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Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2005 Sep 29
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7Expression evaluation *expression* *expr* *E15* *eval*
8
9Using expressions is introduced in chapter 41 of the user manual |usr_41.txt|.
10
11Note: Expression evaluation can be disabled at compile time. If this has been
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +000012done, the features in this document are not available. See |+eval| and
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000013|no-eval-feature|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000014
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000151. Variables |variables|
16 1.1 Variable types
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000017 1.2 Function references |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +000018 1.3 Lists |Lists|
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000019 1.4 Dictionaries |Dictionaries|
20 1.5 More about variables |more-variables|
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212. Expression syntax |expression-syntax|
223. Internal variable |internal-variables|
234. Builtin Functions |functions|
245. Defining functions |user-functions|
256. Curly braces names |curly-braces-names|
267. Commands |expression-commands|
278. Exception handling |exception-handling|
289. Examples |eval-examples|
2910. No +eval feature |no-eval-feature|
3011. The sandbox |eval-sandbox|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000031
32{Vi does not have any of these commands}
33
34==============================================================================
351. Variables *variables*
36
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000371.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000038 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000039There are five types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000040
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000041Number A 32 bit signed number.
42 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
43
44String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
45 Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
46
47Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
48 Example: function("strlen")
49
50List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
51 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000052
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000053Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
54 value. |Dictionary|
55 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
56
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000057The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
58are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000059
60Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
61the Number. Examples: >
62 Number 123 --> String "123"
63 Number 0 --> String "0"
64 Number -1 --> String "-1"
65
66Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
67to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
68the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
69 String "456" --> Number 456
70 String "6bar" --> Number 6
71 String "foo" --> Number 0
72 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
73 String "0100" --> Number 64
74 String "-8" --> Number -8
75 String "+8" --> Number 0
76
77To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
78 :echo "0100" + 0
79
80For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
81
82Note that in the command >
83 :if "foo"
84"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
85use strlen(): >
86 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000087< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
88List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000089
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000090 *E706*
91You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
92to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000093equivalent though. Consider this sequence of commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000094 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000095 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000096 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000097
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000098
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000991.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000100 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000101A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000102in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
103around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000104
105 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
106 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000107< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000108A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:" or "b:". You cannot
109have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000110
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000111A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
112Dictionary entry. Example: >
113 :function dict.init() dict
114 : let self.val = 0
115 :endfunction
116
117The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
118function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
119
120A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
121 :call Fn()
122 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000123
124The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000125 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000126
127You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
128arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000129 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000130
131
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001321.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000133 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000134A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
135can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
136position in the sequence.
137
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000138
139List creation ~
140 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000141A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000142Examples: >
143 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
144 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000145
146An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000147nested List: >
148 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000149
150An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
151
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000152
153List index ~
154 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000155An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000156after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
157 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000160When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000161 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000162<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000163A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
164the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000165 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
166
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000167To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000168is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000169 :echo get(mylist, idx)
170 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
171
172
173List concatenation ~
174
175Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
176 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000177 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000178
179To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
180it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
181
182
183Sublist ~
184
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000185A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
186separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000187 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000188
189Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
190similar to -1. The difference is that there is no error if the items are not
191available. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000192 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
193 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
194 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000195
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000196The second index can be just before the first index. In that case the result
197is an empty list. If the second index is lower, this results in an error. >
198 :echo mylist[2:1] " result: []
199 :echo mylist[2:0] " error!
200
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000201NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
202using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
203mylist[s : e].
204
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000205
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000206List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000207 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000208When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
209variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
210change "bb": >
211 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
212 :let bb = aa
213 :call add(aa, 4)
214 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000215< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000216
217Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
218works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000219a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000220 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
221 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000222 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000223 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
224 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000225< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000226 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000227< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000228
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000229To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000230copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000231
232The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000233List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000234the same value. >
235 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
236 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
237 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000238< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000239 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000240< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000241
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000242Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
243same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000244exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
245different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
246variables. Example: >
247 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000248< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000249 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000250< 0
251
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000252Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
253can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a string: >
254
255 :let a = 5
256 :let b = "5"
257 echo a == b
258< 1 >
259 echo [a] == [b]
260< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000261
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000262
263List unpack ~
264
265To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
266square brackets, like list items: >
267 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
268
269When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
270this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
271and a variable name: >
272 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
273
274This works like: >
275 :let var1 = mylist[0]
276 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000277 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000278
279Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
280empty list then.
281
282
283List modification ~
284 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000285To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000286 :let list[4] = "four"
287 :let listlist[0][3] = item
288
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000289To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000290modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000291 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
292
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000293Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
294examples: >
295 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
296 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
297 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000298 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000299 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
300 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000301 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000302 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000303 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000304 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000305
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000306Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000307 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
308 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
309
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000310
311For loop ~
312
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000313The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
314to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000315 :for item in mylist
316 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000317 :endfor
318
319This works like: >
320 :let index = 0
321 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000322 : let item = mylist[index]
323 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000324 : let index = index + 1
325 :endwhile
326
327Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000328results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000329the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000330
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000331If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000332function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000333
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000334Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
335requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
336 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
337 : call Doit(lnum, col)
338 :endfor
339
340This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
341must remain the same to avoid an error.
342
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000343It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000344 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
345 : call Doit(i, j)
346 : if !empty(rest)
347 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
348 : endif
349 :endfor
350
351
352List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000353 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000354Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000355 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000356 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000357 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
358 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
359 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000360 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
361 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000362 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
363 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000364 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
365 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000366 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
367 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000368
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000369Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
370example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
371 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
372
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000373
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003741.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000375 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000376A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000377entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
378ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000379
380
381Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000382 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000383A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000384braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
385only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000386 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
387 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000388< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000389A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
390String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000391entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
392Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000393
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000394A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000395nested Dictionary: >
396 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
397
398An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
399
400
401Accessing entries ~
402
403The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
404 :let val = mydict["one"]
405 :let mydict["four"] = 4
406
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000407You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000408
409For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
410form can be used |expr-entry|: >
411 :let val = mydict.one
412 :let mydict.four = 4
413
414Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
415key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000416 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000417
418
419Dictionary to List conversion ~
420
421You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
422turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
423
424Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
425 :for key in keys(mydict)
426 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
427 :endfor
428
429The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
430 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
431
432To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
433 :for v in values(mydict)
434 : echo "value: " . v
435 :endfor
436
437If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000438a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000439 :for entry in items(mydict)
440 : echo entry[0] . ': ' . entry[1]
441 :endfor
442
443
444Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000445 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000446Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
447Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
448Dictionary: >
449 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
450 :let adict = onedict
451 :let adict['a'] = 11
452 :echo onedict['a']
453 11
454
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000455Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
456more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000457
458
459Dictionary modification ~
460 *dict-modification*
461To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
462use |:let| this way: >
463 :let dict[4] = "four"
464 :let dict['one'] = item
465
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000466Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
467Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
468 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
469 :unlet dict.aaa
470 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000471
472Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000473 :call extend(adict, bdict)
474This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
475in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000476Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
477expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
478adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000479
480Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +0000481 :call filter(dict 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000482This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000483
484
485Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000486 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000487When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
488special way with a dictionary. Example: >
489 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000490 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000491 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000492 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
493 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000494
495This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
496Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
497the function was invoked from.
498
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000499It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
500Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
501
502 *numbered-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000503To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
504assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000505 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
506 :function mydict.len() dict
507 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000508 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000509 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000510
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000511The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
512that references this function. The function can only be used through a
513|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
514remaining that refers to it.
515
516It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000517
518
519Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000520 *E715*
521Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000522 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
523 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
524 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
525 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
526 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
527 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
528 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
529 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000530
531
5321.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000533 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000534If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
535function.
536
537When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
538start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
539stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
540
541When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
542start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
543stored in the session file |session-file|.
544
545variable name can be stored where ~
546my_var_6 not
547My_Var_6 session file
548MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
549
550
551It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
552|curly-braces-names|.
553
554==============================================================================
5552. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
556
557Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
558
559|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
560
561|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
562
563|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
564
565|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
566 expr5 != expr5 not equal
567 expr5 > expr5 greater than
568 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
569 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
570 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
571 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
572 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
573
574 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
575 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
576 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
577 matching case
578
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000579 expr5 is expr5 same List instance
580 expr5 isnot expr5 different List instance
581
582|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000583 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
584 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
585
586|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
587 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
588 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
589
590|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
591 - expr7 unary minus
592 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000593
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000594
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000595|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a List
596 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a List
597 expr8.name entry in a Dictionary
598 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with Funcref variable
599
600|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000601 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000602 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000603 [expr1, ...] List
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000604 {expr1: expr1, ...} Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000605 &option option value
606 (expr1) nested expression
607 variable internal variable
608 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
609 $VAR environment variable
610 @r contents of register 'r'
611 function(expr1, ...) function call
612 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
613
614
615".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
616Example: >
617 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
618
619All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
620
621
622expr1 *expr1* *E109*
623-----
624
625expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
626
627The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
628non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
629otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
630Example: >
631 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
632
633Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
634other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
635Example: >
636 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
637
638To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
639 :echo lnum == 1
640 :\ ? "top"
641 :\ : lnum == 1000
642 :\ ? "last"
643 :\ : lnum
644
645
646expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
647---------------
648
649 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
650The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
651are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
652
653 input output ~
654n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
655zero zero zero zero
656zero non-zero non-zero zero
657non-zero zero non-zero zero
658non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
659
660The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
661
662 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
663
664Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
665
666 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
667
668Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
669arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
670
671 let a = 1
672 echo a || b
673
674This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
675so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
676
677 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
678
679This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
680only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
681
682
683expr4 *expr4*
684-----
685
686expr5 {cmp} expr5
687
688Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
689if it evaluates to true.
690
691 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
692 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
693 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
694 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
695 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
696 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000697 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000698 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
699equal == ==# ==?
700not equal != !=# !=?
701greater than > ># >?
702greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
703smaller than < <# <?
704smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
705regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
706regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000707same instance is
708different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000709
710Examples:
711"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
712"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
713"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
714
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000715 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000716A List can only be compared with a List and only "equal", "not equal" and "is"
717can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively. Ignoring
718case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
719
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000720 *E735* *E736*
721A Dictionary can only be compared with a Dictionary and only "equal", "not
722equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the Dictionary,
723recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
724
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000725 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000726A Funcref can only be compared with a Funcref and only "equal" and "not equal"
727can be used. Case is never ignored.
728
729When using "is" or "isnot" with a List this checks if the expressions are
730referring to the same List instance. A copy of a List is different from the
731original List. When using "is" without a List it is equivalent to using
732"equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
733different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
734is false.
735
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000736When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
737and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
738because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
739
740When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
741results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
742necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
743
744When using the operators with a trailing '#", or the short version and
745'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp().
746
747When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
748'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp().
749
750The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
751argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
752This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
753matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
754portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
755single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
756Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
757(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
758can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
759 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
760 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
761
762
763expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
764---------------
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000765expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or List concatenation *expr-+*
766expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
767expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000768
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000769For Lists only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The result
770is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
771
772expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
773expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
774expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000775
776For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
777
778Note the difference between "+" and ".":
779 "123" + "456" = 579
780 "123" . "456" = "123456"
781
782When the righthand side of '/' is zero, the result is 0x7fffffff.
783When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
784
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000785None of these work for Funcrefs.
786
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000787
788expr7 *expr7*
789-----
790! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
791- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
792+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
793
794For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
795For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
796For '+' the number is unchanged.
797
798A String will be converted to a Number first.
799
800These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
801 !-1 == 0
802 !!8 == 1
803 --9 == 9
804
805
806expr8 *expr8*
807-----
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000808expr8[expr1] item of String or List *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000809
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000810If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
811expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000812Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000813
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000814Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
815text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
816cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000817 :let c = getline(line("."))[col(".") - 1]
818
819If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000820String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
821compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
822
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000823If expr8 is a List then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000824for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
825error. Example: >
826 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
827
828Generally, if a List index is equal to or higher than the length of the List,
829or more negative than the length of the List, this results in an error.
830
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000831
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000832expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000833
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000834If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
835from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000836expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
837encodings.
838
839If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
840string minus one is used.
841
842A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
843the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
844
845If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
846expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
847
848Examples: >
849 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
850 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
851 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
852 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
853
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000854If expr8 is a List this results in a new List with the items indicated by the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000855indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained just
856above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
857 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
858 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
859 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
860
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000861Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a Funcref results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000862
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000863
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000864expr8.name entry in a Dictionary *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000865
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000866If expr8 is a Dictionary and it is followed by a dot, then the following name
867will be used as a key in the Dictionary. This is just like: expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000868
869The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
870but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
871
872There must not be white space before or after the dot.
873
874Examples: >
875 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
876 :echo dict.one
877 :echo dict .2
878
879Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
880always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
881
882
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000883expr8(expr1, ...) Funcref function call
884
885When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
886
887
888
889 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000890number
891------
892number number constant *expr-number*
893
894Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
895
896
897string *expr-string* *E114*
898------
899"string" string constant *expr-quote*
900
901Note that double quotes are used.
902
903A string constant accepts these special characters:
904\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
905\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
906\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
907\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
908\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
909\X.. same as \x..
910\X. same as \x.
911\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
912 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
913\U.... same as \u....
914\b backspace <BS>
915\e escape <Esc>
916\f formfeed <FF>
917\n newline <NL>
918\r return <CR>
919\t tab <Tab>
920\\ backslash
921\" double quote
922\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
923
924Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
925
926
927literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
928---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000929'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000930
931Note that single quotes are used.
932
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000933This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000934meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000935
936Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
937to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
938 if a =~ "\\s*"
939 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000940
941
942option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
943------
944&option option value, local value if possible
945&g:option global option value
946&l:option local option value
947
948Examples: >
949 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
950 if &insertmode
951
952Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
953and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
954anyway.
