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Bram Moolenaar4a748032010-09-30 21:47:56 +02001*insert.txt* For Vim version 7.3. Last change: 2010 Sep 29
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7 *Insert* *Insert-mode*
8Inserting and replacing text *mode-ins-repl*
9
10Most of this file is about Insert and Replace mode. At the end are a few
11commands for inserting text in other ways.
12
13An overview of the most often used commands can be found in chapter 24 of the
14user manual |usr_24.txt|.
15
161. Special keys |ins-special-keys|
172. Special special keys |ins-special-special|
183. 'textwidth' and 'wrapmargin' options |ins-textwidth|
194. 'expandtab', 'smarttab' and 'softtabstop' options |ins-expandtab|
205. Replace mode |Replace-mode|
216. Virtual Replace mode |Virtual-Replace-mode|
227. Insert mode completion |ins-completion|
238. Insert mode commands |inserting|
249. Ex insert commands |inserting-ex|
2510. Inserting a file |inserting-file|
26
27Also see 'virtualedit', for moving the cursor to positions where there is no
28character. Useful for editing a table.
29
30==============================================================================
311. Special keys *ins-special-keys*
32
33In Insert and Replace mode, the following characters have a special meaning;
34other characters are inserted directly. To insert one of these special
35characters into the buffer, precede it with CTRL-V. To insert a <Nul>
36character use "CTRL-V CTRL-@" or "CTRL-V 000". On some systems, you have to
37use "CTRL-V 003" to insert a CTRL-C. Note: When CTRL-V is mapped you can
38often use CTRL-Q instead |i_CTRL-Q|.
39
40If you are working in a special language mode when inserting text, see the
41'langmap' option, |'langmap'|, on how to avoid switching this mode on and off
42all the time.
43
44If you have 'insertmode' set, <Esc> and a few other keys get another meaning.
45See |'insertmode'|.
46
47char action ~
48-----------------------------------------------------------------------
49 *i_CTRL-[* *i_<Esc>*
50<Esc> or CTRL-[ End insert or Replace mode, go back to Normal mode. Finish
51 abbreviation.
52 Note: If your <Esc> key is hard to hit on your keyboard, train
53 yourself to use CTRL-[.
54 *i_CTRL-C*
55CTRL-C Quit insert mode, go back to Normal mode. Do not check for
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +000056 abbreviations. Does not trigger the |InsertLeave| autocommand
57 event.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000058
59 *i_CTRL-@*
60CTRL-@ Insert previously inserted text and stop insert. {Vi: only
61 when typed as first char, only up to 128 chars}
62 *i_CTRL-A*
63CTRL-A Insert previously inserted text. {not in Vi}
64
65 *i_CTRL-H* *i_<BS>* *i_BS*
66<BS> or CTRL-H Delete the character before the cursor (see |i_backspacing|
67 about joining lines).
68 See |:fixdel| if your <BS> key does not do what you want.
69 {Vi: does not delete autoindents}
70 *i_<Del>* *i_DEL*
71<Del> Delete the character under the cursor. If the cursor is at
72 the end of the line, and the 'backspace' option includes
73 "eol", delete the <EOL>; the next line is appended after the
74 current one.
75 See |:fixdel| if your <Del> key does not do what you want.
76 {not in Vi}
77 *i_CTRL-W*
78CTRL-W Delete the word before the cursor (see |i_backspacing| about
79 joining lines). See the section "word motions",
80 |word-motions|, for the definition of a word.
81 *i_CTRL-U*
82CTRL-U Delete all entered characters in the current line (see
83 |i_backspacing| about joining lines).
84
85 *i_CTRL-I* *i_<Tab>* *i_Tab*
86<Tab> or CTRL-I Insert a tab. If the 'expandtab' option is on, the
87 equivalent number of spaces is inserted (use CTRL-V <Tab> to
88 avoid the expansion; use CTRL-Q <Tab> if CTRL-V is mapped
89 |i_CTRL-Q|). See also the 'smarttab' option and
90 |ins-expandtab|.
91 *i_CTRL-J* *i_<NL>*
92<NL> or CTRL-J Begin new line.
93 *i_CTRL-M* *i_<CR>*
94<CR> or CTRL-M Begin new line.
95 *i_CTRL-K*
96CTRL-K {char1} [char2]
97 Enter digraph (see |digraphs|). When {char1} is a special
98 key, the code for that key is inserted in <> form. For
99 example, the string "<S-Space>" can be entered by typing
100 <C-K><S-Space> (two keys). Neither char is considered for
101 mapping. {not in Vi}
102
103CTRL-N Find next keyword (see |i_CTRL-N|). {not in Vi}
104CTRL-P Find previous keyword (see |i_CTRL-P|). {not in Vi}
105
106CTRL-R {0-9a-z"%#*+:.-=} *i_CTRL-R*
107 Insert the contents of a register. Between typing CTRL-R and
108 the second character, '"' will be displayed to indicate that
109 you are expected to enter the name of a register.
110 The text is inserted as if you typed it, but mappings and
111 abbreviations are not used. If you have options like
112 'textwidth', 'formatoptions', or 'autoindent' set, this will
113 influence what will be inserted. This is different from what
114 happens with the "p" command and pasting with the mouse.
115 Special registers:
116 '"' the unnamed register, containing the text of
117 the last delete or yank
118 '%' the current file name
119 '#' the alternate file name
120 '*' the clipboard contents (X11: primary selection)
121 '+' the clipboard contents
122 '/' the last search pattern
123 ':' the last command-line
124 '.' the last inserted text
125 '-' the last small (less than a line) delete
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100126 *i_CTRL-R_=*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000127 '=' the expression register: you are prompted to
128 enter an expression (see |expression|)
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000129 Note that 0x80 (128 decimal) is used for
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000130 special keys. E.g., you can use this to move
131 the cursor up:
132 CTRL-R ="\<Up>"
133 Use CTRL-R CTRL-R to insert text literally.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +0000134 When the result is a |List| the items are used
135 as lines. They can have line breaks inside
136 too.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100137 When the result is a Float it's automatically
138 converted to a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000139 See |registers| about registers. {not in Vi}
140
141CTRL-R CTRL-R {0-9a-z"%#*+/:.-=} *i_CTRL-R_CTRL-R*
142 Insert the contents of a register. Works like using a single
143 CTRL-R, but the text is inserted literally, not as if typed.
144 This differs when the register contains characters like <BS>.
145 Example, where register a contains "ab^Hc": >
146 CTRL-R a results in "ac".
147 CTRL-R CTRL-R a results in "ab^Hc".
148< Options 'textwidth', 'formatoptions', etc. still apply. If
149 you also want to avoid these, use "<C-R><C-O>r", see below.
150 The '.' register (last inserted text) is still inserted as
151 typed. {not in Vi}
152
153CTRL-R CTRL-O {0-9a-z"%#*+/:.-=} *i_CTRL-R_CTRL-O*
154 Insert the contents of a register literally and don't
155 auto-indent. Does the same as pasting with the mouse
156 |<MiddleMouse>|.
157 Does not replace characters!
158 The '.' register (last inserted text) is still inserted as
159 typed. {not in Vi}
160
161CTRL-R CTRL-P {0-9a-z"%#*+/:.-=} *i_CTRL-R_CTRL-P*
162 Insert the contents of a register literally and fix the
163 indent, like |[<MiddleMouse>|.
164 Does not replace characters!
165 The '.' register (last inserted text) is still inserted as
166 typed. {not in Vi}
167
168 *i_CTRL-T*
169CTRL-T Insert one shiftwidth of indent at the start of the current
170 line. The indent is always rounded to a 'shiftwidth' (this is
171 vi compatible). {Vi: only when in indent}
172 *i_CTRL-D*
173CTRL-D Delete one shiftwidth of indent at the start of the current
174 line. The indent is always rounded to a 'shiftwidth' (this is
175 vi compatible). {Vi: CTRL-D works only when used after
176 autoindent}
177 *i_0_CTRL-D*
1780 CTRL-D Delete all indent in the current line. {Vi: CTRL-D works
179 only when used after autoindent}
180 *i_^_CTRL-D*
181^ CTRL-D Delete all indent in the current line. The indent is
182 restored in the next line. This is useful when inserting a
183 label. {Vi: CTRL-D works only when used after autoindent}
184
185 *i_CTRL-V*
186CTRL-V Insert next non-digit literally. For special keys, the
187 terminal code is inserted. It's also possible to enter the
188 decimal, octal or hexadecimal value of a character
189 |i_CTRL-V_digit|.
190 The characters typed right after CTRL-V are not considered for
191 mapping. {Vi: no decimal byte entry}
192 Note: When CTRL-V is mapped (e.g., to paste text) you can
193 often use CTRL-Q instead |i_CTRL-Q|.
194
195 *i_CTRL-Q*
196CTRL-Q Same as CTRL-V.
197 Note: Some terminal connections may eat CTRL-Q, it doesn't
198 work then. It does work in the GUI.
199
200CTRL-X Enter CTRL-X mode. This is a sub-mode where commands can
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000201 be given to complete words or scroll the window. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000202 |i_CTRL-X| and |ins-completion|. {not in Vi}
203
204 *i_CTRL-E*
205CTRL-E Insert the character which is below the cursor. {not in Vi}
206 *i_CTRL-Y*
207CTRL-Y Insert the character which is above the cursor. {not in Vi}
208 Note that for CTRL-E and CTRL-Y 'textwidth' is not used, to be
209 able to copy characters from a long line.
210
211 *i_CTRL-_*
212CTRL-_ Switch between languages, as follows:
213 - When in a rightleft window, revins and nohkmap are toggled,
214 since English will likely be inserted in this case.
215 - When in a norightleft window, revins and hkmap are toggled,
216 since Hebrew will likely be inserted in this case.
217
218 CTRL-_ moves the cursor to the end of the typed text.
219
220 This command is only available when the 'allowrevins' option
221 is set.
222 Please refer to |rileft.txt| for more information about
223 right-to-left mode.
224 {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000225 Only if compiled with the |+rightleft| feature.
226
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000227 *i_CTRL-^*
228CTRL-^ Toggle the use of typing language characters.
229 When language |:lmap| mappings are defined:
230 - If 'iminsert' is 1 (langmap mappings used) it becomes 0 (no
231 langmap mappings used).
232 - If 'iminsert' has another value it becomes 1, thus langmap
233 mappings are enabled.
234 When no language mappings are defined:
235 - If 'iminsert' is 2 (Input Method used) it becomes 0 (no
236 Input Method used).
237 - If 'iminsert' has another value it becomes 2, thus the Input
238 Method is enabled.
239 When set to 1, the value of the "b:keymap_name" variable, the
240 'keymap' option or "<lang>" appears in the status line.
241 The language mappings are normally used to type characters
242 that are different from what the keyboard produces. The
243 'keymap' option can be used to install a whole number of them.
244 {not in Vi}
245
246 *i_CTRL-]*
247CTRL-] Trigger abbreviation, without inserting a character. {not in
248 Vi}
249
250 *i_<Insert>*
251<Insert> Toggle between Insert and Replace mode. {not in Vi}
252-----------------------------------------------------------------------
253
254 *i_backspacing*
255The effect of the <BS>, CTRL-W, and CTRL-U depend on the 'backspace' option
256(unless 'revins' is set). This is a comma separated list of items:
257
258item action ~
259indent allow backspacing over autoindent
260eol allow backspacing over end-of-line (join lines)
261start allow backspacing over the start position of insert; CTRL-W and
262 CTRL-U stop once at the start position
263
264When 'backspace' is empty, Vi compatible backspacing is used. You cannot
265backspace over autoindent, before column 1 or before where insert started.
266
267For backwards compatibility the values "0", "1" and "2" are also allowed, see
268|'backspace'|.
269
270If the 'backspace' option does contain "eol" and the cursor is in column 1
271when one of the three keys is used, the current line is joined with the
272previous line. This effectively deletes the <EOL> in front of the cursor.
273{Vi: does not cross lines, does not delete past start position of insert}
274
275 *i_CTRL-V_digit*
276With CTRL-V the decimal, octal or hexadecimal value of a character can be
277entered directly. This way you can enter any character, except a line break
278(<NL>, value 10). There are five ways to enter the character value:
279
280first char mode max nr of chars max value ~
281(none) decimal 3 255
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000282o or O octal 3 377 (255)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000283x or X hexadecimal 2 ff (255)
284u hexadecimal 4 ffff (65535)
285U hexadecimal 8 7fffffff (2147483647)
286
287Normally you would type the maximum number of characters. Thus to enter a
288space (value 32) you would type <C-V>032. You can omit the leading zero, in
289which case the character typed after the number must be a non-digit. This
290happens for the other modes as well: As soon as you type a character that is
291invalid for the mode, the value before it will be used and the "invalid"
292character is dealt with in the normal way.
293
294If you enter a value of 10, it will end up in the file as a 0. The 10 is a
295<NL>, which is used internally to represent the <Nul> character. When writing
296the buffer to a file, the <NL> character is translated into <Nul>. The <NL>
297character is written at the end of each line. Thus if you want to insert a
298<NL> character in a file you will have to make a line break.
299
300 *i_CTRL-X* *insert_expand*
301CTRL-X enters a sub-mode where several commands can be used. Most of these
302commands do keyword completion; see |ins-completion|. These are not available
303when Vim was compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature.
304
305Two commands can be used to scroll the window up or down, without exiting
306insert mode:
307
308 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-E*
309CTRL-X CTRL-E scroll window one line up.
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000310 When doing completion look here: |complete_CTRL-E|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000311
312 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-Y*
313CTRL-X CTRL-Y scroll window one line down.
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000314 When doing completion look here: |complete_CTRL-Y|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000315
316After CTRL-X is pressed, each CTRL-E (CTRL-Y) scrolls the window up (down) by
317one line unless that would cause the cursor to move from its current position
318in the file. As soon as another key is pressed, CTRL-X mode is exited and
319that key is interpreted as in Insert mode.
320
321
322==============================================================================
3232. Special special keys *ins-special-special*
324
325The following keys are special. They stop the current insert, do something,
326and then restart insertion. This means you can do something without getting
327out of Insert mode. This is very handy if you prefer to use the Insert mode
328all the time, just like editors that don't have a separate Normal mode. You
329may also want to set the 'backspace' option to "indent,eol,start" and set the
330'insertmode' option. You can use CTRL-O if you want to map a function key to
331a command.
332
333The changes (inserted or deleted characters) before and after these keys can
334be undone separately. Only the last change can be redone and always behaves
335like an "i" command.
336
337char action ~
338-----------------------------------------------------------------------
339<Up> cursor one line up *i_<Up>*
340<Down> cursor one line down *i_<Down>*
341CTRL-G <Up> cursor one line up, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_<Up>*
342CTRL-G k cursor one line up, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_k*
343CTRL-G CTRL-K cursor one line up, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_CTRL-K*
344CTRL-G <Down> cursor one line down, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_<Down>*
345CTRL-G j cursor one line down, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_j*
346CTRL-G CTRL-J cursor one line down, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_CTRL-J*
347<Left> cursor one character left *i_<Left>*
348<Right> cursor one character right *i_<Right>*
349<S-Left> cursor one word back (like "b" command) *i_<S-Left>*
350<C-Left> cursor one word back (like "b" command) *i_<C-Left>*
351<S-Right> cursor one word forward (like "w" command) *i_<S-Right>*
352<C-Right> cursor one word forward (like "w" command) *i_<C-Right>*
353<Home> cursor to first char in the line *i_<Home>*
354<End> cursor to after last char in the line *i_<End>*
355<C-Home> cursor to first char in the file *i_<C-Home>*
356<C-End> cursor to after last char in the file *i_<C-End>*
357<LeftMouse> cursor to position of mouse click *i_<LeftMouse>*
358<S-Up> move window one page up *i_<S-Up>*
359<PageUp> move window one page up *i_<PageUp>*
360<S-Down> move window one page down *i_<S-Down>*
361<PageDown> move window one page down *i_<PageDown>*
Bram Moolenaar8d9b40e2010-07-25 15:49:07 +0200362<ScrollWheelDown> move window three lines down *i_<ScrollWheelDown>*
363<S-ScrollWheelDown> move window one page down *i_<S-ScrollWheelDown>*
364<ScrollWheelUp> move window three lines up *i_<ScrollWheelUp>*
365<S-ScrollWheelUp> move window one page up *i_<S-ScrollWheelUp>*
366<ScrollWheelLeft> move window six columns left *i_<ScrollWheelLeft>*
367<S-ScrollWheelLeft> move window one page left *i_<S-ScrollWheelLeft>*
368<ScrollWheelRight> move window six columns right *i_<ScrollWheelRight>*
369<S-ScrollWheelRight> move window one page right *i_<S-ScrollWheelRight>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000370CTRL-O execute one command, return to Insert mode *i_CTRL-O*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000371CTRL-\ CTRL-O like CTRL-O but don't move the cursor *i_CTRL-\_CTRL-O*
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000372CTRL-L when 'insertmode' is set: go to Normal mode *i_CTRL-L*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000373CTRL-G u break undo sequence, start new change *i_CTRL-G_u*
374-----------------------------------------------------------------------
375
376Note: If the cursor keys take you out of Insert mode, check the 'noesckeys'
377option.
378
379The CTRL-O command sometimes has a side effect: If the cursor was beyond the
380end of the line, it will be put on the last character in the line. In
381mappings it's often better to use <Esc> (first put an "x" in the text, <Esc>
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000382will then always put the cursor on it). Or use CTRL-\ CTRL-O, but then
383beware of the cursor possibly being beyond the end of the line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000384
385The shifted cursor keys are not available on all terminals.
386
387Another side effect is that a count specified before the "i" or "a" command is
388ignored. That is because repeating the effect of the command after CTRL-O is
389too complicated.
390
391An example for using CTRL-G u: >
392
393 :inoremap <C-H> <C-G>u<C-H>
394
395This redefines the backspace key to start a new undo sequence. You can now
396undo the effect of the backspace key, without changing what you typed before
397that, with CTRL-O u.
398
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +0000399Using CTRL-O splits undo: the text typed before and after it is undone
400separately. If you want to avoid this (e.g., in a mapping) you might be able
401to use CTRL-R = |i_CTRL-R|. E.g., to call a function: >
402 :imap <F2> <C-R>=MyFunc()<CR>
403
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000404When the 'whichwrap' option is set appropriately, the <Left> and <Right>
405keys on the first/last character in the line make the cursor wrap to the
406previous/next line.
407
408The CTRL-G j and CTRL-G k commands can be used to insert text in front of a
409column. Example: >
410 int i;
411 int j;
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000412Position the cursor on the first "int", type "istatic <C-G>j ". The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000413result is: >
414 static int i;
415 int j;
416When inserting the same text in front of the column in every line, use the
417Visual blockwise command "I" |v_b_I|.
418
419==============================================================================
4203. 'textwidth' and 'wrapmargin' options *ins-textwidth*
421
422The 'textwidth' option can be used to automatically break a line before it
423gets too long. Set the 'textwidth' option to the desired maximum line
424length. If you then type more characters (not spaces or tabs), the
425last word will be put on a new line (unless it is the only word on the
426line). If you set 'textwidth' to 0, this feature is disabled.
427
428The 'wrapmargin' option does almost the same. The difference is that
429'textwidth' has a fixed width while 'wrapmargin' depends on the width of the
430screen. When using 'wrapmargin' this is equal to using 'textwidth' with a
431value equal to (columns - 'wrapmargin'), where columns is the width of the
432screen.
433
434When 'textwidth' and 'wrapmargin' are both set, 'textwidth' is used.
435
436If you don't really want to break the line, but view the line wrapped at a
437convenient place, see the 'linebreak' option.
438
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000439The line is only broken automatically when using Insert mode, or when
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000440appending to a line. When in replace mode and the line length is not
441changed, the line will not be broken.
442
443Long lines are broken if you enter a non-white character after the margin.
444The situations where a line will be broken can be restricted by adding
445characters to the 'formatoptions' option:
446"l" Only break a line if it was not longer than 'textwidth' when the insert
447 started.
448"v" Only break at a white character that has been entered during the
449 current insert command. This is mostly Vi-compatible.
450"lv" Only break if the line was not longer than 'textwidth' when the insert
451 started and only at a white character that has been entered during the
452 current insert command. Only differs from "l" when entering non-white
453 characters while crossing the 'textwidth' boundary.
454
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000455Normally an internal function will be used to decide where to break the line.
456If you want to do it in a different way set the 'formatexpr' option to an
457expression that will take care of the line break.
458
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000459If you want to format a block of text, you can use the "gq" operator. Type
460"gq" and a movement command to move the cursor to the end of the block. In
461many cases, the command "gq}" will do what you want (format until the end of
462paragraph). Alternatively, you can use "gqap", which will format the whole
463paragraph, no matter where the cursor currently is. Or you can use Visual
464mode: hit "v", move to the end of the block, and type "gq". See also |gq|.
465
466==============================================================================
4674. 'expandtab', 'smarttab' and 'softtabstop' options *ins-expandtab*
468
469If the 'expandtab' option is on, spaces will be used to fill the amount of
470whitespace of the tab. If you want to enter a real <Tab>, type CTRL-V first
471(use CTRL-Q when CTRL-V is mapped |i_CTRL-Q|).
472The 'expandtab' option is off by default. Note that in Replace mode, a single
473character is replaced with several spaces. The result of this is that the
474number of characters in the line increases. Backspacing will delete one
475space at a time. The original character will be put back for only one space
476that you backspace over (the last one). {Vi does not have the 'expandtab'
477option}
478
479 *ins-smarttab*
480When the 'smarttab' option is on, a <Tab> inserts 'shiftwidth' positions at
481the beginning of a line and 'tabstop' positions in other places. This means
482that often spaces instead of a <Tab> character are inserted. When 'smarttab
483is off, a <Tab> always inserts 'tabstop' positions, and 'shiftwidth' is only
484used for ">>" and the like. {not in Vi}
485
486 *ins-softtabstop*
487When the 'softtabstop' option is non-zero, a <Tab> inserts 'softtabstop'
488positions, and a <BS> used to delete white space, will delete 'softtabstop'
489positions. This feels like 'tabstop' was set to 'softtabstop', but a real
490<Tab> character still takes 'tabstop' positions, so your file will still look
491correct when used by other applications.
492
493If 'softtabstop' is non-zero, a <BS> will try to delete as much white space to
494move to the previous 'softtabstop' position, except when the previously
495inserted character is a space, then it will only delete the character before
496the cursor. Otherwise you cannot always delete a single character before the
497cursor. You will have to delete 'softtabstop' characters first, and then type
498extra spaces to get where you want to be.
499
500==============================================================================
5015. Replace mode *Replace* *Replace-mode* *mode-replace*
502
503Enter Replace mode with the "R" command in normal mode.
504
505In Replace mode, one character in the line is deleted for every character you
506type. If there is no character to delete (at the end of the line), the
507typed character is appended (as in Insert mode). Thus the number of
508characters in a line stays the same until you get to the end of the line.
509If a <NL> is typed, a line break is inserted and no character is deleted.
510
511Be careful with <Tab> characters. If you type a normal printing character in
512its place, the number of characters is still the same, but the number of
513columns will become smaller.
514
515If you delete characters in Replace mode (with <BS>, CTRL-W, or CTRL-U), what
516happens is that you delete the changes. The characters that were replaced
517are restored. If you had typed past the existing text, the characters you
518added are deleted. This is effectively a character-at-a-time undo.
519
520If the 'expandtab' option is on, a <Tab> will replace one character with
521several spaces. The result of this is that the number of characters in the
522line increases. Backspacing will delete one space at a time. The original
523character will be put back for only one space that you backspace over (the
524last one). {Vi does not have the 'expandtab' option}
525
526==============================================================================
5276. Virtual Replace mode *vreplace-mode* *Virtual-Replace-mode*
528
529Enter Virtual Replace mode with the "gR" command in normal mode.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200530{not available when compiled without the |+vreplace| feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000531{Vi does not have Virtual Replace mode}
532
533Virtual Replace mode is similar to Replace mode, but instead of replacing
534actual characters in the file, you are replacing screen real estate, so that
535characters further on in the file never appear to move.
536
537So if you type a <Tab> it may replace several normal characters, and if you
538type a letter on top of a <Tab> it may not replace anything at all, since the
539<Tab> will still line up to the same place as before.
540
541Typing a <NL> still doesn't cause characters later in the file to appear to
542move. The rest of the current line will be replaced by the <NL> (that is,
543they are deleted), and replacing continues on the next line. A new line is
544NOT inserted unless you go past the end of the file.
545
546Interesting effects are seen when using CTRL-T and CTRL-D. The characters
547before the cursor are shifted sideways as normal, but characters later in the
548line still remain still. CTRL-T will hide some of the old line under the
549shifted characters, but CTRL-D will reveal them again.
550
551As with Replace mode, using <BS> etc will bring back the characters that were
552replaced. This still works in conjunction with 'smartindent', CTRL-T and
553CTRL-D, 'expandtab', 'smarttab', 'softtabstop', etc.
554
555In 'list' mode, Virtual Replace mode acts as if it was not in 'list' mode,
556unless "L" is in 'cpoptions'.
557
Bram Moolenaar24ea3ba2010-09-19 19:01:21 +0200558Note that the only situations for which characters beyond the cursor should
559appear to move are in List mode |'list'|, and occasionally when 'wrap' is set
560(and the line changes length to become shorter or wider than the width of the
561screen). In other cases spaces may be inserted to avoid following characters
562to move.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000563
564This mode is very useful for editing <Tab> separated columns in tables, for
565entering new data while keeping all the columns aligned.
566
567==============================================================================
5687. Insert mode completion *ins-completion*
569
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000570In Insert and Replace mode, there are several commands to complete part of a
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000571keyword or line that has been typed. This is useful if you are using
572complicated keywords (e.g., function names with capitals and underscores).
573
574These commands are not available when the |+insert_expand| feature was
575disabled at compile time.
576
577Completion can be done for:
578
5791. Whole lines |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-L|
5802. keywords in the current file |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-N|
5813. keywords in 'dictionary' |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K|
5824. keywords in 'thesaurus', thesaurus-style |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-T|
5835. keywords in the current and included files |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-I|
5846. tags |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-]|
5857. file names |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-F|
5868. definitions or macros |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-D|
5879. Vim command-line |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-V|
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +000058810. User defined completion |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-U|
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +000058911. omni completion |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-O|
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +000059012. Spelling suggestions |i_CTRL-X_s|
59113. keywords in 'complete' |i_CTRL-N|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000592
593All these (except 2) are done in CTRL-X mode. This is a sub-mode of Insert
594and Replace modes. You enter CTRL-X mode by typing CTRL-X and one of the
595CTRL-X commands. You exit CTRL-X mode by typing a key that is not a valid
596CTRL-X mode command. Valid keys are the CTRL-X command itself, CTRL-N (next),
597and CTRL-P (previous).
598
599Also see the 'infercase' option if you want to adjust the case of the match.
600
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000601 *complete_CTRL-E*
602When completion is active you can use CTRL-E to stop it and go back to the
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000603originally typed text. The CTRL-E will not be inserted.
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000604
605 *complete_CTRL-Y*
606When the popup menu is displayed you can use CTRL-Y to stop completion and
607accept the currently selected entry. The CTRL-Y is not inserted. Typing a
608space, Enter, or some other unprintable character will leave completion mode
609and insert that typed character.
610
Bram Moolenaar9e54a0e2006-04-14 20:42:25 +0000611When the popup menu is displayed there are a few more special keys, see
612|popupmenu-keys|.
613
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000614Note: The keys that are valid in CTRL-X mode are not mapped. This allows for
615":map ^F ^X^F" to work (where ^F is CTRL-F and ^X is CTRL-X). The key that
616ends CTRL-X mode (any key that is not a valid CTRL-X mode command) is mapped.
617Also, when doing completion with 'complete' mappings apply as usual.
618
Bram Moolenaarf193fff2006-04-27 00:02:13 +0000619Note: While completion is active Insert mode can't be used recursively.
620Mappings that somehow invoke ":normal i.." will generate an E523 error.
621
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000622The following mappings are suggested to make typing the completion commands
623a bit easier (although they will hide other commands): >
624 :inoremap ^] ^X^]
625 :inoremap ^F ^X^F
626 :inoremap ^D ^X^D
627 :inoremap ^L ^X^L
628
629As a special case, typing CTRL-R to perform register insertion (see
630|i_CTRL-R|) will not exit CTRL-X mode. This is primarily to allow the use of
631the '=' register to call some function to determine the next operation. If
632the contents of the register (or result of the '=' register evaluation) are
633not valid CTRL-X mode keys, then CTRL-X mode will be exited as if those keys
634had been typed.
635
636For example, the following will map <Tab> to either actually insert a <Tab> if
637the current line is currently only whitespace, or start/continue a CTRL-N
638completion operation: >
639
640 function! CleverTab()
641 if strpart( getline('.'), 0, col('.')-1 ) =~ '^\s*$'
642 return "\<Tab>"
643 else
644 return "\<C-N>"
Bram Moolenaarb52073a2010-03-17 20:02:06 +0100645 endif
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000646 endfunction
647 inoremap <Tab> <C-R>=CleverTab()<CR>
648
649
650
651Completing whole lines *compl-whole-line*
652
653 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-L*
654CTRL-X CTRL-L Search backwards for a line that starts with the
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +0000655 same characters as those in the current line before
656 the cursor. Indent is ignored. The matching line is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000657 inserted in front of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +0000658 The 'complete' option is used to decide which buffers
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000659 are searched for a match. Both loaded and unloaded
660 buffers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000661 CTRL-L or
662 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching line. This line
663 replaces the previous matching line.
664
665 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching line. This line
666 replaces the previous matching line.
667
668 CTRL-X CTRL-L After expanding a line you can additionally get the
669 line next to it by typing CTRL-X CTRL-L again, unless
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100670 a double CTRL-X is used. Only works for loaded
671 buffers.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000672
673Completing keywords in current file *compl-current*
674
675 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-P*
676 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-N*
677CTRL-X CTRL-N Search forwards for words that start with the keyword
678 in front of the cursor. The found keyword is inserted
679 in front of the cursor.
680
681CTRL-X CTRL-P Search backwards for words that start with the keyword
682 in front of the cursor. The found keyword is inserted
683 in front of the cursor.
684
685 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
686 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
687
688 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
689 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
690
691 CTRL-X CTRL-N or
692 CTRL-X CTRL-P Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-N or CTRL-X CTRL-P will
693 copy the words following the previous expansion in
694 other contexts unless a double CTRL-X is used.
695
696If there is a keyword in front of the cursor (a name made out of alphabetic
697characters and characters in 'iskeyword'), it is used as the search pattern,
698with "\<" prepended (meaning: start of a word). Otherwise "\<\k\k" is used
699as search pattern (start of any keyword of at least two characters).
700
701In Replace mode, the number of characters that are replaced depends on the
702length of the matched string. This works like typing the characters of the
703matched string in Replace mode.
704
705If there is not a valid keyword character before the cursor, any keyword of
706at least two characters is matched.
707 e.g., to get:
708 printf("(%g, %g, %g)", vector[0], vector[1], vector[2]);
709 just type:
710 printf("(%g, %g, %g)", vector[0], ^P[1], ^P[2]);
711
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000712The search wraps around the end of the file, the value of 'wrapscan' is not
713used here.
714
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000715Multiple repeats of the same completion are skipped; thus a different match
716will be inserted at each CTRL-N and CTRL-P (unless there is only one
717matching keyword).
718
719Single character matches are never included, as they usually just get in
720the way of what you were really after.
721 e.g., to get:
722 printf("name = %s\n", name);
723 just type:
724 printf("name = %s\n", n^P);
725 or even:
726 printf("name = %s\n", ^P);
727The 'n' in '\n' is skipped.
728
729After expanding a word, you can use CTRL-X CTRL-P or CTRL-X CTRL-N to get the
730word following the expansion in other contexts. These sequences search for
731the text just expanded and further expand by getting an extra word. This is
732useful if you need to repeat a sequence of complicated words. Although CTRL-P
733and CTRL-N look just for strings of at least two characters, CTRL-X CTRL-P and
734CTRL-X CTRL-N can be used to expand words of just one character.
735 e.g., to get:
736 M&eacute;xico
737 you can type:
738 M^N^P^X^P^X^P
739CTRL-N starts the expansion and then CTRL-P takes back the single character
740"M", the next two CTRL-X CTRL-P's get the words "&eacute" and ";xico".
741
742If the previous expansion was split, because it got longer than 'textwidth',
743then just the text in the current line will be used.
744
745If the match found is at the end of a line, then the first word in the next
746line will be inserted and the message "word from next line" displayed, if
747this word is accepted the next CTRL-X CTRL-P or CTRL-X CTRL-N will search
748for those lines starting with this word.
749
750
751Completing keywords in 'dictionary' *compl-dictionary*
752
753 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K*
754CTRL-X CTRL-K Search the files given with the 'dictionary' option
755 for words that start with the keyword in front of the
756 cursor. This is like CTRL-N, but only the dictionary
757 files are searched, not the current file. The found
758 keyword is inserted in front of the cursor. This
759 could potentially be pretty slow, since all matches
760 are found before the first match is used. By default,
761 the 'dictionary' option is empty.
762 For suggestions where to find a list of words, see the
763 'dictionary' option.
764
765 CTRL-K or
766 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
767 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
768
769 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
770 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
771
772 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-T*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000773CTRL-X CTRL-T Works as CTRL-X CTRL-K, but in a special way. It uses
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000774 the 'thesaurus' option instead of 'dictionary'. If a
775 match is found in the thesaurus file, all the
776 remaining words on the same line are included as
777 matches, even though they don't complete the word.
778 Thus a word can be completely replaced.
779
780 For an example, imagine the 'thesaurus' file has a
781 line like this: >
782 angry furious mad enraged
783< Placing the cursor after the letters "ang" and typing
784 CTRL-X CTRL-T would complete the word "angry";
785 subsequent presses would change the word to "furious",
786 "mad" etc.
787 Other uses include translation between two languages,
788 or grouping API functions by keyword.
789
790 CTRL-T or
791 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
792 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
793
794 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
795 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
796
797
798Completing keywords in the current and included files *compl-keyword*
799
800The 'include' option is used to specify a line that contains an include file
801name. The 'path' option is used to search for include files.
802
803 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-I*
804CTRL-X CTRL-I Search for the first keyword in the current and
805 included files that starts with the same characters
806 as those before the cursor. The matched keyword is
807 inserted in front of the cursor.
808
809 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching keyword. This
810 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
811 Note: CTRL-I is the same as <Tab>, which is likely to
812 be typed after a successful completion, therefore
813 CTRL-I is not used for searching for the next match.
814
815 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching keyword. This
816 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
817
818 CTRL-X CTRL-I Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-I will copy the words
819 following the previous expansion in other contexts
820 unless a double CTRL-X is used.
821
822Completing tags *compl-tag*
823 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-]*
824CTRL-X CTRL-] Search for the first tag that starts with the same
825 characters as before the cursor. The matching tag is
826 inserted in front of the cursor. Alphabetic
827 characters and characters in 'iskeyword' are used
828 to decide which characters are included in the tag
829 name (same as for a keyword). See also |CTRL-]|.
830 The 'showfulltag' option can be used to add context
831 from around the tag definition.
832 CTRL-] or
833 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching tag. This tag
834 replaces the previous matching tag.
835
836 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching tag. This tag
837 replaces the previous matching tag.
838
839
840Completing file names *compl-filename*
841 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-F*
842CTRL-X CTRL-F Search for the first file name that starts with the
843 same characters as before the cursor. The matching
844 file name is inserted in front of the cursor.
845 Alphabetic characters and characters in 'isfname'
846 are used to decide which characters are included in
847 the file name. Note: the 'path' option is not used
848 here (yet).
849 CTRL-F or
850 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching file name. This
851 file name replaces the previous matching file name.
852
853 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching file name.
854 This file name replaces the previous matching file
855 name.
856
857
858Completing definitions or macros *compl-define*
859
860The 'define' option is used to specify a line that contains a definition.
861The 'include' option is used to specify a line that contains an include file
862name. The 'path' option is used to search for include files.
863
864 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-D*
865CTRL-X CTRL-D Search in the current and included files for the
866 first definition (or macro) name that starts with
867 the same characters as before the cursor. The found
868 definition name is inserted in front of the cursor.
869 CTRL-D or
870 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching macro name. This
871 macro name replaces the previous matching macro
872 name.
873
874 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching macro name.
875 This macro name replaces the previous matching macro
876 name.
877
878 CTRL-X CTRL-D Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-D will copy the words
879 following the previous expansion in other contexts
880 unless a double CTRL-X is used.
881
882
883Completing Vim commands *compl-vim*
884
885Completion is context-sensitive. It works like on the Command-line. It
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000886completes an Ex command as well as its arguments. This is useful when writing
887a Vim script.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000888
889 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-V*
890CTRL-X CTRL-V Guess what kind of item is in front of the cursor and
891 find the first match for it.
892 Note: When CTRL-V is mapped you can often use CTRL-Q
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +0000893 instead of |i_CTRL-Q|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000894 CTRL-V or
895 CTRL-N Search forwards for next match. This match replaces
896 the previous one.
897
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +0000898 CTRL-P Search backwards for previous match. This match
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000899 replaces the previous one.
900
901 CTRL-X CTRL-V Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-V will do the same as
902 CTRL-V. This allows mapping a key to do Vim command
903 completion, for example: >
904 :imap <Tab> <C-X><C-V>
905
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000906User defined completion *compl-function*
Bram Moolenaarcfbc5ee2004-07-02 15:38:35 +0000907
908Completion is done by a function that can be defined by the user with the
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000909'completefunc' option. See below for how the function is called and an
910example |complete-functions|.
Bram Moolenaarcfbc5ee2004-07-02 15:38:35 +0000911
912 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-U*
913CTRL-X CTRL-U Guess what kind of item is in front of the cursor and
914 find the first match for it.
915 CTRL-U or
916 CTRL-N Use the next match. This match replaces the previous
917 one.
918
919 CTRL-P Use the previous match. This match replaces the
920 previous one.
921
922
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000923Omni completion *compl-omni*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000924
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +0000925Completion is done by a function that can be defined by the user with the
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000926'omnifunc' option. This is to be used for filetype-specific completion.
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +0000927
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000928See below for how the function is called and an example |complete-functions|.
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000929For remarks about specific filetypes see |compl-omni-filetypes|.
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +0000930More completion scripts will appear, check www.vim.org. Currently there is a
931first version for C++.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000932
933 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-O*
934CTRL-X CTRL-O Guess what kind of item is in front of the cursor and
935 find the first match for it.
936 CTRL-O or
937 CTRL-N Use the next match. This match replaces the previous
938 one.
939
940 CTRL-P Use the previous match. This match replaces the
941 previous one.
942
943
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000944Spelling suggestions *compl-spelling*
945
Bram Moolenaar5195e452005-08-19 20:32:47 +0000946A word before or at the cursor is located and correctly spelled words are
947suggested to replace it. If there is a badly spelled word in the line, before
948or under the cursor, the cursor is moved to after it. Otherwise the word just
949before the cursor is used for suggestions, even though it isn't badly spelled.
950
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000951NOTE: CTRL-S suspends display in many Unix terminals. Use 's' instead. Type
952CTRL-Q to resume displaying.
953
954 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-S* *i_CTRL-X_s*
955CTRL-X CTRL-S or
956CTRL-X s Locate the word in front of the cursor and find the
957 first spell suggestion for it.
958 CTRL-S or
959 CTRL-N Use the next suggestion. This replaces the previous
960 one. Note that you can't use 's' here.
961
962 CTRL-P Use the previous suggestion. This replaces the
963 previous one.
964
965
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000966Completing keywords from different sources *compl-generic*
967
968 *i_CTRL-N*
969CTRL-N Find next match for words that start with the
970 keyword in front of the cursor, looking in places
971 specified with the 'complete' option. The found
972 keyword is inserted in front of the cursor.
973
974 *i_CTRL-P*
975CTRL-P Find previous match for words that start with the
976 keyword in front of the cursor, looking in places
977 specified with the 'complete' option. The found
978 keyword is inserted in front of the cursor.
979
980 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
981 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
982
983 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
984 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
985
986 CTRL-X CTRL-N or
987 CTRL-X CTRL-P Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-N or CTRL-X CTRL-P will
988 copy the words following the previous expansion in
989 other contexts unless a double CTRL-X is used.
990
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +0000991
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000992FUNCTIONS FOR FINDING COMPLETIONS *complete-functions*
993
994This applies to 'completefunc' and 'omnifunc'.
995
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +0000996The function is called in two different ways:
997- First the function is called to find the start of the text to be completed.
998- Later the function is called to actually find the matches.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000999
1000On the first invocation the arguments are:
1001 a:findstart 1
1002 a:base empty
1003
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001004The function must return the column where the completion starts. It must be a
1005number between zero and the cursor column "col('.')". This involves looking
1006at the characters just before the cursor and including those characters that
1007could be part of the completed item. The text between this column and the
1008cursor column will be replaced with the matches. Return -1 if no completion
1009can be done.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001010
1011On the second invocation the arguments are:
1012 a:findstart 0
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001013 a:base the text with which matches should match; the text that was
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001014 located in the first call (can be empty)
1015
1016The function must return a List with the matching words. These matches
1017usually include the "a:base" text. When there are no matches return an empty
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001018List.
Bram Moolenaar5c4bab02006-03-10 21:37:46 +00001019 *complete-items*
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001020Each list item can either be a string or a Dictionary. When it is a string it
1021is used as the completion. When it is a Dictionary it can contain these
1022items:
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001023 word the text that will be inserted, mandatory
1024 abbr abbreviation of "word"; when not empty it is used in
1025 the menu instead of "word"
Bram Moolenaar8dff8182006-04-06 20:18:50 +00001026 menu extra text for the popup menu, displayed after "word"
1027 or "abbr"
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001028 info more information about the item, can be displayed in a
1029 preview window
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001030 kind single letter indicating the type of completion
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001031 icase when non-zero case is to be ignored when comparing
1032 items to be equal; when omitted zero is used, thus
1033 items that only differ in case are added
Bram Moolenaar4a85b412006-04-23 22:40:29 +00001034 dup when non-zero this match will be added even when an
1035 item with the same word is already present.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001036
Bram Moolenaard1f56e62006-02-22 21:25:37 +00001037All of these except 'icase' must be a string. If an item does not meet these
1038requirements then an error message is given and further items in the list are
1039not used. You can mix string and Dictionary items in the returned list.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001040
1041The "menu" item is used in the popup menu and may be truncated, thus it should
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001042be relatively short. The "info" item can be longer, it will be displayed in
1043the preview window when "preview" appears in 'completeopt'. The "info" item
1044will also remain displayed after the popup menu has been removed. This is
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001045useful for function arguments. Use a single space for "info" to remove
1046existing text in the preview window.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001047
1048The "kind" item uses a single letter to indicate the kind of completion. This
1049may be used to show the completion differently (different color or icon).
1050Currently these types can be used:
1051 v variable
1052 f function or method
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001053 m member of a struct or class
1054 t typedef
1055 d #define or macro
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001056
1057When searching for matches takes some time call |complete_add()| to add each
1058match to the total list. These matches should then not appear in the returned
1059list! Call |complete_check()| now and then to allow the user to press a key
1060while still searching for matches. Stop searching when it returns non-zero.
1061
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001062The function is allowed to move the cursor, it is restored afterwards. This
1063option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for security
1064reasons.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001065
1066An example that completes the names of the months: >
1067 fun! CompleteMonths(findstart, base)
1068 if a:findstart
1069 " locate the start of the word
1070 let line = getline('.')
1071 let start = col('.') - 1
1072 while start > 0 && line[start - 1] =~ '\a'
1073 let start -= 1
1074 endwhile
1075 return start
1076 else
1077 " find months matching with "a:base"
1078 let res = []
1079 for m in split("Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec")
1080 if m =~ '^' . a:base
1081 call add(res, m)
1082 endif
1083 endfor
1084 return res
1085 endif
1086 endfun
1087 set completefunc=CompleteMonths
1088<
1089The same, but now pretending searching for matches is slow: >
1090 fun! CompleteMonths(findstart, base)
1091 if a:findstart
1092 " locate the start of the word
1093 let line = getline('.')
1094 let start = col('.') - 1
1095 while start > 0 && line[start - 1] =~ '\a'
1096 let start -= 1
1097 endwhile
1098 return start
1099 else
1100 " find months matching with "a:base"
1101 for m in split("Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec")
1102 if m =~ '^' . a:base
1103 call complete_add(m)
1104 endif
1105 sleep 300m " simulate searching for next match
1106 if complete_check()
1107 break
1108 endif
1109 endfor
1110 return []
1111 endif
1112 endfun
1113 set completefunc=CompleteMonths
1114<
1115
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001116INSERT COMPLETION POPUP MENU *ins-completion-menu*
Bram Moolenaarebefac62005-12-28 22:39:57 +00001117 *popupmenu-completion*
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001118Vim can display the matches in a simplistic popup menu.
1119
1120The menu is used when:
Bram Moolenaara2031822006-03-07 22:29:51 +00001121- The 'completeopt' option contains "menu" or "menuone".
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001122- The terminal supports at least 8 colors.
Bram Moolenaard68071d2006-05-02 22:08:30 +00001123- There are at least two matches. One if "menuone" is used.
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001124
Bram Moolenaar56718732006-03-15 22:53:57 +00001125The 'pumheight' option can be used to set a maximum height. The default is to
1126use all space available.
1127
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001128There are three states:
11291. A complete match has been inserted, e.g., after using CTRL-N or CTRL-P.
11302. A cursor key has been used to select another match. The match was not
1131 inserted then, only the entry in the popup menu is highlighted.
11323. Only part of a match has been inserted and characters were typed or the
1133 backspace key was used. The list of matches was then adjusted for what is
1134 in front of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00001135
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001136You normally start in the first state, with the first match being inserted.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001137When "longest" is in 'completeopt' and there is more than one match you start
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001138in the third state.
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00001139
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001140If you select another match, e.g., with CTRL-N or CTRL-P, you go to the first
1141state. This doesn't change the list of matches.
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001142
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001143When you are back at the original text then you are in the third state. To
Bram Moolenaara2031822006-03-07 22:29:51 +00001144get there right away you can use a mapping that uses CTRL-P right after
1145starting the completion: >
1146 :imap <F7> <C-N><C-P>
Bram Moolenaar76916e62006-03-21 21:23:25 +00001147<
1148 *popupmenu-keys*
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001149In the first state these keys have a special meaning:
1150<BS> and CTRL-H Delete one character, find the matches for the word before
1151 the cursor. This reduces the list of matches, often to one
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001152 entry, and switches to the second state.
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001153Any non-special character:
1154 Stop completion without changing the match and insert the
1155 typed character.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001156
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001157In the second and third state these keys have a special meaning:
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001158<BS> and CTRL-H Delete one character, find the matches for the shorter word
1159 before the cursor. This may find more matches.
1160CTRL-L Add one character from the current match, may reduce the
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001161 number of matches.
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001162any printable, non-white character:
1163 Add this character and reduce the number of matches.
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00001164
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001165In all three states these can be used:
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +00001166CTRL-Y Yes: Accept the currently selected match and stop completion.
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001167CTRL-E End completion, go back to what was there before selecting a
1168 match (what was typed or longest common string).
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001169<PageUp> Select a match several entries back, but don't insert it.
1170<PageDown> Select a match several entries further, but don't insert it.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001171<Up> Select the previous match, as if CTRL-P was used, but don't
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001172 insert it.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001173<Down> Select the next match, as if CTRL-N was used, but don't
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001174 insert it.
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001175<Space> or <Tab> Stop completion without changing the match and insert the
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001176 typed character.
1177
Bram Moolenaar044b68f2007-05-10 17:39:52 +00001178The behavior of the <Enter> key depends on the state you are in:
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001179first state: Use the text as it is and insert a line break.
1180second state: Insert the currently selected match.
1181third state: Use the text as it is and insert a line break.
1182
1183In other words: If you used the cursor keys to select another entry in the
Bram Moolenaar044b68f2007-05-10 17:39:52 +00001184list of matches then the <Enter> key inserts that match. If you typed
1185something else then <Enter> inserts a line break.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001186
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001187
1188The colors of the menu can be changed with these highlight groups:
1189Pmenu normal item |hl-Pmenu|
1190PmenuSel selected item |hl-PmenuSel|
1191PmenuSbar scrollbar |hl-PmenuSbar|
1192PmenuThumb thumb of the scrollbar |hl-PmenuThumb|
1193
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001194There are no special mappings for when the popup menu is visible. However,
1195you can use an Insert mode mapping that checks the |pumvisible()| function to
1196do something different. Example: >
1197 :inoremap <Down> <C-R>=pumvisible() ? "\<lt>C-N>" : "\<lt>Down>"<CR>
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001198
Bram Moolenaar5c4bab02006-03-10 21:37:46 +00001199You can use of <expr> in mapping to have the popup menu used when typing a
1200character and some condition is met. For example, for typing a dot: >
1201 inoremap <expr> . MayComplete()
1202 func MayComplete()
1203 if (can complete)
1204 return ".\<C-X>\<C-O>"
1205 endif
1206 return '.'
1207 endfunc
1208
1209See |:map-<expr>| for more info.
1210
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001211
1212FILETYPE-SPECIFIC REMARKS FOR OMNI COMPLETION *compl-omni-filetypes*
1213
1214The file used for {filetype} should be autoload/{filetype}complete.vim
1215in 'runtimepath'. Thus for "java" it is autoload/javacomplete.vim.
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001216
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001217
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001218C *ft-c-omni*
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001219
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001220Completion of C code requires a tags file. You should use Exuberant ctags,
1221because it adds extra information that is needed for completion. You can find
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001222it here: http://ctags.sourceforge.net/ Version 5.6 or later is recommended.
1223
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001224For version 5.5.4 you should add a patch that adds the "typename:" field:
Bram Moolenaar36fc5352006-03-04 21:49:37 +00001225 ftp://ftp.vim.org/pub/vim/unstable/patches/ctags-5.5.4.patch
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001226A compiled .exe for MS-Windows can be found at:
Bram Moolenaar36fc5352006-03-04 21:49:37 +00001227 http://georgevreilly.com/vim/ctags.html
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001228
1229If you want to complete system functions you can do something like this. Use
1230ctags to generate a tags file for all the system header files: >
1231 % ctags -R -f ~/.vim/systags /usr/include /usr/local/include
1232In your vimrc file add this tags file to the 'tags' option: >
1233 set tags+=~/.vim/systags
1234
1235When using CTRL-X CTRL-O after a name without any "." or "->" it is completed
1236from the tags file directly. This works for any identifier, also function
1237names. If you want to complete a local variable name, which does not appear
1238in the tags file, use CTRL-P instead.
1239
1240When using CTRL-X CTRL-O after something that has "." or "->" Vim will attempt
1241to recognize the type of the variable and figure out what members it has.
1242This means only members valid for the variable will be listed.
1243
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001244When a member name already was complete, CTRL-X CTRL-O will add a "." or
1245"->" for composite types.
1246
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001247Vim doesn't include a C compiler, only the most obviously formatted
1248declarations are recognized. Preprocessor stuff may cause confusion.
1249When the same structure name appears in multiple places all possible members
1250are included.
1251
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001252
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001253CSS *ft-css-omni*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001254
1255Complete properties and their appropriate values according to CSS 2.1
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001256specification.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001257
1258
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001259HTML *ft-html-omni*
1260XHTML *ft-xhtml-omni*
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001261
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001262CTRL-X CTRL-O provides completion of various elements of (X)HTML files. It is
1263designed to support writing of XHTML 1.0 Strict files but will also works for
1264other versions of HTML. Features:
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001265
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001266- after "<" complete tag name depending on context (no div suggestion inside
1267 of an a tag); '/>' indicates empty tags
1268- inside of tag complete proper attributes (no width attribute for an a tag);
1269 show also type of attribute; '*' indicates required attributes
1270- when attribute has limited number of possible values help to complete them
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001271- complete names of entities
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001272- complete values of "class" and "id" attributes with data obtained from
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001273 <style> tag and included CSS files
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001274- when completing value of "style" attribute or working inside of "style" tag
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001275 switch to |ft-css-omni| completion
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001276- when completing values of events attributes or working inside of "script"
1277 tag switch to |ft-javascript-omni| completion
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001278- when used after "</" CTRL-X CTRL-O will close the last opened tag
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001279
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001280Note: When used first time completion menu will be shown with little delay
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001281- this is time needed for loading of data file.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001282Note: Completion may fail in badly formatted documents. In such case try to
1283run |:make| command to detect formatting problems.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001284
1285
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001286HTML flavor *html-flavor*
1287
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001288The default HTML completion depends on the filetype. For HTML files it is
1289HTML 4.01 Transitional ('filetype' is "html"), for XHTML it is XHTML 1.0
1290Strict ('filetype' is "xhtml").
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001291
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001292When doing completion outside of any other tag you will have possibility to
1293choose DOCTYPE and the appropriate data file will be loaded and used for all
1294next completions.
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001295
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001296More about format of data file in |xml-omni-datafile|. Some of the data files
1297may be found on the Vim website (|www|).
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001298
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001299Note that b:html_omni_flavor may point to a file with any XML data. This
1300makes possible to mix PHP (|ft-php-omni|) completion with any XML dialect
1301(assuming you have data file for it). Without setting that variable XHTML 1.0
1302Strict will be used.
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001303
1304
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001305JAVASCRIPT *ft-javascript-omni*
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001306
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001307Completion of most elements of JavaScript language and DOM elements.
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001308
1309Complete:
1310
1311- variables
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001312- function name; show function arguments
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001313- function arguments
1314- properties of variables trying to detect type of variable
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001315- complete DOM objects and properties depending on context
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001316- keywords of language
1317
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001318Completion works in separate JavaScript files (&ft==javascript), inside of
1319<script> tag of (X)HTML and in values of event attributes (including scanning
1320of external files.
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001321
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001322DOM compatibility
1323
1324At the moment (beginning of 2006) there are two main browsers - MS Internet
1325Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. These two applications are covering over 90% of
1326market. Theoretically standards are created by W3C organisation
1327(http://www.w3c.org) but they are not always followed/implemented.
1328
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001329 IE FF W3C Omni completion ~
1330 +/- +/- + + ~
1331 + + - + ~
1332 + - - - ~
1333 - + - - ~
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001334
1335Regardless from state of implementation in browsers but if element is defined
1336in standards, completion plugin will place element in suggestion list. When
1337both major engines implemented element, even if this is not in standards it
1338will be suggested. All other elements are not placed in suggestion list.
1339
1340
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001341PHP *ft-php-omni*
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001342
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001343Completion of PHP code requires a tags file for completion of data from
1344external files and for class aware completion. You should use Exuberant ctags
1345version 5.5.4 or newer. You can find it here: http://ctags.sourceforge.net/
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001346
1347Script completes:
1348
1349- after $ variables name
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001350 - if variable was declared as object add "->", if tags file is available show
1351 name of class
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001352 - after "->" complete only function and variable names specific for given
1353 class. To find class location and contents tags file is required. Because
1354 PHP isn't strongly typed language user can use @var tag to declare class: >
1355
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001356 /* @var $myVar myClass */
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001357 $myVar->
1358<
1359 Still, to find myClass contents tags file is required.
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001360
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001361- function names with additional info:
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001362 - in case of built-in functions list of possible arguments and after | type
1363 data returned by function
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001364 - in case of user function arguments and name of file where function was
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001365 defined (if it is not current file)
1366
1367- constants names
1368- class names after "new" declaration
1369
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001370
1371Note: when doing completion first time Vim will load all necessary data into
1372memory. It may take several seconds. After next use of completion delay
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001373should not be noticeable.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001374
1375Script detects if cursor is inside <?php ?> tags. If it is outside it will
1376automatically switch to HTML/CSS/JavaScript completion. Note: contrary to
1377original HTML files completion of tags (and only tags) isn't context aware.
1378
1379
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001380RUBY *ft-ruby-omni*
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001381
1382Completion of Ruby code requires that vim be built with |+ruby|.
1383
1384Ruby completion will parse your buffer on demand in order to provide a list of
1385completions. These completions will be drawn from modules loaded by 'require'
1386and modules defined in the current buffer.
1387
1388The completions provided by CTRL-X CTRL-O are sensitive to the context:
1389
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001390 CONTEXT COMPLETIONS PROVIDED ~
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001391
1392 1. Not inside a class definition Classes, constants and globals
1393
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001394 2. Inside a class definition Methods or constants defined in the class
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001395
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001396 3. After '.', '::' or ':' Methods applicable to the object being
1397 dereferenced
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001398
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001399 4. After ':' or ':foo' Symbol name (beginning with 'foo')
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001400
1401Notes:
1402 - Vim will load/evaluate code in order to provide completions. This may
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001403 cause some code execution, which may be a concern. This is no longer
1404 enabled by default, to enable this feature add >
1405 let g:rubycomplete_buffer_loading = 1
1406<- In context 1 above, Vim can parse the entire buffer to add a list of
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001407 classes to the completion results. This feature is turned off by default,
1408 to enable it add >
1409 let g:rubycomplete_classes_in_global = 1
1410< to your vimrc
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001411 - In context 2 above, anonymous classes are not supported.
1412 - In context 3 above, Vim will attempt to determine the methods supported by
1413 the object.
1414 - Vim can detect and load the Rails environment for files within a rails
1415 project. The feature is disabled by default, to enable it add >
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001416 let g:rubycomplete_rails = 1
1417< to your vimrc
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001418
1419
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001420SYNTAX *ft-syntax-omni*
1421
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001422Vim has the ability to color syntax highlight nearly 500 languages. Part of
1423this highlighting includes knowing what keywords are part of a language. Many
1424filetypes already have custom completion scripts written for them, the
1425syntaxcomplete plugin provides basic completion for all other filetypes. It
1426does this by populating the omni completion list with the text Vim already
1427knows how to color highlight. It can be used for any filetype and provides a
1428minimal language-sensitive completion.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001429
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001430To enable syntax code completion you can run: >
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001431 setlocal omnifunc=syntaxcomplete#Complete
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001432
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001433You can automate this by placing the following in your vimrc (after any
1434":filetype" command): >
1435 if has("autocmd") && exists("+omnifunc")
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001436 autocmd Filetype *
1437 \ if &omnifunc == "" |
1438 \ setlocal omnifunc=syntaxcomplete#Complete |
1439 \ endif
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001440 endif
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001441
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001442The above will set completion to this script only if a specific plugin does
1443not already exist for that filetype.
1444
1445Each filetype can have a wide range of syntax items. The plugin allows you to
1446customize which syntax groups to include or exclude from the list. Let's have
1447a look at the PHP filetype to see how this works.
1448
1449If you edit a file called, index.php, run the following command: >
1450 :syntax list
1451
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001452The first thing you will notice is that there are many different syntax groups.
1453The PHP language can include elements from different languages like HTML,
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001454JavaScript and many more. The syntax plugin will only include syntax groups
1455that begin with the filetype, "php", in this case. For example these syntax
1456groups are included by default with the PHP: phpEnvVar, phpIntVar,
1457phpFunctions.
1458
1459The PHP language has an enormous number of items which it knows how to syntax
1460highlight. This means these items will be available within the omni
1461completion list. Some people may find this list unwieldy or are only
1462interested in certain items.
1463
1464There are two ways to prune this list (if necessary). If you find certain
1465syntax groups you do not wish displayed you can add the following to your
1466vimrc: >
1467 let g:omni_syntax_group_exclude_php = 'phpCoreConstant,phpConstant'
1468
1469Add as many syntax groups to this list by comma separating them. The basic
1470form of this variable is: >
1471 let g:omni_syntax_group_exclude_{filetype} = 'comma,separated,list'
1472
1473For completeness the opposite is also true. Creating this variable in your
1474vimrc will only include the items in the phpFunctions and phpMethods syntax
1475groups: >
1476 let g:omni_syntax_group_include_php = 'phpFunctions,phpMethods'
1477
1478You can create as many of these variables as you need, varying only the
1479filetype at the end of the variable name.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001480
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001481The plugin uses the isKeyword option to determine where word boundaries are
1482for the syntax items. For example, in the Scheme language completion should
1483include the "-", call-with-output-file. Depending on your filetype, this may
1484not provide the words you are expecting. Setting the
1485g:omni_syntax_use_iskeyword option to 0 will force the syntax plugin to break
1486on word characters. This can be controlled adding the following to your
1487vimrc: >
1488 let g:omni_syntax_use_iskeyword = 0
1489
Bram Moolenaar8b682772010-07-30 21:49:40 +02001490For plugin developers, the plugin exposes a public function OmniSyntaxList.
1491This function can be used to request a List of syntax items. When editing a
1492SQL file (:e syntax.sql) you can use the ":syntax list" command to see the
1493various groups and syntax items. For example: >
1494 syntax list
1495
1496Yields data similar to this: >
1497 sqlOperator xxx some prior all like and any escape exists in is not
1498 or intersect minus between distinct
1499 links to Operator
1500 sqlType xxx varbit varchar nvarchar bigint int uniqueidentifier
1501 date money long tinyint unsigned xml text smalldate
1502 double datetime nchar smallint numeric time bit char
1503 varbinary binary smallmoney
1504 image float integer timestamp real decimal
1505
1506There are two syntax groups listed here: sqlOperator and sqlType. To retrieve
1507a List of syntax items you can call OmniSyntaxList a number of different
1508ways. To retrieve all syntax items regardless of syntax group: >
1509 echo OmniSyntaxList( [] )
1510
1511To retrieve only the syntax items for the sqlOperator syntax group: >
1512 echo OmniSyntaxList( ['sqlOperator'] )
1513
1514To retrieve all syntax items for both the sqlOperator and sqlType groups: >
1515 echo OmniSyntaxList( ['sqlOperator', 'sqlType'] )
1516
1517From within a plugin, you would typically assign the output to a List: >
1518 let myKeywords = []
1519 let myKeywords = OmniSyntaxList( ['sqlKeyword'] )
1520
1521
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001522
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001523SQL *ft-sql-omni*
1524
1525Completion for the SQL language includes statements, functions, keywords.
1526It will also dynamically complete tables, procedures, views and column lists
1527with data pulled directly from within a database. For detailed instructions
1528and a tutorial see |omni-sql-completion|.
1529
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001530The SQL completion plugin can be used in conjunction with other completion
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001531plugins. For example, the PHP filetype has its own completion plugin.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001532Since PHP is often used to generate dynamic website by accessing a database,
1533the SQL completion plugin can also be enabled. This allows you to complete
1534PHP code and SQL code at the same time.
1535
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001536
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001537XML *ft-xml-omni*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001538
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001539Vim 7 provides a mechanism for context aware completion of XML files. It
1540depends on a special |xml-omni-datafile| and two commands: |:XMLns| and
1541|:XMLent|. Features are:
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001542
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001543- after "<" complete the tag name, depending on context
1544- inside of a tag complete proper attributes
1545- when an attribute has a limited number of possible values help to complete
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001546 them
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001547- complete names of entities (defined in |xml-omni-datafile| and in the
1548 current file with "<!ENTITY" declarations)
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001549- when used after "</" CTRL-X CTRL-O will close the last opened tag
1550
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001551Format of XML data file *xml-omni-datafile*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001552
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001553XML data files are stored in the "autoload/xml" directory in 'runtimepath'.
1554Vim distribution provides examples of data files in the
1555"$VIMRUNTIME/autoload/xml" directory. They have a meaningful name which will
1556be used in commands. It should be a unique name which will not create
1557conflicts. For example, the name xhtml10s.vim means it is the data file for
1558XHTML 1.0 Strict.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001559
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001560Each file contains a variable with a name like g:xmldata_xhtml10s . It is
1561a compound from two parts:
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001562
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +000015631. "g:xmldata_" general prefix, constant for all data files
15642. "xhtml10s" the name of the file and the name of the described XML
1565 dialect; it will be used as an argument for the |:XMLns|
1566 command
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001567
1568Part two must be exactly the same as name of file.
1569
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001570The variable is a |Dictionary|. Keys are tag names and each value is a two
1571element |List|. The first element of the List is also a List with the names
1572of possible children. The second element is a |Dictionary| with the names of
1573attributes as keys and the possible values of attributes as values. Example: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001574
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001575 let g:xmldata_crippled = {
1576 \ "vimxmlentities": ["amp", "lt", "gt", "apos", "quot"],
1577 \ 'vimxmlroot': ['tag1'],
1578 \ 'tag1':
1579 \ [ ['childoftag1a', 'childoftag1b'], {'attroftag1a': [],
1580 \ 'attroftag1b': ['valueofattr1', 'valueofattr2']}],
1581 \ 'childoftag1a':
1582 \ [ [], {'attrofchild': ['attrofchild']}],
1583 \ 'childoftag1b':
1584 \ [ ['childoftag1a'], {'attrofchild': []}],
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001585 \ "vimxmltaginfo": {
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001586 \ 'tag1': ['Menu info', 'Long information visible in preview window']},
1587 \ 'vimxmlattrinfo': {
1588 \ 'attrofchild': ['Menu info', 'Long information visible in preview window']}}
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001589
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001590This example would be put in the "autoload/xml/crippled.vim" file and could
1591help to write this file: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001592
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001593 <tag1 attroftag1b="valueofattr1">
1594 <childoftag1a attrofchild>
1595 &amp; &lt;
1596 </childoftag1a>
1597 <childoftag1b attrofchild="5">
1598 <childoftag1a>
1599 &gt; &apos; &quot;
1600 </childoftag1a>
1601 </childoftag1b>
1602 </tag1>
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001603
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001604In the example four special elements are visible:
1605
16061. "vimxmlentities" - a special key with List containing entities of this XML
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001607 dialect.
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +000016082. If the list containing possible values of attributes has one element and
1609 this element is equal to the name of the attribute this attribute will be
1610 treated as boolean and inserted as 'attrname' and not as 'attrname="'
16113. "vimxmltaginfo" - a special key with a Dictionary containing tag
1612 names as keys and two element List as values, for additional menu info and
1613 the long description.
16144. "vimxmlattrinfo" - special key with Dictionary containing attribute names
1615 as keys and two element List as values, for additional menu info and long
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001616 description.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001617
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001618Note: Tag names in the data file MUST not contain a namespace description.
1619Check xsl.vim for an example.
1620Note: All data and functions are publicly available as global
1621variables/functions and can be used for personal editing functions.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001622
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001623
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001624DTD -> Vim *dtd2vim*
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001625
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001626On |www| is the script |dtd2vim| which parses DTD and creates an XML data file
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001627for Vim XML omni completion.
1628
1629 dtd2vim: http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=1462
1630
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001631Check the beginning of that file for usage details.
1632The script requires perl and:
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001633
1634 perlSGML: http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/perlsgml
1635
1636
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001637Commands
1638
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001639:XMLns {name} [{namespace}] *:XMLns*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001640
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001641Vim has to know which data file should be used and with which namespace. For
1642loading of the data file and connecting data with the proper namespace use
1643|:XMLns| command. The first (obligatory) argument is the name of the data
1644(xhtml10s, xsl). The second argument is the code of namespace (h, xsl). When
1645used without a second argument the dialect will be used as default - without
1646namespace declaration. For example to use XML completion in .xsl files: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001647
1648 :XMLns xhtml10s
1649 :XMLns xsl xsl
1650
1651
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001652:XMLent {name} *:XMLent*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001653
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001654By default entities will be completed from the data file of the default
1655namespace. The XMLent command should be used in case when there is no default
1656namespace: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001657
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001658 :XMLent xhtml10s
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001659
1660Usage
1661
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001662While used in this situation (after declarations from previous part, | is
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001663cursor position): >
1664
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001665 <|
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001666
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001667Will complete to an appropriate XHTML tag, and in this situation: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001668
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001669 <xsl:|
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001670
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001671Will complete to an appropriate XSL tag.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001672
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001673
1674The script xmlcomplete.vim, provided through the |autoload| mechanism,
1675has the xmlcomplete#GetLastOpenTag() function which can be used in XML files
1676to get the name of the last open tag (b:unaryTagsStack has to be defined): >
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001677
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001678 :echo xmlcomplete#GetLastOpenTag("b:unaryTagsStack")
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001679
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001680
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001681
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001682==============================================================================
16838. Insert mode commands *inserting*
1684
1685The following commands can be used to insert new text into the buffer. They
1686can all be undone and repeated with the "." command.
1687
1688 *a*
1689a Append text after the cursor [count] times. If the
1690 cursor is in the first column of an empty line Insert
1691 starts there. But not when 'virtualedit' is set!
1692
1693 *A*
1694A Append text at the end of the line [count] times.
1695
1696<insert> or *i* *insert* *<Insert>*
1697i Insert text before the cursor [count] times.
1698 When using CTRL-O in Insert mode |i_CTRL-O| the count
1699 is not supported.
1700
1701 *I*
1702I Insert text before the first non-blank in the line
1703 [count] times.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001704 When the 'H' flag is present in 'cpoptions' and the
1705 line only contains blanks, insert start just before
1706 the last blank.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001707
1708 *gI*
1709gI Insert text in column 1 [count] times. {not in Vi}
1710
1711 *gi*
1712gi Insert text in the same position as where Insert mode
1713 was stopped last time in the current buffer.
1714 This uses the |'^| mark. It's different from "`^i"
1715 when the mark is past the end of the line.
1716 The position is corrected for inserted/deleted lines,
1717 but NOT for inserted/deleted characters.
1718 When the |:keepjumps| command modifier is used the |'^|
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001719 mark won't be changed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001720 {not in Vi}
1721
1722 *o*
1723o Begin a new line below the cursor and insert text,
1724 repeat [count] times. {Vi: blank [count] screen
1725 lines}
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001726 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
1727 ignored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001728
1729 *O*
1730O Begin a new line above the cursor and insert text,
1731 repeat [count] times. {Vi: blank [count] screen
1732 lines}
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001733 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
1734 ignored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001735
1736These commands are used to start inserting text. You can end insert mode with
1737<Esc>. See |mode-ins-repl| for the other special characters in Insert mode.
1738The effect of [count] takes place after Insert mode is exited.
1739
1740When 'autoindent' is on, the indent for a new line is obtained from the
1741previous line. When 'smartindent' or 'cindent' is on, the indent for a line
1742is automatically adjusted for C programs.
1743
1744'textwidth' can be set to the maximum width for a line. When a line becomes
1745too long when appending characters a line break is automatically inserted.
1746
1747
1748==============================================================================
17499. Ex insert commands *inserting-ex*
1750
1751 *:a* *:append*
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001752:{range}a[ppend][!] Insert several lines of text below the specified
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001753 line. If the {range} is missing, the text will be
1754 inserted after the current line.
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001755 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
1756 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001757
1758 *:i* *:in* *:insert*
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001759:{range}i[nsert][!] Insert several lines of text above the specified
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001760 line. If the {range} is missing, the text will be
1761 inserted before the current line.
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001762 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
1763 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001764
1765These two commands will keep on asking for lines, until you type a line
1766containing only a ".". Watch out for lines starting with a backslash, see
1767|line-continuation|.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001768
Bram Moolenaar4a748032010-09-30 21:47:56 +02001769When in Ex mode (see |-e|) a backslash at the end of the line can be used to
1770insert a NUL character. To be able to have a line ending in a backslash use
1771two backslashes. This means that the number of backslashes is halved, but
1772only at the end of the line.
1773
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001774NOTE: These commands cannot be used with |:global| or |:vglobal|.
1775":append" and ":insert" don't work properly in between ":if" and
Bram Moolenaar06fb4352005-01-05 22:10:30 +00001776":endif", ":for" and ":endfor", ":while" and ":endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001777
1778 *:start* *:startinsert*
1779:star[tinsert][!] Start Insert mode just after executing this command.
1780 Works like typing "i" in Normal mode. When the ! is
1781 included it works like "A", append to the line.
1782 Otherwise insertion starts at the cursor position.
1783 Note that when using this command in a function or
1784 script, the insertion only starts after the function
1785 or script is finished.
Bram Moolenaar87e25fd2005-07-27 21:13:01 +00001786 This command does not work from |:normal|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001787 {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02001788 {not available when compiled without the |+ex_extra|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001789 feature}
1790
1791 *:stopi* *:stopinsert*
1792:stopi[nsert] Stop Insert mode as soon as possible. Works like
1793 typing <Esc> in Insert mode.
1794 Can be used in an autocommand, example: >
1795 :au BufEnter scratch stopinsert
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00001796<
1797 *replacing-ex* *:startreplace*
1798:startr[eplace][!] Start Replace mode just after executing this command.
1799 Works just like typing "R" in Normal mode. When the
1800 ! is included it acts just like "$R" had been typed
1801 (ie. begin replace mode at the end-of-line). Other-
1802 wise replacement begins at the cursor position.
1803 Note that when using this command in a function or
1804 script that the replacement will only start after
1805 the function or script is finished.
1806 {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02001807 {not available when compiled without the |+ex_extra|
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00001808 feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001809
Bram Moolenaar61da4982005-12-14 22:02:18 +00001810 *:startgreplace*
1811:startg[replace][!] Just like |:startreplace|, but use Virtual Replace
1812 mode, like with |gR|.
1813 {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02001814 {not available when compiled without the |+ex_extra|
Bram Moolenaar61da4982005-12-14 22:02:18 +00001815 feature}
1816
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001817==============================================================================
181810. Inserting a file *inserting-file*
1819
1820 *:r* *:re* *:read*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001821:r[ead] [++opt] [name]
1822 Insert the file [name] (default: current file) below
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001823 the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001824 See |++opt| for the possible values of [++opt].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001825
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001826:{range}r[ead] [++opt] [name]
1827 Insert the file [name] (default: current file) below
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001828 the specified line.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001829 See |++opt| for the possible values of [++opt].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001830
1831 *:r!* *:read!*
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001832:[range]r[ead] !{cmd} Execute {cmd} and insert its standard output below
1833 the cursor or the specified line. A temporary file is
1834 used to store the output of the command which is then
1835 read into the buffer. 'shellredir' is used to save
1836 the output of the command, which can be set to include
1837 stderr or not. {cmd} is executed like with ":!{cmd}",
1838 any '!' is replaced with the previous command |:!|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001839
1840These commands insert the contents of a file, or the output of a command,
1841into the buffer. They can be undone. They cannot be repeated with the "."
1842command. They work on a line basis, insertion starts below the line in which
1843the cursor is, or below the specified line. To insert text above the first
1844line use the command ":0r {name}".
1845
1846After the ":read" command, the cursor is left on the first non-blank in the
1847first new line. Unless in Ex mode, then the cursor is left on the last new
1848line (sorry, this is Vi compatible).
1849
1850If a file name is given with ":r", it becomes the alternate file. This can be
1851used, for example, when you want to edit that file instead: ":e! #". This can
1852be switched off by removing the 'a' flag from the 'cpoptions' option.
1853
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001854Of the [++opt] arguments one is specifically for ":read", the ++edit argument.
1855This is useful when the ":read" command is actually used to read a file into
1856the buffer as if editing that file. Use this command in an empty buffer: >
1857 :read ++edit filename
1858The effect is that the 'fileformat', 'fileencoding', 'bomb', etc. options are
1859set to what has been detected for "filename". Note that a single empty line
1860remains, you may want to delete it.
1861
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001862 *file-read*
1863The 'fileformat' option sets the <EOL> style for a file:
1864'fileformat' characters name ~
1865 "dos" <CR><NL> or <NL> DOS format
1866 "unix" <NL> Unix format
1867 "mac" <CR> Mac format
1868Previously 'textmode' was used. It is obsolete now.
1869
1870If 'fileformat' is "dos", a <CR> in front of an <NL> is ignored and a CTRL-Z
1871at the end of the file is ignored.
1872
1873If 'fileformat' is "mac", a <NL> in the file is internally represented by a
1874<CR>. This is to avoid confusion with a <NL> which is used to represent a
1875<NUL>. See |CR-used-for-NL|.
1876
1877If the 'fileformats' option is not empty Vim tries to recognize the type of
1878<EOL> (see |file-formats|). However, the 'fileformat' option will not be
1879changed, the detected format is only used while reading the file.
1880A similar thing happens with 'fileencodings'.
1881
1882On non-MS-DOS, Win32, and OS/2 systems the message "[dos format]" is shown if
1883a file is read in DOS format, to remind you that something unusual is done.
1884On Macintosh, MS-DOS, Win32, and OS/2 the message "[unix format]" is shown if
1885a file is read in Unix format.
1886On non-Macintosh systems, the message "[Mac format]" is shown if a file is
1887read in Mac format.
1888
1889An example on how to use ":r !": >
1890 :r !uuencode binfile binfile
1891This command reads "binfile", uuencodes it and reads it into the current
1892buffer. Useful when you are editing e-mail and want to include a binary
1893file.
1894
1895 *read-messages*
1896When reading a file Vim will display a message with information about the read
1897file. In the table is an explanation for some of the items. The others are
1898self explanatory. Using the long or the short version depends on the
1899'shortmess' option.
1900
1901 long short meaning ~
1902 [readonly] {RO} the file is write protected
1903 [fifo/socket] using a stream
1904 [fifo] using a fifo stream
1905 [socket] using a socket stream
1906 [CR missing] reading with "dos" 'fileformat' and a
1907 NL without a preceding CR was found.
1908 [NL found] reading with "mac" 'fileformat' and a
1909 NL was found (could be "unix" format)
1910 [long lines split] at least one line was split in two
1911 [NOT converted] conversion from 'fileencoding' to
1912 'encoding' was desired but not
1913 possible
1914 [converted] conversion from 'fileencoding' to
1915 'encoding' done
1916 [crypted] file was decrypted
1917 [READ ERRORS] not all of the file could be read
1918
1919
1920 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: