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Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001*eval.txt* For Vim version 7.0aa. Last change: 2005 Dec 07
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 Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000039There are five 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 Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +000053Dictionary An associative, unordered array: Each entry has a key and a
54 value. |Dictionary|
55 Example: {'blue': "#0000ff", 'red': "#ff0000"}
56
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000057The Number and String types are converted automatically, depending on how they
58are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000059
60Conversion from a Number to a String is by making the ASCII representation of
61the Number. Examples: >
62 Number 123 --> String "123"
63 Number 0 --> String "0"
64 Number -1 --> String "-1"
65
66Conversion from a String to a Number is done by converting the first digits
67to a number. Hexadecimal "0xf9" and Octal "017" numbers are recognized. If
68the String doesn't start with digits, the result is zero. Examples: >
69 String "456" --> Number 456
70 String "6bar" --> Number 6
71 String "foo" --> Number 0
72 String "0xf1" --> Number 241
73 String "0100" --> Number 64
74 String "-8" --> Number -8
75 String "+8" --> Number 0
76
77To force conversion from String to Number, add zero to it: >
78 :echo "0100" + 0
79
80For boolean operators Numbers are used. Zero is FALSE, non-zero is TRUE.
81
82Note that in the command >
83 :if "foo"
84"foo" is converted to 0, which means FALSE. To test for a non-empty string,
85use strlen(): >
86 :if strlen("foo")
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +000087< *E745* *E728* *E703* *E729* *E730* *E731*
88List, Dictionary and Funcref types are not automatically converted.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000089
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000090 *E706*
91You will get an error if you try to change the type of a variable. You need
92to |:unlet| it first to avoid this error. String and Number are considered
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +000093equivalent though. Consider this sequence of commands: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000094 :let l = "string"
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +000095 :let l = 44 " changes type from String to Number
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000096 :let l = [1, 2, 3] " error!
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +000097
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +000098
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000991.2 Function references ~
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +0000100 *Funcref* *E695* *E718*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000101A Funcref variable is obtained with the |function()| function. It can be used
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000102in an expression in the place of a function name, before the parenthesis
103around the arguments, to invoke the function it refers to. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000104
105 :let Fn = function("MyFunc")
106 :echo Fn()
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000107< *E704* *E705* *E707*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000108A Funcref variable must start with a capital, "s:", "w:" or "b:". You cannot
109have both a Funcref variable and a function with the same name.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000110
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000111A special case is defining a function and directly assigning its Funcref to a
112Dictionary entry. Example: >
113 :function dict.init() dict
114 : let self.val = 0
115 :endfunction
116
117The key of the Dictionary can start with a lower case letter. The actual
118function name is not used here. Also see |numbered-function|.
119
120A Funcref can also be used with the |:call| command: >
121 :call Fn()
122 :call dict.init()
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000123
124The name of the referenced function can be obtained with |string()|. >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000125 :let func = string(Fn)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000126
127You can use |call()| to invoke a Funcref and use a list variable for the
128arguments: >
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000129 :let r = call(Fn, mylist)
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000130
131
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001321.3 Lists ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000133 *List* *Lists* *E686*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000134A List is an ordered sequence of items. An item can be of any type. Items
135can be accessed by their index number. Items can be added and removed at any
136position in the sequence.
137
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000138
139List creation ~
140 *E696* *E697*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000141A List is created with a comma separated list of items in square brackets.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000142Examples: >
143 :let mylist = [1, two, 3, "four"]
144 :let emptylist = []
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000145
146An item can be any expression. Using a List for an item creates a
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000147nested List: >
148 :let nestlist = [[11, 12], [21, 22], [31, 32]]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000149
150An extra comma after the last item is ignored.
151
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000152
153List index ~
154 *list-index* *E684*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000155An item in the List can be accessed by putting the index in square brackets
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000156after the List. Indexes are zero-based, thus the first item has index zero. >
157 :let item = mylist[0] " get the first item: 1
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000158 :let item = mylist[2] " get the third item: 3
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000159
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000160When the resulting item is a list this can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000161 :let item = nestlist[0][1] " get the first list, second item: 12
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000162<
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000163A negative index is counted from the end. Index -1 refers to the last item in
164the List, -2 to the last but one item, etc. >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000165 :let last = mylist[-1] " get the last item: "four"
166
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000167To avoid an error for an invalid index use the |get()| function. When an item
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000168is not available it returns zero or the default value you specify: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000169 :echo get(mylist, idx)
170 :echo get(mylist, idx, "NONE")
171
172
173List concatenation ~
174
175Two lists can be concatenated with the "+" operator: >
176 :let longlist = mylist + [5, 6]
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000177 :let mylist += [7, 8]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000178
179To prepend or append an item turn the item into a list by putting [] around
180it. To change a list in-place see |list-modification| below.
181
182
183Sublist ~
184
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000185A part of the List can be obtained by specifying the first and last index,
186separated by a colon in square brackets: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000187 :let shortlist = mylist[2:-1] " get List [3, "four"]
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000188
189Omitting the first index is similar to zero. Omitting the last index is
190similar to -1. The difference is that there is no error if the items are not
191available. >
Bram Moolenaar540d6e32005-01-09 21:20:18 +0000192 :let endlist = mylist[2:] " from item 2 to the end: [3, "four"]
193 :let shortlist = mylist[2:2] " List with one item: [3]
194 :let otherlist = mylist[:] " make a copy of the List
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000195
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000196The second index can be just before the first index. In that case the result
197is an empty list. If the second index is lower, this results in an error. >
198 :echo mylist[2:1] " result: []
199 :echo mylist[2:0] " error!
200
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +0000201NOTE: mylist[s:e] means using the variable "s:e" as index. Watch out for
202using a single letter variable before the ":". Insert a space when needed:
203mylist[s : e].
204
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000205
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000206List identity ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000207 *list-identity*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000208When variable "aa" is a list and you assign it to another variable "bb", both
209variables refer to the same list. Thus changing the list "aa" will also
210change "bb": >
211 :let aa = [1, 2, 3]
212 :let bb = aa
213 :call add(aa, 4)
214 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000215< [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000216
217Making a copy of a list is done with the |copy()| function. Using [:] also
218works, as explained above. This creates a shallow copy of the list: Changing
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000219a list item in the list will also change the item in the copied list: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000220 :let aa = [[1, 'a'], 2, 3]
221 :let bb = copy(aa)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000222 :call add(aa, 4)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000223 :let aa[0][1] = 'aaa'
224 :echo aa
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000225< [[1, aaa], 2, 3, 4] >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000226 :echo bb
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000227< [[1, aaa], 2, 3]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000228
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000229To make a completely independent list use |deepcopy()|. This also makes a
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000230copy of the values in the list, recursively. Up to a hundred levels deep.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000231
232The operator "is" can be used to check if two variables refer to the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000233List. "isnot" does the opposite. In contrast "==" compares if two lists have
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000234the same value. >
235 :let alist = [1, 2, 3]
236 :let blist = [1, 2, 3]
237 :echo alist is blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000238< 0 >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000239 :echo alist == blist
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000240< 1
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000241
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000242Note about comparing lists: Two lists are considered equal if they have the
243same length and all items compare equal, as with using "==". There is one
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000244exception: When comparing a number with a string they are considered
245different. There is no automatic type conversion, as with using "==" on
246variables. Example: >
247 echo 4 == "4"
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000248< 1 >
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000249 echo [4] == ["4"]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000250< 0
251
Bram Moolenaar7d1f5db2005-07-03 21:39:27 +0000252Thus comparing Lists is more strict than comparing numbers and strings. You
253can compare simple values this way too by putting them in a string: >
254
255 :let a = 5
256 :let b = "5"
257 echo a == b
258< 1 >
259 echo [a] == [b]
260< 0
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +0000261
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000262
263List unpack ~
264
265To unpack the items in a list to individual variables, put the variables in
266square brackets, like list items: >
267 :let [var1, var2] = mylist
268
269When the number of variables does not match the number of items in the list
270this produces an error. To handle any extra items from the list append ";"
271and a variable name: >
272 :let [var1, var2; rest] = mylist
273
274This works like: >
275 :let var1 = mylist[0]
276 :let var2 = mylist[1]
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000277 :let rest = mylist[2:]
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000278
279Except that there is no error if there are only two items. "rest" will be an
280empty list then.
281
282
283List modification ~
284 *list-modification*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000285To change a specific item of a list use |:let| this way: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000286 :let list[4] = "four"
287 :let listlist[0][3] = item
288
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000289To change part of a list you can specify the first and last item to be
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000290modified. The value must at least have the number of items in the range: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000291 :let list[3:5] = [3, 4, 5]
292
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000293Adding and removing items from a list is done with functions. Here are a few
294examples: >
295 :call insert(list, 'a') " prepend item 'a'
296 :call insert(list, 'a', 3) " insert item 'a' before list[3]
297 :call add(list, "new") " append String item
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000298 :call add(list, [1, 2]) " append a List as one new item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000299 :call extend(list, [1, 2]) " extend the list with two more items
300 :let i = remove(list, 3) " remove item 3
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000301 :unlet list[3] " idem
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000302 :let l = remove(list, 3, -1) " remove items 3 to last item
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000303 :unlet list[3 : ] " idem
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000304 :call filter(list, 'v:val !~ "x"') " remove items with an 'x'
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000305
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000306Changing the order of items in a list: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000307 :call sort(list) " sort a list alphabetically
308 :call reverse(list) " reverse the order of items
309
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000310
311For loop ~
312
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000313The |:for| loop executes commands for each item in a list. A variable is set
314to each item in the list in sequence. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000315 :for item in mylist
316 : call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000317 :endfor
318
319This works like: >
320 :let index = 0
321 :while index < len(mylist)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000322 : let item = mylist[index]
323 : :call Doit(item)
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000324 : let index = index + 1
325 :endwhile
326
327Note that all items in the list should be of the same type, otherwise this
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000328results in error |E706|. To avoid this |:unlet| the variable at the end of
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000329the loop.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000330
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000331If all you want to do is modify each item in the list then the |map()|
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000332function will be a simpler method than a for loop.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000333
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000334Just like the |:let| command, |:for| also accepts a list of variables. This
335requires the argument to be a list of lists. >
336 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 8], [3, 0]]
337 : call Doit(lnum, col)
338 :endfor
339
340This works like a |:let| command is done for each list item. Again, the types
341must remain the same to avoid an error.
342
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000343It is also possible to put remaining items in a List variable: >
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000344 :for [i, j; rest] in listlist
345 : call Doit(i, j)
346 : if !empty(rest)
347 : echo "remainder: " . string(rest)
348 : endif
349 :endfor
350
351
352List functions ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000353 *E714*
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000354Functions that are useful with a List: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000355 :let r = call(funcname, list) " call a function with an argument list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000356 :if empty(list) " check if list is empty
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000357 :let l = len(list) " number of items in list
358 :let big = max(list) " maximum value in list
359 :let small = min(list) " minimum value in list
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +0000360 :let xs = count(list, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in list
361 :let i = index(list, 'x') " index of first 'x' in list
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000362 :let lines = getline(1, 10) " get ten text lines from buffer
363 :call append('$', lines) " append text lines in buffer
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +0000364 :let list = split("a b c") " create list from items in a string
365 :let string = join(list, ', ') " create string from list items
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000366 :let s = string(list) " String representation of list
367 :call map(list, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000368
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +0000369Don't forget that a combination of features can make things simple. For
370example, to add up all the numbers in a list: >
371 :exe 'let sum = ' . join(nrlist, '+')
372
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000373
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003741.4 Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000375 *Dictionaries* *Dictionary*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000376A Dictionary is an associative array: Each entry has a key and a value. The
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000377entry can be located with the key. The entries are stored without a specific
378ordering.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000379
380
381Dictionary creation ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000382 *E720* *E721* *E722* *E723*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000383A Dictionary is created with a comma separated list of entries in curly
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000384braces. Each entry has a key and a value, separated by a colon. Each key can
385only appear once. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000386 :let mydict = {1: 'one', 2: 'two', 3: 'three'}
387 :let emptydict = {}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000388< *E713* *E716* *E717*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000389A key is always a String. You can use a Number, it will be converted to a
390String automatically. Thus the String '4' and the number 4 will find the same
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000391entry. Note that the String '04' and the Number 04 are different, since the
392Number will be converted to the String '4'.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000393
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000394A value can be any expression. Using a Dictionary for a value creates a
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000395nested Dictionary: >
396 :let nestdict = {1: {11: 'a', 12: 'b'}, 2: {21: 'c'}}
397
398An extra comma after the last entry is ignored.
399
400
401Accessing entries ~
402
403The normal way to access an entry is by putting the key in square brackets: >
404 :let val = mydict["one"]
405 :let mydict["four"] = 4
406
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000407You can add new entries to an existing Dictionary this way, unlike Lists.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000408
409For keys that consist entirely of letters, digits and underscore the following
410form can be used |expr-entry|: >
411 :let val = mydict.one
412 :let mydict.four = 4
413
414Since an entry can be any type, also a List and a Dictionary, the indexing and
415key lookup can be repeated: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000416 :echo dict.key[idx].key
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000417
418
419Dictionary to List conversion ~
420
421You may want to loop over the entries in a dictionary. For this you need to
422turn the Dictionary into a List and pass it to |:for|.
423
424Most often you want to loop over the keys, using the |keys()| function: >
425 :for key in keys(mydict)
426 : echo key . ': ' . mydict[key]
427 :endfor
428
429The List of keys is unsorted. You may want to sort them first: >
430 :for key in sort(keys(mydict))
431
432To loop over the values use the |values()| function: >
433 :for v in values(mydict)
434 : echo "value: " . v
435 :endfor
436
437If you want both the key and the value use the |items()| function. It returns
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000438a List in which each item is a List with two items, the key and the value: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000439 :for entry in items(mydict)
440 : echo entry[0] . ': ' . entry[1]
441 :endfor
442
443
444Dictionary identity ~
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +0000445 *dict-identity*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000446Just like Lists you need to use |copy()| and |deepcopy()| to make a copy of a
447Dictionary. Otherwise, assignment results in referring to the same
448Dictionary: >
449 :let onedict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
450 :let adict = onedict
451 :let adict['a'] = 11
452 :echo onedict['a']
453 11
454
Bram Moolenaarf3bd51a2005-06-14 22:11:18 +0000455Two Dictionaries compare equal if all the key-value pairs compare equal. For
456more info see |list-identity|.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000457
458
459Dictionary modification ~
460 *dict-modification*
461To change an already existing entry of a Dictionary, or to add a new entry,
462use |:let| this way: >
463 :let dict[4] = "four"
464 :let dict['one'] = item
465
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +0000466Removing an entry from a Dictionary is done with |remove()| or |:unlet|.
467Three ways to remove the entry with key "aaa" from dict: >
468 :let i = remove(dict, 'aaa')
469 :unlet dict.aaa
470 :unlet dict['aaa']
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000471
472Merging a Dictionary with another is done with |extend()|: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000473 :call extend(adict, bdict)
474This extends adict with all entries from bdict. Duplicate keys cause entries
475in adict to be overwritten. An optional third argument can change this.
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +0000476Note that the order of entries in a Dictionary is irrelevant, thus don't
477expect ":echo adict" to show the items from bdict after the older entries in
478adict.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000479
480Weeding out entries from a Dictionary can be done with |filter()|: >
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +0000481 :call filter(dict 'v:val =~ "x"')
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000482This removes all entries from "dict" with a value not matching 'x'.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000483
484
485Dictionary function ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000486 *Dictionary-function* *self* *E725*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000487When a function is defined with the "dict" attribute it can be used in a
488special way with a dictionary. Example: >
489 :function Mylen() dict
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000490 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000491 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000492 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3], 'len': function("Mylen")}
493 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000494
495This is like a method in object oriented programming. The entry in the
496Dictionary is a |Funcref|. The local variable "self" refers to the dictionary
497the function was invoked from.
498
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000499It is also possible to add a function without the "dict" attribute as a
500Funcref to a Dictionary, but the "self" variable is not available then.
501
502 *numbered-function*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000503To avoid the extra name for the function it can be defined and directly
504assigned to a Dictionary in this way: >
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000505 :let mydict = {'data': [0, 1, 2, 3]}
506 :function mydict.len() dict
507 : return len(self.data)
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000508 :endfunction
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000509 :echo mydict.len()
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000510
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000511The function will then get a number and the value of dict.len is a |Funcref|
512that references this function. The function can only be used through a
513|Funcref|. It will automatically be deleted when there is no |Funcref|
514remaining that refers to it.
515
516It is not necessary to use the "dict" attribute for a numbered function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000517
518
519Functions for Dictionaries ~
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000520 *E715*
521Functions that can be used with a Dictionary: >
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000522 :if has_key(dict, 'foo') " TRUE if dict has entry with key "foo"
523 :if empty(dict) " TRUE if dict is empty
524 :let l = len(dict) " number of items in dict
525 :let big = max(dict) " maximum value in dict
526 :let small = min(dict) " minimum value in dict
527 :let xs = count(dict, 'x') " count nr of times 'x' appears in dict
528 :let s = string(dict) " String representation of dict
529 :call map(dict, '">> " . v:val') " prepend ">> " to each item
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000530
531
5321.5 More about variables ~
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000533 *more-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000534If you need to know the type of a variable or expression, use the |type()|
535function.
536
537When the '!' flag is included in the 'viminfo' option, global variables that
538start with an uppercase letter, and don't contain a lowercase letter, are
539stored in the viminfo file |viminfo-file|.
540
541When the 'sessionoptions' option contains "global", global variables that
542start with an uppercase letter and contain at least one lowercase letter are
543stored in the session file |session-file|.
544
545variable name can be stored where ~
546my_var_6 not
547My_Var_6 session file
548MY_VAR_6 viminfo file
549
550
551It's possible to form a variable name with curly braces, see
552|curly-braces-names|.
553
554==============================================================================
5552. Expression syntax *expression-syntax*
556
557Expression syntax summary, from least to most significant:
558
559|expr1| expr2 ? expr1 : expr1 if-then-else
560
561|expr2| expr3 || expr3 .. logical OR
562
563|expr3| expr4 && expr4 .. logical AND
564
565|expr4| expr5 == expr5 equal
566 expr5 != expr5 not equal
567 expr5 > expr5 greater than
568 expr5 >= expr5 greater than or equal
569 expr5 < expr5 smaller than
570 expr5 <= expr5 smaller than or equal
571 expr5 =~ expr5 regexp matches
572 expr5 !~ expr5 regexp doesn't match
573
574 expr5 ==? expr5 equal, ignoring case
575 expr5 ==# expr5 equal, match case
576 etc. As above, append ? for ignoring case, # for
577 matching case
578
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000579 expr5 is expr5 same List instance
580 expr5 isnot expr5 different List instance
581
582|expr5| expr6 + expr6 .. number addition or list concatenation
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000583 expr6 - expr6 .. number subtraction
584 expr6 . expr6 .. string concatenation
585
586|expr6| expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication
587 expr7 / expr7 .. number division
588 expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo
589
590|expr7| ! expr7 logical NOT
591 - expr7 unary minus
592 + expr7 unary plus
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000593
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000594
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000595|expr8| expr8[expr1] byte of a String or item of a List
596 expr8[expr1 : expr1] substring of a String or sublist of a List
597 expr8.name entry in a Dictionary
598 expr8(expr1, ...) function call with Funcref variable
599
600|expr9| number number constant
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000601 "string" string constant, backslash is special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000602 'string' string constant, ' is doubled
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000603 [expr1, ...] List
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000604 {expr1: expr1, ...} Dictionary
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000605 &option option value
606 (expr1) nested expression
607 variable internal variable
608 va{ria}ble internal variable with curly braces
609 $VAR environment variable
610 @r contents of register 'r'
611 function(expr1, ...) function call
612 func{ti}on(expr1, ...) function call with curly braces
613
614
615".." indicates that the operations in this level can be concatenated.
616Example: >
617 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
618
619All expressions within one level are parsed from left to right.
620
621
622expr1 *expr1* *E109*
623-----
624
625expr2 ? expr1 : expr1
626
627The expression before the '?' is evaluated to a number. If it evaluates to
628non-zero, the result is the value of the expression between the '?' and ':',
629otherwise the result is the value of the expression after the ':'.
630Example: >
631 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum
632
633Since the first expression is an "expr2", it cannot contain another ?:. The
634other two expressions can, thus allow for recursive use of ?:.
635Example: >
636 :echo lnum == 1 ? "top" : lnum == 1000 ? "last" : lnum
637
638To keep this readable, using |line-continuation| is suggested: >
639 :echo lnum == 1
640 :\ ? "top"
641 :\ : lnum == 1000
642 :\ ? "last"
643 :\ : lnum
644
645
646expr2 and expr3 *expr2* *expr3*
647---------------
648
649 *expr-barbar* *expr-&&*
650The "||" and "&&" operators take one argument on each side. The arguments
651are (converted to) Numbers. The result is:
652
653 input output ~
654n1 n2 n1 || n2 n1 && n2 ~
655zero zero zero zero
656zero non-zero non-zero zero
657non-zero zero non-zero zero
658non-zero non-zero non-zero non-zero
659
660The operators can be concatenated, for example: >
661
662 &nu || &list && &shell == "csh"
663
664Note that "&&" takes precedence over "||", so this has the meaning of: >
665
666 &nu || (&list && &shell == "csh")
667
668Once the result is known, the expression "short-circuits", that is, further
669arguments are not evaluated. This is like what happens in C. For example: >
670
671 let a = 1
672 echo a || b
673
674This is valid even if there is no variable called "b" because "a" is non-zero,
675so the result must be non-zero. Similarly below: >
676
677 echo exists("b") && b == "yes"
678
679This is valid whether "b" has been defined or not. The second clause will
680only be evaluated if "b" has been defined.
681
682
683expr4 *expr4*
684-----
685
686expr5 {cmp} expr5
687
688Compare two expr5 expressions, resulting in a 0 if it evaluates to false, or 1
689if it evaluates to true.
690
691 *expr-==* *expr-!=* *expr->* *expr->=*
692 *expr-<* *expr-<=* *expr-=~* *expr-!~*
693 *expr-==#* *expr-!=#* *expr->#* *expr->=#*
694 *expr-<#* *expr-<=#* *expr-=~#* *expr-!~#*
695 *expr-==?* *expr-!=?* *expr->?* *expr->=?*
696 *expr-<?* *expr-<=?* *expr-=~?* *expr-!~?*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000697 *expr-is*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000698 use 'ignorecase' match case ignore case ~
699equal == ==# ==?
700not equal != !=# !=?
701greater than > ># >?
702greater than or equal >= >=# >=?
703smaller than < <# <?
704smaller than or equal <= <=# <=?
705regexp matches =~ =~# =~?
706regexp doesn't match !~ !~# !~?
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000707same instance is
708different instance isnot
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000709
710Examples:
711"abc" ==# "Abc" evaluates to 0
712"abc" ==? "Abc" evaluates to 1
713"abc" == "Abc" evaluates to 1 if 'ignorecase' is set, 0 otherwise
714
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000715 *E691* *E692*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000716A List can only be compared with a List and only "equal", "not equal" and "is"
717can be used. This compares the values of the list, recursively. Ignoring
718case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
719
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +0000720 *E735* *E736*
721A Dictionary can only be compared with a Dictionary and only "equal", "not
722equal" and "is" can be used. This compares the key/values of the Dictionary,
723recursively. Ignoring case means case is ignored when comparing item values.
724
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +0000725 *E693* *E694*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000726A Funcref can only be compared with a Funcref and only "equal" and "not equal"
727can be used. Case is never ignored.
728
729When using "is" or "isnot" with a List this checks if the expressions are
730referring to the same List instance. A copy of a List is different from the
731original List. When using "is" without a List it is equivalent to using
732"equal", using "isnot" equivalent to using "not equal". Except that a
733different type means the values are different. "4 == '4'" is true, "4 is '4'"
734is false.
735
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000736When comparing a String with a Number, the String is converted to a Number,
737and the comparison is done on Numbers. This means that "0 == 'x'" is TRUE,
738because 'x' converted to a Number is zero.
739
740When comparing two Strings, this is done with strcmp() or stricmp(). This
741results in the mathematical difference (comparing byte values), not
742necessarily the alphabetical difference in the local language.
743
744When using the operators with a trailing '#", or the short version and
745'ignorecase' is off, the comparing is done with strcmp().
746
747When using the operators with a trailing '?', or the short version and
748'ignorecase' is set, the comparing is done with stricmp().
749
750The "=~" and "!~" operators match the lefthand argument with the righthand
751argument, which is used as a pattern. See |pattern| for what a pattern is.
752This matching is always done like 'magic' was set and 'cpoptions' is empty, no
753matter what the actual value of 'magic' or 'cpoptions' is. This makes scripts
754portable. To avoid backslashes in the regexp pattern to be doubled, use a
755single-quote string, see |literal-string|.
756Since a string is considered to be a single line, a multi-line pattern
757(containing \n, backslash-n) will not match. However, a literal NL character
758can be matched like an ordinary character. Examples:
759 "foo\nbar" =~ "\n" evaluates to 1
760 "foo\nbar" =~ "\\n" evaluates to 0
761
762
763expr5 and expr6 *expr5* *expr6*
764---------------
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000765expr6 + expr6 .. Number addition or List concatenation *expr-+*
766expr6 - expr6 .. Number subtraction *expr--*
767expr6 . expr6 .. String concatenation *expr-.*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000768
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000769For Lists only "+" is possible and then both expr6 must be a list. The result
770is a new list with the two lists Concatenated.
771
772expr7 * expr7 .. number multiplication *expr-star*
773expr7 / expr7 .. number division *expr-/*
774expr7 % expr7 .. number modulo *expr-%*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000775
776For all, except ".", Strings are converted to Numbers.
777
778Note the difference between "+" and ".":
779 "123" + "456" = 579
780 "123" . "456" = "123456"
781
782When the righthand side of '/' is zero, the result is 0x7fffffff.
783When the righthand side of '%' is zero, the result is 0.
784
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +0000785None of these work for Funcrefs.
786
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000787
788expr7 *expr7*
789-----
790! expr7 logical NOT *expr-!*
791- expr7 unary minus *expr-unary--*
792+ expr7 unary plus *expr-unary-+*
793
794For '!' non-zero becomes zero, zero becomes one.
795For '-' the sign of the number is changed.
796For '+' the number is unchanged.
797
798A String will be converted to a Number first.
799
800These three can be repeated and mixed. Examples:
801 !-1 == 0
802 !!8 == 1
803 --9 == 9
804
805
806expr8 *expr8*
807-----
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000808expr8[expr1] item of String or List *expr-[]* *E111*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000809
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000810If expr8 is a Number or String this results in a String that contains the
811expr1'th single byte from expr8. expr8 is used as a String, expr1 as a
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000812Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte encodings.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000813
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000814Index zero gives the first character. This is like it works in C. Careful:
815text column numbers start with one! Example, to get the character under the
816cursor: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000817 :let c = getline(line("."))[col(".") - 1]
818
819If the length of the String is less than the index, the result is an empty
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000820String. A negative index always results in an empty string (reason: backwards
821compatibility). Use [-1:] to get the last byte.
822
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000823If expr8 is a List then it results the item at index expr1. See |list-index|
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000824for possible index values. If the index is out of range this results in an
825error. Example: >
826 :let item = mylist[-1] " get last item
827
828Generally, if a List index is equal to or higher than the length of the List,
829or more negative than the length of the List, this results in an error.
830
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000831
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000832expr8[expr1a : expr1b] substring or sublist *expr-[:]*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000833
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000834If expr8 is a Number or String this results in the substring with the bytes
835from expr1a to and including expr1b. expr8 is used as a String, expr1a and
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000836expr1b are used as a Number. Note that this doesn't recognize multi-byte
837encodings.
838
839If expr1a is omitted zero is used. If expr1b is omitted the length of the
840string minus one is used.
841
842A negative number can be used to measure from the end of the string. -1 is
843the last character, -2 the last but one, etc.
844
845If an index goes out of range for the string characters are omitted. If
846expr1b is smaller than expr1a the result is an empty string.
847
848Examples: >
849 :let c = name[-1:] " last byte of a string
850 :let c = name[-2:-2] " last but one byte of a string
851 :let s = line(".")[4:] " from the fifth byte to the end
852 :let s = s[:-3] " remove last two bytes
853
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000854If expr8 is a List this results in a new List with the items indicated by the
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +0000855indexes expr1a and expr1b. This works like with a String, as explained just
856above, except that indexes out of range cause an error. Examples: >
857 :let l = mylist[:3] " first four items
858 :let l = mylist[4:4] " List with one item
859 :let l = mylist[:] " shallow copy of a List
860
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000861Using expr8[expr1] or expr8[expr1a : expr1b] on a Funcref results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000862
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000863
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000864expr8.name entry in a Dictionary *expr-entry*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000865
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000866If expr8 is a Dictionary and it is followed by a dot, then the following name
867will be used as a key in the Dictionary. This is just like: expr8[name].
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000868
869The name must consist of alphanumeric characters, just like a variable name,
870but it may start with a number. Curly braces cannot be used.
871
872There must not be white space before or after the dot.
873
874Examples: >
875 :let dict = {"one": 1, 2: "two"}
876 :echo dict.one
877 :echo dict .2
878
879Note that the dot is also used for String concatenation. To avoid confusion
880always put spaces around the dot for String concatenation.
881
882
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +0000883expr8(expr1, ...) Funcref function call
884
885When expr8 is a |Funcref| type variable, invoke the function it refers to.
886
887
888
889 *expr9*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000890number
891------
892number number constant *expr-number*
893
894Decimal, Hexadecimal (starting with 0x or 0X), or Octal (starting with 0).
895
896
897string *expr-string* *E114*
898------
899"string" string constant *expr-quote*
900
901Note that double quotes are used.
902
903A string constant accepts these special characters:
904\... three-digit octal number (e.g., "\316")
905\.. two-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
906\. one-digit octal number (must be followed by non-digit)
907\x.. byte specified with two hex numbers (e.g., "\x1f")
908\x. byte specified with one hex number (must be followed by non-hex char)
909\X.. same as \x..
910\X. same as \x.
911\u.... character specified with up to 4 hex numbers, stored according to the
912 current value of 'encoding' (e.g., "\u02a4")
913\U.... same as \u....
914\b backspace <BS>
915\e escape <Esc>
916\f formfeed <FF>
917\n newline <NL>
918\r return <CR>
919\t tab <Tab>
920\\ backslash
921\" double quote
922\<xxx> Special key named "xxx". e.g. "\<C-W>" for CTRL-W.
923
924Note that "\000" and "\x00" force the end of the string.
925
926
927literal-string *literal-string* *E115*
928---------------
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000929'string' string constant *expr-'*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000930
931Note that single quotes are used.
932
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000933This string is taken as it is. No backslashes are removed or have a special
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +0000934meaning. The only exception is that two quotes stand for one quote.
Bram Moolenaar3fdfa4a2004-10-07 21:02:47 +0000935
936Single quoted strings are useful for patterns, so that backslashes do not need
937to be doubled. These two commands are equivalent: >
938 if a =~ "\\s*"
939 if a =~ '\s*'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000940
941
942option *expr-option* *E112* *E113*
943------
944&option option value, local value if possible
945&g:option global option value
946&l:option local option value
947
948Examples: >
949 echo "tabstop is " . &tabstop
950 if &insertmode
951
952Any option name can be used here. See |options|. When using the local value
953and there is no buffer-local or window-local value, the global value is used
954anyway.
955
956
957register *expr-register*
958--------
959@r contents of register 'r'
960
961The result is the contents of the named register, as a single string.
962Newlines are inserted where required. To get the contents of the unnamed
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +0000963register use @" or @@. See |registers| for an explanation of the available
964registers.
965
966When using the '=' register you get the expression itself, not what it
967evaluates to. Use |eval()| to evaluate it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000968
969
970nesting *expr-nesting* *E110*
971-------
972(expr1) nested expression
973
974
975environment variable *expr-env*
976--------------------
977$VAR environment variable
978
979The String value of any environment variable. When it is not defined, the
980result is an empty string.
981 *expr-env-expand*
982Note that there is a difference between using $VAR directly and using
983expand("$VAR"). Using it directly will only expand environment variables that
984are known inside the current Vim session. Using expand() will first try using
985the environment variables known inside the current Vim session. If that
986fails, a shell will be used to expand the variable. This can be slow, but it
987does expand all variables that the shell knows about. Example: >
988 :echo $version
989 :echo expand("$version")
990The first one probably doesn't echo anything, the second echoes the $version
991variable (if your shell supports it).
992
993
994internal variable *expr-variable*
995-----------------
996variable internal variable
997See below |internal-variables|.
998
999
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001000function call *expr-function* *E116* *E118* *E119* *E120*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001001-------------
1002function(expr1, ...) function call
1003See below |functions|.
1004
1005
1006==============================================================================
10073. Internal variable *internal-variables* *E121*
1008 *E461*
1009An internal variable name can be made up of letters, digits and '_'. But it
1010cannot start with a digit. It's also possible to use curly braces, see
1011|curly-braces-names|.
1012
1013An internal variable is created with the ":let" command |:let|.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001014An internal variable is explicitly destroyed with the ":unlet" command
1015|:unlet|.
1016Using a name that is not an internal variable or refers to a variable that has
1017been destroyed results in an error.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001018
1019There are several name spaces for variables. Which one is to be used is
1020specified by what is prepended:
1021
1022 (nothing) In a function: local to a function; otherwise: global
1023|buffer-variable| b: Local to the current buffer.
1024|window-variable| w: Local to the current window.
1025|global-variable| g: Global.
1026|local-variable| l: Local to a function.
1027|script-variable| s: Local to a |:source|'ed Vim script.
1028|function-argument| a: Function argument (only inside a function).
1029|vim-variable| v: Global, predefined by Vim.
1030
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001031The scope name by itself can be used as a Dictionary. For example, to delete
1032all script-local variables: >
1033 :for k in keys(s:)
1034 : unlet s:[k]
1035 :endfor
1036<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001037 *buffer-variable* *b:var*
1038A variable name that is preceded with "b:" is local to the current buffer.
1039Thus you can have several "b:foo" variables, one for each buffer.
1040This kind of variable is deleted when the buffer is wiped out or deleted with
1041|:bdelete|.
1042
1043One local buffer variable is predefined:
1044 *b:changedtick-variable* *changetick*
1045b:changedtick The total number of changes to the current buffer. It is
1046 incremented for each change. An undo command is also a change
1047 in this case. This can be used to perform an action only when
1048 the buffer has changed. Example: >
1049 :if my_changedtick != b:changedtick
1050 : let my_changedtick = b:changedtick
1051 : call My_Update()
1052 :endif
1053<
1054 *window-variable* *w:var*
1055A variable name that is preceded with "w:" is local to the current window. It
1056is deleted when the window is closed.
1057
1058 *global-variable* *g:var*
1059Inside functions global variables are accessed with "g:". Omitting this will
1060access a variable local to a function. But "g:" can also be used in any other
1061place if you like.
1062
1063 *local-variable* *l:var*
1064Inside functions local variables are accessed without prepending anything.
1065But you can also prepend "l:" if you like.
1066
1067 *script-variable* *s:var*
1068In a Vim script variables starting with "s:" can be used. They cannot be
1069accessed from outside of the scripts, thus are local to the script.
1070
1071They can be used in:
1072- commands executed while the script is sourced
1073- functions defined in the script
1074- autocommands defined in the script
1075- functions and autocommands defined in functions and autocommands which were
1076 defined in the script (recursively)
1077- user defined commands defined in the script
1078Thus not in:
1079- other scripts sourced from this one
1080- mappings
1081- etc.
1082
1083script variables can be used to avoid conflicts with global variable names.
1084Take this example:
1085
1086 let s:counter = 0
1087 function MyCounter()
1088 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1089 echo s:counter
1090 endfunction
1091 command Tick call MyCounter()
1092
1093You can now invoke "Tick" from any script, and the "s:counter" variable in
1094that script will not be changed, only the "s:counter" in the script where
1095"Tick" was defined is used.
1096
1097Another example that does the same: >
1098
1099 let s:counter = 0
1100 command Tick let s:counter = s:counter + 1 | echo s:counter
1101
1102When calling a function and invoking a user-defined command, the context for
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001103script variables is set to the script where the function or command was
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001104defined.
1105
1106The script variables are also available when a function is defined inside a
1107function that is defined in a script. Example: >
1108
1109 let s:counter = 0
1110 function StartCounting(incr)
1111 if a:incr
1112 function MyCounter()
1113 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1114 endfunction
1115 else
1116 function MyCounter()
1117 let s:counter = s:counter - 1
1118 endfunction
1119 endif
1120 endfunction
1121
1122This defines the MyCounter() function either for counting up or counting down
1123when calling StartCounting(). It doesn't matter from where StartCounting() is
1124called, the s:counter variable will be accessible in MyCounter().
1125
1126When the same script is sourced again it will use the same script variables.
1127They will remain valid as long as Vim is running. This can be used to
1128maintain a counter: >
1129
1130 if !exists("s:counter")
1131 let s:counter = 1
1132 echo "script executed for the first time"
1133 else
1134 let s:counter = s:counter + 1
1135 echo "script executed " . s:counter . " times now"
1136 endif
1137
1138Note that this means that filetype plugins don't get a different set of script
1139variables for each buffer. Use local buffer variables instead |b:var|.
1140
1141
1142Predefined Vim variables: *vim-variable* *v:var*
1143
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001144 *v:beval_col* *beval_col-variable*
1145v:beval_col The number of the column, over which the mouse pointer is.
1146 This is the byte index in the |v:beval_lnum| line.
1147 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1148
1149 *v:beval_bufnr* *beval_bufnr-variable*
1150v:beval_bufnr The number of the buffer, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1151 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1152
1153 *v:beval_lnum* *beval_lnum-variable*
1154v:beval_lnum The number of the line, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1155 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1156
1157 *v:beval_text* *beval_text-variable*
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001158v:beval_text The text under or after the mouse pointer. Usually a word as
1159 it is useful for debugging a C program. 'iskeyword' applies,
1160 but a dot and "->" before the position is included. When on a
1161 ']' the text before it is used, including the matching '[' and
Bram Moolenaare4efc3b2005-03-07 23:16:51 +00001162 word before it. When on a Visual area within one line the
1163 highlighted text is used.
1164 Only valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1165
1166 *v:beval_winnr* *beval_winnr-variable*
1167v:beval_winnr The number of the window, over which the mouse pointer is. Only
1168 valid while evaluating the 'balloonexpr' option.
1169
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001170 *v:charconvert_from* *charconvert_from-variable*
1171v:charconvert_from
1172 The name of the character encoding of a file to be converted.
1173 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1174
1175 *v:charconvert_to* *charconvert_to-variable*
1176v:charconvert_to
1177 The name of the character encoding of a file after conversion.
1178 Only valid while evaluating the 'charconvert' option.
1179
1180 *v:cmdarg* *cmdarg-variable*
1181v:cmdarg This variable is used for two purposes:
1182 1. The extra arguments given to a file read/write command.
1183 Currently these are "++enc=" and "++ff=". This variable is
1184 set before an autocommand event for a file read/write
1185 command is triggered. There is a leading space to make it
1186 possible to append this variable directly after the
1187 read/write command. Note: The "+cmd" argument isn't
1188 included here, because it will be executed anyway.
1189 2. When printing a PostScript file with ":hardcopy" this is
1190 the argument for the ":hardcopy" command. This can be used
1191 in 'printexpr'.
1192
1193 *v:cmdbang* *cmdbang-variable*
1194v:cmdbang Set like v:cmdarg for a file read/write command. When a "!"
1195 was used the value is 1, otherwise it is 0. Note that this
1196 can only be used in autocommands. For user commands |<bang>|
1197 can be used.
1198
1199 *v:count* *count-variable*
1200v:count The count given for the last Normal mode command. Can be used
1201 to get the count before a mapping. Read-only. Example: >
1202 :map _x :<C-U>echo "the count is " . v:count<CR>
1203< Note: The <C-U> is required to remove the line range that you
1204 get when typing ':' after a count.
1205 "count" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1206
1207 *v:count1* *count1-variable*
1208v:count1 Just like "v:count", but defaults to one when no count is
1209 used.
1210
1211 *v:ctype* *ctype-variable*
1212v:ctype The current locale setting for characters of the runtime
1213 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1214 current locale encoding. Technical: it's the value of
1215 LC_CTYPE. When not using a locale the value is "C".
1216 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1217 command.
1218 See |multi-lang|.
1219
1220 *v:dying* *dying-variable*
1221v:dying Normally zero. When a deadly signal is caught it's set to
1222 one. When multiple signals are caught the number increases.
1223 Can be used in an autocommand to check if Vim didn't
1224 terminate normally. {only works on Unix}
1225 Example: >
1226 :au VimLeave * if v:dying | echo "\nAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh!!!\n" | endif
1227<
1228 *v:errmsg* *errmsg-variable*
1229v:errmsg Last given error message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1230 Example: >
1231 :let v:errmsg = ""
1232 :silent! next
1233 :if v:errmsg != ""
1234 : ... handle error
1235< "errmsg" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1236
1237 *v:exception* *exception-variable*
1238v:exception The value of the exception most recently caught and not
1239 finished. See also |v:throwpoint| and |throw-variables|.
1240 Example: >
1241 :try
1242 : throw "oops"
1243 :catch /.*/
1244 : echo "caught" v:exception
1245 :endtry
1246< Output: "caught oops".
1247
Bram Moolenaar19a09a12005-03-04 23:39:37 +00001248 *v:fcs_reason* *fcs_reason-variable*
1249v:fcs_reason The reason why the |FileChangedShell| event was triggered.
1250 Can be used in an autocommand to decide what to do and/or what
1251 to set v:fcs_choice to. Possible values:
1252 deleted file no longer exists
1253 conflict file contents, mode or timestamp was
1254 changed and buffer is modified
1255 changed file contents has changed
1256 mode mode of file changed
1257 time only file timestamp changed
1258
1259 *v:fcs_choice* *fcs_choice-variable*
1260v:fcs_choice What should happen after a |FileChangedShell| event was
1261 triggered. Can be used in an autocommand to tell Vim what to
1262 do with the affected buffer:
1263 reload Reload the buffer (does not work if
1264 the file was deleted).
1265 ask Ask the user what to do, as if there
1266 was no autocommand. Except that when
1267 only the timestamp changed nothing
1268 will happen.
1269 <empty> Nothing, the autocommand should do
1270 everything that needs to be done.
1271 The default is empty. If another (invalid) value is used then
1272 Vim behaves like it is empty, there is no warning message.
1273
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001274 *v:fname_in* *fname_in-variable*
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001275v:fname_in The name of the input file. Valid while evaluating:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001276 option used for ~
1277 'charconvert' file to be converted
1278 'diffexpr' original file
1279 'patchexpr' original file
1280 'printexpr' file to be printed
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001281 And set to the swap file name for |SwapExits|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001282
1283 *v:fname_out* *fname_out-variable*
1284v:fname_out The name of the output file. Only valid while
1285 evaluating:
1286 option used for ~
1287 'charconvert' resulting converted file (*)
1288 'diffexpr' output of diff
1289 'patchexpr' resulting patched file
1290 (*) When doing conversion for a write command (e.g., ":w
1291 file") it will be equal to v:fname_in. When doing conversion
1292 for a read command (e.g., ":e file") it will be a temporary
1293 file and different from v:fname_in.
1294
1295 *v:fname_new* *fname_new-variable*
1296v:fname_new The name of the new version of the file. Only valid while
1297 evaluating 'diffexpr'.
1298
1299 *v:fname_diff* *fname_diff-variable*
1300v:fname_diff The name of the diff (patch) file. Only valid while
1301 evaluating 'patchexpr'.
1302
1303 *v:folddashes* *folddashes-variable*
1304v:folddashes Used for 'foldtext': dashes representing foldlevel of a closed
1305 fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001306 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001307
1308 *v:foldlevel* *foldlevel-variable*
1309v:foldlevel Used for 'foldtext': foldlevel of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001310 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001311
1312 *v:foldend* *foldend-variable*
1313v:foldend Used for 'foldtext': last line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001314 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001315
1316 *v:foldstart* *foldstart-variable*
1317v:foldstart Used for 'foldtext': first line of closed fold.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001318 Read-only in the |sandbox|. |fold-foldtext|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001319
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00001320 *v:insertmode* *insertmode-variable*
1321v:insertmode Used for the |InsertEnter| and |InsertChange| autocommand
1322 events. Values:
1323 i Insert mode
1324 r Replace mode
1325 v Virtual Replace mode
1326
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001327 *v:key* *key-variable*
1328v:key Key of the current item of a Dictionary. Only valid while
1329 evaluating the expression used with |map()| and |filter()|.
1330 Read-only.
1331
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001332 *v:lang* *lang-variable*
1333v:lang The current locale setting for messages of the runtime
1334 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1335 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_MESSAGES.
1336 The value is system dependent.
1337 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1338 command.
1339 It can be different from |v:ctype| when messages are desired
1340 in a different language than what is used for character
1341 encoding. See |multi-lang|.
1342
1343 *v:lc_time* *lc_time-variable*
1344v:lc_time The current locale setting for time messages of the runtime
1345 environment. This allows Vim scripts to be aware of the
1346 current language. Technical: it's the value of LC_TIME.
1347 This variable can not be set directly, use the |:language|
1348 command. See |multi-lang|.
1349
1350 *v:lnum* *lnum-variable*
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001351v:lnum Line number for the 'foldexpr' |fold-expr| and 'indentexpr'
1352 expressions. Only valid while one of these expressions is
1353 being evaluated. Read-only when in the |sandbox|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001354
1355 *v:prevcount* *prevcount-variable*
1356v:prevcount The count given for the last but one Normal mode command.
1357 This is the v:count value of the previous command. Useful if
1358 you want to cancel Visual mode and then use the count. >
1359 :vmap % <Esc>:call MyFilter(v:prevcount)<CR>
1360< Read-only.
1361
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001362 *v:profiling* *profiling-variable*
1363v:profiling Normally zero. Set to one after using ":profile start".
1364 See |profiling|.
1365
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001366 *v:progname* *progname-variable*
1367v:progname Contains the name (with path removed) with which Vim was
1368 invoked. Allows you to do special initialisations for "view",
1369 "evim" etc., or any other name you might symlink to Vim.
1370 Read-only.
1371
1372 *v:register* *register-variable*
1373v:register The name of the register supplied to the last normal mode
1374 command. Empty if none were supplied. |getreg()| |setreg()|
1375
Bram Moolenaar1c7715d2005-10-03 22:02:18 +00001376 *v:scrollstart* *scrollstart-variable*
1377v:scrollstart String describing the script or function that caused the
1378 screen to scroll up. It's only set when it is empty, thus the
1379 first reason is remembered. It is set to "Unknown" for a
1380 typed command.
1381 This can be used to find out why your script causes the
1382 hit-enter prompt.
1383
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001384 *v:servername* *servername-variable*
1385v:servername The resulting registered |x11-clientserver| name if any.
1386 Read-only.
1387
1388 *v:shell_error* *shell_error-variable*
1389v:shell_error Result of the last shell command. When non-zero, the last
1390 shell command had an error. When zero, there was no problem.
1391 This only works when the shell returns the error code to Vim.
1392 The value -1 is often used when the command could not be
1393 executed. Read-only.
1394 Example: >
1395 :!mv foo bar
1396 :if v:shell_error
1397 : echo 'could not rename "foo" to "bar"!'
1398 :endif
1399< "shell_error" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1400
1401 *v:statusmsg* *statusmsg-variable*
1402v:statusmsg Last given status message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1403
Bram Moolenaar4e330bb2005-12-07 21:04:31 +00001404 *v:swapname* *swapname-variable*
1405v:swapname Only valid when executing |SwapExists| autocommands: Name of
1406 the swap file found. Read-only.
1407
1408 *v:swapchoice* *swapchoice-variable*
1409v:swapchoice |SwapExists| autocommands can set this to the selected choice
1410 for handling an existing swap file:
1411 'o' Open read-only
1412 'e' Edit anyway
1413 'r' Recover
1414 'd' Delete swapfile
1415 'q' Quit
1416 'a' Abort
1417 The value should be a single-character string. An empty value
1418 results in the user being asked, as would happen when there is
1419 no SwapExists autocommand. The default is empty.
1420
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001421 *v:termresponse* *termresponse-variable*
1422v:termresponse The escape sequence returned by the terminal for the |t_RV|
1423 termcap entry. It is set when Vim receives an escape sequence
1424 that starts with ESC [ or CSI and ends in a 'c', with only
1425 digits, ';' and '.' in between.
1426 When this option is set, the TermResponse autocommand event is
1427 fired, so that you can react to the response from the
1428 terminal.
1429 The response from a new xterm is: "<Esc>[ Pp ; Pv ; Pc c". Pp
1430 is the terminal type: 0 for vt100 and 1 for vt220. Pv is the
1431 patch level (since this was introduced in patch 95, it's
1432 always 95 or bigger). Pc is always zero.
1433 {only when compiled with |+termresponse| feature}
1434
1435 *v:this_session* *this_session-variable*
1436v:this_session Full filename of the last loaded or saved session file. See
1437 |:mksession|. It is allowed to set this variable. When no
1438 session file has been saved, this variable is empty.
1439 "this_session" also works, for backwards compatibility.
1440
1441 *v:throwpoint* *throwpoint-variable*
1442v:throwpoint The point where the exception most recently caught and not
1443 finished was thrown. Not set when commands are typed. See
1444 also |v:exception| and |throw-variables|.
1445 Example: >
1446 :try
1447 : throw "oops"
1448 :catch /.*/
1449 : echo "Exception from" v:throwpoint
1450 :endtry
1451< Output: "Exception from test.vim, line 2"
1452
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001453 *v:val* *val-variable*
1454v:val Value of the current item of a List or Dictionary. Only valid
1455 while evaluating the expression used with |map()| and
1456 |filter()|. Read-only.
1457
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001458 *v:version* *version-variable*
1459v:version Version number of Vim: Major version number times 100 plus
1460 minor version number. Version 5.0 is 500. Version 5.1 (5.01)
1461 is 501. Read-only. "version" also works, for backwards
1462 compatibility.
1463 Use |has()| to check if a certain patch was included, e.g.: >
1464 if has("patch123")
1465< Note that patch numbers are specific to the version, thus both
1466 version 5.0 and 5.1 may have a patch 123, but these are
1467 completely different.
1468
1469 *v:warningmsg* *warningmsg-variable*
1470v:warningmsg Last given warning message. It's allowed to set this variable.
1471
1472==============================================================================
14734. Builtin Functions *functions*
1474
1475See |function-list| for a list grouped by what the function is used for.
1476
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001477(Use CTRL-] on the function name to jump to the full explanation.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001478
1479USAGE RESULT DESCRIPTION ~
1480
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001481add( {list}, {item}) List append {item} to List {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001482append( {lnum}, {string}) Number append {string} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001483append( {lnum}, {list}) Number append lines {list} below line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001484argc() Number number of files in the argument list
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001485argidx() Number current index in the argument list
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001486argv( {nr}) String {nr} entry of the argument list
1487browse( {save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1488 String put up a file requester
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001489browsedir( {title}, {initdir}) String put up a directory requester
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001490bufexists( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} exists
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001491buflisted( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is listed
1492bufloaded( {expr}) Number TRUE if buffer {expr} is loaded
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001493bufname( {expr}) String Name of the buffer {expr}
1494bufnr( {expr}) Number Number of the buffer {expr}
1495bufwinnr( {expr}) Number window number of buffer {expr}
1496byte2line( {byte}) Number line number at byte count {byte}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001497byteidx( {expr}, {nr}) Number byte index of {nr}'th char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001498call( {func}, {arglist} [, {dict}])
1499 any call {func} with arguments {arglist}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001500char2nr( {expr}) Number ASCII value of first char in {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001501cindent( {lnum}) Number C indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001502col( {expr}) Number column nr of cursor or mark
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001503complete_add( {expr}) Number add completion match
1504complete_check() Number check for key typed during completion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001505confirm( {msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1506 Number number of choice picked by user
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001507copy( {expr}) any make a shallow copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001508count( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1509 Number count how many {expr} are in {list}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001510cscope_connection( [{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
1511 Number checks existence of cscope connection
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001512cursor( {lnum}, {col}) Number position cursor at {lnum}, {col}
1513deepcopy( {expr}) any make a full copy of {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001514delete( {fname}) Number delete file {fname}
1515did_filetype() Number TRUE if FileType autocommand event used
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001516diff_filler( {lnum}) Number diff filler lines about {lnum}
1517diff_hlID( {lnum}, {col}) Number diff highlighting at {lnum}/{col}
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001518empty( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is empty
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001519escape( {string}, {chars}) String escape {chars} in {string} with '\'
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00001520eval( {string}) any evaluate {string} into its value
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001521eventhandler( ) Number TRUE if inside an event handler
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001522executable( {expr}) Number 1 if executable {expr} exists
1523exists( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} exists
1524expand( {expr}) String expand special keywords in {expr}
1525filereadable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a readable file
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001526filter( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict remove items from {expr} where
1527 {string} is 0
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001528finddir( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
1529 String Find directory {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001530findfile( {name}[, {path}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001531 String Find file {name} in {path}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001532filewritable( {file}) Number TRUE if {file} is a writable file
1533fnamemodify( {fname}, {mods}) String modify file name
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001534foldclosed( {lnum}) Number first line of fold at {lnum} if closed
1535foldclosedend( {lnum}) Number last line of fold at {lnum} if closed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001536foldlevel( {lnum}) Number fold level at {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001537foldtext( ) String line displayed for closed fold
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001538foreground( ) Number bring the Vim window to the foreground
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001539function( {name}) Funcref reference to function {name}
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001540get( {list}, {idx} [, {def}]) any get item {idx} from {list} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001541get( {dict}, {key} [, {def}]) any get item {key} from {dict} or {def}
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00001542getbufline( {expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
1543 List lines {lnum} to {end} of buffer {expr}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001544getchar( [expr]) Number get one character from the user
1545getcharmod( ) Number modifiers for the last typed character
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001546getbufvar( {expr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in buffer {expr}
1547getcmdline() String return the current command-line
1548getcmdpos() Number return cursor position in command-line
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001549getcmdtype() String return the current command-line type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001550getcwd() String the current working directory
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001551getfperm( {fname}) String file permissions of file {fname}
1552getfsize( {fname}) Number size in bytes of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00001553getfontname( [{name}]) String name of font being used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001554getftime( {fname}) Number last modification time of file
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00001555getftype( {fname}) String description of type of file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00001556getline( {lnum}) String line {lnum} of current buffer
1557getline( {lnum}, {end}) List lines {lnum} to {end} of current buffer
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00001558getqflist() List list of quickfix items
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001559getreg( [{regname} [, 1]]) String contents of register
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001560getregtype( [{regname}]) String type of register
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001561getwinposx() Number X coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1562getwinposy() Number Y coord in pixels of GUI Vim window
1563getwinvar( {nr}, {varname}) variable {varname} in window {nr}
1564glob( {expr}) String expand file wildcards in {expr}
1565globpath( {path}, {expr}) String do glob({expr}) for all dirs in {path}
1566has( {feature}) Number TRUE if feature {feature} supported
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001567has_key( {dict}, {key}) Number TRUE if {dict} has entry {key}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001568hasmapto( {what} [, {mode}]) Number TRUE if mapping to {what} exists
1569histadd( {history},{item}) String add an item to a history
1570histdel( {history} [, {item}]) String remove an item from a history
1571histget( {history} [, {index}]) String get the item {index} from a history
1572histnr( {history}) Number highest index of a history
1573hlexists( {name}) Number TRUE if highlight group {name} exists
1574hlID( {name}) Number syntax ID of highlight group {name}
1575hostname() String name of the machine Vim is running on
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001576iconv( {expr}, {from}, {to}) String convert encoding of {expr}
1577indent( {lnum}) Number indent of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001578index( {list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]])
1579 Number index in {list} where {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00001580input( {prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]])
1581 String get input from the user
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001582inputdialog( {p} [, {t} [, {c}]]) String like input() but in a GUI dialog
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001583inputrestore() Number restore typeahead
1584inputsave() Number save and clear typeahead
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001585inputsecret( {prompt} [, {text}]) String like input() but hiding the text
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001586insert( {list}, {item} [, {idx}]) List insert {item} in {list} [before {idx}]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001587isdirectory( {directory}) Number TRUE if {directory} is a directory
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00001588islocked( {expr}) Number TRUE if {expr} is locked
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001589items( {dict}) List List of key-value pairs in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001590join( {list} [, {sep}]) String join {list} items into one String
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001591keys( {dict}) List List of keys in {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001592len( {expr}) Number the length of {expr}
1593libcall( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) String call {func} in library {lib} with {arg}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001594libcallnr( {lib}, {func}, {arg}) Number idem, but return a Number
1595line( {expr}) Number line nr of cursor, last line or mark
1596line2byte( {lnum}) Number byte count of line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001597lispindent( {lnum}) Number Lisp indent for line {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001598localtime() Number current time
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001599map( {expr}, {string}) List/Dict change each item in {expr} to {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001600maparg( {name}[, {mode}]) String rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}
1601mapcheck( {name}[, {mode}]) String check for mappings matching {name}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001602match( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001603 Number position where {pat} matches in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001604matchend( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001605 Number position where {pat} ends in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001606matchlist( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1607 List match and submatches of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00001608matchstr( {expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]])
1609 String {count}'th match of {pat} in {expr}
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00001610max({list}) Number maximum value of items in {list}
1611min({list}) Number minumum value of items in {list}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001612mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
1613 Number create directory {name}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001614mode() String current editing mode
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001615nextnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line >= {lnum}
1616nr2char( {expr}) String single char with ASCII value {expr}
1617prevnonblank( {lnum}) Number line nr of non-blank line <= {lnum}
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00001618printf( {fmt}, {expr1}...) String format text
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001619range( {expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]])
1620 List items from {expr} to {max}
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00001621readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
1622 List get list of lines from file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001623remote_expr( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1624 String send expression
1625remote_foreground( {server}) Number bring Vim server to the foreground
1626remote_peek( {serverid} [, {retvar}])
1627 Number check for reply string
1628remote_read( {serverid}) String read reply string
1629remote_send( {server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
1630 String send key sequence
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001631remove( {list}, {idx} [, {end}]) any remove items {idx}-{end} from {list}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00001632remove( {dict}, {key}) any remove entry {key} from {dict}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001633rename( {from}, {to}) Number rename (move) file from {from} to {to}
1634repeat( {expr}, {count}) String repeat {expr} {count} times
1635resolve( {filename}) String get filename a shortcut points to
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001636reverse( {list}) List reverse {list} in-place
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001637search( {pattern} [, {flags}]) Number search for {pattern}
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00001638searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]])
1639 Number search for variable declaration
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001640searchpair( {start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001641 Number search for other end of start/end pair
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001642server2client( {clientid}, {string})
1643 Number send reply string
1644serverlist() String get a list of available servers
1645setbufvar( {expr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in buffer {expr} to {val}
1646setcmdpos( {pos}) Number set cursor position in command-line
1647setline( {lnum}, {line}) Number set line {lnum} to {line}
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00001648setqflist( {list}[, {action}]) Number set list of quickfix items using {list}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001649setreg( {n}, {v}[, {opt}]) Number set register to value and type
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001650setwinvar( {nr}, {varname}, {val}) set {varname} in window {nr} to {val}
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001651simplify( {filename}) String simplify filename as much as possible
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001652sort( {list} [, {func}]) List sort {list}, using {func} to compare
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00001653soundfold( {word}) String sound-fold {word}
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00001654spellbadword() String badly spelled word at cursor
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00001655spellsuggest( {word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
1656 List spelling suggestions
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00001657split( {expr} [, {pat} [, {keepempty}]])
1658 List make List from {pat} separated {expr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001659strftime( {format}[, {time}]) String time in specified format
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00001660stridx( {haystack}, {needle}[, {start}])
1661 Number index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00001662string( {expr}) String String representation of {expr} value
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001663strlen( {expr}) Number length of the String {expr}
1664strpart( {src}, {start}[, {len}])
1665 String {len} characters of {src} at {start}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001666strridx( {haystack}, {needle} [, {start}])
1667 Number last index of {needle} in {haystack}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001668strtrans( {expr}) String translate string to make it printable
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001669submatch( {nr}) String specific match in ":substitute"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001670substitute( {expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags})
1671 String all {pat} in {expr} replaced with {sub}
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00001672synID( {lnum}, {col}, {trans}) Number syntax ID at {lnum} and {col}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001673synIDattr( {synID}, {what} [, {mode}])
1674 String attribute {what} of syntax ID {synID}
1675synIDtrans( {synID}) Number translated syntax ID of {synID}
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001676system( {expr} [, {input}]) String output of shell command/filter {expr}
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00001677taglist( {expr}) List list of tags matching {expr}
1678tagfiles() List tags files used
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001679tempname() String name for a temporary file
1680tolower( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to lowercase
1681toupper( {expr}) String the String {expr} switched to uppercase
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00001682tr( {src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) String translate chars of {src} in {fromstr}
1683 to chars in {tostr}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001684type( {name}) Number type of variable {name}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00001685values( {dict}) List List of values in {dict}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001686virtcol( {expr}) Number screen column of cursor or mark
1687visualmode( [expr]) String last visual mode used
1688winbufnr( {nr}) Number buffer number of window {nr}
1689wincol() Number window column of the cursor
1690winheight( {nr}) Number height of window {nr}
1691winline() Number window line of the cursor
1692winnr() Number number of current window
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001693winrestcmd() String returns command to restore window sizes
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001694winwidth( {nr}) Number width of window {nr}
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00001695writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
1696 Number write list of lines to file {fname}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001697
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001698add({list}, {expr}) *add()*
1699 Append the item {expr} to List {list}. Returns the resulting
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001700 List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001701 :let alist = add([1, 2, 3], item)
1702 :call add(mylist, "woodstock")
1703< Note that when {expr} is a List it is appended as a single
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001704 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00001705 Use |insert()| to add an item at another position.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001706
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001707
1708append({lnum}, {expr}) *append()*
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001709 When {expr} is a List: Append each item of the List as a text
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001710 line below line {lnum} in the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00001711 Otherwise append {expr} as one text line below line {lnum} in
1712 the current buffer.
1713 {lnum} can be zero to insert a line before the first one.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001714 Returns 1 for failure ({lnum} out of range or out of memory),
1715 0 for success. Example: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001716 :let failed = append(line('$'), "# THE END")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00001717 :let failed = append(0, ["Chapter 1", "the beginning"])
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001718<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001719 *argc()*
1720argc() The result is the number of files in the argument list of the
1721 current window. See |arglist|.
1722
1723 *argidx()*
1724argidx() The result is the current index in the argument list. 0 is
1725 the first file. argc() - 1 is the last one. See |arglist|.
1726
1727 *argv()*
1728argv({nr}) The result is the {nr}th file in the argument list of the
1729 current window. See |arglist|. "argv(0)" is the first one.
1730 Example: >
1731 :let i = 0
1732 :while i < argc()
1733 : let f = escape(argv(i), '. ')
1734 : exe 'amenu Arg.' . f . ' :e ' . f . '<CR>'
1735 : let i = i + 1
1736 :endwhile
1737<
1738 *browse()*
1739browse({save}, {title}, {initdir}, {default})
1740 Put up a file requester. This only works when "has("browse")"
1741 returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1742 The input fields are:
1743 {save} when non-zero, select file to write
1744 {title} title for the requester
1745 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1746 {default} default file name
1747 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1748 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1749
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00001750 *browsedir()*
1751browsedir({title}, {initdir})
1752 Put up a directory requester. This only works when
1753 "has("browse")" returns non-zero (only in some GUI versions).
1754 On systems where a directory browser is not supported a file
1755 browser is used. In that case: select a file in the directory
1756 to be used.
1757 The input fields are:
1758 {title} title for the requester
1759 {initdir} directory to start browsing in
1760 When the "Cancel" button is hit, something went wrong, or
1761 browsing is not possible, an empty string is returned.
1762
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001763bufexists({expr}) *bufexists()*
1764 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1765 {expr} exists.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001766 If the {expr} argument is a number, buffer numbers are used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001767 If the {expr} argument is a string it must match a buffer name
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001768 exactly. The name can be:
1769 - Relative to the current directory.
1770 - A full path.
1771 - The name of a buffer with 'filetype' set to "nofile".
1772 - A URL name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001773 Unlisted buffers will be found.
1774 Note that help files are listed by their short name in the
1775 output of |:buffers|, but bufexists() requires using their
1776 long name to be able to find them.
1777 Use "bufexists(0)" to test for the existence of an alternate
1778 file name.
1779 *buffer_exists()*
1780 Obsolete name: buffer_exists().
1781
1782buflisted({expr}) *buflisted()*
1783 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1784 {expr} exists and is listed (has the 'buflisted' option set).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001785 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001786
1787bufloaded({expr}) *bufloaded()*
1788 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a buffer called
1789 {expr} exists and is loaded (shown in a window or hidden).
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00001790 The {expr} argument is used like with |bufexists()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001791
1792bufname({expr}) *bufname()*
1793 The result is the name of a buffer, as it is displayed by the
1794 ":ls" command.
1795 If {expr} is a Number, that buffer number's name is given.
1796 Number zero is the alternate buffer for the current window.
1797 If {expr} is a String, it is used as a |file-pattern| to match
1798 with the buffer names. This is always done like 'magic' is
1799 set and 'cpoptions' is empty. When there is more than one
1800 match an empty string is returned.
1801 "" or "%" can be used for the current buffer, "#" for the
1802 alternate buffer.
1803 A full match is preferred, otherwise a match at the start, end
1804 or middle of the buffer name is accepted.
1805 Listed buffers are found first. If there is a single match
1806 with a listed buffer, that one is returned. Next unlisted
1807 buffers are searched for.
1808 If the {expr} is a String, but you want to use it as a buffer
1809 number, force it to be a Number by adding zero to it: >
1810 :echo bufname("3" + 0)
1811< If the buffer doesn't exist, or doesn't have a name, an empty
1812 string is returned. >
1813 bufname("#") alternate buffer name
1814 bufname(3) name of buffer 3
1815 bufname("%") name of current buffer
1816 bufname("file2") name of buffer where "file2" matches.
1817< *buffer_name()*
1818 Obsolete name: buffer_name().
1819
1820 *bufnr()*
1821bufnr({expr}) The result is the number of a buffer, as it is displayed by
1822 the ":ls" command. For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()|
1823 above. If the buffer doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
1824 bufnr("$") is the last buffer: >
1825 :let last_buffer = bufnr("$")
1826< The result is a Number, which is the highest buffer number
1827 of existing buffers. Note that not all buffers with a smaller
1828 number necessarily exist, because ":bwipeout" may have removed
1829 them. Use bufexists() to test for the existence of a buffer.
1830 *buffer_number()*
1831 Obsolete name: buffer_number().
1832 *last_buffer_nr()*
1833 Obsolete name for bufnr("$"): last_buffer_nr().
1834
1835bufwinnr({expr}) *bufwinnr()*
1836 The result is a Number, which is the number of the first
1837 window associated with buffer {expr}. For the use of {expr},
1838 see |bufname()| above. If buffer {expr} doesn't exist or
1839 there is no such window, -1 is returned. Example: >
1840
1841 echo "A window containing buffer 1 is " . (bufwinnr(1))
1842
1843< The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
1844 |:wincmd|.
1845
1846
1847byte2line({byte}) *byte2line()*
1848 Return the line number that contains the character at byte
1849 count {byte} in the current buffer. This includes the
1850 end-of-line character, depending on the 'fileformat' option
1851 for the current buffer. The first character has byte count
1852 one.
1853 Also see |line2byte()|, |go| and |:goto|.
1854 {not available when compiled without the |+byte_offset|
1855 feature}
1856
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00001857byteidx({expr}, {nr}) *byteidx()*
1858 Return byte index of the {nr}'th character in the string
1859 {expr}. Use zero for the first character, it returns zero.
1860 This function is only useful when there are multibyte
1861 characters, otherwise the returned value is equal to {nr}.
1862 Composing characters are counted as a separate character.
1863 Example : >
1864 echo matchstr(str, ".", byteidx(str, 3))
1865< will display the fourth character. Another way to do the
1866 same: >
1867 let s = strpart(str, byteidx(str, 3))
1868 echo strpart(s, 0, byteidx(s, 1))
1869< If there are less than {nr} characters -1 is returned.
1870 If there are exactly {nr} characters the length of the string
1871 is returned.
1872
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001873call({func}, {arglist} [, {dict}]) *call()* *E699*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001874 Call function {func} with the items in List {arglist} as
1875 arguments.
1876 {func} can either be a Funcref or the name of a function.
1877 a:firstline and a:lastline are set to the cursor line.
1878 Returns the return value of the called function.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001879 {dict} is for functions with the "dict" attribute. It will be
1880 used to set the local variable "self". |Dictionary-function|
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001881
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001882char2nr({expr}) *char2nr()*
1883 Return number value of the first char in {expr}. Examples: >
1884 char2nr(" ") returns 32
1885 char2nr("ABC") returns 65
1886< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
1887 char2nr("á") returns 225
1888 char2nr("á"[0]) returns 195
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00001889< nr2char() does the opposite.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001890
1891cindent({lnum}) *cindent()*
1892 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the C
1893 indenting rules, as with 'cindent'.
1894 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
1895 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
1896 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the |+cindent|
1897 feature, -1 is returned.
Bram Moolenaard5cdbeb2005-10-10 20:59:28 +00001898 See |C-indenting|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001899
1900 *col()*
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00001901col({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the byte index of the column
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001902 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
1903 . the cursor position
1904 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
1905 number of characters in the cursor line plus one)
1906 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
1907 returned)
1908 For the screen column position use |virtcol()|.
1909 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
1910 Examples: >
1911 col(".") column of cursor
1912 col("$") length of cursor line plus one
1913 col("'t") column of mark t
1914 col("'" . markname) column of mark markname
1915< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
1916 For the cursor position, when 'virtualedit' is active, the
1917 column is one higher if the cursor is after the end of the
1918 line. This can be used to obtain the column in Insert mode: >
1919 :imap <F2> <C-O>:let save_ve = &ve<CR>
1920 \<C-O>:set ve=all<CR>
1921 \<C-O>:echo col(".") . "\n" <Bar>
1922 \let &ve = save_ve<CR>
1923<
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00001924
1925complete_add({expr}) *complete_add()*
1926 Add {expr} to the list of matches. Only to be used by the
1927 function specified with the 'completefunc' option.
1928 Returns 0 for failure (empty string or out of memory),
1929 1 when the match was added, 2 when the match was already in
1930 the list.
1931
1932complete_check() *complete_check()*
1933 Check for a key typed while looking for completion matches.
1934 This is to be used when looking for matches takes some time.
1935 Returns non-zero when searching for matches is to be aborted,
1936 zero otherwise.
1937 Only to be used by the function specified with the
1938 'completefunc' option.
1939
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001940 *confirm()*
1941confirm({msg} [, {choices} [, {default} [, {type}]]])
1942 Confirm() offers the user a dialog, from which a choice can be
1943 made. It returns the number of the choice. For the first
1944 choice this is 1.
1945 Note: confirm() is only supported when compiled with dialog
1946 support, see |+dialog_con| and |+dialog_gui|.
1947 {msg} is displayed in a |dialog| with {choices} as the
1948 alternatives. When {choices} is missing or empty, "&OK" is
1949 used (and translated).
1950 {msg} is a String, use '\n' to include a newline. Only on
1951 some systems the string is wrapped when it doesn't fit.
1952 {choices} is a String, with the individual choices separated
1953 by '\n', e.g. >
1954 confirm("Save changes?", "&Yes\n&No\n&Cancel")
1955< The letter after the '&' is the shortcut key for that choice.
1956 Thus you can type 'c' to select "Cancel". The shortcut does
1957 not need to be the first letter: >
1958 confirm("file has been modified", "&Save\nSave &All")
1959< For the console, the first letter of each choice is used as
1960 the default shortcut key.
1961 The optional {default} argument is the number of the choice
1962 that is made if the user hits <CR>. Use 1 to make the first
1963 choice the default one. Use 0 to not set a default. If
1964 {default} is omitted, 1 is used.
1965 The optional {type} argument gives the type of dialog. This
1966 is only used for the icon of the Win32 GUI. It can be one of
1967 these values: "Error", "Question", "Info", "Warning" or
1968 "Generic". Only the first character is relevant. When {type}
1969 is omitted, "Generic" is used.
1970 If the user aborts the dialog by pressing <Esc>, CTRL-C,
1971 or another valid interrupt key, confirm() returns 0.
1972
1973 An example: >
1974 :let choice = confirm("What do you want?", "&Apples\n&Oranges\n&Bananas", 2)
1975 :if choice == 0
1976 : echo "make up your mind!"
1977 :elseif choice == 3
1978 : echo "tasteful"
1979 :else
1980 : echo "I prefer bananas myself."
1981 :endif
1982< In a GUI dialog, buttons are used. The layout of the buttons
1983 depends on the 'v' flag in 'guioptions'. If it is included,
1984 the buttons are always put vertically. Otherwise, confirm()
1985 tries to put the buttons in one horizontal line. If they
1986 don't fit, a vertical layout is used anyway. For some systems
1987 the horizontal layout is always used.
1988
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00001989 *copy()*
1990copy({expr}) Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
1991 different from using {expr} directly.
1992 When {expr} is a List a shallow copy is created. This means
1993 that the original List can be changed without changing the
1994 copy, and vise versa. But the items are identical, thus
1995 changing an item changes the contents of both Lists. Also see
1996 |deepcopy()|.
1997
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00001998count({comp}, {expr} [, {ic} [, {start}]]) *count()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00001999 Return the number of times an item with value {expr} appears
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002000 in List or Dictionary {comp}.
2001 If {start} is given then start with the item with this index.
2002 {start} can only be used with a List.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002003 When {ic} is given and it's non-zero then case is ignored.
2004
2005
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002006 *cscope_connection()*
2007cscope_connection([{num} , {dbpath} [, {prepend}]])
2008 Checks for the existence of a |cscope| connection. If no
2009 parameters are specified, then the function returns:
2010 0, if cscope was not available (not compiled in), or
2011 if there are no cscope connections;
2012 1, if there is at least one cscope connection.
2013
2014 If parameters are specified, then the value of {num}
2015 determines how existence of a cscope connection is checked:
2016
2017 {num} Description of existence check
2018 ----- ------------------------------
2019 0 Same as no parameters (e.g., "cscope_connection()").
2020 1 Ignore {prepend}, and use partial string matches for
2021 {dbpath}.
2022 2 Ignore {prepend}, and use exact string matches for
2023 {dbpath}.
2024 3 Use {prepend}, use partial string matches for both
2025 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2026 4 Use {prepend}, use exact string matches for both
2027 {dbpath} and {prepend}.
2028
2029 Note: All string comparisons are case sensitive!
2030
2031 Examples. Suppose we had the following (from ":cs show"): >
2032
2033 # pid database name prepend path
2034 0 27664 cscope.out /usr/local
2035<
2036 Invocation Return Val ~
2037 ---------- ---------- >
2038 cscope_connection() 1
2039 cscope_connection(1, "out") 1
2040 cscope_connection(2, "out") 0
2041 cscope_connection(3, "out") 0
2042 cscope_connection(3, "out", "local") 1
2043 cscope_connection(4, "out") 0
2044 cscope_connection(4, "out", "local") 0
2045 cscope_connection(4, "cscope.out", "/usr/local") 1
2046<
2047cursor({lnum}, {col}) *cursor()*
2048 Positions the cursor at the column {col} in the line {lnum}.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002049 The first column is one.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002050 Does not change the jumplist.
2051 If {lnum} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2052 the cursor will be positioned at the last line in the buffer.
2053 If {lnum} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current line.
Bram Moolenaar6f16eb82005-08-23 21:02:42 +00002054 If {col} is greater than the number of bytes in the line,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002055 the cursor will be positioned at the last character in the
2056 line.
2057 If {col} is zero, the cursor will stay in the current column.
2058
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002059
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002060deepcopy({expr}[, {noref}]) *deepcopy()* *E698*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002061 Make a copy of {expr}. For Numbers and Strings this isn't
2062 different from using {expr} directly.
2063 When {expr} is a List a full copy is created. This means
2064 that the original List can be changed without changing the
2065 copy, and vise versa. When an item is a List, a copy for it
2066 is made, recursively. Thus changing an item in the copy does
2067 not change the contents of the original List.
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002068 When {noref} is omitted or zero a contained List or Dictionary
2069 is only copied once. All references point to this single
2070 copy. With {noref} set to 1 every occurrence of a List or
2071 Dictionary results in a new copy. This also means that a
2072 cyclic reference causes deepcopy() to fail.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00002073 *E724*
2074 Nesting is possible up to 100 levels. When there is an item
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00002075 that refers back to a higher level making a deep copy with
2076 {noref} set to 1 will fail.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002077 Also see |copy()|.
2078
2079delete({fname}) *delete()*
2080 Deletes the file by the name {fname}. The result is a Number,
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002081 which is 0 if the file was deleted successfully, and non-zero
2082 when the deletion failed.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002083 Use |remove()| to delete an item from a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002084
2085 *did_filetype()*
2086did_filetype() Returns non-zero when autocommands are being executed and the
2087 FileType event has been triggered at least once. Can be used
2088 to avoid triggering the FileType event again in the scripts
2089 that detect the file type. |FileType|
2090 When editing another file, the counter is reset, thus this
2091 really checks if the FileType event has been triggered for the
2092 current buffer. This allows an autocommand that starts
2093 editing another buffer to set 'filetype' and load a syntax
2094 file.
2095
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00002096diff_filler({lnum}) *diff_filler()*
2097 Returns the number of filler lines above line {lnum}.
2098 These are the lines that were inserted at this point in
2099 another diff'ed window. These filler lines are shown in the
2100 display but don't exist in the buffer.
2101 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2102 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2103 Returns 0 if the current window is not in diff mode.
2104
2105diff_hlID({lnum}, {col}) *diff_hlID()*
2106 Returns the highlight ID for diff mode at line {lnum} column
2107 {col} (byte index). When the current line does not have a
2108 diff change zero is returned.
2109 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2110 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2111 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
2112 line.
2113 The highlight ID can be used with |synIDattr()| to obtain
2114 syntax information about the highlighting.
2115
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002116empty({expr}) *empty()*
2117 Return the Number 1 if {expr} is empty, zero otherwise.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002118 A List or Dictionary is empty when it does not have any items.
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002119 A Number is empty when its value is zero.
2120 For a long List this is much faster then comparing the length
2121 with zero.
2122
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002123escape({string}, {chars}) *escape()*
2124 Escape the characters in {chars} that occur in {string} with a
2125 backslash. Example: >
2126 :echo escape('c:\program files\vim', ' \')
2127< results in: >
2128 c:\\program\ files\\vim
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002129
2130< *eval()*
2131eval({string}) Evaluate {string} and return the result. Especially useful to
2132 turn the result of |string()| back into the original value.
2133 This works for Numbers, Strings and composites of them.
2134 Also works for Funcrefs that refer to existing functions.
2135
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002136eventhandler() *eventhandler()*
2137 Returns 1 when inside an event handler. That is that Vim got
2138 interrupted while waiting for the user to type a character,
2139 e.g., when dropping a file on Vim. This means interactive
2140 commands cannot be used. Otherwise zero is returned.
2141
2142executable({expr}) *executable()*
2143 This function checks if an executable with the name {expr}
2144 exists. {expr} must be the name of the program without any
Bram Moolenaarf4b8e572004-06-24 15:53:16 +00002145 arguments.
2146 executable() uses the value of $PATH and/or the normal
2147 searchpath for programs. *PATHEXT*
2148 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows the ".exe", ".bat", etc. can
2149 optionally be included. Then the extensions in $PATHEXT are
2150 tried. Thus if "foo.exe" does not exist, "foo.exe.bat" can be
2151 found. If $PATHEXT is not set then ".exe;.com;.bat;.cmd" is
2152 used. A dot by itself can be used in $PATHEXT to try using
2153 the name without an extension. When 'shell' looks like a
2154 Unix shell, then the name is also tried without adding an
2155 extension.
2156 On MS-DOS and MS-Windows it only checks if the file exists and
2157 is not a directory, not if it's really executable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002158 The result is a Number:
2159 1 exists
2160 0 does not exist
2161 -1 not implemented on this system
2162
2163 *exists()*
2164exists({expr}) The result is a Number, which is non-zero if {expr} is
2165 defined, zero otherwise. The {expr} argument is a string,
2166 which contains one of these:
2167 &option-name Vim option (only checks if it exists,
2168 not if it really works)
2169 +option-name Vim option that works.
2170 $ENVNAME environment variable (could also be
2171 done by comparing with an empty
2172 string)
2173 *funcname built-in function (see |functions|)
2174 or user defined function (see
2175 |user-functions|).
2176 varname internal variable (see
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00002177 |internal-variables|). Also works
2178 for |curly-braces-names|, Dictionary
2179 entries, List items, etc. Beware that
2180 this may cause functions to be
2181 invoked cause an error message for an
2182 invalid expression.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002183 :cmdname Ex command: built-in command, user
2184 command or command modifier |:command|.
2185 Returns:
2186 1 for match with start of a command
2187 2 full match with a command
2188 3 matches several user commands
2189 To check for a supported command
2190 always check the return value to be 2.
2191 #event autocommand defined for this event
2192 #event#pattern autocommand defined for this event and
2193 pattern (the pattern is taken
2194 literally and compared to the
2195 autocommand patterns character by
2196 character)
2197 For checking for a supported feature use |has()|.
2198
2199 Examples: >
2200 exists("&shortname")
2201 exists("$HOSTNAME")
2202 exists("*strftime")
2203 exists("*s:MyFunc")
2204 exists("bufcount")
2205 exists(":Make")
2206 exists("#CursorHold");
2207 exists("#BufReadPre#*.gz")
2208< There must be no space between the symbol (&/$/*/#) and the
2209 name.
2210 Note that the argument must be a string, not the name of the
2211 variable itself! For example: >
2212 exists(bufcount)
2213< This doesn't check for existence of the "bufcount" variable,
2214 but gets the contents of "bufcount", and checks if that
2215 exists.
2216
2217expand({expr} [, {flag}]) *expand()*
2218 Expand wildcards and the following special keywords in {expr}.
2219 The result is a String.
2220
2221 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2222 characters. [Note: in version 5.0 a space was used, which
2223 caused problems when a file name contains a space]
2224
2225 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string. A name
2226 for a non-existing file is not included.
2227
2228 When {expr} starts with '%', '#' or '<', the expansion is done
2229 like for the |cmdline-special| variables with their associated
2230 modifiers. Here is a short overview:
2231
2232 % current file name
2233 # alternate file name
2234 #n alternate file name n
2235 <cfile> file name under the cursor
2236 <afile> autocmd file name
2237 <abuf> autocmd buffer number (as a String!)
2238 <amatch> autocmd matched name
2239 <sfile> sourced script file name
2240 <cword> word under the cursor
2241 <cWORD> WORD under the cursor
2242 <client> the {clientid} of the last received
2243 message |server2client()|
2244 Modifiers:
2245 :p expand to full path
2246 :h head (last path component removed)
2247 :t tail (last path component only)
2248 :r root (one extension removed)
2249 :e extension only
2250
2251 Example: >
2252 :let &tags = expand("%:p:h") . "/tags"
2253< Note that when expanding a string that starts with '%', '#' or
2254 '<', any following text is ignored. This does NOT work: >
2255 :let doesntwork = expand("%:h.bak")
2256< Use this: >
2257 :let doeswork = expand("%:h") . ".bak"
2258< Also note that expanding "<cfile>" and others only returns the
2259 referenced file name without further expansion. If "<cfile>"
2260 is "~/.cshrc", you need to do another expand() to have the
2261 "~/" expanded into the path of the home directory: >
2262 :echo expand(expand("<cfile>"))
2263<
2264 There cannot be white space between the variables and the
2265 following modifier. The |fnamemodify()| function can be used
2266 to modify normal file names.
2267
2268 When using '%' or '#', and the current or alternate file name
2269 is not defined, an empty string is used. Using "%:p" in a
2270 buffer with no name, results in the current directory, with a
2271 '/' added.
2272
2273 When {expr} does not start with '%', '#' or '<', it is
2274 expanded like a file name is expanded on the command line.
2275 'suffixes' and 'wildignore' are used, unless the optional
2276 {flag} argument is given and it is non-zero. Names for
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002277 non-existing files are included. The "**" item can be used to
2278 search in a directory tree. For example, to find all "README"
2279 files in the current directory and below: >
2280 :echo expand("**/README")
2281<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002282 Expand() can also be used to expand variables and environment
2283 variables that are only known in a shell. But this can be
2284 slow, because a shell must be started. See |expr-env-expand|.
2285 The expanded variable is still handled like a list of file
2286 names. When an environment variable cannot be expanded, it is
2287 left unchanged. Thus ":echo expand('$FOOBAR')" results in
2288 "$FOOBAR".
2289
2290 See |glob()| for finding existing files. See |system()| for
2291 getting the raw output of an external command.
2292
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002293extend({expr1}, {expr2} [, {expr3}]) *extend()*
2294 {expr1} and {expr2} must be both Lists or both Dictionaries.
2295
2296 If they are Lists: Append {expr2} to {expr1}.
2297 If {expr3} is given insert the items of {expr2} before item
2298 {expr3} in {expr1}. When {expr3} is zero insert before the
2299 first item. When {expr3} is equal to len({expr1}) then
2300 {expr2} is appended.
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002301 Examples: >
2302 :echo sort(extend(mylist, [7, 5]))
2303 :call extend(mylist, [2, 3], 1)
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002304< Use |add()| to concatenate one item to a list. To concatenate
2305 two lists into a new list use the + operator: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002306 :let newlist = [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5]
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002307<
2308 If they are Dictionaries:
2309 Add all entries from {expr2} to {expr1}.
2310 If a key exists in both {expr1} and {expr2} then {expr3} is
2311 used to decide what to do:
2312 {expr3} = "keep": keep the value of {expr1}
2313 {expr3} = "force": use the value of {expr2}
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00002314 {expr3} = "error": give an error message *E737*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002315 When {expr3} is omitted then "force" is assumed.
2316
2317 {expr1} is changed when {expr2} is not empty. If necessary
2318 make a copy of {expr1} first.
2319 {expr2} remains unchanged.
2320 Returns {expr1}.
2321
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002322
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002323filereadable({file}) *filereadable()*
2324 The result is a Number, which is TRUE when a file with the
2325 name {file} exists, and can be read. If {file} doesn't exist,
2326 or is a directory, the result is FALSE. {file} is any
2327 expression, which is used as a String.
2328 *file_readable()*
2329 Obsolete name: file_readable().
2330
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002331
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002332filter({expr}, {string}) *filter()*
2333 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
2334 For each item in {expr} evaluate {string} and when the result
2335 is zero remove the item from the List or Dictionary.
2336 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
2337 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
2338 Examples: >
2339 :call filter(mylist, 'v:val !~ "OLD"')
2340< Removes the items where "OLD" appears. >
2341 :call filter(mydict, 'v:key >= 8')
2342< Removes the items with a key below 8. >
2343 :call filter(var, 0)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002344< Removes all the items, thus clears the List or Dictionary.
2345
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002346 Note that {string} is the result of expression and is then
2347 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
2348 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes.
2349
2350 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
2351 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00002352 :let l = filter(copy(mylist), '& =~ "KEEP"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002353
2354< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002355
2356
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00002357finddir({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *finddir()*
2358 Find directory {name} in {path}.
2359 If {path} is omitted or empty then 'path' is used.
2360 If the optional {count} is given, find {count}'s occurrence of
2361 {name} in {path}.
2362 This is quite similar to the ex-command |:find|.
2363 When the found directory is below the current directory a
2364 relative path is returned. Otherwise a full path is returned.
2365 Example: >
2366 :echo findfile("tags.vim", ".;")
2367< Searches from the current directory upwards until it finds
2368 the file "tags.vim".
2369 {only available when compiled with the +file_in_path feature}
2370
2371findfile({name}[, {path}[, {count}]]) *findfile()*
2372 Just like |finddir()|, but find a file instead of a directory.
2373
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002374filewritable({file}) *filewritable()*
2375 The result is a Number, which is 1 when a file with the
2376 name {file} exists, and can be written. If {file} doesn't
2377 exist, or is not writable, the result is 0. If (file) is a
2378 directory, and we can write to it, the result is 2.
2379
2380fnamemodify({fname}, {mods}) *fnamemodify()*
2381 Modify file name {fname} according to {mods}. {mods} is a
2382 string of characters like it is used for file names on the
2383 command line. See |filename-modifiers|.
2384 Example: >
2385 :echo fnamemodify("main.c", ":p:h")
2386< results in: >
2387 /home/mool/vim/vim/src
2388< Note: Environment variables and "~" don't work in {fname}, use
2389 |expand()| first then.
2390
2391foldclosed({lnum}) *foldclosed()*
2392 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2393 fold, the result is the number of the first line in that fold.
2394 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2395
2396foldclosedend({lnum}) *foldclosedend()*
2397 The result is a Number. If the line {lnum} is in a closed
2398 fold, the result is the number of the last line in that fold.
2399 If the line {lnum} is not in a closed fold, -1 is returned.
2400
2401foldlevel({lnum}) *foldlevel()*
2402 The result is a Number, which is the foldlevel of line {lnum}
2403 in the current buffer. For nested folds the deepest level is
2404 returned. If there is no fold at line {lnum}, zero is
2405 returned. It doesn't matter if the folds are open or closed.
2406 When used while updating folds (from 'foldexpr') -1 is
2407 returned for lines where folds are still to be updated and the
2408 foldlevel is unknown. As a special case the level of the
2409 previous line is usually available.
2410
2411 *foldtext()*
2412foldtext() Returns a String, to be displayed for a closed fold. This is
2413 the default function used for the 'foldtext' option and should
2414 only be called from evaluating 'foldtext'. It uses the
2415 |v:foldstart|, |v:foldend| and |v:folddashes| variables.
2416 The returned string looks like this: >
2417 +-- 45 lines: abcdef
2418< The number of dashes depends on the foldlevel. The "45" is
2419 the number of lines in the fold. "abcdef" is the text in the
2420 first non-blank line of the fold. Leading white space, "//"
2421 or "/*" and the text from the 'foldmarker' and 'commentstring'
2422 options is removed.
2423 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2424
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00002425foldtextresult({lnum}) *foldtextresult()*
2426 Returns the text that is displayed for the closed fold at line
2427 {lnum}. Evaluates 'foldtext' in the appropriate context.
2428 When there is no closed fold at {lnum} an empty string is
2429 returned.
2430 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|. Thus "." is the current
2431 line, "'m" mark m, etc.
2432 Useful when exporting folded text, e.g., to HTML.
2433 {not available when compiled without the |+folding| feature}
2434
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002435 *foreground()*
2436foreground() Move the Vim window to the foreground. Useful when sent from
2437 a client to a Vim server. |remote_send()|
2438 On Win32 systems this might not work, the OS does not always
2439 allow a window to bring itself to the foreground. Use
2440 |remote_foreground()| instead.
2441 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
2442 Win32 console version}
2443
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002444
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00002445function({name}) *function()* *E700*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00002446 Return a Funcref variable that refers to function {name}.
2447 {name} can be a user defined function or an internal function.
2448
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002449
Bram Moolenaar39a58ca2005-06-27 22:42:44 +00002450garbagecollect() *garbagecollect()*
2451 Cleanup unused Lists and Dictionaries that have circular
2452 references. There is hardly ever a need to invoke this
2453 function, as it is automatically done when Vim runs out of
2454 memory or is waiting for the user to press a key after
2455 'updatetime'. Items without circular references are always
2456 freed when they become unused.
2457 This is useful if you have deleted a very big List and/or
2458 Dictionary with circular references in a script that runs for
2459 a long time.
2460
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00002461get({list}, {idx} [, {default}]) *get()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002462 Get item {idx} from List {list}. When this item is not
2463 available return {default}. Return zero when {default} is
2464 omitted.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002465get({dict}, {key} [, {default}])
2466 Get item with key {key} from Dictionary {dict}. When this
2467 item is not available return {default}. Return zero when
2468 {default} is omitted.
2469
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002470 *getbufline()*
2471getbufline({expr}, {lnum} [, {end}])
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002472 Return a List with the lines starting from {lnum} to {end}
2473 (inclusive) in the buffer {expr}. If {end} is omitted, a List
2474 with only the line {lnum} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002475
2476 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2477
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002478 For {lnum} and {end} "$" can be used for the last line of the
2479 buffer. Otherwise a number must be used.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002480
2481 When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2482 lines in the buffer, an empty List is returned.
2483
2484 When {end} is greater than the number of lines in the buffer,
2485 it is treated as {end} is set to the number of lines in the
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002486 buffer. When {end} is before {lnum} an empty List is
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002487 returned.
2488
Bram Moolenaar661b1822005-07-28 22:36:45 +00002489 This function works only for loaded buffers. For unloaded and
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002490 non-existing buffers, an empty List is returned.
2491
2492 Example: >
2493 :let lines = getbufline(bufnr("myfile"), 1, "$")
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002494
2495getbufvar({expr}, {varname}) *getbufvar()*
2496 The result is the value of option or local buffer variable
2497 {varname} in buffer {expr}. Note that the name without "b:"
2498 must be used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002499 This also works for a global or buffer-local option, but it
2500 doesn't work for a global variable, window-local variable or
2501 window-local option.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002502 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
2503 When the buffer or variable doesn't exist an empty string is
2504 returned, there is no error message.
2505 Examples: >
2506 :let bufmodified = getbufvar(1, "&mod")
2507 :echo "todo myvar = " . getbufvar("todo", "myvar")
2508<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002509getchar([expr]) *getchar()*
2510 Get a single character from the user. If it is an 8-bit
2511 character, the result is a number. Otherwise a String is
2512 returned with the encoded character. For a special key it's a
2513 sequence of bytes starting with 0x80 (decimal: 128).
2514 If [expr] is omitted, wait until a character is available.
2515 If [expr] is 0, only get a character when one is available.
2516 If [expr] is 1, only check if a character is available, it is
2517 not consumed. If a normal character is
2518 available, it is returned, otherwise a
2519 non-zero value is returned.
2520 If a normal character available, it is returned as a Number.
2521 Use nr2char() to convert it to a String.
2522 The returned value is zero if no character is available.
2523 The returned value is a string of characters for special keys
2524 and when a modifier (shift, control, alt) was used.
2525 There is no prompt, you will somehow have to make clear to the
2526 user that a character has to be typed.
2527 There is no mapping for the character.
2528 Key codes are replaced, thus when the user presses the <Del>
2529 key you get the code for the <Del> key, not the raw character
2530 sequence. Examples: >
2531 getchar() == "\<Del>"
2532 getchar() == "\<S-Left>"
2533< This example redefines "f" to ignore case: >
2534 :nmap f :call FindChar()<CR>
2535 :function FindChar()
2536 : let c = nr2char(getchar())
2537 : while col('.') < col('$') - 1
2538 : normal l
2539 : if getline('.')[col('.') - 1] ==? c
2540 : break
2541 : endif
2542 : endwhile
2543 :endfunction
2544
2545getcharmod() *getcharmod()*
2546 The result is a Number which is the state of the modifiers for
2547 the last obtained character with getchar() or in another way.
2548 These values are added together:
2549 2 shift
2550 4 control
2551 8 alt (meta)
2552 16 mouse double click
2553 32 mouse triple click
2554 64 mouse quadruple click
2555 128 Macintosh only: command
2556 Only the modifiers that have not been included in the
2557 character itself are obtained. Thus Shift-a results in "A"
2558 with no modifier.
2559
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002560getcmdline() *getcmdline()*
2561 Return the current command-line. Only works when the command
2562 line is being edited, thus requires use of |c_CTRL-\_e| or
2563 |c_CTRL-R_=|.
2564 Example: >
2565 :cmap <F7> <C-\>eescape(getcmdline(), ' \')<CR>
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002566< Also see |getcmdtype()|, |getcmdpos()| and |setcmdpos()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002567
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002568getcmdpos() *getcmdpos()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002569 Return the position of the cursor in the command line as a
2570 byte count. The first column is 1.
2571 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2572 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns 0 otherwise.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002573 Also see |getcmdtype()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
2574
2575getcmdtype() *getcmdtype()*
2576 Return the current command-line type. Possible return values
2577 are:
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00002578 : normal Ex command
2579 > debug mode command |debug-mode|
2580 / forward search command
2581 ? backward search command
2582 @ |input()| command
2583 - |:insert| or |:append| command
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002584 Only works when editing the command line, thus requires use of
2585 |c_CTRL-\_e| or |c_CTRL-R_=|. Returns an empty string
2586 otherwise.
2587 Also see |getcmdpos()|, |setcmdpos()| and |getcmdline()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002588
2589 *getcwd()*
2590getcwd() The result is a String, which is the name of the current
2591 working directory.
2592
2593getfsize({fname}) *getfsize()*
2594 The result is a Number, which is the size in bytes of the
2595 given file {fname}.
2596 If {fname} is a directory, 0 is returned.
2597 If the file {fname} can't be found, -1 is returned.
2598
Bram Moolenaard8b0cf12004-12-12 11:33:30 +00002599getfontname([{name}]) *getfontname()*
2600 Without an argument returns the name of the normal font being
2601 used. Like what is used for the Normal highlight group
2602 |hl-Normal|.
2603 With an argument a check is done whether {name} is a valid
2604 font name. If not then an empty string is returned.
2605 Otherwise the actual font name is returned, or {name} if the
2606 GUI does not support obtaining the real name.
2607 Only works when the GUI is running, thus not you your vimrc or
2608 Note that the GTK 2 GUI accepts any font name, thus checking
2609 for a valid name does not work.
2610 gvimrc file. Use the |GUIEnter| autocommand to use this
2611 function just after the GUI has started.
2612
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002613getfperm({fname}) *getfperm()*
2614 The result is a String, which is the read, write, and execute
2615 permissions of the given file {fname}.
2616 If {fname} does not exist or its directory cannot be read, an
2617 empty string is returned.
2618 The result is of the form "rwxrwxrwx", where each group of
2619 "rwx" flags represent, in turn, the permissions of the owner
2620 of the file, the group the file belongs to, and other users.
2621 If a user does not have a given permission the flag for this
2622 is replaced with the string "-". Example: >
2623 :echo getfperm("/etc/passwd")
2624< This will hopefully (from a security point of view) display
2625 the string "rw-r--r--" or even "rw-------".
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00002626
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002627getftime({fname}) *getftime()*
2628 The result is a Number, which is the last modification time of
2629 the given file {fname}. The value is measured as seconds
2630 since 1st Jan 1970, and may be passed to strftime(). See also
2631 |localtime()| and |strftime()|.
2632 If the file {fname} can't be found -1 is returned.
2633
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00002634getftype({fname}) *getftype()*
2635 The result is a String, which is a description of the kind of
2636 file of the given file {fname}.
2637 If {fname} does not exist an empty string is returned.
2638 Here is a table over different kinds of files and their
2639 results:
2640 Normal file "file"
2641 Directory "dir"
2642 Symbolic link "link"
2643 Block device "bdev"
2644 Character device "cdev"
2645 Socket "socket"
2646 FIFO "fifo"
2647 All other "other"
2648 Example: >
2649 getftype("/home")
2650< Note that a type such as "link" will only be returned on
2651 systems that support it. On some systems only "dir" and
2652 "file" are returned.
2653
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002654 *getline()*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002655getline({lnum} [, {end}])
2656 Without {end} the result is a String, which is line {lnum}
2657 from the current buffer. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002658 getline(1)
2659< When {lnum} is a String that doesn't start with a
2660 digit, line() is called to translate the String into a Number.
2661 To get the line under the cursor: >
2662 getline(".")
2663< When {lnum} is smaller than 1 or bigger than the number of
2664 lines in the buffer, an empty string is returned.
2665
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002666 When {end} is given the result is a List where each item is a
2667 line from the current buffer in the range {lnum} to {end},
2668 including line {end}.
2669 {end} is used in the same way as {lnum}.
2670 Non-existing lines are silently omitted.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00002671 When {end} is before {lnum} an empty List is returned.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002672 Example: >
2673 :let start = line('.')
2674 :let end = search("^$") - 1
2675 :let lines = getline(start, end)
2676
2677
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002678getqflist() *getqflist()*
2679 Returns a list with all the current quickfix errors. Each
2680 list item is a dictionary with these entries:
2681 bufnr number of buffer that has the file name, use
2682 bufname() to get the name
2683 lnum line number in the buffer (first line is 1)
2684 col column number (first column is 1)
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00002685 vcol non-zero: "col" is visual column
2686 zero: "col" is byte index
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002687 nr error number
2688 text description of the error
2689 type type of the error, 'E', '1', etc.
2690 valid non-zero: recognized error message
2691
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00002692 When there is no error list or it's empty an empty list is
2693 returned.
2694
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00002695 Useful application: Find pattern matches in multiple files and
2696 do something with them: >
2697 :vimgrep /theword/jg *.c
2698 :for d in getqflist()
2699 : echo bufname(d.bufnr) ':' d.lnum '=' d.text
2700 :endfor
2701
2702
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002703getreg([{regname} [, 1]]) *getreg()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002704 The result is a String, which is the contents of register
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002705 {regname}. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002706 :let cliptext = getreg('*')
2707< getreg('=') returns the last evaluated value of the expression
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002708 register. (For use in maps.)
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00002709 getreg('=', 1) returns the expression itself, so that it can
2710 be restored with |setreg()|. For other registers the extra
2711 argument is ignored, thus you can always give it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002712 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2713
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00002714
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002715getregtype([{regname}]) *getregtype()*
2716 The result is a String, which is type of register {regname}.
2717 The value will be one of:
2718 "v" for |characterwise| text
2719 "V" for |linewise| text
2720 "<CTRL-V>{width}" for |blockwise-visual| text
2721 0 for an empty or unknown register
2722 <CTRL-V> is one character with value 0x16.
2723 If {regname} is not specified, |v:register| is used.
2724
2725 *getwinposx()*
2726getwinposx() The result is a Number, which is the X coordinate in pixels of
2727 the left hand side of the GUI Vim window. The result will be
2728 -1 if the information is not available.
2729
2730 *getwinposy()*
2731getwinposy() The result is a Number, which is the Y coordinate in pixels of
2732 the top of the GUI Vim window. The result will be -1 if the
2733 information is not available.
2734
2735getwinvar({nr}, {varname}) *getwinvar()*
2736 The result is the value of option or local window variable
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00002737 {varname} in window {nr}. When {nr} is zero the current
2738 window is used.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00002739 This also works for a global option, buffer-local option and
2740 window-local option, but it doesn't work for a global variable
2741 or buffer-local variable.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002742 Note that the name without "w:" must be used.
2743 Examples: >
2744 :let list_is_on = getwinvar(2, '&list')
2745 :echo "myvar = " . getwinvar(1, 'myvar')
2746<
2747 *glob()*
2748glob({expr}) Expand the file wildcards in {expr}. The result is a String.
2749 When there are several matches, they are separated by <NL>
2750 characters.
2751 If the expansion fails, the result is an empty string.
2752 A name for a non-existing file is not included.
2753
2754 For most systems backticks can be used to get files names from
2755 any external command. Example: >
2756 :let tagfiles = glob("`find . -name tags -print`")
2757 :let &tags = substitute(tagfiles, "\n", ",", "g")
2758< The result of the program inside the backticks should be one
2759 item per line. Spaces inside an item are allowed.
2760
2761 See |expand()| for expanding special Vim variables. See
2762 |system()| for getting the raw output of an external command.
2763
2764globpath({path}, {expr}) *globpath()*
2765 Perform glob() on all directories in {path} and concatenate
2766 the results. Example: >
2767 :echo globpath(&rtp, "syntax/c.vim")
2768< {path} is a comma-separated list of directory names. Each
2769 directory name is prepended to {expr} and expanded like with
2770 glob(). A path separator is inserted when needed.
2771 To add a comma inside a directory name escape it with a
2772 backslash. Note that on MS-Windows a directory may have a
2773 trailing backslash, remove it if you put a comma after it.
2774 If the expansion fails for one of the directories, there is no
2775 error message.
2776 The 'wildignore' option applies: Names matching one of the
2777 patterns in 'wildignore' will be skipped.
2778
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00002779 The "**" item can be used to search in a directory tree.
2780 For example, to find all "README.txt" files in the directories
2781 in 'runtimepath' and below: >
2782 :echo globpath(&rtp, "**/README.txt")
2783<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002784 *has()*
2785has({feature}) The result is a Number, which is 1 if the feature {feature} is
2786 supported, zero otherwise. The {feature} argument is a
2787 string. See |feature-list| below.
2788 Also see |exists()|.
2789
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00002790
2791has_key({dict}, {key}) *has_key()*
2792 The result is a Number, which is 1 if Dictionary {dict} has an
2793 entry with key {key}. Zero otherwise.
2794
2795
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002796hasmapto({what} [, {mode}]) *hasmapto()*
2797 The result is a Number, which is 1 if there is a mapping that
2798 contains {what} in somewhere in the rhs (what it is mapped to)
2799 and this mapping exists in one of the modes indicated by
2800 {mode}.
2801 Both the global mappings and the mappings local to the current
2802 buffer are checked for a match.
2803 If no matching mapping is found 0 is returned.
2804 The following characters are recognized in {mode}:
2805 n Normal mode
2806 v Visual mode
2807 o Operator-pending mode
2808 i Insert mode
2809 l Language-Argument ("r", "f", "t", etc.)
2810 c Command-line mode
2811 When {mode} is omitted, "nvo" is used.
2812
2813 This function is useful to check if a mapping already exists
2814 to a function in a Vim script. Example: >
2815 :if !hasmapto('\ABCdoit')
2816 : map <Leader>d \ABCdoit
2817 :endif
2818< This installs the mapping to "\ABCdoit" only if there isn't
2819 already a mapping to "\ABCdoit".
2820
2821histadd({history}, {item}) *histadd()*
2822 Add the String {item} to the history {history} which can be
2823 one of: *hist-names*
2824 "cmd" or ":" command line history
2825 "search" or "/" search pattern history
2826 "expr" or "=" typed expression history
2827 "input" or "@" input line history
2828 If {item} does already exist in the history, it will be
2829 shifted to become the newest entry.
2830 The result is a Number: 1 if the operation was successful,
2831 otherwise 0 is returned.
2832
2833 Example: >
2834 :call histadd("input", strftime("%Y %b %d"))
2835 :let date=input("Enter date: ")
2836< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
2837
2838histdel({history} [, {item}]) *histdel()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002839 Clear {history}, i.e. delete all its entries. See |hist-names|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002840 for the possible values of {history}.
2841
2842 If the parameter {item} is given as String, this is seen
2843 as regular expression. All entries matching that expression
2844 will be removed from the history (if there are any).
2845 Upper/lowercase must match, unless "\c" is used |/\c|.
2846 If {item} is a Number, it will be interpreted as index, see
2847 |:history-indexing|. The respective entry will be removed
2848 if it exists.
2849
2850 The result is a Number: 1 for a successful operation,
2851 otherwise 0 is returned.
2852
2853 Examples:
2854 Clear expression register history: >
2855 :call histdel("expr")
2856<
2857 Remove all entries starting with "*" from the search history: >
2858 :call histdel("/", '^\*')
2859<
2860 The following three are equivalent: >
2861 :call histdel("search", histnr("search"))
2862 :call histdel("search", -1)
2863 :call histdel("search", '^'.histget("search", -1).'$')
2864<
2865 To delete the last search pattern and use the last-but-one for
2866 the "n" command and 'hlsearch': >
2867 :call histdel("search", -1)
2868 :let @/ = histget("search", -1)
2869
2870histget({history} [, {index}]) *histget()*
2871 The result is a String, the entry with Number {index} from
2872 {history}. See |hist-names| for the possible values of
2873 {history}, and |:history-indexing| for {index}. If there is
2874 no such entry, an empty String is returned. When {index} is
2875 omitted, the most recent item from the history is used.
2876
2877 Examples:
2878 Redo the second last search from history. >
2879 :execute '/' . histget("search", -2)
2880
2881< Define an Ex command ":H {num}" that supports re-execution of
2882 the {num}th entry from the output of |:history|. >
2883 :command -nargs=1 H execute histget("cmd", 0+<args>)
2884<
2885histnr({history}) *histnr()*
2886 The result is the Number of the current entry in {history}.
2887 See |hist-names| for the possible values of {history}.
2888 If an error occurred, -1 is returned.
2889
2890 Example: >
2891 :let inp_index = histnr("expr")
2892<
2893hlexists({name}) *hlexists()*
2894 The result is a Number, which is non-zero if a highlight group
2895 called {name} exists. This is when the group has been
2896 defined in some way. Not necessarily when highlighting has
2897 been defined for it, it may also have been used for a syntax
2898 item.
2899 *highlight_exists()*
2900 Obsolete name: highlight_exists().
2901
2902 *hlID()*
2903hlID({name}) The result is a Number, which is the ID of the highlight group
2904 with name {name}. When the highlight group doesn't exist,
2905 zero is returned.
2906 This can be used to retrieve information about the highlight
2907 group. For example, to get the background color of the
2908 "Comment" group: >
2909 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(hlID("Comment")), "bg")
2910< *highlightID()*
2911 Obsolete name: highlightID().
2912
2913hostname() *hostname()*
2914 The result is a String, which is the name of the machine on
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00002915 which Vim is currently running. Machine names greater than
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002916 256 characters long are truncated.
2917
2918iconv({expr}, {from}, {to}) *iconv()*
2919 The result is a String, which is the text {expr} converted
2920 from encoding {from} to encoding {to}.
2921 When the conversion fails an empty string is returned.
2922 The encoding names are whatever the iconv() library function
2923 can accept, see ":!man 3 iconv".
2924 Most conversions require Vim to be compiled with the |+iconv|
2925 feature. Otherwise only UTF-8 to latin1 conversion and back
2926 can be done.
2927 This can be used to display messages with special characters,
2928 no matter what 'encoding' is set to. Write the message in
2929 UTF-8 and use: >
2930 echo iconv(utf8_str, "utf-8", &enc)
2931< Note that Vim uses UTF-8 for all Unicode encodings, conversion
2932 from/to UCS-2 is automatically changed to use UTF-8. You
2933 cannot use UCS-2 in a string anyway, because of the NUL bytes.
2934 {only available when compiled with the +multi_byte feature}
2935
2936 *indent()*
2937indent({lnum}) The result is a Number, which is indent of line {lnum} in the
2938 current buffer. The indent is counted in spaces, the value
2939 of 'tabstop' is relevant. {lnum} is used just like in
2940 |getline()|.
2941 When {lnum} is invalid -1 is returned.
2942
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002943
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00002944index({list}, {expr} [, {start} [, {ic}]]) *index()*
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002945 Return the lowest index in List {list} where the item has a
2946 value equal to {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00002947 If {start} is given then start looking at the item with index
2948 {start} (may be negative for an item relative to the end).
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002949 When {ic} is given and it is non-zero, ignore case. Otherwise
2950 case must match.
2951 -1 is returned when {expr} is not found in {list}.
2952 Example: >
2953 :let idx = index(words, "the")
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00002954 :if index(numbers, 123) >= 0
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00002955
2956
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002957input({prompt} [, {text} [, {completion}]]) *input()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002958 The result is a String, which is whatever the user typed on
2959 the command-line. The parameter is either a prompt string, or
2960 a blank string (for no prompt). A '\n' can be used in the
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002961 prompt to start a new line.
2962 The highlighting set with |:echohl| is used for the prompt.
2963 The input is entered just like a command-line, with the same
2964 editing commands and mappings. There is a separate history
2965 for lines typed for input().
2966 Example: >
2967 :if input("Coffee or beer? ") == "beer"
2968 : echo "Cheers!"
2969 :endif
2970<
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00002971 If the optional {text} is present and not empty, this is used
2972 for the default reply, as if the user typed this. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002973 :let color = input("Color? ", "white")
2974
2975< The optional {completion} argument specifies the type of
2976 completion supported for the input. Without it completion is
2977 not performed. The supported completion types are the same as
2978 that can be supplied to a user-defined command using the
2979 "-complete=" argument. Refer to |:command-completion| for
2980 more information. Example: >
2981 let fname = input("File: ", "", "file")
2982<
2983 NOTE: This function must not be used in a startup file, for
2984 the versions that only run in GUI mode (e.g., the Win32 GUI).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002985 Note: When input() is called from within a mapping it will
2986 consume remaining characters from that mapping, because a
2987 mapping is handled like the characters were typed.
2988 Use |inputsave()| before input() and |inputrestore()|
2989 after input() to avoid that. Another solution is to avoid
2990 that further characters follow in the mapping, e.g., by using
2991 |:execute| or |:normal|.
2992
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00002993 Example with a mapping: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002994 :nmap \x :call GetFoo()<CR>:exe "/" . Foo<CR>
2995 :function GetFoo()
2996 : call inputsave()
2997 : let g:Foo = input("enter search pattern: ")
2998 : call inputrestore()
2999 :endfunction
3000
3001inputdialog({prompt} [, {text} [, {cancelreturn}]]) *inputdialog()*
3002 Like input(), but when the GUI is running and text dialogs are
3003 supported, a dialog window pops up to input the text.
3004 Example: >
3005 :let n = inputdialog("value for shiftwidth", &sw)
3006 :if n != ""
3007 : let &sw = n
3008 :endif
3009< When the dialog is cancelled {cancelreturn} is returned. When
3010 omitted an empty string is returned.
3011 Hitting <Enter> works like pressing the OK button. Hitting
3012 <Esc> works like pressing the Cancel button.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003013 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003014
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00003015inputlist({textlist}) *inputlist()*
3016 {textlist} must be a list of strings. This list is displayed,
3017 one string per line. The user will be prompted to enter a
3018 number, which is returned.
3019 The user can also select an item by clicking on it with the
3020 mouse. For the first string 0 is returned. When clicking
3021 above the first item a negative number is returned. When
3022 clicking on the prompt one more than the length of {textlist}
3023 is returned.
3024 Make sure {textlist} has less then 'lines' entries, otherwise
3025 it won't work. It's a good idea to put the entry number at
3026 the start of the string. Example: >
3027 let color = inputlist(['Select color:', '1. red',
3028 \ '2. green', '3. blue'])
3029
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003030inputrestore() *inputrestore()*
3031 Restore typeahead that was saved with a previous inputsave().
3032 Should be called the same number of times inputsave() is
3033 called. Calling it more often is harmless though.
3034 Returns 1 when there is nothing to restore, 0 otherwise.
3035
3036inputsave() *inputsave()*
3037 Preserve typeahead (also from mappings) and clear it, so that
3038 a following prompt gets input from the user. Should be
3039 followed by a matching inputrestore() after the prompt. Can
3040 be used several times, in which case there must be just as
3041 many inputrestore() calls.
3042 Returns 1 when out of memory, 0 otherwise.
3043
3044inputsecret({prompt} [, {text}]) *inputsecret()*
3045 This function acts much like the |input()| function with but
3046 two exceptions:
3047 a) the user's response will be displayed as a sequence of
3048 asterisks ("*") thereby keeping the entry secret, and
3049 b) the user's response will not be recorded on the input
3050 |history| stack.
3051 The result is a String, which is whatever the user actually
3052 typed on the command-line in response to the issued prompt.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00003053 NOTE: Command-line completion is not supported.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003054
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003055insert({list}, {item} [, {idx}]) *insert()*
3056 Insert {item} at the start of List {list}.
3057 If {idx} is specified insert {item} before the item with index
3058 {idx}. If {idx} is zero it goes before the first item, just
3059 like omitting {idx}. A negative {idx} is also possible, see
3060 |list-index|. -1 inserts just before the last item.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003061 Returns the resulting List. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003062 :let mylist = insert([2, 3, 5], 1)
3063 :call insert(mylist, 4, -1)
3064 :call insert(mylist, 6, len(mylist))
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003065< The last example can be done simpler with |add()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003066 Note that when {item} is a List it is inserted as a single
3067 item. Use |extend()| to concatenate Lists.
3068
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003069isdirectory({directory}) *isdirectory()*
3070 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when a directory
3071 with the name {directory} exists. If {directory} doesn't
3072 exist, or isn't a directory, the result is FALSE. {directory}
3073 is any expression, which is used as a String.
3074
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00003075islocked({expr}) *islocked()*
3076 The result is a Number, which is non-zero when {expr} is the
3077 name of a locked variable.
3078 {expr} must be the name of a variable, List item or Dictionary
3079 entry, not the variable itself! Example: >
3080 :let alist = [0, ['a', 'b'], 2, 3]
3081 :lockvar 1 alist
3082 :echo islocked('alist') " 1
3083 :echo islocked('alist[1]') " 0
3084
3085< When {expr} is a variable that does not exist you get an error
3086 message. Use |exists()| to check for existance.
3087
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00003088items({dict}) *items()*
3089 Return a List with all the key-value pairs of {dict}. Each
3090 List item is a list with two items: the key of a {dict} entry
3091 and the value of this entry. The List is in arbitrary order.
3092
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003093
3094join({list} [, {sep}]) *join()*
3095 Join the items in {list} together into one String.
3096 When {sep} is specified it is put in between the items. If
3097 {sep} is omitted a single space is used.
3098 Note that {sep} is not added at the end. You might want to
3099 add it there too: >
3100 let lines = join(mylist, "\n") . "\n"
3101< String items are used as-is. Lists and Dictionaries are
3102 converted into a string like with |string()|.
3103 The opposite function is |split()|.
3104
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003105keys({dict}) *keys()*
3106 Return a List with all the keys of {dict}. The List is in
3107 arbitrary order.
3108
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00003109 *len()* *E701*
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003110len({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the argument.
3111 When {expr} is a String or a Number the length in bytes is
3112 used, as with |strlen()|.
3113 When {expr} is a List the number of items in the List is
3114 returned.
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003115 When {expr} is a Dictionary the number of entries in the
3116 Dictionary is returned.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003117 Otherwise an error is given.
3118
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003119 *libcall()* *E364* *E368*
3120libcall({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3121 Call function {funcname} in the run-time library {libname}
3122 with single argument {argument}.
3123 This is useful to call functions in a library that you
3124 especially made to be used with Vim. Since only one argument
3125 is possible, calling standard library functions is rather
3126 limited.
3127 The result is the String returned by the function. If the
3128 function returns NULL, this will appear as an empty string ""
3129 to Vim.
3130 If the function returns a number, use libcallnr()!
3131 If {argument} is a number, it is passed to the function as an
3132 int; if {argument} is a string, it is passed as a
3133 null-terminated string.
3134 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
3135
3136 libcall() allows you to write your own 'plug-in' extensions to
3137 Vim without having to recompile the program. It is NOT a
3138 means to call system functions! If you try to do so Vim will
3139 very probably crash.
3140
3141 For Win32, the functions you write must be placed in a DLL
3142 and use the normal C calling convention (NOT Pascal which is
3143 used in Windows System DLLs). The function must take exactly
3144 one parameter, either a character pointer or a long integer,
3145 and must return a character pointer or NULL. The character
3146 pointer returned must point to memory that will remain valid
3147 after the function has returned (e.g. in static data in the
3148 DLL). If it points to allocated memory, that memory will
3149 leak away. Using a static buffer in the function should work,
3150 it's then freed when the DLL is unloaded.
3151
3152 WARNING: If the function returns a non-valid pointer, Vim may
3153 crash! This also happens if the function returns a number,
3154 because Vim thinks it's a pointer.
3155 For Win32 systems, {libname} should be the filename of the DLL
3156 without the ".DLL" suffix. A full path is only required if
3157 the DLL is not in the usual places.
3158 For Unix: When compiling your own plugins, remember that the
3159 object code must be compiled as position-independent ('PIC').
3160 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3161 feature is present}
3162 Examples: >
3163 :echo libcall("libc.so", "getenv", "HOME")
3164 :echo libcallnr("/usr/lib/libc.so", "getpid", "")
3165<
3166 *libcallnr()*
3167libcallnr({libname}, {funcname}, {argument})
3168 Just like libcall(), but used for a function that returns an
3169 int instead of a string.
3170 {only in Win32 on some Unix versions, when the |+libcall|
3171 feature is present}
3172 Example (not very useful...): >
3173 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "printf", "Hello World!\n")
3174 :call libcallnr("libc.so", "sleep", 10)
3175<
3176 *line()*
3177line({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the line number of the file
3178 position given with {expr}. The accepted positions are:
3179 . the cursor position
3180 $ the last line in the current buffer
3181 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
3182 returned)
3183 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
3184 Examples: >
3185 line(".") line number of the cursor
3186 line("'t") line number of mark t
3187 line("'" . marker) line number of mark marker
3188< *last-position-jump*
3189 This autocommand jumps to the last known position in a file
3190 just after opening it, if the '" mark is set: >
3191 :au BufReadPost * if line("'\"") > 0 && line("'\"") <= line("$") | exe "normal g'\"" | endif
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00003192
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003193line2byte({lnum}) *line2byte()*
3194 Return the byte count from the start of the buffer for line
3195 {lnum}. This includes the end-of-line character, depending on
3196 the 'fileformat' option for the current buffer. The first
3197 line returns 1.
3198 This can also be used to get the byte count for the line just
3199 below the last line: >
3200 line2byte(line("$") + 1)
3201< This is the file size plus one.
3202 When {lnum} is invalid, or the |+byte_offset| feature has been
3203 disabled at compile time, -1 is returned.
3204 Also see |byte2line()|, |go| and |:goto|.
3205
3206lispindent({lnum}) *lispindent()*
3207 Get the amount of indent for line {lnum} according the lisp
3208 indenting rules, as with 'lisp'.
3209 The indent is counted in spaces, the value of 'tabstop' is
3210 relevant. {lnum} is used just like in |getline()|.
3211 When {lnum} is invalid or Vim was not compiled the
3212 |+lispindent| feature, -1 is returned.
3213
3214localtime() *localtime()*
3215 Return the current time, measured as seconds since 1st Jan
3216 1970. See also |strftime()| and |getftime()|.
3217
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003218
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003219map({expr}, {string}) *map()*
3220 {expr} must be a List or a Dictionary.
3221 Replace each item in {expr} with the result of evaluating
3222 {string}.
3223 Inside {string} |v:val| has the value of the current item.
3224 For a Dictionary |v:key| has the key of the current item.
3225 Example: >
3226 :call map(mylist, '"> " . v:val . " <"')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003227< This puts "> " before and " <" after each item in "mylist".
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003228
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003229 Note that {string} is the result of an expression and is then
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003230 used as an expression again. Often it is good to use a
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003231 |literal-string| to avoid having to double backslashes. You
3232 still have to double ' quotes
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003233
3234 The operation is done in-place. If you want a List or
3235 Dictionary to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003236 :let tlist = map(copy(mylist), ' & . "\t"')
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00003237
3238< Returns {expr}, the List or Dictionary that was filtered.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003239
3240
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003241maparg({name}[, {mode}]) *maparg()*
3242 Return the rhs of mapping {name} in mode {mode}. When there
3243 is no mapping for {name}, an empty String is returned.
3244 These characters can be used for {mode}:
3245 "n" Normal
3246 "v" Visual
3247 "o" Operator-pending
3248 "i" Insert
3249 "c" Cmd-line
3250 "l" langmap |language-mapping|
3251 "" Normal, Visual and Operator-pending
3252 When {mode} is omitted, the modes from "" are used.
3253 The {name} can have special key names, like in the ":map"
3254 command. The returned String has special characters
3255 translated like in the output of the ":map" command listing.
3256 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3257 then the global mappings.
3258
3259mapcheck({name}[, {mode}]) *mapcheck()*
3260 Check if there is a mapping that matches with {name} in mode
3261 {mode}. See |maparg()| for {mode} and special names in
3262 {name}.
3263 A match happens with a mapping that starts with {name} and
3264 with a mapping which is equal to the start of {name}.
3265
3266 matches mapping "a" "ab" "abc" ~
3267 mapcheck("a") yes yes yes
3268 mapcheck("abc") yes yes yes
3269 mapcheck("ax") yes no no
3270 mapcheck("b") no no no
3271
3272 The difference with maparg() is that mapcheck() finds a
3273 mapping that matches with {name}, while maparg() only finds a
3274 mapping for {name} exactly.
3275 When there is no mapping that starts with {name}, an empty
3276 String is returned. If there is one, the rhs of that mapping
3277 is returned. If there are several mappings that start with
3278 {name}, the rhs of one of them is returned.
3279 The mappings local to the current buffer are checked first,
3280 then the global mappings.
3281 This function can be used to check if a mapping can be added
3282 without being ambiguous. Example: >
3283 :if mapcheck("_vv") == ""
3284 : map _vv :set guifont=7x13<CR>
3285 :endif
3286< This avoids adding the "_vv" mapping when there already is a
3287 mapping for "_v" or for "_vvv".
3288
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003289match({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *match()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003290 When {expr} is a List then this returns the index of the first
3291 item where {pat} matches. Each item is used as a String,
3292 Lists and Dictionaries are used as echoed.
3293 Otherwise, {expr} is used as a String. The result is a
3294 Number, which gives the index (byte offset) in {expr} where
3295 {pat} matches.
3296 A match at the first character or List item returns zero.
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003297 If there is no match -1 is returned.
3298 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003299 :echo match("testing", "ing") " results in 4
3300 :echo match([1, 'x'], '\a') " results in 2
3301< See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003302 *strpbrk()*
3303 Vim doesn't have a strpbrk() function. But you can do: >
3304 :let sepidx = match(line, '[.,;: \t]')
3305< *strcasestr()*
3306 Vim doesn't have a strcasestr() function. But you can add
3307 "\c" to the pattern to ignore case: >
3308 :let idx = match(haystack, '\cneedle')
3309<
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003310 When {count} is given use the {count}'th match. When a match
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003311 is found in a String the search for the next one starts on
3312 character further. Thus this example results in 1: >
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003313 echo match("testing", "..", 0, 2)
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003314< In a List the search continues in the next item.
3315
3316 If {start} is given, the search starts from byte index
3317 {start} in a String or item {start} in a List.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003318 The result, however, is still the index counted from the
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003319 first character/item. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003320 :echo match("testing", "ing", 2)
3321< result is again "4". >
3322 :echo match("testing", "ing", 4)
3323< result is again "4". >
3324 :echo match("testing", "t", 2)
3325< result is "3".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003326 For a String, if {start} < 0, it will be set to 0. For a list
3327 the index is counted from the end.
3328 If {start} is out of range (> strlen({expr} for a String or
3329 > len({expr} for a List) -1 is returned.
3330
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003331 See |pattern| for the patterns that are accepted.
3332 The 'ignorecase' option is used to set the ignore-caseness of
3333 the pattern. 'smartcase' is NOT used. The matching is always
3334 done like 'magic' is set and 'cpoptions' is empty.
3335
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003336matchend({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchend()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003337 Same as match(), but return the index of first character after
3338 the match. Example: >
3339 :echo matchend("testing", "ing")
3340< results in "7".
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00003341 *strspn()* *strcspn()*
3342 Vim doesn't have a strspn() or strcspn() function, but you can
3343 do it with matchend(): >
3344 :let span = matchend(line, '[a-zA-Z]')
3345 :let span = matchend(line, '[^a-zA-Z]')
3346< Except that -1 is returned when there are no matches.
3347
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003348 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3349 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 2)
3350< results in "7". >
3351 :echo matchend("testing", "ing", 5)
3352< result is "-1".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003353 When {expr} is a List the result is equal to match().
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003354
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003355matchlist({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchlist()*
3356 Same as match(), but return a List. The first item in the
3357 list is the matched string, same as what matchstr() would
3358 return. Following items are submatches, like "\1", "\2", etc.
3359 in |:substitute|.
3360 When there is no match an empty list is returned.
3361
Bram Moolenaar89cb5e02004-07-19 20:55:54 +00003362matchstr({expr}, {pat}[, {start}[, {count}]]) *matchstr()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003363 Same as match(), but return the matched string. Example: >
3364 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing")
3365< results in "ing".
3366 When there is no match "" is returned.
3367 The {start}, if given, has the same meaning as for match(). >
3368 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 2)
3369< results in "ing". >
3370 :echo matchstr("testing", "ing", 5)
3371< result is "".
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00003372 When {expr} is a List then the matching item is returned.
3373 The type isn't changed, it's not necessarily a String.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003374
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003375 *max()*
3376max({list}) Return the maximum value of all items in {list}.
3377 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3378 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3379 An empty List results in zero.
3380
3381 *min()*
3382min({list}) Return the minumum value of all items in {list}.
3383 If {list} is not a list or one of the items in {list} cannot
3384 be used as a Number this results in an error.
3385 An empty List results in zero.
3386
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003387 *mkdir()* *E749*
3388mkdir({name} [, {path} [, {prot}]])
3389 Create directory {name}.
3390 If {path} is "p" then intermediate directories are created as
3391 necessary. Otherwise it must be "".
3392 If {prot} is given it is used to set the protection bits of
3393 the new directory. The default is 0755 (rwxr-xr-x: r/w for
3394 the user readable for others). Use 0700 to make it unreadable
3395 for others.
3396 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3397 Not available on all systems. To check use: >
3398 :if exists("*mkdir")
3399<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003400 *mode()*
3401mode() Return a string that indicates the current mode:
3402 n Normal
3403 v Visual by character
3404 V Visual by line
3405 CTRL-V Visual blockwise
3406 s Select by character
3407 S Select by line
3408 CTRL-S Select blockwise
3409 i Insert
3410 R Replace
3411 c Command-line
3412 r Hit-enter prompt
3413 This is useful in the 'statusline' option. In most other
3414 places it always returns "c" or "n".
3415
3416nextnonblank({lnum}) *nextnonblank()*
3417 Return the line number of the first line at or below {lnum}
3418 that is not blank. Example: >
3419 if getline(nextnonblank(1)) =~ "Java"
3420< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3421 below it, zero is returned.
3422 See also |prevnonblank()|.
3423
3424nr2char({expr}) *nr2char()*
3425 Return a string with a single character, which has the number
3426 value {expr}. Examples: >
3427 nr2char(64) returns "@"
3428 nr2char(32) returns " "
3429< The current 'encoding' is used. Example for "utf-8": >
3430 nr2char(300) returns I with bow character
3431< Note that a NUL character in the file is specified with
3432 nr2char(10), because NULs are represented with newline
3433 characters. nr2char(0) is a real NUL and terminates the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003434 string, thus results in an empty string.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003435
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003436printf({fmt}, {expr1} ...) *printf()*
3437 Return a String with {fmt}, where "%" items are replaced by
3438 the formatted form of their respective arguments. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003439 printf("%4d: E%d %.30s", lnum, errno, msg)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003440< May result in:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003441 " 99: E42 asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfasdfas" ~
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003442
3443 Often used items are:
3444 %s string
3445 %6s string right-aligned in 6 characters
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003446 %c single byte
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003447 %d decimal number
3448 %5d decimal number padded with spaces to 5 characters
3449 %x hex number
3450 %04x hex number padded with zeros to at least 4 characters
3451 %X hex number using upper case letters
3452 %o octal number
3453 %% the % character
3454
3455 Conversion specifications start with '%' and end with the
3456 conversion type. All other characters are copied unchanged to
3457 the result.
3458
3459 The "%" starts a conversion specification. The following
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003460 arguments appear in sequence:
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003461
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003462 % [flags] [field-width] [.precision] type
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003463
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003464 flags
3465 Zero or more of the following flags:
3466
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003467 # The value should be converted to an "alternate
3468 form". For c, d, and s conversions, this option
3469 has no effect. For o conversions, the precision
3470 of the number is increased to force the first
3471 character of the output string to a zero (except
3472 if a zero value is printed with an explicit
3473 precision of zero).
3474 For x and X conversions, a non-zero result has
3475 the string "0x" (or "0X" for X conversions)
3476 prepended to it.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003477
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003478 0 (zero) Zero padding. For all conversions the converted
3479 value is padded on the left with zeros rather
3480 than blanks. If a precision is given with a
3481 numeric conversion (d, o, x, and X), the 0 flag
3482 is ignored.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003483
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003484 - A negative field width flag; the converted value
3485 is to be left adjusted on the field boundary.
3486 The converted value is padded on the right with
3487 blanks, rather than on the left with blanks or
3488 zeros. A - overrides a 0 if both are given.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003489
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003490 ' ' (space) A blank should be left before a positive
3491 number produced by a signed conversion (d).
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003492
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003493 + A sign must always be placed before a number
3494 produced by a signed conversion. A + overrides
3495 a space if both are used.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003496
3497 field-width
3498 An optional decimal digit string specifying a minimum
3499 field width. If the converted value has fewer
3500 characters than the field width, it will be padded
3501 with spaces on the left (or right, if the
3502 left-adjustment flag has been given) to fill out the
3503 field width.
3504
3505 .precision
3506 An optional precision, in the form of a period '.'
3507 followed by an optional digit string. If the digit
3508 string is omitted, the precision is taken as zero.
3509 This gives the minimum number of digits to appear for
3510 d, o, x, and X conversions, or the maximum number of
3511 characters to be printed from a string for s
3512 conversions.
3513
3514 type
3515 A character that specifies the type of conversion to
3516 be applied, see below.
3517
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003518 A field width or precision, or both, may be indicated by an
3519 asterisk '*' instead of a digit string. In this case, a
3520 Number argument supplies the field width or precision. A
3521 negative field width is treated as a left adjustment flag
3522 followed by a positive field width; a negative precision is
3523 treated as though it were missing. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003524 :echo printf("%d: %.*s", nr, width, line)
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003525< This limits the length of the text used from "line" to
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003526 "width" bytes.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003527
3528 The conversion specifiers and their meanings are:
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003529
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003530 doxX The Number argument is converted to signed decimal
3531 (d), unsigned octal (o), or unsigned hexadecimal (x
3532 and X) notation. The letters "abcdef" are used for
3533 x conversions; the letters "ABCDEF" are used for X
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003534 conversions.
3535 The precision, if any, gives the minimum number of
3536 digits that must appear; if the converted value
3537 requires fewer digits, it is padded on the left with
3538 zeros.
3539 In no case does a non-existent or small field width
3540 cause truncation of a numeric field; if the result of
3541 a conversion is wider than the field width, the field
3542 is expanded to contain the conversion result.
3543
3544 c The Number argument is converted to a byte, and the
3545 resulting character is written.
3546
3547 s The text of the String argument is used. If a
3548 precision is specified, no more bytes than the number
3549 specified are used.
3550
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003551 % A '%' is written. No argument is converted. The
3552 complete conversion specification is "%%".
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003553
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003554 Each argument can be Number or String and is converted
3555 automatically to fit the conversion specifier. Any other
3556 argument type results in an error message.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003557
Bram Moolenaar83bab712005-08-01 21:58:57 +00003558 *E766* *E767*
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003559 The number of {exprN} arguments must exactly match the number
3560 of "%" items. If there are not sufficient or too many
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00003561 arguments an error is given. Up to 18 arguments can be used.
Bram Moolenaar4be06f92005-07-29 22:36:03 +00003562
3563
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003564prevnonblank({lnum}) *prevnonblank()*
3565 Return the line number of the first line at or above {lnum}
3566 that is not blank. Example: >
3567 let ind = indent(prevnonblank(v:lnum - 1))
3568< When {lnum} is invalid or there is no non-blank line at or
3569 above it, zero is returned.
3570 Also see |nextnonblank()|.
3571
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00003572 *E726* *E727*
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003573range({expr} [, {max} [, {stride}]]) *range()*
3574 Returns a List with Numbers:
3575 - If only {expr} is specified: [0, 1, ..., {expr} - 1]
3576 - If {max} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + 1, ..., {max}]
3577 - If {stride} is specified: [{expr}, {expr} + {stride}, ...,
3578 {max}] (increasing {expr} with {stride} each time, not
3579 producing a value past {max}).
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003580 When the maximum is one before the start the result is an
3581 empty list. When the maximum is more than one before the
3582 start this is an error.
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003583 Examples: >
3584 range(4) " [0, 1, 2, 3]
3585 range(2, 4) " [2, 3, 4]
3586 range(2, 9, 3) " [2, 5, 8]
3587 range(2, -2, -1) " [2, 1, 0, -1, -2]
Bram Moolenaare7566042005-06-17 22:00:15 +00003588 range(0) " []
3589 range(2, 0) " error!
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003590<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003591 *readfile()*
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003592readfile({fname} [, {binary} [, {max}]])
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003593 Read file {fname} and return a List, each line of the file as
3594 an item. Lines broken at NL characters. Macintosh files
3595 separated with CR will result in a single long line (unless a
3596 NL appears somewhere).
3597 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used:
3598 - When the last line ends in a NL an extra empty list item is
3599 added.
3600 - No CR characters are removed.
3601 Otherwise:
3602 - CR characters that appear before a NL are removed.
3603 - Whether the last line ends in a NL or not does not matter.
3604 All NUL characters are replaced with a NL character.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003605 When {max} is given this specifies the maximum number of lines
3606 to be read. Useful if you only want to check the first ten
3607 lines of a file: >
3608 :for line in readfile(fname, '', 10)
3609 : if line =~ 'Date' | echo line | endif
3610 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003611< When {max} is negative -{max} lines from the end of the file
3612 are returned, or as many as there are.
3613 When {max} is zero the result is an empty list.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00003614 Note that without {max} the whole file is read into memory.
3615 Also note that there is no recognition of encoding. Read a
3616 file into a buffer if you need to.
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00003617 When the file can't be opened an error message is given and
3618 the result is an empty list.
3619 Also see |writefile()|.
3620
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003621 *remote_expr()* *E449*
3622remote_expr({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
3623 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as an
3624 expression and the result is returned after evaluation.
3625 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3626 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3627 remote_read() is stored there.
3628 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3629 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3630 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3631 Note: Any errors will cause a local error message to be issued
3632 and the result will be the empty string.
3633 Examples: >
3634 :echo remote_expr("gvim", "2+2")
3635 :echo remote_expr("gvim1", "b:current_syntax")
3636<
3637
3638remote_foreground({server}) *remote_foreground()*
3639 Move the Vim server with the name {server} to the foreground.
3640 This works like: >
3641 remote_expr({server}, "foreground()")
3642< Except that on Win32 systems the client does the work, to work
3643 around the problem that the OS doesn't always allow the server
3644 to bring itself to the foreground.
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00003645 Note: This does not restore the window if it was minimized,
3646 like foreground() does.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003647 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3648 {only in the Win32, Athena, Motif and GTK GUI versions and the
3649 Win32 console version}
3650
3651
3652remote_peek({serverid} [, {retvar}]) *remote_peek()*
3653 Returns a positive number if there are available strings
3654 from {serverid}. Copies any reply string into the variable
3655 {retvar} if specified. {retvar} must be a string with the
3656 name of a variable.
3657 Returns zero if none are available.
3658 Returns -1 if something is wrong.
3659 See also |clientserver|.
3660 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3661 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3662 Examples: >
3663 :let repl = ""
3664 :echo "PEEK: ".remote_peek(id, "repl").": ".repl
3665
3666remote_read({serverid}) *remote_read()*
3667 Return the oldest available reply from {serverid} and consume
3668 it. It blocks until a reply is available.
3669 See also |clientserver|.
3670 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3671 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3672 Example: >
3673 :echo remote_read(id)
3674<
3675 *remote_send()* *E241*
3676remote_send({server}, {string} [, {idvar}])
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00003677 Send the {string} to {server}. The string is sent as input
3678 keys and the function returns immediately. At the Vim server
3679 the keys are not mapped |:map|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003680 If {idvar} is present, it is taken as the name of a
3681 variable and a {serverid} for later use with
3682 remote_read() is stored there.
3683 See also |clientserver| |RemoteReply|.
3684 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3685 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3686 Note: Any errors will be reported in the server and may mess
3687 up the display.
3688 Examples: >
3689 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":DropAndReply ".file, "serverid").
3690 \ remote_read(serverid)
3691
3692 :autocmd NONE RemoteReply *
3693 \ echo remote_read(expand("<amatch>"))
3694 :echo remote_send("gvim", ":sleep 10 | echo ".
3695 \ 'server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")<CR>')
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003696<
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003697remove({list}, {idx} [, {end}]) *remove()*
3698 Without {end}: Remove the item at {idx} from List {list} and
3699 return it.
3700 With {end}: Remove items from {idx} to {end} (inclusive) and
3701 return a list with these items. When {idx} points to the same
3702 item as {end} a list with one item is returned. When {end}
3703 points to an item before {idx} this is an error.
3704 See |list-index| for possible values of {idx} and {end}.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003705 Example: >
3706 :echo "last item: " . remove(mylist, -1)
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003707 :call remove(mylist, 0, 9)
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003708remove({dict}, {key})
3709 Remove the entry from {dict} with key {key}. Example: >
3710 :echo "removed " . remove(dict, "one")
3711< If there is no {key} in {dict} this is an error.
3712
3713 Use |delete()| to remove a file.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00003714
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003715rename({from}, {to}) *rename()*
3716 Rename the file by the name {from} to the name {to}. This
3717 should also work to move files across file systems. The
3718 result is a Number, which is 0 if the file was renamed
3719 successfully, and non-zero when the renaming failed.
3720 This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3721
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003722repeat({expr}, {count}) *repeat()*
3723 Repeat {expr} {count} times and return the concatenated
3724 result. Example: >
3725 :let seperator = repeat('-', 80)
3726< When {count} is zero or negative the result is empty.
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00003727 When {expr} is a List the result is {expr} concatenated
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003728 {count} times. Example: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00003729 :let longlist = repeat(['a', 'b'], 3)
3730< Results in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'b', 'a', 'b'].
Bram Moolenaarab79bcb2004-07-18 21:34:53 +00003731
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003732
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003733resolve({filename}) *resolve()* *E655*
3734 On MS-Windows, when {filename} is a shortcut (a .lnk file),
3735 returns the path the shortcut points to in a simplified form.
3736 On Unix, repeat resolving symbolic links in all path
3737 components of {filename} and return the simplified result.
3738 To cope with link cycles, resolving of symbolic links is
3739 stopped after 100 iterations.
3740 On other systems, return the simplified {filename}.
3741 The simplification step is done as by |simplify()|.
3742 resolve() keeps a leading path component specifying the
3743 current directory (provided the result is still a relative
3744 path name) and also keeps a trailing path separator.
3745
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00003746 *reverse()*
3747reverse({list}) Reverse the order of items in {list} in-place. Returns
3748 {list}.
3749 If you want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
3750 :let revlist = reverse(copy(mylist))
3751
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003752search({pattern} [, {flags}]) *search()*
3753 Search for regexp pattern {pattern}. The search starts at the
Bram Moolenaar383f9bc2005-01-19 22:18:32 +00003754 cursor position (you can use |cursor()| to set it).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003755 {flags} is a String, which can contain these character flags:
3756 'b' search backward instead of forward
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003757 'n' do Not move the cursor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003758 'w' wrap around the end of the file
3759 'W' don't wrap around the end of the file
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003760 's' set the ' mark at the previous location of the
3761 cursor.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003762 If neither 'w' or 'W' is given, the 'wrapscan' option applies.
3763
Bram Moolenaar02743632005-07-25 20:42:36 +00003764 If the 's' flag is supplied, the ' mark is set, only if the
3765 cursor is moved. The 's' flag cannot be combined with the 'n'
3766 flag.
3767
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00003768 When a match has been found its line number is returned.
3769 The cursor will be positioned at the match, unless the 'n'
3770 flag is used).
3771 If there is no match a 0 is returned and the cursor doesn't
3772 move. No error message is given.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003773
3774 Example (goes over all files in the argument list): >
3775 :let n = 1
3776 :while n <= argc() " loop over all files in arglist
3777 : exe "argument " . n
3778 : " start at the last char in the file and wrap for the
3779 : " first search to find match at start of file
3780 : normal G$
3781 : let flags = "w"
3782 : while search("foo", flags) > 0
3783 : s/foo/bar/g
3784 : let flags = "W"
3785 : endwhile
3786 : update " write the file if modified
3787 : let n = n + 1
3788 :endwhile
3789<
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00003790
Bram Moolenaarf75a9632005-09-13 21:20:47 +00003791searchdecl({name} [, {global} [, {thisblock}]]) *searchdecl()*
3792 Search for the declaration of {name}.
3793
3794 With a non-zero {global} argument it works like |gD|, find
3795 first match in the file. Otherwise it works like |gd|, find
3796 first match in the function.
3797
3798 With a non-zero {thisblock} argument matches in a {} block
3799 that ends before the cursor position are ignored. Avoids
3800 finding variable declarations only valid in another scope.
3801
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00003802 Moves the cursor to the found match.
3803 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
3804 Example: >
3805 if searchdecl('myvar') == 0
3806 echo getline('.')
3807 endif
3808<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003809 *searchpair()*
3810searchpair({start}, {middle}, {end} [, {flags} [, {skip}]])
3811 Search for the match of a nested start-end pair. This can be
3812 used to find the "endif" that matches an "if", while other
3813 if/endif pairs in between are ignored.
3814 The search starts at the cursor. If a match is found, the
3815 cursor is positioned at it and the line number is returned.
3816 If no match is found 0 or -1 is returned and the cursor
3817 doesn't move. No error message is given.
3818
3819 {start}, {middle} and {end} are patterns, see |pattern|. They
3820 must not contain \( \) pairs. Use of \%( \) is allowed. When
3821 {middle} is not empty, it is found when searching from either
3822 direction, but only when not in a nested start-end pair. A
3823 typical use is: >
3824 searchpair('\<if\>', '\<else\>', '\<endif\>')
3825< By leaving {middle} empty the "else" is skipped.
3826
3827 {flags} are used like with |search()|. Additionally:
3828 'n' do Not move the cursor
3829 'r' Repeat until no more matches found; will find the
3830 outer pair
3831 'm' return number of Matches instead of line number with
3832 the match; will only be > 1 when 'r' is used.
3833
3834 When a match for {start}, {middle} or {end} is found, the
3835 {skip} expression is evaluated with the cursor positioned on
3836 the start of the match. It should return non-zero if this
3837 match is to be skipped. E.g., because it is inside a comment
3838 or a string.
3839 When {skip} is omitted or empty, every match is accepted.
3840 When evaluating {skip} causes an error the search is aborted
3841 and -1 returned.
3842
3843 The value of 'ignorecase' is used. 'magic' is ignored, the
3844 patterns are used like it's on.
3845
3846 The search starts exactly at the cursor. A match with
3847 {start}, {middle} or {end} at the next character, in the
3848 direction of searching, is the first one found. Example: >
3849 if 1
3850 if 2
3851 endif 2
3852 endif 1
3853< When starting at the "if 2", with the cursor on the "i", and
3854 searching forwards, the "endif 2" is found. When starting on
3855 the character just before the "if 2", the "endif 1" will be
3856 found. That's because the "if 2" will be found first, and
3857 then this is considered to be a nested if/endif from "if 2" to
3858 "endif 2".
3859 When searching backwards and {end} is more than one character,
3860 it may be useful to put "\zs" at the end of the pattern, so
3861 that when the cursor is inside a match with the end it finds
3862 the matching start.
3863
3864 Example, to find the "endif" command in a Vim script: >
3865
3866 :echo searchpair('\<if\>', '\<el\%[seif]\>', '\<en\%[dif]\>', 'W',
3867 \ 'getline(".") =~ "^\\s*\""')
3868
3869< The cursor must be at or after the "if" for which a match is
3870 to be found. Note that single-quote strings are used to avoid
3871 having to double the backslashes. The skip expression only
3872 catches comments at the start of a line, not after a command.
3873 Also, a word "en" or "if" halfway a line is considered a
3874 match.
3875 Another example, to search for the matching "{" of a "}": >
3876
3877 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW')
3878
3879< This works when the cursor is at or before the "}" for which a
3880 match is to be found. To reject matches that syntax
3881 highlighting recognized as strings: >
3882
3883 :echo searchpair('{', '', '}', 'bW',
3884 \ 'synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 0), "name") =~? "string"')
3885<
3886server2client( {clientid}, {string}) *server2client()*
3887 Send a reply string to {clientid}. The most recent {clientid}
3888 that sent a string can be retrieved with expand("<client>").
3889 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3890 Note:
3891 This id has to be stored before the next command can be
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003892 received. I.e. before returning from the received command and
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003893 before calling any commands that waits for input.
3894 See also |clientserver|.
3895 Example: >
3896 :echo server2client(expand("<client>"), "HELLO")
3897<
3898serverlist() *serverlist()*
3899 Return a list of available server names, one per line.
3900 When there are no servers or the information is not available
3901 an empty string is returned. See also |clientserver|.
3902 {only available when compiled with the |+clientserver| feature}
3903 Example: >
3904 :echo serverlist()
3905<
3906setbufvar({expr}, {varname}, {val}) *setbufvar()*
3907 Set option or local variable {varname} in buffer {expr} to
3908 {val}.
3909 This also works for a global or local window option, but it
3910 doesn't work for a global or local window variable.
3911 For a local window option the global value is unchanged.
3912 For the use of {expr}, see |bufname()| above.
3913 Note that the variable name without "b:" must be used.
3914 Examples: >
3915 :call setbufvar(1, "&mod", 1)
3916 :call setbufvar("todo", "myvar", "foobar")
3917< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
3918
3919setcmdpos({pos}) *setcmdpos()*
3920 Set the cursor position in the command line to byte position
3921 {pos}. The first position is 1.
3922 Use |getcmdpos()| to obtain the current position.
3923 Only works while editing the command line, thus you must use
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00003924 |c_CTRL-\_e|, |c_CTRL-R_=| or |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '='. For
3925 |c_CTRL-\_e| and |c_CTRL-R_CTRL-R| with '=' the position is
3926 set after the command line is set to the expression. For
3927 |c_CTRL-R_=| it is set after evaluating the expression but
3928 before inserting the resulting text.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003929 When the number is too big the cursor is put at the end of the
3930 line. A number smaller than one has undefined results.
3931 Returns 0 when successful, 1 when not editing the command
3932 line.
3933
3934setline({lnum}, {line}) *setline()*
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003935 Set line {lnum} of the current buffer to {line}.
3936 {lnum} is used like with |getline()|.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003937 When {lnum} is just below the last line the {line} will be
3938 added as a new line.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00003939 If this succeeds, 0 is returned. If this fails (most likely
3940 because {lnum} is invalid) 1 is returned. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003941 :call setline(5, strftime("%c"))
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00003942< When {line} is a List then line {lnum} and following lines
3943 will be set to the items in the list. Example: >
3944 :call setline(5, ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc'])
3945< This is equivalent to: >
3946 :for [n, l] in [[5, 6, 7], ['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']]
3947 : call setline(n, l)
3948 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003949< Note: The '[ and '] marks are not set.
3950
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003951
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00003952setqflist({list} [, {action}]) *setqflist()*
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003953 Creates a quickfix list using the items in {list}. Each item
3954 in {list} is a dictionary. Non-dictionary items in {list} are
3955 ignored. Each dictionary item can contain the following
3956 entries:
3957
3958 filename name of a file
3959 lnum line number in the file
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003960 pattern search pattern used to locate the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003961 col column number
3962 vcol when non-zero: "col" is visual column
3963 when zero: "col" is byte index
3964 nr error number
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003965 text description of the error
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003966 type single-character error type, 'E', 'W', etc.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003967
Bram Moolenaar582fd852005-03-28 20:58:01 +00003968 The "col", "vcol", "nr", "type" and "text" entries are
3969 optional. Either "lnum" or "pattern" entry can be used to
3970 locate a matching error line.
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003971 If the "filename" entry is not present or neither the "lnum"
3972 or "pattern" entries are present, then the item will not be
3973 handled as an error line.
3974 If both "pattern" and "lnum" are present then "pattern" will
3975 be used.
3976
Bram Moolenaar35c54e52005-05-20 21:25:31 +00003977 If {action} is set to 'a', then the items from {list} are
3978 added to the existing quickfix list. If there is no existing
3979 list, then a new list is created. If {action} is set to 'r',
3980 then the items from the current quickfix list are replaced
3981 with the items from {list}. If {action} is not present or is
3982 set to ' ', then a new list is created.
3983
Bram Moolenaar68b76a62005-03-25 21:53:48 +00003984 Returns zero for success, -1 for failure.
3985
3986 This function can be used to create a quickfix list
3987 independent of the 'errorformat' setting. Use a command like
3988 ":cc 1" to jump to the first position.
3989
3990
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00003991 *setreg()*
3992setreg({regname}, {value} [,{options}])
3993 Set the register {regname} to {value}.
3994 If {options} contains "a" or {regname} is upper case,
3995 then the value is appended.
3996 {options} can also contains a register type specification:
3997 "c" or "v" |characterwise| mode
3998 "l" or "V" |linewise| mode
3999 "b" or "<CTRL-V>" |blockwise-visual| mode
4000 If a number immediately follows "b" or "<CTRL-V>" then this is
4001 used as the width of the selection - if it is not specified
4002 then the width of the block is set to the number of characters
4003 in the longest line (counting a <TAB> as 1 character).
4004
4005 If {options} contains no register settings, then the default
4006 is to use character mode unless {value} ends in a <NL>.
4007 Setting the '=' register is not possible.
4008 Returns zero for success, non-zero for failure.
4009
4010 Examples: >
4011 :call setreg(v:register, @*)
4012 :call setreg('*', @%, 'ac')
4013 :call setreg('a', "1\n2\n3", 'b5')
4014
4015< This example shows using the functions to save and restore a
4016 register. >
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004017 :let var_a = getreg('a', 1)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004018 :let var_amode = getregtype('a')
4019 ....
4020 :call setreg('a', var_a, var_amode)
4021
4022< You can also change the type of a register by appending
4023 nothing: >
4024 :call setreg('a', '', 'al')
4025
4026setwinvar({nr}, {varname}, {val}) *setwinvar()*
4027 Set option or local variable {varname} in window {nr} to
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00004028 {val}. When {nr} is zero the current window is used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004029 This also works for a global or local buffer option, but it
4030 doesn't work for a global or local buffer variable.
4031 For a local buffer option the global value is unchanged.
4032 Note that the variable name without "w:" must be used.
4033 Examples: >
4034 :call setwinvar(1, "&list", 0)
4035 :call setwinvar(2, "myvar", "foobar")
4036< This function is not available in the |sandbox|.
4037
4038simplify({filename}) *simplify()*
4039 Simplify the file name as much as possible without changing
4040 the meaning. Shortcuts (on MS-Windows) or symbolic links (on
4041 Unix) are not resolved. If the first path component in
4042 {filename} designates the current directory, this will be
4043 valid for the result as well. A trailing path separator is
4044 not removed either.
4045 Example: >
4046 simplify("./dir/.././/file/") == "./file/"
4047< Note: The combination "dir/.." is only removed if "dir" is
4048 a searchable directory or does not exist. On Unix, it is also
4049 removed when "dir" is a symbolic link within the same
4050 directory. In order to resolve all the involved symbolic
4051 links before simplifying the path name, use |resolve()|.
4052
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004053
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00004054sort({list} [, {func}]) *sort()* *E702*
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004055 Sort the items in {list} in-place. Returns {list}. If you
4056 want a list to remain unmodified make a copy first: >
4057 :let sortedlist = sort(copy(mylist))
4058< Uses the string representation of each item to sort on.
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004059 Numbers sort after Strings, Lists after Numbers.
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004060 For sorting text in the current buffer use |:sort|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004061 When {func} is given and it is one then case is ignored.
4062 When {func} is a Funcref or a function name, this function is
4063 called to compare items. The function is invoked with two
4064 items as argument and must return zero if they are equal, 1 if
4065 the first one sorts after the second one, -1 if the first one
4066 sorts before the second one. Example: >
4067 func MyCompare(i1, i2)
4068 return a:i1 == a:i2 ? 0 : a:i1 > a:i2 ? 1 : -1
4069 endfunc
4070 let sortedlist = sort(mylist, "MyCompare")
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004071<
4072
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004073 *soundfold()*
4074soundfold({word})
4075 Return the sound-folded equivalent of {word}. Uses the first
4076 language in 'spellang' for the current window that supports
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004077 soundfolding. 'spell' must be set. When no sound folding is
4078 possible the {word} is returned unmodified.
Bram Moolenaar24bbcfe2005-06-28 23:32:02 +00004079 This can be used for making spelling suggestions. Note that
4080 the method can be quite slow.
4081
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004082 *spellbadword()*
Bram Moolenaar1e015462005-09-25 22:16:38 +00004083spellbadword([{sentence}])
4084 Without argument: The result is the badly spelled word under
4085 or after the cursor. The cursor is moved to the start of the
4086 bad word. When no bad word is found in the cursor line the
4087 result is an empty string and the cursor doesn't move.
4088
4089 With argument: The result is the first word in {sentence} that
4090 is badly spelled. If there are no spelling mistakes the
4091 result is an empty string.
4092
4093 The return value is a list with two items:
4094 - The badly spelled word or an empty string.
4095 - The type of the spelling error:
4096 "bad" spelling mistake
4097 "rare" rare word
4098 "local" word only valid in another region
4099 "caps" word should start with Capital
4100 Example: >
4101 echo spellbadword("the quik brown fox")
4102< ['quik', 'bad'] ~
4103
4104 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
4105 'spell' option must be set and the value of 'spelllang' is
4106 used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004107
4108 *spellsuggest()*
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004109spellsuggest({word} [, {max} [, {capital}]])
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004110 Return a List with spelling suggestions to replace {word}.
4111 When {max} is given up to this number of suggestions are
4112 returned. Otherwise up to 25 suggestions are returned.
4113
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004114 When the {capital} argument is given and it's non-zero only
4115 suggestions with a leading capital will be given. Use this
4116 after a match with 'spellcapcheck'.
4117
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004118 {word} can be a badly spelled word followed by other text.
4119 This allows for joining two words that were split. The
Bram Moolenaarf461c8e2005-06-25 23:04:51 +00004120 suggestions also include the following text, thus you can
4121 replace a line.
4122
4123 {word} may also be a good word. Similar words will then be
Bram Moolenaarc54b8a72005-09-30 21:20:29 +00004124 returned. {word} itself is not included in the suggestions,
4125 although it may appear capitalized.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004126
4127 The spelling information for the current window is used. The
Bram Moolenaar42eeac32005-06-29 22:40:58 +00004128 'spell' option must be set and the values of 'spelllang' and
4129 'spellsuggest' are used.
Bram Moolenaard857f0e2005-06-21 22:37:39 +00004130
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004131
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004132split({expr} [, {pattern} [, {keepempty}]]) *split()*
4133 Make a List out of {expr}. When {pattern} is omitted or empty
4134 each white-separated sequence of characters becomes an item.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004135 Otherwise the string is split where {pattern} matches,
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004136 removing the matched characters.
4137 When the first or last item is empty it is omitted, unless the
4138 {keepempty} argument is given and it's non-zero.
Bram Moolenaar5c06f8b2005-05-31 22:14:58 +00004139 Other empty items are kept when {pattern} matches at least one
4140 character or when {keepempty} is non-zero.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004141 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004142 :let words = split(getline('.'), '\W\+')
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004143< To split a string in individual characters: >
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004144 :for c in split(mystring, '\zs')
Bram Moolenaar0cb032e2005-04-23 20:52:00 +00004145< If you want to keep the separator you can also use '\zs': >
4146 :echo split('abc:def:ghi', ':\zs')
4147< ['abc:', 'def:', 'ghi'] ~
Bram Moolenaar2389c3c2005-05-22 22:07:59 +00004148 Splitting a table where the first element can be empty: >
4149 :let items = split(line, ':', 1)
4150< The opposite function is |join()|.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004151
4152
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004153strftime({format} [, {time}]) *strftime()*
4154 The result is a String, which is a formatted date and time, as
4155 specified by the {format} string. The given {time} is used,
4156 or the current time if no time is given. The accepted
4157 {format} depends on your system, thus this is not portable!
4158 See the manual page of the C function strftime() for the
4159 format. The maximum length of the result is 80 characters.
4160 See also |localtime()| and |getftime()|.
4161 The language can be changed with the |:language| command.
4162 Examples: >
4163 :echo strftime("%c") Sun Apr 27 11:49:23 1997
4164 :echo strftime("%Y %b %d %X") 1997 Apr 27 11:53:25
4165 :echo strftime("%y%m%d %T") 970427 11:53:55
4166 :echo strftime("%H:%M") 11:55
4167 :echo strftime("%c", getftime("file.c"))
4168 Show mod time of file.c.
Bram Moolenaara14de3d2005-01-07 21:48:26 +00004169< Not available on all systems. To check use: >
4170 :if exists("*strftime")
4171
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004172stridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *stridx()*
4173 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4174 {haystack} of the first occurrence of the String {needle}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004175 If {start} is specified, the search starts at index {start}.
4176 This can be used to find a second match: >
4177 :let comma1 = stridx(line, ",")
4178 :let comma2 = stridx(line, ",", comma1 + 1)
4179< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004180 For pattern searches use |match()|.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004181 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004182 See also |strridx()|.
4183 Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004184 :echo stridx("An Example", "Example") 3
4185 :echo stridx("Starting point", "Start") 0
4186 :echo stridx("Starting point", "start") -1
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004187< *strstr()* *strchr()*
4188 stridx() works similar to the C function strstr(). When used
4189 with a single character it works similar to strchr().
4190
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004191 *string()*
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004192string({expr}) Return {expr} converted to a String. If {expr} is a Number,
4193 String or a composition of them, then the result can be parsed
4194 back with |eval()|.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004195 {expr} type result ~
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004196 String 'string'
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004197 Number 123
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004198 Funcref function('name')
Bram Moolenaar5f2bb9f2005-01-11 21:29:04 +00004199 List [item, item]
Bram Moolenaar9ba0eb82005-06-13 22:28:56 +00004200 Dictionary {key: value, key: value}
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00004201 Note that in String values the ' character is doubled.
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004202
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004203 *strlen()*
4204strlen({expr}) The result is a Number, which is the length of the String
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004205 {expr} in bytes.
4206 If you want to count the number of multi-byte characters (not
4207 counting composing characters) use something like this: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004208
4209 :let len = strlen(substitute(str, ".", "x", "g"))
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00004210<
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00004211 If the argument is a Number it is first converted to a String.
4212 For other types an error is given.
4213 Also see |len()|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004214
4215strpart({src}, {start}[, {len}]) *strpart()*
4216 The result is a String, which is part of {src}, starting from
Bram Moolenaar9372a112005-12-06 19:59:18 +00004217 byte {start}, with the byte length {len}.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004218 When non-existing bytes are included, this doesn't result in
4219 an error, the bytes are simply omitted.
4220 If {len} is missing, the copy continues from {start} till the
4221 end of the {src}. >
4222 strpart("abcdefg", 3, 2) == "de"
4223 strpart("abcdefg", -2, 4) == "ab"
4224 strpart("abcdefg", 5, 4) == "fg"
4225 strpart("abcdefg", 3) == "defg"
4226< Note: To get the first character, {start} must be 0. For
4227 example, to get three bytes under and after the cursor: >
4228 strpart(getline(line(".")), col(".") - 1, 3)
4229<
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004230strridx({haystack}, {needle} [, {start}]) *strridx()*
4231 The result is a Number, which gives the byte index in
4232 {haystack} of the last occurrence of the String {needle}.
4233 When {start} is specified, matches beyond this index are
4234 ignored. This can be used to find a match before a previous
4235 match: >
4236 :let lastcomma = strridx(line, ",")
4237 :let comma2 = strridx(line, ",", lastcomma - 1)
4238< The search is done case-sensitive.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004239 For pattern searches use |match()|.
4240 -1 is returned if the {needle} does not occur in {haystack}.
Bram Moolenaard4755bb2004-09-02 19:12:26 +00004241 If the {needle} is empty the length of {haystack} is returned.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004242 See also |stridx()|. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004243 :echo strridx("an angry armadillo", "an") 3
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004244< *strrchr()*
4245 When used with a single character it works similar to the C
4246 function strrchr().
4247
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004248strtrans({expr}) *strtrans()*
4249 The result is a String, which is {expr} with all unprintable
4250 characters translated into printable characters |'isprint'|.
4251 Like they are shown in a window. Example: >
4252 echo strtrans(@a)
4253< This displays a newline in register a as "^@" instead of
4254 starting a new line.
4255
4256submatch({nr}) *submatch()*
4257 Only for an expression in a |:substitute| command. Returns
4258 the {nr}'th submatch of the matched text. When {nr} is 0
4259 the whole matched text is returned.
4260 Example: >
4261 :s/\d\+/\=submatch(0) + 1/
4262< This finds the first number in the line and adds one to it.
4263 A line break is included as a newline character.
4264
4265substitute({expr}, {pat}, {sub}, {flags}) *substitute()*
4266 The result is a String, which is a copy of {expr}, in which
4267 the first match of {pat} is replaced with {sub}. This works
4268 like the ":substitute" command (without any flags). But the
4269 matching with {pat} is always done like the 'magic' option is
4270 set and 'cpoptions' is empty (to make scripts portable).
4271 See |string-match| for how {pat} is used.
4272 And a "~" in {sub} is not replaced with the previous {sub}.
4273 Note that some codes in {sub} have a special meaning
4274 |sub-replace-special|. For example, to replace something with
4275 "\n" (two characters), use "\\\\n" or '\\n'.
4276 When {pat} does not match in {expr}, {expr} is returned
4277 unmodified.
4278 When {flags} is "g", all matches of {pat} in {expr} are
4279 replaced. Otherwise {flags} should be "".
4280 Example: >
4281 :let &path = substitute(&path, ",\\=[^,]*$", "", "")
4282< This removes the last component of the 'path' option. >
4283 :echo substitute("testing", ".*", "\\U\\0", "")
4284< results in "TESTING".
4285
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004286synID({lnum}, {col}, {trans}) *synID()*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004287 The result is a Number, which is the syntax ID at the position
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004288 {lnum} and {col} in the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004289 The syntax ID can be used with |synIDattr()| and
4290 |synIDtrans()| to obtain syntax information about text.
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004291
Bram Moolenaar47136d72004-10-12 20:02:24 +00004292 {col} is 1 for the leftmost column, {lnum} is 1 for the first
Bram Moolenaarce0842a2005-07-18 21:58:11 +00004293 line. 'synmaxcol' applies, in a longer line zero is returned.
4294
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004295 When {trans} is non-zero, transparent items are reduced to the
4296 item that they reveal. This is useful when wanting to know
4297 the effective color. When {trans} is zero, the transparent
4298 item is returned. This is useful when wanting to know which
4299 syntax item is effective (e.g. inside parens).
4300 Warning: This function can be very slow. Best speed is
4301 obtained by going through the file in forward direction.
4302
4303 Example (echoes the name of the syntax item under the cursor): >
4304 :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")
4305<
4306synIDattr({synID}, {what} [, {mode}]) *synIDattr()*
4307 The result is a String, which is the {what} attribute of
4308 syntax ID {synID}. This can be used to obtain information
4309 about a syntax item.
4310 {mode} can be "gui", "cterm" or "term", to get the attributes
4311 for that mode. When {mode} is omitted, or an invalid value is
4312 used, the attributes for the currently active highlighting are
4313 used (GUI, cterm or term).
4314 Use synIDtrans() to follow linked highlight groups.
4315 {what} result
4316 "name" the name of the syntax item
4317 "fg" foreground color (GUI: color name used to set
4318 the color, cterm: color number as a string,
4319 term: empty string)
4320 "bg" background color (like "fg")
4321 "fg#" like "fg", but for the GUI and the GUI is
4322 running the name in "#RRGGBB" form
4323 "bg#" like "fg#" for "bg"
4324 "bold" "1" if bold
4325 "italic" "1" if italic
4326 "reverse" "1" if reverse
4327 "inverse" "1" if inverse (= reverse)
4328 "underline" "1" if underlined
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004329 "undercurl" "1" if undercurled
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004330
4331 Example (echoes the color of the syntax item under the
4332 cursor): >
4333 :echo synIDattr(synIDtrans(synID(line("."), col("."), 1)), "fg")
4334<
4335synIDtrans({synID}) *synIDtrans()*
4336 The result is a Number, which is the translated syntax ID of
4337 {synID}. This is the syntax group ID of what is being used to
4338 highlight the character. Highlight links given with
4339 ":highlight link" are followed.
4340
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004341system({expr} [, {input}]) *system()* *E677*
4342 Get the output of the shell command {expr}.
4343 When {input} is given, this string is written to a file and
4344 passed as stdin to the command. The string is written as-is,
4345 you need to take care of using the correct line separators
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004346 yourself. Pipes are not used.
Bram Moolenaarc0197e22004-09-13 20:26:32 +00004347 Note: newlines in {expr} may cause the command to fail. The
4348 characters in 'shellquote' and 'shellxquote' may also cause
4349 trouble.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004350 This is not to be used for interactive commands.
4351 The result is a String. Example: >
4352
4353 :let files = system("ls")
4354
4355< To make the result more system-independent, the shell output
4356 is filtered to replace <CR> with <NL> for Macintosh, and
4357 <CR><NL> with <NL> for DOS-like systems.
4358 The command executed is constructed using several options:
4359 'shell' 'shellcmdflag' 'shellxquote' {expr} 'shellredir' {tmp} 'shellxquote'
4360 ({tmp} is an automatically generated file name).
4361 For Unix and OS/2 braces are put around {expr} to allow for
4362 concatenated commands.
4363
4364 The resulting error code can be found in |v:shell_error|.
4365 This function will fail in |restricted-mode|.
4366 Unlike ":!cmd" there is no automatic check for changed files.
4367 Use |:checktime| to force a check.
4368
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004369
4370taglist({expr}) *taglist()*
4371 Returns a list of tags matching the regular expression {expr}.
Bram Moolenaard8c00872005-07-22 21:52:15 +00004372 Each list item is a dictionary with at least the following
4373 entries:
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004374 name name of the tag.
4375 filename name of the file where the tag is
4376 defined.
4377 cmd Ex command used to locate the tag in
4378 the file.
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004379 kind type of the tag. The value for this
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004380 entry depends on the language specific
4381 kind values generated by the ctags
4382 tool.
4383 static a file specific tag. Refer to
4384 |static-tag| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004385 The "kind" entry is only available when using Exuberant ctags
4386 generated tags file. More entries may be present, depending
4387 on the content of the tags file: access, implementation,
4388 inherits and signature. Refer to the ctags documentation for
4389 information about these fields. For C code the fields
4390 "struct", "class" and "enum" may appear, they give the name of
4391 the entity the tag is contained in.
Bram Moolenaar5a8684e2005-07-30 22:43:24 +00004392
Bram Moolenaar4317d9b2005-03-18 20:25:31 +00004393 The ex-command 'cmd' can be either an ex search pattern, a
4394 line number or a line number followed by a byte number.
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004395
4396 If there are no matching tags, then an empty list is returned.
4397
4398 To get an exact tag match, the anchors '^' and '$' should be
4399 used in {expr}. Refer to |tag-regexp| for more information
4400 about the tag search regular expression pattern.
4401
4402 Refer to |'tags'| for information about how the tags file is
4403 located by Vim. Refer to |tags-file-format| for the format of
4404 the tags file generated by the different ctags tools.
4405
Bram Moolenaar578b49e2005-09-10 19:22:57 +00004406 *tagfiles()*
Bram Moolenaare7eb9df2005-09-09 19:49:30 +00004407tagfiles() Returns a List with the file names used to search for tags for
4408 the current buffer. This is the 'tags' option expanded.
4409
Bram Moolenaare2cc9702005-03-15 22:43:58 +00004410
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004411tempname() *tempname()* *temp-file-name*
4412 The result is a String, which is the name of a file that
4413 doesn't exist. It can be used for a temporary file. The name
4414 is different for at least 26 consecutive calls. Example: >
4415 :let tmpfile = tempname()
4416 :exe "redir > " . tmpfile
4417< For Unix, the file will be in a private directory (only
4418 accessible by the current user) to avoid security problems
4419 (e.g., a symlink attack or other people reading your file).
4420 When Vim exits the directory and all files in it are deleted.
4421 For MS-Windows forward slashes are used when the 'shellslash'
4422 option is set or when 'shellcmdflag' starts with '-'.
4423
4424tolower({expr}) *tolower()*
4425 The result is a copy of the String given, with all uppercase
4426 characters turned into lowercase (just like applying |gu| to
4427 the string).
4428
4429toupper({expr}) *toupper()*
4430 The result is a copy of the String given, with all lowercase
4431 characters turned into uppercase (just like applying |gU| to
4432 the string).
4433
Bram Moolenaar8299df92004-07-10 09:47:34 +00004434tr({src}, {fromstr}, {tostr}) *tr()*
4435 The result is a copy of the {src} string with all characters
4436 which appear in {fromstr} replaced by the character in that
4437 position in the {tostr} string. Thus the first character in
4438 {fromstr} is translated into the first character in {tostr}
4439 and so on. Exactly like the unix "tr" command.
4440 This code also deals with multibyte characters properly.
4441
4442 Examples: >
4443 echo tr("hello there", "ht", "HT")
4444< returns "Hello THere" >
4445 echo tr("<blob>", "<>", "{}")
4446< returns "{blob}"
4447
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004448 *type()*
4449type({expr}) The result is a Number, depending on the type of {expr}:
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004450 Number: 0
4451 String: 1
4452 Funcref: 2
4453 List: 3
4454 Dictionary: 4
4455 To avoid the magic numbers it should be used this way: >
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00004456 :if type(myvar) == type(0)
4457 :if type(myvar) == type("")
4458 :if type(myvar) == type(function("tr"))
4459 :if type(myvar) == type([])
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00004460 :if type(myvar) == type({})
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004461
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004462values({dict}) *values()*
4463 Return a List with all the values of {dict}. The List is in
4464 arbitrary order.
4465
4466
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004467virtcol({expr}) *virtcol()*
4468 The result is a Number, which is the screen column of the file
4469 position given with {expr}. That is, the last screen position
4470 occupied by the character at that position, when the screen
4471 would be of unlimited width. When there is a <Tab> at the
4472 position, the returned Number will be the column at the end of
4473 the <Tab>. For example, for a <Tab> in column 1, with 'ts'
4474 set to 8, it returns 8.
4475 For the byte position use |col()|.
4476 When Virtual editing is active in the current mode, a position
4477 beyond the end of the line can be returned. |'virtualedit'|
4478 The accepted positions are:
4479 . the cursor position
4480 $ the end of the cursor line (the result is the
4481 number of displayed characters in the cursor line
4482 plus one)
4483 'x position of mark x (if the mark is not set, 0 is
4484 returned)
4485 Note that only marks in the current file can be used.
4486 Examples: >
4487 virtcol(".") with text "foo^Lbar", with cursor on the "^L", returns 5
4488 virtcol("$") with text "foo^Lbar", returns 9
4489 virtcol("'t") with text " there", with 't at 'h', returns 6
4490< The first column is 1. 0 is returned for an error.
4491
4492visualmode([expr]) *visualmode()*
4493 The result is a String, which describes the last Visual mode
4494 used. Initially it returns an empty string, but once Visual
4495 mode has been used, it returns "v", "V", or "<CTRL-V>" (a
4496 single CTRL-V character) for character-wise, line-wise, or
4497 block-wise Visual mode respectively.
4498 Example: >
4499 :exe "normal " . visualmode()
4500< This enters the same Visual mode as before. It is also useful
4501 in scripts if you wish to act differently depending on the
4502 Visual mode that was used.
4503
4504 If an expression is supplied that results in a non-zero number
4505 or a non-empty string, then the Visual mode will be cleared
4506 and the old value is returned. Note that " " and "0" are also
4507 non-empty strings, thus cause the mode to be cleared.
4508
4509 *winbufnr()*
4510winbufnr({nr}) The result is a Number, which is the number of the buffer
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00004511 associated with window {nr}. When {nr} is zero, the number of
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004512 the buffer in the current window is returned. When window
4513 {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4514 Example: >
4515 :echo "The file in the current window is " . bufname(winbufnr(0))
4516<
4517 *wincol()*
4518wincol() The result is a Number, which is the virtual column of the
4519 cursor in the window. This is counting screen cells from the
4520 left side of the window. The leftmost column is one.
4521
4522winheight({nr}) *winheight()*
4523 The result is a Number, which is the height of window {nr}.
4524 When {nr} is zero, the height of the current window is
4525 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4526 An existing window always has a height of zero or more.
4527 Examples: >
4528 :echo "The current window has " . winheight(0) . " lines."
4529<
4530 *winline()*
4531winline() The result is a Number, which is the screen line of the cursor
4532 in the window. This is counting screen lines from the top of
4533 the window. The first line is one.
Bram Moolenaarbfd8fc02005-09-20 23:22:24 +00004534 If the cursor was moved the view on the file will be updated
4535 first, this may cause a scroll.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004536
4537 *winnr()*
Bram Moolenaar5eb86f92004-07-26 12:53:41 +00004538winnr([{arg}]) The result is a Number, which is the number of the current
4539 window. The top window has number 1.
4540 When the optional argument is "$", the number of the
4541 last window is returnd (the window count).
4542 When the optional argument is "#", the number of the last
4543 accessed window is returned (where |CTRL-W_p| goes to).
4544 If there is no previous window 0 is returned.
4545 The number can be used with |CTRL-W_w| and ":wincmd w"
4546 |:wincmd|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004547
4548 *winrestcmd()*
4549winrestcmd() Returns a sequence of |:resize| commands that should restore
4550 the current window sizes. Only works properly when no windows
4551 are opened or closed and the current window is unchanged.
4552 Example: >
4553 :let cmd = winrestcmd()
4554 :call MessWithWindowSizes()
4555 :exe cmd
4556
4557winwidth({nr}) *winwidth()*
4558 The result is a Number, which is the width of window {nr}.
4559 When {nr} is zero, the width of the current window is
4560 returned. When window {nr} doesn't exist, -1 is returned.
4561 An existing window always has a width of zero or more.
4562 Examples: >
4563 :echo "The current window has " . winwidth(0) . " columns."
4564 :if winwidth(0) <= 50
4565 : exe "normal 50\<C-W>|"
4566 :endif
4567<
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00004568 *writefile()*
4569writefile({list}, {fname} [, {binary}])
4570 Write List {list} to file {fname}. Each list item is
4571 separated with a NL. Each list item must be a String or
4572 Number.
4573 When {binary} is equal to "b" binary mode is used: There will
4574 not be a NL after the last list item. An empty item at the
4575 end does cause the last line in the file to end in a NL.
4576 All NL characters are replaced with a NUL character.
4577 Inserting CR characters needs to be done before passing {list}
4578 to writefile().
4579 An existing file is overwritten, if possible.
4580 When the write fails -1 is returned, otherwise 0. There is an
4581 error message if the file can't be created or when writing
4582 fails.
4583 Also see |readfile()|.
4584 To copy a file byte for byte: >
4585 :let fl = readfile("foo", "b")
4586 :call writefile(fl, "foocopy", "b")
4587<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004588
4589 *feature-list*
4590There are three types of features:
45911. Features that are only supported when they have been enabled when Vim
4592 was compiled |+feature-list|. Example: >
4593 :if has("cindent")
45942. Features that are only supported when certain conditions have been met.
4595 Example: >
4596 :if has("gui_running")
4597< *has-patch*
45983. Included patches. First check |v:version| for the version of Vim.
4599 Then the "patch123" feature means that patch 123 has been included for
4600 this version. Example (checking version 6.2.148 or later): >
4601 :if v:version > 602 || v:version == 602 && has("patch148")
4602
4603all_builtin_terms Compiled with all builtin terminals enabled.
4604amiga Amiga version of Vim.
4605arabic Compiled with Arabic support |Arabic|.
4606arp Compiled with ARP support (Amiga).
4607autocmd Compiled with autocommands support.
4608balloon_eval Compiled with |balloon-eval| support.
Bram Moolenaar45360022005-07-21 21:08:21 +00004609balloon_multiline GUI supports multiline balloons.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004610beos BeOS version of Vim.
4611browse Compiled with |:browse| support, and browse() will
4612 work.
4613builtin_terms Compiled with some builtin terminals.
4614byte_offset Compiled with support for 'o' in 'statusline'
4615cindent Compiled with 'cindent' support.
4616clientserver Compiled with remote invocation support |clientserver|.
4617clipboard Compiled with 'clipboard' support.
4618cmdline_compl Compiled with |cmdline-completion| support.
4619cmdline_hist Compiled with |cmdline-history| support.
4620cmdline_info Compiled with 'showcmd' and 'ruler' support.
4621comments Compiled with |'comments'| support.
4622cryptv Compiled with encryption support |encryption|.
4623cscope Compiled with |cscope| support.
4624compatible Compiled to be very Vi compatible.
4625debug Compiled with "DEBUG" defined.
4626dialog_con Compiled with console dialog support.
4627dialog_gui Compiled with GUI dialog support.
4628diff Compiled with |vimdiff| and 'diff' support.
4629digraphs Compiled with support for digraphs.
4630dnd Compiled with support for the "~ register |quote_~|.
4631dos32 32 bits DOS (DJGPP) version of Vim.
4632dos16 16 bits DOS version of Vim.
4633ebcdic Compiled on a machine with ebcdic character set.
4634emacs_tags Compiled with support for Emacs tags.
4635eval Compiled with expression evaluation support. Always
4636 true, of course!
4637ex_extra Compiled with extra Ex commands |+ex_extra|.
4638extra_search Compiled with support for |'incsearch'| and
4639 |'hlsearch'|
4640farsi Compiled with Farsi support |farsi|.
4641file_in_path Compiled with support for |gf| and |<cfile>|
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00004642filterpipe When 'shelltemp' is off pipes are used for shell
4643 read/write/filter commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004644find_in_path Compiled with support for include file searches
4645 |+find_in_path|.
4646fname_case Case in file names matters (for Amiga, MS-DOS, and
4647 Windows this is not present).
4648folding Compiled with |folding| support.
4649footer Compiled with GUI footer support. |gui-footer|
4650fork Compiled to use fork()/exec() instead of system().
4651gettext Compiled with message translation |multi-lang|
4652gui Compiled with GUI enabled.
4653gui_athena Compiled with Athena GUI.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004654gui_gtk Compiled with GTK+ GUI (any version).
4655gui_gtk2 Compiled with GTK+ 2 GUI (gui_gtk is also defined).
Bram Moolenaar843ee412004-06-30 16:16:41 +00004656gui_kde Compiled with KDE GUI |KVim|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004657gui_mac Compiled with Macintosh GUI.
4658gui_motif Compiled with Motif GUI.
4659gui_photon Compiled with Photon GUI.
4660gui_win32 Compiled with MS Windows Win32 GUI.
4661gui_win32s idem, and Win32s system being used (Windows 3.1)
4662gui_running Vim is running in the GUI, or it will start soon.
4663hangul_input Compiled with Hangul input support. |hangul|
4664iconv Can use iconv() for conversion.
4665insert_expand Compiled with support for CTRL-X expansion commands in
4666 Insert mode.
4667jumplist Compiled with |jumplist| support.
4668keymap Compiled with 'keymap' support.
4669langmap Compiled with 'langmap' support.
4670libcall Compiled with |libcall()| support.
4671linebreak Compiled with 'linebreak', 'breakat' and 'showbreak'
4672 support.
4673lispindent Compiled with support for lisp indenting.
4674listcmds Compiled with commands for the buffer list |:files|
4675 and the argument list |arglist|.
4676localmap Compiled with local mappings and abbr. |:map-local|
4677mac Macintosh version of Vim.
4678macunix Macintosh version of Vim, using Unix files (OS-X).
4679menu Compiled with support for |:menu|.
4680mksession Compiled with support for |:mksession|.
4681modify_fname Compiled with file name modifiers. |filename-modifiers|
4682mouse Compiled with support mouse.
4683mouseshape Compiled with support for 'mouseshape'.
4684mouse_dec Compiled with support for Dec terminal mouse.
4685mouse_gpm Compiled with support for gpm (Linux console mouse)
4686mouse_netterm Compiled with support for netterm mouse.
4687mouse_pterm Compiled with support for qnx pterm mouse.
4688mouse_xterm Compiled with support for xterm mouse.
4689multi_byte Compiled with support for editing Korean et al.
4690multi_byte_ime Compiled with support for IME input method.
4691multi_lang Compiled with support for multiple languages.
Bram Moolenaar325b7a22004-07-05 15:58:32 +00004692mzscheme Compiled with MzScheme interface |mzscheme|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004693netbeans_intg Compiled with support for |netbeans|.
Bram Moolenaar009b2592004-10-24 19:18:58 +00004694netbeans_enabled Compiled with support for |netbeans| and it's used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004695ole Compiled with OLE automation support for Win32.
4696os2 OS/2 version of Vim.
4697osfiletype Compiled with support for osfiletypes |+osfiletype|
4698path_extra Compiled with up/downwards search in 'path' and 'tags'
4699perl Compiled with Perl interface.
4700postscript Compiled with PostScript file printing.
4701printer Compiled with |:hardcopy| support.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00004702profile Compiled with |:profile| support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004703python Compiled with Python interface.
4704qnx QNX version of Vim.
4705quickfix Compiled with |quickfix| support.
4706rightleft Compiled with 'rightleft' support.
4707ruby Compiled with Ruby interface |ruby|.
4708scrollbind Compiled with 'scrollbind' support.
4709showcmd Compiled with 'showcmd' support.
4710signs Compiled with |:sign| support.
4711smartindent Compiled with 'smartindent' support.
Bram Moolenaar69a7cb42004-06-20 12:51:53 +00004712sniff Compiled with SNiFF interface support.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004713statusline Compiled with support for 'statusline', 'rulerformat'
4714 and special formats of 'titlestring' and 'iconstring'.
4715sun_workshop Compiled with support for Sun |workshop|.
Bram Moolenaar82cf9b62005-06-07 21:09:25 +00004716spell Compiled with spell checking support |spell|.
4717syntax Compiled with syntax highlighting support |syntax|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004718syntax_items There are active syntax highlighting items for the
4719 current buffer.
4720system Compiled to use system() instead of fork()/exec().
4721tag_binary Compiled with binary searching in tags files
4722 |tag-binary-search|.
4723tag_old_static Compiled with support for old static tags
4724 |tag-old-static|.
4725tag_any_white Compiled with support for any white characters in tags
4726 files |tag-any-white|.
4727tcl Compiled with Tcl interface.
4728terminfo Compiled with terminfo instead of termcap.
4729termresponse Compiled with support for |t_RV| and |v:termresponse|.
4730textobjects Compiled with support for |text-objects|.
4731tgetent Compiled with tgetent support, able to use a termcap
4732 or terminfo file.
4733title Compiled with window title support |'title'|.
4734toolbar Compiled with support for |gui-toolbar|.
4735unix Unix version of Vim.
4736user_commands User-defined commands.
4737viminfo Compiled with viminfo support.
4738vim_starting True while initial source'ing takes place.
4739vertsplit Compiled with vertically split windows |:vsplit|.
4740virtualedit Compiled with 'virtualedit' option.
4741visual Compiled with Visual mode.
4742visualextra Compiled with extra Visual mode commands.
4743 |blockwise-operators|.
4744vms VMS version of Vim.
4745vreplace Compiled with |gR| and |gr| commands.
4746wildignore Compiled with 'wildignore' option.
4747wildmenu Compiled with 'wildmenu' option.
4748windows Compiled with support for more than one window.
4749winaltkeys Compiled with 'winaltkeys' option.
4750win16 Win16 version of Vim (MS-Windows 3.1).
4751win32 Win32 version of Vim (MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP).
4752win64 Win64 version of Vim (MS-Windows 64 bit).
4753win32unix Win32 version of Vim, using Unix files (Cygwin)
4754win95 Win32 version for MS-Windows 95/98/ME.
4755writebackup Compiled with 'writebackup' default on.
4756xfontset Compiled with X fontset support |xfontset|.
4757xim Compiled with X input method support |xim|.
4758xsmp Compiled with X session management support.
4759xsmp_interact Compiled with interactive X session management support.
4760xterm_clipboard Compiled with support for xterm clipboard.
4761xterm_save Compiled with support for saving and restoring the
4762 xterm screen.
4763x11 Compiled with X11 support.
4764
4765 *string-match*
4766Matching a pattern in a String
4767
4768A regexp pattern as explained at |pattern| is normally used to find a match in
4769the buffer lines. When a pattern is used to find a match in a String, almost
4770everything works in the same way. The difference is that a String is handled
4771like it is one line. When it contains a "\n" character, this is not seen as a
4772line break for the pattern. It can be matched with a "\n" in the pattern, or
4773with ".". Example: >
4774 :let a = "aaaa\nxxxx"
4775 :echo matchstr(a, "..\n..")
4776 aa
4777 xx
4778 :echo matchstr(a, "a.x")
4779 a
4780 x
4781
4782Don't forget that "^" will only match at the first character of the String and
4783"$" at the last character of the string. They don't match after or before a
4784"\n".
4785
4786==============================================================================
47875. Defining functions *user-functions*
4788
4789New functions can be defined. These can be called just like builtin
4790functions. The function executes a sequence of Ex commands. Normal mode
4791commands can be executed with the |:normal| command.
4792
4793The function name must start with an uppercase letter, to avoid confusion with
4794builtin functions. To prevent from using the same name in different scripts
4795avoid obvious, short names. A good habit is to start the function name with
4796the name of the script, e.g., "HTMLcolor()".
4797
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004798It's also possible to use curly braces, see |curly-braces-names|. And the
4799|autoload| facility is useful to define a function only when it's called.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004800
4801 *local-function*
4802A function local to a script must start with "s:". A local script function
4803can only be called from within the script and from functions, user commands
4804and autocommands defined in the script. It is also possible to call the
4805function from a mappings defined in the script, but then |<SID>| must be used
4806instead of "s:" when the mapping is expanded outside of the script.
4807
4808 *:fu* *:function* *E128* *E129* *E123*
4809:fu[nction] List all functions and their arguments.
4810
4811:fu[nction] {name} List function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004812 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4813 Funcref: >
4814 :function dict.init
Bram Moolenaar92d640f2005-09-05 22:11:52 +00004815
4816:fu[nction] /{pattern} List functions with a name matching {pattern}.
4817 Example that lists all functions ending with "File": >
4818 :function /File$
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00004819<
4820 *:function-verbose*
4821When 'verbose' is non-zero, listing a function will also display where it was
4822last defined. Example: >
4823
4824 :verbose function SetFileTypeSH
4825 function SetFileTypeSH(name)
4826 Last set from /usr/share/vim/vim-7.0/filetype.vim
4827<
Bram Moolenaar8aff23a2005-08-19 20:40:30 +00004828See |:verbose-cmd| for more information.
Bram Moolenaar5b8d8fd2005-08-16 23:01:50 +00004829
4830 *E124* *E125*
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004831:fu[nction][!] {name}([arguments]) [range] [abort] [dict]
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004832 Define a new function by the name {name}. The name
4833 must be made of alphanumeric characters and '_', and
4834 must start with a capital or "s:" (see above).
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004835
4836 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4837 Funcref: >
4838 :function dict.init(arg)
4839< "dict" must be an existing dictionary. The entry
4840 "init" is added if it didn't exist yet. Otherwise [!]
4841 is required to overwrite an existing function. The
4842 result is a |Funcref| to a numbered function. The
4843 function can only be used with a |Funcref| and will be
4844 deleted if there are no more references to it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004845 *E127* *E122*
4846 When a function by this name already exists and [!] is
4847 not used an error message is given. When [!] is used,
4848 an existing function is silently replaced. Unless it
4849 is currently being executed, that is an error.
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004850
4851 For the {arguments} see |function-argument|.
4852
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004853 *a:firstline* *a:lastline*
4854 When the [range] argument is added, the function is
4855 expected to take care of a range itself. The range is
4856 passed as "a:firstline" and "a:lastline". If [range]
4857 is excluded, ":{range}call" will call the function for
4858 each line in the range, with the cursor on the start
4859 of each line. See |function-range-example|.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004860
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004861 When the [abort] argument is added, the function will
4862 abort as soon as an error is detected.
4863 The last used search pattern and the redo command "."
4864 will not be changed by the function.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004865
Bram Moolenaar2fda12f2005-01-15 22:14:15 +00004866 When the [dict] argument is added, the function must
4867 be invoked through an entry in a Dictionary. The
4868 local variable "self" will then be set to the
4869 dictionary. See |Dictionary-function|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004870
4871 *:endf* *:endfunction* *E126* *E193*
4872:endf[unction] The end of a function definition. Must be on a line
4873 by its own, without other commands.
4874
4875 *:delf* *:delfunction* *E130* *E131*
4876:delf[unction] {name} Delete function {name}.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00004877 {name} can also be a Dictionary entry that is a
4878 Funcref: >
4879 :delfunc dict.init
4880< This will remove the "init" entry from "dict". The
4881 function is deleted if there are no more references to
4882 it.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004883 *:retu* *:return* *E133*
4884:retu[rn] [expr] Return from a function. When "[expr]" is given, it is
4885 evaluated and returned as the result of the function.
4886 If "[expr]" is not given, the number 0 is returned.
4887 When a function ends without an explicit ":return",
4888 the number 0 is returned.
4889 Note that there is no check for unreachable lines,
4890 thus there is no warning if commands follow ":return".
4891
4892 If the ":return" is used after a |:try| but before the
4893 matching |:finally| (if present), the commands
4894 following the ":finally" up to the matching |:endtry|
4895 are executed first. This process applies to all
4896 nested ":try"s inside the function. The function
4897 returns at the outermost ":endtry".
4898
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004899 *function-argument* *a:var*
4900An argument can be defined by giving its name. In the function this can then
4901be used as "a:name" ("a:" for argument).
4902 *a:0* *a:1* *a:000* *E740*
4903Up to 20 arguments can be given, separated by commas. After the named
4904arguments an argument "..." can be specified, which means that more arguments
4905may optionally be following. In the function the extra arguments can be used
4906as "a:1", "a:2", etc. "a:0" is set to the number of extra arguments (which
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00004907can be 0). "a:000" is set to a List that contains these arguments. Note that
4908"a:1" is the same as "a:000[0]".
4909 *E742*
4910The a: scope and the variables in it cannot be changed, they are fixed.
4911However, if a List or Dictionary is used, you can changes their contents.
4912Thus you can pass a List to a function and have the function add an item to
4913it. If you want to make sure the function cannot change a List or Dictionary
4914use |:lockvar|.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004915
Bram Moolenaar8f999f12005-01-25 22:12:55 +00004916When not using "...", the number of arguments in a function call must be equal
4917to the number of named arguments. When using "...", the number of arguments
4918may be larger.
4919
4920It is also possible to define a function without any arguments. You must
4921still supply the () then. The body of the function follows in the next lines,
4922until the matching |:endfunction|. It is allowed to define another function
4923inside a function body.
4924
4925 *local-variables*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004926Inside a function variables can be used. These are local variables, which
4927will disappear when the function returns. Global variables need to be
4928accessed with "g:".
4929
4930Example: >
4931 :function Table(title, ...)
4932 : echohl Title
4933 : echo a:title
4934 : echohl None
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004935 : echo a:0 . " items:"
4936 : for s in a:000
4937 : echon ' ' . s
4938 : endfor
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004939 :endfunction
4940
4941This function can then be called with: >
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00004942 call Table("Table", "line1", "line2")
4943 call Table("Empty Table")
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00004944
4945To return more than one value, pass the name of a global variable: >
4946 :function Compute(n1, n2, divname)
4947 : if a:n2 == 0
4948 : return "fail"
4949 : endif
4950 : let g:{a:divname} = a:n1 / a:n2
4951 : return "ok"
4952 :endfunction
4953
4954This function can then be called with: >
4955 :let success = Compute(13, 1324, "div")
4956 :if success == "ok"
4957 : echo div
4958 :endif
4959
4960An alternative is to return a command that can be executed. This also works
4961with local variables in a calling function. Example: >
4962 :function Foo()
4963 : execute Bar()
4964 : echo "line " . lnum . " column " . col
4965 :endfunction
4966
4967 :function Bar()
4968 : return "let lnum = " . line(".") . " | let col = " . col(".")
4969 :endfunction
4970
4971The names "lnum" and "col" could also be passed as argument to Bar(), to allow
4972the caller to set the names.
4973
4974 *:cal* *:call* *E107*
4975:[range]cal[l] {name}([arguments])
4976 Call a function. The name of the function and its arguments
4977 are as specified with |:function|. Up to 20 arguments can be
4978 used.
4979 Without a range and for functions that accept a range, the
4980 function is called once. When a range is given the cursor is
4981 positioned at the start of the first line before executing the
4982 function.
4983 When a range is given and the function doesn't handle it
4984 itself, the function is executed for each line in the range,
4985 with the cursor in the first column of that line. The cursor
4986 is left at the last line (possibly moved by the last function
4987 call). The arguments are re-evaluated for each line. Thus
4988 this works:
4989 *function-range-example* >
4990 :function Mynumber(arg)
4991 : echo line(".") . " " . a:arg
4992 :endfunction
4993 :1,5call Mynumber(getline("."))
4994<
4995 The "a:firstline" and "a:lastline" are defined anyway, they
4996 can be used to do something different at the start or end of
4997 the range.
4998
4999 Example of a function that handles the range itself: >
5000
5001 :function Cont() range
5002 : execute (a:firstline + 1) . "," . a:lastline . 's/^/\t\\ '
5003 :endfunction
5004 :4,8call Cont()
5005<
5006 This function inserts the continuation character "\" in front
5007 of all the lines in the range, except the first one.
5008
5009 *E132*
5010The recursiveness of user functions is restricted with the |'maxfuncdepth'|
5011option.
5012
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005013
5014AUTOMATICALLY LOADING FUNCTIONS ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005015 *autoload-functions*
5016When using many or large functions, it's possible to automatically define them
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005017only when they are used. There are two methods: with an autocommand and with
5018the "autoload" directory in 'runtimepath'.
5019
5020
5021Using an autocommand ~
5022
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005023This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.14|.
5024
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005025The autocommand is useful if you have a plugin that is a long Vim script file.
5026You can define the autocommand and quickly quit the script with |:finish|.
5027That makes Vim startup faster. The autocommand should then load the same file
5028again, setting a variable to skip the |:finish| command.
5029
5030Use the FuncUndefined autocommand event with a pattern that matches the
5031function(s) to be defined. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005032
5033 :au FuncUndefined BufNet* source ~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim
5034
5035The file "~/vim/bufnetfuncs.vim" should then define functions that start with
5036"BufNet". Also see |FuncUndefined|.
5037
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005038
5039Using an autoload script ~
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005040 *autoload* *E746*
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00005041This is introduced in the user manual, section |41.15|.
5042
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005043Using a script in the "autoload" directory is simpler, but requires using
5044exactly the right file name. A function that can be autoloaded has a name
5045like this: >
5046
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005047 :call filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005048
5049When such a function is called, and it is not defined yet, Vim will search the
5050"autoload" directories in 'runtimepath' for a script file called
5051"filename.vim". For example "~/.vim/autoload/filename.vim". That file should
5052then define the function like this: >
5053
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005054 function filename#funcname()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005055 echo "Done!"
5056 endfunction
5057
Bram Moolenaar60a795a2005-09-16 21:55:43 +00005058The file name and the name used before the # in the function must match
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005059exactly, and the defined function must have the name exactly as it will be
5060called.
5061
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005062It is possible to use subdirectories. Every # in the function name works like
5063a path separator. Thus when calling a function: >
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005064
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005065 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005066
5067Vim will look for the file "autoload/foo/bar.vim" in 'runtimepath'.
5068
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005069This also works when reading a variable that has not been set yet: >
5070
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005071 :let l = foo#bar#lvar
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005072
Bram Moolenaara5792f52005-11-23 21:25:05 +00005073However, when the autoload script was already loaded it won't be loaded again
5074for an unknown variable.
5075
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005076When assigning a value to such a variable nothing special happens. This can
5077be used to pass settings to the autoload script before it's loaded: >
5078
Bram Moolenaara7fc0102005-05-18 22:17:12 +00005079 :let foo#bar#toggle = 1
5080 :call foo#bar#func()
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005081
Bram Moolenaar4399ef42005-02-12 14:29:27 +00005082Note that when you make a mistake and call a function that is supposed to be
5083defined in an autoload script, but the script doesn't actually define the
5084function, the script will be sourced every time you try to call the function.
Bram Moolenaar26a60b42005-02-22 08:49:11 +00005085And you will get an error message every time.
5086
5087Also note that if you have two script files, and one calls a function in the
5088other and vise versa, before the used function is defined, it won't work.
5089Avoid using the autoload functionality at the toplevel.
Bram Moolenaar7c626922005-02-07 22:01:03 +00005090
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005091==============================================================================
50926. Curly braces names *curly-braces-names*
5093
5094Wherever you can use a variable, you can use a "curly braces name" variable.
5095This is a regular variable name with one or more expressions wrapped in braces
5096{} like this: >
5097 my_{adjective}_variable
5098
5099When Vim encounters this, it evaluates the expression inside the braces, puts
5100that in place of the expression, and re-interprets the whole as a variable
5101name. So in the above example, if the variable "adjective" was set to
5102"noisy", then the reference would be to "my_noisy_variable", whereas if
5103"adjective" was set to "quiet", then it would be to "my_quiet_variable".
5104
5105One application for this is to create a set of variables governed by an option
5106value. For example, the statement >
5107 echo my_{&background}_message
5108
5109would output the contents of "my_dark_message" or "my_light_message" depending
5110on the current value of 'background'.
5111
5112You can use multiple brace pairs: >
5113 echo my_{adverb}_{adjective}_message
5114..or even nest them: >
5115 echo my_{ad{end_of_word}}_message
5116where "end_of_word" is either "verb" or "jective".
5117
5118However, the expression inside the braces must evaluate to a valid single
Bram Moolenaar402d2fe2005-04-15 21:00:38 +00005119variable name, e.g. this is invalid: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005120 :let foo='a + b'
5121 :echo c{foo}d
5122.. since the result of expansion is "ca + bd", which is not a variable name.
5123
5124 *curly-braces-function-names*
5125You can call and define functions by an evaluated name in a similar way.
5126Example: >
5127 :let func_end='whizz'
5128 :call my_func_{func_end}(parameter)
5129
5130This would call the function "my_func_whizz(parameter)".
5131
5132==============================================================================
51337. Commands *expression-commands*
5134
5135:let {var-name} = {expr1} *:let* *E18*
5136 Set internal variable {var-name} to the result of the
5137 expression {expr1}. The variable will get the type
5138 from the {expr}. If {var-name} didn't exist yet, it
5139 is created.
5140
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005141:let {var-name}[{idx}] = {expr1} *E689*
5142 Set a list item to the result of the expression
5143 {expr1}. {var-name} must refer to a list and {idx}
5144 must be a valid index in that list. For nested list
5145 the index can be repeated.
5146 This cannot be used to add an item to a list.
5147
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005148 *E711* *E719*
5149:let {var-name}[{idx1}:{idx2}] = {expr1} *E708* *E709* *E710*
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005150 Set a sequence of items in a List to the result of the
5151 expression {expr1}, which must be a list with the
5152 correct number of items.
5153 {idx1} can be omitted, zero is used instead.
5154 {idx2} can be omitted, meaning the end of the list.
5155 When the selected range of items is partly past the
5156 end of the list, items will be added.
5157
Bram Moolenaar748bf032005-02-02 23:04:36 +00005158 *:let+=* *:let-=* *:let.=* *E734*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005159:let {var} += {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} + {expr1}".
5160:let {var} -= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} - {expr1}".
5161:let {var} .= {expr1} Like ":let {var} = {var} . {expr1}".
5162 These fail if {var} was not set yet and when the type
5163 of {var} and {expr1} don't fit the operator.
5164
5165
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005166:let ${env-name} = {expr1} *:let-environment* *:let-$*
5167 Set environment variable {env-name} to the result of
5168 the expression {expr1}. The type is always String.
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005169:let ${env-name} .= {expr1}
5170 Append {expr1} to the environment variable {env-name}.
5171 If the environment variable didn't exist yet this
5172 works like "=".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005173
5174:let @{reg-name} = {expr1} *:let-register* *:let-@*
5175 Write the result of the expression {expr1} in register
5176 {reg-name}. {reg-name} must be a single letter, and
5177 must be the name of a writable register (see
5178 |registers|). "@@" can be used for the unnamed
5179 register, "@/" for the search pattern.
5180 If the result of {expr1} ends in a <CR> or <NL>, the
5181 register will be linewise, otherwise it will be set to
5182 characterwise.
5183 This can be used to clear the last search pattern: >
5184 :let @/ = ""
5185< This is different from searching for an empty string,
5186 that would match everywhere.
5187
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005188:let @{reg-name} .= {expr1}
5189 Append {expr1} to register {reg-name}. If the
5190 register was empty it's like setting it to {expr1}.
5191
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005192:let &{option-name} = {expr1} *:let-option* *:let-star*
5193 Set option {option-name} to the result of the
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005194 expression {expr1}. A String or Number value is
5195 always converted to the type of the option.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005196 For an option local to a window or buffer the effect
5197 is just like using the |:set| command: both the local
Bram Moolenaara5fac542005-10-12 20:58:49 +00005198 value and the global value are changed.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005199 Example: >
5200 :let &path = &path . ',/usr/local/include'
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005201
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005202:let &{option-name} .= {expr1}
5203 For a string option: Append {expr1} to the value.
5204 Does not insert a comma like |:set+=|.
5205
5206:let &{option-name} += {expr1}
5207:let &{option-name} -= {expr1}
5208 For a number or boolean option: Add or subtract
5209 {expr1}.
5210
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005211:let &l:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005212:let &l:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5213:let &l:{option-name} += {expr1}
5214:let &l:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005215 Like above, but only set the local value of an option
5216 (if there is one). Works like |:setlocal|.
5217
5218:let &g:{option-name} = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005219:let &g:{option-name} .= {expr1}
5220:let &g:{option-name} += {expr1}
5221:let &g:{option-name} -= {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005222 Like above, but only set the global value of an option
5223 (if there is one). Works like |:setglobal|.
5224
Bram Moolenaar13065c42005-01-08 16:08:21 +00005225:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] = {expr1} *:let-unpack* *E687* *E688*
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005226 {expr1} must evaluate to a List. The first item in
5227 the list is assigned to {name1}, the second item to
5228 {name2}, etc.
5229 The number of names must match the number of items in
5230 the List.
5231 Each name can be one of the items of the ":let"
5232 command as mentioned above.
5233 Example: >
5234 :let [s, item] = GetItem(s)
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005235< Detail: {expr1} is evaluated first, then the
5236 assignments are done in sequence. This matters if
5237 {name2} depends on {name1}. Example: >
5238 :let x = [0, 1]
5239 :let i = 0
5240 :let [i, x[i]] = [1, 2]
5241 :echo x
5242< The result is [0, 2].
5243
5244:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] .= {expr1}
5245:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] += {expr1}
5246:let [{name1}, {name2}, ...] -= {expr1}
5247 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
5248 List item.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005249
5250:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] = {expr1}
Bram Moolenaar677ee682005-01-27 14:41:15 +00005251 Like |:let-unpack| above, but the List may have more
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005252 items than there are names. A list of the remaining
5253 items is assigned to {lastname}. If there are no
5254 remaining items {lastname} is set to an empty list.
Bram Moolenaarfca34d62005-01-04 21:38:36 +00005255 Example: >
5256 :let [a, b; rest] = ["aval", "bval", 3, 4]
5257<
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005258:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] .= {expr1}
5259:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] += {expr1}
5260:let [{name}, ..., ; {lastname}] -= {expr1}
5261 Like above, but append/add/subtract the value for each
5262 List item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005263 *E106*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005264:let {var-name} .. List the value of variable {var-name}. Multiple
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00005265 variable names may be given. Special names recognized
5266 here: *E738*
5267 g: global variables.
5268 b: local buffer variables.
5269 w: local window variables.
5270 v: Vim variables.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005271
Bram Moolenaard7ee7ce2005-01-03 21:02:03 +00005272:let List the values of all variables. The type of the
5273 variable is indicated before the value:
5274 <nothing> String
5275 # Number
5276 * Funcref
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005277
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005278
5279:unl[et][!] {name} ... *:unlet* *:unl* *E108*
5280 Remove the internal variable {name}. Several variable
5281 names can be given, they are all removed. The name
5282 may also be a List or Dictionary item.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005283 With [!] no error message is given for non-existing
5284 variables.
Bram Moolenaar9cd15162005-01-16 22:02:49 +00005285 One or more items from a List can be removed: >
5286 :unlet list[3] " remove fourth item
5287 :unlet list[3:] " remove fourth item to last
5288< One item from a Dictionary can be removed at a time: >
5289 :unlet dict['two']
5290 :unlet dict.two
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005291
Bram Moolenaar2ce06f62005-01-31 19:19:04 +00005292:lockv[ar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:lockvar* *:lockv*
5293 Lock the internal variable {name}. Locking means that
5294 it can no longer be changed (until it is unlocked).
5295 A locked variable can be deleted: >
5296 :lockvar v
5297 :let v = 'asdf' " fails!
5298 :unlet v
5299< *E741*
5300 If you try to change a locked variable you get an
5301 error message: "E741: Value of {name} is locked"
5302
5303 [depth] is relevant when locking a List or Dictionary.
5304 It specifies how deep the locking goes:
5305 1 Lock the List or Dictionary itself,
5306 cannot add or remove items, but can
5307 still change their values.
5308 2 Also lock the values, cannot change
5309 the items. If an item is a List or
5310 Dictionary, cannot add or remove
5311 items, but can still change the
5312 values.
5313 3 Like 2 but for the List/Dictionary in
5314 the List/Dictionary, one level deeper.
5315 The default [depth] is 2, thus when {name} is a List
5316 or Dictionary the values cannot be changed.
5317 *E743*
5318 For unlimited depth use [!] and omit [depth].
5319 However, there is a maximum depth of 100 to catch
5320 loops.
5321
5322 Note that when two variables refer to the same List
5323 and you lock one of them, the List will also be locked
5324 when used through the other variable. Example: >
5325 :let l = [0, 1, 2, 3]
5326 :let cl = l
5327 :lockvar l
5328 :let cl[1] = 99 " won't work!
5329< You may want to make a copy of a list to avoid this.
5330 See |deepcopy()|.
5331
5332
5333:unlo[ckvar][!] [depth] {name} ... *:unlockvar* *:unlo*
5334 Unlock the internal variable {name}. Does the
5335 opposite of |:lockvar|.
5336
5337
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005338:if {expr1} *:if* *:endif* *:en* *E171* *E579* *E580*
5339:en[dif] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5340 or ":endif" if {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5341
5342 From Vim version 4.5 until 5.0, every Ex command in
5343 between the ":if" and ":endif" is ignored. These two
5344 commands were just to allow for future expansions in a
5345 backwards compatible way. Nesting was allowed. Note
5346 that any ":else" or ":elseif" was ignored, the "else"
5347 part was not executed either.
5348
5349 You can use this to remain compatible with older
5350 versions: >
5351 :if version >= 500
5352 : version-5-specific-commands
5353 :endif
5354< The commands still need to be parsed to find the
5355 "endif". Sometimes an older Vim has a problem with a
5356 new command. For example, ":silent" is recognized as
5357 a ":substitute" command. In that case ":execute" can
5358 avoid problems: >
5359 :if version >= 600
5360 : execute "silent 1,$delete"
5361 :endif
5362<
5363 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
5364 properly in between ":if" and ":endif".
5365
5366 *:else* *:el* *E581* *E583*
5367:el[se] Execute the commands until the next matching ":else"
5368 or ":endif" if they previously were not being
5369 executed.
5370
5371 *:elseif* *:elsei* *E582* *E584*
5372:elsei[f] {expr1} Short for ":else" ":if", with the addition that there
5373 is no extra ":endif".
5374
5375:wh[ile] {expr1} *:while* *:endwhile* *:wh* *:endw*
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005376 *E170* *E585* *E588* *E733*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005377:endw[hile] Repeat the commands between ":while" and ":endwhile",
5378 as long as {expr1} evaluates to non-zero.
5379 When an error is detected from a command inside the
5380 loop, execution continues after the "endwhile".
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005381 Example: >
5382 :let lnum = 1
5383 :while lnum <= line("$")
5384 :call FixLine(lnum)
5385 :let lnum = lnum + 1
5386 :endwhile
5387<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005388 NOTE: The ":append" and ":insert" commands don't work
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005389 properly inside a ":while" and ":for" loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005390
Bram Moolenaar3a3a7232005-01-17 22:16:15 +00005391:for {var} in {list} *:for* *E690* *E732*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005392:endfo[r] *:endfo* *:endfor*
5393 Repeat the commands between ":for" and ":endfor" for
Bram Moolenaar3a7c85b2005-02-05 21:39:53 +00005394 each item in {list}. Variable {var} is set to the
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005395 value of each item.
5396 When an error is detected for a command inside the
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005397 loop, execution continues after the "endfor".
Bram Moolenaar572cb562005-08-05 21:35:02 +00005398 Changing {list} inside the loop affects what items are
5399 used. Make a copy if this is unwanted: >
Bram Moolenaarde8866b2005-01-06 23:24:37 +00005400 :for item in copy(mylist)
5401< When not making a copy, Vim stores a reference to the
5402 next item in the list, before executing the commands
5403 with the current item. Thus the current item can be
5404 removed without effect. Removing any later item means
5405 it will not be found. Thus the following example
5406 works (an inefficient way to make a list empty): >
5407 :for item in mylist
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005408 :call remove(mylist, 0)
5409 :endfor
Bram Moolenaar9588a0f2005-01-08 21:45:39 +00005410< Note that reordering the list (e.g., with sort() or
5411 reverse()) may have unexpected effects.
5412 Note that the type of each list item should be
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005413 identical to avoid errors for the type of {var}
5414 changing. Unlet the variable at the end of the loop
5415 to allow multiple item types.
5416
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005417:for [{var1}, {var2}, ...] in {listlist}
5418:endfo[r]
5419 Like ":for" above, but each item in {listlist} must be
5420 a list, of which each item is assigned to {var1},
5421 {var2}, etc. Example: >
5422 :for [lnum, col] in [[1, 3], [2, 5], [3, 8]]
5423 :echo getline(lnum)[col]
5424 :endfor
5425<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005426 *:continue* *:con* *E586*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005427:con[tinue] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, jumps back
5428 to the start of the loop.
5429 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5430 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5431 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5432 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5433 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5434 ":endtry" then jumps back to the start of the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005435
5436 *:break* *:brea* *E587*
Bram Moolenaar12805862005-01-05 22:16:17 +00005437:brea[k] When used inside a ":while" or ":for" loop, skips to
5438 the command after the matching ":endwhile" or
5439 ":endfor".
5440 If it is used after a |:try| inside the loop but
5441 before the matching |:finally| (if present), the
5442 commands following the ":finally" up to the matching
5443 |:endtry| are executed first. This process applies to
5444 all nested ":try"s inside the loop. The outermost
5445 ":endtry" then jumps to the command after the loop.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005446
5447:try *:try* *:endt* *:endtry* *E600* *E601* *E602*
5448:endt[ry] Change the error handling for the commands between
5449 ":try" and ":endtry" including everything being
5450 executed across ":source" commands, function calls,
5451 or autocommand invocations.
5452
5453 When an error or interrupt is detected and there is
5454 a |:finally| command following, execution continues
5455 after the ":finally". Otherwise, or when the
5456 ":endtry" is reached thereafter, the next
5457 (dynamically) surrounding ":try" is checked for
5458 a corresponding ":finally" etc. Then the script
5459 processing is terminated. (Whether a function
5460 definition has an "abort" argument does not matter.)
5461 Example: >
5462 :try | edit too much | finally | echo "cleanup" | endtry
5463 :echo "impossible" " not reached, script terminated above
5464<
5465 Moreover, an error or interrupt (dynamically) inside
5466 ":try" and ":endtry" is converted to an exception. It
5467 can be caught as if it were thrown by a |:throw|
5468 command (see |:catch|). In this case, the script
5469 processing is not terminated.
5470
5471 The value "Vim:Interrupt" is used for an interrupt
5472 exception. An error in a Vim command is converted
5473 to a value of the form "Vim({command}):{errmsg}",
5474 other errors are converted to a value of the form
5475 "Vim:{errmsg}". {command} is the full command name,
5476 and {errmsg} is the message that is displayed if the
5477 error exception is not caught, always beginning with
5478 the error number.
5479 Examples: >
5480 :try | sleep 100 | catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ | endtry
5481 :try | edit | catch /^Vim(edit):E\d\+/ | echo "error" | endtry
5482<
5483 *:cat* *:catch* *E603* *E604* *E605*
5484:cat[ch] /{pattern}/ The following commands until the next ":catch",
5485 |:finally|, or |:endtry| that belongs to the same
5486 |:try| as the ":catch" are executed when an exception
5487 matching {pattern} is being thrown and has not yet
5488 been caught by a previous ":catch". Otherwise, these
5489 commands are skipped.
5490 When {pattern} is omitted all errors are caught.
5491 Examples: >
5492 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/ " catch interrupts (CTRL-C)
5493 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E/ " catch all Vim errors
5494 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:/ " catch errors and interrupts
5495 :catch /^Vim(write):/ " catch all errors in :write
5496 :catch /^Vim\%((\a\+)\)\=:E123/ " catch error E123
5497 :catch /my-exception/ " catch user exception
5498 :catch /.*/ " catch everything
5499 :catch " same as /.*/
5500<
5501 Another character can be used instead of / around the
5502 {pattern}, so long as it does not have a special
5503 meaning (e.g., '|' or '"') and doesn't occur inside
5504 {pattern}.
5505 NOTE: It is not reliable to ":catch" the TEXT of
5506 an error message because it may vary in different
5507 locales.
5508
5509 *:fina* *:finally* *E606* *E607*
5510:fina[lly] The following commands until the matching |:endtry|
5511 are executed whenever the part between the matching
5512 |:try| and the ":finally" is left: either by falling
5513 through to the ":finally" or by a |:continue|,
5514 |:break|, |:finish|, or |:return|, or by an error or
5515 interrupt or exception (see |:throw|).
5516
5517 *:th* *:throw* *E608*
5518:th[row] {expr1} The {expr1} is evaluated and thrown as an exception.
5519 If the ":throw" is used after a |:try| but before the
5520 first corresponding |:catch|, commands are skipped
5521 until the first ":catch" matching {expr1} is reached.
5522 If there is no such ":catch" or if the ":throw" is
5523 used after a ":catch" but before the |:finally|, the
5524 commands following the ":finally" (if present) up to
5525 the matching |:endtry| are executed. If the ":throw"
5526 is after the ":finally", commands up to the ":endtry"
5527 are skipped. At the ":endtry", this process applies
5528 again for the next dynamically surrounding ":try"
5529 (which may be found in a calling function or sourcing
5530 script), until a matching ":catch" has been found.
5531 If the exception is not caught, the command processing
5532 is terminated.
5533 Example: >
5534 :try | throw "oops" | catch /^oo/ | echo "caught" | endtry
5535<
5536
5537 *:ec* *:echo*
5538:ec[ho] {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, with a space in between. The
5539 first {expr1} starts on a new line.
5540 Also see |:comment|.
5541 Use "\n" to start a new line. Use "\r" to move the
5542 cursor to the first column.
5543 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5544 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5545 Example: >
5546 :echo "the value of 'shell' is" &shell
5547< A later redraw may make the message disappear again.
5548 To avoid that a command from before the ":echo" causes
5549 a redraw afterwards (redraws are often postponed until
5550 you type something), force a redraw with the |:redraw|
5551 command. Example: >
5552 :new | redraw | echo "there is a new window"
5553<
5554 *:echon*
5555:echon {expr1} .. Echoes each {expr1}, without anything added. Also see
5556 |:comment|.
5557 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5558 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5559 Example: >
5560 :echon "the value of 'shell' is " &shell
5561<
5562 Note the difference between using ":echo", which is a
5563 Vim command, and ":!echo", which is an external shell
5564 command: >
5565 :!echo % --> filename
5566< The arguments of ":!" are expanded, see |:_%|. >
5567 :!echo "%" --> filename or "filename"
5568< Like the previous example. Whether you see the double
5569 quotes or not depends on your 'shell'. >
5570 :echo % --> nothing
5571< The '%' is an illegal character in an expression. >
5572 :echo "%" --> %
5573< This just echoes the '%' character. >
5574 :echo expand("%") --> filename
5575< This calls the expand() function to expand the '%'.
5576
5577 *:echoh* *:echohl*
5578:echoh[l] {name} Use the highlight group {name} for the following
5579 |:echo|, |:echon| and |:echomsg| commands. Also used
5580 for the |input()| prompt. Example: >
5581 :echohl WarningMsg | echo "Don't panic!" | echohl None
5582< Don't forget to set the group back to "None",
5583 otherwise all following echo's will be highlighted.
5584
5585 *:echom* *:echomsg*
5586:echom[sg] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as a true message, saving the
5587 message in the |message-history|.
5588 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5589 |:echo| command. But unprintable characters are
5590 displayed, not interpreted.
5591 Uses the highlighting set by the |:echohl| command.
5592 Example: >
5593 :echomsg "It's a Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz, as you can plainly see."
5594<
5595 *:echoe* *:echoerr*
5596:echoe[rr] {expr1} .. Echo the expression(s) as an error message, saving the
5597 message in the |message-history|. When used in a
5598 script or function the line number will be added.
5599 Spaces are placed between the arguments as with the
5600 :echo command. When used inside a try conditional,
5601 the message is raised as an error exception instead
5602 (see |try-echoerr|).
5603 Example: >
5604 :echoerr "This script just failed!"
5605< If you just want a highlighted message use |:echohl|.
5606 And to get a beep: >
5607 :exe "normal \<Esc>"
5608<
5609 *:exe* *:execute*
5610:exe[cute] {expr1} .. Executes the string that results from the evaluation
5611 of {expr1} as an Ex command. Multiple arguments are
5612 concatenated, with a space in between. {expr1} is
5613 used as the processed command, command line editing
5614 keys are not recognized.
5615 Cannot be followed by a comment.
5616 Examples: >
5617 :execute "buffer " nextbuf
5618 :execute "normal " count . "w"
5619<
5620 ":execute" can be used to append a command to commands
5621 that don't accept a '|'. Example: >
5622 :execute '!ls' | echo "theend"
5623
5624< ":execute" is also a nice way to avoid having to type
5625 control characters in a Vim script for a ":normal"
5626 command: >
5627 :execute "normal ixxx\<Esc>"
5628< This has an <Esc> character, see |expr-string|.
5629
5630 Note: The executed string may be any command-line, but
Bram Moolenaard8b02732005-01-14 21:48:43 +00005631 you cannot start or end a "while", "for" or "if"
5632 command. Thus this is illegal: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00005633 :execute 'while i > 5'
5634 :execute 'echo "test" | break'
5635<
5636 It is allowed to have a "while" or "if" command
5637 completely in the executed string: >
5638 :execute 'while i < 5 | echo i | let i = i + 1 | endwhile'
5639<
5640
5641 *:comment*
5642 ":execute", ":echo" and ":echon" cannot be followed by
5643 a comment directly, because they see the '"' as the
5644 start of a string. But, you can use '|' followed by a
5645 comment. Example: >
5646 :echo "foo" | "this is a comment
5647
5648==============================================================================
56498. Exception handling *exception-handling*
5650
5651The Vim script language comprises an exception handling feature. This section
5652explains how it can be used in a Vim script.
5653
5654Exceptions may be raised by Vim on an error or on interrupt, see
5655|catch-errors| and |catch-interrupt|. You can also explicitly throw an
5656exception by using the ":throw" command, see |throw-catch|.
5657
5658
5659TRY CONDITIONALS *try-conditionals*
5660
5661Exceptions can be caught or can cause cleanup code to be executed. You can
5662use a try conditional to specify catch clauses (that catch exceptions) and/or
5663a finally clause (to be executed for cleanup).
5664 A try conditional begins with a |:try| command and ends at the matching
5665|:endtry| command. In between, you can use a |:catch| command to start
5666a catch clause, or a |:finally| command to start a finally clause. There may
5667be none or multiple catch clauses, but there is at most one finally clause,
5668which must not be followed by any catch clauses. The lines before the catch
5669clauses and the finally clause is called a try block. >
5670
5671 :try
5672 : ...
5673 : ... TRY BLOCK
5674 : ...
5675 :catch /{pattern}/
5676 : ...
5677 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5678 : ...
5679 :catch /{pattern}/
5680 : ...
5681 : ... CATCH CLAUSE
5682 : ...
5683 :finally
5684 : ...
5685 : ... FINALLY CLAUSE
5686 : ...
5687 :endtry
5688
5689The try conditional allows to watch code for exceptions and to take the
5690appropriate actions. Exceptions from the try block may be caught. Exceptions
5691from the try block and also the catch clauses may cause cleanup actions.
5692 When no exception is thrown during execution of the try block, the control
5693is transferred to the finally clause, if present. After its execution, the
5694script continues with the line following the ":endtry".
5695 When an exception occurs during execution of the try block, the remaining
5696lines in the try block are skipped. The exception is matched against the
5697patterns specified as arguments to the ":catch" commands. The catch clause
5698after the first matching ":catch" is taken, other catch clauses are not
5699executed. The catch clause ends when the next ":catch", ":finally", or
5700":endtry" command is reached - whatever is first. Then, the finally clause
5701(if present) is executed. When the ":endtry" is reached, the script execution
5702continues in the following line as usual.
5703 When an exception that does not match any of the patterns specified by the
5704":catch" commands is thrown in the try block, the exception is not caught by
5705that try conditional and none of the catch clauses is executed. Only the
5706finally clause, if present, is taken. The exception pends during execution of
5707the finally clause. It is resumed at the ":endtry", so that commands after
5708the ":endtry" are not executed and the exception might be caught elsewhere,
5709see |try-nesting|.
5710 When during execution of a catch clause another exception is thrown, the
5711remaining lines in that catch clause are not executed. The new exception is
5712not matched against the patterns in any of the ":catch" commands of the same
5713try conditional and none of its catch clauses is taken. If there is, however,
5714a finally clause, it is executed, and the exception pends during its
5715execution. The commands following the ":endtry" are not executed. The new
5716exception might, however, be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5717 When during execution of the finally clause (if present) an exception is
5718thrown, the remaining lines in the finally clause are skipped. If the finally
5719clause has been taken because of an exception from the try block or one of the
5720catch clauses, the original (pending) exception is discarded. The commands
5721following the ":endtry" are not executed, and the exception from the finally
5722clause is propagated and can be caught elsewhere, see |try-nesting|.
5723
5724The finally clause is also executed, when a ":break" or ":continue" for
5725a ":while" loop enclosing the complete try conditional is executed from the
5726try block or a catch clause. Or when a ":return" or ":finish" is executed
5727from the try block or a catch clause of a try conditional in a function or
5728sourced script, respectively. The ":break", ":continue", ":return", or
5729":finish" pends during execution of the finally clause and is resumed when the
5730":endtry" is reached. It is, however, discarded when an exception is thrown
5731from the finally clause.
5732 When a ":break" or ":continue" for a ":while" loop enclosing the complete
5733try conditional or when a ":return" or ":finish" is encountered in the finally
5734clause, the rest of the finally clause is skipped, and the ":break",
5735":continue", ":return" or ":finish" is executed as usual. If the finally
5736clause has been taken because of an exception or an earlier ":break",
5737":continue", ":return", or ":finish" from the try block or a catch clause,
5738this pending exception or command is discarded.
5739
5740For examples see |throw-catch| and |try-finally|.
5741
5742
5743NESTING OF TRY CONDITIONALS *try-nesting*
5744
5745Try conditionals can be nested arbitrarily. That is, a complete try
5746conditional can be put into the try block, a catch clause, or the finally
5747clause of another try conditional. If the inner try conditional does not
5748catch an exception thrown in its try block or throws a new exception from one
5749of its catch clauses or its finally clause, the outer try conditional is
5750checked according to the rules above. If the inner try conditional is in the
5751try block of the outer try conditional, its catch clauses are checked, but
5752otherwise only the finally clause is executed. It does not matter for
5753nesting, whether the inner try conditional is directly contained in the outer
5754one, or whether the outer one sources a script or calls a function containing
5755the inner try conditional.
5756
5757When none of the active try conditionals catches an exception, just their
5758finally clauses are executed. Thereafter, the script processing terminates.
5759An error message is displayed in case of an uncaught exception explicitly
5760thrown by a ":throw" command. For uncaught error and interrupt exceptions
5761implicitly raised by Vim, the error message(s) or interrupt message are shown
5762as usual.
5763
5764For examples see |throw-catch|.
5765
5766
5767EXAMINING EXCEPTION HANDLING CODE *except-examine*
5768
5769Exception handling code can get tricky. If you are in doubt what happens, set
5770'verbose' to 13 or use the ":13verbose" command modifier when sourcing your
5771script file. Then you see when an exception is thrown, discarded, caught, or
5772finished. When using a verbosity level of at least 14, things pending in
5773a finally clause are also shown. This information is also given in debug mode
5774(see |debug-scripts|).
5775
5776
5777THROWING AND CATCHING EXCEPTIONS *throw-catch*
5778
5779You can throw any number or string as an exception. Use the |:throw| command
5780and pass the value to be thrown as argument: >
5781 :throw 4711
5782 :throw "string"
5783< *throw-expression*
5784You can also specify an expression argument. The expression is then evaluated
5785first, and the result is thrown: >
5786 :throw 4705 + strlen("string")
5787 :throw strpart("strings", 0, 6)
5788
5789An exception might be thrown during evaluation of the argument of the ":throw"
5790command. Unless it is caught there, the expression evaluation is abandoned.
5791The ":throw" command then does not throw a new exception.
5792 Example: >
5793
5794 :function! Foo(arg)
5795 : try
5796 : throw a:arg
5797 : catch /foo/
5798 : endtry
5799 : return 1
5800 :endfunction
5801 :
5802 :function! Bar()
5803 : echo "in Bar"
5804 : return 4710
5805 :endfunction
5806 :
5807 :throw Foo("arrgh") + Bar()
5808
5809This throws "arrgh", and "in Bar" is not displayed since Bar() is not
5810executed. >
5811 :throw Foo("foo") + Bar()
5812however displays "in Bar" and throws 4711.
5813
5814Any other command that takes an expression as argument might also be
5815abandoned by an (uncaught) exception during the expression evaluation. The
5816exception is then propagated to the caller of the command.
5817 Example: >
5818
5819 :if Foo("arrgh")
5820 : echo "then"
5821 :else
5822 : echo "else"
5823 :endif
5824
5825Here neither of "then" or "else" is displayed.
5826
5827 *catch-order*
5828Exceptions can be caught by a try conditional with one or more |:catch|
5829commands, see |try-conditionals|. The values to be caught by each ":catch"
5830command can be specified as a pattern argument. The subsequent catch clause
5831gets executed when a matching exception is caught.
5832 Example: >
5833
5834 :function! Foo(value)
5835 : try
5836 : throw a:value
5837 : catch /^\d\+$/
5838 : echo "Number thrown"
5839 : catch /.*/
5840 : echo "String thrown"
5841 : endtry
5842 :endfunction
5843 :
5844 :call Foo(0x1267)
5845 :call Foo('string')
5846
5847The first call to Foo() displays "Number thrown", the second "String thrown".
5848An exception is matched against the ":catch" commands in the order they are
5849specified. Only the first match counts. So you should place the more
5850specific ":catch" first. The following order does not make sense: >
5851
5852 : catch /.*/
5853 : echo "String thrown"
5854 : catch /^\d\+$/
5855 : echo "Number thrown"
5856
5857The first ":catch" here matches always, so that the second catch clause is
5858never taken.
5859
5860 *throw-variables*
5861If you catch an exception by a general pattern, you may access the exact value
5862in the variable |v:exception|: >
5863
5864 : catch /^\d\+$/
5865 : echo "Number thrown. Value is" v:exception
5866
5867You may also be interested where an exception was thrown. This is stored in
5868|v:throwpoint|. Note that "v:exception" and "v:throwpoint" are valid for the
5869exception most recently caught as long it is not finished.
5870 Example: >
5871
5872 :function! Caught()
5873 : if v:exception != ""
5874 : echo 'Caught "' . v:exception . '" in ' . v:throwpoint
5875 : else
5876 : echo 'Nothing caught'
5877 : endif
5878 :endfunction
5879 :
5880 :function! Foo()
5881 : try
5882 : try
5883 : try
5884 : throw 4711
5885 : finally
5886 : call Caught()
5887 : endtry
5888 : catch /.*/
5889 : call Caught()
5890 : throw "oops"
5891 : endtry
5892 : catch /.*/
5893 : call Caught()
5894 : finally
5895 : call Caught()
5896 : endtry
5897 :endfunction
5898 :
5899 :call Foo()
5900
5901This displays >
5902
5903 Nothing caught
5904 Caught "4711" in function Foo, line 4
5905 Caught "oops" in function Foo, line 10
5906 Nothing caught
5907
5908A practical example: The following command ":LineNumber" displays the line
5909number in the script or function where it has been used: >
5910
5911 :function! LineNumber()
5912 : return substitute(v:throwpoint, '.*\D\(\d\+\).*', '\1', "")
5913 :endfunction
5914 :command! LineNumber try | throw "" | catch | echo LineNumber() | endtry
5915<
5916 *try-nested*
5917An exception that is not caught by a try conditional can be caught by
5918a surrounding try conditional: >
5919
5920 :try
5921 : try
5922 : throw "foo"
5923 : catch /foobar/
5924 : echo "foobar"
5925 : finally
5926 : echo "inner finally"
5927 : endtry
5928 :catch /foo/
5929 : echo "foo"
5930 :endtry
5931
5932The inner try conditional does not catch the exception, just its finally
5933clause is executed. The exception is then caught by the outer try
5934conditional. The example displays "inner finally" and then "foo".
5935
5936 *throw-from-catch*
5937You can catch an exception and throw a new one to be caught elsewhere from the
5938catch clause: >
5939
5940 :function! Foo()
5941 : throw "foo"
5942 :endfunction
5943 :
5944 :function! Bar()
5945 : try
5946 : call Foo()
5947 : catch /foo/
5948 : echo "Caught foo, throw bar"
5949 : throw "bar"
5950 : endtry
5951 :endfunction
5952 :
5953 :try
5954 : call Bar()
5955 :catch /.*/
5956 : echo "Caught" v:exception
5957 :endtry
5958
5959This displays "Caught foo, throw bar" and then "Caught bar".
5960
5961 *rethrow*
5962There is no real rethrow in the Vim script language, but you may throw
5963"v:exception" instead: >
5964
5965 :function! Bar()
5966 : try
5967 : call Foo()
5968 : catch /.*/
5969 : echo "Rethrow" v:exception
5970 : throw v:exception
5971 : endtry
5972 :endfunction
5973< *try-echoerr*
5974Note that this method cannot be used to "rethrow" Vim error or interrupt
5975exceptions, because it is not possible to fake Vim internal exceptions.
5976Trying so causes an error exception. You should throw your own exception
5977denoting the situation. If you want to cause a Vim error exception containing
5978the original error exception value, you can use the |:echoerr| command: >
5979
5980 :try
5981 : try
5982 : asdf
5983 : catch /.*/
5984 : echoerr v:exception
5985 : endtry
5986 :catch /.*/
5987 : echo v:exception
5988 :endtry
5989
5990This code displays
5991
5992 Vim(echoerr):Vim:E492: Not an editor command: asdf ~
5993
5994
5995CLEANUP CODE *try-finally*
5996
5997Scripts often change global settings and restore them at their end. If the
5998user however interrupts the script by pressing CTRL-C, the settings remain in
5999an inconsistent state. The same may happen to you in the development phase of
6000a script when an error occurs or you explicitly throw an exception without
6001catching it. You can solve these problems by using a try conditional with
6002a finally clause for restoring the settings. Its execution is guaranteed on
6003normal control flow, on error, on an explicit ":throw", and on interrupt.
6004(Note that errors and interrupts from inside the try conditional are converted
6005to exceptions. When not caught, they terminate the script after the finally
6006clause has been executed.)
6007Example: >
6008
6009 :try
6010 : let s:saved_ts = &ts
6011 : set ts=17
6012 :
6013 : " Do the hard work here.
6014 :
6015 :finally
6016 : let &ts = s:saved_ts
6017 : unlet s:saved_ts
6018 :endtry
6019
6020This method should be used locally whenever a function or part of a script
6021changes global settings which need to be restored on failure or normal exit of
6022that function or script part.
6023
6024 *break-finally*
6025Cleanup code works also when the try block or a catch clause is left by
6026a ":continue", ":break", ":return", or ":finish".
6027 Example: >
6028
6029 :let first = 1
6030 :while 1
6031 : try
6032 : if first
6033 : echo "first"
6034 : let first = 0
6035 : continue
6036 : else
6037 : throw "second"
6038 : endif
6039 : catch /.*/
6040 : echo v:exception
6041 : break
6042 : finally
6043 : echo "cleanup"
6044 : endtry
6045 : echo "still in while"
6046 :endwhile
6047 :echo "end"
6048
6049This displays "first", "cleanup", "second", "cleanup", and "end". >
6050
6051 :function! Foo()
6052 : try
6053 : return 4711
6054 : finally
6055 : echo "cleanup\n"
6056 : endtry
6057 : echo "Foo still active"
6058 :endfunction
6059 :
6060 :echo Foo() "returned by Foo"
6061
6062This displays "cleanup" and "4711 returned by Foo". You don't need to add an
6063extra ":return" in the finally clause. (Above all, this would override the
6064return value.)
6065
6066 *except-from-finally*
6067Using either of ":continue", ":break", ":return", ":finish", or ":throw" in
6068a finally clause is possible, but not recommended since it abandons the
6069cleanup actions for the try conditional. But, of course, interrupt and error
6070exceptions might get raised from a finally clause.
6071 Example where an error in the finally clause stops an interrupt from
6072working correctly: >
6073
6074 :try
6075 : try
6076 : echo "Press CTRL-C for interrupt"
6077 : while 1
6078 : endwhile
6079 : finally
6080 : unlet novar
6081 : endtry
6082 :catch /novar/
6083 :endtry
6084 :echo "Script still running"
6085 :sleep 1
6086
6087If you need to put commands that could fail into a finally clause, you should
6088think about catching or ignoring the errors in these commands, see
6089|catch-errors| and |ignore-errors|.
6090
6091
6092CATCHING ERRORS *catch-errors*
6093
6094If you want to catch specific errors, you just have to put the code to be
6095watched in a try block and add a catch clause for the error message. The
6096presence of the try conditional causes all errors to be converted to an
6097exception. No message is displayed and |v:errmsg| is not set then. To find
6098the right pattern for the ":catch" command, you have to know how the format of
6099the error exception is.
6100 Error exceptions have the following format: >
6101
6102 Vim({cmdname}):{errmsg}
6103or >
6104 Vim:{errmsg}
6105
6106{cmdname} is the name of the command that failed; the second form is used when
6107the command name is not known. {errmsg} is the error message usually produced
6108when the error occurs outside try conditionals. It always begins with
6109a capital "E", followed by a two or three-digit error number, a colon, and
6110a space.
6111
6112Examples:
6113
6114The command >
6115 :unlet novar
6116normally produces the error message >
6117 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6118which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6119 Vim(unlet):E108: No such variable: "novar"
6120
6121The command >
6122 :dwim
6123normally produces the error message >
6124 E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6125which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6126 Vim:E492: Not an editor command: dwim
6127
6128You can catch all ":unlet" errors by a >
6129 :catch /^Vim(unlet):/
6130or all errors for misspelled command names by a >
6131 :catch /^Vim:E492:/
6132
6133Some error messages may be produced by different commands: >
6134 :function nofunc
6135and >
6136 :delfunction nofunc
6137both produce the error message >
6138 E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6139which is converted inside try conditionals to an exception >
6140 Vim(function):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6141or >
6142 Vim(delfunction):E128: Function name must start with a capital: nofunc
6143respectively. You can catch the error by its number independently on the
6144command that caused it if you use the following pattern: >
6145 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E128:/
6146
6147Some commands like >
6148 :let x = novar
6149produce multiple error messages, here: >
6150 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6151 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6152Only the first is used for the exception value, since it is the most specific
6153one (see |except-several-errors|). So you can catch it by >
6154 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E121:/
6155
6156You can catch all errors related to the name "nofunc" by >
6157 :catch /\<nofunc\>/
6158
6159You can catch all Vim errors in the ":write" and ":read" commands by >
6160 :catch /^Vim(\(write\|read\)):E\d\+:/
6161
6162You can catch all Vim errors by the pattern >
6163 :catch /^Vim\((\a\+)\)\=:E\d\+:/
6164<
6165 *catch-text*
6166NOTE: You should never catch the error message text itself: >
6167 :catch /No such variable/
6168only works in the english locale, but not when the user has selected
6169a different language by the |:language| command. It is however helpful to
6170cite the message text in a comment: >
6171 :catch /^Vim(\a\+):E108:/ " No such variable
6172
6173
6174IGNORING ERRORS *ignore-errors*
6175
6176You can ignore errors in a specific Vim command by catching them locally: >
6177
6178 :try
6179 : write
6180 :catch
6181 :endtry
6182
6183But you are strongly recommended NOT to use this simple form, since it could
6184catch more than you want. With the ":write" command, some autocommands could
6185be executed and cause errors not related to writing, for instance: >
6186
6187 :au BufWritePre * unlet novar
6188
6189There could even be such errors you are not responsible for as a script
6190writer: a user of your script might have defined such autocommands. You would
6191then hide the error from the user.
6192 It is much better to use >
6193
6194 :try
6195 : write
6196 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6197 :endtry
6198
6199which only catches real write errors. So catch only what you'd like to ignore
6200intentionally.
6201
6202For a single command that does not cause execution of autocommands, you could
6203even suppress the conversion of errors to exceptions by the ":silent!"
6204command: >
6205 :silent! nunmap k
6206This works also when a try conditional is active.
6207
6208
6209CATCHING INTERRUPTS *catch-interrupt*
6210
6211When there are active try conditionals, an interrupt (CTRL-C) is converted to
6212the exception "Vim:Interrupt". You can catch it like every exception. The
6213script is not terminated, then.
6214 Example: >
6215
6216 :function! TASK1()
6217 : sleep 10
6218 :endfunction
6219
6220 :function! TASK2()
6221 : sleep 20
6222 :endfunction
6223
6224 :while 1
6225 : let command = input("Type a command: ")
6226 : try
6227 : if command == ""
6228 : continue
6229 : elseif command == "END"
6230 : break
6231 : elseif command == "TASK1"
6232 : call TASK1()
6233 : elseif command == "TASK2"
6234 : call TASK2()
6235 : else
6236 : echo "\nIllegal command:" command
6237 : continue
6238 : endif
6239 : catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6240 : echo "\nCommand interrupted"
6241 : " Caught the interrupt. Continue with next prompt.
6242 : endtry
6243 :endwhile
6244
6245You can interrupt a task here by pressing CTRL-C; the script then asks for
6246a new command. If you press CTRL-C at the prompt, the script is terminated.
6247
6248For testing what happens when CTRL-C would be pressed on a specific line in
6249your script, use the debug mode and execute the |>quit| or |>interrupt|
6250command on that line. See |debug-scripts|.
6251
6252
6253CATCHING ALL *catch-all*
6254
6255The commands >
6256
6257 :catch /.*/
6258 :catch //
6259 :catch
6260
6261catch everything, error exceptions, interrupt exceptions and exceptions
6262explicitly thrown by the |:throw| command. This is useful at the top level of
6263a script in order to catch unexpected things.
6264 Example: >
6265
6266 :try
6267 :
6268 : " do the hard work here
6269 :
6270 :catch /MyException/
6271 :
6272 : " handle known problem
6273 :
6274 :catch /^Vim:Interrupt$/
6275 : echo "Script interrupted"
6276 :catch /.*/
6277 : echo "Internal error (" . v:exception . ")"
6278 : echo " - occurred at " . v:throwpoint
6279 :endtry
6280 :" end of script
6281
6282Note: Catching all might catch more things than you want. Thus, you are
6283strongly encouraged to catch only for problems that you can really handle by
6284specifying a pattern argument to the ":catch".
6285 Example: Catching all could make it nearly impossible to interrupt a script
6286by pressing CTRL-C: >
6287
6288 :while 1
6289 : try
6290 : sleep 1
6291 : catch
6292 : endtry
6293 :endwhile
6294
6295
6296EXCEPTIONS AND AUTOCOMMANDS *except-autocmd*
6297
6298Exceptions may be used during execution of autocommands. Example: >
6299
6300 :autocmd User x try
6301 :autocmd User x throw "Oops!"
6302 :autocmd User x catch
6303 :autocmd User x echo v:exception
6304 :autocmd User x endtry
6305 :autocmd User x throw "Arrgh!"
6306 :autocmd User x echo "Should not be displayed"
6307 :
6308 :try
6309 : doautocmd User x
6310 :catch
6311 : echo v:exception
6312 :endtry
6313
6314This displays "Oops!" and "Arrgh!".
6315
6316 *except-autocmd-Pre*
6317For some commands, autocommands get executed before the main action of the
6318command takes place. If an exception is thrown and not caught in the sequence
6319of autocommands, the sequence and the command that caused its execution are
6320abandoned and the exception is propagated to the caller of the command.
6321 Example: >
6322
6323 :autocmd BufWritePre * throw "FAIL"
6324 :autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Should not be displayed"
6325 :
6326 :try
6327 : write
6328 :catch
6329 : echo "Caught:" v:exception "from" v:throwpoint
6330 :endtry
6331
6332Here, the ":write" command does not write the file currently being edited (as
6333you can see by checking 'modified'), since the exception from the BufWritePre
6334autocommand abandons the ":write". The exception is then caught and the
6335script displays: >
6336
6337 Caught: FAIL from BufWrite Auto commands for "*"
6338<
6339 *except-autocmd-Post*
6340For some commands, autocommands get executed after the main action of the
6341command has taken place. If this main action fails and the command is inside
6342an active try conditional, the autocommands are skipped and an error exception
6343is thrown that can be caught by the caller of the command.
6344 Example: >
6345
6346 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "File successfully written!"
6347 :
6348 :try
6349 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6350 :catch
6351 : echo v:exception
6352 :endtry
6353
6354This just displays: >
6355
6356 Vim(write):E212: Can't open file for writing (/i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e)
6357
6358If you really need to execute the autocommands even when the main action
6359fails, trigger the event from the catch clause.
6360 Example: >
6361
6362 :autocmd BufWritePre * set noreadonly
6363 :autocmd BufWritePost * set readonly
6364 :
6365 :try
6366 : write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6367 :catch
6368 : doautocmd BufWritePost /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6369 :endtry
6370<
6371You can also use ":silent!": >
6372
6373 :let x = "ok"
6374 :let v:errmsg = ""
6375 :autocmd BufWritePost * if v:errmsg != ""
6376 :autocmd BufWritePost * let x = "after fail"
6377 :autocmd BufWritePost * endif
6378 :try
6379 : silent! write /i/m/p/o/s/s/i/b/l/e
6380 :catch
6381 :endtry
6382 :echo x
6383
6384This displays "after fail".
6385
6386If the main action of the command does not fail, exceptions from the
6387autocommands will be catchable by the caller of the command: >
6388
6389 :autocmd BufWritePost * throw ":-("
6390 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo "Should not be displayed"
6391 :
6392 :try
6393 : write
6394 :catch
6395 : echo v:exception
6396 :endtry
6397<
6398 *except-autocmd-Cmd*
6399For some commands, the normal action can be replaced by a sequence of
6400autocommands. Exceptions from that sequence will be catchable by the caller
6401of the command.
6402 Example: For the ":write" command, the caller cannot know whether the file
6403had actually been written when the exception occurred. You need to tell it in
6404some way. >
6405
6406 :if !exists("cnt")
6407 : let cnt = 0
6408 :
6409 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if &modified
6410 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * let cnt = cnt + 1
6411 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 2
6412 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6413 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6414 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * write | set nomodified
6415 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * if cnt % 3 == 0
6416 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * throw "BufWriteCmdError"
6417 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6418 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * echo "File successfully written!"
6419 : autocmd BufWriteCmd * endif
6420 :endif
6421 :
6422 :try
6423 : write
6424 :catch /^BufWriteCmdError$/
6425 : if &modified
6426 : echo "Error on writing (file contents not changed)"
6427 : else
6428 : echo "Error after writing"
6429 : endif
6430 :catch /^Vim(write):/
6431 : echo "Error on writing"
6432 :endtry
6433
6434When this script is sourced several times after making changes, it displays
6435first >
6436 File successfully written!
6437then >
6438 Error on writing (file contents not changed)
6439then >
6440 Error after writing
6441etc.
6442
6443 *except-autocmd-ill*
6444You cannot spread a try conditional over autocommands for different events.
6445The following code is ill-formed: >
6446
6447 :autocmd BufWritePre * try
6448 :
6449 :autocmd BufWritePost * catch
6450 :autocmd BufWritePost * echo v:exception
6451 :autocmd BufWritePost * endtry
6452 :
6453 :write
6454
6455
6456EXCEPTION HIERARCHIES AND PARAMETERIZED EXCEPTIONS *except-hier-param*
6457
6458Some programming languages allow to use hierarchies of exception classes or to
6459pass additional information with the object of an exception class. You can do
6460similar things in Vim.
6461 In order to throw an exception from a hierarchy, just throw the complete
6462class name with the components separated by a colon, for instance throw the
6463string "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW" for an overflow in a mathematical library.
6464 When you want to pass additional information with your exception class, add
6465it in parentheses, for instance throw the string "EXCEPT:IO:WRITEERR(myfile)"
6466for an error when writing "myfile".
6467 With the appropriate patterns in the ":catch" command, you can catch for
6468base classes or derived classes of your hierarchy. Additional information in
6469parentheses can be cut out from |v:exception| with the ":substitute" command.
6470 Example: >
6471
6472 :function! CheckRange(a, func)
6473 : if a:a < 0
6474 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE(" . a:func . ")"
6475 : endif
6476 :endfunction
6477 :
6478 :function! Add(a, b)
6479 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Add")
6480 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Add")
6481 : let c = a:a + a:b
6482 : if c < 0
6483 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:OVERFLOW"
6484 : endif
6485 : return c
6486 :endfunction
6487 :
6488 :function! Div(a, b)
6489 : call CheckRange(a:a, "Div")
6490 : call CheckRange(a:b, "Div")
6491 : if (a:b == 0)
6492 : throw "EXCEPT:MATHERR:ZERODIV"
6493 : endif
6494 : return a:a / a:b
6495 :endfunction
6496 :
6497 :function! Write(file)
6498 : try
6499 : execute "write" a:file
6500 : catch /^Vim(write):/
6501 : throw "EXCEPT:IO(" . getcwd() . ", " . a:file . "):WRITEERR"
6502 : endtry
6503 :endfunction
6504 :
6505 :try
6506 :
6507 : " something with arithmetics and I/O
6508 :
6509 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR:RANGE/
6510 : let function = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(\a\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6511 : echo "Range error in" function
6512 :
6513 :catch /^EXCEPT:MATHERR/ " catches OVERFLOW and ZERODIV
6514 : echo "Math error"
6515 :
6516 :catch /^EXCEPT:IO/
6517 : let dir = substitute(v:exception, '.*(\(.\+\),\s*.\+).*', '\1', "")
6518 : let file = substitute(v:exception, '.*(.\+,\s*\(.\+\)).*', '\1', "")
6519 : if file !~ '^/'
6520 : let file = dir . "/" . file
6521 : endif
6522 : echo 'I/O error for "' . file . '"'
6523 :
6524 :catch /^EXCEPT/
6525 : echo "Unspecified error"
6526 :
6527 :endtry
6528
6529The exceptions raised by Vim itself (on error or when pressing CTRL-C) use
6530a flat hierarchy: they are all in the "Vim" class. You cannot throw yourself
6531exceptions with the "Vim" prefix; they are reserved for Vim.
6532 Vim error exceptions are parameterized with the name of the command that
6533failed, if known. See |catch-errors|.
6534
6535
6536PECULIARITIES
6537 *except-compat*
6538The exception handling concept requires that the command sequence causing the
6539exception is aborted immediately and control is transferred to finally clauses
6540and/or a catch clause.
6541
6542In the Vim script language there are cases where scripts and functions
6543continue after an error: in functions without the "abort" flag or in a command
6544after ":silent!", control flow goes to the following line, and outside
6545functions, control flow goes to the line following the outermost ":endwhile"
6546or ":endif". On the other hand, errors should be catchable as exceptions
6547(thus, requiring the immediate abortion).
6548
6549This problem has been solved by converting errors to exceptions and using
6550immediate abortion (if not suppressed by ":silent!") only when a try
6551conditional is active. This is no restriction since an (error) exception can
6552be caught only from an active try conditional. If you want an immediate
6553termination without catching the error, just use a try conditional without
6554catch clause. (You can cause cleanup code being executed before termination
6555by specifying a finally clause.)
6556
6557When no try conditional is active, the usual abortion and continuation
6558behavior is used instead of immediate abortion. This ensures compatibility of
6559scripts written for Vim 6.1 and earlier.
6560
6561However, when sourcing an existing script that does not use exception handling
6562commands (or when calling one of its functions) from inside an active try
6563conditional of a new script, you might change the control flow of the existing
6564script on error. You get the immediate abortion on error and can catch the
6565error in the new script. If however the sourced script suppresses error
6566messages by using the ":silent!" command (checking for errors by testing
6567|v:errmsg| if appropriate), its execution path is not changed. The error is
6568not converted to an exception. (See |:silent|.) So the only remaining cause
6569where this happens is for scripts that don't care about errors and produce
6570error messages. You probably won't want to use such code from your new
6571scripts.
6572
6573 *except-syntax-err*
6574Syntax errors in the exception handling commands are never caught by any of
6575the ":catch" commands of the try conditional they belong to. Its finally
6576clauses, however, is executed.
6577 Example: >
6578
6579 :try
6580 : try
6581 : throw 4711
6582 : catch /\(/
6583 : echo "in catch with syntax error"
6584 : catch
6585 : echo "inner catch-all"
6586 : finally
6587 : echo "inner finally"
6588 : endtry
6589 :catch
6590 : echo 'outer catch-all caught "' . v:exception . '"'
6591 : finally
6592 : echo "outer finally"
6593 :endtry
6594
6595This displays: >
6596 inner finally
6597 outer catch-all caught "Vim(catch):E54: Unmatched \("
6598 outer finally
6599The original exception is discarded and an error exception is raised, instead.
6600
6601 *except-single-line*
6602The ":try", ":catch", ":finally", and ":endtry" commands can be put on
6603a single line, but then syntax errors may make it difficult to recognize the
6604"catch" line, thus you better avoid this.
6605 Example: >
6606 :try | unlet! foo # | catch | endtry
6607raises an error exception for the trailing characters after the ":unlet!"
6608argument, but does not see the ":catch" and ":endtry" commands, so that the
6609error exception is discarded and the "E488: Trailing characters" message gets
6610displayed.
6611
6612 *except-several-errors*
6613When several errors appear in a single command, the first error message is
6614usually the most specific one and therefor converted to the error exception.
6615 Example: >
6616 echo novar
6617causes >
6618 E121: Undefined variable: novar
6619 E15: Invalid expression: novar
6620The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6621 Vim(echo):E121: Undefined variable: novar
6622< *except-syntax-error*
6623But when a syntax error is detected after a normal error in the same command,
6624the syntax error is used for the exception being thrown.
6625 Example: >
6626 unlet novar #
6627causes >
6628 E108: No such variable: "novar"
6629 E488: Trailing characters
6630The value of the error exception inside try conditionals is: >
6631 Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters
6632This is done because the syntax error might change the execution path in a way
6633not intended by the user. Example: >
6634 try
6635 try | unlet novar # | catch | echo v:exception | endtry
6636 catch /.*/
6637 echo "outer catch:" v:exception
6638 endtry
6639This displays "outer catch: Vim(unlet):E488: Trailing characters", and then
6640a "E600: Missing :endtry" error message is given, see |except-single-line|.
6641
6642==============================================================================
66439. Examples *eval-examples*
6644
6645Printing in Hex ~
6646>
6647 :" The function Nr2Hex() returns the Hex string of a number.
6648 :func Nr2Hex(nr)
6649 : let n = a:nr
6650 : let r = ""
6651 : while n
6652 : let r = '0123456789ABCDEF'[n % 16] . r
6653 : let n = n / 16
6654 : endwhile
6655 : return r
6656 :endfunc
6657
6658 :" The function String2Hex() converts each character in a string to a two
6659 :" character Hex string.
6660 :func String2Hex(str)
6661 : let out = ''
6662 : let ix = 0
6663 : while ix < strlen(a:str)
6664 : let out = out . Nr2Hex(char2nr(a:str[ix]))
6665 : let ix = ix + 1
6666 : endwhile
6667 : return out
6668 :endfunc
6669
6670Example of its use: >
6671 :echo Nr2Hex(32)
6672result: "20" >
6673 :echo String2Hex("32")
6674result: "3332"
6675
6676
6677Sorting lines (by Robert Webb) ~
6678
6679Here is a Vim script to sort lines. Highlight the lines in Vim and type
6680":Sort". This doesn't call any external programs so it'll work on any
6681platform. The function Sort() actually takes the name of a comparison
6682function as its argument, like qsort() does in C. So you could supply it
6683with different comparison functions in order to sort according to date etc.
6684>
6685 :" Function for use with Sort(), to compare two strings.
6686 :func! Strcmp(str1, str2)
6687 : if (a:str1 < a:str2)
6688 : return -1
6689 : elseif (a:str1 > a:str2)
6690 : return 1
6691 : else
6692 : return 0
6693 : endif
6694 :endfunction
6695
6696 :" Sort lines. SortR() is called recursively.
6697 :func! SortR(start, end, cmp)
6698 : if (a:start >= a:end)
6699 : return
6700 : endif
6701 : let partition = a:start - 1
6702 : let middle = partition
6703 : let partStr = getline((a:start + a:end) / 2)
6704 : let i = a:start
6705 : while (i <= a:end)
6706 : let str = getline(i)
6707 : exec "let result = " . a:cmp . "(str, partStr)"
6708 : if (result <= 0)
6709 : " Need to put it before the partition. Swap lines i and partition.
6710 : let partition = partition + 1
6711 : if (result == 0)
6712 : let middle = partition
6713 : endif
6714 : if (i != partition)
6715 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6716 : call setline(i, str2)
6717 : call setline(partition, str)
6718 : endif
6719 : endif
6720 : let i = i + 1
6721 : endwhile
6722
6723 : " Now we have a pointer to the "middle" element, as far as partitioning
6724 : " goes, which could be anywhere before the partition. Make sure it is at
6725 : " the end of the partition.
6726 : if (middle != partition)
6727 : let str = getline(middle)
6728 : let str2 = getline(partition)
6729 : call setline(middle, str2)
6730 : call setline(partition, str)
6731 : endif
6732 : call SortR(a:start, partition - 1, a:cmp)
6733 : call SortR(partition + 1, a:end, a:cmp)
6734 :endfunc
6735
6736 :" To Sort a range of lines, pass the range to Sort() along with the name of a
6737 :" function that will compare two lines.
6738 :func! Sort(cmp) range
6739 : call SortR(a:firstline, a:lastline, a:cmp)
6740 :endfunc
6741
6742 :" :Sort takes a range of lines and sorts them.
6743 :command! -nargs=0 -range Sort <line1>,<line2>call Sort("Strcmp")
6744<
6745 *sscanf*
6746There is no sscanf() function in Vim. If you need to extract parts from a
6747line, you can use matchstr() and substitute() to do it. This example shows
6748how to get the file name, line number and column number out of a line like
6749"foobar.txt, 123, 45". >
6750 :" Set up the match bit
6751 :let mx='\(\f\+\),\s*\(\d\+\),\s*\(\d\+\)'
6752 :"get the part matching the whole expression
6753 :let l = matchstr(line, mx)
6754 :"get each item out of the match
6755 :let file = substitute(l, mx, '\1', '')
6756 :let lnum = substitute(l, mx, '\2', '')
6757 :let col = substitute(l, mx, '\3', '')
6758
6759The input is in the variable "line", the results in the variables "file",
6760"lnum" and "col". (idea from Michael Geddes)
6761
6762==============================================================================
676310. No +eval feature *no-eval-feature*
6764
6765When the |+eval| feature was disabled at compile time, none of the expression
6766evaluation commands are available. To prevent this from causing Vim scripts
6767to generate all kinds of errors, the ":if" and ":endif" commands are still
6768recognized, though the argument of the ":if" and everything between the ":if"
6769and the matching ":endif" is ignored. Nesting of ":if" blocks is allowed, but
6770only if the commands are at the start of the line. The ":else" command is not
6771recognized.
6772
6773Example of how to avoid executing commands when the |+eval| feature is
6774missing: >
6775
6776 :if 1
6777 : echo "Expression evaluation is compiled in"
6778 :else
6779 : echo "You will _never_ see this message"
6780 :endif
6781
6782==============================================================================
678311. The sandbox *eval-sandbox* *sandbox* *E48*
6784
6785The 'foldexpr', 'includeexpr', 'indentexpr', 'statusline' and 'foldtext'
6786options are evaluated in a sandbox. This means that you are protected from
6787these expressions having nasty side effects. This gives some safety for when
6788these options are set from a modeline. It is also used when the command from
6789a tags file is executed.
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006790The sandbox is also used for the |:sandbox| command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006791
6792These items are not allowed in the sandbox:
6793 - changing the buffer text
6794 - defining or changing mapping, autocommands, functions, user commands
6795 - setting certain options (see |option-summary|)
6796 - executing a shell command
6797 - reading or writing a file
6798 - jumping to another buffer or editing a file
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006799This is not guaranteed 100% secure, but it should block most attacks.
6800
6801 *:san* *:sandbox*
Bram Moolenaar045e82d2005-07-08 22:25:33 +00006802:san[dbox] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in the sandbox. Useful to evaluate an
Bram Moolenaar7b0294c2004-10-11 10:16:09 +00006803 option that may have been set from a modeline, e.g.
6804 'foldexpr'.
6805
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00006806
6807 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: