blob: cbcf0ad274fe2899fec97a6d3656825d69046c8a [file] [log] [blame]
Christian Brabandtac637872023-11-14 20:45:48 +01001*cmdline.txt* For Vim version 9.0. Last change: 2023 Nov 15
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7 *Cmdline-mode* *Command-line-mode*
8Command-line mode *Cmdline* *Command-line* *mode-cmdline* *:*
9
10Command-line mode is used to enter Ex commands (":"), search patterns
11("/" and "?"), and filter commands ("!").
12
13Basic command line editing is explained in chapter 20 of the user manual
14|usr_20.txt|.
15
161. Command-line editing |cmdline-editing|
172. Command-line completion |cmdline-completion|
183. Ex command-lines |cmdline-lines|
194. Ex command-line ranges |cmdline-ranges|
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +0000205. Ex command-line flags |ex-flags|
216. Ex special characters |cmdline-special|
227. Command-line window |cmdline-window|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000023
24==============================================================================
251. Command-line editing *cmdline-editing*
26
27Normally characters are inserted in front of the cursor position. You can
28move around in the command-line with the left and right cursor keys. With the
29<Insert> key, you can toggle between inserting and overstriking characters.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000030
31Note that if your keyboard does not have working cursor keys or any of the
32other special keys, you can use ":cnoremap" to define another key for them.
33For example, to define tcsh style editing keys: *tcsh-style* >
34 :cnoremap <C-A> <Home>
35 :cnoremap <C-F> <Right>
36 :cnoremap <C-B> <Left>
37 :cnoremap <Esc>b <S-Left>
38 :cnoremap <Esc>f <S-Right>
39(<> notation |<>|; type all this literally)
40
41 *cmdline-too-long*
42When the command line is getting longer than what fits on the screen, only the
43part that fits will be shown. The cursor can only move in this visible part,
44thus you cannot edit beyond that.
45
46 *cmdline-history* *history*
47The command-lines that you enter are remembered in a history table. You can
Bram Moolenaarcfbc5ee2004-07-02 15:38:35 +000048recall them with the up and down cursor keys. There are actually five
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000049history tables:
50- one for ':' commands
51- one for search strings
52- one for expressions
53- one for input lines, typed for the |input()| function.
Bram Moolenaarcfbc5ee2004-07-02 15:38:35 +000054- one for debug mode commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000055These are completely separate. Each history can only be accessed when
56entering the same type of line.
57Use the 'history' option to set the number of lines that are remembered
Bram Moolenaar6e932462014-09-09 18:48:09 +020058(default: 50).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000059Notes:
60- When you enter a command-line that is exactly the same as an older one, the
61 old one is removed (to avoid repeated commands moving older commands out of
62 the history).
63- Only commands that are typed are remembered. Ones that completely come from
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +000064 mappings are not put in the history.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000065- All searches are put in the search history, including the ones that come
66 from commands like "*" and "#". But for a mapping, only the last search is
67 remembered (to avoid that long mappings trash the history).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000068{not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist| feature}
69
70There is an automatic completion of names on the command-line; see
71|cmdline-completion|.
72
73 *c_CTRL-V*
74CTRL-V Insert next non-digit literally. Up to three digits form the
75 decimal value of a single byte. The non-digit and the three
76 digits are not considered for mapping. This works the same
77 way as in Insert mode (see above, |i_CTRL-V|).
Bram Moolenaar6f345a12019-12-17 21:27:18 +010078 Note: Under MS-Windows CTRL-V is often mapped to paste text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000079 Use CTRL-Q instead then.
Bram Moolenaarfc4ea2a2019-11-26 19:33:22 +010080 When |modifyOtherKeys| is enabled then special Escape sequence
81 is converted back to what it was without |modifyOtherKeys|,
82 unless the Shift key is also pressed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000083 *c_CTRL-Q*
84CTRL-Q Same as CTRL-V. But with some terminals it is used for
85 control flow, it doesn't work then.
86
Bram Moolenaarfc4ea2a2019-11-26 19:33:22 +010087CTRL-SHIFT-V *c_CTRL-SHIFT-V* *c_CTRL-SHIFT-Q*
88CTRL-SHIFT-Q Works just like CTRL-V, unless |modifyOtherKeys| is active,
89 then it inserts the Escape sequence for a key with modifiers.
zeertzjqbad8a012022-04-29 16:44:00 +010090 In the GUI the |key-notation| is inserted without simplifying.
Bram Moolenaarfc4ea2a2019-11-26 19:33:22 +010091
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +020092 *c_<Left>* *c_Left*
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -070093<Left> cursor left. See 'wildmenu' for behavior during wildmenu
94 completion mode.
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +020095 *c_<Right>* *c_Right*
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -070096<Right> cursor right. See 'wildmenu' for behavior during wildmenu
97 completion mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000098 *c_<S-Left>*
99<S-Left> or <C-Left> *c_<C-Left>*
100 cursor one WORD left
101 *c_<S-Right>*
102<S-Right> or <C-Right> *c_<C-Right>*
103 cursor one WORD right
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200104CTRL-B or <Home> *c_CTRL-B* *c_<Home>* *c_Home*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000105 cursor to beginning of command-line
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200106CTRL-E or <End> *c_CTRL-E* *c_<End>* *c_End*
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -0700107 cursor to end of command-line. See 'wildmenu' for behavior
108 during wildmenu completion mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000109
110 *c_<LeftMouse>*
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000111<LeftMouse> Move the cursor to the position of the mouse click.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000112
Bram Moolenaar256972a2015-12-29 19:10:25 +0100113 *c_<MiddleMouse>*
114<MiddleMouse> Paste the contents of the clipboard (for X11 the primary
115 selection). This is similar to using CTRL-R *, but no CR
116 characters are inserted between lines.
117
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200118CTRL-H *c_<BS>* *c_CTRL-H* *c_BS*
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000119<BS> Delete the character in front of the cursor (see |:fixdel| if
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000120 your <BS> key does not do what you want).
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200121 *c_<Del>* *c_Del*
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000122<Del> Delete the character under the cursor (at end of line:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000123 character before the cursor) (see |:fixdel| if your <Del>
124 key does not do what you want).
125 *c_CTRL-W*
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000126CTRL-W Delete the |word| before the cursor. This depends on the
127 'iskeyword' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000128 *c_CTRL-U*
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000129CTRL-U Remove all characters between the cursor position and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000130 the beginning of the line. Previous versions of vim
131 deleted all characters on the line. If that is the
132 preferred behavior, add the following to your .vimrc: >
133 :cnoremap <C-U> <C-E><C-U>
134<
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200135 *c_<Insert>* *c_Insert*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200136<Insert> Toggle between insert and overstrike.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000137
138{char1} <BS> {char2} or *c_digraph*
139CTRL-K {char1} {char2} *c_CTRL-K*
140 enter digraph (see |digraphs|). When {char1} is a special
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200141 key, the code for that key is inserted in <> form.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000142
Bram Moolenaar5be4cee2019-09-27 19:34:08 +0200143CTRL-R {register} *c_CTRL-R* *c_<C-R>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000144 Insert the contents of a numbered or named register. Between
145 typing CTRL-R and the second character '"' will be displayed
146 to indicate that you are expected to enter the name of a
147 register.
148 The text is inserted as if you typed it, but mappings and
149 abbreviations are not used. Command-line completion through
150 'wildchar' is not triggered though. And characters that end
151 the command line are inserted literally (<Esc>, <CR>, <NL>,
152 <C-C>). A <BS> or CTRL-W could still end the command line
153 though, and remaining characters will then be interpreted in
154 another mode, which might not be what you intended.
155 Special registers:
156 '"' the unnamed register, containing the text of
157 the last delete or yank
158 '%' the current file name
159 '#' the alternate file name
160 '*' the clipboard contents (X11: primary selection)
161 '+' the clipboard contents
162 '/' the last search pattern
163 ':' the last command-line
164 '-' the last small (less than a line) delete
165 '.' the last inserted text
166 *c_CTRL-R_=*
167 '=' the expression register: you are prompted to
168 enter an expression (see |expression|)
Bram Moolenaar05a7bb32006-01-19 22:09:32 +0000169 (doesn't work at the expression prompt; some
170 things such as changing the buffer or current
171 window are not allowed to avoid side effects)
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000172 When the result is a |List| the items are used
173 as lines. They can have line breaks inside
174 too.
175 When the result is a Float it's automatically
176 converted to a String.
Bram Moolenaar6aa57292021-08-14 21:25:52 +0200177 Note that when you only want to move the
178 cursor and not insert anything, you must make
179 sure the expression evaluates to an empty
180 string. E.g.: >
181 <C-R><C-R>=setcmdpos(2)[-1]<CR>
182< See |registers| about registers.
Bram Moolenaarfd371682005-01-14 21:42:54 +0000183 Implementation detail: When using the |expression| register
184 and invoking setcmdpos(), this sets the position before
185 inserting the resulting string. Use CTRL-R CTRL-R to set the
186 position afterwards.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000187
188CTRL-R CTRL-F *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-F* *c_<C-R>_<C-F>*
189CTRL-R CTRL-P *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-P* *c_<C-R>_<C-P>*
190CTRL-R CTRL-W *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-W* *c_<C-R>_<C-W>*
191CTRL-R CTRL-A *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-A* *c_<C-R>_<C-A>*
Bram Moolenaare2c8d832018-05-01 19:24:03 +0200192CTRL-R CTRL-L *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-L* *c_<C-R>_<C-L>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000193 Insert the object under the cursor:
194 CTRL-F the Filename under the cursor
195 CTRL-P the Filename under the cursor, expanded with
196 'path' as in |gf|
197 CTRL-W the Word under the cursor
198 CTRL-A the WORD under the cursor; see |WORD|
Bram Moolenaare2c8d832018-05-01 19:24:03 +0200199 CTRL-L the line under the cursor
Bram Moolenaard3667a22006-03-16 21:35:52 +0000200
201 When 'incsearch' is set the cursor position at the end of the
202 currently displayed match is used. With CTRL-W the part of
203 the word that was already typed is not inserted again.
204
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000205 *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R* *c_<C-R>_<C-R>*
206 *c_CTRL-R_CTRL-O* *c_<C-R>_<C-O>*
Bram Moolenaar5be4cee2019-09-27 19:34:08 +0200207CTRL-R CTRL-R {register CTRL-F CTRL-P CTRL-W CTRL-A CTRL-L}
208CTRL-R CTRL-O {register CTRL-F CTRL-P CTRL-W CTRL-A CTRL-L}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000209 Insert register or object under the cursor. Works like
210 |c_CTRL-R| but inserts the text literally. For example, if
211 register a contains "xy^Hz" (where ^H is a backspace),
212 "CTRL-R a" will insert "xz" while "CTRL-R CTRL-R a" will
213 insert "xy^Hz".
214
215CTRL-\ e {expr} *c_CTRL-\_e*
216 Evaluate {expr} and replace the whole command line with the
217 result. You will be prompted for the expression, type <Enter>
218 to finish it. It's most useful in mappings though. See
219 |expression|.
220 See |c_CTRL-R_=| for inserting the result of an expression.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +0000221 Useful functions are |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdline()| and
222 |getcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000223 The cursor position is unchanged, except when the cursor was
224 at the end of the line, then it stays at the end.
225 |setcmdpos()| can be used to set the cursor position.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000226 The |sandbox| is used for evaluating the expression to avoid
227 nasty side effects.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000228 Example: >
229 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eAppendSome()<CR>
230 :func AppendSome()
Bram Moolenaarc51cf032022-02-26 12:25:45 +0000231 :let cmd = getcmdline() .. " Some()"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000232 :" place the cursor on the )
233 :call setcmdpos(strlen(cmd))
234 :return cmd
235 :endfunc
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +0000236< This doesn't work recursively, thus not when already editing
Bram Moolenaar3a0d8092012-10-21 03:02:54 +0200237 an expression. But it is possible to use in a mapping.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +0000238
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000239 *c_CTRL-Y*
240CTRL-Y When there is a modeless selection, copy the selection into
241 the clipboard. |modeless-selection|
242 If there is no selection CTRL-Y is inserted as a character.
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -0700243 See 'wildmenu' for behavior during wildmenu completion mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000244
Bram Moolenaar2ec618c2016-10-01 14:47:05 +0200245CTRL-M or CTRL-J *c_CTRL-M* *c_CTRL-J* *c_<NL>* *c_<CR>* *c_CR*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000246<CR> or <NL> start entered command
Bram Moolenaar2ec618c2016-10-01 14:47:05 +0200247
248CTRL-[ *c_CTRL-[* *c_<Esc>* *c_Esc*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000249<Esc> When typed and 'x' not present in 'cpoptions', quit
250 Command-line mode without executing. In macros or when 'x'
251 present in 'cpoptions', start entered command.
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +0000252 Note: If your <Esc> key is hard to hit on your keyboard, train
253 yourself to use CTRL-[.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000254 *c_CTRL-C*
255CTRL-C quit command-line without executing
256
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200257 *c_<Up>* *c_Up*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000258<Up> recall older command-line from history, whose beginning
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -0700259 matches the current command-line (see below). See 'wildmenu'
260 for behavior during wildmenu completion mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000261 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
262 feature}
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +0200263 *c_<Down>* *c_Down*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000264<Down> recall more recent command-line from history, whose beginning
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -0700265 matches the current command-line (see below). See 'wildmenu'
266 for behavior during wildmenu completion mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000267 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
268 feature}
269
270 *c_<S-Up>* *c_<PageUp>*
271<S-Up> or <PageUp>
272 recall older command-line from history
273 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
274 feature}
275 *c_<S-Down>* *c_<PageDown>*
276<S-Down> or <PageDown>
277 recall more recent command-line from history
278 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
279 feature}
280
281CTRL-D command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
282'wildchar' option
283 command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
284CTRL-N command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
285CTRL-P command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
286CTRL-A command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
287CTRL-L command-line completion (see |cmdline-completion|)
288
289 *c_CTRL-_*
290CTRL-_ a - switch between Hebrew and English keyboard mode, which is
291 private to the command-line and not related to hkmap.
292 This is useful when Hebrew text entry is required in the
293 command-line, searches, abbreviations, etc. Applies only if
294 Vim is compiled with the |+rightleft| feature and the
295 'allowrevins' option is set.
296 See |rileft.txt|.
297
298 b - switch between Farsi and English keyboard mode, which is
299 private to the command-line and not related to fkmap. In
300 Farsi keyboard mode the characters are inserted in reverse
301 insert manner. This is useful when Farsi text entry is
302 required in the command-line, searches, abbreviations, etc.
303 Applies only if Vim is compiled with the |+farsi| feature.
304 See |farsi.txt|.
305
306 *c_CTRL-^*
307CTRL-^ Toggle the use of language |:lmap| mappings and/or Input
308 Method.
309 When typing a pattern for a search command and 'imsearch' is
310 not -1, VAL is the value of 'imsearch', otherwise VAL is the
311 value of 'iminsert'.
312 When language mappings are defined:
313 - If VAL is 1 (langmap mappings used) it becomes 0 (no langmap
314 mappings used).
315 - If VAL was not 1 it becomes 1, thus langmap mappings are
316 enabled.
317 When no language mappings are defined:
318 - If VAL is 2 (Input Method is used) it becomes 0 (no input
319 method used)
320 - If VAL has another value it becomes 2, thus the Input Method
321 is enabled.
322 These language mappings are normally used to type characters
323 that are different from what the keyboard produces. The
324 'keymap' option can be used to install a whole number of them.
325 When entering a command line, langmap mappings are switched
326 off, since you are expected to type a command. After
327 switching it on with CTRL-^, the new state is not used again
328 for the next command or Search pattern.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000329
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000330 *c_CTRL-]*
Bram Moolenaar25c9c682019-05-05 18:13:34 +0200331CTRL-] Trigger abbreviation, without inserting a character.
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000332
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000333For Emacs-style editing on the command-line see |emacs-keys|.
334
335The <Up> and <Down> keys take the current command-line as a search string.
336The beginning of the next/previous command-lines are compared with this
337string. The first line that matches is the new command-line. When typing
338these two keys repeatedly, the same string is used again. For example, this
339can be used to find the previous substitute command: Type ":s" and then <Up>.
340The same could be done by typing <S-Up> a number of times until the desired
341command-line is shown. (Note: the shifted arrow keys do not work on all
342terminals)
343
Bram Moolenaar066b6222008-01-04 14:17:47 +0000344 *:his* *:history*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000345:his[tory] Print the history of last entered commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000346 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
347 feature}
348
349:his[tory] [{name}] [{first}][, [{last}]]
350 List the contents of history {name} which can be:
Bram Moolenaar5ae636b2012-04-30 18:48:53 +0200351 c[md] or : command-line history
352 s[earch] or / or ? search string history
353 e[xpr] or = expression register history
354 i[nput] or @ input line history
355 d[ebug] or > debug command history
356 a[ll] all of the above
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000357
358 If the numbers {first} and/or {last} are given, the respective
359 range of entries from a history is listed. These numbers can
360 be specified in the following form:
361 *:history-indexing*
362 A positive number represents the absolute index of an entry
363 as it is given in the first column of a :history listing.
364 This number remains fixed even if other entries are deleted.
Christian Brabandtac637872023-11-14 20:45:48 +0100365 (see |E1510|)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000366
367 A negative number means the relative position of an entry,
368 counted from the newest entry (which has index -1) backwards.
369
370 Examples:
371 List entries 6 to 12 from the search history: >
372 :history / 6,12
373<
Bram Moolenaareebd84e2016-12-01 17:57:44 +0100374 List the penultimate entry from all histories: >
375 :history all -2
376<
377 List the most recent two entries from all histories: >
378 :history all -2,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000379
Bram Moolenaara939e432013-11-09 05:30:26 +0100380:keepp[atterns] {command} *:keepp* *:keeppatterns*
381 Execute {command}, without adding anything to the search
382 history
383
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000384==============================================================================
3852. Command-line completion *cmdline-completion*
386
387When editing the command-line, a few commands can be used to complete the
388word before the cursor. This is available for:
389
390- Command names: At the start of the command-line.
Yee Cheng Chin989426b2023-10-14 11:46:51 +0200391- |++opt| values.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000392- Tags: Only after the ":tag" command.
393- File names: Only after a command that accepts a file name or a setting for
394 an option that can be set to a file name. This is called file name
395 completion.
Bram Moolenaara2031822006-03-07 22:29:51 +0000396- Shell command names: After ":!cmd", ":r !cmd" and ":w !cmd". $PATH is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000397- Options: Only after the ":set" command.
398- Mappings: Only after a ":map" or similar command.
399- Variable and function names: Only after a ":if", ":call" or similar command.
400
Bram Moolenaar0a52df52019-08-18 22:26:31 +0200401The number of help item matches is limited (currently to 300) to avoid a long
402delay when there are very many matches.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000403
404These are the commands that can be used:
405
406 *c_CTRL-D*
407CTRL-D List names that match the pattern in front of the cursor.
408 When showing file names, directories are highlighted (see
409 'highlight' option). Names where 'suffixes' matches are moved
410 to the end.
Bram Moolenaarb5bf5b82004-12-24 14:35:23 +0000411 The 'wildoptions' option can be set to "tagfile" to list the
412 file of matching tags.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000413 *c_CTRL-I* *c_wildchar* *c_<Tab>*
414'wildchar' option
415 A match is done on the pattern in front of the cursor. The
416 match (if there are several, the first match) is inserted
417 in place of the pattern. (Note: does not work inside a
418 macro, because <Tab> or <Esc> are mostly used as 'wildchar',
419 and these have a special meaning in some macros.) When typed
420 again and there were multiple matches, the next
421 match is inserted. After the last match, the first is used
422 again (wrap around).
423 The behavior can be changed with the 'wildmode' option.
Bram Moolenaar7db25fe2018-05-13 00:02:36 +0200424 *c_<S-Tab>*
425<S-Tab> Like 'wildchar' or <Tab>, but begin with the last match and
426 then go to the previous match.
427 <S-Tab> does not work everywhere.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000428 *c_CTRL-N*
429CTRL-N After using 'wildchar' which got multiple matches, go to next
430 match. Otherwise recall more recent command-line from history.
Bram Moolenaar7db25fe2018-05-13 00:02:36 +0200431 *c_CTRL-P*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000432CTRL-P After using 'wildchar' which got multiple matches, go to
433 previous match. Otherwise recall older command-line from
Bram Moolenaar7db25fe2018-05-13 00:02:36 +0200434 history.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000435 *c_CTRL-A*
436CTRL-A All names that match the pattern in front of the cursor are
437 inserted.
438 *c_CTRL-L*
439CTRL-L A match is done on the pattern in front of the cursor. If
440 there is one match, it is inserted in place of the pattern.
441 If there are multiple matches the longest common part is
442 inserted in place of the pattern. If the result is shorter
443 than the pattern, no completion is done.
Bram Moolenaar4d6f32c2016-08-26 19:13:46 +0200444 */_CTRL-L*
Bram Moolenaard3667a22006-03-16 21:35:52 +0000445 When 'incsearch' is set, entering a search pattern for "/" or
446 "?" and the current match is displayed then CTRL-L will add
Bram Moolenaara9dc3752010-07-11 20:46:53 +0200447 one character from the end of the current match. If
448 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase' are set and the command line has
449 no uppercase characters, the added character is converted to
450 lowercase.
Bram Moolenaar11956692016-08-27 16:26:56 +0200451 *c_CTRL-G* */_CTRL-G*
452CTRL-G When 'incsearch' is set, entering a search pattern for "/" or
453 "?" and the current match is displayed then CTRL-G will move
454 to the next match (does not take |search-offset| into account)
455 Use CTRL-T to move to the previous match. Hint: on a regular
456 keyboard T is above G.
457 *c_CTRL-T* */_CTRL-T*
458CTRL-T When 'incsearch' is set, entering a search pattern for "/" or
459 "?" and the current match is displayed then CTRL-T will move
460 to the previous match (does not take |search-offset| into
461 account).
462 Use CTRL-G to move to the next match. Hint: on a regular
463 keyboard T is above G.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000464
465The 'wildchar' option defaults to <Tab> (CTRL-E when in Vi compatible mode; in
466a previous version <Esc> was used). In the pattern standard wildcards '*' and
Bram Moolenaar24ea3ba2010-09-19 19:01:21 +0200467'?' are accepted when matching file names. '*' matches any string, '?'
468matches exactly one character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000469
Bram Moolenaar259f26a2018-05-15 22:25:40 +0200470When repeating 'wildchar' or CTRL-N you cycle through the matches, eventually
471ending up back to what was typed. If the first match is not what you wanted,
472you can use <S-Tab> or CTRL-P to go straight back to what you typed.
473
Bram Moolenaar74675a62017-07-15 13:53:23 +0200474The 'wildmenu' option can be set to show the matches just above the command
475line.
476
Yee Cheng Chin2bbd0d32023-10-14 02:23:45 -0700477The 'wildoptions' option provides additional configuration to use a popup menu
478for 'wildmenu', and to use fuzzy matching.
479
480The 'wildignorecase' option can be set to ignore case in filenames. For
481completing other texts (e.g. command names), the 'ignorecase' option is used
482instead (fuzzy matching always ignores case, however).
483
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000484If you like tcsh's autolist completion, you can use this mapping:
485 :cnoremap X <C-L><C-D>
486(Where X is the command key to use, <C-L> is CTRL-L and <C-D> is CTRL-D)
487This will find the longest match and then list all matching files.
488
489If you like tcsh's autolist completion, you can use the 'wildmode' option to
490emulate it. For example, this mimics autolist=ambiguous:
491 :set wildmode=longest,list
492This will find the longest match with the first 'wildchar', then list all
493matching files with the next.
494
Bram Moolenaareab6dff2020-03-01 19:06:45 +0100495 *complete-script-local-functions*
496When completing user function names, prepend "s:" to find script-local
497functions.
498
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000499 *suffixes*
500For file name completion you can use the 'suffixes' option to set a priority
501between files with almost the same name. If there are multiple matches,
502those files with an extension that is in the 'suffixes' option are ignored.
503The default is ".bak,~,.o,.h,.info,.swp,.obj", which means that files ending
504in ".bak", "~", ".o", ".h", ".info", ".swp" and ".obj" are sometimes ignored.
Bram Moolenaar055a2ba2009-07-14 19:40:21 +0000505
506An empty entry, two consecutive commas, match a file name that does not
507contain a ".", thus has no suffix. This is useful to ignore "prog" and prefer
508"prog.c".
509
510Examples:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000511
512 pattern: files: match: ~
513 test* test.c test.h test.o test.c
514 test* test.h test.o test.h and test.o
515 test* test.i test.h test.c test.i and test.c
516
Bram Moolenaar055a2ba2009-07-14 19:40:21 +0000517It is impossible to ignore suffixes with two dots.
518
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000519If there is more than one matching file (after ignoring the ones matching
520the 'suffixes' option) the first file name is inserted. You can see that
521there is only one match when you type 'wildchar' twice and the completed
522match stays the same. You can get to the other matches by entering
523'wildchar', CTRL-N or CTRL-P. All files are included, also the ones with
524extensions matching the 'suffixes' option.
525
526To completely ignore files with some extension use 'wildignore'.
527
Bram Moolenaar066b6222008-01-04 14:17:47 +0000528To match only files that end at the end of the typed text append a "$". For
529example, to match only files that end in ".c": >
530 :e *.c$
531This will not match a file ending in ".cpp". Without the "$" it does match.
532
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000533If you would like using <S-Tab> for CTRL-P in an xterm, put this command in
534your .cshrc: >
535 xmodmap -e "keysym Tab = Tab Find"
536And this in your .vimrc: >
537 :cmap <Esc>[1~ <C-P>
Yee Cheng Chin900894b2023-09-29 20:42:32 +0200538< *complete-set-option*
539When setting an option using |:set=|, the old value of an option can be
540obtained by hitting 'wildchar' just after the '='. For example, typing
541'wildchar' after ":set dir=" will insert the current value of 'dir'. This
542overrules file name completion for the options that take a file name.
543
544When using |:set=|, |:set+=|, or |:set^=|, string options that have
545pre-defined names or syntax (e.g. 'diffopt', 'listchars') or are a list of
546single-character flags (e.g. 'shortmess') will also present a list of possible
547values for completion when using 'wildchar'.
548
549When using |:set-=|, comma-separated options like 'diffopt' or 'backupdir'
550will show each item separately. Flag list options like 'shortmess' will show
551both the entire old value and the individual flags. Otherwise completion will
552just fill in with the entire old value.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000553
554==============================================================================
5553. Ex command-lines *cmdline-lines*
556
557The Ex commands have a few specialties:
558
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100559 *:quote* *:comment*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000560'"' at the start of a line causes the whole line to be ignored. '"'
561after a command causes the rest of the line to be ignored. This can be used
562to add comments. Example: >
563 :set ai "set 'autoindent' option
564It is not possible to add a comment to a shell command ":!cmd" or to the
Bram Moolenaar2c64ca12018-10-19 16:22:31 +0200565":map" command and a few others (mainly commands that expect expressions)
566that see the '"' as part of their argument:
567
568 :argdo
569 :autocmd
570 :bufdo
571 :cexpr (and the like)
Bram Moolenaar2c64ca12018-10-19 16:22:31 +0200572 :cdo (and the like)
573 :command
574 :cscope (and the like)
575 :debug
576 :display
577 :echo (and the like)
578 :elseif
579 :execute
580 :folddoopen
581 :folddoclosed
582 :for
583 :grep (and the like)
584 :help (and the like)
585 :if
586 :let
587 :make
588 :map (and the like including :abbrev commands)
589 :menu (and the like)
590 :mkspell
591 :normal
592 :ownsyntax
593 :popup
594 :promptfind (and the like)
595 :registers
596 :return
597 :sort
598 :syntax
599 :tabdo
600 :tearoff
601 :vimgrep (and the like)
602 :while
603 :windo
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000604
605 *:bar* *:\bar*
606'|' can be used to separate commands, so you can give multiple commands in one
607line. If you want to use '|' in an argument, precede it with '\'.
608
609These commands see the '|' as their argument, and can therefore not be
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +0000610followed by another Vim command:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000611 :argdo
612 :autocmd
613 :bufdo
Bram Moolenaaraa23b372015-09-08 18:46:31 +0200614 :cdo
615 :cfdo
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000616 :command
617 :cscope
618 :debug
Bram Moolenaarbc93ceb2020-02-26 13:36:21 +0100619 :eval
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000620 :folddoopen
621 :folddoclosed
622 :function
623 :global
624 :help
625 :helpfind
Bram Moolenaar130cbfc2021-04-07 21:07:20 +0200626 :helpgrep
Bram Moolenaar110bc6b2006-02-10 23:13:40 +0000627 :lcscope
Bram Moolenaaraa23b372015-09-08 18:46:31 +0200628 :ldo
629 :lfdo
Bram Moolenaar130cbfc2021-04-07 21:07:20 +0200630 :lhelpgrep
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000631 :make
632 :normal
633 :perl
634 :perldo
635 :promptfind
636 :promptrepl
637 :pyfile
638 :python
639 :registers
640 :read !
641 :scscope
Bram Moolenaar00a927d2010-05-14 23:24:24 +0200642 :sign
Bram Moolenaar938ae282023-02-20 20:44:55 +0000643 :tabdo
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000644 :tcl
645 :tcldo
646 :tclfile
Bram Moolenaar7ceefb32020-05-01 16:07:38 +0200647 :terminal
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000648 :vglobal
649 :windo
650 :write !
651 :[range]!
652 a user defined command without the "-bar" argument |:command|
653
654Note that this is confusing (inherited from Vi): With ":g" the '|' is included
655in the command, with ":s" it is not.
656
657To be able to use another command anyway, use the ":execute" command.
658Example (append the output of "ls" and jump to the first line): >
659 :execute 'r !ls' | '[
660
661There is one exception: When the 'b' flag is present in 'cpoptions', with the
662":map" and ":abbr" commands and friends CTRL-V needs to be used instead of
663'\'. You can also use "<Bar>" instead. See also |map_bar|.
664
665Examples: >
666 :!ls | wc view the output of two commands
667 :r !ls | wc insert the same output in the text
668 :%g/foo/p|> moves all matching lines one shiftwidth
669 :%s/foo/bar/|> moves one line one shiftwidth
670 :map q 10^V| map "q" to "10|"
671 :map q 10\| map \ l map "q" to "10\" and map "\" to "l"
672 (when 'b' is present in 'cpoptions')
673
674You can also use <NL> to separate commands in the same way as with '|'. To
675insert a <NL> use CTRL-V CTRL-J. "^@" will be shown. Using '|' is the
676preferred method. But for external commands a <NL> must be used, because a
677'|' is included in the external command. To avoid the special meaning of <NL>
678it must be preceded with a backslash. Example: >
679 :r !date<NL>-join
680This reads the current date into the file and joins it with the previous line.
681
682Note that when the command before the '|' generates an error, the following
683commands will not be executed.
684
685
686Because of Vi compatibility the following strange commands are supported: >
687 :| print current line (like ":p")
688 :3| print line 3 (like ":3p")
689 :3 goto line 3
690
691A colon is allowed between the range and the command name. It is ignored
692(this is Vi compatible). For example: >
693 :1,$:s/pat/string
694
695When the character '%' or '#' is used where a file name is expected, they are
696expanded to the current and alternate file name (see the chapter "editing
697files" |:_%| |:_#|).
698
699Embedded spaces in file names are allowed on the Amiga if one file name is
700expected as argument. Trailing spaces will be ignored, unless escaped with a
701backslash or CTRL-V. Note that the ":next" command uses spaces to separate
702file names. Escape the spaces to include them in a file name. Example: >
703 :next foo\ bar goes\ to school\
704starts editing the three files "foo bar", "goes to" and "school ".
705
706When you want to use the special characters '"' or '|' in a command, or want
707to use '%' or '#' in a file name, precede them with a backslash. The
708backslash is not required in a range and in the ":substitute" command.
Bram Moolenaarf9132812015-07-21 19:19:13 +0200709See also |`=|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000710
711 *:_!*
712The '!' (bang) character after an Ex command makes the command behave in a
713different way. The '!' should be placed immediately after the command, without
714any blanks in between. If you insert blanks the '!' will be seen as an
715argument for the command, which has a different meaning. For example:
716 :w! name write the current buffer to file "name", overwriting
717 any existing file
718 :w !name send the current buffer as standard input to command
719 "name"
720
721==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00007224. Ex command-line ranges *cmdline-ranges* *[range]* *E16*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000723
724Some Ex commands accept a line range in front of them. This is noted as
725[range]. It consists of one or more line specifiers, separated with ',' or
726';'.
727
728The basics are explained in section |10.3| of the user manual.
729
Bram Moolenaara4d131d2021-12-27 21:33:07 +0000730In |Vim9| script a range needs to be prefixed with a colon to avoid ambiguity
731with continuation lines. For example, "+" can be used for a range but is also
732a continuation of an expression: >
733 var result = start
734 + print
735If the "+" is a range then it must be prefixed with a colon: >
736 var result = start
737 :+ print
738<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000739 *:,* *:;*
740When separated with ';' the cursor position will be set to that line
741before interpreting the next line specifier. This doesn't happen for ','.
742Examples: >
743 4,/this line/
744< from line 4 till match with "this line" after the cursor line. >
745 5;/that line/
746< from line 5 till match with "that line" after line 5.
747
748The default line specifier for most commands is the cursor position, but the
749commands ":write" and ":global" have the whole file (1,$) as default.
750
751If more line specifiers are given than required for the command, the first
752one(s) will be ignored.
753
Bram Moolenaar088e8e32019-08-08 22:15:18 +0200754Line numbers may be specified with: *:range* *{address}*
Bram Moolenaara2baa732022-02-04 16:09:54 +0000755 {number} an absolute line number *E1247*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000756 . the current line *:.*
757 $ the last line in the file *:$*
758 % equal to 1,$ (the entire file) *:%*
759 't position of mark t (lowercase) *:'*
760 'T position of mark T (uppercase); when the mark is in
761 another file it cannot be used in a range
762 /{pattern}[/] the next line where {pattern} matches *:/*
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000763 also see |:range-pattern| below
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000764 ?{pattern}[?] the previous line where {pattern} matches *:?*
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000765 also see |:range-pattern| below
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000766 \/ the next line where the previously used search
767 pattern matches
768 \? the previous line where the previously used search
769 pattern matches
770 \& the next line where the previously used substitute
771 pattern matches
772
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000773 *:range-offset*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000774Each may be followed (several times) by '+' or '-' and an optional number.
775This number is added or subtracted from the preceding line number. If the
Bram Moolenaar2f0936c2022-01-08 21:51:59 +0000776number is omitted, 1 is used. If there is nothing before the '+' or '-' then
777the current line is used.
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000778 *:range-closed-fold*
779When a line number after the comma is in a closed fold it is adjusted to the
780last line of the fold, thus the whole fold is included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000781
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000782When a number is added this is done after the adjustment to the last line of
783the fold. This means these lines are additionally included in the range. For
784example: >
785 :3,4+2print
786On this text:
787 1 one ~
788 2 two ~
789 3 three ~
790 4 four FOLDED ~
791 5 five FOLDED ~
792 6 six ~
793 7 seven ~
794 8 eight ~
795Where lines four and five are a closed fold, ends up printing lines 3 to 7.
796The 7 comes from the "4" in the range, which is adjusted to the end of the
797closed fold, which is 5, and then the offset 2 is added.
798
799An example for subtracting (which isn't very useful): >
800 :2,4-1print
801On this text:
802 1 one ~
803 2 two ~
h_eastba77bbb2023-10-03 04:47:13 +0900804 3 three FOLDED ~
Bram Moolenaar9954dc32022-11-11 22:58:36 +0000805 4 four FOLDED ~
806 5 five FOLDED ~
807 6 six FOLDED ~
808 7 seven ~
809 8 eight ~
810Where lines three to six are a closed fold, ends up printing lines 2 to 6.
811The 6 comes from the "4" in the range, which is adjusted to the end of the
812closed fold, which is 6, and then 1 is subtracted, then this is still in the
813closed fold and the last line of that fold is used, which is 6.
814
815 *:range-pattern*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000816The "/" and "?" after {pattern} are required to separate the pattern from
817anything that follows.
818
819The "/" and "?" may be preceded with another address. The search starts from
820there. The difference from using ';' is that the cursor isn't moved.
821Examples: >
822 /pat1//pat2/ Find line containing "pat2" after line containing
823 "pat1", without moving the cursor.
824 7;/pat2/ Find line containing "pat2", after line 7, leaving
825 the cursor in line 7.
826
827The {number} must be between 0 and the number of lines in the file. When
828using a 0 (zero) this is interpreted as a 1 by most commands. Commands that
829use it as a count do use it as a zero (|:tag|, |:pop|, etc). Some commands
830interpret the zero as "before the first line" (|:read|, search pattern, etc).
831
832Examples: >
833 .+3 three lines below the cursor
834 /that/+1 the line below the next line containing "that"
835 .,$ from current line until end of file
836 0;/that the first line containing "that", also matches in the
837 first line.
838 1;/that the first line after line 1 containing "that"
839
840Some commands allow for a count after the command. This count is used as the
841number of lines to be used, starting with the line given in the last line
842specifier (the default is the cursor line). The commands that accept a count
843are the ones that use a range but do not have a file name argument (because
Bram Moolenaar2f0936c2022-01-08 21:51:59 +0000844a file name can also be a number). The count cannot be negative.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000845
846Examples: >
847 :s/x/X/g 5 substitute 'x' by 'X' in the current line and four
848 following lines
849 :23d 4 delete lines 23, 24, 25 and 26
850
851
852Folds and Range
853
854When folds are active the line numbers are rounded off to include the whole
855closed fold. See |fold-behavior|.
856
857
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +0000858Reverse Range *E493*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000859
860A range should have the lower line number first. If this is not the case, Vim
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000861will ask you if it should swap the line numbers.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +0000862 Backwards range given, OK to swap ~
863This is not done within the global command ":g".
864
865You can use ":silent" before a command to avoid the question, the range will
866always be swapped then.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000867
868
869Count and Range *N:*
870
Bram Moolenaar76db9e02022-11-09 21:21:04 +0000871When giving a count before entering ":", this is translated into: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000872 :.,.+(count - 1)
Bram Moolenaar9fbdbb82022-09-27 17:30:34 +0100873In words: The "count" lines at and after the cursor. Example: To delete
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000874three lines: >
875 3:d<CR> is translated into: .,.+2d<CR>
876<
877
Bram Moolenaar22863042021-10-16 15:23:36 +0100878Visual Mode and Range
Bram Moolenaar3ec32172021-05-16 12:39:47 +0200879 *v_:*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000880{Visual}: Starts a command-line with the Visual selected lines as a
Bram Moolenaara3e6bc92013-01-30 14:18:00 +0100881 range. The code `:'<,'>` is used for this range, which makes
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000882 it possible to select a similar line from the command-line
883 history for repeating a command on different Visually selected
884 lines.
Bram Moolenaar3ec32172021-05-16 12:39:47 +0200885
886:* *:star* *:star-visual-range*
Bram Moolenaara3e6bc92013-01-30 14:18:00 +0100887 When Visual mode was already ended, a short way to use the
888 Visual area for a range is `:*`. This requires that "*" does
889 not appear in 'cpo', see |cpo-star|. Otherwise you will have
890 to type `:'<,'>`
Bram Moolenaar3ec32172021-05-16 12:39:47 +0200891 For when "*" is in 'cpo' see |:star-compatible|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000892
893==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00008945. Ex command-line flags *ex-flags*
895
896These flags are supported by a selection of Ex commands. They print the line
897that the cursor ends up after executing the command:
898
899 l output like for |:list|
900 # add line number
901 p output like for |:print|
902
903The flags can be combined, thus "l#" uses both a line number and |:list| style
904output.
905
906==============================================================================
9076. Ex special characters *cmdline-special*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000908
Bram Moolenaar8fa04452005-12-23 22:13:51 +0000909Note: These are special characters in the executed command line. If you want
910to insert special things while typing you can use the CTRL-R command. For
911example, "%" stands for the current file name, while CTRL-R % inserts the
912current file name right away. See |c_CTRL-R|.
913
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +0200914Note: If you want to avoid the effects of special characters in a Vim script
915you may want to use |fnameescape()|. Also see |`=|.
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +0000916
Bram Moolenaar8fa04452005-12-23 22:13:51 +0000917
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000918In Ex commands, at places where a file name can be used, the following
919characters have a special meaning. These can also be used in the expression
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +0200920function |expand()|.
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000921 % Is replaced with the current file name. *:_%* *c_%*
922 # Is replaced with the alternate file name. *:_#* *c_#*
Bram Moolenaar36782082013-11-28 13:53:34 +0100923 This is remembered for every window.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100924 #n (where n is a number) is replaced with *:_#0* *:_#n*
925 the file name of buffer n. "#0" is the same as "#". *c_#n*
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000926 ## Is replaced with all names in the argument list *:_##* *c_##*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000927 concatenated, separated by spaces. Each space in a name
928 is preceded with a backslash.
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000929 #<n (where n is a number > 0) is replaced with old *:_#<* *c_#<*
930 file name n. See |:oldfiles| or |v:oldfiles| to get the
931 number. *E809*
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200932 {only when compiled with the |+eval| and |+viminfo| features}
Bram Moolenaar7e6a5152021-01-02 16:39:53 +0100933In |Vim9-script| # is used to start a comment, use %% for the alternate file
934name:
935 % Is replaced with the current file name.
936 %% Is replaced with the alternate file name. *:_%%* *c_%%*
937 %%n (where n is a number) is replaced with *:_%%0* *:_%%n*
938 the file name of buffer n. "%%0" is the same as "%%". *c_%%n*
939 %%% Is replaced with all names in the argument *:_%%%* *c_%%%#*
940 list concatenated, separated by spaces.
941 %%<n (where n is a number > 0) is replaced with old *:_%%<* *c_%%<*
942 file name n.
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000943
944Note that these, except "#<n", give the file name as it was typed. If an
945absolute path is needed (when using the file name from a different directory),
946you need to add ":p". See |filename-modifiers|.
947
948The "#<n" item returns an absolute path, but it will start with "~/" for files
949below your home directory.
950
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000951Note that backslashes are inserted before spaces, so that the command will
952correctly interpret the file name. But this doesn't happen for shell
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +0000953commands. For those you probably have to use quotes (this fails for files
954that contain a quote and wildcards): >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000955 :!ls "%"
956 :r !spell "%"
957
958To avoid the special meaning of '%' and '#' insert a backslash before it.
959Detail: The special meaning is always escaped when there is a backslash before
960it, no matter how many backslashes.
961 you type: result ~
962 # alternate.file
963 \# #
964 \\# \#
Bram Moolenaarf9132812015-07-21 19:19:13 +0200965Also see |`=|.
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +0200966
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200967 *E499* *E500*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000968Note: these are typed literally, they are not special keys!
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200969 *:<cword>* *<cword>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000970 <cword> is replaced with the word under the cursor (like |star|)
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200971 *:<cWORD>* *<cWORD>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000972 <cWORD> is replaced with the WORD under the cursor (see |WORD|)
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200973 *:<cexpr>* *<cexpr>*
Bram Moolenaar65f08472017-09-10 18:16:20 +0200974 <cexpr> is replaced with the word under the cursor, including more
975 to form a C expression. E.g., when the cursor is on "arg"
976 of "ptr->arg" then the result is "ptr->arg"; when the
977 cursor is on "]" of "list[idx]" then the result is
978 "list[idx]". This is used for |v:beval_text|.
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200979 *:<cfile>* *<cfile>*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000980 <cfile> is replaced with the path name under the cursor (like what
981 |gf| uses)
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200982 *:<afile>* *<afile>*
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +0100983 <afile> When executing autocommands, is replaced with the file name
Bram Moolenaar01164a62017-11-02 22:58:42 +0100984 of the buffer being manipulated, or the file for a read or
Bram Moolenaarf29c1c62018-09-10 21:05:02 +0200985 write. *E495*
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200986 *:<abuf>* *<abuf>*
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +0100987 <abuf> When executing autocommands, is replaced with the currently
Bram Moolenaar10e8ff92023-06-10 21:40:39 +0100988 effective buffer number. It is not set for all events,
989 also see |bufnr()|. For ":r file" and ":so file" it is the
990 current buffer, the file being read/sourced is not in a
991 buffer. *E496*
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +0200992 *:<amatch>* *<amatch>*
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +0100993 <amatch> When executing autocommands, is replaced with the match for
Bram Moolenaarf29c1c62018-09-10 21:05:02 +0200994 which this autocommand was executed. *E497*
Bram Moolenaar47003982021-12-05 21:54:04 +0000995 It differs from <afile> when the file name isn't used to
996 match with (for FileType, Syntax and SpellFileMissing
Bram Moolenaarf29c1c62018-09-10 21:05:02 +0200997 events).
Bram Moolenaar47003982021-12-05 21:54:04 +0000998 When the match is with a file name, it is expanded to the
999 full path.
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +02001000 *:<sfile>* *<sfile>*
Bram Moolenaar8a3b8052022-06-26 12:21:15 +01001001 <sfile> When executing a `:source` command, is replaced with the
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +02001002 file name of the sourced file. *E498*
Bram Moolenaar6304be62021-11-27 10:57:26 +00001003 When executing a legacy function, is replaced with the call
1004 stack, as with <stack> (this is for backwards
LemonBoy6013d002022-04-09 21:42:10 +01001005 compatibility, using <stack> or <script> is preferred).
Bram Moolenaar6304be62021-11-27 10:57:26 +00001006 In Vim9 script using <sfile> in a function gives error
1007 *E1245* .
Bram Moolenaarca635012015-09-25 20:34:21 +02001008 Note that filename-modifiers are useless when <sfile> is
Bram Moolenaara5d04232020-07-26 15:37:02 +02001009 not used inside a script.
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +02001010 *:<stack>* *<stack>*
Bram Moolenaara5d04232020-07-26 15:37:02 +02001011 <stack> is replaced with the call stack, using
1012 "function {function-name}[{lnum}]" for a function line
1013 and "script {file-name}[{lnum}]" for a script line, and
1014 ".." in between items. E.g.:
1015 "function {function-name1}[{lnum}]..{function-name2}[{lnum}]"
Bram Moolenaar2f0936c2022-01-08 21:51:59 +00001016 If there is no call stack you get error *E489* .
LemonBoy6013d002022-04-09 21:42:10 +01001017 *:<script>* *<script>*
1018 <script> When executing a `:source` command, is replaced with the file
1019 name of the sourced file. When executing a function, is
1020 replaced with the file name of the script where it is
1021 defined.
1022 If the file name cannot be determined you get error *E1274* .
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +02001023 *:<slnum>* *<slnum>*
Bram Moolenaar8a3b8052022-06-26 12:21:15 +01001024 <slnum> When executing a `:source` command, is replaced with the
Bram Moolenaarf29c1c62018-09-10 21:05:02 +02001025 line number. *E842*
Bram Moolenaar81af9252010-12-10 20:35:50 +01001026 When executing a function it's the line number relative to
1027 the start of the function.
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +02001028 *:<sflnum>* *<sflnum>*
Bram Moolenaarf29c1c62018-09-10 21:05:02 +02001029 <sflnum> When executing a script, is replaced with the line number.
1030 It differs from <slnum> in that <sflnum> is replaced with
1031 the script line number in any situation. *E961*
Bram Moolenaar1d59aa12020-09-19 18:50:13 +02001032 *:<client>* *<client>*
1033 <client> is replaced with the {clinetid} of the last received
1034 message in |server2client()|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001035
1036 *filename-modifiers*
Bram Moolenaar251835e2014-02-24 02:51:51 +01001037*:_%:* *::8* *::p* *::.* *::~* *::h* *::t* *::r* *::e* *::s* *::gs* *::S*
1038 *%:8* *%:p* *%:.* *%:~* *%:h* *%:t* *%:r* *%:e* *%:s* *%:gs* *%:S*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001039The file name modifiers can be used after "%", "#", "#n", "<cfile>", "<sfile>",
1040"<afile>" or "<abuf>". They are also used with the |fnamemodify()| function.
Bram Moolenaar30e9b3c2019-09-07 16:24:12 +02001041
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001042These modifiers can be given, in this order:
1043 :p Make file name a full path. Must be the first modifier. Also
1044 changes "~/" (and "~user/" for Unix and VMS) to the path for
1045 the home directory. If the name is a directory a path
1046 separator is added at the end. For a file name that does not
1047 exist and does not have an absolute path the result is
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +02001048 unpredictable. On MS-Windows an 8.3 filename is expanded to
1049 the long name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001050 :8 Converts the path to 8.3 short format (currently only on
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +02001051 MS-Windows). Will act on as much of a path that is an
1052 existing path.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001053 :~ Reduce file name to be relative to the home directory, if
1054 possible. File name is unmodified if it is not below the home
1055 directory.
1056 :. Reduce file name to be relative to current directory, if
1057 possible. File name is unmodified if it is not below the
Bram Moolenaard816cd92020-02-04 22:23:09 +01001058 current directory.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001059 For maximum shortness, use ":~:.".
1060 :h Head of the file name (the last component and any separators
1061 removed). Cannot be used with :e, :r or :t.
1062 Can be repeated to remove several components at the end.
1063 When the file name ends in a path separator, only the path
1064 separator is removed. Thus ":p:h" on a directory name results
1065 on the directory name itself (without trailing slash).
1066 When the file name is an absolute path (starts with "/" for
Bram Moolenaar5666fcd2019-12-26 14:35:26 +01001067 Unix; "x:\" for Win32; "drive:" for Amiga), that part is not
Bram Moolenaar6f345a12019-12-17 21:27:18 +01001068 removed. When there is no head (path is relative to current
1069 directory) the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001070 :t Tail of the file name (last component of the name). Must
1071 precede any :r or :e.
1072 :r Root of the file name (the last extension removed). When
1073 there is only an extension (file name that starts with '.',
1074 e.g., ".vimrc"), it is not removed. Can be repeated to remove
1075 several extensions (last one first).
1076 :e Extension of the file name. Only makes sense when used alone.
1077 When there is no extension the result is empty.
1078 When there is only an extension (file name that starts with
1079 '.'), the result is empty. Can be repeated to include more
1080 extensions. If there are not enough extensions (but at least
1081 one) as much as possible are included.
1082 :s?pat?sub?
1083 Substitute the first occurrence of "pat" with "sub". This
1084 works like the |:s| command. "pat" is a regular expression.
1085 Any character can be used for '?', but it must not occur in
1086 "pat" or "sub".
1087 After this, the previous modifiers can be used again. For
1088 example ":p", to make a full path after the substitution.
1089 :gs?pat?sub?
Bram Moolenaaradc21822011-04-01 18:03:16 +02001090 Substitute all occurrences of "pat" with "sub". Otherwise
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001091 this works like ":s".
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +02001092 :S Escape special characters for use with a shell command (see
Bram Moolenaar251835e2014-02-24 02:51:51 +01001093 |shellescape()|). Must be the last one. Examples: >
1094 :!dir <cfile>:S
1095 :call system('chmod +w -- ' . expand('%:S'))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001096
1097Examples, when the file name is "src/version.c", current dir
1098"/home/mool/vim": >
1099 :p /home/mool/vim/src/version.c
1100 :p:. src/version.c
1101 :p:~ ~/vim/src/version.c
1102 :h src
1103 :p:h /home/mool/vim/src
1104 :p:h:h /home/mool/vim
1105 :t version.c
1106 :p:t version.c
1107 :r src/version
1108 :p:r /home/mool/vim/src/version
1109 :t:r version
1110 :e c
1111 :s?version?main? src/main.c
1112 :s?version?main?:p /home/mool/vim/src/main.c
1113 :p:gs?/?\\? \home\mool\vim\src\version.c
1114
1115Examples, when the file name is "src/version.c.gz": >
1116 :p /home/mool/vim/src/version.c.gz
1117 :e gz
1118 :e:e c.gz
1119 :e:e:e c.gz
1120 :e:e:r c
1121 :r src/version.c
1122 :r:e c
1123 :r:r src/version
1124 :r:r:r src/version
1125<
1126 *extension-removal* *:_%<*
1127If a "<" is appended to "%", "#", "#n" or "CTRL-V p" the extension of the file
1128name is removed (everything after and including the last '.' in the file
1129name). This is included for backwards compatibility with version 3.0, the
1130":r" form is preferred. Examples: >
1131
1132 % current file name
1133 %< current file name without extension
1134 # alternate file name for current window
1135 #< idem, without extension
1136 #31 alternate file number 31
1137 #31< idem, without extension
1138 <cword> word under the cursor
1139 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor (see |WORD|)
1140 <cfile> path name under the cursor
1141 <cfile>< idem, without extension
1142
1143Note: Where a file name is expected wildcards expansion is done. On Unix the
1144shell is used for this, unless it can be done internally (for speed).
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +02001145Unless in |restricted-mode|, backticks work also, like in >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001146 :n `echo *.c`
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001147But expansion is only done if there are any wildcards before expanding the
1148'%', '#', etc.. This avoids expanding wildcards inside a file name. If you
1149want to expand the result of <cfile>, add a wildcard character to it.
1150Examples: (alternate file name is "?readme?")
1151 command expands to ~
1152 :e # :e ?readme?
1153 :e `ls #` :e {files matching "?readme?"}
1154 :e #.* :e {files matching "?readme?.*"}
1155 :cd <cfile> :cd {file name under cursor}
1156 :cd <cfile>* :cd {file name under cursor plus "*" and then expanded}
Bram Moolenaarf9132812015-07-21 19:19:13 +02001157Also see |`=|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001158
1159When the expanded argument contains a "!" and it is used for a shell command
Bram Moolenaar3577c6f2008-06-24 21:16:56 +00001160(":!cmd", ":r !cmd" or ":w !cmd"), the "!" is escaped with a backslash to
1161avoid it being expanded into a previously used command. When the 'shell'
1162option contains "sh", this is done twice, to avoid the shell trying to expand
1163the "!".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001164
1165 *filename-backslash*
Bram Moolenaar6f345a12019-12-17 21:27:18 +01001166For filesystems that use a backslash as directory separator (MS-Windows), it's
1167a bit difficult to recognize a backslash that is used to escape the special
1168meaning of the next character. The general rule is: If the backslash is
1169followed by a normal file name character, it does not have a special meaning.
1170Therefore "\file\foo" is a valid file name, you don't have to type the
1171backslash twice.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001172
1173An exception is the '$' sign. It is a valid character in a file name. But
1174to avoid a file name like "$home" to be interpreted as an environment variable,
1175it needs to be preceded by a backslash. Therefore you need to use "/\$home"
1176for the file "$home" in the root directory. A few examples:
1177
1178 FILE NAME INTERPRETED AS ~
1179 $home expanded to value of environment var $home
1180 \$home file "$home" in current directory
1181 /\$home file "$home" in root directory
1182 \\$home file "\\", followed by expanded $home
Bram Moolenaarfc39ecf2015-08-11 20:34:49 +02001183
Bram Moolenaarf9132812015-07-21 19:19:13 +02001184Also see |`=|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001185
1186==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaarac7bd632013-03-19 11:35:58 +010011877. Command-line window *cmdline-window* *cmdwin*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001188 *command-line-window*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001189In the command-line window the command line can be edited just like editing
1190text in any window. It is a special kind of window, because you cannot leave
1191it in a normal way.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001192
1193
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001194OPEN *c_CTRL-F* *q:* *q/* *q?*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001195
1196There are two ways to open the command-line window:
11971. From Command-line mode, use the key specified with the 'cedit' option.
1198 The default is CTRL-F when 'compatible' is not set.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +010011992. From Normal mode, use the "q:", "q/" or "q?" command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001200 This starts editing an Ex command-line ("q:") or search string ("q/" or
1201 "q?"). Note that this is not possible while recording is in progress (the
1202 "q" stops recording then).
1203
1204When the window opens it is filled with the command-line history. The last
1205line contains the command as typed so far. The left column will show a
1206character that indicates the type of command-line being edited, see
1207|cmdwin-char|.
1208
1209Vim will be in Normal mode when the editor is opened, except when 'insertmode'
1210is set.
Bram Moolenaar2ecbe532022-07-29 21:36:21 +01001211 *E1292*
1212Once a command-line window is open it is not possible to open another one.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001213
1214The height of the window is specified with 'cmdwinheight' (or smaller if there
1215is no room). The window is always full width and is positioned just above the
1216command-line.
1217
1218
1219EDIT
1220
1221You can now use commands to move around and edit the text in the window. Both
1222in Normal mode and Insert mode.
1223
1224It is possible to use ":", "/" and other commands that use the command-line,
1225but it's not possible to open another command-line window then. There is no
1226nesting.
Bram Moolenaard2ea7cf2021-05-30 20:54:13 +02001227 *E11* *E1188*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001228The command-line window is not a normal window. It is not possible to move to
1229another window or edit another buffer. All commands that would do this are
1230disabled in the command-line window. Of course it _is_ possible to execute
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001231any command that you entered in the command-line window. Other text edits are
1232discarded when closing the window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001233
1234
1235CLOSE *E199*
1236
1237There are several ways to leave the command-line window:
1238
1239<CR> Execute the command-line under the cursor. Works both in
1240 Insert and in Normal mode.
1241CTRL-C Continue in Command-line mode. The command-line under the
1242 cursor is used as the command-line. Works both in Insert and
Bram Moolenaarbc2eada2017-01-02 21:27:47 +01001243 in Normal mode. There is no redraw, thus the window will
1244 remain visible.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001245:quit Discard the command line and go back to Normal mode.
Bram Moolenaar3d1cde82020-08-15 18:55:18 +02001246 ":close", CTRL-W c, ":exit", ":xit" and CTRL-\ CTRL-N also
1247 work.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001248:qall Quit Vim, unless there are changes in some buffer.
1249:qall! Quit Vim, discarding changes to any buffer.
1250
1251Once the command-line window is closed the old window sizes are restored. The
1252executed command applies to the window and buffer where the command-line was
1253started from. This works as if the command-line window was not there, except
1254that there will be an extra screen redraw.
1255The buffer used for the command-line window is deleted. Any changes to lines
1256other than the one that is executed with <CR> are lost.
1257
Bram Moolenaar36fc5352006-03-04 21:49:37 +00001258If you would like to execute the command under the cursor and then have the
1259command-line window open again, you may find this mapping useful: >
1260
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001261 :autocmd CmdwinEnter * map <buffer> <F5> <CR>q:
Bram Moolenaar36fc5352006-03-04 21:49:37 +00001262
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001263
1264VARIOUS
1265
1266The command-line window cannot be used:
1267- when there already is a command-line window (no nesting)
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001268- for entering an encryption key or when using inputsecret()
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001269
1270Some options are set when the command-line window is opened:
1271'filetype' "vim", when editing an Ex command-line; this starts Vim syntax
1272 highlighting if it was enabled
1273'rightleft' off
1274'modifiable' on
1275'buftype' "nofile"
1276'swapfile' off
1277
1278It is allowed to write the buffer contents to a file. This is an easy way to
1279save the command-line history and read it back later.
1280
1281If the 'wildchar' option is set to <Tab>, and the command-line window is used
1282for an Ex command, then two mappings will be added to use <Tab> for completion
1283in the command-line window, like this: >
Bram Moolenaard592deb2022-06-17 15:42:40 +01001284 :inoremap <buffer> <Tab> <C-X><C-V>
1285 :nnoremap <buffer> <Tab> a<C-X><C-V>
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001286Note that hitting <Tab> in Normal mode will do completion on the next
1287character. That way it works at the end of the line.
1288If you don't want these mappings, disable them with: >
1289 au CmdwinEnter [:>] iunmap <Tab>
1290 au CmdwinEnter [:>] nunmap <Tab>
1291You could put these lines in your vimrc file.
1292
1293While in the command-line window you cannot use the mouse to put the cursor in
1294another window, or drag statuslines of other windows. You can drag the
1295statusline of the command-line window itself and the statusline above it.
1296Thus you can resize the command-line window, but not others.
1297
Bram Moolenaarfb539272014-08-22 19:21:47 +02001298The |getcmdwintype()| function returns the type of the command-line being
1299edited as described in |cmdwin-char|.
1300
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001301
1302AUTOCOMMANDS
1303
Bram Moolenaar96e38a82019-09-09 18:35:33 +02001304Two autocommand events are used: |CmdwinEnter| and |CmdwinLeave|. You can use
1305the Cmdwin events to do settings specifically for the command-line window.
1306Be careful not to cause side effects!
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001307Example: >
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001308 :au CmdwinEnter : let b:cpt_save = &cpt | set cpt=.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001309 :au CmdwinLeave : let &cpt = b:cpt_save
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001310This sets 'complete' to use completion in the current window for |i_CTRL-N|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001311Another example: >
1312 :au CmdwinEnter [/?] startinsert
1313This will make Vim start in Insert mode in the command-line window.
1314
1315 *cmdwin-char*
1316The character used for the pattern indicates the type of command-line:
1317 : normal Ex command
1318 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
1319 / forward search string
1320 ? backward search string
1321 = expression for "= |expr-register|
1322 @ string for |input()|
1323 - text for |:insert| or |:append|
1324
Bram Moolenaar91f84f62018-07-29 15:07:52 +02001325 vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: