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Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2005 Jul 25
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7Expression evaluation *expression* *expr* *E15* *eval*
8
9Using expressions is introduced in chapter 41 of the user manual |usr_41.txt|.
10
11Note: Expression evaluation can be disabled at compile time. If this has been
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +000012done, the features in this document are not available. See |+eval| and
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000013|no-eval-feature|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000014
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000151. Variables |variables|
16 1.1 Variable types
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000017 1.2 Function references |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +000018 1.3 Lists |Lists|
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000019 1.4 Dictionaries |Dictionaries|
20 1.5 More about variables |more-variables|
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212. Expression syntax |expression-syntax|
223. Internal variable |internal-variables|
234. Builtin Functions |functions|
245. Defining functions |user-functions|
256. Curly braces names |curly-braces-names|
267. Commands |expression-commands|
278. Exception handling |exception-handling|
289. Examples |eval-examples|
2910. No +eval feature |no-eval-feature|
3011. The sandbox |eval-sandbox|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000031
32{Vi does not have any of these commands}
33
34==============================================================================
351. Variables *variables*
36
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000371.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000038 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000039There are five types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000040
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000041Number A 32 bit signed number.
42 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
43
44String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
45 Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
46
47Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
48 Example: function("strlen")
49
50List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
51 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000052
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000053Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
54 value. |Dictionary|
55 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
56
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000057The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
58are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000059
60Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
61the Number. Examples: >
62 Number 123 --> String "123"
63 Number 0 --> String "0"
64 Number -1 --> String "-1"
65
66Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
67to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
68the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
69 String "456" --> Number 456
70 String "6bar" --> Number 6
71 String "foo" --> Number 0
72 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
73 String "0100" --> Number 64
74 String "-8" --> Number -8
75 String "+8" --> Number 0
76
77To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
78 :echo "0100" + 0
79
80For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
81
82Note that in the command >
83 :if "foo"
84"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
85use strlen(): >
86 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000087< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
88List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000089
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000090 *E706*
91You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
92to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000093equivalent though. Consider this sequence of commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000094 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000095 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000096 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000097
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000098
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000991.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000100 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000101A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000102in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
103around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000104
105 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
106 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000107< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000108A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:" or "b:". You cannot
109have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000110
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000111A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
112Dictionary entry. Example: >
113 :function dict.init() dict
114 : let self.val = 0
115 :endfunction
116
117The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
118function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
119
120A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
121 :call Fn()
122 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000123
124The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000125 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000126
127You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
128arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000129 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000130
131
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001321.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000133 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000134A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
135can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
136position in the sequence.
137
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000138
139List creation ~
140 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000141A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000142Examples: >
143 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
144 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000145
146An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000147nested List: >
148 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000149
150An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
151
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000152
153List index ~
154 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000155An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000156after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
157 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000160When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000161 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000162<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000163A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
164the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000165 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
166
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000167To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000168is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000169 :echo get(mylist, idx)
170 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
171
172
173List concatenation ~
174
175Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
176 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000177 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000178
179To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
180it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
181
182
183Sublist ~
184
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000185A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
186separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000187 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000188
189Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
190similar to -1. The difference is that there is no error if the items are not
191available. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000192 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
193 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
194 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000195
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000196The second index can be just before the first index. In that case the result
197is an empty list. If the second index is lower, this results in an error. >
198 :echo mylist[2:1] " result: []
199 :echo mylist[2:0] " error!
200
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000201NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
202using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
203mylist[s : e].
204
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000205
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000206List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000207 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000208When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
209variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
210change "bb": >
211 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
212 :let bb = aa
213 :call add(aa, 4)
214 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000215< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000216
217Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
218works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000219a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000220 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
221 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000222 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000223 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
224 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000225< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000226 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000227< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000228
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000229To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000230copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000231
232The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000233List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000234the same value. >
235 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
236 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
237 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000238< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000239 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000240< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000241
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000242Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
243same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000244exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
245different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
246variables. Example: >
247 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000248< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000249 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000250< 0
251
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000252Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
253can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a string: >
254
255 :let a = 5
256 :let b = "5"
257 echo a == b
258< 1 >
259 echo [a] == [b]
260< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000261
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000262
263List unpack ~
264
265To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
266square brackets, like list items: >
267 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
268
269When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
270this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
271and a variable name: >
272 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
273
274This works like: >
275 :let var1 = mylist[0]
276 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000277 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000278
279Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
280empty list then.
281
282
283List modification ~
284 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000285To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000286 :let list[4] = "four"
287 :let listlist[0][3] = item
288
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000289To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000290modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000291 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
292
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000293Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
294examples: >
295 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
296 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
297 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000298 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000299 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
300 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000301 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000302 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000303 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000304 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000305
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000306Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000307 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
308 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
309
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000310
311For loop ~
312
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000313The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
314to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000315 :for item in mylist
316 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000317 :endfor
318
319This works like: >
320 :let index = 0
321 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000322 : let item = mylist[index]
323 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000324 : let index = index + 1
325 :endwhile
326
327Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000328results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000329the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000330
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000331If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000332function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000333
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000334Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
335requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
336 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
337 : call Doit(lnum, col)
338 :endfor
339
340This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
341must remain the same to avoid an error.
342
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000343It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000344 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
345 : call Doit(i, j)
346 : if !empty(rest)
347 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
348 : endif
349 :endfor
350
351
352List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000353 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000354Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000355 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000356 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000357 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
358 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
359 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000360 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
361 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000362 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
363 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000364 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
365 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000366 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
367 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000368
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000369Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
370example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
371 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
372
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000373
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003741.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000375 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000376A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000377entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
378ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000379
380
381Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000382 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000383A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000384braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
385only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000386 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
387 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000388< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000389A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
390String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000391entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
392Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000393
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000394A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000395nested Dictionary: >
396 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
397
398An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
399
400
401Accessing entries ~
402
403The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
404 :let val = mydict["one"]
405 :let mydict["four"] = 4
406
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000407You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000408
409For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
410form can be used |expr-entry|: >
411 :let val = mydict.one
412 :let mydict.four = 4
413
414Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
415key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000416 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000417
418
419Dictionary to List conversion ~
420
421You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
422turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
423
424Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
425 :for key in keys(mydict)
426 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
427 :endfor
428
429The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
430 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
431
432To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
433 :for v in values(mydict)
434 : echo "value: " . v
435 :endfor
436
437If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000438a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000439 :for entry in items(mydict)
440 : echo entry[0] . ': ' . entry[1]
441 :endfor
442
443
444Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000445 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000446Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
447Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
448Dictionary: >
449 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
450 :let adict = onedict
451 :let adict['a'] = 11
452 :echo onedict['a']
453 11
454
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000455Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
456more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000457
458
459Dictionary modification ~
460 *dict-modification*
461To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
462use |:let| this way: >
463 :let dict[4] = "four"
464 :let dict['one'] = item
465
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000466Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
467Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
468 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
469 :unlet dict.aaa
470 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000471
472Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000473 :call extend(adict, bdict)
474This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
475in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000476Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
477expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
478adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000479
480Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +0000481 :call filter(dict 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000482This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000483
484
485Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000486 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000487When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
488special way with a dictionary. Example: >
489 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000490 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000491 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000492 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
493 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000494
495This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
496Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
497the function was invoked from.
498
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000499It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
500Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
501
502 *numbered-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000503To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
504assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000505 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
506 :function mydict.len() dict
507 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000508 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000509 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000510
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000511The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
512that references this function. The function can only be used through a
513|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
514remaining that refers to it.
515
516It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000517
518
519Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000520 *E715*
521Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000522 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
523 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
524 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
525 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
526 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
527 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
528 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
529 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000530
531
5321.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000533 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000534If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
535function.
536
537When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
538start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
539stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
540
541When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
542start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
543stored in the session file |session-file|.
544
545variable name can be stored where ~
546my_var_6 not
547My_Var_6 session file
548MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
549
550
551It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
552|curly-braces-names|.
553
554==============================================================================
5552. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
556
557Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
558
559|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
560
561|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
562
563|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
564
565|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
566 expr5 != expr5 not equal
567 expr5 > expr5 greater than
568 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
569 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
570 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
571 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
572 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
573
574 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
575 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
576 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
577 matching case
578
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000579 expr5 is expr5 same List instance
580 expr5 isnot expr5 different List instance
581
582|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000583 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
584 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
585
586|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
587 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
588 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
589
590|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
591 - expr7 unary minus
592 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000593
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000594
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000595|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a List
596 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a List
597 expr8.name entry in a Dictionary
598 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with Funcref variable
599
600|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000601 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000602 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000603 [expr1, ...] List
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000604 {expr1: expr1, ...} Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000605 &option option value
606 (expr1) nested expression
607 variable internal variable
608 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
609 $VAR environment variable
610 @r contents of register 'r'
611 function(expr1, ...) function call
612 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
613
614
615".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
616Example: >
617 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
618
619All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
620
621
622expr1 *expr1* *E109*
623-----
624
625expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
626
627The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
628non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
629otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
630Example: >
631 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
632
633Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
634other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
635Example: >
636 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
637
638To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
639 :echo lnum == 1
640 :\ ? "top"
641 :\ : lnum == 1000
642 :\ ? "last"
643 :\ : lnum
644
645
646expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
647---------------
648
649 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
650The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
651are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
652
653 input output ~
654n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
655zero zero zero zero
656zero non-zero non-zero zero
657non-zero zero non-zero zero
658non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
659
660The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
661
662 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
663
664Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
665
666 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
667
668Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
669arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
670
671 let a = 1
672 echo a || b
673
674This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
675so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
676
677 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
678
679This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
680only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
681
682
683expr4 *expr4*
684-----
685
686expr5 {cmp} expr5
687
688Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
689if it evaluates to true.
690
691 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
692 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
693 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
694 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
695 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
696 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000697 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000698 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
699equal == ==# ==?
700not equal != !=# !=?
701greater than > ># >?
702greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
703smaller than < <# <?
704smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
705regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
706regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000707same instance is
708different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000709
710Examples:
711"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
712"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
713"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
714
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000715 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000716A List can only be compared with a List and only "equal", "not equal" and "is"
717can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively. Ignoring
718case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
719
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000720 *E735* *E736*
721A Dictionary can only be compared with a Dictionary and only "equal", "not
722equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the Dictionary,
723recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
724
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000725 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000726A Funcref can only be compared with a Funcref and only "equal" and "not equal"
727can be used. Case is never ignored.
728
729When using "is" or "isnot" with a List this checks if the expressions are
730referring to the same List instance. A copy of a List is different from the
731original List. When using "is" without a List it is equivalent to using
732"equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
733different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
734is false.
735
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000736When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
737and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
738because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
739
740When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
741results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
742necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
743
744When using the operators with a trailing '#", or the short version and
745'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp().
746
747When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
748'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp().
749
750The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
751argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
752This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
753matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
754portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
755single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
756Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
757(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
758can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
759 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
760 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
761
762
763expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
764---------------
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000765expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or List concatenation *expr-+*
766expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
767expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000768
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000769For Lists only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The result
770is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
771
772expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
773expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
774expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000775
776For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
777
778Note the difference between "+" and ".":
779 "123" + "456" = 579
780 "123" . "456" = "123456"
781
782When the righthand side of '/' is zero, the result is 0x7fffffff.
783When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
784
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000785None of these work for Funcrefs.
786
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000787
788expr7 *expr7*
789-----
790! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
791- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
792+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
793
794For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
795For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
796For '+' the number is unchanged.
797
798A String will be converted to a Number first.
799
800These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
801 !-1 == 0
802 !!8 == 1
803 --9 == 9
804
805
806expr8 *expr8*
807-----
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000808expr8[expr1] item of String or List *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000809
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000810If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
811expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000812Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000813
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000814Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
815text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
816cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000817 :let c = getline(line("."))[col(".") - 1]
818
819If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000820String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
821compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
822
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000823If expr8 is a List then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000824for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
825error. Example: >
826 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
827
828Generally, if a List index is equal to or higher than the length of the List,
829or more negative than the length of the List, this results in an error.
830
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000831
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000832expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000833
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000834If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
835from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000836expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
837encodings.
838
839If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
840string minus one is used.
841
842A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
843the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
844
845If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
846expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
847
848Examples: >
849 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
850 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
851 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
852 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
853
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000854If expr8 is a List this results in a new List with the items indicated by the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000855indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained just
856above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
857 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
858 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
859 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
860
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000861Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a Funcref results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000862
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000863
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000864expr8.name entry in a Dictionary *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000865
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000866If expr8 is a Dictionary and it is followed by a dot, then the following name
867will be used as a key in the Dictionary. This is just like: expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000868
869The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
870but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
871
872There must not be white space before or after the dot.
873
874Examples: >
875 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
876 :echo dict.one
877 :echo dict .2
878
879Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
880always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
881
882
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000883expr8(expr1, ...) Funcref function call
884
885When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
886
887
888
889 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000890number
891------
892number number constant *expr-number*
893
894Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
895
896
897string *expr-string* *E114*
898------
899"string" string constant *expr-quote*
900
901Note that double quotes are used.
902
903A string constant accepts these special characters:
904\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
905\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
906\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
907\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
908\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
909\X.. same as \x..
910\X. same as \x.
911\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
912 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
913\U.... same as \u....
914\b backspace <BS>
915\e escape <Esc>
916\f formfeed <FF>
917\n newline <NL>
918\r return <CR>
919\t tab <Tab>
920\\ backslash
921\" double quote
922\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
923
924Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
925
926
927literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
928---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000929'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000930
931Note that single quotes are used.
932
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000933This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000934meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000935
936Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
937to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
938 if a =~ "\\s*"
939 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000940
941
942option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
943------
944&option option value, local value if possible
945&g:option global option value
946&l:option local option value
947
948Examples: >
949 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
950 if &insertmode
951
952Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
953and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
954anyway.
955
956
957register *expr-register*
958--------
959@r contents of register 'r'
960
961The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
962Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +0000963register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
964registers.
965
966When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
967evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000968
969
970nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
971-------
972(expr1) nested expression
973
974
975environment variable *expr-env*
976--------------------
977$VAR environment variable
978
979The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
980result is an empty string.
981 *expr-env-expand*
982Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
983expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
984are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
985the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
986fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
987does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
988 :echo $version
989 :echo expand("$version")
990The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
991variable (if your shell supports it).
992
993
994internal variable *expr-variable*
995-----------------
996variable internal variable
997See below |internal-variables|.
998
999
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001000function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001001-------------
1002function(expr1, ...) function call
1003See below |functions|.
1004
1005
1006==============================================================================
10073. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
1008 *E461*
1009An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1010cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1011|curly-braces-names|.
1012
1013An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001014An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1015|:unlet|.
1016Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1017been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001018
1019There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1020specified by what is prepended:
1021
1022 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1023|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1024|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
1025|global-variable| g: Global.
1026|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1027|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1028|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
1029|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
1030
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001031The scope name by itself can be used as a Dictionary. For example, to delete
1032all script-local variables: >
1033 :for k in keys(s:)
1034 : unlet s:[k]
1035 :endfor
1036<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001037 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1038A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1039Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1040This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1041|:bdelete|.
1042
1043One local buffer variable is predefined:
1044 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1045b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1046 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1047 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1048 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1049 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
1050 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1051 : call My_Update()
1052 :endif
1053<
1054 *window-variable* *w:var*
1055A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1056is deleted when the window is closed.
1057
1058 *global-variable* *g:var*
1059Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
1060access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
1061place if you like.
1062
1063 *local-variable* *l:var*
1064Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
1065But you can also prepend "l:" if you like.
1066
1067 *script-variable* *s:var*
1068In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1069accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1070
1071They can be used in:
1072- commands executed while the script is sourced
1073- functions defined in the script
1074- autocommands defined in the script
1075- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1076 defined in the script (recursively)
1077- user defined commands defined in the script
1078Thus not in:
1079- other scripts sourced from this one
1080- mappings
1081- etc.
1082
1083script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1084Take this example:
1085
1086 let s:counter = 0
1087 function MyCounter()
1088 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1089 echo s:counter
1090 endfunction
1091 command Tick call MyCounter()
1092
1093You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1094that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1095"Tick" was defined is used.
1096
1097Another example that does the same: >
1098
1099 let s:counter = 0
1100 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1101
1102When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001103script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001104defined.
1105
1106The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1107function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1108
1109 let s:counter = 0
1110 function StartCounting(incr)
1111 if a:incr
1112 function MyCounter()
1113 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1114 endfunction
1115 else
1116 function MyCounter()
1117 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1118 endfunction
1119 endif
1120 endfunction
1121
1122This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1123when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1124called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1125
1126When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1127They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1128maintain a counter: >
1129
1130 if !exists("s:counter")
1131 let s:counter = 1
1132 echo "script executed for the first time"
1133 else
1134 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1135 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1136 endif
1137
1138Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1139variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1140
1141
1142Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1143
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001144 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1145v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1146 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1147 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1148
1149 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1150v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1151 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1152
1153 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1154v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1155 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1156
1157 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001158v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1159 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1160 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1161 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001162 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1163 highlighted text is used.
1164 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1165
1166 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1167v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1168 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1169
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001170 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1171v:charconvert_from
1172 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1173 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1174
1175 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1176v:charconvert_to
1177 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1178 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1179
1180 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1181v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1182 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1183 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1184 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1185 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1186 possible to append this variable directly after the
1187 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
1188 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1189 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1190 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1191 in 'printexpr'.
1192
1193 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1194v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1195 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1196 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1197 can be used.
1198
1199 *v:count* *count-variable*
1200v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
1201 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
1202 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1203< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1204 get when typing ':' after a count.
1205 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1206
1207 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1208v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1209 used.
1210
1211 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1212v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1213 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1214 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1215 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1216 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1217 command.
1218 See |multi-lang|.
1219
1220 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
1221v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
1222 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1223 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1224 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1225 Example: >
1226 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1227<
1228 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1229v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1230 Example: >
1231 :let v:errmsg = ""
1232 :silent! next
1233 :if v:errmsg != ""
1234 : ... handle error
1235< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1236
1237 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1238v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1239 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1240 Example: >
1241 :try
1242 : throw "oops"
1243 :catch /.*/
1244 : echo "caught" v:exception
1245 :endtry
1246< Output: "caught oops".
1247
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001248 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1249v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1250 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1251 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1252 deleted file no longer exists
1253 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1254 changed and buffer is modified
1255 changed file contents has changed
1256 mode mode of file changed
1257 time only file timestamp changed
1258
1259 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1260v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1261 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1262 do with the affected buffer:
1263 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1264 the file was deleted).
1265 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1266 was no autocommand. Except that when
1267 only the timestamp changed nothing
1268 will happen.
1269 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1270 everything that needs to be done.
1271 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1272 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1273
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001274 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
1275v:fname_in The name of the input file. Only valid while evaluating:
1276 option used for ~
1277 'charconvert' file to be converted
1278 'diffexpr' original file
1279 'patchexpr' original file
1280 'printexpr' file to be printed
1281
1282 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1283v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1284 evaluating:
1285 option used for ~
1286 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1287 'diffexpr' output of diff
1288 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1289 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
1290 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
1291 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1292 file and different from v:fname_in.
1293
1294 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1295v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1296 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1297
1298 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1299v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1300 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1301
1302 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1303v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1304 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001305 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001306
1307 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1308v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001309 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001310
1311 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1312v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001313 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001314
1315 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1316v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001317 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001318
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001319 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1320v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1321 events. Values:
1322 i Insert mode
1323 r Replace mode
1324 v Virtual Replace mode
1325
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001326 *v:key* *key-variable*
1327v:key Key of the current item of a Dictionary. Only valid while
1328 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1329 Read-only.
1330
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001331 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1332v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1333 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1334 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1335 The value is system dependent.
1336 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1337 command.
1338 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1339 in a different language than what is used for character
1340 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1341
1342 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1343v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1344 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1345 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1346 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1347 command. See |multi-lang|.
1348
1349 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001350v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
1351 expressions. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1352 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001353
1354 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1355v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1356 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
1357 you want to cancel Visual mode and then use the count. >
1358 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1359< Read-only.
1360
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001361 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1362v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1363 See |profiling|.
1364
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001365 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1366v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1367 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1368 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1369 Read-only.
1370
1371 *v:register* *register-variable*
1372v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1373 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1374
1375 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1376v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1377 Read-only.
1378
1379 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1380v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1381 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1382 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1383 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1384 executed. Read-only.
1385 Example: >
1386 :!mv foo bar
1387 :if v:shell_error
1388 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1389 :endif
1390< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1391
1392 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1393v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1394
1395 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1396v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1397 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1398 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1399 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1400 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1401 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1402 terminal.
1403 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1404 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1405 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1406 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1407 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1408
1409 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1410v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1411 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1412 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1413 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1414
1415 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1416v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1417 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1418 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1419 Example: >
1420 :try
1421 : throw "oops"
1422 :catch /.*/
1423 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1424 :endtry
1425< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1426
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001427 *v:val* *val-variable*
1428v:val Value of the current item of a List or Dictionary. Only valid
1429 while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
1430 |filter()|. Read-only.
1431
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001432 *v:version* *version-variable*
1433v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1434 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1435 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1436 compatibility.
1437 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1438 if has("patch123")
1439< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1440 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1441 completely different.
1442
1443 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1444v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1445
1446==============================================================================
14474. Builtin Functions *functions*
1448
1449See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1450
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001451(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001452
1453USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1454
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001455add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to List {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001456append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001457append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001458argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001459argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001460argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
1461browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1462 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001463browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001464bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001465buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1466bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001467bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1468bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1469bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1470byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001471byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001472call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1473 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001474char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001475cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001476col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
1477confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1478 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001479copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001480count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1481 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001482cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1483 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001484cursor( {lnum}, {col}) Number position cursor at {lnum}, {col}
1485deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001486delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1487did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001488diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1489diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001490empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001491escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001492eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001493eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001494executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1495exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
1496expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
1497filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001498filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1499 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001500finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
1501 String Find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001502findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001503 String Find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001504filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
1505fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001506foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1507foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001508foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001509foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001510foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001511function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001512get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001513get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001514getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1515 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001516getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1517getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001518getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
1519getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1520getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
1521getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001522getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1523getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001524getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001525getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001526getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001527getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1528getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001529getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001530getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001531getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001532getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1533getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1534getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in window {nr}
1535glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1536globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1537has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001538has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001539hasmapto( {what} [, {mode}]) Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
1540histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1541histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1542histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1543histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1544hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1545hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1546hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001547iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1548indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001549index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1550 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001551input( {prompt} [, {text}]) String get input from the user
1552inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001553inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1554inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001555inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001556insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001557isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001558islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001559items( {dict}) List List of key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001560join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001561keys( {dict}) List List of keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001562len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1563libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001564libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1565line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1566line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001567lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001568localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001569map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001570maparg( {name}[, {mode}]) String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1571mapcheck( {name}[, {mode}]) String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001572match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001573 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001574matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001575 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001576matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1577 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001578matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1579 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001580max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1581min({list}) Number minumum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001582mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1583 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001584mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001585nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1586nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
1587prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001588range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1589 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001590readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1591 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001592remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1593 String send expression
1594remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1595remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1596 Number check for reply string
1597remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1598remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1599 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001600remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001601remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001602rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1603repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1604resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001605reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001606search( {pattern} [, {flags}]) Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001607searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001608 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001609server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1610 Number send reply string
1611serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1612setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1613setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1614setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00001615setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number set list of quickfix items using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001616setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001617setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001618simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001619sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001620soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001621spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
1622spellsuggest({word} [, {max}]) List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001623split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
1624 List make List from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001625strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001626stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1627 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001628string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001629strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1630strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1631 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001632strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1633 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001634strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001635submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001636substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1637 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001638synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001639synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1640 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1641synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001642system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001643taglist({expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001644tempname() String name for a temporary file
1645tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1646toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001647tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1648 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001649type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001650values( {dict}) List List of values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001651virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1652visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1653winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1654wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1655winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1656winline() Number window line of the cursor
1657winnr() Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001658winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001659winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001660writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1661 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001662
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001663add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
1664 Append the item {expr} to List {list}. Returns the resulting
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001665 List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001666 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1667 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
1668< Note that when {expr} is a List it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001669 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001670 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001671
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001672
1673append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001674 When {expr} is a List: Append each item of the List as a text
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001675 line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001676 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1677 the current buffer.
1678 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001679 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1680 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001681 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001682 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001683<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001684 *argc()*
1685argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1686 current window. See |arglist|.
1687
1688 *argidx()*
1689argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1690 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1691
1692 *argv()*
1693argv({nr}) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
1694 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1695 Example: >
1696 :let i = 0
1697 :while i < argc()
1698 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1699 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1700 : let i = i + 1
1701 :endwhile
1702<
1703 *browse()*
1704browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1705 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1706 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1707 The input fields are:
1708 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1709 {title} title for the requester
1710 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1711 {default} default file name
1712 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1713 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1714
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001715 *browsedir()*
1716browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1717 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1718 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1719 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1720 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1721 to be used.
1722 The input fields are:
1723 {title} title for the requester
1724 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1725 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1726 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1727
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001728bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1729 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1730 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001731 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001732 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001733 exactly. The name can be:
1734 - Relative to the current directory.
1735 - A full path.
1736 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1737 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001738 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1739 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1740 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1741 long name to be able to find them.
1742 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1743 file name.
1744 *buffer_exists()*
1745 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1746
1747buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1748 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1749 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001750 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001751
1752bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1753 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1754 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001755 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001756
1757bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1758 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1759 ":ls" command.
1760 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1761 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1762 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1763 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1764 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1765 match an empty string is returned.
1766 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1767 alternate buffer.
1768 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
1769 or middle of the buffer name is accepted.
1770 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1771 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1772 buffers are searched for.
1773 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1774 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1775 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1776< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1777 string is returned. >
1778 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1779 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1780 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1781 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1782< *buffer_name()*
1783 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1784
1785 *bufnr()*
1786bufnr({expr}) The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
1787 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
1788 above. If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
1789 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1790 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1791< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1792 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1793 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1794 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1795 *buffer_number()*
1796 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1797 *last_buffer_nr()*
1798 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1799
1800bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1801 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1802 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1803 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1804 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1805
1806 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1807
1808< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1809 |:wincmd|.
1810
1811
1812byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1813 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1814 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1815 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1816 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1817 one.
1818 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1819 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1820 feature}
1821
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001822byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1823 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1824 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1825 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1826 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1827 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1828 Example : >
1829 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1830< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1831 same: >
1832 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1833 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1834< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1835 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1836 is returned.
1837
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001838call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001839 Call function {func} with the items in List {arglist} as
1840 arguments.
1841 {func} can either be a Funcref or the name of a function.
1842 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
1843 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001844 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
1845 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001846
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001847char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
1848 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
1849 char2nr(" ") returns 32
1850 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
1851< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
1852 char2nr("á") returns 225
1853 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001854< nr2char() does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001855
1856cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
1857 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
1858 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
1859 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
1860 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
1861 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
1862 feature, -1 is returned.
1863
1864 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001865col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001866 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
1867 . the cursor position
1868 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
1869 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
1870 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
1871 returned)
1872 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
1873 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
1874 Examples: >
1875 col(".") column of cursor
1876 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
1877 col("'t") column of mark t
1878 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
1879< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
1880 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
1881 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
1882 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
1883 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
1884 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
1885 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
1886 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
1887<
1888 *confirm()*
1889confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1890 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
1891 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
1892 choice this is 1.
1893 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
1894 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
1895 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
1896 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
1897 used (and translated).
1898 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
1899 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
1900 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
1901 by '\n', e.g. >
1902 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
1903< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
1904 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
1905 not need to be the first letter: >
1906 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
1907< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
1908 the default shortcut key.
1909 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
1910 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
1911 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
1912 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
1913 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
1914 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
1915 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
1916 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
1917 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
1918 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
1919 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
1920
1921 An example: >
1922 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
1923 :if choice == 0
1924 : echo "make up your mind!"
1925 :elseif choice == 3
1926 : echo "tasteful"
1927 :else
1928 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
1929 :endif
1930< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
1931 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
1932 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
1933 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
1934 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
1935 the horizontal layout is always used.
1936
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001937 *copy()*
1938copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
1939 different from using {expr} directly.
1940 When {expr} is a List a shallow copy is created. This means
1941 that the original List can be changed without changing the
1942 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
1943 changing an item changes the contents of both Lists. Also see
1944 |deepcopy()|.
1945
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001946count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001947 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001948 in List or Dictionary {comp}.
1949 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
1950 {start} can only be used with a List.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001951 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
1952
1953
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001954 *cscope_connection()*
1955cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1956 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
1957 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
1958 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
1959 if there are no cscope connections;
1960 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
1961
1962 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
1963 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
1964
1965 {num} Description of existence check
1966 ----- ------------------------------
1967 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
1968 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
1969 {dbpath}.
1970 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
1971 {dbpath}.
1972 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
1973 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
1974 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
1975 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
1976
1977 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
1978
1979 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
1980
1981 # pid database name prepend path
1982 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
1983<
1984 Invocation Return Val ~
1985 ---------- ---------- >
1986 cscope_connection() 1
1987 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
1988 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
1989 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
1990 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
1991 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
1992 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
1993 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
1994<
1995cursor({lnum}, {col}) *cursor()*
1996 Positions the cursor at the column {col} in the line {lnum}.
1997 Does not change the jumplist.
1998 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
1999 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2000 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
2001 If {col} is greater than the number of characters in the line,
2002 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2003 line.
2004 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
2005
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002006
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002007deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002008 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2009 different from using {expr} directly.
2010 When {expr} is a List a full copy is created. This means
2011 that the original List can be changed without changing the
2012 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a List, a copy for it
2013 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
2014 not change the contents of the original List.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002015 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained List or Dictionary
2016 is only copied once. All references point to this single
2017 copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a List or
2018 Dictionary results in a new copy. This also means that a
2019 cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002020 *E724*
2021 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002022 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2023 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002024 Also see |copy()|.
2025
2026delete({fname}) *delete()*
2027 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002028 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2029 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002030 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002031
2032 *did_filetype()*
2033did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2034 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2035 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2036 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2037 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2038 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2039 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2040 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2041 file.
2042
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002043diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2044 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2045 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2046 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2047 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2048 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2049 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2050 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2051
2052diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2053 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2054 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2055 diff change zero is returned.
2056 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2057 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2058 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2059 line.
2060 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2061 syntax information about the highlighting.
2062
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002063empty({expr}) *empty()*
2064 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002065 A List or Dictionary is empty when it does not have any items.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002066 A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2067 For a long List this is much faster then comparing the length
2068 with zero.
2069
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002070escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2071 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2072 backslash. Example: >
2073 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2074< results in: >
2075 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002076
2077< *eval()*
2078eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2079 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2080 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
2081 Also works for Funcrefs that refer to existing functions.
2082
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002083eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2084 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2085 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2086 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2087 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2088
2089executable({expr}) *executable()*
2090 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2091 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002092 arguments.
2093 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2094 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2095 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2096 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2097 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2098 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2099 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2100 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2101 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2102 extension.
2103 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2104 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002105 The result is a Number:
2106 1 exists
2107 0 does not exist
2108 -1 not implemented on this system
2109
2110 *exists()*
2111exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2112 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2113 which contains one of these:
2114 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2115 not if it really works)
2116 +option-name Vim option that works.
2117 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2118 done by comparing with an empty
2119 string)
2120 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2121 or user defined function (see
2122 |user-functions|).
2123 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002124 |internal-variables|). Also works
2125 for |curly-braces-names|, Dictionary
2126 entries, List items, etc. Beware that
2127 this may cause functions to be
2128 invoked cause an error message for an
2129 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002130 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2131 command or command modifier |:command|.
2132 Returns:
2133 1 for match with start of a command
2134 2 full match with a command
2135 3 matches several user commands
2136 To check for a supported command
2137 always check the return value to be 2.
2138 #event autocommand defined for this event
2139 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2140 pattern (the pattern is taken
2141 literally and compared to the
2142 autocommand patterns character by
2143 character)
2144 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2145
2146 Examples: >
2147 exists("&shortname")
2148 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2149 exists("*strftime")
2150 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2151 exists("bufcount")
2152 exists(":Make")
2153 exists("#CursorHold");
2154 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
2155< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2156 name.
2157 Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2158 variable itself! For example: >
2159 exists(bufcount)
2160< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
2161 but gets the contents of "bufcount", and checks if that
2162 exists.
2163
2164expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2165 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2166 The result is a String.
2167
2168 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2169 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2170 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2171
2172 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2173 for a non-existing file is not included.
2174
2175 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2176 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2177 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2178
2179 % current file name
2180 # alternate file name
2181 #n alternate file name n
2182 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2183 <afile> autocmd file name
2184 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2185 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2186 <sfile> sourced script file name
2187 <cword> word under the cursor
2188 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2189 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2190 message |server2client()|
2191 Modifiers:
2192 :p expand to full path
2193 :h head (last path component removed)
2194 :t tail (last path component only)
2195 :r root (one extension removed)
2196 :e extension only
2197
2198 Example: >
2199 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2200< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2201 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2202 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2203< Use this: >
2204 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2205< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2206 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2207 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2208 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2209 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2210<
2211 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2212 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2213 to modify normal file names.
2214
2215 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2216 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2217 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2218 '/' added.
2219
2220 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2221 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2222 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2223 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002224 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2225 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2226 files in the current directory and below: >
2227 :echo expand("**/README")
2228<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002229 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2230 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2231 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2232 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2233 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2234 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2235 "$FOOBAR".
2236
2237 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2238 getting the raw output of an external command.
2239
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002240extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
2241 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both Lists or both Dictionaries.
2242
2243 If they are Lists: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
2244 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2245 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2246 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2247 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002248 Examples: >
2249 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2250 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002251< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2252 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002253 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002254<
2255 If they are Dictionaries:
2256 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2257 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2258 used to decide what to do:
2259 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2260 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00002261 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002262 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2263
2264 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2265 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2266 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2267 Returns {expr1}.
2268
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002269
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002270filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2271 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2272 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2273 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2274 expression, which is used as a String.
2275 *file_readable()*
2276 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2277
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002278
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002279filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
2280 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
2281 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
2282 is zero remove the item from the List or Dictionary.
2283 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
2284 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
2285 Examples: >
2286 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2287< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2288 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2289< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2290 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002291< Removes all the items, thus clears the List or Dictionary.
2292
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002293 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2294 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2295 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2296
2297 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
2298 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002299 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), '& =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002300
2301< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002302
2303
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002304finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
2305 Find directory {name} in {path}.
2306 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2307 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
2308 {name} in {path}.
2309 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
2310 When the found directory is below the current directory a
2311 relative path is returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
2312 Example: >
2313 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
2314< Searches from the current directory upwards until it finds
2315 the file "tags.vim".
2316 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2317
2318findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2319 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
2320
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002321filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2322 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2323 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2324 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2325 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2326
2327fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2328 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2329 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2330 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2331 Example: >
2332 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2333< results in: >
2334 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2335< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2336 |expand()| first then.
2337
2338foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2339 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2340 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2341 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2342
2343foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2344 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2345 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2346 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2347
2348foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2349 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2350 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2351 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2352 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2353 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2354 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2355 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2356 previous line is usually available.
2357
2358 *foldtext()*
2359foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2360 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2361 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2362 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2363 The returned string looks like this: >
2364 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2365< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2366 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2367 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2368 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2369 options is removed.
2370 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2371
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002372foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2373 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2374 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2375 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2376 returned.
2377 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2378 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2379 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2380 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2381
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002382 *foreground()*
2383foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2384 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2385 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2386 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2387 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2388 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2389 Win32 console version}
2390
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002391
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002392function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002393 Return a Funcref variable that refers to function {name}.
2394 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2395
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002396
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002397garbagecollect() *garbagecollect()*
2398 Cleanup unused Lists and Dictionaries that have circular
2399 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
2400 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
2401 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
2402 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
2403 freed when they become unused.
2404 This is useful if you have deleted a very big List and/or
2405 Dictionary with circular references in a script that runs for
2406 a long time.
2407
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002408get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002409 Get item {idx} from List {list}. When this item is not
2410 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2411 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002412get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
2413 Get item with key {key} from Dictionary {dict}. When this
2414 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2415 {default} is omitted.
2416
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002417 *getbufline()*
2418getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
2419 Return the lines starting from {lnum} to {end} in the buffer
2420 {expr} as a List. If {end} is omitted, only the line {lnum}
2421 is returned.
2422
2423 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2424
2425 When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2426 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2427
2428 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2429
2430 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2431 lines in the buffer, an empty List is returned.
2432
2433 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2434 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
2435 buffer.
2436
2437 When non-existing line ranges are specified, an empty List is
2438 returned. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty List is
2439 returned.
2440
2441 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
2442 non-existing buffers, an empty List is returned.
2443
2444 Example: >
2445 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002446
2447getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2448 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2449 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2450 must be used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002451 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2452 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2453 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002454 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2455 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2456 returned, there is no error message.
2457 Examples: >
2458 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2459 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2460<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002461getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
2462 Get a single character from the user. If it is an 8-bit
2463 character, the result is a number. Otherwise a String is
2464 returned with the encoded character. For a special key it's a
2465 sequence of bytes starting with 0x80 (decimal: 128).
2466 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2467 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
2468 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
2469 not consumed. If a normal character is
2470 available, it is returned, otherwise a
2471 non-zero value is returned.
2472 If a normal character available, it is returned as a Number.
2473 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2474 The returned value is zero if no character is available.
2475 The returned value is a string of characters for special keys
2476 and when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used.
2477 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2478 user that a character has to be typed.
2479 There is no mapping for the character.
2480 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2481 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2482 sequence. Examples: >
2483 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2484 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2485< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2486 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2487 :function FindChar()
2488 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2489 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2490 : normal l
2491 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2492 : break
2493 : endif
2494 : endwhile
2495 :endfunction
2496
2497getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2498 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2499 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2500 These values are added together:
2501 2 shift
2502 4 control
2503 8 alt (meta)
2504 16 mouse double click
2505 32 mouse triple click
2506 64 mouse quadruple click
2507 128 Macintosh only: command
2508 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2509 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2510 with no modifier.
2511
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002512getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2513 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2514 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2515 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2516 Example: >
2517 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
2518< Also see |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
2519
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002520getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002521 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2522 byte count. The first column is 1.
2523 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2524 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
2525 Also see |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2526
2527 *getcwd()*
2528getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2529 working directory.
2530
2531getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2532 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2533 given file {fname}.
2534 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2535 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
2536
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002537getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2538 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2539 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2540 |hl-Normal|.
2541 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2542 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2543 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2544 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
2545 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not you your vimrc or
2546 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2547 for a valid name does not work.
2548 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2549 function just after the GUI has started.
2550
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002551getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2552 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2553 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2554 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2555 empty string is returned.
2556 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2557 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2558 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2559 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2560 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2561 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2562< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2563 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002564
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002565getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2566 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2567 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2568 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2569 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2570 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2571
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002572getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2573 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2574 file of the given file {fname}.
2575 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2576 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2577 results:
2578 Normal file "file"
2579 Directory "dir"
2580 Symbolic link "link"
2581 Block device "bdev"
2582 Character device "cdev"
2583 Socket "socket"
2584 FIFO "fifo"
2585 All other "other"
2586 Example: >
2587 getftype("/home")
2588< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2589 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2590 "file" are returned.
2591
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002592 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002593getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2594 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2595 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002596 getline(1)
2597< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2598 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2599 To get the line under the cursor: >
2600 getline(".")
2601< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2602 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2603
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002604 When {end} is given the result is a List where each item is a
2605 line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
2606 including line {end}.
2607 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2608 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002609 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty List is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002610 Example: >
2611 :let start = line('.')
2612 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2613 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2614
2615
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002616getqflist() *getqflist()*
2617 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2618 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2619 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2620 bufname() to get the name
2621 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2622 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00002623 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
2624 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002625 nr error number
2626 text description of the error
2627 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2628 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2629
2630 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2631 do something with them: >
2632 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2633 :for d in getqflist()
2634 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2635 :endfor
2636
2637
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002638getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002639 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002640 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002641 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
2642< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002643 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002644 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
2645 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
2646 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002647 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2648
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002649
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002650getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
2651 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
2652 The value will be one of:
2653 "v" for |characterwise| text
2654 "V" for |linewise| text
2655 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
2656 0 for an empty or unknown register
2657 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
2658 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2659
2660 *getwinposx()*
2661getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
2662 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
2663 -1 if the information is not available.
2664
2665 *getwinposy()*
2666getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
2667 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
2668 information is not available.
2669
2670getwinvar({nr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
2671 The result is the value of option or local window variable
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00002672 {varname} in window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current
2673 window is used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002674 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
2675 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
2676 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002677 Note that the name without "w:" must be used.
2678 Examples: >
2679 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
2680 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
2681<
2682 *glob()*
2683glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. The result is a String.
2684 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2685 characters.
2686 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
2687 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
2688
2689 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
2690 any external command. Example: >
2691 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
2692 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
2693< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
2694 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
2695
2696 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
2697 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
2698
2699globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
2700 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
2701 the results. Example: >
2702 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
2703< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
2704 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
2705 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
2706 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
2707 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
2708 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
2709 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
2710 error message.
2711 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
2712 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
2713
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002714 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
2715 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
2716 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
2717 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
2718<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002719 *has()*
2720has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
2721 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
2722 string. See |feature-list| below.
2723 Also see |exists()|.
2724
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002725
2726has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
2727 The result is a Number, which is 1 if Dictionary {dict} has an
2728 entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
2729
2730
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002731hasmapto({what} [, {mode}]) *hasmapto()*
2732 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
2733 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
2734 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
2735 {mode}.
2736 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
2737 buffer are checked for a match.
2738 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
2739 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
2740 n Normal mode
2741 v Visual mode
2742 o Operator-pending mode
2743 i Insert mode
2744 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
2745 c Command-line mode
2746 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
2747
2748 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
2749 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
2750 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
2751 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
2752 :endif
2753< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
2754 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
2755
2756histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
2757 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
2758 one of: *hist-names*
2759 "cmd" or ":" command line history
2760 "search" or "/" search pattern history
2761 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
2762 "input" or "@" input line history
2763 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
2764 shifted to become the newest entry.
2765 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
2766 otherwise 0 is returned.
2767
2768 Example: >
2769 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
2770 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
2771< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
2772
2773histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002774 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002775 for the possible values of {history}.
2776
2777 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
2778 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
2779 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
2780 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
2781 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
2782 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
2783 if it exists.
2784
2785 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
2786 otherwise 0 is returned.
2787
2788 Examples:
2789 Clear expression register history: >
2790 :call histdel("expr")
2791<
2792 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
2793 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
2794<
2795 The following three are equivalent: >
2796 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
2797 :call histdel("search", -1)
2798 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
2799<
2800 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
2801 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
2802 :call histdel("search", -1)
2803 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
2804
2805histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
2806 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
2807 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
2808 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
2809 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
2810 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
2811
2812 Examples:
2813 Redo the second last search from history. >
2814 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
2815
2816< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
2817 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
2818 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
2819<
2820histnr({history}) *histnr()*
2821 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
2822 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
2823 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
2824
2825 Example: >
2826 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
2827<
2828hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
2829 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
2830 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
2831 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
2832 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
2833 item.
2834 *highlight_exists()*
2835 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
2836
2837 *hlID()*
2838hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
2839 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
2840 zero is returned.
2841 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
2842 group. For example, to get the background color of the
2843 "Comment" group: >
2844 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
2845< *highlightID()*
2846 Obsolete name: highlightID().
2847
2848hostname() *hostname()*
2849 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002850 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002851 256 characters long are truncated.
2852
2853iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
2854 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
2855 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
2856 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
2857 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
2858 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
2859 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
2860 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
2861 can be done.
2862 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
2863 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
2864 UTF-8 and use: >
2865 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
2866< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
2867 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
2868 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
2869 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
2870
2871 *indent()*
2872indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
2873 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
2874 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
2875 |getline()|.
2876 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
2877
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002878
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002879index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002880 Return the lowest index in List {list} where the item has a
2881 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00002882 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
2883 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002884 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
2885 case must match.
2886 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
2887 Example: >
2888 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00002889 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002890
2891
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002892input({prompt} [, {text}]) *input()*
2893 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
2894 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
2895 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
2896 prompt to start a new line. The highlighting set with
2897 |:echohl| is used for the prompt. The input is entered just
2898 like a command-line, with the same editing commands and
2899 mappings. There is a separate history for lines typed for
2900 input().
2901 If the optional {text} is present, this is used for the
2902 default reply, as if the user typed this.
2903 NOTE: This must not be used in a startup file, for the
2904 versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
2905 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
2906 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
2907 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
2908 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
2909 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
2910 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
2911 |:execute| or |:normal|.
2912
2913 Example: >
2914 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
2915 : echo "Cheers!"
2916 :endif
2917< Example with default text: >
2918 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
2919< Example with a mapping: >
2920 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
2921 :function GetFoo()
2922 : call inputsave()
2923 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
2924 : call inputrestore()
2925 :endfunction
2926
2927inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
2928 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
2929 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
2930 Example: >
2931 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
2932 :if n != ""
2933 : let &sw = n
2934 :endif
2935< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
2936 omitted an empty string is returned.
2937 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
2938 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
2939
2940inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
2941 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
2942 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
2943 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
2944 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
2945
2946inputsave() *inputsave()*
2947 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
2948 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
2949 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
2950 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
2951 many inputrestore() calls.
2952 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
2953
2954inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
2955 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
2956 two exceptions:
2957 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
2958 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
2959 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
2960 |history| stack.
2961 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
2962 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
2963
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002964insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
2965 Insert {item} at the start of List {list}.
2966 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
2967 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
2968 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
2969 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002970 Returns the resulting List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002971 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
2972 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
2973 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002974< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002975 Note that when {item} is a List it is inserted as a single
2976 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
2977
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002978isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
2979 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
2980 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
2981 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
2982 is any expression, which is used as a String.
2983
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00002984islocked({expr}) *islocked()*
2985 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
2986 name of a locked variable.
2987 {expr} must be the name of a variable, List item or Dictionary
2988 entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
2989 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
2990 :lockvar 1 alist
2991 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
2992 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
2993
2994< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
2995 message. Use |exists()| to check for existance.
2996
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002997items({dict}) *items()*
2998 Return a List with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
2999 List item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict} entry
3000 and the value of this entry. The List is in arbitrary order.
3001
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003002
3003join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3004 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3005 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3006 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3007 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3008 add it there too: >
3009 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
3010< String items are used as-is. Lists and Dictionaries are
3011 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3012 The opposite function is |split()|.
3013
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003014keys({dict}) *keys()*
3015 Return a List with all the keys of {dict}. The List is in
3016 arbitrary order.
3017
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003018 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003019len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3020 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3021 used, as with |strlen()|.
3022 When {expr} is a List the number of items in the List is
3023 returned.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003024 When {expr} is a Dictionary the number of entries in the
3025 Dictionary is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003026 Otherwise an error is given.
3027
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003028 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3029libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3030 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3031 with single argument {argument}.
3032 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3033 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3034 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3035 limited.
3036 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3037 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3038 to Vim.
3039 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3040 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3041 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3042 null-terminated string.
3043 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3044
3045 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3046 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3047 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3048 very probably crash.
3049
3050 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3051 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3052 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3053 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3054 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3055 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3056 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3057 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3058 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3059 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3060
3061 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
3062 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
3063 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3064 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3065 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3066 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3067 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3068 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
3069 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3070 feature is present}
3071 Examples: >
3072 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
3073 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
3074<
3075 *libcallnr()*
3076libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3077 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
3078 int instead of a string.
3079 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3080 feature is present}
3081 Example (not very useful...): >
3082 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3083 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3084<
3085 *line()*
3086line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3087 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3088 . the cursor position
3089 $ the last line in the current buffer
3090 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3091 returned)
3092 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
3093 Examples: >
3094 line(".") line number of the cursor
3095 line("'t") line number of mark t
3096 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3097< *last-position-jump*
3098 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3099 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3100 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003101
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003102line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3103 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3104 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3105 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3106 line returns 1.
3107 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3108 below the last line: >
3109 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3110< This is the file size plus one.
3111 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3112 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3113 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3114
3115lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3116 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3117 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3118 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3119 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3120 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3121 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3122
3123localtime() *localtime()*
3124 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3125 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3126
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003127
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003128map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
3129 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
3130 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3131 {string}.
3132 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
3133 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
3134 Example: >
3135 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003136< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003137
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003138 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003139 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003140 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3141 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003142
3143 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
3144 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003145 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003146
3147< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003148
3149
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003150maparg({name}[, {mode}]) *maparg()*
3151 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3152 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
3153 These characters can be used for {mode}:
3154 "n" Normal
3155 "v" Visual
3156 "o" Operator-pending
3157 "i" Insert
3158 "c" Cmd-line
3159 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3160 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
3161 When {mode} is omitted, the modes from "" are used.
3162 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3163 command. The returned String has special characters
3164 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3165 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3166 then the global mappings.
3167
3168mapcheck({name}[, {mode}]) *mapcheck()*
3169 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3170 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3171 {name}.
3172 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3173 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3174
3175 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3176 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3177 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3178 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3179 mapcheck("b") no no no
3180
3181 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3182 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3183 mapping for {name} exactly.
3184 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3185 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3186 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3187 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3188 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3189 then the global mappings.
3190 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3191 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3192 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3193 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3194 :endif
3195< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3196 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3197
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003198match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003199 When {expr} is a List then this returns the index of the first
3200 item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a String,
3201 Lists and Dictionaries are used as echoed.
3202 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3203 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3204 {pat} matches.
3205 A match at the first character or List item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003206 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3207 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003208 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
3209 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 2
3210< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003211 *strpbrk()*
3212 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3213 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3214< *strcasestr()*
3215 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3216 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3217 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3218<
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003219 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003220 is found in a String the search for the next one starts on
3221 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003222 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003223< In a List the search continues in the next item.
3224
3225 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
3226 {start} in a String or item {start} in a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003227 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003228 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003229 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3230< result is again "4". >
3231 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3232< result is again "4". >
3233 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3234< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003235 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3236 the index is counted from the end.
3237 If {start} is out of range (> strlen({expr} for a String or
3238 > len({expr} for a List) -1 is returned.
3239
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003240 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3241 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3242 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3243 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3244
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003245matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003246 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3247 the match. Example: >
3248 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3249< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003250 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3251 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3252 do it with matchend(): >
3253 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3254 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3255< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3256
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003257 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3258 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3259< results in "7". >
3260 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3261< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003262 When {expr} is a List the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003263
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003264matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
3265 Same as match(), but return a List. The first item in the
3266 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3267 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
3268 in |:substitute|.
3269 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3270
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003271matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003272 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3273 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3274< results in "ing".
3275 When there is no match "" is returned.
3276 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3277 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3278< results in "ing". >
3279 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3280< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003281 When {expr} is a List then the matching item is returned.
3282 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003283
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003284 *max()*
3285max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3286 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3287 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3288 An empty List results in zero.
3289
3290 *min()*
3291min({list}) Return the minumum value of all items in {list}.
3292 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3293 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3294 An empty List results in zero.
3295
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003296 *mkdir()* *E749*
3297mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3298 Create directory {name}.
3299 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3300 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3301 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3302 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3303 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3304 for others.
3305 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3306 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3307 :if exists("*mkdir")
3308<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003309 *mode()*
3310mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3311 n Normal
3312 v Visual by character
3313 V Visual by line
3314 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3315 s Select by character
3316 S Select by line
3317 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3318 i Insert
3319 R Replace
3320 c Command-line
3321 r Hit-enter prompt
3322 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3323 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3324
3325nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3326 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3327 that is not blank. Example: >
3328 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3329< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3330 below it, zero is returned.
3331 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3332
3333nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3334 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3335 value {expr}. Examples: >
3336 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3337 nr2char(32) returns " "
3338< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3339 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3340< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3341 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3342 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003343 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003344
3345prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3346 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3347 that is not blank. Example: >
3348 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3349< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3350 above it, zero is returned.
3351 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3352
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00003353 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003354range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
3355 Returns a List with Numbers:
3356 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
3357 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
3358 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
3359 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
3360 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003361 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
3362 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
3363 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003364 Examples: >
3365 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
3366 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
3367 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
3368 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003369 range(0) " []
3370 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003371<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003372 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003373readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003374 Read file {fname} and return a List, each line of the file as
3375 an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
3376 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
3377 NL appears somewhere).
3378 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
3379 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
3380 added.
3381 - No CR characters are removed.
3382 Otherwise:
3383 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
3384 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
3385 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003386 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
3387 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
3388 lines of a file: >
3389 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
3390 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
3391 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003392< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
3393 are returned, or as many as there are.
3394 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003395 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
3396 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
3397 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003398 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
3399 the result is an empty list.
3400 Also see |writefile()|.
3401
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003402 *remote_expr()* *E449*
3403remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
3404 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
3405 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
3406 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3407 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3408 remote_read() is stored there.
3409 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3410 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3411 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3412 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
3413 and the result will be the empty string.
3414 Examples: >
3415 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
3416 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
3417<
3418
3419remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
3420 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
3421 This works like: >
3422 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
3423< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
3424 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
3425 to bring itself to the foreground.
3426 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3427 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3428 Win32 console version}
3429
3430
3431remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
3432 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
3433 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
3434 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
3435 name of a variable.
3436 Returns zero if none are available.
3437 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
3438 See also |clientserver|.
3439 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3440 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3441 Examples: >
3442 :let repl = ""
3443 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
3444
3445remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
3446 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
3447 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
3448 See also |clientserver|.
3449 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3450 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3451 Example: >
3452 :echo remote_read(id)
3453<
3454 *remote_send()* *E241*
3455remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003456 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
3457 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
3458 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003459 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3460 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3461 remote_read() is stored there.
3462 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3463 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3464 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3465 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
3466 up the display.
3467 Examples: >
3468 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
3469 \ remote_read(serverid)
3470
3471 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
3472 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
3473 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
3474 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003475<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003476remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
3477 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from List {list} and
3478 return it.
3479 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
3480 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
3481 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
3482 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
3483 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003484 Example: >
3485 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003486 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003487remove({dict}, {key})
3488 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
3489 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
3490< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
3491
3492 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003493
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003494rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
3495 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
3496 should also work to move files across file systems. The
3497 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
3498 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
3499 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3500
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003501repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
3502 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
3503 result. Example: >
3504 :let seperator = repeat('-', 80)
3505< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003506 When {expr} is a List the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003507 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003508 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
3509< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003510
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003511
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003512resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
3513 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
3514 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
3515 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
3516 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
3517 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
3518 stopped after 100 iterations.
3519 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
3520 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
3521 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
3522 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
3523 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
3524
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003525 *reverse()*
3526reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
3527 {list}.
3528 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3529 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
3530
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003531search({pattern} [, {flags}]) *search()*
3532 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003533 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003534 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
3535 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003536 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003537 'w' wrap around the end of the file
3538 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003539 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the
3540 cursor.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003541 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
3542
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003543 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
3544 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
3545 flag.
3546
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003547 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
3548 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
3549 flag is used).
3550 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
3551 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003552
3553 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
3554 :let n = 1
3555 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
3556 : exe "argument " . n
3557 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
3558 : " first search to find match at start of file
3559 : normal G$
3560 : let flags = "w"
3561 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
3562 : s/foo/bar/g
3563 : let flags = "W"
3564 : endwhile
3565 : update " write the file if modified
3566 : let n = n + 1
3567 :endwhile
3568<
3569 *searchpair()*
3570searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
3571 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
3572 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
3573 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
3574 The search starts at the cursor. If a match is found, the
3575 cursor is positioned at it and the line number is returned.
3576 If no match is found 0 or -1 is returned and the cursor
3577 doesn't move. No error message is given.
3578
3579 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
3580 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
3581 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
3582 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
3583 typical use is: >
3584 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
3585< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
3586
3587 {flags} are used like with |search()|. Additionally:
3588 'n' do Not move the cursor
3589 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
3590 outer pair
3591 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
3592 the match; will only be > 1 when 'r' is used.
3593
3594 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
3595 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
3596 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
3597 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
3598 or a string.
3599 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
3600 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
3601 and -1 returned.
3602
3603 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
3604 patterns are used like it's on.
3605
3606 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
3607 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
3608 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
3609 if 1
3610 if 2
3611 endif 2
3612 endif 1
3613< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
3614 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
3615 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
3616 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
3617 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
3618 "endif 2".
3619 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
3620 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
3621 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
3622 the matching start.
3623
3624 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
3625
3626 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
3627 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
3628
3629< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
3630 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
3631 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
3632 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
3633 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
3634 match.
3635 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
3636
3637 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
3638
3639< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
3640 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
3641 highlighting recognized as strings: >
3642
3643 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
3644 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
3645<
3646server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
3647 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
3648 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
3649 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3650 Note:
3651 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003652 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003653 before calling any commands that waits for input.
3654 See also |clientserver|.
3655 Example: >
3656 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
3657<
3658serverlist() *serverlist()*
3659 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
3660 When there are no servers or the information is not available
3661 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
3662 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3663 Example: >
3664 :echo serverlist()
3665<
3666setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
3667 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
3668 {val}.
3669 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
3670 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
3671 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
3672 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3673 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
3674 Examples: >
3675 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
3676 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
3677< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3678
3679setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
3680 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
3681 {pos}. The first position is 1.
3682 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
3683 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003684 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
3685 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
3686 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
3687 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
3688 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003689 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
3690 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
3691 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
3692 line.
3693
3694setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003695 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}.
3696 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003697 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {line} will be
3698 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003699 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
3700 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003701 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003702< When {line} is a List then line {lnum} and following lines
3703 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
3704 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
3705< This is equivalent to: >
3706 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
3707 : call setline(n, l)
3708 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003709< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
3710
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003711
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00003712setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003713 Creates a quickfix list using the items in {list}. Each item
3714 in {list} is a dictionary. Non-dictionary items in {list} are
3715 ignored. Each dictionary item can contain the following
3716 entries:
3717
3718 filename name of a file
3719 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003720 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003721 col column number
3722 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
3723 when zero: "col" is byte index
3724 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003725 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003726 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003727
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003728 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
3729 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
3730 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003731 If the "filename" entry is not present or neither the "lnum"
3732 or "pattern" entries are present, then the item will not be
3733 handled as an error line.
3734 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
3735 be used.
3736
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00003737 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
3738 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
3739 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
3740 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
3741 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
3742 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
3743
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003744 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
3745
3746 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
3747 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
3748 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
3749
3750
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003751 *setreg()*
3752setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
3753 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
3754 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
3755 then the value is appended.
3756 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
3757 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
3758 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
3759 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
3760 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
3761 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
3762 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
3763 in the longest line (counting a <TAB> as 1 character).
3764
3765 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
3766 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
3767 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
3768 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3769
3770 Examples: >
3771 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
3772 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
3773 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
3774
3775< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
3776 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003777 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003778 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
3779 ....
3780 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
3781
3782< You can also change the type of a register by appending
3783 nothing: >
3784 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
3785
3786setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
3787 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {nr} to
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00003788 {val}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003789 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
3790 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
3791 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
3792 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
3793 Examples: >
3794 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
3795 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
3796< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3797
3798simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
3799 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
3800 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
3801 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
3802 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
3803 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
3804 not removed either.
3805 Example: >
3806 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
3807< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
3808 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
3809 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
3810 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
3811 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
3812
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003813
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003814sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003815 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
3816 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3817 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
3818< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003819 Numbers sort after Strings, Lists after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003820 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003821 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
3822 When {func} is a Funcref or a function name, this function is
3823 called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
3824 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
3825 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
3826 sorts before the second one. Example: >
3827 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
3828 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
3829 endfunc
3830 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00003831<
3832
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00003833 *soundfold()*
3834soundfold({word})
3835 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
3836 language in 'spellang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00003837 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
3838 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00003839 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
3840 the method can be quite slow.
3841
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00003842 *spellbadword()*
3843spellbadword() Return the badly spelled word under or after the cursor.
3844 The cursor is advanced to the start of the bad word.
3845 When no bad word is found in the cursor line an empty String
3846 is returned and the cursor doesn't move.
3847
3848 *spellsuggest()*
3849spellsuggest({word} [, {max}])
3850 Return a List with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
3851 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
3852 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
3853
3854 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
3855 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00003856 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
3857 replace a line.
3858
3859 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
3860 returned. {word} itself is also included, most likely as the
3861 first entry, thus this can be used to check spelling.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00003862
3863 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00003864 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
3865 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00003866
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003867
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003868split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
3869 Make a List out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or empty
3870 each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003871 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003872 removing the matched characters.
3873 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
3874 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00003875 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
3876 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003877 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003878 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003879< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003880 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00003881< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
3882 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
3883< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003884 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
3885 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
3886< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003887
3888
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003889strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
3890 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
3891 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
3892 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
3893 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
3894 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
3895 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
3896 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
3897 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
3898 Examples: >
3899 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
3900 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
3901 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
3902 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
3903 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
3904 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003905< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3906 :if exists("*strftime")
3907
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003908stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
3909 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
3910 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003911 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
3912 This can be used to find a second match: >
3913 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
3914 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
3915< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003916 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003917 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003918 See also |strridx()|.
3919 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003920 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
3921 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
3922 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003923< *strstr()* *strchr()*
3924 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
3925 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
3926
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003927 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003928string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
3929 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
3930 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003931 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003932 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003933 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003934 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003935 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00003936 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003937 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003938
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003939 *strlen()*
3940strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
3941 {expr} in bytes. If you want to count the number of
3942 multi-byte characters use something like this: >
3943
3944 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
3945
3946< Composing characters are not counted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003947 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
3948 For other types an error is given.
3949 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003950
3951strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
3952 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
3953 byte {start}, with the length {len}.
3954 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
3955 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
3956 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
3957 end of the {src}. >
3958 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
3959 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
3960 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
3961 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
3962< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
3963 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
3964 strpart(getline(line(".")), col(".") - 1, 3)
3965<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003966strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
3967 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
3968 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
3969 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
3970 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
3971 match: >
3972 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
3973 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
3974< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003975 For pattern searches use |match()|.
3976 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003977 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003978 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003979 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003980< *strrchr()*
3981 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
3982 function strrchr().
3983
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003984strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
3985 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
3986 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
3987 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
3988 echo strtrans(@a)
3989< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
3990 starting a new line.
3991
3992submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
3993 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
3994 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
3995 the whole matched text is returned.
3996 Example: >
3997 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
3998< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
3999 A line break is included as a newline character.
4000
4001substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
4002 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
4003 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
4004 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
4005 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
4006 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
4007 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
4008 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
4009 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
4010 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
4011 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
4012 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
4013 unmodified.
4014 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
4015 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
4016 Example: >
4017 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
4018< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
4019 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
4020< results in "TESTING".
4021
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004022synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004023 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004024 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004025 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
4026 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004027
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004028 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004029 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
4030
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004031 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
4032 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
4033 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
4034 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
4035 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
4036 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
4037 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
4038
4039 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
4040 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
4041<
4042synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
4043 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
4044 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
4045 about a syntax item.
4046 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
4047 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
4048 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
4049 used (GUI, cterm or term).
4050 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
4051 {what} result
4052 "name" the name of the syntax item
4053 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
4054 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
4055 term: empty string)
4056 "bg" background color (like "fg")
4057 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
4058 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
4059 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
4060 "bold" "1" if bold
4061 "italic" "1" if italic
4062 "reverse" "1" if reverse
4063 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
4064 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004065 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004066
4067 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
4068 cursor): >
4069 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
4070<
4071synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
4072 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
4073 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
4074 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
4075 ":highlight link" are followed.
4076
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004077system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
4078 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
4079 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
4080 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
4081 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004082 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004083 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
4084 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
4085 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004086 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
4087 The result is a String. Example: >
4088
4089 :let files = system("ls")
4090
4091< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
4092 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
4093 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
4094 The command executed is constructed using several options:
4095 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
4096 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
4097 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
4098 concatenated commands.
4099
4100 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
4101 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
4102 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
4103 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
4104
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004105
4106taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
4107 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00004108 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
4109 entries:
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004110 name name of the tag.
4111 filename name of the file where the tag is
4112 defined.
4113 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
4114 the file.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004115 kind type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004116 entry depends on the language specific
4117 kind values generated by the ctags
4118 tool.
4119 static a file specific tag. Refer to
4120 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004121 The "kind" entry is only available when using Exuberant ctags
4122 generated tags file. More entries may be present, depending
4123 on the content of the tags file: access, implementation,
4124 inherits and signature. Refer to the ctags documentation for
4125 information about these fields. For C code the fields
4126 "struct", "class" and "enum" may appear, they give the name of
4127 the entity the tag is contained in.
4128
4129 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
4130 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004131
4132 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
4133
4134 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
4135 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
4136 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
4137
4138 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
4139 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
4140 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
4141
4142
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004143tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
4144 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
4145 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
4146 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
4147 :let tmpfile = tempname()
4148 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
4149< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
4150 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
4151 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
4152 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
4153 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
4154 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
4155
4156tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
4157 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
4158 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
4159 the string).
4160
4161toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
4162 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
4163 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
4164 the string).
4165
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00004166tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
4167 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
4168 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
4169 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
4170 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
4171 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
4172 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
4173
4174 Examples: >
4175 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
4176< returns "Hello THere" >
4177 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
4178< returns "{blob}"
4179
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004180 *type()*
4181type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004182 Number: 0
4183 String: 1
4184 Funcref: 2
4185 List: 3
4186 Dictionary: 4
4187 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004188 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
4189 :if type(myvar) == type("")
4190 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
4191 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004192 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004193
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004194values({dict}) *values()*
4195 Return a List with all the values of {dict}. The List is in
4196 arbitrary order.
4197
4198
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004199virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
4200 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
4201 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
4202 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
4203 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
4204 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
4205 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
4206 set to 8, it returns 8.
4207 For the byte position use |col()|.
4208 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
4209 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
4210 The accepted positions are:
4211 . the cursor position
4212 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
4213 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
4214 plus one)
4215 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
4216 returned)
4217 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
4218 Examples: >
4219 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
4220 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
4221 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
4222< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
4223
4224visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
4225 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
4226 used. Initially it returns an empty string, but once Visual
4227 mode has been used, it returns "v", "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a
4228 single CTRL-V character) for character-wise, line-wise, or
4229 block-wise Visual mode respectively.
4230 Example: >
4231 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
4232< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
4233 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
4234 Visual mode that was used.
4235
4236 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
4237 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
4238 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
4239 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
4240
4241 *winbufnr()*
4242winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004243 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004244 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
4245 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4246 Example: >
4247 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
4248<
4249 *wincol()*
4250wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
4251 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
4252 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
4253
4254winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
4255 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
4256 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
4257 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4258 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
4259 Examples: >
4260 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
4261<
4262 *winline()*
4263winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
4264 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
4265 the window. The first line is one.
4266
4267 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004268winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4269 window. The top window has number 1.
4270 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
4271 last window is returnd (the window count).
4272 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
4273 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
4274 If there is no previous window 0 is returned.
4275 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
4276 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004277
4278 *winrestcmd()*
4279winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
4280 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
4281 are opened or closed and the current window is unchanged.
4282 Example: >
4283 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
4284 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
4285 :exe cmd
4286
4287winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
4288 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
4289 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
4290 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4291 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
4292 Examples: >
4293 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
4294 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
4295 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
4296 :endif
4297<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004298 *writefile()*
4299writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
4300 Write List {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
4301 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
4302 Number.
4303 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
4304 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
4305 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
4306 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
4307 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
4308 to writefile().
4309 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
4310 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
4311 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
4312 fails.
4313 Also see |readfile()|.
4314 To copy a file byte for byte: >
4315 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
4316 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
4317<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004318
4319 *feature-list*
4320There are three types of features:
43211. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
4322 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
4323 :if has("cindent")
43242. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
4325 Example: >
4326 :if has("gui_running")
4327< *has-patch*
43283. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
4329 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
4330 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
4331 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
4332
4333all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
4334amiga Amiga version of Vim.
4335arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
4336arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
4337autocmd Compiled with autocommands support.
4338balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00004339balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004340beos BeOS version of Vim.
4341browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
4342 work.
4343builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
4344byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
4345cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
4346clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
4347clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
4348cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
4349cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
4350cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
4351comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
4352cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
4353cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
4354compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
4355debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
4356dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
4357dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
4358diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
4359digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
4360dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
4361dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
4362dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
4363ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
4364emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
4365eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
4366 true, of course!
4367ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
4368extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
4369 |'hlsearch'|
4370farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
4371file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004372filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
4373 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004374find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
4375 |+find_in_path|.
4376fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
4377 Windows this is not present).
4378folding Compiled with |folding| support.
4379footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
4380fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
4381gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
4382gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
4383gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004384gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
4385gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00004386gui_kde Compiled with KDE GUI |KVim|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004387gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
4388gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
4389gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
4390gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
4391gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
4392gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
4393hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
4394iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
4395insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
4396 Insert mode.
4397jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
4398keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
4399langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
4400libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
4401linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
4402 support.
4403lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
4404listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
4405 and the argument list |arglist|.
4406localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
4407mac Macintosh version of Vim.
4408macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
4409menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
4410mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
4411modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
4412mouse Compiled with support mouse.
4413mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
4414mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
4415mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
4416mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
4417mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
4418mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
4419multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
4420multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
4421multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00004422mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004423netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00004424netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004425ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
4426os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
4427osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
4428path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
4429perl Compiled with Perl interface.
4430postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
4431printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004432profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004433python Compiled with Python interface.
4434qnx QNX version of Vim.
4435quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
4436rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
4437ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
4438scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
4439showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
4440signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
4441smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00004442sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004443statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
4444 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
4445sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00004446spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
4447syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004448syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
4449 current buffer.
4450system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
4451tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
4452 |tag-binary-search|.
4453tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
4454 |tag-old-static|.
4455tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
4456 files |tag-any-white|.
4457tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
4458terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
4459termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
4460textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
4461tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
4462 or terminfo file.
4463title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
4464toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
4465unix Unix version of Vim.
4466user_commands User-defined commands.
4467viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
4468vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
4469vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
4470virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
4471visual Compiled with Visual mode.
4472visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
4473 |blockwise-operators|.
4474vms VMS version of Vim.
4475vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
4476wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
4477wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
4478windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
4479winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
4480win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
4481win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
4482win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
4483win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
4484win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
4485writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
4486xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
4487xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
4488xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
4489xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
4490xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
4491xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
4492 xterm screen.
4493x11 Compiled with X11 support.
4494
4495 *string-match*
4496Matching a pattern in a String
4497
4498A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
4499the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
4500everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
4501like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
4502line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
4503with ".". Example: >
4504 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
4505 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
4506 aa
4507 xx
4508 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
4509 a
4510 x
4511
4512Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
4513"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
4514"\n".
4515
4516==============================================================================
45175. Defining functions *user-functions*
4518
4519New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
4520functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
4521commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
4522
4523The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
4524builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
4525avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
4526the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
4527
4528It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|.
4529
4530 *local-function*
4531A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
4532can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
4533and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
4534function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
4535instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
4536
4537 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
4538:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
4539
4540:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004541 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4542 Funcref: >
4543 :function dict.init
4544< *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004545:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004546 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
4547 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
4548 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004549
4550 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4551 Funcref: >
4552 :function dict.init(arg)
4553< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
4554 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
4555 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
4556 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
4557 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
4558 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004559 *E127* *E122*
4560 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
4561 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
4562 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
4563 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004564
4565 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
4566
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004567 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
4568 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
4569 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
4570 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
4571 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
4572 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
4573 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004574
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004575 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
4576 abort as soon as an error is detected.
4577 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
4578 will not be changed by the function.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004579
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004580 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
4581 be invoked through an entry in a Dictionary. The
4582 local variable "self" will then be set to the
4583 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004584
4585 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
4586:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
4587 by its own, without other commands.
4588
4589 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
4590:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004591 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4592 Funcref: >
4593 :delfunc dict.init
4594< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
4595 function is deleted if there are no more references to
4596 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004597 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
4598:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
4599 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
4600 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
4601 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
4602 the number 0 is returned.
4603 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
4604 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
4605
4606 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
4607 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
4608 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
4609 are executed first. This process applies to all
4610 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
4611 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
4612
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004613 *function-argument* *a:var*
4614An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
4615be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
4616 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740*
4617Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
4618arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
4619may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
4620as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004621can be 0). "a:000" is set to a List that contains these arguments. Note that
4622"a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
4623 *E742*
4624The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
4625However, if a List or Dictionary is used, you can changes their contents.
4626Thus you can pass a List to a function and have the function add an item to
4627it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a List or Dictionary
4628use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004629
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004630When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
4631to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
4632may be larger.
4633
4634It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
4635still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
4636until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
4637inside a function body.
4638
4639 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004640Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
4641will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
4642accessed with "g:".
4643
4644Example: >
4645 :function Table(title, ...)
4646 : echohl Title
4647 : echo a:title
4648 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004649 : echo a:0 . " items:"
4650 : for s in a:000
4651 : echon ' ' . s
4652 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004653 :endfunction
4654
4655This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004656 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
4657 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004658
4659To return more than one value, pass the name of a global variable: >
4660 :function Compute(n1, n2, divname)
4661 : if a:n2 == 0
4662 : return "fail"
4663 : endif
4664 : let g:{a:divname} = a:n1 / a:n2
4665 : return "ok"
4666 :endfunction
4667
4668This function can then be called with: >
4669 :let success = Compute(13, 1324, "div")
4670 :if success == "ok"
4671 : echo div
4672 :endif
4673
4674An alternative is to return a command that can be executed. This also works
4675with local variables in a calling function. Example: >
4676 :function Foo()
4677 : execute Bar()
4678 : echo "line " . lnum . " column " . col
4679 :endfunction
4680
4681 :function Bar()
4682 : return "let lnum = " . line(".") . " | let col = " . col(".")
4683 :endfunction
4684
4685The names "lnum" and "col" could also be passed as argument to Bar(), to allow
4686the caller to set the names.
4687
4688 *:cal* *:call* *E107*
4689:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
4690 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
4691 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
4692 used.
4693 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
4694 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
4695 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
4696 function.
4697 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
4698 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
4699 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
4700 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
4701 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
4702 this works:
4703 *function-range-example* >
4704 :function Mynumber(arg)
4705 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
4706 :endfunction
4707 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
4708<
4709 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
4710 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
4711 the range.
4712
4713 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
4714
4715 :function Cont() range
4716 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
4717 :endfunction
4718 :4,8call Cont()
4719<
4720 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
4721 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
4722
4723 *E132*
4724The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
4725option.
4726
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004727
4728AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004729 *autoload-functions*
4730When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004731only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
4732the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
4733
4734
4735Using an autocommand ~
4736
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004737This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
4738
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004739The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
4740You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
4741That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
4742again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
4743
4744Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
4745function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004746
4747 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
4748
4749The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
4750"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
4751
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004752
4753Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004754 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004755This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
4756
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004757Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
4758exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
4759like this: >
4760
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004761 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004762
4763When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
4764"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
4765"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
4766then define the function like this: >
4767
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004768 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004769 echo "Done!"
4770 endfunction
4771
4772The file name and the name used before the colon in the function must match
4773exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
4774called.
4775
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004776It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
4777a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004778
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004779 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004780
4781Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
4782
4783The name before the first colon must be at least two characters long,
4784otherwise it looks like a scope, such as "s:".
4785
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004786This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
4787
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004788 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004789
4790When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
4791be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
4792
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00004793 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
4794 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004795
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00004796Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
4797defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
4798function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004799And you will get an error message every time.
4800
4801Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
4802other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
4803Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004804
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004805==============================================================================
48066. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
4807
4808Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
4809This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
4810{} like this: >
4811 my_{adjective}_variable
4812
4813When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
4814that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
4815name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
4816"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
4817"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
4818
4819One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
4820value. For example, the statement >
4821 echo my_{&background}_message
4822
4823would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
4824on the current value of 'background'.
4825
4826You can use multiple brace pairs: >
4827 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
4828..or even nest them: >
4829 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
4830where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
4831
4832However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004833variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004834 :let foo='a + b'
4835 :echo c{foo}d
4836.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
4837
4838 *curly-braces-function-names*
4839You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
4840Example: >
4841 :let func_end='whizz'
4842 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
4843
4844This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
4845
4846==============================================================================
48477. Commands *expression-commands*
4848
4849:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
4850 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
4851 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
4852 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
4853 is created.
4854
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004855:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
4856 Set a list item to the result of the expression
4857 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
4858 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
4859 the index can be repeated.
4860 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
4861
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004862 *E711* *E719*
4863:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004864 Set a sequence of items in a List to the result of the
4865 expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
4866 correct number of items.
4867 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
4868 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
4869 When the selected range of items is partly past the
4870 end of the list, items will be added.
4871
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004872 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004873:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
4874:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
4875:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
4876 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
4877 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
4878
4879
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004880:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
4881 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
4882 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004883:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
4884 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
4885 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
4886 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004887
4888:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
4889 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
4890 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
4891 must be the name of a writable register (see
4892 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
4893 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
4894 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
4895 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
4896 characterwise.
4897 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
4898 :let @/ = ""
4899< This is different from searching for an empty string,
4900 that would match everywhere.
4901
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004902:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
4903 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
4904 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
4905
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004906:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-star*
4907 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004908 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
4909 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004910 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
4911 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
4912 value and the global value is changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004913 Example: >
4914 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004915
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004916:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
4917 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
4918 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
4919
4920:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
4921:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
4922 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
4923 {expr1}.
4924
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004925:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004926:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
4927:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
4928:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004929 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
4930 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
4931
4932:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004933:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
4934:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
4935:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004936 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
4937 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
4938
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004939:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004940 {expr1} must evaluate to a List. The first item in
4941 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
4942 {name2}, etc.
4943 The number of names must match the number of items in
4944 the List.
4945 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
4946 command as mentioned above.
4947 Example: >
4948 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004949< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
4950 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
4951 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
4952 :let x = [0, 1]
4953 :let i = 0
4954 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
4955 :echo x
4956< The result is [0, 2].
4957
4958:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
4959:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
4960:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
4961 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
4962 List item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004963
4964:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004965 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the List may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004966 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
4967 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
4968 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004969 Example: >
4970 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
4971<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004972:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
4973:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
4974:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
4975 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
4976 List item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004977 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004978:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00004979 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
4980 here: *E738*
4981 g: global variables.
4982 b: local buffer variables.
4983 w: local window variables.
4984 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004985
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004986:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
4987 variable is indicated before the value:
4988 <nothing> String
4989 # Number
4990 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004991
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004992
4993:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108*
4994 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
4995 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
4996 may also be a List or Dictionary item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004997 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
4998 variables.
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00004999 One or more items from a List can be removed: >
5000 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
5001 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
5002< One item from a Dictionary can be removed at a time: >
5003 :unlet dict['two']
5004 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005005
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005006:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
5007 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
5008 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
5009 A locked variable can be deleted: >
5010 :lockvar v
5011 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
5012 :unlet v
5013< *E741*
5014 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
5015 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
5016
5017 [depth] is relevant when locking a List or Dictionary.
5018 It specifies how deep the locking goes:
5019 1 Lock the List or Dictionary itself,
5020 cannot add or remove items, but can
5021 still change their values.
5022 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
5023 the items. If an item is a List or
5024 Dictionary, cannot add or remove
5025 items, but can still change the
5026 values.
5027 3 Like 2 but for the List/Dictionary in
5028 the List/Dictionary, one level deeper.
5029 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a List
5030 or Dictionary the values cannot be changed.
5031 *E743*
5032 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
5033 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
5034 loops.
5035
5036 Note that when two variables refer to the same List
5037 and you lock one of them, the List will also be locked
5038 when used through the other variable. Example: >
5039 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
5040 :let cl = l
5041 :lockvar l
5042 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
5043< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
5044 See |deepcopy()|.
5045
5046
5047:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
5048 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
5049 opposite of |:lockvar|.
5050
5051
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005052:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
5053:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5054 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5055
5056 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
5057 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
5058 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
5059 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
5060 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
5061 part was not executed either.
5062
5063 You can use this to remain compatible with older
5064 versions: >
5065 :if version >= 500
5066 : version-5-specific-commands
5067 :endif
5068< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
5069 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
5070 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
5071 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
5072 avoid problems: >
5073 :if version >= 600
5074 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
5075 :endif
5076<
5077 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
5078 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
5079
5080 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
5081:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5082 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
5083 executed.
5084
5085 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
5086:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
5087 is no extra ":endif".
5088
5089:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005090 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005091:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
5092 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5093 When an error is detected from a command inside the
5094 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005095 Example: >
5096 :let lnum = 1
5097 :while lnum <= line("$")
5098 :call FixLine(lnum)
5099 :let lnum = lnum + 1
5100 :endwhile
5101<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005102 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005103 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005104
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005105:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005106:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
5107 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005108 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005109 value of each item.
5110 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005111 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005112 Changing {list} affects what items are used. Make a
5113 copy if this is unwanted: >
5114 :for item in copy(mylist)
5115< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
5116 next item in the list, before executing the commands
5117 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
5118 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
5119 it will not be found. Thus the following example
5120 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
5121 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005122 :call remove(mylist, 0)
5123 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005124< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
5125 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
5126 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005127 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
5128 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
5129 to allow multiple item types.
5130
5131:for {var} in {string}
5132:endfo[r] Like ":for" above, but use each character in {string}
5133 as a list item.
5134 Composing characters are used as separate characters.
5135 A Number is first converted to a String.
5136
5137:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
5138:endfo[r]
5139 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
5140 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
5141 {var2}, etc. Example: >
5142 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
5143 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
5144 :endfor
5145<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005146 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005147:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
5148 to the start of the loop.
5149 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5150 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5151 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5152 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5153 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5154 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005155
5156 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005157:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
5158 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
5159 ":endfor".
5160 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5161 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5162 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5163 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5164 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5165 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005166
5167:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
5168:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
5169 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
5170 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
5171 or autocommand invocations.
5172
5173 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
5174 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
5175 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
5176 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
5177 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
5178 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
5179 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
5180 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
5181 Example: >
5182 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
5183 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
5184<
5185 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
5186 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
5187 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
5188 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
5189 processing is not terminated.
5190
5191 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
5192 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
5193 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
5194 other errors are converted to a value of the form
5195 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
5196 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
5197 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
5198 the error number.
5199 Examples: >
5200 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
5201 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
5202<
5203 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
5204:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
5205 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
5206 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
5207 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
5208 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
5209 commands are skipped.
5210 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
5211 Examples: >
5212 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
5213 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
5214 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
5215 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
5216 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
5217 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
5218 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
5219 :catch " same as /.*/
5220<
5221 Another character can be used instead of / around the
5222 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
5223 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
5224 {pattern}.
5225 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
5226 an error message because it may vary in different
5227 locales.
5228
5229 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
5230:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
5231 are executed whenever the part between the matching
5232 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
5233 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
5234 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
5235 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
5236
5237 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
5238:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
5239 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
5240 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
5241 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
5242 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
5243 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
5244 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
5245 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
5246 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
5247 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
5248 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
5249 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
5250 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
5251 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
5252 is terminated.
5253 Example: >
5254 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
5255<
5256
5257 *:ec* *:echo*
5258:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
5259 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
5260 Also see |:comment|.
5261 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
5262 cursor to the first column.
5263 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5264 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5265 Example: >
5266 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
5267< A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
5268 To avoid that a command from before the ":echo" causes
5269 a redraw afterwards (redraws are often postponed until
5270 you type something), force a redraw with the |:redraw|
5271 command. Example: >
5272 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
5273<
5274 *:echon*
5275:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
5276 |:comment|.
5277 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5278 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5279 Example: >
5280 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
5281<
5282 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
5283 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
5284 command: >
5285 :!echo % --> filename
5286< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
5287 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
5288< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
5289 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
5290 :echo % --> nothing
5291< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
5292 :echo "%" --> %
5293< This just echoes the '%' character. >
5294 :echo expand("%") --> filename
5295< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
5296
5297 *:echoh* *:echohl*
5298:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
5299 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
5300 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
5301 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
5302< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
5303 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
5304
5305 *:echom* *:echomsg*
5306:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
5307 message in the |message-history|.
5308 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5309 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
5310 displayed, not interpreted.
5311 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5312 Example: >
5313 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
5314<
5315 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
5316:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
5317 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
5318 script or function the line number will be added.
5319 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5320 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
5321 the message is raised as an error exception instead
5322 (see |try-echoerr|).
5323 Example: >
5324 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
5325< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
5326 And to get a beep: >
5327 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
5328<
5329 *:exe* *:execute*
5330:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
5331 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
5332 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
5333 used as the processed command, command line editing
5334 keys are not recognized.
5335 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5336 Examples: >
5337 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
5338 :execute "normal " count . "w"
5339<
5340 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
5341 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
5342 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
5343
5344< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
5345 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
5346 command: >
5347 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
5348< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
5349
5350 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005351 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
5352 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005353 :execute 'while i > 5'
5354 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
5355<
5356 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
5357 completely in the executed string: >
5358 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
5359<
5360
5361 *:comment*
5362 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
5363 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
5364 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
5365 comment. Example: >
5366 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
5367
5368==============================================================================
53698. Exception handling *exception-handling*
5370
5371The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
5372explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
5373
5374Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
5375|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
5376exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
5377
5378
5379TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
5380
5381Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
5382use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
5383a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
5384 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
5385|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
5386a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
5387be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
5388which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
5389clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
5390
5391 :try
5392 : ...
5393 : ... TRY BLOCK
5394 : ...
5395 :catch /{pattern}/
5396 : ...
5397 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5398 : ...
5399 :catch /{pattern}/
5400 : ...
5401 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5402 : ...
5403 :finally
5404 : ...
5405 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
5406 : ...
5407 :endtry
5408
5409The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
5410appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
5411from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
5412 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
5413is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
5414script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
5415 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
5416lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
5417patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
5418after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
5419executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
5420":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
5421(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
5422continues in the following line as usual.
5423 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
5424":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
5425that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
5426finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
5427the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
5428the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
5429see |try-nesting|.
5430 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
5431remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
5432not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
5433try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
5434a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
5435execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
5436exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5437 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
5438thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
5439clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
5440catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
5441following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
5442clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5443
5444The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
5445a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
5446try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
5447from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
5448sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
5449":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
5450":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
5451from the finally clause.
5452 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
5453try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
5454clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
5455":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
5456clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
5457":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
5458this pending exception or command is discarded.
5459
5460For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
5461
5462
5463NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
5464
5465Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
5466conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
5467clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
5468catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
5469of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
5470checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
5471try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
5472otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
5473nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
5474one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
5475the inner try conditional.
5476
5477When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
5478finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
5479An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
5480thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
5481implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
5482as usual.
5483
5484For examples see |throw-catch|.
5485
5486
5487EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
5488
5489Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
5490'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
5491script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
5492finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
5493a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
5494(see |debug-scripts|).
5495
5496
5497THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
5498
5499You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
5500and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
5501 :throw 4711
5502 :throw "string"
5503< *throw-expression*
5504You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
5505first, and the result is thrown: >
5506 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
5507 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
5508
5509An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
5510command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
5511The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
5512 Example: >
5513
5514 :function! Foo(arg)
5515 : try
5516 : throw a:arg
5517 : catch /foo/
5518 : endtry
5519 : return 1
5520 :endfunction
5521 :
5522 :function! Bar()
5523 : echo "in Bar"
5524 : return 4710
5525 :endfunction
5526 :
5527 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
5528
5529This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
5530executed. >
5531 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
5532however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
5533
5534Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
5535abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
5536exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
5537 Example: >
5538
5539 :if Foo("arrgh")
5540 : echo "then"
5541 :else
5542 : echo "else"
5543 :endif
5544
5545Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
5546
5547 *catch-order*
5548Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
5549commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
5550command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
5551gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
5552 Example: >
5553
5554 :function! Foo(value)
5555 : try
5556 : throw a:value
5557 : catch /^\d\+$/
5558 : echo "Number thrown"
5559 : catch /.*/
5560 : echo "String thrown"
5561 : endtry
5562 :endfunction
5563 :
5564 :call Foo(0x1267)
5565 :call Foo('string')
5566
5567The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
5568An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
5569specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
5570specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
5571
5572 : catch /.*/
5573 : echo "String thrown"
5574 : catch /^\d\+$/
5575 : echo "Number thrown"
5576
5577The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
5578never taken.
5579
5580 *throw-variables*
5581If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
5582in the variable |v:exception|: >
5583
5584 : catch /^\d\+$/
5585 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
5586
5587You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
5588|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
5589exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
5590 Example: >
5591
5592 :function! Caught()
5593 : if v:exception != ""
5594 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
5595 : else
5596 : echo 'Nothing caught'
5597 : endif
5598 :endfunction
5599 :
5600 :function! Foo()
5601 : try
5602 : try
5603 : try
5604 : throw 4711
5605 : finally
5606 : call Caught()
5607 : endtry
5608 : catch /.*/
5609 : call Caught()
5610 : throw "oops"
5611 : endtry
5612 : catch /.*/
5613 : call Caught()
5614 : finally
5615 : call Caught()
5616 : endtry
5617 :endfunction
5618 :
5619 :call Foo()
5620
5621This displays >
5622
5623 Nothing caught
5624 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
5625 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
5626 Nothing caught
5627
5628A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
5629number in the script or function where it has been used: >
5630
5631 :function! LineNumber()
5632 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
5633 :endfunction
5634 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
5635<
5636 *try-nested*
5637An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
5638a surrounding try conditional: >
5639
5640 :try
5641 : try
5642 : throw "foo"
5643 : catch /foobar/
5644 : echo "foobar"
5645 : finally
5646 : echo "inner finally"
5647 : endtry
5648 :catch /foo/
5649 : echo "foo"
5650 :endtry
5651
5652The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
5653clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
5654conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
5655
5656 *throw-from-catch*
5657You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
5658catch clause: >
5659
5660 :function! Foo()
5661 : throw "foo"
5662 :endfunction
5663 :
5664 :function! Bar()
5665 : try
5666 : call Foo()
5667 : catch /foo/
5668 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
5669 : throw "bar"
5670 : endtry
5671 :endfunction
5672 :
5673 :try
5674 : call Bar()
5675 :catch /.*/
5676 : echo "Caught" v:exception
5677 :endtry
5678
5679This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
5680
5681 *rethrow*
5682There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
5683"v:exception" instead: >
5684
5685 :function! Bar()
5686 : try
5687 : call Foo()
5688 : catch /.*/
5689 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
5690 : throw v:exception
5691 : endtry
5692 :endfunction
5693< *try-echoerr*
5694Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
5695exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
5696Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
5697denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
5698the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
5699
5700 :try
5701 : try
5702 : asdf
5703 : catch /.*/
5704 : echoerr v:exception
5705 : endtry
5706 :catch /.*/
5707 : echo v:exception
5708 :endtry
5709
5710This code displays
5711
5712 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
5713
5714
5715CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
5716
5717Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
5718user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
5719an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
5720a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
5721catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
5722a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
5723normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
5724(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
5725to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
5726clause has been executed.)
5727Example: >
5728
5729 :try
5730 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
5731 : set ts=17
5732 :
5733 : " Do the hard work here.
5734 :
5735 :finally
5736 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
5737 : unlet s:saved_ts
5738 :endtry
5739
5740This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
5741changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
5742that function or script part.
5743
5744 *break-finally*
5745Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
5746a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
5747 Example: >
5748
5749 :let first = 1
5750 :while 1
5751 : try
5752 : if first
5753 : echo "first"
5754 : let first = 0
5755 : continue
5756 : else
5757 : throw "second"
5758 : endif
5759 : catch /.*/
5760 : echo v:exception
5761 : break
5762 : finally
5763 : echo "cleanup"
5764 : endtry
5765 : echo "still in while"
5766 :endwhile
5767 :echo "end"
5768
5769This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
5770
5771 :function! Foo()
5772 : try
5773 : return 4711
5774 : finally
5775 : echo "cleanup\n"
5776 : endtry
5777 : echo "Foo still active"
5778 :endfunction
5779 :
5780 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
5781
5782This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
5783extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
5784return value.)
5785
5786 *except-from-finally*
5787Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
5788a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
5789cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
5790exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
5791 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
5792working correctly: >
5793
5794 :try
5795 : try
5796 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
5797 : while 1
5798 : endwhile
5799 : finally
5800 : unlet novar
5801 : endtry
5802 :catch /novar/
5803 :endtry
5804 :echo "Script still running"
5805 :sleep 1
5806
5807If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
5808think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
5809|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
5810
5811
5812CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
5813
5814If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
5815watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
5816presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
5817exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
5818the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
5819the error exception is.
5820 Error exceptions have the following format: >
5821
5822 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
5823or >
5824 Vim:{errmsg}
5825
5826{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
5827the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
5828when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
5829a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
5830a space.
5831
5832Examples:
5833
5834The command >
5835 :unlet novar
5836normally produces the error message >
5837 E108: No such variable: "novar"
5838which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5839 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
5840
5841The command >
5842 :dwim
5843normally produces the error message >
5844 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
5845which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5846 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
5847
5848You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
5849 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
5850or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
5851 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
5852
5853Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
5854 :function nofunc
5855and >
5856 :delfunction nofunc
5857both produce the error message >
5858 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5859which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5860 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5861or >
5862 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5863respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
5864command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
5865 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
5866
5867Some commands like >
5868 :let x = novar
5869produce multiple error messages, here: >
5870 E121: Undefined variable: novar
5871 E15: Invalid expression: novar
5872Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
5873one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
5874 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
5875
5876You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
5877 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
5878
5879You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
5880 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
5881
5882You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
5883 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
5884<
5885 *catch-text*
5886NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
5887 :catch /No such variable/
5888only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
5889a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
5890cite the message text in a comment: >
5891 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
5892
5893
5894IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
5895
5896You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
5897
5898 :try
5899 : write
5900 :catch
5901 :endtry
5902
5903But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
5904catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
5905be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
5906
5907 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
5908
5909There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
5910writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
5911then hide the error from the user.
5912 It is much better to use >
5913
5914 :try
5915 : write
5916 :catch /^Vim(write):/
5917 :endtry
5918
5919which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
5920intentionally.
5921
5922For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
5923even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
5924command: >
5925 :silent! nunmap k
5926This works also when a try conditional is active.
5927
5928
5929CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
5930
5931When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
5932the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
5933script is not terminated, then.
5934 Example: >
5935
5936 :function! TASK1()
5937 : sleep 10
5938 :endfunction
5939
5940 :function! TASK2()
5941 : sleep 20
5942 :endfunction
5943
5944 :while 1
5945 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
5946 : try
5947 : if command == ""
5948 : continue
5949 : elseif command == "END"
5950 : break
5951 : elseif command == "TASK1"
5952 : call TASK1()
5953 : elseif command == "TASK2"
5954 : call TASK2()
5955 : else
5956 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
5957 : continue
5958 : endif
5959 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
5960 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
5961 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
5962 : endtry
5963 :endwhile
5964
5965You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
5966a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
5967
5968For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
5969your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
5970command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
5971
5972
5973CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
5974
5975The commands >
5976
5977 :catch /.*/
5978 :catch //
5979 :catch
5980
5981catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
5982explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
5983a script in order to catch unexpected things.
5984 Example: >
5985
5986 :try
5987 :
5988 : " do the hard work here
5989 :
5990 :catch /MyException/
5991 :
5992 : " handle known problem
5993 :
5994 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
5995 : echo "Script interrupted"
5996 :catch /.*/
5997 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
5998 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
5999 :endtry
6000 :" end of script
6001
6002Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
6003strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
6004specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
6005 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
6006by pressing CTRL-C: >
6007
6008 :while 1
6009 : try
6010 : sleep 1
6011 : catch
6012 : endtry
6013 :endwhile
6014
6015
6016EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
6017
6018Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
6019
6020 :autocmd User x try
6021 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
6022 :autocmd User x catch
6023 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
6024 :autocmd User x endtry
6025 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
6026 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
6027 :
6028 :try
6029 : doautocmd User x
6030 :catch
6031 : echo v:exception
6032 :endtry
6033
6034This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
6035
6036 *except-autocmd-Pre*
6037For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
6038command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
6039of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
6040abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
6041 Example: >
6042
6043 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
6044 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
6045 :
6046 :try
6047 : write
6048 :catch
6049 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
6050 :endtry
6051
6052Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
6053you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
6054autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
6055script displays: >
6056
6057 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
6058<
6059 *except-autocmd-Post*
6060For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
6061command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
6062an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
6063is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
6064 Example: >
6065
6066 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
6067 :
6068 :try
6069 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6070 :catch
6071 : echo v:exception
6072 :endtry
6073
6074This just displays: >
6075
6076 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
6077
6078If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
6079fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
6080 Example: >
6081
6082 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
6083 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
6084 :
6085 :try
6086 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6087 :catch
6088 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6089 :endtry
6090<
6091You can also use ":silent!": >
6092
6093 :let x = "ok"
6094 :let v:errmsg = ""
6095 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
6096 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
6097 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
6098 :try
6099 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6100 :catch
6101 :endtry
6102 :echo x
6103
6104This displays "after fail".
6105
6106If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
6107autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
6108
6109 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
6110 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
6111 :
6112 :try
6113 : write
6114 :catch
6115 : echo v:exception
6116 :endtry
6117<
6118 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
6119For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
6120autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
6121of the command.
6122 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
6123had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
6124some way. >
6125
6126 :if !exists("cnt")
6127 : let cnt = 0
6128 :
6129 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
6130 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
6131 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
6132 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6133 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6134 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
6135 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
6136 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6137 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6138 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
6139 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6140 :endif
6141 :
6142 :try
6143 : write
6144 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
6145 : if &modified
6146 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
6147 : else
6148 : echo "Error after writing"
6149 : endif
6150 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6151 : echo "Error on writing"
6152 :endtry
6153
6154When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
6155first >
6156 File successfully written!
6157then >
6158 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
6159then >
6160 Error after writing
6161etc.
6162
6163 *except-autocmd-ill*
6164You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
6165The following code is ill-formed: >
6166
6167 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
6168 :
6169 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
6170 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
6171 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
6172 :
6173 :write
6174
6175
6176EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
6177
6178Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
6179pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
6180similar things in Vim.
6181 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
6182class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
6183string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
6184 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
6185it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
6186for an error when writing "myfile".
6187 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
6188base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
6189parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
6190 Example: >
6191
6192 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
6193 : if a:a < 0
6194 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
6195 : endif
6196 :endfunction
6197 :
6198 :function! Add(a, b)
6199 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
6200 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
6201 : let c = a:a + a:b
6202 : if c < 0
6203 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
6204 : endif
6205 : return c
6206 :endfunction
6207 :
6208 :function! Div(a, b)
6209 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
6210 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
6211 : if (a:b == 0)
6212 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
6213 : endif
6214 : return a:a / a:b
6215 :endfunction
6216 :
6217 :function! Write(file)
6218 : try
6219 : execute "write" a:file
6220 : catch /^Vim(write):/
6221 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
6222 : endtry
6223 :endfunction
6224 :
6225 :try
6226 :
6227 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
6228 :
6229 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
6230 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6231 : echo "Range error in" function
6232 :
6233 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
6234 : echo "Math error"
6235 :
6236 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
6237 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
6238 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6239 : if file !~ '^/'
6240 : let file = dir . "/" . file
6241 : endif
6242 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
6243 :
6244 :catch /^EXCEPT/
6245 : echo "Unspecified error"
6246 :
6247 :endtry
6248
6249The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
6250a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
6251exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
6252 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
6253failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
6254
6255
6256PECULIARITIES
6257 *except-compat*
6258The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
6259exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
6260and/or a catch clause.
6261
6262In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
6263continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
6264after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
6265functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
6266or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
6267(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
6268
6269This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
6270immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
6271conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
6272be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
6273termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
6274catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
6275by specifying a finally clause.)
6276
6277When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
6278behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
6279scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
6280
6281However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
6282commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
6283conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
6284script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
6285error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
6286messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
6287|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
6288not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
6289where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
6290error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
6291scripts.
6292
6293 *except-syntax-err*
6294Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
6295the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
6296clauses, however, is executed.
6297 Example: >
6298
6299 :try
6300 : try
6301 : throw 4711
6302 : catch /\(/
6303 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
6304 : catch
6305 : echo "inner catch-all"
6306 : finally
6307 : echo "inner finally"
6308 : endtry
6309 :catch
6310 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
6311 : finally
6312 : echo "outer finally"
6313 :endtry
6314
6315This displays: >
6316 inner finally
6317 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
6318 outer finally
6319The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
6320
6321 *except-single-line*
6322The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
6323a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
6324"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
6325 Example: >
6326 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
6327raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
6328argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
6329error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
6330displayed.
6331
6332 *except-several-errors*
6333When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
6334usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
6335 Example: >
6336 echo novar
6337causes >
6338 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6339 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6340The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6341 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
6342< *except-syntax-error*
6343But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
6344the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
6345 Example: >
6346 unlet novar #
6347causes >
6348 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6349 E488: Trailing characters
6350The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6351 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
6352This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
6353not intended by the user. Example: >
6354 try
6355 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
6356 catch /.*/
6357 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
6358 endtry
6359This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
6360a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
6361
6362==============================================================================
63639. Examples *eval-examples*
6364
6365Printing in Hex ~
6366>
6367 :" The function Nr2Hex() returns the Hex string of a number.
6368 :func Nr2Hex(nr)
6369 : let n = a:nr
6370 : let r = ""
6371 : while n
6372 : let r = '0123456789ABCDEF'[n % 16] . r
6373 : let n = n / 16
6374 : endwhile
6375 : return r
6376 :endfunc
6377
6378 :" The function String2Hex() converts each character in a string to a two
6379 :" character Hex string.
6380 :func String2Hex(str)
6381 : let out = ''
6382 : let ix = 0
6383 : while ix < strlen(a:str)
6384 : let out = out . Nr2Hex(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
6385 : let ix = ix + 1
6386 : endwhile
6387 : return out
6388 :endfunc
6389
6390Example of its use: >
6391 :echo Nr2Hex(32)
6392result: "20" >
6393 :echo String2Hex("32")
6394result: "3332"
6395
6396
6397Sorting lines (by Robert Webb) ~
6398
6399Here is a Vim script to sort lines. Highlight the lines in Vim and type
6400":Sort". This doesn't call any external programs so it'll work on any
6401platform. The function Sort() actually takes the name of a comparison
6402function as its argument, like qsort() does in C. So you could supply it
6403with different comparison functions in order to sort according to date etc.
6404>
6405 :" Function for use with Sort(), to compare two strings.
6406 :func! Strcmp(str1, str2)
6407 : if (a:str1 < a:str2)
6408 : return -1
6409 : elseif (a:str1 > a:str2)
6410 : return 1
6411 : else
6412 : return 0
6413 : endif
6414 :endfunction
6415
6416 :" Sort lines. SortR() is called recursively.
6417 :func! SortR(start, end, cmp)
6418 : if (a:start >= a:end)
6419 : return
6420 : endif
6421 : let partition = a:start - 1
6422 : let middle = partition
6423 : let partStr = getline((a:start + a:end) / 2)
6424 : let i = a:start
6425 : while (i <= a:end)
6426 : let str = getline(i)
6427 : exec "let result = " . a:cmp . "(str, partStr)"
6428 : if (result <= 0)
6429 : " Need to put it before the partition. Swap lines i and partition.
6430 : let partition = partition + 1
6431 : if (result == 0)
6432 : let middle = partition
6433 : endif
6434 : if (i != partition)
6435 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6436 : call setline(i, str2)
6437 : call setline(partition, str)
6438 : endif
6439 : endif
6440 : let i = i + 1
6441 : endwhile
6442
6443 : " Now we have a pointer to the "middle" element, as far as partitioning
6444 : " goes, which could be anywhere before the partition. Make sure it is at
6445 : " the end of the partition.
6446 : if (middle != partition)
6447 : let str = getline(middle)
6448 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6449 : call setline(middle, str2)
6450 : call setline(partition, str)
6451 : endif
6452 : call SortR(a:start, partition - 1, a:cmp)
6453 : call SortR(partition + 1, a:end, a:cmp)
6454 :endfunc
6455
6456 :" To Sort a range of lines, pass the range to Sort() along with the name of a
6457 :" function that will compare two lines.
6458 :func! Sort(cmp) range
6459 : call SortR(a:firstline, a:lastline, a:cmp)
6460 :endfunc
6461
6462 :" :Sort takes a range of lines and sorts them.
6463 :command! -nargs=0 -range Sort <line1>,<line2>call Sort("Strcmp")
6464<
6465 *sscanf*
6466There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
6467line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
6468how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
6469"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
6470 :" Set up the match bit
6471 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
6472 :"get the part matching the whole expression
6473 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
6474 :"get each item out of the match
6475 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
6476 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
6477 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
6478
6479The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
6480"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
6481
6482==============================================================================
648310. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
6484
6485When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
6486evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
6487to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
6488recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
6489and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
6490only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
6491recognized.
6492
6493Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
6494missing: >
6495
6496 :if 1
6497 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
6498 :else
6499 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
6500 :endif
6501
6502==============================================================================
650311. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
6504
6505The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
6506options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
6507these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
6508these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
6509a tags file is executed.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006510The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006511
6512These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
6513 - changing the buffer text
6514 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
6515 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
6516 - executing a shell command
6517 - reading or writing a file
6518 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006519This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
6520
6521 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00006522:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006523 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
6524 'foldexpr'.
6525
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006526
6527 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: