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Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +02001*change.txt* For Vim version 7.4. Last change: 2015 Aug 04
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7This file describes commands that delete or change text. In this context,
8changing text means deleting the text and replacing it with other text using
9one command. You can undo all of these commands. You can repeat the non-Ex
10commands with the "." command.
11
121. Deleting text |deleting|
132. Delete and insert |delete-insert|
143. Simple changes |simple-change| *changing*
154. Complex changes |complex-change|
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +000016 4.1 Filter commands |filter|
17 4.2 Substitute |:substitute|
18 4.3 Search and replace |search-replace|
19 4.4 Changing tabs |change-tabs|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000205. Copying and moving text |copy-move|
216. Formatting text |formatting|
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +0000227. Sorting text |sorting|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000023
24For inserting text see |insert.txt|.
25
26==============================================================================
271. Deleting text *deleting* *E470*
28
29["x]<Del> or *<Del>* *x* *dl*
30["x]x Delete [count] characters under and after the cursor
31 [into register x] (not |linewise|). Does the same as
32 "dl".
33 The <Del> key does not take a [count]. Instead, it
34 deletes the last character of the count.
35 See |:fixdel| if the <Del> key does not do what you
36 want. See |'whichwrap'| for deleting a line break
37 (join lines). {Vi does not support <Del>}
38
39 *X* *dh*
40["x]X Delete [count] characters before the cursor [into
41 register x] (not |linewise|). Does the same as "dh".
42 Also see |'whichwrap'|.
43
44 *d*
45["x]d{motion} Delete text that {motion} moves over [into register
46 x]. See below for exceptions.
47
48 *dd*
49["x]dd Delete [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
50
51 *D*
52["x]D Delete the characters under the cursor until the end
53 of the line and [count]-1 more lines [into register
54 x]; synonym for "d$".
55 (not |linewise|)
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +000056 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
57 ignored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000058
59{Visual}["x]x or *v_x* *v_d* *v_<Del>*
60{Visual}["x]d or
61{Visual}["x]<Del> Delete the highlighted text [into register x] (for
62 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
63
64{Visual}["x]CTRL-H or *v_CTRL-H* *v_<BS>*
65{Visual}["x]<BS> When in Select mode: Delete the highlighted text [into
66 register x].
67
68{Visual}["x]X or *v_X* *v_D* *v_b_D*
69{Visual}["x]D Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
70 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). In Visual block mode,
71 "D" deletes the highlighted text plus all text until
72 the end of the line. {not in Vi}
73
Bram Moolenaar9ba7e172013-07-17 22:37:26 +020074 *:d* *:de* *:del* *:delete* *:dl* *:dp*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000075:[range]d[elete] [x] Delete [range] lines (default: current line) [into
76 register x].
Bram Moolenaar9ba7e172013-07-17 22:37:26 +020077 Note these weird abbreviations:
78 :dl delete and list
79 :dell idem
80 :delel idem
81 :deletl idem
82 :deletel idem
83 :dp delete and print
84 :dep idem
85 :delp idem
86 :delep idem
87 :deletp idem
88 :deletep idem
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000089
90:[range]d[elete] [x] {count}
91 Delete {count} lines, starting with [range]
92 (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|) [into
93 register x].
94
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +020095These commands delete text. You can repeat them with the `.` command
96(except `:d`) and undo them. Use Visual mode to delete blocks of text. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000097|registers| for an explanation of registers.
98
99An exception for the d{motion} command: If the motion is not linewise, the
100start and end of the motion are not in the same line, and there are only
101blanks before the start and after the end of the motion, the delete becomes
102linewise. This means that the delete also removes the line of blanks that you
Bram Moolenaar6ee8d892012-01-10 14:55:01 +0100103might expect to remain. Use the |o_v| operator to force the motion to be
104characterwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000105
106Trying to delete an empty region of text (e.g., "d0" in the first column)
107is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E' flag.
108
109 *J*
110J Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
111 Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces (see
112 below).
113
114 *v_J*
115{Visual}J Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
116 lines. Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces
117 (see below). {not in Vi}
118
119 *gJ*
120gJ Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
121 Don't insert or remove any spaces. {not in Vi}
122
123 *v_gJ*
124{Visual}gJ Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
125 lines. Don't insert or remove any spaces. {not in
126 Vi}
127
128 *:j* *:join*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000129:[range]j[oin][!] [flags]
130 Join [range] lines. Same as "J", except with [!]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000131 the join does not insert or delete any spaces.
132 If a [range] has equal start and end values, this
133 command does nothing. The default behavior is to
134 join the current line with the line below it.
135 {not in Vi: !}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000136 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000137
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000138:[range]j[oin][!] {count} [flags]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000139 Join {count} lines, starting with [range] (default:
140 current line |cmdline-ranges|). Same as "J", except
141 with [!] the join does not insert or delete any
142 spaces.
143 {not in Vi: !}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000144 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000145
146These commands delete the <EOL> between lines. This has the effect of joining
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200147multiple lines into one line. You can repeat these commands (except `:j`) and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000148undo them.
149
150These commands, except "gJ", insert one space in place of the <EOL> unless
151there is trailing white space or the next line starts with a ')'. These
152commands, except "gJ", delete any leading white space on the next line. If
153the 'joinspaces' option is on, these commands insert two spaces after a '.',
154'!' or '?' (but if 'cpoptions' includes the 'j' flag, they insert two spaces
155only after a '.').
156The 'B' and 'M' flags in 'formatoptions' change the behavior for inserting
157spaces before and after a multi-byte character |fo-table|.
158
Bram Moolenaar251835e2014-02-24 02:51:51 +0100159The '[ mark is set at the end of the first line that was joined, '] at the end
160of the resulting line.
161
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000162
163==============================================================================
1642. Delete and insert *delete-insert* *replacing*
165
166 *R*
167R Enter Replace mode: Each character you type replaces
168 an existing character, starting with the character
169 under the cursor. Repeat the entered text [count]-1
170 times. See |Replace-mode| for more details.
171
172 *gR*
173gR Enter Virtual Replace mode: Each character you type
174 replaces existing characters in screen space. So a
175 <Tab> may replace several characters at once.
176 Repeat the entered text [count]-1 times. See
177 |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more details.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200178 {not available when compiled without the |+vreplace|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000179 feature}
180
181 *c*
182["x]c{motion} Delete {motion} text [into register x] and start
183 insert. When 'cpoptions' includes the 'E' flag and
184 there is no text to delete (e.g., with "cTx" when the
185 cursor is just after an 'x'), an error occurs and
186 insert mode does not start (this is Vi compatible).
187 When 'cpoptions' does not include the 'E' flag, the
188 "c" command always starts insert mode, even if there
189 is no text to delete.
190
191 *cc*
192["x]cc Delete [count] lines [into register x] and start
193 insert |linewise|. If 'autoindent' is on, preserve
194 the indent of the first line.
195
196 *C*
197["x]C Delete from the cursor position to the end of the
198 line and [count]-1 more lines [into register x], and
199 start insert. Synonym for c$ (not |linewise|).
200
201 *s*
202["x]s Delete [count] characters [into register x] and start
203 insert (s stands for Substitute). Synonym for "cl"
204 (not |linewise|).
205
206 *S*
207["x]S Delete [count] lines [into register x] and start
208 insert. Synonym for "cc" |linewise|.
209
210{Visual}["x]c or *v_c* *v_s*
211{Visual}["x]s Delete the highlighted text [into register x] and
212 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not
213 in Vi}
214
215 *v_r*
216{Visual}["x]r{char} Replace all selected characters by {char}.
217
218 *v_C*
219{Visual}["x]C Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
220 start insert. In Visual block mode it works
221 differently |v_b_C|. {not in Vi}
222 *v_S*
223{Visual}["x]S Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
224 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not
225 in Vi}
226 *v_R*
227{Visual}["x]R Currently just like {Visual}["x]S. In a next version
228 it might work differently. {not in Vi}
229
230Notes:
231- You can end Insert and Replace mode with <Esc>.
232- See the section "Insert and Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl| for the other
233 special characters in these modes.
234- The effect of [count] takes place after Vim exits Insert or Replace mode.
235- When the 'cpoptions' option contains '$' and the change is within one line,
236 Vim continues to show the text to be deleted and puts a '$' at the last
237 deleted character.
238
239See |registers| for an explanation of registers.
240
241Replace mode is just like Insert mode, except that every character you enter
242deletes one character. If you reach the end of a line, Vim appends any
243further characters (just like Insert mode). In Replace mode, the backspace
244key restores the original text (if there was any). (See section "Insert and
245Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl|).
246
247 *cw* *cW*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000248Special case: When the cursor is in a word, "cw" and "cW" do not include the
249white space after a word, they only change up to the end of the word. This is
250because Vim interprets "cw" as change-word, and a word does not include the
251following white space.
252{Vi: "cw" when on a blank followed by other blanks changes only the first
253blank; this is probably a bug, because "dw" deletes all the blanks; use the
254'w' flag in 'cpoptions' to make it work like Vi anyway}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000255
256If you prefer "cw" to include the space after a word, use this mapping: >
257 :map cw dwi
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000258Or use "caw" (see |aw|).
259
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000260 *:c* *:ch* *:change*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000261:{range}c[hange][!] Replace lines of text with some different text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000262 Type a line containing only "." to stop replacing.
263 Without {range}, this command changes only the current
264 line.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000265 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
266 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000267
268==============================================================================
2693. Simple changes *simple-change*
270
271 *r*
272r{char} Replace the character under the cursor with {char}.
273 If {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, a line break replaces the
274 character. To replace with a real <CR>, use CTRL-V
275 <CR>. CTRL-V <NL> replaces with a <Nul>.
276 {Vi: CTRL-V <CR> still replaces with a line break,
277 cannot replace something with a <CR>}
Bram Moolenaar80716072012-05-01 21:14:34 +0200278
279 If {char} is CTRL-E or CTRL-Y the character from the
280 line below or above is used, just like with |i_CTRL-E|
281 and |i_CTRL-Y|. This also works with a count, thus
282 `10r<C-E>` copies 10 characters from the line below.
283
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000284 If you give a [count], Vim replaces [count] characters
285 with [count] {char}s. When {char} is a <CR> or <NL>,
286 however, Vim inserts only one <CR>: "5r<CR>" replaces
287 five characters with a single line break.
288 When {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, Vim performs
289 autoindenting. This works just like deleting the
290 characters that are replaced and then doing
291 "i<CR><Esc>".
292 {char} can be entered as a digraph |digraph-arg|.
293 |:lmap| mappings apply to {char}. The CTRL-^ command
294 in Insert mode can be used to switch this on/off
295 |i_CTRL-^|. See |utf-8-char-arg| about using
296 composing characters when 'encoding' is Unicode.
297
298 *gr*
299gr{char} Replace the virtual characters under the cursor with
300 {char}. This replaces in screen space, not file
301 space. See |gR| and |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more
302 details. As with |r| a count may be given.
303 {char} can be entered like with |r|.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200304 {not available when compiled without the |+vreplace|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000305 feature}
306
307 *digraph-arg*
308The argument for Normal mode commands like |r| and |t| is a single character.
309When 'cpo' doesn't contain the 'D' flag, this character can also be entered
310like |digraphs|. First type CTRL-K and then the two digraph characters.
311{not available when compiled without the |+digraphs| feature}
312
313 *case*
314The following commands change the case of letters. The currently active
315|locale| is used. See |:language|. The LC_CTYPE value matters here.
316
317 *~*
318~ 'notildeop' option: Switch case of the character
319 under the cursor and move the cursor to the right.
320 If a [count] is given, do that many characters. {Vi:
321 no count}
322
323~{motion} 'tildeop' option: switch case of {motion} text. {Vi:
324 tilde cannot be used as an operator}
325
326 *g~*
327g~{motion} Switch case of {motion} text. {not in Vi}
328
329g~g~ *g~g~* *g~~*
330g~~ Switch case of current line. {not in Vi}.
331
332 *v_~*
333{Visual}~ Switch case of highlighted text (for {Visual} see
334 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
335
336 *v_U*
337{Visual}U Make highlighted text uppercase (for {Visual} see
338 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
339
340 *gU* *uppercase*
341gU{motion} Make {motion} text uppercase. {not in Vi}
342 Example: >
343 :map! <C-F> <Esc>gUiw`]a
344< This works in Insert mode: press CTRL-F to make the
345 word before the cursor uppercase. Handy to type
346 words in lowercase and then make them uppercase.
347
348
349gUgU *gUgU* *gUU*
350gUU Make current line uppercase. {not in Vi}.
351
352 *v_u*
353{Visual}u Make highlighted text lowercase (for {Visual} see
354 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
355
356 *gu* *lowercase*
357gu{motion} Make {motion} text lowercase. {not in Vi}
358
359gugu *gugu* *guu*
360guu Make current line lowercase. {not in Vi}.
361
362 *g?* *rot13*
363g?{motion} Rot13 encode {motion} text. {not in Vi}
364
365 *v_g?*
366{Visual}g? Rot13 encode the highlighted text (for {Visual} see
367 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
368
369g?g? *g?g?* *g??*
370g?? Rot13 encode current line. {not in Vi}.
371
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000372To turn one line into title caps, make every first letter of a word
373uppercase: >
374 :s/\v<(.)(\w*)/\u\1\L\2/g
375
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000376
377Adding and subtracting ~
378 *CTRL-A*
379CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character at
380 or after the cursor. {not in Vi}
381
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200382 *v_CTRL-A*
383{Visual}CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character in
384 the highlighted text. {not in Vi}
385
386 *v_g_CTRL-A*
387{Visual}g CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character in
388 the highlighted text. If several lines are
389 highlighted, each one will be incremented by an
390 additional [count] (so effectively creating a
391 [count] incrementing sequence). {not in Vi}
392 For Example, if you have this list of numbers:
393 1. ~
394 1. ~
395 1. ~
396 1. ~
397 Move to the second "1." and Visually select three
398 lines, pressing g CTRL-A results in:
399 1. ~
400 2. ~
401 3. ~
402 4. ~
403
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000404 *CTRL-X*
405CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
406 character at or after the cursor. {not in Vi}
407
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200408 *v_CTRL-X*
409{Visual}CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
410 character in the highlighted text. {not in Vi}
411
412 *v_g_CTRL-X*
413{Visual}g CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
414 character in the highlighted text. If several lines
415 are highlighted, each value will be decremented by an
416 additional [count] (so effectively creating a [count]
417 decrementing sequence). {not in Vi}
418
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000419The CTRL-A and CTRL-X commands work for (signed) decimal numbers, unsigned
420octal and hexadecimal numbers and alphabetic characters. This depends on the
421'nrformats' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000422- When 'nrformats' includes "octal", Vim considers numbers starting with a '0'
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000423 to be octal, unless the number includes a '8' or '9'. Other numbers are
424 decimal and may have a preceding minus sign.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000425 If the cursor is on a number, the commands apply to that number; otherwise
426 Vim uses the number to the right of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000427- When 'nrformats' includes "hex", Vim assumes numbers starting with '0x' or
428 '0X' are hexadecimal. The case of the rightmost letter in the number
429 determines the case of the resulting hexadecimal number. If there is no
430 letter in the current number, Vim uses the previously detected case.
431- When 'nrformats' includes "alpha", Vim will change the alphabetic character
432 under or after the cursor. This is useful to make lists with an alphabetic
433 index.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000434
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200435For decimals a leading negative sign is considered for incrementing/
436decrementing, for octal and hex values, it won't be considered.
437To ignore the sign Visually select the number before using CTRL-A or CTRL-X.
438
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000439For numbers with leading zeros (including all octal and hexadecimal numbers),
440Vim preserves the number of characters in the number when possible. CTRL-A on
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000441"0077" results in "0100", CTRL-X on "0x100" results in "0x0ff".
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000442There is one exception: When a number that starts with a zero is found not to
443be octal (it contains a '8' or '9'), but 'nrformats' does include "octal",
444leading zeros are removed to avoid that the result may be recognized as an
445octal number.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000446
447Note that when 'nrformats' includes "octal", decimal numbers with leading
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000448zeros cause mistakes, because they can be confused with octal numbers.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000449
450The CTRL-A command is very useful in a macro. Example: Use the following
451steps to make a numbered list.
452
4531. Create the first list entry, make sure it starts with a number.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004542. qa - start recording into register 'a'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004553. Y - yank the entry
4564. p - put a copy of the entry below the first one
4575. CTRL-A - increment the number
4586. q - stop recording
4597. <count>@a - repeat the yank, put and increment <count> times
460
461
462SHIFTING LINES LEFT OR RIGHT *shift-left-right*
463
464 *<*
465<{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
466
467 *<<*
468<< Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
469
470 *v_<*
471{Visual}[count]< Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
472 leftwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in
473 Vi}
474
475 *>*
476 >{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
477
478 *>>*
479 >> Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
480
481 *v_>*
482{Visual}[count]> Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
483 rightwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in
484 Vi}
485
486 *:<*
487:[range]< Shift [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' left. Repeat '<'
488 for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
489
490:[range]< {count} Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' left, starting
491 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
492 Repeat '<' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
493
494:[range]le[ft] [indent] left align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
495 lines to [indent] (default 0). {not in Vi}
496
497 *:>*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000498:[range]> [flags] Shift {count} [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' right.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000499 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000500 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000501
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000502:[range]> {count} [flags]
503 Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' right, starting
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000504 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
505 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000506 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000507
508The ">" and "<" commands are handy for changing the indentation within
509programs. Use the 'shiftwidth' option to set the size of the white space
510which these commands insert or delete. Normally the 'shiftwidth' option is 8,
511but you can set it to, say, 3 to make smaller indents. The shift leftwards
512stops when there is no indent. The shift right does not affect empty lines.
513
514If the 'shiftround' option is on, the indent is rounded to a multiple of
515'shiftwidth'.
516
517If the 'smartindent' option is on, or 'cindent' is on and 'cinkeys' contains
Bram Moolenaar8e69b4a2013-11-09 03:41:58 +0100518'#' with a zero value, shift right does not affect lines starting with '#'
519(these are supposed to be C preprocessor lines that must stay in column 1).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000520
521When the 'expandtab' option is off (this is the default) Vim uses <Tab>s as
522much as possible to make the indent. You can use ">><<" to replace an indent
523made out of spaces with the same indent made out of <Tab>s (and a few spaces
524if necessary). If the 'expandtab' option is on, Vim uses only spaces. Then
525you can use ">><<" to replace <Tab>s in the indent by spaces (or use
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200526`:retab!`).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000527
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200528To move a line several 'shiftwidth's, use Visual mode or the `:` commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000529For example: >
530 Vjj4> move three lines 4 indents to the right
531 :<<< move current line 3 indents to the left
532 :>> 5 move 5 lines 2 indents to the right
533 :5>> move line 5 2 indents to the right
534
535==============================================================================
5364. Complex changes *complex-change*
537
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005384.1 Filter commands *filter*
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000539
540A filter is a program that accepts text at standard input, changes it in some
541way, and sends it to standard output. You can use the commands below to send
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000542some text through a filter, so that it is replaced by the filter output.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000543Examples of filters are "sort", which sorts lines alphabetically, and
544"indent", which formats C program files (you need a version of indent that
545works like a filter; not all versions do). The 'shell' option specifies the
546shell Vim uses to execute the filter command (See also the 'shelltype'
547option). You can repeat filter commands with ".". Vim does not recognize a
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200548comment (starting with '"') after the `:!` command.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000549
550 *!*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000551!{motion}{filter} Filter {motion} text lines through the external
552 program {filter}.
553
554 *!!*
555!!{filter} Filter [count] lines through the external program
556 {filter}.
557
558 *v_!*
559{Visual}!{filter} Filter the highlighted lines through the external
560 program {filter} (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
561 {not in Vi}
562
563:{range}![!]{filter} [!][arg] *:range!*
564 Filter {range} lines through the external program
565 {filter}. Vim replaces the optional bangs with the
566 latest given command and appends the optional [arg].
567 Vim saves the output of the filter command in a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100568 temporary file and then reads the file into the buffer
569 |tempfile|. Vim uses the 'shellredir' option to
570 redirect the filter output to the temporary file.
Bram Moolenaar83c465c2005-12-16 21:53:56 +0000571 However, if the 'shelltemp' option is off then pipes
572 are used when possible (on Unix).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000573 When the 'R' flag is included in 'cpoptions' marks in
574 the filtered lines are deleted, unless the
575 |:keepmarks| command is used. Example: >
576 :keepmarks '<,'>!sort
577< When the number of lines after filtering is less than
578 before, marks in the missing lines are deleted anyway.
579
580 *=*
581={motion} Filter {motion} lines through the external program
582 given with the 'equalprg' option. When the 'equalprg'
583 option is empty (this is the default), use the
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +0200584 internal formatting function |C-indenting| and
585 |'lisp'|. But when 'indentexpr' is not empty, it will
586 be used instead |indent-expression|. When Vim was
587 compiled without internal formatting then the "indent"
588 program is used as a last resort.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000589
590 *==*
591== Filter [count] lines like with ={motion}.
592
593 *v_=*
594{Visual}= Filter the highlighted lines like with ={motion}.
595 {not in Vi}
596
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000597
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100598 *tempfile* *setuid*
599Vim uses temporary files for filtering, generating diffs and also for
600tempname(). For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
601accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems (e.g., a symlink
602attack or other people reading your file). When Vim exits the directory and
603all files in it are deleted. When Vim has the setuid bit set this may cause
604problems, the temp file is owned by the setuid user but the filter command
605probably runs as the original user.
606On MS-DOS and OS/2 the first of these directories that works is used: $TMP,
607$TEMP, c:\TMP, c:\TEMP.
608For Unix the list of directories is: $TMPDIR, /tmp, current-dir, $HOME.
609For MS-Windows the GetTempFileName() system function is used.
610For other systems the tmpnam() library function is used.
611
612
613
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00006144.2 Substitute *:substitute*
615 *:s* *:su*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000616:[range]s[ubstitute]/{pattern}/{string}/[flags] [count]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000617 For each line in [range] replace a match of {pattern}
618 with {string}.
619 For the {pattern} see |pattern|.
620 {string} can be a literal string, or something
621 special; see |sub-replace-special|.
622 When [range] and [count] are omitted, replace in the
623 current line only.
624 When [count] is given, replace in [count] lines,
625 starting with the last line in [range]. When [range]
626 is omitted start in the current line.
627 Also see |cmdline-ranges|.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000628 See |:s_flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000629
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000630:[range]s[ubstitute] [flags] [count]
631:[range]&[&][flags] [count] *:&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000632 Repeat last :substitute with same search pattern and
633 substitute string, but without the same flags. You
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000634 may add [flags], see |:s_flags|.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200635 Note that after `:substitute` the '&' flag can't be
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000636 used, it's recognized as a pattern separator.
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +0200637 The space between `:substitute` and the 'c', 'g',
638 'i', 'I' and 'r' flags isn't required, but in scripts
639 it's a good idea to keep it to avoid confusion.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000640
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000641:[range]~[&][flags] [count] *:~*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000642 Repeat last substitute with same substitute string
643 but with last used search pattern. This is like
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200644 `:&r`. See |:s_flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000645
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000646 *&*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200647& Synonym for `:s` (repeat last substitute). Note
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000648 that the flags are not remembered, thus it might
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200649 actually work differently. You can use `:&&` to keep
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000650 the flags.
651
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000652 *g&*
Bram Moolenaar97d62492012-11-15 21:28:22 +0100653g& Synonym for `:%s//~/&` (repeat last substitute with
654 last search pattern on all lines with the same flags).
Bram Moolenaar34700a62013-03-07 13:20:54 +0100655 For example, when you first do a substitution with
Bram Moolenaar97d62492012-11-15 21:28:22 +0100656 `:s/pattern/repl/flags` and then `/search` for
657 something else, `g&` will do `:%s/search/repl/flags`.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000658 Mnemonic: global substitute. {not in Vi}
659
660 *:snomagic* *:sno*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200661:[range]sno[magic] ... Same as `:substitute`, but always use 'nomagic'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000662 {not in Vi}
663
664 *:smagic* *:sm*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200665:[range]sm[agic] ... Same as `:substitute`, but always use 'magic'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000666 {not in Vi}
667
668 *:s_flags*
669The flags that you can use for the substitute commands:
670
671[&] Must be the first one: Keep the flags from the previous substitute
672 command. Examples: >
673 :&&
674 :s/this/that/&
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200675< Note that `:s` and `:&` don't keep the flags.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000676 {not in Vi}
677
678[c] Confirm each substitution. Vim highlights the matching string (with
679 |hl-IncSearch|). You can type: *:s_c*
680 'y' to substitute this match
681 'l' to substitute this match and then quit ("last")
682 'n' to skip this match
683 <Esc> to quit substituting
684 'a' to substitute this and all remaining matches {not in Vi}
685 'q' to quit substituting {not in Vi}
686 CTRL-E to scroll the screen up {not in Vi, not available when
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200687 compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000688 CTRL-Y to scroll the screen down {not in Vi, not available when
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200689 compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000690 If the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers the [c] flag and
691 toggles it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new
692 search pattern.
693 {not in Vi: highlighting of the match, other responses than 'y' or 'n'}
694
695[e] When the search pattern fails, do not issue an error message and, in
696 particular, continue in maps as if no error occurred. This is most
697 useful to prevent the "No match" error from breaking a mapping. Vim
698 does not suppress the following error messages, however:
699 Regular expressions can't be delimited by letters
700 \ should be followed by /, ? or &
701 No previous substitute regular expression
702 Trailing characters
703 Interrupted
704 {not in Vi}
705
706[g] Replace all occurrences in the line. Without this argument,
707 replacement occurs only for the first occurrence in each line. If
708 the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers this flag and toggles
709 it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new search
710 pattern. If the 'gdefault' option is on, this flag is on by default
711 and the [g] argument switches it off.
712
713[i] Ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase' options
714 are not used.
715 {not in Vi}
716
717[I] Don't ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase'
718 options are not used.
719 {not in Vi}
720
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000721[n] Report the number of matches, do not actually substitute. The [c]
722 flag is ignored. The matches are reported as if 'report' is zero.
723 Useful to |count-items|.
Bram Moolenaar9b451252012-08-15 17:43:31 +0200724 If \= |sub-replace-expression| is used, the expression will be
725 evaluated in the |sandbox| at every match.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000726
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000727[p] Print the line containing the last substitute.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000728
729[#] Like [p] and prepend the line number.
730
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000731[l] Like [p] but print the text like |:list|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000732
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200733[r] Only useful in combination with `:&` or `:s` without arguments. `:&r`
734 works the same way as `:~`: When the search pattern is empty, use the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000735 previously used search pattern instead of the search pattern from the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200736 last substitute or `:global`. If the last command that did a search
737 was a substitute or `:global`, there is no effect. If the last
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000738 command was a search command such as "/", use the pattern from that
739 command.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200740 For `:s` with an argument this already happens: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000741 :s/blue/red/
742 /green
743 :s//red/ or :~ or :&r
744< The last commands will replace "green" with "red". >
745 :s/blue/red/
746 /green
747 :&
748< The last command will replace "blue" with "red".
749 {not in Vi}
750
751Note that there is no flag to change the "magicness" of the pattern. A
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000752different command is used instead, or you can use |/\v| and friends. The
753reason is that the flags can only be found by skipping the pattern, and in
754order to skip the pattern the "magicness" must be known. Catch 22!
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000755
756If the {pattern} for the substitute command is empty, the command uses the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200757pattern from the last substitute or `:global` command. If there is none, but
Bram Moolenaar662db672011-03-22 14:05:35 +0100758there is a previous search pattern, that one is used. With the [r] flag, the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200759command uses the pattern from the last substitute, `:global`, or search
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000760command.
761
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000762If the {string} is omitted the substitute is done as if it's empty. Thus the
763matched pattern is deleted. The separator after {pattern} can also be left
764out then. Example: >
765 :%s/TESTING
766This deletes "TESTING" from all lines, but only one per line.
767
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000768For compatibility with Vi these two exceptions are allowed:
769"\/{string}/" and "\?{string}?" do the same as "//{string}/r".
770"\&{string}&" does the same as "//{string}/".
771 *E146*
772Instead of the '/' which surrounds the pattern and replacement string, you
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000773can use any other single-byte character, but not an alphanumeric character,
774'\', '"' or '|'. This is useful if you want to include a '/' in the search
775pattern or replacement string. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000776 :s+/+//+
777
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000778For the definition of a pattern, see |pattern|. In Visual block mode, use
779|/\%V| in the pattern to have the substitute work in the block only.
780Otherwise it works on whole lines anyway.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000781
782 *sub-replace-special* *:s\=*
783When the {string} starts with "\=" it is evaluated as an expression, see
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200784|sub-replace-expression|. You can use that for complex replacement or special
785characters.
786
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000787Otherwise these characters in {string} have a special meaning:
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000788 *:s%*
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000789When {string} is equal to "%" and '/' is included with the 'cpoptions' option,
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200790then the {string} of the previous substitute command is used, see |cpo-/|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000791
792magic nomagic action ~
793 & \& replaced with the whole matched pattern *s/\&*
794 \& & replaced with &
795 \0 replaced with the whole matched pattern *\0* *s/\0*
796 \1 replaced with the matched pattern in the first
797 pair of () *s/\1*
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000798 \2 replaced with the matched pattern in the second
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000799 pair of () *s/\2*
800 .. .. *s/\3*
801 \9 replaced with the matched pattern in the ninth
802 pair of () *s/\9*
803 ~ \~ replaced with the {string} of the previous
804 substitute *s~*
805 \~ ~ replaced with ~ *s/\~*
806 \u next character made uppercase *s/\u*
807 \U following characters made uppercase, until \E *s/\U*
808 \l next character made lowercase *s/\l*
809 \L following characters made lowercase, until \E *s/\L*
810 \e end of \u, \U, \l and \L (NOTE: not <Esc>!) *s/\e*
811 \E end of \u, \U, \l and \L *s/\E*
812 <CR> split line in two at this point
813 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s<CR>*
814 \r idem *s/\r*
815 \<CR> insert a carriage-return (CTRL-M)
816 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s/\<CR>*
817 \n insert a <NL> (<NUL> in the file)
818 (does NOT break the line) *s/\n*
819 \b insert a <BS> *s/\b*
820 \t insert a <Tab> *s/\t*
821 \\ insert a single backslash *s/\\*
822 \x where x is any character not mentioned above:
823 Reserved for future expansion
824
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200825The special meaning is also used inside the third argument {sub} of
826the |substitute()| function with the following exceptions:
827 - A % inserts a percent literally without regard to 'cpoptions'.
828 - magic is always set without regard to 'magic'.
829 - A ~ inserts a tilde literally.
830 - <CR> and \r inserts a carriage-return (CTRL-M).
831 - \<CR> does not have a special meaning. it's just one of \x.
832
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000833Examples: >
834 :s/a\|b/xxx\0xxx/g modifies "a b" to "xxxaxxx xxxbxxx"
835 :s/\([abc]\)\([efg]\)/\2\1/g modifies "af fa bg" to "fa fa gb"
836 :s/abcde/abc^Mde/ modifies "abcde" to "abc", "de" (two lines)
837 :s/$/\^M/ modifies "abcde" to "abcde^M"
Bram Moolenaarefd2bf12006-03-16 21:41:35 +0000838 :s/\w\+/\u\0/g modifies "bla bla" to "Bla Bla"
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200839 :s/\w\+/\L\u/g modifies "BLA bla" to "Bla Bla"
840
841Note: "\L\u" can be used to capitalize the first letter of a word. This is
842not compatible with Vi and older versions of Vim, where the "\u" would cancel
843out the "\L". Same for "\U\l".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000844
845Note: In previous versions CTRL-V was handled in a special way. Since this is
846not Vi compatible, this was removed. Use a backslash instead.
847
848command text result ~
849:s/aa/a^Ma/ aa a<line-break>a
850:s/aa/a\^Ma/ aa a^Ma
851:s/aa/a\\^Ma/ aa a\<line-break>a
852
853(you need to type CTRL-V <CR> to get a ^M here)
854
855The numbering of "\1", "\2" etc. is done based on which "\(" comes first in
856the pattern (going left to right). When a parentheses group matches several
857times, the last one will be used for "\1", "\2", etc. Example: >
858 :s/\(\(a[a-d] \)*\)/\2/ modifies "aa ab x" to "ab x"
859
860When using parentheses in combination with '|', like in \([ab]\)\|\([cd]\),
861either the first or second pattern in parentheses did not match, so either
862\1 or \2 is empty. Example: >
863 :s/\([ab]\)\|\([cd]\)/\1x/g modifies "a b c d" to "ax bx x x"
864<
865
866Substitute with an expression *sub-replace-expression*
Bram Moolenaar92dff182014-02-11 19:15:50 +0100867 *sub-replace-\=* *s/\=*
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000868When the substitute string starts with "\=" the remainder is interpreted as an
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200869expression. This does not work recursively: a |substitute()| function inside
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000870the expression cannot use "\=" for the substitute string.
871
872The special meaning for characters as mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200873not apply except for "<CR>". A <NL> character is used as a line break, you
874can get one with a double-quote string: "\n". Prepend a backslash to get a
875real <NL> character (which will be a NUL in the file).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000876
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200877The "\=" notation can also be used inside the third argument {sub} of
878|substitute()| function. In this case, the special meaning for characters as
879mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does not apply at all. Especially, <CR> and
880<NL> are interpreted not as a line break but as a carriage-return and a
881new-line respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000882
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +0000883When the result is a |List| then the items are joined with separating line
884breaks. Thus each item becomes a line, except that they can contain line
885breaks themselves.
886
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000887The whole matched text can be accessed with "submatch(0)". The text matched
888with the first pair of () with "submatch(1)". Likewise for further
889sub-matches in ().
890
891Be careful: The separation character must not appear in the expression!
892Consider using a character like "@" or ":". There is no problem if the result
893of the expression contains the separation character.
894
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000895Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000896 :s@\n@\="\r" . expand("$HOME") . "\r"@
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000897This replaces an end-of-line with a new line containing the value of $HOME. >
898
899 s/E/\="\<Char-0x20ac>"/g
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +0000900This replaces each 'E' character with a euro sign. Read more in |<Char->|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000901
902
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00009034.3 Search and replace *search-replace*
904
905 *:pro* *:promptfind*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000906:promptf[ind] [string]
907 Put up a Search dialog. When [string] is given, it is
908 used as the initial search string.
909 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
910
911 *:promptr* *:promptrepl*
912:promptr[epl] [string]
913 Put up a Search/Replace dialog. When [string] is
914 given, it is used as the initial search string.
915 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
916
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000917
9184.4 Changing tabs *change-tabs*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200919 *:ret* *:retab* *:retab!*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000920:[range]ret[ab][!] [new_tabstop]
921 Replace all sequences of white-space containing a
922 <Tab> with new strings of white-space using the new
923 tabstop value given. If you do not specify a new
924 tabstop size or it is zero, Vim uses the current value
925 of 'tabstop'.
926 The current value of 'tabstop' is always used to
927 compute the width of existing tabs.
928 With !, Vim also replaces strings of only normal
929 spaces with tabs where appropriate.
930 With 'expandtab' on, Vim replaces all tabs with the
931 appropriate number of spaces.
932 This command sets 'tabstop' to the new value given,
933 and if performed on the whole file, which is default,
934 should not make any visible change.
935 Careful: This command modifies any <Tab> characters
936 inside of strings in a C program. Use "\t" to avoid
937 this (that's a good habit anyway).
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200938 `:retab!` may also change a sequence of spaces by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000939 <Tab> characters, which can mess up a printf().
940 {not in Vi}
941 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
942 compile time.
943
944 *retab-example*
945Example for using autocommands and ":retab" to edit a file which is stored
946with tabstops at 8 but edited with tabstops set at 4. Warning: white space
947inside of strings can change! Also see 'softtabstop' option. >
948
949 :auto BufReadPost *.xx retab! 4
950 :auto BufWritePre *.xx retab! 8
951 :auto BufWritePost *.xx retab! 4
952 :auto BufNewFile *.xx set ts=4
953
954==============================================================================
9555. Copying and moving text *copy-move*
956
957 *quote*
958"{a-zA-Z0-9.%#:-"} Use register {a-zA-Z0-9.%#:-"} for next delete, yank
959 or put (use uppercase character to append with
960 delete and yank) ({.%#:} only work with put).
961
962 *:reg* *:registers*
963:reg[isters] Display the contents of all numbered and named
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100964 registers. If a register is written to for |:redir|
965 it will not be listed.
966 {not in Vi}
967
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000968
969:reg[isters] {arg} Display the contents of the numbered and named
970 registers that are mentioned in {arg}. For example: >
971 :dis 1a
972< to display registers '1' and 'a'. Spaces are allowed
973 in {arg}. {not in Vi}
974
975 *:di* *:display*
976:di[splay] [arg] Same as :registers. {not in Vi}
977
978 *y* *yank*
979["x]y{motion} Yank {motion} text [into register x]. When no
980 characters are to be yanked (e.g., "y0" in column 1),
981 this is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E'
982 flag.
983
984 *yy*
985["x]yy Yank [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
986
987 *Y*
988["x]Y yank [count] lines [into register x] (synonym for
989 yy, |linewise|). If you like "Y" to work from the
990 cursor to the end of line (which is more logical,
991 but not Vi-compatible) use ":map Y y$".
992
993 *v_y*
994{Visual}["x]y Yank the highlighted text [into register x] (for
995 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
996
997 *v_Y*
998{Visual}["x]Y Yank the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
999 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1000
Bram Moolenaar85de2062011-05-05 14:26:41 +02001001 *:y* *:yank* *E850*
1002:[range]y[ank] [x] Yank [range] lines [into register x]. Yanking to the
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001003 "* or "+ registers is possible only when the
1004 |+clipboard| feature is included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001005
1006:[range]y[ank] [x] {count}
1007 Yank {count} lines, starting with last line number
1008 in [range] (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|),
1009 [into register x].
1010
1011 *p* *put* *E353*
1012["x]p Put the text [from register x] after the cursor
1013 [count] times. {Vi: no count}
1014
1015 *P*
1016["x]P Put the text [from register x] before the cursor
1017 [count] times. {Vi: no count}
1018
1019 *<MiddleMouse>*
1020["x]<MiddleMouse> Put the text from a register before the cursor [count]
1021 times. Uses the "* register, unless another is
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001022 specified.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +00001023 Leaves the cursor at the end of the new text.
1024 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1025 or 'a'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001026 {not in Vi}
1027 If you have a scrollwheel and often accidentally paste
1028 text, you can use these mappings to disable the
1029 pasting with the middle mouse button: >
1030 :map <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
1031 :imap <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
1032< You might want to disable the multi-click versions
1033 too, see |double-click|.
1034
1035 *gp*
1036["x]gp Just like "p", but leave the cursor just after the new
1037 text. {not in Vi}
1038
1039 *gP*
1040["x]gP Just like "P", but leave the cursor just after the new
1041 text. {not in Vi}
1042
1043 *:pu* *:put*
1044:[line]pu[t] [x] Put the text [from register x] after [line] (default
1045 current line). This always works |linewise|, thus
1046 this command can be used to put a yanked block as new
1047 lines.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001048 If no register is specified, it depends on the 'cb'
1049 option: If 'cb' contains "unnamedplus", paste from the
1050 + register |quoteplus|. Otherwise, if 'cb' contains
Bram Moolenaarddbb5552012-04-26 20:17:03 +02001051 "unnamed", paste from the * register |quotestar|.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001052 Otherwise, paste from the unnamed register
1053 |quote_quote|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001054 The register can also be '=' followed by an optional
1055 expression. The expression continues until the end of
1056 the command. You need to escape the '|' and '"'
1057 characters to prevent them from terminating the
1058 command. Example: >
1059 :put ='path' . \",/test\"
1060< If there is no expression after '=', Vim uses the
1061 previous expression. You can see it with ":dis =".
1062
1063:[line]pu[t]! [x] Put the text [from register x] before [line] (default
1064 current line).
1065
1066["x]]p or *]p* *]<MiddleMouse>*
1067["x]]<MiddleMouse> Like "p", but adjust the indent to the current line.
1068 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1069 or 'a'. {not in Vi}
1070
1071["x][P or *[P*
1072["x]]P or *]P*
1073["x][p or *[p* *[<MiddleMouse>*
1074["x][<MiddleMouse> Like "P", but adjust the indent to the current line.
1075 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1076 or 'a'. {not in Vi}
1077
1078You can use these commands to copy text from one place to another. Do this
1079by first getting the text into a register with a yank, delete or change
1080command, then inserting the register contents with a put command. You can
1081also use these commands to move text from one file to another, because Vim
1082preserves all registers when changing buffers (the CTRL-^ command is a quick
1083way to toggle between two files).
1084
1085 *linewise-register* *characterwise-register*
1086You can repeat the put commands with "." (except for :put) and undo them. If
1087the command that was used to get the text into the register was |linewise|,
1088Vim inserts the text below ("p") or above ("P") the line where the cursor is.
1089Otherwise Vim inserts the text after ("p") or before ("P") the cursor. With
1090the ":put" command, Vim always inserts the text in the next line. You can
1091exchange two characters with the command sequence "xp". You can exchange two
1092lines with the command sequence "ddp". You can exchange two words with the
1093command sequence "deep" (start with the cursor in the blank space before the
1094first word). You can use the "']" or "`]" command after the put command to
1095move the cursor to the end of the inserted text, or use "'[" or "`[" to move
1096the cursor to the start.
1097
1098 *put-Visual-mode* *v_p* *v_P*
1099When using a put command like |p| or |P| in Visual mode, Vim will try to
1100replace the selected text with the contents of the register. Whether this
1101works well depends on the type of selection and the type of the text in the
1102register. With blockwise selection it also depends on the size of the block
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001103and whether the corners are on an existing character. (Implementation detail:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001104it actually works by first putting the register after the selection and then
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001105deleting the selection.)
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001106The previously selected text is put in the unnamed register. If you want to
1107put the same text into a Visual selection several times you need to use
1108another register. E.g., yank the text to copy, Visually select the text to
1109replace and use "0p . You can repeat this as many times as you like, the
1110unnamed register will be changed each time.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001111
Bram Moolenaarec11aef2013-09-22 15:23:44 +02001112When you use a blockwise Visual mode command and yank only a single line into
1113a register, a paste on a visual selected area will paste that single line on
1114each of the selected lines (thus replacing the blockwise selected region by a
1115block of the pasted line).
1116
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001117 *blockwise-register*
1118If you use a blockwise Visual mode command to get the text into the register,
1119the block of text will be inserted before ("P") or after ("p") the cursor
1120column in the current and next lines. Vim makes the whole block of text start
1121in the same column. Thus the inserted text looks the same as when it was
1122yanked or deleted. Vim may replace some <Tab> characters with spaces to make
1123this happen. However, if the width of the block is not a multiple of a <Tab>
1124width and the text after the inserted block contains <Tab>s, that text may be
1125misaligned.
1126
1127Note that after a characterwise yank command, Vim leaves the cursor on the
1128first yanked character that is closest to the start of the buffer. This means
1129that "yl" doesn't move the cursor, but "yh" moves the cursor one character
1130left.
1131Rationale: In Vi the "y" command followed by a backwards motion would
1132 sometimes not move the cursor to the first yanked character,
1133 because redisplaying was skipped. In Vim it always moves to
1134 the first character, as specified by Posix.
1135With a linewise yank command the cursor is put in the first line, but the
1136column is unmodified, thus it may not be on the first yanked character.
1137
1138There are nine types of registers: *registers* *E354*
11391. The unnamed register ""
11402. 10 numbered registers "0 to "9
11413. The small delete register "-
11424. 26 named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010011435. three read-only registers ":, "., "%
Bram Moolenaar0122c402015-02-03 19:13:34 +010011446. alternate buffer register "#
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010011457. the expression register "=
11468. The selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
11479. The black hole register "_
114810. Last search pattern register "/
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001149
11501. Unnamed register "" *quote_quote* *quotequote*
1151Vim fills this register with text deleted with the "d", "c", "s", "x" commands
1152or copied with the yank "y" command, regardless of whether or not a specific
Bram Moolenaared203462004-06-16 11:19:22 +00001153register was used (e.g. "xdd). This is like the unnamed register is pointing
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001154to the last used register. Thus when appending using an uppercase register
1155name, the unnamed register contains the same text as the named register.
1156An exception is the '_' register: "_dd does not store the deleted text in any
1157register.
Bram Moolenaar81695252004-12-29 20:58:21 +00001158Vim uses the contents of the unnamed register for any put command (p or P)
1159which does not specify a register. Additionally you can access it with the
1160name '"'. This means you have to type two double quotes. Writing to the ""
1161register writes to register "0.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001162{Vi: register contents are lost when changing files, no '"'}
1163
11642. Numbered registers "0 to "9 *quote_number* *quote0* *quote1*
1165 *quote2* *quote3* *quote4* *quote9*
1166Vim fills these registers with text from yank and delete commands.
1167 Numbered register 0 contains the text from the most recent yank command,
1168unless the command specified another register with ["x].
1169 Numbered register 1 contains the text deleted by the most recent delete or
1170change command, unless the command specified another register or the text is
1171less than one line (the small delete register is used then). An exception is
Bram Moolenaar81695252004-12-29 20:58:21 +00001172made for the delete operator with these movement commands: |%|, |(|, |)|, |`|,
1173|/|, |?|, |n|, |N|, |{| and |}|. Register "1 is always used then (this is Vi
1174compatible). The "- register is used as well if the delete is within a line.
Bram Moolenaarbaca7f72013-09-22 14:42:24 +02001175Note that these characters may be mapped. E.g. |%| is mapped by the matchit
Bram Moolenaar7cba6c02013-09-05 22:13:31 +02001176plugin.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001177 With each successive deletion or change, Vim shifts the previous contents
1178of register 1 into register 2, 2 into 3, and so forth, losing the previous
1179contents of register 9.
1180{Vi: numbered register contents are lost when changing files; register 0 does
1181not exist}
1182
11833. Small delete register "- *quote_-* *quote-*
1184This register contains text from commands that delete less than one line,
1185except when the command specifies a register with ["x].
1186{not in Vi}
1187
11884. Named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z *quote_alpha* *quotea*
1189Vim fills these registers only when you say so. Specify them as lowercase
1190letters to replace their previous contents or as uppercase letters to append
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001191to their previous contents. When the '>' flag is present in 'cpoptions' then
1192a line break is inserted before the appended text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001193
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010011945. Read-only registers ":, ". and "%
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001195These are '%', '#', ':' and '.'. You can use them only with the "p", "P",
1196and ":put" commands and with CTRL-R. {not in Vi}
1197 *quote_.* *quote.* *E29*
1198 ". Contains the last inserted text (the same as what is inserted
1199 with the insert mode commands CTRL-A and CTRL-@). Note: this
1200 doesn't work with CTRL-R on the command-line. It works a bit
1201 differently, like inserting the text instead of putting it
1202 ('textwidth' and other options affect what is inserted).
1203 *quote_%* *quote%*
1204 "% Contains the name of the current file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001205 *quote_:* *quote:* *E30*
1206 ": Contains the most recent executed command-line. Example: Use
1207 "@:" to repeat the previous command-line command.
1208 The command-line is only stored in this register when at least
1209 one character of it was typed. Thus it remains unchanged if
1210 the command was completely from a mapping.
1211 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
1212 feature}
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +01001213 *quote_#* *quote#*
12146. Alternate file register "#
1215Contains the name of the alternate file for the current window. It will
1216change how the |CTRL-^| command works.
1217This register is writable, mainly to allow for restoring it after a plugin has
1218changed it. It accepts buffer number: >
1219 let altbuf = bufnr(@#)
1220 ...
1221 let @# = altbuf
1222It will give error |E86| if you pass buffer number and this buffer does not
1223exist.
1224It can also accept a match with an existing buffer name: >
1225 let @# = 'buffer_name'
1226Error |E93| if there is more than one buffer matching the given name or |E94|
1227if none of buffers matches the given name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001228
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010012297. Expression register "= *quote_=* *quote=* *@=*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001230This is not really a register that stores text, but is a way to use an
1231expression in commands which use a register. The expression register is
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001232read-write.
1233
1234When typing the '=' after " or CTRL-R the cursor moves to the command-line,
1235where you can enter any expression (see |expression|). All normal
1236command-line editing commands are available, including a special history for
1237expressions. When you end the command-line by typing <CR>, Vim computes the
1238result of the expression. If you end it with <Esc>, Vim abandons the
1239expression. If you do not enter an expression, Vim uses the previous
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001240expression (like with the "/" command).
1241
1242The expression must evaluate to a String. A Number is always automatically
1243converted to a String. For the "p" and ":put" command, if the result is a
1244Float it's converted into a String. If the result is a List each element is
1245turned into a String and used as a line. A Dictionary or FuncRef results in
1246an error message (use string() to convert).
1247
1248If the "= register is used for the "p" command, the String is split up at <NL>
1249characters. If the String ends in a <NL>, it is regarded as a linewise
Bram Moolenaar6bab4d12005-06-16 21:53:56 +00001250register. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001251
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010012528. Selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001253Use these registers for storing and retrieving the selected text for the GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001254See |quotestar| and |quoteplus|. When the clipboard is not available or not
Bram Moolenaarf4d11452005-12-02 00:46:37 +00001255working, the unnamed register is used instead. For Unix systems the clipboard
1256is only available when the |+xterm_clipboard| feature is present. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001257
1258Note that there is only a distinction between "* and "+ for X11 systems. For
1259an explanation of the difference, see |x11-selection|. Under MS-Windows, use
1260of "* and "+ is actually synonymous and refers to the |gui-clipboard|.
1261
1262 *quote_~* *quote~* *<Drop>*
1263The read-only "~ register stores the dropped text from the last drag'n'drop
1264operation. When something has been dropped onto Vim, the "~ register is
1265filled in and the <Drop> pseudo key is sent for notification. You can remap
1266this key if you want; the default action (for all modes) is to insert the
1267contents of the "~ register at the cursor position. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001268{only available when compiled with the |+dnd| feature, currently only with the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001269GTK GUI}
1270
1271Note: The "~ register is only used when dropping plain text onto Vim.
1272Drag'n'drop of URI lists is handled internally.
1273
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010012749. Black hole register "_ *quote_*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001275When writing to this register, nothing happens. This can be used to delete
1276text without affecting the normal registers. When reading from this register,
1277nothing is returned. {not in Vi}
1278
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +0100127910. Last search pattern register "/ *quote_/* *quote/*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001280Contains the most recent search-pattern. This is used for "n" and 'hlsearch'.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001281It is writable with `:let`, you can change it to have 'hlsearch' highlight
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001282other matches without actually searching. You can't yank or delete into this
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001283register. The search direction is available in |v:searchforward|.
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001284Note that the value is restored when returning from a function
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001285|function-search-undo|.
1286{not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001287
1288 *@/*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001289You can write to a register with a `:let` command |:let-@|. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001290 :let @/ = "the"
1291
1292If you use a put command without specifying a register, Vim uses the register
1293that was last filled (this is also the contents of the unnamed register). If
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001294you are confused, use the `:dis` command to find out what Vim will put (this
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001295command displays all named and numbered registers; the unnamed register is
1296labelled '"').
1297
1298The next three commands always work on whole lines.
1299
1300:[range]co[py] {address} *:co* *:copy*
1301 Copy the lines given by [range] to below the line
1302 given by {address}.
1303
1304 *:t*
1305:t Synonym for copy.
1306
1307:[range]m[ove] {address} *:m* *:mo* *:move* *E134*
1308 Move the lines given by [range] to below the line
1309 given by {address}.
1310
1311==============================================================================
13126. Formatting text *formatting*
1313
1314:[range]ce[nter] [width] *:ce* *:center*
1315 Center lines in [range] between [width] columns
1316 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
1317 {not in Vi}
1318 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1319 compile time.
1320
1321:[range]ri[ght] [width] *:ri* *:right*
1322 Right-align lines in [range] at [width] columns
1323 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
1324 {not in Vi}
1325 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1326 compile time.
1327
1328 *:le* *:left*
1329:[range]le[ft] [indent]
1330 Left-align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
1331 lines to [indent] (default 0). {not in Vi}
1332 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1333 compile time.
1334
1335 *gq*
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001336gq{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001337 Formatting is done with one of three methods:
1338 1. If 'formatexpr' is not empty the expression is
1339 evaluated. This can differ for each buffer.
Bram Moolenaar4c7ed462006-02-15 22:18:42 +00001340 2. If 'formatprg' is not empty an external program
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001341 is used.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001342 3. Otherwise formatting is done internally.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001343
1344 In the third case the 'textwidth' option controls the
1345 length of each formatted line (see below).
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001346 If the 'textwidth' option is 0, the formatted line
1347 length is the screen width (with a maximum width of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001348 79).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001349 The 'formatoptions' option controls the type of
1350 formatting |fo-table|.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001351 The cursor is left on the first non-blank of the last
1352 formatted line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001353 NOTE: The "Q" command formerly performed this
1354 function. If you still want to use "Q" for
1355 formatting, use this mapping: >
1356 :nnoremap Q gq
1357
1358gqgq *gqgq* *gqq*
Bram Moolenaar40af4e32010-07-29 22:33:18 +02001359gqq Format the current line. With a count format that
1360 many lines. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001361
1362 *v_gq*
1363{Visual}gq Format the highlighted text. (for {Visual} see
1364 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1365
1366 *gw*
1367gw{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over. Similar to
1368 |gq| but puts the cursor back at the same position in
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001369 the text. However, 'formatprg' and 'formatexpr' are
1370 not used. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001371
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001372gwgw *gwgw* *gww*
1373gww Format the current line as with "gw". {not in Vi}
1374
1375 *v_gw*
1376{Visual}gw Format the highlighted text as with "gw". (for
1377 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1378
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001379Example: To format the current paragraph use: *gqap* >
1380 gqap
1381
1382The "gq" command leaves the cursor in the line where the motion command takes
1383the cursor. This allows you to repeat formatting repeated with ".". This
1384works well with "gqj" (format current and next line) and "gq}" (format until
1385end of paragraph). Note: When 'formatprg' is set, "gq" leaves the cursor on
1386the first formatted line (as with using a filter command).
1387
1388If you want to format the current paragraph and continue where you were, use: >
1389 gwap
1390If you always want to keep paragraphs formatted you may want to add the 'a'
1391flag to 'formatoptions'. See |auto-format|.
1392
1393If the 'autoindent' option is on, Vim uses the indent of the first line for
1394the following lines.
1395
1396Formatting does not change empty lines (but it does change lines with only
1397white space!).
1398
1399The 'joinspaces' option is used when lines are joined together.
1400
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001401You can set the 'formatexpr' option to an expression or the 'formatprg' option
1402to the name of an external program for Vim to use for text formatting. The
1403'textwidth' and other options have no effect on formatting by an external
1404program.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001405
1406 *right-justify*
1407There is no command in Vim to right justify text. You can do it with
1408an external command, like "par" (e.g.: "!}par" to format until the end of the
1409paragraph) or set 'formatprg' to "par".
1410
1411 *format-comments*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001412An overview of comment formatting is in section |30.6| of the user manual.
1413
1414Vim can automatically insert and format comments in a special way. Vim
1415recognizes a comment by a specific string at the start of the line (ignoring
1416white space). Three types of comments can be used:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001417
1418- A comment string that repeats at the start of each line. An example is the
1419 type of comment used in shell scripts, starting with "#".
1420- A comment string that occurs only in the first line, not in the following
1421 lines. An example is this list with dashes.
1422- Three-piece comments that have a start string, an end string, and optional
1423 lines in between. The strings for the start, middle and end are different.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001424 An example is the C style comment:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001425 /*
1426 * this is a C comment
1427 */
1428
1429The 'comments' option is a comma-separated list of parts. Each part defines a
1430type of comment string. A part consists of:
1431 {flags}:{string}
1432
1433{string} is the literal text that must appear.
1434
1435{flags}:
1436 n Nested comment. Nesting with mixed parts is allowed. If 'comments'
1437 is "n:),n:>" a line starting with "> ) >" is a comment.
1438
1439 b Blank (<Space>, <Tab> or <EOL>) required after {string}.
1440
1441 f Only the first line has the comment string. Do not repeat comment on
1442 the next line, but preserve indentation (e.g., a bullet-list).
1443
1444 s Start of three-piece comment
1445
1446 m Middle of a three-piece comment
1447
1448 e End of a three-piece comment
1449
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001450 l Left align. Used together with 's' or 'e', the leftmost character of
1451 start or end will line up with the leftmost character from the middle.
1452 This is the default and can be omitted. See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001453
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001454 r Right align. Same as above but rightmost instead of leftmost. See
1455 below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001456
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001457 O Don't consider this comment for the "O" command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001458
1459 x Allows three-piece comments to be ended by just typing the last
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001460 character of the end-comment string as the first action on a new
1461 line when the middle-comment string has been inserted automatically.
1462 See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001463
1464 {digits}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001465 When together with 's' or 'e': add {digit} amount of offset to an
1466 automatically inserted middle or end comment leader. The offset begins
1467 from a left alignment. See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001468
1469 -{digits}
1470 Like {digits} but reduce the indent. This only works when there is
1471 some indent for the start or end part that can be removed.
1472
1473When a string has none of the 'f', 's', 'm' or 'e' flags, Vim assumes the
1474comment string repeats at the start of each line. The flags field may be
1475empty.
1476
1477Any blank space in the text before and after the {string} is part of the
1478{string}, so do not include leading or trailing blanks unless the blanks are a
1479required part of the comment string.
1480
1481When one comment leader is part of another, specify the part after the whole.
1482For example, to include both "-" and "->", use >
1483 :set comments=f:->,f:-
1484
1485A three-piece comment must always be given as start,middle,end, with no other
1486parts in between. An example of a three-piece comment is >
1487 sr:/*,mb:*,ex:*/
1488for C-comments. To avoid recognizing "*ptr" as a comment, the middle string
1489includes the 'b' flag. For three-piece comments, Vim checks the text after
1490the start and middle strings for the end string. If Vim finds the end string,
1491the comment does not continue on the next line. Three-piece comments must
1492have a middle string because otherwise Vim can't recognize the middle lines.
1493
1494Notice the use of the "x" flag in the above three-piece comment definition.
1495When you hit Return in a C-comment, Vim will insert the middle comment leader
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001496for the new line: " * ". To close this comment you just have to type "/"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001497before typing anything else on the new line. This will replace the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001498middle-comment leader with the end-comment leader and apply any specified
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001499alignment, leaving just " */". There is no need to hit Backspace first.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001500
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001501When there is a match with a middle part, but there also is a matching end
1502part which is longer, the end part is used. This makes a C style comment work
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001503without requiring the middle part to end with a space.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001504
1505Here is an example of alignment flags at work to make a comment stand out
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001506(kind of looks like a 1 too). Consider comment string: >
1507 :set comments=sr:/***,m:**,ex-2:******/
1508<
1509 /*** ~
1510 **<--right aligned from "r" flag ~
1511 ** ~
1512offset 2 spaces for the "-2" flag--->** ~
1513 ******/ ~
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001514In this case, the first comment was typed, then return was pressed 4 times,
1515then "/" was pressed to end the comment.
1516
1517Here are some finer points of three part comments. There are three times when
1518alignment and offset flags are taken into consideration: opening a new line
1519after a start-comment, opening a new line before an end-comment, and
1520automatically ending a three-piece comment. The end alignment flag has a
1521backwards perspective; the result is that the same alignment flag used with
1522"s" and "e" will result in the same indent for the starting and ending pieces.
1523Only one alignment per comment part is meant to be used, but an offset number
1524will override the "r" and "l" flag.
1525
1526Enabling 'cindent' will override the alignment flags in many cases.
1527Reindenting using a different method like |gq| or |=| will not consult
1528alignment flags either. The same behaviour can be defined in those other
1529formatting options. One consideration is that 'cindent' has additional options
1530for context based indenting of comments but cannot replicate many three piece
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001531indent alignments. However, 'indentexpr' has the ability to work better with
1532three piece comments.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001533
1534Other examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001535 "b:*" Includes lines starting with "*", but not if the "*" is
1536 followed by a non-blank. This avoids a pointer dereference
1537 like "*str" to be recognized as a comment.
1538 "n:>" Includes a line starting with ">", ">>", ">>>", etc.
1539 "fb:-" Format a list that starts with "- ".
1540
1541By default, "b:#" is included. This means that a line that starts with
1542"#include" is not recognized as a comment line. But a line that starts with
1543"# define" is recognized. This is a compromise.
1544
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001545{not available when compiled without the |+comments| feature}
1546
1547 *fo-table*
1548You can use the 'formatoptions' option to influence how Vim formats text.
1549'formatoptions' is a string that can contain any of the letters below. The
1550default setting is "tcq". You can separate the option letters with commas for
1551readability.
1552
1553letter meaning when present in 'formatoptions' ~
1554
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001555t Auto-wrap text using textwidth
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001556c Auto-wrap comments using textwidth, inserting the current comment
1557 leader automatically.
1558r Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting
1559 <Enter> in Insert mode.
1560o Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting 'o' or
1561 'O' in Normal mode.
1562q Allow formatting of comments with "gq".
1563 Note that formatting will not change blank lines or lines containing
1564 only the comment leader. A new paragraph starts after such a line,
1565 or when the comment leader changes.
1566w Trailing white space indicates a paragraph continues in the next line.
1567 A line that ends in a non-white character ends a paragraph.
1568a Automatic formatting of paragraphs. Every time text is inserted or
1569 deleted the paragraph will be reformatted. See |auto-format|.
1570 When the 'c' flag is present this only happens for recognized
1571 comments.
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001572n When formatting text, recognize numbered lists. This actually uses
1573 the 'formatlistpat' option, thus any kind of list can be used. The
1574 indent of the text after the number is used for the next line. The
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001575 default is to find a number, optionally followed by '.', ':', ')',
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001576 ']' or '}'. Note that 'autoindent' must be set too. Doesn't work
1577 well together with "2".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001578 Example: >
1579 1. the first item
1580 wraps
1581 2. the second item
15822 When formatting text, use the indent of the second line of a paragraph
1583 for the rest of the paragraph, instead of the indent of the first
1584 line. This supports paragraphs in which the first line has a
1585 different indent than the rest. Note that 'autoindent' must be set
1586 too. Example: >
1587 first line of a paragraph
1588 second line of the same paragraph
1589 third line.
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +02001590< This also works inside comments, ignoring the comment leader.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001591v Vi-compatible auto-wrapping in insert mode: Only break a line at a
1592 blank that you have entered during the current insert command. (Note:
1593 this is not 100% Vi compatible. Vi has some "unexpected features" or
1594 bugs in this area. It uses the screen column instead of the line
1595 column.)
1596b Like 'v', but only auto-wrap if you enter a blank at or before
1597 the wrap margin. If the line was longer than 'textwidth' when you
1598 started the insert, or you do not enter a blank in the insert before
1599 reaching 'textwidth', Vim does not perform auto-wrapping.
1600l Long lines are not broken in insert mode: When a line was longer than
1601 'textwidth' when the insert command started, Vim does not
1602 automatically format it.
1603m Also break at a multi-byte character above 255. This is useful for
1604 Asian text where every character is a word on its own.
1605M When joining lines, don't insert a space before or after a multi-byte
1606 character. Overrules the 'B' flag.
1607B When joining lines, don't insert a space between two multi-byte
1608 characters. Overruled by the 'M' flag.
16091 Don't break a line after a one-letter word. It's broken before it
1610 instead (if possible).
Bram Moolenaar81340392012-06-06 16:12:59 +02001611j Where it makes sense, remove a comment leader when joining lines. For
1612 example, joining:
1613 int i; // the index ~
1614 // in the list ~
1615 Becomes:
1616 int i; // the index in the list ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001617
1618
1619With 't' and 'c' you can specify when Vim performs auto-wrapping:
1620value action ~
1621"" no automatic formatting (you can use "gq" for manual formatting)
1622"t" automatic formatting of text, but not comments
1623"c" automatic formatting for comments, but not text (good for C code)
1624"tc" automatic formatting for text and comments
1625
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001626Note that when 'textwidth' is 0, Vim does no automatic formatting anyway (but
1627does insert comment leaders according to the 'comments' option). An exception
1628is when the 'a' flag is present. |auto-format|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001629
1630Note that when 'paste' is on, Vim does no formatting at all.
1631
1632Note that 'textwidth' can be non-zero even if Vim never performs auto-wrapping;
1633'textwidth' is still useful for formatting with "gq".
1634
1635If the 'comments' option includes "/*", "*" and/or "*/", then Vim has some
1636built in stuff to treat these types of comments a bit more cleverly.
1637Opening a new line before or after "/*" or "*/" (with 'r' or 'o' present in
1638'formatoptions') gives the correct start of the line automatically. The same
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001639happens with formatting and auto-wrapping. Opening a line after a line
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001640starting with "/*" or "*" and containing "*/", will cause no comment leader to
1641be inserted, and the indent of the new line is taken from the line containing
1642the start of the comment.
1643E.g.:
1644 /* ~
1645 * Your typical comment. ~
1646 */ ~
1647 The indent on this line is the same as the start of the above
1648 comment.
1649
1650All of this should be really cool, especially in conjunction with the new
1651:autocmd command to prepare different settings for different types of file.
1652
1653Some examples:
1654 for C code (only format comments): >
1655 :set fo=croq
1656< for Mail/news (format all, don't start comment with "o" command): >
1657 :set fo=tcrq
1658<
1659
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001660Automatic formatting *auto-format* *autoformat*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001661
1662When the 'a' flag is present in 'formatoptions' text is formatted
1663automatically when inserting text or deleting text. This works nice for
1664editing text paragraphs. A few hints on how to use this:
1665
1666- You need to properly define paragraphs. The simplest is paragraphs that are
1667 separated by a blank line. When there is no separating blank line, consider
1668 using the 'w' flag and adding a space at the end of each line in the
1669 paragraphs except the last one.
1670
1671- You can set the 'formatoptions' based on the type of file |filetype| or
1672 specifically for one file with a |modeline|.
1673
1674- Set 'formatoptions' to "aw2tq" to make text with indents like this:
1675
1676 bla bla foobar bla
1677 bla foobar bla foobar bla
1678 bla bla foobar bla
1679 bla foobar bla bla foobar
1680
1681- Add the 'c' flag to only auto-format comments. Useful in source code.
1682
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001683- Set 'textwidth' to the desired width. If it is zero then 79 is used, or the
1684 width of the screen if this is smaller.
1685
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001686And a few warnings:
1687
1688- When part of the text is not properly separated in paragraphs, making
1689 changes in this text will cause it to be formatted anyway. Consider doing >
1690
1691 :set fo-=a
1692
1693- When using the 'w' flag (trailing space means paragraph continues) and
1694 deleting the last line of a paragraph with |dd|, the paragraph will be
1695 joined with the next one.
1696
1697- Changed text is saved for undo. Formatting is also a change. Thus each
1698 format action saves text for undo. This may consume quite a lot of memory.
1699
1700- Formatting a long paragraph and/or with complicated indenting may be slow.
1701
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001702==============================================================================
17037. Sorting text *sorting*
1704
1705Vim has a sorting function and a sorting command. The sorting function can be
Bram Moolenaar327aa022014-03-25 18:24:23 +01001706found here: |sort()|, |uniq()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001707
1708 *:sor* *:sort*
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001709:[range]sor[t][!] [i][u][r][n][x][o] [/{pattern}/]
Bram Moolenaare5180522005-12-10 20:19:46 +00001710 Sort lines in [range]. When no range is given all
1711 lines are sorted.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001712
1713 With [!] the order is reversed.
1714
1715 With [i] case is ignored.
1716
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001717 With [n] sorting is done on the first decimal number
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001718 in the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001719 One leading '-' is included in the number.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001720
1721 With [x] sorting is done on the first hexadecimal
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001722 number in the line (after or inside a {pattern}
1723 match). A leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001724 One leading '-' is included in the number.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001725
1726 With [o] sorting is done on the first octal number in
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001727 the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001728
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001729 With [u] only keep the first of a sequence of
1730 identical lines (ignoring case when [i] is used).
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001731 Without this flag, a sequence of identical lines
1732 will be kept in their original order.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001733 Note that leading and trailing white space may cause
1734 lines to be different.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001735
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001736 When /{pattern}/ is specified and there is no [r] flag
1737 the text matched with {pattern} is skipped, so that
1738 you sort on what comes after the match.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001739 Instead of the slash any non-letter can be used.
1740 For example, to sort on the second comma-separated
1741 field: >
1742 :sort /[^,]*,/
1743< To sort on the text at virtual column 10 (thus
1744 ignoring the difference between tabs and spaces): >
1745 :sort /.*\%10v/
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001746< To sort on the first number in the line, no matter
1747 what is in front of it: >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001748 :sort /.\{-}\ze\d/
1749< (Explanation: ".\{-}" matches any text, "\ze" sets the
1750 end of the match and \d matches a digit.)
1751 With [r] sorting is done on the matching {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001752 instead of skipping past it as described above.
1753 For example, to sort on only the first three letters
1754 of each line: >
1755 :sort /\a\a\a/ r
1756
1757< If a {pattern} is used, any lines which don't have a
1758 match for {pattern} are kept in their current order,
1759 but separate from the lines which do match {pattern}.
1760 If you sorted in reverse, they will be in reverse
1761 order after the sorted lines, otherwise they will be
1762 in their original order, right before the sorted
1763 lines.
1764
Bram Moolenaar1256e722007-07-10 15:26:20 +00001765 If {pattern} is empty (e.g. // is specified), the
1766 last search pattern is used. This allows trying out
1767 a pattern first.
1768
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001769Note that using `:sort` with `:global` doesn't sort the matching lines, it's
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001770quite useless.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001771
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00001772The details about sorting depend on the library function used. There is no
Bram Moolenaar8bb1c3e2014-07-04 16:43:17 +02001773guarantee that sorting obeys the current locale. You will have to try it out.
1774Vim does do a "stable" sort.
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00001775
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001776The sorting can be interrupted, but if you interrupt it too late in the
1777process you may end up with duplicated lines. This also depends on the system
1778library function used.
Bram Moolenaarae5bce12005-08-15 21:41:48 +00001779
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001780 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: