| *terminal.txt* For Vim version 9.1. Last change: 2025 Jul 08 |
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| |
| VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar |
| |
| |
| Terminal window support *terminal* *terminal-window* |
| |
| |
| The terminal feature is optional, use this to check if your Vim has it: > |
| echo has('terminal') |
| If the result is "1" you have it. |
| |
| |
| 1. Basic use |terminal-use| |
| Typing |terminal-typing| |
| Size and color |terminal-size-color| |
| Command syntax |:terminal| |
| Resizing |terminal-resizing| |
| Terminal Modes |Terminal-mode| |
| Cursor style |terminal-cursor-style| |
| Session |terminal-session| |
| Special keys |terminal-special-keys| |
| Unix |terminal-unix| |
| MS-Windows |terminal-ms-windows| |
| 2. Terminal functions |terminal-function-details| |
| 3. Terminal communication |terminal-communication| |
| Vim to job: term_sendkeys() |terminal-to-job| |
| Job to Vim: JSON API |terminal-api| |
| Using the client-server feature |terminal-client-server| |
| 4. Remote testing |terminal-testing| |
| 5. Diffing screen dumps |terminal-diff| |
| Writing a screen dump test for Vim |terminal-dumptest| |
| Creating a screen dump |terminal-screendump| |
| Comparing screen dumps |terminal-diffscreendump| |
| 6. Debugging |terminal-debug| |
| Starting |termdebug-starting| |
| Example session |termdebug-example| |
| Stepping through code |termdebug-stepping| |
| Inspecting variables |termdebug-variables| |
| Navigating stack frames |termdebug-frames| |
| Other commands |termdebug-commands| |
| Events |termdebug-events| |
| Prompt mode |termdebug-prompt| |
| Mappings |termdebug-mappings| |
| Communication |termdebug-communication| |
| Customizing |termdebug-customizing| |
| |
| {only available when compiled with the |+terminal| feature} |
| The terminal feature requires the |+job| and |+channel| features. |
| |
| ============================================================================== |
| 1. Basic use *terminal-use* |
| |
| This feature is for running a terminal emulator in a Vim window. A job can be |
| started connected to the terminal emulator. For example, to run a shell: > |
| :term bash |
| |
| Or to run build command: > |
| :term make myprogram |
| |
| The job runs asynchronously from Vim, the window will be updated to show |
| output from the job, also while editing in another window. |
| |
| |
| Typing ~ |
| *terminal-typing* |
| When the keyboard focus is in the terminal window, typed keys will be sent to |
| the job. This uses a pty when possible. You can click outside of the |
| terminal window to move keyboard focus elsewhere. |
| |
| *t_CTRL-W_CTRL-W* *t_CTRL-W_:* |
| CTRL-W can be used to navigate between windows and other CTRL-W commands, e.g.: |
| CTRL-W CTRL-W move focus to the next window |
| CTRL-W : enter an Ex command |
| See |CTRL-W| for more commands. |
| |
| Special in the terminal window: *t_CTRL-W_.* *t_CTRL-W_N* |
| CTRL-W . send a CTRL-W to the job in the terminal |
| CTRL-W CTRL-\ send a CTRL-\ to the job in the terminal |
| CTRL-W N go to Terminal-Normal mode, see |Terminal-mode| |
| CTRL-\ CTRL-N go to Terminal-Normal mode, see |Terminal-mode| |
| CTRL-W " {reg} paste register {reg} *t_CTRL-W_quote* |
| Also works with the = register to insert the result of |
| evaluating an expression. |
| CTRL-W CTRL-C ends the job, see below |t_CTRL-W_CTRL-C| |
| CTRL-W gt go to next tabpage, same as `gt` *t_CTRL-W_gt* |
| CTRL-W gT go to previous tabpage, same as `gT` *t_CTRL-W_gT* |
| |
| See option 'termwinkey' for specifying another key instead of CTRL-W that |
| will work like CTRL-W. However, typing 'termwinkey' twice sends 'termwinkey' |
| to the job. For example: |
| 'termwinkey' CTRL-W move focus to the next window |
| 'termwinkey' : enter an Ex command |
| 'termwinkey' 'termwinkey' send 'termwinkey' to the job in the terminal |
| 'termwinkey' . send 'termwinkey' to the job in the terminal |
| 'termwinkey' CTRL-\ send a CTRL-\ to the job in the terminal |
| 'termwinkey' N go to terminal Normal mode, see below |
| 'termwinkey' CTRL-N same as CTRL-W N |t_CTRL-W_N| |
| 'termwinkey' CTRL-C same as CTRL-W CTRL-C |t_CTRL-W_CTRL-C| |
| *t_CTRL-\_CTRL-N* |
| The special key combination CTRL-\ CTRL-N can be used to switch to Normal |
| mode, just like this works in any other mode. |
| *t_CTRL-W_CTRL-C* |
| CTRL-W CTRL-C can be typed to forcefully end the job. On MS-Windows a |
| CTRL-Break will also kill the job. |
| |
| If you type CTRL-C the effect depends on what the pty has been configured to |
| do. For simple commands this causes a SIGINT to be sent to the job, which |
| would end it. Other commands may ignore the SIGINT or handle the CTRL-C |
| themselves (like Vim does). |
| |
| To change the keys you type use terminal mode mappings, see |:tmap|. |
| These are defined like any mapping, but apply only when typing keys that are |
| sent to the job running in the terminal. For example, to make F1 switch |
| to Terminal-Normal mode: > |
| tnoremap <F1> <C-W>N |
| You can use Esc, but you need to make sure it won't cause other keys to |
| break (cursor keys start with an Esc, so they may break), this probably only |
| works in the GUI: > |
| tnoremap <Esc> <C-W>N |
| set notimeout ttimeout timeoutlen=100 |
| |
| You can also create menus similar to terminal mode mappings, but you have to |
| use |:tlmenu| instead of |:tmenu|. |
| |
| *options-in-terminal* |
| After opening the terminal window and setting 'buftype' to "terminal" the |
| |TerminalWinOpen| autocommand event is triggered. This makes it possible to set |
| options specifically for the terminal window and buffer. Example: > |
| au TerminalWinOpen * setlocal bufhidden=hide |
| This only works properly if the terminal is not hidden. |
| |
| For both hidden and non-hidden terminals this works, both for buffer-local and |
| window-local options: > |
| au TerminalWinOpen,BufWinEnter * if &buftype == 'terminal' |
| \ | setlocal bufhidden=hide colorcolumn=123 |
| \ | endif |
| Note that for a hidden terminal the options are not set until the terminal is |
| no longer hidden. |
| |
| There is also the |TerminalOpen| event. Keep in mind this may be triggered |
| for a hidden terminal, then the current window and buffer are not that of the |
| new terminal. |
| You need to use <abuf>, which is set to the terminal buffer. Example: > |
| au TerminalOpen * call setbufvar(expand('<abuf>')->str2nr(), |
| \ '&termwinscroll', 1000) |
| For a window-local option, you need to delay setting the option until the |
| terminal window has been created (this only works for a hidden terminal): > |
| au TerminalOpen * exe printf( |
| \ 'au BufWinEnter <buffer=%d> ++once setlocal colorcolumn=%d', |
| \ expand('<abuf>')->str2nr(), 123) |
| For a non-hidden terminal use |TerminalWinOpen|. |
| |
| Mouse events (click and drag) are passed to the terminal. Mouse move events |
| are only passed when Vim itself is receiving them. For a terminal that is |
| when 'balloonevalterm' is enabled. |
| |
| |
| Size and color ~ |
| *terminal-size-color* |
| See option 'termwinsize' for controlling the size of the terminal window. |
| (TODO: scrolling when the terminal is larger than the window) |
| |
| The job running in the terminal can change the colors. The default foreground |
| and background colors are taken from Vim, the Normal highlight group. |
| |
| For a color terminal the 'background' option is used to decide whether the |
| terminal window will start with a white or black background. |
| |
| To use a different color the Terminal highlight group can be used, for |
| example: > |
| hi Terminal ctermbg=lightgrey ctermfg=blue guibg=lightgrey guifg=blue |
| Instead of Terminal another group can be specified with the "term_highlight" |
| option for `term_start()`. |
| |
| *g:terminal_ansi_colors* |
| In GUI mode or with 'termguicolors', the 16 ANSI colors used by default in new |
| terminal windows may be configured using the variable |
| `g:terminal_ansi_colors`, which should be a list of 16 color names or |
| hexadecimal color codes, similar to those accepted by |highlight-guifg|. When |
| not using GUI colors, the terminal window always uses the 16 ANSI colors of |
| the underlying terminal. |
| When using `term_start()` the colors can be set with the "ansi_colors" option. |
| The |term_setansicolors()| function can be used to change the colors, and |
| |term_getansicolors()| to get the currently used colors. |
| |
| |
| Command syntax ~ |
| |
| :[range]ter[minal] [options] [command] *:ter* *:terminal* |
| Open a new terminal window. |
| |
| If [command] is provided run it as a job and connect |
| the input and output to the terminal. |
| If [command] is not given the 'shell' option is used. |
| if [command] is NONE no job is started, the pty of the |
| terminal can be used by a command like gdb. |
| |
| If [command] outputs NUL bytes, those will be |
| converted to new lines |NL-used-for-Nul|. |
| |
| *terminal-nospecial* |
| Vim itself only recognizes |cmdline-special| |
| characters inside [command]. Everything else will be |
| passed untouched. When needed to expand wildcards, |
| environment variables or other shell specials consider |
| |term++shell| option. |
| |
| If [command] is missing the default behavior is to |
| close the terminal when the shell exits. This can be |
| changed with the ++noclose argument. |
| If [command] is present the default behavior is to |
| keep the terminal open in Terminal-Normal mode. This |
| can be changed with the ++close argument. |
| |
| No Vim command can follow, any | is included in |
| [command]. Use `:execute` if you must have a Vim |
| command following in the same line. |
| |
| *terminal-bufname* |
| A new buffer will be created, using [command] or |
| 'shell' as the name, prefixed with a "!". If a buffer |
| by this name already exists a number is added in |
| parentheses. E.g. if "gdb" exists the second terminal |
| buffer will use "!gdb (1)". |
| |
| If [range] is given the specified lines are used as |
| input for the job. It will not be possible to type |
| keys in the terminal window. For MS-Windows see the |
| ++eof argument below. |
| |
| *term++close* *term++open* |
| Supported [options] are: |
| ++close The terminal window will close |
| automatically when the job terminates. |
| |terminal-close| |
| ++noclose The terminal window will NOT close |
| automatically when the job terminates. |
| ++open When the job terminates and no window |
| shows it, a window will be opened. |
| Note that this can be interruptive. |
| The last of ++close, ++noclose and ++open |
| matters and rules out earlier arguments. |
| |
| ++curwin Open the terminal in the current |
| window, do not split the current |
| window. Fails if the current buffer |
| cannot be |abandon|ed. |
| ++hidden Open the terminal in a hidden buffer, |
| no window will be used. |
| ++norestore Do not include this terminal window |
| in a session file. |
| |
| *term++shell* |
| ++shell Instead of executing {command} |
| directly, use a shell, like with |
| `:!command` *E279* |
| {only works on Unix and MS-Windows} |
| The resulting command will look like |
| 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' [command] |
| Other options related to `:!command` |
| have no effect. |
| ++kill={how} When trying to close the terminal |
| window kill the job with {how}. See |
| |term_setkill()| for the values. |
| ++rows={height} Use {height} for the terminal window |
| height. If the terminal uses the full |
| Vim height (no window above or below |
| the terminal window) the command line |
| height will be reduced as needed. |
| ++cols={width} Use {width} for the terminal window |
| width. If the terminal uses the full |
| Vim width (no window left or right of |
| the terminal window) this value is |
| ignored. |
| ++eof={text} When using [range]: text to send after |
| the last line was written. Cannot |
| contain white space. A CR is |
| appended. For MS-Windows the default |
| is to send CTRL-D. |
| E.g. for a shell use "++eof=exit" and |
| for Python "++eof=exit()". Special |
| codes can be used like with `:map`, |
| e.g. "<C-Z>" for CTRL-Z. |
| ++type={pty} (MS-Windows only): Use {pty} as the |
| virtual console. See 'termwintype' |
| for the values. |
| ++api={expr} Permit the function name starting with |
| {expr} to be called as |terminal-api| |
| function. If {expr} is empty then no |
| function can be called. |
| |
| If you want to use more options use the |term_start()| |
| function. |
| If you want to split the window vertically, use: > |
| :vertical terminal |
| < Or short: > |
| :vert ter |
| |
| When the buffer associated with the terminal is forcibly unloaded or wiped out |
| the job is killed, similar to calling `job_stop(job, "kill")` . |
| Closing the window normally results in |E947|. When a kill method was set |
| with "++kill={how}" or |term_setkill()| then closing the window will use that |
| way to kill or interrupt the job. For example: > |
| :term ++kill=term tail -f /tmp/log |
| |
| So long as the job is running the window behaves like it contains a modified |
| buffer. Trying to close the window with `CTRL-W :quit` fails. When using |
| `CTRL-W :quit!` the job is ended. The text in the window is lost, the buffer |
| is deleted. With `CTRL-W :bunload!` the buffer remains but will be empty. |
| |
| Trying to close the window with `CTRL-W :close` also fails. Using |
| `CTRL-W :close!` will close the window and make the buffer hidden. |
| |
| You can use `CTRL-W :hide` to close the terminal window and make the buffer |
| hidden, the job keeps running. The `:buffer` command can be used to turn the |
| current window into a terminal window. If there are unsaved changes this |
| fails, use ! to force, as usual. |
| |
| *terminal-close* |
| When the terminal job finishes and no [command] was given (e.g. the 'shell' |
| command was executed), the terminal window will be closed by default (unless |
| the buffer in next window receiving the space has the 'nobuflisted' option set, |
| in which case the terminal window would not be closed automatically, but a new |
| empty buffer would be opened in that window). |
| |
| When the terminal window is closed, e.g. when the shell exits and "++close" |
| argument was used, and this is the last normal Vim window, then Vim will exit. |
| This is like using |:quit| in a normal window. Help and preview windows are |
| not counted. |
| |
| To have a background job run without a window, and open the window when it's |
| done, use options like this: > |
| :term ++hidden ++open make |
| Note that the window will open at an unexpected moment, this will interrupt |
| what you are doing. |
| |
| *E947* *E948* |
| So long as the job is running, the buffer is considered modified and Vim |
| cannot be quit easily, see |abandon|. |
| |
| When the job has finished and no changes were made to the buffer: closing the |
| window will wipe out the buffer. |
| |
| Before changes can be made to a terminal buffer, the 'modifiable' option must |
| be set. This is only possible when the job has finished. At the first change |
| the buffer will become a normal buffer and the highlighting is removed. |
| You may want to change the buffer name with |:file| to be able to write, since |
| the buffer name will still be set to the command. |
| |
| |
| Resizing ~ |
| *terminal-resizing* |
| The size of the terminal can be in one of three modes: |
| |
| 1. The 'termwinsize' option is empty: The terminal size follows the window |
| size. The minimal size is 2 screen lines with 10 cells. |
| |
| 2. The 'termwinsize' option is "rows*cols", where "rows" is the minimal number |
| of screen rows and "cols" is the minimal number of cells. |
| |
| 3. The 'termwinsize' option is "rowsXcols" (where the x is upper or lower |
| case). The terminal size is fixed to the specified number of screen lines |
| and cells. If the window is bigger there will be unused empty space. |
| |
| If the window is smaller than the terminal size, only part of the terminal can |
| be seen (the lower-left part). |
| |
| The |term_getsize()| function can be used to get the current size of the |
| terminal. |term_setsize()| can be used only when in the first or second mode, |
| not when 'termwinsize' is "rowsXcols". |
| |
| |
| Terminal-Job and Terminal-Normal mode ~ |
| *Terminal-mode* *Terminal-Job* |
| When the job is running the contents of the terminal is under control of the |
| job. That includes the cursor position. Typed keys are sent to the job. |
| The terminal contents can change at any time. This is called Terminal-Job |
| mode. |
| |
| Use CTRL-W N (or 'termwinkey' N) to switch to Terminal-Normal mode. Now the |
| contents of the terminal window is under control of Vim, the job output is |
| suspended. CTRL-\ CTRL-N does the same. |
| |
| Terminal-Job mode is where |:tmap| mappings are applied. Keys sent by |
| |term_sendkeys()| are not subject to tmap, but keys from |feedkeys()| are. |
| |
| It is not possible to enter Insert mode from Terminal-Job mode. |
| |
| *Terminal-Normal* *E946* |
| In Terminal-Normal mode you can move the cursor around with the usual Vim |
| commands, Visually mark text, yank text, etc. But you cannot change the |
| contents of the buffer. The commands that would start insert mode, such as |
| 'i' and 'a', return to Terminal-Job mode. The window will be updated to show |
| the contents of the terminal. |:startinsert| is ineffective. |
| |
| In Terminal-Normal mode the statusline and window title show "(Terminal)". If |
| the job ends while in Terminal-Normal mode this changes to |
| "(Terminal-finished)". |
| |
| When the job outputs lines in the terminal, such that the contents scrolls off |
| the top, those lines are remembered and can be seen in Terminal-Normal mode. |
| The number of lines is limited by the 'termwinscroll' option. When going over |
| this limit, the first 10% of the scrolled lines are deleted and are lost. |
| |
| |
| Cursor style ~ |
| *terminal-cursor-style* |
| By default the cursor in the terminal window uses a not blinking block. The |
| normal xterm escape sequences can be used to change the blinking state and the |
| shape. Once focus leaves the terminal window Vim will restore the original |
| cursor. |
| |
| An exception is when xterm is started with the "-bc" argument, or another way |
| that causes the cursor to blink. This actually means that the blinking flag |
| is inverted. Since Vim cannot detect this, the terminal window cursor |
| blinking will also be inverted. |
| |
| |
| Session ~ |
| *terminal-session* |
| A terminal window will be restored when using a session file, if possible and |
| wanted. |
| |
| If "terminal" was removed from 'sessionoptions' then no terminal windows will |
| be restored. |
| |
| If the job in the terminal was finished the window will not be restored. |
| |
| If the terminal can be restored, the command that was used to open it will be |
| used again. To change this use the |term_setrestore()| function. This can |
| also be used to not restore a specific terminal by setting the command to |
| "NONE". |
| |
| |
| Special keys ~ |
| *terminal-special-keys* |
| Since the terminal emulator simulates an xterm, only escape sequences that |
| both Vim and xterm recognize will be available in the terminal window. If you |
| want to pass on other escape sequences to the job running in the terminal you |
| need to set up forwarding. Example: > |
| tmap <expr> <Esc>]b SendToTerm("\<Esc>]b") |
| func SendToTerm(what) |
| call term_sendkeys('', a:what) |
| return '' |
| endfunc |
| |
| |
| Unix ~ |
| *terminal-unix* |
| On Unix a pty is used to make it possible to run all kinds of commands. You |
| can even run Vim in the terminal! That's used for debugging, see below. |
| |
| Environment variables are used to pass information to the running job: |
| TERM the name of the terminal, from the 'term' option or |
| $TERM in the GUI; falls back to "xterm" if it does not |
| start with "xterm" |
| ROWS number of rows in the terminal initially |
| LINES same as ROWS |
| COLUMNS number of columns in the terminal initially |
| COLORS number of colors, 't_Co' (256*256*256 in the GUI) |
| VIM_SERVERNAME v:servername |
| VIM_TERMINAL v:version |
| |
| |
| MS-Windows ~ |
| *terminal-ms-windows* |
| On MS-Windows winpty is used to make it possible to run all kind of commands. |
| Obviously, they must be commands that run in a terminal, not open their own |
| window. |
| |
| You need the following two files from winpty: |
| |
| winpty.dll |
| winpty-agent.exe |
| |
| You can download them from the following page: |
| |
| https://github.com/rprichard/winpty |
| |
| Just put the files somewhere in your PATH. You can set the 'winptydll' option |
| to point to the right file, if needed. If you have both the 32-bit and 64-bit |
| version, rename to winpty32.dll and winpty64.dll to match the way Vim was |
| build. |
| *ConPTY* *E982* |
| On more recent versions of MS-Windows 10 (beginning with the "October 2018 |
| Update"), winpty is no longer required. On those versions, |:terminal| will use |
| Windows' built-in support for hosting terminal applications, "ConPTY". When |
| ConPTY is in use, there may be rendering artifacts regarding ambiguous-width |
| characters. If you encounter any such issues, install "winpty". Until the |
| ConPTY problems have been fixed "winpty" will be preferred. |
| |
| Environment variables are used to pass information to the running job: |
| VIM_SERVERNAME v:servername |
| |
| *git-vimdumps* |
| There exists a git-difftool extension called `git-vimdumps` that can be used |
| to conveniently inspect screendump files and diff them. Please see in the Vim |
| Repository the file `src/testdir/commondumps.vim` on how to create and use |
| this git extension. |
| |
| ============================================================================== |
| 2. Terminal functions *terminal-function-details* |
| |
| *term_dumpdiff()* |
| term_dumpdiff({filename}, {filename} [, {options}]) |
| Open a new window displaying the difference between the two |
| files. The files must have been created with |
| |term_dumpwrite()|. |
| Returns the buffer number or zero when the diff fails. |
| Also see |terminal-diff|. |
| NOTE: this does not work with double-width characters yet. |
| |
| The top part of the buffer contains the contents of the first |
| file, the bottom part of the buffer contains the contents of |
| the second file. The middle part shows the differences. |
| The parts are separated by a line of equals. |
| |
| If the {options} argument is present, it must be a Dict with |
| these possible members: |
| "term_name" name to use for the buffer name, instead |
| of the first file name. |
| "term_rows" vertical size to use for the terminal, |
| instead of using 'termwinsize', but |
| respecting the minimal size |
| "term_cols" horizontal size to use for the terminal, |
| instead of using 'termwinsize', but |
| respecting the minimal size |
| "vertical" split the window vertically |
| "curwin" use the current window, do not split the |
| window; fails if the current buffer |
| cannot be |abandon|ed |
| "bufnr" do not create a new buffer, use the |
| existing buffer "bufnr". This buffer |
| must have been previously created with |
| term_dumpdiff() or term_dumpload() and |
| visible in a window. |
| "norestore" do not add the terminal window to a |
| session file |
| |
| Each character in the middle part indicates a difference. If |
| there are multiple differences only the first in this list is |
| used: |
| X different character |
| w different width |
| f different foreground color |
| b different background color |
| a different attribute |
| + missing position in first file |
| - missing position in second file |
| > cursor position in first file, not in second |
| < cursor position in second file, not in first |
| |
| Using the "s" key the top and bottom parts are swapped. This |
| makes it easy to spot a difference. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetFilename()->term_dumpdiff(otherfile) |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_dumpload({filename} [, {options}]) *term_dumpload()* |
| Open a new window displaying the contents of {filename} |
| The file must have been created with |term_dumpwrite()|. |
| Returns the buffer number or zero when it fails. |
| Also see |terminal-diff|. |
| |
| For {options} see |term_dumpdiff()|. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetFilename()->term_dumpload() |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_dumpwrite({buf}, {filename} [, {options}]) *term_dumpwrite()* |
| Dump the contents of the terminal screen of {buf} in the file |
| {filename}. This uses a format that can be used with |
| |term_dumpload()| and |term_dumpdiff()|. |
| If the job in the terminal already finished an error is given: |
| *E958* |
| If {filename} already exists an error is given: *E953* |
| Also see |terminal-diff|. |
| |
| {options} is a dictionary with these optional entries: |
| "rows" maximum number of rows to dump |
| "columns" maximum number of columns to dump |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|, the base is used for the file |
| name: > |
| GetFilename()->term_dumpwrite(bufnr) |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_getaltscreen({buf}) *term_getaltscreen()* |
| Returns 1 if the terminal of {buf} is using the alternate |
| screen. |
| {buf} is used as with |term_getsize()|. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_getaltscreen() |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_getansicolors({buf}) *term_getansicolors()* |
| Get the ANSI color palette in use by terminal {buf}. |
| Returns a List of length 16 where each element is a String |
| representing a color in hexadecimal "#rrggbb" format. |
| Also see |term_setansicolors()| and |g:terminal_ansi_colors|. |
| If neither was used returns the default colors. |
| |
| {buf} is used as with |term_getsize()|. If the buffer does not |
| exist or is not a terminal window, an empty list is returned. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_getansicolors() |
| < |
| Return type: list<string> or list<any> |
| |
| {only available when compiled with GUI enabled and/or the |
| |+termguicolors| feature} |
| |
| term_getattr({attr}, {what}) *term_getattr()* |
| Given {attr}, a value returned by term_scrape() in the "attr" |
| item, return whether {what} is on. {what} can be one of: |
| bold |
| italic |
| underline |
| strike |
| reverse |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetAttr()->term_getattr() |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_getcursor({buf}) *term_getcursor()* |
| Get the cursor position of terminal {buf}. Returns a list with |
| two numbers and a dictionary: [row, col, dict]. |
| |
| "row" and "col" are one based, the first screen cell is row |
| 1, column 1. This is the cursor position of the terminal |
| itself, not of the Vim window. |
| |
| "dict" can have these members: |
| "visible" one when the cursor is visible, zero when it |
| is hidden. |
| "blink" one when the cursor is blinking, zero when it |
| is not blinking. |
| "shape" 1 for a block cursor, 2 for underline and 3 |
| for a vertical bar. |
| "color" color of the cursor, e.g. "green" |
| |
| {buf} must be the buffer number of a terminal window. If the |
| buffer does not exist or is not a terminal window, an empty |
| list is returned. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_getcursor() |
| < |
| Return type: list<any> |
| |
| |
| term_getjob({buf}) *term_getjob()* |
| Get the Job associated with terminal window {buf}. |
| {buf} is used as with |term_getsize()|. |
| Returns |v:null| when there is no job. In Vim9 script, return |
| |null_job| when there is no job. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_getjob() |
| < |
| Return type: |job| |
| |
| |
| term_getline({buf}, {row}) *term_getline()* |
| Get a line of text from the terminal window of {buf}. |
| {buf} is used as with |term_getsize()|. |
| |
| The first line has {row} one. When {row} is "." the cursor |
| line is used. When {row} is invalid an empty string is |
| returned. |
| |
| To get attributes of each character use |term_scrape()|. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_getline(row) |
| < |
| Return type: |String| |
| |
| |
| term_getscrolled({buf}) *term_getscrolled()* |
| Return the number of lines that scrolled to above the top of |
| terminal {buf}. This is the offset between the row number |
| used for |term_getline()| and |getline()|, so that: > |
| term_getline(buf, N) |
| < is equal to: > |
| getline(N + term_getscrolled(buf)) |
| < (if that line exists). |
| |
| {buf} is used as with |term_getsize()|. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_getscrolled() |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_getsize({buf}) *term_getsize()* |
| Get the size of terminal {buf}. Returns a list with two |
| numbers: [rows, cols]. This is the size of the terminal, not |
| the window containing the terminal. |
| |
| {buf} must be the buffer number of a terminal window. Use an |
| empty string for the current buffer. If the buffer does not |
| exist or is not a terminal window, an empty list is returned. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_getsize() |
| < |
| Return type: list<number> or list<any> |
| |
| |
| term_getstatus({buf}) *term_getstatus()* |
| Get the status of terminal {buf}. This returns a String with |
| a comma-separated list of these items: |
| running job is running |
| finished job has finished |
| normal in Terminal-Normal mode |
| One of "running" or "finished" is always present. |
| |
| {buf} must be the buffer number of a terminal window. If the |
| buffer does not exist or is not a terminal window, an empty |
| string is returned. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_getstatus() |
| < |
| Return type: |String| |
| |
| |
| term_gettitle({buf}) *term_gettitle()* |
| Get the title of terminal {buf}. This is the title that the |
| job in the terminal has set. |
| |
| {buf} must be the buffer number of a terminal window. If the |
| buffer does not exist or is not a terminal window, an empty |
| string is returned. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_gettitle() |
| < |
| Return type: |String| |
| |
| |
| term_gettty({buf} [, {input}]) *term_gettty()* |
| Get the name of the controlling terminal associated with |
| terminal window {buf}. {buf} is used as with |term_getsize()|. |
| |
| When {input} is omitted or 0, return the name for writing |
| (stdout). When {input} is 1 return the name for reading |
| (stdin). On UNIX, both return same name. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_gettty() |
| < |
| Return type: |String| |
| |
| |
| term_list() *term_list()* |
| Return a list with the buffer numbers of all buffers for |
| terminal windows. |
| |
| Return type: list<number> or list<any> |
| |
| |
| term_scrape({buf}, {row}) *term_scrape()* |
| Get the contents of {row} of terminal screen of {buf}. |
| For {buf} see |term_getsize()|. |
| |
| The first line has {row} one. When {row} is "." the cursor |
| line is used. When {row} is invalid an empty string is |
| returned. |
| |
| Return a List containing a Dict for each screen cell: |
| "chars" character(s) at the cell |
| "fg" foreground color as #rrggbb |
| "bg" background color as #rrggbb |
| "attr" attributes of the cell, use |term_getattr()| |
| to get the individual flags |
| "width" cell width: 1 or 2 |
| For a double-width cell there is one item, thus the list can |
| be shorter than the width of the terminal. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_scrape(row) |
| < |
| Return type: list<dict<any>> or list<any> |
| |
| |
| term_sendkeys({buf}, {keys}) *term_sendkeys()* |
| Send keystrokes {keys} to terminal {buf}. |
| {buf} is used as with |term_getsize()|. |
| |
| {keys} are translated as key sequences. For example, "\<c-x>" |
| means the character CTRL-X. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_sendkeys(keys) |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_setansicolors({buf}, {colors}) *term_setansicolors()* |
| Set the ANSI color palette used by terminal {buf}. |
| {colors} must be a List of 16 valid color names or hexadecimal |
| color codes, like those accepted by |highlight-guifg|. |
| Also see |term_getansicolors()| and |g:terminal_ansi_colors|. |
| |
| The colors normally are: |
| 0 black |
| 1 dark red |
| 2 dark green |
| 3 brown |
| 4 dark blue |
| 5 dark magenta |
| 6 dark cyan |
| 7 light grey |
| 8 dark grey |
| 9 red |
| 10 green |
| 11 yellow |
| 12 blue |
| 13 magenta |
| 14 cyan |
| 15 white |
| |
| These colors are used in the GUI and in the terminal when |
| 'termguicolors' is set. When not using GUI colors (GUI mode |
| or 'termguicolors'), the terminal window always uses the 16 |
| ANSI colors of the underlying terminal. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_setansicolors(colors) |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| {only available with GUI enabled and/or the |+termguicolors| |
| feature} |
| |
| |
| term_setapi({buf}, {expr}) *term_setapi()* |
| Set the function name prefix to be used for the |terminal-api| |
| function in terminal {buf}. For example: > |
| :call term_setapi(buf, "Myapi_") |
| :call term_setapi(buf, "") |
| < |
| The default is "Tapi_". When {expr} is an empty string then |
| no |terminal-api| function can be used for {buf}. |
| |
| When used as a method the base is used for {buf}: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_setapi({expr}) |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_setkill({buf}, {how}) *term_setkill()* |
| When exiting Vim or trying to close the terminal window in |
| another way, {how} defines whether the job in the terminal can |
| be stopped. |
| When {how} is empty (the default), the job will not be |
| stopped, trying to exit will result in |E947|. |
| Otherwise, {how} specifies what signal to send to the job. |
| See |job_stop()| for the values. |
| |
| After sending the signal Vim will wait for up to a second to |
| check that the job actually stopped. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_setkill(how) |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_setrestore({buf}, {command}) *term_setrestore()* |
| Set the command to write in a session file to restore the job |
| in this terminal. The line written in the session file is: > |
| terminal ++curwin ++cols=%d ++rows=%d {command} |
| < Make sure to escape the command properly. |
| |
| Use an empty {command} to run 'shell'. |
| Use "NONE" to not restore this window. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_setrestore(command) |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_setsize({buf}, {rows}, {cols}) *term_setsize()* *E955* |
| Set the size of terminal {buf}. The size of the window |
| containing the terminal will also be adjusted, if possible. |
| If {rows} or {cols} is zero or negative, that dimension is not |
| changed. |
| |
| {buf} must be the buffer number of a terminal window. Use an |
| empty string for the current buffer. If the buffer does not |
| exist or is not a terminal window, an error is given. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_setsize(rows, cols) |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_start({cmd} [, {options}]) *term_start()* |
| Open a terminal window and run {cmd} in it. |
| |
| {cmd} can be a string or a List, like with |job_start()|. The |
| string "NONE" can be used to open a terminal window without |
| starting a job, the pty of the terminal can be used by a |
| command like gdb. |
| |
| Returns the buffer number of the terminal window. If {cmd} |
| cannot be executed the window does open and shows an error |
| message. |
| If opening the window fails zero is returned. |
| |
| {options} are similar to what is used for |job_start()|, see |
| |job-options|. However, not all options can be used. These |
| are supported: |
| all timeout options |
| "stoponexit", "cwd", "env" |
| "callback", "out_cb", "err_cb", "exit_cb", "close_cb" |
| "in_io", "in_top", "in_bot", "in_name", "in_buf" |
| "out_io", "out_name", "out_buf", "out_modifiable", "out_msg" |
| "err_io", "err_name", "err_buf", "err_modifiable", "err_msg" |
| However, at least one of stdin, stdout or stderr must be |
| connected to the terminal. When I/O is connected to the |
| terminal then the callback function for that part is not used. |
| |
| There are extra options: |
| "term_name" name to use for the buffer name, instead |
| of the command name. |
| "term_rows" vertical size to use for the terminal, |
| instead of using 'termwinsize'; valid |
| range is from zero to 1000 |
| "term_cols" horizontal size to use for the terminal, |
| instead of using 'termwinsize' |
| "vertical" split the window vertically; note that |
| other window position can be defined with |
| command modifiers, such as |:belowright|. |
| "curwin" use the current window, do not split the |
| window; fails if the current buffer |
| cannot be |abandon|ed |
| "hidden" do not open a window |
| "norestore" do not add the terminal window to a |
| session file |
| "term_kill" what to do when trying to close the |
| terminal window, see |term_setkill()| |
| "term_finish" What to do when the job is finished: |
| "close": close any windows |
| "open": open window if needed |
| Note that "open" can be interruptive. |
| See |term++close| and |term++open|. |
| "term_opencmd" command to use for opening the window when |
| "open" is used for "term_finish"; must |
| have "%d" where the buffer number goes, |
| e.g. "10split|buffer %d"; when not |
| specified "botright sbuf %d" is used |
| "term_highlight" highlight group to use instead of |
| "Terminal" |
| "eof_chars" Text to send after all buffer lines were |
| written to the terminal. When not set |
| CTRL-D is used on MS-Windows. For Python |
| use CTRL-Z or "exit()". For a shell use |
| "exit". A CR is always added. |
| "ansi_colors" A list of 16 color names or hex codes |
| defining the ANSI palette used in GUI |
| color modes. See |g:terminal_ansi_colors|. |
| "tty_type" (MS-Windows only): Specify which pty to |
| use. See 'termwintype' for the values. |
| "term_api" function name prefix for the |
| |terminal-api| function. See |
| |term_setapi()|. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetCommand()->term_start() |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| |
| term_wait({buf} [, {time}]) *term_wait()* |
| Wait for pending updates of {buf} to be handled. |
| {buf} is used as with |term_getsize()|. |
| {time} is how long to wait for updates to arrive in msec. If |
| not set then 10 msec will be used. Queued messages will also |
| be processed similar to |:sleep|. |
| |
| Can also be used as a |method|: > |
| GetBufnr()->term_wait() |
| < |
| Return type: |Number| |
| |
| ============================================================================== |
| 3. Terminal communication *terminal-communication* |
| |
| There are several ways to communicate with the job running in a terminal: |
| - Use |term_sendkeys()| to send text and escape sequences from Vim to the job. |
| - Use the JSON API to send encoded commands from the job to Vim. |
| - Use the |client-server| mechanism. This works on machines with an X server |
| and on MS-Windows. |
| |
| |
| Vim to job: term_sendkeys() ~ |
| *terminal-to-job* |
| This allows for remote controlling the job running in the terminal. It is a |
| one-way mechanism. The job can update the display to signal back to Vim. |
| For example, if a shell is running in a terminal, you can do: > |
| call term_sendkeys(buf, "ls *.java\<CR>") |
| |
| This requires for the job to be in the right state where it will do the right |
| thing when receiving the keys. For the above example, the shell must be |
| waiting for a command to be typed. |
| |
| For a job that was written for the purpose, you can use the JSON API escape |
| sequence in the other direction. E.g.: > |
| call term_sendkeys(buf, "\<Esc>]51;["response"]\x07") |
| |
| |
| Job to Vim: JSON API ~ |
| *terminal-api* |
| The job can send JSON to Vim, using a special escape sequence. The JSON |
| encodes a command that Vim understands. Example of such a message: > |
| <Esc>]51;["drop", "README.md"]<07> |
| |
| The body is always a list, making it easy to find the end: ]<07>. |
| The <Esc>]51;msg<07> sequence is reserved by xterm for "Emacs shell", which is |
| similar to what we are doing here. |
| |
| Currently supported commands: |
| |
| call {funcname} {argument} |
| |
| Call a user defined function with {argument}. |
| The function is called with two arguments: the buffer number |
| of the terminal and {argument}, the decoded JSON argument. |
| By default, the function name must start with "Tapi_" to avoid |
| accidentally calling a function not meant to be used for the |
| terminal API. This can be changed with |term_setapi()|. |
| The user function should sanity check the argument. |
| The function can use |term_sendkeys()| to send back a reply. |
| Example in JSON: > |
| ["call", "Tapi_Impression", ["play", 14]] |
| < Calls a function defined like this: > |
| function Tapi_Impression(bufnum, arglist) |
| if len(a:arglist) == 2 |
| echomsg "impression " .. a:arglist[0] |
| echomsg "count " .. a:arglist[1] |
| endif |
| endfunc |
| < Output from `:echo` may be erased by a redraw, use `:echomsg` |
| to be able to see it with `:messages`. |
| |
| drop {filename} [options] |
| |
| Let Vim open a file, like the `:drop` command. If {filename} |
| is already open in a window, switch to that window. Otherwise |
| open a new window to edit {filename}. |
| Note that both the job and Vim may change the current |
| directory, thus it's best to use the full path. |
| |
| [options] is only used when opening a new window. If present, |
| it must be a Dict. Similarly to |++opt|, these entries are |
| recognized: |
| "ff" file format: "dos", "mac" or "unix" |
| "fileformat" idem |
| "enc" overrides 'fileencoding' |
| "encoding" idem |
| "bin" sets 'binary' |
| "binary" idem |
| "nobin" resets 'binary' |
| "nobinary" idem |
| "bad" specifies behavior for bad characters, see |
| |++bad| |
| |
| Example in JSON: > |
| ["drop", "path/file.txt", {"ff": "dos"}] |
| |
| You can use |echoraw()| to make Vim send this escape sequence: > |
| call echoraw("\<ESC>]51;[\"call\", \"Tapi_TryThis\", [\"hello\", 123]]\x07") |
| call echoraw("\<Esc>]51;[\"drop\", \"README.md\"]\x07") |
| Note: JSON requires double quotes around string values, hence those have to be |
| escaped. |
| |
| Rationale: Why not allow for any command or expression? Because that might |
| create a security problem. |
| *terminal-autoshelldir* |
| This can be used to pass the current directory from a shell to Vim. |
| Put this in your .vimrc: > |
| def g:Tapi_lcd(_, path: string) |
| if isdirectory(path) |
| execute 'silent lcd ' .. fnameescape(path) |
| endif |
| enddef |
| < |
| And, in a bash init file: > |
| if [[ -n "$VIM_TERMINAL" ]]; then |
| PROMPT_COMMAND='_vim_sync_PWD' |
| function _vim_sync_PWD() { |
| printf '\033]51;["call", "Tapi_lcd", "%q"]\007' "$PWD" |
| } |
| fi |
| < |
| Or, for zsh: > |
| if [[ -n "$VIM_TERMINAL" ]]; then |
| autoload -Uz add-zsh-hook |
| add-zsh-hook -Uz chpwd _vim_sync_PWD |
| function _vim_sync_PWD() { |
| printf '\033]51;["call", "Tapi_lcd", "%q"]\007' "$PWD" |
| } |
| fi |
| < |
| Or, for fish: > |
| if test -n "$VIM_TERMINAL" |
| function _vim_sync_PWD --on-variable=PWD |
| printf '\033]51;["call", "Tapi_lcd", "%s"]\007' "$PWD" |
| end |
| end |
| |
| |
| Using the client-server feature ~ |
| *terminal-client-server* |
| This only works when v:servername is not empty. If needed you can set it, |
| before opening the terminal, with: > |
| call remote_startserver('vim-server') |
| |
| $VIM_SERVERNAME is set in the terminal to pass on the server name. |
| |
| In the job you can then do something like: > |
| vim --servername $VIM_SERVERNAME --remote +123 some_file.c |
| This will open the file "some_file.c" and put the cursor on line 123. |
| |
| ============================================================================== |
| 4. Remote testing *terminal-testing* |
| |
| Most Vim tests execute a script inside Vim. For some tests this does not |
| work, running the test interferes with the code being tested. To avoid this |
| Vim is executed in a terminal window. The test sends keystrokes to it and |
| inspects the resulting screen state. |
| |
| Functions ~ |
| |
| |term_sendkeys()| send keystrokes to a terminal (not subject to tmap) |
| |term_wait()| wait for screen to be updated |
| |term_scrape()| inspect terminal screen |
| |
| |
| ============================================================================== |
| 5. Diffing screen dumps *terminal-diff* |
| |
| In some cases it can be bothersome to test that Vim displays the right |
| characters on the screen. E.g. with syntax highlighting. To make this |
| simpler it is possible to take a screen dump of a terminal and compare it to |
| an expected screen dump. |
| |
| Vim uses the window size, text, color and other attributes as displayed. The |
| Vim screen size, font and other properties do not matter. Therefore this |
| mechanism is portable across systems. A conventional screenshot would reflect |
| all differences, including font size and family. |
| |
| |
| Writing a screen dump test for Vim ~ |
| *terminal-dumptest* |
| For an example see the Test_syntax_c() function in |
| src/testdir/test_syntax.vim. The main parts are: |
| - Write a file you want to test with. This is useful for testing syntax |
| highlighting. You can also start Vim with an empty buffer. |
| - Run Vim in a terminal with a specific size. The default is 20 lines of 75 |
| characters. This makes sure the dump is always this size. The function |
| RunVimInTerminal() takes care of this. Pass it the arguments for the Vim |
| command. |
| - Send any commands to Vim using |term_sendkeys()|. For example: > |
| call term_sendkeys(buf, ":echo &lines &columns\<CR>") |
| - Check that the screen is now in the expected state, using |
| VerifyScreenDump(). This expects the reference screen dump to be in the |
| src/testdir/dumps/ directory. Pass the name without ".dump". It is |
| recommended to use the name of the test function and a sequence number, so |
| that we know what test is using the file. |
| - Repeat sending commands and checking the state. |
| - Finally stop Vim by calling StopVimInTerminal(). |
| |
| The first time you do this you won't have a screen dump yet. Create an empty |
| file for now, e.g.: > |
| touch src/testdir/dumps/Test_function_name_01.dump |
| |
| The test will then fail, giving you the command to compare the reference dump |
| and the failed dump, e.g.: > |
| call term_dumpdiff("failed/Test_func.dump", "dumps/Test_func.dump") |
| |
| Use this command in Vim, with the current directory set to src/testdir. |
| Once you are satisfied with the test, move the failed dump in place of the |
| reference: > |
| :!mv failed/Test_func.dump dumps/Test_func.dump |
| |
| |
| Creating a screen dump ~ |
| *terminal-screendump* |
| To create the screen dump, run Vim (or any other program) in a terminal and |
| make it show the desired state. Then use the |term_dumpwrite()| function to |
| create a screen dump file. For example: > |
| :call term_dumpwrite(77, "mysyntax.dump") |
| |
| Here "77" is the buffer number of the terminal. Use `:ls!` to see it. |
| |
| You can view the screen dump with |term_dumpload()|: > |
| :call term_dumpload("mysyntax.dump") |
| |
| To verify that Vim still shows exactly the same screen, run Vim again with |
| exactly the same way to show the desired state. Then create a screen dump |
| again, using a different file name: > |
| :call term_dumpwrite(88, "test.dump") |
| |
| To assert that the files are exactly the same use |assert_equalfile()|: > |
| call assert_equalfile("mysyntax.dump", "test.dump") |
| |
| If there are differences then v:errors will contain the error message. |
| |
| |
| Comparing screen dumps ~ |
| *terminal-diffscreendump* |
| |assert_equalfile()| does not make it easy to see what is different. |
| To spot the problem use |term_dumpdiff()|: > |
| call term_dumpdiff("mysyntax.dump", "test.dump") |
| |
| This will open a window consisting of three parts: |
| 1. The contents of the first dump |
| 2. The difference between the first and second dump |
| 3. The contents of the second dump |
| |
| You can usually see what differs in the second part. Use the 'ruler' to |
| relate it to the position in the first or second dump. Letters indicate the |
| kind of difference: |
| X different character |
| > cursor in first but not in second |
| < cursor in second but not in first |
| w character width differs (single vs double width) |
| f foreground color differs |
| b background color differs |
| a attribute differs (bold, underline, reverse, etc.) |
| ? character missing in both |
| + character missing in first |
| - character missing in second |
| |
| Alternatively, press "s" to swap the first and second dump. Do this several |
| times so that you can spot the difference in the context of the text. |
| |
| ============================================================================== |
| 6. Debugging *terminal-debug* *terminal-debugger* *package-termdebug* |
| |
| The Terminal debugging plugin can be used to debug a program with gdb and view |
| the source code in a Vim window. Since this is completely contained inside |
| Vim this also works remotely over an ssh connection. |
| |
| When the |+terminal| feature is missing, the plugin will use the "prompt" |
| buffer type, if possible. The running program will then use a newly opened |
| terminal window. See |termdebug-prompt| below for details. |
| |
| |
| Starting ~ |
| *termdebug-starting* |
| Load the plugin with this command: > |
| packadd termdebug |
| When loading the plugin from the |.vimrc| file, add the "!" attribute: > |
| packadd! termdebug |
| < *:Termdebug* |
| To start debugging use `:Termdebug` or `:TermdebugCommand` followed by the |
| command name, for example: > |
| :Termdebug vim |
| |
| This opens two windows: |
| |
| gdb window A terminal window in which "gdb vim" is executed. Here you |
| can directly interact with gdb. The buffer name is "!gdb". |
| |
| program window A terminal window for the executed program. When "run" is |
| used in gdb the program I/O will happen in this window, so |
| that it does not interfere with controlling gdb. The buffer |
| name is "debugged program". |
| |
| The current window is used to show the source code. When gdb pauses the |
| source file location will be displayed, if possible. A sign is used to |
| highlight the current position, using highlight group debugPC. |
| |
| If the buffer in the current window is modified, another window will be opened |
| to display the current gdb position. You can use `:Winbar` to add a window |
| toolbar there. |
| |
| Focus the terminal of the executed program to interact with it. This works |
| the same as any command running in a terminal window. |
| |
| When the debugger ends, typically by typing "quit" in the gdb window, the two |
| opened windows are closed. |
| |
| Only one debugger can be active at a time. |
| |
| *termdebug-timeout* |
| Depending on how gdb is launched, termdebug startup time may vary. |
| To avoid termdebug to get stuck if the startup process of gdb takes too long, |
| a configurable timeout is included. Such time out is configurable in terms of |
| multiple of 10ms: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['timeout'] = 500 # 500 * 10ms = 5 seconds. |
| |
| The default timeout is 3000 ms. |
| *:TermdebugCommand* |
| If you want to give specific commands to the command being debugged, you can |
| use the `:TermdebugCommand` command followed by the command name and |
| additional parameters. > |
| :TermdebugCommand vim --clean -c ':set nu' |
| |
| Both the `:Termdebug` and `:TermdebugCommand` support an optional "!" bang |
| argument to start the command right away, without pausing at the gdb window |
| (and cursor will be in the debugged window). For example: > |
| :TermdebugCommand! vim --clean |
| |
| To attach gdb to an already running executable or use a core file, pass extra |
| arguments. E.g.: > |
| :Termdebug vim core |
| :Termdebug vim 98343 |
| |
| If no argument is given, you'll end up in a gdb window, in which you need to |
| specify which command to run using e.g. the gdb `file` command. |
| |
| |
| Example session ~ |
| *termdebug-example* |
| Start in the Vim "src" directory and build Vim: > |
| % make |
| Make sure that debug symbols are present, usually that means that $CFLAGS |
| includes "-g". |
| |
| Start Vim: > |
| % ./vim |
| |
| Load the termdebug plugin and start debugging Vim: > |
| :packadd termdebug |
| :Termdebug vim |
| You should now have three windows: |
| source - where you started, has a window toolbar with buttons |
| gdb - you can type gdb commands here |
| program - the executed program will use this window |
| |
| You can use CTRL-W CTRL-W or the mouse to move focus between windows. |
| Put focus on the gdb window and type: > |
| break ex_help |
| run |
| Vim will start running in the program window. Put focus there and type: > |
| :help gui |
| Gdb will run into the ex_help breakpoint. The source window now shows the |
| ex_cmds.c file. A red "1 " marker will appear in the signcolumn where the |
| breakpoint was set. The line where the debugger stopped is highlighted. You |
| can now step through the program. Let's use the mouse: click on the "Next" |
| button in the window toolbar. You will see the highlighting move as the |
| debugger executes a line of source code. |
| |
| Click "Next" a few times until the for loop is highlighted. Put the cursor on |
| the end of "eap->arg", then click "Eval" in the toolbar. You will see this |
| displayed: |
| "eap->arg": 0x555555e68855 "gui" ~ |
| This way you can inspect the value of local variables. You can also focus the |
| gdb window and use a "print" command, e.g.: > |
| print *eap |
| If mouse pointer movements are working, Vim will also show a balloon when the |
| mouse rests on text that can be evaluated by gdb. |
| |
| Now go back to the source window and put the cursor on the first line after |
| the for loop, then type: > |
| :Break |
| You will see a ">>" marker appear, this indicates the new breakpoint. Now |
| click "Cont" in the toolbar and the code until the breakpoint will be |
| executed. |
| |
| You can type more advanced commands in the gdb window. For example, type: > |
| watch curbuf |
| Now click "Cont" in the toolbar (or type "cont" in the gdb window). Execution |
| will now continue until the value of "curbuf" changes, which is in do_ecmd(). |
| To remove this watchpoint again type in the gdb window: > |
| delete 3 |
| |
| You can see the stack by typing in the gdb window: > |
| where |
| Move through the stack frames, e.g. with: > |
| frame 3 |
| The source window will show the code, at the point where the call was made to |
| a deeper level. |
| |
| |
| Stepping through code ~ |
| *termdebug-stepping* |
| Put focus on the gdb window to type commands there. Some common ones are: |
| - CTRL-C interrupt the program |
| - next execute the current line and stop at the next line |
| - step execute the current line and stop at the next statement, |
| entering functions |
| - until execute until past the current cursor line or past a specified |
| position or the current stack frame returns |
| - finish execute until leaving the current function |
| - where show the stack |
| - frame N go to the Nth stack frame |
| - continue continue execution |
| |
| *:Run* *:Arguments* |
| In the window showing the source code these commands can be used to control |
| gdb: |
| `:Run` [args] run the program with [args] or the previous arguments |
| `:Arguments` {args} set arguments for the next `:Run` |
| |
| *:Break* set a breakpoint at the cursor position |
| :Break {position} |
| set a breakpoint at the specified position |
| *:Tbreak* set a temporary breakpoint at the cursor position |
| :Tbreak {position} |
| set a temporary breakpoint at the specified position |
| *:Clear* delete the breakpoint at the cursor position |
| |
| *:Step* execute the gdb "step" command |
| *:Over* execute the gdb "next" command (`:Next` is a Vim command) |
| *:Until* execute the gdb "until" command |
| *:Finish* execute the gdb "finish" command |
| *:Continue* execute the gdb "continue" command |
| *:Stop* interrupt the program |
| |
| If 'mouse' is set the plugin adds a window toolbar with these entries: |
| Step `:Step` |
| Next `:Over` |
| Finish `:Finish` |
| Cont `:Continue` |
| Stop `:Stop` |
| Eval `:Evaluate` |
| This way you can use the mouse to perform the most common commands. You need |
| to have the 'mouse' option set to enable mouse clicks. |
| See |termdebug_winbar| for configuring this toolbar. |
| *:Winbar* |
| You can add the window toolbar in other windows you open with: > |
| :Winbar |
| |
| If gdb stops at a source line and there is no window currently showing the |
| source code, a new window will be created for the source code. This also |
| happens if the buffer in the source code window has been modified and can't be |
| abandoned. |
| |
| Gdb gives each breakpoint a number. In Vim the number shows up in the sign |
| column, with a red background. You can use these gdb commands: |
| - info break list breakpoints |
| - delete N delete breakpoint N |
| You can also use the `:Clear` command if the cursor is in the line with the |
| breakpoint, or use the "Clear breakpoint" right-click menu entry. |
| |
| |
| Inspecting variables ~ |
| *termdebug-variables* *:Evaluate* |
| `:Evaluate` evaluate the expression under the cursor |
| `K` same (see |termdebug_map_K| to disable) |
| `:Evaluate` {expr} evaluate {expr} |
| `:'<,'>Evaluate` evaluate the Visually selected text |
| |
| This is similar to using "print" in the gdb window. |
| You can usually shorten `:Evaluate` to `:Ev`. |
| |
| |
| Navigating stack frames ~ |
| *termdebug-frames* *:Frame* *:Up* *:Down* |
| `:Frame` [frame] select frame [frame], which is a frame number, |
| address, or function name (default: current frame) |
| `:Up` [count] go up [count] frames (default: 1; the frame that |
| called the current) |
| `+` same (see |termdebug_map_plus| to disable) |
| `:Down` [count] go down [count] frames (default: 1; the frame called |
| by the current) |
| `-` same (see |termdebug_map_minus| to disable) |
| |
| |
| Other commands ~ |
| *termdebug-commands* |
| *:Gdb* jump to the gdb window |
| *:Program* jump to the window with the running program |
| *:Source* jump to the window with the source code, create it if there |
| isn't one |
| *:Asm* jump to the window with the disassembly, create it if there |
| isn't one |
| *:Var* jump to the window with the local and argument variables, |
| create it if there isn't one. This window updates whenever the |
| program is stopped |
| |
| Events ~ |
| *termdebug-events* |
| Four autocommands can be used: > |
| au User TermdebugStartPre echomsg 'debugging starting' |
| au User TermdebugStartPost echomsg 'debugging started' |
| au User TermdebugStopPre echomsg 'debugging stopping' |
| au User TermdebugStopPost echomsg 'debugging stopped' |
| < |
| *TermdebugStartPre* |
| TermdebugStartPre Before starting debugging. |
| Not triggered if the debugger is already |
| running or the debugger command cannot be |
| executed. |
| *TermdebugStartPost* |
| TermdebugStartPost After debugging has initialized. |
| If a "!" bang is passed to `:Termdebug` or |
| `:TermdebugCommand` the event is triggered |
| before running the provided command in gdb. |
| *TermdebugStopPre* |
| TermdebugStopPre Before debugging ends, when gdb is terminated, |
| most likely after issuing a "quit" command in |
| the gdb window. |
| *TermdebugStopPost* |
| TermdebugStopPost After debugging has ended, gdb-related windows |
| are closed, debug buffers wiped out and |
| the state before the debugging was restored. |
| |
| |
| Customizing ~ |
| *termdebug-customizing* *g:termdebug_config* |
| In the past several global variables were used for configuration. These are |
| deprecated and using the g:termdebug_config dictionary is preferred. When |
| g:termdebug_config exists the other global variables will NOT be used. |
| The recommended way is to start with an empty dictionary: > |
| let g:termdebug_config = {} |
| |
| Then you can add entries to the dictionary as mentioned below. The |
| deprecated global variable names are mentioned for completeness. If you are |
| switching over to using g:termdebug_config you can find the old variable name |
| and take over the value, then delete the deprecated variable. |
| |
| |
| Prompt mode ~ |
| *termdebug-prompt* |
| When the |+terminal| feature is not supported and on MS-Windows, gdb will run |
| in a buffer with 'buftype' set to "prompt". This works slightly differently: |
| - The gdb window will be in Insert mode while typing commands. Go to Normal |
| mode with <Esc>, then you can move around in the buffer, copy/paste, etc. |
| Go back to editing the gdb command with any command that starts Insert mode, |
| such as `a` or `i`. |
| - The program being debugged will run in a separate window. On MS-Windows |
| this is a new console window. On Unix, if the |+terminal| feature is |
| available a Terminal window will be opened to run the debugged program in. |
| |
| *termdebug_use_prompt* |
| Prompt mode can be used even when the |+terminal| feature is present with: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['use_prompt'] = v:true |
| If there is no g:termdebug_config you can use: > |
| let g:termdebug_use_prompt = v:true |
| |
| < |
| However, the latter form will be deprecated in future releases. |
| |
| |
| Mappings ~ |
| The termdebug plugin enables a few default mappings. All those mappings |
| are reset to their original values once the termdebug session concludes. |
| |
| *termdebug_map_K* *termdebug-mappings* |
| The K key is normally mapped to |:Evaluate| unless a buffer local (|:map-local|) |
| mapping to K already exists. If you do not want this use: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['map_K'] = v:false |
| If there is no g:termdebug_config you can use: > |
| let g:termdebug_map_K = v:false |
| < |
| However, the latter form will be deprecated in future releases. |
| |
| *termdebug_map_minus* |
| The - key is normally mapped to |:Down| unless a buffer local mapping to the - |
| key already exists. If you do not want this use: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['map_minus'] = v:false |
| < |
| *termdebug_map_plus* |
| The + key is normally mapped to |:Up| unless a buffer local mapping to the + |
| key already exists. If you do not want this use: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['map_plus'] = v:false |
| < |
| *termdebug_disasm_window* |
| If you want the Asm window shown by default, set the "disasm_window" flag to |
| 1. The "disasm_window_height" entry can be used to set the window height: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['disasm_window'] = v:true |
| let g:termdebug_config['disasm_window_height'] = 15 |
| If there is no g:termdebug_config you can use: > |
| let g:termdebug_disasm_window = 15 |
| |
| However, the latter form will be deprecated in future releases. |
| |
| Any value greater than 1 will set the Asm window height to that value. |
| If the current window has enough horizontal space, it will be vertically split |
| and the Asm window will be shown side by side with the source code window (and |
| the height option won't be used). |
| |
| *termdebug_variables_window* |
| If you want the Var window shown by default, set the "variables_window" flag |
| to 1. The "variables_window_height" entry can be used to set the window |
| height: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['variables_window'] = v:true |
| let g:termdebug_config['variables_window_height'] = 15 |
| If there is no g:termdebug_config you can use: > |
| let g:termdebug_variables_window = 15 |
| |
| However, the latter form will be deprecated in future releases. |
| |
| Any value greater than 1 will set the Var window height to that value. |
| If the current window has enough horizontal space, it will be vertically split |
| and the Var window will be shown side by side with the source code window (and |
| the height options won't be used). |
| |
| |
| Communication ~ |
| *termdebug-communication* |
| There is another, hidden, buffer, which is used for Vim to communicate with |
| gdb. The buffer name is "gdb communication". Do not delete this buffer, it |
| will break the debugger. |
| |
| Gdb has some weird behavior, the plugin does its best to work around that. |
| For example, after typing "continue" in the gdb window a CTRL-C can be used to |
| interrupt the running program. But after using the MI command |
| "-exec-continue" pressing CTRL-C does not interrupt. Therefore you will see |
| "continue" being used for the `:Continue` command, instead of using the |
| communication channel. |
| |
| |
| GDB command ~ |
| *g:termdebugger* |
| To change the name of the gdb command, set "debugger" entry in |
| g:termdebug_config or the "g:termdebugger" variable before invoking |
| `:Termdebug`: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['command'] = "mygdb" |
| If there is no g:termdebug_config you can use: > |
| let g:termdebugger = "mygdb" |
| |
| However, the latter form will be deprecated in future releases. |
| |
| If the command needs an argument use a List: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['command'] = ['rr', 'replay', '--'] |
| If there is no g:termdebug_config you can use: > |
| let g:termdebugger = ['rr', 'replay', '--'] |
| |
| Several arguments will be added to make gdb work well for the debugger. |
| If you want to modify them, add a function to filter the argument list: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['command_filter'] = MyDebugFilter |
| |
| If you do not want the arguments to be added, but you do need to set the |
| "pty", use a function to add the necessary arguments: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['command_add_args'] = MyAddArguments |
| The function will be called with the list of arguments so far, and a second |
| argument that is the name of the pty. |
| *gdb-version* |
| Only debuggers fully compatible with gdb will work. Vim uses the GDB/MI |
| interface. The "new-ui" command requires gdb version 7.12 or later. If you |
| get this error: |
| Undefined command: "new-ui". Try "help".~ |
| Then your gdb is too old. |
| |
| |
| Colors ~ |
| *hl-debugPC* *hl-debugBreakpoint* |
| The color of the signs can be adjusted with these highlight groups: |
| - debugPC the current position |
| - debugBreakpoint a breakpoint |
| |
| The defaults are, when 'background' is "light": |
| hi debugPC term=reverse ctermbg=lightblue guibg=lightblue |
| hi debugBreakpoint term=reverse ctermbg=red guibg=red |
| |
| When 'background' is "dark": |
| hi debugPC term=reverse ctermbg=darkblue guibg=darkblue |
| hi debugBreakpoint term=reverse ctermbg=red guibg=red |
| |
| |
| Shortcuts ~ |
| *termdebug_shortcuts* |
| You can define your own shortcuts (mappings) to control gdb, that can work in |
| any window, using the TermDebugSendCommand() function. Example: > |
| map ,w :call TermDebugSendCommand('where')<CR> |
| The argument is the gdb command. |
| |
| |
| Popup menu ~ |
| *termdebug_popup* |
| By default the Termdebug plugin sets 'mousemodel' to "popup_setpos" and adds |
| these entries to the popup menu: |
| Set breakpoint `:Break` |
| Clear breakpoint `:Clear` |
| Evaluate `:Evaluate` |
| If you don't want this then disable it with: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['popup'] = 0 |
| If there is no g:termdebug_config you can use: > |
| let g:termdebug_popup = 0 |
| |
| However, the latter form will be deprecated in future releases. |
| |
| |
| Change default signs ~ |
| *termdebug_signs* |
| Termdebug uses the hex number of the breakpoint ID in the signcolumn to |
| represent breakpoints. If it is greater than "0xFF", then it will be displayed |
| as "F+", due to we really only have two screen cells for the sign. |
| You may also use decimal breakpoint signs instead, in which case IDs greater |
| than 99 will be displayed as "9+". |
| |
| If you want to customize the breakpoint signs to show `>>` in the signcolumn: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['sign'] = '>>' |
| You can also specify individual signs for the first several breakpoints: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['signs'] = ['>1', '>2', '>3', '>4', '>5', '>6', '>7', '>8', '>9'] |
| let g:termdebug_config['sign'] = '>>' |
| If you would like to use decimal (base 10) breakpoint signs: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['sign_decimal'] = 1 |
| If the variable g:termdebug_config does not yet exist, you can use: > |
| let g:termdebug_config = {'sign': '>>'} |
| Likewise, to enable decimal signs: > |
| let g:termdebug_config = {'sign_decimal': 1} |
| |
| |
| Window toolbar ~ |
| *termdebug_winbar* |
| By default the Termdebug plugin creates a window toolbar if the mouse is |
| enabled (see |:Winbar|). If you don't want this then disable it with: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['winbar'] = 0 |
| |
| |
| Vim window width ~ |
| *termdebug_wide* |
| To change the width of the Vim window when debugging starts and use a vertical |
| split: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['wide'] = 163 |
| If there is no g:termdebug_config you can use: > |
| let g:termdebug_wide = 163 |
| |
| However, the latter form will be deprecated in future releases. |
| |
| This will set 'columns' to 163 when `:Termdebug` is used. The value is |
| restored when quitting the debugger. |
| |
| If the wide value is set and 'columns' is already a greater value, then a |
| vertical split will be used without modifying 'columns'. |
| |
| Set the wide value to 1 to use a vertical split without ever changing |
| 'columns'. This is useful when the terminal can't be resized by Vim. |
| |
| |
| Evaluate in Popup Window at Cursor ~ |
| *termdebug_evaluate_in_popup* |
| By default |:Evaluate| will simply echo its output. For larger entities this |
| might become difficult to read or even truncated. |
| Alternatively, the evaluation result may be output into a popup window at the |
| current cursor position: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['evaluate_in_popup'] = v:true |
| This can also be used in a "one-shot" manner: > |
| func OnCursorHold() |
| let g:termdebug_config['evaluate_in_popup'] = v:true |
| :Evaluate |
| let g:termdebug_config['evaluate_in_popup'] = v:false |
| endfunc |
| < |
| |
| Contributing ~ |
| *termdebug_contributing* |
| Contributions for termdebug improvements are welcome. |
| However, it is fairly common that during the development process you need some |
| mechanisms like `echo` statements (or similar) to help you in your job. |
| For this reason, you can set: > |
| let g:termdebug_config['debug'] = true |
| < |
| This sets the `DEBUG` variable to `true`, which can be referenced in the |
| source code. An example of its usage follows: > |
| if exists('g:termdebug_loaded') |
| if DEBUG |
| Echoerr('Termdebug already loaded.') |
| endif |
| finish |
| endif |
| < |
| |
| vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: |