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Bram Moolenaar50ba5262016-09-22 22:33:02 +02001*channel.txt* For Vim version 8.0. Last change: 2016 Sep 20
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +01002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7 Inter-process communication *channel*
8
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +01009Vim uses channels to communicate with other processes.
Bram Moolenaar269f5952016-07-15 22:54:41 +020010A channel uses a socket or pipes. *socket-interface*
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +010011Jobs can be used to start processes and communicate with them.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +010012The Netbeans interface also uses a channel. |netbeans|
13
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100141. Overview |job-channel-overview|
152. Channel demo |channel-demo|
163. Opening a channel |channel-open|
174. Using a JSON or JS channel |channel-use|
185. Channel commands |channel-commands|
196. Using a RAW or NL channel |channel-raw|
207. More channel functions |channel-more|
218. Starting a job with a channel |job-start|
229. Starting a job without a channel |job-start-nochannel|
2310. Job options |job-options|
2411. Controlling a job |job-control|
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +010025
26{Vi does not have any of these features}
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +010027{only when compiled with the |+channel| feature for channel stuff}
Bram Moolenaarf37506f2016-08-31 22:22:10 +020028 You can check this with: `has('channel')`
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +010029{only when compiled with the |+job| feature for job stuff}
Bram Moolenaarf37506f2016-08-31 22:22:10 +020030 You can check this with: `has('job')`
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +010031
32==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100331. Overview *job-channel-overview*
34
35There are four main types of jobs:
Bram Moolenaar50ba5262016-09-22 22:33:02 +0200361. A daemon, serving several Vim instances.
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +010037 Vim connects to it with a socket.
382. One job working with one Vim instance, asynchronously.
39 Uses a socket or pipes.
403. A job performing some work for a short time, asynchronously.
41 Uses a socket or pipes.
424. Running a filter, synchronously.
43 Uses pipes.
44
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +010045For when using sockets See |job-start|, |job-start-nochannel| and
46|channel-open|. For 2 and 3, one or more jobs using pipes, see |job-start|.
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +010047For 4 use the ":{range}!cmd" command, see |filter|.
48
49Over the socket and pipes these protocols are available:
50RAW nothing known, Vim cannot tell where a message ends
51NL every message ends in a NL (newline) character
52JSON JSON encoding |json_encode()|
53JS JavaScript style JSON-like encoding |js_encode()|
54
55Common combination are:
56- Using a job connected through pipes in NL mode. E.g., to run a style
57 checker and receive errors and warnings.
58- Using a deamon, connecting over a socket in JSON mode. E.g. to lookup
Bram Moolenaar09521312016-08-12 22:54:35 +020059 cross-references in a database.
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +010060
61==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaar26852122016-05-24 20:02:38 +0200622. Channel demo *channel-demo* *demoserver.py*
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +010063
64This requires Python. The demo program can be found in
65$VIMRUNTIME/tools/demoserver.py
66Run it in one terminal. We will call this T1.
67
68Run Vim in another terminal. Connect to the demo server with: >
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +010069 let channel = ch_open('localhost:8765')
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +010070
71In T1 you should see:
72 === socket opened === ~
73
74You can now send a message to the server: >
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +010075 echo ch_evalexpr(channel, 'hello!')
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +010076
77The message is received in T1 and a response is sent back to Vim.
78You can see the raw messages in T1. What Vim sends is:
79 [1,"hello!"] ~
80And the response is:
81 [1,"got it"] ~
82The number will increase every time you send a message.
83
84The server can send a command to Vim. Type this on T1 (literally, including
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +010085the quotes):
86 ["ex","echo 'hi there'"] ~
87And you should see the message in Vim. You can move the cursor a word forward:
88 ["normal","w"] ~
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +010089
90To handle asynchronous communication a callback needs to be used: >
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +010091 func MyHandler(channel, msg)
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +010092 echo "from the handler: " . a:msg
93 endfunc
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +010094 call ch_sendexpr(channel, 'hello!', {'callback': "MyHandler"})
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +010095Vim will not wait for a response. Now the server can send the response later
96and MyHandler will be invoked.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +010097
98Instead of giving a callback with every send call, it can also be specified
99when opening the channel: >
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100100 call ch_close(channel)
101 let channel = ch_open('localhost:8765', {'callback': "MyHandler"})
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +0100102 call ch_sendexpr(channel, 'hello!')
