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Bram Moolenaar913df812013-07-06 15:44:11 +02001*change.txt* For Vim version 7.4a. Last change: 2013 Mar 19
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7This file describes commands that delete or change text. In this context,
8changing text means deleting the text and replacing it with other text using
9one command. You can undo all of these commands. You can repeat the non-Ex
10commands with the "." command.
11
121. Deleting text |deleting|
132. Delete and insert |delete-insert|
143. Simple changes |simple-change| *changing*
154. Complex changes |complex-change|
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +000016 4.1 Filter commands |filter|
17 4.2 Substitute |:substitute|
18 4.3 Search and replace |search-replace|
19 4.4 Changing tabs |change-tabs|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000205. Copying and moving text |copy-move|
216. Formatting text |formatting|
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +0000227. Sorting text |sorting|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000023
24For inserting text see |insert.txt|.
25
26==============================================================================
271. Deleting text *deleting* *E470*
28
29["x]<Del> or *<Del>* *x* *dl*
30["x]x Delete [count] characters under and after the cursor
31 [into register x] (not |linewise|). Does the same as
32 "dl".
33 The <Del> key does not take a [count]. Instead, it
34 deletes the last character of the count.
35 See |:fixdel| if the <Del> key does not do what you
36 want. See |'whichwrap'| for deleting a line break
37 (join lines). {Vi does not support <Del>}
38
39 *X* *dh*
40["x]X Delete [count] characters before the cursor [into
41 register x] (not |linewise|). Does the same as "dh".
42 Also see |'whichwrap'|.
43
44 *d*
45["x]d{motion} Delete text that {motion} moves over [into register
46 x]. See below for exceptions.
47
48 *dd*
49["x]dd Delete [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
50
51 *D*
52["x]D Delete the characters under the cursor until the end
53 of the line and [count]-1 more lines [into register
54 x]; synonym for "d$".
55 (not |linewise|)
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +000056 When the '#' flag is in 'cpoptions' the count is
57 ignored.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000058
59{Visual}["x]x or *v_x* *v_d* *v_<Del>*
60{Visual}["x]d or
61{Visual}["x]<Del> Delete the highlighted text [into register x] (for
62 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
63
64{Visual}["x]CTRL-H or *v_CTRL-H* *v_<BS>*
65{Visual}["x]<BS> When in Select mode: Delete the highlighted text [into
66 register x].
67
68{Visual}["x]X or *v_X* *v_D* *v_b_D*
69{Visual}["x]D Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
70 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). In Visual block mode,
71 "D" deletes the highlighted text plus all text until
72 the end of the line. {not in Vi}
73
Bram Moolenaarf1568ec2011-12-14 21:17:39 +010074 *:d* *:de* *:del* *:delete* *:dl*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000075:[range]d[elete] [x] Delete [range] lines (default: current line) [into
76 register x].
77
78:[range]d[elete] [x] {count}
79 Delete {count} lines, starting with [range]
80 (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|) [into
81 register x].
82
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +020083These commands delete text. You can repeat them with the `.` command
84(except `:d`) and undo them. Use Visual mode to delete blocks of text. See
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000085|registers| for an explanation of registers.
86
87An exception for the d{motion} command: If the motion is not linewise, the
88start and end of the motion are not in the same line, and there are only
89blanks before the start and after the end of the motion, the delete becomes
90linewise. This means that the delete also removes the line of blanks that you
Bram Moolenaar6ee8d892012-01-10 14:55:01 +010091might expect to remain. Use the |o_v| operator to force the motion to be
92characterwise.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000093
94Trying to delete an empty region of text (e.g., "d0" in the first column)
95is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E' flag.
96
97 *J*
98J Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
99 Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces (see
100 below).
101
102 *v_J*
103{Visual}J Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
104 lines. Remove the indent and insert up to two spaces
105 (see below). {not in Vi}
106
107 *gJ*
108gJ Join [count] lines, with a minimum of two lines.
109 Don't insert or remove any spaces. {not in Vi}
110
111 *v_gJ*
112{Visual}gJ Join the highlighted lines, with a minimum of two
113 lines. Don't insert or remove any spaces. {not in
114 Vi}
115
116 *:j* *:join*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000117:[range]j[oin][!] [flags]
118 Join [range] lines. Same as "J", except with [!]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000119 the join does not insert or delete any spaces.
120 If a [range] has equal start and end values, this
121 command does nothing. The default behavior is to
122 join the current line with the line below it.
123 {not in Vi: !}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000124 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000125
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000126:[range]j[oin][!] {count} [flags]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000127 Join {count} lines, starting with [range] (default:
128 current line |cmdline-ranges|). Same as "J", except
129 with [!] the join does not insert or delete any
130 spaces.
131 {not in Vi: !}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000132 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000133
134These commands delete the <EOL> between lines. This has the effect of joining
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200135multiple lines into one line. You can repeat these commands (except `:j`) and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000136undo them.
137
138These commands, except "gJ", insert one space in place of the <EOL> unless
139there is trailing white space or the next line starts with a ')'. These
140commands, except "gJ", delete any leading white space on the next line. If
141the 'joinspaces' option is on, these commands insert two spaces after a '.',
142'!' or '?' (but if 'cpoptions' includes the 'j' flag, they insert two spaces
143only after a '.').
144The 'B' and 'M' flags in 'formatoptions' change the behavior for inserting
145spaces before and after a multi-byte character |fo-table|.
146
147
148==============================================================================
1492. Delete and insert *delete-insert* *replacing*
150
151 *R*
152R Enter Replace mode: Each character you type replaces
153 an existing character, starting with the character
154 under the cursor. Repeat the entered text [count]-1
155 times. See |Replace-mode| for more details.
156
157 *gR*
158gR Enter Virtual Replace mode: Each character you type
159 replaces existing characters in screen space. So a
160 <Tab> may replace several characters at once.
161 Repeat the entered text [count]-1 times. See
162 |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more details.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200163 {not available when compiled without the |+vreplace|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000164 feature}
165
166 *c*
167["x]c{motion} Delete {motion} text [into register x] and start
168 insert. When 'cpoptions' includes the 'E' flag and
169 there is no text to delete (e.g., with "cTx" when the
170 cursor is just after an 'x'), an error occurs and
171 insert mode does not start (this is Vi compatible).
172 When 'cpoptions' does not include the 'E' flag, the
173 "c" command always starts insert mode, even if there
174 is no text to delete.
175
176 *cc*
177["x]cc Delete [count] lines [into register x] and start
178 insert |linewise|. If 'autoindent' is on, preserve
179 the indent of the first line.
180
181 *C*
182["x]C Delete from the cursor position to the end of the
183 line and [count]-1 more lines [into register x], and
184 start insert. Synonym for c$ (not |linewise|).
185
186 *s*
187["x]s Delete [count] characters [into register x] and start
188 insert (s stands for Substitute). Synonym for "cl"
189 (not |linewise|).
190
191 *S*
192["x]S Delete [count] lines [into register x] and start
193 insert. Synonym for "cc" |linewise|.
194
195{Visual}["x]c or *v_c* *v_s*
196{Visual}["x]s Delete the highlighted text [into register x] and
197 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not
198 in Vi}
199
200 *v_r*
201{Visual}["x]r{char} Replace all selected characters by {char}.
202
203 *v_C*
204{Visual}["x]C Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
205 start insert. In Visual block mode it works
206 differently |v_b_C|. {not in Vi}
207 *v_S*
208{Visual}["x]S Delete the highlighted lines [into register x] and
209 start insert (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not
210 in Vi}
211 *v_R*
212{Visual}["x]R Currently just like {Visual}["x]S. In a next version
213 it might work differently. {not in Vi}
214
215Notes:
216- You can end Insert and Replace mode with <Esc>.
217- See the section "Insert and Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl| for the other
218 special characters in these modes.
219- The effect of [count] takes place after Vim exits Insert or Replace mode.
220- When the 'cpoptions' option contains '$' and the change is within one line,
221 Vim continues to show the text to be deleted and puts a '$' at the last
222 deleted character.
223
224See |registers| for an explanation of registers.
225
226Replace mode is just like Insert mode, except that every character you enter
227deletes one character. If you reach the end of a line, Vim appends any
228further characters (just like Insert mode). In Replace mode, the backspace
229key restores the original text (if there was any). (See section "Insert and
230Replace mode" |mode-ins-repl|).
231
232 *cw* *cW*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000233Special case: When the cursor is in a word, "cw" and "cW" do not include the
234white space after a word, they only change up to the end of the word. This is
235because Vim interprets "cw" as change-word, and a word does not include the
236following white space.
237{Vi: "cw" when on a blank followed by other blanks changes only the first
238blank; this is probably a bug, because "dw" deletes all the blanks; use the
239'w' flag in 'cpoptions' to make it work like Vi anyway}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000240
241If you prefer "cw" to include the space after a word, use this mapping: >
242 :map cw dwi
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000243Or use "caw" (see |aw|).
244
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000245 *:c* *:ch* *:change*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000246:{range}c[hange][!] Replace lines of text with some different text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000247 Type a line containing only "." to stop replacing.
248 Without {range}, this command changes only the current
249 line.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000250 Adding [!] toggles 'autoindent' for the time this
251 command is executed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000252
253==============================================================================
2543. Simple changes *simple-change*
255
256 *r*
257r{char} Replace the character under the cursor with {char}.
258 If {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, a line break replaces the
259 character. To replace with a real <CR>, use CTRL-V
260 <CR>. CTRL-V <NL> replaces with a <Nul>.
261 {Vi: CTRL-V <CR> still replaces with a line break,
262 cannot replace something with a <CR>}
Bram Moolenaar80716072012-05-01 21:14:34 +0200263
264 If {char} is CTRL-E or CTRL-Y the character from the
265 line below or above is used, just like with |i_CTRL-E|
266 and |i_CTRL-Y|. This also works with a count, thus
267 `10r<C-E>` copies 10 characters from the line below.
268
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000269 If you give a [count], Vim replaces [count] characters
270 with [count] {char}s. When {char} is a <CR> or <NL>,
271 however, Vim inserts only one <CR>: "5r<CR>" replaces
272 five characters with a single line break.
273 When {char} is a <CR> or <NL>, Vim performs
274 autoindenting. This works just like deleting the
275 characters that are replaced and then doing
276 "i<CR><Esc>".
277 {char} can be entered as a digraph |digraph-arg|.
278 |:lmap| mappings apply to {char}. The CTRL-^ command
279 in Insert mode can be used to switch this on/off
280 |i_CTRL-^|. See |utf-8-char-arg| about using
281 composing characters when 'encoding' is Unicode.
282
283 *gr*
284gr{char} Replace the virtual characters under the cursor with
285 {char}. This replaces in screen space, not file
286 space. See |gR| and |Virtual-Replace-mode| for more
287 details. As with |r| a count may be given.
288 {char} can be entered like with |r|.
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200289 {not available when compiled without the |+vreplace|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000290 feature}
291
292 *digraph-arg*
293The argument for Normal mode commands like |r| and |t| is a single character.
294When 'cpo' doesn't contain the 'D' flag, this character can also be entered
295like |digraphs|. First type CTRL-K and then the two digraph characters.
296{not available when compiled without the |+digraphs| feature}
297
298 *case*
299The following commands change the case of letters. The currently active
300|locale| is used. See |:language|. The LC_CTYPE value matters here.
301
302 *~*
303~ 'notildeop' option: Switch case of the character
304 under the cursor and move the cursor to the right.
305 If a [count] is given, do that many characters. {Vi:
306 no count}
307
308~{motion} 'tildeop' option: switch case of {motion} text. {Vi:
309 tilde cannot be used as an operator}
310
311 *g~*
312g~{motion} Switch case of {motion} text. {not in Vi}
313
314g~g~ *g~g~* *g~~*
315g~~ Switch case of current line. {not in Vi}.
316
317 *v_~*
318{Visual}~ Switch case of highlighted text (for {Visual} see
319 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
320
321 *v_U*
322{Visual}U Make highlighted text uppercase (for {Visual} see
323 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
324
325 *gU* *uppercase*
326gU{motion} Make {motion} text uppercase. {not in Vi}
327 Example: >
328 :map! <C-F> <Esc>gUiw`]a
329< This works in Insert mode: press CTRL-F to make the
330 word before the cursor uppercase. Handy to type
331 words in lowercase and then make them uppercase.
332
333
334gUgU *gUgU* *gUU*
335gUU Make current line uppercase. {not in Vi}.
336
337 *v_u*
338{Visual}u Make highlighted text lowercase (for {Visual} see
339 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
340
341 *gu* *lowercase*
342gu{motion} Make {motion} text lowercase. {not in Vi}
343
344gugu *gugu* *guu*
345guu Make current line lowercase. {not in Vi}.
346
347 *g?* *rot13*
348g?{motion} Rot13 encode {motion} text. {not in Vi}
349
350 *v_g?*
351{Visual}g? Rot13 encode the highlighted text (for {Visual} see
352 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
353
354g?g? *g?g?* *g??*
355g?? Rot13 encode current line. {not in Vi}.
356
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000357To turn one line into title caps, make every first letter of a word
358uppercase: >
359 :s/\v<(.)(\w*)/\u\1\L\2/g
360
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000361
362Adding and subtracting ~
363 *CTRL-A*
364CTRL-A Add [count] to the number or alphabetic character at
365 or after the cursor. {not in Vi}
366
367 *CTRL-X*
368CTRL-X Subtract [count] from the number or alphabetic
369 character at or after the cursor. {not in Vi}
370
371The CTRL-A and CTRL-X commands work for (signed) decimal numbers, unsigned
372octal and hexadecimal numbers and alphabetic characters. This depends on the
373'nrformats' option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000374- When 'nrformats' includes "octal", Vim considers numbers starting with a '0'
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000375 to be octal, unless the number includes a '8' or '9'. Other numbers are
376 decimal and may have a preceding minus sign.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000377 If the cursor is on a number, the commands apply to that number; otherwise
378 Vim uses the number to the right of the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000379- When 'nrformats' includes "hex", Vim assumes numbers starting with '0x' or
380 '0X' are hexadecimal. The case of the rightmost letter in the number
381 determines the case of the resulting hexadecimal number. If there is no
382 letter in the current number, Vim uses the previously detected case.
383- When 'nrformats' includes "alpha", Vim will change the alphabetic character
384 under or after the cursor. This is useful to make lists with an alphabetic
385 index.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000386
387For numbers with leading zeros (including all octal and hexadecimal numbers),
388Vim preserves the number of characters in the number when possible. CTRL-A on
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000389"0077" results in "0100", CTRL-X on "0x100" results in "0x0ff".
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000390There is one exception: When a number that starts with a zero is found not to
391be octal (it contains a '8' or '9'), but 'nrformats' does include "octal",
392leading zeros are removed to avoid that the result may be recognized as an
393octal number.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000394
395Note that when 'nrformats' includes "octal", decimal numbers with leading
Bram Moolenaar1cd871b2004-12-19 22:46:22 +0000396zeros cause mistakes, because they can be confused with octal numbers.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000397
398The CTRL-A command is very useful in a macro. Example: Use the following
399steps to make a numbered list.
400
4011. Create the first list entry, make sure it starts with a number.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004022. qa - start recording into register 'a'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004033. Y - yank the entry
4044. p - put a copy of the entry below the first one
4055. CTRL-A - increment the number
4066. q - stop recording
4077. <count>@a - repeat the yank, put and increment <count> times
408
409
410SHIFTING LINES LEFT OR RIGHT *shift-left-right*
411
412 *<*
413<{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
414
415 *<<*
416<< Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' leftwards.
417
418 *v_<*
419{Visual}[count]< Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
420 leftwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in
421 Vi}
422
423 *>*
424 >{motion} Shift {motion} lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
425
426 *>>*
427 >> Shift [count] lines one 'shiftwidth' rightwards.
428
429 *v_>*
430{Visual}[count]> Shift the highlighted lines [count] 'shiftwidth'
431 rightwards (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in
432 Vi}
433
434 *:<*
435:[range]< Shift [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' left. Repeat '<'
436 for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
437
438:[range]< {count} Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' left, starting
439 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
440 Repeat '<' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
441
442:[range]le[ft] [indent] left align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
443 lines to [indent] (default 0). {not in Vi}
444
445 *:>*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000446:[range]> [flags] Shift {count} [range] lines one 'shiftwidth' right.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000447 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000448 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000449
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000450:[range]> {count} [flags]
451 Shift {count} lines one 'shiftwidth' right, starting
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000452 with [range] (default current line |cmdline-ranges|).
453 Repeat '>' for shifting multiple 'shiftwidth's.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000454 See |ex-flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000455
456The ">" and "<" commands are handy for changing the indentation within
457programs. Use the 'shiftwidth' option to set the size of the white space
458which these commands insert or delete. Normally the 'shiftwidth' option is 8,
459but you can set it to, say, 3 to make smaller indents. The shift leftwards
460stops when there is no indent. The shift right does not affect empty lines.
461
462If the 'shiftround' option is on, the indent is rounded to a multiple of
463'shiftwidth'.
464
465If the 'smartindent' option is on, or 'cindent' is on and 'cinkeys' contains
466'#', shift right does not affect lines starting with '#' (these are supposed
467to be C preprocessor lines that must stay in column 1).
468
469When the 'expandtab' option is off (this is the default) Vim uses <Tab>s as
470much as possible to make the indent. You can use ">><<" to replace an indent
471made out of spaces with the same indent made out of <Tab>s (and a few spaces
472if necessary). If the 'expandtab' option is on, Vim uses only spaces. Then
473you can use ">><<" to replace <Tab>s in the indent by spaces (or use
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200474`:retab!`).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000475
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200476To move a line several 'shiftwidth's, use Visual mode or the `:` commands.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000477For example: >
478 Vjj4> move three lines 4 indents to the right
479 :<<< move current line 3 indents to the left
480 :>> 5 move 5 lines 2 indents to the right
481 :5>> move line 5 2 indents to the right
482
483==============================================================================
4844. Complex changes *complex-change*
485
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +00004864.1 Filter commands *filter*
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000487
488A filter is a program that accepts text at standard input, changes it in some
489way, and sends it to standard output. You can use the commands below to send
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000490some text through a filter, so that it is replaced by the filter output.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000491Examples of filters are "sort", which sorts lines alphabetically, and
492"indent", which formats C program files (you need a version of indent that
493works like a filter; not all versions do). The 'shell' option specifies the
494shell Vim uses to execute the filter command (See also the 'shelltype'
495option). You can repeat filter commands with ".". Vim does not recognize a
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200496comment (starting with '"') after the `:!` command.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000497
498 *!*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000499!{motion}{filter} Filter {motion} text lines through the external
500 program {filter}.
501
502 *!!*
503!!{filter} Filter [count] lines through the external program
504 {filter}.
505
506 *v_!*
507{Visual}!{filter} Filter the highlighted lines through the external
508 program {filter} (for {Visual} see |Visual-mode|).
509 {not in Vi}
510
511:{range}![!]{filter} [!][arg] *:range!*
512 Filter {range} lines through the external program
513 {filter}. Vim replaces the optional bangs with the
514 latest given command and appends the optional [arg].
515 Vim saves the output of the filter command in a
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100516 temporary file and then reads the file into the buffer
517 |tempfile|. Vim uses the 'shellredir' option to
518 redirect the filter output to the temporary file.
Bram Moolenaar83c465c2005-12-16 21:53:56 +0000519 However, if the 'shelltemp' option is off then pipes
520 are used when possible (on Unix).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000521 When the 'R' flag is included in 'cpoptions' marks in
522 the filtered lines are deleted, unless the
523 |:keepmarks| command is used. Example: >
524 :keepmarks '<,'>!sort
525< When the number of lines after filtering is less than
526 before, marks in the missing lines are deleted anyway.
527
528 *=*
529={motion} Filter {motion} lines through the external program
530 given with the 'equalprg' option. When the 'equalprg'
531 option is empty (this is the default), use the
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +0200532 internal formatting function |C-indenting| and
533 |'lisp'|. But when 'indentexpr' is not empty, it will
534 be used instead |indent-expression|. When Vim was
535 compiled without internal formatting then the "indent"
536 program is used as a last resort.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000537
538 *==*
539== Filter [count] lines like with ={motion}.
540
541 *v_=*
542{Visual}= Filter the highlighted lines like with ={motion}.
543 {not in Vi}
544
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000545
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100546 *tempfile* *setuid*
547Vim uses temporary files for filtering, generating diffs and also for
548tempname(). For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
549accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems (e.g., a symlink
550attack or other people reading your file). When Vim exits the directory and
551all files in it are deleted. When Vim has the setuid bit set this may cause
552problems, the temp file is owned by the setuid user but the filter command
553probably runs as the original user.
554On MS-DOS and OS/2 the first of these directories that works is used: $TMP,
555$TEMP, c:\TMP, c:\TEMP.
556For Unix the list of directories is: $TMPDIR, /tmp, current-dir, $HOME.
557For MS-Windows the GetTempFileName() system function is used.
558For other systems the tmpnam() library function is used.
559
560
561
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00005624.2 Substitute *:substitute*
563 *:s* *:su*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000564:[range]s[ubstitute]/{pattern}/{string}/[flags] [count]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000565 For each line in [range] replace a match of {pattern}
566 with {string}.
567 For the {pattern} see |pattern|.
568 {string} can be a literal string, or something
569 special; see |sub-replace-special|.
570 When [range] and [count] are omitted, replace in the
571 current line only.
572 When [count] is given, replace in [count] lines,
573 starting with the last line in [range]. When [range]
574 is omitted start in the current line.
575 Also see |cmdline-ranges|.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000576 See |:s_flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000577
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000578:[range]s[ubstitute] [flags] [count]
579:[range]&[&][flags] [count] *:&*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000580 Repeat last :substitute with same search pattern and
581 substitute string, but without the same flags. You
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000582 may add [flags], see |:s_flags|.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200583 Note that after `:substitute` the '&' flag can't be
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000584 used, it's recognized as a pattern separator.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200585 The space between `:substitute` and the 'c', 'g' and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000586 'r' flags isn't required, but in scripts it's a good
587 idea to keep it to avoid confusion.
588
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000589:[range]~[&][flags] [count] *:~*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000590 Repeat last substitute with same substitute string
591 but with last used search pattern. This is like
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200592 `:&r`. See |:s_flags| for [flags].
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000593
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000594 *&*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200595& Synonym for `:s` (repeat last substitute). Note
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000596 that the flags are not remembered, thus it might
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200597 actually work differently. You can use `:&&` to keep
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000598 the flags.
599
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000600 *g&*
Bram Moolenaar97d62492012-11-15 21:28:22 +0100601g& Synonym for `:%s//~/&` (repeat last substitute with
602 last search pattern on all lines with the same flags).
Bram Moolenaar34700a62013-03-07 13:20:54 +0100603 For example, when you first do a substitution with
Bram Moolenaar97d62492012-11-15 21:28:22 +0100604 `:s/pattern/repl/flags` and then `/search` for
605 something else, `g&` will do `:%s/search/repl/flags`.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000606 Mnemonic: global substitute. {not in Vi}
607
608 *:snomagic* *:sno*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200609:[range]sno[magic] ... Same as `:substitute`, but always use 'nomagic'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000610 {not in Vi}
611
612 *:smagic* *:sm*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200613:[range]sm[agic] ... Same as `:substitute`, but always use 'magic'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000614 {not in Vi}
615
616 *:s_flags*
617The flags that you can use for the substitute commands:
618
619[&] Must be the first one: Keep the flags from the previous substitute
620 command. Examples: >
621 :&&
622 :s/this/that/&
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200623< Note that `:s` and `:&` don't keep the flags.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000624 {not in Vi}
625
626[c] Confirm each substitution. Vim highlights the matching string (with
627 |hl-IncSearch|). You can type: *:s_c*
628 'y' to substitute this match
629 'l' to substitute this match and then quit ("last")
630 'n' to skip this match
631 <Esc> to quit substituting
632 'a' to substitute this and all remaining matches {not in Vi}
633 'q' to quit substituting {not in Vi}
634 CTRL-E to scroll the screen up {not in Vi, not available when
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200635 compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000636 CTRL-Y to scroll the screen down {not in Vi, not available when
Bram Moolenaardb84e452010-08-15 13:50:43 +0200637 compiled without the |+insert_expand| feature}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000638 If the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers the [c] flag and
639 toggles it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new
640 search pattern.
641 {not in Vi: highlighting of the match, other responses than 'y' or 'n'}
642
643[e] When the search pattern fails, do not issue an error message and, in
644 particular, continue in maps as if no error occurred. This is most
645 useful to prevent the "No match" error from breaking a mapping. Vim
646 does not suppress the following error messages, however:
647 Regular expressions can't be delimited by letters
648 \ should be followed by /, ? or &
649 No previous substitute regular expression
650 Trailing characters
651 Interrupted
652 {not in Vi}
653
654[g] Replace all occurrences in the line. Without this argument,
655 replacement occurs only for the first occurrence in each line. If
656 the 'edcompatible' option is on, Vim remembers this flag and toggles
657 it each time you use it, but resets it when you give a new search
658 pattern. If the 'gdefault' option is on, this flag is on by default
659 and the [g] argument switches it off.
660
661[i] Ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase' options
662 are not used.
663 {not in Vi}
664
665[I] Don't ignore case for the pattern. The 'ignorecase' and 'smartcase'
666 options are not used.
667 {not in Vi}
668
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000669[n] Report the number of matches, do not actually substitute. The [c]
670 flag is ignored. The matches are reported as if 'report' is zero.
671 Useful to |count-items|.
Bram Moolenaar9b451252012-08-15 17:43:31 +0200672 If \= |sub-replace-expression| is used, the expression will be
673 evaluated in the |sandbox| at every match.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000674
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000675[p] Print the line containing the last substitute.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000676
677[#] Like [p] and prepend the line number.
678
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000679[l] Like [p] but print the text like |:list|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000680
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200681[r] Only useful in combination with `:&` or `:s` without arguments. `:&r`
682 works the same way as `:~`: When the search pattern is empty, use the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000683 previously used search pattern instead of the search pattern from the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200684 last substitute or `:global`. If the last command that did a search
685 was a substitute or `:global`, there is no effect. If the last
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000686 command was a search command such as "/", use the pattern from that
687 command.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200688 For `:s` with an argument this already happens: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000689 :s/blue/red/
690 /green
691 :s//red/ or :~ or :&r
692< The last commands will replace "green" with "red". >
693 :s/blue/red/
694 /green
695 :&
696< The last command will replace "blue" with "red".
697 {not in Vi}
698
699Note that there is no flag to change the "magicness" of the pattern. A
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000700different command is used instead, or you can use |/\v| and friends. The
701reason is that the flags can only be found by skipping the pattern, and in
702order to skip the pattern the "magicness" must be known. Catch 22!
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000703
704If the {pattern} for the substitute command is empty, the command uses the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200705pattern from the last substitute or `:global` command. If there is none, but
Bram Moolenaar662db672011-03-22 14:05:35 +0100706there is a previous search pattern, that one is used. With the [r] flag, the
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200707command uses the pattern from the last substitute, `:global`, or search
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000708command.
709
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000710If the {string} is omitted the substitute is done as if it's empty. Thus the
711matched pattern is deleted. The separator after {pattern} can also be left
712out then. Example: >
713 :%s/TESTING
714This deletes "TESTING" from all lines, but only one per line.
715
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000716For compatibility with Vi these two exceptions are allowed:
717"\/{string}/" and "\?{string}?" do the same as "//{string}/r".
718"\&{string}&" does the same as "//{string}/".
719 *E146*
720Instead of the '/' which surrounds the pattern and replacement string, you
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +0000721can use any other single-byte character, but not an alphanumeric character,
722'\', '"' or '|'. This is useful if you want to include a '/' in the search
723pattern or replacement string. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000724 :s+/+//+
725
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +0000726For the definition of a pattern, see |pattern|. In Visual block mode, use
727|/\%V| in the pattern to have the substitute work in the block only.
728Otherwise it works on whole lines anyway.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000729
730 *sub-replace-special* *:s\=*
731When the {string} starts with "\=" it is evaluated as an expression, see
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200732|sub-replace-expression|. You can use that for complex replacement or special
733characters.
734
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000735Otherwise these characters in {string} have a special meaning:
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +0000736 *:s%*
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +0000737When {string} is equal to "%" and '/' is included with the 'cpoptions' option,
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200738then the {string} of the previous substitute command is used, see |cpo-/|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000739
740magic nomagic action ~
741 & \& replaced with the whole matched pattern *s/\&*
742 \& & replaced with &
743 \0 replaced with the whole matched pattern *\0* *s/\0*
744 \1 replaced with the matched pattern in the first
745 pair of () *s/\1*
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000746 \2 replaced with the matched pattern in the second
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000747 pair of () *s/\2*
748 .. .. *s/\3*
749 \9 replaced with the matched pattern in the ninth
750 pair of () *s/\9*
751 ~ \~ replaced with the {string} of the previous
752 substitute *s~*
753 \~ ~ replaced with ~ *s/\~*
754 \u next character made uppercase *s/\u*
755 \U following characters made uppercase, until \E *s/\U*
756 \l next character made lowercase *s/\l*
757 \L following characters made lowercase, until \E *s/\L*
758 \e end of \u, \U, \l and \L (NOTE: not <Esc>!) *s/\e*
759 \E end of \u, \U, \l and \L *s/\E*
760 <CR> split line in two at this point
761 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s<CR>*
762 \r idem *s/\r*
763 \<CR> insert a carriage-return (CTRL-M)
764 (Type the <CR> as CTRL-V <Enter>) *s/\<CR>*
765 \n insert a <NL> (<NUL> in the file)
766 (does NOT break the line) *s/\n*
767 \b insert a <BS> *s/\b*
768 \t insert a <Tab> *s/\t*
769 \\ insert a single backslash *s/\\*
770 \x where x is any character not mentioned above:
771 Reserved for future expansion
772
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200773The special meaning is also used inside the third argument {sub} of
774the |substitute()| function with the following exceptions:
775 - A % inserts a percent literally without regard to 'cpoptions'.
776 - magic is always set without regard to 'magic'.
777 - A ~ inserts a tilde literally.
778 - <CR> and \r inserts a carriage-return (CTRL-M).
779 - \<CR> does not have a special meaning. it's just one of \x.
780
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000781Examples: >
782 :s/a\|b/xxx\0xxx/g modifies "a b" to "xxxaxxx xxxbxxx"
783 :s/\([abc]\)\([efg]\)/\2\1/g modifies "af fa bg" to "fa fa gb"
784 :s/abcde/abc^Mde/ modifies "abcde" to "abc", "de" (two lines)
785 :s/$/\^M/ modifies "abcde" to "abcde^M"
Bram Moolenaarefd2bf12006-03-16 21:41:35 +0000786 :s/\w\+/\u\0/g modifies "bla bla" to "Bla Bla"
Bram Moolenaarbf884932013-04-05 22:26:15 +0200787 :s/\w\+/\L\u/g modifies "BLA bla" to "Bla Bla"
788
789Note: "\L\u" can be used to capitalize the first letter of a word. This is
790not compatible with Vi and older versions of Vim, where the "\u" would cancel
791out the "\L". Same for "\U\l".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000792
793Note: In previous versions CTRL-V was handled in a special way. Since this is
794not Vi compatible, this was removed. Use a backslash instead.
795
796command text result ~
797:s/aa/a^Ma/ aa a<line-break>a
798:s/aa/a\^Ma/ aa a^Ma
799:s/aa/a\\^Ma/ aa a\<line-break>a
800
801(you need to type CTRL-V <CR> to get a ^M here)
802
803The numbering of "\1", "\2" etc. is done based on which "\(" comes first in
804the pattern (going left to right). When a parentheses group matches several
805times, the last one will be used for "\1", "\2", etc. Example: >
806 :s/\(\(a[a-d] \)*\)/\2/ modifies "aa ab x" to "ab x"
807
808When using parentheses in combination with '|', like in \([ab]\)\|\([cd]\),
809either the first or second pattern in parentheses did not match, so either
810\1 or \2 is empty. Example: >
811 :s/\([ab]\)\|\([cd]\)/\1x/g modifies "a b c d" to "ax bx x x"
812<
813
814Substitute with an expression *sub-replace-expression*
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000815 *sub-replace-\=*
816When the substitute string starts with "\=" the remainder is interpreted as an
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200817expression. This does not work recursively: a |substitute()| function inside
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000818the expression cannot use "\=" for the substitute string.
819
820The special meaning for characters as mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200821not apply except for "<CR>". A <NL> character is used as a line break, you
822can get one with a double-quote string: "\n". Prepend a backslash to get a
823real <NL> character (which will be a NUL in the file).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000824
Bram Moolenaar251e1912011-06-19 05:09:16 +0200825The "\=" notation can also be used inside the third argument {sub} of
826|substitute()| function. In this case, the special meaning for characters as
827mentioned at |sub-replace-special| does not apply at all. Especially, <CR> and
828<NL> are interpreted not as a line break but as a carriage-return and a
829new-line respectively.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000830
Bram Moolenaar362e1a32006-03-06 23:29:24 +0000831When the result is a |List| then the items are joined with separating line
832breaks. Thus each item becomes a line, except that they can contain line
833breaks themselves.
834
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000835The whole matched text can be accessed with "submatch(0)". The text matched
836with the first pair of () with "submatch(1)". Likewise for further
837sub-matches in ().
838
839Be careful: The separation character must not appear in the expression!
840Consider using a character like "@" or ":". There is no problem if the result
841of the expression contains the separation character.
842
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000843Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000844 :s@\n@\="\r" . expand("$HOME") . "\r"@
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +0000845This replaces an end-of-line with a new line containing the value of $HOME. >
846
847 s/E/\="\<Char-0x20ac>"/g
Bram Moolenaarc236c162008-07-13 17:41:49 +0000848This replaces each 'E' character with a euro sign. Read more in |<Char->|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000849
850
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00008514.3 Search and replace *search-replace*
852
853 *:pro* *:promptfind*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000854:promptf[ind] [string]
855 Put up a Search dialog. When [string] is given, it is
856 used as the initial search string.
857 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
858
859 *:promptr* *:promptrepl*
860:promptr[epl] [string]
861 Put up a Search/Replace dialog. When [string] is
862 given, it is used as the initial search string.
863 {only for Win32, Motif and GTK GUI}
864
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +0000865
8664.4 Changing tabs *change-tabs*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200867 *:ret* *:retab* *:retab!*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000868:[range]ret[ab][!] [new_tabstop]
869 Replace all sequences of white-space containing a
870 <Tab> with new strings of white-space using the new
871 tabstop value given. If you do not specify a new
872 tabstop size or it is zero, Vim uses the current value
873 of 'tabstop'.
874 The current value of 'tabstop' is always used to
875 compute the width of existing tabs.
876 With !, Vim also replaces strings of only normal
877 spaces with tabs where appropriate.
878 With 'expandtab' on, Vim replaces all tabs with the
879 appropriate number of spaces.
880 This command sets 'tabstop' to the new value given,
881 and if performed on the whole file, which is default,
882 should not make any visible change.
883 Careful: This command modifies any <Tab> characters
884 inside of strings in a C program. Use "\t" to avoid
885 this (that's a good habit anyway).
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200886 `:retab!` may also change a sequence of spaces by
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000887 <Tab> characters, which can mess up a printf().
888 {not in Vi}
889 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
890 compile time.
891
892 *retab-example*
893Example for using autocommands and ":retab" to edit a file which is stored
894with tabstops at 8 but edited with tabstops set at 4. Warning: white space
895inside of strings can change! Also see 'softtabstop' option. >
896
897 :auto BufReadPost *.xx retab! 4
898 :auto BufWritePre *.xx retab! 8
899 :auto BufWritePost *.xx retab! 4
900 :auto BufNewFile *.xx set ts=4
901
902==============================================================================
9035. Copying and moving text *copy-move*
904
905 *quote*
906"{a-zA-Z0-9.%#:-"} Use register {a-zA-Z0-9.%#:-"} for next delete, yank
907 or put (use uppercase character to append with
908 delete and yank) ({.%#:} only work with put).
909
910 *:reg* *:registers*
911:reg[isters] Display the contents of all numbered and named
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +0100912 registers. If a register is written to for |:redir|
913 it will not be listed.
914 {not in Vi}
915
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000916
917:reg[isters] {arg} Display the contents of the numbered and named
918 registers that are mentioned in {arg}. For example: >
919 :dis 1a
920< to display registers '1' and 'a'. Spaces are allowed
921 in {arg}. {not in Vi}
922
923 *:di* *:display*
924:di[splay] [arg] Same as :registers. {not in Vi}
925
926 *y* *yank*
927["x]y{motion} Yank {motion} text [into register x]. When no
928 characters are to be yanked (e.g., "y0" in column 1),
929 this is an error when 'cpoptions' includes the 'E'
930 flag.
931
932 *yy*
933["x]yy Yank [count] lines [into register x] |linewise|.
934
935 *Y*
936["x]Y yank [count] lines [into register x] (synonym for
937 yy, |linewise|). If you like "Y" to work from the
938 cursor to the end of line (which is more logical,
939 but not Vi-compatible) use ":map Y y$".
940
941 *v_y*
942{Visual}["x]y Yank the highlighted text [into register x] (for
943 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
944
945 *v_Y*
946{Visual}["x]Y Yank the highlighted lines [into register x] (for
947 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
948
Bram Moolenaar85de2062011-05-05 14:26:41 +0200949 *:y* *:yank* *E850*
950:[range]y[ank] [x] Yank [range] lines [into register x]. Yanking to the
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +0200951 "* or "+ registers is possible only when the
952 |+clipboard| feature is included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000953
954:[range]y[ank] [x] {count}
955 Yank {count} lines, starting with last line number
956 in [range] (default: current line |cmdline-ranges|),
957 [into register x].
958
959 *p* *put* *E353*
960["x]p Put the text [from register x] after the cursor
961 [count] times. {Vi: no count}
962
963 *P*
964["x]P Put the text [from register x] before the cursor
965 [count] times. {Vi: no count}
966
967 *<MiddleMouse>*
968["x]<MiddleMouse> Put the text from a register before the cursor [count]
969 times. Uses the "* register, unless another is
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000970 specified.
Bram Moolenaar293ee4d2004-12-09 21:34:53 +0000971 Leaves the cursor at the end of the new text.
972 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
973 or 'a'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000974 {not in Vi}
975 If you have a scrollwheel and often accidentally paste
976 text, you can use these mappings to disable the
977 pasting with the middle mouse button: >
978 :map <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
979 :imap <MiddleMouse> <Nop>
980< You might want to disable the multi-click versions
981 too, see |double-click|.
982
983 *gp*
984["x]gp Just like "p", but leave the cursor just after the new
985 text. {not in Vi}
986
987 *gP*
988["x]gP Just like "P", but leave the cursor just after the new
989 text. {not in Vi}
990
991 *:pu* *:put*
992:[line]pu[t] [x] Put the text [from register x] after [line] (default
993 current line). This always works |linewise|, thus
994 this command can be used to put a yanked block as new
995 lines.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +0200996 If no register is specified, it depends on the 'cb'
997 option: If 'cb' contains "unnamedplus", paste from the
998 + register |quoteplus|. Otherwise, if 'cb' contains
Bram Moolenaarddbb5552012-04-26 20:17:03 +0200999 "unnamed", paste from the * register |quotestar|.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001000 Otherwise, paste from the unnamed register
1001 |quote_quote|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001002 The register can also be '=' followed by an optional
1003 expression. The expression continues until the end of
1004 the command. You need to escape the '|' and '"'
1005 characters to prevent them from terminating the
1006 command. Example: >
1007 :put ='path' . \",/test\"
1008< If there is no expression after '=', Vim uses the
1009 previous expression. You can see it with ":dis =".
1010
1011:[line]pu[t]! [x] Put the text [from register x] before [line] (default
1012 current line).
1013
1014["x]]p or *]p* *]<MiddleMouse>*
1015["x]]<MiddleMouse> Like "p", but adjust the indent to the current line.
1016 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1017 or 'a'. {not in Vi}
1018
1019["x][P or *[P*
1020["x]]P or *]P*
1021["x][p or *[p* *[<MiddleMouse>*
1022["x][<MiddleMouse> Like "P", but adjust the indent to the current line.
1023 Using the mouse only works when 'mouse' contains 'n'
1024 or 'a'. {not in Vi}
1025
1026You can use these commands to copy text from one place to another. Do this
1027by first getting the text into a register with a yank, delete or change
1028command, then inserting the register contents with a put command. You can
1029also use these commands to move text from one file to another, because Vim
1030preserves all registers when changing buffers (the CTRL-^ command is a quick
1031way to toggle between two files).
1032
1033 *linewise-register* *characterwise-register*
1034You can repeat the put commands with "." (except for :put) and undo them. If
1035the command that was used to get the text into the register was |linewise|,
1036Vim inserts the text below ("p") or above ("P") the line where the cursor is.
1037Otherwise Vim inserts the text after ("p") or before ("P") the cursor. With
1038the ":put" command, Vim always inserts the text in the next line. You can
1039exchange two characters with the command sequence "xp". You can exchange two
1040lines with the command sequence "ddp". You can exchange two words with the
1041command sequence "deep" (start with the cursor in the blank space before the
1042first word). You can use the "']" or "`]" command after the put command to
1043move the cursor to the end of the inserted text, or use "'[" or "`[" to move
1044the cursor to the start.
1045
1046 *put-Visual-mode* *v_p* *v_P*
1047When using a put command like |p| or |P| in Visual mode, Vim will try to
1048replace the selected text with the contents of the register. Whether this
1049works well depends on the type of selection and the type of the text in the
1050register. With blockwise selection it also depends on the size of the block
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001051and whether the corners are on an existing character. (Implementation detail:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001052it actually works by first putting the register after the selection and then
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001053deleting the selection.)
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001054The previously selected text is put in the unnamed register. If you want to
1055put the same text into a Visual selection several times you need to use
1056another register. E.g., yank the text to copy, Visually select the text to
1057replace and use "0p . You can repeat this as many times as you like, the
1058unnamed register will be changed each time.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001059
1060 *blockwise-register*
1061If you use a blockwise Visual mode command to get the text into the register,
1062the block of text will be inserted before ("P") or after ("p") the cursor
1063column in the current and next lines. Vim makes the whole block of text start
1064in the same column. Thus the inserted text looks the same as when it was
1065yanked or deleted. Vim may replace some <Tab> characters with spaces to make
1066this happen. However, if the width of the block is not a multiple of a <Tab>
1067width and the text after the inserted block contains <Tab>s, that text may be
1068misaligned.
1069
1070Note that after a characterwise yank command, Vim leaves the cursor on the
1071first yanked character that is closest to the start of the buffer. This means
1072that "yl" doesn't move the cursor, but "yh" moves the cursor one character
1073left.
1074Rationale: In Vi the "y" command followed by a backwards motion would
1075 sometimes not move the cursor to the first yanked character,
1076 because redisplaying was skipped. In Vim it always moves to
1077 the first character, as specified by Posix.
1078With a linewise yank command the cursor is put in the first line, but the
1079column is unmodified, thus it may not be on the first yanked character.
1080
1081There are nine types of registers: *registers* *E354*
10821. The unnamed register ""
10832. 10 numbered registers "0 to "9
10843. The small delete register "-
10854. 26 named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z
10865. four read-only registers ":, "., "% and "#
10876. the expression register "=
10887. The selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
10898. The black hole register "_
10909. Last search pattern register "/
1091
10921. Unnamed register "" *quote_quote* *quotequote*
1093Vim fills this register with text deleted with the "d", "c", "s", "x" commands
1094or copied with the yank "y" command, regardless of whether or not a specific
Bram Moolenaared203462004-06-16 11:19:22 +00001095register was used (e.g. "xdd). This is like the unnamed register is pointing
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001096to the last used register. Thus when appending using an uppercase register
1097name, the unnamed register contains the same text as the named register.
1098An exception is the '_' register: "_dd does not store the deleted text in any
1099register.
Bram Moolenaar81695252004-12-29 20:58:21 +00001100Vim uses the contents of the unnamed register for any put command (p or P)
1101which does not specify a register. Additionally you can access it with the
1102name '"'. This means you have to type two double quotes. Writing to the ""
1103register writes to register "0.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001104{Vi: register contents are lost when changing files, no '"'}
1105
11062. Numbered registers "0 to "9 *quote_number* *quote0* *quote1*
1107 *quote2* *quote3* *quote4* *quote9*
1108Vim fills these registers with text from yank and delete commands.
1109 Numbered register 0 contains the text from the most recent yank command,
1110unless the command specified another register with ["x].
1111 Numbered register 1 contains the text deleted by the most recent delete or
1112change command, unless the command specified another register or the text is
1113less than one line (the small delete register is used then). An exception is
Bram Moolenaar81695252004-12-29 20:58:21 +00001114made for the delete operator with these movement commands: |%|, |(|, |)|, |`|,
1115|/|, |?|, |n|, |N|, |{| and |}|. Register "1 is always used then (this is Vi
1116compatible). The "- register is used as well if the delete is within a line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001117 With each successive deletion or change, Vim shifts the previous contents
1118of register 1 into register 2, 2 into 3, and so forth, losing the previous
1119contents of register 9.
1120{Vi: numbered register contents are lost when changing files; register 0 does
1121not exist}
1122
11233. Small delete register "- *quote_-* *quote-*
1124This register contains text from commands that delete less than one line,
1125except when the command specifies a register with ["x].
1126{not in Vi}
1127
11284. Named registers "a to "z or "A to "Z *quote_alpha* *quotea*
1129Vim fills these registers only when you say so. Specify them as lowercase
1130letters to replace their previous contents or as uppercase letters to append
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001131to their previous contents. When the '>' flag is present in 'cpoptions' then
1132a line break is inserted before the appended text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001133
11345. Read-only registers ":, "., "% and "#
1135These are '%', '#', ':' and '.'. You can use them only with the "p", "P",
1136and ":put" commands and with CTRL-R. {not in Vi}
1137 *quote_.* *quote.* *E29*
1138 ". Contains the last inserted text (the same as what is inserted
1139 with the insert mode commands CTRL-A and CTRL-@). Note: this
1140 doesn't work with CTRL-R on the command-line. It works a bit
1141 differently, like inserting the text instead of putting it
1142 ('textwidth' and other options affect what is inserted).
1143 *quote_%* *quote%*
1144 "% Contains the name of the current file.
1145 *quote_#* *quote#*
1146 "# Contains the name of the alternate file.
1147 *quote_:* *quote:* *E30*
1148 ": Contains the most recent executed command-line. Example: Use
1149 "@:" to repeat the previous command-line command.
1150 The command-line is only stored in this register when at least
1151 one character of it was typed. Thus it remains unchanged if
1152 the command was completely from a mapping.
1153 {not available when compiled without the |+cmdline_hist|
1154 feature}
1155
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +000011566. Expression register "= *quote_=* *quote=* *@=*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001157This is not really a register that stores text, but is a way to use an
1158expression in commands which use a register. The expression register is
1159read-only; you cannot put text into it. After the '=', the cursor moves to
1160the command-line, where you can enter any expression (see |expression|). All
1161normal command-line editing commands are available, including a special
1162history for expressions. When you end the command-line by typing <CR>, Vim
1163computes the result of the expression. If you end it with <Esc>, Vim abandons
1164the expression. If you do not enter an expression, Vim uses the previous
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001165expression (like with the "/" command).
1166
1167The expression must evaluate to a String. A Number is always automatically
1168converted to a String. For the "p" and ":put" command, if the result is a
1169Float it's converted into a String. If the result is a List each element is
1170turned into a String and used as a line. A Dictionary or FuncRef results in
1171an error message (use string() to convert).
1172
1173If the "= register is used for the "p" command, the String is split up at <NL>
1174characters. If the String ends in a <NL>, it is regarded as a linewise
Bram Moolenaar6bab4d12005-06-16 21:53:56 +00001175register. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001176
11777. Selection and drop registers "*, "+ and "~
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001178Use these registers for storing and retrieving the selected text for the GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001179See |quotestar| and |quoteplus|. When the clipboard is not available or not
Bram Moolenaarf4d11452005-12-02 00:46:37 +00001180working, the unnamed register is used instead. For Unix systems the clipboard
1181is only available when the |+xterm_clipboard| feature is present. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001182
1183Note that there is only a distinction between "* and "+ for X11 systems. For
1184an explanation of the difference, see |x11-selection|. Under MS-Windows, use
1185of "* and "+ is actually synonymous and refers to the |gui-clipboard|.
1186
1187 *quote_~* *quote~* *<Drop>*
1188The read-only "~ register stores the dropped text from the last drag'n'drop
1189operation. When something has been dropped onto Vim, the "~ register is
1190filled in and the <Drop> pseudo key is sent for notification. You can remap
1191this key if you want; the default action (for all modes) is to insert the
1192contents of the "~ register at the cursor position. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001193{only available when compiled with the |+dnd| feature, currently only with the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001194GTK GUI}
1195
1196Note: The "~ register is only used when dropping plain text onto Vim.
1197Drag'n'drop of URI lists is handled internally.
1198
11998. Black hole register "_ *quote_*
1200When writing to this register, nothing happens. This can be used to delete
1201text without affecting the normal registers. When reading from this register,
1202nothing is returned. {not in Vi}
1203
12049. Last search pattern register "/ *quote_/* *quote/*
1205Contains the most recent search-pattern. This is used for "n" and 'hlsearch'.
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001206It is writable with `:let`, you can change it to have 'hlsearch' highlight
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001207other matches without actually searching. You can't yank or delete into this
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001208register. The search direction is available in |v:searchforward|.
1209Note that the valued is restored when returning from a function
1210|function-search-undo|.
1211{not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001212
1213 *@/*
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001214You can write to a register with a `:let` command |:let-@|. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001215 :let @/ = "the"
1216
1217If you use a put command without specifying a register, Vim uses the register
1218that was last filled (this is also the contents of the unnamed register). If
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001219you are confused, use the `:dis` command to find out what Vim will put (this
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001220command displays all named and numbered registers; the unnamed register is
1221labelled '"').
1222
1223The next three commands always work on whole lines.
1224
1225:[range]co[py] {address} *:co* *:copy*
1226 Copy the lines given by [range] to below the line
1227 given by {address}.
1228
1229 *:t*
1230:t Synonym for copy.
1231
1232:[range]m[ove] {address} *:m* *:mo* *:move* *E134*
1233 Move the lines given by [range] to below the line
1234 given by {address}.
1235
1236==============================================================================
12376. Formatting text *formatting*
1238
1239:[range]ce[nter] [width] *:ce* *:center*
1240 Center lines in [range] between [width] columns
1241 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
1242 {not in Vi}
1243 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1244 compile time.
1245
1246:[range]ri[ght] [width] *:ri* *:right*
1247 Right-align lines in [range] at [width] columns
1248 (default 'textwidth' or 80 when 'textwidth' is 0).
1249 {not in Vi}
1250 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1251 compile time.
1252
1253 *:le* *:left*
1254:[range]le[ft] [indent]
1255 Left-align lines in [range]. Sets the indent in the
1256 lines to [indent] (default 0). {not in Vi}
1257 Not available when |+ex_extra| feature was disabled at
1258 compile time.
1259
1260 *gq*
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001261gq{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001262 Formatting is done with one of three methods:
1263 1. If 'formatexpr' is not empty the expression is
1264 evaluated. This can differ for each buffer.
Bram Moolenaar4c7ed462006-02-15 22:18:42 +00001265 2. If 'formatprg' is not empty an external program
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001266 is used.
Bram Moolenaar551dbcc2006-04-25 22:13:59 +00001267 3. Otherwise formatting is done internally.
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001268
1269 In the third case the 'textwidth' option controls the
1270 length of each formatted line (see below).
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001271 If the 'textwidth' option is 0, the formatted line
1272 length is the screen width (with a maximum width of
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001273 79).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001274 The 'formatoptions' option controls the type of
1275 formatting |fo-table|.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00001276 The cursor is left on the first non-blank of the last
1277 formatted line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001278 NOTE: The "Q" command formerly performed this
1279 function. If you still want to use "Q" for
1280 formatting, use this mapping: >
1281 :nnoremap Q gq
1282
1283gqgq *gqgq* *gqq*
Bram Moolenaar40af4e32010-07-29 22:33:18 +02001284gqq Format the current line. With a count format that
1285 many lines. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001286
1287 *v_gq*
1288{Visual}gq Format the highlighted text. (for {Visual} see
1289 |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1290
1291 *gw*
1292gw{motion} Format the lines that {motion} moves over. Similar to
1293 |gq| but puts the cursor back at the same position in
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001294 the text. However, 'formatprg' and 'formatexpr' are
1295 not used. {not in Vi}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001296
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001297gwgw *gwgw* *gww*
1298gww Format the current line as with "gw". {not in Vi}
1299
1300 *v_gw*
1301{Visual}gw Format the highlighted text as with "gw". (for
1302 {Visual} see |Visual-mode|). {not in Vi}
1303
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001304Example: To format the current paragraph use: *gqap* >
1305 gqap
1306
1307The "gq" command leaves the cursor in the line where the motion command takes
1308the cursor. This allows you to repeat formatting repeated with ".". This
1309works well with "gqj" (format current and next line) and "gq}" (format until
1310end of paragraph). Note: When 'formatprg' is set, "gq" leaves the cursor on
1311the first formatted line (as with using a filter command).
1312
1313If you want to format the current paragraph and continue where you were, use: >
1314 gwap
1315If you always want to keep paragraphs formatted you may want to add the 'a'
1316flag to 'formatoptions'. See |auto-format|.
1317
1318If the 'autoindent' option is on, Vim uses the indent of the first line for
1319the following lines.
1320
1321Formatting does not change empty lines (but it does change lines with only
1322white space!).
1323
1324The 'joinspaces' option is used when lines are joined together.
1325
Bram Moolenaar1d2ba7f2006-02-14 22:29:30 +00001326You can set the 'formatexpr' option to an expression or the 'formatprg' option
1327to the name of an external program for Vim to use for text formatting. The
1328'textwidth' and other options have no effect on formatting by an external
1329program.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001330
1331 *right-justify*
1332There is no command in Vim to right justify text. You can do it with
1333an external command, like "par" (e.g.: "!}par" to format until the end of the
1334paragraph) or set 'formatprg' to "par".
1335
1336 *format-comments*
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001337An overview of comment formatting is in section |30.6| of the user manual.
1338
1339Vim can automatically insert and format comments in a special way. Vim
1340recognizes a comment by a specific string at the start of the line (ignoring
1341white space). Three types of comments can be used:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001342
1343- A comment string that repeats at the start of each line. An example is the
1344 type of comment used in shell scripts, starting with "#".
1345- A comment string that occurs only in the first line, not in the following
1346 lines. An example is this list with dashes.
1347- Three-piece comments that have a start string, an end string, and optional
1348 lines in between. The strings for the start, middle and end are different.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001349 An example is the C style comment:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001350 /*
1351 * this is a C comment
1352 */
1353
1354The 'comments' option is a comma-separated list of parts. Each part defines a
1355type of comment string. A part consists of:
1356 {flags}:{string}
1357
1358{string} is the literal text that must appear.
1359
1360{flags}:
1361 n Nested comment. Nesting with mixed parts is allowed. If 'comments'
1362 is "n:),n:>" a line starting with "> ) >" is a comment.
1363
1364 b Blank (<Space>, <Tab> or <EOL>) required after {string}.
1365
1366 f Only the first line has the comment string. Do not repeat comment on
1367 the next line, but preserve indentation (e.g., a bullet-list).
1368
1369 s Start of three-piece comment
1370
1371 m Middle of a three-piece comment
1372
1373 e End of a three-piece comment
1374
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001375 l Left align. Used together with 's' or 'e', the leftmost character of
1376 start or end will line up with the leftmost character from the middle.
1377 This is the default and can be omitted. See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001378
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001379 r Right align. Same as above but rightmost instead of leftmost. See
1380 below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001381
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001382 O Don't consider this comment for the "O" command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001383
1384 x Allows three-piece comments to be ended by just typing the last
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001385 character of the end-comment string as the first action on a new
1386 line when the middle-comment string has been inserted automatically.
1387 See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001388
1389 {digits}
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001390 When together with 's' or 'e': add {digit} amount of offset to an
1391 automatically inserted middle or end comment leader. The offset begins
1392 from a left alignment. See below for more details.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001393
1394 -{digits}
1395 Like {digits} but reduce the indent. This only works when there is
1396 some indent for the start or end part that can be removed.
1397
1398When a string has none of the 'f', 's', 'm' or 'e' flags, Vim assumes the
1399comment string repeats at the start of each line. The flags field may be
1400empty.
1401
1402Any blank space in the text before and after the {string} is part of the
1403{string}, so do not include leading or trailing blanks unless the blanks are a
1404required part of the comment string.
1405
1406When one comment leader is part of another, specify the part after the whole.
1407For example, to include both "-" and "->", use >
1408 :set comments=f:->,f:-
1409
1410A three-piece comment must always be given as start,middle,end, with no other
1411parts in between. An example of a three-piece comment is >
1412 sr:/*,mb:*,ex:*/
1413for C-comments. To avoid recognizing "*ptr" as a comment, the middle string
1414includes the 'b' flag. For three-piece comments, Vim checks the text after
1415the start and middle strings for the end string. If Vim finds the end string,
1416the comment does not continue on the next line. Three-piece comments must
1417have a middle string because otherwise Vim can't recognize the middle lines.
1418
1419Notice the use of the "x" flag in the above three-piece comment definition.
1420When you hit Return in a C-comment, Vim will insert the middle comment leader
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001421for the new line: " * ". To close this comment you just have to type "/"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001422before typing anything else on the new line. This will replace the
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001423middle-comment leader with the end-comment leader and apply any specified
1424alignment, leaving just " */". There is no need to hit BackSpace first.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001425
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001426When there is a match with a middle part, but there also is a maching end part
1427which is longer, the end part is used. This makes a C style comment work
1428without requiring the middle part to end with a space.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001429
1430Here is an example of alignment flags at work to make a comment stand out
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001431(kind of looks like a 1 too). Consider comment string: >
1432 :set comments=sr:/***,m:**,ex-2:******/
1433<
1434 /*** ~
1435 **<--right aligned from "r" flag ~
1436 ** ~
1437offset 2 spaces for the "-2" flag--->** ~
1438 ******/ ~
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001439In this case, the first comment was typed, then return was pressed 4 times,
1440then "/" was pressed to end the comment.
1441
1442Here are some finer points of three part comments. There are three times when
1443alignment and offset flags are taken into consideration: opening a new line
1444after a start-comment, opening a new line before an end-comment, and
1445automatically ending a three-piece comment. The end alignment flag has a
1446backwards perspective; the result is that the same alignment flag used with
1447"s" and "e" will result in the same indent for the starting and ending pieces.
1448Only one alignment per comment part is meant to be used, but an offset number
1449will override the "r" and "l" flag.
1450
1451Enabling 'cindent' will override the alignment flags in many cases.
1452Reindenting using a different method like |gq| or |=| will not consult
1453alignment flags either. The same behaviour can be defined in those other
1454formatting options. One consideration is that 'cindent' has additional options
1455for context based indenting of comments but cannot replicate many three piece
Bram Moolenaar446beb42011-05-10 17:18:44 +02001456indent alignments. However, 'indentexpr' has the ability to work better with
1457three piece comments.
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001458
1459Other examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001460 "b:*" Includes lines starting with "*", but not if the "*" is
1461 followed by a non-blank. This avoids a pointer dereference
1462 like "*str" to be recognized as a comment.
1463 "n:>" Includes a line starting with ">", ">>", ">>>", etc.
1464 "fb:-" Format a list that starts with "- ".
1465
1466By default, "b:#" is included. This means that a line that starts with
1467"#include" is not recognized as a comment line. But a line that starts with
1468"# define" is recognized. This is a compromise.
1469
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001470{not available when compiled without the |+comments| feature}
1471
1472 *fo-table*
1473You can use the 'formatoptions' option to influence how Vim formats text.
1474'formatoptions' is a string that can contain any of the letters below. The
1475default setting is "tcq". You can separate the option letters with commas for
1476readability.
1477
1478letter meaning when present in 'formatoptions' ~
1479
Bram Moolenaar9964e462007-05-05 17:54:07 +00001480t Auto-wrap text using textwidth
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001481c Auto-wrap comments using textwidth, inserting the current comment
1482 leader automatically.
1483r Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting
1484 <Enter> in Insert mode.
1485o Automatically insert the current comment leader after hitting 'o' or
1486 'O' in Normal mode.
1487q Allow formatting of comments with "gq".
1488 Note that formatting will not change blank lines or lines containing
1489 only the comment leader. A new paragraph starts after such a line,
1490 or when the comment leader changes.
1491w Trailing white space indicates a paragraph continues in the next line.
1492 A line that ends in a non-white character ends a paragraph.
1493a Automatic formatting of paragraphs. Every time text is inserted or
1494 deleted the paragraph will be reformatted. See |auto-format|.
1495 When the 'c' flag is present this only happens for recognized
1496 comments.
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001497n When formatting text, recognize numbered lists. This actually uses
1498 the 'formatlistpat' option, thus any kind of list can be used. The
1499 indent of the text after the number is used for the next line. The
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001500 default is to find a number, optionally followed by '.', ':', ')',
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001501 ']' or '}'. Note that 'autoindent' must be set too. Doesn't work
1502 well together with "2".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001503 Example: >
1504 1. the first item
1505 wraps
1506 2. the second item
15072 When formatting text, use the indent of the second line of a paragraph
1508 for the rest of the paragraph, instead of the indent of the first
1509 line. This supports paragraphs in which the first line has a
1510 different indent than the rest. Note that 'autoindent' must be set
1511 too. Example: >
1512 first line of a paragraph
1513 second line of the same paragraph
1514 third line.
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +02001515< This also works inside comments, ignoring the comment leader.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001516v Vi-compatible auto-wrapping in insert mode: Only break a line at a
1517 blank that you have entered during the current insert command. (Note:
1518 this is not 100% Vi compatible. Vi has some "unexpected features" or
1519 bugs in this area. It uses the screen column instead of the line
1520 column.)
1521b Like 'v', but only auto-wrap if you enter a blank at or before
1522 the wrap margin. If the line was longer than 'textwidth' when you
1523 started the insert, or you do not enter a blank in the insert before
1524 reaching 'textwidth', Vim does not perform auto-wrapping.
1525l Long lines are not broken in insert mode: When a line was longer than
1526 'textwidth' when the insert command started, Vim does not
1527 automatically format it.
1528m Also break at a multi-byte character above 255. This is useful for
1529 Asian text where every character is a word on its own.
1530M When joining lines, don't insert a space before or after a multi-byte
1531 character. Overrules the 'B' flag.
1532B When joining lines, don't insert a space between two multi-byte
1533 characters. Overruled by the 'M' flag.
15341 Don't break a line after a one-letter word. It's broken before it
1535 instead (if possible).
Bram Moolenaar81340392012-06-06 16:12:59 +02001536j Where it makes sense, remove a comment leader when joining lines. For
1537 example, joining:
1538 int i; // the index ~
1539 // in the list ~
1540 Becomes:
1541 int i; // the index in the list ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001542
1543
1544With 't' and 'c' you can specify when Vim performs auto-wrapping:
1545value action ~
1546"" no automatic formatting (you can use "gq" for manual formatting)
1547"t" automatic formatting of text, but not comments
1548"c" automatic formatting for comments, but not text (good for C code)
1549"tc" automatic formatting for text and comments
1550
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001551Note that when 'textwidth' is 0, Vim does no automatic formatting anyway (but
1552does insert comment leaders according to the 'comments' option). An exception
1553is when the 'a' flag is present. |auto-format|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001554
1555Note that when 'paste' is on, Vim does no formatting at all.
1556
1557Note that 'textwidth' can be non-zero even if Vim never performs auto-wrapping;
1558'textwidth' is still useful for formatting with "gq".
1559
1560If the 'comments' option includes "/*", "*" and/or "*/", then Vim has some
1561built in stuff to treat these types of comments a bit more cleverly.
1562Opening a new line before or after "/*" or "*/" (with 'r' or 'o' present in
1563'formatoptions') gives the correct start of the line automatically. The same
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001564happens with formatting and auto-wrapping. Opening a line after a line
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001565starting with "/*" or "*" and containing "*/", will cause no comment leader to
1566be inserted, and the indent of the new line is taken from the line containing
1567the start of the comment.
1568E.g.:
1569 /* ~
1570 * Your typical comment. ~
1571 */ ~
1572 The indent on this line is the same as the start of the above
1573 comment.
1574
1575All of this should be really cool, especially in conjunction with the new
1576:autocmd command to prepare different settings for different types of file.
1577
1578Some examples:
1579 for C code (only format comments): >
1580 :set fo=croq
1581< for Mail/news (format all, don't start comment with "o" command): >
1582 :set fo=tcrq
1583<
1584
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001585Automatic formatting *auto-format* *autoformat*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001586
1587When the 'a' flag is present in 'formatoptions' text is formatted
1588automatically when inserting text or deleting text. This works nice for
1589editing text paragraphs. A few hints on how to use this:
1590
1591- You need to properly define paragraphs. The simplest is paragraphs that are
1592 separated by a blank line. When there is no separating blank line, consider
1593 using the 'w' flag and adding a space at the end of each line in the
1594 paragraphs except the last one.
1595
1596- You can set the 'formatoptions' based on the type of file |filetype| or
1597 specifically for one file with a |modeline|.
1598
1599- Set 'formatoptions' to "aw2tq" to make text with indents like this:
1600
1601 bla bla foobar bla
1602 bla foobar bla foobar bla
1603 bla bla foobar bla
1604 bla foobar bla bla foobar
1605
1606- Add the 'c' flag to only auto-format comments. Useful in source code.
1607
Bram Moolenaar91170f82006-05-05 21:15:17 +00001608- Set 'textwidth' to the desired width. If it is zero then 79 is used, or the
1609 width of the screen if this is smaller.
1610
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001611And a few warnings:
1612
1613- When part of the text is not properly separated in paragraphs, making
1614 changes in this text will cause it to be formatted anyway. Consider doing >
1615
1616 :set fo-=a
1617
1618- When using the 'w' flag (trailing space means paragraph continues) and
1619 deleting the last line of a paragraph with |dd|, the paragraph will be
1620 joined with the next one.
1621
1622- Changed text is saved for undo. Formatting is also a change. Thus each
1623 format action saves text for undo. This may consume quite a lot of memory.
1624
1625- Formatting a long paragraph and/or with complicated indenting may be slow.
1626
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001627==============================================================================
16287. Sorting text *sorting*
1629
1630Vim has a sorting function and a sorting command. The sorting function can be
1631found here: |sort()|.
1632
1633 *:sor* *:sort*
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001634:[range]sor[t][!] [i][u][r][n][x][o] [/{pattern}/]
Bram Moolenaare5180522005-12-10 20:19:46 +00001635 Sort lines in [range]. When no range is given all
1636 lines are sorted.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001637
1638 With [!] the order is reversed.
1639
1640 With [i] case is ignored.
1641
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001642 With [n] sorting is done on the first decimal number
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001643 in the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001644 One leading '-' is included in the number.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001645
1646 With [x] sorting is done on the first hexadecimal
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001647 number in the line (after or inside a {pattern}
1648 match). A leading "0x" or "0X" is ignored.
Bram Moolenaare37d50a2008-08-06 17:06:04 +00001649 One leading '-' is included in the number.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001650
1651 With [o] sorting is done on the first octal number in
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001652 the line (after or inside a {pattern} match).
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001653
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001654 With [u] only keep the first of a sequence of
1655 identical lines (ignoring case when [i] is used).
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001656 Without this flag, a sequence of identical lines
1657 will be kept in their original order.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001658 Note that leading and trailing white space may cause
1659 lines to be different.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001660
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001661 When /{pattern}/ is specified and there is no [r] flag
1662 the text matched with {pattern} is skipped, so that
1663 you sort on what comes after the match.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001664 Instead of the slash any non-letter can be used.
1665 For example, to sort on the second comma-separated
1666 field: >
1667 :sort /[^,]*,/
1668< To sort on the text at virtual column 10 (thus
1669 ignoring the difference between tabs and spaces): >
1670 :sort /.*\%10v/
Bram Moolenaarc6fe9192006-04-09 21:54:49 +00001671< To sort on the first number in the line, no matter
1672 what is in front of it: >
Bram Moolenaar446cb832008-06-24 21:56:24 +00001673 :sort /.\{-}\ze\d/
1674< (Explanation: ".\{-}" matches any text, "\ze" sets the
1675 end of the match and \d matches a digit.)
1676 With [r] sorting is done on the matching {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001677 instead of skipping past it as described above.
1678 For example, to sort on only the first three letters
1679 of each line: >
1680 :sort /\a\a\a/ r
1681
1682< If a {pattern} is used, any lines which don't have a
1683 match for {pattern} are kept in their current order,
1684 but separate from the lines which do match {pattern}.
1685 If you sorted in reverse, they will be in reverse
1686 order after the sorted lines, otherwise they will be
1687 in their original order, right before the sorted
1688 lines.
1689
Bram Moolenaar1256e722007-07-10 15:26:20 +00001690 If {pattern} is empty (e.g. // is specified), the
1691 last search pattern is used. This allows trying out
1692 a pattern first.
1693
Bram Moolenaard38b0552012-04-25 19:07:41 +02001694Note that using `:sort` with `:global` doesn't sort the matching lines, it's
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00001695quite useless.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001696
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00001697The details about sorting depend on the library function used. There is no
1698guarantee that sorting is "stable" or obeys the current locale. You will have
1699to try it out.
1700
Bram Moolenaar4c3f5362006-04-11 21:38:50 +00001701The sorting can be interrupted, but if you interrupt it too late in the
1702process you may end up with duplicated lines. This also depends on the system
1703library function used.
Bram Moolenaarae5bce12005-08-15 21:41:48 +00001704
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001705 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: