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Gregory Anders1cc4cae2024-07-15 20:00:48 +02001*quickfix.txt* For Vim version 9.1. Last change: 2024 Jul 15
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002
3
4 VIM REFERENCE MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar
5
6
7This subject is introduced in section |30.1| of the user manual.
8
91. Using QuickFix commands |quickfix|
102. The error window |quickfix-window|
113. Using more than one list of errors |quickfix-error-lists|
124. Using :make |:make_makeprg|
135. Using :grep |grep|
146. Selecting a compiler |compiler-select|
157. The error format |error-file-format|
168. The directory stack |quickfix-directory-stack|
179. Specific error file formats |errorformats|
Bram Moolenaar858ba062020-05-31 23:11:59 +02001810. Customizing the quickfix window |quickfix-window-function|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000019
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000020The quickfix commands are not available when the |+quickfix| feature was
21disabled at compile time.
22
23=============================================================================
241. Using QuickFix commands *quickfix* *Quickfix* *E42*
25
26Vim has a special mode to speedup the edit-compile-edit cycle. This is
27inspired by the quickfix option of the Manx's Aztec C compiler on the Amiga.
28The idea is to save the error messages from the compiler in a file and use Vim
29to jump to the errors one by one. You can examine each problem and fix it,
30without having to remember all the error messages.
31
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +000032In Vim the quickfix commands are used more generally to find a list of
33positions in files. For example, |:vimgrep| finds pattern matches. You can
Bram Moolenaar2641f772005-03-25 21:58:17 +000034use the positions in a script with the |getqflist()| function. Thus you can
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +000035do a lot more than the edit/compile/fix cycle!
36
Bram Moolenaare18dbe82016-07-02 21:42:23 +020037If you have the error messages in a file you can start Vim with: >
38 vim -q filename
39
40From inside Vim an easy way to run a command and handle the output is with the
41|:make| command (see below).
42
43The 'errorformat' option should be set to match the error messages from your
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000044compiler (see |errorformat| below).
45
Bram Moolenaarb4d5fba2017-09-11 19:31:28 +020046 *quickfix-ID*
47Each quickfix list has a unique identifier called the quickfix ID and this
Bram Moolenaard473c8c2018-08-11 18:00:22 +020048number will not change within a Vim session. The |getqflist()| function can be
Bram Moolenaarb4d5fba2017-09-11 19:31:28 +020049used to get the identifier assigned to a list. There is also a quickfix list
50number which may change whenever more than ten lists are added to a quickfix
51stack.
52
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +000053 *location-list* *E776*
Bram Moolenaar036986f2017-03-16 17:41:02 +010054A location list is a window-local quickfix list. You get one after commands
55like `:lvimgrep`, `:lgrep`, `:lhelpgrep`, `:lmake`, etc., which create a
56location list instead of a quickfix list as the corresponding `:vimgrep`,
57`:grep`, `:helpgrep`, `:make` do.
Bram Moolenaar5b69c222019-01-11 14:50:06 +010058 *location-list-file-window*
Bram Moolenaar036986f2017-03-16 17:41:02 +010059A location list is associated with a window and each window can have a
60separate location list. A location list can be associated with only one
61window. The location list is independent of the quickfix list.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +000062
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +000063When a window with a location list is split, the new window gets a copy of the
Bram Moolenaare18dbe82016-07-02 21:42:23 +020064location list. When there are no longer any references to a location list,
65the location list is destroyed.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +000066
Bram Moolenaarb254af32017-12-18 19:48:58 +010067 *quickfix-changedtick*
68Every quickfix and location list has a read-only changedtick variable that
69tracks the total number of changes made to the list. Every time the quickfix
70list is modified, this count is incremented. This can be used to perform an
Bram Moolenaard473c8c2018-08-11 18:00:22 +020071action only when the list has changed. The |getqflist()| and |getloclist()|
Bram Moolenaarb254af32017-12-18 19:48:58 +010072functions can be used to query the current value of changedtick. You cannot
73change the changedtick variable.
74
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +000075The following quickfix commands can be used. The location list commands are
76similar to the quickfix commands, replacing the 'c' prefix in the quickfix
77command with 'l'.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000078
Bram Moolenaare18c0b32016-03-20 21:08:34 +010079 *E924*
80If the current window was closed by an |autocommand| while processing a
81location list command, it will be aborted.
82
Bram Moolenaarffec3c52016-03-23 20:55:42 +010083 *E925* *E926*
84If the current quickfix or location list was changed by an |autocommand| while
85processing a quickfix or location list command, it will be aborted.
86
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000087 *:cc*
88:cc[!] [nr] Display error [nr]. If [nr] is omitted, the same
Bram Moolenaar25190db2019-05-04 15:05:28 +020089:[nr]cc[!] error is displayed again. Without [!] this doesn't
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +000090 work when jumping to another buffer, the current buffer
91 has been changed, there is the only window for the
92 buffer and both 'hidden' and 'autowrite' are off.
93 When jumping to another buffer with [!] any changes to
94 the current buffer are lost, unless 'hidden' is set or
95 there is another window for this buffer.
96 The 'switchbuf' settings are respected when jumping
97 to a buffer.
Bram Moolenaar25190db2019-05-04 15:05:28 +020098 When used in the quickfix window the line number can
99 be used, including "." for the current line and "$"
100 for the last line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000101
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000102 *:ll*
103:ll[!] [nr] Same as ":cc", except the location list for the
Bram Moolenaar25190db2019-05-04 15:05:28 +0200104:[nr]ll[!] current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000105
Bram Moolenaar61da1bf2019-06-06 12:14:49 +0200106 *:cn* *:cne* *:cnext* *E553*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000107:[count]cn[ext][!] Display the [count] next error in the list that
108 includes a file name. If there are no file names at
109 all, go to the [count] next error. See |:cc| for
110 [!] and 'switchbuf'.
111
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +0000112 *:lne* *:lnext*
113:[count]lne[xt][!] Same as ":cnext", except the location list for the
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000114 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
115
Bram Moolenaard09091d2019-01-17 16:07:22 +0100116:[count]cN[ext][!] *:cp* *:cprevious* *:cprev* *:cN* *:cNext*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000117:[count]cp[revious][!] Display the [count] previous error in the list that
118 includes a file name. If there are no file names at
119 all, go to the [count] previous error. See |:cc| for
120 [!] and 'switchbuf'.
121
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000122
Bram Moolenaard09091d2019-01-17 16:07:22 +0100123:[count]lN[ext][!] *:lp* *:lprevious* *:lprev* *:lN* *:lNext*
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000124:[count]lp[revious][!] Same as ":cNext" and ":cprevious", except the location
125 list for the current window is used instead of the
126 quickfix list.
127
Bram Moolenaar3ff33112019-05-03 21:56:35 +0200128 *:cabo* *:cabove*
129:[count]cabo[ve] Go to the [count] error above the current line in the
130 current buffer. If [count] is omitted, then 1 is
131 used. If there are no errors, then an error message
132 is displayed. Assumes that the entries in a quickfix
133 list are sorted by their buffer number and line
134 number. If there are multiple errors on the same line,
135 then only the first entry is used. If [count] exceeds
136 the number of entries above the current line, then the
137 first error in the file is selected.
138
139 *:lab* *:labove*
140:[count]lab[ove] Same as ":cabove", except the location list for the
141 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
142
Bram Moolenaar8ffc7c82019-05-05 21:00:26 +0200143 *:cbel* *:cbelow*
144:[count]cbel[ow] Go to the [count] error below the current line in the
Bram Moolenaar3ff33112019-05-03 21:56:35 +0200145 current buffer. If [count] is omitted, then 1 is
146 used. If there are no errors, then an error message
147 is displayed. Assumes that the entries in a quickfix
148 list are sorted by their buffer number and line
149 number. If there are multiple errors on the same
150 line, then only the first entry is used. If [count]
151 exceeds the number of entries below the current line,
152 then the last error in the file is selected.
153
Bram Moolenaarcf6a55c2019-05-05 15:02:30 +0200154 *:lbel* *:lbelow*
155:[count]lbel[ow] Same as ":cbelow", except the location list for the
156 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
157
158 *:cbe* *:cbefore*
159:[count]cbe[fore] Go to the [count] error before the current cursor
160 position in the current buffer. If [count] is
161 omitted, then 1 is used. If there are no errors, then
162 an error message is displayed. Assumes that the
163 entries in a quickfix list are sorted by their buffer,
164 line and column numbers. If [count] exceeds the
165 number of entries before the current position, then
166 the first error in the file is selected.
167
Bram Moolenaar8ffc7c82019-05-05 21:00:26 +0200168 *:lbe* *:lbefore*
169:[count]lbe[fore] Same as ":cbefore", except the location list for the
Bram Moolenaarcf6a55c2019-05-05 15:02:30 +0200170 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
171
172 *:caf* *:cafter*
173:[count]caf[ter] Go to the [count] error after the current cursor
174 position in the current buffer. If [count] is
175 omitted, then 1 is used. If there are no errors, then
176 an error message is displayed. Assumes that the
177 entries in a quickfix list are sorted by their buffer,
178 line and column numbers. If [count] exceeds the
179 number of entries after the current position, then
180 the last error in the file is selected.
181
182 *:laf* *:lafter*
183:[count]laf[ter] Same as ":cafter", except the location list for the
Bram Moolenaar3ff33112019-05-03 21:56:35 +0200184 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
185
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000186 *:cnf* *:cnfile*
187:[count]cnf[ile][!] Display the first error in the [count] next file in
188 the list that includes a file name. If there are no
189 file names at all or if there is no next file, go to
190 the [count] next error. See |:cc| for [!] and
191 'switchbuf'.
192
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000193 *:lnf* *:lnfile*
194:[count]lnf[ile][!] Same as ":cnfile", except the location list for the
195 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
196
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000197:[count]cNf[ile][!] *:cpf* *:cpfile* *:cNf* *:cNfile*
198:[count]cpf[ile][!] Display the last error in the [count] previous file in
199 the list that includes a file name. If there are no
200 file names at all or if there is no next file, go to
201 the [count] previous error. See |:cc| for [!] and
202 'switchbuf'.
203
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +0000204
205:[count]lNf[ile][!] *:lpf* *:lpfile* *:lNf* *:lNfile*
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000206:[count]lpf[ile][!] Same as ":cNfile" and ":cpfile", except the location
207 list for the current window is used instead of the
208 quickfix list.
209
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000210 *:crewind* *:cr*
211:cr[ewind][!] [nr] Display error [nr]. If [nr] is omitted, the FIRST
212 error is displayed. See |:cc|.
213
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000214 *:lrewind* *:lr*
215:lr[ewind][!] [nr] Same as ":crewind", except the location list for the
216 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
217
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000218 *:cfirst* *:cfir*
219:cfir[st][!] [nr] Same as ":crewind".
220
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000221 *:lfirst* *:lfir*
222:lfir[st][!] [nr] Same as ":lrewind".
223
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000224 *:clast* *:cla*
225:cla[st][!] [nr] Display error [nr]. If [nr] is omitted, the LAST
226 error is displayed. See |:cc|.
227
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000228 *:llast* *:lla*
229:lla[st][!] [nr] Same as ":clast", except the location list for the
230 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
231
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000232 *:cq* *:cquit*
Bram Moolenaar1860bde2020-01-06 21:47:21 +0100233:cq[uit][!]
234:{N}cq[uit][!]
235:cq[uit][!] {N} Quit Vim with error code {N}. {N} defaults to one.
236 Useful when Vim is called from another program:
237 e.g., a compiler will not compile the same file again,
238 `git commit` will abort the committing process, `fc`
239 (built-in for shells like bash and zsh) will not
Bram Moolenaarade0d392020-01-21 22:33:58 +0100240 execute the command, etc.
Bram Moolenaar1860bde2020-01-06 21:47:21 +0100241 {N} can also be zero, in which case Vim exits
242 normally.
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +0000243 WARNING: All changes in files are lost! Also when the
244 [!] is not used. It works like ":qall!" |:qall|,
245 except that Vim returns a non-zero exit code.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000246
Bram Moolenaar2f0936c2022-01-08 21:51:59 +0000247 *:cf* *:cfi* *:cfile*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000248:cf[ile][!] [errorfile] Read the error file and jump to the first error.
249 This is done automatically when Vim is started with
250 the -q option. You can use this command when you
251 keep Vim running while compiling. If you give the
252 name of the errorfile, the 'errorfile' option will
253 be set to [errorfile]. See |:cc| for [!].
Bram Moolenaar2c7292d2017-03-05 17:43:31 +0100254 If the encoding of the error file differs from the
255 'encoding' option, you can use the 'makeencoding'
256 option to specify the encoding.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000257
Bram Moolenaar61da1bf2019-06-06 12:14:49 +0200258 *:lf* *:lfi* *:lfile*
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000259:lf[ile][!] [errorfile] Same as ":cfile", except the location list for the
260 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
261 You can not use the -q command-line option to set
262 the location list.
263
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000264
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +0000265:cg[etfile] [errorfile] *:cg* *:cgetfile*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000266 Read the error file. Just like ":cfile" but don't
267 jump to the first error.
Bram Moolenaar2c7292d2017-03-05 17:43:31 +0100268 If the encoding of the error file differs from the
269 'encoding' option, you can use the 'makeencoding'
270 option to specify the encoding.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000271
Bram Moolenaarc9b4b052006-04-30 18:54:39 +0000272
Bram Moolenaar61da1bf2019-06-06 12:14:49 +0200273:lg[etfile] [errorfile] *:lg* *:lge* *:lgetfile*
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000274 Same as ":cgetfile", except the location list for the
275 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
276
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000277 *:caddf* *:caddfile*
278:caddf[ile] [errorfile] Read the error file and add the errors from the
Bram Moolenaar87e25fd2005-07-27 21:13:01 +0000279 errorfile to the current quickfix list. If a quickfix
280 list is not present, then a new list is created.
Bram Moolenaar2c7292d2017-03-05 17:43:31 +0100281 If the encoding of the error file differs from the
282 'encoding' option, you can use the 'makeencoding'
283 option to specify the encoding.
Bram Moolenaar87e25fd2005-07-27 21:13:01 +0000284
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000285 *:laddf* *:laddfile*
286:laddf[ile] [errorfile] Same as ":caddfile", except the location list for the
287 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
288
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +0000289 *:cb* *:cbuffer* *E681*
Christian Brabandt652c8212024-04-29 20:36:49 +0200290:[range]cb[uffer][!] [bufnr]
291 Read the error list from the current buffer.
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +0000292 When [bufnr] is given it must be the number of a
293 loaded buffer. That buffer will then be used instead
294 of the current buffer.
295 A range can be specified for the lines to be used.
296 Otherwise all lines in the buffer are used.
Bram Moolenaar6cbce9d2007-03-08 10:01:03 +0000297 See |:cc| for [!].
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +0000298
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000299 *:lb* *:lbuffer*
Christian Brabandt652c8212024-04-29 20:36:49 +0200300:[range]lb[uffer][!] [bufnr]
301 Same as ":cbuffer", except the location list for the
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000302 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
303
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +0000304 *:cgetb* *:cgetbuffer*
Christian Brabandt652c8212024-04-29 20:36:49 +0200305:[range]cgetb[uffer] [bufnr]
306 Read the error list from the current buffer. Just
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +0000307 like ":cbuffer" but don't jump to the first error.
308
309 *:lgetb* *:lgetbuffer*
Christian Brabandt652c8212024-04-29 20:36:49 +0200310:[range]lgetb[uffer] [bufnr]
311 Same as ":cgetbuffer", except the location list for
Bram Moolenaardb552d602006-03-23 22:59:57 +0000312 the current window is used instead of the quickfix
313 list.
314
Bram Moolenaar61da1bf2019-06-06 12:14:49 +0200315 *:cad* *:cadd* *:caddbuffer*
Christian Brabandt652c8212024-04-29 20:36:49 +0200316:[range]cad[dbuffer] [bufnr]
317 Read the error list from the current buffer and add
Bram Moolenaar9f2c6e12006-02-04 22:45:44 +0000318 the errors to the current quickfix list. If a
319 quickfix list is not present, then a new list is
320 created. Otherwise, same as ":cbuffer".
321
322 *:laddb* *:laddbuffer*
Christian Brabandt652c8212024-04-29 20:36:49 +0200323:[range]laddb[uffer] [bufnr]
324 Same as ":caddbuffer", except the location list for
Bram Moolenaar9f2c6e12006-02-04 22:45:44 +0000325 the current window is used instead of the quickfix
326 list.
327
Bram Moolenaara40ceaf2006-01-13 22:35:40 +0000328 *:cex* *:cexpr* *E777*
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000329:cex[pr][!] {expr} Create a quickfix list using the result of {expr} and
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +0200330 jump to the first error.
Bram Moolenaar664f3cf2019-12-07 16:03:51 +0100331 If {expr} is a String, then each newline terminated
Bram Moolenaard6357e82016-01-21 21:48:09 +0100332 line in the String is processed using the global value
333 of 'errorformat' and the result is added to the
334 quickfix list.
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +0200335 If {expr} is a List, then each String item in the list
336 is processed and added to the quickfix list. Non
337 String items in the List are ignored.
338 See |:cc| for [!].
Bram Moolenaar87e25fd2005-07-27 21:13:01 +0000339 Examples: >
340 :cexpr system('grep -n xyz *')
341 :cexpr getline(1, '$')
342<
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000343 *:lex* *:lexpr*
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +0200344:lex[pr][!] {expr} Same as |:cexpr|, except the location list for the
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000345 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
346
Bram Moolenaar76b92b22006-03-24 22:46:53 +0000347 *:cgete* *:cgetexpr*
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +0000348:cgete[xpr] {expr} Create a quickfix list using the result of {expr}.
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +0200349 Just like |:cexpr|, but don't jump to the first error.
Bram Moolenaar76b92b22006-03-24 22:46:53 +0000350
351 *:lgete* *:lgetexpr*
Bram Moolenaar20f90cf2011-05-19 12:22:51 +0200352:lgete[xpr] {expr} Same as |:cgetexpr|, except the location list for the
Bram Moolenaar76b92b22006-03-24 22:46:53 +0000353 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
354
Bram Moolenaara6878372014-03-22 21:02:50 +0100355 *:cadde* *:caddexpr*
Bram Moolenaar76f3b1a2014-03-27 22:30:07 +0100356:cadde[xpr] {expr} Evaluate {expr} and add the resulting lines to the
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000357 current quickfix list. If a quickfix list is not
358 present, then a new list is created. The current
359 cursor position will not be changed. See |:cexpr| for
360 more information.
361 Example: >
Bram Moolenaarc51cf032022-02-26 12:25:45 +0000362 :g/mypattern/caddexpr expand("%") .. ":" .. line(".") .. ":" .. getline(".")
Bram Moolenaar4770d092006-01-12 23:22:24 +0000363<
Bram Moolenaar61da1bf2019-06-06 12:14:49 +0200364 *:lad* *:addd* *:laddexpr*
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +0000365:lad[dexpr] {expr} Same as ":caddexpr", except the location list for the
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000366 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
367
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000368 *:cl* *:clist*
369:cl[ist] [from] [, [to]]
370 List all errors that are valid |quickfix-valid|.
371 If numbers [from] and/or [to] are given, the respective
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +0000372 range of errors is listed. A negative number counts
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000373 from the last error backwards, -1 being the last error.
Bram Moolenaara9defad2018-07-08 18:20:24 +0200374 The |:filter| command can be used to display only the
375 quickfix entries matching a supplied pattern. The
376 pattern is matched against the filename, module name,
377 pattern and text of the entry.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000378
Bram Moolenaare8fea072016-07-01 14:48:27 +0200379:cl[ist] +{count} List the current and next {count} valid errors. This
380 is similar to ":clist from from+count", where "from"
381 is the current error position.
382
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000383:cl[ist]! [from] [, [to]]
384 List all errors.
385
Bram Moolenaare8fea072016-07-01 14:48:27 +0200386:cl[ist]! +{count} List the current and next {count} error lines. This
zeertzjqd086b8f2024-02-25 15:42:52 +0800387 is useful to see unrecognized lines after the current
Bram Moolenaare8fea072016-07-01 14:48:27 +0200388 one. For example, if ":clist" shows:
zeertzjqd086b8f2024-02-25 15:42:52 +0800389 8384 testje.java:252: error: cannot find symbol ~
390 Then using ":cl! +3" shows the reason:
391 8384 testje.java:252: error: cannot find symbol ~
392 8385: ZexitCode = Fmainx(); ~
393 8386: ^ ~
394 8387: symbol: method Fmainx() ~
Bram Moolenaare8fea072016-07-01 14:48:27 +0200395
396:lli[st] [from] [, [to]] *:lli* *:llist*
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000397 Same as ":clist", except the location list for the
398 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
399
400:lli[st]! [from] [, [to]]
401 List all the entries in the location list for the
402 current window.
403
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000404If you insert or delete lines, mostly the correct error location is still
405found because hidden marks are used. Sometimes, when the mark has been
406deleted for some reason, the message "line changed" is shown to warn you that
407the error location may not be correct. If you quit Vim and start again the
408marks are lost and the error locations may not be correct anymore.
409
Bram Moolenaarb5b75622018-03-09 22:22:21 +0100410Two autocommands are available for running commands before and after a
411quickfix command (':make', ':grep' and so on) is executed. See
412|QuickFixCmdPre| and |QuickFixCmdPost| for details.
Bram Moolenaarb11bd7e2005-02-07 22:05:52 +0000413
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +0000414 *QuickFixCmdPost-example*
415When 'encoding' differs from the locale, the error messages may have a
416different encoding from what Vim is using. To convert the messages you can
417use this code: >
418 function QfMakeConv()
419 let qflist = getqflist()
420 for i in qflist
421 let i.text = iconv(i.text, "cp936", "utf-8")
422 endfor
423 call setqflist(qflist)
424 endfunction
425
426 au QuickfixCmdPost make call QfMakeConv()
Bram Moolenaar2c7292d2017-03-05 17:43:31 +0100427Another option is using 'makeencoding'.
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +0000428
Bram Moolenaar74240d32017-12-10 15:26:15 +0100429 *quickfix-title*
430Every quickfix and location list has a title. By default the title is set to
431the command that created the list. The |getqflist()| and |getloclist()|
432functions can be used to get the title of a quickfix and a location list
433respectively. The |setqflist()| and |setloclist()| functions can be used to
434modify the title of a quickfix and location list respectively. Examples: >
435 call setqflist([], 'a', {'title' : 'Cmd output'})
436 echo getqflist({'title' : 1})
437 call setloclist(3, [], 'a', {'title' : 'Cmd output'})
438 echo getloclist(3, {'title' : 1})
439<
Bram Moolenaar5b69c222019-01-11 14:50:06 +0100440 *quickfix-index*
441When you jump to a quickfix/location list entry using any of the quickfix
Bram Moolenaard09091d2019-01-17 16:07:22 +0100442commands (e.g. |:cc|, |:cnext|, |:cprev|, etc.), that entry becomes the
443currently selected entry. The index of the currently selected entry in a
Bram Moolenaar5b69c222019-01-11 14:50:06 +0100444quickfix/location list can be obtained using the getqflist()/getloclist()
445functions. Examples: >
446 echo getqflist({'idx' : 0}).idx
447 echo getqflist({'id' : qfid, 'idx' : 0}).idx
448 echo getloclist(2, {'idx' : 0}).idx
449<
450For a new quickfix list, the first entry is selected and the index is 1. Any
451entry in any quickfix/location list can be set as the currently selected entry
452using the setqflist() function. Examples: >
453 call setqflist([], 'a', {'idx' : 12})
454 call setqflist([], 'a', {'id' : qfid, 'idx' : 7})
455 call setloclist(1, [], 'a', {'idx' : 7})
456<
Bram Moolenaar74240d32017-12-10 15:26:15 +0100457 *quickfix-size*
458You can get the number of entries (size) in a quickfix and a location list
459using the |getqflist()| and |getloclist()| functions respectively. Examples: >
460 echo getqflist({'size' : 1})
461 echo getloclist(5, {'size' : 1})
462<
463 *quickfix-context*
464Any Vim type can be associated as a context with a quickfix or location list.
465The |setqflist()| and the |setloclist()| functions can be used to associate a
466context with a quickfix and a location list respectively. The |getqflist()|
467and the |getloclist()| functions can be used to retrieve the context of a
Bram Moolenaarf0b03c42017-12-17 17:17:07 +0100468quickfix and a location list respectively. This is useful for a Vim plugin
Bram Moolenaar74240d32017-12-10 15:26:15 +0100469dealing with multiple quickfix/location lists.
470Examples: >
471
472 let somectx = {'name' : 'Vim', 'type' : 'Editor'}
473 call setqflist([], 'a', {'context' : somectx})
474 echo getqflist({'context' : 1})
475
476 let newctx = ['red', 'green', 'blue']
477 call setloclist(2, [], 'a', {'id' : qfid, 'context' : newctx})
478 echo getloclist(2, {'id' : qfid, 'context' : 1})
479<
480 *quickfix-parse*
Bram Moolenaarf0b03c42017-12-17 17:17:07 +0100481You can parse a list of lines using 'errorformat' without creating or
482modifying a quickfix list using the |getqflist()| function. Examples: >
Bram Moolenaar74240d32017-12-10 15:26:15 +0100483 echo getqflist({'lines' : ["F1:10:Line10", "F2:20:Line20"]})
484 echo getqflist({'lines' : systemlist('grep -Hn quickfix *')})
Bram Moolenaar9fbdbb82022-09-27 17:30:34 +0100485This returns a dictionary where the "items" key contains the list of quickfix
Bram Moolenaar74240d32017-12-10 15:26:15 +0100486entries parsed from lines. The following shows how to use a custom
Bram Moolenaarf0b03c42017-12-17 17:17:07 +0100487'errorformat' to parse the lines without modifying the 'errorformat' option: >
Bram Moolenaar74240d32017-12-10 15:26:15 +0100488 echo getqflist({'efm' : '%f#%l#%m', 'lines' : ['F1#10#Line']})
489<
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +0000490
Bram Moolenaar12969c02015-09-08 23:36:10 +0200491EXECUTE A COMMAND IN ALL THE BUFFERS IN QUICKFIX OR LOCATION LIST:
492 *:cdo*
493:cdo[!] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in each valid entry in the quickfix list.
494 It works like doing this: >
495 :cfirst
496 :{cmd}
497 :cnext
498 :{cmd}
499 etc.
500< When the current file can't be |abandon|ed and the [!]
501 is not present, the command fails.
Bram Moolenaar96f45c02019-10-26 19:53:45 +0200502 When going to the next entry fails execution stops.
Bram Moolenaar12969c02015-09-08 23:36:10 +0200503 The last buffer (or where an error occurred) becomes
504 the current buffer.
505 {cmd} can contain '|' to concatenate several commands.
506
507 Only valid entries in the quickfix list are used.
508 A range can be used to select entries, e.g.: >
509 :10,$cdo cmd
510< To skip entries 1 to 9.
511
512 Note: While this command is executing, the Syntax
513 autocommand event is disabled by adding it to
514 'eventignore'. This considerably speeds up editing
515 each buffer.
Bram Moolenaar12969c02015-09-08 23:36:10 +0200516 Also see |:bufdo|, |:tabdo|, |:argdo|, |:windo|,
517 |:ldo|, |:cfdo| and |:lfdo|.
518
519 *:cfdo*
520:cfdo[!] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in each file in the quickfix list.
521 It works like doing this: >
522 :cfirst
523 :{cmd}
524 :cnfile
525 :{cmd}
526 etc.
527< Otherwise it works the same as `:cdo`.
Bram Moolenaar12969c02015-09-08 23:36:10 +0200528
529 *:ldo*
530:ld[o][!] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in each valid entry in the location list
531 for the current window.
532 It works like doing this: >
533 :lfirst
534 :{cmd}
535 :lnext
536 :{cmd}
537 etc.
538< Only valid entries in the location list are used.
539 Otherwise it works the same as `:cdo`.
Bram Moolenaar12969c02015-09-08 23:36:10 +0200540
541 *:lfdo*
542:lfdo[!] {cmd} Execute {cmd} in each file in the location list for
543 the current window.
544 It works like doing this: >
545 :lfirst
546 :{cmd}
547 :lnfile
548 :{cmd}
549 etc.
550< Otherwise it works the same as `:ldo`.
Bram Moolenaar12969c02015-09-08 23:36:10 +0200551
Bram Moolenaar8ffc7c82019-05-05 21:00:26 +0200552FILTERING A QUICKFIX OR LOCATION LIST:
553 *cfilter-plugin* *:Cfilter* *:Lfilter*
554If you have too many entries in a quickfix list, you can use the cfilter
555plugin to reduce the number of entries. Load the plugin with: >
556
557 packadd cfilter
558
559Then you can use the following commands to filter a quickfix/location list: >
560
561 :Cfilter[!] /{pat}/
562 :Lfilter[!] /{pat}/
563
564The |:Cfilter| command creates a new quickfix list from the entries matching
565{pat} in the current quickfix list. {pat} is a Vim |regular-expression|
566pattern. Both the file name and the text of the entries are matched against
567{pat}. If the optional ! is supplied, then the entries not matching {pat} are
568used. The pattern can be optionally enclosed using one of the following
569characters: ', ", /. If the pattern is empty, then the last used search
570pattern is used.
571
572The |:Lfilter| command does the same as |:Cfilter| but operates on the current
573location list.
574
Bram Moolenaar0d878b92022-07-01 18:45:04 +0100575The current quickfix/location list is not modified by these commands, so you
576can go back to the unfiltered list using the |:colder|/|:lolder| command.
577
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000578=============================================================================
5792. The error window *quickfix-window*
580
Bram Moolenaar7fd73202010-07-25 16:58:46 +0200581 *:cope* *:copen* *w:quickfix_title*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000582:cope[n] [height] Open a window to show the current list of errors.
Bram Moolenaar76f3b1a2014-03-27 22:30:07 +0100583
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000584 When [height] is given, the window becomes that high
Bram Moolenaar76f3b1a2014-03-27 22:30:07 +0100585 (if there is room). When [height] is omitted the
586 window is made ten lines high.
587
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000588 If there already is a quickfix window, it will be made
589 the current window. It is not possible to open a
Bram Moolenaar76f3b1a2014-03-27 22:30:07 +0100590 second quickfix window. If [height] is given the
591 existing window will be resized to it.
592
Bram Moolenaar647e24b2019-03-17 16:39:46 +0100593 *quickfix-buffer*
Bram Moolenaar76f3b1a2014-03-27 22:30:07 +0100594 The window will contain a special buffer, with
595 'buftype' equal to "quickfix". Don't change this!
596 The window will have the w:quickfix_title variable set
597 which will indicate the command that produced the
598 quickfix list. This can be used to compose a custom
599 status line if the value of 'statusline' is adjusted
Bram Moolenaara8788f42017-07-19 17:06:20 +0200600 properly. Whenever this buffer is modified by a
601 quickfix command or function, the |b:changedtick|
Bram Moolenaar647e24b2019-03-17 16:39:46 +0100602 variable is incremented. You can get the number of
603 this buffer using the getqflist() and getloclist()
Bram Moolenaar9fbdbb82022-09-27 17:30:34 +0100604 functions by passing the "qfbufnr" item. For a
Bram Moolenaar647e24b2019-03-17 16:39:46 +0100605 location list, this buffer is wiped out when the
606 location list is removed.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000607
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +0000608 *:lop* *:lopen*
609:lop[en] [height] Open a window to show the location list for the
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000610 current window. Works only when the location list for
Bram Moolenaar17c7c012006-01-26 22:25:15 +0000611 the current window is present. You can have more than
612 one location window opened at a time. Otherwise, it
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000613 acts the same as ":copen".
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000614
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000615 *:ccl* *:cclose*
616:ccl[ose] Close the quickfix window.
617
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000618 *:lcl* *:lclose*
619:lcl[ose] Close the window showing the location list for the
620 current window.
621
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000622 *:cw* *:cwindow*
623:cw[indow] [height] Open the quickfix window when there are recognized
624 errors. If the window is already open and there are
625 no recognized errors, close the window.
626
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000627 *:lw* *:lwindow*
628:lw[indow] [height] Same as ":cwindow", except use the window showing the
629 location list for the current window.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000630
Bram Moolenaar537ef082016-07-09 17:56:19 +0200631 *:cbo* *:cbottom*
Bram Moolenaardcb17002016-07-07 18:58:59 +0200632:cbo[ttom] Put the cursor in the last line of the quickfix window
633 and scroll to make it visible. This is useful for
634 when errors are added by an asynchronous callback.
635 Only call it once in a while if there are many
636 updates to avoid a lot of redrawing.
637
Bram Moolenaar537ef082016-07-09 17:56:19 +0200638 *:lbo* *:lbottom*
639:lbo[ttom] Same as ":cbottom", except use the window showing the
640 location list for the current window.
641
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000642Normally the quickfix window is at the bottom of the screen. If there are
643vertical splits, it's at the bottom of the rightmost column of windows. To
644make it always occupy the full width: >
645 :botright cwindow
646You can move the window around with |window-moving| commands.
647For example, to move it to the top: CTRL-W K
648The 'winfixheight' option will be set, which means that the window will mostly
649keep its height, ignoring 'winheight' and 'equalalways'. You can change the
650height manually (e.g., by dragging the status line above it with the mouse).
651
652In the quickfix window, each line is one error. The line number is equal to
Bram Moolenaar21020352017-06-13 17:21:04 +0200653the error number. The current entry is highlighted with the QuickFixLine
654highlighting. You can change it to your liking, e.g.: >
655 :hi QuickFixLine ctermbg=Yellow guibg=Yellow
656
657You can use ":.cc" to jump to the error under the cursor.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000658Hitting the <Enter> key or double-clicking the mouse on a line has the same
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000659effect. The file containing the error is opened in the window above the
660quickfix window. If there already is a window for that file, it is used
661instead. If the buffer in the used window has changed, and the error is in
662another file, jumping to the error will fail. You will first have to make
663sure the window contains a buffer which can be abandoned.
Bram Moolenaarc51cf032022-02-26 12:25:45 +0000664
Bram Moolenaar1588bc82022-03-08 21:35:07 +0000665When you select a file from the quickfix window, the following steps are used
666to find a window to edit the file:
667
6681. If a window displaying the selected file is present in the current tabpage
669 (starting with the window before the quickfix window), then that window is
670 used.
6712. If the above step fails and if 'switchbuf' contains "usetab" and a window
672 displaying the selected file is present in any one of the tabpages
673 (starting with the first tabpage) then that window is used.
6743. If the above step fails then a window in the current tabpage displaying a
675 buffer with 'buftype' not set (starting with the window before the quickfix
676 window) is used.
6774. If the above step fails and if 'switchbuf' contains "uselast", then the
678 previously accessed window is used.
6795. If the above step fails then the window before the quickfix window is used.
680 If there is no previous window, then the window after the quickfix window
681 is used.
6826. If the above step fails, then a new horizontally split window above the
683 quickfix window is used.
Bram Moolenaarc51cf032022-02-26 12:25:45 +0000684
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +0000685 *CTRL-W_<Enter>* *CTRL-W_<CR>*
686You can use CTRL-W <Enter> to open a new window and jump to the error there.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000687
688When the quickfix window has been filled, two autocommand events are
689triggered. First the 'filetype' option is set to "qf", which triggers the
Bram Moolenaar85850f32019-07-19 22:05:51 +0200690FileType event (also see |qf.vim|). Then the BufReadPost event is triggered,
691using "quickfix" for the buffer name. This can be used to perform some action
692on the listed errors. Example: >
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000693 au BufReadPost quickfix setlocal modifiable
Bram Moolenaarc51cf032022-02-26 12:25:45 +0000694 \ | silent exe 'g/^/s//\=line(".") .. " "/'
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000695 \ | setlocal nomodifiable
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000696This prepends the line number to each line. Note the use of "\=" in the
697substitute string of the ":s" command, which is used to evaluate an
698expression.
Bram Moolenaar1ef15e32006-02-01 21:56:25 +0000699The BufWinEnter event is also triggered, again using "quickfix" for the buffer
700name.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000701
Bram Moolenaar82af8712016-06-04 20:20:29 +0200702Note: When adding to an existing quickfix list the autocommand are not
703triggered.
704
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000705Note: Making changes in the quickfix window has no effect on the list of
706errors. 'modifiable' is off to avoid making changes. If you delete or insert
707lines anyway, the relation between the text and the error number is messed up.
708If you really want to do this, you could write the contents of the quickfix
709window to a file and use ":cfile" to have it parsed and used as the new error
710list.
711
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000712 *location-list-window*
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000713The location list window displays the entries in a location list. When you
714open a location list window, it is created below the current window and
715displays the location list for the current window. The location list window
716is similar to the quickfix window, except that you can have more than one
Bram Moolenaar1ef15e32006-02-01 21:56:25 +0000717location list window open at a time. When you use a location list command in
718this window, the displayed location list is used.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000719
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000720When you select a file from the location list window, the following steps are
721used to find a window to edit the file:
722
Bram Moolenaar1588bc82022-03-08 21:35:07 +00007231. If a non-quickfix window associated with the location list is present in
724 the current tabpage, then that window is used.
7252. If the above step fails and if the file is already opened in another window
726 in the current tabpage, then that window is used.
7273. If the above step fails and 'switchbuf' contains "usetab" and if the file
728 is opened in a window in any one of the tabpages, then that window is used.
7294. If the above step fails then a window in the current tabpage showing a
730 buffer with 'buftype' not set is used.
7315. If the above step fails, then the file is edited in a new window.
Bram Moolenaar280f1262006-01-30 00:14:18 +0000732
733In all of the above cases, if the location list for the selected window is not
734yet set, then it is set to the location list displayed in the location list
735window.
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000736
Bram Moolenaar74240d32017-12-10 15:26:15 +0100737 *quickfix-window-ID*
738You can use the |getqflist()| and |getloclist()| functions to obtain the
739window ID of the quickfix window and location list window respectively (if
740present). Examples: >
741 echo getqflist({'winid' : 1}).winid
742 echo getloclist(2, {'winid' : 1}).winid
743<
Bram Moolenaar15142e22018-04-30 22:19:58 +0200744 *getqflist-examples*
Bram Moolenaard473c8c2018-08-11 18:00:22 +0200745The |getqflist()| and |getloclist()| functions can be used to get the various
Bram Moolenaar15142e22018-04-30 22:19:58 +0200746attributes of a quickfix and location list respectively. Some examples for
747using these functions are below:
748>
749 " get the title of the current quickfix list
750 :echo getqflist({'title' : 0}).title
751
752 " get the identifier of the current quickfix list
753 :let qfid = getqflist({'id' : 0}).id
754
Bram Moolenaar78ddc062018-05-15 21:56:34 +0200755 " get the identifier of the fourth quickfix list in the stack
756 :let qfid = getqflist({'nr' : 4, 'id' : 0}).id
757
758 " check whether a quickfix list with a specific identifier exists
759 :if getqflist({'id' : qfid}).id == qfid
760
Bram Moolenaar15142e22018-04-30 22:19:58 +0200761 " get the index of the current quickfix list in the stack
762 :let qfnum = getqflist({'nr' : 0}).nr
763
764 " get the items of a quickfix list specified by an identifier
765 :echo getqflist({'id' : qfid, 'items' : 0}).items
766
767 " get the number of entries in a quickfix list specified by an id
768 :echo getqflist({'id' : qfid, 'size' : 0}).size
769
770 " get the context of the third quickfix list in the stack
771 :echo getqflist({'nr' : 3, 'context' : 0}).context
772
773 " get the number of quickfix lists in the stack
774 :echo getqflist({'nr' : '$'}).nr
775
776 " get the number of times the current quickfix list is changed
777 :echo getqflist({'changedtick' : 0}).changedtick
778
779 " get the current entry in a quickfix list specified by an identifier
780 :echo getqflist({'id' : qfid, 'idx' : 0}).idx
781
782 " get all the quickfix list attributes using an identifier
783 :echo getqflist({'id' : qfid, 'all' : 0})
784
785 " parse text from a List of lines and return a quickfix list
786 :let myList = ["a.java:10:L10", "b.java:20:L20"]
787 :echo getqflist({'lines' : myList}).items
788
789 " parse text using a custom 'efm' and return a quickfix list
790 :echo getqflist({'lines' : ['a.c#10#Line 10'], 'efm':'%f#%l#%m'}).items
791
792 " get the quickfix list window id
793 :echo getqflist({'winid' : 0}).winid
794
Bram Moolenaar647e24b2019-03-17 16:39:46 +0100795 " get the quickfix list window buffer number
796 :echo getqflist({'qfbufnr' : 0}).qfbufnr
797
Bram Moolenaar15142e22018-04-30 22:19:58 +0200798 " get the context of the current location list
799 :echo getloclist(0, {'context' : 0}).context
800
801 " get the location list window id of the third window
802 :echo getloclist(3, {'winid' : 0}).winid
Bram Moolenaar5b69c222019-01-11 14:50:06 +0100803
Bram Moolenaar647e24b2019-03-17 16:39:46 +0100804 " get the location list window buffer number of the third window
805 :echo getloclist(3, {'qfbufnr' : 0}).qfbufnr
806
Bram Moolenaar5b69c222019-01-11 14:50:06 +0100807 " get the file window id of a location list window (winnr: 4)
808 :echo getloclist(4, {'filewinid' : 0}).filewinid
Bram Moolenaar15142e22018-04-30 22:19:58 +0200809<
810 *setqflist-examples*
Bram Moolenaard473c8c2018-08-11 18:00:22 +0200811The |setqflist()| and |setloclist()| functions can be used to set the various
Bram Moolenaar15142e22018-04-30 22:19:58 +0200812attributes of a quickfix and location list respectively. Some examples for
813using these functions are below:
814>
Bram Moolenaar78ddc062018-05-15 21:56:34 +0200815 " create an empty quickfix list with a title and a context
816 :let t = 'Search results'
817 :let c = {'cmd' : 'grep'}
818 :call setqflist([], ' ', {'title' : t, 'context' : c})
819
Bram Moolenaar15142e22018-04-30 22:19:58 +0200820 " set the title of the current quickfix list
821 :call setqflist([], 'a', {'title' : 'Mytitle'})
822
Bram Moolenaar5b69c222019-01-11 14:50:06 +0100823 " change the current entry in the list specified by an identifier
824 :call setqflist([], 'a', {'id' : qfid, 'idx' : 10})
825
Bram Moolenaar15142e22018-04-30 22:19:58 +0200826 " set the context of a quickfix list specified by an identifier
827 :call setqflist([], 'a', {'id' : qfid, 'context' : {'val' : 100}})
828
829 " create a new quickfix list from a command output
830 :call setqflist([], ' ', {'lines' : systemlist('grep -Hn main *.c')})
831
832 " parse text using a custom efm and add to a particular quickfix list
833 :call setqflist([], 'a', {'id' : qfid,
834 \ 'lines' : ["a.c#10#L10", "b.c#20#L20"], 'efm':'%f#%l#%m'})
835
836 " add items to the quickfix list specified by an identifier
837 :let newItems = [{'filename' : 'a.txt', 'lnum' : 10, 'text' : "Apple"},
838 \ {'filename' : 'b.txt', 'lnum' : 20, 'text' : "Orange"}]
839 :call setqflist([], 'a', {'id' : qfid, 'items' : newItems})
840
Bram Moolenaar78ddc062018-05-15 21:56:34 +0200841 " empty a quickfix list specified by an identifier
842 :call setqflist([], 'r', {'id' : qfid, 'items' : []})
843
Bram Moolenaar15142e22018-04-30 22:19:58 +0200844 " free all the quickfix lists in the stack
845 :call setqflist([], 'f')
846
847 " set the title of the fourth quickfix list
848 :call setqflist([], 'a', {'nr' : 4, 'title' : 'SomeTitle'})
849
850 " create a new quickfix list at the end of the stack
851 :call setqflist([], ' ', {'nr' : '$',
852 \ 'lines' : systemlist('grep -Hn class *.java')})
853
854 " create a new location list from a command output
855 :call setloclist(0, [], ' ', {'lines' : systemlist('grep -Hn main *.c')})
856
857 " replace the location list entries for the third window
858 :call setloclist(3, [], 'r', {'items' : newItems})
859<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000860=============================================================================
8613. Using more than one list of errors *quickfix-error-lists*
862
863So far has been assumed that there is only one list of errors. Actually the
864ten last used lists are remembered. When starting a new list, the previous
865ones are automatically kept. Two commands can be used to access older error
866lists. They set one of the existing error lists as the current one.
867
868 *:colder* *:col* *E380*
869:col[der] [count] Go to older error list. When [count] is given, do
870 this [count] times. When already at the oldest error
871 list, an error message is given.
872
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000873 *:lolder* *:lol*
Bram Moolenaar42ebd062016-07-17 13:35:14 +0200874:lol[der] [count] Same as `:colder`, except use the location list for
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000875 the current window instead of the quickfix list.
876
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000877 *:cnewer* *:cnew* *E381*
878:cnew[er] [count] Go to newer error list. When [count] is given, do
879 this [count] times. When already at the newest error
880 list, an error message is given.
881
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000882 *:lnewer* *:lnew*
Bram Moolenaar42ebd062016-07-17 13:35:14 +0200883:lnew[er] [count] Same as `:cnewer`, except use the location list for
Bram Moolenaard12f5c12006-01-25 22:10:52 +0000884 the current window instead of the quickfix list.
885
Bram Moolenaar42ebd062016-07-17 13:35:14 +0200886 *:chistory* *:chi*
Bram Moolenaar8ffc7c82019-05-05 21:00:26 +0200887:[count]chi[story] Show the list of error lists. The current list is
Bram Moolenaar42ebd062016-07-17 13:35:14 +0200888 marked with ">". The output looks like:
Bram Moolenaar47003982021-12-05 21:54:04 +0000889 error list 1 of 3; 43 errors :make ~
890 > error list 2 of 3; 0 errors :helpgrep tag ~
891 error list 3 of 3; 15 errors :grep ex_help *.c ~
Bram Moolenaar42ebd062016-07-17 13:35:14 +0200892
Bram Moolenaar8ffc7c82019-05-05 21:00:26 +0200893 When [count] is given, then the count'th quickfix
894 list is made the current list. Example: >
895 " Make the 4th quickfix list current
896 :4chistory
897<
Bram Moolenaar42ebd062016-07-17 13:35:14 +0200898 *:lhistory* *:lhi*
Bram Moolenaar8ffc7c82019-05-05 21:00:26 +0200899:[count]lhi[story] Show the list of location lists, otherwise like
Bram Moolenaar42ebd062016-07-17 13:35:14 +0200900 `:chistory`.
901
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000902When adding a new error list, it becomes the current list.
903
904When ":colder" has been used and ":make" or ":grep" is used to add a new error
905list, one newer list is overwritten. This is especially useful if you are
906browsing with ":grep" |grep|. If you want to keep the more recent error
907lists, use ":cnewer 99" first.
908
Bram Moolenaar74240d32017-12-10 15:26:15 +0100909To get the number of lists in the quickfix and location list stack, you can
910use the |getqflist()| and |getloclist()| functions respectively with the list
911number set to the special value '$'. Examples: >
912 echo getqflist({'nr' : '$'}).nr
913 echo getloclist(3, {'nr' : '$'}).nr
914To get the number of the current list in the stack: >
915 echo getqflist({'nr' : 0}).nr
916<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000917=============================================================================
9184. Using :make *:make_makeprg*
919
920 *:mak* *:make*
Bram Moolenaarb5b75622018-03-09 22:22:21 +0100921:mak[e][!] [arguments] 1. All relevant |QuickFixCmdPre| autocommands are
922 executed.
Bram Moolenaarb11bd7e2005-02-07 22:05:52 +0000923 2. If the 'autowrite' option is on, write any changed
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000924 buffers
Bram Moolenaarb11bd7e2005-02-07 22:05:52 +0000925 3. An errorfile name is made from 'makeef'. If
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000926 'makeef' doesn't contain "##", and a file with this
927 name already exists, it is deleted.
Bram Moolenaarb11bd7e2005-02-07 22:05:52 +0000928 4. The program given with the 'makeprg' option is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000929 started (default "make") with the optional
930 [arguments] and the output is saved in the
931 errorfile (for Unix it is also echoed on the
932 screen).
Bram Moolenaarb11bd7e2005-02-07 22:05:52 +0000933 5. The errorfile is read using 'errorformat'.
Bram Moolenaarb5b75622018-03-09 22:22:21 +0100934 6. All relevant |QuickFixCmdPost| autocommands are
935 executed. See example below.
Bram Moolenaar6b803a72007-05-06 14:25:46 +0000936 7. If [!] is not given the first error is jumped to.
937 8. The errorfile is deleted.
Bram Moolenaarb11bd7e2005-02-07 22:05:52 +0000938 9. You can now move through the errors with commands
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000939 like |:cnext| and |:cprevious|, see above.
940 This command does not accept a comment, any "
941 characters are considered part of the arguments.
Bram Moolenaar2c7292d2017-03-05 17:43:31 +0100942 If the encoding of the program output differs from the
943 'encoding' option, you can use the 'makeencoding'
944 option to specify the encoding.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000945
Bram Moolenaar9f2c6e12006-02-04 22:45:44 +0000946 *:lmak* *:lmake*
947:lmak[e][!] [arguments]
948 Same as ":make", except the location list for the
949 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
950
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000951The ":make" command executes the command given with the 'makeprg' option.
952This is done by passing the command to the shell given with the 'shell'
953option. This works almost like typing
954
955 ":!{makeprg} [arguments] {shellpipe} {errorfile}".
956
957{makeprg} is the string given with the 'makeprg' option. Any command can be
958used, not just "make". Characters '%' and '#' are expanded as usual on a
959command-line. You can use "%<" to insert the current file name without
960extension, or "#<" to insert the alternate file name without extension, for
961example: >
962 :set makeprg=make\ #<.o
963
964[arguments] is anything that is typed after ":make".
965{shellpipe} is the 'shellpipe' option.
966{errorfile} is the 'makeef' option, with ## replaced to make it unique.
967
Bram Moolenaar6dfc28b2010-02-11 14:19:15 +0100968The placeholder "$*" can be used for the argument list in {makeprg} if the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000969command needs some additional characters after its arguments. The $* is
970replaced then by all arguments. Example: >
971 :set makeprg=latex\ \\\\nonstopmode\ \\\\input\\{$*}
972or simpler >
973 :let &mp = 'latex \\nonstopmode \\input\{$*}'
974"$*" can be given multiple times, for example: >
975 :set makeprg=gcc\ -o\ $*\ $*
976
Bram Moolenaar8024f932020-01-14 19:29:13 +0100977The 'shellpipe' option defaults to ">" for the Amiga and ">%s 2>&1" for Win32.
978This means that the output of the compiler is saved in a file and not shown on
979the screen directly. For Unix "| tee" is used. The compiler output is shown
980on the screen and saved in a file the same time. Depending on the shell used
981"|& tee" or "2>&1| tee" is the default, so stderr output will be included.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +0000982
983If 'shellpipe' is empty, the {errorfile} part will be omitted. This is useful
984for compilers that write to an errorfile themselves (e.g., Manx's Amiga C).
985
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +0000986
987Using QuickFixCmdPost to fix the encoding ~
988
989It may be that 'encoding' is set to an encoding that differs from the messages
990your build program produces. This example shows how to fix this after Vim has
991read the error messages: >
992
993 function QfMakeConv()
994 let qflist = getqflist()
995 for i in qflist
996 let i.text = iconv(i.text, "cp936", "utf-8")
997 endfor
998 call setqflist(qflist)
999 endfunction
1000
1001 au QuickfixCmdPost make call QfMakeConv()
1002
1003(Example by Faque Cheng)
Bram Moolenaar2c7292d2017-03-05 17:43:31 +01001004Another option is using 'makeencoding'.
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +00001005
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001006==============================================================================
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +000010075. Using :vimgrep and :grep *grep* *lid*
1008
1009Vim has two ways to find matches for a pattern: Internal and external. The
1010advantage of the internal grep is that it works on all systems and uses the
1011powerful Vim search patterns. An external grep program can be used when the
1012Vim grep does not do what you want.
1013
Bram Moolenaar8fc061c2004-12-29 21:03:02 +00001014The internal method will be slower, because files are read into memory. The
1015advantages are:
1016- Line separators and encoding are automatically recognized, as if a file is
1017 being edited.
1018- Uses Vim search patterns. Multi-line patterns can be used.
1019- When plugins are enabled: compressed and remote files can be searched.
1020 |gzip| |netrw|
Bram Moolenaara3227e22006-03-08 21:32:40 +00001021
1022To be able to do this Vim loads each file as if it is being edited. When
Bram Moolenaar1056d982006-03-09 22:37:52 +00001023there is no match in the file the associated buffer is wiped out again. The
Bram Moolenaara3227e22006-03-08 21:32:40 +00001024'hidden' option is ignored here to avoid running out of memory or file
1025descriptors when searching many files. However, when the |:hide| command
1026modifier is used the buffers are kept loaded. This makes following searches
1027in the same files a lot faster.
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001028
Bram Moolenaar483c5d82010-10-20 18:45:33 +02001029Note that |:copen| (or |:lopen| for |:lgrep|) may be used to open a buffer
1030containing the search results in linked form. The |:silent| command may be
Bram Moolenaard58e9292011-02-09 17:07:58 +01001031used to suppress the default full screen grep output. The ":grep!" form of
Bram Moolenaar483c5d82010-10-20 18:45:33 +02001032the |:grep| command doesn't jump to the first match automatically. These
1033commands can be combined to create a NewGrep command: >
1034
1035 command! -nargs=+ NewGrep execute 'silent grep! <args>' | copen 42
1036
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001037
10385.1 using Vim's internal grep
1039
Bram Moolenaare49b69a2005-01-08 16:11:57 +00001040 *:vim* *:vimgrep* *E682* *E683*
Yegappan Lakshmananbb01a1e2021-04-26 21:17:52 +02001041:vim[grep][!] /{pattern}/[g][j][f] {file} ...
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001042 Search for {pattern} in the files {file} ... and set
Bram Moolenaar30b65812012-07-12 22:01:11 +02001043 the error list to the matches. Files matching
1044 'wildignore' are ignored; files in 'suffixes' are
1045 searched last.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001046
1047 {pattern} is a Vim search pattern. Instead of
1048 enclosing it in / any non-ID character (see
1049 |'isident'|) can be used, so long as it does not
1050 appear in {pattern}.
1051 'ignorecase' applies. To overrule it put |/\c| in the
1052 pattern to ignore case or |/\C| to match case.
1053 'smartcase' is not used.
Bram Moolenaar60abe752013-03-07 16:32:54 +01001054 If {pattern} is empty (e.g. // is specified), the last
1055 used search pattern is used. |last-pattern|
Bram Moolenaar942db232021-02-13 18:14:48 +01001056
Bram Moolenaar4c295022021-05-02 17:19:11 +02001057 Flags:
1058 'g' Without the 'g' flag each line is added only
1059 once. With 'g' every match is added.
1060
1061 'j' Without the 'j' flag Vim jumps to the first
1062 match. With 'j' only the quickfix list is
1063 updated. With the [!] any changes in the current
1064 buffer are abandoned.
1065
1066 'f' When the 'f' flag is specified, fuzzy string
1067 matching is used to find matching lines. In this
1068 case, {pattern} is treated as a literal string
1069 instead of a regular expression. See
Bram Moolenaar1588bc82022-03-08 21:35:07 +00001070 |fuzzy-matching| for more information about fuzzy
Bram Moolenaar3ec32172021-05-16 12:39:47 +02001071 matching strings.
Bram Moolenaar4c295022021-05-02 17:19:11 +02001072
Bram Moolenaar942db232021-02-13 18:14:48 +01001073 |QuickFixCmdPre| and |QuickFixCmdPost| are triggered.
1074 A file that is opened for matching may use a buffer
1075 number, but it is reused if possible to avoid
1076 consuming buffer numbers.
1077
Bram Moolenaarba3ff532018-11-04 14:45:49 +01001078:{count}vim[grep] ...
Bram Moolenaar1f35bf92006-03-07 22:38:47 +00001079 When a number is put before the command this is used
1080 as the maximum number of matches to find. Use
1081 ":1vimgrep pattern file" to find only the first.
1082 Useful if you only want to check if there is a match
1083 and quit quickly when it's found.
1084
Bram Moolenaardcaf10e2005-01-21 11:55:25 +00001085 Every second or so the searched file name is displayed
1086 to give you an idea of the progress made.
Bram Moolenaar8fc061c2004-12-29 21:03:02 +00001087 Examples: >
1088 :vimgrep /an error/ *.c
1089 :vimgrep /\<FileName\>/ *.h include/*
Bram Moolenaar231334e2005-07-25 20:46:57 +00001090 :vimgrep /myfunc/ **/*.c
1091< For the use of "**" see |starstar-wildcard|.
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001092
Bram Moolenaar8fc061c2004-12-29 21:03:02 +00001093:vim[grep][!] {pattern} {file} ...
1094 Like above, but instead of enclosing the pattern in a
1095 non-ID character use a white-separated pattern. The
1096 pattern must start with an ID character.
1097 Example: >
1098 :vimgrep Error *.c
1099<
Bram Moolenaar9f2c6e12006-02-04 22:45:44 +00001100 *:lv* *:lvimgrep*
Yegappan Lakshmananbb01a1e2021-04-26 21:17:52 +02001101:lv[imgrep][!] /{pattern}/[g][j][f] {file} ...
Bram Moolenaar9f2c6e12006-02-04 22:45:44 +00001102:lv[imgrep][!] {pattern} {file} ...
1103 Same as ":vimgrep", except the location list for the
1104 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
1105
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001106 *:vimgrepa* *:vimgrepadd*
Yegappan Lakshmananbb01a1e2021-04-26 21:17:52 +02001107:vimgrepa[dd][!] /{pattern}/[g][j][f] {file} ...
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001108:vimgrepa[dd][!] {pattern} {file} ...
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001109 Just like ":vimgrep", but instead of making a new list
1110 of errors the matches are appended to the current
1111 list.
1112
Bram Moolenaar9f2c6e12006-02-04 22:45:44 +00001113 *:lvimgrepa* *:lvimgrepadd*
Yegappan Lakshmananbb01a1e2021-04-26 21:17:52 +02001114:lvimgrepa[dd][!] /{pattern}/[g][j][f] {file} ...
Bram Moolenaar9f2c6e12006-02-04 22:45:44 +00001115:lvimgrepa[dd][!] {pattern} {file} ...
1116 Same as ":vimgrepadd", except the location list for
1117 the current window is used instead of the quickfix
1118 list.
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001119
11205.2 External grep
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001121
1122Vim can interface with "grep" and grep-like programs (such as the GNU
1123id-utils) in a similar way to its compiler integration (see |:make| above).
1124
1125[Unix trivia: The name for the Unix "grep" command comes from ":g/re/p", where
1126"re" stands for Regular Expression.]
1127
1128 *:gr* *:grep*
1129:gr[ep][!] [arguments] Just like ":make", but use 'grepprg' instead of
1130 'makeprg' and 'grepformat' instead of 'errorformat'.
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001131 When 'grepprg' is "internal" this works like
1132 |:vimgrep|. Note that the pattern needs to be
1133 enclosed in separator characters then.
Bram Moolenaar2c7292d2017-03-05 17:43:31 +01001134 If the encoding of the program output differs from the
1135 'encoding' option, you can use the 'makeencoding'
1136 option to specify the encoding.
Bram Moolenaar9f2c6e12006-02-04 22:45:44 +00001137
1138 *:lgr* *:lgrep*
1139:lgr[ep][!] [arguments] Same as ":grep", except the location list for the
1140 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
1141
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001142 *:grepa* *:grepadd*
1143:grepa[dd][!] [arguments]
1144 Just like ":grep", but instead of making a new list of
1145 errors the matches are appended to the current list.
1146 Example: >
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001147 :call setqflist([])
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001148 :bufdo grepadd! something %
1149< The first command makes a new error list which is
1150 empty. The second command executes "grepadd" for each
1151 listed buffer. Note the use of ! to avoid that
1152 ":grepadd" jumps to the first error, which is not
1153 allowed with |:bufdo|.
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001154 An example that uses the argument list and avoids
1155 errors for files without matches: >
Bram Moolenaarade0d392020-01-21 22:33:58 +01001156 :silent argdo try
Bram Moolenaar8f3f58f2010-01-06 20:52:26 +01001157 \ | grepadd! something %
1158 \ | catch /E480:/
1159 \ | endtry"
1160<
Bram Moolenaar2c7292d2017-03-05 17:43:31 +01001161 If the encoding of the program output differs from the
1162 'encoding' option, you can use the 'makeencoding'
1163 option to specify the encoding.
1164
Bram Moolenaar9f2c6e12006-02-04 22:45:44 +00001165 *:lgrepa* *:lgrepadd*
1166:lgrepa[dd][!] [arguments]
1167 Same as ":grepadd", except the location list for the
1168 current window is used instead of the quickfix list.
1169
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +000011705.3 Setting up external grep
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001171
1172If you have a standard "grep" program installed, the :grep command may work
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001173well with the defaults. The syntax is very similar to the standard command: >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001174
1175 :grep foo *.c
1176
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001177Will search all files with the .c extension for the substring "foo". The
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001178arguments to :grep are passed straight to the "grep" program, so you can use
1179whatever options your "grep" supports.
1180
1181By default, :grep invokes grep with the -n option (show file and line
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001182numbers). You can change this with the 'grepprg' option. You will need to set
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001183'grepprg' if:
1184
1185a) You are using a program that isn't called "grep"
1186b) You have to call grep with a full path
1187c) You want to pass other options automatically (e.g. case insensitive
1188 search.)
1189
1190Once "grep" has executed, Vim parses the results using the 'grepformat'
1191option. This option works in the same way as the 'errorformat' option - see
1192that for details. You may need to change 'grepformat' from the default if
1193your grep outputs in a non-standard format, or you are using some other
1194program with a special format.
1195
1196Once the results are parsed, Vim loads the first file containing a match and
1197jumps to the appropriate line, in the same way that it jumps to a compiler
1198error in |quickfix| mode. You can then use the |:cnext|, |:clist|, etc.
1199commands to see the other matches.
1200
1201
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +000012025.4 Using :grep with id-utils
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001203
1204You can set up :grep to work with the GNU id-utils like this: >
1205
1206 :set grepprg=lid\ -Rgrep\ -s
1207 :set grepformat=%f:%l:%m
1208
1209then >
1210 :grep (regexp)
1211
1212works just as you'd expect.
1213(provided you remembered to mkid first :)
1214
1215
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +000012165.5 Browsing source code with :vimgrep or :grep
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001217
1218Using the stack of error lists that Vim keeps, you can browse your files to
1219look for functions and the functions they call. For example, suppose that you
1220have to add an argument to the read_file() function. You enter this command: >
1221
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001222 :vimgrep /\<read_file\>/ *.c
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001223
1224You use ":cn" to go along the list of matches and add the argument. At one
1225place you have to get the new argument from a higher level function msg(), and
1226need to change that one too. Thus you use: >
1227
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001228 :vimgrep /\<msg\>/ *.c
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001229
1230While changing the msg() functions, you find another function that needs to
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001231get the argument from a higher level. You can again use ":vimgrep" to find
1232these functions. Once you are finished with one function, you can use >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001233
1234 :colder
1235
1236to go back to the previous one.
1237
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001238This works like browsing a tree: ":vimgrep" goes one level deeper, creating a
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001239list of branches. ":colder" goes back to the previous level. You can mix
Bram Moolenaar86b68352004-12-27 21:59:20 +00001240this use of ":vimgrep" and "colder" to browse all the locations in a tree-like
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001241way. If you do this consistently, you will find all locations without the
1242need to write down a "todo" list.
1243
1244=============================================================================
12456. Selecting a compiler *compiler-select*
1246
1247 *:comp* *:compiler* *E666*
1248:comp[iler][!] {name} Set options to work with compiler {name}.
1249 Without the "!" options are set for the
1250 current buffer. With "!" global options are
1251 set.
1252 If you use ":compiler foo" in "file.foo" and
1253 then ":compiler! bar" in another buffer, Vim
1254 will keep on using "foo" in "file.foo".
1255 {not available when compiled without the
1256 |+eval| feature}
1257
1258
1259The Vim plugins in the "compiler" directory will set options to use the
Bram Moolenaar25de4c22016-11-06 14:48:06 +01001260selected compiler. For `:compiler` local options are set, for `:compiler!`
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001261global options.
1262 *current_compiler*
1263To support older Vim versions, the plugins always use "current_compiler" and
1264not "b:current_compiler". What the command actually does is the following:
1265
1266- Delete the "current_compiler" and "b:current_compiler" variables.
1267- Define the "CompilerSet" user command. With "!" it does ":set", without "!"
1268 it does ":setlocal".
1269- Execute ":runtime! compiler/{name}.vim". The plugins are expected to set
1270 options with "CompilerSet" and set the "current_compiler" variable to the
1271 name of the compiler.
Bram Moolenaar05159a02005-02-26 23:04:13 +00001272- Delete the "CompilerSet" user command.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001273- Set "b:current_compiler" to the value of "current_compiler".
1274- Without "!" the old value of "current_compiler" is restored.
1275
1276
1277For writing a compiler plugin, see |write-compiler-plugin|.
1278
1279
Bram Moolenaar7db29e42022-12-11 15:53:04 +00001280DOTNET *compiler-dotnet*
1281
1282The .NET CLI compiler outputs both errors and warnings by default. The output
1283may be limited to include only errors, by setting the g:dotnet_errors_only
1284variable to |v:true|.
1285
Bram Moolenaar938ae282023-02-20 20:44:55 +00001286The associated project name is included in each error and warning. To suppress
Bram Moolenaar7db29e42022-12-11 15:53:04 +00001287the project name, set the g:dotnet_show_project_file variable to |v:false|.
1288
1289Example: limit output to only display errors, and suppress the project name: >
1290 let dotnet_errors_only = v:true
1291 let dotnet_show_project_file = v:false
1292 compiler dotnet
1293<
1294
Bram Moolenaarbae0c162007-05-10 19:30:25 +00001295GCC *quickfix-gcc* *compiler-gcc*
1296
1297There's one variable you can set for the GCC compiler:
1298
1299g:compiler_gcc_ignore_unmatched_lines
1300 Ignore lines that don't match any patterns
1301 defined for GCC. Useful if output from
1302 commands run from make are generating false
1303 positives.
1304
1305
Doug Kearns0ddab582024-06-16 16:58:09 +02001306JAVAC *compiler-javac*
1307
1308Commonly used compiler options can be added to 'makeprg' by setting the
1309g:javac_makeprg_params variable. For example: >
1310
1311 let g:javac_makeprg_params = "-Xlint:all -encoding utf-8"
1312<
1313
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001314MANX AZTEC C *quickfix-manx* *compiler-manx*
1315
1316To use Vim with Manx's Aztec C compiler on the Amiga you should do the
1317following:
1318- Set the CCEDIT environment variable with the command: >
1319 mset "CCEDIT=vim -q"
1320- Compile with the -qf option. If the compiler finds any errors, Vim is
1321 started and the cursor is positioned on the first error. The error message
1322 will be displayed on the last line. You can go to other errors with the
1323 commands mentioned above. You can fix the errors and write the file(s).
1324- If you exit Vim normally the compiler will re-compile the same file. If you
1325 exit with the :cq command, the compiler will terminate. Do this if you
1326 cannot fix the error, or if another file needs to be compiled first.
1327
1328There are some restrictions to the Quickfix mode on the Amiga. The
1329compiler only writes the first 25 errors to the errorfile (Manx's
1330documentation does not say how to get more). If you want to find the others,
1331you will have to fix a few errors and exit the editor. After recompiling,
1332up to 25 remaining errors will be found.
1333
1334If Vim was started from the compiler, the :sh and some :! commands will not
1335work, because Vim is then running in the same process as the compiler and
1336stdin (standard input) will not be interactive.
1337
Konfektfb8f31e2024-04-15 19:33:08 +02001338PANDOC *quickfix-pandoc* *compiler-pandoc*
1339
1340The Pandoc compiler plugin expects that an output file type extension is
1341passed to make, say :make html or :make pdf.
1342
1343Additional arguments can be passed to pandoc:
1344
1345- either by appending them to make, say `:make html --self-contained` .
h-east9c4389a2024-06-09 16:32:19 +02001346- or setting them in `b:pandoc_compiler_args` or `g:pandoc_compiler_args`.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001347
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +00001348PERL *quickfix-perl* *compiler-perl*
1349
1350The Perl compiler plugin doesn't actually compile, but invokes Perl's internal
1351syntax checking feature and parses the output for possible errors so you can
1352correct them in quick-fix mode.
1353
1354Warnings are forced regardless of "no warnings" or "$^W = 0" within the file
1355being checked. To disable this set g:perl_compiler_force_warnings to a zero
1356value. For example: >
1357 let g:perl_compiler_force_warnings = 0
1358
1359
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001360PYUNIT COMPILER *compiler-pyunit*
1361
1362This is not actually a compiler, but a unit testing framework for the
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001363Python language. It is included into standard Python distribution
1364starting from version 2.0. For older versions, you can get it from
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001365http://pyunit.sourceforge.net.
1366
1367When you run your tests with the help of the framework, possible errors
1368are parsed by Vim and presented for you in quick-fix mode.
1369
1370Unfortunately, there is no standard way to run the tests.
1371The alltests.py script seems to be used quite often, that's all.
1372Useful values for the 'makeprg' options therefore are:
1373 setlocal makeprg=./alltests.py " Run a testsuite
Bram Moolenaar26df0922014-02-23 23:39:13 +01001374 setlocal makeprg=python\ %:S " Run a single testcase
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001375
1376Also see http://vim.sourceforge.net/tip_view.php?tip_id=280.
1377
1378
1379TEX COMPILER *compiler-tex*
1380
1381Included in the distribution compiler for TeX ($VIMRUNTIME/compiler/tex.vim)
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001382uses make command if possible. If the compiler finds a file named "Makefile"
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001383or "makefile" in the current directory, it supposes that you want to process
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001384your *TeX files with make, and the makefile does the right work. In this case
1385compiler sets 'errorformat' for *TeX output and leaves 'makeprg' untouched. If
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001386neither "Makefile" nor "makefile" is found, the compiler will not use make.
1387You can force the compiler to ignore makefiles by defining
1388b:tex_ignore_makefile or g:tex_ignore_makefile variable (they are checked for
1389existence only).
1390
Bram Moolenaarade0d392020-01-21 22:33:58 +01001391If the compiler chose not to use make, it needs to choose a right program for
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001392processing your input. If b:tex_flavor or g:tex_flavor (in this precedence)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001393variable exists, it defines TeX flavor for :make (actually, this is the name
1394of executed command), and if both variables do not exist, it defaults to
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001395"latex". For example, while editing chapter2.tex \input-ed from mypaper.tex
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001396written in AMS-TeX: >
1397
1398 :let b:tex_flavor = 'amstex'
1399 :compiler tex
1400< [editing...] >
1401 :make mypaper
1402
1403Note that you must specify a name of the file to process as an argument (to
1404process the right file when editing \input-ed or \include-ed file; portable
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001405solution for substituting % for no arguments is welcome). This is not in the
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001406semantics of make, where you specify a target, not source, but you may specify
1407filename without extension ".tex" and mean this as "make filename.dvi or
1408filename.pdf or filename.some_result_extension according to compiler".
1409
1410Note: tex command line syntax is set to usable both for MikTeX (suggestion
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001411by Srinath Avadhanula) and teTeX (checked by Artem Chuprina). Suggestion
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001412from |errorformat-LaTeX| is too complex to keep it working for different
1413shells and OSes and also does not allow to use other available TeX options,
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001414if any. If your TeX doesn't support "-interaction=nonstopmode", please
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001415report it with different means to express \nonstopmode from the command line.
1416
Gregory Anders1cc4cae2024-07-15 20:00:48 +02001417TYPST COMPILER *compiler-typst*
1418
1419Vim includes a compiler plugin for Typst files. This compiler is enabled
1420automatically in Typst buffers by the Typst filetype plugin |ft-typst-plugin|.
1421Run |:make| to compile the current Typst file.
1422
1423 *g:typst_cmd*
1424By default Vim will use "typst" as the command to run the Typst compiler. This
1425can be changed by setting the |g:typst_cmd| variable: >
1426 let g:typst_cmd = "/path/to/other/command"
1427
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001428=============================================================================
14297. The error format *error-file-format*
1430
1431 *errorformat* *E372* *E373* *E374*
1432 *E375* *E376* *E377* *E378*
1433The 'errorformat' option specifies a list of formats that are recognized. The
1434first format that matches with an error message is used. You can add several
1435formats for different messages your compiler produces, or even entries for
1436multiple compilers. See |efm-entries|.
1437
1438Each entry in 'errorformat' is a scanf-like string that describes the format.
1439First, you need to know how scanf works. Look in the documentation of your
1440C compiler. Below you find the % items that Vim understands. Others are
1441invalid.
1442
1443Special characters in 'errorformat' are comma and backslash. See
1444|efm-entries| for how to deal with them. Note that a literal "%" is matched
1445by "%%", thus it is not escaped with a backslash.
Bram Moolenaar9d98fe92013-08-03 18:35:36 +02001446Keep in mind that in the `:make` and `:grep` output all NUL characters are
1447replaced with SOH (0x01).
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001448
1449Note: By default the difference between upper and lowercase is ignored. If
1450you want to match case, add "\C" to the pattern |/\C|.
1451
Bram Moolenaar088e8e32019-08-08 22:15:18 +02001452Vim will read lines of any length, but only the first 4095 bytes are used, the
1453rest is ignored. Items can only be 1023 bytes long.
1454
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001455
1456Basic items
1457
1458 %f file name (finds a string)
Yegappan Lakshmananb7318002023-10-25 20:50:28 +02001459 %b buffer number (finds a number)
Bram Moolenaard76ce852018-05-01 15:02:04 +02001460 %o module name (finds a string)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001461 %l line number (finds a number)
haya14busae023d492022-02-08 18:09:29 +00001462 %e end line number (finds a number)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001463 %c column number (finds a number representing character
Bram Moolenaard2ea7cf2021-05-30 20:54:13 +02001464 column of the error, byte index, a <tab> is 1
1465 character column)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001466 %v virtual column number (finds a number representing
1467 screen column of the error (1 <tab> == 8 screen
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001468 columns))
haya14busae023d492022-02-08 18:09:29 +00001469 %k end column number (finds a number representing
1470 the character column of the error, byte index, or a
1471 number representing screen end column of the error if
1472 it's used with %v)
Bram Moolenaare9283662020-06-07 14:10:47 +02001473 %t error type (finds a single character):
1474 e - error message
1475 w - warning message
1476 i - info message
1477 n - note message
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001478 %n error number (finds a number)
1479 %m error message (finds a string)
1480 %r matches the "rest" of a single-line file message %O/P/Q
Bram Moolenaarc8734422012-06-01 22:38:45 +02001481 %p pointer line (finds a sequence of '-', '.', ' ' or
1482 tabs and uses the length for the column number)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001483 %*{conv} any scanf non-assignable conversion
1484 %% the single '%' character
Bram Moolenaar2641f772005-03-25 21:58:17 +00001485 %s search text (finds a string)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001486
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00001487The "%f" conversion may depend on the current 'isfname' setting. "~/" is
Bram Moolenaarf4630b62005-05-20 21:31:17 +00001488expanded to the home directory and environment variables are expanded.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001489
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00001490The "%f" and "%m" conversions have to detect the end of the string. This
Bram Moolenaar482aaeb2005-09-29 18:26:07 +00001491normally happens by matching following characters and items. When nothing is
Bram Moolenaare344bea2005-09-01 20:46:49 +00001492following the rest of the line is matched. If "%f" is followed by a '%' or a
1493backslash, it will look for a sequence of 'isfname' characters.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001494
Bram Moolenaar6f345a12019-12-17 21:27:18 +01001495On MS-Windows a leading "C:" will be included in "%f", even when using "%f:".
1496This means that a file name which is a single alphabetical letter will not be
1497detected.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001498
Yegappan Lakshmananb7318002023-10-25 20:50:28 +02001499The "%b" conversion is used to parse a buffer number. This is useful for
1500referring to lines in a scratch buffer or a buffer with no name. If a buffer
1501with the matching number doesn't exist, then that line is used as a non-error
1502line.
1503
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001504The "%p" conversion is normally followed by a "^". It's used for compilers
1505that output a line like: >
1506 ^
1507or >
1508 ---------^
1509to indicate the column of the error. This is to be used in a multi-line error
1510message. See |errorformat-javac| for a useful example.
1511
Bram Moolenaar85eee132018-05-06 17:57:30 +02001512The "%s" conversion specifies the text to search for, to locate the error line.
Bram Moolenaar2641f772005-03-25 21:58:17 +00001513The text is used as a literal string. The anchors "^" and "$" are added to
1514the text to locate the error line exactly matching the search text and the
1515text is prefixed with the "\V" atom to make it "very nomagic". The "%s"
1516conversion can be used to locate lines without a line number in the error
1517output. Like the output of the "grep" shell command.
1518When the pattern is present the line number will not be used.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001519
Bram Moolenaard76ce852018-05-01 15:02:04 +02001520The "%o" conversion specifies the module name in quickfix entry. If present
1521it will be used in quickfix error window instead of the filename. The module
1522name is used only for displaying purposes, the file name is used when jumping
1523to the file.
1524
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001525Changing directory
1526
1527The following uppercase conversion characters specify the type of special
Bram Moolenaara9defad2018-07-08 18:20:24 +02001528format strings. At most one of them may be given as a prefix at the beginning
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001529of a single comma-separated format pattern.
1530Some compilers produce messages that consist of directory names that have to
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001531be prepended to each file name read by %f (example: GNU make). The following
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001532codes can be used to scan these directory names; they will be stored in an
1533internal directory stack. *E379*
1534 %D "enter directory" format string; expects a following
1535 %f that finds the directory name
1536 %X "leave directory" format string; expects following %f
1537
1538When defining an "enter directory" or "leave directory" format, the "%D" or
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001539"%X" has to be given at the start of that substring. Vim tracks the directory
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001540changes and prepends the current directory to each erroneous file found with a
1541relative path. See |quickfix-directory-stack| for details, tips and
1542limitations.
1543
1544
1545Multi-line messages *errorformat-multi-line*
1546
1547It is possible to read the output of programs that produce multi-line
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001548messages, i.e. error strings that consume more than one line. Possible
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001549prefixes are:
1550 %E start of a multi-line error message
1551 %W start of a multi-line warning message
1552 %I start of a multi-line informational message
Bram Moolenaare9283662020-06-07 14:10:47 +02001553 %N start of a multi-line note message
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001554 %A start of a multi-line message (unspecified type)
Bram Moolenaarb3656ed2006-03-20 21:59:49 +00001555 %> for next line start with current pattern again |efm-%>|
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001556 %C continuation of a multi-line message
1557 %Z end of a multi-line message
1558These can be used with '+' and '-', see |efm-ignore| below.
1559
Bram Moolenaarceaf7b82006-03-19 22:18:55 +00001560Using "\n" in the pattern won't work to match multi-line messages.
1561
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001562Example: Your compiler happens to write out errors in the following format
1563(leading line numbers not being part of the actual output):
1564
Bram Moolenaarceaf7b82006-03-19 22:18:55 +00001565 1 Error 275 ~
1566 2 line 42 ~
1567 3 column 3 ~
1568 4 ' ' expected after '--' ~
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001569
1570The appropriate error format string has to look like this: >
1571 :set efm=%EError\ %n,%Cline\ %l,%Ccolumn\ %c,%Z%m
1572
1573And the |:clist| error message generated for this error is:
1574
1575 1:42 col 3 error 275: ' ' expected after '--'
1576
1577Another example: Think of a Python interpreter that produces the following
1578error message (line numbers are not part of the actual output):
1579
1580 1 ==============================================================
1581 2 FAIL: testGetTypeIdCachesResult (dbfacadeTest.DjsDBFacadeTest)
1582 3 --------------------------------------------------------------
1583 4 Traceback (most recent call last):
1584 5 File "unittests/dbfacadeTest.py", line 89, in testFoo
1585 6 self.assertEquals(34, dtid)
1586 7 File "/usr/lib/python2.2/unittest.py", line 286, in
1587 8 failUnlessEqual
1588 9 raise self.failureException, \
1589 10 AssertionError: 34 != 33
1590 11
1591 12 --------------------------------------------------------------
1592 13 Ran 27 tests in 0.063s
1593
1594Say you want |:clist| write the relevant information of this message only,
1595namely:
1596 5 unittests/dbfacadeTest.py:89: AssertionError: 34 != 33
1597
1598Then the error format string could be defined as follows: >
1599 :set efm=%C\ %.%#,%A\ \ File\ \"%f\"\\,\ line\ %l%.%#,%Z%[%^\ ]%\\@=%m
1600
1601Note that the %C string is given before the %A here: since the expression
1602' %.%#' (which stands for the regular expression ' .*') matches every line
1603starting with a space, followed by any characters to the end of the line,
1604it also hides line 7 which would trigger a separate error message otherwise.
1605Error format strings are always parsed pattern by pattern until the first
1606match occurs.
Bram Moolenaarb3656ed2006-03-20 21:59:49 +00001607 *efm-%>*
1608The %> item can be used to avoid trying patterns that appear earlier in
1609'errorformat'. This is useful for patterns that match just about anything.
1610For example, if the error looks like this:
1611
1612 Error in line 123 of foo.c: ~
1613 unknown variable "i" ~
1614
1615This can be found with: >
1616 :set efm=xxx,%E%>Error in line %l of %f:,%Z%m
1617Where "xxx" has a pattern that would also match the second line.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001618
Bram Moolenaarceaf7b82006-03-19 22:18:55 +00001619Important: There is no memory of what part of the errorformat matched before;
1620every line in the error file gets a complete new run through the error format
1621lines. For example, if one has: >
1622 setlocal efm=aa,bb,cc,dd,ee
1623Where aa, bb, etc. are error format strings. Each line of the error file will
1624be matched to the pattern aa, then bb, then cc, etc. Just because cc matched
1625the previous error line does _not_ mean that dd will be tried first on the
1626current line, even if cc and dd are multi-line errorformat strings.
1627
1628
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001629
1630Separate file name *errorformat-separate-filename*
1631
1632These prefixes are useful if the file name is given once and multiple messages
1633follow that refer to this file name.
1634 %O single-line file message: overread the matched part
1635 %P single-line file message: push file %f onto the stack
1636 %Q single-line file message: pop the last file from stack
1637
1638Example: Given a compiler that produces the following error logfile (without
1639leading line numbers):
1640
1641 1 [a1.tt]
1642 2 (1,17) error: ';' missing
1643 3 (21,2) warning: variable 'z' not defined
1644 4 (67,3) error: end of file found before string ended
1645 5
1646 6 [a2.tt]
1647 7
1648 8 [a3.tt]
1649 9 NEW compiler v1.1
1650 10 (2,2) warning: variable 'x' not defined
1651 11 (67,3) warning: 's' already defined
1652
1653This logfile lists several messages for each file enclosed in [...] which are
1654properly parsed by an error format like this: >
1655 :set efm=%+P[%f],(%l\\,%c)%*[\ ]%t%*[^:]:\ %m,%-Q
1656
1657A call of |:clist| writes them accordingly with their correct filenames:
1658
1659 2 a1.tt:1 col 17 error: ';' missing
1660 3 a1.tt:21 col 2 warning: variable 'z' not defined
1661 4 a1.tt:67 col 3 error: end of file found before string ended
1662 8 a3.tt:2 col 2 warning: variable 'x' not defined
1663 9 a3.tt:67 col 3 warning: 's' already defined
1664
1665Unlike the other prefixes that all match against whole lines, %P, %Q and %O
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001666can be used to match several patterns in the same line. Thus it is possible
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001667to parse even nested files like in the following line:
1668 {"file1" {"file2" error1} error2 {"file3" error3 {"file4" error4 error5}}}
1669The %O then parses over strings that do not contain any push/pop file name
1670information. See |errorformat-LaTeX| for an extended example.
1671
1672
1673Ignoring and using whole messages *efm-ignore*
1674
1675The codes '+' or '-' can be combined with the uppercase codes above; in that
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001676case they have to precede the letter, e.g. '%+A' or '%-G':
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001677 %- do not include the matching multi-line in any output
1678 %+ include the whole matching line in the %m error string
1679
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001680One prefix is only useful in combination with '+' or '-', namely %G. It parses
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001681over lines containing general information like compiler version strings or
1682other headers that can be skipped.
1683 %-G ignore this message
1684 %+G general message
1685
1686
1687Pattern matching
1688
1689The scanf()-like "%*[]" notation is supported for backward-compatibility
1690with previous versions of Vim. However, it is also possible to specify
1691(nearly) any Vim supported regular expression in format strings.
1692Since meta characters of the regular expression language can be part of
1693ordinary matching strings or file names (and therefore internally have to
1694be escaped), meta symbols have to be written with leading '%':
Bram Moolenaarceaf7b82006-03-19 22:18:55 +00001695 %\ The single '\' character. Note that this has to be
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001696 escaped ("%\\") in ":set errorformat=" definitions.
Bram Moolenaarceaf7b82006-03-19 22:18:55 +00001697 %. The single '.' character.
1698 %# The single '*'(!) character.
1699 %^ The single '^' character. Note that this is not
1700 useful, the pattern already matches start of line.
1701 %$ The single '$' character. Note that this is not
1702 useful, the pattern already matches end of line.
1703 %[ The single '[' character for a [] character range.
1704 %~ The single '~' character.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001705When using character classes in expressions (see |/\i| for an overview),
1706terms containing the "\+" quantifier can be written in the scanf() "%*"
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001707notation. Example: "%\\d%\\+" ("\d\+", "any number") is equivalent to "%*\\d".
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001708Important note: The \(...\) grouping of sub-matches can not be used in format
1709specifications because it is reserved for internal conversions.
1710
1711
1712Multiple entries in 'errorformat' *efm-entries*
1713
1714To be able to detect output from several compilers, several format patterns
1715may be put in 'errorformat', separated by commas (note: blanks after the comma
1716are ignored). The first pattern that has a complete match is used. If no
1717match is found, matching parts from the last one will be used, although the
1718file name is removed and the error message is set to the whole message. If
1719there is a pattern that may match output from several compilers (but not in a
1720right way), put it after one that is more restrictive.
1721
1722To include a comma in a pattern precede it with a backslash (you have to type
1723two in a ":set" command). To include a backslash itself give two backslashes
1724(you have to type four in a ":set" command). You also need to put a backslash
1725before a space for ":set".
1726
1727
1728Valid matches *quickfix-valid*
1729
1730If a line does not completely match one of the entries in 'errorformat', the
1731whole line is put in the error message and the entry is marked "not valid"
1732These lines are skipped with the ":cn" and ":cp" commands (unless there is
1733no valid line at all). You can use ":cl!" to display all the error messages.
1734
1735If the error format does not contain a file name Vim cannot switch to the
1736correct file. You will have to do this by hand.
1737
1738
1739Examples
1740
1741The format of the file from the Amiga Aztec compiler is:
1742
1743 filename>linenumber:columnnumber:errortype:errornumber:errormessage
1744
1745 filename name of the file in which the error was detected
1746 linenumber line number where the error was detected
1747 columnnumber column number where the error was detected
1748 errortype type of the error, normally a single 'E' or 'W'
1749 errornumber number of the error (for lookup in the manual)
1750 errormessage description of the error
1751
1752This can be matched with this 'errorformat' entry:
1753 %f>%l:%c:%t:%n:%m
1754
1755Some examples for C compilers that produce single-line error outputs:
1756%f:%l:\ %t%*[^0123456789]%n:\ %m for Manx/Aztec C error messages
1757 (scanf() doesn't understand [0-9])
1758%f\ %l\ %t%*[^0-9]%n:\ %m for SAS C
1759\"%f\"\\,%*[^0-9]%l:\ %m for generic C compilers
1760%f:%l:\ %m for GCC
1761%f:%l:\ %m,%Dgmake[%*\\d]:\ Entering\ directory\ `%f',
1762%Dgmake[%*\\d]:\ Leaving\ directory\ `%f'
1763 for GCC with gmake (concat the lines!)
1764%f(%l)\ :\ %*[^:]:\ %m old SCO C compiler (pre-OS5)
1765%f(%l)\ :\ %t%*[^0-9]%n:\ %m idem, with error type and number
1766%f:%l:\ %m,In\ file\ included\ from\ %f:%l:,\^I\^Ifrom\ %f:%l%m
1767 for GCC, with some extras
1768
1769Extended examples for the handling of multi-line messages are given below,
1770see |errorformat-Jikes| and |errorformat-LaTeX|.
1771
1772Note the backslash in front of a space and double quote. It is required for
1773the :set command. There are two backslashes in front of a comma, one for the
1774:set command and one to avoid recognizing the comma as a separator of error
1775formats.
1776
1777
1778Filtering messages
1779
1780If you have a compiler that produces error messages that do not fit in the
1781format string, you could write a program that translates the error messages
1782into this format. You can use this program with the ":make" command by
1783changing the 'makeprg' option. For example: >
1784 :set mp=make\ \\\|&\ error_filter
1785The backslashes before the pipe character are required to avoid it to be
1786recognized as a command separator. The backslash before each space is
1787required for the set command.
1788
1789=============================================================================
17908. The directory stack *quickfix-directory-stack*
1791
1792Quickfix maintains a stack for saving all used directories parsed from the
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001793make output. For GNU-make this is rather simple, as it always prints the
1794absolute path of all directories it enters and leaves. Regardless if this is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001795done via a 'cd' command in the makefile or with the parameter "-C dir" (change
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001796to directory before reading the makefile). It may be useful to use the switch
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001797"-w" to force GNU-make to print out the working directory before and after
1798processing.
1799
1800Maintaining the correct directory is more complicated if you don't use
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001801GNU-make. AIX-make for example doesn't print any information about its
1802working directory. Then you need to enhance the makefile. In the makefile of
1803LessTif there is a command which echoes "Making {target} in {dir}". The
Bram Moolenaar6dfc28b2010-02-11 14:19:15 +01001804special problem here is that it doesn't print information on leaving the
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001805directory and that it doesn't print the absolute path.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001806
1807To solve the problem with relative paths and missing "leave directory"
Bram Moolenaar3d1cde82020-08-15 18:55:18 +02001808messages Vim uses the following algorithm:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001809
18101) Check if the given directory is a subdirectory of the current directory.
1811 If this is true, store it as the current directory.
18122) If it is not a subdir of the current directory, try if this is a
1813 subdirectory of one of the upper directories.
18143) If the directory still isn't found, it is assumed to be a subdirectory
1815 of Vim's current directory.
1816
1817Additionally it is checked for every file, if it really exists in the
1818identified directory. If not, it is searched in all other directories of the
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001819directory stack (NOT the directory subtree!). If it is still not found, it is
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001820assumed that it is in Vim's current directory.
1821
Bram Moolenaare667c952010-07-05 22:57:59 +02001822There are limitations in this algorithm. These examples assume that make just
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001823prints information about entering a directory in the form "Making all in dir".
1824
18251) Assume you have following directories and files:
1826 ./dir1
1827 ./dir1/file1.c
1828 ./file1.c
1829
1830 If make processes the directory "./dir1" before the current directory and
1831 there is an error in the file "./file1.c", you will end up with the file
1832 "./dir1/file.c" loaded by Vim.
1833
1834 This can only be solved with a "leave directory" message.
1835
18362) Assume you have following directories and files:
1837 ./dir1
1838 ./dir1/dir2
1839 ./dir2
1840
1841 You get the following:
1842
1843 Make output Directory interpreted by Vim
1844 ------------------------ ----------------------------
1845 Making all in dir1 ./dir1
1846 Making all in dir2 ./dir1/dir2
1847 Making all in dir2 ./dir1/dir2
1848
1849 This can be solved by printing absolute directories in the "enter directory"
Bram Moolenaar214641f2017-03-05 17:04:09 +01001850 message or by printing "leave directory" messages.
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001851
Bram Moolenaar06b5d512010-05-22 15:37:44 +02001852To avoid this problem, ensure to print absolute directory names and "leave
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001853directory" messages.
1854
1855Examples for Makefiles:
1856
1857Unix:
1858 libs:
1859 for dn in $(LIBDIRS); do \
1860 (cd $$dn; echo "Entering dir '$$(pwd)'"; make); \
1861 echo "Leaving dir"; \
1862 done
1863
1864Add
1865 %DEntering\ dir\ '%f',%XLeaving\ dir
1866to your 'errorformat' to handle the above output.
1867
1868Note that Vim doesn't check if the directory name in a "leave directory"
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001869messages is the current directory. This is why you could just use the message
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001870"Leaving dir".
1871
1872=============================================================================
18739. Specific error file formats *errorformats*
1874
1875 *errorformat-Jikes*
1876Jikes(TM), a source-to-bytecode Java compiler published by IBM Research,
1877produces simple multi-line error messages.
1878
1879An 'errorformat' string matching the produced messages is shown below.
1880The following lines can be placed in the user's |vimrc| to overwrite Vim's
1881recognized default formats, or see |:set+=| how to install this format
1882additionally to the default. >
1883
1884 :set efm=%A%f:%l:%c:%*\\d:%*\\d:,
1885 \%C%*\\s%trror:%m,
1886 \%+C%*[^:]%trror:%m,
1887 \%C%*\\s%tarning:%m,
1888 \%C%m
1889<
1890Jikes(TM) produces a single-line error message when invoked with the option
1891"+E", and can be matched with the following: >
1892
Bram Moolenaar6b803a72007-05-06 14:25:46 +00001893 :setl efm=%f:%l:%v:%*\\d:%*\\d:%*\\s%m
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001894<
1895 *errorformat-javac*
1896This 'errorformat' has been reported to work well for javac, which outputs a
1897line with "^" to indicate the column of the error: >
Bram Moolenaar6b803a72007-05-06 14:25:46 +00001898 :setl efm=%A%f:%l:\ %m,%-Z%p^,%-C%.%#
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001899or: >
Bram Moolenaar6b803a72007-05-06 14:25:46 +00001900 :setl efm=%A%f:%l:\ %m,%+Z%p^,%+C%.%#,%-G%.%#
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001901<
Bram Moolenaar6b803a72007-05-06 14:25:46 +00001902Here is an alternative from Michael F. Lamb for Unix that filters the errors
1903first: >
1904 :setl errorformat=%Z%f:%l:\ %m,%A%p^,%-G%*[^sl]%.%#
Bram Moolenaar26df0922014-02-23 23:39:13 +01001905 :setl makeprg=javac\ %:S\ 2>&1\ \\\|\ vim-javac-filter
Bram Moolenaar6b803a72007-05-06 14:25:46 +00001906
1907You need to put the following in "vim-javac-filter" somewhere in your path
1908(e.g., in ~/bin) and make it executable: >
1909 #!/bin/sed -f
1910 /\^$/s/\t/\ /g;/:[0-9]\+:/{h;d};/^[ \t]*\^/G;
1911
1912In English, that sed script:
1913- Changes single tabs to single spaces and
1914- Moves the line with the filename, line number, error message to just after
1915 the pointer line. That way, the unused error text between doesn't break
1916 vim's notion of a "multi-line message" and also doesn't force us to include
1917 it as a "continuation of a multi-line message."
1918
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001919 *errorformat-ant*
1920For ant (http://jakarta.apache.org/) the above errorformat has to be modified
1921to honour the leading [javac] in front of each javac output line: >
1922 :set efm=%A\ %#[javac]\ %f:%l:\ %m,%-Z\ %#[javac]\ %p^,%-C%.%#
1923
1924The 'errorformat' can also be configured to handle ant together with either
1925javac or jikes. If you're using jikes, you should tell ant to use jikes' +E
1926command line switch which forces jikes to generate one-line error messages.
1927This is what the second line (of a build.xml file) below does: >
1928 <property name = "build.compiler" value = "jikes"/>
1929 <property name = "build.compiler.emacs" value = "true"/>
1930
1931The 'errorformat' which handles ant with both javac and jikes is: >
1932 :set efm=\ %#[javac]\ %#%f:%l:%c:%*\\d:%*\\d:\ %t%[%^:]%#:%m,
1933 \%A\ %#[javac]\ %f:%l:\ %m,%-Z\ %#[javac]\ %p^,%-C%.%#
1934<
1935 *errorformat-jade*
1936parsing jade (see http://www.jclark.com/) errors is simple: >
1937 :set efm=jade:%f:%l:%c:%t:%m
1938<
1939 *errorformat-LaTeX*
1940The following is an example how an 'errorformat' string can be specified
1941for the (La)TeX typesetting system which displays error messages over
1942multiple lines. The output of ":clist" and ":cc" etc. commands displays
1943multi-lines in a single line, leading white space is removed.
1944It should be easy to adopt the above LaTeX errorformat to any compiler output
1945consisting of multi-line errors.
1946
1947The commands can be placed in a |vimrc| file or some other Vim script file,
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001948e.g. a script containing LaTeX related stuff which is loaded only when editing
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001949LaTeX sources.
1950Make sure to copy all lines of the example (in the given order), afterwards
1951remove the comment lines. For the '\' notation at the start of some lines see
1952|line-continuation|.
1953
1954 First prepare 'makeprg' such that LaTeX will report multiple
1955 errors; do not stop when the first error has occurred: >
1956 :set makeprg=latex\ \\\\nonstopmode\ \\\\input\\{$*}
1957<
1958 Start of multi-line error messages: >
1959 :set efm=%E!\ LaTeX\ %trror:\ %m,
1960 \%E!\ %m,
1961< Start of multi-line warning messages; the first two also
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00001962 include the line number. Meaning of some regular expressions:
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00001963 - "%.%#" (".*") matches a (possibly empty) string
1964 - "%*\\d" ("\d\+") matches a number >
1965 \%+WLaTeX\ %.%#Warning:\ %.%#line\ %l%.%#,
1966 \%+W%.%#\ at\ lines\ %l--%*\\d,
1967 \%WLaTeX\ %.%#Warning:\ %m,
1968< Possible continuations of error/warning messages; the first
1969 one also includes the line number: >
1970 \%Cl.%l\ %m,
1971 \%+C\ \ %m.,
1972 \%+C%.%#-%.%#,
1973 \%+C%.%#[]%.%#,
1974 \%+C[]%.%#,
1975 \%+C%.%#%[{}\\]%.%#,
1976 \%+C<%.%#>%.%#,
1977 \%C\ \ %m,
1978< Lines that match the following patterns do not contain any
1979 important information; do not include them in messages: >
1980 \%-GSee\ the\ LaTeX%m,
1981 \%-GType\ \ H\ <return>%m,
1982 \%-G\ ...%.%#,
1983 \%-G%.%#\ (C)\ %.%#,
1984 \%-G(see\ the\ transcript%.%#),
1985< Generally exclude any empty or whitespace-only line from
1986 being displayed: >
1987 \%-G\\s%#,
1988< The LaTeX output log does not specify the names of erroneous
1989 source files per line; rather they are given globally,
1990 enclosed in parentheses.
1991 The following patterns try to match these names and store
1992 them in an internal stack. The patterns possibly scan over
1993 the same input line (one after another), the trailing "%r"
1994 conversion indicates the "rest" of the line that will be
1995 parsed in the next go until the end of line is reached.
1996
1997 Overread a file name enclosed in '('...')'; do not push it
1998 on a stack since the file apparently does not contain any
1999 error: >
2000 \%+O(%f)%r,
Bram Moolenaar13fcaaf2005-04-15 21:13:42 +00002001< Push a file name onto the stack. The name is given after '(': >
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002002 \%+P(%f%r,
2003 \%+P\ %\\=(%f%r,
2004 \%+P%*[^()](%f%r,
2005 \%+P[%\\d%[^()]%#(%f%r,
2006< Pop the last stored file name when a ')' is scanned: >
2007 \%+Q)%r,
2008 \%+Q%*[^()])%r,
2009 \%+Q[%\\d%*[^()])%r
2010
2011Note that in some cases file names in the LaTeX output log cannot be parsed
2012properly. The parser might have been messed up by unbalanced parentheses
2013then. The above example tries to catch the most relevant cases only.
2014You can customize the given setting to suit your own purposes, for example,
2015all the annoying "Overfull ..." warnings could be excluded from being
2016recognized as an error.
2017Alternatively to filtering the LaTeX compiler output, it is also possible
2018to directly read the *.log file that is produced by the [La]TeX compiler.
2019This contains even more useful information about possible error causes.
2020However, to properly parse such a complex file, an external filter should
2021be used. See the description further above how to make such a filter known
2022by Vim.
2023
2024 *errorformat-Perl*
2025In $VIMRUNTIME/tools you can find the efm_perl.pl script, which filters Perl
2026error messages into a format that quickfix mode will understand. See the
Bram Moolenaar8c8de832008-06-24 22:58:06 +00002027start of the file about how to use it. (This script is deprecated, see
2028|compiler-perl|.)
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002029
Bram Moolenaar858ba062020-05-31 23:11:59 +02002030=============================================================================
203110. Customizing the quickfix window *quickfix-window-function*
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002032
Bram Moolenaar858ba062020-05-31 23:11:59 +02002033The default format for the lines displayed in the quickfix window and location
2034list window is:
2035
2036 <filename>|<lnum> col <col>|<text>
2037
2038The values displayed in each line correspond to the "bufnr", "lnum", "col" and
2039"text" fields returned by the |getqflist()| function.
2040
Bram Moolenaar3d1cde82020-08-15 18:55:18 +02002041For some quickfix/location lists, the displayed text needs to be customized.
Bram Moolenaar858ba062020-05-31 23:11:59 +02002042For example, if only the filename is present for a quickfix entry, then the
2043two "|" field separator characters after the filename are not needed. Another
2044use case is to customize the path displayed for a filename. By default, the
2045complete path (which may be too long) is displayed for files which are not
2046under the current directory tree. The file path may need to be simplified to a
2047common parent directory.
2048
2049The displayed text can be customized by setting the 'quickfixtextfunc' option
Bram Moolenaar00e260b2020-06-11 19:35:52 +02002050to a Vim function. This function will be called with a dict argument and
2051should return a List of strings to be displayed in the quickfix or location
2052list window. The dict argument will have the following fields:
Bram Moolenaar858ba062020-05-31 23:11:59 +02002053
2054 quickfix set to 1 when called for a quickfix list and 0 when called for
2055 a location list.
Bram Moolenaar7ba5a7e2020-06-08 19:20:27 +02002056 winid for a location list, set to the id of the window with the
2057 location list. For a quickfix list, set to 0. Can be used in
2058 getloclist() to get the location list entry.
Bram Moolenaar858ba062020-05-31 23:11:59 +02002059 id quickfix or location list identifier
Bram Moolenaar00e260b2020-06-11 19:35:52 +02002060 start_idx index of the first entry for which text should be returned
2061 end_idx index of the last entry for which text should be returned
Bram Moolenaar858ba062020-05-31 23:11:59 +02002062
2063The function should return a single line of text to display in the quickfix
Bram Moolenaar00e260b2020-06-11 19:35:52 +02002064window for each entry from start_idx to end_idx. The function can obtain
2065information about the entries using the |getqflist()| function and specifying
2066the quickfix list identifier "id". For a location list, getloclist() function
Bram Moolenaar9fbdbb82022-09-27 17:30:34 +01002067can be used with the "winid" argument. If an empty list is returned, then the
Bram Moolenaard43906d2020-07-20 21:31:32 +02002068default format is used to display all the entries. If an item in the returned
2069list is an empty string, then the default format is used to display the
2070corresponding entry.
Bram Moolenaar858ba062020-05-31 23:11:59 +02002071
2072If a quickfix or location list specific customization is needed, then the
2073'quickfixtextfunc' attribute of the list can be set using the |setqflist()| or
2074|setloclist()| function. This overrides the global 'quickfixtextfunc' option.
2075
2076The example below displays the list of old files (|v:oldfiles|) in a quickfix
2077window. As there is no line, column number and error text information
2078associated with each entry, the 'quickfixtextfunc' function returns only the
2079filename.
2080Example: >
2081 " create a quickfix list from v:oldfiles
2082 call setqflist([], ' ', {'lines' : v:oldfiles, 'efm' : '%f',
2083 \ 'quickfixtextfunc' : 'QfOldFiles'})
2084 func QfOldFiles(info)
Bram Moolenaar00e260b2020-06-11 19:35:52 +02002085 " get information about a range of quickfix entries
2086 let items = getqflist({'id' : a:info.id, 'items' : 1}).items
2087 let l = []
2088 for idx in range(a:info.start_idx - 1, a:info.end_idx - 1)
2089 " use the simplified file name
2090 call add(l, fnamemodify(bufname(items[idx].bufnr), ':p:.'))
2091 endfor
2092 return l
Bram Moolenaar858ba062020-05-31 23:11:59 +02002093 endfunc
2094<
Bram Moolenaar071d4272004-06-13 20:20:40 +00002095
Bram Moolenaar91f84f62018-07-29 15:07:52 +02002096 vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: