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Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.1. Last change: 2008 Jan 06
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 Moolenaar8af1fbf2008-01-05 12:35:21 +00001404 *v:operator* *operator-variable*
1405v:operator The last operator given in Normal mode. This is a single
1406 character except for commands starting with <g> or <z>,
1407 in which case it is two characters. Best used alongside
1408 |v:prevcount| and |v:register|. Useful if you want to cancel
1409 Operator-pending mode and then use the operator, e.g.: >
1410 :omap O <Esc>:call MyMotion(v:operator)<CR>
1411< The value remains set until another operator is entered, thus
1412 don't expect it to be empty.
1413 v:operator is not set for |:delete|, |:yank| or other Ex
1414 commands.
1415 Read-only.
1416
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001417 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1418v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1419 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
Bram Moolenaar8af1fbf2008-01-05 12:35:21 +00001420 you want to cancel Visual or Operator-pending mode and then
1421 use the count, e.g.: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001422 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1423< Read-only.
1424
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001425 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1426v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1427 See |profiling|.
1428
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001429 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1430v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1431 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1432 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1433 Read-only.
1434
1435 *v:register* *register-variable*
1436v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1437 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1438
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001439 *v:scrollstart* *scrollstart-variable*
1440v:scrollstart String describing the script or function that caused the
1441 screen to scroll up. It's only set when it is empty, thus the
1442 first reason is remembered. It is set to "Unknown" for a
1443 typed command.
1444 This can be used to find out why your script causes the
1445 hit-enter prompt.
1446
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001447 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1448v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1449 Read-only.
1450
1451 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1452v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1453 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1454 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1455 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1456 executed. Read-only.
1457 Example: >
1458 :!mv foo bar
1459 :if v:shell_error
1460 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1461 :endif
1462< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1463
1464 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1465v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1466
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001467 *v:swapname* *swapname-variable*
1468v:swapname Only valid when executing |SwapExists| autocommands: Name of
1469 the swap file found. Read-only.
1470
1471 *v:swapchoice* *swapchoice-variable*
1472v:swapchoice |SwapExists| autocommands can set this to the selected choice
1473 for handling an existing swap file:
1474 'o' Open read-only
1475 'e' Edit anyway
1476 'r' Recover
1477 'd' Delete swapfile
1478 'q' Quit
1479 'a' Abort
1480 The value should be a single-character string. An empty value
1481 results in the user being asked, as would happen when there is
1482 no SwapExists autocommand. The default is empty.
1483
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001484 *v:swapcommand* *swapcommand-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001485v:swapcommand Normal mode command to be executed after a file has been
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001486 opened. Can be used for a |SwapExists| autocommand to have
1487 another Vim open the file and jump to the right place. For
1488 example, when jumping to a tag the value is ":tag tagname\r".
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +00001489 For ":edit +cmd file" the value is ":cmd\r".
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001490
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001491 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1492v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1493 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1494 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1495 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1496 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1497 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1498 terminal.
1499 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1500 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1501 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1502 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1503 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1504
1505 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1506v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1507 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1508 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1509 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1510
1511 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1512v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1513 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1514 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1515 Example: >
1516 :try
1517 : throw "oops"
1518 :catch /.*/
1519 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1520 :endtry
1521< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1522
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001523 *v:val* *val-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001524v:val Value of the current item of a |List| or |Dictionary|. Only
1525 valid while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001526 |filter()|. Read-only.
1527
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001528 *v:version* *version-variable*
1529v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1530 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1531 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1532 compatibility.
1533 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1534 if has("patch123")
1535< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1536 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1537 completely different.
1538
1539 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1540v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1541
1542==============================================================================
15434. Builtin Functions *functions*
1544
1545See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1546
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001547(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001548
1549USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1550
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001551add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to |List| {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001552append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001553append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001554argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001555argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001556argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001557argv( ) List the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001558browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1559 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001560browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001561bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001562buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1563bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001564bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1565bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1566bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1567byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001568byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001569call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1570 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00001571changenr() Number current change number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001572char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001573cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001574clearmatches() None clear all matches
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001575col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00001576complete({startcol}, {matches}) String set Insert mode completion
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001577complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
1578complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001579confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1580 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001581copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001582count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1583 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001584cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1585 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001586cursor( {lnum}, {col} [, {coladd}])
1587 Number move cursor to {lnum}, {col}, {coladd}
1588cursor( {list}) Number move cursor to position in {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001589deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001590delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1591did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001592diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1593diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001594empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001595escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001596eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001597eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001598executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1599exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001600extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}])
1601 List/Dict insert items of {expr2} into {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001602expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00001603feedkeys( {string} [, {mode}]) Number add key sequence to typeahead buffer
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001604filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001605filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001606filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1607 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001608finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001609 String find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001610findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001611 String find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001612fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001613foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1614foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001615foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001616foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001617foldtextresult( {lnum}) String text for closed fold at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001618foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001619function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00001620garbagecollect( [at_exit]) none free memory, breaking cyclic references
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001621get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001622get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001623getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1624 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001625getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001626getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1627getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001628getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1629getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001630getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001631getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001632getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1633getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001634getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001635getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001636getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001637getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1638getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001639getloclist({nr}) List list of location list items
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001640getmatches() List list of current matches
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001641getpos( {expr}) List position of cursor, mark, etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001642getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001643getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001644getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001645gettabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {name})
1646 any {name} in {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001647getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1648getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001649getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) any variable {varname} in window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001650glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1651globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1652has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001653has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00001654haslocaldir() Number TRUE if current window executed |:lcd|
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001655hasmapto( {what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1656 Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001657histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1658histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1659histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1660histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1661hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1662hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1663hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001664iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1665indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001666index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1667 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001668input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1669 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001670inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001671inputlist( {textlist}) Number let the user pick from a choice list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001672inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1673inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001674inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001675insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001676isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001677islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001678items( {dict}) List key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001679join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001680keys( {dict}) List keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001681len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1682libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001683libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1684line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1685line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001686lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001687localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001688map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001689maparg( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1690 String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1691mapcheck( {name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]])
1692 String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001693match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001694 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001695matchadd( {group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
1696 Number highlight {pattern} with {group}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001697matcharg( {nr}) List arguments of |:match|
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001698matchdelete( {id}) Number delete match identified by {id}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001699matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001700 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001701matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1702 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001703matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1704 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001705max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00001706min({list}) Number minimum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001707mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1708 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001709mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001710nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1711nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001712pathshorten( {expr}) String shorten directory names in a path
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001713prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00001714printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001715pumvisible() Number whether popup menu is visible
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001716range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1717 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001718readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1719 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00001720reltime( [{start} [, {end}]]) List get time value
1721reltimestr( {time}) String turn time value into a String
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001722remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1723 String send expression
1724remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1725remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1726 Number check for reply string
1727remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1728remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1729 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001730remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001731remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001732rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1733repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1734resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001735reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001736search( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
1737 Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001738searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
1739 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001740searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001741 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001742searchpairpos( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [...]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001743 List search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00001744searchpos( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001745 List search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001746server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1747 Number send reply string
1748serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1749setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1750setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1751setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001752setloclist( {nr}, {list}[, {action}])
1753 Number modify location list using {list}
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00001754setmatches( {list}) Number restore a list of matches
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001755setpos( {expr}, {list}) none set the {expr} position to {list}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001756setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number modify quickfix list using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001757setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00001758settabwinvar( {tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window
1759 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001760setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00001761shellescape( {string}) String escape {string} for use as shell
1762 command argument
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001763simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001764sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001765soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001766spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001767spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
1768 List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001769split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001770 List make |List| from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00001771str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) Number convert string to number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001772strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001773stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1774 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001775string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001776strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1777strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1778 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001779strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1780 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001781strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001782submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001783substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1784 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001785synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001786synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1787 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1788synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001789system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00001790tabpagebuflist( [{arg}]) List list of buffer numbers in tab page
1791tabpagenr( [{arg}]) Number number of current or last tab page
1792tabpagewinnr( {tabarg}[, {arg}])
1793 Number number of current window in tab page
1794taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00001795tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001796tempname() String name for a temporary file
1797tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1798toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001799tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1800 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001801type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001802values( {dict}) List values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001803virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1804visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1805winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1806wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1807winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1808winline() Number window line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00001809winnr( [{expr}]) Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001810winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00001811winrestview({dict}) None restore view of current window
1812winsaveview() Dict save view of current window
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001813winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001814writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1815 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001816
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001817add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001818 Append the item {expr} to |List| {list}. Returns the
1819 resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001820 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1821 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001822< Note that when {expr} is a |List| it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001823 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001824 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001825
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001826
1827append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001828 When {expr} is a |List|: Append each item of the |List| as a
1829 text line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001830 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1831 the current buffer.
1832 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001833 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1834 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001835 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001836 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001837<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001838 *argc()*
1839argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1840 current window. See |arglist|.
1841
1842 *argidx()*
1843argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1844 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1845
1846 *argv()*
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001847argv([{nr}]) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001848 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1849 Example: >
1850 :let i = 0
1851 :while i < argc()
1852 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1853 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1854 : let i = i + 1
1855 :endwhile
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001856< Without the {nr} argument a |List| with the whole |arglist| is
1857 returned.
1858
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001859 *browse()*
1860browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1861 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1862 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1863 The input fields are:
1864 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1865 {title} title for the requester
1866 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1867 {default} default file name
1868 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1869 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1870
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001871 *browsedir()*
1872browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1873 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1874 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1875 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1876 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1877 to be used.
1878 The input fields are:
1879 {title} title for the requester
1880 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1881 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1882 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1883
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001884bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1885 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1886 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001887 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001888 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001889 exactly. The name can be:
1890 - Relative to the current directory.
1891 - A full path.
1892 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1893 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001894 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1895 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1896 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1897 long name to be able to find them.
1898 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1899 file name.
1900 *buffer_exists()*
1901 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1902
1903buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1904 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1905 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001906 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001907
1908bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1909 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1910 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001911 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001912
1913bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1914 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1915 ":ls" command.
1916 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1917 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1918 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1919 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1920 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1921 match an empty string is returned.
1922 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1923 alternate buffer.
1924 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001925 or middle of the buffer name is accepted. If you only want a
1926 full match then put "^" at the start and "$" at the end of the
1927 pattern.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001928 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1929 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1930 buffers are searched for.
1931 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1932 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1933 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1934< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1935 string is returned. >
1936 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1937 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1938 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1939 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1940< *buffer_name()*
1941 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1942
1943 *bufnr()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00001944bufnr({expr} [, {create}])
1945 The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001946 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00001947 above.
1948 If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned. Or, if the
1949 {create} argument is present and not zero, a new, unlisted,
1950 buffer is created and its number is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001951 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1952 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1953< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1954 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1955 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1956 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1957 *buffer_number()*
1958 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1959 *last_buffer_nr()*
1960 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1961
1962bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1963 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1964 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1965 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1966 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1967
1968 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1969
1970< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1971 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00001972 Only deals with the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001973
1974
1975byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1976 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1977 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1978 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1979 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1980 one.
1981 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1982 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1983 feature}
1984
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001985byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1986 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1987 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1988 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1989 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1990 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1991 Example : >
1992 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1993< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1994 same: >
1995 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1996 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1997< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1998 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1999 is returned.
2000
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002001call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002002 Call function {func} with the items in |List| {arglist} as
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002003 arguments.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002004 {func} can either be a |Funcref| or the name of a function.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002005 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
2006 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002007 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
2008 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002009
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00002010changenr() *changenr()*
2011 Return the number of the most recent change. This is the same
2012 number as what is displayed with |:undolist| and can be used
2013 with the |:undo| command.
2014 When a change was made it is the number of that change. After
2015 redo it is the number of the redone change. After undo it is
2016 one less than the number of the undone change.
2017
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002018char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
2019 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
2020 char2nr(" ") returns 32
2021 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
2022< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002023 char2nr("á") returns 225
2024 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002025< nr2char() does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002026
2027cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
2028 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
2029 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
2030 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
2031 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
2032 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
2033 feature, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard5cdbeb2005-10-10 20:59:28 +00002034 See |C-indenting|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002035
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00002036clearmatches() *clearmatches()*
2037 Clears all matches previously defined by |matchadd()| and the
2038 |:match| commands.
2039
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002040 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00002041col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002042 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
2043 . the cursor position
2044 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
2045 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
2046 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
2047 returned)
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00002048 Additionally {expr} can be [lnum, col]: a |List| with the line
2049 and column number. Most useful when the column is "$", to get
2050 the las column of a specific line. When "lnum" or "col" is
2051 out of range then col() returns zero.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002052 To get the line number use |line()|. To get both use
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002053 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002054 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
2055 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
2056 Examples: >
2057 col(".") column of cursor
2058 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
2059 col("'t") column of mark t
2060 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
2061< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002062 For an uppercase mark the column may actually be in another
2063 buffer.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002064 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
2065 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
2066 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
2067 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
2068 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
2069 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
2070 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
2071<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002072
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002073complete({startcol}, {matches}) *complete()* *E785*
2074 Set the matches for Insert mode completion.
2075 Can only be used in Insert mode. You need to use a mapping
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002076 with CTRL-R = |i_CTRL-R|. It does not work after CTRL-O or
2077 with an expression mapping.
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002078 {startcol} is the byte offset in the line where the completed
2079 text start. The text up to the cursor is the original text
2080 that will be replaced by the matches. Use col('.') for an
2081 empty string. "col('.') - 1" will replace one character by a
2082 match.
2083 {matches} must be a |List|. Each |List| item is one match.
2084 See |complete-items| for the kind of items that are possible.
2085 Note that the after calling this function you need to avoid
2086 inserting anything that would completion to stop.
2087 The match can be selected with CTRL-N and CTRL-P as usual with
2088 Insert mode completion. The popup menu will appear if
2089 specified, see |ins-completion-menu|.
2090 Example: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002091 inoremap <F5> <C-R>=ListMonths()<CR>
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00002092
2093 func! ListMonths()
2094 call complete(col('.'), ['January', 'February', 'March',
2095 \ 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September',
2096 \ 'October', 'November', 'December'])
2097 return ''
2098 endfunc
2099< This isn't very useful, but it shows how it works. Note that
2100 an empty string is returned to avoid a zero being inserted.
2101
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002102complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
2103 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
2104 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
2105 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
2106 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
2107 the list.
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00002108 See |complete-functions| for an explanation of {expr}. It is
2109 the same as one item in the list that 'omnifunc' would return.
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002110
2111complete_check() *complete_check()*
2112 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
2113 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
2114 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
2115 zero otherwise.
2116 Only to be used by the function specified with the
2117 'completefunc' option.
2118
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002119 *confirm()*
2120confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
2121 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
2122 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
2123 choice this is 1.
2124 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
2125 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
2126 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
2127 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
2128 used (and translated).
2129 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
2130 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
2131 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
2132 by '\n', e.g. >
2133 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
2134< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
2135 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
2136 not need to be the first letter: >
2137 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
2138< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
2139 the default shortcut key.
2140 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
2141 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
2142 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
2143 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
2144 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
2145 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
2146 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
2147 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
2148 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
2149 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
2150 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
2151
2152 An example: >
2153 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
2154 :if choice == 0
2155 : echo "make up your mind!"
2156 :elseif choice == 3
2157 : echo "tasteful"
2158 :else
2159 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
2160 :endif
2161< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
2162 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
2163 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
2164 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
2165 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
2166 the horizontal layout is always used.
2167
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002168 *copy()*
2169copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2170 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002171 When {expr} is a |List| a shallow copy is created. This means
2172 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002173 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002174 changing an item changes the contents of both |Lists|. Also
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002175 see |deepcopy()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002176
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002177count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002178 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002179 in |List| or |Dictionary| {comp}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002180 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002181 {start} can only be used with a |List|.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002182 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
2183
2184
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002185 *cscope_connection()*
2186cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
2187 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
2188 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
2189 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
2190 if there are no cscope connections;
2191 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
2192
2193 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
2194 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
2195
2196 {num} Description of existence check
2197 ----- ------------------------------
2198 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
2199 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
2200 {dbpath}.
2201 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
2202 {dbpath}.
2203 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
2204 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2205 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
2206 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2207
2208 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2209
2210 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2211
2212 # pid database name prepend path
2213 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2214<
2215 Invocation Return Val ~
2216 ---------- ---------- >
2217 cscope_connection() 1
2218 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2219 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2220 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2221 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2222 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2223 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2224 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2225<
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002226cursor({lnum}, {col} [, {off}]) *cursor()*
2227cursor({list})
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002228 Positions the cursor at the column (byte count) {col} in the
2229 line {lnum}. The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002230 When there is one argument {list} this is used as a |List|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002231 with two or three items {lnum}, {col} and {off}. This is like
2232 the return value of |getpos()|, but without the first item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002233 Does not change the jumplist.
2234 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2235 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2236 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002237 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002238 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2239 line.
2240 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002241 When 'virtualedit' is used {off} specifies the offset in
2242 screen columns from the start of the character. E.g., a
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00002243 position within a <Tab> or after the last character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002244
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002245
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002246deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002247 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2248 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002249 When {expr} is a |List| a full copy is created. This means
2250 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
2251 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a |List|, a copy for it
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002252 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002253 not change the contents of the original |List|.
2254 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained |List| or
2255 |Dictionary| is only copied once. All references point to
2256 this single copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a
2257 |List| or |Dictionary| results in a new copy. This also means
2258 that a cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002259 *E724*
2260 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002261 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2262 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002263 Also see |copy()|.
2264
2265delete({fname}) *delete()*
2266 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002267 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2268 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002269 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002270
2271 *did_filetype()*
2272did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2273 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2274 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2275 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2276 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2277 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2278 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2279 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2280 file.
2281
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002282diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2283 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2284 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2285 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2286 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2287 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2288 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2289 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2290
2291diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2292 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2293 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2294 diff change zero is returned.
2295 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2296 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2297 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2298 line.
2299 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2300 syntax information about the highlighting.
2301
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002302empty({expr}) *empty()*
2303 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002304 A |List| or |Dictionary| is empty when it does not have any
2305 items. A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2306 For a long |List| this is much faster then comparing the
2307 length with zero.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002308
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002309escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2310 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2311 backslash. Example: >
2312 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2313< results in: >
2314 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002315
2316< *eval()*
2317eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2318 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2319 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002320 Also works for |Funcref|s that refer to existing functions.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002321
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002322eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2323 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2324 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2325 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2326 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2327
2328executable({expr}) *executable()*
2329 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2330 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002331 arguments.
2332 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2333 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2334 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2335 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2336 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2337 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2338 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2339 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2340 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2341 extension.
2342 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2343 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00002344 On MS-Windows an executable in the same directory as Vim is
2345 always found. Since this directory is added to $PATH it
2346 should also work to execute it |win32-PATH|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002347 The result is a Number:
2348 1 exists
2349 0 does not exist
2350 -1 not implemented on this system
2351
2352 *exists()*
2353exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2354 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2355 which contains one of these:
2356 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2357 not if it really works)
2358 +option-name Vim option that works.
2359 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2360 done by comparing with an empty
2361 string)
2362 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2363 or user defined function (see
2364 |user-functions|).
2365 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002366 |internal-variables|). Also works
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002367 for |curly-braces-names|, |Dictionary|
2368 entries, |List| items, etc. Beware
2369 that this may cause functions to be
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002370 invoked cause an error message for an
2371 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002372 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2373 command or command modifier |:command|.
2374 Returns:
2375 1 for match with start of a command
2376 2 full match with a command
2377 3 matches several user commands
2378 To check for a supported command
2379 always check the return value to be 2.
Bram Moolenaar14716812006-05-04 21:54:08 +00002380 :2match The |:2match| command.
2381 :3match The |:3match| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002382 #event autocommand defined for this event
2383 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2384 pattern (the pattern is taken
2385 literally and compared to the
2386 autocommand patterns character by
2387 character)
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002388 #group autocommand group exists
2389 #group#event autocommand defined for this group and
2390 event.
2391 #group#event#pattern
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002392 autocommand defined for this group,
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002393 event and pattern.
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002394 ##event autocommand for this event is
2395 supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002396 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2397
2398 Examples: >
2399 exists("&shortname")
2400 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2401 exists("*strftime")
2402 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2403 exists("bufcount")
2404 exists(":Make")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002405 exists("#CursorHold")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002406 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002407 exists("#filetypeindent")
2408 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType")
2409 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType#*")
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002410 exists("##ColorScheme")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002411< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2412 name.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002413 There must be no extra characters after the name, although in
2414 a few cases this is ignored. That may become more strict in
2415 the future, thus don't count on it!
2416 Working example: >
2417 exists(":make")
2418< NOT working example: >
2419 exists(":make install")
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00002420
2421< Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2422 variable itself. For example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002423 exists(bufcount)
2424< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
Bram Moolenaar06a89a52006-04-29 22:01:03 +00002425 but gets the value of "bufcount", and checks if that exists.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002426
2427expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2428 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2429 The result is a String.
2430
2431 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2432 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2433 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2434
2435 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2436 for a non-existing file is not included.
2437
2438 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2439 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2440 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2441
2442 % current file name
2443 # alternate file name
2444 #n alternate file name n
2445 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2446 <afile> autocmd file name
2447 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2448 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2449 <sfile> sourced script file name
2450 <cword> word under the cursor
2451 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2452 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2453 message |server2client()|
2454 Modifiers:
2455 :p expand to full path
2456 :h head (last path component removed)
2457 :t tail (last path component only)
2458 :r root (one extension removed)
2459 :e extension only
2460
2461 Example: >
2462 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2463< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2464 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2465 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2466< Use this: >
2467 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2468< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2469 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2470 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2471 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2472 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2473<
2474 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2475 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2476 to modify normal file names.
2477
2478 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2479 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2480 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2481 '/' added.
2482
2483 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2484 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2485 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2486 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002487 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2488 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2489 files in the current directory and below: >
2490 :echo expand("**/README")
2491<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002492 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2493 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2494 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2495 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2496 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2497 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2498 "$FOOBAR".
2499
2500 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2501 getting the raw output of an external command.
2502
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002503extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002504 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both |Lists| or both
2505 |Dictionaries|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002506
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002507 If they are |Lists|: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002508 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2509 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2510 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2511 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002512 Examples: >
2513 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2514 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002515< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2516 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002517 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002518<
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002519 If they are |Dictionaries|:
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002520 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2521 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2522 used to decide what to do:
2523 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2524 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00002525 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002526 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2527
2528 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2529 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2530 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2531 Returns {expr1}.
2532
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002533
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002534feedkeys({string} [, {mode}]) *feedkeys()*
2535 Characters in {string} are queued for processing as if they
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002536 come from a mapping or were typed by the user. They are added
2537 to the end of the typeahead buffer, thus if a mapping is still
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002538 being executed these characters come after them.
2539 The function does not wait for processing of keys contained in
2540 {string}.
2541 To include special keys into {string}, use double-quotes
2542 and "\..." notation |expr-quote|. For example,
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00002543 feedkeys("\<CR>") simulates pressing of the <Enter> key. But
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002544 feedkeys('\<CR>') pushes 5 characters.
2545 If {mode} is absent, keys are remapped.
2546 {mode} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00002547 'm' Remap keys. This is default.
2548 'n' Do not remap keys.
2549 't' Handle keys as if typed; otherwise they are handled as
2550 if coming from a mapping. This matters for undo,
2551 opening folds, etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00002552 Return value is always 0.
2553
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002554filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2555 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2556 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2557 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2558 expression, which is used as a String.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002559 If you don't care about the file being readable you can use
2560 |glob()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002561 *file_readable()*
2562 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2563
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002564
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002565filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2566 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2567 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2568 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2569 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2570
2571
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002572filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002573 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002574 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002575 is zero remove the item from the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002576 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002577 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002578 Examples: >
2579 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2580< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2581 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2582< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2583 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002584< Removes all the items, thus clears the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002585
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002586 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2587 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2588 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2589
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002590 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
2591 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +00002592 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), 'v:val =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002593
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002594< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002595 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
2596 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002597
2598
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002599finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
Bram Moolenaar5b6b1ca2007-03-27 08:19:43 +00002600 Find directory {name} in {path}. Supports both downwards and
2601 upwards recursive directory searches. See |file-searching|
2602 for the syntax of {path}.
2603 Returns the path of the first found match. When the found
2604 directory is below the current directory a relative path is
2605 returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002606 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2607 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002608 {name} in {path} instead of the first one.
Bram Moolenaar899dddf2006-03-26 21:06:50 +00002609 When {count} is negative return all the matches in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002610 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002611 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2612
2613findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2614 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00002615 Uses 'suffixesadd'.
2616 Example: >
2617 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002618< Searches from the directory of the current file upwards until
2619 it finds the file "tags.vim".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002620
2621fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2622 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2623 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2624 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2625 Example: >
2626 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2627< results in: >
2628 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2629< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2630 |expand()| first then.
2631
2632foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2633 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2634 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2635 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2636
2637foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2638 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2639 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2640 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2641
2642foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2643 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2644 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2645 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2646 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2647 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2648 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2649 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2650 previous line is usually available.
2651
2652 *foldtext()*
2653foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2654 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2655 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2656 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2657 The returned string looks like this: >
2658 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2659< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2660 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2661 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2662 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2663 options is removed.
2664 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2665
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002666foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2667 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2668 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2669 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2670 returned.
2671 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2672 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2673 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2674 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2675
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002676 *foreground()*
2677foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2678 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2679 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2680 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2681 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2682 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2683 Win32 console version}
2684
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002685
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002686function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002687 Return a |Funcref| variable that refers to function {name}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002688 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2689
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002690
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00002691garbagecollect([at_exit]) *garbagecollect()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002692 Cleanup unused |Lists| and |Dictionaries| that have circular
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002693 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
2694 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
2695 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
2696 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
2697 freed when they become unused.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002698 This is useful if you have deleted a very big |List| and/or
2699 |Dictionary| with circular references in a script that runs
2700 for a long time.
Bram Moolenaar9d2c8c12007-09-25 16:00:00 +00002701 When the optional "at_exit" argument is one, garbage
2702 collection will also be done when exiting Vim, if it wasn't
2703 done before. This is useful when checking for memory leaks.
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002704
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002705get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002706 Get item {idx} from |List| {list}. When this item is not
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002707 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2708 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002709get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002710 Get item with key {key} from |Dictionary| {dict}. When this
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002711 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2712 {default} is omitted.
2713
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002714 *getbufline()*
2715getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002716 Return a |List| with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
2717 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a
2718 |List| with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002719
2720 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2721
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002722 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
2723 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002724
2725 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002726 lines in the buffer, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002727
2728 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2729 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002730 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002731 returned.
2732
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002733 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002734 non-existing buffers, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002735
2736 Example: >
2737 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002738
2739getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2740 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2741 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2742 must be used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002743 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2744 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2745 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002746 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2747 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2748 returned, there is no error message.
2749 Examples: >
2750 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2751 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2752<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002753getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002754 Get a single character from the user or input stream.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002755 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2756 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002757 Return zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002758 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002759 not consumed. Return zero if no character available.
2760
2761 Without {expr} and when {expr} is 0 a whole character or
2762 special key is returned. If it is an 8-bit character, the
2763 result is a number. Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2764 Otherwise a String is returned with the encoded character.
2765 For a special key it's a sequence of bytes starting with 0x80
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00002766 (decimal: 128). This is the same value as the string
2767 "\<Key>", e.g., "\<Left>". The returned value is also a
2768 String when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used that is
2769 not included in the character.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002770
2771 When {expr} is 1 only the first byte is returned. For a
Bram Moolenaar56a907a2006-05-06 21:44:30 +00002772 one-byte character it is the character itself as a number.
2773 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00002774
Bram Moolenaar219b8702006-11-01 14:32:36 +00002775 When the user clicks a mouse button, the mouse event will be
2776 returned. The position can then be found in |v:mouse_col|,
2777 |v:mouse_lnum| and |v:mouse_win|. This example positions the
2778 mouse as it would normally happen: >
2779 let c = getchar()
2780 if c == "\<LeftMouse>" && v:mouse_win > 0
2781 exe v:mouse_win . "wincmd w"
2782 exe v:mouse_lnum
2783 exe "normal " . v:mouse_col . "|"
2784 endif
2785<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002786 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2787 user that a character has to be typed.
2788 There is no mapping for the character.
2789 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2790 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2791 sequence. Examples: >
2792 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2793 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2794< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2795 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2796 :function FindChar()
2797 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2798 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2799 : normal l
2800 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2801 : break
2802 : endif
2803 : endwhile
2804 :endfunction
2805
2806getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2807 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2808 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2809 These values are added together:
2810 2 shift
2811 4 control
2812 8 alt (meta)
2813 16 mouse double click
2814 32 mouse triple click
2815 64 mouse quadruple click
2816 128 Macintosh only: command
2817 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2818 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2819 with no modifier.
2820
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002821getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2822 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2823 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2824 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2825 Example: >
2826 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002827< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002828
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002829getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002830 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2831 byte count. The first column is 1.
2832 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2833 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002834 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2835
2836getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
2837 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
2838 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00002839 : normal Ex command
2840 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
2841 / forward search command
2842 ? backward search command
2843 @ |input()| command
2844 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002845 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2846 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
2847 otherwise.
2848 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002849
2850 *getcwd()*
2851getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2852 working directory.
2853
2854getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2855 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2856 given file {fname}.
2857 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2858 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard827ada2007-06-19 15:19:55 +00002859 If the size of {fname} is too big to fit in a Number then -2
2860 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002861
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002862getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2863 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2864 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2865 |hl-Normal|.
2866 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2867 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2868 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2869 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00002870 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not in your vimrc or
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002871 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2872 function just after the GUI has started.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00002873 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2874 for a valid name does not work.
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002875
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002876getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2877 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2878 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2879 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2880 empty string is returned.
2881 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2882 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2883 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2884 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2885 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2886 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2887< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2888 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002889
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002890getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2891 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2892 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2893 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2894 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2895 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2896
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002897getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2898 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2899 file of the given file {fname}.
2900 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2901 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2902 results:
2903 Normal file "file"
2904 Directory "dir"
2905 Symbolic link "link"
2906 Block device "bdev"
2907 Character device "cdev"
2908 Socket "socket"
2909 FIFO "fifo"
2910 All other "other"
2911 Example: >
2912 getftype("/home")
2913< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2914 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2915 "file" are returned.
2916
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002917 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002918getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2919 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2920 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002921 getline(1)
2922< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2923 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2924 To get the line under the cursor: >
2925 getline(".")
2926< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2927 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2928
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002929 When {end} is given the result is a |List| where each item is
2930 a line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002931 including line {end}.
2932 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2933 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002934 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002935 Example: >
2936 :let start = line('.')
2937 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2938 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2939
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00002940< To get lines from another buffer see |getbufline()|
2941
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00002942getloclist({nr}) *getloclist()*
2943 Returns a list with all the entries in the location list for
2944 window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
2945 For a location list window, the displayed location list is
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002946 returned. For an invalid window number {nr}, an empty list is
2947 returned. Otherwise, same as getqflist().
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002948
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00002949getmatches() *getmatches()*
2950 Returns a |List| with all matches previously defined by
2951 |matchadd()| and the |:match| commands. |getmatches()| is
2952 useful in combination with |setmatches()|, as |setmatches()|
2953 can restore a list of matches saved by |getmatches()|.
2954 Example: >
2955 :echo getmatches()
2956< [{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
2957 'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
2958 'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}] >
2959 :let m = getmatches()
2960 :call clearmatches()
2961 :echo getmatches()
2962< [] >
2963 :call setmatches(m)
2964 :echo getmatches()
2965< [{'group': 'MyGroup1', 'pattern': 'TODO',
2966 'priority': 10, 'id': 1}, {'group': 'MyGroup2',
2967 'pattern': 'FIXME', 'priority': 10, 'id': 2}] >
2968 :unlet m
2969<
2970
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002971getqflist() *getqflist()*
2972 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2973 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2974 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2975 bufname() to get the name
2976 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2977 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00002978 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
2979 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002980 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00002981 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002982 text description of the error
2983 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2984 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2985
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00002986 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00002987 returned. Quickfix list entries with non-existing buffer
2988 number are returned with "bufnr" set to zero.
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00002989
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002990 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2991 do something with them: >
2992 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2993 :for d in getqflist()
2994 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2995 :endfor
2996
2997
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002998getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002999 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003000 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003001 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
3002< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003003 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003004 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
3005 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
3006 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003007 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
3008
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003009
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003010getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
3011 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
3012 The value will be one of:
3013 "v" for |characterwise| text
3014 "V" for |linewise| text
3015 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
3016 0 for an empty or unknown register
3017 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
3018 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
3019
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003020gettabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}) *gettabwinvar()*
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003021 Get the value of window-local variable {varname} in window
3022 {winnr} in tab page {tabnr}.
3023 When {varname} starts with "&" get the value of a window-local
3024 option.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003025 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
3026 use |getwinvar()|.
3027 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
3028 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
3029 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
3030 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003031 When {varname} is empty a dictionary with all window-local
3032 variables is returned.
3033 Note that {varname} must be the name without "w:".
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003034 Examples: >
3035 :let list_is_on = gettabwinvar(1, 2, '&list')
3036 :echo "myvar = " . gettabwinvar(3, 1, 'myvar')
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00003037<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003038 *getwinposx()*
3039getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
3040 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
3041 -1 if the information is not available.
3042
3043 *getwinposy()*
3044getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
3045 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
3046 information is not available.
3047
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00003048getwinvar({winnr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
3049 Like |gettabwinvar()| for the current tabpage.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003050 Examples: >
3051 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
3052 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
3053<
3054 *glob()*
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003055glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. See |wildcards| for the
3056 use of special characters.
3057 The result is a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003058 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
3059 characters.
3060 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
3061 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
3062
3063 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
3064 any external command. Example: >
3065 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
3066 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
3067< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
3068 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
3069
3070 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
3071 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
3072
3073globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
3074 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
3075 the results. Example: >
3076 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
3077< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
3078 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
3079 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
3080 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
3081 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
3082 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
3083 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
3084 error message.
3085 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
3086 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
3087
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003088 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
3089 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
3090 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
3091 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
3092<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003093 *has()*
3094has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
3095 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
3096 string. See |feature-list| below.
3097 Also see |exists()|.
3098
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003099
3100has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003101 The result is a Number, which is 1 if |Dictionary| {dict} has
3102 an entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003103
Bram Moolenaard267b9c2007-04-26 15:06:45 +00003104haslocaldir() *haslocaldir()*
3105 The result is a Number, which is 1 when the current
3106 window has set a local path via |:lcd|, and 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003107
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003108hasmapto({what} [, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *hasmapto()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003109 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
3110 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
3111 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
3112 {mode}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003113 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00003114 instead of mappings. Don't forget to specify Insert and/or
3115 Command-line mode.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003116 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
3117 buffer are checked for a match.
3118 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
3119 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
3120 n Normal mode
3121 v Visual mode
3122 o Operator-pending mode
3123 i Insert mode
3124 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
3125 c Command-line mode
3126 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
3127
3128 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
3129 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
3130 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
3131 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
3132 :endif
3133< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
3134 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
3135
3136histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
3137 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
3138 one of: *hist-names*
3139 "cmd" or ":" command line history
3140 "search" or "/" search pattern history
3141 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
3142 "input" or "@" input line history
3143 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
3144 shifted to become the newest entry.
3145 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
3146 otherwise 0 is returned.
3147
3148 Example: >
3149 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
3150 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
3151< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3152
3153histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003154 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003155 for the possible values of {history}.
3156
3157 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
3158 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
3159 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
3160 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
3161 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
3162 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
3163 if it exists.
3164
3165 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
3166 otherwise 0 is returned.
3167
3168 Examples:
3169 Clear expression register history: >
3170 :call histdel("expr")
3171<
3172 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
3173 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
3174<
3175 The following three are equivalent: >
3176 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
3177 :call histdel("search", -1)
3178 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
3179<
3180 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
3181 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
3182 :call histdel("search", -1)
3183 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
3184
3185histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
3186 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
3187 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
3188 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
3189 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
3190 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
3191
3192 Examples:
3193 Redo the second last search from history. >
3194 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
3195
3196< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
3197 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
3198 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
3199<
3200histnr({history}) *histnr()*
3201 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
3202 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
3203 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
3204
3205 Example: >
3206 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
3207<
3208hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
3209 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
3210 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
3211 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
3212 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
3213 item.
3214 *highlight_exists()*
3215 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
3216
3217 *hlID()*
3218hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
3219 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
3220 zero is returned.
3221 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
3222 group. For example, to get the background color of the
3223 "Comment" group: >
3224 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
3225< *highlightID()*
3226 Obsolete name: highlightID().
3227
3228hostname() *hostname()*
3229 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003230 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003231 256 characters long are truncated.
3232
3233iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
3234 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
3235 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
3236 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
3237 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
3238 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
3239 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
3240 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
3241 can be done.
3242 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
3243 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
3244 UTF-8 and use: >
3245 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
3246< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
3247 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
3248 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
3249 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
3250
3251 *indent()*
3252indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
3253 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
3254 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
3255 |getline()|.
3256 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
3257
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003258
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003259index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003260 Return the lowest index in |List| {list} where the item has a
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003261 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00003262 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
3263 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003264 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
3265 case must match.
3266 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
3267 Example: >
3268 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003269 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003270
3271
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003272input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003273 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
3274 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
3275 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003276 prompt to start a new line.
3277 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
3278 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
3279 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
3280 for lines typed for input().
3281 Example: >
3282 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
3283 : echo "Cheers!"
3284 :endif
3285<
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00003286 If the optional {text} is present and not empty, this is used
3287 for the default reply, as if the user typed this. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003288 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
3289
3290< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
3291 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
3292 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
3293 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
3294 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
3295 more information. Example: >
3296 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
3297<
3298 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
3299 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003300 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
3301 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
3302 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
3303 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
3304 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
3305 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
3306 |:execute| or |:normal|.
3307
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003308 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003309 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
3310 :function GetFoo()
3311 : call inputsave()
3312 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
3313 : call inputrestore()
3314 :endfunction
3315
3316inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
3317 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
3318 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
3319 Example: >
3320 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
3321 :if n != ""
3322 : let &sw = n
3323 :endif
3324< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
3325 omitted an empty string is returned.
3326 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
3327 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003328 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003329
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003330inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003331 {textlist} must be a |List| of strings. This |List| is
3332 displayed, one string per line. The user will be prompted to
3333 enter a number, which is returned.
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003334 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
3335 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
3336 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
3337 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
3338 is returned.
3339 Make sure {textlist} has less then 'lines' entries, otherwise
3340 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003341 the start of the string. And put a prompt in the first item.
3342 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003343 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3344 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3345
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003346inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
3347 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
3348 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3349 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3350 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3351
3352inputsave() *inputsave()*
3353 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3354 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3355 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3356 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3357 many inputrestore() calls.
3358 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3359
3360inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3361 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3362 two exceptions:
3363 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3364 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3365 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3366 |history| stack.
3367 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3368 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003369 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003370
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003371insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003372 Insert {item} at the start of |List| {list}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003373 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
3374 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
3375 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3376 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003377 Returns the resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003378 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3379 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3380 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003381< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003382 Note that when {item} is a |List| it is inserted as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003383 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003384
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003385isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3386 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3387 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3388 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3389 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3390
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003391islocked({expr}) *islocked()* *E786*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003392 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3393 name of a locked variable.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003394 {expr} must be the name of a variable, |List| item or
3395 |Dictionary| entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003396 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3397 :lockvar 1 alist
3398 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3399 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3400
3401< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00003402 message. Use |exists()| to check for existence.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003403
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003404items({dict}) *items()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003405 Return a |List| with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3406 |List| item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict}
3407 entry and the value of this entry. The |List| is in arbitrary
3408 order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003409
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003410
3411join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3412 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3413 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3414 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3415 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3416 add it there too: >
3417 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003418< String items are used as-is. |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003419 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3420 The opposite function is |split()|.
3421
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003422keys({dict}) *keys()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003423 Return a |List| with all the keys of {dict}. The |List| is in
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003424 arbitrary order.
3425
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003426 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003427len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3428 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3429 used, as with |strlen()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003430 When {expr} is a |List| the number of items in the |List| is
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003431 returned.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003432 When {expr} is a |Dictionary| the number of entries in the
3433 |Dictionary| is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003434 Otherwise an error is given.
3435
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003436 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3437libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3438 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3439 with single argument {argument}.
3440 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3441 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3442 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3443 limited.
3444 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3445 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3446 to Vim.
3447 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3448 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3449 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3450 null-terminated string.
3451 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3452
3453 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3454 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3455 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3456 very probably crash.
3457
3458 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3459 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3460 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3461 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3462 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3463 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3464 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3465 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3466 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3467 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3468
3469 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
3470 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
3471 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3472 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3473 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3474 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3475 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3476 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
3477 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3478 feature is present}
3479 Examples: >
3480 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
3481 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
3482<
3483 *libcallnr()*
3484libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3485 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
3486 int instead of a string.
3487 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3488 feature is present}
3489 Example (not very useful...): >
3490 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3491 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3492<
3493 *line()*
3494line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3495 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3496 . the cursor position
3497 $ the last line in the current buffer
3498 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3499 returned)
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00003500 w0 first line visible in current window
3501 w$ last line visible in current window
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00003502 Note that a mark in another file can be used. The line number
3503 then applies to another buffer.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003504 To get the column number use |col()|. To get both use
3505 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003506 Examples: >
3507 line(".") line number of the cursor
3508 line("'t") line number of mark t
3509 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3510< *last-position-jump*
3511 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3512 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3513 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003514
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003515line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3516 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3517 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3518 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3519 line returns 1.
3520 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3521 below the last line: >
3522 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3523< This is the file size plus one.
3524 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3525 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3526 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3527
3528lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3529 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3530 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3531 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3532 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3533 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3534 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3535
3536localtime() *localtime()*
3537 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3538 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3539
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003540
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003541map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003542 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003543 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3544 {string}.
3545 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003546 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003547 Example: >
3548 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003549< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003550
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003551 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003552 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003553 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3554 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003555
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003556 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
3557 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003558 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003559
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003560< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003561 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
3562 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003563
3564
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003565maparg({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *maparg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003566 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3567 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003568 {mode} can be one of these strings:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003569 "n" Normal
3570 "v" Visual
3571 "o" Operator-pending
3572 "i" Insert
3573 "c" Cmd-line
3574 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3575 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003576 When {mode} is omitted, the modes for "" are used.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003577 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
3578 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003579 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3580 command. The returned String has special characters
3581 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3582 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3583 then the global mappings.
Bram Moolenaara40ceaf2006-01-13 22:35:40 +00003584 This function can be used to map a key even when it's already
3585 mapped, and have it do the original mapping too. Sketch: >
3586 exe 'nnoremap <Tab> ==' . maparg('<Tab>', 'n')
3587
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003588
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003589mapcheck({name}[, {mode} [, {abbr}]]) *mapcheck()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003590 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3591 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3592 {name}.
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00003593 When {abbr} is there and it is non-zero use abbreviations
3594 instead of mappings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003595 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3596 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3597
3598 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3599 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3600 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3601 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3602 mapcheck("b") no no no
3603
3604 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3605 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3606 mapping for {name} exactly.
3607 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3608 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3609 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3610 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3611 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3612 then the global mappings.
3613 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3614 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3615 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3616 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3617 :endif
3618< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3619 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3620
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003621match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003622 When {expr} is a |List| then this returns the index of the
3623 first item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003624 String, |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are used as echoed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003625 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3626 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3627 {pat} matches.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003628 A match at the first character or |List| item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003629 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3630 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003631 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003632 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 1
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003633< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003634 *strpbrk()*
3635 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3636 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3637< *strcasestr()*
3638 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3639 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3640 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3641<
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003642 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003643 {start} in a String or item {start} in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003644 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003645 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003646 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3647< result is again "4". >
3648 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3649< result is again "4". >
3650 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3651< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003652 For a String, if {start} > 0 then it is like the string starts
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003653 {start} bytes later, thus "^" will match at {start}. Except
3654 when {count} is given, then it's like matches before the
3655 {start} byte are ignored (this is a bit complicated to keep it
3656 backwards compatible).
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003657 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3658 the index is counted from the end.
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003659 If {start} is out of range ({start} > strlen({expr}) for a
3660 String or {start} > len({expr}) for a |List|) -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003661
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003662 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003663 is found in a String the search for the next one starts one
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003664 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
3665 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
3666< In a |List| the search continues in the next item.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003667 Note that when {count} is added the way {start} works changes,
3668 see above.
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003669
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003670 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3671 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3672 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3673 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3674
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003675 *matchadd()* *E798* *E799* *E801*
3676matchadd({group}, {pattern}[, {priority}[, {id}]])
3677 Defines a pattern to be highlighted in the current window (a
3678 "match"). It will be highlighted with {group}. Returns an
3679 identification number (ID), which can be used to delete the
3680 match using |matchdelete()|.
3681
3682 The optional {priority} argument assigns a priority to the
3683 match. A match with a high priority will have its
3684 highlighting overrule that of a match with a lower priority.
3685 A priority is specified as an integer (negative numbers are no
3686 exception). If the {priority} argument is not specified, the
3687 default priority is 10. The priority of 'hlsearch' is zero,
3688 hence all matches with a priority greater than zero will
3689 overrule it. Syntax highlighting (see 'syntax') is a separate
3690 mechanism, and regardless of the chosen priority a match will
3691 always overrule syntax highlighting.
3692
3693 The optional {id} argument allows the request for a specific
3694 match ID. If a specified ID is already taken, an error
3695 message will appear and the match will not be added. An ID
3696 is specified as a positive integer (zero excluded). IDs 1, 2
3697 and 3 are reserved for |:match|, |:2match| and |:3match|,
3698 respectively. If the {id} argument is not specified,
3699 |matchadd()| automatically chooses a free ID.
3700
3701 The number of matches is not limited, as it is the case with
3702 the |:match| commands.
3703
3704 Example: >
3705 :highlight MyGroup ctermbg=green guibg=green
3706 :let m = matchadd("MyGroup", "TODO")
3707< Deletion of the pattern: >
3708 :call matchdelete(m)
3709
3710< A list of matches defined by |matchadd()| and |:match| are
3711 available from |getmatches()|. All matches can be deleted in
3712 one operation by |clearmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003713
3714matcharg({nr}) *matcharg()*
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003715 Selects the {nr} match item, as set with a |:match|,
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003716 |:2match| or |:3match| command.
3717 Return a |List| with two elements:
3718 The name of the highlight group used
3719 The pattern used.
3720 When {nr} is not 1, 2 or 3 returns an empty |List|.
3721 When there is no match item set returns ['', ''].
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003722 This is useful to save and restore a |:match|.
3723 Highlighting matches using the |:match| commands are limited
3724 to three matches. |matchadd()| does not have this limitation.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003725
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00003726matchdelete({id}) *matchdelete()* *E802* *E803*
3727 Deletes a match with ID {id} previously defined by |matchadd()|
3728 or one of the |:match| commands. Returns 0 if succesfull,
3729 otherwise -1. See example for |matchadd()|. All matches can
3730 be deleted in one operation by |clearmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003731
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003732matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003733 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3734 the match. Example: >
3735 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3736< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003737 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3738 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3739 do it with matchend(): >
3740 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3741 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3742< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3743
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003744 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3745 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3746< results in "7". >
3747 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3748< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003749 When {expr} is a |List| the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003750
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003751matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003752 Same as match(), but return a |List|. The first item in the
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003753 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3754 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
Bram Moolenaarf9393ef2006-04-24 19:47:27 +00003755 in |:substitute|. When an optional submatch didn't match an
3756 empty string is used. Example: >
3757 echo matchlist('acd', '\(a\)\?\(b\)\?\(c\)\?\(.*\)')
3758< Results in: ['acd', 'a', '', 'c', 'd', '', '', '', '', '']
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003759 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3760
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003761matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003762 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3763 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3764< results in "ing".
3765 When there is no match "" is returned.
3766 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3767 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3768< results in "ing". >
3769 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3770< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003771 When {expr} is a |List| then the matching item is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003772 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003773
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003774 *max()*
3775max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3776 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3777 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003778 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003779
3780 *min()*
Bram Moolenaar79166c42007-05-10 18:29:51 +00003781min({list}) Return the minimum value of all items in {list}.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003782 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3783 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003784 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003785
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00003786 *mkdir()* *E739*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003787mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3788 Create directory {name}.
3789 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3790 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3791 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3792 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3793 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3794 for others.
3795 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3796 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3797 :if exists("*mkdir")
3798<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003799 *mode()*
3800mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3801 n Normal
3802 v Visual by character
3803 V Visual by line
3804 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3805 s Select by character
3806 S Select by line
3807 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3808 i Insert
3809 R Replace
3810 c Command-line
3811 r Hit-enter prompt
3812 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3813 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3814
3815nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3816 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3817 that is not blank. Example: >
3818 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3819< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3820 below it, zero is returned.
3821 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3822
3823nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3824 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3825 value {expr}. Examples: >
3826 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3827 nr2char(32) returns " "
3828< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3829 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3830< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3831 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3832 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003833 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003834
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003835 *getpos()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003836getpos({expr}) Get the position for {expr}. For possible values of {expr}
3837 see |line()|.
3838 The result is a |List| with four numbers:
3839 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
3840 "bufnum" is zero, unless a mark like '0 or 'A is used, then it
3841 is the buffer number of the mark.
3842 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
3843 column is 1.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003844 The "off" number is zero, unless 'virtualedit' is used. Then
3845 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00003846 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003847 character.
3848 This can be used to save and restore the cursor position: >
3849 let save_cursor = getpos(".")
3850 MoveTheCursorAround
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00003851 call setpos('.', save_cursor)
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003852< Also see |setpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003853
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00003854pathshorten({expr}) *pathshorten()*
3855 Shorten directory names in the path {expr} and return the
3856 result. The tail, the file name, is kept as-is. The other
3857 components in the path are reduced to single letters. Leading
3858 '~' and '.' characters are kept. Example: >
3859 :echo pathshorten('~/.vim/autoload/myfile.vim')
3860< ~/.v/a/myfile.vim ~
3861 It doesn't matter if the path exists or not.
3862
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00003863prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3864 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3865 that is not blank. Example: >
3866 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3867< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3868 above it, zero is returned.
3869 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3870
3871
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003872printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
3873 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
3874 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003875 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003876< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003877 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003878
3879 Often used items are:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003880 %s string
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003881 %6s string right-aligned in 6 bytes
3882 %.9s string truncated to 9 bytes
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003883 %c single byte
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003884 %d decimal number
3885 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
3886 %x hex number
3887 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
3888 %X hex number using upper case letters
3889 %o octal number
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003890 %% the % character itself
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003891
3892 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
3893 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
3894 the result.
3895
3896 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003897 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003898
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003899 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003900
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003901 flags
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003902 Zero or more of the following flags:
3903
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003904 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
3905 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
3906 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
3907 of the number is increased to force the first
3908 character of the output string to a zero (except
3909 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
3910 precision of zero).
3911 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
3912 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
3913 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003914
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003915 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
3916 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
3917 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
3918 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
3919 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003920
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003921 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
3922 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
3923 The converted value is padded on the right with
3924 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
3925 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003926
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003927 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
3928 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003929
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003930 + A sign must always be placed before a number
3931 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
3932 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003933
3934 field-width
3935 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003936 field width. If the converted value has fewer bytes
3937 than the field width, it will be padded with spaces on
3938 the left (or right, if the left-adjustment flag has
3939 been given) to fill out the field width.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003940
3941 .precision
3942 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
3943 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
3944 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
3945 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
3946 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003947 bytes to be printed from a string for s conversions.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003948
3949 type
3950 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
3951 be applied, see below.
3952
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003953 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
3954 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
3955 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
3956 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
3957 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
3958 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003959 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003960< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003961 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003962
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00003963 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003964
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003965 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
3966 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
3967 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
3968 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003969 conversions.
3970 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
3971 digits that must appear; if the converted value
3972 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
3973 zeros.
3974 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
3975 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
3976 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
3977 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
3978
3979 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
3980 resulting character is written.
3981
3982 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
3983 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
3984 specified are used.
3985
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003986 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
3987 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003988
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003989 Each argument can be Number or String and is converted
3990 automatically to fit the conversion specifier. Any other
3991 argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003992
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00003993 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003994 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
3995 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003996 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003997
3998
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00003999pumvisible() *pumvisible()*
4000 Returns non-zero when the popup menu is visible, zero
4001 otherwise. See |ins-completion-menu|.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004002 This can be used to avoid some things that would remove the
4003 popup menu.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004004
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004005 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004006range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004007 Returns a |List| with Numbers:
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004008 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
4009 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
4010 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
4011 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
4012 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00004013 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
4014 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
4015 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004016 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004017 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004018 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
4019 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004020 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00004021 range(0) " []
4022 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004023<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004024 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004025readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004026 Read file {fname} and return a |List|, each line of the file
4027 as an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004028 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
4029 NL appears somewhere).
4030 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
4031 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
4032 added.
4033 - No CR characters are removed.
4034 Otherwise:
4035 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
4036 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
4037 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004038 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
4039 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
4040 lines of a file: >
4041 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
4042 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
4043 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004044< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
4045 are returned, or as many as there are.
4046 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004047 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
4048 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
4049 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004050 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
4051 the result is an empty list.
4052 Also see |writefile()|.
4053
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004054reltime([{start} [, {end}]]) *reltime()*
4055 Return an item that represents a time value. The format of
4056 the item depends on the system. It can be passed to
4057 |reltimestr()| to convert it to a string.
4058 Without an argument it returns the current time.
4059 With one argument is returns the time passed since the time
4060 specified in the argument.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004061 With two arguments it returns the time passed between {start}
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004062 and {end}.
4063 The {start} and {end} arguments must be values returned by
4064 reltime().
4065 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
4066
4067reltimestr({time}) *reltimestr()*
4068 Return a String that represents the time value of {time}.
4069 This is the number of seconds, a dot and the number of
4070 microseconds. Example: >
4071 let start = reltime()
4072 call MyFunction()
4073 echo reltimestr(reltime(start))
4074< Note that overhead for the commands will be added to the time.
4075 The accuracy depends on the system.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004076 Leading spaces are used to make the string align nicely. You
4077 can use split() to remove it. >
4078 echo split(reltimestr(reltime(start)))[0]
4079< Also see |profiling|.
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004080 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
4081
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004082 *remote_expr()* *E449*
4083remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
4084 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
4085 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004086 The result must be a String or a |List|. A |List| is turned
4087 into a String by joining the items with a line break in
4088 between (not at the end), like with join(expr, "\n").
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004089 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
4090 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
4091 remote_read() is stored there.
4092 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4093 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4094 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4095 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
4096 and the result will be the empty string.
4097 Examples: >
4098 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
4099 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
4100<
4101
4102remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
4103 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
4104 This works like: >
4105 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
4106< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
4107 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
4108 to bring itself to the foreground.
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004109 Note: This does not restore the window if it was minimized,
4110 like foreground() does.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004111 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4112 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
4113 Win32 console version}
4114
4115
4116remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
4117 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
4118 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
4119 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
4120 name of a variable.
4121 Returns zero if none are available.
4122 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
4123 See also |clientserver|.
4124 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4125 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4126 Examples: >
4127 :let repl = ""
4128 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
4129
4130remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
4131 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
4132 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
4133 See also |clientserver|.
4134 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4135 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4136 Example: >
4137 :echo remote_read(id)
4138<
4139 *remote_send()* *E241*
4140remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004141 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
4142 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
4143 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004144 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a variable
4145 and a {serverid} for later use with remote_read() is stored
4146 there.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004147 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
4148 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4149 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4150 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
4151 up the display.
4152 Examples: >
4153 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
4154 \ remote_read(serverid)
4155
4156 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
4157 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
4158 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
4159 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004160<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004161remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004162 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from |List| {list} and
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004163 return it.
4164 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
4165 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
4166 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
4167 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
4168 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004169 Example: >
4170 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004171 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004172remove({dict}, {key})
4173 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
4174 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
4175< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
4176
4177 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004178
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004179rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
4180 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
4181 should also work to move files across file systems. The
4182 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
4183 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
4184 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4185
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004186repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
4187 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
4188 result. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00004189 :let separator = repeat('-', 80)
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004190< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004191 When {expr} is a |List| the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004192 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004193 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
4194< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00004195
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004196
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004197resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
4198 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
4199 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
4200 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
4201 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
4202 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
4203 stopped after 100 iterations.
4204 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
4205 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
4206 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
4207 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
4208 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
4209
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004210 *reverse()*
4211reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
4212 {list}.
4213 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4214 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
4215
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004216search({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) *search()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004217 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00004218 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004219
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004220 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
4221 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004222 'c' accept a match at the cursor position
4223 'e' move to the End of the match
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004224 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004225 'p' return number of matching sub-pattern (see below)
4226 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004227 'w' wrap around the end of the file
4228 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
4229 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
4230
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00004231 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
4232 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
4233 flag.
4234
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004235 'ignorecase', 'smartcase' and 'magic' are used.
4236
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004237 When the {stopline} argument is given then the search stops
4238 after searching this line. This is useful to restrict the
4239 search to a range of lines. Examples: >
4240 let match = search('(', 'b', line("w0"))
4241 let end = search('END', '', line("w$"))
4242< When {stopline} is used and it is not zero this also implies
4243 that the search does not wrap around the end of the file.
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004244 A zero value is equal to not giving the argument.
4245
4246 When the {timeout} argument is given the search stops when
4247 more than this many milli seconds have passed. Thus when
4248 {timeout} is 500 the search stops after half a second.
4249 The value must not be negative. A zero value is like not
4250 giving the argument.
4251 {only available when compiled with the +reltime feature}
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004252
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004253 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
4254 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004255 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
4256 *search()-sub-match*
4257 With the 'p' flag the returned value is one more than the
4258 first sub-match in \(\). One if none of them matched but the
4259 whole pattern did match.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004260 To get the column number too use |searchpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004261
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004262 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
4263 flag is used.
4264
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004265 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
4266 :let n = 1
4267 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
4268 : exe "argument " . n
4269 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
4270 : " first search to find match at start of file
4271 : normal G$
4272 : let flags = "w"
4273 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
4274 : s/foo/bar/g
4275 : let flags = "W"
4276 : endwhile
4277 : update " write the file if modified
4278 : let n = n + 1
4279 :endwhile
4280<
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004281 Example for using some flags: >
4282 :echo search('\<if\|\(else\)\|\(endif\)', 'ncpe')
4283< This will search for the keywords "if", "else", and "endif"
4284 under or after the cursor. Because of the 'p' flag, it
4285 returns 1, 2, or 3 depending on which keyword is found, or 0
4286 if the search fails. With the cursor on the first word of the
4287 line:
4288 if (foo == 0) | let foo = foo + 1 | endif ~
4289 the function returns 1. Without the 'c' flag, the function
4290 finds the "endif" and returns 3. The same thing happens
4291 without the 'e' flag if the cursor is on the "f" of "if".
4292 The 'n' flag tells the function not to move the cursor.
4293
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004294
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004295searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
4296 Search for the declaration of {name}.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004297
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00004298 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
4299 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
4300 first match in the function.
4301
4302 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
4303 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
4304 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
4305
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004306 Moves the cursor to the found match.
4307 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4308 Example: >
4309 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
4310 echo getline('.')
4311 endif
4312<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004313 *searchpair()*
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004314searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
4315 [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004316 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
4317 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
4318 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004319 The search starts at the cursor. The default is to search
4320 forward, include 'b' in {flags} to search backward.
4321 If a match is found, the cursor is positioned at it and the
4322 line number is returned. If no match is found 0 or -1 is
4323 returned and the cursor doesn't move. No error message is
4324 given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004325
4326 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
4327 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
4328 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
4329 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
4330 typical use is: >
4331 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
4332< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
4333
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004334 {flags} 'b', 'c', 'n', 's', 'w' and 'W' are used like with
4335 |search()|. Additionally:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004336 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
4337 outer pair
4338 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004339 the match; will be > 1 when 'r' is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004340
4341 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
4342 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
4343 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
4344 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
4345 or a string.
4346 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
4347 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
4348 and -1 returned.
4349
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004350 For {stopline} and {timeout} see |search()|.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004351
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004352 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
4353 patterns are used like it's on.
4354
4355 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
4356 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
4357 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
4358 if 1
4359 if 2
4360 endif 2
4361 endif 1
4362< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
4363 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
4364 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
4365 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
4366 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
4367 "endif 2".
4368 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
4369 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
4370 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
4371 the matching start.
4372
4373 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
4374
4375 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
4376 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
4377
4378< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
4379 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
4380 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
4381 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
4382 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
4383 match.
4384 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
4385
4386 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
4387
4388< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
4389 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
4390 highlighting recognized as strings: >
4391
4392 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
4393 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
4394<
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004395 *searchpairpos()*
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004396searchpairpos({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}
4397 [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004398 Same as searchpair(), but returns a |List| with the line and
4399 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4400 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004401 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4402 returns [0, 0].
4403>
4404 :let [lnum,col] = searchpairpos('{', '', '}', 'n')
4405<
4406 See |match-parens| for a bigger and more useful example.
4407
Bram Moolenaar76929292008-01-06 19:07:36 +00004408searchpos({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline} [, {timeout}]]]) *searchpos()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004409 Same as |search()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004410 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4411 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
4412 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4413 returns [0, 0].
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004414 Example: >
4415 :let [lnum, col] = searchpos('mypattern', 'n')
4416
4417< When the 'p' flag is given then there is an extra item with
4418 the sub-pattern match number |search()-sub-match|. Example: >
4419 :let [lnum, col, submatch] = searchpos('\(\l\)\|\(\u\)', 'np')
4420< In this example "submatch" is 2 when a lowercase letter is
4421 found |/\l|, 3 when an uppercase letter is found |/\u|.
4422
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004423server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
4424 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
4425 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
4426 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4427 Note:
4428 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004429 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004430 before calling any commands that waits for input.
4431 See also |clientserver|.
4432 Example: >
4433 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
4434<
4435serverlist() *serverlist()*
4436 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
4437 When there are no servers or the information is not available
4438 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
4439 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4440 Example: >
4441 :echo serverlist()
4442<
4443setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
4444 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
4445 {val}.
4446 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
4447 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
4448 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
4449 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
4450 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
4451 Examples: >
4452 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
4453 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
4454< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4455
4456setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
4457 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
4458 {pos}. The first position is 1.
4459 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
4460 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004461 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
4462 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
4463 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
4464 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
4465 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004466 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
4467 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
4468 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
4469 line.
4470
4471setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004472 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}.
4473 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004474 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {line} will be
4475 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004476 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
4477 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004478 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004479< When {line} is a |List| then line {lnum} and following lines
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004480 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
4481 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
4482< This is equivalent to: >
4483 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
4484 : call setline(n, l)
4485 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004486< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
4487
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004488setloclist({nr}, {list} [, {action}]) *setloclist()*
4489 Create or replace or add to the location list for window {nr}.
4490 When {nr} is zero the current window is used. For a location
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004491 list window, the displayed location list is modified. For an
4492 invalid window number {nr}, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar6ee10162007-07-26 20:58:42 +00004493 Otherwise, same as |setqflist()|.
4494 Also see |location-list|.
4495
4496setmatches({list}) *setmatches()*
4497 Restores a list of matches saved by |getmatches()|. Returns 0
4498 if succesfull, otherwise -1. All current matches are cleared
4499 before the list is restored. See example for |getmatches()|.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004500
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004501 *setpos()*
4502setpos({expr}, {list})
4503 Set the position for {expr}. Possible values:
4504 . the cursor
4505 'x mark x
4506
4507 {list} must be a |List| with four numbers:
4508 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
4509
4510 "bufnum" is the buffer number. Zero can be used for the
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004511 current buffer. Setting the cursor is only possible for
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004512 the current buffer. To set a mark in another buffer you can
4513 use the |bufnr()| function to turn a file name into a buffer
4514 number.
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00004515 Does not change the jumplist.
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004516
4517 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
4518 column is 1. Use a zero "lnum" to delete a mark.
4519
4520 The "off" number is only used when 'virtualedit' is set. Then
4521 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004522 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004523 character.
4524
4525 Also see |getpos()|
4526
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004527 This does not restore the preferred column for moving
4528 vertically. See |winrestview()| for that.
4529
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004530
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004531setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004532 Create or replace or add to the quickfix list using the items
4533 in {list}. Each item in {list} is a dictionary.
4534 Non-dictionary items in {list} are ignored. Each dictionary
4535 item can contain the following entries:
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004536
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004537 bufnr buffer number; must be the number of a valid
4538 buffer
4539 filename name of a file; only used when "bufnr" is not
4540 present or it is invalid.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004541 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004542 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004543 col column number
4544 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004545 when zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004546 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004547 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004548 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004549
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004550 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
4551 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
4552 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004553 If the "filename" and "bufnr" entries are not present or
4554 neither the "lnum" or "pattern" entries are present, then the
4555 item will not be handled as an error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004556 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
4557 be used.
Bram Moolenaar48b66fb2007-02-04 01:58:18 +00004558 Note that the list is not exactly the same as what
4559 |getqflist()| returns.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004560
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004561 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
4562 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
4563 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
4564 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
4565 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
4566 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
4567
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004568 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
4569
4570 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
4571 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
4572 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
4573
4574
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004575 *setreg()*
4576setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
4577 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
4578 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
4579 then the value is appended.
4580 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
4581 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
4582 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
4583 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
4584 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
4585 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
4586 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00004587 in the longest line (counting a <Tab> as 1 character).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004588
4589 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
4590 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
4591 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
4592 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4593
4594 Examples: >
4595 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
4596 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
4597 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
4598
4599< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
4600 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004601 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004602 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
4603 ....
4604 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
4605
4606< You can also change the type of a register by appending
4607 nothing: >
4608 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
4609
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00004610settabwinvar({tabnr}, {winnr}, {varname}, {val}) *settabwinvar()*
4611 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {winnr} to
4612 {val}.
4613 Tabs are numbered starting with one. For the current tabpage
4614 use |setwinvar()|.
4615 When {winnr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004616 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
4617 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
4618 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
4619 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
Bram Moolenaarc6249bb2006-04-15 20:25:09 +00004620 Vim briefly goes to the tab page {tabnr}, this may trigger
4621 TabLeave and TabEnter autocommands.
4622 Examples: >
4623 :call settabwinvar(1, 1, "&list", 0)
4624 :call settabwinvar(3, 2, "myvar", "foobar")
4625< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4626
4627setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
4628 Like |settabwinvar()| for the current tab page.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004629 Examples: >
4630 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
4631 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004632
Bram Moolenaar60a495f2006-10-03 12:44:42 +00004633shellescape({string}) *shellescape()*
4634 Escape {string} for use as shell command argument.
4635 On MS-Windows and MS-DOS, when 'shellslash' is not set, it
4636 will enclose {string} double quotes and double all double
4637 quotes within {string}.
4638 For other systems, it will enclose {string} in single quotes
4639 and replace all "'" with "'\''".
4640 Example: >
4641 :echo shellescape('c:\program files\vim')
4642< results in:
4643 "c:\program files\vim" ~
4644 Example usage: >
4645 :call system("chmod +x -- " . shellescape(expand("%")))
4646
4647
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004648simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
4649 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
4650 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
4651 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
4652 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
4653 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
4654 not removed either.
4655 Example: >
4656 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
4657< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
4658 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
4659 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
4660 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
4661 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
4662
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004663
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004664sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004665 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
4666 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4667 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
4668< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004669 Numbers sort after Strings, |Lists| after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004670 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004671 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004672 When {func} is a |Funcref| or a function name, this function
4673 is called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004674 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
4675 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
4676 sorts before the second one. Example: >
4677 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
4678 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
4679 endfunc
4680 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004681<
4682
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004683 *soundfold()*
4684soundfold({word})
4685 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
4686 language in 'spellang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004687 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
4688 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004689 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
4690 the method can be quite slow.
4691
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004692 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00004693spellbadword([{sentence}])
4694 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
4695 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
4696 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
4697 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
4698
4699 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
4700 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
4701 result is an empty string.
4702
4703 The return value is a list with two items:
4704 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
4705 - The type of the spelling error:
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004706 "bad" spelling mistake
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00004707 "rare" rare word
4708 "local" word only valid in another region
4709 "caps" word should start with Capital
4710 Example: >
4711 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
4712< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
4713
4714 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
4715 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
4716 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004717
4718 *spellsuggest()*
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004719spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004720 Return a |List| with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004721 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
4722 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
4723
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004724 When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
4725 suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
4726 after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
4727
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004728 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
4729 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00004730 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
4731 replace a line.
4732
4733 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004734 returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
4735 although it may appear capitalized.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004736
4737 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004738 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
4739 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004740
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004741
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004742split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004743 Make a |List| out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or
4744 empty each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an
4745 item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004746 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004747 removing the matched characters.
4748 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
4749 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00004750 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
4751 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004752 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004753 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004754< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004755 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00004756< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
4757 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
4758< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004759 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
4760 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
4761< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004762
4763
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00004764str2nr( {expr} [, {base}]) *str2nr()*
4765 Convert string {expr} to a number.
4766 {base} is the conversion base, it can be 8, 10 or 16.
4767 When {base} is omitted base 10 is used. This also means that
4768 a leading zero doesn't cause octal conversion to be used, as
4769 with the default String to Number conversion.
4770 When {base} is 16 a leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored. With a
4771 different base the result will be zero.
4772 Text after the number is silently ignored.
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004773
Bram Moolenaar97b2ad32006-03-18 21:40:56 +00004774
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004775strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
4776 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
4777 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
4778 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
4779 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
4780 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
4781 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
4782 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
4783 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
4784 Examples: >
4785 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
4786 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
4787 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
4788 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
4789 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
4790 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004791< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4792 :if exists("*strftime")
4793
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004794stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
4795 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4796 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004797 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
4798 This can be used to find a second match: >
4799 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
4800 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
4801< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004802 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004803 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004804 See also |strridx()|.
4805 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004806 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
4807 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
4808 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004809< *strstr()* *strchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004810 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
4811 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
4812
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004813 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004814string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
4815 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
4816 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004817 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004818 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004819 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004820 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004821 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00004822 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004823 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004824 Also see |strtrans()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004825
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004826 *strlen()*
4827strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004828 {expr} in bytes.
4829 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
4830 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004831
4832 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004833<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004834 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
4835 For other types an error is given.
4836 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004837
4838strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
4839 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004840 byte {start}, with the byte length {len}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004841 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
4842 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
4843 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
4844 end of the {src}. >
4845 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
4846 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
4847 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
4848 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
4849< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
4850 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar61660ea2006-04-07 21:40:07 +00004851 strpart(getline("."), col(".") - 1, 3)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004852<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004853strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
4854 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4855 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
4856 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
4857 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
4858 match: >
4859 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
4860 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
4861< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004862 For pattern searches use |match()|.
4863 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004864 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004865 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004866 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004867< *strrchr()*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004868 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
4869 function strrchr().
4870
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004871strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
4872 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
4873 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
4874 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
4875 echo strtrans(@a)
4876< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
4877 starting a new line.
4878
4879submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
4880 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
4881 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
4882 the whole matched text is returned.
4883 Example: >
4884 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
4885< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
4886 A line break is included as a newline character.
4887
4888substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
4889 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
4890 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
4891 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
4892 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
4893 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00004894 'ignorecase' is still relevant. 'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004895 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
4896 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
4897 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
4898 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
4899 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
4900 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
4901 unmodified.
4902 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
4903 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
4904 Example: >
4905 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
4906< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
4907 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
4908< results in "TESTING".
4909
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004910synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004911 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004912 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004913 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
4914 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004915
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004916 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004917 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
4918
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004919 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
4920 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
4921 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
4922 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
4923 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
4924 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
4925 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
4926
4927 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
4928 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
4929<
4930synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
4931 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
4932 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
4933 about a syntax item.
4934 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
4935 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
4936 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
4937 used (GUI, cterm or term).
4938 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
4939 {what} result
4940 "name" the name of the syntax item
4941 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
4942 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
4943 term: empty string)
4944 "bg" background color (like "fg")
4945 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
4946 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
4947 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
4948 "bold" "1" if bold
4949 "italic" "1" if italic
4950 "reverse" "1" if reverse
4951 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
4952 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004953 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004954
4955 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
4956 cursor): >
4957 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
4958<
4959synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
4960 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
4961 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
4962 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
4963 ":highlight link" are followed.
4964
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004965system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
4966 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
4967 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
4968 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
4969 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004970 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004971 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
4972 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
4973 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004974 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
4975 The result is a String. Example: >
4976
4977 :let files = system("ls")
4978
4979< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
4980 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
4981 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
4982 The command executed is constructed using several options:
4983 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
4984 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
4985 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
4986 concatenated commands.
4987
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00004988 The command will be executed in "cooked" mode, so that a
4989 CTRL-C will interrupt the command (on Unix at least).
4990
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004991 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
4992 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00004993
4994 Note that any wrong value in the options mentioned above may
4995 make the function fail. It has also been reported to fail
4996 when using a security agent application.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004997 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
4998 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
4999
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005000
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005001tabpagebuflist([{arg}]) *tabpagebuflist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005002 The result is a |List|, where each item is the number of the
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005003 buffer associated with each window in the current tab page.
5004 {arg} specifies the number of tab page to be used. When
5005 omitted the current tab page is used.
5006 When {arg} is invalid the number zero is returned.
5007 To get a list of all buffers in all tabs use this: >
5008 tablist = []
5009 for i in range(tabpagenr('$'))
5010 call extend(tablist, tabpagebuflist(i + 1))
5011 endfor
5012< Note that a buffer may appear in more than one window.
5013
5014
5015tabpagenr([{arg}]) *tabpagenr()*
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00005016 The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
5017 tab page. The first tab page has number 1.
5018 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the last tab
5019 page is returned (the tab page count).
5020 The number can be used with the |:tab| command.
5021
5022
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00005023tabpagewinnr({tabarg}, [{arg}]) *tabpagewinnr()*
5024 Like |winnr()| but for tab page {arg}.
5025 {tabarg} specifies the number of tab page to be used.
5026 {arg} is used like with |winnr()|:
5027 - When omitted the current window number is returned. This is
5028 the window which will be used when going to this tab page.
5029 - When "$" the number of windows is returned.
5030 - When "#" the previous window nr is returned.
5031 Useful examples: >
5032 tabpagewinnr(1) " current window of tab page 1
5033 tabpagewinnr(4, '$') " number of windows in tab page 4
5034< When {tabarg} is invalid zero is returned.
5035
Bram Moolenaarfa1d1402006-03-25 21:59:56 +00005036 *tagfiles()*
5037tagfiles() Returns a |List| with the file names used to search for tags
5038 for the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
5039
5040
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005041taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
5042 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00005043 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
5044 entries:
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005045 name Name of the tag.
5046 filename Name of the file where the tag is
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005047 defined. It is either relative to the
5048 current directory or a full path.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005049 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
5050 the file.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005051 kind Type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005052 entry depends on the language specific
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005053 kind values. Only available when
5054 using a tags file generated by
5055 Exuberant ctags or hdrtag.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00005056 static A file specific tag. Refer to
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005057 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005058 More entries may be present, depending on the content of the
5059 tags file: access, implementation, inherits and signature.
5060 Refer to the ctags documentation for information about these
5061 fields. For C code the fields "struct", "class" and "enum"
5062 may appear, they give the name of the entity the tag is
5063 contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00005064
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00005065 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
5066 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00005067
5068 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
5069
5070 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
5071 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
5072 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
5073
5074 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
5075 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
5076 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
5077
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005078tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
5079 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
5080 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
5081 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
5082 :let tmpfile = tempname()
5083 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
5084< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
5085 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
5086 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
5087 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
5088 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
5089 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
5090
5091tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
5092 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
5093 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
5094 the string).
5095
5096toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
5097 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
5098 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
5099 the string).
5100
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00005101tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
5102 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
5103 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
5104 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
5105 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
5106 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
5107 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
5108
5109 Examples: >
5110 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
5111< returns "Hello THere" >
5112 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
5113< returns "{blob}"
5114
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005115 *type()*
5116type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005117 Number: 0
5118 String: 1
5119 Funcref: 2
5120 List: 3
5121 Dictionary: 4
5122 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005123 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
5124 :if type(myvar) == type("")
5125 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
5126 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005127 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005128
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005129values({dict}) *values()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005130 Return a |List| with all the values of {dict}. The |List| is
5131 in arbitrary order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005132
5133
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005134virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
5135 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
5136 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
5137 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
5138 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
5139 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
5140 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
5141 set to 8, it returns 8.
Bram Moolenaar477933c2007-07-17 14:32:23 +00005142 For the byte position use |col()|.
5143 For the use of {expr} see |col()|.
5144 When 'virtualedit' is used {expr} can be [lnum, col, off], where
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005145 "off" is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
Bram Moolenaard46bbc72007-05-12 14:38:41 +00005146 character. E.g., a position within a <Tab> or after the last
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00005147 character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005148 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
5149 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
5150 The accepted positions are:
5151 . the cursor position
5152 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
5153 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
5154 plus one)
5155 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
5156 returned)
5157 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
5158 Examples: >
5159 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
5160 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
5161 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
5162< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005163 A more advanced example that echoes the maximum length of
5164 all lines: >
5165 echo max(map(range(1, line('$')), "virtcol([v:val, '$'])"))
5166
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005167
5168visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
5169 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005170 used in the current buffer. Initially it returns an empty
5171 string, but once Visual mode has been used, it returns "v",
5172 "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a single CTRL-V character) for
5173 character-wise, line-wise, or block-wise Visual mode
5174 respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005175 Example: >
5176 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
5177< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
5178 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
5179 Visual mode that was used.
5180
5181 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
5182 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
5183 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
5184 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
5185
5186 *winbufnr()*
5187winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005188 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005189 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
5190 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5191 Example: >
5192 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
5193<
5194 *wincol()*
5195wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
5196 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
5197 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
5198
5199winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
5200 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
5201 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
5202 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5203 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
5204 Examples: >
5205 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
5206<
5207 *winline()*
5208winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
5209 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
5210 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00005211 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
5212 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005213
5214 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005215winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
5216 window. The top window has number 1.
5217 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00005218 last window is returned (the window count).
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005219 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
5220 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005221 If there is no previous window or it is in another tab page 0
5222 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00005223 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
5224 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005225 Also see |tabpagewinnr()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005226
5227 *winrestcmd()*
5228winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
5229 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005230 are opened or closed and the current window and tab page is
5231 unchanged.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005232 Example: >
5233 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
5234 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
5235 :exe cmd
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005236<
5237 *winrestview()*
5238winrestview({dict})
5239 Uses the |Dictionary| returned by |winsaveview()| to restore
5240 the view of the current window.
5241 If you have changed the values the result is unpredictable.
5242 If the window size changed the result won't be the same.
5243
5244 *winsaveview()*
5245winsaveview() Returns a |Dictionary| that contains information to restore
5246 the view of the current window. Use |winrestview()| to
5247 restore the view.
5248 This is useful if you have a mapping that jumps around in the
5249 buffer and you want to go back to the original view.
5250 This does not save fold information. Use the 'foldenable'
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +00005251 option to temporarily switch off folding, so that folds are
5252 not opened when moving around.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00005253 The return value includes:
5254 lnum cursor line number
5255 col cursor column
5256 coladd cursor column offset for 'virtualedit'
5257 curswant column for vertical movement
5258 topline first line in the window
5259 topfill filler lines, only in diff mode
5260 leftcol first column displayed
5261 skipcol columns skipped
5262 Note that no option values are saved.
5263
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005264
5265winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
5266 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
5267 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
5268 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
5269 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
5270 Examples: >
5271 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
5272 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
5273 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
5274 :endif
5275<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005276 *writefile()*
5277writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005278 Write |List| {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005279 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
5280 Number.
5281 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
5282 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
5283 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
5284 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
5285 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
5286 to writefile().
5287 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
5288 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
5289 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
5290 fails.
5291 Also see |readfile()|.
5292 To copy a file byte for byte: >
5293 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
5294 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
5295<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005296
5297 *feature-list*
5298There are three types of features:
52991. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
5300 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
5301 :if has("cindent")
53022. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
5303 Example: >
5304 :if has("gui_running")
5305< *has-patch*
53063. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
5307 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
5308 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
5309 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005310< Note that it's possible for patch 147 to be omitted even though 148 is
5311 included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005312
5313all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
5314amiga Amiga version of Vim.
5315arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
5316arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00005317autocmd Compiled with autocommand support. |autocommand|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005318balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00005319balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005320beos BeOS version of Vim.
5321browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
5322 work.
5323builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
5324byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
5325cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
5326clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
5327clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
5328cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
5329cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
5330cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
5331comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
5332cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
5333cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
5334compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
5335debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
5336dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
5337dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
5338diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
5339digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
5340dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
5341dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
5342dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
5343ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
5344emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
5345eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
5346 true, of course!
5347ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
5348extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
5349 |'hlsearch'|
5350farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
5351file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005352filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
5353 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005354find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
5355 |+find_in_path|.
5356fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
5357 Windows this is not present).
5358folding Compiled with |folding| support.
5359footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
5360fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
5361gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
5362gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
5363gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005364gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
5365gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
5366gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
5367gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
5368gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
5369gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
5370gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
5371gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
5372hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
5373iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
5374insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
5375 Insert mode.
5376jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
5377keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
5378langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
5379libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
5380linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
5381 support.
5382lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
5383listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
5384 and the argument list |arglist|.
5385localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
5386mac Macintosh version of Vim.
5387macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
5388menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
5389mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
5390modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
5391mouse Compiled with support mouse.
5392mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
5393mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
5394mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
5395mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
5396mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
5397mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
5398multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
5399multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
5400multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00005401mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005402netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00005403netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005404ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
5405os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
5406osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
5407path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
5408perl Compiled with Perl interface.
5409postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
5410printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005411profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005412python Compiled with Python interface.
5413qnx QNX version of Vim.
5414quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
Bram Moolenaard68071d2006-05-02 22:08:30 +00005415reltime Compiled with |reltime()| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005416rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
5417ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
5418scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
5419showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
5420signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
5421smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00005422sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005423statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
5424 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
5425sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00005426spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
5427syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005428syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
5429 current buffer.
5430system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
5431tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
5432 |tag-binary-search|.
5433tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
5434 |tag-old-static|.
5435tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
5436 files |tag-any-white|.
5437tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
5438terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
5439termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
5440textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
5441tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
5442 or terminfo file.
5443title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
5444toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
5445unix Unix version of Vim.
5446user_commands User-defined commands.
5447viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
5448vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
5449vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
5450virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
5451visual Compiled with Visual mode.
5452visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
5453 |blockwise-operators|.
5454vms VMS version of Vim.
5455vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
5456wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
5457wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
5458windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
5459winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
5460win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
5461win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
5462win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
5463win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
5464win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
5465writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
5466xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
5467xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
5468xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
5469xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
5470xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
5471xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
5472 xterm screen.
5473x11 Compiled with X11 support.
5474
5475 *string-match*
5476Matching a pattern in a String
5477
5478A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
5479the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
5480everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
5481like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
5482line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
5483with ".". Example: >
5484 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
5485 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
5486 aa
5487 xx
5488 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
5489 a
5490 x
5491
5492Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
5493"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
5494"\n".
5495
5496==============================================================================
54975. Defining functions *user-functions*
5498
5499New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
5500functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
5501commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
5502
5503The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
5504builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
5505avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
5506the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
5507
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005508It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
5509|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005510
5511 *local-function*
5512A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
5513can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
5514and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
5515function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
5516instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
5517
5518 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
5519:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
5520
5521:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005522 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5523 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005524 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005525
5526:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
5527 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
5528 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00005529<
5530 *:function-verbose*
5531When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
5532last defined. Example: >
5533
5534 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
5535 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
5536 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
5537<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00005538See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00005539
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005540 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005541:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005542 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
5543 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
5544 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005545
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005546 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5547 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005548 :function dict.init(arg)
5549< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
5550 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
5551 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
5552 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
5553 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
5554 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005555 *E127* *E122*
5556 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
5557 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
5558 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
5559 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005560
5561 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
5562
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005563 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
5564 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
5565 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
5566 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
5567 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
5568 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
5569 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005570
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005571 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
5572 abort as soon as an error is detected.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005573
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005574 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005575 be invoked through an entry in a |Dictionary|. The
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005576 local variable "self" will then be set to the
5577 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005578
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00005579 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
5580 will not be changed by the function.
5581
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005582 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
5583:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
5584 by its own, without other commands.
5585
5586 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
5587:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005588 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5589 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005590 :delfunc dict.init
5591< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
5592 function is deleted if there are no more references to
5593 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005594 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
5595:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
5596 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
5597 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
5598 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
5599 the number 0 is returned.
5600 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
5601 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
5602
5603 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
5604 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
5605 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
5606 are executed first. This process applies to all
5607 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
5608 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
5609
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005610 *function-argument* *a:var*
5611An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
5612be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005613 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740* *...*
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005614Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
5615arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
5616may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
5617as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005618can be 0). "a:000" is set to a |List| that contains these arguments. Note
5619that "a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005620 *E742*
5621The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005622However, if a |List| or |Dictionary| is used, you can changes their contents.
5623Thus you can pass a |List| to a function and have the function add an item to
5624it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a |List| or
5625|Dictionary| use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005626
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005627When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
5628to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
5629may be larger.
5630
5631It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
5632still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
5633until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
5634inside a function body.
5635
5636 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005637Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
5638will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
5639accessed with "g:".
5640
5641Example: >
5642 :function Table(title, ...)
5643 : echohl Title
5644 : echo a:title
5645 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005646 : echo a:0 . " items:"
5647 : for s in a:000
5648 : echon ' ' . s
5649 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005650 :endfunction
5651
5652This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005653 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
5654 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005655
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005656To return more than one value, return a |List|: >
5657 :function Compute(n1, n2)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005658 : if a:n2 == 0
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005659 : return ["fail", 0]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005660 : endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005661 : return ["ok", a:n1 / a:n2]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005662 :endfunction
5663
5664This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005665 :let [success, div] = Compute(102, 6)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005666 :if success == "ok"
5667 : echo div
5668 :endif
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005669<
Bram Moolenaar39f05632006-03-19 22:15:26 +00005670 *:cal* *:call* *E107* *E117*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005671:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
5672 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
5673 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005674 used. The returned value is discarded.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005675 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
5676 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
5677 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
5678 function.
5679 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
5680 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
5681 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
5682 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
5683 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
5684 this works:
5685 *function-range-example* >
5686 :function Mynumber(arg)
5687 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
5688 :endfunction
5689 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
5690<
5691 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
5692 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
5693 the range.
5694
5695 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
5696
5697 :function Cont() range
5698 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
5699 :endfunction
5700 :4,8call Cont()
5701<
5702 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
5703 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
5704
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005705 When the function returns a composite value it can be further
5706 dereferenced, but the range will not be used then. Example: >
5707 :4,8call GetDict().method()
5708< Here GetDict() gets the range but method() does not.
5709
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005710 *E132*
5711The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
5712option.
5713
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005714
5715AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005716 *autoload-functions*
5717When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005718only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
5719the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
5720
5721
5722Using an autocommand ~
5723
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005724This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
5725
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005726The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
5727You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
5728That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
5729again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
5730
5731Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
5732function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005733
5734 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
5735
5736The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
5737"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
5738
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005739
5740Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005741 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005742This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
5743
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005744Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
5745exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
5746like this: >
5747
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005748 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005749
5750When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
5751"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
5752"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
5753then define the function like this: >
5754
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005755 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005756 echo "Done!"
5757 endfunction
5758
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00005759The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005760exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
5761called.
5762
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005763It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
5764a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005765
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005766 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005767
5768Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
5769
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005770This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
5771
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005772 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005773
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00005774However, when the autoload script was already loaded it won't be loaded again
5775for an unknown variable.
5776
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005777When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
5778be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
5779
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005780 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
5781 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005782
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00005783Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
5784defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
5785function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005786And you will get an error message every time.
5787
5788Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
5789other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
5790Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005791
Bram Moolenaar433f7c82006-03-21 21:29:36 +00005792Hint: If you distribute a bunch of scripts you can pack them together with the
5793|vimball| utility. Also read the user manual |distribute-script|.
5794
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005795==============================================================================
57966. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
5797
5798Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
5799This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
5800{} like this: >
5801 my_{adjective}_variable
5802
5803When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
5804that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
5805name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
5806"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
5807"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
5808
5809One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
5810value. For example, the statement >
5811 echo my_{&background}_message
5812
5813would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
5814on the current value of 'background'.
5815
5816You can use multiple brace pairs: >
5817 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
5818..or even nest them: >
5819 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
5820where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
5821
5822However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005823variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005824 :let foo='a + b'
5825 :echo c{foo}d
5826.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
5827
5828 *curly-braces-function-names*
5829You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
5830Example: >
5831 :let func_end='whizz'
5832 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
5833
5834This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
5835
5836==============================================================================
58377. Commands *expression-commands*
5838
5839:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
5840 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
5841 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
5842 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
5843 is created.
5844
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005845:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
5846 Set a list item to the result of the expression
5847 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
5848 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
5849 the index can be repeated.
5850 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
5851
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005852 *E711* *E719*
5853:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005854 Set a sequence of items in a |List| to the result of
5855 the expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005856 correct number of items.
5857 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
5858 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
5859 When the selected range of items is partly past the
5860 end of the list, items will be added.
5861
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005862 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005863:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
5864:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
5865:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
5866 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
5867 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
5868
5869
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005870:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
5871 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
5872 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005873:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
5874 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
5875 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
5876 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005877
5878:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
5879 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
5880 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
5881 must be the name of a writable register (see
5882 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
5883 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
5884 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
5885 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
5886 characterwise.
5887 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
5888 :let @/ = ""
5889< This is different from searching for an empty string,
5890 that would match everywhere.
5891
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005892:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
5893 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
5894 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
5895
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005896:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005897 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005898 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
5899 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005900 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
5901 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
Bram Moolenaara5fac542005-10-12 20:58:49 +00005902 value and the global value are changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005903 Example: >
5904 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005905
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005906:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
5907 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
5908 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
5909
5910:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
5911:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
5912 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
5913 {expr1}.
5914
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005915:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005916:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5917:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
5918:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005919 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
5920 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
5921
5922:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005923:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5924:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
5925:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005926 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
5927 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
5928
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005929:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005930 {expr1} must evaluate to a |List|. The first item in
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005931 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
5932 {name2}, etc.
5933 The number of names must match the number of items in
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005934 the |List|.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005935 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
5936 command as mentioned above.
5937 Example: >
5938 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005939< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
5940 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
5941 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
5942 :let x = [0, 1]
5943 :let i = 0
5944 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
5945 :echo x
5946< The result is [0, 2].
5947
5948:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
5949:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
5950:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
5951 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005952 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005953
5954:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005955 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the |List| may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005956 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
5957 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
5958 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005959 Example: >
5960 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
5961<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005962:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
5963:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
5964:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
5965 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005966 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005967 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005968:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00005969 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
5970 here: *E738*
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00005971 g: global variables
5972 b: local buffer variables
5973 w: local window variables
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00005974 t: local tab page variables
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00005975 s: script-local variables
5976 l: local function variables
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00005977 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005978
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005979:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
5980 variable is indicated before the value:
5981 <nothing> String
5982 # Number
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00005983 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005984
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005985
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00005986:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108* *E795*
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005987 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
5988 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005989 may also be a |List| or |Dictionary| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005990 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
5991 variables.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005992 One or more items from a |List| can be removed: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005993 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
5994 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005995< One item from a |Dictionary| can be removed at a time: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005996 :unlet dict['two']
5997 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005998
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005999:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
6000 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
6001 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
6002 A locked variable can be deleted: >
6003 :lockvar v
6004 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
6005 :unlet v
6006< *E741*
6007 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
6008 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
6009
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006010 [depth] is relevant when locking a |List| or
6011 |Dictionary|. It specifies how deep the locking goes:
6012 1 Lock the |List| or |Dictionary| itself,
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006013 cannot add or remove items, but can
6014 still change their values.
6015 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006016 the items. If an item is a |List| or
6017 |Dictionary|, cannot add or remove
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006018 items, but can still change the
6019 values.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006020 3 Like 2 but for the |List| /
6021 |Dictionary| in the |List| /
6022 |Dictionary|, one level deeper.
6023 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a |List|
6024 or |Dictionary| the values cannot be changed.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006025 *E743*
6026 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
6027 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
6028 loops.
6029
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00006030 Note that when two variables refer to the same |List|
6031 and you lock one of them, the |List| will also be
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00006032 locked when used through the other variable.
6033 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00006034 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
6035 :let cl = l
6036 :lockvar l
6037 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
6038< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
6039 See |deepcopy()|.
6040
6041
6042:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
6043 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
6044 opposite of |:lockvar|.
6045
6046
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006047:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
6048:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
6049 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
6050
6051 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
6052 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
6053 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
6054 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
6055 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
6056 part was not executed either.
6057
6058 You can use this to remain compatible with older
6059 versions: >
6060 :if version >= 500
6061 : version-5-specific-commands
6062 :endif
6063< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
6064 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
6065 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
6066 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
6067 avoid problems: >
6068 :if version >= 600
6069 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
6070 :endif
6071<
6072 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
6073 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
6074
6075 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
6076:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
6077 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
6078 executed.
6079
6080 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
6081:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
6082 is no extra ":endif".
6083
6084:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006085 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006086:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
6087 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
6088 When an error is detected from a command inside the
6089 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006090 Example: >
6091 :let lnum = 1
6092 :while lnum <= line("$")
6093 :call FixLine(lnum)
6094 :let lnum = lnum + 1
6095 :endwhile
6096<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006097 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00006098 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006099
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00006100:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006101:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
6102 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00006103 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006104 value of each item.
6105 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006106 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00006107 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
6108 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00006109 :for item in copy(mylist)
6110< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
6111 next item in the list, before executing the commands
6112 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
6113 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
6114 it will not be found. Thus the following example
6115 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
6116 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006117 :call remove(mylist, 0)
6118 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00006119< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
6120 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
6121 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006122 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
6123 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
6124 to allow multiple item types.
6125
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006126:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
6127:endfo[r]
6128 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
6129 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
6130 {var2}, etc. Example: >
6131 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
6132 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
6133 :endfor
6134<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006135 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006136:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
6137 to the start of the loop.
6138 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6139 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6140 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6141 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6142 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6143 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006144
6145 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00006146:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
6147 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
6148 ":endfor".
6149 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
6150 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
6151 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
6152 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
6153 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
6154 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006155
6156:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
6157:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
6158 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
6159 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
6160 or autocommand invocations.
6161
6162 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
6163 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
6164 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
6165 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
6166 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
6167 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
6168 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
6169 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
6170 Example: >
6171 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
6172 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
6173<
6174 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
6175 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
6176 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
6177 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
6178 processing is not terminated.
6179
6180 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
6181 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
6182 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
6183 other errors are converted to a value of the form
6184 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
6185 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
6186 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
6187 the error number.
6188 Examples: >
6189 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
6190 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
6191<
6192 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
6193:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
6194 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
6195 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
6196 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
6197 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
6198 commands are skipped.
6199 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
6200 Examples: >
6201 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
6202 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
6203 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
6204 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
6205 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
6206 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
6207 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
6208 :catch " same as /.*/
6209<
6210 Another character can be used instead of / around the
6211 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
6212 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
6213 {pattern}.
6214 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
6215 an error message because it may vary in different
6216 locales.
6217
6218 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
6219:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
6220 are executed whenever the part between the matching
6221 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
6222 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
6223 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
6224 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
6225
6226 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
6227:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
6228 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
6229 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
6230 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
6231 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
6232 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
6233 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
6234 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
6235 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
6236 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
6237 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
6238 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
6239 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
6240 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
6241 is terminated.
6242 Example: >
6243 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
6244<
6245
6246 *:ec* *:echo*
6247:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
6248 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
6249 Also see |:comment|.
6250 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
6251 cursor to the first column.
6252 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6253 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6254 Example: >
6255 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006256< *:echo-redraw*
6257 A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
6258 And since Vim mostly postpones redrawing until it's
6259 finished with a sequence of commands this happens
6260 quite often. To avoid that a command from before the
6261 ":echo" causes a redraw afterwards (redraws are often
6262 postponed until you type something), force a redraw
6263 with the |:redraw| command. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006264 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
6265<
6266 *:echon*
6267:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
6268 |:comment|.
6269 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6270 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6271 Example: >
6272 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
6273<
6274 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
6275 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
6276 command: >
6277 :!echo % --> filename
6278< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
6279 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
6280< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
6281 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
6282 :echo % --> nothing
6283< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
6284 :echo "%" --> %
6285< This just echoes the '%' character. >
6286 :echo expand("%") --> filename
6287< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
6288
6289 *:echoh* *:echohl*
6290:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
6291 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
6292 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
6293 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
6294< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
6295 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
6296
6297 *:echom* *:echomsg*
6298:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
6299 message in the |message-history|.
6300 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
6301 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
6302 displayed, not interpreted.
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006303 The parsing works slightly different from |:echo|,
6304 more like |:execute|. All the expressions are first
6305 evaluated and concatenated before echoing anything.
6306 The expressions must evaluate to a Number or String, a
6307 Dictionary or List causes an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006308 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
6309 Example: >
6310 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00006311< See |:echo-redraw| to avoid the message disappearing
6312 when the screen is redrawn.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006313 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
6314:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
6315 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
6316 script or function the line number will be added.
6317 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
6318 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
6319 the message is raised as an error exception instead
6320 (see |try-echoerr|).
6321 Example: >
6322 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
6323< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
6324 And to get a beep: >
6325 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
6326<
6327 *:exe* *:execute*
6328:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
6329 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
6330 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
6331 used as the processed command, command line editing
6332 keys are not recognized.
6333 Cannot be followed by a comment.
6334 Examples: >
6335 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
6336 :execute "normal " count . "w"
6337<
6338 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
6339 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
6340 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
6341
6342< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
6343 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
6344 command: >
6345 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
6346< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
6347
6348 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00006349 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
6350 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006351 :execute 'while i > 5'
6352 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
6353<
6354 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
6355 completely in the executed string: >
6356 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
6357<
6358
6359 *:comment*
6360 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
6361 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
6362 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
6363 comment. Example: >
6364 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
6365
6366==============================================================================
63678. Exception handling *exception-handling*
6368
6369The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
6370explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
6371
6372Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
6373|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
6374exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
6375
6376
6377TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
6378
6379Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
6380use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
6381a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
6382 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
6383|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
6384a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
6385be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
6386which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
6387clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
6388
6389 :try
6390 : ...
6391 : ... TRY BLOCK
6392 : ...
6393 :catch /{pattern}/
6394 : ...
6395 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
6396 : ...
6397 :catch /{pattern}/
6398 : ...
6399 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
6400 : ...
6401 :finally
6402 : ...
6403 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
6404 : ...
6405 :endtry
6406
6407The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
6408appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
6409from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
6410 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
6411is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
6412script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
6413 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
6414lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
6415patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
6416after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
6417executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
6418":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
6419(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
6420continues in the following line as usual.
6421 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
6422":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
6423that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
6424finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
6425the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
6426the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
6427see |try-nesting|.
6428 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
6429remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
6430not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
6431try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
6432a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
6433execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
6434exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6435 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
6436thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
6437clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
6438catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
6439following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
6440clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6441
6442The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
6443a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
6444try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
6445from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
6446sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
6447":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
6448":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
6449from the finally clause.
6450 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
6451try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
6452clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
6453":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
6454clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
6455":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
6456this pending exception or command is discarded.
6457
6458For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
6459
6460
6461NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
6462
6463Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
6464conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
6465clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
6466catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
6467of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
6468checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
6469try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
6470otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
6471nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
6472one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
6473the inner try conditional.
6474
6475When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
6476finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
6477An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
6478thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
6479implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
6480as usual.
6481
6482For examples see |throw-catch|.
6483
6484
6485EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
6486
6487Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
6488'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
6489script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
6490finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
6491a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
6492(see |debug-scripts|).
6493
6494
6495THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
6496
6497You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
6498and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
6499 :throw 4711
6500 :throw "string"
6501< *throw-expression*
6502You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
6503first, and the result is thrown: >
6504 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
6505 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
6506
6507An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
6508command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
6509The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
6510 Example: >
6511
6512 :function! Foo(arg)
6513 : try
6514 : throw a:arg
6515 : catch /foo/
6516 : endtry
6517 : return 1
6518 :endfunction
6519 :
6520 :function! Bar()
6521 : echo "in Bar"
6522 : return 4710
6523 :endfunction
6524 :
6525 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
6526
6527This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
6528executed. >
6529 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
6530however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
6531
6532Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
6533abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
6534exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
6535 Example: >
6536
6537 :if Foo("arrgh")
6538 : echo "then"
6539 :else
6540 : echo "else"
6541 :endif
6542
6543Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
6544
6545 *catch-order*
6546Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
6547commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
6548command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
6549gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
6550 Example: >
6551
6552 :function! Foo(value)
6553 : try
6554 : throw a:value
6555 : catch /^\d\+$/
6556 : echo "Number thrown"
6557 : catch /.*/
6558 : echo "String thrown"
6559 : endtry
6560 :endfunction
6561 :
6562 :call Foo(0x1267)
6563 :call Foo('string')
6564
6565The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
6566An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
6567specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
6568specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
6569
6570 : catch /.*/
6571 : echo "String thrown"
6572 : catch /^\d\+$/
6573 : echo "Number thrown"
6574
6575The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
6576never taken.
6577
6578 *throw-variables*
6579If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
6580in the variable |v:exception|: >
6581
6582 : catch /^\d\+$/
6583 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
6584
6585You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
6586|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
6587exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
6588 Example: >
6589
6590 :function! Caught()
6591 : if v:exception != ""
6592 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
6593 : else
6594 : echo 'Nothing caught'
6595 : endif
6596 :endfunction
6597 :
6598 :function! Foo()
6599 : try
6600 : try
6601 : try
6602 : throw 4711
6603 : finally
6604 : call Caught()
6605 : endtry
6606 : catch /.*/
6607 : call Caught()
6608 : throw "oops"
6609 : endtry
6610 : catch /.*/
6611 : call Caught()
6612 : finally
6613 : call Caught()
6614 : endtry
6615 :endfunction
6616 :
6617 :call Foo()
6618
6619This displays >
6620
6621 Nothing caught
6622 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
6623 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
6624 Nothing caught
6625
6626A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
6627number in the script or function where it has been used: >
6628
6629 :function! LineNumber()
6630 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
6631 :endfunction
6632 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
6633<
6634 *try-nested*
6635An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
6636a surrounding try conditional: >
6637
6638 :try
6639 : try
6640 : throw "foo"
6641 : catch /foobar/
6642 : echo "foobar"
6643 : finally
6644 : echo "inner finally"
6645 : endtry
6646 :catch /foo/
6647 : echo "foo"
6648 :endtry
6649
6650The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
6651clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
6652conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
6653
6654 *throw-from-catch*
6655You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
6656catch clause: >
6657
6658 :function! Foo()
6659 : throw "foo"
6660 :endfunction
6661 :
6662 :function! Bar()
6663 : try
6664 : call Foo()
6665 : catch /foo/
6666 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
6667 : throw "bar"
6668 : endtry
6669 :endfunction
6670 :
6671 :try
6672 : call Bar()
6673 :catch /.*/
6674 : echo "Caught" v:exception
6675 :endtry
6676
6677This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
6678
6679 *rethrow*
6680There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
6681"v:exception" instead: >
6682
6683 :function! Bar()
6684 : try
6685 : call Foo()
6686 : catch /.*/
6687 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
6688 : throw v:exception
6689 : endtry
6690 :endfunction
6691< *try-echoerr*
6692Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
6693exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
6694Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
6695denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
6696the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
6697
6698 :try
6699 : try
6700 : asdf
6701 : catch /.*/
6702 : echoerr v:exception
6703 : endtry
6704 :catch /.*/
6705 : echo v:exception
6706 :endtry
6707
6708This code displays
6709
6710 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
6711
6712
6713CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
6714
6715Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
6716user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
6717an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
6718a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
6719catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
6720a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
6721normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
6722(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
6723to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
6724clause has been executed.)
6725Example: >
6726
6727 :try
6728 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
6729 : set ts=17
6730 :
6731 : " Do the hard work here.
6732 :
6733 :finally
6734 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
6735 : unlet s:saved_ts
6736 :endtry
6737
6738This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
6739changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
6740that function or script part.
6741
6742 *break-finally*
6743Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
6744a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
6745 Example: >
6746
6747 :let first = 1
6748 :while 1
6749 : try
6750 : if first
6751 : echo "first"
6752 : let first = 0
6753 : continue
6754 : else
6755 : throw "second"
6756 : endif
6757 : catch /.*/
6758 : echo v:exception
6759 : break
6760 : finally
6761 : echo "cleanup"
6762 : endtry
6763 : echo "still in while"
6764 :endwhile
6765 :echo "end"
6766
6767This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
6768
6769 :function! Foo()
6770 : try
6771 : return 4711
6772 : finally
6773 : echo "cleanup\n"
6774 : endtry
6775 : echo "Foo still active"
6776 :endfunction
6777 :
6778 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
6779
6780This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
6781extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
6782return value.)
6783
6784 *except-from-finally*
6785Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
6786a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
6787cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
6788exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
6789 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
6790working correctly: >
6791
6792 :try
6793 : try
6794 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
6795 : while 1
6796 : endwhile
6797 : finally
6798 : unlet novar
6799 : endtry
6800 :catch /novar/
6801 :endtry
6802 :echo "Script still running"
6803 :sleep 1
6804
6805If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
6806think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
6807|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
6808
6809
6810CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
6811
6812If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
6813watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
6814presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
6815exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
6816the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
6817the error exception is.
6818 Error exceptions have the following format: >
6819
6820 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
6821or >
6822 Vim:{errmsg}
6823
6824{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
6825the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
6826when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
6827a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
6828a space.
6829
6830Examples:
6831
6832The command >
6833 :unlet novar
6834normally produces the error message >
6835 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6836which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6837 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
6838
6839The command >
6840 :dwim
6841normally produces the error message >
6842 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6843which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6844 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6845
6846You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
6847 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
6848or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
6849 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
6850
6851Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
6852 :function nofunc
6853and >
6854 :delfunction nofunc
6855both produce the error message >
6856 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6857which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6858 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6859or >
6860 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6861respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
6862command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
6863 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
6864
6865Some commands like >
6866 :let x = novar
6867produce multiple error messages, here: >
6868 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6869 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6870Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
6871one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
6872 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
6873
6874You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
6875 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
6876
6877You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
6878 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
6879
6880You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
6881 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
6882<
6883 *catch-text*
6884NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
6885 :catch /No such variable/
6886only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
6887a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
6888cite the message text in a comment: >
6889 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
6890
6891
6892IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
6893
6894You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
6895
6896 :try
6897 : write
6898 :catch
6899 :endtry
6900
6901But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
6902catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
6903be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
6904
6905 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
6906
6907There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
6908writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
6909then hide the error from the user.
6910 It is much better to use >
6911
6912 :try
6913 : write
6914 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6915 :endtry
6916
6917which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
6918intentionally.
6919
6920For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
6921even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
6922command: >
6923 :silent! nunmap k
6924This works also when a try conditional is active.
6925
6926
6927CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
6928
6929When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
6930the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
6931script is not terminated, then.
6932 Example: >
6933
6934 :function! TASK1()
6935 : sleep 10
6936 :endfunction
6937
6938 :function! TASK2()
6939 : sleep 20
6940 :endfunction
6941
6942 :while 1
6943 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
6944 : try
6945 : if command == ""
6946 : continue
6947 : elseif command == "END"
6948 : break
6949 : elseif command == "TASK1"
6950 : call TASK1()
6951 : elseif command == "TASK2"
6952 : call TASK2()
6953 : else
6954 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
6955 : continue
6956 : endif
6957 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6958 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
6959 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
6960 : endtry
6961 :endwhile
6962
6963You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
6964a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
6965
6966For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
6967your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
6968command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
6969
6970
6971CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
6972
6973The commands >
6974
6975 :catch /.*/
6976 :catch //
6977 :catch
6978
6979catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
6980explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
6981a script in order to catch unexpected things.
6982 Example: >
6983
6984 :try
6985 :
6986 : " do the hard work here
6987 :
6988 :catch /MyException/
6989 :
6990 : " handle known problem
6991 :
6992 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6993 : echo "Script interrupted"
6994 :catch /.*/
6995 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
6996 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
6997 :endtry
6998 :" end of script
6999
7000Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
7001strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
7002specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
7003 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
7004by pressing CTRL-C: >
7005
7006 :while 1
7007 : try
7008 : sleep 1
7009 : catch
7010 : endtry
7011 :endwhile
7012
7013
7014EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
7015
7016Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
7017
7018 :autocmd User x try
7019 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
7020 :autocmd User x catch
7021 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
7022 :autocmd User x endtry
7023 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
7024 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
7025 :
7026 :try
7027 : doautocmd User x
7028 :catch
7029 : echo v:exception
7030 :endtry
7031
7032This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
7033
7034 *except-autocmd-Pre*
7035For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
7036command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
7037of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
7038abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
7039 Example: >
7040
7041 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
7042 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
7043 :
7044 :try
7045 : write
7046 :catch
7047 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
7048 :endtry
7049
7050Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
7051you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
7052autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
7053script displays: >
7054
7055 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
7056<
7057 *except-autocmd-Post*
7058For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
7059command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
7060an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
7061is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
7062 Example: >
7063
7064 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
7065 :
7066 :try
7067 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7068 :catch
7069 : echo v:exception
7070 :endtry
7071
7072This just displays: >
7073
7074 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
7075
7076If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
7077fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
7078 Example: >
7079
7080 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
7081 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
7082 :
7083 :try
7084 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7085 :catch
7086 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7087 :endtry
7088<
7089You can also use ":silent!": >
7090
7091 :let x = "ok"
7092 :let v:errmsg = ""
7093 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
7094 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
7095 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
7096 :try
7097 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
7098 :catch
7099 :endtry
7100 :echo x
7101
7102This displays "after fail".
7103
7104If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
7105autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
7106
7107 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
7108 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
7109 :
7110 :try
7111 : write
7112 :catch
7113 : echo v:exception
7114 :endtry
7115<
7116 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
7117For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
7118autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
7119of the command.
7120 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
7121had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
7122some way. >
7123
7124 :if !exists("cnt")
7125 : let cnt = 0
7126 :
7127 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
7128 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
7129 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
7130 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7131 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7132 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
7133 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
7134 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
7135 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7136 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
7137 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
7138 :endif
7139 :
7140 :try
7141 : write
7142 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
7143 : if &modified
7144 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
7145 : else
7146 : echo "Error after writing"
7147 : endif
7148 :catch /^Vim(write):/
7149 : echo "Error on writing"
7150 :endtry
7151
7152When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
7153first >
7154 File successfully written!
7155then >
7156 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
7157then >
7158 Error after writing
7159etc.
7160
7161 *except-autocmd-ill*
7162You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
7163The following code is ill-formed: >
7164
7165 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
7166 :
7167 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
7168 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
7169 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
7170 :
7171 :write
7172
7173
7174EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
7175
7176Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
7177pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
7178similar things in Vim.
7179 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
7180class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
7181string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
7182 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
7183it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
7184for an error when writing "myfile".
7185 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
7186base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
7187parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
7188 Example: >
7189
7190 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
7191 : if a:a < 0
7192 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
7193 : endif
7194 :endfunction
7195 :
7196 :function! Add(a, b)
7197 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
7198 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
7199 : let c = a:a + a:b
7200 : if c < 0
7201 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
7202 : endif
7203 : return c
7204 :endfunction
7205 :
7206 :function! Div(a, b)
7207 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
7208 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
7209 : if (a:b == 0)
7210 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
7211 : endif
7212 : return a:a / a:b
7213 :endfunction
7214 :
7215 :function! Write(file)
7216 : try
7217 : execute "write" a:file
7218 : catch /^Vim(write):/
7219 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
7220 : endtry
7221 :endfunction
7222 :
7223 :try
7224 :
7225 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
7226 :
7227 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
7228 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
7229 : echo "Range error in" function
7230 :
7231 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
7232 : echo "Math error"
7233 :
7234 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
7235 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
7236 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
7237 : if file !~ '^/'
7238 : let file = dir . "/" . file
7239 : endif
7240 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
7241 :
7242 :catch /^EXCEPT/
7243 : echo "Unspecified error"
7244 :
7245 :endtry
7246
7247The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
7248a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
7249exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
7250 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
7251failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
7252
7253
7254PECULIARITIES
7255 *except-compat*
7256The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
7257exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
7258and/or a catch clause.
7259
7260In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
7261continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
7262after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
7263functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
7264or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
7265(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
7266
7267This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
7268immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
7269conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
7270be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
7271termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
7272catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
7273by specifying a finally clause.)
7274
7275When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
7276behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
7277scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
7278
7279However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
7280commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
7281conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
7282script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
7283error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
7284messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
7285|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
7286not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
7287where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
7288error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
7289scripts.
7290
7291 *except-syntax-err*
7292Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
7293the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
7294clauses, however, is executed.
7295 Example: >
7296
7297 :try
7298 : try
7299 : throw 4711
7300 : catch /\(/
7301 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
7302 : catch
7303 : echo "inner catch-all"
7304 : finally
7305 : echo "inner finally"
7306 : endtry
7307 :catch
7308 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
7309 : finally
7310 : echo "outer finally"
7311 :endtry
7312
7313This displays: >
7314 inner finally
7315 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
7316 outer finally
7317The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
7318
7319 *except-single-line*
7320The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
7321a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
7322"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
7323 Example: >
7324 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
7325raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
7326argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
7327error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
7328displayed.
7329
7330 *except-several-errors*
7331When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
7332usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
7333 Example: >
7334 echo novar
7335causes >
7336 E121: Undefined variable: novar
7337 E15: Invalid expression: novar
7338The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
7339 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
7340< *except-syntax-error*
7341But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
7342the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
7343 Example: >
7344 unlet novar #
7345causes >
7346 E108: No such variable: "novar"
7347 E488: Trailing characters
7348The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
7349 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
7350This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
7351not intended by the user. Example: >
7352 try
7353 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
7354 catch /.*/
7355 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
7356 endtry
7357This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
7358a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
7359
7360==============================================================================
73619. Examples *eval-examples*
7362
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007363Printing in Binary ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007364>
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007365 :" The function Nr2Bin() returns the Hex string of a number.
7366 :func Nr2Bin(nr)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007367 : let n = a:nr
7368 : let r = ""
7369 : while n
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007370 : let r = '01'[n % 2] . r
7371 : let n = n / 2
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007372 : endwhile
7373 : return r
7374 :endfunc
7375
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007376 :" The function String2Bin() converts each character in a string to a
7377 :" binary string, separated with dashes.
7378 :func String2Bin(str)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007379 : let out = ''
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007380 : for ix in range(strlen(a:str))
7381 : let out = out . '-' . Nr2Bin(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
7382 : endfor
7383 : return out[1:]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007384 :endfunc
7385
7386Example of its use: >
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007387 :echo Nr2Bin(32)
7388result: "100000" >
7389 :echo String2Bin("32")
7390result: "110011-110010"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007391
7392
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007393Sorting lines ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007394
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007395This example sorts lines with a specific compare function. >
7396
7397 :func SortBuffer()
7398 : let lines = getline(1, '$')
7399 : call sort(lines, function("Strcmp"))
7400 : call setline(1, lines)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007401 :endfunction
7402
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007403As a one-liner: >
7404 :call setline(1, sort(getline(1, '$'), function("Strcmp")))
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007405
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007406
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007407scanf() replacement ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007408 *sscanf*
7409There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
7410line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
7411how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
7412"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
7413 :" Set up the match bit
7414 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
7415 :"get the part matching the whole expression
7416 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
7417 :"get each item out of the match
7418 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
7419 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
7420 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
7421
7422The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
7423"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
7424
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007425
7426getting the scriptnames in a Dictionary ~
7427 *scriptnames-dictionary*
7428The |:scriptnames| command can be used to get a list of all script files that
7429have been sourced. There is no equivalent function or variable for this
7430(because it's rarely needed). In case you need to manipulate the list this
7431code can be used: >
7432 " Get the output of ":scriptnames" in the scriptnames_output variable.
7433 let scriptnames_output = ''
7434 redir => scriptnames_output
7435 silent scriptnames
7436 redir END
7437
7438 " Split the output into lines and parse each line. Add an entry to the
7439 " "scripts" dictionary.
7440 let scripts = {}
7441 for line in split(scriptnames_output, "\n")
7442 " Only do non-blank lines.
7443 if line =~ '\S'
7444 " Get the first number in the line.
7445 let nr = matchstr(line, '\d\+')
7446 " Get the file name, remove the script number " 123: ".
7447 let name = substitute(line, '.\+:\s*', '', '')
7448 " Add an item to the Dictionary
7449 let scripts[nr] = name
7450 endif
7451 endfor
7452 unlet scriptnames_output
7453
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007454==============================================================================
745510. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
7456
7457When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
7458evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
7459to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
7460recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
7461and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
7462only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
7463recognized.
7464
7465Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
7466missing: >
7467
7468 :if 1
7469 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
7470 :else
7471 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
7472 :endif
7473
7474==============================================================================
747511. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
7476
7477The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
7478options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
7479these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
7480these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
Bram Moolenaarebefac62005-12-28 22:39:57 +00007481a tags file is executed and for CTRL-R = in the command line.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007482The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007483
7484These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
7485 - changing the buffer text
7486 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
7487 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
Bram Moolenaaref2f6562007-05-06 13:32:59 +00007488 - setting certain v: variables (see |v:var|) *E794*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007489 - executing a shell command
7490 - reading or writing a file
7491 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00007492 - executing Python, Perl, etc. commands
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007493This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
7494
7495 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00007496:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007497 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
7498 'foldexpr'.
7499
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007500 *sandbox-option*
7501A few options contain an expression. When this expression is evaluated it may
Bram Moolenaar9b2200a2006-03-20 21:55:45 +00007502have to be done in the sandbox to avoid a security risk. But the sandbox is
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007503restrictive, thus this only happens when the option was set from an insecure
7504location. Insecure in this context are:
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00007505- sourcing a .vimrc or .exrc in the current directory
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007506- while executing in the sandbox
7507- value coming from a modeline
7508
7509Note that when in the sandbox and saving an option value and restoring it, the
7510option will still be marked as it was set in the sandbox.
7511
7512==============================================================================
751312. Textlock *textlock*
7514
7515In a few situations it is not allowed to change the text in the buffer, jump
7516to another window and some other things that might confuse or break what Vim
7517is currently doing. This mostly applies to things that happen when Vim is
7518actually doing something else. For example, evaluating the 'balloonexpr' may
7519happen any moment the mouse cursor is resting at some position.
7520
7521This is not allowed when the textlock is active:
7522 - changing the buffer text
7523 - jumping to another buffer or window
7524 - editing another file
7525 - closing a window or quitting Vim
7526 - etc.
7527
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007528
7529 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: