diff --git a/server/Scion/Server/Protocol/Vim.hs b/server/Scion/Server/Protocol/Vim.hs
index 0a2990f..741448e 100644
--- a/server/Scion/Server/Protocol/Vim.hs
+++ b/server/Scion/Server/Protocol/Vim.hs
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import Scion.Configure (configureCabalProject)
 import Scion.Utils ( unqualifiedForModule )
 import Scion.Session (preprocessPackage, currentCabalPackage, loadComponent,
                       backgroundTypecheckFile, unload, setGHCVerbosity, addCmdLineFlags)
-import FastString (fsLit)
+import FastString (fsLit, unpackFS)
 
 import Control.Monad (forever, liftM)
 import Control.Exception.Base (Exception)
@@ -291,26 +291,32 @@ instance ToVimType Bool where
 instance ToVimType CompilationResult where
   toVim cr = toVim [
       ("compilationSucceeded", toVim (compilationSucceeded cr)),
-      ("compilationWarnings", toVim ([] :: [ErrMsg])), --(compilationWarnings cr)),
-      ("compilationErrors", toVim ([] :: [ErrMsg])), --(compilationErrors cr)),
+      ("compilationWarnings", toVim $ concatMap errMsgToVimList ([] :: [ErrMsg])),
+      ("compilationErrors", toVim $ concatMap errMsgToVimList ([] :: [ErrMsg])),
       ("compilationTime", toVim ( "TODO" {- (compilationTime cr-} ))
     ]
-instance (ToVimType a) => ToVimType (Bag a) where
-  toVim = listToVim . bagToList
-instance ToVimType ErrMsg where
-  toVim em = toVim [
-      ("errMsgSpans", toVim (errMsgSpans em)),
-      ("errMsgContext", toVim (errMsgSpans em)),
-      ("errMsgShortDoc", toVim (errMsgSpans em)),
-      ("errMsgExtraInfo", toVim (errMsgSpans em))
-    ]
-instance ToVimType SrcSpan where
-  toVim ss = let start = srcSpanStart ss in toVim $ [
-          ("file", (toVim . show) ( srcLocFile start)),
-          ("line", toVim ( srcLocLine start)),
-          ("col", toVim ( srcLocCol start))
-      ]
-  -- TODO, what about span end ? do we need it 
+-- return list which can be passed to setqflist 
+errMsgToVimList :: ErrMsg -> [VimType]
+errMsgToVimList em =
+    let (fst:moreLocations) = errMsgSpans em
+        loc :: SrcSpan -> [(VimType, VimType)]
+        loc em = 
+            [ (toVim "filename", (toVim . unpackFS) ( (srcLocFile . srcSpanStart) em))
+            , (toVim "lnum", toVim ( srcLocLine . srcSpanStart $ em))
+            , (toVim "col", toVim ( srcLocCol . srcSpanStart $ em))
+            ]
+
+        -- ghc does print multiline messages. So add a text qf item for all
+        -- trailing lines to keep them readable
+        addText :: VimType -> [String] -> [VimType]
+        addText (VDict map') [msg] = [VDict $ M.insert (toVim "text") (toVim msg) map']
+        addText (VDict map') (msg:msgs) = addText (VDict map') [msg] ++ map (\m -> toVim [(toVim "text", toVim m)]) msgs
+        -- addText _ _ = error "never executed"        
+    in
+      -- first location and message 
+      (addText (toVim $ loc fst) $ lines $ (O.showSDoc (errMsgShortDoc em)) ++ ("\n" ++ O.showSDoc (errMsgExtraInfo em)))
+      -- more error locations - when do they occur? 
+      ++ map (toVim . loc) moreLocations
 
 instance ToVimType O.SDoc where
   toVim = toVim . O.showSDoc
diff --git a/vim_runtime_path/autoload/haskellcomplete.vim b/vim_runtime_path/autoload/haskellcomplete.vim
index 3b7b4b0..f2fbae7 100644
--- a/vim_runtime_path/autoload/haskellcomplete.vim
+++ b/vim_runtime_path/autoload/haskellcomplete.vim
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
-" haskellcomplete.vim - Omni Completion for haskell
+" This file contains the code necessary to talk to the scion server
+" -> haskellcomplete#EvalScion )
+"
+" This implementation requires has('python') support
+"
+" You can look up some use cases in the ftplugin file.
 "
-" This file talks to the scion server. You need python support
 " This code is based on the initial implementation found in shim by Benedikt Schmidt
 " The server side code can be found in src-scion-server/Scion/Server/ProtocolVim.hs
 
@@ -81,14 +85,15 @@ class ScionServerConnectionStdinOut(ScionServerConnection):
     self.scion_o = p.stdout
     self.scion_i = p.stdin
   def receive(self):
-    let s = super.receive()
+    s = ScionServerConnection.receive(self)
     if s[:6] == "scion:":
       # ghc doesn't always use the ghc API to print statements.. so ignore all
       # lines not marked by "scion:" at the beginning
       # see README.markdown
       return s[6:]
     else:
-      self.receive()
+      # throw away non "scion:" line and try again
+      return self.receive()
 
 class ScionServerConnectionSocket(ScionServerConnection):
   """connects to the scion server by either TCP/IP or socketfile"""
@@ -114,7 +119,7 @@ def connectscion():
     global told_user_about_missing_configuration
     if 0 == told_user_about_missing_configuration:
       try:
-        print scionConnectionSetting
+        print "connecting to scion %s"%scionConnectionSetting.__str__()
       except NameError:
         vim.command("sp")
         b = vim.current.buffer
@@ -143,7 +148,7 @@ def evalscion(str):
     try:
       server_connection.send(str)
     except:
-      vim.command('echoe "%s"'% ("(re) connecting to scion"))
+      vim.command('echom "%s"'% ("(re)connecting to scion"))
       connectscion()
       server_connection.send(str)
     return server_connection.receive()
diff --git a/vim_runtime_path/ftplugin/haskell.vim b/vim_runtime_path/ftplugin/haskell.vim
index ddc0cc6..700581b 100644
--- a/vim_runtime_path/ftplugin/haskell.vim
+++ b/vim_runtime_path/ftplugin/haskell.vim
@@ -1,35 +1,83 @@
-finish
-" old shim stuff :
-setlocal omnifunc=haskellcomplete#CompleteIdentifier
-setlocal completefunc=haskellcomplete#CompleteModule
-command! -nargs=1 GrepScope call haskellcomplete#GrepScope(<f-args>)
-command! -nargs=1 FindModulesExporting echo haskellcomplete#FindModulesExporting(<f-args>)
+if exists('g:dont_load_haskell_scion_interface_simple')
+  finish
+endif
 
-let g:haskellModuleImportBehaviour = 'interactive' " one of interactive, automatic
+" r = scion result with error locations
+" func : either setqflist or setloclist
+fun! ScionResultToErrorList(action, func, r)
+  let compilationResult = has_key(a:r, 'compilationResult') ? a:r['compilationResult'] : a:r
+  let g:foo = compilationResult
+  let qflist = compilationResult['compilationErrors'] + compilationResult['compilationWarnings']
 
-if !exists('g:modulePreferenceCacheFile')
-  let g:modulePreferenceCacheFile = expand('$HOME').'/.vim/modulePreferenceCacheFile'
-endif
+  " for debugging
+  let g:scion_qf_list = qflist
+  if has_key(a:r, 'inProject')
+    let inProj = "inProject : ". a:r['inProject']
+  else
+    let inProj = ""
+  endif
+  if (has_key(a:r,'compilationSucceeded') && a:r['compilationSucceeded']) 
+        \ || (!has_key(a:r, 'compilationSucceeded') && len(qflist) == 0)
+    return printf(a:action." success. ".inProj." compilationTime: %s", compilationResult['compilationTime'])
+  else
+    call call(a:func, [qflist])
+    return printf(a:action." there are errors, ".inProj." compilationTime: %s", compilationResult['compilationTime'])
+  endif
+endfun
 
-if filereadable(g:modulePreferenceCacheFile)
-  let g:modulePreferences = eval(readfile(g:modulePreferences, 'b'))
-else
-  let g:modulePreferences = {
-  \   'Data.Map' : { 'q' : 'M' }
-  \ , 'Control.Monad' : { 'fitness' : 10 }
+" very simple user interface to expose scion functionality
+" I'll implement a better interface in tovl.
+" (http://github.com/MarcWeber/theonevimlib)
 
-  \ }
-endif
+fun! s:BackgroundTypecheckFile(...)
+  " no file given defaults to current buffer
+  let file = a:0 > 0 ? a:1 : expand('%:p')
+  let r =  haskellcomplete#EvalScion({'request' : 'cmdBackgroundTypecheckFile', 'file' : file})
+  echo ScionResultToErrorList('file check', 'setqflist', r)
+endf
+
+fun! s:OpenCabalProject(...)
+  let builddir = a:0 > 0 ? a:1 : "dist"
+  echo haskellcomplete#EvalScion(
+    \ {'request' : 'cmdOpenCabalProject', 'root_dir' : getcwd(),
+    \ 'dist_dir' : builddir, 'extra_args' : a:000[1:] }
+    \)
+endf
+
+" ===== you don't need any project for these:  =============
+command! -buffer ConnectionInfo
+  \ echo haskellcomplete#EvalScion({'request' : 'cmdConnectionInfo'})
+
+" list supported languages
+command! -buffer ListSupportedLanguages
+  \ echo haskellcomplete#EvalScion({'request' : 'cmdListSupportedLanguages'})
+
+" list supported pragmas
+command! -buffer ListSupportedPragmas
+  \ echo haskellcomplete#EvalScion({'request' : 'cmdListSupportedPragmas'})
+
+" list supported flags
+command! -buffer ListSupportedFlags
+  \ echo haskellcomplete#EvalScion({'request' : 'cmdListSupportedFlags'})
+
+" ===== loading a cabal project: ============================
+
+" assuming pwd is current cabal directory containing the .cabal file 
+" optional argument specifies the cabal build (dist) directory
+command! -buffer -nargs=* -complete=file OpenCabalProject
+  \ call s:OpenCabalProject(<f-args>)
 
-" returns 0 (= not importet)
-"   or   { 'q' : <opitonal qualifier name>
-"        , 'functions' : [ list of explicit imported functions ] }
-function! ImportInfo(module)
-  let pos = 
-endfunction
+" arg either "library" or "executable:name"
+command! -buffer -nargs=1 LoadComponent
+  \ echo ScionResultToErrorList('load component finished: ','setqflist',haskellcomplete#EvalScion({'request' : 'cmdLoadComponent', 'component' : <q-args>}))
 
+" list exposed 
+command! -buffer ListExposedModules
+  \ echo haskellcomplete#EvalScion({'request' : 'cmdListExposedModules'})
+command! -buffer -nargs=* -complete=file BackgroundTypecheckFile
+  \ call s:BackgroundTypecheckFile(<f-args>)
+command! -buffer ThingAtPoint
+  \ echo haskellcomplete#EvalScion({'request' : 'cmdThingAtPoint', 'file' : expand('%:p'), 'line' : line('.').'', 'col' : col('.').''})
 
-" needs g:modulePreferences, g:haskellModuleImportBehaviour
-function! HaskellImportIdentifier(id)
-  let modules = haskellcomplete#FindModulesExporting(a:id)
-endfunction
+command! -buffer ListRdrNamesInScope
+  \ echo haskellcomplete#EvalScion({'request' : 'cmdListRdrNamesInScope'})