955
956
957register *expr-register*
958--------
959@r contents of register 'r'
960
961The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
962Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +0000963register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
964registers.
965
966When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
967evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000968
969
970nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
971-------
972(expr1) nested expression
973
974
975environment variable *expr-env*
976--------------------
977$VAR environment variable
978
979The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
980result is an empty string.
981 *expr-env-expand*
982Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
983expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
984are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
985the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
986fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
987does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
988 :echo $version
989 :echo expand("$version")
990The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
991variable (if your shell supports it).
992
993
994internal variable *expr-variable*
995-----------------
996variable internal variable
997See below |internal-variables|.
998
999
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001000function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001001-------------
1002function(expr1, ...) function call
1003See below |functions|.
1004
1005
1006==============================================================================
10073. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
1008 *E461*
1009An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1010cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1011|curly-braces-names|.
1012
1013An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001014An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1015|:unlet|.
1016Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1017been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001018
1019There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1020specified by what is prepended:
1021
1022 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1023|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1024|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
1025|global-variable| g: Global.
1026|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1027|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1028|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
1029|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
1030
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001031The scope name by itself can be used as a Dictionary. For example, to delete
1032all script-local variables: >
1033 :for k in keys(s:)
1034 : unlet s:[k]
1035 :endfor
1036<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001037 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1038A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1039Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1040This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1041|:bdelete|.
1042
1043One local buffer variable is predefined:
1044 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1045b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1046 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1047 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1048 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1049 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
1050 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1051 : call My_Update()
1052 :endif
1053<
1054 *window-variable* *w:var*
1055A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1056is deleted when the window is closed.
1057
1058 *global-variable* *g:var*
1059Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
1060access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
1061place if you like.
1062
1063 *local-variable* *l:var*
1064Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
1065But you can also prepend "l:" if you like.
1066
1067 *script-variable* *s:var*
1068In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1069accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1070
1071They can be used in:
1072- commands executed while the script is sourced
1073- functions defined in the script
1074- autocommands defined in the script
1075- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1076 defined in the script (recursively)
1077- user defined commands defined in the script
1078Thus not in:
1079- other scripts sourced from this one
1080- mappings
1081- etc.
1082
1083script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1084Take this example:
1085
1086 let s:counter = 0
1087 function MyCounter()
1088 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1089 echo s:counter
1090 endfunction
1091 command Tick call MyCounter()
1092
1093You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1094that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1095"Tick" was defined is used.
1096
1097Another example that does the same: >
1098
1099 let s:counter = 0
1100 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1101
1102When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001103script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001104defined.
1105
1106The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1107function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1108
1109 let s:counter = 0
1110 function StartCounting(incr)
1111 if a:incr
1112 function MyCounter()
1113 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1114 endfunction
1115 else
1116 function MyCounter()
1117 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1118 endfunction
1119 endif
1120 endfunction
1121
1122This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1123when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1124called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1125
1126When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1127They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1128maintain a counter: >
1129
1130 if !exists("s:counter")
1131 let s:counter = 1
1132 echo "script executed for the first time"
1133 else
1134 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1135 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1136 endif
1137
1138Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1139variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1140
1141
1142Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1143
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001144 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1145v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1146 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1147 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1148
1149 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1150v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1151 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1152
1153 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1154v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1155 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1156
1157 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001158v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1159 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1160 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1161 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001162 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1163 highlighted text is used.
1164 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1165
1166 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1167v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1168 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1169
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001170 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1171v:charconvert_from
1172 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1173 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1174
1175 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1176v:charconvert_to
1177 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1178 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1179
1180 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1181v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1182 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1183 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1184 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1185 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1186 possible to append this variable directly after the
1187 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
1188 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1189 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1190 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1191 in 'printexpr'.
1192
1193 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1194v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1195 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1196 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1197 can be used.
1198
1199 *v:count* *count-variable*
1200v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
1201 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
1202 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1203< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1204 get when typing ':' after a count.
1205 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1206
1207 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1208v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1209 used.
1210
1211 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1212v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1213 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1214 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1215 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1216 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1217 command.
1218 See |multi-lang|.
1219
1220 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
1221v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
1222 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1223 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1224 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1225 Example: >
1226 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1227<
1228 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1229v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1230 Example: >
1231 :let v:errmsg = ""
1232 :silent! next
1233 :if v:errmsg != ""
1234 : ... handle error
1235< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1236
1237 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1238v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1239 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1240 Example: >
1241 :try
1242 : throw "oops"
1243 :catch /.*/
1244 : echo "caught" v:exception
1245 :endtry
1246< Output: "caught oops".
1247
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001248 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1249v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1250 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1251 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1252 deleted file no longer exists
1253 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1254 changed and buffer is modified
1255 changed file contents has changed
1256 mode mode of file changed
1257 time only file timestamp changed
1258
1259 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1260v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1261 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1262 do with the affected buffer:
1263 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1264 the file was deleted).
1265 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1266 was no autocommand. Except that when
1267 only the timestamp changed nothing
1268 will happen.
1269 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1270 everything that needs to be done.
1271 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1272 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1273
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001274 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
1275v:fname_in The name of the input file. Only valid while evaluating:
1276 option used for ~
1277 'charconvert' file to be converted
1278 'diffexpr' original file
1279 'patchexpr' original file
1280 'printexpr' file to be printed
1281
1282 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1283v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1284 evaluating:
1285 option used for ~
1286 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1287 'diffexpr' output of diff
1288 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1289 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
1290 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
1291 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1292 file and different from v:fname_in.
1293
1294 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1295v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1296 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1297
1298 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1299v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1300 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1301
1302 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1303v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1304 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001305 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001306
1307 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1308v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001309 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001310
1311 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1312v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001313 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001314
1315 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1316v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001317 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001318
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001319 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1320v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1321 events. Values:
1322 i Insert mode
1323 r Replace mode
1324 v Virtual Replace mode
1325
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001326 *v:key* *key-variable*
1327v:key Key of the current item of a Dictionary. Only valid while
1328 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1329 Read-only.
1330
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001331 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1332v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1333 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1334 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1335 The value is system dependent.
1336 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1337 command.
1338 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1339 in a different language than what is used for character
1340 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1341
1342 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1343v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1344 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1345 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1346 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1347 command. See |multi-lang|.
1348
1349 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001350v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
1351 expressions. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1352 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001353
1354 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1355v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1356 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
1357 you want to cancel Visual mode and then use the count. >
1358 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1359< Read-only.
1360
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001361 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1362v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1363 See |profiling|.
1364
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001365 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1366v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1367 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1368 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1369 Read-only.
1370
1371 *v:register* *register-variable*
1372v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1373 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1374
1375 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1376v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1377 Read-only.
1378
1379 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1380v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1381 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1382 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1383 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1384 executed. Read-only.
1385 Example: >
1386 :!mv foo bar
1387 :if v:shell_error
1388 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1389 :endif
1390< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1391
1392 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1393v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1394
1395 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1396v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1397 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1398 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1399 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1400 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1401 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1402 terminal.
1403 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1404 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1405 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1406 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1407 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1408
1409 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1410v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1411 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1412 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1413 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1414
1415 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1416v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1417 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1418 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1419 Example: >
1420 :try
1421 : throw "oops"
1422 :catch /.*/
1423 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1424 :endtry
1425< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1426
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001427 *v:val* *val-variable*
1428v:val Value of the current item of a List or Dictionary. Only valid
1429 while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
1430 |filter()|. Read-only.
1431
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001432 *v:version* *version-variable*
1433v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1434 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1435 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1436 compatibility.
1437 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1438 if has("patch123")
1439< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1440 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1441 completely different.
1442
1443 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1444v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1445
1446==============================================================================
14474. Builtin Functions *functions*
1448
1449See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1450
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001451(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001452
1453USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1454
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001455add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to List {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001456append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001457append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001458argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001459argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001460argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
1461browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1462 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001463browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001464bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001465buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1466bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001467bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1468bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1469bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1470byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001471byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001472call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1473 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001474char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001475cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001476col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001477complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
1478complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001479confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1480 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001481copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001482count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1483 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001484cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1485 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001486cursor( {lnum}, {col}) Number position cursor at {lnum}, {col}
1487deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001488delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1489did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001490diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1491diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001492empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001493escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001494eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001495eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001496executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1497exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
1498expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
1499filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001500filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1501 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001502finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
1503 String Find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001504findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001505 String Find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001506filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
1507fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001508foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1509foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001510foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001511foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001512foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001513function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001514get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001515get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001516getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1517 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001518getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1519getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001520getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
1521getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1522getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001523getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001524getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001525getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1526getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001527getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001528getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001529getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001530getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1531getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001532getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001533getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001534getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001535getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1536getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1537getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in window {nr}
1538glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1539globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1540has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001541has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001542hasmapto( {what} [, {mode}]) Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
1543histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1544histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1545histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1546histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1547hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1548hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1549hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001550iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1551indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001552index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1553 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001554input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1555 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001556inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001557inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1558inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001559inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001560insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001561isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001562islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001563items( {dict}) List List of key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001564join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001565keys( {dict}) List List of keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001566len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1567libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001568libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1569line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1570line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001571lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001572localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001573map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001574maparg( {name}[, {mode}]) String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1575mapcheck( {name}[, {mode}]) String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001576match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001577 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001578matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001579 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001580matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1581 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001582matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1583 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001584max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1585min({list}) Number minumum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001586mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1587 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001588mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001589nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1590nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
1591prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00001592printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001593range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1594 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001595readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1596 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001597remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1598 String send expression
1599remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1600remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1601 Number check for reply string
1602remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1603remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1604 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001605remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001606remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001607rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1608repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1609resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001610reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001611search( {pattern} [, {flags}]) Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001612searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
1613 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001614searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001615 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001616server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1617 Number send reply string
1618serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1619setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1620setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1621setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00001622setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number set list of quickfix items using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001623setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001624setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001625simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001626sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001627soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001628spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001629spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
1630 List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001631split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
1632 List make List from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001633strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001634stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1635 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001636string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001637strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1638strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1639 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001640strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1641 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001642strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001643submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001644substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1645 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001646synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001647synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1648 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1649synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001650system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00001651taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
1652tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001653tempname() String name for a temporary file
1654tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1655toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001656tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1657 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001658type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001659values( {dict}) List List of values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001660virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1661visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1662winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1663wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1664winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1665winline() Number window line of the cursor
1666winnr() Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001667winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001668winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001669writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1670 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001671
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001672add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
1673 Append the item {expr} to List {list}. Returns the resulting
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001674 List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001675 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1676 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
1677< Note that when {expr} is a List it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001678 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001679 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001680
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001681
1682append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001683 When {expr} is a List: Append each item of the List as a text
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001684 line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001685 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1686 the current buffer.
1687 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001688 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1689 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001690 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001691 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001692<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001693 *argc()*
1694argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1695 current window. See |arglist|.
1696
1697 *argidx()*
1698argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1699 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1700
1701 *argv()*
1702argv({nr}) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
1703 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1704 Example: >
1705 :let i = 0
1706 :while i < argc()
1707 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1708 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1709 : let i = i + 1
1710 :endwhile
1711<
1712 *browse()*
1713browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1714 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1715 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1716 The input fields are:
1717 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1718 {title} title for the requester
1719 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1720 {default} default file name
1721 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1722 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1723
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001724 *browsedir()*
1725browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1726 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1727 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1728 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1729 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1730 to be used.
1731 The input fields are:
1732 {title} title for the requester
1733 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1734 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1735 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1736
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001737bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1738 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1739 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001740 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001741 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001742 exactly. The name can be:
1743 - Relative to the current directory.
1744 - A full path.
1745 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1746 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001747 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1748 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1749 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1750 long name to be able to find them.
1751 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1752 file name.
1753 *buffer_exists()*
1754 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1755
1756buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1757 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1758 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001759 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001760
1761bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1762 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1763 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001764 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001765
1766bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1767 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1768 ":ls" command.
1769 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1770 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1771 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1772 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1773 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1774 match an empty string is returned.
1775 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1776 alternate buffer.
1777 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
1778 or middle of the buffer name is accepted.
1779 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1780 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1781 buffers are searched for.
1782 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1783 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1784 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1785< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1786 string is returned. >
1787 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1788 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1789 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1790 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1791< *buffer_name()*
1792 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1793
1794 *bufnr()*
1795bufnr({expr}) The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
1796 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
1797 above. If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
1798 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1799 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1800< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1801 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1802 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1803 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1804 *buffer_number()*
1805 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1806 *last_buffer_nr()*
1807 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1808
1809bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1810 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1811 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1812 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1813 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1814
1815 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1816
1817< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1818 |:wincmd|.
1819
1820
1821byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1822 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1823 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1824 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1825 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1826 one.
1827 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1828 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1829 feature}
1830
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001831byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1832 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1833 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1834 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1835 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1836 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1837 Example : >
1838 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1839< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1840 same: >
1841 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1842 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1843< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1844 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1845 is returned.
1846
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001847call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001848 Call function {func} with the items in List {arglist} as
1849 arguments.
1850 {func} can either be a Funcref or the name of a function.
1851 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
1852 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001853 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
1854 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001855
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001856char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
1857 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
1858 char2nr(" ") returns 32
1859 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
1860< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
1861 char2nr("á") returns 225
1862 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001863< nr2char() does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001864
1865cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
1866 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
1867 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
1868 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
1869 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
1870 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
1871 feature, -1 is returned.
1872
1873 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001874col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001875 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
1876 . the cursor position
1877 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
1878 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
1879 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
1880 returned)
1881 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
1882 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
1883 Examples: >
1884 col(".") column of cursor
1885 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
1886 col("'t") column of mark t
1887 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
1888< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
1889 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
1890 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
1891 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
1892 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
1893 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
1894 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
1895 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
1896<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001897
1898complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
1899 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
1900 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
1901 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
1902 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
1903 the list.
1904
1905complete_check() *complete_check()*
1906 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
1907 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
1908 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
1909 zero otherwise.
1910 Only to be used by the function specified with the
1911 'completefunc' option.
1912
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001913 *confirm()*
1914confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1915 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
1916 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
1917 choice this is 1.
1918 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
1919 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
1920 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
1921 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
1922 used (and translated).
1923 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
1924 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
1925 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
1926 by '\n', e.g. >
1927 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
1928< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
1929 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
1930 not need to be the first letter: >
1931 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
1932< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
1933 the default shortcut key.
1934 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
1935 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
1936 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
1937 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
1938 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
1939 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
1940 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
1941 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
1942 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
1943 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
1944 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
1945
1946 An example: >
1947 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
1948 :if choice == 0
1949 : echo "make up your mind!"
1950 :elseif choice == 3
1951 : echo "tasteful"
1952 :else
1953 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
1954 :endif
1955< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
1956 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
1957 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
1958 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
1959 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
1960 the horizontal layout is always used.
1961
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001962 *copy()*
1963copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
1964 different from using {expr} directly.
1965 When {expr} is a List a shallow copy is created. This means
1966 that the original List can be changed without changing the
1967 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
1968 changing an item changes the contents of both Lists. Also see
1969 |deepcopy()|.
1970
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001971count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001972 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001973 in List or Dictionary {comp}.
1974 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
1975 {start} can only be used with a List.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001976 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
1977
1978
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001979 *cscope_connection()*
1980cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1981 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
1982 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
1983 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
1984 if there are no cscope connections;
1985 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
1986
1987 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
1988 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
1989
1990 {num} Description of existence check
1991 ----- ------------------------------
1992 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
1993 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
1994 {dbpath}.
1995 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
1996 {dbpath}.
1997 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
1998 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
1999 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
2000 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2001
2002 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2003
2004 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2005
2006 # pid database name prepend path
2007 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2008<
2009 Invocation Return Val ~
2010 ---------- ---------- >
2011 cscope_connection() 1
2012 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2013 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2014 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2015 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2016 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2017 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2018 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2019<
2020cursor({lnum}, {col}) *cursor()*
2021 Positions the cursor at the column {col} in the line {lnum}.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002022 The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002023 Does not change the jumplist.
2024 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2025 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2026 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002027 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002028 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2029 line.
2030 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
2031
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002032
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002033deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002034 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2035 different from using {expr} directly.
2036 When {expr} is a List a full copy is created. This means
2037 that the original List can be changed without changing the
2038 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a List, a copy for it
2039 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
2040 not change the contents of the original List.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002041 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained List or Dictionary
2042 is only copied once. All references point to this single
2043 copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a List or
2044 Dictionary results in a new copy. This also means that a
2045 cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002046 *E724*
2047 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002048 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2049 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002050 Also see |copy()|.
2051
2052delete({fname}) *delete()*
2053 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002054 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2055 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002056 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002057
2058 *did_filetype()*
2059did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2060 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2061 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2062 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2063 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2064 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2065 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2066 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2067 file.
2068
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002069diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2070 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2071 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2072 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2073 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2074 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2075 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2076 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2077
2078diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2079 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2080 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2081 diff change zero is returned.
2082 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2083 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2084 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2085 line.
2086 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2087 syntax information about the highlighting.
2088
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002089empty({expr}) *empty()*
2090 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002091 A List or Dictionary is empty when it does not have any items.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002092 A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2093 For a long List this is much faster then comparing the length
2094 with zero.
2095
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002096escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2097 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2098 backslash. Example: >
2099 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2100< results in: >
2101 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002102
2103< *eval()*
2104eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2105 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2106 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
2107 Also works for Funcrefs that refer to existing functions.
2108
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002109eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2110 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2111 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2112 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2113 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2114
2115executable({expr}) *executable()*
2116 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2117 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002118 arguments.
2119 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2120 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2121 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2122 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2123 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2124 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2125 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2126 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2127 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2128 extension.
2129 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2130 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002131 The result is a Number:
2132 1 exists
2133 0 does not exist
2134 -1 not implemented on this system
2135
2136 *exists()*
2137exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2138 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2139 which contains one of these:
2140 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2141 not if it really works)
2142 +option-name Vim option that works.
2143 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2144 done by comparing with an empty
2145 string)
2146 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2147 or user defined function (see
2148 |user-functions|).
2149 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002150 |internal-variables|). Also works
2151 for |curly-braces-names|, Dictionary
2152 entries, List items, etc. Beware that
2153 this may cause functions to be
2154 invoked cause an error message for an
2155 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002156 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2157 command or command modifier |:command|.
2158 Returns:
2159 1 for match with start of a command
2160 2 full match with a command
2161 3 matches several user commands
2162 To check for a supported command
2163 always check the return value to be 2.
2164 #event autocommand defined for this event
2165 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2166 pattern (the pattern is taken
2167 literally and compared to the
2168 autocommand patterns character by
2169 character)
2170 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2171
2172 Examples: >
2173 exists("&shortname")
2174 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2175 exists("*strftime")
2176 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2177 exists("bufcount")
2178 exists(":Make")
2179 exists("#CursorHold");
2180 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
2181< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2182 name.
2183 Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2184 variable itself! For example: >
2185 exists(bufcount)
2186< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
2187 but gets the contents of "bufcount", and checks if that
2188 exists.
2189
2190expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2191 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2192 The result is a String.
2193
2194 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2195 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2196 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2197
2198 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2199 for a non-existing file is not included.
2200
2201 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2202 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2203 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2204
2205 % current file name
2206 # alternate file name
2207 #n alternate file name n
2208 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2209 <afile> autocmd file name
2210 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2211 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2212 <sfile> sourced script file name
2213 <cword> word under the cursor
2214 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2215 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2216 message |server2client()|
2217 Modifiers:
2218 :p expand to full path
2219 :h head (last path component removed)
2220 :t tail (last path component only)
2221 :r root (one extension removed)
2222 :e extension only
2223
2224 Example: >
2225 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2226< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2227 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2228 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2229< Use this: >
2230 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2231< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2232 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2233 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2234 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2235 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2236<
2237 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2238 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2239 to modify normal file names.
2240
2241 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2242 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2243 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2244 '/' added.
2245
2246 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2247 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2248 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2249 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002250 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2251 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2252 files in the current directory and below: >
2253 :echo expand("**/README")
2254<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002255 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2256 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2257 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2258 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2259 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2260 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2261 "$FOOBAR".
2262
2263 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2264 getting the raw output of an external command.
2265
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002266extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
2267 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both Lists or both Dictionaries.
2268
2269 If they are Lists: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
2270 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2271 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2272 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2273 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002274 Examples: >
2275 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2276 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002277< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2278 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002279 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002280<
2281 If they are Dictionaries:
2282 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2283 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2284 used to decide what to do:
2285 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2286 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00002287 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002288 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2289
2290 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2291 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2292 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2293 Returns {expr1}.
2294
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002295
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002296filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2297 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2298 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2299 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2300 expression, which is used as a String.
2301 *file_readable()*
2302 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2303
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002304
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002305filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
2306 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
2307 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
2308 is zero remove the item from the List or Dictionary.
2309 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
2310 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
2311 Examples: >
2312 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2313< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2314 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2315< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2316 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002317< Removes all the items, thus clears the List or Dictionary.
2318
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002319 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2320 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2321 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2322
2323 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
2324 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002325 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), '& =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002326
2327< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002328
2329
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002330finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
2331 Find directory {name} in {path}.
2332 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2333 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
2334 {name} in {path}.
2335 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
2336 When the found directory is below the current directory a
2337 relative path is returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
2338 Example: >
2339 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
2340< Searches from the current directory upwards until it finds
2341 the file "tags.vim".
2342 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2343
2344findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2345 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
2346
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002347filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2348 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2349 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2350 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2351 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2352
2353fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2354 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2355 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2356 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2357 Example: >
2358 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2359< results in: >
2360 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2361< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2362 |expand()| first then.
2363
2364foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2365 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2366 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2367 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2368
2369foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2370 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2371 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2372 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2373
2374foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2375 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2376 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2377 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2378 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2379 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2380 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2381 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2382 previous line is usually available.
2383
2384 *foldtext()*
2385foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2386 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2387 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2388 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2389 The returned string looks like this: >
2390 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2391< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2392 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2393 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2394 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2395 options is removed.
2396 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2397
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002398foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2399 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2400 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2401 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2402 returned.
2403 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2404 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2405 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2406 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2407
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002408 *foreground()*
2409foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2410 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2411 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2412 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2413 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2414 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2415 Win32 console version}
2416
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002417
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002418function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002419 Return a Funcref variable that refers to function {name}.
2420 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2421
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002422
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002423garbagecollect() *garbagecollect()*
2424 Cleanup unused Lists and Dictionaries that have circular
2425 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
2426 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
2427 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
2428 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
2429 freed when they become unused.
2430 This is useful if you have deleted a very big List and/or
2431 Dictionary with circular references in a script that runs for
2432 a long time.
2433
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002434get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002435 Get item {idx} from List {list}. When this item is not
2436 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2437 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002438get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
2439 Get item with key {key} from Dictionary {dict}. When this
2440 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2441 {default} is omitted.
2442
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002443 *getbufline()*
2444getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002445 Return a List with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
2446 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a List
2447 with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002448
2449 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2450
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002451 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
2452 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002453
2454 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2455 lines in the buffer, an empty List is returned.
2456
2457 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2458 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002459 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty List is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002460 returned.
2461
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002462 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002463 non-existing buffers, an empty List is returned.
2464
2465 Example: >
2466 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002467
2468getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2469 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2470 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2471 must be used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002472 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2473 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2474 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002475 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2476 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2477 returned, there is no error message.
2478 Examples: >
2479 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2480 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2481<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002482getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
2483 Get a single character from the user. If it is an 8-bit
2484 character, the result is a number. Otherwise a String is
2485 returned with the encoded character. For a special key it's a
2486 sequence of bytes starting with 0x80 (decimal: 128).
2487 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2488 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
2489 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
2490 not consumed. If a normal character is
2491 available, it is returned, otherwise a
2492 non-zero value is returned.
2493 If a normal character available, it is returned as a Number.
2494 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2495 The returned value is zero if no character is available.
2496 The returned value is a string of characters for special keys
2497 and when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used.
2498 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2499 user that a character has to be typed.
2500 There is no mapping for the character.
2501 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2502 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2503 sequence. Examples: >
2504 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2505 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2506< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2507 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2508 :function FindChar()
2509 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2510 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2511 : normal l
2512 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2513 : break
2514 : endif
2515 : endwhile
2516 :endfunction
2517
2518getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2519 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2520 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2521 These values are added together:
2522 2 shift
2523 4 control
2524 8 alt (meta)
2525 16 mouse double click
2526 32 mouse triple click
2527 64 mouse quadruple click
2528 128 Macintosh only: command
2529 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2530 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2531 with no modifier.
2532
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002533getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2534 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2535 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2536 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2537 Example: >
2538 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002539< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002540
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002541getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002542 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2543 byte count. The first column is 1.
2544 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2545 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002546 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2547
2548getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
2549 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
2550 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00002551 : normal Ex command
2552 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
2553 / forward search command
2554 ? backward search command
2555 @ |input()| command
2556 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002557 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2558 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
2559 otherwise.
2560 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002561
2562 *getcwd()*
2563getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2564 working directory.
2565
2566getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2567 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2568 given file {fname}.
2569 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2570 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
2571
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002572getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2573 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2574 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2575 |hl-Normal|.
2576 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2577 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2578 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2579 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
2580 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not you your vimrc or
2581 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2582 for a valid name does not work.
2583 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2584 function just after the GUI has started.
2585
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002586getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2587 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2588 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2589 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2590 empty string is returned.
2591 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2592 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2593 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2594 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2595 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2596 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2597< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2598 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002599
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002600getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2601 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2602 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2603 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2604 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2605 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2606
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002607getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2608 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2609 file of the given file {fname}.
2610 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2611 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2612 results:
2613 Normal file "file"
2614 Directory "dir"
2615 Symbolic link "link"
2616 Block device "bdev"
2617 Character device "cdev"
2618 Socket "socket"
2619 FIFO "fifo"
2620 All other "other"
2621 Example: >
2622 getftype("/home")
2623< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2624 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2625 "file" are returned.
2626
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002627 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002628getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2629 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2630 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002631 getline(1)
2632< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2633 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2634 To get the line under the cursor: >
2635 getline(".")
2636< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2637 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2638
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002639 When {end} is given the result is a List where each item is a
2640 line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
2641 including line {end}.
2642 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2643 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002644 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty List is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002645 Example: >
2646 :let start = line('.')
2647 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2648 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2649
2650
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002651getqflist() *getqflist()*
2652 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2653 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2654 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2655 bufname() to get the name
2656 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2657 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00002658 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
2659 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002660 nr error number
2661 text description of the error
2662 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2663 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2664
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00002665 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
2666 returned.
2667
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002668 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2669 do something with them: >
2670 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2671 :for d in getqflist()
2672 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2673 :endfor
2674
2675
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002676getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002677 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002678 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002679 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
2680< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002681 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002682 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
2683 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
2684 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002685 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2686
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002687
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002688getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
2689 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
2690 The value will be one of:
2691 "v" for |characterwise| text
2692 "V" for |linewise| text
2693 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
2694 0 for an empty or unknown register
2695 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
2696 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2697
2698 *getwinposx()*
2699getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
2700 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
2701 -1 if the information is not available.
2702
2703 *getwinposy()*
2704getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
2705 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
2706 information is not available.
2707
2708getwinvar({nr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
2709 The result is the value of option or local window variable
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00002710 {varname} in window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current
2711 window is used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002712 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
2713 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
2714 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002715 Note that the name without "w:" must be used.
2716 Examples: >
2717 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
2718 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
2719<
2720 *glob()*
2721glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. The result is a String.
2722 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2723 characters.
2724 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
2725 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
2726
2727 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
2728 any external command. Example: >
2729 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
2730 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
2731< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
2732 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
2733
2734 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
2735 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
2736
2737globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
2738 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
2739 the results. Example: >
2740 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
2741< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
2742 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
2743 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
2744 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
2745 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
2746 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
2747 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
2748 error message.
2749 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
2750 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
2751
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002752 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
2753 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
2754 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
2755 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
2756<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002757 *has()*
2758has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
2759 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
2760 string. See |feature-list| below.
2761 Also see |exists()|.
2762
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002763
2764has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
2765 The result is a Number, which is 1 if Dictionary {dict} has an
2766 entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
2767
2768
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002769hasmapto({what} [, {mode}]) *hasmapto()*
2770 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
2771 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
2772 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
2773 {mode}.
2774 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
2775 buffer are checked for a match.
2776 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
2777 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
2778 n Normal mode
2779 v Visual mode
2780 o Operator-pending mode
2781 i Insert mode
2782 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
2783 c Command-line mode
2784 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
2785
2786 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
2787 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
2788 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
2789 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
2790 :endif
2791< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
2792 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
2793
2794histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
2795 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
2796 one of: *hist-names*
2797 "cmd" or ":" command line history
2798 "search" or "/" search pattern history
2799 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
2800 "input" or "@" input line history
2801 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
2802 shifted to become the newest entry.
2803 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
2804 otherwise 0 is returned.
2805
2806 Example: >
2807 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
2808 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
2809< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
2810
2811histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002812 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002813 for the possible values of {history}.
2814
2815 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
2816 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
2817 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
2818 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
2819 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
2820 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
2821 if it exists.
2822
2823 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
2824 otherwise 0 is returned.
2825
2826 Examples:
2827 Clear expression register history: >
2828 :call histdel("expr")
2829<
2830 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
2831 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
2832<
2833 The following three are equivalent: >
2834 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
2835 :call histdel("search", -1)
2836 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
2837<
2838 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
2839 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
2840 :call histdel("search", -1)
2841 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
2842
2843histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
2844 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
2845 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
2846 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
2847 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
2848 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
2849
2850 Examples:
2851 Redo the second last search from history. >
2852 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
2853
2854< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
2855 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
2856 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
2857<
2858histnr({history}) *histnr()*
2859 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
2860 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
2861 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
2862
2863 Example: >
2864 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
2865<
2866hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
2867 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
2868 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
2869 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
2870 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
2871 item.
2872 *highlight_exists()*
2873 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
2874
2875 *hlID()*
2876hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
2877 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
2878 zero is returned.
2879 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
2880 group. For example, to get the background color of the
2881 "Comment" group: >
2882 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
2883< *highlightID()*
2884 Obsolete name: highlightID().
2885
2886hostname() *hostname()*
2887 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002888 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002889 256 characters long are truncated.
2890
2891iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
2892 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
2893 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
2894 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
2895 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
2896 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
2897 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
2898 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
2899 can be done.
2900 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
2901 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
2902 UTF-8 and use: >
2903 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
2904< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
2905 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
2906 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
2907 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
2908
2909 *indent()*
2910indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
2911 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
2912 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
2913 |getline()|.
2914 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
2915
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002916
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002917index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002918 Return the lowest index in List {list} where the item has a
2919 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00002920 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
2921 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002922 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
2923 case must match.
2924 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
2925 Example: >
2926 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00002927 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002928
2929
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002930input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002931 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
2932 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
2933 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002934 prompt to start a new line.
2935 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
2936 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
2937 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
2938 for lines typed for input().
2939 Example: >
2940 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
2941 : echo "Cheers!"
2942 :endif
2943<
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00002944 If the optional {text} is present and not empty, this is used
2945 for the default reply, as if the user typed this. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002946 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
2947
2948< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
2949 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
2950 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
2951 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
2952 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
2953 more information. Example: >
2954 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
2955<
2956 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
2957 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002958 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
2959 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
2960 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
2961 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
2962 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
2963 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
2964 |:execute| or |:normal|.
2965
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002966 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002967 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
2968 :function GetFoo()
2969 : call inputsave()
2970 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
2971 : call inputrestore()
2972 :endfunction
2973
2974inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
2975 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
2976 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
2977 Example: >
2978 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
2979 :if n != ""
2980 : let &sw = n
2981 :endif
2982< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
2983 omitted an empty string is returned.
2984 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
2985 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002986 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002987
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00002988inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
2989 {textlist} must be a list of strings. This list is displayed,
2990 one string per line. The user will be prompted to enter a
2991 number, which is returned.
2992 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
2993 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
2994 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
2995 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
2996 is returned.
2997 Make sure {textlist} has less then 'lines' entries, otherwise
2998 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
2999 the start of the string. Example: >
3000 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3001 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3002
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003003inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
3004 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
3005 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3006 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3007 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3008
3009inputsave() *inputsave()*
3010 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3011 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3012 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3013 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3014 many inputrestore() calls.
3015 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3016
3017inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3018 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3019 two exceptions:
3020 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3021 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3022 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3023 |history| stack.
3024 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3025 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003026 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003027
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003028insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
3029 Insert {item} at the start of List {list}.
3030 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
3031 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
3032 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3033 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003034 Returns the resulting List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003035 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3036 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3037 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003038< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003039 Note that when {item} is a List it is inserted as a single
3040 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
3041
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003042isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3043 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3044 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3045 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3046 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3047
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003048islocked({expr}) *islocked()*
3049 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3050 name of a locked variable.
3051 {expr} must be the name of a variable, List item or Dictionary
3052 entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
3053 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3054 :lockvar 1 alist
3055 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3056 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3057
3058< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
3059 message. Use |exists()| to check for existance.
3060
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003061items({dict}) *items()*
3062 Return a List with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3063 List item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict} entry
3064 and the value of this entry. The List is in arbitrary order.
3065
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003066
3067join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3068 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3069 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3070 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3071 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3072 add it there too: >
3073 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
3074< String items are used as-is. Lists and Dictionaries are
3075 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3076 The opposite function is |split()|.
3077
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003078keys({dict}) *keys()*
3079 Return a List with all the keys of {dict}. The List is in
3080 arbitrary order.
3081
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003082 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003083len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3084 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3085 used, as with |strlen()|.
3086 When {expr} is a List the number of items in the List is
3087 returned.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003088 When {expr} is a Dictionary the number of entries in the
3089 Dictionary is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003090 Otherwise an error is given.
3091
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003092 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3093libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3094 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3095 with single argument {argument}.
3096 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3097 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3098 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3099 limited.
3100 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3101 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3102 to Vim.
3103 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3104 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3105 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3106 null-terminated string.
3107 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3108
3109 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3110 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3111 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3112 very probably crash.
3113
3114 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3115 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3116 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3117 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3118 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3119 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3120 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3121 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3122 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3123 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3124
3125 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
3126 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
3127 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3128 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3129 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3130 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3131 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3132 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
3133 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3134 feature is present}
3135 Examples: >
3136 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
3137 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
3138<
3139 *libcallnr()*
3140libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3141 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
3142 int instead of a string.
3143 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3144 feature is present}
3145 Example (not very useful...): >
3146 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3147 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3148<
3149 *line()*
3150line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3151 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3152 . the cursor position
3153 $ the last line in the current buffer
3154 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3155 returned)
3156 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
3157 Examples: >
3158 line(".") line number of the cursor
3159 line("'t") line number of mark t
3160 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3161< *last-position-jump*
3162 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3163 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3164 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003165
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003166line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3167 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3168 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3169 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3170 line returns 1.
3171 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3172 below the last line: >
3173 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3174< This is the file size plus one.
3175 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3176 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3177 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3178
3179lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3180 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3181 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3182 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3183 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3184 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3185 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3186
3187localtime() *localtime()*
3188 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3189 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3190
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003191
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003192map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
3193 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
3194 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3195 {string}.
3196 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
3197 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
3198 Example: >
3199 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003200< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003201
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003202 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003203 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003204 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3205 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003206
3207 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
3208 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003209 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003210
3211< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003212
3213
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003214maparg({name}[, {mode}]) *maparg()*
3215 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3216 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
3217 These characters can be used for {mode}:
3218 "n" Normal
3219 "v" Visual
3220 "o" Operator-pending
3221 "i" Insert
3222 "c" Cmd-line
3223 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3224 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
3225 When {mode} is omitted, the modes from "" are used.
3226 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3227 command. The returned String has special characters
3228 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3229 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3230 then the global mappings.
3231
3232mapcheck({name}[, {mode}]) *mapcheck()*
3233 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3234 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3235 {name}.
3236 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3237 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3238
3239 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3240 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3241 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3242 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3243 mapcheck("b") no no no
3244
3245 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3246 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3247 mapping for {name} exactly.
3248 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3249 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3250 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3251 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3252 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3253 then the global mappings.
3254 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3255 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3256 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3257 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3258 :endif
3259< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3260 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3261
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003262match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003263 When {expr} is a List then this returns the index of the first
3264 item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a String,
3265 Lists and Dictionaries are used as echoed.
3266 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3267 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3268 {pat} matches.
3269 A match at the first character or List item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003270 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3271 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003272 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
3273 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 2
3274< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003275 *strpbrk()*
3276 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3277 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3278< *strcasestr()*
3279 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3280 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3281 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3282<
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003283 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003284 is found in a String the search for the next one starts on
3285 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003286 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003287< In a List the search continues in the next item.
3288
3289 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
3290 {start} in a String or item {start} in a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003291 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003292 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003293 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3294< result is again "4". >
3295 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3296< result is again "4". >
3297 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3298< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003299 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3300 the index is counted from the end.
3301 If {start} is out of range (> strlen({expr} for a String or
3302 > len({expr} for a List) -1 is returned.
3303
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003304 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3305 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3306 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3307 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3308
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003309matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003310 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3311 the match. Example: >
3312 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3313< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003314 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3315 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3316 do it with matchend(): >
3317 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3318 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3319< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3320
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003321 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3322 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3323< results in "7". >
3324 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3325< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003326 When {expr} is a List the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003327
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003328matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
3329 Same as match(), but return a List. The first item in the
3330 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3331 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
3332 in |:substitute|.
3333 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3334
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003335matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003336 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3337 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3338< results in "ing".
3339 When there is no match "" is returned.
3340 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3341 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3342< results in "ing". >
3343 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3344< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003345 When {expr} is a List then the matching item is returned.
3346 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003347
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003348 *max()*
3349max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3350 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3351 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3352 An empty List results in zero.
3353
3354 *min()*
3355min({list}) Return the minumum value of all items in {list}.
3356 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3357 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3358 An empty List results in zero.
3359
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003360 *mkdir()* *E749*
3361mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3362 Create directory {name}.
3363 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3364 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3365 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3366 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3367 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3368 for others.
3369 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3370 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3371 :if exists("*mkdir")
3372<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003373 *mode()*
3374mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3375 n Normal
3376 v Visual by character
3377 V Visual by line
3378 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3379 s Select by character
3380 S Select by line
3381 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3382 i Insert
3383 R Replace
3384 c Command-line
3385 r Hit-enter prompt
3386 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3387 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3388
3389nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3390 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3391 that is not blank. Example: >
3392 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3393< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3394 below it, zero is returned.
3395 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3396
3397nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3398 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3399 value {expr}. Examples: >
3400 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3401 nr2char(32) returns " "
3402< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3403 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3404< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3405 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3406 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003407 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003408
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003409printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
3410 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
3411 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003412 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003413< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003414 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003415
3416 Often used items are:
3417 %s string
3418 %6s string right-aligned in 6 characters
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003419 %c single byte
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003420 %d decimal number
3421 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
3422 %x hex number
3423 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
3424 %X hex number using upper case letters
3425 %o octal number
3426 %% the % character
3427
3428 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
3429 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
3430 the result.
3431
3432 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003433 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003434
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003435 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003436
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003437 flags
3438 Zero or more of the following flags:
3439
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003440 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
3441 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
3442 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
3443 of the number is increased to force the first
3444 character of the output string to a zero (except
3445 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
3446 precision of zero).
3447 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
3448 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
3449 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003450
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003451 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
3452 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
3453 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
3454 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
3455 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003456
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003457 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
3458 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
3459 The converted value is padded on the right with
3460 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
3461 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003462
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003463 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
3464 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003465
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003466 + A sign must always be placed before a number
3467 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
3468 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003469
3470 field-width
3471 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
3472 field width. If the converted value has fewer
3473 characters than the field width, it will be padded
3474 with spaces on the left (or right, if the
3475 left-adjustment flag has been given) to fill out the
3476 field width.
3477
3478 .precision
3479 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
3480 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
3481 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
3482 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
3483 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
3484 characters to be printed from a string for s
3485 conversions.
3486
3487 type
3488 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
3489 be applied, see below.
3490
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003491 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
3492 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
3493 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
3494 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
3495 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
3496 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003497 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003498< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003499 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003500
3501 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003502
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003503 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
3504 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
3505 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
3506 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003507 conversions.
3508 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
3509 digits that must appear; if the converted value
3510 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
3511 zeros.
3512 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
3513 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
3514 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
3515 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
3516
3517 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
3518 resulting character is written.
3519
3520 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
3521 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
3522 specified are used.
3523
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003524 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
3525 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003526
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003527 Each argument can be Number or String and is converted
3528 automatically to fit the conversion specifier. Any other
3529 argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003530
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00003531 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003532 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
3533 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003534 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003535
3536
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003537prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3538 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3539 that is not blank. Example: >
3540 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3541< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3542 above it, zero is returned.
3543 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3544
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00003545 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003546range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
3547 Returns a List with Numbers:
3548 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
3549 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
3550 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
3551 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
3552 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003553 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
3554 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
3555 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003556 Examples: >
3557 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
3558 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
3559 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
3560 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003561 range(0) " []
3562 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003563<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003564 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003565readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003566 Read file {fname} and return a List, each line of the file as
3567 an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
3568 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
3569 NL appears somewhere).
3570 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
3571 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
3572 added.
3573 - No CR characters are removed.
3574 Otherwise:
3575 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
3576 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
3577 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003578 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
3579 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
3580 lines of a file: >
3581 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
3582 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
3583 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003584< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
3585 are returned, or as many as there are.
3586 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003587 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
3588 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
3589 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003590 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
3591 the result is an empty list.
3592 Also see |writefile()|.
3593
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003594 *remote_expr()* *E449*
3595remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
3596 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
3597 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
3598 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3599 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3600 remote_read() is stored there.
3601 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3602 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3603 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3604 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
3605 and the result will be the empty string.
3606 Examples: >
3607 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
3608 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
3609<
3610
3611remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
3612 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
3613 This works like: >
3614 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
3615< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
3616 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
3617 to bring itself to the foreground.
3618 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3619 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3620 Win32 console version}
3621
3622
3623remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
3624 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
3625 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
3626 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
3627 name of a variable.
3628 Returns zero if none are available.
3629 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
3630 See also |clientserver|.
3631 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3632 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3633 Examples: >
3634 :let repl = ""
3635 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
3636
3637remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
3638 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
3639 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
3640 See also |clientserver|.
3641 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3642 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3643 Example: >
3644 :echo remote_read(id)
3645<
3646 *remote_send()* *E241*
3647remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003648 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
3649 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
3650 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003651 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3652 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3653 remote_read() is stored there.
3654 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3655 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3656 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3657 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
3658 up the display.
3659 Examples: >
3660 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
3661 \ remote_read(serverid)
3662
3663 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
3664 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
3665 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
3666 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003667<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003668remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
3669 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from List {list} and
3670 return it.
3671 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
3672 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
3673 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
3674 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
3675 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003676 Example: >
3677 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003678 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003679remove({dict}, {key})
3680 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
3681 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
3682< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
3683
3684 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003685
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003686rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
3687 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
3688 should also work to move files across file systems. The
3689 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
3690 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
3691 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3692
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003693repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
3694 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
3695 result. Example: >
3696 :let seperator = repeat('-', 80)
3697< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003698 When {expr} is a List the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003699 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003700 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
3701< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003702
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003703
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003704resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
3705 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
3706 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
3707 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
3708 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
3709 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
3710 stopped after 100 iterations.
3711 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
3712 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
3713 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
3714 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
3715 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
3716
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003717 *reverse()*
3718reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
3719 {list}.
3720 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3721 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
3722
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003723search({pattern} [, {flags}]) *search()*
3724 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003725 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003726 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
3727 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003728 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003729 'w' wrap around the end of the file
3730 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003731 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the
3732 cursor.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003733 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
3734
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003735 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
3736 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
3737 flag.
3738
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003739 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
3740 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
3741 flag is used).
3742 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
3743 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003744
3745 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
3746 :let n = 1
3747 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
3748 : exe "argument " . n
3749 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
3750 : " first search to find match at start of file
3751 : normal G$
3752 : let flags = "w"
3753 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
3754 : s/foo/bar/g
3755 : let flags = "W"
3756 : endwhile
3757 : update " write the file if modified
3758 : let n = n + 1
3759 :endwhile
3760<
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00003761
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00003762searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
3763 Search for the declaration of {name}.
3764
3765 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
3766 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
3767 first match in the function.
3768
3769 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
3770 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
3771 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
3772
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00003773 Moves the cursor to the found match.
3774 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3775 Example: >
3776 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
3777 echo getline('.')
3778 endif
3779<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003780 *searchpair()*
3781searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
3782 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
3783 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
3784 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
3785 The search starts at the cursor. If a match is found, the
3786 cursor is positioned at it and the line number is returned.
3787 If no match is found 0 or -1 is returned and the cursor
3788 doesn't move. No error message is given.
3789
3790 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
3791 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
3792 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
3793 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
3794 typical use is: >
3795 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
3796< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
3797
3798 {flags} are used like with |search()|. Additionally:
3799 'n' do Not move the cursor
3800 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
3801 outer pair
3802 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
3803 the match; will only be > 1 when 'r' is used.
3804
3805 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
3806 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
3807 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
3808 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
3809 or a string.
3810 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
3811 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
3812 and -1 returned.
3813
3814 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
3815 patterns are used like it's on.
3816
3817 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
3818 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
3819 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
3820 if 1
3821 if 2
3822 endif 2
3823 endif 1
3824< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
3825 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
3826 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
3827 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
3828 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
3829 "endif 2".
3830 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
3831 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
3832 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
3833 the matching start.
3834
3835 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
3836
3837 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
3838 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
3839
3840< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
3841 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
3842 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
3843 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
3844 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
3845 match.
3846 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
3847
3848 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
3849
3850< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
3851 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
3852 highlighting recognized as strings: >
3853
3854 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
3855 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
3856<
3857server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
3858 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
3859 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
3860 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3861 Note:
3862 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003863 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003864 before calling any commands that waits for input.
3865 See also |clientserver|.
3866 Example: >
3867 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
3868<
3869serverlist() *serverlist()*
3870 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
3871 When there are no servers or the information is not available
3872 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
3873 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3874 Example: >
3875 :echo serverlist()
3876<
3877setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
3878 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
3879 {val}.
3880 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
3881 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
3882 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
3883 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3884 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
3885 Examples: >
3886 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
3887 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
3888< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3889
3890setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
3891 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
3892 {pos}. The first position is 1.
3893 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
3894 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003895 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
3896 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
3897 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
3898 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
3899 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003900 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
3901 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
3902 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
3903 line.
3904
3905setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003906 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}.
3907 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003908 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {line} will be
3909 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003910 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
3911 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003912 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003913< When {line} is a List then line {lnum} and following lines
3914 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
3915 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
3916< This is equivalent to: >
3917 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
3918 : call setline(n, l)
3919 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003920< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
3921
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003922
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00003923setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003924 Creates a quickfix list using the items in {list}. Each item
3925 in {list} is a dictionary. Non-dictionary items in {list} are
3926 ignored. Each dictionary item can contain the following
3927 entries:
3928
3929 filename name of a file
3930 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003931 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003932 col column number
3933 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
3934 when zero: "col" is byte index
3935 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003936 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003937 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003938
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003939 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
3940 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
3941 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003942 If the "filename" entry is not present or neither the "lnum"
3943 or "pattern" entries are present, then the item will not be
3944 handled as an error line.
3945 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
3946 be used.
3947
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00003948 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
3949 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
3950 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
3951 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
3952 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
3953 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
3954
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003955 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
3956
3957 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
3958 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
3959 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
3960
3961
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003962 *setreg()*
3963setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
3964 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
3965 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
3966 then the value is appended.
3967 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
3968 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
3969 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
3970 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
3971 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
3972 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
3973 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
3974 in the longest line (counting a <TAB> as 1 character).
3975
3976 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
3977 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
3978 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
3979 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3980
3981 Examples: >
3982 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
3983 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
3984 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
3985
3986< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
3987 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003988 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003989 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
3990 ....
3991 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
3992
3993< You can also change the type of a register by appending
3994 nothing: >
3995 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
3996
3997setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
3998 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {nr} to
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00003999 {val}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004000 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
4001 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
4002 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
4003 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
4004 Examples: >
4005 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
4006 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
4007< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4008
4009simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
4010 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
4011 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
4012 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
4013 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
4014 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
4015 not removed either.
4016 Example: >
4017 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
4018< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
4019 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
4020 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
4021 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
4022 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
4023
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004024
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004025sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004026 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
4027 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4028 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
4029< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004030 Numbers sort after Strings, Lists after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004031 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004032 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
4033 When {func} is a Funcref or a function name, this function is
4034 called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
4035 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
4036 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
4037 sorts before the second one. Example: >
4038 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
4039 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
4040 endfunc
4041 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004042<
4043
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004044 *soundfold()*
4045soundfold({word})
4046 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
4047 language in 'spellang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004048 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
4049 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004050 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
4051 the method can be quite slow.
4052
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004053 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00004054spellbadword([{sentence}])
4055 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
4056 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
4057 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
4058 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
4059
4060 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
4061 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
4062 result is an empty string.
4063
4064 The return value is a list with two items:
4065 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
4066 - The type of the spelling error:
4067 "bad" spelling mistake
4068 "rare" rare word
4069 "local" word only valid in another region
4070 "caps" word should start with Capital
4071 Example: >
4072 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
4073< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
4074
4075 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
4076 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
4077 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004078
4079 *spellsuggest()*
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004080spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004081 Return a List with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
4082 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
4083 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
4084
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004085 When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
4086 suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
4087 after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
4088
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004089 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
4090 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00004091 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
4092 replace a line.
4093
4094 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004095 returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
4096 although it may appear capitalized.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004097
4098 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004099 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
4100 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004101
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004102
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004103split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
4104 Make a List out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or empty
4105 each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004106 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004107 removing the matched characters.
4108 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
4109 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00004110 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
4111 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004112 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004113 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004114< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004115 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00004116< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
4117 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
4118< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004119 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
4120 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
4121< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004122
4123
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004124strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
4125 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
4126 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
4127 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
4128 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
4129 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
4130 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
4131 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
4132 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
4133 Examples: >
4134 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
4135 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
4136 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
4137 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
4138 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
4139 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004140< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4141 :if exists("*strftime")
4142
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004143stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
4144 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4145 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004146 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
4147 This can be used to find a second match: >
4148 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
4149 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
4150< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004151 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004152 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004153 See also |strridx()|.
4154 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004155 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
4156 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
4157 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004158< *strstr()* *strchr()*
4159 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
4160 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
4161
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004162 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004163string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
4164 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
4165 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004166 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004167 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004168 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004169 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004170 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00004171 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004172 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004173
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004174 *strlen()*
4175strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004176 {expr} in bytes.
4177 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
4178 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004179
4180 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004181<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004182 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
4183 For other types an error is given.
4184 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004185
4186strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
4187 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
4188 byte {start}, with the length {len}.
4189 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
4190 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
4191 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
4192 end of the {src}. >
4193 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
4194 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
4195 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
4196 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
4197< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
4198 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
4199 strpart(getline(line(".")), col(".") - 1, 3)
4200<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004201strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
4202 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4203 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
4204 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
4205 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
4206 match: >
4207 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
4208 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
4209< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004210 For pattern searches use |match()|.
4211 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004212 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004213 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004214 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004215< *strrchr()*
4216 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
4217 function strrchr().
4218
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004219strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
4220 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
4221 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
4222 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
4223 echo strtrans(@a)
4224< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
4225 starting a new line.
4226
4227submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
4228 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
4229 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
4230 the whole matched text is returned.
4231 Example: >
4232 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
4233< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
4234 A line break is included as a newline character.
4235
4236substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
4237 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
4238 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
4239 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
4240 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
4241 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
4242 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
4243 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
4244 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
4245 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
4246 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
4247 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
4248 unmodified.
4249 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
4250 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
4251 Example: >
4252 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
4253< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
4254 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
4255< results in "TESTING".
4256
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004257synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004258 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004259 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004260 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
4261 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004262
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004263 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004264 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
4265
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004266 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
4267 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
4268 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
4269 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
4270 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
4271 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
4272 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
4273
4274 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
4275 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
4276<
4277synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
4278 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
4279 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
4280 about a syntax item.
4281 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
4282 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
4283 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
4284 used (GUI, cterm or term).
4285 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
4286 {what} result
4287 "name" the name of the syntax item
4288 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
4289 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
4290 term: empty string)
4291 "bg" background color (like "fg")
4292 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
4293 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
4294 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
4295 "bold" "1" if bold
4296 "italic" "1" if italic
4297 "reverse" "1" if reverse
4298 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
4299 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004300 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004301
4302 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
4303 cursor): >
4304 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
4305<
4306synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
4307 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
4308 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
4309 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
4310 ":highlight link" are followed.
4311
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004312system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
4313 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
4314 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
4315 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
4316 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004317 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004318 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
4319 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
4320 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004321 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
4322 The result is a String. Example: >
4323
4324 :let files = system("ls")
4325
4326< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
4327 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
4328 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
4329 The command executed is constructed using several options:
4330 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
4331 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
4332 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
4333 concatenated commands.
4334
4335 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
4336 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
4337 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
4338 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
4339
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004340
4341taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
4342 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00004343 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
4344 entries:
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004345 name name of the tag.
4346 filename name of the file where the tag is
4347 defined.
4348 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
4349 the file.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004350 kind type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004351 entry depends on the language specific
4352 kind values generated by the ctags
4353 tool.
4354 static a file specific tag. Refer to
4355 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004356 The "kind" entry is only available when using Exuberant ctags
4357 generated tags file. More entries may be present, depending
4358 on the content of the tags file: access, implementation,
4359 inherits and signature. Refer to the ctags documentation for
4360 information about these fields. For C code the fields
4361 "struct", "class" and "enum" may appear, they give the name of
4362 the entity the tag is contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004363
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004364 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
4365 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004366
4367 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
4368
4369 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
4370 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
4371 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
4372
4373 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
4374 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
4375 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
4376
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00004377 *tagfiles()*
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00004378tagfiles() Returns a List with the file names used to search for tags for
4379 the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
4380
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004381
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004382tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
4383 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
4384 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
4385 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
4386 :let tmpfile = tempname()
4387 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
4388< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
4389 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
4390 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
4391 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
4392 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
4393 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
4394
4395tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
4396 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
4397 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
4398 the string).
4399
4400toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
4401 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
4402 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
4403 the string).
4404
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00004405tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
4406 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
4407 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
4408 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
4409 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
4410 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
4411 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
4412
4413 Examples: >
4414 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
4415< returns "Hello THere" >
4416 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
4417< returns "{blob}"
4418
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004419 *type()*
4420type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004421 Number: 0
4422 String: 1
4423 Funcref: 2
4424 List: 3
4425 Dictionary: 4
4426 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004427 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
4428 :if type(myvar) == type("")
4429 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
4430 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004431 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004432
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004433values({dict}) *values()*
4434 Return a List with all the values of {dict}. The List is in
4435 arbitrary order.
4436
4437
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004438virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
4439 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
4440 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
4441 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
4442 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
4443 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
4444 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
4445 set to 8, it returns 8.
4446 For the byte position use |col()|.
4447 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
4448 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
4449 The accepted positions are:
4450 . the cursor position
4451 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
4452 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
4453 plus one)
4454 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
4455 returned)
4456 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
4457 Examples: >
4458 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
4459 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
4460 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
4461< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
4462
4463visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
4464 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
4465 used. Initially it returns an empty string, but once Visual
4466 mode has been used, it returns "v", "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a
4467 single CTRL-V character) for character-wise, line-wise, or
4468 block-wise Visual mode respectively.
4469 Example: >
4470 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
4471< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
4472 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
4473 Visual mode that was used.
4474
4475 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
4476 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
4477 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
4478 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
4479
4480 *winbufnr()*
4481winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004482 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004483 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
4484 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4485 Example: >
4486 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
4487<
4488 *wincol()*
4489wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
4490 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
4491 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
4492
4493winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
4494 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
4495 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
4496 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4497 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
4498 Examples: >
4499 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
4500<
4501 *winline()*
4502winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
4503 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
4504 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00004505 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
4506 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004507
4508 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004509winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4510 window. The top window has number 1.
4511 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
4512 last window is returnd (the window count).
4513 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
4514 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
4515 If there is no previous window 0 is returned.
4516 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
4517 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004518
4519 *winrestcmd()*
4520winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
4521 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
4522 are opened or closed and the current window is unchanged.
4523 Example: >
4524 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
4525 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
4526 :exe cmd
4527
4528winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
4529 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
4530 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
4531 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4532 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
4533 Examples: >
4534 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
4535 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
4536 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
4537 :endif
4538<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004539 *writefile()*
4540writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
4541 Write List {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
4542 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
4543 Number.
4544 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
4545 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
4546 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
4547 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
4548 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
4549 to writefile().
4550 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
4551 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
4552 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
4553 fails.
4554 Also see |readfile()|.
4555 To copy a file byte for byte: >
4556 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
4557 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
4558<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004559
4560 *feature-list*
4561There are three types of features:
45621. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
4563 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
4564 :if has("cindent")
45652. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
4566 Example: >
4567 :if has("gui_running")
4568< *has-patch*
45693. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
4570 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
4571 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
4572 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
4573
4574all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
4575amiga Amiga version of Vim.
4576arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
4577arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
4578autocmd Compiled with autocommands support.
4579balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00004580balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004581beos BeOS version of Vim.
4582browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
4583 work.
4584builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
4585byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
4586cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
4587clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
4588clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
4589cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
4590cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
4591cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
4592comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
4593cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
4594cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
4595compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
4596debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
4597dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
4598dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
4599diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
4600digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
4601dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
4602dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
4603dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
4604ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
4605emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
4606eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
4607 true, of course!
4608ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
4609extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
4610 |'hlsearch'|
4611farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
4612file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004613filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
4614 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004615find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
4616 |+find_in_path|.
4617fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
4618 Windows this is not present).
4619folding Compiled with |folding| support.
4620footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
4621fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
4622gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
4623gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
4624gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004625gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
4626gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00004627gui_kde Compiled with KDE GUI |KVim|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004628gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
4629gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
4630gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
4631gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
4632gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
4633gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
4634hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
4635iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
4636insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
4637 Insert mode.
4638jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
4639keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
4640langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
4641libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
4642linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
4643 support.
4644lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
4645listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
4646 and the argument list |arglist|.
4647localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
4648mac Macintosh version of Vim.
4649macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
4650menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
4651mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
4652modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
4653mouse Compiled with support mouse.
4654mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
4655mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
4656mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
4657mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
4658mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
4659mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
4660multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
4661multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
4662multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00004663mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004664netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00004665netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004666ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
4667os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
4668osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
4669path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
4670perl Compiled with Perl interface.
4671postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
4672printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004673profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004674python Compiled with Python interface.
4675qnx QNX version of Vim.
4676quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
4677rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
4678ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
4679scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
4680showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
4681signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
4682smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00004683sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004684statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
4685 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
4686sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00004687spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
4688syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004689syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
4690 current buffer.
4691system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
4692tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
4693 |tag-binary-search|.
4694tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
4695 |tag-old-static|.
4696tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
4697 files |tag-any-white|.
4698tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
4699terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
4700termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
4701textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
4702tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
4703 or terminfo file.
4704title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
4705toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
4706unix Unix version of Vim.
4707user_commands User-defined commands.
4708viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
4709vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
4710vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
4711virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
4712visual Compiled with Visual mode.
4713visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
4714 |blockwise-operators|.
4715vms VMS version of Vim.
4716vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
4717wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
4718wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
4719windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
4720winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
4721win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
4722win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
4723win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
4724win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
4725win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
4726writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
4727xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
4728xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
4729xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
4730xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
4731xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
4732xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
4733 xterm screen.
4734x11 Compiled with X11 support.
4735
4736 *string-match*
4737Matching a pattern in a String
4738
4739A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
4740the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
4741everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
4742like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
4743line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
4744with ".". Example: >
4745 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
4746 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
4747 aa
4748 xx
4749 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
4750 a
4751 x
4752
4753Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
4754"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
4755"\n".
4756
4757==============================================================================
47585. Defining functions *user-functions*
4759
4760New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
4761functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
4762commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
4763
4764The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
4765builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
4766avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
4767the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
4768
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004769It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
4770|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004771
4772 *local-function*
4773A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
4774can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
4775and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
4776function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
4777instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
4778
4779 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
4780:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
4781
4782:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004783 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4784 Funcref: >
4785 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004786
4787:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
4788 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
4789 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00004790<
4791 *:function-verbose*
4792When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
4793last defined. Example: >
4794
4795 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
4796 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
4797 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
4798<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00004799See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00004800
4801 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004802:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004803 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
4804 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
4805 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004806
4807 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4808 Funcref: >
4809 :function dict.init(arg)
4810< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
4811 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
4812 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
4813 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
4814 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
4815 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004816 *E127* *E122*
4817 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
4818 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
4819 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
4820 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004821
4822 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
4823
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004824 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
4825 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
4826 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
4827 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
4828 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
4829 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
4830 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004831
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004832 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
4833 abort as soon as an error is detected.
4834 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
4835 will not be changed by the function.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004836
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004837 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
4838 be invoked through an entry in a Dictionary. The
4839 local variable "self" will then be set to the
4840 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004841
4842 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
4843:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
4844 by its own, without other commands.
4845
4846 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
4847:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004848 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4849 Funcref: >
4850 :delfunc dict.init
4851< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
4852 function is deleted if there are no more references to
4853 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004854 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
4855:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
4856 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
4857 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
4858 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
4859 the number 0 is returned.
4860 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
4861 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
4862
4863 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
4864 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
4865 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
4866 are executed first. This process applies to all
4867 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
4868 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
4869
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004870 *function-argument* *a:var*
4871An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
4872be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
4873 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740*
4874Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
4875arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
4876may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
4877as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004878can be 0). "a:000" is set to a List that contains these arguments. Note that
4879"a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
4880 *E742*
4881The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
4882However, if a List or Dictionary is used, you can changes their contents.
4883Thus you can pass a List to a function and have the function add an item to
4884it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a List or Dictionary
4885use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004886
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004887When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
4888to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
4889may be larger.
4890
4891It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
4892still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
4893until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
4894inside a function body.
4895
4896 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004897Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
4898will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
4899accessed with "g:".
4900
4901Example: >
4902 :function Table(title, ...)
4903 : echohl Title
4904 : echo a:title
4905 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004906 : echo a:0 . " items:"
4907 : for s in a:000
4908 : echon ' ' . s
4909 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004910 :endfunction
4911
4912This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004913 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
4914 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004915
4916To return more than one value, pass the name of a global variable: >
4917 :function Compute(n1, n2, divname)
4918 : if a:n2 == 0
4919 : return "fail"
4920 : endif
4921 : let g:{a:divname} = a:n1 / a:n2
4922 : return "ok"
4923 :endfunction
4924
4925This function can then be called with: >
4926 :let success = Compute(13, 1324, "div")
4927 :if success == "ok"
4928 : echo div
4929 :endif
4930
4931An alternative is to return a command that can be executed. This also works
4932with local variables in a calling function. Example: >
4933 :function Foo()
4934 : execute Bar()
4935 : echo "line " . lnum . " column " . col
4936 :endfunction
4937
4938 :function Bar()
4939 : return "let lnum = " . line(".") . " | let col = " . col(".")
4940 :endfunction
4941
4942The names "lnum" and "col" could also be passed as argument to Bar(), to allow
4943the caller to set the names.
4944
4945 *:cal* *:call* *E107*
4946:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
4947 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
4948 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
4949 used.
4950 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
4951 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
4952 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
4953 function.
4954 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
4955 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
4956 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
4957 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
4958 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
4959 this works:
4960 *function-range-example* >
4961 :function Mynumber(arg)
4962 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
4963 :endfunction
4964 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
4965<
4966 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
4967 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
4968 the range.
4969
4970 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
4971
4972 :function Cont() range
4973 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
4974 :endfunction
4975 :4,8call Cont()
4976<
4977 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
4978 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
4979
4980 *E132*
4981The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
4982option.
4983
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004984
4985AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004986 *autoload-functions*
4987When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004988only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
4989the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
4990
4991
4992Using an autocommand ~
4993
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004994This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
4995
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004996The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
4997You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
4998That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
4999again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
5000
5001Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
5002function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005003
5004 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
5005
5006The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
5007"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
5008
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005009
5010Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005011 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005012This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
5013
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005014Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
5015exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
5016like this: >
5017
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005018 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005019
5020When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
5021"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
5022"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
5023then define the function like this: >
5024
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005025 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005026 echo "Done!"
5027 endfunction
5028
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00005029The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005030exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
5031called.
5032
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005033It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
5034a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005035
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005036 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005037
5038Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
5039
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005040This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
5041
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005042 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005043
5044When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
5045be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
5046
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005047 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
5048 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005049
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00005050Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
5051defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
5052function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005053And you will get an error message every time.
5054
5055Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
5056other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
5057Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005058
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005059==============================================================================
50606. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
5061
5062Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
5063This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
5064{} like this: >
5065 my_{adjective}_variable
5066
5067When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
5068that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
5069name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
5070"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
5071"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
5072
5073One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
5074value. For example, the statement >
5075 echo my_{&background}_message
5076
5077would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
5078on the current value of 'background'.
5079
5080You can use multiple brace pairs: >
5081 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
5082..or even nest them: >
5083 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
5084where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
5085
5086However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005087variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005088 :let foo='a + b'
5089 :echo c{foo}d
5090.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
5091
5092 *curly-braces-function-names*
5093You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
5094Example: >
5095 :let func_end='whizz'
5096 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
5097
5098This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
5099
5100==============================================================================
51017. Commands *expression-commands*
5102
5103:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
5104 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
5105 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
5106 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
5107 is created.
5108
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005109:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
5110 Set a list item to the result of the expression
5111 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
5112 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
5113 the index can be repeated.
5114 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
5115
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005116 *E711* *E719*
5117:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005118 Set a sequence of items in a List to the result of the
5119 expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
5120 correct number of items.
5121 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
5122 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
5123 When the selected range of items is partly past the
5124 end of the list, items will be added.
5125
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005126 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005127:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
5128:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
5129:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
5130 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
5131 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
5132
5133
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005134:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
5135 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
5136 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005137:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
5138 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
5139 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
5140 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005141
5142:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
5143 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
5144 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
5145 must be the name of a writable register (see
5146 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
5147 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
5148 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
5149 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
5150 characterwise.
5151 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
5152 :let @/ = ""
5153< This is different from searching for an empty string,
5154 that would match everywhere.
5155
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005156:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
5157 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
5158 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
5159
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005160:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-star*
5161 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005162 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
5163 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005164 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
5165 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
5166 value and the global value is changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005167 Example: >
5168 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005169
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005170:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
5171 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
5172 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
5173
5174:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
5175:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
5176 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
5177 {expr1}.
5178
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005179:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005180:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5181:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
5182:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005183 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
5184 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
5185
5186:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005187:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5188:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
5189:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005190 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
5191 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
5192
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005193:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005194 {expr1} must evaluate to a List. The first item in
5195 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
5196 {name2}, etc.
5197 The number of names must match the number of items in
5198 the List.
5199 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
5200 command as mentioned above.
5201 Example: >
5202 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005203< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
5204 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
5205 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
5206 :let x = [0, 1]
5207 :let i = 0
5208 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
5209 :echo x
5210< The result is [0, 2].
5211
5212:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
5213:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
5214:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
5215 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
5216 List item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005217
5218:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005219 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the List may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005220 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
5221 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
5222 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005223 Example: >
5224 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
5225<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005226:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
5227:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
5228:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
5229 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
5230 List item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005231 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005232:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00005233 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
5234 here: *E738*
5235 g: global variables.
5236 b: local buffer variables.
5237 w: local window variables.
5238 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005239
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005240:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
5241 variable is indicated before the value:
5242 <nothing> String
5243 # Number
5244 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005245
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005246
5247:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108*
5248 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
5249 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
5250 may also be a List or Dictionary item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005251 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
5252 variables.
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005253 One or more items from a List can be removed: >
5254 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
5255 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
5256< One item from a Dictionary can be removed at a time: >
5257 :unlet dict['two']
5258 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005259
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005260:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
5261 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
5262 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
5263 A locked variable can be deleted: >
5264 :lockvar v
5265 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
5266 :unlet v
5267< *E741*
5268 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
5269 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
5270
5271 [depth] is relevant when locking a List or Dictionary.
5272 It specifies how deep the locking goes:
5273 1 Lock the List or Dictionary itself,
5274 cannot add or remove items, but can
5275 still change their values.
5276 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
5277 the items. If an item is a List or
5278 Dictionary, cannot add or remove
5279 items, but can still change the
5280 values.
5281 3 Like 2 but for the List/Dictionary in
5282 the List/Dictionary, one level deeper.
5283 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a List
5284 or Dictionary the values cannot be changed.
5285 *E743*
5286 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
5287 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
5288 loops.
5289
5290 Note that when two variables refer to the same List
5291 and you lock one of them, the List will also be locked
5292 when used through the other variable. Example: >
5293 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
5294 :let cl = l
5295 :lockvar l
5296 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
5297< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
5298 See |deepcopy()|.
5299
5300
5301:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
5302 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
5303 opposite of |:lockvar|.
5304
5305
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005306:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
5307:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5308 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5309
5310 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
5311 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
5312 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
5313 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
5314 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
5315 part was not executed either.
5316
5317 You can use this to remain compatible with older
5318 versions: >
5319 :if version >= 500
5320 : version-5-specific-commands
5321 :endif
5322< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
5323 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
5324 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
5325 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
5326 avoid problems: >
5327 :if version >= 600
5328 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
5329 :endif
5330<
5331 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
5332 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
5333
5334 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
5335:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5336 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
5337 executed.
5338
5339 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
5340:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
5341 is no extra ":endif".
5342
5343:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005344 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005345:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
5346 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5347 When an error is detected from a command inside the
5348 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005349 Example: >
5350 :let lnum = 1
5351 :while lnum <= line("$")
5352 :call FixLine(lnum)
5353 :let lnum = lnum + 1
5354 :endwhile
5355<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005356 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005357 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005358
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005359:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005360:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
5361 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005362 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005363 value of each item.
5364 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005365 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00005366 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
5367 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005368 :for item in copy(mylist)
5369< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
5370 next item in the list, before executing the commands
5371 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
5372 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
5373 it will not be found. Thus the following example
5374 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
5375 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005376 :call remove(mylist, 0)
5377 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005378< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
5379 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
5380 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005381 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
5382 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
5383 to allow multiple item types.
5384
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005385:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
5386:endfo[r]
5387 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
5388 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
5389 {var2}, etc. Example: >
5390 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
5391 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
5392 :endfor
5393<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005394 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005395:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
5396 to the start of the loop.
5397 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5398 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5399 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5400 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5401 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5402 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005403
5404 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005405:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
5406 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
5407 ":endfor".
5408 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5409 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5410 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5411 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5412 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5413 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005414
5415:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
5416:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
5417 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
5418 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
5419 or autocommand invocations.
5420
5421 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
5422 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
5423 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
5424 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
5425 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
5426 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
5427 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
5428 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
5429 Example: >
5430 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
5431 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
5432<
5433 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
5434 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
5435 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
5436 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
5437 processing is not terminated.
5438
5439 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
5440 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
5441 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
5442 other errors are converted to a value of the form
5443 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
5444 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
5445 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
5446 the error number.
5447 Examples: >
5448 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
5449 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
5450<
5451 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
5452:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
5453 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
5454 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
5455 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
5456 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
5457 commands are skipped.
5458 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
5459 Examples: >
5460 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
5461 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
5462 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
5463 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
5464 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
5465 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
5466 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
5467 :catch " same as /.*/
5468<
5469 Another character can be used instead of / around the
5470 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
5471 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
5472 {pattern}.
5473 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
5474 an error message because it may vary in different
5475 locales.
5476
5477 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
5478:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
5479 are executed whenever the part between the matching
5480 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
5481 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
5482 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
5483 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
5484
5485 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
5486:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
5487 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
5488 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
5489 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
5490 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
5491 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
5492 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
5493 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
5494 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
5495 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
5496 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
5497 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
5498 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
5499 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
5500 is terminated.
5501 Example: >
5502 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
5503<
5504
5505 *:ec* *:echo*
5506:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
5507 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
5508 Also see |:comment|.
5509 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
5510 cursor to the first column.
5511 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5512 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5513 Example: >
5514 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
5515< A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
5516 To avoid that a command from before the ":echo" causes
5517 a redraw afterwards (redraws are often postponed until
5518 you type something), force a redraw with the |:redraw|
5519 command. Example: >
5520 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
5521<
5522 *:echon*
5523:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
5524 |:comment|.
5525 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5526 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5527 Example: >
5528 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
5529<
5530 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
5531 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
5532 command: >
5533 :!echo % --> filename
5534< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
5535 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
5536< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
5537 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
5538 :echo % --> nothing
5539< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
5540 :echo "%" --> %
5541< This just echoes the '%' character. >
5542 :echo expand("%") --> filename
5543< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
5544
5545 *:echoh* *:echohl*
5546:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
5547 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
5548 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
5549 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
5550< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
5551 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
5552
5553 *:echom* *:echomsg*
5554:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
5555 message in the |message-history|.
5556 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5557 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
5558 displayed, not interpreted.
5559 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5560 Example: >
5561 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
5562<
5563 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
5564:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
5565 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
5566 script or function the line number will be added.
5567 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5568 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
5569 the message is raised as an error exception instead
5570 (see |try-echoerr|).
5571 Example: >
5572 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
5573< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
5574 And to get a beep: >
5575 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
5576<
5577 *:exe* *:execute*
5578:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
5579 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
5580 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
5581 used as the processed command, command line editing
5582 keys are not recognized.
5583 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5584 Examples: >
5585 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
5586 :execute "normal " count . "w"
5587<
5588 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
5589 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
5590 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
5591
5592< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
5593 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
5594 command: >
5595 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
5596< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
5597
5598 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005599 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
5600 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005601 :execute 'while i > 5'
5602 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
5603<
5604 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
5605 completely in the executed string: >
5606 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
5607<
5608
5609 *:comment*
5610 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
5611 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
5612 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
5613 comment. Example: >
5614 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
5615
5616==============================================================================
56178. Exception handling *exception-handling*
5618
5619The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
5620explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
5621
5622Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
5623|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
5624exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
5625
5626
5627TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
5628
5629Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
5630use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
5631a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
5632 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
5633|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
5634a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
5635be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
5636which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
5637clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
5638
5639 :try
5640 : ...
5641 : ... TRY BLOCK
5642 : ...
5643 :catch /{pattern}/
5644 : ...
5645 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5646 : ...
5647 :catch /{pattern}/
5648 : ...
5649 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5650 : ...
5651 :finally
5652 : ...
5653 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
5654 : ...
5655 :endtry
5656
5657The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
5658appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
5659from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
5660 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
5661is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
5662script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
5663 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
5664lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
5665patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
5666after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
5667executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
5668":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
5669(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
5670continues in the following line as usual.
5671 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
5672":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
5673that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
5674finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
5675the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
5676the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
5677see |try-nesting|.
5678 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
5679remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
5680not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
5681try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
5682a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
5683execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
5684exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5685 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
5686thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
5687clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
5688catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
5689following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
5690clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5691
5692The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
5693a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
5694try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
5695from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
5696sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
5697":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
5698":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
5699from the finally clause.
5700 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
5701try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
5702clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
5703":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
5704clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
5705":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
5706this pending exception or command is discarded.
5707
5708For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
5709
5710
5711NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
5712
5713Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
5714conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
5715clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
5716catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
5717of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
5718checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
5719try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
5720otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
5721nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
5722one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
5723the inner try conditional.
5724
5725When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
5726finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
5727An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
5728thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
5729implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
5730as usual.
5731
5732For examples see |throw-catch|.
5733
5734
5735EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
5736
5737Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
5738'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
5739script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
5740finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
5741a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
5742(see |debug-scripts|).
5743
5744
5745THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
5746
5747You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
5748and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
5749 :throw 4711
5750 :throw "string"
5751< *throw-expression*
5752You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
5753first, and the result is thrown: >
5754 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
5755 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
5756
5757An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
5758command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
5759The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
5760 Example: >
5761
5762 :function! Foo(arg)
5763 : try
5764 : throw a:arg
5765 : catch /foo/
5766 : endtry
5767 : return 1
5768 :endfunction
5769 :
5770 :function! Bar()
5771 : echo "in Bar"
5772 : return 4710
5773 :endfunction
5774 :
5775 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
5776
5777This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
5778executed. >
5779 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
5780however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
5781
5782Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
5783abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
5784exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
5785 Example: >
5786
5787 :if Foo("arrgh")
5788 : echo "then"
5789 :else
5790 : echo "else"
5791 :endif
5792
5793Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
5794
5795 *catch-order*
5796Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
5797commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
5798command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
5799gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
5800 Example: >
5801
5802 :function! Foo(value)
5803 : try
5804 : throw a:value
5805 : catch /^\d\+$/
5806 : echo "Number thrown"
5807 : catch /.*/
5808 : echo "String thrown"
5809 : endtry
5810 :endfunction
5811 :
5812 :call Foo(0x1267)
5813 :call Foo('string')
5814
5815The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
5816An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
5817specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
5818specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
5819
5820 : catch /.*/
5821 : echo "String thrown"
5822 : catch /^\d\+$/
5823 : echo "Number thrown"
5824
5825The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
5826never taken.
5827
5828 *throw-variables*
5829If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
5830in the variable |v:exception|: >
5831
5832 : catch /^\d\+$/
5833 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
5834
5835You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
5836|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
5837exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
5838 Example: >
5839
5840 :function! Caught()
5841 : if v:exception != ""
5842 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
5843 : else
5844 : echo 'Nothing caught'
5845 : endif
5846 :endfunction
5847 :
5848 :function! Foo()
5849 : try
5850 : try
5851 : try
5852 : throw 4711
5853 : finally
5854 : call Caught()
5855 : endtry
5856 : catch /.*/
5857 : call Caught()
5858 : throw "oops"
5859 : endtry
5860 : catch /.*/
5861 : call Caught()
5862 : finally
5863 : call Caught()
5864 : endtry
5865 :endfunction
5866 :
5867 :call Foo()
5868
5869This displays >
5870
5871 Nothing caught
5872 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
5873 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
5874 Nothing caught
5875
5876A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
5877number in the script or function where it has been used: >
5878
5879 :function! LineNumber()
5880 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
5881 :endfunction
5882 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
5883<
5884 *try-nested*
5885An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
5886a surrounding try conditional: >
5887
5888 :try
5889 : try
5890 : throw "foo"
5891 : catch /foobar/
5892 : echo "foobar"
5893 : finally
5894 : echo "inner finally"
5895 : endtry
5896 :catch /foo/
5897 : echo "foo"
5898 :endtry
5899
5900The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
5901clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
5902conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
5903
5904 *throw-from-catch*
5905You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
5906catch clause: >
5907
5908 :function! Foo()
5909 : throw "foo"
5910 :endfunction
5911 :
5912 :function! Bar()
5913 : try
5914 : call Foo()
5915 : catch /foo/
5916 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
5917 : throw "bar"
5918 : endtry
5919 :endfunction
5920 :
5921 :try
5922 : call Bar()
5923 :catch /.*/
5924 : echo "Caught" v:exception
5925 :endtry
5926
5927This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
5928
5929 *rethrow*
5930There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
5931"v:exception" instead: >
5932
5933 :function! Bar()
5934 : try
5935 : call Foo()
5936 : catch /.*/
5937 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
5938 : throw v:exception
5939 : endtry
5940 :endfunction
5941< *try-echoerr*
5942Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
5943exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
5944Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
5945denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
5946the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
5947
5948 :try
5949 : try
5950 : asdf
5951 : catch /.*/
5952 : echoerr v:exception
5953 : endtry
5954 :catch /.*/
5955 : echo v:exception
5956 :endtry
5957
5958This code displays
5959
5960 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
5961
5962
5963CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
5964
5965Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
5966user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
5967an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
5968a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
5969catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
5970a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
5971normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
5972(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
5973to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
5974clause has been executed.)
5975Example: >
5976
5977 :try
5978 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
5979 : set ts=17
5980 :
5981 : " Do the hard work here.
5982 :
5983 :finally
5984 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
5985 : unlet s:saved_ts
5986 :endtry
5987
5988This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
5989changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
5990that function or script part.
5991
5992 *break-finally*
5993Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
5994a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
5995 Example: >
5996
5997 :let first = 1
5998 :while 1
5999 : try
6000 : if first
6001 : echo "first"
6002 : let first = 0
6003 : continue
6004 : else
6005 : throw "second"
6006 : endif
6007 : catch /.*/
6008 : echo v:exception
6009 : break
6010 : finally
6011 : echo "cleanup"
6012 : endtry
6013 : echo "still in while"
6014 :endwhile
6015 :echo "end"
6016
6017This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
6018
6019 :function! Foo()
6020 : try
6021 : return 4711
6022 : finally
6023 : echo "cleanup\n"
6024 : endtry
6025 : echo "Foo still active"
6026 :endfunction
6027 :
6028 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
6029
6030This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
6031extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
6032return value.)
6033
6034 *except-from-finally*
6035Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
6036a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
6037cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
6038exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
6039 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
6040working correctly: >
6041
6042 :try
6043 : try
6044 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
6045 : while 1
6046 : endwhile
6047 : finally
6048 : unlet novar
6049 : endtry
6050 :catch /novar/
6051 :endtry
6052 :echo "Script still running"
6053 :sleep 1
6054
6055If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
6056think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
6057|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
6058
6059
6060CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
6061
6062If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
6063watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
6064presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
6065exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
6066the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
6067the error exception is.
6068 Error exceptions have the following format: >
6069
6070 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
6071or >
6072 Vim:{errmsg}
6073
6074{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
6075the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
6076when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
6077a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
6078a space.
6079
6080Examples:
6081
6082The command >
6083 :unlet novar
6084normally produces the error message >
6085 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6086which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6087 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
6088
6089The command >
6090 :dwim
6091normally produces the error message >
6092 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6093which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6094 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6095
6096You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
6097 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
6098or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
6099 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
6100
6101Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
6102 :function nofunc
6103and >
6104 :delfunction nofunc
6105both produce the error message >
6106 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6107which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6108 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6109or >
6110 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6111respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
6112command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
6113 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
6114
6115Some commands like >
6116 :let x = novar
6117produce multiple error messages, here: >
6118 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6119 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6120Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
6121one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
6122 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
6123
6124You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
6125 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
6126
6127You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
6128 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
6129
6130You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
6131 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
6132<
6133 *catch-text*
6134NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
6135 :catch /No such variable/
6136only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
6137a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
6138cite the message text in a comment: >
6139 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
6140
6141
6142IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
6143
6144You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
6145
6146 :try
6147 : write
6148 :catch
6149 :endtry
6150
6151But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
6152catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
6153be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
6154
6155 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
6156
6157There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
6158writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
6159then hide the error from the user.
6160 It is much better to use >
6161
6162 :try
6163 : write
6164 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6165 :endtry
6166
6167which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
6168intentionally.
6169
6170For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
6171even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
6172command: >
6173 :silent! nunmap k
6174This works also when a try conditional is active.
6175
6176
6177CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
6178
6179When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
6180the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
6181script is not terminated, then.
6182 Example: >
6183
6184 :function! TASK1()
6185 : sleep 10
6186 :endfunction
6187
6188 :function! TASK2()
6189 : sleep 20
6190 :endfunction
6191
6192 :while 1
6193 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
6194 : try
6195 : if command == ""
6196 : continue
6197 : elseif command == "END"
6198 : break
6199 : elseif command == "TASK1"
6200 : call TASK1()
6201 : elseif command == "TASK2"
6202 : call TASK2()
6203 : else
6204 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
6205 : continue
6206 : endif
6207 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6208 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
6209 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
6210 : endtry
6211 :endwhile
6212
6213You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
6214a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
6215
6216For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
6217your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
6218command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
6219
6220
6221CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
6222
6223The commands >
6224
6225 :catch /.*/
6226 :catch //
6227 :catch
6228
6229catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
6230explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
6231a script in order to catch unexpected things.
6232 Example: >
6233
6234 :try
6235 :
6236 : " do the hard work here
6237 :
6238 :catch /MyException/
6239 :
6240 : " handle known problem
6241 :
6242 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6243 : echo "Script interrupted"
6244 :catch /.*/
6245 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
6246 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
6247 :endtry
6248 :" end of script
6249
6250Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
6251strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
6252specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
6253 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
6254by pressing CTRL-C: >
6255
6256 :while 1
6257 : try
6258 : sleep 1
6259 : catch
6260 : endtry
6261 :endwhile
6262
6263
6264EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
6265
6266Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
6267
6268 :autocmd User x try
6269 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
6270 :autocmd User x catch
6271 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
6272 :autocmd User x endtry
6273 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
6274 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
6275 :
6276 :try
6277 : doautocmd User x
6278 :catch
6279 : echo v:exception
6280 :endtry
6281
6282This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
6283
6284 *except-autocmd-Pre*
6285For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
6286command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
6287of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
6288abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
6289 Example: >
6290
6291 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
6292 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
6293 :
6294 :try
6295 : write
6296 :catch
6297 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
6298 :endtry
6299
6300Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
6301you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
6302autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
6303script displays: >
6304
6305 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
6306<
6307 *except-autocmd-Post*
6308For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
6309command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
6310an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
6311is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
6312 Example: >
6313
6314 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
6315 :
6316 :try
6317 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6318 :catch
6319 : echo v:exception
6320 :endtry
6321
6322This just displays: >
6323
6324 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
6325
6326If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
6327fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
6328 Example: >
6329
6330 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
6331 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
6332 :
6333 :try
6334 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6335 :catch
6336 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6337 :endtry
6338<
6339You can also use ":silent!": >
6340
6341 :let x = "ok"
6342 :let v:errmsg = ""
6343 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
6344 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
6345 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
6346 :try
6347 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6348 :catch
6349 :endtry
6350 :echo x
6351
6352This displays "after fail".
6353
6354If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
6355autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
6356
6357 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
6358 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
6359 :
6360 :try
6361 : write
6362 :catch
6363 : echo v:exception
6364 :endtry
6365<
6366 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
6367For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
6368autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
6369of the command.
6370 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
6371had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
6372some way. >
6373
6374 :if !exists("cnt")
6375 : let cnt = 0
6376 :
6377 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
6378 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
6379 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
6380 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6381 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6382 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
6383 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
6384 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6385 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6386 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
6387 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6388 :endif
6389 :
6390 :try
6391 : write
6392 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
6393 : if &modified
6394 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
6395 : else
6396 : echo "Error after writing"
6397 : endif
6398 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6399 : echo "Error on writing"
6400 :endtry
6401
6402When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
6403first >
6404 File successfully written!
6405then >
6406 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
6407then >
6408 Error after writing
6409etc.
6410
6411 *except-autocmd-ill*
6412You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
6413The following code is ill-formed: >
6414
6415 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
6416 :
6417 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
6418 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
6419 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
6420 :
6421 :write
6422
6423
6424EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
6425
6426Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
6427pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
6428similar things in Vim.
6429 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
6430class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
6431string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
6432 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
6433it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
6434for an error when writing "myfile".
6435 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
6436base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
6437parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
6438 Example: >
6439
6440 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
6441 : if a:a < 0
6442 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
6443 : endif
6444 :endfunction
6445 :
6446 :function! Add(a, b)
6447 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
6448 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
6449 : let c = a:a + a:b
6450 : if c < 0
6451 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
6452 : endif
6453 : return c
6454 :endfunction
6455 :
6456 :function! Div(a, b)
6457 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
6458 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
6459 : if (a:b == 0)
6460 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
6461 : endif
6462 : return a:a / a:b
6463 :endfunction
6464 :
6465 :function! Write(file)
6466 : try
6467 : execute "write" a:file
6468 : catch /^Vim(write):/
6469 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
6470 : endtry
6471 :endfunction
6472 :
6473 :try
6474 :
6475 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
6476 :
6477 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
6478 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6479 : echo "Range error in" function
6480 :
6481 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
6482 : echo "Math error"
6483 :
6484 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
6485 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
6486 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6487 : if file !~ '^/'
6488 : let file = dir . "/" . file
6489 : endif
6490 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
6491 :
6492 :catch /^EXCEPT/
6493 : echo "Unspecified error"
6494 :
6495 :endtry
6496
6497The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
6498a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
6499exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
6500 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
6501failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
6502
6503
6504PECULIARITIES
6505 *except-compat*
6506The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
6507exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
6508and/or a catch clause.
6509
6510In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
6511continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
6512after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
6513functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
6514or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
6515(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
6516
6517This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
6518immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
6519conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
6520be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
6521termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
6522catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
6523by specifying a finally clause.)
6524
6525When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
6526behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
6527scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
6528
6529However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
6530commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
6531conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
6532script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
6533error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
6534messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
6535|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
6536not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
6537where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
6538error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
6539scripts.
6540
6541 *except-syntax-err*
6542Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
6543the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
6544clauses, however, is executed.
6545 Example: >
6546
6547 :try
6548 : try
6549 : throw 4711
6550 : catch /\(/
6551 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
6552 : catch
6553 : echo "inner catch-all"
6554 : finally
6555 : echo "inner finally"
6556 : endtry
6557 :catch
6558 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
6559 : finally
6560 : echo "outer finally"
6561 :endtry
6562
6563This displays: >
6564 inner finally
6565 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
6566 outer finally
6567The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
6568
6569 *except-single-line*
6570The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
6571a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
6572"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
6573 Example: >
6574 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
6575raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
6576argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
6577error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
6578displayed.
6579
6580 *except-several-errors*
6581When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
6582usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
6583 Example: >
6584 echo novar
6585causes >
6586 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6587 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6588The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6589 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
6590< *except-syntax-error*
6591But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
6592the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
6593 Example: >
6594 unlet novar #
6595causes >
6596 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6597 E488: Trailing characters
6598The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6599 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
6600This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
6601not intended by the user. Example: >
6602 try
6603 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
6604 catch /.*/
6605 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
6606 endtry
6607This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
6608a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
6609
6610==============================================================================
66119. Examples *eval-examples*
6612
6613Printing in Hex ~
6614>
6615 :" The function Nr2Hex() returns the Hex string of a number.
6616 :func Nr2Hex(nr)
6617 : let n = a:nr
6618 : let r = ""
6619 : while n
6620 : let r = '0123456789ABCDEF'[n % 16] . r
6621 : let n = n / 16
6622 : endwhile
6623 : return r
6624 :endfunc
6625
6626 :" The function String2Hex() converts each character in a string to a two
6627 :" character Hex string.
6628 :func String2Hex(str)
6629 : let out = ''
6630 : let ix = 0
6631 : while ix < strlen(a:str)
6632 : let out = out . Nr2Hex(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
6633 : let ix = ix + 1
6634 : endwhile
6635 : return out
6636 :endfunc
6637
6638Example of its use: >
6639 :echo Nr2Hex(32)
6640result: "20" >
6641 :echo String2Hex("32")
6642result: "3332"
6643
6644
6645Sorting lines (by Robert Webb) ~
6646
6647Here is a Vim script to sort lines. Highlight the lines in Vim and type
6648":Sort". This doesn't call any external programs so it'll work on any
6649platform. The function Sort() actually takes the name of a comparison
6650function as its argument, like qsort() does in C. So you could supply it
6651with different comparison functions in order to sort according to date etc.
6652>
6653 :" Function for use with Sort(), to compare two strings.
6654 :func! Strcmp(str1, str2)
6655 : if (a:str1 < a:str2)
6656 : return -1
6657 : elseif (a:str1 > a:str2)
6658 : return 1
6659 : else
6660 : return 0
6661 : endif
6662 :endfunction
6663
6664 :" Sort lines. SortR() is called recursively.
6665 :func! SortR(start, end, cmp)
6666 : if (a:start >= a:end)
6667 : return
6668 : endif
6669 : let partition = a:start - 1
6670 : let middle = partition
6671 : let partStr = getline((a:start + a:end) / 2)
6672 : let i = a:start
6673 : while (i <= a:end)
6674 : let str = getline(i)
6675 : exec "let result = " . a:cmp . "(str, partStr)"
6676 : if (result <= 0)
6677 : " Need to put it before the partition. Swap lines i and partition.
6678 : let partition = partition + 1
6679 : if (result == 0)
6680 : let middle = partition
6681 : endif
6682 : if (i != partition)
6683 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6684 : call setline(i, str2)
6685 : call setline(partition, str)
6686 : endif
6687 : endif
6688 : let i = i + 1
6689 : endwhile
6690
6691 : " Now we have a pointer to the "middle" element, as far as partitioning
6692 : " goes, which could be anywhere before the partition. Make sure it is at
6693 : " the end of the partition.
6694 : if (middle != partition)
6695 : let str = getline(middle)
6696 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6697 : call setline(middle, str2)
6698 : call setline(partition, str)
6699 : endif
6700 : call SortR(a:start, partition - 1, a:cmp)
6701 : call SortR(partition + 1, a:end, a:cmp)
6702 :endfunc
6703
6704 :" To Sort a range of lines, pass the range to Sort() along with the name of a
6705 :" function that will compare two lines.
6706 :func! Sort(cmp) range
6707 : call SortR(a:firstline, a:lastline, a:cmp)
6708 :endfunc
6709
6710 :" :Sort takes a range of lines and sorts them.
6711 :command! -nargs=0 -range Sort <line1>,<line2>call Sort("Strcmp")
6712<
6713 *sscanf*
6714There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
6715line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
6716how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
6717"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
6718 :" Set up the match bit
6719 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
6720 :"get the part matching the whole expression
6721 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
6722 :"get each item out of the match
6723 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
6724 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
6725 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
6726
6727The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
6728"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
6729
6730==============================================================================
673110. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
6732
6733When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
6734evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
6735to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
6736recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
6737and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
6738only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
6739recognized.
6740
6741Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
6742missing: >
6743
6744 :if 1
6745 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
6746 :else
6747 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
6748 :endif
6749
6750==============================================================================
675111. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
6752
6753The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
6754options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
6755these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
6756these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
6757a tags file is executed.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006758The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006759
6760These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
6761 - changing the buffer text
6762 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
6763 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
6764 - executing a shell command
6765 - reading or writing a file
6766 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006767This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
6768
6769 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00006770:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006771 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
6772 'foldexpr'.
6773
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006774
6775 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: