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Bram Moolenaar5e9b2fa2016-02-01 22:37:05 +01001*change.txt* For Vim version 7.4. Last change: 2016 Jan 31
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7This file describes commands that delete or change text. In this context,
8changing text means deleting the text and replacing it with other text using
9one command. You can undo all of these commands. You can repeat the non-Ex
10commands with the "." command.
11
121. Deleting text |deleting|
132. Delete and insert |delete-insert|
143. Simple changes |simple-change| *changing*
154. Complex changes |complex-change|
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +000016 4.1 Filter commands |filter|
17 4.2 Substitute |:substitute|
18 4.3 Search and replace |search-replace|
19 4.4 Changing tabs |change-tabs|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000205. Copying and moving text |copy-move|
216. Formatting text |formatting|
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +0000227. Sorting text |sorting|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000023
24For inserting text see |insert.txt|.
25
26==============================================================================
271. Deleting text *deleting* *E470*
28
29["x]<Del> or *<Del>* *x* *dl*
30["x]x Delete [count] characters under and after the cursor
31 [into register x] (not |linewise|). Does the same as
32 "dl".
33 The <Del> key does not take a [count]. Instead, it
34 deletes the last character of the count.
35 See |:fixdel| if the <Del> key does not do what you
36 want. See |'whichwrap'| for deleting a line break
37 (join lines). {Vi does not support <Del>}
38
39 *X* *dh*
40["x]X Delete [count] characters before the cursor [into
41 register x] (not |linewise|). Does the same as "dh".
42 Also see |'whichwrap'|.
43
44 *d*
45["x]d{motion} Delete text that {motion} moves over [into register
46 x]. See below for exceptions.
47
48 *dd*
49["x]dd Delete [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
50
51 *D*
52["x]D Delete the characters under the cursor until the end
53 of the line and [count]-1 more lines [into register
54 x]; synonym for "d$".
55 (not |linewise|)
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +000056 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
57 ignored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000058
59{Visual}["x]x or *v_x* *v_d* *v_<Del>*
60{Visual}["x]d or
61{Visual}["x]<Del> Delete the highlighted text [into register x] (for
62 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
63
64{Visual}["x]CTRL-H or *v_CTRL-H* *v_<BS>*
65{Visual}["x]<BS> When in Select mode: Delete the highlighted text [into
66 register x].
67
68{Visual}["x]X or *v_X* *v_D* *v_b_D*
69{Visual}["x]D Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
70 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). In Visual block mode,
71 "D" deletes the highlighted text plus all text until
72 the end of the line. {not in Vi}
73
Bram Moolenaar9ba7e172013-07-17 22:37:26 +020074 *:d* *:de* *:del* *:delete* *:dl* *:dp*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000075:[range]d[elete] [x] Delete [range] lines (default: current line) [into
76 register x].
Bram Moolenaar9ba7e172013-07-17 22:37:26 +020077 Note these weird abbreviations:
78 :dl delete and list
79 :dell idem
80 :delel idem
81 :deletl idem
82 :deletel idem
83 :dp delete and print
84 :dep idem
85 :delp idem
86 :delep idem
87 :deletp idem
88 :deletep idem
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000089
90:[range]d[elete] [x] {count}
91 Delete {count} lines, starting with [range]
92 (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|) [into
93 register x].
94
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +020095These commands delete text. You can repeat them with the `.` command
96(except `:d`) and undo them. Use Visual mode to delete blocks of text. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000097|registers| for an explanation of registers.
98
99An exception for the d{motion} command: If the motion is not linewise, the
100start and end of the motion are not in the same line, and there are only
101blanks before the start and after the end of the motion, the delete becomes
102linewise. This means that the delete also removes the line of blanks that you
Bram Moolenaar6ee8d892012-01-10 14:55:01 +0100103might expect to remain. Use the |o_v| operator to force the motion to be
104characterwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000105
106Trying to delete an empty region of text (e.g., "d0" in the first column)
107is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E' flag.
108
109 *J*
110J Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
111 Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces (see
112 below).
113
114 *v_J*
115{Visual}J Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
116 lines. Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces
117 (see below). {not in Vi}
118
119 *gJ*
120gJ Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
121 Don't insert or remove any spaces. {not in Vi}
122
123 *v_gJ*
124{Visual}gJ Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
125 lines. Don't insert or remove any spaces. {not in
126 Vi}
127
128 *:j* *:join*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000129:[range]j[oin][!] [flags]
130 Join [range] lines. Same as "J", except with [!]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000131 the join does not insert or delete any spaces.
132 If a [range] has equal start and end values, this
133 command does nothing. The default behavior is to
134 join the current line with the line below it.
135 {not in Vi: !}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000136 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000137
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000138:[range]j[oin][!] {count} [flags]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000139 Join {count} lines, starting with [range] (default:
140 current line |cmdline-ranges|). Same as "J", except
141 with [!] the join does not insert or delete any
142 spaces.
143 {not in Vi: !}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000144 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000145
146These commands delete the <EOL> between lines. This has the effect of joining
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200147multiple lines into one line. You can repeat these commands (except `:j`) and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000148undo them.
149
150These commands, except "gJ", insert one space in place of the <EOL> unless
151there is trailing white space or the next line starts with a ')'. These
152commands, except "gJ", delete any leading white space on the next line. If
153the 'joinspaces' option is on, these commands insert two spaces after a '.',
154'!' or '?' (but if 'cpoptions' includes the 'j' flag, they insert two spaces
155only after a '.').
156The 'B' and 'M' flags in 'formatoptions' change the behavior for inserting
157spaces before and after a multi-byte character |fo-table|.
158
Bram Moolenaar251835e2014-02-24 02:51:51 +0100159The '[ mark is set at the end of the first line that was joined, '] at the end
160of the resulting line.
161
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000162
163==============================================================================
1642. Delete and insert *delete-insert* *replacing*
165
166 *R*
167R Enter Replace mode: Each character you type replaces
168 an existing character, starting with the character
169 under the cursor. Repeat the entered text [count]-1
170 times. See |Replace-mode| for more details.
171
172 *gR*
173gR Enter Virtual Replace mode: Each character you type
174 replaces existing characters in screen space. So a
175 <Tab> may replace several characters at once.
176 Repeat the entered text [count]-1 times. See
177 |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more details.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200178 {not available when compiled without the |+vreplace|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000179 feature}
180
181 *c*
182["x]c{motion} Delete {motion} text [into register x] and start
183 insert. When 'cpoptions' includes the 'E' flag and
184 there is no text to delete (e.g., with "cTx" when the
185 cursor is just after an 'x'), an error occurs and
186 insert mode does not start (this is Vi compatible).
187 When 'cpoptions' does not include the 'E' flag, the
188 "c" command always starts insert mode, even if there
189 is no text to delete.
190
191 *cc*
192["x]cc Delete [count] lines [into register x] and start
193 insert |linewise|. If 'autoindent' is on, preserve
194 the indent of the first line.
195
196 *C*
197["x]C Delete from the cursor position to the end of the
198 line and [count]-1 more lines [into register x], and
199 start insert. Synonym for c$ (not |linewise|).
200
201 *s*
202["x]s Delete [count] characters [into register x] and start
203 insert (s stands for Substitute). Synonym for "cl"
204 (not |linewise|).
205
206 *S*
207["x]S Delete [count] lines [into register x] and start
208 insert. Synonym for "cc" |linewise|.
209
210{Visual}["x]c or *v_c* *v_s*
211{Visual}["x]s Delete the highlighted text [into register x] and
212 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not
213 in Vi}
214
215 *v_r*
216{Visual}["x]r{char} Replace all selected characters by {char}.
217
218 *v_C*
219{Visual}["x]C Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
220 start insert. In Visual block mode it works
221 differently |v_b_C|. {not in Vi}
222 *v_S*
223{Visual}["x]S Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
224 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not
225 in Vi}
226 *v_R*
227{Visual}["x]R Currently just like {Visual}["x]S. In a next version
228 it might work differently. {not in Vi}
229
230Notes:
231- You can end Insert and Replace mode with <Esc>.
232- See the section "Insert and Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl| for the other
233 special characters in these modes.
234- The effect of [count] takes place after Vim exits Insert or Replace mode.
235- When the 'cpoptions' option contains '$' and the change is within one line,
236 Vim continues to show the text to be deleted and puts a '$' at the last
237 deleted character.
238
239See |registers| for an explanation of registers.
240
241Replace mode is just like Insert mode, except that every character you enter
242deletes one character. If you reach the end of a line, Vim appends any
243further characters (just like Insert mode). In Replace mode, the backspace
244key restores the original text (if there was any). (See section "Insert and
245Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl|).
246
247 *cw* *cW*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000248Special case: When the cursor is in a word, "cw" and "cW" do not include the
249white space after a word, they only change up to the end of the word. This is
250because Vim interprets "cw" as change-word, and a word does not include the
251following white space.
252{Vi: "cw" when on a blank followed by other blanks changes only the first
253blank; this is probably a bug, because "dw" deletes all the blanks; use the
254'w' flag in 'cpoptions' to make it work like Vi anyway}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000255
256If you prefer "cw" to include the space after a word, use this mapping: >
257 :map cw dwi
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000258Or use "caw" (see |aw|).
259
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000260 *:c* *:ch* *:change*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000261:{range}c[hange][!] Replace lines of text with some different text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000262 Type a line containing only "." to stop replacing.
263 Without {range}, this command changes only the current
264 line.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000265 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
266 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000267
268==============================================================================
2693. Simple changes *simple-change*
270
271 *r*
272r{char} Replace the character under the cursor with {char}.
273 If {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, a line break replaces the
274 character. To replace with a real <CR>, use CTRL-V
275 <CR>. CTRL-V <NL> replaces with a <Nul>.
276 {Vi: CTRL-V <CR> still replaces with a line break,
277 cannot replace something with a <CR>}
Bram Moolenaar80716072012-05-01 21:14:34 +0200278
279 If {char} is CTRL-E or CTRL-Y the character from the
280 line below or above is used, just like with |i_CTRL-E|
281 and |i_CTRL-Y|. This also works with a count, thus
282 `10r<C-E>` copies 10 characters from the line below.
283
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000284 If you give a [count], Vim replaces [count] characters
285 with [count] {char}s. When {char} is a <CR> or <NL>,
286 however, Vim inserts only one <CR>: "5r<CR>" replaces
287 five characters with a single line break.
288 When {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, Vim performs
289 autoindenting. This works just like deleting the
290 characters that are replaced and then doing
291 "i<CR><Esc>".
292 {char} can be entered as a digraph |digraph-arg|.
293 |:lmap| mappings apply to {char}. The CTRL-^ command
294 in Insert mode can be used to switch this on/off
295 |i_CTRL-^|. See |utf-8-char-arg| about using
296 composing characters when 'encoding' is Unicode.
297
298 *gr*
299gr{char} Replace the virtual characters under the cursor with
300 {char}. This replaces in screen space, not file
301 space. See |gR| and |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more
302 details. As with |r| a count may be given.
303 {char} can be entered like with |r|.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200304 {not available when compiled without the |+vreplace|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000305 feature}
306
307 *digraph-arg*
308The argument for Normal mode commands like |r| and |t| is a single character.
309When 'cpo' doesn't contain the 'D' flag, this character can also be entered
310like |digraphs|. First type CTRL-K and then the two digraph characters.
311{not available when compiled without the |+digraphs| feature}
312
313 *case*
314The following commands change the case of letters. The currently active
315|locale| is used. See |:language|. The LC_CTYPE value matters here.
316
317 *~*
318~ 'notildeop' option: Switch case of the character
319 under the cursor and move the cursor to the right.
320 If a [count] is given, do that many characters. {Vi:
321 no count}
322
323~{motion} 'tildeop' option: switch case of {motion} text. {Vi:
324 tilde cannot be used as an operator}
325
326 *g~*
327g~{motion} Switch case of {motion} text. {not in Vi}
328
329g~g~ *g~g~* *g~~*
330g~~ Switch case of current line. {not in Vi}.
331
332 *v_~*
333{Visual}~ Switch case of highlighted text (for {Visual} see
334 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
335
336 *v_U*
337{Visual}U Make highlighted text uppercase (for {Visual} see
338 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
339
340 *gU* *uppercase*
341gU{motion} Make {motion} text uppercase. {not in Vi}
342 Example: >
343 :map! <C-F> <Esc>gUiw`]a
344< This works in Insert mode: press CTRL-F to make the
345 word before the cursor uppercase. Handy to type
346 words in lowercase and then make them uppercase.
347
348
349gUgU *gUgU* *gUU*
350gUU Make current line uppercase. {not in Vi}.
351
352 *v_u*
353{Visual}u Make highlighted text lowercase (for {Visual} see
354 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
355
356 *gu* *lowercase*
357gu{motion} Make {motion} text lowercase. {not in Vi}
358
359gugu *gugu* *guu*
360guu Make current line lowercase. {not in Vi}.
361
362 *g?* *rot13*
363g?{motion} Rot13 encode {motion} text. {not in Vi}
364
365 *v_g?*
366{Visual}g? Rot13 encode the highlighted text (for {Visual} see
367 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
368
369g?g? *g?g?* *g??*
370g?? Rot13 encode current line. {not in Vi}.
371
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000372To turn one line into title caps, make every first letter of a word
373uppercase: >
374 :s/\v<(.)(\w*)/\u\1\L\2/g
375
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000376
377Adding and subtracting ~
378 *CTRL-A*
379CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character at
380 or after the cursor. {not in Vi}
381
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200382 *v_CTRL-A*
383{Visual}CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character in
384 the highlighted text. {not in Vi}
385
386 *v_g_CTRL-A*
387{Visual}g CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character in
388 the highlighted text. If several lines are
389 highlighted, each one will be incremented by an
390 additional [count] (so effectively creating a
391 [count] incrementing sequence). {not in Vi}
392 For Example, if you have this list of numbers:
393 1. ~
394 1. ~
395 1. ~
396 1. ~
397 Move to the second "1." and Visually select three
398 lines, pressing g CTRL-A results in:
399 1. ~
400 2. ~
401 3. ~
402 4. ~
403
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000404 *CTRL-X*
405CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
406 character at or after the cursor. {not in Vi}
407
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200408 *v_CTRL-X*
409{Visual}CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
410 character in the highlighted text. {not in Vi}
411
412 *v_g_CTRL-X*
413{Visual}g CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
414 character in the highlighted text. If several lines
415 are highlighted, each value will be decremented by an
416 additional [count] (so effectively creating a [count]
417 decrementing sequence). {not in Vi}
418
Bram Moolenaar887c1fe2016-01-02 17:56:35 +0100419The CTRL-A and CTRL-X commands can work for:
420- signed and unsigned decimal numbers
421- unsigned binary, octal and hexadecimal numbers
422- alphabetic characters
423
424This depends on the 'nrformats' option:
425- When 'nrformats' includes "bin", Vim assumes numbers starting with '0b' or
426 '0B' are binary.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000427- When 'nrformats' includes "octal", Vim considers numbers starting with a '0'
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000428 to be octal, unless the number includes a '8' or '9'. Other numbers are
429 decimal and may have a preceding minus sign.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000430 If the cursor is on a number, the commands apply to that number; otherwise
431 Vim uses the number to the right of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000432- When 'nrformats' includes "hex", Vim assumes numbers starting with '0x' or
433 '0X' are hexadecimal. The case of the rightmost letter in the number
434 determines the case of the resulting hexadecimal number. If there is no
435 letter in the current number, Vim uses the previously detected case.
436- When 'nrformats' includes "alpha", Vim will change the alphabetic character
437 under or after the cursor. This is useful to make lists with an alphabetic
438 index.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000439
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200440For decimals a leading negative sign is considered for incrementing/
Bram Moolenaarfa735342016-01-03 22:14:44 +0100441decrementing, for binary, octal and hex values, it won't be considered. To
442ignore the sign Visually select the number before using CTRL-A or CTRL-X.
Bram Moolenaar979243b2015-06-26 19:35:49 +0200443
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000444For numbers with leading zeros (including all octal and hexadecimal numbers),
445Vim preserves the number of characters in the number when possible. CTRL-A on
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000446"0077" results in "0100", CTRL-X on "0x100" results in "0x0ff".
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000447There is one exception: When a number that starts with a zero is found not to
448be octal (it contains a '8' or '9'), but 'nrformats' does include "octal",
449leading zeros are removed to avoid that the result may be recognized as an
450octal number.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000451
452Note that when 'nrformats' includes "octal", decimal numbers with leading
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000453zeros cause mistakes, because they can be confused with octal numbers.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000454
Bram Moolenaar887c1fe2016-01-02 17:56:35 +0100455Note similarly, when 'nrformats' includes "bin", binary numbers with a leading
456'0x' or '0X' can be interpreted as hexadecimal rather than binary since '0b'
457are valid hexadecimal digits.
458
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000459The CTRL-A command is very useful in a macro. Example: Use the following
460steps to make a numbered list.
461
4621. Create the first list entry, make sure it starts with a number.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004632. qa - start recording into register 'a'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004643. Y - yank the entry
4654. p - put a copy of the entry below the first one
4665. CTRL-A - increment the number
4676. q - stop recording
4687. <count>@a - repeat the yank, put and increment <count> times
469
470
471SHIFTING LINES LEFT OR RIGHT *shift-left-right*
472
473 *<*
474<{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
475
476 *<<*
477<< Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
478
479 *v_<*
480{Visual}[count]< Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
481 leftwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in
482 Vi}
483
484 *>*
485 >{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
486
487 *>>*
488 >> Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
489
490 *v_>*
491{Visual}[count]> Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
492 rightwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in
493 Vi}
494
495 *:<*
496:[range]< Shift [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' left. Repeat '<'
497 for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
498
499:[range]< {count} Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' left, starting
500 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
501 Repeat '<' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
502
503:[range]le[ft] [indent] left align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
504 lines to [indent] (default 0). {not in Vi}
505
506 *:>*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000507:[range]> [flags] Shift {count} [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' right.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000508 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000509 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000510
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000511:[range]> {count} [flags]
512 Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' right, starting
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000513 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
514 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000515 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000516
517The ">" and "<" commands are handy for changing the indentation within
518programs. Use the 'shiftwidth' option to set the size of the white space
519which these commands insert or delete. Normally the 'shiftwidth' option is 8,
520but you can set it to, say, 3 to make smaller indents. The shift leftwards
521stops when there is no indent. The shift right does not affect empty lines.
522
523If the 'shiftround' option is on, the indent is rounded to a multiple of
524'shiftwidth'.
525
526If the 'smartindent' option is on, or 'cindent' is on and 'cinkeys' contains
Bram Moolenaar8e69b4a2013-11-09 03:41:58 +0100527'#' with a zero value, shift right does not affect lines starting with '#'
528(these are supposed to be C preprocessor lines that must stay in column 1).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000529
530When the 'expandtab' option is off (this is the default) Vim uses <Tab>s as
531much as possible to make the indent. You can use ">><<" to replace an indent
532made out of spaces with the same indent made out of <Tab>s (and a few spaces
533if necessary). If the 'expandtab' option is on, Vim uses only spaces. Then
534you can use ">><<" to replace <Tab>s in the indent by spaces (or use
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200535`:retab!`).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000536
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200537To move a line several 'shiftwidth's, use Visual mode or the `:` commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000538For example: >
539 Vjj4> move three lines 4 indents to the right
540 :<<< move current line 3 indents to the left
541 :>> 5 move 5 lines 2 indents to the right
542 :5>> move line 5 2 indents to the right
543
544==============================================================================
5454. Complex changes *complex-change*
546
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005474.1 Filter commands *filter*
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000548
549A filter is a program that accepts text at standard input, changes it in some
550way, and sends it to standard output. You can use the commands below to send
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000551some text through a filter, so that it is replaced by the filter output.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000552Examples of filters are "sort", which sorts lines alphabetically, and
553"indent", which formats C program files (you need a version of indent that
554works like a filter; not all versions do). The 'shell' option specifies the
555shell Vim uses to execute the filter command (See also the 'shelltype'
556option). You can repeat filter commands with ".". Vim does not recognize a
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200557comment (starting with '"') after the `:!` command.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000558
559 *!*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000560!{motion}{filter} Filter {motion} text lines through the external
561 program {filter}.
562
563 *!!*
564!!{filter} Filter [count] lines through the external program
565 {filter}.
566
567 *v_!*
568{Visual}!{filter} Filter the highlighted lines through the external
569 program {filter} (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
570 {not in Vi}
571
572:{range}![!]{filter} [!][arg] *:range!*
573 Filter {range} lines through the external program
574 {filter}. Vim replaces the optional bangs with the
575 latest given command and appends the optional [arg].
576 Vim saves the output of the filter command in a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100577 temporary file and then reads the file into the buffer
578 |tempfile|. Vim uses the 'shellredir' option to
579 redirect the filter output to the temporary file.
Bram Moolenaar83c465c2005-12-16 21:53:56 +0000580 However, if the 'shelltemp' option is off then pipes
581 are used when possible (on Unix).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000582 When the 'R' flag is included in 'cpoptions' marks in
583 the filtered lines are deleted, unless the
584 |:keepmarks| command is used. Example: >
585 :keepmarks '<,'>!sort
586< When the number of lines after filtering is less than
587 before, marks in the missing lines are deleted anyway.
588
589 *=*
590={motion} Filter {motion} lines through the external program
591 given with the 'equalprg' option. When the 'equalprg'
592 option is empty (this is the default), use the
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +0200593 internal formatting function |C-indenting| and
594 |'lisp'|. But when 'indentexpr' is not empty, it will
595 be used instead |indent-expression|. When Vim was
596 compiled without internal formatting then the "indent"
597 program is used as a last resort.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000598
599 *==*
600== Filter [count] lines like with ={motion}.
601
602 *v_=*
603{Visual}= Filter the highlighted lines like with ={motion}.
604 {not in Vi}
605
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000606
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100607 *tempfile* *setuid*
608Vim uses temporary files for filtering, generating diffs and also for
609tempname(). For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
610accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems (e.g., a symlink
611attack or other people reading your file). When Vim exits the directory and
612all files in it are deleted. When Vim has the setuid bit set this may cause
613problems, the temp file is owned by the setuid user but the filter command
614probably runs as the original user.
615On MS-DOS and OS/2 the first of these directories that works is used: $TMP,
616$TEMP, c:\TMP, c:\TEMP.
617For Unix the list of directories is: $TMPDIR, /tmp, current-dir, $HOME.
618For MS-Windows the GetTempFileName() system function is used.
619For other systems the tmpnam() library function is used.
620
621
622
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00006234.2 Substitute *:substitute*
624 *:s* *:su*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000625:[range]s[ubstitute]/{pattern}/{string}/[flags] [count]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000626 For each line in [range] replace a match of {pattern}
627 with {string}.
628 For the {pattern} see |pattern|.
629 {string} can be a literal string, or something
630 special; see |sub-replace-special|.
631 When [range] and [count] are omitted, replace in the
632 current line only.
633 When [count] is given, replace in [count] lines,
634 starting with the last line in [range]. When [range]
635 is omitted start in the current line.
636 Also see |cmdline-ranges|.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000637 See |:s_flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000638
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000639:[range]s[ubstitute] [flags] [count]
640:[range]&[&][flags] [count] *:&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000641 Repeat last :substitute with same search pattern and
642 substitute string, but without the same flags. You
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000643 may add [flags], see |:s_flags|.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200644 Note that after `:substitute` the '&' flag can't be
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000645 used, it's recognized as a pattern separator.
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +0200646 The space between `:substitute` and the 'c', 'g',
647 'i', 'I' and 'r' flags isn't required, but in scripts
648 it's a good idea to keep it to avoid confusion.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000649
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000650:[range]~[&][flags] [count] *:~*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000651 Repeat last substitute with same substitute string
652 but with last used search pattern. This is like
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200653 `:&r`. See |:s_flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000654
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000655 *&*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200656& Synonym for `:s` (repeat last substitute). Note
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000657 that the flags are not remembered, thus it might
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200658 actually work differently. You can use `:&&` to keep
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000659 the flags.
660
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000661 *g&*
Bram Moolenaar97d62492012-11-15 21:28:22 +0100662g& Synonym for `:%s//~/&` (repeat last substitute with
663 last search pattern on all lines with the same flags).
Bram Moolenaar34700a62013-03-07 13:20:54 +0100664 For example, when you first do a substitution with
Bram Moolenaar97d62492012-11-15 21:28:22 +0100665 `:s/pattern/repl/flags` and then `/search` for
666 something else, `g&` will do `:%s/search/repl/flags`.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000667 Mnemonic: global substitute. {not in Vi}
668
669 *:snomagic* *:sno*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200670:[range]sno[magic] ... Same as `:substitute`, but always use 'nomagic'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000671 {not in Vi}
672
673 *:smagic* *:sm*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200674:[range]sm[agic] ... Same as `:substitute`, but always use 'magic'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000675 {not in Vi}
676
677 *:s_flags*
678The flags that you can use for the substitute commands:
679
680[&] Must be the first one: Keep the flags from the previous substitute
681 command. Examples: >
682 :&&
683 :s/this/that/&
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200684< Note that `:s` and `:&` don't keep the flags.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000685 {not in Vi}
686
687[c] Confirm each substitution. Vim highlights the matching string (with
688 |hl-IncSearch|). You can type: *:s_c*
689 'y' to substitute this match
690 'l' to substitute this match and then quit ("last")
691 'n' to skip this match
692 <Esc> to quit substituting
693 'a' to substitute this and all remaining matches {not in Vi}
694 'q' to quit substituting {not in Vi}
695 CTRL-E to scroll the screen up {not in Vi, not available when
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200696 compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000697 CTRL-Y to scroll the screen down {not in Vi, not available when
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200698 compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000699 If the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers the [c] flag and
700 toggles it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new
701 search pattern.
702 {not in Vi: highlighting of the match, other responses than 'y' or 'n'}
703
704[e] When the search pattern fails, do not issue an error message and, in
705 particular, continue in maps as if no error occurred. This is most
706 useful to prevent the "No match" error from breaking a mapping. Vim
707 does not suppress the following error messages, however:
708 Regular expressions can't be delimited by letters
709 \ should be followed by /, ? or &
710 No previous substitute regular expression
711 Trailing characters
712 Interrupted
713 {not in Vi}
714
715[g] Replace all occurrences in the line. Without this argument,
716 replacement occurs only for the first occurrence in each line. If
717 the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers this flag and toggles
718 it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new search
719 pattern. If the 'gdefault' option is on, this flag is on by default
720 and the [g] argument switches it off.
721
722[i] Ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase' options
723 are not used.
724 {not in Vi}
725
726[I] Don't ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase'
727 options are not used.
728 {not in Vi}
729
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000730[n] Report the number of matches, do not actually substitute. The [c]
731 flag is ignored. The matches are reported as if 'report' is zero.
732 Useful to |count-items|.
Bram Moolenaar9b451252012-08-15 17:43:31 +0200733 If \= |sub-replace-expression| is used, the expression will be
734 evaluated in the |sandbox| at every match.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000735
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000736[p] Print the line containing the last substitute.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000737
738[#] Like [p] and prepend the line number.
739
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000740[l] Like [p] but print the text like |:list|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000741
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200742[r] Only useful in combination with `:&` or `:s` without arguments. `:&r`
743 works the same way as `:~`: When the search pattern is empty, use the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000744 previously used search pattern instead of the search pattern from the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200745 last substitute or `:global`. If the last command that did a search
746 was a substitute or `:global`, there is no effect. If the last
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000747 command was a search command such as "/", use the pattern from that
748 command.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200749 For `:s` with an argument this already happens: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000750 :s/blue/red/
751 /green
752 :s//red/ or :~ or :&r
753< The last commands will replace "green" with "red". >
754 :s/blue/red/
755 /green
756 :&
757< The last command will replace "blue" with "red".
758 {not in Vi}
759
760Note that there is no flag to change the "magicness" of the pattern. A
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000761different command is used instead, or you can use |/\v| and friends. The
762reason is that the flags can only be found by skipping the pattern, and in
763order to skip the pattern the "magicness" must be known. Catch 22!
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000764
765If the {pattern} for the substitute command is empty, the command uses the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200766pattern from the last substitute or `:global` command. If there is none, but
Bram Moolenaar662db672011-03-22 14:05:35 +0100767there is a previous search pattern, that one is used. With the [r] flag, the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200768command uses the pattern from the last substitute, `:global`, or search
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000769command.
770
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000771If the {string} is omitted the substitute is done as if it's empty. Thus the
772matched pattern is deleted. The separator after {pattern} can also be left
773out then. Example: >
774 :%s/TESTING
775This deletes "TESTING" from all lines, but only one per line.
776
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000777For compatibility with Vi these two exceptions are allowed:
778"\/{string}/" and "\?{string}?" do the same as "//{string}/r".
779"\&{string}&" does the same as "//{string}/".
780 *E146*
781Instead of the '/' which surrounds the pattern and replacement string, you
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000782can use any other single-byte character, but not an alphanumeric character,
783'\', '"' or '|'. This is useful if you want to include a '/' in the search
784pattern or replacement string. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000785 :s+/+//+
786
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000787For the definition of a pattern, see |pattern|. In Visual block mode, use
788|/\%V| in the pattern to have the substitute work in the block only.
789Otherwise it works on whole lines anyway.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000790
791 *sub-replace-special* *:s\=*
792When the {string} starts with "\=" it is evaluated as an expression, see
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200793|sub-replace-expression|. You can use that for complex replacement or special
794characters.
795
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000796Otherwise these characters in {string} have a special meaning:
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000797 *:s%*
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000798When {string} is equal to "%" and '/' is included with the 'cpoptions' option,
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200799then the {string} of the previous substitute command is used, see |cpo-/|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000800
801magic nomagic action ~
802 & \& replaced with the whole matched pattern *s/\&*
803 \& & replaced with &
804 \0 replaced with the whole matched pattern *\0* *s/\0*
805 \1 replaced with the matched pattern in the first
806 pair of () *s/\1*
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000807 \2 replaced with the matched pattern in the second
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000808 pair of () *s/\2*
809 .. .. *s/\3*
810 \9 replaced with the matched pattern in the ninth
811 pair of () *s/\9*
812 ~ \~ replaced with the {string} of the previous
813 substitute *s~*
814 \~ ~ replaced with ~ *s/\~*
815 \u next character made uppercase *s/\u*
816 \U following characters made uppercase, until \E *s/\U*
817 \l next character made lowercase *s/\l*
818 \L following characters made lowercase, until \E *s/\L*
819 \e end of \u, \U, \l and \L (NOTE: not <Esc>!) *s/\e*
820 \E end of \u, \U, \l and \L *s/\E*
821 <CR> split line in two at this point
822 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s<CR>*
823 \r idem *s/\r*
824 \<CR> insert a carriage-return (CTRL-M)
825 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s/\<CR>*
826 \n insert a <NL> (<NUL> in the file)
827 (does NOT break the line) *s/\n*
828 \b insert a <BS> *s/\b*
829 \t insert a <Tab> *s/\t*
830 \\ insert a single backslash *s/\\*
831 \x where x is any character not mentioned above:
832 Reserved for future expansion
833
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200834The special meaning is also used inside the third argument {sub} of
835the |substitute()| function with the following exceptions:
836 - A % inserts a percent literally without regard to 'cpoptions'.
837 - magic is always set without regard to 'magic'.
838 - A ~ inserts a tilde literally.
839 - <CR> and \r inserts a carriage-return (CTRL-M).
840 - \<CR> does not have a special meaning. it's just one of \x.
841
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000842Examples: >
843 :s/a\|b/xxx\0xxx/g modifies "a b" to "xxxaxxx xxxbxxx"
844 :s/\([abc]\)\([efg]\)/\2\1/g modifies "af fa bg" to "fa fa gb"
845 :s/abcde/abc^Mde/ modifies "abcde" to "abc", "de" (two lines)
846 :s/$/\^M/ modifies "abcde" to "abcde^M"
Bram Moolenaarefd2bf12006-03-16 21:41:35 +0000847 :s/\w\+/\u\0/g modifies "bla bla" to "Bla Bla"
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200848 :s/\w\+/\L\u/g modifies "BLA bla" to "Bla Bla"
849
850Note: "\L\u" can be used to capitalize the first letter of a word. This is
851not compatible with Vi and older versions of Vim, where the "\u" would cancel
852out the "\L". Same for "\U\l".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000853
854Note: In previous versions CTRL-V was handled in a special way. Since this is
855not Vi compatible, this was removed. Use a backslash instead.
856
857command text result ~
858:s/aa/a^Ma/ aa a<line-break>a
859:s/aa/a\^Ma/ aa a^Ma
860:s/aa/a\\^Ma/ aa a\<line-break>a
861
862(you need to type CTRL-V <CR> to get a ^M here)
863
864The numbering of "\1", "\2" etc. is done based on which "\(" comes first in
865the pattern (going left to right). When a parentheses group matches several
866times, the last one will be used for "\1", "\2", etc. Example: >
867 :s/\(\(a[a-d] \)*\)/\2/ modifies "aa ab x" to "ab x"
868
869When using parentheses in combination with '|', like in \([ab]\)\|\([cd]\),
870either the first or second pattern in parentheses did not match, so either
871\1 or \2 is empty. Example: >
872 :s/\([ab]\)\|\([cd]\)/\1x/g modifies "a b c d" to "ax bx x x"
873<
874
Bram Moolenaara0f849e2015-10-30 14:37:44 +0100875 *:sc* *:sce* *:scg* *:sci* *:scI* *:scl* *:scp* *:sg* *:sgc*
876 *:sge* *:sgi* *:sgI* *:sgl* *:sgn* *:sgp* *:sgr* *:sI* *:si*
877 *:sic* *:sIc* *:sie* *:sIe* *:sIg* *:sIl* *:sin* *:sIn* *:sIp*
878 *:sip* *:sIr* *:sir* *:sr* *:src* *:srg* *:sri* *:srI* *:srl*
879 *:srn* *:srp*
8802-letter and 3-letter :substitute commands ~
881
882 List of :substitute commands
883 | c e g i I n p l r
884 | c :sc :sce :scg :sci :scI :scn :scp :scl ---
885 | e
886 | g :sgc :sge :sg :sgi :sgI :sgn :sgp :sgl :sgr
887 | i :sic :sie --- :si :siI :sin :sip --- :sir
888 | I :sIc :sIe :sIg :sIi :sI :sIn :sIp :sIl :sIr
889 | n
890 | p
891 | l
892 | r :src --- :srg :sri :srI :srn :srp :srl :sr
893
894Exceptions:
895 :scr is `:scriptnames`
896 :se is `:set`
897 :sig is `:sign`
898 :sil is `:silent`
899 :sn is `:snext`
900 :sp is `:split`
901 :sl is `:sleep`
902 :sre is `:srewind`
903
904
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000905Substitute with an expression *sub-replace-expression*
Bram Moolenaar92dff182014-02-11 19:15:50 +0100906 *sub-replace-\=* *s/\=*
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000907When the substitute string starts with "\=" the remainder is interpreted as an
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200908expression. This does not work recursively: a |substitute()| function inside
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000909the expression cannot use "\=" for the substitute string.
910
911The special meaning for characters as mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200912not apply except for "<CR>". A <NL> character is used as a line break, you
913can get one with a double-quote string: "\n". Prepend a backslash to get a
914real <NL> character (which will be a NUL in the file).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000915
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200916The "\=" notation can also be used inside the third argument {sub} of
917|substitute()| function. In this case, the special meaning for characters as
918mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does not apply at all. Especially, <CR> and
919<NL> are interpreted not as a line break but as a carriage-return and a
920new-line respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000921
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +0000922When the result is a |List| then the items are joined with separating line
923breaks. Thus each item becomes a line, except that they can contain line
924breaks themselves.
925
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000926The whole matched text can be accessed with "submatch(0)". The text matched
927with the first pair of () with "submatch(1)". Likewise for further
928sub-matches in ().
929
930Be careful: The separation character must not appear in the expression!
931Consider using a character like "@" or ":". There is no problem if the result
932of the expression contains the separation character.
933
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000934Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000935 :s@\n@\="\r" . expand("$HOME") . "\r"@
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000936This replaces an end-of-line with a new line containing the value of $HOME. >
937
938 s/E/\="\<Char-0x20ac>"/g
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +0000939This replaces each 'E' character with a euro sign. Read more in |<Char->|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000940
941
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00009424.3 Search and replace *search-replace*
943
944 *:pro* *:promptfind*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000945:promptf[ind] [string]
946 Put up a Search dialog. When [string] is given, it is
947 used as the initial search string.
948 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
949
950 *:promptr* *:promptrepl*
951:promptr[epl] [string]
952 Put up a Search/Replace dialog. When [string] is
953 given, it is used as the initial search string.
954 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
955
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000956
9574.4 Changing tabs *change-tabs*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200958 *:ret* *:retab* *:retab!*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000959:[range]ret[ab][!] [new_tabstop]
960 Replace all sequences of white-space containing a
961 <Tab> with new strings of white-space using the new
962 tabstop value given. If you do not specify a new
963 tabstop size or it is zero, Vim uses the current value
964 of 'tabstop'.
965 The current value of 'tabstop' is always used to
966 compute the width of existing tabs.
967 With !, Vim also replaces strings of only normal
968 spaces with tabs where appropriate.
969 With 'expandtab' on, Vim replaces all tabs with the
970 appropriate number of spaces.
971 This command sets 'tabstop' to the new value given,
972 and if performed on the whole file, which is default,
973 should not make any visible change.
974 Careful: This command modifies any <Tab> characters
975 inside of strings in a C program. Use "\t" to avoid
976 this (that's a good habit anyway).
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200977 `:retab!` may also change a sequence of spaces by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000978 <Tab> characters, which can mess up a printf().
979 {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000980
981 *retab-example*
982Example for using autocommands and ":retab" to edit a file which is stored
983with tabstops at 8 but edited with tabstops set at 4. Warning: white space
984inside of strings can change! Also see 'softtabstop' option. >
985
986 :auto BufReadPost *.xx retab! 4
987 :auto BufWritePre *.xx retab! 8
988 :auto BufWritePost *.xx retab! 4
989 :auto BufNewFile *.xx set ts=4
990
991==============================================================================
9925. Copying and moving text *copy-move*
993
994 *quote*
995"{a-zA-Z0-9.%#:-"} Use register {a-zA-Z0-9.%#:-"} for next delete, yank
996 or put (use uppercase character to append with
997 delete and yank) ({.%#:} only work with put).
998
999 *:reg* *:registers*
1000:reg[isters] Display the contents of all numbered and named
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001001 registers. If a register is written to for |:redir|
1002 it will not be listed.
1003 {not in Vi}
1004
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001005
1006:reg[isters] {arg} Display the contents of the numbered and named
1007 registers that are mentioned in {arg}. For example: >
Bram Moolenaarfa735342016-01-03 22:14:44 +01001008 :reg 1a
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001009< to display registers '1' and 'a'. Spaces are allowed
1010 in {arg}. {not in Vi}
1011
1012 *:di* *:display*
1013:di[splay] [arg] Same as :registers. {not in Vi}
1014
1015 *y* *yank*
1016["x]y{motion} Yank {motion} text [into register x]. When no
1017 characters are to be yanked (e.g., "y0" in column 1),
1018 this is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E'
1019 flag.
1020
1021 *yy*
1022["x]yy Yank [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
1023
1024 *Y*
1025["x]Y yank [count] lines [into register x] (synonym for
1026 yy, |linewise|). If you like "Y" to work from the
1027 cursor to the end of line (which is more logical,
1028 but not Vi-compatible) use ":map Y y$".
1029
1030 *v_y*
1031{Visual}["x]y Yank the highlighted text [into register x] (for
1032 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1033
1034 *v_Y*
1035{Visual}["x]Y Yank the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
1036 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1037
Bram Moolenaar85de2062011-05-05 14:26:41 +02001038 *:y* *:yank* *E850*
1039:[range]y[ank] [x] Yank [range] lines [into register x]. Yanking to the
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001040 "* or "+ registers is possible only when the
1041 |+clipboard| feature is included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001042
1043:[range]y[ank] [x] {count}
1044 Yank {count} lines, starting with last line number
1045 in [range] (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|),
1046 [into register x].
1047
1048 *p* *put* *E353*
1049["x]p Put the text [from register x] after the cursor
1050 [count] times. {Vi: no count}
1051
1052 *P*
1053["x]P Put the text [from register x] before the cursor
1054 [count] times. {Vi: no count}
1055
1056 *<MiddleMouse>*
1057["x]<MiddleMouse> Put the text from a register before the cursor [count]
1058 times. Uses the "* register, unless another is
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001059 specified.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +00001060 Leaves the cursor at the end of the new text.
1061 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1062 or 'a'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001063 {not in Vi}
1064 If you have a scrollwheel and often accidentally paste
1065 text, you can use these mappings to disable the
1066 pasting with the middle mouse button: >
1067 :map <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
1068 :imap <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
1069< You might want to disable the multi-click versions
1070 too, see |double-click|.
1071
1072 *gp*
1073["x]gp Just like "p", but leave the cursor just after the new
1074 text. {not in Vi}
1075
1076 *gP*
1077["x]gP Just like "P", but leave the cursor just after the new
1078 text. {not in Vi}
1079
1080 *:pu* *:put*
1081:[line]pu[t] [x] Put the text [from register x] after [line] (default
1082 current line). This always works |linewise|, thus
1083 this command can be used to put a yanked block as new
1084 lines.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001085 If no register is specified, it depends on the 'cb'
1086 option: If 'cb' contains "unnamedplus", paste from the
1087 + register |quoteplus|. Otherwise, if 'cb' contains
Bram Moolenaarddbb5552012-04-26 20:17:03 +02001088 "unnamed", paste from the * register |quotestar|.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001089 Otherwise, paste from the unnamed register
1090 |quote_quote|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001091 The register can also be '=' followed by an optional
1092 expression. The expression continues until the end of
1093 the command. You need to escape the '|' and '"'
1094 characters to prevent them from terminating the
1095 command. Example: >
1096 :put ='path' . \",/test\"
1097< If there is no expression after '=', Vim uses the
1098 previous expression. You can see it with ":dis =".
1099
1100:[line]pu[t]! [x] Put the text [from register x] before [line] (default
1101 current line).
1102
1103["x]]p or *]p* *]<MiddleMouse>*
1104["x]]<MiddleMouse> Like "p", but adjust the indent to the current line.
1105 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1106 or 'a'. {not in Vi}
1107
1108["x][P or *[P*
1109["x]]P or *]P*
1110["x][p or *[p* *[<MiddleMouse>*
1111["x][<MiddleMouse> Like "P", but adjust the indent to the current line.
1112 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1113 or 'a'. {not in Vi}
1114
1115You can use these commands to copy text from one place to another. Do this
1116by first getting the text into a register with a yank, delete or change
1117command, then inserting the register contents with a put command. You can
1118also use these commands to move text from one file to another, because Vim
1119preserves all registers when changing buffers (the CTRL-^ command is a quick
1120way to toggle between two files).
1121
1122 *linewise-register* *characterwise-register*
1123You can repeat the put commands with "." (except for :put) and undo them. If
1124the command that was used to get the text into the register was |linewise|,
1125Vim inserts the text below ("p") or above ("P") the line where the cursor is.
1126Otherwise Vim inserts the text after ("p") or before ("P") the cursor. With
1127the ":put" command, Vim always inserts the text in the next line. You can
1128exchange two characters with the command sequence "xp". You can exchange two
1129lines with the command sequence "ddp". You can exchange two words with the
1130command sequence "deep" (start with the cursor in the blank space before the
1131first word). You can use the "']" or "`]" command after the put command to
1132move the cursor to the end of the inserted text, or use "'[" or "`[" to move
1133the cursor to the start.
1134
1135 *put-Visual-mode* *v_p* *v_P*
1136When using a put command like |p| or |P| in Visual mode, Vim will try to
1137replace the selected text with the contents of the register. Whether this
1138works well depends on the type of selection and the type of the text in the
1139register. With blockwise selection it also depends on the size of the block
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001140and whether the corners are on an existing character. (Implementation detail:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001141it actually works by first putting the register after the selection and then
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001142deleting the selection.)
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001143The previously selected text is put in the unnamed register. If you want to
1144put the same text into a Visual selection several times you need to use
1145another register. E.g., yank the text to copy, Visually select the text to
1146replace and use "0p . You can repeat this as many times as you like, the
1147unnamed register will be changed each time.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001148
Bram Moolenaarec11aef2013-09-22 15:23:44 +02001149When you use a blockwise Visual mode command and yank only a single line into
1150a register, a paste on a visual selected area will paste that single line on
1151each of the selected lines (thus replacing the blockwise selected region by a
1152block of the pasted line).
1153
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001154 *blockwise-register*
1155If you use a blockwise Visual mode command to get the text into the register,
1156the block of text will be inserted before ("P") or after ("p") the cursor
1157column in the current and next lines. Vim makes the whole block of text start
1158in the same column. Thus the inserted text looks the same as when it was
1159yanked or deleted. Vim may replace some <Tab> characters with spaces to make
1160this happen. However, if the width of the block is not a multiple of a <Tab>
1161width and the text after the inserted block contains <Tab>s, that text may be
1162misaligned.
1163
1164Note that after a characterwise yank command, Vim leaves the cursor on the
1165first yanked character that is closest to the start of the buffer. This means
1166that "yl" doesn't move the cursor, but "yh" moves the cursor one character
1167left.
1168Rationale: In Vi the "y" command followed by a backwards motion would
1169 sometimes not move the cursor to the first yanked character,
1170 because redisplaying was skipped. In Vim it always moves to
1171 the first character, as specified by Posix.
1172With a linewise yank command the cursor is put in the first line, but the
1173column is unmodified, thus it may not be on the first yanked character.
1174
Bram Moolenaar12969c02015-09-08 23:36:10 +02001175There are ten types of registers: *registers* *E354*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000011761. The unnamed register ""
11772. 10 numbered registers "0 to "9
11783. The small delete register "-
11794. 26 named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010011805. three read-only registers ":, "., "%
Bram Moolenaar0122c402015-02-03 19:13:34 +010011816. alternate buffer register "#
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010011827. the expression register "=
11838. The selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
11849. The black hole register "_
118510. Last search pattern register "/
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001186
11871. Unnamed register "" *quote_quote* *quotequote*
1188Vim fills this register with text deleted with the "d", "c", "s", "x" commands
1189or copied with the yank "y" command, regardless of whether or not a specific
Bram Moolenaared203462004-06-16 11:19:22 +00001190register was used (e.g. "xdd). This is like the unnamed register is pointing
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001191to the last used register. Thus when appending using an uppercase register
1192name, the unnamed register contains the same text as the named register.
1193An exception is the '_' register: "_dd does not store the deleted text in any
1194register.
Bram Moolenaar81695252004-12-29 20:58:21 +00001195Vim uses the contents of the unnamed register for any put command (p or P)
1196which does not specify a register. Additionally you can access it with the
1197name '"'. This means you have to type two double quotes. Writing to the ""
1198register writes to register "0.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001199{Vi: register contents are lost when changing files, no '"'}
1200
12012. Numbered registers "0 to "9 *quote_number* *quote0* *quote1*
1202 *quote2* *quote3* *quote4* *quote9*
1203Vim fills these registers with text from yank and delete commands.
1204 Numbered register 0 contains the text from the most recent yank command,
1205unless the command specified another register with ["x].
1206 Numbered register 1 contains the text deleted by the most recent delete or
1207change command, unless the command specified another register or the text is
1208less than one line (the small delete register is used then). An exception is
Bram Moolenaar81695252004-12-29 20:58:21 +00001209made for the delete operator with these movement commands: |%|, |(|, |)|, |`|,
1210|/|, |?|, |n|, |N|, |{| and |}|. Register "1 is always used then (this is Vi
1211compatible). The "- register is used as well if the delete is within a line.
Bram Moolenaarbaca7f72013-09-22 14:42:24 +02001212Note that these characters may be mapped. E.g. |%| is mapped by the matchit
Bram Moolenaar7cba6c02013-09-05 22:13:31 +02001213plugin.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001214 With each successive deletion or change, Vim shifts the previous contents
1215of register 1 into register 2, 2 into 3, and so forth, losing the previous
1216contents of register 9.
1217{Vi: numbered register contents are lost when changing files; register 0 does
1218not exist}
1219
12203. Small delete register "- *quote_-* *quote-*
1221This register contains text from commands that delete less than one line,
1222except when the command specifies a register with ["x].
1223{not in Vi}
1224
12254. Named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z *quote_alpha* *quotea*
1226Vim fills these registers only when you say so. Specify them as lowercase
1227letters to replace their previous contents or as uppercase letters to append
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001228to their previous contents. When the '>' flag is present in 'cpoptions' then
1229a line break is inserted before the appended text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001230
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010012315. Read-only registers ":, ". and "%
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001232These are '%', '#', ':' and '.'. You can use them only with the "p", "P",
1233and ":put" commands and with CTRL-R. {not in Vi}
1234 *quote_.* *quote.* *E29*
1235 ". Contains the last inserted text (the same as what is inserted
1236 with the insert mode commands CTRL-A and CTRL-@). Note: this
1237 doesn't work with CTRL-R on the command-line. It works a bit
1238 differently, like inserting the text instead of putting it
1239 ('textwidth' and other options affect what is inserted).
1240 *quote_%* *quote%*
1241 "% Contains the name of the current file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001242 *quote_:* *quote:* *E30*
1243 ": Contains the most recent executed command-line. Example: Use
1244 "@:" to repeat the previous command-line command.
1245 The command-line is only stored in this register when at least
1246 one character of it was typed. Thus it remains unchanged if
1247 the command was completely from a mapping.
1248 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
1249 feature}
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +01001250 *quote_#* *quote#*
12516. Alternate file register "#
1252Contains the name of the alternate file for the current window. It will
1253change how the |CTRL-^| command works.
1254This register is writable, mainly to allow for restoring it after a plugin has
1255changed it. It accepts buffer number: >
1256 let altbuf = bufnr(@#)
1257 ...
1258 let @# = altbuf
1259It will give error |E86| if you pass buffer number and this buffer does not
1260exist.
1261It can also accept a match with an existing buffer name: >
1262 let @# = 'buffer_name'
1263Error |E93| if there is more than one buffer matching the given name or |E94|
1264if none of buffers matches the given name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001265
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010012667. Expression register "= *quote_=* *quote=* *@=*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001267This is not really a register that stores text, but is a way to use an
1268expression in commands which use a register. The expression register is
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001269read-write.
1270
1271When typing the '=' after " or CTRL-R the cursor moves to the command-line,
1272where you can enter any expression (see |expression|). All normal
1273command-line editing commands are available, including a special history for
1274expressions. When you end the command-line by typing <CR>, Vim computes the
1275result of the expression. If you end it with <Esc>, Vim abandons the
1276expression. If you do not enter an expression, Vim uses the previous
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001277expression (like with the "/" command).
1278
1279The expression must evaluate to a String. A Number is always automatically
1280converted to a String. For the "p" and ":put" command, if the result is a
1281Float it's converted into a String. If the result is a List each element is
1282turned into a String and used as a line. A Dictionary or FuncRef results in
1283an error message (use string() to convert).
1284
1285If the "= register is used for the "p" command, the String is split up at <NL>
1286characters. If the String ends in a <NL>, it is regarded as a linewise
Bram Moolenaar6bab4d12005-06-16 21:53:56 +00001287register. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001288
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010012898. Selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001290Use these registers for storing and retrieving the selected text for the GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001291See |quotestar| and |quoteplus|. When the clipboard is not available or not
Bram Moolenaarf4d11452005-12-02 00:46:37 +00001292working, the unnamed register is used instead. For Unix systems the clipboard
1293is only available when the |+xterm_clipboard| feature is present. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001294
1295Note that there is only a distinction between "* and "+ for X11 systems. For
1296an explanation of the difference, see |x11-selection|. Under MS-Windows, use
1297of "* and "+ is actually synonymous and refers to the |gui-clipboard|.
1298
1299 *quote_~* *quote~* *<Drop>*
1300The read-only "~ register stores the dropped text from the last drag'n'drop
1301operation. When something has been dropped onto Vim, the "~ register is
1302filled in and the <Drop> pseudo key is sent for notification. You can remap
1303this key if you want; the default action (for all modes) is to insert the
1304contents of the "~ register at the cursor position. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001305{only available when compiled with the |+dnd| feature, currently only with the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001306GTK GUI}
1307
1308Note: The "~ register is only used when dropping plain text onto Vim.
1309Drag'n'drop of URI lists is handled internally.
1310
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +010013119. Black hole register "_ *quote_*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001312When writing to this register, nothing happens. This can be used to delete
1313text without affecting the normal registers. When reading from this register,
1314nothing is returned. {not in Vi}
1315
Bram Moolenaar3b3a9492015-01-27 18:44:16 +0100131610. Last search pattern register "/ *quote_/* *quote/*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001317Contains the most recent search-pattern. This is used for "n" and 'hlsearch'.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001318It is writable with `:let`, you can change it to have 'hlsearch' highlight
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001319other matches without actually searching. You can't yank or delete into this
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001320register. The search direction is available in |v:searchforward|.
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001321Note that the value is restored when returning from a function
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001322|function-search-undo|.
1323{not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001324
1325 *@/*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001326You can write to a register with a `:let` command |:let-@|. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001327 :let @/ = "the"
1328
1329If you use a put command without specifying a register, Vim uses the register
1330that was last filled (this is also the contents of the unnamed register). If
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001331you are confused, use the `:dis` command to find out what Vim will put (this
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001332command displays all named and numbered registers; the unnamed register is
1333labelled '"').
1334
1335The next three commands always work on whole lines.
1336
1337:[range]co[py] {address} *:co* *:copy*
1338 Copy the lines given by [range] to below the line
1339 given by {address}.
1340
1341 *:t*
1342:t Synonym for copy.
1343
1344:[range]m[ove] {address} *:m* *:mo* *:move* *E134*
1345 Move the lines given by [range] to below the line
1346 given by {address}.
1347
1348==============================================================================
13496. Formatting text *formatting*
1350
1351:[range]ce[nter] [width] *:ce* *:center*
1352 Center lines in [range] between [width] columns
1353 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
1354 {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001355
1356:[range]ri[ght] [width] *:ri* *:right*
1357 Right-align lines in [range] at [width] columns
1358 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
1359 {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001360
1361 *:le* *:left*
1362:[range]le[ft] [indent]
1363 Left-align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
1364 lines to [indent] (default 0). {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001365
1366 *gq*
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001367gq{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001368 Formatting is done with one of three methods:
1369 1. If 'formatexpr' is not empty the expression is
1370 evaluated. This can differ for each buffer.
Bram Moolenaar4c7ed462006-02-15 22:18:42 +00001371 2. If 'formatprg' is not empty an external program
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001372 is used.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001373 3. Otherwise formatting is done internally.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001374
1375 In the third case the 'textwidth' option controls the
1376 length of each formatted line (see below).
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001377 If the 'textwidth' option is 0, the formatted line
1378 length is the screen width (with a maximum width of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001379 79).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001380 The 'formatoptions' option controls the type of
1381 formatting |fo-table|.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001382 The cursor is left on the first non-blank of the last
1383 formatted line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001384 NOTE: The "Q" command formerly performed this
1385 function. If you still want to use "Q" for
1386 formatting, use this mapping: >
1387 :nnoremap Q gq
1388
1389gqgq *gqgq* *gqq*
Bram Moolenaar40af4e32010-07-29 22:33:18 +02001390gqq Format the current line. With a count format that
1391 many lines. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001392
1393 *v_gq*
1394{Visual}gq Format the highlighted text. (for {Visual} see
1395 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1396
1397 *gw*
1398gw{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over. Similar to
1399 |gq| but puts the cursor back at the same position in
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001400 the text. However, 'formatprg' and 'formatexpr' are
1401 not used. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001402
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001403gwgw *gwgw* *gww*
1404gww Format the current line as with "gw". {not in Vi}
1405
1406 *v_gw*
1407{Visual}gw Format the highlighted text as with "gw". (for
1408 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1409
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001410Example: To format the current paragraph use: *gqap* >
1411 gqap
1412
1413The "gq" command leaves the cursor in the line where the motion command takes
1414the cursor. This allows you to repeat formatting repeated with ".". This
1415works well with "gqj" (format current and next line) and "gq}" (format until
1416end of paragraph). Note: When 'formatprg' is set, "gq" leaves the cursor on
1417the first formatted line (as with using a filter command).
1418
1419If you want to format the current paragraph and continue where you were, use: >
1420 gwap
1421If you always want to keep paragraphs formatted you may want to add the 'a'
1422flag to 'formatoptions'. See |auto-format|.
1423
1424If the 'autoindent' option is on, Vim uses the indent of the first line for
1425the following lines.
1426
1427Formatting does not change empty lines (but it does change lines with only
1428white space!).
1429
1430The 'joinspaces' option is used when lines are joined together.
1431
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001432You can set the 'formatexpr' option to an expression or the 'formatprg' option
1433to the name of an external program for Vim to use for text formatting. The
1434'textwidth' and other options have no effect on formatting by an external
1435program.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001436
1437 *right-justify*
1438There is no command in Vim to right justify text. You can do it with
1439an external command, like "par" (e.g.: "!}par" to format until the end of the
1440paragraph) or set 'formatprg' to "par".
1441
1442 *format-comments*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001443An overview of comment formatting is in section |30.6| of the user manual.
1444
1445Vim can automatically insert and format comments in a special way. Vim
1446recognizes a comment by a specific string at the start of the line (ignoring
1447white space). Three types of comments can be used:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001448
1449- A comment string that repeats at the start of each line. An example is the
1450 type of comment used in shell scripts, starting with "#".
1451- A comment string that occurs only in the first line, not in the following
1452 lines. An example is this list with dashes.
1453- Three-piece comments that have a start string, an end string, and optional
1454 lines in between. The strings for the start, middle and end are different.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001455 An example is the C style comment:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001456 /*
1457 * this is a C comment
1458 */
1459
1460The 'comments' option is a comma-separated list of parts. Each part defines a
1461type of comment string. A part consists of:
1462 {flags}:{string}
1463
1464{string} is the literal text that must appear.
1465
1466{flags}:
1467 n Nested comment. Nesting with mixed parts is allowed. If 'comments'
1468 is "n:),n:>" a line starting with "> ) >" is a comment.
1469
1470 b Blank (<Space>, <Tab> or <EOL>) required after {string}.
1471
1472 f Only the first line has the comment string. Do not repeat comment on
1473 the next line, but preserve indentation (e.g., a bullet-list).
1474
1475 s Start of three-piece comment
1476
1477 m Middle of a three-piece comment
1478
1479 e End of a three-piece comment
1480
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001481 l Left align. Used together with 's' or 'e', the leftmost character of
1482 start or end will line up with the leftmost character from the middle.
1483 This is the default and can be omitted. See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001484
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001485 r Right align. Same as above but rightmost instead of leftmost. See
1486 below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001487
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001488 O Don't consider this comment for the "O" command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001489
1490 x Allows three-piece comments to be ended by just typing the last
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001491 character of the end-comment string as the first action on a new
1492 line when the middle-comment string has been inserted automatically.
1493 See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001494
1495 {digits}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001496 When together with 's' or 'e': add {digit} amount of offset to an
1497 automatically inserted middle or end comment leader. The offset begins
1498 from a left alignment. See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001499
1500 -{digits}
1501 Like {digits} but reduce the indent. This only works when there is
1502 some indent for the start or end part that can be removed.
1503
1504When a string has none of the 'f', 's', 'm' or 'e' flags, Vim assumes the
1505comment string repeats at the start of each line. The flags field may be
1506empty.
1507
1508Any blank space in the text before and after the {string} is part of the
1509{string}, so do not include leading or trailing blanks unless the blanks are a
1510required part of the comment string.
1511
1512When one comment leader is part of another, specify the part after the whole.
1513For example, to include both "-" and "->", use >
1514 :set comments=f:->,f:-
1515
1516A three-piece comment must always be given as start,middle,end, with no other
1517parts in between. An example of a three-piece comment is >
1518 sr:/*,mb:*,ex:*/
1519for C-comments. To avoid recognizing "*ptr" as a comment, the middle string
1520includes the 'b' flag. For three-piece comments, Vim checks the text after
1521the start and middle strings for the end string. If Vim finds the end string,
1522the comment does not continue on the next line. Three-piece comments must
1523have a middle string because otherwise Vim can't recognize the middle lines.
1524
1525Notice the use of the "x" flag in the above three-piece comment definition.
1526When you hit Return in a C-comment, Vim will insert the middle comment leader
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001527for the new line: " * ". To close this comment you just have to type "/"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001528before typing anything else on the new line. This will replace the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001529middle-comment leader with the end-comment leader and apply any specified
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001530alignment, leaving just " */". There is no need to hit Backspace first.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001531
Bram Moolenaar2b8388b2015-02-28 13:11:45 +01001532When there is a match with a middle part, but there also is a matching end
1533part which is longer, the end part is used. This makes a C style comment work
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001534without requiring the middle part to end with a space.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001535
1536Here is an example of alignment flags at work to make a comment stand out
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001537(kind of looks like a 1 too). Consider comment string: >
1538 :set comments=sr:/***,m:**,ex-2:******/
1539<
1540 /*** ~
1541 **<--right aligned from "r" flag ~
1542 ** ~
1543offset 2 spaces for the "-2" flag--->** ~
1544 ******/ ~
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001545In this case, the first comment was typed, then return was pressed 4 times,
1546then "/" was pressed to end the comment.
1547
1548Here are some finer points of three part comments. There are three times when
1549alignment and offset flags are taken into consideration: opening a new line
1550after a start-comment, opening a new line before an end-comment, and
1551automatically ending a three-piece comment. The end alignment flag has a
1552backwards perspective; the result is that the same alignment flag used with
1553"s" and "e" will result in the same indent for the starting and ending pieces.
1554Only one alignment per comment part is meant to be used, but an offset number
1555will override the "r" and "l" flag.
1556
1557Enabling 'cindent' will override the alignment flags in many cases.
1558Reindenting using a different method like |gq| or |=| will not consult
1559alignment flags either. The same behaviour can be defined in those other
1560formatting options. One consideration is that 'cindent' has additional options
1561for context based indenting of comments but cannot replicate many three piece
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001562indent alignments. However, 'indentexpr' has the ability to work better with
1563three piece comments.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001564
1565Other examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001566 "b:*" Includes lines starting with "*", but not if the "*" is
1567 followed by a non-blank. This avoids a pointer dereference
1568 like "*str" to be recognized as a comment.
1569 "n:>" Includes a line starting with ">", ">>", ">>>", etc.
1570 "fb:-" Format a list that starts with "- ".
1571
1572By default, "b:#" is included. This means that a line that starts with
1573"#include" is not recognized as a comment line. But a line that starts with
1574"# define" is recognized. This is a compromise.
1575
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001576{not available when compiled without the |+comments| feature}
1577
1578 *fo-table*
1579You can use the 'formatoptions' option to influence how Vim formats text.
1580'formatoptions' is a string that can contain any of the letters below. The
1581default setting is "tcq". You can separate the option letters with commas for
1582readability.
1583
1584letter meaning when present in 'formatoptions' ~
1585
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001586t Auto-wrap text using textwidth
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001587c Auto-wrap comments using textwidth, inserting the current comment
1588 leader automatically.
1589r Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting
1590 <Enter> in Insert mode.
1591o Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting 'o' or
1592 'O' in Normal mode.
1593q Allow formatting of comments with "gq".
1594 Note that formatting will not change blank lines or lines containing
1595 only the comment leader. A new paragraph starts after such a line,
1596 or when the comment leader changes.
1597w Trailing white space indicates a paragraph continues in the next line.
1598 A line that ends in a non-white character ends a paragraph.
1599a Automatic formatting of paragraphs. Every time text is inserted or
1600 deleted the paragraph will be reformatted. See |auto-format|.
1601 When the 'c' flag is present this only happens for recognized
1602 comments.
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001603n When formatting text, recognize numbered lists. This actually uses
1604 the 'formatlistpat' option, thus any kind of list can be used. The
1605 indent of the text after the number is used for the next line. The
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001606 default is to find a number, optionally followed by '.', ':', ')',
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001607 ']' or '}'. Note that 'autoindent' must be set too. Doesn't work
1608 well together with "2".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001609 Example: >
1610 1. the first item
1611 wraps
1612 2. the second item
16132 When formatting text, use the indent of the second line of a paragraph
1614 for the rest of the paragraph, instead of the indent of the first
1615 line. This supports paragraphs in which the first line has a
1616 different indent than the rest. Note that 'autoindent' must be set
1617 too. Example: >
1618 first line of a paragraph
1619 second line of the same paragraph
1620 third line.
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +02001621< This also works inside comments, ignoring the comment leader.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001622v Vi-compatible auto-wrapping in insert mode: Only break a line at a
1623 blank that you have entered during the current insert command. (Note:
1624 this is not 100% Vi compatible. Vi has some "unexpected features" or
1625 bugs in this area. It uses the screen column instead of the line
1626 column.)
1627b Like 'v', but only auto-wrap if you enter a blank at or before
1628 the wrap margin. If the line was longer than 'textwidth' when you
1629 started the insert, or you do not enter a blank in the insert before
1630 reaching 'textwidth', Vim does not perform auto-wrapping.
1631l Long lines are not broken in insert mode: When a line was longer than
1632 'textwidth' when the insert command started, Vim does not
1633 automatically format it.
1634m Also break at a multi-byte character above 255. This is useful for
1635 Asian text where every character is a word on its own.
1636M When joining lines, don't insert a space before or after a multi-byte
1637 character. Overrules the 'B' flag.
1638B When joining lines, don't insert a space between two multi-byte
1639 characters. Overruled by the 'M' flag.
16401 Don't break a line after a one-letter word. It's broken before it
1641 instead (if possible).
Bram Moolenaar81340392012-06-06 16:12:59 +02001642j Where it makes sense, remove a comment leader when joining lines. For
1643 example, joining:
1644 int i; // the index ~
1645 // in the list ~
1646 Becomes:
1647 int i; // the index in the list ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001648
1649
1650With 't' and 'c' you can specify when Vim performs auto-wrapping:
1651value action ~
1652"" no automatic formatting (you can use "gq" for manual formatting)
1653"t" automatic formatting of text, but not comments
1654"c" automatic formatting for comments, but not text (good for C code)
1655"tc" automatic formatting for text and comments
1656
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001657Note that when 'textwidth' is 0, Vim does no automatic formatting anyway (but
1658does insert comment leaders according to the 'comments' option). An exception
1659is when the 'a' flag is present. |auto-format|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001660
1661Note that when 'paste' is on, Vim does no formatting at all.
1662
1663Note that 'textwidth' can be non-zero even if Vim never performs auto-wrapping;
1664'textwidth' is still useful for formatting with "gq".
1665
1666If the 'comments' option includes "/*", "*" and/or "*/", then Vim has some
1667built in stuff to treat these types of comments a bit more cleverly.
1668Opening a new line before or after "/*" or "*/" (with 'r' or 'o' present in
1669'formatoptions') gives the correct start of the line automatically. The same
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001670happens with formatting and auto-wrapping. Opening a line after a line
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001671starting with "/*" or "*" and containing "*/", will cause no comment leader to
1672be inserted, and the indent of the new line is taken from the line containing
1673the start of the comment.
1674E.g.:
1675 /* ~
1676 * Your typical comment. ~
1677 */ ~
1678 The indent on this line is the same as the start of the above
1679 comment.
1680
1681All of this should be really cool, especially in conjunction with the new
1682:autocmd command to prepare different settings for different types of file.
1683
1684Some examples:
1685 for C code (only format comments): >
1686 :set fo=croq
1687< for Mail/news (format all, don't start comment with "o" command): >
1688 :set fo=tcrq
1689<
1690
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001691Automatic formatting *auto-format* *autoformat*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001692
1693When the 'a' flag is present in 'formatoptions' text is formatted
1694automatically when inserting text or deleting text. This works nice for
1695editing text paragraphs. A few hints on how to use this:
1696
1697- You need to properly define paragraphs. The simplest is paragraphs that are
1698 separated by a blank line. When there is no separating blank line, consider
1699 using the 'w' flag and adding a space at the end of each line in the
1700 paragraphs except the last one.
1701
1702- You can set the 'formatoptions' based on the type of file |filetype| or
1703 specifically for one file with a |modeline|.
1704
1705- Set 'formatoptions' to "aw2tq" to make text with indents like this:
1706
1707 bla bla foobar bla
1708 bla foobar bla foobar bla
1709 bla bla foobar bla
1710 bla foobar bla bla foobar
1711
1712- Add the 'c' flag to only auto-format comments. Useful in source code.
1713
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001714- Set 'textwidth' to the desired width. If it is zero then 79 is used, or the
1715 width of the screen if this is smaller.
1716
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001717And a few warnings:
1718
1719- When part of the text is not properly separated in paragraphs, making
1720 changes in this text will cause it to be formatted anyway. Consider doing >
1721
1722 :set fo-=a
1723
1724- When using the 'w' flag (trailing space means paragraph continues) and
1725 deleting the last line of a paragraph with |dd|, the paragraph will be
1726 joined with the next one.
1727
1728- Changed text is saved for undo. Formatting is also a change. Thus each
1729 format action saves text for undo. This may consume quite a lot of memory.
1730
1731- Formatting a long paragraph and/or with complicated indenting may be slow.
1732
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001733==============================================================================
17347. Sorting text *sorting*
1735
1736Vim has a sorting function and a sorting command. The sorting function can be
Bram Moolenaar327aa022014-03-25 18:24:23 +01001737found here: |sort()|, |uniq()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001738
1739 *:sor* *:sort*
Bram Moolenaarf7edf402016-01-19 23:36:15 +01001740:[range]sor[t][!] [b][f][i][n][o][r][u][x] [/{pattern}/]
Bram Moolenaare5180522005-12-10 20:19:46 +00001741 Sort lines in [range]. When no range is given all
1742 lines are sorted.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001743
1744 With [!] the order is reversed.
1745
1746 With [i] case is ignored.
1747
Bram Moolenaarf7edf402016-01-19 23:36:15 +01001748 Options [n][f][x][o][b] are mutually exclusive.
1749
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001750 With [n] sorting is done on the first decimal number
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001751 in the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001752 One leading '-' is included in the number.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001753
Bram Moolenaarf7edf402016-01-19 23:36:15 +01001754 With [f] sorting is done on the Float in the line.
1755 The value of Float is determined similar to passing
1756 the text (after or inside a {pattern} match) to
1757 str2float() function. This option is available only
1758 if Vim was compiled with Floating point support.
1759
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001760 With [x] sorting is done on the first hexadecimal
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001761 number in the line (after or inside a {pattern}
1762 match). A leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001763 One leading '-' is included in the number.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001764
1765 With [o] sorting is done on the first octal number in
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001766 the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001767
Bram Moolenaar887c1fe2016-01-02 17:56:35 +01001768 With [b] sorting is done on the first binary number in
1769 the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
1770
Bram Moolenaarf7edf402016-01-19 23:36:15 +01001771 With [u] (u stands for unique) only keep the first of
1772 a sequence of identical lines (ignoring case when [i]
1773 is used). Without this flag, a sequence of identical
1774 lines will be kept in their original order.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001775 Note that leading and trailing white space may cause
1776 lines to be different.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001777
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001778 When /{pattern}/ is specified and there is no [r] flag
1779 the text matched with {pattern} is skipped, so that
1780 you sort on what comes after the match.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001781 Instead of the slash any non-letter can be used.
1782 For example, to sort on the second comma-separated
1783 field: >
1784 :sort /[^,]*,/
1785< To sort on the text at virtual column 10 (thus
1786 ignoring the difference between tabs and spaces): >
1787 :sort /.*\%10v/
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001788< To sort on the first number in the line, no matter
1789 what is in front of it: >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001790 :sort /.\{-}\ze\d/
1791< (Explanation: ".\{-}" matches any text, "\ze" sets the
1792 end of the match and \d matches a digit.)
1793 With [r] sorting is done on the matching {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001794 instead of skipping past it as described above.
1795 For example, to sort on only the first three letters
1796 of each line: >
1797 :sort /\a\a\a/ r
1798
1799< If a {pattern} is used, any lines which don't have a
1800 match for {pattern} are kept in their current order,
1801 but separate from the lines which do match {pattern}.
1802 If you sorted in reverse, they will be in reverse
1803 order after the sorted lines, otherwise they will be
1804 in their original order, right before the sorted
1805 lines.
1806
Bram Moolenaar1256e722007-07-10 15:26:20 +00001807 If {pattern} is empty (e.g. // is specified), the
1808 last search pattern is used. This allows trying out
1809 a pattern first.
1810
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001811Note that using `:sort` with `:global` doesn't sort the matching lines, it's
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001812quite useless.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001813
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00001814The details about sorting depend on the library function used. There is no
Bram Moolenaar8bb1c3e2014-07-04 16:43:17 +02001815guarantee that sorting obeys the current locale. You will have to try it out.
1816Vim does do a "stable" sort.
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00001817
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001818The sorting can be interrupted, but if you interrupt it too late in the
1819process you may end up with duplicated lines. This also depends on the system
1820library function used.
Bram Moolenaarae5bce12005-08-15 21:41:48 +00001821
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001822 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: