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Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +02001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.3. Last change: 2011 May 17
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005
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 Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +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 Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00003112. Textlock |textlock|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000032
33{Vi does not have any of these commands}
34
35==============================================================================
361. Variables *variables*
37
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000381.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000039 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000040There are six types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000041
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000042Number A 32 bit signed number. |expr-number| *Number*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000043 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
44
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000045Float A floating point number. |floating-point-format| *Float*
46 {only when compiled with the |+float| feature}
47 Examples: 123.456 1.15e-6 -1.1e3
48
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000049String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000050 |expr-string| Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000051
52Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
53 Example: function("strlen")
54
55List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
56 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000057
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000058Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
59 value. |Dictionary|
60 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
61
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000062The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
63are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000064
65Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
Bram Moolenaar24ea3ba2010-09-19 19:01:21 +020066the Number. Examples:
67 Number 123 --> String "123" ~
68 Number 0 --> String "0" ~
69 Number -1 --> String "-1" ~
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +020070 *octal*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000071Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
72to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
Bram Moolenaar24ea3ba2010-09-19 19:01:21 +020073the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples:
74 String "456" --> Number 456 ~
75 String "6bar" --> Number 6 ~
76 String "foo" --> Number 0 ~
77 String "0xf1" --> Number 241 ~
78 String "0100" --> Number 64 ~
79 String "-8" --> Number -8 ~
80 String "+8" --> Number 0 ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000081
82To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
83 :echo "0100" + 0
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +000084< 64 ~
85
86To avoid a leading zero to cause octal conversion, or for using a different
87base, use |str2nr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000088
89For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
90
91Note that in the command >
92 :if "foo"
93"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
94use strlen(): >
95 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000096< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
97List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000098
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000099 *E805* *E806* *E808*
100When mixing Number and Float the Number is converted to Float. Otherwise
101there is no automatic conversion of Float. You can use str2float() for String
102to Float, printf() for Float to String and float2nr() for Float to Number.
103
104 *E706* *sticky-type-checking*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000105You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
106to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000107equivalent though, as well are Float and Number. Consider this sequence of
108commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000109 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000110 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000111 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error! l is still a Number
112 :let l = 4.4 " changes type from Number to Float
113 :let l = "string" " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000114
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000115
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001161.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000117 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000118A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000119in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
120around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000121
122 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
123 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000124< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000125A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:", "t:" or "b:". You
126cannot have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000127
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000128A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
129Dictionary entry. Example: >
130 :function dict.init() dict
131 : let self.val = 0
132 :endfunction
133
134The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
135function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
136
137A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
138 :call Fn()
139 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000140
141The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000142 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000143
144You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
145arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000146 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000147
148
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001491.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000150 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000151A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000152can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000153position in the sequence.
154
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000155
156List creation ~
157 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159Examples: >
160 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
161 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000162
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000163An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000164List of Lists: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000165 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000166
167An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
168
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000169
170List index ~
171 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000172An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000173after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
174 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000175 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000176
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000177When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000178 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000179<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000180A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
181the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000182 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
183
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000184To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000185is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000186 :echo get(mylist, idx)
187 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
188
189
190List concatenation ~
191
192Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
193 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000194 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000195
196To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
197it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
198
199
200Sublist ~
201
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000202A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
203separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000204 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000205
206Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000207similar to -1. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000208 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
209 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
210 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000211
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000212If the first index is beyond the last item of the List or the second item is
213before the first item, the result is an empty list. There is no error
214message.
215
216If the second index is equal to or greater than the length of the list the
217length minus one is used: >
Bram Moolenaar9e54a0e2006-04-14 20:42:25 +0000218 :let mylist = [0, 1, 2, 3]
219 :echo mylist[2:8] " result: [2, 3]
220
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000221NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000222using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000223mylist[s : e].
224
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000225
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000226List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000227 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000228When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
229variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
230change "bb": >
231 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
232 :let bb = aa
233 :call add(aa, 4)
234 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000235< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000236
237Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
238works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000239a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000240 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
241 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000242 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000243 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
244 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000245< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000246 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000247< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000248
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000249To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000250copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000251
252The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000253List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000254the same value. >
255 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
256 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
257 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000258< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000259 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000260< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000261
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000262Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
263same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000264exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
265different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
266variables. Example: >
267 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000268< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000269 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000270< 0
271
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000272Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000273can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000274
275 :let a = 5
276 :let b = "5"
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000277 :echo a == b
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000278< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000279 :echo [a] == [b]
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000280< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000281
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000282
283List unpack ~
284
285To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
286square brackets, like list items: >
287 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
288
289When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
290this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
291and a variable name: >
292 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
293
294This works like: >
295 :let var1 = mylist[0]
296 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000297 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000298
299Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
300empty list then.
301
302
303List modification ~
304 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000305To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000306 :let list[4] = "four"
307 :let listlist[0][3] = item
308
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000309To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000310modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000311 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
312
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000313Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
314examples: >
315 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
316 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
317 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000318 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000319 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
320 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000321 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000322 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000323 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000324 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000325
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000326Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000327 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
328 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
329
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000330
331For loop ~
332
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000333The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
334to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000335 :for item in mylist
336 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000337 :endfor
338
339This works like: >
340 :let index = 0
341 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000342 : let item = mylist[index]
343 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000344 : let index = index + 1
345 :endwhile
346
347Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000348results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000349the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000350
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000351If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000352function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000353
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000354Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000355requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
356 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
357 : call Doit(lnum, col)
358 :endfor
359
360This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
361must remain the same to avoid an error.
362
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000363It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000364 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
365 : call Doit(i, j)
366 : if !empty(rest)
367 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
368 : endif
369 :endfor
370
371
372List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000373 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000374Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000375 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000376 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000377 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
378 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
379 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000380 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
381 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000382 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
383 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000384 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
385 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000386 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
387 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000388
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000389Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
390example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
391 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
392
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000393
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003941.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000395 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000396A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000397entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
398ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000399
400
401Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000402 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000403A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000404braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
405only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000406 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
407 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000408< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000409A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
410String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000411entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000412Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000413
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000414A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000415nested Dictionary: >
416 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
417
418An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
419
420
421Accessing entries ~
422
423The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
424 :let val = mydict["one"]
425 :let mydict["four"] = 4
426
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000427You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000428
429For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
430form can be used |expr-entry|: >
431 :let val = mydict.one
432 :let mydict.four = 4
433
434Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
435key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000436 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000437
438
439Dictionary to List conversion ~
440
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000441You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000442turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
443
444Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
445 :for key in keys(mydict)
446 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
447 :endfor
448
449The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
450 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
451
452To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
453 :for v in values(mydict)
454 : echo "value: " . v
455 :endfor
456
457If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000458a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000459 :for [key, value] in items(mydict)
460 : echo key . ': ' . value
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000461 :endfor
462
463
464Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000465 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000466Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
467Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
468Dictionary: >
469 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
470 :let adict = onedict
471 :let adict['a'] = 11
472 :echo onedict['a']
473 11
474
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000475Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
476more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000477
478
479Dictionary modification ~
480 *dict-modification*
481To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
482use |:let| this way: >
483 :let dict[4] = "four"
484 :let dict['one'] = item
485
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000486Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
487Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
488 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
489 :unlet dict.aaa
490 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000491
492Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000493 :call extend(adict, bdict)
494This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
495in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000496Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
497expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
498adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000499
500Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000501 :call filter(dict, 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000502This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000503
504
505Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000506 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000507When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000508special way with a dictionary. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000509 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000510 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000511 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000512 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
513 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000514
515This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
516Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
517the function was invoked from.
518
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000519It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
520Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
521
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000522 *numbered-function* *anonymous-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000523To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
524assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000525 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
526 :function mydict.len() dict
527 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000528 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000529 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000530
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000531The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000532that references this function. The function can only be used through a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000533|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
534remaining that refers to it.
535
536It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000537
Bram Moolenaar1affd722010-08-04 17:49:30 +0200538If you get an error for a numbered function, you can find out what it is with
539a trick. Assuming the function is 42, the command is: >
540 :function {42}
541
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000542
543Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000544 *E715*
545Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000546 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
547 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
548 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
549 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
550 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
551 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
552 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
553 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000554
555
5561.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000557 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000558If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
559function.
560
561When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
562start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
563stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
564
565When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
566start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
567stored in the session file |session-file|.
568
569variable name can be stored where ~
570my_var_6 not
571My_Var_6 session file
572MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
573
574
575It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
576|curly-braces-names|.
577
578==============================================================================
5792. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
580
581Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
582
583|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
584
585|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
586
587|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
588
589|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
590 expr5 != expr5 not equal
591 expr5 > expr5 greater than
592 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
593 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
594 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
595 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
596 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
597
598 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
599 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
600 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
601 matching case
602
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000603 expr5 is expr5 same |List| instance
604 expr5 isnot expr5 different |List| instance
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000605
606|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000607 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
608 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
609
610|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
611 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
612 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
613
614|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
615 - expr7 unary minus
616 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000617
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000618
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000619|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a |List|
620 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a |List|
621 expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary|
622 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with |Funcref| variable
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000623
624|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000625 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000626 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000627 [expr1, ...] |List|
628 {expr1: expr1, ...} |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000629 &option option value
630 (expr1) nested expression
631 variable internal variable
632 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
633 $VAR environment variable
634 @r contents of register 'r'
635 function(expr1, ...) function call
636 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
637
638
639".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
640Example: >
641 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
642
643All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
644
645
646expr1 *expr1* *E109*
647-----
648
649expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
650
651The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
652non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
653otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
654Example: >
655 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
656
657Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
658other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
659Example: >
660 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
661
662To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
663 :echo lnum == 1
664 :\ ? "top"
665 :\ : lnum == 1000
666 :\ ? "last"
667 :\ : lnum
668
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000669You should always put a space before the ':', otherwise it can be mistaken for
670use in a variable such as "a:1".
671
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000672
673expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
674---------------
675
676 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
677The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
678are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
679
680 input output ~
681n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
682zero zero zero zero
683zero non-zero non-zero zero
684non-zero zero non-zero zero
685non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
686
687The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
688
689 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
690
691Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
692
693 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
694
695Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
696arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
697
698 let a = 1
699 echo a || b
700
701This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
702so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
703
704 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
705
706This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
707only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
708
709
710expr4 *expr4*
711-----
712
713expr5 {cmp} expr5
714
715Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
716if it evaluates to true.
717
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000718 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000719 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
720 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
721 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
722 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
723 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000724 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000725 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
726equal == ==# ==?
727not equal != !=# !=?
728greater than > ># >?
729greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
730smaller than < <# <?
731smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
732regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
733regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000734same instance is
735different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000736
737Examples:
738"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
739"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
740"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
741
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000742 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000743A |List| can only be compared with a |List| and only "equal", "not equal" and
744"is" can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively.
745Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000746
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000747 *E735* *E736*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000748A |Dictionary| can only be compared with a |Dictionary| and only "equal", "not
749equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000750recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
751
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000752 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000753A |Funcref| can only be compared with a |Funcref| and only "equal" and "not
754equal" can be used. Case is never ignored.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000755
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000756When using "is" or "isnot" with a |List| this checks if the expressions are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000757referring to the same |List| instance. A copy of a |List| is different from
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000758the original |List|. When using "is" without a |List| it is equivalent to
759using "equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000760different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000761is false.
762
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000763When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000764and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000765because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
766
767When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
768results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
769necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
770
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000771When using the operators with a trailing '#', or the short version and
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000772'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp(): case matters.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000773
774When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000775'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp(): case is ignored.
776
777'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000778
779The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
780argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
781This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
782matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
783portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
784single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
785Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
786(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
787can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
788 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
789 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
790
791
792expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
793---------------
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000794expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or |List| concatenation *expr-+*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000795expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
796expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000797
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +0000798For |Lists| only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000799result is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000800
801expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
802expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
803expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000804
805For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
806
807Note the difference between "+" and ".":
808 "123" + "456" = 579
809 "123" . "456" = "123456"
810
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000811Since '.' has the same precedence as '+' and '-', you need to read: >
812 1 . 90 + 90.0
813As: >
814 (1 . 90) + 90.0
815That works, since the String "190" is automatically converted to the Number
816190, which can be added to the Float 90.0. However: >
817 1 . 90 * 90.0
818Should be read as: >
819 1 . (90 * 90.0)
820Since '.' has lower precedence than '*'. This does NOT work, since this
821attempts to concatenate a Float and a String.
822
823When dividing a Number by zero the result depends on the value:
824 0 / 0 = -0x80000000 (like NaN for Float)
825 >0 / 0 = 0x7fffffff (like positive infinity)
826 <0 / 0 = -0x7fffffff (like negative infinity)
827 (before Vim 7.2 it was always 0x7fffffff)
828
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000829When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
830
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000831None of these work for |Funcref|s.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000832
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000833. and % do not work for Float. *E804*
834
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000835
836expr7 *expr7*
837-----
838! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
839- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
840+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
841
842For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
843For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
844For '+' the number is unchanged.
845
846A String will be converted to a Number first.
847
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000848These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000849 !-1 == 0
850 !!8 == 1
851 --9 == 9
852
853
854expr8 *expr8*
855-----
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000856expr8[expr1] item of String or |List| *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000857
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000858If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
859expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100860Number. This doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings, see |byteidx()| for
861an alternative.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000862
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000863Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
864text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
865cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +0000866 :let c = getline(".")[col(".") - 1]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000867
868If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000869String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
870compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
871
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000872If expr8 is a |List| then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000873for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000874error. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000875 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
876
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000877Generally, if a |List| index is equal to or higher than the length of the
878|List|, or more negative than the length of the |List|, this results in an
879error.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000880
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000881
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000882expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000883
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000884If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
885from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100886expr1b are used as a Number. This doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings, see
887|byteidx()| for computing the indexes.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000888
889If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
890string minus one is used.
891
892A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
893the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
894
895If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
896expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
897
898Examples: >
899 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
900 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
901 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
902 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100903<
904 *sublist* *slice*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000905If expr8 is a |List| this results in a new |List| with the items indicated by
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000906the indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000907just above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000908 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
909 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
910 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
911
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000912Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a |Funcref| results in an
913error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000914
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000915
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000916expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary| *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000917
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000918If expr8 is a |Dictionary| and it is followed by a dot, then the following
919name will be used as a key in the |Dictionary|. This is just like:
920expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000921
922The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
923but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
924
925There must not be white space before or after the dot.
926
927Examples: >
928 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
929 :echo dict.one
930 :echo dict .2
931
932Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
933always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
934
935
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000936expr8(expr1, ...) |Funcref| function call
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000937
938When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
939
940
941
942 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000943number
944------
945number number constant *expr-number*
946
947Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
948
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000949 *floating-point-format*
950Floating point numbers can be written in two forms:
951
952 [-+]{N}.{M}
953 [-+]{N}.{M}e[-+]{exp}
954
955{N} and {M} are numbers. Both {N} and {M} must be present and can only
956contain digits.
957[-+] means there is an optional plus or minus sign.
958{exp} is the exponent, power of 10.
959Only a decimal point is accepted, not a comma. No matter what the current
960locale is.
961{only when compiled with the |+float| feature}
962
963Examples:
964 123.456
965 +0.0001
966 55.0
967 -0.123
968 1.234e03
969 1.0E-6
970 -3.1416e+88
971
972These are INVALID:
973 3. empty {M}
974 1e40 missing .{M}
975
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000976 *float-pi* *float-e*
977A few useful values to copy&paste: >
978 :let pi = 3.14159265359
979 :let e = 2.71828182846
980
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000981Rationale:
982Before floating point was introduced, the text "123.456" was interpreted as
983the two numbers "123" and "456", both converted to a string and concatenated,
984resulting in the string "123456". Since this was considered pointless, and we
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000985could not find it intentionally being used in Vim scripts, this backwards
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000986incompatibility was accepted in favor of being able to use the normal notation
987for floating point numbers.
988
989 *floating-point-precision*
990The precision and range of floating points numbers depends on what "double"
991means in the library Vim was compiled with. There is no way to change this at
992runtime.
993
994The default for displaying a |Float| is to use 6 decimal places, like using
995printf("%g", f). You can select something else when using the |printf()|
996function. Example: >
997 :echo printf('%.15e', atan(1))
998< 7.853981633974483e-01
999
1000
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001001
1002string *expr-string* *E114*
1003------
1004"string" string constant *expr-quote*
1005
1006Note that double quotes are used.
1007
1008A string constant accepts these special characters:
1009\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
1010\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
1011\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
1012\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
1013\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
1014\X.. same as \x..
1015\X. same as \x.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001016\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001017 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
1018\U.... same as \u....
1019\b backspace <BS>
1020\e escape <Esc>
1021\f formfeed <FF>
1022\n newline <NL>
1023\r return <CR>
1024\t tab <Tab>
1025\\ backslash
1026\" double quote
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +02001027\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W. This is for use
1028 in mappings, the 0x80 byte is escaped. Don't use <Char-xxxx> to get a
1029 utf-8 character, use \uxxxx as mentioned above.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001030
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001031Note that "\xff" is stored as the byte 255, which may be invalid in some
1032encodings. Use "\u00ff" to store character 255 according to the current value
1033of 'encoding'.
1034
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001035Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
1036
1037
1038literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
1039---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001040'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001041
1042Note that single quotes are used.
1043
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001044This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001045meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001046
1047Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001048to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001049 if a =~ "\\s*"
1050 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001051
1052
1053option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
1054------
1055&option option value, local value if possible
1056&g:option global option value
1057&l:option local option value
1058
1059Examples: >
1060 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
1061 if &insertmode
1062
1063Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
1064and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
1065anyway.
1066
1067
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001068register *expr-register* *@r*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001069--------
1070@r contents of register 'r'
1071
1072The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
1073Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001074register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00001075registers.
1076
1077When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
1078evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001079
1080
1081nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
1082-------
1083(expr1) nested expression
1084
1085
1086environment variable *expr-env*
1087--------------------
1088$VAR environment variable
1089
1090The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
1091result is an empty string.
1092 *expr-env-expand*
1093Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
1094expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
1095are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
1096the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
1097fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
1098does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
1099 :echo $version
1100 :echo expand("$version")
1101The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
1102variable (if your shell supports it).
1103
1104
1105internal variable *expr-variable*
1106-----------------
1107variable internal variable
1108See below |internal-variables|.
1109
1110
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001111function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001112-------------
1113function(expr1, ...) function call
1114See below |functions|.
1115
1116
1117==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaar4a748032010-09-30 21:47:56 +020011183. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E461*
1119
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001120An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1121cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1122|curly-braces-names|.
1123
1124An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001125An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1126|:unlet|.
1127Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1128been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001129
1130There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1131specified by what is prepended:
1132
1133 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1134|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1135|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001136|tabpage-variable| t: Local to the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001137|global-variable| g: Global.
1138|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1139|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1140|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001141|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001142
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001143The scope name by itself can be used as a |Dictionary|. For example, to
1144delete all script-local variables: >
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001145 :for k in keys(s:)
1146 : unlet s:[k]
1147 :endfor
1148<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001149 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1150A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1151Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1152This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1153|:bdelete|.
1154
1155One local buffer variable is predefined:
1156 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1157b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1158 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1159 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1160 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1161 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001162 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1163 : call My_Update()
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001164 :endif
1165<
1166 *window-variable* *w:var*
1167A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1168is deleted when the window is closed.
1169
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001170 *tabpage-variable* *t:var*
1171A variable name that is preceded with "t:" is local to the current tab page,
1172It is deleted when the tab page is closed. {not available when compiled
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02001173without the |+windows| feature}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001174
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001175 *global-variable* *g:var*
1176Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001177access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001178place if you like.
1179
1180 *local-variable* *l:var*
1181Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001182But you can also prepend "l:" if you like. However, without prepending "l:"
1183you may run into reserved variable names. For example "count". By itself it
1184refers to "v:count". Using "l:count" you can have a local variable with the
1185same name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001186
1187 *script-variable* *s:var*
1188In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1189accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1190
1191They can be used in:
1192- commands executed while the script is sourced
1193- functions defined in the script
1194- autocommands defined in the script
1195- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1196 defined in the script (recursively)
1197- user defined commands defined in the script
1198Thus not in:
1199- other scripts sourced from this one
1200- mappings
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001201- menus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001202- etc.
1203
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001204Script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1205Take this example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001206
1207 let s:counter = 0
1208 function MyCounter()
1209 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1210 echo s:counter
1211 endfunction
1212 command Tick call MyCounter()
1213
1214You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1215that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1216"Tick" was defined is used.
1217
1218Another example that does the same: >
1219
1220 let s:counter = 0
1221 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1222
1223When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001224script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001225defined.
1226
1227The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1228function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1229
1230 let s:counter = 0
1231 function StartCounting(incr)
1232 if a:incr
1233 function MyCounter()
1234 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1235 endfunction
1236 else
1237 function MyCounter()
1238 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1239 endfunction
1240 endif
1241 endfunction
1242
1243This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1244when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1245called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1246
1247When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1248They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1249maintain a counter: >
1250
1251 if !exists("s:counter")
1252 let s:counter = 1
1253 echo "script executed for the first time"
1254 else
1255 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1256 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1257 endif
1258
1259Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1260variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1261
1262
1263Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1264
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001265 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1266v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1267 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1268 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1269
1270 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1271v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1272 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1273
1274 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1275v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1276 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1277
1278 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001279v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1280 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1281 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1282 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001283 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1284 highlighted text is used.
1285 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1286
1287 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1288v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
Bram Moolenaar00654022011-02-25 14:42:19 +01001289 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option. The first
1290 window has number zero (unlike most other places where a
1291 window gets a number).
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001292
Bram Moolenaarf193fff2006-04-27 00:02:13 +00001293 *v:char* *char-variable*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001294v:char Argument for evaluating 'formatexpr' and used for the typed
Bram Moolenaar945e2db2010-06-05 17:43:32 +02001295 character when using <expr> in an abbreviation |:map-<expr>|.
Bram Moolenaare659c952011-05-19 17:25:41 +02001296 It is also used by the |InsertPreChar| event.
Bram Moolenaarf193fff2006-04-27 00:02:13 +00001297
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001298 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1299v:charconvert_from
1300 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1301 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1302
1303 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1304v:charconvert_to
1305 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1306 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1307
1308 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1309v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1310 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1311 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1312 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1313 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1314 possible to append this variable directly after the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001315 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001316 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1317 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1318 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1319 in 'printexpr'.
1320
1321 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1322v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1323 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1324 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1325 can be used.
1326
1327 *v:count* *count-variable*
1328v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001329 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001330 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1331< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1332 get when typing ':' after a count.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001333 When there are two counts, as in "3d2w", they are multiplied,
1334 just like what happens in the command, "d6w" for the example.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001335 Also used for evaluating the 'formatexpr' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001336 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1337
1338 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1339v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1340 used.
1341
1342 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1343v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1344 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1345 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1346 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1347 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1348 command.
1349 See |multi-lang|.
1350
1351 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001352v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001353 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1354 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1355 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1356 Example: >
1357 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
Bram Moolenaar0e1e25f2010-05-28 21:07:08 +02001358< Note: if another deadly signal is caught when v:dying is one,
1359 VimLeave autocommands will not be executed.
1360
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001361 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1362v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1363 Example: >
1364 :let v:errmsg = ""
1365 :silent! next
1366 :if v:errmsg != ""
1367 : ... handle error
1368< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1369
1370 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1371v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1372 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1373 Example: >
1374 :try
1375 : throw "oops"
1376 :catch /.*/
1377 : echo "caught" v:exception
1378 :endtry
1379< Output: "caught oops".
1380
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001381 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1382v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1383 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1384 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1385 deleted file no longer exists
1386 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1387 changed and buffer is modified
1388 changed file contents has changed
1389 mode mode of file changed
1390 time only file timestamp changed
1391
1392 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1393v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1394 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1395 do with the affected buffer:
1396 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1397 the file was deleted).
1398 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1399 was no autocommand. Except that when
1400 only the timestamp changed nothing
1401 will happen.
1402 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1403 everything that needs to be done.
1404 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1405 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1406
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001407 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001408v:fname_in The name of the input file. Valid while evaluating:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001409 option used for ~
1410 'charconvert' file to be converted
1411 'diffexpr' original file
1412 'patchexpr' original file
1413 'printexpr' file to be printed
Bram Moolenaar2c7a29c2005-12-12 22:02:31 +00001414 And set to the swap file name for |SwapExists|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001415
1416 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1417v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1418 evaluating:
1419 option used for ~
1420 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1421 'diffexpr' output of diff
1422 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1423 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001424 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001425 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1426 file and different from v:fname_in.
1427
1428 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1429v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1430 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1431
1432 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1433v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1434 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1435
1436 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1437v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1438 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001439 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001440
1441 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1442v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001443 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001444
1445 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1446v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001447 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001448
1449 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1450v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001451 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001452
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001453 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1454v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1455 events. Values:
1456 i Insert mode
1457 r Replace mode
1458 v Virtual Replace mode
1459
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001460 *v:key* *key-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001461v:key Key of the current item of a |Dictionary|. Only valid while
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001462 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1463 Read-only.
1464
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001465 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1466v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1467 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1468 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1469 The value is system dependent.
1470 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1471 command.
1472 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1473 in a different language than what is used for character
1474 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1475
1476 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1477v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1478 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1479 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1480 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1481 command. See |multi-lang|.
1482
1483 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar368373e2010-07-19 20:46:22 +02001484v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr|, 'formatexpr' and
1485 'indentexpr' expressions, tab page number for 'guitablabel'
1486 and 'guitabtooltip'. Only valid while one of these
1487 expressions is being evaluated. Read-only when in the
1488 |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001489
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00001490 *v:mouse_win* *mouse_win-variable*
1491v:mouse_win Window number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1492 First window has number 1, like with |winnr()|. The value is
1493 zero when there was no mouse button click.
1494
1495 *v:mouse_lnum* *mouse_lnum-variable*
1496v:mouse_lnum Line number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1497 This is the text line number, not the screen line number. The
1498 value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
1499
1500 *v:mouse_col* *mouse_col-variable*
1501v:mouse_col Column number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1502 This is the screen column number, like with |virtcol()|. The
1503 value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
1504
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001505 *v:oldfiles* *oldfiles-variable*
1506v:oldfiles List of file names that is loaded from the |viminfo| file on
1507 startup. These are the files that Vim remembers marks for.
1508 The length of the List is limited by the ' argument of the
1509 'viminfo' option (default is 100).
1510 Also see |:oldfiles| and |c_#<|.
1511 The List can be modified, but this has no effect on what is
1512 stored in the |viminfo| file later. If you use values other
1513 than String this will cause trouble.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02001514 {only when compiled with the |+viminfo| feature}
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001515
Bram Moolenaar8af1fbf2008-01-05 12:35:21 +00001516 *v:operator* *operator-variable*
1517v:operator The last operator given in Normal mode. This is a single
1518 character except for commands starting with <g> or <z>,
1519 in which case it is two characters. Best used alongside
1520 |v:prevcount| and |v:register|. Useful if you want to cancel
1521 Operator-pending mode and then use the operator, e.g.: >
1522 :omap O <Esc>:call MyMotion(v:operator)<CR>
1523< The value remains set until another operator is entered, thus
1524 don't expect it to be empty.
1525 v:operator is not set for |:delete|, |:yank| or other Ex
1526 commands.
1527 Read-only.
1528
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001529 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1530v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1531 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
Bram Moolenaar8af1fbf2008-01-05 12:35:21 +00001532 you want to cancel Visual or Operator-pending mode and then
1533 use the count, e.g.: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001534 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1535< Read-only.
1536
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001537 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001538v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001539 See |profiling|.
1540
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001541 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1542v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1543 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1544 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1545 Read-only.
1546
1547 *v:register* *register-variable*
Bram Moolenaard58e9292011-02-09 17:07:58 +01001548v:register The name of the register in effect for the current normal mode
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001549 command. If none is supplied it is the default register '"',
1550 unless 'clipboard' contains "unnamed" or "unnamedplus", then
1551 it is '*' or '+'.
Bram Moolenaard58e9292011-02-09 17:07:58 +01001552 Also see |getreg()| and |setreg()|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001553
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001554 *v:scrollstart* *scrollstart-variable*
1555v:scrollstart String describing the script or function that caused the
1556 screen to scroll up. It's only set when it is empty, thus the
1557 first reason is remembered. It is set to "Unknown" for a
1558 typed command.
1559 This can be used to find out why your script causes the
1560 hit-enter prompt.
1561
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001562 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1563v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1564 Read-only.
1565
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001566
1567v:searchforward *v:searchforward* *searchforward-variable*
1568 Search direction: 1 after a forward search, 0 after a
1569 backward search. It is reset to forward when directly setting
1570 the last search pattern, see |quote/|.
1571 Note that the value is restored when returning from a
1572 function. |function-search-undo|.
1573 Read-write.
1574
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001575 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1576v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1577 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1578 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1579 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1580 executed. Read-only.
1581 Example: >
1582 :!mv foo bar
1583 :if v:shell_error
1584 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1585 :endif
1586< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1587
1588 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1589v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1590
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001591 *v:swapname* *swapname-variable*
1592v:swapname Only valid when executing |SwapExists| autocommands: Name of
1593 the swap file found. Read-only.
1594
1595 *v:swapchoice* *swapchoice-variable*
1596v:swapchoice |SwapExists| autocommands can set this to the selected choice
1597 for handling an existing swap file:
1598 'o' Open read-only
1599 'e' Edit anyway
1600 'r' Recover
1601 'd' Delete swapfile
1602 'q' Quit
1603 'a' Abort
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001604 The value should be a single-character string. An empty value
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001605 results in the user being asked, as would happen when there is
1606 no SwapExists autocommand. The default is empty.
1607
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001608 *v:swapcommand* *swapcommand-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001609v:swapcommand Normal mode command to be executed after a file has been
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001610 opened. Can be used for a |SwapExists| autocommand to have
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001611 another Vim open the file and jump to the right place. For
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001612 example, when jumping to a tag the value is ":tag tagname\r".
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +00001613 For ":edit +cmd file" the value is ":cmd\r".
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001614
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001615 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1616v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001617 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001618 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1619 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1620 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1621 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1622 terminal.
1623 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1624 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1625 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1626 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1627 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1628
1629 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1630v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1631 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1632 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1633 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1634
1635 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1636v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001637 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001638 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1639 Example: >
1640 :try
1641 : throw "oops"
1642 :catch /.*/
1643 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1644 :endtry
1645< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1646
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001647 *v:val* *val-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001648v:val Value of the current item of a |List| or |Dictionary|. Only
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001649 valid while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001650 |filter()|. Read-only.
1651
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001652 *v:version* *version-variable*
1653v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1654 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1655 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1656 compatibility.
1657 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1658 if has("patch123")
1659< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1660 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1661 completely different.
1662
1663 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1664v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1665
Bram Moolenaar727c8762010-10-20 19:17:48 +02001666 *v:windowid* *windowid-variable*
1667v:windowid When any X11 based GUI is running or when running in a
1668 terminal and Vim connects to the X server (|-X|) this will be
Bram Moolenaar264e9fd2010-10-27 12:33:17 +02001669 set to the window ID.
1670 When an MS-Windows GUI is running this will be set to the
1671 window handle.
1672 Otherwise the value is zero.
1673 Note: for windows inside Vim use |winnr()|.
Bram Moolenaar727c8762010-10-20 19:17:48 +02001674
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001675==============================================================================
16764. Builtin Functions *functions*
1677
1678See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1679
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001680(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001681
1682USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1683
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001684abs( {expr}) Float or Number absolute value of {expr}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001685acos( {expr}) Float arc cosine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001686add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to |List| {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001687append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001688append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001689argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001690argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001691argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001692argv( ) List the argument list
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001693asin( {expr}) Float arc sine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001694atan( {expr}) Float arc tangent of {expr}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001695atan2( {expr}, {expr}) Float arc tangent of {expr1} / {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001696browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1697 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001698browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001699bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001700buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1701bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001702bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1703bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1704bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1705byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001706byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001707call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1708 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001709ceil( {expr}) Float round {expr} up
1710changenr() Number current change number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001711char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001712cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001713clearmatches() none clear all matches
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001714col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001715complete( {startcol}, {matches}) none set Insert mode completion
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001716complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001717complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001718confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1719 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001720copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001721cos( {expr}) Float cosine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001722cosh( {expr}) Float hyperbolic cosine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001723count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1724 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001725cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1726 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001727cursor( {lnum}, {col} [, {coladd}])
1728 Number move cursor to {lnum}, {col}, {coladd}
1729cursor( {list}) Number move cursor to position in {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001730deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001731delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1732did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001733diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1734diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001735empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001736escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001737eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001738eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001739executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1740exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001741extend( {expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001742 List/Dict insert items of {expr2} into {expr1}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001743exp( {expr}) Float exponential of {expr}
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00001744expand( {expr} [, {flag}]) String expand special keywords in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001745feedkeys( {string} [, {mode}]) Number add key sequence to typeahead buffer
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001746filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001747filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001748filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1749 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001750finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001751 String find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001752findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001753 String find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001754float2nr( {expr}) Number convert Float {expr} to a Number
1755floor( {expr}) Float round {expr} down
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001756fmod( {expr1}, {expr2}) Float remainder of {expr1} / {expr2}
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00001757fnameescape( {fname}) String escape special characters in {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001758fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001759foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1760foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001761foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001762foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001763foldtextresult( {lnum}) String text for closed fold at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001764foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001765function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00001766garbagecollect( [at_exit]) none free memory, breaking cyclic references
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001767get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001768get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001769getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1770 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001771getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001772getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1773getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001774getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1775getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001776getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001777getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001778getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1779getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001780getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001781getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001782getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001783getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1784getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001785getloclist( {nr}) List list of location list items
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001786getmatches() List list of current matches
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00001787getpid() Number process ID of Vim
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001788getpos( {expr}) List position of cursor, mark, etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001789getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001790getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001791getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001792gettabvar( {nr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in tab {nr}
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001793gettabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {name})
1794 any {name} in {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001795getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1796getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001797getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in window {nr}
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00001798glob( {expr} [, {flag}]) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1799globpath( {path}, {expr} [, {flag}])
1800 String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001801has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001802has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00001803haslocaldir() Number TRUE if current window executed |:lcd|
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001804hasmapto( {what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1805 Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001806histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1807histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1808histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1809histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1810hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1811hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1812hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001813iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1814indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001815index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1816 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001817input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1818 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001819inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001820inputlist( {textlist}) Number let the user pick from a choice list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001821inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1822inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001823inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001824insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001825isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001826islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001827items( {dict}) List key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001828join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001829keys( {dict}) List keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001830len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1831libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001832libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1833line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1834line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001835lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001836localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001837log( {expr}) Float natural logarithm (base e) of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001838log10( {expr}) Float logarithm of Float {expr} to base 10
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001839map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaarbd743252010-10-20 21:23:33 +02001840maparg( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr} [, {dict}]]])
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001841 String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1842mapcheck( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1843 String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001844match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001845 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001846matchadd( {group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
1847 Number highlight {pattern} with {group}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001848matcharg( {nr}) List arguments of |:match|
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001849matchdelete( {id}) Number delete match identified by {id}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001850matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001851 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001852matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1853 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001854matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1855 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001856max( {list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1857min( {list}) Number minimum value of items in {list}
1858mkdir( {name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001859 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001860mode( [expr]) String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar7e506b62010-01-19 15:55:06 +01001861mzeval( {expr}) any evaluate |MzScheme| expression
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001862nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1863nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001864pathshorten( {expr}) String shorten directory names in a path
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001865pow( {x}, {y}) Float {x} to the power of {y}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001866prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001867printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
1868pumvisible() Number whether popup menu is visible
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001869range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1870 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001871readfile( {fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001872 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00001873reltime( [{start} [, {end}]]) List get time value
1874reltimestr( {time}) String turn time value into a String
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001875remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1876 String send expression
1877remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1878remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1879 Number check for reply string
1880remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1881remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1882 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001883remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001884remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001885rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1886repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1887resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001888reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001889round( {expr}) Float round off {expr}
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001890search( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
1891 Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001892searchdecl( {name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001893 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001894searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001895 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001896searchpairpos( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001897 List search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001898searchpos( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001899 List search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001900server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1901 Number send reply string
1902serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1903setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1904setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1905setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001906setloclist( {nr}, {list}[, {action}])
1907 Number modify location list using {list}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001908setmatches( {list}) Number restore a list of matches
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001909setpos( {expr}, {list}) Number set the {expr} position to {list}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001910setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number modify quickfix list using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001911setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001912settabvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in tab page {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001913settabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window
1914 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001915setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00001916shellescape( {string} [, {special}])
1917 String escape {string} for use as shell
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00001918 command argument
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001919simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001920sin( {expr}) Float sine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001921sinh( {expr}) Float hyperbolic sine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f894962011-06-19 02:55:37 +02001922sort( {list} [, {func} [, {dict}]])
1923 List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001924soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001925spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001926spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
1927 List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001928split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001929 List make |List| from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaard58e9292011-02-09 17:07:58 +01001930sqrt( {expr}) Float square root of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001931str2float( {expr}) Float convert String to Float
1932str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) Number convert String to Number
Bram Moolenaar72597a52010-07-18 15:31:08 +02001933strchars( {expr}) Number character length of the String {expr}
Bram Moolenaardc536092010-07-18 15:45:49 +02001934strdisplaywidth( {expr} [, {col}]) Number display length of the String {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001935strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001936stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1937 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001938string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001939strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1940strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1941 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001942strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1943 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001944strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaar72597a52010-07-18 15:31:08 +02001945strwidth( {expr}) Number display cell length of the String {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001946submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001947substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1948 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001949synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001950synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1951 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1952synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaar483c5d82010-10-20 18:45:33 +02001953synconcealed( {lnum}, {col}) List info about concealing
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001954synstack( {lnum}, {col}) List stack of syntax IDs at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001955system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00001956tabpagebuflist( [{arg}]) List list of buffer numbers in tab page
1957tabpagenr( [{arg}]) Number number of current or last tab page
1958tabpagewinnr( {tabarg}[, {arg}])
1959 Number number of current window in tab page
1960taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001961tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001962tempname() String name for a temporary file
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001963tan( {expr}) Float tangent of {expr}
1964tanh( {expr}) Float hyperbolic tangent of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001965tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1966toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001967tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1968 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaard58e9292011-02-09 17:07:58 +01001969trunc( {expr}) Float truncate Float {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001970type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaara17d4c12010-05-30 18:30:36 +02001971undofile( {name}) String undo file name for {name}
Bram Moolenaara800b422010-06-27 01:15:55 +02001972undotree() List undo file tree
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001973values( {dict}) List values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001974virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1975visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1976winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1977wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1978winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1979winline() Number window line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00001980winnr( [{expr}]) Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001981winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001982winrestview( {dict}) none restore view of current window
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00001983winsaveview() Dict save view of current window
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001984winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001985writefile( {list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001986 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001987
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001988abs({expr}) *abs()*
1989 Return the absolute value of {expr}. When {expr} evaluates to
1990 a |Float| abs() returns a |Float|. When {expr} can be
1991 converted to a |Number| abs() returns a |Number|. Otherwise
1992 abs() gives an error message and returns -1.
1993 Examples: >
1994 echo abs(1.456)
1995< 1.456 >
1996 echo abs(-5.456)
1997< 5.456 >
1998 echo abs(-4)
1999< 4
2000 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2001
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002002
2003acos({expr}) *acos()*
2004 Return the arc cosine of {expr} measured in radians, as a
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02002005 |Float| in the range of [0, pi].
2006 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number| in the range
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002007 [-1, 1].
2008 Examples: >
2009 :echo acos(0)
2010< 1.570796 >
2011 :echo acos(-0.5)
2012< 2.094395
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02002013 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002014
2015
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002016add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002017 Append the item {expr} to |List| {list}. Returns the
2018 resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002019 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
2020 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002021< Note that when {expr} is a |List| it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002022 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002023 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002024
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002025
2026append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002027 When {expr} is a |List|: Append each item of the |List| as a
2028 text line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00002029 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
2030 the current buffer.
2031 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002032 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002033 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002034 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002035 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002036<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002037 *argc()*
2038argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
2039 current window. See |arglist|.
2040
2041 *argidx()*
2042argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
2043 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
2044
2045 *argv()*
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00002046argv([{nr}]) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002047 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
2048 Example: >
2049 :let i = 0
2050 :while i < argc()
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002051 : let f = escape(fnameescape(argv(i)), '.')
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002052 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
2053 : let i = i + 1
2054 :endwhile
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00002055< Without the {nr} argument a |List| with the whole |arglist| is
2056 returned.
2057
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002058asin({expr}) *asin()*
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02002059 Return the arc sine of {expr} measured in radians, as a |Float|
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002060 in the range of [-pi/2, pi/2].
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02002061 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number| in the range
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002062 [-1, 1].
2063 Examples: >
2064 :echo asin(0.8)
2065< 0.927295 >
2066 :echo asin(-0.5)
2067< -0.523599
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02002068 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002069
2070
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002071atan({expr}) *atan()*
2072 Return the principal value of the arc tangent of {expr}, in
2073 the range [-pi/2, +pi/2] radians, as a |Float|.
2074 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2075 Examples: >
2076 :echo atan(100)
2077< 1.560797 >
2078 :echo atan(-4.01)
2079< -1.326405
2080 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2081
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002082
2083atan2({expr1}, {expr2}) *atan2()*
2084 Return the arc tangent of {expr1} / {expr2}, measured in
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02002085 radians, as a |Float| in the range [-pi, pi].
2086 {expr1} and {expr2} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002087 Examples: >
2088 :echo atan2(-1, 1)
2089< -0.785398 >
2090 :echo atan2(1, -1)
2091< 2.356194
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02002092 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002093
2094
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002095 *browse()*
2096browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
2097 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
2098 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
2099 The input fields are:
2100 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
2101 {title} title for the requester
2102 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
2103 {default} default file name
2104 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
2105 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
2106
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002107 *browsedir()*
2108browsedir({title}, {initdir})
2109 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
2110 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
2111 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
2112 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
2113 to be used.
2114 The input fields are:
2115 {title} title for the requester
2116 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
2117 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
2118 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
2119
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002120bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
2121 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2122 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002123 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002124 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002125 exactly. The name can be:
2126 - Relative to the current directory.
2127 - A full path.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002128 - The name of a buffer with 'buftype' set to "nofile".
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002129 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002130 Unlisted buffers will be found.
2131 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
2132 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
2133 long name to be able to find them.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002134 bufexists() may report a buffer exists, but to use the name
2135 with a |:buffer| command you may need to use |expand()|. Esp
2136 for MS-Windows 8.3 names in the form "c:\DOCUME~1"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002137 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
2138 file name.
2139 *buffer_exists()*
2140 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
2141
2142buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
2143 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2144 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002145 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002146
2147bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
2148 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2149 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002150 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002151
2152bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
2153 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
2154 ":ls" command.
2155 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
2156 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
2157 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002158 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002159 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
2160 match an empty string is returned.
2161 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
2162 alternate buffer.
2163 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002164 or middle of the buffer name is accepted. If you only want a
2165 full match then put "^" at the start and "$" at the end of the
2166 pattern.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002167 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
2168 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
2169 buffers are searched for.
2170 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
2171 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
2172 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
2173< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
2174 string is returned. >
2175 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
2176 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
2177 bufname("%") name of current buffer
2178 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
2179< *buffer_name()*
2180 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
2181
2182 *bufnr()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002183bufnr({expr} [, {create}])
2184 The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002185 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002186 above.
2187 If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned. Or, if the
2188 {create} argument is present and not zero, a new, unlisted,
2189 buffer is created and its number is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002190 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
2191 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
2192< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
2193 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
2194 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
2195 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
2196 *buffer_number()*
2197 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
2198 *last_buffer_nr()*
2199 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
2200
2201bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
2202 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
2203 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002204 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002205 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
2206
2207 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
2208
2209< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
2210 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002211 Only deals with the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002212
2213
2214byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
2215 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
2216 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
2217 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
2218 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
2219 one.
2220 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
2221 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
2222 feature}
2223
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00002224byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
2225 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
2226 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
2227 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
2228 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
2229 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
2230 Example : >
2231 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
2232< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
2233 same: >
2234 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
2235 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
2236< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
2237 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
2238 is returned.
2239
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002240call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002241 Call function {func} with the items in |List| {arglist} as
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002242 arguments.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002243 {func} can either be a |Funcref| or the name of a function.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002244 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
2245 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002246 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
2247 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002248
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002249ceil({expr}) *ceil()*
2250 Return the smallest integral value greater than or equal to
2251 {expr} as a |Float| (round up).
2252 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2253 Examples: >
2254 echo ceil(1.456)
2255< 2.0 >
2256 echo ceil(-5.456)
2257< -5.0 >
2258 echo ceil(4.0)
2259< 4.0
2260 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2261
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00002262changenr() *changenr()*
2263 Return the number of the most recent change. This is the same
2264 number as what is displayed with |:undolist| and can be used
2265 with the |:undo| command.
2266 When a change was made it is the number of that change. After
2267 redo it is the number of the redone change. After undo it is
2268 one less than the number of the undone change.
2269
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002270char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
2271 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
2272 char2nr(" ") returns 32
2273 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
2274< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002275 char2nr("á") returns 225
2276 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002277< |nr2char()| does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002278
2279cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
2280 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
2281 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
2282 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
2283 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
2284 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
2285 feature, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard5cdbeb2005-10-10 20:59:28 +00002286 See |C-indenting|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002287
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00002288clearmatches() *clearmatches()*
2289 Clears all matches previously defined by |matchadd()| and the
2290 |:match| commands.
2291
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002292 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00002293col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002294 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
2295 . the cursor position
2296 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
2297 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
2298 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
2299 returned)
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00002300 Additionally {expr} can be [lnum, col]: a |List| with the line
2301 and column number. Most useful when the column is "$", to get
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002302 the last column of a specific line. When "lnum" or "col" is
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00002303 out of range then col() returns zero.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002304 To get the line number use |line()|. To get both use
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002305 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002306 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
2307 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
2308 Examples: >
2309 col(".") column of cursor
2310 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
2311 col("'t") column of mark t
2312 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002313< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002314 For an uppercase mark the column may actually be in another
2315 buffer.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002316 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
2317 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
2318 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
2319 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
2320 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
2321 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
2322 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
2323<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002324
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002325complete({startcol}, {matches}) *complete()* *E785*
2326 Set the matches for Insert mode completion.
2327 Can only be used in Insert mode. You need to use a mapping
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002328 with CTRL-R = |i_CTRL-R|. It does not work after CTRL-O or
2329 with an expression mapping.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002330 {startcol} is the byte offset in the line where the completed
2331 text start. The text up to the cursor is the original text
2332 that will be replaced by the matches. Use col('.') for an
2333 empty string. "col('.') - 1" will replace one character by a
2334 match.
2335 {matches} must be a |List|. Each |List| item is one match.
2336 See |complete-items| for the kind of items that are possible.
2337 Note that the after calling this function you need to avoid
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01002338 inserting anything that would cause completion to stop.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002339 The match can be selected with CTRL-N and CTRL-P as usual with
2340 Insert mode completion. The popup menu will appear if
2341 specified, see |ins-completion-menu|.
2342 Example: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002343 inoremap <F5> <C-R>=ListMonths()<CR>
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002344
2345 func! ListMonths()
2346 call complete(col('.'), ['January', 'February', 'March',
2347 \ 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September',
2348 \ 'October', 'November', 'December'])
2349 return ''
2350 endfunc
2351< This isn't very useful, but it shows how it works. Note that
2352 an empty string is returned to avoid a zero being inserted.
2353
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002354complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
2355 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
2356 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
2357 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
2358 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
2359 the list.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002360 See |complete-functions| for an explanation of {expr}. It is
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00002361 the same as one item in the list that 'omnifunc' would return.
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002362
2363complete_check() *complete_check()*
2364 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
2365 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
2366 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
2367 zero otherwise.
2368 Only to be used by the function specified with the
2369 'completefunc' option.
2370
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002371 *confirm()*
2372confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
2373 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
2374 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
2375 choice this is 1.
2376 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
2377 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
Bram Moolenaara800b422010-06-27 01:15:55 +02002378
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002379 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
2380 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
2381 used (and translated).
2382 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
2383 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
Bram Moolenaara800b422010-06-27 01:15:55 +02002384
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002385 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
2386 by '\n', e.g. >
2387 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
2388< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
2389 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
2390 not need to be the first letter: >
2391 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
2392< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
2393 the default shortcut key.
Bram Moolenaara800b422010-06-27 01:15:55 +02002394
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002395 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
2396 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
2397 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
2398 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
Bram Moolenaara800b422010-06-27 01:15:55 +02002399
2400 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
2401 is only used for the icon of the GTK, Mac, Motif and Win32
2402 GUI. It can be one of these values: "Error", "Question",
2403 "Info", "Warning" or "Generic". Only the first character is
2404 relevant. When {type} is omitted, "Generic" is used.
2405
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002406 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
2407 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
2408
2409 An example: >
2410 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
2411 :if choice == 0
2412 : echo "make up your mind!"
2413 :elseif choice == 3
2414 : echo "tasteful"
2415 :else
2416 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
2417 :endif
2418< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
2419 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002420 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002421 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
2422 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
2423 the horizontal layout is always used.
2424
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002425 *copy()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002426copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002427 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002428 When {expr} is a |List| a shallow copy is created. This means
2429 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002430 copy, and vice versa. But the items are identical, thus
2431 changing an item changes the contents of both |Lists|. Also
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002432 see |deepcopy()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002433
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002434cos({expr}) *cos()*
2435 Return the cosine of {expr}, measured in radians, as a |Float|.
2436 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2437 Examples: >
2438 :echo cos(100)
2439< 0.862319 >
2440 :echo cos(-4.01)
2441< -0.646043
2442 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2443
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002444
2445cosh({expr}) *cosh()*
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02002446 Return the hyperbolic cosine of {expr} as a |Float| in the range
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002447 [1, inf].
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02002448 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002449 Examples: >
2450 :echo cosh(0.5)
2451< 1.127626 >
2452 :echo cosh(-0.5)
2453< -1.127626
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02002454 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002455
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002456
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002457count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002458 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002459 in |List| or |Dictionary| {comp}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002460 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002461 {start} can only be used with a |List|.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002462 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
2463
2464
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002465 *cscope_connection()*
2466cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
2467 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
2468 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
2469 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
2470 if there are no cscope connections;
2471 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
2472
2473 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
2474 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
2475
2476 {num} Description of existence check
2477 ----- ------------------------------
2478 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
2479 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
2480 {dbpath}.
2481 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
2482 {dbpath}.
2483 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
2484 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2485 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
2486 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2487
2488 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2489
2490 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2491
2492 # pid database name prepend path
2493 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2494<
2495 Invocation Return Val ~
2496 ---------- ---------- >
2497 cscope_connection() 1
2498 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2499 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2500 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2501 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2502 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2503 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2504 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2505<
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002506cursor({lnum}, {col} [, {off}]) *cursor()*
2507cursor({list})
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002508 Positions the cursor at the column (byte count) {col} in the
2509 line {lnum}. The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002510 When there is one argument {list} this is used as a |List|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002511 with two or three items {lnum}, {col} and {off}. This is like
2512 the return value of |getpos()|, but without the first item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002513 Does not change the jumplist.
2514 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2515 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2516 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002517 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002518 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2519 line.
2520 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002521 When 'virtualedit' is used {off} specifies the offset in
2522 screen columns from the start of the character. E.g., a
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00002523 position within a <Tab> or after the last character.
Bram Moolenaar798b30b2009-04-22 10:56:16 +00002524 Returns 0 when the position could be set, -1 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002525
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002526
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002527deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002528 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002529 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002530 When {expr} is a |List| a full copy is created. This means
2531 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002532 copy, and vice versa. When an item is a |List|, a copy for it
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002533 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002534 not change the contents of the original |List|.
2535 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained |List| or
2536 |Dictionary| is only copied once. All references point to
2537 this single copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a
2538 |List| or |Dictionary| results in a new copy. This also means
2539 that a cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002540 *E724*
2541 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002542 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2543 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002544 Also see |copy()|.
2545
2546delete({fname}) *delete()*
2547 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002548 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2549 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002550 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002551
2552 *did_filetype()*
2553did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2554 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2555 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2556 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2557 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2558 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2559 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2560 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2561 file.
2562
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002563diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2564 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2565 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2566 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2567 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2568 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2569 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2570 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2571
2572diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2573 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2574 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2575 diff change zero is returned.
2576 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2577 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2578 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2579 line.
2580 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2581 syntax information about the highlighting.
2582
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002583empty({expr}) *empty()*
2584 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002585 A |List| or |Dictionary| is empty when it does not have any
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002586 items. A Number is empty when its value is zero.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01002587 For a long |List| this is much faster than comparing the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002588 length with zero.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002589
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002590escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2591 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2592 backslash. Example: >
2593 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2594< results in: >
2595 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002596< Also see |shellescape()|.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002597
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002598 *eval()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002599eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2600 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002601 This works for Numbers, Floats, Strings and composites of
2602 them. Also works for |Funcref|s that refer to existing
2603 functions.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002604
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002605eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2606 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2607 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2608 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2609 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2610
2611executable({expr}) *executable()*
2612 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2613 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002614 arguments.
2615 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2616 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2617 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2618 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002619 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2620 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002621 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002622 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002623 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2624 extension.
2625 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2626 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00002627 On MS-Windows an executable in the same directory as Vim is
2628 always found. Since this directory is added to $PATH it
2629 should also work to execute it |win32-PATH|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002630 The result is a Number:
2631 1 exists
2632 0 does not exist
2633 -1 not implemented on this system
2634
2635 *exists()*
2636exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2637 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2638 which contains one of these:
2639 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2640 not if it really works)
2641 +option-name Vim option that works.
2642 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2643 done by comparing with an empty
2644 string)
2645 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2646 or user defined function (see
2647 |user-functions|).
2648 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002649 |internal-variables|). Also works
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002650 for |curly-braces-names|, |Dictionary|
2651 entries, |List| items, etc. Beware
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00002652 that evaluating an index may cause an
2653 error message for an invalid
2654 expression. E.g.: >
2655 :let l = [1, 2, 3]
2656 :echo exists("l[5]")
2657< 0 >
2658 :echo exists("l[xx]")
2659< E121: Undefined variable: xx
2660 0
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002661 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2662 command or command modifier |:command|.
2663 Returns:
2664 1 for match with start of a command
2665 2 full match with a command
2666 3 matches several user commands
2667 To check for a supported command
2668 always check the return value to be 2.
Bram Moolenaar14716812006-05-04 21:54:08 +00002669 :2match The |:2match| command.
2670 :3match The |:3match| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002671 #event autocommand defined for this event
2672 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2673 pattern (the pattern is taken
2674 literally and compared to the
2675 autocommand patterns character by
2676 character)
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002677 #group autocommand group exists
2678 #group#event autocommand defined for this group and
2679 event.
2680 #group#event#pattern
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002681 autocommand defined for this group,
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002682 event and pattern.
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002683 ##event autocommand for this event is
2684 supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002685 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2686
2687 Examples: >
2688 exists("&shortname")
2689 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2690 exists("*strftime")
2691 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2692 exists("bufcount")
2693 exists(":Make")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002694 exists("#CursorHold")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002695 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002696 exists("#filetypeindent")
2697 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType")
2698 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType#*")
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002699 exists("##ColorScheme")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002700< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2701 name.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002702 There must be no extra characters after the name, although in
2703 a few cases this is ignored. That may become more strict in
2704 the future, thus don't count on it!
2705 Working example: >
2706 exists(":make")
2707< NOT working example: >
2708 exists(":make install")
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00002709
2710< Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2711 variable itself. For example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002712 exists(bufcount)
2713< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
Bram Moolenaar06a89a52006-04-29 22:01:03 +00002714 but gets the value of "bufcount", and checks if that exists.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002715
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002716exp({expr}) *exp()*
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02002717 Return the exponential of {expr} as a |Float| in the range
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002718 [0, inf].
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02002719 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002720 Examples: >
2721 :echo exp(2)
2722< 7.389056 >
2723 :echo exp(-1)
2724< 0.367879
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02002725 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002726
2727
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002728expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2729 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +01002730 The result is a String. 'wildignorecase' applies.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002731
2732 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2733 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2734 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2735
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002736 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002737 for a non-existing file is not included.
2738
2739 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2740 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2741 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2742
2743 % current file name
2744 # alternate file name
2745 #n alternate file name n
2746 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2747 <afile> autocmd file name
2748 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2749 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2750 <sfile> sourced script file name
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +01002751 <slnum> sourced script file line number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002752 <cword> word under the cursor
2753 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2754 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2755 message |server2client()|
2756 Modifiers:
2757 :p expand to full path
2758 :h head (last path component removed)
2759 :t tail (last path component only)
2760 :r root (one extension removed)
2761 :e extension only
2762
2763 Example: >
2764 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2765< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2766 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2767 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2768< Use this: >
2769 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2770< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2771 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2772 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2773 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2774 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2775<
2776 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2777 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2778 to modify normal file names.
2779
2780 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2781 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2782 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2783 '/' added.
2784
2785 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2786 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2787 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2788 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002789 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2790 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2791 files in the current directory and below: >
2792 :echo expand("**/README")
2793<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002794 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2795 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002796 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002797 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002798 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002799 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2800 "$FOOBAR".
2801
2802 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2803 getting the raw output of an external command.
2804
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002805extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002806 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both |Lists| or both
2807 |Dictionaries|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002808
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002809 If they are |Lists|: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002810 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2811 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2812 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2813 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002814 Examples: >
2815 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2816 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaardc9cf9c2008-08-08 10:36:31 +00002817< When {expr1} is the same List as {expr2} then the number of
2818 items copied is equal to the original length of the List.
2819 E.g., when {expr3} is 1 you get N new copies of the first item
2820 (where N is the original length of the List).
2821 Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002822 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002823 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002824<
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002825 If they are |Dictionaries|:
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002826 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2827 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2828 used to decide what to do:
2829 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2830 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002831 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002832 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2833
2834 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2835 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2836 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2837 Returns {expr1}.
2838
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002839
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002840feedkeys({string} [, {mode}]) *feedkeys()*
2841 Characters in {string} are queued for processing as if they
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002842 come from a mapping or were typed by the user. They are added
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002843 to the end of the typeahead buffer, thus if a mapping is still
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002844 being executed these characters come after them.
2845 The function does not wait for processing of keys contained in
2846 {string}.
2847 To include special keys into {string}, use double-quotes
2848 and "\..." notation |expr-quote|. For example,
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00002849 feedkeys("\<CR>") simulates pressing of the <Enter> key. But
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002850 feedkeys('\<CR>') pushes 5 characters.
2851 If {mode} is absent, keys are remapped.
2852 {mode} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00002853 'm' Remap keys. This is default.
2854 'n' Do not remap keys.
2855 't' Handle keys as if typed; otherwise they are handled as
2856 if coming from a mapping. This matters for undo,
2857 opening folds, etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002858 Return value is always 0.
2859
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002860filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2861 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2862 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2863 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2864 expression, which is used as a String.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002865 If you don't care about the file being readable you can use
2866 |glob()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002867 *file_readable()*
2868 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2869
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002870
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002871filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2872 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2873 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002874 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If {file} is a
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002875 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2876
2877
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002878filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002879 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002880 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002881 is zero remove the item from the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002882 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002883 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002884 Examples: >
2885 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2886< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2887 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2888< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2889 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002890< Removes all the items, thus clears the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002891
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002892 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2893 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2894 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2895
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002896 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
2897 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +00002898 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), 'v:val =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002899
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002900< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002901 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
2902 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002903
2904
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002905finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
Bram Moolenaar5b6b1ca2007-03-27 08:19:43 +00002906 Find directory {name} in {path}. Supports both downwards and
2907 upwards recursive directory searches. See |file-searching|
2908 for the syntax of {path}.
2909 Returns the path of the first found match. When the found
2910 directory is below the current directory a relative path is
2911 returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002912 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2913 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002914 {name} in {path} instead of the first one.
Bram Moolenaar899dddf2006-03-26 21:06:50 +00002915 When {count} is negative return all the matches in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002916 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02002917 {only available when compiled with the |+file_in_path|
2918 feature}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002919
2920findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2921 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002922 Uses 'suffixesadd'.
2923 Example: >
2924 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002925< Searches from the directory of the current file upwards until
2926 it finds the file "tags.vim".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002927
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002928float2nr({expr}) *float2nr()*
2929 Convert {expr} to a Number by omitting the part after the
2930 decimal point.
2931 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a Number.
2932 When the value of {expr} is out of range for a |Number| the
2933 result is truncated to 0x7fffffff or -0x7fffffff. NaN results
2934 in -0x80000000.
2935 Examples: >
2936 echo float2nr(3.95)
2937< 3 >
2938 echo float2nr(-23.45)
2939< -23 >
2940 echo float2nr(1.0e100)
2941< 2147483647 >
2942 echo float2nr(-1.0e150)
2943< -2147483647 >
2944 echo float2nr(1.0e-100)
2945< 0
2946 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2947
2948
2949floor({expr}) *floor()*
2950 Return the largest integral value less than or equal to
2951 {expr} as a |Float| (round down).
2952 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2953 Examples: >
2954 echo floor(1.856)
2955< 1.0 >
2956 echo floor(-5.456)
2957< -6.0 >
2958 echo floor(4.0)
2959< 4.0
2960 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2961
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002962
2963fmod({expr1}, {expr2}) *fmod()*
2964 Return the remainder of {expr1} / {expr2}, even if the
2965 division is not representable. Returns {expr1} - i * {expr2}
2966 for some integer i such that if {expr2} is non-zero, the
2967 result has the same sign as {expr1} and magnitude less than
2968 the magnitude of {expr2}. If {expr2} is zero, the value
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02002969 returned is zero. The value returned is a |Float|.
2970 {expr1} and {expr2} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002971 Examples: >
2972 :echo fmod(12.33, 1.22)
2973< 0.13 >
2974 :echo fmod(-12.33, 1.22)
2975< -0.13
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02002976 {only available when compiled with |+float| feature}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002977
2978
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002979fnameescape({string}) *fnameescape()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002980 Escape {string} for use as file name command argument. All
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002981 characters that have a special meaning, such as '%' and '|'
2982 are escaped with a backslash.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002983 For most systems the characters escaped are
2984 " \t\n*?[{`$\\%#'\"|!<". For systems where a backslash
2985 appears in a filename, it depends on the value of 'isfname'.
Bram Moolenaar1b24e4b2008-08-08 10:59:17 +00002986 A leading '+' and '>' is also escaped (special after |:edit|
2987 and |:write|). And a "-" by itself (special after |:cd|).
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002988 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar1b24e4b2008-08-08 10:59:17 +00002989 :let fname = '+some str%nge|name'
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002990 :exe "edit " . fnameescape(fname)
2991< results in executing: >
Bram Moolenaar1b24e4b2008-08-08 10:59:17 +00002992 edit \+some\ str\%nge\|name
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002993
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002994fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2995 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2996 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2997 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2998 Example: >
2999 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
3000< results in: >
3001 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003002< Note: Environment variables don't work in {fname}, use
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003003 |expand()| first then.
3004
3005foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
3006 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
3007 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
3008 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
3009
3010foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
3011 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
3012 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
3013 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
3014
3015foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
3016 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003017 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003018 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
3019 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
3020 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
3021 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
3022 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
3023 previous line is usually available.
3024
3025 *foldtext()*
3026foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
3027 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
3028 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
3029 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
3030 The returned string looks like this: >
3031 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003032< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003033 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
3034 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
3035 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
3036 options is removed.
3037 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
3038
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00003039foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
3040 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
3041 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
3042 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
3043 returned.
3044 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
3045 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
3046 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
3047 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
3048
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003049 *foreground()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003050foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003051 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
3052 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
3053 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
3054 |remote_foreground()| instead.
3055 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3056 Win32 console version}
3057
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003058
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003059function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003060 Return a |Funcref| variable that refers to function {name}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003061 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
3062
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003063
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00003064garbagecollect([at_exit]) *garbagecollect()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003065 Cleanup unused |Lists| and |Dictionaries| that have circular
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00003066 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
3067 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
3068 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
3069 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
3070 freed when they become unused.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003071 This is useful if you have deleted a very big |List| and/or
3072 |Dictionary| with circular references in a script that runs
3073 for a long time.
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00003074 When the optional "at_exit" argument is one, garbage
3075 collection will also be done when exiting Vim, if it wasn't
3076 done before. This is useful when checking for memory leaks.
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00003077
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003078get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003079 Get item {idx} from |List| {list}. When this item is not
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003080 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
3081 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003082get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003083 Get item with key {key} from |Dictionary| {dict}. When this
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003084 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
3085 {default} is omitted.
3086
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003087 *getbufline()*
3088getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003089 Return a |List| with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
3090 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a
3091 |List| with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003092
3093 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3094
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00003095 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
3096 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003097
3098 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003099 lines in the buffer, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003100
3101 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
3102 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003103 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003104 returned.
3105
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00003106 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003107 non-existing buffers, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003108
3109 Example: >
3110 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003111
3112getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
3113 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
3114 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
3115 must be used.
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003116 When {varname} is empty returns a dictionary with all the
3117 buffer-local variables.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00003118 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
3119 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
3120 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003121 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3122 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
3123 returned, there is no error message.
3124 Examples: >
3125 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
3126 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
3127<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003128getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003129 Get a single character from the user or input stream.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003130 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
3131 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003132 Return zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003133 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003134 not consumed. Return zero if no character available.
3135
3136 Without {expr} and when {expr} is 0 a whole character or
3137 special key is returned. If it is an 8-bit character, the
3138 result is a number. Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
3139 Otherwise a String is returned with the encoded character.
3140 For a special key it's a sequence of bytes starting with 0x80
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00003141 (decimal: 128). This is the same value as the string
3142 "\<Key>", e.g., "\<Left>". The returned value is also a
3143 String when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used that is
3144 not included in the character.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003145
3146 When {expr} is 1 only the first byte is returned. For a
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00003147 one-byte character it is the character itself as a number.
3148 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003149
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00003150 When the user clicks a mouse button, the mouse event will be
3151 returned. The position can then be found in |v:mouse_col|,
3152 |v:mouse_lnum| and |v:mouse_win|. This example positions the
3153 mouse as it would normally happen: >
3154 let c = getchar()
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003155 if c == "\<LeftMouse>" && v:mouse_win > 0
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00003156 exe v:mouse_win . "wincmd w"
3157 exe v:mouse_lnum
3158 exe "normal " . v:mouse_col . "|"
3159 endif
3160<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003161 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
3162 user that a character has to be typed.
3163 There is no mapping for the character.
3164 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
3165 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
3166 sequence. Examples: >
3167 getchar() == "\<Del>"
3168 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
3169< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
3170 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
3171 :function FindChar()
3172 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
3173 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
3174 : normal l
3175 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
3176 : break
3177 : endif
3178 : endwhile
3179 :endfunction
3180
3181getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
3182 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
3183 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
3184 These values are added together:
3185 2 shift
3186 4 control
3187 8 alt (meta)
3188 16 mouse double click
3189 32 mouse triple click
3190 64 mouse quadruple click
3191 128 Macintosh only: command
3192 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003193 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003194 without a modifier.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003195
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003196getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
3197 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
3198 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
3199 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
3200 Example: >
3201 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003202< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003203
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003204getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003205 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
3206 byte count. The first column is 1.
3207 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
3208 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003209 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
3210
3211getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
3212 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
3213 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00003214 : normal Ex command
3215 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
3216 / forward search command
3217 ? backward search command
3218 @ |input()| command
3219 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003220 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
3221 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
3222 otherwise.
3223 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003224
3225 *getcwd()*
3226getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
3227 working directory.
3228
3229getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
3230 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
3231 given file {fname}.
3232 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
3233 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard827ada2007-06-19 15:19:55 +00003234 If the size of {fname} is too big to fit in a Number then -2
3235 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003236
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003237getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
3238 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
3239 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
3240 |hl-Normal|.
3241 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
3242 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
3243 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
3244 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00003245 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not in your vimrc or
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003246 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
3247 function just after the GUI has started.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003248 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
3249 for a valid name does not work.
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003250
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003251getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
3252 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
3253 permissions of the given file {fname}.
3254 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
3255 empty string is returned.
3256 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
3257 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
3258 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
3259 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
3260 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
3261 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
3262< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
3263 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003264
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003265getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
3266 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
3267 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
3268 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
3269 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
3270 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
3271
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003272getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
3273 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
3274 file of the given file {fname}.
3275 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
3276 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
3277 results:
3278 Normal file "file"
3279 Directory "dir"
3280 Symbolic link "link"
3281 Block device "bdev"
3282 Character device "cdev"
3283 Socket "socket"
3284 FIFO "fifo"
3285 All other "other"
3286 Example: >
3287 getftype("/home")
3288< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
3289 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
3290 "file" are returned.
3291
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003292 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003293getline({lnum} [, {end}])
3294 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
3295 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003296 getline(1)
3297< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
3298 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
3299 To get the line under the cursor: >
3300 getline(".")
3301< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
3302 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
3303
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003304 When {end} is given the result is a |List| where each item is
3305 a line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003306 including line {end}.
3307 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
3308 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003309 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003310 Example: >
3311 :let start = line('.')
3312 :let end = search("^$") - 1
3313 :let lines = getline(start, end)
3314
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003315< To get lines from another buffer see |getbufline()|
3316
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00003317getloclist({nr}) *getloclist()*
3318 Returns a list with all the entries in the location list for
3319 window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
3320 For a location list window, the displayed location list is
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003321 returned. For an invalid window number {nr}, an empty list is
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003322 returned. Otherwise, same as |getqflist()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003323
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003324getmatches() *getmatches()*
3325 Returns a |List| with all matches previously defined by
3326 |matchadd()| and the |:match| commands. |getmatches()| is
3327 useful in combination with |setmatches()|, as |setmatches()|
3328 can restore a list of matches saved by |getmatches()|.
3329 Example: >
3330 :echo getmatches()
3331< [{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
3332 'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
3333 'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}] >
3334 :let m = getmatches()
3335 :call clearmatches()
3336 :echo getmatches()
3337< [] >
3338 :call setmatches(m)
3339 :echo getmatches()
3340< [{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
3341 'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
3342 'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}] >
3343 :unlet m
3344<
3345
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003346getqflist() *getqflist()*
3347 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
3348 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
3349 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
3350 bufname() to get the name
3351 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
3352 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003353 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
3354 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003355 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00003356 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003357 text description of the error
3358 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
3359 valid non-zero: recognized error message
3360
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00003361 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00003362 returned. Quickfix list entries with non-existing buffer
3363 number are returned with "bufnr" set to zero.
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00003364
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003365 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
3366 do something with them: >
3367 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
3368 :for d in getqflist()
3369 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
3370 :endfor
3371
3372
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003373getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003374 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003375 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003376 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
3377< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003378 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003379 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
3380 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
3381 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003382 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
3383
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003384
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003385getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
3386 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
3387 The value will be one of:
3388 "v" for |characterwise| text
3389 "V" for |linewise| text
3390 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
3391 0 for an empty or unknown register
3392 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
3393 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
3394
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02003395gettabvar({tabnr}, {varname}) *gettabvar()*
3396 Get the value of a tab-local variable {varname} in tab page
3397 {tabnr}. |t:var|
3398 Tabs are numbered starting with one.
3399 Note that the name without "t:" must be used.
3400
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003401gettabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}) *gettabwinvar()*
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003402 Get the value of window-local variable {varname} in window
3403 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}.
3404 When {varname} starts with "&" get the value of a window-local
3405 option.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003406 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
3407 use |getwinvar()|.
3408 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
3409 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
3410 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
3411 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003412 When {varname} is empty a dictionary with all window-local
3413 variables is returned.
3414 Note that {varname} must be the name without "w:".
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003415 Examples: >
3416 :let list_is_on = gettabwinvar(1, 2, '&list')
3417 :echo "myvar = " . gettabwinvar(3, 1, 'myvar')
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00003418<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003419 *getwinposx()*
3420getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
3421 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
3422 -1 if the information is not available.
3423
3424 *getwinposy()*
3425getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003426 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003427 information is not available.
3428
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003429getwinvar({winnr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
3430 Like |gettabwinvar()| for the current tabpage.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003431 Examples: >
3432 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
3433 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
3434<
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003435glob({expr} [, {flag}]) *glob()*
3436 Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. See |wildcards| for the
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003437 use of special characters.
3438 The result is a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003439 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
3440 characters.
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003441 Unless the optional {flag} argument is given and is non-zero,
3442 the 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' options apply: Names matching
3443 one of the patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped and
3444 'suffixes' affect the ordering of matches.
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +01003445 'wildignorecase' always applies.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003446 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
3447 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
3448
3449 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
3450 any external command. Example: >
3451 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
3452 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
3453< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003454 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003455
3456 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
3457 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
3458
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003459globpath({path}, {expr} [, {flag}]) *globpath()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003460 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
3461 the results. Example: >
3462 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
3463< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
3464 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003465 |glob()|. A path separator is inserted when needed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003466 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
3467 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
3468 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
3469 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
3470 error message.
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003471 Unless the optional {flag} argument is given and is non-zero,
3472 the 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' options apply: Names matching
3473 one of the patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped and
3474 'suffixes' affect the ordering of matches.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003475
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003476 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
3477 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
3478 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
3479 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003480< Upwards search and limiting the depth of "**" is not
3481 supported, thus using 'path' will not always work properly.
3482
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003483 *has()*
3484has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
3485 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
3486 string. See |feature-list| below.
3487 Also see |exists()|.
3488
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003489
3490has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003491 The result is a Number, which is 1 if |Dictionary| {dict} has
3492 an entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003493
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00003494haslocaldir() *haslocaldir()*
3495 The result is a Number, which is 1 when the current
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003496 window has set a local path via |:lcd|, and 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003497
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003498hasmapto({what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *hasmapto()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003499 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
3500 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
3501 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
3502 {mode}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003503 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00003504 instead of mappings. Don't forget to specify Insert and/or
3505 Command-line mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003506 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
3507 buffer are checked for a match.
3508 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
3509 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
3510 n Normal mode
3511 v Visual mode
3512 o Operator-pending mode
3513 i Insert mode
3514 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
3515 c Command-line mode
3516 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
3517
3518 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003519 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003520 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
3521 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
3522 :endif
3523< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
3524 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
3525
3526histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
3527 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
3528 one of: *hist-names*
3529 "cmd" or ":" command line history
3530 "search" or "/" search pattern history
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003531 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003532 "input" or "@" input line history
3533 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
3534 shifted to become the newest entry.
3535 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
3536 otherwise 0 is returned.
3537
3538 Example: >
3539 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
3540 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
3541< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3542
3543histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003544 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003545 for the possible values of {history}.
3546
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003547 If the parameter {item} evaluates to a String, it is used as a
3548 regular expression. All entries matching that expression will
3549 be removed from the history (if there are any).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003550 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003551 If {item} evaluates to a Number, it will be interpreted as
3552 an index, see |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will
3553 be removed if it exists.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003554
3555 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
3556 otherwise 0 is returned.
3557
3558 Examples:
3559 Clear expression register history: >
3560 :call histdel("expr")
3561<
3562 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
3563 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
3564<
3565 The following three are equivalent: >
3566 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
3567 :call histdel("search", -1)
3568 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
3569<
3570 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
3571 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
3572 :call histdel("search", -1)
3573 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
3574
3575histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
3576 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
3577 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
3578 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
3579 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
3580 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
3581
3582 Examples:
3583 Redo the second last search from history. >
3584 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
3585
3586< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
3587 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
3588 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
3589<
3590histnr({history}) *histnr()*
3591 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
3592 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
3593 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
3594
3595 Example: >
3596 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
3597<
3598hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
3599 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
3600 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
3601 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
3602 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
3603 item.
3604 *highlight_exists()*
3605 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
3606
3607 *hlID()*
3608hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
3609 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
3610 zero is returned.
3611 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003612 group. For example, to get the background color of the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003613 "Comment" group: >
3614 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
3615< *highlightID()*
3616 Obsolete name: highlightID().
3617
3618hostname() *hostname()*
3619 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003620 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003621 256 characters long are truncated.
3622
3623iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
3624 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
3625 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003626 When the conversion completely fails an empty string is
3627 returned. When some characters could not be converted they
3628 are replaced with "?".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003629 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
3630 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
3631 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
3632 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
3633 can be done.
3634 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
3635 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
3636 UTF-8 and use: >
3637 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
3638< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
3639 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
3640 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02003641 {only available when compiled with the |+multi_byte| feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003642
3643 *indent()*
3644indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
3645 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
3646 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
3647 |getline()|.
3648 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
3649
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003650
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003651index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003652 Return the lowest index in |List| {list} where the item has a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003653 value equal to {expr}. There is no automatic conversion, so
3654 the String "4" is different from the Number 4. And the number
3655 4 is different from the Float 4.0. The value of 'ignorecase'
3656 is not used here, case always matters.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00003657 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
3658 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003659 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
3660 case must match.
3661 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
3662 Example: >
3663 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003664 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003665
3666
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003667input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003668 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003669 the command-line. The {prompt} argument is either a prompt
3670 string, or a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used
3671 in the prompt to start a new line.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003672 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
3673 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003674 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003675 for lines typed for input().
3676 Example: >
3677 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
3678 : echo "Cheers!"
3679 :endif
3680<
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003681 If the optional {text} argument is present and not empty, this
3682 is used for the default reply, as if the user typed this.
3683 Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003684 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
3685
3686< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
3687 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003688 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003689 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003690 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003691 more information. Example: >
3692 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
3693<
3694 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
3695 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003696 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
3697 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
3698 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
3699 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
3700 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
3701 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
3702 |:execute| or |:normal|.
3703
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003704 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003705 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
3706 :function GetFoo()
3707 : call inputsave()
3708 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
3709 : call inputrestore()
3710 :endfunction
3711
3712inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003713 Like |input()|, but when the GUI is running and text dialogs
3714 are supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003715 Example: >
3716 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
3717 :if n != ""
3718 : let &sw = n
3719 :endif
3720< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
3721 omitted an empty string is returned.
3722 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
3723 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003724 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003725
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003726inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003727 {textlist} must be a |List| of strings. This |List| is
3728 displayed, one string per line. The user will be prompted to
3729 enter a number, which is returned.
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003730 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003731 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003732 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
3733 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
3734 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003735 Make sure {textlist} has less than 'lines' entries, otherwise
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003736 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003737 the start of the string. And put a prompt in the first item.
3738 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003739 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3740 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3741
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003742inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003743 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous |inputsave()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003744 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3745 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3746 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3747
3748inputsave() *inputsave()*
3749 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3750 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3751 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3752 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3753 many inputrestore() calls.
3754 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3755
3756inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3757 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3758 two exceptions:
3759 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3760 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3761 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3762 |history| stack.
3763 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3764 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003765 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003766
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003767insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003768 Insert {item} at the start of |List| {list}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003769 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003770 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003771 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3772 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003773 Returns the resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003774 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3775 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3776 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003777< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003778 Note that when {item} is a |List| it is inserted as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003779 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003780
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003781isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3782 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3783 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3784 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3785 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3786
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003787islocked({expr}) *islocked()* *E786*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003788 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3789 name of a locked variable.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003790 {expr} must be the name of a variable, |List| item or
3791 |Dictionary| entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003792 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3793 :lockvar 1 alist
3794 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3795 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3796
3797< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00003798 message. Use |exists()| to check for existence.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003799
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003800items({dict}) *items()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003801 Return a |List| with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3802 |List| item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict}
3803 entry and the value of this entry. The |List| is in arbitrary
3804 order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003805
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003806
3807join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3808 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3809 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3810 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3811 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3812 add it there too: >
3813 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003814< String items are used as-is. |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003815 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3816 The opposite function is |split()|.
3817
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003818keys({dict}) *keys()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003819 Return a |List| with all the keys of {dict}. The |List| is in
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003820 arbitrary order.
3821
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003822 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003823len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3824 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3825 used, as with |strlen()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003826 When {expr} is a |List| the number of items in the |List| is
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003827 returned.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003828 When {expr} is a |Dictionary| the number of entries in the
3829 |Dictionary| is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003830 Otherwise an error is given.
3831
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003832 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3833libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3834 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3835 with single argument {argument}.
3836 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3837 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3838 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3839 limited.
3840 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3841 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3842 to Vim.
3843 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3844 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3845 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3846 null-terminated string.
3847 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3848
3849 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3850 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3851 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3852 very probably crash.
3853
3854 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3855 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3856 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3857 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3858 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3859 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3860 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3861 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3862 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3863 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3864
3865 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003866 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003867 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3868 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3869 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3870 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3871 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3872 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003873 {only in Win32 and some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003874 feature is present}
3875 Examples: >
3876 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003877<
3878 *libcallnr()*
3879libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003880 Just like |libcall()|, but used for a function that returns an
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003881 int instead of a string.
3882 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3883 feature is present}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003884 Examples: >
3885 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003886 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3887 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3888<
3889 *line()*
3890line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3891 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3892 . the cursor position
3893 $ the last line in the current buffer
3894 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3895 returned)
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00003896 w0 first line visible in current window
3897 w$ last line visible in current window
Bram Moolenaar9ecd0232008-06-20 15:31:51 +00003898 v In Visual mode: the start of the Visual area (the
3899 cursor is the end). When not in Visual mode
3900 returns the cursor position. Differs from |'<| in
3901 that it's updated right away.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003902 Note that a mark in another file can be used. The line number
3903 then applies to another buffer.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003904 To get the column number use |col()|. To get both use
3905 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003906 Examples: >
3907 line(".") line number of the cursor
3908 line("'t") line number of mark t
3909 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3910< *last-position-jump*
3911 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3912 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003913 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 1 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal! g`\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003914
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003915line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3916 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3917 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3918 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3919 line returns 1.
3920 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3921 below the last line: >
3922 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3923< This is the file size plus one.
3924 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3925 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3926 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3927
3928lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3929 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3930 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3931 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3932 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3933 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3934 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3935
3936localtime() *localtime()*
3937 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3938 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3939
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003940
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02003941log({expr}) *log()*
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02003942 Return the natural logarithm (base e) of {expr} as a |Float|.
3943 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number| in the range
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02003944 (0, inf].
3945 Examples: >
3946 :echo log(10)
3947< 2.302585 >
3948 :echo log(exp(5))
3949< 5.0
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02003950 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02003951
3952
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003953log10({expr}) *log10()*
3954 Return the logarithm of Float {expr} to base 10 as a |Float|.
3955 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
3956 Examples: >
3957 :echo log10(1000)
3958< 3.0 >
3959 :echo log10(0.01)
3960< -2.0
3961 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
3962
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003963map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003964 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003965 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3966 {string}.
3967 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar627b1d32009-11-17 11:20:35 +00003968 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item
3969 and for a |List| |v:key| has the index of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003970 Example: >
3971 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003972< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003973
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003974 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003975 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003976 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3977 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003978
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003979 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
3980 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003981 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003982
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003983< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003984 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
3985 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003986
3987
Bram Moolenaarbd743252010-10-20 21:23:33 +02003988maparg({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr} [, {dict}]]]) *maparg()*
3989 When {dict} is omitted or zero: Return the rhs of mapping
3990 {name} in mode {mode}. The returned String has special
3991 characters translated like in the output of the ":map" command
3992 listing.
3993
3994 When there is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is
3995 returned.
3996
3997 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3998 command.
3999
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00004000 {mode} can be one of these strings:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004001 "n" Normal
Bram Moolenaarbd743252010-10-20 21:23:33 +02004002 "v" Visual (including Select)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004003 "o" Operator-pending
4004 "i" Insert
4005 "c" Cmd-line
Bram Moolenaarbd743252010-10-20 21:23:33 +02004006 "s" Select
4007 "x" Visual
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004008 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
4009 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00004010 When {mode} is omitted, the modes for "" are used.
Bram Moolenaarbd743252010-10-20 21:23:33 +02004011
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00004012 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
4013 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaarbd743252010-10-20 21:23:33 +02004014
4015 When {dict} is there and it is non-zero return a dictionary
4016 containing all the information of the mapping with the
4017 following items:
4018 "lhs" The {lhs} of the mapping.
4019 "rhs" The {rhs} of the mapping as typed.
4020 "silent" 1 for a |:map-silent| mapping, else 0.
Bram Moolenaar05365702010-10-27 18:34:44 +02004021 "noremap" 1 if the {rhs} of the mapping is not remappable.
Bram Moolenaarbd743252010-10-20 21:23:33 +02004022 "expr" 1 for an expression mapping (|:map-<expr>|).
4023 "buffer" 1 for a buffer local mapping (|:map-local|).
4024 "mode" Modes for which the mapping is defined. In
4025 addition to the modes mentioned above, these
4026 characters will be used:
4027 " " Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
4028 "!" Insert and Commandline mode
Bram Moolenaar166af9b2010-11-16 20:34:40 +01004029 (|mapmode-ic|)
Bram Moolenaar05365702010-10-27 18:34:44 +02004030 "sid" The script local ID, used for <sid> mappings
4031 (|<SID>|).
Bram Moolenaarbd743252010-10-20 21:23:33 +02004032
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004033 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
4034 then the global mappings.
Bram Moolenaara40ceaf2006-01-13 22:35:40 +00004035 This function can be used to map a key even when it's already
4036 mapped, and have it do the original mapping too. Sketch: >
4037 exe 'nnoremap <Tab> ==' . maparg('<Tab>', 'n')
4038
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004039
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00004040mapcheck({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *mapcheck()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004041 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
4042 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
4043 {name}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00004044 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
4045 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004046 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
4047 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
4048
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004049 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004050 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
4051 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
4052 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
4053 mapcheck("b") no no no
4054
4055 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
4056 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
4057 mapping for {name} exactly.
4058 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
4059 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
4060 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
4061 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
4062 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
4063 then the global mappings.
4064 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
4065 without being ambiguous. Example: >
4066 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
4067 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
4068 :endif
4069< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
4070 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
4071
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004072match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004073 When {expr} is a |List| then this returns the index of the
4074 first item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004075 String, |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are used as echoed.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004076 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004077 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
4078 {pat} matches.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004079 A match at the first character or |List| item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004080 If there is no match -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +02004081 For getting submatches see |matchlist()|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004082 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004083 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004084 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 1
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004085< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004086 *strpbrk()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004087 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004088 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
4089< *strcasestr()*
4090 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
4091 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
4092 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
4093<
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004094 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004095 {start} in a String or item {start} in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004096 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004097 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004098 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
4099< result is again "4". >
4100 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
4101< result is again "4". >
4102 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
4103< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00004104 For a String, if {start} > 0 then it is like the string starts
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004105 {start} bytes later, thus "^" will match at {start}. Except
4106 when {count} is given, then it's like matches before the
4107 {start} byte are ignored (this is a bit complicated to keep it
4108 backwards compatible).
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004109 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
4110 the index is counted from the end.
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00004111 If {start} is out of range ({start} > strlen({expr}) for a
4112 String or {start} > len({expr}) for a |List|) -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004113
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00004114 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00004115 is found in a String the search for the next one starts one
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00004116 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
4117 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
4118< In a |List| the search continues in the next item.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004119 Note that when {count} is added the way {start} works changes,
4120 see above.
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00004121
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004122 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
4123 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004124 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004125 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
4126
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004127 *matchadd()* *E798* *E799* *E801*
4128matchadd({group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
4129 Defines a pattern to be highlighted in the current window (a
4130 "match"). It will be highlighted with {group}. Returns an
4131 identification number (ID), which can be used to delete the
4132 match using |matchdelete()|.
4133
4134 The optional {priority} argument assigns a priority to the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004135 match. A match with a high priority will have its
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004136 highlighting overrule that of a match with a lower priority.
4137 A priority is specified as an integer (negative numbers are no
4138 exception). If the {priority} argument is not specified, the
4139 default priority is 10. The priority of 'hlsearch' is zero,
4140 hence all matches with a priority greater than zero will
4141 overrule it. Syntax highlighting (see 'syntax') is a separate
4142 mechanism, and regardless of the chosen priority a match will
4143 always overrule syntax highlighting.
4144
4145 The optional {id} argument allows the request for a specific
4146 match ID. If a specified ID is already taken, an error
4147 message will appear and the match will not be added. An ID
4148 is specified as a positive integer (zero excluded). IDs 1, 2
4149 and 3 are reserved for |:match|, |:2match| and |:3match|,
4150 respectively. If the {id} argument is not specified,
4151 |matchadd()| automatically chooses a free ID.
4152
4153 The number of matches is not limited, as it is the case with
4154 the |:match| commands.
4155
4156 Example: >
4157 :highlight MyGroup ctermbg=green guibg=green
4158 :let m = matchadd("MyGroup", "TODO")
4159< Deletion of the pattern: >
4160 :call matchdelete(m)
4161
4162< A list of matches defined by |matchadd()| and |:match| are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004163 available from |getmatches()|. All matches can be deleted in
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004164 one operation by |clearmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004165
4166matcharg({nr}) *matcharg()*
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004167 Selects the {nr} match item, as set with a |:match|,
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004168 |:2match| or |:3match| command.
4169 Return a |List| with two elements:
4170 The name of the highlight group used
4171 The pattern used.
4172 When {nr} is not 1, 2 or 3 returns an empty |List|.
4173 When there is no match item set returns ['', ''].
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004174 This is useful to save and restore a |:match|.
4175 Highlighting matches using the |:match| commands are limited
4176 to three matches. |matchadd()| does not have this limitation.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004177
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004178matchdelete({id}) *matchdelete()* *E802* *E803*
4179 Deletes a match with ID {id} previously defined by |matchadd()|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004180 or one of the |:match| commands. Returns 0 if successful,
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004181 otherwise -1. See example for |matchadd()|. All matches can
4182 be deleted in one operation by |clearmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004183
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004184matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004185 Same as |match()|, but return the index of first character
4186 after the match. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004187 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
4188< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004189 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
4190 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
4191 do it with matchend(): >
4192 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
4193 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
4194< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
4195
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004196 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for |match()|. >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004197 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
4198< results in "7". >
4199 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
4200< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004201 When {expr} is a |List| the result is equal to |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004202
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004203matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004204 Same as |match()|, but return a |List|. The first item in the
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004205 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
4206 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00004207 in |:substitute|. When an optional submatch didn't match an
4208 empty string is used. Example: >
4209 echo matchlist('acd', '\(a\)\?\(b\)\?\(c\)\?\(.*\)')
4210< Results in: ['acd', 'a', '', 'c', 'd', '', '', '', '', '']
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004211 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
4212
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004213matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004214 Same as |match()|, but return the matched string. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004215 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
4216< results in "ing".
4217 When there is no match "" is returned.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004218 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for |match()|. >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004219 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
4220< results in "ing". >
4221 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
4222< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004223 When {expr} is a |List| then the matching item is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004224 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004225
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004226 *max()*
4227max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
4228 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
4229 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004230 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004231
4232 *min()*
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00004233min({list}) Return the minimum value of all items in {list}.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004234 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
4235 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004236 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004237
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004238 *mkdir()* *E739*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004239mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
4240 Create directory {name}.
4241 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
4242 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
4243 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
4244 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004245 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
Bram Moolenaared39e1d2008-08-09 17:55:22 +00004246 for others. This is only used for the last part of {name}.
4247 Thus if you create /tmp/foo/bar then /tmp/foo will be created
4248 with 0755.
4249 Example: >
4250 :call mkdir($HOME . "/tmp/foo/bar", "p", 0700)
4251< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004252 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4253 :if exists("*mkdir")
4254<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004255 *mode()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004256mode([expr]) Return a string that indicates the current mode.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00004257 If [expr] is supplied and it evaluates to a non-zero Number or
4258 a non-empty String (|non-zero-arg|), then the full mode is
4259 returned, otherwise only the first letter is returned. Note
4260 that " " and "0" are also non-empty strings.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004261
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004262 n Normal
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004263 no Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004264 v Visual by character
4265 V Visual by line
4266 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
4267 s Select by character
4268 S Select by line
4269 CTRL-S Select blockwise
4270 i Insert
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004271 R Replace |R|
4272 Rv Virtual Replace |gR|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004273 c Command-line
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004274 cv Vim Ex mode |gQ|
4275 ce Normal Ex mode |Q|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004276 r Hit-enter prompt
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004277 rm The -- more -- prompt
4278 r? A |:confirm| query of some sort
4279 ! Shell or external command is executing
4280 This is useful in the 'statusline' option or when used
4281 with |remote_expr()| In most other places it always returns
4282 "c" or "n".
4283 Also see |visualmode()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004284
Bram Moolenaar7e506b62010-01-19 15:55:06 +01004285mzeval({expr}) *mzeval()*
4286 Evaluate MzScheme expression {expr} and return its result
4287 convert to Vim data structures.
4288 Numbers and strings are returned as they are.
4289 Pairs (including lists and improper lists) and vectors are
4290 returned as Vim |Lists|.
4291 Hash tables are represented as Vim |Dictionary| type with keys
4292 converted to strings.
4293 All other types are converted to string with display function.
4294 Examples: >
4295 :mz (define l (list 1 2 3))
4296 :mz (define h (make-hash)) (hash-set! h "list" l)
4297 :echo mzeval("l")
4298 :echo mzeval("h")
4299<
4300 {only available when compiled with the |+mzscheme| feature}
4301
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004302nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
4303 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
4304 that is not blank. Example: >
4305 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
4306< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
4307 below it, zero is returned.
4308 See also |prevnonblank()|.
4309
4310nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
4311 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
4312 value {expr}. Examples: >
4313 nr2char(64) returns "@"
4314 nr2char(32) returns " "
4315< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
4316 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
4317< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
4318 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
4319 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00004320 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004321
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00004322 *getpid()*
4323getpid() Return a Number which is the process ID of the Vim process.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004324 On Unix and MS-Windows this is a unique number, until Vim
4325 exits. On MS-DOS it's always zero.
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00004326
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004327 *getpos()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004328getpos({expr}) Get the position for {expr}. For possible values of {expr}
4329 see |line()|.
4330 The result is a |List| with four numbers:
4331 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
4332 "bufnum" is zero, unless a mark like '0 or 'A is used, then it
4333 is the buffer number of the mark.
4334 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
4335 column is 1.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004336 The "off" number is zero, unless 'virtualedit' is used. Then
4337 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004338 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004339 character.
4340 This can be used to save and restore the cursor position: >
4341 let save_cursor = getpos(".")
4342 MoveTheCursorAround
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00004343 call setpos('.', save_cursor)
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004344< Also see |setpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004345
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004346pathshorten({expr}) *pathshorten()*
4347 Shorten directory names in the path {expr} and return the
4348 result. The tail, the file name, is kept as-is. The other
4349 components in the path are reduced to single letters. Leading
4350 '~' and '.' characters are kept. Example: >
4351 :echo pathshorten('~/.vim/autoload/myfile.vim')
4352< ~/.v/a/myfile.vim ~
4353 It doesn't matter if the path exists or not.
4354
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004355pow({x}, {y}) *pow()*
4356 Return the power of {x} to the exponent {y} as a |Float|.
4357 {x} and {y} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
4358 Examples: >
4359 :echo pow(3, 3)
4360< 27.0 >
4361 :echo pow(2, 16)
4362< 65536.0 >
4363 :echo pow(32, 0.20)
4364< 2.0
4365 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
4366
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004367prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
4368 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
4369 that is not blank. Example: >
4370 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
4371< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
4372 above it, zero is returned.
4373 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
4374
4375
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004376printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
4377 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
4378 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004379 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004380< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004381 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004382
4383 Often used items are:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004384 %s string
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004385 %6s string right-aligned in 6 bytes
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004386 %.9s string truncated to 9 bytes
4387 %c single byte
4388 %d decimal number
4389 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
4390 %x hex number
4391 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
4392 %X hex number using upper case letters
4393 %o octal number
4394 %f floating point number in the form 123.456
4395 %e floating point number in the form 1.234e3
4396 %E floating point number in the form 1.234E3
4397 %g floating point number, as %f or %e depending on value
4398 %G floating point number, as %f or %E depending on value
4399 %% the % character itself
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004400
4401 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
4402 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
4403 the result.
4404
4405 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004406 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004407
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004408 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004409
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004410 flags
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004411 Zero or more of the following flags:
4412
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004413 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
4414 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
4415 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
4416 of the number is increased to force the first
4417 character of the output string to a zero (except
4418 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
4419 precision of zero).
4420 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
4421 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
4422 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004423
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004424 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
4425 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
4426 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
4427 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
4428 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004429
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004430 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
4431 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
4432 The converted value is padded on the right with
4433 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
4434 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004435
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004436 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
4437 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004438
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004439 + A sign must always be placed before a number
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004440 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004441 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004442
4443 field-width
4444 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004445 field width. If the converted value has fewer bytes
4446 than the field width, it will be padded with spaces on
4447 the left (or right, if the left-adjustment flag has
4448 been given) to fill out the field width.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004449
4450 .precision
4451 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
4452 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
4453 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
4454 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
4455 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004456 bytes to be printed from a string for s conversions.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004457 For floating point it is the number of digits after
4458 the decimal point.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004459
4460 type
4461 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
4462 be applied, see below.
4463
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004464 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
4465 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004466 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004467 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
4468 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
4469 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004470 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004471< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004472 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004473
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004474 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004475
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004476 *printf-d* *printf-o* *printf-x* *printf-X*
4477 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004478 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
4479 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
4480 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004481 conversions.
4482 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
4483 digits that must appear; if the converted value
4484 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
4485 zeros.
4486 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
4487 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
4488 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
4489 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
4490
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004491 *printf-c*
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004492 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
4493 resulting character is written.
4494
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004495 *printf-s*
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004496 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
4497 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
4498 specified are used.
4499
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004500 *printf-f* *E807*
4501 f The Float argument is converted into a string of the
4502 form 123.456. The precision specifies the number of
4503 digits after the decimal point. When the precision is
4504 zero the decimal point is omitted. When the precision
4505 is not specified 6 is used. A really big number
4506 (out of range or dividing by zero) results in "inf".
4507 "0.0 / 0.0" results in "nan".
4508 Example: >
4509 echo printf("%.2f", 12.115)
4510< 12.12
4511 Note that roundoff depends on the system libraries.
4512 Use |round()| when in doubt.
4513
4514 *printf-e* *printf-E*
4515 e E The Float argument is converted into a string of the
4516 form 1.234e+03 or 1.234E+03 when using 'E'. The
4517 precision specifies the number of digits after the
4518 decimal point, like with 'f'.
4519
4520 *printf-g* *printf-G*
4521 g G The Float argument is converted like with 'f' if the
4522 value is between 0.001 (inclusive) and 10000000.0
4523 (exclusive). Otherwise 'e' is used for 'g' and 'E'
4524 for 'G'. When no precision is specified superfluous
4525 zeroes and '+' signs are removed, except for the zero
4526 immediately after the decimal point. Thus 10000000.0
4527 results in 1.0e7.
4528
4529 *printf-%*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004530 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
4531 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004532
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00004533 When a Number argument is expected a String argument is also
4534 accepted and automatically converted.
4535 When a Float or String argument is expected a Number argument
4536 is also accepted and automatically converted.
4537 Any other argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004538
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00004539 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004540 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
4541 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004542 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004543
4544
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004545pumvisible() *pumvisible()*
4546 Returns non-zero when the popup menu is visible, zero
4547 otherwise. See |ins-completion-menu|.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004548 This can be used to avoid some things that would remove the
4549 popup menu.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004550
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004551 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004552range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004553 Returns a |List| with Numbers:
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004554 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
4555 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
4556 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
4557 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
4558 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00004559 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
4560 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
4561 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004562 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004563 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004564 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
4565 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004566 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00004567 range(0) " []
4568 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004569<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004570 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004571readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004572 Read file {fname} and return a |List|, each line of the file
4573 as an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004574 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
4575 NL appears somewhere).
Bram Moolenaar06583f12010-08-07 20:30:49 +02004576 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004577 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
4578 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
4579 added.
4580 - No CR characters are removed.
4581 Otherwise:
4582 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
4583 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
Bram Moolenaar06583f12010-08-07 20:30:49 +02004584 - When 'encoding' is Unicode any UTF-8 byte order mark is
4585 removed from the text.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004586 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
4587 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
4588 lines of a file: >
4589 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
4590 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
4591 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004592< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
4593 are returned, or as many as there are.
4594 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004595 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
4596 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
4597 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004598 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
4599 the result is an empty list.
4600 Also see |writefile()|.
4601
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004602reltime([{start} [, {end}]]) *reltime()*
4603 Return an item that represents a time value. The format of
4604 the item depends on the system. It can be passed to
4605 |reltimestr()| to convert it to a string.
4606 Without an argument it returns the current time.
4607 With one argument is returns the time passed since the time
4608 specified in the argument.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004609 With two arguments it returns the time passed between {start}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004610 and {end}.
4611 The {start} and {end} arguments must be values returned by
4612 reltime().
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02004613 {only available when compiled with the |+reltime| feature}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004614
4615reltimestr({time}) *reltimestr()*
4616 Return a String that represents the time value of {time}.
4617 This is the number of seconds, a dot and the number of
4618 microseconds. Example: >
4619 let start = reltime()
4620 call MyFunction()
4621 echo reltimestr(reltime(start))
4622< Note that overhead for the commands will be added to the time.
4623 The accuracy depends on the system.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004624 Leading spaces are used to make the string align nicely. You
4625 can use split() to remove it. >
4626 echo split(reltimestr(reltime(start)))[0]
4627< Also see |profiling|.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02004628 {only available when compiled with the |+reltime| feature}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004629
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004630 *remote_expr()* *E449*
4631remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004632 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004633 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004634 The result must be a String or a |List|. A |List| is turned
4635 into a String by joining the items with a line break in
4636 between (not at the end), like with join(expr, "\n").
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004637 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
4638 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
4639 remote_read() is stored there.
4640 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4641 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4642 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4643 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
4644 and the result will be the empty string.
4645 Examples: >
4646 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
4647 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
4648<
4649
4650remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
4651 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
4652 This works like: >
4653 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
4654< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
4655 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
4656 to bring itself to the foreground.
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004657 Note: This does not restore the window if it was minimized,
4658 like foreground() does.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004659 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4660 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
4661 Win32 console version}
4662
4663
4664remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
4665 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
4666 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004667 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004668 name of a variable.
4669 Returns zero if none are available.
4670 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
4671 See also |clientserver|.
4672 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4673 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4674 Examples: >
4675 :let repl = ""
4676 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
4677
4678remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
4679 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
4680 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
4681 See also |clientserver|.
4682 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4683 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4684 Example: >
4685 :echo remote_read(id)
4686<
4687 *remote_send()* *E241*
4688remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004689 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004690 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
4691 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004692 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a variable
4693 and a {serverid} for later use with remote_read() is stored
4694 there.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004695 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4696 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4697 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4698 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
4699 up the display.
4700 Examples: >
4701 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
4702 \ remote_read(serverid)
4703
4704 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
4705 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
4706 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
4707 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004708<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004709remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004710 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from |List| {list} and
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004711 return the item.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004712 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004713 return a List with these items. When {idx} points to the same
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004714 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
4715 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
4716 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004717 Example: >
4718 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004719 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004720remove({dict}, {key})
4721 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
4722 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
4723< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
4724
4725 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004726
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004727rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
4728 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
4729 should also work to move files across file systems. The
4730 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
4731 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
Bram Moolenaar798b30b2009-04-22 10:56:16 +00004732 NOTE: If {to} exists it is overwritten without warning.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004733 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4734
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004735repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
4736 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
4737 result. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004738 :let separator = repeat('-', 80)
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004739< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004740 When {expr} is a |List| the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004741 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004742 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
4743< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004744
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004745
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004746resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
4747 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
4748 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
4749 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
4750 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
4751 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
4752 stopped after 100 iterations.
4753 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
4754 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
4755 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
4756 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
4757 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
4758
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004759 *reverse()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004760reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004761 {list}.
4762 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4763 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
4764
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004765round({expr}) *round()*
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00004766 Round off {expr} to the nearest integral value and return it
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004767 as a |Float|. If {expr} lies halfway between two integral
4768 values, then use the larger one (away from zero).
4769 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
4770 Examples: >
4771 echo round(0.456)
4772< 0.0 >
4773 echo round(4.5)
4774< 5.0 >
4775 echo round(-4.5)
4776< -5.0
4777 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
4778
4779
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004780search({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) *search()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004781 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00004782 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004783
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004784 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
4785 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004786 'c' accept a match at the cursor position
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004787 'e' move to the End of the match
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004788 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004789 'p' return number of matching sub-pattern (see below)
4790 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004791 'w' wrap around the end of the file
4792 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
4793 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
4794
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00004795 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
4796 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
4797 flag.
4798
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004799 'ignorecase', 'smartcase' and 'magic' are used.
4800
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004801 When the {stopline} argument is given then the search stops
4802 after searching this line. This is useful to restrict the
4803 search to a range of lines. Examples: >
4804 let match = search('(', 'b', line("w0"))
4805 let end = search('END', '', line("w$"))
4806< When {stopline} is used and it is not zero this also implies
4807 that the search does not wrap around the end of the file.
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004808 A zero value is equal to not giving the argument.
4809
4810 When the {timeout} argument is given the search stops when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004811 more than this many milli seconds have passed. Thus when
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004812 {timeout} is 500 the search stops after half a second.
4813 The value must not be negative. A zero value is like not
4814 giving the argument.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02004815 {only available when compiled with the |+reltime| feature}
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004816
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004817 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
4818 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004819 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
4820 *search()-sub-match*
4821 With the 'p' flag the returned value is one more than the
4822 first sub-match in \(\). One if none of them matched but the
4823 whole pattern did match.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004824 To get the column number too use |searchpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004825
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004826 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
4827 flag is used.
4828
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004829 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
4830 :let n = 1
4831 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
4832 : exe "argument " . n
4833 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
4834 : " first search to find match at start of file
4835 : normal G$
4836 : let flags = "w"
4837 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004838 : s/foo/bar/g
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004839 : let flags = "W"
4840 : endwhile
4841 : update " write the file if modified
4842 : let n = n + 1
4843 :endwhile
4844<
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004845 Example for using some flags: >
4846 :echo search('\<if\|\(else\)\|\(endif\)', 'ncpe')
4847< This will search for the keywords "if", "else", and "endif"
4848 under or after the cursor. Because of the 'p' flag, it
4849 returns 1, 2, or 3 depending on which keyword is found, or 0
4850 if the search fails. With the cursor on the first word of the
4851 line:
4852 if (foo == 0) | let foo = foo + 1 | endif ~
4853 the function returns 1. Without the 'c' flag, the function
4854 finds the "endif" and returns 3. The same thing happens
4855 without the 'e' flag if the cursor is on the "f" of "if".
4856 The 'n' flag tells the function not to move the cursor.
4857
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004858
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004859searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
4860 Search for the declaration of {name}.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004861
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004862 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
4863 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
4864 first match in the function.
4865
4866 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
4867 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
4868 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
4869
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004870 Moves the cursor to the found match.
4871 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4872 Example: >
4873 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
4874 echo getline('.')
4875 endif
4876<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004877 *searchpair()*
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004878searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
4879 [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004880 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
4881 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
4882 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004883 The search starts at the cursor. The default is to search
4884 forward, include 'b' in {flags} to search backward.
4885 If a match is found, the cursor is positioned at it and the
4886 line number is returned. If no match is found 0 or -1 is
4887 returned and the cursor doesn't move. No error message is
4888 given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004889
4890 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
4891 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
4892 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
4893 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
4894 typical use is: >
4895 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
4896< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
4897
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004898 {flags} 'b', 'c', 'n', 's', 'w' and 'W' are used like with
4899 |search()|. Additionally:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004900 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004901 outer pair. Implies the 'W' flag.
4902 'm' Return number of matches instead of line number with
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004903 the match; will be > 1 when 'r' is used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004904 Note: it's nearly always a good idea to use the 'W' flag, to
4905 avoid wrapping around the end of the file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004906
4907 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
4908 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
4909 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
4910 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
4911 or a string.
4912 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
4913 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
4914 and -1 returned.
4915
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004916 For {stopline} and {timeout} see |search()|.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004917
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004918 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
4919 patterns are used like it's on.
4920
4921 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
4922 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
4923 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
4924 if 1
4925 if 2
4926 endif 2
4927 endif 1
4928< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
4929 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
4930 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004931 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004932 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
4933 "endif 2".
4934 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
4935 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
4936 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
4937 the matching start.
4938
4939 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
4940
4941 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
4942 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
4943
4944< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
4945 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
4946 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
4947 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
4948 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
4949 match.
4950 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
4951
4952 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
4953
4954< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
4955 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
4956 highlighting recognized as strings: >
4957
4958 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
4959 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
4960<
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004961 *searchpairpos()*
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004962searchpairpos({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
4963 [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004964 Same as |searchpair()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004965 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4966 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004967 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02004968 returns [0, 0]. >
4969
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004970 :let [lnum,col] = searchpairpos('{', '', '}', 'n')
4971<
4972 See |match-parens| for a bigger and more useful example.
4973
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004974searchpos({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) *searchpos()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004975 Same as |search()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004976 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4977 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
4978 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4979 returns [0, 0].
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004980 Example: >
4981 :let [lnum, col] = searchpos('mypattern', 'n')
4982
4983< When the 'p' flag is given then there is an extra item with
4984 the sub-pattern match number |search()-sub-match|. Example: >
4985 :let [lnum, col, submatch] = searchpos('\(\l\)\|\(\u\)', 'np')
4986< In this example "submatch" is 2 when a lowercase letter is
4987 found |/\l|, 3 when an uppercase letter is found |/\u|.
4988
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004989server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
4990 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
4991 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
4992 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4993 Note:
4994 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004995 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004996 before calling any commands that waits for input.
4997 See also |clientserver|.
4998 Example: >
4999 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
5000<
5001serverlist() *serverlist()*
5002 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
5003 When there are no servers or the information is not available
5004 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
5005 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
5006 Example: >
5007 :echo serverlist()
5008<
5009setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
5010 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
5011 {val}.
5012 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
5013 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
5014 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
5015 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
5016 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
5017 Examples: >
5018 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
5019 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
5020< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
5021
5022setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
5023 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005024 {pos}. The first position is 1.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005025 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
5026 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005027 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
5028 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
5029 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
5030 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
5031 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005032 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
5033 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
5034 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
5035 line.
5036
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005037setline({lnum}, {text}) *setline()*
5038 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {text}.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005039 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005040 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {text} will be
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005041 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005042 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
5043 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005044 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005045< When {text} is a |List| then line {lnum} and following lines
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005046 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
5047 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
5048< This is equivalent to: >
5049 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
5050 : call setline(n, l)
5051 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005052< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
5053
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00005054setloclist({nr}, {list} [, {action}]) *setloclist()*
5055 Create or replace or add to the location list for window {nr}.
5056 When {nr} is zero the current window is used. For a location
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005057 list window, the displayed location list is modified. For an
5058 invalid window number {nr}, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00005059 Otherwise, same as |setqflist()|.
5060 Also see |location-list|.
5061
5062setmatches({list}) *setmatches()*
5063 Restores a list of matches saved by |getmatches()|. Returns 0
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005064 if successful, otherwise -1. All current matches are cleared
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00005065 before the list is restored. See example for |getmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005066
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005067 *setpos()*
5068setpos({expr}, {list})
5069 Set the position for {expr}. Possible values:
5070 . the cursor
5071 'x mark x
5072
5073 {list} must be a |List| with four numbers:
5074 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
5075
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005076 "bufnum" is the buffer number. Zero can be used for the
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005077 current buffer. Setting the cursor is only possible for
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005078 the current buffer. To set a mark in another buffer you can
5079 use the |bufnr()| function to turn a file name into a buffer
5080 number.
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00005081 Does not change the jumplist.
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005082
5083 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005084 column is 1. Use a zero "lnum" to delete a mark. If "col" is
5085 smaller than 1 then 1 is used.
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005086
5087 The "off" number is only used when 'virtualedit' is set. Then
5088 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00005089 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005090 character.
5091
Bram Moolenaar08250432008-02-13 11:42:46 +00005092 Returns 0 when the position could be set, -1 otherwise.
5093 An error message is given if {expr} is invalid.
5094
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005095 Also see |getpos()|
5096
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005097 This does not restore the preferred column for moving
5098 vertically. See |winrestview()| for that.
5099
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005100
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00005101setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00005102 Create or replace or add to the quickfix list using the items
5103 in {list}. Each item in {list} is a dictionary.
5104 Non-dictionary items in {list} are ignored. Each dictionary
5105 item can contain the following entries:
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005106
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00005107 bufnr buffer number; must be the number of a valid
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005108 buffer
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00005109 filename name of a file; only used when "bufnr" is not
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005110 present or it is invalid.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005111 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005112 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00005113 col column number
5114 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005115 when zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00005116 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005117 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00005118 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005119
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00005120 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
5121 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
5122 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00005123 If the "filename" and "bufnr" entries are not present or
5124 neither the "lnum" or "pattern" entries are present, then the
5125 item will not be handled as an error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005126 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
5127 be used.
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +02005128 If you supply an empty {list}, the quickfix list will be
5129 cleared.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00005130 Note that the list is not exactly the same as what
5131 |getqflist()| returns.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005132
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00005133 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
5134 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
5135 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
5136 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
5137 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
5138 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
5139
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005140 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
5141
5142 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
5143 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
5144 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
5145
5146
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005147 *setreg()*
5148setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
5149 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
5150 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
5151 then the value is appended.
Bram Moolenaarc6485bc2010-07-28 17:02:55 +02005152 {options} can also contain a register type specification:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005153 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
5154 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
5155 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
5156 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
5157 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
5158 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00005159 in the longest line (counting a <Tab> as 1 character).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005160
5161 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
5162 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
5163 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
5164 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
5165
5166 Examples: >
5167 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
5168 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
5169 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
5170
5171< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
5172 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005173 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005174 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
5175 ....
5176 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
5177
5178< You can also change the type of a register by appending
5179 nothing: >
5180 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
5181
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02005182settabvar({tabnr}, {varname}, {val}) *settabvar()*
5183 Set tab-local variable {varname} to {val} in tab page {tabnr}.
5184 |t:var|
5185 Note that the variable name without "t:" must be used.
5186 Tabs are numbered starting with one.
5187 Vim briefly goes to the tab page {tabnr}, this may trigger
5188 TabLeave and TabEnter autocommands.
5189 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
5190
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00005191settabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) *settabwinvar()*
5192 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {winnr} to
5193 {val}.
5194 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
5195 use |setwinvar()|.
5196 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005197 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
5198 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
5199 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
5200 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00005201 Vim briefly goes to the tab page {tabnr}, this may trigger
5202 TabLeave and TabEnter autocommands.
5203 Examples: >
5204 :call settabwinvar(1, 1, "&list", 0)
5205 :call settabwinvar(3, 2, "myvar", "foobar")
5206< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
5207
5208setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
5209 Like |settabwinvar()| for the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005210 Examples: >
5211 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
5212 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005213
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005214shellescape({string} [, {special}]) *shellescape()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005215 Escape {string} for use as a shell command argument.
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00005216 On MS-Windows and MS-DOS, when 'shellslash' is not set, it
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005217 will enclose {string} in double quotes and double all double
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00005218 quotes within {string}.
5219 For other systems, it will enclose {string} in single quotes
5220 and replace all "'" with "'\''".
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005221 When the {special} argument is present and it's a non-zero
5222 Number or a non-empty String (|non-zero-arg|), then special
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00005223 items such as "!", "%", "#" and "<cword>" will be preceded by
5224 a backslash. This backslash will be removed again by the |:!|
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005225 command.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00005226 The "!" character will be escaped (again with a |non-zero-arg|
5227 {special}) when 'shell' contains "csh" in the tail. That is
5228 because for csh and tcsh "!" is used for history replacement
5229 even when inside single quotes.
5230 The <NL> character is also escaped. With a |non-zero-arg|
5231 {special} and 'shell' containing "csh" in the tail it's
5232 escaped a second time.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005233 Example of use with a |:!| command: >
5234 :exe '!dir ' . shellescape(expand('<cfile>'), 1)
5235< This results in a directory listing for the file under the
5236 cursor. Example of use with |system()|: >
5237 :call system("chmod +w -- " . shellescape(expand("%")))
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00005238
5239
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005240simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
5241 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
5242 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
5243 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
5244 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
5245 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
5246 not removed either.
5247 Example: >
5248 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
5249< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
5250 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
5251 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
5252 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
5253 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
5254
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005255
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005256sin({expr}) *sin()*
5257 Return the sine of {expr}, measured in radians, as a |Float|.
5258 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
5259 Examples: >
5260 :echo sin(100)
5261< -0.506366 >
5262 :echo sin(-4.01)
5263< 0.763301
5264 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5265
5266
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005267sinh({expr}) *sinh()*
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02005268 Return the hyperbolic sine of {expr} as a |Float| in the range
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005269 [-inf, inf].
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02005270 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005271 Examples: >
5272 :echo sinh(0.5)
5273< 0.521095 >
5274 :echo sinh(-0.9)
5275< -1.026517
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02005276 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005277
5278
Bram Moolenaar5f894962011-06-19 02:55:37 +02005279sort({list} [, {func} [, {dict}]]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005280 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
5281 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
5282 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
5283< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00005284 Numbers sort after Strings, |Lists| after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005285 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005286 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5f894962011-06-19 02:55:37 +02005287 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
5288 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005289 When {func} is a |Funcref| or a function name, this function
5290 is called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005291 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 or
5292 bigger if the first one sorts after the second one, -1 or
5293 smaller if the first one sorts before the second one.
5294 Example: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005295 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
5296 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
5297 endfunc
5298 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005299< A shorter compare version for this specific simple case, which
5300 ignores overflow: >
5301 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
5302 return a:i1 - a:i2
5303 endfunc
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005304<
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00005305 *soundfold()*
5306soundfold({word})
5307 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005308 language in 'spelllang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00005309 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
5310 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00005311 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
5312 the method can be quite slow.
5313
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005314 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00005315spellbadword([{sentence}])
5316 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
5317 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
5318 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
5319 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
5320
5321 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
5322 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
5323 result is an empty string.
5324
5325 The return value is a list with two items:
5326 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
5327 - The type of the spelling error:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005328 "bad" spelling mistake
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00005329 "rare" rare word
5330 "local" word only valid in another region
5331 "caps" word should start with Capital
5332 Example: >
5333 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
5334< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
5335
5336 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
5337 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
5338 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005339
5340 *spellsuggest()*
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005341spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005342 Return a |List| with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005343 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
5344 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
5345
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005346 When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
5347 suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
5348 after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
5349
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005350 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
5351 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00005352 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
5353 replace a line.
5354
5355 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005356 returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
5357 although it may appear capitalized.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005358
5359 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00005360 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
5361 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005362
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005363
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005364split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005365 Make a |List| out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or
5366 empty each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an
5367 item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005368 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005369 removing the matched characters.
5370 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
5371 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00005372 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
5373 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005374 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005375 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005376< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005377 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00005378< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
5379 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
5380< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005381 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
5382 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
5383< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005384
5385
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005386sqrt({expr}) *sqrt()*
5387 Return the non-negative square root of Float {expr} as a
5388 |Float|.
5389 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|. When {expr}
5390 is negative the result is NaN (Not a Number).
5391 Examples: >
5392 :echo sqrt(100)
5393< 10.0 >
5394 :echo sqrt(-4.01)
5395< nan
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00005396 "nan" may be different, it depends on system libraries.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005397 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5398
5399
5400str2float( {expr}) *str2float()*
5401 Convert String {expr} to a Float. This mostly works the same
5402 as when using a floating point number in an expression, see
5403 |floating-point-format|. But it's a bit more permissive.
5404 E.g., "1e40" is accepted, while in an expression you need to
5405 write "1.0e40".
5406 Text after the number is silently ignored.
5407 The decimal point is always '.', no matter what the locale is
5408 set to. A comma ends the number: "12,345.67" is converted to
5409 12.0. You can strip out thousands separators with
5410 |substitute()|: >
5411 let f = str2float(substitute(text, ',', '', 'g'))
5412< {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5413
5414
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00005415str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) *str2nr()*
5416 Convert string {expr} to a number.
5417 {base} is the conversion base, it can be 8, 10 or 16.
5418 When {base} is omitted base 10 is used. This also means that
5419 a leading zero doesn't cause octal conversion to be used, as
5420 with the default String to Number conversion.
5421 When {base} is 16 a leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored. With a
5422 different base the result will be zero.
5423 Text after the number is silently ignored.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005424
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00005425
Bram Moolenaar72597a52010-07-18 15:31:08 +02005426strchars({expr}) *strchars()*
5427 The result is a Number, which is the number of characters
5428 String {expr} occupies. Composing characters are counted
5429 separately.
Bram Moolenaardc536092010-07-18 15:45:49 +02005430 Also see |strlen()|, |strdisplaywidth()| and |strwidth()|.
5431
5432strdisplaywidth({expr}[, {col}]) *strdisplaywidth()*
5433 The result is a Number, which is the number of display cells
5434 String {expr} occupies on the screen.
5435 When {col} is omitted zero is used. Otherwise it is the
5436 screen column where to start. This matters for Tab
5437 characters.
Bram Moolenaar4d32c2d2010-07-18 22:10:01 +02005438 The option settings of the current window are used. This
5439 matters for anything that's displayed differently, such as
5440 'tabstop' and 'display'.
Bram Moolenaardc536092010-07-18 15:45:49 +02005441 When {expr} contains characters with East Asian Width Class
5442 Ambiguous, this function's return value depends on 'ambiwidth'.
5443 Also see |strlen()|, |strwidth()| and |strchars()|.
Bram Moolenaar72597a52010-07-18 15:31:08 +02005444
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005445strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
5446 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
5447 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
5448 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
5449 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
5450 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
5451 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
5452 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
5453 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
5454 Examples: >
5455 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
5456 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
5457 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
5458 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
5459 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
5460 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005461< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
5462 :if exists("*strftime")
5463
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005464stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
5465 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
5466 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005467 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
5468 This can be used to find a second match: >
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +01005469 :let colon1 = stridx(line, ":")
5470 :let colon2 = stridx(line, ":", colon1 + 1)
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005471< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005472 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005473 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005474 See also |strridx()|.
5475 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005476 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
5477 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
5478 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005479< *strstr()* *strchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005480 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
5481 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
5482
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005483 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005484string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005485 Float, String or a composition of them, then the result can be
5486 parsed back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005487 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005488 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005489 Number 123
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005490 Float 123.123456 or 1.123456e8
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005491 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005492 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00005493 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005494 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005495 Also see |strtrans()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005496
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005497 *strlen()*
5498strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00005499 {expr} in bytes.
5500 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
5501 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005502
5503 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00005504<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005505 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
5506 For other types an error is given.
Bram Moolenaardc536092010-07-18 15:45:49 +02005507 Also see |len()|, |strchars()|, |strdisplaywidth()| and
5508 |strwidth()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005509
5510strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
5511 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00005512 byte {start}, with the byte length {len}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005513 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
5514 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
5515 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
5516 end of the {src}. >
5517 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
5518 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
5519 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005520 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005521< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
5522 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +00005523 strpart(getline("."), col(".") - 1, 3)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005524<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005525strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
5526 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
5527 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
5528 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
5529 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
5530 match: >
5531 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
5532 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
5533< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005534 For pattern searches use |match()|.
5535 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00005536 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005537 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005538 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005539< *strrchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005540 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
5541 function strrchr().
5542
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005543strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
5544 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
5545 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
5546 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
5547 echo strtrans(@a)
5548< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
5549 starting a new line.
5550
Bram Moolenaar72597a52010-07-18 15:31:08 +02005551strwidth({expr}) *strwidth()*
5552 The result is a Number, which is the number of display cells
5553 String {expr} occupies. A Tab character is counted as one
Bram Moolenaardc536092010-07-18 15:45:49 +02005554 cell, alternatively use |strdisplaywidth()|.
Bram Moolenaar72597a52010-07-18 15:31:08 +02005555 When {expr} contains characters with East Asian Width Class
5556 Ambiguous, this function's return value depends on 'ambiwidth'.
Bram Moolenaardc536092010-07-18 15:45:49 +02005557 Also see |strlen()|, |strdisplaywidth()| and |strchars()|.
Bram Moolenaar72597a52010-07-18 15:31:08 +02005558
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005559submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
5560 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
5561 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
5562 the whole matched text is returned.
5563 Example: >
5564 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
5565< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
5566 A line break is included as a newline character.
5567
5568substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
5569 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
5570 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
5571 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
5572 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
5573 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005574 'ignorecase' is still relevant. 'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005575 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
5576 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
5577 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005578 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005579 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
5580 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
5581 unmodified.
5582 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
5583 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
5584 Example: >
5585 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
5586< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
5587 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
5588< results in "TESTING".
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +02005589 The {sub} argument can start with \=, just like with
5590 |:substitute|. Example: >
5591 :echo substitute(s, '%\(\x\x\)',
5592 \ '\=nr2char("0x" . submatch(1))', 'g')
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005593
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005594synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005595 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005596 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005597 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
5598 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00005599
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005600 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00005601 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
5602
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005603 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005604 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005605 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
5606 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
5607 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
5608 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
5609 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
5610
5611 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
5612 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
5613<
Bram Moolenaar7510fe72010-07-25 12:46:44 +02005614
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005615synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
5616 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
5617 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
5618 about a syntax item.
5619 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005620 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005621 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
5622 used (GUI, cterm or term).
5623 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
5624 {what} result
5625 "name" the name of the syntax item
5626 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
5627 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
5628 term: empty string)
Bram Moolenaar6f507d62008-11-28 10:16:05 +00005629 "bg" background color (as with "fg")
Bram Moolenaar12682fd2010-03-10 13:43:49 +01005630 "font" font name (only available in the GUI)
5631 |highlight-font|
Bram Moolenaar6f507d62008-11-28 10:16:05 +00005632 "sp" special color (as with "fg") |highlight-guisp|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005633 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
5634 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
5635 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
Bram Moolenaar6f507d62008-11-28 10:16:05 +00005636 "sp#" like "fg#" for "sp"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005637 "bold" "1" if bold
5638 "italic" "1" if italic
5639 "reverse" "1" if reverse
5640 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
Bram Moolenaar12682fd2010-03-10 13:43:49 +01005641 "standout" "1" if standout
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005642 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005643 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005644
5645 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
5646 cursor): >
5647 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
5648<
5649synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
5650 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
5651 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
5652 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
5653 ":highlight link" are followed.
5654
Bram Moolenaar483c5d82010-10-20 18:45:33 +02005655synconcealed({lnum}, {col}) *synconcealed()*
5656 The result is a List. The first item in the list is 0 if the
5657 character at the position {lnum} and {col} is not part of a
5658 concealable region, 1 if it is. The second item in the list is
5659 a string. If the first item is 1, the second item contains the
5660 text which will be displayed in place of the concealed text,
5661 depending on the current setting of 'conceallevel'. The third
5662 and final item in the list is a unique number representing the
5663 specific syntax region matched. This allows detection of the
5664 beginning of a new concealable region if there are two
5665 consecutive regions with the same replacement character.
5666 For an example use see $VIMRUNTIME/syntax/2html.vim .
5667
5668
Bram Moolenaar9d188ab2008-01-10 21:24:39 +00005669synstack({lnum}, {col}) *synstack()*
5670 Return a |List|, which is the stack of syntax items at the
5671 position {lnum} and {col} in the current window. Each item in
5672 the List is an ID like what |synID()| returns.
Bram Moolenaar9d188ab2008-01-10 21:24:39 +00005673 The first item in the List is the outer region, following are
5674 items contained in that one. The last one is what |synID()|
5675 returns, unless not the whole item is highlighted or it is a
5676 transparent item.
5677 This function is useful for debugging a syntax file.
5678 Example that shows the syntax stack under the cursor: >
5679 for id in synstack(line("."), col("."))
5680 echo synIDattr(id, "name")
5681 endfor
Bram Moolenaar0bc380a2010-07-10 13:52:13 +02005682< When the position specified with {lnum} and {col} is invalid
5683 nothing is returned. The position just after the last
5684 character in a line and the first column in an empty line are
5685 valid positions.
Bram Moolenaar9d188ab2008-01-10 21:24:39 +00005686
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00005687system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
5688 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
5689 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
5690 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
5691 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005692 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005693 Note: Use |shellescape()| to escape special characters in a
5694 command argument. Newlines in {expr} may cause the command to
5695 fail. The characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may
5696 also cause trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005697 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005698
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005699 The result is a String. Example: >
5700 :let files = system("ls " . shellescape(expand('%:h')))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005701
5702< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
5703 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
5704 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
5705 The command executed is constructed using several options:
5706 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
5707 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
5708 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
5709 concatenated commands.
5710
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00005711 The command will be executed in "cooked" mode, so that a
5712 CTRL-C will interrupt the command (on Unix at least).
5713
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005714 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
5715 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00005716
5717 Note that any wrong value in the options mentioned above may
5718 make the function fail. It has also been reported to fail
5719 when using a security agent application.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005720 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
5721 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
5722
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005723
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005724tabpagebuflist([{arg}]) *tabpagebuflist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005725 The result is a |List|, where each item is the number of the
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005726 buffer associated with each window in the current tab page.
5727 {arg} specifies the number of tab page to be used. When
5728 omitted the current tab page is used.
5729 When {arg} is invalid the number zero is returned.
5730 To get a list of all buffers in all tabs use this: >
5731 tablist = []
5732 for i in range(tabpagenr('$'))
5733 call extend(tablist, tabpagebuflist(i + 1))
5734 endfor
5735< Note that a buffer may appear in more than one window.
5736
5737
5738tabpagenr([{arg}]) *tabpagenr()*
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00005739 The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
5740 tab page. The first tab page has number 1.
5741 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the last tab
5742 page is returned (the tab page count).
5743 The number can be used with the |:tab| command.
5744
5745
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005746tabpagewinnr({tabarg}, [{arg}]) *tabpagewinnr()*
Bram Moolenaard04f4402010-08-15 13:30:34 +02005747 Like |winnr()| but for tab page {tabarg}.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005748 {tabarg} specifies the number of tab page to be used.
5749 {arg} is used like with |winnr()|:
5750 - When omitted the current window number is returned. This is
5751 the window which will be used when going to this tab page.
5752 - When "$" the number of windows is returned.
5753 - When "#" the previous window nr is returned.
5754 Useful examples: >
5755 tabpagewinnr(1) " current window of tab page 1
5756 tabpagewinnr(4, '$') " number of windows in tab page 4
5757< When {tabarg} is invalid zero is returned.
5758
Bram Moolenaarfa1d1402006-03-25 21:59:56 +00005759 *tagfiles()*
5760tagfiles() Returns a |List| with the file names used to search for tags
5761 for the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
5762
5763
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005764taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
5765 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00005766 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
5767 entries:
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005768 name Name of the tag.
5769 filename Name of the file where the tag is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005770 defined. It is either relative to the
5771 current directory or a full path.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005772 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
5773 the file.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005774 kind Type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005775 entry depends on the language specific
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005776 kind values. Only available when
5777 using a tags file generated by
5778 Exuberant ctags or hdrtag.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005779 static A file specific tag. Refer to
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005780 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005781 More entries may be present, depending on the content of the
5782 tags file: access, implementation, inherits and signature.
5783 Refer to the ctags documentation for information about these
5784 fields. For C code the fields "struct", "class" and "enum"
5785 may appear, they give the name of the entity the tag is
5786 contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00005787
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00005788 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
5789 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005790
5791 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
5792
5793 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
5794 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
5795 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
5796
5797 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
5798 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
5799 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
5800
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005801tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
5802 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005803 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005804 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
5805 :let tmpfile = tempname()
5806 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005807< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory |tempfile|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005808 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
5809 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
5810
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005811
5812tan({expr}) *tan()*
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02005813 Return the tangent of {expr}, measured in radians, as a |Float|
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005814 in the range [-inf, inf].
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02005815 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005816 Examples: >
5817 :echo tan(10)
5818< 0.648361 >
5819 :echo tan(-4.01)
5820< -1.181502
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02005821 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005822
5823
5824tanh({expr}) *tanh()*
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02005825 Return the hyperbolic tangent of {expr} as a |Float| in the
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005826 range [-1, 1].
Bram Moolenaar9855d6b2010-07-18 14:34:51 +02005827 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005828 Examples: >
5829 :echo tanh(0.5)
5830< 0.462117 >
5831 :echo tanh(-1)
5832< -0.761594
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +02005833 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005834
5835
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005836tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
5837 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
5838 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
5839 the string).
5840
5841toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
5842 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
5843 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
5844 the string).
5845
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00005846tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
5847 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
5848 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
5849 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
5850 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
5851 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
5852 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
5853
5854 Examples: >
5855 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
5856< returns "Hello THere" >
5857 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
5858< returns "{blob}"
5859
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005860trunc({expr}) *trunc()*
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00005861 Return the largest integral value with magnitude less than or
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005862 equal to {expr} as a |Float| (truncate towards zero).
5863 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
5864 Examples: >
5865 echo trunc(1.456)
5866< 1.0 >
5867 echo trunc(-5.456)
5868< -5.0 >
5869 echo trunc(4.0)
5870< 4.0
5871 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5872
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005873 *type()*
5874type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005875 Number: 0
5876 String: 1
5877 Funcref: 2
5878 List: 3
5879 Dictionary: 4
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005880 Float: 5
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005881 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005882 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
5883 :if type(myvar) == type("")
5884 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
5885 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005886 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005887 :if type(myvar) == type(0.0)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005888
Bram Moolenaara17d4c12010-05-30 18:30:36 +02005889undofile({name}) *undofile()*
5890 Return the name of the undo file that would be used for a file
5891 with name {name} when writing. This uses the 'undodir'
5892 option, finding directories that exist. It does not check if
Bram Moolenaar860cae12010-06-05 23:22:07 +02005893 the undo file exists.
Bram Moolenaar945e2db2010-06-05 17:43:32 +02005894 {name} is always expanded to the full path, since that is what
5895 is used internally.
Bram Moolenaara17d4c12010-05-30 18:30:36 +02005896 Useful in combination with |:wundo| and |:rundo|.
5897 When compiled without the +persistent_undo option this always
5898 returns an empty string.
5899
Bram Moolenaara800b422010-06-27 01:15:55 +02005900undotree() *undotree()*
5901 Return the current state of the undo tree in a dictionary with
5902 the following items:
5903 "seq_last" The highest undo sequence number used.
5904 "seq_cur" The sequence number of the current position in
5905 the undo tree. This differs from "seq_last"
5906 when some changes were undone.
5907 "time_cur" Time last used for |:earlier| and related
5908 commands. Use |strftime()| to convert to
5909 something readable.
5910 "save_last" Number of the last file write. Zero when no
5911 write yet.
Bram Moolenaar730cde92010-06-27 05:18:54 +02005912 "save_cur" Number of the current position in the undo
5913 tree.
Bram Moolenaara800b422010-06-27 01:15:55 +02005914 "synced" Non-zero when the last undo block was synced.
5915 This happens when waiting from input from the
5916 user. See |undo-blocks|.
5917 "entries" A list of dictionaries with information about
5918 undo blocks.
5919
5920 The first item in the "entries" list is the oldest undo item.
5921 Each List item is a Dictionary with these items:
5922 "seq" Undo sequence number. Same as what appears in
5923 |:undolist|.
5924 "time" Timestamp when the change happened. Use
5925 |strftime()| to convert to something readable.
5926 "newhead" Only appears in the item that is the last one
5927 that was added. This marks the last change
5928 and where further changes will be added.
5929 "curhead" Only appears in the item that is the last one
5930 that was undone. This marks the current
5931 position in the undo tree, the block that will
5932 be used by a redo command. When nothing was
5933 undone after the last change this item will
5934 not appear anywhere.
5935 "save" Only appears on the last block before a file
5936 write. The number is the write count. The
5937 first write has number 1, the last one the
5938 "save_last" mentioned above.
5939 "alt" Alternate entry. This is again a List of undo
5940 blocks. Each item may again have an "alt"
5941 item.
5942
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005943values({dict}) *values()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005944 Return a |List| with all the values of {dict}. The |List| is
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005945 in arbitrary order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005946
5947
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005948virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
5949 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
5950 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
5951 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
5952 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
5953 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
5954 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
5955 set to 8, it returns 8.
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00005956 For the byte position use |col()|.
5957 For the use of {expr} see |col()|.
5958 When 'virtualedit' is used {expr} can be [lnum, col, off], where
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005959 "off" is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00005960 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005961 character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005962 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
5963 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
5964 The accepted positions are:
5965 . the cursor position
5966 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
5967 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
5968 plus one)
5969 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
5970 returned)
5971 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
5972 Examples: >
5973 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
5974 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005975 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
5976< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005977 A more advanced example that echoes the maximum length of
5978 all lines: >
5979 echo max(map(range(1, line('$')), "virtcol([v:val, '$'])"))
5980
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005981
5982visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
5983 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005984 used in the current buffer. Initially it returns an empty
5985 string, but once Visual mode has been used, it returns "v",
5986 "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a single CTRL-V character) for
5987 character-wise, line-wise, or block-wise Visual mode
5988 respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005989 Example: >
5990 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
5991< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
5992 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
5993 Visual mode that was used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005994 If Visual mode is active, use |mode()| to get the Visual mode
5995 (e.g., in a |:vmap|).
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005996 *non-zero-arg*
5997 If [expr] is supplied and it evaluates to a non-zero Number or
5998 a non-empty String, then the Visual mode will be cleared and
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005999 the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00006000 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared. A List,
6001 Dictionary or Float is not a Number or String, thus does not
6002 cause the mode to be cleared.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006003
6004 *winbufnr()*
6005winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00006006 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006007 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
6008 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
6009 Example: >
6010 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
6011<
6012 *wincol()*
6013wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
6014 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
6015 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
6016
6017winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
6018 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
6019 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
6020 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
6021 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
6022 Examples: >
6023 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
6024<
6025 *winline()*
6026winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006027 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006028 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00006029 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
6030 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006031
6032 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00006033winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
6034 window. The top window has number 1.
6035 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00006036 last window is returned (the window count).
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00006037 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
6038 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006039 If there is no previous window or it is in another tab page 0
6040 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00006041 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
6042 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006043 Also see |tabpagewinnr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006044
6045 *winrestcmd()*
6046winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
6047 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00006048 are opened or closed and the current window and tab page is
6049 unchanged.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006050 Example: >
6051 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
6052 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
6053 :exe cmd
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00006054<
6055 *winrestview()*
6056winrestview({dict})
6057 Uses the |Dictionary| returned by |winsaveview()| to restore
6058 the view of the current window.
6059 If you have changed the values the result is unpredictable.
6060 If the window size changed the result won't be the same.
6061
6062 *winsaveview()*
6063winsaveview() Returns a |Dictionary| that contains information to restore
6064 the view of the current window. Use |winrestview()| to
6065 restore the view.
6066 This is useful if you have a mapping that jumps around in the
6067 buffer and you want to go back to the original view.
6068 This does not save fold information. Use the 'foldenable'
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00006069 option to temporarily switch off folding, so that folds are
6070 not opened when moving around.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00006071 The return value includes:
6072 lnum cursor line number
6073 col cursor column
6074 coladd cursor column offset for 'virtualedit'
6075 curswant column for vertical movement
6076 topline first line in the window
6077 topfill filler lines, only in diff mode
6078 leftcol first column displayed
6079 skipcol columns skipped
6080 Note that no option values are saved.
6081
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006082
6083winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
6084 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
6085 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
6086 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
6087 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
6088 Examples: >
6089 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
6090 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
6091 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
6092 :endif
6093<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00006094 *writefile()*
6095writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006096 Write |List| {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00006097 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
6098 Number.
6099 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
6100 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
6101 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
6102 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
6103 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
6104 to writefile().
6105 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
6106 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
6107 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
6108 fails.
6109 Also see |readfile()|.
6110 To copy a file byte for byte: >
6111 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
6112 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
6113<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006114
6115 *feature-list*
6116There are three types of features:
61171. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
6118 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
6119 :if has("cindent")
61202. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
6121 Example: >
6122 :if has("gui_running")
6123< *has-patch*
61243. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
6125 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
6126 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
6127 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006128< Note that it's possible for patch 147 to be omitted even though 148 is
6129 included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006130
6131all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
6132amiga Amiga version of Vim.
6133arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
6134arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00006135autocmd Compiled with autocommand support. |autocommand|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006136balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00006137balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006138beos BeOS version of Vim.
6139browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
6140 work.
6141builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
6142byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
6143cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
6144clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
6145clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
6146cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
6147cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
6148cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
6149comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
Bram Moolenaar2a8a3ec2011-01-08 16:06:37 +01006150compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006151cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
6152cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006153debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
6154dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
6155dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
6156diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
6157digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
6158dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006159dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
Bram Moolenaar2a8a3ec2011-01-08 16:06:37 +01006160dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006161ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
6162emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
6163eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
6164 true, of course!
6165ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
6166extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
6167 |'hlsearch'|
6168farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
6169file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006170filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
6171 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006172find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
6173 |+find_in_path|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006174float Compiled with support for |Float|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006175fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
6176 Windows this is not present).
6177folding Compiled with |folding| support.
6178footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
6179fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
6180gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
6181gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
6182gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar2a8a3ec2011-01-08 16:06:37 +01006183gui_gnome Compiled with Gnome support (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006184gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
6185gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
6186gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
6187gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
6188gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
Bram Moolenaar2a8a3ec2011-01-08 16:06:37 +01006189gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006190gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
6191gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006192hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
6193iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
6194insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
6195 Insert mode.
6196jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
6197keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
6198langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
6199libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
6200linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
6201 support.
6202lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
6203listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
6204 and the argument list |arglist|.
6205localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
Bram Moolenaar0ba04292010-07-14 23:23:17 +02006206lua Compiled with Lua interface |Lua|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006207mac Macintosh version of Vim.
6208macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
6209menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
6210mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
6211modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
6212mouse Compiled with support mouse.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006213mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
6214mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
6215mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
6216mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006217mouse_sysmouse Compiled with support for sysmouse (*BSD console mouse)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006218mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
Bram Moolenaar2a8a3ec2011-01-08 16:06:37 +01006219mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
Bram Moolenaar42022d52008-12-09 09:57:49 +00006220multi_byte Compiled with support for 'encoding'
6221multi_byte_encoding 'encoding' is set to a multi-byte encoding.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006222multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
6223multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00006224mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaarb26e6322010-05-22 21:34:09 +02006225netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and connected.
Bram Moolenaar2a8a3ec2011-01-08 16:06:37 +01006226netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006227ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
6228os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
6229osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
6230path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
6231perl Compiled with Perl interface.
Bram Moolenaar55debbe2010-05-23 23:34:36 +02006232persistent_undo Compiled with support for persistent undo history.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006233postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
6234printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00006235profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02006236python Compiled with Python 2.x interface. |has-python|
6237python3 Compiled with Python 3.x interface. |has-python|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006238qnx QNX version of Vim.
6239quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
Bram Moolenaard68071d2006-05-02 22:08:30 +00006240reltime Compiled with |reltime()| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006241rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
6242ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
6243scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
6244showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
6245signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
6246smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00006247sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar2a8a3ec2011-01-08 16:06:37 +01006248spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
Bram Moolenaaref94eec2009-11-11 13:22:11 +00006249startuptime Compiled with |--startuptime| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006250statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
6251 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
6252sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00006253syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006254syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
6255 current buffer.
6256system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
6257tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
6258 |tag-binary-search|.
6259tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
6260 |tag-old-static|.
6261tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
6262 files |tag-any-white|.
6263tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
6264terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
6265termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
6266textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
6267tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
6268 or terminfo file.
6269title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
6270toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
6271unix Unix version of Vim.
6272user_commands User-defined commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006273vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
Bram Moolenaar2a8a3ec2011-01-08 16:06:37 +01006274vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place. |startup|
6275viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006276virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
6277visual Compiled with Visual mode.
6278visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
6279 |blockwise-operators|.
6280vms VMS version of Vim.
6281vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
6282wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
6283wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006284win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
Bram Moolenaard58e9292011-02-09 17:07:58 +01006285win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95 and later, 32 or
6286 64 bits)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006287win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
Bram Moolenaar2a8a3ec2011-01-08 16:06:37 +01006288win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006289win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
Bram Moolenaar2a8a3ec2011-01-08 16:06:37 +01006290winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
6291windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006292writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
6293xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
6294xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
6295xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
6296xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
6297xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
6298xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
6299 xterm screen.
6300x11 Compiled with X11 support.
6301
6302 *string-match*
6303Matching a pattern in a String
6304
6305A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
6306the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
6307everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
6308like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
6309line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
6310with ".". Example: >
6311 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
6312 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
6313 aa
6314 xx
6315 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
6316 a
6317 x
6318
6319Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
6320"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
6321"\n".
6322
6323==============================================================================
63245. Defining functions *user-functions*
6325
6326New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
6327functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
6328commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
6329
6330The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
6331builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
6332avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
6333the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
6334
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00006335It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
6336|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006337
6338 *local-function*
6339A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
6340can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
6341and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00006342function from a mapping defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006343instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
6344
6345 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
6346:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
6347
6348:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006349 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
6350 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006351 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00006352
6353:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
6354 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
6355 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00006356<
6357 *:function-verbose*
6358When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
6359last defined. Example: >
6360
6361 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
6362 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
6363 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
6364<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00006365See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00006366
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00006367 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00006368:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006369 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
6370 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
6371 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006372
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006373 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
6374 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006375 :function dict.init(arg)
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006376< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006377 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006378 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006379 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
6380 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
6381 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006382 *E127* *E122*
6383 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
6384 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
6385 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
6386 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006387
6388 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
6389
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006390 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
6391 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
6392 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
6393 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
6394 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
6395 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
6396 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006397
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006398 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
6399 abort as soon as an error is detected.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006400
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00006401 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006402 be invoked through an entry in a |Dictionary|. The
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00006403 local variable "self" will then be set to the
6404 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006405
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006406 *function-search-undo*
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00006407 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006408 will not be changed by the function. This also
6409 implies that the effect of |:nohlsearch| is undone
6410 when the function returns.
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00006411
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006412 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
6413:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
6414 by its own, without other commands.
6415
6416 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
6417:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006418 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
6419 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006420 :delfunc dict.init
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006421< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006422 function is deleted if there are no more references to
6423 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006424 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
6425:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
6426 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
6427 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
6428 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
6429 the number 0 is returned.
6430 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
6431 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
6432
6433 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
6434 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
6435 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
6436 are executed first. This process applies to all
6437 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
6438 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
6439
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006440 *function-argument* *a:var*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006441An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006442be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006443 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740* *...*
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006444Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
6445arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
6446may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
6447as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006448can be 0). "a:000" is set to a |List| that contains these arguments. Note
6449that "a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006450 *E742*
6451The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00006452However, if a |List| or |Dictionary| is used, you can change their contents.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006453Thus you can pass a |List| to a function and have the function add an item to
6454it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a |List| or
6455|Dictionary| use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006456
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006457When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
6458to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
6459may be larger.
6460
6461It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
6462still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
6463until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
6464inside a function body.
6465
6466 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006467Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
6468will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
6469accessed with "g:".
6470
6471Example: >
6472 :function Table(title, ...)
6473 : echohl Title
6474 : echo a:title
6475 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00006476 : echo a:0 . " items:"
6477 : for s in a:000
6478 : echon ' ' . s
6479 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006480 :endfunction
6481
6482This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00006483 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
6484 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006485
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006486To return more than one value, return a |List|: >
6487 :function Compute(n1, n2)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006488 : if a:n2 == 0
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006489 : return ["fail", 0]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006490 : endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006491 : return ["ok", a:n1 / a:n2]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006492 :endfunction
6493
6494This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006495 :let [success, div] = Compute(102, 6)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006496 :if success == "ok"
6497 : echo div
6498 :endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006499<
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00006500 *:cal* *:call* *E107* *E117*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006501:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
6502 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
6503 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006504 used. The returned value is discarded.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006505 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
6506 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
6507 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
6508 function.
6509 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
6510 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
6511 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
6512 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006513 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006514 this works:
6515 *function-range-example* >
6516 :function Mynumber(arg)
6517 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
6518 :endfunction
6519 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
6520<
6521 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
6522 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
6523 the range.
6524
6525 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
6526
6527 :function Cont() range
6528 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
6529 :endfunction
6530 :4,8call Cont()
6531<
6532 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
6533 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
6534
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006535 When the function returns a composite value it can be further
6536 dereferenced, but the range will not be used then. Example: >
6537 :4,8call GetDict().method()
6538< Here GetDict() gets the range but method() does not.
6539
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006540 *E132*
6541The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
6542option.
6543
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006544
6545AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006546 *autoload-functions*
6547When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006548only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
6549the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
6550
6551
6552Using an autocommand ~
6553
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00006554This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
6555
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006556The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
6557You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006558That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006559again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
6560
6561Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
6562function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006563
6564 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
6565
6566The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
6567"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
6568
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006569
6570Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006571 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00006572This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
6573
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006574Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
6575exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
6576like this: >
6577
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006578 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006579
6580When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
6581"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
6582"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
6583then define the function like this: >
6584
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006585 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006586 echo "Done!"
6587 endfunction
6588
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00006589The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006590exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
6591called.
6592
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006593It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
6594a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006595
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006596 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006597
6598Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
6599
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006600This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
6601
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006602 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006603
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00006604However, when the autoload script was already loaded it won't be loaded again
6605for an unknown variable.
6606
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006607When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
6608be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
6609
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006610 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
6611 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006612
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00006613Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
6614defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
6615function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006616And you will get an error message every time.
6617
6618Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006619other and vice versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006620Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006621
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00006622Hint: If you distribute a bunch of scripts you can pack them together with the
6623|vimball| utility. Also read the user manual |distribute-script|.
6624
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006625==============================================================================
66266. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
6627
6628Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
6629This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
6630{} like this: >
6631 my_{adjective}_variable
6632
6633When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
6634that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
6635name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
6636"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
6637"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
6638
6639One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006640value. For example, the statement >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006641 echo my_{&background}_message
6642
6643would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
6644on the current value of 'background'.
6645
6646You can use multiple brace pairs: >
6647 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
6648..or even nest them: >
6649 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
6650where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
6651
6652However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00006653variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006654 :let foo='a + b'
6655 :echo c{foo}d
6656.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
6657
6658 *curly-braces-function-names*
6659You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
6660Example: >
6661 :let func_end='whizz'
6662 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
6663
6664This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
6665
6666==============================================================================
66677. Commands *expression-commands*
6668
6669:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
6670 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
6671 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
6672 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
6673 is created.
6674
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00006675:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
6676 Set a list item to the result of the expression
6677 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
6678 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
6679 the index can be repeated.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006680 This cannot be used to add an item to a |List|.
6681 This cannot be used to set a byte in a String. You
6682 can do that like this: >
6683 :let var = var[0:2] . 'X' . var[4:]
6684<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006685 *E711* *E719*
6686:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006687 Set a sequence of items in a |List| to the result of
6688 the expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00006689 correct number of items.
6690 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
6691 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
6692 When the selected range of items is partly past the
6693 end of the list, items will be added.
6694
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00006695 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006696:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
6697:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
6698:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
6699 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
6700 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
6701
6702
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006703:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
6704 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
6705 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006706:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
6707 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
6708 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
6709 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006710
6711:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
6712 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
6713 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
6714 must be the name of a writable register (see
6715 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
6716 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
6717 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
6718 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
6719 characterwise.
6720 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
6721 :let @/ = ""
6722< This is different from searching for an empty string,
6723 that would match everywhere.
6724
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006725:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006726 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006727 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
6728
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006729:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006730 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006731 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
6732 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006733 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
6734 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
Bram Moolenaara5fac542005-10-12 20:58:49 +00006735 value and the global value are changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006736 Example: >
6737 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006738
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006739:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
6740 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
6741 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
6742
6743:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
6744:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
6745 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
6746 {expr1}.
6747
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006748:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006749:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
6750:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
6751:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006752 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
6753 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
6754
6755:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006756:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
6757:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
6758:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006759 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
6760 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
6761
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00006762:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006763 {expr1} must evaluate to a |List|. The first item in
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006764 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
6765 {name2}, etc.
6766 The number of names must match the number of items in
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006767 the |List|.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006768 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
6769 command as mentioned above.
6770 Example: >
6771 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006772< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
6773 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
6774 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
6775 :let x = [0, 1]
6776 :let i = 0
6777 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
6778 :echo x
6779< The result is [0, 2].
6780
6781:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
6782:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
6783:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
6784 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006785 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006786
6787:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006788 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the |List| may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006789 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
6790 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
6791 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006792 Example: >
6793 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
6794<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006795:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
6796:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
6797:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
6798 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006799 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaar4a748032010-09-30 21:47:56 +02006800
6801 *E121*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006802:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00006803 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
6804 here: *E738*
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00006805 g: global variables
6806 b: local buffer variables
6807 w: local window variables
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00006808 t: local tab page variables
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00006809 s: script-local variables
6810 l: local function variables
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00006811 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006812
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00006813:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
6814 variable is indicated before the value:
6815 <nothing> String
6816 # Number
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00006817 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006818
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006819
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006820:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108* *E795*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006821 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
6822 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006823 may also be a |List| or |Dictionary| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006824 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
6825 variables.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006826 One or more items from a |List| can be removed: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00006827 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
6828 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006829< One item from a |Dictionary| can be removed at a time: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00006830 :unlet dict['two']
6831 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00006832< This is especially useful to clean up used global
6833 variables and script-local variables (these are not
6834 deleted when the script ends). Function-local
6835 variables are automatically deleted when the function
6836 ends.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006837
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006838:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
6839 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
6840 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
6841 A locked variable can be deleted: >
6842 :lockvar v
6843 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
6844 :unlet v
6845< *E741*
6846 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
6847 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
6848
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006849 [depth] is relevant when locking a |List| or
6850 |Dictionary|. It specifies how deep the locking goes:
6851 1 Lock the |List| or |Dictionary| itself,
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006852 cannot add or remove items, but can
6853 still change their values.
6854 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006855 the items. If an item is a |List| or
6856 |Dictionary|, cannot add or remove
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006857 items, but can still change the
6858 values.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006859 3 Like 2 but for the |List| /
6860 |Dictionary| in the |List| /
6861 |Dictionary|, one level deeper.
6862 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a |List|
6863 or |Dictionary| the values cannot be changed.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006864 *E743*
6865 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
6866 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
6867 loops.
6868
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006869 Note that when two variables refer to the same |List|
6870 and you lock one of them, the |List| will also be
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00006871 locked when used through the other variable.
6872 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006873 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
6874 :let cl = l
6875 :lockvar l
6876 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
6877< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
6878 See |deepcopy()|.
6879
6880
6881:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
6882 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
6883 opposite of |:lockvar|.
6884
6885
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006886:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
6887:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
6888 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
6889
6890 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
6891 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
6892 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
6893 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
6894 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
6895 part was not executed either.
6896
6897 You can use this to remain compatible with older
6898 versions: >
6899 :if version >= 500
6900 : version-5-specific-commands
6901 :endif
6902< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
6903 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
6904 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
6905 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
6906 avoid problems: >
6907 :if version >= 600
6908 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
6909 :endif
6910<
6911 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
6912 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
6913
6914 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
6915:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
6916 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
6917 executed.
6918
6919 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
6920:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
6921 is no extra ":endif".
6922
6923:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006924 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006925:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
6926 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
6927 When an error is detected from a command inside the
6928 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006929 Example: >
6930 :let lnum = 1
6931 :while lnum <= line("$")
6932 :call FixLine(lnum)
6933 :let lnum = lnum + 1
6934 :endwhile
6935<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006936 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00006937 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006938
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006939:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006940:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
6941 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00006942 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006943 value of each item.
6944 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006945 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00006946 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
6947 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006948 :for item in copy(mylist)
6949< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
6950 next item in the list, before executing the commands
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006951 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006952 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
6953 it will not be found. Thus the following example
6954 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01006955 for item in mylist
6956 call remove(mylist, 0)
6957 endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00006958< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
6959 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
6960 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006961 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
6962 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01006963 to allow multiple item types: >
6964 for item in ["foo", ["bar"]]
6965 echo item
6966 unlet item " E706 without this
6967 endfor
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006968
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006969:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
6970:endfo[r]
6971 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
6972 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
6973 {var2}, etc. Example: >
6974 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
6975 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
6976 :endfor
6977<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006978 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006979:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
6980 to the start of the loop.
6981 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6982 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6983 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6984 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6985 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6986 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006987
6988 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006989:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
6990 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
6991 ":endfor".
6992 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6993 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6994 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6995 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6996 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6997 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006998
6999:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
7000:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
7001 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
7002 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
7003 or autocommand invocations.
7004
7005 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
7006 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
7007 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
7008 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
7009 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
7010 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
7011 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
7012 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
7013 Example: >
7014 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
7015 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
7016<
7017 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
7018 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
7019 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
7020 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
7021 processing is not terminated.
7022
7023 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
7024 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
7025 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
7026 other errors are converted to a value of the form
7027 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
7028 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
7029 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
7030 the error number.
7031 Examples: >
7032 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
7033 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
7034<
7035 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01007036:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next |:catch|,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007037 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
7038 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
7039 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
7040 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
7041 commands are skipped.
7042 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
7043 Examples: >
7044 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
7045 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
7046 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
7047 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
7048 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
7049 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
7050 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
7051 :catch " same as /.*/
7052<
7053 Another character can be used instead of / around the
7054 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
7055 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
7056 {pattern}.
7057 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
7058 an error message because it may vary in different
7059 locales.
7060
7061 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
7062:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
7063 are executed whenever the part between the matching
7064 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
7065 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
7066 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
7067 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
7068
7069 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
7070:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
7071 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
7072 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
7073 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
7074 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
7075 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
7076 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
7077 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
7078 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
7079 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
7080 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
7081 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
7082 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
7083 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
7084 is terminated.
7085 Example: >
7086 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
Bram Moolenaar662db672011-03-22 14:05:35 +01007087< Note that "catch" may need to be on a separate line
7088 for when an error causes the parsing to skip the whole
7089 line and not see the "|" that separates the commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007090
7091 *:ec* *:echo*
7092:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
7093 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
7094 Also see |:comment|.
7095 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
7096 cursor to the first column.
7097 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
7098 Cannot be followed by a comment.
7099 Example: >
7100 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007101< *:echo-redraw*
7102 A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
7103 And since Vim mostly postpones redrawing until it's
7104 finished with a sequence of commands this happens
7105 quite often. To avoid that a command from before the
7106 ":echo" causes a redraw afterwards (redraws are often
7107 postponed until you type something), force a redraw
7108 with the |:redraw| command. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007109 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
7110<
7111 *:echon*
7112:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
7113 |:comment|.
7114 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
7115 Cannot be followed by a comment.
7116 Example: >
7117 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
7118<
7119 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
7120 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
7121 command: >
7122 :!echo % --> filename
7123< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
7124 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
7125< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
7126 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
7127 :echo % --> nothing
7128< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
7129 :echo "%" --> %
7130< This just echoes the '%' character. >
7131 :echo expand("%") --> filename
7132< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
7133
7134 *:echoh* *:echohl*
7135:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
7136 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
7137 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
7138 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
7139< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
7140 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
7141
7142 *:echom* *:echomsg*
7143:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
7144 message in the |message-history|.
7145 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
7146 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
7147 displayed, not interpreted.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007148 The parsing works slightly different from |:echo|,
7149 more like |:execute|. All the expressions are first
7150 evaluated and concatenated before echoing anything.
7151 The expressions must evaluate to a Number or String, a
7152 Dictionary or List causes an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007153 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
7154 Example: >
7155 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007156< See |:echo-redraw| to avoid the message disappearing
7157 when the screen is redrawn.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007158 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
7159:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
7160 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
7161 script or function the line number will be added.
7162 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007163 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007164 the message is raised as an error exception instead
7165 (see |try-echoerr|).
7166 Example: >
7167 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
7168< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
7169 And to get a beep: >
7170 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
7171<
7172 *:exe* *:execute*
7173:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +02007174 of {expr1} as an Ex command.
7175 Multiple arguments are concatenated, with a space in
7176 between. To avoid the extra space use the "."
7177 operator to concatenate strings into one argument.
7178 {expr1} is used as the processed command, command line
7179 editing keys are not recognized.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007180 Cannot be followed by a comment.
7181 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +02007182 :execute "buffer" nextbuf
7183 :execute "normal" count . "w"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007184<
7185 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
7186 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
7187 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
7188
7189< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
7190 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
7191 command: >
7192 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
7193< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
7194
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007195 Be careful to correctly escape special characters in
7196 file names. The |fnameescape()| function can be used
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00007197 for Vim commands, |shellescape()| for |:!| commands.
7198 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007199 :execute "e " . fnameescape(filename)
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00007200 :execute "!ls " . shellescape(expand('%:h'), 1)
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007201<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007202 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00007203 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
7204 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007205 :execute 'while i > 5'
7206 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
7207<
7208 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
7209 completely in the executed string: >
7210 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
7211<
7212
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01007213 *:exe-comment*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007214 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
7215 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
7216 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
7217 comment. Example: >
7218 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
7219
7220==============================================================================
72218. Exception handling *exception-handling*
7222
7223The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
7224explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
7225
7226Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
7227|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
7228exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
7229
7230
7231TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
7232
7233Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
7234use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
7235a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
7236 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
7237|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
7238a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
7239be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
7240which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
7241clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
7242
7243 :try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007244 : ...
7245 : ... TRY BLOCK
7246 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007247 :catch /{pattern}/
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007248 : ...
7249 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
7250 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007251 :catch /{pattern}/
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007252 : ...
7253 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
7254 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007255 :finally
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007256 : ...
7257 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
7258 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007259 :endtry
7260
7261The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
7262appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
7263from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
7264 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
7265is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
7266script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
7267 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
7268lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
7269patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
7270after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
7271executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
7272":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
7273(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
7274continues in the following line as usual.
7275 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
7276":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
7277that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
7278finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
7279the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
7280the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
7281see |try-nesting|.
7282 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007283remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007284not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
7285try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
7286a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
7287execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
7288exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
7289 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007290thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007291clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
7292catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
7293following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
7294clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
7295
7296The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
7297a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
7298try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
7299from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
7300sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
7301":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
7302":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
7303from the finally clause.
7304 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
7305try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
7306clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
7307":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
7308clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
7309":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
7310this pending exception or command is discarded.
7311
7312For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
7313
7314
7315NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
7316
7317Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
7318conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
7319clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
7320catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
7321of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
7322checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
7323try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007324otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007325nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
7326one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
7327the inner try conditional.
7328
7329When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
7330finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
7331An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
7332thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
7333implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
7334as usual.
7335
7336For examples see |throw-catch|.
7337
7338
7339EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
7340
7341Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
7342'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
7343script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
7344finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
7345a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
7346(see |debug-scripts|).
7347
7348
7349THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
7350
7351You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
7352and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
7353 :throw 4711
7354 :throw "string"
7355< *throw-expression*
7356You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
7357first, and the result is thrown: >
7358 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
7359 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
7360
7361An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
7362command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
7363The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
7364 Example: >
7365
7366 :function! Foo(arg)
7367 : try
7368 : throw a:arg
7369 : catch /foo/
7370 : endtry
7371 : return 1
7372 :endfunction
7373 :
7374 :function! Bar()
7375 : echo "in Bar"
7376 : return 4710
7377 :endfunction
7378 :
7379 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
7380
7381This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
7382executed. >
7383 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
7384however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
7385
7386Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007387abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007388exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
7389 Example: >
7390
7391 :if Foo("arrgh")
7392 : echo "then"
7393 :else
7394 : echo "else"
7395 :endif
7396
7397Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
7398
7399 *catch-order*
7400Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
7401commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
7402command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
7403gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
7404 Example: >
7405
7406 :function! Foo(value)
7407 : try
7408 : throw a:value
7409 : catch /^\d\+$/
7410 : echo "Number thrown"
7411 : catch /.*/
7412 : echo "String thrown"
7413 : endtry
7414 :endfunction
7415 :
7416 :call Foo(0x1267)
7417 :call Foo('string')
7418
7419The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
7420An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
7421specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
7422specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
7423
7424 : catch /.*/
7425 : echo "String thrown"
7426 : catch /^\d\+$/
7427 : echo "Number thrown"
7428
7429The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
7430never taken.
7431
7432 *throw-variables*
7433If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
7434in the variable |v:exception|: >
7435
7436 : catch /^\d\+$/
7437 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
7438
7439You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
7440|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
7441exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
7442 Example: >
7443
7444 :function! Caught()
7445 : if v:exception != ""
7446 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
7447 : else
7448 : echo 'Nothing caught'
7449 : endif
7450 :endfunction
7451 :
7452 :function! Foo()
7453 : try
7454 : try
7455 : try
7456 : throw 4711
7457 : finally
7458 : call Caught()
7459 : endtry
7460 : catch /.*/
7461 : call Caught()
7462 : throw "oops"
7463 : endtry
7464 : catch /.*/
7465 : call Caught()
7466 : finally
7467 : call Caught()
7468 : endtry
7469 :endfunction
7470 :
7471 :call Foo()
7472
7473This displays >
7474
7475 Nothing caught
7476 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
7477 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
7478 Nothing caught
7479
7480A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
7481number in the script or function where it has been used: >
7482
7483 :function! LineNumber()
7484 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
7485 :endfunction
7486 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
7487<
7488 *try-nested*
7489An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
7490a surrounding try conditional: >
7491
7492 :try
7493 : try
7494 : throw "foo"
7495 : catch /foobar/
7496 : echo "foobar"
7497 : finally
7498 : echo "inner finally"
7499 : endtry
7500 :catch /foo/
7501 : echo "foo"
7502 :endtry
7503
7504The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
7505clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
7506conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
7507
7508 *throw-from-catch*
7509You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
7510catch clause: >
7511
7512 :function! Foo()
7513 : throw "foo"
7514 :endfunction
7515 :
7516 :function! Bar()
7517 : try
7518 : call Foo()
7519 : catch /foo/
7520 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
7521 : throw "bar"
7522 : endtry
7523 :endfunction
7524 :
7525 :try
7526 : call Bar()
7527 :catch /.*/
7528 : echo "Caught" v:exception
7529 :endtry
7530
7531This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
7532
7533 *rethrow*
7534There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
7535"v:exception" instead: >
7536
7537 :function! Bar()
7538 : try
7539 : call Foo()
7540 : catch /.*/
7541 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
7542 : throw v:exception
7543 : endtry
7544 :endfunction
7545< *try-echoerr*
7546Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
7547exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
7548Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
7549denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
7550the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
7551
7552 :try
7553 : try
7554 : asdf
7555 : catch /.*/
7556 : echoerr v:exception
7557 : endtry
7558 :catch /.*/
7559 : echo v:exception
7560 :endtry
7561
7562This code displays
7563
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007564 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007565
7566
7567CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
7568
7569Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
7570user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007571an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007572a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
7573catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
7574a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
7575normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
7576(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007577to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007578clause has been executed.)
7579Example: >
7580
7581 :try
7582 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
7583 : set ts=17
7584 :
7585 : " Do the hard work here.
7586 :
7587 :finally
7588 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
7589 : unlet s:saved_ts
7590 :endtry
7591
7592This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
7593changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
7594that function or script part.
7595
7596 *break-finally*
7597Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
7598a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
7599 Example: >
7600
7601 :let first = 1
7602 :while 1
7603 : try
7604 : if first
7605 : echo "first"
7606 : let first = 0
7607 : continue
7608 : else
7609 : throw "second"
7610 : endif
7611 : catch /.*/
7612 : echo v:exception
7613 : break
7614 : finally
7615 : echo "cleanup"
7616 : endtry
7617 : echo "still in while"
7618 :endwhile
7619 :echo "end"
7620
7621This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
7622
7623 :function! Foo()
7624 : try
7625 : return 4711
7626 : finally
7627 : echo "cleanup\n"
7628 : endtry
7629 : echo "Foo still active"
7630 :endfunction
7631 :
7632 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
7633
7634This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007635extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007636return value.)
7637
7638 *except-from-finally*
7639Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
7640a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
7641cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
7642exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
7643 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
7644working correctly: >
7645
7646 :try
7647 : try
7648 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
7649 : while 1
7650 : endwhile
7651 : finally
7652 : unlet novar
7653 : endtry
7654 :catch /novar/
7655 :endtry
7656 :echo "Script still running"
7657 :sleep 1
7658
7659If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
7660think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
7661|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
7662
7663
7664CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
7665
7666If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
7667watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
7668presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
7669exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
7670the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
7671the error exception is.
7672 Error exceptions have the following format: >
7673
7674 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
7675or >
7676 Vim:{errmsg}
7677
7678{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007679the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007680when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
7681a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
7682a space.
7683
7684Examples:
7685
7686The command >
7687 :unlet novar
7688normally produces the error message >
7689 E108: No such variable: "novar"
7690which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7691 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
7692
7693The command >
7694 :dwim
7695normally produces the error message >
7696 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
7697which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7698 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
7699
7700You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
7701 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
7702or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
7703 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
7704
7705Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
7706 :function nofunc
7707and >
7708 :delfunction nofunc
7709both produce the error message >
7710 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7711which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7712 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7713or >
7714 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7715respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
7716command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
7717 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
7718
7719Some commands like >
7720 :let x = novar
7721produce multiple error messages, here: >
7722 E121: Undefined variable: novar
7723 E15: Invalid expression: novar
7724Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
7725one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
7726 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
7727
7728You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
7729 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
7730
7731You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
7732 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
7733
7734You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
7735 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
7736<
7737 *catch-text*
7738NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
7739 :catch /No such variable/
7740only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
7741a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
7742cite the message text in a comment: >
7743 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
7744
7745
7746IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
7747
7748You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
7749
7750 :try
7751 : write
7752 :catch
7753 :endtry
7754
7755But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
7756catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
7757be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
7758
7759 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
7760
7761There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
7762writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
7763then hide the error from the user.
7764 It is much better to use >
7765
7766 :try
7767 : write
7768 :catch /^Vim(write):/
7769 :endtry
7770
7771which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
7772intentionally.
7773
7774For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
7775even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
7776command: >
7777 :silent! nunmap k
7778This works also when a try conditional is active.
7779
7780
7781CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
7782
7783When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007784the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007785script is not terminated, then.
7786 Example: >
7787
7788 :function! TASK1()
7789 : sleep 10
7790 :endfunction
7791
7792 :function! TASK2()
7793 : sleep 20
7794 :endfunction
7795
7796 :while 1
7797 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
7798 : try
7799 : if command == ""
7800 : continue
7801 : elseif command == "END"
7802 : break
7803 : elseif command == "TASK1"
7804 : call TASK1()
7805 : elseif command == "TASK2"
7806 : call TASK2()
7807 : else
7808 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
7809 : continue
7810 : endif
7811 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
7812 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
7813 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
7814 : endtry
7815 :endwhile
7816
7817You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007818a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007819
7820For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
7821your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
7822command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
7823
7824
7825CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
7826
7827The commands >
7828
7829 :catch /.*/
7830 :catch //
7831 :catch
7832
7833catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
7834explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
7835a script in order to catch unexpected things.
7836 Example: >
7837
7838 :try
7839 :
7840 : " do the hard work here
7841 :
7842 :catch /MyException/
7843 :
7844 : " handle known problem
7845 :
7846 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
7847 : echo "Script interrupted"
7848 :catch /.*/
7849 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
7850 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
7851 :endtry
7852 :" end of script
7853
7854Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
7855strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
7856specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
7857 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
7858by pressing CTRL-C: >
7859
7860 :while 1
7861 : try
7862 : sleep 1
7863 : catch
7864 : endtry
7865 :endwhile
7866
7867
7868EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
7869
7870Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
7871
7872 :autocmd User x try
7873 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
7874 :autocmd User x catch
7875 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
7876 :autocmd User x endtry
7877 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
7878 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
7879 :
7880 :try
7881 : doautocmd User x
7882 :catch
7883 : echo v:exception
7884 :endtry
7885
7886This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
7887
7888 *except-autocmd-Pre*
7889For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
7890command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
7891of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
7892abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
7893 Example: >
7894
7895 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
7896 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
7897 :
7898 :try
7899 : write
7900 :catch
7901 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
7902 :endtry
7903
7904Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
7905you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
7906autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
7907script displays: >
7908
7909 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
7910<
7911 *except-autocmd-Post*
7912For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
7913command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
7914an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
7915is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
7916 Example: >
7917
7918 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
7919 :
7920 :try
7921 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7922 :catch
7923 : echo v:exception
7924 :endtry
7925
7926This just displays: >
7927
7928 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
7929
7930If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
7931fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
7932 Example: >
7933
7934 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
7935 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
7936 :
7937 :try
7938 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7939 :catch
7940 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7941 :endtry
7942<
7943You can also use ":silent!": >
7944
7945 :let x = "ok"
7946 :let v:errmsg = ""
7947 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
7948 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
7949 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
7950 :try
7951 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7952 :catch
7953 :endtry
7954 :echo x
7955
7956This displays "after fail".
7957
7958If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
7959autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
7960
7961 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
7962 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
7963 :
7964 :try
7965 : write
7966 :catch
7967 : echo v:exception
7968 :endtry
7969<
7970 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
7971For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
7972autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
7973of the command.
7974 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007975had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007976some way. >
7977
7978 :if !exists("cnt")
7979 : let cnt = 0
7980 :
7981 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
7982 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
7983 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
7984 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7985 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7986 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
7987 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
7988 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7989 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7990 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
7991 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7992 :endif
7993 :
7994 :try
7995 : write
7996 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
7997 : if &modified
7998 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
7999 : else
8000 : echo "Error after writing"
8001 : endif
8002 :catch /^Vim(write):/
8003 : echo "Error on writing"
8004 :endtry
8005
8006When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
8007first >
8008 File successfully written!
8009then >
8010 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
8011then >
8012 Error after writing
8013etc.
8014
8015 *except-autocmd-ill*
8016You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
8017The following code is ill-formed: >
8018
8019 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
8020 :
8021 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
8022 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
8023 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
8024 :
8025 :write
8026
8027
8028EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
8029
8030Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
8031pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
8032similar things in Vim.
8033 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
8034class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
8035string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
8036 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
8037it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
8038for an error when writing "myfile".
8039 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
8040base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
8041parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
8042 Example: >
8043
8044 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
8045 : if a:a < 0
8046 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
8047 : endif
8048 :endfunction
8049 :
8050 :function! Add(a, b)
8051 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
8052 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
8053 : let c = a:a + a:b
8054 : if c < 0
8055 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
8056 : endif
8057 : return c
8058 :endfunction
8059 :
8060 :function! Div(a, b)
8061 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
8062 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
8063 : if (a:b == 0)
8064 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
8065 : endif
8066 : return a:a / a:b
8067 :endfunction
8068 :
8069 :function! Write(file)
8070 : try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008071 : execute "write" fnameescape(a:file)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008072 : catch /^Vim(write):/
8073 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
8074 : endtry
8075 :endfunction
8076 :
8077 :try
8078 :
8079 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
8080 :
8081 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
8082 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
8083 : echo "Range error in" function
8084 :
8085 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
8086 : echo "Math error"
8087 :
8088 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
8089 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
8090 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
8091 : if file !~ '^/'
8092 : let file = dir . "/" . file
8093 : endif
8094 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
8095 :
8096 :catch /^EXCEPT/
8097 : echo "Unspecified error"
8098 :
8099 :endtry
8100
8101The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
8102a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
8103exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
8104 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
8105failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
8106
8107
8108PECULIARITIES
8109 *except-compat*
8110The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
8111exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
8112and/or a catch clause.
8113
8114In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
8115continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
8116after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
8117functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
8118or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
8119(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
8120
8121This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
8122immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008123conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
8124be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008125termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
8126catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
8127by specifying a finally clause.)
8128
8129When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
8130behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
8131scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
8132
8133However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
8134commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
8135conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
8136script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
8137error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
8138messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008139|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
8140not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008141where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
8142error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
8143scripts.
8144
8145 *except-syntax-err*
8146Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
8147the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
8148clauses, however, is executed.
8149 Example: >
8150
8151 :try
8152 : try
8153 : throw 4711
8154 : catch /\(/
8155 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
8156 : catch
8157 : echo "inner catch-all"
8158 : finally
8159 : echo "inner finally"
8160 : endtry
8161 :catch
8162 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
8163 : finally
8164 : echo "outer finally"
8165 :endtry
8166
8167This displays: >
8168 inner finally
8169 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
8170 outer finally
8171The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
8172
8173 *except-single-line*
8174The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
8175a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
8176"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
8177 Example: >
8178 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
8179raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
8180argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
8181error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
8182displayed.
8183
8184 *except-several-errors*
8185When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
8186usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
8187 Example: >
8188 echo novar
8189causes >
8190 E121: Undefined variable: novar
8191 E15: Invalid expression: novar
8192The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
8193 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
8194< *except-syntax-error*
8195But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
8196the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
8197 Example: >
8198 unlet novar #
8199causes >
8200 E108: No such variable: "novar"
8201 E488: Trailing characters
8202The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
8203 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
8204This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
8205not intended by the user. Example: >
8206 try
8207 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
8208 catch /.*/
8209 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
8210 endtry
8211This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
8212a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
8213
8214==============================================================================
82159. Examples *eval-examples*
8216
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008217Printing in Binary ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008218>
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01008219 :" The function Nr2Bin() returns the binary string representation of a number.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008220 :func Nr2Bin(nr)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008221 : let n = a:nr
8222 : let r = ""
8223 : while n
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008224 : let r = '01'[n % 2] . r
8225 : let n = n / 2
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008226 : endwhile
8227 : return r
8228 :endfunc
8229
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008230 :" The function String2Bin() converts each character in a string to a
8231 :" binary string, separated with dashes.
8232 :func String2Bin(str)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008233 : let out = ''
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008234 : for ix in range(strlen(a:str))
8235 : let out = out . '-' . Nr2Bin(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
8236 : endfor
8237 : return out[1:]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008238 :endfunc
8239
8240Example of its use: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008241 :echo Nr2Bin(32)
8242result: "100000" >
8243 :echo String2Bin("32")
8244result: "110011-110010"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008245
8246
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008247Sorting lines ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008248
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008249This example sorts lines with a specific compare function. >
8250
8251 :func SortBuffer()
8252 : let lines = getline(1, '$')
8253 : call sort(lines, function("Strcmp"))
8254 : call setline(1, lines)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008255 :endfunction
8256
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008257As a one-liner: >
8258 :call setline(1, sort(getline(1, '$'), function("Strcmp")))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008259
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008260
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008261scanf() replacement ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008262 *sscanf*
8263There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
8264line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
8265how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
8266"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
8267 :" Set up the match bit
8268 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
8269 :"get the part matching the whole expression
8270 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
8271 :"get each item out of the match
8272 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
8273 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
8274 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
8275
8276The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
8277"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
8278
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008279
8280getting the scriptnames in a Dictionary ~
8281 *scriptnames-dictionary*
8282The |:scriptnames| command can be used to get a list of all script files that
8283have been sourced. There is no equivalent function or variable for this
8284(because it's rarely needed). In case you need to manipulate the list this
8285code can be used: >
8286 " Get the output of ":scriptnames" in the scriptnames_output variable.
8287 let scriptnames_output = ''
8288 redir => scriptnames_output
8289 silent scriptnames
8290 redir END
8291
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008292 " Split the output into lines and parse each line. Add an entry to the
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008293 " "scripts" dictionary.
8294 let scripts = {}
8295 for line in split(scriptnames_output, "\n")
8296 " Only do non-blank lines.
8297 if line =~ '\S'
8298 " Get the first number in the line.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008299 let nr = matchstr(line, '\d\+')
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008300 " Get the file name, remove the script number " 123: ".
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008301 let name = substitute(line, '.\+:\s*', '', '')
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008302 " Add an item to the Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008303 let scripts[nr] = name
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008304 endif
8305 endfor
8306 unlet scriptnames_output
8307
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008308==============================================================================
830910. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
8310
8311When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
8312evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
8313to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
8314recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
8315and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
8316only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
8317recognized.
8318
8319Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
8320missing: >
8321
8322 :if 1
8323 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
8324 :else
8325 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
8326 :endif
8327
8328==============================================================================
832911. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
8330
Bram Moolenaar368373e2010-07-19 20:46:22 +02008331The 'foldexpr', 'formatexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and
8332'foldtext' options may be evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are
8333protected from these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some
8334safety for when these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when
8335the command from a tags file is executed and for CTRL-R = in the command line.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00008336The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008337
8338These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
8339 - changing the buffer text
8340 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
8341 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008342 - setting certain v: variables (see |v:var|) *E794*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008343 - executing a shell command
8344 - reading or writing a file
8345 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00008346 - executing Python, Perl, etc. commands
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00008347This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
8348
8349 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00008350:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00008351 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
8352 'foldexpr'.
8353
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008354 *sandbox-option*
8355A few options contain an expression. When this expression is evaluated it may
Bram Moolenaar9b2200a2006-03-20 21:55:45 +00008356have to be done in the sandbox to avoid a security risk. But the sandbox is
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008357restrictive, thus this only happens when the option was set from an insecure
8358location. Insecure in this context are:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00008359- sourcing a .vimrc or .exrc in the current directory
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008360- while executing in the sandbox
8361- value coming from a modeline
8362
8363Note that when in the sandbox and saving an option value and restoring it, the
8364option will still be marked as it was set in the sandbox.
8365
8366==============================================================================
836712. Textlock *textlock*
8368
8369In a few situations it is not allowed to change the text in the buffer, jump
8370to another window and some other things that might confuse or break what Vim
8371is currently doing. This mostly applies to things that happen when Vim is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008372actually doing something else. For example, evaluating the 'balloonexpr' may
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008373happen any moment the mouse cursor is resting at some position.
8374
8375This is not allowed when the textlock is active:
8376 - changing the buffer text
8377 - jumping to another buffer or window
8378 - editing another file
8379 - closing a window or quitting Vim
8380 - etc.
8381
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008382
8383 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: