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Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2005 Mar 15
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7Expression evaluation *expression* *expr* *E15* *eval*
8
9Using expressions is introduced in chapter 41 of the user manual |usr_41.txt|.
10
11Note: Expression evaluation can be disabled at compile time. If this has been
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +000012done, the features in this document are not available. See |+eval| and
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000013|no-eval-feature|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000014
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000151. Variables |variables|
16 1.1 Variable types
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000017 1.2 Function references |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +000018 1.3 Lists |Lists|
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000019 1.4 Dictionaries |Dictionaries|
20 1.5 More about variables |more-variables|
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212. Expression syntax |expression-syntax|
223. Internal variable |internal-variables|
234. Builtin Functions |functions|
245. Defining functions |user-functions|
256. Curly braces names |curly-braces-names|
267. Commands |expression-commands|
278. Exception handling |exception-handling|
289. Examples |eval-examples|
2910. No +eval feature |no-eval-feature|
3011. The sandbox |eval-sandbox|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000031
32{Vi does not have any of these commands}
33
34==============================================================================
351. Variables *variables*
36
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000371.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000038 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000039There are four types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000040
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000041Number A 32 bit signed number.
42 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
43
44String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
45 Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
46
47Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
48 Example: function("strlen")
49
50List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
51 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000052
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000053The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
54are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000055
56Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
57the Number. Examples: >
58 Number 123 --> String "123"
59 Number 0 --> String "0"
60 Number -1 --> String "-1"
61
62Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
63to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
64the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
65 String "456" --> Number 456
66 String "6bar" --> Number 6
67 String "foo" --> Number 0
68 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
69 String "0100" --> Number 64
70 String "-8" --> Number -8
71 String "+8" --> Number 0
72
73To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
74 :echo "0100" + 0
75
76For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
77
78Note that in the command >
79 :if "foo"
80"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
81use strlen(): >
82 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000083< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
84List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000085
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000086 *E706*
87You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
88to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000089equivalent though. Consider this sequence of commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000090 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000091 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000092 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000093
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000094
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000951.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000096 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000097A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000098in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
99around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000100
101 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
102 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000103< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000104A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:" or "b:". You cannot
105have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000106
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000107A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
108Dictionary entry. Example: >
109 :function dict.init() dict
110 : let self.val = 0
111 :endfunction
112
113The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
114function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
115
116A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
117 :call Fn()
118 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000119
120The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000121 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000122
123You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
124arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000125 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000126
127
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001281.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000129 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000130A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
131can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
132position in the sequence.
133
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000134
135List creation ~
136 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000137A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000138Examples: >
139 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
140 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000141
142An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000143nested List: >
144 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000145
146An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
147
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000148
149List index ~
150 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000151An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000152after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
153 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000154 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000155
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000156When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000157 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
160the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000161 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
162
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000163To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000164is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000165 :echo get(mylist, idx)
166 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
167
168
169List concatenation ~
170
171Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
172 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000173 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000174
175To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
176it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
177
178
179Sublist ~
180
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000181A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
182separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000183 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000184
185Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
186similar to -1. The difference is that there is no error if the items are not
187available. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000188 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
189 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
190 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000191
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000192The second index can be just before the first index. In that case the result
193is an empty list. If the second index is lower, this results in an error. >
194 :echo mylist[2:1] " result: []
195 :echo mylist[2:0] " error!
196
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000197
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000198List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000199 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000200When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
201variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
202change "bb": >
203 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
204 :let bb = aa
205 :call add(aa, 4)
206 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000207< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000208
209Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
210works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000211a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
213 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000214 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000215 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
216 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000217< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000218 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000219< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000220
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000221To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000222copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000223
224The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000225List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000226the same value. >
227 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
228 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
229 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000230< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000231 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000232< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000233
234
235List unpack ~
236
237To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
238square brackets, like list items: >
239 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
240
241When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
242this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
243and a variable name: >
244 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
245
246This works like: >
247 :let var1 = mylist[0]
248 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000249 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000250
251Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
252empty list then.
253
254
255List modification ~
256 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000257To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000258 :let list[4] = "four"
259 :let listlist[0][3] = item
260
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000261To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000262modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000263 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
264
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000265Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
266examples: >
267 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
268 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
269 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000270 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000271 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
272 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000273 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000274 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000275 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000276 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000277
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000278Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000279 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
280 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
281
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000282
283For loop ~
284
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000285The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
286to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000287 :for item in mylist
288 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000289 :endfor
290
291This works like: >
292 :let index = 0
293 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000294 : let item = mylist[index]
295 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000296 : let index = index + 1
297 :endwhile
298
299Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000300results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000301the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000302
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000303If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000304function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000305
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000306Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
307requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
308 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
309 : call Doit(lnum, col)
310 :endfor
311
312This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
313must remain the same to avoid an error.
314
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000315It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000316 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
317 : call Doit(i, j)
318 : if !empty(rest)
319 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
320 : endif
321 :endfor
322
323
324List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000325 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000326Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000327 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000328 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000329 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
330 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
331 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000332 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
333 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000334 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
335 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000336 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
337 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000338 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
339 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000340
341
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003421.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000343 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000344A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000345entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
346ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000347
348
349Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000350 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000351A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000352braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
353only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000354 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
355 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000356< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000357A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
358String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000359entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
360Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000361
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000362A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000363nested Dictionary: >
364 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
365
366An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
367
368
369Accessing entries ~
370
371The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
372 :let val = mydict["one"]
373 :let mydict["four"] = 4
374
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000375You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000376
377For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
378form can be used |expr-entry|: >
379 :let val = mydict.one
380 :let mydict.four = 4
381
382Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
383key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000384 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000385
386
387Dictionary to List conversion ~
388
389You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
390turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
391
392Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
393 :for key in keys(mydict)
394 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
395 :endfor
396
397The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
398 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
399
400To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
401 :for v in values(mydict)
402 : echo "value: " . v
403 :endfor
404
405If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000406a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000407 :for entry in items(mydict)
408 : echo entry[0] . ': ' . entry[1]
409 :endfor
410
411
412Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000413 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000414Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
415Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
416Dictionary: >
417 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
418 :let adict = onedict
419 :let adict['a'] = 11
420 :echo onedict['a']
421 11
422
423For more info see |list-identity|.
424
425
426Dictionary modification ~
427 *dict-modification*
428To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
429use |:let| this way: >
430 :let dict[4] = "four"
431 :let dict['one'] = item
432
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000433Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
434Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
435 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
436 :unlet dict.aaa
437 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000438
439Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000440 :call extend(adict, bdict)
441This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
442in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000443Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
444expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
445adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000446
447Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +0000448 :call filter(dict 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000449This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000450
451
452Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000453 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000454When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
455special way with a dictionary. Example: >
456 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000457 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000458 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000459 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
460 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000461
462This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
463Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
464the function was invoked from.
465
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000466It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
467Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
468
469 *numbered-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000470To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
471assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000472 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
473 :function mydict.len() dict
474 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000475 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000476 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000477
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000478The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
479that references this function. The function can only be used through a
480|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
481remaining that refers to it.
482
483It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000484
485
486Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000487 *E715*
488Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000489 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
490 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
491 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
492 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
493 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
494 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
495 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
496 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000497
498
4991.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000500 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000501If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
502function.
503
504When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
505start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
506stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
507
508When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
509start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
510stored in the session file |session-file|.
511
512variable name can be stored where ~
513my_var_6 not
514My_Var_6 session file
515MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
516
517
518It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
519|curly-braces-names|.
520
521==============================================================================
5222. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
523
524Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
525
526|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
527
528|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
529
530|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
531
532|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
533 expr5 != expr5 not equal
534 expr5 > expr5 greater than
535 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
536 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
537 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
538 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
539 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
540
541 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
542 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
543 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
544 matching case
545
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000546 expr5 is expr5 same List instance
547 expr5 isnot expr5 different List instance
548
549|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000550 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
551 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
552
553|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
554 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
555 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
556
557|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
558 - expr7 unary minus
559 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000560
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000561
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000562|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a List
563 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a List
564 expr8.name entry in a Dictionary
565 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with Funcref variable
566
567|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000568 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000569 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000570 [expr1, ...] List
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000571 {expr1: expr1, ...} Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000572 &option option value
573 (expr1) nested expression
574 variable internal variable
575 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
576 $VAR environment variable
577 @r contents of register 'r'
578 function(expr1, ...) function call
579 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
580
581
582".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
583Example: >
584 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
585
586All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
587
588
589expr1 *expr1* *E109*
590-----
591
592expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
593
594The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
595non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
596otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
597Example: >
598 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
599
600Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
601other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
602Example: >
603 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
604
605To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
606 :echo lnum == 1
607 :\ ? "top"
608 :\ : lnum == 1000
609 :\ ? "last"
610 :\ : lnum
611
612
613expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
614---------------
615
616 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
617The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
618are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
619
620 input output ~
621n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
622zero zero zero zero
623zero non-zero non-zero zero
624non-zero zero non-zero zero
625non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
626
627The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
628
629 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
630
631Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
632
633 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
634
635Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
636arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
637
638 let a = 1
639 echo a || b
640
641This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
642so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
643
644 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
645
646This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
647only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
648
649
650expr4 *expr4*
651-----
652
653expr5 {cmp} expr5
654
655Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
656if it evaluates to true.
657
658 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
659 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
660 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
661 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
662 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
663 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000664 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000665 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
666equal == ==# ==?
667not equal != !=# !=?
668greater than > ># >?
669greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
670smaller than < <# <?
671smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
672regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
673regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000674same instance is
675different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000676
677Examples:
678"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
679"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
680"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
681
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000682 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000683A List can only be compared with a List and only "equal", "not equal" and "is"
684can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively. Ignoring
685case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
686
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000687 *E735* *E736*
688A Dictionary can only be compared with a Dictionary and only "equal", "not
689equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the Dictionary,
690recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
691
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000692 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000693A Funcref can only be compared with a Funcref and only "equal" and "not equal"
694can be used. Case is never ignored.
695
696When using "is" or "isnot" with a List this checks if the expressions are
697referring to the same List instance. A copy of a List is different from the
698original List. When using "is" without a List it is equivalent to using
699"equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
700different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
701is false.
702
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000703When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
704and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
705because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
706
707When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
708results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
709necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
710
711When using the operators with a trailing '#", or the short version and
712'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp().
713
714When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
715'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp().
716
717The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
718argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
719This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
720matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
721portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
722single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
723Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
724(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
725can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
726 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
727 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
728
729
730expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
731---------------
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000732expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or List concatenation *expr-+*
733expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
734expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000735
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000736For Lists only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The result
737is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
738
739expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
740expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
741expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000742
743For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
744
745Note the difference between "+" and ".":
746 "123" + "456" = 579
747 "123" . "456" = "123456"
748
749When the righthand side of '/' is zero, the result is 0x7fffffff.
750When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
751
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000752None of these work for Funcrefs.
753
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000754
755expr7 *expr7*
756-----
757! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
758- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
759+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
760
761For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
762For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
763For '+' the number is unchanged.
764
765A String will be converted to a Number first.
766
767These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
768 !-1 == 0
769 !!8 == 1
770 --9 == 9
771
772
773expr8 *expr8*
774-----
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000775expr8[expr1] item of String or List *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000776
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000777If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
778expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000779Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000780
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000781Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
782text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
783cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000784 :let c = getline(line("."))[col(".") - 1]
785
786If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000787String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
788compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
789
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000790If expr8 is a List then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000791for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
792error. Example: >
793 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
794
795Generally, if a List index is equal to or higher than the length of the List,
796or more negative than the length of the List, this results in an error.
797
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000798
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000799expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000800
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000801If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
802from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000803expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
804encodings.
805
806If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
807string minus one is used.
808
809A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
810the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
811
812If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
813expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
814
815Examples: >
816 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
817 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
818 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
819 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
820
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000821If expr8 is a List this results in a new List with the items indicated by the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000822indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained just
823above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
824 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
825 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
826 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
827
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000828Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a Funcref results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000829
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000830
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000831expr8.name entry in a Dictionary *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000832
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000833If expr8 is a Dictionary and it is followed by a dot, then the following name
834will be used as a key in the Dictionary. This is just like: expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000835
836The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
837but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
838
839There must not be white space before or after the dot.
840
841Examples: >
842 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
843 :echo dict.one
844 :echo dict .2
845
846Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
847always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
848
849
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000850expr8(expr1, ...) Funcref function call
851
852When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
853
854
855
856 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000857number
858------
859number number constant *expr-number*
860
861Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
862
863
864string *expr-string* *E114*
865------
866"string" string constant *expr-quote*
867
868Note that double quotes are used.
869
870A string constant accepts these special characters:
871\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
872\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
873\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
874\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
875\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
876\X.. same as \x..
877\X. same as \x.
878\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
879 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
880\U.... same as \u....
881\b backspace <BS>
882\e escape <Esc>
883\f formfeed <FF>
884\n newline <NL>
885\r return <CR>
886\t tab <Tab>
887\\ backslash
888\" double quote
889\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
890
891Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
892
893
894literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
895---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000896'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000897
898Note that single quotes are used.
899
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000900This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000901meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000902
903Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
904to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
905 if a =~ "\\s*"
906 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000907
908
909option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
910------
911&option option value, local value if possible
912&g:option global option value
913&l:option local option value
914
915Examples: >
916 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
917 if &insertmode
918
919Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
920and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
921anyway.
922
923
924register *expr-register*
925--------
926@r contents of register 'r'
927
928The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
929Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
930register use @" or @@. The '=' register can not be used here. See
931|registers| for an explanation of the available registers.
932
933
934nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
935-------
936(expr1) nested expression
937
938
939environment variable *expr-env*
940--------------------
941$VAR environment variable
942
943The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
944result is an empty string.
945 *expr-env-expand*
946Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
947expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
948are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
949the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
950fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
951does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
952 :echo $version
953 :echo expand("$version")
954The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
955variable (if your shell supports it).
956
957
958internal variable *expr-variable*
959-----------------
960variable internal variable
961See below |internal-variables|.
962
963
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000964function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000965-------------
966function(expr1, ...) function call
967See below |functions|.
968
969
970==============================================================================
9713. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
972 *E461*
973An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
974cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
975|curly-braces-names|.
976
977An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000978An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
979|:unlet|.
980Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
981been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000982
983There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
984specified by what is prepended:
985
986 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
987|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
988|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
989|global-variable| g: Global.
990|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
991|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
992|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
993|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
994
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +0000995The scope name by itself can be used as a Dictionary. For example, to delete
996all script-local variables: >
997 :for k in keys(s:)
998 : unlet s:[k]
999 :endfor
1000<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001001 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1002A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1003Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1004This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1005|:bdelete|.
1006
1007One local buffer variable is predefined:
1008 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1009b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1010 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1011 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1012 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1013 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
1014 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1015 : call My_Update()
1016 :endif
1017<
1018 *window-variable* *w:var*
1019A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1020is deleted when the window is closed.
1021
1022 *global-variable* *g:var*
1023Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
1024access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
1025place if you like.
1026
1027 *local-variable* *l:var*
1028Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
1029But you can also prepend "l:" if you like.
1030
1031 *script-variable* *s:var*
1032In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1033accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1034
1035They can be used in:
1036- commands executed while the script is sourced
1037- functions defined in the script
1038- autocommands defined in the script
1039- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1040 defined in the script (recursively)
1041- user defined commands defined in the script
1042Thus not in:
1043- other scripts sourced from this one
1044- mappings
1045- etc.
1046
1047script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1048Take this example:
1049
1050 let s:counter = 0
1051 function MyCounter()
1052 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1053 echo s:counter
1054 endfunction
1055 command Tick call MyCounter()
1056
1057You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1058that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1059"Tick" was defined is used.
1060
1061Another example that does the same: >
1062
1063 let s:counter = 0
1064 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1065
1066When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001067script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001068defined.
1069
1070The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1071function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1072
1073 let s:counter = 0
1074 function StartCounting(incr)
1075 if a:incr
1076 function MyCounter()
1077 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1078 endfunction
1079 else
1080 function MyCounter()
1081 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1082 endfunction
1083 endif
1084 endfunction
1085
1086This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1087when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1088called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1089
1090When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1091They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1092maintain a counter: >
1093
1094 if !exists("s:counter")
1095 let s:counter = 1
1096 echo "script executed for the first time"
1097 else
1098 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1099 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1100 endif
1101
1102Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1103variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1104
1105
1106Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1107
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001108 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1109v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1110 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1111 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1112
1113 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1114v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1115 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1116
1117 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1118v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1119 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1120
1121 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
1122v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as it is
1123 useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies, but a
1124 dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a ']'
1125 the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
1126 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1127 highlighted text is used.
1128 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1129
1130 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1131v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1132 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1133
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001134 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1135v:charconvert_from
1136 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1137 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1138
1139 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1140v:charconvert_to
1141 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1142 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1143
1144 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1145v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1146 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1147 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1148 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1149 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1150 possible to append this variable directly after the
1151 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
1152 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1153 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1154 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1155 in 'printexpr'.
1156
1157 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1158v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1159 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1160 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1161 can be used.
1162
1163 *v:count* *count-variable*
1164v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
1165 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
1166 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1167< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1168 get when typing ':' after a count.
1169 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1170
1171 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1172v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1173 used.
1174
1175 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1176v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1177 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1178 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1179 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1180 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1181 command.
1182 See |multi-lang|.
1183
1184 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
1185v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
1186 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1187 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1188 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1189 Example: >
1190 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1191<
1192 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1193v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1194 Example: >
1195 :let v:errmsg = ""
1196 :silent! next
1197 :if v:errmsg != ""
1198 : ... handle error
1199< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1200
1201 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1202v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1203 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1204 Example: >
1205 :try
1206 : throw "oops"
1207 :catch /.*/
1208 : echo "caught" v:exception
1209 :endtry
1210< Output: "caught oops".
1211
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001212 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1213v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1214 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1215 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1216 deleted file no longer exists
1217 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1218 changed and buffer is modified
1219 changed file contents has changed
1220 mode mode of file changed
1221 time only file timestamp changed
1222
1223 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1224v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1225 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1226 do with the affected buffer:
1227 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1228 the file was deleted).
1229 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1230 was no autocommand. Except that when
1231 only the timestamp changed nothing
1232 will happen.
1233 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1234 everything that needs to be done.
1235 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1236 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1237
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001238 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
1239v:fname_in The name of the input file. Only valid while evaluating:
1240 option used for ~
1241 'charconvert' file to be converted
1242 'diffexpr' original file
1243 'patchexpr' original file
1244 'printexpr' file to be printed
1245
1246 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1247v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1248 evaluating:
1249 option used for ~
1250 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1251 'diffexpr' output of diff
1252 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1253 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
1254 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
1255 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1256 file and different from v:fname_in.
1257
1258 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1259v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1260 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1261
1262 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1263v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1264 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1265
1266 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1267v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1268 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001269 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001270
1271 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1272v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001273 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001274
1275 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1276v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001277 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001278
1279 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1280v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001281 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001282
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001283 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1284v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1285 events. Values:
1286 i Insert mode
1287 r Replace mode
1288 v Virtual Replace mode
1289
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001290 *v:key* *key-variable*
1291v:key Key of the current item of a Dictionary. Only valid while
1292 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1293 Read-only.
1294
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001295 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1296v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1297 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1298 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1299 The value is system dependent.
1300 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1301 command.
1302 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1303 in a different language than what is used for character
1304 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1305
1306 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1307v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1308 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1309 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1310 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1311 command. See |multi-lang|.
1312
1313 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001314v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
1315 expressions. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1316 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001317
1318 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1319v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1320 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
1321 you want to cancel Visual mode and then use the count. >
1322 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1323< Read-only.
1324
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001325 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1326v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1327 See |profiling|.
1328
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001329 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1330v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1331 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1332 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1333 Read-only.
1334
1335 *v:register* *register-variable*
1336v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1337 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1338
1339 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1340v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1341 Read-only.
1342
1343 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1344v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1345 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1346 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1347 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1348 executed. Read-only.
1349 Example: >
1350 :!mv foo bar
1351 :if v:shell_error
1352 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1353 :endif
1354< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1355
1356 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1357v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1358
1359 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1360v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1361 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1362 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1363 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1364 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1365 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1366 terminal.
1367 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1368 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1369 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1370 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1371 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1372
1373 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1374v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1375 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1376 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1377 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1378
1379 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1380v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1381 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1382 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1383 Example: >
1384 :try
1385 : throw "oops"
1386 :catch /.*/
1387 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1388 :endtry
1389< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1390
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001391 *v:val* *val-variable*
1392v:val Value of the current item of a List or Dictionary. Only valid
1393 while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
1394 |filter()|. Read-only.
1395
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001396 *v:version* *version-variable*
1397v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1398 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1399 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1400 compatibility.
1401 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1402 if has("patch123")
1403< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1404 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1405 completely different.
1406
1407 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1408v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1409
1410==============================================================================
14114. Builtin Functions *functions*
1412
1413See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1414
1415(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation)
1416
1417USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1418
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001419add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to List {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001420append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001421append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001422argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001423argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001424argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
1425browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1426 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001427browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001428bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001429buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1430bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001431bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1432bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1433bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1434byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001435byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001436call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1437 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001438char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001439cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001440col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
1441confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1442 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001443copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001444count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1445 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001446cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1447 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001448cursor( {lnum}, {col}) Number position cursor at {lnum}, {col}
1449deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001450delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1451did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001452diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1453diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001454empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001455errorlist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001456escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001457eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001458eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001459executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1460exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
1461expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
1462filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001463filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1464 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001465finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
1466 String Find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001467findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001468 String Find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001469filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
1470fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001471foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1472foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001473foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001474foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001475foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001476function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001477get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001478get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001479getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1480getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001481getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
1482getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1483getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
1484getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001485getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1486getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001487getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001488getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001489getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001490getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1491getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001492getreg( [{regname}]) String contents of register
1493getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001494getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1495getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1496getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in window {nr}
1497glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1498globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1499has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001500has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001501hasmapto( {what} [, {mode}]) Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
1502histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1503histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1504histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1505histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1506hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1507hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1508hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001509iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1510indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001511index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1512 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001513input( {prompt} [, {text}]) String get input from the user
1514inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001515inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1516inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001517inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001518insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001519isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001520islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001521items( {dict}) List List of key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001522join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001523keys( {dict}) List List of keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001524len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1525libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001526libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1527line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1528line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001529lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001530localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001531map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001532maparg( {name}[, {mode}]) String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1533mapcheck( {name}[, {mode}]) String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001534match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001535 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001536matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001537 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001538matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1539 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001540matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1541 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001542max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1543min({list}) Number minumum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001544mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1545 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001546mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001547nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1548nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
1549prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001550range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1551 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001552readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1553 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001554remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1555 String send expression
1556remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1557remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1558 Number check for reply string
1559remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1560remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1561 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001562remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001563remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001564rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1565repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1566resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001567reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001568search( {pattern} [, {flags}]) Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001569searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001570 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001571server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1572 Number send reply string
1573serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1574setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1575setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1576setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001577setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001578setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001579simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001580sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001581split( {expr} [, {pat}]) List make List from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001582strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001583stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1584 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001585string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001586strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1587strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1588 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001589strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1590 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001591strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001592submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001593substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1594 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001595synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001596synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1597 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1598synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001599system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001600taglist({expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001601tempname() String name for a temporary file
1602tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1603toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001604tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1605 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001606type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001607values( {dict}) List List of values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001608virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1609visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1610winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1611wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1612winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1613winline() Number window line of the cursor
1614winnr() Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001615winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001616winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001617writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1618 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001619
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001620add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
1621 Append the item {expr} to List {list}. Returns the resulting
1622 List. Examples: >
1623 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1624 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
1625< Note that when {expr} is a List it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001626 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001627 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001628
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001629
1630append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001631 When {expr} is a List: Append each item of the List as a text
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001632 line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001633 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1634 the current buffer.
1635 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001636 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1637 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001638 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001639 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001640<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001641 *argc()*
1642argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1643 current window. See |arglist|.
1644
1645 *argidx()*
1646argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1647 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1648
1649 *argv()*
1650argv({nr}) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
1651 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1652 Example: >
1653 :let i = 0
1654 :while i < argc()
1655 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1656 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1657 : let i = i + 1
1658 :endwhile
1659<
1660 *browse()*
1661browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1662 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1663 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1664 The input fields are:
1665 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1666 {title} title for the requester
1667 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1668 {default} default file name
1669 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1670 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1671
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001672 *browsedir()*
1673browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1674 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1675 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1676 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1677 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1678 to be used.
1679 The input fields are:
1680 {title} title for the requester
1681 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1682 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1683 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1684
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001685bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1686 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1687 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001688 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001689 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001690 exactly. The name can be:
1691 - Relative to the current directory.
1692 - A full path.
1693 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1694 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001695 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1696 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1697 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1698 long name to be able to find them.
1699 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1700 file name.
1701 *buffer_exists()*
1702 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1703
1704buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1705 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1706 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001707 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001708
1709bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1710 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1711 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001712 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001713
1714bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1715 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1716 ":ls" command.
1717 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1718 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1719 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1720 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1721 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1722 match an empty string is returned.
1723 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1724 alternate buffer.
1725 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
1726 or middle of the buffer name is accepted.
1727 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1728 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1729 buffers are searched for.
1730 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1731 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1732 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1733< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1734 string is returned. >
1735 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1736 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1737 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1738 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1739< *buffer_name()*
1740 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1741
1742 *bufnr()*
1743bufnr({expr}) The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
1744 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
1745 above. If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
1746 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1747 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1748< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1749 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1750 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1751 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1752 *buffer_number()*
1753 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1754 *last_buffer_nr()*
1755 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1756
1757bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1758 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1759 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1760 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1761 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1762
1763 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1764
1765< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1766 |:wincmd|.
1767
1768
1769byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1770 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1771 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1772 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1773 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1774 one.
1775 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1776 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1777 feature}
1778
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001779byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1780 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1781 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1782 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1783 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1784 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1785 Example : >
1786 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1787< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1788 same: >
1789 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1790 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1791< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1792 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1793 is returned.
1794
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001795call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001796 Call function {func} with the items in List {arglist} as
1797 arguments.
1798 {func} can either be a Funcref or the name of a function.
1799 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
1800 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001801 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
1802 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001803
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001804char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
1805 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
1806 char2nr(" ") returns 32
1807 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
1808< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
1809 char2nr("á") returns 225
1810 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
1811
1812cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
1813 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
1814 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
1815 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
1816 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
1817 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
1818 feature, -1 is returned.
1819
1820 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001821col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001822 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
1823 . the cursor position
1824 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
1825 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
1826 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
1827 returned)
1828 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
1829 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
1830 Examples: >
1831 col(".") column of cursor
1832 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
1833 col("'t") column of mark t
1834 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
1835< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
1836 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
1837 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
1838 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
1839 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
1840 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
1841 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
1842 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
1843<
1844 *confirm()*
1845confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1846 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
1847 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
1848 choice this is 1.
1849 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
1850 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
1851 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
1852 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
1853 used (and translated).
1854 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
1855 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
1856 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
1857 by '\n', e.g. >
1858 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
1859< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
1860 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
1861 not need to be the first letter: >
1862 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
1863< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
1864 the default shortcut key.
1865 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
1866 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
1867 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
1868 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
1869 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
1870 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
1871 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
1872 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
1873 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
1874 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
1875 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
1876
1877 An example: >
1878 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
1879 :if choice == 0
1880 : echo "make up your mind!"
1881 :elseif choice == 3
1882 : echo "tasteful"
1883 :else
1884 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
1885 :endif
1886< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
1887 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
1888 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
1889 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
1890 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
1891 the horizontal layout is always used.
1892
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001893 *copy()*
1894copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
1895 different from using {expr} directly.
1896 When {expr} is a List a shallow copy is created. This means
1897 that the original List can be changed without changing the
1898 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
1899 changing an item changes the contents of both Lists. Also see
1900 |deepcopy()|.
1901
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001902count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001903 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001904 in List or Dictionary {comp}.
1905 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
1906 {start} can only be used with a List.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001907 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
1908
1909
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001910 *cscope_connection()*
1911cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1912 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
1913 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
1914 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
1915 if there are no cscope connections;
1916 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
1917
1918 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
1919 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
1920
1921 {num} Description of existence check
1922 ----- ------------------------------
1923 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
1924 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
1925 {dbpath}.
1926 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
1927 {dbpath}.
1928 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
1929 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
1930 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
1931 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
1932
1933 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
1934
1935 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
1936
1937 # pid database name prepend path
1938 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
1939<
1940 Invocation Return Val ~
1941 ---------- ---------- >
1942 cscope_connection() 1
1943 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
1944 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
1945 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
1946 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
1947 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
1948 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
1949 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
1950<
1951cursor({lnum}, {col}) *cursor()*
1952 Positions the cursor at the column {col} in the line {lnum}.
1953 Does not change the jumplist.
1954 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
1955 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
1956 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
1957 If {col} is greater than the number of characters in the line,
1958 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
1959 line.
1960 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
1961
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001962
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001963deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001964 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
1965 different from using {expr} directly.
1966 When {expr} is a List a full copy is created. This means
1967 that the original List can be changed without changing the
1968 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a List, a copy for it
1969 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
1970 not change the contents of the original List.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001971 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained List or Dictionary
1972 is only copied once. All references point to this single
1973 copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a List or
1974 Dictionary results in a new copy. This also means that a
1975 cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00001976 *E724*
1977 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001978 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
1979 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001980 Also see |copy()|.
1981
1982delete({fname}) *delete()*
1983 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001984 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
1985 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001986 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001987
1988 *did_filetype()*
1989did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
1990 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
1991 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
1992 that detect the file type. |FileType|
1993 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
1994 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
1995 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
1996 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
1997 file.
1998
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001999diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2000 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2001 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2002 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2003 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2004 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2005 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2006 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2007
2008diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2009 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2010 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2011 diff change zero is returned.
2012 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2013 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2014 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2015 line.
2016 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2017 syntax information about the highlighting.
2018
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002019empty({expr}) *empty()*
2020 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002021 A List or Dictionary is empty when it does not have any items.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002022 A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2023 For a long List this is much faster then comparing the length
2024 with zero.
2025
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00002026errorlist() *errorlist()*
2027 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2028 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2029 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2030 bufname() to get the name
2031 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2032 col column number (first column is 1)
2033 vcol non-zero: column number is visual column
2034 zero: column number is byte index
2035 nr error number
2036 text description of the error
2037 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2038 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2039
2040 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2041 do something with them: >
2042 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2043 :for d in errorlist()
2044 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2045 :endfor
2046
2047
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002048escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2049 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2050 backslash. Example: >
2051 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2052< results in: >
2053 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002054
2055< *eval()*
2056eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2057 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2058 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
2059 Also works for Funcrefs that refer to existing functions.
2060
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002061eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2062 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2063 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2064 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2065 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2066
2067executable({expr}) *executable()*
2068 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2069 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002070 arguments.
2071 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2072 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2073 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2074 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2075 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2076 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2077 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2078 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2079 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2080 extension.
2081 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2082 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002083 The result is a Number:
2084 1 exists
2085 0 does not exist
2086 -1 not implemented on this system
2087
2088 *exists()*
2089exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2090 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2091 which contains one of these:
2092 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2093 not if it really works)
2094 +option-name Vim option that works.
2095 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2096 done by comparing with an empty
2097 string)
2098 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2099 or user defined function (see
2100 |user-functions|).
2101 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002102 |internal-variables|). Also works
2103 for |curly-braces-names|, Dictionary
2104 entries, List items, etc. Beware that
2105 this may cause functions to be
2106 invoked cause an error message for an
2107 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002108 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2109 command or command modifier |:command|.
2110 Returns:
2111 1 for match with start of a command
2112 2 full match with a command
2113 3 matches several user commands
2114 To check for a supported command
2115 always check the return value to be 2.
2116 #event autocommand defined for this event
2117 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2118 pattern (the pattern is taken
2119 literally and compared to the
2120 autocommand patterns character by
2121 character)
2122 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2123
2124 Examples: >
2125 exists("&shortname")
2126 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2127 exists("*strftime")
2128 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2129 exists("bufcount")
2130 exists(":Make")
2131 exists("#CursorHold");
2132 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
2133< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2134 name.
2135 Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2136 variable itself! For example: >
2137 exists(bufcount)
2138< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
2139 but gets the contents of "bufcount", and checks if that
2140 exists.
2141
2142expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2143 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2144 The result is a String.
2145
2146 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2147 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2148 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2149
2150 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2151 for a non-existing file is not included.
2152
2153 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2154 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2155 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2156
2157 % current file name
2158 # alternate file name
2159 #n alternate file name n
2160 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2161 <afile> autocmd file name
2162 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2163 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2164 <sfile> sourced script file name
2165 <cword> word under the cursor
2166 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2167 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2168 message |server2client()|
2169 Modifiers:
2170 :p expand to full path
2171 :h head (last path component removed)
2172 :t tail (last path component only)
2173 :r root (one extension removed)
2174 :e extension only
2175
2176 Example: >
2177 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2178< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2179 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2180 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2181< Use this: >
2182 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2183< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2184 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2185 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2186 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2187 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2188<
2189 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2190 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2191 to modify normal file names.
2192
2193 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2194 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2195 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2196 '/' added.
2197
2198 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2199 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2200 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2201 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
2202 non-existing files are included.
2203
2204 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2205 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2206 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2207 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2208 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2209 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2210 "$FOOBAR".
2211
2212 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2213 getting the raw output of an external command.
2214
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002215extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
2216 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both Lists or both Dictionaries.
2217
2218 If they are Lists: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
2219 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2220 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2221 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2222 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002223 Examples: >
2224 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2225 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002226< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2227 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002228 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002229<
2230 If they are Dictionaries:
2231 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2232 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2233 used to decide what to do:
2234 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2235 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00002236 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002237 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2238
2239 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2240 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2241 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2242 Returns {expr1}.
2243
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002244
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002245filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2246 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2247 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2248 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2249 expression, which is used as a String.
2250 *file_readable()*
2251 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2252
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002253
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002254filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
2255 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
2256 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
2257 is zero remove the item from the List or Dictionary.
2258 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
2259 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
2260 Examples: >
2261 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2262< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2263 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2264< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2265 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002266< Removes all the items, thus clears the List or Dictionary.
2267
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002268 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2269 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2270 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2271
2272 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
2273 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002274 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), '& =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002275
2276< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002277
2278
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002279finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
2280 Find directory {name} in {path}.
2281 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2282 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
2283 {name} in {path}.
2284 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
2285 When the found directory is below the current directory a
2286 relative path is returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
2287 Example: >
2288 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
2289< Searches from the current directory upwards until it finds
2290 the file "tags.vim".
2291 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2292
2293findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2294 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
2295
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002296filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2297 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2298 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2299 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2300 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2301
2302fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2303 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2304 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2305 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2306 Example: >
2307 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2308< results in: >
2309 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2310< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2311 |expand()| first then.
2312
2313foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2314 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2315 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2316 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2317
2318foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2319 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2320 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2321 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2322
2323foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2324 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2325 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2326 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2327 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2328 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2329 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2330 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2331 previous line is usually available.
2332
2333 *foldtext()*
2334foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2335 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2336 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2337 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2338 The returned string looks like this: >
2339 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2340< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2341 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2342 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2343 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2344 options is removed.
2345 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2346
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002347foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2348 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2349 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2350 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2351 returned.
2352 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2353 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2354 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2355 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2356
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002357 *foreground()*
2358foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2359 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2360 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2361 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2362 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2363 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2364 Win32 console version}
2365
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002366
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002367function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002368 Return a Funcref variable that refers to function {name}.
2369 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2370
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002371
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002372get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002373 Get item {idx} from List {list}. When this item is not
2374 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2375 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002376get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
2377 Get item with key {key} from Dictionary {dict}. When this
2378 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2379 {default} is omitted.
2380
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002381
2382getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2383 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2384 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2385 must be used.
2386 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
2387 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
2388 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2389 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2390 returned, there is no error message.
2391 Examples: >
2392 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2393 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2394<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002395getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
2396 Get a single character from the user. If it is an 8-bit
2397 character, the result is a number. Otherwise a String is
2398 returned with the encoded character. For a special key it's a
2399 sequence of bytes starting with 0x80 (decimal: 128).
2400 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2401 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
2402 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
2403 not consumed. If a normal character is
2404 available, it is returned, otherwise a
2405 non-zero value is returned.
2406 If a normal character available, it is returned as a Number.
2407 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2408 The returned value is zero if no character is available.
2409 The returned value is a string of characters for special keys
2410 and when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used.
2411 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2412 user that a character has to be typed.
2413 There is no mapping for the character.
2414 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2415 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2416 sequence. Examples: >
2417 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2418 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2419< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2420 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2421 :function FindChar()
2422 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2423 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2424 : normal l
2425 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2426 : break
2427 : endif
2428 : endwhile
2429 :endfunction
2430
2431getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2432 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2433 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2434 These values are added together:
2435 2 shift
2436 4 control
2437 8 alt (meta)
2438 16 mouse double click
2439 32 mouse triple click
2440 64 mouse quadruple click
2441 128 Macintosh only: command
2442 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2443 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2444 with no modifier.
2445
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002446getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2447 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2448 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2449 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2450 Example: >
2451 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
2452< Also see |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
2453
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002454getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002455 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2456 byte count. The first column is 1.
2457 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2458 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
2459 Also see |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2460
2461 *getcwd()*
2462getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2463 working directory.
2464
2465getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2466 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2467 given file {fname}.
2468 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2469 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
2470
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002471getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2472 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2473 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2474 |hl-Normal|.
2475 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2476 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2477 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2478 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
2479 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not you your vimrc or
2480 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2481 for a valid name does not work.
2482 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2483 function just after the GUI has started.
2484
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002485getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2486 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2487 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2488 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2489 empty string is returned.
2490 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2491 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2492 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2493 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2494 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2495 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2496< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2497 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002498
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002499getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2500 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2501 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2502 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2503 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2504 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2505
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002506getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2507 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2508 file of the given file {fname}.
2509 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2510 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2511 results:
2512 Normal file "file"
2513 Directory "dir"
2514 Symbolic link "link"
2515 Block device "bdev"
2516 Character device "cdev"
2517 Socket "socket"
2518 FIFO "fifo"
2519 All other "other"
2520 Example: >
2521 getftype("/home")
2522< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2523 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2524 "file" are returned.
2525
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002526 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002527getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2528 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2529 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002530 getline(1)
2531< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2532 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2533 To get the line under the cursor: >
2534 getline(".")
2535< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2536 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2537
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002538 When {end} is given the result is a List where each item is a
2539 line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
2540 including line {end}.
2541 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2542 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
2543 When {end} is before {lnum} an error is given.
2544 Example: >
2545 :let start = line('.')
2546 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2547 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2548
2549
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002550getreg([{regname}]) *getreg()*
2551 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
2552 {regname}. Example: >
2553 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
2554< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
2555 register. (For use in maps).
2556 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2557
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002558
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002559getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
2560 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
2561 The value will be one of:
2562 "v" for |characterwise| text
2563 "V" for |linewise| text
2564 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
2565 0 for an empty or unknown register
2566 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
2567 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2568
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002569
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002570 *getwinposx()*
2571getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
2572 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
2573 -1 if the information is not available.
2574
2575 *getwinposy()*
2576getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
2577 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
2578 information is not available.
2579
2580getwinvar({nr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
2581 The result is the value of option or local window variable
2582 {varname} in window {nr}.
2583 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
2584 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
2585 Note that the name without "w:" must be used.
2586 Examples: >
2587 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
2588 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
2589<
2590 *glob()*
2591glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. The result is a String.
2592 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2593 characters.
2594 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
2595 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
2596
2597 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
2598 any external command. Example: >
2599 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
2600 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
2601< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
2602 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
2603
2604 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
2605 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
2606
2607globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
2608 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
2609 the results. Example: >
2610 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
2611< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
2612 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
2613 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
2614 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
2615 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
2616 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
2617 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
2618 error message.
2619 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
2620 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
2621
2622 *has()*
2623has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
2624 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
2625 string. See |feature-list| below.
2626 Also see |exists()|.
2627
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002628
2629has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
2630 The result is a Number, which is 1 if Dictionary {dict} has an
2631 entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
2632
2633
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002634hasmapto({what} [, {mode}]) *hasmapto()*
2635 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
2636 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
2637 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
2638 {mode}.
2639 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
2640 buffer are checked for a match.
2641 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
2642 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
2643 n Normal mode
2644 v Visual mode
2645 o Operator-pending mode
2646 i Insert mode
2647 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
2648 c Command-line mode
2649 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
2650
2651 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
2652 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
2653 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
2654 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
2655 :endif
2656< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
2657 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
2658
2659histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
2660 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
2661 one of: *hist-names*
2662 "cmd" or ":" command line history
2663 "search" or "/" search pattern history
2664 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
2665 "input" or "@" input line history
2666 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
2667 shifted to become the newest entry.
2668 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
2669 otherwise 0 is returned.
2670
2671 Example: >
2672 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
2673 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
2674< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
2675
2676histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
2677 Clear {history}, ie. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
2678 for the possible values of {history}.
2679
2680 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
2681 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
2682 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
2683 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
2684 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
2685 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
2686 if it exists.
2687
2688 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
2689 otherwise 0 is returned.
2690
2691 Examples:
2692 Clear expression register history: >
2693 :call histdel("expr")
2694<
2695 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
2696 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
2697<
2698 The following three are equivalent: >
2699 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
2700 :call histdel("search", -1)
2701 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
2702<
2703 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
2704 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
2705 :call histdel("search", -1)
2706 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
2707
2708histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
2709 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
2710 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
2711 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
2712 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
2713 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
2714
2715 Examples:
2716 Redo the second last search from history. >
2717 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
2718
2719< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
2720 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
2721 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
2722<
2723histnr({history}) *histnr()*
2724 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
2725 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
2726 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
2727
2728 Example: >
2729 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
2730<
2731hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
2732 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
2733 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
2734 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
2735 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
2736 item.
2737 *highlight_exists()*
2738 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
2739
2740 *hlID()*
2741hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
2742 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
2743 zero is returned.
2744 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
2745 group. For example, to get the background color of the
2746 "Comment" group: >
2747 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
2748< *highlightID()*
2749 Obsolete name: highlightID().
2750
2751hostname() *hostname()*
2752 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
2753 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
2754 256 characters long are truncated.
2755
2756iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
2757 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
2758 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
2759 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
2760 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
2761 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
2762 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
2763 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
2764 can be done.
2765 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
2766 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
2767 UTF-8 and use: >
2768 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
2769< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
2770 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
2771 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
2772 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
2773
2774 *indent()*
2775indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
2776 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
2777 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
2778 |getline()|.
2779 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
2780
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002781
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002782index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002783 Return the lowest index in List {list} where the item has a
2784 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00002785 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
2786 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002787 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
2788 case must match.
2789 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
2790 Example: >
2791 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00002792 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002793
2794
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002795input({prompt} [, {text}]) *input()*
2796 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
2797 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
2798 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
2799 prompt to start a new line. The highlighting set with
2800 |:echohl| is used for the prompt. The input is entered just
2801 like a command-line, with the same editing commands and
2802 mappings. There is a separate history for lines typed for
2803 input().
2804 If the optional {text} is present, this is used for the
2805 default reply, as if the user typed this.
2806 NOTE: This must not be used in a startup file, for the
2807 versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
2808 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
2809 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
2810 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
2811 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
2812 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
2813 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
2814 |:execute| or |:normal|.
2815
2816 Example: >
2817 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
2818 : echo "Cheers!"
2819 :endif
2820< Example with default text: >
2821 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
2822< Example with a mapping: >
2823 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
2824 :function GetFoo()
2825 : call inputsave()
2826 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
2827 : call inputrestore()
2828 :endfunction
2829
2830inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
2831 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
2832 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
2833 Example: >
2834 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
2835 :if n != ""
2836 : let &sw = n
2837 :endif
2838< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
2839 omitted an empty string is returned.
2840 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
2841 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
2842
2843inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
2844 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
2845 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
2846 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
2847 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
2848
2849inputsave() *inputsave()*
2850 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
2851 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
2852 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
2853 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
2854 many inputrestore() calls.
2855 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
2856
2857inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
2858 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
2859 two exceptions:
2860 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
2861 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
2862 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
2863 |history| stack.
2864 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
2865 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
2866
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002867insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
2868 Insert {item} at the start of List {list}.
2869 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
2870 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
2871 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
2872 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
2873 Returns the resulting List. Examples: >
2874 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
2875 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
2876 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002877< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002878 Note that when {item} is a List it is inserted as a single
2879 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
2880
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002881isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
2882 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
2883 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
2884 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
2885 is any expression, which is used as a String.
2886
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00002887islocked({expr}) *islocked()*
2888 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
2889 name of a locked variable.
2890 {expr} must be the name of a variable, List item or Dictionary
2891 entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
2892 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
2893 :lockvar 1 alist
2894 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
2895 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
2896
2897< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
2898 message. Use |exists()| to check for existance.
2899
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002900items({dict}) *items()*
2901 Return a List with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
2902 List item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict} entry
2903 and the value of this entry. The List is in arbitrary order.
2904
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002905
2906join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
2907 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
2908 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
2909 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
2910 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
2911 add it there too: >
2912 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
2913< String items are used as-is. Lists and Dictionaries are
2914 converted into a string like with |string()|.
2915 The opposite function is |split()|.
2916
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002917keys({dict}) *keys()*
2918 Return a List with all the keys of {dict}. The List is in
2919 arbitrary order.
2920
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002921 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002922len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
2923 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
2924 used, as with |strlen()|.
2925 When {expr} is a List the number of items in the List is
2926 returned.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002927 When {expr} is a Dictionary the number of entries in the
2928 Dictionary is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002929 Otherwise an error is given.
2930
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002931 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
2932libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
2933 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
2934 with single argument {argument}.
2935 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
2936 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
2937 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
2938 limited.
2939 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
2940 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
2941 to Vim.
2942 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
2943 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
2944 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
2945 null-terminated string.
2946 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
2947
2948 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
2949 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
2950 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
2951 very probably crash.
2952
2953 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
2954 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
2955 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
2956 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
2957 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
2958 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
2959 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
2960 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
2961 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
2962 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
2963
2964 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
2965 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
2966 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
2967 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
2968 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
2969 the DLL is not in the usual places.
2970 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
2971 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
2972 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
2973 feature is present}
2974 Examples: >
2975 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
2976 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
2977<
2978 *libcallnr()*
2979libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
2980 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
2981 int instead of a string.
2982 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
2983 feature is present}
2984 Example (not very useful...): >
2985 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
2986 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
2987<
2988 *line()*
2989line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
2990 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
2991 . the cursor position
2992 $ the last line in the current buffer
2993 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
2994 returned)
2995 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
2996 Examples: >
2997 line(".") line number of the cursor
2998 line("'t") line number of mark t
2999 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3000< *last-position-jump*
3001 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3002 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3003 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003004
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003005line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3006 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3007 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3008 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3009 line returns 1.
3010 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3011 below the last line: >
3012 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3013< This is the file size plus one.
3014 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3015 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3016 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3017
3018lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3019 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3020 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3021 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3022 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3023 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3024 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3025
3026localtime() *localtime()*
3027 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3028 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3029
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003030
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003031map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
3032 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
3033 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3034 {string}.
3035 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
3036 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
3037 Example: >
3038 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003039< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003040
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003041 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003042 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003043 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3044 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003045
3046 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
3047 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003048 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003049
3050< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003051
3052
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003053maparg({name}[, {mode}]) *maparg()*
3054 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3055 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
3056 These characters can be used for {mode}:
3057 "n" Normal
3058 "v" Visual
3059 "o" Operator-pending
3060 "i" Insert
3061 "c" Cmd-line
3062 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3063 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
3064 When {mode} is omitted, the modes from "" are used.
3065 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3066 command. The returned String has special characters
3067 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3068 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3069 then the global mappings.
3070
3071mapcheck({name}[, {mode}]) *mapcheck()*
3072 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3073 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3074 {name}.
3075 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3076 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3077
3078 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3079 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3080 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3081 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3082 mapcheck("b") no no no
3083
3084 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3085 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3086 mapping for {name} exactly.
3087 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3088 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3089 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3090 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3091 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3092 then the global mappings.
3093 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3094 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3095 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3096 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3097 :endif
3098< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3099 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3100
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003101match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003102 When {expr} is a List then this returns the index of the first
3103 item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a String,
3104 Lists and Dictionaries are used as echoed.
3105 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3106 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3107 {pat} matches.
3108 A match at the first character or List item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003109 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3110 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003111 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
3112 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 2
3113< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003114 *strpbrk()*
3115 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3116 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3117< *strcasestr()*
3118 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3119 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3120 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3121<
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003122 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003123 is found in a String the search for the next one starts on
3124 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003125 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003126< In a List the search continues in the next item.
3127
3128 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
3129 {start} in a String or item {start} in a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003130 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003131 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003132 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3133< result is again "4". >
3134 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3135< result is again "4". >
3136 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3137< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003138 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3139 the index is counted from the end.
3140 If {start} is out of range (> strlen({expr} for a String or
3141 > len({expr} for a List) -1 is returned.
3142
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003143 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3144 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3145 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3146 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3147
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003148matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003149 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3150 the match. Example: >
3151 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3152< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003153 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3154 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3155 do it with matchend(): >
3156 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3157 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3158< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3159
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003160 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3161 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3162< results in "7". >
3163 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3164< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003165 When {expr} is a List the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003166
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003167matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
3168 Same as match(), but return a List. The first item in the
3169 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3170 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
3171 in |:substitute|.
3172 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3173
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003174matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003175 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3176 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3177< results in "ing".
3178 When there is no match "" is returned.
3179 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3180 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3181< results in "ing". >
3182 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3183< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003184 When {expr} is a List then the matching item is returned.
3185 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003186
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003187 *max()*
3188max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3189 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3190 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3191 An empty List results in zero.
3192
3193 *min()*
3194min({list}) Return the minumum value of all items in {list}.
3195 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3196 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3197 An empty List results in zero.
3198
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003199 *mkdir()* *E749*
3200mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3201 Create directory {name}.
3202 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3203 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3204 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3205 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3206 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3207 for others.
3208 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3209 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3210 :if exists("*mkdir")
3211<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003212 *mode()*
3213mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3214 n Normal
3215 v Visual by character
3216 V Visual by line
3217 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3218 s Select by character
3219 S Select by line
3220 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3221 i Insert
3222 R Replace
3223 c Command-line
3224 r Hit-enter prompt
3225 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3226 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3227
3228nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3229 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3230 that is not blank. Example: >
3231 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3232< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3233 below it, zero is returned.
3234 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3235
3236nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3237 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3238 value {expr}. Examples: >
3239 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3240 nr2char(32) returns " "
3241< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3242 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3243< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3244 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3245 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003246 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003247
3248prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3249 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3250 that is not blank. Example: >
3251 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3252< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3253 above it, zero is returned.
3254 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3255
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00003256 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003257range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
3258 Returns a List with Numbers:
3259 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
3260 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
3261 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
3262 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
3263 producing a value past {max}).
3264 Examples: >
3265 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
3266 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
3267 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
3268 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
3269<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003270 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003271readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003272 Read file {fname} and return a List, each line of the file as
3273 an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
3274 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
3275 NL appears somewhere).
3276 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
3277 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
3278 added.
3279 - No CR characters are removed.
3280 Otherwise:
3281 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
3282 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
3283 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003284 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
3285 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
3286 lines of a file: >
3287 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
3288 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
3289 :endfor
3290< When {max} is zero or negative the result is an empty list.
3291 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
3292 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
3293 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003294 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
3295 the result is an empty list.
3296 Also see |writefile()|.
3297
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003298 *remote_expr()* *E449*
3299remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
3300 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
3301 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
3302 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3303 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3304 remote_read() is stored there.
3305 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3306 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3307 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3308 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
3309 and the result will be the empty string.
3310 Examples: >
3311 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
3312 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
3313<
3314
3315remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
3316 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
3317 This works like: >
3318 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
3319< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
3320 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
3321 to bring itself to the foreground.
3322 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3323 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3324 Win32 console version}
3325
3326
3327remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
3328 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
3329 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
3330 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
3331 name of a variable.
3332 Returns zero if none are available.
3333 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
3334 See also |clientserver|.
3335 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3336 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3337 Examples: >
3338 :let repl = ""
3339 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
3340
3341remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
3342 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
3343 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
3344 See also |clientserver|.
3345 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3346 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3347 Example: >
3348 :echo remote_read(id)
3349<
3350 *remote_send()* *E241*
3351remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003352 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
3353 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
3354 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003355 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3356 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3357 remote_read() is stored there.
3358 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3359 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3360 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3361 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
3362 up the display.
3363 Examples: >
3364 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
3365 \ remote_read(serverid)
3366
3367 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
3368 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
3369 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
3370 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003371<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003372remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
3373 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from List {list} and
3374 return it.
3375 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
3376 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
3377 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
3378 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
3379 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003380 Example: >
3381 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003382 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003383remove({dict}, {key})
3384 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
3385 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
3386< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
3387
3388 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003389
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003390rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
3391 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
3392 should also work to move files across file systems. The
3393 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
3394 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
3395 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3396
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003397repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
3398 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
3399 result. Example: >
3400 :let seperator = repeat('-', 80)
3401< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003402 When {expr} is a List the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003403 {count} times. Example: >
3404 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
3405< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003406
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003407
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003408resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
3409 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
3410 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
3411 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
3412 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
3413 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
3414 stopped after 100 iterations.
3415 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
3416 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
3417 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
3418 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
3419 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
3420
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003421 *reverse()*
3422reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
3423 {list}.
3424 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3425 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
3426
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003427search({pattern} [, {flags}]) *search()*
3428 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003429 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003430 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
3431 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003432 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003433 'w' wrap around the end of the file
3434 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
3435 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
3436
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003437 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
3438 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
3439 flag is used).
3440 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
3441 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003442
3443 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
3444 :let n = 1
3445 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
3446 : exe "argument " . n
3447 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
3448 : " first search to find match at start of file
3449 : normal G$
3450 : let flags = "w"
3451 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
3452 : s/foo/bar/g
3453 : let flags = "W"
3454 : endwhile
3455 : update " write the file if modified
3456 : let n = n + 1
3457 :endwhile
3458<
3459 *searchpair()*
3460searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
3461 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
3462 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
3463 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
3464 The search starts at the cursor. If a match is found, the
3465 cursor is positioned at it and the line number is returned.
3466 If no match is found 0 or -1 is returned and the cursor
3467 doesn't move. No error message is given.
3468
3469 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
3470 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
3471 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
3472 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
3473 typical use is: >
3474 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
3475< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
3476
3477 {flags} are used like with |search()|. Additionally:
3478 'n' do Not move the cursor
3479 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
3480 outer pair
3481 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
3482 the match; will only be > 1 when 'r' is used.
3483
3484 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
3485 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
3486 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
3487 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
3488 or a string.
3489 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
3490 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
3491 and -1 returned.
3492
3493 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
3494 patterns are used like it's on.
3495
3496 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
3497 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
3498 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
3499 if 1
3500 if 2
3501 endif 2
3502 endif 1
3503< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
3504 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
3505 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
3506 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
3507 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
3508 "endif 2".
3509 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
3510 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
3511 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
3512 the matching start.
3513
3514 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
3515
3516 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
3517 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
3518
3519< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
3520 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
3521 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
3522 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
3523 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
3524 match.
3525 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
3526
3527 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
3528
3529< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
3530 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
3531 highlighting recognized as strings: >
3532
3533 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
3534 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
3535<
3536server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
3537 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
3538 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
3539 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3540 Note:
3541 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
3542 received. Ie. before returning from the received command and
3543 before calling any commands that waits for input.
3544 See also |clientserver|.
3545 Example: >
3546 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
3547<
3548serverlist() *serverlist()*
3549 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
3550 When there are no servers or the information is not available
3551 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
3552 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3553 Example: >
3554 :echo serverlist()
3555<
3556setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
3557 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
3558 {val}.
3559 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
3560 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
3561 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
3562 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3563 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
3564 Examples: >
3565 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
3566 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
3567< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3568
3569setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
3570 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
3571 {pos}. The first position is 1.
3572 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
3573 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003574 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
3575 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
3576 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
3577 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
3578 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003579 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
3580 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
3581 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
3582 line.
3583
3584setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
3585 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}. If this
3586 succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely because
3587 {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
3588 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
3589< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
3590
3591 *setreg()*
3592setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
3593 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
3594 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
3595 then the value is appended.
3596 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
3597 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
3598 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
3599 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
3600 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
3601 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
3602 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
3603 in the longest line (counting a <TAB> as 1 character).
3604
3605 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
3606 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
3607 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
3608 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3609
3610 Examples: >
3611 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
3612 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
3613 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
3614
3615< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
3616 register. >
3617 :let var_a = getreg('a')
3618 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
3619 ....
3620 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
3621
3622< You can also change the type of a register by appending
3623 nothing: >
3624 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
3625
3626setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
3627 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {nr} to
3628 {val}.
3629 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
3630 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
3631 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
3632 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
3633 Examples: >
3634 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
3635 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
3636< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3637
3638simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
3639 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
3640 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
3641 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
3642 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
3643 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
3644 not removed either.
3645 Example: >
3646 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
3647< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
3648 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
3649 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
3650 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
3651 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
3652
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003653
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003654sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003655 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
3656 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3657 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
3658< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003659 Numbers sort after Strings, Lists after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003660 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
3661 When {func} is a Funcref or a function name, this function is
3662 called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
3663 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
3664 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
3665 sorts before the second one. Example: >
3666 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
3667 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
3668 endfunc
3669 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
3670
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003671split({expr} [, {pattern}]) *split()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003672 Make a List out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted each
3673 white-separated sequence of characters becomes an item.
3674 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
3675 removing the matched characters. Empty strings are omitted.
3676 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003677 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003678< Since empty strings are not added the "\+" isn't required but
3679 it makes the function work a bit faster.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003680 The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003681
3682
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003683strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
3684 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
3685 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
3686 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
3687 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
3688 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
3689 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
3690 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
3691 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
3692 Examples: >
3693 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
3694 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
3695 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
3696 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
3697 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
3698 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003699< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3700 :if exists("*strftime")
3701
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003702stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
3703 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
3704 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003705 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
3706 This can be used to find a second match: >
3707 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
3708 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
3709< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003710 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003711 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003712 See also |strridx()|.
3713 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003714 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
3715 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
3716 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003717< *strstr()* *strchr()*
3718 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
3719 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
3720
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003721 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003722string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
3723 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
3724 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003725 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003726 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003727 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003728 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003729 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003730 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003731
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003732 *strlen()*
3733strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
3734 {expr} in bytes. If you want to count the number of
3735 multi-byte characters use something like this: >
3736
3737 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
3738
3739< Composing characters are not counted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003740 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
3741 For other types an error is given.
3742 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003743
3744strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
3745 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
3746 byte {start}, with the length {len}.
3747 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
3748 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
3749 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
3750 end of the {src}. >
3751 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
3752 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
3753 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
3754 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
3755< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
3756 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
3757 strpart(getline(line(".")), col(".") - 1, 3)
3758<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003759strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
3760 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
3761 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
3762 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
3763 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
3764 match: >
3765 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
3766 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
3767< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003768 For pattern searches use |match()|.
3769 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003770 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003771 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
3772 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003773< *strrchr()*
3774 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
3775 function strrchr().
3776
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003777strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
3778 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
3779 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
3780 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
3781 echo strtrans(@a)
3782< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
3783 starting a new line.
3784
3785submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
3786 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
3787 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
3788 the whole matched text is returned.
3789 Example: >
3790 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
3791< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
3792 A line break is included as a newline character.
3793
3794substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
3795 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
3796 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
3797 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
3798 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
3799 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
3800 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
3801 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
3802 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
3803 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
3804 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
3805 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
3806 unmodified.
3807 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
3808 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
3809 Example: >
3810 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
3811< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
3812 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
3813< results in "TESTING".
3814
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00003815synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003816 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00003817 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003818 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
3819 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00003820 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003821 line.
3822 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
3823 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
3824 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
3825 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
3826 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
3827 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
3828 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
3829
3830 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
3831 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
3832<
3833synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
3834 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
3835 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
3836 about a syntax item.
3837 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
3838 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
3839 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
3840 used (GUI, cterm or term).
3841 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
3842 {what} result
3843 "name" the name of the syntax item
3844 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
3845 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
3846 term: empty string)
3847 "bg" background color (like "fg")
3848 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
3849 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
3850 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
3851 "bold" "1" if bold
3852 "italic" "1" if italic
3853 "reverse" "1" if reverse
3854 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
3855 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003856 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003857
3858 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
3859 cursor): >
3860 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
3861<
3862synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
3863 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
3864 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
3865 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
3866 ":highlight link" are followed.
3867
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00003868system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
3869 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
3870 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
3871 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
3872 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003873 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00003874 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
3875 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
3876 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003877 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
3878 The result is a String. Example: >
3879
3880 :let files = system("ls")
3881
3882< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
3883 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
3884 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
3885 The command executed is constructed using several options:
3886 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
3887 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
3888 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
3889 concatenated commands.
3890
3891 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
3892 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3893 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
3894 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
3895
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003896
3897taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
3898 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
3899 Each list item is a dictionary with the following entries:
3900 name name of the tag.
3901 filename name of the file where the tag is
3902 defined.
3903 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
3904 the file.
3905 kind type of the tag. The value for this
3906 entry depends on the language specific
3907 kind values generated by the ctags
3908 tool.
3909 static a file specific tag. Refer to
3910 |static-tag| for more information.
3911 More entries may be present, depending on the content of the
3912 tags file: access, implementation, inherits and signature.
3913 Refer to the ctags documentation for information about these
3914 fields. For C code the fields "struct", "class" and "enum"
3915 may appear, they give the name of the entity the tag is
3916 contained in.
3917
3918 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
3919
3920 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
3921 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
3922 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
3923
3924 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
3925 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
3926 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
3927
3928
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003929tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
3930 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
3931 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
3932 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
3933 :let tmpfile = tempname()
3934 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
3935< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
3936 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
3937 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
3938 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
3939 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
3940 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
3941
3942tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
3943 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
3944 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
3945 the string).
3946
3947toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
3948 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
3949 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
3950 the string).
3951
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00003952tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
3953 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
3954 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
3955 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
3956 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
3957 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
3958 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
3959
3960 Examples: >
3961 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
3962< returns "Hello THere" >
3963 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
3964< returns "{blob}"
3965
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003966 *type()*
3967type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00003968 Number: 0
3969 String: 1
3970 Funcref: 2
3971 List: 3
3972 Dictionary: 4
3973 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003974 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
3975 :if type(myvar) == type("")
3976 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
3977 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00003978 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003979
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003980values({dict}) *values()*
3981 Return a List with all the values of {dict}. The List is in
3982 arbitrary order.
3983
3984
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003985virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
3986 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
3987 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
3988 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
3989 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
3990 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
3991 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
3992 set to 8, it returns 8.
3993 For the byte position use |col()|.
3994 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
3995 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
3996 The accepted positions are:
3997 . the cursor position
3998 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
3999 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
4000 plus one)
4001 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
4002 returned)
4003 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
4004 Examples: >
4005 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
4006 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
4007 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
4008< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
4009
4010visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
4011 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
4012 used. Initially it returns an empty string, but once Visual
4013 mode has been used, it returns "v", "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a
4014 single CTRL-V character) for character-wise, line-wise, or
4015 block-wise Visual mode respectively.
4016 Example: >
4017 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
4018< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
4019 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
4020 Visual mode that was used.
4021
4022 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
4023 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
4024 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
4025 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
4026
4027 *winbufnr()*
4028winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
4029 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
4030 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
4031 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4032 Example: >
4033 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
4034<
4035 *wincol()*
4036wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
4037 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
4038 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
4039
4040winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
4041 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
4042 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
4043 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4044 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
4045 Examples: >
4046 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
4047<
4048 *winline()*
4049winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
4050 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
4051 the window. The first line is one.
4052
4053 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004054winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4055 window. The top window has number 1.
4056 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
4057 last window is returnd (the window count).
4058 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
4059 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
4060 If there is no previous window 0 is returned.
4061 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
4062 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004063
4064 *winrestcmd()*
4065winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
4066 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
4067 are opened or closed and the current window is unchanged.
4068 Example: >
4069 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
4070 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
4071 :exe cmd
4072
4073winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
4074 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
4075 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
4076 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4077 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
4078 Examples: >
4079 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
4080 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
4081 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
4082 :endif
4083<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004084 *writefile()*
4085writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
4086 Write List {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
4087 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
4088 Number.
4089 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
4090 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
4091 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
4092 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
4093 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
4094 to writefile().
4095 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
4096 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
4097 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
4098 fails.
4099 Also see |readfile()|.
4100 To copy a file byte for byte: >
4101 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
4102 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
4103<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004104
4105 *feature-list*
4106There are three types of features:
41071. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
4108 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
4109 :if has("cindent")
41102. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
4111 Example: >
4112 :if has("gui_running")
4113< *has-patch*
41143. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
4115 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
4116 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
4117 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
4118
4119all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
4120amiga Amiga version of Vim.
4121arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
4122arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
4123autocmd Compiled with autocommands support.
4124balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
4125beos BeOS version of Vim.
4126browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
4127 work.
4128builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
4129byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
4130cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
4131clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
4132clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
4133cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
4134cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
4135cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
4136comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
4137cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
4138cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
4139compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
4140debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
4141dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
4142dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
4143diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
4144digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
4145dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
4146dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
4147dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
4148ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
4149emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
4150eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
4151 true, of course!
4152ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
4153extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
4154 |'hlsearch'|
4155farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
4156file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004157filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
4158 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004159find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
4160 |+find_in_path|.
4161fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
4162 Windows this is not present).
4163folding Compiled with |folding| support.
4164footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
4165fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
4166gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
4167gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
4168gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00004169gui_beos Compiled with BeOS GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004170gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
4171gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00004172gui_kde Compiled with KDE GUI |KVim|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004173gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
4174gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
4175gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
4176gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
4177gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
4178gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
4179hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
4180iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
4181insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
4182 Insert mode.
4183jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
4184keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
4185langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
4186libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
4187linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
4188 support.
4189lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
4190listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
4191 and the argument list |arglist|.
4192localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
4193mac Macintosh version of Vim.
4194macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
4195menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
4196mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
4197modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
4198mouse Compiled with support mouse.
4199mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
4200mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
4201mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
4202mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
4203mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
4204mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
4205multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
4206multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
4207multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00004208mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004209netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00004210netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004211ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
4212os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
4213osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
4214path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
4215perl Compiled with Perl interface.
4216postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
4217printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004218profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004219python Compiled with Python interface.
4220qnx QNX version of Vim.
4221quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
4222rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
4223ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
4224scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
4225showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
4226signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
4227smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00004228sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004229statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
4230 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
4231sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
4232syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support.
4233syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
4234 current buffer.
4235system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
4236tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
4237 |tag-binary-search|.
4238tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
4239 |tag-old-static|.
4240tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
4241 files |tag-any-white|.
4242tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
4243terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
4244termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
4245textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
4246tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
4247 or terminfo file.
4248title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
4249toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
4250unix Unix version of Vim.
4251user_commands User-defined commands.
4252viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
4253vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
4254vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
4255virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
4256visual Compiled with Visual mode.
4257visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
4258 |blockwise-operators|.
4259vms VMS version of Vim.
4260vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
4261wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
4262wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
4263windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
4264winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
4265win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
4266win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
4267win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
4268win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
4269win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
4270writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
4271xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
4272xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
4273xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
4274xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
4275xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
4276xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
4277 xterm screen.
4278x11 Compiled with X11 support.
4279
4280 *string-match*
4281Matching a pattern in a String
4282
4283A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
4284the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
4285everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
4286like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
4287line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
4288with ".". Example: >
4289 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
4290 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
4291 aa
4292 xx
4293 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
4294 a
4295 x
4296
4297Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
4298"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
4299"\n".
4300
4301==============================================================================
43025. Defining functions *user-functions*
4303
4304New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
4305functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
4306commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
4307
4308The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
4309builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
4310avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
4311the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
4312
4313It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|.
4314
4315 *local-function*
4316A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
4317can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
4318and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
4319function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
4320instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
4321
4322 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
4323:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
4324
4325:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004326 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4327 Funcref: >
4328 :function dict.init
4329< *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004330:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004331 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
4332 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
4333 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004334
4335 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4336 Funcref: >
4337 :function dict.init(arg)
4338< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
4339 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
4340 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
4341 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
4342 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
4343 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004344 *E127* *E122*
4345 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
4346 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
4347 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
4348 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004349
4350 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
4351
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004352 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
4353 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
4354 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
4355 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
4356 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
4357 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
4358 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004359
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004360 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
4361 abort as soon as an error is detected.
4362 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
4363 will not be changed by the function.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004364
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004365 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
4366 be invoked through an entry in a Dictionary. The
4367 local variable "self" will then be set to the
4368 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004369
4370 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
4371:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
4372 by its own, without other commands.
4373
4374 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
4375:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004376 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4377 Funcref: >
4378 :delfunc dict.init
4379< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
4380 function is deleted if there are no more references to
4381 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004382 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
4383:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
4384 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
4385 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
4386 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
4387 the number 0 is returned.
4388 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
4389 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
4390
4391 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
4392 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
4393 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
4394 are executed first. This process applies to all
4395 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
4396 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
4397
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004398 *function-argument* *a:var*
4399An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
4400be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
4401 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740*
4402Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
4403arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
4404may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
4405as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004406can be 0). "a:000" is set to a List that contains these arguments. Note that
4407"a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
4408 *E742*
4409The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
4410However, if a List or Dictionary is used, you can changes their contents.
4411Thus you can pass a List to a function and have the function add an item to
4412it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a List or Dictionary
4413use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004414
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004415When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
4416to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
4417may be larger.
4418
4419It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
4420still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
4421until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
4422inside a function body.
4423
4424 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004425Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
4426will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
4427accessed with "g:".
4428
4429Example: >
4430 :function Table(title, ...)
4431 : echohl Title
4432 : echo a:title
4433 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004434 : echo a:0 . " items:"
4435 : for s in a:000
4436 : echon ' ' . s
4437 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004438 :endfunction
4439
4440This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004441 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
4442 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004443
4444To return more than one value, pass the name of a global variable: >
4445 :function Compute(n1, n2, divname)
4446 : if a:n2 == 0
4447 : return "fail"
4448 : endif
4449 : let g:{a:divname} = a:n1 / a:n2
4450 : return "ok"
4451 :endfunction
4452
4453This function can then be called with: >
4454 :let success = Compute(13, 1324, "div")
4455 :if success == "ok"
4456 : echo div
4457 :endif
4458
4459An alternative is to return a command that can be executed. This also works
4460with local variables in a calling function. Example: >
4461 :function Foo()
4462 : execute Bar()
4463 : echo "line " . lnum . " column " . col
4464 :endfunction
4465
4466 :function Bar()
4467 : return "let lnum = " . line(".") . " | let col = " . col(".")
4468 :endfunction
4469
4470The names "lnum" and "col" could also be passed as argument to Bar(), to allow
4471the caller to set the names.
4472
4473 *:cal* *:call* *E107*
4474:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
4475 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
4476 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
4477 used.
4478 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
4479 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
4480 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
4481 function.
4482 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
4483 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
4484 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
4485 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
4486 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
4487 this works:
4488 *function-range-example* >
4489 :function Mynumber(arg)
4490 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
4491 :endfunction
4492 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
4493<
4494 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
4495 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
4496 the range.
4497
4498 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
4499
4500 :function Cont() range
4501 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
4502 :endfunction
4503 :4,8call Cont()
4504<
4505 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
4506 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
4507
4508 *E132*
4509The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
4510option.
4511
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004512
4513AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004514 *autoload-functions*
4515When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004516only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
4517the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
4518
4519
4520Using an autocommand ~
4521
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004522This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
4523
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004524The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
4525You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
4526That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
4527again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
4528
4529Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
4530function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004531
4532 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
4533
4534The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
4535"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
4536
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004537
4538Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004539 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004540This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
4541
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004542Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
4543exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
4544like this: >
4545
4546 :call filename:funcname()
4547
4548When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
4549"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
4550"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
4551then define the function like this: >
4552
4553 function filename:funcname()
4554 echo "Done!"
4555 endfunction
4556
4557The file name and the name used before the colon in the function must match
4558exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
4559called.
4560
4561It is possible to use subdirectories. Every colon in the function name works
4562like a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
4563
4564 :call foo:bar:func()
4565
4566Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
4567
4568The name before the first colon must be at least two characters long,
4569otherwise it looks like a scope, such as "s:".
4570
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004571This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
4572
4573 :let l = foo:bar:lvar
4574
4575When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
4576be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
4577
4578 :let foo:bar:toggle = 1
4579 :call foo:bar:func()
4580
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00004581Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
4582defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
4583function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004584And you will get an error message every time.
4585
4586Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
4587other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
4588Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004589
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004590==============================================================================
45916. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
4592
4593Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
4594This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
4595{} like this: >
4596 my_{adjective}_variable
4597
4598When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
4599that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
4600name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
4601"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
4602"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
4603
4604One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
4605value. For example, the statement >
4606 echo my_{&background}_message
4607
4608would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
4609on the current value of 'background'.
4610
4611You can use multiple brace pairs: >
4612 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
4613..or even nest them: >
4614 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
4615where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
4616
4617However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
4618variable name. e.g. this is invalid: >
4619 :let foo='a + b'
4620 :echo c{foo}d
4621.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
4622
4623 *curly-braces-function-names*
4624You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
4625Example: >
4626 :let func_end='whizz'
4627 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
4628
4629This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
4630
4631==============================================================================
46327. Commands *expression-commands*
4633
4634:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
4635 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
4636 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
4637 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
4638 is created.
4639
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004640:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
4641 Set a list item to the result of the expression
4642 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
4643 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
4644 the index can be repeated.
4645 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
4646
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004647 *E711* *E719*
4648:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004649 Set a sequence of items in a List to the result of the
4650 expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
4651 correct number of items.
4652 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
4653 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
4654 When the selected range of items is partly past the
4655 end of the list, items will be added.
4656
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004657 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004658:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
4659:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
4660:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
4661 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
4662 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
4663
4664
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004665:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
4666 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
4667 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004668:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
4669 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
4670 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
4671 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004672
4673:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
4674 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
4675 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
4676 must be the name of a writable register (see
4677 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
4678 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
4679 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
4680 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
4681 characterwise.
4682 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
4683 :let @/ = ""
4684< This is different from searching for an empty string,
4685 that would match everywhere.
4686
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004687:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
4688 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
4689 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
4690
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004691:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-star*
4692 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004693 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
4694 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004695 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
4696 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
4697 value and the global value is changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004698 Example: >
4699 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004700
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004701:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
4702 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
4703 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
4704
4705:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
4706:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
4707 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
4708 {expr1}.
4709
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004710:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004711:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
4712:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
4713:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004714 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
4715 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
4716
4717:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004718:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
4719:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
4720:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004721 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
4722 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
4723
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004724:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004725 {expr1} must evaluate to a List. The first item in
4726 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
4727 {name2}, etc.
4728 The number of names must match the number of items in
4729 the List.
4730 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
4731 command as mentioned above.
4732 Example: >
4733 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004734< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
4735 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
4736 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
4737 :let x = [0, 1]
4738 :let i = 0
4739 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
4740 :echo x
4741< The result is [0, 2].
4742
4743:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
4744:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
4745:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
4746 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
4747 List item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004748
4749:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004750 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the List may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004751 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
4752 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
4753 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004754 Example: >
4755 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
4756<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004757:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
4758:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
4759:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
4760 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
4761 List item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004762 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004763:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00004764 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
4765 here: *E738*
4766 g: global variables.
4767 b: local buffer variables.
4768 w: local window variables.
4769 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004770
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004771:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
4772 variable is indicated before the value:
4773 <nothing> String
4774 # Number
4775 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004776
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004777
4778:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108*
4779 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
4780 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
4781 may also be a List or Dictionary item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004782 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
4783 variables.
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00004784 One or more items from a List can be removed: >
4785 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
4786 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
4787< One item from a Dictionary can be removed at a time: >
4788 :unlet dict['two']
4789 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004790
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004791:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
4792 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
4793 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
4794 A locked variable can be deleted: >
4795 :lockvar v
4796 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
4797 :unlet v
4798< *E741*
4799 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
4800 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
4801
4802 [depth] is relevant when locking a List or Dictionary.
4803 It specifies how deep the locking goes:
4804 1 Lock the List or Dictionary itself,
4805 cannot add or remove items, but can
4806 still change their values.
4807 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
4808 the items. If an item is a List or
4809 Dictionary, cannot add or remove
4810 items, but can still change the
4811 values.
4812 3 Like 2 but for the List/Dictionary in
4813 the List/Dictionary, one level deeper.
4814 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a List
4815 or Dictionary the values cannot be changed.
4816 *E743*
4817 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
4818 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
4819 loops.
4820
4821 Note that when two variables refer to the same List
4822 and you lock one of them, the List will also be locked
4823 when used through the other variable. Example: >
4824 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
4825 :let cl = l
4826 :lockvar l
4827 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
4828< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
4829 See |deepcopy()|.
4830
4831
4832:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
4833 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
4834 opposite of |:lockvar|.
4835
4836
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004837:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
4838:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
4839 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
4840
4841 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
4842 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
4843 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
4844 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
4845 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
4846 part was not executed either.
4847
4848 You can use this to remain compatible with older
4849 versions: >
4850 :if version >= 500
4851 : version-5-specific-commands
4852 :endif
4853< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
4854 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
4855 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
4856 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
4857 avoid problems: >
4858 :if version >= 600
4859 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
4860 :endif
4861<
4862 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
4863 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
4864
4865 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
4866:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
4867 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
4868 executed.
4869
4870 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
4871:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
4872 is no extra ":endif".
4873
4874:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004875 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004876:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
4877 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
4878 When an error is detected from a command inside the
4879 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004880 Example: >
4881 :let lnum = 1
4882 :while lnum <= line("$")
4883 :call FixLine(lnum)
4884 :let lnum = lnum + 1
4885 :endwhile
4886<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004887 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004888 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004889
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004890:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004891:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
4892 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004893 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004894 value of each item.
4895 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004896 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004897 Changing {list} affects what items are used. Make a
4898 copy if this is unwanted: >
4899 :for item in copy(mylist)
4900< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
4901 next item in the list, before executing the commands
4902 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
4903 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
4904 it will not be found. Thus the following example
4905 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
4906 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004907 :call remove(mylist, 0)
4908 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004909< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
4910 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
4911 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004912 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
4913 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
4914 to allow multiple item types.
4915
4916:for {var} in {string}
4917:endfo[r] Like ":for" above, but use each character in {string}
4918 as a list item.
4919 Composing characters are used as separate characters.
4920 A Number is first converted to a String.
4921
4922:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
4923:endfo[r]
4924 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
4925 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
4926 {var2}, etc. Example: >
4927 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
4928 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
4929 :endfor
4930<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004931 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004932:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
4933 to the start of the loop.
4934 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
4935 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
4936 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
4937 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
4938 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
4939 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004940
4941 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004942:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
4943 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
4944 ":endfor".
4945 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
4946 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
4947 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
4948 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
4949 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
4950 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004951
4952:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
4953:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
4954 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
4955 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
4956 or autocommand invocations.
4957
4958 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
4959 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
4960 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
4961 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
4962 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
4963 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
4964 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
4965 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
4966 Example: >
4967 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
4968 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
4969<
4970 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
4971 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
4972 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
4973 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
4974 processing is not terminated.
4975
4976 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
4977 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
4978 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
4979 other errors are converted to a value of the form
4980 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
4981 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
4982 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
4983 the error number.
4984 Examples: >
4985 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
4986 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
4987<
4988 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
4989:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
4990 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
4991 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
4992 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
4993 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
4994 commands are skipped.
4995 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
4996 Examples: >
4997 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
4998 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
4999 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
5000 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
5001 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
5002 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
5003 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
5004 :catch " same as /.*/
5005<
5006 Another character can be used instead of / around the
5007 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
5008 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
5009 {pattern}.
5010 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
5011 an error message because it may vary in different
5012 locales.
5013
5014 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
5015:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
5016 are executed whenever the part between the matching
5017 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
5018 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
5019 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
5020 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
5021
5022 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
5023:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
5024 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
5025 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
5026 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
5027 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
5028 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
5029 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
5030 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
5031 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
5032 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
5033 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
5034 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
5035 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
5036 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
5037 is terminated.
5038 Example: >
5039 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
5040<
5041
5042 *:ec* *:echo*
5043:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
5044 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
5045 Also see |:comment|.
5046 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
5047 cursor to the first column.
5048 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5049 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5050 Example: >
5051 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
5052< A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
5053 To avoid that a command from before the ":echo" causes
5054 a redraw afterwards (redraws are often postponed until
5055 you type something), force a redraw with the |:redraw|
5056 command. Example: >
5057 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
5058<
5059 *:echon*
5060:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
5061 |:comment|.
5062 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5063 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5064 Example: >
5065 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
5066<
5067 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
5068 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
5069 command: >
5070 :!echo % --> filename
5071< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
5072 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
5073< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
5074 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
5075 :echo % --> nothing
5076< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
5077 :echo "%" --> %
5078< This just echoes the '%' character. >
5079 :echo expand("%") --> filename
5080< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
5081
5082 *:echoh* *:echohl*
5083:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
5084 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
5085 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
5086 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
5087< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
5088 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
5089
5090 *:echom* *:echomsg*
5091:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
5092 message in the |message-history|.
5093 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5094 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
5095 displayed, not interpreted.
5096 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5097 Example: >
5098 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
5099<
5100 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
5101:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
5102 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
5103 script or function the line number will be added.
5104 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5105 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
5106 the message is raised as an error exception instead
5107 (see |try-echoerr|).
5108 Example: >
5109 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
5110< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
5111 And to get a beep: >
5112 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
5113<
5114 *:exe* *:execute*
5115:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
5116 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
5117 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
5118 used as the processed command, command line editing
5119 keys are not recognized.
5120 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5121 Examples: >
5122 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
5123 :execute "normal " count . "w"
5124<
5125 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
5126 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
5127 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
5128
5129< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
5130 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
5131 command: >
5132 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
5133< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
5134
5135 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005136 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
5137 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005138 :execute 'while i > 5'
5139 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
5140<
5141 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
5142 completely in the executed string: >
5143 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
5144<
5145
5146 *:comment*
5147 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
5148 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
5149 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
5150 comment. Example: >
5151 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
5152
5153==============================================================================
51548. Exception handling *exception-handling*
5155
5156The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
5157explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
5158
5159Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
5160|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
5161exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
5162
5163
5164TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
5165
5166Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
5167use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
5168a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
5169 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
5170|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
5171a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
5172be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
5173which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
5174clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
5175
5176 :try
5177 : ...
5178 : ... TRY BLOCK
5179 : ...
5180 :catch /{pattern}/
5181 : ...
5182 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5183 : ...
5184 :catch /{pattern}/
5185 : ...
5186 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5187 : ...
5188 :finally
5189 : ...
5190 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
5191 : ...
5192 :endtry
5193
5194The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
5195appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
5196from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
5197 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
5198is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
5199script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
5200 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
5201lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
5202patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
5203after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
5204executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
5205":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
5206(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
5207continues in the following line as usual.
5208 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
5209":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
5210that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
5211finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
5212the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
5213the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
5214see |try-nesting|.
5215 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
5216remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
5217not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
5218try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
5219a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
5220execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
5221exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5222 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
5223thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
5224clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
5225catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
5226following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
5227clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5228
5229The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
5230a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
5231try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
5232from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
5233sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
5234":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
5235":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
5236from the finally clause.
5237 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
5238try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
5239clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
5240":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
5241clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
5242":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
5243this pending exception or command is discarded.
5244
5245For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
5246
5247
5248NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
5249
5250Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
5251conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
5252clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
5253catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
5254of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
5255checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
5256try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
5257otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
5258nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
5259one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
5260the inner try conditional.
5261
5262When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
5263finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
5264An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
5265thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
5266implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
5267as usual.
5268
5269For examples see |throw-catch|.
5270
5271
5272EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
5273
5274Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
5275'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
5276script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
5277finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
5278a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
5279(see |debug-scripts|).
5280
5281
5282THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
5283
5284You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
5285and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
5286 :throw 4711
5287 :throw "string"
5288< *throw-expression*
5289You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
5290first, and the result is thrown: >
5291 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
5292 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
5293
5294An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
5295command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
5296The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
5297 Example: >
5298
5299 :function! Foo(arg)
5300 : try
5301 : throw a:arg
5302 : catch /foo/
5303 : endtry
5304 : return 1
5305 :endfunction
5306 :
5307 :function! Bar()
5308 : echo "in Bar"
5309 : return 4710
5310 :endfunction
5311 :
5312 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
5313
5314This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
5315executed. >
5316 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
5317however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
5318
5319Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
5320abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
5321exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
5322 Example: >
5323
5324 :if Foo("arrgh")
5325 : echo "then"
5326 :else
5327 : echo "else"
5328 :endif
5329
5330Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
5331
5332 *catch-order*
5333Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
5334commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
5335command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
5336gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
5337 Example: >
5338
5339 :function! Foo(value)
5340 : try
5341 : throw a:value
5342 : catch /^\d\+$/
5343 : echo "Number thrown"
5344 : catch /.*/
5345 : echo "String thrown"
5346 : endtry
5347 :endfunction
5348 :
5349 :call Foo(0x1267)
5350 :call Foo('string')
5351
5352The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
5353An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
5354specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
5355specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
5356
5357 : catch /.*/
5358 : echo "String thrown"
5359 : catch /^\d\+$/
5360 : echo "Number thrown"
5361
5362The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
5363never taken.
5364
5365 *throw-variables*
5366If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
5367in the variable |v:exception|: >
5368
5369 : catch /^\d\+$/
5370 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
5371
5372You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
5373|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
5374exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
5375 Example: >
5376
5377 :function! Caught()
5378 : if v:exception != ""
5379 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
5380 : else
5381 : echo 'Nothing caught'
5382 : endif
5383 :endfunction
5384 :
5385 :function! Foo()
5386 : try
5387 : try
5388 : try
5389 : throw 4711
5390 : finally
5391 : call Caught()
5392 : endtry
5393 : catch /.*/
5394 : call Caught()
5395 : throw "oops"
5396 : endtry
5397 : catch /.*/
5398 : call Caught()
5399 : finally
5400 : call Caught()
5401 : endtry
5402 :endfunction
5403 :
5404 :call Foo()
5405
5406This displays >
5407
5408 Nothing caught
5409 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
5410 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
5411 Nothing caught
5412
5413A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
5414number in the script or function where it has been used: >
5415
5416 :function! LineNumber()
5417 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
5418 :endfunction
5419 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
5420<
5421 *try-nested*
5422An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
5423a surrounding try conditional: >
5424
5425 :try
5426 : try
5427 : throw "foo"
5428 : catch /foobar/
5429 : echo "foobar"
5430 : finally
5431 : echo "inner finally"
5432 : endtry
5433 :catch /foo/
5434 : echo "foo"
5435 :endtry
5436
5437The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
5438clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
5439conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
5440
5441 *throw-from-catch*
5442You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
5443catch clause: >
5444
5445 :function! Foo()
5446 : throw "foo"
5447 :endfunction
5448 :
5449 :function! Bar()
5450 : try
5451 : call Foo()
5452 : catch /foo/
5453 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
5454 : throw "bar"
5455 : endtry
5456 :endfunction
5457 :
5458 :try
5459 : call Bar()
5460 :catch /.*/
5461 : echo "Caught" v:exception
5462 :endtry
5463
5464This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
5465
5466 *rethrow*
5467There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
5468"v:exception" instead: >
5469
5470 :function! Bar()
5471 : try
5472 : call Foo()
5473 : catch /.*/
5474 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
5475 : throw v:exception
5476 : endtry
5477 :endfunction
5478< *try-echoerr*
5479Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
5480exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
5481Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
5482denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
5483the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
5484
5485 :try
5486 : try
5487 : asdf
5488 : catch /.*/
5489 : echoerr v:exception
5490 : endtry
5491 :catch /.*/
5492 : echo v:exception
5493 :endtry
5494
5495This code displays
5496
5497 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
5498
5499
5500CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
5501
5502Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
5503user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
5504an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
5505a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
5506catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
5507a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
5508normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
5509(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
5510to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
5511clause has been executed.)
5512Example: >
5513
5514 :try
5515 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
5516 : set ts=17
5517 :
5518 : " Do the hard work here.
5519 :
5520 :finally
5521 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
5522 : unlet s:saved_ts
5523 :endtry
5524
5525This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
5526changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
5527that function or script part.
5528
5529 *break-finally*
5530Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
5531a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
5532 Example: >
5533
5534 :let first = 1
5535 :while 1
5536 : try
5537 : if first
5538 : echo "first"
5539 : let first = 0
5540 : continue
5541 : else
5542 : throw "second"
5543 : endif
5544 : catch /.*/
5545 : echo v:exception
5546 : break
5547 : finally
5548 : echo "cleanup"
5549 : endtry
5550 : echo "still in while"
5551 :endwhile
5552 :echo "end"
5553
5554This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
5555
5556 :function! Foo()
5557 : try
5558 : return 4711
5559 : finally
5560 : echo "cleanup\n"
5561 : endtry
5562 : echo "Foo still active"
5563 :endfunction
5564 :
5565 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
5566
5567This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
5568extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
5569return value.)
5570
5571 *except-from-finally*
5572Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
5573a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
5574cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
5575exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
5576 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
5577working correctly: >
5578
5579 :try
5580 : try
5581 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
5582 : while 1
5583 : endwhile
5584 : finally
5585 : unlet novar
5586 : endtry
5587 :catch /novar/
5588 :endtry
5589 :echo "Script still running"
5590 :sleep 1
5591
5592If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
5593think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
5594|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
5595
5596
5597CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
5598
5599If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
5600watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
5601presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
5602exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
5603the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
5604the error exception is.
5605 Error exceptions have the following format: >
5606
5607 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
5608or >
5609 Vim:{errmsg}
5610
5611{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
5612the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
5613when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
5614a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
5615a space.
5616
5617Examples:
5618
5619The command >
5620 :unlet novar
5621normally produces the error message >
5622 E108: No such variable: "novar"
5623which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5624 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
5625
5626The command >
5627 :dwim
5628normally produces the error message >
5629 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
5630which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5631 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
5632
5633You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
5634 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
5635or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
5636 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
5637
5638Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
5639 :function nofunc
5640and >
5641 :delfunction nofunc
5642both produce the error message >
5643 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5644which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5645 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5646or >
5647 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5648respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
5649command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
5650 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
5651
5652Some commands like >
5653 :let x = novar
5654produce multiple error messages, here: >
5655 E121: Undefined variable: novar
5656 E15: Invalid expression: novar
5657Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
5658one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
5659 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
5660
5661You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
5662 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
5663
5664You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
5665 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
5666
5667You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
5668 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
5669<
5670 *catch-text*
5671NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
5672 :catch /No such variable/
5673only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
5674a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
5675cite the message text in a comment: >
5676 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
5677
5678
5679IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
5680
5681You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
5682
5683 :try
5684 : write
5685 :catch
5686 :endtry
5687
5688But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
5689catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
5690be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
5691
5692 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
5693
5694There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
5695writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
5696then hide the error from the user.
5697 It is much better to use >
5698
5699 :try
5700 : write
5701 :catch /^Vim(write):/
5702 :endtry
5703
5704which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
5705intentionally.
5706
5707For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
5708even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
5709command: >
5710 :silent! nunmap k
5711This works also when a try conditional is active.
5712
5713
5714CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
5715
5716When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
5717the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
5718script is not terminated, then.
5719 Example: >
5720
5721 :function! TASK1()
5722 : sleep 10
5723 :endfunction
5724
5725 :function! TASK2()
5726 : sleep 20
5727 :endfunction
5728
5729 :while 1
5730 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
5731 : try
5732 : if command == ""
5733 : continue
5734 : elseif command == "END"
5735 : break
5736 : elseif command == "TASK1"
5737 : call TASK1()
5738 : elseif command == "TASK2"
5739 : call TASK2()
5740 : else
5741 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
5742 : continue
5743 : endif
5744 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
5745 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
5746 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
5747 : endtry
5748 :endwhile
5749
5750You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
5751a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
5752
5753For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
5754your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
5755command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
5756
5757
5758CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
5759
5760The commands >
5761
5762 :catch /.*/
5763 :catch //
5764 :catch
5765
5766catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
5767explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
5768a script in order to catch unexpected things.
5769 Example: >
5770
5771 :try
5772 :
5773 : " do the hard work here
5774 :
5775 :catch /MyException/
5776 :
5777 : " handle known problem
5778 :
5779 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
5780 : echo "Script interrupted"
5781 :catch /.*/
5782 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
5783 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
5784 :endtry
5785 :" end of script
5786
5787Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
5788strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
5789specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
5790 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
5791by pressing CTRL-C: >
5792
5793 :while 1
5794 : try
5795 : sleep 1
5796 : catch
5797 : endtry
5798 :endwhile
5799
5800
5801EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
5802
5803Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
5804
5805 :autocmd User x try
5806 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
5807 :autocmd User x catch
5808 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
5809 :autocmd User x endtry
5810 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
5811 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
5812 :
5813 :try
5814 : doautocmd User x
5815 :catch
5816 : echo v:exception
5817 :endtry
5818
5819This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
5820
5821 *except-autocmd-Pre*
5822For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
5823command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
5824of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
5825abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
5826 Example: >
5827
5828 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
5829 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
5830 :
5831 :try
5832 : write
5833 :catch
5834 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
5835 :endtry
5836
5837Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
5838you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
5839autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
5840script displays: >
5841
5842 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
5843<
5844 *except-autocmd-Post*
5845For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
5846command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
5847an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
5848is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
5849 Example: >
5850
5851 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
5852 :
5853 :try
5854 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5855 :catch
5856 : echo v:exception
5857 :endtry
5858
5859This just displays: >
5860
5861 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
5862
5863If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
5864fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
5865 Example: >
5866
5867 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
5868 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
5869 :
5870 :try
5871 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5872 :catch
5873 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5874 :endtry
5875<
5876You can also use ":silent!": >
5877
5878 :let x = "ok"
5879 :let v:errmsg = ""
5880 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
5881 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
5882 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
5883 :try
5884 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5885 :catch
5886 :endtry
5887 :echo x
5888
5889This displays "after fail".
5890
5891If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
5892autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
5893
5894 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
5895 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
5896 :
5897 :try
5898 : write
5899 :catch
5900 : echo v:exception
5901 :endtry
5902<
5903 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
5904For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
5905autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
5906of the command.
5907 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
5908had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
5909some way. >
5910
5911 :if !exists("cnt")
5912 : let cnt = 0
5913 :
5914 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
5915 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
5916 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
5917 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
5918 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
5919 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
5920 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
5921 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
5922 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
5923 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
5924 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
5925 :endif
5926 :
5927 :try
5928 : write
5929 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
5930 : if &modified
5931 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
5932 : else
5933 : echo "Error after writing"
5934 : endif
5935 :catch /^Vim(write):/
5936 : echo "Error on writing"
5937 :endtry
5938
5939When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
5940first >
5941 File successfully written!
5942then >
5943 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
5944then >
5945 Error after writing
5946etc.
5947
5948 *except-autocmd-ill*
5949You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
5950The following code is ill-formed: >
5951
5952 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
5953 :
5954 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
5955 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
5956 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
5957 :
5958 :write
5959
5960
5961EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
5962
5963Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
5964pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
5965similar things in Vim.
5966 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
5967class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
5968string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
5969 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
5970it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
5971for an error when writing "myfile".
5972 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
5973base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
5974parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
5975 Example: >
5976
5977 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
5978 : if a:a < 0
5979 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
5980 : endif
5981 :endfunction
5982 :
5983 :function! Add(a, b)
5984 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
5985 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
5986 : let c = a:a + a:b
5987 : if c < 0
5988 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
5989 : endif
5990 : return c
5991 :endfunction
5992 :
5993 :function! Div(a, b)
5994 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
5995 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
5996 : if (a:b == 0)
5997 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
5998 : endif
5999 : return a:a / a:b
6000 :endfunction
6001 :
6002 :function! Write(file)
6003 : try
6004 : execute "write" a:file
6005 : catch /^Vim(write):/
6006 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
6007 : endtry
6008 :endfunction
6009 :
6010 :try
6011 :
6012 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
6013 :
6014 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
6015 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6016 : echo "Range error in" function
6017 :
6018 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
6019 : echo "Math error"
6020 :
6021 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
6022 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
6023 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6024 : if file !~ '^/'
6025 : let file = dir . "/" . file
6026 : endif
6027 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
6028 :
6029 :catch /^EXCEPT/
6030 : echo "Unspecified error"
6031 :
6032 :endtry
6033
6034The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
6035a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
6036exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
6037 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
6038failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
6039
6040
6041PECULIARITIES
6042 *except-compat*
6043The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
6044exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
6045and/or a catch clause.
6046
6047In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
6048continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
6049after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
6050functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
6051or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
6052(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
6053
6054This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
6055immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
6056conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
6057be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
6058termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
6059catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
6060by specifying a finally clause.)
6061
6062When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
6063behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
6064scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
6065
6066However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
6067commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
6068conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
6069script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
6070error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
6071messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
6072|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
6073not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
6074where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
6075error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
6076scripts.
6077
6078 *except-syntax-err*
6079Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
6080the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
6081clauses, however, is executed.
6082 Example: >
6083
6084 :try
6085 : try
6086 : throw 4711
6087 : catch /\(/
6088 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
6089 : catch
6090 : echo "inner catch-all"
6091 : finally
6092 : echo "inner finally"
6093 : endtry
6094 :catch
6095 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
6096 : finally
6097 : echo "outer finally"
6098 :endtry
6099
6100This displays: >
6101 inner finally
6102 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
6103 outer finally
6104The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
6105
6106 *except-single-line*
6107The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
6108a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
6109"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
6110 Example: >
6111 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
6112raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
6113argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
6114error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
6115displayed.
6116
6117 *except-several-errors*
6118When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
6119usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
6120 Example: >
6121 echo novar
6122causes >
6123 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6124 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6125The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6126 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
6127< *except-syntax-error*
6128But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
6129the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
6130 Example: >
6131 unlet novar #
6132causes >
6133 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6134 E488: Trailing characters
6135The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6136 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
6137This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
6138not intended by the user. Example: >
6139 try
6140 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
6141 catch /.*/
6142 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
6143 endtry
6144This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
6145a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
6146
6147==============================================================================
61489. Examples *eval-examples*
6149
6150Printing in Hex ~
6151>
6152 :" The function Nr2Hex() returns the Hex string of a number.
6153 :func Nr2Hex(nr)
6154 : let n = a:nr
6155 : let r = ""
6156 : while n
6157 : let r = '0123456789ABCDEF'[n % 16] . r
6158 : let n = n / 16
6159 : endwhile
6160 : return r
6161 :endfunc
6162
6163 :" The function String2Hex() converts each character in a string to a two
6164 :" character Hex string.
6165 :func String2Hex(str)
6166 : let out = ''
6167 : let ix = 0
6168 : while ix < strlen(a:str)
6169 : let out = out . Nr2Hex(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
6170 : let ix = ix + 1
6171 : endwhile
6172 : return out
6173 :endfunc
6174
6175Example of its use: >
6176 :echo Nr2Hex(32)
6177result: "20" >
6178 :echo String2Hex("32")
6179result: "3332"
6180
6181
6182Sorting lines (by Robert Webb) ~
6183
6184Here is a Vim script to sort lines. Highlight the lines in Vim and type
6185":Sort". This doesn't call any external programs so it'll work on any
6186platform. The function Sort() actually takes the name of a comparison
6187function as its argument, like qsort() does in C. So you could supply it
6188with different comparison functions in order to sort according to date etc.
6189>
6190 :" Function for use with Sort(), to compare two strings.
6191 :func! Strcmp(str1, str2)
6192 : if (a:str1 < a:str2)
6193 : return -1
6194 : elseif (a:str1 > a:str2)
6195 : return 1
6196 : else
6197 : return 0
6198 : endif
6199 :endfunction
6200
6201 :" Sort lines. SortR() is called recursively.
6202 :func! SortR(start, end, cmp)
6203 : if (a:start >= a:end)
6204 : return
6205 : endif
6206 : let partition = a:start - 1
6207 : let middle = partition
6208 : let partStr = getline((a:start + a:end) / 2)
6209 : let i = a:start
6210 : while (i <= a:end)
6211 : let str = getline(i)
6212 : exec "let result = " . a:cmp . "(str, partStr)"
6213 : if (result <= 0)
6214 : " Need to put it before the partition. Swap lines i and partition.
6215 : let partition = partition + 1
6216 : if (result == 0)
6217 : let middle = partition
6218 : endif
6219 : if (i != partition)
6220 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6221 : call setline(i, str2)
6222 : call setline(partition, str)
6223 : endif
6224 : endif
6225 : let i = i + 1
6226 : endwhile
6227
6228 : " Now we have a pointer to the "middle" element, as far as partitioning
6229 : " goes, which could be anywhere before the partition. Make sure it is at
6230 : " the end of the partition.
6231 : if (middle != partition)
6232 : let str = getline(middle)
6233 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6234 : call setline(middle, str2)
6235 : call setline(partition, str)
6236 : endif
6237 : call SortR(a:start, partition - 1, a:cmp)
6238 : call SortR(partition + 1, a:end, a:cmp)
6239 :endfunc
6240
6241 :" To Sort a range of lines, pass the range to Sort() along with the name of a
6242 :" function that will compare two lines.
6243 :func! Sort(cmp) range
6244 : call SortR(a:firstline, a:lastline, a:cmp)
6245 :endfunc
6246
6247 :" :Sort takes a range of lines and sorts them.
6248 :command! -nargs=0 -range Sort <line1>,<line2>call Sort("Strcmp")
6249<
6250 *sscanf*
6251There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
6252line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
6253how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
6254"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
6255 :" Set up the match bit
6256 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
6257 :"get the part matching the whole expression
6258 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
6259 :"get each item out of the match
6260 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
6261 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
6262 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
6263
6264The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
6265"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
6266
6267==============================================================================
626810. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
6269
6270When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
6271evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
6272to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
6273recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
6274and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
6275only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
6276recognized.
6277
6278Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
6279missing: >
6280
6281 :if 1
6282 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
6283 :else
6284 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
6285 :endif
6286
6287==============================================================================
628811. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
6289
6290The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
6291options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
6292these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
6293these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
6294a tags file is executed.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006295The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006296
6297These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
6298 - changing the buffer text
6299 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
6300 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
6301 - executing a shell command
6302 - reading or writing a file
6303 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006304This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
6305
6306 *:san* *:sandbox*
6307:sandbox {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
6308 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
6309 'foldexpr'.
6310
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006311
6312 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: