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Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2006 Mar 17
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7Expression evaluation *expression* *expr* *E15* *eval*
8
9Using expressions is introduced in chapter 41 of the user manual |usr_41.txt|.
10
11Note: Expression evaluation can be disabled at compile time. If this has been
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +000012done, the features in this document are not available. See |+eval| and
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000013|no-eval-feature|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000014
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000151. Variables |variables|
16 1.1 Variable types
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000017 1.2 Function references |Funcref|
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +000018 1.3 Lists |Lists|
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000019 1.4 Dictionaries |Dictionaries|
20 1.5 More about variables |more-variables|
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212. Expression syntax |expression-syntax|
223. Internal variable |internal-variables|
234. Builtin Functions |functions|
245. Defining functions |user-functions|
256. Curly braces names |curly-braces-names|
267. Commands |expression-commands|
278. Exception handling |exception-handling|
289. Examples |eval-examples|
2910. No +eval feature |no-eval-feature|
3011. The sandbox |eval-sandbox|
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00003112. Textlock |textlock|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000032
33{Vi does not have any of these commands}
34
35==============================================================================
361. Variables *variables*
37
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000381.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000039 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000040There are five types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000041
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000042Number A 32 bit signed number.
43 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
44
45String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
46 Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
47
48Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
49 Example: function("strlen")
50
51List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
52 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000053
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000054Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
55 value. |Dictionary|
56 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
57
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000058The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
59are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000060
61Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
62the Number. Examples: >
63 Number 123 --> String "123"
64 Number 0 --> String "0"
65 Number -1 --> String "-1"
66
67Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
68to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
69the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
70 String "456" --> Number 456
71 String "6bar" --> Number 6
72 String "foo" --> Number 0
73 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
74 String "0100" --> Number 64
75 String "-8" --> Number -8
76 String "+8" --> Number 0
77
78To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
79 :echo "0100" + 0
80
81For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
82
83Note that in the command >
84 :if "foo"
85"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
86use strlen(): >
87 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000088< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
89List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000090
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000091 *E706*
92You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
93to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000094equivalent though. Consider this sequence of commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000095 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000096 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000097 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000098
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000099
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001001.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000101 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000102A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000103in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
104around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000105
106 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
107 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000108< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000109A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:" or "b:". You cannot
110have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000111
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000112A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
113Dictionary entry. Example: >
114 :function dict.init() dict
115 : let self.val = 0
116 :endfunction
117
118The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
119function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
120
121A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
122 :call Fn()
123 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000124
125The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000126 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000127
128You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
129arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000130 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000131
132
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001331.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000134 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000135A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
136can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
137position in the sequence.
138
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000139
140List creation ~
141 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000142A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000143Examples: >
144 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
145 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000146
147An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000148nested List: >
149 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000150
151An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
152
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000153
154List index ~
155 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000156An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000157after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
158 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000159 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000160
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000161When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000162 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000163<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000164A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
165the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000166 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
167
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000168To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000169is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000170 :echo get(mylist, idx)
171 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
172
173
174List concatenation ~
175
176Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
177 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000178 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000179
180To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
181it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
182
183
184Sublist ~
185
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000186A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
187separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000188 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000189
190Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
191similar to -1. The difference is that there is no error if the items are not
192available. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000193 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
194 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
195 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000196
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000197The second index can be just before the first index. In that case the result
198is an empty list. If the second index is lower, this results in an error. >
199 :echo mylist[2:1] " result: []
200 :echo mylist[2:0] " error!
201
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000202NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
203using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
204mylist[s : e].
205
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000206
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000207List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000208 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000209When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
210variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
211change "bb": >
212 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
213 :let bb = aa
214 :call add(aa, 4)
215 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000216< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000217
218Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
219works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000220a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000221 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
222 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000223 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000224 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
225 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000226< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000227 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000228< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000229
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000230To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000231copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000232
233The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000234List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000235the same value. >
236 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
237 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
238 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000239< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000240 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000241< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000242
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000243Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
244same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000245exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
246different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
247variables. Example: >
248 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000249< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000250 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000251< 0
252
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000253Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
254can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a string: >
255
256 :let a = 5
257 :let b = "5"
258 echo a == b
259< 1 >
260 echo [a] == [b]
261< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000262
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000263
264List unpack ~
265
266To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
267square brackets, like list items: >
268 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
269
270When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
271this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
272and a variable name: >
273 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
274
275This works like: >
276 :let var1 = mylist[0]
277 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000278 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000279
280Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
281empty list then.
282
283
284List modification ~
285 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000286To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000287 :let list[4] = "four"
288 :let listlist[0][3] = item
289
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000290To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000291modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000292 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
293
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000294Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
295examples: >
296 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
297 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
298 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000299 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000300 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
301 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000302 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000303 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000304 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000305 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000306
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000307Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000308 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
309 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
310
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000311
312For loop ~
313
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000314The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
315to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000316 :for item in mylist
317 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000318 :endfor
319
320This works like: >
321 :let index = 0
322 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000323 : let item = mylist[index]
324 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000325 : let index = index + 1
326 :endwhile
327
328Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000329results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000330the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000331
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000332If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000333function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000334
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000335Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
336requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
337 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
338 : call Doit(lnum, col)
339 :endfor
340
341This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
342must remain the same to avoid an error.
343
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000344It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000345 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
346 : call Doit(i, j)
347 : if !empty(rest)
348 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
349 : endif
350 :endfor
351
352
353List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000354 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000355Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000356 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000357 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000358 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
359 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
360 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000361 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
362 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000363 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
364 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000365 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
366 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000367 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
368 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000369
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000370Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
371example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
372 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
373
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000374
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003751.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000376 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000377A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000378entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
379ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000380
381
382Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000383 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000384A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000385braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
386only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000387 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
388 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000389< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000390A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
391String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000392entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
393Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000394
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000395A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000396nested Dictionary: >
397 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
398
399An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
400
401
402Accessing entries ~
403
404The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
405 :let val = mydict["one"]
406 :let mydict["four"] = 4
407
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000408You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000409
410For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
411form can be used |expr-entry|: >
412 :let val = mydict.one
413 :let mydict.four = 4
414
415Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
416key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000417 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000418
419
420Dictionary to List conversion ~
421
422You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
423turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
424
425Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
426 :for key in keys(mydict)
427 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
428 :endfor
429
430The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
431 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
432
433To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
434 :for v in values(mydict)
435 : echo "value: " . v
436 :endfor
437
438If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000439a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000440 :for entry in items(mydict)
441 : echo entry[0] . ': ' . entry[1]
442 :endfor
443
444
445Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000446 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000447Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
448Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
449Dictionary: >
450 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
451 :let adict = onedict
452 :let adict['a'] = 11
453 :echo onedict['a']
454 11
455
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000456Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
457more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000458
459
460Dictionary modification ~
461 *dict-modification*
462To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
463use |:let| this way: >
464 :let dict[4] = "four"
465 :let dict['one'] = item
466
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000467Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
468Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
469 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
470 :unlet dict.aaa
471 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000472
473Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000474 :call extend(adict, bdict)
475This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
476in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000477Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
478expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
479adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000480
481Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +0000482 :call filter(dict 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000483This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000484
485
486Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000487 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000488When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
489special way with a dictionary. Example: >
490 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000491 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000492 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000493 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
494 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000495
496This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
497Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
498the function was invoked from.
499
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000500It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
501Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
502
503 *numbered-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000504To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
505assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000506 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
507 :function mydict.len() dict
508 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000509 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000510 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000511
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000512The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
513that references this function. The function can only be used through a
514|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
515remaining that refers to it.
516
517It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000518
519
520Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000521 *E715*
522Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000523 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
524 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
525 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
526 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
527 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
528 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
529 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
530 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000531
532
5331.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000534 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000535If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
536function.
537
538When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
539start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
540stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
541
542When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
543start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
544stored in the session file |session-file|.
545
546variable name can be stored where ~
547my_var_6 not
548My_Var_6 session file
549MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
550
551
552It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
553|curly-braces-names|.
554
555==============================================================================
5562. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
557
558Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
559
560|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
561
562|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
563
564|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
565
566|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
567 expr5 != expr5 not equal
568 expr5 > expr5 greater than
569 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
570 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
571 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
572 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
573 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
574
575 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
576 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
577 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
578 matching case
579
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000580 expr5 is expr5 same |List| instance
581 expr5 isnot expr5 different |List| instance
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000582
583|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000584 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
585 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
586
587|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
588 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
589 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
590
591|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
592 - expr7 unary minus
593 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000594
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000595
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000596|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a |List|
597 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a |List|
598 expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary|
599 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with |Funcref| variable
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000600
601|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000602 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000603 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000604 [expr1, ...] |List|
605 {expr1: expr1, ...} |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000606 &option option value
607 (expr1) nested expression
608 variable internal variable
609 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
610 $VAR environment variable
611 @r contents of register 'r'
612 function(expr1, ...) function call
613 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
614
615
616".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
617Example: >
618 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
619
620All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
621
622
623expr1 *expr1* *E109*
624-----
625
626expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
627
628The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
629non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
630otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
631Example: >
632 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
633
634Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
635other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
636Example: >
637 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
638
639To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
640 :echo lnum == 1
641 :\ ? "top"
642 :\ : lnum == 1000
643 :\ ? "last"
644 :\ : lnum
645
646
647expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
648---------------
649
650 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
651The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
652are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
653
654 input output ~
655n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
656zero zero zero zero
657zero non-zero non-zero zero
658non-zero zero non-zero zero
659non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
660
661The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
662
663 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
664
665Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
666
667 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
668
669Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
670arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
671
672 let a = 1
673 echo a || b
674
675This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
676so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
677
678 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
679
680This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
681only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
682
683
684expr4 *expr4*
685-----
686
687expr5 {cmp} expr5
688
689Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
690if it evaluates to true.
691
692 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
693 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
694 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
695 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
696 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
697 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000698 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000699 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
700equal == ==# ==?
701not equal != !=# !=?
702greater than > ># >?
703greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
704smaller than < <# <?
705smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
706regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
707regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000708same instance is
709different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000710
711Examples:
712"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
713"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
714"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
715
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000716 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000717A |List| can only be compared with a |List| and only "equal", "not equal" and
718"is" can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively.
719Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000720
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000721 *E735* *E736*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000722A |Dictionary| can only be compared with a |Dictionary| and only "equal", "not
723equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the |Dictionary|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000724recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
725
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000726 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000727A |Funcref| can only be compared with a |Funcref| and only "equal" and "not
728equal" can be used. Case is never ignored.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000729
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000730When using "is" or "isnot" with a |List| this checks if the expressions are
731referring to the same |List| instance. A copy of a |List| is different from
732the original |List|. When using "is" without a |List| it is equivalent to
733using "equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000734different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
735is false.
736
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000737When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
738and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
739because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
740
741When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
742results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
743necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
744
745When using the operators with a trailing '#", or the short version and
746'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp().
747
748When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
749'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp().
750
751The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
752argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
753This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
754matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
755portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
756single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
757Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
758(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
759can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
760 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
761 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
762
763
764expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
765---------------
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000766expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or |List| concatenation *expr-+*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000767expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
768expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000769
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +0000770For |Lists| only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000771result is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000772
773expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
774expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
775expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000776
777For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
778
779Note the difference between "+" and ".":
780 "123" + "456" = 579
781 "123" . "456" = "123456"
782
783When the righthand side of '/' is zero, the result is 0x7fffffff.
784When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
785
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000786None of these work for |Funcref|s.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000787
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000788
789expr7 *expr7*
790-----
791! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
792- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
793+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
794
795For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
796For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
797For '+' the number is unchanged.
798
799A String will be converted to a Number first.
800
801These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
802 !-1 == 0
803 !!8 == 1
804 --9 == 9
805
806
807expr8 *expr8*
808-----
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000809expr8[expr1] item of String or |List| *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000810
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000811If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
812expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000813Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000814
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000815Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
816text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
817cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000818 :let c = getline(line("."))[col(".") - 1]
819
820If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000821String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
822compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
823
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000824If expr8 is a |List| then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000825for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
826error. Example: >
827 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
828
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000829Generally, if a |List| index is equal to or higher than the length of the
830|List|, or more negative than the length of the |List|, this results in an
831error.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000832
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000833
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000834expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000835
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000836If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
837from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000838expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
839encodings.
840
841If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
842string minus one is used.
843
844A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
845the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
846
847If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
848expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
849
850Examples: >
851 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
852 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
853 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
854 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
855
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000856If expr8 is a |List| this results in a new |List| with the items indicated by
857the indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained
858just above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000859 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
860 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
861 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
862
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000863Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a |Funcref| results in an
864error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000865
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000866
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000867expr8.name entry in a |Dictionary| *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000868
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000869If expr8 is a |Dictionary| and it is followed by a dot, then the following
870name will be used as a key in the |Dictionary|. This is just like:
871expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000872
873The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
874but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
875
876There must not be white space before or after the dot.
877
878Examples: >
879 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
880 :echo dict.one
881 :echo dict .2
882
883Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
884always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
885
886
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +0000887expr8(expr1, ...) |Funcref| function call
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000888
889When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
890
891
892
893 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000894number
895------
896number number constant *expr-number*
897
898Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
899
900
901string *expr-string* *E114*
902------
903"string" string constant *expr-quote*
904
905Note that double quotes are used.
906
907A string constant accepts these special characters:
908\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
909\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
910\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
911\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
912\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
913\X.. same as \x..
914\X. same as \x.
915\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
916 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
917\U.... same as \u....
918\b backspace <BS>
919\e escape <Esc>
920\f formfeed <FF>
921\n newline <NL>
922\r return <CR>
923\t tab <Tab>
924\\ backslash
925\" double quote
926\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
927
928Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
929
930
931literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
932---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000933'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000934
935Note that single quotes are used.
936
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000937This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000938meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000939
940Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
941to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
942 if a =~ "\\s*"
943 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000944
945
946option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
947------
948&option option value, local value if possible
949&g:option global option value
950&l:option local option value
951
952Examples: >
953 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
954 if &insertmode
955
956Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
957and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
958anyway.
959
960
961register *expr-register*
962--------
963@r contents of register 'r'
964
965The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
966Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +0000967register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
968registers.
969
970When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
971evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000972
973
974nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
975-------
976(expr1) nested expression
977
978
979environment variable *expr-env*
980--------------------
981$VAR environment variable
982
983The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
984result is an empty string.
985 *expr-env-expand*
986Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
987expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
988are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
989the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
990fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
991does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
992 :echo $version
993 :echo expand("$version")
994The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
995variable (if your shell supports it).
996
997
998internal variable *expr-variable*
999-----------------
1000variable internal variable
1001See below |internal-variables|.
1002
1003
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001004function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001005-------------
1006function(expr1, ...) function call
1007See below |functions|.
1008
1009
1010==============================================================================
10113. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
1012 *E461*
1013An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1014cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1015|curly-braces-names|.
1016
1017An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001018An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1019|:unlet|.
1020Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1021been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001022
1023There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1024specified by what is prepended:
1025
1026 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1027|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1028|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
1029|global-variable| g: Global.
1030|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1031|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1032|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
1033|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
1034
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001035The scope name by itself can be used as a |Dictionary|. For example, to
1036delete all script-local variables: >
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001037 :for k in keys(s:)
1038 : unlet s:[k]
1039 :endfor
1040<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001041 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1042A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1043Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1044This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1045|:bdelete|.
1046
1047One local buffer variable is predefined:
1048 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1049b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1050 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1051 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1052 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1053 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
1054 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1055 : call My_Update()
1056 :endif
1057<
1058 *window-variable* *w:var*
1059A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1060is deleted when the window is closed.
1061
1062 *global-variable* *g:var*
1063Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
1064access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
1065place if you like.
1066
1067 *local-variable* *l:var*
1068Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
1069But you can also prepend "l:" if you like.
1070
1071 *script-variable* *s:var*
1072In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1073accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1074
1075They can be used in:
1076- commands executed while the script is sourced
1077- functions defined in the script
1078- autocommands defined in the script
1079- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1080 defined in the script (recursively)
1081- user defined commands defined in the script
1082Thus not in:
1083- other scripts sourced from this one
1084- mappings
1085- etc.
1086
1087script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1088Take this example:
1089
1090 let s:counter = 0
1091 function MyCounter()
1092 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1093 echo s:counter
1094 endfunction
1095 command Tick call MyCounter()
1096
1097You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1098that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1099"Tick" was defined is used.
1100
1101Another example that does the same: >
1102
1103 let s:counter = 0
1104 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1105
1106When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001107script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001108defined.
1109
1110The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1111function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1112
1113 let s:counter = 0
1114 function StartCounting(incr)
1115 if a:incr
1116 function MyCounter()
1117 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1118 endfunction
1119 else
1120 function MyCounter()
1121 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1122 endfunction
1123 endif
1124 endfunction
1125
1126This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1127when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1128called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1129
1130When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1131They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1132maintain a counter: >
1133
1134 if !exists("s:counter")
1135 let s:counter = 1
1136 echo "script executed for the first time"
1137 else
1138 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1139 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1140 endif
1141
1142Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1143variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1144
1145
1146Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1147
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001148 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1149v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1150 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1151 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1152
1153 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1154v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1155 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1156
1157 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1158v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1159 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1160
1161 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001162v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1163 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1164 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1165 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001166 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1167 highlighted text is used.
1168 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1169
1170 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1171v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1172 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1173
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001174 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1175v:charconvert_from
1176 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1177 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1178
1179 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1180v:charconvert_to
1181 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1182 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1183
1184 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1185v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1186 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1187 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1188 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1189 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1190 possible to append this variable directly after the
1191 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
1192 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1193 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1194 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1195 in 'printexpr'.
1196
1197 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1198v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1199 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1200 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1201 can be used.
1202
1203 *v:count* *count-variable*
1204v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
1205 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
1206 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1207< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1208 get when typing ':' after a count.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001209 Also used for evaluating the 'formatexpr' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001210 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1211
1212 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1213v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1214 used.
1215
1216 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1217v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1218 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1219 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1220 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1221 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1222 command.
1223 See |multi-lang|.
1224
1225 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
1226v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
1227 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1228 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1229 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1230 Example: >
1231 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1232<
1233 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1234v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1235 Example: >
1236 :let v:errmsg = ""
1237 :silent! next
1238 :if v:errmsg != ""
1239 : ... handle error
1240< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1241
1242 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1243v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1244 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1245 Example: >
1246 :try
1247 : throw "oops"
1248 :catch /.*/
1249 : echo "caught" v:exception
1250 :endtry
1251< Output: "caught oops".
1252
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001253 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1254v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1255 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1256 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1257 deleted file no longer exists
1258 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1259 changed and buffer is modified
1260 changed file contents has changed
1261 mode mode of file changed
1262 time only file timestamp changed
1263
1264 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1265v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1266 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1267 do with the affected buffer:
1268 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1269 the file was deleted).
1270 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1271 was no autocommand. Except that when
1272 only the timestamp changed nothing
1273 will happen.
1274 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1275 everything that needs to be done.
1276 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1277 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1278
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001279 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001280v:fname_in The name of the input file. Valid while evaluating:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001281 option used for ~
1282 'charconvert' file to be converted
1283 'diffexpr' original file
1284 'patchexpr' original file
1285 'printexpr' file to be printed
Bram Moolenaar2c7a29c2005-12-12 22:02:31 +00001286 And set to the swap file name for |SwapExists|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001287
1288 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1289v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1290 evaluating:
1291 option used for ~
1292 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1293 'diffexpr' output of diff
1294 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1295 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
1296 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
1297 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1298 file and different from v:fname_in.
1299
1300 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1301v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1302 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1303
1304 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1305v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1306 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1307
1308 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1309v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1310 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001311 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001312
1313 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1314v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001315 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001316
1317 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1318v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001319 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001320
1321 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1322v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001323 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001324
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001325 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1326v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1327 events. Values:
1328 i Insert mode
1329 r Replace mode
1330 v Virtual Replace mode
1331
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001332 *v:key* *key-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001333v:key Key of the current item of a |Dictionary|. Only valid while
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001334 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1335 Read-only.
1336
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001337 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1338v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1339 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1340 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1341 The value is system dependent.
1342 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1343 command.
1344 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1345 in a different language than what is used for character
1346 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1347
1348 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1349v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1350 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1351 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1352 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1353 command. See |multi-lang|.
1354
1355 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001356v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
Bram Moolenaar5c8837f2006-02-25 21:52:33 +00001357 expressions, tab page number for 'guitablabel'. Only valid
1358 while one of these expressions is being evaluated. Read-only
1359 when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001360
1361 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1362v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1363 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
1364 you want to cancel Visual mode and then use the count. >
1365 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1366< Read-only.
1367
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001368 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1369v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1370 See |profiling|.
1371
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001372 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1373v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1374 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1375 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1376 Read-only.
1377
1378 *v:register* *register-variable*
1379v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1380 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1381
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001382 *v:scrollstart* *scrollstart-variable*
1383v:scrollstart String describing the script or function that caused the
1384 screen to scroll up. It's only set when it is empty, thus the
1385 first reason is remembered. It is set to "Unknown" for a
1386 typed command.
1387 This can be used to find out why your script causes the
1388 hit-enter prompt.
1389
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001390 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1391v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1392 Read-only.
1393
1394 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1395v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1396 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1397 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1398 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1399 executed. Read-only.
1400 Example: >
1401 :!mv foo bar
1402 :if v:shell_error
1403 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1404 :endif
1405< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1406
1407 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1408v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1409
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001410 *v:swapname* *swapname-variable*
1411v:swapname Only valid when executing |SwapExists| autocommands: Name of
1412 the swap file found. Read-only.
1413
1414 *v:swapchoice* *swapchoice-variable*
1415v:swapchoice |SwapExists| autocommands can set this to the selected choice
1416 for handling an existing swap file:
1417 'o' Open read-only
1418 'e' Edit anyway
1419 'r' Recover
1420 'd' Delete swapfile
1421 'q' Quit
1422 'a' Abort
1423 The value should be a single-character string. An empty value
1424 results in the user being asked, as would happen when there is
1425 no SwapExists autocommand. The default is empty.
1426
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001427 *v:swapcommand* *swapcommand-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00001428v:swapcommand Normal mode command to be executed after a file has been
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001429 opened. Can be used for a |SwapExists| autocommand to have
1430 another Vim open the file and jump to the right place. For
1431 example, when jumping to a tag the value is ":tag tagname\r".
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +00001432 For ":edit +cmd file" the value is ":cmd\r".
Bram Moolenaarb3480382005-12-11 21:33:32 +00001433
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001434 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1435v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1436 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1437 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1438 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1439 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1440 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1441 terminal.
1442 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1443 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1444 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1445 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1446 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1447
1448 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1449v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1450 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1451 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1452 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1453
1454 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1455v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1456 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1457 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1458 Example: >
1459 :try
1460 : throw "oops"
1461 :catch /.*/
1462 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1463 :endtry
1464< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1465
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001466 *v:val* *val-variable*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001467v:val Value of the current item of a |List| or |Dictionary|. Only
1468 valid while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001469 |filter()|. Read-only.
1470
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001471 *v:version* *version-variable*
1472v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1473 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1474 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1475 compatibility.
1476 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1477 if has("patch123")
1478< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1479 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1480 completely different.
1481
1482 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1483v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1484
1485==============================================================================
14864. Builtin Functions *functions*
1487
1488See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1489
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001490(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001491
1492USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1493
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001494add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to |List| {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001495append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001496append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001497argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001498argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001499argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
1500browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1501 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001502browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001503bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001504buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1505bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001506bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1507bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1508bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1509byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001510byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001511call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1512 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00001513changenr() Number current change number
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001514char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001515cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001516col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00001517complete({startcol}, {matches}) String set Insert mode completion
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001518complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
1519complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001520confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1521 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001522copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001523count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1524 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001525cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1526 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001527cursor( {lnum}, {col} [, {coladd}])
1528 Number move cursor to {lnum}, {col}, {coladd}
1529cursor( {list}) Number move cursor to position in {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001530deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001531delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1532did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001533diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1534diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001535empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001536escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001537eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001538eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001539executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1540exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
1541expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
1542filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001543filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1544 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001545finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
1546 String Find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001547findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001548 String Find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001549filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
1550fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001551foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1552foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001553foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001554foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001555foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001556function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001557get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001558get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001559getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1560 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001561getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1562getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001563getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
1564getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1565getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001566getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001567getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001568getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1569getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001570getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001571getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001572getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001573getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1574getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001575getloclist({nr}) List list of location list items
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001576getpos( {expr}) List position of cursor, mark, etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001577getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001578getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001579getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001580getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1581getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1582getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in window {nr}
1583glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1584globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1585has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001586has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001587hasmapto( {what} [, {mode}]) Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
1588histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1589histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1590histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1591histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1592hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1593hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1594hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001595iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1596indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001597index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1598 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001599input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1600 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001601inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001602inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1603inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001604inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001605insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001606isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001607islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001608items( {dict}) List key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001609join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001610keys( {dict}) List keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001611len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1612libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001613libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1614line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1615line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001616lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001617localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001618map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001619maparg( {name}[, {mode}]) String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1620mapcheck( {name}[, {mode}]) String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001621match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001622 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001623matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001624 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001625matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1626 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001627matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1628 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001629max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1630min({list}) Number minumum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001631mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1632 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001633mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001634nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1635nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
1636prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00001637printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001638pumvisible() Number whether popup menu is visible
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001639range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1640 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001641readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1642 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001643remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1644 String send expression
1645remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1646remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1647 Number check for reply string
1648remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1649remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1650 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001651remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001652remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001653rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1654repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1655resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001656reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001657search( {pattern} [, {flags}]) Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001658searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
1659 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001660searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001661 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001662searchpairpos( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001663 List search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001664searchpos( {pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline}]])
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001665 List search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001666server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1667 Number send reply string
1668serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1669setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1670setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1671setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00001672setloclist( {nr}, {list}[, {action}])
1673 Number modify location list using {list}
1674setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number modify quickfix list using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001675setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001676setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001677simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001678sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001679soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001680spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001681spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
1682 List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001683split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001684 List make |List| from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001685strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001686stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1687 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001688string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001689strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1690strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1691 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001692strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1693 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001694strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001695submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001696substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1697 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001698synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001699synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1700 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1701synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001702system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00001703tabpagebuflist( [{arg}]) List list of buffer numbers in tab page
1704tabpagenr( [{arg}]) Number number of current or last tab page
1705tabpagewinnr( {tabarg}[, {arg}])
1706 Number number of current window in tab page
1707taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00001708tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001709tempname() String name for a temporary file
1710tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1711toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001712tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1713 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001714type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001715values( {dict}) List values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001716virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1717visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1718winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1719wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1720winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1721winline() Number window line of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00001722winnr( [{expr}]) Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001723winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00001724winrestview({dict}) None restore view of current window
1725winsaveview() Dict save view of current window
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001726winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001727writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1728 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001729
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001730add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001731 Append the item {expr} to |List| {list}. Returns the
1732 resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001733 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1734 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001735< Note that when {expr} is a |List| it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00001736 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001737 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001738
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001739
1740append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001741 When {expr} is a |List|: Append each item of the |List| as a
1742 text line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001743 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1744 the current buffer.
1745 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001746 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1747 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001748 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001749 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001750<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001751 *argc()*
1752argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1753 current window. See |arglist|.
1754
1755 *argidx()*
1756argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1757 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1758
1759 *argv()*
1760argv({nr}) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
1761 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1762 Example: >
1763 :let i = 0
1764 :while i < argc()
1765 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1766 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1767 : let i = i + 1
1768 :endwhile
1769<
1770 *browse()*
1771browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1772 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1773 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1774 The input fields are:
1775 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1776 {title} title for the requester
1777 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1778 {default} default file name
1779 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1780 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1781
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001782 *browsedir()*
1783browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1784 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1785 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1786 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1787 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1788 to be used.
1789 The input fields are:
1790 {title} title for the requester
1791 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1792 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1793 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1794
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001795bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1796 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1797 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001798 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001799 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001800 exactly. The name can be:
1801 - Relative to the current directory.
1802 - A full path.
1803 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1804 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001805 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1806 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1807 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1808 long name to be able to find them.
1809 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1810 file name.
1811 *buffer_exists()*
1812 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1813
1814buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1815 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1816 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001817 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001818
1819bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1820 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1821 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001822 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001823
1824bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1825 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1826 ":ls" command.
1827 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1828 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1829 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1830 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1831 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1832 match an empty string is returned.
1833 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1834 alternate buffer.
1835 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
1836 or middle of the buffer name is accepted.
1837 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1838 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1839 buffers are searched for.
1840 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1841 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1842 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1843< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1844 string is returned. >
1845 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1846 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1847 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1848 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1849< *buffer_name()*
1850 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1851
1852 *bufnr()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00001853bufnr({expr} [, {create}])
1854 The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001855 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00001856 above.
1857 If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned. Or, if the
1858 {create} argument is present and not zero, a new, unlisted,
1859 buffer is created and its number is returned.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001860 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1861 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1862< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1863 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1864 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1865 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1866 *buffer_number()*
1867 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1868 *last_buffer_nr()*
1869 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1870
1871bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1872 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1873 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1874 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1875 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1876
1877 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1878
1879< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1880 |:wincmd|.
1881
1882
1883byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1884 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1885 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1886 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1887 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1888 one.
1889 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1890 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1891 feature}
1892
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001893byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1894 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1895 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1896 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1897 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1898 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1899 Example : >
1900 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1901< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1902 same: >
1903 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1904 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1905< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1906 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1907 is returned.
1908
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001909call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001910 Call function {func} with the items in |List| {arglist} as
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001911 arguments.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00001912 {func} can either be a |Funcref| or the name of a function.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001913 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
1914 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001915 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
1916 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001917
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00001918changenr() *changenr()*
1919 Return the number of the most recent change. This is the same
1920 number as what is displayed with |:undolist| and can be used
1921 with the |:undo| command.
1922 When a change was made it is the number of that change. After
1923 redo it is the number of the redone change. After undo it is
1924 one less than the number of the undone change.
1925
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001926char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
1927 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
1928 char2nr(" ") returns 32
1929 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
1930< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00001931 char2nr("?") returns 225
1932 char2nr("?"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001933< nr2char() does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001934
1935cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
1936 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
1937 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
1938 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
1939 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
1940 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
1941 feature, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard5cdbeb2005-10-10 20:59:28 +00001942 See |C-indenting|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001943
1944 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001945col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001946 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
1947 . the cursor position
1948 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
1949 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
1950 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
1951 returned)
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00001952 To get the line number use |col()|. To get both use
1953 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001954 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
1955 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
1956 Examples: >
1957 col(".") column of cursor
1958 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
1959 col("'t") column of mark t
1960 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
1961< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
1962 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
1963 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
1964 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
1965 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
1966 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
1967 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
1968 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
1969<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001970
Bram Moolenaara94bc432006-03-10 21:42:59 +00001971complete({startcol}, {matches}) *complete()* *E785*
1972 Set the matches for Insert mode completion.
1973 Can only be used in Insert mode. You need to use a mapping
1974 with an expression argument |:map-<expr>| or CTRL-R =
1975 |i_CTRL-R|. It does not work after CTRL-O.
1976 {startcol} is the byte offset in the line where the completed
1977 text start. The text up to the cursor is the original text
1978 that will be replaced by the matches. Use col('.') for an
1979 empty string. "col('.') - 1" will replace one character by a
1980 match.
1981 {matches} must be a |List|. Each |List| item is one match.
1982 See |complete-items| for the kind of items that are possible.
1983 Note that the after calling this function you need to avoid
1984 inserting anything that would completion to stop.
1985 The match can be selected with CTRL-N and CTRL-P as usual with
1986 Insert mode completion. The popup menu will appear if
1987 specified, see |ins-completion-menu|.
1988 Example: >
1989 inoremap <expr> <F5> ListMonths()
1990
1991 func! ListMonths()
1992 call complete(col('.'), ['January', 'February', 'March',
1993 \ 'April', 'May', 'June', 'July', 'August', 'September',
1994 \ 'October', 'November', 'December'])
1995 return ''
1996 endfunc
1997< This isn't very useful, but it shows how it works. Note that
1998 an empty string is returned to avoid a zero being inserted.
1999
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00002000complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
2001 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
2002 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
2003 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
2004 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
2005 the list.
2006
2007complete_check() *complete_check()*
2008 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
2009 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
2010 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
2011 zero otherwise.
2012 Only to be used by the function specified with the
2013 'completefunc' option.
2014
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002015 *confirm()*
2016confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
2017 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
2018 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
2019 choice this is 1.
2020 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
2021 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
2022 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
2023 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
2024 used (and translated).
2025 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
2026 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
2027 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
2028 by '\n', e.g. >
2029 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
2030< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
2031 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
2032 not need to be the first letter: >
2033 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
2034< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
2035 the default shortcut key.
2036 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
2037 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
2038 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
2039 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
2040 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
2041 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
2042 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
2043 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
2044 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
2045 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
2046 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
2047
2048 An example: >
2049 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
2050 :if choice == 0
2051 : echo "make up your mind!"
2052 :elseif choice == 3
2053 : echo "tasteful"
2054 :else
2055 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
2056 :endif
2057< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
2058 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
2059 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
2060 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
2061 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
2062 the horizontal layout is always used.
2063
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002064 *copy()*
2065copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2066 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002067 When {expr} is a |List| a shallow copy is created. This means
2068 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002069 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002070 changing an item changes the contents of both |Lists|. Also
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002071 see |deepcopy()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002072
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002073count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002074 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002075 in |List| or |Dictionary| {comp}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002076 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002077 {start} can only be used with a |List|.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002078 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
2079
2080
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002081 *cscope_connection()*
2082cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
2083 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
2084 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
2085 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
2086 if there are no cscope connections;
2087 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
2088
2089 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
2090 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
2091
2092 {num} Description of existence check
2093 ----- ------------------------------
2094 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
2095 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
2096 {dbpath}.
2097 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
2098 {dbpath}.
2099 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
2100 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2101 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
2102 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2103
2104 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2105
2106 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2107
2108 # pid database name prepend path
2109 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2110<
2111 Invocation Return Val ~
2112 ---------- ---------- >
2113 cscope_connection() 1
2114 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2115 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2116 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2117 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2118 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2119 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2120 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2121<
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002122cursor({lnum}, {col} [, {off}]) *cursor()*
2123cursor({list})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002124 Positions the cursor at the column {col} in the line {lnum}.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002125 The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002126 When there is one argument {list} this is used as a |List|
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00002127 with two or three items {lnum}, {col} and {off}. This is like
2128 the return value of |getpos()|, but without the first item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002129 Does not change the jumplist.
2130 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2131 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2132 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002133 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002134 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2135 line.
2136 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00002137 When 'virtualedit' is used {off} specifies the offset in
2138 screen columns from the start of the character. E.g., a
2139 position within a Tab or after the last character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002140
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002141
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002142deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002143 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2144 different from using {expr} directly.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002145 When {expr} is a |List| a full copy is created. This means
2146 that the original |List| can be changed without changing the
2147 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a |List|, a copy for it
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002148 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002149 not change the contents of the original |List|.
2150 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained |List| or
2151 |Dictionary| is only copied once. All references point to
2152 this single copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a
2153 |List| or |Dictionary| results in a new copy. This also means
2154 that a cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002155 *E724*
2156 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002157 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2158 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002159 Also see |copy()|.
2160
2161delete({fname}) *delete()*
2162 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002163 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2164 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002165 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002166
2167 *did_filetype()*
2168did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2169 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2170 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2171 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2172 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2173 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2174 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2175 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2176 file.
2177
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002178diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2179 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2180 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2181 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2182 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2183 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2184 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2185 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2186
2187diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2188 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2189 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2190 diff change zero is returned.
2191 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2192 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2193 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2194 line.
2195 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2196 syntax information about the highlighting.
2197
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002198empty({expr}) *empty()*
2199 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002200 A |List| or |Dictionary| is empty when it does not have any
2201 items. A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2202 For a long |List| this is much faster then comparing the
2203 length with zero.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002204
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002205escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2206 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2207 backslash. Example: >
2208 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2209< results in: >
2210 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002211
2212< *eval()*
2213eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2214 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2215 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002216 Also works for |Funcref|s that refer to existing functions.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002217
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002218eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2219 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2220 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2221 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2222 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2223
2224executable({expr}) *executable()*
2225 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2226 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002227 arguments.
2228 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2229 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2230 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2231 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2232 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2233 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2234 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2235 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2236 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2237 extension.
2238 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2239 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002240 The result is a Number:
2241 1 exists
2242 0 does not exist
2243 -1 not implemented on this system
2244
2245 *exists()*
2246exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2247 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2248 which contains one of these:
2249 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2250 not if it really works)
2251 +option-name Vim option that works.
2252 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2253 done by comparing with an empty
2254 string)
2255 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2256 or user defined function (see
2257 |user-functions|).
2258 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002259 |internal-variables|). Also works
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002260 for |curly-braces-names|, |Dictionary|
2261 entries, |List| items, etc. Beware
2262 that this may cause functions to be
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002263 invoked cause an error message for an
2264 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002265 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2266 command or command modifier |:command|.
2267 Returns:
2268 1 for match with start of a command
2269 2 full match with a command
2270 3 matches several user commands
2271 To check for a supported command
2272 always check the return value to be 2.
2273 #event autocommand defined for this event
2274 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2275 pattern (the pattern is taken
2276 literally and compared to the
2277 autocommand patterns character by
2278 character)
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002279 #group autocommand group exists
2280 #group#event autocommand defined for this group and
2281 event.
2282 #group#event#pattern
2283 autocommand defined for this group,
2284 event and pattern.
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002285 ##event autocommand for this event is
2286 supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002287 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2288
2289 Examples: >
2290 exists("&shortname")
2291 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2292 exists("*strftime")
2293 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2294 exists("bufcount")
2295 exists(":Make")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002296 exists("#CursorHold")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002297 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00002298 exists("#filetypeindent")
2299 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType")
2300 exists("#filetypeindent#FileType#*")
Bram Moolenaarf4cd3e82005-12-22 22:47:02 +00002301 exists("##ColorScheme")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002302< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2303 name.
2304 Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2305 variable itself! For example: >
2306 exists(bufcount)
2307< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
2308 but gets the contents of "bufcount", and checks if that
2309 exists.
2310
2311expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2312 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2313 The result is a String.
2314
2315 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2316 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2317 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2318
2319 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2320 for a non-existing file is not included.
2321
2322 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2323 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2324 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2325
2326 % current file name
2327 # alternate file name
2328 #n alternate file name n
2329 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2330 <afile> autocmd file name
2331 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2332 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2333 <sfile> sourced script file name
2334 <cword> word under the cursor
2335 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2336 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2337 message |server2client()|
2338 Modifiers:
2339 :p expand to full path
2340 :h head (last path component removed)
2341 :t tail (last path component only)
2342 :r root (one extension removed)
2343 :e extension only
2344
2345 Example: >
2346 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2347< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2348 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2349 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2350< Use this: >
2351 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2352< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2353 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2354 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2355 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2356 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2357<
2358 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2359 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2360 to modify normal file names.
2361
2362 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2363 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2364 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2365 '/' added.
2366
2367 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2368 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2369 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2370 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002371 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2372 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2373 files in the current directory and below: >
2374 :echo expand("**/README")
2375<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002376 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2377 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2378 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2379 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2380 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2381 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2382 "$FOOBAR".
2383
2384 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2385 getting the raw output of an external command.
2386
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002387extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002388 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both |Lists| or both
2389 |Dictionaries|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002390
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002391 If they are |Lists|: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002392 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2393 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2394 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2395 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002396 Examples: >
2397 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2398 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002399< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2400 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002401 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002402<
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002403 If they are |Dictionaries|:
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002404 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2405 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2406 used to decide what to do:
2407 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2408 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00002409 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002410 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2411
2412 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2413 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2414 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2415 Returns {expr1}.
2416
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002417
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002418filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2419 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2420 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2421 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2422 expression, which is used as a String.
2423 *file_readable()*
2424 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2425
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002426
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002427filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002428 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002429 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002430 is zero remove the item from the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002431 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002432 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002433 Examples: >
2434 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2435< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2436 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2437< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2438 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002439< Removes all the items, thus clears the |List| or |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002440
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002441 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2442 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2443 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2444
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002445 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
2446 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaarafeb4fa2006-02-01 21:51:12 +00002447 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), 'v:val =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002448
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002449< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002450 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
2451 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002452
2453
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002454finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
2455 Find directory {name} in {path}.
2456 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2457 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
2458 {name} in {path}.
2459 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
2460 When the found directory is below the current directory a
2461 relative path is returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
2462 Example: >
2463 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
2464< Searches from the current directory upwards until it finds
2465 the file "tags.vim".
2466 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2467
2468findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2469 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
2470
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002471filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2472 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2473 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2474 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2475 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2476
2477fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2478 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2479 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2480 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2481 Example: >
2482 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2483< results in: >
2484 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2485< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2486 |expand()| first then.
2487
2488foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2489 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2490 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2491 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2492
2493foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2494 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2495 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2496 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2497
2498foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2499 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2500 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2501 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2502 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2503 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2504 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2505 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2506 previous line is usually available.
2507
2508 *foldtext()*
2509foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2510 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2511 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2512 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2513 The returned string looks like this: >
2514 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2515< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2516 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2517 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2518 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2519 options is removed.
2520 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2521
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002522foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2523 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2524 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2525 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2526 returned.
2527 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2528 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2529 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2530 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2531
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002532 *foreground()*
2533foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2534 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2535 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2536 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2537 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2538 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2539 Win32 console version}
2540
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002541
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002542function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002543 Return a |Funcref| variable that refers to function {name}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002544 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2545
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002546
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002547garbagecollect() *garbagecollect()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00002548 Cleanup unused |Lists| and |Dictionaries| that have circular
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002549 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
2550 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
2551 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
2552 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
2553 freed when they become unused.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002554 This is useful if you have deleted a very big |List| and/or
2555 |Dictionary| with circular references in a script that runs
2556 for a long time.
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002557
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002558get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002559 Get item {idx} from |List| {list}. When this item is not
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002560 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2561 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002562get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002563 Get item with key {key} from |Dictionary| {dict}. When this
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002564 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2565 {default} is omitted.
2566
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002567 *getbufline()*
2568getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002569 Return a |List| with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
2570 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a
2571 |List| with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002572
2573 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2574
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002575 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
2576 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002577
2578 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002579 lines in the buffer, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002580
2581 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2582 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002583 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002584 returned.
2585
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002586 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002587 non-existing buffers, an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002588
2589 Example: >
2590 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002591
2592getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2593 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2594 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2595 must be used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002596 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2597 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2598 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002599 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2600 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2601 returned, there is no error message.
2602 Examples: >
2603 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2604 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2605<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002606getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
2607 Get a single character from the user. If it is an 8-bit
2608 character, the result is a number. Otherwise a String is
2609 returned with the encoded character. For a special key it's a
2610 sequence of bytes starting with 0x80 (decimal: 128).
2611 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2612 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
2613 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
2614 not consumed. If a normal character is
2615 available, it is returned, otherwise a
2616 non-zero value is returned.
2617 If a normal character available, it is returned as a Number.
2618 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2619 The returned value is zero if no character is available.
2620 The returned value is a string of characters for special keys
2621 and when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used.
2622 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2623 user that a character has to be typed.
2624 There is no mapping for the character.
2625 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2626 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2627 sequence. Examples: >
2628 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2629 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2630< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2631 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2632 :function FindChar()
2633 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2634 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2635 : normal l
2636 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2637 : break
2638 : endif
2639 : endwhile
2640 :endfunction
2641
2642getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2643 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2644 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2645 These values are added together:
2646 2 shift
2647 4 control
2648 8 alt (meta)
2649 16 mouse double click
2650 32 mouse triple click
2651 64 mouse quadruple click
2652 128 Macintosh only: command
2653 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2654 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2655 with no modifier.
2656
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002657getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2658 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2659 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2660 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2661 Example: >
2662 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002663< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002664
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002665getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002666 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2667 byte count. The first column is 1.
2668 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2669 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002670 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2671
2672getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
2673 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
2674 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00002675 : normal Ex command
2676 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
2677 / forward search command
2678 ? backward search command
2679 @ |input()| command
2680 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002681 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2682 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
2683 otherwise.
2684 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002685
2686 *getcwd()*
2687getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2688 working directory.
2689
2690getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2691 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2692 given file {fname}.
2693 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2694 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
2695
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002696getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2697 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2698 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2699 |hl-Normal|.
2700 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2701 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2702 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2703 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
2704 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not you your vimrc or
2705 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2706 for a valid name does not work.
2707 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2708 function just after the GUI has started.
2709
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002710getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2711 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2712 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2713 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2714 empty string is returned.
2715 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2716 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2717 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2718 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2719 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2720 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2721< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2722 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002723
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002724getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2725 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2726 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2727 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2728 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2729 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2730
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002731getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2732 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2733 file of the given file {fname}.
2734 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2735 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2736 results:
2737 Normal file "file"
2738 Directory "dir"
2739 Symbolic link "link"
2740 Block device "bdev"
2741 Character device "cdev"
2742 Socket "socket"
2743 FIFO "fifo"
2744 All other "other"
2745 Example: >
2746 getftype("/home")
2747< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2748 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2749 "file" are returned.
2750
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002751 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002752getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2753 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2754 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002755 getline(1)
2756< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2757 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2758 To get the line under the cursor: >
2759 getline(".")
2760< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2761 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2762
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002763 When {end} is given the result is a |List| where each item is
2764 a line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002765 including line {end}.
2766 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2767 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002768 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty |List| is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002769 Example: >
2770 :let start = line('.')
2771 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2772 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2773
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00002774getloclist({nr}) *getloclist()*
2775 Returns a list with all the entries in the location list for
2776 window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
2777 For a location list window, the displayed location list is
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00002778 returned. For an invalid window number {nr}, an empty list is
2779 returned. Otherwise, same as getqflist().
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002780
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002781getqflist() *getqflist()*
2782 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2783 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2784 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2785 bufname() to get the name
2786 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2787 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00002788 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
2789 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002790 nr error number
2791 text description of the error
2792 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2793 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2794
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00002795 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
2796 returned.
2797
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002798 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2799 do something with them: >
2800 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2801 :for d in getqflist()
2802 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2803 :endfor
2804
2805
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002806getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002807 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002808 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002809 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
2810< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002811 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002812 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
2813 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
2814 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002815 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2816
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002817
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002818getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
2819 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
2820 The value will be one of:
2821 "v" for |characterwise| text
2822 "V" for |linewise| text
2823 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
2824 0 for an empty or unknown register
2825 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
2826 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2827
2828 *getwinposx()*
2829getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
2830 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
2831 -1 if the information is not available.
2832
2833 *getwinposy()*
2834getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
2835 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
2836 information is not available.
2837
2838getwinvar({nr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
2839 The result is the value of option or local window variable
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00002840 {varname} in window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current
2841 window is used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002842 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
2843 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
2844 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002845 Note that the name without "w:" must be used.
2846 Examples: >
2847 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
2848 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
2849<
2850 *glob()*
2851glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. The result is a String.
2852 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2853 characters.
2854 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
2855 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
2856
2857 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
2858 any external command. Example: >
2859 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
2860 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
2861< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
2862 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
2863
2864 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
2865 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
2866
2867globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
2868 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
2869 the results. Example: >
2870 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
2871< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
2872 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
2873 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
2874 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
2875 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
2876 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
2877 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
2878 error message.
2879 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
2880 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
2881
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002882 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
2883 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
2884 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
2885 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
2886<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002887 *has()*
2888has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
2889 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
2890 string. See |feature-list| below.
2891 Also see |exists()|.
2892
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002893
2894has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00002895 The result is a Number, which is 1 if |Dictionary| {dict} has
2896 an entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002897
2898
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002899hasmapto({what} [, {mode}]) *hasmapto()*
2900 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
2901 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
2902 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
2903 {mode}.
2904 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
2905 buffer are checked for a match.
2906 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
2907 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
2908 n Normal mode
2909 v Visual mode
2910 o Operator-pending mode
2911 i Insert mode
2912 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
2913 c Command-line mode
2914 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
2915
2916 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
2917 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
2918 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
2919 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
2920 :endif
2921< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
2922 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
2923
2924histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
2925 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
2926 one of: *hist-names*
2927 "cmd" or ":" command line history
2928 "search" or "/" search pattern history
2929 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
2930 "input" or "@" input line history
2931 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
2932 shifted to become the newest entry.
2933 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
2934 otherwise 0 is returned.
2935
2936 Example: >
2937 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
2938 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
2939< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
2940
2941histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002942 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002943 for the possible values of {history}.
2944
2945 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
2946 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
2947 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
2948 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
2949 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
2950 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
2951 if it exists.
2952
2953 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
2954 otherwise 0 is returned.
2955
2956 Examples:
2957 Clear expression register history: >
2958 :call histdel("expr")
2959<
2960 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
2961 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
2962<
2963 The following three are equivalent: >
2964 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
2965 :call histdel("search", -1)
2966 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
2967<
2968 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
2969 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
2970 :call histdel("search", -1)
2971 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
2972
2973histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
2974 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
2975 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
2976 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
2977 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
2978 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
2979
2980 Examples:
2981 Redo the second last search from history. >
2982 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
2983
2984< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
2985 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
2986 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
2987<
2988histnr({history}) *histnr()*
2989 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
2990 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
2991 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
2992
2993 Example: >
2994 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
2995<
2996hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
2997 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
2998 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
2999 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
3000 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
3001 item.
3002 *highlight_exists()*
3003 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
3004
3005 *hlID()*
3006hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
3007 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
3008 zero is returned.
3009 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
3010 group. For example, to get the background color of the
3011 "Comment" group: >
3012 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
3013< *highlightID()*
3014 Obsolete name: highlightID().
3015
3016hostname() *hostname()*
3017 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003018 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003019 256 characters long are truncated.
3020
3021iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
3022 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
3023 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
3024 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
3025 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
3026 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
3027 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
3028 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
3029 can be done.
3030 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
3031 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
3032 UTF-8 and use: >
3033 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
3034< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
3035 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
3036 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
3037 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
3038
3039 *indent()*
3040indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
3041 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
3042 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
3043 |getline()|.
3044 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
3045
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003046
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003047index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003048 Return the lowest index in |List| {list} where the item has a
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003049 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00003050 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
3051 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003052 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
3053 case must match.
3054 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
3055 Example: >
3056 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003057 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003058
3059
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003060input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003061 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
3062 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
3063 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003064 prompt to start a new line.
3065 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
3066 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
3067 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
3068 for lines typed for input().
3069 Example: >
3070 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
3071 : echo "Cheers!"
3072 :endif
3073<
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00003074 If the optional {text} is present and not empty, this is used
3075 for the default reply, as if the user typed this. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003076 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
3077
3078< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
3079 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
3080 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
3081 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
3082 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
3083 more information. Example: >
3084 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
3085<
3086 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
3087 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003088 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
3089 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
3090 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
3091 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
3092 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
3093 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
3094 |:execute| or |:normal|.
3095
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003096 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003097 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
3098 :function GetFoo()
3099 : call inputsave()
3100 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
3101 : call inputrestore()
3102 :endfunction
3103
3104inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
3105 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
3106 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
3107 Example: >
3108 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
3109 :if n != ""
3110 : let &sw = n
3111 :endif
3112< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
3113 omitted an empty string is returned.
3114 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
3115 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003116 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003117
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003118inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
3119 {textlist} must be a list of strings. This list is displayed,
3120 one string per line. The user will be prompted to enter a
3121 number, which is returned.
3122 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
3123 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
3124 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
3125 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
3126 is returned.
3127 Make sure {textlist} has less then 'lines' entries, otherwise
3128 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
3129 the start of the string. Example: >
3130 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3131 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3132
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003133inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
3134 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
3135 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3136 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3137 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3138
3139inputsave() *inputsave()*
3140 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3141 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3142 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3143 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3144 many inputrestore() calls.
3145 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3146
3147inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3148 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3149 two exceptions:
3150 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3151 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3152 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3153 |history| stack.
3154 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3155 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003156 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003157
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003158insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003159 Insert {item} at the start of |List| {list}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003160 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
3161 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
3162 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3163 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003164 Returns the resulting |List|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003165 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3166 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3167 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003168< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003169 Note that when {item} is a |List| it is inserted as a single
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003170 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate |Lists|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003171
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003172isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3173 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3174 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3175 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3176 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3177
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003178islocked({expr}) *islocked()*
3179 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3180 name of a locked variable.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003181 {expr} must be the name of a variable, |List| item or
3182 |Dictionary| entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003183 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3184 :lockvar 1 alist
3185 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3186 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3187
3188< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
3189 message. Use |exists()| to check for existance.
3190
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003191items({dict}) *items()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003192 Return a |List| with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3193 |List| item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict}
3194 entry and the value of this entry. The |List| is in arbitrary
3195 order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003196
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003197
3198join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3199 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3200 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3201 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3202 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3203 add it there too: >
3204 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003205< String items are used as-is. |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003206 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3207 The opposite function is |split()|.
3208
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003209keys({dict}) *keys()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003210 Return a |List| with all the keys of {dict}. The |List| is in
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003211 arbitrary order.
3212
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003213 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003214len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3215 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3216 used, as with |strlen()|.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003217 When {expr} is a |List| the number of items in the |List| is
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003218 returned.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003219 When {expr} is a |Dictionary| the number of entries in the
3220 |Dictionary| is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003221 Otherwise an error is given.
3222
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003223 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3224libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3225 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3226 with single argument {argument}.
3227 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3228 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3229 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3230 limited.
3231 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3232 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3233 to Vim.
3234 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3235 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3236 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3237 null-terminated string.
3238 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3239
3240 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3241 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3242 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3243 very probably crash.
3244
3245 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3246 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3247 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3248 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3249 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3250 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3251 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3252 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3253 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3254 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3255
3256 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
3257 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
3258 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3259 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3260 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3261 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3262 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3263 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
3264 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3265 feature is present}
3266 Examples: >
3267 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
3268 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
3269<
3270 *libcallnr()*
3271libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3272 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
3273 int instead of a string.
3274 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3275 feature is present}
3276 Example (not very useful...): >
3277 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3278 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3279<
3280 *line()*
3281line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3282 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3283 . the cursor position
3284 $ the last line in the current buffer
3285 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3286 returned)
Bram Moolenaarc7453f52006-02-10 23:20:28 +00003287 w0 first line visible in current window
3288 w$ last line visible in current window
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003289 Note that a mark in another file can be used.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003290 To get the column number use |col()|. To get both use
3291 |getpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003292 Examples: >
3293 line(".") line number of the cursor
3294 line("'t") line number of mark t
3295 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3296< *last-position-jump*
3297 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3298 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3299 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003300
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003301line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3302 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3303 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3304 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3305 line returns 1.
3306 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3307 below the last line: >
3308 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3309< This is the file size plus one.
3310 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3311 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3312 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3313
3314lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3315 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3316 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3317 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3318 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3319 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3320 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3321
3322localtime() *localtime()*
3323 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3324 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3325
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003326
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003327map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003328 {expr} must be a |List| or a |Dictionary|.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003329 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3330 {string}.
3331 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003332 For a |Dictionary| |v:key| has the key of the current item.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003333 Example: >
3334 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003335< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003336
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003337 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003338 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003339 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3340 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003341
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003342 The operation is done in-place. If you want a |List| or
3343 |Dictionary| to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003344 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003345
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003346< Returns {expr}, the |List| or |Dictionary| that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00003347 When an error is encountered while evaluating {string} no
3348 further items in {expr} are processed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003349
3350
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003351maparg({name}[, {mode}]) *maparg()*
3352 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3353 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003354 {mode} can be one of these strings:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003355 "n" Normal
3356 "v" Visual
3357 "o" Operator-pending
3358 "i" Insert
3359 "c" Cmd-line
3360 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3361 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +00003362 When {mode} is omitted, the modes for "" are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003363 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3364 command. The returned String has special characters
3365 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3366 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3367 then the global mappings.
Bram Moolenaara40ceaf2006-01-13 22:35:40 +00003368 This function can be used to map a key even when it's already
3369 mapped, and have it do the original mapping too. Sketch: >
3370 exe 'nnoremap <Tab> ==' . maparg('<Tab>', 'n')
3371
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003372
3373mapcheck({name}[, {mode}]) *mapcheck()*
3374 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3375 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3376 {name}.
3377 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3378 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3379
3380 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3381 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3382 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3383 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3384 mapcheck("b") no no no
3385
3386 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3387 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3388 mapping for {name} exactly.
3389 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3390 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3391 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3392 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3393 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3394 then the global mappings.
3395 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3396 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3397 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3398 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3399 :endif
3400< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3401 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3402
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003403match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003404 When {expr} is a |List| then this returns the index of the
3405 first item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003406 String, |Lists| and |Dictionaries| are used as echoed.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003407 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3408 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3409 {pat} matches.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003410 A match at the first character or |List| item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003411 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3412 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003413 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003414 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 1
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003415< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003416 *strpbrk()*
3417 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3418 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3419< *strcasestr()*
3420 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3421 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3422 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3423<
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003424 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003425 {start} in a String or item {start} in a |List|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003426 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003427 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003428 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3429< result is again "4". >
3430 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3431< result is again "4". >
3432 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3433< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003434 For a String, if {start} > 0 then it is like the string starts
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003435 {start} bytes later, thus "^" will match at {start}. Except
3436 when {count} is given, then it's like matches before the
3437 {start} byte are ignored (this is a bit complicated to keep it
3438 backwards compatible).
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003439 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3440 the index is counted from the end.
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003441 If {start} is out of range ({start} > strlen({expr}) for a
3442 String or {start} > len({expr}) for a |List|) -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003443
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003444 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaare224ffa2006-03-01 00:01:28 +00003445 is found in a String the search for the next one starts one
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003446 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
3447 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
3448< In a |List| the search continues in the next item.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003449 Note that when {count} is added the way {start} works changes,
3450 see above.
Bram Moolenaar5e3cb7e2006-02-27 23:58:35 +00003451
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003452 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3453 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3454 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3455 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3456
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003457matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003458 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3459 the match. Example: >
3460 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3461< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003462 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3463 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3464 do it with matchend(): >
3465 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3466 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3467< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3468
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003469 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3470 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3471< results in "7". >
3472 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3473< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003474 When {expr} is a |List| the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003475
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003476matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003477 Same as match(), but return a |List|. The first item in the
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003478 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3479 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
3480 in |:substitute|.
3481 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3482
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003483matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003484 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3485 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3486< results in "ing".
3487 When there is no match "" is returned.
3488 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3489 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3490< results in "ing". >
3491 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3492< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003493 When {expr} is a |List| then the matching item is returned.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003494 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003495
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003496 *max()*
3497max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3498 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3499 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003500 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003501
3502 *min()*
3503min({list}) Return the minumum value of all items in {list}.
3504 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3505 be used as a Number this results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003506 An empty |List| results in zero.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003507
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003508 *mkdir()* *E749*
3509mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3510 Create directory {name}.
3511 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3512 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3513 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3514 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3515 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3516 for others.
3517 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3518 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3519 :if exists("*mkdir")
3520<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003521 *mode()*
3522mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3523 n Normal
3524 v Visual by character
3525 V Visual by line
3526 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3527 s Select by character
3528 S Select by line
3529 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3530 i Insert
3531 R Replace
3532 c Command-line
3533 r Hit-enter prompt
3534 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3535 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3536
3537nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3538 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3539 that is not blank. Example: >
3540 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3541< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3542 below it, zero is returned.
3543 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3544
3545nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3546 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3547 value {expr}. Examples: >
3548 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3549 nr2char(32) returns " "
3550< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3551 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3552< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3553 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3554 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003555 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003556
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003557 *getpos()*
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003558getpos({expr}) Get the position for {expr}. For possible values of {expr}
3559 see |line()|.
3560 The result is a |List| with four numbers:
3561 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
3562 "bufnum" is zero, unless a mark like '0 or 'A is used, then it
3563 is the buffer number of the mark.
3564 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
3565 column is 1.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003566 The "off" number is zero, unless 'virtualedit' is used. Then
3567 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
3568 character. E.g., a position within a Tab or after the last
3569 character.
3570 This can be used to save and restore the cursor position: >
3571 let save_cursor = getpos(".")
3572 MoveTheCursorAround
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003573 call setpos(save_cursor)
3574< Also see |setpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00003575
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00003576prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3577 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3578 that is not blank. Example: >
3579 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3580< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3581 above it, zero is returned.
3582 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3583
3584
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003585printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
3586 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
3587 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003588 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003589< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003590 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003591
3592 Often used items are:
3593 %s string
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003594 %6s string right-aligned in 6 bytes
3595 %.9s string truncated to 9 bytes
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003596 %c single byte
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003597 %d decimal number
3598 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
3599 %x hex number
3600 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
3601 %X hex number using upper case letters
3602 %o octal number
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003603 %% the % character itself
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003604
3605 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
3606 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
3607 the result.
3608
3609 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003610 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003611
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003612 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003613
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003614 flags
3615 Zero or more of the following flags:
3616
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003617 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
3618 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
3619 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
3620 of the number is increased to force the first
3621 character of the output string to a zero (except
3622 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
3623 precision of zero).
3624 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
3625 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
3626 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003627
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003628 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
3629 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
3630 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
3631 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
3632 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003633
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003634 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
3635 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
3636 The converted value is padded on the right with
3637 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
3638 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003639
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003640 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
3641 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003642
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003643 + A sign must always be placed before a number
3644 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
3645 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003646
3647 field-width
3648 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003649 field width. If the converted value has fewer bytes
3650 than the field width, it will be padded with spaces on
3651 the left (or right, if the left-adjustment flag has
3652 been given) to fill out the field width.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003653
3654 .precision
3655 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
3656 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
3657 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
3658 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
3659 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00003660 bytes to be printed from a string for s conversions.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003661
3662 type
3663 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
3664 be applied, see below.
3665
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003666 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
3667 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
3668 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
3669 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
3670 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
3671 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003672 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003673< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003674 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003675
3676 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003677
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003678 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
3679 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
3680 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
3681 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003682 conversions.
3683 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
3684 digits that must appear; if the converted value
3685 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
3686 zeros.
3687 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
3688 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
3689 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
3690 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
3691
3692 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
3693 resulting character is written.
3694
3695 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
3696 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
3697 specified are used.
3698
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003699 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
3700 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003701
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003702 Each argument can be Number or String and is converted
3703 automatically to fit the conversion specifier. Any other
3704 argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003705
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00003706 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003707 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
3708 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003709 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003710
3711
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00003712pumvisible() *pumvisible()*
3713 Returns non-zero when the popup menu is visible, zero
3714 otherwise. See |ins-completion-menu|.
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003715 This can be used to avoid some things that would remove the
3716 popup menu.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003717
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00003718 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003719range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003720 Returns a |List| with Numbers:
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003721 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
3722 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
3723 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
3724 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
3725 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003726 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
3727 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
3728 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003729 Examples: >
3730 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
3731 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
3732 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
3733 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003734 range(0) " []
3735 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003736<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003737 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003738readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003739 Read file {fname} and return a |List|, each line of the file
3740 as an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003741 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
3742 NL appears somewhere).
3743 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
3744 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
3745 added.
3746 - No CR characters are removed.
3747 Otherwise:
3748 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
3749 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
3750 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003751 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
3752 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
3753 lines of a file: >
3754 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
3755 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
3756 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003757< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
3758 are returned, or as many as there are.
3759 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003760 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
3761 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
3762 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003763 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
3764 the result is an empty list.
3765 Also see |writefile()|.
3766
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003767 *remote_expr()* *E449*
3768remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
3769 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
3770 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003771 The result must be a String or a |List|. A |List| is turned
3772 into a String by joining the items with a line break in
3773 between (not at the end), like with join(expr, "\n").
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003774 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3775 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3776 remote_read() is stored there.
3777 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3778 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3779 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3780 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
3781 and the result will be the empty string.
3782 Examples: >
3783 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
3784 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
3785<
3786
3787remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
3788 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
3789 This works like: >
3790 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
3791< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
3792 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
3793 to bring itself to the foreground.
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00003794 Note: This does not restore the window if it was minimized,
3795 like foreground() does.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003796 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3797 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3798 Win32 console version}
3799
3800
3801remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
3802 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
3803 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
3804 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
3805 name of a variable.
3806 Returns zero if none are available.
3807 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
3808 See also |clientserver|.
3809 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3810 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3811 Examples: >
3812 :let repl = ""
3813 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
3814
3815remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
3816 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
3817 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
3818 See also |clientserver|.
3819 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3820 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3821 Example: >
3822 :echo remote_read(id)
3823<
3824 *remote_send()* *E241*
3825remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003826 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
3827 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
3828 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00003829 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a variable
3830 and a {serverid} for later use with remote_read() is stored
3831 there.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003832 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3833 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3834 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3835 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
3836 up the display.
3837 Examples: >
3838 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
3839 \ remote_read(serverid)
3840
3841 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
3842 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
3843 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
3844 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003845<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003846remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003847 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from |List| {list} and
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003848 return it.
3849 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
3850 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
3851 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
3852 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
3853 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003854 Example: >
3855 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003856 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003857remove({dict}, {key})
3858 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
3859 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
3860< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
3861
3862 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003863
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003864rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
3865 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
3866 should also work to move files across file systems. The
3867 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
3868 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
3869 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3870
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003871repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
3872 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
3873 result. Example: >
3874 :let seperator = repeat('-', 80)
3875< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00003876 When {expr} is a |List| the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003877 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003878 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
3879< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003880
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003881
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003882resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
3883 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
3884 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
3885 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
3886 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
3887 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
3888 stopped after 100 iterations.
3889 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
3890 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
3891 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
3892 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
3893 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
3894
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003895 *reverse()*
3896reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
3897 {list}.
3898 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3899 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
3900
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003901search({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline}]]) *search()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003902 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003903 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00003904
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003905 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
3906 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003907 'c' accept a match at the cursor position
3908 'e' move to the End of the match
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003909 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003910 'p' return number of matching sub-pattern (see below)
3911 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003912 'w' wrap around the end of the file
3913 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
3914 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
3915
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003916 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
3917 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
3918 flag.
3919
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003920 When the {stopline} argument is given then the search stops
3921 after searching this line. This is useful to restrict the
3922 search to a range of lines. Examples: >
3923 let match = search('(', 'b', line("w0"))
3924 let end = search('END', '', line("w$"))
3925< When {stopline} is used and it is not zero this also implies
3926 that the search does not wrap around the end of the file.
3927
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003928 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
3929 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00003930 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
3931 *search()-sub-match*
3932 With the 'p' flag the returned value is one more than the
3933 first sub-match in \(\). One if none of them matched but the
3934 whole pattern did match.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003935 To get the column number too use |searchpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003936
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003937 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
3938 flag is used.
3939
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003940 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
3941 :let n = 1
3942 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
3943 : exe "argument " . n
3944 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
3945 : " first search to find match at start of file
3946 : normal G$
3947 : let flags = "w"
3948 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
3949 : s/foo/bar/g
3950 : let flags = "W"
3951 : endwhile
3952 : update " write the file if modified
3953 : let n = n + 1
3954 :endwhile
3955<
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00003956 Example for using some flags: >
3957 :echo search('\<if\|\(else\)\|\(endif\)', 'ncpe')
3958< This will search for the keywords "if", "else", and "endif"
3959 under or after the cursor. Because of the 'p' flag, it
3960 returns 1, 2, or 3 depending on which keyword is found, or 0
3961 if the search fails. With the cursor on the first word of the
3962 line:
3963 if (foo == 0) | let foo = foo + 1 | endif ~
3964 the function returns 1. Without the 'c' flag, the function
3965 finds the "endif" and returns 3. The same thing happens
3966 without the 'e' flag if the cursor is on the "f" of "if".
3967 The 'n' flag tells the function not to move the cursor.
3968
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00003969
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00003970searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
3971 Search for the declaration of {name}.
3972
3973 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
3974 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
3975 first match in the function.
3976
3977 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
3978 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
3979 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
3980
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00003981 Moves the cursor to the found match.
3982 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3983 Example: >
3984 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
3985 echo getline('.')
3986 endif
3987<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003988 *searchpair()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00003989searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003990 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
3991 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
3992 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00003993 The search starts at the cursor. The default is to search
3994 forward, include 'b' in {flags} to search backward.
3995 If a match is found, the cursor is positioned at it and the
3996 line number is returned. If no match is found 0 or -1 is
3997 returned and the cursor doesn't move. No error message is
3998 given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003999
4000 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
4001 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
4002 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
4003 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
4004 typical use is: >
4005 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
4006< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
4007
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004008 {flags} 'b', 'c', 'n', 's', 'w' and 'W' are used like with
4009 |search()|. Additionally:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004010 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
4011 outer pair
4012 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004013 the match; will be > 1 when 'r' is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004014
4015 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
4016 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
4017 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
4018 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
4019 or a string.
4020 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
4021 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
4022 and -1 returned.
4023
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004024 For {stopline} see |search()|.
4025
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004026 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
4027 patterns are used like it's on.
4028
4029 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
4030 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
4031 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
4032 if 1
4033 if 2
4034 endif 2
4035 endif 1
4036< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
4037 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
4038 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
4039 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
4040 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
4041 "endif 2".
4042 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
4043 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
4044 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
4045 the matching start.
4046
4047 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
4048
4049 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
4050 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
4051
4052< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
4053 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
4054 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
4055 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
4056 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
4057 match.
4058 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
4059
4060 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
4061
4062< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
4063 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
4064 highlighting recognized as strings: >
4065
4066 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
4067 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
4068<
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004069 *searchpairpos()*
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004070searchpairpos({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip} [, {stopline}]]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004071 Same as searchpair(), but returns a |List| with the line and
4072 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4073 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00004074 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4075 returns [0, 0].
4076>
4077 :let [lnum,col] = searchpairpos('{', '', '}', 'n')
4078<
4079 See |match-parens| for a bigger and more useful example.
4080
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004081searchpos({pattern} [, {flags} [, {stopline}]]) *searchpos()*
4082 Same as |search()|, but returns a |List| with the line and
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004083 column position of the match. The first element of the |List|
4084 is the line number and the second element is the byte index of
4085 the column position of the match. If no match is found,
4086 returns [0, 0].
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +00004087 Example: >
4088 :let [lnum, col] = searchpos('mypattern', 'n')
4089
4090< When the 'p' flag is given then there is an extra item with
4091 the sub-pattern match number |search()-sub-match|. Example: >
4092 :let [lnum, col, submatch] = searchpos('\(\l\)\|\(\u\)', 'np')
4093< In this example "submatch" is 2 when a lowercase letter is
4094 found |/\l|, 3 when an uppercase letter is found |/\u|.
4095
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004096server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
4097 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
4098 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
4099 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4100 Note:
4101 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004102 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004103 before calling any commands that waits for input.
4104 See also |clientserver|.
4105 Example: >
4106 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
4107<
4108serverlist() *serverlist()*
4109 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
4110 When there are no servers or the information is not available
4111 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
4112 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
4113 Example: >
4114 :echo serverlist()
4115<
4116setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
4117 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
4118 {val}.
4119 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
4120 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
4121 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
4122 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
4123 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
4124 Examples: >
4125 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
4126 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
4127< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4128
4129setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
4130 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
4131 {pos}. The first position is 1.
4132 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
4133 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004134 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
4135 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
4136 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
4137 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
4138 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004139 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
4140 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
4141 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
4142 line.
4143
4144setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004145 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}.
4146 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004147 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {line} will be
4148 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004149 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
4150 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004151 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004152< When {line} is a |List| then line {lnum} and following lines
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004153 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
4154 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
4155< This is equivalent to: >
4156 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
4157 : call setline(n, l)
4158 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004159< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
4160
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004161setloclist({nr}, {list} [, {action}]) *setloclist()*
4162 Create or replace or add to the location list for window {nr}.
4163 When {nr} is zero the current window is used. For a location
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004164 list window, the displayed location list is modified. For an
4165 invalid window number {nr}, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004166 Otherwise, same as setqflist().
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004167
Bram Moolenaar65c923a2006-03-03 22:56:30 +00004168 *setpos()*
4169setpos({expr}, {list})
4170 Set the position for {expr}. Possible values:
4171 . the cursor
4172 'x mark x
4173
4174 {list} must be a |List| with four numbers:
4175 [bufnum, lnum, col, off]
4176
4177 "bufnum" is the buffer number. Zero can be used for the
4178 current buffer. Setting the cursor is only possible for
4179 the current buffer. To set a mark in another buffer you can
4180 use the |bufnr()| function to turn a file name into a buffer
4181 number.
4182
4183 "lnum" and "col" are the position in the buffer. The first
4184 column is 1. Use a zero "lnum" to delete a mark.
4185
4186 The "off" number is only used when 'virtualedit' is set. Then
4187 it is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
4188 character. E.g., a position within a Tab or after the last
4189 character.
4190
4191 Also see |getpos()|
4192
4193
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004194setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +00004195 Create or replace or add to the quickfix list using the items
4196 in {list}. Each item in {list} is a dictionary.
4197 Non-dictionary items in {list} are ignored. Each dictionary
4198 item can contain the following entries:
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004199
4200 filename name of a file
4201 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004202 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004203 col column number
4204 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
4205 when zero: "col" is byte index
4206 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004207 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004208 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004209
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00004210 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
4211 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
4212 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004213 If the "filename" entry is not present or neither the "lnum"
4214 or "pattern" entries are present, then the item will not be
4215 handled as an error line.
4216 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
4217 be used.
4218
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00004219 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
4220 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
4221 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
4222 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
4223 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
4224 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
4225
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00004226 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
4227
4228 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
4229 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
4230 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
4231
4232
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004233 *setreg()*
4234setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
4235 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
4236 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
4237 then the value is appended.
4238 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
4239 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
4240 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
4241 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
4242 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
4243 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
4244 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
4245 in the longest line (counting a <TAB> as 1 character).
4246
4247 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
4248 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
4249 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
4250 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4251
4252 Examples: >
4253 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
4254 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
4255 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
4256
4257< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
4258 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004259 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004260 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
4261 ....
4262 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
4263
4264< You can also change the type of a register by appending
4265 nothing: >
4266 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
4267
4268setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
4269 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {nr} to
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00004270 {val}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004271 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
4272 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
4273 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
4274 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
4275 Examples: >
4276 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
4277 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
4278< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4279
4280simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
4281 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
4282 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
4283 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
4284 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
4285 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
4286 not removed either.
4287 Example: >
4288 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
4289< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
4290 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
4291 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
4292 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
4293 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
4294
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004295
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004296sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004297 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
4298 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4299 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
4300< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaara23ccb82006-02-27 00:08:02 +00004301 Numbers sort after Strings, |Lists| after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004302 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004303 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004304 When {func} is a |Funcref| or a function name, this function
4305 is called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004306 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
4307 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
4308 sorts before the second one. Example: >
4309 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
4310 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
4311 endfunc
4312 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004313<
4314
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004315 *soundfold()*
4316soundfold({word})
4317 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
4318 language in 'spellang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004319 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
4320 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004321 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
4322 the method can be quite slow.
4323
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004324 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00004325spellbadword([{sentence}])
4326 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
4327 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
4328 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
4329 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
4330
4331 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
4332 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
4333 result is an empty string.
4334
4335 The return value is a list with two items:
4336 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
4337 - The type of the spelling error:
4338 "bad" spelling mistake
4339 "rare" rare word
4340 "local" word only valid in another region
4341 "caps" word should start with Capital
4342 Example: >
4343 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
4344< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
4345
4346 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
4347 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
4348 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004349
4350 *spellsuggest()*
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004351spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004352 Return a |List| with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004353 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
4354 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
4355
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004356 When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
4357 suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
4358 after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
4359
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004360 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
4361 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00004362 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
4363 replace a line.
4364
4365 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004366 returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
4367 although it may appear capitalized.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004368
4369 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004370 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
4371 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004372
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004373
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004374split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004375 Make a |List| out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or
4376 empty each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an
4377 item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004378 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004379 removing the matched characters.
4380 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
4381 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00004382 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
4383 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004384 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004385 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004386< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004387 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00004388< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
4389 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
4390< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004391 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
4392 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
4393< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004394
4395
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004396strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
4397 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
4398 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
4399 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
4400 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
4401 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
4402 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
4403 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
4404 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
4405 Examples: >
4406 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
4407 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
4408 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
4409 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
4410 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
4411 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004412< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4413 :if exists("*strftime")
4414
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004415stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
4416 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4417 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004418 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
4419 This can be used to find a second match: >
4420 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
4421 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
4422< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004423 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004424 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004425 See also |strridx()|.
4426 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004427 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
4428 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
4429 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004430< *strstr()* *strchr()*
4431 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
4432 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
4433
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004434 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004435string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
4436 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
4437 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004438 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004439 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004440 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004441 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004442 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00004443 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004444 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004445
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004446 *strlen()*
4447strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004448 {expr} in bytes.
4449 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
4450 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004451
4452 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004453<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004454 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
4455 For other types an error is given.
4456 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004457
4458strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
4459 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004460 byte {start}, with the byte length {len}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004461 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
4462 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
4463 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
4464 end of the {src}. >
4465 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
4466 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
4467 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
4468 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
4469< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
4470 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
4471 strpart(getline(line(".")), col(".") - 1, 3)
4472<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004473strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
4474 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4475 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
4476 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
4477 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
4478 match: >
4479 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
4480 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
4481< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004482 For pattern searches use |match()|.
4483 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004484 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004485 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004486 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004487< *strrchr()*
4488 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
4489 function strrchr().
4490
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004491strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
4492 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
4493 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
4494 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
4495 echo strtrans(@a)
4496< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
4497 starting a new line.
4498
4499submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
4500 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
4501 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
4502 the whole matched text is returned.
4503 Example: >
4504 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
4505< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
4506 A line break is included as a newline character.
4507
4508substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
4509 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
4510 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
4511 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
4512 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
4513 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
4514 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
4515 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
4516 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
4517 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
4518 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
4519 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
4520 unmodified.
4521 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
4522 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
4523 Example: >
4524 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
4525< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
4526 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
4527< results in "TESTING".
4528
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004529synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004530 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004531 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004532 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
4533 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004534
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004535 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004536 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
4537
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004538 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
4539 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
4540 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
4541 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
4542 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
4543 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
4544 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
4545
4546 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
4547 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
4548<
4549synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
4550 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
4551 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
4552 about a syntax item.
4553 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
4554 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
4555 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
4556 used (GUI, cterm or term).
4557 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
4558 {what} result
4559 "name" the name of the syntax item
4560 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
4561 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
4562 term: empty string)
4563 "bg" background color (like "fg")
4564 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
4565 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
4566 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
4567 "bold" "1" if bold
4568 "italic" "1" if italic
4569 "reverse" "1" if reverse
4570 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
4571 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004572 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004573
4574 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
4575 cursor): >
4576 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
4577<
4578synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
4579 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
4580 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
4581 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
4582 ":highlight link" are followed.
4583
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004584system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
4585 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
4586 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
4587 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
4588 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004589 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004590 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
4591 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
4592 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004593 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
4594 The result is a String. Example: >
4595
4596 :let files = system("ls")
4597
4598< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
4599 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
4600 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
4601 The command executed is constructed using several options:
4602 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
4603 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
4604 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
4605 concatenated commands.
4606
4607 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
4608 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00004609
4610 Note that any wrong value in the options mentioned above may
4611 make the function fail. It has also been reported to fail
4612 when using a security agent application.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004613 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
4614 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
4615
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004616
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004617tabpagebuflist([{arg}]) *tabpagebuflist()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004618 The result is a |List|, where each item is the number of the
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004619 buffer associated with each window in the current tab page.
4620 {arg} specifies the number of tab page to be used. When
4621 omitted the current tab page is used.
4622 When {arg} is invalid the number zero is returned.
4623 To get a list of all buffers in all tabs use this: >
4624 tablist = []
4625 for i in range(tabpagenr('$'))
4626 call extend(tablist, tabpagebuflist(i + 1))
4627 endfor
4628< Note that a buffer may appear in more than one window.
4629
4630
4631tabpagenr([{arg}]) *tabpagenr()*
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00004632 The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4633 tab page. The first tab page has number 1.
4634 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the last tab
4635 page is returned (the tab page count).
4636 The number can be used with the |:tab| command.
4637
4638
Bram Moolenaarfaa959a2006-02-20 21:37:40 +00004639tabpagewinnr({tabarg}, [{arg}]) *tabpagewinnr()*
4640 Like |winnr()| but for tab page {arg}.
4641 {tabarg} specifies the number of tab page to be used.
4642 {arg} is used like with |winnr()|:
4643 - When omitted the current window number is returned. This is
4644 the window which will be used when going to this tab page.
4645 - When "$" the number of windows is returned.
4646 - When "#" the previous window nr is returned.
4647 Useful examples: >
4648 tabpagewinnr(1) " current window of tab page 1
4649 tabpagewinnr(4, '$') " number of windows in tab page 4
4650< When {tabarg} is invalid zero is returned.
4651
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004652taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
4653 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00004654 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
4655 entries:
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004656 name Name of the tag.
4657 filename Name of the file where the tag is
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004658 defined.
4659 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
4660 the file.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004661 kind Type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004662 entry depends on the language specific
4663 kind values generated by the ctags
4664 tool.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +00004665 static A file specific tag. Refer to
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004666 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004667 The "kind" entry is only available when using Exuberant ctags
4668 generated tags file. More entries may be present, depending
4669 on the content of the tags file: access, implementation,
4670 inherits and signature. Refer to the ctags documentation for
4671 information about these fields. For C code the fields
4672 "struct", "class" and "enum" may appear, they give the name of
4673 the entity the tag is contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004674
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004675 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
4676 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004677
4678 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
4679
4680 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
4681 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
4682 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
4683
4684 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
4685 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
4686 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
4687
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00004688 *tagfiles()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004689tagfiles() Returns a |List| with the file names used to search for tags
4690 for the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00004691
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004692
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004693tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
4694 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
4695 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
4696 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
4697 :let tmpfile = tempname()
4698 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
4699< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
4700 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
4701 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
4702 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
4703 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
4704 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
4705
4706tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
4707 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
4708 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
4709 the string).
4710
4711toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
4712 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
4713 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
4714 the string).
4715
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00004716tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
4717 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
4718 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
4719 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
4720 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
4721 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
4722 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
4723
4724 Examples: >
4725 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
4726< returns "Hello THere" >
4727 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
4728< returns "{blob}"
4729
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004730 *type()*
4731type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004732 Number: 0
4733 String: 1
4734 Funcref: 2
4735 List: 3
4736 Dictionary: 4
4737 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004738 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
4739 :if type(myvar) == type("")
4740 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
4741 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004742 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004743
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004744values({dict}) *values()*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004745 Return a |List| with all the values of {dict}. The |List| is
4746 in arbitrary order.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004747
4748
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004749virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
4750 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
4751 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
4752 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
4753 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
4754 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
4755 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
4756 set to 8, it returns 8.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004757 For the use of {expr} see |col()|. Additionally you can use
Bram Moolenaar5c8837f2006-02-25 21:52:33 +00004758 [lnum, col]: a |List| with the line and column number. When
4759 "lnum" or "col" is out of range then virtcol() returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar0b238792006-03-02 22:49:12 +00004760 When 'virtualedit' is used it can be [lnum, col, off], where
4761 "off" is the offset in screen columns from the start of the
4762 character. E.g., a position within a Tab or after the last
4763 character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004764 For the byte position use |col()|.
4765 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
4766 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
4767 The accepted positions are:
4768 . the cursor position
4769 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
4770 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
4771 plus one)
4772 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
4773 returned)
4774 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
4775 Examples: >
4776 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
4777 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
4778 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
4779< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
4780
4781visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
4782 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
4783 used. Initially it returns an empty string, but once Visual
4784 mode has been used, it returns "v", "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a
4785 single CTRL-V character) for character-wise, line-wise, or
4786 block-wise Visual mode respectively.
4787 Example: >
4788 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
4789< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
4790 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
4791 Visual mode that was used.
4792
4793 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
4794 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
4795 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
4796 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
4797
4798 *winbufnr()*
4799winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004800 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004801 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
4802 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4803 Example: >
4804 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
4805<
4806 *wincol()*
4807wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
4808 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
4809 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
4810
4811winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
4812 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
4813 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
4814 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4815 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
4816 Examples: >
4817 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
4818<
4819 *winline()*
4820winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
4821 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
4822 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00004823 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
4824 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004825
4826 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004827winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4828 window. The top window has number 1.
4829 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
Bram Moolenaar7e8fd632006-02-18 22:14:51 +00004830 last window is returned (the window count).
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004831 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
4832 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
4833 If there is no previous window 0 is returned.
4834 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
4835 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004836
4837 *winrestcmd()*
4838winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
4839 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004840 are opened or closed and the current window and tab page is
4841 unchanged.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004842 Example: >
4843 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
4844 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
4845 :exe cmd
Bram Moolenaar87b5ca52006-03-04 21:55:31 +00004846<
4847 *winrestview()*
4848winrestview({dict})
4849 Uses the |Dictionary| returned by |winsaveview()| to restore
4850 the view of the current window.
4851 If you have changed the values the result is unpredictable.
4852 If the window size changed the result won't be the same.
4853
4854 *winsaveview()*
4855winsaveview() Returns a |Dictionary| that contains information to restore
4856 the view of the current window. Use |winrestview()| to
4857 restore the view.
4858 This is useful if you have a mapping that jumps around in the
4859 buffer and you want to go back to the original view.
4860 This does not save fold information. Use the 'foldenable'
4861 option to temporarily switch of folding, so that folds are not
4862 opened when moving around.
4863 The return value includes:
4864 lnum cursor line number
4865 col cursor column
4866 coladd cursor column offset for 'virtualedit'
4867 curswant column for vertical movement
4868 topline first line in the window
4869 topfill filler lines, only in diff mode
4870 leftcol first column displayed
4871 skipcol columns skipped
4872 Note that no option values are saved.
4873
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004874
4875winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
4876 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
4877 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
4878 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4879 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
4880 Examples: >
4881 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
4882 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
4883 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
4884 :endif
4885<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004886 *writefile()*
4887writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00004888 Write |List| {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004889 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
4890 Number.
4891 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
4892 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
4893 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
4894 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
4895 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
4896 to writefile().
4897 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
4898 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
4899 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
4900 fails.
4901 Also see |readfile()|.
4902 To copy a file byte for byte: >
4903 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
4904 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
4905<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004906
4907 *feature-list*
4908There are three types of features:
49091. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
4910 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
4911 :if has("cindent")
49122. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
4913 Example: >
4914 :if has("gui_running")
4915< *has-patch*
49163. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
4917 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
4918 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
4919 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
4920
4921all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
4922amiga Amiga version of Vim.
4923arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
4924arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
Bram Moolenaara9b1e742005-12-19 22:14:58 +00004925autocmd Compiled with autocommand support. |autocommand|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004926balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00004927balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004928beos BeOS version of Vim.
4929browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
4930 work.
4931builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
4932byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
4933cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
4934clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
4935clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
4936cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
4937cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
4938cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
4939comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
4940cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
4941cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
4942compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
4943debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
4944dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
4945dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
4946diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
4947digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
4948dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
4949dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
4950dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
4951ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
4952emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
4953eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
4954 true, of course!
4955ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
4956extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
4957 |'hlsearch'|
4958farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
4959file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004960filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
4961 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004962find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
4963 |+find_in_path|.
4964fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
4965 Windows this is not present).
4966folding Compiled with |folding| support.
4967footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
4968fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
4969gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
4970gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
4971gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004972gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
4973gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00004974gui_kde Compiled with KDE GUI |KVim|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004975gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
4976gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
4977gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
4978gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
4979gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
4980gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
4981hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
4982iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
4983insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
4984 Insert mode.
4985jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
4986keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
4987langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
4988libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
4989linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
4990 support.
4991lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
4992listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
4993 and the argument list |arglist|.
4994localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
4995mac Macintosh version of Vim.
4996macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
4997menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
4998mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
4999modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
5000mouse Compiled with support mouse.
5001mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
5002mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
5003mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
5004mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
5005mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
5006mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
5007multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
5008multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
5009multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00005010mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005011netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00005012netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005013ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
5014os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
5015osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
5016path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
5017perl Compiled with Perl interface.
5018postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
5019printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005020profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005021python Compiled with Python interface.
5022qnx QNX version of Vim.
5023quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
5024rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
5025ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
5026scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
5027showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
5028signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
5029smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00005030sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005031statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
5032 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
5033sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00005034spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
5035syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005036syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
5037 current buffer.
5038system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
5039tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
5040 |tag-binary-search|.
5041tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
5042 |tag-old-static|.
5043tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
5044 files |tag-any-white|.
5045tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
5046terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
5047termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
5048textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
5049tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
5050 or terminfo file.
5051title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
5052toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
5053unix Unix version of Vim.
5054user_commands User-defined commands.
5055viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
5056vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
5057vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
5058virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
5059visual Compiled with Visual mode.
5060visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
5061 |blockwise-operators|.
5062vms VMS version of Vim.
5063vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
5064wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
5065wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
5066windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
5067winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
5068win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
5069win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
5070win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
5071win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
5072win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
5073writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
5074xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
5075xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
5076xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
5077xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
5078xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
5079xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
5080 xterm screen.
5081x11 Compiled with X11 support.
5082
5083 *string-match*
5084Matching a pattern in a String
5085
5086A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
5087the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
5088everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
5089like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
5090line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
5091with ".". Example: >
5092 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
5093 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
5094 aa
5095 xx
5096 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
5097 a
5098 x
5099
5100Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
5101"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
5102"\n".
5103
5104==============================================================================
51055. Defining functions *user-functions*
5106
5107New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
5108functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
5109commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
5110
5111The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
5112builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
5113avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
5114the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
5115
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005116It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
5117|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005118
5119 *local-function*
5120A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
5121can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
5122and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
5123function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
5124instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
5125
5126 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
5127:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
5128
5129:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005130 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5131 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005132 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00005133
5134:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
5135 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
5136 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00005137<
5138 *:function-verbose*
5139When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
5140last defined. Example: >
5141
5142 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
5143 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
5144 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
5145<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00005146See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00005147
5148 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005149:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005150 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
5151 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
5152 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005153
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005154 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5155 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005156 :function dict.init(arg)
5157< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
5158 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
5159 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
5160 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
5161 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
5162 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005163 *E127* *E122*
5164 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
5165 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
5166 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
5167 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005168
5169 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
5170
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005171 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
5172 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
5173 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
5174 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
5175 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
5176 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
5177 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005178
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005179 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
5180 abort as soon as an error is detected.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005181
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005182 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005183 be invoked through an entry in a |Dictionary|. The
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00005184 local variable "self" will then be set to the
5185 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005186
Bram Moolenaar98692072006-02-04 00:57:42 +00005187 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
5188 will not be changed by the function.
5189
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005190 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
5191:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
5192 by its own, without other commands.
5193
5194 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
5195:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005196 {name} can also be a |Dictionary| entry that is a
5197 |Funcref|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005198 :delfunc dict.init
5199< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
5200 function is deleted if there are no more references to
5201 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005202 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
5203:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
5204 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
5205 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
5206 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
5207 the number 0 is returned.
5208 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
5209 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
5210
5211 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
5212 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
5213 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
5214 are executed first. This process applies to all
5215 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
5216 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
5217
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005218 *function-argument* *a:var*
5219An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
5220be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
5221 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740*
5222Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
5223arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
5224may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
5225as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005226can be 0). "a:000" is set to a |List| that contains these arguments. Note
5227that "a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005228 *E742*
5229The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005230However, if a |List| or |Dictionary| is used, you can changes their contents.
5231Thus you can pass a |List| to a function and have the function add an item to
5232it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a |List| or
5233|Dictionary| use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005234
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00005235When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
5236to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
5237may be larger.
5238
5239It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
5240still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
5241until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
5242inside a function body.
5243
5244 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005245Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
5246will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
5247accessed with "g:".
5248
5249Example: >
5250 :function Table(title, ...)
5251 : echohl Title
5252 : echo a:title
5253 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005254 : echo a:0 . " items:"
5255 : for s in a:000
5256 : echon ' ' . s
5257 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005258 :endfunction
5259
5260This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005261 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
5262 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005263
5264To return more than one value, pass the name of a global variable: >
5265 :function Compute(n1, n2, divname)
5266 : if a:n2 == 0
5267 : return "fail"
5268 : endif
5269 : let g:{a:divname} = a:n1 / a:n2
5270 : return "ok"
5271 :endfunction
5272
5273This function can then be called with: >
5274 :let success = Compute(13, 1324, "div")
5275 :if success == "ok"
5276 : echo div
5277 :endif
5278
5279An alternative is to return a command that can be executed. This also works
5280with local variables in a calling function. Example: >
5281 :function Foo()
5282 : execute Bar()
5283 : echo "line " . lnum . " column " . col
5284 :endfunction
5285
5286 :function Bar()
5287 : return "let lnum = " . line(".") . " | let col = " . col(".")
5288 :endfunction
5289
5290The names "lnum" and "col" could also be passed as argument to Bar(), to allow
5291the caller to set the names.
5292
5293 *:cal* *:call* *E107*
5294:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
5295 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
5296 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
5297 used.
5298 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
5299 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
5300 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
5301 function.
5302 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
5303 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
5304 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
5305 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
5306 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
5307 this works:
5308 *function-range-example* >
5309 :function Mynumber(arg)
5310 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
5311 :endfunction
5312 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
5313<
5314 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
5315 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
5316 the range.
5317
5318 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
5319
5320 :function Cont() range
5321 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
5322 :endfunction
5323 :4,8call Cont()
5324<
5325 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
5326 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
5327
5328 *E132*
5329The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
5330option.
5331
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005332
5333AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005334 *autoload-functions*
5335When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005336only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
5337the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
5338
5339
5340Using an autocommand ~
5341
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005342This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
5343
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005344The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
5345You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
5346That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
5347again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
5348
5349Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
5350function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005351
5352 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
5353
5354The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
5355"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
5356
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005357
5358Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005359 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005360This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
5361
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005362Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
5363exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
5364like this: >
5365
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005366 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005367
5368When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
5369"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
5370"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
5371then define the function like this: >
5372
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005373 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005374 echo "Done!"
5375 endfunction
5376
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00005377The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005378exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
5379called.
5380
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005381It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
5382a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005383
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005384 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005385
5386Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
5387
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005388This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
5389
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005390 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005391
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00005392However, when the autoload script was already loaded it won't be loaded again
5393for an unknown variable.
5394
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005395When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
5396be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
5397
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005398 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
5399 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005400
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00005401Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
5402defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
5403function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005404And you will get an error message every time.
5405
5406Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
5407other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
5408Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005409
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005410==============================================================================
54116. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
5412
5413Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
5414This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
5415{} like this: >
5416 my_{adjective}_variable
5417
5418When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
5419that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
5420name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
5421"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
5422"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
5423
5424One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
5425value. For example, the statement >
5426 echo my_{&background}_message
5427
5428would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
5429on the current value of 'background'.
5430
5431You can use multiple brace pairs: >
5432 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
5433..or even nest them: >
5434 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
5435where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
5436
5437However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005438variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005439 :let foo='a + b'
5440 :echo c{foo}d
5441.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
5442
5443 *curly-braces-function-names*
5444You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
5445Example: >
5446 :let func_end='whizz'
5447 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
5448
5449This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
5450
5451==============================================================================
54527. Commands *expression-commands*
5453
5454:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
5455 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
5456 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
5457 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
5458 is created.
5459
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005460:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
5461 Set a list item to the result of the expression
5462 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
5463 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
5464 the index can be repeated.
5465 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
5466
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005467 *E711* *E719*
5468:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005469 Set a sequence of items in a |List| to the result of
5470 the expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005471 correct number of items.
5472 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
5473 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
5474 When the selected range of items is partly past the
5475 end of the list, items will be added.
5476
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005477 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005478:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
5479:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
5480:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
5481 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
5482 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
5483
5484
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005485:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
5486 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
5487 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005488:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
5489 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
5490 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
5491 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005492
5493:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
5494 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
5495 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
5496 must be the name of a writable register (see
5497 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
5498 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
5499 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
5500 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
5501 characterwise.
5502 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
5503 :let @/ = ""
5504< This is different from searching for an empty string,
5505 that would match everywhere.
5506
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005507:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
5508 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
5509 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
5510
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005511:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-star*
5512 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005513 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
5514 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005515 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
5516 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
Bram Moolenaara5fac542005-10-12 20:58:49 +00005517 value and the global value are changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005518 Example: >
5519 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005520
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005521:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
5522 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
5523 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
5524
5525:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
5526:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
5527 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
5528 {expr1}.
5529
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005530:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005531:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5532:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
5533:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005534 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
5535 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
5536
5537:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005538:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5539:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
5540:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005541 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
5542 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
5543
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005544:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005545 {expr1} must evaluate to a |List|. The first item in
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005546 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
5547 {name2}, etc.
5548 The number of names must match the number of items in
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005549 the |List|.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005550 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
5551 command as mentioned above.
5552 Example: >
5553 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005554< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
5555 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
5556 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
5557 :let x = [0, 1]
5558 :let i = 0
5559 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
5560 :echo x
5561< The result is [0, 2].
5562
5563:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
5564:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
5565:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
5566 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005567 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005568
5569:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005570 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the |List| may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005571 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
5572 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
5573 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005574 Example: >
5575 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
5576<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005577:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
5578:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
5579:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
5580 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005581 |List| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005582 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005583:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00005584 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
5585 here: *E738*
Bram Moolenaarca003e12006-03-17 23:19:38 +00005586 g: global variables
5587 b: local buffer variables
5588 w: local window variables
5589 s: script-local variables
5590 l: local function variables
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00005591 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005592
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005593:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
5594 variable is indicated before the value:
5595 <nothing> String
5596 # Number
5597 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005598
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005599
5600:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108*
5601 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
5602 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005603 may also be a |List| or |Dictionary| item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005604 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
5605 variables.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005606 One or more items from a |List| can be removed: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005607 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
5608 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005609< One item from a |Dictionary| can be removed at a time: >
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005610 :unlet dict['two']
5611 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005612
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005613:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
5614 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
5615 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
5616 A locked variable can be deleted: >
5617 :lockvar v
5618 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
5619 :unlet v
5620< *E741*
5621 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
5622 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
5623
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005624 [depth] is relevant when locking a |List| or
5625 |Dictionary|. It specifies how deep the locking goes:
5626 1 Lock the |List| or |Dictionary| itself,
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005627 cannot add or remove items, but can
5628 still change their values.
5629 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005630 the items. If an item is a |List| or
5631 |Dictionary|, cannot add or remove
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005632 items, but can still change the
5633 values.
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005634 3 Like 2 but for the |List| /
5635 |Dictionary| in the |List| /
5636 |Dictionary|, one level deeper.
5637 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a |List|
5638 or |Dictionary| the values cannot be changed.
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005639 *E743*
5640 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
5641 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
5642 loops.
5643
Bram Moolenaar32466aa2006-02-24 23:53:04 +00005644 Note that when two variables refer to the same |List|
5645 and you lock one of them, the |List| will also be
5646 locked when used through the other variable. Example:
5647 >
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005648 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
5649 :let cl = l
5650 :lockvar l
5651 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
5652< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
5653 See |deepcopy()|.
5654
5655
5656:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
5657 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
5658 opposite of |:lockvar|.
5659
5660
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005661:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
5662:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5663 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5664
5665 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
5666 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
5667 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
5668 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
5669 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
5670 part was not executed either.
5671
5672 You can use this to remain compatible with older
5673 versions: >
5674 :if version >= 500
5675 : version-5-specific-commands
5676 :endif
5677< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
5678 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
5679 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
5680 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
5681 avoid problems: >
5682 :if version >= 600
5683 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
5684 :endif
5685<
5686 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
5687 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
5688
5689 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
5690:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5691 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
5692 executed.
5693
5694 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
5695:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
5696 is no extra ":endif".
5697
5698:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005699 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005700:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
5701 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5702 When an error is detected from a command inside the
5703 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005704 Example: >
5705 :let lnum = 1
5706 :while lnum <= line("$")
5707 :call FixLine(lnum)
5708 :let lnum = lnum + 1
5709 :endwhile
5710<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005711 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005712 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005713
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005714:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005715:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
5716 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005717 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005718 value of each item.
5719 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005720 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00005721 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
5722 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005723 :for item in copy(mylist)
5724< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
5725 next item in the list, before executing the commands
5726 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
5727 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
5728 it will not be found. Thus the following example
5729 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
5730 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005731 :call remove(mylist, 0)
5732 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005733< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
5734 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
5735 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005736 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
5737 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
5738 to allow multiple item types.
5739
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005740:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
5741:endfo[r]
5742 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
5743 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
5744 {var2}, etc. Example: >
5745 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
5746 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
5747 :endfor
5748<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005749 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005750:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
5751 to the start of the loop.
5752 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5753 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5754 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5755 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5756 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5757 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005758
5759 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005760:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
5761 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
5762 ":endfor".
5763 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5764 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5765 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5766 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5767 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5768 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005769
5770:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
5771:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
5772 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
5773 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
5774 or autocommand invocations.
5775
5776 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
5777 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
5778 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
5779 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
5780 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
5781 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
5782 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
5783 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
5784 Example: >
5785 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
5786 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
5787<
5788 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
5789 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
5790 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
5791 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
5792 processing is not terminated.
5793
5794 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
5795 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
5796 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
5797 other errors are converted to a value of the form
5798 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
5799 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
5800 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
5801 the error number.
5802 Examples: >
5803 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
5804 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
5805<
5806 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
5807:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
5808 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
5809 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
5810 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
5811 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
5812 commands are skipped.
5813 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
5814 Examples: >
5815 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
5816 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
5817 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
5818 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
5819 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
5820 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
5821 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
5822 :catch " same as /.*/
5823<
5824 Another character can be used instead of / around the
5825 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
5826 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
5827 {pattern}.
5828 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
5829 an error message because it may vary in different
5830 locales.
5831
5832 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
5833:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
5834 are executed whenever the part between the matching
5835 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
5836 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
5837 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
5838 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
5839
5840 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
5841:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
5842 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
5843 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
5844 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
5845 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
5846 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
5847 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
5848 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
5849 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
5850 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
5851 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
5852 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
5853 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
5854 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
5855 is terminated.
5856 Example: >
5857 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
5858<
5859
5860 *:ec* *:echo*
5861:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
5862 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
5863 Also see |:comment|.
5864 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
5865 cursor to the first column.
5866 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5867 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5868 Example: >
5869 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
5870< A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
5871 To avoid that a command from before the ":echo" causes
5872 a redraw afterwards (redraws are often postponed until
5873 you type something), force a redraw with the |:redraw|
5874 command. Example: >
5875 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
5876<
5877 *:echon*
5878:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
5879 |:comment|.
5880 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5881 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5882 Example: >
5883 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
5884<
5885 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
5886 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
5887 command: >
5888 :!echo % --> filename
5889< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
5890 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
5891< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
5892 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
5893 :echo % --> nothing
5894< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
5895 :echo "%" --> %
5896< This just echoes the '%' character. >
5897 :echo expand("%") --> filename
5898< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
5899
5900 *:echoh* *:echohl*
5901:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
5902 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
5903 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
5904 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
5905< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
5906 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
5907
5908 *:echom* *:echomsg*
5909:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
5910 message in the |message-history|.
5911 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5912 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
5913 displayed, not interpreted.
5914 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5915 Example: >
5916 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
5917<
5918 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
5919:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
5920 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
5921 script or function the line number will be added.
5922 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5923 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
5924 the message is raised as an error exception instead
5925 (see |try-echoerr|).
5926 Example: >
5927 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
5928< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
5929 And to get a beep: >
5930 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
5931<
5932 *:exe* *:execute*
5933:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
5934 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
5935 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
5936 used as the processed command, command line editing
5937 keys are not recognized.
5938 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5939 Examples: >
5940 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
5941 :execute "normal " count . "w"
5942<
5943 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
5944 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
5945 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
5946
5947< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
5948 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
5949 command: >
5950 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
5951< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
5952
5953 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005954 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
5955 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005956 :execute 'while i > 5'
5957 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
5958<
5959 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
5960 completely in the executed string: >
5961 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
5962<
5963
5964 *:comment*
5965 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
5966 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
5967 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
5968 comment. Example: >
5969 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
5970
5971==============================================================================
59728. Exception handling *exception-handling*
5973
5974The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
5975explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
5976
5977Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
5978|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
5979exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
5980
5981
5982TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
5983
5984Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
5985use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
5986a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
5987 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
5988|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
5989a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
5990be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
5991which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
5992clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
5993
5994 :try
5995 : ...
5996 : ... TRY BLOCK
5997 : ...
5998 :catch /{pattern}/
5999 : ...
6000 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
6001 : ...
6002 :catch /{pattern}/
6003 : ...
6004 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
6005 : ...
6006 :finally
6007 : ...
6008 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
6009 : ...
6010 :endtry
6011
6012The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
6013appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
6014from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
6015 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
6016is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
6017script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
6018 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
6019lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
6020patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
6021after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
6022executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
6023":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
6024(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
6025continues in the following line as usual.
6026 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
6027":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
6028that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
6029finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
6030the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
6031the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
6032see |try-nesting|.
6033 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
6034remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
6035not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
6036try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
6037a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
6038execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
6039exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6040 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
6041thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
6042clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
6043catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
6044following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
6045clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
6046
6047The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
6048a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
6049try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
6050from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
6051sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
6052":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
6053":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
6054from the finally clause.
6055 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
6056try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
6057clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
6058":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
6059clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
6060":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
6061this pending exception or command is discarded.
6062
6063For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
6064
6065
6066NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
6067
6068Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
6069conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
6070clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
6071catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
6072of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
6073checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
6074try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
6075otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
6076nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
6077one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
6078the inner try conditional.
6079
6080When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
6081finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
6082An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
6083thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
6084implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
6085as usual.
6086
6087For examples see |throw-catch|.
6088
6089
6090EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
6091
6092Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
6093'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
6094script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
6095finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
6096a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
6097(see |debug-scripts|).
6098
6099
6100THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
6101
6102You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
6103and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
6104 :throw 4711
6105 :throw "string"
6106< *throw-expression*
6107You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
6108first, and the result is thrown: >
6109 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
6110 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
6111
6112An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
6113command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
6114The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
6115 Example: >
6116
6117 :function! Foo(arg)
6118 : try
6119 : throw a:arg
6120 : catch /foo/
6121 : endtry
6122 : return 1
6123 :endfunction
6124 :
6125 :function! Bar()
6126 : echo "in Bar"
6127 : return 4710
6128 :endfunction
6129 :
6130 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
6131
6132This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
6133executed. >
6134 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
6135however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
6136
6137Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
6138abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
6139exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
6140 Example: >
6141
6142 :if Foo("arrgh")
6143 : echo "then"
6144 :else
6145 : echo "else"
6146 :endif
6147
6148Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
6149
6150 *catch-order*
6151Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
6152commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
6153command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
6154gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
6155 Example: >
6156
6157 :function! Foo(value)
6158 : try
6159 : throw a:value
6160 : catch /^\d\+$/
6161 : echo "Number thrown"
6162 : catch /.*/
6163 : echo "String thrown"
6164 : endtry
6165 :endfunction
6166 :
6167 :call Foo(0x1267)
6168 :call Foo('string')
6169
6170The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
6171An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
6172specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
6173specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
6174
6175 : catch /.*/
6176 : echo "String thrown"
6177 : catch /^\d\+$/
6178 : echo "Number thrown"
6179
6180The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
6181never taken.
6182
6183 *throw-variables*
6184If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
6185in the variable |v:exception|: >
6186
6187 : catch /^\d\+$/
6188 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
6189
6190You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
6191|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
6192exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
6193 Example: >
6194
6195 :function! Caught()
6196 : if v:exception != ""
6197 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
6198 : else
6199 : echo 'Nothing caught'
6200 : endif
6201 :endfunction
6202 :
6203 :function! Foo()
6204 : try
6205 : try
6206 : try
6207 : throw 4711
6208 : finally
6209 : call Caught()
6210 : endtry
6211 : catch /.*/
6212 : call Caught()
6213 : throw "oops"
6214 : endtry
6215 : catch /.*/
6216 : call Caught()
6217 : finally
6218 : call Caught()
6219 : endtry
6220 :endfunction
6221 :
6222 :call Foo()
6223
6224This displays >
6225
6226 Nothing caught
6227 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
6228 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
6229 Nothing caught
6230
6231A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
6232number in the script or function where it has been used: >
6233
6234 :function! LineNumber()
6235 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
6236 :endfunction
6237 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
6238<
6239 *try-nested*
6240An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
6241a surrounding try conditional: >
6242
6243 :try
6244 : try
6245 : throw "foo"
6246 : catch /foobar/
6247 : echo "foobar"
6248 : finally
6249 : echo "inner finally"
6250 : endtry
6251 :catch /foo/
6252 : echo "foo"
6253 :endtry
6254
6255The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
6256clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
6257conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
6258
6259 *throw-from-catch*
6260You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
6261catch clause: >
6262
6263 :function! Foo()
6264 : throw "foo"
6265 :endfunction
6266 :
6267 :function! Bar()
6268 : try
6269 : call Foo()
6270 : catch /foo/
6271 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
6272 : throw "bar"
6273 : endtry
6274 :endfunction
6275 :
6276 :try
6277 : call Bar()
6278 :catch /.*/
6279 : echo "Caught" v:exception
6280 :endtry
6281
6282This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
6283
6284 *rethrow*
6285There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
6286"v:exception" instead: >
6287
6288 :function! Bar()
6289 : try
6290 : call Foo()
6291 : catch /.*/
6292 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
6293 : throw v:exception
6294 : endtry
6295 :endfunction
6296< *try-echoerr*
6297Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
6298exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
6299Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
6300denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
6301the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
6302
6303 :try
6304 : try
6305 : asdf
6306 : catch /.*/
6307 : echoerr v:exception
6308 : endtry
6309 :catch /.*/
6310 : echo v:exception
6311 :endtry
6312
6313This code displays
6314
6315 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
6316
6317
6318CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
6319
6320Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
6321user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
6322an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
6323a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
6324catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
6325a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
6326normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
6327(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
6328to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
6329clause has been executed.)
6330Example: >
6331
6332 :try
6333 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
6334 : set ts=17
6335 :
6336 : " Do the hard work here.
6337 :
6338 :finally
6339 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
6340 : unlet s:saved_ts
6341 :endtry
6342
6343This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
6344changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
6345that function or script part.
6346
6347 *break-finally*
6348Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
6349a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
6350 Example: >
6351
6352 :let first = 1
6353 :while 1
6354 : try
6355 : if first
6356 : echo "first"
6357 : let first = 0
6358 : continue
6359 : else
6360 : throw "second"
6361 : endif
6362 : catch /.*/
6363 : echo v:exception
6364 : break
6365 : finally
6366 : echo "cleanup"
6367 : endtry
6368 : echo "still in while"
6369 :endwhile
6370 :echo "end"
6371
6372This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
6373
6374 :function! Foo()
6375 : try
6376 : return 4711
6377 : finally
6378 : echo "cleanup\n"
6379 : endtry
6380 : echo "Foo still active"
6381 :endfunction
6382 :
6383 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
6384
6385This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
6386extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
6387return value.)
6388
6389 *except-from-finally*
6390Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
6391a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
6392cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
6393exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
6394 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
6395working correctly: >
6396
6397 :try
6398 : try
6399 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
6400 : while 1
6401 : endwhile
6402 : finally
6403 : unlet novar
6404 : endtry
6405 :catch /novar/
6406 :endtry
6407 :echo "Script still running"
6408 :sleep 1
6409
6410If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
6411think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
6412|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
6413
6414
6415CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
6416
6417If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
6418watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
6419presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
6420exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
6421the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
6422the error exception is.
6423 Error exceptions have the following format: >
6424
6425 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
6426or >
6427 Vim:{errmsg}
6428
6429{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
6430the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
6431when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
6432a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
6433a space.
6434
6435Examples:
6436
6437The command >
6438 :unlet novar
6439normally produces the error message >
6440 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6441which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6442 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
6443
6444The command >
6445 :dwim
6446normally produces the error message >
6447 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6448which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6449 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6450
6451You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
6452 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
6453or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
6454 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
6455
6456Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
6457 :function nofunc
6458and >
6459 :delfunction nofunc
6460both produce the error message >
6461 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6462which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6463 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6464or >
6465 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6466respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
6467command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
6468 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
6469
6470Some commands like >
6471 :let x = novar
6472produce multiple error messages, here: >
6473 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6474 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6475Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
6476one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
6477 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
6478
6479You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
6480 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
6481
6482You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
6483 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
6484
6485You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
6486 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
6487<
6488 *catch-text*
6489NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
6490 :catch /No such variable/
6491only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
6492a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
6493cite the message text in a comment: >
6494 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
6495
6496
6497IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
6498
6499You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
6500
6501 :try
6502 : write
6503 :catch
6504 :endtry
6505
6506But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
6507catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
6508be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
6509
6510 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
6511
6512There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
6513writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
6514then hide the error from the user.
6515 It is much better to use >
6516
6517 :try
6518 : write
6519 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6520 :endtry
6521
6522which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
6523intentionally.
6524
6525For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
6526even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
6527command: >
6528 :silent! nunmap k
6529This works also when a try conditional is active.
6530
6531
6532CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
6533
6534When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
6535the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
6536script is not terminated, then.
6537 Example: >
6538
6539 :function! TASK1()
6540 : sleep 10
6541 :endfunction
6542
6543 :function! TASK2()
6544 : sleep 20
6545 :endfunction
6546
6547 :while 1
6548 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
6549 : try
6550 : if command == ""
6551 : continue
6552 : elseif command == "END"
6553 : break
6554 : elseif command == "TASK1"
6555 : call TASK1()
6556 : elseif command == "TASK2"
6557 : call TASK2()
6558 : else
6559 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
6560 : continue
6561 : endif
6562 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6563 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
6564 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
6565 : endtry
6566 :endwhile
6567
6568You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
6569a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
6570
6571For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
6572your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
6573command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
6574
6575
6576CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
6577
6578The commands >
6579
6580 :catch /.*/
6581 :catch //
6582 :catch
6583
6584catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
6585explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
6586a script in order to catch unexpected things.
6587 Example: >
6588
6589 :try
6590 :
6591 : " do the hard work here
6592 :
6593 :catch /MyException/
6594 :
6595 : " handle known problem
6596 :
6597 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6598 : echo "Script interrupted"
6599 :catch /.*/
6600 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
6601 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
6602 :endtry
6603 :" end of script
6604
6605Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
6606strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
6607specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
6608 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
6609by pressing CTRL-C: >
6610
6611 :while 1
6612 : try
6613 : sleep 1
6614 : catch
6615 : endtry
6616 :endwhile
6617
6618
6619EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
6620
6621Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
6622
6623 :autocmd User x try
6624 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
6625 :autocmd User x catch
6626 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
6627 :autocmd User x endtry
6628 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
6629 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
6630 :
6631 :try
6632 : doautocmd User x
6633 :catch
6634 : echo v:exception
6635 :endtry
6636
6637This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
6638
6639 *except-autocmd-Pre*
6640For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
6641command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
6642of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
6643abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
6644 Example: >
6645
6646 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
6647 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
6648 :
6649 :try
6650 : write
6651 :catch
6652 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
6653 :endtry
6654
6655Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
6656you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
6657autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
6658script displays: >
6659
6660 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
6661<
6662 *except-autocmd-Post*
6663For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
6664command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
6665an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
6666is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
6667 Example: >
6668
6669 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
6670 :
6671 :try
6672 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6673 :catch
6674 : echo v:exception
6675 :endtry
6676
6677This just displays: >
6678
6679 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
6680
6681If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
6682fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
6683 Example: >
6684
6685 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
6686 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
6687 :
6688 :try
6689 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6690 :catch
6691 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6692 :endtry
6693<
6694You can also use ":silent!": >
6695
6696 :let x = "ok"
6697 :let v:errmsg = ""
6698 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
6699 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
6700 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
6701 :try
6702 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6703 :catch
6704 :endtry
6705 :echo x
6706
6707This displays "after fail".
6708
6709If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
6710autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
6711
6712 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
6713 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
6714 :
6715 :try
6716 : write
6717 :catch
6718 : echo v:exception
6719 :endtry
6720<
6721 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
6722For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
6723autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
6724of the command.
6725 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
6726had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
6727some way. >
6728
6729 :if !exists("cnt")
6730 : let cnt = 0
6731 :
6732 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
6733 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
6734 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
6735 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6736 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6737 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
6738 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
6739 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6740 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6741 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
6742 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6743 :endif
6744 :
6745 :try
6746 : write
6747 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
6748 : if &modified
6749 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
6750 : else
6751 : echo "Error after writing"
6752 : endif
6753 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6754 : echo "Error on writing"
6755 :endtry
6756
6757When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
6758first >
6759 File successfully written!
6760then >
6761 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
6762then >
6763 Error after writing
6764etc.
6765
6766 *except-autocmd-ill*
6767You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
6768The following code is ill-formed: >
6769
6770 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
6771 :
6772 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
6773 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
6774 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
6775 :
6776 :write
6777
6778
6779EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
6780
6781Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
6782pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
6783similar things in Vim.
6784 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
6785class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
6786string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
6787 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
6788it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
6789for an error when writing "myfile".
6790 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
6791base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
6792parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
6793 Example: >
6794
6795 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
6796 : if a:a < 0
6797 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
6798 : endif
6799 :endfunction
6800 :
6801 :function! Add(a, b)
6802 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
6803 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
6804 : let c = a:a + a:b
6805 : if c < 0
6806 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
6807 : endif
6808 : return c
6809 :endfunction
6810 :
6811 :function! Div(a, b)
6812 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
6813 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
6814 : if (a:b == 0)
6815 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
6816 : endif
6817 : return a:a / a:b
6818 :endfunction
6819 :
6820 :function! Write(file)
6821 : try
6822 : execute "write" a:file
6823 : catch /^Vim(write):/
6824 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
6825 : endtry
6826 :endfunction
6827 :
6828 :try
6829 :
6830 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
6831 :
6832 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
6833 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6834 : echo "Range error in" function
6835 :
6836 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
6837 : echo "Math error"
6838 :
6839 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
6840 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
6841 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6842 : if file !~ '^/'
6843 : let file = dir . "/" . file
6844 : endif
6845 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
6846 :
6847 :catch /^EXCEPT/
6848 : echo "Unspecified error"
6849 :
6850 :endtry
6851
6852The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
6853a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
6854exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
6855 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
6856failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
6857
6858
6859PECULIARITIES
6860 *except-compat*
6861The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
6862exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
6863and/or a catch clause.
6864
6865In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
6866continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
6867after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
6868functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
6869or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
6870(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
6871
6872This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
6873immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
6874conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
6875be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
6876termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
6877catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
6878by specifying a finally clause.)
6879
6880When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
6881behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
6882scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
6883
6884However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
6885commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
6886conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
6887script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
6888error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
6889messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
6890|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
6891not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
6892where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
6893error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
6894scripts.
6895
6896 *except-syntax-err*
6897Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
6898the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
6899clauses, however, is executed.
6900 Example: >
6901
6902 :try
6903 : try
6904 : throw 4711
6905 : catch /\(/
6906 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
6907 : catch
6908 : echo "inner catch-all"
6909 : finally
6910 : echo "inner finally"
6911 : endtry
6912 :catch
6913 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
6914 : finally
6915 : echo "outer finally"
6916 :endtry
6917
6918This displays: >
6919 inner finally
6920 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
6921 outer finally
6922The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
6923
6924 *except-single-line*
6925The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
6926a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
6927"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
6928 Example: >
6929 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
6930raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
6931argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
6932error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
6933displayed.
6934
6935 *except-several-errors*
6936When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
6937usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
6938 Example: >
6939 echo novar
6940causes >
6941 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6942 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6943The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6944 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
6945< *except-syntax-error*
6946But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
6947the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
6948 Example: >
6949 unlet novar #
6950causes >
6951 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6952 E488: Trailing characters
6953The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6954 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
6955This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
6956not intended by the user. Example: >
6957 try
6958 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
6959 catch /.*/
6960 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
6961 endtry
6962This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
6963a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
6964
6965==============================================================================
69669. Examples *eval-examples*
6967
6968Printing in Hex ~
6969>
6970 :" The function Nr2Hex() returns the Hex string of a number.
6971 :func Nr2Hex(nr)
6972 : let n = a:nr
6973 : let r = ""
6974 : while n
6975 : let r = '0123456789ABCDEF'[n % 16] . r
6976 : let n = n / 16
6977 : endwhile
6978 : return r
6979 :endfunc
6980
6981 :" The function String2Hex() converts each character in a string to a two
6982 :" character Hex string.
6983 :func String2Hex(str)
6984 : let out = ''
6985 : let ix = 0
6986 : while ix < strlen(a:str)
6987 : let out = out . Nr2Hex(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
6988 : let ix = ix + 1
6989 : endwhile
6990 : return out
6991 :endfunc
6992
6993Example of its use: >
6994 :echo Nr2Hex(32)
6995result: "20" >
6996 :echo String2Hex("32")
6997result: "3332"
6998
6999
7000Sorting lines (by Robert Webb) ~
7001
7002Here is a Vim script to sort lines. Highlight the lines in Vim and type
7003":Sort". This doesn't call any external programs so it'll work on any
7004platform. The function Sort() actually takes the name of a comparison
7005function as its argument, like qsort() does in C. So you could supply it
7006with different comparison functions in order to sort according to date etc.
7007>
7008 :" Function for use with Sort(), to compare two strings.
7009 :func! Strcmp(str1, str2)
7010 : if (a:str1 < a:str2)
7011 : return -1
7012 : elseif (a:str1 > a:str2)
7013 : return 1
7014 : else
7015 : return 0
7016 : endif
7017 :endfunction
7018
7019 :" Sort lines. SortR() is called recursively.
7020 :func! SortR(start, end, cmp)
7021 : if (a:start >= a:end)
7022 : return
7023 : endif
7024 : let partition = a:start - 1
7025 : let middle = partition
7026 : let partStr = getline((a:start + a:end) / 2)
7027 : let i = a:start
7028 : while (i <= a:end)
7029 : let str = getline(i)
7030 : exec "let result = " . a:cmp . "(str, partStr)"
7031 : if (result <= 0)
7032 : " Need to put it before the partition. Swap lines i and partition.
7033 : let partition = partition + 1
7034 : if (result == 0)
7035 : let middle = partition
7036 : endif
7037 : if (i != partition)
7038 : let str2 = getline(partition)
7039 : call setline(i, str2)
7040 : call setline(partition, str)
7041 : endif
7042 : endif
7043 : let i = i + 1
7044 : endwhile
7045
7046 : " Now we have a pointer to the "middle" element, as far as partitioning
7047 : " goes, which could be anywhere before the partition. Make sure it is at
7048 : " the end of the partition.
7049 : if (middle != partition)
7050 : let str = getline(middle)
7051 : let str2 = getline(partition)
7052 : call setline(middle, str2)
7053 : call setline(partition, str)
7054 : endif
7055 : call SortR(a:start, partition - 1, a:cmp)
7056 : call SortR(partition + 1, a:end, a:cmp)
7057 :endfunc
7058
7059 :" To Sort a range of lines, pass the range to Sort() along with the name of a
7060 :" function that will compare two lines.
7061 :func! Sort(cmp) range
7062 : call SortR(a:firstline, a:lastline, a:cmp)
7063 :endfunc
7064
7065 :" :Sort takes a range of lines and sorts them.
7066 :command! -nargs=0 -range Sort <line1>,<line2>call Sort("Strcmp")
7067<
7068 *sscanf*
7069There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
7070line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
7071how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
7072"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
7073 :" Set up the match bit
7074 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
7075 :"get the part matching the whole expression
7076 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
7077 :"get each item out of the match
7078 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
7079 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
7080 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
7081
7082The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
7083"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
7084
7085==============================================================================
708610. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
7087
7088When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
7089evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
7090to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
7091recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
7092and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
7093only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
7094recognized.
7095
7096Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
7097missing: >
7098
7099 :if 1
7100 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
7101 :else
7102 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
7103 :endif
7104
7105==============================================================================
710611. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
7107
7108The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
7109options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
7110these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
7111these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
Bram Moolenaarebefac62005-12-28 22:39:57 +00007112a tags file is executed and for CTRL-R = in the command line.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007113The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007114
7115These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
7116 - changing the buffer text
7117 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
7118 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
7119 - executing a shell command
7120 - reading or writing a file
7121 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +00007122 - executing Python, Perl, etc. commands
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007123This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
7124
7125 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00007126:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00007127 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
7128 'foldexpr'.
7129
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007130 *sandbox-option*
7131A few options contain an expression. When this expression is evaluated it may
Bram Moolenaard1f56e62006-02-22 21:25:37 +00007132have to be done in the sandbox to avoid a security risc. But the sandbox is
Bram Moolenaarb71eaae2006-01-20 23:10:18 +00007133restrictive, thus this only happens when the option was set from an insecure
7134location. Insecure in this context are:
7135- sourcing a .vimrc or .exrc in the current directlry
7136- while executing in the sandbox
7137- value coming from a modeline
7138
7139Note that when in the sandbox and saving an option value and restoring it, the
7140option will still be marked as it was set in the sandbox.
7141
7142==============================================================================
714312. Textlock *textlock*
7144
7145In a few situations it is not allowed to change the text in the buffer, jump
7146to another window and some other things that might confuse or break what Vim
7147is currently doing. This mostly applies to things that happen when Vim is
7148actually doing something else. For example, evaluating the 'balloonexpr' may
7149happen any moment the mouse cursor is resting at some position.
7150
7151This is not allowed when the textlock is active:
7152 - changing the buffer text
7153 - jumping to another buffer or window
7154 - editing another file
7155 - closing a window or quitting Vim
7156 - etc.
7157
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00007158
7159 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: