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Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001*insert.txt* For Vim version 7.0g. Last change: 2006 May 03
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7 *Insert* *Insert-mode*
8Inserting and replacing text *mode-ins-repl*
9
10Most of this file is about Insert and Replace mode. At the end are a few
11commands for inserting text in other ways.
12
13An overview of the most often used commands can be found in chapter 24 of the
14user manual |usr_24.txt|.
15
161. Special keys |ins-special-keys|
172. Special special keys |ins-special-special|
183. 'textwidth' and 'wrapmargin' options |ins-textwidth|
194. 'expandtab', 'smarttab' and 'softtabstop' options |ins-expandtab|
205. Replace mode |Replace-mode|
216. Virtual Replace mode |Virtual-Replace-mode|
227. Insert mode completion |ins-completion|
238. Insert mode commands |inserting|
249. Ex insert commands |inserting-ex|
2510. Inserting a file |inserting-file|
26
27Also see 'virtualedit', for moving the cursor to positions where there is no
28character. Useful for editing a table.
29
30==============================================================================
311. Special keys *ins-special-keys*
32
33In Insert and Replace mode, the following characters have a special meaning;
34other characters are inserted directly. To insert one of these special
35characters into the buffer, precede it with CTRL-V. To insert a <Nul>
36character use "CTRL-V CTRL-@" or "CTRL-V 000". On some systems, you have to
37use "CTRL-V 003" to insert a CTRL-C. Note: When CTRL-V is mapped you can
38often use CTRL-Q instead |i_CTRL-Q|.
39
40If you are working in a special language mode when inserting text, see the
41'langmap' option, |'langmap'|, on how to avoid switching this mode on and off
42all the time.
43
44If you have 'insertmode' set, <Esc> and a few other keys get another meaning.
45See |'insertmode'|.
46
47char action ~
48-----------------------------------------------------------------------
49 *i_CTRL-[* *i_<Esc>*
50<Esc> or CTRL-[ End insert or Replace mode, go back to Normal mode. Finish
51 abbreviation.
52 Note: If your <Esc> key is hard to hit on your keyboard, train
53 yourself to use CTRL-[.
54 *i_CTRL-C*
55CTRL-C Quit insert mode, go back to Normal mode. Do not check for
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +000056 abbreviations. Does not trigger the |InsertLeave| autocommand
57 event.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000058
59 *i_CTRL-@*
60CTRL-@ Insert previously inserted text and stop insert. {Vi: only
61 when typed as first char, only up to 128 chars}
62 *i_CTRL-A*
63CTRL-A Insert previously inserted text. {not in Vi}
64
65 *i_CTRL-H* *i_<BS>* *i_BS*
66<BS> or CTRL-H Delete the character before the cursor (see |i_backspacing|
67 about joining lines).
68 See |:fixdel| if your <BS> key does not do what you want.
69 {Vi: does not delete autoindents}
70 *i_<Del>* *i_DEL*
71<Del> Delete the character under the cursor. If the cursor is at
72 the end of the line, and the 'backspace' option includes
73 "eol", delete the <EOL>; the next line is appended after the
74 current one.
75 See |:fixdel| if your <Del> key does not do what you want.
76 {not in Vi}
77 *i_CTRL-W*
78CTRL-W Delete the word before the cursor (see |i_backspacing| about
79 joining lines). See the section "word motions",
80 |word-motions|, for the definition of a word.
81 *i_CTRL-U*
82CTRL-U Delete all entered characters in the current line (see
83 |i_backspacing| about joining lines).
84
85 *i_CTRL-I* *i_<Tab>* *i_Tab*
86<Tab> or CTRL-I Insert a tab. If the 'expandtab' option is on, the
87 equivalent number of spaces is inserted (use CTRL-V <Tab> to
88 avoid the expansion; use CTRL-Q <Tab> if CTRL-V is mapped
89 |i_CTRL-Q|). See also the 'smarttab' option and
90 |ins-expandtab|.
91 *i_CTRL-J* *i_<NL>*
92<NL> or CTRL-J Begin new line.
93 *i_CTRL-M* *i_<CR>*
94<CR> or CTRL-M Begin new line.
95 *i_CTRL-K*
96CTRL-K {char1} [char2]
97 Enter digraph (see |digraphs|). When {char1} is a special
98 key, the code for that key is inserted in <> form. For
99 example, the string "<S-Space>" can be entered by typing
100 <C-K><S-Space> (two keys). Neither char is considered for
101 mapping. {not in Vi}
102
103CTRL-N Find next keyword (see |i_CTRL-N|). {not in Vi}
104CTRL-P Find previous keyword (see |i_CTRL-P|). {not in Vi}
105
106CTRL-R {0-9a-z"%#*+:.-=} *i_CTRL-R*
107 Insert the contents of a register. Between typing CTRL-R and
108 the second character, '"' will be displayed to indicate that
109 you are expected to enter the name of a register.
110 The text is inserted as if you typed it, but mappings and
111 abbreviations are not used. If you have options like
112 'textwidth', 'formatoptions', or 'autoindent' set, this will
113 influence what will be inserted. This is different from what
114 happens with the "p" command and pasting with the mouse.
115 Special registers:
116 '"' the unnamed register, containing the text of
117 the last delete or yank
118 '%' the current file name
119 '#' the alternate file name
120 '*' the clipboard contents (X11: primary selection)
121 '+' the clipboard contents
122 '/' the last search pattern
123 ':' the last command-line
124 '.' the last inserted text
125 '-' the last small (less than a line) delete
126 '=' the expression register: you are prompted to
127 enter an expression (see |expression|)
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000128 Note that 0x80 (128 decimal) is used for
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000129 special keys. E.g., you can use this to move
130 the cursor up:
131 CTRL-R ="\<Up>"
132 Use CTRL-R CTRL-R to insert text literally.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +0000133 When the result is a |List| the items are used
134 as lines. They can have line breaks inside
135 too.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000136 See |registers| about registers. {not in Vi}
137
138CTRL-R CTRL-R {0-9a-z"%#*+/:.-=} *i_CTRL-R_CTRL-R*
139 Insert the contents of a register. Works like using a single
140 CTRL-R, but the text is inserted literally, not as if typed.
141 This differs when the register contains characters like <BS>.
142 Example, where register a contains "ab^Hc": >
143 CTRL-R a results in "ac".
144 CTRL-R CTRL-R a results in "ab^Hc".
145< Options 'textwidth', 'formatoptions', etc. still apply. If
146 you also want to avoid these, use "<C-R><C-O>r", see below.
147 The '.' register (last inserted text) is still inserted as
148 typed. {not in Vi}
149
150CTRL-R CTRL-O {0-9a-z"%#*+/:.-=} *i_CTRL-R_CTRL-O*
151 Insert the contents of a register literally and don't
152 auto-indent. Does the same as pasting with the mouse
153 |<MiddleMouse>|.
154 Does not replace characters!
155 The '.' register (last inserted text) is still inserted as
156 typed. {not in Vi}
157
158CTRL-R CTRL-P {0-9a-z"%#*+/:.-=} *i_CTRL-R_CTRL-P*
159 Insert the contents of a register literally and fix the
160 indent, like |[<MiddleMouse>|.
161 Does not replace characters!
162 The '.' register (last inserted text) is still inserted as
163 typed. {not in Vi}
164
165 *i_CTRL-T*
166CTRL-T Insert one shiftwidth of indent at the start of the current
167 line. The indent is always rounded to a 'shiftwidth' (this is
168 vi compatible). {Vi: only when in indent}
169 *i_CTRL-D*
170CTRL-D Delete one shiftwidth of indent at the start of the current
171 line. The indent is always rounded to a 'shiftwidth' (this is
172 vi compatible). {Vi: CTRL-D works only when used after
173 autoindent}
174 *i_0_CTRL-D*
1750 CTRL-D Delete all indent in the current line. {Vi: CTRL-D works
176 only when used after autoindent}
177 *i_^_CTRL-D*
178^ CTRL-D Delete all indent in the current line. The indent is
179 restored in the next line. This is useful when inserting a
180 label. {Vi: CTRL-D works only when used after autoindent}
181
182 *i_CTRL-V*
183CTRL-V Insert next non-digit literally. For special keys, the
184 terminal code is inserted. It's also possible to enter the
185 decimal, octal or hexadecimal value of a character
186 |i_CTRL-V_digit|.
187 The characters typed right after CTRL-V are not considered for
188 mapping. {Vi: no decimal byte entry}
189 Note: When CTRL-V is mapped (e.g., to paste text) you can
190 often use CTRL-Q instead |i_CTRL-Q|.
191
192 *i_CTRL-Q*
193CTRL-Q Same as CTRL-V.
194 Note: Some terminal connections may eat CTRL-Q, it doesn't
195 work then. It does work in the GUI.
196
197CTRL-X Enter CTRL-X mode. This is a sub-mode where commands can
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000198 be given to complete words or scroll the window. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000199 |i_CTRL-X| and |ins-completion|. {not in Vi}
200
201 *i_CTRL-E*
202CTRL-E Insert the character which is below the cursor. {not in Vi}
203 *i_CTRL-Y*
204CTRL-Y Insert the character which is above the cursor. {not in Vi}
205 Note that for CTRL-E and CTRL-Y 'textwidth' is not used, to be
206 able to copy characters from a long line.
207
208 *i_CTRL-_*
209CTRL-_ Switch between languages, as follows:
210 - When in a rightleft window, revins and nohkmap are toggled,
211 since English will likely be inserted in this case.
212 - When in a norightleft window, revins and hkmap are toggled,
213 since Hebrew will likely be inserted in this case.
214
215 CTRL-_ moves the cursor to the end of the typed text.
216
217 This command is only available when the 'allowrevins' option
218 is set.
219 Please refer to |rileft.txt| for more information about
220 right-to-left mode.
221 {not in Vi}
222 Only if compiled with the |+rightleft| feature (which is not
223 the default).
224 *i_CTRL-^*
225CTRL-^ Toggle the use of typing language characters.
226 When language |:lmap| mappings are defined:
227 - If 'iminsert' is 1 (langmap mappings used) it becomes 0 (no
228 langmap mappings used).
229 - If 'iminsert' has another value it becomes 1, thus langmap
230 mappings are enabled.
231 When no language mappings are defined:
232 - If 'iminsert' is 2 (Input Method used) it becomes 0 (no
233 Input Method used).
234 - If 'iminsert' has another value it becomes 2, thus the Input
235 Method is enabled.
236 When set to 1, the value of the "b:keymap_name" variable, the
237 'keymap' option or "<lang>" appears in the status line.
238 The language mappings are normally used to type characters
239 that are different from what the keyboard produces. The
240 'keymap' option can be used to install a whole number of them.
241 {not in Vi}
242
243 *i_CTRL-]*
244CTRL-] Trigger abbreviation, without inserting a character. {not in
245 Vi}
246
247 *i_<Insert>*
248<Insert> Toggle between Insert and Replace mode. {not in Vi}
249-----------------------------------------------------------------------
250
251 *i_backspacing*
252The effect of the <BS>, CTRL-W, and CTRL-U depend on the 'backspace' option
253(unless 'revins' is set). This is a comma separated list of items:
254
255item action ~
256indent allow backspacing over autoindent
257eol allow backspacing over end-of-line (join lines)
258start allow backspacing over the start position of insert; CTRL-W and
259 CTRL-U stop once at the start position
260
261When 'backspace' is empty, Vi compatible backspacing is used. You cannot
262backspace over autoindent, before column 1 or before where insert started.
263
264For backwards compatibility the values "0", "1" and "2" are also allowed, see
265|'backspace'|.
266
267If the 'backspace' option does contain "eol" and the cursor is in column 1
268when one of the three keys is used, the current line is joined with the
269previous line. This effectively deletes the <EOL> in front of the cursor.
270{Vi: does not cross lines, does not delete past start position of insert}
271
272 *i_CTRL-V_digit*
273With CTRL-V the decimal, octal or hexadecimal value of a character can be
274entered directly. This way you can enter any character, except a line break
275(<NL>, value 10). There are five ways to enter the character value:
276
277first char mode max nr of chars max value ~
278(none) decimal 3 255
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000279o or O octal 3 377 (255)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000280x or X hexadecimal 2 ff (255)
281u hexadecimal 4 ffff (65535)
282U hexadecimal 8 7fffffff (2147483647)
283
284Normally you would type the maximum number of characters. Thus to enter a
285space (value 32) you would type <C-V>032. You can omit the leading zero, in
286which case the character typed after the number must be a non-digit. This
287happens for the other modes as well: As soon as you type a character that is
288invalid for the mode, the value before it will be used and the "invalid"
289character is dealt with in the normal way.
290
291If you enter a value of 10, it will end up in the file as a 0. The 10 is a
292<NL>, which is used internally to represent the <Nul> character. When writing
293the buffer to a file, the <NL> character is translated into <Nul>. The <NL>
294character is written at the end of each line. Thus if you want to insert a
295<NL> character in a file you will have to make a line break.
296
297 *i_CTRL-X* *insert_expand*
298CTRL-X enters a sub-mode where several commands can be used. Most of these
299commands do keyword completion; see |ins-completion|. These are not available
300when Vim was compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature.
301
302Two commands can be used to scroll the window up or down, without exiting
303insert mode:
304
305 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-E*
306CTRL-X CTRL-E scroll window one line up.
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000307 When doing completion look here: |complete_CTRL-E|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000308
309 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-Y*
310CTRL-X CTRL-Y scroll window one line down.
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000311 When doing completion look here: |complete_CTRL-Y|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000312
313After CTRL-X is pressed, each CTRL-E (CTRL-Y) scrolls the window up (down) by
314one line unless that would cause the cursor to move from its current position
315in the file. As soon as another key is pressed, CTRL-X mode is exited and
316that key is interpreted as in Insert mode.
317
318
319==============================================================================
3202. Special special keys *ins-special-special*
321
322The following keys are special. They stop the current insert, do something,
323and then restart insertion. This means you can do something without getting
324out of Insert mode. This is very handy if you prefer to use the Insert mode
325all the time, just like editors that don't have a separate Normal mode. You
326may also want to set the 'backspace' option to "indent,eol,start" and set the
327'insertmode' option. You can use CTRL-O if you want to map a function key to
328a command.
329
330The changes (inserted or deleted characters) before and after these keys can
331be undone separately. Only the last change can be redone and always behaves
332like an "i" command.
333
334char action ~
335-----------------------------------------------------------------------
336<Up> cursor one line up *i_<Up>*
337<Down> cursor one line down *i_<Down>*
338CTRL-G <Up> cursor one line up, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_<Up>*
339CTRL-G k cursor one line up, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_k*
340CTRL-G CTRL-K cursor one line up, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_CTRL-K*
341CTRL-G <Down> cursor one line down, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_<Down>*
342CTRL-G j cursor one line down, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_j*
343CTRL-G CTRL-J cursor one line down, insert start column *i_CTRL-G_CTRL-J*
344<Left> cursor one character left *i_<Left>*
345<Right> cursor one character right *i_<Right>*
346<S-Left> cursor one word back (like "b" command) *i_<S-Left>*
347<C-Left> cursor one word back (like "b" command) *i_<C-Left>*
348<S-Right> cursor one word forward (like "w" command) *i_<S-Right>*
349<C-Right> cursor one word forward (like "w" command) *i_<C-Right>*
350<Home> cursor to first char in the line *i_<Home>*
351<End> cursor to after last char in the line *i_<End>*
352<C-Home> cursor to first char in the file *i_<C-Home>*
353<C-End> cursor to after last char in the file *i_<C-End>*
354<LeftMouse> cursor to position of mouse click *i_<LeftMouse>*
355<S-Up> move window one page up *i_<S-Up>*
356<PageUp> move window one page up *i_<PageUp>*
357<S-Down> move window one page down *i_<S-Down>*
358<PageDown> move window one page down *i_<PageDown>*
359<MouseDown> scroll three lines down *i_<MouseDown>*
360<S-MouseDown> scroll a full page down *i_<S-MouseDown>*
361<MouseUp> scroll three lines up *i_<MouseUp>*
362<S-MouseUp> scroll a full page up *i_<S-MouseUp>*
363CTRL-O execute one command, return to Insert mode *i_CTRL-O*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000364CTRL-\ CTRL-O like CTRL-O but don't move the cursor *i_CTRL-\_CTRL-O*
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000365CTRL-L when 'insertmode' is set: go to Normal mode *i_CTRL-L*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000366CTRL-G u break undo sequence, start new change *i_CTRL-G_u*
367-----------------------------------------------------------------------
368
369Note: If the cursor keys take you out of Insert mode, check the 'noesckeys'
370option.
371
372The CTRL-O command sometimes has a side effect: If the cursor was beyond the
373end of the line, it will be put on the last character in the line. In
374mappings it's often better to use <Esc> (first put an "x" in the text, <Esc>
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000375will then always put the cursor on it). Or use CTRL-\ CTRL-O, but then
376beware of the cursor possibly being beyond the end of the line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000377
378The shifted cursor keys are not available on all terminals.
379
380Another side effect is that a count specified before the "i" or "a" command is
381ignored. That is because repeating the effect of the command after CTRL-O is
382too complicated.
383
384An example for using CTRL-G u: >
385
386 :inoremap <C-H> <C-G>u<C-H>
387
388This redefines the backspace key to start a new undo sequence. You can now
389undo the effect of the backspace key, without changing what you typed before
390that, with CTRL-O u.
391
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +0000392Using CTRL-O splits undo: the text typed before and after it is undone
393separately. If you want to avoid this (e.g., in a mapping) you might be able
394to use CTRL-R = |i_CTRL-R|. E.g., to call a function: >
395 :imap <F2> <C-R>=MyFunc()<CR>
396
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000397When the 'whichwrap' option is set appropriately, the <Left> and <Right>
398keys on the first/last character in the line make the cursor wrap to the
399previous/next line.
400
401The CTRL-G j and CTRL-G k commands can be used to insert text in front of a
402column. Example: >
403 int i;
404 int j;
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000405Position the cursor on the first "int", type "istatic <C-G>j ". The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000406result is: >
407 static int i;
408 int j;
409When inserting the same text in front of the column in every line, use the
410Visual blockwise command "I" |v_b_I|.
411
412==============================================================================
4133. 'textwidth' and 'wrapmargin' options *ins-textwidth*
414
415The 'textwidth' option can be used to automatically break a line before it
416gets too long. Set the 'textwidth' option to the desired maximum line
417length. If you then type more characters (not spaces or tabs), the
418last word will be put on a new line (unless it is the only word on the
419line). If you set 'textwidth' to 0, this feature is disabled.
420
421The 'wrapmargin' option does almost the same. The difference is that
422'textwidth' has a fixed width while 'wrapmargin' depends on the width of the
423screen. When using 'wrapmargin' this is equal to using 'textwidth' with a
424value equal to (columns - 'wrapmargin'), where columns is the width of the
425screen.
426
427When 'textwidth' and 'wrapmargin' are both set, 'textwidth' is used.
428
429If you don't really want to break the line, but view the line wrapped at a
430convenient place, see the 'linebreak' option.
431
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000432The line is only broken automatically when using Insert mode, or when
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000433appending to a line. When in replace mode and the line length is not
434changed, the line will not be broken.
435
436Long lines are broken if you enter a non-white character after the margin.
437The situations where a line will be broken can be restricted by adding
438characters to the 'formatoptions' option:
439"l" Only break a line if it was not longer than 'textwidth' when the insert
440 started.
441"v" Only break at a white character that has been entered during the
442 current insert command. This is mostly Vi-compatible.
443"lv" Only break if the line was not longer than 'textwidth' when the insert
444 started and only at a white character that has been entered during the
445 current insert command. Only differs from "l" when entering non-white
446 characters while crossing the 'textwidth' boundary.
447
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000448Normally an internal function will be used to decide where to break the line.
449If you want to do it in a different way set the 'formatexpr' option to an
450expression that will take care of the line break.
451
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000452If you want to format a block of text, you can use the "gq" operator. Type
453"gq" and a movement command to move the cursor to the end of the block. In
454many cases, the command "gq}" will do what you want (format until the end of
455paragraph). Alternatively, you can use "gqap", which will format the whole
456paragraph, no matter where the cursor currently is. Or you can use Visual
457mode: hit "v", move to the end of the block, and type "gq". See also |gq|.
458
459==============================================================================
4604. 'expandtab', 'smarttab' and 'softtabstop' options *ins-expandtab*
461
462If the 'expandtab' option is on, spaces will be used to fill the amount of
463whitespace of the tab. If you want to enter a real <Tab>, type CTRL-V first
464(use CTRL-Q when CTRL-V is mapped |i_CTRL-Q|).
465The 'expandtab' option is off by default. Note that in Replace mode, a single
466character is replaced with several spaces. The result of this is that the
467number of characters in the line increases. Backspacing will delete one
468space at a time. The original character will be put back for only one space
469that you backspace over (the last one). {Vi does not have the 'expandtab'
470option}
471
472 *ins-smarttab*
473When the 'smarttab' option is on, a <Tab> inserts 'shiftwidth' positions at
474the beginning of a line and 'tabstop' positions in other places. This means
475that often spaces instead of a <Tab> character are inserted. When 'smarttab
476is off, a <Tab> always inserts 'tabstop' positions, and 'shiftwidth' is only
477used for ">>" and the like. {not in Vi}
478
479 *ins-softtabstop*
480When the 'softtabstop' option is non-zero, a <Tab> inserts 'softtabstop'
481positions, and a <BS> used to delete white space, will delete 'softtabstop'
482positions. This feels like 'tabstop' was set to 'softtabstop', but a real
483<Tab> character still takes 'tabstop' positions, so your file will still look
484correct when used by other applications.
485
486If 'softtabstop' is non-zero, a <BS> will try to delete as much white space to
487move to the previous 'softtabstop' position, except when the previously
488inserted character is a space, then it will only delete the character before
489the cursor. Otherwise you cannot always delete a single character before the
490cursor. You will have to delete 'softtabstop' characters first, and then type
491extra spaces to get where you want to be.
492
493==============================================================================
4945. Replace mode *Replace* *Replace-mode* *mode-replace*
495
496Enter Replace mode with the "R" command in normal mode.
497
498In Replace mode, one character in the line is deleted for every character you
499type. If there is no character to delete (at the end of the line), the
500typed character is appended (as in Insert mode). Thus the number of
501characters in a line stays the same until you get to the end of the line.
502If a <NL> is typed, a line break is inserted and no character is deleted.
503
504Be careful with <Tab> characters. If you type a normal printing character in
505its place, the number of characters is still the same, but the number of
506columns will become smaller.
507
508If you delete characters in Replace mode (with <BS>, CTRL-W, or CTRL-U), what
509happens is that you delete the changes. The characters that were replaced
510are restored. If you had typed past the existing text, the characters you
511added are deleted. This is effectively a character-at-a-time undo.
512
513If the 'expandtab' option is on, a <Tab> will replace one character with
514several spaces. The result of this is that the number of characters in the
515line increases. Backspacing will delete one space at a time. The original
516character will be put back for only one space that you backspace over (the
517last one). {Vi does not have the 'expandtab' option}
518
519==============================================================================
5206. Virtual Replace mode *vreplace-mode* *Virtual-Replace-mode*
521
522Enter Virtual Replace mode with the "gR" command in normal mode.
523{not available when compiled without the +vreplace feature}
524{Vi does not have Virtual Replace mode}
525
526Virtual Replace mode is similar to Replace mode, but instead of replacing
527actual characters in the file, you are replacing screen real estate, so that
528characters further on in the file never appear to move.
529
530So if you type a <Tab> it may replace several normal characters, and if you
531type a letter on top of a <Tab> it may not replace anything at all, since the
532<Tab> will still line up to the same place as before.
533
534Typing a <NL> still doesn't cause characters later in the file to appear to
535move. The rest of the current line will be replaced by the <NL> (that is,
536they are deleted), and replacing continues on the next line. A new line is
537NOT inserted unless you go past the end of the file.
538
539Interesting effects are seen when using CTRL-T and CTRL-D. The characters
540before the cursor are shifted sideways as normal, but characters later in the
541line still remain still. CTRL-T will hide some of the old line under the
542shifted characters, but CTRL-D will reveal them again.
543
544As with Replace mode, using <BS> etc will bring back the characters that were
545replaced. This still works in conjunction with 'smartindent', CTRL-T and
546CTRL-D, 'expandtab', 'smarttab', 'softtabstop', etc.
547
548In 'list' mode, Virtual Replace mode acts as if it was not in 'list' mode,
549unless "L" is in 'cpoptions'.
550
551Note that the only times characters beyond the cursor should appear to move
552are in 'list' mode, and occasionally when 'wrap' is set (and the line changes
553length to become shorter or wider than the width of the screen), or
554momentarily when typing over a CTRL character. A CTRL character takes up two
555screen spaces. When replacing it with two normal characters, the first will
556be inserted and the second will replace the CTRL character.
557
558This mode is very useful for editing <Tab> separated columns in tables, for
559entering new data while keeping all the columns aligned.
560
561==============================================================================
5627. Insert mode completion *ins-completion*
563
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000564In Insert and Replace mode, there are several commands to complete part of a
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000565keyword or line that has been typed. This is useful if you are using
566complicated keywords (e.g., function names with capitals and underscores).
567
568These commands are not available when the |+insert_expand| feature was
569disabled at compile time.
570
571Completion can be done for:
572
5731. Whole lines |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-L|
5742. keywords in the current file |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-N|
5753. keywords in 'dictionary' |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K|
5764. keywords in 'thesaurus', thesaurus-style |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-T|
5775. keywords in the current and included files |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-I|
5786. tags |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-]|
5797. file names |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-F|
5808. definitions or macros |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-D|
5819. Vim command-line |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-V|
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +000058210. User defined completion |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-U|
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +000058311. omni completion |i_CTRL-X_CTRL-O|
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +000058412. Spelling suggestions |i_CTRL-X_s|
58513. keywords in 'complete' |i_CTRL-N|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000586
587All these (except 2) are done in CTRL-X mode. This is a sub-mode of Insert
588and Replace modes. You enter CTRL-X mode by typing CTRL-X and one of the
589CTRL-X commands. You exit CTRL-X mode by typing a key that is not a valid
590CTRL-X mode command. Valid keys are the CTRL-X command itself, CTRL-N (next),
591and CTRL-P (previous).
592
593Also see the 'infercase' option if you want to adjust the case of the match.
594
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000595 *complete_CTRL-E*
596When completion is active you can use CTRL-E to stop it and go back to the
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000597originally typed text. The CTRL-E will not be inserted.
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +0000598
599 *complete_CTRL-Y*
600When the popup menu is displayed you can use CTRL-Y to stop completion and
601accept the currently selected entry. The CTRL-Y is not inserted. Typing a
602space, Enter, or some other unprintable character will leave completion mode
603and insert that typed character.
604
Bram Moolenaar9e54a0e2006-04-14 20:42:25 +0000605When the popup menu is displayed there are a few more special keys, see
606|popupmenu-keys|.
607
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000608Note: The keys that are valid in CTRL-X mode are not mapped. This allows for
609":map ^F ^X^F" to work (where ^F is CTRL-F and ^X is CTRL-X). The key that
610ends CTRL-X mode (any key that is not a valid CTRL-X mode command) is mapped.
611Also, when doing completion with 'complete' mappings apply as usual.
612
Bram Moolenaarf193fff2006-04-27 00:02:13 +0000613Note: While completion is active Insert mode can't be used recursively.
614Mappings that somehow invoke ":normal i.." will generate an E523 error.
615
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000616The following mappings are suggested to make typing the completion commands
617a bit easier (although they will hide other commands): >
618 :inoremap ^] ^X^]
619 :inoremap ^F ^X^F
620 :inoremap ^D ^X^D
621 :inoremap ^L ^X^L
622
623As a special case, typing CTRL-R to perform register insertion (see
624|i_CTRL-R|) will not exit CTRL-X mode. This is primarily to allow the use of
625the '=' register to call some function to determine the next operation. If
626the contents of the register (or result of the '=' register evaluation) are
627not valid CTRL-X mode keys, then CTRL-X mode will be exited as if those keys
628had been typed.
629
630For example, the following will map <Tab> to either actually insert a <Tab> if
631the current line is currently only whitespace, or start/continue a CTRL-N
632completion operation: >
633
634 function! CleverTab()
635 if strpart( getline('.'), 0, col('.')-1 ) =~ '^\s*$'
636 return "\<Tab>"
637 else
638 return "\<C-N>"
639 endfunction
640 inoremap <Tab> <C-R>=CleverTab()<CR>
641
642
643
644Completing whole lines *compl-whole-line*
645
646 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-L*
647CTRL-X CTRL-L Search backwards for a line that starts with the
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +0000648 same characters as those in the current line before
649 the cursor. Indent is ignored. The matching line is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000650 inserted in front of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +0000651 The 'complete' option is used to decide which buffers
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +0000652 are searched for a match. Both loaded and unloaded
653 buffers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000654 CTRL-L or
655 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching line. This line
656 replaces the previous matching line.
657
658 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching line. This line
659 replaces the previous matching line.
660
661 CTRL-X CTRL-L After expanding a line you can additionally get the
662 line next to it by typing CTRL-X CTRL-L again, unless
663 a double CTRL-X is used.
664
665Completing keywords in current file *compl-current*
666
667 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-P*
668 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-N*
669CTRL-X CTRL-N Search forwards for words that start with the keyword
670 in front of the cursor. The found keyword is inserted
671 in front of the cursor.
672
673CTRL-X CTRL-P Search backwards for words that start with the keyword
674 in front of the cursor. The found keyword is inserted
675 in front of the cursor.
676
677 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
678 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
679
680 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
681 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
682
683 CTRL-X CTRL-N or
684 CTRL-X CTRL-P Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-N or CTRL-X CTRL-P will
685 copy the words following the previous expansion in
686 other contexts unless a double CTRL-X is used.
687
688If there is a keyword in front of the cursor (a name made out of alphabetic
689characters and characters in 'iskeyword'), it is used as the search pattern,
690with "\<" prepended (meaning: start of a word). Otherwise "\<\k\k" is used
691as search pattern (start of any keyword of at least two characters).
692
693In Replace mode, the number of characters that are replaced depends on the
694length of the matched string. This works like typing the characters of the
695matched string in Replace mode.
696
697If there is not a valid keyword character before the cursor, any keyword of
698at least two characters is matched.
699 e.g., to get:
700 printf("(%g, %g, %g)", vector[0], vector[1], vector[2]);
701 just type:
702 printf("(%g, %g, %g)", vector[0], ^P[1], ^P[2]);
703
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000704The search wraps around the end of the file, the value of 'wrapscan' is not
705used here.
706
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000707Multiple repeats of the same completion are skipped; thus a different match
708will be inserted at each CTRL-N and CTRL-P (unless there is only one
709matching keyword).
710
711Single character matches are never included, as they usually just get in
712the way of what you were really after.
713 e.g., to get:
714 printf("name = %s\n", name);
715 just type:
716 printf("name = %s\n", n^P);
717 or even:
718 printf("name = %s\n", ^P);
719The 'n' in '\n' is skipped.
720
721After expanding a word, you can use CTRL-X CTRL-P or CTRL-X CTRL-N to get the
722word following the expansion in other contexts. These sequences search for
723the text just expanded and further expand by getting an extra word. This is
724useful if you need to repeat a sequence of complicated words. Although CTRL-P
725and CTRL-N look just for strings of at least two characters, CTRL-X CTRL-P and
726CTRL-X CTRL-N can be used to expand words of just one character.
727 e.g., to get:
728 M&eacute;xico
729 you can type:
730 M^N^P^X^P^X^P
731CTRL-N starts the expansion and then CTRL-P takes back the single character
732"M", the next two CTRL-X CTRL-P's get the words "&eacute" and ";xico".
733
734If the previous expansion was split, because it got longer than 'textwidth',
735then just the text in the current line will be used.
736
737If the match found is at the end of a line, then the first word in the next
738line will be inserted and the message "word from next line" displayed, if
739this word is accepted the next CTRL-X CTRL-P or CTRL-X CTRL-N will search
740for those lines starting with this word.
741
742
743Completing keywords in 'dictionary' *compl-dictionary*
744
745 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-K*
746CTRL-X CTRL-K Search the files given with the 'dictionary' option
747 for words that start with the keyword in front of the
748 cursor. This is like CTRL-N, but only the dictionary
749 files are searched, not the current file. The found
750 keyword is inserted in front of the cursor. This
751 could potentially be pretty slow, since all matches
752 are found before the first match is used. By default,
753 the 'dictionary' option is empty.
754 For suggestions where to find a list of words, see the
755 'dictionary' option.
756
757 CTRL-K or
758 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
759 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
760
761 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
762 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
763
764 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-T*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +0000765CTRL-X CTRL-T Works as CTRL-X CTRL-K, but in a special way. It uses
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000766 the 'thesaurus' option instead of 'dictionary'. If a
767 match is found in the thesaurus file, all the
768 remaining words on the same line are included as
769 matches, even though they don't complete the word.
770 Thus a word can be completely replaced.
771
772 For an example, imagine the 'thesaurus' file has a
773 line like this: >
774 angry furious mad enraged
775< Placing the cursor after the letters "ang" and typing
776 CTRL-X CTRL-T would complete the word "angry";
777 subsequent presses would change the word to "furious",
778 "mad" etc.
779 Other uses include translation between two languages,
780 or grouping API functions by keyword.
781
782 CTRL-T or
783 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
784 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
785
786 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
787 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
788
789
790Completing keywords in the current and included files *compl-keyword*
791
792The 'include' option is used to specify a line that contains an include file
793name. The 'path' option is used to search for include files.
794
795 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-I*
796CTRL-X CTRL-I Search for the first keyword in the current and
797 included files that starts with the same characters
798 as those before the cursor. The matched keyword is
799 inserted in front of the cursor.
800
801 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching keyword. This
802 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
803 Note: CTRL-I is the same as <Tab>, which is likely to
804 be typed after a successful completion, therefore
805 CTRL-I is not used for searching for the next match.
806
807 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching keyword. This
808 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
809
810 CTRL-X CTRL-I Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-I will copy the words
811 following the previous expansion in other contexts
812 unless a double CTRL-X is used.
813
814Completing tags *compl-tag*
815 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-]*
816CTRL-X CTRL-] Search for the first tag that starts with the same
817 characters as before the cursor. The matching tag is
818 inserted in front of the cursor. Alphabetic
819 characters and characters in 'iskeyword' are used
820 to decide which characters are included in the tag
821 name (same as for a keyword). See also |CTRL-]|.
822 The 'showfulltag' option can be used to add context
823 from around the tag definition.
824 CTRL-] or
825 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching tag. This tag
826 replaces the previous matching tag.
827
828 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching tag. This tag
829 replaces the previous matching tag.
830
831
832Completing file names *compl-filename*
833 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-F*
834CTRL-X CTRL-F Search for the first file name that starts with the
835 same characters as before the cursor. The matching
836 file name is inserted in front of the cursor.
837 Alphabetic characters and characters in 'isfname'
838 are used to decide which characters are included in
839 the file name. Note: the 'path' option is not used
840 here (yet).
841 CTRL-F or
842 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching file name. This
843 file name replaces the previous matching file name.
844
845 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching file name.
846 This file name replaces the previous matching file
847 name.
848
849
850Completing definitions or macros *compl-define*
851
852The 'define' option is used to specify a line that contains a definition.
853The 'include' option is used to specify a line that contains an include file
854name. The 'path' option is used to search for include files.
855
856 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-D*
857CTRL-X CTRL-D Search in the current and included files for the
858 first definition (or macro) name that starts with
859 the same characters as before the cursor. The found
860 definition name is inserted in front of the cursor.
861 CTRL-D or
862 CTRL-N Search forwards for next matching macro name. This
863 macro name replaces the previous matching macro
864 name.
865
866 CTRL-P Search backward for previous matching macro name.
867 This macro name replaces the previous matching macro
868 name.
869
870 CTRL-X CTRL-D Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-D will copy the words
871 following the previous expansion in other contexts
872 unless a double CTRL-X is used.
873
874
875Completing Vim commands *compl-vim*
876
877Completion is context-sensitive. It works like on the Command-line. It
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000878completes an Ex command as well as its arguments. This is useful when writing
879a Vim script.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000880
881 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-V*
882CTRL-X CTRL-V Guess what kind of item is in front of the cursor and
883 find the first match for it.
884 Note: When CTRL-V is mapped you can often use CTRL-Q
885 instead |i_CTRL-Q|.
886 CTRL-V or
887 CTRL-N Search forwards for next match. This match replaces
888 the previous one.
889
890 CTRL-P Search backward for previous match. This match
891 replaces the previous one.
892
893 CTRL-X CTRL-V Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-V will do the same as
894 CTRL-V. This allows mapping a key to do Vim command
895 completion, for example: >
896 :imap <Tab> <C-X><C-V>
897
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000898User defined completion *compl-function*
Bram Moolenaarcfbc5ee2004-07-02 15:38:35 +0000899
900Completion is done by a function that can be defined by the user with the
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000901'completefunc' option. See below for how the function is called and an
902example |complete-functions|.
Bram Moolenaarcfbc5ee2004-07-02 15:38:35 +0000903
904 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-U*
905CTRL-X CTRL-U Guess what kind of item is in front of the cursor and
906 find the first match for it.
907 CTRL-U or
908 CTRL-N Use the next match. This match replaces the previous
909 one.
910
911 CTRL-P Use the previous match. This match replaces the
912 previous one.
913
914
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000915Omni completion *compl-omni*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000916
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +0000917Completion is done by a function that can be defined by the user with the
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000918'omnifunc' option. This is to be used for filetype-specific completion.
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +0000919
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000920See below for how the function is called and an example |complete-functions|.
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +0000921For remarks about specific filetypes see |compl-omni-filetypes|.
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +0000922More completion scripts will appear, check www.vim.org. Currently there is a
923first version for C++.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +0000924
925 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-O*
926CTRL-X CTRL-O Guess what kind of item is in front of the cursor and
927 find the first match for it.
928 CTRL-O or
929 CTRL-N Use the next match. This match replaces the previous
930 one.
931
932 CTRL-P Use the previous match. This match replaces the
933 previous one.
934
935
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000936Spelling suggestions *compl-spelling*
937
Bram Moolenaar5195e452005-08-19 20:32:47 +0000938A word before or at the cursor is located and correctly spelled words are
939suggested to replace it. If there is a badly spelled word in the line, before
940or under the cursor, the cursor is moved to after it. Otherwise the word just
941before the cursor is used for suggestions, even though it isn't badly spelled.
942
Bram Moolenaar488c6512005-08-11 20:09:58 +0000943NOTE: CTRL-S suspends display in many Unix terminals. Use 's' instead. Type
944CTRL-Q to resume displaying.
945
946 *i_CTRL-X_CTRL-S* *i_CTRL-X_s*
947CTRL-X CTRL-S or
948CTRL-X s Locate the word in front of the cursor and find the
949 first spell suggestion for it.
950 CTRL-S or
951 CTRL-N Use the next suggestion. This replaces the previous
952 one. Note that you can't use 's' here.
953
954 CTRL-P Use the previous suggestion. This replaces the
955 previous one.
956
957
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000958Completing keywords from different sources *compl-generic*
959
960 *i_CTRL-N*
961CTRL-N Find next match for words that start with the
962 keyword in front of the cursor, looking in places
963 specified with the 'complete' option. The found
964 keyword is inserted in front of the cursor.
965
966 *i_CTRL-P*
967CTRL-P Find previous match for words that start with the
968 keyword in front of the cursor, looking in places
969 specified with the 'complete' option. The found
970 keyword is inserted in front of the cursor.
971
972 CTRL-N Search forward for next matching keyword. This
973 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
974
975 CTRL-P Search backwards for next matching keyword. This
976 keyword replaces the previous matching keyword.
977
978 CTRL-X CTRL-N or
979 CTRL-X CTRL-P Further use of CTRL-X CTRL-N or CTRL-X CTRL-P will
980 copy the words following the previous expansion in
981 other contexts unless a double CTRL-X is used.
982
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +0000983
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000984FUNCTIONS FOR FINDING COMPLETIONS *complete-functions*
985
986This applies to 'completefunc' and 'omnifunc'.
987
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +0000988The function is called in two different ways:
989- First the function is called to find the start of the text to be completed.
990- Later the function is called to actually find the matches.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000991
992On the first invocation the arguments are:
993 a:findstart 1
994 a:base empty
995
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +0000996The function must return the column where the completion starts. It must be a
997number between zero and the cursor column "col('.')". This involves looking
998at the characters just before the cursor and including those characters that
999could be part of the completed item. The text between this column and the
1000cursor column will be replaced with the matches. Return -1 if no completion
1001can be done.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001002
1003On the second invocation the arguments are:
1004 a:findstart 0
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001005 a:base the text with which matches should match; the text that was
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001006 located in the first call (can be empty)
1007
1008The function must return a List with the matching words. These matches
1009usually include the "a:base" text. When there are no matches return an empty
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001010List.
Bram Moolenaar5c4bab02006-03-10 21:37:46 +00001011 *complete-items*
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001012Each list item can either be a string or a Dictionary. When it is a string it
1013is used as the completion. When it is a Dictionary it can contain these
1014items:
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001015 word the text that will be inserted, mandatory
1016 abbr abbreviation of "word"; when not empty it is used in
1017 the menu instead of "word"
Bram Moolenaar8dff8182006-04-06 20:18:50 +00001018 menu extra text for the popup menu, displayed after "word"
1019 or "abbr"
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001020 info more information about the item, can be displayed in a
1021 preview window
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001022 kind single letter indicating the type of completion
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001023 icase when non-zero case is to be ignored; when omitted
Bram Moolenaard1f56e62006-02-22 21:25:37 +00001024 the 'ignorecase' option is used
Bram Moolenaar4a85b412006-04-23 22:40:29 +00001025 dup when non-zero this match will be added even when an
1026 item with the same word is already present.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001027
Bram Moolenaard1f56e62006-02-22 21:25:37 +00001028All of these except 'icase' must be a string. If an item does not meet these
1029requirements then an error message is given and further items in the list are
1030not used. You can mix string and Dictionary items in the returned list.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001031
1032The "menu" item is used in the popup menu and may be truncated, thus it should
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001033be relatively short. The "info" item can be longer, it will be displayed in
1034the preview window when "preview" appears in 'completeopt'. The "info" item
1035will also remain displayed after the popup menu has been removed. This is
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001036useful for function arguments. Use a single space for "info" to remove
1037existing text in the preview window.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001038
1039The "kind" item uses a single letter to indicate the kind of completion. This
1040may be used to show the completion differently (different color or icon).
1041Currently these types can be used:
1042 v variable
1043 f function or method
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001044 m member of a struct or class
1045 t typedef
1046 d #define or macro
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001047
1048When searching for matches takes some time call |complete_add()| to add each
1049match to the total list. These matches should then not appear in the returned
1050list! Call |complete_check()| now and then to allow the user to press a key
1051while still searching for matches. Stop searching when it returns non-zero.
1052
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001053The function is allowed to move the cursor, it is restored afterwards. This
1054option cannot be set from a |modeline| or in the |sandbox|, for security
1055reasons.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00001056
1057An example that completes the names of the months: >
1058 fun! CompleteMonths(findstart, base)
1059 if a:findstart
1060 " locate the start of the word
1061 let line = getline('.')
1062 let start = col('.') - 1
1063 while start > 0 && line[start - 1] =~ '\a'
1064 let start -= 1
1065 endwhile
1066 return start
1067 else
1068 " find months matching with "a:base"
1069 let res = []
1070 for m in split("Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec")
1071 if m =~ '^' . a:base
1072 call add(res, m)
1073 endif
1074 endfor
1075 return res
1076 endif
1077 endfun
1078 set completefunc=CompleteMonths
1079<
1080The same, but now pretending searching for matches is slow: >
1081 fun! CompleteMonths(findstart, base)
1082 if a:findstart
1083 " locate the start of the word
1084 let line = getline('.')
1085 let start = col('.') - 1
1086 while start > 0 && line[start - 1] =~ '\a'
1087 let start -= 1
1088 endwhile
1089 return start
1090 else
1091 " find months matching with "a:base"
1092 for m in split("Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec")
1093 if m =~ '^' . a:base
1094 call complete_add(m)
1095 endif
1096 sleep 300m " simulate searching for next match
1097 if complete_check()
1098 break
1099 endif
1100 endfor
1101 return []
1102 endif
1103 endfun
1104 set completefunc=CompleteMonths
1105<
1106
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001107INSERT COMPLETION POPUP MENU *ins-completion-menu*
Bram Moolenaarebefac62005-12-28 22:39:57 +00001108 *popupmenu-completion*
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001109Vim can display the matches in a simplistic popup menu.
1110
1111The menu is used when:
Bram Moolenaara2031822006-03-07 22:29:51 +00001112- The 'completeopt' option contains "menu" or "menuone".
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001113- The terminal supports at least 8 colors.
Bram Moolenaard68071d2006-05-02 22:08:30 +00001114- There are at least two matches. One if "menuone" is used.
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001115
Bram Moolenaar56718732006-03-15 22:53:57 +00001116The 'pumheight' option can be used to set a maximum height. The default is to
1117use all space available.
1118
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001119There are three states:
11201. A complete match has been inserted, e.g., after using CTRL-N or CTRL-P.
11212. A cursor key has been used to select another match. The match was not
1122 inserted then, only the entry in the popup menu is highlighted.
11233. Only part of a match has been inserted and characters were typed or the
1124 backspace key was used. The list of matches was then adjusted for what is
1125 in front of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00001126
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001127You normally start in the first state, with the first match being inserted.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001128When "longest" is in 'completeopt' and there is more than one match you start
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001129in the third state.
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00001130
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001131If you select another match, e.g., with CTRL-N or CTRL-P, you go to the first
1132state. This doesn't change the list of matches.
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001133
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001134When you are back at the original text then you are in the third state. To
Bram Moolenaara2031822006-03-07 22:29:51 +00001135get there right away you can use a mapping that uses CTRL-P right after
1136starting the completion: >
1137 :imap <F7> <C-N><C-P>
Bram Moolenaar76916e62006-03-21 21:23:25 +00001138<
1139 *popupmenu-keys*
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001140In the first state these keys have a special meaning:
1141<BS> and CTRL-H Delete one character, find the matches for the word before
1142 the cursor. This reduces the list of matches, often to one
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001143 entry, and switches to the second state.
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001144Any non-special character:
1145 Stop completion without changing the match and insert the
1146 typed character.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001147
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001148In the second and third state these keys have a special meaning:
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001149<BS> and CTRL-H Delete one character, find the matches for the shorter word
1150 before the cursor. This may find more matches.
1151CTRL-L Add one character from the current match, may reduce the
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001152 number of matches.
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001153any printable, non-white character:
1154 Add this character and reduce the number of matches.
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00001155
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001156In all three states these can be used:
Bram Moolenaard2cec5b2006-03-28 21:08:56 +00001157CTRL-Y Yes: Accept the currently selected match and stop completion.
1158CTRL-E End completion, go back to what was typed.
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001159<PageUp> Select a match several entries back, but don't insert it.
1160<PageDown> Select a match several entries further, but don't insert it.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001161<Up> Select the previous match, as if CTRL-P was used, but don't
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001162 insert it.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001163<Down> Select the next match, as if CTRL-N was used, but don't
Bram Moolenaar80a94a52006-02-23 21:26:58 +00001164 insert it.
Bram Moolenaar779b74b2006-04-10 14:55:34 +00001165space or <Tab> Stop completion without changing the match and insert the
1166 typed character.
1167
1168The behavior of the Enter key depends on the state you are in:
1169first state: Use the text as it is and insert a line break.
1170second state: Insert the currently selected match.
1171third state: Use the text as it is and insert a line break.
1172
1173In other words: If you used the cursor keys to select another entry in the
1174list of matches then the Enter key inserts that match. If you typed something
1175else then Enter inserts a line break.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001176
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001177
1178The colors of the menu can be changed with these highlight groups:
1179Pmenu normal item |hl-Pmenu|
1180PmenuSel selected item |hl-PmenuSel|
1181PmenuSbar scrollbar |hl-PmenuSbar|
1182PmenuThumb thumb of the scrollbar |hl-PmenuThumb|
1183
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001184There are no special mappings for when the popup menu is visible. However,
1185you can use an Insert mode mapping that checks the |pumvisible()| function to
1186do something different. Example: >
1187 :inoremap <Down> <C-R>=pumvisible() ? "\<lt>C-N>" : "\<lt>Down>"<CR>
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001188
Bram Moolenaar5c4bab02006-03-10 21:37:46 +00001189You can use of <expr> in mapping to have the popup menu used when typing a
1190character and some condition is met. For example, for typing a dot: >
1191 inoremap <expr> . MayComplete()
1192 func MayComplete()
1193 if (can complete)
1194 return ".\<C-X>\<C-O>"
1195 endif
1196 return '.'
1197 endfunc
1198
1199See |:map-<expr>| for more info.
1200
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001201
1202FILETYPE-SPECIFIC REMARKS FOR OMNI COMPLETION *compl-omni-filetypes*
1203
1204The file used for {filetype} should be autoload/{filetype}complete.vim
1205in 'runtimepath'. Thus for "java" it is autoload/javacomplete.vim.
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001206
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001207
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001208C *ft-c-omni*
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001209
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001210Completion of C code requires a tags file. You should use Exuberant ctags,
1211because it adds extra information that is needed for completion. You can find
1212it here: http://ctags.sourceforge.net/
1213For version 5.5.4 you should add a patch that adds the "typename:" field:
Bram Moolenaar36fc5352006-03-04 21:49:37 +00001214 ftp://ftp.vim.org/pub/vim/unstable/patches/ctags-5.5.4.patch
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001215A compiled .exe for MS-Windows can be found at:
Bram Moolenaar36fc5352006-03-04 21:49:37 +00001216 http://georgevreilly.com/vim/ctags.html
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001217
1218If you want to complete system functions you can do something like this. Use
1219ctags to generate a tags file for all the system header files: >
1220 % ctags -R -f ~/.vim/systags /usr/include /usr/local/include
1221In your vimrc file add this tags file to the 'tags' option: >
1222 set tags+=~/.vim/systags
1223
1224When using CTRL-X CTRL-O after a name without any "." or "->" it is completed
1225from the tags file directly. This works for any identifier, also function
1226names. If you want to complete a local variable name, which does not appear
1227in the tags file, use CTRL-P instead.
1228
1229When using CTRL-X CTRL-O after something that has "." or "->" Vim will attempt
1230to recognize the type of the variable and figure out what members it has.
1231This means only members valid for the variable will be listed.
1232
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001233When a member name already was complete, CTRL-X CTRL-O will add a "." or
1234"->" for composite types.
1235
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00001236Vim doesn't include a C compiler, only the most obviously formatted
1237declarations are recognized. Preprocessor stuff may cause confusion.
1238When the same structure name appears in multiple places all possible members
1239are included.
1240
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001241
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001242CSS *ft-css-omni*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001243
1244Complete properties and their appropriate values according to CSS 2.1
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001245specification.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001246
1247
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001248HTML *ft-html-omni*
1249XHTML *ft-xhtml-omni*
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001250
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001251CTRL-X CTRL-O provides completion of various elements of (X)HTML files. It is
1252designed to support writing of XHTML 1.0 Strict files but will also works for
1253other versions of HTML. Features:
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001254
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001255- after "<" complete tag name depending on context (no div suggestion inside
1256 of an a tag); '/>' indicates empty tags
1257- inside of tag complete proper attributes (no width attribute for an a tag);
1258 show also type of attribute; '*' indicates required attributes
1259- when attribute has limited number of possible values help to complete them
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001260- complete names of entities
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001261- complete values of "class" and "id" attributes with data obtained from
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001262 <style> tag and included CSS files
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001263- when completing value of "style" attribute or working inside of "style" tag
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001264 switch to |ft-css-omni| completion
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001265- when completing values of events attributes or working inside of "script"
1266 tag switch to |ft-javascript-omni| completion
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001267- when used after "</" CTRL-X CTRL-O will close the last opened tag
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001268
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001269Note: When used first time completion menu will be shown with little delay
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001270- this is time needed for loading of data file.
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001271Note: Completion may fail in badly formatted documents. In such case try to
1272run |:make| command to detect formatting problems.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001273
1274
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001275HTML flavor *html-flavor*
1276
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001277The default HTML completion depends on the filetype. For HTML files it is
1278HTML 4.01 Transitional ('filetype' is "html"), for XHTML it is XHTML 1.0
1279Strict ('filetype' is "xhtml").
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001280
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001281When doing completion outside of any other tag you will have possibility to
1282choose DOCTYPE and the appropriate data file will be loaded and used for all
1283next completions.
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001284
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001285More about format of data file in |xml-omni-datafile|. Some of the data files
1286may be found on the Vim website (|www|).
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001287
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001288Note that b:html_omni_flavor may point to a file with any XML data. This
1289makes possible to mix PHP (|ft-php-omni|) completion with any XML dialect
1290(assuming you have data file for it). Without setting that variable XHTML 1.0
1291Strict will be used.
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001292
1293
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001294JAVASCRIPT *ft-javascript-omni*
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001295
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001296Completion of most elements of JavaScript language and DOM elements.
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001297
1298Complete:
1299
1300- variables
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001301- function name; show function arguments
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001302- function arguments
1303- properties of variables trying to detect type of variable
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001304- complete DOM objects and properties depending on context
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001305- keywords of language
1306
Bram Moolenaar8b6144b2006-02-08 09:20:24 +00001307Completion works in separate JavaScript files (&ft==javascript), inside of
1308<script> tag of (X)HTML and in values of event attributes (including scanning
1309of external files.
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001310
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001311DOM compatibility
1312
1313At the moment (beginning of 2006) there are two main browsers - MS Internet
1314Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. These two applications are covering over 90% of
1315market. Theoretically standards are created by W3C organisation
1316(http://www.w3c.org) but they are not always followed/implemented.
1317
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001318 IE FF W3C Omni completion ~
1319 +/- +/- + + ~
1320 + + - + ~
1321 + - - - ~
1322 - + - - ~
Bram Moolenaarb8a7b562006-02-01 21:47:16 +00001323
1324Regardless from state of implementation in browsers but if element is defined
1325in standards, completion plugin will place element in suggestion list. When
1326both major engines implemented element, even if this is not in standards it
1327will be suggested. All other elements are not placed in suggestion list.
1328
1329
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001330PHP *ft-php-omni*
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001331
1332Completion of PHP code requires tags file for completion of data from external
1333files. You should use Exuberant ctags version 5.5.4 or newer. You can find it
1334here: http://ctags.sourceforge.net/
1335
1336Script completes:
1337
1338- after $ variables name
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001339 - if variable was declared as object add "->", if tags file is available show
1340 name of class
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001341 - after "->" complete only function and variable names specific for given
1342 class. To find class location and contents tags file is required. Because
1343 PHP isn't strongly typed language user can use @var tag to declare class: >
1344
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001345 /* @var $myVar myClass */
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001346 $myVar->
1347<
1348 Still, to find myClass contents tags file is required.
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001349
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001350- function names with additional info:
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001351 - in case of built-in functions list of possible arguments and after | type
1352 data returned by function
1353 - in case of user function arguments and name of file were function was
1354 defined (if it is not current file)
1355
1356- constants names
1357- class names after "new" declaration
1358
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001359
1360Note: when doing completion first time Vim will load all necessary data into
1361memory. It may take several seconds. After next use of completion delay
Bram Moolenaar0b598c22006-03-11 21:22:53 +00001362should not be noticeable.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00001363
1364Script detects if cursor is inside <?php ?> tags. If it is outside it will
1365automatically switch to HTML/CSS/JavaScript completion. Note: contrary to
1366original HTML files completion of tags (and only tags) isn't context aware.
1367
1368
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001369RUBY *ft-ruby-omni*
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001370
1371Completion of Ruby code requires that vim be built with |+ruby|.
1372
1373Ruby completion will parse your buffer on demand in order to provide a list of
1374completions. These completions will be drawn from modules loaded by 'require'
1375and modules defined in the current buffer.
1376
1377The completions provided by CTRL-X CTRL-O are sensitive to the context:
1378
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001379 CONTEXT COMPLETIONS PROVIDED ~
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001380
1381 1. Not inside a class definition Classes, constants and globals
1382
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001383 2. Inside a class definition Methods or constants defined in the class
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001384
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001385 3. After '.', '::' or ':' Methods applicable to the object being
1386 dereferenced
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001387
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001388 4. After ':' or ':foo' Symbol name (beginning with 'foo')
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001389
1390Notes:
1391 - Vim will load/evaluate code in order to provide completions. This may
1392 cause some code execution, which may be a concern.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001393 - In context 1 above, Vim can parse the entire buffer to add a list of
1394 classes to the completion results. This feature is turned off by default,
1395 to enable it add >
1396 let g:rubycomplete_classes_in_global = 1
1397< to your vimrc
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001398 - In context 2 above, anonymous classes are not supported.
1399 - In context 3 above, Vim will attempt to determine the methods supported by
1400 the object.
1401 - Vim can detect and load the Rails environment for files within a rails
1402 project. The feature is disabled by default, to enable it add >
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001403 let g:rubycomplete_rails = 1
1404< to your vimrc
Bram Moolenaarfc1421e2006-04-20 22:17:20 +00001405
1406
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001407SYNTAX *ft-syntax-omni*
1408
1409This uses the current syntax highlighting for completion. It can be used for
1410any filetype and provides a minimal language-sensitive completion.
1411
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001412To enable syntax code completion you can run: >
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001413 setlocal omnifunc=syntaxcomplete#Complete
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001414
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001415You can automate this by placing the following in your vimrc (after any
1416":filetype" command): >
1417 if has("autocmd") && exists("+omnifunc")
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001418 autocmd Filetype *
1419 \ if &omnifunc == "" |
1420 \ setlocal omnifunc=syntaxcomplete#Complete |
1421 \ endif
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001422 endif
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001423
Bram Moolenaarc06ac342006-03-02 22:43:39 +00001424The above will set completion to this script only if a specific plugin does
1425not already exist for that filetype.
1426
1427Each filetype can have a wide range of syntax items. The plugin allows you to
1428customize which syntax groups to include or exclude from the list. Let's have
1429a look at the PHP filetype to see how this works.
1430
1431If you edit a file called, index.php, run the following command: >
1432 :syntax list
1433
1434First thing you will notice is there are many different syntax groups. The
1435PHP language can include elements from different languages like HTML,
1436JavaScript and many more. The syntax plugin will only include syntax groups
1437that begin with the filetype, "php", in this case. For example these syntax
1438groups are included by default with the PHP: phpEnvVar, phpIntVar,
1439phpFunctions.
1440
1441The PHP language has an enormous number of items which it knows how to syntax
1442highlight. This means these items will be available within the omni
1443completion list. Some people may find this list unwieldy or are only
1444interested in certain items.
1445
1446There are two ways to prune this list (if necessary). If you find certain
1447syntax groups you do not wish displayed you can add the following to your
1448vimrc: >
1449 let g:omni_syntax_group_exclude_php = 'phpCoreConstant,phpConstant'
1450
1451Add as many syntax groups to this list by comma separating them. The basic
1452form of this variable is: >
1453 let g:omni_syntax_group_exclude_{filetype} = 'comma,separated,list'
1454
1455For completeness the opposite is also true. Creating this variable in your
1456vimrc will only include the items in the phpFunctions and phpMethods syntax
1457groups: >
1458 let g:omni_syntax_group_include_php = 'phpFunctions,phpMethods'
1459
1460You can create as many of these variables as you need, varying only the
1461filetype at the end of the variable name.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001462
1463
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001464SQL *ft-sql-omni*
1465
1466Completion for the SQL language includes statements, functions, keywords.
1467It will also dynamically complete tables, procedures, views and column lists
1468with data pulled directly from within a database. For detailed instructions
1469and a tutorial see |omni-sql-completion|.
1470
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001471The SQL completion plugin can be used in conjunction with other completion
1472plugins. For example, the PHP filetype has it's own completion plugin.
1473Since PHP is often used to generate dynamic website by accessing a database,
1474the SQL completion plugin can also be enabled. This allows you to complete
1475PHP code and SQL code at the same time.
1476
Bram Moolenaare2f98b92006-03-29 21:18:24 +00001477
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001478XML *ft-xml-omni*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001479
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001480Vim 7 provides a mechanism for context aware completion of XML files. It
1481depends on a special |xml-omni-datafile| and two commands: |:XMLns| and
1482|:XMLent|. Features are:
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001483
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001484- after "<" complete the tag name, depending on context
1485- inside of a tag complete proper attributes
1486- when an attribute has a limited number of possible values help to complete
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001487 them
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001488- complete names of entities (defined in |xml-omni-datafile| and in the
1489 current file with "<!ENTITY" declarations)
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001490- when used after "</" CTRL-X CTRL-O will close the last opened tag
1491
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001492Format of XML data file *xml-omni-datafile*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001493
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001494XML data files are stored in the "autoload/xml" directory in 'runtimepath'.
1495Vim distribution provides examples of data files in the
1496"$VIMRUNTIME/autoload/xml" directory. They have a meaningful name which will
1497be used in commands. It should be a unique name which will not create
1498conflicts. For example, the name xhtml10s.vim means it is the data file for
1499XHTML 1.0 Strict.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001500
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001501Each file contains a variable with a name like g:xmldata_xhtml10s . It is
1502a compound from two parts:
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001503
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +000015041. "g:xmldata_" general prefix, constant for all data files
15052. "xhtml10s" the name of the file and the name of the described XML
1506 dialect; it will be used as an argument for the |:XMLns|
1507 command
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001508
1509Part two must be exactly the same as name of file.
1510
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001511The variable is a |Dictionary|. Keys are tag names and each value is a two
1512element |List|. The first element of the List is also a List with the names
1513of possible children. The second element is a |Dictionary| with the names of
1514attributes as keys and the possible values of attributes as values. Example: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001515
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001516 let g:xmldata_crippled = {
1517 \ "vimxmlentities": ["amp", "lt", "gt", "apos", "quot"],
1518 \ 'vimxmlroot': ['tag1'],
1519 \ 'tag1':
1520 \ [ ['childoftag1a', 'childoftag1b'], {'attroftag1a': [],
1521 \ 'attroftag1b': ['valueofattr1', 'valueofattr2']}],
1522 \ 'childoftag1a':
1523 \ [ [], {'attrofchild': ['attrofchild']}],
1524 \ 'childoftag1b':
1525 \ [ ['childoftag1a'], {'attrofchild': []}],
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001526 \ "vimxmltaginfo": {
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001527 \ 'tag1': ['Menu info', 'Long information visible in preview window']},
1528 \ 'vimxmlattrinfo': {
1529 \ 'attrofchild': ['Menu info', 'Long information visible in preview window']}}
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001530
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001531This example would be put in the "autoload/xml/crippled.vim" file and could
1532help to write this file: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001533
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001534 <tag1 attroftag1b="valueofattr1">
1535 <childoftag1a attrofchild>
1536 &amp; &lt;
1537 </childoftag1a>
1538 <childoftag1b attrofchild="5">
1539 <childoftag1a>
1540 &gt; &apos; &quot;
1541 </childoftag1a>
1542 </childoftag1b>
1543 </tag1>
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001544
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001545In the example four special elements are visible:
1546
15471. "vimxmlentities" - a special key with List containing entities of this XML
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001548 dialect.
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +000015492. If the list containing possible values of attributes has one element and
1550 this element is equal to the name of the attribute this attribute will be
1551 treated as boolean and inserted as 'attrname' and not as 'attrname="'
15523. "vimxmltaginfo" - a special key with a Dictionary containing tag
1553 names as keys and two element List as values, for additional menu info and
1554 the long description.
15554. "vimxmlattrinfo" - special key with Dictionary containing attribute names
1556 as keys and two element List as values, for additional menu info and long
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001557 description.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001558
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001559Note: Tag names in the data file MUST not contain a namespace description.
1560Check xsl.vim for an example.
1561Note: All data and functions are publicly available as global
1562variables/functions and can be used for personal editing functions.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001563
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001564
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00001565DTD -> Vim *dtd2vim*
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001566
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001567On |www| is the script |dtd2vim| which parses DTD and creates an XML data file
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001568for Vim XML omni completion.
1569
1570 dtd2vim: http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=1462
1571
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001572Check the beginning of that file for usage details.
1573The script requires perl and:
Bram Moolenaarc1e37902006-04-18 21:55:01 +00001574
1575 perlSGML: http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/perlsgml
1576
1577
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001578Commands
1579
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001580:XMLns {name} [{namespace}] *:XMLns*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001581
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001582Vim has to know which data file should be used and with which namespace. For
1583loading of the data file and connecting data with the proper namespace use
1584|:XMLns| command. The first (obligatory) argument is the name of the data
1585(xhtml10s, xsl). The second argument is the code of namespace (h, xsl). When
1586used without a second argument the dialect will be used as default - without
1587namespace declaration. For example to use XML completion in .xsl files: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001588
1589 :XMLns xhtml10s
1590 :XMLns xsl xsl
1591
1592
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001593:XMLent {name} *:XMLent*
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001594
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001595By default entities will be completed from the data file of the default
1596namespace. The XMLent command should be used in case when there is no default
1597namespace: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001598
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001599 :XMLent xhtml10s
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001600
1601Usage
1602
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001603While used in this situation (after declarations from previous part, | is
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001604cursor position): >
1605
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001606 <|
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001607
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001608Will complete to an appropriate XHTML tag, and in this situation: >
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001609
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001610 <xsl:|
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001611
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001612Will complete to an appropriate XSL tag.
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00001613
Bram Moolenaar9c102382006-05-03 21:26:49 +00001614
1615The script xmlcomplete.vim, provided through the |autoload| mechanism,
1616has the xmlcomplete#GetLastOpenTag() function which can be used in XML files
1617to get the name of the last open tag (b:unaryTagsStack has to be defined): >
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001618
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001619 :echo xmlcomplete#GetLastOpenTag("b:unaryTagsStack")
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001620
Bram Moolenaar6b730e12005-09-16 21:47:57 +00001621
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00001622
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001623==============================================================================
16248. Insert mode commands *inserting*
1625
1626The following commands can be used to insert new text into the buffer. They
1627can all be undone and repeated with the "." command.
1628
1629 *a*
1630a Append text after the cursor [count] times. If the
1631 cursor is in the first column of an empty line Insert
1632 starts there. But not when 'virtualedit' is set!
1633
1634 *A*
1635A Append text at the end of the line [count] times.
1636
1637<insert> or *i* *insert* *<Insert>*
1638i Insert text before the cursor [count] times.
1639 When using CTRL-O in Insert mode |i_CTRL-O| the count
1640 is not supported.
1641
1642 *I*
1643I Insert text before the first non-blank in the line
1644 [count] times.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001645 When the 'H' flag is present in 'cpoptions' and the
1646 line only contains blanks, insert start just before
1647 the last blank.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001648
1649 *gI*
1650gI Insert text in column 1 [count] times. {not in Vi}
1651
1652 *gi*
1653gi Insert text in the same position as where Insert mode
1654 was stopped last time in the current buffer.
1655 This uses the |'^| mark. It's different from "`^i"
1656 when the mark is past the end of the line.
1657 The position is corrected for inserted/deleted lines,
1658 but NOT for inserted/deleted characters.
1659 When the |:keepjumps| command modifier is used the |'^|
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001660 mark won't be changed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001661 {not in Vi}
1662
1663 *o*
1664o Begin a new line below the cursor and insert text,
1665 repeat [count] times. {Vi: blank [count] screen
1666 lines}
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001667 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
1668 ignored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001669
1670 *O*
1671O Begin a new line above the cursor and insert text,
1672 repeat [count] times. {Vi: blank [count] screen
1673 lines}
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001674 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
1675 ignored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001676
1677These commands are used to start inserting text. You can end insert mode with
1678<Esc>. See |mode-ins-repl| for the other special characters in Insert mode.
1679The effect of [count] takes place after Insert mode is exited.
1680
1681When 'autoindent' is on, the indent for a new line is obtained from the
1682previous line. When 'smartindent' or 'cindent' is on, the indent for a line
1683is automatically adjusted for C programs.
1684
1685'textwidth' can be set to the maximum width for a line. When a line becomes
1686too long when appending characters a line break is automatically inserted.
1687
1688
1689==============================================================================
16909. Ex insert commands *inserting-ex*
1691
1692 *:a* *:append*
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001693:{range}a[ppend][!] Insert several lines of text below the specified
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001694 line. If the {range} is missing, the text will be
1695 inserted after the current line.
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001696 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
1697 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001698
1699 *:i* *:in* *:insert*
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001700:{range}i[nsert][!] Insert several lines of text above the specified
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001701 line. If the {range} is missing, the text will be
1702 inserted before the current line.
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001703 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
1704 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001705
1706These two commands will keep on asking for lines, until you type a line
1707containing only a ".". Watch out for lines starting with a backslash, see
1708|line-continuation|.
Bram Moolenaardf177f62005-02-22 08:39:57 +00001709When these commands are used with |:global| or |:vglobal| then the lines are
1710obtained from the text following the command. Separate lines with a NL
1711escaped with a backslash: >
1712 :global/abc/insert\
1713 one line\
1714 another line
1715The final "." is not needed then.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001716NOTE: ":append" and ":insert" don't work properly in between ":if" and
Bram Moolenaar06fb4352005-01-05 22:10:30 +00001717":endif", ":for" and ":endfor", ":while" and ":endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001718
1719 *:start* *:startinsert*
1720:star[tinsert][!] Start Insert mode just after executing this command.
1721 Works like typing "i" in Normal mode. When the ! is
1722 included it works like "A", append to the line.
1723 Otherwise insertion starts at the cursor position.
1724 Note that when using this command in a function or
1725 script, the insertion only starts after the function
1726 or script is finished.
Bram Moolenaar87e25fd2005-07-27 21:13:01 +00001727 This command does not work from |:normal|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001728 {not in Vi}
1729 {not available when compiled without the +ex_extra
1730 feature}
1731
1732 *:stopi* *:stopinsert*
1733:stopi[nsert] Stop Insert mode as soon as possible. Works like
1734 typing <Esc> in Insert mode.
1735 Can be used in an autocommand, example: >
1736 :au BufEnter scratch stopinsert
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00001737<
1738 *replacing-ex* *:startreplace*
1739:startr[eplace][!] Start Replace mode just after executing this command.
1740 Works just like typing "R" in Normal mode. When the
1741 ! is included it acts just like "$R" had been typed
1742 (ie. begin replace mode at the end-of-line). Other-
1743 wise replacement begins at the cursor position.
1744 Note that when using this command in a function or
1745 script that the replacement will only start after
1746 the function or script is finished.
1747 {not in Vi}
1748 {not available when compiled without the +ex_extra
1749 feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001750
Bram Moolenaar61da4982005-12-14 22:02:18 +00001751 *:startgreplace*
1752:startg[replace][!] Just like |:startreplace|, but use Virtual Replace
1753 mode, like with |gR|.
1754 {not in Vi}
1755 {not available when compiled without the +ex_extra
1756 feature}
1757
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001758==============================================================================
175910. Inserting a file *inserting-file*
1760
1761 *:r* *:re* *:read*
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001762:r[ead] [++opt] [name]
1763 Insert the file [name] (default: current file) below
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001764 the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001765 See |++opt| for the possible values of [++opt].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001766
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001767:{range}r[ead] [++opt] [name]
1768 Insert the file [name] (default: current file) below
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001769 the specified line.
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001770 See |++opt| for the possible values of [++opt].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001771
1772 *:r!* *:read!*
1773:r[ead] !{cmd} Execute {cmd} and insert its standard output below
1774 the cursor. A temporary file is used to store the
1775 output of the command which is then read into the
1776 buffer. 'shellredir' is used to save the output of
1777 the command, which can be set to include stderr or
1778 not. {cmd} is executed like with ":!{cmd}", any '!'
1779 is replaced with the previous command |:!|.
1780
1781These commands insert the contents of a file, or the output of a command,
1782into the buffer. They can be undone. They cannot be repeated with the "."
1783command. They work on a line basis, insertion starts below the line in which
1784the cursor is, or below the specified line. To insert text above the first
1785line use the command ":0r {name}".
1786
1787After the ":read" command, the cursor is left on the first non-blank in the
1788first new line. Unless in Ex mode, then the cursor is left on the last new
1789line (sorry, this is Vi compatible).
1790
1791If a file name is given with ":r", it becomes the alternate file. This can be
1792used, for example, when you want to edit that file instead: ":e! #". This can
1793be switched off by removing the 'a' flag from the 'cpoptions' option.
1794
Bram Moolenaar910f66f2006-04-05 20:41:53 +00001795Of the [++opt] arguments one is specifically for ":read", the ++edit argument.
1796This is useful when the ":read" command is actually used to read a file into
1797the buffer as if editing that file. Use this command in an empty buffer: >
1798 :read ++edit filename
1799The effect is that the 'fileformat', 'fileencoding', 'bomb', etc. options are
1800set to what has been detected for "filename". Note that a single empty line
1801remains, you may want to delete it.
1802
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001803 *file-read*
1804The 'fileformat' option sets the <EOL> style for a file:
1805'fileformat' characters name ~
1806 "dos" <CR><NL> or <NL> DOS format
1807 "unix" <NL> Unix format
1808 "mac" <CR> Mac format
1809Previously 'textmode' was used. It is obsolete now.
1810
1811If 'fileformat' is "dos", a <CR> in front of an <NL> is ignored and a CTRL-Z
1812at the end of the file is ignored.
1813
1814If 'fileformat' is "mac", a <NL> in the file is internally represented by a
1815<CR>. This is to avoid confusion with a <NL> which is used to represent a
1816<NUL>. See |CR-used-for-NL|.
1817
1818If the 'fileformats' option is not empty Vim tries to recognize the type of
1819<EOL> (see |file-formats|). However, the 'fileformat' option will not be
1820changed, the detected format is only used while reading the file.
1821A similar thing happens with 'fileencodings'.
1822
1823On non-MS-DOS, Win32, and OS/2 systems the message "[dos format]" is shown if
1824a file is read in DOS format, to remind you that something unusual is done.
1825On Macintosh, MS-DOS, Win32, and OS/2 the message "[unix format]" is shown if
1826a file is read in Unix format.
1827On non-Macintosh systems, the message "[Mac format]" is shown if a file is
1828read in Mac format.
1829
1830An example on how to use ":r !": >
1831 :r !uuencode binfile binfile
1832This command reads "binfile", uuencodes it and reads it into the current
1833buffer. Useful when you are editing e-mail and want to include a binary
1834file.
1835
1836 *read-messages*
1837When reading a file Vim will display a message with information about the read
1838file. In the table is an explanation for some of the items. The others are
1839self explanatory. Using the long or the short version depends on the
1840'shortmess' option.
1841
1842 long short meaning ~
1843 [readonly] {RO} the file is write protected
1844 [fifo/socket] using a stream
1845 [fifo] using a fifo stream
1846 [socket] using a socket stream
1847 [CR missing] reading with "dos" 'fileformat' and a
1848 NL without a preceding CR was found.
1849 [NL found] reading with "mac" 'fileformat' and a
1850 NL was found (could be "unix" format)
1851 [long lines split] at least one line was split in two
1852 [NOT converted] conversion from 'fileencoding' to
1853 'encoding' was desired but not
1854 possible
1855 [converted] conversion from 'fileencoding' to
1856 'encoding' done
1857 [crypted] file was decrypted
1858 [READ ERRORS] not all of the file could be read
1859
1860
1861 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: