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Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.2. Last change: 2010 Jan 05
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005
6
7Expression evaluation *expression* *expr* *E15* *eval*
8
9Using expressions is introduced in chapter 41 of the user manual |usr_41.txt|.
10
11Note: Expression evaluation can be disabled at compile time. If this has been
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000012done, the features in this document are not available. See |+eval| and
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000013|no-eval-feature|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000014
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000151. Variables |variables|
16 1.1 Variable types
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000017 1.2 Function references |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +000018 1.3 Lists |Lists|
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000019 1.4 Dictionaries |Dictionaries|
20 1.5 More about variables |more-variables|
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212. Expression syntax |expression-syntax|
223. Internal variable |internal-variables|
234. Builtin Functions |functions|
245. Defining functions |user-functions|
256. Curly braces names |curly-braces-names|
267. Commands |expression-commands|
278. Exception handling |exception-handling|
289. Examples |eval-examples|
2910. No +eval feature |no-eval-feature|
3011. The sandbox |eval-sandbox|
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00003112. Textlock |textlock|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000032
33{Vi does not have any of these commands}
34
35==============================================================================
361. Variables *variables*
37
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000381.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000039 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000040There are six types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000041
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000042Number A 32 bit signed number. |expr-number| *Number*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000043 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
44
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000045Float A floating point number. |floating-point-format| *Float*
46 {only when compiled with the |+float| feature}
47 Examples: 123.456 1.15e-6 -1.1e3
48
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000049String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000050 |expr-string| Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000051
52Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
53 Example: function("strlen")
54
55List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
56 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000057
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000058Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
59 value. |Dictionary|
60 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
61
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000062The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
63are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000064
65Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
66the Number. Examples: >
67 Number 123 --> String "123"
68 Number 0 --> String "0"
69 Number -1 --> String "-1"
70
71Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
72to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
73the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
74 String "456" --> Number 456
75 String "6bar" --> Number 6
76 String "foo" --> Number 0
77 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
78 String "0100" --> Number 64
79 String "-8" --> Number -8
80 String "+8" --> Number 0
81
82To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
83 :echo "0100" + 0
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +000084< 64 ~
85
86To avoid a leading zero to cause octal conversion, or for using a different
87base, use |str2nr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000088
89For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
90
91Note that in the command >
92 :if "foo"
93"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
94use strlen(): >
95 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000096< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
97List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000098
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +000099 *E805* *E806* *E808*
100When mixing Number and Float the Number is converted to Float. Otherwise
101there is no automatic conversion of Float. You can use str2float() for String
102to Float, printf() for Float to String and float2nr() for Float to Number.
103
104 *E706* *sticky-type-checking*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000105You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
106to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000107equivalent though, as well are Float and Number. Consider this sequence of
108commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000109 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000110 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000111 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error! l is still a Number
112 :let l = 4.4 " changes type from Number to Float
113 :let l = "string" " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000114
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000115
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001161.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000117 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000118A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000119in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
120around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000121
122 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
123 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000124< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000125A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:", "t:" or "b:". You
126cannot have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000127
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000128A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
129Dictionary entry. Example: >
130 :function dict.init() dict
131 : let self.val = 0
132 :endfunction
133
134The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
135function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
136
137A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
138 :call Fn()
139 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000140
141The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000142 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000143
144You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
145arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000146 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000147
148
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001491.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000150 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000151A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000152can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000153position in the sequence.
154
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000155
156List creation ~
157 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159Examples: >
160 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
161 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000162
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000163An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000164List of Lists: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000165 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000166
167An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
168
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000169
170List index ~
171 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000172An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000173after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
174 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000175 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000176
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000177When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000178 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000179<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000180A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
181the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000182 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
183
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000184To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000185is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000186 :echo get(mylist, idx)
187 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
188
189
190List concatenation ~
191
192Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
193 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000194 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000195
196To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
197it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
198
199
200Sublist ~
201
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000202A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
203separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000204 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000205
206Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000207similar to -1. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000208 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
209 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
210 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000211
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000212If the first index is beyond the last item of the List or the second item is
213before the first item, the result is an empty list. There is no error
214message.
215
216If the second index is equal to or greater than the length of the list the
217length minus one is used: >
Bram Moolenaar9e54a0e2006-04-14 20:42:25 +0000218 :let mylist = [0, 1, 2, 3]
219 :echo mylist[2:8] " result: [2, 3]
220
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000221NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000222using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000223mylist[s : e].
224
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000225
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000226List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000227 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000228When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
229variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
230change "bb": >
231 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
232 :let bb = aa
233 :call add(aa, 4)
234 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000235< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000236
237Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
238works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000239a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000240 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
241 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000242 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000243 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
244 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000245< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000246 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000247< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000248
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000249To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000250copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000251
252The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000253List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000254the same value. >
255 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
256 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
257 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000258< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000259 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000260< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000261
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000262Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
263same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000264exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
265different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
266variables. Example: >
267 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000268< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000269 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000270< 0
271
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000272Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000273can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000274
275 :let a = 5
276 :let b = "5"
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000277 :echo a == b
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000278< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000279 :echo [a] == [b]
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000280< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000281
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000282
283List unpack ~
284
285To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
286square brackets, like list items: >
287 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
288
289When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
290this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
291and a variable name: >
292 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
293
294This works like: >
295 :let var1 = mylist[0]
296 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000297 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000298
299Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
300empty list then.
301
302
303List modification ~
304 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000305To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000306 :let list[4] = "four"
307 :let listlist[0][3] = item
308
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000309To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000310modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000311 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
312
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000313Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
314examples: >
315 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
316 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
317 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000318 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000319 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
320 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000321 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000322 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000323 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000324 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000325
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000326Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000327 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
328 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
329
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000330
331For loop ~
332
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000333The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
334to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000335 :for item in mylist
336 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000337 :endfor
338
339This works like: >
340 :let index = 0
341 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000342 : let item = mylist[index]
343 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000344 : let index = index + 1
345 :endwhile
346
347Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000348results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000349the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000350
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000351If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000352function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000353
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000354Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000355requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
356 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
357 : call Doit(lnum, col)
358 :endfor
359
360This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
361must remain the same to avoid an error.
362
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000363It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000364 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
365 : call Doit(i, j)
366 : if !empty(rest)
367 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
368 : endif
369 :endfor
370
371
372List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000373 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000374Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000375 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000376 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000377 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
378 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
379 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000380 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
381 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000382 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
383 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000384 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
385 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000386 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
387 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000388
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000389Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
390example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
391 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
392
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000393
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003941.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000395 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000396A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000397entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
398ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000399
400
401Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000402 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000403A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000404braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
405only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000406 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
407 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000408< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000409A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
410String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000411entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000412Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000413
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000414A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000415nested Dictionary: >
416 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
417
418An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
419
420
421Accessing entries ~
422
423The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
424 :let val = mydict["one"]
425 :let mydict["four"] = 4
426
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000427You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000428
429For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
430form can be used |expr-entry|: >
431 :let val = mydict.one
432 :let mydict.four = 4
433
434Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
435key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000436 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000437
438
439Dictionary to List conversion ~
440
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000441You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000442turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
443
444Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
445 :for key in keys(mydict)
446 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
447 :endfor
448
449The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
450 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
451
452To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
453 :for v in values(mydict)
454 : echo "value: " . v
455 :endfor
456
457If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000458a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000459 :for [key, value] in items(mydict)
460 : echo key . ': ' . value
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000461 :endfor
462
463
464Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000465 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000466Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
467Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
468Dictionary: >
469 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
470 :let adict = onedict
471 :let adict['a'] = 11
472 :echo onedict['a']
473 11
474
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000475Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
476more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000477
478
479Dictionary modification ~
480 *dict-modification*
481To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
482use |:let| this way: >
483 :let dict[4] = "four"
484 :let dict['one'] = item
485
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000486Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
487Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
488 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
489 :unlet dict.aaa
490 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000491
492Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000493 :call extend(adict, bdict)
494This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
495in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000496Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
497expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
498adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000499
500Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000501 :call filter(dict, 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000502This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000503
504
505Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000506 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000507When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000508special way with a dictionary. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000509 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000510 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000511 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000512 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
513 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000514
515This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
516Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
517the function was invoked from.
518
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000519It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
520Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
521
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000522 *numbered-function* *anonymous-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000523To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
524assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000525 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
526 :function mydict.len() dict
527 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000528 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000529 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000530
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000531The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000532that references this function. The function can only be used through a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000533|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
534remaining that refers to it.
535
536It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000537
538
539Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000540 *E715*
541Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000542 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
543 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
544 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
545 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
546 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
547 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
548 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
549 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000550
551
5521.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000553 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000554If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
555function.
556
557When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
558start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
559stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
560
561When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
562start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
563stored in the session file |session-file|.
564
565variable name can be stored where ~
566my_var_6 not
567My_Var_6 session file
568MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
569
570
571It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
572|curly-braces-names|.
573
574==============================================================================
5752. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
576
577Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
578
579|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
580
581|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
582
583|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
584
585|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
586 expr5 != expr5 not equal
587 expr5 > expr5 greater than
588 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
589 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
590 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
591 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
592 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
593
594 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
595 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
596 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
597 matching case
598
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000599 expr5 is expr5 same |List| instance
600 expr5 isnot expr5 different |List| instance
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000601
602|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000603 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
604 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
605
606|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
607 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
608 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
609
610|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
611 - expr7 unary minus
612 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000613
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000614
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000615|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a |List|
616 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a |List|
617 expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary|
618 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with |Funcref| variable
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000619
620|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000621 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000622 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000623 [expr1, ...] |List|
624 {expr1: expr1, ...} |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000625 &option option value
626 (expr1) nested expression
627 variable internal variable
628 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
629 $VAR environment variable
630 @r contents of register 'r'
631 function(expr1, ...) function call
632 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
633
634
635".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
636Example: >
637 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
638
639All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
640
641
642expr1 *expr1* *E109*
643-----
644
645expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
646
647The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
648non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
649otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
650Example: >
651 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
652
653Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
654other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
655Example: >
656 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
657
658To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
659 :echo lnum == 1
660 :\ ? "top"
661 :\ : lnum == 1000
662 :\ ? "last"
663 :\ : lnum
664
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000665You should always put a space before the ':', otherwise it can be mistaken for
666use in a variable such as "a:1".
667
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000668
669expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
670---------------
671
672 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
673The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
674are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
675
676 input output ~
677n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
678zero zero zero zero
679zero non-zero non-zero zero
680non-zero zero non-zero zero
681non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
682
683The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
684
685 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
686
687Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
688
689 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
690
691Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
692arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
693
694 let a = 1
695 echo a || b
696
697This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
698so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
699
700 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
701
702This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
703only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
704
705
706expr4 *expr4*
707-----
708
709expr5 {cmp} expr5
710
711Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
712if it evaluates to true.
713
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000714 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000715 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
716 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
717 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
718 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
719 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000720 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000721 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
722equal == ==# ==?
723not equal != !=# !=?
724greater than > ># >?
725greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
726smaller than < <# <?
727smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
728regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
729regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000730same instance is
731different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000732
733Examples:
734"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
735"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
736"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
737
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000738 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000739A |List| can only be compared with a |List| and only "equal", "not equal" and
740"is" can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively.
741Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000742
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000743 *E735* *E736*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000744A |Dictionary| can only be compared with a |Dictionary| and only "equal", "not
745equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000746recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
747
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000748 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000749A |Funcref| can only be compared with a |Funcref| and only "equal" and "not
750equal" can be used. Case is never ignored.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000751
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000752When using "is" or "isnot" with a |List| this checks if the expressions are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000753referring to the same |List| instance. A copy of a |List| is different from
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000754the original |List|. When using "is" without a |List| it is equivalent to
755using "equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000756different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000757is false.
758
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000759When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000760and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000761because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
762
763When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
764results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
765necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
766
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000767When using the operators with a trailing '#', or the short version and
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000768'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp(): case matters.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000769
770When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000771'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp(): case is ignored.
772
773'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000774
775The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
776argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
777This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
778matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
779portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
780single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
781Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
782(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
783can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
784 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
785 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
786
787
788expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
789---------------
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000790expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or |List| concatenation *expr-+*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000791expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
792expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000793
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +0000794For |Lists| only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000795result is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000796
797expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
798expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
799expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000800
801For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
802
803Note the difference between "+" and ".":
804 "123" + "456" = 579
805 "123" . "456" = "123456"
806
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000807Since '.' has the same precedence as '+' and '-', you need to read: >
808 1 . 90 + 90.0
809As: >
810 (1 . 90) + 90.0
811That works, since the String "190" is automatically converted to the Number
812190, which can be added to the Float 90.0. However: >
813 1 . 90 * 90.0
814Should be read as: >
815 1 . (90 * 90.0)
816Since '.' has lower precedence than '*'. This does NOT work, since this
817attempts to concatenate a Float and a String.
818
819When dividing a Number by zero the result depends on the value:
820 0 / 0 = -0x80000000 (like NaN for Float)
821 >0 / 0 = 0x7fffffff (like positive infinity)
822 <0 / 0 = -0x7fffffff (like negative infinity)
823 (before Vim 7.2 it was always 0x7fffffff)
824
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000825When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
826
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000827None of these work for |Funcref|s.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000828
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000829. and % do not work for Float. *E804*
830
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000831
832expr7 *expr7*
833-----
834! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
835- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
836+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
837
838For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
839For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
840For '+' the number is unchanged.
841
842A String will be converted to a Number first.
843
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000844These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000845 !-1 == 0
846 !!8 == 1
847 --9 == 9
848
849
850expr8 *expr8*
851-----
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000852expr8[expr1] item of String or |List| *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000853
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000854If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
855expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100856Number. This doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings, see |byteidx()| for
857an alternative.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000858
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000859Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
860text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
861cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +0000862 :let c = getline(".")[col(".") - 1]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000863
864If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000865String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
866compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
867
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000868If expr8 is a |List| then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000869for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000870error. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000871 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
872
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000873Generally, if a |List| index is equal to or higher than the length of the
874|List|, or more negative than the length of the |List|, this results in an
875error.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000876
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000877
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000878expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000879
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000880If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
881from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100882expr1b are used as a Number. This doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings, see
883|byteidx()| for computing the indexes.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000884
885If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
886string minus one is used.
887
888A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
889the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
890
891If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
892expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
893
894Examples: >
895 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
896 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
897 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
898 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100899<
900 *sublist* *slice*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000901If expr8 is a |List| this results in a new |List| with the items indicated by
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000902the indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000903just above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000904 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
905 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
906 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
907
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000908Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a |Funcref| results in an
909error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000910
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000911
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000912expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary| *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000913
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000914If expr8 is a |Dictionary| and it is followed by a dot, then the following
915name will be used as a key in the |Dictionary|. This is just like:
916expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000917
918The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
919but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
920
921There must not be white space before or after the dot.
922
923Examples: >
924 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
925 :echo dict.one
926 :echo dict .2
927
928Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
929always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
930
931
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000932expr8(expr1, ...) |Funcref| function call
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000933
934When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
935
936
937
938 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000939number
940------
941number number constant *expr-number*
942
943Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
944
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000945 *floating-point-format*
946Floating point numbers can be written in two forms:
947
948 [-+]{N}.{M}
949 [-+]{N}.{M}e[-+]{exp}
950
951{N} and {M} are numbers. Both {N} and {M} must be present and can only
952contain digits.
953[-+] means there is an optional plus or minus sign.
954{exp} is the exponent, power of 10.
955Only a decimal point is accepted, not a comma. No matter what the current
956locale is.
957{only when compiled with the |+float| feature}
958
959Examples:
960 123.456
961 +0.0001
962 55.0
963 -0.123
964 1.234e03
965 1.0E-6
966 -3.1416e+88
967
968These are INVALID:
969 3. empty {M}
970 1e40 missing .{M}
971
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000972 *float-pi* *float-e*
973A few useful values to copy&paste: >
974 :let pi = 3.14159265359
975 :let e = 2.71828182846
976
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000977Rationale:
978Before floating point was introduced, the text "123.456" was interpreted as
979the two numbers "123" and "456", both converted to a string and concatenated,
980resulting in the string "123456". Since this was considered pointless, and we
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +0000981could not find it intentionally being used in Vim scripts, this backwards
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000982incompatibility was accepted in favor of being able to use the normal notation
983for floating point numbers.
984
985 *floating-point-precision*
986The precision and range of floating points numbers depends on what "double"
987means in the library Vim was compiled with. There is no way to change this at
988runtime.
989
990The default for displaying a |Float| is to use 6 decimal places, like using
991printf("%g", f). You can select something else when using the |printf()|
992function. Example: >
993 :echo printf('%.15e', atan(1))
994< 7.853981633974483e-01
995
996
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000997
998string *expr-string* *E114*
999------
1000"string" string constant *expr-quote*
1001
1002Note that double quotes are used.
1003
1004A string constant accepts these special characters:
1005\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
1006\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
1007\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
1008\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
1009\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
1010\X.. same as \x..
1011\X. same as \x.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001012\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001013 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
1014\U.... same as \u....
1015\b backspace <BS>
1016\e escape <Esc>
1017\f formfeed <FF>
1018\n newline <NL>
1019\r return <CR>
1020\t tab <Tab>
1021\\ backslash
1022\" double quote
1023\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
1024
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001025Note that "\xff" is stored as the byte 255, which may be invalid in some
1026encodings. Use "\u00ff" to store character 255 according to the current value
1027of 'encoding'.
1028
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001029Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
1030
1031
1032literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
1033---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001034'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001035
1036Note that single quotes are used.
1037
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001038This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001039meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001040
1041Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001042to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +00001043 if a =~ "\\s*"
1044 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001045
1046
1047option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
1048------
1049&option option value, local value if possible
1050&g:option global option value
1051&l:option local option value
1052
1053Examples: >
1054 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
1055 if &insertmode
1056
1057Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
1058and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
1059anyway.
1060
1061
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001062register *expr-register* *@r*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001063--------
1064@r contents of register 'r'
1065
1066The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
1067Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001068register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00001069registers.
1070
1071When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
1072evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001073
1074
1075nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
1076-------
1077(expr1) nested expression
1078
1079
1080environment variable *expr-env*
1081--------------------
1082$VAR environment variable
1083
1084The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
1085result is an empty string.
1086 *expr-env-expand*
1087Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
1088expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
1089are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
1090the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
1091fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
1092does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
1093 :echo $version
1094 :echo expand("$version")
1095The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
1096variable (if your shell supports it).
1097
1098
1099internal variable *expr-variable*
1100-----------------
1101variable internal variable
1102See below |internal-variables|.
1103
1104
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001105function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001106-------------
1107function(expr1, ...) function call
1108See below |functions|.
1109
1110
1111==============================================================================
11123. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
1113 *E461*
1114An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1115cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1116|curly-braces-names|.
1117
1118An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001119An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1120|:unlet|.
1121Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1122been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001123
1124There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1125specified by what is prepended:
1126
1127 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1128|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1129|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001130|tabpage-variable| t: Local to the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001131|global-variable| g: Global.
1132|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1133|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1134|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001135|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001136
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001137The scope name by itself can be used as a |Dictionary|. For example, to
1138delete all script-local variables: >
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001139 :for k in keys(s:)
1140 : unlet s:[k]
1141 :endfor
1142<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001143 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1144A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1145Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1146This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1147|:bdelete|.
1148
1149One local buffer variable is predefined:
1150 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1151b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1152 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1153 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1154 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1155 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001156 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1157 : call My_Update()
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001158 :endif
1159<
1160 *window-variable* *w:var*
1161A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1162is deleted when the window is closed.
1163
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001164 *tabpage-variable* *t:var*
1165A variable name that is preceded with "t:" is local to the current tab page,
1166It is deleted when the tab page is closed. {not available when compiled
1167without the +windows feature}
1168
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001169 *global-variable* *g:var*
1170Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001171access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001172place if you like.
1173
1174 *local-variable* *l:var*
1175Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001176But you can also prepend "l:" if you like. However, without prepending "l:"
1177you may run into reserved variable names. For example "count". By itself it
1178refers to "v:count". Using "l:count" you can have a local variable with the
1179same name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001180
1181 *script-variable* *s:var*
1182In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1183accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1184
1185They can be used in:
1186- commands executed while the script is sourced
1187- functions defined in the script
1188- autocommands defined in the script
1189- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1190 defined in the script (recursively)
1191- user defined commands defined in the script
1192Thus not in:
1193- other scripts sourced from this one
1194- mappings
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001195- menus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001196- etc.
1197
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001198Script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1199Take this example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001200
1201 let s:counter = 0
1202 function MyCounter()
1203 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1204 echo s:counter
1205 endfunction
1206 command Tick call MyCounter()
1207
1208You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1209that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1210"Tick" was defined is used.
1211
1212Another example that does the same: >
1213
1214 let s:counter = 0
1215 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1216
1217When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001218script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001219defined.
1220
1221The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1222function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1223
1224 let s:counter = 0
1225 function StartCounting(incr)
1226 if a:incr
1227 function MyCounter()
1228 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1229 endfunction
1230 else
1231 function MyCounter()
1232 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1233 endfunction
1234 endif
1235 endfunction
1236
1237This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1238when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1239called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1240
1241When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1242They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1243maintain a counter: >
1244
1245 if !exists("s:counter")
1246 let s:counter = 1
1247 echo "script executed for the first time"
1248 else
1249 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1250 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1251 endif
1252
1253Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1254variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1255
1256
1257Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1258
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001259 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1260v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1261 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1262 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1263
1264 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1265v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1266 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1267
1268 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1269v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1270 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1271
1272 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001273v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1274 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1275 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1276 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001277 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1278 highlighted text is used.
1279 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1280
1281 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1282v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1283 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1284
Bram Moolenaarf193fff2006-04-27 00:02:13 +00001285 *v:char* *char-variable*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001286v:char Argument for evaluating 'formatexpr' and used for the typed
1287 character when using <expr> in an abbreviation |map-<expr>|.
Bram Moolenaarf193fff2006-04-27 00:02:13 +00001288
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001289 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1290v:charconvert_from
1291 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1292 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1293
1294 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1295v:charconvert_to
1296 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1297 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1298
1299 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1300v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1301 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1302 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1303 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1304 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1305 possible to append this variable directly after the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001306 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001307 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1308 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1309 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1310 in 'printexpr'.
1311
1312 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1313v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1314 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1315 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1316 can be used.
1317
1318 *v:count* *count-variable*
1319v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001320 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001321 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1322< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1323 get when typing ':' after a count.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001324 When there are two counts, as in "3d2w", they are multiplied,
1325 just like what happens in the command, "d6w" for the example.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001326 Also used for evaluating the 'formatexpr' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001327 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1328
1329 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1330v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1331 used.
1332
1333 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1334v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1335 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1336 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1337 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1338 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1339 command.
1340 See |multi-lang|.
1341
1342 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001343v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001344 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1345 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1346 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1347 Example: >
1348 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1349<
1350 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1351v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1352 Example: >
1353 :let v:errmsg = ""
1354 :silent! next
1355 :if v:errmsg != ""
1356 : ... handle error
1357< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1358
1359 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1360v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1361 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1362 Example: >
1363 :try
1364 : throw "oops"
1365 :catch /.*/
1366 : echo "caught" v:exception
1367 :endtry
1368< Output: "caught oops".
1369
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001370 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1371v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1372 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1373 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1374 deleted file no longer exists
1375 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1376 changed and buffer is modified
1377 changed file contents has changed
1378 mode mode of file changed
1379 time only file timestamp changed
1380
1381 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1382v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1383 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1384 do with the affected buffer:
1385 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1386 the file was deleted).
1387 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1388 was no autocommand. Except that when
1389 only the timestamp changed nothing
1390 will happen.
1391 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1392 everything that needs to be done.
1393 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1394 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1395
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001396 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001397v:fname_in The name of the input file. Valid while evaluating:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001398 option used for ~
1399 'charconvert' file to be converted
1400 'diffexpr' original file
1401 'patchexpr' original file
1402 'printexpr' file to be printed
Bram Moolenaar2c7a29c2005-12-12 22:02:31 +00001403 And set to the swap file name for |SwapExists|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001404
1405 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1406v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1407 evaluating:
1408 option used for ~
1409 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1410 'diffexpr' output of diff
1411 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1412 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001413 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001414 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1415 file and different from v:fname_in.
1416
1417 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1418v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1419 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1420
1421 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1422v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1423 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1424
1425 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1426v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1427 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001428 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001429
1430 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1431v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001432 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001433
1434 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1435v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001436 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001437
1438 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1439v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001440 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001441
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001442 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1443v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1444 events. Values:
1445 i Insert mode
1446 r Replace mode
1447 v Virtual Replace mode
1448
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001449 *v:key* *key-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001450v:key Key of the current item of a |Dictionary|. Only valid while
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001451 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1452 Read-only.
1453
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001454 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1455v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1456 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1457 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1458 The value is system dependent.
1459 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1460 command.
1461 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1462 in a different language than what is used for character
1463 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1464
1465 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1466v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1467 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1468 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1469 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1470 command. See |multi-lang|.
1471
1472 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001473v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
Bram Moolenaar57657d82006-04-21 22:12:41 +00001474 expressions, tab page number for 'guitablabel' and
1475 'guitabtooltip'. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1476 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001477
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00001478 *v:mouse_win* *mouse_win-variable*
1479v:mouse_win Window number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1480 First window has number 1, like with |winnr()|. The value is
1481 zero when there was no mouse button click.
1482
1483 *v:mouse_lnum* *mouse_lnum-variable*
1484v:mouse_lnum Line number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1485 This is the text line number, not the screen line number. The
1486 value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
1487
1488 *v:mouse_col* *mouse_col-variable*
1489v:mouse_col Column number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1490 This is the screen column number, like with |virtcol()|. The
1491 value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
1492
Bram Moolenaard812df62008-11-09 12:46:09 +00001493 *v:oldfiles* *oldfiles-variable*
1494v:oldfiles List of file names that is loaded from the |viminfo| file on
1495 startup. These are the files that Vim remembers marks for.
1496 The length of the List is limited by the ' argument of the
1497 'viminfo' option (default is 100).
1498 Also see |:oldfiles| and |c_#<|.
1499 The List can be modified, but this has no effect on what is
1500 stored in the |viminfo| file later. If you use values other
1501 than String this will cause trouble.
1502 {only when compiled with the +viminfo feature}
1503
Bram Moolenaar8af1fbf2008-01-05 12:35:21 +00001504 *v:operator* *operator-variable*
1505v:operator The last operator given in Normal mode. This is a single
1506 character except for commands starting with <g> or <z>,
1507 in which case it is two characters. Best used alongside
1508 |v:prevcount| and |v:register|. Useful if you want to cancel
1509 Operator-pending mode and then use the operator, e.g.: >
1510 :omap O <Esc>:call MyMotion(v:operator)<CR>
1511< The value remains set until another operator is entered, thus
1512 don't expect it to be empty.
1513 v:operator is not set for |:delete|, |:yank| or other Ex
1514 commands.
1515 Read-only.
1516
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001517 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1518v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1519 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
Bram Moolenaar8af1fbf2008-01-05 12:35:21 +00001520 you want to cancel Visual or Operator-pending mode and then
1521 use the count, e.g.: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001522 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1523< Read-only.
1524
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001525 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001526v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001527 See |profiling|.
1528
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001529 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1530v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1531 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1532 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1533 Read-only.
1534
1535 *v:register* *register-variable*
1536v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1537 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1538
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001539 *v:scrollstart* *scrollstart-variable*
1540v:scrollstart String describing the script or function that caused the
1541 screen to scroll up. It's only set when it is empty, thus the
1542 first reason is remembered. It is set to "Unknown" for a
1543 typed command.
1544 This can be used to find out why your script causes the
1545 hit-enter prompt.
1546
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001547 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1548v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1549 Read-only.
1550
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001551
1552v:searchforward *v:searchforward* *searchforward-variable*
1553 Search direction: 1 after a forward search, 0 after a
1554 backward search. It is reset to forward when directly setting
1555 the last search pattern, see |quote/|.
1556 Note that the value is restored when returning from a
1557 function. |function-search-undo|.
1558 Read-write.
1559
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001560 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1561v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1562 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1563 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1564 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1565 executed. Read-only.
1566 Example: >
1567 :!mv foo bar
1568 :if v:shell_error
1569 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1570 :endif
1571< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1572
1573 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1574v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1575
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001576 *v:swapname* *swapname-variable*
1577v:swapname Only valid when executing |SwapExists| autocommands: Name of
1578 the swap file found. Read-only.
1579
1580 *v:swapchoice* *swapchoice-variable*
1581v:swapchoice |SwapExists| autocommands can set this to the selected choice
1582 for handling an existing swap file:
1583 'o' Open read-only
1584 'e' Edit anyway
1585 'r' Recover
1586 'd' Delete swapfile
1587 'q' Quit
1588 'a' Abort
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001589 The value should be a single-character string. An empty value
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001590 results in the user being asked, as would happen when there is
1591 no SwapExists autocommand. The default is empty.
1592
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001593 *v:swapcommand* *swapcommand-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001594v:swapcommand Normal mode command to be executed after a file has been
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001595 opened. Can be used for a |SwapExists| autocommand to have
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001596 another Vim open the file and jump to the right place. For
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001597 example, when jumping to a tag the value is ":tag tagname\r".
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +00001598 For ":edit +cmd file" the value is ":cmd\r".
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001599
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001600 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1601v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001602 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001603 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1604 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1605 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1606 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1607 terminal.
1608 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1609 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1610 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1611 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1612 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1613
1614 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1615v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1616 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1617 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1618 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1619
1620 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1621v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001622 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001623 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1624 Example: >
1625 :try
1626 : throw "oops"
1627 :catch /.*/
1628 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1629 :endtry
1630< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1631
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001632 *v:val* *val-variable*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001633v:val Value of the current item of a |List| or |Dictionary|. Only
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001634 valid while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001635 |filter()|. Read-only.
1636
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001637 *v:version* *version-variable*
1638v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1639 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1640 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1641 compatibility.
1642 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1643 if has("patch123")
1644< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1645 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1646 completely different.
1647
1648 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1649v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1650
1651==============================================================================
16524. Builtin Functions *functions*
1653
1654See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1655
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001656(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001657
1658USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1659
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001660abs( {expr}) Float or Number absolute value of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001661add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to |List| {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001662append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001663append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001664argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001665argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001666argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001667argv( ) List the argument list
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001668atan( {expr}) Float arc tangent of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001669browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1670 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001671browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001672bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001673buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1674bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001675bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1676bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1677bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1678byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001679byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001680call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1681 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001682ceil( {expr}) Float round {expr} up
1683changenr() Number current change number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001684char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001685cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001686clearmatches() none clear all matches
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001687col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001688complete( {startcol}, {matches}) none set Insert mode completion
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001689complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001690complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001691confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1692 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001693copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001694cos( {expr}) Float cosine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001695count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1696 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001697cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1698 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001699cursor( {lnum}, {col} [, {coladd}])
1700 Number move cursor to {lnum}, {col}, {coladd}
1701cursor( {list}) Number move cursor to position in {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001702deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001703delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1704did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001705diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1706diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001707empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001708escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001709eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001710eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001711executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1712exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001713extend( {expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001714 List/Dict insert items of {expr2} into {expr1}
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00001715expand( {expr} [, {flag}]) String expand special keywords in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001716feedkeys( {string} [, {mode}]) Number add key sequence to typeahead buffer
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001717filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001718filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001719filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1720 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001721finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001722 String find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001723findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001724 String find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001725float2nr( {expr}) Number convert Float {expr} to a Number
1726floor( {expr}) Float round {expr} down
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00001727fnameescape( {fname}) String escape special characters in {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001728fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001729foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1730foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001731foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001732foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001733foldtextresult( {lnum}) String text for closed fold at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001734foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001735function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00001736garbagecollect( [at_exit]) none free memory, breaking cyclic references
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001737get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001738get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001739getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1740 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001741getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001742getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1743getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001744getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1745getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001746getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001747getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001748getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1749getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001750getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001751getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001752getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001753getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1754getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001755getloclist( {nr}) List list of location list items
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001756getmatches() List list of current matches
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00001757getpid() Number process ID of Vim
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001758getpos( {expr}) List position of cursor, mark, etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001759getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001760getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001761getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001762gettabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {name})
1763 any {name} in {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001764getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1765getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001766getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in window {nr}
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00001767glob( {expr} [, {flag}]) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1768globpath( {path}, {expr} [, {flag}])
1769 String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001770has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001771has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00001772haslocaldir() Number TRUE if current window executed |:lcd|
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001773hasmapto( {what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1774 Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001775histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1776histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1777histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1778histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1779hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1780hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1781hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001782iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1783indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001784index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1785 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001786input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1787 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001788inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001789inputlist( {textlist}) Number let the user pick from a choice list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001790inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1791inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001792inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001793insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001794isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001795islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001796items( {dict}) List key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001797join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001798keys( {dict}) List keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001799len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1800libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001801libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1802line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1803line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001804lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001805localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001806log10( {expr}) Float logarithm of Float {expr} to base 10
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001807map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001808maparg( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1809 String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1810mapcheck( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1811 String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001812match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001813 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001814matchadd( {group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
1815 Number highlight {pattern} with {group}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001816matcharg( {nr}) List arguments of |:match|
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001817matchdelete( {id}) Number delete match identified by {id}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001818matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001819 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001820matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1821 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001822matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1823 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001824max( {list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1825min( {list}) Number minimum value of items in {list}
1826mkdir( {name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001827 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001828mode( [expr]) String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar7e506b62010-01-19 15:55:06 +01001829mzeval( {expr}) any evaluate |MzScheme| expression
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001830nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1831nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001832pathshorten( {expr}) String shorten directory names in a path
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001833pow( {x}, {y}) Float {x} to the power of {y}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001834prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001835printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
1836pumvisible() Number whether popup menu is visible
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001837range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1838 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001839readfile( {fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001840 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00001841reltime( [{start} [, {end}]]) List get time value
1842reltimestr( {time}) String turn time value into a String
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001843remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1844 String send expression
1845remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1846remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1847 Number check for reply string
1848remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1849remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1850 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001851remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001852remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001853rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1854repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1855resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001856reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001857round( {expr}) Float round off {expr}
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001858search( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
1859 Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001860searchdecl( {name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001861 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001862searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001863 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001864searchpairpos( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001865 List search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001866searchpos( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001867 List search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001868server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1869 Number send reply string
1870serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1871setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1872setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1873setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001874setloclist( {nr}, {list}[, {action}])
1875 Number modify location list using {list}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001876setmatches( {list}) Number restore a list of matches
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001877setpos( {expr}, {list}) Number set the {expr} position to {list}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001878setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number modify quickfix list using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001879setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001880settabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window
1881 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001882setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00001883shellescape( {string} [, {special}])
1884 String escape {string} for use as shell
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00001885 command argument
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001886simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001887sin( {expr}) Float sine of {expr}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001888sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001889soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001890spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001891spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
1892 List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001893split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001894 List make |List| from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001895sqrt( {expr} Float squar root of {expr}
1896str2float( {expr}) Float convert String to Float
1897str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) Number convert String to Number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001898strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001899stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1900 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001901string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001902strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1903strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1904 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001905strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1906 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001907strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001908submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001909substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1910 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001911synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001912synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1913 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1914synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001915synstack( {lnum}, {col}) List stack of syntax IDs at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001916system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00001917tabpagebuflist( [{arg}]) List list of buffer numbers in tab page
1918tabpagenr( [{arg}]) Number number of current or last tab page
1919tabpagewinnr( {tabarg}[, {arg}])
1920 Number number of current window in tab page
1921taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001922tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001923tempname() String name for a temporary file
1924tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1925toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001926tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1927 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001928trunc( {expr} Float truncate Float {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001929type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001930values( {dict}) List values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001931virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1932visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1933winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1934wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1935winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1936winline() Number window line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00001937winnr( [{expr}]) Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001938winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001939winrestview( {dict}) none restore view of current window
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00001940winsaveview() Dict save view of current window
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001941winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001942writefile( {list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001943 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001944
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001945abs({expr}) *abs()*
1946 Return the absolute value of {expr}. When {expr} evaluates to
1947 a |Float| abs() returns a |Float|. When {expr} can be
1948 converted to a |Number| abs() returns a |Number|. Otherwise
1949 abs() gives an error message and returns -1.
1950 Examples: >
1951 echo abs(1.456)
1952< 1.456 >
1953 echo abs(-5.456)
1954< 5.456 >
1955 echo abs(-4)
1956< 4
1957 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
1958
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001959add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001960 Append the item {expr} to |List| {list}. Returns the
1961 resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001962 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1963 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001964< Note that when {expr} is a |List| it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001965 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001966 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001967
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001968
1969append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001970 When {expr} is a |List|: Append each item of the |List| as a
1971 text line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001972 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1973 the current buffer.
1974 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001975 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001976 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001977 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001978 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001979<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001980 *argc()*
1981argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1982 current window. See |arglist|.
1983
1984 *argidx()*
1985argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1986 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1987
1988 *argv()*
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001989argv([{nr}]) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001990 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1991 Example: >
1992 :let i = 0
1993 :while i < argc()
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001994 : let f = escape(fnameescape(argv(i)), '.')
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001995 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1996 : let i = i + 1
1997 :endwhile
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001998< Without the {nr} argument a |List| with the whole |arglist| is
1999 returned.
2000
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002001atan({expr}) *atan()*
2002 Return the principal value of the arc tangent of {expr}, in
2003 the range [-pi/2, +pi/2] radians, as a |Float|.
2004 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2005 Examples: >
2006 :echo atan(100)
2007< 1.560797 >
2008 :echo atan(-4.01)
2009< -1.326405
2010 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2011
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002012 *browse()*
2013browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
2014 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
2015 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
2016 The input fields are:
2017 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
2018 {title} title for the requester
2019 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
2020 {default} default file name
2021 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
2022 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
2023
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002024 *browsedir()*
2025browsedir({title}, {initdir})
2026 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
2027 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
2028 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
2029 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
2030 to be used.
2031 The input fields are:
2032 {title} title for the requester
2033 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
2034 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
2035 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
2036
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002037bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
2038 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2039 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002040 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002041 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002042 exactly. The name can be:
2043 - Relative to the current directory.
2044 - A full path.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002045 - The name of a buffer with 'buftype' set to "nofile".
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002046 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002047 Unlisted buffers will be found.
2048 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
2049 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
2050 long name to be able to find them.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002051 bufexists() may report a buffer exists, but to use the name
2052 with a |:buffer| command you may need to use |expand()|. Esp
2053 for MS-Windows 8.3 names in the form "c:\DOCUME~1"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002054 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
2055 file name.
2056 *buffer_exists()*
2057 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
2058
2059buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
2060 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2061 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002062 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002063
2064bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
2065 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
2066 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00002067 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002068
2069bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
2070 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
2071 ":ls" command.
2072 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
2073 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
2074 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002075 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002076 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
2077 match an empty string is returned.
2078 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
2079 alternate buffer.
2080 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002081 or middle of the buffer name is accepted. If you only want a
2082 full match then put "^" at the start and "$" at the end of the
2083 pattern.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002084 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
2085 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
2086 buffers are searched for.
2087 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
2088 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
2089 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
2090< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
2091 string is returned. >
2092 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
2093 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
2094 bufname("%") name of current buffer
2095 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
2096< *buffer_name()*
2097 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
2098
2099 *bufnr()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002100bufnr({expr} [, {create}])
2101 The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002102 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002103 above.
2104 If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned. Or, if the
2105 {create} argument is present and not zero, a new, unlisted,
2106 buffer is created and its number is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002107 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
2108 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
2109< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
2110 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
2111 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
2112 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
2113 *buffer_number()*
2114 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
2115 *last_buffer_nr()*
2116 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
2117
2118bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
2119 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
2120 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002121 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002122 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
2123
2124 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
2125
2126< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
2127 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002128 Only deals with the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002129
2130
2131byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
2132 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
2133 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
2134 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
2135 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
2136 one.
2137 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
2138 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
2139 feature}
2140
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00002141byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
2142 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
2143 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
2144 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
2145 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
2146 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
2147 Example : >
2148 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
2149< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
2150 same: >
2151 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
2152 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
2153< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
2154 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
2155 is returned.
2156
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002157call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002158 Call function {func} with the items in |List| {arglist} as
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002159 arguments.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002160 {func} can either be a |Funcref| or the name of a function.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002161 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
2162 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002163 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
2164 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002165
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002166ceil({expr}) *ceil()*
2167 Return the smallest integral value greater than or equal to
2168 {expr} as a |Float| (round up).
2169 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2170 Examples: >
2171 echo ceil(1.456)
2172< 2.0 >
2173 echo ceil(-5.456)
2174< -5.0 >
2175 echo ceil(4.0)
2176< 4.0
2177 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2178
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00002179changenr() *changenr()*
2180 Return the number of the most recent change. This is the same
2181 number as what is displayed with |:undolist| and can be used
2182 with the |:undo| command.
2183 When a change was made it is the number of that change. After
2184 redo it is the number of the redone change. After undo it is
2185 one less than the number of the undone change.
2186
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002187char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
2188 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
2189 char2nr(" ") returns 32
2190 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
2191< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002192 char2nr("á") returns 225
2193 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002194< |nr2char()| does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002195
2196cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
2197 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
2198 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
2199 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
2200 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
2201 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
2202 feature, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard5cdbeb2005-10-10 20:59:28 +00002203 See |C-indenting|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002204
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00002205clearmatches() *clearmatches()*
2206 Clears all matches previously defined by |matchadd()| and the
2207 |:match| commands.
2208
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002209 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00002210col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002211 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
2212 . the cursor position
2213 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
2214 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
2215 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
2216 returned)
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00002217 Additionally {expr} can be [lnum, col]: a |List| with the line
2218 and column number. Most useful when the column is "$", to get
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002219 the last column of a specific line. When "lnum" or "col" is
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00002220 out of range then col() returns zero.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002221 To get the line number use |line()|. To get both use
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002222 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002223 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
2224 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
2225 Examples: >
2226 col(".") column of cursor
2227 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
2228 col("'t") column of mark t
2229 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002230< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002231 For an uppercase mark the column may actually be in another
2232 buffer.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002233 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
2234 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
2235 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
2236 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
2237 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
2238 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
2239 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
2240<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002241
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002242complete({startcol}, {matches}) *complete()* *E785*
2243 Set the matches for Insert mode completion.
2244 Can only be used in Insert mode. You need to use a mapping
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002245 with CTRL-R = |i_CTRL-R|. It does not work after CTRL-O or
2246 with an expression mapping.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002247 {startcol} is the byte offset in the line where the completed
2248 text start. The text up to the cursor is the original text
2249 that will be replaced by the matches. Use col('.') for an
2250 empty string. "col('.') - 1" will replace one character by a
2251 match.
2252 {matches} must be a |List|. Each |List| item is one match.
2253 See |complete-items| for the kind of items that are possible.
2254 Note that the after calling this function you need to avoid
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01002255 inserting anything that would cause completion to stop.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002256 The match can be selected with CTRL-N and CTRL-P as usual with
2257 Insert mode completion. The popup menu will appear if
2258 specified, see |ins-completion-menu|.
2259 Example: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002260 inoremap <F5> <C-R>=ListMonths()<CR>
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002261
2262 func! ListMonths()
2263 call complete(col('.'), ['January', 'February', 'March',
2264 \ 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September',
2265 \ 'October', 'November', 'December'])
2266 return ''
2267 endfunc
2268< This isn't very useful, but it shows how it works. Note that
2269 an empty string is returned to avoid a zero being inserted.
2270
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002271complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
2272 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
2273 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
2274 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
2275 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
2276 the list.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002277 See |complete-functions| for an explanation of {expr}. It is
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00002278 the same as one item in the list that 'omnifunc' would return.
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002279
2280complete_check() *complete_check()*
2281 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
2282 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
2283 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
2284 zero otherwise.
2285 Only to be used by the function specified with the
2286 'completefunc' option.
2287
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002288 *confirm()*
2289confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
2290 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
2291 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
2292 choice this is 1.
2293 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
2294 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
2295 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
2296 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
2297 used (and translated).
2298 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
2299 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
2300 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
2301 by '\n', e.g. >
2302 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
2303< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
2304 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
2305 not need to be the first letter: >
2306 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
2307< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
2308 the default shortcut key.
2309 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
2310 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
2311 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
2312 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002313 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002314 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
2315 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
2316 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
2317 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
2318 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
2319 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
2320
2321 An example: >
2322 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
2323 :if choice == 0
2324 : echo "make up your mind!"
2325 :elseif choice == 3
2326 : echo "tasteful"
2327 :else
2328 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
2329 :endif
2330< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
2331 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002332 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002333 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
2334 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
2335 the horizontal layout is always used.
2336
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002337 *copy()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002338copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002339 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002340 When {expr} is a |List| a shallow copy is created. This means
2341 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002342 copy, and vice versa. But the items are identical, thus
2343 changing an item changes the contents of both |Lists|. Also
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002344 see |deepcopy()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002345
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002346cos({expr}) *cos()*
2347 Return the cosine of {expr}, measured in radians, as a |Float|.
2348 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2349 Examples: >
2350 :echo cos(100)
2351< 0.862319 >
2352 :echo cos(-4.01)
2353< -0.646043
2354 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2355
2356
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002357count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002358 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002359 in |List| or |Dictionary| {comp}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002360 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002361 {start} can only be used with a |List|.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002362 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
2363
2364
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002365 *cscope_connection()*
2366cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
2367 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
2368 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
2369 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
2370 if there are no cscope connections;
2371 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
2372
2373 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
2374 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
2375
2376 {num} Description of existence check
2377 ----- ------------------------------
2378 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
2379 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
2380 {dbpath}.
2381 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
2382 {dbpath}.
2383 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
2384 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2385 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
2386 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2387
2388 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2389
2390 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2391
2392 # pid database name prepend path
2393 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2394<
2395 Invocation Return Val ~
2396 ---------- ---------- >
2397 cscope_connection() 1
2398 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2399 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2400 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2401 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2402 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2403 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2404 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2405<
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002406cursor({lnum}, {col} [, {off}]) *cursor()*
2407cursor({list})
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002408 Positions the cursor at the column (byte count) {col} in the
2409 line {lnum}. The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002410 When there is one argument {list} this is used as a |List|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002411 with two or three items {lnum}, {col} and {off}. This is like
2412 the return value of |getpos()|, but without the first item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002413 Does not change the jumplist.
2414 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2415 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2416 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002417 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002418 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2419 line.
2420 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002421 When 'virtualedit' is used {off} specifies the offset in
2422 screen columns from the start of the character. E.g., a
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00002423 position within a <Tab> or after the last character.
Bram Moolenaar798b30b2009-04-22 10:56:16 +00002424 Returns 0 when the position could be set, -1 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002425
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002426
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002427deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002428 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002429 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002430 When {expr} is a |List| a full copy is created. This means
2431 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002432 copy, and vice versa. When an item is a |List|, a copy for it
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002433 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002434 not change the contents of the original |List|.
2435 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained |List| or
2436 |Dictionary| is only copied once. All references point to
2437 this single copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a
2438 |List| or |Dictionary| results in a new copy. This also means
2439 that a cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002440 *E724*
2441 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002442 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2443 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002444 Also see |copy()|.
2445
2446delete({fname}) *delete()*
2447 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002448 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2449 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002450 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002451
2452 *did_filetype()*
2453did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2454 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2455 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2456 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2457 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2458 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2459 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2460 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2461 file.
2462
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002463diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2464 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2465 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2466 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2467 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2468 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2469 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2470 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2471
2472diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2473 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2474 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2475 diff change zero is returned.
2476 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2477 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2478 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2479 line.
2480 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2481 syntax information about the highlighting.
2482
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002483empty({expr}) *empty()*
2484 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002485 A |List| or |Dictionary| is empty when it does not have any
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002486 items. A Number is empty when its value is zero.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01002487 For a long |List| this is much faster than comparing the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002488 length with zero.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002489
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002490escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2491 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2492 backslash. Example: >
2493 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2494< results in: >
2495 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002496< Also see |shellescape()|.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002497
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002498 *eval()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002499eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2500 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002501 This works for Numbers, Floats, Strings and composites of
2502 them. Also works for |Funcref|s that refer to existing
2503 functions.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002504
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002505eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2506 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2507 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2508 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2509 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2510
2511executable({expr}) *executable()*
2512 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2513 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002514 arguments.
2515 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2516 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2517 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2518 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002519 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2520 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002521 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002522 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002523 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2524 extension.
2525 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2526 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00002527 On MS-Windows an executable in the same directory as Vim is
2528 always found. Since this directory is added to $PATH it
2529 should also work to execute it |win32-PATH|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002530 The result is a Number:
2531 1 exists
2532 0 does not exist
2533 -1 not implemented on this system
2534
2535 *exists()*
2536exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2537 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2538 which contains one of these:
2539 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2540 not if it really works)
2541 +option-name Vim option that works.
2542 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2543 done by comparing with an empty
2544 string)
2545 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2546 or user defined function (see
2547 |user-functions|).
2548 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002549 |internal-variables|). Also works
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002550 for |curly-braces-names|, |Dictionary|
2551 entries, |List| items, etc. Beware
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00002552 that evaluating an index may cause an
2553 error message for an invalid
2554 expression. E.g.: >
2555 :let l = [1, 2, 3]
2556 :echo exists("l[5]")
2557< 0 >
2558 :echo exists("l[xx]")
2559< E121: Undefined variable: xx
2560 0
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002561 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2562 command or command modifier |:command|.
2563 Returns:
2564 1 for match with start of a command
2565 2 full match with a command
2566 3 matches several user commands
2567 To check for a supported command
2568 always check the return value to be 2.
Bram Moolenaar14716812006-05-04 21:54:08 +00002569 :2match The |:2match| command.
2570 :3match The |:3match| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002571 #event autocommand defined for this event
2572 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2573 pattern (the pattern is taken
2574 literally and compared to the
2575 autocommand patterns character by
2576 character)
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002577 #group autocommand group exists
2578 #group#event autocommand defined for this group and
2579 event.
2580 #group#event#pattern
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002581 autocommand defined for this group,
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002582 event and pattern.
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002583 ##event autocommand for this event is
2584 supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002585 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2586
2587 Examples: >
2588 exists("&shortname")
2589 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2590 exists("*strftime")
2591 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2592 exists("bufcount")
2593 exists(":Make")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002594 exists("#CursorHold")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002595 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002596 exists("#filetypeindent")
2597 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType")
2598 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType#*")
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002599 exists("##ColorScheme")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002600< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2601 name.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002602 There must be no extra characters after the name, although in
2603 a few cases this is ignored. That may become more strict in
2604 the future, thus don't count on it!
2605 Working example: >
2606 exists(":make")
2607< NOT working example: >
2608 exists(":make install")
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00002609
2610< Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2611 variable itself. For example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002612 exists(bufcount)
2613< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
Bram Moolenaar06a89a52006-04-29 22:01:03 +00002614 but gets the value of "bufcount", and checks if that exists.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002615
2616expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2617 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2618 The result is a String.
2619
2620 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2621 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2622 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2623
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002624 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002625 for a non-existing file is not included.
2626
2627 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2628 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2629 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2630
2631 % current file name
2632 # alternate file name
2633 #n alternate file name n
2634 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2635 <afile> autocmd file name
2636 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2637 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2638 <sfile> sourced script file name
2639 <cword> word under the cursor
2640 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2641 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2642 message |server2client()|
2643 Modifiers:
2644 :p expand to full path
2645 :h head (last path component removed)
2646 :t tail (last path component only)
2647 :r root (one extension removed)
2648 :e extension only
2649
2650 Example: >
2651 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2652< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2653 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2654 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2655< Use this: >
2656 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2657< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2658 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2659 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2660 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2661 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2662<
2663 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2664 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2665 to modify normal file names.
2666
2667 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2668 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2669 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2670 '/' added.
2671
2672 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2673 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2674 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2675 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002676 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2677 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2678 files in the current directory and below: >
2679 :echo expand("**/README")
2680<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002681 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2682 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002683 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002684 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002685 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002686 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2687 "$FOOBAR".
2688
2689 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2690 getting the raw output of an external command.
2691
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002692extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002693 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both |Lists| or both
2694 |Dictionaries|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002695
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002696 If they are |Lists|: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002697 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2698 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2699 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2700 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002701 Examples: >
2702 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2703 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaardc9cf9c2008-08-08 10:36:31 +00002704< When {expr1} is the same List as {expr2} then the number of
2705 items copied is equal to the original length of the List.
2706 E.g., when {expr3} is 1 you get N new copies of the first item
2707 (where N is the original length of the List).
2708 Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002709 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002710 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002711<
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002712 If they are |Dictionaries|:
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002713 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2714 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2715 used to decide what to do:
2716 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2717 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002718 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002719 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2720
2721 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2722 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2723 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2724 Returns {expr1}.
2725
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002726
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002727feedkeys({string} [, {mode}]) *feedkeys()*
2728 Characters in {string} are queued for processing as if they
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002729 come from a mapping or were typed by the user. They are added
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002730 to the end of the typeahead buffer, thus if a mapping is still
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002731 being executed these characters come after them.
2732 The function does not wait for processing of keys contained in
2733 {string}.
2734 To include special keys into {string}, use double-quotes
2735 and "\..." notation |expr-quote|. For example,
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00002736 feedkeys("\<CR>") simulates pressing of the <Enter> key. But
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002737 feedkeys('\<CR>') pushes 5 characters.
2738 If {mode} is absent, keys are remapped.
2739 {mode} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00002740 'm' Remap keys. This is default.
2741 'n' Do not remap keys.
2742 't' Handle keys as if typed; otherwise they are handled as
2743 if coming from a mapping. This matters for undo,
2744 opening folds, etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002745 Return value is always 0.
2746
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002747filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2748 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2749 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2750 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2751 expression, which is used as a String.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002752 If you don't care about the file being readable you can use
2753 |glob()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002754 *file_readable()*
2755 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2756
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002757
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002758filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2759 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2760 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002761 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If {file} is a
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002762 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2763
2764
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002765filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002766 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002767 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002768 is zero remove the item from the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002769 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002770 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002771 Examples: >
2772 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2773< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2774 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2775< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2776 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002777< Removes all the items, thus clears the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002778
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002779 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2780 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2781 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2782
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002783 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
2784 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +00002785 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), 'v:val =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002786
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002787< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002788 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
2789 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002790
2791
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002792finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
Bram Moolenaar5b6b1ca2007-03-27 08:19:43 +00002793 Find directory {name} in {path}. Supports both downwards and
2794 upwards recursive directory searches. See |file-searching|
2795 for the syntax of {path}.
2796 Returns the path of the first found match. When the found
2797 directory is below the current directory a relative path is
2798 returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002799 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2800 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002801 {name} in {path} instead of the first one.
Bram Moolenaar899dddf2006-03-26 21:06:50 +00002802 When {count} is negative return all the matches in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002803 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002804 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2805
2806findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2807 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002808 Uses 'suffixesadd'.
2809 Example: >
2810 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002811< Searches from the directory of the current file upwards until
2812 it finds the file "tags.vim".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002813
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002814float2nr({expr}) *float2nr()*
2815 Convert {expr} to a Number by omitting the part after the
2816 decimal point.
2817 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a Number.
2818 When the value of {expr} is out of range for a |Number| the
2819 result is truncated to 0x7fffffff or -0x7fffffff. NaN results
2820 in -0x80000000.
2821 Examples: >
2822 echo float2nr(3.95)
2823< 3 >
2824 echo float2nr(-23.45)
2825< -23 >
2826 echo float2nr(1.0e100)
2827< 2147483647 >
2828 echo float2nr(-1.0e150)
2829< -2147483647 >
2830 echo float2nr(1.0e-100)
2831< 0
2832 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2833
2834
2835floor({expr}) *floor()*
2836 Return the largest integral value less than or equal to
2837 {expr} as a |Float| (round down).
2838 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
2839 Examples: >
2840 echo floor(1.856)
2841< 1.0 >
2842 echo floor(-5.456)
2843< -6.0 >
2844 echo floor(4.0)
2845< 4.0
2846 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
2847
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002848fnameescape({string}) *fnameescape()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002849 Escape {string} for use as file name command argument. All
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002850 characters that have a special meaning, such as '%' and '|'
2851 are escaped with a backslash.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002852 For most systems the characters escaped are
2853 " \t\n*?[{`$\\%#'\"|!<". For systems where a backslash
2854 appears in a filename, it depends on the value of 'isfname'.
Bram Moolenaar1b24e4b2008-08-08 10:59:17 +00002855 A leading '+' and '>' is also escaped (special after |:edit|
2856 and |:write|). And a "-" by itself (special after |:cd|).
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002857 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar1b24e4b2008-08-08 10:59:17 +00002858 :let fname = '+some str%nge|name'
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002859 :exe "edit " . fnameescape(fname)
2860< results in executing: >
Bram Moolenaar1b24e4b2008-08-08 10:59:17 +00002861 edit \+some\ str\%nge\|name
Bram Moolenaaraebaf892008-05-28 14:49:58 +00002862
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002863fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2864 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2865 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2866 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2867 Example: >
2868 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2869< results in: >
2870 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002871< Note: Environment variables don't work in {fname}, use
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002872 |expand()| first then.
2873
2874foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2875 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2876 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2877 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2878
2879foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2880 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2881 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2882 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2883
2884foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2885 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002886 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002887 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2888 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2889 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2890 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2891 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2892 previous line is usually available.
2893
2894 *foldtext()*
2895foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2896 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2897 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2898 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2899 The returned string looks like this: >
2900 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002901< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002902 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2903 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2904 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2905 options is removed.
2906 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2907
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002908foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2909 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2910 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2911 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2912 returned.
2913 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2914 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2915 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2916 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2917
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002918 *foreground()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00002919foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002920 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2921 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2922 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2923 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2924 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2925 Win32 console version}
2926
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002927
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002928function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002929 Return a |Funcref| variable that refers to function {name}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002930 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2931
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002932
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00002933garbagecollect([at_exit]) *garbagecollect()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002934 Cleanup unused |Lists| and |Dictionaries| that have circular
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002935 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
2936 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
2937 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
2938 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
2939 freed when they become unused.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002940 This is useful if you have deleted a very big |List| and/or
2941 |Dictionary| with circular references in a script that runs
2942 for a long time.
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00002943 When the optional "at_exit" argument is one, garbage
2944 collection will also be done when exiting Vim, if it wasn't
2945 done before. This is useful when checking for memory leaks.
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002946
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002947get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002948 Get item {idx} from |List| {list}. When this item is not
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002949 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2950 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002951get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002952 Get item with key {key} from |Dictionary| {dict}. When this
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002953 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2954 {default} is omitted.
2955
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002956 *getbufline()*
2957getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002958 Return a |List| with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
2959 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a
2960 |List| with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002961
2962 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2963
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002964 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
2965 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002966
2967 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002968 lines in the buffer, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002969
2970 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2971 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002972 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002973 returned.
2974
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002975 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002976 non-existing buffers, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002977
2978 Example: >
2979 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002980
2981getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2982 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2983 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2984 must be used.
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00002985 When {varname} is empty returns a dictionary with all the
2986 buffer-local variables.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002987 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2988 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2989 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002990 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2991 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2992 returned, there is no error message.
2993 Examples: >
2994 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2995 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2996<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002997getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002998 Get a single character from the user or input stream.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002999 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
3000 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003001 Return zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003002 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003003 not consumed. Return zero if no character available.
3004
3005 Without {expr} and when {expr} is 0 a whole character or
3006 special key is returned. If it is an 8-bit character, the
3007 result is a number. Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
3008 Otherwise a String is returned with the encoded character.
3009 For a special key it's a sequence of bytes starting with 0x80
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00003010 (decimal: 128). This is the same value as the string
3011 "\<Key>", e.g., "\<Left>". The returned value is also a
3012 String when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used that is
3013 not included in the character.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003014
3015 When {expr} is 1 only the first byte is returned. For a
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00003016 one-byte character it is the character itself as a number.
3017 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00003018
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00003019 When the user clicks a mouse button, the mouse event will be
3020 returned. The position can then be found in |v:mouse_col|,
3021 |v:mouse_lnum| and |v:mouse_win|. This example positions the
3022 mouse as it would normally happen: >
3023 let c = getchar()
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003024 if c == "\<LeftMouse>" && v:mouse_win > 0
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00003025 exe v:mouse_win . "wincmd w"
3026 exe v:mouse_lnum
3027 exe "normal " . v:mouse_col . "|"
3028 endif
3029<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003030 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
3031 user that a character has to be typed.
3032 There is no mapping for the character.
3033 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
3034 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
3035 sequence. Examples: >
3036 getchar() == "\<Del>"
3037 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
3038< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
3039 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
3040 :function FindChar()
3041 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
3042 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
3043 : normal l
3044 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
3045 : break
3046 : endif
3047 : endwhile
3048 :endfunction
3049
3050getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
3051 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
3052 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
3053 These values are added together:
3054 2 shift
3055 4 control
3056 8 alt (meta)
3057 16 mouse double click
3058 32 mouse triple click
3059 64 mouse quadruple click
3060 128 Macintosh only: command
3061 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003062 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003063 without a modifier.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003064
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003065getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
3066 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
3067 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
3068 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
3069 Example: >
3070 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003071< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003072
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003073getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003074 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
3075 byte count. The first column is 1.
3076 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
3077 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003078 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
3079
3080getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
3081 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
3082 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00003083 : normal Ex command
3084 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
3085 / forward search command
3086 ? backward search command
3087 @ |input()| command
3088 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003089 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
3090 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
3091 otherwise.
3092 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003093
3094 *getcwd()*
3095getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
3096 working directory.
3097
3098getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
3099 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
3100 given file {fname}.
3101 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
3102 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard827ada2007-06-19 15:19:55 +00003103 If the size of {fname} is too big to fit in a Number then -2
3104 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003105
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003106getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
3107 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
3108 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
3109 |hl-Normal|.
3110 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
3111 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
3112 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
3113 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00003114 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not in your vimrc or
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003115 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
3116 function just after the GUI has started.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003117 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
3118 for a valid name does not work.
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00003119
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003120getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
3121 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
3122 permissions of the given file {fname}.
3123 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
3124 empty string is returned.
3125 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
3126 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
3127 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
3128 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
3129 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
3130 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
3131< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
3132 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003133
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003134getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
3135 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
3136 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
3137 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
3138 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
3139 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
3140
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003141getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
3142 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
3143 file of the given file {fname}.
3144 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
3145 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
3146 results:
3147 Normal file "file"
3148 Directory "dir"
3149 Symbolic link "link"
3150 Block device "bdev"
3151 Character device "cdev"
3152 Socket "socket"
3153 FIFO "fifo"
3154 All other "other"
3155 Example: >
3156 getftype("/home")
3157< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
3158 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
3159 "file" are returned.
3160
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003161 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003162getline({lnum} [, {end}])
3163 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
3164 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003165 getline(1)
3166< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
3167 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
3168 To get the line under the cursor: >
3169 getline(".")
3170< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
3171 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
3172
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003173 When {end} is given the result is a |List| where each item is
3174 a line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003175 including line {end}.
3176 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
3177 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003178 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003179 Example: >
3180 :let start = line('.')
3181 :let end = search("^$") - 1
3182 :let lines = getline(start, end)
3183
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003184< To get lines from another buffer see |getbufline()|
3185
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00003186getloclist({nr}) *getloclist()*
3187 Returns a list with all the entries in the location list for
3188 window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
3189 For a location list window, the displayed location list is
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003190 returned. For an invalid window number {nr}, an empty list is
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003191 returned. Otherwise, same as |getqflist()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003192
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003193getmatches() *getmatches()*
3194 Returns a |List| with all matches previously defined by
3195 |matchadd()| and the |:match| commands. |getmatches()| is
3196 useful in combination with |setmatches()|, as |setmatches()|
3197 can restore a list of matches saved by |getmatches()|.
3198 Example: >
3199 :echo getmatches()
3200< [{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
3201 'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
3202 'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}] >
3203 :let m = getmatches()
3204 :call clearmatches()
3205 :echo getmatches()
3206< [] >
3207 :call setmatches(m)
3208 :echo getmatches()
3209< [{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
3210 'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
3211 'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}] >
3212 :unlet m
3213<
3214
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003215getqflist() *getqflist()*
3216 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
3217 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
3218 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
3219 bufname() to get the name
3220 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
3221 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003222 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
3223 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003224 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00003225 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003226 text description of the error
3227 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
3228 valid non-zero: recognized error message
3229
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00003230 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00003231 returned. Quickfix list entries with non-existing buffer
3232 number are returned with "bufnr" set to zero.
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00003233
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003234 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
3235 do something with them: >
3236 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
3237 :for d in getqflist()
3238 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
3239 :endfor
3240
3241
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003242getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003243 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003244 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003245 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
3246< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003247 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003248 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
3249 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
3250 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003251 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
3252
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003253
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003254getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
3255 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
3256 The value will be one of:
3257 "v" for |characterwise| text
3258 "V" for |linewise| text
3259 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
3260 0 for an empty or unknown register
3261 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
3262 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
3263
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003264gettabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}) *gettabwinvar()*
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003265 Get the value of window-local variable {varname} in window
3266 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}.
3267 When {varname} starts with "&" get the value of a window-local
3268 option.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003269 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
3270 use |getwinvar()|.
3271 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
3272 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
3273 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
3274 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003275 When {varname} is empty a dictionary with all window-local
3276 variables is returned.
3277 Note that {varname} must be the name without "w:".
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003278 Examples: >
3279 :let list_is_on = gettabwinvar(1, 2, '&list')
3280 :echo "myvar = " . gettabwinvar(3, 1, 'myvar')
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00003281<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003282 *getwinposx()*
3283getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
3284 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
3285 -1 if the information is not available.
3286
3287 *getwinposy()*
3288getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003289 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003290 information is not available.
3291
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003292getwinvar({winnr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
3293 Like |gettabwinvar()| for the current tabpage.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003294 Examples: >
3295 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
3296 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
3297<
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003298glob({expr} [, {flag}]) *glob()*
3299 Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. See |wildcards| for the
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003300 use of special characters.
3301 The result is a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003302 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
3303 characters.
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003304 Unless the optional {flag} argument is given and is non-zero,
3305 the 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' options apply: Names matching
3306 one of the patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped and
3307 'suffixes' affect the ordering of matches.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003308 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
3309 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
3310
3311 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
3312 any external command. Example: >
3313 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
3314 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
3315< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003316 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003317
3318 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
3319 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
3320
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003321globpath({path}, {expr} [, {flag}]) *globpath()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003322 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
3323 the results. Example: >
3324 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
3325< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
3326 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003327 |glob()|. A path separator is inserted when needed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003328 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
3329 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
3330 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
3331 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
3332 error message.
Bram Moolenaarbb5ddda2008-11-28 10:01:10 +00003333 Unless the optional {flag} argument is given and is non-zero,
3334 the 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' options apply: Names matching
3335 one of the patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped and
3336 'suffixes' affect the ordering of matches.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003337
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003338 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
3339 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
3340 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
3341 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003342< Upwards search and limiting the depth of "**" is not
3343 supported, thus using 'path' will not always work properly.
3344
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003345 *has()*
3346has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
3347 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
3348 string. See |feature-list| below.
3349 Also see |exists()|.
3350
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003351
3352has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003353 The result is a Number, which is 1 if |Dictionary| {dict} has
3354 an entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003355
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00003356haslocaldir() *haslocaldir()*
3357 The result is a Number, which is 1 when the current
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003358 window has set a local path via |:lcd|, and 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003359
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003360hasmapto({what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *hasmapto()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003361 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
3362 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
3363 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
3364 {mode}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003365 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00003366 instead of mappings. Don't forget to specify Insert and/or
3367 Command-line mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003368 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
3369 buffer are checked for a match.
3370 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
3371 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
3372 n Normal mode
3373 v Visual mode
3374 o Operator-pending mode
3375 i Insert mode
3376 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
3377 c Command-line mode
3378 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
3379
3380 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003381 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003382 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
3383 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
3384 :endif
3385< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
3386 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
3387
3388histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
3389 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
3390 one of: *hist-names*
3391 "cmd" or ":" command line history
3392 "search" or "/" search pattern history
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003393 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003394 "input" or "@" input line history
3395 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
3396 shifted to become the newest entry.
3397 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
3398 otherwise 0 is returned.
3399
3400 Example: >
3401 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
3402 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
3403< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3404
3405histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003406 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003407 for the possible values of {history}.
3408
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003409 If the parameter {item} evaluates to a String, it is used as a
3410 regular expression. All entries matching that expression will
3411 be removed from the history (if there are any).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003412 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00003413 If {item} evaluates to a Number, it will be interpreted as
3414 an index, see |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will
3415 be removed if it exists.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003416
3417 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
3418 otherwise 0 is returned.
3419
3420 Examples:
3421 Clear expression register history: >
3422 :call histdel("expr")
3423<
3424 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
3425 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
3426<
3427 The following three are equivalent: >
3428 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
3429 :call histdel("search", -1)
3430 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
3431<
3432 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
3433 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
3434 :call histdel("search", -1)
3435 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
3436
3437histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
3438 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
3439 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
3440 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
3441 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
3442 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
3443
3444 Examples:
3445 Redo the second last search from history. >
3446 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
3447
3448< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
3449 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
3450 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
3451<
3452histnr({history}) *histnr()*
3453 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
3454 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
3455 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
3456
3457 Example: >
3458 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
3459<
3460hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
3461 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
3462 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
3463 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
3464 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
3465 item.
3466 *highlight_exists()*
3467 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
3468
3469 *hlID()*
3470hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
3471 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
3472 zero is returned.
3473 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003474 group. For example, to get the background color of the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003475 "Comment" group: >
3476 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
3477< *highlightID()*
3478 Obsolete name: highlightID().
3479
3480hostname() *hostname()*
3481 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003482 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003483 256 characters long are truncated.
3484
3485iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
3486 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
3487 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003488 When the conversion completely fails an empty string is
3489 returned. When some characters could not be converted they
3490 are replaced with "?".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003491 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
3492 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
3493 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
3494 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
3495 can be done.
3496 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
3497 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
3498 UTF-8 and use: >
3499 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
3500< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
3501 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
3502 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
3503 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
3504
3505 *indent()*
3506indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
3507 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
3508 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
3509 |getline()|.
3510 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
3511
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003512
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003513index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003514 Return the lowest index in |List| {list} where the item has a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003515 value equal to {expr}. There is no automatic conversion, so
3516 the String "4" is different from the Number 4. And the number
3517 4 is different from the Float 4.0. The value of 'ignorecase'
3518 is not used here, case always matters.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00003519 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
3520 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003521 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
3522 case must match.
3523 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
3524 Example: >
3525 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003526 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003527
3528
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003529input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003530 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003531 the command-line. The {prompt} argument is either a prompt
3532 string, or a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used
3533 in the prompt to start a new line.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003534 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
3535 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003536 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003537 for lines typed for input().
3538 Example: >
3539 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
3540 : echo "Cheers!"
3541 :endif
3542<
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003543 If the optional {text} argument is present and not empty, this
3544 is used for the default reply, as if the user typed this.
3545 Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003546 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
3547
3548< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
3549 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003550 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003551 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003552 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003553 more information. Example: >
3554 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
3555<
3556 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
3557 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003558 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
3559 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
3560 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
3561 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
3562 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
3563 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
3564 |:execute| or |:normal|.
3565
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003566 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003567 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
3568 :function GetFoo()
3569 : call inputsave()
3570 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
3571 : call inputrestore()
3572 :endfunction
3573
3574inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003575 Like |input()|, but when the GUI is running and text dialogs
3576 are supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003577 Example: >
3578 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
3579 :if n != ""
3580 : let &sw = n
3581 :endif
3582< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
3583 omitted an empty string is returned.
3584 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
3585 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003586 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003587
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003588inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003589 {textlist} must be a |List| of strings. This |List| is
3590 displayed, one string per line. The user will be prompted to
3591 enter a number, which is returned.
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003592 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003593 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003594 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
3595 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
3596 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003597 Make sure {textlist} has less than 'lines' entries, otherwise
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003598 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003599 the start of the string. And put a prompt in the first item.
3600 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003601 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3602 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3603
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003604inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003605 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous |inputsave()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003606 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3607 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3608 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3609
3610inputsave() *inputsave()*
3611 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3612 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3613 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3614 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3615 many inputrestore() calls.
3616 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3617
3618inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3619 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3620 two exceptions:
3621 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3622 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3623 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3624 |history| stack.
3625 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3626 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003627 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003628
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003629insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003630 Insert {item} at the start of |List| {list}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003631 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003632 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003633 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3634 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003635 Returns the resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003636 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3637 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3638 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003639< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003640 Note that when {item} is a |List| it is inserted as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003641 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003642
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003643isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3644 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3645 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3646 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3647 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3648
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003649islocked({expr}) *islocked()* *E786*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003650 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3651 name of a locked variable.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003652 {expr} must be the name of a variable, |List| item or
3653 |Dictionary| entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003654 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3655 :lockvar 1 alist
3656 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3657 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3658
3659< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00003660 message. Use |exists()| to check for existence.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003661
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003662items({dict}) *items()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003663 Return a |List| with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3664 |List| item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict}
3665 entry and the value of this entry. The |List| is in arbitrary
3666 order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003667
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003668
3669join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3670 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3671 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3672 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3673 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3674 add it there too: >
3675 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003676< String items are used as-is. |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003677 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3678 The opposite function is |split()|.
3679
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003680keys({dict}) *keys()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003681 Return a |List| with all the keys of {dict}. The |List| is in
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003682 arbitrary order.
3683
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003684 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003685len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3686 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3687 used, as with |strlen()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003688 When {expr} is a |List| the number of items in the |List| is
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003689 returned.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003690 When {expr} is a |Dictionary| the number of entries in the
3691 |Dictionary| is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003692 Otherwise an error is given.
3693
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003694 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3695libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3696 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3697 with single argument {argument}.
3698 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3699 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3700 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3701 limited.
3702 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3703 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3704 to Vim.
3705 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3706 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3707 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3708 null-terminated string.
3709 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3710
3711 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3712 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3713 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3714 very probably crash.
3715
3716 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3717 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3718 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3719 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3720 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3721 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3722 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3723 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3724 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3725 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3726
3727 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003728 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003729 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3730 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3731 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3732 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3733 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3734 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003735 {only in Win32 and some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003736 feature is present}
3737 Examples: >
3738 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003739<
3740 *libcallnr()*
3741libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003742 Just like |libcall()|, but used for a function that returns an
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003743 int instead of a string.
3744 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3745 feature is present}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003746 Examples: >
3747 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003748 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3749 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3750<
3751 *line()*
3752line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3753 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3754 . the cursor position
3755 $ the last line in the current buffer
3756 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3757 returned)
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00003758 w0 first line visible in current window
3759 w$ last line visible in current window
Bram Moolenaar9ecd0232008-06-20 15:31:51 +00003760 v In Visual mode: the start of the Visual area (the
3761 cursor is the end). When not in Visual mode
3762 returns the cursor position. Differs from |'<| in
3763 that it's updated right away.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003764 Note that a mark in another file can be used. The line number
3765 then applies to another buffer.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003766 To get the column number use |col()|. To get both use
3767 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003768 Examples: >
3769 line(".") line number of the cursor
3770 line("'t") line number of mark t
3771 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3772< *last-position-jump*
3773 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3774 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01003775 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 1 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal! g`\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003776
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003777line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3778 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3779 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3780 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3781 line returns 1.
3782 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3783 below the last line: >
3784 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3785< This is the file size plus one.
3786 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3787 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3788 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3789
3790lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3791 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3792 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3793 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3794 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3795 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3796 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3797
3798localtime() *localtime()*
3799 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3800 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3801
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003802
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003803log10({expr}) *log10()*
3804 Return the logarithm of Float {expr} to base 10 as a |Float|.
3805 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
3806 Examples: >
3807 :echo log10(1000)
3808< 3.0 >
3809 :echo log10(0.01)
3810< -2.0
3811 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
3812
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003813map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003814 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003815 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3816 {string}.
3817 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar627b1d32009-11-17 11:20:35 +00003818 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item
3819 and for a |List| |v:key| has the index of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003820 Example: >
3821 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003822< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003823
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003824 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003825 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003826 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3827 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003828
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003829 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
3830 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003831 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003832
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003833< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003834 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
3835 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003836
3837
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003838maparg({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *maparg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003839 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3840 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003841 {mode} can be one of these strings:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003842 "n" Normal
3843 "v" Visual
3844 "o" Operator-pending
3845 "i" Insert
3846 "c" Cmd-line
3847 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3848 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003849 When {mode} is omitted, the modes for "" are used.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003850 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
3851 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003852 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3853 command. The returned String has special characters
3854 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3855 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3856 then the global mappings.
Bram Moolenaara40ceaf2006-01-13 22:35:40 +00003857 This function can be used to map a key even when it's already
3858 mapped, and have it do the original mapping too. Sketch: >
3859 exe 'nnoremap <Tab> ==' . maparg('<Tab>', 'n')
3860
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003861
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003862mapcheck({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *mapcheck()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003863 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3864 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3865 {name}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003866 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
3867 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003868 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3869 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3870
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003871 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003872 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3873 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3874 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3875 mapcheck("b") no no no
3876
3877 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3878 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3879 mapping for {name} exactly.
3880 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3881 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3882 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3883 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3884 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3885 then the global mappings.
3886 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3887 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3888 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3889 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3890 :endif
3891< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3892 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3893
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003894match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003895 When {expr} is a |List| then this returns the index of the
3896 first item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003897 String, |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are used as echoed.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003898 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003899 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3900 {pat} matches.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003901 A match at the first character or |List| item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003902 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3903 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003904 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003905 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 1
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003906< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003907 *strpbrk()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003908 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003909 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3910< *strcasestr()*
3911 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3912 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3913 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3914<
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003915 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003916 {start} in a String or item {start} in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003917 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003918 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003919 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3920< result is again "4". >
3921 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3922< result is again "4". >
3923 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3924< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003925 For a String, if {start} > 0 then it is like the string starts
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003926 {start} bytes later, thus "^" will match at {start}. Except
3927 when {count} is given, then it's like matches before the
3928 {start} byte are ignored (this is a bit complicated to keep it
3929 backwards compatible).
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003930 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3931 the index is counted from the end.
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003932 If {start} is out of range ({start} > strlen({expr}) for a
3933 String or {start} > len({expr}) for a |List|) -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003934
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003935 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003936 is found in a String the search for the next one starts one
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003937 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
3938 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
3939< In a |List| the search continues in the next item.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003940 Note that when {count} is added the way {start} works changes,
3941 see above.
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003942
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003943 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3944 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003945 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003946 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3947
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003948 *matchadd()* *E798* *E799* *E801*
3949matchadd({group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
3950 Defines a pattern to be highlighted in the current window (a
3951 "match"). It will be highlighted with {group}. Returns an
3952 identification number (ID), which can be used to delete the
3953 match using |matchdelete()|.
3954
3955 The optional {priority} argument assigns a priority to the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003956 match. A match with a high priority will have its
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003957 highlighting overrule that of a match with a lower priority.
3958 A priority is specified as an integer (negative numbers are no
3959 exception). If the {priority} argument is not specified, the
3960 default priority is 10. The priority of 'hlsearch' is zero,
3961 hence all matches with a priority greater than zero will
3962 overrule it. Syntax highlighting (see 'syntax') is a separate
3963 mechanism, and regardless of the chosen priority a match will
3964 always overrule syntax highlighting.
3965
3966 The optional {id} argument allows the request for a specific
3967 match ID. If a specified ID is already taken, an error
3968 message will appear and the match will not be added. An ID
3969 is specified as a positive integer (zero excluded). IDs 1, 2
3970 and 3 are reserved for |:match|, |:2match| and |:3match|,
3971 respectively. If the {id} argument is not specified,
3972 |matchadd()| automatically chooses a free ID.
3973
3974 The number of matches is not limited, as it is the case with
3975 the |:match| commands.
3976
3977 Example: >
3978 :highlight MyGroup ctermbg=green guibg=green
3979 :let m = matchadd("MyGroup", "TODO")
3980< Deletion of the pattern: >
3981 :call matchdelete(m)
3982
3983< A list of matches defined by |matchadd()| and |:match| are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00003984 available from |getmatches()|. All matches can be deleted in
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003985 one operation by |clearmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003986
3987matcharg({nr}) *matcharg()*
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003988 Selects the {nr} match item, as set with a |:match|,
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003989 |:2match| or |:3match| command.
3990 Return a |List| with two elements:
3991 The name of the highlight group used
3992 The pattern used.
3993 When {nr} is not 1, 2 or 3 returns an empty |List|.
3994 When there is no match item set returns ['', ''].
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003995 This is useful to save and restore a |:match|.
3996 Highlighting matches using the |:match| commands are limited
3997 to three matches. |matchadd()| does not have this limitation.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003998
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003999matchdelete({id}) *matchdelete()* *E802* *E803*
4000 Deletes a match with ID {id} previously defined by |matchadd()|
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004001 or one of the |:match| commands. Returns 0 if successful,
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004002 otherwise -1. See example for |matchadd()|. All matches can
4003 be deleted in one operation by |clearmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004004
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004005matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004006 Same as |match()|, but return the index of first character
4007 after the match. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004008 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
4009< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004010 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
4011 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
4012 do it with matchend(): >
4013 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
4014 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
4015< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
4016
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004017 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for |match()|. >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004018 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
4019< results in "7". >
4020 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
4021< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004022 When {expr} is a |List| the result is equal to |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004023
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004024matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004025 Same as |match()|, but return a |List|. The first item in the
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004026 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
4027 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00004028 in |:substitute|. When an optional submatch didn't match an
4029 empty string is used. Example: >
4030 echo matchlist('acd', '\(a\)\?\(b\)\?\(c\)\?\(.*\)')
4031< Results in: ['acd', 'a', '', 'c', 'd', '', '', '', '', '']
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004032 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
4033
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00004034matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004035 Same as |match()|, but return the matched string. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004036 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
4037< results in "ing".
4038 When there is no match "" is returned.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004039 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for |match()|. >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004040 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
4041< results in "ing". >
4042 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
4043< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004044 When {expr} is a |List| then the matching item is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004045 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004046
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004047 *max()*
4048max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
4049 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
4050 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004051 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004052
4053 *min()*
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00004054min({list}) Return the minimum value of all items in {list}.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004055 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
4056 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004057 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004058
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004059 *mkdir()* *E739*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004060mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
4061 Create directory {name}.
4062 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
4063 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
4064 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
4065 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004066 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
Bram Moolenaared39e1d2008-08-09 17:55:22 +00004067 for others. This is only used for the last part of {name}.
4068 Thus if you create /tmp/foo/bar then /tmp/foo will be created
4069 with 0755.
4070 Example: >
4071 :call mkdir($HOME . "/tmp/foo/bar", "p", 0700)
4072< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004073 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4074 :if exists("*mkdir")
4075<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004076 *mode()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004077mode([expr]) Return a string that indicates the current mode.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00004078 If [expr] is supplied and it evaluates to a non-zero Number or
4079 a non-empty String (|non-zero-arg|), then the full mode is
4080 returned, otherwise only the first letter is returned. Note
4081 that " " and "0" are also non-empty strings.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004082
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004083 n Normal
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004084 no Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004085 v Visual by character
4086 V Visual by line
4087 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
4088 s Select by character
4089 S Select by line
4090 CTRL-S Select blockwise
4091 i Insert
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004092 R Replace |R|
4093 Rv Virtual Replace |gR|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004094 c Command-line
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004095 cv Vim Ex mode |gQ|
4096 ce Normal Ex mode |Q|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004097 r Hit-enter prompt
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004098 rm The -- more -- prompt
4099 r? A |:confirm| query of some sort
4100 ! Shell or external command is executing
4101 This is useful in the 'statusline' option or when used
4102 with |remote_expr()| In most other places it always returns
4103 "c" or "n".
4104 Also see |visualmode()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004105
Bram Moolenaar7e506b62010-01-19 15:55:06 +01004106mzeval({expr}) *mzeval()*
4107 Evaluate MzScheme expression {expr} and return its result
4108 convert to Vim data structures.
4109 Numbers and strings are returned as they are.
4110 Pairs (including lists and improper lists) and vectors are
4111 returned as Vim |Lists|.
4112 Hash tables are represented as Vim |Dictionary| type with keys
4113 converted to strings.
4114 All other types are converted to string with display function.
4115 Examples: >
4116 :mz (define l (list 1 2 3))
4117 :mz (define h (make-hash)) (hash-set! h "list" l)
4118 :echo mzeval("l")
4119 :echo mzeval("h")
4120<
4121 {only available when compiled with the |+mzscheme| feature}
4122
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004123nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
4124 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
4125 that is not blank. Example: >
4126 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
4127< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
4128 below it, zero is returned.
4129 See also |prevnonblank()|.
4130
4131nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
4132 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
4133 value {expr}. Examples: >
4134 nr2char(64) returns "@"
4135 nr2char(32) returns " "
4136< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
4137 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
4138< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
4139 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
4140 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00004141 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004142
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00004143 *getpid()*
4144getpid() Return a Number which is the process ID of the Vim process.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004145 On Unix and MS-Windows this is a unique number, until Vim
4146 exits. On MS-DOS it's always zero.
Bram Moolenaar18081e32008-02-20 19:11:07 +00004147
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004148 *getpos()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004149getpos({expr}) Get the position for {expr}. For possible values of {expr}
4150 see |line()|.
4151 The result is a |List| with four numbers:
4152 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
4153 "bufnum" is zero, unless a mark like '0 or 'A is used, then it
4154 is the buffer number of the mark.
4155 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
4156 column is 1.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004157 The "off" number is zero, unless 'virtualedit' is used. Then
4158 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004159 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004160 character.
4161 This can be used to save and restore the cursor position: >
4162 let save_cursor = getpos(".")
4163 MoveTheCursorAround
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00004164 call setpos('.', save_cursor)
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004165< Also see |setpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004166
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00004167pathshorten({expr}) *pathshorten()*
4168 Shorten directory names in the path {expr} and return the
4169 result. The tail, the file name, is kept as-is. The other
4170 components in the path are reduced to single letters. Leading
4171 '~' and '.' characters are kept. Example: >
4172 :echo pathshorten('~/.vim/autoload/myfile.vim')
4173< ~/.v/a/myfile.vim ~
4174 It doesn't matter if the path exists or not.
4175
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004176pow({x}, {y}) *pow()*
4177 Return the power of {x} to the exponent {y} as a |Float|.
4178 {x} and {y} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
4179 Examples: >
4180 :echo pow(3, 3)
4181< 27.0 >
4182 :echo pow(2, 16)
4183< 65536.0 >
4184 :echo pow(32, 0.20)
4185< 2.0
4186 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
4187
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004188prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
4189 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
4190 that is not blank. Example: >
4191 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
4192< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
4193 above it, zero is returned.
4194 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
4195
4196
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004197printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
4198 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
4199 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004200 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004201< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004202 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004203
4204 Often used items are:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004205 %s string
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004206 %6s string right-aligned in 6 bytes
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004207 %.9s string truncated to 9 bytes
4208 %c single byte
4209 %d decimal number
4210 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
4211 %x hex number
4212 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
4213 %X hex number using upper case letters
4214 %o octal number
4215 %f floating point number in the form 123.456
4216 %e floating point number in the form 1.234e3
4217 %E floating point number in the form 1.234E3
4218 %g floating point number, as %f or %e depending on value
4219 %G floating point number, as %f or %E depending on value
4220 %% the % character itself
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004221
4222 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
4223 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
4224 the result.
4225
4226 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004227 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004228
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004229 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004230
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004231 flags
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004232 Zero or more of the following flags:
4233
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004234 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
4235 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
4236 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
4237 of the number is increased to force the first
4238 character of the output string to a zero (except
4239 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
4240 precision of zero).
4241 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
4242 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
4243 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004244
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004245 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
4246 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
4247 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
4248 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
4249 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004250
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004251 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
4252 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
4253 The converted value is padded on the right with
4254 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
4255 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004256
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004257 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
4258 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004259
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004260 + A sign must always be placed before a number
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004261 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004262 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004263
4264 field-width
4265 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004266 field width. If the converted value has fewer bytes
4267 than the field width, it will be padded with spaces on
4268 the left (or right, if the left-adjustment flag has
4269 been given) to fill out the field width.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004270
4271 .precision
4272 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
4273 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
4274 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
4275 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
4276 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00004277 bytes to be printed from a string for s conversions.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004278 For floating point it is the number of digits after
4279 the decimal point.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004280
4281 type
4282 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
4283 be applied, see below.
4284
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004285 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
4286 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004287 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004288 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
4289 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
4290 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004291 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004292< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004293 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004294
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004295 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004296
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004297 *printf-d* *printf-o* *printf-x* *printf-X*
4298 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004299 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
4300 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
4301 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004302 conversions.
4303 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
4304 digits that must appear; if the converted value
4305 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
4306 zeros.
4307 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
4308 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
4309 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
4310 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
4311
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004312 *printf-c*
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004313 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
4314 resulting character is written.
4315
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004316 *printf-s*
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004317 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
4318 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
4319 specified are used.
4320
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004321 *printf-f* *E807*
4322 f The Float argument is converted into a string of the
4323 form 123.456. The precision specifies the number of
4324 digits after the decimal point. When the precision is
4325 zero the decimal point is omitted. When the precision
4326 is not specified 6 is used. A really big number
4327 (out of range or dividing by zero) results in "inf".
4328 "0.0 / 0.0" results in "nan".
4329 Example: >
4330 echo printf("%.2f", 12.115)
4331< 12.12
4332 Note that roundoff depends on the system libraries.
4333 Use |round()| when in doubt.
4334
4335 *printf-e* *printf-E*
4336 e E The Float argument is converted into a string of the
4337 form 1.234e+03 or 1.234E+03 when using 'E'. The
4338 precision specifies the number of digits after the
4339 decimal point, like with 'f'.
4340
4341 *printf-g* *printf-G*
4342 g G The Float argument is converted like with 'f' if the
4343 value is between 0.001 (inclusive) and 10000000.0
4344 (exclusive). Otherwise 'e' is used for 'g' and 'E'
4345 for 'G'. When no precision is specified superfluous
4346 zeroes and '+' signs are removed, except for the zero
4347 immediately after the decimal point. Thus 10000000.0
4348 results in 1.0e7.
4349
4350 *printf-%*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004351 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
4352 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004353
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00004354 When a Number argument is expected a String argument is also
4355 accepted and automatically converted.
4356 When a Float or String argument is expected a Number argument
4357 is also accepted and automatically converted.
4358 Any other argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004359
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00004360 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004361 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
4362 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004363 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00004364
4365
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004366pumvisible() *pumvisible()*
4367 Returns non-zero when the popup menu is visible, zero
4368 otherwise. See |ins-completion-menu|.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004369 This can be used to avoid some things that would remove the
4370 popup menu.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004371
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004372 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004373range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004374 Returns a |List| with Numbers:
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004375 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
4376 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
4377 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
4378 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
4379 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00004380 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
4381 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
4382 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004383 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004384 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004385 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
4386 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004387 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00004388 range(0) " []
4389 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004390<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004391 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004392readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004393 Read file {fname} and return a |List|, each line of the file
4394 as an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004395 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
4396 NL appears somewhere).
4397 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
4398 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
4399 added.
4400 - No CR characters are removed.
4401 Otherwise:
4402 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
4403 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
4404 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004405 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
4406 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
4407 lines of a file: >
4408 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
4409 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
4410 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004411< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
4412 are returned, or as many as there are.
4413 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004414 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
4415 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
4416 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004417 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
4418 the result is an empty list.
4419 Also see |writefile()|.
4420
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004421reltime([{start} [, {end}]]) *reltime()*
4422 Return an item that represents a time value. The format of
4423 the item depends on the system. It can be passed to
4424 |reltimestr()| to convert it to a string.
4425 Without an argument it returns the current time.
4426 With one argument is returns the time passed since the time
4427 specified in the argument.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004428 With two arguments it returns the time passed between {start}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004429 and {end}.
4430 The {start} and {end} arguments must be values returned by
4431 reltime().
4432 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
4433
4434reltimestr({time}) *reltimestr()*
4435 Return a String that represents the time value of {time}.
4436 This is the number of seconds, a dot and the number of
4437 microseconds. Example: >
4438 let start = reltime()
4439 call MyFunction()
4440 echo reltimestr(reltime(start))
4441< Note that overhead for the commands will be added to the time.
4442 The accuracy depends on the system.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004443 Leading spaces are used to make the string align nicely. You
4444 can use split() to remove it. >
4445 echo split(reltimestr(reltime(start)))[0]
4446< Also see |profiling|.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004447 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
4448
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004449 *remote_expr()* *E449*
4450remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004451 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004452 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004453 The result must be a String or a |List|. A |List| is turned
4454 into a String by joining the items with a line break in
4455 between (not at the end), like with join(expr, "\n").
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004456 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
4457 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
4458 remote_read() is stored there.
4459 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4460 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4461 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4462 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
4463 and the result will be the empty string.
4464 Examples: >
4465 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
4466 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
4467<
4468
4469remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
4470 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
4471 This works like: >
4472 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
4473< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
4474 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
4475 to bring itself to the foreground.
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004476 Note: This does not restore the window if it was minimized,
4477 like foreground() does.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004478 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4479 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
4480 Win32 console version}
4481
4482
4483remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
4484 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
4485 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004486 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004487 name of a variable.
4488 Returns zero if none are available.
4489 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
4490 See also |clientserver|.
4491 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4492 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4493 Examples: >
4494 :let repl = ""
4495 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
4496
4497remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
4498 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
4499 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
4500 See also |clientserver|.
4501 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4502 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4503 Example: >
4504 :echo remote_read(id)
4505<
4506 *remote_send()* *E241*
4507remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004508 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004509 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
4510 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004511 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a variable
4512 and a {serverid} for later use with remote_read() is stored
4513 there.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004514 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4515 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4516 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4517 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
4518 up the display.
4519 Examples: >
4520 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
4521 \ remote_read(serverid)
4522
4523 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
4524 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
4525 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
4526 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004527<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004528remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004529 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from |List| {list} and
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004530 return the item.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004531 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004532 return a List with these items. When {idx} points to the same
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004533 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
4534 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
4535 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004536 Example: >
4537 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004538 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004539remove({dict}, {key})
4540 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
4541 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
4542< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
4543
4544 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004545
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004546rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
4547 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
4548 should also work to move files across file systems. The
4549 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
4550 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
Bram Moolenaar798b30b2009-04-22 10:56:16 +00004551 NOTE: If {to} exists it is overwritten without warning.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004552 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4553
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004554repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
4555 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
4556 result. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004557 :let separator = repeat('-', 80)
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004558< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004559 When {expr} is a |List| the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004560 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004561 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
4562< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004563
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004564
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004565resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
4566 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
4567 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
4568 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
4569 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
4570 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
4571 stopped after 100 iterations.
4572 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
4573 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
4574 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
4575 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
4576 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
4577
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004578 *reverse()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004579reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004580 {list}.
4581 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4582 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
4583
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004584round({expr}) *round()*
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00004585 Round off {expr} to the nearest integral value and return it
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004586 as a |Float|. If {expr} lies halfway between two integral
4587 values, then use the larger one (away from zero).
4588 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
4589 Examples: >
4590 echo round(0.456)
4591< 0.0 >
4592 echo round(4.5)
4593< 5.0 >
4594 echo round(-4.5)
4595< -5.0
4596 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
4597
4598
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004599search({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) *search()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004600 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00004601 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004602
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004603 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
4604 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004605 'c' accept a match at the cursor position
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004606 'e' move to the End of the match
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004607 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004608 'p' return number of matching sub-pattern (see below)
4609 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004610 'w' wrap around the end of the file
4611 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
4612 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
4613
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00004614 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
4615 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
4616 flag.
4617
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004618 'ignorecase', 'smartcase' and 'magic' are used.
4619
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004620 When the {stopline} argument is given then the search stops
4621 after searching this line. This is useful to restrict the
4622 search to a range of lines. Examples: >
4623 let match = search('(', 'b', line("w0"))
4624 let end = search('END', '', line("w$"))
4625< When {stopline} is used and it is not zero this also implies
4626 that the search does not wrap around the end of the file.
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004627 A zero value is equal to not giving the argument.
4628
4629 When the {timeout} argument is given the search stops when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004630 more than this many milli seconds have passed. Thus when
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004631 {timeout} is 500 the search stops after half a second.
4632 The value must not be negative. A zero value is like not
4633 giving the argument.
4634 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004635
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004636 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
4637 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004638 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
4639 *search()-sub-match*
4640 With the 'p' flag the returned value is one more than the
4641 first sub-match in \(\). One if none of them matched but the
4642 whole pattern did match.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004643 To get the column number too use |searchpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004644
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004645 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
4646 flag is used.
4647
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004648 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
4649 :let n = 1
4650 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
4651 : exe "argument " . n
4652 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
4653 : " first search to find match at start of file
4654 : normal G$
4655 : let flags = "w"
4656 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004657 : s/foo/bar/g
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004658 : let flags = "W"
4659 : endwhile
4660 : update " write the file if modified
4661 : let n = n + 1
4662 :endwhile
4663<
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004664 Example for using some flags: >
4665 :echo search('\<if\|\(else\)\|\(endif\)', 'ncpe')
4666< This will search for the keywords "if", "else", and "endif"
4667 under or after the cursor. Because of the 'p' flag, it
4668 returns 1, 2, or 3 depending on which keyword is found, or 0
4669 if the search fails. With the cursor on the first word of the
4670 line:
4671 if (foo == 0) | let foo = foo + 1 | endif ~
4672 the function returns 1. Without the 'c' flag, the function
4673 finds the "endif" and returns 3. The same thing happens
4674 without the 'e' flag if the cursor is on the "f" of "if".
4675 The 'n' flag tells the function not to move the cursor.
4676
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004677
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004678searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
4679 Search for the declaration of {name}.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004680
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004681 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
4682 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
4683 first match in the function.
4684
4685 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
4686 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
4687 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
4688
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004689 Moves the cursor to the found match.
4690 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4691 Example: >
4692 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
4693 echo getline('.')
4694 endif
4695<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004696 *searchpair()*
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004697searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
4698 [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004699 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
4700 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
4701 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004702 The search starts at the cursor. The default is to search
4703 forward, include 'b' in {flags} to search backward.
4704 If a match is found, the cursor is positioned at it and the
4705 line number is returned. If no match is found 0 or -1 is
4706 returned and the cursor doesn't move. No error message is
4707 given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004708
4709 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
4710 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
4711 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
4712 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
4713 typical use is: >
4714 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
4715< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
4716
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004717 {flags} 'b', 'c', 'n', 's', 'w' and 'W' are used like with
4718 |search()|. Additionally:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004719 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004720 outer pair. Implies the 'W' flag.
4721 'm' Return number of matches instead of line number with
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004722 the match; will be > 1 when 'r' is used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004723 Note: it's nearly always a good idea to use the 'W' flag, to
4724 avoid wrapping around the end of the file.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004725
4726 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
4727 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
4728 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
4729 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
4730 or a string.
4731 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
4732 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
4733 and -1 returned.
4734
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004735 For {stopline} and {timeout} see |search()|.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004736
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004737 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
4738 patterns are used like it's on.
4739
4740 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
4741 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
4742 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
4743 if 1
4744 if 2
4745 endif 2
4746 endif 1
4747< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
4748 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
4749 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004750 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004751 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
4752 "endif 2".
4753 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
4754 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
4755 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
4756 the matching start.
4757
4758 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
4759
4760 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
4761 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
4762
4763< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
4764 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
4765 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
4766 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
4767 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
4768 match.
4769 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
4770
4771 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
4772
4773< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
4774 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
4775 highlighting recognized as strings: >
4776
4777 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
4778 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
4779<
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004780 *searchpairpos()*
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004781searchpairpos({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
4782 [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004783 Same as |searchpair()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004784 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4785 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004786 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4787 returns [0, 0].
4788>
4789 :let [lnum,col] = searchpairpos('{', '', '}', 'n')
4790<
4791 See |match-parens| for a bigger and more useful example.
4792
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004793searchpos({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) *searchpos()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004794 Same as |search()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004795 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4796 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
4797 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4798 returns [0, 0].
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004799 Example: >
4800 :let [lnum, col] = searchpos('mypattern', 'n')
4801
4802< When the 'p' flag is given then there is an extra item with
4803 the sub-pattern match number |search()-sub-match|. Example: >
4804 :let [lnum, col, submatch] = searchpos('\(\l\)\|\(\u\)', 'np')
4805< In this example "submatch" is 2 when a lowercase letter is
4806 found |/\l|, 3 when an uppercase letter is found |/\u|.
4807
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004808server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
4809 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
4810 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
4811 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4812 Note:
4813 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004814 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004815 before calling any commands that waits for input.
4816 See also |clientserver|.
4817 Example: >
4818 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
4819<
4820serverlist() *serverlist()*
4821 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
4822 When there are no servers or the information is not available
4823 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
4824 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4825 Example: >
4826 :echo serverlist()
4827<
4828setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
4829 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
4830 {val}.
4831 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
4832 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
4833 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
4834 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
4835 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
4836 Examples: >
4837 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
4838 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
4839< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4840
4841setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
4842 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004843 {pos}. The first position is 1.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004844 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
4845 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004846 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
4847 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
4848 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
4849 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
4850 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004851 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
4852 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
4853 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
4854 line.
4855
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004856setline({lnum}, {text}) *setline()*
4857 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {text}.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004858 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004859 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {text} will be
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004860 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004861 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
4862 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004863 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004864< When {text} is a |List| then line {lnum} and following lines
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004865 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
4866 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
4867< This is equivalent to: >
4868 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
4869 : call setline(n, l)
4870 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004871< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
4872
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004873setloclist({nr}, {list} [, {action}]) *setloclist()*
4874 Create or replace or add to the location list for window {nr}.
4875 When {nr} is zero the current window is used. For a location
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004876 list window, the displayed location list is modified. For an
4877 invalid window number {nr}, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004878 Otherwise, same as |setqflist()|.
4879 Also see |location-list|.
4880
4881setmatches({list}) *setmatches()*
4882 Restores a list of matches saved by |getmatches()|. Returns 0
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004883 if successful, otherwise -1. All current matches are cleared
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004884 before the list is restored. See example for |getmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004885
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004886 *setpos()*
4887setpos({expr}, {list})
4888 Set the position for {expr}. Possible values:
4889 . the cursor
4890 'x mark x
4891
4892 {list} must be a |List| with four numbers:
4893 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
4894
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004895 "bufnum" is the buffer number. Zero can be used for the
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004896 current buffer. Setting the cursor is only possible for
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004897 the current buffer. To set a mark in another buffer you can
4898 use the |bufnr()| function to turn a file name into a buffer
4899 number.
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00004900 Does not change the jumplist.
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004901
4902 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01004903 column is 1. Use a zero "lnum" to delete a mark. If "col" is
4904 smaller than 1 then 1 is used.
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004905
4906 The "off" number is only used when 'virtualedit' is set. Then
4907 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004908 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004909 character.
4910
Bram Moolenaar08250432008-02-13 11:42:46 +00004911 Returns 0 when the position could be set, -1 otherwise.
4912 An error message is given if {expr} is invalid.
4913
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004914 Also see |getpos()|
4915
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004916 This does not restore the preferred column for moving
4917 vertically. See |winrestview()| for that.
4918
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004919
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004920setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004921 Create or replace or add to the quickfix list using the items
4922 in {list}. Each item in {list} is a dictionary.
4923 Non-dictionary items in {list} are ignored. Each dictionary
4924 item can contain the following entries:
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004925
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004926 bufnr buffer number; must be the number of a valid
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004927 buffer
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004928 filename name of a file; only used when "bufnr" is not
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00004929 present or it is invalid.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004930 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004931 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004932 col column number
4933 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004934 when zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004935 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004936 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004937 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004938
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004939 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
4940 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
4941 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004942 If the "filename" and "bufnr" entries are not present or
4943 neither the "lnum" or "pattern" entries are present, then the
4944 item will not be handled as an error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004945 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
4946 be used.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004947 Note that the list is not exactly the same as what
4948 |getqflist()| returns.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004949
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004950 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
4951 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
4952 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
4953 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
4954 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
4955 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
4956
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004957 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
4958
4959 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
4960 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
4961 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
4962
4963
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004964 *setreg()*
4965setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
4966 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
4967 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
4968 then the value is appended.
4969 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
4970 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
4971 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
4972 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
4973 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
4974 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
4975 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004976 in the longest line (counting a <Tab> as 1 character).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004977
4978 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
4979 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
4980 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
4981 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4982
4983 Examples: >
4984 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
4985 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
4986 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
4987
4988< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
4989 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004990 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004991 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
4992 ....
4993 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
4994
4995< You can also change the type of a register by appending
4996 nothing: >
4997 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
4998
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00004999settabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) *settabwinvar()*
5000 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {winnr} to
5001 {val}.
5002 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
5003 use |setwinvar()|.
5004 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005005 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
5006 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
5007 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
5008 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00005009 Vim briefly goes to the tab page {tabnr}, this may trigger
5010 TabLeave and TabEnter autocommands.
5011 Examples: >
5012 :call settabwinvar(1, 1, "&list", 0)
5013 :call settabwinvar(3, 2, "myvar", "foobar")
5014< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
5015
5016setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
5017 Like |settabwinvar()| for the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005018 Examples: >
5019 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
5020 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005021
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005022shellescape({string} [, {special}]) *shellescape()*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005023 Escape {string} for use as a shell command argument.
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00005024 On MS-Windows and MS-DOS, when 'shellslash' is not set, it
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005025 will enclose {string} in double quotes and double all double
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00005026 quotes within {string}.
5027 For other systems, it will enclose {string} in single quotes
5028 and replace all "'" with "'\''".
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005029 When the {special} argument is present and it's a non-zero
5030 Number or a non-empty String (|non-zero-arg|), then special
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00005031 items such as "!", "%", "#" and "<cword>" will be preceded by
5032 a backslash. This backslash will be removed again by the |:!|
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005033 command.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00005034 The "!" character will be escaped (again with a |non-zero-arg|
5035 {special}) when 'shell' contains "csh" in the tail. That is
5036 because for csh and tcsh "!" is used for history replacement
5037 even when inside single quotes.
5038 The <NL> character is also escaped. With a |non-zero-arg|
5039 {special} and 'shell' containing "csh" in the tail it's
5040 escaped a second time.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005041 Example of use with a |:!| command: >
5042 :exe '!dir ' . shellescape(expand('<cfile>'), 1)
5043< This results in a directory listing for the file under the
5044 cursor. Example of use with |system()|: >
5045 :call system("chmod +w -- " . shellescape(expand("%")))
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00005046
5047
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005048simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
5049 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
5050 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
5051 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
5052 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
5053 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
5054 not removed either.
5055 Example: >
5056 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
5057< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
5058 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
5059 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
5060 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
5061 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
5062
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005063
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005064sin({expr}) *sin()*
5065 Return the sine of {expr}, measured in radians, as a |Float|.
5066 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
5067 Examples: >
5068 :echo sin(100)
5069< -0.506366 >
5070 :echo sin(-4.01)
5071< 0.763301
5072 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5073
5074
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005075sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005076 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
5077 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
5078 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
5079< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00005080 Numbers sort after Strings, |Lists| after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005081 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005082 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005083 When {func} is a |Funcref| or a function name, this function
5084 is called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005085 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 or
5086 bigger if the first one sorts after the second one, -1 or
5087 smaller if the first one sorts before the second one.
5088 Example: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005089 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
5090 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
5091 endfunc
5092 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005093< A shorter compare version for this specific simple case, which
5094 ignores overflow: >
5095 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
5096 return a:i1 - a:i2
5097 endfunc
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005098<
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00005099 *soundfold()*
5100soundfold({word})
5101 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005102 language in 'spelllang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00005103 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
5104 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00005105 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
5106 the method can be quite slow.
5107
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005108 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00005109spellbadword([{sentence}])
5110 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
5111 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
5112 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
5113 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
5114
5115 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
5116 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
5117 result is an empty string.
5118
5119 The return value is a list with two items:
5120 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
5121 - The type of the spelling error:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005122 "bad" spelling mistake
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00005123 "rare" rare word
5124 "local" word only valid in another region
5125 "caps" word should start with Capital
5126 Example: >
5127 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
5128< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
5129
5130 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
5131 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
5132 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005133
5134 *spellsuggest()*
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005135spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005136 Return a |List| with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005137 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
5138 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
5139
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005140 When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
5141 suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
5142 after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
5143
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005144 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
5145 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00005146 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
5147 replace a line.
5148
5149 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00005150 returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
5151 although it may appear capitalized.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005152
5153 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00005154 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
5155 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00005156
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005157
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005158split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005159 Make a |List| out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or
5160 empty each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an
5161 item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005162 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005163 removing the matched characters.
5164 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
5165 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00005166 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
5167 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005168 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005169 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005170< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005171 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00005172< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
5173 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
5174< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00005175 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
5176 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
5177< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005178
5179
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005180sqrt({expr}) *sqrt()*
5181 Return the non-negative square root of Float {expr} as a
5182 |Float|.
5183 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|. When {expr}
5184 is negative the result is NaN (Not a Number).
5185 Examples: >
5186 :echo sqrt(100)
5187< 10.0 >
5188 :echo sqrt(-4.01)
5189< nan
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00005190 "nan" may be different, it depends on system libraries.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005191 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5192
5193
5194str2float( {expr}) *str2float()*
5195 Convert String {expr} to a Float. This mostly works the same
5196 as when using a floating point number in an expression, see
5197 |floating-point-format|. But it's a bit more permissive.
5198 E.g., "1e40" is accepted, while in an expression you need to
5199 write "1.0e40".
5200 Text after the number is silently ignored.
5201 The decimal point is always '.', no matter what the locale is
5202 set to. A comma ends the number: "12,345.67" is converted to
5203 12.0. You can strip out thousands separators with
5204 |substitute()|: >
5205 let f = str2float(substitute(text, ',', '', 'g'))
5206< {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5207
5208
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00005209str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) *str2nr()*
5210 Convert string {expr} to a number.
5211 {base} is the conversion base, it can be 8, 10 or 16.
5212 When {base} is omitted base 10 is used. This also means that
5213 a leading zero doesn't cause octal conversion to be used, as
5214 with the default String to Number conversion.
5215 When {base} is 16 a leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored. With a
5216 different base the result will be zero.
5217 Text after the number is silently ignored.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005218
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00005219
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005220strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
5221 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
5222 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
5223 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
5224 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
5225 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
5226 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
5227 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
5228 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
5229 Examples: >
5230 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
5231 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
5232 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
5233 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
5234 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
5235 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00005236< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
5237 :if exists("*strftime")
5238
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005239stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
5240 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
5241 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005242 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
5243 This can be used to find a second match: >
5244 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
5245 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
5246< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005247 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005248 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005249 See also |strridx()|.
5250 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005251 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
5252 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
5253 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005254< *strstr()* *strchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005255 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
5256 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
5257
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005258 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005259string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005260 Float, String or a composition of them, then the result can be
5261 parsed back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005262 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005263 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005264 Number 123
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005265 Float 123.123456 or 1.123456e8
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005266 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00005267 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00005268 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005269 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005270 Also see |strtrans()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005271
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005272 *strlen()*
5273strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00005274 {expr} in bytes.
5275 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
5276 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005277
5278 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00005279<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005280 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
5281 For other types an error is given.
5282 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005283
5284strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
5285 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00005286 byte {start}, with the byte length {len}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005287 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
5288 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
5289 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
5290 end of the {src}. >
5291 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
5292 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
5293 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005294 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005295< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
5296 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +00005297 strpart(getline("."), col(".") - 1, 3)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005298<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005299strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
5300 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
5301 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
5302 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
5303 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
5304 match: >
5305 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
5306 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
5307< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005308 For pattern searches use |match()|.
5309 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00005310 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005311 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005312 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005313< *strrchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005314 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
5315 function strrchr().
5316
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005317strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
5318 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
5319 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
5320 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
5321 echo strtrans(@a)
5322< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
5323 starting a new line.
5324
5325submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
5326 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
5327 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
5328 the whole matched text is returned.
5329 Example: >
5330 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
5331< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
5332 A line break is included as a newline character.
5333
5334substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
5335 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
5336 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
5337 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
5338 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
5339 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005340 'ignorecase' is still relevant. 'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005341 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
5342 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
5343 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005344 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005345 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
5346 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
5347 unmodified.
5348 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
5349 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
5350 Example: >
5351 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
5352< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
5353 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
5354< results in "TESTING".
5355
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005356synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005357 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005358 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005359 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
5360 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00005361
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005362 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00005363 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
5364
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005365 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005366 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005367 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
5368 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
5369 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
5370 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
5371 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
5372
5373 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
5374 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
5375<
5376synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
5377 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
5378 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
5379 about a syntax item.
5380 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005381 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005382 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
5383 used (GUI, cterm or term).
5384 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
5385 {what} result
5386 "name" the name of the syntax item
5387 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
5388 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
5389 term: empty string)
Bram Moolenaar6f507d62008-11-28 10:16:05 +00005390 "bg" background color (as with "fg")
5391 "sp" special color (as with "fg") |highlight-guisp|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005392 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
5393 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
5394 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
Bram Moolenaar6f507d62008-11-28 10:16:05 +00005395 "sp#" like "fg#" for "sp"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005396 "bold" "1" if bold
5397 "italic" "1" if italic
5398 "reverse" "1" if reverse
5399 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
5400 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005401 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005402
5403 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
5404 cursor): >
5405 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
5406<
5407synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
5408 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
5409 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
5410 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
5411 ":highlight link" are followed.
5412
Bram Moolenaar9d188ab2008-01-10 21:24:39 +00005413synstack({lnum}, {col}) *synstack()*
5414 Return a |List|, which is the stack of syntax items at the
5415 position {lnum} and {col} in the current window. Each item in
5416 the List is an ID like what |synID()| returns.
Bram Moolenaar9d188ab2008-01-10 21:24:39 +00005417 The first item in the List is the outer region, following are
5418 items contained in that one. The last one is what |synID()|
5419 returns, unless not the whole item is highlighted or it is a
5420 transparent item.
5421 This function is useful for debugging a syntax file.
5422 Example that shows the syntax stack under the cursor: >
5423 for id in synstack(line("."), col("."))
5424 echo synIDattr(id, "name")
5425 endfor
5426
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00005427system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
5428 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
5429 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
5430 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
5431 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005432 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005433 Note: Use |shellescape()| to escape special characters in a
5434 command argument. Newlines in {expr} may cause the command to
5435 fail. The characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may
5436 also cause trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005437 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005438
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005439 The result is a String. Example: >
5440 :let files = system("ls " . shellescape(expand('%:h')))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005441
5442< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
5443 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
5444 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
5445 The command executed is constructed using several options:
5446 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
5447 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
5448 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
5449 concatenated commands.
5450
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00005451 The command will be executed in "cooked" mode, so that a
5452 CTRL-C will interrupt the command (on Unix at least).
5453
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005454 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
5455 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00005456
5457 Note that any wrong value in the options mentioned above may
5458 make the function fail. It has also been reported to fail
5459 when using a security agent application.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005460 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
5461 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
5462
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005463
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005464tabpagebuflist([{arg}]) *tabpagebuflist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005465 The result is a |List|, where each item is the number of the
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005466 buffer associated with each window in the current tab page.
5467 {arg} specifies the number of tab page to be used. When
5468 omitted the current tab page is used.
5469 When {arg} is invalid the number zero is returned.
5470 To get a list of all buffers in all tabs use this: >
5471 tablist = []
5472 for i in range(tabpagenr('$'))
5473 call extend(tablist, tabpagebuflist(i + 1))
5474 endfor
5475< Note that a buffer may appear in more than one window.
5476
5477
5478tabpagenr([{arg}]) *tabpagenr()*
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00005479 The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
5480 tab page. The first tab page has number 1.
5481 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the last tab
5482 page is returned (the tab page count).
5483 The number can be used with the |:tab| command.
5484
5485
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005486tabpagewinnr({tabarg}, [{arg}]) *tabpagewinnr()*
5487 Like |winnr()| but for tab page {arg}.
5488 {tabarg} specifies the number of tab page to be used.
5489 {arg} is used like with |winnr()|:
5490 - When omitted the current window number is returned. This is
5491 the window which will be used when going to this tab page.
5492 - When "$" the number of windows is returned.
5493 - When "#" the previous window nr is returned.
5494 Useful examples: >
5495 tabpagewinnr(1) " current window of tab page 1
5496 tabpagewinnr(4, '$') " number of windows in tab page 4
5497< When {tabarg} is invalid zero is returned.
5498
Bram Moolenaarfa1d1402006-03-25 21:59:56 +00005499 *tagfiles()*
5500tagfiles() Returns a |List| with the file names used to search for tags
5501 for the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
5502
5503
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005504taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
5505 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00005506 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
5507 entries:
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005508 name Name of the tag.
5509 filename Name of the file where the tag is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005510 defined. It is either relative to the
5511 current directory or a full path.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005512 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
5513 the file.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005514 kind Type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005515 entry depends on the language specific
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005516 kind values. Only available when
5517 using a tags file generated by
5518 Exuberant ctags or hdrtag.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005519 static A file specific tag. Refer to
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005520 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005521 More entries may be present, depending on the content of the
5522 tags file: access, implementation, inherits and signature.
5523 Refer to the ctags documentation for information about these
5524 fields. For C code the fields "struct", "class" and "enum"
5525 may appear, they give the name of the entity the tag is
5526 contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00005527
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00005528 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
5529 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005530
5531 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
5532
5533 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
5534 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
5535 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
5536
5537 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
5538 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
5539 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
5540
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005541tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
5542 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005543 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005544 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
5545 :let tmpfile = tempname()
5546 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01005547< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory |tempfile|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005548 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
5549 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
5550
5551tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
5552 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
5553 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
5554 the string).
5555
5556toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
5557 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
5558 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
5559 the string).
5560
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00005561tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
5562 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
5563 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
5564 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
5565 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
5566 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
5567 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
5568
5569 Examples: >
5570 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
5571< returns "Hello THere" >
5572 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
5573< returns "{blob}"
5574
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005575trunc({expr}) *trunc()*
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00005576 Return the largest integral value with magnitude less than or
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005577 equal to {expr} as a |Float| (truncate towards zero).
5578 {expr} must evaluate to a |Float| or a |Number|.
5579 Examples: >
5580 echo trunc(1.456)
5581< 1.0 >
5582 echo trunc(-5.456)
5583< -5.0 >
5584 echo trunc(4.0)
5585< 4.0
5586 {only available when compiled with the |+float| feature}
5587
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005588 *type()*
5589type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005590 Number: 0
5591 String: 1
5592 Funcref: 2
5593 List: 3
5594 Dictionary: 4
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005595 Float: 5
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005596 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005597 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
5598 :if type(myvar) == type("")
5599 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
5600 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005601 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005602 :if type(myvar) == type(0.0)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005603
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005604values({dict}) *values()*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005605 Return a |List| with all the values of {dict}. The |List| is
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005606 in arbitrary order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005607
5608
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005609virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
5610 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
5611 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
5612 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
5613 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
5614 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
5615 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
5616 set to 8, it returns 8.
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00005617 For the byte position use |col()|.
5618 For the use of {expr} see |col()|.
5619 When 'virtualedit' is used {expr} can be [lnum, col, off], where
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005620 "off" is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00005621 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005622 character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005623 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
5624 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
5625 The accepted positions are:
5626 . the cursor position
5627 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
5628 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
5629 plus one)
5630 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
5631 returned)
5632 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
5633 Examples: >
5634 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
5635 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005636 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
5637< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005638 A more advanced example that echoes the maximum length of
5639 all lines: >
5640 echo max(map(range(1, line('$')), "virtcol([v:val, '$'])"))
5641
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005642
5643visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
5644 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005645 used in the current buffer. Initially it returns an empty
5646 string, but once Visual mode has been used, it returns "v",
5647 "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a single CTRL-V character) for
5648 character-wise, line-wise, or block-wise Visual mode
5649 respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005650 Example: >
5651 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
5652< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
5653 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
5654 Visual mode that was used.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005655 If Visual mode is active, use |mode()| to get the Visual mode
5656 (e.g., in a |:vmap|).
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005657 *non-zero-arg*
5658 If [expr] is supplied and it evaluates to a non-zero Number or
5659 a non-empty String, then the Visual mode will be cleared and
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005660 the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00005661 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared. A List,
5662 Dictionary or Float is not a Number or String, thus does not
5663 cause the mode to be cleared.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005664
5665 *winbufnr()*
5666winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005667 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005668 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
5669 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5670 Example: >
5671 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
5672<
5673 *wincol()*
5674wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
5675 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
5676 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
5677
5678winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
5679 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
5680 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
5681 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5682 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
5683 Examples: >
5684 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
5685<
5686 *winline()*
5687winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005688 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005689 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00005690 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
5691 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005692
5693 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005694winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
5695 window. The top window has number 1.
5696 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00005697 last window is returned (the window count).
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005698 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
5699 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005700 If there is no previous window or it is in another tab page 0
5701 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005702 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
5703 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005704 Also see |tabpagewinnr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005705
5706 *winrestcmd()*
5707winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
5708 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005709 are opened or closed and the current window and tab page is
5710 unchanged.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005711 Example: >
5712 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
5713 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
5714 :exe cmd
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005715<
5716 *winrestview()*
5717winrestview({dict})
5718 Uses the |Dictionary| returned by |winsaveview()| to restore
5719 the view of the current window.
5720 If you have changed the values the result is unpredictable.
5721 If the window size changed the result won't be the same.
5722
5723 *winsaveview()*
5724winsaveview() Returns a |Dictionary| that contains information to restore
5725 the view of the current window. Use |winrestview()| to
5726 restore the view.
5727 This is useful if you have a mapping that jumps around in the
5728 buffer and you want to go back to the original view.
5729 This does not save fold information. Use the 'foldenable'
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00005730 option to temporarily switch off folding, so that folds are
5731 not opened when moving around.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005732 The return value includes:
5733 lnum cursor line number
5734 col cursor column
5735 coladd cursor column offset for 'virtualedit'
5736 curswant column for vertical movement
5737 topline first line in the window
5738 topfill filler lines, only in diff mode
5739 leftcol first column displayed
5740 skipcol columns skipped
5741 Note that no option values are saved.
5742
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005743
5744winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
5745 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
5746 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
5747 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5748 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
5749 Examples: >
5750 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
5751 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
5752 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
5753 :endif
5754<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005755 *writefile()*
5756writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005757 Write |List| {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005758 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
5759 Number.
5760 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
5761 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
5762 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
5763 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
5764 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
5765 to writefile().
5766 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
5767 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
5768 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
5769 fails.
5770 Also see |readfile()|.
5771 To copy a file byte for byte: >
5772 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
5773 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
5774<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005775
5776 *feature-list*
5777There are three types of features:
57781. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
5779 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
5780 :if has("cindent")
57812. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
5782 Example: >
5783 :if has("gui_running")
5784< *has-patch*
57853. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
5786 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
5787 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
5788 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005789< Note that it's possible for patch 147 to be omitted even though 148 is
5790 included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005791
5792all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
5793amiga Amiga version of Vim.
5794arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
5795arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00005796autocmd Compiled with autocommand support. |autocommand|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005797balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00005798balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005799beos BeOS version of Vim.
5800browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
5801 work.
5802builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
5803byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
5804cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
5805clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
5806clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
5807cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
5808cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
5809cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
5810comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
5811cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
5812cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
5813compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
5814debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
5815dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
5816dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
5817diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
5818digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
5819dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
5820dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
5821dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
5822ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
5823emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
5824eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
5825 true, of course!
5826ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
5827extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
5828 |'hlsearch'|
5829farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
5830file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005831filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
5832 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005833find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
5834 |+find_in_path|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005835float Compiled with support for |Float|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005836fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
5837 Windows this is not present).
5838folding Compiled with |folding| support.
5839footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
5840fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
5841gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
5842gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
5843gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005844gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
5845gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005846gui_gnome Compiled with Gnome support (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005847gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
5848gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
5849gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
5850gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
5851gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
5852gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
5853hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
5854iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
5855insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
5856 Insert mode.
5857jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
5858keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
5859langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
5860libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
5861linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
5862 support.
5863lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
5864listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
5865 and the argument list |arglist|.
5866localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
5867mac Macintosh version of Vim.
5868macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
5869menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
5870mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
5871modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
5872mouse Compiled with support mouse.
5873mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
5874mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
5875mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
5876mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
5877mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00005878mouse_sysmouse Compiled with support for sysmouse (*BSD console mouse)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005879mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
Bram Moolenaar42022d52008-12-09 09:57:49 +00005880multi_byte Compiled with support for 'encoding'
5881multi_byte_encoding 'encoding' is set to a multi-byte encoding.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005882multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
5883multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00005884mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005885netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00005886netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005887ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
5888os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
5889osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
5890path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
5891perl Compiled with Perl interface.
5892postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
5893printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005894profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005895python Compiled with Python interface.
5896qnx QNX version of Vim.
5897quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
Bram Moolenaard68071d2006-05-02 22:08:30 +00005898reltime Compiled with |reltime()| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005899rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
5900ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
5901scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
5902showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
5903signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
5904smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00005905sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaaref94eec2009-11-11 13:22:11 +00005906startuptime Compiled with |--startuptime| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005907statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
5908 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
5909sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00005910spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
5911syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005912syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
5913 current buffer.
5914system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
5915tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
5916 |tag-binary-search|.
5917tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
5918 |tag-old-static|.
5919tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
5920 files |tag-any-white|.
5921tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
5922terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
5923termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
5924textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
5925tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
5926 or terminfo file.
5927title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
5928toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
5929unix Unix version of Vim.
5930user_commands User-defined commands.
5931viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
5932vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
5933vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
5934virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
5935visual Compiled with Visual mode.
5936visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
5937 |blockwise-operators|.
5938vms VMS version of Vim.
5939vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
5940wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
5941wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
5942windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
5943winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
5944win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
5945win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
5946win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
5947win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
5948win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
5949writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
5950xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
5951xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
5952xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
5953xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
5954xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
5955xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
5956 xterm screen.
5957x11 Compiled with X11 support.
5958
5959 *string-match*
5960Matching a pattern in a String
5961
5962A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
5963the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
5964everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
5965like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
5966line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
5967with ".". Example: >
5968 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
5969 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
5970 aa
5971 xx
5972 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
5973 a
5974 x
5975
5976Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
5977"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
5978"\n".
5979
5980==============================================================================
59815. Defining functions *user-functions*
5982
5983New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
5984functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
5985commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
5986
5987The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
5988builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
5989avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
5990the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
5991
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005992It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
5993|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005994
5995 *local-function*
5996A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
5997can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
5998and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00005999function from a mapping defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006000instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
6001
6002 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
6003:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
6004
6005:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006006 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
6007 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006008 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00006009
6010:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
6011 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
6012 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00006013<
6014 *:function-verbose*
6015When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
6016last defined. Example: >
6017
6018 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
6019 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
6020 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
6021<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00006022See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00006023
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00006024 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00006025:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006026 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
6027 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
6028 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006029
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006030 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
6031 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006032 :function dict.init(arg)
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006033< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006034 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006035 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006036 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
6037 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
6038 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006039 *E127* *E122*
6040 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
6041 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
6042 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
6043 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006044
6045 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
6046
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006047 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
6048 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
6049 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
6050 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
6051 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
6052 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
6053 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006054
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006055 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
6056 abort as soon as an error is detected.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006057
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00006058 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006059 be invoked through an entry in a |Dictionary|. The
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00006060 local variable "self" will then be set to the
6061 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006062
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006063 *function-search-undo*
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00006064 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006065 will not be changed by the function. This also
6066 implies that the effect of |:nohlsearch| is undone
6067 when the function returns.
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00006068
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006069 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
6070:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
6071 by its own, without other commands.
6072
6073 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
6074:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006075 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
6076 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006077 :delfunc dict.init
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006078< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006079 function is deleted if there are no more references to
6080 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006081 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
6082:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
6083 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
6084 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
6085 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
6086 the number 0 is returned.
6087 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
6088 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
6089
6090 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
6091 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
6092 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
6093 are executed first. This process applies to all
6094 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
6095 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
6096
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006097 *function-argument* *a:var*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006098An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006099be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006100 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740* *...*
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006101Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
6102arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
6103may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
6104as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006105can be 0). "a:000" is set to a |List| that contains these arguments. Note
6106that "a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006107 *E742*
6108The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00006109However, if a |List| or |Dictionary| is used, you can change their contents.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006110Thus you can pass a |List| to a function and have the function add an item to
6111it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a |List| or
6112|Dictionary| use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006113
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00006114When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
6115to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
6116may be larger.
6117
6118It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
6119still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
6120until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
6121inside a function body.
6122
6123 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006124Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
6125will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
6126accessed with "g:".
6127
6128Example: >
6129 :function Table(title, ...)
6130 : echohl Title
6131 : echo a:title
6132 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00006133 : echo a:0 . " items:"
6134 : for s in a:000
6135 : echon ' ' . s
6136 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006137 :endfunction
6138
6139This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00006140 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
6141 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006142
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006143To return more than one value, return a |List|: >
6144 :function Compute(n1, n2)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006145 : if a:n2 == 0
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006146 : return ["fail", 0]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006147 : endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006148 : return ["ok", a:n1 / a:n2]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006149 :endfunction
6150
6151This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006152 :let [success, div] = Compute(102, 6)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006153 :if success == "ok"
6154 : echo div
6155 :endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006156<
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00006157 *:cal* *:call* *E107* *E117*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006158:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
6159 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
6160 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006161 used. The returned value is discarded.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006162 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
6163 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
6164 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
6165 function.
6166 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
6167 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
6168 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
6169 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006170 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006171 this works:
6172 *function-range-example* >
6173 :function Mynumber(arg)
6174 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
6175 :endfunction
6176 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
6177<
6178 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
6179 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
6180 the range.
6181
6182 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
6183
6184 :function Cont() range
6185 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
6186 :endfunction
6187 :4,8call Cont()
6188<
6189 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
6190 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
6191
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006192 When the function returns a composite value it can be further
6193 dereferenced, but the range will not be used then. Example: >
6194 :4,8call GetDict().method()
6195< Here GetDict() gets the range but method() does not.
6196
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006197 *E132*
6198The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
6199option.
6200
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006201
6202AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006203 *autoload-functions*
6204When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006205only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
6206the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
6207
6208
6209Using an autocommand ~
6210
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00006211This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
6212
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006213The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
6214You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006215That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006216again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
6217
6218Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
6219function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006220
6221 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
6222
6223The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
6224"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
6225
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006226
6227Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006228 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00006229This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
6230
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006231Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
6232exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
6233like this: >
6234
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006235 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006236
6237When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
6238"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
6239"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
6240then define the function like this: >
6241
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006242 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006243 echo "Done!"
6244 endfunction
6245
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00006246The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006247exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
6248called.
6249
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006250It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
6251a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006252
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006253 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006254
6255Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
6256
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006257This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
6258
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006259 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006260
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00006261However, when the autoload script was already loaded it won't be loaded again
6262for an unknown variable.
6263
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006264When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
6265be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
6266
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00006267 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
6268 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006269
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00006270Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
6271defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
6272function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006273And you will get an error message every time.
6274
6275Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006276other and vice versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00006277Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00006278
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00006279Hint: If you distribute a bunch of scripts you can pack them together with the
6280|vimball| utility. Also read the user manual |distribute-script|.
6281
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006282==============================================================================
62836. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
6284
6285Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
6286This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
6287{} like this: >
6288 my_{adjective}_variable
6289
6290When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
6291that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
6292name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
6293"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
6294"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
6295
6296One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006297value. For example, the statement >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006298 echo my_{&background}_message
6299
6300would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
6301on the current value of 'background'.
6302
6303You can use multiple brace pairs: >
6304 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
6305..or even nest them: >
6306 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
6307where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
6308
6309However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00006310variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006311 :let foo='a + b'
6312 :echo c{foo}d
6313.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
6314
6315 *curly-braces-function-names*
6316You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
6317Example: >
6318 :let func_end='whizz'
6319 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
6320
6321This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
6322
6323==============================================================================
63247. Commands *expression-commands*
6325
6326:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
6327 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
6328 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
6329 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
6330 is created.
6331
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00006332:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
6333 Set a list item to the result of the expression
6334 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
6335 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
6336 the index can be repeated.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006337 This cannot be used to add an item to a |List|.
6338 This cannot be used to set a byte in a String. You
6339 can do that like this: >
6340 :let var = var[0:2] . 'X' . var[4:]
6341<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006342 *E711* *E719*
6343:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006344 Set a sequence of items in a |List| to the result of
6345 the expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00006346 correct number of items.
6347 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
6348 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
6349 When the selected range of items is partly past the
6350 end of the list, items will be added.
6351
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00006352 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006353:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
6354:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
6355:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
6356 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
6357 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
6358
6359
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006360:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
6361 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
6362 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006363:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
6364 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
6365 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
6366 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006367
6368:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
6369 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
6370 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
6371 must be the name of a writable register (see
6372 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
6373 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
6374 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
6375 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
6376 characterwise.
6377 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
6378 :let @/ = ""
6379< This is different from searching for an empty string,
6380 that would match everywhere.
6381
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006382:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006383 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006384 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
6385
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006386:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006387 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006388 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
6389 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006390 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
6391 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
Bram Moolenaara5fac542005-10-12 20:58:49 +00006392 value and the global value are changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006393 Example: >
6394 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006395
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006396:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
6397 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
6398 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
6399
6400:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
6401:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
6402 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
6403 {expr1}.
6404
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006405:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006406:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
6407:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
6408:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006409 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
6410 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
6411
6412:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006413:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
6414:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
6415:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006416 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
6417 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
6418
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00006419:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006420 {expr1} must evaluate to a |List|. The first item in
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006421 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
6422 {name2}, etc.
6423 The number of names must match the number of items in
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006424 the |List|.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006425 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
6426 command as mentioned above.
6427 Example: >
6428 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006429< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
6430 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
6431 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
6432 :let x = [0, 1]
6433 :let i = 0
6434 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
6435 :echo x
6436< The result is [0, 2].
6437
6438:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
6439:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
6440:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
6441 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006442 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006443
6444:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006445 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the |List| may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006446 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
6447 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
6448 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00006449 Example: >
6450 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
6451<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006452:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
6453:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
6454:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
6455 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006456 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006457 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006458:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00006459 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
6460 here: *E738*
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00006461 g: global variables
6462 b: local buffer variables
6463 w: local window variables
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00006464 t: local tab page variables
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00006465 s: script-local variables
6466 l: local function variables
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00006467 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006468
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00006469:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
6470 variable is indicated before the value:
6471 <nothing> String
6472 # Number
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00006473 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006474
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006475
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006476:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108* *E795*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006477 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
6478 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006479 may also be a |List| or |Dictionary| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006480 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
6481 variables.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006482 One or more items from a |List| can be removed: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00006483 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
6484 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006485< One item from a |Dictionary| can be removed at a time: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00006486 :unlet dict['two']
6487 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +00006488< This is especially useful to clean up used global
6489 variables and script-local variables (these are not
6490 deleted when the script ends). Function-local
6491 variables are automatically deleted when the function
6492 ends.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006493
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006494:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
6495 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
6496 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
6497 A locked variable can be deleted: >
6498 :lockvar v
6499 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
6500 :unlet v
6501< *E741*
6502 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
6503 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
6504
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006505 [depth] is relevant when locking a |List| or
6506 |Dictionary|. It specifies how deep the locking goes:
6507 1 Lock the |List| or |Dictionary| itself,
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006508 cannot add or remove items, but can
6509 still change their values.
6510 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006511 the items. If an item is a |List| or
6512 |Dictionary|, cannot add or remove
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006513 items, but can still change the
6514 values.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006515 3 Like 2 but for the |List| /
6516 |Dictionary| in the |List| /
6517 |Dictionary|, one level deeper.
6518 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a |List|
6519 or |Dictionary| the values cannot be changed.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006520 *E743*
6521 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
6522 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
6523 loops.
6524
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006525 Note that when two variables refer to the same |List|
6526 and you lock one of them, the |List| will also be
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00006527 locked when used through the other variable.
6528 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006529 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
6530 :let cl = l
6531 :lockvar l
6532 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
6533< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
6534 See |deepcopy()|.
6535
6536
6537:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
6538 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
6539 opposite of |:lockvar|.
6540
6541
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006542:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
6543:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
6544 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
6545
6546 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
6547 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
6548 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
6549 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
6550 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
6551 part was not executed either.
6552
6553 You can use this to remain compatible with older
6554 versions: >
6555 :if version >= 500
6556 : version-5-specific-commands
6557 :endif
6558< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
6559 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
6560 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
6561 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
6562 avoid problems: >
6563 :if version >= 600
6564 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
6565 :endif
6566<
6567 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
6568 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
6569
6570 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
6571:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
6572 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
6573 executed.
6574
6575 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
6576:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
6577 is no extra ":endif".
6578
6579:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006580 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006581:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
6582 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
6583 When an error is detected from a command inside the
6584 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006585 Example: >
6586 :let lnum = 1
6587 :while lnum <= line("$")
6588 :call FixLine(lnum)
6589 :let lnum = lnum + 1
6590 :endwhile
6591<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006592 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00006593 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006594
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006595:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006596:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
6597 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00006598 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006599 value of each item.
6600 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006601 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00006602 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
6603 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006604 :for item in copy(mylist)
6605< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
6606 next item in the list, before executing the commands
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006607 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006608 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
6609 it will not be found. Thus the following example
6610 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01006611 for item in mylist
6612 call remove(mylist, 0)
6613 endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00006614< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
6615 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
6616 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006617 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
6618 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01006619 to allow multiple item types: >
6620 for item in ["foo", ["bar"]]
6621 echo item
6622 unlet item " E706 without this
6623 endfor
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006624
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006625:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
6626:endfo[r]
6627 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
6628 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
6629 {var2}, etc. Example: >
6630 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
6631 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
6632 :endfor
6633<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006634 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006635:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
6636 to the start of the loop.
6637 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6638 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6639 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6640 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6641 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6642 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006643
6644 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006645:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
6646 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
6647 ":endfor".
6648 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6649 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6650 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6651 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6652 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6653 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006654
6655:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
6656:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
6657 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
6658 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
6659 or autocommand invocations.
6660
6661 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
6662 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
6663 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
6664 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
6665 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
6666 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
6667 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
6668 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
6669 Example: >
6670 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
6671 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
6672<
6673 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
6674 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
6675 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
6676 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
6677 processing is not terminated.
6678
6679 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
6680 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
6681 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
6682 other errors are converted to a value of the form
6683 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
6684 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
6685 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
6686 the error number.
6687 Examples: >
6688 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
6689 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
6690<
6691 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01006692:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next |:catch|,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006693 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
6694 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
6695 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
6696 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
6697 commands are skipped.
6698 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
6699 Examples: >
6700 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
6701 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
6702 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
6703 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
6704 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
6705 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
6706 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
6707 :catch " same as /.*/
6708<
6709 Another character can be used instead of / around the
6710 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
6711 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
6712 {pattern}.
6713 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
6714 an error message because it may vary in different
6715 locales.
6716
6717 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
6718:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
6719 are executed whenever the part between the matching
6720 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
6721 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
6722 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
6723 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
6724
6725 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
6726:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
6727 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
6728 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
6729 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
6730 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
6731 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
6732 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
6733 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
6734 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
6735 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
6736 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
6737 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
6738 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
6739 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
6740 is terminated.
6741 Example: >
6742 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
6743<
6744
6745 *:ec* *:echo*
6746:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
6747 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
6748 Also see |:comment|.
6749 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
6750 cursor to the first column.
6751 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6752 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6753 Example: >
6754 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006755< *:echo-redraw*
6756 A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
6757 And since Vim mostly postpones redrawing until it's
6758 finished with a sequence of commands this happens
6759 quite often. To avoid that a command from before the
6760 ":echo" causes a redraw afterwards (redraws are often
6761 postponed until you type something), force a redraw
6762 with the |:redraw| command. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006763 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
6764<
6765 *:echon*
6766:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
6767 |:comment|.
6768 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6769 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6770 Example: >
6771 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
6772<
6773 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
6774 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
6775 command: >
6776 :!echo % --> filename
6777< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
6778 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
6779< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
6780 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
6781 :echo % --> nothing
6782< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
6783 :echo "%" --> %
6784< This just echoes the '%' character. >
6785 :echo expand("%") --> filename
6786< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
6787
6788 *:echoh* *:echohl*
6789:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
6790 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
6791 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
6792 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
6793< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
6794 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
6795
6796 *:echom* *:echomsg*
6797:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
6798 message in the |message-history|.
6799 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
6800 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
6801 displayed, not interpreted.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006802 The parsing works slightly different from |:echo|,
6803 more like |:execute|. All the expressions are first
6804 evaluated and concatenated before echoing anything.
6805 The expressions must evaluate to a Number or String, a
6806 Dictionary or List causes an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006807 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6808 Example: >
6809 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006810< See |:echo-redraw| to avoid the message disappearing
6811 when the screen is redrawn.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006812 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
6813:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
6814 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
6815 script or function the line number will be added.
6816 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006817 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006818 the message is raised as an error exception instead
6819 (see |try-echoerr|).
6820 Example: >
6821 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
6822< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
6823 And to get a beep: >
6824 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
6825<
6826 *:exe* *:execute*
6827:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
6828 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006829 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006830 used as the processed command, command line editing
6831 keys are not recognized.
6832 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6833 Examples: >
6834 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
6835 :execute "normal " count . "w"
6836<
6837 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
6838 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
6839 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
6840
6841< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
6842 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
6843 command: >
6844 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
6845< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
6846
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006847 Be careful to correctly escape special characters in
6848 file names. The |fnameescape()| function can be used
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00006849 for Vim commands, |shellescape()| for |:!| commands.
6850 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006851 :execute "e " . fnameescape(filename)
Bram Moolenaar05bb9532008-07-04 09:44:11 +00006852 :execute "!ls " . shellescape(expand('%:h'), 1)
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006853<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006854 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00006855 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
6856 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006857 :execute 'while i > 5'
6858 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
6859<
6860 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
6861 completely in the executed string: >
6862 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
6863<
6864
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01006865 *:exe-comment*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006866 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
6867 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
6868 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
6869 comment. Example: >
6870 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
6871
6872==============================================================================
68738. Exception handling *exception-handling*
6874
6875The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
6876explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
6877
6878Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
6879|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
6880exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
6881
6882
6883TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
6884
6885Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
6886use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
6887a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
6888 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
6889|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
6890a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
6891be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
6892which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
6893clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
6894
6895 :try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006896 : ...
6897 : ... TRY BLOCK
6898 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006899 :catch /{pattern}/
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006900 : ...
6901 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
6902 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006903 :catch /{pattern}/
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006904 : ...
6905 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
6906 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006907 :finally
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006908 : ...
6909 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
6910 : ...
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006911 :endtry
6912
6913The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
6914appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
6915from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
6916 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
6917is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
6918script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
6919 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
6920lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
6921patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
6922after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
6923executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
6924":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
6925(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
6926continues in the following line as usual.
6927 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
6928":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
6929that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
6930finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
6931the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
6932the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
6933see |try-nesting|.
6934 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006935remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006936not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
6937try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
6938a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
6939execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
6940exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6941 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006942thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006943clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
6944catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
6945following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
6946clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6947
6948The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
6949a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
6950try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
6951from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
6952sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
6953":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
6954":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
6955from the finally clause.
6956 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
6957try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
6958clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
6959":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
6960clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
6961":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
6962this pending exception or command is discarded.
6963
6964For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
6965
6966
6967NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
6968
6969Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
6970conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
6971clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
6972catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
6973of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
6974checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
6975try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00006976otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006977nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
6978one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
6979the inner try conditional.
6980
6981When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
6982finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
6983An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
6984thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
6985implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
6986as usual.
6987
6988For examples see |throw-catch|.
6989
6990
6991EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
6992
6993Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
6994'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
6995script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
6996finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
6997a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
6998(see |debug-scripts|).
6999
7000
7001THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
7002
7003You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
7004and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
7005 :throw 4711
7006 :throw "string"
7007< *throw-expression*
7008You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
7009first, and the result is thrown: >
7010 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
7011 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
7012
7013An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
7014command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
7015The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
7016 Example: >
7017
7018 :function! Foo(arg)
7019 : try
7020 : throw a:arg
7021 : catch /foo/
7022 : endtry
7023 : return 1
7024 :endfunction
7025 :
7026 :function! Bar()
7027 : echo "in Bar"
7028 : return 4710
7029 :endfunction
7030 :
7031 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
7032
7033This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
7034executed. >
7035 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
7036however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
7037
7038Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007039abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007040exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
7041 Example: >
7042
7043 :if Foo("arrgh")
7044 : echo "then"
7045 :else
7046 : echo "else"
7047 :endif
7048
7049Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
7050
7051 *catch-order*
7052Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
7053commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
7054command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
7055gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
7056 Example: >
7057
7058 :function! Foo(value)
7059 : try
7060 : throw a:value
7061 : catch /^\d\+$/
7062 : echo "Number thrown"
7063 : catch /.*/
7064 : echo "String thrown"
7065 : endtry
7066 :endfunction
7067 :
7068 :call Foo(0x1267)
7069 :call Foo('string')
7070
7071The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
7072An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
7073specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
7074specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
7075
7076 : catch /.*/
7077 : echo "String thrown"
7078 : catch /^\d\+$/
7079 : echo "Number thrown"
7080
7081The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
7082never taken.
7083
7084 *throw-variables*
7085If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
7086in the variable |v:exception|: >
7087
7088 : catch /^\d\+$/
7089 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
7090
7091You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
7092|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
7093exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
7094 Example: >
7095
7096 :function! Caught()
7097 : if v:exception != ""
7098 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
7099 : else
7100 : echo 'Nothing caught'
7101 : endif
7102 :endfunction
7103 :
7104 :function! Foo()
7105 : try
7106 : try
7107 : try
7108 : throw 4711
7109 : finally
7110 : call Caught()
7111 : endtry
7112 : catch /.*/
7113 : call Caught()
7114 : throw "oops"
7115 : endtry
7116 : catch /.*/
7117 : call Caught()
7118 : finally
7119 : call Caught()
7120 : endtry
7121 :endfunction
7122 :
7123 :call Foo()
7124
7125This displays >
7126
7127 Nothing caught
7128 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
7129 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
7130 Nothing caught
7131
7132A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
7133number in the script or function where it has been used: >
7134
7135 :function! LineNumber()
7136 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
7137 :endfunction
7138 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
7139<
7140 *try-nested*
7141An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
7142a surrounding try conditional: >
7143
7144 :try
7145 : try
7146 : throw "foo"
7147 : catch /foobar/
7148 : echo "foobar"
7149 : finally
7150 : echo "inner finally"
7151 : endtry
7152 :catch /foo/
7153 : echo "foo"
7154 :endtry
7155
7156The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
7157clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
7158conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
7159
7160 *throw-from-catch*
7161You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
7162catch clause: >
7163
7164 :function! Foo()
7165 : throw "foo"
7166 :endfunction
7167 :
7168 :function! Bar()
7169 : try
7170 : call Foo()
7171 : catch /foo/
7172 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
7173 : throw "bar"
7174 : endtry
7175 :endfunction
7176 :
7177 :try
7178 : call Bar()
7179 :catch /.*/
7180 : echo "Caught" v:exception
7181 :endtry
7182
7183This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
7184
7185 *rethrow*
7186There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
7187"v:exception" instead: >
7188
7189 :function! Bar()
7190 : try
7191 : call Foo()
7192 : catch /.*/
7193 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
7194 : throw v:exception
7195 : endtry
7196 :endfunction
7197< *try-echoerr*
7198Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
7199exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
7200Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
7201denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
7202the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
7203
7204 :try
7205 : try
7206 : asdf
7207 : catch /.*/
7208 : echoerr v:exception
7209 : endtry
7210 :catch /.*/
7211 : echo v:exception
7212 :endtry
7213
7214This code displays
7215
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007216 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007217
7218
7219CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
7220
7221Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
7222user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007223an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007224a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
7225catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
7226a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
7227normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
7228(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007229to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007230clause has been executed.)
7231Example: >
7232
7233 :try
7234 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
7235 : set ts=17
7236 :
7237 : " Do the hard work here.
7238 :
7239 :finally
7240 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
7241 : unlet s:saved_ts
7242 :endtry
7243
7244This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
7245changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
7246that function or script part.
7247
7248 *break-finally*
7249Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
7250a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
7251 Example: >
7252
7253 :let first = 1
7254 :while 1
7255 : try
7256 : if first
7257 : echo "first"
7258 : let first = 0
7259 : continue
7260 : else
7261 : throw "second"
7262 : endif
7263 : catch /.*/
7264 : echo v:exception
7265 : break
7266 : finally
7267 : echo "cleanup"
7268 : endtry
7269 : echo "still in while"
7270 :endwhile
7271 :echo "end"
7272
7273This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
7274
7275 :function! Foo()
7276 : try
7277 : return 4711
7278 : finally
7279 : echo "cleanup\n"
7280 : endtry
7281 : echo "Foo still active"
7282 :endfunction
7283 :
7284 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
7285
7286This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007287extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007288return value.)
7289
7290 *except-from-finally*
7291Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
7292a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
7293cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
7294exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
7295 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
7296working correctly: >
7297
7298 :try
7299 : try
7300 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
7301 : while 1
7302 : endwhile
7303 : finally
7304 : unlet novar
7305 : endtry
7306 :catch /novar/
7307 :endtry
7308 :echo "Script still running"
7309 :sleep 1
7310
7311If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
7312think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
7313|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
7314
7315
7316CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
7317
7318If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
7319watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
7320presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
7321exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
7322the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
7323the error exception is.
7324 Error exceptions have the following format: >
7325
7326 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
7327or >
7328 Vim:{errmsg}
7329
7330{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007331the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007332when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
7333a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
7334a space.
7335
7336Examples:
7337
7338The command >
7339 :unlet novar
7340normally produces the error message >
7341 E108: No such variable: "novar"
7342which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7343 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
7344
7345The command >
7346 :dwim
7347normally produces the error message >
7348 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
7349which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7350 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
7351
7352You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
7353 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
7354or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
7355 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
7356
7357Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
7358 :function nofunc
7359and >
7360 :delfunction nofunc
7361both produce the error message >
7362 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7363which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
7364 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7365or >
7366 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
7367respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
7368command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
7369 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
7370
7371Some commands like >
7372 :let x = novar
7373produce multiple error messages, here: >
7374 E121: Undefined variable: novar
7375 E15: Invalid expression: novar
7376Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
7377one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
7378 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
7379
7380You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
7381 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
7382
7383You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
7384 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
7385
7386You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
7387 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
7388<
7389 *catch-text*
7390NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
7391 :catch /No such variable/
7392only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
7393a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
7394cite the message text in a comment: >
7395 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
7396
7397
7398IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
7399
7400You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
7401
7402 :try
7403 : write
7404 :catch
7405 :endtry
7406
7407But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
7408catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
7409be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
7410
7411 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
7412
7413There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
7414writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
7415then hide the error from the user.
7416 It is much better to use >
7417
7418 :try
7419 : write
7420 :catch /^Vim(write):/
7421 :endtry
7422
7423which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
7424intentionally.
7425
7426For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
7427even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
7428command: >
7429 :silent! nunmap k
7430This works also when a try conditional is active.
7431
7432
7433CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
7434
7435When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007436the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007437script is not terminated, then.
7438 Example: >
7439
7440 :function! TASK1()
7441 : sleep 10
7442 :endfunction
7443
7444 :function! TASK2()
7445 : sleep 20
7446 :endfunction
7447
7448 :while 1
7449 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
7450 : try
7451 : if command == ""
7452 : continue
7453 : elseif command == "END"
7454 : break
7455 : elseif command == "TASK1"
7456 : call TASK1()
7457 : elseif command == "TASK2"
7458 : call TASK2()
7459 : else
7460 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
7461 : continue
7462 : endif
7463 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
7464 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
7465 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
7466 : endtry
7467 :endwhile
7468
7469You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007470a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007471
7472For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
7473your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
7474command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
7475
7476
7477CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
7478
7479The commands >
7480
7481 :catch /.*/
7482 :catch //
7483 :catch
7484
7485catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
7486explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
7487a script in order to catch unexpected things.
7488 Example: >
7489
7490 :try
7491 :
7492 : " do the hard work here
7493 :
7494 :catch /MyException/
7495 :
7496 : " handle known problem
7497 :
7498 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
7499 : echo "Script interrupted"
7500 :catch /.*/
7501 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
7502 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
7503 :endtry
7504 :" end of script
7505
7506Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
7507strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
7508specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
7509 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
7510by pressing CTRL-C: >
7511
7512 :while 1
7513 : try
7514 : sleep 1
7515 : catch
7516 : endtry
7517 :endwhile
7518
7519
7520EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
7521
7522Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
7523
7524 :autocmd User x try
7525 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
7526 :autocmd User x catch
7527 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
7528 :autocmd User x endtry
7529 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
7530 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
7531 :
7532 :try
7533 : doautocmd User x
7534 :catch
7535 : echo v:exception
7536 :endtry
7537
7538This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
7539
7540 *except-autocmd-Pre*
7541For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
7542command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
7543of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
7544abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
7545 Example: >
7546
7547 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
7548 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
7549 :
7550 :try
7551 : write
7552 :catch
7553 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
7554 :endtry
7555
7556Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
7557you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
7558autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
7559script displays: >
7560
7561 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
7562<
7563 *except-autocmd-Post*
7564For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
7565command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
7566an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
7567is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
7568 Example: >
7569
7570 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
7571 :
7572 :try
7573 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7574 :catch
7575 : echo v:exception
7576 :endtry
7577
7578This just displays: >
7579
7580 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
7581
7582If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
7583fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
7584 Example: >
7585
7586 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
7587 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
7588 :
7589 :try
7590 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7591 :catch
7592 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7593 :endtry
7594<
7595You can also use ":silent!": >
7596
7597 :let x = "ok"
7598 :let v:errmsg = ""
7599 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
7600 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
7601 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
7602 :try
7603 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7604 :catch
7605 :endtry
7606 :echo x
7607
7608This displays "after fail".
7609
7610If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
7611autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
7612
7613 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
7614 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
7615 :
7616 :try
7617 : write
7618 :catch
7619 : echo v:exception
7620 :endtry
7621<
7622 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
7623For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
7624autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
7625of the command.
7626 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007627had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007628some way. >
7629
7630 :if !exists("cnt")
7631 : let cnt = 0
7632 :
7633 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
7634 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
7635 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
7636 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7637 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7638 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
7639 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
7640 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7641 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7642 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
7643 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7644 :endif
7645 :
7646 :try
7647 : write
7648 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
7649 : if &modified
7650 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
7651 : else
7652 : echo "Error after writing"
7653 : endif
7654 :catch /^Vim(write):/
7655 : echo "Error on writing"
7656 :endtry
7657
7658When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
7659first >
7660 File successfully written!
7661then >
7662 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
7663then >
7664 Error after writing
7665etc.
7666
7667 *except-autocmd-ill*
7668You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
7669The following code is ill-formed: >
7670
7671 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
7672 :
7673 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
7674 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
7675 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
7676 :
7677 :write
7678
7679
7680EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
7681
7682Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
7683pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
7684similar things in Vim.
7685 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
7686class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
7687string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
7688 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
7689it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
7690for an error when writing "myfile".
7691 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
7692base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
7693parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
7694 Example: >
7695
7696 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
7697 : if a:a < 0
7698 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
7699 : endif
7700 :endfunction
7701 :
7702 :function! Add(a, b)
7703 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
7704 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
7705 : let c = a:a + a:b
7706 : if c < 0
7707 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
7708 : endif
7709 : return c
7710 :endfunction
7711 :
7712 :function! Div(a, b)
7713 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
7714 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
7715 : if (a:b == 0)
7716 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
7717 : endif
7718 : return a:a / a:b
7719 :endfunction
7720 :
7721 :function! Write(file)
7722 : try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007723 : execute "write" fnameescape(a:file)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007724 : catch /^Vim(write):/
7725 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
7726 : endtry
7727 :endfunction
7728 :
7729 :try
7730 :
7731 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
7732 :
7733 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
7734 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
7735 : echo "Range error in" function
7736 :
7737 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
7738 : echo "Math error"
7739 :
7740 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
7741 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
7742 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
7743 : if file !~ '^/'
7744 : let file = dir . "/" . file
7745 : endif
7746 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
7747 :
7748 :catch /^EXCEPT/
7749 : echo "Unspecified error"
7750 :
7751 :endtry
7752
7753The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
7754a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
7755exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
7756 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
7757failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
7758
7759
7760PECULIARITIES
7761 *except-compat*
7762The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
7763exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
7764and/or a catch clause.
7765
7766In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
7767continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
7768after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
7769functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
7770or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
7771(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
7772
7773This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
7774immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007775conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
7776be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007777termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
7778catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
7779by specifying a finally clause.)
7780
7781When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
7782behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
7783scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
7784
7785However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
7786commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
7787conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
7788script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
7789error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
7790messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007791|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
7792not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007793where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
7794error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
7795scripts.
7796
7797 *except-syntax-err*
7798Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
7799the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
7800clauses, however, is executed.
7801 Example: >
7802
7803 :try
7804 : try
7805 : throw 4711
7806 : catch /\(/
7807 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
7808 : catch
7809 : echo "inner catch-all"
7810 : finally
7811 : echo "inner finally"
7812 : endtry
7813 :catch
7814 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
7815 : finally
7816 : echo "outer finally"
7817 :endtry
7818
7819This displays: >
7820 inner finally
7821 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
7822 outer finally
7823The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
7824
7825 *except-single-line*
7826The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
7827a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
7828"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
7829 Example: >
7830 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
7831raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
7832argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
7833error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
7834displayed.
7835
7836 *except-several-errors*
7837When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
7838usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
7839 Example: >
7840 echo novar
7841causes >
7842 E121: Undefined variable: novar
7843 E15: Invalid expression: novar
7844The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
7845 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
7846< *except-syntax-error*
7847But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
7848the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
7849 Example: >
7850 unlet novar #
7851causes >
7852 E108: No such variable: "novar"
7853 E488: Trailing characters
7854The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
7855 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
7856This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
7857not intended by the user. Example: >
7858 try
7859 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
7860 catch /.*/
7861 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
7862 endtry
7863This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
7864a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
7865
7866==============================================================================
78679. Examples *eval-examples*
7868
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007869Printing in Binary ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007870>
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01007871 :" The function Nr2Bin() returns the binary string representation of a number.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007872 :func Nr2Bin(nr)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007873 : let n = a:nr
7874 : let r = ""
7875 : while n
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007876 : let r = '01'[n % 2] . r
7877 : let n = n / 2
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007878 : endwhile
7879 : return r
7880 :endfunc
7881
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007882 :" The function String2Bin() converts each character in a string to a
7883 :" binary string, separated with dashes.
7884 :func String2Bin(str)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007885 : let out = ''
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007886 : for ix in range(strlen(a:str))
7887 : let out = out . '-' . Nr2Bin(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
7888 : endfor
7889 : return out[1:]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007890 :endfunc
7891
7892Example of its use: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007893 :echo Nr2Bin(32)
7894result: "100000" >
7895 :echo String2Bin("32")
7896result: "110011-110010"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007897
7898
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007899Sorting lines ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007900
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007901This example sorts lines with a specific compare function. >
7902
7903 :func SortBuffer()
7904 : let lines = getline(1, '$')
7905 : call sort(lines, function("Strcmp"))
7906 : call setline(1, lines)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007907 :endfunction
7908
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007909As a one-liner: >
7910 :call setline(1, sort(getline(1, '$'), function("Strcmp")))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007911
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007912
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007913scanf() replacement ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007914 *sscanf*
7915There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
7916line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
7917how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
7918"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
7919 :" Set up the match bit
7920 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
7921 :"get the part matching the whole expression
7922 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
7923 :"get each item out of the match
7924 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
7925 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
7926 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
7927
7928The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
7929"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
7930
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007931
7932getting the scriptnames in a Dictionary ~
7933 *scriptnames-dictionary*
7934The |:scriptnames| command can be used to get a list of all script files that
7935have been sourced. There is no equivalent function or variable for this
7936(because it's rarely needed). In case you need to manipulate the list this
7937code can be used: >
7938 " Get the output of ":scriptnames" in the scriptnames_output variable.
7939 let scriptnames_output = ''
7940 redir => scriptnames_output
7941 silent scriptnames
7942 redir END
7943
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007944 " Split the output into lines and parse each line. Add an entry to the
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007945 " "scripts" dictionary.
7946 let scripts = {}
7947 for line in split(scriptnames_output, "\n")
7948 " Only do non-blank lines.
7949 if line =~ '\S'
7950 " Get the first number in the line.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007951 let nr = matchstr(line, '\d\+')
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007952 " Get the file name, remove the script number " 123: ".
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007953 let name = substitute(line, '.\+:\s*', '', '')
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007954 " Add an item to the Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007955 let scripts[nr] = name
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007956 endif
7957 endfor
7958 unlet scriptnames_output
7959
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007960==============================================================================
796110. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
7962
7963When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
7964evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
7965to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
7966recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
7967and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
7968only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
7969recognized.
7970
7971Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
7972missing: >
7973
7974 :if 1
7975 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
7976 :else
7977 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
7978 :endif
7979
7980==============================================================================
798111. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
7982
7983The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
7984options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
7985these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00007986these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
Bram Moolenaarebefac62005-12-28 22:39:57 +00007987a tags file is executed and for CTRL-R = in the command line.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007988The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007989
7990These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
7991 - changing the buffer text
7992 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
7993 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007994 - setting certain v: variables (see |v:var|) *E794*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007995 - executing a shell command
7996 - reading or writing a file
7997 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00007998 - executing Python, Perl, etc. commands
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007999This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
8000
8001 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00008002:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00008003 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
8004 'foldexpr'.
8005
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008006 *sandbox-option*
8007A few options contain an expression. When this expression is evaluated it may
Bram Moolenaar9b2200a2006-03-20 21:55:45 +00008008have to be done in the sandbox to avoid a security risk. But the sandbox is
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008009restrictive, thus this only happens when the option was set from an insecure
8010location. Insecure in this context are:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00008011- sourcing a .vimrc or .exrc in the current directory
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008012- while executing in the sandbox
8013- value coming from a modeline
8014
8015Note that when in the sandbox and saving an option value and restoring it, the
8016option will still be marked as it was set in the sandbox.
8017
8018==============================================================================
801912. Textlock *textlock*
8020
8021In a few situations it is not allowed to change the text in the buffer, jump
8022to another window and some other things that might confuse or break what Vim
8023is currently doing. This mostly applies to things that happen when Vim is
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00008024actually doing something else. For example, evaluating the 'balloonexpr' may
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00008025happen any moment the mouse cursor is resting at some position.
8026
8027This is not allowed when the textlock is active:
8028 - changing the buffer text
8029 - jumping to another buffer or window
8030 - editing another file
8031 - closing a window or quitting Vim
8032 - etc.
8033
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00008034
8035 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: