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Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00001*insert.txt* For Vim version 7.0f. Last change: 2006 Apr 23
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7 *Insert* *Insert-mode*
8Inserting and replacing text *mode-ins-repl*
9
10Most of this file is about Insert and Replace mode. At the end are a few
11commands for inserting text in other ways.
12
13An overview of the most often used commands can be found in chapter 24 of the
14user manual |usr_24.txt|.
15
161. Special keys |ins-special-keys|
172. Special special keys |ins-special-special|
183. 'textwidth' and 'wrapmargin' options |ins-textwidth|
194. 'expandtab', 'smarttab' and 'softtabstop' options |ins-expandtab|
205. Replace mode |Replace-mode|
216. Virtual Replace mode |Virtual-Replace-mode|
227. Insert mode completion |ins-completion|
238. Insert mode commands |inserting|
249. Ex insert commands |inserting-ex|
2510. Inserting a file |inserting-file|
26
27Also see 'virtualedit', for moving the cursor to positions where there is no
28character. Useful for editing a table.
29
30==============================================================================
311. Special keys *ins-special-keys*
32
33In Insert and Replace mode, the following characters have a special meaning;
34other characters are inserted directly. To insert one of these special
35characters into the buffer, precede it with CTRL-V. To insert a <Nul>
36character use "CTRL-V CTRL-@" or "CTRL-V 000". On some systems, you have to
37use "CTRL-V 003" to insert a CTRL-C. Note: When CTRL-V is mapped you can
38often use CTRL-Q instead |i_CTRL-Q|.
39
40If you are working in a special language mode when inserting text, see the
41'langmap' option, |'langmap'|, on how to avoid switching this mode on and off
42all the time.
43
44If you have 'insertmode' set, <Esc> and a few other keys get another meaning.
45See |'insertmode'|.
46
47char action ~
48-----------------------------------------------------------------------
49 *i_CTRL-[* *i_<Esc>*
50<Esc> or CTRL-[ End insert or Replace mode, go back to Normal mode. Finish
51 abbreviation.
52 Note: If your <Esc> key is hard to hit on your keyboard, train
53 yourself to use CTRL-[.
54 *i_CTRL-C*
55CTRL-C Quit insert mode, go back to Normal mode. Do not check for
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +000056 abbreviations. Does not trigger the |InsertLeave| autocommand
57 event.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000058
59 *i_CTRL-@*
60CTRL-@ Insert previously inserted text and stop insert. {Vi: only
61 when typed as first char, only up to 128 chars}
62 *i_CTRL-A*
63CTRL-A Insert previously inserted text. {not in Vi}
64
65 *i_CTRL-H* *i_<BS>* *i_BS*
66<BS> or CTRL-H Delete the character before the cursor (see |i_backspacing|
67 about joining lines).
68 See |:fixdel| if your <BS> key does not do what you want.
69 {Vi: does not delete autoindents}
70 *i_<Del>* *i_DEL*
71<Del> Delete the character under the cursor. If the cursor is at
72 the end of the line, and the 'backspace' option includes
73 "eol", delete the <EOL>; the next line is appended after the
74 current one.
75 See |:fixdel| if your <Del> key does not do what you want.
76 {not in Vi}
77 *i_CTRL-W*
78CTRL-W Delete the word before the cursor (see |i_backspacing| about
79 joining lines). See the section "word motions",
80 |word-motions|, for the definition of a word.
81 *i_CTRL-U*
82CTRL-U Delete all entered characters in the current line (see
83 |i_backspacing| about joining lines).
84
85 *i_CTRL-I* *i_<Tab>* *i_Tab*
86<Tab> or CTRL-I Insert a tab. If the 'expandtab' option is on, the
87 equivalent number of spaces is inserted (use CTRL-V <Tab> to
88 avoid the expansion; use CTRL-Q <Tab> if CTRL-V is mapped
89 |i_CTRL-Q|). See also the 'smarttab' option and
90 |ins-expandtab|.
91 *i_CTRL-J* *i_<NL>*
92<NL> or CTRL-J Begin new line.
93 *i_CTRL-M* *i_<CR>*
94<CR> or CTRL-M Begin new line.
95 *i_CTRL-K*
96CTRL-K {char1} [char2]
97 Enter digraph (see |digraphs|). When {char1} is a special
98 key, the code for that key is inserted in <> form. For
99 example, the string "<S-Space>" can be entered by typing
100 <C-K><S-Space> (two keys). Neither char is considered for
101 mapping. {not in Vi}
102
103CTRL-N Find next keyword (see |i_CTRL-N|). {not in Vi}
104CTRL-P Find previous keyword (see |i_CTRL-P|). {not in Vi}
105
106CTRL-R {0-9a-z"%#*+:.-=} *i_CTRL-R*
107 Insert the contents of a register. Between typing CTRL-R and
108 the second character, '"' will be displayed to indicate that
109 you are expected to enter the name of a register.
110 The text is inserted as if you typed it, but mappings and
111 abbreviations are not used. If you have options like
112 'textwidth', 'formatoptions', or 'autoindent' set, this will
113 influence what will be inserted. This is different from what
114 happens with the "p" command and pasting with the mouse.
115 Special registers:
116 '"' the unnamed register, containing the text of
117 the last delete or yank
118 '%' the current file name
119 '#' the alternate file name
120 '*' the clipboard contents (X11: primary selection)
121 '+' the clipboard contents
122 '/' the last search pattern
123 ':' the last command-line
124 '.' the last inserted text
125 '-' the last small (less than a line) delete
126 '=' the expression register: you are prompted to
127 enter an expression (see |expression|)
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000128 Note that 0x80 (128 decimal) is used for
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000129 special keys. E.g., you can use this to move
130 the cursor up:
131 CTRL-R ="\<Up>"
132 Use CTRL-R CTRL-R to insert text literally.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +0000133 When the result is a |List| the items are used
134 as lines. They can have line breaks inside
135 too.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000136 See |registers| about registers. {not in Vi}
137
138CTRL-R CTRL-R {0-9a-z"%#*+/:.-=} *i_CTRL-R_CTRL-R*
139 Insert the contents of a register. Works like using a single
140 CTRL-R, but the text is inserted literally, not as if typed.
141 This differs when the register contains characters like <BS>.
142 Example, where register a contains "ab^Hc": >
143 CTRL-R a results in "ac".
144 CTRL-R CTRL-R a results in "ab^Hc".
145< Options 'textwidth', 'formatoptions', etc. still apply. If
146 you also want to avoid these, use "<C-R><C-O>r", see below.
147 The '.' register (last inserted text) is still inserted as
148 typed. {not in Vi}
149
150CTRL-R CTRL-O {0-9a-z"%#*+/:.-=} *i_CTRL-R_CTRL-O*
151 Insert the contents of a register literally and don't
152 auto-indent. Does the same as pasting with the mouse
153 |<MiddleMouse>|.
154 Does not replace characters!
155 The '.' register (last inserted text) is still inserted as
156 typed. {not in Vi}
157
158CTRL-R CTRL-P {0-9a-z"%#*+/:.-=} *i_CTRL-R_CTRL-P*
159 Insert the contents of a register literally and fix the
160 indent, like |[<MiddleMouse>|.
161 Does not replace characters!
162 The '.' register (last inserted text) is still inserted as
163 typed. {not in Vi}
164
165 *i_CTRL-T*
166CTRL-T Insert one shiftwidth of indent at the start of the current
167 line. The indent is always rounded to a 'shiftwidth' (this is
168 vi compatible). {Vi: only when in indent}
169 *i_CTRL-D*
170CTRL-D Delete one shiftwidth of indent at the start of the current
171 line. The indent is always rounded to a 'shiftwidth' (this is
172 vi compatible). {Vi: CTRL-D works only when used after
173 autoindent}
174 *i_0_CTRL-D*
1750 CTRL-D Delete all indent in the current line. {Vi: CTRL-D works
176 only when used after autoindent}
177 *i_^_CTRL-D*
178^ CTRL-D Delete all indent in the current line. The indent is
179 restored in the next line. This is useful when inserting a
180 label. {Vi: CTRL-D works only when used after autoindent}
181
182 *i_CTRL-V*
183CTRL-V Insert next non-digit literally. For special keys, the
184 terminal code is inserted. It's also possible to enter the
185 decimal, octal or hexadecimal value of a character
186 |i_CTRL-V_digit|.
187 The characters typed right after CTRL-V are not considered for
188 mapping. {Vi: no decimal byte entry}
189 Note: When CTRL-V is mapped (e.g., to paste text) you can
190 often use CTRL-Q instead |i_CTRL-Q|.
191
192 *i_CTRL-Q*
193CTRL-Q Same as CTRL-V.
194 Note: Some terminal connections may eat CTRL-Q, it doesn't
195 work then. It does work in the GUI.
196
197CTRL-X Enter CTRL-X mode. This is a sub-mode where commands can
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000198 be given to complete words or scroll the window. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000199 |i_CTRL-X| and |ins-completion|. {not in Vi}
200
201 *i_CTRL-E*
202CTRL-E Insert the character which is below the cursor. {not in Vi}
203 *i_CTRL-Y*
204CTRL-Y Insert the character which is above the cursor. {not in Vi}
205 Note that for CTRL-E and CTRL-Y 'textwidth' is not used, to be
206 able to copy characters from a long line.
207
208 *i_CTRL-_*
209CTRL-_ Switch between languages, as follows:
210 - When in a rightleft window, revins and nohkmap are toggled,
211 since English will likely be inserted in this case.
212 - When in a norightleft window, revins and hkmap are toggled,
213 since Hebrew will likely be inserted in this case.
214
215 CTRL-_ moves the cursor to the end of the typed text.
216
217 This command is only available when the 'allowrevins' option
218 is set.
219 Please refer to |rileft.txt| for more information about
220 right-to-left mode.
221 {not in Vi}
222 Only if compiled with the |+rightleft| feature (which is not
223 the default).
224 *i_CTRL-^*
225CTRL-^ Toggle the use of typing language characters.
226 When language |:lmap| mappings are defined:
227 - If 'iminsert' is 1 (langmap mappings used) it becomes 0 (no
228 langmap mappings used).
229 - If 'iminsert' has another value it becomes 1, thus langmap
230 mappings are enabled.
231 When no language mappings are defined:
232 - If 'iminsert' is 2 (Input Method used) it becomes 0 (no
233 Input Method used).
234 - If 'iminsert' has another value it becomes 2, thus the Input
235 Method is enabled.
236 When set to 1, the value of the "b:keymap_name" variable, the
237 'keymap' option or "<lang>" appears in the status line.
238 The language mappings are normally used to type characters
239 that are different from what the keyboard produces. The
240 'keymap' option can be used to install a whole number of them.
241 {not in Vi}
242
243 *i_CTRL-]*
244CTRL-] Trigger abbreviation, without inserting a character. {not in
245 Vi}
246
247 *i_<Insert>*
248<Insert> Toggle between Insert and Replace mode. {not in Vi}
249-----------------------------------------------------------------------
250
251 *i_backspacing*
252The effect of the <BS>, CTRL-W, and CTRL-U depend on the 'backspace' option
253(unless 'revins' is set). This is a comma separated list of items:
254
255item action ~
256indent allow backspacing over autoindent
257eol allow backspacing over end-of-line (join lines)
258start allow backspacing over the start position of insert; CTRL-W and
259 CTRL-U stop once at the start position
260
261When 'backspace' is empty, Vi compatible backspacing is used. You cannot
262backspace over autoindent, before column 1 or before where insert started.
263
264For backwards compatibility the values "0", "1" and "2" are also allowed, see
265|'backspace'|.
266
267If the 'backspace' option does contain "eol" and the cursor is in column 1
268when one of the three keys is used, the current line is joined with the
269previous line. This effectively deletes the <EOL> in front of the cursor.
270{Vi: does not cross lines, does not delete past start position of insert}
271
272 *i_CTRL-V_digit*
273With CTRL-V the decimal, octal or hexadecimal value of a character can be
274entered directly. This way you can enter any character, except a line break
275(<NL>, value 10). There are five ways to enter the character value:
276
277first char mode max nr of chars max value ~
278(none) decimal 3 255
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000279o or O octal 3 377 (255)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000280x or X hexadecimal 2 ff (255)
281u hexadecimal 4 ffff (65535)
282U hexadecimal 8 7fffffff (2147483647)
283
284Normally you would type the maximum number of characters. Thus to enter a
285space (value 32) you would type <C-V>032. You can omit the leading zero, in
286which case the character typed after the number must be a non-digit. This
287happens for the other modes as well: As soon as you type a character that is
288invalid for the mode, the value before it will be used and the "invalid"
289character is dealt with in the normal way.
290
291If you enter a value of 10, it will end up in the file as a 0. The 10 is a
292<NL>, which is used internally to represent the <Nul> character. When writing
293the buffer to a file, the <NL> character is translated into <Nul>. The <NL>
294character is written at the end of each line. Thus if you want to insert a
295<NL> character in a file you will have to make a line break.
296
297 *i_CTRL-X* *insert_expand*
298CTRL-X enters a sub-mode where several commands can be used. Most of these
299commands do keyword completion; see |ins-completion|. These are not available
300when Vim was compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature.
301
302Two commands can be used to scroll the window up or down, without exiting
303insert mode:
304
305 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-E*
306CTRL-X CTRL-E scroll window one line up.
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000307 When doing completion look here: |complete_CTRL-E|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000308
309 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-Y*
310CTRL-X CTRL-Y scroll window one line down.
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000311 When doing completion look here: |complete_CTRL-Y|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000312
313After CTRL-X is pressed, each CTRL-E (CTRL-Y) scrolls the window up (down) by
314one line unless that would cause the cursor to move from its current position
315in the file. As soon as another key is pressed, CTRL-X mode is exited and
316that key is interpreted as in Insert mode.
317
318
319==============================================================================
3202. Special special keys *ins-special-special*
321
322The following keys are special. They stop the current insert, do something,
323and then restart insertion. This means you can do something without getting
324out of Insert mode. This is very handy if you prefer to use the Insert mode
325all the time, just like editors that don't have a separate Normal mode. You
326may also want to set the 'backspace' option to "indent,eol,start" and set the
327'insertmode' option. You can use CTRL-O if you want to map a function key to
328a command.
329
330The changes (inserted or deleted characters) before and after these keys can
331be undone separately. Only the last change can be redone and always behaves
332like an "i" command.
333
334char action ~
335-----------------------------------------------------------------------
336<Up> cursor one line up *i_<Up>*
337<Down> cursor one line down *i_<Down>*
338CTRL-G <Up> cursor one line up, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_<Up>*
339CTRL-G k cursor one line up, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_k*
340CTRL-G CTRL-K cursor one line up, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_CTRL-K*
341CTRL-G <Down> cursor one line down, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_<Down>*
342CTRL-G j cursor one line down, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_j*
343CTRL-G CTRL-J cursor one line down, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_CTRL-J*
344<Left> cursor one character left *i_<Left>*
345<Right> cursor one character right *i_<Right>*
346<S-Left> cursor one word back (like "b" command) *i_<S-Left>*
347<C-Left> cursor one word back (like "b" command) *i_<C-Left>*
348<S-Right> cursor one word forward (like "w" command) *i_<S-Right>*
349<C-Right> cursor one word forward (like "w" command) *i_<C-Right>*
350<Home> cursor to first char in the line *i_<Home>*
351<End> cursor to after last char in the line *i_<End>*
352<C-Home> cursor to first char in the file *i_<C-Home>*
353<C-End> cursor to after last char in the file *i_<C-End>*
354<LeftMouse> cursor to position of mouse click *i_<LeftMouse>*
355<S-Up> move window one page up *i_<S-Up>*
356<PageUp> move window one page up *i_<PageUp>*
357<S-Down> move window one page down *i_<S-Down>*
358<PageDown> move window one page down *i_<PageDown>*
359<MouseDown> scroll three lines down *i_<MouseDown>*
360<S-MouseDown> scroll a full page down *i_<S-MouseDown>*
361<MouseUp> scroll three lines up *i_<MouseUp>*
362<S-MouseUp> scroll a full page up *i_<S-MouseUp>*
363CTRL-O execute one command, return to Insert mode *i_CTRL-O*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000364CTRL-\ CTRL-O like CTRL-O but don't move the cursor *i_CTRL-\_CTRL-O*
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000365CTRL-L when 'insertmode' is set: go to Normal mode *i_CTRL-L*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000366CTRL-G u break undo sequence, start new change *i_CTRL-G_u*
367-----------------------------------------------------------------------
368
369Note: If the cursor keys take you out of Insert mode, check the 'noesckeys'
370option.
371
372The CTRL-O command sometimes has a side effect: If the cursor was beyond the
373end of the line, it will be put on the last character in the line. In
374mappings it's often better to use <Esc> (first put an "x" in the text, <Esc>
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000375will then always put the cursor on it). Or use CTRL-\ CTRL-O, but then
376beware of the cursor possibly being beyond the end of the line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000377
378The shifted cursor keys are not available on all terminals.
379
380Another side effect is that a count specified before the "i" or "a" command is
381ignored. That is because repeating the effect of the command after CTRL-O is
382too complicated.
383
384An example for using CTRL-G u: >
385
386 :inoremap <C-H> <C-G>u<C-H>
387
388This redefines the backspace key to start a new undo sequence. You can now
389undo the effect of the backspace key, without changing what you typed before
390that, with CTRL-O u.
391
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +0000392Using CTRL-O splits undo: the text typed before and after it is undone
393separately. If you want to avoid this (e.g., in a mapping) you might be able
394to use CTRL-R = |i_CTRL-R|. E.g., to call a function: >
395 :imap <F2> <C-R>=MyFunc()<CR>
396
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000397When the 'whichwrap' option is set appropriately, the <Left> and <Right>
398keys on the first/last character in the line make the cursor wrap to the
399previous/next line.
400
401The CTRL-G j and CTRL-G k commands can be used to insert text in front of a
402column. Example: >
403 int i;
404 int j;
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000405Position the cursor on the first "int", type "istatic <C-G>j ". The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000406result is: >
407 static int i;
408 int j;
409When inserting the same text in front of the column in every line, use the
410Visual blockwise command "I" |v_b_I|.
411
412==============================================================================
4133. 'textwidth' and 'wrapmargin' options *ins-textwidth*
414
415The 'textwidth' option can be used to automatically break a line before it
416gets too long. Set the 'textwidth' option to the desired maximum line
417length. If you then type more characters (not spaces or tabs), the
418last word will be put on a new line (unless it is the only word on the
419line). If you set 'textwidth' to 0, this feature is disabled.
420
421The 'wrapmargin' option does almost the same. The difference is that
422'textwidth' has a fixed width while 'wrapmargin' depends on the width of the
423screen. When using 'wrapmargin' this is equal to using 'textwidth' with a
424value equal to (columns - 'wrapmargin'), where columns is the width of the
425screen.
426
427When 'textwidth' and 'wrapmargin' are both set, 'textwidth' is used.
428
429If you don't really want to break the line, but view the line wrapped at a
430convenient place, see the 'linebreak' option.
431
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000432The line is only broken automatically when using Insert mode, or when
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000433appending to a line. When in replace mode and the line length is not
434changed, the line will not be broken.
435
436Long lines are broken if you enter a non-white character after the margin.
437The situations where a line will be broken can be restricted by adding
438characters to the 'formatoptions' option:
439"l" Only break a line if it was not longer than 'textwidth' when the insert
440 started.
441"v" Only break at a white character that has been entered during the
442 current insert command. This is mostly Vi-compatible.
443"lv" Only break if the line was not longer than 'textwidth' when the insert
444 started and only at a white character that has been entered during the
445 current insert command. Only differs from "l" when entering non-white
446 characters while crossing the 'textwidth' boundary.
447
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000448Normally an internal function will be used to decide where to break the line.
449If you want to do it in a different way set the 'formatexpr' option to an
450expression that will take care of the line break.
451
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000452If you want to format a block of text, you can use the "gq" operator. Type
453"gq" and a movement command to move the cursor to the end of the block. In
454many cases, the command "gq}" will do what you want (format until the end of
455paragraph). Alternatively, you can use "gqap", which will format the whole
456paragraph, no matter where the cursor currently is. Or you can use Visual
457mode: hit "v", move to the end of the block, and type "gq". See also |gq|.
458
459==============================================================================
4604. 'expandtab', 'smarttab' and 'softtabstop' options *ins-expandtab*
461
462If the 'expandtab' option is on, spaces will be used to fill the amount of
463whitespace of the tab. If you want to enter a real <Tab>, type CTRL-V first
464(use CTRL-Q when CTRL-V is mapped |i_CTRL-Q|).
465The 'expandtab' option is off by default. Note that in Replace mode, a single
466character is replaced with several spaces. The result of this is that the
467number of characters in the line increases. Backspacing will delete one
468space at a time. The original character will be put back for only one space
469that you backspace over (the last one). {Vi does not have the 'expandtab'
470option}
471
472 *ins-smarttab*
473When the 'smarttab' option is on, a <Tab> inserts 'shiftwidth' positions at
474the beginning of a line and 'tabstop' positions in other places. This means
475that often spaces instead of a <Tab> character are inserted. When 'smarttab
476is off, a <Tab> always inserts 'tabstop' positions, and 'shiftwidth' is only
477used for ">>" and the like. {not in Vi}
478
479 *ins-softtabstop*
480When the 'softtabstop' option is non-zero, a <Tab> inserts 'softtabstop'
481positions, and a <BS> used to delete white space, will delete 'softtabstop'
482positions. This feels like 'tabstop' was set to 'softtabstop', but a real
483<Tab> character still takes 'tabstop' positions, so your file will still look
484correct when used by other applications.
485
486If 'softtabstop' is non-zero, a <BS> will try to delete as much white space to
487move to the previous 'softtabstop' position, except when the previously
488inserted character is a space, then it will only delete the character before
489the cursor. Otherwise you cannot always delete a single character before the
490cursor. You will have to delete 'softtabstop' characters first, and then type
491extra spaces to get where you want to be.
492
493==============================================================================
4945. Replace mode *Replace* *Replace-mode* *mode-replace*
495
496Enter Replace mode with the "R" command in normal mode.
497
498In Replace mode, one character in the line is deleted for every character you
499type. If there is no character to delete (at the end of the line), the
500typed character is appended (as in Insert mode). Thus the number of
501characters in a line stays the same until you get to the end of the line.
502If a <NL> is typed, a line break is inserted and no character is deleted.
503
504Be careful with <Tab> characters. If you type a normal printing character in
505its place, the number of characters is still the same, but the number of
506columns will become smaller.
507
508If you delete characters in Replace mode (with <BS>, CTRL-W, or CTRL-U), what
509happens is that you delete the changes. The characters that were replaced
510are restored. If you had typed past the existing text, the characters you
511added are deleted. This is effectively a character-at-a-time undo.
512
513If the 'expandtab' option is on, a <Tab> will replace one character with
514several spaces. The result of this is that the number of characters in the
515line increases. Backspacing will delete one space at a time. The original
516character will be put back for only one space that you backspace over (the
517last one). {Vi does not have the 'expandtab' option}
518
519==============================================================================
5206. Virtual Replace mode *vreplace-mode* *Virtual-Replace-mode*
521
522Enter Virtual Replace mode with the "gR" command in normal mode.
523{not available when compiled without the +vreplace feature}
524{Vi does not have Virtual Replace mode}
525
526Virtual Replace mode is similar to Replace mode, but instead of replacing
527actual characters in the file, you are replacing screen real estate, so that
528characters further on in the file never appear to move.
529
530So if you type a <Tab> it may replace several normal characters, and if you
531type a letter on top of a <Tab> it may not replace anything at all, since the
532<Tab> will still line up to the same place as before.
533
534Typing a <NL> still doesn't cause characters later in the file to appear to
535move. The rest of the current line will be replaced by the <NL> (that is,
536they are deleted), and replacing continues on the next line. A new line is
537NOT inserted unless you go past the end of the file.
538
539Interesting effects are seen when using CTRL-T and CTRL-D. The characters
540before the cursor are shifted sideways as normal, but characters later in the
541line still remain still. CTRL-T will hide some of the old line under the
542shifted characters, but CTRL-D will reveal them again.
543
544As with Replace mode, using <BS> etc will bring back the characters that were
545replaced. This still works in conjunction with 'smartindent', CTRL-T and
546CTRL-D, 'expandtab', 'smarttab', 'softtabstop', etc.
547
548In 'list' mode, Virtual Replace mode acts as if it was not in 'list' mode,
549unless "L" is in 'cpoptions'.
550
551Note that the only times characters beyond the cursor should appear to move
552are in 'list' mode, and occasionally when 'wrap' is set (and the line changes
553length to become shorter or wider than the width of the screen), or
554momentarily when typing over a CTRL character. A CTRL character takes up two
555screen spaces. When replacing it with two normal characters, the first will
556be inserted and the second will replace the CTRL character.
557
558This mode is very useful for editing <Tab> separated columns in tables, for
559entering new data while keeping all the columns aligned.
560
561==============================================================================
5627. Insert mode completion *ins-completion*
563
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000564In Insert and Replace mode, there are several commands to complete part of a
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000565keyword or line that has been typed. This is useful if you are using
566complicated keywords (e.g., function names with capitals and underscores).
567
568These commands are not available when the |+insert_expand| feature was
569disabled at compile time.
570
571Completion can be done for:
572
5731. Whole lines |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-L|
5742. keywords in the current file |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-N|
5753. keywords in 'dictionary' |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K|
5764. keywords in 'thesaurus', thesaurus-style |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-T|
5775. keywords in the current and included files |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-I|
5786. tags |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-]|
5797. file names |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-F|
5808. definitions or macros |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-D|
5819. Vim command-line |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-V|
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +000058210. User defined completion |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-U|
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +000058311. omni completion |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-O|
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +000058412. Spelling suggestions |i_CTRL-X_s|
58513. keywords in 'complete' |i_CTRL-N|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000586
587All these (except 2) are done in CTRL-X mode. This is a sub-mode of Insert
588and Replace modes. You enter CTRL-X mode by typing CTRL-X and one of the
589CTRL-X commands. You exit CTRL-X mode by typing a key that is not a valid
590CTRL-X mode command. Valid keys are the CTRL-X command itself, CTRL-N (next),
591and CTRL-P (previous).
592
593Also see the 'infercase' option if you want to adjust the case of the match.
594
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000595 *complete_CTRL-E*
596When completion is active you can use CTRL-E to stop it and go back to the
597orignally typed text. The CTRL-E will not be inserted.
598
599 *complete_CTRL-Y*
600When the popup menu is displayed you can use CTRL-Y to stop completion and
601accept the currently selected entry. The CTRL-Y is not inserted. Typing a
602space, Enter, or some other unprintable character will leave completion mode
603and insert that typed character.
604
Bram Moolenaar9e54a0e2006-04-14 20:42:25 +0000605When the popup menu is displayed there are a few more special keys, see
606|popupmenu-keys|.
607
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000608Note: The keys that are valid in CTRL-X mode are not mapped. This allows for
609":map ^F ^X^F" to work (where ^F is CTRL-F and ^X is CTRL-X). The key that
610ends CTRL-X mode (any key that is not a valid CTRL-X mode command) is mapped.
611Also, when doing completion with 'complete' mappings apply as usual.
612
613The following mappings are suggested to make typing the completion commands
614a bit easier (although they will hide other commands): >
615 :inoremap ^] ^X^]
616 :inoremap ^F ^X^F
617 :inoremap ^D ^X^D
618 :inoremap ^L ^X^L
619
620As a special case, typing CTRL-R to perform register insertion (see
621|i_CTRL-R|) will not exit CTRL-X mode. This is primarily to allow the use of
622the '=' register to call some function to determine the next operation. If
623the contents of the register (or result of the '=' register evaluation) are
624not valid CTRL-X mode keys, then CTRL-X mode will be exited as if those keys
625had been typed.
626
627For example, the following will map <Tab> to either actually insert a <Tab> if
628the current line is currently only whitespace, or start/continue a CTRL-N
629completion operation: >
630
631 function! CleverTab()
632 if strpart( getline('.'), 0, col('.')-1 ) =~ '^\s*$'
633 return "\<Tab>"
634 else
635 return "\<C-N>"
636 endfunction
637 inoremap <Tab> <C-R>=CleverTab()<CR>
638
639
640
641Completing whole lines *compl-whole-line*
642
643 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-L*
644CTRL-X CTRL-L Search backwards for a line that starts with the
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +0000645 same characters as those in the current line before
646 the cursor. Indent is ignored. The matching line is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000647 inserted in front of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +0000648 The 'complete' option is used to decide which buffers
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000649 are searched for a match. Both loaded and unloaded
650 buffers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000651 CTRL-L or
652 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching line. This line
653 replaces the previous matching line.
654
655 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching line. This line
656 replaces the previous matching line.
657
658 CTRL-X CTRL-L After expanding a line you can additionally get the
659 line next to it by typing CTRL-X CTRL-L again, unless
660 a double CTRL-X is used.
661
662Completing keywords in current file *compl-current*
663
664 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-P*
665 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-N*
666CTRL-X CTRL-N Search forwards for words that start with the keyword
667 in front of the cursor. The found keyword is inserted
668 in front of the cursor.
669
670CTRL-X CTRL-P Search backwards for words that start with the keyword
671 in front of the cursor. The found keyword is inserted
672 in front of the cursor.
673
674 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
675 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
676
677 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
678 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
679
680 CTRL-X CTRL-N or
681 CTRL-X CTRL-P Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-N or CTRL-X CTRL-P will
682 copy the words following the previous expansion in
683 other contexts unless a double CTRL-X is used.
684
685If there is a keyword in front of the cursor (a name made out of alphabetic
686characters and characters in 'iskeyword'), it is used as the search pattern,
687with "\<" prepended (meaning: start of a word). Otherwise "\<\k\k" is used
688as search pattern (start of any keyword of at least two characters).
689
690In Replace mode, the number of characters that are replaced depends on the
691length of the matched string. This works like typing the characters of the
692matched string in Replace mode.
693
694If there is not a valid keyword character before the cursor, any keyword of
695at least two characters is matched.
696 e.g., to get:
697 printf("(%g, %g, %g)", vector[0], vector[1], vector[2]);
698 just type:
699 printf("(%g, %g, %g)", vector[0], ^P[1], ^P[2]);
700
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000701The search wraps around the end of the file, the value of 'wrapscan' is not
702used here.
703
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000704Multiple repeats of the same completion are skipped; thus a different match
705will be inserted at each CTRL-N and CTRL-P (unless there is only one
706matching keyword).
707
708Single character matches are never included, as they usually just get in
709the way of what you were really after.
710 e.g., to get:
711 printf("name = %s\n", name);
712 just type:
713 printf("name = %s\n", n^P);
714 or even:
715 printf("name = %s\n", ^P);
716The 'n' in '\n' is skipped.
717
718After expanding a word, you can use CTRL-X CTRL-P or CTRL-X CTRL-N to get the
719word following the expansion in other contexts. These sequences search for
720the text just expanded and further expand by getting an extra word. This is
721useful if you need to repeat a sequence of complicated words. Although CTRL-P
722and CTRL-N look just for strings of at least two characters, CTRL-X CTRL-P and
723CTRL-X CTRL-N can be used to expand words of just one character.
724 e.g., to get:
725 M&eacute;xico
726 you can type:
727 M^N^P^X^P^X^P
728CTRL-N starts the expansion and then CTRL-P takes back the single character
729"M", the next two CTRL-X CTRL-P's get the words "&eacute" and ";xico".
730
731If the previous expansion was split, because it got longer than 'textwidth',
732then just the text in the current line will be used.
733
734If the match found is at the end of a line, then the first word in the next
735line will be inserted and the message "word from next line" displayed, if
736this word is accepted the next CTRL-X CTRL-P or CTRL-X CTRL-N will search
737for those lines starting with this word.
738
739
740Completing keywords in 'dictionary' *compl-dictionary*
741
742 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K*
743CTRL-X CTRL-K Search the files given with the 'dictionary' option
744 for words that start with the keyword in front of the
745 cursor. This is like CTRL-N, but only the dictionary
746 files are searched, not the current file. The found
747 keyword is inserted in front of the cursor. This
748 could potentially be pretty slow, since all matches
749 are found before the first match is used. By default,
750 the 'dictionary' option is empty.
751 For suggestions where to find a list of words, see the
752 'dictionary' option.
753
754 CTRL-K or
755 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
756 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
757
758 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
759 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
760
761 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-T*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000762CTRL-X CTRL-T Works as CTRL-X CTRL-K, but in a special way. It uses
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000763 the 'thesaurus' option instead of 'dictionary'. If a
764 match is found in the thesaurus file, all the
765 remaining words on the same line are included as
766 matches, even though they don't complete the word.
767 Thus a word can be completely replaced.
768
769 For an example, imagine the 'thesaurus' file has a
770 line like this: >
771 angry furious mad enraged
772< Placing the cursor after the letters "ang" and typing
773 CTRL-X CTRL-T would complete the word "angry";
774 subsequent presses would change the word to "furious",
775 "mad" etc.
776 Other uses include translation between two languages,
777 or grouping API functions by keyword.
778
779 CTRL-T or
780 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
781 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
782
783 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
784 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
785
786
787Completing keywords in the current and included files *compl-keyword*
788
789The 'include' option is used to specify a line that contains an include file
790name. The 'path' option is used to search for include files.
791
792 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-I*
793CTRL-X CTRL-I Search for the first keyword in the current and
794 included files that starts with the same characters
795 as those before the cursor. The matched keyword is
796 inserted in front of the cursor.
797
798 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching keyword. This
799 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
800 Note: CTRL-I is the same as <Tab>, which is likely to
801 be typed after a successful completion, therefore
802 CTRL-I is not used for searching for the next match.
803
804 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching keyword. This
805 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
806
807 CTRL-X CTRL-I Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-I will copy the words
808 following the previous expansion in other contexts
809 unless a double CTRL-X is used.
810
811Completing tags *compl-tag*
812 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-]*
813CTRL-X CTRL-] Search for the first tag that starts with the same
814 characters as before the cursor. The matching tag is
815 inserted in front of the cursor. Alphabetic
816 characters and characters in 'iskeyword' are used
817 to decide which characters are included in the tag
818 name (same as for a keyword). See also |CTRL-]|.
819 The 'showfulltag' option can be used to add context
820 from around the tag definition.
821 CTRL-] or
822 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching tag. This tag
823 replaces the previous matching tag.
824
825 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching tag. This tag
826 replaces the previous matching tag.
827
828
829Completing file names *compl-filename*
830 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-F*
831CTRL-X CTRL-F Search for the first file name that starts with the
832 same characters as before the cursor. The matching
833 file name is inserted in front of the cursor.
834 Alphabetic characters and characters in 'isfname'
835 are used to decide which characters are included in
836 the file name. Note: the 'path' option is not used
837 here (yet).
838 CTRL-F or
839 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching file name. This
840 file name replaces the previous matching file name.
841
842 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching file name.
843 This file name replaces the previous matching file
844 name.
845
846
847Completing definitions or macros *compl-define*
848
849The 'define' option is used to specify a line that contains a definition.
850The 'include' option is used to specify a line that contains an include file
851name. The 'path' option is used to search for include files.
852
853 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-D*
854CTRL-X CTRL-D Search in the current and included files for the
855 first definition (or macro) name that starts with
856 the same characters as before the cursor. The found
857 definition name is inserted in front of the cursor.
858 CTRL-D or
859 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching macro name. This
860 macro name replaces the previous matching macro
861 name.
862
863 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching macro name.
864 This macro name replaces the previous matching macro
865 name.
866
867 CTRL-X CTRL-D Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-D will copy the words
868 following the previous expansion in other contexts
869 unless a double CTRL-X is used.
870
871
872Completing Vim commands *compl-vim*
873
874Completion is context-sensitive. It works like on the Command-line. It
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000875completes an Ex command as well as its arguments. This is useful when writing
876a Vim script.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000877
878 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-V*
879CTRL-X CTRL-V Guess what kind of item is in front of the cursor and
880 find the first match for it.
881 Note: When CTRL-V is mapped you can often use CTRL-Q
882 instead |i_CTRL-Q|.
883 CTRL-V or
884 CTRL-N Search forwards for next match. This match replaces
885 the previous one.
886
887 CTRL-P Search backward for previous match. This match
888 replaces the previous one.
889
890 CTRL-X CTRL-V Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-V will do the same as
891 CTRL-V. This allows mapping a key to do Vim command
892 completion, for example: >
893 :imap <Tab> <C-X><C-V>
894
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000895User defined completion *compl-function*
Bram Moolenaarcfbc5ee2004-07-02 15:38:35 +0000896
897Completion is done by a function that can be defined by the user with the
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000898'completefunc' option. See below for how the function is called and an
899example |complete-functions|.
Bram Moolenaarcfbc5ee2004-07-02 15:38:35 +0000900
901 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-U*
902CTRL-X CTRL-U Guess what kind of item is in front of the cursor and
903 find the first match for it.
904 CTRL-U or
905 CTRL-N Use the next match. This match replaces the previous
906 one.
907
908 CTRL-P Use the previous match. This match replaces the
909 previous one.
910
911
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000912Omni completion *compl-omni*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000913
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +0000914Completion is done by a function that can be defined by the user with the
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000915'omnifunc' option. This is to be used for filetype-specific completion.
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +0000916
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000917See below for how the function is called and an example |complete-functions|.
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000918For remarks about specific filetypes see |compl-omni-filetypes|.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000919
920 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-O*
921CTRL-X CTRL-O Guess what kind of item is in front of the cursor and
922 find the first match for it.
923 CTRL-O or
924 CTRL-N Use the next match. This match replaces the previous
925 one.
926
927 CTRL-P Use the previous match. This match replaces the
928 previous one.
929
930
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000931Spelling suggestions *compl-spelling*
932
Bram Moolenaar5195e452005-08-19 20:32:47 +0000933A word before or at the cursor is located and correctly spelled words are
934suggested to replace it. If there is a badly spelled word in the line, before
935or under the cursor, the cursor is moved to after it. Otherwise the word just
936before the cursor is used for suggestions, even though it isn't badly spelled.
937
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000938NOTE: CTRL-S suspends display in many Unix terminals. Use 's' instead. Type
939CTRL-Q to resume displaying.
940
941 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-S* *i_CTRL-X_s*
942CTRL-X CTRL-S or
943CTRL-X s Locate the word in front of the cursor and find the
944 first spell suggestion for it.
945 CTRL-S or
946 CTRL-N Use the next suggestion. This replaces the previous
947 one. Note that you can't use 's' here.
948
949 CTRL-P Use the previous suggestion. This replaces the
950 previous one.
951
952
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000953Completing keywords from different sources *compl-generic*
954
955 *i_CTRL-N*
956CTRL-N Find next match for words that start with the
957 keyword in front of the cursor, looking in places
958 specified with the 'complete' option. The found
959 keyword is inserted in front of the cursor.
960
961 *i_CTRL-P*
962CTRL-P Find previous match for words that start with the
963 keyword in front of the cursor, looking in places
964 specified with the 'complete' option. The found
965 keyword is inserted in front of the cursor.
966
967 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
968 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
969
970 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
971 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
972
973 CTRL-X CTRL-N or
974 CTRL-X CTRL-P Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-N or CTRL-X CTRL-P will
975 copy the words following the previous expansion in
976 other contexts unless a double CTRL-X is used.
977
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +0000978
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000979FUNCTIONS FOR FINDING COMPLETIONS *complete-functions*
980
981This applies to 'completefunc' and 'omnifunc'.
982
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +0000983The function is called in two different ways:
984- First the function is called to find the start of the text to be completed.
985- Later the function is called to actually find the matches.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000986
987On the first invocation the arguments are:
988 a:findstart 1
989 a:base empty
990
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +0000991The function must return the column where the completion starts. It must be a
992number between zero and the cursor column "col('.')". This involves looking
993at the characters just before the cursor and including those characters that
994could be part of the completed item. The text between this column and the
995cursor column will be replaced with the matches. Return -1 if no completion
996can be done.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000997
998On the second invocation the arguments are:
999 a:findstart 0
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001000 a:base the text with which matches should match; the text that was
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001001 located in the first call (can be empty)
1002
1003The function must return a List with the matching words. These matches
1004usually include the "a:base" text. When there are no matches return an empty
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001005List.
Bram Moolenaar5c4bab02006-03-10 21:37:46 +00001006 *complete-items*
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001007Each list item can either be a string or a Dictionary. When it is a string it
1008is used as the completion. When it is a Dictionary it can contain these
1009items:
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001010 word the text that will be inserted, mandatory
1011 abbr abbreviation of "word"; when not empty it is used in
1012 the menu instead of "word"
Bram Moolenaar8dff8182006-04-06 20:18:50 +00001013 menu extra text for the popup menu, displayed after "word"
1014 or "abbr"
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001015 info more information about the item, can be displayed in a
1016 preview window
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001017 kind single letter indicating the type of completion
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001018 icase when non-zero case is to be ignored; when omitted
Bram Moolenaard1f56e62006-02-22 21:25:37 +00001019 the 'ignorecase' option is used
Bram Moolenaar4a85b412006-04-23 22:40:29 +00001020 dup when non-zero this match will be added even when an
1021 item with the same word is already present.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001022
Bram Moolenaard1f56e62006-02-22 21:25:37 +00001023All of these except 'icase' must be a string. If an item does not meet these
1024requirements then an error message is given and further items in the list are
1025not used. You can mix string and Dictionary items in the returned list.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001026
1027The "menu" item is used in the popup menu and may be truncated, thus it should
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001028be relatively short. The "info" item can be longer, it will be displayed in
1029the preview window when "preview" appears in 'completeopt'. The "info" item
1030will also remain displayed after the popup menu has been removed. This is
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001031useful for function arguments. Use a single space for "info" to remove
1032existing text in the preview window.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001033
1034The "kind" item uses a single letter to indicate the kind of completion. This
1035may be used to show the completion differently (different color or icon).
1036Currently these types can be used:
1037 v variable
1038 f function or method
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001039 m member of a struct or class
1040 t typedef
1041 d #define or macro
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001042
1043When searching for matches takes some time call |complete_add()| to add each
1044match to the total list. These matches should then not appear in the returned
1045list! Call |complete_check()| now and then to allow the user to press a key
1046while still searching for matches. Stop searching when it returns non-zero.
1047
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001048The function is allowed to move the cursor, it is restored afterwards. This
1049option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for security
1050reasons.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001051
1052An example that completes the names of the months: >
1053 fun! CompleteMonths(findstart, base)
1054 if a:findstart
1055 " locate the start of the word
1056 let line = getline('.')
1057 let start = col('.') - 1
1058 while start > 0 && line[start - 1] =~ '\a'
1059 let start -= 1
1060 endwhile
1061 return start
1062 else
1063 " find months matching with "a:base"
1064 let res = []
1065 for m in split("Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec")
1066 if m =~ '^' . a:base
1067 call add(res, m)
1068 endif
1069 endfor
1070 return res
1071 endif
1072 endfun
1073 set completefunc=CompleteMonths
1074<
1075The same, but now pretending searching for matches is slow: >
1076 fun! CompleteMonths(findstart, base)
1077 if a:findstart
1078 " locate the start of the word
1079 let line = getline('.')
1080 let start = col('.') - 1
1081 while start > 0 && line[start - 1] =~ '\a'
1082 let start -= 1
1083 endwhile
1084 return start
1085 else
1086 " find months matching with "a:base"
1087 for m in split("Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec")
1088 if m =~ '^' . a:base
1089 call complete_add(m)
1090 endif
1091 sleep 300m " simulate searching for next match
1092 if complete_check()
1093 break
1094 endif
1095 endfor
1096 return []
1097 endif
1098 endfun
1099 set completefunc=CompleteMonths
1100<
1101
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001102INSERT COMPLETION POPUP MENU *ins-completion-menu*
Bram Moolenaarebefac62005-12-28 22:39:57 +00001103 *popupmenu-completion*
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001104Vim can display the matches in a simplistic popup menu.
1105
1106The menu is used when:
Bram Moolenaara2031822006-03-07 22:29:51 +00001107- The 'completeopt' option contains "menu" or "menuone".
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001108- The terminal supports at least 8 colors.
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001109- There are at least two matches. One of "menuone" is used.
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001110
Bram Moolenaar56718732006-03-15 22:53:57 +00001111The 'pumheight' option can be used to set a maximum height. The default is to
1112use all space available.
1113
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001114There are three states:
11151. A complete match has been inserted, e.g., after using CTRL-N or CTRL-P.
11162. A cursor key has been used to select another match. The match was not
1117 inserted then, only the entry in the popup menu is highlighted.
11183. Only part of a match has been inserted and characters were typed or the
1119 backspace key was used. The list of matches was then adjusted for what is
1120 in front of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00001121
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001122You normally start in the first state, with the first match being inserted.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001123When "longest" is in 'completeopt' and there is more than one match you start
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001124in the third state.
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00001125
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001126If you select another match, e.g., with CTRL-N or CTRL-P, you go to the first
1127state. This doesn't change the list of matches.
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001128
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001129When you are back at the original text then you are in the third state. To
Bram Moolenaara2031822006-03-07 22:29:51 +00001130get there right away you can use a mapping that uses CTRL-P right after
1131starting the completion: >
1132 :imap <F7> <C-N><C-P>
Bram Moolenaar76916e62006-03-21 21:23:25 +00001133<
1134 *popupmenu-keys*
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001135In the first state these keys have a special meaning:
1136<BS> and CTRL-H Delete one character, find the matches for the word before
1137 the cursor. This reduces the list of matches, often to one
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001138 entry, and switches to the second state.
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001139Any non-special character:
1140 Stop completion without changing the match and insert the
1141 typed character.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001142
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001143In the second and third state these keys have a special meaning:
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001144<BS> and CTRL-H Delete one character, find the matches for the shorter word
1145 before the cursor. This may find more matches.
1146CTRL-L Add one character from the current match, may reduce the
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001147 number of matches.
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001148any printable, non-white character:
1149 Add this character and reduce the number of matches.
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00001150
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001151In all three states these can be used:
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +00001152CTRL-Y Yes: Accept the currently selected match and stop completion.
1153CTRL-E End completion, go back to what was typed.
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001154<PageUp> Select a match several entries back, but don't insert it.
1155<PageDown> Select a match several entries further, but don't insert it.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001156<Up> Select the previous match, as if CTRL-P was used, but don't
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001157 insert it.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001158<Down> Select the next match, as if CTRL-N was used, but don't
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001159 insert it.
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001160space or <Tab> Stop completion without changing the match and insert the
1161 typed character.
1162
1163The behavior of the Enter key depends on the state you are in:
1164first state: Use the text as it is and insert a line break.
1165second state: Insert the currently selected match.
1166third state: Use the text as it is and insert a line break.
1167
1168In other words: If you used the cursor keys to select another entry in the
1169list of matches then the Enter key inserts that match. If you typed something
1170else then Enter inserts a line break.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001171
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001172
1173The colors of the menu can be changed with these highlight groups:
1174Pmenu normal item |hl-Pmenu|
1175PmenuSel selected item |hl-PmenuSel|
1176PmenuSbar scrollbar |hl-PmenuSbar|
1177PmenuThumb thumb of the scrollbar |hl-PmenuThumb|
1178
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001179There are no special mappings for when the popup menu is visible. However,
1180you can use an Insert mode mapping that checks the |pumvisible()| function to
1181do something different. Example: >
1182 :inoremap <Down> <C-R>=pumvisible() ? "\<lt>C-N>" : "\<lt>Down>"<CR>
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001183
Bram Moolenaar5c4bab02006-03-10 21:37:46 +00001184You can use of <expr> in mapping to have the popup menu used when typing a
1185character and some condition is met. For example, for typing a dot: >
1186 inoremap <expr> . MayComplete()
1187 func MayComplete()
1188 if (can complete)
1189 return ".\<C-X>\<C-O>"
1190 endif
1191 return '.'
1192 endfunc
1193
1194See |:map-<expr>| for more info.
1195
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001196
1197FILETYPE-SPECIFIC REMARKS FOR OMNI COMPLETION *compl-omni-filetypes*
1198
1199The file used for {filetype} should be autoload/{filetype}complete.vim
1200in 'runtimepath'. Thus for "java" it is autoload/javacomplete.vim.
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001201
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001202
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001203C *ft-c-omni*
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001204
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001205Completion of C code requires a tags file. You should use Exuberant ctags,
1206because it adds extra information that is needed for completion. You can find
1207it here: http://ctags.sourceforge.net/
1208For version 5.5.4 you should add a patch that adds the "typename:" field:
Bram Moolenaar36fc5352006-03-04 21:49:37 +00001209 ftp://ftp.vim.org/pub/vim/unstable/patches/ctags-5.5.4.patch
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001210A compiled .exe for MS-Windows can be found at:
Bram Moolenaar36fc5352006-03-04 21:49:37 +00001211 http://georgevreilly.com/vim/ctags.html
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001212
1213If you want to complete system functions you can do something like this. Use
1214ctags to generate a tags file for all the system header files: >
1215 % ctags -R -f ~/.vim/systags /usr/include /usr/local/include
1216In your vimrc file add this tags file to the 'tags' option: >
1217 set tags+=~/.vim/systags
1218
1219When using CTRL-X CTRL-O after a name without any "." or "->" it is completed
1220from the tags file directly. This works for any identifier, also function
1221names. If you want to complete a local variable name, which does not appear
1222in the tags file, use CTRL-P instead.
1223
1224When using CTRL-X CTRL-O after something that has "." or "->" Vim will attempt
1225to recognize the type of the variable and figure out what members it has.
1226This means only members valid for the variable will be listed.
1227
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001228When a member name already was complete, CTRL-X CTRL-O will add a "." or
1229"->" for composite types.
1230
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001231Vim doesn't include a C compiler, only the most obviously formatted
1232declarations are recognized. Preprocessor stuff may cause confusion.
1233When the same structure name appears in multiple places all possible members
1234are included.
1235
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001236
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001237CSS *ft-css-omni*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001238
1239Complete properties and their appropriate values according to CSS 2.1
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001240specification.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001241
1242
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001243HTML *ft-html-omni*
1244XHTML *ft-xhtml-omni*
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001245
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001246CTRL-X CTRL-O provides completion of various elements of (X)HTML files. It is
1247designed to support writing of XHTML 1.0 Strict files but will also works for
1248other versions of HTML. Features:
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001249
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001250- after "<" complete tag name depending on context (no div suggestion inside
1251 of an a tag); '/>' indicates empty tags
1252- inside of tag complete proper attributes (no width attribute for an a tag);
1253 show also type of attribute; '*' indicates required attributes
1254- when attribute has limited number of possible values help to complete them
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001255- complete names of entities
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001256- complete values of "class" and "id" attributes with data obtained from
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001257 <style> tag and included CSS files
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001258- when completing value of "style" attribute or working inside of "style" tag
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001259 switch to |ft-css-omni| completion
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001260- when completing values of events attributes or working inside of "script"
1261 tag switch to |ft-javascript-omni| completion
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001262- when used after "</" CTRL-X CTRL-O will close the last opened tag
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001263
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001264Note: When used first time completion menu will be shown with little delay
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001265- this is time needed for loading of data file.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001266Note: Completion may fail in badly formatted documents. In such case try to
1267run |:make| command to detect formatting problems.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001268
1269
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001270HTML flavor *html-flavor*
1271
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001272Default HTML completion depends on filetype. For HTML files it is HTML
12734.01 Transitional (&ft=='html'), for XHTML it is XHTML 1.0 Strict
1274(&ft=='xhtml').
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001275
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001276These are not the only HTML versions. To use another data file and still
1277have benefits of custom completion for class, style, etc. attributes set
1278b:html_omni_flavor variable. Example (in .vimrc or filetype plugin
1279file): >
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001280
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001281 let g:html_omni_flavor = 'xhtml10s'
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001282
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001283(Completion data file for HTML 4.01 Strict is also provided by Vim
1284distribution.)
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001285
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001286Data for HTML completion will be read from 'autoload/xml/html10s.vim' file
1287located somewhere in 'runtimepath'.
1288
1289Note: HTML completion files are also located in 'autoload/xml'
1290directory.
1291
1292More about format of data file in |xml-omni-datafile|. Some of data
1293files may in future be found on vim-online site (|www|).
1294
1295Note that b:html_omni_flavor may point to file with any XML data. This
1296makes possible to mix PHP (|ft-php-omni|) completion with whatever XML
1297dialect (assuming you have data file for it).
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001298
1299
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001300JAVASCRIPT *ft-javascript-omni*
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001301
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001302Completion of most elements of JavaScript language and DOM elements.
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001303
1304Complete:
1305
1306- variables
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001307- function name; show function arguments
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001308- function arguments
1309- properties of variables trying to detect type of variable
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001310- complete DOM objects and properties depending on context
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001311- keywords of language
1312
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001313Completion works in separate JavaScript files (&ft==javascript), inside of
1314<script> tag of (X)HTML and in values of event attributes (including scanning
1315of external files.
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001316
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001317DOM compatibility
1318
1319At the moment (beginning of 2006) there are two main browsers - MS Internet
1320Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. These two applications are covering over 90% of
1321market. Theoretically standards are created by W3C organisation
1322(http://www.w3c.org) but they are not always followed/implemented.
1323
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001324 IE FF W3C Omni completion ~
1325 +/- +/- + + ~
1326 + + - + ~
1327 + - - - ~
1328 - + - - ~
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001329
1330Regardless from state of implementation in browsers but if element is defined
1331in standards, completion plugin will place element in suggestion list. When
1332both major engines implemented element, even if this is not in standards it
1333will be suggested. All other elements are not placed in suggestion list.
1334
1335
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001336PHP *ft-php-omni*
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001337
1338Completion of PHP code requires tags file for completion of data from external
1339files. You should use Exuberant ctags version 5.5.4 or newer. You can find it
1340here: http://ctags.sourceforge.net/
1341
1342Script completes:
1343
1344- after $ variables name
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001345 - if variable was declared as object add "->", if tags file is available show
1346 name of class
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001347 - after "->" complete only function and variable names specific for given
1348 class. To find class location and contents tags file is required. Because
1349 PHP isn't strongly typed language user can use @var tag to declare class: >
1350
1351 /* @var $myVar myClass */
1352 $myVar->
1353<
1354 Still, to find myClass contents tags file is required.
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001355
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001356- function names with additonal info:
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001357 - in case of built-in functions list of possible arguments and after | type
1358 data returned by function
1359 - in case of user function arguments and name of file were function was
1360 defined (if it is not current file)
1361
1362- constants names
1363- class names after "new" declaration
1364
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001365
1366Note: when doing completion first time Vim will load all necessary data into
1367memory. It may take several seconds. After next use of completion delay
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001368should not be noticeable.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001369
1370Script detects if cursor is inside <?php ?> tags. If it is outside it will
1371automatically switch to HTML/CSS/JavaScript completion. Note: contrary to
1372original HTML files completion of tags (and only tags) isn't context aware.
1373
1374
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001375RUBY *ft-ruby-omni*
1376
1377Completion of Ruby code requires that vim be built with |+ruby|.
1378
1379Ruby completion will parse your buffer on demand in order to provide a list of
1380completions. These completions will be drawn from modules loaded by 'require'
1381and modules defined in the current buffer.
1382
1383The completions provided by CTRL-X CTRL-O are sensitive to the context:
1384
1385 CONTEXT COMPLETIONS PROVIDED ~
1386
1387 1. Not inside a class definition Classes, constants and globals
1388
1389 2. Inside a class definition Methods or constants defined in the class
1390
1391 3. After '.', '::' or ':' Methods applicable to the object being
1392 dereferenced
1393
1394 4. After ':' or ':foo' Symbol name (beginning with 'foo')
1395
1396Notes:
1397 - Vim will load/evaluate code in order to provide completions. This may
1398 cause some code execution, which may be a concern.
1399 - In context 2 above, anonymous classes are not supported.
1400 - In context 3 above, Vim will attempt to determine the methods supported by
1401 the object.
1402 - Vim can detect and load the Rails environment for files within a rails
1403 project. The feature is disabled by default, to enable it add >
1404 let g:rubycomplete_rails = 1
1405< to your vimrc.
1406
1407
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001408SYNTAX *ft-syntax-omni*
1409
1410This uses the current syntax highlighting for completion. It can be used for
1411any filetype and provides a minimal language-sensitive completion.
1412
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001413To enable syntax code completion you can run: >
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001414 setlocal omnifunc=syntaxcomplete#Complete
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001415
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001416You can automate this by placing the following in your vimrc (after any
1417":filetype" command): >
1418 if has("autocmd") && exists("+omnifunc")
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001419 autocmd Filetype *
1420 \ if &omnifunc == "" |
1421 \ setlocal omnifunc=syntaxcomplete#Complete |
1422 \ endif
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001423 endif
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001424
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001425The above will set completion to this script only if a specific plugin does
1426not already exist for that filetype.
1427
1428Each filetype can have a wide range of syntax items. The plugin allows you to
1429customize which syntax groups to include or exclude from the list. Let's have
1430a look at the PHP filetype to see how this works.
1431
1432If you edit a file called, index.php, run the following command: >
1433 :syntax list
1434
1435First thing you will notice is there are many different syntax groups. The
1436PHP language can include elements from different languages like HTML,
1437JavaScript and many more. The syntax plugin will only include syntax groups
1438that begin with the filetype, "php", in this case. For example these syntax
1439groups are included by default with the PHP: phpEnvVar, phpIntVar,
1440phpFunctions.
1441
1442The PHP language has an enormous number of items which it knows how to syntax
1443highlight. This means these items will be available within the omni
1444completion list. Some people may find this list unwieldy or are only
1445interested in certain items.
1446
1447There are two ways to prune this list (if necessary). If you find certain
1448syntax groups you do not wish displayed you can add the following to your
1449vimrc: >
1450 let g:omni_syntax_group_exclude_php = 'phpCoreConstant,phpConstant'
1451
1452Add as many syntax groups to this list by comma separating them. The basic
1453form of this variable is: >
1454 let g:omni_syntax_group_exclude_{filetype} = 'comma,separated,list'
1455
1456For completeness the opposite is also true. Creating this variable in your
1457vimrc will only include the items in the phpFunctions and phpMethods syntax
1458groups: >
1459 let g:omni_syntax_group_include_php = 'phpFunctions,phpMethods'
1460
1461You can create as many of these variables as you need, varying only the
1462filetype at the end of the variable name.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001463
1464
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001465SQL *ft-sql-omni*
1466
1467Completion for the SQL language includes statements, functions, keywords.
1468It will also dynamically complete tables, procedures, views and column lists
1469with data pulled directly from within a database. For detailed instructions
1470and a tutorial see |omni-sql-completion|.
1471
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001472The SQL completion plugin can be used in conjunction with other completion
1473plugins. For example, the PHP filetype has it's own completion plugin.
1474Since PHP is often used to generate dynamic website by accessing a database,
1475the SQL completion plugin can also be enabled. This allows you to complete
1476PHP code and SQL code at the same time.
1477
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001478
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001479XML *ft-xml-omni*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001480
Bram Moolenaar5b962cf2005-12-12 21:58:40 +00001481Vim 7 provides mechanism to context aware completion of XML files. It depends
1482on special |xml-omni-datafile| and two commands: |:XMLns| and |:XMLent|.
1483Features are:
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001484
1485- after "<" complete tag name depending on context (no div suggest
1486 inside of an a tag)
1487- inside of tag complete proper attributes (no width attribute for an
1488 a tag)
1489- when attribute has limited number of possible values help to complete
1490 them
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001491- complete names of entities (defined in |xml-omni-datafile| and in current
1492 file with "<!ENTITY" declarations
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001493- when used after "</" CTRL-X CTRL-O will close the last opened tag
1494
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001495Format of XML data file *xml-omni-datafile*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001496
1497Vim distribution provides two data files as examples (xhtml10s.vim, xsl.vim)
1498
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001499XML data files are stored in "autoload/xml" directory in 'runtimepath'. They
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001500have meaningful name which will be used in commands. It should be unique name
1501which will not create conflicts in future. For example name xhtml10s.vim means
1502it is data file for XHTML 1.0 Strict.
1503
1504File contains one variable with fixed name: g:xmldata_xhtml10s . It is
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001505compound from two parts:
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001506
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +000015071. "g:xmldata_" general prefix
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +000015082. "xhtml10s" name of file and name of described XML dialect
1509
1510Part two must be exactly the same as name of file.
1511
1512Variable is data structure in form of |Dictionary|. Keys are tag names and
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001513values are two element |List|. First element of List is also List with names
1514of possible children, second element is |Dictionary| with names of attributes
1515as keys and possible values of attributes as values. Example: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001516
1517 let g:xmldata_crippledhtml = {
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001518 \ "html":
1519 \ [ ["body", "head"], {"id": [], "xmlns": ["http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"],
1520 \ "lang": [], "xml:lang": [], "dir": ["ltr", "rtl"]}],
1521 \ "script":
1522 \ [ [], {"id": [], "charset": [], "type": ["text/javascript"], "src": [],
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001523 \ "defer": ["BOOL"], "xml:space": ["preserve"]}],
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001524 \ "meta":
1525 \ [ [], {"id": [], "http-equiv": [], "name": [], "content": [], "scheme":
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001526 \ [], "lang": [], "xml:lang": [], "dir": ["ltr", "rtl"]}]
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001527 \ "vimxmlentities": ["amp", "lt", "gt", "apos", "quot"]},
1528 \ "vimxmltaginfo": {
1529 \ 'meta': ['/>', '']},
1530 \ "vimxmlattrinfo": {
1531 \ 'http-equiv': ['ContentType', '']}
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001532
1533This example should be put in "autoload/xml/crippledhtml.vim" file.
1534
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001535In example are visible four special elements:
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001536
15371. "vimxmlentities" - special key with List containing entities of this XML
1538 dialect.
15392. "BOOL" - value of attribute key showing if attribute should be inserted
1540 bare ("defer" vs. 'defer="'). It can be the only element of List of
1541 attribute values.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +000015423. "vimxmltaginfo" - special key with dictionary containing as key tag names,
1543 as value two element List for additional menu info and long description.
15444. "vimxmlattrinfo" - special key with dictionary containing as key attribute
1545 names, as value two element List for additional menu info and long
1546 description.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001547
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001548Note: Tag names in data file MUST not contain namespace description. Check
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001549xsl.vim for example.
1550
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001551
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001552DTD -> Vim *dtd2vim*
1553
1554On |www| is script |dtd2vim| which parses DTD and creates XML data file
1555for Vim XML omni completion.
1556
1557 dtd2vim: http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=1462
1558
1559Check there and beginning of file for details of usage.
1560Script requires perl and:
1561
1562 perlSGML: http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/perlsgml
1563
1564
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001565Commands
1566
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001567:XMLns {name} [{namespace}] *:XMLns*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001568
1569Vim has to know which data file should be used and with which namespace. For
1570loading of data file and connecting data with prope namespace use |:XMLns|
1571command. First (obligatory) argument is name of data (xhtml10s, xsl). Second
1572argument is code of namespace (h, xsl). When used without second argument
1573dialect will be used as default - without namespace declaration. For example
1574to use XML completion in .xsl files: >
1575
1576 :XMLns xhtml10s
1577 :XMLns xsl xsl
1578
1579
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001580:XMLent {name} *:XMLent*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001581
1582By default entities will be completed from data file of default
1583namespace. XMLent command should be used in case when there is no
1584default namespace: >
1585
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001586 :XMLent xhtml10s
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001587
1588Usage
1589
1590While used in situation (after declarations from previous part, | is
1591cursor position): >
1592
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001593 <|
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001594
1595Will complete to appropriate XHTML tag, and in this situation: >
1596
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001597 <xsl:|
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001598
1599Will complete to appropriate XSL tag.
1600
1601File xmlcomplete.vim provides through |autoload| mechanism
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001602GetLastOpenTag function which can be used in XML files to get name of
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001603last open tag with (b:unaryTagsStack has to be defined): >
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001604
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001605 :echo xmlcomplete#GetLastOpenTag("b:unaryTagsStack")
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001606
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001607
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001608
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001609
1610
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001611==============================================================================
16128. Insert mode commands *inserting*
1613
1614The following commands can be used to insert new text into the buffer. They
1615can all be undone and repeated with the "." command.
1616
1617 *a*
1618a Append text after the cursor [count] times. If the
1619 cursor is in the first column of an empty line Insert
1620 starts there. But not when 'virtualedit' is set!
1621
1622 *A*
1623A Append text at the end of the line [count] times.
1624
1625<insert> or *i* *insert* *<Insert>*
1626i Insert text before the cursor [count] times.
1627 When using CTRL-O in Insert mode |i_CTRL-O| the count
1628 is not supported.
1629
1630 *I*
1631I Insert text before the first non-blank in the line
1632 [count] times.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001633 When the 'H' flag is present in 'cpoptions' and the
1634 line only contains blanks, insert start just before
1635 the last blank.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001636
1637 *gI*
1638gI Insert text in column 1 [count] times. {not in Vi}
1639
1640 *gi*
1641gi Insert text in the same position as where Insert mode
1642 was stopped last time in the current buffer.
1643 This uses the |'^| mark. It's different from "`^i"
1644 when the mark is past the end of the line.
1645 The position is corrected for inserted/deleted lines,
1646 but NOT for inserted/deleted characters.
1647 When the |:keepjumps| command modifier is used the |'^|
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001648 mark won't be changed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001649 {not in Vi}
1650
1651 *o*
1652o Begin a new line below the cursor and insert text,
1653 repeat [count] times. {Vi: blank [count] screen
1654 lines}
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001655 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
1656 ignored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001657
1658 *O*
1659O Begin a new line above the cursor and insert text,
1660 repeat [count] times. {Vi: blank [count] screen
1661 lines}
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001662 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
1663 ignored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001664
1665These commands are used to start inserting text. You can end insert mode with
1666<Esc>. See |mode-ins-repl| for the other special characters in Insert mode.
1667The effect of [count] takes place after Insert mode is exited.
1668
1669When 'autoindent' is on, the indent for a new line is obtained from the
1670previous line. When 'smartindent' or 'cindent' is on, the indent for a line
1671is automatically adjusted for C programs.
1672
1673'textwidth' can be set to the maximum width for a line. When a line becomes
1674too long when appending characters a line break is automatically inserted.
1675
1676
1677==============================================================================
16789. Ex insert commands *inserting-ex*
1679
1680 *:a* *:append*
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001681:{range}a[ppend][!] Insert several lines of text below the specified
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001682 line. If the {range} is missing, the text will be
1683 inserted after the current line.
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001684 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
1685 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001686
1687 *:i* *:in* *:insert*
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001688:{range}i[nsert][!] Insert several lines of text above the specified
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001689 line. If the {range} is missing, the text will be
1690 inserted before the current line.
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001691 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
1692 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001693
1694These two commands will keep on asking for lines, until you type a line
1695containing only a ".". Watch out for lines starting with a backslash, see
1696|line-continuation|.
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001697When these commands are used with |:global| or |:vglobal| then the lines are
1698obtained from the text following the command. Separate lines with a NL
1699escaped with a backslash: >
1700 :global/abc/insert\
1701 one line\
1702 another line
1703The final "." is not needed then.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001704NOTE: ":append" and ":insert" don't work properly in between ":if" and
Bram Moolenaar06fb4352005-01-05 22:10:30 +00001705":endif", ":for" and ":endfor", ":while" and ":endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001706
1707 *:start* *:startinsert*
1708:star[tinsert][!] Start Insert mode just after executing this command.
1709 Works like typing "i" in Normal mode. When the ! is
1710 included it works like "A", append to the line.
1711 Otherwise insertion starts at the cursor position.
1712 Note that when using this command in a function or
1713 script, the insertion only starts after the function
1714 or script is finished.
Bram Moolenaar87e25fd2005-07-27 21:13:01 +00001715 This command does not work from |:normal|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001716 {not in Vi}
1717 {not available when compiled without the +ex_extra
1718 feature}
1719
1720 *:stopi* *:stopinsert*
1721:stopi[nsert] Stop Insert mode as soon as possible. Works like
1722 typing <Esc> in Insert mode.
1723 Can be used in an autocommand, example: >
1724 :au BufEnter scratch stopinsert
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00001725<
1726 *replacing-ex* *:startreplace*
1727:startr[eplace][!] Start Replace mode just after executing this command.
1728 Works just like typing "R" in Normal mode. When the
1729 ! is included it acts just like "$R" had been typed
1730 (ie. begin replace mode at the end-of-line). Other-
1731 wise replacement begins at the cursor position.
1732 Note that when using this command in a function or
1733 script that the replacement will only start after
1734 the function or script is finished.
1735 {not in Vi}
1736 {not available when compiled without the +ex_extra
1737 feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001738
Bram Moolenaar61da4982005-12-14 22:02:18 +00001739 *:startgreplace*
1740:startg[replace][!] Just like |:startreplace|, but use Virtual Replace
1741 mode, like with |gR|.
1742 {not in Vi}
1743 {not available when compiled without the +ex_extra
1744 feature}
1745
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001746==============================================================================
174710. Inserting a file *inserting-file*
1748
1749 *:r* *:re* *:read*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001750:r[ead] [++opt] [name]
1751 Insert the file [name] (default: current file) below
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001752 the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001753 See |++opt| for the possible values of [++opt].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001754
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001755:{range}r[ead] [++opt] [name]
1756 Insert the file [name] (default: current file) below
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001757 the specified line.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001758 See |++opt| for the possible values of [++opt].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001759
1760 *:r!* *:read!*
1761:r[ead] !{cmd} Execute {cmd} and insert its standard output below
1762 the cursor. A temporary file is used to store the
1763 output of the command which is then read into the
1764 buffer. 'shellredir' is used to save the output of
1765 the command, which can be set to include stderr or
1766 not. {cmd} is executed like with ":!{cmd}", any '!'
1767 is replaced with the previous command |:!|.
1768
1769These commands insert the contents of a file, or the output of a command,
1770into the buffer. They can be undone. They cannot be repeated with the "."
1771command. They work on a line basis, insertion starts below the line in which
1772the cursor is, or below the specified line. To insert text above the first
1773line use the command ":0r {name}".
1774
1775After the ":read" command, the cursor is left on the first non-blank in the
1776first new line. Unless in Ex mode, then the cursor is left on the last new
1777line (sorry, this is Vi compatible).
1778
1779If a file name is given with ":r", it becomes the alternate file. This can be
1780used, for example, when you want to edit that file instead: ":e! #". This can
1781be switched off by removing the 'a' flag from the 'cpoptions' option.
1782
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001783Of the [++opt] arguments one is specifically for ":read", the ++edit argument.
1784This is useful when the ":read" command is actually used to read a file into
1785the buffer as if editing that file. Use this command in an empty buffer: >
1786 :read ++edit filename
1787The effect is that the 'fileformat', 'fileencoding', 'bomb', etc. options are
1788set to what has been detected for "filename". Note that a single empty line
1789remains, you may want to delete it.
1790
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001791 *file-read*
1792The 'fileformat' option sets the <EOL> style for a file:
1793'fileformat' characters name ~
1794 "dos" <CR><NL> or <NL> DOS format
1795 "unix" <NL> Unix format
1796 "mac" <CR> Mac format
1797Previously 'textmode' was used. It is obsolete now.
1798
1799If 'fileformat' is "dos", a <CR> in front of an <NL> is ignored and a CTRL-Z
1800at the end of the file is ignored.
1801
1802If 'fileformat' is "mac", a <NL> in the file is internally represented by a
1803<CR>. This is to avoid confusion with a <NL> which is used to represent a
1804<NUL>. See |CR-used-for-NL|.
1805
1806If the 'fileformats' option is not empty Vim tries to recognize the type of
1807<EOL> (see |file-formats|). However, the 'fileformat' option will not be
1808changed, the detected format is only used while reading the file.
1809A similar thing happens with 'fileencodings'.
1810
1811On non-MS-DOS, Win32, and OS/2 systems the message "[dos format]" is shown if
1812a file is read in DOS format, to remind you that something unusual is done.
1813On Macintosh, MS-DOS, Win32, and OS/2 the message "[unix format]" is shown if
1814a file is read in Unix format.
1815On non-Macintosh systems, the message "[Mac format]" is shown if a file is
1816read in Mac format.
1817
1818An example on how to use ":r !": >
1819 :r !uuencode binfile binfile
1820This command reads "binfile", uuencodes it and reads it into the current
1821buffer. Useful when you are editing e-mail and want to include a binary
1822file.
1823
1824 *read-messages*
1825When reading a file Vim will display a message with information about the read
1826file. In the table is an explanation for some of the items. The others are
1827self explanatory. Using the long or the short version depends on the
1828'shortmess' option.
1829
1830 long short meaning ~
1831 [readonly] {RO} the file is write protected
1832 [fifo/socket] using a stream
1833 [fifo] using a fifo stream
1834 [socket] using a socket stream
1835 [CR missing] reading with "dos" 'fileformat' and a
1836 NL without a preceding CR was found.
1837 [NL found] reading with "mac" 'fileformat' and a
1838 NL was found (could be "unix" format)
1839 [long lines split] at least one line was split in two
1840 [NOT converted] conversion from 'fileencoding' to
1841 'encoding' was desired but not
1842 possible
1843 [converted] conversion from 'fileencoding' to
1844 'encoding' done
1845 [crypted] file was decrypted
1846 [READ ERRORS] not all of the file could be read
1847
1848
1849 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: