blob: d9020a741adcb2db0b742aff8ced24355620531e [file] [log] [blame]
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2005 Apr 22
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 Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000031
32{Vi does not have any of these commands}
33
34==============================================================================
351. Variables *variables*
36
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000371.1 Variable types ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000038 *E712*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000039There are four types of variables:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000040
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000041Number A 32 bit signed number.
42 Examples: -123 0x10 0177
43
44String A NUL terminated string of 8-bit unsigned characters (bytes).
45 Examples: "ab\txx\"--" 'x-z''a,c'
46
47Funcref A reference to a function |Funcref|.
48 Example: function("strlen")
49
50List An ordered sequence of items |List|.
51 Example: [1, 2, ['a', 'b']]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000052
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000053The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
54are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000055
56Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
57the Number. Examples: >
58 Number 123 --> String "123"
59 Number 0 --> String "0"
60 Number -1 --> String "-1"
61
62Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
63to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
64the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
65 String "456" --> Number 456
66 String "6bar" --> Number 6
67 String "foo" --> Number 0
68 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
69 String "0100" --> Number 64
70 String "-8" --> Number -8
71 String "+8" --> Number 0
72
73To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
74 :echo "0100" + 0
75
76For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
77
78Note that in the command >
79 :if "foo"
80"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
81use strlen(): >
82 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000083< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
84List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000085
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000086 *E706*
87You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
88to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000089equivalent though. Consider this sequence of commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000090 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000091 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000092 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000093
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000094
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000951.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000096 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000097A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +000098in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
99around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000100
101 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
102 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000103< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000104A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:" or "b:". You cannot
105have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000106
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000107A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
108Dictionary entry. Example: >
109 :function dict.init() dict
110 : let self.val = 0
111 :endfunction
112
113The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
114function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
115
116A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
117 :call Fn()
118 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000119
120The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000121 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000122
123You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
124arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000125 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000126
127
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001281.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000129 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000130A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
131can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
132position in the sequence.
133
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000134
135List creation ~
136 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000137A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000138Examples: >
139 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
140 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000141
142An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000143nested List: >
144 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000145
146An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
147
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000148
149List index ~
150 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000151An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000152after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
153 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000154 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000155
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000156When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000157 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
160the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000161 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
162
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000163To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000164is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000165 :echo get(mylist, idx)
166 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
167
168
169List concatenation ~
170
171Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
172 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000173 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000174
175To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
176it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
177
178
179Sublist ~
180
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000181A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
182separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000183 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000184
185Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
186similar to -1. The difference is that there is no error if the items are not
187available. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000188 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
189 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
190 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000191
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000192The second index can be just before the first index. In that case the result
193is an empty list. If the second index is lower, this results in an error. >
194 :echo mylist[2:1] " result: []
195 :echo mylist[2:0] " error!
196
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000197
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000198List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000199 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000200When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
201variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
202change "bb": >
203 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
204 :let bb = aa
205 :call add(aa, 4)
206 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000207< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000208
209Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
210works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000211a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000212 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
213 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000214 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000215 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
216 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000217< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000218 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000219< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000220
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000221To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000222copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000223
224The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000225List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000226the same value. >
227 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
228 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
229 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000230< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000231 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000232< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000233
234
235List unpack ~
236
237To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
238square brackets, like list items: >
239 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
240
241When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
242this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
243and a variable name: >
244 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
245
246This works like: >
247 :let var1 = mylist[0]
248 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000249 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000250
251Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
252empty list then.
253
254
255List modification ~
256 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000257To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000258 :let list[4] = "four"
259 :let listlist[0][3] = item
260
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000261To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000262modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000263 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
264
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000265Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
266examples: >
267 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
268 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
269 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000270 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000271 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
272 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000273 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000274 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000275 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000276 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000277
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000278Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000279 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
280 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
281
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000282
283For loop ~
284
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000285The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
286to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000287 :for item in mylist
288 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000289 :endfor
290
291This works like: >
292 :let index = 0
293 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000294 : let item = mylist[index]
295 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000296 : let index = index + 1
297 :endwhile
298
299Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000300results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000301the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000302
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000303If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000304function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000305
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000306Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
307requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
308 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
309 : call Doit(lnum, col)
310 :endfor
311
312This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
313must remain the same to avoid an error.
314
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000315It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000316 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
317 : call Doit(i, j)
318 : if !empty(rest)
319 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
320 : endif
321 :endfor
322
323
324List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000325 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000326Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000327 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000328 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000329 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
330 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
331 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000332 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
333 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000334 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
335 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000336 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
337 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000338 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
339 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000340
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000341Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
342example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
343 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
344
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000345
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003461.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000347 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000348A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000349entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
350ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000351
352
353Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000354 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000355A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000356braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
357only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000358 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
359 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000360< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000361A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
362String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000363entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
364Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000365
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000366A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000367nested Dictionary: >
368 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
369
370An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
371
372
373Accessing entries ~
374
375The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
376 :let val = mydict["one"]
377 :let mydict["four"] = 4
378
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000379You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000380
381For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
382form can be used |expr-entry|: >
383 :let val = mydict.one
384 :let mydict.four = 4
385
386Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
387key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000388 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000389
390
391Dictionary to List conversion ~
392
393You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
394turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
395
396Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
397 :for key in keys(mydict)
398 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
399 :endfor
400
401The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
402 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
403
404To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
405 :for v in values(mydict)
406 : echo "value: " . v
407 :endfor
408
409If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000410a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000411 :for entry in items(mydict)
412 : echo entry[0] . ': ' . entry[1]
413 :endfor
414
415
416Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000417 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000418Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
419Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
420Dictionary: >
421 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
422 :let adict = onedict
423 :let adict['a'] = 11
424 :echo onedict['a']
425 11
426
427For more info see |list-identity|.
428
429
430Dictionary modification ~
431 *dict-modification*
432To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
433use |:let| this way: >
434 :let dict[4] = "four"
435 :let dict['one'] = item
436
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000437Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
438Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
439 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
440 :unlet dict.aaa
441 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000442
443Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000444 :call extend(adict, bdict)
445This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
446in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000447Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
448expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
449adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000450
451Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +0000452 :call filter(dict 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000453This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000454
455
456Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000457 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000458When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
459special way with a dictionary. Example: >
460 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000461 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000462 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000463 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
464 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000465
466This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
467Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
468the function was invoked from.
469
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000470It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
471Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
472
473 *numbered-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000474To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
475assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000476 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
477 :function mydict.len() dict
478 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000479 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000480 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000481
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000482The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
483that references this function. The function can only be used through a
484|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
485remaining that refers to it.
486
487It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000488
489
490Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000491 *E715*
492Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000493 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
494 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
495 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
496 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
497 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
498 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
499 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
500 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000501
502
5031.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000504 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000505If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
506function.
507
508When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
509start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
510stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
511
512When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
513start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
514stored in the session file |session-file|.
515
516variable name can be stored where ~
517my_var_6 not
518My_Var_6 session file
519MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
520
521
522It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
523|curly-braces-names|.
524
525==============================================================================
5262. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
527
528Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
529
530|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
531
532|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
533
534|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
535
536|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
537 expr5 != expr5 not equal
538 expr5 > expr5 greater than
539 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
540 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
541 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
542 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
543 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
544
545 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
546 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
547 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
548 matching case
549
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000550 expr5 is expr5 same List instance
551 expr5 isnot expr5 different List instance
552
553|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000554 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
555 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
556
557|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
558 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
559 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
560
561|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
562 - expr7 unary minus
563 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000564
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000565
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000566|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a List
567 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a List
568 expr8.name entry in a Dictionary
569 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with Funcref variable
570
571|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000572 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000573 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000574 [expr1, ...] List
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000575 {expr1: expr1, ...} Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000576 &option option value
577 (expr1) nested expression
578 variable internal variable
579 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
580 $VAR environment variable
581 @r contents of register 'r'
582 function(expr1, ...) function call
583 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
584
585
586".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
587Example: >
588 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
589
590All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
591
592
593expr1 *expr1* *E109*
594-----
595
596expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
597
598The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
599non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
600otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
601Example: >
602 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
603
604Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
605other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
606Example: >
607 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
608
609To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
610 :echo lnum == 1
611 :\ ? "top"
612 :\ : lnum == 1000
613 :\ ? "last"
614 :\ : lnum
615
616
617expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
618---------------
619
620 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
621The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
622are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
623
624 input output ~
625n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
626zero zero zero zero
627zero non-zero non-zero zero
628non-zero zero non-zero zero
629non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
630
631The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
632
633 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
634
635Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
636
637 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
638
639Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
640arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
641
642 let a = 1
643 echo a || b
644
645This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
646so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
647
648 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
649
650This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
651only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
652
653
654expr4 *expr4*
655-----
656
657expr5 {cmp} expr5
658
659Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
660if it evaluates to true.
661
662 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
663 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
664 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
665 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
666 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
667 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000668 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000669 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
670equal == ==# ==?
671not equal != !=# !=?
672greater than > ># >?
673greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
674smaller than < <# <?
675smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
676regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
677regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000678same instance is
679different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000680
681Examples:
682"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
683"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
684"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
685
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000686 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000687A List can only be compared with a List and only "equal", "not equal" and "is"
688can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively. Ignoring
689case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
690
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000691 *E735* *E736*
692A Dictionary can only be compared with a Dictionary and only "equal", "not
693equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the Dictionary,
694recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
695
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000696 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000697A Funcref can only be compared with a Funcref and only "equal" and "not equal"
698can be used. Case is never ignored.
699
700When using "is" or "isnot" with a List this checks if the expressions are
701referring to the same List instance. A copy of a List is different from the
702original List. When using "is" without a List it is equivalent to using
703"equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
704different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
705is false.
706
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000707When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
708and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
709because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
710
711When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
712results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
713necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
714
715When using the operators with a trailing '#", or the short version and
716'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp().
717
718When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
719'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp().
720
721The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
722argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
723This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
724matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
725portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
726single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
727Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
728(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
729can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
730 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
731 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
732
733
734expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
735---------------
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000736expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or List concatenation *expr-+*
737expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
738expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000739
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000740For Lists only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The result
741is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
742
743expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
744expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
745expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000746
747For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
748
749Note the difference between "+" and ".":
750 "123" + "456" = 579
751 "123" . "456" = "123456"
752
753When the righthand side of '/' is zero, the result is 0x7fffffff.
754When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
755
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000756None of these work for Funcrefs.
757
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000758
759expr7 *expr7*
760-----
761! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
762- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
763+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
764
765For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
766For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
767For '+' the number is unchanged.
768
769A String will be converted to a Number first.
770
771These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
772 !-1 == 0
773 !!8 == 1
774 --9 == 9
775
776
777expr8 *expr8*
778-----
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000779expr8[expr1] item of String or List *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000780
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000781If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
782expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000783Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000784
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000785Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
786text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
787cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000788 :let c = getline(line("."))[col(".") - 1]
789
790If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000791String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
792compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
793
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000794If expr8 is a List then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000795for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
796error. Example: >
797 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
798
799Generally, if a List index is equal to or higher than the length of the List,
800or more negative than the length of the List, this results in an error.
801
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000802
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000803expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000804
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000805If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
806from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000807expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
808encodings.
809
810If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
811string minus one is used.
812
813A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
814the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
815
816If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
817expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
818
819Examples: >
820 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
821 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
822 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
823 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
824
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000825If expr8 is a List this results in a new List with the items indicated by the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000826indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained just
827above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
828 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
829 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
830 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
831
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000832Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a Funcref results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000833
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000834
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000835expr8.name entry in a Dictionary *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000836
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000837If expr8 is a Dictionary and it is followed by a dot, then the following name
838will be used as a key in the Dictionary. This is just like: expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000839
840The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
841but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
842
843There must not be white space before or after the dot.
844
845Examples: >
846 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
847 :echo dict.one
848 :echo dict .2
849
850Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
851always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
852
853
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000854expr8(expr1, ...) Funcref function call
855
856When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
857
858
859
860 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000861number
862------
863number number constant *expr-number*
864
865Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
866
867
868string *expr-string* *E114*
869------
870"string" string constant *expr-quote*
871
872Note that double quotes are used.
873
874A string constant accepts these special characters:
875\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
876\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
877\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
878\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
879\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
880\X.. same as \x..
881\X. same as \x.
882\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
883 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
884\U.... same as \u....
885\b backspace <BS>
886\e escape <Esc>
887\f formfeed <FF>
888\n newline <NL>
889\r return <CR>
890\t tab <Tab>
891\\ backslash
892\" double quote
893\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
894
895Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
896
897
898literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
899---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000900'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000901
902Note that single quotes are used.
903
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000904This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000905meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000906
907Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
908to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
909 if a =~ "\\s*"
910 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000911
912
913option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
914------
915&option option value, local value if possible
916&g:option global option value
917&l:option local option value
918
919Examples: >
920 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
921 if &insertmode
922
923Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
924and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
925anyway.
926
927
928register *expr-register*
929--------
930@r contents of register 'r'
931
932The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
933Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
934register use @" or @@. The '=' register can not be used here. See
935|registers| for an explanation of the available registers.
936
937
938nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
939-------
940(expr1) nested expression
941
942
943environment variable *expr-env*
944--------------------
945$VAR environment variable
946
947The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
948result is an empty string.
949 *expr-env-expand*
950Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
951expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
952are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
953the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
954fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
955does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
956 :echo $version
957 :echo expand("$version")
958The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
959variable (if your shell supports it).
960
961
962internal variable *expr-variable*
963-----------------
964variable internal variable
965See below |internal-variables|.
966
967
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000968function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000969-------------
970function(expr1, ...) function call
971See below |functions|.
972
973
974==============================================================================
9753. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
976 *E461*
977An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
978cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
979|curly-braces-names|.
980
981An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000982An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
983|:unlet|.
984Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
985been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000986
987There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
988specified by what is prepended:
989
990 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
991|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
992|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
993|global-variable| g: Global.
994|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
995|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
996|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
997|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
998
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +0000999The scope name by itself can be used as a Dictionary. For example, to delete
1000all script-local variables: >
1001 :for k in keys(s:)
1002 : unlet s:[k]
1003 :endfor
1004<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001005 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1006A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1007Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1008This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1009|:bdelete|.
1010
1011One local buffer variable is predefined:
1012 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1013b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1014 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1015 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1016 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1017 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
1018 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1019 : call My_Update()
1020 :endif
1021<
1022 *window-variable* *w:var*
1023A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1024is deleted when the window is closed.
1025
1026 *global-variable* *g:var*
1027Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
1028access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
1029place if you like.
1030
1031 *local-variable* *l:var*
1032Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
1033But you can also prepend "l:" if you like.
1034
1035 *script-variable* *s:var*
1036In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1037accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1038
1039They can be used in:
1040- commands executed while the script is sourced
1041- functions defined in the script
1042- autocommands defined in the script
1043- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1044 defined in the script (recursively)
1045- user defined commands defined in the script
1046Thus not in:
1047- other scripts sourced from this one
1048- mappings
1049- etc.
1050
1051script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1052Take this example:
1053
1054 let s:counter = 0
1055 function MyCounter()
1056 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1057 echo s:counter
1058 endfunction
1059 command Tick call MyCounter()
1060
1061You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1062that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1063"Tick" was defined is used.
1064
1065Another example that does the same: >
1066
1067 let s:counter = 0
1068 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1069
1070When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001071script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001072defined.
1073
1074The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1075function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1076
1077 let s:counter = 0
1078 function StartCounting(incr)
1079 if a:incr
1080 function MyCounter()
1081 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1082 endfunction
1083 else
1084 function MyCounter()
1085 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1086 endfunction
1087 endif
1088 endfunction
1089
1090This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1091when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1092called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1093
1094When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1095They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1096maintain a counter: >
1097
1098 if !exists("s:counter")
1099 let s:counter = 1
1100 echo "script executed for the first time"
1101 else
1102 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1103 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1104 endif
1105
1106Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1107variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1108
1109
1110Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1111
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001112 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1113v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1114 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1115 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1116
1117 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1118v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1119 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1120
1121 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1122v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1123 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1124
1125 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
1126v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as it is
1127 useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies, but a
1128 dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a ']'
1129 the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
1130 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1131 highlighted text is used.
1132 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1133
1134 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1135v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1136 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1137
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001138 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1139v:charconvert_from
1140 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1141 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1142
1143 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1144v:charconvert_to
1145 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1146 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1147
1148 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1149v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1150 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1151 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1152 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1153 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1154 possible to append this variable directly after the
1155 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
1156 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1157 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1158 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1159 in 'printexpr'.
1160
1161 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1162v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1163 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1164 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1165 can be used.
1166
1167 *v:count* *count-variable*
1168v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
1169 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
1170 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1171< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1172 get when typing ':' after a count.
1173 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1174
1175 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1176v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1177 used.
1178
1179 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1180v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1181 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1182 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1183 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1184 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1185 command.
1186 See |multi-lang|.
1187
1188 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
1189v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
1190 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1191 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1192 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1193 Example: >
1194 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1195<
1196 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1197v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1198 Example: >
1199 :let v:errmsg = ""
1200 :silent! next
1201 :if v:errmsg != ""
1202 : ... handle error
1203< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1204
1205 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1206v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1207 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1208 Example: >
1209 :try
1210 : throw "oops"
1211 :catch /.*/
1212 : echo "caught" v:exception
1213 :endtry
1214< Output: "caught oops".
1215
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001216 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1217v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1218 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1219 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1220 deleted file no longer exists
1221 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1222 changed and buffer is modified
1223 changed file contents has changed
1224 mode mode of file changed
1225 time only file timestamp changed
1226
1227 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1228v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1229 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1230 do with the affected buffer:
1231 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1232 the file was deleted).
1233 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1234 was no autocommand. Except that when
1235 only the timestamp changed nothing
1236 will happen.
1237 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1238 everything that needs to be done.
1239 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1240 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1241
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001242 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
1243v:fname_in The name of the input file. Only valid while evaluating:
1244 option used for ~
1245 'charconvert' file to be converted
1246 'diffexpr' original file
1247 'patchexpr' original file
1248 'printexpr' file to be printed
1249
1250 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1251v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1252 evaluating:
1253 option used for ~
1254 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1255 'diffexpr' output of diff
1256 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1257 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
1258 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
1259 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1260 file and different from v:fname_in.
1261
1262 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1263v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1264 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1265
1266 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1267v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1268 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1269
1270 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1271v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1272 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001273 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001274
1275 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1276v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001277 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001278
1279 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1280v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001281 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001282
1283 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1284v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001285 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001286
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001287 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1288v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1289 events. Values:
1290 i Insert mode
1291 r Replace mode
1292 v Virtual Replace mode
1293
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001294 *v:key* *key-variable*
1295v:key Key of the current item of a Dictionary. Only valid while
1296 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1297 Read-only.
1298
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001299 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1300v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1301 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1302 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1303 The value is system dependent.
1304 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1305 command.
1306 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1307 in a different language than what is used for character
1308 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1309
1310 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1311v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1312 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1313 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1314 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1315 command. See |multi-lang|.
1316
1317 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001318v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
1319 expressions. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1320 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001321
1322 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1323v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1324 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
1325 you want to cancel Visual mode and then use the count. >
1326 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1327< Read-only.
1328
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001329 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1330v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1331 See |profiling|.
1332
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001333 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1334v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1335 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1336 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1337 Read-only.
1338
1339 *v:register* *register-variable*
1340v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1341 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1342
1343 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1344v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1345 Read-only.
1346
1347 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1348v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1349 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1350 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1351 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1352 executed. Read-only.
1353 Example: >
1354 :!mv foo bar
1355 :if v:shell_error
1356 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1357 :endif
1358< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1359
1360 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1361v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1362
1363 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1364v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1365 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1366 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1367 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1368 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1369 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1370 terminal.
1371 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1372 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1373 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1374 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1375 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1376
1377 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1378v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1379 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1380 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1381 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1382
1383 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1384v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1385 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1386 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1387 Example: >
1388 :try
1389 : throw "oops"
1390 :catch /.*/
1391 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1392 :endtry
1393< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1394
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001395 *v:val* *val-variable*
1396v:val Value of the current item of a List or Dictionary. Only valid
1397 while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
1398 |filter()|. Read-only.
1399
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001400 *v:version* *version-variable*
1401v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1402 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1403 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1404 compatibility.
1405 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1406 if has("patch123")
1407< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1408 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1409 completely different.
1410
1411 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1412v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1413
1414==============================================================================
14154. Builtin Functions *functions*
1416
1417See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1418
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001419(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001420
1421USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1422
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001423add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to List {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001424append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001425append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001426argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001427argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001428argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
1429browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1430 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001431browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001432bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001433buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1434bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001435bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1436bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1437bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1438byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001439byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001440call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1441 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001442char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001443cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001444col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
1445confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1446 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001447copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001448count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1449 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001450cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1451 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001452cursor( {lnum}, {col}) Number position cursor at {lnum}, {col}
1453deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001454delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1455did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001456diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1457diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001458empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001459escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001460eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001461eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001462executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1463exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
1464expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
1465filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001466filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1467 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001468finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
1469 String Find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001470findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001471 String Find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001472filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
1473fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001474foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1475foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001476foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001477foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001478foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001479function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001480get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001481get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001482getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1483getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001484getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
1485getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1486getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
1487getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001488getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1489getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001490getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001491getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001492getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001493getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1494getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001495getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001496getreg( [{regname}]) String contents of register
1497getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001498getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1499getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1500getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in window {nr}
1501glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1502globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1503has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001504has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001505hasmapto( {what} [, {mode}]) Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
1506histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1507histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1508histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1509histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1510hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1511hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1512hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001513iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1514indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001515index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1516 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001517input( {prompt} [, {text}]) String get input from the user
1518inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001519inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1520inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001521inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001522insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001523isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001524islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001525items( {dict}) List List of key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001526join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001527keys( {dict}) List List of keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001528len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1529libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001530libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1531line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1532line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001533lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001534localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001535map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001536maparg( {name}[, {mode}]) String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1537mapcheck( {name}[, {mode}]) String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001538match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001539 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001540matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001541 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001542matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1543 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001544matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1545 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001546max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1547min({list}) Number minumum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001548mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1549 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001550mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001551nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1552nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
1553prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001554range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1555 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001556readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1557 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001558remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1559 String send expression
1560remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1561remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1562 Number check for reply string
1563remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1564remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1565 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001566remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001567remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001568rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1569repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1570resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001571reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001572search( {pattern} [, {flags}]) Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001573searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001574 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001575server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1576 Number send reply string
1577serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1578setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1579setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1580setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001581setqflist( {list} ) Number set list of quickfix items using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001582setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001583setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001584simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001585sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001586split( {expr} [, {pat}]) List make List from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001587strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001588stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1589 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001590string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001591strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1592strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1593 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001594strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1595 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001596strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001597submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001598substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1599 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001600synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001601synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1602 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1603synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001604system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001605taglist({expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001606tempname() String name for a temporary file
1607tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1608toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001609tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1610 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001611type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001612values( {dict}) List List of values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001613virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1614visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1615winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1616wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1617winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1618winline() Number window line of the cursor
1619winnr() Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001620winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001621winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001622writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1623 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001624
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001625add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
1626 Append the item {expr} to List {list}. Returns the resulting
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001627 List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001628 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1629 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
1630< Note that when {expr} is a List it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001631 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001632 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001633
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001634
1635append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001636 When {expr} is a List: Append each item of the List as a text
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001637 line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001638 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1639 the current buffer.
1640 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001641 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1642 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001643 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001644 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001645<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001646 *argc()*
1647argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1648 current window. See |arglist|.
1649
1650 *argidx()*
1651argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1652 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1653
1654 *argv()*
1655argv({nr}) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
1656 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1657 Example: >
1658 :let i = 0
1659 :while i < argc()
1660 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1661 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1662 : let i = i + 1
1663 :endwhile
1664<
1665 *browse()*
1666browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1667 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1668 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1669 The input fields are:
1670 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1671 {title} title for the requester
1672 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1673 {default} default file name
1674 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1675 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1676
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001677 *browsedir()*
1678browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1679 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1680 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1681 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1682 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1683 to be used.
1684 The input fields are:
1685 {title} title for the requester
1686 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1687 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1688 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1689
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001690bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1691 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1692 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001693 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001694 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001695 exactly. The name can be:
1696 - Relative to the current directory.
1697 - A full path.
1698 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1699 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001700 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1701 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1702 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1703 long name to be able to find them.
1704 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1705 file name.
1706 *buffer_exists()*
1707 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1708
1709buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1710 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1711 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001712 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001713
1714bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1715 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1716 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001717 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001718
1719bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1720 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1721 ":ls" command.
1722 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1723 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1724 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1725 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1726 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1727 match an empty string is returned.
1728 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1729 alternate buffer.
1730 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
1731 or middle of the buffer name is accepted.
1732 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1733 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1734 buffers are searched for.
1735 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1736 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1737 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1738< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1739 string is returned. >
1740 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1741 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1742 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1743 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1744< *buffer_name()*
1745 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1746
1747 *bufnr()*
1748bufnr({expr}) The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
1749 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
1750 above. If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
1751 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1752 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1753< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1754 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1755 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1756 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1757 *buffer_number()*
1758 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1759 *last_buffer_nr()*
1760 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1761
1762bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1763 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1764 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1765 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1766 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1767
1768 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1769
1770< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1771 |:wincmd|.
1772
1773
1774byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1775 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1776 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1777 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1778 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1779 one.
1780 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1781 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1782 feature}
1783
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001784byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1785 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1786 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1787 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1788 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1789 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1790 Example : >
1791 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1792< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1793 same: >
1794 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1795 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1796< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1797 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1798 is returned.
1799
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001800call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001801 Call function {func} with the items in List {arglist} as
1802 arguments.
1803 {func} can either be a Funcref or the name of a function.
1804 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
1805 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001806 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
1807 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001808
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001809char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
1810 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
1811 char2nr(" ") returns 32
1812 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
1813< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
1814 char2nr("á") returns 225
1815 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001816< nr2char() does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001817
1818cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
1819 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
1820 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
1821 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
1822 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
1823 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
1824 feature, -1 is returned.
1825
1826 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001827col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001828 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
1829 . the cursor position
1830 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
1831 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
1832 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
1833 returned)
1834 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
1835 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
1836 Examples: >
1837 col(".") column of cursor
1838 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
1839 col("'t") column of mark t
1840 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
1841< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
1842 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
1843 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
1844 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
1845 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
1846 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
1847 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
1848 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
1849<
1850 *confirm()*
1851confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1852 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
1853 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
1854 choice this is 1.
1855 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
1856 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
1857 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
1858 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
1859 used (and translated).
1860 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
1861 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
1862 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
1863 by '\n', e.g. >
1864 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
1865< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
1866 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
1867 not need to be the first letter: >
1868 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
1869< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
1870 the default shortcut key.
1871 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
1872 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
1873 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
1874 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
1875 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
1876 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
1877 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
1878 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
1879 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
1880 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
1881 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
1882
1883 An example: >
1884 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
1885 :if choice == 0
1886 : echo "make up your mind!"
1887 :elseif choice == 3
1888 : echo "tasteful"
1889 :else
1890 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
1891 :endif
1892< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
1893 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
1894 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
1895 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
1896 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
1897 the horizontal layout is always used.
1898
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001899 *copy()*
1900copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
1901 different from using {expr} directly.
1902 When {expr} is a List a shallow copy is created. This means
1903 that the original List can be changed without changing the
1904 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
1905 changing an item changes the contents of both Lists. Also see
1906 |deepcopy()|.
1907
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001908count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001909 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001910 in List or Dictionary {comp}.
1911 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
1912 {start} can only be used with a List.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001913 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
1914
1915
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001916 *cscope_connection()*
1917cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1918 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
1919 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
1920 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
1921 if there are no cscope connections;
1922 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
1923
1924 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
1925 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
1926
1927 {num} Description of existence check
1928 ----- ------------------------------
1929 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
1930 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
1931 {dbpath}.
1932 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
1933 {dbpath}.
1934 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
1935 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
1936 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
1937 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
1938
1939 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
1940
1941 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
1942
1943 # pid database name prepend path
1944 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
1945<
1946 Invocation Return Val ~
1947 ---------- ---------- >
1948 cscope_connection() 1
1949 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
1950 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
1951 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
1952 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
1953 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
1954 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
1955 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
1956<
1957cursor({lnum}, {col}) *cursor()*
1958 Positions the cursor at the column {col} in the line {lnum}.
1959 Does not change the jumplist.
1960 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
1961 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
1962 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
1963 If {col} is greater than the number of characters in the line,
1964 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
1965 line.
1966 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
1967
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001968
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001969deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001970 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
1971 different from using {expr} directly.
1972 When {expr} is a List a full copy is created. This means
1973 that the original List can be changed without changing the
1974 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a List, a copy for it
1975 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
1976 not change the contents of the original List.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001977 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained List or Dictionary
1978 is only copied once. All references point to this single
1979 copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a List or
1980 Dictionary results in a new copy. This also means that a
1981 cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00001982 *E724*
1983 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00001984 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
1985 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001986 Also see |copy()|.
1987
1988delete({fname}) *delete()*
1989 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001990 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
1991 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001992 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001993
1994 *did_filetype()*
1995did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
1996 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
1997 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
1998 that detect the file type. |FileType|
1999 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2000 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2001 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2002 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2003 file.
2004
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002005diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2006 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2007 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2008 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2009 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2010 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2011 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2012 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2013
2014diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2015 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2016 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2017 diff change zero is returned.
2018 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2019 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2020 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2021 line.
2022 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2023 syntax information about the highlighting.
2024
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002025empty({expr}) *empty()*
2026 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002027 A List or Dictionary is empty when it does not have any items.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002028 A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2029 For a long List this is much faster then comparing the length
2030 with zero.
2031
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002032escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2033 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2034 backslash. Example: >
2035 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2036< results in: >
2037 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002038
2039< *eval()*
2040eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2041 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2042 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
2043 Also works for Funcrefs that refer to existing functions.
2044
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002045eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2046 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2047 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2048 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2049 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2050
2051executable({expr}) *executable()*
2052 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2053 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002054 arguments.
2055 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2056 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2057 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2058 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2059 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2060 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2061 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2062 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2063 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2064 extension.
2065 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2066 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002067 The result is a Number:
2068 1 exists
2069 0 does not exist
2070 -1 not implemented on this system
2071
2072 *exists()*
2073exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2074 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2075 which contains one of these:
2076 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2077 not if it really works)
2078 +option-name Vim option that works.
2079 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2080 done by comparing with an empty
2081 string)
2082 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2083 or user defined function (see
2084 |user-functions|).
2085 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002086 |internal-variables|). Also works
2087 for |curly-braces-names|, Dictionary
2088 entries, List items, etc. Beware that
2089 this may cause functions to be
2090 invoked cause an error message for an
2091 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002092 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2093 command or command modifier |:command|.
2094 Returns:
2095 1 for match with start of a command
2096 2 full match with a command
2097 3 matches several user commands
2098 To check for a supported command
2099 always check the return value to be 2.
2100 #event autocommand defined for this event
2101 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2102 pattern (the pattern is taken
2103 literally and compared to the
2104 autocommand patterns character by
2105 character)
2106 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2107
2108 Examples: >
2109 exists("&shortname")
2110 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2111 exists("*strftime")
2112 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2113 exists("bufcount")
2114 exists(":Make")
2115 exists("#CursorHold");
2116 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
2117< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2118 name.
2119 Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2120 variable itself! For example: >
2121 exists(bufcount)
2122< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
2123 but gets the contents of "bufcount", and checks if that
2124 exists.
2125
2126expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2127 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2128 The result is a String.
2129
2130 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2131 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2132 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2133
2134 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2135 for a non-existing file is not included.
2136
2137 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2138 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2139 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2140
2141 % current file name
2142 # alternate file name
2143 #n alternate file name n
2144 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2145 <afile> autocmd file name
2146 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2147 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2148 <sfile> sourced script file name
2149 <cword> word under the cursor
2150 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2151 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2152 message |server2client()|
2153 Modifiers:
2154 :p expand to full path
2155 :h head (last path component removed)
2156 :t tail (last path component only)
2157 :r root (one extension removed)
2158 :e extension only
2159
2160 Example: >
2161 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2162< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2163 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2164 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2165< Use this: >
2166 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2167< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2168 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2169 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2170 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2171 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2172<
2173 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2174 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2175 to modify normal file names.
2176
2177 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2178 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2179 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2180 '/' added.
2181
2182 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2183 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2184 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2185 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
2186 non-existing files are included.
2187
2188 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2189 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2190 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2191 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2192 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2193 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2194 "$FOOBAR".
2195
2196 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2197 getting the raw output of an external command.
2198
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002199extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
2200 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both Lists or both Dictionaries.
2201
2202 If they are Lists: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
2203 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2204 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2205 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2206 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002207 Examples: >
2208 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2209 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002210< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2211 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002212 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002213<
2214 If they are Dictionaries:
2215 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2216 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2217 used to decide what to do:
2218 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2219 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00002220 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002221 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2222
2223 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2224 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2225 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2226 Returns {expr1}.
2227
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002228
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002229filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2230 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2231 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2232 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2233 expression, which is used as a String.
2234 *file_readable()*
2235 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2236
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002237
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002238filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
2239 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
2240 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
2241 is zero remove the item from the List or Dictionary.
2242 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
2243 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
2244 Examples: >
2245 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2246< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2247 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2248< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2249 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002250< Removes all the items, thus clears the List or Dictionary.
2251
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002252 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2253 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2254 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2255
2256 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
2257 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002258 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), '& =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002259
2260< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002261
2262
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002263finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
2264 Find directory {name} in {path}.
2265 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2266 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
2267 {name} in {path}.
2268 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
2269 When the found directory is below the current directory a
2270 relative path is returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
2271 Example: >
2272 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
2273< Searches from the current directory upwards until it finds
2274 the file "tags.vim".
2275 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2276
2277findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2278 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
2279
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002280filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2281 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2282 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2283 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2284 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2285
2286fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2287 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2288 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2289 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2290 Example: >
2291 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2292< results in: >
2293 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2294< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2295 |expand()| first then.
2296
2297foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2298 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2299 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2300 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2301
2302foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2303 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2304 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2305 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2306
2307foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2308 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2309 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2310 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2311 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2312 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2313 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2314 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2315 previous line is usually available.
2316
2317 *foldtext()*
2318foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2319 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2320 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2321 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2322 The returned string looks like this: >
2323 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2324< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2325 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2326 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2327 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2328 options is removed.
2329 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2330
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002331foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2332 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2333 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2334 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2335 returned.
2336 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2337 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2338 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2339 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2340
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002341 *foreground()*
2342foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2343 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2344 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2345 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2346 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2347 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2348 Win32 console version}
2349
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002350
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002351function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002352 Return a Funcref variable that refers to function {name}.
2353 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2354
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002355
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002356get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002357 Get item {idx} from List {list}. When this item is not
2358 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2359 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002360get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
2361 Get item with key {key} from Dictionary {dict}. When this
2362 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2363 {default} is omitted.
2364
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002365
2366getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2367 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2368 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2369 must be used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002370 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2371 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2372 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002373 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2374 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2375 returned, there is no error message.
2376 Examples: >
2377 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2378 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2379<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002380getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
2381 Get a single character from the user. If it is an 8-bit
2382 character, the result is a number. Otherwise a String is
2383 returned with the encoded character. For a special key it's a
2384 sequence of bytes starting with 0x80 (decimal: 128).
2385 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2386 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
2387 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
2388 not consumed. If a normal character is
2389 available, it is returned, otherwise a
2390 non-zero value is returned.
2391 If a normal character available, it is returned as a Number.
2392 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2393 The returned value is zero if no character is available.
2394 The returned value is a string of characters for special keys
2395 and when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used.
2396 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2397 user that a character has to be typed.
2398 There is no mapping for the character.
2399 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2400 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2401 sequence. Examples: >
2402 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2403 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2404< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2405 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2406 :function FindChar()
2407 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2408 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2409 : normal l
2410 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2411 : break
2412 : endif
2413 : endwhile
2414 :endfunction
2415
2416getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2417 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2418 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2419 These values are added together:
2420 2 shift
2421 4 control
2422 8 alt (meta)
2423 16 mouse double click
2424 32 mouse triple click
2425 64 mouse quadruple click
2426 128 Macintosh only: command
2427 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2428 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2429 with no modifier.
2430
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002431getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2432 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2433 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2434 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2435 Example: >
2436 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
2437< Also see |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
2438
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002439getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002440 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2441 byte count. The first column is 1.
2442 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2443 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
2444 Also see |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2445
2446 *getcwd()*
2447getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2448 working directory.
2449
2450getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2451 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2452 given file {fname}.
2453 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2454 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
2455
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002456getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2457 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2458 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2459 |hl-Normal|.
2460 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2461 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2462 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2463 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
2464 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not you your vimrc or
2465 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2466 for a valid name does not work.
2467 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2468 function just after the GUI has started.
2469
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002470getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2471 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2472 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2473 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2474 empty string is returned.
2475 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2476 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2477 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2478 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2479 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2480 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2481< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2482 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002483
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002484getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2485 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2486 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2487 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2488 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2489 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2490
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002491getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2492 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2493 file of the given file {fname}.
2494 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2495 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2496 results:
2497 Normal file "file"
2498 Directory "dir"
2499 Symbolic link "link"
2500 Block device "bdev"
2501 Character device "cdev"
2502 Socket "socket"
2503 FIFO "fifo"
2504 All other "other"
2505 Example: >
2506 getftype("/home")
2507< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2508 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2509 "file" are returned.
2510
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002511 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002512getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2513 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2514 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002515 getline(1)
2516< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2517 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2518 To get the line under the cursor: >
2519 getline(".")
2520< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2521 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2522
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002523 When {end} is given the result is a List where each item is a
2524 line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
2525 including line {end}.
2526 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2527 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
2528 When {end} is before {lnum} an error is given.
2529 Example: >
2530 :let start = line('.')
2531 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2532 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2533
2534
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002535getqflist() *getqflist()*
2536 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2537 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2538 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2539 bufname() to get the name
2540 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2541 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00002542 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
2543 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002544 nr error number
2545 text description of the error
2546 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2547 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2548
2549 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2550 do something with them: >
2551 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2552 :for d in getqflist()
2553 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2554 :endfor
2555
2556
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002557getreg([{regname}]) *getreg()*
2558 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002559 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002560 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
2561< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002562 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002563 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2564
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002565
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002566getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
2567 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
2568 The value will be one of:
2569 "v" for |characterwise| text
2570 "V" for |linewise| text
2571 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
2572 0 for an empty or unknown register
2573 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
2574 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2575
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002576
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002577 *getwinposx()*
2578getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
2579 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
2580 -1 if the information is not available.
2581
2582 *getwinposy()*
2583getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
2584 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
2585 information is not available.
2586
2587getwinvar({nr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
2588 The result is the value of option or local window variable
2589 {varname} in window {nr}.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002590 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
2591 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
2592 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002593 Note that the name without "w:" must be used.
2594 Examples: >
2595 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
2596 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
2597<
2598 *glob()*
2599glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. The result is a String.
2600 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2601 characters.
2602 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
2603 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
2604
2605 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
2606 any external command. Example: >
2607 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
2608 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
2609< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
2610 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
2611
2612 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
2613 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
2614
2615globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
2616 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
2617 the results. Example: >
2618 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
2619< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
2620 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
2621 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
2622 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
2623 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
2624 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
2625 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
2626 error message.
2627 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
2628 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
2629
2630 *has()*
2631has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
2632 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
2633 string. See |feature-list| below.
2634 Also see |exists()|.
2635
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002636
2637has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
2638 The result is a Number, which is 1 if Dictionary {dict} has an
2639 entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
2640
2641
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002642hasmapto({what} [, {mode}]) *hasmapto()*
2643 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
2644 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
2645 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
2646 {mode}.
2647 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
2648 buffer are checked for a match.
2649 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
2650 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
2651 n Normal mode
2652 v Visual mode
2653 o Operator-pending mode
2654 i Insert mode
2655 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
2656 c Command-line mode
2657 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
2658
2659 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
2660 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
2661 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
2662 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
2663 :endif
2664< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
2665 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
2666
2667histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
2668 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
2669 one of: *hist-names*
2670 "cmd" or ":" command line history
2671 "search" or "/" search pattern history
2672 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
2673 "input" or "@" input line history
2674 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
2675 shifted to become the newest entry.
2676 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
2677 otherwise 0 is returned.
2678
2679 Example: >
2680 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
2681 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
2682< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
2683
2684histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002685 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002686 for the possible values of {history}.
2687
2688 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
2689 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
2690 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
2691 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
2692 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
2693 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
2694 if it exists.
2695
2696 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
2697 otherwise 0 is returned.
2698
2699 Examples:
2700 Clear expression register history: >
2701 :call histdel("expr")
2702<
2703 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
2704 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
2705<
2706 The following three are equivalent: >
2707 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
2708 :call histdel("search", -1)
2709 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
2710<
2711 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
2712 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
2713 :call histdel("search", -1)
2714 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
2715
2716histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
2717 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
2718 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
2719 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
2720 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
2721 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
2722
2723 Examples:
2724 Redo the second last search from history. >
2725 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
2726
2727< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
2728 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
2729 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
2730<
2731histnr({history}) *histnr()*
2732 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
2733 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
2734 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
2735
2736 Example: >
2737 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
2738<
2739hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
2740 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
2741 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
2742 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
2743 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
2744 item.
2745 *highlight_exists()*
2746 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
2747
2748 *hlID()*
2749hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
2750 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
2751 zero is returned.
2752 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
2753 group. For example, to get the background color of the
2754 "Comment" group: >
2755 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
2756< *highlightID()*
2757 Obsolete name: highlightID().
2758
2759hostname() *hostname()*
2760 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002761 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002762 256 characters long are truncated.
2763
2764iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
2765 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
2766 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
2767 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
2768 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
2769 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
2770 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
2771 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
2772 can be done.
2773 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
2774 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
2775 UTF-8 and use: >
2776 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
2777< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
2778 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
2779 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
2780 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
2781
2782 *indent()*
2783indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
2784 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
2785 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
2786 |getline()|.
2787 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
2788
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002789
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002790index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002791 Return the lowest index in List {list} where the item has a
2792 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00002793 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
2794 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002795 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
2796 case must match.
2797 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
2798 Example: >
2799 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00002800 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002801
2802
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002803input({prompt} [, {text}]) *input()*
2804 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
2805 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
2806 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
2807 prompt to start a new line. The highlighting set with
2808 |:echohl| is used for the prompt. The input is entered just
2809 like a command-line, with the same editing commands and
2810 mappings. There is a separate history for lines typed for
2811 input().
2812 If the optional {text} is present, this is used for the
2813 default reply, as if the user typed this.
2814 NOTE: This must not be used in a startup file, for the
2815 versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
2816 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
2817 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
2818 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
2819 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
2820 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
2821 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
2822 |:execute| or |:normal|.
2823
2824 Example: >
2825 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
2826 : echo "Cheers!"
2827 :endif
2828< Example with default text: >
2829 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
2830< Example with a mapping: >
2831 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
2832 :function GetFoo()
2833 : call inputsave()
2834 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
2835 : call inputrestore()
2836 :endfunction
2837
2838inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
2839 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
2840 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
2841 Example: >
2842 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
2843 :if n != ""
2844 : let &sw = n
2845 :endif
2846< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
2847 omitted an empty string is returned.
2848 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
2849 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
2850
2851inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
2852 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
2853 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
2854 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
2855 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
2856
2857inputsave() *inputsave()*
2858 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
2859 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
2860 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
2861 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
2862 many inputrestore() calls.
2863 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
2864
2865inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
2866 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
2867 two exceptions:
2868 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
2869 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
2870 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
2871 |history| stack.
2872 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
2873 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
2874
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002875insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
2876 Insert {item} at the start of List {list}.
2877 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
2878 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
2879 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
2880 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002881 Returns the resulting List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002882 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
2883 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
2884 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002885< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002886 Note that when {item} is a List it is inserted as a single
2887 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
2888
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002889isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
2890 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
2891 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
2892 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
2893 is any expression, which is used as a String.
2894
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00002895islocked({expr}) *islocked()*
2896 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
2897 name of a locked variable.
2898 {expr} must be the name of a variable, List item or Dictionary
2899 entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
2900 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
2901 :lockvar 1 alist
2902 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
2903 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
2904
2905< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
2906 message. Use |exists()| to check for existance.
2907
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002908items({dict}) *items()*
2909 Return a List with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
2910 List item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict} entry
2911 and the value of this entry. The List is in arbitrary order.
2912
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002913
2914join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
2915 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
2916 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
2917 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
2918 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
2919 add it there too: >
2920 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
2921< String items are used as-is. Lists and Dictionaries are
2922 converted into a string like with |string()|.
2923 The opposite function is |split()|.
2924
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002925keys({dict}) *keys()*
2926 Return a List with all the keys of {dict}. The List is in
2927 arbitrary order.
2928
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002929 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002930len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
2931 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
2932 used, as with |strlen()|.
2933 When {expr} is a List the number of items in the List is
2934 returned.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002935 When {expr} is a Dictionary the number of entries in the
2936 Dictionary is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002937 Otherwise an error is given.
2938
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002939 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
2940libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
2941 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
2942 with single argument {argument}.
2943 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
2944 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
2945 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
2946 limited.
2947 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
2948 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
2949 to Vim.
2950 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
2951 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
2952 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
2953 null-terminated string.
2954 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
2955
2956 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
2957 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
2958 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
2959 very probably crash.
2960
2961 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
2962 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
2963 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
2964 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
2965 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
2966 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
2967 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
2968 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
2969 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
2970 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
2971
2972 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
2973 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
2974 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
2975 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
2976 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
2977 the DLL is not in the usual places.
2978 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
2979 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
2980 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
2981 feature is present}
2982 Examples: >
2983 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
2984 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
2985<
2986 *libcallnr()*
2987libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
2988 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
2989 int instead of a string.
2990 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
2991 feature is present}
2992 Example (not very useful...): >
2993 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
2994 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
2995<
2996 *line()*
2997line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
2998 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
2999 . the cursor position
3000 $ the last line in the current buffer
3001 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3002 returned)
3003 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
3004 Examples: >
3005 line(".") line number of the cursor
3006 line("'t") line number of mark t
3007 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3008< *last-position-jump*
3009 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3010 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3011 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003012
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003013line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3014 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3015 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3016 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3017 line returns 1.
3018 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3019 below the last line: >
3020 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3021< This is the file size plus one.
3022 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3023 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3024 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3025
3026lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3027 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3028 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3029 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3030 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3031 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3032 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3033
3034localtime() *localtime()*
3035 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3036 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3037
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003038
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003039map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
3040 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
3041 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3042 {string}.
3043 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
3044 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
3045 Example: >
3046 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003047< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003048
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003049 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003050 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003051 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3052 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003053
3054 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
3055 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003056 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003057
3058< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003059
3060
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003061maparg({name}[, {mode}]) *maparg()*
3062 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3063 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
3064 These characters can be used for {mode}:
3065 "n" Normal
3066 "v" Visual
3067 "o" Operator-pending
3068 "i" Insert
3069 "c" Cmd-line
3070 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3071 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
3072 When {mode} is omitted, the modes from "" are used.
3073 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3074 command. The returned String has special characters
3075 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3076 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3077 then the global mappings.
3078
3079mapcheck({name}[, {mode}]) *mapcheck()*
3080 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3081 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3082 {name}.
3083 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3084 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3085
3086 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3087 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3088 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3089 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3090 mapcheck("b") no no no
3091
3092 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3093 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3094 mapping for {name} exactly.
3095 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3096 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3097 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3098 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3099 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3100 then the global mappings.
3101 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3102 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3103 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3104 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3105 :endif
3106< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3107 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3108
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003109match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003110 When {expr} is a List then this returns the index of the first
3111 item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a String,
3112 Lists and Dictionaries are used as echoed.
3113 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3114 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3115 {pat} matches.
3116 A match at the first character or List item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003117 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3118 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003119 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
3120 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 2
3121< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003122 *strpbrk()*
3123 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3124 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3125< *strcasestr()*
3126 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3127 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3128 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3129<
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003130 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003131 is found in a String the search for the next one starts on
3132 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003133 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003134< In a List the search continues in the next item.
3135
3136 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
3137 {start} in a String or item {start} in a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003138 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003139 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003140 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3141< result is again "4". >
3142 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3143< result is again "4". >
3144 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3145< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003146 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3147 the index is counted from the end.
3148 If {start} is out of range (> strlen({expr} for a String or
3149 > len({expr} for a List) -1 is returned.
3150
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003151 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3152 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3153 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3154 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3155
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003156matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003157 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3158 the match. Example: >
3159 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3160< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003161 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3162 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3163 do it with matchend(): >
3164 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3165 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3166< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3167
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003168 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3169 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3170< results in "7". >
3171 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3172< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003173 When {expr} is a List the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003174
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003175matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
3176 Same as match(), but return a List. The first item in the
3177 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3178 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
3179 in |:substitute|.
3180 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3181
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003182matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003183 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3184 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3185< results in "ing".
3186 When there is no match "" is returned.
3187 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3188 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3189< results in "ing". >
3190 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3191< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003192 When {expr} is a List then the matching item is returned.
3193 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003194
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003195 *max()*
3196max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3197 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3198 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3199 An empty List results in zero.
3200
3201 *min()*
3202min({list}) Return the minumum value of all items in {list}.
3203 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3204 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3205 An empty List results in zero.
3206
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003207 *mkdir()* *E749*
3208mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3209 Create directory {name}.
3210 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3211 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3212 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3213 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3214 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3215 for others.
3216 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3217 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3218 :if exists("*mkdir")
3219<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003220 *mode()*
3221mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3222 n Normal
3223 v Visual by character
3224 V Visual by line
3225 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3226 s Select by character
3227 S Select by line
3228 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3229 i Insert
3230 R Replace
3231 c Command-line
3232 r Hit-enter prompt
3233 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3234 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3235
3236nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3237 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3238 that is not blank. Example: >
3239 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3240< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3241 below it, zero is returned.
3242 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3243
3244nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3245 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3246 value {expr}. Examples: >
3247 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3248 nr2char(32) returns " "
3249< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3250 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3251< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3252 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3253 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003254 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003255
3256prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3257 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3258 that is not blank. Example: >
3259 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3260< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3261 above it, zero is returned.
3262 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3263
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00003264 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003265range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
3266 Returns a List with Numbers:
3267 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
3268 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
3269 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
3270 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
3271 producing a value past {max}).
3272 Examples: >
3273 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
3274 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
3275 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
3276 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
3277<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003278 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003279readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003280 Read file {fname} and return a List, each line of the file as
3281 an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
3282 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
3283 NL appears somewhere).
3284 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
3285 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
3286 added.
3287 - No CR characters are removed.
3288 Otherwise:
3289 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
3290 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
3291 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003292 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
3293 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
3294 lines of a file: >
3295 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
3296 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
3297 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003298< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
3299 are returned, or as many as there are.
3300 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003301 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
3302 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
3303 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003304 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
3305 the result is an empty list.
3306 Also see |writefile()|.
3307
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003308 *remote_expr()* *E449*
3309remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
3310 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
3311 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
3312 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3313 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3314 remote_read() is stored there.
3315 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3316 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3317 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3318 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
3319 and the result will be the empty string.
3320 Examples: >
3321 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
3322 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
3323<
3324
3325remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
3326 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
3327 This works like: >
3328 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
3329< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
3330 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
3331 to bring itself to the foreground.
3332 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3333 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3334 Win32 console version}
3335
3336
3337remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
3338 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
3339 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
3340 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
3341 name of a variable.
3342 Returns zero if none are available.
3343 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
3344 See also |clientserver|.
3345 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3346 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3347 Examples: >
3348 :let repl = ""
3349 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
3350
3351remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
3352 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
3353 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
3354 See also |clientserver|.
3355 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3356 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3357 Example: >
3358 :echo remote_read(id)
3359<
3360 *remote_send()* *E241*
3361remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003362 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
3363 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
3364 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003365 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3366 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3367 remote_read() is stored there.
3368 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3369 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3370 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3371 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
3372 up the display.
3373 Examples: >
3374 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
3375 \ remote_read(serverid)
3376
3377 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
3378 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
3379 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
3380 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003381<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003382remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
3383 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from List {list} and
3384 return it.
3385 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
3386 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
3387 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
3388 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
3389 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003390 Example: >
3391 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003392 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003393remove({dict}, {key})
3394 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
3395 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
3396< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
3397
3398 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003399
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003400rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
3401 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
3402 should also work to move files across file systems. The
3403 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
3404 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
3405 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3406
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003407repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
3408 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
3409 result. Example: >
3410 :let seperator = repeat('-', 80)
3411< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003412 When {expr} is a List the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003413 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003414 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
3415< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003416
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003417
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003418resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
3419 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
3420 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
3421 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
3422 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
3423 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
3424 stopped after 100 iterations.
3425 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
3426 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
3427 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
3428 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
3429 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
3430
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003431 *reverse()*
3432reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
3433 {list}.
3434 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3435 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
3436
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003437search({pattern} [, {flags}]) *search()*
3438 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003439 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003440 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
3441 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003442 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003443 'w' wrap around the end of the file
3444 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
3445 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
3446
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003447 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
3448 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
3449 flag is used).
3450 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
3451 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003452
3453 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
3454 :let n = 1
3455 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
3456 : exe "argument " . n
3457 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
3458 : " first search to find match at start of file
3459 : normal G$
3460 : let flags = "w"
3461 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
3462 : s/foo/bar/g
3463 : let flags = "W"
3464 : endwhile
3465 : update " write the file if modified
3466 : let n = n + 1
3467 :endwhile
3468<
3469 *searchpair()*
3470searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
3471 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
3472 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
3473 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
3474 The search starts at the cursor. If a match is found, the
3475 cursor is positioned at it and the line number is returned.
3476 If no match is found 0 or -1 is returned and the cursor
3477 doesn't move. No error message is given.
3478
3479 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
3480 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
3481 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
3482 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
3483 typical use is: >
3484 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
3485< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
3486
3487 {flags} are used like with |search()|. Additionally:
3488 'n' do Not move the cursor
3489 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
3490 outer pair
3491 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
3492 the match; will only be > 1 when 'r' is used.
3493
3494 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
3495 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
3496 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
3497 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
3498 or a string.
3499 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
3500 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
3501 and -1 returned.
3502
3503 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
3504 patterns are used like it's on.
3505
3506 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
3507 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
3508 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
3509 if 1
3510 if 2
3511 endif 2
3512 endif 1
3513< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
3514 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
3515 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
3516 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
3517 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
3518 "endif 2".
3519 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
3520 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
3521 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
3522 the matching start.
3523
3524 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
3525
3526 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
3527 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
3528
3529< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
3530 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
3531 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
3532 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
3533 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
3534 match.
3535 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
3536
3537 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
3538
3539< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
3540 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
3541 highlighting recognized as strings: >
3542
3543 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
3544 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
3545<
3546server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
3547 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
3548 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
3549 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3550 Note:
3551 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003552 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003553 before calling any commands that waits for input.
3554 See also |clientserver|.
3555 Example: >
3556 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
3557<
3558serverlist() *serverlist()*
3559 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
3560 When there are no servers or the information is not available
3561 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
3562 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3563 Example: >
3564 :echo serverlist()
3565<
3566setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
3567 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
3568 {val}.
3569 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
3570 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
3571 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
3572 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3573 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
3574 Examples: >
3575 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
3576 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
3577< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3578
3579setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
3580 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
3581 {pos}. The first position is 1.
3582 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
3583 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003584 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
3585 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
3586 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
3587 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
3588 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003589 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
3590 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
3591 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
3592 line.
3593
3594setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003595 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}.
3596 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
3597 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
3598 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003599 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
3600< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
3601
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003602
3603setqflist({list}) *setqflist()*
3604 Creates a quickfix list using the items in {list}. Each item
3605 in {list} is a dictionary. Non-dictionary items in {list} are
3606 ignored. Each dictionary item can contain the following
3607 entries:
3608
3609 filename name of a file
3610 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003611 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003612 col column number
3613 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
3614 when zero: "col" is byte index
3615 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003616 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003617 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003618
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003619 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
3620 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
3621 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003622 If the "filename" entry is not present or neither the "lnum"
3623 or "pattern" entries are present, then the item will not be
3624 handled as an error line.
3625 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
3626 be used.
3627
3628 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
3629
3630 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
3631 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
3632 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
3633
3634
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003635 *setreg()*
3636setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
3637 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
3638 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
3639 then the value is appended.
3640 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
3641 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
3642 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
3643 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
3644 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
3645 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
3646 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
3647 in the longest line (counting a <TAB> as 1 character).
3648
3649 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
3650 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
3651 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
3652 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3653
3654 Examples: >
3655 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
3656 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
3657 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
3658
3659< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
3660 register. >
3661 :let var_a = getreg('a')
3662 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
3663 ....
3664 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
3665
3666< You can also change the type of a register by appending
3667 nothing: >
3668 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
3669
3670setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
3671 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {nr} to
3672 {val}.
3673 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
3674 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
3675 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
3676 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
3677 Examples: >
3678 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
3679 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
3680< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3681
3682simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
3683 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
3684 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
3685 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
3686 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
3687 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
3688 not removed either.
3689 Example: >
3690 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
3691< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
3692 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
3693 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
3694 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
3695 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
3696
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003697
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003698sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003699 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
3700 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3701 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
3702< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003703 Numbers sort after Strings, Lists after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003704 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
3705 When {func} is a Funcref or a function name, this function is
3706 called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
3707 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
3708 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
3709 sorts before the second one. Example: >
3710 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
3711 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
3712 endfunc
3713 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
3714
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003715split({expr} [, {pattern}]) *split()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003716 Make a List out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted each
3717 white-separated sequence of characters becomes an item.
3718 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
3719 removing the matched characters. Empty strings are omitted.
3720 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003721 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003722< Since empty strings are not added the "\+" isn't required but
3723 it makes the function work a bit faster.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003724 To split a string in individual characters: >
3725 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00003726< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
3727 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
3728< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
3729 The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003730
3731
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003732strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
3733 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
3734 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
3735 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
3736 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
3737 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
3738 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
3739 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
3740 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
3741 Examples: >
3742 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
3743 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
3744 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
3745 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
3746 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
3747 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003748< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3749 :if exists("*strftime")
3750
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003751stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
3752 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
3753 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003754 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
3755 This can be used to find a second match: >
3756 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
3757 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
3758< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003759 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003760 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003761 See also |strridx()|.
3762 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003763 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
3764 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
3765 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003766< *strstr()* *strchr()*
3767 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
3768 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
3769
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003770 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003771string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
3772 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
3773 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003774 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003775 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003776 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003777 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003778 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003779 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003780
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003781 *strlen()*
3782strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
3783 {expr} in bytes. If you want to count the number of
3784 multi-byte characters use something like this: >
3785
3786 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
3787
3788< Composing characters are not counted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003789 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
3790 For other types an error is given.
3791 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003792
3793strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
3794 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
3795 byte {start}, with the length {len}.
3796 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
3797 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
3798 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
3799 end of the {src}. >
3800 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
3801 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
3802 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
3803 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
3804< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
3805 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
3806 strpart(getline(line(".")), col(".") - 1, 3)
3807<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003808strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
3809 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
3810 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
3811 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
3812 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
3813 match: >
3814 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
3815 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
3816< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00003817 For pattern searches use |match()|.
3818 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003819 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003820 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003821 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003822< *strrchr()*
3823 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
3824 function strrchr().
3825
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003826strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
3827 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
3828 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
3829 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
3830 echo strtrans(@a)
3831< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
3832 starting a new line.
3833
3834submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
3835 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
3836 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
3837 the whole matched text is returned.
3838 Example: >
3839 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
3840< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
3841 A line break is included as a newline character.
3842
3843substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
3844 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
3845 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
3846 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
3847 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
3848 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
3849 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
3850 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
3851 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
3852 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
3853 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
3854 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
3855 unmodified.
3856 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
3857 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
3858 Example: >
3859 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
3860< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
3861 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
3862< results in "TESTING".
3863
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00003864synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003865 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00003866 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003867 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
3868 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00003869 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003870 line.
3871 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
3872 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
3873 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
3874 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
3875 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
3876 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
3877 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
3878
3879 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
3880 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
3881<
3882synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
3883 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
3884 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
3885 about a syntax item.
3886 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
3887 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
3888 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
3889 used (GUI, cterm or term).
3890 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
3891 {what} result
3892 "name" the name of the syntax item
3893 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
3894 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
3895 term: empty string)
3896 "bg" background color (like "fg")
3897 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
3898 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
3899 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
3900 "bold" "1" if bold
3901 "italic" "1" if italic
3902 "reverse" "1" if reverse
3903 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
3904 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003905 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003906
3907 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
3908 cursor): >
3909 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
3910<
3911synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
3912 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
3913 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
3914 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
3915 ":highlight link" are followed.
3916
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00003917system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
3918 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
3919 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
3920 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
3921 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003922 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00003923 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
3924 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
3925 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003926 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
3927 The result is a String. Example: >
3928
3929 :let files = system("ls")
3930
3931< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
3932 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
3933 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
3934 The command executed is constructed using several options:
3935 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
3936 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
3937 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
3938 concatenated commands.
3939
3940 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
3941 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3942 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
3943 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
3944
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003945
3946taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
3947 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
3948 Each list item is a dictionary with the following entries:
3949 name name of the tag.
3950 filename name of the file where the tag is
3951 defined.
3952 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
3953 the file.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003954 kind type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003955 entry depends on the language specific
3956 kind values generated by the ctags
3957 tool.
3958 static a file specific tag. Refer to
3959 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00003960 The "kind" entry is only available when using Exuberant ctags
3961 generated tags file. More entries may be present, depending
3962 on the content of the tags file: access, implementation,
3963 inherits and signature. Refer to the ctags documentation for
3964 information about these fields. For C code the fields
3965 "struct", "class" and "enum" may appear, they give the name of
3966 the entity the tag is contained in.
3967
3968 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
3969 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00003970
3971 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
3972
3973 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
3974 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
3975 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
3976
3977 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
3978 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
3979 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
3980
3981
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003982tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
3983 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
3984 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
3985 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
3986 :let tmpfile = tempname()
3987 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
3988< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
3989 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
3990 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
3991 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
3992 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
3993 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
3994
3995tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
3996 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
3997 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
3998 the string).
3999
4000toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
4001 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
4002 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
4003 the string).
4004
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00004005tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
4006 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
4007 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
4008 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
4009 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
4010 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
4011 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
4012
4013 Examples: >
4014 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
4015< returns "Hello THere" >
4016 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
4017< returns "{blob}"
4018
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004019 *type()*
4020type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004021 Number: 0
4022 String: 1
4023 Funcref: 2
4024 List: 3
4025 Dictionary: 4
4026 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004027 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
4028 :if type(myvar) == type("")
4029 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
4030 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004031 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004032
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004033values({dict}) *values()*
4034 Return a List with all the values of {dict}. The List is in
4035 arbitrary order.
4036
4037
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004038virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
4039 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
4040 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
4041 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
4042 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
4043 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
4044 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
4045 set to 8, it returns 8.
4046 For the byte position use |col()|.
4047 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
4048 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
4049 The accepted positions are:
4050 . the cursor position
4051 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
4052 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
4053 plus one)
4054 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
4055 returned)
4056 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
4057 Examples: >
4058 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
4059 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
4060 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
4061< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
4062
4063visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
4064 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
4065 used. Initially it returns an empty string, but once Visual
4066 mode has been used, it returns "v", "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a
4067 single CTRL-V character) for character-wise, line-wise, or
4068 block-wise Visual mode respectively.
4069 Example: >
4070 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
4071< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
4072 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
4073 Visual mode that was used.
4074
4075 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
4076 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
4077 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
4078 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
4079
4080 *winbufnr()*
4081winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004082 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004083 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
4084 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4085 Example: >
4086 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
4087<
4088 *wincol()*
4089wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
4090 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
4091 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
4092
4093winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
4094 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
4095 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
4096 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4097 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
4098 Examples: >
4099 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
4100<
4101 *winline()*
4102winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
4103 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
4104 the window. The first line is one.
4105
4106 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004107winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4108 window. The top window has number 1.
4109 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
4110 last window is returnd (the window count).
4111 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
4112 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
4113 If there is no previous window 0 is returned.
4114 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
4115 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004116
4117 *winrestcmd()*
4118winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
4119 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
4120 are opened or closed and the current window is unchanged.
4121 Example: >
4122 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
4123 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
4124 :exe cmd
4125
4126winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
4127 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
4128 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
4129 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4130 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
4131 Examples: >
4132 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
4133 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
4134 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
4135 :endif
4136<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004137 *writefile()*
4138writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
4139 Write List {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
4140 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
4141 Number.
4142 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
4143 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
4144 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
4145 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
4146 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
4147 to writefile().
4148 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
4149 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
4150 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
4151 fails.
4152 Also see |readfile()|.
4153 To copy a file byte for byte: >
4154 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
4155 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
4156<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004157
4158 *feature-list*
4159There are three types of features:
41601. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
4161 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
4162 :if has("cindent")
41632. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
4164 Example: >
4165 :if has("gui_running")
4166< *has-patch*
41673. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
4168 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
4169 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
4170 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
4171
4172all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
4173amiga Amiga version of Vim.
4174arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
4175arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
4176autocmd Compiled with autocommands support.
4177balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
4178beos BeOS version of Vim.
4179browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
4180 work.
4181builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
4182byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
4183cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
4184clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
4185clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
4186cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
4187cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
4188cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
4189comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
4190cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
4191cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
4192compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
4193debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
4194dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
4195dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
4196diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
4197digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
4198dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
4199dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
4200dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
4201ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
4202emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
4203eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
4204 true, of course!
4205ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
4206extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
4207 |'hlsearch'|
4208farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
4209file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004210filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
4211 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004212find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
4213 |+find_in_path|.
4214fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
4215 Windows this is not present).
4216folding Compiled with |folding| support.
4217footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
4218fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
4219gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
4220gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
4221gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00004222gui_beos Compiled with BeOS GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004223gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
4224gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00004225gui_kde Compiled with KDE GUI |KVim|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004226gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
4227gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
4228gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
4229gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
4230gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
4231gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
4232hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
4233iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
4234insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
4235 Insert mode.
4236jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
4237keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
4238langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
4239libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
4240linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
4241 support.
4242lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
4243listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
4244 and the argument list |arglist|.
4245localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
4246mac Macintosh version of Vim.
4247macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
4248menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
4249mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
4250modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
4251mouse Compiled with support mouse.
4252mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
4253mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
4254mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
4255mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
4256mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
4257mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
4258multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
4259multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
4260multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00004261mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004262netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00004263netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004264ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
4265os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
4266osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
4267path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
4268perl Compiled with Perl interface.
4269postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
4270printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004271profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004272python Compiled with Python interface.
4273qnx QNX version of Vim.
4274quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
4275rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
4276ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
4277scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
4278showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
4279signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
4280smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00004281sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004282statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
4283 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
4284sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
4285syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support.
4286syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
4287 current buffer.
4288system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
4289tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
4290 |tag-binary-search|.
4291tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
4292 |tag-old-static|.
4293tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
4294 files |tag-any-white|.
4295tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
4296terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
4297termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
4298textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
4299tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
4300 or terminfo file.
4301title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
4302toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
4303unix Unix version of Vim.
4304user_commands User-defined commands.
4305viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
4306vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
4307vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
4308virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
4309visual Compiled with Visual mode.
4310visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
4311 |blockwise-operators|.
4312vms VMS version of Vim.
4313vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
4314wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
4315wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
4316windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
4317winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
4318win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
4319win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
4320win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
4321win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
4322win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
4323writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
4324xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
4325xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
4326xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
4327xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
4328xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
4329xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
4330 xterm screen.
4331x11 Compiled with X11 support.
4332
4333 *string-match*
4334Matching a pattern in a String
4335
4336A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
4337the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
4338everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
4339like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
4340line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
4341with ".". Example: >
4342 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
4343 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
4344 aa
4345 xx
4346 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
4347 a
4348 x
4349
4350Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
4351"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
4352"\n".
4353
4354==============================================================================
43555. Defining functions *user-functions*
4356
4357New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
4358functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
4359commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
4360
4361The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
4362builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
4363avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
4364the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
4365
4366It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|.
4367
4368 *local-function*
4369A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
4370can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
4371and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
4372function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
4373instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
4374
4375 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
4376:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
4377
4378:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004379 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4380 Funcref: >
4381 :function dict.init
4382< *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004383:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004384 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
4385 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
4386 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004387
4388 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4389 Funcref: >
4390 :function dict.init(arg)
4391< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
4392 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
4393 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
4394 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
4395 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
4396 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004397 *E127* *E122*
4398 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
4399 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
4400 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
4401 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004402
4403 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
4404
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004405 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
4406 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
4407 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
4408 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
4409 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
4410 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
4411 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004412
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004413 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
4414 abort as soon as an error is detected.
4415 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
4416 will not be changed by the function.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004417
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004418 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
4419 be invoked through an entry in a Dictionary. The
4420 local variable "self" will then be set to the
4421 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004422
4423 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
4424:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
4425 by its own, without other commands.
4426
4427 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
4428:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004429 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4430 Funcref: >
4431 :delfunc dict.init
4432< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
4433 function is deleted if there are no more references to
4434 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004435 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
4436:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
4437 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
4438 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
4439 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
4440 the number 0 is returned.
4441 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
4442 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
4443
4444 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
4445 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
4446 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
4447 are executed first. This process applies to all
4448 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
4449 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
4450
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004451 *function-argument* *a:var*
4452An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
4453be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
4454 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740*
4455Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
4456arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
4457may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
4458as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004459can be 0). "a:000" is set to a List that contains these arguments. Note that
4460"a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
4461 *E742*
4462The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
4463However, if a List or Dictionary is used, you can changes their contents.
4464Thus you can pass a List to a function and have the function add an item to
4465it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a List or Dictionary
4466use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004467
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004468When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
4469to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
4470may be larger.
4471
4472It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
4473still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
4474until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
4475inside a function body.
4476
4477 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004478Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
4479will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
4480accessed with "g:".
4481
4482Example: >
4483 :function Table(title, ...)
4484 : echohl Title
4485 : echo a:title
4486 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004487 : echo a:0 . " items:"
4488 : for s in a:000
4489 : echon ' ' . s
4490 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004491 :endfunction
4492
4493This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004494 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
4495 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004496
4497To return more than one value, pass the name of a global variable: >
4498 :function Compute(n1, n2, divname)
4499 : if a:n2 == 0
4500 : return "fail"
4501 : endif
4502 : let g:{a:divname} = a:n1 / a:n2
4503 : return "ok"
4504 :endfunction
4505
4506This function can then be called with: >
4507 :let success = Compute(13, 1324, "div")
4508 :if success == "ok"
4509 : echo div
4510 :endif
4511
4512An alternative is to return a command that can be executed. This also works
4513with local variables in a calling function. Example: >
4514 :function Foo()
4515 : execute Bar()
4516 : echo "line " . lnum . " column " . col
4517 :endfunction
4518
4519 :function Bar()
4520 : return "let lnum = " . line(".") . " | let col = " . col(".")
4521 :endfunction
4522
4523The names "lnum" and "col" could also be passed as argument to Bar(), to allow
4524the caller to set the names.
4525
4526 *:cal* *:call* *E107*
4527:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
4528 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
4529 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
4530 used.
4531 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
4532 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
4533 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
4534 function.
4535 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
4536 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
4537 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
4538 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
4539 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
4540 this works:
4541 *function-range-example* >
4542 :function Mynumber(arg)
4543 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
4544 :endfunction
4545 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
4546<
4547 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
4548 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
4549 the range.
4550
4551 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
4552
4553 :function Cont() range
4554 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
4555 :endfunction
4556 :4,8call Cont()
4557<
4558 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
4559 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
4560
4561 *E132*
4562The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
4563option.
4564
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004565
4566AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004567 *autoload-functions*
4568When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004569only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
4570the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
4571
4572
4573Using an autocommand ~
4574
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004575This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
4576
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004577The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
4578You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
4579That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
4580again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
4581
4582Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
4583function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004584
4585 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
4586
4587The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
4588"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
4589
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004590
4591Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004592 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004593This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
4594
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004595Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
4596exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
4597like this: >
4598
4599 :call filename:funcname()
4600
4601When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
4602"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
4603"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
4604then define the function like this: >
4605
4606 function filename:funcname()
4607 echo "Done!"
4608 endfunction
4609
4610The file name and the name used before the colon in the function must match
4611exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
4612called.
4613
4614It is possible to use subdirectories. Every colon in the function name works
4615like a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
4616
4617 :call foo:bar:func()
4618
4619Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
4620
4621The name before the first colon must be at least two characters long,
4622otherwise it looks like a scope, such as "s:".
4623
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004624This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
4625
4626 :let l = foo:bar:lvar
4627
4628When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
4629be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
4630
4631 :let foo:bar:toggle = 1
4632 :call foo:bar:func()
4633
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00004634Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
4635defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
4636function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004637And you will get an error message every time.
4638
4639Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
4640other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
4641Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00004642
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004643==============================================================================
46446. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
4645
4646Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
4647This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
4648{} like this: >
4649 my_{adjective}_variable
4650
4651When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
4652that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
4653name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
4654"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
4655"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
4656
4657One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
4658value. For example, the statement >
4659 echo my_{&background}_message
4660
4661would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
4662on the current value of 'background'.
4663
4664You can use multiple brace pairs: >
4665 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
4666..or even nest them: >
4667 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
4668where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
4669
4670However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004671variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004672 :let foo='a + b'
4673 :echo c{foo}d
4674.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
4675
4676 *curly-braces-function-names*
4677You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
4678Example: >
4679 :let func_end='whizz'
4680 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
4681
4682This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
4683
4684==============================================================================
46857. Commands *expression-commands*
4686
4687:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
4688 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
4689 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
4690 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
4691 is created.
4692
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004693:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
4694 Set a list item to the result of the expression
4695 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
4696 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
4697 the index can be repeated.
4698 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
4699
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004700 *E711* *E719*
4701:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004702 Set a sequence of items in a List to the result of the
4703 expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
4704 correct number of items.
4705 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
4706 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
4707 When the selected range of items is partly past the
4708 end of the list, items will be added.
4709
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004710 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004711:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
4712:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
4713:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
4714 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
4715 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
4716
4717
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004718:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
4719 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
4720 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004721:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
4722 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
4723 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
4724 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004725
4726:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
4727 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
4728 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
4729 must be the name of a writable register (see
4730 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
4731 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
4732 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
4733 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
4734 characterwise.
4735 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
4736 :let @/ = ""
4737< This is different from searching for an empty string,
4738 that would match everywhere.
4739
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004740:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
4741 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
4742 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
4743
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004744:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-star*
4745 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004746 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
4747 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004748 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
4749 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
4750 value and the global value is changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004751 Example: >
4752 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004753
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004754:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
4755 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
4756 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
4757
4758:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
4759:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
4760 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
4761 {expr1}.
4762
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004763:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004764:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
4765:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
4766:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004767 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
4768 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
4769
4770:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004771:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
4772:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
4773:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004774 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
4775 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
4776
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004777:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004778 {expr1} must evaluate to a List. The first item in
4779 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
4780 {name2}, etc.
4781 The number of names must match the number of items in
4782 the List.
4783 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
4784 command as mentioned above.
4785 Example: >
4786 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004787< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
4788 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
4789 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
4790 :let x = [0, 1]
4791 :let i = 0
4792 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
4793 :echo x
4794< The result is [0, 2].
4795
4796:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
4797:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
4798:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
4799 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
4800 List item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004801
4802:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004803 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the List may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004804 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
4805 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
4806 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00004807 Example: >
4808 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
4809<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004810:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
4811:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
4812:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
4813 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
4814 List item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004815 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004816:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00004817 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
4818 here: *E738*
4819 g: global variables.
4820 b: local buffer variables.
4821 w: local window variables.
4822 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004823
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004824:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
4825 variable is indicated before the value:
4826 <nothing> String
4827 # Number
4828 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004829
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004830
4831:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108*
4832 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
4833 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
4834 may also be a List or Dictionary item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004835 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
4836 variables.
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00004837 One or more items from a List can be removed: >
4838 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
4839 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
4840< One item from a Dictionary can be removed at a time: >
4841 :unlet dict['two']
4842 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004843
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004844:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
4845 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
4846 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
4847 A locked variable can be deleted: >
4848 :lockvar v
4849 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
4850 :unlet v
4851< *E741*
4852 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
4853 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
4854
4855 [depth] is relevant when locking a List or Dictionary.
4856 It specifies how deep the locking goes:
4857 1 Lock the List or Dictionary itself,
4858 cannot add or remove items, but can
4859 still change their values.
4860 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
4861 the items. If an item is a List or
4862 Dictionary, cannot add or remove
4863 items, but can still change the
4864 values.
4865 3 Like 2 but for the List/Dictionary in
4866 the List/Dictionary, one level deeper.
4867 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a List
4868 or Dictionary the values cannot be changed.
4869 *E743*
4870 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
4871 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
4872 loops.
4873
4874 Note that when two variables refer to the same List
4875 and you lock one of them, the List will also be locked
4876 when used through the other variable. Example: >
4877 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
4878 :let cl = l
4879 :lockvar l
4880 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
4881< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
4882 See |deepcopy()|.
4883
4884
4885:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
4886 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
4887 opposite of |:lockvar|.
4888
4889
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004890:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
4891:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
4892 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
4893
4894 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
4895 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
4896 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
4897 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
4898 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
4899 part was not executed either.
4900
4901 You can use this to remain compatible with older
4902 versions: >
4903 :if version >= 500
4904 : version-5-specific-commands
4905 :endif
4906< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
4907 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
4908 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
4909 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
4910 avoid problems: >
4911 :if version >= 600
4912 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
4913 :endif
4914<
4915 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
4916 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
4917
4918 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
4919:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
4920 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
4921 executed.
4922
4923 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
4924:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
4925 is no extra ":endif".
4926
4927:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004928 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004929:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
4930 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
4931 When an error is detected from a command inside the
4932 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004933 Example: >
4934 :let lnum = 1
4935 :while lnum <= line("$")
4936 :call FixLine(lnum)
4937 :let lnum = lnum + 1
4938 :endwhile
4939<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004940 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004941 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004942
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004943:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004944:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
4945 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004946 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004947 value of each item.
4948 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004949 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00004950 Changing {list} affects what items are used. Make a
4951 copy if this is unwanted: >
4952 :for item in copy(mylist)
4953< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
4954 next item in the list, before executing the commands
4955 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
4956 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
4957 it will not be found. Thus the following example
4958 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
4959 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004960 :call remove(mylist, 0)
4961 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004962< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
4963 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
4964 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004965 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
4966 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
4967 to allow multiple item types.
4968
4969:for {var} in {string}
4970:endfo[r] Like ":for" above, but use each character in {string}
4971 as a list item.
4972 Composing characters are used as separate characters.
4973 A Number is first converted to a String.
4974
4975:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
4976:endfo[r]
4977 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
4978 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
4979 {var2}, etc. Example: >
4980 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
4981 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
4982 :endfor
4983<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004984 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004985:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
4986 to the start of the loop.
4987 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
4988 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
4989 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
4990 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
4991 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
4992 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004993
4994 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00004995:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
4996 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
4997 ":endfor".
4998 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
4999 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5000 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5001 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5002 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5003 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005004
5005:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
5006:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
5007 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
5008 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
5009 or autocommand invocations.
5010
5011 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
5012 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
5013 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
5014 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
5015 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
5016 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
5017 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
5018 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
5019 Example: >
5020 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
5021 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
5022<
5023 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
5024 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
5025 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
5026 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
5027 processing is not terminated.
5028
5029 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
5030 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
5031 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
5032 other errors are converted to a value of the form
5033 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
5034 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
5035 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
5036 the error number.
5037 Examples: >
5038 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
5039 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
5040<
5041 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
5042:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
5043 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
5044 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
5045 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
5046 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
5047 commands are skipped.
5048 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
5049 Examples: >
5050 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
5051 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
5052 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
5053 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
5054 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
5055 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
5056 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
5057 :catch " same as /.*/
5058<
5059 Another character can be used instead of / around the
5060 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
5061 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
5062 {pattern}.
5063 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
5064 an error message because it may vary in different
5065 locales.
5066
5067 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
5068:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
5069 are executed whenever the part between the matching
5070 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
5071 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
5072 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
5073 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
5074
5075 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
5076:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
5077 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
5078 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
5079 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
5080 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
5081 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
5082 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
5083 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
5084 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
5085 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
5086 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
5087 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
5088 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
5089 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
5090 is terminated.
5091 Example: >
5092 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
5093<
5094
5095 *:ec* *:echo*
5096:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
5097 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
5098 Also see |:comment|.
5099 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
5100 cursor to the first column.
5101 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5102 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5103 Example: >
5104 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
5105< A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
5106 To avoid that a command from before the ":echo" causes
5107 a redraw afterwards (redraws are often postponed until
5108 you type something), force a redraw with the |:redraw|
5109 command. Example: >
5110 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
5111<
5112 *:echon*
5113:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
5114 |:comment|.
5115 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5116 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5117 Example: >
5118 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
5119<
5120 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
5121 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
5122 command: >
5123 :!echo % --> filename
5124< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
5125 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
5126< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
5127 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
5128 :echo % --> nothing
5129< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
5130 :echo "%" --> %
5131< This just echoes the '%' character. >
5132 :echo expand("%") --> filename
5133< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
5134
5135 *:echoh* *:echohl*
5136:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
5137 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
5138 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
5139 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
5140< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
5141 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
5142
5143 *:echom* *:echomsg*
5144:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
5145 message in the |message-history|.
5146 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5147 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
5148 displayed, not interpreted.
5149 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5150 Example: >
5151 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
5152<
5153 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
5154:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
5155 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
5156 script or function the line number will be added.
5157 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5158 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
5159 the message is raised as an error exception instead
5160 (see |try-echoerr|).
5161 Example: >
5162 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
5163< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
5164 And to get a beep: >
5165 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
5166<
5167 *:exe* *:execute*
5168:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
5169 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
5170 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
5171 used as the processed command, command line editing
5172 keys are not recognized.
5173 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5174 Examples: >
5175 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
5176 :execute "normal " count . "w"
5177<
5178 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
5179 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
5180 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
5181
5182< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
5183 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
5184 command: >
5185 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
5186< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
5187
5188 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005189 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
5190 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005191 :execute 'while i > 5'
5192 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
5193<
5194 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
5195 completely in the executed string: >
5196 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
5197<
5198
5199 *:comment*
5200 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
5201 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
5202 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
5203 comment. Example: >
5204 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
5205
5206==============================================================================
52078. Exception handling *exception-handling*
5208
5209The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
5210explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
5211
5212Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
5213|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
5214exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
5215
5216
5217TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
5218
5219Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
5220use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
5221a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
5222 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
5223|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
5224a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
5225be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
5226which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
5227clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
5228
5229 :try
5230 : ...
5231 : ... TRY BLOCK
5232 : ...
5233 :catch /{pattern}/
5234 : ...
5235 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5236 : ...
5237 :catch /{pattern}/
5238 : ...
5239 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5240 : ...
5241 :finally
5242 : ...
5243 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
5244 : ...
5245 :endtry
5246
5247The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
5248appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
5249from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
5250 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
5251is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
5252script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
5253 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
5254lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
5255patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
5256after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
5257executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
5258":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
5259(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
5260continues in the following line as usual.
5261 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
5262":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
5263that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
5264finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
5265the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
5266the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
5267see |try-nesting|.
5268 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
5269remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
5270not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
5271try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
5272a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
5273execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
5274exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5275 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
5276thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
5277clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
5278catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
5279following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
5280clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5281
5282The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
5283a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
5284try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
5285from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
5286sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
5287":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
5288":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
5289from the finally clause.
5290 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
5291try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
5292clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
5293":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
5294clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
5295":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
5296this pending exception or command is discarded.
5297
5298For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
5299
5300
5301NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
5302
5303Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
5304conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
5305clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
5306catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
5307of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
5308checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
5309try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
5310otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
5311nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
5312one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
5313the inner try conditional.
5314
5315When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
5316finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
5317An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
5318thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
5319implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
5320as usual.
5321
5322For examples see |throw-catch|.
5323
5324
5325EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
5326
5327Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
5328'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
5329script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
5330finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
5331a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
5332(see |debug-scripts|).
5333
5334
5335THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
5336
5337You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
5338and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
5339 :throw 4711
5340 :throw "string"
5341< *throw-expression*
5342You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
5343first, and the result is thrown: >
5344 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
5345 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
5346
5347An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
5348command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
5349The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
5350 Example: >
5351
5352 :function! Foo(arg)
5353 : try
5354 : throw a:arg
5355 : catch /foo/
5356 : endtry
5357 : return 1
5358 :endfunction
5359 :
5360 :function! Bar()
5361 : echo "in Bar"
5362 : return 4710
5363 :endfunction
5364 :
5365 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
5366
5367This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
5368executed. >
5369 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
5370however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
5371
5372Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
5373abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
5374exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
5375 Example: >
5376
5377 :if Foo("arrgh")
5378 : echo "then"
5379 :else
5380 : echo "else"
5381 :endif
5382
5383Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
5384
5385 *catch-order*
5386Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
5387commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
5388command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
5389gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
5390 Example: >
5391
5392 :function! Foo(value)
5393 : try
5394 : throw a:value
5395 : catch /^\d\+$/
5396 : echo "Number thrown"
5397 : catch /.*/
5398 : echo "String thrown"
5399 : endtry
5400 :endfunction
5401 :
5402 :call Foo(0x1267)
5403 :call Foo('string')
5404
5405The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
5406An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
5407specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
5408specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
5409
5410 : catch /.*/
5411 : echo "String thrown"
5412 : catch /^\d\+$/
5413 : echo "Number thrown"
5414
5415The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
5416never taken.
5417
5418 *throw-variables*
5419If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
5420in the variable |v:exception|: >
5421
5422 : catch /^\d\+$/
5423 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
5424
5425You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
5426|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
5427exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
5428 Example: >
5429
5430 :function! Caught()
5431 : if v:exception != ""
5432 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
5433 : else
5434 : echo 'Nothing caught'
5435 : endif
5436 :endfunction
5437 :
5438 :function! Foo()
5439 : try
5440 : try
5441 : try
5442 : throw 4711
5443 : finally
5444 : call Caught()
5445 : endtry
5446 : catch /.*/
5447 : call Caught()
5448 : throw "oops"
5449 : endtry
5450 : catch /.*/
5451 : call Caught()
5452 : finally
5453 : call Caught()
5454 : endtry
5455 :endfunction
5456 :
5457 :call Foo()
5458
5459This displays >
5460
5461 Nothing caught
5462 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
5463 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
5464 Nothing caught
5465
5466A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
5467number in the script or function where it has been used: >
5468
5469 :function! LineNumber()
5470 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
5471 :endfunction
5472 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
5473<
5474 *try-nested*
5475An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
5476a surrounding try conditional: >
5477
5478 :try
5479 : try
5480 : throw "foo"
5481 : catch /foobar/
5482 : echo "foobar"
5483 : finally
5484 : echo "inner finally"
5485 : endtry
5486 :catch /foo/
5487 : echo "foo"
5488 :endtry
5489
5490The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
5491clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
5492conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
5493
5494 *throw-from-catch*
5495You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
5496catch clause: >
5497
5498 :function! Foo()
5499 : throw "foo"
5500 :endfunction
5501 :
5502 :function! Bar()
5503 : try
5504 : call Foo()
5505 : catch /foo/
5506 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
5507 : throw "bar"
5508 : endtry
5509 :endfunction
5510 :
5511 :try
5512 : call Bar()
5513 :catch /.*/
5514 : echo "Caught" v:exception
5515 :endtry
5516
5517This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
5518
5519 *rethrow*
5520There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
5521"v:exception" instead: >
5522
5523 :function! Bar()
5524 : try
5525 : call Foo()
5526 : catch /.*/
5527 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
5528 : throw v:exception
5529 : endtry
5530 :endfunction
5531< *try-echoerr*
5532Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
5533exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
5534Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
5535denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
5536the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
5537
5538 :try
5539 : try
5540 : asdf
5541 : catch /.*/
5542 : echoerr v:exception
5543 : endtry
5544 :catch /.*/
5545 : echo v:exception
5546 :endtry
5547
5548This code displays
5549
5550 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
5551
5552
5553CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
5554
5555Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
5556user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
5557an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
5558a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
5559catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
5560a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
5561normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
5562(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
5563to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
5564clause has been executed.)
5565Example: >
5566
5567 :try
5568 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
5569 : set ts=17
5570 :
5571 : " Do the hard work here.
5572 :
5573 :finally
5574 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
5575 : unlet s:saved_ts
5576 :endtry
5577
5578This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
5579changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
5580that function or script part.
5581
5582 *break-finally*
5583Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
5584a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
5585 Example: >
5586
5587 :let first = 1
5588 :while 1
5589 : try
5590 : if first
5591 : echo "first"
5592 : let first = 0
5593 : continue
5594 : else
5595 : throw "second"
5596 : endif
5597 : catch /.*/
5598 : echo v:exception
5599 : break
5600 : finally
5601 : echo "cleanup"
5602 : endtry
5603 : echo "still in while"
5604 :endwhile
5605 :echo "end"
5606
5607This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
5608
5609 :function! Foo()
5610 : try
5611 : return 4711
5612 : finally
5613 : echo "cleanup\n"
5614 : endtry
5615 : echo "Foo still active"
5616 :endfunction
5617 :
5618 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
5619
5620This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
5621extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
5622return value.)
5623
5624 *except-from-finally*
5625Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
5626a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
5627cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
5628exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
5629 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
5630working correctly: >
5631
5632 :try
5633 : try
5634 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
5635 : while 1
5636 : endwhile
5637 : finally
5638 : unlet novar
5639 : endtry
5640 :catch /novar/
5641 :endtry
5642 :echo "Script still running"
5643 :sleep 1
5644
5645If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
5646think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
5647|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
5648
5649
5650CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
5651
5652If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
5653watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
5654presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
5655exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
5656the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
5657the error exception is.
5658 Error exceptions have the following format: >
5659
5660 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
5661or >
5662 Vim:{errmsg}
5663
5664{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
5665the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
5666when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
5667a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
5668a space.
5669
5670Examples:
5671
5672The command >
5673 :unlet novar
5674normally produces the error message >
5675 E108: No such variable: "novar"
5676which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5677 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
5678
5679The command >
5680 :dwim
5681normally produces the error message >
5682 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
5683which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5684 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
5685
5686You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
5687 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
5688or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
5689 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
5690
5691Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
5692 :function nofunc
5693and >
5694 :delfunction nofunc
5695both produce the error message >
5696 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5697which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
5698 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5699or >
5700 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
5701respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
5702command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
5703 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
5704
5705Some commands like >
5706 :let x = novar
5707produce multiple error messages, here: >
5708 E121: Undefined variable: novar
5709 E15: Invalid expression: novar
5710Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
5711one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
5712 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
5713
5714You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
5715 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
5716
5717You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
5718 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
5719
5720You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
5721 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
5722<
5723 *catch-text*
5724NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
5725 :catch /No such variable/
5726only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
5727a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
5728cite the message text in a comment: >
5729 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
5730
5731
5732IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
5733
5734You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
5735
5736 :try
5737 : write
5738 :catch
5739 :endtry
5740
5741But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
5742catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
5743be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
5744
5745 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
5746
5747There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
5748writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
5749then hide the error from the user.
5750 It is much better to use >
5751
5752 :try
5753 : write
5754 :catch /^Vim(write):/
5755 :endtry
5756
5757which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
5758intentionally.
5759
5760For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
5761even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
5762command: >
5763 :silent! nunmap k
5764This works also when a try conditional is active.
5765
5766
5767CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
5768
5769When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
5770the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
5771script is not terminated, then.
5772 Example: >
5773
5774 :function! TASK1()
5775 : sleep 10
5776 :endfunction
5777
5778 :function! TASK2()
5779 : sleep 20
5780 :endfunction
5781
5782 :while 1
5783 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
5784 : try
5785 : if command == ""
5786 : continue
5787 : elseif command == "END"
5788 : break
5789 : elseif command == "TASK1"
5790 : call TASK1()
5791 : elseif command == "TASK2"
5792 : call TASK2()
5793 : else
5794 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
5795 : continue
5796 : endif
5797 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
5798 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
5799 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
5800 : endtry
5801 :endwhile
5802
5803You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
5804a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
5805
5806For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
5807your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
5808command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
5809
5810
5811CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
5812
5813The commands >
5814
5815 :catch /.*/
5816 :catch //
5817 :catch
5818
5819catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
5820explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
5821a script in order to catch unexpected things.
5822 Example: >
5823
5824 :try
5825 :
5826 : " do the hard work here
5827 :
5828 :catch /MyException/
5829 :
5830 : " handle known problem
5831 :
5832 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
5833 : echo "Script interrupted"
5834 :catch /.*/
5835 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
5836 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
5837 :endtry
5838 :" end of script
5839
5840Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
5841strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
5842specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
5843 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
5844by pressing CTRL-C: >
5845
5846 :while 1
5847 : try
5848 : sleep 1
5849 : catch
5850 : endtry
5851 :endwhile
5852
5853
5854EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
5855
5856Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
5857
5858 :autocmd User x try
5859 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
5860 :autocmd User x catch
5861 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
5862 :autocmd User x endtry
5863 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
5864 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
5865 :
5866 :try
5867 : doautocmd User x
5868 :catch
5869 : echo v:exception
5870 :endtry
5871
5872This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
5873
5874 *except-autocmd-Pre*
5875For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
5876command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
5877of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
5878abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
5879 Example: >
5880
5881 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
5882 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
5883 :
5884 :try
5885 : write
5886 :catch
5887 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
5888 :endtry
5889
5890Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
5891you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
5892autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
5893script displays: >
5894
5895 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
5896<
5897 *except-autocmd-Post*
5898For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
5899command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
5900an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
5901is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
5902 Example: >
5903
5904 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
5905 :
5906 :try
5907 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5908 :catch
5909 : echo v:exception
5910 :endtry
5911
5912This just displays: >
5913
5914 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
5915
5916If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
5917fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
5918 Example: >
5919
5920 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
5921 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
5922 :
5923 :try
5924 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5925 :catch
5926 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5927 :endtry
5928<
5929You can also use ":silent!": >
5930
5931 :let x = "ok"
5932 :let v:errmsg = ""
5933 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
5934 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
5935 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
5936 :try
5937 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
5938 :catch
5939 :endtry
5940 :echo x
5941
5942This displays "after fail".
5943
5944If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
5945autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
5946
5947 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
5948 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
5949 :
5950 :try
5951 : write
5952 :catch
5953 : echo v:exception
5954 :endtry
5955<
5956 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
5957For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
5958autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
5959of the command.
5960 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
5961had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
5962some way. >
5963
5964 :if !exists("cnt")
5965 : let cnt = 0
5966 :
5967 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
5968 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
5969 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
5970 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
5971 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
5972 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
5973 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
5974 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
5975 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
5976 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
5977 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
5978 :endif
5979 :
5980 :try
5981 : write
5982 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
5983 : if &modified
5984 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
5985 : else
5986 : echo "Error after writing"
5987 : endif
5988 :catch /^Vim(write):/
5989 : echo "Error on writing"
5990 :endtry
5991
5992When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
5993first >
5994 File successfully written!
5995then >
5996 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
5997then >
5998 Error after writing
5999etc.
6000
6001 *except-autocmd-ill*
6002You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
6003The following code is ill-formed: >
6004
6005 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
6006 :
6007 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
6008 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
6009 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
6010 :
6011 :write
6012
6013
6014EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
6015
6016Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
6017pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
6018similar things in Vim.
6019 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
6020class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
6021string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
6022 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
6023it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
6024for an error when writing "myfile".
6025 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
6026base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
6027parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
6028 Example: >
6029
6030 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
6031 : if a:a < 0
6032 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
6033 : endif
6034 :endfunction
6035 :
6036 :function! Add(a, b)
6037 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
6038 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
6039 : let c = a:a + a:b
6040 : if c < 0
6041 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
6042 : endif
6043 : return c
6044 :endfunction
6045 :
6046 :function! Div(a, b)
6047 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
6048 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
6049 : if (a:b == 0)
6050 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
6051 : endif
6052 : return a:a / a:b
6053 :endfunction
6054 :
6055 :function! Write(file)
6056 : try
6057 : execute "write" a:file
6058 : catch /^Vim(write):/
6059 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
6060 : endtry
6061 :endfunction
6062 :
6063 :try
6064 :
6065 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
6066 :
6067 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
6068 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6069 : echo "Range error in" function
6070 :
6071 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
6072 : echo "Math error"
6073 :
6074 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
6075 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
6076 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6077 : if file !~ '^/'
6078 : let file = dir . "/" . file
6079 : endif
6080 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
6081 :
6082 :catch /^EXCEPT/
6083 : echo "Unspecified error"
6084 :
6085 :endtry
6086
6087The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
6088a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
6089exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
6090 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
6091failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
6092
6093
6094PECULIARITIES
6095 *except-compat*
6096The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
6097exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
6098and/or a catch clause.
6099
6100In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
6101continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
6102after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
6103functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
6104or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
6105(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
6106
6107This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
6108immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
6109conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
6110be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
6111termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
6112catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
6113by specifying a finally clause.)
6114
6115When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
6116behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
6117scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
6118
6119However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
6120commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
6121conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
6122script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
6123error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
6124messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
6125|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
6126not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
6127where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
6128error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
6129scripts.
6130
6131 *except-syntax-err*
6132Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
6133the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
6134clauses, however, is executed.
6135 Example: >
6136
6137 :try
6138 : try
6139 : throw 4711
6140 : catch /\(/
6141 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
6142 : catch
6143 : echo "inner catch-all"
6144 : finally
6145 : echo "inner finally"
6146 : endtry
6147 :catch
6148 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
6149 : finally
6150 : echo "outer finally"
6151 :endtry
6152
6153This displays: >
6154 inner finally
6155 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
6156 outer finally
6157The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
6158
6159 *except-single-line*
6160The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
6161a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
6162"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
6163 Example: >
6164 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
6165raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
6166argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
6167error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
6168displayed.
6169
6170 *except-several-errors*
6171When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
6172usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
6173 Example: >
6174 echo novar
6175causes >
6176 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6177 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6178The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6179 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
6180< *except-syntax-error*
6181But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
6182the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
6183 Example: >
6184 unlet novar #
6185causes >
6186 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6187 E488: Trailing characters
6188The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6189 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
6190This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
6191not intended by the user. Example: >
6192 try
6193 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
6194 catch /.*/
6195 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
6196 endtry
6197This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
6198a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
6199
6200==============================================================================
62019. Examples *eval-examples*
6202
6203Printing in Hex ~
6204>
6205 :" The function Nr2Hex() returns the Hex string of a number.
6206 :func Nr2Hex(nr)
6207 : let n = a:nr
6208 : let r = ""
6209 : while n
6210 : let r = '0123456789ABCDEF'[n % 16] . r
6211 : let n = n / 16
6212 : endwhile
6213 : return r
6214 :endfunc
6215
6216 :" The function String2Hex() converts each character in a string to a two
6217 :" character Hex string.
6218 :func String2Hex(str)
6219 : let out = ''
6220 : let ix = 0
6221 : while ix < strlen(a:str)
6222 : let out = out . Nr2Hex(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
6223 : let ix = ix + 1
6224 : endwhile
6225 : return out
6226 :endfunc
6227
6228Example of its use: >
6229 :echo Nr2Hex(32)
6230result: "20" >
6231 :echo String2Hex("32")
6232result: "3332"
6233
6234
6235Sorting lines (by Robert Webb) ~
6236
6237Here is a Vim script to sort lines. Highlight the lines in Vim and type
6238":Sort". This doesn't call any external programs so it'll work on any
6239platform. The function Sort() actually takes the name of a comparison
6240function as its argument, like qsort() does in C. So you could supply it
6241with different comparison functions in order to sort according to date etc.
6242>
6243 :" Function for use with Sort(), to compare two strings.
6244 :func! Strcmp(str1, str2)
6245 : if (a:str1 < a:str2)
6246 : return -1
6247 : elseif (a:str1 > a:str2)
6248 : return 1
6249 : else
6250 : return 0
6251 : endif
6252 :endfunction
6253
6254 :" Sort lines. SortR() is called recursively.
6255 :func! SortR(start, end, cmp)
6256 : if (a:start >= a:end)
6257 : return
6258 : endif
6259 : let partition = a:start - 1
6260 : let middle = partition
6261 : let partStr = getline((a:start + a:end) / 2)
6262 : let i = a:start
6263 : while (i <= a:end)
6264 : let str = getline(i)
6265 : exec "let result = " . a:cmp . "(str, partStr)"
6266 : if (result <= 0)
6267 : " Need to put it before the partition. Swap lines i and partition.
6268 : let partition = partition + 1
6269 : if (result == 0)
6270 : let middle = partition
6271 : endif
6272 : if (i != partition)
6273 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6274 : call setline(i, str2)
6275 : call setline(partition, str)
6276 : endif
6277 : endif
6278 : let i = i + 1
6279 : endwhile
6280
6281 : " Now we have a pointer to the "middle" element, as far as partitioning
6282 : " goes, which could be anywhere before the partition. Make sure it is at
6283 : " the end of the partition.
6284 : if (middle != partition)
6285 : let str = getline(middle)
6286 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6287 : call setline(middle, str2)
6288 : call setline(partition, str)
6289 : endif
6290 : call SortR(a:start, partition - 1, a:cmp)
6291 : call SortR(partition + 1, a:end, a:cmp)
6292 :endfunc
6293
6294 :" To Sort a range of lines, pass the range to Sort() along with the name of a
6295 :" function that will compare two lines.
6296 :func! Sort(cmp) range
6297 : call SortR(a:firstline, a:lastline, a:cmp)
6298 :endfunc
6299
6300 :" :Sort takes a range of lines and sorts them.
6301 :command! -nargs=0 -range Sort <line1>,<line2>call Sort("Strcmp")
6302<
6303 *sscanf*
6304There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
6305line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
6306how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
6307"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
6308 :" Set up the match bit
6309 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
6310 :"get the part matching the whole expression
6311 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
6312 :"get each item out of the match
6313 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
6314 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
6315 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
6316
6317The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
6318"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
6319
6320==============================================================================
632110. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
6322
6323When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
6324evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
6325to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
6326recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
6327and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
6328only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
6329recognized.
6330
6331Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
6332missing: >
6333
6334 :if 1
6335 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
6336 :else
6337 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
6338 :endif
6339
6340==============================================================================
634111. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
6342
6343The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
6344options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
6345these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
6346these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
6347a tags file is executed.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006348The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006349
6350These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
6351 - changing the buffer text
6352 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
6353 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
6354 - executing a shell command
6355 - reading or writing a file
6356 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006357This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
6358
6359 *:san* *:sandbox*
6360:sandbox {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
6361 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
6362 'foldexpr'.
6363
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006364
6365 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: