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Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.1. Last change: 2007 Jul 11
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7Expression evaluation *expression* *expr* *E15* *eval*
8
9Using expressions is introduced in chapter 41 of the user manual |usr_41.txt|.
10
11Note: Expression evaluation can be disabled at compile time. If this has been
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +000012done, the features in this document are not available. See |+eval| and
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000013|no-eval-feature|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000014
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000151. Variables |variables|
16 1.1 Variable types
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000017 1.2 Function references |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +000018 1.3 Lists |Lists|
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000019 1.4 Dictionaries |Dictionaries|
20 1.5 More about variables |more-variables|
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212. Expression syntax |expression-syntax|
223. Internal variable |internal-variables|
234. Builtin Functions |functions|
245. Defining functions |user-functions|
256. Curly braces names |curly-braces-names|
267. Commands |expression-commands|
278. Exception handling |exception-handling|
289. Examples |eval-examples|
2910. No +eval feature |no-eval-feature|
3011. The sandbox |eval-sandbox|
Bram 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 Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000040There are five types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000041
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000042Number A 32 bit signed number.
43 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
44
45String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
46 Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
47
48Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
49 Example: function("strlen")
50
51List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
52 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000053
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000054Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
55 value. |Dictionary|
56 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
57
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000058The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
59are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000060
61Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
62the Number. Examples: >
63 Number 123 --> String "123"
64 Number 0 --> String "0"
65 Number -1 --> String "-1"
66
67Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
68to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
69the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
70 String "456" --> Number 456
71 String "6bar" --> Number 6
72 String "foo" --> Number 0
73 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
74 String "0100" --> Number 64
75 String "-8" --> Number -8
76 String "+8" --> Number 0
77
78To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
79 :echo "0100" + 0
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +000080< 64 ~
81
82To avoid a leading zero to cause octal conversion, or for using a different
83base, use |str2nr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000084
85For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
86
87Note that in the command >
88 :if "foo"
89"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
90use strlen(): >
91 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000092< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
93List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000094
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000095 *E706*
96You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
97to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000098equivalent though. Consider this sequence of commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000099 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000100 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000101 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000102
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000103
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001041.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000105 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000106A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000107in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
108around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000109
110 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
111 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000112< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000113A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:", "t:" or "b:". You
114cannot have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000115
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000116A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
117Dictionary entry. Example: >
118 :function dict.init() dict
119 : let self.val = 0
120 :endfunction
121
122The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
123function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
124
125A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
126 :call Fn()
127 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000128
129The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000130 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000131
132You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
133arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000134 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000135
136
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001371.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000138 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000139A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
140can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
141position in the sequence.
142
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000143
144List creation ~
145 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000146A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000147Examples: >
148 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
149 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000150
151An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000152List of Lists: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000153 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000154
155An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
156
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000157
158List index ~
159 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000160An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000161after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
162 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000163 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000164
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000165When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000166 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000167<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000168A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
169the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000170 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
171
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000172To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000173is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000174 :echo get(mylist, idx)
175 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
176
177
178List concatenation ~
179
180Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
181 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000182 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000183
184To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
185it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
186
187
188Sublist ~
189
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000190A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
191separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000192 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000193
194Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000195similar to -1. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000196 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
197 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
198 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000199
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +0000200If the first index is beyond the last item of the List or the second item is
201before the first item, the result is an empty list. There is no error
202message.
203
204If the second index is equal to or greater than the length of the list the
205length minus one is used: >
Bram Moolenaar9e54a0e2006-04-14 20:42:25 +0000206 :let mylist = [0, 1, 2, 3]
207 :echo mylist[2:8] " result: [2, 3]
208
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000209NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
210using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
211mylist[s : e].
212
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000213
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000214List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000215 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000216When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
217variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
218change "bb": >
219 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
220 :let bb = aa
221 :call add(aa, 4)
222 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000223< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000224
225Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
226works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000227a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000228 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
229 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000230 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000231 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
232 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000233< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000234 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000235< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000236
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000237To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000238copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000239
240The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000241List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000242the same value. >
243 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
244 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
245 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000246< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000247 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000248< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000249
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000250Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
251same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000252exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
253different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
254variables. Example: >
255 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000256< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000257 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000258< 0
259
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000260Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
261can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a string: >
262
263 :let a = 5
264 :let b = "5"
265 echo a == b
266< 1 >
267 echo [a] == [b]
268< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000269
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000270
271List unpack ~
272
273To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
274square brackets, like list items: >
275 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
276
277When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
278this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
279and a variable name: >
280 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
281
282This works like: >
283 :let var1 = mylist[0]
284 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000285 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000286
287Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
288empty list then.
289
290
291List modification ~
292 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000293To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000294 :let list[4] = "four"
295 :let listlist[0][3] = item
296
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000297To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000298modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000299 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
300
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000301Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
302examples: >
303 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
304 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
305 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000306 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000307 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
308 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000309 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000310 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000311 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000312 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000313
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000314Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000315 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
316 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
317
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000318
319For loop ~
320
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000321The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
322to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000323 :for item in mylist
324 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000325 :endfor
326
327This works like: >
328 :let index = 0
329 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000330 : let item = mylist[index]
331 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000332 : let index = index + 1
333 :endwhile
334
335Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000336results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000337the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000338
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000339If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000340function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000341
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000342Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
343requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
344 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
345 : call Doit(lnum, col)
346 :endfor
347
348This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
349must remain the same to avoid an error.
350
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000351It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000352 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
353 : call Doit(i, j)
354 : if !empty(rest)
355 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
356 : endif
357 :endfor
358
359
360List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000361 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000362Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000363 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000364 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000365 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
366 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
367 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000368 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
369 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000370 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
371 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000372 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
373 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000374 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
375 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000376
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000377Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
378example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
379 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
380
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000381
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003821.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000383 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000384A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000385entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
386ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000387
388
389Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000390 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000391A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000392braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
393only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000394 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
395 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000396< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000397A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
398String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000399entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
400Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000401
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000402A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000403nested Dictionary: >
404 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
405
406An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
407
408
409Accessing entries ~
410
411The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
412 :let val = mydict["one"]
413 :let mydict["four"] = 4
414
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000415You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000416
417For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
418form can be used |expr-entry|: >
419 :let val = mydict.one
420 :let mydict.four = 4
421
422Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
423key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000424 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000425
426
427Dictionary to List conversion ~
428
429You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
430turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
431
432Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
433 :for key in keys(mydict)
434 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
435 :endfor
436
437The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
438 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
439
440To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
441 :for v in values(mydict)
442 : echo "value: " . v
443 :endfor
444
445If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000446a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000447 :for [key, value] in items(mydict)
448 : echo key . ': ' . value
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000449 :endfor
450
451
452Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000453 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000454Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
455Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
456Dictionary: >
457 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
458 :let adict = onedict
459 :let adict['a'] = 11
460 :echo onedict['a']
461 11
462
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000463Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
464more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000465
466
467Dictionary modification ~
468 *dict-modification*
469To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
470use |:let| this way: >
471 :let dict[4] = "four"
472 :let dict['one'] = item
473
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000474Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
475Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
476 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
477 :unlet dict.aaa
478 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000479
480Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000481 :call extend(adict, bdict)
482This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
483in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000484Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
485expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
486adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000487
488Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000489 :call filter(dict, 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000490This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000491
492
493Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000494 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000495When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
496special way with a dictionary. Example: >
497 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000498 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000499 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000500 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
501 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000502
503This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
504Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
505the function was invoked from.
506
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000507It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
508Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
509
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +0000510 *numbered-function* *anonymous-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000511To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
512assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000513 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
514 :function mydict.len() dict
515 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000516 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000517 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000518
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000519The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
520that references this function. The function can only be used through a
521|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
522remaining that refers to it.
523
524It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000525
526
527Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000528 *E715*
529Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000530 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
531 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
532 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
533 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
534 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
535 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
536 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
537 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000538
539
5401.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000541 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000542If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
543function.
544
545When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
546start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
547stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
548
549When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
550start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
551stored in the session file |session-file|.
552
553variable name can be stored where ~
554my_var_6 not
555My_Var_6 session file
556MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
557
558
559It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
560|curly-braces-names|.
561
562==============================================================================
5632. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
564
565Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
566
567|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
568
569|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
570
571|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
572
573|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
574 expr5 != expr5 not equal
575 expr5 > expr5 greater than
576 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
577 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
578 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
579 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
580 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
581
582 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
583 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
584 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
585 matching case
586
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000587 expr5 is expr5 same |List| instance
588 expr5 isnot expr5 different |List| instance
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000589
590|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000591 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
592 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
593
594|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
595 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
596 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
597
598|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
599 - expr7 unary minus
600 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000601
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000602
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000603|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a |List|
604 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a |List|
605 expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary|
606 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with |Funcref| variable
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000607
608|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000609 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000610 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000611 [expr1, ...] |List|
612 {expr1: expr1, ...} |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000613 &option option value
614 (expr1) nested expression
615 variable internal variable
616 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
617 $VAR environment variable
618 @r contents of register 'r'
619 function(expr1, ...) function call
620 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
621
622
623".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
624Example: >
625 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
626
627All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
628
629
630expr1 *expr1* *E109*
631-----
632
633expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
634
635The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
636non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
637otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
638Example: >
639 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
640
641Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
642other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
643Example: >
644 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
645
646To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
647 :echo lnum == 1
648 :\ ? "top"
649 :\ : lnum == 1000
650 :\ ? "last"
651 :\ : lnum
652
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000653You should always put a space before the ':', otherwise it can be mistaken for
654use in a variable such as "a:1".
655
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000656
657expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
658---------------
659
660 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
661The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
662are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
663
664 input output ~
665n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
666zero zero zero zero
667zero non-zero non-zero zero
668non-zero zero non-zero zero
669non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
670
671The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
672
673 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
674
675Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
676
677 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
678
679Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
680arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
681
682 let a = 1
683 echo a || b
684
685This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
686so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
687
688 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
689
690This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
691only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
692
693
694expr4 *expr4*
695-----
696
697expr5 {cmp} expr5
698
699Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
700if it evaluates to true.
701
702 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
703 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
704 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
705 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
706 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
707 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000708 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000709 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
710equal == ==# ==?
711not equal != !=# !=?
712greater than > ># >?
713greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
714smaller than < <# <?
715smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
716regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
717regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000718same instance is
719different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000720
721Examples:
722"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
723"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
724"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
725
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000726 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000727A |List| can only be compared with a |List| and only "equal", "not equal" and
728"is" can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively.
729Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000730
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000731 *E735* *E736*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000732A |Dictionary| can only be compared with a |Dictionary| and only "equal", "not
733equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000734recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
735
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000736 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000737A |Funcref| can only be compared with a |Funcref| and only "equal" and "not
738equal" can be used. Case is never ignored.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000739
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000740When using "is" or "isnot" with a |List| this checks if the expressions are
741referring to the same |List| instance. A copy of a |List| is different from
742the original |List|. When using "is" without a |List| it is equivalent to
743using "equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000744different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
745is false.
746
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000747When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
748and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
749because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
750
751When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
752results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
753necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
754
755When using the operators with a trailing '#", or the short version and
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000756'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp(): case matters.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000757
758When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000759'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp(): case is ignored.
760
761'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000762
763The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
764argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
765This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
766matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
767portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
768single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
769Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
770(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
771can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
772 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
773 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
774
775
776expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
777---------------
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000778expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or |List| concatenation *expr-+*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000779expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
780expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000781
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +0000782For |Lists| only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000783result is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000784
785expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
786expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
787expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000788
789For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
790
791Note the difference between "+" and ".":
792 "123" + "456" = 579
793 "123" . "456" = "123456"
794
795When the righthand side of '/' is zero, the result is 0x7fffffff.
796When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
797
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000798None of these work for |Funcref|s.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000799
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000800
801expr7 *expr7*
802-----
803! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
804- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
805+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
806
807For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
808For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
809For '+' the number is unchanged.
810
811A String will be converted to a Number first.
812
813These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
814 !-1 == 0
815 !!8 == 1
816 --9 == 9
817
818
819expr8 *expr8*
820-----
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000821expr8[expr1] item of String or |List| *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000822
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000823If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
824expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000825Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000826
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000827Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
828text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
829cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +0000830 :let c = getline(".")[col(".") - 1]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000831
832If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000833String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
834compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
835
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000836If expr8 is a |List| then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000837for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
838error. Example: >
839 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
840
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000841Generally, if a |List| index is equal to or higher than the length of the
842|List|, or more negative than the length of the |List|, this results in an
843error.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000844
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000845
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000846expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000847
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000848If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
849from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000850expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
851encodings.
852
853If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
854string minus one is used.
855
856A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
857the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
858
859If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
860expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
861
862Examples: >
863 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
864 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
865 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
866 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
867
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000868If expr8 is a |List| this results in a new |List| with the items indicated by
869the indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained
870just above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000871 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
872 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
873 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
874
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000875Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a |Funcref| results in an
876error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000877
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000878
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000879expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary| *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000880
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000881If expr8 is a |Dictionary| and it is followed by a dot, then the following
882name will be used as a key in the |Dictionary|. This is just like:
883expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000884
885The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
886but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
887
888There must not be white space before or after the dot.
889
890Examples: >
891 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
892 :echo dict.one
893 :echo dict .2
894
895Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
896always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
897
898
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000899expr8(expr1, ...) |Funcref| function call
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000900
901When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
902
903
904
905 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000906number
907------
908number number constant *expr-number*
909
910Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
911
912
913string *expr-string* *E114*
914------
915"string" string constant *expr-quote*
916
917Note that double quotes are used.
918
919A string constant accepts these special characters:
920\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
921\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
922\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
923\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
924\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
925\X.. same as \x..
926\X. same as \x.
927\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
928 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
929\U.... same as \u....
930\b backspace <BS>
931\e escape <Esc>
932\f formfeed <FF>
933\n newline <NL>
934\r return <CR>
935\t tab <Tab>
936\\ backslash
937\" double quote
938\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
939
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000940Note that "\xff" is stored as the byte 255, which may be invalid in some
941encodings. Use "\u00ff" to store character 255 according to the current value
942of 'encoding'.
943
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000944Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
945
946
947literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
948---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000949'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000950
951Note that single quotes are used.
952
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000953This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000954meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000955
956Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
957to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
958 if a =~ "\\s*"
959 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000960
961
962option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
963------
964&option option value, local value if possible
965&g:option global option value
966&l:option local option value
967
968Examples: >
969 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
970 if &insertmode
971
972Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
973and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
974anyway.
975
976
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +0000977register *expr-register* *@r*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000978--------
979@r contents of register 'r'
980
981The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
982Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +0000983register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
984registers.
985
986When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
987evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000988
989
990nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
991-------
992(expr1) nested expression
993
994
995environment variable *expr-env*
996--------------------
997$VAR environment variable
998
999The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
1000result is an empty string.
1001 *expr-env-expand*
1002Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
1003expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
1004are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
1005the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
1006fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
1007does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
1008 :echo $version
1009 :echo expand("$version")
1010The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
1011variable (if your shell supports it).
1012
1013
1014internal variable *expr-variable*
1015-----------------
1016variable internal variable
1017See below |internal-variables|.
1018
1019
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001020function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001021-------------
1022function(expr1, ...) function call
1023See below |functions|.
1024
1025
1026==============================================================================
10273. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
1028 *E461*
1029An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1030cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1031|curly-braces-names|.
1032
1033An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001034An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1035|:unlet|.
1036Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1037been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001038
1039There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1040specified by what is prepended:
1041
1042 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1043|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1044|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001045|tabpage-variable| t: Local to the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001046|global-variable| g: Global.
1047|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1048|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1049|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
1050|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
1051
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001052The scope name by itself can be used as a |Dictionary|. For example, to
1053delete all script-local variables: >
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001054 :for k in keys(s:)
1055 : unlet s:[k]
1056 :endfor
1057<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001058 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1059A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1060Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1061This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1062|:bdelete|.
1063
1064One local buffer variable is predefined:
1065 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1066b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1067 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1068 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1069 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1070 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
1071 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1072 : call My_Update()
1073 :endif
1074<
1075 *window-variable* *w:var*
1076A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1077is deleted when the window is closed.
1078
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001079 *tabpage-variable* *t:var*
1080A variable name that is preceded with "t:" is local to the current tab page,
1081It is deleted when the tab page is closed. {not available when compiled
1082without the +windows feature}
1083
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001084 *global-variable* *g:var*
1085Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
1086access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
1087place if you like.
1088
1089 *local-variable* *l:var*
1090Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001091But you can also prepend "l:" if you like. However, without prepending "l:"
1092you may run into reserved variable names. For example "count". By itself it
1093refers to "v:count". Using "l:count" you can have a local variable with the
1094same name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001095
1096 *script-variable* *s:var*
1097In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1098accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1099
1100They can be used in:
1101- commands executed while the script is sourced
1102- functions defined in the script
1103- autocommands defined in the script
1104- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1105 defined in the script (recursively)
1106- user defined commands defined in the script
1107Thus not in:
1108- other scripts sourced from this one
1109- mappings
1110- etc.
1111
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001112Script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1113Take this example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001114
1115 let s:counter = 0
1116 function MyCounter()
1117 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1118 echo s:counter
1119 endfunction
1120 command Tick call MyCounter()
1121
1122You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1123that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1124"Tick" was defined is used.
1125
1126Another example that does the same: >
1127
1128 let s:counter = 0
1129 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1130
1131When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001132script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001133defined.
1134
1135The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1136function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1137
1138 let s:counter = 0
1139 function StartCounting(incr)
1140 if a:incr
1141 function MyCounter()
1142 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1143 endfunction
1144 else
1145 function MyCounter()
1146 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1147 endfunction
1148 endif
1149 endfunction
1150
1151This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1152when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1153called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1154
1155When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1156They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1157maintain a counter: >
1158
1159 if !exists("s:counter")
1160 let s:counter = 1
1161 echo "script executed for the first time"
1162 else
1163 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1164 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1165 endif
1166
1167Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1168variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1169
1170
1171Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1172
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001173 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1174v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1175 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1176 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1177
1178 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1179v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1180 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1181
1182 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1183v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1184 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1185
1186 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001187v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1188 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1189 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1190 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001191 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1192 highlighted text is used.
1193 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1194
1195 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1196v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1197 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1198
Bram Moolenaarf193fff2006-04-27 00:02:13 +00001199 *v:char* *char-variable*
1200v:char Argument for evaluating 'formatexpr'.
1201
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001202 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1203v:charconvert_from
1204 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1205 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1206
1207 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1208v:charconvert_to
1209 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1210 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1211
1212 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1213v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1214 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1215 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1216 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1217 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1218 possible to append this variable directly after the
1219 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
1220 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1221 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1222 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1223 in 'printexpr'.
1224
1225 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1226v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1227 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1228 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1229 can be used.
1230
1231 *v:count* *count-variable*
1232v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
1233 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
1234 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1235< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1236 get when typing ':' after a count.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001237 Also used for evaluating the 'formatexpr' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001238 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1239
1240 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1241v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1242 used.
1243
1244 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1245v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1246 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1247 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1248 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1249 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1250 command.
1251 See |multi-lang|.
1252
1253 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
1254v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
1255 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1256 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1257 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1258 Example: >
1259 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1260<
1261 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1262v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1263 Example: >
1264 :let v:errmsg = ""
1265 :silent! next
1266 :if v:errmsg != ""
1267 : ... handle error
1268< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1269
1270 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1271v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1272 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1273 Example: >
1274 :try
1275 : throw "oops"
1276 :catch /.*/
1277 : echo "caught" v:exception
1278 :endtry
1279< Output: "caught oops".
1280
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001281 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1282v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1283 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1284 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1285 deleted file no longer exists
1286 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1287 changed and buffer is modified
1288 changed file contents has changed
1289 mode mode of file changed
1290 time only file timestamp changed
1291
1292 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1293v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1294 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1295 do with the affected buffer:
1296 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1297 the file was deleted).
1298 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1299 was no autocommand. Except that when
1300 only the timestamp changed nothing
1301 will happen.
1302 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1303 everything that needs to be done.
1304 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1305 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1306
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001307 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001308v:fname_in The name of the input file. Valid while evaluating:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001309 option used for ~
1310 'charconvert' file to be converted
1311 'diffexpr' original file
1312 'patchexpr' original file
1313 'printexpr' file to be printed
Bram Moolenaar2c7a29c2005-12-12 22:02:31 +00001314 And set to the swap file name for |SwapExists|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001315
1316 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1317v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1318 evaluating:
1319 option used for ~
1320 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1321 'diffexpr' output of diff
1322 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1323 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
1324 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
1325 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1326 file and different from v:fname_in.
1327
1328 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1329v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1330 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1331
1332 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1333v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1334 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1335
1336 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1337v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1338 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001339 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001340
1341 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1342v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001343 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001344
1345 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1346v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001347 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001348
1349 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1350v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001351 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001352
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001353 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1354v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1355 events. Values:
1356 i Insert mode
1357 r Replace mode
1358 v Virtual Replace mode
1359
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001360 *v:key* *key-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001361v:key Key of the current item of a |Dictionary|. Only valid while
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001362 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1363 Read-only.
1364
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001365 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1366v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1367 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1368 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1369 The value is system dependent.
1370 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1371 command.
1372 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1373 in a different language than what is used for character
1374 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1375
1376 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1377v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1378 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1379 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1380 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1381 command. See |multi-lang|.
1382
1383 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001384v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
Bram Moolenaar57657d82006-04-21 22:12:41 +00001385 expressions, tab page number for 'guitablabel' and
1386 'guitabtooltip'. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1387 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001388
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00001389 *v:mouse_win* *mouse_win-variable*
1390v:mouse_win Window number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1391 First window has number 1, like with |winnr()|. The value is
1392 zero when there was no mouse button click.
1393
1394 *v:mouse_lnum* *mouse_lnum-variable*
1395v:mouse_lnum Line number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1396 This is the text line number, not the screen line number. The
1397 value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
1398
1399 *v:mouse_col* *mouse_col-variable*
1400v:mouse_col Column number for a mouse click obtained with |getchar()|.
1401 This is the screen column number, like with |virtcol()|. The
1402 value is zero when there was no mouse button click.
1403
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001404 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1405v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1406 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
1407 you want to cancel Visual mode and then use the count. >
1408 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1409< Read-only.
1410
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001411 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1412v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1413 See |profiling|.
1414
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001415 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1416v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1417 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1418 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1419 Read-only.
1420
1421 *v:register* *register-variable*
1422v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1423 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1424
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001425 *v:scrollstart* *scrollstart-variable*
1426v:scrollstart String describing the script or function that caused the
1427 screen to scroll up. It's only set when it is empty, thus the
1428 first reason is remembered. It is set to "Unknown" for a
1429 typed command.
1430 This can be used to find out why your script causes the
1431 hit-enter prompt.
1432
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001433 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1434v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1435 Read-only.
1436
1437 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1438v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1439 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1440 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1441 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1442 executed. Read-only.
1443 Example: >
1444 :!mv foo bar
1445 :if v:shell_error
1446 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1447 :endif
1448< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1449
1450 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1451v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1452
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001453 *v:swapname* *swapname-variable*
1454v:swapname Only valid when executing |SwapExists| autocommands: Name of
1455 the swap file found. Read-only.
1456
1457 *v:swapchoice* *swapchoice-variable*
1458v:swapchoice |SwapExists| autocommands can set this to the selected choice
1459 for handling an existing swap file:
1460 'o' Open read-only
1461 'e' Edit anyway
1462 'r' Recover
1463 'd' Delete swapfile
1464 'q' Quit
1465 'a' Abort
1466 The value should be a single-character string. An empty value
1467 results in the user being asked, as would happen when there is
1468 no SwapExists autocommand. The default is empty.
1469
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001470 *v:swapcommand* *swapcommand-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001471v:swapcommand Normal mode command to be executed after a file has been
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001472 opened. Can be used for a |SwapExists| autocommand to have
1473 another Vim open the file and jump to the right place. For
1474 example, when jumping to a tag the value is ":tag tagname\r".
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +00001475 For ":edit +cmd file" the value is ":cmd\r".
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001476
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001477 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1478v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1479 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1480 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1481 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1482 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1483 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1484 terminal.
1485 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1486 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1487 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1488 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1489 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1490
1491 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1492v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1493 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1494 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1495 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1496
1497 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1498v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1499 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1500 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1501 Example: >
1502 :try
1503 : throw "oops"
1504 :catch /.*/
1505 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1506 :endtry
1507< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1508
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001509 *v:val* *val-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001510v:val Value of the current item of a |List| or |Dictionary|. Only
1511 valid while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001512 |filter()|. Read-only.
1513
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001514 *v:version* *version-variable*
1515v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1516 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1517 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1518 compatibility.
1519 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1520 if has("patch123")
1521< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1522 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1523 completely different.
1524
1525 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1526v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1527
1528==============================================================================
15294. Builtin Functions *functions*
1530
1531See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1532
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001533(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001534
1535USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1536
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001537add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to |List| {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001538append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001539append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001540argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001541argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001542argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001543argv( ) List the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001544browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1545 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001546browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001547bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001548buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1549bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001550bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1551bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1552bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1553byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001554byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001555call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1556 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00001557changenr() Number current change number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001558char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001559cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001560col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00001561complete({startcol}, {matches}) String set Insert mode completion
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001562complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
1563complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001564confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1565 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001566copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001567count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1568 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001569cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1570 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001571cursor( {lnum}, {col} [, {coladd}])
1572 Number move cursor to {lnum}, {col}, {coladd}
1573cursor( {list}) Number move cursor to position in {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001574deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001575delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1576did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001577diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1578diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001579empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001580escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001581eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001582eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001583executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1584exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001585extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}])
1586 List/Dict insert items of {expr2} into {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001587expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00001588feedkeys( {string} [, {mode}]) Number add key sequence to typeahead buffer
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001589filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001590filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001591filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1592 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001593finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001594 String find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001595findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001596 String find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001597fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001598foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1599foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001600foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001601foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001602foldtextresult( {lnum}) String text for closed fold at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001603foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001604function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001605garbagecollect() none free memory, breaking cyclic references
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001606get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001607get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001608getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1609 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001610getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001611getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1612getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001613getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1614getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001615getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001616getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001617getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1618getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001619getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001620getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001621getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001622getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1623getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001624getloclist({nr}) List list of location list items
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001625getpos( {expr}) List position of cursor, mark, etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001626getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001627getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001628getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001629gettabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {name})
1630 any {name} in {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001631getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1632getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001633getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001634glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1635globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1636has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001637has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00001638haslocaldir() Number TRUE if current window executed |:lcd|
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001639hasmapto( {what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1640 Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001641histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1642histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1643histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1644histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1645hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1646hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1647hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001648iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1649indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001650index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1651 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001652input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1653 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001654inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001655inputlist( {textlist}) Number let the user pick from a choice list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001656inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1657inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001658inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001659insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001660isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001661islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001662items( {dict}) List key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001663join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001664keys( {dict}) List keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001665len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1666libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001667libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1668line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1669line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001670lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001671localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001672map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001673maparg( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1674 String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1675mapcheck( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1676 String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001677match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001678 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001679matcharg( {nr}) List arguments of |:match|
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001680matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001681 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001682matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1683 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001684matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1685 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001686max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00001687min({list}) Number minimum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001688mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1689 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001690mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001691nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1692nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001693pathshorten( {expr}) String shorten directory names in a path
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001694prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00001695printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001696pumvisible() Number whether popup menu is visible
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001697range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1698 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001699readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1700 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00001701reltime( [{start} [, {end}]]) List get time value
1702reltimestr( {time}) String turn time value into a String
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001703remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1704 String send expression
1705remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1706remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1707 Number check for reply string
1708remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1709remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1710 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001711remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001712remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001713rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1714repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1715resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001716reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001717search( {pattern} [, {flags}]) Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001718searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
1719 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001720searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001721 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001722searchpairpos( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001723 List search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001724searchpos( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline}]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001725 List search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001726server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1727 Number send reply string
1728serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1729setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1730setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1731setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001732setloclist( {nr}, {list}[, {action}])
1733 Number modify location list using {list}
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001734setpos( {expr}, {list}) none set the {expr} position to {list}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001735setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number modify quickfix list using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001736setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001737settabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window
1738 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001739setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00001740shellescape( {string}) String escape {string} for use as shell
1741 command argument
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001742simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001743sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001744soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001745spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001746spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
1747 List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001748split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001749 List make |List| from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001750str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) Number convert string to number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001751strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001752stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1753 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001754string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001755strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1756strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1757 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001758strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1759 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001760strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001761submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001762substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1763 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001764synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001765synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1766 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1767synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001768system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00001769tabpagebuflist( [{arg}]) List list of buffer numbers in tab page
1770tabpagenr( [{arg}]) Number number of current or last tab page
1771tabpagewinnr( {tabarg}[, {arg}])
1772 Number number of current window in tab page
1773taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00001774tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001775tempname() String name for a temporary file
1776tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1777toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001778tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1779 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001780type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001781values( {dict}) List values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001782virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1783visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1784winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1785wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1786winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1787winline() Number window line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00001788winnr( [{expr}]) Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001789winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00001790winrestview({dict}) None restore view of current window
1791winsaveview() Dict save view of current window
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001792winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001793writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1794 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001795
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001796add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001797 Append the item {expr} to |List| {list}. Returns the
1798 resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001799 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1800 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001801< Note that when {expr} is a |List| it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001802 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001803 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001804
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001805
1806append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001807 When {expr} is a |List|: Append each item of the |List| as a
1808 text line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001809 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1810 the current buffer.
1811 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001812 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1813 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001814 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001815 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001816<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001817 *argc()*
1818argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1819 current window. See |arglist|.
1820
1821 *argidx()*
1822argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1823 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1824
1825 *argv()*
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001826argv([{nr}]) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001827 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1828 Example: >
1829 :let i = 0
1830 :while i < argc()
1831 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1832 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1833 : let i = i + 1
1834 :endwhile
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001835< Without the {nr} argument a |List| with the whole |arglist| is
1836 returned.
1837
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001838 *browse()*
1839browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1840 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1841 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1842 The input fields are:
1843 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1844 {title} title for the requester
1845 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1846 {default} default file name
1847 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1848 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1849
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001850 *browsedir()*
1851browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1852 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1853 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1854 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1855 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1856 to be used.
1857 The input fields are:
1858 {title} title for the requester
1859 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1860 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1861 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1862
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001863bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1864 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1865 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001866 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001867 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001868 exactly. The name can be:
1869 - Relative to the current directory.
1870 - A full path.
1871 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1872 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001873 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1874 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1875 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1876 long name to be able to find them.
1877 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1878 file name.
1879 *buffer_exists()*
1880 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1881
1882buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1883 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1884 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001885 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001886
1887bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1888 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1889 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001890 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001891
1892bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1893 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1894 ":ls" command.
1895 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1896 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1897 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1898 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1899 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1900 match an empty string is returned.
1901 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1902 alternate buffer.
1903 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001904 or middle of the buffer name is accepted. If you only want a
1905 full match then put "^" at the start and "$" at the end of the
1906 pattern.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001907 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1908 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1909 buffers are searched for.
1910 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1911 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1912 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1913< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1914 string is returned. >
1915 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1916 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1917 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1918 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1919< *buffer_name()*
1920 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1921
1922 *bufnr()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00001923bufnr({expr} [, {create}])
1924 The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001925 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00001926 above.
1927 If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned. Or, if the
1928 {create} argument is present and not zero, a new, unlisted,
1929 buffer is created and its number is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001930 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1931 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1932< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1933 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1934 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1935 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1936 *buffer_number()*
1937 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1938 *last_buffer_nr()*
1939 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1940
1941bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1942 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1943 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1944 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1945 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1946
1947 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1948
1949< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1950 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001951 Only deals with the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001952
1953
1954byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1955 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1956 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1957 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1958 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1959 one.
1960 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1961 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1962 feature}
1963
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001964byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1965 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1966 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1967 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1968 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1969 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1970 Example : >
1971 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1972< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1973 same: >
1974 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1975 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1976< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1977 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1978 is returned.
1979
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001980call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001981 Call function {func} with the items in |List| {arglist} as
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001982 arguments.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001983 {func} can either be a |Funcref| or the name of a function.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001984 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
1985 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001986 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
1987 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001988
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00001989changenr() *changenr()*
1990 Return the number of the most recent change. This is the same
1991 number as what is displayed with |:undolist| and can be used
1992 with the |:undo| command.
1993 When a change was made it is the number of that change. After
1994 redo it is the number of the redone change. After undo it is
1995 one less than the number of the undone change.
1996
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001997char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
1998 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
1999 char2nr(" ") returns 32
2000 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
2001< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002002 char2nr("á") returns 225
2003 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002004< nr2char() does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002005
2006cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
2007 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
2008 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
2009 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
2010 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
2011 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
2012 feature, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard5cdbeb2005-10-10 20:59:28 +00002013 See |C-indenting|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002014
2015 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00002016col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002017 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
2018 . the cursor position
2019 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
2020 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
2021 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
2022 returned)
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00002023 Additionally {expr} can be [lnum, col]: a |List| with the line
2024 and column number. Most useful when the column is "$", to get
2025 the las column of a specific line. When "lnum" or "col" is
2026 out of range then col() returns zero.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002027 To get the line number use |line()|. To get both use
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002028 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002029 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
2030 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
2031 Examples: >
2032 col(".") column of cursor
2033 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
2034 col("'t") column of mark t
2035 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
2036< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002037 For an uppercase mark the column may actually be in another
2038 buffer.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002039 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
2040 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
2041 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
2042 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
2043 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
2044 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
2045 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
2046<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002047
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002048complete({startcol}, {matches}) *complete()* *E785*
2049 Set the matches for Insert mode completion.
2050 Can only be used in Insert mode. You need to use a mapping
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002051 with CTRL-R = |i_CTRL-R|. It does not work after CTRL-O or
2052 with an expression mapping.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002053 {startcol} is the byte offset in the line where the completed
2054 text start. The text up to the cursor is the original text
2055 that will be replaced by the matches. Use col('.') for an
2056 empty string. "col('.') - 1" will replace one character by a
2057 match.
2058 {matches} must be a |List|. Each |List| item is one match.
2059 See |complete-items| for the kind of items that are possible.
2060 Note that the after calling this function you need to avoid
2061 inserting anything that would completion to stop.
2062 The match can be selected with CTRL-N and CTRL-P as usual with
2063 Insert mode completion. The popup menu will appear if
2064 specified, see |ins-completion-menu|.
2065 Example: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002066 inoremap <F5> <C-R>=ListMonths()<CR>
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002067
2068 func! ListMonths()
2069 call complete(col('.'), ['January', 'February', 'March',
2070 \ 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September',
2071 \ 'October', 'November', 'December'])
2072 return ''
2073 endfunc
2074< This isn't very useful, but it shows how it works. Note that
2075 an empty string is returned to avoid a zero being inserted.
2076
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002077complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
2078 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
2079 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
2080 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
2081 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
2082 the list.
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00002083 See |complete-functions| for an explanation of {expr}. It is
2084 the same as one item in the list that 'omnifunc' would return.
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002085
2086complete_check() *complete_check()*
2087 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
2088 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
2089 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
2090 zero otherwise.
2091 Only to be used by the function specified with the
2092 'completefunc' option.
2093
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002094 *confirm()*
2095confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
2096 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
2097 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
2098 choice this is 1.
2099 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
2100 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
2101 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
2102 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
2103 used (and translated).
2104 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
2105 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
2106 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
2107 by '\n', e.g. >
2108 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
2109< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
2110 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
2111 not need to be the first letter: >
2112 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
2113< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
2114 the default shortcut key.
2115 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
2116 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
2117 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
2118 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
2119 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
2120 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
2121 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
2122 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
2123 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
2124 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
2125 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
2126
2127 An example: >
2128 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
2129 :if choice == 0
2130 : echo "make up your mind!"
2131 :elseif choice == 3
2132 : echo "tasteful"
2133 :else
2134 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
2135 :endif
2136< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
2137 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
2138 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
2139 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
2140 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
2141 the horizontal layout is always used.
2142
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002143 *copy()*
2144copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2145 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002146 When {expr} is a |List| a shallow copy is created. This means
2147 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002148 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002149 changing an item changes the contents of both |Lists|. Also
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002150 see |deepcopy()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002151
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002152count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002153 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002154 in |List| or |Dictionary| {comp}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002155 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002156 {start} can only be used with a |List|.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002157 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
2158
2159
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002160 *cscope_connection()*
2161cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
2162 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
2163 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
2164 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
2165 if there are no cscope connections;
2166 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
2167
2168 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
2169 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
2170
2171 {num} Description of existence check
2172 ----- ------------------------------
2173 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
2174 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
2175 {dbpath}.
2176 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
2177 {dbpath}.
2178 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
2179 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2180 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
2181 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2182
2183 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2184
2185 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2186
2187 # pid database name prepend path
2188 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2189<
2190 Invocation Return Val ~
2191 ---------- ---------- >
2192 cscope_connection() 1
2193 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2194 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2195 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2196 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2197 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2198 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2199 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2200<
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002201cursor({lnum}, {col} [, {off}]) *cursor()*
2202cursor({list})
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002203 Positions the cursor at the column (byte count) {col} in the
2204 line {lnum}. The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002205 When there is one argument {list} this is used as a |List|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002206 with two or three items {lnum}, {col} and {off}. This is like
2207 the return value of |getpos()|, but without the first item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002208 Does not change the jumplist.
2209 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2210 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2211 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002212 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002213 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2214 line.
2215 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002216 When 'virtualedit' is used {off} specifies the offset in
2217 screen columns from the start of the character. E.g., a
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00002218 position within a <Tab> or after the last character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002219
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002220
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002221deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002222 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2223 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002224 When {expr} is a |List| a full copy is created. This means
2225 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
2226 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a |List|, a copy for it
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002227 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002228 not change the contents of the original |List|.
2229 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained |List| or
2230 |Dictionary| is only copied once. All references point to
2231 this single copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a
2232 |List| or |Dictionary| results in a new copy. This also means
2233 that a cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002234 *E724*
2235 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002236 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2237 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002238 Also see |copy()|.
2239
2240delete({fname}) *delete()*
2241 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002242 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2243 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002244 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002245
2246 *did_filetype()*
2247did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2248 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2249 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2250 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2251 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2252 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2253 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2254 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2255 file.
2256
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002257diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2258 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2259 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2260 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2261 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2262 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2263 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2264 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2265
2266diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2267 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2268 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2269 diff change zero is returned.
2270 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2271 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2272 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2273 line.
2274 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2275 syntax information about the highlighting.
2276
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002277empty({expr}) *empty()*
2278 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002279 A |List| or |Dictionary| is empty when it does not have any
2280 items. A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2281 For a long |List| this is much faster then comparing the
2282 length with zero.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002283
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002284escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2285 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2286 backslash. Example: >
2287 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2288< results in: >
2289 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002290
2291< *eval()*
2292eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2293 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2294 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002295 Also works for |Funcref|s that refer to existing functions.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002296
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002297eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2298 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2299 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2300 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2301 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2302
2303executable({expr}) *executable()*
2304 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2305 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002306 arguments.
2307 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2308 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2309 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2310 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2311 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2312 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2313 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2314 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2315 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2316 extension.
2317 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2318 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00002319 On MS-Windows an executable in the same directory as Vim is
2320 always found. Since this directory is added to $PATH it
2321 should also work to execute it |win32-PATH|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002322 The result is a Number:
2323 1 exists
2324 0 does not exist
2325 -1 not implemented on this system
2326
2327 *exists()*
2328exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2329 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2330 which contains one of these:
2331 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2332 not if it really works)
2333 +option-name Vim option that works.
2334 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2335 done by comparing with an empty
2336 string)
2337 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2338 or user defined function (see
2339 |user-functions|).
2340 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002341 |internal-variables|). Also works
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002342 for |curly-braces-names|, |Dictionary|
2343 entries, |List| items, etc. Beware
2344 that this may cause functions to be
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002345 invoked cause an error message for an
2346 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002347 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2348 command or command modifier |:command|.
2349 Returns:
2350 1 for match with start of a command
2351 2 full match with a command
2352 3 matches several user commands
2353 To check for a supported command
2354 always check the return value to be 2.
Bram Moolenaar14716812006-05-04 21:54:08 +00002355 :2match The |:2match| command.
2356 :3match The |:3match| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002357 #event autocommand defined for this event
2358 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2359 pattern (the pattern is taken
2360 literally and compared to the
2361 autocommand patterns character by
2362 character)
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002363 #group autocommand group exists
2364 #group#event autocommand defined for this group and
2365 event.
2366 #group#event#pattern
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002367 autocommand defined for this group,
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002368 event and pattern.
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002369 ##event autocommand for this event is
2370 supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002371 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2372
2373 Examples: >
2374 exists("&shortname")
2375 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2376 exists("*strftime")
2377 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2378 exists("bufcount")
2379 exists(":Make")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002380 exists("#CursorHold")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002381 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002382 exists("#filetypeindent")
2383 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType")
2384 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType#*")
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002385 exists("##ColorScheme")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002386< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2387 name.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002388 There must be no extra characters after the name, although in
2389 a few cases this is ignored. That may become more strict in
2390 the future, thus don't count on it!
2391 Working example: >
2392 exists(":make")
2393< NOT working example: >
2394 exists(":make install")
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00002395
2396< Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2397 variable itself. For example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002398 exists(bufcount)
2399< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
Bram Moolenaar06a89a52006-04-29 22:01:03 +00002400 but gets the value of "bufcount", and checks if that exists.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002401
2402expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2403 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2404 The result is a String.
2405
2406 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2407 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2408 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2409
2410 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2411 for a non-existing file is not included.
2412
2413 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2414 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2415 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2416
2417 % current file name
2418 # alternate file name
2419 #n alternate file name n
2420 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2421 <afile> autocmd file name
2422 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2423 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2424 <sfile> sourced script file name
2425 <cword> word under the cursor
2426 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2427 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2428 message |server2client()|
2429 Modifiers:
2430 :p expand to full path
2431 :h head (last path component removed)
2432 :t tail (last path component only)
2433 :r root (one extension removed)
2434 :e extension only
2435
2436 Example: >
2437 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2438< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2439 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2440 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2441< Use this: >
2442 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2443< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2444 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2445 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2446 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2447 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2448<
2449 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2450 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2451 to modify normal file names.
2452
2453 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2454 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2455 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2456 '/' added.
2457
2458 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2459 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2460 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2461 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002462 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2463 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2464 files in the current directory and below: >
2465 :echo expand("**/README")
2466<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002467 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2468 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2469 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2470 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2471 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2472 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2473 "$FOOBAR".
2474
2475 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2476 getting the raw output of an external command.
2477
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002478extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002479 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both |Lists| or both
2480 |Dictionaries|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002481
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002482 If they are |Lists|: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002483 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2484 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2485 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2486 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002487 Examples: >
2488 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2489 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002490< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2491 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002492 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002493<
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002494 If they are |Dictionaries|:
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002495 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2496 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2497 used to decide what to do:
2498 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2499 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002500 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002501 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2502
2503 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2504 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2505 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2506 Returns {expr1}.
2507
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002508
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002509feedkeys({string} [, {mode}]) *feedkeys()*
2510 Characters in {string} are queued for processing as if they
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002511 come from a mapping or were typed by the user. They are added
2512 to the end of the typeahead buffer, thus if a mapping is still
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002513 being executed these characters come after them.
2514 The function does not wait for processing of keys contained in
2515 {string}.
2516 To include special keys into {string}, use double-quotes
2517 and "\..." notation |expr-quote|. For example,
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00002518 feedkeys("\<CR>") simulates pressing of the <Enter> key. But
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002519 feedkeys('\<CR>') pushes 5 characters.
2520 If {mode} is absent, keys are remapped.
2521 {mode} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00002522 'm' Remap keys. This is default.
2523 'n' Do not remap keys.
2524 't' Handle keys as if typed; otherwise they are handled as
2525 if coming from a mapping. This matters for undo,
2526 opening folds, etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002527 Return value is always 0.
2528
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002529filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2530 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2531 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2532 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2533 expression, which is used as a String.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002534 If you don't care about the file being readable you can use
2535 |glob()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002536 *file_readable()*
2537 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2538
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002539
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002540filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2541 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2542 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2543 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2544 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2545
2546
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002547filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002548 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002549 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002550 is zero remove the item from the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002551 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002552 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002553 Examples: >
2554 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2555< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2556 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2557< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2558 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002559< Removes all the items, thus clears the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002560
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002561 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2562 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2563 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2564
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002565 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
2566 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +00002567 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), 'v:val =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002568
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002569< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002570 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
2571 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002572
2573
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002574finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
Bram Moolenaar5b6b1ca2007-03-27 08:19:43 +00002575 Find directory {name} in {path}. Supports both downwards and
2576 upwards recursive directory searches. See |file-searching|
2577 for the syntax of {path}.
2578 Returns the path of the first found match. When the found
2579 directory is below the current directory a relative path is
2580 returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002581 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2582 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002583 {name} in {path} instead of the first one.
Bram Moolenaar899dddf2006-03-26 21:06:50 +00002584 When {count} is negative return all the matches in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002585 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002586 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2587
2588findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2589 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002590 Uses 'suffixesadd'.
2591 Example: >
2592 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002593< Searches from the directory of the current file upwards until
2594 it finds the file "tags.vim".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002595
2596fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2597 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2598 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2599 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2600 Example: >
2601 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2602< results in: >
2603 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2604< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2605 |expand()| first then.
2606
2607foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2608 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2609 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2610 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2611
2612foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2613 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2614 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2615 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2616
2617foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2618 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2619 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2620 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2621 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2622 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2623 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2624 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2625 previous line is usually available.
2626
2627 *foldtext()*
2628foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2629 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2630 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2631 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2632 The returned string looks like this: >
2633 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2634< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2635 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2636 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2637 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2638 options is removed.
2639 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2640
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002641foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2642 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2643 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2644 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2645 returned.
2646 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2647 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2648 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2649 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2650
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002651 *foreground()*
2652foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2653 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2654 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2655 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2656 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2657 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2658 Win32 console version}
2659
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002660
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002661function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002662 Return a |Funcref| variable that refers to function {name}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002663 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2664
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002665
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002666garbagecollect() *garbagecollect()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002667 Cleanup unused |Lists| and |Dictionaries| that have circular
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002668 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
2669 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
2670 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
2671 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
2672 freed when they become unused.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002673 This is useful if you have deleted a very big |List| and/or
2674 |Dictionary| with circular references in a script that runs
2675 for a long time.
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002676
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002677get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002678 Get item {idx} from |List| {list}. When this item is not
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002679 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2680 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002681get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002682 Get item with key {key} from |Dictionary| {dict}. When this
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002683 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2684 {default} is omitted.
2685
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002686 *getbufline()*
2687getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002688 Return a |List| with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
2689 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a
2690 |List| with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002691
2692 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2693
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002694 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
2695 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002696
2697 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002698 lines in the buffer, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002699
2700 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2701 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002702 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002703 returned.
2704
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002705 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002706 non-existing buffers, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002707
2708 Example: >
2709 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002710
2711getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2712 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2713 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2714 must be used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002715 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2716 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2717 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002718 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2719 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2720 returned, there is no error message.
2721 Examples: >
2722 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2723 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2724<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002725getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002726 Get a single character from the user or input stream.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002727 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2728 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002729 Return zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002730 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002731 not consumed. Return zero if no character available.
2732
2733 Without {expr} and when {expr} is 0 a whole character or
2734 special key is returned. If it is an 8-bit character, the
2735 result is a number. Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2736 Otherwise a String is returned with the encoded character.
2737 For a special key it's a sequence of bytes starting with 0x80
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00002738 (decimal: 128). This is the same value as the string
2739 "\<Key>", e.g., "\<Left>". The returned value is also a
2740 String when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used that is
2741 not included in the character.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002742
2743 When {expr} is 1 only the first byte is returned. For a
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00002744 one-byte character it is the character itself as a number.
2745 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002746
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00002747 When the user clicks a mouse button, the mouse event will be
2748 returned. The position can then be found in |v:mouse_col|,
2749 |v:mouse_lnum| and |v:mouse_win|. This example positions the
2750 mouse as it would normally happen: >
2751 let c = getchar()
2752 if c == "\<LeftMouse>" && v:mouse_win > 0
2753 exe v:mouse_win . "wincmd w"
2754 exe v:mouse_lnum
2755 exe "normal " . v:mouse_col . "|"
2756 endif
2757<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002758 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2759 user that a character has to be typed.
2760 There is no mapping for the character.
2761 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2762 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2763 sequence. Examples: >
2764 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2765 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2766< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2767 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2768 :function FindChar()
2769 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2770 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2771 : normal l
2772 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2773 : break
2774 : endif
2775 : endwhile
2776 :endfunction
2777
2778getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2779 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2780 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2781 These values are added together:
2782 2 shift
2783 4 control
2784 8 alt (meta)
2785 16 mouse double click
2786 32 mouse triple click
2787 64 mouse quadruple click
2788 128 Macintosh only: command
2789 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2790 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2791 with no modifier.
2792
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002793getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2794 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2795 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2796 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2797 Example: >
2798 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002799< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002800
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002801getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002802 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2803 byte count. The first column is 1.
2804 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2805 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002806 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2807
2808getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
2809 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
2810 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00002811 : normal Ex command
2812 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
2813 / forward search command
2814 ? backward search command
2815 @ |input()| command
2816 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002817 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2818 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
2819 otherwise.
2820 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002821
2822 *getcwd()*
2823getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2824 working directory.
2825
2826getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2827 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2828 given file {fname}.
2829 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2830 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard827ada2007-06-19 15:19:55 +00002831 If the size of {fname} is too big to fit in a Number then -2
2832 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002833
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002834getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2835 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2836 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2837 |hl-Normal|.
2838 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2839 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2840 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2841 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00002842 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not in your vimrc or
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002843 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2844 function just after the GUI has started.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00002845 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2846 for a valid name does not work.
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002847
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002848getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2849 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2850 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2851 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2852 empty string is returned.
2853 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2854 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2855 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2856 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2857 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2858 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2859< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2860 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002861
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002862getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2863 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2864 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2865 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2866 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2867 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2868
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002869getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2870 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2871 file of the given file {fname}.
2872 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2873 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2874 results:
2875 Normal file "file"
2876 Directory "dir"
2877 Symbolic link "link"
2878 Block device "bdev"
2879 Character device "cdev"
2880 Socket "socket"
2881 FIFO "fifo"
2882 All other "other"
2883 Example: >
2884 getftype("/home")
2885< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2886 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2887 "file" are returned.
2888
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002889 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002890getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2891 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2892 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002893 getline(1)
2894< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2895 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2896 To get the line under the cursor: >
2897 getline(".")
2898< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2899 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2900
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002901 When {end} is given the result is a |List| where each item is
2902 a line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002903 including line {end}.
2904 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2905 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002906 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002907 Example: >
2908 :let start = line('.')
2909 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2910 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2911
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002912< To get lines from another buffer see |getbufline()|
2913
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00002914getloclist({nr}) *getloclist()*
2915 Returns a list with all the entries in the location list for
2916 window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
2917 For a location list window, the displayed location list is
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002918 returned. For an invalid window number {nr}, an empty list is
2919 returned. Otherwise, same as getqflist().
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002920
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002921getqflist() *getqflist()*
2922 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2923 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2924 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2925 bufname() to get the name
2926 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2927 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00002928 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
2929 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002930 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00002931 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002932 text description of the error
2933 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2934 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2935
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00002936 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00002937 returned. Quickfix list entries with non-existing buffer
2938 number are returned with "bufnr" set to zero.
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00002939
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002940 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2941 do something with them: >
2942 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2943 :for d in getqflist()
2944 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2945 :endfor
2946
2947
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002948getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002949 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002950 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002951 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
2952< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002953 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002954 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
2955 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
2956 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002957 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2958
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002959
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002960getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
2961 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
2962 The value will be one of:
2963 "v" for |characterwise| text
2964 "V" for |linewise| text
2965 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
2966 0 for an empty or unknown register
2967 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
2968 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2969
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00002970gettabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}) *gettabwinvar()*
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002971 Get the value of window-local variable {varname} in window
2972 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}.
2973 When {varname} starts with "&" get the value of a window-local
2974 option.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00002975 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
2976 use |getwinvar()|.
2977 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
2978 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
2979 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
2980 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002981 When {varname} is empty a dictionary with all window-local
2982 variables is returned.
2983 Note that {varname} must be the name without "w:".
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00002984 Examples: >
2985 :let list_is_on = gettabwinvar(1, 2, '&list')
2986 :echo "myvar = " . gettabwinvar(3, 1, 'myvar')
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00002987<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002988 *getwinposx()*
2989getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
2990 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
2991 -1 if the information is not available.
2992
2993 *getwinposy()*
2994getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
2995 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
2996 information is not available.
2997
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00002998getwinvar({winnr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
2999 Like |gettabwinvar()| for the current tabpage.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003000 Examples: >
3001 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
3002 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
3003<
3004 *glob()*
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003005glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. See |wildcards| for the
3006 use of special characters.
3007 The result is a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003008 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
3009 characters.
3010 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
3011 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
3012
3013 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
3014 any external command. Example: >
3015 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
3016 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
3017< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
3018 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
3019
3020 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
3021 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
3022
3023globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
3024 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
3025 the results. Example: >
3026 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
3027< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
3028 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
3029 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
3030 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
3031 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
3032 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
3033 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
3034 error message.
3035 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
3036 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
3037
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003038 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
3039 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
3040 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
3041 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
3042<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003043 *has()*
3044has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
3045 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
3046 string. See |feature-list| below.
3047 Also see |exists()|.
3048
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003049
3050has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003051 The result is a Number, which is 1 if |Dictionary| {dict} has
3052 an entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003053
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00003054haslocaldir() *haslocaldir()*
3055 The result is a Number, which is 1 when the current
3056 window has set a local path via |:lcd|, and 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003057
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003058hasmapto({what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *hasmapto()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003059 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
3060 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
3061 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
3062 {mode}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003063 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00003064 instead of mappings. Don't forget to specify Insert and/or
3065 Command-line mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003066 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
3067 buffer are checked for a match.
3068 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
3069 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
3070 n Normal mode
3071 v Visual mode
3072 o Operator-pending mode
3073 i Insert mode
3074 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
3075 c Command-line mode
3076 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
3077
3078 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
3079 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
3080 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
3081 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
3082 :endif
3083< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
3084 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
3085
3086histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
3087 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
3088 one of: *hist-names*
3089 "cmd" or ":" command line history
3090 "search" or "/" search pattern history
3091 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
3092 "input" or "@" input line history
3093 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
3094 shifted to become the newest entry.
3095 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
3096 otherwise 0 is returned.
3097
3098 Example: >
3099 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
3100 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
3101< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3102
3103histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003104 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003105 for the possible values of {history}.
3106
3107 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
3108 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
3109 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
3110 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
3111 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
3112 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
3113 if it exists.
3114
3115 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
3116 otherwise 0 is returned.
3117
3118 Examples:
3119 Clear expression register history: >
3120 :call histdel("expr")
3121<
3122 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
3123 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
3124<
3125 The following three are equivalent: >
3126 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
3127 :call histdel("search", -1)
3128 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
3129<
3130 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
3131 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
3132 :call histdel("search", -1)
3133 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
3134
3135histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
3136 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
3137 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
3138 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
3139 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
3140 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
3141
3142 Examples:
3143 Redo the second last search from history. >
3144 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
3145
3146< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
3147 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
3148 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
3149<
3150histnr({history}) *histnr()*
3151 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
3152 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
3153 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
3154
3155 Example: >
3156 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
3157<
3158hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
3159 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
3160 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
3161 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
3162 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
3163 item.
3164 *highlight_exists()*
3165 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
3166
3167 *hlID()*
3168hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
3169 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
3170 zero is returned.
3171 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
3172 group. For example, to get the background color of the
3173 "Comment" group: >
3174 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
3175< *highlightID()*
3176 Obsolete name: highlightID().
3177
3178hostname() *hostname()*
3179 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003180 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003181 256 characters long are truncated.
3182
3183iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
3184 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
3185 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
3186 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
3187 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
3188 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
3189 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
3190 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
3191 can be done.
3192 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
3193 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
3194 UTF-8 and use: >
3195 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
3196< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
3197 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
3198 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
3199 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
3200
3201 *indent()*
3202indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
3203 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
3204 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
3205 |getline()|.
3206 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
3207
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003208
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003209index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003210 Return the lowest index in |List| {list} where the item has a
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003211 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00003212 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
3213 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003214 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
3215 case must match.
3216 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
3217 Example: >
3218 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003219 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003220
3221
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003222input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003223 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
3224 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
3225 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003226 prompt to start a new line.
3227 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
3228 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
3229 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
3230 for lines typed for input().
3231 Example: >
3232 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
3233 : echo "Cheers!"
3234 :endif
3235<
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00003236 If the optional {text} is present and not empty, this is used
3237 for the default reply, as if the user typed this. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003238 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
3239
3240< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
3241 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
3242 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
3243 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
3244 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
3245 more information. Example: >
3246 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
3247<
3248 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
3249 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003250 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
3251 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
3252 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
3253 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
3254 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
3255 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
3256 |:execute| or |:normal|.
3257
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003258 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003259 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
3260 :function GetFoo()
3261 : call inputsave()
3262 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
3263 : call inputrestore()
3264 :endfunction
3265
3266inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
3267 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
3268 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
3269 Example: >
3270 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
3271 :if n != ""
3272 : let &sw = n
3273 :endif
3274< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
3275 omitted an empty string is returned.
3276 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
3277 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003278 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003279
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003280inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003281 {textlist} must be a |List| of strings. This |List| is
3282 displayed, one string per line. The user will be prompted to
3283 enter a number, which is returned.
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003284 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
3285 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
3286 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
3287 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
3288 is returned.
3289 Make sure {textlist} has less then 'lines' entries, otherwise
3290 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003291 the start of the string. And put a prompt in the first item.
3292 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003293 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3294 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3295
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003296inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
3297 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
3298 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3299 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3300 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3301
3302inputsave() *inputsave()*
3303 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3304 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3305 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3306 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3307 many inputrestore() calls.
3308 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3309
3310inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3311 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3312 two exceptions:
3313 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3314 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3315 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3316 |history| stack.
3317 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3318 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003319 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003320
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003321insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003322 Insert {item} at the start of |List| {list}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003323 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
3324 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
3325 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3326 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003327 Returns the resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003328 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3329 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3330 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003331< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003332 Note that when {item} is a |List| it is inserted as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003333 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003334
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003335isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3336 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3337 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3338 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3339 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3340
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003341islocked({expr}) *islocked()* *E786*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003342 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3343 name of a locked variable.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003344 {expr} must be the name of a variable, |List| item or
3345 |Dictionary| entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003346 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3347 :lockvar 1 alist
3348 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3349 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3350
3351< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00003352 message. Use |exists()| to check for existence.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003353
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003354items({dict}) *items()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003355 Return a |List| with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3356 |List| item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict}
3357 entry and the value of this entry. The |List| is in arbitrary
3358 order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003359
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003360
3361join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3362 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3363 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3364 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3365 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3366 add it there too: >
3367 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003368< String items are used as-is. |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003369 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3370 The opposite function is |split()|.
3371
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003372keys({dict}) *keys()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003373 Return a |List| with all the keys of {dict}. The |List| is in
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003374 arbitrary order.
3375
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003376 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003377len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3378 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3379 used, as with |strlen()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003380 When {expr} is a |List| the number of items in the |List| is
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003381 returned.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003382 When {expr} is a |Dictionary| the number of entries in the
3383 |Dictionary| is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003384 Otherwise an error is given.
3385
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003386 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3387libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3388 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3389 with single argument {argument}.
3390 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3391 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3392 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3393 limited.
3394 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3395 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3396 to Vim.
3397 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3398 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3399 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3400 null-terminated string.
3401 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3402
3403 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3404 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3405 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3406 very probably crash.
3407
3408 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3409 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3410 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3411 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3412 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3413 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3414 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3415 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3416 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3417 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3418
3419 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
3420 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
3421 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3422 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3423 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3424 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3425 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3426 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
3427 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3428 feature is present}
3429 Examples: >
3430 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
3431 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
3432<
3433 *libcallnr()*
3434libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3435 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
3436 int instead of a string.
3437 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3438 feature is present}
3439 Example (not very useful...): >
3440 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3441 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3442<
3443 *line()*
3444line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3445 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3446 . the cursor position
3447 $ the last line in the current buffer
3448 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3449 returned)
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00003450 w0 first line visible in current window
3451 w$ last line visible in current window
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003452 Note that a mark in another file can be used. The line number
3453 then applies to another buffer.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003454 To get the column number use |col()|. To get both use
3455 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003456 Examples: >
3457 line(".") line number of the cursor
3458 line("'t") line number of mark t
3459 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3460< *last-position-jump*
3461 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3462 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3463 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003464
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003465line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3466 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3467 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3468 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3469 line returns 1.
3470 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3471 below the last line: >
3472 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3473< This is the file size plus one.
3474 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3475 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3476 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3477
3478lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3479 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3480 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3481 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3482 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3483 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3484 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3485
3486localtime() *localtime()*
3487 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3488 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3489
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003490
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003491map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003492 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003493 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3494 {string}.
3495 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003496 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003497 Example: >
3498 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003499< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003500
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003501 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003502 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003503 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3504 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003505
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003506 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
3507 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003508 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003509
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003510< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003511 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
3512 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003513
3514
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003515maparg({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *maparg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003516 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3517 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003518 {mode} can be one of these strings:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003519 "n" Normal
3520 "v" Visual
3521 "o" Operator-pending
3522 "i" Insert
3523 "c" Cmd-line
3524 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3525 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003526 When {mode} is omitted, the modes for "" are used.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003527 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
3528 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003529 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3530 command. The returned String has special characters
3531 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3532 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3533 then the global mappings.
Bram Moolenaara40ceaf2006-01-13 22:35:40 +00003534 This function can be used to map a key even when it's already
3535 mapped, and have it do the original mapping too. Sketch: >
3536 exe 'nnoremap <Tab> ==' . maparg('<Tab>', 'n')
3537
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003538
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003539mapcheck({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *mapcheck()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003540 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3541 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3542 {name}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003543 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
3544 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003545 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3546 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3547
3548 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3549 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3550 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3551 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3552 mapcheck("b") no no no
3553
3554 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3555 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3556 mapping for {name} exactly.
3557 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3558 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3559 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3560 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3561 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3562 then the global mappings.
3563 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3564 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3565 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3566 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3567 :endif
3568< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3569 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3570
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003571match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003572 When {expr} is a |List| then this returns the index of the
3573 first item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003574 String, |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are used as echoed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003575 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3576 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3577 {pat} matches.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003578 A match at the first character or |List| item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003579 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3580 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003581 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003582 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 1
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003583< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003584 *strpbrk()*
3585 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3586 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3587< *strcasestr()*
3588 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3589 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3590 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3591<
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003592 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003593 {start} in a String or item {start} in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003594 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003595 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003596 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3597< result is again "4". >
3598 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3599< result is again "4". >
3600 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3601< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003602 For a String, if {start} > 0 then it is like the string starts
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003603 {start} bytes later, thus "^" will match at {start}. Except
3604 when {count} is given, then it's like matches before the
3605 {start} byte are ignored (this is a bit complicated to keep it
3606 backwards compatible).
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003607 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3608 the index is counted from the end.
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003609 If {start} is out of range ({start} > strlen({expr}) for a
3610 String or {start} > len({expr}) for a |List|) -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003611
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003612 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003613 is found in a String the search for the next one starts one
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003614 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
3615 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
3616< In a |List| the search continues in the next item.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003617 Note that when {count} is added the way {start} works changes,
3618 see above.
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003619
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003620 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3621 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3622 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3623 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3624
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003625
3626matcharg({nr}) *matcharg()*
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003627 Selects the {nr} match item, as set with a |:match|,
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003628 |:2match| or |:3match| command.
3629 Return a |List| with two elements:
3630 The name of the highlight group used
3631 The pattern used.
3632 When {nr} is not 1, 2 or 3 returns an empty |List|.
3633 When there is no match item set returns ['', ''].
3634 This is usef to save and restore a |:match|.
3635
3636
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003637matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003638 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3639 the match. Example: >
3640 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3641< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003642 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3643 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3644 do it with matchend(): >
3645 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3646 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3647< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3648
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003649 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3650 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3651< results in "7". >
3652 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3653< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003654 When {expr} is a |List| the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003655
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003656matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003657 Same as match(), but return a |List|. The first item in the
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003658 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3659 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00003660 in |:substitute|. When an optional submatch didn't match an
3661 empty string is used. Example: >
3662 echo matchlist('acd', '\(a\)\?\(b\)\?\(c\)\?\(.*\)')
3663< Results in: ['acd', 'a', '', 'c', 'd', '', '', '', '', '']
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003664 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3665
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003666matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003667 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3668 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3669< results in "ing".
3670 When there is no match "" is returned.
3671 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3672 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3673< results in "ing". >
3674 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3675< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003676 When {expr} is a |List| then the matching item is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003677 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003678
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003679 *max()*
3680max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3681 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3682 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003683 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003684
3685 *min()*
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00003686min({list}) Return the minimum value of all items in {list}.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003687 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3688 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003689 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003690
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00003691 *mkdir()* *E739*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003692mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3693 Create directory {name}.
3694 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3695 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3696 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3697 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3698 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3699 for others.
3700 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3701 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3702 :if exists("*mkdir")
3703<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003704 *mode()*
3705mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3706 n Normal
3707 v Visual by character
3708 V Visual by line
3709 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3710 s Select by character
3711 S Select by line
3712 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3713 i Insert
3714 R Replace
3715 c Command-line
3716 r Hit-enter prompt
3717 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3718 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3719
3720nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3721 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3722 that is not blank. Example: >
3723 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3724< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3725 below it, zero is returned.
3726 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3727
3728nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3729 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3730 value {expr}. Examples: >
3731 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3732 nr2char(32) returns " "
3733< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3734 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3735< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3736 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3737 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003738 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003739
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003740 *getpos()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003741getpos({expr}) Get the position for {expr}. For possible values of {expr}
3742 see |line()|.
3743 The result is a |List| with four numbers:
3744 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
3745 "bufnum" is zero, unless a mark like '0 or 'A is used, then it
3746 is the buffer number of the mark.
3747 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
3748 column is 1.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003749 The "off" number is zero, unless 'virtualedit' is used. Then
3750 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00003751 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003752 character.
3753 This can be used to save and restore the cursor position: >
3754 let save_cursor = getpos(".")
3755 MoveTheCursorAround
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00003756 call setpos('.', save_cursor)
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003757< Also see |setpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003758
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003759pathshorten({expr}) *pathshorten()*
3760 Shorten directory names in the path {expr} and return the
3761 result. The tail, the file name, is kept as-is. The other
3762 components in the path are reduced to single letters. Leading
3763 '~' and '.' characters are kept. Example: >
3764 :echo pathshorten('~/.vim/autoload/myfile.vim')
3765< ~/.v/a/myfile.vim ~
3766 It doesn't matter if the path exists or not.
3767
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00003768prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3769 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3770 that is not blank. Example: >
3771 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3772< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3773 above it, zero is returned.
3774 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3775
3776
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003777printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
3778 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
3779 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003780 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003781< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003782 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003783
3784 Often used items are:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003785 %s string
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003786 %6s string right-aligned in 6 bytes
3787 %.9s string truncated to 9 bytes
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003788 %c single byte
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003789 %d decimal number
3790 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
3791 %x hex number
3792 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
3793 %X hex number using upper case letters
3794 %o octal number
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003795 %% the % character itself
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003796
3797 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
3798 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
3799 the result.
3800
3801 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003802 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003803
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003804 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003805
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003806 flags
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003807 Zero or more of the following flags:
3808
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003809 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
3810 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
3811 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
3812 of the number is increased to force the first
3813 character of the output string to a zero (except
3814 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
3815 precision of zero).
3816 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
3817 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
3818 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003819
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003820 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
3821 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
3822 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
3823 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
3824 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003825
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003826 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
3827 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
3828 The converted value is padded on the right with
3829 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
3830 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003831
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003832 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
3833 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003834
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003835 + A sign must always be placed before a number
3836 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
3837 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003838
3839 field-width
3840 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003841 field width. If the converted value has fewer bytes
3842 than the field width, it will be padded with spaces on
3843 the left (or right, if the left-adjustment flag has
3844 been given) to fill out the field width.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003845
3846 .precision
3847 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
3848 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
3849 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
3850 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
3851 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003852 bytes to be printed from a string for s conversions.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003853
3854 type
3855 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
3856 be applied, see below.
3857
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003858 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
3859 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
3860 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
3861 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
3862 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
3863 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003864 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003865< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003866 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003867
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003868 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003869
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003870 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
3871 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
3872 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
3873 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003874 conversions.
3875 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
3876 digits that must appear; if the converted value
3877 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
3878 zeros.
3879 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
3880 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
3881 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
3882 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
3883
3884 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
3885 resulting character is written.
3886
3887 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
3888 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
3889 specified are used.
3890
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003891 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
3892 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003893
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003894 Each argument can be Number or String and is converted
3895 automatically to fit the conversion specifier. Any other
3896 argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003897
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00003898 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003899 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
3900 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003901 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003902
3903
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00003904pumvisible() *pumvisible()*
3905 Returns non-zero when the popup menu is visible, zero
3906 otherwise. See |ins-completion-menu|.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003907 This can be used to avoid some things that would remove the
3908 popup menu.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003909
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00003910 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003911range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003912 Returns a |List| with Numbers:
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003913 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
3914 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
3915 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
3916 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
3917 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003918 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
3919 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
3920 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003921 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003922 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003923 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
3924 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003925 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003926 range(0) " []
3927 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003928<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003929 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003930readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003931 Read file {fname} and return a |List|, each line of the file
3932 as an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003933 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
3934 NL appears somewhere).
3935 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
3936 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
3937 added.
3938 - No CR characters are removed.
3939 Otherwise:
3940 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
3941 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
3942 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003943 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
3944 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
3945 lines of a file: >
3946 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
3947 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
3948 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003949< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
3950 are returned, or as many as there are.
3951 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003952 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
3953 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
3954 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003955 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
3956 the result is an empty list.
3957 Also see |writefile()|.
3958
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00003959reltime([{start} [, {end}]]) *reltime()*
3960 Return an item that represents a time value. The format of
3961 the item depends on the system. It can be passed to
3962 |reltimestr()| to convert it to a string.
3963 Without an argument it returns the current time.
3964 With one argument is returns the time passed since the time
3965 specified in the argument.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00003966 With two arguments it returns the time passed between {start}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00003967 and {end}.
3968 The {start} and {end} arguments must be values returned by
3969 reltime().
3970 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
3971
3972reltimestr({time}) *reltimestr()*
3973 Return a String that represents the time value of {time}.
3974 This is the number of seconds, a dot and the number of
3975 microseconds. Example: >
3976 let start = reltime()
3977 call MyFunction()
3978 echo reltimestr(reltime(start))
3979< Note that overhead for the commands will be added to the time.
3980 The accuracy depends on the system.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003981 Leading spaces are used to make the string align nicely. You
3982 can use split() to remove it. >
3983 echo split(reltimestr(reltime(start)))[0]
3984< Also see |profiling|.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00003985 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
3986
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003987 *remote_expr()* *E449*
3988remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
3989 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
3990 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003991 The result must be a String or a |List|. A |List| is turned
3992 into a String by joining the items with a line break in
3993 between (not at the end), like with join(expr, "\n").
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003994 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3995 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3996 remote_read() is stored there.
3997 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3998 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3999 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4000 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
4001 and the result will be the empty string.
4002 Examples: >
4003 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
4004 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
4005<
4006
4007remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
4008 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
4009 This works like: >
4010 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
4011< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
4012 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
4013 to bring itself to the foreground.
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004014 Note: This does not restore the window if it was minimized,
4015 like foreground() does.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004016 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4017 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
4018 Win32 console version}
4019
4020
4021remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
4022 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
4023 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
4024 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
4025 name of a variable.
4026 Returns zero if none are available.
4027 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
4028 See also |clientserver|.
4029 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4030 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4031 Examples: >
4032 :let repl = ""
4033 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
4034
4035remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
4036 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
4037 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
4038 See also |clientserver|.
4039 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4040 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4041 Example: >
4042 :echo remote_read(id)
4043<
4044 *remote_send()* *E241*
4045remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004046 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
4047 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
4048 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004049 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a variable
4050 and a {serverid} for later use with remote_read() is stored
4051 there.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004052 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4053 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4054 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4055 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
4056 up the display.
4057 Examples: >
4058 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
4059 \ remote_read(serverid)
4060
4061 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
4062 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
4063 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
4064 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004065<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004066remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004067 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from |List| {list} and
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004068 return it.
4069 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
4070 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
4071 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
4072 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
4073 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004074 Example: >
4075 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004076 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004077remove({dict}, {key})
4078 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
4079 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
4080< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
4081
4082 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004083
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004084rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
4085 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
4086 should also work to move files across file systems. The
4087 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
4088 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
4089 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4090
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004091repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
4092 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
4093 result. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004094 :let separator = repeat('-', 80)
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004095< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004096 When {expr} is a |List| the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004097 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004098 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
4099< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004100
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004101
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004102resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
4103 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
4104 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
4105 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
4106 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
4107 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
4108 stopped after 100 iterations.
4109 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
4110 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
4111 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
4112 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
4113 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
4114
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004115 *reverse()*
4116reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
4117 {list}.
4118 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4119 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
4120
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004121search({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline}]]) *search()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004122 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00004123 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004124
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004125 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
4126 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004127 'c' accept a match at the cursor position
4128 'e' move to the End of the match
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004129 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004130 'p' return number of matching sub-pattern (see below)
4131 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004132 'w' wrap around the end of the file
4133 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
4134 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
4135
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00004136 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
4137 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
4138 flag.
4139
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004140 'ignorecase', 'smartcase' and 'magic' are used.
4141
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004142 When the {stopline} argument is given then the search stops
4143 after searching this line. This is useful to restrict the
4144 search to a range of lines. Examples: >
4145 let match = search('(', 'b', line("w0"))
4146 let end = search('END', '', line("w$"))
4147< When {stopline} is used and it is not zero this also implies
4148 that the search does not wrap around the end of the file.
4149
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004150 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
4151 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004152 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
4153 *search()-sub-match*
4154 With the 'p' flag the returned value is one more than the
4155 first sub-match in \(\). One if none of them matched but the
4156 whole pattern did match.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004157 To get the column number too use |searchpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004158
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004159 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
4160 flag is used.
4161
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004162 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
4163 :let n = 1
4164 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
4165 : exe "argument " . n
4166 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
4167 : " first search to find match at start of file
4168 : normal G$
4169 : let flags = "w"
4170 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
4171 : s/foo/bar/g
4172 : let flags = "W"
4173 : endwhile
4174 : update " write the file if modified
4175 : let n = n + 1
4176 :endwhile
4177<
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004178 Example for using some flags: >
4179 :echo search('\<if\|\(else\)\|\(endif\)', 'ncpe')
4180< This will search for the keywords "if", "else", and "endif"
4181 under or after the cursor. Because of the 'p' flag, it
4182 returns 1, 2, or 3 depending on which keyword is found, or 0
4183 if the search fails. With the cursor on the first word of the
4184 line:
4185 if (foo == 0) | let foo = foo + 1 | endif ~
4186 the function returns 1. Without the 'c' flag, the function
4187 finds the "endif" and returns 3. The same thing happens
4188 without the 'e' flag if the cursor is on the "f" of "if".
4189 The 'n' flag tells the function not to move the cursor.
4190
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004191
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004192searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
4193 Search for the declaration of {name}.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004194
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004195 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
4196 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
4197 first match in the function.
4198
4199 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
4200 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
4201 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
4202
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004203 Moves the cursor to the found match.
4204 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4205 Example: >
4206 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
4207 echo getline('.')
4208 endif
4209<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004210 *searchpair()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004211searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004212 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
4213 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
4214 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004215 The search starts at the cursor. The default is to search
4216 forward, include 'b' in {flags} to search backward.
4217 If a match is found, the cursor is positioned at it and the
4218 line number is returned. If no match is found 0 or -1 is
4219 returned and the cursor doesn't move. No error message is
4220 given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004221
4222 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
4223 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
4224 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
4225 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
4226 typical use is: >
4227 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
4228< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
4229
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004230 {flags} 'b', 'c', 'n', 's', 'w' and 'W' are used like with
4231 |search()|. Additionally:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004232 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
4233 outer pair
4234 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004235 the match; will be > 1 when 'r' is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004236
4237 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
4238 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
4239 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
4240 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
4241 or a string.
4242 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
4243 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
4244 and -1 returned.
4245
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004246 For {stopline} see |search()|.
4247
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004248 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
4249 patterns are used like it's on.
4250
4251 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
4252 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
4253 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
4254 if 1
4255 if 2
4256 endif 2
4257 endif 1
4258< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
4259 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
4260 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
4261 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
4262 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
4263 "endif 2".
4264 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
4265 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
4266 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
4267 the matching start.
4268
4269 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
4270
4271 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
4272 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
4273
4274< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
4275 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
4276 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
4277 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
4278 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
4279 match.
4280 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
4281
4282 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
4283
4284< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
4285 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
4286 highlighting recognized as strings: >
4287
4288 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
4289 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
4290<
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004291 *searchpairpos()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004292searchpairpos({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004293 Same as searchpair(), but returns a |List| with the line and
4294 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4295 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004296 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4297 returns [0, 0].
4298>
4299 :let [lnum,col] = searchpairpos('{', '', '}', 'n')
4300<
4301 See |match-parens| for a bigger and more useful example.
4302
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004303searchpos({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline}]]) *searchpos()*
4304 Same as |search()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004305 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4306 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
4307 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4308 returns [0, 0].
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004309 Example: >
4310 :let [lnum, col] = searchpos('mypattern', 'n')
4311
4312< When the 'p' flag is given then there is an extra item with
4313 the sub-pattern match number |search()-sub-match|. Example: >
4314 :let [lnum, col, submatch] = searchpos('\(\l\)\|\(\u\)', 'np')
4315< In this example "submatch" is 2 when a lowercase letter is
4316 found |/\l|, 3 when an uppercase letter is found |/\u|.
4317
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004318server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
4319 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
4320 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
4321 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4322 Note:
4323 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004324 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004325 before calling any commands that waits for input.
4326 See also |clientserver|.
4327 Example: >
4328 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
4329<
4330serverlist() *serverlist()*
4331 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
4332 When there are no servers or the information is not available
4333 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
4334 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4335 Example: >
4336 :echo serverlist()
4337<
4338setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
4339 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
4340 {val}.
4341 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
4342 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
4343 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
4344 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
4345 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
4346 Examples: >
4347 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
4348 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
4349< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4350
4351setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
4352 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
4353 {pos}. The first position is 1.
4354 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
4355 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004356 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
4357 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
4358 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
4359 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
4360 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004361 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
4362 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
4363 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
4364 line.
4365
4366setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004367 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}.
4368 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004369 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {line} will be
4370 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004371 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
4372 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004373 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004374< When {line} is a |List| then line {lnum} and following lines
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004375 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
4376 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
4377< This is equivalent to: >
4378 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
4379 : call setline(n, l)
4380 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004381< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
4382
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004383setloclist({nr}, {list} [, {action}]) *setloclist()*
4384 Create or replace or add to the location list for window {nr}.
4385 When {nr} is zero the current window is used. For a location
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004386 list window, the displayed location list is modified. For an
4387 invalid window number {nr}, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004388 Otherwise, same as setqflist().
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004389
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004390 *setpos()*
4391setpos({expr}, {list})
4392 Set the position for {expr}. Possible values:
4393 . the cursor
4394 'x mark x
4395
4396 {list} must be a |List| with four numbers:
4397 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
4398
4399 "bufnum" is the buffer number. Zero can be used for the
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004400 current buffer. Setting the cursor is only possible for
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004401 the current buffer. To set a mark in another buffer you can
4402 use the |bufnr()| function to turn a file name into a buffer
4403 number.
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00004404 Does not change the jumplist.
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004405
4406 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
4407 column is 1. Use a zero "lnum" to delete a mark.
4408
4409 The "off" number is only used when 'virtualedit' is set. Then
4410 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004411 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004412 character.
4413
4414 Also see |getpos()|
4415
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004416 This does not restore the preferred column for moving
4417 vertically. See |winrestview()| for that.
4418
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004419
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004420setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004421 Create or replace or add to the quickfix list using the items
4422 in {list}. Each item in {list} is a dictionary.
4423 Non-dictionary items in {list} are ignored. Each dictionary
4424 item can contain the following entries:
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004425
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004426 bufnr buffer number; must be the number of a valid
4427 buffer
4428 filename name of a file; only used when "bufnr" is not
4429 present or it is invalid.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004430 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004431 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004432 col column number
4433 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004434 when zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004435 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004436 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004437 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004438
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004439 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
4440 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
4441 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004442 If the "filename" and "bufnr" entries are not present or
4443 neither the "lnum" or "pattern" entries are present, then the
4444 item will not be handled as an error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004445 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
4446 be used.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004447 Note that the list is not exactly the same as what
4448 |getqflist()| returns.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004449
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004450 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
4451 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
4452 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
4453 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
4454 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
4455 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
4456
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004457 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
4458
4459 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
4460 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
4461 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
4462
4463
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004464 *setreg()*
4465setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
4466 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
4467 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
4468 then the value is appended.
4469 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
4470 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
4471 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
4472 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
4473 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
4474 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
4475 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004476 in the longest line (counting a <Tab> as 1 character).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004477
4478 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
4479 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
4480 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
4481 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4482
4483 Examples: >
4484 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
4485 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
4486 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
4487
4488< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
4489 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004490 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004491 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
4492 ....
4493 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
4494
4495< You can also change the type of a register by appending
4496 nothing: >
4497 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
4498
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00004499settabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) *settabwinvar()*
4500 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {winnr} to
4501 {val}.
4502 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
4503 use |setwinvar()|.
4504 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004505 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
4506 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
4507 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
4508 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00004509 Vim briefly goes to the tab page {tabnr}, this may trigger
4510 TabLeave and TabEnter autocommands.
4511 Examples: >
4512 :call settabwinvar(1, 1, "&list", 0)
4513 :call settabwinvar(3, 2, "myvar", "foobar")
4514< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4515
4516setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
4517 Like |settabwinvar()| for the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004518 Examples: >
4519 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
4520 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004521
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00004522shellescape({string}) *shellescape()*
4523 Escape {string} for use as shell command argument.
4524 On MS-Windows and MS-DOS, when 'shellslash' is not set, it
4525 will enclose {string} double quotes and double all double
4526 quotes within {string}.
4527 For other systems, it will enclose {string} in single quotes
4528 and replace all "'" with "'\''".
4529 Example: >
4530 :echo shellescape('c:\program files\vim')
4531< results in:
4532 "c:\program files\vim" ~
4533 Example usage: >
4534 :call system("chmod +x -- " . shellescape(expand("%")))
4535
4536
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004537simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
4538 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
4539 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
4540 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
4541 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
4542 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
4543 not removed either.
4544 Example: >
4545 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
4546< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
4547 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
4548 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
4549 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
4550 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
4551
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004552
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004553sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004554 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
4555 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4556 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
4557< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004558 Numbers sort after Strings, |Lists| after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004559 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004560 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004561 When {func} is a |Funcref| or a function name, this function
4562 is called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004563 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
4564 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
4565 sorts before the second one. Example: >
4566 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
4567 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
4568 endfunc
4569 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004570<
4571
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004572 *soundfold()*
4573soundfold({word})
4574 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
4575 language in 'spellang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004576 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
4577 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004578 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
4579 the method can be quite slow.
4580
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004581 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00004582spellbadword([{sentence}])
4583 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
4584 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
4585 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
4586 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
4587
4588 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
4589 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
4590 result is an empty string.
4591
4592 The return value is a list with two items:
4593 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
4594 - The type of the spelling error:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004595 "bad" spelling mistake
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00004596 "rare" rare word
4597 "local" word only valid in another region
4598 "caps" word should start with Capital
4599 Example: >
4600 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
4601< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
4602
4603 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
4604 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
4605 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004606
4607 *spellsuggest()*
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004608spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004609 Return a |List| with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004610 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
4611 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
4612
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004613 When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
4614 suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
4615 after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
4616
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004617 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
4618 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00004619 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
4620 replace a line.
4621
4622 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004623 returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
4624 although it may appear capitalized.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004625
4626 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004627 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
4628 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004629
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004630
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004631split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004632 Make a |List| out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or
4633 empty each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an
4634 item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004635 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004636 removing the matched characters.
4637 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
4638 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00004639 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
4640 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004641 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004642 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004643< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004644 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00004645< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
4646 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
4647< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004648 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
4649 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
4650< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004651
4652
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00004653str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) *str2nr()*
4654 Convert string {expr} to a number.
4655 {base} is the conversion base, it can be 8, 10 or 16.
4656 When {base} is omitted base 10 is used. This also means that
4657 a leading zero doesn't cause octal conversion to be used, as
4658 with the default String to Number conversion.
4659 When {base} is 16 a leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored. With a
4660 different base the result will be zero.
4661 Text after the number is silently ignored.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004662
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00004663
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004664strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
4665 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
4666 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
4667 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
4668 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
4669 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
4670 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
4671 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
4672 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
4673 Examples: >
4674 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
4675 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
4676 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
4677 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
4678 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
4679 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004680< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4681 :if exists("*strftime")
4682
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004683stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
4684 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4685 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004686 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
4687 This can be used to find a second match: >
4688 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
4689 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
4690< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004691 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004692 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004693 See also |strridx()|.
4694 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004695 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
4696 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
4697 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004698< *strstr()* *strchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004699 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
4700 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
4701
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004702 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004703string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
4704 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
4705 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004706 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004707 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004708 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004709 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004710 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00004711 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004712 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004713 Also see |strtrans()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004714
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004715 *strlen()*
4716strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004717 {expr} in bytes.
4718 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
4719 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004720
4721 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004722<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004723 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
4724 For other types an error is given.
4725 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004726
4727strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
4728 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004729 byte {start}, with the byte length {len}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004730 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
4731 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
4732 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
4733 end of the {src}. >
4734 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
4735 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
4736 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
4737 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
4738< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
4739 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +00004740 strpart(getline("."), col(".") - 1, 3)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004741<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004742strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
4743 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4744 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
4745 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
4746 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
4747 match: >
4748 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
4749 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
4750< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004751 For pattern searches use |match()|.
4752 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004753 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004754 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004755 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004756< *strrchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004757 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
4758 function strrchr().
4759
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004760strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
4761 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
4762 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
4763 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
4764 echo strtrans(@a)
4765< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
4766 starting a new line.
4767
4768submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
4769 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
4770 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
4771 the whole matched text is returned.
4772 Example: >
4773 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
4774< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
4775 A line break is included as a newline character.
4776
4777substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
4778 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
4779 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
4780 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
4781 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
4782 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004783 'ignorecase' is still relevant. 'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004784 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
4785 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
4786 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
4787 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
4788 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
4789 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
4790 unmodified.
4791 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
4792 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
4793 Example: >
4794 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
4795< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
4796 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
4797< results in "TESTING".
4798
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004799synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004800 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004801 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004802 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
4803 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004804
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004805 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004806 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
4807
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004808 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
4809 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
4810 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
4811 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
4812 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
4813 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
4814 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
4815
4816 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
4817 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
4818<
4819synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
4820 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
4821 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
4822 about a syntax item.
4823 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
4824 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
4825 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
4826 used (GUI, cterm or term).
4827 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
4828 {what} result
4829 "name" the name of the syntax item
4830 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
4831 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
4832 term: empty string)
4833 "bg" background color (like "fg")
4834 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
4835 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
4836 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
4837 "bold" "1" if bold
4838 "italic" "1" if italic
4839 "reverse" "1" if reverse
4840 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
4841 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004842 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004843
4844 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
4845 cursor): >
4846 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
4847<
4848synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
4849 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
4850 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
4851 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
4852 ":highlight link" are followed.
4853
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004854system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
4855 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
4856 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
4857 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
4858 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004859 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004860 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
4861 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
4862 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004863 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
4864 The result is a String. Example: >
4865
4866 :let files = system("ls")
4867
4868< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
4869 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
4870 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
4871 The command executed is constructed using several options:
4872 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
4873 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
4874 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
4875 concatenated commands.
4876
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004877 The command will be executed in "cooked" mode, so that a
4878 CTRL-C will interrupt the command (on Unix at least).
4879
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004880 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
4881 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00004882
4883 Note that any wrong value in the options mentioned above may
4884 make the function fail. It has also been reported to fail
4885 when using a security agent application.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004886 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
4887 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
4888
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004889
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004890tabpagebuflist([{arg}]) *tabpagebuflist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004891 The result is a |List|, where each item is the number of the
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004892 buffer associated with each window in the current tab page.
4893 {arg} specifies the number of tab page to be used. When
4894 omitted the current tab page is used.
4895 When {arg} is invalid the number zero is returned.
4896 To get a list of all buffers in all tabs use this: >
4897 tablist = []
4898 for i in range(tabpagenr('$'))
4899 call extend(tablist, tabpagebuflist(i + 1))
4900 endfor
4901< Note that a buffer may appear in more than one window.
4902
4903
4904tabpagenr([{arg}]) *tabpagenr()*
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00004905 The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4906 tab page. The first tab page has number 1.
4907 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the last tab
4908 page is returned (the tab page count).
4909 The number can be used with the |:tab| command.
4910
4911
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004912tabpagewinnr({tabarg}, [{arg}]) *tabpagewinnr()*
4913 Like |winnr()| but for tab page {arg}.
4914 {tabarg} specifies the number of tab page to be used.
4915 {arg} is used like with |winnr()|:
4916 - When omitted the current window number is returned. This is
4917 the window which will be used when going to this tab page.
4918 - When "$" the number of windows is returned.
4919 - When "#" the previous window nr is returned.
4920 Useful examples: >
4921 tabpagewinnr(1) " current window of tab page 1
4922 tabpagewinnr(4, '$') " number of windows in tab page 4
4923< When {tabarg} is invalid zero is returned.
4924
Bram Moolenaarfa1d1402006-03-25 21:59:56 +00004925 *tagfiles()*
4926tagfiles() Returns a |List| with the file names used to search for tags
4927 for the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
4928
4929
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004930taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
4931 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00004932 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
4933 entries:
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004934 name Name of the tag.
4935 filename Name of the file where the tag is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004936 defined. It is either relative to the
4937 current directory or a full path.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004938 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
4939 the file.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004940 kind Type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004941 entry depends on the language specific
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004942 kind values. Only available when
4943 using a tags file generated by
4944 Exuberant ctags or hdrtag.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004945 static A file specific tag. Refer to
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004946 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004947 More entries may be present, depending on the content of the
4948 tags file: access, implementation, inherits and signature.
4949 Refer to the ctags documentation for information about these
4950 fields. For C code the fields "struct", "class" and "enum"
4951 may appear, they give the name of the entity the tag is
4952 contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004953
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004954 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
4955 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004956
4957 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
4958
4959 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
4960 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
4961 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
4962
4963 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
4964 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
4965 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
4966
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004967tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
4968 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
4969 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
4970 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
4971 :let tmpfile = tempname()
4972 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
4973< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
4974 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
4975 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
4976 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
4977 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
4978 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
4979
4980tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
4981 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
4982 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
4983 the string).
4984
4985toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
4986 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
4987 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
4988 the string).
4989
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00004990tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
4991 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
4992 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
4993 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
4994 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
4995 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
4996 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
4997
4998 Examples: >
4999 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
5000< returns "Hello THere" >
5001 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
5002< returns "{blob}"
5003
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005004 *type()*
5005type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005006 Number: 0
5007 String: 1
5008 Funcref: 2
5009 List: 3
5010 Dictionary: 4
5011 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005012 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
5013 :if type(myvar) == type("")
5014 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
5015 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005016 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005017
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005018values({dict}) *values()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005019 Return a |List| with all the values of {dict}. The |List| is
5020 in arbitrary order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005021
5022
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005023virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
5024 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
5025 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
5026 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
5027 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
5028 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
5029 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
5030 set to 8, it returns 8.
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00005031 For the byte position use |col()|.
5032 For the use of {expr} see |col()|.
5033 When 'virtualedit' is used {expr} can be [lnum, col, off], where
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005034 "off" is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00005035 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005036 character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005037 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
5038 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
5039 The accepted positions are:
5040 . the cursor position
5041 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
5042 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
5043 plus one)
5044 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
5045 returned)
5046 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
5047 Examples: >
5048 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
5049 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
5050 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
5051< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005052 A more advanced example that echoes the maximum length of
5053 all lines: >
5054 echo max(map(range(1, line('$')), "virtcol([v:val, '$'])"))
5055
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005056
5057visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
5058 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005059 used in the current buffer. Initially it returns an empty
5060 string, but once Visual mode has been used, it returns "v",
5061 "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a single CTRL-V character) for
5062 character-wise, line-wise, or block-wise Visual mode
5063 respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005064 Example: >
5065 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
5066< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
5067 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
5068 Visual mode that was used.
5069
5070 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
5071 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
5072 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
5073 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
5074
5075 *winbufnr()*
5076winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005077 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005078 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
5079 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5080 Example: >
5081 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
5082<
5083 *wincol()*
5084wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
5085 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
5086 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
5087
5088winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
5089 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
5090 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
5091 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5092 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
5093 Examples: >
5094 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
5095<
5096 *winline()*
5097winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
5098 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
5099 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00005100 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
5101 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005102
5103 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005104winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
5105 window. The top window has number 1.
5106 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00005107 last window is returned (the window count).
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005108 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
5109 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005110 If there is no previous window or it is in another tab page 0
5111 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005112 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
5113 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005114 Also see |tabpagewinnr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005115
5116 *winrestcmd()*
5117winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
5118 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005119 are opened or closed and the current window and tab page is
5120 unchanged.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005121 Example: >
5122 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
5123 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
5124 :exe cmd
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005125<
5126 *winrestview()*
5127winrestview({dict})
5128 Uses the |Dictionary| returned by |winsaveview()| to restore
5129 the view of the current window.
5130 If you have changed the values the result is unpredictable.
5131 If the window size changed the result won't be the same.
5132
5133 *winsaveview()*
5134winsaveview() Returns a |Dictionary| that contains information to restore
5135 the view of the current window. Use |winrestview()| to
5136 restore the view.
5137 This is useful if you have a mapping that jumps around in the
5138 buffer and you want to go back to the original view.
5139 This does not save fold information. Use the 'foldenable'
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00005140 option to temporarily switch off folding, so that folds are
5141 not opened when moving around.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005142 The return value includes:
5143 lnum cursor line number
5144 col cursor column
5145 coladd cursor column offset for 'virtualedit'
5146 curswant column for vertical movement
5147 topline first line in the window
5148 topfill filler lines, only in diff mode
5149 leftcol first column displayed
5150 skipcol columns skipped
5151 Note that no option values are saved.
5152
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005153
5154winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
5155 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
5156 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
5157 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5158 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
5159 Examples: >
5160 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
5161 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
5162 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
5163 :endif
5164<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005165 *writefile()*
5166writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005167 Write |List| {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005168 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
5169 Number.
5170 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
5171 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
5172 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
5173 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
5174 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
5175 to writefile().
5176 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
5177 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
5178 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
5179 fails.
5180 Also see |readfile()|.
5181 To copy a file byte for byte: >
5182 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
5183 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
5184<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005185
5186 *feature-list*
5187There are three types of features:
51881. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
5189 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
5190 :if has("cindent")
51912. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
5192 Example: >
5193 :if has("gui_running")
5194< *has-patch*
51953. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
5196 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
5197 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
5198 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005199< Note that it's possible for patch 147 to be omitted even though 148 is
5200 included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005201
5202all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
5203amiga Amiga version of Vim.
5204arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
5205arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00005206autocmd Compiled with autocommand support. |autocommand|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005207balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00005208balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005209beos BeOS version of Vim.
5210browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
5211 work.
5212builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
5213byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
5214cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
5215clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
5216clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
5217cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
5218cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
5219cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
5220comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
5221cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
5222cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
5223compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
5224debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
5225dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
5226dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
5227diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
5228digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
5229dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
5230dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
5231dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
5232ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
5233emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
5234eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
5235 true, of course!
5236ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
5237extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
5238 |'hlsearch'|
5239farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
5240file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005241filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
5242 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005243find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
5244 |+find_in_path|.
5245fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
5246 Windows this is not present).
5247folding Compiled with |folding| support.
5248footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
5249fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
5250gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
5251gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
5252gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005253gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
5254gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
5255gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
5256gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
5257gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
5258gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
5259gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
5260gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
5261hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
5262iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
5263insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
5264 Insert mode.
5265jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
5266keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
5267langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
5268libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
5269linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
5270 support.
5271lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
5272listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
5273 and the argument list |arglist|.
5274localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
5275mac Macintosh version of Vim.
5276macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
5277menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
5278mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
5279modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
5280mouse Compiled with support mouse.
5281mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
5282mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
5283mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
5284mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
5285mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
5286mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
5287multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
5288multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
5289multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00005290mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005291netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00005292netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005293ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
5294os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
5295osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
5296path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
5297perl Compiled with Perl interface.
5298postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
5299printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005300profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005301python Compiled with Python interface.
5302qnx QNX version of Vim.
5303quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
Bram Moolenaard68071d2006-05-02 22:08:30 +00005304reltime Compiled with |reltime()| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005305rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
5306ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
5307scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
5308showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
5309signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
5310smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00005311sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005312statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
5313 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
5314sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00005315spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
5316syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005317syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
5318 current buffer.
5319system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
5320tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
5321 |tag-binary-search|.
5322tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
5323 |tag-old-static|.
5324tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
5325 files |tag-any-white|.
5326tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
5327terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
5328termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
5329textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
5330tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
5331 or terminfo file.
5332title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
5333toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
5334unix Unix version of Vim.
5335user_commands User-defined commands.
5336viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
5337vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
5338vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
5339virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
5340visual Compiled with Visual mode.
5341visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
5342 |blockwise-operators|.
5343vms VMS version of Vim.
5344vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
5345wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
5346wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
5347windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
5348winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
5349win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
5350win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
5351win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
5352win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
5353win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
5354writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
5355xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
5356xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
5357xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
5358xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
5359xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
5360xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
5361 xterm screen.
5362x11 Compiled with X11 support.
5363
5364 *string-match*
5365Matching a pattern in a String
5366
5367A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
5368the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
5369everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
5370like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
5371line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
5372with ".". Example: >
5373 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
5374 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
5375 aa
5376 xx
5377 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
5378 a
5379 x
5380
5381Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
5382"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
5383"\n".
5384
5385==============================================================================
53865. Defining functions *user-functions*
5387
5388New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
5389functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
5390commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
5391
5392The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
5393builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
5394avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
5395the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
5396
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005397It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
5398|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005399
5400 *local-function*
5401A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
5402can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
5403and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
5404function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
5405instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
5406
5407 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
5408:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
5409
5410:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005411 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5412 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005413 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005414
5415:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
5416 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
5417 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00005418<
5419 *:function-verbose*
5420When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
5421last defined. Example: >
5422
5423 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
5424 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
5425 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
5426<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00005427See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00005428
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005429 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005430:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005431 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
5432 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
5433 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005434
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005435 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5436 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005437 :function dict.init(arg)
5438< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
5439 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
5440 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
5441 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
5442 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
5443 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005444 *E127* *E122*
5445 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
5446 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
5447 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
5448 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005449
5450 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
5451
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005452 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
5453 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
5454 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
5455 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
5456 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
5457 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
5458 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005459
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005460 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
5461 abort as soon as an error is detected.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005462
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005463 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005464 be invoked through an entry in a |Dictionary|. The
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005465 local variable "self" will then be set to the
5466 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005467
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00005468 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
5469 will not be changed by the function.
5470
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005471 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
5472:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
5473 by its own, without other commands.
5474
5475 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
5476:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005477 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5478 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005479 :delfunc dict.init
5480< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
5481 function is deleted if there are no more references to
5482 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005483 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
5484:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
5485 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
5486 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
5487 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
5488 the number 0 is returned.
5489 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
5490 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
5491
5492 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
5493 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
5494 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
5495 are executed first. This process applies to all
5496 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
5497 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
5498
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005499 *function-argument* *a:var*
5500An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
5501be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005502 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740* *...*
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005503Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
5504arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
5505may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
5506as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005507can be 0). "a:000" is set to a |List| that contains these arguments. Note
5508that "a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005509 *E742*
5510The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005511However, if a |List| or |Dictionary| is used, you can changes their contents.
5512Thus you can pass a |List| to a function and have the function add an item to
5513it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a |List| or
5514|Dictionary| use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005515
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005516When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
5517to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
5518may be larger.
5519
5520It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
5521still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
5522until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
5523inside a function body.
5524
5525 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005526Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
5527will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
5528accessed with "g:".
5529
5530Example: >
5531 :function Table(title, ...)
5532 : echohl Title
5533 : echo a:title
5534 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005535 : echo a:0 . " items:"
5536 : for s in a:000
5537 : echon ' ' . s
5538 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005539 :endfunction
5540
5541This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005542 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
5543 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005544
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005545To return more than one value, return a |List|: >
5546 :function Compute(n1, n2)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005547 : if a:n2 == 0
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005548 : return ["fail", 0]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005549 : endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005550 : return ["ok", a:n1 / a:n2]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005551 :endfunction
5552
5553This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005554 :let [success, div] = Compute(102, 6)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005555 :if success == "ok"
5556 : echo div
5557 :endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005558<
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00005559 *:cal* *:call* *E107* *E117*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005560:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
5561 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
5562 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005563 used. The returned value is discarded.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005564 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
5565 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
5566 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
5567 function.
5568 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
5569 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
5570 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
5571 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
5572 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
5573 this works:
5574 *function-range-example* >
5575 :function Mynumber(arg)
5576 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
5577 :endfunction
5578 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
5579<
5580 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
5581 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
5582 the range.
5583
5584 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
5585
5586 :function Cont() range
5587 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
5588 :endfunction
5589 :4,8call Cont()
5590<
5591 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
5592 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
5593
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005594 When the function returns a composite value it can be further
5595 dereferenced, but the range will not be used then. Example: >
5596 :4,8call GetDict().method()
5597< Here GetDict() gets the range but method() does not.
5598
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005599 *E132*
5600The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
5601option.
5602
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005603
5604AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005605 *autoload-functions*
5606When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005607only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
5608the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
5609
5610
5611Using an autocommand ~
5612
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005613This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
5614
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005615The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
5616You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
5617That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
5618again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
5619
5620Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
5621function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005622
5623 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
5624
5625The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
5626"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
5627
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005628
5629Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005630 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005631This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
5632
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005633Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
5634exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
5635like this: >
5636
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005637 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005638
5639When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
5640"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
5641"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
5642then define the function like this: >
5643
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005644 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005645 echo "Done!"
5646 endfunction
5647
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00005648The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005649exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
5650called.
5651
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005652It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
5653a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005654
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005655 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005656
5657Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
5658
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005659This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
5660
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005661 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005662
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00005663However, when the autoload script was already loaded it won't be loaded again
5664for an unknown variable.
5665
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005666When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
5667be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
5668
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005669 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
5670 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005671
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00005672Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
5673defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
5674function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005675And you will get an error message every time.
5676
5677Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
5678other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
5679Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005680
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00005681Hint: If you distribute a bunch of scripts you can pack them together with the
5682|vimball| utility. Also read the user manual |distribute-script|.
5683
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005684==============================================================================
56856. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
5686
5687Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
5688This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
5689{} like this: >
5690 my_{adjective}_variable
5691
5692When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
5693that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
5694name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
5695"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
5696"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
5697
5698One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
5699value. For example, the statement >
5700 echo my_{&background}_message
5701
5702would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
5703on the current value of 'background'.
5704
5705You can use multiple brace pairs: >
5706 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
5707..or even nest them: >
5708 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
5709where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
5710
5711However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005712variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005713 :let foo='a + b'
5714 :echo c{foo}d
5715.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
5716
5717 *curly-braces-function-names*
5718You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
5719Example: >
5720 :let func_end='whizz'
5721 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
5722
5723This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
5724
5725==============================================================================
57267. Commands *expression-commands*
5727
5728:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
5729 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
5730 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
5731 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
5732 is created.
5733
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005734:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
5735 Set a list item to the result of the expression
5736 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
5737 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
5738 the index can be repeated.
5739 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
5740
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005741 *E711* *E719*
5742:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005743 Set a sequence of items in a |List| to the result of
5744 the expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005745 correct number of items.
5746 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
5747 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
5748 When the selected range of items is partly past the
5749 end of the list, items will be added.
5750
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005751 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005752:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
5753:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
5754:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
5755 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
5756 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
5757
5758
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005759:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
5760 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
5761 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005762:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
5763 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
5764 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
5765 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005766
5767:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
5768 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
5769 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
5770 must be the name of a writable register (see
5771 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
5772 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
5773 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
5774 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
5775 characterwise.
5776 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
5777 :let @/ = ""
5778< This is different from searching for an empty string,
5779 that would match everywhere.
5780
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005781:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
5782 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
5783 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
5784
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005785:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005786 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005787 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
5788 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005789 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
5790 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
Bram Moolenaara5fac542005-10-12 20:58:49 +00005791 value and the global value are changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005792 Example: >
5793 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005794
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005795:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
5796 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
5797 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
5798
5799:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
5800:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
5801 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
5802 {expr1}.
5803
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005804:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005805:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5806:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
5807:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005808 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
5809 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
5810
5811:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005812:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5813:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
5814:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005815 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
5816 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
5817
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005818:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005819 {expr1} must evaluate to a |List|. The first item in
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005820 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
5821 {name2}, etc.
5822 The number of names must match the number of items in
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005823 the |List|.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005824 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
5825 command as mentioned above.
5826 Example: >
5827 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005828< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
5829 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
5830 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
5831 :let x = [0, 1]
5832 :let i = 0
5833 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
5834 :echo x
5835< The result is [0, 2].
5836
5837:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
5838:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
5839:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
5840 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005841 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005842
5843:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005844 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the |List| may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005845 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
5846 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
5847 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005848 Example: >
5849 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
5850<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005851:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
5852:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
5853:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
5854 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005855 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005856 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005857:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00005858 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
5859 here: *E738*
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00005860 g: global variables
5861 b: local buffer variables
5862 w: local window variables
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00005863 t: local tab page variables
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00005864 s: script-local variables
5865 l: local function variables
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00005866 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005867
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005868:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
5869 variable is indicated before the value:
5870 <nothing> String
5871 # Number
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005872 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005873
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005874
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005875:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108* *E795*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005876 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
5877 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005878 may also be a |List| or |Dictionary| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005879 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
5880 variables.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005881 One or more items from a |List| can be removed: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005882 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
5883 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005884< One item from a |Dictionary| can be removed at a time: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005885 :unlet dict['two']
5886 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005887
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005888:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
5889 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
5890 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
5891 A locked variable can be deleted: >
5892 :lockvar v
5893 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
5894 :unlet v
5895< *E741*
5896 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
5897 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
5898
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005899 [depth] is relevant when locking a |List| or
5900 |Dictionary|. It specifies how deep the locking goes:
5901 1 Lock the |List| or |Dictionary| itself,
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005902 cannot add or remove items, but can
5903 still change their values.
5904 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005905 the items. If an item is a |List| or
5906 |Dictionary|, cannot add or remove
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005907 items, but can still change the
5908 values.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005909 3 Like 2 but for the |List| /
5910 |Dictionary| in the |List| /
5911 |Dictionary|, one level deeper.
5912 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a |List|
5913 or |Dictionary| the values cannot be changed.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005914 *E743*
5915 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
5916 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
5917 loops.
5918
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005919 Note that when two variables refer to the same |List|
5920 and you lock one of them, the |List| will also be
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00005921 locked when used through the other variable.
5922 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005923 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
5924 :let cl = l
5925 :lockvar l
5926 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
5927< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
5928 See |deepcopy()|.
5929
5930
5931:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
5932 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
5933 opposite of |:lockvar|.
5934
5935
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005936:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
5937:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5938 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5939
5940 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
5941 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
5942 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
5943 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
5944 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
5945 part was not executed either.
5946
5947 You can use this to remain compatible with older
5948 versions: >
5949 :if version >= 500
5950 : version-5-specific-commands
5951 :endif
5952< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
5953 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
5954 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
5955 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
5956 avoid problems: >
5957 :if version >= 600
5958 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
5959 :endif
5960<
5961 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
5962 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
5963
5964 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
5965:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5966 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
5967 executed.
5968
5969 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
5970:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
5971 is no extra ":endif".
5972
5973:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005974 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005975:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
5976 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5977 When an error is detected from a command inside the
5978 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005979 Example: >
5980 :let lnum = 1
5981 :while lnum <= line("$")
5982 :call FixLine(lnum)
5983 :let lnum = lnum + 1
5984 :endwhile
5985<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005986 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005987 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005988
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005989:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005990:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
5991 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005992 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005993 value of each item.
5994 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005995 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00005996 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
5997 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005998 :for item in copy(mylist)
5999< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
6000 next item in the list, before executing the commands
6001 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
6002 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
6003 it will not be found. Thus the following example
6004 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
6005 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006006 :call remove(mylist, 0)
6007 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00006008< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
6009 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
6010 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006011 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
6012 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
6013 to allow multiple item types.
6014
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006015:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
6016:endfo[r]
6017 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
6018 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
6019 {var2}, etc. Example: >
6020 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
6021 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
6022 :endfor
6023<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006024 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006025:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
6026 to the start of the loop.
6027 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6028 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6029 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6030 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6031 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6032 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006033
6034 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006035:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
6036 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
6037 ":endfor".
6038 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6039 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6040 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6041 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6042 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6043 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006044
6045:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
6046:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
6047 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
6048 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
6049 or autocommand invocations.
6050
6051 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
6052 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
6053 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
6054 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
6055 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
6056 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
6057 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
6058 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
6059 Example: >
6060 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
6061 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
6062<
6063 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
6064 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
6065 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
6066 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
6067 processing is not terminated.
6068
6069 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
6070 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
6071 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
6072 other errors are converted to a value of the form
6073 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
6074 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
6075 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
6076 the error number.
6077 Examples: >
6078 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
6079 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
6080<
6081 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
6082:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
6083 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
6084 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
6085 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
6086 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
6087 commands are skipped.
6088 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
6089 Examples: >
6090 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
6091 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
6092 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
6093 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
6094 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
6095 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
6096 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
6097 :catch " same as /.*/
6098<
6099 Another character can be used instead of / around the
6100 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
6101 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
6102 {pattern}.
6103 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
6104 an error message because it may vary in different
6105 locales.
6106
6107 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
6108:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
6109 are executed whenever the part between the matching
6110 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
6111 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
6112 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
6113 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
6114
6115 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
6116:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
6117 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
6118 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
6119 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
6120 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
6121 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
6122 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
6123 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
6124 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
6125 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
6126 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
6127 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
6128 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
6129 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
6130 is terminated.
6131 Example: >
6132 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
6133<
6134
6135 *:ec* *:echo*
6136:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
6137 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
6138 Also see |:comment|.
6139 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
6140 cursor to the first column.
6141 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6142 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6143 Example: >
6144 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006145< *:echo-redraw*
6146 A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
6147 And since Vim mostly postpones redrawing until it's
6148 finished with a sequence of commands this happens
6149 quite often. To avoid that a command from before the
6150 ":echo" causes a redraw afterwards (redraws are often
6151 postponed until you type something), force a redraw
6152 with the |:redraw| command. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006153 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
6154<
6155 *:echon*
6156:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
6157 |:comment|.
6158 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6159 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6160 Example: >
6161 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
6162<
6163 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
6164 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
6165 command: >
6166 :!echo % --> filename
6167< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
6168 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
6169< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
6170 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
6171 :echo % --> nothing
6172< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
6173 :echo "%" --> %
6174< This just echoes the '%' character. >
6175 :echo expand("%") --> filename
6176< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
6177
6178 *:echoh* *:echohl*
6179:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
6180 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
6181 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
6182 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
6183< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
6184 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
6185
6186 *:echom* *:echomsg*
6187:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
6188 message in the |message-history|.
6189 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
6190 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
6191 displayed, not interpreted.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006192 The parsing works slightly different from |:echo|,
6193 more like |:execute|. All the expressions are first
6194 evaluated and concatenated before echoing anything.
6195 The expressions must evaluate to a Number or String, a
6196 Dictionary or List causes an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006197 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6198 Example: >
6199 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006200< See |:echo-redraw| to avoid the message disappearing
6201 when the screen is redrawn.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006202 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
6203:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
6204 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
6205 script or function the line number will be added.
6206 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
6207 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
6208 the message is raised as an error exception instead
6209 (see |try-echoerr|).
6210 Example: >
6211 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
6212< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
6213 And to get a beep: >
6214 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
6215<
6216 *:exe* *:execute*
6217:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
6218 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
6219 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
6220 used as the processed command, command line editing
6221 keys are not recognized.
6222 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6223 Examples: >
6224 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
6225 :execute "normal " count . "w"
6226<
6227 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
6228 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
6229 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
6230
6231< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
6232 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
6233 command: >
6234 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
6235< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
6236
6237 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00006238 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
6239 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006240 :execute 'while i > 5'
6241 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
6242<
6243 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
6244 completely in the executed string: >
6245 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
6246<
6247
6248 *:comment*
6249 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
6250 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
6251 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
6252 comment. Example: >
6253 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
6254
6255==============================================================================
62568. Exception handling *exception-handling*
6257
6258The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
6259explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
6260
6261Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
6262|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
6263exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
6264
6265
6266TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
6267
6268Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
6269use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
6270a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
6271 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
6272|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
6273a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
6274be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
6275which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
6276clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
6277
6278 :try
6279 : ...
6280 : ... TRY BLOCK
6281 : ...
6282 :catch /{pattern}/
6283 : ...
6284 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
6285 : ...
6286 :catch /{pattern}/
6287 : ...
6288 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
6289 : ...
6290 :finally
6291 : ...
6292 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
6293 : ...
6294 :endtry
6295
6296The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
6297appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
6298from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
6299 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
6300is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
6301script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
6302 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
6303lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
6304patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
6305after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
6306executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
6307":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
6308(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
6309continues in the following line as usual.
6310 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
6311":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
6312that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
6313finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
6314the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
6315the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
6316see |try-nesting|.
6317 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
6318remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
6319not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
6320try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
6321a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
6322execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
6323exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6324 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
6325thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
6326clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
6327catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
6328following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
6329clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6330
6331The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
6332a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
6333try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
6334from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
6335sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
6336":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
6337":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
6338from the finally clause.
6339 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
6340try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
6341clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
6342":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
6343clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
6344":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
6345this pending exception or command is discarded.
6346
6347For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
6348
6349
6350NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
6351
6352Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
6353conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
6354clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
6355catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
6356of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
6357checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
6358try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
6359otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
6360nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
6361one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
6362the inner try conditional.
6363
6364When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
6365finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
6366An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
6367thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
6368implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
6369as usual.
6370
6371For examples see |throw-catch|.
6372
6373
6374EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
6375
6376Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
6377'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
6378script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
6379finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
6380a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
6381(see |debug-scripts|).
6382
6383
6384THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
6385
6386You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
6387and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
6388 :throw 4711
6389 :throw "string"
6390< *throw-expression*
6391You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
6392first, and the result is thrown: >
6393 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
6394 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
6395
6396An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
6397command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
6398The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
6399 Example: >
6400
6401 :function! Foo(arg)
6402 : try
6403 : throw a:arg
6404 : catch /foo/
6405 : endtry
6406 : return 1
6407 :endfunction
6408 :
6409 :function! Bar()
6410 : echo "in Bar"
6411 : return 4710
6412 :endfunction
6413 :
6414 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
6415
6416This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
6417executed. >
6418 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
6419however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
6420
6421Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
6422abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
6423exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
6424 Example: >
6425
6426 :if Foo("arrgh")
6427 : echo "then"
6428 :else
6429 : echo "else"
6430 :endif
6431
6432Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
6433
6434 *catch-order*
6435Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
6436commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
6437command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
6438gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
6439 Example: >
6440
6441 :function! Foo(value)
6442 : try
6443 : throw a:value
6444 : catch /^\d\+$/
6445 : echo "Number thrown"
6446 : catch /.*/
6447 : echo "String thrown"
6448 : endtry
6449 :endfunction
6450 :
6451 :call Foo(0x1267)
6452 :call Foo('string')
6453
6454The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
6455An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
6456specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
6457specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
6458
6459 : catch /.*/
6460 : echo "String thrown"
6461 : catch /^\d\+$/
6462 : echo "Number thrown"
6463
6464The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
6465never taken.
6466
6467 *throw-variables*
6468If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
6469in the variable |v:exception|: >
6470
6471 : catch /^\d\+$/
6472 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
6473
6474You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
6475|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
6476exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
6477 Example: >
6478
6479 :function! Caught()
6480 : if v:exception != ""
6481 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
6482 : else
6483 : echo 'Nothing caught'
6484 : endif
6485 :endfunction
6486 :
6487 :function! Foo()
6488 : try
6489 : try
6490 : try
6491 : throw 4711
6492 : finally
6493 : call Caught()
6494 : endtry
6495 : catch /.*/
6496 : call Caught()
6497 : throw "oops"
6498 : endtry
6499 : catch /.*/
6500 : call Caught()
6501 : finally
6502 : call Caught()
6503 : endtry
6504 :endfunction
6505 :
6506 :call Foo()
6507
6508This displays >
6509
6510 Nothing caught
6511 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
6512 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
6513 Nothing caught
6514
6515A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
6516number in the script or function where it has been used: >
6517
6518 :function! LineNumber()
6519 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
6520 :endfunction
6521 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
6522<
6523 *try-nested*
6524An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
6525a surrounding try conditional: >
6526
6527 :try
6528 : try
6529 : throw "foo"
6530 : catch /foobar/
6531 : echo "foobar"
6532 : finally
6533 : echo "inner finally"
6534 : endtry
6535 :catch /foo/
6536 : echo "foo"
6537 :endtry
6538
6539The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
6540clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
6541conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
6542
6543 *throw-from-catch*
6544You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
6545catch clause: >
6546
6547 :function! Foo()
6548 : throw "foo"
6549 :endfunction
6550 :
6551 :function! Bar()
6552 : try
6553 : call Foo()
6554 : catch /foo/
6555 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
6556 : throw "bar"
6557 : endtry
6558 :endfunction
6559 :
6560 :try
6561 : call Bar()
6562 :catch /.*/
6563 : echo "Caught" v:exception
6564 :endtry
6565
6566This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
6567
6568 *rethrow*
6569There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
6570"v:exception" instead: >
6571
6572 :function! Bar()
6573 : try
6574 : call Foo()
6575 : catch /.*/
6576 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
6577 : throw v:exception
6578 : endtry
6579 :endfunction
6580< *try-echoerr*
6581Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
6582exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
6583Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
6584denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
6585the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
6586
6587 :try
6588 : try
6589 : asdf
6590 : catch /.*/
6591 : echoerr v:exception
6592 : endtry
6593 :catch /.*/
6594 : echo v:exception
6595 :endtry
6596
6597This code displays
6598
6599 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
6600
6601
6602CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
6603
6604Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
6605user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
6606an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
6607a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
6608catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
6609a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
6610normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
6611(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
6612to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
6613clause has been executed.)
6614Example: >
6615
6616 :try
6617 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
6618 : set ts=17
6619 :
6620 : " Do the hard work here.
6621 :
6622 :finally
6623 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
6624 : unlet s:saved_ts
6625 :endtry
6626
6627This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
6628changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
6629that function or script part.
6630
6631 *break-finally*
6632Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
6633a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
6634 Example: >
6635
6636 :let first = 1
6637 :while 1
6638 : try
6639 : if first
6640 : echo "first"
6641 : let first = 0
6642 : continue
6643 : else
6644 : throw "second"
6645 : endif
6646 : catch /.*/
6647 : echo v:exception
6648 : break
6649 : finally
6650 : echo "cleanup"
6651 : endtry
6652 : echo "still in while"
6653 :endwhile
6654 :echo "end"
6655
6656This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
6657
6658 :function! Foo()
6659 : try
6660 : return 4711
6661 : finally
6662 : echo "cleanup\n"
6663 : endtry
6664 : echo "Foo still active"
6665 :endfunction
6666 :
6667 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
6668
6669This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
6670extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
6671return value.)
6672
6673 *except-from-finally*
6674Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
6675a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
6676cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
6677exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
6678 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
6679working correctly: >
6680
6681 :try
6682 : try
6683 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
6684 : while 1
6685 : endwhile
6686 : finally
6687 : unlet novar
6688 : endtry
6689 :catch /novar/
6690 :endtry
6691 :echo "Script still running"
6692 :sleep 1
6693
6694If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
6695think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
6696|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
6697
6698
6699CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
6700
6701If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
6702watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
6703presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
6704exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
6705the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
6706the error exception is.
6707 Error exceptions have the following format: >
6708
6709 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
6710or >
6711 Vim:{errmsg}
6712
6713{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
6714the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
6715when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
6716a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
6717a space.
6718
6719Examples:
6720
6721The command >
6722 :unlet novar
6723normally produces the error message >
6724 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6725which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6726 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
6727
6728The command >
6729 :dwim
6730normally produces the error message >
6731 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6732which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6733 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6734
6735You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
6736 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
6737or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
6738 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
6739
6740Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
6741 :function nofunc
6742and >
6743 :delfunction nofunc
6744both produce the error message >
6745 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6746which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6747 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6748or >
6749 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6750respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
6751command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
6752 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
6753
6754Some commands like >
6755 :let x = novar
6756produce multiple error messages, here: >
6757 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6758 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6759Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
6760one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
6761 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
6762
6763You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
6764 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
6765
6766You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
6767 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
6768
6769You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
6770 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
6771<
6772 *catch-text*
6773NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
6774 :catch /No such variable/
6775only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
6776a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
6777cite the message text in a comment: >
6778 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
6779
6780
6781IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
6782
6783You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
6784
6785 :try
6786 : write
6787 :catch
6788 :endtry
6789
6790But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
6791catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
6792be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
6793
6794 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
6795
6796There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
6797writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
6798then hide the error from the user.
6799 It is much better to use >
6800
6801 :try
6802 : write
6803 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6804 :endtry
6805
6806which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
6807intentionally.
6808
6809For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
6810even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
6811command: >
6812 :silent! nunmap k
6813This works also when a try conditional is active.
6814
6815
6816CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
6817
6818When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
6819the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
6820script is not terminated, then.
6821 Example: >
6822
6823 :function! TASK1()
6824 : sleep 10
6825 :endfunction
6826
6827 :function! TASK2()
6828 : sleep 20
6829 :endfunction
6830
6831 :while 1
6832 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
6833 : try
6834 : if command == ""
6835 : continue
6836 : elseif command == "END"
6837 : break
6838 : elseif command == "TASK1"
6839 : call TASK1()
6840 : elseif command == "TASK2"
6841 : call TASK2()
6842 : else
6843 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
6844 : continue
6845 : endif
6846 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6847 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
6848 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
6849 : endtry
6850 :endwhile
6851
6852You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
6853a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
6854
6855For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
6856your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
6857command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
6858
6859
6860CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
6861
6862The commands >
6863
6864 :catch /.*/
6865 :catch //
6866 :catch
6867
6868catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
6869explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
6870a script in order to catch unexpected things.
6871 Example: >
6872
6873 :try
6874 :
6875 : " do the hard work here
6876 :
6877 :catch /MyException/
6878 :
6879 : " handle known problem
6880 :
6881 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6882 : echo "Script interrupted"
6883 :catch /.*/
6884 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
6885 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
6886 :endtry
6887 :" end of script
6888
6889Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
6890strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
6891specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
6892 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
6893by pressing CTRL-C: >
6894
6895 :while 1
6896 : try
6897 : sleep 1
6898 : catch
6899 : endtry
6900 :endwhile
6901
6902
6903EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
6904
6905Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
6906
6907 :autocmd User x try
6908 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
6909 :autocmd User x catch
6910 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
6911 :autocmd User x endtry
6912 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
6913 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
6914 :
6915 :try
6916 : doautocmd User x
6917 :catch
6918 : echo v:exception
6919 :endtry
6920
6921This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
6922
6923 *except-autocmd-Pre*
6924For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
6925command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
6926of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
6927abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
6928 Example: >
6929
6930 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
6931 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
6932 :
6933 :try
6934 : write
6935 :catch
6936 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
6937 :endtry
6938
6939Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
6940you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
6941autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
6942script displays: >
6943
6944 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
6945<
6946 *except-autocmd-Post*
6947For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
6948command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
6949an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
6950is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
6951 Example: >
6952
6953 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
6954 :
6955 :try
6956 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6957 :catch
6958 : echo v:exception
6959 :endtry
6960
6961This just displays: >
6962
6963 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
6964
6965If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
6966fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
6967 Example: >
6968
6969 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
6970 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
6971 :
6972 :try
6973 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6974 :catch
6975 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6976 :endtry
6977<
6978You can also use ":silent!": >
6979
6980 :let x = "ok"
6981 :let v:errmsg = ""
6982 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
6983 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
6984 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
6985 :try
6986 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6987 :catch
6988 :endtry
6989 :echo x
6990
6991This displays "after fail".
6992
6993If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
6994autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
6995
6996 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
6997 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
6998 :
6999 :try
7000 : write
7001 :catch
7002 : echo v:exception
7003 :endtry
7004<
7005 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
7006For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
7007autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
7008of the command.
7009 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
7010had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
7011some way. >
7012
7013 :if !exists("cnt")
7014 : let cnt = 0
7015 :
7016 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
7017 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
7018 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
7019 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7020 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7021 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
7022 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
7023 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7024 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7025 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
7026 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7027 :endif
7028 :
7029 :try
7030 : write
7031 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
7032 : if &modified
7033 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
7034 : else
7035 : echo "Error after writing"
7036 : endif
7037 :catch /^Vim(write):/
7038 : echo "Error on writing"
7039 :endtry
7040
7041When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
7042first >
7043 File successfully written!
7044then >
7045 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
7046then >
7047 Error after writing
7048etc.
7049
7050 *except-autocmd-ill*
7051You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
7052The following code is ill-formed: >
7053
7054 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
7055 :
7056 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
7057 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
7058 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
7059 :
7060 :write
7061
7062
7063EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
7064
7065Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
7066pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
7067similar things in Vim.
7068 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
7069class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
7070string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
7071 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
7072it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
7073for an error when writing "myfile".
7074 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
7075base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
7076parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
7077 Example: >
7078
7079 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
7080 : if a:a < 0
7081 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
7082 : endif
7083 :endfunction
7084 :
7085 :function! Add(a, b)
7086 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
7087 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
7088 : let c = a:a + a:b
7089 : if c < 0
7090 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
7091 : endif
7092 : return c
7093 :endfunction
7094 :
7095 :function! Div(a, b)
7096 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
7097 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
7098 : if (a:b == 0)
7099 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
7100 : endif
7101 : return a:a / a:b
7102 :endfunction
7103 :
7104 :function! Write(file)
7105 : try
7106 : execute "write" a:file
7107 : catch /^Vim(write):/
7108 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
7109 : endtry
7110 :endfunction
7111 :
7112 :try
7113 :
7114 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
7115 :
7116 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
7117 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
7118 : echo "Range error in" function
7119 :
7120 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
7121 : echo "Math error"
7122 :
7123 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
7124 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
7125 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
7126 : if file !~ '^/'
7127 : let file = dir . "/" . file
7128 : endif
7129 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
7130 :
7131 :catch /^EXCEPT/
7132 : echo "Unspecified error"
7133 :
7134 :endtry
7135
7136The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
7137a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
7138exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
7139 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
7140failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
7141
7142
7143PECULIARITIES
7144 *except-compat*
7145The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
7146exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
7147and/or a catch clause.
7148
7149In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
7150continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
7151after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
7152functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
7153or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
7154(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
7155
7156This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
7157immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
7158conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
7159be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
7160termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
7161catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
7162by specifying a finally clause.)
7163
7164When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
7165behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
7166scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
7167
7168However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
7169commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
7170conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
7171script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
7172error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
7173messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
7174|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
7175not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
7176where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
7177error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
7178scripts.
7179
7180 *except-syntax-err*
7181Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
7182the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
7183clauses, however, is executed.
7184 Example: >
7185
7186 :try
7187 : try
7188 : throw 4711
7189 : catch /\(/
7190 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
7191 : catch
7192 : echo "inner catch-all"
7193 : finally
7194 : echo "inner finally"
7195 : endtry
7196 :catch
7197 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
7198 : finally
7199 : echo "outer finally"
7200 :endtry
7201
7202This displays: >
7203 inner finally
7204 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
7205 outer finally
7206The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
7207
7208 *except-single-line*
7209The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
7210a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
7211"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
7212 Example: >
7213 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
7214raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
7215argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
7216error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
7217displayed.
7218
7219 *except-several-errors*
7220When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
7221usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
7222 Example: >
7223 echo novar
7224causes >
7225 E121: Undefined variable: novar
7226 E15: Invalid expression: novar
7227The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
7228 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
7229< *except-syntax-error*
7230But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
7231the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
7232 Example: >
7233 unlet novar #
7234causes >
7235 E108: No such variable: "novar"
7236 E488: Trailing characters
7237The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
7238 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
7239This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
7240not intended by the user. Example: >
7241 try
7242 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
7243 catch /.*/
7244 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
7245 endtry
7246This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
7247a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
7248
7249==============================================================================
72509. Examples *eval-examples*
7251
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007252Printing in Binary ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007253>
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007254 :" The function Nr2Bin() returns the Hex string of a number.
7255 :func Nr2Bin(nr)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007256 : let n = a:nr
7257 : let r = ""
7258 : while n
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007259 : let r = '01'[n % 2] . r
7260 : let n = n / 2
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007261 : endwhile
7262 : return r
7263 :endfunc
7264
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007265 :" The function String2Bin() converts each character in a string to a
7266 :" binary string, separated with dashes.
7267 :func String2Bin(str)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007268 : let out = ''
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007269 : for ix in range(strlen(a:str))
7270 : let out = out . '-' . Nr2Bin(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
7271 : endfor
7272 : return out[1:]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007273 :endfunc
7274
7275Example of its use: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007276 :echo Nr2Bin(32)
7277result: "100000" >
7278 :echo String2Bin("32")
7279result: "110011-110010"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007280
7281
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007282Sorting lines ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007283
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007284This example sorts lines with a specific compare function. >
7285
7286 :func SortBuffer()
7287 : let lines = getline(1, '$')
7288 : call sort(lines, function("Strcmp"))
7289 : call setline(1, lines)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007290 :endfunction
7291
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007292As a one-liner: >
7293 :call setline(1, sort(getline(1, '$'), function("Strcmp")))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007294
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007295
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007296scanf() replacement ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007297 *sscanf*
7298There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
7299line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
7300how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
7301"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
7302 :" Set up the match bit
7303 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
7304 :"get the part matching the whole expression
7305 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
7306 :"get each item out of the match
7307 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
7308 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
7309 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
7310
7311The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
7312"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
7313
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007314
7315getting the scriptnames in a Dictionary ~
7316 *scriptnames-dictionary*
7317The |:scriptnames| command can be used to get a list of all script files that
7318have been sourced. There is no equivalent function or variable for this
7319(because it's rarely needed). In case you need to manipulate the list this
7320code can be used: >
7321 " Get the output of ":scriptnames" in the scriptnames_output variable.
7322 let scriptnames_output = ''
7323 redir => scriptnames_output
7324 silent scriptnames
7325 redir END
7326
7327 " Split the output into lines and parse each line. Add an entry to the
7328 " "scripts" dictionary.
7329 let scripts = {}
7330 for line in split(scriptnames_output, "\n")
7331 " Only do non-blank lines.
7332 if line =~ '\S'
7333 " Get the first number in the line.
7334 let nr = matchstr(line, '\d\+')
7335 " Get the file name, remove the script number " 123: ".
7336 let name = substitute(line, '.\+:\s*', '', '')
7337 " Add an item to the Dictionary
7338 let scripts[nr] = name
7339 endif
7340 endfor
7341 unlet scriptnames_output
7342
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007343==============================================================================
734410. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
7345
7346When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
7347evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
7348to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
7349recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
7350and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
7351only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
7352recognized.
7353
7354Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
7355missing: >
7356
7357 :if 1
7358 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
7359 :else
7360 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
7361 :endif
7362
7363==============================================================================
736411. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
7365
7366The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
7367options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
7368these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
7369these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
Bram Moolenaarebefac62005-12-28 22:39:57 +00007370a tags file is executed and for CTRL-R = in the command line.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007371The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007372
7373These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
7374 - changing the buffer text
7375 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
7376 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007377 - setting certain v: variables (see |v:var|) *E794*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007378 - executing a shell command
7379 - reading or writing a file
7380 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00007381 - executing Python, Perl, etc. commands
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007382This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
7383
7384 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00007385:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007386 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
7387 'foldexpr'.
7388
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007389 *sandbox-option*
7390A few options contain an expression. When this expression is evaluated it may
Bram Moolenaar9b2200a2006-03-20 21:55:45 +00007391have to be done in the sandbox to avoid a security risk. But the sandbox is
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007392restrictive, thus this only happens when the option was set from an insecure
7393location. Insecure in this context are:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00007394- sourcing a .vimrc or .exrc in the current directory
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007395- while executing in the sandbox
7396- value coming from a modeline
7397
7398Note that when in the sandbox and saving an option value and restoring it, the
7399option will still be marked as it was set in the sandbox.
7400
7401==============================================================================
740212. Textlock *textlock*
7403
7404In a few situations it is not allowed to change the text in the buffer, jump
7405to another window and some other things that might confuse or break what Vim
7406is currently doing. This mostly applies to things that happen when Vim is
7407actually doing something else. For example, evaluating the 'balloonexpr' may
7408happen any moment the mouse cursor is resting at some position.
7409
7410This is not allowed when the textlock is active:
7411 - changing the buffer text
7412 - jumping to another buffer or window
7413 - editing another file
7414 - closing a window or quitting Vim
7415 - etc.
7416
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007417
7418 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: