patch 8.0.0501: on MS-Windows ":!start" does not work as expected
Problem: On MS-Windows ":!start" does not work as expected.
Solution: When creating a process fails try passing the argument to
ShellExecute(). (Katsuya Hino, closes #1570)
diff --git a/runtime/doc/os_win32.txt b/runtime/doc/os_win32.txt
index 7357542..663087b 100644
--- a/runtime/doc/os_win32.txt
+++ b/runtime/doc/os_win32.txt
@@ -212,10 +212,19 @@
be able to set the blink rate for all console windows at the same time.
*:!start*
-Q. How can I run an external command or program asynchronously?
-A. When using :! to run an external command, you can run it with "start": >
- :!start winfile.exe<CR>
-< Using "start" stops Vim switching to another screen, opening a new console,
+Q. How can I asynchronously run an external command or program, or open a
+ document or URL with its default program?
+A. When using :! to run an external command, you can run it with "start". For
+ example, to run notepad: >
+ :!start notepad
+< To open "image.jpg" with the default image viewer: >
+ :!start image.jpg
+< To open the folder of the current file in Windows Explorer: >
+ :!start %:h
+< To open the Vim home page with the default browser: >
+ :!start http://www.vim.org/
+<
+ Using "start" stops Vim switching to another screen, opening a new console,
or waiting for the program to complete; it indicates that you are running a
program that does not affect the files you are editing. Programs begun
with :!start do not get passed Vim's open file handles, which means they do