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zeertzjqcba93ca2024-08-16 21:37:08 +02001*cmdline.txt* For Vim version 9.1. Last change: 2024 Aug 16
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7 *Cmdline-mode* *Command-line-mode*
8Command-line mode *Cmdline* *Command-line* *mode-cmdline* *:*
9
10Command-line mode is used to enter Ex commands (":"), search patterns
11("/" and "?"), and filter commands ("!").
12
13Basic command line editing is explained in chapter 20 of the user manual
14|usr_20.txt|.
15
161. Command-line editing |cmdline-editing|
172. Command-line completion |cmdline-completion|
183. Ex command-lines |cmdline-lines|
194. Ex command-line ranges |cmdline-ranges|
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +0000205. Ex command-line flags |ex-flags|
216. Ex special characters |cmdline-special|
227. Command-line window |cmdline-window|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000023
24==============================================================================
251. Command-line editing *cmdline-editing*
26
27Normally characters are inserted in front of the cursor position. You can
28move around in the command-line with the left and right cursor keys. With the
29<Insert> key, you can toggle between inserting and overstriking characters.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000030
31Note that if your keyboard does not have working cursor keys or any of the
32other special keys, you can use ":cnoremap" to define another key for them.
33For example, to define tcsh style editing keys: *tcsh-style* >
34 :cnoremap <C-A> <Home>
35 :cnoremap <C-F> <Right>
36 :cnoremap <C-B> <Left>
37 :cnoremap <Esc>b <S-Left>
38 :cnoremap <Esc>f <S-Right>
39(<> notation |<>|; type all this literally)
40
41 *cmdline-too-long*
42When the command line is getting longer than what fits on the screen, only the
43part that fits will be shown. The cursor can only move in this visible part,
44thus you cannot edit beyond that.
45
46 *cmdline-history* *history*
47The command-lines that you enter are remembered in a history table. You can
Bram Moolenaarcfbc5ee2004-07-02 15:38:35 +000048recall them with the up and down cursor keys. There are actually five
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000049history tables:
50- one for ':' commands
51- one for search strings
52- one for expressions
53- one for input lines, typed for the |input()| function.
Bram Moolenaarcfbc5ee2004-07-02 15:38:35 +000054- one for debug mode commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000055These are completely separate. Each history can only be accessed when
56entering the same type of line.
57Use the 'history' option to set the number of lines that are remembered
Bram Moolenaar6e932462014-09-09 18:48:09 +020058(default: 50).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000059Notes:
60- When you enter a command-line that is exactly the same as an older one, the
61 old one is removed (to avoid repeated commands moving older commands out of
62 the history).
63- Only commands that are typed are remembered. Ones that completely come from
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +000064 mappings are not put in the history.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000065- All searches are put in the search history, including the ones that come
66 from commands like "*" and "#". But for a mapping, only the last search is
67 remembered (to avoid that long mappings trash the history).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000068{not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist| feature}
69
70There is an automatic completion of names on the command-line; see
71|cmdline-completion|.
72
73 *c_CTRL-V*
74CTRL-V Insert next non-digit literally. Up to three digits form the
75 decimal value of a single byte. The non-digit and the three
76 digits are not considered for mapping. This works the same
77 way as in Insert mode (see above, |i_CTRL-V|).
Bram Moolenaar6f345a12019-12-17 21:27:18 +010078 Note: Under MS-Windows CTRL-V is often mapped to paste text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000079 Use CTRL-Q instead then.
Bram Moolenaarfc4ea2a2019-11-26 19:33:22 +010080 When |modifyOtherKeys| is enabled then special Escape sequence
81 is converted back to what it was without |modifyOtherKeys|,
82 unless the Shift key is also pressed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000083 *c_CTRL-Q*
84CTRL-Q Same as CTRL-V. But with some terminals it is used for
85 control flow, it doesn't work then.
86
Bram Moolenaarfc4ea2a2019-11-26 19:33:22 +010087CTRL-SHIFT-V *c_CTRL-SHIFT-V* *c_CTRL-SHIFT-Q*
88CTRL-SHIFT-Q Works just like CTRL-V, unless |modifyOtherKeys| is active,
89 then it inserts the Escape sequence for a key with modifiers.
zeertzjqbad8a012022-04-29 16:44:00 +010090 In the GUI the |key-notation| is inserted without simplifying.
Bram Moolenaarfc4ea2a2019-11-26 19:33:22 +010091
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +020092 *c_<Left>* *c_Left*
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -070093<Left> cursor left. See 'wildmenu' for behavior during wildmenu
94 completion mode.
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +020095 *c_<Right>* *c_Right*
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -070096<Right> cursor right. See 'wildmenu' for behavior during wildmenu
97 completion mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000098 *c_<S-Left>*
99<S-Left> or <C-Left> *c_<C-Left>*
100 cursor one WORD left
101 *c_<S-Right>*
102<S-Right> or <C-Right> *c_<C-Right>*
103 cursor one WORD right
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200104CTRL-B or <Home> *c_CTRL-B* *c_<Home>* *c_Home*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000105 cursor to beginning of command-line
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200106CTRL-E or <End> *c_CTRL-E* *c_<End>* *c_End*
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -0700107 cursor to end of command-line. See 'wildmenu' for behavior
108 during wildmenu completion mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000109
110 *c_<LeftMouse>*
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000111<LeftMouse> Move the cursor to the position of the mouse click.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000112
Bram Moolenaar256972a2015-12-29 19:10:25 +0100113 *c_<MiddleMouse>*
114<MiddleMouse> Paste the contents of the clipboard (for X11 the primary
115 selection). This is similar to using CTRL-R *, but no CR
116 characters are inserted between lines.
117
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200118CTRL-H *c_<BS>* *c_CTRL-H* *c_BS*
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000119<BS> Delete the character in front of the cursor (see |:fixdel| if
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000120 your <BS> key does not do what you want).
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200121 *c_<Del>* *c_Del*
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000122<Del> Delete the character under the cursor (at end of line:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000123 character before the cursor) (see |:fixdel| if your <Del>
124 key does not do what you want).
125 *c_CTRL-W*
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000126CTRL-W Delete the |word| before the cursor. This depends on the
127 'iskeyword' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000128 *c_CTRL-U*
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000129CTRL-U Remove all characters between the cursor position and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000130 the beginning of the line. Previous versions of vim
131 deleted all characters on the line. If that is the
132 preferred behavior, add the following to your .vimrc: >
133 :cnoremap <C-U> <C-E><C-U>
134<
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200135 *c_<Insert>* *c_Insert*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200136<Insert> Toggle between insert and overstrike.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000137
138{char1} <BS> {char2} or *c_digraph*
139CTRL-K {char1} {char2} *c_CTRL-K*
140 enter digraph (see |digraphs|). When {char1} is a special
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200141 key, the code for that key is inserted in <> form.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000142
Bram Moolenaar5be4cee2019-09-27 19:34:08 +0200143CTRL-R {register} *c_CTRL-R* *c_<C-R>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000144 Insert the contents of a numbered or named register. Between
145 typing CTRL-R and the second character '"' will be displayed
146 to indicate that you are expected to enter the name of a
147 register.
148 The text is inserted as if you typed it, but mappings and
149 abbreviations are not used. Command-line completion through
150 'wildchar' is not triggered though. And characters that end
151 the command line are inserted literally (<Esc>, <CR>, <NL>,
152 <C-C>). A <BS> or CTRL-W could still end the command line
153 though, and remaining characters will then be interpreted in
154 another mode, which might not be what you intended.
155 Special registers:
156 '"' the unnamed register, containing the text of
157 the last delete or yank
158 '%' the current file name
159 '#' the alternate file name
160 '*' the clipboard contents (X11: primary selection)
161 '+' the clipboard contents
162 '/' the last search pattern
163 ':' the last command-line
164 '-' the last small (less than a line) delete
165 '.' the last inserted text
166 *c_CTRL-R_=*
167 '=' the expression register: you are prompted to
168 enter an expression (see |expression|)
Bram Moolenaar05a7bb32006-01-19 22:09:32 +0000169 (doesn't work at the expression prompt; some
170 things such as changing the buffer or current
171 window are not allowed to avoid side effects)
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000172 When the result is a |List| the items are used
173 as lines. They can have line breaks inside
174 too.
175 When the result is a Float it's automatically
176 converted to a String.
Bram Moolenaar6aa57292021-08-14 21:25:52 +0200177 Note that when you only want to move the
178 cursor and not insert anything, you must make
179 sure the expression evaluates to an empty
180 string. E.g.: >
181 <C-R><C-R>=setcmdpos(2)[-1]<CR>
182< See |registers| about registers.
Bram Moolenaarfd371682005-01-14 21:42:54 +0000183 Implementation detail: When using the |expression| register
184 and invoking setcmdpos(), this sets the position before
185 inserting the resulting string. Use CTRL-R CTRL-R to set the
186 position afterwards.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000187
188CTRL-R CTRL-F *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-F* *c_<C-R>_<C-F>*
189CTRL-R CTRL-P *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-P* *c_<C-R>_<C-P>*
190CTRL-R CTRL-W *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-W* *c_<C-R>_<C-W>*
191CTRL-R CTRL-A *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-A* *c_<C-R>_<C-A>*
Bram Moolenaare2c8d832018-05-01 19:24:03 +0200192CTRL-R CTRL-L *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-L* *c_<C-R>_<C-L>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000193 Insert the object under the cursor:
194 CTRL-F the Filename under the cursor
195 CTRL-P the Filename under the cursor, expanded with
196 'path' as in |gf|
197 CTRL-W the Word under the cursor
198 CTRL-A the WORD under the cursor; see |WORD|
Bram Moolenaare2c8d832018-05-01 19:24:03 +0200199 CTRL-L the line under the cursor
Bram Moolenaard3667a22006-03-16 21:35:52 +0000200
201 When 'incsearch' is set the cursor position at the end of the
202 currently displayed match is used. With CTRL-W the part of
203 the word that was already typed is not inserted again.
204
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000205 *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R* *c_<C-R>_<C-R>*
206 *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-O* *c_<C-R>_<C-O>*
Bram Moolenaar5be4cee2019-09-27 19:34:08 +0200207CTRL-R CTRL-R {register CTRL-F CTRL-P CTRL-W CTRL-A CTRL-L}
208CTRL-R CTRL-O {register CTRL-F CTRL-P CTRL-W CTRL-A CTRL-L}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000209 Insert register or object under the cursor. Works like
210 |c_CTRL-R| but inserts the text literally. For example, if
211 register a contains "xy^Hz" (where ^H is a backspace),
212 "CTRL-R a" will insert "xz" while "CTRL-R CTRL-R a" will
213 insert "xy^Hz".
214
215CTRL-\ e {expr} *c_CTRL-\_e*
216 Evaluate {expr} and replace the whole command line with the
217 result. You will be prompted for the expression, type <Enter>
218 to finish it. It's most useful in mappings though. See
219 |expression|.
220 See |c_CTRL-R_=| for inserting the result of an expression.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +0000221 Useful functions are |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdline()| and
222 |getcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000223 The cursor position is unchanged, except when the cursor was
224 at the end of the line, then it stays at the end.
225 |setcmdpos()| can be used to set the cursor position.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000226 The |sandbox| is used for evaluating the expression to avoid
227 nasty side effects.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000228 Example: >
229 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eAppendSome()<CR>
230 :func AppendSome()
Bram Moolenaarc51cf032022-02-26 12:25:45 +0000231 :let cmd = getcmdline() .. " Some()"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000232 :" place the cursor on the )
233 :call setcmdpos(strlen(cmd))
234 :return cmd
235 :endfunc
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +0000236< This doesn't work recursively, thus not when already editing
Bram Moolenaar3a0d8092012-10-21 03:02:54 +0200237 an expression. But it is possible to use in a mapping.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +0000238
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000239 *c_CTRL-Y*
240CTRL-Y When there is a modeless selection, copy the selection into
241 the clipboard. |modeless-selection|
242 If there is no selection CTRL-Y is inserted as a character.
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -0700243 See 'wildmenu' for behavior during wildmenu completion mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000244
Bram Moolenaar2ec618c2016-10-01 14:47:05 +0200245CTRL-M or CTRL-J *c_CTRL-M* *c_CTRL-J* *c_<NL>* *c_<CR>* *c_CR*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000246<CR> or <NL> start entered command
Bram Moolenaar2ec618c2016-10-01 14:47:05 +0200247
248CTRL-[ *c_CTRL-[* *c_<Esc>* *c_Esc*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000249<Esc> When typed and 'x' not present in 'cpoptions', quit
250 Command-line mode without executing. In macros or when 'x'
251 present in 'cpoptions', start entered command.
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +0000252 Note: If your <Esc> key is hard to hit on your keyboard, train
253 yourself to use CTRL-[.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000254 *c_CTRL-C*
255CTRL-C quit command-line without executing
256
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200257 *c_<Up>* *c_Up*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000258<Up> recall older command-line from history, whose beginning
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -0700259 matches the current command-line (see below). See 'wildmenu'
260 for behavior during wildmenu completion mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000261 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
262 feature}
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200263 *c_<Down>* *c_Down*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000264<Down> recall more recent command-line from history, whose beginning
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -0700265 matches the current command-line (see below). See 'wildmenu'
266 for behavior during wildmenu completion mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000267 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
268 feature}
269
270 *c_<S-Up>* *c_<PageUp>*
271<S-Up> or <PageUp>
272 recall older command-line from history
273 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
274 feature}
275 *c_<S-Down>* *c_<PageDown>*
276<S-Down> or <PageDown>
277 recall more recent command-line from history
278 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
279 feature}
280
281CTRL-D command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
282'wildchar' option
283 command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
284CTRL-N command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
285CTRL-P command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
286CTRL-A command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
287CTRL-L command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
288
289 *c_CTRL-_*
290CTRL-_ a - switch between Hebrew and English keyboard mode, which is
291 private to the command-line and not related to hkmap.
292 This is useful when Hebrew text entry is required in the
293 command-line, searches, abbreviations, etc. Applies only if
294 Vim is compiled with the |+rightleft| feature and the
295 'allowrevins' option is set.
296 See |rileft.txt|.
297
298 b - switch between Farsi and English keyboard mode, which is
299 private to the command-line and not related to fkmap. In
300 Farsi keyboard mode the characters are inserted in reverse
301 insert manner. This is useful when Farsi text entry is
302 required in the command-line, searches, abbreviations, etc.
303 Applies only if Vim is compiled with the |+farsi| feature.
304 See |farsi.txt|.
305
306 *c_CTRL-^*
307CTRL-^ Toggle the use of language |:lmap| mappings and/or Input
308 Method.
309 When typing a pattern for a search command and 'imsearch' is
310 not -1, VAL is the value of 'imsearch', otherwise VAL is the
311 value of 'iminsert'.
312 When language mappings are defined:
313 - If VAL is 1 (langmap mappings used) it becomes 0 (no langmap
314 mappings used).
315 - If VAL was not 1 it becomes 1, thus langmap mappings are
316 enabled.
317 When no language mappings are defined:
318 - If VAL is 2 (Input Method is used) it becomes 0 (no input
319 method used)
320 - If VAL has another value it becomes 2, thus the Input Method
321 is enabled.
322 These language mappings are normally used to type characters
323 that are different from what the keyboard produces. The
324 'keymap' option can be used to install a whole number of them.
325 When entering a command line, langmap mappings are switched
326 off, since you are expected to type a command. After
327 switching it on with CTRL-^, the new state is not used again
328 for the next command or Search pattern.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000329
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000330 *c_CTRL-]*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200331CTRL-] Trigger abbreviation, without inserting a character.
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000332
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000333For Emacs-style editing on the command-line see |emacs-keys|.
334
335The <Up> and <Down> keys take the current command-line as a search string.
336The beginning of the next/previous command-lines are compared with this
337string. The first line that matches is the new command-line. When typing
338these two keys repeatedly, the same string is used again. For example, this
339can be used to find the previous substitute command: Type ":s" and then <Up>.
340The same could be done by typing <S-Up> a number of times until the desired
341command-line is shown. (Note: the shifted arrow keys do not work on all
342terminals)
343
Bram Moolenaar066b6222008-01-04 14:17:47 +0000344 *:his* *:history*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000345:his[tory] Print the history of last entered commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000346 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
347 feature}
348
349:his[tory] [{name}] [{first}][, [{last}]]
350 List the contents of history {name} which can be:
Bram Moolenaar5ae636b2012-04-30 18:48:53 +0200351 c[md] or : command-line history
352 s[earch] or / or ? search string history
353 e[xpr] or = expression register history
354 i[nput] or @ input line history
355 d[ebug] or > debug command history
356 a[ll] all of the above
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000357
358 If the numbers {first} and/or {last} are given, the respective
359 range of entries from a history is listed. These numbers can
360 be specified in the following form:
361 *:history-indexing*
362 A positive number represents the absolute index of an entry
363 as it is given in the first column of a :history listing.
364 This number remains fixed even if other entries are deleted.
Christian Brabandtac637872023-11-14 20:45:48 +0100365 (see |E1510|)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000366
367 A negative number means the relative position of an entry,
368 counted from the newest entry (which has index -1) backwards.
369
370 Examples:
371 List entries 6 to 12 from the search history: >
372 :history / 6,12
373<
Bram Moolenaareebd84e2016-12-01 17:57:44 +0100374 List the penultimate entry from all histories: >
375 :history all -2
376<
377 List the most recent two entries from all histories: >
378 :history all -2,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000379
Bram Moolenaara939e432013-11-09 05:30:26 +0100380:keepp[atterns] {command} *:keepp* *:keeppatterns*
381 Execute {command}, without adding anything to the search
zeertzjqcba93ca2024-08-16 21:37:08 +0200382 history or modifying the last substitute string for |:&|.
Bram Moolenaara939e432013-11-09 05:30:26 +0100383
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000384==============================================================================
3852. Command-line completion *cmdline-completion*
386
387When editing the command-line, a few commands can be used to complete the
388word before the cursor. This is available for:
389
390- Command names: At the start of the command-line.
Yee Cheng Chin989426b2023-10-14 11:46:51 +0200391- |++opt| values.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000392- Tags: Only after the ":tag" command.
393- File names: Only after a command that accepts a file name or a setting for
394 an option that can be set to a file name. This is called file name
395 completion.
Bram Moolenaara2031822006-03-07 22:29:51 +0000396- Shell command names: After ":!cmd", ":r !cmd" and ":w !cmd". $PATH is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000397- Options: Only after the ":set" command.
398- Mappings: Only after a ":map" or similar command.
399- Variable and function names: Only after a ":if", ":call" or similar command.
400
Bram Moolenaar0a52df52019-08-18 22:26:31 +0200401The number of help item matches is limited (currently to 300) to avoid a long
402delay when there are very many matches.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000403
404These are the commands that can be used:
405
406 *c_CTRL-D*
407CTRL-D List names that match the pattern in front of the cursor.
408 When showing file names, directories are highlighted (see
409 'highlight' option). Names where 'suffixes' matches are moved
410 to the end.
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000411 The 'wildoptions' option can be set to "tagfile" to list the
412 file of matching tags.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000413 *c_CTRL-I* *c_wildchar* *c_<Tab>*
414'wildchar' option
415 A match is done on the pattern in front of the cursor. The
416 match (if there are several, the first match) is inserted
417 in place of the pattern. (Note: does not work inside a
418 macro, because <Tab> or <Esc> are mostly used as 'wildchar',
419 and these have a special meaning in some macros.) When typed
420 again and there were multiple matches, the next
421 match is inserted. After the last match, the first is used
422 again (wrap around).
423 The behavior can be changed with the 'wildmode' option.
Bram Moolenaar7db25fe2018-05-13 00:02:36 +0200424 *c_<S-Tab>*
425<S-Tab> Like 'wildchar' or <Tab>, but begin with the last match and
426 then go to the previous match.
427 <S-Tab> does not work everywhere.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000428 *c_CTRL-N*
429CTRL-N After using 'wildchar' which got multiple matches, go to next
430 match. Otherwise recall more recent command-line from history.
Bram Moolenaar7db25fe2018-05-13 00:02:36 +0200431 *c_CTRL-P*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000432CTRL-P After using 'wildchar' which got multiple matches, go to
433 previous match. Otherwise recall older command-line from
Bram Moolenaar7db25fe2018-05-13 00:02:36 +0200434 history.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000435 *c_CTRL-A*
436CTRL-A All names that match the pattern in front of the cursor are
437 inserted.
438 *c_CTRL-L*
439CTRL-L A match is done on the pattern in front of the cursor. If
440 there is one match, it is inserted in place of the pattern.
441 If there are multiple matches the longest common part is
442 inserted in place of the pattern. If the result is shorter
443 than the pattern, no completion is done.
Bram Moolenaar4d6f32c2016-08-26 19:13:46 +0200444 */_CTRL-L*
Bram Moolenaard3667a22006-03-16 21:35:52 +0000445 When 'incsearch' is set, entering a search pattern for "/" or
446 "?" and the current match is displayed then CTRL-L will add
Bram Moolenaara9dc3752010-07-11 20:46:53 +0200447 one character from the end of the current match. If
448 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase' are set and the command line has
449 no uppercase characters, the added character is converted to
450 lowercase.
Bram Moolenaar11956692016-08-27 16:26:56 +0200451 *c_CTRL-G* */_CTRL-G*
452CTRL-G When 'incsearch' is set, entering a search pattern for "/" or
453 "?" and the current match is displayed then CTRL-G will move
454 to the next match (does not take |search-offset| into account)
455 Use CTRL-T to move to the previous match. Hint: on a regular
456 keyboard T is above G.
457 *c_CTRL-T* */_CTRL-T*
458CTRL-T When 'incsearch' is set, entering a search pattern for "/" or
459 "?" and the current match is displayed then CTRL-T will move
460 to the previous match (does not take |search-offset| into
461 account).
462 Use CTRL-G to move to the next match. Hint: on a regular
463 keyboard T is above G.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000464
465The 'wildchar' option defaults to <Tab> (CTRL-E when in Vi compatible mode; in
zeertzjq61e984e2023-12-09 15:18:33 +0800466a previous version <Esc> was used). In the pattern standard |wildcards| are
467accepted when matching file names.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000468
Bram Moolenaar259f26a2018-05-15 22:25:40 +0200469When repeating 'wildchar' or CTRL-N you cycle through the matches, eventually
470ending up back to what was typed. If the first match is not what you wanted,
471you can use <S-Tab> or CTRL-P to go straight back to what you typed.
472
Bram Moolenaar74675a62017-07-15 13:53:23 +0200473The 'wildmenu' option can be set to show the matches just above the command
474line.
475
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -0700476The 'wildoptions' option provides additional configuration to use a popup menu
477for 'wildmenu', and to use fuzzy matching.
478
479The 'wildignorecase' option can be set to ignore case in filenames. For
480completing other texts (e.g. command names), the 'ignorecase' option is used
481instead (fuzzy matching always ignores case, however).
482
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000483If you like tcsh's autolist completion, you can use this mapping:
484 :cnoremap X <C-L><C-D>
485(Where X is the command key to use, <C-L> is CTRL-L and <C-D> is CTRL-D)
486This will find the longest match and then list all matching files.
487
488If you like tcsh's autolist completion, you can use the 'wildmode' option to
489emulate it. For example, this mimics autolist=ambiguous:
490 :set wildmode=longest,list
491This will find the longest match with the first 'wildchar', then list all
492matching files with the next.
493
Bram Moolenaareab6dff2020-03-01 19:06:45 +0100494 *complete-script-local-functions*
495When completing user function names, prepend "s:" to find script-local
496functions.
497
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000498 *suffixes*
499For file name completion you can use the 'suffixes' option to set a priority
500between files with almost the same name. If there are multiple matches,
501those files with an extension that is in the 'suffixes' option are ignored.
502The default is ".bak,~,.o,.h,.info,.swp,.obj", which means that files ending
503in ".bak", "~", ".o", ".h", ".info", ".swp" and ".obj" are sometimes ignored.
Bram Moolenaar055a2ba2009-07-14 19:40:21 +0000504
505An empty entry, two consecutive commas, match a file name that does not
506contain a ".", thus has no suffix. This is useful to ignore "prog" and prefer
507"prog.c".
508
509Examples:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000510
511 pattern: files: match: ~
512 test* test.c test.h test.o test.c
513 test* test.h test.o test.h and test.o
514 test* test.i test.h test.c test.i and test.c
515
Bram Moolenaar055a2ba2009-07-14 19:40:21 +0000516It is impossible to ignore suffixes with two dots.
517
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000518If there is more than one matching file (after ignoring the ones matching
519the 'suffixes' option) the first file name is inserted. You can see that
520there is only one match when you type 'wildchar' twice and the completed
521match stays the same. You can get to the other matches by entering
522'wildchar', CTRL-N or CTRL-P. All files are included, also the ones with
523extensions matching the 'suffixes' option.
524
525To completely ignore files with some extension use 'wildignore'.
526
Bram Moolenaar066b6222008-01-04 14:17:47 +0000527To match only files that end at the end of the typed text append a "$". For
528example, to match only files that end in ".c": >
529 :e *.c$
530This will not match a file ending in ".cpp". Without the "$" it does match.
531
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000532If you would like using <S-Tab> for CTRL-P in an xterm, put this command in
533your .cshrc: >
534 xmodmap -e "keysym Tab = Tab Find"
535And this in your .vimrc: >
536 :cmap <Esc>[1~ <C-P>
Yee Cheng Chin900894b2023-09-29 20:42:32 +0200537< *complete-set-option*
538When setting an option using |:set=|, the old value of an option can be
539obtained by hitting 'wildchar' just after the '='. For example, typing
540'wildchar' after ":set dir=" will insert the current value of 'dir'. This
541overrules file name completion for the options that take a file name.
542
543When using |:set=|, |:set+=|, or |:set^=|, string options that have
544pre-defined names or syntax (e.g. 'diffopt', 'listchars') or are a list of
545single-character flags (e.g. 'shortmess') will also present a list of possible
546values for completion when using 'wildchar'.
547
548When using |:set-=|, comma-separated options like 'diffopt' or 'backupdir'
549will show each item separately. Flag list options like 'shortmess' will show
550both the entire old value and the individual flags. Otherwise completion will
551just fill in with the entire old value.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000552
553==============================================================================
5543. Ex command-lines *cmdline-lines*
555
556The Ex commands have a few specialties:
557
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100558 *:quote* *:comment*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000559'"' at the start of a line causes the whole line to be ignored. '"'
560after a command causes the rest of the line to be ignored. This can be used
561to add comments. Example: >
562 :set ai "set 'autoindent' option
563It is not possible to add a comment to a shell command ":!cmd" or to the
Bram Moolenaar2c64ca12018-10-19 16:22:31 +0200564":map" command and a few others (mainly commands that expect expressions)
565that see the '"' as part of their argument:
566
567 :argdo
568 :autocmd
569 :bufdo
570 :cexpr (and the like)
Bram Moolenaar2c64ca12018-10-19 16:22:31 +0200571 :cdo (and the like)
572 :command
573 :cscope (and the like)
574 :debug
575 :display
576 :echo (and the like)
577 :elseif
578 :execute
579 :folddoopen
580 :folddoclosed
581 :for
582 :grep (and the like)
583 :help (and the like)
584 :if
585 :let
586 :make
587 :map (and the like including :abbrev commands)
588 :menu (and the like)
589 :mkspell
590 :normal
591 :ownsyntax
592 :popup
593 :promptfind (and the like)
594 :registers
595 :return
596 :sort
597 :syntax
598 :tabdo
599 :tearoff
600 :vimgrep (and the like)
601 :while
602 :windo
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000603
604 *:bar* *:\bar*
605'|' can be used to separate commands, so you can give multiple commands in one
606line. If you want to use '|' in an argument, precede it with '\'.
607
608These commands see the '|' as their argument, and can therefore not be
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +0000609followed by another Vim command:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000610 :argdo
611 :autocmd
612 :bufdo
Bram Moolenaaraa23b372015-09-08 18:46:31 +0200613 :cdo
614 :cfdo
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000615 :command
616 :cscope
617 :debug
Bram Moolenaarbc93ceb2020-02-26 13:36:21 +0100618 :eval
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000619 :folddoopen
620 :folddoclosed
621 :function
622 :global
623 :help
624 :helpfind
Bram Moolenaar130cbfc2021-04-07 21:07:20 +0200625 :helpgrep
Bram Moolenaar110bc6b2006-02-10 23:13:40 +0000626 :lcscope
Bram Moolenaaraa23b372015-09-08 18:46:31 +0200627 :ldo
628 :lfdo
Bram Moolenaar130cbfc2021-04-07 21:07:20 +0200629 :lhelpgrep
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000630 :make
631 :normal
632 :perl
633 :perldo
634 :promptfind
635 :promptrepl
636 :pyfile
637 :python
638 :registers
639 :read !
640 :scscope
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +0200641 :sign
Bram Moolenaar938ae282023-02-20 20:44:55 +0000642 :tabdo
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000643 :tcl
644 :tcldo
645 :tclfile
Bram Moolenaar7ceefb32020-05-01 16:07:38 +0200646 :terminal
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000647 :vglobal
648 :windo
649 :write !
650 :[range]!
651 a user defined command without the "-bar" argument |:command|
652
Christian Brabandt11250512024-04-27 12:01:15 +0200653 and the following |Vim9-script| keywords:
Yegappan Lakshmananac773182024-04-27 11:36:12 +0200654 :abstract
655 :class
656 :enum
657 :interface
658
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000659Note that this is confusing (inherited from Vi): With ":g" the '|' is included
660in the command, with ":s" it is not.
661
662To be able to use another command anyway, use the ":execute" command.
663Example (append the output of "ls" and jump to the first line): >
664 :execute 'r !ls' | '[
665
666There is one exception: When the 'b' flag is present in 'cpoptions', with the
667":map" and ":abbr" commands and friends CTRL-V needs to be used instead of
668'\'. You can also use "<Bar>" instead. See also |map_bar|.
669
670Examples: >
671 :!ls | wc view the output of two commands
672 :r !ls | wc insert the same output in the text
673 :%g/foo/p|> moves all matching lines one shiftwidth
674 :%s/foo/bar/|> moves one line one shiftwidth
675 :map q 10^V| map "q" to "10|"
676 :map q 10\| map \ l map "q" to "10\" and map "\" to "l"
677 (when 'b' is present in 'cpoptions')
678
679You can also use <NL> to separate commands in the same way as with '|'. To
680insert a <NL> use CTRL-V CTRL-J. "^@" will be shown. Using '|' is the
681preferred method. But for external commands a <NL> must be used, because a
682'|' is included in the external command. To avoid the special meaning of <NL>
683it must be preceded with a backslash. Example: >
684 :r !date<NL>-join
685This reads the current date into the file and joins it with the previous line.
686
687Note that when the command before the '|' generates an error, the following
688commands will not be executed.
689
690
691Because of Vi compatibility the following strange commands are supported: >
692 :| print current line (like ":p")
693 :3| print line 3 (like ":3p")
694 :3 goto line 3
695
696A colon is allowed between the range and the command name. It is ignored
697(this is Vi compatible). For example: >
698 :1,$:s/pat/string
699
700When the character '%' or '#' is used where a file name is expected, they are
701expanded to the current and alternate file name (see the chapter "editing
702files" |:_%| |:_#|).
703
704Embedded spaces in file names are allowed on the Amiga if one file name is
705expected as argument. Trailing spaces will be ignored, unless escaped with a
706backslash or CTRL-V. Note that the ":next" command uses spaces to separate
707file names. Escape the spaces to include them in a file name. Example: >
708 :next foo\ bar goes\ to school\
709starts editing the three files "foo bar", "goes to" and "school ".
710
711When you want to use the special characters '"' or '|' in a command, or want
712to use '%' or '#' in a file name, precede them with a backslash. The
713backslash is not required in a range and in the ":substitute" command.
Bram Moolenaarf9132812015-07-21 19:19:13 +0200714See also |`=|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000715
716 *:_!*
717The '!' (bang) character after an Ex command makes the command behave in a
718different way. The '!' should be placed immediately after the command, without
719any blanks in between. If you insert blanks the '!' will be seen as an
720argument for the command, which has a different meaning. For example:
721 :w! name write the current buffer to file "name", overwriting
722 any existing file
723 :w !name send the current buffer as standard input to command
724 "name"
725
726==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00007274. Ex command-line ranges *cmdline-ranges* *[range]* *E16*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000728
729Some Ex commands accept a line range in front of them. This is noted as
730[range]. It consists of one or more line specifiers, separated with ',' or
731';'.
732
733The basics are explained in section |10.3| of the user manual.
734
Bram Moolenaara4d131d2021-12-27 21:33:07 +0000735In |Vim9| script a range needs to be prefixed with a colon to avoid ambiguity
736with continuation lines. For example, "+" can be used for a range but is also
737a continuation of an expression: >
738 var result = start
739 + print
740If the "+" is a range then it must be prefixed with a colon: >
741 var result = start
742 :+ print
743<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000744 *:,* *:;*
745When separated with ';' the cursor position will be set to that line
746before interpreting the next line specifier. This doesn't happen for ','.
747Examples: >
748 4,/this line/
749< from line 4 till match with "this line" after the cursor line. >
750 5;/that line/
751< from line 5 till match with "that line" after line 5.
752
753The default line specifier for most commands is the cursor position, but the
754commands ":write" and ":global" have the whole file (1,$) as default.
755
756If more line specifiers are given than required for the command, the first
757one(s) will be ignored.
758
Bram Moolenaar088e8e32019-08-08 22:15:18 +0200759Line numbers may be specified with: *:range* *{address}*
Bram Moolenaara2baa732022-02-04 16:09:54 +0000760 {number} an absolute line number *E1247*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000761 . the current line *:.*
762 $ the last line in the file *:$*
763 % equal to 1,$ (the entire file) *:%*
764 't position of mark t (lowercase) *:'*
765 'T position of mark T (uppercase); when the mark is in
766 another file it cannot be used in a range
767 /{pattern}[/] the next line where {pattern} matches *:/*
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000768 also see |:range-pattern| below
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000769 ?{pattern}[?] the previous line where {pattern} matches *:?*
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000770 also see |:range-pattern| below
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000771 \/ the next line where the previously used search
772 pattern matches
773 \? the previous line where the previously used search
774 pattern matches
775 \& the next line where the previously used substitute
776 pattern matches
777
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000778 *:range-offset*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000779Each may be followed (several times) by '+' or '-' and an optional number.
780This number is added or subtracted from the preceding line number. If the
Bram Moolenaar2f0936c2022-01-08 21:51:59 +0000781number is omitted, 1 is used. If there is nothing before the '+' or '-' then
782the current line is used.
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000783 *:range-closed-fold*
784When a line number after the comma is in a closed fold it is adjusted to the
785last line of the fold, thus the whole fold is included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000786
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000787When a number is added this is done after the adjustment to the last line of
788the fold. This means these lines are additionally included in the range. For
789example: >
790 :3,4+2print
791On this text:
792 1 one ~
793 2 two ~
794 3 three ~
795 4 four FOLDED ~
796 5 five FOLDED ~
797 6 six ~
798 7 seven ~
799 8 eight ~
800Where lines four and five are a closed fold, ends up printing lines 3 to 7.
801The 7 comes from the "4" in the range, which is adjusted to the end of the
802closed fold, which is 5, and then the offset 2 is added.
803
804An example for subtracting (which isn't very useful): >
805 :2,4-1print
806On this text:
807 1 one ~
808 2 two ~
h_eastba77bbb2023-10-03 04:47:13 +0900809 3 three FOLDED ~
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000810 4 four FOLDED ~
811 5 five FOLDED ~
812 6 six FOLDED ~
813 7 seven ~
814 8 eight ~
815Where lines three to six are a closed fold, ends up printing lines 2 to 6.
816The 6 comes from the "4" in the range, which is adjusted to the end of the
817closed fold, which is 6, and then 1 is subtracted, then this is still in the
818closed fold and the last line of that fold is used, which is 6.
819
820 *:range-pattern*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000821The "/" and "?" after {pattern} are required to separate the pattern from
822anything that follows.
823
824The "/" and "?" may be preceded with another address. The search starts from
825there. The difference from using ';' is that the cursor isn't moved.
826Examples: >
827 /pat1//pat2/ Find line containing "pat2" after line containing
828 "pat1", without moving the cursor.
829 7;/pat2/ Find line containing "pat2", after line 7, leaving
830 the cursor in line 7.
831
832The {number} must be between 0 and the number of lines in the file. When
833using a 0 (zero) this is interpreted as a 1 by most commands. Commands that
834use it as a count do use it as a zero (|:tag|, |:pop|, etc). Some commands
835interpret the zero as "before the first line" (|:read|, search pattern, etc).
836
837Examples: >
838 .+3 three lines below the cursor
839 /that/+1 the line below the next line containing "that"
840 .,$ from current line until end of file
841 0;/that the first line containing "that", also matches in the
842 first line.
843 1;/that the first line after line 1 containing "that"
844
845Some commands allow for a count after the command. This count is used as the
846number of lines to be used, starting with the line given in the last line
847specifier (the default is the cursor line). The commands that accept a count
848are the ones that use a range but do not have a file name argument (because
Bram Moolenaar2f0936c2022-01-08 21:51:59 +0000849a file name can also be a number). The count cannot be negative.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000850
851Examples: >
852 :s/x/X/g 5 substitute 'x' by 'X' in the current line and four
853 following lines
854 :23d 4 delete lines 23, 24, 25 and 26
855
856
857Folds and Range
858
859When folds are active the line numbers are rounded off to include the whole
860closed fold. See |fold-behavior|.
861
862
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +0000863Reverse Range *E493*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000864
865A range should have the lower line number first. If this is not the case, Vim
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000866will ask you if it should swap the line numbers.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +0000867 Backwards range given, OK to swap ~
868This is not done within the global command ":g".
869
870You can use ":silent" before a command to avoid the question, the range will
871always be swapped then.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000872
873
874Count and Range *N:*
875
Bram Moolenaar76db9e02022-11-09 21:21:04 +0000876When giving a count before entering ":", this is translated into: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000877 :.,.+(count - 1)
Bram Moolenaar9fbdbb82022-09-27 17:30:34 +0100878In words: The "count" lines at and after the cursor. Example: To delete
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000879three lines: >
880 3:d<CR> is translated into: .,.+2d<CR>
881<
882
Bram Moolenaar22863042021-10-16 15:23:36 +0100883Visual Mode and Range
Bram Moolenaar3ec32172021-05-16 12:39:47 +0200884 *v_:*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000885{Visual}: Starts a command-line with the Visual selected lines as a
Bram Moolenaara3e6bc92013-01-30 14:18:00 +0100886 range. The code `:'<,'>` is used for this range, which makes
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000887 it possible to select a similar line from the command-line
888 history for repeating a command on different Visually selected
889 lines.
Bram Moolenaar3ec32172021-05-16 12:39:47 +0200890
891:* *:star* *:star-visual-range*
Bram Moolenaara3e6bc92013-01-30 14:18:00 +0100892 When Visual mode was already ended, a short way to use the
893 Visual area for a range is `:*`. This requires that "*" does
894 not appear in 'cpo', see |cpo-star|. Otherwise you will have
895 to type `:'<,'>`
Bram Moolenaar3ec32172021-05-16 12:39:47 +0200896 For when "*" is in 'cpo' see |:star-compatible|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000897
898==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00008995. Ex command-line flags *ex-flags*
900
901These flags are supported by a selection of Ex commands. They print the line
902that the cursor ends up after executing the command:
903
904 l output like for |:list|
905 # add line number
906 p output like for |:print|
907
908The flags can be combined, thus "l#" uses both a line number and |:list| style
909output.
910
911==============================================================================
9126. Ex special characters *cmdline-special*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000913
Bram Moolenaar8fa04452005-12-23 22:13:51 +0000914Note: These are special characters in the executed command line. If you want
915to insert special things while typing you can use the CTRL-R command. For
916example, "%" stands for the current file name, while CTRL-R % inserts the
917current file name right away. See |c_CTRL-R|.
918
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +0200919Note: If you want to avoid the effects of special characters in a Vim script
920you may want to use |fnameescape()|. Also see |`=|.
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +0000921
Bram Moolenaar8fa04452005-12-23 22:13:51 +0000922
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000923In Ex commands, at places where a file name can be used, the following
924characters have a special meaning. These can also be used in the expression
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +0200925function |expand()|.
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000926 % Is replaced with the current file name. *:_%* *c_%*
927 # Is replaced with the alternate file name. *:_#* *c_#*
Bram Moolenaar36782082013-11-28 13:53:34 +0100928 This is remembered for every window.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100929 #n (where n is a number) is replaced with *:_#0* *:_#n*
930 the file name of buffer n. "#0" is the same as "#". *c_#n*
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000931 ## Is replaced with all names in the argument list *:_##* *c_##*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000932 concatenated, separated by spaces. Each space in a name
933 is preceded with a backslash.
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000934 #<n (where n is a number > 0) is replaced with old *:_#<* *c_#<*
935 file name n. See |:oldfiles| or |v:oldfiles| to get the
936 number. *E809*
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200937 {only when compiled with the |+eval| and |+viminfo| features}
Bram Moolenaar7e6a5152021-01-02 16:39:53 +0100938In |Vim9-script| # is used to start a comment, use %% for the alternate file
939name:
940 % Is replaced with the current file name.
941 %% Is replaced with the alternate file name. *:_%%* *c_%%*
942 %%n (where n is a number) is replaced with *:_%%0* *:_%%n*
943 the file name of buffer n. "%%0" is the same as "%%". *c_%%n*
944 %%% Is replaced with all names in the argument *:_%%%* *c_%%%#*
945 list concatenated, separated by spaces.
946 %%<n (where n is a number > 0) is replaced with old *:_%%<* *c_%%<*
947 file name n.
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000948
949Note that these, except "#<n", give the file name as it was typed. If an
950absolute path is needed (when using the file name from a different directory),
951you need to add ":p". See |filename-modifiers|.
952
953The "#<n" item returns an absolute path, but it will start with "~/" for files
954below your home directory.
955
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000956Note that backslashes are inserted before spaces, so that the command will
957correctly interpret the file name. But this doesn't happen for shell
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000958commands. For those you probably have to use quotes (this fails for files
959that contain a quote and wildcards): >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000960 :!ls "%"
961 :r !spell "%"
962
963To avoid the special meaning of '%' and '#' insert a backslash before it.
964Detail: The special meaning is always escaped when there is a backslash before
965it, no matter how many backslashes.
966 you type: result ~
967 # alternate.file
968 \# #
969 \\# \#
Bram Moolenaarf9132812015-07-21 19:19:13 +0200970Also see |`=|.
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +0200971
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200972 *E499* *E500*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000973Note: these are typed literally, they are not special keys!
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200974 *:<cword>* *<cword>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000975 <cword> is replaced with the word under the cursor (like |star|)
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200976 *:<cWORD>* *<cWORD>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000977 <cWORD> is replaced with the WORD under the cursor (see |WORD|)
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200978 *:<cexpr>* *<cexpr>*
Bram Moolenaar65f08472017-09-10 18:16:20 +0200979 <cexpr> is replaced with the word under the cursor, including more
980 to form a C expression. E.g., when the cursor is on "arg"
981 of "ptr->arg" then the result is "ptr->arg"; when the
982 cursor is on "]" of "list[idx]" then the result is
983 "list[idx]". This is used for |v:beval_text|.
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200984 *:<cfile>* *<cfile>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000985 <cfile> is replaced with the path name under the cursor (like what
986 |gf| uses)
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200987 *:<afile>* *<afile>*
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +0100988 <afile> When executing autocommands, is replaced with the file name
Bram Moolenaar01164a62017-11-02 22:58:42 +0100989 of the buffer being manipulated, or the file for a read or
Bram Moolenaarf29c1c62018-09-10 21:05:02 +0200990 write. *E495*
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200991 *:<abuf>* *<abuf>*
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +0100992 <abuf> When executing autocommands, is replaced with the currently
Bram Moolenaar10e8ff92023-06-10 21:40:39 +0100993 effective buffer number. It is not set for all events,
994 also see |bufnr()|. For ":r file" and ":so file" it is the
995 current buffer, the file being read/sourced is not in a
996 buffer. *E496*
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200997 *:<amatch>* *<amatch>*
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +0100998 <amatch> When executing autocommands, is replaced with the match for
Bram Moolenaarf29c1c62018-09-10 21:05:02 +0200999 which this autocommand was executed. *E497*
Bram Moolenaar47003982021-12-05 21:54:04 +00001000 It differs from <afile> when the file name isn't used to
1001 match with (for FileType, Syntax and SpellFileMissing
Bram Moolenaarf29c1c62018-09-10 21:05:02 +02001002 events).
Bram Moolenaar47003982021-12-05 21:54:04 +00001003 When the match is with a file name, it is expanded to the
1004 full path.
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +02001005 *:<sfile>* *<sfile>*
Bram Moolenaar8a3b8052022-06-26 12:21:15 +01001006 <sfile> When executing a `:source` command, is replaced with the
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +02001007 file name of the sourced file. *E498*
Bram Moolenaar6304be62021-11-27 10:57:26 +00001008 When executing a legacy function, is replaced with the call
1009 stack, as with <stack> (this is for backwards
LemonBoy6013d002022-04-09 21:42:10 +01001010 compatibility, using <stack> or <script> is preferred).
Bram Moolenaar6304be62021-11-27 10:57:26 +00001011 In Vim9 script using <sfile> in a function gives error
1012 *E1245* .
Bram Moolenaarca635012015-09-25 20:34:21 +02001013 Note that filename-modifiers are useless when <sfile> is
Bram Moolenaara5d04232020-07-26 15:37:02 +02001014 not used inside a script.
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +02001015 *:<stack>* *<stack>*
Bram Moolenaara5d04232020-07-26 15:37:02 +02001016 <stack> is replaced with the call stack, using
1017 "function {function-name}[{lnum}]" for a function line
1018 and "script {file-name}[{lnum}]" for a script line, and
1019 ".." in between items. E.g.:
1020 "function {function-name1}[{lnum}]..{function-name2}[{lnum}]"
Bram Moolenaar2f0936c2022-01-08 21:51:59 +00001021 If there is no call stack you get error *E489* .
LemonBoy6013d002022-04-09 21:42:10 +01001022 *:<script>* *<script>*
1023 <script> When executing a `:source` command, is replaced with the file
1024 name of the sourced file. When executing a function, is
1025 replaced with the file name of the script where it is
1026 defined.
1027 If the file name cannot be determined you get error *E1274* .
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +02001028 *:<slnum>* *<slnum>*
Bram Moolenaar8a3b8052022-06-26 12:21:15 +01001029 <slnum> When executing a `:source` command, is replaced with the
Bram Moolenaarf29c1c62018-09-10 21:05:02 +02001030 line number. *E842*
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +01001031 When executing a function it's the line number relative to
1032 the start of the function.
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +02001033 *:<sflnum>* *<sflnum>*
Bram Moolenaarf29c1c62018-09-10 21:05:02 +02001034 <sflnum> When executing a script, is replaced with the line number.
1035 It differs from <slnum> in that <sflnum> is replaced with
1036 the script line number in any situation. *E961*
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +02001037 *:<client>* *<client>*
1038 <client> is replaced with the {clinetid} of the last received
1039 message in |server2client()|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001040
1041 *filename-modifiers*
Bram Moolenaar251835e2014-02-24 02:51:51 +01001042*:_%:* *::8* *::p* *::.* *::~* *::h* *::t* *::r* *::e* *::s* *::gs* *::S*
1043 *%:8* *%:p* *%:.* *%:~* *%:h* *%:t* *%:r* *%:e* *%:s* *%:gs* *%:S*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001044The file name modifiers can be used after "%", "#", "#n", "<cfile>", "<sfile>",
1045"<afile>" or "<abuf>". They are also used with the |fnamemodify()| function.
Bram Moolenaar30e9b3c2019-09-07 16:24:12 +02001046
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001047These modifiers can be given, in this order:
1048 :p Make file name a full path. Must be the first modifier. Also
1049 changes "~/" (and "~user/" for Unix and VMS) to the path for
1050 the home directory. If the name is a directory a path
1051 separator is added at the end. For a file name that does not
1052 exist and does not have an absolute path the result is
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +02001053 unpredictable. On MS-Windows an 8.3 filename is expanded to
1054 the long name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001055 :8 Converts the path to 8.3 short format (currently only on
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +02001056 MS-Windows). Will act on as much of a path that is an
1057 existing path.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001058 :~ Reduce file name to be relative to the home directory, if
1059 possible. File name is unmodified if it is not below the home
1060 directory.
1061 :. Reduce file name to be relative to current directory, if
1062 possible. File name is unmodified if it is not below the
Bram Moolenaard816cd92020-02-04 22:23:09 +01001063 current directory.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001064 For maximum shortness, use ":~:.".
1065 :h Head of the file name (the last component and any separators
1066 removed). Cannot be used with :e, :r or :t.
1067 Can be repeated to remove several components at the end.
1068 When the file name ends in a path separator, only the path
1069 separator is removed. Thus ":p:h" on a directory name results
1070 on the directory name itself (without trailing slash).
1071 When the file name is an absolute path (starts with "/" for
Bram Moolenaar5666fcd2019-12-26 14:35:26 +01001072 Unix; "x:\" for Win32; "drive:" for Amiga), that part is not
Bram Moolenaar6f345a12019-12-17 21:27:18 +01001073 removed. When there is no head (path is relative to current
1074 directory) the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001075 :t Tail of the file name (last component of the name). Must
1076 precede any :r or :e.
1077 :r Root of the file name (the last extension removed). When
1078 there is only an extension (file name that starts with '.',
1079 e.g., ".vimrc"), it is not removed. Can be repeated to remove
1080 several extensions (last one first).
1081 :e Extension of the file name. Only makes sense when used alone.
1082 When there is no extension the result is empty.
1083 When there is only an extension (file name that starts with
1084 '.'), the result is empty. Can be repeated to include more
1085 extensions. If there are not enough extensions (but at least
1086 one) as much as possible are included.
1087 :s?pat?sub?
1088 Substitute the first occurrence of "pat" with "sub". This
1089 works like the |:s| command. "pat" is a regular expression.
1090 Any character can be used for '?', but it must not occur in
1091 "pat" or "sub".
1092 After this, the previous modifiers can be used again. For
1093 example ":p", to make a full path after the substitution.
1094 :gs?pat?sub?
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +02001095 Substitute all occurrences of "pat" with "sub". Otherwise
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001096 this works like ":s".
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +02001097 :S Escape special characters for use with a shell command (see
Bram Moolenaar251835e2014-02-24 02:51:51 +01001098 |shellescape()|). Must be the last one. Examples: >
1099 :!dir <cfile>:S
1100 :call system('chmod +w -- ' . expand('%:S'))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001101
1102Examples, when the file name is "src/version.c", current dir
1103"/home/mool/vim": >
1104 :p /home/mool/vim/src/version.c
1105 :p:. src/version.c
1106 :p:~ ~/vim/src/version.c
1107 :h src
1108 :p:h /home/mool/vim/src
1109 :p:h:h /home/mool/vim
1110 :t version.c
1111 :p:t version.c
1112 :r src/version
1113 :p:r /home/mool/vim/src/version
1114 :t:r version
1115 :e c
1116 :s?version?main? src/main.c
1117 :s?version?main?:p /home/mool/vim/src/main.c
1118 :p:gs?/?\\? \home\mool\vim\src\version.c
1119
1120Examples, when the file name is "src/version.c.gz": >
1121 :p /home/mool/vim/src/version.c.gz
1122 :e gz
1123 :e:e c.gz
1124 :e:e:e c.gz
1125 :e:e:r c
1126 :r src/version.c
1127 :r:e c
1128 :r:r src/version
1129 :r:r:r src/version
1130<
1131 *extension-removal* *:_%<*
1132If a "<" is appended to "%", "#", "#n" or "CTRL-V p" the extension of the file
1133name is removed (everything after and including the last '.' in the file
1134name). This is included for backwards compatibility with version 3.0, the
1135":r" form is preferred. Examples: >
1136
1137 % current file name
1138 %< current file name without extension
1139 # alternate file name for current window
1140 #< idem, without extension
1141 #31 alternate file number 31
1142 #31< idem, without extension
1143 <cword> word under the cursor
1144 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor (see |WORD|)
1145 <cfile> path name under the cursor
1146 <cfile>< idem, without extension
1147
1148Note: Where a file name is expected wildcards expansion is done. On Unix the
1149shell is used for this, unless it can be done internally (for speed).
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +02001150Unless in |restricted-mode|, backticks work also, like in >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001151 :n `echo *.c`
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001152But expansion is only done if there are any wildcards before expanding the
1153'%', '#', etc.. This avoids expanding wildcards inside a file name. If you
1154want to expand the result of <cfile>, add a wildcard character to it.
1155Examples: (alternate file name is "?readme?")
1156 command expands to ~
1157 :e # :e ?readme?
1158 :e `ls #` :e {files matching "?readme?"}
1159 :e #.* :e {files matching "?readme?.*"}
1160 :cd <cfile> :cd {file name under cursor}
1161 :cd <cfile>* :cd {file name under cursor plus "*" and then expanded}
Bram Moolenaarf9132812015-07-21 19:19:13 +02001162Also see |`=|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001163
1164When the expanded argument contains a "!" and it is used for a shell command
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +00001165(":!cmd", ":r !cmd" or ":w !cmd"), the "!" is escaped with a backslash to
1166avoid it being expanded into a previously used command. When the 'shell'
1167option contains "sh", this is done twice, to avoid the shell trying to expand
1168the "!".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001169
1170 *filename-backslash*
Bram Moolenaar6f345a12019-12-17 21:27:18 +01001171For filesystems that use a backslash as directory separator (MS-Windows), it's
1172a bit difficult to recognize a backslash that is used to escape the special
1173meaning of the next character. The general rule is: If the backslash is
1174followed by a normal file name character, it does not have a special meaning.
1175Therefore "\file\foo" is a valid file name, you don't have to type the
1176backslash twice.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001177
1178An exception is the '$' sign. It is a valid character in a file name. But
1179to avoid a file name like "$home" to be interpreted as an environment variable,
1180it needs to be preceded by a backslash. Therefore you need to use "/\$home"
1181for the file "$home" in the root directory. A few examples:
1182
1183 FILE NAME INTERPRETED AS ~
1184 $home expanded to value of environment var $home
1185 \$home file "$home" in current directory
1186 /\$home file "$home" in root directory
1187 \\$home file "\\", followed by expanded $home
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +02001188
Bram Moolenaarf9132812015-07-21 19:19:13 +02001189Also see |`=|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001190
1191==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarac7bd632013-03-19 11:35:58 +010011927. Command-line window *cmdline-window* *cmdwin*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001193 *command-line-window*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001194In the command-line window the command line can be edited just like editing
1195text in any window. It is a special kind of window, because you cannot leave
1196it in a normal way.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001197
1198
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001199OPEN *c_CTRL-F* *q:* *q/* *q?*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001200
1201There are two ways to open the command-line window:
12021. From Command-line mode, use the key specified with the 'cedit' option.
1203 The default is CTRL-F when 'compatible' is not set.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +010012042. From Normal mode, use the "q:", "q/" or "q?" command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001205 This starts editing an Ex command-line ("q:") or search string ("q/" or
1206 "q?"). Note that this is not possible while recording is in progress (the
1207 "q" stops recording then).
1208
1209When the window opens it is filled with the command-line history. The last
1210line contains the command as typed so far. The left column will show a
1211character that indicates the type of command-line being edited, see
1212|cmdwin-char|.
1213
1214Vim will be in Normal mode when the editor is opened, except when 'insertmode'
1215is set.
Bram Moolenaar2ecbe532022-07-29 21:36:21 +01001216 *E1292*
1217Once a command-line window is open it is not possible to open another one.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001218
1219The height of the window is specified with 'cmdwinheight' (or smaller if there
1220is no room). The window is always full width and is positioned just above the
1221command-line.
1222
1223
1224EDIT
1225
1226You can now use commands to move around and edit the text in the window. Both
1227in Normal mode and Insert mode.
1228
1229It is possible to use ":", "/" and other commands that use the command-line,
1230but it's not possible to open another command-line window then. There is no
1231nesting.
Bram Moolenaard2ea7cf2021-05-30 20:54:13 +02001232 *E11* *E1188*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001233The command-line window is not a normal window. It is not possible to move to
1234another window or edit another buffer. All commands that would do this are
1235disabled in the command-line window. Of course it _is_ possible to execute
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001236any command that you entered in the command-line window. Other text edits are
1237discarded when closing the window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001238
1239
1240CLOSE *E199*
1241
1242There are several ways to leave the command-line window:
1243
1244<CR> Execute the command-line under the cursor. Works both in
1245 Insert and in Normal mode.
1246CTRL-C Continue in Command-line mode. The command-line under the
1247 cursor is used as the command-line. Works both in Insert and
Bram Moolenaarbc2eada2017-01-02 21:27:47 +01001248 in Normal mode. There is no redraw, thus the window will
1249 remain visible.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001250:quit Discard the command line and go back to Normal mode.
Bram Moolenaar3d1cde82020-08-15 18:55:18 +02001251 ":close", CTRL-W c, ":exit", ":xit" and CTRL-\ CTRL-N also
1252 work.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001253:qall Quit Vim, unless there are changes in some buffer.
1254:qall! Quit Vim, discarding changes to any buffer.
1255
1256Once the command-line window is closed the old window sizes are restored. The
1257executed command applies to the window and buffer where the command-line was
1258started from. This works as if the command-line window was not there, except
1259that there will be an extra screen redraw.
1260The buffer used for the command-line window is deleted. Any changes to lines
1261other than the one that is executed with <CR> are lost.
1262
Bram Moolenaar36fc5352006-03-04 21:49:37 +00001263If you would like to execute the command under the cursor and then have the
1264command-line window open again, you may find this mapping useful: >
1265
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001266 :autocmd CmdwinEnter * map <buffer> <F5> <CR>q:
Bram Moolenaar36fc5352006-03-04 21:49:37 +00001267
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001268
1269VARIOUS
1270
1271The command-line window cannot be used:
1272- when there already is a command-line window (no nesting)
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001273- for entering an encryption key or when using inputsecret()
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001274
1275Some options are set when the command-line window is opened:
1276'filetype' "vim", when editing an Ex command-line; this starts Vim syntax
1277 highlighting if it was enabled
1278'rightleft' off
1279'modifiable' on
1280'buftype' "nofile"
1281'swapfile' off
1282
1283It is allowed to write the buffer contents to a file. This is an easy way to
1284save the command-line history and read it back later.
1285
1286If the 'wildchar' option is set to <Tab>, and the command-line window is used
1287for an Ex command, then two mappings will be added to use <Tab> for completion
1288in the command-line window, like this: >
Bram Moolenaard592deb2022-06-17 15:42:40 +01001289 :inoremap <buffer> <Tab> <C-X><C-V>
1290 :nnoremap <buffer> <Tab> a<C-X><C-V>
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001291Note that hitting <Tab> in Normal mode will do completion on the next
1292character. That way it works at the end of the line.
1293If you don't want these mappings, disable them with: >
1294 au CmdwinEnter [:>] iunmap <Tab>
1295 au CmdwinEnter [:>] nunmap <Tab>
1296You could put these lines in your vimrc file.
1297
1298While in the command-line window you cannot use the mouse to put the cursor in
1299another window, or drag statuslines of other windows. You can drag the
1300statusline of the command-line window itself and the statusline above it.
1301Thus you can resize the command-line window, but not others.
1302
Bram Moolenaarfb539272014-08-22 19:21:47 +02001303The |getcmdwintype()| function returns the type of the command-line being
1304edited as described in |cmdwin-char|.
1305
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001306
1307AUTOCOMMANDS
1308
Bram Moolenaar96e38a82019-09-09 18:35:33 +02001309Two autocommand events are used: |CmdwinEnter| and |CmdwinLeave|. You can use
1310the Cmdwin events to do settings specifically for the command-line window.
1311Be careful not to cause side effects!
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001312Example: >
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001313 :au CmdwinEnter : let b:cpt_save = &cpt | set cpt=.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001314 :au CmdwinLeave : let &cpt = b:cpt_save
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001315This sets 'complete' to use completion in the current window for |i_CTRL-N|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001316Another example: >
1317 :au CmdwinEnter [/?] startinsert
1318This will make Vim start in Insert mode in the command-line window.
1319
1320 *cmdwin-char*
1321The character used for the pattern indicates the type of command-line:
1322 : normal Ex command
1323 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
1324 / forward search string
1325 ? backward search string
1326 = expression for "= |expr-register|
1327 @ string for |input()|
1328 - text for |:insert| or |:append|
1329
Bram Moolenaar91f84f62018-07-29 15:07:52 +02001330 vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: