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Bram Moolenaarfff2bee2010-05-15 13:56:02 +02001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.3a. Last change: 2010 May 14
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005
6
7Expression evaluation *expression* *expr* *E15* *eval*
8
9Using expressions is introduced in chapter 41 of the user manual |usr_41.txt|.
10
11Note: Expression evaluation can be disabled at compile time. If this has been
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000012done, the features in this document are not available. See |+eval| and
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000013|no-eval-feature|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000014
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000151. Variables |variables|
16 1.1 Variable types
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000017 1.2 Function references |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +000018 1.3 Lists |Lists|
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000019 1.4 Dictionaries |Dictionaries|
20 1.5 More about variables |more-variables|
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212. Expression syntax |expression-syntax|
223. Internal variable |internal-variables|
234. Builtin Functions |functions|
245. Defining functions |user-functions|
256. Curly braces names |curly-braces-names|
267. Commands |expression-commands|
278. Exception handling |exception-handling|
289. Examples |eval-examples|
2910. No +eval feature |no-eval-feature|
3011. The sandbox |eval-sandbox|
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00003112. Textlock |textlock|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000032
33{Vi does not have any of these commands}
34
35==============================================================================
361. Variables *variables*
37
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000381.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000039 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000040There are six types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000041
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000042Number A 32 bit signed number. |expr-number| *Number*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000043 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
44
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000045Float A floating point number. |floating-point-format| *Float*
46 {only when compiled with the |+float| feature}
47 Examples: 123.456 1.15e-6 -1.1e3
48
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000049String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000050 |expr-string| Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000051
52Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
53 Example: function("strlen")
54
55List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
56 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000057
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000058Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
59 value. |Dictionary|
60 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
61
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000062The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
63are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000064
65Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
66the Number. Examples: >
67 Number 123 --> String "123"
68 Number 0 --> String "0"
69 Number -1 --> String "-1"
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +020070 *octal*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000071Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
72to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
73the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
74 String "456" --> Number 456
75 String "6bar" --> Number 6
76 String "foo" --> Number 0
77 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
78 String "0100" --> Number 64
79 String "-8" --> Number -8
80 String "+8" --> Number 0
81
82To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
83 :echo "0100" + 0
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +000084< 64 ~
85
86To avoid a leading zero to cause octal conversion, or for using a different
87base, use |str2nr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000088
89For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
90
91Note that in the command >
92 :if "foo"
93"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
94use strlen(): >
95 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000096< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
97List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000098
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000099 *E805* *E806* *E808*
100When mixing Number and Float the Number is converted to Float. Otherwise
101there is no automatic conversion of Float. You can use str2float() for String
102to Float, printf() for Float to String and float2nr() for Float to Number.
103
104 *E706* *sticky-type-checking*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000105You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
106to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000107equivalent though, as well are Float and Number. Consider this sequence of
108commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000109 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000110 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000111 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error! l is still a Number
112 :let l = 4.4 " changes type from Number to Float
113 :let l = "string" " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000114
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000115
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001161.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000117 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000118A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000119in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
120around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000121
122 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
123 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000124< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000125A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:", "t:" or "b:". You
126cannot have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000127
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000128A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
129Dictionary entry. Example: >
130 :function dict.init() dict
131 : let self.val = 0
132 :endfunction
133
134The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
135function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
136
137A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
138 :call Fn()
139 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000140
141The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000142 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000143
144You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
145arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000146 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000147
148
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001491.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000150 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000151A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000152can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000153position in the sequence.
154
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000155
156List creation ~
157 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159Examples: >
160 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
161 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000162
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000163An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000164List of Lists: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000165 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000166
167An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
168
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000169
170List index ~
171 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000172An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000173after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
174 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000175 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000176
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000177When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000178 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000179<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000180A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
181the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000182 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
183
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000184To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000185is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000186 :echo get(mylist, idx)
187 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
188
189
190List concatenation ~
191
192Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
193 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000194 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000195
196To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
197it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
198
199
200Sublist ~
201
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000202A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
203separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000204 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000205
206Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000207similar to -1. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000208 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
209 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
210 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000211
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000212If the first index is beyond the last item of the List or the second item is
213before the first item, the result is an empty list. There is no error
214message.
215
216If the second index is equal to or greater than the length of the list the
217length minus one is used: >
Bram Moolenaar9e54a0e2006-04-14 20:42:25 +0000218 :let mylist = [0, 1, 2, 3]
219 :echo mylist[2:8] " result: [2, 3]
220
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000221NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000222using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000223mylist[s : e].
224
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000225
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000226List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000227 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000228When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
229variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
230change "bb": >
231 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
232 :let bb = aa
233 :call add(aa, 4)
234 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000235< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000236
237Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
238works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000239a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000240 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
241 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000242 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000243 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
244 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000245< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000246 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000247< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000248
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000249To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000250copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000251
252The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000253List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000254the same value. >
255 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
256 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
257 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000258< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000259 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000260< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000261
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000262Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
263same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000264exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
265different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
266variables. Example: >
267 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000268< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000269 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000270< 0
271
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000272Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000273can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000274
275 :let a = 5
276 :let b = "5"
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000277 :echo a == b
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000278< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000279 :echo [a] == [b]
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000280< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000281
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000282
283List unpack ~
284
285To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
286square brackets, like list items: >
287 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
288
289When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
290this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
291and a variable name: >
292 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
293
294This works like: >
295 :let var1 = mylist[0]
296 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000297 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000298
299Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
300empty list then.
301
302
303List modification ~
304 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000305To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000306 :let list[4] = "four"
307 :let listlist[0][3] = item
308
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000309To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000310modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000311 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
312
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000313Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
314examples: >
315 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
316 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
317 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000318 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000319 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
320 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000321 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000322 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000323 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000324 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000325
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000326Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000327 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
328 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
329
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000330
331For loop ~
332
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000333The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
334to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000335 :for item in mylist
336 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000337 :endfor
338
339This works like: >
340 :let index = 0
341 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000342 : let item = mylist[index]
343 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000344 : let index = index + 1
345 :endwhile
346
347Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000348results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000349the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000350
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000351If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000352function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000353
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000354Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000355requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
356 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
357 : call Doit(lnum, col)
358 :endfor
359
360This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
361must remain the same to avoid an error.
362
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000363It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000364 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
365 : call Doit(i, j)
366 : if !empty(rest)
367 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
368 : endif
369 :endfor
370
371
372List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000373 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000374Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000375 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000376 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000377 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
378 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
379 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000380 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
381 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000382 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
383 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000384 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
385 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000386 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
387 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000388
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000389Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
390example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
391 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
392
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000393
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003941.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000395 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000396A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000397entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
398ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000399
400
401Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000402 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000403A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000404braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
405only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000406 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
407 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000408< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000409A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
410String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000411entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000412Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000413
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000414A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000415nested Dictionary: >
416 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
417
418An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
419
420
421Accessing entries ~
422
423The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
424 :let val = mydict["one"]
425 :let mydict["four"] = 4
426
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000427You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000428
429For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
430form can be used |expr-entry|: >
431 :let val = mydict.one
432 :let mydict.four = 4
433
434Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
435key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000436 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000437
438
439Dictionary to List conversion ~
440
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000441You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000442turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
443
444Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
445 :for key in keys(mydict)
446 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
447 :endfor
448
449The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
450 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
451
452To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
453 :for v in values(mydict)
454 : echo "value: " . v
455 :endfor
456
457If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000458a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000459 :for [key, value] in items(mydict)
460 : echo key . ': ' . value
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000461 :endfor
462
463
464Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000465 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000466Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
467Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
468Dictionary: >
469 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
470 :let adict = onedict
471 :let adict['a'] = 11
472 :echo onedict['a']
473 11
474
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000475Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
476more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000477
478
479Dictionary modification ~
480 *dict-modification*
481To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
482use |:let| this way: >
483 :let dict[4] = "four"
484 :let dict['one'] = item
485
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000486Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
487Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
488 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
489 :unlet dict.aaa
490 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000491
492Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000493 :call extend(adict, bdict)
494This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
495in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000496Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
497expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
498adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000499
500Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000501 :call filter(dict, 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000502This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000503
504
505Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000506 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000507When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000508special way with a dictionary. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000509 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000510 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000511 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000512 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
513 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000514
515This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
516Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
517the function was invoked from.
518
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000519It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
520Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
521
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000522 *numbered-function* *anonymous-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000523To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
524assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000525 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
526 :function mydict.len() dict
527 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000528 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000529 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000530
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000531The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000532that references this function. The function can only be used through a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000533|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
534remaining that refers to it.
535
536It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000537
538
539Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000540 *E715*
541Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000542 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
543 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
544 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
545 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
546 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
547 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
548 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
549 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000550
551
5521.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000553 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000554If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
555function.
556
557When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
558start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
559stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
560
561When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
562start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
563stored in the session file |session-file|.
564
565variable name can be stored where ~
566my_var_6 not
567My_Var_6 session file
568MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
569
570
571It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
572|curly-braces-names|.
573
574==============================================================================
5752. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
576
577Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
578
579|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
580
581|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
582
583|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
584
585|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
586 expr5 != expr5 not equal
587 expr5 > expr5 greater than
588 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
589 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
590 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
591 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
592 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
593
594 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
595 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
596 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
597 matching case
598
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000599 expr5 is expr5 same |List| instance
600 expr5 isnot expr5 different |List| instance
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000601
602|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000603 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
604 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
605
606|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
607 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
608 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
609
610|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
611 - expr7 unary minus
612 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000613
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000614
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000615|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a |List|
616 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a |List|
617 expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary|
618 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with |Funcref| variable
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000619
620|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000621 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000622 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000623 [expr1, ...] |List|
624 {expr1: expr1, ...} |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000625 &option option value
626 (expr1) nested expression
627 variable internal variable
628 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
629 $VAR environment variable
630 @r contents of register 'r'
631 function(expr1, ...) function call
632 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
633
634
635".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
636Example: >
637 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
638
639All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
640
641
642expr1 *expr1* *E109*
643-----
644
645expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
646
647The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
648non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
649otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
650Example: >
651 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
652
653Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
654other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
655Example: >
656 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
657
658To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
659 :echo lnum == 1
660 :\ ? "top"
661 :\ : lnum == 1000
662 :\ ? "last"
663 :\ : lnum
664
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000665You should always put a space before the ':', otherwise it can be mistaken for
666use in a variable such as "a:1".
667
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000668
669expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
670---------------
671
672 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
673The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
674are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
675
676 input output ~
677n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
678zero zero zero zero
679zero non-zero non-zero zero
680non-zero zero non-zero zero
681non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
682
683The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
684
685 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
686
687Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
688
689 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
690
691Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
692arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
693
694 let a = 1
695 echo a || b
696
697This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
698so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
699
700 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
701
702This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
703only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
704
705
706expr4 *expr4*
707-----
708
709expr5 {cmp} expr5
710
711Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
712if it evaluates to true.
713
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000714 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000715 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
716 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
717 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
718 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
719 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000720 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000721 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
722equal == ==# ==?
723not equal != !=# !=?
724greater than > ># >?
725greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
726smaller than < <# <?
727smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
728regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
729regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000730same instance is
731different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000732
733Examples:
734"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
735"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
736"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
737
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000738 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000739A |List| can only be compared with a |List| and only "equal", "not equal" and
740"is" can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively.
741Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000742
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000743 *E735* *E736*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000744A |Dictionary| can only be compared with a |Dictionary| and only "equal", "not
745equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000746recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
747
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000748 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000749A |Funcref| can only be compared with a |Funcref| and only "equal" and "not
750equal" can be used. Case is never ignored.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000751
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000752When using "is" or "isnot" with a |List| this checks if the expressions are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000753referring to the same |List| instance. A copy of a |List| is different from
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000754the original |List|. When using "is" without a |List| it is equivalent to
755using "equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000756different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000757is false.
758
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000759When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000760and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000761because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
762
763When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
764results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
765necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
766
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000767When using the operators with a trailing '#', or the short version and
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000768'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp(): case matters.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000769
770When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000771'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp(): case is ignored.
772
773'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000774
775The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
776argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
777This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
778matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
779portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
780single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
781Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
782(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
783can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
784 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
785 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
786
787
788expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
789---------------
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000790expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or |List| concatenation *expr-+*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000791expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
792expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000793
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +0000794For |Lists| only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000795result is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000796
797expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
798expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
799expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000800
801For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
802
803Note the difference between "+" and ".":
804 "123" + "456" = 579
805 "123" . "456" = "123456"
806
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000807Since '.' has the same precedence as '+' and '-', you need to read: >
808 1 . 90 + 90.0
809As: >
810 (1 . 90) + 90.0
811That works, since the String "190" is automatically converted to the Number
812190, which can be added to the Float 90.0. However: >
813 1 . 90 * 90.0
814Should be read as: >
815 1 . (90 * 90.0)
816Since '.' has lower precedence than '*'. This does NOT work, since this
817attempts to concatenate a Float and a String.
818
819When dividing a Number by zero the result depends on the value:
820 0 / 0 = -0x80000000 (like NaN for Float)
821 >0 / 0 = 0x7fffffff (like positive infinity)
822 <0 / 0 = -0x7fffffff (like negative infinity)
823 (before Vim 7.2 it was always 0x7fffffff)
824
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000825When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
826
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000827None of these work for |Funcref|s.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000828
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000829. and % do not work for Float. *E804*
830
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000831
832expr7 *expr7*
833-----
834! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
835- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
836+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
837
838For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
839For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
840For '+' the number is unchanged.
841
842A String will be converted to a Number first.
843
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000844These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000845 !-1 == 0
846 !!8 == 1
847 --9 == 9
848
849
850expr8 *expr8*
851-----
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000852expr8[expr1] item of String or |List| *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000853
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000854If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
855expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100856Number. This doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings, see |byteidx()| for
857an alternative.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000858
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000859Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
860text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
861cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +0000862 :let c = getline(".")[col(".") - 1]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000863
864If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000865String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
866compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
867
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000868If expr8 is a |List| then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000869for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000870error. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000871 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
872
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000873Generally, if a |List| index is equal to or higher than the length of the
874|List|, or more negative than the length of the |List|, this results in an
875error.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000876
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000877
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000878expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000879
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000880If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
881from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100882expr1b are used as a Number. This doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings, see
883|byteidx()| for computing the indexes.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000884
885If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
886string minus one is used.
887
888A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
889the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
890
891If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
892expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
893
894Examples: >
895 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
896 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
897 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
898 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100899<
900 *sublist* *slice*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000901If expr8 is a |List| this results in a new |List| with the items indicated by
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000902the indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000903just above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000904 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
905 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
906 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
907
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000908Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a |Funcref| results in an
909error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000910
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000911
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000912expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary| *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000913
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000914If expr8 is a |Dictionary| and it is followed by a dot, then the following
915name will be used as a key in the |Dictionary|. This is just like:
916expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000917
918The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
919but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
920
921There must not be white space before or after the dot.
922
923Examples: >
924 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
925 :echo dict.one
926 :echo dict .2
927
928Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
929always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
930
931
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000932expr8(expr1, ...) |Funcref| function call
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000933
934When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
935
936
937
938 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000939number
940------
941number number constant *expr-number*
942
943Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
944
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000945 *floating-point-format*
946Floating point numbers can be written in two forms:
947
948 [-+]{N}.{M}
949 [-+]{N}.{M}e[-+]{exp}
950
951{N} and {M} are numbers. Both {N} and {M} must be present and can only
952contain digits.
953[-+] means there is an optional plus or minus sign.
954{exp} is the exponent, power of 10.
955Only a decimal point is accepted, not a comma. No matter what the current
956locale is.
957{only when compiled with the |+float| feature}
958
959Examples:
960 123.456
961 +0.0001
962 55.0
963 -0.123
964 1.234e03
965 1.0E-6
966 -3.1416e+88
967
968These are INVALID:
969 3. empty {M}
970 1e40 missing .{M}
971
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000972 *float-pi* *float-e*
973A few useful values to copy&paste: >
974 :let pi = 3.14159265359
975 :let e = 2.71828182846
976
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000977Rationale:
978Before floating point was introduced, the text "123.456" was interpreted as
979the two numbers "123" and "456", both converted to a string and concatenated,
980resulting in the string "123456". Since this was considered pointless, and we
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000981could not find it intentionally being used in Vim scripts, this backwards
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000982incompatibility was accepted in favor of being able to use the normal notation
983for floating point numbers.
984
985 *floating-point-precision*
986The precision and range of floating points numbers depends on what "double"
987means in the library Vim was compiled with. There is no way to change this at
988runtime.
989
990The default for displaying a |Float| is to use 6 decimal places, like using
991printf("%g", f). You can select something else when using the |printf()|
992function. Example: >
993 :echo printf('%.15e', atan(1))
994< 7.853981633974483e-01
995
996
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000997
998string *expr-string* *E114*
999------
1000"string" string constant *expr-quote*
1001
1002Note that double quotes are used.
1003
1004A string constant accepts these special characters:
1005\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
1006\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
1007\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
1008\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
1009\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
1010\X.. same as \x..
1011\X. same as \x.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001012\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001013 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
1014\U.... same as \u....
1015\b backspace <BS>
1016\e escape <Esc>
1017\f formfeed <FF>
1018\n newline <NL>
1019\r return <CR>
1020\t tab <Tab>
1021\\ backslash
1022\" double quote
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +02001023\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W. This is for use
1024 in mappings, the 0x80 byte is escaped. Don't use <Char-xxxx> to get a
1025 utf-8 character, use \uxxxx as mentioned above.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001026
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001027Note that "\xff" is stored as the byte 255, which may be invalid in some
1028encodings. Use "\u00ff" to store character 255 according to the current value
1029of 'encoding'.
1030
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001031Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
1032
1033
1034literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
1035---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001036'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001037
1038Note that single quotes are used.
1039
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001040This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001041meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001042
1043Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001044to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001045 if a =~ "\\s*"
1046 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001047
1048
1049option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
1050------
1051&option option value, local value if possible
1052&g:option global option value
1053&l:option local option value
1054
1055Examples: >
1056 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
1057 if &insertmode
1058
1059Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
1060and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
1061anyway.
1062
1063
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001064register *expr-register* *@r*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001065--------
1066@r contents of register 'r'
1067
1068The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
1069Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001070register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00001071registers.
1072
1073When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
1074evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001075
1076
1077nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
1078-------
1079(expr1) nested expression
1080
1081
1082environment variable *expr-env*
1083--------------------
1084$VAR environment variable
1085
1086The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
1087result is an empty string.
1088 *expr-env-expand*
1089Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
1090expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
1091are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
1092the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
1093fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
1094does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
1095 :echo $version
1096 :echo expand("$version")
1097The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
1098variable (if your shell supports it).
1099
1100
1101internal variable *expr-variable*
1102-----------------
1103variable internal variable
1104See below |internal-variables|.
1105
1106
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001107function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001108-------------
1109function(expr1, ...) function call
1110See below |functions|.
1111
1112
1113==============================================================================
11143. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
1115 *E461*
1116An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1117cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1118|curly-braces-names|.
1119
1120An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001121An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1122|:unlet|.
1123Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1124been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001125
1126There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1127specified by what is prepended:
1128
1129 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1130|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1131|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001132|tabpage-variable| t: Local to the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001133|global-variable| g: Global.
1134|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1135|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1136|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001137|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001138
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001139The scope name by itself can be used as a |Dictionary|. For example, to
1140delete all script-local variables: >
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001141 :for k in keys(s:)
1142 : unlet s:[k]
1143 :endfor
1144<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001145 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1146A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1147Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1148This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1149|:bdelete|.
1150
1151One local buffer variable is predefined:
1152 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1153b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1154 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1155 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1156 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1157 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001158 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1159 : call My_Update()
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001160 :endif
1161<
1162 *window-variable* *w:var*
1163A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1164is deleted when the window is closed.
1165
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001166 *tabpage-variable* *t:var*
1167A variable name that is preceded with "t:" is local to the current tab page,
1168It is deleted when the tab page is closed. {not available when compiled
1169without the +windows feature}
1170
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001171 *global-variable* *g:var*
1172Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001173access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001174place if you like.
1175
1176 *local-variable* *l:var*
1177Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001178But you can also prepend "l:" if you like. However, without prepending "l:"
1179you may run into reserved variable names. For example "count". By itself it
1180refers to "v:count". Using "l:count" you can have a local variable with the
1181same name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001182
1183 *script-variable* *s:var*
1184In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1185accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1186
1187They can be used in:
1188- commands executed while the script is sourced
1189- functions defined in the script
1190- autocommands defined in the script
1191- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1192 defined in the script (recursively)
1193- user defined commands defined in the script
1194Thus not in:
1195- other scripts sourced from this one
1196- mappings
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001197- menus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001198- etc.
1199
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001200Script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1201Take this example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001202
1203 let s:counter = 0
1204 function MyCounter()
1205 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1206 echo s:counter
1207 endfunction
1208 command Tick call MyCounter()
1209
1210You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1211that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1212"Tick" was defined is used.
1213
1214Another example that does the same: >
1215
1216 let s:counter = 0
1217 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1218
1219When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001220script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001221defined.
1222
1223The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1224function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1225
1226 let s:counter = 0
1227 function StartCounting(incr)
1228 if a:incr
1229 function MyCounter()
1230 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1231 endfunction
1232 else
1233 function MyCounter()
1234 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1235 endfunction
1236 endif
1237 endfunction
1238
1239This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1240when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1241called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1242
1243When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1244They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1245maintain a counter: >
1246
1247 if !exists("s:counter")
1248 let s:counter = 1
1249 echo "script executed for the first time"
1250 else
1251 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1252 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1253 endif
1254
1255Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1256variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1257
1258
1259Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1260
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001261 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1262v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1263 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1264 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1265
1266 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1267v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1268 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1269
1270 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1271v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1272 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1273
1274 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001275v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1276 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1277 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1278 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001279 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1280 highlighted text is used.
1281 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1282
1283 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1284v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1285 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1286
Bram Moolenaarf193fff2006-04-27 00:02:13 +00001287 *v:char* *char-variable*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001288v:char Argument for evaluating 'formatexpr' and used for the typed
1289 character when using <expr> in an abbreviation |map-<expr>|.
Bram Moolenaarf193fff2006-04-27 00:02:13 +00001290
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001291 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1292v:charconvert_from
1293 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1294 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1295
1296 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1297v:charconvert_to
1298 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1299 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1300
1301 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1302v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1303 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1304 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1305 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1306 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1307 possible to append this variable directly after the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001308 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001309 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1310 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1311 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1312 in 'printexpr'.
1313
1314 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1315v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1316 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1317 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1318 can be used.
1319
1320 *v:count* *count-variable*
1321v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001322 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001323 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1324< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1325 get when typing ':' after a count.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001326 When there are two counts, as in "3d2w", they are multiplied,
1327 just like what happens in the command, "d6w" for the example.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001328 Also used for evaluating the 'formatexpr' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001329 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1330
1331 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1332v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1333 used.
1334
1335 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1336v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1337 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1338 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1339 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1340 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1341 command.
1342 See |multi-lang|.
1343
1344 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001345v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001346 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1347 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1348 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1349 Example: >
1350 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1351<
1352 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1353v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1354 Example: >
1355 :let v:errmsg = ""
1356 :silent! next
1357 :if v:errmsg != ""
1358 : ... handle error
1359< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1360
1361 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1362v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1363 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1364 Example: >
1365 :try
1366 : throw "oops"
1367 :catch /.*/
1368 : echo "caught" v:exception
1369 :endtry
1370< Output: "caught oops".
1371
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001372 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1373v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1374 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1375 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1376 deleted file no longer exists
1377 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1378 changed and buffer is modified
1379 changed file contents has changed
1380 mode mode of file changed
1381 time only file timestamp changed
1382
1383 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1384v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1385 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1386 do with the affected buffer:
1387 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1388 the file was deleted).
1389 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1390 was no autocommand. Except that when
1391 only the timestamp changed nothing
1392 will happen.
1393 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1394 everything that needs to be done.
1395 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1396 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1397
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001398 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001399v:fname_in The name of the input file. Valid while evaluating:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001400 option used for ~
1401 'charconvert' file to be converted
1402 'diffexpr' original file
1403 'patchexpr' original file
1404 'printexpr' file to be printed
Bram Moolenaar2c7a29c2005-12-12 22:02:31 +00001405 And set to the swap file name for |SwapExists|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001406
1407 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1408v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1409 evaluating:
1410 option used for ~
1411 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1412 'diffexpr' output of diff
1413 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1414 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001415 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001416 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1417 file and different from v:fname_in.
1418
1419 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1420v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1421 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1422
1423 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1424v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1425 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1426
1427 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1428v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1429 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001430 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001431
1432 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1433v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001434 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001435
1436 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1437v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001438 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001439
1440 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1441v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001442 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001443
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001444 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1445v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1446 events. Values:
1447 i Insert mode
1448 r Replace mode
1449 v Virtual Replace mode
1450
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001451 *v:key* *key-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001452v:key Key of the current item of a |Dictionary|. Only valid while
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001453 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1454 Read-only.
1455
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001456 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1457v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1458 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1459 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1460 The value is system dependent.
1461 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1462 command.
1463 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1464 in a different language than what is used for character
1465 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1466
1467 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1468v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1469 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1470 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1471 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1472 command. See |multi-lang|.
1473
1474 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001475v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
Bram Moolenaar57657d82006-04-21 22:12:41 +00001476 expressions, tab page number for 'guitablabel' and
1477 'guitabtooltip'. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1478 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001479
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00001480 *v:mouse_win* *mouse_win-variable*
1481v:mouse_win Window number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1482 First window has number 1, like with |winnr()|. The value is
1483 zero when there was no mouse button click.
1484
1485 *v:mouse_lnum* *mouse_lnum-variable*
1486v:mouse_lnum Line number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1487 This is the text line number, not the screen line number. The
1488 value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
1489
1490 *v:mouse_col* *mouse_col-variable*
1491v:mouse_col Column number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1492 This is the screen column number, like with |virtcol()|. The
1493 value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
1494
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001495 *v:oldfiles* *oldfiles-variable*
1496v:oldfiles List of file names that is loaded from the |viminfo| file on
1497 startup. These are the files that Vim remembers marks for.
1498 The length of the List is limited by the ' argument of the
1499 'viminfo' option (default is 100).
1500 Also see |:oldfiles| and |c_#<|.
1501 The List can be modified, but this has no effect on what is
1502 stored in the |viminfo| file later. If you use values other
1503 than String this will cause trouble.
1504 {only when compiled with the +viminfo feature}
1505
Bram Moolenaar8af1fbf2008-01-05 12:35:21 +00001506 *v:operator* *operator-variable*
1507v:operator The last operator given in Normal mode. This is a single
1508 character except for commands starting with <g> or <z>,
1509 in which case it is two characters. Best used alongside
1510 |v:prevcount| and |v:register|. Useful if you want to cancel
1511 Operator-pending mode and then use the operator, e.g.: >
1512 :omap O <Esc>:call MyMotion(v:operator)<CR>
1513< The value remains set until another operator is entered, thus
1514 don't expect it to be empty.
1515 v:operator is not set for |:delete|, |:yank| or other Ex
1516 commands.
1517 Read-only.
1518
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001519 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1520v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1521 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
Bram Moolenaar8af1fbf2008-01-05 12:35:21 +00001522 you want to cancel Visual or Operator-pending mode and then
1523 use the count, e.g.: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001524 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1525< Read-only.
1526
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001527 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001528v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001529 See |profiling|.
1530
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001531 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1532v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1533 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1534 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1535 Read-only.
1536
1537 *v:register* *register-variable*
1538v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1539 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1540
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001541 *v:scrollstart* *scrollstart-variable*
1542v:scrollstart String describing the script or function that caused the
1543 screen to scroll up. It's only set when it is empty, thus the
1544 first reason is remembered. It is set to "Unknown" for a
1545 typed command.
1546 This can be used to find out why your script causes the
1547 hit-enter prompt.
1548
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001549 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1550v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1551 Read-only.
1552
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001553
1554v:searchforward *v:searchforward* *searchforward-variable*
1555 Search direction: 1 after a forward search, 0 after a
1556 backward search. It is reset to forward when directly setting
1557 the last search pattern, see |quote/|.
1558 Note that the value is restored when returning from a
1559 function. |function-search-undo|.
1560 Read-write.
1561
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001562 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1563v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1564 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1565 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1566 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1567 executed. Read-only.
1568 Example: >
1569 :!mv foo bar
1570 :if v:shell_error
1571 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1572 :endif
1573< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1574
1575 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1576v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1577
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001578 *v:swapname* *swapname-variable*
1579v:swapname Only valid when executing |SwapExists| autocommands: Name of
1580 the swap file found. Read-only.
1581
1582 *v:swapchoice* *swapchoice-variable*
1583v:swapchoice |SwapExists| autocommands can set this to the selected choice
1584 for handling an existing swap file:
1585 'o' Open read-only
1586 'e' Edit anyway
1587 'r' Recover
1588 'd' Delete swapfile
1589 'q' Quit
1590 'a' Abort
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001591 The value should be a single-character string. An empty value
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001592 results in the user being asked, as would happen when there is
1593 no SwapExists autocommand. The default is empty.
1594
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001595 *v:swapcommand* *swapcommand-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001596v:swapcommand Normal mode command to be executed after a file has been
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001597 opened. Can be used for a |SwapExists| autocommand to have
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001598 another Vim open the file and jump to the right place. For
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001599 example, when jumping to a tag the value is ":tag tagname\r".
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +00001600 For ":edit +cmd file" the value is ":cmd\r".
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001601
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001602 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1603v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001604 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001605 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1606 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1607 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1608 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1609 terminal.
1610 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1611 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1612 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1613 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1614 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1615
1616 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1617v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1618 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1619 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1620 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1621
1622 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1623v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001624 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001625 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1626 Example: >
1627 :try
1628 : throw "oops"
1629 :catch /.*/
1630 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1631 :endtry
1632< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1633
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001634 *v:val* *val-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001635v:val Value of the current item of a |List| or |Dictionary|. Only
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001636 valid while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001637 |filter()|. Read-only.
1638
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001639 *v:version* *version-variable*
1640v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1641 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1642 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1643 compatibility.
1644 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1645 if has("patch123")
1646< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1647 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1648 completely different.
1649
1650 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1651v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1652
1653==============================================================================
16544. Builtin Functions *functions*
1655
1656See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1657
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001658(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001659
1660USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1661
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001662abs( {expr}) Float or Number absolute value of {expr}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001663acos( {expr}) Float arc cosine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001664add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to |List| {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001665append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001666append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001667argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001668argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001669argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001670argv( ) List the argument list
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001671asin( {expr}) Float arc sine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001672atan( {expr}) Float arc tangent of {expr}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001673atan2( {expr}, {expr}) Float arc tangent of {expr1} / {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001674browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1675 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001676browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001677bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001678buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1679bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001680bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1681bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1682bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1683byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001684byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001685call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1686 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001687ceil( {expr}) Float round {expr} up
1688changenr() Number current change number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001689char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001690cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001691clearmatches() none clear all matches
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001692col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001693complete( {startcol}, {matches}) none set Insert mode completion
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001694complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001695complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001696confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1697 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001698copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001699cos( {expr}) Float cosine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001700cosh( {expr}) Float hyperbolic cosine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001701count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1702 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001703cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1704 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001705cursor( {lnum}, {col} [, {coladd}])
1706 Number move cursor to {lnum}, {col}, {coladd}
1707cursor( {list}) Number move cursor to position in {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001708deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001709delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1710did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001711diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1712diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001713empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001714escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001715eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001716eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001717executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1718exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001719extend( {expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001720 List/Dict insert items of {expr2} into {expr1}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001721exp( {expr}) Float exponential of {expr}
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00001722expand( {expr} [, {flag}]) String expand special keywords in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001723feedkeys( {string} [, {mode}]) Number add key sequence to typeahead buffer
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001724filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001725filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001726filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1727 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001728finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001729 String find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001730findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001731 String find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001732float2nr( {expr}) Number convert Float {expr} to a Number
1733floor( {expr}) Float round {expr} down
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001734fmod( {expr1}, {expr2}) Float remainder of {expr1} / {expr2}
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00001735fnameescape( {fname}) String escape special characters in {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001736fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001737foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1738foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001739foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001740foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001741foldtextresult( {lnum}) String text for closed fold at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001742foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001743function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00001744garbagecollect( [at_exit]) none free memory, breaking cyclic references
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001745get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001746get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001747getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1748 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001749getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001750getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1751getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001752getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1753getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001754getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001755getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001756getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1757getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001758getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001759getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001760getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001761getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1762getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001763getloclist( {nr}) List list of location list items
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001764getmatches() List list of current matches
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00001765getpid() Number process ID of Vim
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001766getpos( {expr}) List position of cursor, mark, etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001767getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001768getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001769getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001770gettabvar( {nr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in tab {nr}
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001771gettabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {name})
1772 any {name} in {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001773getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1774getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001775getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in window {nr}
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00001776glob( {expr} [, {flag}]) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1777globpath( {path}, {expr} [, {flag}])
1778 String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001779has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001780has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00001781haslocaldir() Number TRUE if current window executed |:lcd|
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001782hasmapto( {what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1783 Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001784histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1785histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1786histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1787histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1788hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1789hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1790hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001791iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1792indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001793index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1794 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001795input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1796 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001797inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001798inputlist( {textlist}) Number let the user pick from a choice list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001799inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1800inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001801inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001802insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001803isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001804islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001805items( {dict}) List key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001806join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001807keys( {dict}) List keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001808len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1809libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001810libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1811line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1812line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001813lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001814localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001815log( {expr}) Float natural logarithm (base e) of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001816log10( {expr}) Float logarithm of Float {expr} to base 10
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001817map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001818maparg( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1819 String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1820mapcheck( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1821 String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001822match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001823 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001824matchadd( {group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
1825 Number highlight {pattern} with {group}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001826matcharg( {nr}) List arguments of |:match|
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001827matchdelete( {id}) Number delete match identified by {id}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001828matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001829 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001830matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1831 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001832matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1833 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001834max( {list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1835min( {list}) Number minimum value of items in {list}
1836mkdir( {name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001837 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001838mode( [expr]) String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar7e506b62010-01-19 15:55:06 +01001839mzeval( {expr}) any evaluate |MzScheme| expression
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001840nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1841nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001842pathshorten( {expr}) String shorten directory names in a path
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001843pow( {x}, {y}) Float {x} to the power of {y}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001844prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001845printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
1846pumvisible() Number whether popup menu is visible
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001847range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1848 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001849readfile( {fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001850 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00001851reltime( [{start} [, {end}]]) List get time value
1852reltimestr( {time}) String turn time value into a String
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001853remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1854 String send expression
1855remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1856remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1857 Number check for reply string
1858remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1859remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1860 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001861remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001862remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001863rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1864repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1865resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001866reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001867round( {expr}) Float round off {expr}
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001868search( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
1869 Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001870searchdecl( {name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001871 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001872searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001873 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001874searchpairpos( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001875 List search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001876searchpos( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001877 List search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001878server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1879 Number send reply string
1880serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1881setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1882setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1883setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001884setloclist( {nr}, {list}[, {action}])
1885 Number modify location list using {list}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001886setmatches( {list}) Number restore a list of matches
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001887setpos( {expr}, {list}) Number set the {expr} position to {list}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001888setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number modify quickfix list using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001889setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001890settabvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in tab page {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001891settabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window
1892 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001893setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00001894shellescape( {string} [, {special}])
1895 String escape {string} for use as shell
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00001896 command argument
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001897simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001898sin( {expr}) Float sine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001899sinh( {expr}) Float hyperbolic sine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001900sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001901soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001902spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001903spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
1904 List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001905split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001906 List make |List| from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001907sqrt( {expr} Float squar root of {expr}
1908str2float( {expr}) Float convert String to Float
1909str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) Number convert String to Number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001910strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001911stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1912 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001913string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001914strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1915strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1916 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001917strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1918 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001919strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001920submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001921substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1922 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001923synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001924synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1925 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1926synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001927synstack( {lnum}, {col}) List stack of syntax IDs at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001928system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00001929tabpagebuflist( [{arg}]) List list of buffer numbers in tab page
1930tabpagenr( [{arg}]) Number number of current or last tab page
1931tabpagewinnr( {tabarg}[, {arg}])
1932 Number number of current window in tab page
1933taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001934tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001935tempname() String name for a temporary file
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001936tan( {expr}) Float tangent of {expr}
1937tanh( {expr}) Float hyperbolic tangent of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001938tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1939toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001940tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1941 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001942trunc( {expr} Float truncate Float {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001943type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001944values( {dict}) List values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001945virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1946visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1947winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1948wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1949winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1950winline() Number window line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00001951winnr( [{expr}]) Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001952winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001953winrestview( {dict}) none restore view of current window
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00001954winsaveview() Dict save view of current window
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001955winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001956writefile( {list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001957 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001958
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001959abs({expr}) *abs()*
1960 Return the absolute value of {expr}. When {expr} evaluates to
1961 a |Float| abs() returns a |Float|. When {expr} can be
1962 converted to a |Number| abs() returns a |Number|. Otherwise
1963 abs() gives an error message and returns -1.
1964 Examples: >
1965 echo abs(1.456)
1966< 1.456 >
1967 echo abs(-5.456)
1968< 5.456 >
1969 echo abs(-4)
1970< 4
1971 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
1972
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02001973
1974acos({expr}) *acos()*
1975 Return the arc cosine of {expr} measured in radians, as a
1976 |Float|in the range of [0, pi].
1977 {expr} must evaluate to a|Float|or a|Number|in the range
1978 [-1, 1].
1979 Examples: >
1980 :echo acos(0)
1981< 1.570796 >
1982 :echo acos(-0.5)
1983< 2.094395
1984 {only available when compiled with|+float|}
1985
1986
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001987add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001988 Append the item {expr} to |List| {list}. Returns the
1989 resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001990 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1991 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001992< Note that when {expr} is a |List| it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001993 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001994 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001995
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001996
1997append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001998 When {expr} is a |List|: Append each item of the |List| as a
1999 text line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00002000 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
2001 the current buffer.
2002 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002003 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002004 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002005 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002006 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002007<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002008 *argc()*
2009argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
2010 current window. See |arglist|.
2011
2012 *argidx()*
2013argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
2014 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
2015
2016 *argv()*
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00002017argv([{nr}]) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002018 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
2019 Example: >
2020 :let i = 0
2021 :while i < argc()
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002022 : let f = escape(fnameescape(argv(i)), '.')
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002023 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
2024 : let i = i + 1
2025 :endwhile
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00002026< Without the {nr} argument a |List| with the whole |arglist| is
2027 returned.
2028
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002029asin({expr}) *asin()*
2030 Return the arc sine of {expr} measured in radians, as a|Float|
2031 in the range of [-pi/2, pi/2].
2032 {expr} must evaluate to a|Float|or a|Number|in the range
2033 [-1, 1].
2034 Examples: >
2035 :echo asin(0.8)
2036< 0.927295 >
2037 :echo asin(-0.5)
2038< -0.523599
2039 {only available when compiled with|+float|}
2040
2041
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002042atan({expr}) *atan()*
2043 Return the principal value of the arc tangent of {expr}, in
2044 the range [-pi/2, +pi/2] radians, as a |Float|.
2045 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2046 Examples: >
2047 :echo atan(100)
2048< 1.560797 >
2049 :echo atan(-4.01)
2050< -1.326405
2051 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2052
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002053
2054atan2({expr1}, {expr2}) *atan2()*
2055 Return the arc tangent of {expr1} / {expr2}, measured in
2056 radians, as a|Float|in the range [-pi, pi].
2057 {expr1} and {expr2} must evaluate to a|Float|or a|Number|.
2058 Examples: >
2059 :echo atan2(-1, 1)
2060< -0.785398 >
2061 :echo atan2(1, -1)
2062< 2.356194
2063 {only available when compiled with|+float|}
2064
2065
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002066 *browse()*
2067browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
2068 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
2069 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
2070 The input fields are:
2071 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
2072 {title} title for the requester
2073 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
2074 {default} default file name
2075 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
2076 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
2077
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002078 *browsedir()*
2079browsedir({title}, {initdir})
2080 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
2081 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
2082 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
2083 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
2084 to be used.
2085 The input fields are:
2086 {title} title for the requester
2087 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
2088 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
2089 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
2090
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002091bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
2092 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2093 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002094 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002095 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002096 exactly. The name can be:
2097 - Relative to the current directory.
2098 - A full path.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002099 - The name of a buffer with 'buftype' set to "nofile".
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002100 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002101 Unlisted buffers will be found.
2102 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
2103 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
2104 long name to be able to find them.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002105 bufexists() may report a buffer exists, but to use the name
2106 with a |:buffer| command you may need to use |expand()|. Esp
2107 for MS-Windows 8.3 names in the form "c:\DOCUME~1"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002108 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
2109 file name.
2110 *buffer_exists()*
2111 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
2112
2113buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
2114 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2115 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002116 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002117
2118bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
2119 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2120 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002121 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002122
2123bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
2124 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
2125 ":ls" command.
2126 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
2127 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
2128 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002129 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002130 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
2131 match an empty string is returned.
2132 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
2133 alternate buffer.
2134 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002135 or middle of the buffer name is accepted. If you only want a
2136 full match then put "^" at the start and "$" at the end of the
2137 pattern.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002138 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
2139 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
2140 buffers are searched for.
2141 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
2142 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
2143 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
2144< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
2145 string is returned. >
2146 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
2147 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
2148 bufname("%") name of current buffer
2149 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
2150< *buffer_name()*
2151 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
2152
2153 *bufnr()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002154bufnr({expr} [, {create}])
2155 The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002156 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002157 above.
2158 If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned. Or, if the
2159 {create} argument is present and not zero, a new, unlisted,
2160 buffer is created and its number is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002161 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
2162 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
2163< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
2164 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
2165 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
2166 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
2167 *buffer_number()*
2168 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
2169 *last_buffer_nr()*
2170 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
2171
2172bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
2173 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
2174 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002175 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002176 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
2177
2178 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
2179
2180< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
2181 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002182 Only deals with the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002183
2184
2185byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
2186 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
2187 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
2188 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
2189 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
2190 one.
2191 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
2192 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
2193 feature}
2194
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00002195byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
2196 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
2197 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
2198 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
2199 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
2200 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
2201 Example : >
2202 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
2203< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
2204 same: >
2205 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
2206 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
2207< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
2208 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
2209 is returned.
2210
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002211call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002212 Call function {func} with the items in |List| {arglist} as
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002213 arguments.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002214 {func} can either be a |Funcref| or the name of a function.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002215 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
2216 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002217 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
2218 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002219
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002220ceil({expr}) *ceil()*
2221 Return the smallest integral value greater than or equal to
2222 {expr} as a |Float| (round up).
2223 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2224 Examples: >
2225 echo ceil(1.456)
2226< 2.0 >
2227 echo ceil(-5.456)
2228< -5.0 >
2229 echo ceil(4.0)
2230< 4.0
2231 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2232
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00002233changenr() *changenr()*
2234 Return the number of the most recent change. This is the same
2235 number as what is displayed with |:undolist| and can be used
2236 with the |:undo| command.
2237 When a change was made it is the number of that change. After
2238 redo it is the number of the redone change. After undo it is
2239 one less than the number of the undone change.
2240
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002241char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
2242 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
2243 char2nr(" ") returns 32
2244 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
2245< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002246 char2nr("á") returns 225
2247 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002248< |nr2char()| does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002249
2250cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
2251 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
2252 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
2253 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
2254 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
2255 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
2256 feature, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard5cdbeb2005-10-10 20:59:28 +00002257 See |C-indenting|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002258
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00002259clearmatches() *clearmatches()*
2260 Clears all matches previously defined by |matchadd()| and the
2261 |:match| commands.
2262
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002263 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00002264col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002265 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
2266 . the cursor position
2267 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
2268 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
2269 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
2270 returned)
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00002271 Additionally {expr} can be [lnum, col]: a |List| with the line
2272 and column number. Most useful when the column is "$", to get
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002273 the last column of a specific line. When "lnum" or "col" is
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00002274 out of range then col() returns zero.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002275 To get the line number use |line()|. To get both use
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002276 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002277 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
2278 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
2279 Examples: >
2280 col(".") column of cursor
2281 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
2282 col("'t") column of mark t
2283 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002284< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002285 For an uppercase mark the column may actually be in another
2286 buffer.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002287 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
2288 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
2289 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
2290 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
2291 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
2292 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
2293 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
2294<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002295
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002296complete({startcol}, {matches}) *complete()* *E785*
2297 Set the matches for Insert mode completion.
2298 Can only be used in Insert mode. You need to use a mapping
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002299 with CTRL-R = |i_CTRL-R|. It does not work after CTRL-O or
2300 with an expression mapping.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002301 {startcol} is the byte offset in the line where the completed
2302 text start. The text up to the cursor is the original text
2303 that will be replaced by the matches. Use col('.') for an
2304 empty string. "col('.') - 1" will replace one character by a
2305 match.
2306 {matches} must be a |List|. Each |List| item is one match.
2307 See |complete-items| for the kind of items that are possible.
2308 Note that the after calling this function you need to avoid
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01002309 inserting anything that would cause completion to stop.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002310 The match can be selected with CTRL-N and CTRL-P as usual with
2311 Insert mode completion. The popup menu will appear if
2312 specified, see |ins-completion-menu|.
2313 Example: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002314 inoremap <F5> <C-R>=ListMonths()<CR>
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002315
2316 func! ListMonths()
2317 call complete(col('.'), ['January', 'February', 'March',
2318 \ 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September',
2319 \ 'October', 'November', 'December'])
2320 return ''
2321 endfunc
2322< This isn't very useful, but it shows how it works. Note that
2323 an empty string is returned to avoid a zero being inserted.
2324
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002325complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
2326 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
2327 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
2328 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
2329 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
2330 the list.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002331 See |complete-functions| for an explanation of {expr}. It is
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00002332 the same as one item in the list that 'omnifunc' would return.
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002333
2334complete_check() *complete_check()*
2335 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
2336 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
2337 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
2338 zero otherwise.
2339 Only to be used by the function specified with the
2340 'completefunc' option.
2341
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002342 *confirm()*
2343confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
2344 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
2345 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
2346 choice this is 1.
2347 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
2348 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
2349 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
2350 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
2351 used (and translated).
2352 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
2353 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
2354 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
2355 by '\n', e.g. >
2356 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
2357< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
2358 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
2359 not need to be the first letter: >
2360 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
2361< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
2362 the default shortcut key.
2363 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
2364 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
2365 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
2366 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002367 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002368 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
2369 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
2370 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
2371 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
2372 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
2373 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
2374
2375 An example: >
2376 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
2377 :if choice == 0
2378 : echo "make up your mind!"
2379 :elseif choice == 3
2380 : echo "tasteful"
2381 :else
2382 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
2383 :endif
2384< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
2385 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002386 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002387 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
2388 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
2389 the horizontal layout is always used.
2390
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002391 *copy()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002392copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002393 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002394 When {expr} is a |List| a shallow copy is created. This means
2395 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002396 copy, and vice versa. But the items are identical, thus
2397 changing an item changes the contents of both |Lists|. Also
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002398 see |deepcopy()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002399
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002400cos({expr}) *cos()*
2401 Return the cosine of {expr}, measured in radians, as a |Float|.
2402 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2403 Examples: >
2404 :echo cos(100)
2405< 0.862319 >
2406 :echo cos(-4.01)
2407< -0.646043
2408 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2409
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002410
2411cosh({expr}) *cosh()*
2412 Return the hyperbolic cosine of {expr} as a|Float|in the range
2413 [1, inf].
2414 {expr} must evaluate to a|Float|or a|Number|.
2415 Examples: >
2416 :echo cosh(0.5)
2417< 1.127626 >
2418 :echo cosh(-0.5)
2419< -1.127626
2420 {only available when compiled with|+float|}
2421
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002422
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002423count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002424 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002425 in |List| or |Dictionary| {comp}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002426 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002427 {start} can only be used with a |List|.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002428 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
2429
2430
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002431 *cscope_connection()*
2432cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
2433 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
2434 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
2435 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
2436 if there are no cscope connections;
2437 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
2438
2439 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
2440 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
2441
2442 {num} Description of existence check
2443 ----- ------------------------------
2444 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
2445 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
2446 {dbpath}.
2447 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
2448 {dbpath}.
2449 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
2450 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2451 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
2452 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2453
2454 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2455
2456 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2457
2458 # pid database name prepend path
2459 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2460<
2461 Invocation Return Val ~
2462 ---------- ---------- >
2463 cscope_connection() 1
2464 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2465 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2466 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2467 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2468 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2469 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2470 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2471<
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002472cursor({lnum}, {col} [, {off}]) *cursor()*
2473cursor({list})
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002474 Positions the cursor at the column (byte count) {col} in the
2475 line {lnum}. The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002476 When there is one argument {list} this is used as a |List|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002477 with two or three items {lnum}, {col} and {off}. This is like
2478 the return value of |getpos()|, but without the first item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002479 Does not change the jumplist.
2480 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2481 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2482 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002483 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002484 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2485 line.
2486 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002487 When 'virtualedit' is used {off} specifies the offset in
2488 screen columns from the start of the character. E.g., a
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00002489 position within a <Tab> or after the last character.
Bram Moolenaar798b30b2009-04-22 10:56:16 +00002490 Returns 0 when the position could be set, -1 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002491
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002492
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002493deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002494 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002495 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002496 When {expr} is a |List| a full copy is created. This means
2497 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002498 copy, and vice versa. When an item is a |List|, a copy for it
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002499 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002500 not change the contents of the original |List|.
2501 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained |List| or
2502 |Dictionary| is only copied once. All references point to
2503 this single copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a
2504 |List| or |Dictionary| results in a new copy. This also means
2505 that a cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002506 *E724*
2507 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002508 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2509 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002510 Also see |copy()|.
2511
2512delete({fname}) *delete()*
2513 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002514 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2515 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002516 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002517
2518 *did_filetype()*
2519did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2520 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2521 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2522 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2523 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2524 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2525 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2526 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2527 file.
2528
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002529diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2530 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2531 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2532 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2533 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2534 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2535 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2536 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2537
2538diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2539 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2540 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2541 diff change zero is returned.
2542 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2543 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2544 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2545 line.
2546 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2547 syntax information about the highlighting.
2548
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002549empty({expr}) *empty()*
2550 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002551 A |List| or |Dictionary| is empty when it does not have any
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002552 items. A Number is empty when its value is zero.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01002553 For a long |List| this is much faster than comparing the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002554 length with zero.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002555
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002556escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2557 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2558 backslash. Example: >
2559 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2560< results in: >
2561 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002562< Also see |shellescape()|.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002563
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002564 *eval()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002565eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2566 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002567 This works for Numbers, Floats, Strings and composites of
2568 them. Also works for |Funcref|s that refer to existing
2569 functions.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002570
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002571eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2572 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2573 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2574 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2575 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2576
2577executable({expr}) *executable()*
2578 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2579 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002580 arguments.
2581 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2582 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2583 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2584 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002585 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2586 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002587 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002588 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002589 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2590 extension.
2591 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2592 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00002593 On MS-Windows an executable in the same directory as Vim is
2594 always found. Since this directory is added to $PATH it
2595 should also work to execute it |win32-PATH|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002596 The result is a Number:
2597 1 exists
2598 0 does not exist
2599 -1 not implemented on this system
2600
2601 *exists()*
2602exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2603 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2604 which contains one of these:
2605 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2606 not if it really works)
2607 +option-name Vim option that works.
2608 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2609 done by comparing with an empty
2610 string)
2611 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2612 or user defined function (see
2613 |user-functions|).
2614 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002615 |internal-variables|). Also works
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002616 for |curly-braces-names|, |Dictionary|
2617 entries, |List| items, etc. Beware
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00002618 that evaluating an index may cause an
2619 error message for an invalid
2620 expression. E.g.: >
2621 :let l = [1, 2, 3]
2622 :echo exists("l[5]")
2623< 0 >
2624 :echo exists("l[xx]")
2625< E121: Undefined variable: xx
2626 0
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002627 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2628 command or command modifier |:command|.
2629 Returns:
2630 1 for match with start of a command
2631 2 full match with a command
2632 3 matches several user commands
2633 To check for a supported command
2634 always check the return value to be 2.
Bram Moolenaar14716812006-05-04 21:54:08 +00002635 :2match The |:2match| command.
2636 :3match The |:3match| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002637 #event autocommand defined for this event
2638 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2639 pattern (the pattern is taken
2640 literally and compared to the
2641 autocommand patterns character by
2642 character)
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002643 #group autocommand group exists
2644 #group#event autocommand defined for this group and
2645 event.
2646 #group#event#pattern
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002647 autocommand defined for this group,
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002648 event and pattern.
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002649 ##event autocommand for this event is
2650 supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002651 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2652
2653 Examples: >
2654 exists("&shortname")
2655 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2656 exists("*strftime")
2657 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2658 exists("bufcount")
2659 exists(":Make")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002660 exists("#CursorHold")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002661 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002662 exists("#filetypeindent")
2663 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType")
2664 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType#*")
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002665 exists("##ColorScheme")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002666< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2667 name.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002668 There must be no extra characters after the name, although in
2669 a few cases this is ignored. That may become more strict in
2670 the future, thus don't count on it!
2671 Working example: >
2672 exists(":make")
2673< NOT working example: >
2674 exists(":make install")
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00002675
2676< Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2677 variable itself. For example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002678 exists(bufcount)
2679< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
Bram Moolenaar06a89a52006-04-29 22:01:03 +00002680 but gets the value of "bufcount", and checks if that exists.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002681
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002682exp({expr}) *exp()*
2683 Return the exponential of {expr} as a|Float|in the range
2684 [0, inf].
2685 {expr} must evaluate to a|Float|or a|Number|.
2686 Examples: >
2687 :echo exp(2)
2688< 7.389056 >
2689 :echo exp(-1)
2690< 0.367879
2691 {only available when compiled with|+float|}
2692
2693
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002694expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2695 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2696 The result is a String.
2697
2698 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2699 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2700 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2701
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002702 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002703 for a non-existing file is not included.
2704
2705 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2706 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2707 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2708
2709 % current file name
2710 # alternate file name
2711 #n alternate file name n
2712 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2713 <afile> autocmd file name
2714 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2715 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2716 <sfile> sourced script file name
2717 <cword> word under the cursor
2718 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2719 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2720 message |server2client()|
2721 Modifiers:
2722 :p expand to full path
2723 :h head (last path component removed)
2724 :t tail (last path component only)
2725 :r root (one extension removed)
2726 :e extension only
2727
2728 Example: >
2729 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2730< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2731 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2732 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2733< Use this: >
2734 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2735< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2736 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2737 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2738 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2739 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2740<
2741 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2742 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2743 to modify normal file names.
2744
2745 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2746 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2747 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2748 '/' added.
2749
2750 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2751 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2752 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2753 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002754 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2755 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2756 files in the current directory and below: >
2757 :echo expand("**/README")
2758<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002759 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2760 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002761 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002762 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002763 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002764 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2765 "$FOOBAR".
2766
2767 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2768 getting the raw output of an external command.
2769
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002770extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002771 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both |Lists| or both
2772 |Dictionaries|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002773
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002774 If they are |Lists|: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002775 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2776 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2777 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2778 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002779 Examples: >
2780 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2781 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaardc9cf9c2008-08-08 10:36:31 +00002782< When {expr1} is the same List as {expr2} then the number of
2783 items copied is equal to the original length of the List.
2784 E.g., when {expr3} is 1 you get N new copies of the first item
2785 (where N is the original length of the List).
2786 Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002787 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002788 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002789<
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002790 If they are |Dictionaries|:
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002791 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2792 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2793 used to decide what to do:
2794 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2795 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002796 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002797 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2798
2799 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2800 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2801 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2802 Returns {expr1}.
2803
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002804
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002805feedkeys({string} [, {mode}]) *feedkeys()*
2806 Characters in {string} are queued for processing as if they
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002807 come from a mapping or were typed by the user. They are added
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002808 to the end of the typeahead buffer, thus if a mapping is still
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002809 being executed these characters come after them.
2810 The function does not wait for processing of keys contained in
2811 {string}.
2812 To include special keys into {string}, use double-quotes
2813 and "\..." notation |expr-quote|. For example,
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00002814 feedkeys("\<CR>") simulates pressing of the <Enter> key. But
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002815 feedkeys('\<CR>') pushes 5 characters.
2816 If {mode} is absent, keys are remapped.
2817 {mode} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00002818 'm' Remap keys. This is default.
2819 'n' Do not remap keys.
2820 't' Handle keys as if typed; otherwise they are handled as
2821 if coming from a mapping. This matters for undo,
2822 opening folds, etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002823 Return value is always 0.
2824
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002825filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2826 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2827 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2828 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2829 expression, which is used as a String.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002830 If you don't care about the file being readable you can use
2831 |glob()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002832 *file_readable()*
2833 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2834
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002835
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002836filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2837 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2838 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002839 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If {file} is a
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002840 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2841
2842
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002843filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002844 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002845 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002846 is zero remove the item from the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002847 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002848 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002849 Examples: >
2850 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2851< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2852 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2853< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2854 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002855< Removes all the items, thus clears the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002856
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002857 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2858 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2859 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2860
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002861 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
2862 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +00002863 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), 'v:val =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002864
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002865< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002866 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
2867 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002868
2869
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002870finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
Bram Moolenaar5b6b1ca2007-03-27 08:19:43 +00002871 Find directory {name} in {path}. Supports both downwards and
2872 upwards recursive directory searches. See |file-searching|
2873 for the syntax of {path}.
2874 Returns the path of the first found match. When the found
2875 directory is below the current directory a relative path is
2876 returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002877 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2878 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002879 {name} in {path} instead of the first one.
Bram Moolenaar899dddf2006-03-26 21:06:50 +00002880 When {count} is negative return all the matches in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002881 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002882 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2883
2884findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2885 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002886 Uses 'suffixesadd'.
2887 Example: >
2888 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002889< Searches from the directory of the current file upwards until
2890 it finds the file "tags.vim".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002891
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002892float2nr({expr}) *float2nr()*
2893 Convert {expr} to a Number by omitting the part after the
2894 decimal point.
2895 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a Number.
2896 When the value of {expr} is out of range for a |Number| the
2897 result is truncated to 0x7fffffff or -0x7fffffff. NaN results
2898 in -0x80000000.
2899 Examples: >
2900 echo float2nr(3.95)
2901< 3 >
2902 echo float2nr(-23.45)
2903< -23 >
2904 echo float2nr(1.0e100)
2905< 2147483647 >
2906 echo float2nr(-1.0e150)
2907< -2147483647 >
2908 echo float2nr(1.0e-100)
2909< 0
2910 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2911
2912
2913floor({expr}) *floor()*
2914 Return the largest integral value less than or equal to
2915 {expr} as a |Float| (round down).
2916 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2917 Examples: >
2918 echo floor(1.856)
2919< 1.0 >
2920 echo floor(-5.456)
2921< -6.0 >
2922 echo floor(4.0)
2923< 4.0
2924 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2925
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02002926
2927fmod({expr1}, {expr2}) *fmod()*
2928 Return the remainder of {expr1} / {expr2}, even if the
2929 division is not representable. Returns {expr1} - i * {expr2}
2930 for some integer i such that if {expr2} is non-zero, the
2931 result has the same sign as {expr1} and magnitude less than
2932 the magnitude of {expr2}. If {expr2} is zero, the value
2933 returned is zero. The value returned is a|Float|.
2934 {expr1} and {expr2} must evaluate to a|Float|or a|Number|.
2935 Examples: >
2936 :echo fmod(12.33, 1.22)
2937< 0.13 >
2938 :echo fmod(-12.33, 1.22)
2939< -0.13
2940 {only available when compiled with|+float|}
2941
2942
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002943fnameescape({string}) *fnameescape()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002944 Escape {string} for use as file name command argument. All
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002945 characters that have a special meaning, such as '%' and '|'
2946 are escaped with a backslash.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002947 For most systems the characters escaped are
2948 " \t\n*?[{`$\\%#'\"|!<". For systems where a backslash
2949 appears in a filename, it depends on the value of 'isfname'.
Bram Moolenaar1b24e4b2008-08-08 10:59:17 +00002950 A leading '+' and '>' is also escaped (special after |:edit|
2951 and |:write|). And a "-" by itself (special after |:cd|).
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002952 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar1b24e4b2008-08-08 10:59:17 +00002953 :let fname = '+some str%nge|name'
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002954 :exe "edit " . fnameescape(fname)
2955< results in executing: >
Bram Moolenaar1b24e4b2008-08-08 10:59:17 +00002956 edit \+some\ str\%nge\|name
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002957
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002958fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2959 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2960 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2961 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2962 Example: >
2963 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2964< results in: >
2965 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002966< Note: Environment variables don't work in {fname}, use
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002967 |expand()| first then.
2968
2969foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2970 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2971 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2972 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2973
2974foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2975 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2976 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2977 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2978
2979foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2980 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002981 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002982 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2983 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2984 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2985 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2986 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2987 previous line is usually available.
2988
2989 *foldtext()*
2990foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2991 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2992 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2993 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2994 The returned string looks like this: >
2995 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002996< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002997 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2998 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2999 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
3000 options is removed.
3001 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
3002
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00003003foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
3004 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
3005 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
3006 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
3007 returned.
3008 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
3009 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
3010 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
3011 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
3012
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003013 *foreground()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003014foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003015 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
3016 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
3017 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
3018 |remote_foreground()| instead.
3019 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3020 Win32 console version}
3021
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003022
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003023function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003024 Return a |Funcref| variable that refers to function {name}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003025 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
3026
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003027
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00003028garbagecollect([at_exit]) *garbagecollect()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003029 Cleanup unused |Lists| and |Dictionaries| that have circular
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00003030 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
3031 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
3032 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
3033 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
3034 freed when they become unused.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003035 This is useful if you have deleted a very big |List| and/or
3036 |Dictionary| with circular references in a script that runs
3037 for a long time.
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00003038 When the optional "at_exit" argument is one, garbage
3039 collection will also be done when exiting Vim, if it wasn't
3040 done before. This is useful when checking for memory leaks.
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00003041
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003042get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003043 Get item {idx} from |List| {list}. When this item is not
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003044 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
3045 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003046get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003047 Get item with key {key} from |Dictionary| {dict}. When this
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003048 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
3049 {default} is omitted.
3050
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003051 *getbufline()*
3052getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003053 Return a |List| with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
3054 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a
3055 |List| with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003056
3057 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3058
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00003059 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
3060 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003061
3062 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003063 lines in the buffer, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003064
3065 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
3066 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003067 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003068 returned.
3069
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00003070 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003071 non-existing buffers, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00003072
3073 Example: >
3074 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003075
3076getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
3077 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
3078 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
3079 must be used.
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003080 When {varname} is empty returns a dictionary with all the
3081 buffer-local variables.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00003082 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
3083 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
3084 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003085 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3086 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
3087 returned, there is no error message.
3088 Examples: >
3089 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
3090 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
3091<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003092getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003093 Get a single character from the user or input stream.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003094 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
3095 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003096 Return zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003097 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003098 not consumed. Return zero if no character available.
3099
3100 Without {expr} and when {expr} is 0 a whole character or
3101 special key is returned. If it is an 8-bit character, the
3102 result is a number. Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
3103 Otherwise a String is returned with the encoded character.
3104 For a special key it's a sequence of bytes starting with 0x80
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00003105 (decimal: 128). This is the same value as the string
3106 "\<Key>", e.g., "\<Left>". The returned value is also a
3107 String when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used that is
3108 not included in the character.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003109
3110 When {expr} is 1 only the first byte is returned. For a
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00003111 one-byte character it is the character itself as a number.
3112 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003113
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00003114 When the user clicks a mouse button, the mouse event will be
3115 returned. The position can then be found in |v:mouse_col|,
3116 |v:mouse_lnum| and |v:mouse_win|. This example positions the
3117 mouse as it would normally happen: >
3118 let c = getchar()
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003119 if c == "\<LeftMouse>" && v:mouse_win > 0
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00003120 exe v:mouse_win . "wincmd w"
3121 exe v:mouse_lnum
3122 exe "normal " . v:mouse_col . "|"
3123 endif
3124<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003125 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
3126 user that a character has to be typed.
3127 There is no mapping for the character.
3128 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
3129 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
3130 sequence. Examples: >
3131 getchar() == "\<Del>"
3132 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
3133< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
3134 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
3135 :function FindChar()
3136 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
3137 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
3138 : normal l
3139 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
3140 : break
3141 : endif
3142 : endwhile
3143 :endfunction
3144
3145getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
3146 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
3147 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
3148 These values are added together:
3149 2 shift
3150 4 control
3151 8 alt (meta)
3152 16 mouse double click
3153 32 mouse triple click
3154 64 mouse quadruple click
3155 128 Macintosh only: command
3156 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003157 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003158 without a modifier.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003159
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003160getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
3161 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
3162 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
3163 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
3164 Example: >
3165 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003166< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003167
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003168getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003169 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
3170 byte count. The first column is 1.
3171 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
3172 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003173 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
3174
3175getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
3176 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
3177 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00003178 : normal Ex command
3179 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
3180 / forward search command
3181 ? backward search command
3182 @ |input()| command
3183 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003184 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
3185 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
3186 otherwise.
3187 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003188
3189 *getcwd()*
3190getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
3191 working directory.
3192
3193getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
3194 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
3195 given file {fname}.
3196 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
3197 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard827ada2007-06-19 15:19:55 +00003198 If the size of {fname} is too big to fit in a Number then -2
3199 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003200
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003201getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
3202 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
3203 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
3204 |hl-Normal|.
3205 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
3206 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
3207 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
3208 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00003209 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not in your vimrc or
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003210 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
3211 function just after the GUI has started.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003212 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
3213 for a valid name does not work.
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003214
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003215getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
3216 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
3217 permissions of the given file {fname}.
3218 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
3219 empty string is returned.
3220 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
3221 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
3222 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
3223 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
3224 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
3225 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
3226< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
3227 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003228
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003229getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
3230 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
3231 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
3232 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
3233 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
3234 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
3235
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003236getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
3237 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
3238 file of the given file {fname}.
3239 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
3240 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
3241 results:
3242 Normal file "file"
3243 Directory "dir"
3244 Symbolic link "link"
3245 Block device "bdev"
3246 Character device "cdev"
3247 Socket "socket"
3248 FIFO "fifo"
3249 All other "other"
3250 Example: >
3251 getftype("/home")
3252< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
3253 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
3254 "file" are returned.
3255
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003256 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003257getline({lnum} [, {end}])
3258 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
3259 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003260 getline(1)
3261< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
3262 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
3263 To get the line under the cursor: >
3264 getline(".")
3265< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
3266 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
3267
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003268 When {end} is given the result is a |List| where each item is
3269 a line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003270 including line {end}.
3271 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
3272 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003273 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003274 Example: >
3275 :let start = line('.')
3276 :let end = search("^$") - 1
3277 :let lines = getline(start, end)
3278
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003279< To get lines from another buffer see |getbufline()|
3280
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00003281getloclist({nr}) *getloclist()*
3282 Returns a list with all the entries in the location list for
3283 window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
3284 For a location list window, the displayed location list is
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003285 returned. For an invalid window number {nr}, an empty list is
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003286 returned. Otherwise, same as |getqflist()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003287
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003288getmatches() *getmatches()*
3289 Returns a |List| with all matches previously defined by
3290 |matchadd()| and the |:match| commands. |getmatches()| is
3291 useful in combination with |setmatches()|, as |setmatches()|
3292 can restore a list of matches saved by |getmatches()|.
3293 Example: >
3294 :echo getmatches()
3295< [{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
3296 'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
3297 'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}] >
3298 :let m = getmatches()
3299 :call clearmatches()
3300 :echo getmatches()
3301< [] >
3302 :call setmatches(m)
3303 :echo getmatches()
3304< [{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
3305 'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
3306 'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}] >
3307 :unlet m
3308<
3309
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003310getqflist() *getqflist()*
3311 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
3312 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
3313 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
3314 bufname() to get the name
3315 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
3316 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003317 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
3318 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003319 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00003320 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003321 text description of the error
3322 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
3323 valid non-zero: recognized error message
3324
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00003325 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00003326 returned. Quickfix list entries with non-existing buffer
3327 number are returned with "bufnr" set to zero.
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00003328
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003329 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
3330 do something with them: >
3331 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
3332 :for d in getqflist()
3333 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
3334 :endfor
3335
3336
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003337getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003338 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003339 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003340 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
3341< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003342 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003343 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
3344 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
3345 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003346 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
3347
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003348
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003349getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
3350 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
3351 The value will be one of:
3352 "v" for |characterwise| text
3353 "V" for |linewise| text
3354 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
3355 0 for an empty or unknown register
3356 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
3357 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
3358
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02003359gettabvar({tabnr}, {varname}) *gettabvar()*
3360 Get the value of a tab-local variable {varname} in tab page
3361 {tabnr}. |t:var|
3362 Tabs are numbered starting with one.
3363 Note that the name without "t:" must be used.
3364
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003365gettabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}) *gettabwinvar()*
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003366 Get the value of window-local variable {varname} in window
3367 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}.
3368 When {varname} starts with "&" get the value of a window-local
3369 option.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003370 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
3371 use |getwinvar()|.
3372 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
3373 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
3374 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
3375 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003376 When {varname} is empty a dictionary with all window-local
3377 variables is returned.
3378 Note that {varname} must be the name without "w:".
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003379 Examples: >
3380 :let list_is_on = gettabwinvar(1, 2, '&list')
3381 :echo "myvar = " . gettabwinvar(3, 1, 'myvar')
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00003382<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003383 *getwinposx()*
3384getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
3385 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
3386 -1 if the information is not available.
3387
3388 *getwinposy()*
3389getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003390 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003391 information is not available.
3392
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003393getwinvar({winnr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
3394 Like |gettabwinvar()| for the current tabpage.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003395 Examples: >
3396 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
3397 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
3398<
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003399glob({expr} [, {flag}]) *glob()*
3400 Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. See |wildcards| for the
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003401 use of special characters.
3402 The result is a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003403 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
3404 characters.
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003405 Unless the optional {flag} argument is given and is non-zero,
3406 the 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' options apply: Names matching
3407 one of the patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped and
3408 'suffixes' affect the ordering of matches.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003409 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
3410 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
3411
3412 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
3413 any external command. Example: >
3414 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
3415 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
3416< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003417 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003418
3419 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
3420 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
3421
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003422globpath({path}, {expr} [, {flag}]) *globpath()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003423 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
3424 the results. Example: >
3425 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
3426< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
3427 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003428 |glob()|. A path separator is inserted when needed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003429 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
3430 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
3431 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
3432 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
3433 error message.
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003434 Unless the optional {flag} argument is given and is non-zero,
3435 the 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' options apply: Names matching
3436 one of the patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped and
3437 'suffixes' affect the ordering of matches.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003438
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003439 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
3440 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
3441 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
3442 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003443< Upwards search and limiting the depth of "**" is not
3444 supported, thus using 'path' will not always work properly.
3445
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003446 *has()*
3447has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
3448 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
3449 string. See |feature-list| below.
3450 Also see |exists()|.
3451
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003452
3453has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003454 The result is a Number, which is 1 if |Dictionary| {dict} has
3455 an entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003456
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00003457haslocaldir() *haslocaldir()*
3458 The result is a Number, which is 1 when the current
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003459 window has set a local path via |:lcd|, and 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003460
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003461hasmapto({what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *hasmapto()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003462 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
3463 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
3464 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
3465 {mode}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003466 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00003467 instead of mappings. Don't forget to specify Insert and/or
3468 Command-line mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003469 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
3470 buffer are checked for a match.
3471 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
3472 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
3473 n Normal mode
3474 v Visual mode
3475 o Operator-pending mode
3476 i Insert mode
3477 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
3478 c Command-line mode
3479 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
3480
3481 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003482 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003483 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
3484 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
3485 :endif
3486< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
3487 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
3488
3489histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
3490 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
3491 one of: *hist-names*
3492 "cmd" or ":" command line history
3493 "search" or "/" search pattern history
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003494 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003495 "input" or "@" input line history
3496 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
3497 shifted to become the newest entry.
3498 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
3499 otherwise 0 is returned.
3500
3501 Example: >
3502 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
3503 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
3504< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3505
3506histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003507 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003508 for the possible values of {history}.
3509
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003510 If the parameter {item} evaluates to a String, it is used as a
3511 regular expression. All entries matching that expression will
3512 be removed from the history (if there are any).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003513 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003514 If {item} evaluates to a Number, it will be interpreted as
3515 an index, see |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will
3516 be removed if it exists.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003517
3518 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
3519 otherwise 0 is returned.
3520
3521 Examples:
3522 Clear expression register history: >
3523 :call histdel("expr")
3524<
3525 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
3526 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
3527<
3528 The following three are equivalent: >
3529 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
3530 :call histdel("search", -1)
3531 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
3532<
3533 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
3534 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
3535 :call histdel("search", -1)
3536 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
3537
3538histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
3539 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
3540 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
3541 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
3542 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
3543 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
3544
3545 Examples:
3546 Redo the second last search from history. >
3547 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
3548
3549< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
3550 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
3551 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
3552<
3553histnr({history}) *histnr()*
3554 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
3555 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
3556 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
3557
3558 Example: >
3559 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
3560<
3561hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
3562 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
3563 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
3564 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
3565 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
3566 item.
3567 *highlight_exists()*
3568 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
3569
3570 *hlID()*
3571hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
3572 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
3573 zero is returned.
3574 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003575 group. For example, to get the background color of the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003576 "Comment" group: >
3577 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
3578< *highlightID()*
3579 Obsolete name: highlightID().
3580
3581hostname() *hostname()*
3582 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003583 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003584 256 characters long are truncated.
3585
3586iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
3587 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
3588 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003589 When the conversion completely fails an empty string is
3590 returned. When some characters could not be converted they
3591 are replaced with "?".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003592 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
3593 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
3594 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
3595 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
3596 can be done.
3597 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
3598 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
3599 UTF-8 and use: >
3600 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
3601< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
3602 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
3603 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
3604 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
3605
3606 *indent()*
3607indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
3608 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
3609 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
3610 |getline()|.
3611 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
3612
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003613
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003614index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003615 Return the lowest index in |List| {list} where the item has a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003616 value equal to {expr}. There is no automatic conversion, so
3617 the String "4" is different from the Number 4. And the number
3618 4 is different from the Float 4.0. The value of 'ignorecase'
3619 is not used here, case always matters.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00003620 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
3621 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003622 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
3623 case must match.
3624 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
3625 Example: >
3626 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003627 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003628
3629
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003630input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003631 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003632 the command-line. The {prompt} argument is either a prompt
3633 string, or a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used
3634 in the prompt to start a new line.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003635 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
3636 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003637 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003638 for lines typed for input().
3639 Example: >
3640 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
3641 : echo "Cheers!"
3642 :endif
3643<
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003644 If the optional {text} argument is present and not empty, this
3645 is used for the default reply, as if the user typed this.
3646 Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003647 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
3648
3649< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
3650 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003651 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003652 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003653 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003654 more information. Example: >
3655 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
3656<
3657 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
3658 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003659 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
3660 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
3661 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
3662 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
3663 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
3664 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
3665 |:execute| or |:normal|.
3666
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003667 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003668 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
3669 :function GetFoo()
3670 : call inputsave()
3671 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
3672 : call inputrestore()
3673 :endfunction
3674
3675inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003676 Like |input()|, but when the GUI is running and text dialogs
3677 are supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003678 Example: >
3679 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
3680 :if n != ""
3681 : let &sw = n
3682 :endif
3683< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
3684 omitted an empty string is returned.
3685 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
3686 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003687 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003688
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003689inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003690 {textlist} must be a |List| of strings. This |List| is
3691 displayed, one string per line. The user will be prompted to
3692 enter a number, which is returned.
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003693 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003694 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003695 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
3696 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
3697 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003698 Make sure {textlist} has less than 'lines' entries, otherwise
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003699 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003700 the start of the string. And put a prompt in the first item.
3701 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003702 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3703 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3704
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003705inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003706 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous |inputsave()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003707 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3708 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3709 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3710
3711inputsave() *inputsave()*
3712 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3713 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3714 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3715 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3716 many inputrestore() calls.
3717 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3718
3719inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3720 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3721 two exceptions:
3722 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3723 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3724 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3725 |history| stack.
3726 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3727 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003728 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003729
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003730insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003731 Insert {item} at the start of |List| {list}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003732 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003733 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003734 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3735 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003736 Returns the resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003737 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3738 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3739 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003740< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003741 Note that when {item} is a |List| it is inserted as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003742 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003743
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003744isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3745 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3746 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3747 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3748 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3749
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003750islocked({expr}) *islocked()* *E786*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003751 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3752 name of a locked variable.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003753 {expr} must be the name of a variable, |List| item or
3754 |Dictionary| entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003755 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3756 :lockvar 1 alist
3757 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3758 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3759
3760< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00003761 message. Use |exists()| to check for existence.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003762
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003763items({dict}) *items()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003764 Return a |List| with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3765 |List| item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict}
3766 entry and the value of this entry. The |List| is in arbitrary
3767 order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003768
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003769
3770join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3771 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3772 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3773 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3774 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3775 add it there too: >
3776 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003777< String items are used as-is. |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003778 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3779 The opposite function is |split()|.
3780
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003781keys({dict}) *keys()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003782 Return a |List| with all the keys of {dict}. The |List| is in
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003783 arbitrary order.
3784
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003785 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003786len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3787 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3788 used, as with |strlen()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003789 When {expr} is a |List| the number of items in the |List| is
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003790 returned.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003791 When {expr} is a |Dictionary| the number of entries in the
3792 |Dictionary| is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003793 Otherwise an error is given.
3794
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003795 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3796libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3797 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3798 with single argument {argument}.
3799 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3800 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3801 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3802 limited.
3803 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3804 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3805 to Vim.
3806 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3807 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3808 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3809 null-terminated string.
3810 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3811
3812 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3813 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3814 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3815 very probably crash.
3816
3817 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3818 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3819 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3820 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3821 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3822 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3823 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3824 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3825 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3826 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3827
3828 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003829 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003830 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3831 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3832 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3833 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3834 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3835 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003836 {only in Win32 and some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003837 feature is present}
3838 Examples: >
3839 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003840<
3841 *libcallnr()*
3842libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003843 Just like |libcall()|, but used for a function that returns an
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003844 int instead of a string.
3845 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3846 feature is present}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003847 Examples: >
3848 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003849 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3850 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3851<
3852 *line()*
3853line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3854 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3855 . the cursor position
3856 $ the last line in the current buffer
3857 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3858 returned)
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00003859 w0 first line visible in current window
3860 w$ last line visible in current window
Bram Moolenaar9ecd0232008-06-20 15:31:51 +00003861 v In Visual mode: the start of the Visual area (the
3862 cursor is the end). When not in Visual mode
3863 returns the cursor position. Differs from |'<| in
3864 that it's updated right away.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003865 Note that a mark in another file can be used. The line number
3866 then applies to another buffer.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003867 To get the column number use |col()|. To get both use
3868 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003869 Examples: >
3870 line(".") line number of the cursor
3871 line("'t") line number of mark t
3872 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3873< *last-position-jump*
3874 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3875 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003876 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 1 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal! g`\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003877
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003878line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3879 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3880 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3881 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3882 line returns 1.
3883 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3884 below the last line: >
3885 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3886< This is the file size plus one.
3887 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3888 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3889 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3890
3891lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3892 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3893 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3894 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3895 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3896 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3897 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3898
3899localtime() *localtime()*
3900 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3901 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3902
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003903
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02003904log({expr}) *log()*
3905 Return the natural logarithm (base e) of {expr} as a|Float|.
3906 {expr} must evaluate to a|Float|or a|Number|in the range
3907 (0, inf].
3908 Examples: >
3909 :echo log(10)
3910< 2.302585 >
3911 :echo log(exp(5))
3912< 5.0
3913 {only available when compiled with|+float|}
3914
3915
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003916log10({expr}) *log10()*
3917 Return the logarithm of Float {expr} to base 10 as a |Float|.
3918 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
3919 Examples: >
3920 :echo log10(1000)
3921< 3.0 >
3922 :echo log10(0.01)
3923< -2.0
3924 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
3925
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003926map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003927 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003928 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3929 {string}.
3930 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar627b1d32009-11-17 11:20:35 +00003931 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item
3932 and for a |List| |v:key| has the index of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003933 Example: >
3934 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003935< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003936
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003937 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003938 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003939 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3940 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003941
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003942 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
3943 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003944 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003945
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003946< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003947 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
3948 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003949
3950
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003951maparg({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *maparg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003952 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3953 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003954 {mode} can be one of these strings:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003955 "n" Normal
3956 "v" Visual
3957 "o" Operator-pending
3958 "i" Insert
3959 "c" Cmd-line
3960 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3961 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003962 When {mode} is omitted, the modes for "" are used.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003963 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
3964 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003965 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3966 command. The returned String has special characters
3967 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3968 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3969 then the global mappings.
Bram Moolenaara40ceaf2006-01-13 22:35:40 +00003970 This function can be used to map a key even when it's already
3971 mapped, and have it do the original mapping too. Sketch: >
3972 exe 'nnoremap <Tab> ==' . maparg('<Tab>', 'n')
3973
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003974
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003975mapcheck({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *mapcheck()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003976 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3977 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3978 {name}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003979 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
3980 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003981 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3982 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3983
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003984 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003985 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3986 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3987 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3988 mapcheck("b") no no no
3989
3990 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3991 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3992 mapping for {name} exactly.
3993 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3994 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3995 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3996 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3997 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3998 then the global mappings.
3999 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
4000 without being ambiguous. Example: >
4001 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
4002 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
4003 :endif
4004< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
4005 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
4006
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004007match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004008 When {expr} is a |List| then this returns the index of the
4009 first item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004010 String, |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are used as echoed.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004011 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004012 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
4013 {pat} matches.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004014 A match at the first character or |List| item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004015 If there is no match -1 is returned.
4016 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004017 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004018 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 1
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004019< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004020 *strpbrk()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004021 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004022 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
4023< *strcasestr()*
4024 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
4025 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
4026 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
4027<
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004028 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004029 {start} in a String or item {start} in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004030 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004031 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004032 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
4033< result is again "4". >
4034 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
4035< result is again "4". >
4036 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
4037< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00004038 For a String, if {start} > 0 then it is like the string starts
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004039 {start} bytes later, thus "^" will match at {start}. Except
4040 when {count} is given, then it's like matches before the
4041 {start} byte are ignored (this is a bit complicated to keep it
4042 backwards compatible).
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004043 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
4044 the index is counted from the end.
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00004045 If {start} is out of range ({start} > strlen({expr}) for a
4046 String or {start} > len({expr}) for a |List|) -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004047
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00004048 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00004049 is found in a String the search for the next one starts one
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00004050 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
4051 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
4052< In a |List| the search continues in the next item.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004053 Note that when {count} is added the way {start} works changes,
4054 see above.
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00004055
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004056 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
4057 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004058 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004059 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
4060
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004061 *matchadd()* *E798* *E799* *E801*
4062matchadd({group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
4063 Defines a pattern to be highlighted in the current window (a
4064 "match"). It will be highlighted with {group}. Returns an
4065 identification number (ID), which can be used to delete the
4066 match using |matchdelete()|.
4067
4068 The optional {priority} argument assigns a priority to the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004069 match. A match with a high priority will have its
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004070 highlighting overrule that of a match with a lower priority.
4071 A priority is specified as an integer (negative numbers are no
4072 exception). If the {priority} argument is not specified, the
4073 default priority is 10. The priority of 'hlsearch' is zero,
4074 hence all matches with a priority greater than zero will
4075 overrule it. Syntax highlighting (see 'syntax') is a separate
4076 mechanism, and regardless of the chosen priority a match will
4077 always overrule syntax highlighting.
4078
4079 The optional {id} argument allows the request for a specific
4080 match ID. If a specified ID is already taken, an error
4081 message will appear and the match will not be added. An ID
4082 is specified as a positive integer (zero excluded). IDs 1, 2
4083 and 3 are reserved for |:match|, |:2match| and |:3match|,
4084 respectively. If the {id} argument is not specified,
4085 |matchadd()| automatically chooses a free ID.
4086
4087 The number of matches is not limited, as it is the case with
4088 the |:match| commands.
4089
4090 Example: >
4091 :highlight MyGroup ctermbg=green guibg=green
4092 :let m = matchadd("MyGroup", "TODO")
4093< Deletion of the pattern: >
4094 :call matchdelete(m)
4095
4096< A list of matches defined by |matchadd()| and |:match| are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004097 available from |getmatches()|. All matches can be deleted in
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004098 one operation by |clearmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004099
4100matcharg({nr}) *matcharg()*
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004101 Selects the {nr} match item, as set with a |:match|,
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004102 |:2match| or |:3match| command.
4103 Return a |List| with two elements:
4104 The name of the highlight group used
4105 The pattern used.
4106 When {nr} is not 1, 2 or 3 returns an empty |List|.
4107 When there is no match item set returns ['', ''].
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004108 This is useful to save and restore a |:match|.
4109 Highlighting matches using the |:match| commands are limited
4110 to three matches. |matchadd()| does not have this limitation.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004111
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004112matchdelete({id}) *matchdelete()* *E802* *E803*
4113 Deletes a match with ID {id} previously defined by |matchadd()|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004114 or one of the |:match| commands. Returns 0 if successful,
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004115 otherwise -1. See example for |matchadd()|. All matches can
4116 be deleted in one operation by |clearmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004117
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004118matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004119 Same as |match()|, but return the index of first character
4120 after the match. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004121 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
4122< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004123 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
4124 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
4125 do it with matchend(): >
4126 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
4127 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
4128< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
4129
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004130 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for |match()|. >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004131 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
4132< results in "7". >
4133 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
4134< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004135 When {expr} is a |List| the result is equal to |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004136
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004137matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004138 Same as |match()|, but return a |List|. The first item in the
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004139 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
4140 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00004141 in |:substitute|. When an optional submatch didn't match an
4142 empty string is used. Example: >
4143 echo matchlist('acd', '\(a\)\?\(b\)\?\(c\)\?\(.*\)')
4144< Results in: ['acd', 'a', '', 'c', 'd', '', '', '', '', '']
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004145 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
4146
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004147matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004148 Same as |match()|, but return the matched string. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004149 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
4150< results in "ing".
4151 When there is no match "" is returned.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004152 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for |match()|. >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004153 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
4154< results in "ing". >
4155 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
4156< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004157 When {expr} is a |List| then the matching item is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004158 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004159
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004160 *max()*
4161max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
4162 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
4163 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004164 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004165
4166 *min()*
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00004167min({list}) Return the minimum value of all items in {list}.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004168 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
4169 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004170 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004171
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004172 *mkdir()* *E739*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004173mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
4174 Create directory {name}.
4175 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
4176 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
4177 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
4178 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004179 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
Bram Moolenaared39e1d2008-08-09 17:55:22 +00004180 for others. This is only used for the last part of {name}.
4181 Thus if you create /tmp/foo/bar then /tmp/foo will be created
4182 with 0755.
4183 Example: >
4184 :call mkdir($HOME . "/tmp/foo/bar", "p", 0700)
4185< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004186 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4187 :if exists("*mkdir")
4188<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004189 *mode()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004190mode([expr]) Return a string that indicates the current mode.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00004191 If [expr] is supplied and it evaluates to a non-zero Number or
4192 a non-empty String (|non-zero-arg|), then the full mode is
4193 returned, otherwise only the first letter is returned. Note
4194 that " " and "0" are also non-empty strings.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004195
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004196 n Normal
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004197 no Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004198 v Visual by character
4199 V Visual by line
4200 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
4201 s Select by character
4202 S Select by line
4203 CTRL-S Select blockwise
4204 i Insert
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004205 R Replace |R|
4206 Rv Virtual Replace |gR|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004207 c Command-line
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004208 cv Vim Ex mode |gQ|
4209 ce Normal Ex mode |Q|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004210 r Hit-enter prompt
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004211 rm The -- more -- prompt
4212 r? A |:confirm| query of some sort
4213 ! Shell or external command is executing
4214 This is useful in the 'statusline' option or when used
4215 with |remote_expr()| In most other places it always returns
4216 "c" or "n".
4217 Also see |visualmode()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004218
Bram Moolenaar7e506b62010-01-19 15:55:06 +01004219mzeval({expr}) *mzeval()*
4220 Evaluate MzScheme expression {expr} and return its result
4221 convert to Vim data structures.
4222 Numbers and strings are returned as they are.
4223 Pairs (including lists and improper lists) and vectors are
4224 returned as Vim |Lists|.
4225 Hash tables are represented as Vim |Dictionary| type with keys
4226 converted to strings.
4227 All other types are converted to string with display function.
4228 Examples: >
4229 :mz (define l (list 1 2 3))
4230 :mz (define h (make-hash)) (hash-set! h "list" l)
4231 :echo mzeval("l")
4232 :echo mzeval("h")
4233<
4234 {only available when compiled with the |+mzscheme| feature}
4235
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004236nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
4237 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
4238 that is not blank. Example: >
4239 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
4240< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
4241 below it, zero is returned.
4242 See also |prevnonblank()|.
4243
4244nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
4245 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
4246 value {expr}. Examples: >
4247 nr2char(64) returns "@"
4248 nr2char(32) returns " "
4249< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
4250 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
4251< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
4252 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
4253 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00004254 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004255
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00004256 *getpid()*
4257getpid() Return a Number which is the process ID of the Vim process.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004258 On Unix and MS-Windows this is a unique number, until Vim
4259 exits. On MS-DOS it's always zero.
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00004260
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004261 *getpos()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004262getpos({expr}) Get the position for {expr}. For possible values of {expr}
4263 see |line()|.
4264 The result is a |List| with four numbers:
4265 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
4266 "bufnum" is zero, unless a mark like '0 or 'A is used, then it
4267 is the buffer number of the mark.
4268 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
4269 column is 1.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004270 The "off" number is zero, unless 'virtualedit' is used. Then
4271 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004272 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004273 character.
4274 This can be used to save and restore the cursor position: >
4275 let save_cursor = getpos(".")
4276 MoveTheCursorAround
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00004277 call setpos('.', save_cursor)
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004278< Also see |setpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004279
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004280pathshorten({expr}) *pathshorten()*
4281 Shorten directory names in the path {expr} and return the
4282 result. The tail, the file name, is kept as-is. The other
4283 components in the path are reduced to single letters. Leading
4284 '~' and '.' characters are kept. Example: >
4285 :echo pathshorten('~/.vim/autoload/myfile.vim')
4286< ~/.v/a/myfile.vim ~
4287 It doesn't matter if the path exists or not.
4288
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004289pow({x}, {y}) *pow()*
4290 Return the power of {x} to the exponent {y} as a |Float|.
4291 {x} and {y} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
4292 Examples: >
4293 :echo pow(3, 3)
4294< 27.0 >
4295 :echo pow(2, 16)
4296< 65536.0 >
4297 :echo pow(32, 0.20)
4298< 2.0
4299 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
4300
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004301prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
4302 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
4303 that is not blank. Example: >
4304 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
4305< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
4306 above it, zero is returned.
4307 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
4308
4309
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004310printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
4311 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
4312 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004313 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004314< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004315 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004316
4317 Often used items are:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004318 %s string
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004319 %6s string right-aligned in 6 bytes
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004320 %.9s string truncated to 9 bytes
4321 %c single byte
4322 %d decimal number
4323 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
4324 %x hex number
4325 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
4326 %X hex number using upper case letters
4327 %o octal number
4328 %f floating point number in the form 123.456
4329 %e floating point number in the form 1.234e3
4330 %E floating point number in the form 1.234E3
4331 %g floating point number, as %f or %e depending on value
4332 %G floating point number, as %f or %E depending on value
4333 %% the % character itself
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004334
4335 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
4336 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
4337 the result.
4338
4339 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004340 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004341
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004342 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004343
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004344 flags
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004345 Zero or more of the following flags:
4346
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004347 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
4348 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
4349 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
4350 of the number is increased to force the first
4351 character of the output string to a zero (except
4352 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
4353 precision of zero).
4354 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
4355 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
4356 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004357
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004358 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
4359 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
4360 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
4361 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
4362 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004363
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004364 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
4365 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
4366 The converted value is padded on the right with
4367 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
4368 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004369
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004370 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
4371 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004372
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004373 + A sign must always be placed before a number
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004374 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004375 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004376
4377 field-width
4378 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004379 field width. If the converted value has fewer bytes
4380 than the field width, it will be padded with spaces on
4381 the left (or right, if the left-adjustment flag has
4382 been given) to fill out the field width.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004383
4384 .precision
4385 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
4386 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
4387 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
4388 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
4389 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004390 bytes to be printed from a string for s conversions.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004391 For floating point it is the number of digits after
4392 the decimal point.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004393
4394 type
4395 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
4396 be applied, see below.
4397
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004398 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
4399 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004400 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004401 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
4402 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
4403 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004404 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004405< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004406 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004407
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004408 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004409
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004410 *printf-d* *printf-o* *printf-x* *printf-X*
4411 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004412 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
4413 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
4414 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004415 conversions.
4416 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
4417 digits that must appear; if the converted value
4418 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
4419 zeros.
4420 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
4421 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
4422 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
4423 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
4424
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004425 *printf-c*
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004426 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
4427 resulting character is written.
4428
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004429 *printf-s*
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004430 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
4431 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
4432 specified are used.
4433
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004434 *printf-f* *E807*
4435 f The Float argument is converted into a string of the
4436 form 123.456. The precision specifies the number of
4437 digits after the decimal point. When the precision is
4438 zero the decimal point is omitted. When the precision
4439 is not specified 6 is used. A really big number
4440 (out of range or dividing by zero) results in "inf".
4441 "0.0 / 0.0" results in "nan".
4442 Example: >
4443 echo printf("%.2f", 12.115)
4444< 12.12
4445 Note that roundoff depends on the system libraries.
4446 Use |round()| when in doubt.
4447
4448 *printf-e* *printf-E*
4449 e E The Float argument is converted into a string of the
4450 form 1.234e+03 or 1.234E+03 when using 'E'. The
4451 precision specifies the number of digits after the
4452 decimal point, like with 'f'.
4453
4454 *printf-g* *printf-G*
4455 g G The Float argument is converted like with 'f' if the
4456 value is between 0.001 (inclusive) and 10000000.0
4457 (exclusive). Otherwise 'e' is used for 'g' and 'E'
4458 for 'G'. When no precision is specified superfluous
4459 zeroes and '+' signs are removed, except for the zero
4460 immediately after the decimal point. Thus 10000000.0
4461 results in 1.0e7.
4462
4463 *printf-%*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004464 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
4465 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004466
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00004467 When a Number argument is expected a String argument is also
4468 accepted and automatically converted.
4469 When a Float or String argument is expected a Number argument
4470 is also accepted and automatically converted.
4471 Any other argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004472
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00004473 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004474 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
4475 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004476 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004477
4478
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004479pumvisible() *pumvisible()*
4480 Returns non-zero when the popup menu is visible, zero
4481 otherwise. See |ins-completion-menu|.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004482 This can be used to avoid some things that would remove the
4483 popup menu.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004484
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004485 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004486range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004487 Returns a |List| with Numbers:
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004488 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
4489 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
4490 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
4491 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
4492 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00004493 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
4494 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
4495 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004496 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004497 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004498 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
4499 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004500 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00004501 range(0) " []
4502 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004503<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004504 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004505readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004506 Read file {fname} and return a |List|, each line of the file
4507 as an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004508 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
4509 NL appears somewhere).
4510 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
4511 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
4512 added.
4513 - No CR characters are removed.
4514 Otherwise:
4515 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
4516 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
4517 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004518 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
4519 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
4520 lines of a file: >
4521 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
4522 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
4523 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004524< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
4525 are returned, or as many as there are.
4526 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004527 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
4528 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
4529 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004530 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
4531 the result is an empty list.
4532 Also see |writefile()|.
4533
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004534reltime([{start} [, {end}]]) *reltime()*
4535 Return an item that represents a time value. The format of
4536 the item depends on the system. It can be passed to
4537 |reltimestr()| to convert it to a string.
4538 Without an argument it returns the current time.
4539 With one argument is returns the time passed since the time
4540 specified in the argument.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004541 With two arguments it returns the time passed between {start}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004542 and {end}.
4543 The {start} and {end} arguments must be values returned by
4544 reltime().
4545 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
4546
4547reltimestr({time}) *reltimestr()*
4548 Return a String that represents the time value of {time}.
4549 This is the number of seconds, a dot and the number of
4550 microseconds. Example: >
4551 let start = reltime()
4552 call MyFunction()
4553 echo reltimestr(reltime(start))
4554< Note that overhead for the commands will be added to the time.
4555 The accuracy depends on the system.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004556 Leading spaces are used to make the string align nicely. You
4557 can use split() to remove it. >
4558 echo split(reltimestr(reltime(start)))[0]
4559< Also see |profiling|.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004560 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
4561
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004562 *remote_expr()* *E449*
4563remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004564 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004565 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004566 The result must be a String or a |List|. A |List| is turned
4567 into a String by joining the items with a line break in
4568 between (not at the end), like with join(expr, "\n").
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004569 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
4570 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
4571 remote_read() is stored there.
4572 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4573 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4574 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4575 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
4576 and the result will be the empty string.
4577 Examples: >
4578 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
4579 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
4580<
4581
4582remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
4583 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
4584 This works like: >
4585 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
4586< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
4587 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
4588 to bring itself to the foreground.
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004589 Note: This does not restore the window if it was minimized,
4590 like foreground() does.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004591 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4592 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
4593 Win32 console version}
4594
4595
4596remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
4597 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
4598 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004599 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004600 name of a variable.
4601 Returns zero if none are available.
4602 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
4603 See also |clientserver|.
4604 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4605 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4606 Examples: >
4607 :let repl = ""
4608 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
4609
4610remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
4611 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
4612 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
4613 See also |clientserver|.
4614 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4615 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4616 Example: >
4617 :echo remote_read(id)
4618<
4619 *remote_send()* *E241*
4620remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004621 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004622 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
4623 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004624 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a variable
4625 and a {serverid} for later use with remote_read() is stored
4626 there.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004627 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4628 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4629 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4630 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
4631 up the display.
4632 Examples: >
4633 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
4634 \ remote_read(serverid)
4635
4636 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
4637 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
4638 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
4639 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004640<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004641remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004642 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from |List| {list} and
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004643 return the item.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004644 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004645 return a List with these items. When {idx} points to the same
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004646 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
4647 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
4648 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004649 Example: >
4650 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004651 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004652remove({dict}, {key})
4653 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
4654 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
4655< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
4656
4657 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004658
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004659rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
4660 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
4661 should also work to move files across file systems. The
4662 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
4663 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
Bram Moolenaar798b30b2009-04-22 10:56:16 +00004664 NOTE: If {to} exists it is overwritten without warning.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004665 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4666
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004667repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
4668 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
4669 result. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004670 :let separator = repeat('-', 80)
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004671< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004672 When {expr} is a |List| the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004673 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004674 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
4675< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004676
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004677
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004678resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
4679 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
4680 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
4681 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
4682 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
4683 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
4684 stopped after 100 iterations.
4685 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
4686 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
4687 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
4688 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
4689 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
4690
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004691 *reverse()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004692reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004693 {list}.
4694 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4695 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
4696
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004697round({expr}) *round()*
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00004698 Round off {expr} to the nearest integral value and return it
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004699 as a |Float|. If {expr} lies halfway between two integral
4700 values, then use the larger one (away from zero).
4701 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
4702 Examples: >
4703 echo round(0.456)
4704< 0.0 >
4705 echo round(4.5)
4706< 5.0 >
4707 echo round(-4.5)
4708< -5.0
4709 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
4710
4711
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004712search({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) *search()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004713 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00004714 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004715
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004716 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
4717 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004718 'c' accept a match at the cursor position
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004719 'e' move to the End of the match
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004720 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004721 'p' return number of matching sub-pattern (see below)
4722 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004723 'w' wrap around the end of the file
4724 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
4725 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
4726
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00004727 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
4728 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
4729 flag.
4730
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004731 'ignorecase', 'smartcase' and 'magic' are used.
4732
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004733 When the {stopline} argument is given then the search stops
4734 after searching this line. This is useful to restrict the
4735 search to a range of lines. Examples: >
4736 let match = search('(', 'b', line("w0"))
4737 let end = search('END', '', line("w$"))
4738< When {stopline} is used and it is not zero this also implies
4739 that the search does not wrap around the end of the file.
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004740 A zero value is equal to not giving the argument.
4741
4742 When the {timeout} argument is given the search stops when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004743 more than this many milli seconds have passed. Thus when
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004744 {timeout} is 500 the search stops after half a second.
4745 The value must not be negative. A zero value is like not
4746 giving the argument.
4747 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004748
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004749 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
4750 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004751 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
4752 *search()-sub-match*
4753 With the 'p' flag the returned value is one more than the
4754 first sub-match in \(\). One if none of them matched but the
4755 whole pattern did match.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004756 To get the column number too use |searchpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004757
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004758 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
4759 flag is used.
4760
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004761 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
4762 :let n = 1
4763 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
4764 : exe "argument " . n
4765 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
4766 : " first search to find match at start of file
4767 : normal G$
4768 : let flags = "w"
4769 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004770 : s/foo/bar/g
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004771 : let flags = "W"
4772 : endwhile
4773 : update " write the file if modified
4774 : let n = n + 1
4775 :endwhile
4776<
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004777 Example for using some flags: >
4778 :echo search('\<if\|\(else\)\|\(endif\)', 'ncpe')
4779< This will search for the keywords "if", "else", and "endif"
4780 under or after the cursor. Because of the 'p' flag, it
4781 returns 1, 2, or 3 depending on which keyword is found, or 0
4782 if the search fails. With the cursor on the first word of the
4783 line:
4784 if (foo == 0) | let foo = foo + 1 | endif ~
4785 the function returns 1. Without the 'c' flag, the function
4786 finds the "endif" and returns 3. The same thing happens
4787 without the 'e' flag if the cursor is on the "f" of "if".
4788 The 'n' flag tells the function not to move the cursor.
4789
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004790
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004791searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
4792 Search for the declaration of {name}.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004793
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004794 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
4795 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
4796 first match in the function.
4797
4798 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
4799 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
4800 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
4801
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004802 Moves the cursor to the found match.
4803 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4804 Example: >
4805 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
4806 echo getline('.')
4807 endif
4808<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004809 *searchpair()*
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004810searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
4811 [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004812 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
4813 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
4814 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004815 The search starts at the cursor. The default is to search
4816 forward, include 'b' in {flags} to search backward.
4817 If a match is found, the cursor is positioned at it and the
4818 line number is returned. If no match is found 0 or -1 is
4819 returned and the cursor doesn't move. No error message is
4820 given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004821
4822 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
4823 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
4824 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
4825 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
4826 typical use is: >
4827 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
4828< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
4829
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004830 {flags} 'b', 'c', 'n', 's', 'w' and 'W' are used like with
4831 |search()|. Additionally:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004832 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004833 outer pair. Implies the 'W' flag.
4834 'm' Return number of matches instead of line number with
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004835 the match; will be > 1 when 'r' is used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004836 Note: it's nearly always a good idea to use the 'W' flag, to
4837 avoid wrapping around the end of the file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004838
4839 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
4840 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
4841 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
4842 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
4843 or a string.
4844 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
4845 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
4846 and -1 returned.
4847
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004848 For {stopline} and {timeout} see |search()|.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004849
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004850 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
4851 patterns are used like it's on.
4852
4853 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
4854 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
4855 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
4856 if 1
4857 if 2
4858 endif 2
4859 endif 1
4860< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
4861 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
4862 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004863 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004864 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
4865 "endif 2".
4866 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
4867 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
4868 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
4869 the matching start.
4870
4871 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
4872
4873 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
4874 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
4875
4876< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
4877 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
4878 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
4879 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
4880 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
4881 match.
4882 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
4883
4884 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
4885
4886< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
4887 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
4888 highlighting recognized as strings: >
4889
4890 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
4891 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
4892<
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004893 *searchpairpos()*
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004894searchpairpos({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
4895 [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004896 Same as |searchpair()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004897 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4898 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004899 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4900 returns [0, 0].
4901>
4902 :let [lnum,col] = searchpairpos('{', '', '}', 'n')
4903<
4904 See |match-parens| for a bigger and more useful example.
4905
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004906searchpos({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) *searchpos()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004907 Same as |search()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004908 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4909 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
4910 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4911 returns [0, 0].
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004912 Example: >
4913 :let [lnum, col] = searchpos('mypattern', 'n')
4914
4915< When the 'p' flag is given then there is an extra item with
4916 the sub-pattern match number |search()-sub-match|. Example: >
4917 :let [lnum, col, submatch] = searchpos('\(\l\)\|\(\u\)', 'np')
4918< In this example "submatch" is 2 when a lowercase letter is
4919 found |/\l|, 3 when an uppercase letter is found |/\u|.
4920
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004921server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
4922 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
4923 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
4924 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4925 Note:
4926 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004927 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004928 before calling any commands that waits for input.
4929 See also |clientserver|.
4930 Example: >
4931 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
4932<
4933serverlist() *serverlist()*
4934 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
4935 When there are no servers or the information is not available
4936 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
4937 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4938 Example: >
4939 :echo serverlist()
4940<
4941setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
4942 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
4943 {val}.
4944 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
4945 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
4946 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
4947 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
4948 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
4949 Examples: >
4950 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
4951 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
4952< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4953
4954setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
4955 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004956 {pos}. The first position is 1.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004957 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
4958 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004959 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
4960 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
4961 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
4962 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
4963 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004964 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
4965 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
4966 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
4967 line.
4968
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004969setline({lnum}, {text}) *setline()*
4970 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {text}.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004971 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004972 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {text} will be
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004973 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004974 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
4975 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004976 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004977< When {text} is a |List| then line {lnum} and following lines
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004978 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
4979 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
4980< This is equivalent to: >
4981 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
4982 : call setline(n, l)
4983 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004984< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
4985
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004986setloclist({nr}, {list} [, {action}]) *setloclist()*
4987 Create or replace or add to the location list for window {nr}.
4988 When {nr} is zero the current window is used. For a location
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004989 list window, the displayed location list is modified. For an
4990 invalid window number {nr}, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004991 Otherwise, same as |setqflist()|.
4992 Also see |location-list|.
4993
4994setmatches({list}) *setmatches()*
4995 Restores a list of matches saved by |getmatches()|. Returns 0
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004996 if successful, otherwise -1. All current matches are cleared
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004997 before the list is restored. See example for |getmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004998
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004999 *setpos()*
5000setpos({expr}, {list})
5001 Set the position for {expr}. Possible values:
5002 . the cursor
5003 'x mark x
5004
5005 {list} must be a |List| with four numbers:
5006 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
5007
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005008 "bufnum" is the buffer number. Zero can be used for the
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005009 current buffer. Setting the cursor is only possible for
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005010 the current buffer. To set a mark in another buffer you can
5011 use the |bufnr()| function to turn a file name into a buffer
5012 number.
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00005013 Does not change the jumplist.
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005014
5015 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005016 column is 1. Use a zero "lnum" to delete a mark. If "col" is
5017 smaller than 1 then 1 is used.
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005018
5019 The "off" number is only used when 'virtualedit' is set. Then
5020 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00005021 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005022 character.
5023
Bram Moolenaar08250432008-02-13 11:42:46 +00005024 Returns 0 when the position could be set, -1 otherwise.
5025 An error message is given if {expr} is invalid.
5026
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005027 Also see |getpos()|
5028
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005029 This does not restore the preferred column for moving
5030 vertically. See |winrestview()| for that.
5031
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00005032
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00005033setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00005034 Create or replace or add to the quickfix list using the items
5035 in {list}. Each item in {list} is a dictionary.
5036 Non-dictionary items in {list} are ignored. Each dictionary
5037 item can contain the following entries:
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005038
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00005039 bufnr buffer number; must be the number of a valid
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005040 buffer
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00005041 filename name of a file; only used when "bufnr" is not
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005042 present or it is invalid.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005043 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005044 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00005045 col column number
5046 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005047 when zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00005048 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005049 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00005050 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005051
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00005052 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
5053 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
5054 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00005055 If the "filename" and "bufnr" entries are not present or
5056 neither the "lnum" or "pattern" entries are present, then the
5057 item will not be handled as an error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005058 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
5059 be used.
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +02005060 If you supply an empty {list}, the quickfix list will be
5061 cleared.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00005062 Note that the list is not exactly the same as what
5063 |getqflist()| returns.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005064
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00005065 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
5066 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
5067 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
5068 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
5069 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
5070 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
5071
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00005072 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
5073
5074 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
5075 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
5076 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
5077
5078
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005079 *setreg()*
5080setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
5081 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
5082 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
5083 then the value is appended.
5084 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
5085 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
5086 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
5087 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
5088 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
5089 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
5090 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00005091 in the longest line (counting a <Tab> as 1 character).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005092
5093 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
5094 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
5095 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
5096 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
5097
5098 Examples: >
5099 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
5100 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
5101 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
5102
5103< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
5104 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005105 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005106 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
5107 ....
5108 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
5109
5110< You can also change the type of a register by appending
5111 nothing: >
5112 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
5113
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02005114settabvar({tabnr}, {varname}, {val}) *settabvar()*
5115 Set tab-local variable {varname} to {val} in tab page {tabnr}.
5116 |t:var|
5117 Note that the variable name without "t:" must be used.
5118 Tabs are numbered starting with one.
5119 Vim briefly goes to the tab page {tabnr}, this may trigger
5120 TabLeave and TabEnter autocommands.
5121 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
5122
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00005123settabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) *settabwinvar()*
5124 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {winnr} to
5125 {val}.
5126 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
5127 use |setwinvar()|.
5128 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005129 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
5130 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
5131 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
5132 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00005133 Vim briefly goes to the tab page {tabnr}, this may trigger
5134 TabLeave and TabEnter autocommands.
5135 Examples: >
5136 :call settabwinvar(1, 1, "&list", 0)
5137 :call settabwinvar(3, 2, "myvar", "foobar")
5138< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
5139
5140setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
5141 Like |settabwinvar()| for the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005142 Examples: >
5143 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
5144 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005145
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005146shellescape({string} [, {special}]) *shellescape()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005147 Escape {string} for use as a shell command argument.
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00005148 On MS-Windows and MS-DOS, when 'shellslash' is not set, it
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005149 will enclose {string} in double quotes and double all double
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00005150 quotes within {string}.
5151 For other systems, it will enclose {string} in single quotes
5152 and replace all "'" with "'\''".
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005153 When the {special} argument is present and it's a non-zero
5154 Number or a non-empty String (|non-zero-arg|), then special
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00005155 items such as "!", "%", "#" and "<cword>" will be preceded by
5156 a backslash. This backslash will be removed again by the |:!|
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005157 command.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00005158 The "!" character will be escaped (again with a |non-zero-arg|
5159 {special}) when 'shell' contains "csh" in the tail. That is
5160 because for csh and tcsh "!" is used for history replacement
5161 even when inside single quotes.
5162 The <NL> character is also escaped. With a |non-zero-arg|
5163 {special} and 'shell' containing "csh" in the tail it's
5164 escaped a second time.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005165 Example of use with a |:!| command: >
5166 :exe '!dir ' . shellescape(expand('<cfile>'), 1)
5167< This results in a directory listing for the file under the
5168 cursor. Example of use with |system()|: >
5169 :call system("chmod +w -- " . shellescape(expand("%")))
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00005170
5171
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005172simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
5173 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
5174 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
5175 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
5176 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
5177 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
5178 not removed either.
5179 Example: >
5180 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
5181< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
5182 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
5183 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
5184 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
5185 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
5186
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005187
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005188sin({expr}) *sin()*
5189 Return the sine of {expr}, measured in radians, as a |Float|.
5190 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
5191 Examples: >
5192 :echo sin(100)
5193< -0.506366 >
5194 :echo sin(-4.01)
5195< 0.763301
5196 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5197
5198
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005199sinh({expr}) *sinh()*
5200 Return the hyperbolic sine of {expr} as a|Float|in the range
5201 [-inf, inf].
5202 {expr} must evaluate to a|Float|or a|Number|.
5203 Examples: >
5204 :echo sinh(0.5)
5205< 0.521095 >
5206 :echo sinh(-0.9)
5207< -1.026517
5208 {only available when compiled with|+float|}
5209
5210
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005211sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005212 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
5213 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
5214 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
5215< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00005216 Numbers sort after Strings, |Lists| after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005217 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005218 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005219 When {func} is a |Funcref| or a function name, this function
5220 is called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005221 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 or
5222 bigger if the first one sorts after the second one, -1 or
5223 smaller if the first one sorts before the second one.
5224 Example: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005225 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
5226 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
5227 endfunc
5228 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005229< A shorter compare version for this specific simple case, which
5230 ignores overflow: >
5231 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
5232 return a:i1 - a:i2
5233 endfunc
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005234<
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00005235 *soundfold()*
5236soundfold({word})
5237 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005238 language in 'spelllang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00005239 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
5240 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00005241 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
5242 the method can be quite slow.
5243
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005244 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00005245spellbadword([{sentence}])
5246 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
5247 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
5248 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
5249 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
5250
5251 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
5252 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
5253 result is an empty string.
5254
5255 The return value is a list with two items:
5256 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
5257 - The type of the spelling error:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005258 "bad" spelling mistake
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00005259 "rare" rare word
5260 "local" word only valid in another region
5261 "caps" word should start with Capital
5262 Example: >
5263 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
5264< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
5265
5266 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
5267 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
5268 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005269
5270 *spellsuggest()*
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005271spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005272 Return a |List| with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005273 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
5274 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
5275
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005276 When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
5277 suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
5278 after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
5279
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005280 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
5281 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00005282 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
5283 replace a line.
5284
5285 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005286 returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
5287 although it may appear capitalized.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005288
5289 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00005290 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
5291 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005292
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005293
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005294split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005295 Make a |List| out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or
5296 empty each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an
5297 item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005298 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005299 removing the matched characters.
5300 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
5301 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00005302 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
5303 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005304 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005305 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005306< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005307 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00005308< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
5309 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
5310< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005311 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
5312 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
5313< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005314
5315
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005316sqrt({expr}) *sqrt()*
5317 Return the non-negative square root of Float {expr} as a
5318 |Float|.
5319 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|. When {expr}
5320 is negative the result is NaN (Not a Number).
5321 Examples: >
5322 :echo sqrt(100)
5323< 10.0 >
5324 :echo sqrt(-4.01)
5325< nan
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00005326 "nan" may be different, it depends on system libraries.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005327 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5328
5329
5330str2float( {expr}) *str2float()*
5331 Convert String {expr} to a Float. This mostly works the same
5332 as when using a floating point number in an expression, see
5333 |floating-point-format|. But it's a bit more permissive.
5334 E.g., "1e40" is accepted, while in an expression you need to
5335 write "1.0e40".
5336 Text after the number is silently ignored.
5337 The decimal point is always '.', no matter what the locale is
5338 set to. A comma ends the number: "12,345.67" is converted to
5339 12.0. You can strip out thousands separators with
5340 |substitute()|: >
5341 let f = str2float(substitute(text, ',', '', 'g'))
5342< {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5343
5344
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00005345str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) *str2nr()*
5346 Convert string {expr} to a number.
5347 {base} is the conversion base, it can be 8, 10 or 16.
5348 When {base} is omitted base 10 is used. This also means that
5349 a leading zero doesn't cause octal conversion to be used, as
5350 with the default String to Number conversion.
5351 When {base} is 16 a leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored. With a
5352 different base the result will be zero.
5353 Text after the number is silently ignored.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005354
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00005355
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005356strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
5357 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
5358 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
5359 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
5360 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
5361 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
5362 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
5363 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
5364 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
5365 Examples: >
5366 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
5367 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
5368 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
5369 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
5370 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
5371 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005372< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
5373 :if exists("*strftime")
5374
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005375stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
5376 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
5377 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005378 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
5379 This can be used to find a second match: >
5380 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
5381 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
5382< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005383 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005384 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005385 See also |strridx()|.
5386 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005387 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
5388 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
5389 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005390< *strstr()* *strchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005391 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
5392 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
5393
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005394 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005395string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005396 Float, String or a composition of them, then the result can be
5397 parsed back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005398 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005399 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005400 Number 123
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005401 Float 123.123456 or 1.123456e8
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005402 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005403 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00005404 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005405 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005406 Also see |strtrans()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005407
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005408 *strlen()*
5409strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00005410 {expr} in bytes.
5411 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
5412 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005413
5414 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00005415<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005416 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
5417 For other types an error is given.
5418 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005419
5420strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
5421 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00005422 byte {start}, with the byte length {len}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005423 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
5424 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
5425 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
5426 end of the {src}. >
5427 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
5428 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
5429 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005430 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005431< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
5432 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +00005433 strpart(getline("."), col(".") - 1, 3)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005434<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005435strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
5436 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
5437 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
5438 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
5439 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
5440 match: >
5441 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
5442 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
5443< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005444 For pattern searches use |match()|.
5445 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00005446 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005447 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005448 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005449< *strrchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005450 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
5451 function strrchr().
5452
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005453strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
5454 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
5455 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
5456 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
5457 echo strtrans(@a)
5458< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
5459 starting a new line.
5460
5461submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
5462 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
5463 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
5464 the whole matched text is returned.
5465 Example: >
5466 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
5467< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
5468 A line break is included as a newline character.
5469
5470substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
5471 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
5472 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
5473 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
5474 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
5475 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005476 'ignorecase' is still relevant. 'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005477 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
5478 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
5479 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005480 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005481 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
5482 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
5483 unmodified.
5484 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
5485 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
5486 Example: >
5487 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
5488< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
5489 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
5490< results in "TESTING".
5491
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005492synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005493 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005494 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005495 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
5496 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00005497
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005498 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00005499 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
5500
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005501 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005502 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005503 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
5504 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
5505 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
5506 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
5507 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
5508
5509 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
5510 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
5511<
5512synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
5513 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
5514 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
5515 about a syntax item.
5516 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005517 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005518 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
5519 used (GUI, cterm or term).
5520 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
5521 {what} result
5522 "name" the name of the syntax item
5523 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
5524 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
5525 term: empty string)
Bram Moolenaar6f507d62008-11-28 10:16:05 +00005526 "bg" background color (as with "fg")
Bram Moolenaar12682fd2010-03-10 13:43:49 +01005527 "font" font name (only available in the GUI)
5528 |highlight-font|
Bram Moolenaar6f507d62008-11-28 10:16:05 +00005529 "sp" special color (as with "fg") |highlight-guisp|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005530 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
5531 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
5532 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
Bram Moolenaar6f507d62008-11-28 10:16:05 +00005533 "sp#" like "fg#" for "sp"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005534 "bold" "1" if bold
5535 "italic" "1" if italic
5536 "reverse" "1" if reverse
5537 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
Bram Moolenaar12682fd2010-03-10 13:43:49 +01005538 "standout" "1" if standout
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005539 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005540 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005541
5542 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
5543 cursor): >
5544 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
5545<
5546synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
5547 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
5548 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
5549 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
5550 ":highlight link" are followed.
5551
Bram Moolenaar9d188ab2008-01-10 21:24:39 +00005552synstack({lnum}, {col}) *synstack()*
5553 Return a |List|, which is the stack of syntax items at the
5554 position {lnum} and {col} in the current window. Each item in
5555 the List is an ID like what |synID()| returns.
Bram Moolenaar9d188ab2008-01-10 21:24:39 +00005556 The first item in the List is the outer region, following are
5557 items contained in that one. The last one is what |synID()|
5558 returns, unless not the whole item is highlighted or it is a
5559 transparent item.
5560 This function is useful for debugging a syntax file.
5561 Example that shows the syntax stack under the cursor: >
5562 for id in synstack(line("."), col("."))
5563 echo synIDattr(id, "name")
5564 endfor
5565
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00005566system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
5567 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
5568 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
5569 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
5570 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005571 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005572 Note: Use |shellescape()| to escape special characters in a
5573 command argument. Newlines in {expr} may cause the command to
5574 fail. The characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may
5575 also cause trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005576 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005577
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005578 The result is a String. Example: >
5579 :let files = system("ls " . shellescape(expand('%:h')))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005580
5581< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
5582 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
5583 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
5584 The command executed is constructed using several options:
5585 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
5586 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
5587 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
5588 concatenated commands.
5589
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00005590 The command will be executed in "cooked" mode, so that a
5591 CTRL-C will interrupt the command (on Unix at least).
5592
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005593 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
5594 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00005595
5596 Note that any wrong value in the options mentioned above may
5597 make the function fail. It has also been reported to fail
5598 when using a security agent application.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005599 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
5600 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
5601
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005602
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005603tabpagebuflist([{arg}]) *tabpagebuflist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005604 The result is a |List|, where each item is the number of the
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005605 buffer associated with each window in the current tab page.
5606 {arg} specifies the number of tab page to be used. When
5607 omitted the current tab page is used.
5608 When {arg} is invalid the number zero is returned.
5609 To get a list of all buffers in all tabs use this: >
5610 tablist = []
5611 for i in range(tabpagenr('$'))
5612 call extend(tablist, tabpagebuflist(i + 1))
5613 endfor
5614< Note that a buffer may appear in more than one window.
5615
5616
5617tabpagenr([{arg}]) *tabpagenr()*
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00005618 The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
5619 tab page. The first tab page has number 1.
5620 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the last tab
5621 page is returned (the tab page count).
5622 The number can be used with the |:tab| command.
5623
5624
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005625tabpagewinnr({tabarg}, [{arg}]) *tabpagewinnr()*
5626 Like |winnr()| but for tab page {arg}.
5627 {tabarg} specifies the number of tab page to be used.
5628 {arg} is used like with |winnr()|:
5629 - When omitted the current window number is returned. This is
5630 the window which will be used when going to this tab page.
5631 - When "$" the number of windows is returned.
5632 - When "#" the previous window nr is returned.
5633 Useful examples: >
5634 tabpagewinnr(1) " current window of tab page 1
5635 tabpagewinnr(4, '$') " number of windows in tab page 4
5636< When {tabarg} is invalid zero is returned.
5637
Bram Moolenaarfa1d1402006-03-25 21:59:56 +00005638 *tagfiles()*
5639tagfiles() Returns a |List| with the file names used to search for tags
5640 for the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
5641
5642
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005643taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
5644 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00005645 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
5646 entries:
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005647 name Name of the tag.
5648 filename Name of the file where the tag is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005649 defined. It is either relative to the
5650 current directory or a full path.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005651 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
5652 the file.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005653 kind Type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005654 entry depends on the language specific
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005655 kind values. Only available when
5656 using a tags file generated by
5657 Exuberant ctags or hdrtag.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005658 static A file specific tag. Refer to
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005659 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005660 More entries may be present, depending on the content of the
5661 tags file: access, implementation, inherits and signature.
5662 Refer to the ctags documentation for information about these
5663 fields. For C code the fields "struct", "class" and "enum"
5664 may appear, they give the name of the entity the tag is
5665 contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00005666
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00005667 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
5668 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005669
5670 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
5671
5672 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
5673 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
5674 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
5675
5676 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
5677 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
5678 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
5679
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005680tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
5681 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005682 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005683 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
5684 :let tmpfile = tempname()
5685 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005686< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory |tempfile|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005687 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
5688 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
5689
Bram Moolenaardb7c6862010-05-21 16:33:48 +02005690
5691tan({expr}) *tan()*
5692 Return the tangent of {expr}, measured in radians, as a|Float|
5693 in the range [-inf, inf].
5694 {expr} must evaluate to a|Float|or a|Number|.
5695 Examples: >
5696 :echo tan(10)
5697< 0.648361 >
5698 :echo tan(-4.01)
5699< -1.181502
5700 {only available when compiled with|+float|}
5701
5702
5703tanh({expr}) *tanh()*
5704 Return the hyperbolic tangent of {expr} as a|Float|in the
5705 range [-1, 1].
5706 {expr} must evaluate to a|Float|or a|Number|.
5707 Examples: >
5708 :echo tanh(0.5)
5709< 0.462117 >
5710 :echo tanh(-1)
5711< -0.761594
5712 {only available when compiled with|+float|}
5713
5714
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005715tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
5716 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
5717 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
5718 the string).
5719
5720toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
5721 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
5722 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
5723 the string).
5724
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00005725tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
5726 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
5727 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
5728 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
5729 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
5730 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
5731 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
5732
5733 Examples: >
5734 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
5735< returns "Hello THere" >
5736 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
5737< returns "{blob}"
5738
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005739trunc({expr}) *trunc()*
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00005740 Return the largest integral value with magnitude less than or
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005741 equal to {expr} as a |Float| (truncate towards zero).
5742 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
5743 Examples: >
5744 echo trunc(1.456)
5745< 1.0 >
5746 echo trunc(-5.456)
5747< -5.0 >
5748 echo trunc(4.0)
5749< 4.0
5750 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5751
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005752 *type()*
5753type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005754 Number: 0
5755 String: 1
5756 Funcref: 2
5757 List: 3
5758 Dictionary: 4
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005759 Float: 5
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005760 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005761 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
5762 :if type(myvar) == type("")
5763 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
5764 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005765 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005766 :if type(myvar) == type(0.0)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005767
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005768values({dict}) *values()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005769 Return a |List| with all the values of {dict}. The |List| is
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005770 in arbitrary order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005771
5772
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005773virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
5774 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
5775 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
5776 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
5777 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
5778 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
5779 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
5780 set to 8, it returns 8.
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00005781 For the byte position use |col()|.
5782 For the use of {expr} see |col()|.
5783 When 'virtualedit' is used {expr} can be [lnum, col, off], where
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005784 "off" is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00005785 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005786 character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005787 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
5788 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
5789 The accepted positions are:
5790 . the cursor position
5791 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
5792 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
5793 plus one)
5794 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
5795 returned)
5796 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
5797 Examples: >
5798 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
5799 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005800 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
5801< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005802 A more advanced example that echoes the maximum length of
5803 all lines: >
5804 echo max(map(range(1, line('$')), "virtcol([v:val, '$'])"))
5805
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005806
5807visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
5808 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005809 used in the current buffer. Initially it returns an empty
5810 string, but once Visual mode has been used, it returns "v",
5811 "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a single CTRL-V character) for
5812 character-wise, line-wise, or block-wise Visual mode
5813 respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005814 Example: >
5815 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
5816< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
5817 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
5818 Visual mode that was used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005819 If Visual mode is active, use |mode()| to get the Visual mode
5820 (e.g., in a |:vmap|).
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005821 *non-zero-arg*
5822 If [expr] is supplied and it evaluates to a non-zero Number or
5823 a non-empty String, then the Visual mode will be cleared and
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005824 the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005825 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared. A List,
5826 Dictionary or Float is not a Number or String, thus does not
5827 cause the mode to be cleared.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005828
5829 *winbufnr()*
5830winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005831 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005832 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
5833 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5834 Example: >
5835 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
5836<
5837 *wincol()*
5838wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
5839 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
5840 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
5841
5842winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
5843 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
5844 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
5845 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5846 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
5847 Examples: >
5848 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
5849<
5850 *winline()*
5851winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005852 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005853 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00005854 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
5855 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005856
5857 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005858winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
5859 window. The top window has number 1.
5860 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00005861 last window is returned (the window count).
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005862 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
5863 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005864 If there is no previous window or it is in another tab page 0
5865 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005866 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
5867 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005868 Also see |tabpagewinnr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005869
5870 *winrestcmd()*
5871winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
5872 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005873 are opened or closed and the current window and tab page is
5874 unchanged.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005875 Example: >
5876 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
5877 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
5878 :exe cmd
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005879<
5880 *winrestview()*
5881winrestview({dict})
5882 Uses the |Dictionary| returned by |winsaveview()| to restore
5883 the view of the current window.
5884 If you have changed the values the result is unpredictable.
5885 If the window size changed the result won't be the same.
5886
5887 *winsaveview()*
5888winsaveview() Returns a |Dictionary| that contains information to restore
5889 the view of the current window. Use |winrestview()| to
5890 restore the view.
5891 This is useful if you have a mapping that jumps around in the
5892 buffer and you want to go back to the original view.
5893 This does not save fold information. Use the 'foldenable'
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00005894 option to temporarily switch off folding, so that folds are
5895 not opened when moving around.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005896 The return value includes:
5897 lnum cursor line number
5898 col cursor column
5899 coladd cursor column offset for 'virtualedit'
5900 curswant column for vertical movement
5901 topline first line in the window
5902 topfill filler lines, only in diff mode
5903 leftcol first column displayed
5904 skipcol columns skipped
5905 Note that no option values are saved.
5906
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005907
5908winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
5909 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
5910 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
5911 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5912 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
5913 Examples: >
5914 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
5915 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
5916 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
5917 :endif
5918<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005919 *writefile()*
5920writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005921 Write |List| {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005922 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
5923 Number.
5924 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
5925 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
5926 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
5927 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
5928 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
5929 to writefile().
5930 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
5931 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
5932 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
5933 fails.
5934 Also see |readfile()|.
5935 To copy a file byte for byte: >
5936 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
5937 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
5938<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005939
5940 *feature-list*
5941There are three types of features:
59421. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
5943 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
5944 :if has("cindent")
59452. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
5946 Example: >
5947 :if has("gui_running")
5948< *has-patch*
59493. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
5950 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
5951 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
5952 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005953< Note that it's possible for patch 147 to be omitted even though 148 is
5954 included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005955
5956all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
5957amiga Amiga version of Vim.
5958arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
5959arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00005960autocmd Compiled with autocommand support. |autocommand|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005961balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00005962balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005963beos BeOS version of Vim.
5964browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
5965 work.
5966builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
5967byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
5968cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
5969clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
5970clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
5971cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
5972cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
5973cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
5974comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
5975cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
5976cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
5977compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
5978debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
5979dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
5980dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
5981diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
5982digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
5983dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
5984dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
5985dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
5986ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
5987emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
5988eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
5989 true, of course!
5990ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
5991extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
5992 |'hlsearch'|
5993farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
5994file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005995filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
5996 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005997find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
5998 |+find_in_path|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005999float Compiled with support for |Float|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006000fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
6001 Windows this is not present).
6002folding Compiled with |folding| support.
6003footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
6004fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
6005gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
6006gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
6007gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006008gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
6009gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006010gui_gnome Compiled with Gnome support (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006011gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
6012gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
6013gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
6014gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
6015gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
6016gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
6017hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
6018iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
6019insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
6020 Insert mode.
6021jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
6022keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
6023langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
6024libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
6025linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
6026 support.
6027lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
6028listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
6029 and the argument list |arglist|.
6030localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
6031mac Macintosh version of Vim.
6032macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
6033menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
6034mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
6035modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
6036mouse Compiled with support mouse.
6037mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
6038mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
6039mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
6040mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
6041mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006042mouse_sysmouse Compiled with support for sysmouse (*BSD console mouse)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006043mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
Bram Moolenaar42022d52008-12-09 09:57:49 +00006044multi_byte Compiled with support for 'encoding'
6045multi_byte_encoding 'encoding' is set to a multi-byte encoding.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006046multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
6047multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00006048mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006049netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaarb26e6322010-05-22 21:34:09 +02006050netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and connected.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006051ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
6052os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
6053osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
6054path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
6055perl Compiled with Perl interface.
6056postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
6057printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00006058profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006059python Compiled with Python interface.
6060qnx QNX version of Vim.
6061quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
Bram Moolenaard68071d2006-05-02 22:08:30 +00006062reltime Compiled with |reltime()| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006063rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
6064ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
6065scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
6066showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
6067signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
6068smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00006069sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaaref94eec2009-11-11 13:22:11 +00006070startuptime Compiled with |--startuptime| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006071statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
6072 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
6073sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00006074spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
6075syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006076syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
6077 current buffer.
6078system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
6079tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
6080 |tag-binary-search|.
6081tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
6082 |tag-old-static|.
6083tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
6084 files |tag-any-white|.
6085tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
6086terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
6087termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
6088textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
6089tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
6090 or terminfo file.
6091title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
6092toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
6093unix Unix version of Vim.
6094user_commands User-defined commands.
6095viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
6096vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
6097vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
6098virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
6099visual Compiled with Visual mode.
6100visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
6101 |blockwise-operators|.
6102vms VMS version of Vim.
6103vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
6104wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
6105wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
6106windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
6107winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
6108win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
6109win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
6110win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
6111win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
6112win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
6113writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
6114xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
6115xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
6116xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
6117xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
6118xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
6119xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
6120 xterm screen.
6121x11 Compiled with X11 support.
6122
6123 *string-match*
6124Matching a pattern in a String
6125
6126A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
6127the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
6128everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
6129like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
6130line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
6131with ".". Example: >
6132 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
6133 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
6134 aa
6135 xx
6136 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
6137 a
6138 x
6139
6140Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
6141"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
6142"\n".
6143
6144==============================================================================
61455. Defining functions *user-functions*
6146
6147New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
6148functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
6149commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
6150
6151The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
6152builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
6153avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
6154the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
6155
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00006156It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
6157|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006158
6159 *local-function*
6160A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
6161can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
6162and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00006163function from a mapping defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006164instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
6165
6166 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
6167:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
6168
6169:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006170 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
6171 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006172 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00006173
6174:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
6175 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
6176 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00006177<
6178 *:function-verbose*
6179When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
6180last defined. Example: >
6181
6182 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
6183 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
6184 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
6185<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00006186See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00006187
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00006188 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00006189:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006190 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
6191 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
6192 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006193
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006194 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
6195 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006196 :function dict.init(arg)
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006197< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006198 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006199 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006200 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
6201 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
6202 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006203 *E127* *E122*
6204 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
6205 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
6206 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
6207 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006208
6209 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
6210
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006211 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
6212 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
6213 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
6214 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
6215 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
6216 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
6217 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006218
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006219 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
6220 abort as soon as an error is detected.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006221
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00006222 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006223 be invoked through an entry in a |Dictionary|. The
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00006224 local variable "self" will then be set to the
6225 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006226
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006227 *function-search-undo*
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00006228 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006229 will not be changed by the function. This also
6230 implies that the effect of |:nohlsearch| is undone
6231 when the function returns.
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00006232
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006233 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
6234:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
6235 by its own, without other commands.
6236
6237 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
6238:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006239 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
6240 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006241 :delfunc dict.init
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006242< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006243 function is deleted if there are no more references to
6244 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006245 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
6246:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
6247 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
6248 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
6249 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
6250 the number 0 is returned.
6251 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
6252 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
6253
6254 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
6255 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
6256 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
6257 are executed first. This process applies to all
6258 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
6259 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
6260
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006261 *function-argument* *a:var*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006262An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006263be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006264 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740* *...*
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006265Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
6266arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
6267may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
6268as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006269can be 0). "a:000" is set to a |List| that contains these arguments. Note
6270that "a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006271 *E742*
6272The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00006273However, if a |List| or |Dictionary| is used, you can change their contents.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006274Thus you can pass a |List| to a function and have the function add an item to
6275it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a |List| or
6276|Dictionary| use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006277
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006278When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
6279to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
6280may be larger.
6281
6282It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
6283still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
6284until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
6285inside a function body.
6286
6287 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006288Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
6289will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
6290accessed with "g:".
6291
6292Example: >
6293 :function Table(title, ...)
6294 : echohl Title
6295 : echo a:title
6296 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00006297 : echo a:0 . " items:"
6298 : for s in a:000
6299 : echon ' ' . s
6300 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006301 :endfunction
6302
6303This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00006304 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
6305 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006306
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006307To return more than one value, return a |List|: >
6308 :function Compute(n1, n2)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006309 : if a:n2 == 0
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006310 : return ["fail", 0]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006311 : endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006312 : return ["ok", a:n1 / a:n2]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006313 :endfunction
6314
6315This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006316 :let [success, div] = Compute(102, 6)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006317 :if success == "ok"
6318 : echo div
6319 :endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006320<
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00006321 *:cal* *:call* *E107* *E117*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006322:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
6323 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
6324 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006325 used. The returned value is discarded.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006326 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
6327 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
6328 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
6329 function.
6330 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
6331 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
6332 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
6333 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006334 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006335 this works:
6336 *function-range-example* >
6337 :function Mynumber(arg)
6338 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
6339 :endfunction
6340 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
6341<
6342 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
6343 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
6344 the range.
6345
6346 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
6347
6348 :function Cont() range
6349 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
6350 :endfunction
6351 :4,8call Cont()
6352<
6353 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
6354 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
6355
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006356 When the function returns a composite value it can be further
6357 dereferenced, but the range will not be used then. Example: >
6358 :4,8call GetDict().method()
6359< Here GetDict() gets the range but method() does not.
6360
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006361 *E132*
6362The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
6363option.
6364
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006365
6366AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006367 *autoload-functions*
6368When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006369only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
6370the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
6371
6372
6373Using an autocommand ~
6374
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00006375This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
6376
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006377The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
6378You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006379That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006380again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
6381
6382Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
6383function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006384
6385 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
6386
6387The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
6388"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
6389
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006390
6391Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006392 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00006393This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
6394
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006395Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
6396exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
6397like this: >
6398
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006399 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006400
6401When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
6402"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
6403"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
6404then define the function like this: >
6405
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006406 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006407 echo "Done!"
6408 endfunction
6409
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00006410The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006411exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
6412called.
6413
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006414It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
6415a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006416
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006417 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006418
6419Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
6420
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006421This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
6422
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006423 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006424
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00006425However, when the autoload script was already loaded it won't be loaded again
6426for an unknown variable.
6427
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006428When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
6429be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
6430
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006431 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
6432 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006433
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00006434Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
6435defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
6436function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006437And you will get an error message every time.
6438
6439Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006440other and vice versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006441Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006442
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00006443Hint: If you distribute a bunch of scripts you can pack them together with the
6444|vimball| utility. Also read the user manual |distribute-script|.
6445
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006446==============================================================================
64476. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
6448
6449Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
6450This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
6451{} like this: >
6452 my_{adjective}_variable
6453
6454When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
6455that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
6456name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
6457"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
6458"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
6459
6460One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006461value. For example, the statement >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006462 echo my_{&background}_message
6463
6464would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
6465on the current value of 'background'.
6466
6467You can use multiple brace pairs: >
6468 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
6469..or even nest them: >
6470 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
6471where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
6472
6473However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00006474variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006475 :let foo='a + b'
6476 :echo c{foo}d
6477.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
6478
6479 *curly-braces-function-names*
6480You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
6481Example: >
6482 :let func_end='whizz'
6483 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
6484
6485This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
6486
6487==============================================================================
64887. Commands *expression-commands*
6489
6490:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
6491 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
6492 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
6493 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
6494 is created.
6495
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00006496:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
6497 Set a list item to the result of the expression
6498 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
6499 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
6500 the index can be repeated.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006501 This cannot be used to add an item to a |List|.
6502 This cannot be used to set a byte in a String. You
6503 can do that like this: >
6504 :let var = var[0:2] . 'X' . var[4:]
6505<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006506 *E711* *E719*
6507:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006508 Set a sequence of items in a |List| to the result of
6509 the expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00006510 correct number of items.
6511 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
6512 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
6513 When the selected range of items is partly past the
6514 end of the list, items will be added.
6515
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00006516 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006517:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
6518:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
6519:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
6520 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
6521 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
6522
6523
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006524:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
6525 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
6526 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006527:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
6528 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
6529 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
6530 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006531
6532:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
6533 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
6534 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
6535 must be the name of a writable register (see
6536 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
6537 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
6538 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
6539 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
6540 characterwise.
6541 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
6542 :let @/ = ""
6543< This is different from searching for an empty string,
6544 that would match everywhere.
6545
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006546:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006547 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006548 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
6549
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006550:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006551 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006552 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
6553 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006554 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
6555 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
Bram Moolenaara5fac542005-10-12 20:58:49 +00006556 value and the global value are changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006557 Example: >
6558 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006559
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006560:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
6561 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
6562 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
6563
6564:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
6565:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
6566 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
6567 {expr1}.
6568
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006569:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006570:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
6571:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
6572:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006573 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
6574 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
6575
6576:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006577:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
6578:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
6579:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006580 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
6581 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
6582
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00006583:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006584 {expr1} must evaluate to a |List|. The first item in
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006585 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
6586 {name2}, etc.
6587 The number of names must match the number of items in
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006588 the |List|.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006589 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
6590 command as mentioned above.
6591 Example: >
6592 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006593< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
6594 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
6595 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
6596 :let x = [0, 1]
6597 :let i = 0
6598 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
6599 :echo x
6600< The result is [0, 2].
6601
6602:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
6603:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
6604:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
6605 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006606 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006607
6608:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006609 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the |List| may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006610 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
6611 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
6612 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006613 Example: >
6614 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
6615<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006616:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
6617:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
6618:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
6619 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006620 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006621 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006622:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00006623 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
6624 here: *E738*
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00006625 g: global variables
6626 b: local buffer variables
6627 w: local window variables
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00006628 t: local tab page variables
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00006629 s: script-local variables
6630 l: local function variables
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00006631 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006632
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00006633:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
6634 variable is indicated before the value:
6635 <nothing> String
6636 # Number
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00006637 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006638
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006639
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006640:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108* *E795*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006641 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
6642 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006643 may also be a |List| or |Dictionary| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006644 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
6645 variables.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006646 One or more items from a |List| can be removed: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00006647 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
6648 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006649< One item from a |Dictionary| can be removed at a time: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00006650 :unlet dict['two']
6651 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00006652< This is especially useful to clean up used global
6653 variables and script-local variables (these are not
6654 deleted when the script ends). Function-local
6655 variables are automatically deleted when the function
6656 ends.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006657
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006658:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
6659 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
6660 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
6661 A locked variable can be deleted: >
6662 :lockvar v
6663 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
6664 :unlet v
6665< *E741*
6666 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
6667 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
6668
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006669 [depth] is relevant when locking a |List| or
6670 |Dictionary|. It specifies how deep the locking goes:
6671 1 Lock the |List| or |Dictionary| itself,
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006672 cannot add or remove items, but can
6673 still change their values.
6674 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006675 the items. If an item is a |List| or
6676 |Dictionary|, cannot add or remove
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006677 items, but can still change the
6678 values.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006679 3 Like 2 but for the |List| /
6680 |Dictionary| in the |List| /
6681 |Dictionary|, one level deeper.
6682 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a |List|
6683 or |Dictionary| the values cannot be changed.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006684 *E743*
6685 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
6686 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
6687 loops.
6688
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006689 Note that when two variables refer to the same |List|
6690 and you lock one of them, the |List| will also be
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00006691 locked when used through the other variable.
6692 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006693 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
6694 :let cl = l
6695 :lockvar l
6696 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
6697< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
6698 See |deepcopy()|.
6699
6700
6701:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
6702 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
6703 opposite of |:lockvar|.
6704
6705
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006706:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
6707:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
6708 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
6709
6710 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
6711 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
6712 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
6713 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
6714 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
6715 part was not executed either.
6716
6717 You can use this to remain compatible with older
6718 versions: >
6719 :if version >= 500
6720 : version-5-specific-commands
6721 :endif
6722< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
6723 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
6724 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
6725 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
6726 avoid problems: >
6727 :if version >= 600
6728 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
6729 :endif
6730<
6731 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
6732 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
6733
6734 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
6735:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
6736 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
6737 executed.
6738
6739 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
6740:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
6741 is no extra ":endif".
6742
6743:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006744 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006745:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
6746 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
6747 When an error is detected from a command inside the
6748 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006749 Example: >
6750 :let lnum = 1
6751 :while lnum <= line("$")
6752 :call FixLine(lnum)
6753 :let lnum = lnum + 1
6754 :endwhile
6755<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006756 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00006757 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006758
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006759:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006760:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
6761 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00006762 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006763 value of each item.
6764 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006765 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00006766 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
6767 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006768 :for item in copy(mylist)
6769< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
6770 next item in the list, before executing the commands
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006771 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006772 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
6773 it will not be found. Thus the following example
6774 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01006775 for item in mylist
6776 call remove(mylist, 0)
6777 endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00006778< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
6779 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
6780 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006781 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
6782 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01006783 to allow multiple item types: >
6784 for item in ["foo", ["bar"]]
6785 echo item
6786 unlet item " E706 without this
6787 endfor
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006788
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006789:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
6790:endfo[r]
6791 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
6792 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
6793 {var2}, etc. Example: >
6794 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
6795 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
6796 :endfor
6797<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006798 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006799:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
6800 to the start of the loop.
6801 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6802 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6803 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6804 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6805 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6806 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006807
6808 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006809:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
6810 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
6811 ":endfor".
6812 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6813 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6814 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6815 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6816 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6817 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006818
6819:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
6820:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
6821 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
6822 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
6823 or autocommand invocations.
6824
6825 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
6826 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
6827 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
6828 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
6829 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
6830 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
6831 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
6832 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
6833 Example: >
6834 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
6835 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
6836<
6837 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
6838 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
6839 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
6840 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
6841 processing is not terminated.
6842
6843 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
6844 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
6845 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
6846 other errors are converted to a value of the form
6847 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
6848 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
6849 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
6850 the error number.
6851 Examples: >
6852 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
6853 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
6854<
6855 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01006856:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next |:catch|,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006857 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
6858 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
6859 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
6860 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
6861 commands are skipped.
6862 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
6863 Examples: >
6864 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
6865 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
6866 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
6867 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
6868 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
6869 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
6870 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
6871 :catch " same as /.*/
6872<
6873 Another character can be used instead of / around the
6874 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
6875 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
6876 {pattern}.
6877 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
6878 an error message because it may vary in different
6879 locales.
6880
6881 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
6882:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
6883 are executed whenever the part between the matching
6884 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
6885 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
6886 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
6887 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
6888
6889 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
6890:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
6891 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
6892 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
6893 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
6894 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
6895 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
6896 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
6897 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
6898 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
6899 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
6900 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
6901 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
6902 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
6903 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
6904 is terminated.
6905 Example: >
6906 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
6907<
6908
6909 *:ec* *:echo*
6910:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
6911 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
6912 Also see |:comment|.
6913 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
6914 cursor to the first column.
6915 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6916 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6917 Example: >
6918 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006919< *:echo-redraw*
6920 A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
6921 And since Vim mostly postpones redrawing until it's
6922 finished with a sequence of commands this happens
6923 quite often. To avoid that a command from before the
6924 ":echo" causes a redraw afterwards (redraws are often
6925 postponed until you type something), force a redraw
6926 with the |:redraw| command. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006927 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
6928<
6929 *:echon*
6930:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
6931 |:comment|.
6932 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6933 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6934 Example: >
6935 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
6936<
6937 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
6938 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
6939 command: >
6940 :!echo % --> filename
6941< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
6942 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
6943< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
6944 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
6945 :echo % --> nothing
6946< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
6947 :echo "%" --> %
6948< This just echoes the '%' character. >
6949 :echo expand("%") --> filename
6950< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
6951
6952 *:echoh* *:echohl*
6953:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
6954 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
6955 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
6956 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
6957< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
6958 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
6959
6960 *:echom* *:echomsg*
6961:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
6962 message in the |message-history|.
6963 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
6964 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
6965 displayed, not interpreted.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006966 The parsing works slightly different from |:echo|,
6967 more like |:execute|. All the expressions are first
6968 evaluated and concatenated before echoing anything.
6969 The expressions must evaluate to a Number or String, a
6970 Dictionary or List causes an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006971 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6972 Example: >
6973 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006974< See |:echo-redraw| to avoid the message disappearing
6975 when the screen is redrawn.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006976 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
6977:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
6978 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
6979 script or function the line number will be added.
6980 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006981 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006982 the message is raised as an error exception instead
6983 (see |try-echoerr|).
6984 Example: >
6985 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
6986< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
6987 And to get a beep: >
6988 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
6989<
6990 *:exe* *:execute*
6991:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +02006992 of {expr1} as an Ex command.
6993 Multiple arguments are concatenated, with a space in
6994 between. To avoid the extra space use the "."
6995 operator to concatenate strings into one argument.
6996 {expr1} is used as the processed command, command line
6997 editing keys are not recognized.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006998 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6999 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +02007000 :execute "buffer" nextbuf
7001 :execute "normal" count . "w"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007002<
7003 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
7004 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
7005 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
7006
7007< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
7008 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
7009 command: >
7010 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
7011< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
7012
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007013 Be careful to correctly escape special characters in
7014 file names. The |fnameescape()| function can be used
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00007015 for Vim commands, |shellescape()| for |:!| commands.
7016 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007017 :execute "e " . fnameescape(filename)
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00007018 :execute "!ls " . shellescape(expand('%:h'), 1)
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007019<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007020 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00007021 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
7022 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007023 :execute 'while i > 5'
7024 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
7025<
7026 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
7027 completely in the executed string: >
7028 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
7029<
7030
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01007031 *:exe-comment*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007032 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
7033 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
7034 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
7035 comment. Example: >
7036 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
7037
7038==============================================================================
70398. Exception handling *exception-handling*
7040
7041The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
7042explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
7043
7044Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
7045|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
7046exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
7047
7048
7049TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
7050
7051Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
7052use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
7053a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
7054 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
7055|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
7056a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
7057be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
7058which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
7059clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
7060
7061 :try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007062 : ...
7063 : ... TRY BLOCK
7064 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007065 :catch /{pattern}/
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007066 : ...
7067 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
7068 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007069 :catch /{pattern}/
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007070 : ...
7071 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
7072 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007073 :finally
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007074 : ...
7075 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
7076 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007077 :endtry
7078
7079The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
7080appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
7081from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
7082 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
7083is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
7084script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
7085 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
7086lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
7087patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
7088after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
7089executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
7090":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
7091(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
7092continues in the following line as usual.
7093 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
7094":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
7095that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
7096finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
7097the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
7098the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
7099see |try-nesting|.
7100 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007101remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007102not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
7103try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
7104a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
7105execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
7106exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
7107 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007108thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007109clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
7110catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
7111following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
7112clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
7113
7114The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
7115a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
7116try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
7117from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
7118sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
7119":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
7120":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
7121from the finally clause.
7122 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
7123try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
7124clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
7125":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
7126clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
7127":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
7128this pending exception or command is discarded.
7129
7130For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
7131
7132
7133NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
7134
7135Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
7136conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
7137clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
7138catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
7139of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
7140checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
7141try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007142otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007143nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
7144one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
7145the inner try conditional.
7146
7147When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
7148finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
7149An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
7150thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
7151implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
7152as usual.
7153
7154For examples see |throw-catch|.
7155
7156
7157EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
7158
7159Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
7160'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
7161script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
7162finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
7163a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
7164(see |debug-scripts|).
7165
7166
7167THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
7168
7169You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
7170and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
7171 :throw 4711
7172 :throw "string"
7173< *throw-expression*
7174You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
7175first, and the result is thrown: >
7176 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
7177 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
7178
7179An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
7180command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
7181The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
7182 Example: >
7183
7184 :function! Foo(arg)
7185 : try
7186 : throw a:arg
7187 : catch /foo/
7188 : endtry
7189 : return 1
7190 :endfunction
7191 :
7192 :function! Bar()
7193 : echo "in Bar"
7194 : return 4710
7195 :endfunction
7196 :
7197 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
7198
7199This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
7200executed. >
7201 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
7202however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
7203
7204Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007205abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007206exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
7207 Example: >
7208
7209 :if Foo("arrgh")
7210 : echo "then"
7211 :else
7212 : echo "else"
7213 :endif
7214
7215Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
7216
7217 *catch-order*
7218Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
7219commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
7220command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
7221gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
7222 Example: >
7223
7224 :function! Foo(value)
7225 : try
7226 : throw a:value
7227 : catch /^\d\+$/
7228 : echo "Number thrown"
7229 : catch /.*/
7230 : echo "String thrown"
7231 : endtry
7232 :endfunction
7233 :
7234 :call Foo(0x1267)
7235 :call Foo('string')
7236
7237The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
7238An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
7239specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
7240specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
7241
7242 : catch /.*/
7243 : echo "String thrown"
7244 : catch /^\d\+$/
7245 : echo "Number thrown"
7246
7247The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
7248never taken.
7249
7250 *throw-variables*
7251If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
7252in the variable |v:exception|: >
7253
7254 : catch /^\d\+$/
7255 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
7256
7257You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
7258|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
7259exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
7260 Example: >
7261
7262 :function! Caught()
7263 : if v:exception != ""
7264 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
7265 : else
7266 : echo 'Nothing caught'
7267 : endif
7268 :endfunction
7269 :
7270 :function! Foo()
7271 : try
7272 : try
7273 : try
7274 : throw 4711
7275 : finally
7276 : call Caught()
7277 : endtry
7278 : catch /.*/
7279 : call Caught()
7280 : throw "oops"
7281 : endtry
7282 : catch /.*/
7283 : call Caught()
7284 : finally
7285 : call Caught()
7286 : endtry
7287 :endfunction
7288 :
7289 :call Foo()
7290
7291This displays >
7292
7293 Nothing caught
7294 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
7295 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
7296 Nothing caught
7297
7298A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
7299number in the script or function where it has been used: >
7300
7301 :function! LineNumber()
7302 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
7303 :endfunction
7304 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
7305<
7306 *try-nested*
7307An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
7308a surrounding try conditional: >
7309
7310 :try
7311 : try
7312 : throw "foo"
7313 : catch /foobar/
7314 : echo "foobar"
7315 : finally
7316 : echo "inner finally"
7317 : endtry
7318 :catch /foo/
7319 : echo "foo"
7320 :endtry
7321
7322The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
7323clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
7324conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
7325
7326 *throw-from-catch*
7327You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
7328catch clause: >
7329
7330 :function! Foo()
7331 : throw "foo"
7332 :endfunction
7333 :
7334 :function! Bar()
7335 : try
7336 : call Foo()
7337 : catch /foo/
7338 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
7339 : throw "bar"
7340 : endtry
7341 :endfunction
7342 :
7343 :try
7344 : call Bar()
7345 :catch /.*/
7346 : echo "Caught" v:exception
7347 :endtry
7348
7349This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
7350
7351 *rethrow*
7352There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
7353"v:exception" instead: >
7354
7355 :function! Bar()
7356 : try
7357 : call Foo()
7358 : catch /.*/
7359 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
7360 : throw v:exception
7361 : endtry
7362 :endfunction
7363< *try-echoerr*
7364Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
7365exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
7366Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
7367denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
7368the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
7369
7370 :try
7371 : try
7372 : asdf
7373 : catch /.*/
7374 : echoerr v:exception
7375 : endtry
7376 :catch /.*/
7377 : echo v:exception
7378 :endtry
7379
7380This code displays
7381
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007382 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007383
7384
7385CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
7386
7387Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
7388user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007389an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007390a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
7391catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
7392a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
7393normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
7394(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007395to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007396clause has been executed.)
7397Example: >
7398
7399 :try
7400 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
7401 : set ts=17
7402 :
7403 : " Do the hard work here.
7404 :
7405 :finally
7406 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
7407 : unlet s:saved_ts
7408 :endtry
7409
7410This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
7411changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
7412that function or script part.
7413
7414 *break-finally*
7415Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
7416a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
7417 Example: >
7418
7419 :let first = 1
7420 :while 1
7421 : try
7422 : if first
7423 : echo "first"
7424 : let first = 0
7425 : continue
7426 : else
7427 : throw "second"
7428 : endif
7429 : catch /.*/
7430 : echo v:exception
7431 : break
7432 : finally
7433 : echo "cleanup"
7434 : endtry
7435 : echo "still in while"
7436 :endwhile
7437 :echo "end"
7438
7439This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
7440
7441 :function! Foo()
7442 : try
7443 : return 4711
7444 : finally
7445 : echo "cleanup\n"
7446 : endtry
7447 : echo "Foo still active"
7448 :endfunction
7449 :
7450 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
7451
7452This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007453extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007454return value.)
7455
7456 *except-from-finally*
7457Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
7458a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
7459cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
7460exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
7461 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
7462working correctly: >
7463
7464 :try
7465 : try
7466 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
7467 : while 1
7468 : endwhile
7469 : finally
7470 : unlet novar
7471 : endtry
7472 :catch /novar/
7473 :endtry
7474 :echo "Script still running"
7475 :sleep 1
7476
7477If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
7478think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
7479|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
7480
7481
7482CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
7483
7484If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
7485watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
7486presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
7487exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
7488the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
7489the error exception is.
7490 Error exceptions have the following format: >
7491
7492 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
7493or >
7494 Vim:{errmsg}
7495
7496{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007497the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007498when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
7499a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
7500a space.
7501
7502Examples:
7503
7504The command >
7505 :unlet novar
7506normally produces the error message >
7507 E108: No such variable: "novar"
7508which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7509 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
7510
7511The command >
7512 :dwim
7513normally produces the error message >
7514 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
7515which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7516 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
7517
7518You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
7519 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
7520or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
7521 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
7522
7523Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
7524 :function nofunc
7525and >
7526 :delfunction nofunc
7527both produce the error message >
7528 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7529which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7530 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7531or >
7532 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7533respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
7534command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
7535 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
7536
7537Some commands like >
7538 :let x = novar
7539produce multiple error messages, here: >
7540 E121: Undefined variable: novar
7541 E15: Invalid expression: novar
7542Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
7543one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
7544 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
7545
7546You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
7547 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
7548
7549You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
7550 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
7551
7552You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
7553 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
7554<
7555 *catch-text*
7556NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
7557 :catch /No such variable/
7558only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
7559a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
7560cite the message text in a comment: >
7561 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
7562
7563
7564IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
7565
7566You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
7567
7568 :try
7569 : write
7570 :catch
7571 :endtry
7572
7573But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
7574catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
7575be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
7576
7577 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
7578
7579There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
7580writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
7581then hide the error from the user.
7582 It is much better to use >
7583
7584 :try
7585 : write
7586 :catch /^Vim(write):/
7587 :endtry
7588
7589which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
7590intentionally.
7591
7592For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
7593even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
7594command: >
7595 :silent! nunmap k
7596This works also when a try conditional is active.
7597
7598
7599CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
7600
7601When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007602the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007603script is not terminated, then.
7604 Example: >
7605
7606 :function! TASK1()
7607 : sleep 10
7608 :endfunction
7609
7610 :function! TASK2()
7611 : sleep 20
7612 :endfunction
7613
7614 :while 1
7615 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
7616 : try
7617 : if command == ""
7618 : continue
7619 : elseif command == "END"
7620 : break
7621 : elseif command == "TASK1"
7622 : call TASK1()
7623 : elseif command == "TASK2"
7624 : call TASK2()
7625 : else
7626 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
7627 : continue
7628 : endif
7629 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
7630 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
7631 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
7632 : endtry
7633 :endwhile
7634
7635You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007636a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007637
7638For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
7639your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
7640command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
7641
7642
7643CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
7644
7645The commands >
7646
7647 :catch /.*/
7648 :catch //
7649 :catch
7650
7651catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
7652explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
7653a script in order to catch unexpected things.
7654 Example: >
7655
7656 :try
7657 :
7658 : " do the hard work here
7659 :
7660 :catch /MyException/
7661 :
7662 : " handle known problem
7663 :
7664 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
7665 : echo "Script interrupted"
7666 :catch /.*/
7667 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
7668 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
7669 :endtry
7670 :" end of script
7671
7672Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
7673strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
7674specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
7675 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
7676by pressing CTRL-C: >
7677
7678 :while 1
7679 : try
7680 : sleep 1
7681 : catch
7682 : endtry
7683 :endwhile
7684
7685
7686EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
7687
7688Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
7689
7690 :autocmd User x try
7691 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
7692 :autocmd User x catch
7693 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
7694 :autocmd User x endtry
7695 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
7696 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
7697 :
7698 :try
7699 : doautocmd User x
7700 :catch
7701 : echo v:exception
7702 :endtry
7703
7704This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
7705
7706 *except-autocmd-Pre*
7707For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
7708command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
7709of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
7710abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
7711 Example: >
7712
7713 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
7714 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
7715 :
7716 :try
7717 : write
7718 :catch
7719 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
7720 :endtry
7721
7722Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
7723you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
7724autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
7725script displays: >
7726
7727 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
7728<
7729 *except-autocmd-Post*
7730For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
7731command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
7732an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
7733is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
7734 Example: >
7735
7736 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
7737 :
7738 :try
7739 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7740 :catch
7741 : echo v:exception
7742 :endtry
7743
7744This just displays: >
7745
7746 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
7747
7748If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
7749fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
7750 Example: >
7751
7752 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
7753 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
7754 :
7755 :try
7756 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7757 :catch
7758 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7759 :endtry
7760<
7761You can also use ":silent!": >
7762
7763 :let x = "ok"
7764 :let v:errmsg = ""
7765 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
7766 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
7767 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
7768 :try
7769 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7770 :catch
7771 :endtry
7772 :echo x
7773
7774This displays "after fail".
7775
7776If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
7777autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
7778
7779 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
7780 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
7781 :
7782 :try
7783 : write
7784 :catch
7785 : echo v:exception
7786 :endtry
7787<
7788 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
7789For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
7790autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
7791of the command.
7792 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007793had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007794some way. >
7795
7796 :if !exists("cnt")
7797 : let cnt = 0
7798 :
7799 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
7800 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
7801 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
7802 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7803 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7804 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
7805 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
7806 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7807 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7808 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
7809 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7810 :endif
7811 :
7812 :try
7813 : write
7814 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
7815 : if &modified
7816 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
7817 : else
7818 : echo "Error after writing"
7819 : endif
7820 :catch /^Vim(write):/
7821 : echo "Error on writing"
7822 :endtry
7823
7824When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
7825first >
7826 File successfully written!
7827then >
7828 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
7829then >
7830 Error after writing
7831etc.
7832
7833 *except-autocmd-ill*
7834You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
7835The following code is ill-formed: >
7836
7837 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
7838 :
7839 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
7840 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
7841 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
7842 :
7843 :write
7844
7845
7846EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
7847
7848Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
7849pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
7850similar things in Vim.
7851 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
7852class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
7853string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
7854 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
7855it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
7856for an error when writing "myfile".
7857 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
7858base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
7859parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
7860 Example: >
7861
7862 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
7863 : if a:a < 0
7864 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
7865 : endif
7866 :endfunction
7867 :
7868 :function! Add(a, b)
7869 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
7870 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
7871 : let c = a:a + a:b
7872 : if c < 0
7873 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
7874 : endif
7875 : return c
7876 :endfunction
7877 :
7878 :function! Div(a, b)
7879 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
7880 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
7881 : if (a:b == 0)
7882 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
7883 : endif
7884 : return a:a / a:b
7885 :endfunction
7886 :
7887 :function! Write(file)
7888 : try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007889 : execute "write" fnameescape(a:file)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007890 : catch /^Vim(write):/
7891 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
7892 : endtry
7893 :endfunction
7894 :
7895 :try
7896 :
7897 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
7898 :
7899 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
7900 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
7901 : echo "Range error in" function
7902 :
7903 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
7904 : echo "Math error"
7905 :
7906 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
7907 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
7908 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
7909 : if file !~ '^/'
7910 : let file = dir . "/" . file
7911 : endif
7912 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
7913 :
7914 :catch /^EXCEPT/
7915 : echo "Unspecified error"
7916 :
7917 :endtry
7918
7919The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
7920a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
7921exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
7922 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
7923failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
7924
7925
7926PECULIARITIES
7927 *except-compat*
7928The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
7929exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
7930and/or a catch clause.
7931
7932In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
7933continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
7934after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
7935functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
7936or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
7937(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
7938
7939This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
7940immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007941conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
7942be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007943termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
7944catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
7945by specifying a finally clause.)
7946
7947When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
7948behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
7949scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
7950
7951However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
7952commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
7953conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
7954script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
7955error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
7956messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007957|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
7958not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007959where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
7960error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
7961scripts.
7962
7963 *except-syntax-err*
7964Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
7965the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
7966clauses, however, is executed.
7967 Example: >
7968
7969 :try
7970 : try
7971 : throw 4711
7972 : catch /\(/
7973 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
7974 : catch
7975 : echo "inner catch-all"
7976 : finally
7977 : echo "inner finally"
7978 : endtry
7979 :catch
7980 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
7981 : finally
7982 : echo "outer finally"
7983 :endtry
7984
7985This displays: >
7986 inner finally
7987 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
7988 outer finally
7989The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
7990
7991 *except-single-line*
7992The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
7993a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
7994"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
7995 Example: >
7996 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
7997raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
7998argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
7999error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
8000displayed.
8001
8002 *except-several-errors*
8003When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
8004usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
8005 Example: >
8006 echo novar
8007causes >
8008 E121: Undefined variable: novar
8009 E15: Invalid expression: novar
8010The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
8011 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
8012< *except-syntax-error*
8013But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
8014the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
8015 Example: >
8016 unlet novar #
8017causes >
8018 E108: No such variable: "novar"
8019 E488: Trailing characters
8020The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
8021 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
8022This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
8023not intended by the user. Example: >
8024 try
8025 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
8026 catch /.*/
8027 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
8028 endtry
8029This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
8030a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
8031
8032==============================================================================
80339. Examples *eval-examples*
8034
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008035Printing in Binary ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008036>
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01008037 :" The function Nr2Bin() returns the binary string representation of a number.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008038 :func Nr2Bin(nr)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008039 : let n = a:nr
8040 : let r = ""
8041 : while n
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008042 : let r = '01'[n % 2] . r
8043 : let n = n / 2
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008044 : endwhile
8045 : return r
8046 :endfunc
8047
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008048 :" The function String2Bin() converts each character in a string to a
8049 :" binary string, separated with dashes.
8050 :func String2Bin(str)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008051 : let out = ''
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008052 : for ix in range(strlen(a:str))
8053 : let out = out . '-' . Nr2Bin(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
8054 : endfor
8055 : return out[1:]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008056 :endfunc
8057
8058Example of its use: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008059 :echo Nr2Bin(32)
8060result: "100000" >
8061 :echo String2Bin("32")
8062result: "110011-110010"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008063
8064
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008065Sorting lines ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008066
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008067This example sorts lines with a specific compare function. >
8068
8069 :func SortBuffer()
8070 : let lines = getline(1, '$')
8071 : call sort(lines, function("Strcmp"))
8072 : call setline(1, lines)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008073 :endfunction
8074
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008075As a one-liner: >
8076 :call setline(1, sort(getline(1, '$'), function("Strcmp")))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008077
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008078
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008079scanf() replacement ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008080 *sscanf*
8081There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
8082line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
8083how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
8084"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
8085 :" Set up the match bit
8086 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
8087 :"get the part matching the whole expression
8088 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
8089 :"get each item out of the match
8090 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
8091 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
8092 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
8093
8094The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
8095"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
8096
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008097
8098getting the scriptnames in a Dictionary ~
8099 *scriptnames-dictionary*
8100The |:scriptnames| command can be used to get a list of all script files that
8101have been sourced. There is no equivalent function or variable for this
8102(because it's rarely needed). In case you need to manipulate the list this
8103code can be used: >
8104 " Get the output of ":scriptnames" in the scriptnames_output variable.
8105 let scriptnames_output = ''
8106 redir => scriptnames_output
8107 silent scriptnames
8108 redir END
8109
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008110 " Split the output into lines and parse each line. Add an entry to the
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008111 " "scripts" dictionary.
8112 let scripts = {}
8113 for line in split(scriptnames_output, "\n")
8114 " Only do non-blank lines.
8115 if line =~ '\S'
8116 " Get the first number in the line.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008117 let nr = matchstr(line, '\d\+')
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008118 " Get the file name, remove the script number " 123: ".
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008119 let name = substitute(line, '.\+:\s*', '', '')
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008120 " Add an item to the Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008121 let scripts[nr] = name
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008122 endif
8123 endfor
8124 unlet scriptnames_output
8125
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008126==============================================================================
812710. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
8128
8129When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
8130evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
8131to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
8132recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
8133and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
8134only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
8135recognized.
8136
8137Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
8138missing: >
8139
8140 :if 1
8141 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
8142 :else
8143 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
8144 :endif
8145
8146==============================================================================
814711. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
8148
8149The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
8150options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
8151these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008152these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
Bram Moolenaarebefac62005-12-28 22:39:57 +00008153a tags file is executed and for CTRL-R = in the command line.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00008154The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008155
8156These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
8157 - changing the buffer text
8158 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
8159 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00008160 - setting certain v: variables (see |v:var|) *E794*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008161 - executing a shell command
8162 - reading or writing a file
8163 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00008164 - executing Python, Perl, etc. commands
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00008165This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
8166
8167 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00008168:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00008169 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
8170 'foldexpr'.
8171
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008172 *sandbox-option*
8173A few options contain an expression. When this expression is evaluated it may
Bram Moolenaar9b2200a2006-03-20 21:55:45 +00008174have to be done in the sandbox to avoid a security risk. But the sandbox is
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008175restrictive, thus this only happens when the option was set from an insecure
8176location. Insecure in this context are:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00008177- sourcing a .vimrc or .exrc in the current directory
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008178- while executing in the sandbox
8179- value coming from a modeline
8180
8181Note that when in the sandbox and saving an option value and restoring it, the
8182option will still be marked as it was set in the sandbox.
8183
8184==============================================================================
818512. Textlock *textlock*
8186
8187In a few situations it is not allowed to change the text in the buffer, jump
8188to another window and some other things that might confuse or break what Vim
8189is currently doing. This mostly applies to things that happen when Vim is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008190actually doing something else. For example, evaluating the 'balloonexpr' may
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008191happen any moment the mouse cursor is resting at some position.
8192
8193This is not allowed when the textlock is active:
8194 - changing the buffer text
8195 - jumping to another buffer or window
8196 - editing another file
8197 - closing a window or quitting Vim
8198 - etc.
8199
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008200
8201 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: