, Oct 10 '16 at 22:30
Not just a "setting". You can see better by reading the source-code. — Thomas Dickey, Oct 10 '16 at 22:42

Does traditional vi (not vim) have large file support?

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