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100103
Bram Moolenaar328da0d2016-03-04 22:22:32 +0100104When trying out channels it's useful to see what is going on. You can tell
105Vim to write lines in log file: >
106 call ch_logfile('channellog', 'w')
107See |ch_logfile()|.
108
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100109==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +01001103. Opening a channel *channel-open*
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100111
Bram Moolenaar681baaf2016-02-04 20:57:07 +0100112To open a channel: >
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100113 let channel = ch_open({address} [, {options}])
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100114 if ch_status(channel) == "open"
115 " use the channel
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100116
117Use |ch_status()| to see if the channel could be opened.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100118
119{address} has the form "hostname:port". E.g., "localhost:8765".
120
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100121{options} is a dictionary with optional entries: *channel-open-options*
Bram Moolenaar4d919d72016-02-05 22:36:41 +0100122
123"mode" can be: *channel-mode*
124 "json" - Use JSON, see below; most convenient way. Default.
Bram Moolenaar910b8aa2016-02-16 21:03:07 +0100125 "js" - Use JS (JavaScript) encoding, more efficient than JSON.
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100126 "nl" - Use messages that end in a NL character
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100127 "raw" - Use raw messages
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100128 *channel-callback* *E921*
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100129"callback" A function that is called when a message is received that is
130 not handled otherwise. It gets two arguments: the channel
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100131 and the received message. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100132 func Handle(channel, msg)
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100133 echo 'Received: ' . a:msg
134 endfunc
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100135 let channel = ch_open("localhost:8765", {"callback": "Handle"})
136<
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100137 When "mode" is "json" or "js" the "msg" argument is the body
138 of the received message, converted to Vim types.
139 When "mode" is "nl" the "msg" argument is one message,
140 excluding the NL.
141 When "mode" is "raw" the "msg" argument is the whole message
142 as a string.
Bram Moolenaare18c0b32016-03-20 21:08:34 +0100143
144 For all callbacks: Use |function()| to bind it to arguments
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100145 and/or a Dictionary. Or use the form "dict.function" to bind
146 the Dictionary.
Bram Moolenaar06d2d382016-05-20 17:24:11 +0200147
148 Callbacks are only called at a "safe" moment, usually when Vim
149 is waiting for the user to type a character. Vim does not use
150 multi-threading.
151
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100152 *close_cb*
153"close_cb" A function that is called when the channel gets closed, other
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100154 than by calling ch_close(). It should be defined like this: >
155 func MyCloseHandler(channel)
Bram Moolenaar06d2d382016-05-20 17:24:11 +0200156< Vim will invoke callbacks that handle data before invoking
157 close_cb, thus when this function is called no more data will
158 be received.
159 *waittime*
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100160"waittime" The time to wait for the connection to be made in
Bram Moolenaarf3913272016-02-25 00:00:01 +0100161 milliseconds. A negative number waits forever.
162
163 The default is zero, don't wait, which is useful if a local
164 server is supposed to be running already. On Unix Vim
165 actually uses a 1 msec timeout, that is required on many
166 systems. Use a larger value for a remote server, e.g. 10
167 msec at least.
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100168 *channel-timeout*
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100169"timeout" The time to wait for a request when blocking, E.g. when using
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +0100170 ch_evalexpr(). In milliseconds. The default is 2000 (2
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100171 seconds).
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100172
Bram Moolenaar595e64e2016-02-07 19:19:53 +0100173When "mode" is "json" or "js" the "callback" is optional. When omitted it is
174only possible to receive a message after sending one.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100175
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100176To change the channel options after opening it use |ch_setoptions()|. The
177arguments are similar to what is passed to |ch_open()|, but "waittime" cannot
178be given, since that only applies to opening the channel.
Bram Moolenaar4d919d72016-02-05 22:36:41 +0100179
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100180For example, the handler can be added or changed: >
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100181 call ch_setoptions(channel, {'callback': callback})
182When "callback" is empty (zero or an empty string) the handler is removed.
183
Bram Moolenaar328da0d2016-03-04 22:22:32 +0100184After a callback has been invoked Vim will update the screen and put the
185cursor back where it belongs. Thus the callback should not need to do
186`:redraw`.
187
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100188The timeout can be changed: >
189 call ch_setoptions(channel, {'timeout': msec})
190<
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100191 *channel-close* *E906*
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100192Once done with the channel, disconnect it like this: >
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100193 call ch_close(channel)
194When a socket is used this will close the socket for both directions. When
195pipes are used (stdin/stdout/stderr) they are all closed. This might not be
196what you want! Stopping the job with job_stop() might be better.
Bram Moolenaar187db502016-02-27 14:44:26 +0100197All readahead is discarded, callbacks will no longer be invoked.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100198
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100199Note that a channel is closed in three stages:
200 - The I/O ends, log message: "Closing channel". There can still be queued
201 messages to read or callbacks to invoke.
202 - The readahead is cleared, log message: "Clearing channel". Some variables
203 may still reference the channel.
204 - The channel is freed, log message: "Freeing channel".
205
Bram Moolenaarcbebd482016-02-07 23:02:56 +0100206When the channel can't be opened you will get an error message. There is a
207difference between MS-Windows and Unix: On Unix when the port doesn't exist
208ch_open() fails quickly. On MS-Windows "waittime" applies.
Bram Moolenaaraa3b15d2016-04-21 08:53:19 +0200209*E898* *E901* *E902*
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100210
211If there is an error reading or writing a channel it will be closed.
Bram Moolenaaraa3b15d2016-04-21 08:53:19 +0200212*E630* *E631*
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100213
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100214==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +01002154. Using a JSON or JS channel *channel-use*
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100216
Bram Moolenaar910b8aa2016-02-16 21:03:07 +0100217If mode is JSON then a message can be sent synchronously like this: >
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +0100218 let response = ch_evalexpr(channel, {expr})
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100219This awaits a response from the other side.
220
Bram Moolenaar910b8aa2016-02-16 21:03:07 +0100221When mode is JS this works the same, except that the messages use
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100222JavaScript encoding. See |js_encode()| for the difference.
Bram Moolenaar595e64e2016-02-07 19:19:53 +0100223
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100224To send a message, without handling a response or letting the channel callback
225handle the response: >
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +0100226 call ch_sendexpr(channel, {expr})
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100227
228To send a message and letting the response handled by a specific function,
229asynchronously: >
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100230 call ch_sendexpr(channel, {expr}, {'callback': Handler})
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100231
232Vim will match the response with the request using the message ID. Once the
233response is received the callback will be invoked. Further responses with the
234same ID will be ignored. If your server sends back multiple responses you
235need to send them with ID zero, they will be passed to the channel callback.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100236
237The {expr} is converted to JSON and wrapped in an array. An example of the
238message that the receiver will get when {expr} is the string "hello":
239 [12,"hello"] ~
240
241The format of the JSON sent is:
242 [{number},{expr}]
243
244In which {number} is different every time. It must be used in the response
245(if any):
246
247 [{number},{response}]
248
249This way Vim knows which sent message matches with which received message and
250can call the right handler. Also when the messages arrive out of order.
251
Bram Moolenaarf1f07922016-08-26 17:58:53 +0200252A newline character is terminating the JSON text. This can be used to
253separate the read text. For example, in Python:
254 splitidx = read_text.find('\n')
255 message = read_text[:splitidx]
256 rest = read_text[splitidx + 1:]
257
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100258The sender must always send valid JSON to Vim. Vim can check for the end of
259the message by parsing the JSON. It will only accept the message if the end
Bram Moolenaarf1f07922016-08-26 17:58:53 +0200260was received. A newline after the message is optional.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100261
262When the process wants to send a message to Vim without first receiving a
263message, it must use the number zero:
264 [0,{response}]
265
266Then channel handler will then get {response} converted to Vim types. If the
267channel does not have a handler the message is dropped.
268
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +0100269It is also possible to use ch_sendraw() and ch_evalraw() on a JSON or JS
270channel. The caller is then completely responsible for correct encoding and
271decoding.
Bram Moolenaarcbebd482016-02-07 23:02:56 +0100272
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100273==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +01002745. Channel commands *channel-commands*
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100275
Bram Moolenaar910b8aa2016-02-16 21:03:07 +0100276With a JSON channel the process can send commands to Vim that will be
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100277handled by Vim internally, it does not require a handler for the channel.
278
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100279Possible commands are: *E903* *E904* *E905*
Bram Moolenaar220adb12016-09-12 12:17:26 +0200280 ["redraw", {forced}]
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100281 ["ex", {Ex command}]
282 ["normal", {Normal mode command}]
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100283 ["expr", {expression}, {number}]
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100284 ["expr", {expression}]
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100285 ["call", {func name}, {argument list}, {number}]
286 ["call", {func name}, {argument list}]
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100287
288With all of these: Be careful what these commands do! You can easily
289interfere with what the user is doing. To avoid trouble use |mode()| to check
290that the editor is in the expected state. E.g., to send keys that must be
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100291inserted as text, not executed as a command:
292 ["ex","if mode() == 'i' | call feedkeys('ClassName') | endif"] ~
293
294Errors in these commands are normally not reported to avoid them messing up
295the display. If you do want to see them, set the 'verbose' option to 3 or
296higher.
297
298
299Command "redraw" ~
300
301The other commands do not update the screen, so that you can send a sequence
302of commands without the cursor moving around. You must end with the "redraw"
303command to show any changed text and show the cursor where it belongs.
304
305The argument is normally an empty string:
306 ["redraw", ""] ~
307To first clear the screen pass "force":
308 ["redraw", "force"] ~
309
310
311Command "ex" ~
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100312
313The "ex" command is executed as any Ex command. There is no response for
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100314completion or error. You could use functions in an |autoload| script:
315 ["ex","call myscript#MyFunc(arg)"]
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100316
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100317You can also use "call |feedkeys()|" to insert any key sequence.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100318
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100319When there is an error a message is written to the channel log, if it exists,
320and v:errmsg is set to the error.
321
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100322
323Command "normal" ~
324
Bram Moolenaar681baaf2016-02-04 20:57:07 +0100325The "normal" command is executed like with ":normal!", commands are not
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100326mapped. Example to open the folds under the cursor:
327 ["normal" "zO"]
328
329
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100330Command "expr" with response ~
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100331
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100332The "expr" command can be used to get the result of an expression. For
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100333example, to get the number of lines in the current buffer:
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100334 ["expr","line('$')", -2] ~
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100335
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100336It will send back the result of the expression:
Bram Moolenaare0fa3742016-02-20 15:47:01 +0100337 [-2, "last line"] ~
338The format is:
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100339 [{number}, {result}]
Bram Moolenaar187db502016-02-27 14:44:26 +0100340
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100341Here {number} is the same as what was in the request. Use a negative number
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100342to avoid confusion with message that Vim sends. Use a different number on
343every request to be able to match the request with the response.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100344
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100345{result} is the result of the evaluation and is JSON encoded. If the
Bram Moolenaar595e64e2016-02-07 19:19:53 +0100346evaluation fails or the result can't be encoded in JSON it is the string
347"ERROR".
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100348
349
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100350Command "expr" without a response ~
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100351
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100352This command is similar to "expr" above, but does not send back any response.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100353Example:
Bram Moolenaarfb1f6262016-01-31 20:24:32 +0100354 ["expr","setline('$', ['one', 'two', 'three'])"] ~
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100355There is no third argument in the request.
356
357
358Command "call" ~
359
360This is similar to "expr", but instead of passing the whole expression as a
361string this passes the name of a function and a list of arguments. This
362avoids the conversion of the arguments to a string and escaping and
363concatenating them. Example:
364 ["call", "line", ["$"], -2] ~
365
366Leave out the fourth argument if no response is to be sent:
367 ["call", "setline", ["$", ["one", "two", "three"]]] ~
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100368
369==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +01003706. Using a RAW or NL channel *channel-raw*
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100371
Bram Moolenaar910b8aa2016-02-16 21:03:07 +0100372If mode is RAW or NL then a message can be send like this: >
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +0100373 let response = ch_evalraw(channel, {string})
Bram Moolenaar910b8aa2016-02-16 21:03:07 +0100374
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100375The {string} is sent as-is. The response will be what can be read from the
376channel right away. Since Vim doesn't know how to recognize the end of the
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100377message you need to take care of it yourself. The timeout applies for reading
378the first byte, after that it will not wait for anything more.
379
Bram Moolenaar910b8aa2016-02-16 21:03:07 +0100380If mode is "nl" you can send a message in a similar way. You are expected
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100381to put in the NL after each message. Thus you can also send several messages
382ending in a NL at once. The response will be the text up to and including the
383first NL. This can also be just the NL for an empty response.
384If no NL was read before the channel timeout an empty string is returned.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100385
386To send a message, without expecting a response: >
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +0100387 call ch_sendraw(channel, {string})
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100388The process can send back a response, the channel handler will be called with
389it.
390
391To send a message and letting the response handled by a specific function,
392asynchronously: >
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +0100393 call ch_sendraw(channel, {string}, {'callback': 'MyHandler'})
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100394
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100395This {string} can also be JSON, use |json_encode()| to create it and
396|json_decode()| to handle a received JSON message.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100397
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +0100398It is not possible to use |ch_evalexpr()| or |ch_sendexpr()| on a raw channel.
Bram Moolenaarcbebd482016-02-07 23:02:56 +0100399
Bram Moolenaar818078d2016-08-27 21:58:42 +0200400A String in Vim cannot contain NUL bytes. To send or receive NUL bytes read
401or write from a buffer. See |in_io-buffer| and |out_io-buffer|.
402
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100403==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +01004047. More channel functions *channel-more*
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100405
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100406To obtain the status of a channel: ch_status(channel). The possible results
407are:
408 "fail" Failed to open the channel.
409 "open" The channel can be used.
Bram Moolenaar06481422016-04-30 15:13:38 +0200410 "buffered" The channel was closed but there is data to read.
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100411 "closed" The channel was closed.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100412
Bram Moolenaar187db502016-02-27 14:44:26 +0100413To obtain the job associated with a channel: ch_getjob(channel)
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100414
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100415To read one message from a channel: >
416 let output = ch_read(channel)
417This uses the channel timeout. To read without a timeout, just get any
418message that is available: >
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100419 let output = ch_read(channel, {'timeout': 0})
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100420When no message was available then the result is v:none for a JSON or JS mode
421channels, an empty string for a RAW or NL channel.
422
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100423To read all output from a RAW channel that is available: >
424 let output = ch_readraw(channel)
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100425To read the error output: >
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100426 let output = ch_readraw(channel, {"part": "err"})
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100427
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100428ch_read() and ch_readraw() use the channel timeout. When there is nothing to
429read within that time an empty string is returned. To specify a different
430timeout in msec use the "timeout" option:
431 {"timeout": 123} ~
432To read from the error output use the "part" option:
433 {"part": "err"} ~
434To read a message with a specific ID, on a JS or JSON channel:
435 {"id": 99} ~
436When no ID is specified or the ID is -1, the first message is returned. This
437overrules any callback waiting for this message.
438
439For a RAW channel this returns whatever is available, since Vim does not know
440where a message ends.
441For a NL channel this returns one message.
442For a JS or JSON channel this returns one decoded message.
443This includes any sequence number.
444
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100445==============================================================================
4468. Starting a job with a channel *job-start* *job*
447
448To start a job and open a channel for stdin/stdout/stderr: >
449 let job = job_start(command, {options})
450
451You can get the channel with: >
452 let channel = job_getchannel(job)
453
454The channel will use NL mode. If you want another mode it's best to specify
455this in {options}. When changing the mode later some text may have already
456been received and not parsed correctly.
457
458If the command produces a line of output that you want to deal with, specify
459a handler for stdout: >
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100460 let job = job_start(command, {"out_cb": "MyHandler"})
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100461The function will be called with the channel and a message. You would define
462it like this: >
463 func MyHandler(channel, msg)
464
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100465Without the handler you need to read the output with |ch_read()| or
Bram Moolenaar06481422016-04-30 15:13:38 +0200466|ch_readraw()|. You can do this in the close callback, see |read-in-close-cb|.
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100467
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100468The handler defined for "out_cb" will not receive stderr. If you want to
469handle that separately, add an "err_cb" handler: >
470 let job = job_start(command, {"out_cb": "MyHandler",
471 \ "err_cb": "ErrHandler"})
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100472
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100473If you want to handle both stderr and stdout with one handler use the
474"callback" option: >
475 let job = job_start(command, {"callback": "MyHandler"})
476
Bram Moolenaar8b1862a2016-02-27 19:21:24 +0100477You can send a message to the command with ch_evalraw(). If the channel is in
478JSON or JS mode you can use ch_evalexpr().
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100479
480There are several options you can use, see |job-options|.
Bram Moolenaar187db502016-02-27 14:44:26 +0100481For example, to start a job and write its output in buffer "dummy": >
482 let logjob = job_start("tail -f /tmp/log",
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100483 \ {'out_io': 'buffer', 'out_name': 'dummy'})
Bram Moolenaar187db502016-02-27 14:44:26 +0100484 sbuf dummy
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100485
Bram Moolenaar5f148ec2016-03-07 22:59:26 +0100486
487Job input from a buffer ~
Bram Moolenaar818078d2016-08-27 21:58:42 +0200488 *in_io-buffer*
Bram Moolenaar328da0d2016-03-04 22:22:32 +0100489To run a job that reads from a buffer: >
490 let job = job_start({command},
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100491 \ {'in_io': 'buffer', 'in_name': 'mybuffer'})
Bram Moolenaar328da0d2016-03-04 22:22:32 +0100492<
493 *E915* *E918*
494The buffer is found by name, similar to |bufnr()|. The buffer must exist and
495be loaded when job_start() is called.
496
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100497By default this reads the whole buffer. This can be changed with the "in_top"
498and "in_bot" options.
Bram Moolenaar328da0d2016-03-04 22:22:32 +0100499
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100500A special mode is when "in_top" is set to zero and "in_bot" is not set: Every
Bram Moolenaar5f148ec2016-03-07 22:59:26 +0100501time a line is added to the buffer, the last-but-one line will be send to the
502job stdin. This allows for editing the last line and sending it when pressing
503Enter.
Bram Moolenaar0874a832016-09-01 15:11:51 +0200504 *channel-close-in*
505When not using the special mode the pipe or socket will be closed after the
506last line has been written. This signals the reading end that the input
507finished. You can also use |ch_close_in()| to close it sooner.
Bram Moolenaar328da0d2016-03-04 22:22:32 +0100508
Bram Moolenaar063b9d12016-07-09 20:21:48 +0200509NUL bytes in the text will be passed to the job (internally Vim stores these
510as NL bytes).
511
Bram Moolenaar06481422016-04-30 15:13:38 +0200512
513Reading job output in the close callback ~
514 *read-in-close-cb*
515If the job can take some time and you don't need intermediate results, you can
516add a close callback and read the output there: >
517
518 func! CloseHandler(channel)
519 while ch_status(a:channel) == 'buffered'
520 echomsg ch_read(a:channel)
521 endwhile
522 endfunc
523 let job = job_start(command, {'close_cb': 'CloseHandler'})
524
525You will want to do something more useful than "echomsg".
526
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100527==============================================================================
5289. Starting a job without a channel *job-start-nochannel*
529
530To start another process without creating a channel: >
Bram Moolenaar328da0d2016-03-04 22:22:32 +0100531 let job = job_start(command,
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100532 \ {"in_io": "null", "out_io": "null", "err_io": "null"})
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100533
534This starts {command} in the background, Vim does not wait for it to finish.
535
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100536When Vim sees that neither stdin, stdout or stderr are connected, no channel
537will be created. Often you will want to include redirection in the command to
538avoid it getting stuck.
539
540There are several options you can use, see |job-options|.
541
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100542 *job-start-if-needed*
543To start a job only when connecting to an address does not work, do something
544like this: >
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100545 let channel = ch_open(address, {"waittime": 0})
546 if ch_status(channel) == "fail"
547 let job = job_start(command)
548 let channel = ch_open(address, {"waittime": 1000})
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100549 endif
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100550
551Note that the waittime for ch_open() gives the job one second to make the port
552available.
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100553
554==============================================================================
55510. Job options *job-options*
556
557The {options} argument in job_start() is a dictionary. All entries are
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100558optional. Some options can be used after the job has started, using
559job_setoptions(job, {options}). Many options can be used with the channel
560related to the job, using ch_setoptions(channel, {options}).
561See |job_setoptions()| and |ch_setoptions()|.
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100562
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100563 *in_mode* *out_mode* *err_mode*
564"in_mode" mode specifically for stdin, only when using pipes
565"out_mode" mode specifically for stdout, only when using pipes
566"err_mode" mode specifically for stderr, only when using pipes
567 See |channel-mode| for the values.
568
569 Note: when setting "mode" the part specific mode is
570 overwritten. Therefore set "mode" first and the part
571 specific mode later.
572
573 Note: when writing to a file or buffer and when
574 reading from a buffer NL mode is used by default.
575
Bram Moolenaardecb14d2016-02-20 23:32:02 +0100576 *job-callback*
577"callback": handler Callback for something to read on any part of the
578 channel.
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100579 *job-out_cb* *out_cb*
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100580"out_cb": handler Callback for when there is something to read on
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100581 stdout. Only for when the channel uses pipes. When
582 "out_cb" wasn't set the channel callback is used.
Bram Moolenaar269f5952016-07-15 22:54:41 +0200583 The two arguments are the channel and the message.
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100584
585 *job-err_cb* *err_cb*
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100586"err_cb": handler Callback for when there is something to read on
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100587 stderr. Only for when the channel uses pipes. When
588 "err_cb" wasn't set the channel callback is used.
Bram Moolenaar269f5952016-07-15 22:54:41 +0200589 The two arguments are the channel and the message.
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100590 *job-close_cb*
591"close_cb": handler Callback for when the channel is closed. Same as
Bram Moolenaar82af8712016-06-04 20:20:29 +0200592 "close_cb" on |ch_open()|, see |close_cb|.
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100593 *job-exit_cb*
594"exit_cb": handler Callback for when the job ends. The arguments are the
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100595 job and the exit status.
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100596 Vim checks about every 10 seconds for jobs that ended.
Bram Moolenaar9f5842e2016-05-29 16:17:08 +0200597 The check also be triggered by calling |job_status()|,
598 which may then invoke the exit_cb handler.
Bram Moolenaar06d2d382016-05-20 17:24:11 +0200599 Note that data can be buffered, callbacks may still be
600 called after the process ends.
Bram Moolenaar4f3f6682016-03-26 23:01:59 +0100601 *job-timeout*
602"timeout" The time to wait for a request when blocking, E.g.
603 when using ch_evalexpr(). In milliseconds. The
604 default is 2000 (2 seconds).
605 *out_timeout* *err_timeout*
606"out_timeout" Timeout for stdout. Only when using pipes.
607"err_timeout" Timeout for stderr. Only when using pipes.
608 Note: when setting "timeout" the part specific mode is
609 overwritten. Therefore set "timeout" first and the
610 part specific mode later.
611
Bram Moolenaar02e83b42016-02-21 20:10:26 +0100612 *job-stoponexit*
613"stoponexit": {signal} Send {signal} to the job when Vim exits. See
614 |job_stop()| for possible values.
615"stoponexit": "" Do not stop the job when Vim exits.
616 The default is "term".
617
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100618 *job-term*
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100619"term": "open" Start a terminal and connect the job
620 stdin/stdout/stderr to it.
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100621 NOTE: Not implemented yet!
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100622
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100623"channel": {channel} Use an existing channel instead of creating a new one.
624 The parts of the channel that get used for the new job
625 will be disconnected from what they were used before.
626 If the channel was still use by another job this may
627 cause I/O errors.
628 Existing callbacks and other settings remain.
629
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100630 *job-in_io* *in_top* *in_bot* *in_name* *in_buf*
631"in_io": "null" disconnect stdin (read from /dev/null)
632"in_io": "pipe" stdin is connected to the channel (default)
633"in_io": "file" stdin reads from a file
634"in_io": "buffer" stdin reads from a buffer
635"in_top": number when using "buffer": first line to send (default: 1)
636"in_bot": number when using "buffer": last line to send (default: last)
637"in_name": "/path/file" the name of the file or buffer to read from
638"in_buf": number the number of the buffer to read from
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100639
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100640 *job-out_io* *out_name* *out_buf*
641"out_io": "null" disconnect stdout (goes to /dev/null)
642"out_io": "pipe" stdout is connected to the channel (default)
643"out_io": "file" stdout writes to a file
Bram Moolenaar9f5842e2016-05-29 16:17:08 +0200644"out_io": "buffer" stdout appends to a buffer (see below)
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100645"out_name": "/path/file" the name of the file or buffer to write to
646"out_buf": number the number of the buffer to write to
Bram Moolenaar9f5842e2016-05-29 16:17:08 +0200647"out_modifiable": 0 when writing to a buffer, 'modifiable' will be off
648 (see below)
Bram Moolenaar169ebb02016-09-07 23:32:23 +0200649"out_msg": 0 when writing to a new buffer, the first line will be
650 set to "Reading from channel output..."
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100651
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100652 *job-err_io* *err_name* *err_buf*
653"err_io": "out" stderr messages to go to stdout
654"err_io": "null" disconnect stderr (goes to /dev/null)
655"err_io": "pipe" stderr is connected to the channel (default)
656"err_io": "file" stderr writes to a file
Bram Moolenaar9f5842e2016-05-29 16:17:08 +0200657"err_io": "buffer" stderr appends to a buffer (see below)
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100658"err_name": "/path/file" the name of the file or buffer to write to
659"err_buf": number the number of the buffer to write to
Bram Moolenaar9f5842e2016-05-29 16:17:08 +0200660"err_modifiable": 0 when writing to a buffer, 'modifiable' will be off
661 (see below)
Bram Moolenaar169ebb02016-09-07 23:32:23 +0200662"err_msg": 0 when writing to a new buffer, the first line will be
663 set to "Reading from channel error..."
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100664
Bram Moolenaar7db8f6f2016-03-29 23:12:46 +0200665"block_write": number only for testing: pretend every other write to stdin
666 will block
667
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100668
669Writing to a buffer ~
Bram Moolenaar818078d2016-08-27 21:58:42 +0200670 *out_io-buffer*
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100671When the out_io or err_io mode is "buffer" and there is a callback, the text
Bram Moolenaar5f148ec2016-03-07 22:59:26 +0100672is appended to the buffer before invoking the callback.
673
674When a buffer is used both for input and output, the output lines are put
675above the last line, since the last line is what is written to the channel
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100676input. Otherwise lines are appended below the last line.
Bram Moolenaarc7f0ebc2016-02-27 21:10:09 +0100677
Bram Moolenaar328da0d2016-03-04 22:22:32 +0100678When using JS or JSON mode with "buffer", only messages with zero or negative
679ID will be added to the buffer, after decoding + encoding. Messages with a
680positive number will be handled by a callback, commands are handled as usual.
681
Bram Moolenaar82af8712016-06-04 20:20:29 +0200682The name of the buffer from "out_name" or "err_name" is compared the full name
683of existing buffers, also after expanding the name for the current directory.
684E.g., when a buffer was created with ":edit somename" and the buffer name is
685"somename" it will use that buffer.
686
687If there is no matching buffer a new buffer is created. Use an empty name to
688always create a new buffer. |ch_getbufnr()| can then be used to get the
689buffer number.
Bram Moolenaarc7f0ebc2016-02-27 21:10:09 +0100690
691For a new buffer 'buftype' is set to "nofile" and 'bufhidden' to "hide". If
692you prefer other settings, create the buffer first and pass the buffer number.
Bram Moolenaar169ebb02016-09-07 23:32:23 +0200693 *out_modifiable* *err_modifiable*
Bram Moolenaar9f5842e2016-05-29 16:17:08 +0200694The "out_modifiable" and "err_modifiable" options can be used to set the
695'modifiable' option off, or write to a buffer that has 'modifiable' off. That
696means that lines will be appended to the buffer, but the user can't easily
697change the buffer.
Bram Moolenaar169ebb02016-09-07 23:32:23 +0200698 *out_msg* *err_msg*
699The "out_msg" option can be used to specify whether a new buffer will have the
700first line set to "Reading from channel output...". The default is to add the
701message. "err_msg" does the same for channel error.
702
703'modifiable' option off, or write to a buffer that has 'modifiable' off. That
704means that lines will be appended to the buffer, but the user can't easily
705change the buffer.
Bram Moolenaar9f5842e2016-05-29 16:17:08 +0200706
707When an existing buffer is to be written where 'modifiable' is off and the
708"out_modifiable" or "err_modifiable" options is not zero, an error is given
709and the buffer will not be written to.
710
Bram Moolenaar187db502016-02-27 14:44:26 +0100711When the buffer written to is displayed in a window and the cursor is in the
712first column of the last line, the cursor will be moved to the newly added
713line and the window is scrolled up to show the cursor if needed.
714
Bram Moolenaar063b9d12016-07-09 20:21:48 +0200715Undo is synced for every added line. NUL bytes are accepted (internally Vim
716stores these as NL bytes).
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100717
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100718
719Writing to a file ~
Bram Moolenaard6c2f052016-03-14 23:22:59 +0100720 *E920*
Bram Moolenaar77cdfd12016-03-12 12:57:59 +0100721The file is created with permissions 600 (read-write for the user, not
722accessible for others). Use |setfperm()| to change this.
723
724If the file already exists it is truncated.
725
Bram Moolenaar38a55632016-02-15 22:07:32 +0100726==============================================================================
72711. Controlling a job *job-control*
728
729To get the status of a job: >
730 echo job_status(job)
731
732To make a job stop running: >
733 job_stop(job)
734
735This is the normal way to end a job. On Unix it sends a SIGTERM to the job.
736It is possible to use other ways to stop the job, or even send arbitrary
737signals. E.g. to force a job to stop, "kill it": >
738 job_stop(job, "kill")
739
740For more options see |job_stop()|.
Bram Moolenaar3b5f9292016-01-28 22:37:01 +0100741
742
743 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: